8 Things to be Thankful for This Year

So Thanksgiving is here and like most people I am grateful for my beautiful family, the fact that we are healthy and that we have a roof over our heads.. All things that should not be taken for granted but in a moment of reflection I realized there are so many things that I don't ever express thanks for  and here are eight.

1. THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Sure, it's been a while since they won it all and those last two Super Bowls were crushing but this team - mostly thanks to #12 and his happy-go-lucky coach have been in the thick of it since that mind-blowing SB win back in '01.   Can't even imagine what it must be like to be a Raiders fan.

2. HUSH PUPPIES
I've got Keds, Cons, Doc Martens and those black square-toed shoes made famous in the early years of ENTOURAGE all have residence at the back of my closet along with an assortment of New Balance shoes but the brown suede hush puppies still reign supreme.

"Who's got the Hush Puppies on?!"

3. SLOW DANCING TO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
To be blunt, my children's era of music sucks.  I can't even imagine what it must be like to grow up with One Direction, Taylor Swift and the Biebs as your major musical influences.   Stairway to Heaven was eight minutes of Junior High heaven.

"You wanna dance... Nah, me either

4. HONEYCRISP APPLES
Complete dietary game changer.  Where did they come from?!  Growing up, I never liked apples - of any kind -  red, yellow, green, even the Asian Pears - nothing.  A week ago, my wife brought home a few of these Honeycrip - BAM, BOOM, DONE!    These are the Scarlett Johansen of apples: big as a softball, sweet as candy - my mouth is literally watering as I type this....

5. THE BALTIMORE SUN

"I'm dying inside..."

At 25 I was done, a complete sell-out, floating down the river of life in a canoe of mediocrity and squelched dreams.  Promoted from Boston to a new job in Baltimore, I woke up every morning and stepped into a cheap suit, company car and a kit bag of dehydrated potato products.  One day, I opened up the Baltimore Sun to an audition notice.  I quit my job, got out of cheap suit and started my real life... although those dehydrated hash browns were quite excellent.

6. BEVERLY HILLS
"Kin folk said move away from here, Cali-fornee is the place you oughta be so I packed up my old car and moved to Beverly... Hills, that is...  Swimming pools... movie stars - and me?
The number of friends I had on Faceebook jumped when I posted my BH zip code - most of them from back east but but while they dream about Rodeo Drive, The Ivy and Hotel California they don't understand how hard it is to try to find street parking... but, hey, Luke Perry and Shannon Doherty can't be all wrong....

7. GENETICS 
Looking young for your age provides extra time for maturity, life achievements and income to catch up to your actual age.  So far it hasn't helped me but like Tom Brady's football career the window hasn't shut yet.

8. '04 RED SOX 

86 years... 'nuf said.