Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

MS. CRANKY HAD ALWAYS LOVED THANKSGIVING (until every TV show presented recipes for over 6 weeks before the Day --- get a grip people!)


 
Ms. Cranky is so glad Thanksgiving is over this year because she doesn't think she could stand one more turkey and/or turkey stuffing recipe (the turkey isn’t even stuffed anymore anyway!).  Cranky expects to see a glut of recipes on the cooking shows at this time of year but not necessarily for 6 weeks straight and not on every non-cooking show as well. 
Maybe even Al Roker got in on the act.  For all Cranky knows, he put on a white apron and paraded out some old family secret.  Ms. Cranky, by the way, loves Al Roker and does not even know if he did a turkey show act.  But, Cranky still has to wonder ---What is it with all these recipes and why blast them for so long a time period??? 

Is the American public really that dim-witted?  Isn’t making a turkey like universal knowledge?  And, now Cranky fears besides, of course, Christmas recipes galore from every Tom, Dick and Hanna --- a nauseating Valentine’s Day pre-preparation.  She’d better start getting ready for that one --- all that frosting!
A turkey’s a turkey, stuffing’s stuffing --- put in sausage, add an oyster, Cranky doesn’t care --- just stop telling her about it.  Brine the damn poor bird, don’t brine it but just calm down. 

Now, Cranky is really worried in trying to prepare for the onslaught of silly Christmas songs even on her favorite rock stations; they’ve already started and she’s jumping up changing stations and not getting any work done.  It’s enough to make her turn to those weird white things dangling from your ears. 
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Ouiii, but, thanks for stopping by.  It’s always good to visit.  Cranky’d love to know your thoughts on this whole over-wrought recipe hubbub.
Ms. Cranky, Monday after Thanksgiving, December 2, 2013 --- rent due

 

MS. CRANKY GOT SICK ON THANKSGIVING DAY BUT DIDN’T FEEL SORRY FOR HERSELF (well, until pretty late at night!)







Cranky woke up quite sick on Thanksgiving Day but is proud to say, she didn’t give into feeling sorry for herself --- err, well, until the very end --- err, pretty late actually.
When Cranky woke up sick on Thanksgiving Day, she knew she had to make a decision --- first she felt too awful to be out and social, and, secondly, she didn’t want to pass on whatever she had to anyone else.  Cranky could hardly talk, strange for her.

Cranky’d been all ready and excited to eat with 14 other people at a holiday gathering she’d been lucky enough to attend for several years (she always hopes to not act too crazy and be thrown off the guest list but, sometimes, she forgets!).  Cranky loves this gathering of spirited people three times a year --- for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and it’s but a few blocks away so you can leave and walk the dog!  Cranky doesn’t have a dog but she does walk some and has left the party at times and come back.

And, this particular Thanksgiving, 2013 was a very special one (to not be missed) as one of the dearest members of this group had departed earth last summer, and Cranky wanted to be near everyone at this time and remember him.  It would not be the same without Joe, ever, that’s for sure...

But, Thanksgiving dinner out with friends for Cranky was not to be this year; so, she delivered her contribution to the party, stayed distant from the lovely host at the door as she did so and went home.
Cranky was determined to not feel sorry for herself and she didn’t.  Things happen and she was a lucky person --- the electric bill was down a couple bucks last month, things like that.  And, she got to talk to her brother more that day, something she treasured and a good friend from Chicago called and she was there to take the call and didn’t rush off.  Life worked.  Well, sort of.

Cranky had leftover chili she had cooked earlier in the week.  She couldn’t taste anything anyway even the very hot peppers from the cute guy at the Farmer’s Market.  Still, she had food, a home, and a beautiful soft kitty.
But, when Cranky tried to read her book, her eyes hurt too much to read but, all along, she knew she had, an ‘ace in the hole’ so to speak (C. has no idea what that means!). For, though cheapskate as we all know Ms. Cranky to be, she had actually rented a movie the day before and was really excited to see it.  Usually Ms. Cranky goes to the library for videos but this time she plunked down the money. 

So, after the chili she couldn’t taste, she was going to watch a really good movie.  She was proud of herself for thinking to get it in.  Sometimes she really did take care of herself (no matter what anybody said) and this time she was glad she’d planned ahead and, because the video store was closed on Thanksgiving itself, she had it till 9 the next evening!!!  --- Whew, whew. 
Cranky plugged in the little-used VCR and was proud of herself that she finally knew where all the yellow, red and white wires went. Ms. C. had finally memorized that process rather than the old ‘trial and error’ routine.  She sat down all expectant to watch the movie.  You might remember that there is not much on TV for someone staying home on a holiday unless you are into Muppets specials or intense football.

But, the VCR player though showing brilliantly ready to go on the TV set, wouldn’t open, the little thingy you put the DVD in, just stuck.  Cranky tried this and that and this angle and that clicker and manually too but it was closed up tight with no way to insert the movie disc.  Nothing,  (Ms. Cranky will not go into the implements she eventually tried to open the damn thing with here but it involved nail files, knives and such).
And, besides being very disappointed and now feeling slightly sorry for herself, Ms. Cranky would still be too sick to return the video the next day and, so, would pay an extra and more expensive late fine!

So,  this is how Cranky tried to look at this situation because she had done so well not feeling sorry for missing Thanksgiving with 14 fun people and tons of food and drink.
She really worked at it --- Cranky first tried the ---“Hey, I wasn’t in the Philippines during the storm” routine --- that was a good one, then, “And, I wasn’t in the Rockaways during Hurricane Sandy” (she uses that a lot) and her familiar “I don’t have some horrible disease (that I know of)” routine. 

Ms. C.’s ‘current’ VCR had lasted, at least, for 8 movies, maybe 9, making that an all-time record for the breed.  Cranky got to see one season of Parenthood at her own pace and discovered her newly beloved series Friday Night Lights --- amazing work.  This last VCR, the one now by the door to go out, Cranky even went to ‘a most reputable store’ in Manhattan and bought a product with a ‘name’.  Oh, well, so much for that theory. 
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Enjoy the season; there are so many holidays, so little time. As always, thanks for stopping by.  Be healthy and happy. 
Ms. CRANKY, Monday evening, December 2, 1013 --- rent due.