Thankfulnessapalooza 2023 - Part Three (of Three)

 

Whose Waves? Floyd's Waves! Photo by Joe

Can he do it, folks? Will he do it? Will Joe come up with ten more things for which he's thankful, this year? Yes! Ah, but will there be any repeats from previous years' lists? Also yes. Sorry. To review, here are links to PART ONE and PART TWO of this year's list. Did anyone notice that in part one, the items were numbered, and in part two they were not? I didn't - until now. Whimsy! Okay, let's wrap this up...

21. Waves. I like waves. Bonus points for waves crashing into things - like jetties, rocks, sea walls, or those WWII-era observation towers that still stand staring at the ocean from the Delaware shore.

One intrepid little pony car, near Port Arthur, TX - Photo by Joe

22. My impractical but oh so sweet little mechanical soul mate. I'd say she's my midlife crisis car, but really that was the car that came before her. She's driven through swamps and train yards and all sorts of places no Camaro should ever see - capably and without complaint.

N&W Class J #611, near Manassas, VA - Photo by Joe

23. As long as we're admiring things in black and white... Trains. I love 'em. I've always lived within earshot of them, and I hope I always will.

24. For all my bitching about my new ELEVEN TIMES LONGER commute, there is a part of it for which I'm thankful - but only when the weather's nice. The walk from DuPont Circle to 23rd Street in DC, mostly by way of N Street. Behold...

Little daycare kiddies, strung together and singing "Baby Shark!" Photo by Joe

Historic Heurich House - Photo by Joe

Alley weirdness. I have questions. Photo by me

Next...

Endangered black-footed selfieferrets - photo by Bingo

Ask me about the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Empty offices have weird shadows - Photo by Joe

25. Weirdness in general. Always on the lookout for it, because it keeps popping up when and where I least expect it. Now more than ever, we could all use a daily dose of weird.

Okay, maybe not THIS empty... Photo by Joe

26. The empty office. What can I say - I got used to it, when in 2020 I suddenly found myself with (more or less) the run of the place. This year, I've readjusted somewhat, as there are people around slightly more often than there were over the preceding three years. Fortunately, when it gets people-y, it tends to be some really swell people. Okay, I'm thankful for the office, just in general. I do wish it was still five minutes away, of course...

Portland Head, Maine - Photo by Joe and [Maris]

27. I'm thankful for lighthouses. That is all.

28. Cartoons. I've preached this for years. Ren & Stimpy, The Simpsons, South Park, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy, American Dad, Archer, Home Movies, Bob's Burgers, Futurama... Some of these shows are blessed to have positively brilliant writers and voice actors. We've seen a lot of episodes dozens of times. Granted, they're usually just playing in the background, but there's a certain comfort in hearing Family Guy's "Bag Of Weed" song from the next room - again. These characters are like old friends, and they ask so little of us.

All glory to the Hypnotoad - screen grab from the interwebz

29. Speaking of cartoons - I'm thankful for Hypnotoad. Coolest sound I've ever heard come out of my TV (apart from the clank of Howie Kendrick's go-ahead homer off the foul pole in game 7 of the 2019 World Series) - and those hypnotic EYES. Yeah - he's good enough to make the list twice.

 No, I don't wear them all at once. - Photo by Joe

30. Rings. I don't know why or how, but one led to another and here we are. I figure it's less gross than tattoos or piercings (on me - I'm sure they're fine on you tattoo/piercing people).

Well, look at that, campers! We made it through three posts and thirty things for which I'm thankful, this year. Well-done, you three! Well-done. See you tomorrow...

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...

Thankfulnessapalooza 2023 - Part One (of Three)

Is it really that time again? It seems like we just did this. Probably only because we *DID* just do this. There are THREE posts separating last year's That Thankfulness Thing (click on that for links to all the other years' posts!) from tonight's post. Shame on me. The 80,434-word (and counting) work in progress from this summer can excuse some of that lack of bloginess, but clearly not all of it. 

It started in 2012, in the Great Before. There was a social media thing where people were posting something for which they were thankful - every damn day throughout November - and I was like NOPE, let's do it all at once. I've since learned that breaking it up into three posts is more humane to all 4 (5?) of you readers, and I'm nothing if not humane, so let's do this. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that parts two and three of this year's gratitude fest may read rather like a greatest hits anthology of previous years. But who are we kidding? You didn't just click on my lovingly crafted links above, and you certainly can't be blamed for not remembering previous years' lists of mostly harmless things I like. So it'll all seem brand-new to you, so never mind. Let's proceed.

This year, I am especially thankful for, in no particular order...

1. That Thankfulness Thing. There. Another link to last year's post, which has links to all the previous ones. You're welcome. Anyway, I'm all about lists, so I actually do enjoy this goofy little exercise, once a year. That's gratitude for you!

That's right - After decades of fighting (against it), I now have "accountant" in my title. (gag)

2. My "promotion." Better late than never, as they say. I don't like losing the word "senior" and adding "accountant" to my title, mostly because I am NOT an accountant, but what can you do? Now, to update that résumé...

3. My siblings' retina woes. Not happy that they have experienced retina woes, mind you, BUT - had they not already been through some pretty icky and scary retina woes (I'm starting to think The Retina Woes would be a killer name for a band - or maybe an Ophthalmology practice), and had they not shared with me the signs and symptoms and whatnot, I might have just blown it off when said signs and symptoms and especially whatnot appeared in my very own eyeball. So, thanks sibs - you may have spared me a MUCH nastier bunch of medical tribulations. At least for now... Younger bro - you are SO on the clock, right now...

"We were supposed to be synchronized!" Photo by Joe

4. Pelicans. They'll outlive us all, and deservedly so. 

5. I'm actually quite thankful to have grown up in the time before the internet and social media - and mostly before even cell phones. Now, I know that every generation grows up with whatever it grows up with; none of us get to choose the age in which we're raised (I'm working on it, though - perhaps in a future novel) - and each generation has its blessings and challenges. With the benefit of a bit of hindsight, I'm just glad I didn't have all that connectivity, back when I was young. I wasn't exactly a wild kid, or even a cool kid, but I guarantee you, I would have found myriad ways to screw up, had a smart phone been in my pocket during my adolescence. Millennials, and Gen Z, my hat is off to you for getting through that noise.

6. Riddance. I've used this one before, referring somewhat prematurely to the departure of our so-called ex-"president" (I only say "so-called" because he received millions fewer votes in both elections), but this time I'm thankful for a little sports riddance. I won't waste a lot of words on this. dan snyder, good riddance. 

7. Glue. Specifically, whatever glue [Maris]'s brother in law used to re-affix this guy's severed head. Where there was trauma... 

I'm (we're) not QUITE dead...

...now there is whimsical Halloween healing...

I'm (we're) getting better...

8. Brian Regan. Comedian and nice guy (I assume. Seems nice, anyway. Mormon, I think.) Google him or find him on your favorite streaming platform. He is seriously funny. His material has taken root in [M]'s and my daily vernacular. And his material is clean and non-sexist and weird and fun and just do yourself a favor and check him out. You'll be thankful that you did.

"Long about noon, when your appetite's... pokin' at ya, pokin' at ya."

9. Bite-size Snickers. This one's for [Maris], but yeah - they're pretty close to perfect. Unless you don't like them. Then never mind.

10. The Last Spider. One of our Halloween (over)decorating traditions is that I scatter a bunch of these little fuzzy googly-eyed spiders throughout the house. I do this after [Maris] has gone to sleep. Most of them are in plain sight...

Hey.

Duuuuuude, I am SO high, right now...

But some are placed such that they're technically not hidden, but are still trying very hard not to be seen. Every year, sometimes weeks or months after we've taken down the Halloween stuff, we find The Last Spider. The Last Spider is congratulated heartily by all the other spiders, from inside their box, and there is much chortling. 

All hail The Last-- Hey! Get that camera out of here!

There. You made it through the first ten thanky things for 2023, and for that, I salute and thank you. See you tomorrow for some more Mostly Harmless Drivel. Please come see us again...

Is That Thankfulness Thing Still A Thing?

And so we've reached the eve of another Thanksgiving. I've been away from the ol' bloggy drivel-y place for so long, it seemed reluctant to even let me log on. Anyway, I'm guessing people stopped doing that thing on social media where they post something for which they're thankful each and every freaking day throughout the month of November. I hope so - because after a couple of years, we've pretty much covered it, have we not? I know I certainly have - although in delightful clumps of 10 to 30 thankfulnesses at a time, rather than that every day nonsense.

To wit: Here they are, for review and time-killing...

2012

2013

2014 (A)  2014 (B)  2014 (C)

2015

2021 (A)  2021 (B)  2021 (C)

There. All caught-up? I can give you another minute, if you like. Easy now - don't be like that. My point is, I could have just posted the same list each year, but NO - I wouldn't want either of you dear readers to get bored. So I dug deeper and deeper, trying to find every little thing that wasn't the same old thing, for which I am thankful. 

Well, no more! 

Okay, here are a few more. Some are repeats and I don't care. In addition to the requisite stuff like [Maris] and health and family and home and hoboes (especially THESE TWO) and blah blah blah, this year, I find myself especially grateful for, in no particular order:

No filter. Photo by Joe - Germantown, MD 2022

1. This sky. I just like it.

2. Dining out. Post-pandemic, still feels a little more like a privilege than it used to, and that's okay with us. 

...very cold.

3. Speaking of dining out, this year I'm thankful for this one waitress from our Outer Banks "restaurant week" vacation. Every year, there are more exceptional restaurants between Nags Head and Carolla, and most of them feature good, professional service. But only one has the spectacular young waitress who flirted with me *AND* [Maris] - and yes, we know exactly what she was doing (unless she was trying to lure us into some horrible Hollywood-style robbery and/or murder scenario, which would have been not nearly as cool as it sounds) - and we don't care. Thanks for being nice to us, [name withheld because it's uniquely-spelled and I KNOW somebody out there will Google her and totally find her on social media like I did, and sorry but no]. You're very good at your job.

4. Speaking of dining out in the OBX, here's to tourist drinks in tourist traps (or even in really good restaurants full of locals, but with a touristy drink menu)...

Bonus points for crazy creepy Halloween décor.

5. And speaking of drinks... I'm thankful that a decade or so ago, I finally acquired the acquired taste for martinis. Yes, I know martinis have made the list before, and I don't care - they're great and I love 'em.

Bonus points for spiderweb table runner and bent-stem glass!

Bonus points for fire! And bent-stem glass.

6. Finding teeny tiny snakes in the middle of the hallway at my (thankfully) empty office. I've heard that on more than one occasion, snakes have literally dropped from the ceiling onto people's desks, downstairs. I know, right!

He's so teeny! Shoulda seen the little dude try to bite me when I picked him up - adorable.

Because we at the Humane Society are nothing if not humane...

7. Speaking of work, I'm thankful that almost no one has come back to the office, so there's room for me to park my ol' ragtop waaaayyy far away, where the infernal autumn leaf storm can't get her and clog up her little convertible top drain thingies. Actually, while I do love having the place mostly to myself (I'm an essential personnel... hahahaha just kidding NO ONE is essential), I'm NOT thankful that no one came back. Now we're selling this perfectly-located suburban building, and I'm going to have to commute to nowhere-near-a-Metro-stop, DC. Thanks a lot, dicks.

Bonus points for being able to scoff at the I-270 traffic all day.

8. Speaking of parking lots of perfectly-located suburban offices - I'm super-thankful that our parking lot cat has found a good home. Still a little annoyed that his owners DUMPED HIM on our property, but after a few days of cat-whispering, we were able to determine that he was a lovey-dovey puppy of a cat, and long story short, he's gonna have a great life. But people, please don't dump pets outside the Humane Society of the United States. We have no shelter facilities, no vets - hell, right now we hardly even have PEOPLE. This is just an office. The fact that it's an office occupied by animal lovers does not make it okay to dump unwanted pets there.

"You're my person now and I love you and I'm coming home with you."

"You have betrayed me and I will never trust again."

9. HALLOWEEN! Every available bit of space in our little abode is dedicated to it for close to two full months a year, now. Sue us - we love it and are thankful for it.

"Don't bother us. We're... we're conjuring."

10. A really good chair. Am I right? Yeah, I'm right.

Yeah, I'm right.

11. I'm grateful to still be able to remember when Funland in Rehoboth Beach looked like this:

Summer of 1985. Yeah! I'm OLD!

12. I'm grateful for the fact that we don't sleepwalk, so there's very little chance we'll put the turkey in the toilet. Or fall down the stairs (asleep, that is). This one courtesy of [Maris].

13. "The Walking Dead." To a point. Okay, so that point was probably several seasons ago, but yeah. For 12 years, a nice creepy escape. It had moments when it transcended the genre and TV in general. And a LOT of moments that were just bad. But I stuck with it until the bitter end, which-- What? HOW many spinoffs? Oh, HELL no...

14. Speaking of the walking dead. We did a cruel and ill-conceived little department re-org at work, this year (hey - we're just like every other large organization out there), so here's to my SURVIVING that particular dumpster fire (so far, at least)...

Cute, no?

15. Vaccines. Yes, still. Shut up. They help.

16. Mom's recipes from Judy Ireland. Yes, I know I need to copy the ones I want and give these back, like months ago.

So much rich tasty goodness in there...

17. Waking with the sun - but ONLY AT THE BEACH!

Got it? Okay. Back to bed...

18. BALLOONS!!

19. I'm thankful for my friend Tony, who had his pilot's license when we were nineteen, so that I got to photograph my childhood home from the SKY. From a part of the sky that he said we weren't allowed to be in, which got him yelled at by an air traffic controller or some such. Still, what a cool day.

1987, when all the trees were still there. And a CHEVETTE!

20. Flowers, apparently - especially tulips because [Maris] loves them.

POW!!

21. Butterflies, for butterflies are free, or something.

This was at work, too. I love it there.

22. "What We Do In The Shadows." I will not rest until all three of my readers are hooked on this brilliant little TV show. BAT!

BAT!

23. Twinkly lights. 

Bonus points if they're pointy.

Oooooohh...

Bonus points if they're part of a drag show being watched by Christmas gnomes.

24. Baby praying mantises. Totally worth watering that plant every day, just to provide a home for these little buggers.

Awwww...

25. I'm super-thankful this year, for knowing when to qui