Constant thunderstorms (no point in getting mad about, might as well enjoy it!); ankle socks with heels; my ridiculous & very jangly stacks of bangles; “I need to get you pregnant… asap”; sparkly pink lipstick before 9am; being told that I look like “a creepy witch” (oh, you); the fact that the Sam Edelman Balenciaga knock-off booties go on sale again in August (I got an email about it this morning, thank you so much Georgie, & almost DIED with glee); The Temptations’ Papa Was A Rolling Stone (surely a contender for one of the best songs ever recorded?); Yves Saint Laurent’s Imperiale Platform Over-The-Knee boot (I think I have actually become a shoe fetishist, it is very troubling & I foresee it also becoming very expensive); strangers who say odd but charming things like, “Have a blessings day!”; S-T-A-U-N-C-H!; blue peppermint jelly foot baths; bulk ordering magical vitamins from Canada; maybe maybe MAYBE going to London (I will keep you posted!)…

New brass knuckle earrings & new sunglasses!; The Dish’s ever-evolving nicknames for me (latest: Pinky McNutter); “If Hank” (you know, the dog) “was in a band, what instrument do you think he would play?” “The electric sleep”; eels! eels! eels!; David Dallas (um, hello, you are amazing, it makes me really happy to be able to count you as a friend); hanging out with old Scottish men; having my tattoo worked on (we only did about four hours on Monday but my siamese twins look so much better already, geez Tim you are the bestest)!; girls who can really really sing; scotch & ginger ale; “you make my life better every day”; looking forward to All Points West tomorrow (Jay-Z! Vampire Weekend! The National! The Pharcyde! The Knux! Flying Lotus! Q-Tip!); Jordon (who was once my pastry henchman & now I am his, nice switcheroo there buddy) & Sean (who is really never afraid to tell it like it is) — seriously, they are effing hilarious on a zillion different levels; good mail days; wearing pink irridescent eye glitter almost every day; cute messages; the very sweet responses to Love Letter To The Universe, & those moments of realisation where it occurs to you how nice the little life you have built for yourself really is.

“The people in my classes, including me, did not need to be controlled, managed, nor even taught. What we needed was to be encouraged, accepted & loved just for who we were. We needed not to be governed by a set of rules that would tell us what we needed to learn & what we needed to express, but to be given time in a supportive space to explore who we were & what we wanted, with the assistance of others who had our best interests at heart. I believe that is true not only for my students, but for all of us, humans & nonhumans alike. All we want, whether we are honeybees, salmon, trash-collecting ants, ponderosa pines, coyotes, human beings, or stars, is to love & be loved, to be accepted, cherished & celebrated simply for being who we are.” — Derrick Jensen

So then, my sweet coyotes, ponderosa pines & stars… what are you celebrating in your universe today?