Little pieces of pleasure

As August is winding down and school is winding up, here are some things that are making me feel happy:

A new pair of eye glasses for both Hubby and me. Though we had trouble getting just the right pair for him and had to return the first set each of us got (EyeMasters got nastier and nastier when Hubby explained he couldn't see out of the pair made for him), we both eventually ended up with better vision and good glasses frames. It took us finding a new shop and a fight with insurance but eventually we prevailed. Mine are Saks Fifth Avenue frames in a fun shade of rose and bordered with sparkles on the ear pieces. His are pretty similar to what he's always worn but fit him face much better than the old pair.

Dinner with friends during the first week of school. We were invited twice out for dinner. Once we had the best meatloaf ever and then we had a very comfort inducing meal of spaghetti and meat sauce. The food was great and we felt very beloved by our friends.

The prospect of the new Kaufman Music Hall opening in mid-September here in our city. Everyone is abuzz with concert plans and news of the performances scheduled for the fall concert season. Placido Domingo will be here for the initial concert and the opening three day concert extravaganza is already sold out. Hubby and I have tickets for at least four of the upcoming symphony events throughout the year. We are looking forward to actually having an acoustically correct symphony hall.

The prospect of fall weather approaching. We have had a terribly hot summer and the humidity has been beastly. Just the thought of crisp fall weather is invigorating.

The love of two sweet-faced, gentle hearted Schnauzers, especially little Gus who cuddles by my side every evening when I return from an exhausting day of teaching. Gus is the silver one -- Luie is the darker one and both are curled up on the clothing we had dumped in the back bedroom to sell on E-bay but instead just gave away to Goodwill.


My new HD DVR from Dish network -- that will record two shows at once and if I'm only recording one show, will let me watch any channel while it does the recording. Plus it holds 300 hours of regular TV and 30 hours of HD shows! The new features on this DVR are vastly improved and make TV watching a lot more fun.

The local HyVee grocery store which stocks excellent meat, high end gourmet products, and still manages to keep the prices low. Plus you almost never have to stand in line to make purchases and if you need assistance, they gladly offer it.

Dirty Potato Chips which I discovered in a grocery in Annapolis and thought I'd never find here at home. However, Hubby ran across them, not in my favorite HyVee store, but at a store even closer to home that sells gourmet products. Now I can have them every day for lunch. Also, those tuna sandwiches Hubby makes me for breakfast and lunch along with some grapes and apples mean I'm managing to get through work days with healthy eating.

The opening of school has been hard this year. I'm struggling to adjust and work with my collab partners. The gout has been on a real tear and I no sooner think I've licked it but it comes back worse than ever. I'm tired all the time and the heat exhausts me even more. The arthritis is very bad this year, especially when it rains. My case load is huge -- it's not been this big in the last five years. Also, the new students seem to bring with them deep emotional and behavioral issues. Being a mentor has not been the most pleasant experience, partly because I have to attend night meetings. The little things that add pleasure to my life mean a lot right now.