I am staying off of facebook until December 1st because people won’t stop mentioning Christmas and it’s both pissing me off and depressing me.  It’s pervasive even amongst the crowd that claims to hate the commercialization of Christmas and Black Friday and Christmas in June – but if you are getting revved up about Christmas a full week before Thanksgiving then you are absolutely participating in making Christmas the obscene thing it has become.

If you need more than three weeks to prepare for Christmas, I think you’re doing it wrong.  The only exception being that if you are making gifts you may need a lot more time to plan and work on them – totally understandable and I support this.  Or if you are making things to sell for the Christmas crowd then you need to prepare for that too.  But flogging your goods for Christmas shoppers before Thanksgiving is NOT OKAY.

Thanksgiving is the only holiday of the entire year that I actually look forward to and it is being destroyed by Christmas talk.  By Christmas music being played in stores and Christmas commercials running on Hulu.  And by friends and acquaintances pulling out their Christmas decorations and movies and excitement.

So, I will leave this post open all day so I can jot down the random thoughts I have that I generally post to facebook:

The word “nuptials” makes my skin crawl.

I think my morning cough might really be tuberculosis and end up being the death of me.

Not sure “Candy” is the best fake name for a male prostitute.  If he was a drag queen that would be okay, but it’s too playful and theatrical to be suitable for a male prostitute who is not dressing up.

Thanksgiving Dinner:

Salt-roasted chicken (Philip and Max are making this because Max wants to try it)

Pink Banana Squash filled with stuffing

mushroom gravy

Pear and walnut salad

pumpkin and pecan pie.

Maybe something potatoe-y for Max if he wants to try a homemade potato dish.

Today, when I’m done working on Chapter two of book two, I will procure ingredients and cook pumpkin ahead of time.

So far I have sold 15 e-book versions of Cricket and Grey.

Max has been watching this program called “Food Wishes” on youtube which is a chef who’s pretty funny demonstrating how to cook different recipes.  That’s where he got the idea that he wants to try the salt-roasted chicken.  Just now he showed me a video about how to make fondant potatoes which he also wants to try.  I think it’s marvelous that he’s watching a food show and seeing food that looks good to him.  I’m going to make the fondant potatoes today after I get another hour or two of writing chapter two in.  To see if he likes them.  He probably won’t like either – but if an extreme picky eater is starting to show interest in regular food visually, I think it’s just a matter of time before he starts liking more food texturally as well as the taste of it.  And he won’t develop the taste for real food if he isn’t given the opportunity to try it and the best food to try is food he thinks looks good.

I have just noticed that 21 people have downloaded the free chapters from my book on Smashwords but only one person (my friend Sid) has bought it.  I guess it’s good that people are trying it out, but discouraging that no one has felt moved yet to buy the whole thing.  I know that there will be plenty of people who won’t like my book, that’s how it is, but I would hope for a higher percentage that do.

Not going to facebook is being cut off from a lot of pleasant chatting.  But it also means I haven’t seen any horrible news yet today, I haven’t had to see anyone’s Christmas chatter, and no exposure to idiocy besides my own.  It’s a little quiet in my head though.  Uncomfortably quiet.  I’ve made some progress on chapter 2 now but the writing isn’t fantastic.

Whatever!  It’s the FIRST DRAFT.  First drafts are always terrible.  At least mine are.

So it’s the end of the day.  I’m about 3/4 done with chapter 2, I just made Max fondant potatoes and he liked them, and now I’m watching some shows.  I call this a good day.

My scooter is still being really weird and sometimes not working.  I hope it starts today.