100 Things That Make Me Happy

When I created my 101 things to do in 1001 days list, I admit that I looked around at other people’s 101 lists for ideas¹ and one of the ideas I stole commandeered was to make a list of 100 things that make me happy². And I decided that I wanted the list to be really genuine – not just things that are OK or things that sound good, but things that, when I see/hear/smell/do/think about them, really, truly make me smile.

So it’s taken me many, many months to compile this list  ((I started it on July 31, 2009!)) – I’ve been adding to it here and there as I think of things³. And it seems rather appropriate to blog such a list today, because it’s Thanksgiving! And it’s also the LAST DAY of my 1001 days – and thus I get to cross this one last thing off my list! Booyah!

And now, in no particular order, 100 things that make me happy are:

1. my niece – everything about her
2. my nephew – he’s a perfect baby!!
3. the smell of a hockey arena
4. the purr of a contented cat
5. my Smart car
6. drinking a properly brewed cup of tea
7. the satisfaction of figuring out a plot point or clever turn in a book⁴ or TV show⁵ or movie⁶
8. the sound of a skate blade cutting through the ice as you skate fast around the rink
9. a good run⁷
10. figuring out a short cut in a computer program that I commonly use
11. the smell of a burning cedar
12. cutting into an avocado and discovering that it is just the perfect level of ripeness
13. fresh bannock⁸
14. the smell of vanilla
15. keyboard cat
16. the feel of the wind as you ski down a mountain
17. The Ninjas by the Bare Naked Ladies
18. the moment I get to collapse into my comfy, comfy bed after a long day
19. savouring a good cup of coffee⁹
20. the Harry Potter books. All of them
21. Zoolander¹⁰
22. Quatchi¹¹
23. laughing babies
24. getting an invitation to the 12 Bars of Christmas
25. opening my email to find a pile of new messages from Dr. Dan. Because I *know* that there will be much hilarity within.
26. grilled cheese sandwiches
27. cilantro
28. the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Especially the FSM doll that my brother-in-common law Jeff made for me
29. the phrase “brother-in-common-law”
30. discovering a cool new concept, theory, or field that I didn’t even know existed, and getting to learn about it
31. Gantt charts¹²
32. logic models¹³
33. the moment that I remember that I see things perfectly clearly – and I’m not wearing glasses or contact lenses¹⁴
34. kisses
35. gulab jamun
36. eating gulab jamun and saying “I have hot sticky balls in my mouth!”
37. when I mention Kim’s name and then Kalev yells “FUDGE!!”¹⁵
38. calling King George Boulevard the “King George Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
39. when someone compliments me on something that I’m wearing and I get to say “I bought it at a thrift store!”
40. chatting with my sister
41. when I’m driving towards the mountains and the sun is shining on them
42. running across a finish line¹⁶
43. phone calls with Patrice. Especially when she says things like “Get a grip, woman!”¹⁷
44. drinking a cup of tea while I listen to The Shadow on the radio on a Sunday night
45. packing Granville Island Kitsilano Maple Cream Ale into my suitcase to go to Ontario, because as I pack it I can picture the joy that will be on Sarah’s face when I give it to her!
46. pouring a glass of Ogopogo’s Lair Pinot Grigio and savouring that first sip
47. drinking a great microbrew at a pub with friends
48. these cupcakes – truly one of the tastiest things I’ve ever made
49. my patented blue cheese risotto – quite possibly the second tastiest thing I’ve after made, after the aforementioned cupcakes
50. the word “aforementioned”
51. the admiration I get when I bring my chocolate amaretto cheesecake to a party
52. eating one square of really dark chocolate
53. Rick’s Inspiration photo¹⁸
54. coming home from a trip to a clean apartment
55. opening an email that says “you got the award/grant”
56. goat cheese
57. making a new food item and it turns out perfectly the first time you try the recipe!
58. the smell of chlorine on my skin after I go swimming
59. my ever-so-soft microfibre bedsheets
60. really good homemade French fries¹⁹
61. truffle fries at The Charles Bar
62. the “nerd” sign above the bar at Section 3
63. the moment that I lie down on the massage table, put my face into the face cradle²⁰, take a deep breath and savour the fact that I’m about to be really relaxed for the next hour²¹!
64. hot tubs
65. hanging out at the spa with Shalu
66. using my iPhone
67. the expression “OMGWTFBBQ!”
68. when one of Cath’s friends refers to me as “Kale“
69. lying in savasana at the start of a hot yoga class²².
70. The song Barbra Streisand by Duck Sauce ²³.
71. dancing
72. dancing while lined up for a face-off
73. dancing in my giant living room
74. dancing while in traffic
75. the word “prevaricate”
76. when something gives me butterflies in my tummy!
77. getting a package in the mail that’s not a bill or junk mail
78. sending a package to a friend in the mail
79. sending drunk postcards
80. when I have my iPod or iTunes on shuffle and a song comes on that is either completely appropriate to my current state of mind  ((Making me think my iPod is psychic.)) or a song that I’ve just asked it aloud to play²⁴.
81. doing Christmas baking
82. wearing my new satin PJs
83. going to bed without setting the alarm on those days where I know I can sleep in as long as I want to
84. crispy bacon
85. my ruby ring, which my dad gave to my mom for her 40th birthday and which she recently gave to me
86. my mom’s family ring  ((It has the birthstones for each of my mom, my dad, my sister and me.)), which she also gave to me recently
87. when I do something silly, like fall down my stairs or poke my eye with a mascara wand, and my immediate reaction is “I’m so blogging that”
88. when I rediscover a piece of clothing that I forgot I had but as soon as I see it, I love it all over again
89. the watering can my Grampa Griffin had that was shaped like a swan
90. when I get a text message from my sister that says “Why aren’t you at [name of location] chatting with me?”²⁵
91. writing on a fresh pad of paper with a pen that has very smooth ink in it
92. crossing items off my “to do” list
93. making dinner for a friend
94. my PhD degree, framed all pretty like and hung upon my wall
95. when someone calls me “Dr. Snow”
96. when the Canucks score a goal
97. French toast made with vanilla, cinnamon, and fresh nutmeg, and topped with real maple syrup
98. stuffing, especially the crispy bits. And the smell of the poultry seasoning when it’s cooking!
99. referring to all movies as “documentaries,” especially when they are clearly not²⁶
100. candlelight

1. 101 is a lot of ideas to have to come up with. [↩]
2. ‘cuz clearly I didn’t figure out from struggling to come up with 101 things to do that making lists of 100 things is hard! [↩]
3. Which I think is kinda cool, ‘cuz it had me on the lookout for moments when I smile – and that can’t be a bad thing! [↩]
4. I’m thinking Harry Potter here [↩]
5. like Lost [↩]
6. I’m thinking in particular of the moment I clued in during Fight Club [↩]
7. Not all runs are what I like to call a “good” run. Often, I enjoy the run, but wouldn’t say it really puts a smile on my face. But some days, you just get in the zone and everything about that run is sheer pleasure. Those runs are the best! [↩]
8. The deep fried kind, not so much the baked kind. [↩]
9. I’m looking at you, organic, fair-trade Bolivian coffee from Level Ground Trading Company! [↩]
10. No matter how many times I watch it, it continues to crack me up. [↩]
11. He’s so adorable and always makes me smile when I see him. [↩]
12. Nerd alert!! [↩]
13. Double nerd alert!! [↩]
14. It’s easy to just take this for granted now, but every once in a while it pops into my head. [↩]
15. It’s a long story. Remind me to blog it someday. [↩]
16. You may not see a smile on my face as I run across the line, but trust me, I’m smiling on the inside! [↩]
17. Which she seems to need to say to me quite often! [↩]
18. Only a privilege few have seen it. And it is truly awesome. [↩]
19. Like #9 “a good run,” not all French fries are “good” French fries. I mean, I’ve rarely met a French fry I didn’t like, bu the ones that really make me happy are the ones that a freshly made from a good quality potato, cooked in a good quality oil, served up freshly made, with salt and vinegar. OMG, I want that right now! [↩]
20. That little ring thing where your face goes on a massage table – I had to look up what the name of that was! [↩]
21. Or possibly that I’m going to be hurt for the next hour, but feel so good afterwards [↩]
22. While I don’t actually *smile* during this, I do feel a very deep sense of contentment [↩]
23. I first heard this song, many times and much repeatedly, during the LG4CF. Hearing it brings back memories of one of the most amazing experiences of my life, of a fantastic group of women and of dancing at every faceoff. [↩]
24. Like “Hey Bellatrix, why don’t you play Combat Baby?” and then Combat Baby comes on. Because I do that sometimes and sometimes it happens. I know it’s just a coincidence, but it still makes me smile. [↩]
25. Usually “name of location” = your computer. Because my sister and I chat online a lot and we like to tease each other when one of us is working at a computer and the other is off gallivanting somewhere, thus thwarting the chat desires of the other sister. I think maybe it’s a “you had to be there” kind of thing. [↩]
26. see here (Final Destination 5 as a documentary about bridge safety), here (the show Portlandia as a documentary about Portland, Oregon), and here (Nightmare on Elm Street as a documentary about sleep disorders) for examples [↩]