Hot Cranky People

I have it.

What the hell? I’ve had this freaking cold for almost two weeks now. Yesterday I was rejoicing because I was relatively snot-free all day. I didn’t have to take any medicine, and the nose blowing was minimal. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel I made out of empty Kleenex boxes.

Today I woke up just as snurfy (to use an Arlo term) as I was a week ago. I’m a human snot factory. There is an endless supply. If it wasn’t so irritating it would almost be impressive.

Argh.

As I mentioned here, my family has a lot of traditions. And we enjoy carving. Traditional carving. Bring on the traditional carvings.

Over the years in the my family, a special Thanksgiving tradition has developed. Last Thursday morning marked the time for me to yet again lovingly carve a festive sculpture out of Kraft Old English slices, to adorn the top of the cauliflower au gratin.

Some of my earlier work:

Thanksgiving 2002.

No, that’s not a bird in the upper right corner, that’s the airplane that carried me and my sister home for the holidays, hurtling towards the cheesy sun.

And the baked version

The tiny cheese turkey was so beloved by all that nobody could bear to eat it. It looked so lonely there, bathing in a sea of creamy mushroom goo.

For 2003, I created a cornucopia overflowing with the harvest’s bounty. While I admit it was not my finest work, the awkward angle of the photograph does not do it justice.

I was pleased that the intricate cheese lattice on the basket withstood the heat of the oven.

So along came Thanksgiving 2004. I was at a loss about what to create this year. This year marks the first Thanksgiving for my new nephew Eli, so perhaps a portrait was in order. Or maybe an elaborate “2004″. I didn’t know. I was stumped.

I thought about how Thanksgiving was a celebration of our ancestors, the Pilgrims and Native Americans. I figured I’d work with the ancestor theme, but go a little farther back. And thus, I bring you…

The Thanksgiving Triceratops.

I just got out of a total nightmare of an airport shuttle van ride. Crazy reckless driver. High speeds. Exciting last minute quadruple lane changes. The other passengers and I exchanged nervous glances the entire time.

The best part of the ride was this sign, taped to his dashboard. It’s hard to make out, but the guy on the right is ecstatic, with a giant toothy grin. He is “with” a tip. Hooray! The guy on the left is really sad because he is “without” a tip. Apparently, he’s sad enough to kill himself, because he is holding a gun to his head. Yep.

I wonder what he’s trying to say. I *think* he wants a tip, but it’s just not clear. Hmmm.

When we stopped at the first terminal, the driver got out to get another passenger’s luggage out of the back. Much to the delight of the guy next to me, I scrambled frantically into the front seat to get a photo of the sign with my cell phone and then climbed back to the backseat of the van before the driver got back in.

I love travelling.

For Windows! Woohoo!

Go give it a whirl.

Good stuff.