DecaAwesome Returns

Just in time for Halloween, the DecaAwesome list rises from the dead!! It's not exactly the Zombie DecaAwesome list, but that's a good idea for a themed list later in the month. This is a list of things I just plain like. It's been a stressful month so I think it's a good idea to remember some of the simple joys in life. Also, I watched Amelie last night and I always feel so inspired and whimsical when I watch that movie. Damn you and your irrepressible charm, Audrey Tatou!!

1. Reading a magazine backwards. Sure, I start out by reading it front to back, but soon I turn to the back cover and page through it backwards. I still read articles in order of course, but the paging is done back-to-front. I don't know why I do it, but it makes me happy, so there.

2. Being finished with grading. I love seeing that stack of newly graded papers, each one marked up and ready to be returned to its owner. I spent hours earlier today grading a midterm and I can't explain that wash of joy when the last paper was graded and out of my hands. Accomplishment!

3. The Daily Show. I get a lot of news from the Daily Show, I'm not ashamed to admit. TDS makes me laugh and throws down some facts. Also, Jon Stewart's comic rage is pure genius. This week, TDS is on a break. *sigh*

4. Reading a book that goes down easy. Sure, Proust is worth the effort, and Dostoevsky will break your head while it's breaking your heart, but it's nice every once in a while to read something that doesn't, you know, challenge so much. A book that you eat up like a plate of cookies. I'm reading a book like that right now, and I'm enjoying it very much. Proust is in the on-deck circle.

5. Chocolate. True chocolate lovers will call me a poseur since I don't like dark chocolate, but those people can jump in the lake. I bought myself a Cadbury Caramello on Saturday and I've spent the last few nights eating pure chocolate-caramel joy, three squares at a time. YUM.

6. Trader Joe's. It's not my normal grocery store since I have to drive a ways to get to a decent one, but last night I decided it was time to go and get those products exclusive to Trader Joe's. I won't bore you with a list-within-a-list of what was purchased, but I will tell you that after my roomie and I returned from TJ's, he made a kick-ass salmon dinner that was paired beautifully with a $7 Riesling. Ah, TJ's.

7. Binder clips. It's wrong how into office supplies I am, but there we are. Staples now has this paper clip station wherein you can fill a tub (small, medium, or large) with binder clips, paper clips, fasteners, and the like. I filled a medium tub with whimsical and practical clips (some are shaped like G clefs!) for school. The clip I most often use is the red one with the "X" on it. I put my to-be-graded papers in it. When they're graded, the papers get transferred to the green binder clip with the check mark on in. That's how you know they're done!

8. Glade Scented Oil Candles. They come in a pretty tin, which, is pretty much all I need; I love tins. Anyhoo, you burn these little candles and they smell wonderful without being too strong or cloying. The tin is reusable, and you can get refills for the candles. My recommended scent: Clean Linen. Pretty much says it all. You get the smell of laundry without actually having to do any. WIN!

9. Half.com. I just bought some DVDs I've been putting off buying because they were never going on sale. You can get things both new and used, and it's part of eBay so you know you can trust it. I now own all of Samurai Jack, and season 4 of Supernatural. Take that, Target, for not putting it on sale. Now some independent seller in Minnesota gets my money and you get the shaft! (I'm just kidding, Target. We cool.)

10. Fall weather. The weather over here is a little bipolar at the moment, but that's okay. We have experienced beautiful fall weather intermittently. I'm no fan of winter, and I know that's what fall leads into, but it is such a wonderful thing to walk around in the crisp autumn air, wearing a sweater or a jacket. Fall means crunching leaves when you walk, watching TV at night with a blanket tucked around your feet, buying fresh apple cider at the supermarket, deciding on a Halloween costume, roasting pumpkin seeds, and making holiday plans. It's lovely.