thanksgiving.

"thanksgiving--it's like we didn't even try to come up with a tradition. the tradition is we overeat!

'how about thanksgiving we just eat a lot'
...'we do that every day!'"

over thanksgiving i had the pleasure of seeing jim gaffigan live at town hall. stand up comedians that are actually funny amaze me. how is it that i can go on a date with someone who isn't funny the entire time we are awkwardly drinking our overpriced coffee, yet some people's minds are so creative that they can consistently spark laughter for the entire time i would be counting down the clock trying to think of how to say no to a second date? this outside creativity and high level observation can amuse masses of people. minus that woman sitting next to me who didn't realize you are supposed to remove the stick from your ass BEFORE you sit down. (who sees a comedian and literally doesn't laugh the entire time?! reeeally?!) simply by noting things that we encounter on an every day basis, stand up comedians combine high levels of observation and relatability. people often underestimate the high level of intelligence it takes to be a legitimate comedian. and comedians that manage not to cheat with foul language of explicit material and still make us laugh are the most funny.

so in short i am thankful for stand up comedians.

other unorthodox things that i am thankful for:

complaining: it's really nice to complain about finals and schoolwork and boys and friends rather than the more serious issues many of us have had to deal with before. i am happy and whole, and so is my family. when you've run down the gas tank on trips to hell and back, it's nice to feel like you have typical problems. i have never felt so blessed to have problems like procrastinating with 30-page PR campaigns and heartbreak and drama that is annoying rather than terrifying. annoying i can handle. scary can break you.

i used to grow angry when people complained about the status quo. and i was okay with nobody understanding how i feel because i wouldn't wish it upon anyone. but now i laugh, and occasionally indulge myself. i am thankful that i can relate to those again.

more traditional thanks:

my family: so many people think it's a drag to see their family. but i am proud to be 21-year-old cousin that sits at the kiddy table--or in between table this year. we can't fit at one table, and really, who wants to sit with the adults anyway? not when your cousin has a tony romo jersey on, and you can "TR" about how the relationship with jess is going. when your guy cousins are too tough to smile for the thousands of pictures we take. and when grandma dancing with you in the living room is really cool, but not AS cool as the fact that she went on the tilt-a-whirl in the summer. i love the inbetween table and i love my family.

-k.