Thankful..

So it's Thanksgiving, the time of year when we're asked to stop and reflect on the things we are grateful for. Also the time of year when we eat copious amounts of turkey and fall asleep in the living room. But that will come later.

So I figured I should take a break from my normal emo whining and think about the things in my life that don't completely suck.

- my family - yes, they drive me nuts sometimes, but they've always been there for me, and they've made untold sacrifices for me for the three decades I've been on this earth. Even when I haven't seen eye to eye with them, I know that they've had my best interests in mind, and I'm lucky to still have them around, even if my parent's health isn't quite all there anymore.

- my friends - I'm not the world's most social person, but I have a small group of friends and acquaintances who are willing to put up with my company. Which is nice of them, because I'm not sure I'd want to hang out with me if I had a choice.

- my job - yes, I complain about it sometimes, and in a perfect world there are plenty of things I'd change. But it pays the bills, doesn't involve digging ditches in the cold, lets me play with some cool technology, and lets me work with some pretty awesome people.

-my health - I've got no major maladies, weigh a lot less than I did 5 years or so ago, and completed my first half-marathon a little over a month ago.

- technology - it's become one of those things we take for granted, but it's pretty awesome when you stop and think that some of the things I've grown to rely on day in and day out - fast broadband internet access, my helpful GPS, my DVR, my iPhone, my iPod, ect - weren't available a decade or so ago at all. The world's richest king couldn't dream of owning stuff that we can buy for a few hours wages. And it's not even just consumer electronics - lives got much more enjoyable - and longer and healthier - thanks to things like indoor plumbing that keep us from literally wallowing in our own poop.

- The USA - for all it's imperfections, we have an amazing amount of freedom and prosperity, and even the politicians whose policies I venomously disagree with are still generally acting in a sincere belief that what they are doing is the right thing for our country - something I would suspect isn't true for, say, North Korean or Nigerian politicians.

-Nibbler the Cat - yes, she's fat, has been known to bite me for no reason, and her poops have the weight of a thousand suns. Still, it's nice to have something cute and fuzzy greet me at the door when I come home from work, and to have a giant ball of purring fur sitting on my lap, resting her little kitty head on my chest while I'm reading or on my laptop. I wasn't planning on having a pet when she came into my life, but I couldn't say no to the little black kitten that fell asleep in my lap, and I'm glad I didn't. I hope she is too.

- the people who read this blog - I'm not sure who you are, or how you found me, or why you read it. But I'm greatful to have an outlet to express my thoughts in.