happy Here are a few of my favorite things. I have no real idea why I am writing this down....except to say that I have been trying to compile a list in my head of things that I really really love, and things that make me feel very happy. And these are the things that I keep dwelling on. Noticably absent from the list are my kids, my friends, and my family. Because I think it goes without saying that they provide the absolute happiest moments in my life. My kids and my friends are AMAZING. But next to spending time with them, these are the (sometimes sad, and somewhat inane) things that make me smile....
1. Waking up, getting into a hot shower, and then jumping right back into bed for another hour or so. Way cozy. This tops my list - because every time I do this, I can't stop thinking about how much I love it. Couple it with number 6 and you have all the makings of a perfect day.
2. Going to starbucks or the Equator with my coworkers and friends. I'm not a huge starbucks or coffee fan, but something about the ambience and the cop and "life" chats we have there, is just fucking priceless. Yeah, those are really great times.
3. Laughing with people. And I mean anyone. Laughing WITH, not AT. I can usually find the humor in any situation....and since laughter is the best form of therapy...I feel compelled to laugh at life. Regularly. And sometimes maniacally.
4. Cooking for people. I love that. Especially when they tell me the food doesn't suck. I suppose at the heart of things, I'm really a very nurturing person. Hmmm. Odd.
5. Going to the movies (or pretty much anywhere in public) with my boys. I love that we laugh at the same things...and like the same movies (mostly). They are totally cool. And the fact that we are so keyed in to one another, like last week when some weird random guy ran past us at the movie theatre, and he's doing this weird hunched forward - like he has a pole stuck up his rear end run, and both my kids shoot me the sideways glance to see if I've noticed this phenomenal new running style, and then we all just kinda shake our heads and chuckle at the absurdity of the weird running guy. Yeah, that stuff is totally awesome. My kids are just the coolest. Oh, and no, we don't always make fun of people - that's not nice. But sometimes, this weird stuff and weird people are just impossible to miss.
6. Making out. Yes, I said it. Don't act like I'm the only one that likes it. You probably do too. Preferably with someone that knows how to kiss. That's just hot.....and I really wish I could do more of it. Damn it. Singleness sucks.
7. Random acts of kindness directed at total strangers. Sound corny? Try it sometime. It'll make you feel good all day. And people appreciate it. Besides, no one likes an asshole. So don't be one.
8. Good hair days. I know, I'm shallow. And for the record....today is NOT one of them.
9. A clean house. Because really, who doesn't feel happier going home to a spic and span domain. I love that. Thank god for housekeepers.
10. Music. And the invention of the IPOD. Now I can finally throw away these fucking CD's....they take up way too much space in my car and my house.
11. Old journals and things I've written. I tell ya, I've got to scan and post some of this stuff someday. I wrote some heavy papers for school when I was a teenager. Weird - not much has changed as far as my perspectives and rationale.
12. Making people laugh. This is different than number 3...which is just ME laughing. I think I'm pretty good at this, because one of the gals in the office just about peed her pants today as I relayed a story....and I seem to have that affect on many of my friends. Maybe they are all just battling incontinence? Or perhaps (as I've often mused) I really am one of the funniest people on the planet.
13. A good massage. And I mean a GOOD one. Not the kind where the chick is fucking yapping through the whole thing about some shit you don't really want to hear about. A good, deep, warm lotion, dark-room, trippy-music-in-the-background, clean-comfy-sheets-and-blanky-on-the-massage-table, MASSAGE. Preferably from a really hot chick - so I can fantasize about how she's getting turned on by rubbing me down. Alright, so that's not as important as the other factors....and I've never actually had one from a really hot chick...but it might be cool. On second thought....I'd be freaked out and wouldn't be able to relax. Scratch that last. I'll just keep that part in the fantasy file.
14. The smell of the mountains in the winter (or the summer). But just now...as I stepped out of my car into the crisp, clear, snow covered beauty of Big Bear at night....the smell automatically made me recall being a kid up here with my Dad and my grandpa...sledding and learning to ski when I was like 9 years old....and suddenly I'm all warm and fuzzy and perfectly happy inside. Ahhhh...the wonderful smells and memories of my youth.
15. Vine ripened tomatoes. Great big juicy beefstake (is that a variety?) ones. Ohhhh...and if they are warm from the sun, like you just picked them....that's even better. My Grandparents grew tomatoes when I was a kid, and every time I'd go over - I'd grab one off the counter and eat it like an apple. Yeah, I suppose my love of tomatoes goes way back to my happy childhood days at the Grandparents house....how wonderful things were back then.
16. Avocados. Still the perfect food as far as I'm concerned. Pair an avo with a vine ripened tomato on a sammy.....with some good CHEESE and maybe some turkey. God that's yummy. Okay, I'm starving now....
17. The smell of sex. I know...sounds nasty huh? Whatever. It isn't. And I love it. Well, when it's the smell of MY sex. 
18. Clean sheets. Preferrably flannel or jersey knit...or high thread count egyptian cotton. Not the sateen ones...I don't like those. But the really compfy, can't wait to jump into bed kind. Oh, and goose down comforters. Ahhhhhh.
19. Long hot baths. Alone. With wine. And candles. And music. Okay, well honestly...at the end of the bath it would be even better if someone joined me....but only at the end - when I was already done relaxing.
20. 5 mushroom pizza from Abbots Pizza in Venice Beach....it's the BOMB. I haven't had it in years...and I'm craving it RIGHT NOW. Too bad I'm on a health kick...I'll stick with the avocados and tomatoes....
21. Sunsets on the water. Especially when they go all red/orange/pink/purplish. Sometimes I get so awestruck, I get really emotional. Honestly, I rarely have religious moments...but when I see those types of sunsets and sunrises, I know that there is a higher power in the universe....and I am truly humbled and amazed by life.