cereal: There is a whole round of small-p politics I never learned, not being at work. And I'm finding it slightly passive-aggressive that after one day she "brought someone in" on our conversation after not even a day...maybe in case I might be like a mom at a birthday party, all "What do we say when we want someone to do us a favor? Please don't be an idiot, thank you." I know we all got a shitty district with a registration gap(and honestly, not sure how much the scurrying around really helps, but maybe my attitude is bad.)

a courteous, team player way to say "...you order me around, and I'm beginning not to care for it."

Start with "No." "No" is a complete sentence.

Anything softer leaves room for getting mis-heard or mis-understood or just plain ignored.

Then you can talk. "Oh, you would like me to assist you? Then ask nicely."

Sometimes you have to step on their toes until they apologize.

Well, that's a thought. Maybe I've been too available.

Start with "No." "No" is a complete sentence.

That is difficult to learn and so important.

For the first time in a year and a half, I have a working furnace.

Woot!

Yay, heat!

Yay, heat!

I keep turning it up, just to hear it kick in.

Also, I got a new thermostat out of it and it's much nicer. The other one was sort of the gaslight special where the buttons would press in without any sense that they were activating and often not. You know...bad buttons.

I have brined my bird, and it's in the garden apartment fridge for the next two days doing The Osmosis. And I'm now roasting veg and turkey bits in preparation to make some stock.

Heat!

My sister is hosting her husband's family on Thursday, so I will provide: cranberry sauce, bread for stuffing, and a pumpkin pie (possibly a pecan-pumpkin pie). On Saturday it will be Thanksgiving with my nieces and their families, so we will do prime rib and a pesto lasagna. I will make the lasagna and a Basque cheesecake.

Lots of cooking ahead. I should probably go start the cranberries, and take the butter out of the freezer so I can make pie tomorrow.

I decided I needed more turkey bits for my stock so I trotted over to Whole Foods and came back with a turkey back, neck, thigh and drumstick.

So that's currently broiling while the previous veg and neck are in the convection oven.

I think in half an hour I can combine them all into a holy PRE-stock pot. Very different in feel from the POST stockpot with the turkey carcass.

But i need stock before hand to do the gravy and the stuffing.

Anyway, the house smells great (lots of sage, lots of thyme, roasty turkey) AND it's warm and cozy.

I'm in full Bob Belcher mode now obsessing about every detail.

You went to Whole Foods, but you bought pieces of turkey? Confusing!