Today I was walking by on 49th and 6th when I happened to walk by Magnolia Bakery. And it was packed with the most incredible assortment of people - tourists, regulars, old, young, fat, skinny, hipsters and Upper East Siders. And I thought to myself, how is it that it is so hard otherwise to make all these people happy, and yet all it takes is banana pudding? I am guilty myself. I hadn’t been since college, but it took all of a half-second for all the memories to tickle. Banana pudding! How funny this world is.

So I got to thinking - what else is out there? What other little things would pacify the fiery student activist and the snappy Jewish grandmother as sweet cream piled on Nilla wafers does?

Well I have one: a floor-to-ceiling bookcase and a squishy armchair. How I want one so badly. I could spend hours, days, weeks even - piling them up all around me as I finish and walling myself in my igloo of words. It seems so attainable and simple, yet it is just about as impossible to find the time and space in this day and age as it is to go to space. Or so it seems.

Right now, and sadly so, I have but one shelf of carefully curated titles that I wish I had more time to read twice.

Today I was at the climbing gym (because that is what I have decided I love to do at the old age of 29) and I saw a girl that made me stare for the first time in what seems like years. I didn’t know what to do, and nothing came of it, but it was a wonderful feeling. It makes you want to know where life wants to go in some strange way, ask the question “what’s next?” …which I realize you never really ask yourself nowadays. She had freckles despite being Asian if you cared to think about it later. I loved how they looked on her face. Warm like how sand feels on the beach between your toes.

I’ve quite taken to Roy Orbison. The song “Dream” I could listen to on repeat forever. In fact, I have been for the whole time I have been writing this.

So going back to my original realization, here is a list of things I’ve put together for myself, that I think will give me quite a lot of happiness:

• A soup mug and tea strainer, easy to clean

• Two Zalto glasses that go “ching!”

• An armchair with footrest

• Vitsoe 606 bookshelves. I just love them.

• A cabinet full of cheap wine from the NYT 20 under 20 which I find highly successful, and one bottle of bourbon. No decanters because they make me feel so pretentious.

• A blanket of heavyset, long-thread cotton

And someone who likes to read with me, right by my side.

At any rate, banana pudding.

Ha!

One last thing: please read all my posts while listening to “Dreams” by Roy Orbison from now forward.