Ten Things That Make Me HAPPY

By Cornelia

1. This excellent news from The New York Times, because, as my sister says, "There are two kinds of food in the world: food that's good, and food that needs more salt."

No Benefit Seen in Sharp Limits on Salt in Diet

2. My new house, and having all my books under one roof for the first time in five years... also, Pierre Deux armchairs for SUPER CRAZY CHEAP off craigslist:

(Note: these are only three of the shelves. There are ten shelves so far. I think I have to buy more from IKEA. I love IKEA.)

3. The view from my new room (TREES!)

4. Having my own lilacs to smell for the first time since I lived in Boulder (Which was, like, ten bazillion years ago or something.)

Also, they might be boarding some horses in the barn, soon. Which would be awesome. Because I think horseshit actually smells good. And also I will not have to feed them, or muck out the stalls. Because even though I'm rather fond of the smell of horseshit, I haven't missed mucking out stalls in the thirty-odd years since I last did it. And I was never really great at it. So I hope this writing thing works out. (I also hugely suck at waitressing.)

5. The paint colors my landlord let me pick out. Especially since I didn't actually have to do any of the painting.

I may have posted this already. BUT I REALLY LIKE THE COLORS.

6. Did I mention salt? I love salt. Like, SO MUCH. More than those colors.

7. My firstborn, even though she's shaved half her head:

8. Still getting to hang out in the city, even though all my books are in the country. Especially when I get to go to groovy restaurants on someone else's expense account. Or just really cheap Chinese-Cuban diners if dinner's on me:

View of Chrysler building from restaurant terrace Sunday night... and here's view of Central Park from last night:

9. Getting to go to the Fox upfronts yesterday:

10. Flavored salts from Williams-Sonoma:

11. (BONUS!) Having my co-conspirator like the first two chapters I wrote of our thriller novel. Which starts in Moscow and in which I got to mention the Gulag prison-gang guys who found a frozen wooly mammoth and ate it. Raw. Because that's the kind of trivia I love to collect. (Does woolly have two L's? I can't remember.)

12. (DOUBLE BONUS!) What my firstborn wrote on Facebook on Mother's day:

"so my mom is awesome, infinitely beautiful, and brought me up by teaching me that debutantes can be foul-mouthed feminists who read encyclopedias of serial homicide for fun, which is probably the best lesson a woman could learn. i love you bunches, Cornelia Read, thanks for being so fucking cool."

What's making you happy, dearest Fellow Nakeds?