5 Random Things

catt · November 21st, 2005 07:47 PM

It's been an exhausting couple of weeks for me, and I've been feeling more than a bit run down. However, the upside is that I'm fairly easily pleased, and it's the simple things which cheer me no end. This is a bit of a Hippy Post, sans pornographic content (and for that I deeply apologise...for the Hippy part), but I thought I'd share with you all 5 Random Things that can completely turn my frown upside down;

1. Ice Cold Drinks;

It's summer here in Australia, and as much as I hate the hot, dry summer days, I love the hot, dry summer nights. The best thing to do on a night such as these is to drag out the kiddie pool, fill it with cold water, and sit in your underwear drinking something refreshing. This could be an iced tea, a gin and tonic (extra ice, extra lemon(tm)), or a fizzy blood orange pop. If you're feeling a bit gruesome, a bourbon and coke also does the trick. One of my favourite things in the world is doing this.

2. Nature;

It can be stunning;

It can be bizarre;

It is majestic even in death;

And it is awe-inspiring when it prevails;

3. Little Old Men;

Once at the top of the food chain, now hobbling about and almost-falling over on trams. I love little old men (not like that, you bunch of pervs), and it's probably due to being raised by my grandparents as a child (for the record, I love little old women too). More often than not there's a humilty and wiseness about them - having realised and accepted where they now stand in the greater scheme of things - and I am an absolute sucker for what was once a tower of strength showing a tiny sign of vulnerability. Seeing (certain types of) little old men on my way home from work often puts me in a good mood, and makes me feel better about humanity in general.

4. Found Items On The Street;

I go through stages of finding certain items on the street. For example, a few years back I would find a plethora of rusty razor blades. And before that, muddied and stomped on photographs from passport photo booths. But always I find marbles, and this is one of my favourite things ever. I find marbles to be absolutely perfect, and I have a good collection of found marbles in a box at home. I spied one of these tonight, which prompted this post.

5. Emails From My Fiance

I wake up to one (or several) of these every day. There is absolutely no substitute for being this loved.

Okay, enough schmultz from me (I think I need a rock and roll injection, this post was so bloody emo). If you feel so inclined, please tell me 5 things that can turn your day around, no matter how small or 'cliche' you feel they might be.

xxxCattxxx

blissed · November 21st, 2005 11:10 PM

Ooh I have to post one even before I've thought about the others. It's seeing the moon in the sky in the middle of the day. It's sereal and awe inspiring.

blissed · November 21st, 2005 11:28 PM

Well I can't seem to get the picture up as anything but a thumbnail. but click on it and if it comes up larger, it'll show you something of what I mean.

jdudley76 · November 22nd, 2005 12:18 PM

1. A smile from someone for whom I feel affection. My girlfriend, a secret crush, a random girl I notice in the supermarket, who catches me looking. There's something about that smile that says: "I've noticed you looking, and I'm flattered" that makes me feel on top of the world.

2. Seeing the stars on a clear night, away from the glare of the city lights. It fills me with wonder looking up at the universe.

Maybe it's partially a reminder of the wonder I felt in my childhood, and the single strong bond I had with my father in our love for the stars, but I could happily lay on the grass for hours and look at the stars.

3. I'm not sure how to label this one, but a few years ago I went up to Muir woods very early on a Saturday morning to scout out a location for a photo shoot. Walking through the redwood forest in the utter quiet was stunning.

Afterwards I went back down to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to continue scouting locations. The park and the nearby neighborhoods were so quiet and peaceful in the early hours of the weekend morning, it was almost surreal. I had breakfast in the Japanese Tea Garden, and felt the most content I had felt in years.

It was a wonderful experience, and well worth getting up at 4:00 AM on a Saturday morning!

4. Time spent at home wrapped up in a warm blanket with my girlfriend next to me, on a cold winter day!

5. The simple act of remembering all the simple things that make life worth living! Thanks Catt!

pia · November 22nd, 2005 01:47 PM

1. The moment after i wake up in the morning and have dragged my groggy head out of unconciousness and suddenly notice that the sun is shining and making its way through my blinds .. that always makes me smile (well nearly always .. if i am nursing a hangover it makes me cry)

2. Hot drinks .. sipping steaming hot cups of tea and chatting with friends .. ooohhh i sound like a little old lady .. but really i love hot drinks even on hot days .. i mean i do agree with you Catt .. summer evenings and icy cool drinks go well together and i am not adverse to that combination at all .. but for some reason hot drinks make me happier.

3. Unexpected smiles from strangers. Sometimes when my path crosses with a complete stranger and there is a brief but genuine exchange such as a smile or eye contact it feels so good .. it could be anybody old or young or beautiful or ugly but the feeling that we are all together in this world and we can respect each other and that doesn't mean we have to get to know or even like each other at all .. anyway i like that.

4. Receiving a real letter in the post !

5. The smell of toast cooking in the morning .. oh .. and the smell of onions frying anytime .. and the smell of sunscreen lotion .. and the smell of coffee .. and the smell in the air just before it rains in summer.

Merricat · November 22nd, 2005 03:25 PM

Hmm...Let's see...

1. Led Zeppelin, and good music in general. Even if I'm in a bad mood, a sad song will make me feel fulfilled and much, much better.

2. Thunderstorms

3. Cheap good beer.

4. Drugs (yes, sad but true)

5. Really really amazing cuddles or really amazing sex, or both.

SCSIgirl · November 22nd, 2005 05:19 PM

Merricat wrote:

Hmm...Let's see...
1. Led Zeppelin, and good music in general. Even if I'm in a bad mood, a sad song will make me feel fulfilled and much, much better.
2. Thunderstorms
3. Cheap good beer.
4. Drugs (yes, sad but true)
5. Really really amazing cuddles or really amazing sex, or both.

Gwad, youall make me feel like such a gross knard.

1. I smile when I hear someone belch or fart.

2. A misspelled or placed sign. Like Santa Cruz's instructions on How to Cross the Street.

3. Mother nature making un of us: see pic below

4. The smell of diesel in the morning.

5. OK, Ok, the dog greeting me home.

catt · November 22nd, 2005 09:02 PM

blissed wrote:

Ooh I have to post one even before I've thought about the others. It's seeing the moon in the sky in the middle of the day. It's sereal and awe inspiring.

Agreed! We've been getting a few 'harvest' moons lately (the big orange ones that look huge on the horizon), which always inspires wide-eyed appreciation. I don't think I'll ever not be amazed by what nature can produce.

catt · November 22nd, 2005 09:06 PM

jdudley76 wrote:

5. The simple act of remembering all the simple things that make life worth living! Thanks Catt!

You're welcome! These are special things I can also relate to, Sir. Especially the stars in the countryside - where you get a 360 view without obstructions on the horizon. And thunderstorms with sheet lightning that surround you, and the fear/exhileration that go with. All make you feel alive.

(I realise that this post was a bit naff, but I'll be back on the regular schedule of boobs and 'To Shave Or Not To Shave' after this short break in the programming...)

catt · November 22nd, 2005 09:12 PM

pia wrote:

2. Hot drinks .. sipping steaming hot cups of tea and chatting with friends .. ooohhh i sound like a little old lady .. but really i love hot drinks even on hot days .. i mean i do agree with you Catt .. summer evenings and icy cool drinks go well together and i am not adverse to that combination at all .. but for some reason hot drinks make me happier.

See, I never really understood why all the oldies would drink tea on a hot day, claiming they were 'thirsty'. It never made sense to me...until I tried it *S*. However, I also heartily endorse and appreciate the merit of a hot, strong (3 teabags) cup of sweetened Earl Grey in the depths of winter.

pia wrote:

3. Unexpected smiles from strangers. Sometimes when my path crosses with a complete stranger and there is a brief but genuine exchange such as a smile or eye contact it feels so good .. it could be anybody old or young or beautiful or ugly but the feeling that we are all together in this world and we can respect each other and that doesn't mean we have to get to know or even like each other at all .. anyway i like that.

Me too! This was well put, Pia. I'm cheating here, but I also love kids in supermarkets - the ones that pull faces at you/flip you the bird, and when you do it back they look SO shocked. Then they try to drag their parents in on it, pointing at the mean lady who flipped them off - but you're busy concentrating on the contents of a packet of cereal. This gives me great joy.

pia wrote:

4. Receiving a real letter in the post !

Yeah...it's kinda sad how this tradition is dying off. Handwritten letters are golden.

pia wrote:

5. The smell of toast cooking in the morning .. oh .. and the smell of onions frying anytime .. and the smell of sunscreen lotion .. and the smell of coffee .. and the smell in the air just before it rains in summer.

...just re-discovering the senses. Like having a shower after a long day at work - the feeling of the water, when you actually concentrate on the sensation.

These are all grand, Pia. Thanks. xxCattxx

catt · November 22nd, 2005 09:17 PM

Merricat wrote:

Hmm...Let's see...
1. Led Zeppelin, and good music in general. Even if I'm in a bad mood, a sad song will make me feel fulfilled and much, much better.
2. Thunderstorms
3. Cheap good beer.
4. Drugs (yes, sad but true)
5. Really really amazing cuddles or really amazing sex, or both.

Combine #s 2 & 5 and you just topped the chart *S*

xxxCattxxx

catt · November 22nd, 2005 09:21 PM

SCSIgirl wrote:

Gwad, youall make me feel like such a gross knard.
1. I smile when I hear someone belch or fart.
2. A misspelled or placed sign. Like Santa Cruz's instructions on How to Cross the Street.
3. Mother nature making un of us: see pic below
4. The smell of diesel in the morning.
5. OK, Ok, the dog greeting me home.

O, gross stuff is also totally spanking! I'm such a tomboy (ie: not a lady), so I still find great joy in what could be seen as being purile humour. Remind me to tell you the story sometime of the last occasion I went to purchase condoms...

(And I don't think it's so much nature making fun of us as showing us up. Was that phallic rocksicle anywhere near the Grand Canyon, perchance? *S*)

Merricat · November 22nd, 2005 10:05 PM

Catt! You gotta email me your addy (through my profile perhaps) so that I can send you a mix CD! I am in a mix-making mood!

catt · November 22nd, 2005 10:10 PM

Merricat wrote:

Catt! You gotta email me your addy (through my profile perhaps) so that I can send you a mix CD! I am in a mix-making mood!

That sounds whoresome lovely, thank you! But please include your postal address so I can return the favour - I love the Mix CD. IM'ing you now...

xxxCattxxx

Merricat · November 22nd, 2005 10:15 PM

Excellent, I will most certainly give you my snail mail addy in return because mix CDs make my life worth living!

catt · November 22nd, 2005 10:19 PM

Merricat wrote:

Excellent, I will most certainly give you my snail mail addy in return because mix CDs make my life worth living!

I'd say this should be a deal signed in blood, but I think there's enough sanguine exchange debate going on over in the tampon post as it is...

Looking forward to it, Ms!

Merricat · November 22nd, 2005 11:01 PM

Mmm...exsanguination. Reminds me of an X-Files episode.

blissed · November 23rd, 2005 01:16 AM

Another thing I like at the moment is Borat. I think Sacha baron Cohen let Ali g turn to crap a bit when he took him to the US but Borat is good. I like the way he gets prejudice people to feel at ease and then reveal themselves. He once said to an Oxford professor as Borat "Show me a women with brains and I show you a horse with wings" and the professor said "Yes they can't think creatively" I heard he was disciplined, when I think really he should have been fired.

SCSIgirl · November 23rd, 2005 01:18 AM

catt wrote:

O, gross stuff is also totally spanking! I'm such a tomboy (ie: not a lady), so I still find great joy in what could be seen as being purile humour. Remind me to tell you the story sometime of the last occasion I went to purchase condoms...
(And I don't think it's so much nature making fun of us as showing us up. Was that phallic rocksicle anywhere near the Grand Canyon, perchance? *S*)

NO, it was in one of the Utah canyons. Possibly Bryce. My friend, who tried to hug the rock, has sold all her worldly possesions and bought a motorhome and is on a discovery journey of the country. One of her hikes into the wildlands discovered this monument to Nature. Do you think Nature might be a guy??????

pip · November 23rd, 2005 02:32 PM

1. Music. Hearing a new song or an old song. Playing my violin or my guitar, singing in the shower, knowing that after work I get to go to band practice, or play a gig on the weekend. Nothing compares to throwing myself on top of my bass player or screaming my lungs out at a bunch of suprised looking punk boys. Nothing.

2. Messages of any kind, text, email, mail from my friends. Little parcels of love that I get everyday which make me realise how lucky I am to have such good mates. Especially the random ones for no reason, like "i love you" or "i miss you" or "eat your greens" out of the blue.

3. Sitting around on summer nights with music and beer (or scotch), smoking cigarettes and talking about nothing in particular.

4. The strange and inconsistent messyness of it all. Knowing that if it's bad it WILL end. Running into random people, strange conversations, balloons in the sky, finding strange things in strange places. Love in sticky bars.

5. (I'm stealing this one from the pillow book of sei shonogan - sp?) "Walking slowly dressed in crimson". I cannot leave the house without wearing something red. It makes me feel better about the world for some reason.

liz · November 23rd, 2005 03:23 PM

1. Forgetting that it's payday and finding my check waiting for me on my desk at work.

2. Random people on the street complimenting my hair.

3. Someone making a movie reference that no one else but me gets.

4. Coming home to find that my honey has done the dishes and I don't have to.

5. Finding just what I was looking for at the store -- on sale.

Such simple things, but they can mean so much...

milestones · November 23rd, 2005 08:58 PM

A random number of random things...

1. Random acts of kindness - to participate in or witness

2. The smell of freshly brewed coffee when I wake up

3. The sound of thunder when it feels like it's right above your head (happened a couple of weeks ago!)

4. Coming Up ;-)

5. Arriving at a destination and walking down to say 'hello' to the sea

6. Hearing my accent spoken by other people I don't know

7. Waking up for work with a hellish hangover (or a severe case of I can't be arsed today) and then suddenly realising it's Saturday

8. Standing at the base and staring up at a very big and very old tree (and maybe climbing it when I was a wee fella)

9. New Year and telephone calls home....

10. Watching something I've planted grow to fruition

11. Left-wing politics in music

12. That part of early summer before the flies kick in and the nights smell pregnant with the change of the seasons

Maybe we should start a thread on things we hate?

blissed · November 24th, 2005 11:01 AM

pia wrote:

3. Unexpected smiles from strangers.

Yeah, I'm used to this happening and I think if you live somewhere where it hardly happens at all, life is so much worse.

jdudley76 wrote:

2. Seeing the stars on a clear night, away from the glare of the city lights. It fills me with wonder looking up at the universe.

I save my neck and lye on a blanket in the garden. You see what look like stars moving across the sky. but I think their satellites and small objects burning out in the atmosphere. Sometimes it can look like the invasion has begun though

Merricat wrote:

2. Thunderstorms

I like sitting by an open window in a summer storm, even if it's pouring with rain, and watching it all knowing I'm safe.

And Borat again. Professional comedy that offends half he population. you can't beat it

Some people think that you haven't really lived unless you've explored everything to excess. But that's not true.

mikhaill · November 25th, 2005 08:01 PM

I asked my girlfriend what she thought made me happy, since she claims to know me. This is what she said.

1. Music.

2. Naked girls.

3. Fruit.

4. Ideas.

5. Approval.

I would have offered a different list (the smell and taste of the extra strong caffe lattes from Toby's Estate on weekend mornings, lying on a beach listening to the sound of the waves, blah blah), but I decided to share hers with you all.

bushrock · November 26th, 2005 09:16 AM

What makes me feel good.

A good breakfast at a local cafe (including good coffee)

Watching the world walk past whilst u enjoy a good coffee (especially beautiful women)

Getting fit (pleasure and pain)

Arriving home after a hard days work

Living in Australia

Viewing pics on my favourite site ISHOTMYSELF

Admiring all the beautiful women on ISHOTMYSELF

Talking to interesting women who are not stuck up and have that natural naive inner beauty.

Receiving Messages / emails from new and interesting women from ISHOTMYSELF ( Has not happened yet - new to this dont be shy just because i am)

#1 November 21st, 2005 07:47 PM

5 Random Things

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