Things that make me happy

It's been a pretty rough summer so far, with Brian stressed to the breaking point with his intensive Greek class and the low morale at work, so I've recently done some thinking about things that make me happy and have been making an effort to do some of them. So as I'm watching "So You Think You Can Dance", a show that undoubtedly makes me happy with all their great dance routines, I thought I would do some musing in print (or...font?)

Chocolate

I love chocolate. It may very well be my favorite thing ever. This summer I've been baking even more things in chocolate than normal--this weekend I'm planning on making a chocolate pudding pie with (you guessed it) a chocolate crust. My supervisor at work keeps a jar of mini chocolate bars on her desk, and sometimes when I'm stressed I pop in her office for no reason and take one.

Baking

Baking has always been an activity that brings me comfort--plus, it results in dessert. The problem now is just finding people to eat what I bake!

Reading a good book while drinking tea

I love curling up with a good book, a cup of tea, and a blanket, especially when it's cold and/or stormy out. Some of the best books I've read this year include "The Help" by Kathryn Strockett, "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton, The Amelia Peabody series (as always), "The Buccaneers" by Edith Wharton, and The Millenium Trilogy by Swedish author Stieg Larsson.

My favorite tea? Caffeinated: Assam (although I haven't found a good one in the US), Darjeeling, and Chai, Decaf: English Breakfast, Peppermint, and Chocolate Hazelnut (yes, chocolate. I told you I loved it).

A well-written, happy movie

I love a movie with a good plot, well-written characters, and a happy ending. My favorite movies include "The Holiday" (with Kate Winslet, not Katharine Hepburn), "Love Actually", and "Julie & Julia".

Some great movies I've seen this year that fit in this group include "Tangled" (I love a princess movie), "The King's Speech", and "Ramona and Beezus". Sometimes I have to resort to children's movies to find the happy ending, especially in a year that produced "Black Swan", the most uncomfortable and abjectly depressing movie I've ever seen.

Brian's jokes and impressions

Brian's impressions (especially of my family members) and the jokes he makes that are probably only funny to me can always make me smile.

A good workout

I love both the feeling after a good workout, and also, during workout classes, the camaraderie that can develop, especially with a funny, outgoing instructor. I really miss group exercise classes, but I've been trying to make it to the exercise room i town more often.


So, just a short list, but all things that make me feel better when I'm down. Now back to So You Think You Can Dance!