There Are These Things I Like

We of Finnish and Norwegian descent can be a cynical lot, I suppose. So, inspired by a paragraph from this posting, I herewith offer up a brief list of things I like, in no particular order:

Playing chess with my Dad by e-mail. One move at a time.

Orbit Bubblemint gum.

Fountain Coke from McDonald’s on a hot summer day.

My end-of-the-day routine with my kids that usually begins with them asking me “Daddy, will you tell me about my day?”

Running.

Palace Shoes in downtown Rockford. A shoe sales and repair place run by a father and his two sons who never fail to remember my name, even though I’m only in the store a few times a year.

Endorphins.

Airplanes.

A Midwestern sunset.

The strong-willed personality of my daughter.

The 3,697 songs on my iPod.

V8. The drink, not the engine.

Airports.

Gemini Jets

The moonscape on the Arizona highway between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

Reading.

Writing.

Giada De Laurentiis. Whoa.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network.

Local on the 8s (for those who know what this is, be proud).

The Wall Street Journal.

My wife. Whoa.

#14 with cheese from Jimmy John’s.

“Holy shit!” moments where I learn something really new.

Soccer.

Artists and musicians. They have skills I envy.

The Godfather I & II. Despite the fact that I’ve seen the movies at least a hundred times and could recite nearly any scene, they still grip me every time.

Pizza from Dino’s or Pizza Perfect (sadly, 750 miles away, in Pennsylvania).

Playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with my son.