EVEN MORE THANKS
given.
Today, sometime between the football and the food
and the football (and the football), we're supposed to stop and give thanks. To
take time simply to recognize, to acknowledge and truly to appreciate all the
gifts with which we've been blessed, those precious parts of our lives that make
us glad simply to live them. It's a grand and storied tradition — one
made all the more savory by its coincidence with great and sumptuous pieces of
pumpkin pie.
But I digress.
That I am thankful for my beautiful family and my wonderful friends is, of course, thanks always already given. You know who you are, you know what you do and give and mean to me, and you know that, from the bottom of my heart to the top of my soul, I love you and thank you.
In this entry, continuing a tradition I began three years ago and taking care not to repeat any of my first 78 entries, I'll shine a little holiday light of thanks on blessings and bounties more superficial, if not much less intimate or personal. Here are still more people, places, products, and paraphernalia that empower me, today and every day — the comforts and companions, influences and inspirations that bring joys both great and small to my life and work.
So here, then, are still more hearty thanks given to:
Mellon Arena, for, despite its age and impending replacement, still being a pretty darned good place to see a concert or a hockey game.
Borders EastSide, for bringing a wonderful book/gift/CD/DVD store to within walking distance of my house, and for restoring my faith in the franchise.
Carbolic Smoke Ball, for giving me another online home, for stretching my thinking and writing in new and exciting directions, and for being, at least when I'm not contributing to it, the funniest damned web site on the planet.
The DeSantis Campaign, for coming along at just the right time, for three fabulous months of inspiring, invigorating work, and for the promises of new friends and new professional possibilities.
Entourage, (the essential computer software, not the annoying tv show), (yes, even though it's made by Microsoft), for enabling me effortlessly to send and receive tens of thousands of emails these past five years.
Foo Fighters, for that great new album and all seven that preceded it.
Paul Greengrass, for the prodigious talents and hand-held brilliance that helped him create three of the best movies I've seen this decade.
Crowded House, for When You Come and Distant Sun and Don't Dream It's Over and (as if that weren't enough) all the rest of the songs that form an essential part of my life's soundtrack these past twenty-one years, for reforming without missing either a literal or a metaphorical beat, and for finally delivering a too-long-awaited, oh-so-magical night at the Mann Music Center.
The Franklin Institute, for a great day in June, a great evening in August, and a chance to share with Wendy and the boys an old, favorite part of my life before them.
The Squirrel Hill JCC, for basketball leagues and swimming lessons and the six wonderful weeks Ethan spent at J&R Camp this summer.
Kitty's Back, for always being one of my favorite Springsteen songs, and for finally, this past Wednesday, after thirty-plus years of waiting and hoping, coming out to play and be played at a concert I was actually attending. Oh, yeah -- and for being worth every last second of the wait.
LuLu's Noodles for Crab Rangoons, Spicy Szechuan Noodle Bowls, and regular Hermann Family dinner destinations.
CineMark Pittsburgh Mills, for the big screens and bigger sounds that make it the county's best new movie theater.
Nintendo Wii, for living up to the hype (once we got our hands on one) and providing hundreds of hours of family fun and games.
Camp Kon-O-Kwee, for two (and counting) wonderful summers' worth of fun and adventure for Adam (and Avi) and, perhaps even more importantly, complete peace of mind for Wendy and me.
Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer, for a lifetime's supply of rich, creamy goodness, and for that nice, new web site that lets me buy and ship it across the state.
Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars, for being my never-fail, favorite portable quick snack.
J.K. Rowling, for so richly completing -- after so beautifully continuing, after so gloriously beginning -- some of the most pure and enjoyable storytelling anyone's ever had the magical pleasure to read to their children. Or to themselves.
The Shield, for six seasons of remarkable consistency that have made it, with apologies to LOST and to The Sopranos, the most rich and rewarding drama on television.
Drive-By Truckers, for one of my favorite albums of the last few years, and for an incredibly rich back catalog that I'm still working my way through.
Uncle Sam’s, for big subs and fantastic fries and a whole lot of delicious lunches and dinners.
Henry V, for being one of my favorite plays and one of my favorite movies.
HomeWood Suites, for the great rates, comfortable rooms, and incomparable service that make it the Official Hotel of the Hermann Family.
MaX Talbot, for the unmatched pleasures of watching an athlete who knows his role, never stops working, and helps his team in a dozen different ways that never show up on the score sheet.
Ryan WhitneY, for the smooth skating, beautiful passing, and lethal wristing that will one day win both a Norris Trophy and a Stanely Cup.
Hot FuzZ, for doing for action films what Shaun of the Dead did for zombie movies, and for being the funniest damned movie I've seen all year.
And there you have it: another list of twenty-six of my life's little pleasures. If I've omitted far too many others, well, such are the (admittedly malleable, elliptical) restrictions of one more alphabetical list. But that still leaves me a whole pantry's worth of ingredients with which to whip up next year's feast of a list. Until then...
Enjoy the food and the thoughts and the food for thought.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
But I digress.
That I am thankful for my beautiful family and my wonderful friends is, of course, thanks always already given. You know who you are, you know what you do and give and mean to me, and you know that, from the bottom of my heart to the top of my soul, I love you and thank you.
In this entry, continuing a tradition I began three years ago and taking care not to repeat any of my first 78 entries, I'll shine a little holiday light of thanks on blessings and bounties more superficial, if not much less intimate or personal. Here are still more people, places, products, and paraphernalia that empower me, today and every day — the comforts and companions, influences and inspirations that bring joys both great and small to my life and work.
So here, then, are still more hearty thanks given to:
Mellon Arena, for, despite its age and impending replacement, still being a pretty darned good place to see a concert or a hockey game.
Borders EastSide, for bringing a wonderful book/gift/CD/DVD store to within walking distance of my house, and for restoring my faith in the franchise.
Carbolic Smoke Ball, for giving me another online home, for stretching my thinking and writing in new and exciting directions, and for being, at least when I'm not contributing to it, the funniest damned web site on the planet.
The DeSantis Campaign, for coming along at just the right time, for three fabulous months of inspiring, invigorating work, and for the promises of new friends and new professional possibilities.
Entourage, (the essential computer software, not the annoying tv show), (yes, even though it's made by Microsoft), for enabling me effortlessly to send and receive tens of thousands of emails these past five years.
Foo Fighters, for that great new album and all seven that preceded it.
Paul Greengrass, for the prodigious talents and hand-held brilliance that helped him create three of the best movies I've seen this decade.
Crowded House, for When You Come and Distant Sun and Don't Dream It's Over and (as if that weren't enough) all the rest of the songs that form an essential part of my life's soundtrack these past twenty-one years, for reforming without missing either a literal or a metaphorical beat, and for finally delivering a too-long-awaited, oh-so-magical night at the Mann Music Center.
The Franklin Institute, for a great day in June, a great evening in August, and a chance to share with Wendy and the boys an old, favorite part of my life before them.
The Squirrel Hill JCC, for basketball leagues and swimming lessons and the six wonderful weeks Ethan spent at J&R Camp this summer.
Kitty's Back, for always being one of my favorite Springsteen songs, and for finally, this past Wednesday, after thirty-plus years of waiting and hoping, coming out to play and be played at a concert I was actually attending. Oh, yeah -- and for being worth every last second of the wait.
LuLu's Noodles for Crab Rangoons, Spicy Szechuan Noodle Bowls, and regular Hermann Family dinner destinations.
CineMark Pittsburgh Mills, for the big screens and bigger sounds that make it the county's best new movie theater.
Nintendo Wii, for living up to the hype (once we got our hands on one) and providing hundreds of hours of family fun and games.
Camp Kon-O-Kwee, for two (and counting) wonderful summers' worth of fun and adventure for Adam (and Avi) and, perhaps even more importantly, complete peace of mind for Wendy and me.
Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer, for a lifetime's supply of rich, creamy goodness, and for that nice, new web site that lets me buy and ship it across the state.
Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars, for being my never-fail, favorite portable quick snack.
J.K. Rowling, for so richly completing -- after so beautifully continuing, after so gloriously beginning -- some of the most pure and enjoyable storytelling anyone's ever had the magical pleasure to read to their children. Or to themselves.
The Shield, for six seasons of remarkable consistency that have made it, with apologies to LOST and to The Sopranos, the most rich and rewarding drama on television.
Drive-By Truckers, for one of my favorite albums of the last few years, and for an incredibly rich back catalog that I'm still working my way through.
Uncle Sam’s, for big subs and fantastic fries and a whole lot of delicious lunches and dinners.
Henry V, for being one of my favorite plays and one of my favorite movies.
HomeWood Suites, for the great rates, comfortable rooms, and incomparable service that make it the Official Hotel of the Hermann Family.
MaX Talbot, for the unmatched pleasures of watching an athlete who knows his role, never stops working, and helps his team in a dozen different ways that never show up on the score sheet.
Ryan WhitneY, for the smooth skating, beautiful passing, and lethal wristing that will one day win both a Norris Trophy and a Stanely Cup.
Hot FuzZ, for doing for action films what Shaun of the Dead did for zombie movies, and for being the funniest damned movie I've seen all year.
And there you have it: another list of twenty-six of my life's little pleasures. If I've omitted far too many others, well, such are the (admittedly malleable, elliptical) restrictions of one more alphabetical list. But that still leaves me a whole pantry's worth of ingredients with which to whip up next year's feast of a list. Until then...
Enjoy the food and the thoughts and the food for thought.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Posted: Thu - November 22, 2007 at 09:37 AM
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Published On: Aug 28, 2008 10:24 PM
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Published On: Aug 28, 2008 10:24 PM