There's nothing like a night of Sushi & Sake after three days of traditional Thanksgiving fixings. It makes you appreciate the variety of flavors we can enjoy. I still have leftovers, and I will still stuff myself with turkey delights and potato offerings. We all need alternatives to the norm.

The next 4 to 6 months are critical in Iraq. Much like the 4 to 6 months before that. And before that, those elections were to be the pivotal point. Then, of course, before that, there were 4 to 6 months of crucial times. When it comes to war, every 4 to 6 months is critical. Pretty much because of all the killing and dying.

My football team wins on Thanksgiving, but I could not see the game because it was not on network or basic cable television. I can not watch my alma mater play football, men's or women's basketball this year because they are not offered on local or basic cable television. The Man is taking sports away from the masses and wants an extra kick down for the privilege. If this is the straw that finally weans me from the sports teat, then so be it. I pay quite enough for my basic cable TV. Too bad because the UNM men's basketball team is looking good this year. There's still the AM radio.

We need more troops. No, less. I mean, we need different troops. Well, different but with the same presence. I really wish the people we overran over four years ago would hurry up and take control of the country we uprooted and demolished right before their eyes. There's only so many buildings we can destroy. Come on, Iraqis, take responsibility for our actions!

Women, women, women. How is it that you can go four years without a relationship lasting over a month, few prospects, and general disdain or fear from much of the fairer sex, and when you finally meet a nice one who's willing to stick around, that's when others decide to make their move? That's probably a run-on sentence, but this has been a run-on issue for me for a while. I'm staying with the one I have. It seems the simplest and correct move. Pheromones? Probably not. Catch-22? Catch-22.

If we just armed the Iraqis. No, not all of them. Just the ones we want to win. Back one faction and watch them go after the others. It's called Democracy enforced by the barrel of a gun. Old Ben Franklin & James Madison are laughing at our flat out stupidity.

Are we getting any smarter? There are more of us. I see that. More folks are going to college. I see that. Everyone has an opinion on the subject. Everyone picks a blue side or a red side or a passively ambivalent side. I don't see us getting any wiser. Iraq is not as bad as Vietnam, but that doesn't make it any better. We stick with the red side until they have corrupted the system so much that they have to be replaced. What will blue do for you? What will we do for each other? There's a broken down car on the side of the road. What will you do?

Martinis weigh your body down but in a good way. James Bond was no fool, so shake it up. Wine breaks down the turkey and taters to manageable bits. Beer & whiskey cause belches and maniacal laughter. Anything to move the leftovers through the system. I will swallow it all for the simple reason that I don't want to waste it.

That's it! That's what we have to do. Actually, that's what we don't have to do. Don't waste it. Don't waste this life. Don't let this mess of a war cause you heartburn. We know who's responsible for getting us into it, and they better figure out a way out! Please don't feed my television screen for more sporting events! Enjoy those who are good to you, and step away from those who would tempt you! You can't change the world, only yourself, and that's a pretty difficult task in itself.

Eat up your leftovers with red chile relish! We've got a whole holiday season to get through, but life won't stop at Christmas. It won't stop at New Year's. Don't waste it. Don't waste it on materials, politics, or seedy sociological experiments. Don't waste this life! Eat it up until it's gone, gone, gone.

Chris Jungle is stuffed.