things I'd like to see in the world

1. the dead sea
2. peace amongst nations
3. the scottish highlands
4. taking trains around mali, africa
5. graceland
6. women receiving equal pay as men
7. the northern lights
8. the pyramids (egypt and mexico)
9. the amalfi coast
10. all of my clients being successful in life
11. middle america via cross country bike trip
12. iceland
13. greater tolerance
14. twin peaks
15. one of the remaining 500 snow leopards in nepal
16. wooden toymakers of seiffen, germany
17. penguins in antarctica
18. france (for the bread and the countryside)
19. dominican rebublic
20. the huge heads on easter island
21. polar bears in the arctic
22. greece
23. all of the national parks in america
24. spain
25. the south pole
26. atlantis
27. milan, italy
28. taj mahal
29. alaska
30. all of the landmarks featured in the oregon trail computer game
31. puerto rico (the caves)
32. the chilean coast and the home of pablo neruda
33. selling everything & travelling nowhere particular
34. an excellent education system, affordable (or free!) college for all!
35. mount fuji
36. the creation of time machines
37. the forest bridge of the americas
38. all the parts of new zealand that are in the lord of the rings movies
39. france
40. russia (trans-siberian railroad)
41. the great wall of china
42. victoria falls
43. tibet
44. the mother river in china
45. mongolia
46. middle america via cross country bike trip
47. the north pole
48. cuba
49. stevie wonder's living room
50. slovenia
51. bollywood
52. tahiti
53. that wax museum in london
54. abandoned farms in north dakota
55. the great white spirit bear
56. brazil
57. happiness and a good life for the future generations
58. north wales
59. a cheetah
60. cape town
61. brazil
62. the amausement park on top of the mountain outside barcelona
63. architecture in uruguay
64. whales in the wild
65. himalayas
66. thailand
67. new england
68. my great grandchildren
69. anti hangover medicine
70. mt shasta from closer
71. a turquoise wall in india
72. a reform of the us school system
73. china (hong kong, temples, great wall)
74. the south pole
75. bill murray at a barbeque in new jersey
76. japan
77. a stone circle in a forest somewhere
78. elimination of the death penalty
79. excellent healthcare for everyone. access to medicine and treatments, no matter your salary, race, ethnicity
80. istanbul
81. a female president of the united states
82. the north pole
83. a reform of the catholic church
84. gaudi's architecture
85. morocco
86. prague
87. whales in the wild
88. germany
89. norway
90. austin, tx
91. tokyo
92. all of the national parks in canada
93. the toilets in australia... to see if they really flush backwards
94. the yukon
95. the sundial bridge in california
96. hybrids becoming cooler than hummers
97. a redwood tree
98. peru
99. a love of reading
100. people marrying the people they love, no matter their sexuality, race, gender, religion
101. india
102. the underground rivers of the yukatan
103. rome (pope mobile!)
104. an actual island where you can deport your ex-boyfriends
105. helsinki in the summertime
106. the grand canyon
107. petra, jordan
108. crete
109. israel
110. pizza machines
111. a shift towards renewable energies
112. the amazon
113. good education for all
114. the modern wonders
115. a jaguar from less than 3 feet
116. the ancient egyptian ruins/artifacts
117. maccu picchu
118. wrigley field
119. turkey
120. the south pacific
121. hovercraft
122. red flowers on fiji
123. the grand canyon
124. rural alaska in mid-winter
125. where my grandparents grew up in russia and poland
126. the spice road
127. africa

list by: alyson, amanda, ashley, becky, darcy, deirdre, jamie, other jamie, jan marie, katie, lauren, maggie, maura, and mom
photo by maggie

favorite movies

1. the wizard of oz
2. the lives of others
3. stand by me
4. what about bob?
5. science of sleep
6. places in the heart
7. manchurian candidate (both of them)
8. indiana jones (all 3)
9. le circle rouge
10. days of heaven
11. casablanca
12. band of outsiders
13. anchorman: the legend of ron burgundy
14. a league of their own
15. e.t.
16. how green was my valley
17. jungle book
18. adam’s rib
19. pretty woman
20. wedding crashers
21. zelig
22. two for the road
23. 10 things i hate about you
24. bonnie and clyde
25. the incredible mr. limpet
26. l’eclisse
27. written on the wind
28. mermaids
29. knocked up
30. all that heaven allows
31. devil and daniel johnston
32. little women (the christian bale one)
33. young guns
34. the searchers
35. batman
36. the color of pomegranates
37. vertigo
38. the wedding party
39. the last temptation of christ
40. spartacus
41. aliens but not alien, not alien3 and not alien resurrection and not aliens vs. predator (that was a huge disappointment...how could a movie with aliens and predator be that bad?)
42. strangers on a train
43. when harry met sally
44. better off dead
45. amores perros
46. the life aquatic
47. princess bride
48. rocky
49. love actually
50. the hours
51. toy story, toy story 2
52. annie hall
53. 16 candles
54. o brother where art thou?
55. reservoir dogs
56. the jerk
57. thomas crowne affair
58. the reckless moment
59. don’t look now
60. breathless
61. grease
62. home movies
63. midnight cowboy
64. the good, the bad and the ugly
65. bull durham
66. la confidential...11 years later, i’m still bitter titanic won over that movie...seriously, you knew what was going to happen
67. a tree grows in brooklyn
68. you can count on me
69. the goonies
70. klute
71. finding nemo
72. all about eve
73. city of lost children
74. in the realms of the unreal
75. harold & maude
76. straw dogs
77. sleeping beauty (disney)
78. the usual suspects
79. basquiat
80. touch of evil
81. reality bites
82. mash
83. anne of green gables
84. wayne’s world
84. the lady of shanghai
85. heathers
86. fire walk with me
87. aladdin
88. point blank
89. the music man
90. swing time
91. women in love
92. little miss sunshine
93. dangerous beauty
94. sophie’s choice
95. rosemary’s baby
96. almost famous
97. marathon man
98. goodfellas
99. beauty and the beast
100. the thin man
101. splendor in the grass
102. waiting for guffman
103. pulp fiction
104. high fidelity
105. breakfast at tiffany’s
106. guess who’s coming to dinner (old version)
107. a little princess
108. empire records
109. sex and lucia
110. cq
111. the best years of our lives
112. they live by night
113. second hand lions
114. lilies of the field
115. oklahoma
116. bunny lake is missing
117. duck, you sucker
118. pee-wee’s big adventure
119. stealing home
120. untamed heart
121. mccabe and mrs. miller
122. je chanterai pour toi
123. five easy pieces
124. amelie
125. charade
126. love film
127. girl interrupted
128. the incredibles
129. star wars: the empire strikes back
130. rushmore
131. pride and prejudice (bbc version)
132. greetings
133. dark victory
134. the mirror (tarkovsky)
135. shop girl
136. harry and tonto
137. cinderella
138. airplane
139. manhattan
140. his girl friday
141. some kind of wonderful
142. the dirty dozen
143. lost in translation
144. alice in wonderland (disney)
145. hi, mom! (aka blue mahattan)
146. the big chill
147. thelma and louise
148. once upon a time in the west
149. badlands
150. monty python and the holy grail
151. singin’ in the rain
152. st. elmo’s fire
153. raising arizona
154. flashdance
155. au revoir les enfants
156. lord of the rings trilogy
157. romance (catherine breillat)
158. the philadelphia story
159. superbad
160. out of africa
161. last of the mohicans
162. bring it on
163. my mother’s castle
164. the holiday
165. rambo
166. ed wood
167. alice
168. snow white and the seven dwarfs
169. dirty harry
170. once
171. cinema paradiso
172. the little mermaid
173. truly, madly, deeply
174. saving private ryan
175. laura
176. ferris bueller’s day off (which got old after seeing it at every high-school sanctioned event)
177. any sherlock holmes with basil rathbone
178. napoleon dynamite
179. sleepless in seattle
180. the wild bunch
181. persona
182. heaven can wait
183. beach blanket bingo
184. holes
185. night of the hunter
186. school of rock
187. the shop around the corner
188. rififi
189. love and basketball
190. spinal tap
191. good will hunting
192. bringing up baby
193. rope
194. stealing beauty
195. dazed and confused
196. back to the future
197. songcatcher
198. pretty in pink
199. say anything
200. harold & kumar
201. blade runner
202. the royal tennenbaums
203. life is beautiful
204. heaven’s gate
205. roman holiday
206. labyrinth
207. dirty dancing

list by: amanda, ashley, becky, deirdre, emily, jan, jennie, karrie, lauren, maggie, marcia, megan, mom, pete, and rebecca
photo by becky

things that keep getting better

1. old things
2. my squirrel infestation (finally!)
3. my boyfriend and how wonderful he is
4. passion
5. securities and insecurities
6. robots
7. slasher flicks
8. ciao bella's gelato flavors!
9. love (i'm talking about the philia kind, i haven't figured out eros yet)
10. plants
11. my new love with the boy who knows the latin names of trees
12. the photographs of Alec Soth
13. this list
14. rachel
15. my "pigeon pose" in yoga
16. the look of the stars from country roads
17. vacations and not being at work, the longer you are gone
18. brussel sprouts
19. riding bikes
20 my domestic skills
21. my twenties
22. my salt and pepper shaker collection (and my container collection)
23. the springtime weather
24. my camera
25. writing a song
26. my sewing and knitting skills
27. library dvd collections
28. maggie (seriously)
29. anticipating trips and other things as they get closer and closer
30. cuddling
31. my cat's ability to know when she needs to blow her nose
32. mom and dad
33. my understanding of natural physics
34. project runway
35. long distance friendships
36. portland
37. my cousins' baby, Marissa
38. my winter blues
39. the growing scent of orange blossoms each morning when i go outside to my car
40. music (especially rediscovering old music)
41. my students
42. growing up43. wine, whiskey and cheese44. my laugh lines
45. summertime
46. soy products47. making out
48. the combination of granola bars (plain) and chocolate (dark) or granola bars (cashew) and yogurt (maple)
49. my relationship with my kids
50. sleeping
51. my wardrobe
52. dad's temper
53. hugs (unless they break ribs)
54. my view of the world via photography
55. the environment - NOT!
56. these new jeans
57. flirting
58. the wire (at least so far)
59. my apartment
60. my relationship! (i still get giddy)
61. the feel of sunshine
62. leah
63. learning skills
64. the vegetable selection at the co-op
65. my little sister
66. our communication skills
67. adventures
68. my ever-expanding extended family
69. cracked walls and vintage wallpaper
70. my cooking abilities
71. motivation
72. real handwriting, physical penmanship
73. my ability to hide my dislike of new foods that i'm trying (really, it's not so obvious that i'm disgusted now!)
74. friendships
75. vodka
76. camaraderie during snowstorms
77. fun dates
78. marriage
79. his whittling skills
80. my life
81. my taste in music
82. the chiropractor visits (fewer and farther between)
83. free time
84. these projects
85. the concise-ness of my daily calendar
86. vegan cupcakes
87. wheat thins

list by: allie, becky, chad, emily, jamie, jennie, jess, maggie, megan, mom, sammie, and susan
photo by jennie

ways to beat insomnia

1. drink lots of tea
2. read non-fiction
3. facebook-stalk
4. take calms forte (a homeopathic combination remedy)
5. picture a blank sheet of white paper
6. smoke a massive amount of pot
7. (think of) a lover's snuggle
8. read a boring book (people wish me good night when i say i'm going to read)
9. drink warm milk
10. masturbate
11. read Jane Austen books
12. progressively tighten all of the muscles in your body and hold them tight for 10 seconds, then let them all go all at once. this always elicits a yawn for me, and if I do it a few times I always fall asleep
13. try and recite the ABCs over and over and over, to stop thinking about all of the things that might be keeping me awake
14. watch old episodes of 90210
15. write lists
16. take two gulps of nyquil
17. use breathing exercises from yoga
18. eat, eat, eat, and eat. eat way too much
19. take whatever pills are available (excluding uppers)
20. execute post-electoral analysis
21. make it as cold as possible and get under the covers
22. cuddle
23. cry over your lost lenore
24. take ambien, tylenol pm, simply sleep
25. worry (this isn't effective)
26. type a blog or write in a journal
27. read young adult classics (Witch of Blackbird Pond, etc.)
28. go on a five star haitian rum
29. drink, although sometimes it has the reverse effect
30. think of colors in rainbow order from red to lavender, picturing things that are that color if I can't imagine the color by itself
31. window shop via the internet (going to websites and picking out all the clothes you would buy if it were not 12:30am, you were out shopping, and you had more than a few pennies in your wallet)
32. stream the O.C. online until your brain shuts off
33. watch banal television programming
34. try and keep eyes open… the ole reverse psychology
35. rub your feet together
36. have sex
37. three words: "have a baby"
38. work your ass off at the gym every day
39. think about your future wedding
40. take a train ride or a plane ride - two favorite sleeping places
41. count sheep, cows…anything
42. read collection development policies
43. have a one sided conversation
44. eat a giant plate of pasta
45. give in and just watch tv
46. think about who is going on your fantasy baseball team
47. open a window, walk around, sip of something - a reset of sorts
48. watch a tv-series marathon
49. do crossword puzzles
50. watch Jim Jarmusch movies
51. touch your goody box
52. take a shower
53. read a non-boring book, preferably a childhood favorite
54. drink yogi bedtime tea
55. maker's mark
56. lay out the furniture in a to-be-bought house
57. drink a hot toddy
58. do homework
59. write lists of things to do the next day
60. count backwards from twenty
61. sleep, what the hell for? stay awake long enough and it'll come
62. roll your eyes in circles, counting how many times you can make the circle
63. watch a movie
64. watch something boring on tv
65. lie as still as possible and repeat "go to sleep" as a mantra
66. go outside on the balcony and smell the air- take deep breaths
67. listen to your favorite slow songs (yes, this sometimes includes monster eighties ballads)

list by: amanda, ashley, becky, ben, chris, cranky librarian, dierdre, hannah, jess, jon, karrie, katie, maggie, mom, sammie, and rebecca
photo by ashley

things you are proud of

1. my credit score
2. fritter has the softest fur coat of any cat ever, just like a rabbit
3. learning lessons
4. becoming vegetarian and not looking back
5. being a good mom
6. marrying mike
7. growing up into a better, more fun person
8. my kids’ creativity
9. anyone who can knit more than a scarf
10. when my high school vice principal-mr. z sent me a letter my freshman year of college saying how proud he was of me…(we spent a lot of time together)
11. my assertiveness
12. my mom got her master’s degree at 56!
13. my three and a half friends
14. learning to love beans
15. i won the school spelling bee in 5th grade, over all the 6th graders
16. keeping in touch
17. jumping off a chairlift at sugarloaf
18. learning to let go
19. my family
20. all of my disgustingly talented friends
21. my neat handwriting
22. the seagull imitation i do at summer barbecues
23. my family’s commitment to making the world a better place
24. surviving love
25. my vegan chocolate cupcakes are internationally famous
26. being a mom
27. my creativity
28. my husband overcoming paralysis
29. graduating from uconn
30. i can make something delicious out of near-empty refrigerators and pantries
31. making a living as non-wedding photographer
32. surfing in maui
33. being proactive and having it pay off
34. remembering my twin brothers birthday :)
35. being an avid cook
36. i have moments of great patience
37. my book collection
38. those few things i do well
39. almost every one of my above-the-fold cover publications
40. never asking my parents for money after college (not that they would’ve given it to me anyway)
41. my ability to connect with people
42. i’m a damn good editor
43. my husband
44. the day i quit my job at northeast test consultants (crooks) without a new one, poverty!
45. my photography learning trajectory
46. second chances
47. my kids’ ability to connect with people
48. the cappuccino foam i so masterfully craft for unappreciative customers
49. being alive
50. learning to be myself and comfortable in my own skin
51. my sisters, brother and father
52. chasing down thieves in a car while riding my bike and then lecturing them
53. helping friends and strangers – poor, sick, cranky, etc
54. the day (two weeks before i quit ntc) when i told my boss i wouldn’t falsify a client’s report (crooks and liars)
55. following through on resolutions
56. my sister, all the time, even when she fails
57. having quit my corporate job
58. how amazingly far parker has come in a short 7 months
59. being a pisces
60. my family, for being so talented and caring, even if they are all nuts
61. an a+ on my 6th grade science project on anorexia & bulimia
62. my studio
63. that i can tap my head and rub my belly simultaneously
64. catching the first striped bass of the year, out of all my friends-nantucket, summer 1996
65. the length of time i can stand on one foot
66. the day i reported a sick, perverted man of sexual harassment
67. my new york times publications

list by: ben, becky, hanna, jennie, karrie, maggie, marcia, megan and mom
photo by jennie

things to love about valentine's day

1. hallmark love slogans
2. girly glitter on everything
3. smiling the entire day just because your facial muscles will not do anything else.
4. the anonymous portland hearts
5. thinking of fun things to make my husband from my daughter
6. “will you be my valentine?”
7. my dad always sends me flowers
8. an excuse to go out to dinner on a week night
9. heart shaped cookies with frosting and sprinkles
10. turning it into valentine’s week
11. love is in the air!
12. leaving secret chocolates for your fellow cube farmers
13. if you’re single you get to bitch about how stupid the holiday is and if you’re with someone (finally) you get to realize how stupid the holiday is in relation to the rest of the time you spend with your love
14. goosebumps
15. people dressed in black (hysterical)
16. candy, especially those cinnamon hearts
17. unexpected, really, really generous gifts from family members
18. being in love
19. champagne/wine with cheese/chocolate decadence
20. blankets
21. not wearing red on the day just to be ornery
22. that there’s a day devoted to love, even if it’s commercialized
23. handmade valentines especially when they’re from little kids
24. sugar sugar sugar
25. all the chocolate you can stand
26. the beauty in simplicity and lack of grandeuor... good earth restaurant, froyo, and funny face
27. ribbons
28. (i’m not a bitter person at all, but) it’s kind of fun to be bitter about valentine’s day
29. surprises and thoughtfulness
30. gettin’ some carnal knowledge later that night
31. giving chocolates to waitresses, checkout clerks, etc...the people who least expect it
32. constant spooning
33. presents!
34. the hope that maybe, just once, this year jon will do something romantic. that hope doesn’t usually last long
35. the carnations we used to buy each other in high school
36. hugs and kisses
37. the rush i would get from writing “love becky” instead of “from becky” on the cards that i put into jason and kirk’s box in grade school
38. nougat
39. kids exchanging valentines (i hope they still do… please don’t ever tell me they don’t)
40. unconventional gifts
41. candy and flowers
42. love, love, love
43. pink! purple! red!
44. planning what to wear out on a v-day date
45. being totally sappy about how much you love them to your friends who really hate valentine’s day
46. making delicious heart-shaped chocolatey things
47. you have an excuse to get really dolled up and girly and pink, even when you’re just making a trip to whole foods and not going out until way later...and you’re not even going anywhere fancy
48. handmade cards from my niece and nephew
49. the 20 or so dollars my grandmother sticks in with our cards
50. cupid’s butt
51. slave labor diamond trades
52. it only comes once a year
53. the bamboo plant my husband gave me, when he was my boyfriend, for the our 1st valentine’s day
54. being excited about love when it hasn’t been this exciting in years
55. the fact that it’s not just about romantic love, but ALL the love in your life
56. permission to draw hearts on everything
57. half price chocolate the next day
58. red tulips
59. it’s a day that involves chocolate and cupcakes and sweet things in the middle of february... the dreariest month ever
60. blushing smiles
61. having a sweet, romantic, homemade meal with your main squeeze including candles and brunello and some freaking amazing dessert that you share
62. thinking back on dating people who "didn't believe in valentine's day" and realizing what jerks they were
63. cookie decorating (food coloring, cookie cutters, sprinkles why oh why is my icing always too runny?)
64. dropping off a card at a favorite aunt’s house whose daughter is away at college and cannot be with her on v-day, and getting a great reaction
65. that 73% of men buy flowers
66. sweet tart brand candy hearts
67. telling people i love them and why
68. those little valentine’s you used to get in 3rd grade
69. being “those people” that can’t stop kissing and hugging in the middle of a major street
70. making fun valentines cards for people you love and sending them without a note so they’re not quite sure it was you
71. heart shaped boxes wrapped in cellophane filled with chocolate

list by: ashley, becky, cranky librarian, hannah, joe, jon, karrie, katie, lauren, maggie, marcia and rebecca
photo by miss bliss

things you'll never tell your parents

1. i eat ice cream for dinner more often that i will ever ever tell you
2. there is a dove tattoo on my right lower hip
3. i wish i had tried more in school so i couldve actually done something with my life
4. i went to the mall high once and it was awesome
5. i hated those girls that you wanted me to be friends with- they were mean people
6. i had an affair with hallucinogens
7. i used to binge eat the cookie dough in the outside refrigerator while i watched cartoons after school
8. how i really met my boyfriend (online dating)
9. how far in debt i am
10. i am a really good liar
11. your girlfriend doesn't have very good taste and i returned nearly all of my christmas presents this year
12. my first kiss was drunken
13. when we used to say we were bowling we were usually drinking in the bushes downtown
14. i hit someone else's parked car in the parking lot when i drove your station wagon to school during finals and just pretended that someone else hit me
15. anything related to sex
16. tj was the same person as the james
17. i stole stuff in high school
18. i heard them having sex one time
19. i really dont like anyone outside of my immediate family
20. i am a better driver than you
21. that time you called and asked if i wanted to have brunch and i said i was in the car, running to the store to buy milk - yeah, i was actually driving home from a boy's house at 10 in the morning
22. my friends and i were the ones who drank away the wall of liquor in the basement
how righteously stoned i was that day they made me go test drive a new used car with them (after i hit the guard rail)
23. i got arrested
24. i went to health class drunk almost every week
25. i didn't really go on birth control because the doctor said it would help my skin
26. that boy up the street was growing marijuana in his closet and was not a good influence even though he was pretty
27. the bizarre sexual fetish my ex has (though it would be so satisfying to tell)
28. i have performed sex acts that you think are repulsive
29. i've kissed a boy
30. i was a smoker for about 8 years
31. I want to get married and have babies right now (with my boyfriend...even though I am not technically divorced from my (ex)-husband yet. eek.)
32. i think i walked in on you having sex when i was like 8
33. when my mom knocked on my bedroom door at 3:30 in the morning when i was 18 years old and my boyfriend was in there with me.... i told her not to worry, we were just kissing. riiiiiight mom.
34. it wasn't water that i spilled on that desk chair
35. anything related to masturbation
36. i only pretended not to understand the mulva episode of seinfeld because i was embarrassed to be watching something like that with my dad
37. the age when i lost virginity
38. i look through her mail to understand her finances better
39. i have driven slightly drunk
40. i can forge your signature like nobody's business
41. i have never seen that tommy lee jones movie that you think I saw 5 times
42. i lost the ring you made in high school jewelry class but i didn't want to tell you
43. certain interracial relationships I've had- it's not worth the fighting, he's old and I want to enjoy him
44. my first huge crush was on fred post even though i told you it wasn't
45. i actually think you are really great parents even though you were so strict
46. i fault my dad for leaving two marriages
47. i drove into a snowbank the first week I had my car
48. i think you need counseling because you can be really unstable and mean
49. i was really mean to that boy in college because he deserved it
50. my neck was not sore just because i slept funny, but because i slept funny on a boy's arm
51. that cigarette burn in my car wasnt someone leaning in. it was tyler but I didnt want you to know because I liked him
52. in high school I accidentally burned down a building
53. i never sent a thank you note after i bought my car
54. the only reason I liked DMB was because I was stoned and pretending I was in the rainforest
55. when i was 19 i rammed into a guardrail on the highway with my car. it kept me from being able to open either of the doors on the driver's side of my car and caused multiple other hilarious issues. i told my parents it was because a tractor trailer came REALLY close to swerving into my lane on the highway and hitting me. but the REAL truth is that i was trying to stabilize a can of cheeseballs in between my seat and the passenger seat and i was just totally not paying attention.
56. when you asked if r. and i were platonic friends and i said yes, i was lying
57. i think i will find a great sense of relief when my mother dies
58. I skipped most of my senior year
59. I had two abortions
60. sometimes i pretend to be at work when i'm really at home pretending to be sick and i don't want you to be mad at me for taking a sick day

list by: ashley, amanda, becky, hannah, maggie, maura, rebecca, sammie and stef
photo by stefanoodle frances-face