It’s Thanksgiving in America! Happy Thanksgiving, Americans! Happy Thursday, everyone else in the world who’s probably at work today because it’s just a regular weekday!

Anyway, it’s Thanksgiving in America, a day we celebrate the settling of America some 620 years after Leif Erikson discovered it and 55 years after the Spanish colony in Florida was actually the first European settlement in the new world. Read more about American history and how evil Columbus was here.

But, Pilgrims!

Anyway, at least we don’t have to wear the stupid buckled hats and shoes.

Thanksgiving does have its benefits though; mostly pie, but also finding things to be thankful for in your pathetic human life. And who am I to argue with tradition? And since I did 10 things I hate yesterday, today, we’re doing 10 things of thankful according to me.

1. Punkin pie

Pumpkin pie is not my favorite pie flavor, but it’s top five. It is, without a doubt, the best part of Thanksgiving and I’ll be making two of those suckers later today.

2. A four-day weekend

The awesome thing about Thanksgiving is that it always falls on a Thursday, so provided you don’t work for a scrooge or in retail, odds are, you’ll have four whole days off in a row.

3. I have a job to take a four-day weekend from.

Not that it’s a great job or anything, but it’s not a sweatshop. I still don’t make what I’m worth, but I can pay most of my bills and I have benefits, so yay! I’m no good without a job. I get all fidgety and depressed. Speaking of which…

4. Antidepressants

With my new benefits, I’m able to get some. I’ve had major depressive disorder my whole life, but I’ve only been medicated a few years. True, it has given me a few other minor side effects, but it’s better than crying every day for no damn reason and wanting to kill myself.

5. My significant other

No, not Male. The other one. As my friend calls her, my life partner:

I have no idea what I did without her and I can’t imagine life without her in it. I am ridiculously fond of my dog.

And I suppose I’m grateful for my cat, too, the great lazy bastard that he is. He’s an awfully good cuddler.

6. My parents are coming out for Christmas and New Year.

Not that I’m especially thankful for that. It’s actually a mixed bag. My parents and I haven’t always seen eye to eye. In fact, there was a good long stretch that I didn’t talk to my family at all. However, I am looking forward to having a traditional fish family Christmas with my mom’s cooking while not having to leave my house at all. Plus, my dad is getting on in years and this will probably be the last time he comes to visit.

7. Male is coming after that.

Mr. Law School is gracing me with his slovenly presence and bed-hogging ways for the latter half of January. Yay me. I’m stupidly excited though. The thing about having a non-relationship relationship with someone in another time zone is that the time you are together is even more important (I was going to say precious, but I couldn’t bring myself to use that word). I miss snuggling even if it does mean snoring, blanket and pillow theft, and possibly another elbow to the face.

8. I’m healthy.

All things considered. My eyes are failing, my hearing is getting even worse, my back is hurty and my teeth are falling out, but I can still walk, talk, see, hear, I have all of my original limbs and extremities, and I have no fatal diseases that I’m aware of. So, that’s a win.

9. This blog.

Without this blog, I would have nowhere to put the silly ideas that pop into my head and I would most likely still think that I can’t write fiction worth a damn. I probably wouldn’t have the confidence to sell my art on Redbubble or Etsy. Without a blog, I wouldn’t know…

10. All of you.

Thanks for being here. This place was awfully lonely without you. Happy holidays, y’all!