Re: Thanksgiving Week

1

I'm all alone at the office today.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 7:48 AM
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Meanwhile we get only Thursday off. Apparently we used to get Friday but it was replaced with some minor holiday, either Columbus And The Indigenous People Day, or Presidents' Day.

Almost everyone is here today but 8 of 14 are off tomorrow.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 7:52 AM
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Meanwhile we get only Thursday off. Apparently we used to get Friday but it was replaced with some minor holiday, either Columbus And The Indigenous People Day, or Presidents' Day.

Almost everyone is here today but 8 of 14 are off Friday.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 7:52 AM
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I have no idea if there are classes or not. The pattern here is that somebody (the dean?, the office manager on a power trip? who knows?) says we can all go home at noon, but given that I'm the only one here, I can go home whenever I have enough done that I feel I won't be bothered over the holiday by people who live in places with different holidays.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 7:52 AM
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2,3: Apparently, we get Friday off in exchange for not getting off on Columbus Day. Columbus Day is actually a moderately big deal here because of all the Italians. The indigenous people were mostly killed during the Beaver Wars.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 7:55 AM
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5: Here in Columbus, we don't get Columbus Day off either. I guess that's because every day is Columbus Day here.


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:03 AM
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When I worked for that state, I did. IBIMHOB that my sister was visiting that day and we looked for the stupidest thing we could do. Or maybe it was the "most Columbus" thing. Or maybe there's no difference. Anyway, on Columbus Day, in Columbus, we went to see the replicate Santa Maria. There were people protesting it.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:05 AM
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Was the replica Santa Maria built in Spain and sailed across the ocean and up the Mississippi? Because it would be cool if someone did that.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:09 AM
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I don't know where it was made. Google won't tell me, only that it lasted in the river until very recently. Given that Columbus isn't actually built on anything like a navigable river, I would guess they brought it in my truck. It was really small.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:14 AM
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8: It would be cool, but it would then have to be transported by land to Columbus.

7: The Santa Maria is gone, and I never even got on it.


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:14 AM
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9: It was really small. Do you know if it was the actual size?


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:15 AM
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It was there for over 20 years and can't be more than a brisk walk from where you work. It's your own fault for having a life and things to do.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:16 AM
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11: Yes. Or it was supposed to be. I certainly don't know how long the OG Santa Maria was.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:18 AM
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Even the tiniest mustard seed of a ship can grow to one day become a gigantic tree of genocidal colonialism. Happy Thanksgiving, friends.


Posted by: dalriata | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:20 AM
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12: Yes, I took that brisk walk many times. I just never got on the boat -- that cost money. It was also closed for repairs a lot of that time.


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:21 AM
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I can imagine a wooden boat sitting in an Ohio stream for 20 years would need a lot of repairing.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:23 AM
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14 is quite good.

We get Friday off and can theoretically leave 3 & 1/2 hours early today but not everyone does. (See Moby @ 4.last) Most people are on vacation, though.

Once we get to the requisite comment count, I'll rant about something that happened at work on Monday.


Posted by: Sir Kraab | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:32 AM
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I comment helpfully, with bated breath.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:33 AM
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4.last would be more relevant if I were actually working.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:34 AM
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We're going to the in-laws for Thanksgiving. Which is fine except they do not live near a single Pokestop. I'm going to have to make an excuse so I can drive to one, but it's really hard to think of a good reason to leave on Thanksgiving.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:40 AM
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Take the bus.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:50 AM
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It's out where the exurbs meet the rural. There is no transit or navigable river.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:51 AM
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20: "I need to go find a reason to be thankful."


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:54 AM
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Are there no rural-dwelling pokemons?


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:54 AM
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@#14 You made me look up mustard tree, 'cause I really didn't think that mustard grew on a tree. Imagine my non-christian surprise to realize that the topic is controversial and difficult to to separate fact from made up stuff on the internet because the phrase refers to a parable from the bible of which i had not heard. I thought the phrase was mighty oak trees growing from an acorn (since there are acorn trees).

I was, after a fair amount of searching, able to conclude that what we commonly refer to as mustard does not grow on a tree but grows on an annual plant. So now I am content to leave the subject without trying to integrate this botanical fact into the interpretations of bible parables.


Posted by: zb | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:59 AM
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There are pokemon, just not pokestops.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:59 AM
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Returning to holidays, we have one kiddo who is not off today (and is bitter) and another who was off after half a day on Tuesday. The one who is not off today gets Monday & Tuesday off.

We do not understand the logic of the differing schedules, but I do think that one reason Thanksgiving holidays are getting longer is that in some communities enough kids take them off making it difficult to manage school when half the kids are absent. I think this phenomenon is more common in the West, and think that it might have something to do with distances (and, potentially, the need for less planning around snow days).


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:01 AM
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Mustard is an annual, but a very large one, like a huge bushy thing. That's what we were taught.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:02 AM
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My Middle-Eastern clients all send very nice Happy Thanksgiving emails.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:08 AM
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There's a replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship in London, or at least there was about 20 years ago, and I'm pretty sure it was the exact size of the original and pretty small given the whole around the world thing. I didn't actually board it because I'm cheap.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:10 AM
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Assuming a round world, sure.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:12 AM
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They were starting to move towards whole Thanksgiving weeks off when I was a grad student 10 years ago. So many people were out, and often discussion sections in lecture courses were Thu/Fri that it seemed pointless to have class.


Posted by: fake accent The | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:15 AM
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Now I know where the text went when I was typing and not seeing it appear in the comment box.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:16 AM
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I like how Sir Kraab is waiting to go off topic while there's a tangential discussion of European ships already.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:18 AM
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That's on topic because the topic is Columbus Day, which is tomorrow.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:19 AM
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Despite all the commenting, I'm not at work today. I think very few people will be at my office. We also get Friday. We do not get Indigenous People's Day or Columbus Day or Canadian Thanksgiving.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:23 AM
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When I attended my alma mater, DFH College, we only had Thanksgiving day off. Classes were scheduled for Friday and Saturday as usual. I see now that they now have off from Thursday through Sunday. O fallen world!


Posted by: md 20/400 | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:26 AM
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There's a replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship in London, or at least there was about 20 years ago

It's still there, and actual size, and has actually circumnavigated the world as well.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:34 AM
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We trade Veterans Day away for the Friday after Thanksgiving, so I do have a 4 day weekend ahead.

My wife got roped into playing in the pit in a Miracle on 34th Street musical the first weekend of December, but rehearsals have been sporadic this week with the kids getting the week off. Our local colleges seem to still have classes at least Monday & Tuesday, but turnout drops enough by Wednesday that your class will be half empty.


Posted by: Mooseking | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:42 AM
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40

That's a pessimistic view... perhaps the class is half full?


Posted by: Rance | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:44 AM
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(Also, I was assisting Sir Kraab get to the ranting point.)


Posted by: Rance | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:47 AM
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This trend has impacted custody cases. Many custody Orders would divide Thanksgiving by starting out on Wednesday bc that was when school stopped and the holiday started. "But I am supposed to get them when school gets out! That was what we meant!" If you meant that, then we should have written that.

So now the conversation gets longer: "Do you mean when school gets out or a particular day? What is there is no school all week? Does the other parent lose their weekend and it start on Friday?"


Posted by: will | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:51 AM
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it isn't always a fight about the right to have the children with you. Sometimes it is a fight about who has to take off work to care for the kids or who has to pay for child care bc work responsibilities don't stop just bc the schools close.


Posted by: will | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:53 AM
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Well I'll be working, and spending the rest of the day and weekend alone and more unusually lonely and homesick than I have in previous years. It doesn't help that it's been about 6 months since I've seen Chani and Skype rarely works these days. And also that we've just had our first fight about...I'm not really sure what. It's kind of stupid but the feeling it gives me is that I'm not much of a priority at this point. On the plus side I went to the national liquor store and spent another ungodly sum to lay in a supply of booze so I guess things are looking up. Yay.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 9:59 AM
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My favorite state governmental agency is basically skeleton staff this week with so many people on leave.

I get two days off and they usually close the office mid-afternoon before long weekends, as a random (deliberately unpredictable) gesture of munificence.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:07 AM
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To be clear, 45.2 employer is not 45.1.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:07 AM
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Thanksgiving of course means nothing to me.* AIHPSHB Christmas I would forget completely if it weren't for the advertising. I haven't missed it in the least. In conclusion, yes I'm an antisocial weirdo, how did you guess?
*Not that I'd spurn roast turkey, mind.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:09 AM
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Inspired by this thread, I wore jeans to work today. Probably knock off early and drink some whiskey with the office mate. It's what the Pilgrims would have done, if they'd had a bottle of Bushmills 16 stashed in the office.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:09 AM
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In financial services, it's basically from Wednesday, even in Europe (not formally over here, but nothing much gets done from Wednesday lunchtime on). My Thanksgiving week is already over, however, and the leftovers are all finished. Hot tip. You really do not need a 5.2 kilo turkey crown to feed a family of seven.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:10 AM
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It's easy to get confused with the metric system.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:23 AM
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In school, both K-12 and college, I think we had a half-day Wednesday and Thursday and Friday off. Don't quote me, though, I'm not at all confident of most memories from 10+ years ago. At both my current and previous job, the office is closed on Thanksgiving. It's officially open otherwise, but lots of people opt to take PTO around the holiday and/or work from home more.

On the days before holidays in general, my old office would often do what they called early liberty: if you came into work at all that day, you'd get to leave 1-4 hour early. No benefit to people who took the entire day off. Late announcement so you couldn't be sure of it, but for certain holidays it was fairly safe.

I've taken time off for Thanksgiving in the past, but am not doing it this year. Too far behind on paid leave, want to dig myself out of a hole. I'm working from home more than usual this week but that's it.


Posted by: Cyrus | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:24 AM
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I'm spending US Thanksgiving in the perfect Canadian way by staying home, avoiding all socializing, drinking wine, and reading a pile of library books. I'm making fresh bread today and might make soup tomorrow.

But also I'm (a) in academia; and (b) counting down the days until I'm done with (a) so I have absolutely no motivation to work, even on work days.


Posted by: hydrobatidae | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:29 AM
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53

Hey, where's the ranting?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:52 AM
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Yes! Also, commiserations, Barry. I mean, not literally, my miseries are different. But warm friendliness, or something.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 10:59 AM
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So - talk me down here, folks. I'll be having Thanksgiving dinner with some pseudo-inlaws who voted for Trump. Last year, I was warned by my partner that I might not want to attend their holiday gatherings for this reason (they had a Trump sign on their lawn). I did beg off with excuses, last year.

This year I agreed to gather before recalling that Trump thing. There's been much talk around the internets about avoiding political discussion, etc. etc., and I'm happy to do that ... but if it comes up? Which is possible given that they don't seem to be aware that their allegiance is troubling ...

I'm thinking I should have some specific examples of how a Republican administration (not just Trump) has been bad. Like, um: health insurance premiums skyrocketing due to elimination of CSRs (too complicated?) Uh, threat of war with North Korea? No ... how about walking back environmental regulations?

I mean, what does a Trump supporter register as truly not very good?


Posted by: parsimon | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 11:54 AM
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I'd go with all tax cuts going to the rich.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 11:57 AM
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Excellent. Thanks.


Posted by: parsimon | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 12:14 PM
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55.last Child molestation? No maybe not.

Don't go. Or go and do battle. But don't go thinking it won't come up and can be swept under the rug.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 12:15 PM
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I can't back out now. I'll avoid anything political if possible, but if someone says something outrageous, I'm not going to let it pass.

In the past when this has happened, I constrained my remarks to the mildest ones possible, and the people involved looked at me with a pause before we tacitly agreed to move on. As I recall, the last time was over the shooting of Tamir Rice: someone said he was asking for it. I said (mildly), No, have you watched the video? -- Strange looks all around, and we dropped it.

What's sad is that I used to like these people somewhat, before I heard about the Trump sign.


Posted by: parsimon | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 12:25 PM
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We get Wednesday off in practice, although I think the university is technically open. I have a job app due on Thanksgiving, and have to plan for an interview the week after so it doesn't feel like much of a vacation.


Posted by: Buttercup | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 12:27 PM
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I'm drinking Bud Light because if I asked for whisky people would think I have a problem n


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 5:20 PM
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Maybe better than a problem p.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 5:34 PM
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Have you tried one lately?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 5:37 PM
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I only heard about the "Thanksgiving Week" thing when a cousin from California mentioned that he was bringing his family (including two schoolkids) out east for it this year.

Public school here is a half-day on Wednesday, but the afterschool program that normally covers the half-days (of which there are one or two a month) isn't in session, so someone has to take the day off work. I took the day off and spent the morning getting a head start on pie-baking.


Posted by: Nathan Williams | Link to this comment | 11-22-17 8:22 PM
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55 et seq.: My go to in such situations is to ignore any political talk and answer questions with "I don't think this is a good time to talk about politics." It usually works.


Posted by: DaveLMA | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 7:15 AM
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Back out now. Trump supporters can go fuck themselves.


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 7:20 AM
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I'm drinking Bud Light because if I asked for whisky people would think I have a problem

whereas if you have Bud Light what you have is a (homeopathically dilute) solution


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 7:30 AM
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67 is excellent.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 7:33 AM
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Get stuffed!


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:08 AM
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You also.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:19 AM
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It's just felafel and hummus for me here. And bourbon.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:22 AM
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Study showing that politically divided families had shorter Thanksgiving gatherings last year, and that it was because the democrats were fleeing their awful relatives.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:26 AM
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Close tag.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:26 AM
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I got to Denver yesterday and Jamaal was in a state due to Fox News being left on for the first few days, but they haven't done so since I got here, possibly because they don't want to invite snide comments from me. They are more anti-confrontation than they are actually invested in politics.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:29 AM
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Hey! I haven't posted the traditional post. Well, I'm not going to do it from my phone at this moment.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:30 AM
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I was about to ask.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:31 AM
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I'll sneak off from the group and post it soonish.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:37 AM
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75 Oh right, sorry.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:38 AM
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Service!

http://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2017/11/10_weed_strains_to_get_you_thr.html


Posted by: Alex | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 9:47 AM
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We saw (but did not go on) The Golden Hind on our mini meet up last month!

Being in the UK and NOT in financial services, I do not get any time off for Thanksgiving, but I did talk my bosses into letting me cook a Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. (Did most of the work last night, and then just the turkey, veg, and warming things today.) It was delightful!


Posted by: Parenthetical | Link to this comment | 11-23-17 12:01 PM
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FWIW, our kids have Monday off. In the rest of PA, that's the deer hunting holiday, but I'm not aware of city schools ever having it off before.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-25-17 4:18 PM
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You should just go shot a deer since you need to take the day off work anyway.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-25-17 4:43 PM
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