12 Things That Make Me Happy
Oct. 26th, 2005 08:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
browngirlThis morning, I was thinking, "bleah,will the rain ever end," as I got off the bus. I glanced up to see this bright golden line across clouds that were breaking up just enough to show bits of blue sky.
In that spirit.... I have had this written for days, and after this morning's events I'm giving up on waiting for a cheerful day to post it. Life is what it is, and I whine too damn much in this journal.
So. Twelve things that make me happy. Maple leaves, Conversations in Other Languages, Firefly/Serenity, "Amazing Grace", Speculative Fiction, Quinces, Fanfic, Spirals, Laughter, Street Singers, the MBTA,.and Pain.
1) Maple leaves. Because they are a million shades of soft glowing red at this time of year. I always wish I could sew myself a dress of them.
2) Overhearing conversations in other languages. I love languages and they don't love me back; the only languages I know are English and American. But I love hearing people talk in different languages in public places like school and the T, even if I can't understand them (and they might be mocking me for all I know). I love the idea of living amidst diversity, in a place where people aren't afraid of reprisals, and I want this to continue being the reality where I live.
3) Firefly/Serenity. I'd always admired Buffy and even Angel, but this show.... renewed my faith in science fiction and in fannishness (as I admire the loyal fans who waited three years for their Big Damn Movie). It just makes me so happy. And it amuses me that, after swearing off TV show fandoms, judging myself too old for stories about thieves with hearts of gold, and automatically marking down anything where the Confederate-analogues are supposed to be the heroes, I fell in love with this fictional universe.
4) "Amazing Grace". I am no longer a Christian, but I will always love the hymn as an art form (and so I love hymns from other religions) and I will always love "Amazing Grace", written penitently by an ex-slave-trader who calls himself a wretch (heavy words in those days), simple and powerful.
5) Speculative Fiction. I love the way good fantasy or sf or historical fiction can carry one to another world, unfold its possibilities, and in so doing point out the common aspects to being human, being sentient, being alive.
6) Quinces. Quinces and rosehips are my favorite Rose Family fruits. Quinces are an ancient fruit, with flesh that must be cooked to be eaten but rewards the eater with a complex perfumed sweetness. I really love them, and really hope I find them in the supermarkets soon.
7) Fanfic. I should write a journal entry In Defense of Fanfic one of these days. As one of those people who wrote fanfic before I knew what it was, there are many aspects of it I really enjoy, from playing in a universe if I want to inhabit it (rather than making a substandard copy), to seeing multiple interpretations of a common source, to giving characters a chance to do things they won't in canon but you *know* they ought to.
8) Spirals. I've always liked spirals, and doodle them a lot. I love their motion and endlessness; a spiral is a circle dancing. I love how they show up all over nature, from galaxies to hurricanes to sunflowers to proteins.
9) Laughter. I don't need to explain that one, right?
10) Street musicians. I really like street musicians;![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
xiphias contributed greatly to my appreciation of them, so they make me think of him *wave* and a good street musician can brighten my whole day, no matter how awful.
11) The MBTA. Which has been frustratingly unreliable lately, but still, I live in a city which I can pretty much navigate without needing to own a car. I appreciate that.
12) Pain. Because it lets you know you're alive. (Yes, my tooth still hurts. A lot.)
In that spirit.... I have had this written for days, and after this morning's events I'm giving up on waiting for a cheerful day to post it. Life is what it is, and I whine too damn much in this journal.
So. Twelve things that make me happy. Maple leaves, Conversations in Other Languages, Firefly/Serenity, "Amazing Grace", Speculative Fiction, Quinces, Fanfic, Spirals, Laughter, Street Singers, the MBTA,.and Pain.
1) Maple leaves. Because they are a million shades of soft glowing red at this time of year. I always wish I could sew myself a dress of them.
2) Overhearing conversations in other languages. I love languages and they don't love me back; the only languages I know are English and American. But I love hearing people talk in different languages in public places like school and the T, even if I can't understand them (and they might be mocking me for all I know). I love the idea of living amidst diversity, in a place where people aren't afraid of reprisals, and I want this to continue being the reality where I live.
3) Firefly/Serenity. I'd always admired Buffy and even Angel, but this show.... renewed my faith in science fiction and in fannishness (as I admire the loyal fans who waited three years for their Big Damn Movie). It just makes me so happy. And it amuses me that, after swearing off TV show fandoms, judging myself too old for stories about thieves with hearts of gold, and automatically marking down anything where the Confederate-analogues are supposed to be the heroes, I fell in love with this fictional universe.
4) "Amazing Grace". I am no longer a Christian, but I will always love the hymn as an art form (and so I love hymns from other religions) and I will always love "Amazing Grace", written penitently by an ex-slave-trader who calls himself a wretch (heavy words in those days), simple and powerful.
5) Speculative Fiction. I love the way good fantasy or sf or historical fiction can carry one to another world, unfold its possibilities, and in so doing point out the common aspects to being human, being sentient, being alive.
6) Quinces. Quinces and rosehips are my favorite Rose Family fruits. Quinces are an ancient fruit, with flesh that must be cooked to be eaten but rewards the eater with a complex perfumed sweetness. I really love them, and really hope I find them in the supermarkets soon.
7) Fanfic. I should write a journal entry In Defense of Fanfic one of these days. As one of those people who wrote fanfic before I knew what it was, there are many aspects of it I really enjoy, from playing in a universe if I want to inhabit it (rather than making a substandard copy), to seeing multiple interpretations of a common source, to giving characters a chance to do things they won't in canon but you *know* they ought to.
8) Spirals. I've always liked spirals, and doodle them a lot. I love their motion and endlessness; a spiral is a circle dancing. I love how they show up all over nature, from galaxies to hurricanes to sunflowers to proteins.
9) Laughter. I don't need to explain that one, right?
10) Street musicians. I really like street musicians;
xiphias contributed greatly to my appreciation of them, so they make me think of him *wave* and a good street musician can brighten my whole day, no matter how awful. 11) The MBTA. Which has been frustratingly unreliable lately, but still, I live in a city which I can pretty much navigate without needing to own a car. I appreciate that.
12) Pain. Because it lets you know you're alive. (Yes, my tooth still hurts. A lot.)
