Laundry List

My sister's post today prompted me to make a list of my own (Yes, this is another cop-out entry.) My list is longer because. Well, because I'm very self-absorbed, don't ya know?

What are my life's simple pleasure? Right now, Deadwood and Oz reruns. The forum posters and recappers of TelevisionWithoutPity. That's pretty sad that the first thing I think of is tv. Sad, sad, sad.

Let's try again.

What simple things make me happy? Like my nephews, a piece of paper and a good inky pen. The high-tech version of that would be my laptop.(Hah! It's not mine, really, but I'm the only one who uses it, so you could say it's mine)

A good book, preferably Pratchett. Anything my mother sewed or made just for me. Nice, long, tight hug. A smile with eye contact. A baby's gurgle. Eggs cooked in any way. Sunny days with blue skies and pristine white clouds. 'Here, There, Everywhere' and 'Do You Want to Know A Secret' by the Beatles. Eddie Vedder's voice. Eddie Vedder's voice singing the Beatles.

A walk in the park behind my house. A walk in any park, for that matter. Preferably alone but I don't mind some company once in a while. Good company and good conversation while taking a walk in the park. That's always fun.

A good picture on my digital camera. Calamari salad in this Thai place over here. My nieces and nephews telling a story or performing something. Good sister gossip (and I don't mean gossip about my sisters, although sometimes that can be fun. Just gossiping with them.) Book/comic/movie discussions with my brother.

An afternoon drive to somewhere I've never been to (but the drive has to be under two hours long, anything longer than that I either get nauseous or cranky, or both.) Googling the answers to a crossword puzzle. Giving someone a neatly wrapped present, ribbons and all. Receiving a neatly wrapped present, ribbons and all. Cycling down a hill with both feet off the pedals. A song from the 80s/90s that make me go "Hey! I LOVE this song!" and I bop and sing along with it in the car. Knowing the answers to 'Jeopardy!' clues.

There are a few other things pertaining to my personal life, buy hey, I never promised full disclosure.

I think one should make this kind of list once a year or so. It makes you think what really gives you genuine pleasure, as opposed to something that's fleeting like a really funny Dave Chappelle show or something. I suppose the Deadwood and Oz and TWoP thing is fleeting too. I'm not going to remember it next year. It's not going to be something I'll think about on my deathbed, surely. It's like an assessment of what really really makes you happy, and it makes you realize that you don't really need that much to give yourself a smile.