What is Good

Once, in I believe the fall of 2002, I and a few similarly tinted friends created the list of "1000 Things We Like," perhaps number 1001 being how easy it was (and number 1002 being that there is enough strange synchronicity in our circle that more than one person suggested "little staplers"). The world is overflowing with very good things. This weekend alone, were I still working on the list, I would've added,

1) Waterfront winds
2) Marshmallow-mandarin orange salad
3) Unexpected fireworks displays seen out the car window, over the school around the corner, at the house across the street, even three feet in front of me as I walked home last night (ok, that one was a little alarming)
4) The Ben Report--my brother phoned yesterday from Tel Aviv to report that he is fine. He swam in the Dead Sea and played chess with soliders (not simultaneously). He is en route to Cairo, if you're following this.
5) Cranberry-based birthday confections
6) Free perfume
7) The new issue of The New Quarterly (#102), filled with a slow wry heart-break in Annabel Lyon's novella *Palaces,* a sad hilarious snapshot of fabulousness in Russell Smith's story "Confidence" and, well, just tonnes and tonnes of good stuff. And, um, a story by me. No, I can't believe it either.
8) Teenaged punks who do their vocabulary homework just because I begged them to for months. No, I can't believe it either.

Life is good. I guess there's nothing to do but get on with it. Back to work.

You're such a lovely audience / We'd like to take you home with us
RR