Thanks again

So, um, er, I thought yesterday was American Thanksgiving. All day I walked around being thankful for stuff, and it turns out--that's next week. Too late, I'm already thankful, and I'm doing the Thanksgiving post today. Of course, I was already grateful last month for Canadian Thanksgiving, so I'm going to limit this list to gratitude-worthy things that have happened since early October. Ok, go!

1) Medieval Times. I liked the dancing horses, the bright emblems, the evil green night and his worthy foes, but it was not so any one aspect of the spectacle that I loved so much as getting to go, at the age of 31, with a group of happy friends that wanted to cheer for the blue knight and eat enormous amounts of chicken just as much as I did. I have to admit, I was nervous about what happens when you grow up; I am so glad to find it is this.

2) Canada! In the past couple months, I've been in the following cities: Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, and Jasper. And everywhere has been fun and fascinating and full of friendly people and unimaginable discoveries. So *this* is why people travel. I'm starting to get it now.

3) Biblioasis! Obviously, I'm pretty grateful for Biblioasis publishing my book a year ago, and supporting so wonderfully. But right specifically now, I'm grateful for it being a year on and still getting to do readings for Bilblioasis, not to mention being driven to Montreal by Dan Wells. Again, I didn't know what being a published author would be like, but I am so glad it turns out to involve parties and sushi and road trips.

4) Not getting swine flu (yet).

5) Mavis Gallant's short stories. SHE'S SO GOOD!! I always knew that, but now my head is bursting with it. More on this situation as it develops.

6) Making my holiday card list (yes, I do this in November; what?) and thinking about all the lovely people I know.

7) Hugs.

So, yeah, thanks for all that. And remember that this list is effective for the next week, until the actual American Thanksgiving has come and gone, after which, I suppose I'll have to find some new things to be grateful for.
RR