What made you smile today?

I saw a granny-type riding a bike today, she looked like she was 90-years-old but was hauling ass!

Now that wouldn't be so funny alone, but she was wearing an ankle-length dress tucked under her rear and the seat. Everyone on the street turned to look at the sight.

I hope that dress doesn't get caught in the gears or chain!

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@Robert Gentel,

She's probably had enough practice not to have that problem.

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Our former housemate is having a baby today! i'm far away and have no news but still can hardly contain myself in expectation. they're super people, she and her husband and will make the world's craziest and most wonderful parents.

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This morning, in the midst of our long drought, we had about twenty minutes of thunder and then five minutes heavy rain drops. I found myself smiling and humming the tune to "rain drops falling on my head...". Then it dried up and the temperature rose to 110F.

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@JLNobody,

Tonight I babysat for Francesca, the six year old child of friends of mine. She's an original, very exuberant spirit who I gather can be quite exhausting to people who spend a lot of time around her.
I found her delightful - she gave me a posy of flowers when I walked through the door and then when we were talking later she told me that she finds it difficult to make friends at school. In fact, she said, she only has three and she 'falls out' with two of those on a regular basis - but then she broke into a beautiful smile when she explained to me that it was okay (after I said that that must be difficult) because she has 'OVER 14 imaginary friends'.
I had to smile - when she said, not 'around fourteen' or 'fourteen' but 'OVER fourteen imaginary friends'.
I think she'll be fine.

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@aidan,

That's sweet!

My smile -- just got an email from my friend containing only a photo. The photo was of sozlet, grinning and holding a tarantula. (Sozlet's at camp today and my friend went to pick up her daughter from the half-day version of the camp and saw the tarantula business.)

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@sozobe,

While we are talking about our smiles let me note that the 19th century psychologist-philosopher, William James, suggested that we smile (as a physiological reflex) when we feel happy AND we feel happy (also as a physiological reflex) when we smile. Test this by smiling and seeing if you feel a sensation of happiness.

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@JLNobody,

Yep, I have a book about facial expressions and that was discussed -- they were doing experiments with isolating various expressions and found a reverse cause-and-effect. "Happy" expressions raised their mood, while sad/ depressed/ angry ones made them feel worse.

I didn't know about the studies but I used to always grin at myself in the reflective doors of the elevator to a job I hated -- it always made me a little less despairing (my heart always sank as I approached the office).

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@JLNobody,

Yes - along the same lines, ever since I was a kid - I don't know who started it - my crazy younger sister or I, but we would just start laughing at nothing - fake laughing, 'ha, ha, ha...and it would just gather steam and get louder and louder and pretty soon, we'd both be genuinely laughing to the point that we couldn't stop. I tried it the other day in my car - it worked, so I DO think there's something to it.

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@sozobe,

Quote:

That's sweet!

She's very sweet. I enjoy my time with her.

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@sozobe,

Quote:

my heart always sank as I approached the office

Could it be soz that your feminine nature rebelled at being stuck in an office rather than kicking your legs up on the stage in a low Parisian nightclub?

I used to dream of scoring chanceless centuries for England and my heart still sinks at the prospect of doing all these other things instead. Especially today when England could have done with a centurion.

Charles Darwin, who I assume you have heard of, did research into the facial expressions of monkeys.

BTW--has Mr Obama rewarded you for the sterling efforts you put in on his behalf?

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@aidan,

Quote:

my crazy younger sister or I, but we would just start laughing at nothing - fake laughing, 'ha, ha, ha...and it would just gather steam and get louder and louder and pretty soon, we'd both be genuinely laughing to the point that we couldn't stop. I tried it the other day in my car - it worked, so I DO think there's something to it.

Don't let any ambulence drivers see you doing that Becks.

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@spendius,

funny you should say that - the other day I saw a paramedic I know driving an ambulance like a maniac on the A38 and I thought - wouldn't that be ironic if he hit me - someone he knew and liked and wouldn't he feel horrible if he had to extract me from the wreckage with the jaws of life and revive me?
I like this guy - but sometimes I think he's a paramedic for the rush - he has that sort of personality and so I wasn't surprised to see him driving fast - just because he could.

What made me smile is that I sold THREE photographs today - and I didn't even have them for SALE (formally)!
And one was of a tractor in the snow which I thought was pure Americana - but this British guy said that it reminded him of his childhood and he wanted it for that reason.
We're not as different as we think we are....

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@aidan,

That's not so far off the mark re the paramedic I know. He was diagnosed fairly early with add or adhd, I forget which, and had a facility for the 'rush', was exceptionally good at sussing out situations before others would.

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@ossobuco,

Yeah - whatever their other character deficiencies - being 'first responders' on various scenes takes a certain personality for sure - and alot of guts.

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@aidan,

There's a bloke in the pub reckons that it's the wallets and handbags. But he's a cynic.

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@spendius,

Quote:

But he's a cynic.

I should say so - slap his hand for me.

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I'm thinking something horribly mean and it's making me smile, maybe even laugh out loud.

A former poster here had a very distinct style in her approach to life, and her view of herself. Distinct. Distinctive.

so, I was reading a review of something (where it was published wais relevant to the mean smile as well) ... and came upon

Quote:

The central argument, in précis: second-wave feminism"with its endless reading lists and casually divorced breadwinners, its stridently unshaven armpits and Crock-Pots of greasy coq au vin"was fine for the educated set, the B.A.-in-anthropology, little-bit-of-money-put-aside women who could get themselves master’s degrees in library science, peel off the Playtex 18-Hour Living Girdle one last time, and divest themselves of the whole maddening, saddening, 24-Hour Living Death of mid-century housewifery.

my gawd. It was like I was standing across from her again, slack-jawed.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200909/sex-married-man

the unshaven armpits are wrong - but the rest of it - the author got her, but good (and I suspect may even have had her - the very particular her - in mind)

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@ehBeth,

I'll check that out, ehBeth.

My good smile for today was that Fed Ex showed up with my Betty Priors -
sale items I plan to plant in my parkway soon. (Price on the link was not the sale price).

http://www.heirloomroses.com/cgi-bin/browse.cgi?page=item&cat=11&item=1214

http://www.heirloomroses.com/photos/betty_prior-300.jpg

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@ossobuco,

Exciting exciting news for an Abuzz/A2K friend.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/3825765986/

Quote:

One of my images was found on flickr and selected by a very famous, internationally-known artist to use in creating a special cover for a New York Times Magazine. This is the 5th Anniversary Issue for the New York Times Style Magazine, an annual feature for Fall Fashion 2009. It is now out in publication today, Sunday. You will see that Jenny Holzer has used my image of ocean waves to create her cover for the magazine

HUUUUGE smiling

1 Reply

What made you smile today?

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