Things that make me Happy

Sometimes it is good to identify sources of happiness. What better place to record than a blog I can go back to again and again...plus it is easier (faster) to type up lists than to hand write. I think this list is going to be created organically, with one thought reminding me of the next. I just wanted to write today. We shall see how it turns out.
1. pressing my coffee first thing in the morning.... or 2. walking down the street early in the morning to grab a cup of coffee and see the neighborhood waking up
3. transitions between seasons, like when you can tell that summer is drying up and the light is changing and the breeze gets cooler, even for just a day or two, but you know that fall is coming...eventually.
4. being friendly- whether to a person walking down the street or by thanking the mailperson who drops off the mail... it makes me happy to be nice to others.
5. homemade fruit smoothies. 6. piles of fresh chopped vegetables.7. kitties in boxes 8. thinking about the future. Some people might think this isn't the best route to go...that living in the present is better. I agree that being mindful is important but I like imaging myself in a few years since I have a concrete goal in mind that I want to accomplish. I like to imagine life once that goal is completed. 9.climbing into bed that has fresh sheets. I love it. I don't make my bed everyday but whenever I put on clean sheets, I spread it up really well to maximize the satisfaction of getting in that night.10. the cinnamon scone from a neighborhood coffee shop. 11. ice cream cones in summer. 12. walking around, pretty much anywhere, with or without purpose. 13. Peanut butter. 14. breezes. 15. a clean kitchen. 16. olive green, mustard yellow, reddish orange, purple.17. Mad Men. 18.Vintage old lady purses. 19. rearranging furniture. 20. painting.(I'm not really skilled at all, I only do "abstract which means splattering paint on a canvas). 21. Drinking water, being thankful I have constant access to it. 22. vacuuming. for real...i love it.

i think that's all for now. Maybe I will create more lists as things come to me and post them.

Gratitude

Gratitude Lists.
Suggested by my wise papa (say it in the French was as you read papa, of course).
When I'm feeling sad, down, negative, stressed, I try to remember to make a gratitude list to focus on the many good things in life. Though I feel stressed and down kind of often, I don't always think to make these lists. One thing is certain though, that once I do, I feel infinitely better. I'm not sad right now, but I am feeling happy and grateful. This is also a great state of mind to be in to make these lists.

Moving on. The list, as of Saturday July 9th

living close to a growing, changing neighborhood that is H St NE, DC. So many positive changes happening, such a proud community feeling, I love supporting new local businesses. This weekend Tyler and I ate out twice on H St.
Friday Dinner: Taylor Gourmet- a pretty well established sandwich shop that already has multiple locations. Casual, quick, fresh. Made me realize sandwiches aren't really my culinary passion, but I was glad to try a place I hadn't been.
Saturday Dinner: Courtesy of Living Social, we got a sweet deal at Souk- A Moroccan Tapas restaurant. I was so impressed. Wonderful kind service, a delicious glass of French white wine, and many vegetarian tapas choices.
A funny conclusion that Tyler and I came to is that we aren't really big on eating out. We both would much rather eat at home, with food that we prepare. Sometimes restaurants feel too formal for us. After all, our first date was a Pepper's Pizza where we ate often both before and after dating. Luckily, both of these places put me at ease. Even though Souk had an ambiance that leaned more towards date-worthy, the booth full of pillows lent a more relaxed vibe to complement the dim lights and lanterned/mirrored decor. It didn't feel like forced fancifulness, but rather, you could choose to embrace or ignore the romantic vibe. Not that romance is a bad thing.. anyway, the point is that both of these dining experiences made me grateful for being and living where I/we are in DC. I love being able to bike a few blocks to grab an early dinner and a cookie for dessert ( made by a good friend who sells them in the hood!) So I arrived home feeling full and happy. And I wanted to blog about it. I am realizing that no matter what this blog is to other people, or who (if anyone) reads it, I am happy to have a place to write out my thoughts. I have no ambition for the blog other than to be a place to publicly journal.. at least for the time being. I think the internet has enough 20 something hip, fashionable vegetarian girl bloggers. I'm not trying to be anyone but Bitsy here. So there it is. My thoughts from me to you. That's all for now.

1.5 years later....

Hmmm. What to do on this blog now? I'm not new to DC, my life is consumed by work and studying and fretting about grad school. I wish I knew more about blog design so I could change up the layout and create a unique and beautiful template. Perhaps this blog will just become a dumping ground for my thoughts, aspirations. I'm not sure. Who says a blog needs one theme? Plus I'm not trying to become a professional blogger. Well... that's all for now. A short rambling post as I try and figure things out.

Maybe a digital camera would be a good thing to get. I could at least start posting pictures...

Valentine's Day, Winter blues

I've been suffering form winter blues today. Oddly enough, it was warmer, the snow is rapidly melting, I went for a jog, saw some art and should be feeling great. But I'm not. Before I delve into that (or not...) Let's work on catching up from the last few weeks. Valentine's weekend wouldn't normally mean anything to me. Tyler and I don't celebrate it, but this year I was lucky enough to be treated to a delicious french dinner with my parents! We ate at Bistro du Coin; a lovely corner bistro that brought back memories of my beloved France. Though our visit was short, we had a great time. Earlier in the weekend we went to a dinner party hosted by a friend who loves nothing more than to cook and bake for lots of people. I got to meet new friends, catch up with other friends who I hadn't seen since the massive snow. Everyone was excited to get out of the house finally. Even after our 4.5 snow days the week of February 7th or so, we still got President's day off. I spent it like any other weekend day- cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping. Finally started get back into the swing of things with work. This weekend was super low-key. I stayed in both nights and did some work for my class. I got an A on my test that I took last Wednesday, by the way! Goooo ME! Today Tyler and I ventured out to National Gallery of Art to see a collection of art from Chester Dale, a man who made a fortune doing Stock Market stuff, who chose to spend a lot of it on beautiful impressionist and post impressionist art, largely French art. Luckily this great collection will be on display for the next year and a half! It was nice to get out and about again in the city. I'm still struggling with winter blues though. Even exercise didn't snap me out of my funk. Oh well, I guess I will find something else. That's all for now.

Snowmaggedon!

There is something about the snow that brings out the friendly in people. Is it because when our city, neighborhood, street gets transformed, we do too? Does the magical winter wonderland somehow turn on a nice switch? It isn't that people are outwardly mean usually. It's just that the snow; taking walks in it, passing other pedestrians in it, gives us strangers something to bond over. You find yourself freely commenting on the environment in a way that you usually don't when white hasn't taken over the streets. It is a very interesting phenomenon. I can say that tromping out in the snow today certainly helped me gain a new zest for life that had leaked out of me after feeling confined to my inside space all morning. I guess other people feel it too. It was truly beautiful to be surrounded by snow, not a speck of sidewalk or road in sight. Falling was comfortable, since we had snow drifts to envelope and cushion us. There is an excitement you can feel walking around when you pass other people. Even on the internet, surfing websites that report on all things DC, the internet chatter is bright and excited. And when you are ready, you can come back into the bear cave that is home and sink into layers of blankets with a cup of coffee and a book or computer in hand and take pleasure in having a day in.

Things I have loved this January

• Snow, round 2- This past weekend
• Running home with our tongues out catching snowflakes last night.
• Cozy dinners and games with friends.
• Cozy days and nights at home cleaning, throwing things away.
• Escaping the cold in museums and coffee shops
• When Tyler does the dishes and he stacks them in the least logical way in the drying rack. (very amusing, at least he helps)
•Watching my babies do new things at school
• Taking walks, seeing movies alone
• NOT making New Years resolutions until maybe now, or later in February
• seeing my big sis for 24hours
• Trying new places to eat
• talking to my parents and sisters on the phone
• Learning new things in my online class

Now, onto the busy birthday month of February- Hopefully more consistent blog entries. It is looking like it will be a busy month.

January! New Year!

Well, it is a bit late for the New Year post now since we have gotten to MLK Jr. day. I didn't go through the typical obligatory resolution making frenzy this year- I think it was because, for the first time in years, I did not have my traditional new year celebrations. No oyster roasting at the neighbor's house with my parents, their friends and the children of their friends. No black eyed peas and collards at the pink house in Durham. Instead, it was a new year with new events, including a party chez moi, a brunch chez friends and guests in town. Perhaps these will become my new traditions, perhaps not. (Luckily, my dear mother sent me back to DC with some collards to eat and my dear boyfriend bought a can of black eyed peas so that I could still partake in the traditional good luck meal. Though, it was about a week later than usual that I ate the symbols of good luck and money. Since then, I have done everything from museum visits both with friends visiting and friends who live here, to having cozy nights in with friends and board games, or just myself, Tyler and a movie. I have also done lots of hibernating as the weather has been unseasonably cold...That is.... until this past weekend! The blue sky appeared, warmer temperatures have emerged and most significantly (for me) then sun is setting later and later. I love the subtle changes that tune us into the seasonal shifts, though i am the first to recognize that 60 degrees n January does not mean it is spring. Mother nature likes to tempt us with a taste of the season to come and it is best not to get too caught up in her trickery. just be patient and enjoy the ever so slight changes every day. Aside from readjusting to life in the city I had a wonderful short visit from my big sis that came at just the right time for both of us. I have experimented with changing up the apartment only to realize that the furniture layout is ideal the way it is and the only ways to fix the unsightly things laying around are to either get rid of them or find attractive storage to conceal the junk. Hopefully I can succeed in doing a combination of these two solutions. Well I have more I could write but it is the final night in my 3 day weekend and I really should be getting to bed.

sweet dreams