May 31st, 2017

Good stuff

From Fred

351. The caramel sauce at Starbucks
352. camera tripods
353. listening to audio books on the tram
354. false eyelashes (on other people)

From Anne-Michelle

355. thinking the candy package is empty and then there’s one more piece.
356. sneezing when you really wanteds to sneeze.
357. mallory ortberg
358. not having to explain yourself.
359. rose wine (no accent aigus here)

From Corinna
360. toddlers’/preschoolers’ hands: pudgy with baby fat and still small, but so much more capable. And they make the most unusual gestures and hold them in the most unusual ways (a result of them still figuring out how to use their hands, I guess).
361. The smell of lily of the valley
362. When you can smell wisteria from up the street
363. The backs of Toronto’s older brick houses. Such lovely streetscapes in alleyways
364. Basil. The smell. The taste.
365. Cake
366. Walking on grass in bare feet
367. Toronto
368. Good hugs
369. The rocks and minerals section of the ROM
370. Supersoft kid leather
371. Round stones
372. When strange cats on the street let you pet them

From Colette
373. Bird song (or is it ‘birdsong’?)
374. periwinkle (word and bloom).

From Craig
375. The first scoop of yogurt from a freshly opened container.
376. A song coming on your mp3 player that is the exact b.p.m. at which you are jogging.

From Julie
377. Girls’ weekend
378. Going to the spa
379. Traveling
380. Reading on the deck
381. Yoga
382. Laughing
383. Camping
384. Hiking
385. Going to bed early
386. Going out to eat
387. Online shopping
388. Swimming
389. Learning new things
390. Organizing
391. Walking
392. Being near the water
393. Going to the beach
394. Being barefoot
395. Singing in the car
396. Sunshine
397. Watching Netflix
398. Thunder and lightning storms
399. Dogs
400. Ice cream
401. Vacation days
402. Getting up early
403. Coffee
404. Summertime
405. Fall leaves
406. Drive-through parking spots

And me again…
407. Aziz Ansari
408. flossing
409. cats’ toes
410. really good book club discussions
411. salt
412. bathtubs
413. lilacs
414. a well-arranged centrepiece
415. hotels
416. being dirty from gardening

May 22nd, 2017

I still like things; how about you?

So much going on, and not enough hours in the day, but

331. Sleeping until I just wake up because I’m not tired anymore
332. When a stranger overhears my joke and laughs
333. Overhearing a stranger tell a good joke
334. Black beans
335. Flipping channels and randomly hitting something I actually want to see that has only just started
336. The sugar crystals at the top of the maple syrup bottle
337. When they throw in a few samples at Sephora
338. Sephora
339. The smell of strawberries in season (out-of-season/imported strawberries don’t have a smell, have you noticed that?)
340. The smell of lilacs
341. Running into a friend on a crowded street in a big city
342. Kitty feet
343. The smell of grass-clippings mixed with the smell of gas from a lawn-mower
344. Getting a nacho with so much cheese on it
345. When the neighbours stop being noisy exactly when I want to go to sleep
346. Said the Whale
347. The thrill of the passed-appetizers hunt
348. Unexpected money, even a tiny bit
349. Coupons
350. Shoppers Optimum points

March 27th, 2017

1000 things: still likeable

From Josée Sigouin

307. Jazz instrumentals
308. Kekou’s dark chocolate-ginger sorbet
309. Riding a bike in a breezy dress on a sizzling day
310. Plain Greek yogourt mixed with cranberry sauce
311. Rediscovering an obscure song from decades ago
312. Banana sices dressed with fresh mint
313. Nina Simone
314. Cold-brewed green tea
315. Breakfast on the balcony
316. Mozzarella melted on a hot-cross bun, with a side of apple
317. A riot of colours – garden, painting, collage, fabric, etc.
318. Clementine sections dipped in Greek yoghourt & pumpkin seeds
319. Melody Gardot
320. Beets – the redder, the better
321. Night-scented stocks
322. Ataulfo mango slices sprinkled with Thai basil flower buds

And from me, because why not:

323. Seeing anybody learn anything brand new (but especially a cat)
324. Succeeding at paperwork
325. Figs
326. Chinooks
327. spumoni ice cream
328. going to bed when you’re really tired
329. finding something I thought I’d lost
330. how Lily Tomlin looks better and better as she ages–maybe that will happen to us all?

February 12th, 2017

Long live 1000 things we like

I wondered if 1000 Things We Like 2017 might peter out due to lack of interest, but you guys really rallied–nice work. Here are some things you like:

From Claire

284. Ziploc bags
285. dead leaves

From Paul S

286. Forgetting everything except the present at the pinnacle of a long run.
287. Being incapsulated by music at a perfect concert.
288. Landing safely and smoothly after a turbulent flight.
289. Having your dog sleep on your chest.
290. A significant other massaging your scalp with their fingertips.
291. A pleasant forest trail dappled with mid-afternoon sunlight through the canopy.
292. Kaytranada

From Fred

293. Ginger Tea
294. Hans Rosling (RIP, but check out his Ted Talk)
295. going to the ballet
296. downhill skiing (I just recently rediscovered this)
297. the song “New York Minute” by Don Henley
298. teaspoons
299. cleaning out your purse
300. Contigo travel mugs (quality stuff)
301. Drake’s third mixtape (So Far Gone)
302. Photos taken in 1987
303. Beach holidays
304. Reading Wikipedia articles about Space Travel
305. Paintings of Napoleon
306. Cherry pie

From

February 5th, 2017

Hey, whatever happened to 1000 things we like?

It’s been a while–dark times, but also busy times. Don’t worry, there actually are still things to like. To whit:

From Joe Dague
260. the album Graceland, by Paul Simon

From RR
261. Against Me
262. new sheets
263. watching a cat figure something out
264. when my niece gives me orders: “Becca, come!” “Becca, lie down!”
265. licorice allsorts
266. jam
267. pineapple
268. bees
269. Pokemon Go, even in the cold
270. Evees (the cutest Pokemon, for my money)
271. just a tiny nap on the subway
272. hugging someone wearing a parka–so cuddly!
273. getting home after a long day
274. malls
275. Bellinis
276. the satisfying consistency of chain restaurants
277. meeting new people
278. meeting new cats
279. Brie
280. wondering what a candy labelled in a foreign language will taste like
281. running, briefly
282. watching snow from indoors
283. when a broken thing is fixed

What do you like?

January 11th, 2017

1000 Things We Like: Good night edition

Tonight I don’t particularly need cheering up, as i had a lovely time at the Brockton Reading Series and it’s not even cold in my apartment (or outside of it–I walked home without a hat!) Nevertheless, seeing the list expand and with such great things–both things I like too and those I don’t yet, because it’s nice to be reminded of the possibilities.

From Johnny Pigeau

183. Watching my cat bathe himself

From Zainab

184. Star Trek Voyager (I see Fred already has TNG listed )
185. Jean Luc Picard
186. Warm desserts
187. Ginger
188. Soft kisses
189. Foot massages
190. Catan
191. Tokyo Bar
192. Montreal
193. Baby laughs/giggles
194. Warm blankets
195. Fire pits
196. Dim Sum
197. Home cooked meals
198. Jurassic Park
199. Gingerbread
200. Calculus
201. Snail Mail that is not a bill
202. Notifications that you have a package waiting
203. Deep dish pizza
204. Metal water bottles
205. British TV shows
206. Vacations
207. Dinosaurs
208. Cheese
209. Montreal Bagels
210. Frittata
211. Getting carded now
212. Reunions
213. Ballet slippers
214. Ballet class
215. The Sound of Music
216. Cuddling
217. Historical Romances
218. Not waxing my legs in the winter
219. Hugs
220. Holding hands
221. Lip gloss
222. Red Lipstick
223. Names of paint eg Western Navajo

Julia Zarankin says
224. novels by Marilynne Robinson
225. holding a magnolia warbler in my hand
226. watching a displaying American woodcock
227. eating my mom’s borscht
228. letters in the mail
229. watching the mailman’s truck arrive
230. usable beautiful pottery
231. buying the ideal mug
232. writing letters
233. Chekhov’s Lady with a Lapdog
234. early Woody Allen movies
235. the first cup of coffee of the day
236. binoculars
237. bird t-shirts by Paul Riss
238. Marimekko bags
239. herring
240. cardamom buns
241. dense rye bread
242. the first red-winged blackbird of spring

Frédérique says

242. Almonds
243. Having a very satisfying imaginary conversation in your head
244. Construction paper
245. Icicles
246. Emojis
247. Toddler sneezes
248. Beauty Blenders (they work!)
249. Lesser awards shows (like People’s Choice or Golden Globes)
250. Justin Bieber’s Sorry (Yes, I said it!)
251. Very sharp kitchen knives
252. A hard copy of your local paper
253. The feeling of autonomy and control that driving a car provides
254. Logic puzzles in Tele 7 Jeux magazine
255. Pâté and baguette
256. The shape of the Orangina bottle
257. Lisa Frank stationery
258. A big map of the world
259. Top hats

We are more than one quarter of the way there!! Liking stuff is so easy once you get started!! Keep’em coming, guys!

January 8th, 2017

1000 Things We Like: Cold Sunday Night Edition

Thanks so much for continuing to like things, you guys. The cold, coupled with having to go back to work tomorrow morning, when it will no doubt still be cold, is hell on my morale. So these really cheered me up. Enjoy these likes!

From Frederique Delapree

112. Star Trek: The Next Generation
113. OWL magazine
114. A diverse and well-organised sticker album
115. Calligraphy
116. People with red hair
117. Blue nail polish

From AMT

118. winter clementines
119. dogs snoring
120. the fact that little staplers have appeared multiple times on multiple of these lists
121. sparing amounts of eggnog
123. recycling my christmas tree
124. buying many plane tickets all at once
125. good reviews
126. when people you’ve always liked turn out to also be really successful
127. almond butter
128. right after you’ve vacuumed
129. zipping up very long boots
130. ice skating outside in a new american town and guessing who the other canadian-born skaters are
131. atomic fireball cinnamon candies
132. extra lip balm
133. finding toonies in my american purse(s)
134. very warm socks
135. very warm leg warmers
136. lindy hop
137. watching the dog run in her sleep
138. flavoured coffee (i know.)
139. hugging

From Alison Foster
140. watching people eat ice cream (extra bonus if the person is over 80 years old).
141. The print from my baby’s ear that gets left on my arm from breast-feeding).
142. Ear hair on babies.
143. Listening to a really good song really loudly on repeat for an entire car ride or road trip.
144. Opening up a suitcase that still smells like the last trip you took.
145. Fat cats.
146. Beer.
147. Butter tarts made by my parents.
148. Nice people.
149. Laughing with people.
150. Swimming/floating.
151. Long, hot showers.
152. Sleeping outside in the sun.
153. Learning how to do something.
154. The smell of new clothes.
155. Segue (both in language and the ride-y kind).
156. Segues.
157. Segways.
158. Sleeping.
159. Puns.
160. Online shopping.
161. In-store shopping.
162. Singing/playing music with others.
163. Singing/playing music by myself.
164. Listening to my daughter sing.
165. Sewing.
166. Falling asleep during yoga class.
167. When someone farts during yoga class.
168. Farting during yoga class.
169. Farting in general.
170. Going out for breakfast.
171. Stars.
172. The moon.
173. Science.
174. Math.
175. Art.
176. The relationship between math and art.
177. Making art.
178. Finding things that you’ve lost.
179. Making faces in the mirror.
180. Heated seats.
181. Watching TV with my husband at the end of the day when the kids are asleep.
182. Knowing that there are many more things that I like and that it may take the rest of my life to make a complete list.

January 6th, 2017

1000 Things We Like: into triple digits

Colette Maitland says

78. Chickadees at the bird feeder
79. Multi-coloured Christmas lights
80. Quilts
81. The perfect butter tart

Mark Sampson says

82. My wife
83. New Year’s Eve parties
84. Star Wars nostalgia
85. Donairs
86. The West Wing Weekly Podcast Series
87. Fancy hotel rooms
88. Cask ale
89. Netflix
90. The New Yorker
91. Snow days
92. P.G. Wodehouse novels
93. Homemade biscuits with homemade jam on them.
94. Wine tours
95. Taking a break once I’ve earned it
96. Tweed coats
97. Preprandial cocktails
98. Working with smart people
99. Travelling to new cities and figuring out how to get around

And from me again, just to get us into the triple digits
100. Round numbers
101. The smell of sparklers
102. The smell of babies’ heads
103. Falling asleep on the subway and waking up just at my stop
104. licorice spice tea
105. expensive moisturizers that promise to make me live forever
106. the charity coin collectors where the coin spins around and around
107. seeing I have a new text
108. Gruyere
109. chewing on pens
110. lip balm
111. Weekends

January 5th, 2017

1000 Things We Like 2017: More to like

This is making me so happy–thanks for playing along, Fred, Jill, Kyrielea! And keep the likes coming, everyone!

Frederique Delapree says

34. The struggle required to eat a pomegranate.
35. The song “You can call me Al”
36. Barack Obama
37. Turkey sandwiches
38. Old-fashion glazed Timbits
39. Glitter
40. Tic-tacs
41. Cutting out Snowflakes
42. Fried chicken
43. Paintings by George Bellows
44. Paintings by Edward Hopper
45. The People vs. OJ Simpson miniseries
46. Scrapbooks
47. Magnets
48. Attending a Major League Baseball game on a breezy but sunny May afternoon.
49. Washington, D.C.
50. Bumper stickers
51. Blanket scarves
52. North Face polar fleece jackets
53. Pencil cases
54. Someone else doing the dishes
55. Shoveling snow (when you are dressed for it)
56. The Complete Works of Fifth Harmony
57. White Teeth, the book
58. White Teeth, the enamel-y things in your mouth
59. The TV show Unsolved Mysteries

Jill Hefley says
60. Corn in the summer
61. Weekend crossword puzzles
62. Funny animal videos
63. 90s Rom-Coms
64. Canada
65. House Hunters
66. Robertson Davies

Kyrielea says
67. The smell of someone making you dinner
68. Watching snowfall from a warm home
69. Hot showers
70. When your car can’t make it up an icy hill, until you try driving it in reverse
71. Snow covered forest
72. The level of quiet in a snow covered forest
73. Evening power outages (when you’re ready for it)
74. Pre-making 10 awesome lunches at a time so your work-lunch game is on point, all week
75. Freshly cleaned sheets
76. Happy dogs
77. 0 unopened emails left at the end of the work day

January 2nd, 2017

1000 Things We Like: the fourth thousand

Fred reminded me recently that 2017 marks the 15th year since we did our first 1000 things we like, a list we made in 2002, and then again in 2007, and again in 2012 of things that we like. I can’t find the post that explains the original ethos, so here it is again: I once read a novel, title and author now lost to the mist, that was about adult characters but had two teenage girls in the background. The girls were making a list of 1000 things they liked, and this was thought to be silly and dismissible by the adult characters. But I thought it was great–what a revolutionary act it would be, to work that hard at simply being pleased. And I liked the “we” too–the collaborative act. Fred and I were the spearheads of all three lists so far, but anyone we knew could and did contribute, and we got a lot of great and varied ideas about what is likeable. The exercise itself, as well as the specific liked things, brought a lot of joy, at least to me!

As I’ve mentioned, I wasn’t crazy about 2016 and I’m feeling a lot of trepidation about 2017 as well, so let’s dive right into the good stuff–won’t you play 1000 things we like with us? Here’s how it works–the rules are pretty simple and more for clarity than anything:

a. Send me some things you like–in the comments of this post or subsequent ones, as an email to rebeccabooksATexciteDOTcom, or any of the varied social media I am on. I’ll number the items appropriately and run them on the main blog, and credit you however you like (let me know!)
b. No sneaky negatives–no “when other people DON’T step on my feet” or that sort of thing. It has to be an extant thing that you genuinely enjoy.
c. Don’t worry about going through old lists unless you want to–some things will repeat and that’s fine (we have had “little staplers” several times on multiple lists). And don’t worry about contradicting other likes, either–if someone else has already liked “eating the frosting first” you can still have “saving the frosting for last” as well. Both are likeable, and “we” is a multitudinous thing.

And just to get things kicked off, here’s a few likes from me, which taken together form a summary of how my holidays were, or at least, the highlights:

1. Better news than expected
2. Merengue
3. How driveway salt works, every time
4. Tom Stoppard
5. Record players
6. The tiny brush you use to clean the needle on a record player
7. Billy Galecki
8. Spooning a cat and he actually stays
9. My parents
10. My brother
11. My cats
12. Thai food
13. Waiting patiently at the airport gate with a good book
14. Being picked up at the airport
15. Pink squares (a very sugary type of bake-sale treat, I can’t really explain them)
16. Scrabble
17. Hugs
18. Overheard song
19. When children are pleased I’m paying attention
20. Christmas tree lights
21. Spice racks
22. Balloon animals
23. Dirty jokes (when I get them, anyway)
24. The game “Things”
25. Having zillions of in-laws
26. Olive Garden
27. That Seventies Show
28. Marriage
29. the TTC
30. Holiday cards
31. Old friends
32. The playground next to my building
33. Being home