This thread is one of the good things in my life. Some more:
My best friend knitted a Dr. Who scarf for me. It was the first thing he’s ever knitted, and took me totally by surprise. (It’s not quite finished in the linked picture.)
After so many years of my basically being alone (most of my close family is dead), my friends have stressed that I am welcome as part of their family. Stressed. That was the best present of all.
I lost three pounds over the holidays, and I’m still trying to figure out how. Maybe because I didn’t eat as much. I squatted 110 pounds last night at the gym and pressed 65, too. Not bad for someone who six months ago was finding it a challenge to lift just the bar by itself (45 pounds). I’m also regularly doing 100 inclined crunches in a row with a weight.
Abraca Deborah gazes into her crystal ball “I see in your future six pack abs!!” (hubba hubba).
Keep up the good work!! I have been belly dancing which is just plain fun.
Oh… and let me stress once again that should you ever find yourself in Calgary there is a place for you right here. Lots of fun and friendship are yours! All you will have to do is put up with a little cat hair and some bad puns.
Thanks to Ferret Herder, for launching me on my new hobby, I have made a second batch of bath fizzies. I found supplies at Michael’s and found a local health food shop that sells citric acid and cosmetic grade essential oils, so I am set, baby!
My daughter and I made salt/sugar scrubs from a Michael’s kit just to get started…I had no idea scrubbing your hands with an abrasive and then massaging in the oil could feel so damn good.
I don’t often get to see my Dad, since he lives about 2000 miles from me. But he’s out here in Calgary right now, staying with my sister and her family. He really enjoys seeing his grandchildren (my sister’s kids; my wife and I are childless), but that keeps him busy enough that that’s about all he does. Still, I’d like to see my Dad too, so today I invited him out to lunch.
We had a great drive through town–we lived here back in the 1960s, and Dad enjoyed seeing our old house and neighbourhood. We parked in the downtown, and had a bit of a walk before lunch, which was at a nice little pub I knew. We ordered a couple of draft beers (a treat for Dad) and some food.
And we talked. We talked about the old neighbourhood here in Calgary and the doings in his neighbourhood in Toronto. We touched on trips we’d taken, separately and together. We discussed history–always one of our favourite topics–and we talked about the impact the events of the past may have on the future.
We had a grand old time, Dad and I. I hope we can do it again sometime–he is quite elderly, his eyesight is failing, his hearing is going, and his memory is certainly not what it used to be. But if somehow another time like today cannot be, at least I have a great memory of a time when I had my Dad to lunch.
I discovered a marvelous little ditty called Down St. Thomas Way. I tracked down the writer’s e-mail and asked him for the lyrics. He sent me the sheet music with a nice little note.
That’s great to hear. Jim’s parents have kind of…lost interest in him since they had grandkids, too, and we find that inviting them out for a dinner or lunch is a good way of re-connecting with them without them being completely distracted by the grandkids, too.
Today’s good thing - we have a nice dinner with good friends planned for tonight. That’s always fun.
Today’s happiness: A sunny, mild day here weatherwise, so we headed out to Bowness Park to iceskate outside on the frozen lagoon!!! Oh my… it was so much fun. Good thing I was with “Mr. Smooth” who could effortlessly glide forward and backward! I am NOT a skater, but managed to come home with no broken parts and all of my teeth.
Came home and had a nice lunch and spent the afternoon making some chocolate chip cookies. Now it is nap time.
Yes… tonight a Doper dinner is planned, so that should be a lot of fun.
Man, if this good life keeps up, I just might have to retire. :eek:
This has been the best vacation in a very long time.
Little and not so little good things for me lately:
Our littlest kitten (9 months) is recovering nicely from a scary upper respiratory infection; she may well have the virus for the rest of her life, but we know how to treat her now, and will be watching for early warning signs in the future.
The two guys I live with and love are both ecstatic about their xmas gifts, and our holidays have been busy but really emotionally fulfilling.
I am taking 5 classes in the spring, and I am not afraid of any of them. Excited, but not afraid. That’s a huge step for me.
Our house is getting decluttered, a bit at a time, and I am happier here than I have been at any time in the last two years. I have started making friends down here of my very own, and would be sad if we decided to move again. This is the first time since we’ve made the move that I could say that. This is a good life!
This is what I hope to post soon. My infant nephew is on the priority list for a liver transplant, and they let him come home from NICU on Christmas Day!
Thank you, God. All those things I said before? No, really, strictly heat of the moment… sorry.
Wow, thanks for the lovely compliment! Congratulations on finding love! Add this to my list…
I’m really grateful for the way this Holiday has gone. The weird thing is, I’ve been having dizziness and hot flashes, missed a couple of days of work… and grudgingly went to the doctor, certain they would laugh me out of the place. Turns out I had something a lot more serious than your run-of-the-mill flu-virus… one of those sometimes symptomless ailments, that if left untreated could have permanently damaged my internal organs. But the crazy thing to me is how 24 hours after a couple of injections and swallowing some pills, I’m starting to feel better. It is incredible to me what great medical care I have access to. It is incredible to me how much I will not suffer because of where and when I happened to be born.
And seriously, my husband deserves mad props for taking care of me this week. He’s been running me to the doctor’s, fixing me meals and filling prescriptions… his entire birthday on the 28th was basically taking care of me. He’s been so kind about it, not resentful… I just really appreciate him.
I’ve been sick most of break, but it hasn’t been a sickness that’s really robbed my ability to relax and feel content. You know, that ‘‘too sick to work, but not too sick to enjoy a good book’’ sort of sickness. I’ve spent some great time with family members and tons of time relaxing at home. I’m really just grateful for all of it… the ability to find happiness even when things don’t go exactly the way I might have wished… it’s a gift I haven’t always had. I’m glad I have it now.
Edit: Oh, and the cat, gleefully diving face-first underneath the sofa cover? Totally making my night.
…Waitaminute. I think I just figured out why that cover never stays on!
Did I not acknowledge this? I did not. Where have my manner gone? Thanks for the compliment; I feel like I post in a vacuum here sometimes (I think we all get that feeling); it’s good to know somebody somewhere is maybe nodding and or/laughing at some of the stuff that comes out of my head.
Today’s good thing? Christmas sales! Gift certificates and Christmas gift money have been turned into a new set of pots and a new pair of work shoes now (at very good prices).
Since I’m not feeling very happy right now…let’s see if writing about positive things turns it around.
I have family, and a few close friends.
I am not in debt and am saving money,
I have renewed drive for my career, and am working hard every day to achieve my goals.
I have solid faith that my life will turn out well if I try to do good in all I do…even though somedays it is so hard to keep going…
Let’s see…right now my two girls are sitting on the older one’s room, playing Sims, and every once in a while I hear giggles from in there. Good to have them both home and even better to see (hear) them together.
Yesterday was the family Christmas party. The new baby was there (my great-nephew) and most of the rest of us. People come in from various parts of the country for the party and we all get along. I love to see the next generation making connections that will maybe keep this thing going for a while longer. Oh, and everybody loved the calendars I made, with all the family birthdays and anniversaries on them. Nice to do something right.
I watched Stardust with the older daughter tonight. We both enjoyed it, and enjoyed sharing it with each other. And even though she’s twenty years old, she was still willing to snuggle with Mom for a while.
This semester was really hard on me–well, my entire graduate experience has been really hard. But I finished with 1 A, 2 A-'s, and 1 B. I’m particularly happy about the B because it was in my Spanish course, and I needed to get a B to fulfill my language requirement. Which leads to my 2nd good thing…
I only have to take two classes next semester! Which means I only have to be on campus Monday and Wednesday from 1:30-4:30. I could take 3, but I’m not going to. And it’s my last semester of school, ever.
My husband has finally found a job that he really likes. He’s happy with the job itself. He’s happy with his co-workers. He’s happy with his boss. He’ll probably get a raise after his first six months. He’s been there since Thanksgiving, and it’s already made our lives better. This job is going to give him a chance to go to school. He’s got full benefits. It could turn into a career.
My first novel with my co-author has been in bookstores for about 2 weeks now and it’s already getting good reviews. We’ve got a full slate of books to write next year. We’re slowly but surely getting some small measure of success, and next year can only be better.
That is super good news. Life isn’t all about working and making money and all that, but life is a hell of a lot easier when eight hours of your day aren’t spent hating what you’re doing (and the pay and benefits go a long way, too - see my OP in this thread. )
featherlou, you’re one person whose name always makes me smile.
Speaking of which, my condo’s building manager is generally regarded as a saint. Here’s just one of the reasons why. When I left for work this morning in 20-something degree Fahrenheit weather, the parking lot was clear of snow and he’d almost finished clearing the sidewalks. Our parking lot often gets cleared before the road in front of us does. You’d better believe we let him know how much we appreciate him!
