I would like to start by asking readers to pause for a moment of reflection for Robert Altman, filmmaker extraordinaire. He passed away yesterday at the age of 81.
Alas, I am not one of the 38.3 million AAA predicts will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving weekend. I’m staying put, for the first time since 1992. I’ve got too much catching up to do, especially with my MFA coursework, to catch the Amtrak to my mother’s in Connecticut this year. Isaac meanwhile will spend the weekend with his father and grandparents and 100-year-old great-grandmother and other assorted relatives in North Carolina.
I’m actually looking forward to this stretch of alone time. I know loneliness might rear its head but I am at this moment feeling incredibly grateful for my impending solitude and for many other things in this wonderful little life of mine: family, friends, health. On Sunday, I made a pre-Thanksgiving repast (roast chicken with mushroom, apple and walnut stuffing, mashed potatoes, Brussel sprouts, pumpkin pie) and Isaac and I listed aloud the many things for which we are grateful.
To celebrate, I’m going to ratchet up my sweeps entries between now and Sunday. I have a working goal of three a day, though that will depend on whether I find that many trips I actually want to win. I may not riff on each and every sweeps. What's comical about these three is that two are gallavanting, multi-city affairs. I may not be traveling this weekend, but that's not going to stop me from thinking about traveling this weekend.
Marie Claire’s Dream Come True
Trip to New York, Paris, London and Milan.
To enter, click HERE.
Official Rules
Deadline: January 15.
Frequency: Daily.
Newsweek’s London, Paris, Rome
To enter, click HERE.
Official Rules
Deadline: November 30.
Frequency: One time only.
Paris-Giverny Four-Night Getaway
To enter, click HERE.
Official Rules
Deadline: January 14.
Frequency: One time only.