Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm not sure I've ever felt so obligated to feel thankful for everything in my life as I do this year. What better way to express this than by posting a long-ass entry in my blog, right?

(Or, as our friends over at xkcd would say: "a long ass-entry".)

So, I've been creating a list in my head of things I'm thankful for, in no particular order.

I'm thankful to Robb Kunz at KnowledgeBlue for believing in the value Iodynamics could bring to his company and absorbing us so we can work together toward a common goal. It hasn't been the easiest thing for me to do, having been "my own boss" pretty much since 2003, but it has been a tremendous learning experience and II've tried very hard to keep looking at it as such.

I'm thankful to Thom, Adam, and Mike -- my colleagues and friends that shared the experience of running Iodynamics with me. They work alongside me now at KnowledgeBlue and I value their friendship, talents, and zeal. I'm also thankful to Stephen for working with us at Iodynamics. I'm glad we were able to teach him a lot of neat stuff and become great friends before he went off to teach for Guru Labs.

Dave and Chadd were instrumental along the way in making Iodynamics what it became, so I am very thankful for their contributions and for their friendship, which continues to this day despite the fact we no longer work together or see each other very often.

Where would I be today without Linus Torvalds and the open source community? I can't imagine where I would be. While I was a Unix person for a few years before Linux hit the scene, I didn't turn my back on the world of living under Bill Gates' thumb until Red Hat Linux was released. It's been about ten years now that I've been running Linux as my primary desktop operating system and twelve years I've been running it on servers as part of my jobs. While I would undoubtably still be doing something with computers had Linux not existed, I woudln't have been able to do the very cool things I've done and it woudln't have been as fun or as productive. Linux and open source software just rocks!

Before we leave the topic of Linux and the open source community, I want to shout out to some local folks that I'm very grateful for. Clint, for following through with the creation of the Utah Open Source Conference and the Utah Open Source Foundation and realizing a vision of a regional community of open source enthusiasts and supporters. Jayce, for his constant friendship and leadership.

I also can't go onto the next topic without expressing my thanks for the IRC community from the #utah channel on Freenode.net. The comradery and friendship I've enjoyed from #utah has been a great joy to me over the years. This has got to be perhaps one of the most fun, considerate, and polite groups of geeks I've had the opportunity to hang out with online in all my years on the Net.

I am very grateful to my church -- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints -- and my local church leaders. I have been very standoffish in my participation in my religion for most of my life until this last year. While I'm still not a social butterfly as far as that is concerned, I have come to gain a much-needed new appreciation for the value of service to my fellow man during this last year. This began in April when I spent the entire day volunteering on Temple Square in Salt Lake City during the Spring session of General Conference. I was helping to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic and over the course of the day, I saw thousands of fellow church members going to and from conference meetings and strolling about on the grounds of Temple Square. I came away from this experience with one very distinct impression: We are a beautiful people! I'm not just saying that because I saw a lot of pretty women (I did), but because just about everyone I saw was glowing, not just with happiness, but with a wonderful purpose. It was a subtle reminder that we're all in this life together and I can't think of a better group of people to be traveling through this life with.

I am thankful, of course, to my parents and my siblings. As I have grown older, I have realized two things: They are far from perfect; They are wonderful, good people. My mom and dad have been wonderful role models of service. Both of them are a lot more comfortable dealing with people than I am and it encourages me to get out of my shell. Many reading this may not know that my dad was a Utah state senator for twelve years when I was growing up. During that time, he worked hard to support the passage of bills that promoted conservative policies that were pro-Free Enterprise and personal responsibility. When I think back of some of the stupid ideas I had when I was younger and how tolerant my dad was of my misguided beliefs, it only increases my respect for him.

A couple years ago, I enjoyed listening to Jerry Doyle on the radio. He's a pretty cool guy, used to work as a Hollywood actor and now broadcasts his syndicated conservative talk radio program out of Las Vegas. His affiliate in Salt Lake removed his show and I was ticked off. I think they replaced him with Michael Savage who is angry, bitter, crotchety and not very satifying to listen to unless you are also angry, bitter, and crotchety. I wrote to the radio station to complain and, of course, got absolutely no response back. A few weeks later, my brother-in-law, Adam, asked me what I thought of this new guy they put in the afternoon spot Jerry Doyle used to occupy. I hadn't heard him, but I was happy they got rid of Michael Savage. Adam told me this guy was really funny, did a good show, and his name was Glenn Beck.

I gave Glenn a listen and was hooked immediately. In early 2006, I let my Rush Limbaugh 24/7 subscription expire and became a Glenn Beck Insider and a regular listener. It was also in 2006 that Glenn started up his TV show on CNN's Headline News and I was there from Day 1... even though the first episode really sucked. There were only about five of us that "got it."

Glenn's political philosophy mirrors mine almost perfectly and his re-embracing of religion in middle age is entirely relateable to me. His honesty, humility and sarcasm are refreshing. If I ever meet him in person, I'll probably bawl my head off.

In April of this year, right after radio personality Don Imus was fired for making a racial slur on the air, Glenn complained about the political correctness of the move without apologizing for Don Imus's comments. There was some talk of other prominent radio personalities like Glenn being taken off the air because their comments could be offensive to some people. Glenn took an extended vacation beginning April 16 but before he left, he appealed to his audience for more voices, not less. As he signed off he said, "You have your voice and others will start losing their voice if you don't start using yours."

I remember these words had a profound effect on me. I don't have a radio program, but I do have a couple ways of sharing thoughts with other people. One is this blog. Another is video. I decided I would work on creating my own brand of education and opinion through my blog and through my own video productions online. Thus, Solitary World was born. I haven't done much with it yet; Still trying to feel it out and find the best approach. I don't even know if it will be political, but it may be. We'll see.

I am very thankful to Glenn Beck... for everything he is and everything he does. Thanks, man.

Finally, there's my wife and kids. Sure, Glenn Beck is a nice guy and all, but if there was one person in this world who is singlehandedly responsible for me becoming a better person over the last decade or so, it's my wife. Her support (and tolerance) of me seems to have no boundaries. I don't know where I would be without her. I know it wouldn't be quite as nice as it is here.

My kids are wonderful and I can't be thankful enough for what the experience of being their earthly father has brought into my life. They are the most precious part of my life and I thorougly enjoy teaching them, guiding them, and helping them grow up.

If you've made it this far without falling asleep or bashing your computer into pieces, then have a Happy Thanksgiving!