Whiskers on kittens, etc.

There's an exercise I have been doing since I was a kid; when I get down for no apparent reason I list the things that make me happy. Corny, perhaps, but it always refocuses my thoughts in a productive way. Over the years many things have changed -- for instance, wearing turtlenecks and kicking dead leaves are not things that really thrill me, now that I live in Florida. I guess those go under the category of nostalgia, along with college football games and frenetic dancing.

But some things have remained the same. Like coffee,chocolate and. . .

Cafe au lait, in Paris 7/97: Kristi Ray, Me, Mark (Photo by Paul Ray)

Mookie and Dulcinea (Photo by M. Gordon)

cats. All of these things make me happy.

Good novels and long walks, preferably somewhere with an interesting view. I love the ocean (and all great bodies of water)

Pacific Coast Highway 7/92 (Photo by L. Runge)

Anna Maria Island, 5/4/98 (Photo by M. Gordon)

and particularly the sunsets. See more sunsets and some thoughts on their beauty.

I love traveling and visiting cities for the first time. There are some that I would like to visit over and over again, like Atlanta, L.A., San Francisco,

(Photo by M. Gordon)

Atop the Arc de Triomphe 6/97 (Photo by M. Gordon)

Paris, London and Seattle. Going to bookstores with coffee shops makes me happy; I like to browse the poetry magazines and the latest detective novels, as well as cookbooks, fitness and bargain books. You never know what you'll find.

I love long car rides with my husband, Mark -- we stockpile a lot of food; he usually drives while I read a book out loud. Food makes me happy -- sometimes cooking it, but always eating it. I didn't grow up with a lot of spices in my food; one of the first things Mark did for me was cook a delicious meal -- he made his own sauce! He looked in my cabinets, chagrined to find only oregano and garlic salt. It was intriguing to me; our life together has been a series of gustatory discoveries. We can't imagine life without authentic Dijon mustard, hand-delivered from France.

Mark Gordon, Vezelay 7/97 (Photo by L. Runge)

I like games and sports, both playing and watching. But, as I get older and learn my limits, watching is sometimes the best option. Watching Pete Sampras, win or lose, makes me happy. The Grandslam finals always make me happy, as do the NBA finals and the World Series. There are certain things that used to make me happy but are not available because of the pregnancy (I call it the pregnancy as a distancing move; it is in fact my pregnancy). Being pregnant is definitely NOT one of the things that makes me happy, although having a baby -- everyone assures me -- will be. Nonetheless in the interim period there are certain happy things that are put on hold, like champagne and rollerblading.

5/96 (Photo by M. Gordon)

At the winery 6/97 (Photo by Paul Ray)

The other day I saw a woman rollerblading in the park pushing a slick triangular stroller with a toddler gleefully pinned inside. Now there's an interesting possibility! As a compensatory form of happiness, I am crocheting a baby blanket; I've never been above cliches. There are new forms of genuine happiness I've discovered being pregnant. Hearing the baby's heartbeat is a spike of happiness I've never felt before, and would make millions if I could bottle it for sale. Feeling the baby move -- and this guy is a marathon mover -- is an odd delight; I mean, it is odd afterall to be growing a human being in my belly.

One of the things I love to do and always makes me happy is look at old photographs. My goal is to develop some photo galleries, here and on some related pages.

Perhaps when I'm through, I'll add an essay on things that make me angry, just to balance things out.