Red Leather Pants

Don't ask me why, maybe because I've been listening

to the 80's station tonight, I have Loverboy's

"Workin' For The Weekend" in my head.



Source



When I got home today from work I did the dishes, took the recycling

and garbage out, cooked Adam some chicken, hard boiled myself

some eggs for an awesome egg sandwich and took Crockett for a walk.

I'm exhausted.

Lost In My Head, If Just For A Moment (some profanity)

I take the subway & a bus to work on one of the busiest routes in Toronto.

I take if from the station to almost the last stop.

This afternoon as I boarded on my way home, there were

about 10 - 15 people on the bus.

All commuters on their way home after a long day at the salt mines.

It stays relatively quiet until we hit a major intersection.

That's when the high school kids and girls/women with baby carriages board.

By this first major stop today, I was already well into my book, lost in the

characters, completely engaged and almost oblivious to

what is going on around me.

I like it that way.

Sometimes it is more difficult to block out the noise, so on a day

like today, when it feels like I am in a quiet corner and I'm able to

block out the world, I enjoy it.

45 minutes into my 90 minute journey, I was pulled from the page by an 

awful stench of 2 middle aged white men with leathery faces that were an

equal combination of sun overexposure and dirt.

Their cologne of choice; stale tobacco and alcohol.

They also had the drunk white guy loud voices.

I put my hand up under my hair and stuck my finger in my right ear.

It took the jarring edge off the volume of their conversation

that comprised of the word fuck, alot.

The atmosphere of the bus was altered by these men.

People unconciously moved away from them.

I felt bags touching my shoulder, hips bumping into me

as people tried to get away.

Sour expressions on faces as a result of the

vocabulary being used.

Judgement.

Alot of judgement.

I tried to refocus but I couldn't.

I don't function well with noise and once my bubble

was burst, there was no going back.

Finally, the 2 fucken dudes got off the bus.

That's when I noticed her.

Standing with her left profile to me

holding onto the bar of the seat in front of me.

She was so beautiful, I caught myself staring.

I think she was Persian.

Maybe 30.

5'7"

150 lbs.

Healthy, curvy, beautiful skin, modestly dressed in a t-shirt, black cardigan

dark navy blue jeans and black sandals.

Her lipstick, fingernails and toenails all matched in a shimmery

shade of raspberry.

Shoulder length dark brown shiny hair and

enough makeup to accentuate her beauty, not cover it or alter it.

She wasn't listening to an ipod or reading a magazine.

She was just standing there, waiting for the bus to get to its destination.

There was a young East Asian girl sitting near me that was obviously taken

with this person as I was.  It was odd. It was like we were mesmerized.

In my life, I've seen only a few physically beautiful people.

She was one.

I decided to close my eyes for the last 20 minutes of my journey and just listen.

Cell phone ring tones; Cricketts & Dont Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin.

Languages: English, Chinese, Polish, Tagalog and a few others I couldn't discern.

Laughter, gossip and some snoring.

We pulled into the station and it was busier than normal.

I arrived 30 minutes later than usual due to the rain.

Going down the elevator to the subway level, it looked like an ant farm.

Hundreds of people who looked like dots going in every which direction.

All with a purpose, all with a destination.

I got home and realized today that as much as I hate,

and I do HATE that my commute is so long, I do

have alot of adventures on public transit

that I would otherwise not have.

I'll take the good with the bad.

Now, if I win the Loto Max this weekend, I will gladly pass up those

adventures and I'd be like the 2 drunks on the bus.......

I'd say "fuck all y'all" and I'd go off and have

different kinds of adventures!

Ten On Wednesday

From Inside the Actor's Studio, here is the Proust Questionnaire with my own answers:

1. What is your favorite word?
Snuggle.  It is a word that can really only be used in a positive way. It creates a feeling of safety and love.

2. What is your least favourite word?
Famine. Not just the fact that it exists, but the imagery the word creates. Heartbreaking.

3. What turns you on?
Kindness, humour, music, a nice kissable mouth, and the ability to dream.

4. What turns you off?
Narrow-mindedness, ignorance and people who think they are better than others.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
Adam clicking his CD cases when he’s listening to music with headphones on and Crockett when he tap tap taps his feet in excitement as I grab his leash to take him for a walk.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Honking horns and the sound of myself and others vomiting.

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Motherf**cker.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I’d like to be a physician, specializing in Geriatrics. I’d want to be old school and make house calls.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything Sales related.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
I hope I’m pointed in the direction where I can find my loved ones and my dogs that are already there.

Tuesday Morning Walk

The inspection of our apartment lasted a whole 30 seconds, if that!

They arrived early, but I was prepared, sort of.

I had to throw on my hoodie as I was still in my jammie shirt

and the girls were still, ahem, free.

I am home today as I have my annual check up this afternoon.

They've forecasted rain today and the sky is very dark so I

took Crockett for a walk to get him tired before the storm.

It's a bit warm out, but the air has that nice pre-storm smell.

He doesn't mind going outside in the rain but he doesn't

like to do his business in the rain.

There weren't alot of other dogs around so I dropped

Crockett's leash and gave him freedom.

He quickly trotted away from me up the path.

When I caught up to him, he was just standing there, looking around, nose in the air

sniffing all the outdoors smells.



I love Crockett.

He's awesome.

Ok...on with my day.

Less Than 24 Hours Notice

I stayed one hour late at work today.

Rather than leave at 4pm, I left at 5pm.

It didn't make any time difference in my commute except

for that I was lucky in that at all my transfer points, I didn't

have to wait too long.

I got home at 6:30pm.

Adam showed me a paper that had been slid under our door today;

NOTICE OF INSPECTION

A prospective purchaser of the building has requested

a complete inspection.

They'll be on our floor between

11:00 - 11:20am

This doesn't bother me, except that it is less than

24 hours notice and it is cheeky that they slid it under

the door today but it is dated Sept 22'11.

I hate that.

So, rather than spend the evening like a potato on the couch

watching Dancing With The Stars, we had a little tidy up.

Swept up the Crockett hairs and dust bunnies from the floor, took out

the recyclables and passed the swiffer duster over the shelves.

Crockett gets antsy when I move the furniture to sweep.

As soon as his bed is back in its place, he hops back in

and is again as happy as a Pug.

I am confident that whomever is to enter our apartment

tomorrow will enter a clean and tidy space.

Plus, it's always good to put away the DVDs.

I'm not too trusting anymore when strangers are in my apartment.

I've watched too many shows where people go to open houses just to steal.

Not how I'd planned to spend my Monday evening.

Time for bed.

A Lovely Day With My Mom

I had a lovely day today with my Mom.

We met for lunch at our usual place & sat in our usual seat.

We shared a Canadian Breakfast then

Mom had a Butter Tart & I had a mouthwatering piece

of Strawberry Shortcake

It was so delicious I didn't even think to take a photo of it,

I just devoured it.

We also shared a small bowl of fresh fruit;

pineapple, blueberries, cantaloupe, strawberries, and honeydew melon.



I had heard about the Word On The Street Festival.

I thought it was on the front lawn at Queens Park, so we took the subway up.

It was a perfect day. There was a slight breeze and enough shady spots

to not get too warm.

The front lawn was empty but there were alot of people in the area so we walked around back.

There were sooooo many people and so many book tents.

Where we started was in the children's area.

Mom, also being a Nana could have spent forever there.

Books to me, were the best gifts when I was a kid.

The tents and stages spanned a large area from the backyard of Queen's Park

all the way north up to Bloor Street.

I will say, my feet were sore and we only went up one side.

Plus, we'd bought a few hardcover books and they were getting a bit heavy.

 

It is a great festival and I will for sure go again next year.

The only change I'd make is to get an earlier start.

We arrived at around 3:00pm.

I have never read Little Women.

The man at the tent said it was one of his favorite books, then went on

to say that it wasn't probably the manliest thing to say that he loved the book.

I'm looking forward to it.

I've been wanting to read the Percy Jackson Series.

They had book one so I picked it up.

These Donna Hay Cookbooks below were $1 each.

How could I pass that up?

I must try this fruit recipe:

 

Random Web Surfing Finds

Click on the link below to read a lovely Love Story

A Love Story

It's nice to know that other people in the world feel the way

about their dog as I have about mine.

Also, I saw this today on tumblr.

Interesting.

My first 3 found words were;

beautiful

whore

funny

After finding those 3, I quickly found;

broken

fool

lovely

epic

fat

Truthfully, I'd take any of those in place of whore!

Roadkill

Today was the third day in a row on my way to work that

I saw roadkill at the corner where I catch the bus.

It is an awful way to start my day and it makes me very sad.

Right next to us is the beautiful park.

Across the street is the parkette that is all part of

miles and miles of walking trails through the city.

While waiting for the bus before dawn I've seen

foxes, rabbits, chipmunks, and raccoons.

I killed a bird once years ago that flew into the front grate

of my car while on the highway.

To this day it haunts me.

It is bizarre that I have almost grown immune to seeing people harm people,

but seeing animals killed by vehicles kills me a little bit inside.

TBBT

TBBT

The Big Bang Theory.

New Season.

2 Episodes.

Alot of laughter.

I love everything about Sheldon.

Raj & Penny, well played.

We don't need Priya anymore.

Amy Farrah Fowler asking to be kissed where she's not been kissed before.

Sheldon stripping down due to cooties.

I am happy they're back :)

3 BESTS:

1. Bang Bang Bang Penny.....Bang Bang Bang Penny.......Red cushion answers door.......

ahhhhhhhhhhhh...........Sheldon returns Tap Tap Tap Penny.

2. Howard & Raj making out on the remote online kissing machines. Both with their eyes closed.

3. Buck up sissy pants. If you need any more help my books can be purchased on Amazon.

Here are the Vanity Cards for tonights 2 episodes.

They can be found at:

http://www.chucklorre.com/index-bbt.php

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #349

Every night before going to bed, he would brush his teeth and make a preemptive attempt to void his bladder. He then walked into his closet, got on his knees in front of the shoe rack and prayed to a god whose unlikely existence he likened to an ongoing quantum event. In his mind, the act of kneeling mattered not at all to this supposed god. He could just as well pray standing naked on his head with his ass serving as a fleshy vase for a bouquet of flowers. The penitential pose was only useful as a demonstration of his humility in the face of the infinite (although when things were going his way, it was more of a feigned humility). The prayers themselves mostly consisted of thanking his sub-atomic almighty verb for assembling an infrastructure that allowed for life to exist. This included, in no particular order, the various laws of physics, gravity, organic chemistry and thermodynamics. And, since it was his belief that sentient life was created by an insentient universe in order for the insentient universe to be admired, he made an effort in his prayers to tell the insentience, "nice work" or "way to go". Finally, he would close with a plea for this nameless everything to look after the less fortunate. "Please god, despite the clear evidence that it's not in your nature to care, bring love and happiness to all the souls who suffer." Then, his heart filled with grace, he would climb into bed and sleep peacefully until he dreamed he was standing in his closet and peeing on his shoes - god's clever way of telling him he had to wake up and go to the bathroom.

1st Aired: 22 Sept 2011

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #350

The boy who farted laughing gas,
eschewed pretentious poses.
He thought those who called him vulgar,
had boogers in their noses.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

1st Aired: 22 Sept 2011

Ten (65 Actually) On Wednesday

I googled "random questionnaire" and clicked on: 

http://thatangiegirl.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/a-random-questionnaire-cuz-im-bored/

So, I am going to answer her 65 Questions.

Enjoy.

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
My hair.

2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Pink, from Cotton Ginny. It's organic cotton & has a pink breast cancer zipper pull.

 

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Yes please.

 

4. Do you plan outfits?

Only if it's a special occasion.

 

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
Antsy, unsettled, a bit off, but otherwise fine.

6. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red?
The red light on my mouse.

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?

I can't remember. If I wake up and remember I tell them to Adam right away.

 

8. Did you meet anybody new today?

No.

 

9. What are you craving right now?

Financial independence.

10. Do you floss?

Not often enough.

 

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?

Coleslaw.

 

12. Are you emotional?

Yes. Very.

 

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
Yes. many many times.  I take public transit and need to pass time while waiting for the bus/subway.

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
Both.

15. Do you like your hair?
For the most part. I wish it would grow faster.

16. Do you like yourself?
Yes, yes I do.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
Yes.  As a Canadian and Liberal (Democrat if I was an American), it would be fascinating.

18. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of traffic out the window & Harry Potter casting his patronus onto the Dementors at The Ministry of Magic.

19. Were your parents strict?

Yes and no.  I had clear boundaries, I knew what I could and could not do. My parents were very involved but never overbearing. I consider myself lucky.

 

20. Would you go sky diving?

Never. No. A guy just died in Montreal at a diving school - his parachute malfunctioned.

 

21. Do you like cottage cheese?

Depends.

 

22. Have you ever met a celebrity?  

Yes. I spent a good 15 minutes speaking with Dave Foley after attending being in the studio audience for a taping of The Kids In The Hall.

23. Do you rent movies often?

Not as much anymore since you can buy them for $5-$10 on sale at HMV.

 

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?

Yes. A snowflake ornament on my cork board. It's been there since last Christmas.

 

25. How many countries have you visited?
Beside my home and native land Canada - USA & Great Britain.

26. Have you made a prank phone call?

I was a kid in the 70's. OF COURSE!

 

27. Ever been on a train?

Yes. I like the train. I'd rather take a train than a plane.

 

28. Brown or white eggs?

Either as long as the little umbilical cordy things are removed before preparation.

 

29. Do you have a cell phone?

Yes.

 

30. Do you use chap stick?
Only in winter.

31. Do you own a gun?
No. Never. Too scary.

32. Can you use chop sticks?
Yes.

33. Who are you going to be with tonight?
My Adam & my Crockett.

34. Are you too forgiving?
Yes. But, it depends who you are and what you've done. You really piss me off, I write you off.

35. Ever been in love?

Yes, I am in love with Adam.

 

36. What is your best friend doing tomorrow?

Probably the same thing he did today.

 

37. Ever have cream puffs?

Don't think so unless a cream filled donut counts.

 

38. Last time you cried?

Today.

 

40. Favorite time of the year?

Fall.

 

41. Do you have any tattoos?

Yes I do. 2 that are meaningful and 2 that are not. If I could, I'd remove the one on my ankle.

 

42. Are you sarcastic?

Not often. I tend to get sarcastic as I get irritated.

 

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
Yes. Can't remember it except for I disliking Ashton Kutcher.

44. Ever walked into a wall?
If yes, I cannot remember.

45. Favorite color?
I don't have one, but I like the fall color palette.

46. Have you ever slapped someone?

Yes.

 

47. Is your hair curly?

Yes it is.

 

48. What was the last CD you bought?

The Lord of the Rings Score by the Montreal Symphony.

49. Do looks matter?

Yes and no. The world is filled with ugly beautiful people. I believe inner beauty shines through.

 

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
No. Once trust is lost, love dies.

51. Is your phone bill sky high?
Only when it's not paid monthly!!

52. Do you like your life right now?

Yes and no. I have a great marriage, healthy parents and a cute Pug. There is always room for improvement.

 

53. Do you sleep with the TV on?

Yes. I have to fall asleep with it on. It has a timer I can set or Adam turns it off when he comes to bed.

 

54. Can you handle the truth?

I want nothing but the truth.

 

55. Do you have good vision?

Sadly no.  I just got my glasses changed a year ago & I'm finding I have to take them off to see close. I think bifocals are in my not so distant future. Crap, I feel old!

 

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?

No. I don't hate anyone, but I do strongly dislike 2 people.

 

57. How often do you talk on the phone?

As little as possible. I hate the phone.

 

58. The last person you held hands with?

My Adam.

 

59. What are you wearing?
Jammies.

60. What is your favorite animal?
Dogs.

61. Where was your profile picture taken at?

My blog photo was taken at a restaurant in Belleville.

 

62. Can you hula hoop?
You know...for kids!  I've not picked up a hula hoop since I was a kid. I could do it then.

63. Do you have a job?
Yes. Not a career, not something I'm passionate about. It is a good solid job and I don't take it for granted.


64. What was the most recent thing you bought?
TTC tokens.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yes. That is a story for another day.

Tuesday Evening

I've had a rough day today.

Work was good. I was non-stop busy from the time I arrived

to the time I left.

I even caught the early bus from the office and from the subway station.

I made it home at a decent hour for a change.

It's been a rough day because I'm unsettled, antsy.

Brain is thinking too much.

I sat down in front of the TV and literally could not watch

more than 5 minutes of any one program.

With the new TV season starting, I wasn't sure of tonight's lineup.

I did watch Dancing With The Stars last night but not tonight.

My guess is George Clooney's ex should get the boot

or the giant basketball player.

The Biggest Loser started and I decided right then and there

that I could not sit in front of the TV for another

season and numb my brain.

I love Bob Harper, but I turned the TV off.

Plus, there is something about The Biggest Loser that

makes me want to eat ice cream.

 I put on a hoodie and some comfy shoes and

took Crockett for a walk.

We stuck to the main street as it seems like perfect

skunk weather. I saw a few around this time last year

just as it was getting dark out.

The very LAST thing I or Crockett needs is

to be sprayed by Pepe' Le Pew.

The only TV show that I will not miss is my beloved

The Big Bang Theory.

That show brings me so much pleasure it's hard to explain.

It's smart, it's funny, it's cute and I love Sheldon.

It's now a little past 9:00pm.

I'm starving and I don't know what to do with myself.

It would be nice to take a hot bath, make some porridge and go sleep.

Except for I'd have to give the tub a clean first and we're out

of milk. Can't have porridge without milk.

I guess I'll just throw Harry Potter in the DVD player

to slow down my mind and drift off to sleep.

Drawing

It is spelled drawing however, in my mind, it sounds like draw-ring.

With a bit of a British accent of course.

Sunday afternoon, I painted my very 1st watercolor.

You can see it on my Project 365 Page for Sept 18'11.

Sunday evening, I felt like sketching with my pencil.

Here is the deal with me and draw-ring.

I cannot just create from within, I can copy anything.

I really need to take an art class because I have

difficulty with scope.

Also, I can draw a really nice eye, but not on a face,

unless it's Stewie Griffin!

So this was what I wanted to sketch.

www.kristinmills.com

This is where I should have stopped draw-ring.

This is where I am happy with it.

After this, I chose a very light green for the skirt and

it just didn't work.

Plus, I really need to learn how to draw cute pixie faces.

This one, with brown hair and closed eyes looked like a middle-aged librarian

sitting on a toadstool!



What's more important to me is that I am enjoying

trying something I've never done before.

Poor Adam, his office walls will be covered with my creations.

Let's hope it doesn't end up looking like a wall in a kindergarten class!

A Treasure

We started off this crisp end of summer/pre-fall morning with

a bit of a sleep in.

I started making Adam an omelet that turned into scrambled eggs when it stuck to

the bottom of the pan.  I had a yummy grilled cheese sandwich.

We then parted ways to sit in front of our computers.

Romantic isn't it?

I love to poke around the favorites and links on people's blogs that I like.

Via The Curious Pug, I landed on

My Girl Thursday that had links to her September sponsors that led me to

Scarlet Words where I watched this & was hooked.

I love it.

It is my new favorite song.

It's amazing that I can sit here in the corner of my tiny

bedroom in Toronto, click a few buttons, and be introduced

to a fascinating artist from Australia.

I Love Sir Ian McKellan

I Love Sir Ian McKellan.

I would pay to listen to him read the telephone book.

I enjoy his website http://www.mckellen.com/

He is someone I'd love to sit down to dinner

with and listen to stories of his life.



This photo is great.

When he was in costume and mistaken for a homeless person.

Click on & read about it HERE.

He's so cool.

Alot of my favorite LOTR extra behind the scenes moments

are those with Sir Ian.

Love & Laughter

Life is filled with ups and downs.

There is nothing better than spending it with someone I love

and over the moon adore.

It's a bonus that we make each other laugh.

I don't think I could survive without laughter.

Last night, Adam came in the bedroom wearing the $2 Halloween wig

I'd purchased at Dollarama.

Truth be told, I really dig it ;)

Adam has thick beautiful shiny hair.

I would love it if he grew it long.

My Rock & Roll Sweetheart.

I'm his #1 fan!

Pretty Dresses

I LOVE this time of year for so many reasons!

The reason I love it today is that people have started wearing clothes again!

Woot woot!

It's too chilly for tank tops, short shorts, and barely there clothes.

Rather than say I am a complete prude, I will say I am modest.

There are things I have seen on the TTC that I cannot unsee.

There are seats that have had bare body contact on them that

ought not to have been.

There are ways one can dress in the summer to stay cool,

fashionable on a budget.

Here are some examples of modest pretty summer dresses.

I would wear every one of these.

I will admit, some are more 50's than others.

They are all ModCloth.



Ten On Wednesday

10 Things That Have Irritated Me So Far This Week On The TTC.

1. Monday morning I was first in line for the bus at the terminal.  The bus stopped about 3 feet short of the stop and this tiny lady behind me pushed me out of the way and got on the bus first.
She was small, but tough!

2. It makes me crazy go nuts when I can hear peoples music through their earbuds.
Who can listen to music at maximum volume at 6:30am? 

3. On my way home Monday, my bus was short-turned. 
The next bus that came was jam packed & I had to stand. The more people standing in the bus, the harder the drivers hit the brakes. They gotta have fun I guess.

4. Said jam packed bus was filled with kids from high school all with back packs that make their girth 3 times their size.
These kids were unaware that they were in a jam packed bus and I got knocked into so many times I lost count.

5. This morning, a lady sitting in front of me kept flicking her head & her long hair was pretty much in my lap.
REVOLTING. I was worried it was going to get stuck in the Velcro on my bag!

6. Stink #1.  Someone who smelled like they smoked a pack of cigarettes is a closet sat behind me.
I thought I was going to barf.

7. Stink #2.  A young guy, sitting in the back of the bus, far away from me, stunk up the whole bus as he walked to his seat.  He smelled like poo & Drakkar Noir.
ALOT of poo & ALOT of Drakkar Noir.

8. This happens numerous times EVERY time I ride the bus, people - young & old -  kiss their teeth.
I hate that sound almost as much as nails on a chalk board.

9. A guy on the subway was chewing his gum with his mouth open & he kept clicking it in his mouth.  
We should be like Singapore & make gum chewing in public illegal!

10. There was a 45 minute delay on the subway ride home today due to a mechanical issue. That doesn't bother me...it happens.
It's the people who sit there and piss and moan & start complaining as though they are too good and important to be delayed. Perspective people!



After creating this list & reading it back, it is very negative and whiny, but it made me feel better. So there!

Stealth Pug Nail Clipping

Crockett is a squirmy Pug.

He is the 1st dog I have had my whole life where

nail clipping is virtually impossible.

I cannot use the Dog Whisperer's technique of holding

him down as he had a back injury when he was young and any

kind of struggle results in a very sore dog.

He lets me clean his eyes, and on occasion I can get an ear drop in

but everywhere else on his face is a no touch zone.

His feet - forget about it. He won't let me near them.

He is not a dog that has the "give a paw" trick in him.

He knows what these are.

I just have to make the motion of the clippers & he runs & hides.

Crockett is having a bad belly day.

His poops are leaving his body protected in gelatinous pods

and making a right mess on his backside.

Gross, I now, sorry.

I put him in the bathtub and positioned the shower head in a way that

his head was sort of trapped, looking to the right.

 I called to Adam to hand me the nail clippers without

Crockett seeing.  I quickly grabbed up his front left paw

and in one stealth clip.....got it!

He has one nail that is transparent - the others are black - and

it grows super fast. I didn't even get the quick! No blood no yelp!

I hope this doesn't change his love of baths.

Unlike previous dogs, he loves the bath.

So much that when I'm in it, he tries to jump in with me.

Pugs not drugs.

Words For Thought

I go to this website often:

http://www.marcandangel.com/

It is one of those sites that I need every now and then to give

me common sense inspiration.

 I particularly like this post dated Aug 30'11:

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

by Jacob Sokol of Sensophy

1. Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value.  Kinda cool right?  So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness.  And that’s without having to go out and buy anything.  It makes sense.  We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
2. Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism.  No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it.  She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life.  People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
3. Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous.  If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority.  Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out!  If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made.  What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place.  If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an older version of yourself.
4. Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain.  (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.)  Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside.  What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness.  How extraordinary is that?  Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on.  A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin.  Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
5. Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships.  Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely?  WHOA!  There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with.  We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.
6. Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character.  Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable.  Forrest Gump knows the deal.  It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan.  It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.
7. Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being.  You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion.  When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system.  You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
8. Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still.  It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task.  Action and awareness are merged.  You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional.  You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing.  Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus.
9. Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy.  It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences.  When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic.  It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
10. Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force.  Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere.  When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing.  Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
11. Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us.  We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever.  It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists.  Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”
12. Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be.  If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected.  Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft?  Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.

10 Years

Samual Barber - Adagio for Strings.

Leonard Slatkin Conducts the BBC Orchestra on September 15 2001 in honor of
those who lost their lives a few days prior.

I had the morning off work for a doctors appointment.

I had dropped my mother off at the Mississauga Convention Center

and was listening to the radio as I always did in the morning - Howard Stern.

About 10 minutes after dropping my mom off, it came on Stern that

a small plane had hit a building.

They were of course in New York so it was literally as it was

happening that they were talking about it on the air.

I still had an hour before my appointment so I went home.

As I turned on the TV, the 2nd plane hit.

It didn't seem real.

For a lack of a better explanation, at the time, it felt like I

was watching Die Hard.

I sat & watched the TV in horror.

I put a tape in my VCR & went to the doctor.

The waiting room had the TV on.

All eyes were glued to the screen and filled with tears.

As I got out of my appointment, the receptionist told

me about the Pentagon.

My thought was, "What'll be next?"

I went to work & sat at my desk

numb for the rest of the afternoon listening to the radio.

Upon return home, I watched both live TV (CNN)

and my tape that I'd put in earlier.

On CNN, they had anchor Aaron Brown sitting

on camera where you could see the towers in the background.

I kept seeing, what I thought was debris, falling from the North Tower.

They then announced that people, to get away from the heat, fire and certain

death, were jumping.

There are no words.

The one thing I remember clearly was how kind everyone

was to each other in the days that followed. 

No one was hurried, or irritated by red traffic lights.

People were courteous and thoughtful.

Life can change in a minute.

Perfect Day

It really was beautiful outside today.

Bright blue sky with white fluffy clouds.

Cool enough that Crockett could walk and walk and walk.

As soon as we got into the park, I dropped his leash

and let him walk wherever he wanted.

We were out for about an hour.

He covered the whole park.

Sniffed almost every new flower and leaf

and left his calling card for the bitches in at least 20 spots.

I of course, had my camera on me.

Crockett really does smile.

Photos I've taken of him the last month or so show

that he's getting older.

He's getting a grey face almost.

In about a month, these green danglies will be bright pink & orange.

I took a photo of them last fall.

All summer, it's just been a leafy bush.



Buzz buzz. Bees are awesome.

I saw alot of butterflies, grasshoppers and dragonflies today

but they all moved too quick for me to photograph.

Plus, it's nice sometimes to just sit & watch them flutter about.



This trail is around the edge of the park.



I can tell just how happy Crockett is when we take these walks.

If he sniffs in one place for a long time, he almost hops to the next sniffing place.



Freshly cut grass.

It smelled great in the park today.



It was almost lunch time at the end of our walk & the park was rapidly

filling up with families having picnics and wedding party photo shoots.

It was another perfect day in the life of a girl & her Pug.

A Day Out With My Parents

I spent the day with my parents & we went to

The ROM (The Royal Ontario Museum).

Here are just a few of my favorite photos.

The above is 2 Angels in a wood carving

of the nativity.

Virgin & Child



The above helmet made me think of Pippin.



It is so sad that the above came out blurry.

It was my favorite item.

Accident of the Hunt.

Wrapping the dogs paw.



Mom with the Blue Lady



The above & below are

two perfect faces.

In an Egyptian Tomb.

I don't know what my Mom is looking at but both their

expressions are great!



Why are you punching the horse?

The Beaver was so soft. I thought it'd be hard like a Hedgehog.

It is the softest fur I've ever felt.



This was behind glass.

I wish I could have touched its nose.

I love Butterflies



Hedwig.

All little kids call Owls Hedwig.

I love Sloths



My parents in front of something that was not on Noah's Ark!

It was a great day.

We saw alot more than we thought we would.

I really enjoyed the old armor, but it was all behind glass with spotlights

and didn't photograph well at all.

I seriously have to take my camera in to get fixed.

The top right corner of every picture is blurry!  Argh!