Accidental Ambivalence

Things I Love Thursday

Holy lord, Nic is back for TILT! And back in the twenty-first century with internet in her house! Since I've missed weeks and weeks of TILTs, I think this one should be extra big, no?

• The internet I knew that I spent a lot of time out here in internet-land. I knew that there were people that I kept up with exclusively through my computer, that it was how I pay most of my bills, that it was an excellent means of wasting time. What I hadn't realized was just how much it enriched my life beyond those things. A lot of those random things that I read help to shape who I am, and over the years I've found websites and people and tidbits of information that have changed me in incredible ways. I'm grateful to have that opportunity back at my fingertips.

• Books In January, likely because I wasn't reading anything on the computer, I read thirteen books. They ranged from The Gentle Art of Domesticity - which prompted me to take up embroidery again - to My Little Red Book - a proof filled with stories of girls' first periods - to Graceling - a teen fantasy-adventure story.

• DVDs The second season of The Tudors was phenomenal, I'm officially addicted to Gossip Girl, The Godfather is as great as everyone says, and I'm still obsessed with Breakfast at Tiffany's. I don't have cable either, and I'm not a girl who does well with lots of quiet. I filled my time with DVDs. I'm currently on a Gilmore Girls complete series marathon, just starting season five. My coffee intake and speech patterns have increased accordingly.

• Being content I'm working really hard on being happy. I've opened myself up to things that I had always ridiculed and, as I had been talking about before I pulled my disappearing act, I've been trying to change. I don't want to look back at my twenties and see depression and missed opportunities. What I've also learned is that being content with my every day life is almost as good as being happy. Of course, I would prefer to be deliriously happy all of the time, but I think contentment is a good place to start. And it's working.

• Space heaters Living in an apartment where I didn't pay utilities meant that I kept the temperature perfect all the time. Living in a less-than energy efficient house means turning the thermostat down and the space heaters on. I adore the space heaters.

• Embroidering It makes me feel close to Grandma again, and there's something relaxing about the repetitive motions of the stitches. Changing colors and using different stitches keeps it interesting, and I like the way it feels to finish a project, however imperfect and trivial it may be. It makes me happy, and that's all that matters.

• Excellent coworkers I have some coworkers that I cannot stand; there are even a couple that I barely tolerate. But compared with the exceptional people I have the pleasure of knowing and calling friends, those who suck are meaningless. Two in particular make my days better, and while I would like to think that I have a similar effect on them, I am fairly certain that neither of them is aware of exactly what kind of impact they have on me.

• The dishwasher I hate washing dishes. Now I have a dishwasher. It is glorious.

• Snow Two weeks ago, we got a slew of ice and sleet and snow, and while everyone else was bitching and moaning, I was reveling. I adore the way the world looks when it's all frosted over, the way the air feels in your lungs and the way moonlight sparkles. Yes, there are drawbacks to winter weather, but if people would just take half a minute to breathe and look and feel, maybe they would see what I see. And if they don't, then it's their loss, because I'm going to continue to wish for it and celebrate it when it comes.

• Honorable mentions Nickle Creek; Coffee with... ; having a washer and dryer in my house; touch lamps; borrowing boots; a fabulous roommate; coloring mandalas; Notes from the Universe; accessorizing; overstuffed bookshelves; the March issue of Vanity Fair; buying used DVDs; driving alone; the generosity of the people I adore; kitty birthdays - Puck and Marilyn are two!; potential for great things; having my girls back; thunderstorms; Gala Darling; many tabs of fabulous things to catch up on; twitterpated; fenced-in yards; customers who make me smile; journaling; eating my weight in Starbursts; losing weight without trying; English muffins with imported raspberry jam; having time for breakfast; browsing bookstores; reading about astrology; continuing series; my Valentine's date; the prospect of all the blog posts to come!

I now demand that you tell me what's been popping your cork this week - or this month, if you like. We all need a dose of things we love!

Labels: TILT

posted by nicalyse @ 3:02 AM