solo Thanksgiving

Between nomadism and pandemic, another Thanksgiving alone, and actually in the US this year. Kind of lonely, though to be fair, if I'd been invited to anything more than a few people outside, I probably wouldn't have gone. I did arrange for a mini-feast, though. With overkill, actually: I'd cooked pork, lamb, and steak over the past few days, but ended up getting Indian takeout. So I had roast bird (tandoori chicken leg), lamb biryani, plus my own salad and imitation baked beans[1]. And raita. I have leftovers, and was stuffed enough to go for a post-prandial walk too.

One benefit of being alone: no urge to stuff myself to walk away with "the good stuff", it's all mine anyway.

Things to be grateful for:

health: not perfect, but after my stay in Mexico City, my ability to walk hills with abandon has returned to its pre-2020 level.

job: also not perfect for my life goals, but I'm learning a lot, getting paid a lot, and it's socially useful work too.

housing: that I have a friend who was able to lend me a house for a while, giving me the experiences of adult Halloween, harvesting fruit, and paying California utility bills. Okay, less grateful for that last.

[1] Black beans, chipotle salsa, and BBQ sauce from a burger place, yield something tasty, and similar to my hazy memories of baked beans.