These are in no particular order, because if they were, one could legitimately argue I have major priority issues.

1) Vacuum hose extensions. My parents gave me one last week from their old vacuum they were about to trash. This is second only to health care reform on the BFD scale, and even that is questionable. Words cannot adequately describe the frustration I’ve felt trying to clean my apartment with a vacuum whose accessories are insufficient. Now I can clean with slightly above mediocre posture. I can reach new heights (ceiling cobwebs). With this nuisance resolved, just think of all the other first-world problems I can tackle.

2) This meme. Because the only thing better than a Michael Jackson song is a Michael Jackson song immortalized on a shopping cart. Just look at it staring up at you, politely insisting you put down the Triscuits you were about to throw in the cart and bust a move to this timeless disco classic.

3) My job. Goddamn it, I love my job. Even on days like today, with so much happening and my stress level at 11 out of 10, I still feel like I’m learning, like I’m moving forward. No spinning wheels, and no dead end street — just forward motion and a relentless absorption of knowledge. Accepting this job with Integrity nine months ago was taking a pretty big risk with my career, and truth be told, it couldn’t have turned out more perfectly.

4) My locale. Saint Louis, wow. You are amazing. I don’t care what they write about you. I don’t care about your quirky weather,  insane traffic and ridiculous crime rate. You are where I belong for the foreseeable future. You are where my friends live, where I go to work, where I play and socialize. You are home!