Sugar and Spice and Cinnamon's Nice

Started a lovely, chilly fall day with baking. I always make the Pilsbury Cinnamon Swirl Bread mix for Thanksgiving. It's a tradition that dates back to college, when it was the only thing I had the time or the money to make that I could bring to my family's Thanksgiving dinner. Not to mention, my brother Keefe loves it and could probably eat the whole loaf himself. Unlike the cranberry bread I made yesterday, it came out perfectly, all swirled and spicy, and it made the apartment smell wonderful.

Ran Planes, Trains, and Automobiles while making and baking the bread. Ad executive Neil (Steve Martin) just wants to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. However, he keeps running into mishap after mishap on the road, including encountering an overly friendly shower curtain ring salesman named Del (John Candy) who proves to be both a hindrance and a help.

As someone who's been using public transportation for long trips as far back as her early childhood, I've probably been through more than half of what happens here. Thankfully, I've never had to share a hotel room with a stranger. I don't drive, either, so I can safely say I've never made a car go up in flames. I have, however, been in very, very full buses and planes with the most annoying people snoring on your shoulder or yakking in your ear. I've also had planes and buses cancel or not show up at all due to weather.

Went for a walk after the bread came out. It was a fine day for a walk, all blustery blue and gold. It was probably in the lower 50s, cooler than it has been but more like what it should be at this time of year. I encountered quite a few people getting leaves off their lawns as I headed down the streets. Passed kids getting out of the Oaklyn School early for the Thanksgiving holidays, too.

I also went by the Oaklyn Library on my way around the neighborhood. They're still closed...but there was some road work going on near the library. It still seems strange that they would close for that, and I keep thinking that the police receptionist made it sound like a police matter shut the library down. I'll keep you posted on developments there.

After I got home, I edited the last part of the Bowery Boys role-play story Lauren and I just finished - look for it this weekend. I had chicken fingers and greens for lunch while watching holiday-themed cartoon shorts, then headed for work.

Not surprisingly on the day before the biggest food holiday of the year, work was packed all night. There were some fairly cranky customers, too. One woman complained about the lack of turkeys and Bell Poultry Seasoning on the shelves. (Um, it's the day before Thanksgiving. We're probably lucky people left the shelves.)

A man threw a fit when I marked his 20 dollar bills to check for counterfeits. I tried to explain that I got a couple of counterfeit 20s a few weeks ago and got into trouble for it, but he walked off, muttering profanity and slurs on my parentage, before I could tell him.

Later in the evening, a woman made a big fuss over every single item on sale and complained that the sales weren't right and I had a bad attitude and why did she come there? She was being obnoxious to everyone, including her own son. She didn't buy the right things. If people would just learn to read the sales signs, there would be no reason for fussing and anger. Even the lady behind her said she was being a pain.

For all of my American readers who won't be online tomorrow, I hope that you remember the real reason for Thanksgiving. It's not just a time for turkey and cranberries and football, but to remember to be grateful for the people we love and the things we have...and to share our love and our talents with others.