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shadowkatSomeone on Bluesky didn't understand the holiday, and stated as an immigrant they were struggling with it - why are we celebrating genocide?
Eh, no, that's actually Columbus Day. Which was about two months ago? You've confused the holidays.
Thanksgiving is for everybody - it's when the Pilgrims, immigrants from Europe, who fled for much the same reasons people flee to the US now, celebrated their first harvest after having half the population die out the winter before. The Native American tribe in the area allegedly joined them or so legend has it, history tends to be written by those who never experienced it. It also is a holiday that is in a lot of cultures, just celebrated at different times during the year. Usually, it is celebrated at Harvest Time and in the fall months right before Winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
But mainly, it is a holiday in which people are supposed to take a moment to be grateful for the things they have. And possibly find a way to give to those who don't. (Example giving to good will, donating, spending time in a soup kitchen, etc.) Again, it originated from the Pagan tradition - "Being Thankful to the Gods for the Harvest".
I'm grateful to have all the things that I have, and feel no need to list them off. There's too many to list anyhow. I have a lot to be thankful for this year.
Speaking of being thankful? I baked my little rock cornish game hen, did my green beans and the quinoa, with the dressing for the hen. Lovely little meal. Slice of pecan pie and pumpkin pie with a touch of whipped cream for desert. Was more than happy to be on my own.
***
Touched base with immediate family - which is as unconventional as I am about the holidays.
Bro: Are you a Stranger Things or Football person?
Me: Well, at the moment a Slow Horses person. But yes, Stranger Things. I've neither the patience nor the attention span for football. You?
Bro: Sends me a screen shot of Stranger Things.
I think my mother is the only person in my immediate family who watches football regularly. Although she was enjoying Thanksgiving with friends for the day.
***
Television
* The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was kind of ...tepid? It had only three Broadway show casts, and no real pop headliners. Same floats. And kind of lukewarm in that arena as well. While the Village Halloween Parade grows in volume each year, this one seems to diminish? I gave up on it around ten, after seeing the three Broadway Shows. Just in Time (which was the most enthusiastic), Buena Vista Social Club, and Ragtime. (Note they have space heaters on the stage, and it's only ten-to-fifteen minutes per act.).
* The Materialists - movie on HBO MAX, was briefly in theaters this year. (Didn't do that well, and kind of a blink and you missed it moment - I can see why? It's not a good movie.) It's a romantic comedy satire - written and directed by Celine Song, and stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, and Pedro Pascale. And ...it is sleep inducing? I played Mahjong during it on my phone. The acting was very understated, to the point that I thought everyone was talking in monotone?
There were dramatic things that happened? But I couldn't care. It's a satire, and I don't like American Satire. It's about as subtle as a battering ram? And I like my satire subtle and dry like a fine wine.
The set-up? Dakota Fanning's character, Lucy, works at a high priced match-making service called Adore. When the movie starts - she's just celebrated her 9th wedding match. Desiring to marry for money and seeing match-making as a business - she finds herself in a odd situation, when the brother of her last match-making success, asks to date her. A rich financier, he is what they call a unicorn in match-making circles - the perfect guy. Meanwhile she runs into her poor, actor ex - and has to choose between the two. It's not your typical love triangle.
I found it hard to care. It is clearly meant to be satirical - and American Satire tends to bore me? So it could just be me? But I had to turn the volume way up and close captioning on to make out what everyone was saying, since not only did they talk in monotones, they talked really softly and gave lots of lovely speeches.
You know there's a problem when the funniest exchange is this one:
Black Single Woman Client: They must go to church. They can't love cats. I am dog person, I do not like cats.
Lucy: How about a moderate democrate?
Black Single Woman: No, I need someone who is conservative, a Republican, I am a conservative.
Lucy: Well, sorry it's going to be really hard to find a lesbian, cat hating, conservative who will be willing to date an in-the-closet 49 year old lesbian with three kids in the Greater New York Area, have you considered trying New Jersey or Long Island?
That's the only time I laughed in the whole movie. Also I spent most of the movie trying to decide if it was meant to be a satire or not? I finally decided it was - albeit not a very good one. And like all incredibly woke dating movies -- it felt the need to hammer me over the head with various social issues and how horrible people are to each other. (Yes, I know. It's broadcast to me daily, I go see movies to escape it? That's my difficulty with American satire, it's about as subtle as a battering ram.)
Another example?
Sophie: I loved my date with James. We really clicked.
Lucy: That's wonderful. (She contacts James.)
James: No, I didn't enjoy it at all. She's not what you advertised, she's not fit, she's fat, and old, and not wealthy.
Sophie is thin, pretty, and fairly young - mid-thirties.
Mark: I loved meeting Sophie, it was a great date!
I can't wait to see her again.
Lucy: Oh that sounds awesome.
Lucy: I can't get hold of Sophie for some reason. Mark really felt they connected.
Lucy's boss: Yeah, Don't get hold of her. You shouldn't be speaking to her at all.
Lucy: Why? What happened?
Lucy's boss: she's suing us and Mark, apparently he assaulted her. Don't worry about it - she's suing the firm not you, the lawyers will take care of it. This happens a lot. Sorry, it finally happened to you. It happens to all of us sooner or later.
Me: Okay, WTF am I watching? Definitely Satire. Sigh. I don't like American Satire.
* Slow Horses S5 - it is S5. It's good. The second and third episode are hilarious. Slow to start as always, I kind of dozed off in the first episode.
This season the Horses have to help their dumb as toast incel hacker get out of MI5 prison for well...that would be spoiling things.
I admittedly like absurdist humor. And Slow Horses is an example of the type of satire that works for me? Biting, British, and Subtle.
Eh, no, that's actually Columbus Day. Which was about two months ago? You've confused the holidays.
Thanksgiving is for everybody - it's when the Pilgrims, immigrants from Europe, who fled for much the same reasons people flee to the US now, celebrated their first harvest after having half the population die out the winter before. The Native American tribe in the area allegedly joined them or so legend has it, history tends to be written by those who never experienced it. It also is a holiday that is in a lot of cultures, just celebrated at different times during the year. Usually, it is celebrated at Harvest Time and in the fall months right before Winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
But mainly, it is a holiday in which people are supposed to take a moment to be grateful for the things they have. And possibly find a way to give to those who don't. (Example giving to good will, donating, spending time in a soup kitchen, etc.) Again, it originated from the Pagan tradition - "Being Thankful to the Gods for the Harvest".
I'm grateful to have all the things that I have, and feel no need to list them off. There's too many to list anyhow. I have a lot to be thankful for this year.
Speaking of being thankful? I baked my little rock cornish game hen, did my green beans and the quinoa, with the dressing for the hen. Lovely little meal. Slice of pecan pie and pumpkin pie with a touch of whipped cream for desert. Was more than happy to be on my own.
***
Touched base with immediate family - which is as unconventional as I am about the holidays.
Bro: Are you a Stranger Things or Football person?
Me: Well, at the moment a Slow Horses person. But yes, Stranger Things. I've neither the patience nor the attention span for football. You?
Bro: Sends me a screen shot of Stranger Things.
I think my mother is the only person in my immediate family who watches football regularly. Although she was enjoying Thanksgiving with friends for the day.
***
Television
* The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was kind of ...tepid? It had only three Broadway show casts, and no real pop headliners. Same floats. And kind of lukewarm in that arena as well. While the Village Halloween Parade grows in volume each year, this one seems to diminish? I gave up on it around ten, after seeing the three Broadway Shows. Just in Time (which was the most enthusiastic), Buena Vista Social Club, and Ragtime. (Note they have space heaters on the stage, and it's only ten-to-fifteen minutes per act.).
* The Materialists - movie on HBO MAX, was briefly in theaters this year. (Didn't do that well, and kind of a blink and you missed it moment - I can see why? It's not a good movie.) It's a romantic comedy satire - written and directed by Celine Song, and stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, and Pedro Pascale. And ...it is sleep inducing? I played Mahjong during it on my phone. The acting was very understated, to the point that I thought everyone was talking in monotone?
There were dramatic things that happened? But I couldn't care. It's a satire, and I don't like American Satire. It's about as subtle as a battering ram? And I like my satire subtle and dry like a fine wine.
The set-up? Dakota Fanning's character, Lucy, works at a high priced match-making service called Adore. When the movie starts - she's just celebrated her 9th wedding match. Desiring to marry for money and seeing match-making as a business - she finds herself in a odd situation, when the brother of her last match-making success, asks to date her. A rich financier, he is what they call a unicorn in match-making circles - the perfect guy. Meanwhile she runs into her poor, actor ex - and has to choose between the two. It's not your typical love triangle.
I found it hard to care. It is clearly meant to be satirical - and American Satire tends to bore me? So it could just be me? But I had to turn the volume way up and close captioning on to make out what everyone was saying, since not only did they talk in monotones, they talked really softly and gave lots of lovely speeches.
You know there's a problem when the funniest exchange is this one:
Black Single Woman Client: They must go to church. They can't love cats. I am dog person, I do not like cats.
Lucy: How about a moderate democrate?
Black Single Woman: No, I need someone who is conservative, a Republican, I am a conservative.
Lucy: Well, sorry it's going to be really hard to find a lesbian, cat hating, conservative who will be willing to date an in-the-closet 49 year old lesbian with three kids in the Greater New York Area, have you considered trying New Jersey or Long Island?
That's the only time I laughed in the whole movie. Also I spent most of the movie trying to decide if it was meant to be a satire or not? I finally decided it was - albeit not a very good one. And like all incredibly woke dating movies -- it felt the need to hammer me over the head with various social issues and how horrible people are to each other. (Yes, I know. It's broadcast to me daily, I go see movies to escape it? That's my difficulty with American satire, it's about as subtle as a battering ram.)
Another example?
Sophie: I loved my date with James. We really clicked.
Lucy: That's wonderful. (She contacts James.)
James: No, I didn't enjoy it at all. She's not what you advertised, she's not fit, she's fat, and old, and not wealthy.
Sophie is thin, pretty, and fairly young - mid-thirties.
Mark: I loved meeting Sophie, it was a great date!
I can't wait to see her again.
Lucy: Oh that sounds awesome.
Lucy: I can't get hold of Sophie for some reason. Mark really felt they connected.
Lucy's boss: Yeah, Don't get hold of her. You shouldn't be speaking to her at all.
Lucy: Why? What happened?
Lucy's boss: she's suing us and Mark, apparently he assaulted her. Don't worry about it - she's suing the firm not you, the lawyers will take care of it. This happens a lot. Sorry, it finally happened to you. It happens to all of us sooner or later.
Me: Okay, WTF am I watching? Definitely Satire. Sigh. I don't like American Satire.
* Slow Horses S5 - it is S5. It's good. The second and third episode are hilarious. Slow to start as always, I kind of dozed off in the first episode.
This season the Horses have to help their dumb as toast incel hacker get out of MI5 prison for well...that would be spoiling things.
I admittedly like absurdist humor. And Slow Horses is an example of the type of satire that works for me? Biting, British, and Subtle.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 04:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 11:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 04:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 02:17 pm (UTC)...
I'm a tad concerned that my niece is setting me up for a blind date this coming week. I'm getting too old for that nonsense.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 04:10 pm (UTC)Ugh. Blind date. Best of luck. It's almost easier to go with the flow then to try and talk them out of it. I gave up on dating about fifteen years ago, it's just exhausting.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-28 05:15 pm (UTC)Anyway, I am glad you had a nice meal!