Happy thoughts

It's been a full day. The beginning of classes kept me busy at work. A screening swallowed the early part of the evening. The last part of today was spent watching the recorded Bengals-Ravens game on Monday Night Football. I tried blogging while keeping an eye on the game, but it wasn't happening.

I've attempted writing about a few topics, but all have been non-starters. I feel like my writing of late has been on the glum side, so how about a few things that make me happy?

-A Cincinnati Bengals win, no matter how ugly.

As a lifelong fan, the team has broken my heart countless times, not the least of which is their uncanny ability to find novel ways to lose. (I won't even go into their decade and a half of futility.) Despite the cautious optimism inspired by tonight's first quarter, I knew well enough to expect the worst with this franchise. They almost blew it, but they came out on top. All is well.

-Feist's "1234" video

Feist's The Reminder is one of my favorite albums of the year, and this irresistible toe-tapper, with a soaring gospel-like chorus, is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. I'm a sucker for visual ideas conveyed in long tracking shots, so this playful video is right in my aesthetic wheelhouse. Yeah, yeah, it's also featured in a current iPod commercial, but this is just another instance of contemporary ads being plugged into the music scene more than their predecessors and today's radio programmers.

-A local Sonic

Actually, I've discovered that there are two within twenty miles of home, although neither are particularly convenient. One is sort of close to an arthouse theater I go to for morning press screenings. A post-film trip isn't too much additional driving for an occasional indulgence. I won't make any great claims about their food, yet there's something appealing and unpretentious about this fast food franchise. It was a favorite stop of mine during my vacation. It's nice to know I can stop by if I get the urge.