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Usually I write my love lists on Fridays, but I think this Monday could use a bit of mental sunshine.

Not only is it cloudy (I keep typing “cloudly” when I mean to type “cloudy”, which makes me think of “studly”. Then I try to picture what “studly” weather might be. Any guesses? No? Okay, then) and gloomy outside, but it seems that (in a fit of creativity) I’ve chosen to outfit myself in three shades of gray today (dove, charcoal and… uhhh… cement? Can a copywriter for J. Crew help me out here?)

Gray + gray = extra gray.

Let’s add a little color, shall we?

THINGS I LOVE

Grapefruit juice: You can’t miss with orange juice in the morning, but I really enjoy the more bitter and acidic (Hugh Grant vs. Hugh Laurie?) choice of a glass of grapefruit… especially when you take a swig after brushing your teeth or having a sip of coffee. ZING! Sure, everyone loves sweet, but grapefruit juice slaps your taste buds and ignores the safe word. And you can always do a glass of “Ruby Red” if you want something more tame.

Roasting things: I am on a major roasting kick lately. There’s nothing quite like a bit of meat or fish or chicken or potato or carrot or parsnip or whatnot with a crispy, herb-y, salty outside, and a rich, hot, moist inside (whoops, that description went a bit Sidney Sheldon on me.) Roasting allows me to indulge my love of marinades and basting, too… AND WHO DOESN’T LOVE BASTING? It reminds me of tanning as a teenager, especially that one time we used cooking oil and foil. And rosemary and thyme, of course. Just kidding. About the second part. Sigh.

Giant handbags: I am well aware that I don’t need to carry as many items with me as I do on a daily basis (keys, giant wallet, iPhone, brush, various hair implements, hand lotion, hand santizer, three shades of lip gloss, two types of lip balm, powder compact, umbrella, Moleskine, water bottle, jumbled bottle of Advil and antihistamines, pashmina… and a paaaaartridge in a peaaaaar tree.) Someone always feels compelled to mention that my giant bags are bad for my posture, too. But if I didn’t have a giant purse, I’d need a little red wagon, and let me tell you, those are TOTALLY awkward in coffee shops.

Citrusy perfumes: I really enjoy smelling like someone just picked me off a tree in Florida. I’ve already established my love of grapefruit, but pretty much any citrus note in a perfume (lemon! orange! bergamot! tangerine! kumquat! other stuff with pulp!) makes me want to drench myself in it like it was cooking oil, and I’m lying on a piece of foil. Wait, what?

Kindness: Okay, that’s a little vague, I know, but who doesn’t love kindness? I’m talking everything from holding doors open for people, all the way up to helping them achieve their goals… with the occasional gift latte (which I will not look in the mouth, like a gift horse, but rather drink. The latte, not the horse. Though I have been a little hoarse lately) and hug in between. Big things and little things. Momentary things and lasting things. Anything people do with an eye to making someone else’s second, minute, hour, day, week — whatever — better. That’s good stuff.

Long tank tops: I don’t think I wear anything (except dresses) without some sort of camisole or tank top underneath, and I like them long. I like them with spaghetti/thin straps, and stretchy/tight, and long to the hips. I own several, mostly in white/black/charcoal, and when I find a brand I like, I buy several. On the other hand, I eschew shapeless tank tops that tend to end around the waist. They make me think of the 80’s, and unless we’re talking WHAM! or SweetTarts, that’s a bad thing.

Short, bright nails: I have ridiculous fingernails. They resemble itsy bitsy Pringles chips, all curved up at the ends. I inherited their uniquely lame shape from my grandfather, a genetic slight which I continue to hold against him (what can I say? He’s Irish, he’s used to a grudge.) I also have ridiculously small hands, which means that everything past my wrists is… well, ridiculous (this applies to the stuff above the wrists as well, but that’s a whole other story.) I used to paint my nails in nude-ish shades to try and pretend they didn’t exist, with occasional madcap forays into pale pink. Then I read an article by a famous manicurist (why does that title sound weird?) who said that short nails looked good in bright/dark colours. I gave it a shot once with bright red (go big or go home!) and lo, she was right. I got tons of compliments from people, and I was sold! Right this second, they’re garbed in Zoya’s “Alix”. Awesome.

Shuffle on my iTunes: Not only does shuffle bring all my musical skeletons dancing merrily out of the closets (mid-90’s New Jack Swing, anyone? No? How about ABBA? Fine, fine. ACDC, then?), it ensures that I don’t listen to the same song over and over again 100 times… which is something I actually tend to do. Because, well… if it was awesome once, WHY NOT 99 MORE TIMES. Unfortunately, I take this same attitude with cups of coffee, and then you can hear my teeth vibrating in Nebraska.

Really stupid jokes: If I tell one more person that a flying turtle is a “shellicopter”, I’m going to get slapped. BUT IT WILL SO BE WORTH IT.

My iPhone: I know, no one wants to hear about how much I love it. BUT I DO, DAMMIT. And I love the pink case it wears, and I love that it loves me back. I mean, it never says so, but I KNOW it.

And you? What do you love? What is making your day today? TELL ME NOW!