In the last few years, my interest in the annual Black Friday dwindled. Into…I decided that I would rather work this year than to even take a holiday off.

There was a time when I like the many geek boys that I would scour the ads and the websites for the deal. I was so absorbed with fat wallet and andatech.

Before I was fascinated by gadgets, it was a family tradition. We would wake up and bundle up at 5 am to wait outside Target or Kmart for a measley box. Ok so in the early 2000s, it was amazing. I liked the little gifts in there even though we would go in and pick up the box…and leave. It was like getting free money. I rarely have had normal Thanksgiving feast and so this was the closest thing that I had to a normal semblance of a Thanksgiving family togetherness.

This year though, my sister is staying in NYC. I decided not to take time off, rather saving my vacation for more of an appropriate time.

This morning, I woke up to silence. It was fantastic. Living in a neighborhood of transients in San Francisco meant that most people were not home. Most people were traveling to their parents—parents that did not live in the Mission. With my music blasting, I worked and gobbled pomegranate seeds, drank tea and ate a bitter salad. There was nothing outside that pulled me away, because…everything was nearly closed. It was peaceful and parking was aplenty.

Tonight, I finish up my work and go back to sleep. I remember this and hope that I can do the same again…maybe…