Happy Thanksgiving!

After almost not making it for my 4oth one in 2002, I find each next one to be even better than the last. So in honor of my favorite holiday of the year (I mean, football and turkey, what a deal!), I present my 2006 Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For:

10. My Blog
After 32 months of blogging, I have now achieved 10,000 hits. Since I'm not so vain to admit that I do not include my own log ins, I'd personally like to thank #10,000 for being the ONE. I have only an IP address to go by, but I know it came from someone logged on through the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Mr. or Ms. SUNY, I salute you!

9. Dr. Allen Anderson
He may just be my cardiologist, but he is the one who has saved my life (maybe more than once). Since I can't go see Dr. House, Dr. Anderson is the best out there. He's calm when I'm a wreck and thorough when I'm in trouble. He never gets my appreciation enough.

8. Jewel-Osco and the people I work with
Yes, the supermarket. They had the foresight to enter the kosher market at the right time and had the additional guts to give me a job, when no one else would. While I only work part-time, they have made those hours worth coming for.

7. Tony Romo
He has given hope to every Dallas Cowboys out there. While most of the city was busting Bill Parcell's chops, he quitly groomed the new "QB of the future" in Dallas. While legend recalls how the Cowboys lucked out with getting Don Meredith in 1960 (thanks to Papa Bear Halas), Roger Staubach (after 4 years in the Service), Troy Aikman (okay, that wasn't luck, they deserved the #1 pick that year), another chapter may be written about the undrafted free-agent steal from Eastern Illinois.

6. Hugh Laurie, Patricia Arquette, Gary Sinise, Joel McHale and Simon Cowell
The only five reasons to watch anything but sports, news and weather on television.

5. Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly and Eddie Steeples
Four other other reasons I forgot to mention.

4. The United States of America
We may have our differences now and then, but this is still the greatest country on G-d's green earth.

3. The State of Israel
Who else would stand up for the little guy. This tiny sliver of land is all that keeps world Jewry from falling victim to another Holocaust. Believe it.

2. My children
They drive me nuts. They're loud, they're hyper, they're needy and they're the best thing that ever happened to me.

1, My best friend
You know who you are, so I don't have to say your name. But even when we're not communicating, I can hear you loud and clear.

BTW, my pick for the game today is Dallas 34 Tampa Bay 13.