Seven Things Making Me Smile

 I turned on the television tonight, and The Big Chill was on. When I realized that the characters in this film are supposed to be the same age that I am now, I had to go pour myself a glass of chardonnay. Yikes! I feel like people in their 30s a generation ago were a lot older than my friends and I who are in our 30s now. And it isn't just that we moisturize more. Gen Xers just seem younger than the Boomer generation; we never are in any rush to be "grown up".

Anyhow, before my train of thought was so rudely interrupted by an extremely dated film (with a kick ass soundtrack), I was going to post seven things making me smile. So back to our regularly scheduled posting and dismissing all thoughts of terrible things like growing up; here is my list.

1. LL Bean Stretch Double L Polos have become my "go to" shirts for the summer. They are casual enough for hanging out after a day at the beach and yet are suitable enough for summer business casual at work. I have about 8 of them in different shades, mostly pinks and blues.
2. So several months ago, I started watching "Arrested Development" and had a nightmare that George-Michael Bluth was stalking me. Fast forward to today, where I kind of have a little crush on his portrayer, Michael Cera. If he were only ten years older, or if I were ten years younger... Actually, I like the latter scenario better than the former.
3. I had gotten really irritated with my magazine subscriptions and let them run out: Entertainment Weekly had changed their format and was too "Twilight" and "American Idol" focused for my liking; InStyle kept recommending clothes out of my budget and designed for rail thin models; and Martha Stewart was making me feel inferior for not making my own stock, clothes, and growing all my own food. So, I was done with magazines. Until I got a notice for Britain magazine. It is like it was written for me. Great photos and features on different locales; it has already given me some great ideas for my next trip!
4. New favorite sandwich, inspired by a trip to the beach with MMH: Genoa salami, arugula, American cheese, on a roll lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. It is like eating beef carpaccio in a sandwich. (If you want, you can toss the arugula in a little bit of lemon juice beforehand too.) A couple of twists of fresh ground pepper, and you are done. SO GOOD!!
5. Joe Hisaishi's score to Spirited Away. I have loved this film for years now (this and Howl's Moving Castle are two of the most imaginative animated films I have seen in my life), but listening to the score on its own is just beautiful. It is something that I especially like to listen to after work on a summer's day with the windows open and the warm breeze blowing.
6. I have been seeing great results from Crest 3D White Advanced Vivid Toothpaste. Even though the dentist said that my teeth were pretty high on the white spectrum, with everyone and their brother bleaching their teeth, mine still felt kind of yellow. I have noticed a significant whitening from brushing twice a day for two and a half weeks, and, despite the fact that I have super sensitive teeth, I haven't experienced discomfort. I didn't think that I would feel this way, but I do feel more confident about my smile knowing it is whiter. (Oh, dear God, I sound like an infomercial.)
7. Last summer, I read the entirety of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. As the books are really well written and mainly for a young adult audience, I read all five books in under 10 days. This summer, I am listening to them all on audio book. Four of the five books are read by Alex Jennings, who is best known to me as the Reverend Hutton on "Cranford". I love listening to him read, and he "does" all of the voices really well. (Even though their are several young English boys in the books, each one has a very distinctive voice on the recording.) I find that listening to these books has a much better pacing for the telling of the story than the devouring way in which I read them last summer. (I like to know what is going to HAPPEN.) I definitely have gained a fuller appreciation of Cooper's use of language, as well as getting a chance to enjoy the overarching story all over again.

So these are a few of the things making me feel good. Hopefully you have got some good ones this summer too!