Speed Racer, Cotton Candy and Sticky Buns

Day 25 of the 30 days of giving thanks. It’s a Friday and if you know the slogan “Saturday is Zern’s day and now we’ve added Friday,” we may have passed each other on the sticky floors of Zern’s Farmer Market one weekend in the 70s or 80s.

For those of you not from the Gilbertsville area, Zern’s (open Friday and Saturday nights only) offers a hodge podge of butchers, bakers, candlestick makers (seriously), quasi-antique stands, produce, camouflage gear and tons more. I don’t think they hold a livestock auction anymore.

It was a regular destination during my childhood, making it an appropriate recipient of thanks today. Penny and I would accompany our dad for the weekly run. He’d pick up sticky buns for breakfast the next day, and Penny and I would get cotton candy and comic books. I grabbed Supergirl and Batgirl, and I think Zern’s introduced me to the George Perez run of Teen Titans.

Those things alone earn Zern’s several thank-yous. But what I remember most about the trips is Speed Racer.

The Real Thing

Day 24 – The official day for Americans to give thanks for what’s important in their lives.

Today I’m thankful for family and friends. For late-night conversations meandering through serious and absurd topics. For injokes and secret handshakes. For silent car rides. For picking up where we left off after time apart. For being constantly on my mind even if we don’t see each other or speak all that often.

I’m thankful for those who get me. For not having to ask questions but knowing the answers. For asking questions anyway. For laughing at my stupid jokes and complimenting my talents. For believing in me even when (especially when) I don’t. For making me laugh when I need it most. For providing shiny distractions when I’m overwhelmed with reality.  For engaging in pipe dreams.

I’m thankful I can count on both hands people who would drop their lives to help me out in an emergency. People for whom I would do the same without being asked.

I’m thankful I have friends who see me as a better person than I do. Who make me want to be that person they see. To not give up trying to live up to their expectations, to not surrender.

Thank you.

Family Legends

Day 10 – Today I am thankful for odd family legends.

I don’t mean the legends about Uncle Joe who passed out in the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving or Great-Aunt Selma who had 48 cats. I’m talking about legendary family members. Family members who have a certain standing in the world beyond your family.

I’m talking about Elmo Lincoln. And here is where some of my family may want to bail on the post because they may not know the full story. You were warned.

Love That Sister

Day 3 – Today I am thankful my sister is, well, my sister.

To the seemingly unending surprise of others, we’ve never hated each other, never had a falling out, never devolved into a cordial relationship.

She’s one of my best friends. I don’t spend time with her because blood demands it, but because I want to.

Take last night, for example. She took me out to dinner for my birthday. We laughed a lot in between semi-serious conversations. I can’t tell you what we laughed about because you wouldn’t get it.

It’s a sister thing.

Irrational Numbers

An irrational number is any number that cannot be expressed as a fraction. You can try, as in the case of π, but it won’t be accurate. ²²/₇ gets you 3.1428571 …. π, as we all know, is 3.1415926535… So the number is irrational.

The other key to an irrational number is the digits to the right of the decimal don’t ever end and don’t repeat. For example, ¹/₃ yields 0.3333 …. It’s rational. The square root of 2, on the other hand, is irrational.*

Another irrational number is 6103260317.

Not because it can’t be expressed as a fraction. It’s a phone number. And I can bravely post it on the blog because it’s not real anymore.

The number’s irrationality lies in the sentimental attachment I have to it.