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What better time for a Canadian to express a year of MMOG thankfulness than during the American thanksgiving?
I'm thankful that the most valuable players in the NBA, NHL and MLB are all Canadians. (Nash, Thornton, Morneau) We walk among you. We look just like you, but we hit for .321.

I'm thankful that the new generation of consoles have all been released with integrated Internet connectivity. Maybe someday soon there will be a MMOG that blurs the barrier between PC and console allowing the violence we see in Asia to spill over to Jack Thompson's lawn giving him something to genuinely complain about. Final Fantasy XI you don't count, though you gave it a good try. The console market is simply enormous and blending it into the MMOG market would give already booming genre an extra boost.

I'm thankful that E3 as we knew it is dead. That's right, I'm thrilled, the joy spilling out of me like so many misused adjectives. E3 was a circus and I despise clowns. I enjoy travel like a dog relishes fleas, but i'm excited about being able to attend multiple intimate events rather than a couple of big top carnivals complete with ringmasters and dancing bears. The ringmasters don't tell you anything you didn't already know and the bears, don't get me started on the bears.

Thank you to the teams behind Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures for pushing their games back at least a quarter. Nobody wants to pay for and try out a MMOG that isnt' finished. I'll thank you again if you release them head-to-head with Burning Cruade, the World of Warcraft expansion. I'm ready for a change and I'd like at least 400,000 other people to make that change with me. I'm tired of WoW, but I can't imagine going back to the new and improved EverQuest 2 or Dungeons and Dragons Online. Starting so far behind the curve would be too painful, even if it is only a perceived pain.

I'm thankful for the readers who continually send me article tips or news links. Matt, Jay, John, and the rest of you...a big round of clap! Special mention to Coyote for his (now defunct) Boomjack facts of the day. In his honour I'll one-off this Coyote fact of the day: Coyote was asked to play the part of Mr. T in the new A-Team. He declined, saying, "I pity that fool, Mr. T."

Thanks to the incredible community managers who make my job so much easier than it should be. I don't possess either the social or writing skills of our CMs, so without them this network would be a daily dose of verbal diarrhea mixed with unwanted opinion. I truly believe that their humour and insight into the MMOG industry is unmatched anywhere on the planet.

A huge thanks to Vin Diesel for giving me a cornucopia of facts to choose from each day. Thanks to Richard Dean Anderson for not being upset that I didn't choose him and thanks to Kirstie alley for sending in the barrage naughty pictures to prove that she is fit, firm and fast-food free. I have them pinned to the ceiling of my bedroom. A heartfelt thanks to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for the invitation to their wedding in Italy. I'm sorry that I couldn't attend, but one can only go to so many celebrity events. Invite me to your next weddings and I promise that I'll be there. I hope you liked the Loading... coffee-table book and autographed thong that I sent as gifts. The book was for Katie, the thong for Tom.

Standing ovations for our sponsors and advertisers (the ones who paid their bills at least) for supporting the site and our readers. We look forward to more beta giveaways and prize filled contests.

A stinking pantload of gratitude to the websites and readers who called me names and shat upon my good nature. Without you the world would be boring, and pleasant. Special acknowledgement to the two ladies who wished me an eternal torment in the burning pits of Hell. May your homes always be mobile and your trailers always be parked. I forgive you.

Last, but certainly not least, I'm extremely thankful to everyone who has made TenTonHammer.com their choice for MMOG information, and especially to those who read Loading... loyally either in its newsletter (e-mail ) format or via the Loading... blog. Without you I'd be back wearing a shoecam trying to make ends meet hocking videos to somethingawful or ebaumsworld.

What are you most thankful for?

Don't forget to post in our forums or at the bottom of this blog. If you are shy (or female and sending in naughty pictures) you can E-Mail me.

Every good guild needs a home. A home free of gold ads and secondary market farmers. Look no further than GuildPortal.com.

Exclusive new TenTonHammer.com Content!
Let us entertain you or at the very least waste some of your time at work.11.22.2006 Exclusive Content Dungeons and Dragons Online: 3rd Level Arcana
"The Module 3 update content for Dungeons & Dragons Online brought with it a heap of new spells. As you get ready to think about turkey-induced naps, Darkgolem is busy updating our guide to 3rd level arcane spells." Vin Diesel Fact of the Day - Vin Diesel thanks himself for his own omnipotence. Now from the real world. You can't make this stuff up. Airline Offering Free Beer On Thanksgiving Flights
What could go wrong? Muslims Criticize U.S., Chant, On Plane
Then wonder why they were escorted off and claim discrimination. U.S. Building Robotic Space Planes
All hail our weightless robotic overlords! GameStop Gets More PS3, Wii
I bet nobody saw that coming.

As always, thanks for visiting TenTonHammer.com,
-- John "Boomjack" Hoskin