5 things I love right now

There are the things you know... like family and friends, nature, teaching, hiking, comics, boingboing, etc... but here are some things I feel deserve mentioning this morning:

1. REI - As you may recall, I recently got a backpack from REI.com. I love that I could order it online and get free shipping if I picked it up at the store. Well, I used it a couple of times and one of the zippers would fail to work every 5th or 6th time you zipped it. So I brought it back to the store. They shipped it off and had a new one to me in less than a week.

I really don't like store shopping anymore. I left two stores yesterday deciding I was going to "just buy online." But places like REI who do an amazing job of "brick and click" will hold my strongest loyalty. By the way, the pack is the Venturi 40 if you are looking for a great day pack.

2. Crazy '08 - I am really enjoying this book right now. I've tried to read books about baseball history before and failed. For me, the writing of baseball's history has often failed to capture the allure of baseball history. Not so with this book. I am engrossed and I haven't even gotten to the chapter about the Cubs and their winning the 1908 World Series! Oh, it'll be a beautiful chapter.

3. Learning to crochet - my mom spent many an evening at needlework (which is an amzing accomplishment when you live in a house with as many as 5 cats). I have decided to learn to crochet. Specifically because of these little guys. I want to learn the art of amigurumi. I've got the book, so here we go. Ian, Avery and Lucas get ready ... don't worry I also got this book, so they won't ALL be creepy, some will be super happy. (photo cred.)


4. Our free air-conditioning. It has been warm (I'd say hot, but I promised not to use that word to describe the Bay Area after returning from DC). And, it has been so lovely to go cool off at the beaches. Last night after an anniversary (3 marriage, 2 California-living) dinner at Joe's, we headed to Muir Beach. We went from looking for ice cream to enjoying the free hot chocolate being handed out by the park rangers as part of the Summer Solstice celebration. Mmmmmmm. Free, non-pollutant A/C. Thank you Pacific Ocean.

5. This song by Brett Dennen:


I am also enjoying the Violent Femmes returning the cover-love with Gnarls Barkley, but that was Boing Boing inspired, so it is not "unique."