small pleasures

the last couple days i have been pondering the tension between pleasure and happiness. not super seriously. but on the train, at the urinal, and in the shower i have been casually thinking about the two. i think i get the two confused. probably because they are not easily sepparated. and maybe they can't be. but i have spent, and maybe wasted, a lot of my minutes, and brain power, and units of emotion pursuing pleasure. often in response to uncomfotable stimuli. the problem with this tactic is that most pleasureable experiences, when occuring outside of moderation, produce more discomfort. pursuing happiness, what ever that means, on the other hand may truly diffuse stress and tragedy. maybe. i am not sure that i totally have come to the realization that i am in the midst of coming to. but i think that i have used pleasurable events as a tool to ignore, diffuse, and numb the ugly parts of life. which is fine, but it is also temporary. you wake up the next day and the junk is still there. besides, the most pleasurable experience is that which occurs after weeks of moderation. mcdonald's is more delicious after months of not partaking. the point is eating every meal like its your last, drinking like you don't work the next day, etc doens't make anything better. now, people, and sweating, and breathing, and walking to the grocery store, and laughing super hard: that makes things better. and if drinks are included, then yes. but not everyday can be christmas; not every bad day can resemble a post funeral bar crawl.

don't... don't... just don't

how dare you take my "tea party" name and my "don't tread on me flag"

these things are mine too

you don't even drink tea

don't you dare

don't you dare

stop defecating on history

stop treading on me

you are not oppressed

DON'T TREAD ON ME

thanks to my lovely grandma b, i am in posession of the first five seasons of Murder She Wrote. I have started rewatching the show from the beginning. tonight, mardi gras, i shared the show with my roommate and a few glasses of wine. i watched the pilot The Murder of Sherlock Holmes and the first episode Deadly Lady. first of all. the show is just plain amazing. Jessica Fletcher is a widowed, literature teacher, who accidentally becomes a mystery writer. that would be enough. but she solves murder cases. her intelligence triumphs over all. the pilot focusses on the theme of untrustworthy love interests. i understand this concept too well. the two hour pilot is mind blowing. angela lansbury is truly an amazing actress, funny in the face of mortality, and just plain fabulous. i researched cabot cove, ME, where jessica resides. not a real place. BUT luckily someone has done some research on where the fictional town would be. amazing! makes me want to bust out the type writer and sing "do do do do do do do do do do"

another day where i will eat all my meals at my restaurant. it makes for a glorious day. also, i got a haircut today. kassi really knows how to cut em. go check her out. http://www.latherchicago.com/ she is at the montrose location. here is a pic featuring the "do" and my rabbit koko. cheers

watched the first 3/4 of COLLEGE ROAD TRIP starring Raven Simone and the first 3/4 of 17 AGAIN; both magical and both worth it. i need to finish both. and soon. both were interrupted by uncontrolable forces. not of nature. of man. man. not humanity. and certainly not god or whomever via the illinois earthquake last night. also. i am proud to say i sucessfully beat the snow this morning. with the help of kassi, and my extraordinary teaching team. we are the champions, and we are the champiñones. [translation: mushrooms]

saw crazy heart. it was fine. the music was pretty great. the child actor in the film was hilarious. jb was perfectly good. mg was a little blah blah blah, but only when she cried or did one of her signature smile-stares. it seemed like it was four hours long, but in reality it was two. so guessing the pacing was cuckoo. also there were a couple moments where i felt like i was watching "the wrestler: 2" eek. but i am considering downloading the album, so there's that.

SB

i had the smoked salmon benedict this morning. from tre kronor. it confirmed my deep deep love for salty food. gosh. it was delightful

the best reason to get out of bed at 8:00 am on a saturday. oh and the maple pecan danish. i probably ate half my days calories in one sitting. if i die from cardiac arrest someone right "beloved salt lover" on my tombstone.


also, i have been reading about giant salamanders in japan. they look insane. i look at them and they make my lungs and ribs tighten. it's fight or flight or something. anytime an animal is bigger than i think it should be i get nervous. giant cockroaches, condors, macaws, large rats, giant beetles, etc. eek. but these salamanders. they are crazy looking. cuckoo right? they aren't new. they've been around. but they are sure as heck are new to me.