It was Thanksgiving weekend and Lo and I had driven the grueling trek to visit my extended family back in my hometown. Most family holidays I host, but this year proved to hearken back to my college days in more ways than one. For a variety of reasons having to do with family members’ commutes, health, and so forth, we arranged to meet up in the suburban hamlet where I grew up. I despise going back there because no matter how many years or how much experience one…