... here's my FULL list of this year's season of gratitude (which I organized as a alphabetical listing, what with Thanksgiving being on the 26th this year):
ASBACH-URALT, the German brandy that I *first* had as a regular digestif at my host home for my semester abroad (1990), that I *next* had in the little brandy filled chocolate candies that I could only get at the Christkindlmarkt each year in downtown Chicago (2003-2013), and that I *finally* picked up again at the local liquor store in Ft. Lauderdale just last month (2015). I can't drink it and not be instantly transported back to a semester full of amazing people and activities from a quarter century ago ...
BACON, because it makes *everything* better, as evidenced by my frequent posts of how it's being used in my household from meal to meal (i.e the #baconshallbe and #baconlesson series). Stay tuned this upcoming Friday, when I'll be attending the second annual BACON BASH here in town that promises "unlimited, delicious, bacon-infused food tastings" from over 15 restaurants and food trucks. (I'm expecting it to be a preview of what heaven is like [for those religions for whom bacon is not banned, of course].)
CASANOVA JAMES, the American staffordshire pit bull puppy (mixed with American bulldog, so he's doubly American and bull-squared). One of the perks of the move from small apartment Chicago life to what I've called ye olde (new) households in Florida was being able to have the space to have dogs again (after all those cats), and Casanova was rescued from puppy-death-row and nursed back to health by a dedicated foster mother before his arrival, and he has brought his amazing playful and loving personality to the whole family -- including his patience and dedication to his "brother" Ozzie (another letter for another day).
DUMBBELLS -- and I don't mean those of you who fill my Facebook feed [you know who you are], as that wouldn't be polite. I'm talking about the actual set of interchangeable weights I got one year for Christmas back in the early-nineties from my surrogate grandmother JoAnn. In the twenty years I've owned them, I've not always used them all the time, but they've been the basis for my exercise those times when I rally around that concept (as I've been doing for the last few months on my current weight-loss journey).
ELECTIONS -- in all their modern day messiness. It may be that I'm obligated to say that, what with a Political Science degree (which, as you may know, doesn't necessarily lead to a career in the field ... but *does* ensure that you are always right in discussions of politics). Once upon a time, I thought I might run in one one day, but then I had a little too much fun in my 20's and 30's and now too many people know where the bodies are buried (that's a metaphor [or is it?]) so I can't pursue public office. Fast forward to today and that makes me just an armchair electioneer ... but it does give me joy to follow along on what really is America's secret to success (all cynicism aside).
FACEBOOK. True, it can be challenging ... and you have to learn to, like the Frozen kids say, "Let it go ..." for a majority of what you see on your feed, but when the Facebook glass is half full, it's a great way to follow along with those characters from the stories of your past to see where life is taking them in the present. Oh -- and to see what everyone's eating. That too.
GUINNESS. Why? Because, as its old timey advertising slogan once said, "It has restorative powers!" Or, as *I've* said multiple times, "It provides more buzz per unit!" Admittedly, before I found my Guinness (drinking at the old Eli's at the old Lebanon Plaza back in the old days), I sampled a few other favorites (Icehouse, followed by Red Dog, and then the old standby of Yuengling Lager), but it's the chocolatey goodness of my Guinness that really gets me going, and I'm especially thankful for any bar along the usual crawl that carries it!
HEALTH. Lookit, I'm at the age where my knees creak more than they should, and I'm suddenly able to read better up close *without* glasses (which makes me oddly incapable of reading with my current contacts), but those problems are easily managed (could bifocals be in my near future?), and each day on my current long term weight loss path makes me feel generally healthier -- AND I have the recent stats from my doctor to prove that it's working!
IMAGINATION. Agreed, it may be a little twisted (the tale is that I was writing short stories in 2nd grade on a mimeograph machine that included a cliffhanger with a garage that got blown up ... which concerned a few adults), but I keep feeding it and it keeps surprising me. I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night to go scribble ideas on an index card because my creative brain forgot to go to sleep ... or having the randomest of thoughts whilst in the shower or on a walk or during a drive. It's who I am ... and I like me as I am (although I do wonder whether I'm going to be the craziest of old men once I reach the age where I can't control it any more -- but that's not this year ...)
JOANN, my "surrogate" grandmother. She's no longer with us, but that doesn't mean I can't still be thankful for the time we did have together ... from when we first met during my stint in Uniontown early on in college, to the very end when I was a few states away but always made a point to visit every so often and talk on the phone weekly, and all the stops in between, including when she made the rare trip in to Amish country (she just loved her some Amish country). Just in case I didn't thank her enough for all she did for me while she was alive, she's my J for today AND she's a part of something special I'll be starting up *next* year (to be continued ...)
KAPLAN, my employer since 2004 (give or take a few months here and there). In my youth, I was a "job cobbler", in that I always cobbled together multiple part time jobs (as many as five at one time) in order to put myself through school and pay my bills once I started living on my own. After wrapping up my studies (and a diversion in a bank for two years in the post 9/11 job market), I finally landed at my career, found in an ad in the back of the Sunday paper (see how *old* I am!). It can be a struggle at times to be a "company man", but I wouldn't have it any other way ...
LISTS, my go-to task when it comes to organizing all my random thoughts. I think I've always been a bit of a list maker, but that behavior was endorsed once I got to see Judy Woodward's clipboard back in '89. For the longest time, my lists were kept in my little black book (not *that* little black book, although I think I do have that list somewhere locked up should I ever need to make money via blackmail) ... and only within the last few months did I migrate them to the notes on my somewhat-smart phone, where I now keep track of anything from my exercise plans ... to my vacation itineraries ... to where I need to go on vacation next ... to my random daily post ideas ... to my tasks ... to my ... well, you get the point ... you don't need to see a list of my lists ... you just need to know I'm thankful for being able to make so many of them!
MURDER ... a statement I should probably quickly clarify, since Murder is the name of the last surviving kitty from the cat years (aka ... the apartments-in-Chicago-are-too-small-to-have-dogs years). She joined the family with a littermate (Mystery), at around the time when the murder mysteries I wrote and performed throughout college were wrapping up. And she's still around, despite all her feline companions (Mauler, Baby and Mystery) having passed, waiting for the juice of tuna cans to be opened, luxuriating on her bed in the guest room (which has a gate to keep her brothers out that she can traverse at night when she runs the house), and marveling at her long life (and the places she's been).
NEIDERMYER. Oh sure ... my paternal line can blame Ellis Island officials for swapping the E and the I (it's pronounced *contrary* to the actual German rules of how to say EI versus IE), but the name has been associated with the best chicken for years (and celery and horseradish for the uncle who just had to be different and buck the family trend). And now that it was featured on 'The Walking Dead', a whole generation of folks will associate it with the desire for a post-apocalyptic pasta maker instead of thinking about the asshole from 'Animal House'. I still haven't given up completely on being a one name celebrity (you know, like Troy ... just Troy ...), but .. until then ...
OZZIE (more formally known as OCTAVIUS JULIUS), the second American staffordshire pit bull puppy to join the family down here in Florida. He was rescued by an agency because he was being given away for free on Craig's List since he was born with an all but missing front right leg (he has a single toe on the end of what we affectionately call his "wing") and the fear was that he might be used as a bait dog. He's a snuggler who is super fond of his brother CASANOVA, has a touch of extra anxiety about unexpected sounds and movements, and is committed to living his life without letting his condition be an obstacle. You can see and follow him and his brother at this link: https://www.facebook.com/thecasanovajames/?ref=hl
PENN STATE. Truth be told, I was officially a flying dutchmen and not a nittany lion when it comes to the origination of many of my student loans for my decade in education after high school, and the total of my trips to campus in State College may be less than double digits (most of them to attend concerts), and I may have only ever been to but ONE football game ... but as I've moved around the country in my adult life, it's been a way for me to feel connected with my central PA roots, by being able to root for the team on fall weekends. And *that* helps make a person feel grounded.
QUESTS of mine. Not that there's anything wrong with impossible dreams or unreachable stars, but I do try to keep my searches as unquixotic as possible ... so I've managed to get my feet into all of the Great Lakes but one (maybe Lake Ontario in Toronto next year?) ... and I'm almost halfway through having each of the 25 burgers in the country as listed in the Zagat guide of 2013 (when that particular quest started) ... and I've been to as many remaining Kaplan centers as I can during my travels ... and, when it's time, I'll launch a plan to get to all of the presidential libraries. It's all about the seeking to give a person a purpose ...
RACE, AMAZING. (Yes, I know I'm going old school library style with my alphabetizing, but if the 'R' fits ...) It is true that I haven't watched the race from the very beginning, but once the inimitable Bonnie Hunt promoted it on her eponymous talk show, I knew it was something that I'd like. And like it I have, season after season, partially because it lets me travel the amazing world vicariously through others, but also because it is an amazing study of relationships and because, on the aggregate, it appears to be documented proof with regards to the amazing power of the karma AND because it has taught me that I will have better luck dealing with cabs in foreign countries rather than cabs here in America -- a fact I find amazing (uber anyone?) ...
SUN. Not in some ancient Egyptian "all hail 'Ra'" kind of way ... and not in some irresponsible way (I recently resumed my annual check-up at a dermatologist in light of how mole-y my people are) ... but in a "like Kal-El, I get energized" by living in a land of near constant sun as I now do, and besides, I look better with a bit of color (and also confuse more people then who think I've an ethnicity...)
TRAVEL, because, in my middle age, it's really what excites me -- new towns to see, new places to go, new people to meet. Or, as the case may be, returning to locations with new itineraries to more fully explore them. Assuming all goes well, just in the next year, there are plans to get to New Orleans in December, Phoenix and Vegas next February, Chicago next May, Toronto next August and up the eastern coast all the way to central PA next October -- each trip with a growing list of "must-sees" and "must-dos".
UNKNOWNS in my life. Fond as I am of my routines ... and of the simple day to day things in my life ... it is a life of past pleasant surprises that have helped me understand that change brings about new opportunities to go down new paths and to meet new people. Here's to being able to embrace what's coming around the bend, whenever it may arrive and whatever it may be.
VISITORS who make the trek down here to paradise to stop in and say hello -- whether it be former college classmates or family -- it's always nice to get together, hang out with the puppies, head out to eat on the town and seek out fun things to do in the area. Just be sure to give a heads up before you arrive because there's only one guest bed (which you have to share with the cat)!
WOODWARDS and the WHITMANS. Some people get stuck with just one family ... but the circumstances of my life were that I got to have extra people looking out for me over the years (including, but not limited to) my two bonus W families. Within the last year, there have been weddings and births and celebrations of folks nearly turning 100 between the two sets of them, and even I don't get to see them as often, I couldn't be more grateful that my family tree has a most unique appearance!
XFINITY. To be clear, I'm not celebrating them for their excellent customer service (as that they don't have), but I am a television addict ... and, between their DVR and their on-demand, they do allow me to manage my addiction *so* much more efficiently than the old days of hundreds of VCR tapes ... and multiple VCRs ... so here's to innovation for TV junkies like me!
YOU ... yes, YOU ... YOU who might be reading this. YOU who might just be scrolling by and saying "oh another one of those posts from Troy". YOU who might have already muted me because you don't get me. But most importantly, YOU who are my connection on the Facebook because YOU appeared in the story of my life, be it for a sentence or a page or a chapter or a multi-chapter arc. Thank YOU for being YOU. And happy Thanksgiving eve to YOU and yours from me and mine!
ZZZZs. Maybe it's taking inspiration from the puppies and the kitty ... or perhaps it's about the tryptophan ... or likely it's related to the bar crawl from last night, but I do so like me a nap on holiday afternoons!
WHO DOESN'T LIKE A COUNTDOWN/RANKING?:
http://www.movemequotes.com/top-50-be-thankful-quotes/
WHO DOESN'T LIKE A LIST?:
http://www.popsugar.com/latina/Mindful-Ways-Give-Thanks-39189891
WHO DOESN'T WANT THANKSGIVING TO LAST ALL YEAR?:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephanie-sarkis-phd/being-thankful-tips_b_1104194.html
