Smile!

7 things that made me smile today:

1) I slept like I was drugged, but I wasn't.  This is a miracle considering my allergies have kept me up every other night this week (while I was drugged).

Prince

2) This guy, my Prince.  Apparently if I kiss him enough he will be transformed into a real prince. Thanks Jenny (she made him by hand)!  I love him and will kiss him until he is transformed (I'm hoping soon).

3) Poetry with my students.  We read "In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound and they got into it and understood (love it when that happens).  It's only two lines; enjoy it here: http://www.bartleby.com/104/106.html

4) The smell of freshly cut grass. It only occurs twice a year: at the end of winter and at the end of summer (and they do the whole area with a weed whacker).

5) Music night tonight. It hasn't happened yet, but live music never fails to make me smile.

6) Wind.  Never underestimate the delight brought by wind in a humid and hot city... and if I close my eyes, I can almost pretend I'm in an open field with wildflowers surrounding me.

7) Writing a vocabulary quiz in Japanese. In an effort to somehow help my new student (whose English vocabulary consists of "homework, yes, no, good, ok", and the days of the week), I created a vocabulary quiz in which he connects the Japanese words to the English.  I was quite proud of myself.  Thanks Google Translate, and I hope you know what you're doing.
Okay, the truth is that, in reality, I was merely procrastinating checking some essays (which is my absolute least favorite teaching activity), but at least it was a beneficial procrastination time.

As a dear friend would say: "Ah, life's pleasantries."