Friday Felicities

Things that made me happy this week:

*  being finished with car shopping 
Car shopping is the worst. Let me rephrase, shopping for a certified pre-owned Prius the week after    Japan was devastated by natural disaster and oil prices pushed $105 a barrel while on a limited budget and in possession of taste that does not believe in budgets - that is the worst. The only good thing about driving all over creation last weekend looking for a car was getting to meet up with Tom's brother and his girlfriend for dinner at The Library in Santa Monica. That reminds me - sweet potato fries also make me very happy.

{Santa Monica Boulevard}

* my new car
The good news is that all that car hunting paid off and I now drive a super-cool spaceship car. Most importantly, in purchasing a hybrid, I have earned the final merit badge and am now a full-fledged yuppie.

*Tom
Of course he makes me happy every week, but he went above and beyond this week. He called all the dealers and did all the talking to the awkward salesmen (had I been on my own, I probably would have bought the first car I test drove because the guy was super nice and I felt bad for him because he seemed particularly sad and desperate).

Tom also took my ridiculous demands (leather interior, navigation system, sunroof, less than 20,000 miles, 2010 or newer, previously owned by a B-list celebrity or reality star, etc) in stride and let me realize on my own that some flexibility might be required. He didn't even roll his eyes once. In addition to his endless patience, I am also particularly grateful for the fact that he relieved me of all negotiating duties; I would certainly have paid at least $5,000 more just to avoid the awkwardness of having to bargain.

As an extra bonus, he makes silly faces and those also make me happy.

While I'm at it, his random guitar-playing strolls around the apartment make me happy too.

*pets that cost less than five dollars and require minimal upkeep
 I got a little distracted on my errand to Staples, wandered into Petco, and came home with this guy...

I asked Tom what we should name him, he reflected for about two seconds and came back with... Spanky. 

*hilarious babies on youtube
Someone posted this video on Facebook this week, and I've since seen it a bunch of other places. It makes me laugh every time. It's a 59 second mood lift, something we could all use as we try to wrap our minds around the tragedies that seem to be stacking up at breakneck speed around the globe.

Enjoy!