i left for belmont before noontime to get started on the annual pre-thanksgiving cleanup. it's probably the one time out of the whole year when my parents' house is actually clean. i didn't do too much though, just uncluttered the sun room and vacuumed around the house. my mother and sister were tidying as well (my father was still at work). we made some progress but it'll take another day before the house is thanksgiving ready.

after dinner my mother gave my father a haircut and colored his hair. my sister was busy working on her jewelry. we watched a WWII documentary on the smithsonian channel called "apocalypse: the second world war" - presented in full-screen HD with a lot of never-before-seen footage (from japanese, german, and russian sources) and most of it in color (computer-colorized versions of the original B&W prints).

the temperature on my ride back to cambridge was a brisk mid-40's. i was traveling via motorcycle so i made it home in about 5 minutes. turning a corner in belmont, my headlight caught a quick glimpse of a skunk scurrying down a neighbor's driveway. i brought home my pyrex ramekins, which haven't left my parents' place since last thanksgiving. i'll make my usual flan on tuesday (ready for consumption by thursday). trying to think of anything else i can make (this is where all those cooking magazines i subscribe to will hopefully pay off).

while i was out, my roommate walked to the somerville target today (30 minutes each way). earlier this morning around 5:30 - before the sun even came out - i heard him going out into the backyard to smoke. talk about your nicotine addiction! i'm starting to think about our camera conversation last night as a symptom of his nouveau riche lifestyle. he doesn't need a fancy camera, but if he's buying one, it has to be the best, even if he won't know how to use it. it's all about the brand name and the prestige of being seen owning the best that money can buy. nevertheless, if he's seriously going to go through with his expensive camera purchase, i won't necessarily talk him out of it just because i'll get to play with it when it arrives.