things i like- onyx pinky rings, weeping willow trees, regina spektor, boys named julian, croque monsieurs, french bistros, apricot fig perfume, magpies, blackberries, seaglass, swimming far out in the ocean and maybe seeing a seal, twenty-four-hour delis, pillows, sitting out on my fire escape, cold glasses of water, people who have tattoos of stars on their ankles, chandeliers, sheer stockings with no runs in them, how red wine looks when it's being poured, asterisks, excessive punctuation, lace, vintage brooches, people who can raise one eyebrow, scarlet lipstick, falling asleep in the sun, gospel music, gasoline rainbows, ripe cold plums, poetry that gets in your soul, popsicles, finding an earring in a snowdrift, wooden guitars, old-fashioned coke bottles, people who are bilingual, mica, cinnamon buns, ink pens, fred astaire, paper lilies, fuzzy blankets, running down a hill and feeling like you can't stop, alphabet soup with chicken and peas and carrots, old sunglasses, mcdonalds french fries, jean-michel basquiat, half-truths, oversized sweaters, the feeling you get in your chest before you cry, bubble baths, hippies, old-style diners with cheesecake in glass display cases, people who don't take any crap, red-gold hair, dr. seuss, sunday brunch, prosciutto, the two freckles on my ankle, gumball machines, paper lanterns, the word "crystalline", shish kebab, cicadas, stone floors that feel cold against bare feet, mother-of-pearl, ladybugs, jade elephants, the look of black coffee, slip dresses, half-moons, freedom of expression, the little "copyright" mark with the C inside the circle, feeling full to the brim of every emotion you have in you, bonsai gardens, the strand bookstore, traveling, possibility, fannie farmer cookbooks, peacock feathers, fishnet tights, neon lights, a candle's glow, darkrooms, people-watching, cobblestones, arguing politics, pear juice, crystal decanters, light-up vanities like all the hollywood starlets had in the fifties, old yearbooks, sound and fury, saturday night live, rhinestone cat's eye glasses, summer storms when the sky is bruised purple and navy and lightning cracks brilliant white, karma, tip jars that say "if you can't deal with change, leave it here", buttons and pins, the word "hodgepodge", porcupine quills, bottle caps, coconut shampoo, my treasured little gold nail scissors shaped like a swan, turkish rugs, people who tell good stories, spongebob and patrick, playing scrabble, multiples of three, televisionwithoutpity.com, marbles, pretty glass bottles with fancy stoppers, dancing like nobody's watching (as long as nobody really is watching), ossie clark, charm bracelets, chili peppers, shark's-tooth necklaces, disco balls, driving around listening to fiona apple and getting lost, fizzing pink champagne, this restaurant in pennsylania that only serves cereal, amethyst, gypsies, windchimes, cloth tote bags, shakespeare, prose, poetry, eating lucky charms straight from the box, personification, exaggeration, gray's papaya hot dogs, chasing the mr. softee cart around town, half-price movie matinees, conch shells, lily pads, inkstands, wells, penguins, the hotel in sweden made completely of ice and snow, russian matryoshka dolls, my "las vegas" keychain, cursive script, americana kitsch, hot fudge sundaes (without the fake saccharine cherry, and with extra whipped cream), reading poetry out loud but not when anyone else is around, olive leaves, uncle john's bathroom reader, tacky costume jewelry, finding pennies on the ground, silk-and-lace camisoles, self-deprecation, safety pins, corollaries, eclipses, the beatles, dr. martin luther king jr., old photographs, the simpsons, fat little cherubim with harps, air bubbles in ice, biting my nails, consumerization, beat-up flip flops, takeout containers of rice from chinese restaurants, cranky old men, dorothy parker, people who surprise you, flapper dresses, bakelite bangles, birthmarks, red-brick townhouses, daydreaming, flea markets, hospital shows, curlicues, crisp white bedsheets, leopard-print ballet flats, gardenias, oxymorons, smith's rosebud salve, vintage cowboy boots, waterfalls, pearls of wisdom, guys in houndstooth suits, rhyme, reason, and everything in between.


***ADDENDUM- this was supposed to be just a post about the things i like, and it was supposed to be very poetic and meaningful and not involve any pop-culture reality-tv shit. Yeah. Screw that. Just watched ANTM, and to paraphrase the lovely crack whore janice dickinson- "Zip it, bitch. You're dead in my book". RENEE, I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU ASS-CLOWN. who says whitney can't be in vogue? at least she's not an elfin prostitute. also, a drag queen photo shoot? do you even comprehend the awesomeness of that? because all the girls look like drag queens? especially jaslene? even her name- jaslene- rhymes with drag queen? get it? get it? oh, never mind. but YOU get it. and just one more thing and then i'm gone. i think i might be...oh god help me...starting love natasha against my will. DAMMIT! I FEEL THE EARTH SHAKING! THE WINDS ARE CHANGING! THE TIDE IS HIGH! and now i have that blondie song in my head. the tide is high but i'm holding on... DAMN THE EIGHTIES FOR BEING SO CATCHY.