people say she’s crazy…

Hello, lovelies. Remember me? I know, I suck.

I got a little wrapped up in the election. It kind of ate my life. Some of you know how I felt–lying awake at night, worrying about having to move to Rio if your fellow electorate ate the mushy pudding and decided that it is better to be lied to and coddled than solve 21st century issues with 21st century solutions and be treated like grown ups.  Fortunately, enough of us decided to wear our big girl/boy pants, reject being pacified and fear-baited, and, you know, try something new.

So what do I lie awake at night thinking about now? Well. My cat still poops on the floor, so there’s that. Like most people, I’m broke, so there’s that. I have never been very good at keeping a tidy living space, but not having one drives me bonkers, so there’s that. But generally speaking, life is good.

So to borrow a page from Miss Branch, whose delightful and uplifting blog has floated into my Google Reader,  I’ve decided that here, on the brink of Thanksgiving, I should do some gratitudes. Some of them are New York gratitudes, some of them are boring, generic gratitudes, but generally speaking, I think you should know how much I love:

• facebook. (Hey, do not say I didn’t warn you about boring, generic). I am a sucker for keeping in touch and for sharing joys and dramas (see: blog). I think I can safely say, four and a half years into my facebook membership (yikes), that it is one of the things that keeps me sane. I can reach out and touch my friends. They can do the same for me. It’s weird and interblaggy and fake, but it’s great when you need to see all of your people, the ones you contact and care for in real life, too, in one place.  And it turns into something real for the rest of your “friends” when you run into one of them on the street who you maybe haven’t spoken to in a decade.  facebook makes it absolutely acceptable to say, “I saw that you’re engaged, congratulations!” or “by the way, I loved your halloween costume, those pictures were so funny!” because your facebook friendship is a two-way tube–you get to stalk, and so do your friends, and you both have the task of making it not awkward.  I love it.

• Asian people who speak Spanish.  A universal truth of New York restaurants.  I love love love it when Asian people speak Spanish.

• Tights. Specifically these tights, which are reversible, which makes them a) just the tiny tiniest bit warmer than normal tights and b) just the tiny tiniest bit sturdier than other tights. Which is to say, I had a pair for three years that I just finally gave up last month. Look into tights!

• This Beyonce Video. It is among the more amazing things I have seen in a long time. Some of my coworkers and I are a little too enthusiastically committed to learning the dance. It reminds me of the olden days when we had to learn hot moves from VHS tapes of live performances and/or MTV. Oh the YouTubes, what joys you have brought us.

• My Hilarious Roommates.
• Air popped popcorn. If you only eat popcorn from movie theaters and microwaves, I dare say you have not lived. I recommend this popper, some butter-flavored PAM (I know), a dash of salt and some shakes of good old Kraft parmesan cheese. And that concludes this installment of GOOP for Non-Millionaires.

• Oh, this guy. Old news. But I’m about to lose him to the West Coast for a few months so he can be a badass with these folks. So, you know, it’s worth reiterating. Also he lives in Manhattan now in a very cute (also very little) apartment, so that is also very exciting.

• The Target in Brooklyn. I spent an hour and a half there a few weekends ago and only spent about $11, all on things I could have bought elsewhere, but I just like being there.

So. Those are my gratitudes today and always.  Work is an end-of-year shitstorm of paperwork, proposals, events and other general money-raising chaos, so I’m glad I have these happies.  If I don’t check in before then (har har har), Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good turkey/tofurkey/turducken/whatever!