August Happiness Challenge -- Day 23

Today's Happy Cone is for a mini-shower makeover. I can't afford to finish my bathroom this year. I haven't got enough saved (especially not with expensive dental work on the horizon), and the time that I was going to spend on/with Cute Handyman this summer went to The Big Project instead.

I try not to let this turn of events frustrate me.

So today I wandered back on over to Bed, Bath and Beyond and got new curtain rings and a new shower curtain liner. The fresh whiteness makes me happy.

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

YES!

THIS is the kind of Christian I want to be.

There's nothing here that's anti-LGBT, or pro "Christian patriarchy," or about judging women who exercise their legal right to control their own bodies.

This reminds me that I should concentrate on improving my own heart, not slagging someone else's conduct, as I strive to live a Christian life.

It's funny, but I voted for Jimmy Carter in my first Presidential election because I was so blinded by anger over Ford's pardon of Nixon. Now of course I understand that Gerald Ford did the patriotic, compassionate, courageous thing and it cost him his career.

Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter may have been the two best candidates it was ever my privilege to choose between. I wish I had been mature enough to appreciate them in real time.

Sunday Stealing

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The Birds Are Chirping Meme 

 Name a product you buy mostly because it has a cool package. Nothing anymore. But when SJP's original Lovely cologne was still readily available, I liked it as much for the bottle as the scent. Somehow, for a recent birthday, my oldest friend managed to track down a bottle. It's on my vanity and I love how it looks when the sunlight hits it.

What flavor cake do you like for your birthday? Chocolate

Have you ever been in love with someone much older or younger than you?  In love? No. But I did have a rather energetic intimate relationship with a guy 12 years younger than I. It was fun. We never took it seriously because he wanted children and I was already over 40, so we knew there was no future.

Have you ever had a job you loved? I've loved just about every job at times. I'm a writer, and when I'm writing I'm happy. When I'm revising and trying to decipher input from lawyers and proofreading ... that's when I'm no longer in love.

Have you ever been in a building that was on fire?  Yes. When I lived in my former apartment, my downstairs neighbor had a kitchen fire that filled the whole building with smoke.

 Are you in an argument with anyone right now?  No. Blissfully.

Would you change your hair color to something outrageous if you would get paid to? Sure. Are you making an offer?

Have you ever written a poem for someone?  Yes

What is a place you’ve vacationed at and would like to go back to?  Oh, so many! Lately I've been jonesing to return to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee ...

Do you eat samples at the grocery store?  Yes

What do you absolutely have to have to make your birthday feel special?  Nothing specific. Just a lot of attention.

What’s the last tourist area you visited? Millennium Park. According to TripAdvisor, it's the #2 place to visit in Chicago, and I'm lucky enough to work right across from it. The contrast of architecture and sculpture and greenery is so cool.

Where do you go out to eat for a special occasion? Chicago is a great city for foodies. Right now my favorite restaurant is 312.

When was the last time you went to a post office? On the 14th. I mailed a large box of donations to our troops via Operation Shoebox.

 Is there an item you are saving up to buy right now?  My dental work. (Sexy, huh?)

Are you psychic in any way?  Not really.

Do you prefer a laptop or desktop? Which are you on now?  I haven't been on anything but a laptop in so long ...

Have you ever received a gift and truly did not know what it was?  Nope.

What’s your homepage? Firefox/Google

Is there a thing you enjoy doing, but quit because you are not good at it? Singing

All things considered ...

... it wasn't so bad.

Saturday morning, I went to the dentist. I was finally getting around to having that chipped tooth repaired. I got the old-school gold crown back in the late 1980s and it gave way last April. It had hung in there for more than 25 years, so I can't complain, and there was no discomfort, so I considered myself lucky.

So does my dentist. He couldn't believe that I wasn't in excruciating pain. As he popped off the crown and cleaned around the rather massive hole (it was a molar), he was amazed I didn't require anesthetic and kept telling me how brave I was. I wasn't brave. I truly felt little if anything. He says the tooth isn't dead, but the nerves must have retracted. He needed to screw in a trio of tiny pins to add strength first to the temporary filling and then for the new crown. Now for that procedure, I requested and got Novocaine.

He did all this in less than an hour. His office is conveniently located and offers a pleasant view of the park. I believe him that he doesn't do any unnecessary procedures, and his techniques and equipment are more modern than those used at the dental office I'd been going to for decades.

I don't like him, though. He makes lots of jokes, presumably to put me at ease, but I don't enjoy them. And this is going to be expensive. We didn't talk about the cost because, what the hell, it has to be done and I have insurance. I wouldn't be surprised if this didn't end up costing me about $800, and I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me wince (perhaps more than the procedure).

August Happiness Challenge -- Day 22

Saturday's Happy Cone goes to my new Bissell Aeroswift 1009. It was the cheapest vacuum clearner at Bed, Bath and Beyond (even cheaper because I used one of those ubiquitous coupons they keep sending me), and yet it works very well. It's light, the cup is easy to clean, and it picked up enough fur for me to build a second Reynaldo.

I needed this vacuum because the cord on my ancient Dirt Devil upright was frayed and dangerous. That sucker is easily 12-15 years old, and the technology has progressed so much in that time. It was considered "lightweight" back in the day,
but now I'm dreading the hassle of hauling it down to the dumpster.

I'm also proud of myself for having actually used my new little Bissell Aeroswift 1009. Besides grocery shopping and laundry, I've done precious little that's productive over my extended weekend away from work and The Big Project.

What's that you say? What's the August Happiness Challenge?

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

If you want to play along, just come back here (meaning to this blog, not this individual post) each day in August, looking for the happy chocolate cone. Every day I will try to have a post with the headline: August Happiness Challenge: Day [X]. Leave a comment and then post your own daily happiness, with August Happiness Challenge in the title to make it easy to find.

Guess who came from behind!