Oh goodness, a meme!

[blamebrampton]

sansa1970 tagged me for the eight things that make you happy meme,  a few days ago, but I keep trying to fit 26 hours-worth of stuff into each day, so it's had to wait a little. Because my organisational skills do not encompass travelling complex curves in the space-time continuum.

1. The fella. He fell on me at a party 12 years ago and declared that I was his density, er, make that destiny. Even though I often suspect that my mother was right and I do need a wife. He's a treasure-chest of amusing conversation, manly capability and aerobic exercise, all rolled up in a handsome, somewhat snarky package. Even if he did have a potato-crisp sandwich for dinner.

2. Subscription magazines. They arrive in the post without me having to lift a finger. The current list is New Scientist, Gardens Illustrated and the Literary Review (possibly the greatest magazine currently published) from the UK and Harpers and The New Yorker from the US. The mysteries of the local postal service mean that they arrive at random times,  and it can happen that a pile will build up before I have time for a mag weekend, but the sheer joy of sitting down for a big binge of essays, science and garden porn is not to be underestimated.

3. The cat, and puppy playgroup. This one is mostly for the cat, who adopted us soon after we moved here. She is stumpy, grumpy and old and has more scars than she knows what to do with, so a perfect match for me. Puppy playgroup takes place every Wednesday in the vet's waiting room, where the large windows act as a goldfish bowl; one that is covered in the fingerprints of inner-city hipsters, all cooing "ooooh! Look at the little one!" Best PPG ever? When the Rhodesian ridgeback puppy wanted to be friends with the chihuahua puppy.

4. My bed. I don't sleep enough, but when I do it is in my wonderful bed with its magnificent new mattress. So comfortable in every way! And resilient! With even enough room to sprawl and still have a foot cat when she deigns to join us.

5. Fandom. I had been told there was good writing, I had been told there were nice people, I did not expect to find friends with whom I have a genuine connection. Unexpected happiness is the best kind!

6. Comfy shoes. I do own heels, I'll even wear them for special occasions. But when I was a wee lass my father said to me: you should always wear shoes that you can run in, because you never know when you'll need to chase down a mugger to retrieve your handbag. He was right, and it's worked twice so far. (Muggers are genuinely terrified of people who chase them down. Of course, the kind I run into have no guns, I wouldn't chase an American mugger ...) Birkenstocks, Doc Martens, Brooks trainers and RM Williams jodhpur boots are the current favourites. I raise a glass to women in sensible shoes!

7. Reading and writing. I know that's really two, but eight is a very small number. I love the joy of escaping into a fictional world, either to experience the creation of another mind, or to build my own. When I was very little I was mostly around adults, and so my most regular friends were all in books, to this day, I feel that same comfort when I open to the first page. Except for Because I'm the Vampire, That's Why by Michelle Bardsley which I look on as proof that there is still too much cocaine in some parts of publishing.

8. Going really fast. I don't drive -- I hate cars -- but I like to ride my bike, or a horse, so that the wind streams past my ears and my cheeks cool. I like to swing high on the swings, or roll down grassy hills. When my knee and foot are behaving, I like to run, when they're not, I like to visit the park late at night and make the roundabout thingy that looks like a Stargate whiz around at top speed.

In turn, I tag bubblegumlocks and boxofdelights because it is their birthday week: happy birthday! Also jadzialove, snottygrrl, blindmouse, leochi, davidkevin and gossymer, but feel free to ignore if you are busy or meme-allergic.

Comments

[leochi.livejournal.com]

Hmmm tagged again... I usually hate memes, but this one seems nice ;-) And it's from you, so, there we go:

8 things that make me happy:

1) My two ginger cats, they wake me at 6 am, one of them shares the basin, when I want to wash my face or brush my teeth, the other one always comes to watch me blow-drying my hair.

2) Drawing and painting; I even carry a little block and coloured pencils with me all the time to be able to sketch whatever catches my attention.

3) Reading: when I'm not drawing, I'm reading, and not necessarily novels - I love books that give you information of all kinds. I guess I'm a Hermione-type of reader - and I adore dictionaries and encyclopedias (I know, I'm weird ;-))

4) Walking, always walking (I do hate cars, I must have been killed in a car crash in my previous life), hiking in the mountains or in woods, riding my bike.

5) Rainy days - I looooove rain :-))))) Well, I've got problems with my skin when I expose it to sunlight, so I never go to beaches and have to wear long-sleeved t-shirts in Summer, which is very annoying.

6) My new MTB-shoes - yay for women with sensible shoes, I'm one of them, hahaha. I hate high heels, I only wear them when I really have to and I avoid such situations.

7) Finding nice comments to my posts, that brightens me up quite a lot - Thanks to all those lovely people who have commented on my art posts.

8) Classical music and sometimes Sting or Cats from A.L.Webber. And ABBA for jogging ;-)) that's the proper bouncy music for running.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Aside from the Webber, we are so separated at birth! The world would be a much better place if we walked or rode everywhere. And I am woefully behind this week in letting you know how much I've enjoyed your art posts. I fail at 24 hours in a day ...

[leochi.livejournal.com]

*Big grin* separated at birth, indeed - laughs.
Thank you for enjoying my art posts, I enjoy making them! And I'm waiting for your next Al/Scorp story :-)))))
Well, for the Webber - I did "Cats" as a theatre project with my class last year, so it's more the memory of it than the music itself. (Though I really like Webber's "Requiem" - But musical tend to get on my nerves usually, lol)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Alas, ALW to me means Sarah Brightman, which is a name guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of all girls of a certain age. His Requiem is quite good, though, and I will grant you that Cats is well written.

I have some Harry and Draco to get through before Al and Scorp hit the road again. They are suggesting they would like to do something more than study in seventh year, though. Disturbingly, they seem keen on an Agatha Christie-like mystery. I'm trying to remind them that I don't do genres!

[leochi.livejournal.com]

YAY!!! for Agatha Christie and squeeee for investigating HPDM, I do love old fashioned detective stories à la Christie and Doyle. (Inspector Poirot, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes are SO my alltime favourites for this genre)
Stupid Austrian=no idea who Sarah Brightman is. And T.S.Eliot's Cat-poems are simply gorgeous, so that's all the association I have when I think of Cats; and ALW's music is not too bad, hehe. Though I would by far prefer a Barber or Satie or Debussy or Fauré or any other expressionist composer. And of course J.S.Bach and Haendel, lol, quite a huge leap, I know.
And PLEASE do follow your inspiration, even if you don't do genres - I'd love to read a detective story here :DDDD

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Not at all! This is in fact where Austria is superior to England! You have always imported the good stuff, such as The Beatles and the BBC, while ignoring the dross, such as Sarah Brightman and Buck's Fizz.

I love Fauré! I sang his requiem once and it was so beautiful to be caught in the middle of. Eliot is champion, too. All right-thinking people love Handel and Bach, so it's only natural that you do, too!

Oh dear, I have a terrible Scorp/Al Holmes/Watson idea now! It's all your fault!

[leochi.livejournal.com]

LOOOOOL I love you so much right now *giggles helplessly* Scorp/Al-Holmes/Watson idea. That's simply perfect, hehe.
Yes, Fauré is incredible - I used to sing in a church choir for about two decades, we did all the classic masses by Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven and many others. We also did Haendel's Messiah and of course Mozart's and Brahms's Requiems. I really miss singing, but I needed a Sabbatical; having to sing every Sunday and going to rehearsals in the evenings was getting too much.
Well, I don't think Austria's superior to England, we have pretty awful things too. I shudder to think of the "Musikantenstadl" - you don't want an description! Horrible, awful and appaling is a friendly description ;-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing lederhosen, drums and brass instruments. Sounds great! For about five minutes ... But then, I love Eurovision, too.

[leochi.livejournal.com]

Yes, lederhosen and awful yodeling - it's a nightmare!
Umm and you're not serious about Eurovision, are you???

[winstonmom.livejournal.com]

Random stop!
I loved your 8 things and what I loved the most is that you don't have to be rich in order to content.
Go you for your wonderful outlook in life :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Money just buys things. The comedy of other people's puppies is priceless! Nice to see you randomly stopping by!

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

I love your list. I fully second numbers 4 to 8, number 1 made me smile and I just wish I had a cat. :-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Comfy beds and comfy shoes make for a happy life. I do recommend the cat owning, but the vet bills are awful. Are their local ones you could lure into a time-share arrangement? Just make sure it doesn't swing too far your way, which is how she became ours officially!