#365Gratitude Day 357: OK, so I have ONE spoiler.

I've joined that elusive, and ever-dwindling club, Those What Have Seen The Star Wars And What Don't Want to Spoil It For Others.

I have a lot of friends in this club.  Been sharing this ridiculous picture of a car's rear spoiler with the STAR WARS logo on it with them, and each time I do, they laugh.

Besides sharing this little bit of silliness with you, there actually is this sort of semi-serious gratitude related to it.  I have noticed a lot of drama, a lot of sturm und drang on social media over people getting all hot and bothered under the collar about other people spoiling the movie for them.  People say, "Hey, don't you jackasses spoil this movie for me!" or "I'm just warning you, I'm going to not be on twitter/facebook/whatevs for a while to avoid all you spoiler-bitches."

I simultaneously roll my eyes at this, and at the same time, do understand.  I roll my eyes at people's assumption that if they aren't on Facebook for a while it will be really terrible for others.  How vapid!  

(Don't get me wrong, in recent weeks I've come to really enjoy facebook, and get a lot of utility out of it.  I have decided to enjoy it on my own terms.)

But I do understand.  People say this stuff because they're (just like me) frail, fragile imperfect human beings.  They each have their own joys, fears, braveries, insecurities.  My getting upset that people get upset is my own sort of "no-spoiler" pain.  

So I'm grateful for spoilers, and not sharing them.  Look at all the learning I'm doing about others by not telling them things they don't want to know.

#365Gratitude Day 356: Just recently, right here on earth...

So I've been a Star Wars fan since I first saw Episode IV, back when I was six years old, in 1977.  I remember sitting in the movie theater, and trembling a bit when Darth Vader force-choked Admiral Motti.  

Okay, let's be honest.  It scared me, so much so that I actually wet my pants.  But I didn't say anything because I was both a bit ashamed and like really into the movie.

Anyhow, so years go by.  I faithfully watch and absolutely love episodes V and VI.  It all feels so bittersweet when episode VI ends, because, well, that's all folks.

Then, the prequels came out.  I really wanted to like them.  Episode I is, in a word, terrible.  I wish I liked it.  I don't.  It crushed me a little, really.

I'm a fanboy.  It's not a title I wear with even the least bit of shame.  There's even a movie about some Star Wars fanboys on a mission to watch Episode I with their terminally ill friend.  It's a hysterical movie which Spacey and I have watched together, because he's a fanboy too.  (In fact, he is the one who introduced me to the film.)

Episodes II and III are okay.  I don't mind them.  But I don't watch them over and over the way I do the original movies.  They don't speak to me.

When I first heard Episode VII, The Force Awakens was coming out, I had very mixed feelings.  I didn't want to get hoodwinked.  I'd sort of put aside my feelings of being let-down by the prequels, and developed a veneer of careful apathy.

I watched the trailers, but with a careful distance.  

Then Missy, Marybeth and I got tickets to see it.  In IMAX, in 3-D at the Air & Space Museum Extension over by Dulles Airport.  I couldn't maintain my jaded, and let's admit it, artificial ennui anymore.  I was hyped.

So we went.

And it was, in a word, glorious.

I felt like I was six again.  I laughed, cheered, cried, made the appropriate ooh's and ahh's at all the right points.  (No, I didn't wet my pants.  Although if I'd prepared for it ahead of time, I could have done so comfortably.  Maybe I need to get some tickets to see it again.)

I won't spoil any little bit of it for you.  You should go see it.

People were nervous. Heck I was nervous.  J. J. Abrams? Lens flare guy?  I don't know...

But he did a great job.  The movie bridges the franchise, so that a new generation of actors and stories can continue it.  

I never really gave up on Star Wars.  I was here waiting for it to be great again.  And it is.

My friend Shokolada (who has mad google-fu), found this comic for me, which expresses my heartfelt yearning for, and reconnection to Star Wars so well.

It's like a ray of hope.  (Shush.)

#365Gratitude Day 355: NRE NRG

I've been on cloud nine lately, because of a phenomenon poly people all know about, called NRE.  That stands for New Relationship Energy.

That's because I'm officially dating someone new.  Some of you may know her, her scene name is Squee.

"New Relationship" is kind of a lie, though.  Squee and I have known each other for several years now.  We started as friends, and over the years realized we really understood each other.  We felt this close kinship, and easy ability to talk to each other about anything and everything.

In the past few months. we've leaned on one another a lot, about all sort of things.  Eventually, we realized we were more than friends, that we loved one another.

Well, we had loved one another for a long time.  But this was a new way.  

You know how it makes me feel? It makes me want to squee.

#365Gratitude Day 354: It's good when people you love get you

Squee sent me this Pooh and Piglet pic early Sunday morning.

"What day is it?" asked Pooh.  "It's today." squeaked Piglet.  "My favorite day," said Pooh.

I love this.  I love that she knows I'm the sort who most likely will be up at 5am, and will love to see it.  I love her, too.

#365Gratitude Day 353: Catifsh Ladybug

Sometimes my gratitude isn't one big thing, just a good chain of nice little things.

That was today.

First, I got to have a much needed FaceTime call with my little girl, Katiebug.  I miss her, and she misses me.  We spent a good half hour or so just being schmoopy and loving to one another, and talking about all sorts of good ways to connect and spend time with each other.  It really felt good.

Second, as Missy and I are getting ready to go out to our friend Peanut's daughter's very first birthday party ever, the cats decided to gift me with the elusive double-lap cuddle.

So nice!

Lastly, at the birthday party, amongst the food they put out was a heaping big platter of smoked salmon.  That's a huge treat for me, especially now that I'm pescetarian, and can't have most of the party food that you'd expect.

Score!

What a nice bunch of good things.