12/12

i'm thankful that the rest of our time in chicago was nice. i'm thankful that we snuck in pastries from whole foods to eat in the movie. i'm thankful that while we were watching a flock of geese by the lakefront, one of them went to the bathroom. i'm thankful that on saturday, it snowed and unlike the previous time it snowed, it was cold enough that it didn't melt on us. i'm thankful that though the keycard for our airbnb's building entry didn't work, there were always people going in and out for us to slip in with and am also thankful i picked up a trick from a resident, which is just asking the security guard to press a button to unlock the door. i'm thankful that on sunday our early morning uber to the greyhound station wasn't very expensive. i'm thankful that we didn't miss our bus and that we were able to sit together. i'm thankful that i managed to briefly nap on the bus, which is something i have never really been able to do. i'm thankful that i don't get carsick and so can read on buses. i'm thankful i didn't have to use the bus bathroom.

i'm thankful for a flaw in the amazon prime video app, which is not letting me choose new episodes of the amazing race to watch on the treadmill, i think because i have watched so many episodes of the amazing race on the treadmill and having to hold my place in each of them is too much of a strain for d's old ipad. i'm thankful to have been frustrated by this, but am thankful that this caused me to look around for something else to watch and am thankful to have found terrace house, which is basically a japanese version of the real world which was recently rebooted by netflix. i'm thankful for the intriguing displays of japanese social codes and etiquette and am thankful for the attractive cinematography and production design. i'm thankful that one of the characters is a professional tap dancer.

i'm thankful for defamiliarization. i'm thankful for this annie dillard quote, which i believe though it took me a long time to learn. i'm thankful of this video of mr. rogers testing before the senate, in which he describes the goal of his show as being "a meaningful expression of care" for the children who are watching. i'm thankful for this impossible cafe and for this optical illusion. i'm thankful for end of the year lists of the best albums, books, movies, tv shows, and video games, even though i know a lot of people hate them and find them to be arbitrary and empty and click-bait-y, because i always end up finding things that i loved but that i had missed. i'm thankful that d made me go to gamestop to exchange my glitchy pre-owned playstation vita for a new one, since i would have been lazy about it and maybe not done it which would have sucked.

i'm thankful for the pleasure of being back in my own bed. i'm thankful for a good night's sleep. i'm thankful that though i have work today and though it is a monday, i still feel good and happy. i'm thankful to be hopeful that today will be a good day, but aam thankful to know that even if it isn't, it will eventually end. i'm thankful to have meditated yesterday for the first time in a long time and am thankful for the habit list app, which i am going to use to hopefully get myself back into a regular daily practice. i'm thankful that though it is cold outside, it's not as cold as it was in chicago, and i only have to go out for a little while to take out the trash.