On this day, what are *you* thankful for?

Thanksgiving.
Originally a day to give thanks, now becoming more and more commercialised like Christmas has become.

To put the "thanks" back in Thanksgiving, tell us what you're thankful for.
I'll even go first.

I'm thankful for...<ul>[*]Parents who are still with us. Family should always come first, and you should be thankful if you have one to go home to or call on the phone.
[*]Servicemen, police, and firemen who give their lives to keep America a free and relatively unoppressive country to live in.
[*]The LED Museum website, and all the joy it's brought to both my life and the lives of those who have been fortunate enough to visit it over the last 2+ years.
[*]The LED. For without it, The LED Museum and a good majority of Candlepower Forums itself would not have existed.
[*]The LED. For without it, I'd have far fewer caring & supportive friends than I do now.
[*]The turkey dinner brought over by the local senior center. Had that not happened, I'd be stuck with sandwitches made from Carl Budding imitation compressed "turkey-like" slices. Yuck!
[*]The bank I financed my wheelchair with. Because they didn't send the repossession thugs over when I missed a payment last summer and took three months to catch back up.
[*]My landlord and the Inn At The Market, for putting up with the exhorbitant Christmas display I put up every year, and for keeping their mouths shut about the window gardens (illegal in this area) that I put out every summer and keeping quiet about all the laser beams & flashing lights that shoot out my windows year-round.
[/list]
I guess that covers most of it.
Happy Carl Budding Compressed Imitation Turkey Meat Day!!

I second that Stingmon. I don't personally know the folks we chat with on the CPF forum, but feel like they're friends, despite the little spats over whose point of view is right, different or whatever.

God Bless You and all CPFers.

Sting,-you're indeed VERY wise to be appreciative of that first item you listed...
I have lost both my mother and dad recently (they were 85) in a period of only two months.

But I'm very grateful for having met and known a lot of very decent people in my now-winding-down business career, and for those other things you mentioned also.
-Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

I am thankfull for family, friends and freedom. And to all the people who keep those things safe and protected.

im thankful for my one parent i still have,family,a few close close friends,all of my friends here at cpf,the led,credit cards to support my led lite addiction,the beloved snap-on tool guy,freedom,my brother in the US Air Force,all of the little things that are so easily forgotten because they are what really matters.


and please do not judge me for the order of my things i am thankful;for i typed em as i thought em.

and mostly too still be able to suck air.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you flashaholics out there.if you look very hard you will see our light...

Good post Stingmon and good items on your list.

I am thankful that there is a place like the CPF where I can interact with fellow flashaholics.

It is also nice to have a really fun job and I am thankful for having such high calibre customers.

Here's hoping everyone was with at least one friend or family member today.

Peter

This was the first year in my life that I have not spent thanksgiving with my family. Every since my dad died in 99, there has not been anyone to keep the family 'inline'. I guess I can think of somethings to be thnkfull for ... but, I am not feeling that thankfull

Doug

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doug:
This was the first year in my life that I have not spent thanksgiving with my family. Every since my dad died in 99, there has not been anyone to keep the family 'inline'. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm sorry to hear that.
Last Thanksgiving was my first one alone, but it was because the parents moved out of state. I used to go to their house every year for the full Thanksgiving treatment.

I spent this Thanksgiving alone too, with only the flickering glow of computer CRTs & ye old boob tube, a squeaky pet rat, and the occasional glimmer of an Arc LS to keep me company.

Looks like Christmas will be the same way.
Last year's was my first one alone, so this will be my second. I'll probably spend it working on my website and watching Christmas specials on TV if any of the four local channels I get show them. Then I'll pick up a phone and make calls to Alaska and California. I usually get a couple of things to put under the tree from my mom in Alaska, so I'll be ripping pretty colored paper off boxes (probably more Insulators ) sometime during the day as well.

Not quite as boring as Thanksgiving, but not anything like Christmas in "the good old days" when I'd go to their house. They had cable (80 channels, not 4) and would also put out a very lavish spread of traditional Christmas food and everyone would essentially just pig out & watch TV all day.

This year, I'll *probably* feast on bologna sandwiches while looking for overplayed versions of "Frosty The Snowman" or "A Christmas Carol" on the tube.
O well. At least the Christmas tree came out quite pretty this year, and I'll probably get in the paper again for my obnoxious, way-too-bright window display.

Actually, I went out to dinner at Marie Calendar's with a female friend of mine. She has been the one in the past alone on Thanksgiving, and Christmas. She asked me out on New Years, so I already have a date for that . But, I will probably go to my friend Kenneth's, he usually has this big bar-b-que in his back yard, with hugh pirotechnics (like he did last year) ... so, I'll probably go to that. But, we will have to see how Christmas turns out. I am hoping to give away a bunch of Arc's for Christmas ... and, well, actually, more importantly, I was thinking about putting the 3 VHS tape compilation that my dad made a few years ago, of the family growing up, and put that on VCD (since I think I know how to do that now ). The thing is... I do not think everyone in the family has a DVD player .... but I guess I can at least make the discs for now, and work on a player later ! The idea being, that you don't have VHS tapes rotting away in the closet, you can put they "up" for YEARS and not have to wonder if they will play, next time you wanna see them, eh ?

Well, I hope your holidays turn out better my friend!

Doug (hoping to go to Disneyland this year while they have those Christmas decorations up !)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Stingmon:
I'm sorry to hear that.
Last Thanksgiving was my first one alone, but it was because the parents moved out of state. I used to go to their house every year for the full Thanksgiving treatment.

This year, I'll *probably* feast on bologna sandwiches while looking for overplayed versions of "Frosty The Snowman" or "A Christmas Carol" on the tube.

O well. At least the Christmas tree came out quite pretty this year, and I'll probably get in the paper again for my obnoxious, way-too-bright window display.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Vcal and Doug, you have my sympathy..
I am feeling somehat sorry for myelf this season since I am recently (and temporarily, I hope) homeless..well sort of. I was kicked off my (own) property by the county for living in a trailer (for years)..and had been in the trailer in a trailer/RV park for the past year and half - (the amount of time it's taking to get a building permit from the county--they insist I build a house!) - now the trailer park has this dumb rule thast one must move out for one week every 7 months! or else they are classified as a 'mobile home park' which they don't want..so I am back in this 8x10 foot shed on the property (allowed) during the day, and look for places to sleep at night, like my brother's place in Santa Monica, the local motel (expensive dive), of course the county has rules against 'living' on the property till we get the permit, so I mustn't let them catch me sleeping here - we are so close to pulling the permit I don't want to jeopardize it!
The computer is in this shed, it's been cold rainy and windy, the heat is a small propane catalytic heater. I am here with my cat, Leon, who has been spending nights here without me (he crawls inside a sleeping bag in the evening!) - but I just found out they'll let him in the motel! So he'll be back sleeping on my bed tonight..meow...;>) I guess I am greatful for that

We're with ya dude. at least it's southern CA and not Seattle

They are forcing you to build a house?! How big is the property?

So... once you get the permit, does that mean you can go back to living in the trailer? If so, how long? Wow, I would love to have some proerty ... Well, especially a house ! Just need a Yahoo investment !

Doug

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ted the Led:
Vcal and Doug, you have my sympathy..
I am feeling somehat sorry for myelf this season since I am recently (and temporarily, I hope) homeless..well sort of. I was kicked off my (own) property by the county for living in a trailer (for years)..and had been in the trailer in a trailer/RV park for the past year and half - (the amount of time it's taking to get a building permit from the county--they insist I build a house!) - now the trailer park has this dumb rule thast one must move out for one week every 7 months! or else they are classified as a 'mobile home park' which they don't want..so I am back in this 8x10 foot shed on the property (allowed) during the day, and look for places to sleep at night, like my brother's place in Santa Monica, the local motel (expensive dive), of course the county has rules against 'living' on the property till we get the permit, so I mustn't let them catch me sleeping here - we are so close to pulling the permit I don't want to jeopardize it!
The computer is in this shed, it's been cold rainy and windy, the heat is a small propane catalytic heater. I am here with my cat, Leon, who has been spending nights here without me (he crawls inside a sleeping bag in the evening!) - but I just found out they'll let him in the motel! So he'll be back sleeping on my bed tonight..meow...;>) I guess I am greatful for that

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doug:
They are forcing you to build a house?! How big is the property?

So... once you get the permit, does that mean you can go back to living in the trailer? If so, how long? Wow, I would love to have some proerty... Well, especially a house! Just need a Yahoo investment!

Doug

Originally posted by Ted the Led:
[qb]Vcal and Doug, you have my sympathy..
I am feeling somehat sorry for myelf this season since I am recently (and temporarily, I hope) homeless..well sort of. I was kicked off my (own) property by the county for living in a trailer (for years)..and had been in the trailer in a trailer/RV park for the past year and half - (the amount of time it's taking to get a building permit from the county--they insist I build a house!)

Click to expand...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>[/QB]

Click to expand...

All is not necessarily wonderful owning property.
Example: The state of California wants to extract payment from my dead parent's home value for my Dad's Medi-Cal bills for the last 4 years of his life. (nursing home) -cost $133,000 Because of this perversity, it's costing me about 6 GRAND to fight this bureaucracy.
So, I'm not at at all surprised hearing about Ted's difficulty with the "powers-that-be" Btw-Good luck on that Ted.
Wonder what life would be like without all these hassles?!??
-I guess I should be grateful to have my own (paid for) additional home to live in.

post script; we got the mother-lovin' permit!! ya. hoo. So I'm back in trailer-sweet-home gazing at stars from bed at night...Peace and quiet...alls well that ends well, till the dozers come...
Now the solar battery bank has other duties besides just powering the computer, so time online is again dictated by weather, hours of TV watched and quantity of cappucino brewed
...Thanks to all who empathised and commiserated, thank you.

Here's wishing you a cloudless sky.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ted the Led:
post script; we got the [God-Fearin'] permit!! ya. hoo....... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Glad it ended well for you, Ted.
So, you're going to go into home constructing !
Now, what about this idea -

Topic: the House that Ted built

A rip-roaring on-going soap-opera of the trials and tribulations of a perplexed first time Home Builder. With special attention paid to the electrical, communications, and LIGHTING designs.

Just thinking that many members will probably have ideas and info about LED lighting, low-voltage (12V) circuits, solar back-up, clean power supplies for PC's etc.

If you're already using a battery system and solar stuff, have you got any ideas you want to put into practice ? Kind of "The Home of the Future ...... "

lightlover

(Which reminds me, Darell, is it time for an update on your $1,000,000 ve-hickle ?? )

thinkin' 'bout it. don't know if I wanna go quite that public yet
in the mean time, you can see the site at
Ted's Place -- takes a couple minutes to load, then the pics start changing.
(Note my "writing laser" -- top of page )