Fayez Alruwaili and I spent a great four days together during Thanksgiving week. We ate a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner…..experienced the thrill of Black Friday….and the agony of seeing K.U. suffer its first defeat in basketball.
Thanksgiving Week started on Tuesday this year. And….it started off with two good events. First of all….I got a new Internet provider, and the guy came that afternoon and got everything set up. This was almost a time for celebration…..after going for four long days without any Internet. It was indeed an event to be thankful for! Second: Fayez, my friend from Saudi Arabia, arrived on Tuesday afternoon….a little earlier than I had expected…..and hour and a half early, in fact. I was sitting in my office enjoying my new Internet connection, when I heard somebody tapping on the window. Since the installation guy had just finished up and left, I assumed that it was he….and that he had forgotten something. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see Fayez standing at the door. Another great way to start my Thanksgiving celebration.
That evening, Fayez prepared some delicious Saudi Arabian food….using some of his mysterious Saudi Arabian spices. Whatever they were….I didn’t care, because the food was delicious. All I know is that the main ingredients were lamb and rice. And….the other good thing was that when he finished, there were only one pan to wash. We used paper plates…..like we almost always do at my house.
Wednesday, after we got up, ate a bit of breakfast….some humus and sliced turkey 
sandwiches….and drank a cup of coffee, we went down to Paradise Point so Fayez could run….and I could do some walking. He ran about three and half miles…..and I walked about three and a half feet. Not really….a little further than that. We had wanted to go to the YMCA. But there no way that could happen. My back was hurting pretty badly. It hurt when I moved…..and even more if I stood still. Sort of a Catch 22 for me. But, Fayez was pleased with his run….and felt much better after he finished. So…..it worked out pretty well.
In the afternoon, we went to Topeka to check out the Black Friday sales….to get some advance intelligence before facing the mobs of people. We went to Office Depot, because Fayez had seen a computer he wanted advertised online. All I was interested in was a tablet…one that could be used as a hot-spot when the Internet goes down again….and it will, you can count on it! Anyways, the man at Office Depot was less than helpful….and not very forthcoming with the information we wanted….and needed. We made the mistake of asking if we could buy the stuff online….something we should not have done.
Fayez turned 19 on Monday….so we ate a belated birthday dinner at Golden Corral after we finished our less than successful visit to Office Depot. We finished off the day by visiting one of my favorite bars….Terry’s Bar and Grill….before coming back home….with Fayez driving, of course.
After we got home, we checked out some Internet sites to see what kind of computers were available…..and how much they cost. Our search was successful. After comparing several computers, Fayez found a computer that met all of his needs and specifications….and for a price he was happy with. He ordered it on the spot. So much for Black Friday at Office Depot! Most times things work out for the best. If the salesman at Office Depot had been more friendly and helpful…..who knows? Maybe Fayez would have been suckered into something that he really didn’t want. Fayez ended up with the computer that he wanted…..and the guy at Office Depot lost a sale.
Unfortunately, I was not so lucky in finding a tablet that I wanted….mostly because I didn’t have adequate information to go ahead and buy one. But, here again, maybe this was a lucky coincidence: I think Fayez convinced me that I should buy an iPhone….or something similar. The only time I would have used the tablet would be as a hot spot. The rest of the time, it would just be sitting on a desk, not being used., But, I would still be paying a monthly fee….whether I was using it or not. Maybe not a very wise investment. But….if I buy an iPhone (or something similar), I can use it as a telephone, as a hot spot, as a mobile Internet source (but that would be rare!), and as a camera.
Thanksgiving Day dawned with clear blue skies….a beautiful day. For Thanksgiving lunch, 
we went to a friend of mine….an old friends with whom I worked in South Vietnam back in the mid and late sixties. We didn’t have turkey…..but we did have free range chicken. And, I suppose if the Pilgrims and Indians had chickens…..they must have been free range chickens. Anyways, the food was super delicious….and we left the table full and satisfied.
After we left my friend’s house, we went in search of a sports bar where we could watch the K.U – Wake Forest basketball game. It seems that almost every store in Topeka was open, hoping for the Black Friday mobs. But, apparently, Black Friday didn’t apply to the sports bars. Not a single bar in Topeka seemed to be open. We had to be content to finished listening to the game on the car radio. Finding no sports bars open, Fayez suggested that we go to Appleby’s. We knew they were open, because we had driven past it earlier. That seemed to be a satisfactory solution. When we first walked in and sat down at the bar, I was not sure whether we were being served by a male or female. It turned out to be a male…..although if I had been blindfolded and had heard his voice…..it would have been difficult to determine.
About 7:30 P.M., we left so we could go to the Black Friday sale at Dick’s Sporting Goods…which is just around the corner. This was my first experience with Black Friday. I had read about it…..and seen the unruly mob scenes of TV…..but I had never been to one. I had never been to one because I did not want to be any part of the uncontrolled animal madness that seems to take over/
But this year we decided to go. Fayez wanted to buy some clothing at Dick’s Sporting Goods…..stuff on which the price was seriously reduced. Because my back was still hurting a lot, I decided to wait inside the car and let Fayez fight his way through the crowds alone. The doors to the store opened at 8:00 P.M. When Fayez got in the line, it extended for probably a fourth of a city block…..more people than I had actually expected to see. But, upon reflection, I suppose sporting goods are very sought after items.
Anyway, I stayed in the car. I alternately listened to the radio, watched the people as they came and left. I periodically started the car to warm up a bit….because it was cold outside. I even slept for fifteen or twenty minutes. Somewhere around 9:00 P.M., I started to become a little bit concerned. Fayez had not returned yet….and I was picturing all the bad things that could have happened…..things that I will not even begin to explain in this blog. Of course, when you sit and look at the clock, time seems to slow down drastically. I told myself that I would wait until 9:15, and if he had not returned by then, I would go looking for him. Nine fifteen came and went…..still no sight of Fayez. So, I struggled to get myself out of the car…..and walked into the store.
After checking out the people at the cash registers, I decided to go looking for him. The most logical place to begin was to follow the line of people waiting to be checked out. I started at the end of the line…..and the line wrapped completely around the perimeter of the store…..and Dick’s Sporting Goods is a fairly large store. I slowly made my way along the line of patient people…..all holding their newly acquired treasures. I found Fayez about three-fourth the way through the line. I stood for a couple minutes just looking at him….wondering if he would see me standing there. He finally saw me….but there was little I could do to help him. It appeared to me that he would be standing in the line for another thirty minutes. So…..I waved good bye to him….and went back to the car. At least, I knew he was safe…..and would be joining me sometime. After about fifteen minutes, here he came…..with all his shopping bargains. He was excited….and a really happy camper. He had picked up some running shoes and several items of clothing……and he had saved maybe fifty percent off the regular purchase price. And….since he was happy….so was I. The experience had been worth the effort. But, I can imagine that he had more fun and excitement than I did. Our Black Friday adventure had been successful…..but I am almost sure I will never do it again.
I was somewhat surprised….pleasantly surprised…..with the Black Friday experience, 
though. After watching all the horrors on TV, I was expecting the worst. But, there were no people knocked down and trampled as the doors opened; there were no fights that broke out; there was a minimum of pushing and shoving. I read in the newspaper that somewhere in the U.S.A.. a woman actually pulled a stun gun out of her purse and started using it! Wow! But in the short time I was actually in the store, people regularly said “Excuse me” when they brushed against me or walked in front of me. Fayez said that even while the people were waiting in line, they were generally cheerful and in a good mood. And I overheard one of the managers commenting to one of the employees how smoothly and trouble free the night was going.
Friday was a little bit anti-climatic, after all the excitement of Thursday. Sometime in the 
late morning, I took Fayez down to Paradise Point so he could run. To make it more interesting for me….and to help the time go by faster…..I stopped at various spots along the way and took pictures of him. He ran about four miles again….with an improved time. We stayed at home in the afternoon…..but it was a useful afternoon. At least, for me. Fayez showed me how to set my blog…..this blog, as a mater of fact. It was not as difficult as I had imagined it to be.
It was a beautiful day, so we went outside and took some pictures and messed around for a while. We spent part of that time discussing where I will put the new fire ring that I will buy soon. That is a problem we will tackle with Fayez comes back in December.
For the most part, though, we were just hanging out….. waiting for my niece and her husband to arrive. They called around 2:20 and said they were about to leave their home in Hutchinson. It is about a three or three and a half hour drive from their home to mine. About five o’clock, they called and said they were very near. They were coming to pick up some bags of wood pellets in their 2013 Cadillac…..not exactly engineered as a cargo carrier. But, they were able to take a few bags….leaving the rest to another time. They are buying my pellet stove.
Immediately after they left…..so did we. We headed toward Topeka and the Hu Hot 
Mongolian Grill. If you have never been there….it is an interesting dining experience. First of all, you fill a bowl….your bowl….with raw meat and vegetables…..and there are a bunch of them. Next you add five or six spoonfuls of sauce….and again, there is a wide variety to choose from. Then you take your bowl to the grill and hand it to one of the “chefs”. They dump it on a sizzling grill and toss and turn it until it is ready to eat. Finally, you take your food….and enjoy it. And….it is good, too….if you like that kind of food.
When Fayez and I were in Hutchinson earlier this year attending the Kansas State Fair, we had a rather unpleasant experience. We both mistook the wasabi sauce for guacamole sauce. Both of us got an unexpected rude surprise when we took our first bites! It was HOT! And almost un-eatable hot. In fact, Fayez didn’t eat his. The waitress told him he could get another bowl and start over…..but he didn’t. (Although I would have.) She also told us that a rather elderly woman had made the same mistake….with rather disastrous results. They had to call 9-1-1 for medical help. The waitress told us that they were going to put up a sign, identifying each individual sauce. After all it is very easy to make such a mistake……both of them are green. It was just a little bit late, though. We were there on the final Saturday….and the State Fair ended the next day. Oh well…. One of those lessons learned the hard way. And another story to tell the grandchildren.
K. U. was playing in a basketball tournament in the Bahamas. The game started at 8:30. So 
we quickly left the restaurant and drove to Wellers Bar and Grill…..right next to my fitness center. But…..we may as well have taken our time. Or we may as well have driven back home. Or we may as well have done almost anything else. K.U. played terribly. I mean really bad. It was apparent from the beginning that they were not going to win. Villanova simply out-played them. And, the K. U. players were simply not focused on the game…..throwing up a constant series of wild shots, turning the ball over…..Fayez kept reassuring me, saying. “I have a feeling that K. U. is going to win.” He was trying to make me feel better…..but it didn’t change the final score. Oh well…. K. U. got what they deserved. And….there will be other games.
For all practical purpose….that was the end of our Thanksgiving vacation. It was great. And…it was definitely four days to be thankful for.