October 3rd, 2012

1000 Things We Like: So Close Now

Thanks to Fred for the encouragement to keep things moving–and her excellent likes:

751) Honey barbecue sauce
752) Stamp collections
753) Scrunchies (yes, I’m not afraid to say it!!!)
754) The University College of the Cariboo (RIP)
755) The Schumpeter column in the Economist
756) Tide pens
757) The day before you go to a new country for the first time
758) Grosgrain ribbons
759) The ubiquity of Cherry coke in the United States (RR says: there is a sad flip side to this in Canada)
760) Limited edition Pumpkin spice Hershey’s kisses (RR says: further Canadian sadness here)
761) Tassels
762) Fake moustaches
763) The George Bellows retrospective at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC
764) Peggy’s Cove
765) Homemade meatball sandwiches
766) Dry-erase boards
767) Sparrows
768) Any sort of certificate of recognition, even if it was clearly made in MS Word
769) The Oprah Winfrey Show (I miss it terribly)
770) Colouring
771) Ferns
772) The opening bit of “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
773) Antananarivo as a city name
774) Commemorative loonies
775) Blueberry fritters at Tim Hortons
776) The shape of the state of Oklahoma
777) Getting upgraded to first class
778) San Francisco
779) Butter tarts

And I’ll keep the love alive with

780) Canadian Dance Moves
781) The Raveonettes
782) When I finally get around to polishing my nails
783) xylophones
784) seeing my cat eat something with gusto
785) the kind of oatmeal cookies only I can bake
786) AL Kennedy‘s sense of humour
787) The character of Pop Streets in People Park
788) The evolution of Lutz’s character on *30 Rock*
789) Naps
790) When the apartment’s really clean
792) Crazy eights
793) Even better: crazy countdown
794) When someone explains a political issue to me and I actually understand
795) Newfoundland and Labrador accents
796) This tiny baby Akita puppy that lives in my building
797) Cocoa butter as moisturizer and/or chapstick
798) Reverb
799) The terrible newspaper that I always read when I visit my parents
800) Scabs (sorry, but isn’t it amazing that blood just *knows how to clot*??)
801) Old clothes I forgot about, then rediscover
802) Turkey stuff two days this weekend
803) iCoke points
804) That dreamy read-nap-read-snack-nap-read-look out the window thing I do on long trips
805) Smiles from strangers on the subway
806) At a party with only one child at it, when the child’s mother said sternly, “Do you see anyone else climbing on the tables?” and said child looked hopefully at all us boring, chair-sitting adults.
807) The all-ways crossing at Yonge and Bloor
808) The fact that my bro cals 807 a barn dance
809) Shoes I would never wear–just that they exist is perfect
810) Scraping mascara off my eyelashes with my fingernails
811) The mushy white insides of a dinner roll

More to come–as soon as you send them!

September 24th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: New Week, New Likes

These are from the stalwart and innovative liker, Fred:

715) Looking through someone’s scrapbook
716) Getting sucked into a particular awesome infomercial
717) Hydrangeas
718) Mt. Tam cheese from Cowgirl Creamery.
719) Someone smiling at you from across the room (RR says: especially if you aren’t expecting it!)
720) Fridges with icemakers built in
721) Shoeboxes
722) Food samples at Costco (someone must have said this already, but it bears repeating) (RR says: No, I think you’re first–oversight on everyone else’s part!)
723) The resurgence of neon colours
724) Someone letting you french braid their hair (RR says: OMG, I did not know you could do that. Next time I see you…)
725) Paper lanterns
726) That big umbrella-looking flash thing they use when you get pictures taken.

And from me, even though I’m feeling the Mondayness:

727) souffle (just found out)
728) dozing off to the sound of rain
729) Tina Fey
730) Cheetos Crunchits
731) babies who stare at me like I’m the best
732) realizing we’ve spent the entire afternoon talking
733) rich people’s houses
734) decent photos of myself (very rare)
735) iCoke points
736) “what went wrong?” case studies in business textbooks
737) racing the moving sidewalk at the airport
738) “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann
739) the prospect of more short stories if I ever finish reading my business textbook
740) skilled huggers
741) that Michael Crummey story in the last issue of *The Walrus*
742) my new fall boots, which are very glamourous-looking but actually from Zellers
743) Corn Pops
744) collaborative projects
745) discovering something new to like on this list
746) being reminded of something old I like on this list
747) counting things
748) progress
749) friends
750) exclamations like “yay!” and “awesome-sauce!” and “wicked!”

September 21st, 2012

1000 Things We Like: 70% there!

From lovely Nadia:
637) endorphins
638) bluegrass festivals
639) the smell of books that have been sitting in the sun (RR says: Have to find out what this is like!)
640) discovering words in other languages that have no conceptual equivalent in english
641) lately, gelato, a lot
642) setting the table
643) running at night
644) wondering if animals can tell when you’re teasing them
645) eating something salty after swimming in the ocean
646) kindness
647) people who find ways to make a living that don’t involve cubicles
648) coming terms with something less-than-fabulous about yourself and feeling pumped to change it
649) Letting fall favoured illusions
650) Windows, from a cubicle (RR says: yes!)
651) pigeons, raccoons and other creatures who share the city with us and get a bad rap for wanting to eat.
652) Finding a writer that is new to you that you want to read
653) Deep Roots on cbc radio
654) sloth videos (RR says: so much love!!)
655) irreverant people

And from Zai, who I believe took a break from studying to make this list–thanks, lady!

656) Chocolate with chili peppers
657) New sheets
658) Comfy socks
659) Window seats where you can stare at the world go by (RR says: always!)
670) Kisses on the forehead
671) Kids who smile at you in the grocery store
672) Newly cut hair
673) McGill JAMS (RR says: yay!)
674) Poutine
675) Foot massages
676) Being unsure what you dreamed about but waking up happy
677) Babies
678) Oatmeal
679) Discovering a new restaurant
670) Avocado
671) Spicy Gouda
672) Freshly baked granola
673) The Sound of Music
674) Natural Hot Springs
675) When facebook actually finds a long lost friend for you (vs all the randoms it usually recommends lol)

From Susie, just one but very likable:

676) wearing a new piece of clothing that makes you feel great!

From Matilda Magtree, originally posted here:

677) making lists (and repeating myself)
678) ginger snaps with blackberry tea on the patio at the end of the day
679) BBQ’d shrimp and chilled sauvignon blanc on the patio at the end of the day
680) the family in my neighbourhood that are always making dinner together when I stroll past their house
681) seeing into people’s windows, especially in winter with all that coziness inside, especially at dinner time (RR says: also good for decorating ideas!)
682) seedless watermelon
683) shadows
684) the letter zed
685) my almond cherry torte recipe that I live in fear of losing so have made several copies but still worry constantly that I’ll lose them
686) Lake Ontario in the dark when the waves are crazy
687) Lake Ontario in the day… any day
688) the summer and winter solstice
689) driving long distances over empty roads, thinking out loud
690) swimming (first choice: lakes; second choice: pool with VERY little chlorine; third choice: oceans without jellyfish or sharks) (RR says: my priorizations are different, but any swimming is good!)
691) making soup or spaghetti sauce or anything that requires chopping, stirring, simmering
692) cooking smells in a house
693) sheets and towels and tee shirts from the line
694) a cat snuggled up beside me like a teddy bear
695) sandals
696) the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
697) the [operatic] song from Big Night, first heard while having lunch al fresco at Quail’s Gate Winery
698) the sound of cutlery against plates in that final scene in Big Night
699) goat cheese omelletes with purslane (RR says: another thing I don’t know what it is. This list is educational!)
700) Cat’s Eye, the book
701) Drinking the Rain, by Alix Kates Shulman, which I read almost every year
702) the way insects and animals and birds and trees know exactly what to do
703) choosing well from a menu
704) painting with bold colours
705) discovering a new place in my own ‘hood
706) the word ‘hood
707) beeswax candles
708) walking, hiking, climbing, none of it too strenuously
709) the sight of the Andes from a small plane
710) the colour green, indoors and out
711) people who get excited about possibilities, art and words
712) the smell of dirt in Spring
713) the smell of snow and the way it looks in the sunshine
714) sharpened pencils and fast writing pens

September 20th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: Over to Scott

Here are some excellent new likes from excellent Scott:

602) When a plan comes together.
603) Touch typing (RR says: must relevant thing I learned in high school)
604) Figuring out yourself how to watch a show downloaded to your ipad through your laptop to your television in such a manner that you feel you are a mad scientist or hacker
605) Walks in Autumn
606) Introducing someone to sushi for the first time
607) Watching a three year old introduce someone to sushi
608) Chalkboard tables (RR says: I don’t know what these are, but want to!)
609) Fall (Autumn) jackets
610) Snakes & Lattes
611) Waking up on a weekend and realizing you have nothing planned
612) Walking the ROM with a child and realizing how much you actually remember from school
613) Explaining how rain works
614) Fist bumps with toddlers
615) Apple spinach blue cheese quiche
616) Cinnamon
617) Guy Gavriel Kay books
618) The smell of new cardboard
619) Pandas
620) The smile on a friend when they realize they like the game you have introduced them to
621) Being the youngest person at a stage production (RR says: this happens to me often–not so sure I like it, though)
622) Frogs in a creek
623) Kayaking at sunset
624) Random hugs
625) Finishing a book and still having time in the evening to do other things
626) Cooking with butter

And from me

627) peanut-butter frosting (duh!)
628) collaborative creativity
629) the first time someone says something that makes me think s/he could be my friend someday
630) when the bus comes just as I walk to the stop
631) the rare times when I pick the cat up and he seems happy about it
632) having a blog
633) the texture of rose petals
634) pretty much about roses
635) the song “Hey Mickey”
636) good hair days

September 16th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: Before Bed

These are from Susan Glickman–thanks so much for these lovely likes, Susan!

554. The first bite of a perfectly crunchy apple (bonus points if it’s still on the tree)
555. Having a strange cat come over and rub against your legs (RR: hooray!)
556. Being startled by the stars when you are just going outside to put out the garbage
557. Putting on socks straight out of the dryer
558. The smell of a wood fire
559. A letter instead of an e-mail
560. When your university student daughter unselfconsciously calls you “Mama”
561. Laughing out loud when you’re reading something by yourself (RR says: this is extremely rare for me–I am a social laugher–but yes, I totally get it!)
562. A robin’s nest in your window, complete with baby robins
563. Finding money in a jacket pocket
564. The way butter melts into all those little holes in a crumpet
565. Clean sheets on the bed
566. Getting a phone call from a friend you’ve been thinking about
567. Sharpening a pencil
568. Writing with a newly sharpened pencil
569. Porch swings
570. Splashing through puddles in rubber boots
571. A restaurant that gives you mints after dinner
572. A good haircut
573. Puns
574. Sitting on the balcony with a cup of tea and the dog puts his head on your lap
575. Remembering the French word for something obscure just in time to use it

I think we’ll cover up a a skipped number in the list with my mom’s sole contribution so far:

576) Baking a really good cake

And these from Fred:

577) Really really effective allergy medication
578) When you beat heavy cream and somehow it just transmogrifies into whipped cream.
579) Being home alone and spontaneously yelling RicolAAAAAH! really loud like they do in the commercial. (RR: I shall try this!)
580) Those outfits made from curtains in “The Sound of Music”.
581) A picture of yourself in a place you do not recall ever going to.
582) Fingers calloused from guitar playing
583) Sitting on a bed in one of those fake rooms at Ikea and pretending you live there.
584) Pie crust

And, what the hay, I think I’ll round out the night with some of my own

585) A cat who fits exactly in a box, and enjoys being there
586) Special effects in live performances
587) Realizing, with shock and joy, that Christmas will come *again* in a few months
588) Feeding ducks (or watching others feeding ducks, if one has forgotten to bring bread)
589) When someone knows me well enough to give me the thing I want before I ask for it
590) When traffic finally starts moving after you’ve been stuck for a while
591) Bare feet on cool grass
592) Bouncing up and down in the ocean when the waves are rough but not too rough
593) Skor bits
594) Good advice
595) Suddenly realizing that my hair is pretty long
596) Being picked up from the airport
597) Digicorders
598) REM’s “Why Not Smile”
599) When people point out how much I look like my mom
600) Baths
601) The expression “what the hay”

Good night!

September 15th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: Weekend Edition

These are from the lovely and talented Miranda Hill:

526) the stiffness of a new pair of glasses
527) Dad tee shirts that turn into kids’ nightshirts
528) Community pioneers who put businesses in places others have abandoned (e.g. Mixed Media, Hamilton &; Lunch-bags.ca: thank you!)
529) Stories in our spaces (Project Bookmark Canada)
530) When your teenagers are proud of you (priceless)

And these are from Jeff Bursey, who is also lovely and talented, but in a different way (with number correction):

531) Any book by Blaise Cendrars, but especially his fiction
532) Contemplating getting my books out of storage
533) Music by NRBQ, from any era, with any line-up
534) Getting a home-made music CD in the mail from a friend (RR says: yes! Getting rare, this one.)
535) Seeing new reviews of my book two years after its publication (okay, that may be a solitary pleasure)
536) Seeing an unread Mati Unt book in translation and knowing it’s waiting to be opened
537) The programmed dialogue coming from electronic games in food courts despite the fact no one is playing them
538) Dancing in the computer chair as you type when, suddenly, an upbeat song from the music library comes on
539) The word “autumn” used instead of “fall” (RR says: definitely!)
540) Seeing other authors read live (RR says: also definitely)
541) Regular mail that contains books to review
542) Lists that are not chores
543) Reading in public places, especially hospitals, and tuning out the noise and the conversations and the television
544) A warm, sunny day in February, which is a freak occurrence
545) When grackles show up in April, ahead of crows, heralding spring

And these are from yours truly:

546) arch support
547) when someone you’re waiting for glides over the summit of an elevator
548) getting the whole can of pop for meeeee on an airplane
549) address books
550) something that just fits in the space available
551) neighbours that are the right amount of friendly
552) when the song you wanted comes on the radio right when you want it
553) chutney

Kay–your turn!!

September 13th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: Still Going Strong

From Bob Armstrong:

486) Garden-grown tomatoes.
487) Taking off hiking boots at the end of a long day.
488) GORP.
489) Homemade waffles.
490) Running during a snowstorm.
491) Bending notes on the guitar, whether the song needs them bent or not.
492) Community — especially the paintball episodes. (RR says: I have to see this show–everyone says I’ll love it!)

From my far-away friend Melanie:

493) Eating cereal before bed. (RR says: I do this almost every day!)
494) Line drying the laundry.
495) Sleeping next to a baby.
496) Packages in the mail.
497) Toast with jam.
498) The first chilly day when you know fall is coming.

From Andrew (with corrected numbering to correspond with order of posts, making Andrew the winner of the 500th like slot!!)

499) Elderly women looking in trash cans
500) Elderly men standing and watching construction
501) When cats burp or fart (RR says: my cat only farts in times of great stress. I’m sure you needed to know that.)
502) When you lock your bike to a pole and it falls down
503) Drunk kids eating pizza or Chinese food while staggering home, letting their trash fall behind them as they go
504) Those people whose whole week leads up to Karaoke Night and who are really good at Karaoke
505) Hearing about someone falling asleep on the toilet
506) When Bonnie Prince Billy makes reference in song to either his beard or stomach
507) When little kids fall down and don’t cry until someone asks if they’re okay
508) West Coast IPA
509) Watching anyone over fifteen learning how to skateboard
510) When firefighters set their practice house on fire (RR says: what, you can just go see that? I would like to see that. How? Where?)
511) This friend I had who had a ghost in his house and would pee his pants (grey track pants) whenever he thought about it
512) Tracking lines on VHS
513) When you wait around all day for the mail that might have money for you in, and then you go out for afternoon beer and come home to find the money has come
514) Frank’s hot sauce on everything
515) Using “dickering” instead of “haggling”
516) Other people’s fear of clowns for some reason
517) Those promises you make to yourself when you’re going to sleep that tomorrow you’ll wake up and do all things you’ve been doing wrong the right way

And last (for tonight) from lovely Corinna:
518) Kitty sneezes
519) When the berries on the vine in my back yard turn from green to rich blues and purples in September
520) Petting animals at fairs (goats, chickens, cows, bunnies…) (RR says: we are very much alike, Corinna and I.)
521) The marshmallow ice cream at White Squirrel
522) Cats in boxes (RR says: SO ALIKE!)
523) Fresh homegrown tomatoes with oil, balsamic vinegar, basil and shaved parmesan
524) My dad’s emails
525) Glitter

More than halfway–amazing. But there’s still more to like…bring it on!!

September 12th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: new stuff

The lists below. are from the comments on yesterday’s post. And they even did their own numbering–bonus! Nice work, guys!

Please keep your lists coming, either directly in the comments or by posting them on your own blog and putting a link in the comments. Feel free to use the contact button above, too, if that floats your boat. HOWEVER, if you have used said button in the past couple weeks, I don’t think it was functioning properly, so please (please!) follow up with me by email (rebeccabooks[at]excite[dot]com)–I don’t want to miss any good liking, or anything else. Magical Stuart at Create Me This fixed it almost as soon as I realized there was a problem, but I can’t be sure how long it was broken before I did notice. Sorry about that, guys!

And now back to the good stuff:

Nathalie says:

410) a new package of coloured markers
411) post-it notes, in all the colours of the rainbow
412) finding the right word for the job
413) being in the middle of a favourite author’s oevre, knowing there’s still lots of great reading ahead of you
414) thoughtful comments left on your blog (RR says: like this one!)
415) recommending a good book
416) nursing a baby in the first six months and knowing all his delicious baby fat has come from you alone
417) teaching a child to read
418) witnessing a child fall in love with books
419) purring cats (RR: yay!)
420) evicted squirrels

From Carolyn:

421) the smell of meadows in the late summer/early fall

Frederique says:

422) A flaky croissant, fresh from the oven.
423) Bolchaia 4 o’clock tea from Albert Ménès in Paris (RR says: usually I like what Fred likes, but I have no idea what this is…intriguing!)
424) Paris
425) Smelling a smell you haven’t smelled since you were little.
426) The number eight
427) Harmonizing with a song on the radio
428) Every song on Madonna’s “True Blue” album
429) Ampersands
430) Holding hands (RR: 1000 yeses!)
431) Unintentional rhymes

From Jarret, via Twitter, the contact form, and email (thanks for sorting through my contact difficulties, Jarret!!)

432) getting lost in a great song
433) road trips for ice cream (RR says: absolutely! preferably near a river!)
434) a cold beer on a hot day
435) hockey!
436) a long straight drive off the tee
437) action flicks where lots of stuff blows up
438) Muay Thai after a hard day
439) boneless chicken wings
440) chocolate!
441) watching the game with a group of buddies
442) funny sports bloopers
443) Edward Van Halen
444) that feeling of accomplishment right after completing something difficult or something you’ve put off
445) cookie dough ice cream

Wowsers, I did not think we’d be almost halfway through before I got to add some more–this is going incredibly well. And now, from me:

446) when the cat pretends he can’t jump on the windowsill so that someone will lift him up, because to figure out dishonesty he’d have to be pretty intelligent
447) Swiss Chalet dipping sauce
448) naps
449) getting nail polish on my nails properly (very rare)
450) Magical Stuart at Create Me This
451) a second wind
452) my shiny blue shoes, even though they hurt (worth it)
453) liking a book I didn’t think I would like
454) buying something on sale
455) seeing someone help a parent lift a stroller off a bus (or doing so myself)
456) dogs that clearly want me to pet them
457) P!nk’s song “Trouble”
458) the second seat behind the back doors, beside the window, on TTC buses
459) watching a rainstorm through the window (or from a screened porch)
460) seeing my new niece play with my childhood dollhouse
461) seeing my parents seeing #460
462) the magic words “per diems”
463) feeling the plane taxiing down the runway
464) getting an appliance to work that previously refused
465) seeing the post-carrier on the way into my building and feeling hopeful
466) high-calibre hugs
467) meeting a friend’s new baby for the first time–new friend!
468) British Museum in London, especially the collections from the 1800s that were collected *at the time*
469) schwarma from Pitaland
470) passing someone so many times on the sidewalk over a period of weeks that you finally start smiling at each other in greeting, even though you have no idea who the other person is
471) swings
472) peanut-butter M&Ms
473) Donald Barthelme
474) palindromes
475) Christmas choral music
476) good hair days
477) the word “calliope”
478) going to readings and hearing something new
479) prime numbers
480) Hotti Biscotti
481) using my liberal arts degree ALL THE TIME (take that, haters!)
482) Tina Fey
483) Jimmy Fallon
484) My sparkly pink retainer case
485) My brother

That seems an appropriate note to end on–more soon, I have no doubt. Who will give us the 500th like?

September 10th, 2012

1000 Things We Like: and more!

These are from Heather, who posted them in a comment on Allyson’s blog:

280) the smell of rain
281) picking a tomato warm from the sun off the vine and eating it
282) the cool breezes of fall
283) cooking a meal with friends
284) a hot bubble bath in my claw foot tub during a winter storm (RR says: envious!)
285) my cat waking me up by peaking his head up at the top of my bed and meowing
286) the feel of a man’s skin under a cotton shirt
287) new sexy high heels
288) canoeing in Alquonquin
289) cooking an Italian feast, while sipping on wine and listening to Billy Holliday LPs on my record player
290) skinny dipping in cool water on a hot summer day
291) the excitement of a new painting/sculpture emerging into my psyche
292) summer storms
293) Driving a truck, listening to Led Zeppelin really loud
294) Kensington Market Pedestrian Sundays
295) Dancing to the Lemon Bucket Orchestra
296) Porch sitting with good friends
297) Watching a great film/documentary at TIFF
298) James Joyce
299) a glorious day in the studio creating without interruption
300) Peaches in season (RR says: this is the 3rd variant on the peach theme!!)
301) London’s Camden Market
302) Road trips with a stop off at Tim Hortens
303) Visiting Blake’s work at the Tate
304) Getting a henna tatoo in Little India
305) Dressing up for Lunacy Cabaret
306) Openings on Queen West and Ossington on Thursday nights and seeing everyone
307) Rotis at Bacchus
308) Walking along the beach in winter to see the swans
309) The rush of a first kiss
310) Creative, sensual men with long hair
311) Listening to street musicians
312) Street art
313) Junction Flea Market
314) The canals of Venice
315) Meandering……
316) Singing spirituals
317) Dancing to Funk
318) Making art in the studio with friends, take out Thai, great music and Mill Street Organic
319) Taking the ferry to Toronto’s Wards and Algonquin Islands
320) Ted Talks
321) Hugging my son
322) The MOMA
323) Chateneuf du Pape
324) The taste of fresh roasted corn
325)Listening to Mississippi Blues while eating Catfish and cornbread
326) The last scene in Big Fish
327) Riding my bike to the studio
328) Sharing a cottage/tent with friends
329) Cuddling and watching a movie on a rainy Sunday with a lover
330) That moment when all is working on a art piece
331) Velvet
332) Vintage Clothes
333) The scent of oil paint and wood when first entering a studio space
334) Tuscan beans on Crostini
335) Finding a great Jazz album at a flea market
336) The scent of earth at the beginning of Spring
337) Falling in love
338) Visiting the baby goats at Riverdale Farm
339) Sharing an evening of great conversation with a good friend
340) Chartreuse341) Being absorbed in a great book
341)Citroen Deux Cheveau
342) A lover’s strong hands
343) Visiting my out of town soul sisters and recharging
344) Gypsy Wagons
345) Sinaed OConnor’s haunting voice
346) the scent of figs and brown sugar
347) Kissing on the beach
348) the first cup of coffee in the morning
349) dying old vintage slips bright beautiful colours
350) discussing politics with friends
351) Turquoise blue vintage cars
352) Looking at photos of my daughter when she was a toddler
353) my canary yellow kimono
354) The scene wear Denys takes Karen in his plane in Out of Africa
355) Snow covered trees on a bright Winter day
356) Baking cookies for my son when he gets home from school
357) Bangles
358) Crawling into a bed just made with sweet smelling sheets that dried on the line
359) Finding a treasure by the side of the road
360) Watching the dogs play together in the water at the beach
361) Bear hugs
362) Sunday phone calls with my mom
363) Parties (RR says: this a great one–often overlooked!)
364) Putting on a fire after a long walk in the snow
365) Taking a train
366) Street festivals
367) Visiting a Baptist Church in Harlem
368) That rush of speed when a plane first takes off
369) Finding my way around a transit system in a new city
370) Praying with friends
371) Bookstores
372) My cowboy hat
373) Discovering a restarant/bar in an alley way
374) Dancing the tango
375) Vespas
376) Receiving flowers from a beautiful man
377) My daughter calling me Mama
378) Discussing poetry over a glass of a full bodied red wine
379) People who give up their seats to the elderly on the bus
380) My neighbourhood dog friends
381) Walking in the Ravine

Can you believe we are almost 40% there already? Me neither. Keep’em coming. I’ll post more in the morning from Amy and Mark!!

1000 Things We Like–yet more!

These are from Allyson Latta on her lovely blog. This lady is very good at liking things–and such wonderful things to like:

137) endings to books that make me want to cry because they’re so perfect
138) Leonard Cohen’s voice, no matter how husky it gets
139) fresh mangoes, and don’t ask me to share (RR says: that’s at least two mango likers so far on this list–but different angles, so I’m letting it stand)
140) freckles across the bridge of the nose (anyone’s but mine)
141) driving alone with the radio turned up
142) driving barefoot in summer (a no-no, I realize)
143) the view of the lake from Loeb Boathouse in Central Park
144) actually, everything about New York City
145) writer friends, published or not
146) kinkajous
147) taking photos, when no one’s telling me to hurry
148) buying a new bracelet
149) creating something yummy for dinner when there’s virtually nothing in the fridge
150) ghostly tales
151) sunlight on water, so sparkly I have to squint
152) talking to others who love books and movies as much as I do
153) amber
154) Saturday morning coffee (fresh ground) in my pj’s
155) planning a trip, or a writers’ retreat
156) dry wit
157) browsing bookstores, with nowhere else to be
158) my husband’s laugh when he’s watching Seinfeld re-runs, no matter how many times he’s seen the episode
159) jazz festivals
160) the feel of a sailboat heeling over
161) Elvis Presley
162) colourful anythings
163) messages from old friends
164) messages from new friends
165) crazy coincidences (life is full of them)
166) writing
167) the first bite of a cone when you’ve licked down to it (RR says: zactly)
168) the things I learn from my book club that have nothing to do with books
169) new bar of soap in the shower
170) my Morkie’s little head-tilt when he’s listening
171) memoirs that go deep
172) a field of cosmos
173) terra cotta
174) swimming a long way under water
175) a foot massage when I’m least expecting one
176) creative people and the way they think
177) old limestone houses
178) roller coaster rides
179) just-washed hair
180) teaching people who really want to learn
181) dolphins in the wild
182) friends who don’t check their cell phones while they’re with me
183) Battenberg cake
184) Kingston’s waterfront
185) Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl”
186) my kids accomplishing something I didn’t realize they could do
187) me accomplishing something I didn’t realize I could do
188) finding something that was lost
189) The Great Gatsby
190) chardonnay, oaked or un-oaked
191) Facebook and Twitter (god help me)
192) the Rideau Canal
193) feeling giggly
194) listening to my husband playing guitar
195) people-watching
196) roast lamb with garlic and rosemary
197) a luscious teal on my toenails
198) both “our” Ryans (Reynolds and Gosling)
199) realizing I don’t have to go grocery shopping after all
200) having my hair brushed and brushed, like my niece used to do when she was little
201) the scent of snow
202) strangers who smile (or smile back) at me
203) cobbled streets
204) being introduced to new music
205) country music (don’t ask me why)
206) dappled sunlight through leaves
207) films that really make me feel
208) hot, buttery toast
209) the way a friend of mine signs off messages to me with “Zigzags” — there’s a story there
210) Main Street in Unionville, day or evening, any season
211) editing a wonderful manuscript
212) remembering things my mother said, and knowing she was right
213) sushi (and just writing that makes me crave some)
214) houseboat holidays in the Thousand Islands
215) having someone else clean my house — and that fresh smell after they do
216) words I have to look up in the dictionary
217) finding out my kids remember something about their early years that I thought they’d forgotten
218) drinks on a patio in summer
219) hiking in the autumn
220) the way my husband’s eyes turn bluer when he wears a blue shirt
221) enthusiastic people, whatever their passion
222) singing “O Holy Night” at Christmas
223) singing, period
224) also dancing
225) that weird connection that redheads have
226) Greek food on the Danforth
227) the scent of a wood fire
228) hugs
229) wearing sandals with a bit of a heel
230) fresh cilantro
231) horseback riding
232) memories of my brother’s chuckle, so clear in my mind though he’s gone
233) a new DVD arriving in the mail from Zip.ca
234) spending time with a friend who’s known me forever
235) disposable contact lenses
236) the smell of banana loaf baking
237) zip-lining
238) gentle (but strong) men
239) strong (but gentle) women
240) the light after a rain
241) first time out with a new handbag
242) canoeing
243) goofy pratfalls in comedy
244) pretty much anything chocolate with a glass of milk
245) Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s crinkly-eyed smile (RR says: yes!)
246) achy-bright mornings
247) rainy mornings as long as I don’t have to go anywhere
248) my home office when it’s organized
249) juicy peaches
250) my kids making me laugh when I’m trying to be mad at them (sometimes)
251) tropical breezes
252) browsing celebrity mags at the hair stylist’s, guilt-free
253) having a dog, because I never really thought I would
254) the red rocks of Sedona
255) a surprise invitation
256) the chlorine smell of a swimming pool
257) ticking something off my to-do list
258) blue cheese
259) Latin guitar
260) that when we’re out, my husband notices cute babies before I do
261) pretty journals with nothing yet written in them
262) pretty journals with stuff written in them
263) waking up to an adventure somewhere other than home
264) wearing sunglasses
265) Architectural Digest
266) fireflies
267) photos of my kids when they were wee and didn’t know how cute they were
268) Indian food with raita
269) Thai coconut curry
270) wearing my hair up on a hot, hot day
271) strolling the boardwalk in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood, where I used to live
272) the smell of fresh paint
273) shavasna at the end of yoga practice
274) good science fiction
275) my dog nuzzling my toes
276) riding a bike
277) a short lineup at a checkout (or better yet, no lineup)
278) Japanese pottery
279) idea people, like Rebecca (RR says: aw, thanks!)