As I snoozed my alarm for the third time this morning, two thoughts came to mind. The first, that I hadn’t rendered my animation to a high enough quality, proved false as I sat in the computer lab at 8.45 this morning, watching it on three different machines.

The second was that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It’s snuck up on me, worse than Halloween and my birthday. Thing is, I know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I really do. I’m going to a couple of Thanksgiving dinners over the course of the weekend. But it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving.

It could be that I’m living in Edinburgh. I hang out with a few Americans, but the full work week (and major submission due Friday) kind of remove the Thanksgiving feeling. Knowing that I won’t be entering a food coma tomorrow is a bit strange.

Seeing my across-the-pond friends and family post messages about their Thanksgiving plans on Facebook is really what reminds me that, yes, tomorrow is the day of turkey-eating. Friends who have moved to Colorado and beyond mention that its strange not to be with family for Thanksgiving. Neighbours express their happiness of seeing their children again. And here am I, who otherwise would have forgotten.

No American football. No left-over turkey sandwiches. No pumpkin pie for breakfast the following morning. But I’ll be here with friends, my Uni family, celebrating. And for that, I’m thankful.