Thankfulnessapalooza 2023 - Part Two (of Three)

Okay, dear readers, let's see if I can find ten more things for which I'm thankful, and not ten things for which I've previously expressed my gratitude on this here blog. [spoiler alert: I think I can!] If you missed part one of this year's list, CLICK HERE!

Okay - let's do this...

Pretty, and loud. TSO in DC, 2022 - photo by Joe

I am thankful for all the concerts I've been fortunate enough to witness. This could be its own long, long post, but let's just list some of the live acts I've seen... Pretenders, Iggy Pop, Art of Noise, Tangerine Dream, Bon Jovi (at Giants Stadium!), KISS, The Who, BRUCE, AC/DC, Depeche Mode, Midnight Oil, Styx, Ian Hunter, Jimmy Buffett, Rush, Yes, Shriekback, The Cure, Peter Murphy, some others I'm not recalling at the moment, and a whole lot of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Simple Minds.

It's like 2016-2020 all over again - photo by Joe

My workplace "protesters." Most were rescued from the free table, and earlier this year, when we closed our crumbling-but-beloved suburban office, most of them were given away to worthy recipients (local police took some!). A few made the move to the DC office - a move that they are still officially protesting, although I'm pretty sure they secretly love it there.

Thank you for rescuing us! - photo by Joe

Speaking of the closing of my suburban workplace - I rescued these lights from its abandoned patio and moved them to my own. I'm weirdly proud to have them live on in my backyard.

It's... It's indescribably beautiful! - photo by Joe

Okay, this one's a little odd, but whatever. We have a drink cupboard. It is almost never as perfectly fully-stocked as it is in this picture, but on the rare occasions when this happens, it is kind of a work of art, to this beholder.

Hey - I'm FLYIN' here... - photo by Joe

Not much to say, here. I'm thankful for serendipitous fly-by photobombs by shorebirds, when shooting a sunset. 

"Is that a lot?" - photo by Joe

It had been a few years since I bled out a hasty little novel in a month, and I was urged to go for it again (more on the urging later this month, probably), so I did. It needs a LOT of revision, and it's still not done, but it exists. So, yeah. Thanks for the word count, 2023!

"Why isn't Joe here today?" - photo by K. Schrader

Super thankful for our dogs in the workplace program. We have hardly any PEOPLE in the workplace, so there are precious few dogs, but one of my favorites is this little sparkplug named Mabel. Her human sent me this picture a couple of days ago, when I was working from home. I feel so guilty, I might just have to start going to the office every day...

"I'm hungry, and you're gonna be my new person." - photo by S. McVeigh

Speaking of the office - I'm SOOOOO grateful to mark one year since this sweet dude found the perfect home. He was abandoned outside the HSUS building out in the 'burbs, and sort of lurked in our storm drains for a few days before a few of us mobilized to coax him out, catch him, confirm (via his chip and a helpful local vet) that his owners didn't want him back (dicks), and get him into a loving home. One year later, he's pretty much the king of that castle, so it's all good.

Note the snow-free pavement - photo by Joe

Snow. I'm very thankful for snow. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no! I'm an adult now. I have zero use for snow. However... I will grant you that it is pretty, and if it could just snow enough to coat the ground and trees, and leave all paved surfaces wet (no ice, please), then yeah, I could consider being a teensy bit grateful for it.

"Where are the hot buttered rum recipes?" - photo by Joe

Gnomes. How can I not be thankful for these dudes? They're a lot like the thankfulness thing, in that it is increasingly challenging to come up with new ideas for them. Will we do it again, this Christmas? Yeah, we probably will.

Thanks for coming, you three. Four? FIVE??? No, probably not five... but a man can dream. See you tomorrow...