These are a few of my favourite things

I've always wanted to compile a list of my favourite things (one of which is British English spellings for words like I just did). I'll keep this list ongoing I guess ... we'll see how long this gets. For now,

10-30-10

The gentle sway and quiet click-clack of the Amtrak Cascades train and that luxurious soft rippling sound that the faux-leather chairs make when you shift about

The quiet, occasional rustling of papers or a backpack inside of a school library and the general "hum" of studying

Rain

My blanket and what's in it :)

A cuppa' tea, freshly brewed

Corded landline telephones

Desktop radios

Desktop computers (I'm not really a fan of laptops even though they are WAY more practical)

Running my hands over the varnish on my violin and thinking about how amazing it is that the entire thing is carved out of such incredibly thin wood using methods that haven't changed for hundreds of years.

When my crème brûlée sets just right

That crinkly clear plastic covering that public libraries attach to the dust cover of books (and used/worn books in general)

Fountain pens you have to refill with a piston drawing from an ink bottle/well, and good ol' wooden pencils that are sharpened in small handheld sharpeners so they have the small little tip rather than the long tips made by electric sharpeners

11-3-10


Clear umbrellas - like the one I have in the picture to the right (taken in Miyako, Iwate, Japan) --->

Concord grapes and the rich, glossy, glass-like jam they make

Electric trolleybuses here in Seattle and the occasional click-click and tiny flash of sparks the overhead electric lines make when the poles run along the switches

The nonstop circulation of public transit systems shuttling everybody to and fro

11-4-10


Tulips (Ian surprised me with some when he came home =] )

Golden dollar coins

12-14-10 


Radio programming from NPR, PRI, and BBC

Antenna TV ... and the general idea of tapping into a free, region-wide broadcasted invisible signal

Sending a hand written, stamped letter or perfectly taped up package at the local post office (I'm always amazed at the invisible logistics of the post systems)

How an old-fashioned wooden pencil feels when writing on a single sheet of lined paper on a wooden desk surface (the muted tap-tap of each time the graphite touches the paper)

Car-free streets, reclaimed neighborhoods