Happy Things

Ahhh, it's been so long. Lazy blogger, me.

• Miraculous provision of money when I thought I was seriously in the hole
• Steve's Friday messages. That man is soaked in Good News.
• Cooking liver and onions for the first time ever, and having them turn out edible
• Having the kinds of friends who give you fresh liver as a gift
• Another friend who gave me a massive bunch of bananas, happily frozen in little baggies in my freezer, awaiting smoothie-dom
• My apartment, my apartment, my apartment
• Having the old man in the corner store across the street (as opposed to the corner store next to my building) insist that I take a free soda and visit his family sometime right before their big holiday. Like a little piece of the goodwill of Christmas.
• Being able to buy G-2 gel pens for cheaper than they are at home (I think)
• Remembering what it was like a year ago to not know where to buy anything, and realizing now that I know where to by so many things
• The Syrian painter and his paintings. I am in love with the latter.
• The way the motor scooter enables sociability. So pairs of young guys ride next to each other and talk as they ride. It may not score points for safety, but it sure does for sociability.
• The mountains
• Ice cream cake
• Canned pumpkin in the grocery store
• A comical Skype chat with Amanda S. this week
• The prospect of Amanda S. stopping over in about two months (shhh, don't remind her that it's that soon, 'cause she has to finish her dissertation before then)
• Having things to look forward to
• My family
• Phone conversations and texts from friends in the last country I lived in
• Planning Thanksgiving dinner
• S & B, one of the funniest couples ever!
• B trying to convince S that they should make turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Not because she's cooked turkey before, but "because it's a good thing to know how to do." B stating that she's going to whisper to S about turkeys while he's sleeping so that he'll like the idea of cooking one and help her.
• Lunch with the friend who connected me to this city
• Teaching again!!!
• Five students from three countries
• My pumpkin-scented wallflower
• A clean apartment
• A new friend who owns the very books I've been wanting to read
• R.T. Kendall's Total Forgiveness