Happy Thanksgiving 2013

I hope that all of my readers are having wonderful Thanksgiving dinners and are currently not on the internet, but rather spending time with friends and family, enjoying great food, and enjoying the day off work. I spent the day in Jonesboro, Arkansas with Julia and her family, and today marked a few firsts for me in the many Thanksgivings I've attended over the years (sometimes two or three each season).

1. Thanks to Julia's cousin Kyle, I got to sample a pork loin covered with three pounds of woven bacon that was then slow smoked for many hours. It was insanely tender and juicy. I used the Instagram app to share the love on Facebook and Twitter before it was sliced.
   
   
2. While not a football fan, I, for the first time in my life, dozed off after Thanksgiving lunch while watching Detroit smash Green Bay and ride out the clock for the fourth quarter. I'm told that I only snored for five minutes, but I have finally (inadvertently) participated in a classic holiday tradition. I must be getting old.
   
   
3. I carried four wines with me, and took all notes on the iPhone using the Microsoft OneNote app. I was able to create a document with a photo of each wine and notes below, which will be helpful in posting the eventual reviews of those wines. I haven't fully switched to an all-digital workflow but the more I work on it, the more I see it making life easier, and benefits like cloud storage prevent me from losing tasting notes due to rain or simple absentmindedness.

Saturday I'll be hitting Thanksgiving II with my parents, Julia, my brother and his wife, and The Roommate and her husband, and I'm looking forward to another great experience. Stay safe this weekend if you're traveling, don't trample anybody at the mall, and I hope that everyone finds some time to give thanks and think about those less fortunate.

Cheers!