HAPPY TURKEY DAY

I'd thought I'd list every thing that I was thankful for this year. But, the list got too long and then I had to work, so I never got around to getting my list on the blog. We used to have to say what we were thankful for before we got to eat turkey dinner, but since we're spread out across the country, a simple phone call this weekend will have to do for friends and family. If I don't get to you. Please don't feel offended, just take this as my call.

Rather than my long list here's the highlights of what I'm thankful for:

* my family -- what would we be without each other.
* my friends -- people asked me if I'd be spending the holiday with my family. Though I wasn't in Texas, I was with my family this weekend.
* freedom -- More than 400 soldiers in Iraq have paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure we can live the life we want to. I'm thankful there are people willing to pay that price.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU HAVE NO TIME

It's a good thing I live in the South, because I almost forgot what time of year it is. If my neighbors hadn't turned on the Christmas lights they never took down, I may never know that it's Thanksgiving. True story.

Seriously, this year has really scooted by. I mean wasn't it Halloween a week ago? Didn't football season start last month? What happened to summer?

Note at the end:This blog entry was written while listening the Stars: The Best of the Cranberries (Holiday pun not intended)

BABIES, BABIES EVERYWHERE...

The phone rings and after searching the current mess on the coffee table for my ringing cell phone, I heard this:

"Hello?" I say.

"Hi Arni, it's Craig. Randy wanted me to tell you that the baby came today."

Thus I find out that Emma Brooks Bush was born and that my old college roommate Randy became a dad. Vitals on Not so Little Emma are: 9 pounds, 20 inches long, 10 fingers, 10 toes, no demon horns. We're not sure if she's warewolf or a vampire -- because she has no teeth.

I seem to be surrounded by new parents lately. Maybe I'm just getting older.

Here's some of my friends and co-workers who have become new parents:
u Ken Tysiac, who's leaving the State for Charlotte, and his wife Lura just had a little boy, and on the same day, my boss John and his wife Amanda had a little girl named Jennings.

So congratulations to all the new parents.

THANK YOU, VETERANS

The following was written by Derek Mirdala at www.digitalsportspage.com

I'm spoiled living in this county, and it's easy to take things like liberty and freedom for granted.

I'm 30 years old, and for most of my life Veteran's Day was about some of our grandfathers, old men in funny hats, and lame parades.

No longer.

It took me a long while to really get the proper perspective, but for the past couple of years on this day I've considered the sacrifices made by the men and women of this country who have fought and died for my freedom, and I am awed, chilled, and overwhelmed.

'Thank you' is not enough, yet it is all we have.

Thank you, veterans, of all generations.

SOMETIMES LIFE ISN'T FAIR

They say things happen for a reason. But try explaining that to a little boy who has been through a lot in the last few months.

Dominic is 8 years old. Do you remember what it's like to be 8? He should be worrying about being the quarterback of his all-star football team, or how he's going to remember what 8x7 is.

But for the second time this year, he's been touched by the war in Iraq.

If you're a loyal reader of my blog, you may remember Dominic is the little boy who I wrote a note to when his dad, Jack, decided to go back to the military after Sept. 11. That's tough on a kid, who worships his dad. It's even tougher when his father is wounded and loses his foot because of infection.

But Jack is strong. He's gotten through the pain of losing his foot and he's back home with his son. But that's not where our story ends. Jack's younger brother Damon joined the Marines this summer.

He survived Parris Island and three weeks ago he was sent to Iraq. Damon said he knew why he was there and believed in being there. He truly loved being a soldier and was "cool" with whatever happened to him. His family hoped that included coming home.

But it won't

Ten days ago, Damon was killed in action in Iraq. His family lost a beloved son and brother and Dominic lost his favorite uncle -- the guy who played with him when his father was away.

Domimic will eventually learn what all this will help him do in the future. But I'm sure Damon was happy when he saw his nephew lead his football team to a win and get a game ball. And I'm sure he was happy when Dominic dedicated the game ball to him.

ESPN ran a clip on Saturday of a football player comparing his game to a war. The player said he was a soldier and he had to kill before he was killed.

That football player isn't half the man Dominic already is.

Changing comment scripts

My comment script has changed from enetation to haloscan. So sorry all your witty comments have gone away.

WHAT DID THE GOALPOST DO TO YOU?

OK... your team has just had it's biggest win since say the 1982 Orange Bowl, how do you celebrate? Slap five with the guy sitting to your left? No. Toss tortillas in the air like it's going out of style? No. That only happens in Lubbock.

In Clemson, S.C., you run on the field before the game is over, and proceed to tear down not one but both goalposts. Someone explain to me how breaking stuff and forcing your school to pay $50,000 to get two goalposts for next week's game installed is good.

What do you do with a goal post after you've paraded it around campus? Do you throw it in Hartwell Lake? Do you find an arc welder and cut it into little souvenir pieces? I don't understand the tradition behind it.

Maybe we should try it at paper one night.

I made deadline. Let's throw the computer mouse through the monitor. I won an SCPA award. I think I'll break the publisher's window. I wrote a funny headline. Let's kick a hole in the wall -- wait.. I did that one already.

Nevermind college kids... go about your business.

EXIT STAGE LEFT

Hey, will the last person to leave this place stop to say goodbye before they leave?

Another couple of days, and two more of my co-workers may be headed out the door. One is leaving for certain, Anna is headed for Greenville to work for the enemy. Mindi may be leaving to, as she has been offered a job in Durham, N.C., where she will be closer to her beau, Michael (Doc to you and me).

Makes me wonder what the fuck I'm still doing here. I'm good enough to leave. I just need the right place to open up.

On a happier note -- Early congratulations to Jon Solomon and his fiancee Mandy Thompson on their nuptials on Saturday. Wish I could be there, but I'll be here at the paper toiling for the man.

Note: This entry was written while listening to Travis' 12 Memories, which I broke down and bought after all my attempts to steal it were thwarted by the RIAA. Damn them.

THE EXODUS CONTINUES

Anyone know a copy editor? If you do there's a good chance that you could get a job right here in Anderson, S.C.

You see while we here in sports have recently filled the opening left when when Chris Luchene left us for greener pastures. Our friends the newsies have had an opening since June. What better way to save money then to overwork the five copy editors left!

Needless to say, the troops got restless so it shouldn't be a surprise that Dan has decided to get a new job. This on the heels of Georgia bureau reporter Lauren's decision to return home to Texas.

Who's next? Only the shadow knows.

HOOKED

I work in sports. I should be watching college football right now.

But I often find myself mezmorized by food shows. It's kind of like one of those fishing shows that would suck you in on a Saturday morning. You know what I mean? I would be trying to find the right cartoon or something and would hit the station showing Billy Bob and his buddy Bubba and they would be looking for the right sized bass or whatever. You didn't care about the guys, but you watched anyway.

That's me and cooking shows. I may hate what they are preparing, but here I am, watching some lady make Pesto and some dish I've never heard of.

I'm such a geek.