Christopher Bell is a television, film and new media productiongraduate.Send comments to: daletter@mail.sdsu.edu

Hi, friends. I trust your Gluttony Day was eventful. Drop me aline, let’s compare notes, and we’ll see how yours stacks up.

Before I get started this week, let me redress a grievous errormade in my last column. Here, in its entirety, is my unabridged listof things that I am thankful for this year:

I am thankful for Megan Howe, the most supporting and lovingperson I have ever known. I am thankful for a family that surpassestime and distance. I am thankful for lifelong friends like Tim andDale. I am thankful for Kim Rapp, who reminds me that the world is abigger place than “Chris Bell Land.”

I am thankful that I have all my fingers and toes and other bodyparts in complete and working order. I am thankful for thisopportunity to pursue my dreams. I am thankful for meeting nicepeople in California who I can call friends.

I am thankful for the people who read my columns and, whether ornot they agree with me or disagree with me, tell me honestly that Imade them think. I am thankful for having wonderful professors likeDr. Diane Borden, who truly care whether or not I succeed here.

I am thankful for Alanis Morissette (call it a guilty pleasure). Iam thankful for In and Out, and wonder why there aren’t any anywhereelse but California. I am thankful for babies and old couples thatstill hold hands. Most of all, I am thankful that God brought BrandonThomas James into my life, and the lives of those whom I love themost. He reaffirms my faith that God just might take care of us allafter all.

I reprint this list here, because, because of editing decisionswell beyond my control, a certain columnist began his holiday with arather nasty comment from his life partner about said columnist’slack of thanks for her companionship. The editor left the sentencecontaining her name out, admittedly unknowingly, and ushered wrathdown upon me.

This brings me to this week’s topic: the giving and receiving ofaffection? That is, for each of us, I believe there is a separate waythat we wish to be acknowledged by those around us who want us toknow they care.

Ihave a theory (and by “theory,” I mean, “I read this somewhere, but Idon’t remember where, so I can’t really give the guy who originallymade it up proper credit”) that there are really five ways peoplewant to receive love: by words of love, actions of love, spendingtime in love, love touches and gifts of love.

I’m a “spending time in love” person. I love nothing more thanjust sitting around with my girlfriend, doing nothing, watching TV,brushing her hair or making dinner. It doesn’t really matter. I justlike to be around her.

She, on the other hand, is a “words of love” person. She ishappiest when I tell her I love her, or that I appreciate her, orthat she is my favorite. Any little thing that she does for me, shelooks for that word of appreciation. It’s really quite wonderful tobe in love with someone whose whole day can be made with just a fewwords.

I think that people sometimes aren’t as happy as they could bebecause the person that they’re with doesn’t know what kind of lovethey prefer. They don’t take the time to really get to know theperson they’re with. Maybe you’re a “love touches” kind of person,and he doesn’t like to hold hands or kiss in public.

Maybe you’re a “gifts of love” kind of person, and she thinks thatyou should bring her flowers all the time. So you frown, and try topretend you’re not bothered, and then, five months later, you breakup because there’s just something not right in your relationship.

So, my friends, here is my sage advice this week: Do yourself afavor and figure out what kind of person your partner is. If they’retoo obtuse to figure out what kind of person you are, tell them. Iguarantee you, it’ll make your relationships much better in the longrun.

And for the record, my love, in the original version of lastweek’s list of thanks, here reprinted, I was thankful for you beforeanything else.

This column is the opinion of the columnist and not The DailyAztec.