Danno’s Thanksgiving: Top 10 Reasons to be Thankful (Chrome-Plated Geek Edition)

I have lots and lots of things for which to be thankful.  I have a great family, a house that I love, a job with decent pay and decent hours that doesn’t drive me crazy, and after something like thirty-five moves, I finally feel like I’m getting a chance to really settle down and settle in to a community where I belong.  My kids are great, and they’re smart, and they’re healthy.  My wife is beautiful and intelligent.  She’s blonde and thin and athletic, and she’s got a D-cup, and she can name the President of France off the top of her head.  Of course, every marriage is work, and ours is certainly no exception, but Sally and I are both fully committed.  Also, we’ve been hit by two hurricanes in two years, and we’ve had zero property damage and/or flooding in our house.  This last time we didn’t even lose power.

With all of that said, and lots more unsaid, the point of this post isn’t to talk about what makes me personally feel thankful.  We’ve got a great life, and I think that we’re smart enough to know it.  No, what I want to talk about today is Lair-related.  Specifically, it’s been a great year to be a Geek.  Unprecedented, really.  And with that in mind, I want to list my Top-Ten Reasons for Giving Thanks, Chrome-Plated Geek Edition.  So here goes:

Top-Ten Reasons for Giving Thanks 

(Chrome-Plated Geek Edition)

10.  Batman: Death of the Family.  Granted, most DC Comics Events are groan-worthy, and frankly this one probably will be as well.  Also, the very name is an allusion to another epic Batman storyline, written (of course) by Jim Starlin, the most swaggerjacked man in the history of comics.  Even so, the base storyline inBatman, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo, has been absolutely terrifying.  I’ve read a lot of Joker stories, but this one takes the character to a whole new level.  This is an awesomely terrific book.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to be there as it develops.

9.  Google’s decided to compete on price.  Apple changed the game by introducing the iPod, then the iPhone, and then the iPad.  But Apple has been careful to keep their stuff priced premium, and until very recently, we’ve had little choice but to pay.  However, Google has followed Amazon into the tablet market, building gadgets that not only work well but that are also priced affordably.  What’s more, they’ve built a pair of laptops (through subsidiaries) that are both very good and very cheap.  With Microsoft seemingly losing its way in terms of the usability of its basic Windows products, Google has an opportunity.  I’m thankful that they don’t seem to want to charge an arm and a leg in exploiting it.

8.  The ComiCONN was a huge success.  Granted, it was so huge that the girls and I never even got in, but still...  It was good for our local retailer, it was good for my favorite pet industry, and it was a good barometer of where the local culture is going.  That’s plenty enough for which to be thankful.

7.  There’s a new Hobbit movie coming out next.  How awesome is that?  We should all be thankful that Peter Jackson decided to step back into Middle Earth.  ‘Course it goes without saying that he should have broken the Hobbit into only two movies instead of three, but hey.  At least there’ll be something worth watching in theaters next month.  I, for one, am grateful.

6.  Harvest and the Holidays mean that it’s finally time for the year’s best seasonal craft beers.  I am incredibly thankful for having had the opportunity to pick up the newest edition of Sierra Nevada’s hand-crafted Estate seasonal yesterday at the liquor store.

5.  Arrow, the TV show.  I know, right?  It’s crazy that my favorite show is on the CW, but there it is.  I really, really like that show, and frankly, I’m grateful that someone has finally put a decent comic book adaptation onto weekly TV.

4.  The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show is terrific.  Emma and I really like it, and any time I can sit down and watch TV with the Emboo, life is at least okay.  I’m grateful for that.  I really am.

3.  The Amazing Spider-Man.  From Dan Slott’s writing to Humberto Ramos’s art to the fact that even the movie version of ASM was pretty darned good, fact is, if you’re a fan of Spidey, this has been a damn good year.  A lot to be thankful for there.

2.  The Avengers movie.  The sheer scope of Joss Whedon’s triumph ensures that there will be geeky stuff on our TVs and movie screens for the next decade, at least.  And then Disney decided to double-down on geek by buying Star Wars.  I’m telling you, we’re living in blessed times.  Be smart enough to see it for what it is.  And be thankful.

Yeah, I know.  But the Busiek run is still my favorite.

1.  The D&D Playtest with my kids.  I’ve been wanting to play D&D with my girls since before Hannah was born.  Now I’ve finally got the chance.  And yeah, if you’re wondering, the answer is totally yes.  The wait was definitely worth it.

Bonus Thanksgiving: Overtime and Vacation.  I worked a ton recently, right before the Holidays.  Now I’m on vacation, and it’s just been great.  

‘Nuff said.