My First Christmas Gift of 2008

This wasn't on my list...

... but you gotta love those company party white elephant gifts.

I Love My Chucks

These are the Converse All-Stars that I love.

They are my default shoes now.

These are the socks I love to wear with my Converse All-Stars.




I am afraid that in the coming months they aren't going to be pounding as much pavement as they normally do. My feet have been getting chilly out there in recent days. Perhaps I'll try thicker socks before I decide to relegate my shoes to warm days. I'm not sure I can stand the thought of putting them away.

A Simple Joy (courtesy of YouTube)

This afternoon I saw a young woman watching YouTube on her laptop in the Starbucks cafe. The first time I noticed her she was smiling. The second time I noticed her she was laughing. I couldn't hear her from across the room, but her head was moving and her mouth was open in a wide grin. I think she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but she also didn't seem able to keep herself from at least silent laughter. And that made me smile. Even now, a few hours later on the train, I am smiling as I think about it. I can't help myself. I love simple joys like that.