Sunshine and Rainbows and Puppies: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!

My blog posts can often be on the cynical side, so I've decided to dedicate this one to some of the things that I appreciate.  In no particular order or category:

1.  Puppies!  All doggies really.  Actually, I'm an animal lover through and through, but I can't have cats due to allergies.  But there's just something so nice about doggies... they love you when you're sad, they just want to be near you, and the only things you need to give in return are food and some hugging/playing time.

2.  Professional Sports.  It can be painful when your professional sports teams are going through bad times, but when they're doing well, nothing is sweeter...

3.  Les Miserables.  No elaboration needed.

4.  Most Musicals, Really.  There's something energizing about them, so that even Just Okay musicals can perk me up.  Well, maybe not you, Rock of Ages.  There's something about the idea of just bursting into song and dance in public.  Maybe I should start my own flash mob.

5.  The Internet.  The Internet has changed and complicated life in ways unimagined, but I remember what life was like before.  Back when I was 16, I was researching a novel that would become the "mother" of the one I'm writing now.  I had to rely on the understocked public library to do research about the most basic subjects, and wait weeks for interlibrary loan to bring me the best books.  And archival material?  Forget it.  Purchase a ticket and fly there.  Now so much is available with a point and click (and an online subscription).

6.  Vanilla Cupcakes.  Cupcakes have become cliche, but there is a reason they've become a big hit.  They're for when you want cake, but can't justify buying a full cake.  So you just buy a cupcake, and there's no cake sitting in the fridge, waiting to be consumed, and oh I'll just have one more slice, what can it hurt...  Though I love chocolate, there is something light and pleasing about a vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting.

7.  Hugs.  Because they're the best, especially when you think you need them least...

8.  Retro Video Games.  I started playing video games back when they were still 2-D, in the golden age of Super Mario and Zelda.  Though I tried the 3-D games, it just wasn't the same; I had less control of my surroundings.  That might have had to do with the construction of those games, though.  But the 8-bit or 16-bit limitations enabled me to fill in the gaps with my imagination.  And now those games have made a seamless transition to computers, with a twist.  Try playing Super Mario One with Link as the protagonist, or Princess Toadstool!

9.  Cartoons.  By which I mean all animation.  I think it's a shame that CGI is so dominant right now.  While a perfectly good art form, it doesn't beat the complex lines, shapes, and movement of traditional drawn animation, which can be very diverse, from Disney style to Persepolis.  

 10.  Coffee.  Good coffee, mixed with chocolate especially.  How would I get through my morning without you?

Oh yeah, and sunshine and rainbows: pretty cool as well.  Though I also like rainy days.  That will go on my next list of Favorite Things.

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