Little Things That Add Happiness

I am going to go ahead and answer Amanda's question that she posed at the end of her post yesterday.

"What little things add happiness to your life?"

because whether you are perfectly, serenely happy, stressed out beyond belief, or a bit of both with an additional "Oh, so this is what real life is like!" like I am right now, it's good to remind yourself of what is important to you and what makes you smile. 

• This song by Blouse. It's called Videotapes and it's like being in a dream, specifically a dream that looks like this movie with Catherine Denueve that I'm dying to see. The Blouse album comes out in November and I can't wait to get it. 

Cat Party

• The album's Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young. I am grateful that this man exists and that he is making music. Every album that I listen to by him transports me to another place.

• Good, strong coffee. A latte or a cappuccino while I'm sitting at my desk in the afternoon. 

• Making and/or eating really good food. Dan has become an expert at making pasta sauces lately, and we've been trying so many. We had an incredible dinner at Origin last weekend, thanks to Tyler and Erin, that I will never forget. If you go, get everything from the Mozzarella Bar. 

• Good friends, especially ones that you love but you don't see nearly as much as you want to. I have incredible friends that I see maybe once a month, and I always miss them.

• Pole. (Pronounced pole-eh.) This is a term in Swahili that means I'm sorry, but in a way that sympathizes with the person you are saying it to. Like "I'm sorry that happened to you." I can't think of an easy English equivalent to that, but I think if more people said pole we would all be much more caring and empathetic. Thanks, Mar, for introducing me to this word.

• Braiding my hair. Do I really need to explain this any further?

A, have a great time and take lots of pics. We'll miss you!