Endless cold and 50 things

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Looking back through my posts, I feel as if I'm constantly repeating myself. I bore myself, I feel blogged out, I can't help but wonder how so many people can have so much to say while I feel as if I'm going around in circles. Nothing good seems to be happening...

As Ian pointed out recently:

"The world has been filled with an unnecessary amount of doom-and-gloom of late and I, like many others do, tend to lose heart just a little bit if I let myself."

The end of winter is weighing heavy. The snow is mostly gone in town, but the cold refuses to let up. A little bit of warmth and bang, back to sub-zero temperatures.

The news is all bad (well, that's par for the course), you can't really make a story with:

Today 100 babies were born to ecstatic parents in the Montreal region; Kelly and his dog went for a rambling walk and had a fine time chasing down squirrels in the park. In other news, a few people actually smiled at strangers in the street and several people were released from the hospital because they were cured. And now the weather. Over to you Carole.

Nope, that just wouldn't work, even though it might temporarily lift the veil of grey.

And so, once again, I'll copy Ian and list 50 things that procure me (or have in the past) a bit of happy, however fleeting. Pointless post, but at least I'll not be whining.

1. Baloo, Layla and Paluche. Dogs belonging to our neighbours in the country. They're always thrilled to see people, it just means that much more petting and playing.
2. Ripe tomatoes, straight from the vine, still warm from the sun.
   
3. A good book
4. A good bottle of wine
5. Arizona
6. Road trips
7. Road trips in Arizona
8. Or anywhere in the US southwest
9. Sunshine
10. The ocean, sitting on the beach and watching the waves roll in
11. Dromana - a little beachside town in Australia, outside Melbourne
12. Strawberries
13. Sitting on the balcony watching the world go by after work
14. A Marillion show (and more particularly the thought of the upcoming Marillion weekend in Montreal the first weekend of April.)
    
15. Sex
16. Like Ian, Joshua Tree National Park
17. Classical music in general
    
18. Bach's concerto for two violins in D minor in particular
19. Montreal singer/sonwriter Ian Kelly
    
20. Because I love him: Kelly Joe Phelps
21. Gel pens
22. Journals
23. Collage artists (and here, a little reminder you gotta play sometimes! Try the collage machine)
    
24. Abstract art
25. Sweet juicy pink grapefruit
26. The fact that I'm halfway through this - it's a testament to my bleahness that I'm really having to think hard to find these things.
    
27. Long walks with Mr. Jazz when we're in town for the weekend
28. As an adjunct to the previous, discovering all the cool shops and restaurants in my area that I no longer know since we got the cottage and are hardly ever around on weekends.
29. Having my back scratched
    
30. Paper shops like Papiers Japonais, which is an awesome place. They sell paper and give tons of workshops
    
31. The desert (any desert - but particularly the Sonoran desert)
32. Graphic novels (a new interest)
33. Our red Matrix
34. Lipstick
35. An evening with good friends
36. Playing Collapse and other dumb/easy online games
    
37. Mr. Jazz's patented "destresser" hugs
38. Rainbows
39. Slow mornings
40. Good tea from my favourite tea shop Esprithé (sorry, the website is in French only)
41. Cats
42. Chapman's Dutch Chocolate frozen yogurt
43. A really good play
44. That lovely soft fuzzy green when trees start leafing in.
45. Band-aids with cartoon characters on them
46. Paris
47. The sound of playing kids hollering on the beach at the cottage in the summertime
48. Hummingbirds
49. Ripe peaches you can just pull the skin off
50. The smell of "sunsweat" in the summer. You know, that good sweat that smells so... I dunno, summery. Especially on kids.

Anyone else want to play?
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