Sissy

Photo by Matt Williamson
http://www.williamsonphotos.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamsonphotos/

My sister came to visit for 2 1/2 weeks in May, then I got to spend 2 whole weeks with her preparing for the wedding. I had some of the best times in a long time while I was with her. She is so patient with me, yet at the same time doesn't put up with my guff. She threw an amazing wedding shower and bachelor/ette party for me, and was a wunderkind with wedding prep. I couldn't have done it without her. My sister makes me happy.

Good News

The old cliche is that there is no good news in the media anymore. That definitely seems very relevant these past few months. Every magazine I read is obsessed with the global financial crisis, and most blogs I read, if not covering the topic, are influenced by it, either in their own personal lives, or just because of the zeitgeist. But today I came across this video:

http://gizmodo.com/5231112/best-video-ive-seen-today-will-make-you-smile?autoplay=true#

A couple of guys went around recording street performers and then wove it together into one song. It's great, and not just of what it is, but also to think that these guys put in their own time and effort to make something that makes people happy. You don't encounter that very much any more. At least I don't in my job. This video and project make me happy.

Aussie Stereotypes

(Source: Found in the comments on this picture)

This poster makes me happy because it is all true :)

Tropfest

Tropfest in Beautiful Sydney

(Source: Me)

I'm usually not one much for festivals, but Tropfest is the one exception. Tropfest is a short film festival held every year in the Domain in Sydney (as well as in the other Australian major cities and New York). My reasons for liking Tropfest above all other festivals are thus:
a) It's free!
b) They hand out compost-able plates, cutlery, and glasses at the entrance
c) They also hand out rubbish bags, recycling bags, and composting bags at the entrance
d) They ALSO hand out these cardboard seat things to sit on the ground comfortably.
e) Everyone pretty much remains seated during the whole festival, which means...
f) No pushing and shoving (love those Aussies, so good at queuing!)
g) It's in the Domain, which is right next to the main part of the city, resulting in...
h) Easy to get to on public transport! Just about a block walk to the train station.
i) There's a first aid booth that hands out free sunscreen and free water
j) It's in a beautiful location
k) It's always entertaining

Now compare all that to other festivals (I'm looking at YOU, Austin City Limits), and there's just no comparision.

Going to Tropfest makes me happy.

Namaste

I can totally do this...
(source: Cameron Good Health)

To cut back on costs, my work has implemented a '9-day fortnight.' We get a day off every 2 weeks (and get a 10% paycut). I had my first scheduled day off (SDO) today, and went back to yoga for the first time in over 2 years. Doing yoga makes me happy (I say today, we'll see how I feel tomorrow).

Kitchen Bliss

Jacob cleaning his pride and joy - the breadmaker

When Jacob and I moved into our apartment, I loved the potential of our kitchen, but not the reality. A stove and oven that didn't work and a sink crammed into the corner were not so fun. But with a little elbow grease, a bit of money, and a LOT of waiting on an oven delivery, we now have a kitchen I could spend my whole day in. It's not perfect, but it's cozy, comfortable, and cute. The three c's of bliss. My kitchen makes me happy. (That boy being in the kitchen with me helps)

My Family

King PawPaw at Christmas

I had a great time just hanging out with my family the past month and a half. My family makes me happy.

Run Carolyn Run

I ran my first 5k today! And by ran I mean jogged and by first I mean first that I jogged the whole way. That makes me happy.

Yellow is Mellow

Source: Resonant Interval

"Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around - when yellow will be mellow - when the red man can get ahead, man - and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen."

Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction made me happy.

iPug

Source: www.concurringopinions.com

I have an inordinate obsession with pugs. My sister says I look like them when I'm mad. Pugs make me happy, especially when they are dressed up.

A New Year


A new blog. This actually fits in quite well with my last post (from August, oops!) about being grateful. Now it's time to be happy, purposely, and put a bit more out there than snark (though I do love that as well). So just like my picture a day I'm working on at Flickr (I've...mostly...kept up with it), I am going to try to post one thing a day that makes me happy. Hopefully it will not just be about things I want to buy...

And without further adieu, what makes me happy today? This other blog makes me happy every time I read it. I stumbled upon it kind of in a roundabout manner- a wedding blog I was looking at had a link to a story about a blogger who had been in a small plane crash in Arizona. In wanting to find out more about the story, I happened upon the crash victim's sister's blog (still following?) and have been hooked to her and her whole loving family ever since. She's actually a bit of my inspiration for the revamp. Check out cjane. She makes me happy.

I'm not one that is naturally and continually happy, hot-temperedness describes me better. My sister calls me a sabra, a prickly cactus on the outside with a soft inside. But I'm a firm believer in the ability for people to change and grow. And with that, I thought I would focus on what I am grateful for.

• My family, and the wonderful memories I have growing up with parents and siblings and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins all around. My family isn't particularly big, but there were close, so my childhood life was full. Now that I live so far away, I miss this closeness even more.
  
• My fiance', who can mostly handle my hot-temperedness, for some unknown reason likes my back with a crack in it butt, and all my freckles. He's kind and patient, and way to good to me.
• My friends, particularly the Suede. You can't do much better than a practically stream of consciousness continual conversation. And with all my other friends, I know it's like I never left whenever I come back!
  
• My little apartment by the sea. I never valued living by the ocean, until I moved 25 metres away from it.

That's it for now. Just putting that out there in the blogosphere.

How could you not be grateful for a view like this?

As a foreigner in a foreign land (though admittedly it could be a lot more foreign) there are a lot of aspects to life in Australia that I both love and hate. A big one is how there is much less product choice here compared to America. On one hand, having fewer options means making a choice is easier. But on the other hand, I go on websites based in America and look at all the beautiful things that could be at my fingertips if I just had stayed home. It's probably a good thing, both for my bank account and for my personal development. It's hard to break a consumerist culture mentality. I still wouldn't mind being to buy used books as easily as I can in America on Amazon (without having to pay international shipping rates).

A pretty thing from Etsy
www.etsy.com

Why I'm Not on Facebook

a) I'm not 18 (Bad First Impressions)
When Facebook first got popular, I was in graduate school at University of Texas at
Austin (grr) and my first experience with Facebook was listening to freshmen talking
about using it to hook up/stalk people. Not. Interested.

Also, the people I knew on sites that were precursors to Facebook (like Friendster,
livejournal, etc.) annoyed the heck out of me. They just wanted attention and to get
the most links/friends. So I started a blog. Yay hypocrisy!

b) I Don't See How It Will Improve My Life
If I want to be in contact with you, in general, I am. I already have enough
distractions on the internet, why add another?

c) I'm Not Interested in Stalking People
Let's be honest, that's the main reason my age would be on it- to find out what that
ex from high school or college is doing, or to see if the prom queen is living in a
trailer park.

d) I Don't Like Sushi
I tried to like sushi, but just really hate fish. Then I realised that I really was only
trying to like sushi because it was popular and hip, and I've never bothered to try it
again. Same goes for Facebook.

Now that this list is all said and done, watch me go sign up any day now.

who's a homeowner? ME (and Jacob)

I wonder how much my soul is worth. I think we'll find out July 1st.

Well. I set up this blog 3 years ago now, and promptly forgot about. In that time, Saddam Hussein was convicted and hanged, Pluto was declassified as a planet, and Google bought Blogspot. (Though one thing has stayed constant in all that time- George Bush is still a jerk). What does that mean for you, dear reader? Other than the fact that the solar system we all know and love is no longer what it was, it also means that I no longer had a log-in. After trying all of my Google accounts (I'm a bit of a hoarder, even digitally), I finally figured out I apparently had to use my Blogspot username. Eureka!

So here I am. Actually posting. It's about damn time. For goodness sake, my DAD has a blog.

For your viewing pleasure, a portrait of a woman and her gift of meat.
(taken on Pitt Street, Sydney)