MILES to GO || before I sleep

I'm not in prose mood at the moment (today was my "off" day, so to speak; I spent a lot of time working on "Ace of Hearts," the Sailor V x Kaitou Ace fanlisting (now live! check it out!), then reading old Sailor Moon fics and fic ideas, including one that I don't think I ever posted anywhere except maybe the SMRFF. There's also one I intended to write for an Aria's Ink contest but never got off the ground. So I really want to work on those, Epiphany, and of course, WDKY26. Priority 1, though, is my JOUR 371 project.

But look, I've gone and babbled again. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for:

-The right to vote. Need I say more?

-The freedom to choose: my elected officials, the clothes I'll wear, the way I look, and whether or not I can have an abortion in my state, if the need ever arose and may the Powers That Be forbid that necessity for me in my lifetime.

-My family, no matter how over-dramatic they can get. Both sides, Mom's and Dad's. Mom AND Dad, even though between the two of them I think I might develop a mental instability some time before I turn 40.

-My health-- the worst medical problem I have right now is my finicky stomach. I am so glad to not have (diagnosed) breast or skin cancer, two things which I am VERY vulnerable for. I am grateful for never having broken a bone, and having healed quickly from all sprains. I am thankful that my back is not as f*cked up as my Dad's, nor my head as pounding-full-of-migraine as Mom's. I am thrilled that my asthma, allergies, and poor vision have not taken over my life.

-My job. It may not be Journalism and it may not pay as well as a job in San Francisco right now or even a Target Executive Internship, but I love the people I work with, and even on my worst days, it's still a great job that I'm confident in doing. I can always, always learn more there, meet more people, and help others-- three things I love doing no matter what.

-My education. I know that there are some people --men and women, people of all ages-- that don't have the privilege of going to high school, let alone university. I am thankful that I have gotten scholarships and loans to be able to pay for it, and that my university has a beautiful campus, professors that are really interested in their subjects (some of them, anyway), and great programs.

-My home. It's always a bit awkward to think, but it becomes really, genuinely honest when I say it aloud to someone else: yes, I live with my paternal grandparents. No, I've never really lived alone, though I did have my own dorm room in Japan for 5.5 months. But living with my grandparents has not only made me more aware of what it takes to get as far as they have, but also so many other things: taking care of yourself physically, taking care of others whenever you can, and enjoying life to the fullest, highest degree. I am so grateful to have not just a roof over my head, a room to call my own (with my own posters, even when they won't stick on the wall!), and food in the fridge to eat, but a family to come home to.

-My friends. Even though I feel sometimes I'm a lousy friend, and don't call/email/IM enough, my friends really do mean the world to me, up there in the ranks with my family (by the way, this list is by no means in any sort of ORDER). I've got friends who have stuck by me when the rest of the school thought I was a super-bitch or total nerd. I've got friends who can share in my geekery, revel in my nerdosity, and giggle with me about anything and everything. Whether I know these friends in real life or just online; whether it's been years or just a few months, THANK YOU. And I would attempt to name all the names and all the reasons why, but it'd get too long. THAT I am grateful for. I've gotten to the stage in my life where I couldn't count the friends I have on one hand, let alone two, even if I tried. Once upon a time, someone asked me to name all the friends I had and count them-- they laughed when I didn't even hit 5. Now, I have so many more than that-- not just on this "Friends List," maybe even reading this now, but beyond.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHEN.

Happy Thanksgiving, even if you don't celebrate and/or aren't in the U.S.A.

Love and best wishes,
Meredith Sweet, aka Azurite aka Andi aka whatever the heck you wanna call me, I really have too many nicknames

Okay, so it's a little belated on my end, but here's my list (in no particular order) of 10 Things I Am Thankful For This Thanksgiving. Feel free to do this and encourage others to do the same, I think it's nice to say what you really appreciate.

I am thankful for...
1 - The opportunity to study abroad here in Japan. While at times it's incredibly difficult and frustrating (the language, the things that I take for granted being able to communicate, the other exchange students, etc.), I am constantly reminding myself that this is a learning experience, and an incredible one at that. I WILL be able to walk away from this having learned things that I could NOT have, had I just stayed in Northridge.

2 - My incredible friends and family. I was able to talk to my dad, some of my cousins, my aunt, and two of my uncles today via Skype Video. I've been able to call Scott, my mom, my dad, and my friends. With baine's help, I've gotten up off my lazy butt and we're 75% done with getting our butts to Hong Kong --Hong Kong!-- for Christmas. I think friends and family are powerful, for better or for worse, and I am SO lucky for those that I have in my life, online or offline. When I was younger, people used to ask me how many friends I had, and the fact that I could count them on one or two hands always made me sad, and usually made me a laughingstock. So, much as I hate to disagree with Ebenezer Scrooge's "If you want to know the measure of a man, you simply count his friends," I think it's quality, not quantity, that makes the difference-- and I have some friends of the absolute highest quality friends can be made of.

3 - The kindness and understanding of strangers. I was terrified at first, coming here to Japan, living with Japanese girls who I was sure would think I was strange. And whenever I went out to do something, I was terrified that I would be teased (ah, gaijin!) or made to feel stupid because of something "obvious" that I couldn't understand. Luckily, everyone I have met seems fascinated rather than disgusted by my presence, and they have been more than willing to help me with everything from the annoyingly mundane to the oddest of bizarre requests.

4 - Scott. I don't mean to shaft any members of my family or any of my friends by giving Scott his own place, but really, Scott has done a whole lot for me in terms of inspiring me, motivating me, and helping me to who and where I am today. And I'm so thankful for him being in my life, and I hope anyone else that is lucky enough to have anyone --be it friend, family, lover, or otherwise-- really emphasizes EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR what that person means to you. You never know what will happen tomorrow, whether that person will die somehow, move away to find their own place in the world, or any number of other things. So always be grateful for those amazing people in your life, and understand when they do move on.

5 - Dad. It's funny, because there was a time when I honestly HATED my dad. I've since changed my view on many things-- him, the meaning and feeling of "hate," and how lucky I am just to have a fatherly presence in my life, when so many people (like my sister) never even got the chance, or if they did, it was from someone who was ill-prepared to be a father. I have great respect for my father as a teacher, and even though at times he really bugs me, I think my mom's always right-- "it's my job as a parent." I think if anyone had PERFECT parents a'la Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield's parents, it would be a sickening lifestyle that one would long to break out of. Luckily, my dad's taught me a lot and given me a lot of great experiences, so, for better or for worse, I'm very glad he's still in my life.

6 - Mom. As with Dad, I know there are some people out there who either "hate" their mom, don't have one, or have a hard time getting along with her. I've had my share of those too, but my mom's taught me a lot, being a single mom and raising me (and my sister, up until 1996) on her own. She's taught me a lot about what it means to be really dedicated, and a lot of what I've taken for granted, living where and how I did in San Francisco. She also allowed me to be ME, never restricting my interests or what made me happy, so she bears at least part of the responsibility for me getting as far as I have.

7 - The SMRFF. Yeah, I'm a dweeb and I know it, but all you smrffers out there should know that I was a wee little writer with no idea about fandom, fanfiction, or anything like that-- and it really took over my life, and changed a lot of who I am. Maybe I became a "geek" or a "Moonie" or an "otaku," but regardless, I'm happy with who I am, and I'm glad that I still talk to many members of the SMRFF, even if the list isn't as active as it used to be in its heyday. I especially am grateful to those that acted as my "oneechans" because while I both admired and respected them for their own work, they didn't hesitate to help me out (even if that meant some harsh critiquing) when I needed it. The SMRFF was where I spent my "formative" years, and thanks to them, I'm still in fandom, still writing-- and I hope to do it for my career someday. I owe them a lot.

8 - rhapsody_dragon, geniusgirl, a_white_rain, atlantian_magic, wickeddawn, guardian_kysra, akavertigo, heartless_vaz, mischiefmagnet, nekokilala, praiseofshadows, obabscribbler, members of playthedamncard, winterwing3000 and probably countless others who don't have LJ-- it is thanks to you that I am not only *IN* Yu-Gi-Oh fandom, but constantly enjoying it, even after the series end. Whether you inspired me with your own writing, or we just met through our mutual like of the show/fanfics, you have had an impact on me. I remember RPing with Mamono and Neko, brainstorming with Atlantis, Harley, and Kysra, angsting over the next chapter of PoS or Geniusgirl's releases... you get the idea. Whether you're still in fandom or not, your contribution to fandom FOR ME means more than words can say.

9 - A roof over my head, food in my fridge, a bit of money in my wallet, heat in my room, brains in my head, friends in my heart, family in my blood, and Internet, Internet, Internet. If I weren't grateful for "the basics," I wouldn't be a very good person now, would I?

10 - You. Even if I've already mentioned your name explicitly or implicitly above, I'm really grateful for anyone that ever takes ANY amount of time out of their day to read the sort of things I go nuts posting here on my LJ. It's true that I don't write everything on here for others-- that is, for other people to necessarily comment on, but I do care about other people's opinions, and I feel very good when someone DOES take the time out of their day to say something in response to me or the things I've said-- even if it's just one sentence or one word. And even if you don't comment, thank you anyway. Thanks for putting up for my rambling, my non-LJ cut entries, my tacky layouts... whatever, you get the idea.

Thank you.