Believe, Hon

Ahhh, nothing quite reminds me of home like the ambiguous city-wide 'Believe' campaign.  I don't exactly remember when the single entity replaced it's predecessor, the laughable mouthful, "Baltimore: a City that Reads", once plastered on every bench south of Stevenson, but I'll admit that I'm filled with pride and nostalgia when I see it (especially if it's followed by a comma and a 'Hon').  I like the irony in this trash bin picture, too.  I won't admit it a fitting description of my beloved birthplace, but given preconceived notions and the popularity of The Wire worldwide, it made me laugh.   On to my point and my post...

In my most recent hobby of blog stalking, I came across a sweet college student who posted 25 things she believed in.  Most were sappy regarding love/family/relationships/honesty, but they made me smile nonetheless and instantly ponder what 25 things I'd assert as belief-worthy.  I think it's relative really.  Actually, I know so.  If you'd have asked me in 2004 to complete the same task, I would have certainly believed in my family, homemade chips from the Tavern, friends, booze, cheap/cute clothes and a raucous spring break...and probably the politics of poverty, to make myself sound slightly less shallow, as I vaguely remember taking a captivating class of the same name in that year. 

Here's the thing, I'm not pledging to save the world with the following catalogue, or make anyone tear up (I realize I shouldn't flatter myself).  I just happen to think I have some decent and logical beliefs, sprinkled with a few frivilous ones.  So here's my list for March of 200910 (random WORDY aside: I've become quite fond of sending snail mail across the pond.  There's something about surprising people with a postcard onto which I've tried to spurt the maximum amount of wit from abroad in a space the size of a movie ticket.  I also love the fact that most recently, all my mail is sent out donning a "Royal Mail" sticker with a stamp of ol' Queen Beth next to it.  My point is that I always write the year at the top of each letter because I'm a sappy hoarder - or, my mom - who saves every card I receive and likes them accurately dated.  Well for the past 3 months I've been writing 2009.  Must have been a good year or something, but I do realize it's over and have staged an intervention with my ballpoint to halt my blunders.)

No really, here is the list.  I BELIEVE......

1. That the R in 'Toys R Us' should be turned around.  What are we teaching our children???  There is no reason for it to be backwards.  None.

2. In God.

3. That traveling light is VASTLY underrated.  I'm moronic in my overpacking, and realize that pashminas in every color of the rainbow are not essential.  Nor are 2 pairs of congnac boots despite the slight differences in heel height.  I long to travel with one underweight suitcase containing the ultimate all-purpose outfit withstanding multiple appearances with the same people.  I long to breeze through check-in without shelling out 50 bucks (30 euro, or 10 GBP per kilo over) PER suitcase.  I long to make it to my gate without red strawberry bruising on my right shoulder from my handled cylinder block, I mean carry-on (read: someone buy me a pretty little Mac rather than this hunker).

4. That at the end of the day, your word is what you have, and that shouldn't be taken lightly.  I believe that you should just be honest...it's not that hard to do.

5. That old things have the best stories, perhaps explaining my love affair with antiquing despite my youth.

6. That multi-purpose cleaning spray is as comforting as my childhood blanket....which isn't saying much as I don't really remember said blanket or have any idea its location.  Bottom line - I believe in the power of the spray down.

7. That love is best shown in the simplest of ways.  No explanation necessary.

8. That the BBC broadcasts the most stellar documentaries.  So far I've been behind the scenes with Taliban insurgents, witnessed the true power of a killer squid, and been privied to the wicked interiors of some ghastly prisons.  I also believe that I have a predilection for the morbid, but that's not # 9.

9. That going to the movie theater is therapeutic.  Regardless of the world outside, you're sat for 2 hours in (sort of) silence with buttered popcorn.  In those moments, all is right with the world.

10. That everyone should live, for some time, as close to the center of a city as their wallets allow.  The experience is humbling (lugging laundry), convenient (take-out at all hours), fitness-inducing (grocery bags and stairs), penny pinching, culturally stimulating (museums, architecture, street style, etc.).

11. That everyone, and I mean everyone should have the unlimited use of a dishwasher.  I would rather walk barefoot through Grand Central Station, scrub the toilet - you know, underneath the rim where it's particularly grotesque - and listen to Randy Travis on repeat before living without a dishwasher.  I. hate. handwashing.

12. That iced coffee is the most economically sound and reliable cure-all.  Could be a migraine, stomach ache, Mondays, hangover from hell, Tuesdays, snow days, sleep deprivation, Texas summers, jet lag, rainy days, Wednesdays, I miss the USA days....you get the point.

13. That all towels should be big and white.

14. That onions and/or honey mustard make 99.9% of things taste better.  Sweets being the clear exception.

15. That education is of the utmost importance.  If I could single handedly make higher education a reality for all, I would.

16. In refinishing furniture.

17. That people should compost more.  Disclaimer: I don't actually do it, I just think about it a lot as I constantly throw food scraps away/down the drain.  One day, when I have a home with a deodarized drawer specially designed for rancid food, I will compost.  I guess I'd need to have a garden too?  Yikes...

18. That the Snuggie, though a backwards robe and an easy target, catches a bad rap.  Since receiving my very own (Luxury) Snuggie, I find myself wondering what life was like before it accompanied me everywhere.

19. That the answers don't come in our time.

20. That blazers are tried and true.  They cover lovehandles, instantly enhance an otherwise dull outfit, withstand various categories of weather, and most importantly, have pockets.

21. That the Olympics are one of those things that simply better our world.  Steroids, ambiguous birthdates, and the occasional on ice brew and stogie aside, they are an addicting example of emotion, competition, pride, comraderie, and a thousand other sappy things.  I always cry, always, and could watch the dullest of events (ahem, curling) with as much enthusiasm as I do watching KC score a game winner.  And I'm not just listing this because they recently ended and are fresh in my mind.  Bring on London 2012!

22. That it is unacceptable to walk through a door without glancing behind to see if someone else is following suit.  Inaction on this front is something I simply cannot tolerate.

23. That white shoes should never be worn after Labor Day/ before Memorial Day.  Residence in Miami does not an offender excuse.

24. That baths are often the answer.  Go ahead, throw a little bath salt in there.

25. That yoga is boring.