I have often said that Sepia Mutiny is the best thing I’ve done with my life during the past two years. Thanks to this blog, I have been given ridiculously cool opportunities (BlogHer, NPR, starring roles in academic papers) as well as a platform to say anything. That latter truth still knocks me over and leaves me breathless. I get to speak to thousands? Who am I? NO ONE. And yet, you trust me, you like me, you respect me enough to listen to me, even when you know you probably won’t agree with me. That’s love, yo. Every single day, when I wake up and hit my SM bookmark, I’m filled with a little bit of awe that this is real, that this community exists, and that you’ve allowed me to be part of it.

I am so thankful for all of you, commenters, lurkers, haters alike. 🙂

I know I tend to express it whenever there’s a meetup, because that’s the logical moment to do so, but I feel this way all the time. What a dynamic, accomplished, enlightened, fascinating group you all are! What a community you have helped create! I hear it time and again, “I never had desi friends, I didn’t do SASA in college…but I love SM.” I always reply, “it’s like we collected you and your counterpart, from every school in America, katamari-like and brought all of us ‘different’ desis together…which is why we seem to get along.”

Whatever we have done, it is magic. Our meetups are proof of this. Ever expanding, multi-hour-spanning, shimmering parties where disappointment and boredom are impossible, where we fall a little more in love with each other and thus weave this mutinous web tighter, which we leave with aching faces because we have smiled and laughed so much. As I look back on 2006, a truly difficult year for me and my family, I am struck by how the majority of good memories I take with me involve this blog and all of you who live within it. You who refresh SM constantly, you who show up, you, who care.

Have I told you how much I dig all of you? 🙂 If it’s not clear yet, read on…this is a list in progress, I’ve typed it during breaks from my cousins’ traditional drunken Thanksgiving feast and it is by no means complete.

This is what I am currently, mutinously thankful for:

• absolutgcs- for being a regular and for your encouragement, at a moment when I truly needed it.

• Al Mujahid- for being comfortingly familiar, for sticking to your guns, for employing sarcasm to great effect, for being pro-debauchery!

• Amitabh- for being so devoted to language (I sweat that, I’m the same way), for leaving memorable comments (one is still stuck in my head, it may inspire an entire post), for being here, for forgiving my senseless omission of you during the first two rounds.

• Arzan- for hosting one of the most cozy meetups, ever. for cooking all of us yummy Parsi food, for being one of my favorite regulars (back when you were still here), for being so veg-friendly. 🙂

• Asha’s Dad- for sick taste in music and even sicker skillz with the comments. Your 55s give me chills and your mere presence makes this space better.• Ashvin- for being a gentleman, for setting such a good example for the rest of us, for being another one of my favorite regulars. 🙂

• Badmash- How could I forget you? Former fotologger, current blogger, forever a favorite, consistently sensitive commenter. AND you use TypePad? Have you any flaw? No, none.

• Barmaid- for flawless writing, “I love you”s, hilarious comments, knowing glances, Madras-kappi-drenched brunches at Amma with (or without!) the parents, HS-related merriment (I’m watching him now!), sisterhood beyond the sorority house, glittery adventures at Sephora, “JBF”-refs, tag-team party pwnage, great hair and so much more. 🙂

• BidiSmoker- for reppin’ the dirty dirty like it’s your G-d-given duty to and most of all, for having excellent taste in a “few notable exceptions”. 😉 For keeping the Mutiny an…interesting place.

• Bong-Breaker- for being so suave, I gnashed my teeth when I didn’t get to run in to you in NYC. For being unforgettable, no matter what you think. For being so delicious, I miss your comments. 🙁

• Brimful- for being our most devoted, yet silent supporter, for hand-knit scarves which feel like hugs, for being the most thoughtful person I know, for comments more sweet than snark, for your PHENOMENAL taste in music, for believing in this thing we try and do, for accepting hugs you probably don’t want and smiling kindly anyway…and a few dozen other things I’m forgetting at the moment. 🙂

• BrooklynBrown- I’ve never told you this, but I love your memoir-esque writing. I was haunted after I read you. I’m so glad you’re here.

• Chai- fellow mellow one (who else digs mindfulness as much?), crazy-fun Konk and conscious, righteous commenter…the very elevators here miss you. I wouldn’t be here, if it weren’t for you and I’m so grateful to you for it.

• Chick Pea- for hummus and initial magnets, which made me feel so special. 😀

• CinnamonRani- for your gorgeous smile on M street post-meetup, for your encouraging words, for your precious experiences, which you are so generous to share, which enrich us.

• coach diesel- for a handle which combines two of my favorite brands, for a fresh perspective, for your absolute fierceness. You’re new, but I hope you become a member of the fam.

• daycruz- for giving me the most fun reason ever to annoy the hell out of my mother (“Mom? What does thendi mean?”), for reawakening a latent desire to reconnect with my mother tongue.

• DDiA- for being assloads of fun at the NYC Memorial Day meetup (a girl…and her broom?), for repping eye-eye-tee to the fullest, for making me wish I were a good five years younger, so I could hit on you shamelessly. Oh yeah, your comments are hot, too. 😉

• DesiDancer- Hello, gorgeous. The twin facts that you exist and that you do it so fiercely (who else can rock a side ponytail??) make me want to pirouette, that is, when you’re not inspiring my shoulders to twitch. From subway rides to Arzan’s joint in Brooklyn during which we bared our souls to your steadfast loyalty, I adore you for just being you. I heart you, but doesn’t everyone? You are teh hawt, girrrrl.

• Desi Nole- One of the simplest, silliest, sweetest pleasures I’ve known because of SM came from you; I’m forever your shawty. Did you have any idea, when you bestowed that nickname, that it would delight me so completely and survive the tests of 55-free Fridays and time? 🙂

• DJ Drrrty Poonjabi- for getting my six, for calling out patrons of Massengill and Summer’s Eve, for ever-present emoticons and general merriment. You are one of the few people here whom I’ve yet to meet, whom I desperately want to… 🙂

• DTK- for exceptionally memorable comments, mysore masala dosas, enchanting two-mile walks to the morg and sacrificed principles (the end justified the means, right?)

• Emma- for near-perfect attendance at NY meetups!

• Floridian- for being the kind of Dad we all wish we had had.

• Fuerza Dulce- I consider you worthy of thanks zimbly because your handle aside, you had my six on the “sugar in dahi is an abomination!”-debate. When I had my mac-and-quattro formaggi yesterday, I smiled and remembered you. You’re another one of the phenomenal women who keep this space balanced and I’m extra glad for it.

• gatamala- for solid liquor recommendations. Respeck! 😉

• GujuDude- a true regular of a Mutineer, the number of comments you have contributed is impressive, but not as impressive as your one-time grocery list from Trader Joe’s and BevMo (I love those stores!) Good taste on you, to go with such intelligent comments.

• hairy d- for embracing your inner mathangya, for hilarious comments but most of all, for displaying a niceness which I can practically touch.

• Ismat- for the beauty which is Nirali AND your presence here…I bow down, madame, I bow.

• Kenyandesi- Whenever this bachi and a camera are around, I am guaranteed one stunning picture. Is there anything finer than a Bryn Mawr girl? 🙂 According to my Canon elph, no. As her comments prove over and over again, she’s sensationally feisty. She is irresistible as is, but the fact that she recently gave me massive slabs of BRITISH Cadbury (which tastes quite different from Amreekan Cadbury) made me weak in the knees. I’m a Cadbury-fieeeend and somehow, she remembered this and procured accordingly. See? She’s THOUGHTFUL, too! 😀

• Jai Singh- for your loyalty, your steady presence, your evocative, brilliant 55s, your sense of chivalry. You are so gallant and talented, surely you knew that I had a minor crush on you when you first mutinied?

• JoAT- so much to be thankful for, so little time. 🙂 For making L’oreal such a hot company, I’m an addict baby, that’s no lie. For your strength and your confidence, for constant comments, for making every NYC meetup combustible, for your smile. You’ve got “it” and you’ve got it in spades.

• Kobayashi-san- You are erudite and challenging, the wielder of mighty words and purveyor of profound thoughts. Just when I think I’ve slipped something in a post that will go utterly unnoticed, you will note it, appreciate it and make me all swoony that you did.

• Kurma- for the way you think and how you articulate it. We wouldn’t be the same without all your flavor.

• Kush Tandon- I don’t know anything about you and I don’t interact with you unless it’s via comments, yet you are such a solid presence at SM. I love your flickr pictures, but I love that you are here, more.

• Maisnon- For advice, advice and then more advice…ALL of it logical and wise, for coining “Desi, PLEASE” and fifty other genius phrases, for wearing Mulla poo in your thalamoodi, for moonlit heart-to-hearts in Arlington, for sitting through odd Malayalam movies with me, for your smile, for knowing the right Yoda-ism to spout at the right moment, for being almost exactly as Mallu as I am and thus making me feel less alone, for NOT being a “chicken curry girl”…all I have to say to YOU is one mighty “MMMMMM”.

• Manish- From Hum until now, we were destined. An original in every sense of the word. For making a Mutiny appear from thin air, for dozens of banners I still thrill to, for witty wordplay, for support (tech and otherwise, mostly the otherwise), for white russians at a library where you got congratulated for your pretty wife 😉 and plenty of other things that I don’t care to state in public. Hard to believe, but I don’t put EVERYTHING out there, people.

• Manju- for single-handedly keeping this from being a liberal blog 😉

• maya- for being such an awesome GIRL, for appreciating descriptions of cute clothes, for owning an even cuter blog name. I am grande-brat, to your poco. 😀

• Mayur- for being good company at our first DC meetup, for watching me like a hawk when I counted the scrill afterwards. 😉

• MD- Emdee-di. I don’t remember how I found your brilliant TypePad blog, but I remember how I fell in love with your voice, the way you could evoke melancholy, wistfulness and hope, within the same (non-)fiction sentence. When I started 55Fridays, I recall thinking that if you could paint such beautiful pictures with such short posts, maybe the rest of us could, too. The second time SM ever did it, you titled it. Also? For being my didi. 🙂

• Msichana- for forgiving me in advance for not including you in the first edition, for gracing DC Meetup #2 in such a beautiful sari, for expanding how we perceive the diaspora, for making me gleeful about the fact that you found Kenyandesi through us!

• Musical- for an adorable handle and always enjoyable comments.

• Nina Paley- for your firm kundi, your mad artistic skillz, your solid commitment to girl power (I always cared more about Sita anyway), your consistent recognition of my choice of footwear for meetups (because I always put some thought in to it and it’s fantastic to be noticed).

• No von Mises- SM’s own gerrymandering commenter. You recently demanded redistribution of bloggers and meetups. This possessor of TWO poli-sci degrees was delighted at your efforts, even if she has no idea what your handle means. 😉

• Oneup- for telling it EXACTLY like it is. For calling out BS and then edifying us, even within the seemingly superficial confines of an ANTM post.

• Pied Piper- for your most recent email and once upon a time, a flurry of extra witty ones from Paris. For the temporary “gift” of furniture. Oh yes, for your devotion to this community, which you believe in as much as I do.

• Pooja- for warmth, for that smile, for having awesome taste in a Mr. Pooja ;), for making every instance when I see you feel like Christmas, for every one of your comments AND the amazing opportunities you update our Events tab with, for coming up to me at that pub, post-Bay Leaf… 🙂

• Prashantji!- for being huggable, for those black and cokes, for omnivorous biblophilia, for being so smart! For knowing and believing in me from wayyy back.

• Razib- you adorable, precious, dorky geneticist. I heart you, let me count the ways: for always standing up for a blogger’s right to be mutinous and to do it their way, for complicated yet fascinating scientific explanations of everything, for always knowing the answer and being so cutely matter-of-fact about it. For excellent taste in GFs and for being part of one of my favorite memories, from my last trip home. You’re good peeps, kid. I think it’s hilarious that the first time I read GNXP, I hated you so much, I heatedly complained to Vij and Ennis about how evil you were…and now you are one of my favorite people on SM. THAT is a solid love story, yo. 😉

• Red Snapper- for bringing the Brit, for erudite comments, for alter egos who own my knickers. 😉

• Ritam- for your sensitivity, your fairness, your words.

• Sahej- you’re good folks. Your comments are proof of that.

• Sahelikins- despite your affection for eggplant and the fact that you SHAMELESSLY pimped me out to Vinod, I appreciate you for a thousand things: among them, for your kindness, your sweetness, your diplomacy and your always edifying words. You’ll never take BART home from a meetup, not while I have a car. DC is even sweeter when you are here.

• Shruti- for consistent sweetness, for getting me.

• Sin- for writing which makes me grateful that I have eyes, charm which makes me swoon and most of all, for humoring me every time I casually propose to you because you are so defiantly you and I sweat that.

• SJM- For funny comments and irrational exuberance when it comes to galvanizing the DC Mutiny. For getting it. Hell, for everything (it’s been a long seven years).

• SM Intern- for slogging through the dirty work, with nary a complaint.

• Sonia Kaur- a.k.a. “original Sonia”, as I prefer to call you…for your steady California-girl presence here (because it made this space less male), for your appreciation of Tryst and your making meetups even meatier. I’ve got your six when it comes to Ash, you know this.

• Sriram- For trips to Madras Palace for Southie perfection, for confessional text messages and literal support in addition to the figurative. 🙂

• tamasha- Nuff respeck! Oh, user of Typepad (that alone is enough), purveyor of awesome blog tagline and molder of the future– I sweat you, too, even though I’m not worthy of your blogroll. 😉

• Tash- for being the sort of person whom, though I currently don’t know you well, I really want to get to know.

• Terence- you’re not so ubiquitous here at the Mutiny, but your stellar taste in sick hiphop needs to be called out and saluted. I bow to you, oh savant of beats.

• t-hype- for being a cool kid but hanging out with me anyway, even after I blew up your spot on SM.

• UberMetroMallu- for all of your gentle sarcasm and wit. You give me hope that I’ll be married yet. 🙂

• voiceinthehead- for an interesting handle and even more interesting comments.

• Yeti- for comments I consummately and consistently yenjoy AND for visiting me on my Diary, where I least expected you, which utterly delighted me.

• YoDad- you know, I think you might be the only person on this list I’ve thanked publically long before THIS post. 🙂 You have single-handedly made this community so much more fun, even as Abhi smacks his forehead. Speaking of, I’m extra thankful to you and YoMom for him, else we wouldn’t even be here. For baklava, old skool photographs and your much-beloved words. (p.s. I’m vegetarian!)

• ZimblyMallu- for being zimbly the best, for speaking Malayalam to me in the comments, for making meetups even more fun, for specifically requesting that I attend meetups 😀 thus making me feel precious, for making this fraud Mallu feel like we are one. Oh yeah, your comments are great, too. 😉

. Abhi- for vision, brilliant ideas you shepherd to fruition and beyond, giving time you don’t have, notoriously brief marriages and being all gang-recognize-gang in the bang bang with regards to superpowers. Father of the Mutiny, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. I am grateful, I am yours.

. Amardeep- Sweetest Professor, I still don’t know what “reification” means, but I could listen to you gently explain it for days. I’m so glad you are here, I’m so glad you introduce us to mental candy we’d otherwise never taste and I’m SO glad you are a Dad, because any baby who rests in your arms is a blessing for all of us, a rockstar-in-the-making.

. Ennis- Our other Sardar, one of the originals, one of my own. More apple-flavored than New York and kinder than Mother Theresa, my life would be less, if I didn’t know you.

. Neha- Hellllo Nurse! Beauty within and out, prose so pretty, pictures so sweet. My friends and I all thought you had the best blog name EVER. I can’t wait until I read more.

. Sajit- Once upon a time, at GW, you offered to work for my future Congressonal Campaign. Oh, you thought I forgot? 🙂 I wish you were around the bunker more often, but I still sweat your ridiculously good taste in appetizers at Rasika. Colonials reprazent!

. Siddhartha- Shidhortho, half-Bong, half-Jew, how I sweat the cocktail that is you. Busboys and Poets or NYC cafes, it matters not, every time I see you, it’s restorative, it’s sweetness concentrated. You are magnificent to hug and even better to read. I’m still giddy that the Ill Hindu is part of my crew.

. Vinod- The other Malaylee in the bunker. My future ex-husband, my current comrade in not-leftiness. We go wayyy back at this point, to a story which requires alcohol to unlock (though not much, I asure you). 3V, I finally forgive you for being so DICK when I called you and asked you about blogging in 2003. 😉 How was I supposed to remember that it was “vinod.com”? 😀

. Paul- for enabling defilement of one Harry Potter. For teaching me how to take a picture sans-flash. For geometrically influencing said pictures. For reading HERstory and leaving such memorable comments, especially about mapmaking. For Bam Thwok and Galang. For being a friend long before you moved in to the bunker.

. Kunjan- for your skillz, for being patient with the tech-tarded, for stepping up and taking the reins when we (and especially I) felt so lost. For finally defining the difference between “hits” and “page views” in a way so zimble, even I could grok it. For forgiving me for not typing this on a boozy Thursday night.