Due to various different conflicts of obligations, I'm home for thanksgiving with two of my younger brothers, while my parents trek into the frozen north with the baby of the family and a cousin who lives up that way. I have a turkey thawing in the bathtub, a stack of recipes and a small hillock of groceries that needs to be turned into a feast at some point tomorrow. I'm a good cook, but I'm a tiny bit nervous about making my first thanksgiving dinner. Lots of things that need to go in and out of different levels of heat for different periods and all that, but I think I have my timing down so that I be able to get everything done, at about the same time, in approximately four hours.

On a slightly more sour note, last night was not fun. Lots of rereading old messages, rethinking old thoughts, examining some mental scars. I have to remind myself to be as gentle with myself as I would an unwell friend, because I am capable of doing some really brutal things to myself, psychologically speaking. But tonight is the biggest bar night of the year, and I have some old friends to knock one back with. Also, for once the bar that I want to go to is within walking distance of my house, so I'm free to drink as I please. Which will still probably not be a lot. I've come to the conclusion that while I enjoy beer, some liquor, I don't particularly enjoy being capital D Drunk. Just feeling warm is nice, tipsy is nice, drunk, not so much. Regarding alcohol, be careful everybody. Sadly, a lot of people are going to die tonight because of bad decisions, either their own, or other peoples. I'd prefer it not be anyone I know.