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There are more than a few reasons to be grateful for

Given the obesity epidemic engorging the United States, celebrating Thanksgiving by eating way too much is a little like having a half-price sale at a crackhouse.

Not to be a killjoy, but maybe we should be marking the holiday with a few more hikes and jumping jacks, and fewer servings of turkey and dressing. And I say that as one who definitely could benefit from reduced trips to the cranberry sauce dish.

Anyway, in the spirit of high energy/low caloric celebrations, here's a list of trans-fat-free things I am thankful for, and a matching highly aerobic dance of thanks to whittle away those holiday pounds.

• Hiking trail polka: Speaking of aerobic activities, I am thankful almost nobody hikes in this town. We live minutes away from the Sandias, but only a joyfully small percentage of us traipse through these mountains. As residents of Denver or Seattle can tell you, the invigorating feel of a good, brisk hike is somewhat curtailed when you spend your whole time crammed in a conga line of hiking parties. No such problem here. So everybody go out for a hike this Thanksgiving, and make me, once again, wrong.

• Arctic salsa: I am thankful it is finally, finally getting cool enough in Albuquerque that I can stop guiltily enjoying the warm November weather while loudly stating my concerns about global warming to anyone who will, or even refuses to, listen. Maybe there should be a climate change confessional, staffed by leading climatologists, to listen to our sinful, unusually warm-weather thoughts, or special therapists to deal with carbon-footprint guilt. Nah, it's getting cold this weekend: What global warming?

• Happy electoral jig: I am thankful New Mexico is primed to serve as Election Central 2008, a complete referendum on a post-Bush world, in which every N.M. federal seat is open and political pandemonium is sure to be widespread. It's like hosting the World Cup or something. I can hardly wait for Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart to broadcast from Civic Plaza. Now if we only had 50 electoral votes instead of five.

• Red-light camera exotic burlesque: I am thankful for everything concerning Albuquerque's red-light camera program, from accidents it helps avoid (allegedly), to its helpful influence on our widespread crew of crazy drivers, to Mayor Martin Chavez and his politically suggestive fan dance of appearing and disappearing support for the program. I am also thankful that there are no red-light cameras along my commute. Being thankful for a program is so much easier when it requires no sacrifice on your part, and my South Valley will get red-light cameras — uh, never.

• Freedom of the press touchdown celebration dance: OK, it's not like being thankful for work done to stop worldwide poverty or cure Type II Diabetes, but I am thankful the newspaper you are holding (or viewing online) is still being published. Even and especially in this day of information overload, we need all the high-quality news sources we can get, and I say that as a member of the blogging "information overload central" community. Here's hoping, against hope perhaps, I can still be thankful for this a year from now.