Thanksgiving

Yesterday I woke up with a sore throat. I got more light-headed and tired throughout the day. At the end of the day, in my Anatomy and Physiology class, Dr. Singkornrat, the teacher, was teaching us about lung sounds. I had her listen to mine to see if anything was amiss. She noted that my breathing was labored and said that I might be getting a fever and that I would have to be careful. Yesterday also happened to be a practice date for the Christmas play that the church youth group is putting on. At school, my friend Nick, the director, said that he was going to be late to the rehearsal, so told me to take his place until he got there. That meant that I would have to boss people around with a sore throat. Fun?

As my sister and I were getting picked up to go to the rehearsal, my dad saw that there was a house down the street that was on fire. Of course, we had to go over for a look, so we got as close as we could (which wasn't very far due to the police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and the like). There were some other neighbors watching too. I didn't know most of them. I actually don't know most of my neighbors. It's kind of sad.

Anyway, I took charge of the rehearsal, and we got things going pretty smoothly. The production's coming along nicely, but we sorely need some run-throughs with the entire cast (at least three people couldn't make it), to say nothing of dress rehearsals. Luckily, there's going to be at least one major rehearsal (Saturday, 9:00 AM - ?) and a bunch of regular ones coming soon. I tried to avoid raising my voice, but I felt compelled to speak loudly while onstage. Over time, I started to grow weak and needed to sit down more. Some people said I started to look pale. A qualified mother said I had a fever. Luckily, the rehearsal ended a little early, so I got to go home earlier than expected and have a little something to eat (I wasn't very hungry). According to the thermometer, which wouldn't give a final reading because I couldn't keep it still in my mouth, I had a mild fever.

I decided to sweat it out. I had worn two shirts, a jacket, and long jeans to school because it was cold. For the play, I decided not to change clothes, putting my costume (a t-shirt and pajama bottoms) over my clothes instead. After having a bite to eat at home, I wore all those to bed, along with two pairs of socks, plus some sheets, blankets, comforters, and such. For about two hours I lay half-asleep, sweating. It really keeps your mind active. In my mind all I could think of was complex math problems like the ones I have to face in calculus class. (If I needed any more proof that I was ill, that was it.) After two hours of soundly not sleeping, I decided to eschew any coverings and just rely on my clothes for keeping me for hot. After that, I went to sleep.

My temperature was a little better this morning -- almost normal -- and I feel less light-headed, but my throat is still bad. And today is Thanksgiving. It's supposed to be about giving thanks. Family get-togethers and great feasts are common. Just about everyone has a turkey as the main dish of their Thanksgiving feast; in fact, it's sometimes called "Turkey Day." Someone I used to know once said that Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates gluttony. I disputed her claim at the time, but now I realize that she's right. However, I'm really hungry today.

As hungry as I may be, Thanksgiving really is about letting people know that you're thankful for them. That's why I've made it a point to name that I'm thankful for my friends, old and new; my teachers and my school; my chiropractor; (I was going to say my health, but never mind); you, the reader, for providing feedback and making my blogging worthwhile; and most of all, my family, for tolerating me.

As usual, everyone's coming to our house for dinner. I think there are going to be something like 15 people (including ourselves), and 5 dogs (including our dear Speck). Everybody who's anybody is going to be here. My cousins are bringing their friend who lives with them or something. We'll also be having our own friend and neighbor, Kevin, who, because he just got a job, can't travel anywhere or take any time off. His family left the country for the long Thanksgiving weekend, leaving him alone for the holiday, so we invited him to dinner. Unfortunately, we're all going to be eating outside. It's very nice outside today, but I'll probably be relegated to sitting at a barstool on a dirty countertop that's uncomfortably high. I'll complain about it if it still bothers me by then.

Apparently, a teacher's aide at the University of Pennsylvania was running off copies of a Psychology I exam a few days ago, and he or she decided to have some fun by adding an extra page to the test with the instructions, "Draw a turkey." Here's a gallery of people's turkey drawings and an analysis of recurring themes. For example, 6 turkeys had extra legs, and 8 were wearing a hat. Many of the college students drew hand turkeys like kindergarteners are taught to do. Innocent Thanksgiving fun or psychological experiment?

Check out the 50 Worst Video Game Names of All Time. There are some real gems, many of which you've probably never heard of. Coming in at #21: Divine Divinity. And you've gotta love #2: If It Moves, Shoot It! I think there's a good reason you haven't heard of these, actually.

Three years ago: "Christmas does not begin in the middle of November."