I love that American Thanksgiving has a four-day weekend. At the end of today however, mine will be over.
I slept most of the morning away, after not being able to get to sleep last night when I returned home from my exciting day. But I woke up ready to be productive. Well, I was at least hoping to be.
I finished painting everything that I have been working on and decided I wanted to also be finished with the Christmas presents I’ve started. I headed out to do a little shopping, despite my lack of funds. I was hoping that little factor wouldn’t get too far in my way.
First I went to Costco, because I thought they might have some really nice wrapping paper and ribbon sets, and I love wrapping presents, so that was what I was looking for. But they didn’t have any. So I thought I would look for cereal, because I finished off the last of my supply of Corn Flakes before I left home in the morning, but they didn’t have what I wanted in that department either. So I sampled some free samples and was on my way to the next place.
The dollar store was my next stop and it was much more successful. I got wrapping paper, ribbon, trinkets to go in the bags I had painted for my cousins, some more cards and everything I was looking for out of the dollar store. And it was conveniently right across the street from Costco.
From there I made a pitstop at Ross, because it was right next door, and I wanted to check out what they had in stock. And then I made my way to Kmart to get some UNC swag for my other cousin. That was a good stop too, and I got him a jersey, pajama pants and boxer shorts, because I knew he had asked his mom to start buying him boxers and I don’t think she did.
So I had what I wanted and I was ready to wrap some presents and pretend to get them under someone’s tree. On my way home I stopped to go tanning, and am still trying to figure out a way not to burn in Mexico. Mexico is now less than three weeks away and I am excited to get some vacation time in before I worry about the real world again!
I got home and went to work on the Christmas presents. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was on TV, setting the perfect holiday mood for me as I wrapped. I now have beautifully packaged presents for my three youngest cousins and my mother. And I learned today that my brother received the sweatshirt I sent him home a few weeks ago and it fits him perfectly. He had to be prompted several times to tell me this, but now I know.
I wrote out some more Christmas cards and watched some more holiday movies, accounting for the majority of my afternoon and evening.
Thing 2 knocked on my door when she came home from her parents’ house to see how the recovery of my sickness was going. I told her I was pretty much confined to my bed on Black Friday, and we both agreed that was probably not the worst place I could have been. She ventured out to shop and was unsuccessful and unhappy with that decision at the end of the day.
She thanked me for coming to her house, and I tried to express my gratitude to her and her family for having me. I don’t think I got the message across, so I should probably do what my mother suggested and make her a card. I do enjoy arts and crafts, and now that painting is out of my life for at least a little while, it is back to the paper and glue. I should probably make cards for the people from Baseball America too, so now I have a new task ahead of me for whatever free time I find myself with.
And then she retreated to her room and me to mine. More movies and checking the updates of the Grey Cup online. I learned that not long into the game, the one person I actually know personally who was playing, was injured and taken off the field.
His name is Leron Mitchell and I used to work with him at a bar in London, a long time ago, when we both went to UWO. Since then, he’s played for the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the team he got injured for today. I guess he did some significant damage to his ankle, but since Montreal won the Grey Cup, and that had nothing to do with it, I don’t think it’s making any headlines.
The Alouettes are the first team to win back-to-back Cups since the Argos did it in 1996-97. That was when they had Doug Flutie, and their current president and CEO Bob Nicholson, was at the helm for his first stint. Maybe Toronto can have another chance next season, and better yet, an opportunity to do it two years in a row again when they host the 100th Grey Cup in 2012.
I would love nothing more than for the Hamilton Tiger Cats to win the next Grey Cup, but being around the Argos all year this season gave me a new perspective on the rivalry. It makes for great games and great fun, but I do want to see success for all the people I met.
I want the Ticats to win though, and it’s been too long. The most recent decade was the only one in which they did not have a Grey Cup victory in their history. It’s about time they bring that cup home.
But this year’s cup has a home, and it is in Quebec, that other part of Canada. And Canadian football is done its regular season play until next Canada Day. The excitement is over and UNC’s biggest success Darian Durant did not find a victory. Instead, he had a pass intercepted with 55 seconds left when his team was only down by three. Too bad for the Riders, who are now 3-15 in Grey Cup play.
More time for watching college football now I guess. But tomorrow morning I am back to baseball. For only two more weeks, so I better take advantage.
From the gridiron to the diamond...
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