Happy NOTHING, non-Americans!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Or, as I believe it is called in Berkeley (in the tradition of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day), Happy Preamble To Smallpox-Infected Blankets, Land Theft, And Genocide Day! With cranberry sauce.

I am thankful for... finally getting an internet connection established which may actually allow me to get back to regular updates here. (We'll see.)

I am thankful for... the sheer awesomeness that is my new home city, Austin, including the endless selection of art shows, concerts, hip bars, dive bars, middle-of-the-road bars, disc golf courses (I know, I'm surprised myself), beautiful young women puzzled and disturbed by my aged visage in their midst, and perhaps best of all, the Alamo Drafthouse, the greatest chain of movie theaters in the known universe. I caught the midnight showing of No Country For Old Men last night, and both the film itself, and the experience of watching it at the Alamo, were incredibly brilliant. Easily the best movie of the year so far. (Not that I've seen all that many movies, but still.)

CAVEAT: Still not wild about: the horrible, horrible traffic; the Sunday blue laws; the humidity (thank goodness the weather has otherwise been so mild and pleasant); and the continuing, inexplicable awfulness of my alma mater's football team. (Which, in all fairness, probably can't be blamed directly on Austin.)

I am thankful for... the TV time change. I haven't been watching much TV since I've moved, but when I do, it's on an hour earlier than in California. New Simpsons at 7:00. Sweet! I'm not wild about how that affects sports, though. I have to wait until noon for football to begin on Sundays! There goes my excuse for drinking in the morning. (Not really.)

And so forth. You can fill in the blanks yourself. (Hints: beer, new Scott Pilgrim, gratuitous nudity, Turner Classic Movies, Angelina Jolie, Metalocalypse, Battlestar Galactica: Razor on the Sci Fi Channel this Saturday, gratuitous nudity from Angelina Jolie, the sound effect "doink," family and friends, Jack Daniels.)

Hope all of you have a nice turkey day. Talk to you again soon!