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This is the first time I will share the whole thing I wrote today. It’s part of a larger section I’ve been working on since January and I don’t feel splitting it up serves the piece.

A List of Things I Miss: (Not exhaustive)

  1. Having a monthly pass for public transit.
  2. Rainy days when there’s still something to do.
  3. Vanilla lattes and cigarettes for breakfast.
  4. Drinks after work with former co-workers.
  5. Mid-20th-century artist exhibits.
  6. Not having to walk more than a block to find a fresh-brewed coffee.
  7. Sunday morning walks of shame.
  8. Playoff hockey.
  9. Internet forum sites and IRC channels.
  10. Getting manicures.
  11. Flying in airplanes.
  12. Having hopes and dreams not centered around basic survival.
  13. Being able to stay up past 1 a.m. two nights in a row.
  14. Travelling by train.
  15. Mimosas on a Saturday morning.
  16. Tea and terrible television with friends.
  17. Good tacos.
  18. Being able to make plans without accounting for how much sleep I got last night, how much protein I ate this morning, and how much time I will have to stand or walk around.
  19. Feeling sexy.
  20. High-heeled shoes and boots.
  21. Kissing someone I just met.
  22. Getting two orders of sushi for take-out. One for tonight’s dinner, the other for breakfast tomorrow.
  23. Walking to the corner store in my pyjamas.
  24. Running into old friends by surprise on a city street.
  25. Bonus points if it’s a street in a town where neither of us lives.
  26. Making plans to visit.
  27. Making plans for brunch.
  28. Cab rides at 3 a.m. with shoes in hand.
  29. Getting pedicures.
  30. DJs that start their set with a backwards spinning record.
  31. Meeting B-List celebrities in Starbucks.
  32. Writing longhand at a table in front of a sunny window, sipping tea or wine.
  33. Going to a new city and travelling by public transportation to find out where lines and routes go.
  34. Making notes about stops, shops and destinations along the way.
  35. Walking in the rain with my hood up.
  36. Spending time in record and book shops.
  37. Going to the independent video store to rent films.
  38. Eating cheese and crackers on Christmas day while watching the Godfather Trilogy.
  39. The smell of salt air.
  40. Rocky “beaches”.
  41. Star-filled evening skies.
  42. The smell of Labatt’s Blue and burning Canadian cigarette smoke.
  43. The smell of rising bread dough and baked beans cooking.
  44. Grapefruit and champagne gelato.
  45. Hosting dance parties.
  46. Having a TV-watching spot on the sofa with a TV-watching pillow and blanket.
  47. Cherry blossoms as far as the eye can see.
  48. Spending lunch breaks in art supply shops or chain bookstores.
  49. Fresh squeezed grapefruit margaritas.
  50. Cosmetics shopping.
  51. Spending $50 at the dollar store on weird notebooks, weird nail polish colours, colouring books, jigsaw puzzles, and pens I don’t care if I lose or people steal.
  52. Spending time with partisan hacks.
  53. Reading in bed on a Sunday morning.
  54. Watching movies on a Friday night.
  55. Prince.
  56. Being able to remember things from the past without them being traumatic or painful.
  57. Wine o’clock with woman friends.
  58. Summer dresses.
  59. Grocery shopping for one or two days on my way home from work.
  60. The smell of wood-fire smoke in a clean, Bounce sheet-dried plaid cotton jacket.
  61. Sandy Beach, where the water is Caribbean blue and the bottom is soft clay.”

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