Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Thanksgiving

Yes, I know it's not till Thursday but tomorrow I'm volunteering all day and Thursday I'll be spending the day with about 17 of The Husband's relatives. I've never been to one of The Husband's family's Thanksgivings before. It will either be a blast or a nightmare. I'm stocking up on chocolate just in case.

While I like most Thanksgiving traditions (food, getting together with friends and family, food, taking one last deep breath before the horror of the full brunt of the Christmas marketing season, food) one I do not like is the one where the host or hostess has everyone go around the table and say one thing for which they are grateful. These usually come across as either forced or saccharine and I'm sitting there thinking "oh, darn, I was going to say that, now what should I say? Blank, Blank, my mind is blank, surely there is something!" So this year, just in case, I'm ready with something no one else will say.

I am thankful for photosynthesis!

Yes, that's right, I'm a highly educated science geek and I'm not afraid to use it!

6 H2O + 6 CO2 + light = C6H12O6 + 6 O2

(For the non-scientists in the audience that means that plants take water (H2O), Carbon dioxide (CO2), and light and convert them into sugar (C6H12O6) and Oxygen (O2). Without this biochemistry we would not have anything to eat nor would we be able to breathe. I like eating and breathing so I'm thankful).

I'm ready. Just ask.

Of course The Husband's family includes two biochemists, a biophysical chemist, a neuroscientist, a physical chemist, a medicinal chemist, and several doctors so I just might get trumped. Hmm. Better come up with a backup plan...

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