My favorite candies (not ham):

1. Red Apple Jelly Bellies.

2. Kit Kat bars. I used to buy a king-size candy bar and a bag of peanuts nearly every day from the golf shop when I worked as a housekeeper. The guy who ran the shop was a little bit psychic, if you can believe it. He correctly guessed my birthday once, and when I said he was right he thought I was joking.

3. Heath bars.

4. Fun Dip / Pixy Stix / SweeTarts / cotton candy. If it’s not chocolate, it’s colored sugar. The sour, powdery variety is my favorite.

5. The (very) slightly melted chunks of a Toblerone bar.

Honorable mention goes to Swedish Fish.

Bonus dislike: Candy corn.

I’m not sure if it’s the “Pro-Epil Complex” or some malodorous side-effect of wild roses I don’t know about, but this Dove antiperspirant makes my armpits smell like a candied ham.

Also, I hate the lid.

1. Turning a hose on outside and waiting for the water to begin to flow out of the other end. I like this especially when the end of the hose is very far away, so that you can just barely see the water.

2. The fingerprinted appearance of a peach pit.

3. Gel pens.

4. Frowning, if I feel like it.

5. Layered food. (Cake, dip, lasagna…)

1. Candlelight.

2. Bubbling aquariums.

3. What you can do with a little water and color. (Gorgeous photos.)

4. Free drinks.

5. When clicking the “Remember Me” checkbox actually works.

I started thinking about boomerangs on Tuesday and haven’t really stopped since. More than appropriate, given their cyclical nature?

While the shape of a boomerang is sublimely graceful, the instrument itself is strong and honestly kind of freaky. Born of a throwing stick, boomerangs can wipe a dude out.

The boomerang as a pattern was crazy popular in the 1950s, as evidenced by this Formica laminate… which has been reissued, by the way:

I’ve never cared much for that stomach-cramping motif, but it bears mentioning. On the flip side (get it?), I LOVE these two posters by an unknown artist for Trans-Australia Airlines, and Sebastian Lester, respectively:

And this chair, designed by architect Richard Neutra—yep, that Neutra:

And, of course, I adore the carved and painted imagery on old wooden boomerangs themselves. Dots, circles and stripes are the most prevalent patterns on these Indigenous Australian ‘rangs:

Is that an aardhog?

Truth be told, modern boomerangs are pretty kickass, too:

Please click on each image to view its original source on the ‘net. Thanks!

1. Bowtie pasta.

2. Piano keys.

3. Castles.

4. What I imagine it feels like to ice skate very fast.

5. Knowing how to spell “fuchsia.”

This is my 40th Small Things list. Not to be glum on such an update, but I’m pretty surprised I’ve been able to think of 200 things I like.

I’m happy I started this project (all the way back in January), though. I’m especially happy it’s kept me updating this weblog—because who knows how often I’d write in here without a schedule to stick to.

Anyway, here we are.

1. October. It’s the month I got married, y’know.

2. Wearing socks now that it’s cooler. I’ve missed them.

3. Rose gardens.

4. Raspberry-filled dark chocolate squares from Ghirardelli.

5. The phrase “onyx eyes.” It’s my personal cellar door.

I’ll probably end my version of this project on the final Thursday of 2009, but I was thinking that if I’m ever at a loss for something to draw, or just something positive to dwell on, I’ll come back here and go through the lists I’ve made for inspiration. Maybe you can do the same.