Things to be thankful for

As I said before, we celebrated our big Thanksgiving meal last Sunday because my wife worked today. She works at a nursing home, so it's one of those places that can't just close for a holiday. She gets to choose between having either Thanksgiving or Christmas Day off, and she always chooses Christmas.

So yesterday I chopped up the vegetable ingredients for my chili so I wouldn't have to do it today, and early this morning started it going. I make it in a slow cooker and it takes a few hours before it's ready to eat, so we all had homemade chili for lunch today.

I made one pound (raw weight) of jerky today. Unfortunately when I began gathering up my ingredients I realized I had forgotten to restock liquid smoke. So I threw something together anyway and the kids love it but I don't think it's all that great. Another unfortunate thing is that one of my favorite ingredients--McCormick's hickory smoked salt--is no longer manufactured. I have looked around and there are other hickory smoked salts available at various places online, but it's going to take me a while to try a few and decide on one to stock up on. It's a bummer that I can't just buy it at a grocery store anymore.

Yesterday I watched the movie Smilla's Sense of Snow. It was okay, but not what I would call great. I have never read the book, but I went out online and read about it, and I think it's safe to say that the movie just doesn't measure up to the book. I don't remember why I added this one to my Netflix queue several months ago. It's basically a murder mystery set in Copenhagen, Denmark and at the end of the movie, in Greenland. It has some sci-fi-ish overtones with a big conspiracy plot built in.

Last week I saw a BBC miniseries production Count Dracula, recommended by my friend Babel. Two episodes with a total playing time of around 3 hours, and made back in the 80s. It is the most faithful-to-the-book version of Dracula I have ever seen. So if you're a fan of the more traditional vampire tale it's recommended. If you're a fan of the more modern kind of vampire tale, you're probably reading the wrong blog.

Today has been a very relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving. I recorded another album and cleaned up several songs already in progress, finishing one album. Other than I have just spent time with the family and watched the temperature fall.