What Floats Your Boat?

A Cheesy Post. . .

So get this. Sometimes, I can actually be positive. Sure, it’s way more fun (and therapeutic) to bitch and moan and turn kvetching into an art form. And let’s face it. Lately, I haven’t been Miss Melina Sunshine.

Why? Well, life’s been extra irritating. Suckitude, you know?

This morning, I woke up with a headache. Not the ideal way to start a week off, right?

So I stayed in bed, and listened to the podcast version of Lucy March’s fabulous blog. In one of her posts, she listed 50 things that make her happy. Go Lucy!

Now, while I think this is a great thing for somebody else to do, I normally wouldn’t do such a thing myself, as I find it cheesy. (Again, I didn’t find Lucy’s post at all cheesy. It’s just that I’m supposed to be bitter. . .)

But what the hell. I made a list. It’s not nearly as difficult as you might think. In fact, it was hard to keep it at 50.

So here it goes (in no particular order):

1. Listening to / watching Creature snore, purr, scamper across the floor, play with squeaky toys, drink water. . . (you get the picture)

2. Dumbeks — listening to a really fabulous drum solo, or finally mastering a new rhythm or finger roll

3. Point Isabel, with the wild flowers, the S.F. Bay, and hundreds of sweet dogs

4. Swimming in the Libyan Sea, and hearing goat bells in the distance

5. Having my friends around my kitchen table, especially for Shabbat or a holiday

6. Greek and Israeli folk dancing

7. Talking to my uncle on the phone, using downright foul words over and over again and not caring about how ridiculous our conversation may be

8. Waking up in California after a long day of travel, coming downstairs and meeting my mother in the kitchen

9. Almond blossoms, especially in Jerusalem

10. Peet’s Coffee (You can take the girl out of Berkeley. . .)

11. Baking challah

12. Sarit Hadad (LOVE this song, especially the last minute)

13. Singing (at Camp Kee Tov, I got an award for having a song for every situation / occasion)

14. Laughing (at Camp Kee Tov, I was also voted most likely to be a stand up comic overcome by her own giggles)

15. Thinking about Camp Kee Tov, best camp EVER, and my group’s cheers and songs

16. The brief, silent moments during Kabbalat Shabbat services when I know we’re about to sing one of my favorite songs

17. Sitting on the couch, late at night, and watching the Shabbat candles burn (here are my candles)

18. The look on a student’s face when they realize that they’ve created a computer program that makes their robot move

19. Lemons from my mother’s tree

20. My writing community (the Twitter, Facebook, RWA Chapter and WWfW Forum versions)

21. Working with lovely, caring people who care more about my love life than I do

22. My mother’s Death Row Chicken, even though I’m 90% vegetarian

23. My iPhone / MacBook and all they allow me to do

24. Scrivener

24. My glittery pens, girlie post-it’s, and various other writing accoutrements

25. NaNoWriMo, for the community, the accomplishments and the adrenaline rush

26. The Moth / This American Life (Hi Mike Birbiglia, Ira Glass, Andy Borowitz. . . )

27. Garlic, za’atar, oregano and harissa

28. Yemen, and their incredible, kick ass music and food (check this out, and this too)

29. The words “hence” and “wherein”

30. Remembering Tuck (Tucky), the sweet, loving, enthusiastic dog I grew up with, and his best friend Genny

31. Will Write for Wine

32. Crazy, heroic locksmiths (seriously, did you think, even for a second, I wasn’t going to go there?)

33. Watching Buffy stick a stake into a vampire’s heart and watching the vampire turn to dust

34. Netflix, Hulu, and Fancast for so kindly providing me with Buffy episodes

35. Looking out the window of the B Train and seeing the Statue of Liberty behind the Brooklyn Bridge

36. The Apple Store

37. My magical, warm, adorable “Lucy/Lani Socks” that fill me with love and creativity

38. When Harry Met Sally

39. Bubble Shooter

40. Folk music from the 60’s (whatever, I was born in Berkeley)

41. Singing the “order of the seder” at the beginning of the seder (which, for some reason, I find exciting)

42. Getting lost in Prospect Park

43. Snow days

44. The Olympics

45. Coming home after a long day to a dog who won’t stop wagging his little tail

46. Getting lost in a book

47. Friends who know me well enough to give me names like “Cannonball“

48. New York accents that melt my heart and make me feel like I’m around family

49. Wearing glittery make-up for Purim

50. Lyra, lauto, baglama, bouzuki. . . and songs like this and this

Well, my dear friends. What are your “raindrops on roses?”

And while I’m being cheesy (but in a good way), here are some Raindrops on Roses from me to you: