What I'm Thankful for this Thanksgiving

One of the things I'm thankful for, Marilyn Monroe

I am thankful for the way my wife says "hi, how are you?" when I phone her from work. I'm thankful that my oldest daughter loves working with children and that my youngest daughter has such a strong social conscience.

I'm thankful that because I DVR Fargo I can fast forward through the commercials. I'm thankful that I get a seat on public transit during my commute. I'm thankful for the way Brandon Crawford ranges up the middle for ground balls. I'm thankful for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) the night before Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the Cal band playing The Big C. I'm thankful for Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah taking over for living legends so seamlessly.

I'm thankful for Bergman films on Criterion. I'm thankful for rain. I'm thankful for Thomas Hardy novels and Dylan Thomas poems. I'm thankful for Paul McCartney and Wings on CD. I'm thankful for Arsenal matches on television. I'm thankful for Instagram photos of Italy. I'm thankful for tweets that make me chortle.

I'm thankful for Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Ken Kesey and Neal Cassady.

I'm thankful for big white puffy clouds and the blueness of the sky after rain and the contrast of green trees and blue skies and waves hitting the shore and hills and mountains and grass.

I'm thankful for Hendrix doing All Along the Watchtower, Dylan doing The Man in Me and Joplin at Woodstock and Al Green singing Tired of Being Alone and Amy Winehouse singing Back to Black and Bill Evans playing Danny Boy on the piano and The Kinks Ultimate Collection and Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan and Miles Davis and David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album.

I'm thankful for being drenched in sweat after a seven mile run.

I'm thankful for Marilyn Monroe and other classic beauties.

I'm thankful for Bernie Sanders running for president.

I'm thankful for Ben and Jerry's ice cream and quality black licorice and tea and coffee and the blender I use to make smoothies and good produce and veggie burgers and salmon and chocolate and fresh fruit and nuts and legumes.

I'm thankful for The Simpsons reruns and the new episodes.

I'm thankful for John Oliver's show on HBO.

I'm thankful for Shakespeare's plays and the better film versions of them and for Penguin Classics and for good bookstores like Moe's in Berkeley and CD/DVD stores like Amoeba.

I'm thankful for my nieces and nephews and grand nieces and grand nephews and for having had such a great father and such a great brother and for my grandparents.

I'm thankful for having a job I love with some great coworkers and fantastic students.

I'm thankful that I grew up in Berkeley in the Sixties and that I was imbued with the spirit of progressive social movement and questioning authority.

I'm thankful I was born of Finnish ancestry.

I'm thankful for kisses, hugs, handshakes, high fives, fist bumps, pats on the back and intimacy.

I'm thankful for You Tube making it possible to watch George Carlin, Groucho Marx, Robin Williams, Bill Hicks, Chris Rock, Richard Pryor, Bob and Ray, Monty Python, Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters and Rodney Dangerfield.

I'm thankful for the way I feel after stretching and after meditating and after a good sleep and a good day's work.

I'm thankful that for all the crap in the world its still possible to have so much to be thankful for.