About Face

The whiny post that is my life is just too same old same old to spend more than a moment contemplating, let alone writing (think winter, screen time, shoes in the middle of the floor, M's school, tween attitude, too much work, not enough sleep, oh god, even a parenthetical list is too dreary to continue) (though really this is just today: yesterday was quite delightful, and today's dreariness is probably erected upon a base of exhaustion).

Instead I decided to try some narrative therapy and make a list of things that have recently made me happy, such as:

- Hearing "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" and "Karma Chameleon" yesterday morning, courtesy of the human jukebox I live with who programs the iPod and plays crazy old school CDs in his car. (The first time we heard "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" was on one of those interminable drives from East Coast Big City to No Longer Red State Capital City. I have no idea why we were listening to country music, except presumably we were in a road trip radio wasteland. It took us a moment to get what we were hearing, but ever since I have just loved that song, and having it come up on the iPod at the gym yesterday morning pretty much made my day before it had even started.)

- The people I work with. I've worked with a lot of difficult people in recent years. These days I work with a lot of people, and the vast majority of them are fabulous: smart, effective, fun: people I'd choose to spend time with even if I didn't work with them.

- Coming up with great solutions to some work problems.

- Successfully finishing a work project that has been hanging over me.

- The Chili Radish (basically kimchi) and Gourmet Anchovies (the tiniest fish you've ever seen, fermented with soy beans) that we got at the Chinese supermarket which I've been gobbling by the spoonful, even though they were supposed to be a present for S.

- Hugs and kisses from M and E. (OK, they made me write that, but it's true.)

- The Palestinians breaking down the fence and storming Egypt.

- Deciding that I am going to do some yoga, read a bit, and go to bed tonight, instead of working.