I'm Thankful Part II

I'm thankful for the kind, skilled and understanding staff in the ER at Akron Children's Hospital. Click here for the back story.

I am Thankful for ...

My friend Shaun over at As the Days Go By has committed to writing a post a day about things for which she is thankful. I'm getting a late start, so I've decided to do a 30-item rundown, one thing for each day of November.

1. My husband. He's pretty much the best husband ever. Yesterday, for example, he ate the alfalfa sprouts off my sandwich because I didn't want them. What would I do without him?
2. My son. He's pretty much the best baby ever. I can't wait to get home to hold him.
3. My dog. He's pretty much the best dog ever. We kind of adopted him on a whim, but it was one of the best decisions we ever made.
4. My job. I am so lucky to have a job I enjoy and to work with people I like. It makes getting up in the morning a lot easier.
5. Financial stability. I've had jobs before that I enjoyed, but the peanuts I earned didn't allow for some of the experiences - not necessarily things - that make like even fuller. Like the ability to go on vacation.
6. Child care. I love my son ... and I love my job. I never intended to be a stay-at-home mom, but without family in the area, it was something I had to consider. Our child care arrangement is the best possible.
7. A roof over my head. When we were house-hunting, I was convinced we'd never find a house we liked in our price range, but we were so very wrong. It's going to be hard to leave. I wonder if we could move it?
8. Two cars. Although Billy, BB and I all drive to and from work/child care together, I'm grateful that we have two dependable vehicles.
9. My health. Except for migraines and an annual sinus infection, I'm healthy as a horse.
10. My husband's health. He doesn't even get headaches.
11. My son's health. Except for two colds, he, too, is healthy as a horse. And growing like a weed.
12. My education. I like to learn. I like to be enlightened. If I didn't hate group projects so much, I would totally get a master's degree in something "useless" like philosophy.
13. My family. I have a very small family. And we are terrible at staying in touch. But, I know they're there if I need them.
14. My extended family. I've totally adopted Billy's brothers and their significant others and his aunts and uncles and parents and grandmother. And they get me whether they like it or not.
15. My friends. Especially the ones who didn't give up on me when I slept through the first trimester of pregnancy and when I dropped off the face of the earth after BB was born.
16. My cell phone. This sounds silly, but I used to hate my cell phone. I refused to get one until an employer made me. Now I couldn't live without it.
17. E-mail. Twitter. Texting. And, yes, even, gasp, Facebook. I like being connected.
18. Books. If I could be a professional reader, I would.
19. My blog. It fills my need to write. And try my hand at comedy.
20. Dr. Pepper. It literally got me through the first 10 months of BB's life.
21. Fall. The leaves. The crispness in the air. The smell. Can it get any better?
22. Digital photography. I miss old-fashioned cameras. You know, the ones with the film? But, I love the immediacy of digital cameras. I love having the ability to share photos via e-mail. Ah, technology.
23. Music. I could write a whole blog post about the power of music. Instead, I'll sum up: music is amazing.
24. Chocolate. In all forms. Cookie, brownie, cake, donut, bar, chip, ice cream ...
25. The Post Office. Seriously. Even though I've embraced e-mail and text messaging, I still love to get and receive hand-written notes and cards. Thank you, USPS, for battling sleet, snow, rain and dogs to bring me my mail.
26. Reruns. When Cheers ended, I cried. When Friends ended, I cried. When Buffy ended, I cried. Now I know those tears were pretty pointless. Between DVDs and cable, we'll be together forever.
27. Random acts of kindness. As I get older, I've noticed that I'm getting a lot more cynical. Luckily, just before I finish packing and hop on the fastest bus to Alaska, someone does something that restores my faith in humanity.
28. Contacts. 'Cause I hate glasses and I'm not a great candidate for Lasik.
29. The two parks within walking distance from our house. Growing up in the country spoiled me. City parks curb my need to be among nature.
30. You. For reading my blog. For commenting on my blog. For listening to me ramble.

I'm a pretty lucky girl.

Ambush Advertising Rocks!

In a creative (and sneaky) advertising campaign, Captain Morgan recently vowed to donate $10,000 to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit fund for retired NFL players, every time a player strikes the Captain Morgan pose on the playing field.

(That's Philadelphia Eagles tight back Brent Celek posing after a touchdown.)

It's fun. It's creative. It's for a good cause. But, it's implicit marketing - and the NFL forbids it. I can see why. Captain Morgan is getting a lot of cheap publicity while Budweiser, for example, pays gazillions for its commercials. But I still have to give props to Captain Morgan for cashing in while it lasted.

You Go, Miracle Whip!

Has anyone else been following the Steven Colbert/Miracle Whip fight? It is cracking.me.up!

It started last week when Colbert defended mayo from 'vicious Miracle Whip attacks'. He was upset by commercials in which Miracle Whip says, "Don't go unnoticed. Don't blend in. Don't be so mayo."

Miracle Whip counterattacked by purchasing spots during the Colbert Report, which directly addressed Colbert. There's also a funny letter circulating.

I've never been more proud to be a Miracle Whip fan.

She's Everywhere!

Jane Lynch cracks me up.

I Figured it Out

Ya'll are liars. I know you want a Snuggie. Know how I know? 'Cause I want one. And I can't be the only one.

Yep, I think Snuggies are cool.

I think the problem with the Snuggie lies in its commercials. If they think I'm going to wear my Snuggie to the next University of Michigan football game I go to, they're crazy. If they think I'm going to sit around a campfire and raise the roof in my Snuggie, they're nuts. (Who raises the roof anymore anyway?)

But, if they think I'm going to sit on my couch and read while wearing my Snuggie, they'd be right. They'd also be right if they thought I'd snuggle my baby in my Snuggie.

So, dear Snuggie promoters, cut the cheese out of your commercials. Stick to the facts, like its versatility and warmth (no, this doesn't mean you can wear it while raking leaves in November) and I promise your sales will skyrocket. And, since I'm a good person, I'm not even charging you for this tip; just send me a UM Snuggie. Thanks.

Riddle Me This

Say you're standing in a high-traffic area, like the convergence of the main entrance to a building, the only entrance to a cafeteria and the entrance to the men's and women's restrooms. While standing there, you're talking on your cell phone - speakerphone-style.

How long would you yell into the phone, 'I CAN'T HEAR YOU! TALK LOUDER! THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND!' before you'd use the phone the old-fashioned way?

Seriously, let me know, so I can tell the girl in the hall.