A Few of My Favorite Things

In an effort to get me blogging about something other than the weather, I decided to have some fun writing about a few things I really love that either a) are lesser known about me or b) I've neglected to mention in the past. Not all-inclusive and in no particular order...
1. My favorite foods are: Cadbury creme eggs, Skittles, rootbeer floats, sugary cereal, tropical punch Kool-Aid, Baskin & Robbins ice cream, brownies, Seattle's Best fudge, sugar cookies with frosting, pretty much all homemade cookies, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, banana cream pie, Good-n-Plenty, cotton candy, black jelly beans, strawberry freezer jam, French toast.... Okay, so in all honesty, I do have some savory favorite foods (popcorn, nachos), and even some with nutritional value (Fuji apples, salmon), but it really is an understatement to say I have a sweet tooth. Most ironic thing about that? I've never had a cavity! Not surprisingly, I love going to the dentist. Not enough to give it it's own paragraph, but I do love getting a good cleaning (and hearing the dentist say "I wish all my patients had teeth like yours.")

2. Something else totally sweet, er, rad? The 80s. I know that decade is kind of "in" again right now, but I've always loved it. Hmm. Well not the style. Neon goes with no ones' complexion, just as spandex pants go with no ones' figure, and big hair is an impossibility for me. But the entertainment of the 80s, I have no complaints. All the music was good, in some measure. Even the maligned genres of rap & heavy metal were a little saccharine in the 80s. And the movies were all more innocent. Or at least their production value was so much lower that they appear more innocent. I'm sure if I thought really hard and did just a little research I could come up with a hundred exceptions to my overly-general statements but since I came of age in the 90s, I'm just going with my memories here. But the television shows, I'm certain that they were truly ALL kinder and gentler than todays. I recently came across this blog which painstakingly compiled a list of the 80 Happiest Songs of the 80s. Of course many people wrote in with suggestions after the fact because how can you really narrow it down to just 80?? It was totally, like fer-sher, the most happiest decade ever. I was pleased to note that my suggestion (yes I too wrote in, picky picky) was written in the next blog entry as a totally regrettable oversight. I'm just ashamed it wasn't the Depeche Mode song. Hands down my favorite band, even beyond the 80s.

3. Now's probably a good time to say how much I love my husband. I warned you this was in no particular order, right? I don't think I mention him and his awesomeness very much in the blog, which is a crime. Mark and I have at least as many things not in common as we have shared interests but we share the biggies, such as our faith in God, devotion to family, political leanings, commitment to recycling and other "green" ways of life, enjoyment of Skittles, and our mutual ability to spell. Mark is totally easy to please in the kitchen and never complains, well hardly about anything, except how Congress and the President are destroying our liberties; that bugs him. He is a smart & hard worker - putting together his entire factory almost singlehandedly! He's a great gardener and household handyman. And he's always willing to help others as well. (All that hard work makes for a pretty sexy bod, too. Sorry, had to say it.) He is an amazing teacher - he should get nearly all the credit for how early Isaac started reading and how far along Sam is getting - and he is so patient to always invite the boys to "help" him with his projects. He is really supportive of me (my moods, my endeavors, my sometimes unorthodox approach to organization). I totally love that he's the math & hard sciences guy while I'm the music, art & social sciences gal, and yet he appreciates great music & entertainment (he actually watched all my Veronica Mars DVDS!) and has started really educating himself on economics and other "soft sci" things as they relate to his desire to be more politically savvy. I briefly mentioned music but I can't leave off his voice! He is a strong tenor but can be pitch-perfect in a wide range. I get goosebumps whenever he sings. And if music is the international language, then Mark is fluent in FOUR, including English, Spanish & Portuguese. All this and he's humble to boot.


4.I'm a sucker for DVD special features. No matter how foolishly late I stayed up to finish watching a movie after the kids went to bed, I will inevitably add at least an hour to that by watching any outtakes, interviews, commentary, etc. that are included on the disc. It almost doesn't matter if I've really enjoyed the film or not. If I thought it was lacking, I'll check out what the director cut to see if I think that would have improved things. Or maybe the only redeeming quality was the cinematography, in which case I'll click around to find out more about the making-of. And if I loved it? Well then obviously it's just gluttony, wanting more of a good thing. I've actually watched all of the Lord of the Rings Director's Cut versions with the commentary on: Counting watching with it normal the first time through,that's 24 hours of Tolkien drama and New Zealand beauty! No, I did not do that for 24 hours straight, and for the record I had already read the unabridged novels which took much longer.

5. I'm addicted to shelter magazines, interior design and architecture books, and I'm afraid soon I will also spend valuable free time checking out design blogs (it's a good thing we don't have cable). I just love looking at professionally decorated homes and tearing out what attracts me the most. I collect my favorite images in a binder. I like to try to imagine how to translate those ideas into looks that are practical for my home now, and dare to dream once in a while of some far-future home built & designed by me. Just in case you were curious, House Beautiful is my hands-down favorite mag. It shows entire homes and has great text that corresponds. I hate how most other design magazines show one or maybe two shots of a location and then the article goes on to rave about some unpictured room! I also love HB for it's monthly articles on paint colors and fabric, and it's one of the cheapest.

6. I love lakes!! And oceans, seas, sounds, waterfalls, rivers, and streams. No one can ever really convince me that a place is beautiful unless it has some water nearby. Yeah, yeah, jungles and forests have their green appeal and "oceans" of sand seems exotically charming but for me there has to at least be a pond or creek or tiny oasis in order to concede the view is truly one of beauty. I think that's why I felt a visceral ache of longing when I was checking out my friend Tysha's blog this week: she had been kayaking in Seattle, and taken lots of pictures (like this one I borrowed). You see in this part of the country, southern Idaho, it's pretty dry. We live quite close to two decent-sized rivers but vegetation is limited to the extreme edge of their banks (farmer's irrigated fields excepted) thus removing Fruitland and pretty much anywhere within a few hours of here from the category "Beautiful," causing me occasional bouts of homesickness. So what I'm saying is, I really love being near water - lots of it - and the pretty things that come when you have lots of water.

7. Which leads me to one of the gazillion reasons that I miss Brazil: we got to go to the beach a lot! (Okay, not a lot a lot, but more often than any place else I've ever lived.) And Iguacu Falls (went twice) is one of the natural wonders of the world. But those are not even really high on the list of things I miss about Brazil. Number One? As Pessoas!! (The People.) Brazilieros are so friendly and fun and hard working and happy and enthusiastic and... They literally welcome you with open arms (and a kiss/beijo). I so miss hugging people! (I mean outside of my family.) I told myself I would start a hug-when-you-greet revolution when I returned to the States but I have completely wimped out. I also miss the language. O portuguese esta a lingua mais bonita no mundo. Before I learned it, I was pretty frustrated that it wasn't Spanish - why couldn't they just convert to what the rest of the continent spoke?! Ha! Now I just want to cry whenever I hear people around me speaking Spanish - why can't I just talk to them in Portuguese and have them understand? So I covered the land, the people, and the language, what else? The food! Well, truthfully there was much I did not like about typical Brazilian cuisine but I do miss the fabulous churrascos (similar to BBQ but with amazing cuts of meat) and fresh fruit drinks and Guarana soda, and having Jaque prepare lunch for me (and do the dishes afterwards)... An explanation of the things I love about Brazil would indeed be lacking without mention of the relief it is (once you get used to it) to have hired help around the house. Entao. Beijos para todos, ate mais...