Well another Thanksgiving is upon is. Of course Thanksgiving means so many different things; for some it's the official beginning of the holiday season, for others it's a time of reflection of the past year and perhaps a time where New Year resolutions begin to formulate. For others, it's food, parades, football games and a front row seat to the inner workings of family dynamics.
For my friends in television news, it may just be another day to work.
When I shot news in Washington, DC I worked on two Thanksgiving holidays. The station covered the same obligatory stories each year such as the homeless people who get a full Thanksgiving meal to only be set loose without a safety net at the end of the day, (The story is supposed to make the viewers feel good. They don't see the part of the people being kicked out when the shelter closes for the night), the immigrant family celebrating their first holiday here in the United States, and of course the stories of human misery brought about by travel delays and the cost of gasoline. (Are you asleep yet?)
So, how are you spending your Thanksgiving holiday this year?
What a year 2005 has been. 2005 has been a great year. 2005 has also been a terrible year; however in the grand scheme of things I suppose 2005 was a pretty standard year. The number of natural disasters, military conflicts, lives lost to violent crime, etc are probably well within the bell curve of most actuarial tables so even with the recent tsunami in Asia, and hurricanes and tornados in the United States, I suppose nothing is that much off track. Don't statistics have a way of making things seem so much better?
For me a lot of great things happened in 2005. As I sit here in my apartment in Sugar Land, Texas, the lights are on, the heat and air conditioning are working (there are days here when I need both - figure that out), my health seems to be in order (yes, loosing weight is key for 2006), I am employed at a job that I actually like, surrounded by people that are pleasant and professional, and I have truly great friends and supportive family members.
It's my personal support system that I am so thankful for. For my friends and family members scattered all around the country, (many whom read this blog) thank you again for your encouragement, advice and friendship this past year during some very challenging personal times. I want everyone to know that the many hours spent on the telephone, or even in person were not wasted and that I considered every piece of your advice in developing my plans which resulted in me leaving NY State and once again returning to Texas. And now I want you to know that your generosity wasn't wasted. Now that I am working in an oil related field, the price of gasoline at the pumps has plummeted almost 30 cents a gallon. That's with me only being on the job for two weeks! Can you imagine what will happen by next year at this same time? (Ok, so I can't take any credit for the price of crude oil. Damn!)
So, really a wonderful thank you to all of my friends and family. For all of you in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, North Carolina, Nevada, Vermont, Washington DC, Virginia, and of course Texas, thank you again for providing the gift of your concern and belief in me.
So for me 2005 was quite an interesting year indeed. Am I glad it's coming to an end? I'm not sure but no matter what I want, a new year is quickly approaching. As 2006 sneaks up upon us, I have to wonder:
- what Michael Jackson will wear to court the next time he faces criminal charges,
- how the runaway bride will spend New Year's Eve,
- If Donald Trump will dump his new wife and marry someone even younger,
- whether or not Geraldo's new show will make it in the ratings,
- If Oprah will actually get along with David Letterman when she appears on his program,
- If Paris Hilton will have enough money to make it through the holiday season,
- paper or plastic (when are they going to stop asking that stupid question)
- If Wal-Mart will be coming to my town. (Oh they're already here)
So, you see, with the help of my friends and family I now have the time to ponder the important issues of our day. Have a great holiday.
ME
4 comments:
Avery,
We will be at Eileen,s today for the deep fried bird. It is cold up here in MD. and we had our first snow last night{we are so lucky}.Going to NYC Saturday to see Spamalot With Marty & Sharon Bass, should be an experience with the other 3 million people visiting NYC. Sheila bought a pocketbook the last time we were in the city (a knockoff) but supposedly a good one $55.bucks. It lasted 1 week and fell apart. Have a happy Thanksgiving.
See Ya,
Craig
Eileen and deep fried. I am surprised to see those words together in the same sentence. Sorry to hear about the snow, I’m having climate challenges too. I couldn’t decide whether to put on the air conditioning or open the windows. I chose to get allow the fresh Houston air to circulate throughout my apartment. It was a big choice. Actually in the middle of August I’ll probably be complaining about the heat but believe me, cold weather and snow are two things I hope I never have to deal with again.
Enjoy NY City on Friday. It will be a real zoon the day after Thanksgiving. I’ve done that before and in fact, visited one year the day after Christmas too. Lots and lots of people. I suppose it will be festive.
Oh, and by the way, tell Marty that I’m still sitting at the phone waiting for his telephone call. Back in 1991 I met him at a party and he was interested in doing a profile of me for his morning program. I was producing political commercials back then. He was concerned whether or not he’d be able to get a microwave shot from my office in Columbia, MD to Baltimore. So, I never made it on the air. I suppose I didn’t really need my 15 minutes of fame. I’d rather be behind the camera anyway.
Enjoy NY City. It’s amazing to me, I’m no longer there and life still moves on. I am shattered.
I will gladly accept a "special friend" label. And yes, of course there are those in health care. Can't forget about them. Isn't that why cops and nurses always seem to hook up?
Well, since everyone else is writing your name I guess I can now too!
Avery, Happy Thanksgiving. What a post! Sets the level pretty high :)
I haven't come up with my plan yet for my post today but as you guessed, yes, I 'm at work , in the news industry and it blows.
Ha!
But I did get to celebrate with friends and family last night so...can't complain all that much. And I'm still stuffed. ABP just served us up some lunch, in a couple hours we're getting dinner, and I can't even think about food. Just coffee and water and lots of both .
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