What regular things do you look forward to?

December 15, 2007 3:36 PM

What regular things do you look forward to?

I'm trying to help a loved one schedule more things in their day / week / year to look forward to. I would love your help getting ideas - please tell me what kinds of things YOU personally look forward to on a regular basis?

For example - do you go somewhere particular each week that you love? Do you catch up with certain people? Do you look forward to your morning coffee or afternoon hot chocolate? Do you look forward to a specific time each week to work on your goals and projects? Do you look forward to going to the movies or a comedy club each week?

The sky's the limit, tell me what you most look forward to each day / week / year (whatever timeframe works best for you), and thank you very much for your help :)!

posted by katala to human relations (70 comments total)

Ever since I bought new flannel sheets and an absurdly cozy comforter, I actually really look forward to going to bed! It makes going to sleep a positive thing rather than something I reluctantly do at the end of the day, which has improved my sleep habits a lot.
posted by cadge at 3:44 PM on December 15, 2007

For me it's sitting at my favorite cafe on Sunday mornings with my NYT and a nice big cup of coffee + some new music that I got that week. I like seeing the other regulars with their papers, SOs, pets also doing the same. We smile at each other and read our papers for about two hours.
posted by special-k at 3:46 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

My morning shower. Waking up 10 minutes early and hitting the snooze button. A hot cup of coffee and browsing AskMe in the morning.

This is coming from someone who is really not a morning person.
posted by Solomon at 3:46 PM on December 15, 2007

Probably obvious, but I always look forward to going to the gym (usually about two or three days a week).

It's my big stress reliever, and it can also be a great source of self-satisfaction if I notice I've made progress since, say, the last week.
posted by the other side at 3:46 PM on December 15, 2007

When settling in to a huge pile of work: a vanilla latte
posted by sneakin at 3:52 PM on December 15, 2007

A group of my friends meets every Friday at lunch to eat and knit. I look forward to that pretty much all week.
posted by Lucinda at 3:53 PM on December 15, 2007

My morning frappucino or hot chocolate. It's actually the main reason I get out of bed.

Driving my new car. It's actually the main reason I go to work.

Before I moved, I used to hang out with friends at a bar every Thursday, and that was the highlight of my week.
posted by desjardins at 3:54 PM on December 15, 2007

Some of the things I consistently look forward to are my after-gym showers, a cup of tea and browse of the web after lunch at work, getting my tax refund, and choosing/buying the husband's birthday presents. I also like updating my net worth spreadsheet every month, which is a very nerdy thing to do, and something I don't need to do so often, but it's a good motivator for me.
posted by jamesonandwater at 3:56 PM on December 15, 2007

Taking my dog to the beach so she can run free in spastic little circles on the sand.
Washing my sandy dog.
Making and drinking my morning latte.
Getting a massage.
Taking language classes. There's something about it that's relaxing to me... I have to stop thinking about my normal day to day problems and concentrate on trying to learn and understand totally foreign stuff that I don't HAVE to be learning for any mandatory purpose whatsoever.
Calling old friends on the phone to catch up on the minutae of our lives.
Listening to or practicing music.
Getting a pedicure.
Doing yoga or pilates, when I can.

And... ooooohhhhh... seconding the flannel sheet love. :)
posted by miss lynnster at 3:58 PM on December 15, 2007

I always look forward to my morning shot of espresso.
posted by jclovebrew at 4:07 PM on December 15, 2007

My morning coffee combined with a toasted wheat English muffin with Jif peanut butter. I often enjoy going to bed because I know that's what I'll get when I wake up.

If I'm particularly gluttonous I'll have 2 muffins. Or I'll have it for dinner.
posted by collocation at 4:11 PM on December 15, 2007

On Wednesday, I go to yoga and my discs come from Netflix.

On Thursday, I finish watching any discs/eps I didn't finish Wednesday night and I have a horseback riding lesson.

On Saturday, I get more discs, and I go swimming with my mother (and see the really hot guy at the pool), and if there's a new episode of Numb3rs I go to the library and watch it using the fast connection.

On Sunday, I have a springboard diving lesson, and similarly finish any discs I was too busy to watch Saturday.

Monday and Tuesday are pretty awful, Friday I usually just sleep a lot.
posted by anaelith at 4:26 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

For me, sunday morning breakfast/brunch at a local coffehouse, with a stack of magazines, my boyfriend, or a group of friends. it's the best part of every week.

Also, as dorky as it is, i write down the release dates of books/movies/music i'm interested in for something to look forward to. I also subscribe to the email lists of every event-related website covering my city, and once a week i go through all of them and schedule things that seem fun in my calendar. It makes me feel busy and interesting, even if i end up skipping most of the things anyway.
posted by kerfuffled at 4:31 PM on December 15, 2007 [2 favorites]

Hot chocolate.

My birthday.

Mail!

Halloween.

April Fools Day.

Friends' birthdays.
posted by divabat at 4:47 PM on December 15, 2007

On Friday nights, hitting a wine tasting happy hour at a local culinary school with the BF and enjoying a relaxing evening over a glass of wine and a custom plate of artisanal cheese. Allows the week to melt away.
posted by Asherah at 5:06 PM on December 15, 2007

Summer, especially the sounds of lawnmowers and the smell of freshly-cut grass; Fourth of July fireworks; going to ballgames (baseball and softball).

Hot coffee in the morning.

An afternoon nap on days when I don't have anything to do.

Family birthday parties.

Christmas Eve.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:07 PM on December 15, 2007

Getting home after a long day at work, putting on my flannel sock monkey pajamas, and curling up on the couch to watch TV and knit.

Making a big, yummy lunch after church on Sundays.

New This American Life podcasts for my dreary Monday morning commute.
posted by sarcasticah at 5:18 PM on December 15, 2007

Obvious first - weekends and holidays.

Preparing homemade French toast on Sunday mornings and eating it while watching the news.

Hitting the neighborhood ramen restaurant after a long day at work.

Seconding Miss Lynster's comment about language lessons: I too find them relaxing, although it's going to be a while until my broken Japanese can actually be considered useful.
posted by doctorpiorno at 5:32 PM on December 15, 2007

- morning coffee brewing while I go out to feed the birds in my pjs
- swimming at the pool in the afternoon before work & hot shower afterwards
- turning on the electric mattress pad warmer so the bed is toasty when I get into it (with the flannel sheets). In the morning staying in bed until the heat comes on.
- mail!
- I feel very weird saying that wheat english muffins with peanut butter are on my list after what collocation said
posted by jessamyn at 5:34 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Brunch with friends. Haircuts and pedicures. Dance lessons. Date nights. Lazy Sundays. Going to the farmer's market. Informal dinner parties.
posted by np312 at 5:40 PM on December 15, 2007

(1) Reading for hours in bed before sleeptime.
(2) My regular Friday sushi date.
(3) Drinking piping hot coffee every morning in my robe while I read Internet news and check my email.
(4) Every few weeks trying a new bar with outdoor seating for a glass of wine in the summer months.
(5) Making a new recipe.
(6) Cooking dinner daily and cooking in general.
(7) Grocery shopping, seriously.
(8) Working out.
(9) Talking on the phone with my mom every other day.
(10) Checking the mail.
posted by click at 5:45 PM on December 15, 2007 [2 favorites]

Making my bed in the morning, and then coming home at night and feeling pleased with myself for having made the bed.

(Maybe I'll try the peanut butter & whole wheat english muffin route to happiness now, though.)
posted by footnote at 5:48 PM on December 15, 2007

I have 2 music festivals I go to every year, a 3 day folk festival near my home and a fiddle fest down in Alabama where my cousin lives. When I go to Alabama, I stay for a couple of weeks and we drive around doing all the wieird touristy things you never do unless you have company.
I also have season tickets to a local theatre; dinner and a play every six weeks or so and since I've already paid for it I don't put off going untill it's too late.
posted by BoscosMom at 6:00 PM on December 15, 2007

- Racing friends to finish the Sydney Morning Herald crossword in breaks at uni.
- Drinking coffee/going to lunch with friends.
- Random Friday night gatherings where we plan to do something, but end up watching Sex and the City/corny chick flicks.
- Nights at home with family.
posted by cholly at 6:09 PM on December 15, 2007 [2 favorites]

On Saturdays, I go to my piano lesson, stop by the nearby bookstore to get a book, then go to a coffee shop for lunch and read. Definitely the highlight of my week.

I need to join the wheat english muffin with peanut butter zeitgeist. Maybe that's the one thing that will make getting up in the morning less miserable.
posted by sfkiddo at 6:19 PM on December 15, 2007

• Using a new special scented soap for my morning shower.
• Toast with almond butter for my after-work snack (not on an English muffin, ideally on pepper-parmesan sourdough).
• Taco Tuesdays!
• A new episode of Dexter/Weeds/House/BSG.
• Time to myself to draw or paint on a weekend afternoon.
• Vacation, if it's a trip somewhere. Or if it's just hanging around in the back yard.
• When the daffodils finally bloom.
posted by TochterAusElysium at 6:22 PM on December 15, 2007

Checking the mailbox.
posted by JujuB at 6:23 PM on December 15, 2007

reading before bed
sleep - at last the day is over
coffee in the morning
weekly browse at a big bookstore
posted by DarkForest at 6:24 PM on December 15, 2007

I look forward to our little farmers' market on Saturday mornings. And seeing people get out and visit there, clutching their coffee and smiling when they unexpectedly see friends. And enjoying the resulting fresh poached eggs for Saturday brunch.
posted by okbye at 6:25 PM on December 15, 2007

Netflix.
posted by crinklebat at 7:23 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

My third whiskey of the evening. Not as alcoholic as it sounds. This is the point at which I'm relaxed, settled-in to the bar, have struck up some conversation with the bartender or people sitting next to me, will think of neat ideas and scribble them into my little notebook, and discuss bands/films/whatever with my SO. Basically, my brain gets humming and it feels good.

Also, hot baths. Sometimes followed by Netflix and popcorn.
posted by desuetude at 7:28 PM on December 15, 2007

What a wonderful question! Thinking about all the simple things I enjoy every day/week/year made me feel very rich indeed. Others' replies are making me happy, too, so I'm going to indulge myself and make this long.

As a non-driver, I almost always look forward to getting from place to place, whether by my own power or on the bus/train. I love my daily "commute" to work, on foot; it gives me time to think, and it gives me time outdoors on days when I might not otherwise get any. I used to do odd teaching-related jobs all over my city, and I would walk from job to job, six to eight miles a day; the balance of human contact and solitude was perfect, and gave rise to the most reflective period I can remember in my life. The exercise felt great, too. (Of course, it probably helps that I'm an all-weather kind of guy who actually enjoys brisk mornings, rain, wind, dry heat, humid heat, and everything in between. Weather awakens sensation and makes the world seem obscurely alive, as though a surprise were being planned for me.)

As for buses and trains, what could be more relaxing than reading, watching people, or just looking out the window?

Reading is generally something I look forward to. (The best thing about holidays, as far as I'm concerned, is the opportunity to actually finish a novel. But December 26 is better than December 25, because the cafes reopen and I can read over a croissant. When I started teaching, I held my office hours in a cafe so that I'd get to do just that in between visitors.) My partner and I often read to each other before bed; in one year, for instance, we read The Third Policeman, Trout Fishing in America, and The Thousand and One Nights (Burton's translation). When we are separated, we read over the phone. It's exciting to look forward to the next installment (and I get to practice silly voices for when I have kids...). Oh, and going to the library to return one set of books and check out the next set is a pleasure in itself.

With the right partner, writing letters is a fun regular activity. The relatively slow pace of traditional mail is a much better fit for certain kinds of friendships than the instantaneous exchange of phone calls, IMs, Facebook updates and so forth. It's more forgiving of slowness. The news doesn't seem old quite as quickly.

Cooking can be stressful, so I especially enjoy cooking something which I've made 100 times before and am sure to get right. It's relaxing to make the measurements from memory and go through all the steps. Recipes involving physical work, like bread and pie crust, are the most gratifying. I've never scheduled these things as a perfectly regular event, but I know some Jewish people who always bake challah on Thursday night for the Sabbath. For a while I cured my own olives at home, and I looked forward to the weekly ritual of changing the brine.

Gardening, and picking fruit in public places (or as a guest on a farm), is in the same category. Also, it has some annual regularity -- for instance, I eagerly anticipate October, when I will be able to get pomegranates and persimmons, or May, when loquats appear. (Well, not anymore, now that I live in Michigan.) I used to keep chickens, and would kill time every day by checking for eggs, observing their social lives, and going out at sunset to watch them roost.

I don't do crosswords regularly anymore, but I used to sit with a couple of professors at 4pm each afternoon drinking tea and working the Guardian cryptic. Stupid wasted first year of graduate school. My love of games and contests dies hard; these days, one of the first things I do after waking up, even before my morning shower, is check in to an online trivia league. (It's invitation only -- otherwise I'd provide a link.)

This one may sound odd, but donating blood is very relaxing for me. It wasn't when I started, of course, because I wasn't accustomed to the needle. Now that I know exactly what to expect at every step, I can appreciate the fact that I'm basically being pampered while lying in bed and listening to music. The fact that somebody else might benefit sometimes seems beside the point! (By the way, I used to live in California, where donors get a voucher for a free pint of ice cream. Picking up that pint is an unbeatable bimonthly ritual...)

Last, I wish to extol the calming virtues of a glass of red wine with dinner. Sometimes, you just need to make yourself understand that the day is over, and the night is here.
posted by aws17576 at 7:30 PM on December 15, 2007 [2 favorites]

My two hours of silence after the kids go to bed :)!
posted by MiffyCLB at 7:34 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

[I hope I'm not misunderstanding the question, some of these don't happen at a regular time-frame, but are kind of random (but typical to my life) things I look forward to if they are planned in advance - along with some regular things too]

*trying new recipes (and then trying these out on my friends/family)
*record shopping, and the possibility of finding music I forgot that I wanted
*a concert/music show I've bought tickets for way in advance
*seeing an old friend (well, or a new friend too, I look forward to those in different ways)
*oddly, I look forward to putting together what I'm going to be wearing for the day
*making to-do lists (cathartic)
*starting a new book after picking it up at the library/bookstore
*going for bike rides in sunny weather
*going for a walk after work if it looks like its been wanting to rain all day

great question, thanks for asking!
posted by ethel at 7:59 PM on December 15, 2007

I am absolutely addicted to tea, and every morning before leaving the house I make make a big travel mug of tea to bring with me. I have an entire cabinet of various green teas and I try to make a different kind every day. When I get to work I settle in with my tea.

It's become a huge part of my mornings.
posted by Becko at 8:28 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

I look forward to going to the library. I take my baby down, usually walking the mile, every Wednesday. I like that it's a whole big outing. She likes meeting other kids, choosing new board books, and banging on the keyboards . (I like doing it on the same day each week both so it's easier to plan out what else we're doing and also so that we rarely have late books -- since the books are always due on a Wednesday too.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:41 PM on December 15, 2007

Getting emails back from people I've written to recently.
I used to look forward to my relaxed morning ritual, back when I used to get up with enough time for it.
posted by lostburner at 8:47 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

The arrival of the new IKEA catalogue.
posted by backwards guitar at 8:57 PM on December 15, 2007 [2 favorites]

Baking bread. (Especially pulling it hot from the oven, slicing it, and smearing it with butter.)
posted by catdog at 9:02 PM on December 15, 2007

*New issues of my favorite magazines
*A hot bath at the end of a long day
*Sleeping in on a day off
*An entire day off on which I can set the agenda without anyone else's needs figuring in
*weekend trips, vacations, visiting friends, annual rituals
*holidays
*dining out
*starting a new book
*cooking a delicious, hot, reasonably healthy meal at the end of the day
*Getting a new 1930s or 40s movie from Netflix
*good weather
*going grocery shopping when my budget allows for stocking the pantry
*definitely the farmer's market, but that's only May-Oct
*seeing bands and musicians I like play at several local bars - I scan the listings every week and look forward to the upcoming shows and the chance to have a couple beers, be social and hear music
posted by Miko at 9:30 PM on December 15, 2007

I know this sounds Pollyanna-esque, but I look forward to going to work in the morning, because I work with some unusually terrific people. (I got my job here so I guess that isn't surprising.) I also make a great cup of coffee when I get there.

I also look forward to coming back home, largely because of my wonderful and hilarious dog.

It's fun to find out what's in the CSA vegetable drop every week. Though at this time of year it's only every two weeks.

I used to look forward to regular baths. (Showers are purely functional; I don't enjoy them the same way.) I don't have a bath where I live now, so it's something I look forward to whenever I travel -- but since that isn't regular, I guess it's outside the scope of this question.
posted by tangerine at 10:02 PM on December 15, 2007

Oh, tangerine reminds me: staying in a hotel, for a few reasons:
-the mattress is usually better than mine at home
-fresh sheets and your bed made for you every day
-watching TV in bed, a luxury because I don't have (or want) a TV in my bedroom at home, but it's fun when away
posted by Miko at 10:05 PM on December 15, 2007

Toast
Make magazine coming in the mail
Starting a new bag of coffee
(College student nearing the end of finals and pining for simple pleasures)
posted by djb at 10:08 PM on December 15, 2007

aws17576: My partner and I often read to each other before bed; in one year, for instance, we read The Third Policeman, Trout Fishing in America, and The Thousand and One Nights (Burton's translation). When we are separated, we read over the phone.

Holy crap. This is the most wonderful idea ever. (Also the cause of the first intense pang of longing-for-a-partner I've had in a while, but it's okay, I'll live!)
posted by loiseau at 10:30 PM on December 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Every Monday night some friends of mine and I get together to play first-person shooters online. I recently moved away from everyone so it's a nice way to still do something together.

In the last place I lived there was a big board-and-video-games bonanza every Friday night, some of the most fun I've had ever.

I have a page of selected comics that I read every morning. Some days are completely unnoteworthy, but sometimes you get a good chuckle. Sinfest on Sundays is usually good, and oh look, there are new pages of Lackadaisy!
posted by brett at 11:23 PM on December 15, 2007

Finding a new recipe, shopping for ingredients, and spending the evening cooking.
A morning cup of coffee at my favourite local coffeehouse.
Tearing the plastic off my new copy of the Economist and diving in.
A hot cup of tea with fresh milk, a good book, and my Slanket.
Taking a weekend trip to visit friends in other cities.
Taking weekend trips to places I've never been, by myself.
Finding disused roads on road trips and driving down them to see where I end up.
Going running (not because I enjoy it, but because it makes me feel better).
Curling up with some mulled wine, the cat, and This American Life.
A hot bath with a glass of wine and a favourite book.
A really comfortable couch and the DVD player.
Weekend brunches at favourite restaurants, or weekday brunches on a morning off.
Going out dancing.
An evening of jazz, Sapphire & tonics, and the company of good friends.
Buying some really good chocolate, keeping it until I just can't wait any longer, and then savouring it over one of the appropriate above suggestions.
Reading new McSweeney's Lists and UofC ScavHunt lists with a like-minded friend.
Saving up and anticipating a meal at a really good restaurant.
Browsing good bookstores.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 12:20 AM on December 16, 2007

The morning coffee at the weekend
The first cup of earl grey at work
Shopping for groceries on a Saturday morning whilst Mrs arcticseal snoozes, I like the feeling of foraging for supplies and running errands for her
The weekly podcast of fighting talk
Tangerines at Christmas - bought a huge bag yesterday
Nth-ing aws17576 in the love of all weather and being out in it
The annual ski trip/homage to Whistler (it's a chance to go home too)
Reading the Times/NYT/askMeFi online
Haircuts
Reading is a big thing for me
Late brunches with Mrs arcticseal and friends
The first breath of Canadian air when the airplane door opens (I'm a Brit, but it smells like home)
Calling my parents twice a week
National Geographic arriving
A glass of good red in the evening
Trying a new recipe
The lincolnshire sausage in my fridge about to be made into sandwiches
Pork Pie - sometimes you've just got to have a piece
Good cheese
Freshly laundered sheets (the flannel discussion means I'm going shopping!)
Mocking bad tv shows/movies with Mrs arcticseal
A good shave in the morning
The monthly bank statement, being solvent means never having to put up with stuff you don't want to

Life is full of pleasures if you just remember to look for them...
posted by arcticseal at 4:00 AM on December 16, 2007

Great question.
My absolute best in recent time was a holiday to Thailand. We got super cheap flights but they were 11months away. The wife and I discussed whether the anticipation would be too much for the kids, but they reveled in having a concrete thing to look forward to. Each part, as we found a hotel, learned about Thai stuff and practised a few words was exquisite, and we had a magical time.
I have an acquaintance that holidays each summer and immediately books the next year's holiday on her return - she is smart!
We also get to go to a beach house for a week or so every summer, this is just a tremendous comfort in the depths of winter and really whenever things are hard. The knowing it is going to happen makes everything bad more bearable.
I will make the aside that it is a sad reflection on the lack of holiday time in the US that this stuff isn't in all the above lists!
On a more day to day level, I love the saturday paper. Where I am it is a think thing like a Sunday NYT. I sometimes don't buy it if I am busy, so the reward is so much sweeter when I do have a lazy weekend available to really read it.
My other favourite is reserving a book at the library. Until this year they used to mail me a card when it arrived. They still would, but I've switched to email to save some trees even though that letter was always so great.
In a similar vein, ebay is a tremendous way to shop. I did get a bit silly around 2000 but even now the excitement of knowing something is coming in the post is exhilarating. Compared to the drudgery of fighting a packed mall, ebay delivers three times in convenience, anticipation and delivery.
My last one is Christmas. It is a bit hard for you northern hemisphere people to understand the intensity that Christmas delivers in the south. The big day, New Year a week after and the big summer holiday all rolled into one. The whole place just stops for a few weeks. Traffic doesn't get bad again for a month. Everyone takes some time - the TV goes shit, the radio personalities are on holidays, and test cricket is on the ABC. There is no better way to take stock and ease back than to do a meaningful chore while listening to the cricket.
OK, I'm excited, its only a week away and everyone is in a frenzy before the denouement that Christmas brings.
Great question.
posted by bystander at 4:26 AM on December 16, 2007

Family Pizza Night.
Every friday night I make pizza for the four of us. It's a nice end to the week.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:47 AM on December 16, 2007

Ah, the simple pleasures that make life good for me...

- getting to work just as the sun is coming up and seeing that gorgeous coral pink colour flood the drab grey walls of my office.
- cranking the tunes up in the car and singing along.
- getting a coffee with my sister.
- playing with my three neices.
- Hugs and kisses from my SO.
- sleeping in on Sunday
- hearing from friends in Ireland.
- finding an awesome new song to learn.
- cracking thin ice on puddles with the heel of my boot. Some pleasures remain from childhood! :)
posted by LN at 6:52 AM on December 16, 2007

Fishing.
Seeing my woman when I can!
Sex
A great breakfast
Baseball season
Going to the beach
Sleeping
Getting paid every other week
A fantastic Sunday dinner
Netflix
Holidays with the family.
A good nap.
posted by thetenthstory at 7:15 AM on December 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

- Singing karaoke every Monday night at a bar downtown.
- Used to look forward to new episodes of The Office on Thursday nights
- When the newest issue of The New Yorker arrives
- Whenever AtheneWins used to post a new video on YouTube
- Eating yellow curry chicken at a Thai eatery here that I frequent
- Seeing my bank account float upwards with direct deposit at midnight the day before payday
posted by philosophistry at 8:32 AM on December 16, 2007

I agree with checking the mail.
Having books arrive at the library on my hold list.
Taking off my bra at the end of the day.
posted by krikany at 9:46 AM on December 16, 2007

Probably obvious, but I always look forward to going to the gym (usually about two or three days a week).

obvious?! do you realize how many people hate you for naturally looking forward to this? :)

morning coffee.
afternoon coffee.
aw heck, evening espresso now & then.
a good breakfast.
a new "new yorker" in the mailbox.
getting home to my cat.
my SO coming over.
good conversation.
a new idea.
sleep.
traveling, seeing things I've never seen before.
trees, big rocks, wide open spaces, seeing the night sky (properly) again.
finding a new inspiration.
posted by mdn at 9:53 AM on December 16, 2007

1. Checking my inbox after work, and then my MetaFilter "recent activity" and "recent favourites" tabs. Sometimes comments I make are reacted to or get favourited by others, and that makes me happy.

2. My Man, arriving with a fresh load of drugs. When he takes out his stash, and I hand him my money, I get a bit of an adrenalin rush and I grin, broadly and openly. After he goes away I do a little snoopy dance in my room, and then I get high and surf the Internet late late into the night. I am glad that I am able to experience pure bliss from such simple pleasures.

3. Every year or so a new iteration of one of my favourite computer games comes out, and I go buy it, and then play it for many days in a row, oblivious to the real world and the passage of time. These special times give me a taste of the infinite, and immortality.
posted by Meatbomb at 10:00 AM on December 16, 2007

Speaking to my children on the telephone. Their mother took them to live in her home country almost a year ago and our only contact is two phone calls a week.

Man, I live for those calls.
posted by pinkbuttonanus at 3:07 PM on December 16, 2007 [2 favorites]

European footie on the weekend.

Yoga on Mon. Wed. and Sat.
posted by philad at 5:21 PM on December 16, 2007

My art classes.
Coffee breaks at work (they last an hour, and I get to socialise with some lovely academics - no I don't get paid during them).
Going to the library for fiction or non-fiction.
My house being clean (not the cleaning of it, though). Clean sheets on my bed.
Airconditioning on a stinking hot day. Hot shower on a freezing cold one. The season that it is not (that is, in summer, I look forward to winter, and vice versa).
Parcels (thank you ebay).
Food - I love food. Morning coffees.
Rain and storms. I watch the weather radar in hope.
My RSS feeds.

Once a week, my husband and children settle on a couch to watch one television program together. Our tastes are so diverse there is only one show we all enjoy. (Spicks & Specks ABC Australia). I really look forward to that time together.
posted by b33j at 12:22 AM on December 17, 2007

I love my four-year-old son to pieces, but that first hour after he's fallen asleep is pure bliss. A glass of red wine and the sheer pleasure of not having to react to anything.
posted by YamwotIam at 3:16 AM on December 17, 2007

at my old job, i looked forward to my morning fountain soda from wawa on the way to work. it was the reason i got out of bed in the morning.

currently, i look forward to the few minute wait at the train station after work because i get to knit and sit in silence.

i also look forward to the days we get to our po box because there's usually a package of some kind (genreally something we've ordered, but sometimes a surprise from a friend or family).
posted by misanthropicsarah at 7:14 AM on December 17, 2007

Dance class as often as I can get to it. It lifts my mood when I'm having the blahs and calms me when I'm bouncing off the walls. Also the double benefit of being something I love and that makes me feel healthier.

Going to the farmers' market on Saturdays and getting fresh veggies for the week.

Baking projects on Sundays.
posted by CiaoMela at 7:26 AM on December 17, 2007

Cuddling my cat when I get home from work, and in bed right before I go to sleep. Bedtime rituals make me feel all cozy and content for sleep. That first sip of hot coffee in the morning and the cigarette that accompanies it. Cracking open a can of ice cold coke or beer. Taking my walk on my lunch hour. Getting mail/packages. Going out to dinner or sitting down to a good homecooked meal with my boyfriend. Those lazy solitary week days off when I turn up the girly music, roll up my sleeves, and clean house (really!). Rainy weekends spent cuddling in bed under warm blankets. The bounce in my step I know I'll have on the walk home from getting my haircut. Hot showers. Hot cocoa. Fresh editions of magazines and papers I follow. Fresh crosswords. The wide open spaces in the beginning of a round of Super Scrabble with my boyfriend. Going used book store hunting on weekends. Going to the farmer's market.
posted by ifjuly at 11:21 AM on December 17, 2007

This thread makes me feel depressingly.... not even geeky. Just sad.
2 regular things I look forward to:
b3ta newsletter on Fridays
Postsecret update on Sundays

*cough* Ok, I enjoy hitting snooze and staying in bed for another 9 minutes too!
posted by ClarissaWAM at 10:06 AM on December 18, 2007

* my weekly visits to a coffee house for a latte or chai latte (milky tea with spices, much nicer than it sounds). It would be even better if I had a wi-fi laptop.
* finding some cool new band on YouTube or Last.fm
* Watching the DVDs I rent from Amazon with some microwave salted popcorn to eat
* Watching American football in bed (late night due to UK time differences) since I don't have work to go to in the morning
* Opening up packages from Amazon - a bit like buying myself an Xmas present
* catching up with the news at my favourite web forum (www.sascotland.co.uk)
* treating myself to a McDonalds breakfast and then having a look for cheap videos/ DVDs in the local charity shop
* the occasional Jack Daniels and Coke

Back when I was working, I used to love going to Spanish language schools - I've been in Spain, in Peru and in Beunos Aires as well as the regular classes in my hometown. For those who haven't tried it I agree with the others who find it a welcome change of pace. I found it much more enjoyable than language learning was in school. Unfortunately for me once I stopped learning a couple of years ago my knowledge seemed to dissipate rapidly - I guess the saying "use it or lose it" is true :-)

I also think in general it's nice to have some booked a while in advance to look forward to, such as tickets to a pop concert or a cheap weekend in Barcelona. And once one thing is over it's nice to book the next thing so you always have something to look forward to.

I have really enjoyed reading this thread, sometimes it's the little things that we don't appreciate as much as we should. Lots of people pointed out daily morning or nighttime rituals they find comforting, or simple things they liked to do at home.

I cross-posted this thread on another forum and got another good answer -

* Listening to new music
* Listening to old music
* Watching that chick on T4 who's going out with the Artic Monkey singer
* 8 cans of Strongbow cider for £5.50 100 yards for my flat
* Thinking what I'll spend on my flat when I have the money.
* Playing XBOX 360
* The day when fairies come and open my mail and the bills float off to never never land.
* Watching DVDs(copies of course)
* Watching a 'classic era' Simpsons episode I've watched a thousand times before, but still find new/forgotten jokes.
* A good curry
* Good company
* Celtic's demise
posted by AuroraSky at 11:00 AM on December 18, 2007

I have an absurd love for my weekly grocery shopping.

I love when I get to curl up on my couch with just my cat and a version of Law & Order - bonus points if I've never seen the episode (rarity).

Cooking something and realizing, I'm pretty good at this!

Anytime the conversation is good and laughs abound.
posted by bozichsl at 1:56 PM on December 18, 2007

Saturday mornings. No obligations. Just me, the dogs, a cup of coffee, and thou beside me surfing in the wilderness. I mean internet.

Coffee break at work with my favorite co-worker.

Wednesday lunches with my favorite co-worker. He's Italian; everything's an adventure!

Weekends with my honey (not the co-worker), watching a movie or the latest Battlestar Galactica, cementing the bonds of our relationship. ;o)

Friday evening! The weekend is mine, all mine!

Slow hikes in the woods, keeping an eye out for promising walking sticks and shed deer antlers (it's almost time).

Grrlz Day with my best friend who lives in another city. Maybe twice a year we get together, compare notes, shop, have a great lunch, decadent treats, and wonderful coffee. Alternately diss and praise our honeys. ;o)

Sunsets in winter. They can be outrageously flamboyant in January, especially. I'd probably like sunrises too but I'm rarely up early enough to see them.

The first flowers of spring: winter aconite shows up in early February, followed by crocuses. Croci. Whatever.

That's it for now.

McQ.
posted by Brigit McQ at 4:37 PM on December 18, 2007

I love taking a healthy crap. It's pretty much what I live for these days.
posted by rocketman at 8:55 AM on December 20, 2007

The Finish Line: on any given work day, when I've gotten home, made dinner, and am able to sit down with Mrs. Ev and have that first mouthful of food, and that first savoring and swallow of wine. I can feel every muscle in my body palpably relax.

*cin cin*
posted by everichon at 8:56 AM on December 20, 2007

Thank you all very much for so many wonderful ideas!! I have printed all of your answers out and highlighted the one's I think will appeal to my husband (and found some great ideas for myself too in the process!) :)

A huge thank you once again for taking the time to post and help us out.
posted by katala at 4:57 AM on December 21, 2007

I look forward to cooking recipes that I've seen on my favorite food blogs. And I enjoy going to various markets to buy unusual ingredients just as much as cooking them up into something fabulous.
posted by HotPatatta at 12:24 PM on February 4