After reading this post, and getting a little bummed, I began to wonder what weird things make you happy or cheer you up. For me it is a knit cap, the type you wear in winter, my grandmother made for me about 30 years ago. I still have it and wear it on the rare occasions it gets cold enough. I also have a knit scarf she made but do not get the chance to wear it much. I am kind of surprised I have actually held on to it this long. I went through all the stages with it. From wearing it to schoolnot wanting to wear it as a teen because it was uncool, to now keeping it with me all winter in case it gets cold enough to wear it.
It is the only possession I have that I feel directly connects me to her and I would hate to lose it. In fact I would probably be less bothered if my TV, computer, DVD player etc. were stolen than I would be if I lost the cap. While it would be a giant pain, those things can be replaced. It is probably my one current possession that I will keep until it literally falls apart, and even then, I might still hold onto what ever is left.
It reminds me of going to mamaws house in winter, with that familiar grandma house smell. Bundled up like skiers for Thanksgiving dinner, we’d watch the Dallas Cowboys and parades on TV. Grandma, mom and aunt in the kitchen cooking dinner and ganddad, dad and uncle in the living room, with the kids going back and forth or outside playing football.
Then we would come inside and my dad and uncle would let us sip their beer, wine or mixed drinks. Then my grandfather would find some reason to yell at us kids for one thing or another, then we would spend the rest of the time avoiding or ignoring him (he was difficult to be around and my grandmother was probably the only person on earth who could live with him).
I admit, I do not miss my childhood and teen years and would never want to go through it again, but I do have some nice memories and that is what the cap represents to me. While I often try to forget and not dwell on my growing up years, my hat reminds me that it all wasn’t as horrible as I often remember it being. As silly as it may be I really love that old hat.
This might not necessiarily be in tune with what you are talking about, but every once in a while I see somebody wearing a hat (skull cap?) that looks like they are wearing a giant condom on their head, reservoir tip and all. This always makes me smirk.
I also like it when people comment on my screen name. I know this sounds rather egotistic, but I can think back to a recent post I made in which I was very depressed because I was bored with the world. Someone just made this off-the-wall comment on my screen name and it completely snapped me out of my fugue. To all those sympathetic posters, thanks!
Images of baby animals. I don’t know why, but when I’m a little blue, all I need to do is find a nature film featuring baby animals, and before I know it, I’m all smiles.
Well, I have this little toy that I keep in my locker at school, because I know there will be times when stuff is getting me down there, but it is impossible to be unhappy in the presence of this thing.
It’s a little puppy in a sort of bumper car, and when you move it around, it makes noises. “Vroom, vroom, beeeep!!”, goes the car. “Woof, woof, WHEEEEEE!!!”, says the delighted puppy. It cheers up everyone nearby, too. It rocks.
I suppose it’s not that weird, but the holidays make me happy. It’s not just the inflated “Christmas is about love” moral that Christmas specials have taught us all too many times, it’s just the atmosphere of the winter. The weather is cooler, and you start seeing wreaths hanging on poles, and soon stores start putting up lights and little Christmas trees, and then the radio and malls play Christmas songs, and with the approach of winter break from school, it’s just a really fun time of year. The whole world is in on celebrating. Even little things, like the M&Ms being red and green, and Christmas commercials on TV, make me happy. I just love all the crass commercialism of the holidays, probably more than the actual gift giving.
I also get excited over Halloween, since that’s probably the 2nd-most commercial holiday in terms of atmosphere and decorating. I don’t really like Valentines Day, because while it has colors and a love theme, that’s really all there is. You can put up pink ribbons and bows but other than that there isn’t much else to it. It’s too shallow a holiday for me. Easter’s ok, since the main theme essentially is chocolate, and I love those chocolate cream eggs. And the little baskets with that green stuff inside make me happy, especially when filled with chocolate treats. Not nearly as much commercialism as Halloween and Christmas but it’s still got more to it than Valentines Day.
My small sheep. I have 12 small sheep and they never, ever fail to cheer me up. Here is Phillip, the original small sheep, and here are the rest of them (click on their pictures for their profiles). (Be warned that it is a geocities site so if more than two people click on the link within a ten year span it will break).
Here is an example of their amazing acrobat abilities.
Gretchen the small sheep isn’t on there yet because I only met her at christmas and haven’t had time to add her yet.
The Travelling Sheep, who is now officially called Mortimer, has now been all over Europe with LaurAnge, has been to a Montreal Dopefest and was at the MegaNYC dopefest this year. He’s seen a space launch, ran a marathon, travelled cross-country in lno’s car, sat in cleavage and made friends with a duck. He’s had so many adventures!
Pictures of bulldogs like the ones here. Those wrinkly, soulful, gorgeous faces always make me grin. Only thing better is going home and smothering my own bully with kisses and hugs as she tries to squirm away to get one of her “babies” for me to throw
New bike parts, it is always fun to see the design, engineering and design work that comes with the fancy new eye candy. Why it makes me so happy to play with that stuff though-- who knows.
Snow. I love to be out when it’s snowing. Which I suppose is odd to some people because I absolutely loathe being out in the rain. (Makes for an interesting if thoroughly unpleasant emotional glissando if it warms up while snowing and the snow turns to slush and rain).
But there I am, passing struggling commuters who seem grouchy and who act as if this is more than they can bear, and I’m grinning ear to ear and cheerfully bounding along, looking at everything so pretty in its white-frosted splendor…
A new pen. Oh god how I love to get a nice new rollerball, maybe with gel ink or a ceramic ball if I spent a little extra. It’s so glossy and smooth, no nicks on it yet, and just full of oogly ink that can write write write. I just love a new pen.
I also lose them after 2.1 days, so I get to experience this happiness over and over, although it must cost me hundreds of dollars per year.
