Okay, this might be a bit unusual. My cat Rauf passed away last night (yes, I'm a man who has a cat). I don't want to post a memorial video or some such, but instead, I kinda want to do something to celebrate the things we like and love and appreciate; things that add all the wonderful colors to our lives without us always stopping and staring at how those colors look together.

For instance, I love salsa on buttered toast, fantasy novels that don't reheat Tolkien's leftovers, girls who don't hold back their laughter to try to appear more classy and attractive, people who smile with their whole face, Richard Attenborough, a song that stays interesting and enjoyable without pressuring you to learn the words, and I love finishing a meal or a film from start to end without my mobile phone ringing. (Seriously, that phone is like wearing a choke chain and everyone else in the world is holding the other end of it)

Sorry, I meant to save my thesis on mobile phones for another post. But you see what I mean. What things do you like, love and appreciate? In the realm of celebrating life instead of mourning death, I'm sure there are more productive things one can do than sit and type about it, but that doesn't mean that we can't also sit and type about it. Love and life are wherever you put them and wherever you find them and the web is just as good a place as any. Thank you.

[zackddog]

Having a cup of coffee while doing absolutely nothing. Long drives with nothing but very loud music and the road. A good joke. The color or subject material isn't important as long as I get a good laugh. Laughing in the movie theater, a good loud belly laugh. "Django Unchained" gave me a few of those. Staying in bed with a book. Butter pecan ice cream with caramel sauce.

Reading about what makes other people tick.

When something bad is going on and you suddenly wake up - it was just a dream!

Walking and thinking nothing, only listening to the music.

[Tattle]

Surfing Mobilism and finding there is no spam. Anywhere.
A good cup of tea. Yes I do that.
A good horror movie/game that will actually make me jump, those are hard to find.

[Isildur71]

A rainy day with a good book, a cup of coffee, music in the background, nice candles lit, and a blanket (perfection!). A song that makes me feel like I could kick a hole through a wall or dance like a fool. The color the sky gets right before sunset. The smell of fresh cut grass. Laughing until I cry. People, all kinds, love talking to new people and hearing what they are all about. Seeing my dogs when I come home from work. A really good melody in a song.

Yes, cut grass smells wonderful. I read an interesting article once saying that the strong permeable smell of cut grass is actually a chemical signal that grass sends out as a cry for help when being injured. I seem to remember that normally it's not quite so powerful a smell, because it's usually just a little bit it sends out to attract bees or wasps to come and stop the caterpillar or something from eating the grass. So, when it's the equivalent of a single person faced with a knife-weilding ruffian in alley, we don't smell the grass, but when it's the equivalent of bombing a stadium, then we smell the grass.

There is also a plant (this would look a lot more credible if I could remember the plant's name) that gets picked on by varying sorts of bugs and somehow it can send out many different kinds of chemical cries for help, each one specific to attracting the natural predator to the specific bug it's being attacked by.

Very fascinating, I love this stuff too. And Japanese furniture. And the way my cat Jean will tangle her forepaws in one of my socks and ecstatically rub her face in it like a panty pervert, because she likes the foot smell. She's weird. And eating those crunchy, spicy hot cheese curls with chopsticks so I don't get that red dust all over my hands and absently rub it into my eye. Seriously, give it a try. And Kaaron Warren's books. And when the weather turns out be just cold enough so that I can comfortably wear a new jacket outside that day. Yeah, it's silly, but silly never kept awesome away.

[vIkt0r]

Whether it to be the first time I walked through my yard or what seems the millionth just for a stroll I still love it. Birds are awesome, majestic, graceful creatures and I love watching them. I love taking that first drink of coffee in the morning. I love the smell of a freshly cut lawn. I love being barefoot and feeling the earth beneath me. I love walking on a beach at sunset and getting a glimpse of infinite bliss. I love that just offering a smile without words to a complete stranger gives them an expression on their face that lets you know you've changed their day. I love laughing. I don't find humor in much. So when I do it's memorable and remains special to me. I love crying. No matter what the circumstances be whether a movie, a sadness, a joyous occasion ...It humbles me to know I'm still young enough inside to not cover up something because of public portrayal. I love cheesecake. Speaking of cheese I love mozzarella. I make my own. So I love that through creating something yourself, it tastes that much better. My grandfather has been away for 20 years now but I love him too. I love swimming. I love children. I have none of my own to speak of yet but when that time comes I will love them too. I love taking jogs in the morning fog and dew before the sun rises. I love that feeling it gives me to open my curtains everyday to welcome the world in. I love shopping. Since I love shopping it's logical I should love money for said shopping...I wish money showed me the same. I love reading far into the night when my eyes are yelling at me to sleep but I can't put the book down until I finish it. I love sleeping under many quilts in the winter. I love taking showers for 20 minutes. I love thunderstorms.

new book smell and old book smell