Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Endless cold and 50 things

.
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?
.

21 comments:

furiousBall said...

i love tomatoes, believe it or not, we actually have awesome tomatoes here in jersey - can't wait for summer

VioletSky said...

I just finished reading Ian's list before coming over here!
Surely writing up this list made you feel hopeful and happy.

I was actually thinking 50 things seemd a lot - must be that in-between time of year when I can't think straight.

geewits said...

I pasted "Bach's concerto for two violins in D minor" into youtube and it gave me such energy I had to jump up and do a load of laundry. Except for the deserty stuff, I love everything on this list even though one made me sad: grapefruit. I am not supposed to eat it because of a medication, but I surely would love to. And sunsweat. Yes, it's like captured sunshine.

Anonymous said...

I would find it more difficult to come up with a lists than a blog post. Because really, each item on this list could be parlayed into a post with a little twist of the mind. Come on - road trips?? How is there not a post in that? The 3 neighbourhood dogs with the quirky names? Dromana? (I for one would love to hear about it)Grapefruit?? If I can do posts on avocados, peanut butter, pineapple and cheez whiz, surely to god grapefruit rates a post all its own. ETC ETC

Jazz said...

Furball - Ain't nothing better than fresh tomatoes. To bad the season in Quebec is so short...

Violet - Well, doing the list made me hope for the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, give us yours.

XUP - you post like you breathe. But Actually, doing posts on these things could be real cool. Thanks for the inspiration. I'm really short on that particular item these days - I need Spring. The real thing with green and warmth. My get up and go got up and went in February and usually doesn't come back until mid-April.

Ian Lidster said...

Wonderful list. I like all of yours, too. Well, maybe not lipstick -- on me, that is, unless I have acquired it from a lovely lip-lock.
And, for being such a good girl there is an award for you at my blog.

Susan English Mason said...

Jazz,
Your blog is cool whether you rip someone a new asshole, rant about Fed-zilla, or tell me how much you love tomatoes, peaches, and Arizona (I agree BTW). I like your style of writing and the way it seems like you are talking to me. I have bad news though...I'm the tax man. I know, I need to be tazered to death. Sorry I guess a girl's gotta make a living - at least I don't get some sadistic pleasure out of it or anything.

Here, There, Elsewhere... and more said...

J'adore!!!
No doubt simply writing up this list made you feel happy, n'est-ce pas..?!!
Have a great fin de semaine :)

Suldog said...

Happy, however fleeting, is never pointless. You haven't just filled space here. You've given your readers a chance to tick down your list and see what makes them happy, too. That's a public service, and a damned fine one.

lime said...

mmm, good list

my faves?

tomatoes, peaches, destresser hugs

Susan Tuttle said...

Nice list -- I bet it really helped to stamp out the grey feelings. I know where you are coming from -- I feel like I am going around in circles at times too these days. We need to break out into summer!

xo

Anonymous said...

Did it work? Do you feel a little lighter after the list? I'm a fan of blessing-counting.

Jazz said...

Ian - Thanks for the award, I'll go pick it up for sure.

Pouty - You are the tax man? I'll love you anyway.

HTE - En tout cas, ça m'a quand même un peu remonté le moral...

Suldog - You're just so sweet sometimes. It's extremely destabilizing. ;-)

Lime - Destesser hugs rock

Susan - it helped. I seem to be a little less stuck in the fog.

Citizen - It did to some extent. Like I said to Susan, the fog seems to be thinning a bit.

geewits said...

I feel snubbed! (sniff, sniff)

Voyager said...

I am locked in a wintery wonderland right now, which astonishingly has given me more of a boost than a blast of spring ever could. But soon I must return to the land of grey not-quite-spring-enough.
Don't worry, you will be hearing the children playing on the beach soon. And take comfort if you like, from knowing that here in Yellowknife this morning it is -27.

Jazz said...

Geewits!!! OMG I'm so sorry I missed you... Isn't that piece by Bach just the greatest? And for the record, I'd never snub you. It's meno-brain...

Voyager - 27 below. I don't care if it's celsius or farenheit, it's damn cold. I'd have to kill myself if I lived in Yellowknife.

Jocelyn said...

I love your list and am starting to think--just a vague suspicion--that you love the desert.

My personal feeling is that you should throw out some stories from your past here on the blog; the give good context for the present. So who was mean to you in school when you were young? Who'd you date before Mr. Jazz? How'd you meet the Mr.?

Reasons said...

Hi I lived in the NDG are of Montreal for 6 years and loved it. Hope the melt has begun for you. Great blog!

Rachel said...

This post inspired me, as you already know. LOL

Thanks!

Adele said...

Great list hunny. Winter is passing, it'll be spring soon and everyone will cheer the f*ck up a bit. x

Joanie Hoffman said...

I just found your blog and have started my list on blog#2. If you want, I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Happy days,
Joanie