Not-So-Lonely Thanksgiving: Part II

Check out Part I of the Not-So-Lonely Thanksgiving posts here for a little background.  Continue below for Part II!

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day and has thus far survived any attempts to go shopping on Black Friday.  I was very close to heading to Target at midnight last night myself…but that was for people-watching not shopping.

Continuing with our Not-So-Lonely Thanksgiving series, here are some more ideas if you ever find yourself stuck at home and want to hit the reset button and recharge before you have to return to your normal routine.

• Call Your Family – Especially if this is the first year you’re spending away from your family, set aside some time to call and actually talk.  Not just a 5-minute “HeyHappyThanksgivingHopeAllIsWellGottaGoBye” call but a real chunk of time to catch up and “spend some time” with the family.  As I suggested yesterday, consider using a Google+ Hangout to conference in family from all over into one big conversation
• Clean Out Kitchen Cupboards – Throw out any chipped plates or glasses (those of you still clinging to your trusted “College Kitchen Collection” will have plenty to get rid of.  Who knows, you might find an old gem like my trusted Erin Pub mug that will help refresh you with a swig of nostalgia

These used to be $3-refills every Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday. Ah, the Pub…

• Clear Out your DVR – Takes literally 10 minutes but surprisingly liberating to finally admit that you probably aren’t watching all 29 Boy Meets World recordings you’ve saved.
• Dust the Ceiling Fans – Again, this will take 10 minutes but you’ll be surprised how much dust a ceiling fan can accumulate regardless of how often you vacuum and dust the apartment as a whole.
• Rearrange your Shelves – Taking everything down from your shelves gives you the opportunity to take an inventory of everything you’ve been saving over the years.  Choose a new book to read (I’m starting “The Google Story” which I bought about 6 months ago and hasn’t lef the shelf).  Replace photographs with newer experiences.  If you’ve got a ton of cookbooks like we do, pick some new recipes (I’m making Crepes and Chicken Cordon Bleu today).  Also a good opportunity to take some Pledge to the shelves and make everything look like new again.
• Watch a Documentary – I’ll be the first to admit we watch a lot of crappy TV.  While you’re trolling around, throw in a documentary that will challenge you to think, even if it’s just giving yourself a new perspective on things.  I watched ESPN’s 30 for 30 special Broke, which took a look at why a huge percentage of NFL players (something like 80%) go broke within 3 years of retirement.  60% of NBA players are broke within 5 years.  Broke showed how these 20-something-year-old kids are all of a sudden multi-millionaires without the capacity to really understand how to handle that.  It puts in perspective that “retirement” for these kids comes at 30, not 70, and how easy it is to spend when the money’s coming in and how hard it is to stop the fire hose once those paychecks stop coming in.  Definitely worth the ~75 minutes moreso than another rerun of Always Sunny.
• Eat! – I told you there would be a theme this week.  Yesterday I enjoyed a nice BLT and some homemade French Onion soup

I also couldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving without a little turkey.  Thank you Boston Market for One meals!

Happy Thanksgiving, now go enjoy your Black Friday!