October 31, 2009.

Thank you for the nice talk with C. this morning.

October 30, 2009.

Thank you for that vicious cycle I have been wrung through so that I may better understand what is important.

October 28, 2009.

Thank you for the time of year when it gets too cold and I need to bring out the heater, the stale, amber smell it makes when first fired up for the season.

October 27, 2009.

Thank you for the lady in the McDonald's parking lot who lives in a homemade cart. 

October 26, 2009.

Thank you for the times when I think I'm dying. 

October 25, 2009.

Thank you for grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup.

October 24, 2009.

Thank you for such a thing as addiction.

October 19, 2009.

Thank you for the brown dust that blows in from the mountains. 

October 16, 2009.

Thank you for the way I have no spirits. 

October 15, 2009.

Thank you for the way I'd do anything to be able to sleep longer in the morning. 

October 12, 2009.

Thank you for my health today.

October 10, 2009.

Thank you for the nice evening at the Bellagio last night, the fall display. 

October 9, 2009.

Thank you for cowboys singing sad, sad songs. 

October 8, 2009.

Thank you for the way my mouth feels after using mouthwash. 

October 7, 2009.

Thank you for the way ice settles as you pour the drink into the glass. 

October 6, 2009.

Thank you for the smell of cold in the jack & cokes, the little ice cubes, the two straws instead of one.

October 5, 2009.

Thank you for sweet and cold fruit punch.

October 4, 2009.

Thank you for wind that is too cold.

October 3, 2009.

Thank you for what is and what should never be.

October 2, 2009.

Thank you for free slot play.

October 1, 2009.

Thank you for the way it is cold when I get out of the shower.

September 30, 2009.

Thank you for the cool windy air today.

Septemeber 29, 2009.

Thank you for the Golden Nugget.

September 28, 2009.

Thank you for recovery from last night.

September 27, 2009.

Thank you for hot tea.

September 26, 2009.

Thank you for the ability to get out of bed this morning.

September 25, 2009.

Thank you for the sound flip flops make against my heel.

September 24, 2009.

Thank you for hotels.

September 23, 2009.

Thank you for safe landings.

9/18/09.

Thank you for the way I have a decent job.

Sept. 17, 2009.

Thank you for the way it is cold when I get out of the shower.

September 16, 2009.

Thank you for the way I can get through it.

September 15, 2009.

Thank you for the way the back of my neck needs to be trimmed every week.

September 14, 2009.

Thank you for the way none of this will really matter in the end.

September 13, 2009.

Thank you for the way I don't have to stay here forever, that I can leave in just a few months.

September 12, 2009.

Thank you for this constant feeling that I am not doing enough, not disciplined enough, and so therefore I am worth less than I would be if I had been doing more.

September 11, 2009.

Thank you for the way sandals can give you blisters when they're new.

September 10, 2009.

Thank you for the way I can make myself get up on days I have to work, and the way I can't on days I don't.

September 6, 2009.

Thank you for the way you can buy tuna in water or oil.

August 26, 2009.

Thank you for the way the temperature changes when I walk outside of my house, or into it.

8/25/09.

Today I am thankful for the Old Spice scent that Dad used to wear, and thankful that I can wear it every day for the rest of my life if I want to.

August 24, 2009.

This blog needs to be about Zen--those things I would miss if I were another species, a denizen of another planet. Most entries will probably include the phrase "the way that" and may go on to detail sensations, textures, fleeting everyday sentiments that I'd otherwise never notice.

Thank you for the way the Sun makes the skin on my forearm feels as though it's on fire when I am sitting in my car at a traffic light.

August 23, 2009.

Thank you for Mom, Kelly, and Mia visiting.

August 22, 2009.

Thank you for a visitor.

August 21, 2009.

Thank you for the heat.

August 14, 2009.

Thank you for a job that will start in two weeks.

August 9, 2009.

Thank you for no job to go to.

August 6, 2009.

Thank you for a safe place to stay tonight.

August 5, 2009.

Thank you for my new place, the AC, the clean hardwood floors, the clean sheets.

August 4, 2009.

Today, thank you for the free gourmet breakfast, the bed, the air conditioning.

August 1, 2009.

It seems that I've made it to August of 2009. Thank you for this desert heat, the motel room, the air conditioning.

July 30, 2009.

Thank you for safe passage to LV, for beauty, and for air conditioning.

July 22, 2009.

Thank you for medicine.

July 17, 2009.

I'm really grateful for soft, dry pillows to sleep on.

July 16, 2009.

Thank you for the numbers, that I made it past the 15th, the halfway point of this month.

July 15, 2009.

When I think about it, I am really grateful that I have real friends, ones that do not cheat, double speak, fly away. Really, very grateful.

July 10-12, 2009.

It was raining today, just a sprinkle, passing, but for a brief moment while getting out of my car I smelled that misty, refreshing stench, and the next breath it was gone.

July 9, 2009.

Thank you for Golden Grahams for breakfast, and the cold milk that went over them, and the coffee I might possibly receive in a few minutes.

July 4-8, 2009.

Thank you for the chance to try.

June 29 - July 3, 2009.

Thank you for brown trout, the pretty dots they have all over.

June 25-28, 2009.

Thank you tremendously for the warmth and shelter of last night.

June 21-24, 2009.

Thank you for another day in paradise.

June 18-20.

Perhaps the best few days of my life. Thank you tremendously. I feel that this is the pinnacle of my life. From here on out it can only get worse.

June16-17, 2009.

Thank you for "I go to bed, feeling the same way."

June 14-15, 2009.

Thank you for the way the mouthwash burns my mouth.

June 13, 2009.

Thank you for the trip to Safeway.

June 10-12, 2009.

Thank you for the way the summer has gone so far.

June 8-9, 2009.

Thank you for the Honeymoon I went on last night, and then how it went all over me. Thank you for hangovers, the reminder that I am not yet gone.

June 7, 2009.

Thank you for the colorful clothes she wears.

June 3-6, 2009.

Thank you for the wind last night, Blue Moon, and a night-time drive through the wilderness.

June 2, 2009.

Thank you for hot tubs.

June 1, 2009.

Thank you for Hot Pockets.

May 31, 2009.

Thank you for warm oatmeal in the morning.

May 29-30, 2009.

Thank you for Safeway.

May 28, 2009.

Thank you for a space heater.

May 27, 2009.

Thank you for the bed, again. The bed is the best part.

May 26, 2009.

Thank you for the bed, again.

May 25, 2009.

Thank you for the bed with clean sheets.

May 7, 2009.

There is something about lying on a couch at 1am, watching a 20-year-old movie with the lights out. It has some actor in it like Bill Murray or Bruce Willis who is older now, but here he looks so young. And eating chips, with a drink that has ice that clinks. Tomorrow I will be gone.

May 6, 2009.

Thank you for the way water appears to be rushing from the faucet, even if it is just the aerator that gives it this effect.

Cinco de Mayo, 2009.

Me, I like sleeping, 'specially in my Molly's chamber.

May 4, 2009.

Thank you for the way a pen writes when it starts to run out of ink.

May 3, 2009.

Thank you for the way you have to start rinsing from the top, and work your way down.

May 1, 2009.

Saw Chrissy and her baby today, Alexis. I am thankful that they are OK.

April 30, 2009.

Thank you for the way the ice clinks against the glass as you stir the coffee with the straw.

April 29, 2009.

Thank you for the various memories of a wet bathing suit on my thighs, dripping, my hands on the joystick of an arcade joystick, bare feet on painted cement, wishing I had a quarter.

April 28, 2009.

Thank you for the way that scissors won't cut if you use a right-handed pair with your left hand.

April 27, 2009.

Thank you for Jeremy the wicked, and pools of maroon below.

April 26, 2009.

Thank you for the smell of chlorine, for walking on blue and green tile, air conditioning on my face when it is 90 outside.

April 25, 2009.

Thank you for arms with gold and silver bangles that jangle against each other.

April 24, 2009.

Yes, I am doing an arm meditation. Thank you for muscular v. skinny arms.

April 23, 2009.

Thank you for for tattooed arms.

April 22, 2009.

Thank you for arms akimbo.

April 21, 2009.

Thank you for arms raised in a V.

April 20, 2009.

Thank you for tread wear indicators.

April 19, 2009.

Thank you for the Mob of Angels.

April 17, 2009.

Thank you for desert sand, even if none exists, just the thought of it.

April 16, 2009.

Thanks for the harvest at Pilgrim's Point.

April 15, 2008.

Thank you for Whitman's Sampler, especially the cherry cordials.

April 14, 2008.

Thank you for my muscles. Me big muscle man. If I were there when the ship went down, I could have saved those people. I could have saved Lincoln, too.

April 13, 2009.

Thank you for Harry Kalas.

April 12, 2009.

Thank you for plastic Easter eggs.

April 11, 2009.

Thank you for the Bonneville Salt Flats.

April 10, 2009.

Thank you for mozzarella.

April 9, 2009.

Thank you for frozen pizza.

April 7, 2009.

Thank you for cereal with cold milk.

April 5th to the 6th.

Thank you for the bed.

April 4, 2009.

Thank you for red tape. No, I mean, the actual red tape. Otherwise Steve would've had to have gotten a whole new tail light.

April 3, 2009.

Thank you for Flaming Pie.

April 1 & 2.

Thank you for orange juice in the morning, hitting the back of my throat.

March 31, 2009.

Thank you for the note that Steve left on my windshield today. "You're AMAZIN' professor flanagan. Wanna go on a date?"

March 30, 2009.

Thank you for good friends and family.

March 29, 2009.

Thanks for Murphy's Law.

March 28, 2009.

Thank you for a safe, warm house with hot meals, hot showers.

March 27, 2009.

TU4 hot shower.

March 26, 2009.

Thanks very much for swift recovery from EOTTD.

March 25, 2009.

Thank you dearly for dreams of Clearwater.

March 12, 2009.

Thank you for the peanut butter and honey sandwich today. I used my own honey and PB, but I borrowed two slices of bread from the RT'09 collective food basket. I owe you a slice, Steve.

March 11, 2009.

Thank you for Shop Rite, grocery carts, and checkout aisles.

March 10, 2009.

Thank you for chocolate milk from Wegman's.

March 9, 2009.

Man, today I fell into a hole bad. Took me a while to get out. Thank you.

March 8, 2009

Thank you for daylight savings time.

March 7, 2009.

Thank you for the nice pizza lunch with Stephano today.

March 6, 2009.

Thank you for cold strawberry banana juice.

March 5, 2009.

I took this down by the river during the snowstorm. Thank you.

March 4, 2009.

Thank you for the hot shower, the aftershave, the razor burn, the pimple on my forehead.

March 3, 2009.

Thank you for the nice time this morning at GH (we've moved on from GG) with A.

March Two, 2009.

Thank you for the 6 inches (of snow!! God, what'dya think?).

March 1, 2009.

Thanks very much for the snowstorm tonight. How many more times will I see snow? I don't know.

February 28, 2009.

Thank you for hot green tea.

February 27, 2009.

Thank you for another radioactive pill to swallow.

February 26, 2009.

Thank you for the bluefish for dinner, the Dixie Fry in which to fry it up.

February 25, 2009.

Thank you for the quiet intimacy with myself tonight, listening to WN. There is no intimacy like the one you have with yourself.

February 24, 2009.

Thank you for the free sample of coffee and cookies at Starbucks.

February 23, 2009.

Thank you for money to buy stamps, and how nice they look there in the corner of a white rectangle.

February 22, 2009.

Thank you for the spaghetti dinner with provolone melted on it, and Parmesan sprinkled.

February 21, 2009.

Thank you for hot water in the shower.

Feb. 19, 2009.

Thank you for the tea tree oil, though it smells terribly and makes me gag.

February 18, 2009.

Thank you for vitamins, which may or may not do anything.

February 17, 2009.

Thank you for health care, and exorbitant medical bills.

February 16, 2009.

Thank you for everything going smoothly today with the iodine. No mishaps, thank you.

February 15, 2009.

Thank you for the homemade sangria last night, the money to buy the ingredients, the time to make it, a friend to drink it with.

Valentine's Day.

Thank you for the Valentine's Day muffins on the kitchen table.

Friday the 13th.

Thank you for a Freddy-Cougar childhood. Thank you for seeing another Valentine's Day. Thank you for the chocolate in the kitchen.

Thank you for that self-intimate, dark and cozy-soulful feeling that comes to me as I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, as I squint in the glow of the stained-glass night-lite above the sink.

February 12, 2009.

This is the 212th post on this blog, and it is Feb. 12th, or 2/12. Thank you for this. Thank you also for my clarity of mind, no major illnesses, my general well-being tonight.

February 11, 2009.

Feeling really lousy tonight. Thank you for this sadness. Thank you for the lacking.

February 10, 2009.

How many more February Tenths will I have? Forty? Seventy? Zero? I don't know, but...

Thanks be to the hives, the bumps still lingering, traveling, the bugs under my skin, thanks for them, but also for not too many of them.

February 9, 2009.

Thank you for my kids. Yes, mine. The kidnapping makes it official.

February 8, 2009.

Thank you for blankets, a planet that has blankets, a house with blankets, a bed with a blanket, the feeling of security when my legs are tucked under a blanket, the warmth, the splendor, the eternal bliss.

Thank you also for the razor burn, how it stings under my neck, all over the most sensitive regions, an hour after I have shaved.

February 7, 2009.

Thank you for a working printer, the money to buy ink, the electric to run it, the paper on which to print.

Fat Friday.

Thank you for mozzarella sticks at Arby's with Steve. Our service was GREAT, in case you can't tell by the picture.

Trash-Can Turkey.

I found turkey in the trash today, but it was still in the wrapper, so I put it on a sandwich with cheese and rye, even though I am supposed to be a vegetarian, I'd rather eat it than see it trashed. Thank you. So good.

February 4, 2009.

Thank you for the snow today, the feeling of the giving-way under my feet, as I slide.

Groundhog Day, 2009.

Thank you for a washer and dryer, so I don't have to do laundry myself.

February 1, 2009.

Well, it is February and I am still alive to see the snow and ice. Thank you for this, and thank you for the words that appeared on screen as I typed today.

January 31, 2009.

Thank you for a bedroom, a place to sleep, to write, to feel privacy.

January 29, 2009.

Thank you for the delicious fish I had at Wegman's today. Yellow lemon pepper fish.

January 28, 2009.

Thank you for the movie, Groundhog's Day.

January 26, 2009.

Thanks for the bedding, the goose down.

January 25, 2009.

Thank you for a great birthday party at Granny's house. Chocolate cake, whoa Nelly.

January 23, 2009.

Thank you for freedom and all that is entailed in it.

January 22, 2009.

Thank you for the delicious chicken with mayonnaise. It was very delectable.

January 21, 2009.

Thank you for a nice first day of the semester.

January 20, 2009.

Thank you dearly for the chicken and cheese sandwich with melted provolone. Holy moley. You have no idea. Thank you. Thank you also for the CD from Ari. That was very sweet of her.

January 19, 2009.

Thank you for cold water. Thank you for today, for a chance to relax.

January 18, 2009.

Thank you dearly for my recovery from the fever. Thank you very much, I mean it.

January 17, 2009.

Thank you for the fever.

January 14-15, 2009.

Thank you for Steve and Ari, who I went with to see The Wrestler last night on my birthday. Thank you for hot Panera Bread soup, cheddar and broccoli.

January 13, 2009.

Thank you lord, I am very grateful for the medicine. Thanks to methimazole and propanolol, I will live. Thank you.

January 12, 2009.

Oh lord. Thank the lord. I feel so lucky tonight, so blessed. Tonight I am happy because I found out that I only have a thyroid problem, which is not a big deal. Thank you lord for a merciful diagnosis.

January 10-11, 2009

Thank you for the gift from Ari today. It was much appreciated.

January 9, 2009.

Thank you for the nice time at Panera Bread by myself, eating hot soup and bread. I enjoyed it.

January 7-8, 2009.

Thank you for non non compos. Thank you for a furnace.

January 6, 2009.

Thank you for fried shrimp and soda with crushed ice.

January 5, 2009.

Thank you for Bachelor Party.

January 4, 2009.

Hello, thank you for the steam bath last night, and thank you for Panera Bread's broccoli cheddar soup.

January 3, 2009.

Thank you for clean clothes.

January 2, 2009.

Thank you for the couch to lay on today while I was sick. And the cold apple juice with real ice cubes in it.

January 1, 2009.

Thank you for the nice dinner at Buca di Beppo last night with Steve and Ari. We had pizza, and our waiter, Harnold, was very agreeable.

December 31, 2008.

Thank you for Mia's visit today. Very enlightening.

December 30, 2008.

Thank you for this nice bed, the flannel sheets, the warmth. Thank you for Kelly and Mom and Ari and Steve and Phil and everyone else in the world.

December 29, 2008.

Thank you for the Dunkin' Donuts iced lattes today. I had two.

December 28, 2008.

Thank you for my apparent good health, the ability to breathe, run, sit, sleep.

December 27, 2008.

Thank you for the time at Borders, just hanging out with Ari, reading.

December 26, 2008.

Thank you today for cherry vanilla yogurt, for ice cold drinks, and for a super fast Internet connection.

December 25, 2008.

Thank you for the Christmas today, and the memories of those that have passed.

December 16, 2008.

Thank you for the ice-cold apple juice. As my one student would say, drinking it is well worth wild.

December 7, 2008.

Thanks for the cold ice in my drinks, the feel of it on my lips.

December 5, 2008.

Thank you for the bitter cold.

December 4, 2008.

Thank you for I warm, dry place to do my grading. This took up the entire day, but thank you. Thank you also for the milk, the orange juice, the pizza.

December 3, 2008.

Thank you for all the grading. It keeps my mind busy and helps me to avoid negative thoughts.

December 2, 2008.

I have it so good. Thank you for the warm, dry bed tonight, and the pillows.

November 30, 2008.

Thank you for movie night with Ari. Superbad was super funny.

September 11, 2008.

Thank you for the very nice cheese hoagie.

September 9, 2008.

Thank you for the cool, cool rain today, and getting soaked all in it.

September 8, 2008.

Today will be crazy, but thank you for the craziness. It is much better than some other things that end in -ness.

September 7, 2008.

Thank you for good time last night, the chance to meet someone new.

September 6, 2008.

Thank you for air conditioning and cold milk and a soft pillow.

September 4, 2008.

Thanks for a bagel for breakfast. Thank you for the pillows last night.

September 3, 2008.

A lot went wrong today. But I am glad and grateful for great friends such as Steve, Ari, and Jack.

September 2, 2008.

Thank you for water today.

September 1, 2008.

Thank you for a place to sleep tonight. Thank you for not being one of the homeless people in the park who have no where to go tonight.

August 31, 2008.

Thank you for the Jersey Shore, the casinos in Atlantic City. The shore air, the seagulls calling. The salt.

August 30, 2008.

Thank you for a good job to go to next week. Thank you for the fresh air today. Thank you for the nice visit with Steve yesterday.

August 23, 2008.

Thank you for the fresh, warm air outside to walk in.

July 8, 2008.

It has been a while since I've written here, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thankful. Thank you today for a good job to go to, a place to sit a night and write on my computer.

June 20, 2008.

Hi. Thank you for a job to go to tomorrow, finally.

June 17, 2008.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Thank you for the Lakers-Celtics game tonight. Hopefully me and the A-bomb can watch together in a bar or something.

June 16, 2008.

Hello, thank you for the Celtics party with Steve and Peter last night. They lost, but it was still good times, even though we were Guinness-less.

June 13, 2008.

Thank you for the hot bath today. I would post a picture to go along, but I don't have a panoramic lens.

June 7, 2008.

I have been neglecting my gratitude for a while because my life is extremely unstable right now. I am looking for a job and a place to live at the same time. But that is really no excuse. Thank you for a nice air conditioned house in this hotter-than-dick weather.

May 28, 2008.

Thank you for my health today. I will enjoy today.

May 27, 2008.

Thank you for being able to sit here in GG and watch Ari close.

May 26, 2008.

Thank you for the lay in the grass with Ari yesterday.

May 12, 2008.

Steve is thankful for talking to "one of the five hottest chicks" he's ever talked to in person.

May 9, 2008, again.

This was the nicest surprise I've gotten in a long while. It made my week. Thank you, Ari.

May 9, 2008.

Thank you for the ravioli dinner. Thank you for the rain, the warm sweater, the pillows on my bed that I'm laying on now.

May 7, 2008.

Thank you for the awesome night last night. We went to see Michael Ondaatje read, then to Buffalo Bill's for a drink.

May 4, 2008.

Ari and I watched The Graduate last night and enjoyed it very much. Thank you dearly.

May 1, 2008.

April 30, 2008.

Had a nice lunch with Steve at PB's yesterday, and he was only 9 minutes late. Thank you. Also, thank you for the crossword puzzles with Ari at Wegman's. It was awesome.
Thank you.

April 27, 2008.

Hi, thank you today for being able to see Arry, if only for half an hour. Thank you for the quesa-dila for dinner. Thank you for being able to talk to Mia on the phone.

April 26, 2008.

Hello, thank you for breakfast with Ari today, the phone call with Steve at night about how much he hates the courier.

April 24, 2008.

Thank you for the bike ride with Ari yesterday around Cooper River.

April 22, 2008.

Thank you for clean grass outside and not as much pollution as there could be.

April 20, 2008.

April 19, 2008.

I think I'll go read by the river this afternoon. Thank you for the nice weather.

April 18, 2008.

Thank you for the canoe ride yesterday. There is something enjoyable about taking someone out and showing her something that you love, especially when it's all new to her.

April 15, 2008.

Hi, thank you for Steve and Ari and Phil and Kelly and Mom and Peter. It's good to know that if one of these people dies, there will always be the others. Even if two or three die, there will still be three or four left. I can't imagine wanting to live in a world without these people.

April 10, 2008.

Thank you for the water behind this condo and the nice weather we're supposed to have today and the clean air that I can breathe.

April 9, 2008.

Thank you for decent weather today with no rain.

April 8, 2008.

Thank you for a toothbrush and mouthwash.

April 7, 2008.

Thank you for company last night.

April 5, 2008.

Thank you for my health today, not having the flu, being able to walk around and do things.

April 4, 2008.

Today I felt a bit better. I painted all day and went for a long walk/run at night. Thank you for the cool air at night all over my face.

April 3, 2008.

Thank you for milk this morning.

April 2, 2008.

Thank you for prayer.

April 1, 2008.

Thank you today for that time when me and Ari saw dinosaurs in the rain.

March 31, 2008.

Thank you for my family members.

March 30, 2008.

Thank you for the daily early morning calls from Kelly.

March 29, 2008.

Today was very stressful and annoying but I am thankful that I feel better, that I have some peace tonight.

March 28, 2008.

The air outside was so nice today. I took the trash out just to walk in it. Thank you.

March 27, 2008.

March 26, 2008.

March 25, 2008.

March 23, 2008. Easter.

Thank you for being able to spend Easter with my family. I'm thankful that we can hide eggs for the kids and watch them find them. For the Easter bread and the lasagna, and the nice day today.

March 22, 2008.

Thanks for this couch to sleep on and all the blankets.

March 19, 2008.

This picture speaks for itself.

March 16, 2008.

Thank you today for Ari and Steve coming over. There is a soft couch and a leak-proof roof. This is my third or fourth night staying at Dad's. I am glad to not be alone.

March 13, 2008.

I would taken the shot before I ate this upside-down cone head, but I was too excited. Thank you for this reversion to childhood.

March 12, 2008.

I took this shot on Saturday. Dad loved to sit on the porch while it was raining, but he wasn't able to on this day. I was, though, and for this simple pleasure I am so thankful.

March 10, 2008.

Today I'm thankful for my clean health, my ability to walk and run and jump, my presence of mind.

March 8, 2008.

Today I am thankful that I was lucky enough to have had you as my father. I am thankful that you are now living in peace and no longer in pain. Thankful for the sedation holiday that let us talk to you for that brief moment, and thankful that you raised your eyebrows to let me know you were OK. Thank you for all the memories, and thank you especially for the wisdom you imparted on me during those final hours yesterday in the ICU.

March 5, 2008.

I am extremely glad to be awake today.

March 4, 2008.

Today the weather was warm and breezy, almost like summer. I could go outside and breathe and not cough. I took a shower tonight with hot water. I have a warm place to sleep. I saw Mia and the kids. Thank you.

March 3, 2008.

Today I am thankful for:

1. A sister that loves me to death.
2. A mother that loves me to death.
3. A friend named Steve.
4. A woman named Ari.
5. A house to sleep in.

March 2, 2008.

Thank you for a place to live during this time of craze. For a kitchen to eat breakfast in, for the warmth of the furnace. Thank you for the furry hat.

February 29, 2008.

The world is a flaring meteor of chaos, but today I have full use of my arms and hands and fingers, no arthritis, no pain, no nothing. I can pick things up, I can type, I can open doors simply by turning the knob. Praise the lord for this.

February 27, 2008.

I have to move to Dad's today. Thank you for yet another place to stay. I don't know if it's safe, but it should at least be warm. Thank you.

February 25, 2008.

Slept at Granny's last night. Thank you for the warm bed and breakfast this morning. Thank you for my vision, my hearing, my sight.

February 23, 2008.

Thank you for a healthy liver, good kidneys, good parts inside me.


Thank you for a healthy liver, good kidneys, good parts inside me.

February 22, 2008.

There are 5 inches of snow outside, but I have these insulated duck boots. Thank you.


There are 5 inches of snow outside, but I have these insulated duck boots. Thank you.

February 21, 2008.

Lord, it's below freezing outside, but I am warm inside, with electricity and light switches. Thank you.

February 20, 2008.

Thank you for the movie store and the ability to watch a movie with someone in a safe, quiet place.

February 18, 2008.

Thank you for:

- Lunch
- Enough money to take the speedline into Philly
- The health of all my family and friends (besides Dad)

February 17, 2008.

Thank you today for:

- Heat
- Warm pillows
- A house
- Friends
- Food

February 14, 2008.

Thank you for mac and cheese and carrots.

February 13, 2008.

Thank you for clean joints that don't squeak and ache.

February 11, 2008.

Thank you for heat!

February 10, 2008.

Thank you for not being alone last night.

February 9, 2008.

Thank you for the hug with Ari last night, and thank you for what she said to me. Thank you for the bath last night, and for the Lucky Charms this morning.

February 8, 2008.

Thank you for the bed last night and warm down comforter. And the pillows. And the quiet and the peace.

February 7, 2008.

Today I'm thankful for pleasant weather and no tornadoes.

February 6, 2008.

Thank you for being able to see Dad alive today.

February 5, 2008.

Thank you today for peace of mind, again, for a warm, safe place to write this morning.

February 4, 2008.

Thanks for being able to eat and keep it down and not having to throw it up. Thank you.

February 3, 2008.

Thank you the clarity and wisdom this morning to slow down and be thankful for something. Everyday I feel like I get up, whirled into tornado where everything is go go go. Thank you for peace of mind, for clarity.

Also, thanks for the visit from Steve last night.

February 2, 2008.

Thank you for the opportunity to write this afternoon.

February 1, 2008.

Hi. Today I am grateful for the coffee and the peace and quiet this morning.

January 31, 2008.

Today I am thankful for the hugs with Ari.

January 30, 2008.

Thank you for the health of all my family members (barring Dad). Thank you for their happiness, their coherency, their competence. Thank you lordie.

January 29, 2008.

I am grateful for Life cereal.

January 28, 2008.

Thank you for my safety today, my health, my family, friends, and wealth.

January 27, 2008.

Thank you for:

1. Such a safe, warm bed/room to wake up in.
2. My health. The lack of cancer, disease, a runny nose, bruised skin. Thank you for my ability to digest food.
3. Dinner that Mom is bringing home tonight.

January 25, 2008.

Today I am thankful for:

1. The warm bed in which I woke.
2. The peace and quiet I have this morning.
3. Sobriety.
4. Life cereal for breakfast.
5. Ice cold milk, plenty of it.

January 24, 2008.

Today I am grateful for a safe return home from Costa Rica, a warm house to live in, food in the fridge. Safety. A chance to see Dad. I am so lucky. Thank you.

January 14, 2008.

Today I am immensely thankful for the hostel we stayed at in Alejuela, CR. It was safe and warm and beautiful. Thank you.

January 9, 2008.

Thank you for my life. Oh lordie. Thank you.

January 8, 2008.

Thank you for:

1. Milk
2. Ari staying over last night
3. Pizza for dinner last night
4. The lack of missiles and bombs exploding in my neighborhood

January 5, 2008.

Sometimes I get so tense, but I can't speed up the time. Thank you for ice cold water, oatmeal, and my ability to write this morning--the laptop, the Notepad program, the coherency in my brain. Thank you for the peaceful quiet.

January 4, 2008.

Today I am going to concentrate on being thankful for my health. My dad has lost a lot of weight in the hospital. He throws up whatever he eats, it's hard for him to pee, hard to even talk on the phone. Thank you for my health. Thank you for my ability to go to the bathroom, to eat and drink, to nourish myself, to exist without pain. Oh God thank you.

January 3, 2008.

Hi. Today I am grateful for five things:

1. The cheese and mushroom stromboli for dinner.
2. Ari, as a friend.
3. This house with heat.
4. The opportunity to go to Costa Rica.
5. The ability to feel bad in the face of all that I have.

January 2, 2008.

Today I am thankful for:

1. Oatmeal for breakfast
2. A place to live from Jan. 3 to the 13th.

January 1, 2008.

December 31, 2007.

Thank you dearly for a dear friend named Steve.

December 30, 2007.

It's so cold and damp outside, but I am warm inside a coffee shop. Thank you. I'm also thankful for:

1. Dinner tonight
2. Being happy today
3. The feeling I had last night lying in bed, like the world is good
4. Poetry

December 29, 2007.

Today I am thankful for the coffee shop down the street. It's safe and dry and they play all kinds of great music.

December 28, 2007.

Oh man what a beautiful day. Today I am thankful for:

1. The bed in which I woke up.
2. The shower from which I just removed myself.
3. The breakfast at the diner (French toast and hash browns).

Oh Lordie thank you.

December 27, 2007.

December 26, 2007.

This picture speaks for itself.

December 25, 2007.

I had two people call me this morning to wish me merry Christmas. Mom and Kelly. I think about all those people who have no one to call them, and all those people who don't even have a phone on which to be called. Oh Lordie thank you. Then tonight I get to go over to Granny's house to eat the Christmas Feast. Oh Jesus thank you.

December 24, 2007.

Oh man. Today. I am incredibly lucky to have a 24-hour pharmacy down the street called Walgreens that serves up Plan B hot over the counter. Oh lordie thank God. Why is he always so good.

December 23, 2007.

December 22, 2007.

December 21, 2007.

Oh Jesus Lordie, thank the good heavens for pancakes. I woke up this morning and inhaled these buttermilk babies called pancakes. Some day I will be in a place with no such thing.

December 20, 2007.

Today I am grateful for:

-The egg and pepper sandwich for lunch
-Ella's safe return
-National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
-Rocco the Elephant

December 19, 2007.

There is a coffee shop around the corner for which I am enormously thankful. In picture is a little Jewish girl named Ari. Thank you Lordie for this experience last night. Thank you for the opportunity to go into town, into the coffee shop.

December 18, 2007.

Today I am immensely grateful for the pancakes I had for breakfast. Fresh milk. Yellow bananas. Oh lord it was lovey dovey. Thank you Jesus.

December 17, 2007.

Ari and I stole bowling shoes last night. What a beautiful day. Thank you Lordie for the memory.

December 16, 2007.

Today I woke up in the most comfortable, driest bed imaginable. It was beautiful. Thank you so much.

December 15, 2007.

Oh Lordie, thank you for a place out of the wind, a shelter from the cold, a calm and quiet place to sit and read and write. Thank you.

December 14, 2007.

Today I am thankful for Kelly, my sister. I'm glad she calls me all the time, glad she wants me to come over, glad she keeps calling until I answer. Sometimes it is a bit much, but today I am eternally grateful for it.

December 13, 2007.

Went out with Ari last night to a place in Philly. I had the rabbit, she the tenderloin. Then we went to Buffalo Bill's. How beautiful. Thank you.

December 12, 2007.

Little Jackie playing manger. How beautiful to see him acquainting himself with the Christmas fabrications. Thank you Lordie for this experience I had last night.

December 11, 2007.

Yesterday Ari and I went to the Japanese place for dinner. It was awesome. Thank you.