In which the sky is a bright canary yellow

I am taking it as an auspicious sign on this auspicious day that the doorways in the new building across the street have this morning been painted my favorite color: robin's-egg blue.

In honor of our new president, this beautiful clear day, and general good cheer, I will forgo my usual complaints and instead list a few things that I consider occasion for happiness.

  • The song I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy from South Pacific. It's fun to sing. Try it today while swinging your arms in wide arcs along with the music. Hooray! Hooray for love!
  • Crown Mill stationery. It�s of the finest quality�it says so right on the box. A wide variety of colors will prove useful for all occasions, from �Please come to dinner on our yacht� mango to �I deeply regret breaking your ormolu vase� grey. Bonus: each set comes in a matching box that, once empty, you can use to store cufflinks, buttons, or Barbie shoes.
  • Tangerines! That�s all, just �tangerines.�
  • Officially designating a Dance Step of the Day. Today�s, for example, is one I made up, consisting of wide, erratic back-and-forth lunges paired with robotic, chugging arm movements. You can use this one or make up your own. Steps to consider: The Bus Stop, the Pony, the Courtney-Cox-in-that-Bruce-Springsteen-Video.
  • Expandable crepe-paper seasonal decorations. Boundless cheer! I have two�one is a turkey, whose somber expression belies a whimsical nature�and a snowman, who is inexplicably brandishing a broom. Expandable decorations expand the cheer in your heart and are very affordable. I recommend several. I will soon begin shopping for my Valentine�s Day and St. Patrick�s Day expandable decorations. I find them in thrift stores.
  • Vanity records from the �70s and �80s. I have a number of these, ranging from questionable cover versions of disco hits to unsettling originals about the Circle K or the merits of the Basenji. At the moment, I�m listening to a wonderful number called �Willie Wonka� by an artist named Kerby. The last line goes: My Willie Wonka song could go on and on and on, but it�s not, so I�ll stop. And she does.
  • Ankle-strap shoes. I am wearing some today, with giant wedge heels. The straps are not only attractive; they really help the shoes stay on when I�m performing the Dance Move.
  • Fountain pens and accompanying ink. My favorite is made by J. Herbin, and comes in a rainbow of hues suited to combination with the Crown Mill palette�life is just so wonderful and color-coordinated! J. Herbin also makes invisible ink, but not for fountain pens. I will not focus on my disappointment about this fact, because today is a day for cheer. So, accordingly: HOORAY FOR INK! My favorite is Bleu Mysotis, but Rouge Op�ra is dramatic and rosy, perfect for any correspondence containing the words �passionate,� �breathtaking,� or the phrase �Never in my life have I��
  • The word �aqueduct.� It is just lovely.

May you find a thousand things to cheer you today.



Star of the day. . .Nellie Forbush
posted @ 12:06 p.m. on January 20, 2009 before | after

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She lay awake all night,

zzzzzzzzzzz......