Because I do (vol. i)

I'm never quite sure how to feel about stuff. You know, "stuff, Lori, things." It's all interesting and it's shiny but it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of eternity. Nevertheless we are earthbound until we're called elsewhere. We're made of dust and dust delights us. We are humans built with an intrinsic desire to create, do, enjoy, and share. Somewhere in there, there's got to be a balance. So even though I'm not sure what that balance looks like exactly, I'm going to share some of the things that have been making me happy lately, and maybe I can do this semi-regularly. Here's my list of:

Things I do like (today)--

• Neon Steeple -- I was sad when the David Crowder*Band broke up, delighted when a core group from the original team reformed a new band called The Digital Age, and prancing with joy when the David Crowder released his first album under the new moniker, Crowder. Since I bought it on its release a few weeks ago, I've had Neon Steeple playing heaps, and it's that curiously satisfying mix of electronica, rock, gospel, and bluegrass that I've come to love from DC. It's joyful and it's worshipful and I really really like it.
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 -- everything you loved about the first movie, with more dragons and more emotions. Just go see it.
• The Ear Biscuits podcast with Rhett and Link -- Rhett and Link are my favourite-favourite YouTube duo. Their friendship is epic, they're funny, and they're always coming up with something weird and intriguing. I've been loving their weekly podcast which is basically just an hour-long conversation with, as they put it, "someone famous from the internet." So far, those someones have been predominantly YouTubers, most of whom I don't follow, some of whom I downright don't enjoy. The cool thing about the podcast though is its emphasis on creative origins, a subject that always fascinates me. I love learning about peoples' processes, how they got to where they are now, and Rhett and Link's conversations provide lots of insights into that. There's a certain authenticity to the chats, too, which strips away the often over-hyped internet persona and gets to the person behind the brand, which is very cool indeed.
• Alarm für Cobra 11 -- I stumbled across this show via the SBS On Demand app, saw the synopsis, and thought, "Probably lame." When I came across it again, I decided to give at least one episode a try -- and lo and behold I have fallen into a vortex filled with cute German autobahn cops running around saving each others' lives and ruining a lot of nice European cars in the process. The action is far-fetched and the stories formulaic (as this fun analysis points out) but the stunts and explosions delight me crazy amounts. More than that, though, I'm there for the bromance between the two detectives. I've always loved a good buddy story based on friendship uncomplicated by romance, and this show has buddy feels in spades -- so many man-hugs, angsty rescues, little moments, and high fives that it's ridiculous(ly adorable). An unexpected side benefit to watching is that I keep remembering bits of the German I learnt back when I was thirteen or fourteen. Who knew it was actually stuffed away in there somewhere? Which brings me to...
• Duolingo -- a friend introduced me to this app, and I have been loving the little lessons which work incrementally to take you through the basics of a new language. I started off with Spanish because I love it a lot and something about the language feels logical to me; it seems to make sense in a way many others don't (for me, at least). Recently I've been dipping into German because of autobahn polizei reasons and it's a very cool way to learn a little bit of a new skill. The great thing is that the lessons only take five or so minutes, so you can pick it up here and there without being overwhelmed.
• Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens -- I swooped on an eight-pack of these randomly when I was gathering art supplies for teaching. It's a stunning collection of black ink pens with varying levels of nib softness, flexibility, and width. I haven't had much of a chance to play yet, but in the meantime, I'm telling myself that once I've had a bit more practice, I'm going to start producing some fine manga drawings. The power's all in the pen, not the artist, right? (Let me cling to my delusion).

If you made a list of things you like today, what'd be on it?

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Conversations:

• Andrea -- I'm laughing so hard at your comment on that old post. SO HARD.
• Asea -- yes, YES. I can relate to all of this!
• Bonnie -- thank you! And as for new adventures... maybe it's good I can't see the future as I'm really enjoying this chilled season right now! :D
• Emily Dempster -- thank you so much for reading along, and for your lovely comment! I have lots of memories from back in the day, especially of music lessons with your mum and lots of little blonde girls playing in the background :).
• Jasmine Ruigrok -- amen :)