In the spirit of the recently-passed holiday, here are a few things to be thankful for:

-Cold weather. It just makes things a little more interesting when waking up in the morning leads to curiosity as to whether there is a surprise blanket of snow outside. Usually, this curiosity is tempered by just really cold air, a frozen-over windshield and chattering teeth.

-Belle & Sebastian during house cleaing. There's just something about it. It just goes together. It just works.

-Cookies. There is no reason too insignificant to give, receive and eat cookies this time of year. Maybe some of the US's economic troubles could be improved if the national currency were cookies for the next month or so?

-Tom Cruise. Ok, so he's already established himself as a nut-case, but just in case the attention he'll be receiving for his upcoming film Valkyrie, in which he plays a Nazi with an eye-patch, isn't enough, he's brought more joy to the lives of normal people. Yes, Tom spent his Thanksgiving with Katie and their best couple-friends, David and Victoria Beckham. Their lovely holiday was capped off by Tom performing some kind of ceremony to "merge" the two families into one. This may be a lame excuse for a swinger lifestyle, but whatever.

-Shopping for yourself on the internet. Indulgent? Yes. Convenient? You betcha.

-Holiday parties. Ok, so there's only one on the calendar so far and it's for work this Saturday. It could be fun, but Vegas ain't betting on it. Fun is what you make it, but some lands are just more fertile than others.

-Really crappy performances at trivia night. Ok, this is nothing to be thankful for, but let this serve as a reminder that it can never happen again. Ok, so the company was nice and that is worthy of thanks.