Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Black Magic Woman (1970)

 

1) Black is this week's signature color because Friday, November 23, was "Black Friday," when retailers cut their prices and consumers flock to the stores. Did you score any "Black Friday" bargains? Nope. Didn't even try. By 4:00, when I ventured out, the sidewalks were pretty empty ... except for the line in front of the movie theater. It looks like Creed and Fantastic Beasts are very popular.


2) On busy shopping days,  carts often litter parking lots. After loading your items into your car, are you careful to return your shopping cart to the store or the designated cart receptacle? Since I don't drive, I never take a cart out of the store. HOWEVER, as I cross the Trader Joe's parking lot, I do take errant carts into the store with me.

3) Who on your gift list is hardest to buy for? My Cousin Rose. This year, though, I think I've nailed it. She's planning a return trip to Poland to explore her ancestry, and I'm getting her a pink (rose-colored, get it?) passport holder. Fingers crossed that she likes it.

4) Feasting and football are also popular Thanksgiving weekend pastimes. Do your Thursday-Sunday plans include enjoying leftovers or watching a game? Well, I got my Thanksgiving dessert (pumpkin pie) to go and ate it when I got home. Does that count?

5) Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is an annual event. It began in 1924 as a local event in New York. Today it's nationally televised. Did you watch it? I watched the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, which passed in front of Macy's State Street. So that counts, right?
 
6) What did you give thanks for on Thanksgiving 2018? That Henry is still alive. That accident rocked my world. I'm happy to report he sounds a little better every time we speak, and I'm confident that someday he will be his old self again.

7) At the first Thanksgiving, there were no forks. Pilgrims ate with spoons and knives, and forks didn't become popular until the 18th century. Think about your Thanksgiving place setting. Did you have both a salad and a dinner fork? I had a "Thanksgivingwich" -- a turkey sandwich on buttery bread with cranberry relish instead of mayo. There was a scoop of dressing with gravy on the side, but I used my spoon for that. So no salad fork was required and I didn't even notice the place setting.

8) Pies are a popular Thanksgiving dessert. What kind of pie did you enjoy? Or did you have ice cream? Or did you skip dessert? Pumpkin pie.

 
9) This week's featured band, Santana, was named for its founder, Carlos Santana. He was born in Mexico. When at a Mexican restaurant, what do you usually order? The blandest thing possible. Spicy food irritates my gut.