29 [Little] Things I Love At Age 29

January 24th, 2010 - filed under: Furthermore » Inspiration

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Because there’s so much out there to enjoy! Why not seize a chance to celebrate life’s little pleasures!? In no particular order, and leaving out the big stuff (husband, friends, family, etc), here’s what’s getting me giddy these days:

1) Vegan Donuts. They are my pregnancy kryptonite.

2) The RadioLab podcast from WNYC. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a radio show done in the style of This American Life, but it’s all about the mystery and magic of science. Perfection!

3) Ethiopian Food. I’d never eaten it before I moved to Portland, and I can’t believe I lived so long without Injera and Berbere.

4) Learning that my son has hair (via ultrasound). WOW! Little wonderful wisps on his perfect little head.



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5) The song ‘New Resolution’ by The Heartless Bastards. I know it came out in like, 2006, but I’m completely enamored with it and can’t get it out of my head. It works so well for the new year and all.

6) The teapot I got for my birthday, which is lime green and lovely, and sure beats the little sauce pot we’ve been using for almost 6 months!

7) And speaking of, I’m drinking a ton of lemon ginger tea these days. I take it with maple syrup and real lemon juice. It’s medicinal and sooo relaxing.




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8) Harley’s lower lip, which sticks out all funny-like. It’s hard to capture on film but I assure you, it’s *hysterical*.

9) Knowing that the crocus bulbs are ripening underground, all over Portland, and that soon they’ll be popping up from every sidewalk crack to tell us it’s springtime. The wee crocus is my favorite spring flower.

10) In the meantime, the Petrichor (which is also, as it so happens, my all-time favorite word)

11) Secondhand baby clothes! Especially those with animal ears and animal feet. I’m sort of obsessed. My son will end up wearing nothing but ducks and monkeys, I swear. Ha!









12) The Origin Of Love. Plato (yes *that* Plato) conceived of the myth itself, but Hedwig and The Angry Inch brought it to life! It’s so very beautiful. Incidentally, if you haven’t seen the film, WATCH IT. It’s in my top 5, easily.

13) Taquería Los Gorditos, which was our absolute favorite take-out food cart, recently opened a real restaurant. I’m not even kidding, I ate more of my meals from there than not, in the first 2 weeks they were open. Having a go-to eatery that brings you so much pleasure is PRICELESS. And these beans and rice are like gold my friends, gold I’m telling you. I swear this baby is built entirely of vegan burritos. (Damian want’s to make a baby blanket that looks like a giant tortilla, so we can wrap the baby up like a burrito. Genius, no!!? We’re gonna be millionaires . . . )

14) My ever-growing collection of houseplants. I want them everywhere, on every counter top and in every nook and cranny. So essential in winter – and they’re even good for you!

15) Baking soda. Need. I. Say. More? (I do need? Okay – lately I’ve been using my baking soda for heartburn relief, carpet cleaning, toilet deodorizing, and mildew scouring, among others)




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16) Subversive artwork, a la Banksy. I don’t agree with everything he does or says, but I certainly appreciate his presence in the world! (and most of his stuff is just RAD, as evidenced above)

17) Getting packages in the mail! Ahhh, bed rest. It can be so terribly boring. But between the Holidays, the baby stuff, and my birthday, I’ve been getting bunches of boxes and it’s SO FUN!

18) Dreaming of produce. I can’t wait for late spring/summer and all the bounty that it brings. Overflowing farmers markets, eating a high-raw diet, and growing my own tomatoes. I like to flip through recipes and plan out all the amazing new dishes I’m going to develop. Yes, I’m a food geek! (and thus I want this so bad! HA)

19) Portland. I can’t even begin to tell you why, I don’t have the time.




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20) Wearing my tutu. No joke, it brings me endless amounts of joy and reminds me of the ‘fairy slip’ I practically lived in as a child. I’m thinking of giving birth in it.

21) On the sartorial tip, lets include Big Clunky Boots and Stripey Long Socks. These classics will never get old and will alway make me happy.

22) Truly embarrassing reality TV addictions. I refuse to admit what I’ve been watching, but it is sinfully delicious and I am horribly hooked. I plead the bed rest defense.

23) Getting a ‘real’ hair cut. After years of drunken DIY snipping with friends, it’s somewhat of a luxury to go to a professional. Especially at my favorite spot, where the styling is super cheap and they give you free beer while you wait. (another reason for #19)

24) A precious sip of Damian’s Chianti. I actually had a whole glass of Syrah on my birthday, enjoyed very slowly over a long dinner. But those little tastes of my husband’s wine here and there, those have been such a treasure through this pregnancy.




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25) Bertrand Russell. I’ve been reading his ideas and writings, which are still so relevant. What a mind, what a mind.

26) A good soak in the tub. I’ve always been a bath person, but with the big belly it’s just extra extra fun. Plus it takes the pressure off the ol’ back!

27) Tom Waits. Always and forever, no list of things I love would be complete without him. A primer: Damian had me listen to this song when he confessed his feeling for me. I walked down the aisle to this song (which is ‘our song’) at the wedding. And when our son is old enough for his own room, the lyrics to this song will be stenciled on the wall.

28) Finding out that Brian Greene, the quantum physicist and author I’ve had a total geek crush on for years and years, and maybe one of the smartest people alive, is A VEGAN!!! Oh, *swoon*

29) The impending birthday of Bonzai Aphrodite. I can’t believe it’s been a year already! And at the same time, I can’t believe its only been a year. I have worked so hard, and learned so much, and connected to so many amazing people here. This blog has grown into something more beautiful than I ever imagined, and in only 12 short months. Imagine what the next year will bring!




Now it’s your turn my dears – what little things are tickling you these days?
sign-off

  • http://www.notimeatall.com Amycat

    I just had so much fun reading this! I feel thoroughly inspired. You are glowing and looking positively healthy and fabulous. Much love xx

  • http://thegreengeek05.wordpress.com Courtney

    Aside from my husband and your wonderful posts? Reading and blogging. :) And going to Whole Foods for more and more things! :)

  • April

    Three more reasons why I love you:

    #2
    #3
    #25

    Cheers!!!!!

  • http://gabriel.nagmay.com Gabriel Nagmay

    Good list + I even learned something new about someone we both admire (#28). Did you have a chance to hear him speak last year?

  • Cary M

    If you like art with meaning check out the book “The Design of Dissent” it’s one of my favorites. I also have a little green tea pot, it took me six months to find it. And up until I became pregnant i steeped my loose leaf Jasmine green tea in it daily.

  • http://kpapoulias.blogspot.com/ Kathryn

    Oh god, I love so many of these. Pretty much all of them.
    I should do one for my eighteenth birthday if I remember! This is so cute. Right now I’m obsessed with Mumford & Sons, my job (isn’t that a wonderful thing to be obsessed with?), my AP biology class, rainboots, and counting the days until summer. :)

    A note: It’s technically Aristophanes’s speech in the Symposium, not Plato’s. :) Looove that film and song so much.

  • Staar

    ahhh I love your list! Right now I’m fancying:
    -orange oil(I put some on and have a little celebration)
    -Colour colour colour it’s so dark and dreary and cold here and I’m tired of black.
    -John Galliano’s old collections
    -Moloko and Roisin Murphy in particular
    -red shoes
    and of course your blog:)

    xox

  • Kelly

    This post is just oozing joy…and I sure needed it right now (even though I told my friend yesterday to start a daily gratitude list. My words of advice are often reminders to myself spoken aloud).

    Thank you so much Say! This is just so wonderful! And Happy, Happy Belated Birthday! :o)

  • Kelly

    And PS: You look fantastic! That picture is GREAT! :o)

  • http://sara-and-company.tumblr.com Sara

    Brian Greene is a vegan? BRIAN GREEN is a VEGAN!?

    So I guess the universe IS just as elegant as I thought! :) (Wow bad jokes AND Brian Greene? I’m a big nerd).

  • Tenise Rae

    Check this out….I was just reading the back of my baking soda box and they have a recipe for a face wash/scrub. If I remember correctly it was one part baking soda and three parts water? Wait…maybe it’s reversed…one part water and three parts baking soda..it’s supposed to be a kind of paste. Crap…I’ll have to look again. Anyhow, they also say to add it to your shampoo once a week. This might be a good way to transition over to no-poo.
    I think this is awesome that Arm & Hammer promotes skin and hair care too. :D I thought they just promoted house cleaning. *shrug. I had no clue.
    Now all I need to do is find somewhere that sells it by the truckload. Hehehe.

  • Minna

    “..I simply remember my favourite things and then I don’t feel so sad!” Yay!

    Oh, this is awesome! I had a long day working on the field again picking grapes, so I tried to think about something to keep me entertained. Your “Thins I Love” came to mind so I started creating my own [endless] list :) At first all sorts of edible things came to my mind but then I managed to discover more stuff that makes me happy. Right now, living in a caravan park in constant torturing heat, day and night, everything COLD keeps me happy… Like, on the top of my list would definitely be ice cold water, rainy & chilly nights, our heavenly swimming pool, clouds that cover the sun, air conditioned rooms etc :D

    Also, I think #10 is totally one of my all-time favourites! It’s just so refreshing.

    PS! Bonzai is totally on the top of my list! (:

  • http://kpapoulias.blogspot.com/ Kathryn

    Sara, your comment is hilarious.

  • http://lisatlantic.blogspot.com Lisatlantic

    #22… It’s The Jersey Shore, isn’t it? ;)

  • http://sara-and-company.tumblr.com Sara

    Haha I’m glad to read I made someone laugh!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Amycat – Thanks dear! It was inspiring putting it together as well. Love back atchya!

    @ Courtney – Mmm, Whole Foods. And also, Thank you!!! ;-)

    @ April – Excellent! Great minds . . .

    @ Gabriel Nagmay – Please don’t tell me that Brian Greene was in Portland and I missed it. Is that what you are saying??! Nooooo!!!

    @ Cary M – That book sounds right up my alley, thanks for the rec!

    @ Kathryn – You’re lucky, a job is a wonderful thing to be enamored with! That’s a rare delight.

    I thought Aristophanes recited it in the Symposium, but Plato wrote it? I could definitely be wrong!

    @ Staar – Love your list! Especially orange oil and red shoes. =)

    @ Kelly – Thank you! And you’re welcome! And I totally agree, so much of the advice I give is applicable to myself. Great reminders.

    @ Sara – I know right?! And nyuk nyuk, that was actually really funny. =D

    @ Tenise Rae – Yes, baking soda is, I think, the greatest substance on the face of the planet. Unfortunately I just learned that Arm & Hammer tests on animals! =( So I have to find a new brand. Not sure if this matters to you, but I though I’d at least share the news.

    @ Minna – That’s funny, mine started out as all food stuff too. I thought maybe it’s because I’m on bed rest and my life sort of revolves around and is punctuated by food these days, but maybe that’s just natural. Food is where we derive so much of our pleasure from.

    It sounds like you are working so hard right now darlin! I hope you’re taking good care of yourself. It sure sounds like an awesome adventure that you’re on. =)

    And thanks, I’m so glad Bonzai brings joy to so many people. =)

    @ Lisatlantic – Nope, haha. I haven’t actually ever seen that one (we don’t have cable). But I sure have heard about it . . . eek!

  • http://kpapoulias.blogspot.com/ Kathryn

    I’m pretty sure it was Aristophanes’s speech and Plato wrote everything down because no one else did haha. Take Socrates for example! But I could be wrong too, so let’s just call it even and appreciate the story and the song it inspired? :)

  • http://katehateseverything.blogspot.com Kate from SB

    Yay, Hedwig! Thanks for the song rec, too.

  • Helen

    Do you know, I’ve always loved that Hedwig song and just last night I was at a ball and a bard recited it from the Symposium. I had no idea it was Plato! And then here it is today popping up in my RSS feed.

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Kathryn – I’m betting you’re right, my history is not quite up to snuff like I wish it were! =D

    @ Kate from SB – Hey, thanks for introducing me to Hedwig! That was a life changing revelation . . .

    @ Helen – Wow that must have been really cool to watch. I’d love to see a more traditional reading of it!

  • http://myspace.com/tirscatha Lenn

    I totally understand most of those, but the dog one especially rang a bell since my cat has an underbite I find just too cute for words. Nice you named the new addition after Tom Waits…I thought maybe that was where the name came from, but after reading this I’m quite sure. Gunstreet Girl=<3

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Lenn – Haha, animals with underbites = ultimate cuteness. Also, Gunstreet Girl is one of my very favorites! I fell in love with it a few years back – it’s just perfect for muggy summer dusks in Virginia . . .