I had a terrible day at work today, and I didn't even realize it until I got home and cried into my pillow for ten minutes. My brother cheered me up in a most appropriate way, though—buying me pizza (and CinnaStix!) and watching The Two Towers with me.

It reminded me of three of my best friends—Boy, Pimp, and Cooley. They learned early on that I am a pirate by day and a crybaby by night. That's not entirely accurate. The best summary of my personality actually came from Boy: "easily broken, easily fixed." And my closest friends? They know all the right fixes. It's why we get along so splendidly.

I've actually been broadcasting those magic cures as the subtitle of this blog for many years (unintentionally, believe it or not), but I'll save everyone the trouble of scrolling/clicking and just list them here:

• pizza
• chocolate
• Lord of the Rings
• pirates

Combine multiple items for bonus points (and to stop serious cases of the weepies). Garnish with sock monkeys and kittens.

So Chris, when you sent the boxed copy of The Silmarillion and two huge bars of Canadian chocolate? You fixed me up for at least a week. Jace and Brooke, you both combined chocolate and pirates, so two more weeks were saved. Chicago as a whole keeps me covered in the pizza department, and Warner Bros. just stepped in with Blu-ray discs and digital downloads (hobbits on my iPhone!) to make sure my Lord of the Rings needs were extra satisfied.

All of this is a really long-winded way of saying thank you. Thank you, family and friends and cities and giant corporations for taking care of this silly little girl. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings heaped upon me, and I only hope to be diligent in sharing those blessings with others.

. . . Okay, fine. I also hope that the extended edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy comes to Blu-ray super duper soon.