Well, all the usual things: family and friends and warm happy holiday gatherings. But this year I'm feeling particularly thankful for my job. Not just having a job, but having such good people to work with and for. We're having one of those schedule crunches this month - everybody in the high-tech industry is familiar with this, I think. Due to newly opened marketing window /demanding customer / unforeseen technical difficulties / whatever we all have to work extra hours to hit an arbitrary project deadline of Jan 31. The differences here are: 1) Management has made a big point of presenting the business case that made the schedule change necessary 2) they don't pull this all the time. 3) bosses are making a point of being there on weekends and late nights, ordering pizza, helping with technical details that are within the capabilities of a manager, and when all else fails handing out chocolate. In the test department (which has been particularly good about not expecting weekend work in the past) one of the managers comes around personally on Monday and thanks anybody who was working the weekend before. Aww. Okay, it's sort of obvious and manipulative, but I appreciate it anyway. At the very least, it sends the message that this is a special circumstance, not just business as usual from now on. Most of us don't mind putting in some extra effort as long as it isn't taken for granted.

I'm always a little nervous about saying how great my job is, because invariably I find myself looking back a year later (as the company goes out of business or gets acquired by a monster company from California) wondering how I could have been so naive. Well, I'm not naive. I know that all work situations deteriorate in the end. That's why I try to appreciate things when they're good.

And that's why I'm working this weekend.