36

ICE CREAM. I have no willpower to resist.

35

AIRPORTS. While I'm not a fan of flying, I love being alone in an airport. It makes me feel free.

34

NEON SIGNS. There's something about them that makes me want to be a cliche photographer who travels the US, taking pictures of the American experience.

33

WATERFALLS. Really, I'm terrified of them, because they make a lot of noise and I always feel like the earth is about to fall apart, but I like them a lot too.

32

SPICES. Why eat food without flavor? I'm always in favor of a little zip.

31

BICYCLES. I am in love with my bike. This is not a picture of my bike, because I don't want you to get any ideas. Still. My bike is wonderful. All bikes are wonderful.

30

FRESHLY SHARPENED PENCILS. I am very specific about pencils. Ticonderoga are the best. Sanfords and Eagles are the worst. Except that Eagles are bendable, and that's fun. Pencils smell good.

29

BLACK EYED SUSANS. This is my favorite flower. It's like a daisy, but less lame.

28

BIRTHDAYS. They don't have to be mine, I just like to celebrate. Especially with trick candles.

27

WET GLISTENING SPIDER WEBS. So delicate. So fresh.

26

PAPER UMBRELLAS. I always want to save them and use them for... something. Really, I just want to carry around a giant paper one, but that's not as manageable.

25

CACTI. There's something about how prickly they are, how durable they are... and how good they taste.

24

CHIHULY. Chihuly is this amazing glassblower from Washington who has ONE EYE and creates the most fantastical things ever. Yes, I hear he's a grump, but his work sure is beautiful!

23

HAMMOCKS. Just looking at a picture of one makes me want to lie down and relax. Sadly, this paper will never get written if I do that. Good thing I don't have a hammock!

22

CRAFTS. Making things is the most satisfying thing in the entire world, especially when it turns out great. For people like me who need things to do with their hands, this is extra nice.

21

MAYAN RUINS. Yes, I have been to the location where this photo was taken, and no, the photo does not do it justice. The mayans were ingenious, and their ruins (actually pretty complete, considering how hold they are) are an amazing tribute to their smarts.

20

CUTE ANIMALS. Can anything else cheer you up so quickly? C'mon, look at those kittens. Look at them. Are you still sad?

19

SALAMI! I'm not really sure I've ever met a salami I don't like. Inspiration for this post? The delicious authentic italian salami that my wonderful boyfriend brought me back from San Francisco... cured meat goodness.

18

YURTS. It is my dream to live in a yurt, at least for a small period of time. I once went yurt camping, and it was so glorious that I have no choice but to do it again. I also once went in a yurt while on a ski trip. They are seriously perfect. Geodesic domes are also way up there.

17

TRAINS. When I get on a train, I feel like when I get off, it will be the 1940's and I'll be meeting a mysterious man in a trench coat who will dramatically sweep me off my feet. Silly? Yes. Awesome? Yes.

16

BLANK BOOKS. There's nothing like the promise of those pages to convince me that I could be a famous writer someday if I only got around to it.

15

BONES! Best TV show ever. Actually keeps me thinking, witty, and lots of awesome dialogue. Only issue is that it doesn't come every week.

14

SEATTLE. I'm lucky that I'm so attached to my birthplace - I know a lot of people who aren't. Admittedly, I've only lived in one other place, but I just can't find anything wrong with Seattle. I guess we're maybe too good at recycling, or, y'know, placed in a geographic location that is too beautiful....

13

WORKING IN RADIO. Working in radio has seriously been such a welcome change from working in newspaper. It's instant. It's fun. I have so much control over everything that I'm doing, and I get to basically just mess around and make it work!

12

HOUSEPLANTS. At home, my house is full of houseplants. At school, I have always had at least one plant in my room. Right now, I have my favorite of all, a beautiful trailing philodendron that just keeps getting longer and longer. Having one just makes me feel at home.

11

LEMONS. I like lemon as a seasoning on basically everything, but especially like it in my water. I don't like the taste of water in the midwest, and a little squeezed lemon covers up that taste right away. On salad, on baked carrots... yes!

10

TAKING SHOWERS. You get warm, clean, and if you play your cards right, emerge smelling nice and fresh. What else does a gal need?

9

WEAVING. There is nothing like weaving. Yes, the beginning is tedious, but you make something that you have really done so much of and have control over every element. Not only that, but people get really impressed, even when it's the easiest plainweave project that you've ever done.

8

AVOCADOS! I love avocados! I like them the most with olive oil, salt, and paprika. Yum! Nothing improves my mood like a seasoned avocado.

7

IKEA! I spent time there today and let me tell you, there's nothing better than wandering through model homes for the afternoon and then going home to face the flat-packed truth.

6

FALLING ASLEEP TO THE SOUND OF RAIN. Growing up in Seattle, this is one of the sounds that is most familiar and comforting to me. The other night we had a rain storm, and I slept like a baby.

5

SKUNKS. Okay, this seems like a weird choice. It's mostly just that I like that there's an animal out there that does such a good job of being itself that nobody wants to mess with it. We humans try to modify everything, and the skunk just goes along doing its own thing, being a skunk. Nothing wrong with that... as long as you keep a safe distance. Also, baby skunks are the cutest. 'Nuff said.

4

FINLAND. I love this country and I love talking about it. What other country does business deals in the sauna AND has bike bridges? None, that's which. Extra points for having an ice cream flavor called 'supertiger.'

3

PAMPERING. I love to be pampered, but I especially love pampering myself. Appearance and hygiene wise, I am low maintenance. Five minute shower without conditioner and a quick shave and soap is all I need. Making myself feel special becomes so easy because of this - putting lotion on my hands feels like a luxury. All time best? Haircuts. They wash and massage my head, and then basically play with my hair for an hour. Every single time I leave that place I feel the most relaxed.

2

THE SMELL OF CRAYONS. I don't know what it is, but the smell of crayons is the best. Maybe it's a wax thing, because I also love the smell of unscented candles (and beeswax ones, oh my goodness) but I just can't get enough. Give me a box of crayons and I will be happy for days.

The beginning

I've been depressed. Medicine = helping a little, but not as much as it needs to. Unfortunately, writing about things that make me grumpy cheers me up, but also leaves me with kind of a negative attitude... not exactly what I'm looking for. A friend (ok, and my therapist) suggested that I make lists of things that I like. I'm not sure how game for this I am, but everything is better in blog format! Here we go.

EATING. I love eating. I love cooking, but I mostly love it because I get to eat what I make. Taste is definitely the most important sense (which actually makes smell most important because they are so linked) and if my stomach didn't get full and gaining weight wasn't a possibility, I would just eat all the time. So. good.