Happy Thanksgiving! There. I said it. Thanksgiving. Sounds so good I’ll say it again. Thanksgiving. Not the “Fall Holiday”. Thanksgiving.

I’m writing this at 38,000 feet over Topeka, Kansas (no, I’m not flying the plane). I’m sitting next to my lovely wife on the way to visit our children on “the Left Coast” for Thanksgiving (oops, there I said it again). We’re going to eat turkey and stuffing, wear shorts and T-shirts for a few days, and get my daughter a new battery for her iBook (don’t tell her – it’s a surprise). In preparation for Turkey Day, here’s a short list of things I’m thankful for this year.

At this moment I’m thankful that the air going over the top of the wing, due to the shape of the wing, is going faster than the air going under the wing. Therefore, there is lower pressure above the wing than below, and as we all know from Physics 101, unequal pressures seek to equalize, so, therefore, presto-chango, lift is created, and we continue to fly. Whew.

I’m thankful that, as a Mac user, I can do almost all of my computing with impunity. Mac OS X’s Dictionary Widget defines impunity as “exemption from punishment, or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action”.

I’m thankful that I can surf the web with impunity. There’s no little gremlin inside my Mac logging and reporting the places I’ve been, the keys I’ve stroked, or the passwords I’ve entered, then preparing and displaying pop-up ads “just for me”.

I’m thankful that I can open email attachments with impunity. No fear that, lurking within the document or image, there is a gremlin that will send dubious spam email to everyone in my Address Book, in my name, even.

I’m thankful that I can run my Mac at “full speed” with impunity. No virus/spyware/adware protection software running in the background. No gremlins in there using processor cycles that can be used on something more productive.

Looking out the window, I’m over the Colorado Rockies now. I’m thankful for the natural beauty of God’s green earth. Actually, out here it looks more like God’s brown and white earth. Glad I live in a place that doesn’t get much snow.

Wait a minute. Stewardess! There’s something on the wing! Some thing. On the wing.

Oh, and just as a word of warning, next month I’m going to use the word “Christmas” a couple of times at least. Until next time, stay thankful.

© 2005 Peter F. Zimowski