Susan Senator

Songs in the Key of Life
by Stevie Wonder

I am working on a serious blog post, but it’s not ready yet (it even offended me!) so I’m moved to post another of my series called “Keys to the Universe.” These are items that always, always do exactly what I need them to do.

1) Nyquil. Any time I get the stupid tickly cough, just enough to keep me from sleeping; or the other extreme, the horrible, violent in-the-middle-of-a-juicy-cold cough, Nyquil will stomp it right out and put me to sleep for the entire night.

2) Two mugs of very strong Peet’s French Roast with a drop of cream and 1 1/2 Splendas. The staff of life. To wake me up after the Nyquil.

3) Run at the Rezzie. Even when I’m in pain, (perhaps from the chest-shattering cough), three times around the Reservoir clears my head. Must be sunny and warm, however.

4) iPod shuffle. I’ve used this one before, but that just means it is so good. Especially needed for my run at the Reservoir. Shuffle is good because I never know what’s coming on, what mood I’m actually in, and suddenly a song I thought was so over comes on and I am just running and running.

5) New cossie. Pulling it out of the Fed Ex box, holding it up to the light to see all the sparkles, trying it on for Ned, imagining the dance moves I will try with it. A new cossie is like the Red Shoes, the fairy tale about the girl whose magical shoes enabled her to dance and dance. I know it ended kind of Grimm, but…

6) Designer’s Circus. My friend Benna introduced me to this; it is a traveling outlet for designers, comes to town twice a year, and there is always, always something great and inexpensive to buy. The camaraderie in the huge dressing room is a terrific thing, too, with women of all ages, advising each other and trading items that don’t fit. A really fun thing to do with a friend for two hours and truly not a lot of money. (See Mom, you should have come to it instead of being so wimpy about the traffic.)

7) Joseph’s Lavash bread, multi-grain, low-carb. Mom or Laura turned me on to this. They are huge healthy, and delicious, you cut one in half and for almost no calories or carbs or fat you can have a sandwich!!!

8) Working on my weekly PTO Newsletter. It sounds dorky, but I love this new little job of mine. It is just one two-sided piece of paper, and the challenge is to fit everything important for that week, in my designated format. I love getting Benj to do my art, I love choosing fonts, editing down clunky text people have sent me, and trying to make it eye-catching in layout.

9) One pound of Kosher chop meat. I buy several at a time, freeze them, defrost one in the microwave, put it in my cast-iron skillet (thanks, Mom) with onion and peppers and a can of tomatoes, and I have the basis of two possible dinners that nobody hates: chili or meat sauce. (Doesn’t have to be Kosher, I suppose, but why should you take a chance? Rhetorical question asked with a Jewish accent)

10) The Lolcats, especially this one. They always, always, always, squeeze my heart and make me laugh and feel a rush of love for my own kids!