brought to you with love by mariam janad and cadence harvey (Nov. 2020)!
last update: August 30, 2023
going through old math notebooks and seeing how jumbled all the work is and it makes no sense to you now but it was perfectly sane a week ago
seeing a little animal and quietly screaming for someone nearby (quiet enough to not scare the animal, loud enough to get the person's attention; usually in the form of whisper-yells) to come stand with you by the window and just watch it
making a cup of tea and it's really cold around you but when you bring the tea up to your mouth to drink the steam makes your face warm
when one part of the window shows the trees being mostly orange/red but the other part shows only green leaves so it looks like two different scenes
the number 16 (honorary mentions: 4, 18, 64, 42, 49, 81, 5, and 32)
brown!!!!!!! cardigans!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wearing a very good pair of boots in the winter so every part of you might be freezing but your feet are warm at least
complimenting strangers!
Mary Oliver poems
smelling a candle even though it isn't lit
the little wave you do when you let people pass you when driving
when dogs stick their heads out of windows at red lights
waking up and changing from a sweatshirt to another sweatshirt for productivity's sake
going through your camera roll and finding a photo of a memory you thought you forgot
learning a word in a new language
Yellow by Coldplay
Upside Down by Jack Johnson
finding out that something you loved as a kid and thought no one else liked is something one of your friends loved too
pretty mirrors with pretty reflections
seeing something and sending a photo of it to someone because it reminded you of them (and receiving these texts)
the way your outfit you planned in your head for a week finally comes together perfectly when you wear it
the sound of loose change
sharing chocolate with someone
voice memos
finding behind-the-scenes photos from your favorite movie
someone telling you they watched/listened to the movie/song you recommended
making a playlist and it perfectly being the feeling you wanted it to be
acoustic versions of your favorite song
seeing a stranger in public wearing something you own (not like it's yours, it's just the same piece of clothing but theirs)
belvita cinnamon breakfast biscuits with lavender tea and honey
when you get complimented on something you didn't really like before. and now, when you wear it or you look at your reflection you remember that compliment every time.
knowing that you might be the person who gave the compliment to someone else in #31
finding an old friend from elementary school online and not talking to them or anything just looking at their account and realizing you've grown too
making paper snowflakes
hanging up a new poster (or anything on the wall) and it being perfect the first time you put it up
leaving yourself something nice (a piece of chocolate, your favorite pen, whatever) for future-you to enjoy
finding whatever you left in #36
reading your favorite books from middle school but its been long enough that you don't remember the whole plot so it kind of feels like the first time you've read it again
seeing a nice sunset/rise, opening your phone and seeing half of the people on social media posting it too (we all love the sky!)
christmas lights being up in November and any time after January
Cherry Wine by Hozier (Live)
adding little things to your to-do list like "pick up clothes from floor" or "eat breakfast" just to feel accomplished when checking them off
when the sun is warm but not hot
saying something at the same time as a friend and turning to each other with the same reaction/facial expression
understanding a math concept after getting it wrong 50 times in a row
seeing someone with a cool mask (cool design, says something funny, matching their outfit, etc! protect your neighbors and look cool!!)
seeing really old cars drive past you on the road (extra points if you turn to the person next to you and saying "hey look at that car")
for christine: Zaxby's and when others are happy
learning weird facts about science/history that you can tell people about later so they can tell other people
genuinely being amazed by a magic trick
comfort movies! (Harry Potter, Ella Enchanted, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Pride and Prejudice, etc.)
the proclamation of love by Lemony Snicket
watching random nature documentaries on TV without really paying attention
for elaina: Coffee!
slow & reverb versions of songs
finally doing an assignment you procrastinate on for ages and it not even being that bad
asking a question and getting a straightforward answer
the way little kids talk to animals
referencing something and someone near you finishing the quote
new shoes
the word "ember"
Paul Rudd
people whose lock screens are of their pet
taking personality-type tests (https://keys2cognition.com/explore)
buying something from a vending machine
museum gift shops
knowing someone's favorite dinosaur
highlighting your books (YOUR books)
buying second hand books and finding little annotations in the margins
loving yourself
minecraft phases
layering clothes so you're warm and you look GREAT!
hearing stories about how people's parents met
the concept of soulmates
mario kart
things for ella: good books, arizona tea, and her cat
proper use of the oxford comma (look away, AP stylebook users...)
Times New Roman 12 pt
the Narnia book series AND movies
etsy stores
for liesel: sweaters, paintings, her cats, and fun socks (aka: "everything in the arsenal to become a cat lady in my near future")
for alina: plaid blankets ("those are always a go-to")
for kaela: food and georgia being blue
lists.
personalized journals full of things you just love
movie ticket stubs
people with clear phone cases that are stuffed with random things they like
watching the leaves slowly change color
the color orange
incorrect use of emojis
seeing someone you haven't seen in a long time
the way someone you love smells
when you smell just like your person from #92 after they hug you
for charleigh: Young adult books
for caylin: "People taking the time to talk to me"
for cristen: Hot tea!
getting a package in the mail that you forgot you even ordered
handwritten letters
the way your name sounds coming from someone else's mouth
for time: "Putting in earbuds and listening to some MC Hammer 'You Can't Touch This'"
for ella: "Bees and a good playlist"
for audrey: "When someone genuinely compliments your character"
for devin: "MMG's YouTube videos"
for joe: "Working with you" (Thanks, Joe!!)
for caylin: "People just smiling at me + getting hugs from friends"
Coffee rings on tables
for my dad: when I go fishing and I get a big fish"
for caroline: "Music and french fries!!!"
for arianna: "Going to IKEA and the airport"
for ayden: "my dog"
Angel numbers
for mary and selena: italians
for hannah: "fresh books, the smell of november, minecraft, the soundtrack of my favorite movie"
for olivia: "gift shop mugs"
honorable mention in relation to mugs, Goodwill mugs!
and also all things Goodwill!
for gavin: "Sparkling water + the great state of Oregon + seeing the stars + days that you don't spend a lot of time on your phone + the stars + deep friendships"
honorable mentions for gavin: Tom Rybolt!
for cameron: "Driving at night with your windows down listening to Vienna by Billy Joel"
the way Vienna by Billy Joel makes you feel. That deserved its own slot.
Olive Garden breadsticks
":))"
being told someone is proud of you. (if no one has told you today, I'm proud of you!!!)
pancakes in the morning (extra points for whipped cream)
hot chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!
the way the man in the Arby's commercials says "We Have the Meats"
posts about astrology that are oddly specific and true (You know you love them.)
for jonathan: "Making people laugh"
for anna: "Being listened to"
for bryan: Nascar
for hannah: When you wake up a little early and your bed is warm and cozy
on the note of #131, when you wake up before your alarm thinking you slept through your alarm so you get that lovely 'extra' 20 minutes of shuteye
for nathan: "During sunsets when the sky is gold, pink, and orange. Or when the sun sets over the horizon at the beach."
for anna: "Murder mystery podcasts"
finding feel good tv shows to obsess over for weeks at a time (some good recs: Community on Netflix, AP BIO on Peacock, Schitt's Creek on Netflix, Superstore on Hulu!)
for arianna: "laughing till my ribs hurt and singing with my friends in the car in the middle of a random parking lot and gas station pickups"
novelty keychains
sweet melancholy songs that don't make you quite sad, just in a comfortable state of nostalgia
Haircuts
waking up and remembering your good dream vivid enough for it to make you smile
giving your loved ones good gifts!!!!!!!!!!
making/buying breakfast for people
driving with your windows just a little bit down (or all the way!) while your favorite song plays
grass that grows between gaps in the concrete
for maddie: "Seeing an old man hold the door for his old wife and how they've probably been together since they were kids"
for kaitlyn: "My cats. Point blank. Period. ""
for elaina: "my dog :)"
for hannah: "sitting on the roof in the winter at 3am"
for anna: "Taylor Swift rerecording her masters"
for ella: "Nostalgia and old friends and trees with golden leaves"
loose leaf tea!!!!!!!
soft pretzels
for brenna: "my dog"
for becca: "When you make a baby laugh and smile"
for emma: "frogs and peppermint mochas"
for meghan: "a clockwork orange or parasite"
watching your favorite cartoons from your childhood
warm socks
warm BLANKETS
second-hand books
rhe way good teachers congratulate you on your work
when the grass is green again
the way your hands feel when it's really cold and windy outside but you're holding a hot cup of coffee/tea
Tuesday afternoons when the sun sets
minecraft music (Thank you, C418)
for ella: "80s glasses and blue tint movies/shows"
for matthew: "10 piece Boneless chicken wings from Zaxby's"
for kaela: "music, giggling with friends, doggies and kitties, pretty stuff"
for anna: "Taylor Swift, redecorating, finding a new show and researching the actors/actresss's whole life"
for liesel: "Coach king getting on his cart and ramming into a student's desk"
for cameron: "fried potato wedges"
for arianna: "little animals"
for logan: "poems" (!)
for cammey: "cold floors."
follow up to #174: laying on cold bathroom floors, specifically.
thunderstorms- have we already said that?
dried flowers hung on walls
sunlight that peeks through cracks in the blinds
being barefoot in a creek on a sunny day in july when everything in the world feels limitless and you have never been so at peace
doing a handstand
also cartwheels on the grass!
pictures of bears
videos of bears
bears.
one day you may visit the last frontier.
god i love alaska.
subwoofer lullaby
the way March rain make you a little sleepy
afternoon naps that weren't supposed to happen but leave you feeling so so so much better
"<3"
for kinlsey: "when old people try to clap on beat to a song but it is totally off, when you are excited to see someone and they react with the same amount of excitement"
on the note of #191, the time spent looking forward to seeing That Person. ex: when you remember and you can't help but smile at the thought of them
for mia: "reading to someone i love"
for kayli: "liesel's whole existence"
thinking about how much you love your friends. (tell them.)
for my dad: "Seeing success"
for my mom: "when I wake up and I see the sun in the window"
breakfast at noon
breakfast at any point in the day, actually
for liesel: "the mugs you gave me. I get upset, then I make coffee or tea in one of them and I feel better" (hi liesel, I love you -mariam)
for alison: "reclaiming the things you once shared with someone as your own, when you're writing something and you get the words just right"
for jay: "Playing music"
for addison: "when little kids try to show that they can breakdance"
crackers and cheese
heart shaped anything
honey oatmilk latte
for ashkon: "Her"
for hannah: "him; napping during storms; having our pinkies interlaced; opening up and letting him help me; finally being able to share everything i want to share because he actually cares"
for elaina: "having my winged eyeliner be even with one another w/o having to redo one several times"
the smile that singers do when they start a song and the crowd immediately starts cheering at the first two notes (roland faunte - happy life live at the ER 5/18 on youtube, 0:00-0:10)
green
when it's cold outside and you anticipated it to be warmer and when you go outside it seems like everyone else had the same thought process so you all are just shivering but at least we made mistakes together
"Have you started (assignment)?" "No, have you?" "No"
angel numbers, again
for sammi: "when it's that perfect middle season between summer and fall, like when the weathers warm but cool, and the trees are only slightly bare"
for D: "forehead kisses from your best friends like not in a romantic way just as a way of comfort or affection; after you cry really hard and someone is hugging and comforting you and that deep breath you take when you're realizing everything is going to be okay even if it doesn't feel like it will"
for S: "when you write a really pretty letter or word, even though you were just quickly scribbling for an essay or notes, and for those few seconds you just take in the perfect word/letter"
for alex: "playing the last note of a symphony piece. when i'm out of breath, my hands cramping and aching, but i'm listening to the applause of the audience and i can see the smile on the conductor's face"
for K: "my mom"
for nathan: "Rudie! (the black lab); when you can communicate feelings with another person through music choice; being able to be in a band where everyone can play music, but also just spend days hanging out instead; having friends that you can plan to hang out with for an hour and then end up spending the entire afternoon at their house; early morning walks on the beach (especially on winter mornings when the sunrises are sooo pretty); the little website that I was directed to via Cadence's bio is honestly too perfect; the people that I've met/become friends with because of the pandemic; life in general is so beautiful if you just take a minute to think things through and savor the moment"
orange sticky notes on laptop screens
overcast skies
touching stingrays
for liesel: "the slight decrease in the temperature lately"
for will: "the little things my girlfriend does"
for evan: "funny stuff" (nice)
for cole: "my friends and all the stupid things we do when we hang out"
for rachel: "thinking about SEEING U IN LIKE A MONTH YES YES" ((THREE WEEKS AHHHH))
for tara: "You!" <3
for cameron: "falling asleep and waking up on facetime with the person i love" :)
for JK: "wolfffff center :)"
cosmic kinds of love.
atomic kinds of love.
all the kinds of love.
sonic trips for (not) half-priced milkshakes
olivia mcgahee + rachel clark
the cats that live outside the writing center
sleeping to the sound of cicadas
for melina: "thoughtful acts!"
for apollo: "all the halloween stuff!"
for mr. newell: "knowing Jesus is coming back"
for hannah: "cool clothes + adventure time"
first November chill! seeing your breath again! you are so alive!!!
looking forward to see your far away friends again
RED (Taylor's Version) Nov 12!!!!!!!!
library cubicles
observing random acts of kindness (people are so so so good)
penelope (2007)
adrianne lenker! (indiana, best song in the world right now)
by and by, by caamp
the hobbit + lord of the rings
for olivia: "Watching adventure time with my dog and thinking that we could go on adventures like finn and jake"
$4.99 candles from Kroger
for alison: "red taylors version in THREE DAYS" and "being understood in a way I never thought I could be"
goodwill picture frames
finally hanging up/folding all your clothes from their pile that has been sulking into the floor for one too many days
experiencing the van gogh immersive exhibit for the first time then the second time and then the third time and each time being better than the last
christmas shopping!
just the joy of December. Finality of the year! You made it!!
over the garden wall!!!!!!! (+ the soundtrack!)
sharing your favorite writings with someone who Gets It
cheap coffee & good company
for dylon: "just hitting the hell out of a golf ball dead straight."
list updates
thinking of seeing my best friend in the summer again
poems about fruit
fruit.
poems.
for olane: "the sunshine"
for sooroo: "my bag that your grandma made me" shoutout gma
for cameron: "all my days everyday. finally feeling settled in."
for cole: "my friends and this one image of a little frog in a suit." where is this image?
for my dearest fish sweetpea: "disco dance parties and food."
for grace: "when sara hehehehe then screams before she laughs." true
for liesel: "warm weather and longer days."
daylight savings
counting down to summer solstice
counting down to coming back home.
LEARNING TO ROLLERSKATE YAAAAAAA
being presently alive
the campus is covered in daffodils and it's like olivia is always around
answers
my little brother is almost 15 years old and he is the most impressive person i know
sending pictures of beautiful things to beautiful people. because beauty attracts beauty.
mariam is the smartest and most beautiful thing i have ever known. (i love my best friend)
getting to watch our peers graduate in May, most of whom are going to make the world a better place.
seasons of change; watching everything come apart just to fall right back into place.
dumplings from the asian mart in Starkville, Mississippi
my most favorite people are always talking to me, even in my dreams
for ms. christina: her beautiful newborn baby girl, who will be loved beyond comparison by her wonderful mother, sister, father, brother, and friends from far places. congratulations !!!!!!
@irshaadpoetry on instagram
$3.50 large caramel lattes (thanks costa coffee)
First blooms of spring!
Goodreads friends
the Finch app for self-care and love!! Oh so cute!!!
Good Bones by Maggie Smith (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89897/good-bones)
calling people Love
sticky notes. everywhere.
bittersweet taste of the last week of the spring semester. where did the time go!
having a list of 300 reasons to smile, all from the loved ones we know, and the loved ones we just haven't met yet <3 Love you all, always
tulip season!
fresh printed newspapers
listening to an album all the way through
overbooked club with my awesome lovely KSU friends!
valentine's day materialism. heart shaped everything. I gotta.
frasier, the betta fish! My blue joy!!
fractured sunlight
for anna: "Seeing Taylor (Swift) 4/28"
for sydnee: "complimenting ppl and seeing their reactions always makes me :D"
for alyssa: "Laughter :)"
for jess: "@ lovingpoetssociety always" (Thank Jess, we love you)
for olivia: "My new bed sheets"
thank you cards
the smell of cinnamon
popping your back/neck/knuckles
the person in your immediate vicinity also popping their back/neck/knuckles after #316
watching the person you love show you their excitement for the things they're passionate about
showing the person you love the things that you're excited about and feeling seen
bundles of yarn
crocheting, just for the sake of creating something!
the tj maxx candle aisle
taking showers in the dark
We Bare Bears
for ro: Love for dogs
for ava g.: warm coffee, the smell of rain, buying flowers for yourself, and dog earing pages in a book
for bug: company in the rain
for aly: electric guitar
for mariyka: couples holding hands
for rayna: a compliment from a random stranger
for anna: taylor swift opening week (YES!)
on that note: the eras tour
for chansey: the first sip of warm coffee in the morning
for mason: feeling heard and feeling seen by loved ones
for brooke: smiling!
for brie: cats (yay for piper!)
for ashu: video games
for sarah: heart shaped desserts & crochet stars and hearts & the feeling of being genuinely loved or to genuinely love someone & laughing so hard for so long that you have to leave the room
for henry: The Sentinel (hooray for student media!)
for liesel: banana bread
for sarah: stamps, stickers and Bon Mama jams
for amelia: silly animals being silly. and kind interactions with strangers that you think about for a week
for jordan: ava gladdin
for gwen: squishmallows
Aquaphor
the week of 80 degree weather in Georgia that we ever so lovingly call our false spring
scented glitter gel pens
Garfield cartoons in newspapers (support your local prints!)
book club & crafts with friends, feeling like a kid and drawing the sun in the corner with sunglasses on!
receiving goodmorning/goodnight texts
taking naps in empty parks in the sunshine!!
pink lemonade
for anna: clean desks and an operational newsroom & finding a book that she think she'll like at a discounted price
stained glass art
having multiple friends with the same name (i love everyone named anna)
for brayden: "the game battle bit; when i get messages from people i don't expect."
for rachel: "party favor tiaras; matcha with vanilla foam; grocery shopping alone; Waffle House (but not the one with that one waiter)"
for drew: "30 pages of a book and listening to a new album everyday" we are so proud of you.
sitting in the sun spots outside the second floor of mccomas
the sound of construction work making its way through campus
purple flowers and kneeling in the grass to take a closer look.
sitting under a tree together; tussling hair.