Vernal Equinox Love List

It's Friday AND the first day of astronomical Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, a win-win if there ever was one.

Yeah, it's kinda cold here in the Nation's Capital, but it's blatantly sunny so I can forgive Mother Nature for her chilly attitude, especially since the redbuds and forsythia are already blooming. That kinda takes the chill off, yes it does.

Anyway, to celebrate springtime and all sorts of other things, here's a Love List.

I'm loving all kinds of things lately:

• Taking my lunch to work. Yes, really! I brought my lunch to work three days this week. Not only was it delicious, it helped a $20 bill stay in my wallet.
• Ovie's 50th goal! The Great 8 has now scored 50 or more goals in three of his four seasons in the NHL. Some people dislike his exuberant celebrations, but I love them because of his obvious love of the game.
• Shortbread cookies.
• Good jokes (well, maybe bad jokes, but definitely really really funny jokes), told really well, and introduced with Klezmer music.
• Redbud trees in bloom.
• Magnolia trees in bloom.
• Forsythia in bloom.
• Just about anything in bloom!
• MRI technicians who talk to you and tell you how long a scan will take and who give you a chance to pull the underwear out of your butt before sliding you into the tube and who can give a barely noticeable injection.
• MRI clinics that give you coupons for a free nosh at the local bagelry!
• Looking at MRI scans and seeing just how ooky your eyeballs look, but not seeing any obvious brain alligators.
• My happy place. I went to it yesterday during the MRI.
• Not having to cough during an MRI.
• The Evil Blanket of Perfect Warmth. I suppose that bears explaining. We have an old Army blanket -- you know, the green wool kind -- that has been washed many times until it's very very soft and completely non-itchy. It imparts the perfect amount of warmth over your body. However, if you cover yourself with the blanket while watching TV, you will never see what you intended to watch, because you will fall asleep instantaneously. And that is why it is Evil, but Perfect. And I love it.
• Twitter. It's dangeresque!
• Having sound bites on my iPod. I'll be listening to some good music and then..."Men don't just into window seats and die!" "No dear, he died first." "Well, how did he die?" "He died because he drank some wine... with poison in it." (First person who can name the movie that's from gets two pats on the head.)
• Lemonade.
• A'float Sushi in Pasadena, California. I'm going to Pasadena for work next week and will definitely have dinner there!
• SnackWells vanilla cream sandwich cookies and coffee -- hmm, I think I'll have some now!