Student gives wide-ranging list of thanks

You’re in debt, exhausted and drowning in an academic sea of textbooks. But don’t worry — there’s a light at the end of every tunnel. Here are 10 things (in no particular order) to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday.

Carter Moulton

10. Loans

Loans are stupid — but I wouldn’t be here at MSU without them.

9. The Spartans are bowl eligible

Our expectations might have been lofty or our execution might have been faulty. Either way, Spartans everywhere can be thankful that we won’t be reheating Christmas dinner leftovers this bowl season — like Rich Rodriguez and company. Despite our mediocre record, it’s looking more and more like MSU might be headed to a New Year’s Day bowl — check that, a post-New Year’s Day bowl.

8. 2009 has been a superb year for music

Animal Collective kept me dreaming through the winter. St. Vincent and Grizzly Bear built me up for summer break, which Passion Pit and Phoenix kicked off with a bang. Dirty Projectors provided Fourth of July fireworks and school crawled back into the picture while Kings of Convenience swirled the colors of autumn together, leaving me to conclude that the musicality of 2009 is worth applauding.

7. Family and that handful of really good friends

I’m talking about the people who call you when you’re sick, the people you can have quiet conversations with and the people who surprise you with a customized cake for your birthday. The people who know every weakness, every flaw you have and still, for some reason, stick around. I’m thankful for those people.

6. Walt Disney Pictures returns to classic hand-drawn animation.

“The Princess and the Frog” is the first 2-D animated Disney film in five years to be released into theaters.

The film, which is being released Wednesday in select cities and expanding into theaters nationwide Dec. 11, looks like it will provide the escapism and adventure of the Disney classics we grew up with. John Musker and Ron Clements are co-directing, and their résumé is perhaps the most exciting news: “The Great Mouse Detective,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” just to name a few.

5. Thanksgiving break

It’s been 78 days since we’ve had a break of any kind.

WTF.

We don’t have a “fall break” to be thankful for, but I suppose it makes this two-day — and for those of us such as myself who don’t have Friday classes, one-day — extension all the more welcome.

For me, seeing the extended family always is memorable, and Thanksgiving always is the time when family stories become legends and lore.

4. Hobbiton was rebuilt

OK geeks, it’s time to crawl out of your hobbit holes. Guillermo del Toro is adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” as a two-part film.

This year saw the finishing of the scripting process, the beginnings of casting rumors and most importantly, the rebuilding of Hobbiton in New Zealand.

The film, which finally has been legally cleared, is set to start shooting in March 2010.

3. Broadway is coming to MSU

Times are tough, no doubt, but I’m really excited to see some top-tier musicals and theater pieces coming to Wharton Center.

Irvin Berlin’s “White Christmas,” “101 Dalmatians,” “Young Frankenstein” and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” along with a few others, have been added to Wharton’s lineup. I’m thankful I go to a university where such high-quality productions are an option.

2. Jim and Pam got married

Finally. Has NBC’s “The Office” jumped the shark? It’s debatable. The series will never reach the suspense and engagement it had back when Jim and Pam were “just friends,” but Jim cutting that tie — wow. They’ve done a decent job of creating conflict throughout the season, although I wish they’d get back to the basics: Jim vs. Dwight and Dwight vs. Andy. The marriage episode was a bright spot that had everyone talking about “The Office” again.

1. We’re alive

As college students, we have opportunities to explore ourselves and our dreams — something not all are afforded. No matter how many problems we have — whether it’s the stress at work or the uncertainty of the future — at least we’re around to have them. So this Thanksgiving, my 20th, I think I’m most thankful for simply being here right now.