My Fresh Hell
Life in Scribbletown.

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

2006-12-08

Okay, to continue this theme of happiness (despite the sudden onset of a sinus headache), here are a few things that make me happy:

1. This article. I�m not sure why but maybe I�m happy to see an indigenous group of Americans take over a big corporation. Does that defeat The Man or turn them into The Man? I�m not sure. But it makes me happy nonetheless.

2. Proof that some people have a sense of humor. This morning I followed behind an HVAC van with a bumper stick that read: Cavemen are people too. Ha.

3. The fact that I am not the owner of the Lunchables Mini Burgers box in the office refrigerator. Who eats that shit?

4. Once a week, the school guidance counselor comes to Dusty�s classroom and they have a lesson about feelings or whatever. Yesterday she read �Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, etc.� They then were given a sheet of paper divided down the middle with a line. On the left the caption reads �Draw yourself having a bad day at school.� On the right, it reads �Draw one thing you can do to make your bad day better at school.�

For the bad day, Dusty drew two children with smiles. Which cracked me up. I asked her about the drawing. She said she can�t draw sad faces (!) and it illustrated the day last week when some boy stole her mitten and her friend ran after him and got it back. And when I looked closer, each of the figures held a mitten and one was clearly running away. But, they were both smiling. Her other picture was of herself holding a triple-decker ice cream cone. It makes me happy that Dusty�s life is such that it is difficult for her to draw sad faces even when she does indeed have bad days.

5. As much as I miss having Dusty in my car during my commute, I have come to enjoy my Tuesdays and Thursday alone. I can think without interruption, I can sing, I can enjoy the unbelievably gorgeous sunsets out here. I never recall seeing sunsets like this when I was in the city. Probably because all the buildings hid the view and I did not live on the twelfth floor of a swanky penthouse condo downtown with granite countertops and polished hardwood floors. But, the range of pinks and oranges, the violet banks of clouds that look like mountains in the distance just never cease to amaze me. It puts me in a much better frame of mind after a long day dealing with morons who think they can adjust the rules (or out-and-out ignore them) and policies to suit themselves and their own unethical way of doing �business.�

6. Gift cards. I made one too many trips into stores yesterday that offered WAY too many options. There were so many things to choose from my brain shut down and I stumbled to the counter muttering, �Gift certificate? Yes?�

7. The fact that it�s Friday and tomorrow I�m having lunch with my Virtual Writers Group. And then we�re going to see Santa on Sunday.

8. Holiday lights and decorations. Really, I can�t tell you how much I love seeing people�s efforts at over-the-topness with holiday displays. I don�t even mind the cr�ches if they�re surrounded by reindeer and Santas. I�ll take anything religious or secular as long as it glows (colors, please; not all white lights) and flashes and makes me smile.

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10:04 a.m. ::
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