5 Things I'm Grateful For - The Year 2011

I haven't done one of these in a long time and realized this was one of the craziest years of my life and certainly one of the most significant.

1. Our Wedding. This was hands down the greatest day ever. My husband is my best friend and we made it official in a beautiful garden on a day blessed with bountiful sunshine. Then we partied with our dear friends and family with plenty of Bell's Oberon on tap. It was perfect.
2. My Job. In the midst of all the wedding madness/happiness, my place of work went through a hefty reduction in force. The dust has sort of settled and I appear to still be employed. Score!
3. Great books. I haven't read a lot this year, but I read some doozies: One Hundred Years of Solitude, Outliers, The Art of Racing in the Rain and I'm going to start the expanded version of The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.
4. Music. Something's gotten into me this year and I'm happening across a lot of new music that I really love - Portugal the Man, The Black Keys, Lupe Fiasco and others. I've just been fortunate in hearing tunes that make me happy this year!
5. Anonymous. It sort of seems like the world is going to hell in a hand basket. What comforts me is that in this sea of fools, politicians, advertisements, reality TV and everything else distracting our awareness, Anonymous is has the power to keep troublemakers in check and demons at bay. Anonymous has changed the game. In a time of such turmoil, it's good to know someone this powerful has your back. I'm grateful.

5 Things I'm Thankful for: Holiday 2009 Edition

This Christmas was easily one of the best I've had in the last decade or more. You might wonder how I managed to pull off such a positive experience when we are in the midst of such economic hardship. The answer lies in one word: people. When times are tough all we truly have to support us are the people around us. Here are five people, of hundreds, that I am grateful for:

1. My fiancé. Duh. We've been together for over a decade now and this Christmas we shared with our families that we're tying the knot.
2. My mom. Double duh. I am lucky to be of the same DNA as this woman.
3. My dad. Duh*3. He is a true warrior and the root of my intellect.
4. My Babcia (grandma). This little lady crossed the Atlantic in search of her brother many years ago. In doing so she also helped us to defect from Communist Poland and to eventually become American citizens as a family.
5. My boss. OK, I'm cheating with this one, because this refers to many different people. When someone believes in you it changes your life each time it happens (or it should anyway). I've been fortunate.

5 things I'm Grateful for: Baseball Edition

Now that summer finally decided to show up in Detroit and the Tigers are doing fairly well (when they're at home :-/ ), I thought I'd like to share some of the things in regards to baseball that I love.

1. The book Red Smith on Baseball. Red Smith was an amazing writer and his columns about baseball are awesome. Very entertaining and well-written.
2. Keeping score. I thought it was nostalgia at first, but I realized I keep to pay attention to the game and to keep my memories dear with additional notes. I come up with creative shortcuts, like drawing a pickle instead of documenting each players touch in that situation. Rainouts/delays generally end in "Mother Nature FAIL." I tape all my ticket stubs into my scorebook.
3. Comerica Park in Detroit, MI. This is still my favorite park and I've been to Tiger Stadium, Houston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Wrigley, the home of the other Chicago team, old NY Stadium, the Mudhens facility and a few Spring training spots in Florida. CoPa is by far still the place to be.
4. Curtis Granderson. He's my Tiger.
5. And last, but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST - these two friggin' guys. Mario Impemba and Rod Allen. These guys are the voice of Detroit baseball for me.Their broadcasts exponentially grow my love for the game each season.

5 things I'm Grateful for: Independence Day edition

Happy 4th of July! Today I wanted to think about a few reasons that I love the United States of America:

1. My entire family found better lives when we immigrated from Poland.
2. We have public libraries, archives and public institutions of higher education.
3. My writings are all protected by the First Amendment.
4. I got to vote for Barack Obama.
5. Benjamin Franklin was one of this country's founding fathers. He ruled.

5 things I'm Grateful for: Detroit Edition

In the spirit of positivity, I've decided to share five things I'm grateful for in Detroit. Here goes:

1. Detroit Red Wings: They were the first team my family started rooting for when we arrived in Detroit back in 1985. In my college years I loved writing for the Wings. They are sometimes called the "Yankees" of hockey, but that's really inaccurate. The Wings have tremendous scouting, especially in Europe. They also have an amazing front office headed by Kenny Holland and Jimmy D. The Yankees buy who they want, the Wings research, grow, wheel and then deal to make this a haven for those who crave championships.
2. Detroit Tigers/Comerica Park: CoPa is my Tiger Stadium. I love going to the ballgame and whether the Tigers are going to the World Series or struggling to pull together a bullpen, I will always love to visit my favorite ballpark on earth.
3. Wayne State University: OK, listen, this is one of the most important institutions in Detroit. I got my Library degree there and made a ton of contacts - everyone from librarians to archivists to lawyers. This is where Detroit's rebirth begins.
4. Food & Beverage: Cass Cafe, Traffic Jam, Motor City Brewery, Old Campus, Wasabi, Detroit Beer Company, Foran's, Greenwich, Cobo Joe's, Jacoby's, Z's Villa, Circa, Lefty's, Hockeytown Cafe, Slow's (when they're not running out of pulled pork), and other fine dining establishments keep my belly happy.
5. Beautiful Family; Beautiful Friends: Home is where the heart is and the heart is where my family and friends are. Detroit is the core of my existence, because this is where my favorite people live (well, most of them). Detroiters are like no one else and I love them (even if some of them are total jerks).