I am not really a fan of any holiday that is based on family togetherness. You may have already guessed that. The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. The food is easy, there are fireworks, and no one expects you to drive hours to be with your family.

Maggianos (Italian restaurant... I think it's a small chain out here in CA)

There's Maggianos in the midwest too (Chicago metro area), but I'm not sure how far their reach is.

Who was it who said that Thanksgiving is just the excuse Americans give for having Christmas dinner a month early?

And I did manage to forget someone, in the end: Hil, the story with your student does suck. I'm sorry.

Which then spurred a whole "too much taxes is killing the jobs" rant.

I like how taxes are lower than they were under Saint Regan, but they're still "too much taxes."

There's Maggianos in the midwest too (Chicago metro area), but I'm not sure how far their reach is.

We have them here. They do a great gluten-free pasta. (Says the woman who should avoid gluten and just ate a donut and a half. What? A co-worker brought them in, and I cannot resist a cruller dusted with sugar [not powdered sugar; granulated sugar].)

t Homer Simpson drooling noise

Side was roasted rosemary & curried sweet potatoes

Dear me. Barb, can I have that recipe??

I don't speak of politics with my family. Or religion. While it is possible for us to be farther apart than we are in our views, it is not possible to be much farther apart. I think it best just to not engage.

I am proud about something. And a little sad. I have managed to disengage from my extended family enough that I don't want to "work on our relationship" anymore. I don't care what they do when I'm not around and I'm not pissed. I mean, ideally, I'd feel something more than nothing about all of them, but what does "ideally" have to do with any of those people? We never have a good time together anyway. But, still, the drama kind of gave me hope that something could change...that maybe if I angsted and suffered enough, they would feel bad and take it back. Or something.

There's Maggianos in the midwest too (Chicago metro area), but I'm not sure how far their reach is.

It comes to the east coast. We have one here in DC, and I know I've been to one in Atlanta.

There's Maggianos in the midwest too (Chicago metro area), but I'm not sure how far their reach is.

NC as well - (and per wikipedia, 21 states, Mexico, Canada, and oddly enough Northern Ireland). Chicago was the original, but they're owned by some conglomerate in Dallas.

(I find them decent enough, but with the kind of terrifying portions that make me want to run and hide. Not as bad as the Cheesecake Factory, but I'm that weirdo who finds it stressful and unpleasant to get the megagigantor plates of food plonked in front of me. It's not the money or the waste - it's the OH SHIT WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO fear. Bad American!)

I like to eat family style. You can eat as much as you want, but there's no pressure because you take as little as you want.

I'm sorry for your loss, Anne.

ION, now that I caught up reading posts I am hungry.