To prep for a Thanksgiving tradition in which everyone around the table shares with everyone else what they are thankful for, I prepared my list:
I’m thankful that Dubya signed a bill passed by Congress that makes it more difficult to gamble online. Unfortunately, the money I saved from not betting on the NFL all year went to Commuter Services to remove the boot they put on my car last week.
Which brings me to transportation. I’m thankful for the roadbike I bought last spring, a Bianchi with Campo components. Makes my commute quicker and more colorful–a lot of birds are flashed in the communication between a car and bike. Always gets the blood going before class, better than a cup of coffee.
I haven’t had much luck with the bike’s tires, though. Averaged roughly two flats a month.
So, I gotta give thanks to TRAX for saving me in some crunch times. It runs from work to school and stops in between a block from the house. The light rail does all right in the rain, as well (I guess it’s also preventing toxins from floating into the air for little children to breathe, thus saving them from a continued development of a crippling case of asthma)–I digress, (though I am thankful I just came up with another column idea for when the inversion really sets in).
I’m thankful for the 13-mile trek up to one of the Cottonwood Canyons’ four ski mountains. Not only for their dive into the greatest snow on Earth, but also for offering a way above the aforementioned cloud of dust.
I’m thankful for the unique population that has gathered here in Salt Lake Valley because of the lure of the Wasatch and Utah’s landscape. Of course, there is the righteous demographic of the valley, and I am thankful for them, too. Their presence and example help keep me in line–and their alcoholic-beverage laws have saved me from the temptation of keg parties. Not to mention, their predecessors did a pretty good job of creating the infrastructure to a beautiful community.
And, I’m thankful for the improvements to be made in the valley’s infrastructure, accelerated by the passing of Proposition 3 in the latest election. Maybe there will be a day when the valley won’t have to rely on vehicles to get to work.
I’m thankful there’re a section of Jazz fans at the Delta Center dubbed “Boozer’s Buddies.” Only in Utah could this irony be so enjoyable. On that note, I’m thankful that the lines for ice cream at Jazz games are five times the length than the beer line, which is relatively non-existent.
I’m thankful that the holiday shopping is about to begin and that lots of iPods will be sold. Hopefully, I will be thankful when Apple announces its fourth quarter earnings and that my stock can pay for next semester’s tuition (to spare).
But before I go any further into more depressing clouds of imagery, I am thankful for the long weekend to finish all the papers and projects I have due on Monday and for another week closer to finals.
But before then, I’m thankful that I’m still in the playoff hunt in my fantasy football league and that I can watch my point man, Larry Johnson, playing Thanksgiving night against the Broncos.
(As for the boot, I guess that’s the cosmic kick for taking the car to school.)
