Random Thanksgiving thoughts

— Really enjoying the U2 box sets, especially the B-sides and various remixes. Some of the live songs on the October bonus disc are amazing .... as are the bizarre dance mixes off the War disc.

— Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Don't take for granted health, family and friendship.

— Speaking of friendship, UMR, we might have somebody in common here. Or maybe not.

— Being ignored is a terrible thing, n'est pas? Not being able to figure out why is even worse.

— Somebody asked why I took All The News That Fits off my links. Very simple - he (or she) doesn't blog enough. This person, a former employee of a major Quincy media outlet, has insightful and often searingly accurate criticism of local media. However, for every on target blog he (or she) does, there are a bunch of strange and seemingly pointless entries. This person doesn't live in Quincy, though still lives in the area, and has gone to great lengths to keep his (or her) identity secret. Good reason for that, I'm sure. The IP address out of the Macomb area is very interesting, however. I think I know who it is, but really, it doesn't matter and I won't spill the beans. Besides, it is his (or her) blog , and he (or she) can do whatever he (or she) wants.

— I am happy for Ball State, even though they got lucky against my Chippewas last week. It's a great story, from the depths of a mid-major conference to being unbeaten and possibly screwing up the BCS.

— Too many of you reading this are already preparing for Friday morning's cattle call, also known as Black Friday shopping. I had to write a story about this nine years ago and I am still in regular therapy to try and recover.