28 November 2003: Enormous Chunk of Dead Pig

Spent a pleasant, quiet, and slothful Thanksgiving at Stagewalker's, with Dragon Lady, The Khan, Speaks Like Silence, and Gemrise. Instead of a turkey, the Khan roased an enormous chunk of dead pig, using an old family recipe from the Phillipines. It was unspeakably delicious, and, in combination with Dragon Lady's mashed yams, my pumpkin curry, and the two enormous pies brought by Speaks Like Silence, it served to render us all happily comatose. It was good to spend time with the Khan, something I don't do often enough these days. And it was a good opportunity to reflect on the many things for which I can be thankful. Praise Lakshmi!

The one thing that was sadly lacking - the one thing that would most have improved the experience of Thanksgiving at Stagewalker's - was the presence of Stagewalker. We really must remember to invite him next time.

Okay, so we didn't actually forget to invite him. He was in the hospital with a sudden attack of kidney stones, and was gracious enough to let us use his apartment anyway. We left delicious leftovers in his refrigerator, and me and Gemrise and the Khan drove out to the hospital to visit him and bring him pie, and discovered that our food binge had left us so stupified that we were barely capable of conversation. Stagewalker got home today, so fans of medical horror stories can now read the full tale of his ordeal in his journal.

Creating the Three of Swords card got me on a roll, and over the past couple of days I've gone on to do the Four and the Five, which are now posted. I'm inspired to keep going and do the rest of the numbered Swords cards, but I must not. The next three weeks must be entirely given over to homework and financial aid paperwork. My self-discipline has been pathetic lately. I've got to muster it again, for three more weeks. After that, I'll have a few weeks to spend puttering about with my pet projects as much as I like, and hanging out with local friends, and with the pilgrims drawn by the New Year's Quickening.