I've told you before how I like to write in pencil but my favorite kind of pencil to write with is the mechanical type. I like the feel of them--smooth and firm where normal pencils sort of give underneath your fingers and leave that pencil-y smell on them. Also, they make my hands sweat (both gross and inexplicable). But mechanical pencils have that always sharp tip and a seemingly endless supply of lead that never needs to be sharpened as well as the perfect eraser! They just make note-taking so much more fun.

Peaches are another of my favorite fruits and probably, if you don't count berries as a fruit, are my favorite regular fruit. They are juicy and sweet but not overly sweet. And they taste delicious with cream or ice cream! They are terrific in cobbler and pies and I love, love, love them! I'm pretty picky about them and prefer them firmer than when they are actually ripe. Guess I'm just weird like that! You know who makes a mean peach cobbler, I'm sure? Paula Deen!

TeddyGrahams are delicious little cookie snacks from a box and they remind me of many things, one of which is school lunches. They are the perfect size for a snack cookie and have a fun shape. I remember all the kids biting off the heads and then making jokes. Sometimes we even put on little plays using the bears as characters. Chocolate TeddyGrahams are the best flavor (followed closely by Honey!) because the chocolate flavor is perfect--not too much and not too little. Yum TeddyGrahams!

Beaches during the winter become a whole different place. They are cold and abandoned--the complete opposite of their summery selves--but they still provide the same meditative relaxation that brings people in droves to their sands. I personally like the peace and even the briskness of beaches in the winter. The peace is loud in my brain, crashing right along with the waves, and the brisk salt air eats through my clothes, invigorating me with its chill. I guess that's kind of why people do the Polar Bear Plunge (though some do it to show they can)--it makes you feel so goddamn alive to be that cold. You realize completely just how warm your body is and strives to be and the brush with the threat of coldness is totally energizing and awakens you from your stupor. Or, at least that's how I imagine it feels--I've never done a Polar Bear Plunge.

This show is amazing. Made by MTV in the 90's as a spin-off of Beavis and Butthead, Daria is an amazing show about a high school girl who is pretty different from other high school girls. She is cynical, blunt, monotone and totally not fooled by society's ploys. I just love her dry humor, her cynicism (which vindicates my own) and general bitterness towards the modern world. I may seem quite perky in these writings but that's because I'm writing about things I genuinely cannot get enough of and which make me happy. In general, though, I find the reality of the modern world quite depressing and need these things that I like to make me happy--that's part of the point of this whole blog. I am making this list of things because there are times when I legitimately cannot think of things that I like and make me happy and that is very alarming. This is an ongoing exercise to stimulate my brain to search deeply for the things I care about and reveal them to myself. Anyway, Daria is a fantastic show and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Drool! Sushi is another one of my absolute favorite things. It incorporates so many amazing things like rice and shrimp and avacado and, occasionally, teriyaki sauce. Sushi is clean, simple and fresh while still providing a lot of good flavor and a fun experience! I prefer maki rolls to sashimi and other raw sushi. I like the concept of sushi and love the roll form but I have never been a big fan of the raw seafood/fish aspect of sushi so I stick to the cooked rolls like the shrimp tempura roll or rolls that have vegetables in them like the avocado roll.

My favorite sushi roll comes from a restaurant about 40 minutes from my house--the roll is called Chesapeake Roll #3 and it has tempura shrimp in it, avacado, cucumber and crab stick and is served hot and tempera battered with teriyaki sauce on top (my favorite part). Though the restaurant has changed names and management a couple of times, this roll has always stayed the same and I deeply appreciate it.

Trees are masterpieces of nature. Though they are everywhere, I still marvel at how intricate yet strong they are. They create these amazing shapes and designs with their branches, growing into figures that just seem so solid and strong. They are supportive and have a sort of majesty to them in the way they perpetually hold out their arms, reaching toward the sky or out toward other trees. This reminds me of the children's book The Giving Tree in which a tree cares for a boy that plays in his roots--tree just seem to care and be there to help. I know this is ridiculous but, for me, they are just such comforting things.

Ansel Adams is also great. I love the simplicity of black and white photography in general but Adams' photography is the pinnacle of the simplicity I enjoy--through its simplicity it is able to reveal the simple nature of nature. Trees, waterfalls and other natural objects are given a new dimension through Adams' lens and perspective and I just really enjoy his quiet appreciation of nature.