I know I am not alone in saying that I have every intention of someday being an audience member during Oprah’s “Favorite Things” episode. She highlights items from all around the American consumer spectrum and gives one of each to all of the giddy, Oprah-obsessed stay-at-home-moms that have been lucky enough to trek to the windy city on just the right taping day. If I had my own Amanda Doran’s “Favorite Things” episode, I think the stay-at-home-moms would be a little disappointed. I’d have nothing to actually give them outside of the recommendation of an open-minded smile. Because of the whole “no working during student teaching thing,” (also known as unemployment) I currently find my favorite things in the non-material world.
Of late, I have been most keyed up by the thought of autumn daylight savings time. Most people say that they only feel the effects of the “fall back” or the “spring forward” for a day or two days, maximum. I do not agree. It may be entirely mental but autumn daylight savings time makes me feel like I am sleeping in an extra hour for two or three weeks. Every year there also seems to be a debate over whether or not the bars will stay open longer; I’m crossing my fingers.
Another place I find free joy (free for me at least) is in other peoples’ paper products. I love a hearty roll of toilet paper in a friend’s bathroom or a blanket-like paper towel. The place I am currently “working” sports one-ply toilet paper in all of its bathrooms and let me tell you, it is refreshing to come across Kleenex Cottonelle or “The Quicker Picker Upper.”
Like most English enthusiasts, a lot of my free-of-charge joy derives from words. I live for a good pun though I often make bad ones. One of the first things my boyfriend and I ever talked about was our common affinity for plays on words. Furthermore, my interest and joy are spiked whenever one of my favorite words is dropped. I have narrowed down my favorites to “slumber” and “archipelago.” Both are not commonly used but I have found poems and songs containing both. On the other hand, I have narrowed down the two most commonly disliked words to “moist” and “chunk” and even get excited when they are mentioned and others share my disdain.
Talking to people with accents is something I find to be extremely interesting and delightful. My most recently gained accented friend even bears a name that is fun to pronounce in her native tongue of British English, Laura Waterhouse. My roommate lived in the U.K. for a collective year and I think the reason I am most jealous is that she was able to listen to great accents for 12 months. In Baltimore, I have found that anything outside of a Baltimore accent is a novelty and spawns questions, smiles and conversation. (I also do love the Baltimore accent; who doesn’t, hon?)
Some other places to find free favorite things are clocks. I love making a wish at 11:11 but am even more excited if I catch the clock at 12:27, my birthday-time. Christmas also spawns excitement at 12:25. The only drawback is that sometimes, I look at the clock on my SAT score and I am reminded of my personally-determined inadequacy.
Though I’ve never personally owned one, I love an animal with a human-name. At a party on Saturday I met a dog named David and it pretty much made my night.
The final free favorite thing I will share may not be a part of every person’s life but if it is, I know you enjoy it. You see, I am a sleep-talker. I get a huge rise out of hearing my sleep quotes from my roommates or friends. My most famous quote comes from a high school sleepover with my friend Sarah in which I apparently yelled (during slumber) in a silent room, “Shut up, shut up, shut up, I’m trying to catch some z’s!”
Find some free favorites and then you won’t need to stress out about finding out when Oprah’s special episode is being taped. I’ll let you know when I tape my own and believe me the bathrooms will contain only the nicest toilet paper.
Sunny Side Up: Move over Oprah, free favorite things
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
1 comments
Ding Bat Oprah
Oprah is over rated and a Liberal stooge.
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