Well, nothing derails your Thanksgiving plans quite like your dearly beloved waking up with a runny nose and a fever. We were supposed to join the whole extended clan up at Daniel's aunt and uncle's place, but he was clearly in no condition to go. So, we called and gave our apologies.

I fed him some tea and ibuprofen and breakfast, and he felt better enough after that to suggest that we go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which we did. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Like the book, the movie is a bit of a mess, but it's a fun mess. Nicely done.

Only I think I must be going nuts, because I've suddenly started thinking that Ron Weasley is pretty cute. I mean, he's way too young, but he just might grow up to be a bit of alright. Year Seven ought to be fun!

Daniel's been pretty much sleeping all afternoon. I spent a little time playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It's some kind of strange sign of what Lucas has managed to do to the Star Wars franchise that I felt intensely meh about this game when he picked it up. After I watched him play for a bit, though, and realized that the game was made by BioWare, makers of some of my favorite games ever, I gave it a whirl.

It's fun. And I've got to say, the bit where my character got to become a Jedi, and I made my own lightsaber, and I fired it up for the first time, and it made that whoooosh - zzzzzzz - zzzzz noise that lightsabers make -- that, friends, made me remember why Star Wars is cool.

BioWare managed to give me something else that I'd waited in vain for Lucas to come through on for years: women Jedi. Score. Not only is the main character I created female, but there are two other female Jedi in my party. Daniel refers to us as the "Jedi Charlie's Angels." It rocks.

When I got tired of playing games, I took a long walk around the neighborhood, and got to smell what everyone was cooking for dinner. I gotta tell you, somebody on the next street over was cooking up something really tasty. I'm not sure what it was - it smelled like barbecue more than anything else - but wow, it smelled good.

While I was walking, I listened to my latest audiobook acquisition from Audible.com: Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. I'm not very far in, but I can see why it's a popular book. Bourdain writes quite well, and he's got this kind of interesting attitude composed of equal parts snobbery, cockiness, and a remarkably honest and clearheaded analysis of his own faults. It's a weird mix, and I kind of suspect that I'd find the guy annoying if I ever met him in person, but it's very entertaining in a book.

And, I'll admit, I laughed when he called Emeril Lagasse a "wookiee".

So, yeah, it was not the Thanksgiving I would have planned or wished for, but on the whole this hasn't been a bad day. When Daniel wakes up, I'll probably whip up some black bean tacos, and maybe we'll watch a DVD or something.

Hope everyone else out there is having a happy Thanksgiving!