Monday, November 29, 2004

Thanksgiving Break and The Return To Carbondale

Thanksgiving is the best holiday, hands down. It's not a Hallmark Holiday, it's not really commercialized or materialistic like Christmas, it is a time in which family gets together, puts aside the beef (no pun intended) and eats peacefully (in most cases.) I love Thanksgiving because it promotes eating, and drinking (mostly eating) and football. Eating multiple kinds of turkey, macaroni and cheese with three different types of cheeses, a myriad of desserts and much much more. After Thanksgiving, I made my return to Carbondale, leaving the cold, windy city of Chicago to comeback to the cold, windy & rainy Carbondale. I missed that place Chicago. I hopped off the train and saw buildings that touched the sky, felt the noise and loundess of cars honking and music blaring, and the arguing of cab drivers. Ahhh, home sweet home! I enjoyed my time home. Sleeping in my own bed, sleeping late and often. Getting homecooked grits, biscuits, eggs, crema, arroz con mole, coconut cake, cheesecake, apple/peach cobbler, smothered steak, and garlic mashed potatoes. Getting real pizza. Sausage and pepporoni, greasy, meaty and cheesy, the way true Chicagoans like it. Italian beef cooked, not microwaved and some quality burritos and tortas from an authentic Mexican restaurant, not a "Mexican" restaurant run by hillbillie white folks from the boonies and quality Puerto Rican food. Now, I'm back, in a town that I consider boring if it wasn't for the parties. But the people here are nice, I've made plenty of quality friends that I could count on, and I've only known them for a few months. It was strange to return to Chicago to happy faces of excitement from friends and family. And when I returned to Carbondale, I was welcomed with smiles and a sense of happiness from friends. I didn't see these people for one week, but it felt like it was longer than that. It was two weekends without the infamous Cherry Pit. Two sober weekends is most likely what made it feel like such a long time without these people. But back home, it seemed like it went too quickly. Quicker than you can call a Cubs chokejob, it was Wednesday night and I was going to bed so I can wake up early to play a good ol' fashioned Thanksgiving Football Game. Going home was not as promising as advertised or promised by certain females. Ex-girlfriends calling to say that they have gotten back with another ex-boyfriend. Ex-co-workers calling from Texas not home, but wait till Christmas (same one who said at Halloween wait til Thanksgiving) and flirty friends that talk about other guys they've been with while they know you have feelings for them. But that is what happens when you are best friend to the world, but ya gotta love it though, cuz when you are friend to the world, you are on top of the world. I got back, some were in the same predicament I was in. "Did you get laid?" "No." "Me neither." See, I'm not the only one who didn't get any when I went home. Then I had to wake up the next morning to go to class. It was cold, rainy, windy and I didn't have my car to take me to class warm and dry. Class was boring, as usual on Monday morning. Students exchanged tales of turkey and stories of stuffing and good times at home. Despite the cold, wet, winter-like conditions, it was good to be home, both in Chicago and in Carbondale.

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