practice 'Happiness Manifesto' periodically

• being almost done with the songbook, and enjoying the work right up to the end (um, except for the harassment from my colleagues about missing deadlines)
• the new top I wore today – could be on the hoochie-mama side on someone else, and in a different context, but on me it was perfect!
• somehow escaping the lethal combined effects of pollen and sleep deprivation today, and getting a lot done
• bumping into RI on the way home from the Metro and walking up the street together. Gosh he’s lovely. ^{He seems to be avoiding me overall, but he once again confided in me about his work with his therapist. What’s up with that? I just don’t understand the man’s boundaries. At least he got to see how good I looked in my cute top.}
• the little notebook I put on my desk for jotting down my state of mind when I feel like snacking/overeating. Just having it there seems to work much of the time.

1. Sportswomanlike behavior: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/video?id=3380875

2. How I Met Your Mother.

3. Going to the gym after work!

4. Sharp provolone.

5. Me and Jeff and the dog = happiness.

1. Oni Faida Lampley and her powerful example of art, joy, and survival: http://myfatcat.typepad.com/kindly_eccentric_middleag/2008/05/goodbye-oni.html.

2. Cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

3. The return of the friendly coffee cart guy in front of my office building.

4. Health. Health. Health.

5. Anticipating the “Damn Yankees” concert in two months starring JANE KRAKOWSKI! SEAN HAYES! CHEYENNE JACKSON!

• setting priorities and being happy with them: playing outdoors on this glorious day was more important than whooping it up this evening, so I am happily and productively working. Bonus: I may be done in time to play some more tomorrow.
• a teeny-tiny fantasy coming true: cute (workaholic) guy in the building really is doing laundry at the same time as I am, and got to see me looking casually hot
• conquering auto-page-numbering and section markers in InDesign – voila! – all that’s left is table of contents, which may at this point be easier to do by hand
• leftover grilled mackerel, with brown rice and bok choi
• friends I bump into in the neighborhood

Time to go retrieve the laundry… ;-)
*

• the Route 11 chips I swiped from the hotel earlier this week
• being able to afford a decent bottle of wine
• an unexpected chunk of time this evening to work on music
• not sinking completely into paralysis; forcing one foot in front of the other
• having something to offer a friend whose dad died

• screwing up – by accident! I swear! – and not registering for a meeting in time; it happens to be in Baltimore, at 8 am tomorrow. My boss is going to think I screwed up on purpose (I kvetched about it for weeks), but oh well. Particularly given my current sleep debt, I’m not going to get up at 5 to drive up there and risk not being able to get in. Tant pis! ;-)
• RI’s voice
• dancing with my secret crush, in full view of everybody. Added bonus: he was one of at most 4 men on the dance floor out of maybe 75 women, and he chose to dance with me.
• otra conversación empezada por otro en español
• getting my desk cleared off, at my leisure

• a nice drink and light dinner with a coworker after a long day of conference, at
• my new favorite restaurant, of the yuppie Mexican variety.
• meeting one of my blogging heroes, an internet friend of over a year now, in person. He was invited to be part of a panel – my idea, he was an excellent speaker, and we finally got to meet in person. I ran up to the stage to say hi before the session and he came down and greeted me with a big hug. Then, he talked about his blog, and said ”...but it isn’t as good as Emily’s,” as if even 5% of the people in the room knew who I was… but two of my three bosses were sitting at the table with me. Supexiting! and I’m quite sure I must have been blushing.
• the end of Passover – Dayenu (I lasted until, oh, early afternoon, when a spread of snacks in the hotel got the better of me).
• a 2nd opinion about LHC – that he’s fun and sociable enough, but kind of full of himself. Yep.

1. Weeds to pull and a yard to pull them in. (Sweetie’s)

2. Sleepy Sunday afternoons.

3. My sons, one of whom is dozing on the couch as I write this.

4. Nordic Walking Poles! My arms are a bit sore from yesterday, not too sore, just exactly right!

5. Pizza, which we will be having tonight to celebrate the end of Passover. (CHOMETZ!)

• a few things in my life at which I can feel in control
• not having terribly much to do at work this morning, in my sleepless state
• a week of lovely weather
• green tea latte – Starbucks actually dropped the price in the past couple of weeks, so drink up!
• three free evenings in a row

-this perfect weather that makes me realize how much I miss being able to walk outside in greenery, in the sunshine, in shorts…winters are too long here
-siamese cats…they are superior to any other cat breed, hands down
-buds on trees
-getting lost in my painting
-the new lamp I bought at Pier 1…it’s like a sculpture, so beautiful and modern…why buy one of the many crappy ugly generic lamps like the ones at Home Depot when you can have a really gorgeous lamp?
-being able to borrow and watch all seasons of Six Feet Under again…it was one of the most provoking and insightful series on TV
-the fact that G really enjoys watching Six Feet Under…if he didn’t like it, I’d seriously consider if he was the guy for me