Silver Lining List

It's Tuesday.  Ho hum.  Not a particular exciting day, and truth be told, I dragged my bum out of my apartment with a certain struggle.  You know those days when you just want to stay in bed and cuddle with the cutest furball you've ever seen?

This guy:

Today is totally one of those days.  

This morning, he even sabotaged my effort to get in a little yoga:

But of course I love that little dude like nothing else, and it was with great sadness I had to put on my big girl pants and get to the office today for a Tuesday.

So, in an effort to add some sliver to my cloud, here is a Silver Lining List of 10 things guaranteed to make me smile today.

A List In No Random Order of Happy Things

1)  Just 2 and a half weeks until sunnier days!  Remember to "Spring Forward" on March 10! 

2)  This video of dogs making babies laugh.  Instant frown flipper.

4)  Ben Affleck's adorably honest ode to his wife from the acceptance stand.

5)  The Mediterranean diet is getting primo attention!  My Sicilian penchant for olives, fish and eggplant rejoices.  A favorite Greek blog here: www.olivetomato.com 

6)  Unintentional matching of iPhone case and necklace.  Does anyone do that intentionally? I'd like to meet them.

8) I get to take a picture with a real life Oscar tomorrow (yay Brave!)

9)  I made a slight change to a common hairstyle, and Webb happily noticed.  Points for the lazy girl braid, girls!  

10) Positive news stories like this one about a restaurant owner who hired a broke-but-earnest guy off the street.

Okay, there's that pep in my step I was missing!  I feel better now.  Feeling glum?  Make a list of life's simple pleasures and I guarantee your cloud will find its silver lining.  

Liz Lemon Frozen Yogurt

When two of my favorite things decide to rendezvous, my expectations are so high that I'm usually disappointed.  The musical RENT + film = eh.  Chocolate + wine = nasty sludge.

Liz Lemon + Ben & Jerry's = YES PLEASE.

Ben & Jerry's recently threw 30 Rock a party commemorating their series finale (tear) and announced a new froyo inspired by the lady herself, Liz Lemon.  It's a lemon Greek yogurt with blueberry lavender swirl.  Some fans of the show may say "What?!  Liz is a junk food queen! This flavor is so off".  Au contraire, naysayers.  Any follower of Tina Fey, Liz's real-life counterpart, knows that she comes from Greek stock, so creating a flavor in one of B&J's new Greek yogurt line is so appropriate.  And it's lemon infused because...well, I shouldn't need to explain that.

Saturday was a particularly warm day in San Francisco, and after a round trip to the dog park with Webb and Ernie, I had a hankering for something cold and sweet.  Lucky for me - there is a Ben & Jerry's 1 block from my apartment!  Amazingly, we had yet to visit since moving to the neighborhood, so I had all the more reason to make a pit stop.  Webb and I shared a cup of the Liz Lemon yogurt and can I just say it was so good?  It was the perfect amount of refreshing and sweet.  The blueberry swirl was sugary, but the lavender gave it enough gusto.  The yogurt itself was creamy and just tart enough.

Liz Lemon froyo pre-devouring

Given the cold snap in the country, you are likely in a freezing tundra and not getting excited about frozen yogurt.  But if a Liz Lemon- themed froyo can't get you excited, maybe this will:  Ben & Jerry's is giving a proceed of sales to Jumpstart, the organization which partners college students with pre-schoolers in literacy programs.  How cool!  Even more a reason to stop by a B&J's or pick up a pint when it hits grocery stores in the spring.

Another win for the amazing fantastic talented funny superstar Tina Fey.

Inspire Thursday

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths" - Walt Disney

I recently spent my birthday weekend celebrating with old friends in Los Angeles and a stop at the happiest place on earth - Disneyland!  Needless to say, I've been on a Disney kick since then (but when am I not?).   We always say "Disney" in relation to the mega-brand it is, but often forget that was a very cool man's last name.  One morning for breakfast, Webb and I ended up at a restaurant in our hotel which was adorned with pictures of Walt and his swanky Hollywood life.  We noted how charismatic he was.  Not only did he create an entertainment empire, but he knew how to live life to the largest.  

Steakhouse 55 and the Disneyland Hotel

This quote of his, about moving forward and keeping curiosity, inspires me.  Regardless where you feel stuck-- whether it's with work, with people-- you should realize there are always new "doors" and "paths" on the horizon.  it's up to us to keep the curiosity about life to find the bigger and better out there.  Even if we are the happiest we can imagine, we are always moving forward and giving what we can to the world.  I'm lucky enough to work at a subsidiary company of Mr. Disney's himself, and being at Disneyland just inspires me to work hard in an industry that brings laughter and joy to so many people! Where do you want to go?  What paths are you curious about?  Go for it.

Loving the magic that is Disneyland!