If you're new to this country or recently emerged from a lifelong vegetative state, don't be alarmed by the carbohydrate-laced smorgasbord on the plate in front of you.
It's only Thanksgiving.
Welcome to the national homage to our historic inability to farm properly. Today, to honor that memory, we'll spend the day yelling at our TVs, binge-shopping and eating food like hedonist gluttons. It makes perfect sense, if you don't think about it.
And as is usually the case when holiday deadlines loom, this is the time of year when lazy writers take advantage of an easy thematic out by cobbling together columns that fill space effortlessly with lists of "Things I'm Thankful For."
(Whatever tone of disgust you might have gleaned from that last statement, don't think for a second that that's not precisely what I plan to do right ... now.)
1. Chattanooga's music scene is still growing. In the last few years, the number of places to hear music - and the number of bands filling them - has definitely been on the rise, directly contradicting the whispers I heard seven years ago that things were bad and getting worse.
Track 29 is selling out shows left and right, and even after a decade, JJ's Bohemia is still going like gangbusters. Next month, the Bohemia will be joined by The Camp House, which is moving from the Southside. That leads me to the next subject of my gratitude ...
2. The community is showing its support for these venues. The Camp House relocation to 149 E. M.L. King Blvd. was partially funded by a Causeway campaign that raised $30,000 to help finish out the new space's kitchen and bar. A variety of funding sources, including a similar Causeway drive, helped raise a significant portion of the funds needed to enact a major renovation at the newly reopened Barking Legs Theater. Nothing indicates a community's support for its arts community than the sound of wallets opening in unison. That's a sign of a healthy arts scene.
3. Because of the vibrancy of our community, I have plenty to write about, which keeps my job interesting. I recently wrote about a sobering statistic that about a third of college grads never get to use their degree. Not only have I been fortunate to avoid that pitfall, what I do is fascinating and rarely dull.
So there you have it. Another Thanksgiving down, another column topic recycled.
When you emerge from your food coma, shoot me an email and tell me what musical happenings you're most grateful for in Chattanooga.
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.