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Current Music: Defying Gravity - (Wicked):Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth

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Oh, and on top of everything else this morning my 79-year-old Mom called -- she fell down and broke her wrist. And my oldest has been sick all week.

So, many of you good people have offered help, and I am going to take you up on it:

Tell me something good. Something good that is happening to you, or people you love, or in the world. About what you had for dinner, if it was really good. What you really wanted to have for dinner, but didn't. Tell me a silly joke. Or a not silly joke. Whatever.

Tell me of things that make you happy.

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Music. It does really help.

Sunshine.

elisem has <ahref="http://elisem.livejournal.com/825243.html">spectacular jewelry on sale.

I've been listening to a lot of Broadway, so I can sing along. It does help.

For dinner, I had some really nice Ethiopean food-- really just-right collard greens and nicely spicy with timitim fitfit. One of the friends I had dinner with loves timitim fitfit so much that she has made up a love song to it, filked from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Friends, good food, and the ability to give and receive support are all things that make me happy.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom.

I don't think I've ever had Ethiopian food. It sounds delightful.

well, I now know of places to go in both Campbell and San Jose, so I'd be happy to take you sometime. Honey wine. Eating with the hands (there is a spongy, sourdough pancake-y bread that one picks up all the food with), and more legumes than you can shake a stick at, along with some tomato and jalepeno.

I know a place or two in Oakland/Berkeley, too.

Or seven! :-) All lined up on Telegraph Ave.

My two favorites are Cafe Colucci, on Telegraph near 65/Alcatraz, and Cafe Eritrea d'Afrique, on Telegraph/40th.

The latter is especially dear, because it is owned by a woman named Zima who walked across Eritrea to escape political oppression. She had to leave her mother (who could not do the cross-country trek) behind, and she worked tirelessly long hours in her restaurant for years with the goal of bringing her mother to America. I haven't spoken to her in a while so I don't know if she succeeded yet, but... it is an inspiration in any case.

The food there is awesome too - huge portions, low on the spicy end of things, and wonderful creamy fruity drinks.

See the post where I talk about my conservative mother getting it about Ann Coulter (http://klwalton.livejournal.com/717007.html). Actually, you already commented, but look at it again. :) Very Happy Making.

Know that I think you're one of the most intelligent, articulate and passionate people I know, and that I consider it a privilege to be privy to your opinion on things big and small.

My sweetheart's planning to come down tomorrow, the gods and Microsoft (or is that redundant) willing, for a weekend of doing whatever the heck we feel like. I think I may teach him to make Indian food.

The part of my garden that I weeded last weekend is looking really good, as if the wanted plants just needed a little elbow room to get happy again.

I had my annual job review today, and managed to stand my ground on a point that was important to me without offending or angering my boss, so we both left it happy.

And it's a lovely, cool evening and I think I'lm going to go sit in the hot tub for a little while before bed.

I've been happy lately, and I don't think that's something I had been in a long time. Coping, maybe, but not happy.

I had a great time dancing this week. It felt physically good to be out there, when I've had my share of pain in the past couple months.

I can see SO much better since I got new contacts, that I keep saying, "Thank you Dr. Seger", periodically, throughout the day. The world is a beautiful place.

I'm flirting with a guy in New York with whom I swear forty-five minutes of time on the phone is not two hours, but mysteriously, it turns out that it is. He will be flying out to visit me in July. Whee.

mikz and I had a great time in San Diego during Memorial Day weekend. The San Diego Zoo has great aviaries, and Legoland brought out the kid in us.

Joke --> Q: How is a wombat like a one-night stand? A: He eats roots, shoots, and leaves.

Hugs and good wishes for your mother's recovery, and for your son's return to health!

Some good things:

purplerabbit's household has been adopted by some kittens that moved into her garage and declared it home. I've been taking (multitudes of) pictures, some of which are here (http://pics.livejournal.com/cyan_blue/pic/00139kaq/s640x480) and here (http://pics.livejournal.com/cyan_blue/pic/001342dc/s640x480) and here (http://pics.livejournal.com/cyan_blue/pic/0013qraf/s640x480).

Her household is also joyously celebrating the return of their son who arrived back into town for the summer this week.

Yesterday I visited with

emmett_the_sane and he made up some vegetarian French Onion Soup for me because he knows how much I love the stuff.

I had a surprise package delivered to me from my parents. My mom sent me two shirts to wear to work, and Dad sent me a t-shirt from his new job.

The two male whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium (Ralph and Norton) were "given some female companionship" last weekend. Two females, Alice and Trixie, have now joined them. They hope to someday have baby whale sharks at the aquarium, although stress that they are currently in the adolescent stage of development. Whale sharks give birth to at least 300 babies in a litter...

I got a package of stuff I ordered this week. New things are fun!!! :)

A somewhat funny thing: My cat, also known as the Fluffy Princess, has recently decided that she needs to drink out of the shower after I've finished. She sits at the shower stall and meows until I open the door for her to drink the leftover water in the bottom of the shower. Regular water will not do. Water put in the bathtub will not do. Ice cubes in her water fountain are amusing for a second and then boring...it must be shower water.

Last night I went over to

rivka and

curiousangel's place for dinner. It had been three weeks since I'd last been there, and Alex was delighted to see me. (So was her mother, but at Alex's age three weeks is a subjectively longer interval.) I had a lovely visit with them all, reading a book to Alex as part of her nightly getting ready for bed. Then we had lovely custom sausages from Whole Foods for dinner.

Regina and I came to J's by train last night, and Regina immediately made herself at home.

I hope your mother's wrist heals fully, and that the oldest recovers soon.

My birds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41719098@N00/) are doing well. The new little ones are venturing out of the nest one at a time, and starting to eat on their own. I'm always amazed at the process, watch these tiny eggs become six-inch tall birds with distinct and lively personalities.

Let's see, I have lots of happiness to share:

Today's my last day at hell job and New Job starts monday.

I'm still basking in the glow of my trip to see my sweeties last week, which included adding a sweetie - a kilt wearing sweetie, which is a new thing for me (as in having a male sweetie besides Dan).

I actually remembered to start dinner yesterday and we had a lovely roast from the crock pot and some sweet corn for dinner last night, after I napped before Dan got home from class.

My niece's 11th birthday is tomorrow. I have no idea where the time has gone.

Alex has suddenly taken to folding herself into a little tripod (hands and feet on the floor, butt in the air) and then peeking out at me from between her legs. It is unimaginably cute.

+ making progress on my art.
+ the best chicken schwarma in NYC.
+ finding plastic for half the price of other places AND they cut it for me!
+ people eating and enjoying the food i make.
+ stuff going well with a partner.
+ BPAL

n.

i have a job interview and i am pretty sure i will get it.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/31589501@N00/155947668/)
You need puppy love.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/31589501@N00/146486779/)
You need cake.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/31589501@N00/133974033/)
And you need a nice cup of tea.

*HUG*

BTW... if you're available,

patgreene and kids and I will be nearby Saturday morning (La Brea tar pits) and could possibly do lunch...?

this saturday?

(nods) this Saturday -- we are in San Diego currently.

I see that this one has been done already, but music is the best healer of my soul. I've made a couple of recent post about music I love with songs linked. You can find them here (http://epi-lj.livejournal.com/1198931.html) and here (http://epi-lj.livejournal.com/1207094.html).

Also,

okoshun has been home all week for the first time in millenia. It's indescribably nice.

Oh, and

clawfoot and I won gift certificates for The Keg (a steak house chain -- I'm vegetarian, though), a beauty spa, and also won a very expensive surround sound audio package in a charity rally we participated in recently. :)

I'm in Portland with my new sweetie this week, and have been in an almost-constant state of NRE bliss and passion. Furthermore, last night he took me to Newport Bay seafood restaurant, and we had the most delectable red snapper with prawns. The fish had been dusted with flour and grilled, and served with a relish of artichoke hearts, tomato and peppers. SO good!

Bry and I went and saw Over the Hedge last night - it was very very silly, and I highly recommend it. Favorite moments:
- realizing that Bry's brother is Hammy the squirrel
- Vern the turtle saying "No, that's bad communication. That's another thing families do."

Even sicky and cranky, snuggling in bed and finding silly things to laugh about. Yay silly things to laugh about.

this Lisa DeBenedictis song remix (http://lisadebenedictis.com/audio/girl_and_supergirl_remixes/cezary_ostrowski-girl.mp3) (mp3). I really dig her lyrics. Yum.

FanFic. I don't include links cause I don't assume anyone is interested. However, the shared fic rec del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/ficrec) is a good place to start if you are.

Oh dear. Best wishes for quick recoveries all around.

Today my Grandma and I went out to lunch at the local sushi joint, and it was dynamite. Perfectly cooked unagi and tamago.

Also, on my walk this morning I saw a cedar waxwing (http://www.fnal.gov/ecology/wildlife/pics/Cedar_Waxwing.jpg) eating mulberries.

It's been raining, so it's overcast here (for the first time in weeks) and there is so much birdsong! I heard a whole chorus of kookaburras earlier, and a few whipbirds. I don't think I've ever heard a whipbird in winter before.

i am home!

and i have not one but twooooo dogs on my bed. and i am going to go join them in just a minute.

I found out where they stash the hot tub in our building today, and made use of it. The boy had his first cake today (and apparently faceplanted in it). And I had garlic fries for lunch, with many little bits of real garlic (instead of fake powdered garlic).
And I'm lucky because I have people like you in my life. :-)

O_O What a week. I hope your mom is okay.

Good things. Um, Chris and I went to the county fair yesterday. The weather was perfect, we had food on a stick, saw tiny baby goats jumping around at the petting zoo, and went on a roller coaster together.

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Good Things

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Happiness is:

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Passing nearby on Saturday?

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Re: Passing nearby on Saturday?

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