• Old friends, I don’t see many of them enough, but when we do get together it’s like we have been apart for a couple days, not the months that is sometimes is.
• New friends, many of whom I met this year, I can’t say enough about how much fun I have with them..
• Minneapolis, this city has stolen my heart.  I love the skyline, the parks, the people, the music, the….
• Family, another group of people I don’t see enough, but I love you all and wish I didn’t live so damn far away.
• This never ending fall.  Actually, it looks like it has ended, but wow, this was a November to be thankful for.

Finally, I’m thankful for everyone who reads my scattered thoughts.  I don’t know why you do such a thing, but it makes every day a little brighter knowing you do.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving everyone.

Photo:Speed of Light by John Talbot (jpctalbot)

1. I have a really weird fear of lakes, it’s completely irrational and I can overcome it, but I sometimes panic when I drive over them, am in a boat, or swimming.
2. I used to read a ton, so much that I remember my mom telling me it was a problem because I wasn’t helping out enough around the house.  Now I barely read a book a month because I spend my day reading news and blogs online.
3. I graduated high school with 6 other people, I’ve only talked to 3 of  them in the last year.
4. I’m terrible at keeping in touch with friends, and I’ve lost touch with some really good friends because of this.
5. I love trying new foods, and will try almost anything.  Still, I will not under any circumstances try Lutifisk or Rocky Mountain Oysters.
6. I’m not very close to my two brothers, I love them both but we’ve never been really good friends.
7. I enjoy my alone time, though occasionally I will just have to be around people, regardless of whether I know them.
8. My taste in music has gone through a complete metamorphosis in the last year.  Few of my friends have heard of my favorite bands.
9. I’m intensely shy if I’m not in the right situation.  One on one or in a place where I’m surrounded by people I know me I will talk to anyone.  Outside of those situations I’m a nervous wreck.
10. I could spend all day in the right bar talking to whoever sat down next to me.
11. I have an amazing group of friends from college who all live too far away from me now.  Even the ones that live 30 miles away.
12. I love dogs, when I go to someones house for work I hate when they lock up their dog to protect me.  I’d rather get slobbered on.
13. I have a horrible tendency to start projects and quit when they get boring.
14. I love to argue and will choose the opposite side just to debate a topic.  I’ve learned more about the world doing that then through any book or class.
15. I’m an amateur photographer, web developer, programmer, writer, cook, and 101 other things.  Someday I’ll be a professional at something.
16. I joined the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra board this year.  I’m hoping it broadens my musical tastes.  And no I don’t play.
17. I can cook an egg anyway you like it if I have the right pan.
18. Speaking of pans, my good kitchen tools are more important to me than my car.  If you ever want to get me upset scratch my omelet pan.
19. My weakness is good beer.  I don’t have a favorite and could spend the day trying new brews.  Nothing annoys me more than a bar who serves Amber Bock as their dark beer.
20. I quit piano because it wasn’t cool, and recently I’ve started to regret it.  Someday I’ll pick it up again.
21. I used to serve but unlike most former servers I don’t tip well all the time.  I took my job seriously when I did it and never felt right about getting tipped well when I did a poor job.  I’ll tip more than anyone at the table if you impress me.
22. Sometimes I just give in an eat a whole large pizza.
23. I’m terrible at getting dates, I never get around to asking because the conversation is too interesting.
24. I’m conscious of where my food and my drinks come from, other than that I just buy the best product I can regardless of where it was made.
25. I still get really excited when I see a new comment on my blog.  I would rather get two new comments a day than get 1000 hits.

I’m starting to think that my family is trying to tell me something.  On Tuesday, I posted to Twitter that I had opened my parents Christmas present early since I was leaving and I couldn’t stand seeing it sitting there wrapped before I left.  I opened it and was ecstatic to find a Le Creuset saucepan.  This of course means that I can no longer use the excuse of not having good equipment to avoid cooking.

The other piece of evidence that they are attempting to fatten me up came after I had arrived in Bozeman.  My Mom’s family does a name drawing every year.  We have themes every year and this year the theme was Movie Night.  For my gift I received a stove top popcorn popper.  I’m excited for this gift, but again I’m fairly sure this is evidence in my family’s conspiracy.

The final sign is a BBQ tool set from my parents.  It’s another great gift, but to enjoy it I need to eat more.  I would take this a family wide conspircy except my brother got me The Omnivore’s Dilemma.  There are some conflicting plans and I’m working hard to unravel them. 

Well, enough of the conspircy theories, I had an uneventful morning of travel to Bozeman on Christmas Eve.  Christmas was wonderful we spent the day eating and watching basketball.  Afterward, we decided to take in a movie.  After reviewing our options we decided to go to Valkyrie.  We headed off to the movie theatre and realized about five minutes into the drive that the snow we thought was fairly light was turning into a small blizzard.  We would have turned around but we had already purchased tickets and had no choice but to brave the weather.  We were all glad that we did as Valkyrie was as good as advertised.  Christmas ended with four inches of new snow on the ground, everyone happy with their gifts, and a living room full of empty boxes.