We’re enjoying a free month of Canal+ on TPS, our satellite provider. So, I finally get the Desperate Housewives thing. And last night (Tuesday) I got to watch Sunday Night Football for the first time in three years. Man! I was really surprised at how much I remember of the rules and how I was able to explain them to the American-Football-Ignorant Spousal Unit. But honestly, after nearly six years without much NFL (we only watched it when we were home for X-mas in 2003), with only le foot and rugby to fill my sweaty-men-knocking-each-other-around need, the NFL has just lost something. The action is so slow, and one gets the impression, or at least I did, that they spend more time doing nothing than actually playing. Dear God, I’m becoming a frog.

Today begins the insanity that is Thanksgiving. One of my nice French friends is coming around this morning and we’re going out to do the Mad Shop. My list is a mere two pages long and, as I always start out ultra-organized, is written down in the order I do the grocery store so I won’t need to backtrack and double back to get everything. We’ve got four places to hit this morning, three grocery stores and a junk shop where I can pick up the extra serving platters and stuff I’ll need. And when all the fun is done, we’re planning and a Chinese Buffet. At least that’s The Plan. We’ll have the monkeys along with us, so I reserve the right to change The Plan to include dropping them off at an orphanage…at least temporarily.

Once home I’ll begin all the prep work. Our turkey is in, fresh from the farm of one of Marc’s fellow JA guys who was kind enough to dress him out and bring him by the other day—complete with head. Marc was kind enough to remove that for me because every time I opened the freezer and saw him starring at me, those pregnancy hormones kicked in twice as strong and honestly, who wants to clean the freezer today? Not I.

So turkey it is, along with my now-traditional roast pork and a roast beef because there’s a lot of people coming. Last count there were 23 adults confirmed with 7 monsters, with folks from four countries and three continents. It should be interesting.

Oh, and I’m going to try and make a new kind of chocolate thing this year instead of my regular chocolate cake. I’ll be making it ahead of time so if it doesn’t work I’ll still have time to whip up a regular plain chocolate cake, but I feel optimistic. I always feel optimistic at the beginning…

But hey, I did get the living room floor waxed yesterday, so a little optimism has been earned, right?