Thanks for this

Thanksgiving is the time where we sit down, eat a ton of food and attempt to enjoy our families. What makes it different from every other day of the year is that we take a moment to give thanks for all the things we are grateful for. Here is my list.

I am thankful for Edamame, that is some awesome soy bean goodness. Costco sells them in small frozen pouches.

I am thankful for the fact that my Fantasy Football team has rebounded nicely from an 0-2 start.

I am thankful for my toaster oven. It does things a toaster and a microwave can't do.

I am thankful that I have a great group of friends.

I am thankful for the fact that I am close with my family and don't dread seeing them. I know many people don't get along with their families and that is sad to me.

I am thankful when my dog does his 'business' quickly on cold mornings.

I am thankful for Hooked on Phonics. It worked for me.

I am thankful for Tylenol. It saved my ass recently when I had a wicked bad cold.

I am thankful for Facebook. I'm not sure how I wasted time before it came along. I guess it was T.V., but I can't remember.

I am thankful for the internship I had at KUER this summer. It was one of the best and most interesting experiences of my life.

I am thankful that I have a job and am not unemployed anymore.

I am thankful for stuffing and mashed potatoes- they are the best part of Thanksgiving dinner. Just ask the pilgrims.

I am thankful for my wife's Pumpkin pie. It is the best- don't try to dispute me.

Movie of the Week

This week,

SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992)

Starring- Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Nothing says Thanksgiving like the adventures of a prep school kid and a blind, alcoholic Army colonel. Set around the upcoming holiday, this film is funny, charming, touching and inspirational all at the same time. As Lt. Colonel Frank Slade, Al Pacino delivers one of his greatest performances, as does a young Chris O'Donnell who plays the naive prep school student, Charlie Simms. The two get paired up when Charlie agrees to take a job taking care of the blind Col. Slade over Thanksgiving weekend to make some extra money.

It becomes clear that Col. Slade has big plans for their weekend together, and he forces Charlie to help him travel to New York for a wild time that will serve as the lonely man's last hurrah. As Slade wines, dines and dances his way through the big city, Charlie struggles with keeping the Colonel under control as well as with some disciplinary issues that await him back at school. Charlie learns a lot about life from Col. Slade over their time together, but as Slade prepares to kill himself, it is Charlie who teaches the older man a valuable lesson. Through their time together, Charlie is able to help Slade realize he has something to live for, despite his handicap.

Once back from their tour in the Big Apple, Slade returns the favor, and helps Charlie avoid expulsion for his involvement in a school prank. The final scenes in the hearing have become iconic. Pacino's gruff, impassioned defense is what I am sure cliched him his first Oscar for Best Actor. It makes you wish you could bring Frank Slade along with you to argue parking tickets, just so you can hear him take the opposition down a peg or two. O'Donnell is a stellar foil for the loud, brash Pacino and makes you feel real emotions as he struggles with his predicament.

If only every Thanksgiving could have Frank Slade around to tell stories about threesomes and juggling hand grenades. Hoo-Ah! That would be something. If you can't get the real thing at your Thanksgiving table, put on Scent of a Woman and enjoy the humor and the drama of a great story.

Things to watch for-

The Tango
Mr. John Daniels
Bradley Whitford as Randy
Baird Men

"Are you blind? Are you blind?"
"No, of course not."
"Then why do you keep grabbing my goddamn arm? I take your arm."

Things I'm Thankful For

Thanksgiving approaches, and as such I feel the need to engage in what many see as the point of the holiday. No, I don't mean the over-consumption of food around a table of hostility with drunken relatives, I mean the giving of thanks. Here now are some of the things I am thankful for this year.

I am thankful for the end of Jon and Kate Plus 8.

I am thankful for my dog Basil and his cuteness. I am not thankful for his anal gland butt juice, however.

I am thankful for Obama's gift of fourteen more weeks of unemployment benefits. I need to finish that magic eye puzzle, and now I can!

I am thankful for the new Star Trek movie, it is a solid reboot.

I am thankful for our super powerful vacuum. It could suck the bolts out of a submarine's hull.

I am thankful for all my family and friends.

I am also thankful for cliched thankfulnesses.

I am thankful for knowing that the mechanic that I go to doesn't try to screw me.

I am thankful for Cialis, and the two bathtubs they threw in with my prescription.

I am thankful for my witty blog and my two regular readers. You guys rule.

Thanks for reading, and have a great Turkey Day.