Happy Linksgiving!

"Ladies and Gentlemen...
Start Your Ovens"

As I sit writing this (wow, that sounds either lah-tee-dah literary or like I'm writing from prison - your call), it is the day before Thanksgiving and I already am beginning to bloat in anticipation of all the food upon which I shall chow (ok, that was definitely literary) in the coming fortnight (paging Jane Austen!).

I have much to be thankful for (I know I dangled it - if I say it the long way it just sounds snooty) and I try to keep my blessings top of mind throughout the year, giving daily thanks for The Biggies such as churros and the health and well-being of my loved ones.

This post, however, goes out to my newest friends - my bloggy loved ones - who, in the few short months since I started this little roadside attraction, have stopped by (some many, many times) to encourage, inspire, entertain and support me. (And, yes, occasionally make me spew Mountain Dew out my nose with laughter.)

So, as I fire the starter pistol and wave the checkered flag o' mirth and we burn rubber into the official holiday season, I want to thank each and every subscriber, follower and commenter for being a part of whatever the hell this is. (Except maybe the guy who left the comment that looked like a comment at first but actually was 50 pounds of HTML directing people to his online lingerie store. Nice try, dude - like in this economy people are buying anything but used lingerie. *snort*)

Please forgive my inability to send each of you an individual shout-out, but I hope you'll enjoy visiting some of the folks who go out of their way to make the blogosphere a place worth visiting.

Since The Outlaws (a much better name than The Inlaws, in my opinion) will be visiting for the holiday and it happens to be Morticia's (not my daughter's real name) birthday as well, I will leave this post up for the long weekend, which I hope will give you time to click on the links and do some worthwhile surfing as you digest Ye Olde Turkeye.

Glitter-Covered Thanks To...

Beth Kephart for not making the highly reasonable assumption that I was an Internet stalker with photos of National Book Award finalists taped up all over the inside of my locker.

Nanny Goats in Panties for not making me drive all the way to Sacramento and violate her personal space to give her the Heimlich maneuver. (Yes, that's how it's spelled. I know, I thought it was "Hind Lick," too! But it's not.)

Blicky Kitty for illuminating Albert Camus' inner Phyllis Diller.

La Belette Rouge for touching me each and every time I visit...but not, you know, in an inappropriate way.

Marinka for teaching me the genius parenting trick of bribing my children with ice cream and Webkinz when I'm trying to pry one of Daddy's secrets out of them.

Happy Meals and Happy Hours for sharing her tips on decorating with huge, blow-up birds wearing hats.

Chelle B. for founding HumorBloggers.com in spite of the fact that it means she'll be spending the rest of her life putting up with a big bunch of freaks who all think they're soooo funny.

Tiffany and Heather at The Secret Is In The Sauce who looked the other way on the 'stache and welcomed me into one of the nicest groups of broads on the 'Net.

Nikkicrumpet, whose blog always makes cry, but only because she keeps posting pictures of glazed doughnuts. (What am I, made of titanium?) Other than that, it's hilarious.

Tug, who is 19 and a fellow enthusiast of "The Knife Show" and who is concerned that if he died suddenly, his legacy would be a lot of "gay" music on his iPod.

MuseSwings, who takes no guff from the other kids waiting to see the orthodontist and who claims to work from an "officette."

Rhea for having the courage to go public about the stuffed animal conspiracy to take over our infrastructure.

Kiki, with her powerful gaucho boot/Lawrence Welk mojo in full effect.

TattooedMinivanMom for putting up posts with titles like "The Gauntlet of Whores" - about people she actually knows.

Always Home and Uncool for having wicked reflexes for catching vomit in his bare hands.

Pseudonymous High School Teacher because, despite the fact that she lives in breathtaking Hawaii, still shows up to class - in a big way.

Larry G, for not letting his enjoyment of cooking on charcoal get in the way of being a true romantic.

HoratioSalt for breaking important satirical news stories such as the fate of Iron Man's rival "Pewter Man."

Braja, who lives in India where there is, surprisingly, not one decent burrito stand.

Eudea-Mamia, who sniffs all the fancy soaps in the soap aisle and calls the items in her underwear drawer her "unmentionables." Wait, I wasn't supposed to mention them. Dang!

CassouletCafe, who's pretty sure she accidentally ate a cat.

The Amusing Muses, who possess loads of qualities both amusing and muse-like.

Tessa, through whose blog I have a secret window into a part of the U.K. countryside so charming that I'm quite sure the rabbits wear velvet waistcoats and carry pocket watches.

[Cartoon created by Rick at Organized Doodles]

Enjoy - thanks again to all of you -
and have a safe and smooth Thanksgiving!