Wreck This Journal: Smile

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The last few Wreck This Journal posts highlighted some critical epiphanies, so I thought it was time to be a little more lighthearted.  There are several blank pages in the journal, which I’ve decided are there for me to experiment with my own ideas.  On one of those blank pages I created a little shrine for a few things in life that make me happy.  Aside from family, friends, and a slew of other little joys, these are some of my favorite things that keep me smiling:

The curve of the book makes it hard to read so I’ll fill in a few blanks!

Books . . . make me think.  I’ve had a book in my hand every since I was little girl.  To this day, a lot of my free time is spent reading everything from literature, mainstream, YA, and historical non-fiction.  It’s a passion!  Every evening, I look forward to time with a good book.

Chocolate . . . is a food group (I swear it is).  This will probably be my undoing, but I can’t resist that sweet, smooth, and delectable treat.  It’s almost like I have a relationship with this stuff, (especially Reese’s Peanut Butter cups!).

Movies . . . remind me to dream.  I go to the movies almost every weekend ($5 on Sunday mornings!) and I have a massive DVD collection in my home.  And never mind, what I keep on my iPod!  I love just about every genre as long as its well-made, original, fun, or thought provoking.  Movies take me to another place and let my imagination go crazy.

TV . . . is both good and bad.  I only watch a handful of shows, but once or twice a week I’m glued to the TV.  After a long day of work or a hard day of writing, my brain needs a break!  Currently, I’m watching Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, The Office (sometimes), Once Upon a Time, and Psych.

Crosswords . . . keep me searching for the right words.  Every day after work, I sit down with a bowl of cereal and complete a crossword puzzle.  It’s relaxing and it keeps my mind sharp.  As a writer, I’m fascinated by words and I think its incredibly important to always keep my inner dictionary fresh and updated.

Music . . . is my emotional soundtrack.  My iPod is never more than a couple feet away from me.  It’s filled with playlists for every mood, writing project, or event in my life.  Some of my playlists include: At the Movies, Bluesy Rock, BritFolk, Cheese Factory (essentially this is guilty pleasure music that is cheesy beyond belief), Christmas, Classical, Rainy Day, Running Music, If I Could Dance, Easy Listening, Feel Good Mix, and Feelin’ Fierce.  There’s many more, but this is already sounding a bit crazy!

Barnes & Noble Cafe . . . makes me smile and gives me a place to relax.  Yes, I actually cut apart my coffee cup and pasted it to the page! I spend anywhere from 3 to 4 evenings a week at my local Barnes & Noble.  I love the people, the coffee, and the atmosphere.  This is where I write, relax, and socialize.  It’s like a second home to me and I always look forward to walking through the doors.

What are your favorite things?

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For previous Wreck This Journal posts, please see my sidebar and tag cloud.

c.b. 2011

30 thoughts on “Wreck This Journal: Smile”

  1. This list includes everything I wish I had time for! 😛

    As a Brit, I didn’t even know about Barnes & Noble until I was at least 18 years old, but now when Grant and I go up to Easton mall in Columbus, my first words on walking in the doors are ‘Let’s go go Barnes & Noble!’ Too bad books are so heavy to take back to Scotland; and too bad I spend all my free time reading in French and Spanish for my course. : (

    Thanks for another great post! It’s good to see that it’s possible to have time to relax with music, movies, tv, books and crosswords!

    Like

    • There’s always a few minutes each day to give to yourself. It’s important to refuel every once in a while!

      We may have Barnes & Noble, but Britain has some amazing independent booksellers! If they started putting coffee cafes in some of those shops, I’d never come home! Lol.

      Thanks for reading! 🙂

      Like

  2. I love your pages of whimsy. So many truths in them. And while I don’t watch television and movies very often, I adore crossword puzzles. Brain games rock and do wonders in jumpstarting my muse.

    Hugs~

    Like

  3. i love this list! & journalness qualities make me happy.

    ah barnes & noble how i miss you. i am exactly the same only now i live in the uk and somehow… it’s just not the same. i don’t know why. my fav hole-in-the-wall coffee shop at the mo is 40 mins away, green, fair trade, superbly couched and covered with monkeys — but no books.
    seriously, i think it’s a mission.

    on my favorite things… i’m gonna have to say(allthosethingsand)the ocean/forests/ferns/animals and nature in general. rain as well. and wind. and walking when no one else is awake looking at the stars. hiking. being the only still person in a busy place.

    bit of a theme there, but hey.

    Like

    • I have another page dedicated to nature. I spent a large part of my childhood in a heavily wooded area trees, ferns, and wild grass filled my field of view. 🙂 Just the thought of so much beauty brings a smile to my face.

      Keep looking at those stars!

      Thanks so much for reading!

      Like

  4. What a wonderful list and so you. It has me thinking about mine . . . in comparison there’s very little tv and no movies. Books, Chocolate, Barnes& Noble or Starbucks for a change, along with journaling and mixed-media art or some kind of doodling. Anything so I can have a pen in my hand.
    Thank you for sharing this list. It really has me thinking.

    Like

    • Thanks! 🙂

      I wanted to put crafts and doodling, but I ran out of room! I may have to extend this list onto another blank page.

      You’re probably onto something with less TV. 😉 I can’t decide if my TV fandom is a fatal flaw or just plain crazy. Lol.

      Thanks for sharing your list!

      Like

  5. You hit on a few of my favorites too – especially reese’s pbutter cups (YUMMM! I already ate them all out of my kids’ halloween stash!) and Barnes & Noble cafe. I LOVE that place. 🙂
    Thanks for sharing this – it’s so fun to learn more about you!

    Like

  6. Reese’s Peanut Butter cups…I was just polishing off a few as I started ready your post. Unfortunately, no kids came by on Monday night so I’m stuck with a huge bag of them. And they’re even better right out of the freezer!
    🙂

    Like

  8. Great journal page! Since you’ve said you like all genre of movies, here’s one for you that I can’t stop thinking about.
    “The Skin I Live In” (or something like that) with Anthony Bandaras; Spanish-made film with sub-titles. Well-made, artful, full of surprises, not-my-usual genre so I went out-of-the-box on this one, but inventive, engaging….

    Like

  10. I haven’t had a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for thirty-odd years…. (not kidding, I can’t find them in Europe). I’ve tried and experimented many times to create similar treats – never got anywhere near how I remember the original. That might be my memory sweetening up things, or my ingredients are too healthy – in any case, now that you bring them up I can taste them.

    Thank you for turning RPBC into a no-calories mental treat 😉

    Like

    • The imagination is a powerful tool!

      I think the trick with RPBC is the peanut butter. It’s gritty instead of smooth, which makes a big difference in comparison to similar peanut butter cups. (Clearly, I have thought about this way more than a normal person!)

      When I was in Europe this summer, I have to say I really, really, really missed my Reese’s. I feel your pain!

      Like

    • I ran into the same problem in the London neighborhood where I stayed this summer . . . the coffee shop closed at 6 p.m. (and so did everything else!). That was a big adjustment I had to make in terms of my writing schedule!

      Like

  13. I knew if I came here I would smile, yep… I was right. All it took was to visualize you cutting up that coffee cup and pasting it on the page. lol, you’re the greatest!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  14. Big bookstore cafes – completely agree! Too bad there isn’t one left at my home in San Francisco (just the local indie ones). There’s a certain fluorescent magic and creative safety at Barnes & Noble, isn’t there? Plus, their yummy work fuel, like coffee and hot pretzels… A lovely list.

    Like

    • Thanks. 🙂

      There certainly is the feeling of being in a creative cocoon! There are a few cafes around town, plus a slew of Starbucks, but I love my regular B&N. I think its the people that work there and the regulars. It’s easy to be creative when surrounded by such nice people.

      Mmmm . . . tall cafe mocha. 🙂

      Like

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