I was reading How to Win Friends and Influence People today, and I came across a passage about smiling babies. I love smiling babies. They make me happy. So I couldn’t help but wonder, in a world with where the people in the White House are shredding the US Constitution and our civil liberties are going down the drain, what makes you happy?
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Kitties. Rick Astley. Warm bread.
Sex.
And if I can’t get that, my cat.
That it’s raining right now.
“My” cats.
Feminist science fiction.
The Indigo Girls.
Baking.
Sex.
Weed.
Text messaging.
Cooking an awesome dinner party and the good company that comes with it.
Seeing my kids look proud of themselves.
Possibly not in that order. :)
Babying my houseplants. Buying Plants.
Chocolate Gelato.
My cat.
A nice cup of tea.
Volunteering.
Booze.
Chocolate eclairs.
Laughing really hard.
A great night’s sleep.
Cool summer breezes.
Book stores.
Little things, really. It’s all in the little things, people.
My brother asking me to drive with him to Burger King this afternoon. And many, many other things! But that was the first one that came to mind. =)
Oh, and one of those many other things that makes me happy is my friend Maggie, who has made me laugh lots lately. I also credit her with introducing me to feminism!
A good book.
My friends.
Summer nights.
My “dog niece” Riley.
Good TV.
Getting the giggles for no apparent reason.
Hiking, and ice cream.
I’m adding my vote for cats, especially cats like this one: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/ap_on_re_eu/cat_adopts_panda
I’ve observed over the years that cats have a good sense of what their humans consider precious and tend to act accordingly.
friends. good books. knitting. ice cream. awesome music.
in fact, i’m going to go ahead and recommend my favorite awesome music right now, los campesinos!, because they are super happy. they are welsh and adorable and super upbeat even when their lyrics are not. because isn’t that sometimes what we need? to be upbeat when things suck? plus, they are totally feminist friendly! they have a girl singer and a boy singer, and their debut album has a song about misogyny in the music industry. WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK?
watch them sing and play and be adorable here (plus there are kittens!!): http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4GethJnBg
also, xkcd. because it is awesome.
my sourdough starter named “eleanor”, my plant named “planty”, my mom’s rosebush named “ester”, singing made up songs to my dog, i love lucy, cookbooks, babies dressed up as bugs and flowers, fresh from the garden tomatos, reading, punk rock, puppy kisses, violet perfume oil, violet candies, baking and cooking, art, magazines, home decor, thrift store shopping, napping during thunderstorms, the smell of dryer exhaust on a cold day, fireplace smell on crisp winter nights, seeing the cows and horses and goats out in the fields, when the crops come in, talking to the trees and animals, vegan rice crispy treats, playing old sonic the hedgehog games on sega genesis, when little kids say “hi” to me, the “cumberland general store” catalog, the 1920s, the mythical 1950s in my head where im a badass juvenile delinquent hot rod girl, and grocery and housewares shopping, good comic book stores, good record stores, and hanging out with my fiance and my amazing mom.
Dolly Parton
Planet Unicorn
Feminism
Heavy Metal concerts
The other night I was riding the bus home and saw a car in the lane over with the following bumper sticker:
“Women make great leaders.
You’re following one right now.”
After a day of depression over our shitty Congress that really cracked me up.
Pornographic Transformers fanfiction.
Cats, especially when purring.
Driving.
Completing artwork that’s more than just a random sketch. (Also, some of said random sketches when they turn out really well.)
Random pretty things (peacock feathers, those really big dandelion puffs, tornados, Saleens, waterfalls, luna moths).
Orgasms, fantasies, & quality vibrators, especially when combined.
Hearing a favorite song play on the radio.
Clever mock successories.
The feeling of laughing my ass off the first time I encounter something hilarious.
The Daily Kitten:
http://www.dailykitten.com/
After any random mysogny, republican malfezance, religous right abomination, will instantly lower your blood pressure (can’t be bothered to spell check this late at night.
.
I love Cats too but where be all my Dog lovers?!
cuddling my dogs
The new Slayers Revolution, a new series for an old favorite anime; a parody fantasy staring Lina Inverse the self proclaimed Beautiful Sorcery Genius.
Playing Lord of the Rings Online
chocolate
reading tvtropes
Really fierce poetry!
Ani DiFranco
Ginger ale
Sendy naughty pictures to my man
Getting naughty pictures back from him
Photoshopping hilariousness
My totally hot friends
Smiling babies. Laughing preschoolers. Bookstores. XKCD and other sources of nerd jokes. Being in Europe instead of the US and watching the shredding of the US Constitution from a distance.
Thursdays, when the comic books come out.
Especially when I get to read Gail Simone’s writing in Wonder Woman.
Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things,” as it happens.
Cats.
I have panties with a print that say “beautiful men and world peace” – I try to get as much of both as possible :p
Sunshine and free time.
Cats, dogs, pets in general
Good books
Sitting out on the porch chatting w/friends on a summer evening
Running
Sleeping late on a Sunday morning
Coffee and the NY Times crossword
:)
UnFit, I want a pair of those undies! Where did you get them?!?
hugs
family & friends
my cat
making cupcakes
music
walking through crunchy leaves in the fall
The Backstreet Boys.
I can’t help it, I love them!
my s.o. who is the most amazing person i know
my cat whom i love dearly
cats in general, especially baby cats
ice cream
cool summer nights on a porch
the memory of balmy nights on a beach in hawaii
good music
singing
fall in new england
hanging with my college girls
visiting my alma mater
Thanks Mr. J. ..this was a nice way to start my morning – now I’m thinking about all the things that make me happy :)
i know it’s a bit cheesy…but watching this guy dance really makes me really really happy!
http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/
all dogs
Reading, especially Harry Potter
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
drinking with my friends and reminiscing
cheese and potatos (preferably together)
Music of many sorts (indie rock, motown, classical).
Thunderstorms. My parakeet. Hugging my wife.
Oh, me too for comic-book Thursdays!
Warren Ellis
Smiling toddlers calling me “Auntie K”
My 13 year old’s wry, sardonic sense of humor
…and that he’s big enough now to do the grunt work
sex
green trees everywhere
ice cream with chocolate-covered caramel bits in it
music
cheese
my new bookshelf
my new notepad with the Nancy Drew bookcover, erm, cover
Elizabeth Bear’s writing
The new Slayers Revolution, a new series for an old favorite anime; a parody fantasy staring Lina Inverse the self proclaimed Beautiful Sorcery Genius.
Torri, have I told you lately that I love you? Every nerdy feminist should love Slayers.
As for me, the list of little things that makes me happy would be too long to put here, but in the interests of brevity: good writing, stand-up comedy, my mom, my cat, my wonderful friends (be they near or far), mushy love stories, old movies, beautiful weather, learning languages and planning trips.
cheese! especially goat cheese.
tea! my very cute degus. having an income. having my library card. reconnecting with long-lost friends. all things related to Austin, TX.
making my koi excited with shrimp
futurama
watching kittens try to act like tough, big cats
laughing so hard i snort
my amazing boyfriend
receiving packages in the mail
finding artists who share my inner vision like Remidios Varo and Vladamir Kush.
previews before movies
Sunny days, especially the morning when you see/fell the first rays of sunlight creeping in through the curtains.
Genuinely witty graffiti.
The right kind of schadenfreude.
Seeing kids create something unexpected and cool.
Hot showers, or better yet baths on cold, rainy days.
And booze, natch.
Catherine Tate
David Tennant
Watching The Catherine Tate Show
Watching Catherine Tate and David Tennant in ‘Doctor Who’ (BLISS)
Ani Difranco
Tori Amos
Listening to patronising meditation tapes and laughing my head off whenever the woman says something like ‘your heart is a beautiful lotus blossom’
My period being over so I can, um, do that certain thing again
Having all you ickle fluffy darlings to love on the internet (lol)
Rainstorms!
My lovely, lovely friend…
Watching Heroes
MY CAT!! And all cats.
Sending silly pictures of cute kittens to my friends.
Green Tea
Ice-cream!
Being over a certain asshole
Dancing alone in my living room
Being able to sleep all day if I want to! For weeks!
The Backstreet Boys.
I can’t help it, I love them!
Melissa, me too!
NormaJ, you’re welcome!
I also like laughing so hard I roll on the floor.
sex
my cat
my husband
cuddling
pizza
the beatles
presents
olive garden’s breadsticks and alfredo sauce (can’t help it!)
people enjoying my writing
getting everything done that I need to get done (rare!)
more sex
more beatles
My kitten
A good book
Slam poetry readings (like the one I went to last night)
Hugs
The Beatles
Gays (inside joke)
Folk music
Pencil bouquets
Sunflowers
Chai lates
Laughing
Swimming/wave pools
Family events
Chicago
p.s. to Cara you stole one of mine!! Not really, but I LOVE Olive Garden breadsticks with alfredo sauce. They think I’m crazy because I come in and only get that.
my wonderful partner
my parents + friends
my dog
having a backyard in NYC
taking up skateboarding
my other wheels (bike + xootr scooter)
classical, hip-hop, and Latina/Puerto Rican music
music in general
food
mild intoxication
sex
community organizing done right
comic books
looking at my tattoos
the Invisibles t-shirt I’m wearing right now (it’s a comic book series)
Netflix
being self-employed (when it’s not driving me nuts)
summer in Brooklyn
amazing things coming together so that my girlfriend and i can take our first real vacation together (one that doesn’t involve visiting family in our hometowns!)
also, hell yeah to Olive Garden breadsticks!
DOGS!!!! Especially the adorable rat terrier/french bulldog mix puppy who was outside my apartment the other day. You cat people don’t know what you’re missing…
Finding a perfect summer dress.
Long lines of pre-school kids out for a walk, holding hands with their little friends and chattering all at once
A simple and delicious pasta with a glass of wine
Dining outside
Pinkberry
Brunch
Did I mention wine already? Also, dark beer.
Wearing fancy (but always soft and comfortable) underwear for no reason
West Wing re-runs
My best girls
Boxing
Cheese. With wine.
The promise that once the bar is over, I’ll be able to read books again
Thunder storms at night
Gazela vinho verde (so delicious, and like $5); a good pinot noir; Italian island wines
Upcoming vacations.
Can we all agree that puppies, kittens, ice cream and feminism are THE BOMB?!’
Things that make me happy:
My dog (and all dogs)
Hoegaarden
Laughing til my stomach hurts
Swinging on the swings
Led Zeppelin
I love when the family is all in one bed. It makes me happy to know that the people I love the most are so close to me. I also love hearing my kids laugh. It always makes me smile.
Mozart’s and Beethoven’s piano concertos.
My local pizzeria.
Working from home (and having a great boss).
“The Simpsons.”
The New Yorker.
Lots of good ideas here that I will have remember. My happy place is putting on some Ramones, setting the amp to 11 and playing along. Occasionally I will mix in other bands, but the Ramones are a catharsis that is simple, fast and fun.
I have another one! Classy black people in the media, specifically this couple on HGTV. We need more people like them on our screens to offset the ne’er-do-wells of I Love Money.
the fact that my son came home safely from Iraq
watching my daughter study engineering, a man’s profession when I was her age
my husband
walking my dog, Lucy, preferably in the rain
local peaches from the farmer’s market
watching the baby swallows on the loading dock grow up
English history
My kittehs. Old commercials. Anderson Cooper. MST3K. Old social guidance films. Anthony Bourdain. YouTube. lolanything. Subversive Cross Stitch. My fiance in a playful mood. Cheeses. Awesome purses and shoes. A Bit of Fry and Laurie. XM’s comedy station. Studying Buddhism.
Because I’m incurably dorky and the title of the post has the song stuck in my head….
Black Metal music and drinking till midnight
The sound of a fiddle and holding my wife tight
The production of music and the joy that it brings
These are a few of my favorite things
The works of Carl Jung, and Alice Miller
Electrical autos, and the scent of vanilla
Heller versus DC, Bush gone by next spring
These are a few of my favorite things
William, is this what you have in mind? The video doesn’t make a lot of sense to me but the song is one of my favs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbSCGkYrmO4
Chai fraps.
Twilight
Damask
cutie animals
Gilmore girls
Harry Potter
NPR
Strangers in Paradise
Traveling
Sniffing freshly washed blankets
Movies, with friends
New Music
Sex
Guitar Hero
Air Conditioning
When people ask me to bake cookies for them
Baking cookies
Buffy/Angel
Varied/Positive/nonexotic representations of women/minorities in media
Shopping
New finger nail polish
Fresh hair do’
Playing bass filled music too loudly in my car
Watermelon
Iced Tea
Lemonade (real, not that minute maid)
Kathy Griffin
Whoopi
Submissions to my blog http://www.fortunecookiesinbed.blogspot.com b/c they’re pretty funny :)
OMG I can’t believe I forgot booze.
BOOZE.
@RumTumTugger
Sweet lordy, I loooooove David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Doctor Who!!!
And just Doctor Who in general is amazing:^D
Let’s see:
Cheese
Reading
Singing along to music
Masturbation
Dancing
RockBand
Watching shows about science and the universe
Driving at night
Comic Books
Bookstores
Pomegranate Juice
Nude photography
The 1920’s
Foreign Films (with subtitles!)
Burlesque
Lightening and thunder storms
Marijuana
Dear God! So–so cute. Can’t turn away. Can’t stop smiling. HALP!!1
my college (Mass Art)
my Holga camera
my crush
my crush’s adorable Scottie dog
dogs in general
thai iced tea
mythology
environmental science
night sailing
musicals
dystopian novels and movies
buffy the vampire slayer
top gear
sci fi board games and rpgs
e. e. cummings
travel
boxing
running
feminism
accordions
fake mustaches
riding my bike
Carol H: Actually I was more thinking about the fiddle getting more use in unorthodox areas of music and enjoying time with my wife. I’d never heard that song before, but thanks for the link. Awesome.
I enjoyed Slayers too. Is it out on DVD, yet?
Kelsey Jarboe,
Your college is barely a 10 minute walk from one of the areas I used to live when I worked in the Greater Boston area. Used to pass by Mass Art on my way to meet friends who lived in and around the Fenway/Kenmore area.
Here’s my incomplete list:
Hanging out with friends.
Intellectually stimulating conversations….whether online or IRL.
Finishing a book…whether intellectually stimulating or otherwise.
A good night’s sleep.
A 1/2-2 hour fast-stroll through various parts of NYC on a nice sunny day with or without the media player.
Successfully solving/fixing a computer problem.
Getting a chance to pet/play with friends’ cats.
Visiting friends in the Greater Boston area
Good food and drinks from a wide variety of cultures.
Enjoy classical music, jazz, opera, and art in many forms despite the occasional snobby pretentious noise.
Good movies, especially those from East/South Asia
Seeing happy people go about their daily business while walking around.
Observing the trees, leaves, flowers, grass, and other forms of plant scenery in my area(s).
Good university seminars, lectures, and conferences in my area(s) of interest.
Dark chocolate
Tea
Favourite songs
Yoga
I disagree that XKCD is made of happiness. This one is truly depressing.
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