I hope all of you are having a restful holiday. This Thanksgiving, I'm feeling culturally appreciative of the following things:
1) The bureaucracy nerd in me is thankful that we're getting a movie based on Team of Rivals, and that Daniel Day Lewis is going hard by starting out in Illinois. The bureaucracy nerd in me is also concerned with who will be playing Lincoln's Cabinet secretaries. Lincoln's important for that story. But the men behind him are critical too.
2) I'm thankful we've got a romantic comedy coming out that's set in Washington. Any time I get to see Reese Witherspoon in my town, and Owen Wilson in a Nationals uniform, it's a good though.
3) I'm incredibly psyched that Ron Chernow's got another ginormous biography out, this time of our first president. I fully intend to alternate Washington: A Life, and Cryptonomicon.
And on a personal note, I'm so glad for all of you. Talking to you guys via comments and email, and getting to know some of you in real life, has been an incredible gift over the last year and a half. You make me a better writer, a better thinker, and on some days, a much better person. Thank you.