Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel.

[hackthis_archive]

After some discussion sparky77 and I have decided we're vetoing this month. (Did I not tell you, Q? Executive decision, baby!)

So, while we await the changing of the tide/moon/karma and the proliferation of male!skating!slash (don't front I know y'all are gonna turn this stuff out), I thought to myself, "Self, all is not flaming poo and Sarah Palin. There must be some things that make you happy."

So, this post is to talk about happy things.

Jeff Buckley bootlegs make me happy. So do puppies. Christina Hendricks (shocking). Really anthemic work out music (feel free to share if you've got some!). Finding new artists. Quality public transportation. Disney movies make me happy (except for, like, Snow White which freaked me out in my formative years). Old movies with Marilyn Monroe or Paul Newman. Musicals. Double whammy of The Daily Show and Colbert Report. My guitar. Bacon. Good stories fanfic or pro. Books.

I could go on all day. And I possibly will, but now it's your turn, we all know what pisses us off, but what makes you happy? Is it a story? A song? A photo? An old shirt? A movie?

I bet you'll feel better just talking about it!

Comments

[chrismm.livejournal.com]

It's a thing, in Washington at least and some other states, but I don't know which ones? Where if the boss really, really wants to keep some hourly staff, but can't afford to right now, they can move them over to part-time until things get better, and the state unemployment people will pay for the balance of their 40 hour week. The boss just has to employ them at least 20 and no more than 38 hours each week, and has to keep providing them with full-time benefits.

The employees don't have to job hunt, since they're trying to keep them in the jobs they have. And the boss can't do the Shared Work deal for seasonal layoffs--has to be for some unusual circumstance. Like, you know, a borked economy.

The boss is having to do cuts in general, like a lot of small businesses, and this will let her make bigger savings on us than planned, so she doesn't have to cut the salaried people as much--and we (the hourly people) at least don't have to work full-time for less pay, the way the salary people do. (The boss cut her salary--and laid off her husband--last year, hoping she wouldn't have to cut ours, but things are just recovering too slowly.)

Anyway, TL;DR and also probably TMI, sorry. :D It's a little bit on my mind this week, as you might imagine. We're still waiting for the notice from the state that says "You're in!" I'm not too worried--the requirements aren't complicated, and as far as I can tell, we're totally qualified, but still.

Here's to March!!!

Go March!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I can imagine how that would be on you mind. WOW. I think the other 49 states need to think on a plan like this. Then again, most of the other 49 can't even afford cops and firemen. Or, hey, TEACHERS, so, um, probably not. Wow, my bad, didn't mean to have a moment, just a bit perturbed about the current economy.

For what it's worth, I am sure this will all work out fabulously and you will not have to worry. Also, your bosss is pretty awesome and deserves cookies.

Re: Go March!

[chrismm.livejournal.com]

:D The boss is my sister, so naturally, I concur.

I'm not sure how Washington can afford it-we've got a pretty big deficit ourselves here. I guess it's probably cheaper than full-on unemployment? It looks like some other states do have it--Connecticut, NY, Oregon, Arizona--maybe others, I just did a quick glance.

T-minus 9 days and counting.

[sparky77.livejournal.com]

There is no such thing as too helpful especially when it comes to Cooper as a fireman.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, you know the entire house gives Sherman mad shit until they find out he can cook like Emeril Legasse and then suddenly it's all "Sherman! We luv u!" Ben makes these chocolate mint chocolate chip cookies with candy pieces in them that are just sick.

Re: Go March!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Sisters FTW!

[sparky77.livejournal.com]

And now I want cookies!

And he obviously gives Cooper the biggest cookie.

[storm-petrel.livejournal.com]

a) For my M.Sc, I studied the effects of climate change on tundra plants in the Torngat Mountains in northern Labrador, which is an indescribably beautiful place when you're not being pursued by bears :)

b) Teacup pigs are itty-bitty pigs that a English breeder sells as pets and are ridiculously adorable. Although bacon in a jar would also make me happy :)

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

You know Ben goes out of his way to find out all of Cooper's favorite dishes.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Running from bears. BEARS?! Wow. You... bears, huh? *shakes head*

Also, I now think there should be a song called bacon in a jar.

[ricochet (from livejournal.com)]

but what makes you happy?

The weather is gorgeous right now. The cherry trees are already blooming. I get to wear jeans to work tomorrow. My city is having a giant party, and it's going really really well. I got to Zipline over a major road. My NHL team was leading its division at the break. My national team is doing pretty good so far. Hayley Wickenheiser exists in the world. This post is full of awesome. And at the risk of TMI, my dad is coming up on 6 months cancer free.

Life's pretty good right now.

[storm-petrel.livejournal.com]

Well, Whiskey in the Jar is a very good song, especially when the Dubliners sing it :)

And it takes surprisingly little time and effort for bears to move from "Ahh! Annoying bear! Get off my field site, I'm trying to work!" to "Ohshit, charging behaviour! Time to bunch together and look big!"

[slickmc.livejournal.com]

I'll also delurk for this post:

Kittens, seeing other people holding hands, books, bookstores, libraries, Robert Frost poems (the older ones), coffee (with milk and sugar), tea (with milk and sugar), springtime, warm sunshine, naps, happy endings, snark, UST, Amelie, flowers, the perfect song on the radio, beautiful paintings, baking, pies, seeing people eating the things that I baked, the moon, fireworks, ladybugs, warm clothes fresh from the dryer, receiving mail, making people laugh, finding the perfect present for someone and then watching him/her open it, old houses with awesome architecture...

I could probably go on for a while. Nice post!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

First of all, YAY DAD! *\o/* Congratulations all around on that one.

Second of all, I know not this Hayley person you speak of. Please to enlighten.

Third, I am way jealous about the zipline thing. I want to Zipline!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I think this is an excellent list. I too love things warm from the dryer! And old architecture! And naps. And warm sunshine. Okay, this is just turning into a big old 'me too!' but that doesn't make it any less true :)

[ricochet]

First of all, YAY DAD! *\o/* Congratulations all around on that one.

Thank you. It's completely silly, but now that we're starting to mark time he's been clear it's finally hitting me that he was sick at all. Deranged, but true.

Second of all, I know not this Hayley person you speak of. Please to enlighten.

So, please pardon the switch in ID, but LJ won't let me post pictures with openID. And Hayley should come with pictures.
..Actually, Hayley should come with video, but that's a little beyond my technical skills:

This is Hayley Wickenheiser


She is the captain of Canada's National Women's Hockey team. This year she took over the record for points by a single player in the Olympics. She has won two gold and one silver at the Olympics, and multiple golds at the world championships.


All of which is cool, but she is also the only woman currently playing in a professional league. She played in Sweden on a division one team this passed season, though I'm not sure of the length of her contract. She is the only woman to ever score a point in a mens pro-league.

Also she's a mom,

does a crapload of fundraising. Has played on Canada's Summer Olympic Fastpitch Softball team, and has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Calgary.

Why she is not made more of as the kind of person little girls should try to be like escapes me. She's only 31. Her existence makes me happy. That I can't buy her jersey fucking anywhere makes me much less so.

Third, I am way jealous about the zipline thing. I want to Zipline!

It was awesome! It's free right now since it's here for the Olympics, but everyone is kind of hoping it stays afterward. You'd have to pay for it then, probably, but that might be balanced off by not having to wait 4.5-5 hours in line.

This is where it's strung up. It's all shut off from traffic and packed with people in Team Canada jerseys and jackets, and waving flags. It's kind of ridiculously awesome


....this got long. Sorry about that.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's completely silly, but now that we're starting to mark time he's been clear it's finally hitting me that he was sick at all. Deranged, but true.

No, not silly at all. I have a rather firm belief in "fix it now, panic later." And Hayley seems rather kick ass. I like it when women are kick ass; I mean we kick ass all the time, but I like it when we get recognition for it, which we rarely do.

Also, yay, Zipline! That sounds awesome.