Here in the US, today is a holiday called Thanksgiving. A few years ago my grandmother asked us to start saying out loud what we were thankful for at the dinner table. It's not as easy a thing as you think. It's often hard to do without crying.
But I believe that it is very good for us to stop doing and getting and talking and thinking and just take a moment to be thankful. Most importantly, it's really important to say it *out loud,* where the other person can hear you.
Of course I want to thank you all, the readers of Okazu. You are all interesting people, who make me laugh and often, think. You give me hours of conversation here on the blog and behind the scenes. I love your comments - even when I need to tell you to "stop now," and I especially love when you talk amongst yourselves in the comments. Without you, the fans, this would be just another manga and anime blog - you make it great. I would love to name you by name, but there are honestly too many of you to do so. If you have ever commented here - I mean you.
I would particularly like to thank Komatsu-san and A-san, for making a dream trip possible for me this year. It was nothing I expected, nothing I wished for, nothing I could have possibly have thought would happen. But you both made it happen and for that, I am eternally thankful. You are both special people who I am immensely thankful to have met.
I would also like to say thanks to my favorite alien Rica, because without her the world would be a much, much less interesting place!
I would like to thank Twitter. Because of Twitter I have become closer not only to so many of you, but so many amazing thinkers, writers, artists, editors...it's definitely pulled the anime and manga world closer. So close that last night I was discussing Wilhelm Reich's orgone box with a manga artist I know in Japan. Now *that's* a small world. ^_^
I want to thank my staff and friends at Yuricon, particularly Sean, Bruce and Serge for being the best lackeys in the world. You can't buy that kind of dedication, but I will try, with small, meaningless plastic items from Japan. ^_^
Last, I want to thank my wife for...everything.
Thank you all.
I wish you all a happy day, and if you'd like to add in any thanks in the comments, I'd love to hear them!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.