My usual list compulsion. Difference is I'm not claiming they are the 'best' with a big period (full-stop for you, Rach) at the end, just some things that spring to mind as exemplary in their genre. To me.
MacPros/MacBooks/iPods/iPhones - everything Apple.
The Civilization video game franchise.
Morrowind (PC game).
Labradors and labradoodles.
Cats of all kinds, as long as they're orange.
A great mattress, blankets and pillow.
New York pizza.
New England clam chowder.
San Francisco sourdough.
Baja-style fish tacos.
English chippies.
Anything Delusionist & Empath make.
Cheesecake, tiramisu.
Guinness Draught Ale.
Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, James Worthy.
Barry Bonds, Will Clark, Lou Gehrig.
Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Roger Federer.
Google. YouTube. Gmail. Amazon.
Smiths, Beatles, DCD, The Floyd, Nick Drake, Dan Fogelberg.
Monty Python - everything they've done.
Most of Simon Pegg's stuff.
Wallace and Grommett.
House MD, or anything else with H. Laurie and/or S. Fry.
A great Shiraz, true Russian vodka (generic), te-kill-ya.
A great sauna, massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, and haircut.
Well-made, classically stylish clothes.
Well-made luggage, briefcase, backpack, handbag, etc.
A great electric toothbrush/tooth polisher/gum massager.
A custom-made table tennis bat or two.
Snow-peaked mountains on the horizon.
The air right after the rain.
The light at sunset.
The beach at sunset with a bonfire ready to blaze.
Ocean fishing from the shore on a warm night.
Documentaries about animals, space, history, geology, etc.
Driving very fast but in control (in a great car with new tires).
Stuff made out of leather, metal, and glass - no plastic at all.
Old-fashioned compasses, pocket watches, and field glasses.
Maps! Giant floor globes.
Brass refraction telescopes (moderate size), for backyard use.
Books - especially big stacks of them. Big, big stacks.
Did I mention books?
Snorkeling and diving.
Hiking, climbing, kayaking.
Basketball, baseball, tennis, ping pong, beach volleyball.
Strudel and coffee. Blended iced mochas. Coca-Cola Clasic.
Time with my mom and brother.
Pen pals.
Ancient Egypt.
The Perennial Philosophy.
A shiny clean apartment (flat) or house.
A shiny clean car in top shape.
Good moods and those rare good nights of sleep.
Traveling abroad with adequate monetary funds.
Infatuation!
Journaling. Writing poems. Reading letters from friends.
Kissing and holding a lover.
Sleeping all night alongside someone - waking up together.
Pen and paper role-playing games.
Most any word or trivia game.
Running or playing sports beyond the point of exhaustion.
A hot bath with lavender incense or candles.
Sleeping somewhere besides home.
Heat on my lower back.
Firm handshakes.
Camping.
Skiing.
Night classes.
Photoshop.
Photography.
Los Angeles Lakers games in High-Def on live TV!
Girls: (no order)
****** *****
Olivia Wilde
Kate Beckinsale
Cate Blanchett
Kate Winslett
Scarlett Johansson
Natalie Portman
Renee Zellweger
Naomi Watts
Gwyneth Paltrow
Monica Bellucci
Juliana Hatfield
Ellen Page
Claire Danes
Harriet Wheeler
Guys: (no order)
Harrison Ford
Sean Connery
Anthony Hopkins
Edward Norton
Morgan Freeman
Viggo Mortensen
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
James Dean
Montgomery Clift
Clive Owen
Terence Stamp
Hugh Jackman
Ian McKellan
Alec Guinness
Movies: (no order)
Blade Runner, The Shawshank Redemption, 2001, Unforgiven, The Empire Strikes Back, Cinema Paradiso, Il Postino, Amelie, The Professional (Leon), Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of Oz, The Dark Knight, Apocalypse Now, The Wall, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mulholland Drive, Lost In Translation.
Now's your chance to add to the list. Obviously it's totally unstructured and wildly incomplete. Between us we could compose a veritable Book of Kells! Except, not really any thing like that.
The key is to let it pop off the top of your head and resist the urge to clean it up or revise it (though I've cheated and added to mine several times). That's the beauty of the exercise. Don't think too much.
I agree with lots of yours - A good Shiraz/Syrah (my favourite), cheesecake, not the baked variety either plain or with a blackcurrant topping; maps; cats, of course; all the films, except the one I haven't seen yet and one I keep meaning to rewatch since I'm sure my original opinion from 15 years ago has to be wrong. Add Cyrano de Bergerac to the films, Out of Africa and Lost in Translation too.
ReplyDeleteHere's what else springs to mind:
Having something to really look forward too, doesn't happen very often nowadays, it was better as a child.
The feel of your bare skin against that of someone you love.
Crowded House, of course.
A cool beer on a warm, but not too hot, summer's evening, in the company of good friends.
The smell of burnt matches.
Cheeky robins who'll follow you around the garden.
Growing, harvesting and eating, your own food.
Having time to spend in the kitchen creating delicious edibles and sharing the results.
Walking in summer rain - the feeling of those wide-spaced heavy droplets, and not caring about getting wet, just appreciating the smell of the warm, wet earth.
Capturing what you can see in your mind's eye perfectly in a photo.
Losing yourself on the dancefloor and not caring what you look like.
Sunsets and sunrises.
A full moon over the ocean.
Being at Wimbledon, especially when my favourite players are on court.
Enjoying a book so much you never want it to end.
Oh and the Big Lebowski too.
ReplyDeleteAdd: steampunk stuff (watches, gadgets, lookalikes...), mooore series (best watced in bed), roleplaying games with friends, selfmade cocktails, warm bath with a good book and fine drink and maybe some music, cuddling the purring Békafül/Frogears,
ReplyDelete...and if you ever tasted it, my special-made cheese would be _your_ favourite. :)
[sent some music for you] :)
Cheese? =D
ReplyDeleteDownloading the music right now...
Thanks!
Oh, and give a Békafül a nice big scratch for me!
ReplyDeleteDinner under a heat lamp overlooking the ocean
ReplyDeleteBoating
Rainy days spent indoors with a roaring fire
Hot buttered bread
Indian food
Hiking through the forest with a found hiking stick
Platemail armor
Fond memories
Boardgames
Waking up after a really good dream
Savory crepes
True spontaneity
Adventure movies
Nag champa
Trust
Truth
Hot tubs in the snow
Saunas
Mystery and magic
Feeling healthy
The Big Blue
Bis ans Ende Der Welte
Olives
Riding Trains ( especially French )
ReplyDeleteIce Sculpture
Flying Airplanes above clouds
Waterfalls
My Mom's Cheese Souffle
And computer game Railroad Tycoon ( but everybody else in the world thinks that's boring! )
Did someone mention Indian food? Yum. Looking forward to my first roper curry in over three and a half years very soon, with mango chutney, lime pickle, popadums and severl pints of Kingfisher.
ReplyDeleteHow could we have forgotten hot buttered bread! And olives
And a roaring fire on a rainy day, though a snowy day is possibly better, as long as you don't have to go anywhere, and night is falling and the lights of the town at the bottom of the valley and the opposite side wink at you through the falling snow.
oy! no need to get all flowery and clever, you! now bugger off and be gone wif ya.
ReplyDeletekidding :)
peace and quiet, a good movie, and my dog.
ReplyDeleteThat's very Buddhist of you. I like it.
ReplyDeleteBékafül sayz: Favurit thingz iz a nize big scratzez from owni and you, and warmz and foodz and playz - ppprrrhello Jaxz, bigbrada! ):)
ReplyDeleteAnd some pic of my favourites:
ReplyDeletehttp://infection.freeblog.hu/archives/2008/12/14/3622396/
http://infection.freeblog.hu/archives/2008/12/14/3622552/
:)
Aww, Wilhelm is really cute. And so is Békafül of course, and BIG!
ReplyDeleteHe looks so much like Jackson it's amazing. I love the pics where he's inside the computer case. Lol!
I forget the name of the calico cat... sorry. She's cute too. You can officially join our Cat Lovers Club =)
Thanks for the pics, Mandy!
Hi Békafül! You look just like me. Maybe we ARE brothers!
ReplyDeleteWe should visit each other some time. Hungary can't be TOO far away, right?
Every time I'm Hungary I just go to my food dish and eat!
I'll have my dad post some photos of me soon.
Say hi to Wilhelm and to your mom and tell her thanks for thinking of me. Brrrrreow!
Prrhellow Jax!
ReplyDeleteIt wud be great if u came here, bigbrada! Waiting for ur pics and vizit, wud give u fiiiine hungarian foodz! We r not far, realli! Wilhelm and Forrest say hellow to u too! Mommi sendz u warm hugz and sratchez! And wishez a happy new yearz! http://infection.freeblog.hu/archives/2009/01/01/3652179/
Miuw!
Lit' brada
How could I be so shallow?
ReplyDelete-Appreciating brilliant art.
favorite
ReplyDeletesounds:
cat purring right up against your ear
my son's unabashed laughter and when he says, 'i love you mom'
anytime my husband says, 'yes'
creek in springtime
pouring rain and hail when i'm warm indoors
my kids giggling in their room
my kids playing 'jobs' in the backyard
my kids supporting and encouraging each other through difficulty
an old friend's voice on a dark day
'cheers!' 'salut!' 'opa!'
the 'star spangled banner' performed by someone who really feels it
'ave maria'
the voices of india.arie, lizz wright, and john legend
laughter of friends
rumble of traffic through my nana's upstair's bedroom window
whisper and roar of wind
cackle of tipsy aunties
sincere compliments
silence
real live ocean waves
films:
defending your life
drop dead fred
gone with the wind
practical magic
the color purple
the joy luck club
waiting to exhale
fear and loathing in las vegas
soul food
best in show
dogma
movies that make me laugh, cry, think
random:
my son's warm fuzzy body climbing into bed for an early morning group snuggle with kitties!
hugs from my children
hugs from people who love me
the memory of that road trip to l.a. with my sister
the memory of that time my sister and andy and i dropped acid at armstrong woods, dancing like wood sprites under the full moon
the memory of going to the street fair in san francisco with my father on my birthday
road trips to nowhere
old pictures
going to the symphony
going to college football games
really good, really dark chocolate
eating fruit right off the tree, bush or vine
las vegas shows
hope
poetry that speaks to my heart
memory of first kisses
hanging out with my cousins and all our kids and mothers
my auntie laura
having done all the chores by noon with nothing to do for the whole day
going out for drinks and indie films at the artsy cinema with brooke
wine tasting with good friends in a limo!
sexy, fancy shoes, a hot dress and somewhere to wear them
sculpture
adventure
homemade salvadorean food
kneading bread dough and the smell of bread baking
forgiving, letting go of old hurts
learning something new
the 'click' of new lifelong friends
the relief of waking up from a nightmare to realize it wasn't real
citrus
small gestures of caring, like someone else doing the dishes when i'm pooped
really good, deep, sustained, loud belly laughs
my wedding anniversary-- a small victory every year, like a little pearl on a string
sharing books with good friends
dark brown sugar
the smell of jasmine and orange blossoms on a hot summer night, especially if i'm holding icy sangria with nowhere to be
my husband playing spanish music on guitar just for me alone
the dog not chasing the cats and the cats not running away from the dog
typing lots!
Oooh, LOADS of good ones there! I like waking up from nightmares and getting that relieved sensation too (though I'd have rather not had the dream in the first place). I'm gonna have to go with "cackle of tipsy aunties" for best in show, though =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiring list.