Thanksgivingness

It's Thanksgiving, my favorite of all holidays. I love it because the basic requirements of Thanksgiving are few and simple. 1. Eat a lot of food. Turkey is a must, unless you are a crazy vegetarian. Also, all things carbohydrate are required. Alcohol consumption, while not mandatory, should be encouraged. 2. Spend time with people you love. This can be family. This can be friends. This can be strangers that you take a liking to immediately. These are the only tenets of Thanksgiving and therefore the opportunity to enjoy oneself is maximized. Also on Thanksgiving, I think it is important to take stock of one's life and give thanks. This doesn't have to be public and it doesn't have to be to god, but I think it is important to at least reflect and acknowledge the good things you've got going on. Usually, I choose to be private about this endeavor but this year I'll share a few of the things I am thankful for.

Thanks. In no particular order.
1. My family. I am lucky to have a family whose company I truly enjoy. We may not be large in number, but we are large in affection. I get along with my family in a way many people dream of. Many times, I would choose to spend time with them over doing anything else and for that I am thankful.

2. My friends. I've realized that I have friends from every period in my life. I haven't always been as diligent in keeping in touch with them, but for some reason or other they have stuck with me and not because I pay them. They are all pretty different from one another, but they all share one or more personality trait in common with me and it usually involves laughing. I am really lucky to have such a large group of people I love and who I assume love me back.

3. A pretty good brain. This might sound egotistical, but I feel like I have a good mind. It is not the best. I don't learn many things easily but I am able to understand many things over time. I don't suffer from mental illness and degradation has not yet started (at least as far as I can tell). My brain has taken me pretty far in life and I look forward to the many new things me and my brain will accomplish in the future.

4. My health. I'm rarely sick. I have no major diseases or lapses in health other than the occasional fainting spell (which is due to my sensitive disposition and not a weakness in character). I also have pretty awesome genes working in my favor. I'm not saying I'll never get sick, but so far my body has held up incredibly, especially considering I've done very little to maintain it other than eat gynormous amounts of food.

5. Good TV shows. This might sound trivial, but TV is one of the few things that helps me relax. My mind can be in all sorts of places, but when I sit down in front of the TV I really zone out and forget about my issues, even if only temporarily. Programs I particularly enjoy are The Office, 2 and a Half Men, America's Next Top Model, Scrubs, My Name is Earl and House. There are others I watch less frequently. If I'm in the mood for a good cry I can always rely on Extreme Home Makeover. If I want to laugh out loud America's Funniest Home Videos is my automatic go to.

6. My job. I don't always love my job. In fact, many times I am bored out of my mind. However I am thankful to have a job and I am thankful to have a job that most of the time I enjoy. I like the people I work with, both co-workers and clients and I like the subject matter. My work has taught me a lot about the "real world" and I think I'd be a much more naive person if I hadn't held it.

7. My sense of self. Again, another egotistical sounding thanking point, but I am pretty comfortable in my own skin and I think that is something to be happy about. I certainly have my insecurities, but more often than not I am really happy with the person I am. Whether it is a blessing or just good luck, I don't know, but I am glad I like me.

8. Being a woman. There are many times I am frustrated with my sex. However, if I ever had to choose, I would always pick being a chick. Maybe it is because I still have a profound lack of understanding of men, but I appreciate all the things being a member of the fairer sex affords me. I particularly I enjoy the understanding that leaving urine all over the toilet is a pretty gross thing to do, especially in one's own home.

9. Dance. Without dancing I would be a lot less happy than I am. Many people have witnessed my dance outbursts, though most of my practice happens in the privacy of my own home. Currently I am working on the Chicken Noodle Soup dance and the Crip Step. I'll never be the best, but there is something about pumping up the volume to Safety Dance by Men Without Hats or Missy Elliot's Work It that just fills me with glee and energy every single time.

10. Goat cheese. Alright, this one is a little more specific than the last 9 but my life would be a whole lot less wonderful without goat cheese. Granted, I'd be about 15 pounds lighter, but I'm convinced that this particular 15 pounds gives me my jolly, goat cheese induced spirit. Other than Sloppy Joes, a finer food has never been created.

11. Gravity. Sure it keeps us from floating into the atmosphere, but more importantly, it makes people fall down. Maybe I shouldn't end my list on a mean spirited note but watching people fall, especially when they are not hurt badly, is the funniest thing to watch on the planet. I'm sorry if I've ever laughed at any of you when you've fallen, but know I do it out of love and that if you needed a ride to the emergency room I'd be the first one to offer. Also, if I EVER fall in front of you, please, PLEASE laugh, because I will always know where you are coming from. When gravity works against us it is just plain hilarious.

So those are some of the things I am thankful for this year. Obviously this list is abbreviated but you get the picture. I would love to hear some of the things you all are thankful for as well. I hope the holiday finds you all happy and healthy and dancing in your underwear in front of your mirror at night. Happy Thanksgiving.

To be young again

I had dinner last night with some long time friends. Alexis, Erin, Lindsay, Marianna and I all went to middle school and high school together. It is fun to get together with them because it reminds me of the times when you could be totally ridiculous and hyper without the aid of alcohol (though admittedly, alcohol was often times involved). The pictures I am sharing with you are after only approximately one margarita, so our foolishness cannot be attributed to the sauce. Don't you remember when you were younger and you would start laughing hysterically with a friend over absolutely nothing? I have memories with each one of these ladies doing just that, and when I see them now, I am reminded of those days. As I get older, I find fewer and fewer friends who I can just be stupid with and who will laugh along with me. When you do find those types of friends, it is like finding a soul mate because they are amused by the same dumb shit as you are. A really good way to bring out these hysterics is pictures and video. When we were younger, we would all get together and make these ridiculous, sugar high infused videos. I still crack up when I watch these because you can feel the giddiness oozing off the screen. When I went to Spain for study abroad I met a few "soul mate" friends and whenever we would get our pictures back from being developed, we would look at them and laugh over every picture. Laugh is actually the wrong word because it describes something much more restrained than what we were actually doing. Digital cameras are just the right medium for producing immediate hilarity, and last night we used this technology to our advantage. These are just a few of the ridiculous photos we took. I'm also including some normal pictures of these ladies to prove they are not as freakish as they appear in some pictures. Still, it is fun. I hope it translates to a wider audience, though probably not. This is more likely one of those, "you had to be there" moments, so just indulge me.

Blonde Halloween

Happy Halloween!