2026-05-18 - What I Feel Grateful For ===================================== I've had a bad cold for the better part of a week now. I seem to be getting better but i have coughs, headache, sneezes, and i feel clumsy & uncomfortable. I figure it's probably not safe for me to go outside and do yard work because i might have an accident or get sicker. So i'm chillin'. I know exactly how i caught it. I was waiting 20 minutes at the bus station and two young women walked by. One turned away from her friend and sneezed directly on me. Gee, thanks! At least it's not hantavirus. Recently i read a phlog entry asking what "you" feel grateful for. I'm out of practice with gratitude practices, so here goes. I feel grateful for: * my access to food * my access to a quiet & safe place to sleep * my body's ability to heal from illness & injury * the people who care about me * my ability to think clearly * my access to more literature than i can read in my lifetime Recently, on a walk, i discovered a white mulberry tree i hadn't seen before, and ate some of the berries. I also found a copy of M Is For Magic by Neil Gaiman in a Little Free Library. I am grateful that i am able to enjoy these little things in life. Little Free Libraries, the local public library, Project Gutenberg, and the Internet Archive are the main places where i find my reading material. I am grateful for all of them. Recently, i watched the live action version of Ghost In The Shell. I watched the anime years ago and this movie seems faithful to the original story. I thought it was well done, though in my opinion they over-used dark lighting. Hey, it worked for Quake, right? I enjoyed the cyberpunk tropes. I am grateful that Generation X, my demographic, is broad and uniform enough that it's the one the entertainment industry chooses to target. Bring on the nostalgia trip movies! I guess that's enough for one post. :) tags: bencollver Tags ==== bencollver