Didn't forget to be thankful this year
Family events abounded this November, and I got to do some cool stuff around the city too
Welcome back to Ian’s Newsletter. This is Ian writing, trying the best I can to transmit thoughts and ideas clearly from my brain to yours. Hope you’re well.
When looking back at what I got up to this November, I found myself shocked that it has been over a month since some of this stuff happened. Time keeps marching on, and I’m happy to have this chance to pause and reflect on my experiences last month.
In keeping with the theme of November, I’m thankful for Cindy guest writing last month’s issue. It’s way more difficult to write a newsletter than you’d think, and I think she did a great job. Now let’s jump in.
My sister in the big apple
My sister Emily and her boyfriend Matt visited New York for a couple days. They were only here for a short while, but we packed in a bunch of activities.
We got brunch at a Peruvian restaurant in Brooklyn. Then we stopped by a local jewelry store where Emily and Cindy made their own charm necklaces. In the evening, we got dinner at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan before going out to a nightclub with a nice view of Manhattan. We also met up with Nikhil for a drink in Koreatown.
I’m thankful to have family that likes to come out here to visit me. I had a great time.
Two Turkey Kranz Thanksgiving
In previous years, I’ve stayed in Brooklyn and had Thanksgiving dinner with Cindy and some of our friends. This year, however, I ended up going home for a short trip so that I could go to Thanksgiving dinner and my grandpa’s birthday party. More on that below.
We had a classic Thanksgiving spread including two turkeys. For some reason, my dad really likes when I carve the turkey, so I joined my brother at our little kitchen carving station.
I also did a jigsaw puzzle that evening for fun which turned out to be more of a spectacle than I thought. At one point I had half the people there watching me put it together.
Party! My grandpa turned 90
The other big reason for going home was to celebrate my grandpa Gunther turning 90 years old. It was a big family party at a restaurant where we had dinner and drinks. We also did some activities like taking turns telling stories about grandpa.
My grandpa likes to wear a tuxedo to special occasions. I didn’t have a tux, but I decided to wear my suit. It was fun to see a lot of relatives and friends of my grandparents who I haven’t seen since I was a little kid.
Quick Stories
We went to two Friendsgiving events in November. The first was hosted by Nikhil and Fred. The second was hosted by Jialin and Jon. We brought dumplings to both and had a great time. I think one of my favorite moments was helping Jon stabilize their Christmas tree that kept falling over. We had to saw off some of the trunk in their apartment 😂
I went to Hawksmoor with Cindy and Nikhil to have a Sunday roast. It’s a British tradition where you eat roasted meat, potatoes, and vegetables with gravy on a Sunday. It was good, and it’s funny because none of us are even remotely British.
I went out to Bushwick to see my friend Emily Z who had worked on a VR project. They set up the VR experience at a gallery, and I had fun walking around their virtual garden and chatting with the other creative folks who came.
Well that’s about it for November. As always, I’m wishing I took more photos of stuff. I’ll have to be sure to snap some pics this month of all the fun holiday activities.
Also, since this will be the last newsletter of the calendar year I’d like to wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year! I’m looking forward to spending more time with family and friends (that includes you!) in 2025!
Ian