day 22 – a few of my favorite things
November 22, 2008
I’m still high on color and magic and wonder from last night’s dreamy performance of La Vie, so I thought I would share a few favorites today. Things that are like sunshine on a cloudy day, things that make me a happy kid, things that are like crack to me, little ordinary things that just make me feel goooood.
- Hats. Love ’em. It’s difficult for me to pass one by without having a sudden urge to try it on and subsequently fork out money that should otherwise be spent wisely on things such as, say… rent, food, Christmas gifts (oooh, I just said the C word). But what inevitably ends up happening is that the hat whispers in my ear “I look so good on you… I. complete. you“. And I cave, people. I cave to the hat whispering sweet nothings in my ear. It’s a sickness.
- Raincoast Crisps fig & olive crackers. Simply can’t resist the crisp.
- Double espresso allongés during the week and soy lattés on weekends. If you look up their pictures in the dictionary, you’ll find them right next to the word BLISS.
- Flowers. Since living the single life, I’ve taken to buying flowers for myself almost every weekend. Nothing big, no bouquet, certainly not a dozen roses. Usually, it’s a single flower (how appropriate), a splash of color, a wee “hello” when I get home from work, a little love from me to me.
- Seems I also have an obsession with photographing flowers. I think it is the miniature world that attracts me, the possibility of meeting a fairy on her way home. They sleep in sheets of soft petals you know.
- Rosy cheeks after taking a brisk walk on a cold November morning. If they could bottle up fresh air, it would make the perfect blush. Having said that, there’s cold, and freeze yo ass cold. Case in point: this morning as I was walking with Syl to our favorite breakfast spot, I had to interrupt her mid-sentence to ask if my ears were still attached to my head. To which she replied I don’t know, my left one fell off a block ago and the right one is barely hanging on. That. Is too cold. It would be blue blush, which is only suitable for the dead.
- This brings me to Saturday morning breakfast with Sylvia. It’s so comforting to have a friend who lives 5 minutes down the road. We catch up over a yummy breakfast sandwich (fresh herb omelette with goat cheese, onion and tomato on wholegrain bread) and a couple cups of coffee. Then we switch to Provence Rooibos tisane and muffins (dessert) as she studies and I write. Sometimes our silence is peppered with little anecdotes but for the most part, we work away, each in our own little world, yet together.
- People watching. Yesterday, as I crossed the street to buy some fresh bagels, I saw a little Asian women in her minivan. She must have been about 45 years old and so petite that she was almost at eye level with her steering wheel. And friends, she was rocking out, right there, raising the roof of her minivan, hands up in the air, head shaking from side to side, totally oblivious to me, crossing the street, laughing. Not laughing at her, mind you, but sharing in her joy and celebration of life.
- When you’ve been walking in the shade of morning and suddenly you turn a corner and you are momentarily blinded by a veil of light and sun sparkles in your hair and you have to softly squint to make out the details of everything bathed in this citrusy glow.
- The smell of old books. The smell of new books. The smell of these books, which arrived in the mail yesterday.
- Glitter. Got a thing for it and I didn’t realize just how much I love glitter until I attended a Buck 65 concert with Syl this Spring. You see, Buck carries glitter in his pocket and once in a while, as he’s singing his tune, he grabs a handful of this sparkling goodness and throws it up in the air and like magic, it comes raining down all around him. Tiny little colorful stars dancing on thin air to eventually land on stage. Well, apparently, when he threw this glitter, Sylvia said that I screamed gliiiiittttter (kinda like a 4-year old would say weeeeeeee on a swing) and my eyes lit up instantly and grew to the size of quarters. She said she’d never seen anyone so happy. So yes! I suppose you could say that I have a thing for glitter.
- This photo, which was recently sent to me by the lovely and amazing Maine Momma. This print represents so much for me: photography, freedom, adventure, play, strength, blossoming, passion and taking flight.
- Giveaways. I love giveaways and though I don’t have much to offer, I do believe we need a giveaway before the end of nablopomo, yes? So how about a draw? Whoever leaves a comment on this post, sharing one of their favorite things, will be entered in a draw to win a 5×7 print of their choice from my flickr photostream. Like I said, it ain’t much but there are a few decent shots in there. Contest ends November 30th at midnight EST.
wonderingsandwanderings.com 
Oooh, am I first? Yay!!! That is one of my favorite things, actually: to leave a comment unimpeded by the clever things others have left before me. I also love mainemomma’s print– it’s so evocative! AND I love being able to sit all day –or most of the day– and immerse myself in a book. It’s a pleasure like no other.
(P.S.: Seeing your blog also makes me happy :o) I love your new banner, btw!)
One of my favourite things is taking my dog, Bandit down to the lake in the mornings. She’s fourteen and in very good shape, but slowing down. So, rather than a long leash walk, she and I amble down the longish path to the lake together and she can go as slow as she likes. I don’t stop and wait while she sniffs and stops to pee every two seconds because it’s way more fun for us both when I get a bit ahead of her and she runs to catch up, and she laughs with the joy of it, oh yes she does. And so do I.
One of my favorite things is sharing an old childhood favorite, a book or a film, with my kids, and having them love it as much as I do.
what a lovely post!
A long road trip with me at the wheel.
The sound of small aircraft flying overhead. I don’t know why but it always gives me a good summer feeling even if it is freezing outside.
Waking up to read this blog every morning. Can’t nablopomo be 365 days long?
Crocheting while drinking a good cup of coffee. Or heck crocheting any time.
Hope.
Books, and speaking of books Jeanine maybe it would be interesting to know everyone’s favorite book.
One of my favourite things is NaBloPoMo because it has inspired you (or forced?) to start writing again every day and I LOVE IT! Welcome back – you have been truly missed. 🙂
My favorite short story of all time “Love Too Long” by Barry Hannah. This link took me to it, you can read it online. Another of Hannahs stories “Water Liars” was also posted. If it doesn’t take you directly to “Love…” just poke around, you’ll find it.
From “Airships” a collection of short stories by Barry Hannah.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fA0Fga8g3jgC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=love+too+long+barry+hannah&source=bl&ots=Vu5_tATznH&sig=7pijoTgatazWSVzsLde0aIDCfO4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
Or google “Love Too Long Hannah”
Starts like this:
“My heads burning off and I got a heart about to bust out of my ribs. All I can do is move from chair to chair with my cigarette. I wear shades. I can’t read a magazine. Some days I take my binoculars and look out in the air. They laid me off. My wife’s got a job and she takes flying lessons. When she comes over the house in her airplane, I’m afraid she’ll screw up and crash.”
your banner is so lovely.
and this entire post was delight[full]. who can resist lists of favourite things. i love your appreciation of glowing ordinary things. (how light falls, people watching, companionable silence, rosy cheeks…) i sort of want to quote you on the one pretty phrase, ” If they could bottle up fresh air, it would make the perfect blush.” the second photo in your set reminded me so much of someone, it just came to me, it looks so much like one of minnie driver’s characteristic expressions. i’m ordering my own ‘year of mornings’ soon. and i wish i could be more impulsive when it comes to hat buying. i love them enought but i dither over the price tag and leave empty handed and a little less bright. and yay yay for buying single flowers–how very cheery! (by the by, i found your blog through elsie’s class!)
oh dear, i forgot to list one of my favourite things, i was too busy ahhing over yours. does it still count? i’d love to be entered for your giveaway.
some of my favourite things:
spending hours reading in bookstores.
solitary brisk walks.
massive mugs of tea that i can curl my fingers about.
knitting while listening to audiobooks or listening to conversations or to soundtracks.
malapropisms.
elsie cake’s class.
🙂
I’m loving that my kids are still babies and have those sweet little dimply hands.
This is a lovely post.
Here are a few of my favourite things:
– a leisurely cup of morning coffee
– how the sun makes shadows on my walls through my beaded curtain, the shutters on the windows, the stained glass ornament …
– fireworks
– crisp air and rosy cheeks (I’m with you on that one!)
– old movies like Holiday Inn or You Can’t Take It With You
– books, books, books!
I was going to ask Santa Jeanine for a big 8 X 10 print of one of your photos for Christmas. I’ve been a good girl this year!?
Gosh, all of the photos on this post are yummy! You look like a rock star in each of your hats 🙂
A few of my favorite things…
– those quiet moments in between hubby leaving for work and baby waking up.
– hot showers…I mean borderline first degree burn showers.
– white russians on a cold winters day.
-The movie “Once.” (I just saw it so it is fresh in my mind)
– Capturing an image that sheds light on something otherwise unseen. I love bringing the unnoticed to attention. All things and people deserve their shining moment.
Giveaways, I love giveaways, and I’d especially love one of your prints! Right now I would have to say one of my favourite things is my girlfriends (I should say friends, but right now my closest friends here are women), couldn’t get through the week without them. They keep me together when times are tough, and they remind me of who I am when I’m not feeling like myself.
I love the feeling of admiring my body after the whole teenage-chubby-self-concious thing…When I go to 2 pilates classes in a week, drink a ton of water and eat great for a long period and then wake up one morning and look especially good (after 9 hours of sleeping on my back) I walk around naked and love every mintue of it.
I also love Mascara. I don’t really wear makeup anymore but when I feel like crap from time to time, I slap some on and I’m feeling like a million bucks.
I realize that both of these are VERY materialistic but I am earthy and grounded for most of the time, felt like being surface today. nuff said.
I love my momma and my best friend linnea.
favourite things…there are many…
love your writing; hats, flowers, books, glitter, and giveaways too!
used to have a huge hat collection…but now there are only a few!
ever since i can remember i have loved clean sheets…the feel and smell of clean sheets is absolutely fabulous…climbing into bed at the end of a long hard day; snuggling up under the down duvet…resting my weary head…in bed. peace. bliss.
in the morning…freshly ground hazelnut vanilla coffee…mmm! even my daughters love it…we all just wake up with a whiff. pet peeve on that…when costco doesn’t have any…we’re doin’ laps around the store and…none. done.
northern lights…here we see them often. white. blue. green. in waves. or brilliant rays.
last week we saw the most fantastic sunrise. the school buses were cancelled due to freezing rain and fog. we had to chip the car out of a sheet of ice. when we got underway, the fog started clearing and the sun shone through the mist. everything… every tree, bush, fence wire, blade of grass was covered in hoar frost. the sight we saw was spectacular! it looked like the whole world was covered in tiny white chistmas lights! as we drove down the road they blinked, winked and sparkled just for us. i remember thinking that whomever invented christmas lights MUST have seen this…natures’ glitter…awesome!
oh my gosh, you and i should get ourselves and our hat collections together for a supa fun photoshoot, tee hee … so nice to meet a fellow hat freak like myself!!
i heart your hats 🙂 so yes hats are one of my most favourite things and i’ll even throw scarves into the mix because scarves and me have a love affair of the best kind, tee hee
🙂
i adore scarves!
So many favourite things. These days a lot of my favourite things revolve around my daughter: her smell, her laugh, her smile in the morning. I also love snuggling up to the Mister and breathing in his smell. Does that make me weird? I think it is the animalistic nature we haven’t lost as humans – he just smells like my mate.
Anyway – more favourites: curling up with hot tea and a good book. Walking around my neighbourhood wearing Moira. Rainy days. Snowstorms when I don’t have to leave the apartment. I could go on and on.
It occured to me as I was posting a name for your pig that another one of my favorite things is a well-worn (worn well?) pair of Daisy Mae’s…again with thanks to Al Capp.