Reasons to be cheerful

I appear to be such a crank on this blog, that on Thanksgiving morning, I thought I'd take a moment, in the tradition of Ian Dury, to think about the things that make me happy, including: Lucy, Aidan, Dermot, Colin, Brendan, my sisters and brother, good family, friends and neighbors, making a living as a filmmaker, Middletown, Billy Bragg, James Lee Burke, John Stewart, Keith Olbermann, the Pogues, WWUH, Maine, my iBook, Henry Work, pies, Eunice Louisiana and its inhabitants, music, food and environs, the Sunday New York Times, the New Yorker, Yeats, Mojo, No Depression, Wilco, the Huffington Post, David Schulz, Elvis Costello, Weeds, sausage, coffee, the Iron Horse, beer, whiskey, buffalo wings, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Bridges, string bands, dancing and a lot of other things. I expect this list will grow as I consider things. I recommend you make your own. It gives you a good perspective on the day.

Ain't life grand.

We give thanksgiving for your heroic effort...

Our young men and women will spend another Thanksgiving holiday in foreign lands, away from family because our leaders are bereft of concern. The Senate couldn't determine how to proceed on a war-funding bill, so they decided not to proceed. From today's New York Times:

"...with lawmakers eager to head home for the Thanksgiving recess, there was little rhetoric on the floor and the votes were taken in quick succession."

Of course, Harry Reid promises no funding without troop reductions, but haven't we heard that before. And, Congress heads off for two weeks of Thanksgiving vacation - just like you get.

This just in - Harry Reid may keep the Senate in a weekend session until this matter is settled. Or maybe there's another reason Thanksgiving vacation will be cancelled.