I know I've not written that much lately. I also know that my site's increasing hit-count is largely thanks to the comment spammers, but I'm not stopping Dial M for Maxwell.

Life has been, shall we say, a little busy lately. Busy on so many fronts; work, money, immigration, family, radio and other things. So, it's time to take some time out, and chill.

So, I'm taking two weeks off work, and heading back to the UK. This is a trip I tried to do last year, and failed due to losing my passport, the morning of my intended departure. At the time, I didn't report why I wasn't going, I was too embarrassed, but now I'm over it.

I do have a small bit of immigration stuff to clear up at the US Embassy, early on in my trip, after which I can relax, and enjoy seeing friends and family I've not seen in two or more years.

The last time I went to the UK (Nov/Dec of 2002) I rigorously documented the whole trip. This time, we'll see how it goes. I've a feeling I'll pen some non-trip related light-humoured essays, but as ever, don't hold your breath.

I'm looking forward to a lot of things. Seeing the family is a big part of it, and seeing old friends. Drinking and eating in all my favourite places is also a reason to be excited.

That Thanksgiving piece, I wrote the day after Thanksgiving, but only posted just now, because it's taken me THAT long to get the pictures off my digital camera.

On the upside, being off work for over two weeks, means that I'll have more time on my hands, and will doubtless end up writing more. Hey, I've been off for two days now, and written twice, proof positive!

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. I've talked about it before, so I'll not go into the reasons now.

This year, I spent Thanksgiving Day with friends, in Longmont, engaged in that most American of pastimes - extreme cooking.

British readers will probably be unaware of the kind of stuff that goes on, in the name of cooking turkeys.

I'm talking here, about frying turkeys. Yes, frying...entire...turkeys. It's actually less crazy than it sounds.

In short, you get a big pot, deep and just wide enough to fit an average uncooked turkey. You half fill it with peanut oil, and put a propane burner underneath it. You then, heat the oil to, let's say about 400ºF, and drop your turkey into the boiling oil.

OK, you don't exactly drop it, because you probably need your eyes and skin afterwards, but you gently lower the bird into the oil. You use peanut oil, because it doesn't soak into the meat, but instead seals the skin of the turkey, trapping moisture in, and keeping oil out.

It takes just 45 minutes, to cook an 18lb turkey. Try doing that in a conventional oven.

I have to say though, from both an engineering and culinary standpoint. It's a solution to cooking a large cut of meat quickly, and it gives you the most succulent turkey you've ever tasted. Something to give thanks for, surely?

The pot and burner

Giving the bird