Thanksgiving

Well, we certainly we have a lot to be grateful for this year...Paddy is still employed, we are in family expansion mode and we have our health and our family and friends are safe. The Mumbai attacks brought it home for me that the world is really unpredictable and becoming unsafer. At least in Tokyo, I feel that we are very safe from crime and terrorism.  

So, unlike other years when I have been on call for Thanksgiving and we eat at the bar at Gotham Bar and Grill, Paddy mentioned we were having guests over for Thursday, two of his work colleagues and their partners. They have been very welcoming to us since our arrival here.  Three of them are even American!  It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving here because there are no decorations up for it and the day doesn't start with the Macy's Tday Parade.  But we persevered. The mental process of cooking and planning is painful but actually doing it as long as you are organized is very relaxing, and there is nothing better than the smell of a turkey with four sticks of butter roasting in the oven. I went for the smallest one at the international store, which was 15lbs. I think we made a good dent in it, as evidenced by my before and after photos. Hope everybody had a wonderful day and didn't overstuff.