74 Inches of Pure Lady

I started out with a dramatic topic for this post. It was going to be a downer. The initial idea was something I had been thinking about for the past few weeks. My close friend and I were talking about the concept of “timing” in relationships and dating. And I angrily proclaimed that “timing was a B.S.” Further, I elaborated that “timing” was an excuse that women utilize to soften the blow of a guy who “just isn’t that into you.”  My motivation for the post was personal experience and my own current unpleasant mood regarding guys. I was frustrated because I liked a guy for over a year, I got up the nerve to do something about it and received no response.

I was prepared to write an entire post on “timing” – the concept of “timing”, the myth of “timing” and whether “timing” was an actual thing or an excuse.  Then I had an “a-ha moment” (Thanks Oprah!) I’m going to keep putting myself out there. If someone isn’t into it, that’s their loss. That being said, the “timing” post has been scrapped. It’s July and so far the Windy City has been treated to a summer that feels like fall. June sped by filled with grey skies and rainy days. The weather perfectly matched my mood and in an attempt to reverse emotional course I’m scrapping the “timing” post. It’s time for another “Happy List” post.

The concept of the “Happy List” is simple. It’s a collection of things, people, and places that currently make me happy. Making the “Happy List” forces me to focus on the positive. Further, any time I decide to light candles from Anthropologie, listen to Sam Cooke and drink Pinot Noir, I’ve got a list that might lift my spirits (Sam Cooke is way more depressing than you think). It’s July. Let’s get happy people:

Scotch – I don’t drink scotch often. But I’m a huge fan. It has to be a certain type of night. It’s not an everyday drink. It’s a dark corner of a speakeasy drink. It’s a 1 am drink. It’s a drink I only have with good friends. I don’t waste scotch on a random happy hour. If I’m drinking scotch, you and I are in for a long talk, it’s a good night and I like your company.

Pitbulls – I shared custody of a pitbull with one of my ex-boyfriends. We got him with he was about 6 weeks old and very malnourished. We took him in and nursed him back to health. When we took him to get his shots, the vet told me that we saved his life. He was sweet, loving, gentle and beautiful. He’s still alive and living in Indiana. But my time spent with him convinced me that I’d like another pitbull someday. One day when I have a house and yard (so 20 years from now), I’ll get another pitbull and force my husband to walk him because I’m lazy and entitled. I kid. I kid. *sly smile*

Being in the Zone – That thing when you’re working out, everything is clicking and you’re doing something that seemed physically impossible before you started. That feeling you get when your body hits another level. It’s like your body is a car from one of the Fast and Furious movies and someone hit the NOS button. (If you don’t get that reference, we can’t be friends. Why are you even reading this? Who are you? What’s happening?)

The Prisoner – if you have a pre-2010 bottle of the Prisoner, let’s get married. I’m a good baker and I’ll make my own money, just give me some of that wine.

The DuckTales Theme Song – it’s a classic. We don’t need to argue about this.

A Good Jean Jacket – can make almost any outfit

A Good Hat – can instantly change your whole vibe. (Or kill your vibe – be careful out there)

Chicken Quesadillas – I have the palette of a pretentious yuppie (wait a minute…) and a 12 year old.  If a menu has a chicken quesadilla, I’m going to order it. Unless there is foie gras on the menu, then I’ll order the foie gras. But what place has foie gras AND a chicken quesadilla on the menu? Now that I think about it…does this place exist? Is it called “Heaven”?

Skinny Whiny Guy Music – I grew up listening to a lot of my brother’s CDs. The Pixies. Built to Spill. Pavement. As such, my favorite music is in that same genre of music. One of my ex-boyfriends referred to it as “skinny whiny guy music” while explaining that he was not interested in accompanying me to a  Local Natives concert. I was raised on this stuff and I love it. The music drips of pretention and sounds like the musical embodiment of a Whole Foods and Anthropologie love child. It’s musical quinoa with a kale side.  If this music was a person, it would be that friend who is constantly proclaiming the wonders of coconut oil and its getting on your nerves and you just wish she would find a damn boyfriend and stop talking about coconut oil already, you’re not putting that crap in your hair… Examples include: the aforementioned Local Natives, Fleet Foxes, Beirut, Passion Pit, and Ra Ra Riot.

Talking to My Dad on the Phone – Sound sentimental right? It is (somewhat). More specifically, I love talking to my dad when my mom is in the room. I moved away from home at 18 and have not been back to Northern California since. So I spend a lot of time talking to my parents on the phone. I see my mom and dad at most twice a year. As such, I speak to them almost every other day. Truth be told, I talk to my mom 95% of the time. But once in a while, my dad answers the phone. He’ll begin to engage me in conversation and I’ll hear my mom chiming in from the background:

“Ask her about that arbitration.”

“Tell her that I’ll call her later, I’m going to the store.”

“She went to a concert last night. Ask her how it went?”

And my father, who is one in a long line of men who cannot multitask, will become flustered and say, “What? Oh I don’t know what’s happening. Your mom is saying something. Did you hear her? I don’t know what she’s talking about.” Inevitably, I’ll start laughing and say, “Dad. I heard her. It’s fine.”

That’s all I got for now. Get happy. Stay happy. When you feel less happy, think of stuff that makes you happy and if that doesn’t work remember that you’ll be happy again sometime soon. Because you will. You definitely will be happy again soon.