Bright Copper Kettles and Warm Woolen Mittens...

It's a slow day at the office and I'm feeling quite "meh" about my job today. Not that I ever love it, per se, but I'm trucking along slightly less cheerfully than usual.

For the moment, however, there are no bosses in sight and so I thought I'd brighten my mood by following in the footsteps of several other recent bloggers and sharing a list (in no particular order) of things that I love:

1. Meatloaf
With lots of ketchup. Maybe not always, but this week for certain, I am in love with meatloaf. And it's a damned good thing, because the one I made on Sunday was 1.5 lbs and is nowhere near finished.

2. Fall
Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh favourite season of mine, for finally choosing to show your face. More than anything else, the first few days of Fall make me want to play hooky from work and go sit in the park with a cup of coffee and enjoy the fresh crispness of the air. Soon the cider sellers at Greenmarket will start selling hot cider instead of cold and the universe will truly be a place of bliss. Speaking of which...

3. Greenmarket
The Union Square farmers' market always gives me a little taste of life back in the sticks. I don't miss living in the middle of nowhere, but I do miss the produce! I love strolling through the market (particularly on weekday afternoons when it's not jam-packed with humanity) and checking out all the veggies and plants for sale. Bonus: Now that Fall is here they have PUMPKINS! Can you say Jack-o-lanterns?!

4. Brooklyn
This could easily branch into a subcategory all its own. I love that some woman I'd never met before shouted my name and came down from her stoop to introduce herself the other night--clearly word travels fast in my new neighborhood. I love that almost every morning at exactly 7:30 a car pulls up outside my window, idles while blasting classic 60s Motown for about 2 minutes, then drives away. I love the sidewalk jesus character talking to the sky outside the liquor store. I love the brownstones and the kids playing football in the street and the fact that they call me "Miss." I love the man who was walking down the street singing soul tunes late at night last weekend. I love you Brooklyn, you are fabulous.

5. Street Critters
If you live in New York City, you are going to encounter rats. There's no two-ways about it, so you'd might as well make friends. I'm not talking about feeding them or inviting them into your home (though my cat could use the exercise), but I say "hi" to mis ratones when I see them scurrying by. And who doesn't love street kitties (other than the rats of course)? Last night I saw a street cat stalking a rat that was at least half its size... I wasn't sure who to root for, but in the end I settled on the cat. They are, after all, in the minority.

6. Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte
My winter beverage of choice when I need a quick pick-me-up. It's like drinking a hot, caffienated Christmas cookie. Can you think of anything better? I can't.

7. When There's a Line for the Men's Room, and Not the Ladies'
It's a rare occurence to be certain, but always endows me with a certain sense of smug satisfaction.

8. Re-visiting Books I Loved as a Child
For a class assignment I was paging through Amazon.com's "Teen" section, sorted according to sales, and there at the top of the list I saw them: A Wrinkle In Time, Where the Red Fern Grows, Island of the Blue Dolphins. And some I'd forgotten until I saw the titles, The Dark is Rising series, Number the Stars, From the Misplaced Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (who *doesn't* want to run away and hide in the Met?!?). I've always loved reading and it's clear now why: how could I not love it when the books I was reading were so undeniably awesome?

9. Thunderstorms
Love love LOVE them. Particularly when I don't have to leave the house.

10. Llamas
Honestly, it borders on obsession. If you take me to a petting zoo that has one, I will never want to leave. Some day I will have a pet llama, even if I never leave New York City. They're easy to housebreak, did you know that? And they're mountain animals so they'd be fine with the trek in and out of my walk-up apartment. Do you think NYC leash laws apply to camelids?

11. My Great Grandmother's Painting
I remember going to clean out her house when she went to the nursing home so my grandmother could rent it out. She had started painting late in life, and my mom and her sisters were all going through the paintings, choosing which ones they would take. I was so excited when my mom said I could have one, and at the time my favourite colour was purple so I picked out a pretty one with purple flowers. My mother said "no, this one" and picked out what I thought was the ugliest yellow and brown flower I'd ever seen. I yelled and pouted, and practically threw a fit when she hung it in my room when we got home. It stayed there for years and as time wore on and I grew older I slowly grew to love that painting, and when I moved out it came with me. It has become one of my most prized possessions, even more so because I didn't appreciate it at all in the beginning.

12. Shakespeare
I know it's cliche to say you love Shakespeare, but really, I do. How can you not love the man who coined the phrase "We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little life is rounded by a sleep?" Come on...

13. Having a Job
Not necessarily this job, but the fact that I have benefits and vacation days is pretty sweet. I spent a month or so unemployed at the beginning of this year and it was not a fun time. This may not be my dream job, but with age comes wisdom... and an appreciation for security.


So there are 13 things--among hundreds--that I love. I like to take stock of the things in life that give me joy. It reminds me that, no matter how bad a single day--or week, month, or year--may be going, there is still joy to be found in the world. I just have to get off my lazy ass and look for it!