melog-20101124.log.0

whoa. i almost fell asleep.

all sorts of aromas are permeating the air. my wife is pressure cooking some seasoned broth that is chocked full of turkey wings, onions, and celery.

smells good.

that's the stock for my wife's dressing. she's also about to prepare the turkey for seasoning and baking.

she's also gonna make some mac n' cheese. not like that stuff i made the other night. nope. she gets tons of cheese and other seasonings. she buys the noodles in a bag, rather than the pre-boxed stuff like i make. somehow she adds in eggs, evaporated milk, butter and . . . oh man, it's just good stuff.

well, now she's wrestling around with the kids. she does that sometimes. just starts messing around with them. she'll lock 'em down to the bed or floor and tickle their feet. or pick them up and given a shake and lay them down to the floor. all in fun, now. none of this hurts them. they giggle and laugh and cry, "do it again, mama . . . again!"

even my rusty nine year old son. though, he's getting a bit big to play with like that. the logistics just don't work the same any more like with our five year old daughter. but, we try no to leave him out.

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i didn't think were were having dinner at our house until a few days ago. i thought were were going to my mother-in-laws. but, at the last minute, my wife tells me she's going to cook and we're not going over there. long story. but, my wife really doesn't get along with a particular sibling. she told her mom that if he's going to be there, she won't. period.

her mom asked her if she did anything to offend her. my wife told her that the problem as specific to her brother.

my wife says that her mother told her that she needed to talk to him about it. my wife replied that he was the one at fault, so he needed to come forward.

then, she ask my wife if she even prayed any more.

oh boy, what did she ask that for?

my wife replied that she doesn't pray any more. she said that god should understand already, so why should she have to get on her knees and tell him (or her) about it. god already knows.

my mother-in-law did not like hearing that, i can imagine. she replied that she will start praying even harder for us, now.

and so, i suspect in a few weeks, i'll end up in a conversation with my mother-in-law. she'll basically ask "why", and i'll be very tempted to evade. i've dodged this question once. it will be hard to keep doing it over time.

or maybe, i'll just point out how i agree that my wife has experience injustice and i stand by her choices. i'm not her boss and it's not my place to impose certain behaviors upon her.

i think i can say that without giving away the fact that i've become non-religious.

and maybe nothing will come of it. we'll see . . .

melog-20101124.log

woo-hoo! i don't work again until monday!

woo-hoo!

i always like to commemorate the day before thanksgiving as jade empire day. that's the day i discovered the game laying around at my mom's house in my brother's computer room. i really enjoyed that game.

my wife took my son out of town that year and i was at home alone. i didn't want to stay at home by myself. you know, an "idle mind . . . " and all that jazz. so, i spent the evening with my mom after work.

after everyone started to settle down for the evening at my mom's house, i started sifting through my brother's xbox games. he's known for buying a game and never even opening it or playing it.

ever.

so, i thought i'd give some of them a spin. i pop in a game, play for five minutes, and throw it to the side. i even rejected jade empire at first.

but, nothing else seemed all that engaging. so, i popped it back in once more, just to give it more of a chance.

before it knew it, my mom was peeping in on me at 06:30 the next morning.

you're still here?? i thought you went home. you've been up all night???

she should know me by now. why was she so surprised?

i ran across that game just when i was starting to open up in a lot of other ways. and i felt so much like the main character in the game-- following a path with many choices before me, but not really sure why i was even on that path, to begin with.

and just as the main character eventually re-evaluated everything once thought to be true, i found myself doing that with my life for real.

and, i also became acquainted with the wuxia genera and found that i love it!

anyhow, i always think about jade empire around this time of year. i loved the music, the imagery, the story line, and feeling like a kung fu master-- even though it's all under false pretenses.

but, there was nothing false about looking inward at myself and all that i though i knew about what i believed and was taught all my life. that was turned upside down, too. and i started a personal, intellectual adventure of my own.

have a happy thanksgiving!

and, have a happy jade empire day, too.

time to head for the house and spend some time with the family.

and watch claymore with my wife, too.

i gotta say-- can't beat having a wife that will watch shows with you like the sci-fi channel's battlestar galactica, classic star trek, and claymore.