these are a few of my favorite things...

• the smell of soap, cologne, and rain
  
• sleep, cold room, warm fuzzy blankets piled on high
  
• Indian & Thai Food
• brutal massages
• traveling & staying in hotels
• keyboard shortcuts
• planning & executing a perfectly-timed & tasty dinner
• laughing & people that make me laugh
  
• music
• spring flowers & spring weather
• fall clothing & fall weather
• when little kids laugh uncontrollably
• people with passion
• making others happy
• movies and documentaries
• soup and appetizer parties
• fancy drinks
  
• men :)
  

$175? no problem.

You know, despite the fact that I have lived in New York City for over six years, I find it amusing that I am still quite literally taken aback by the amount of money that people spend on clothing and other little "luxuries/necessities" (the exact term used is completely dependent upon who is using it). Yes, I like nice things just as much as anyone else out there. In fact, to my dismay, whenever I am window shopping, browsing through a catalog or actually looking for something that I need, my personal tastes usually drift towards the expensive side of the spectrum. I know, it shouldn't be a problem for this (insert sarcasm) "high rolling" social worker, but I do have a problem with it. At least my wallet has a problem with it so I usually make a compromise instead.

Tonight I got home and an Ann Taylor advertisement was waiting for me patiently in my mailbox. I opened the tri-fold to see if there was anything interesting. My eyes immediately went to these great looking pair of shoes. Next my eyes were drawn to the price... $175! I'm sorry, but I am NOT spending $175 on shoes. I don't care how cute they are or what they will match or if Mr. Fancy-Pants Shoe Designer made them. $175 on shoes is too much for me.

The scary thing is, compared to other stores on 5th Avenue, Ann Taylor is probably seen as one of the lower end clothing stores. (I mean, sometimes even I can afford the sale rack.) So I started to think about NYC shoppers and realized that if people were willing to pay $95 for a young Hollywood, linen scarf that had a "love quote" attached to it with a piece of string and safety pin, then they are also probably willing to pay that measly $175 for a pair of shoes....and yes, well beyond that price for others. (p.s. I have one of these scarves...BUT I got it at a charity auction. i still love it though.)

I guess I'd like to think that if I ever came into exorbitant amounts of money, that I would still be a wise shopper, that I could maintain my taste for finer things but still be reasonable about it. Anyway, if anyone is interested in helping me to test my theory, I'm totally up for enjoying a larger cash flow. Just have your people contact my people.

dear fall, please stay. love, malia

I don't know what it is about Fall, but for me, it is magic, romance and possibilities all rolled up into one. OK, maybe not romance at this point in my life, but Fall would be a perfect time for it and well, here's to hoping! I'm always hoping.

For the last few weeks, New York has enjoyed some "unusual" weather. In my opinion, it has been beautiful. To others, it has been the cause of much strife and my declarations of love have generated strange glances in my direction. They see Fall as the ending of a glorious, hot summer--the death of fun. I see it as sweet relief from a hot, humid, sweaty mess, and oh, the possibilities! Here's just a few of the things that I can't quite wait for:

cool breezes * sweaters & scarves * hot chocolate * sleeping with the window wide open * sleeping with covers again * leaves changing colors * outside not being as hot as the subway platform * pumpkin carving * apple picking * fabulous birthdays for fabulous people * fall clothing * fall colors * road trips, please * back to school * football & basketball with friends * not sweating my face off * taking walks * daylight savings (gotta love that extra hour) * crisp nights * fall foods....

Even now, trying to list all that I love about Fall doesn't do it justice. I can't quite put into words the excited, happy feeling I get when I picture this beautiful season. Oh pretty please, will you stay awhile? It would be a sweet reward after living here through yet another summer. I know, I know, it wasn't "that bad"....says you....

can i get an amen?

My commute, from start to finish is a little less than an hour--depending on the train traffic and just how late I might leave the apartment. To pass the time and to satiate my need to always be doing something productive, I listen to podcasts in the morning and on the return trip home. When my brain can't handle any more learning, I'll switch over to my music. Typically, I will listen to a past General Conference talk in the morning and something a little more secular later in the day.

Yesterday, was no different....well, almost.

It was rush hour. The train was packed and I was, as usual, surrounded by throngs of commuting strangers. Per my routine, I clicked on a talk that I hadn't listened to in a while. Apparently, I was completely engrossed because before I knew it, he closed with the typical "Amen" and I followed suit.

"Amen," I uttered aloud. Now, I didn't whisper. I used a normal talking voice. Yep...

Immediately, the four other people that I was sharing the pole with jerked their heads around and looked at me...very strangely. Now, I don't get usually get embarrassed. If something "embarrassing" happens to me, I am usually the first one to laugh at myself. I find it funny, not embarrassing. But this time, I was embarrassed. Not that it should matter but I didn't want these people thinking that I was some sort of religious nut preparing to start a sermon of some sort.

However, despite my being embarrassed, I couldn't stop laughing at myself. I mean, it is funny. But I was dying to get off the train. Luckily, I only had one more stop before I switched to the R/W line and found sweet, heavenly relief.

BE happy

So I just checked a friend's blog and found this little diddy. If anyone had the right to be grumpy, little Anne Frank was certainly one of them. I'm not yet cured of the grumpies, but I think a little dose of reality such as this sure does help. There is a lot of beauty in the world and I can decide to BE happy. We'll see how it goes.