Meet Sassy Pants
This is Sassafras, also known as Miss Sassy Pants (on days where she’s being particularly sassy)
After playing with one of my friend’s gerbils a few times, I decided I was ready to introduce a little furry rodent into my life. Thus, Sassafras.
She’s pretty fiesty, but surprisingly friendly. Her cage is on my dresser, right next to my desk, and whenever I’m sitting down she always comes running to my side of her cage and peeks out at me. She’ll stay there, watching me, and she comes whenever I make little kissy noises. She’s not too fond of being taken out of her cage, but she’s really interested whenever I open her cage door. We’re taking it one step at a time.
Welcome to my world, Miss Sassy Pants!
Rocks and Sand and Water
I might have to visit in again in summer, when it’s warm, just for this beach. I really like this beach, even if I’m alone. I spent an entire January sitting on it, reading Dracula, after all, completely alone.
It’s Possible
That there may be a person who, while innocently sleeping next to someone, may or may not reach out their hand and intertwine their fingers together, all the while sound asleep. That same person, who may or may not exist, might also hold said hands the entire night.
It’s possible that it might be one of the cutest things that someone may or may not have experienced. Ever. 
Happy Valentine’s Day, world. Remember that it is a day of love, and as such, not reserved for people you’re dating. Love your family, love your friends, and shower them with the affection you know they deserve.
(Or bitch and moan about being single. Whatever gets you to February 15)
A Few of My Favorite Things
I decided to do a happy post. So, in true Sound of Music fashion, I’m going to tell you about a few of my favorite things. Here are seven things that make me smile really really big.
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one) I really really like Valentine’s Day. I think I’ve only actually spent one or two of them with someone I was dating, but that was never the point. My sister loves the holiday, and loves to use it as a way to express love not solely to significant others, but to people who are important. Like family. So we usually pick a day close to the holiday and spent it together with our mom, eating lots of chocolate things that will, as Kyle likes to say, put us in a sugar-induced coma. My mom decorated the table with pink and white and red little lovey things, and filled a pretty white dish with the best candy ever, See’s hearts. They only come out once a year, so they’re very very important
two) I think I’ve spotlighted her enough on my blog, but nothing is better than the cutest puppy in the whole world. Right now my mom would be a little irked to see her sleeping on the couch with its super-cute new cover but I think she’s cute enough to get away with murder. So I let her. Right now, though, she’s snoring. Her favorite things list doesn’t include staying up super late writing happy things, even if mine does. She prefers a reasonable bedtime, but she’ll settle for sleeping in late with me in the mornings. Isn’t that nice of her?
three) I am addicted to art/writing supplies, and my newest favorite things in that department are the new journal, bottom, and sketchbook, top. My cute new journal has neon-colored paisleys on the cover, which is the coolest thing ever, and my classy new sketchbook looks simple and sleek. The inside contains full-paged pen & ink drawings and testings of my new chalks.
four) Rarely do I have the excuse to buy a new cooking book. Especially with my mommy the excellent chef always at hand, I never lack for advice in the kitchen. But we both agreed I need a personal guide to baking, since that’s my favoritest thing in the kitchen. There’s an understood quiet rule that you can only buy aesthetically beautiful cookbooks and this one certainly achieves it. It has full-page pictures of the finished products, as well as about five pages with pictures of “perfect” goods compared to under-, over-, and other -cooked bads. The best part is that the book was seriously discounted and we got it for a steal. Also, it’s pink, which is all I can really hope for in a book. I can’t decide to make madeleines or raspberry thumbprint shortbread cookies first. Such a dilemma!
five) While the person who bequeathed him to me is no longer a person I’m in friendly contact with, I have to include this lil lemur guy on my happy things list. Most find him creepy, others find him disgustingly, childishly “pop” cute, but I find him irresistibly perfect. He is too cute for his own good, but not in a bad way. And in an illogical kind of way, that statement makes sense so shush. He is my friend and I shall tolerate no ill-will on his behalf. If a reader of mine doesn’t understand why he is perfect in my opinion, then I think you’re missing a fundamental piece of information about me. I like the silly, the whimsical, and the creepy-cute. He lives on my bookshelf and guards the cup of tea usually resting to cool next to him.
six) This is my newest favorite happy escape book. It’s by the same author who did my other super happy favorite escape book, City of Dreaming Books. I need this book the same way I need this post, and I like it. It’s full of silly scribble illustrations to show me what’s going on, which I appreciate. It makes me remember how to be whimsical and fantastical which I’m pretty sure are two of the most important things in my world. My author has written another book, as well, so I’ll have something the next time I need a brand new favorite happy escape. Yay.
seven) While reading a good book, I’ve found a cup of tea is essential. It’s very very very important to my sanity to have it readily available to sip on, and over the years I’ve narrowed down my four favorites. I like earl gray in the morning, jasmine and peppermint throughout the day, and then peppermint or chamomile when I try to sleep. I like other brands of tea as well, but this brand I buy for the name. It’s a super silly indulgence, but I don’t much care. I like that my teas, all lined up in a row, say “stash” on them. I’m allowed to have these kinds of indulgences, right?
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This is what my face looks like concerning all these seven things (except less posed, I think). These things are what I think of when the dog bites, or if a bee should sting, or if I’m just plain feeling sad.
I like that all I have to do is remember them, and then I just don’t feel quite so bad.
Also, singing that song should be my not-so-secret number eight. Hush
Body Wash
I understand that makers of body wash market to the girls who starve themselves and deny themselves any type of food-related treat. That’s why all body washes smell like something you’d kill for to put in your mouth.
I’ll even admit that I indulge myself that way–I buy vanillas, usually, because it smells like cookies and cakes, my weaknesses.
What irks me, though, is when they do it so obviously, to the point where the original intent of the product becomes lost. For instance, my current body wash (which I didn’t pick out–it was a gift) is scented Frozen Lemon Custard.
Do you see the problem? If not, let me ask you a question–
What does “frozen” smell like?
My body wash smells lemony, and even a little creamy, but I don’t detect any air of frigidity when I wash. None. Because how do you make something smell cold?
This is going to sound silly
But I’m feeling rather self conscious, rather shy and I’m about to do something that takes me far from my comfort zone.
Tomorrow later today is a big day for me, and it’s taking me far from any comfort zone I could possibly imagine having fit myself into. I’m doing not one, but two things that are scandalously different for me, but I’m really only going to go into detail on one of them.
I bought a new dress, and tights, and boots. And tomorrow later today, I’m going to wear them all together. I know, scandalous, right? The “dress” is really something that Modest-Marci would wear with jeans. It’s technically long enough to wear as a dress, but technically translates to it wouldn’t be okay to wear when I was in high school, which in turn means I wouldn’t wear it.
But I want to. And with dark tights and cute boots, it’s actually not even inappropriate. Even my sister said it just looks like a cute, fun outfit that I would normally wear. There’s really nothing wrong about it except t’s just the shortest dress I’ve ever worn. And I’m feeling self conscious about it. Tomorrow is a day for change, apparently, and I’m kicking it all off with a new look.
In other, potentially more interesting, world news, I have a couple of (I think) neat posts about science fiction, of which I’ve been reading a lot more, as well as one on this book I’m finally getting around to finishing. It feels like I’ve been reading it forever. You’ll find out why tomorrow, when I sit down and type the whole thing out.
Amazing
I love the past hour and a half. It was the most refreshing, renewing, supportive hour and a half I’ve had in months, and it had proves that I know what’s best for me–it included ALL of my favorite things!
I met with a friend for coffee, and we both commiserated how frustrating life can be together. We’re both at our respective ropes’ ends, and we just talked for a little bit about how much it sucks–how it’s hard to watch people you love, or people you used to love, turn bitter and mean, and how frustrating it is when you’re forced to change your plans and when you have to live on someone else’s schedule. And we hugged, long and hard.
And then we went to the swing sets. We swung (I never know what the proper past tense form of the swing set verb should be), we talked about awesome children’s literature (Phantom Tollbooth–it’ll have it’s very own post soon, I promise), some really awesome sci fi/fantasy (Ender’s Game, Hitchhiker’s Guide, etc).
We made up little fantastical stories about men only a millimeter high, and what life would be like, and just really enjoyed ourselves. And he summed it up great at the end.
He sighed, and then laughed and said he likes those kinds of sighs.
“Those deep, full sighs that mean you know you’re going to be upset and sad and frustrated tomorrow, but you can enjoy this moment and know that you’re good and happy right now”
Snow
I love it. I love the snow. I don’t think I love any type of weather more than I love snow. It rocks. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the desert, maybe it’s because I’m just a human being, but I love snowflakes and snow and and and and….
I’m just so sad to hear all the snow-hating that’s going on. It’s a lovely, lovely thing that Seattle doesn’t experience NEARLY often enough and we should all just suck it up and start enjoying it. 
Plus, when you look at the faces of these two puppies, I dare you to not be equally excited about the wonderfully white, fluffy gift from the gods. They loved the snow more than just about anything, and it was just hilarious to watch them bound through it.
Yeah We’re All Going to Get in a Fight!
This post is, in essence, an ode to my sister. She’s great at a lot of things, and I’m sure horrible at some. But this is just about highlighting one of her many talents: comforting the recently single. She rocks at it. She is better at bashing my many exes than I’ve ever allowed myself to be. I’m nice to them–I’m sure some readers of this can even attest to it, how I defend my exes (well, they’ve just heard me defend one, but I defend them all, really).
It got to the point where I had to ban her from even saying Sabina’s name, she could be so wonderfully nasty about her.
People like to joke (at least, they used to. It’s faded as we’ve grown up) that we were like twins–we used to look like it, and we’ve always acted somehwhat like it. If it was true, when it comes to break ups, she’s the bad twin. 
And I absolutely love her for it.
Because she’s not a mean person. It’s not like she hates everyone I date and just waits for the break up to release it (at least, she’s never let on to me that that’s how she feels!). She’s just really good at letting me know how why I should hate them when it’s an appropriate time to feel hate, becauser I can never come up with enough reasons (sometimes, any).
So about a month ago, we were driving in her hot little car feeling like hot little girls and we were playing the radio loud. I didn’t know the song, but you catch on pretty fast to the lyrics. When I started laughing and singing along, she told me it made her think of me, post-breakup. I think it makes me think of me when I’m around *her* post-breakup!
“So so what?
I’m still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don’t need you
And guess what
I’m having more fun
And now that we’re done
I’m gonna show you tonight
I’m alright, I’m just fine
And you’re a tool
So so what?
I am a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don’t want you tonight”
(the chorus to Pink’s So What song)
We listened to that song really loudly, drove to the place we used to live and then “broke in” to the clubhouse’s hot tub and went skimpy dipping (skimpy= in underwear). We flirted our hot little ways out of trouble with the security guard who checked up on us.
The song just seemed to fit so well. Plus, whenever I get a little grumpy, I hear Pink’s fabulously strong voice shout “We’re all going to get in a fight!” and I just feel a little bit better.
So in the end, I love my sister for being able to hate my exes when I can’t. Because I rarely can.
Enjoy!
