100 Things

I've been thinking about my writing lately. I used to love to write, insomuch that I would spend much of my time after school writing short stories. By the time I got to high school, there was no longer any such thing as "creative" writing, and it has all but disappeared in the course of my pursuit of higher education.

Sooo, I'm going to write a short post (300 words or less) EVERY day in the month of May. Your task, dear readers, is to challenge me! What do you want me to write about? Any topic (fair warning: I'm not going to research anything, so if I don't already know about it, I will be B.S.-ing). You can suggest characters, scenarios, settings, conflicts, etc.

Today's challenge was suggested by the lovely Liz.

100 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY
(in no particular order, and not including people):

100. bare feet
99. The Adventures of Pete & Pete
98. extra-sharp Vermont cheddar cheese
97. spring rainstorms
96. reaching into my pocket and finding surprise money
95. Christopher Guest movies
94. The Daily Puppy
93. coming home and changing into fat pants
92. Skype video chats
91. Saturday NPR
90. breakfast for dinner
89. Groupons
88. running in Frick Park
87. public libraries
86. the smell of fresh basil
85. speaking Spanish to Spanish speakers
84. payday
83. listening to NPR podcasts
82. The Denton Jazzfest
81. pedicures (though I've only had three in my whole life)
80. old movies and classic TV shows
79. watching my nursing home residents make funny faces
78. kids who climb onto your lap
77. text messages
76. sunny days
75. when they play good music on the radio
74. Trololo

73. the entire process of baking a loaf of bread (but especially the baking, slathering in real butter, and eating part)
72. real conversations
71. eating out
70. having friends just stop by
69. bad movies / MST3K-ing
68. making someone laugh
67. using office supplies
66. people-watching
65. cooking and baking
64. Pizza Fridays
63. little baby smiles
62. really good writing (but, like, REALLY good)
61. Hawai'i
60. birdsong
59. woodland creatures
58. Reese's PB cups (even better: Reese's PB eggs at 6 / 99 cents the day after Easter)
57. wide streets
56. left turn signals (both this and the above are hard to come by in Pgh)
55. Brazilian music
54. warm, clean laundry from the dryer
53. the shower after a good workout
52. the feeling of the sun hitting my skin
51. good, healthy, "I mean it" hugs
50. Tuvan throat singing
49. one of the greatest musical comedy numbers of all time, Make 'Em Laugh
48. Funk music grooves
47. snail-mail
46. sno-cones
45. English, spoken with an accent (any accent, domestic or foreign)
44. documentary films
43. mockumentary films
42. the human touch
41. sunsets
40. picnics in the park
39. dinner parties
38. word games
37. poetry
36. animals
35. art museums and galleries
34. live music
33. jazz combos
32. things that are handmade
31. the quirks that make us who we are
30. listening parties
29. A415 and gut strings
28. cuddles
27. clean sheets
26. the beach
25. Blue Bell ice cream (the only real Cookies 'n Cream there is!)
24. Scottish fold kittens who look like they don't have bones
23. free things
22. running, but usually only after the fact
21. Noxema face cleanser
20. comments on the blog *ahem*
19. probably every nice thing you've ever said to me
18. a clean apartment
17. Peanuts classic TV specials
16. trying new recipes
15. the Bach Cello Suites
14. observing experts in their field of expertise
13. languages
12. open windows and a cool breeze
11. lip balm
10. traveling
9. magazine subscriptions
8. silliness
7. dreams
6. peanut butter and jelly on a toasted English muffin
5. bike rides on a pretty day
4. walking the dog (and our crazy cat)
3. hearing children outside my window
2. getting non-business emails from real people
1. using chopsticks