3 : potty times #1

today, my amusement comes from something that i know others have frequently experienced - whether you're the perpetrator or on the receiving end, it's an inevitable incident. the moment i'm referring to is the face that most every female person on earth makes when they know they're face-to-face with the person who will be unlucky enough to utilize the compromised stall after them.

the progression of the face goes something like this: eyes widen at the sound of the main bathroom door opening, cheeks flush scarlet, body temperature rises slightly. the realization sets in that you've got to face the person no matter what, so the process of preparing yourself for embarassment begins. you give yourself a quick pep talk about how "maybe she won't even notice, it wasn't THAT bad after all," and unlock the stall. you step out, making absolutely 155% sure that you keep your eyes completely averted from the girl in line. she may or may not try to engage in some social niceties such as a smile or a "hi," but you're so focused on not looking at her that you have no clue that she has made the effort - you're just trying to beat the land speed record for hand-washing before she realizes the damage you've done. however, if you're anything like me, the last (and most mortifying) part of the situation comes when you hear that tell-tale sharp intake of breath from the girl in your stall . . . busted. the trump card: you see her no less than four times throughout the course of the day and you everything in your power to look anywhere else BUT at her - you've never been so fascinated by the postings on the bulletin board before! ahh . . .

2 : gas

no, not that kind. my joy-filled (and completely unrelated to smelliness) gas-sy moments occurred not once, but twice this morning. to write about these events is a bit of a gamble, because I have absolutely no idea whether other people share these experiences –but, here goes nothing . . .

7:04am : i got into my car and realized that i had completely forgotten to fill up my tank on my way home from work last night. my little gas gauge warned that i had only about one tick mark left of gas before empty. you must understand, I used to be the never-below-1/4 tank, fill-all-the-way-up-every-time type of girl; now I am the squeak-by-till-you-can-afford-to-fill type of girl. isn’t being a grown-up fun? i didn’t feel like stopping on the way to school, so i decided to take my chances and hope the trusty subaru could make the 25-minute journey without a morning snack. about 5 miles into the trip, the gas light (of course) popped on – glowing orange and telling me “i told you so!” by this point i am in no mood to stop somewhere along the highway for gas, so i decide to chance it. good plan, right? needless to say, my first joyful moment occurred when i coasted (surely on fumes) into the kum and go (yes, that’s an actual gas station chain – thank you, iowa). i made it, with an overwhelming/blissful feeling of escaping an embarrassing and rather irritating hitchhiking stint on the highway.

7:29am : commence my most favorite part of the gas-getting process – the game of getting $20.00 worth of gas, and not a penny over. you all know the feeling i’m sure. jostling the pump just so, a little jolt followed by an eagle-eyed glance at the screen. today, i managed the elusive goal: $20.00 EVEN! If that’s not joyful, i don’t know what is.

1 : puppy chow

okay. i understand that you might think that something as pedestrian as puppy chow should not qualify as my first post; however, that's where you would be wrong. and i don't feel badly saying it (although, as a brand-new blogger, i should most likely not offend any followers whatsoever . . . but that's a change i'm willing to take).

puppy chow as a snack is good. puppy chow as a meal, even better. puppy chow as a food group, well, i'd say add it to the pyramid as soon as possible. it's just that delectable. if you have not had the incredible fortune of indulging in the stuff, i will do my best to create a sensory experience of it for you.

it is the be-all end-all of foods: crispy, crunchy, sweet, salty, sticky powdered-sugary and calorie-free (!). honestly, there is nothing wrong with taking a perfectly healthy cereal such as chex, dumping melted semi-sweet chocolate, peanut butter, butter and vanilla all over it, and covering it in what some might think to be an inordinate amount of powdered sugar. some might consider the coating methodology somewhat unorthodox (plastic shopping bags, doubled up of course to prevent leakage); however, it is my opinion that this no-fail process only serves to make the end result greater.

my favorite moment of puppy chow, you wonder? undoubtedly finding the best "cluster" of the stuff - it can be compared to winning the lottery, without a doubt. that little nugget is the pinnacle of puppy chow. if you've had the good fortune to defeat your roommate in this quest, you know just what i mean.

at the end of the day, what you are consuming is the most joyful experience of taste-bud satisfaction . . . i'm salivating just thinking about it.

bienvenue : welcome

it is my recently discovered (albeit somewhat already "known") belief that there is no big secret, no process, no big X-marks-the-spot method to finding joy . . . we cannot waste our time anticipating that ONE thing that will prove to be a game-changer in terms of our joyful state. that simply won't do. however, this is where trouvez la joie makes its debut. it is my (lofty) hope that this blog will be a pleasant distraction - an uncomplicated celebration of all things carefree and smile-provoking. indulge with me daily as i commit to simplifying the pursuit of JOY.