Gobble Gobble

I have just flat given up. I can't think of anything to say about anything of import that doesn't sound mean, cynical and dispirited. I don't feel that way...but when I look at the news, well, I just get pissed off.
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Add to that the increasing frustration, anger and/or depression I hear from people dealing with the ever-longer wait for non-special needs adoptions from China that, in turn, makes me angry and frustrated for the kids not getting parents and the great parents not getting to be with their kids.
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I just don't want to go there any further. So this Friday will be thought-free!
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Instead I'll resort to the last desperate ploy of the overmatched swordsman: I'll tell a story.
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Actually, I got to thinking about this 1) while composing the preceding post about the teeny tiny Chinese bills, and 2) wondering about what to do for Maxine's First Thanksgiving. It's a leetle bit of a stretch, so bear with me
This September 25th was Moon Festival for China, and for many folks of Chinese heritage all over the world. Since we were busy trying to expand our family at that point, we pretty much gave the MoonFest a pass. The local folks were whooping it up pretty good, and Millicent and Floyd did give us a mooncake for a present that evening. So we feel like we chipped in at least a little.
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N.B. - the mooncake tasted like raw dough. Not sure if that's how they're supposed to taste...

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Anyway, the next day saw us on one of our many, many trips downtown Guangzhou to see our pals at the police station. We got to talking with our agency guide, the sharp young woman who was Rob the Yob's stand-in.
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"So, what's the deal with Moon Festival?" we asked her. "Oh, it's a big family holiday, all families get together and have a big meal and party." she explained. Mojo and I looked at each other.

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"Lemme ask you something...are you married?" She admitted that she wasn't.
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"When you go home for Moon Festival, do your mom and grandma give you a hard time about not having a man, getting too old, and not giving them grandkids?" Yep, she said, all the time.

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"Does your Dad and your uncles drink too much, argue and watch sports on TV?" She said that they usually did.

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"Do the kids make noise, raise hell and throw food, and does one of your aunt's kids throw a huge tantrum and/or get sick?" She agreed that was what usually happened.

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"And do all the grown-up kids hang out in the back yard, smoking, and complain about having to travel to do this every year?" She just smiled and nodded. Mojo and I smiled back, looked at each other and laughed:

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"THANKSGIVING!"

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So, folks, you heard it here first: the Pilgrims celebrated the first Moon Festival in the New World. And here you always thought it was just pumpkin pie, football, Puritan theocracy, and shiking the red man out of his homeland!

Ooh. Nice pecker, Tom. I'll take a little off the leg and some cranberry sauce...