When it all gets too serious

I've spent the day, and last night too, kind of obsessing over all the Remembering 9/11 coverage on the news and radio. While mostly this makes me feel sad, I also can't help feeling terribly lucky. And am reminded not to take any of the wonderful people in my life for granted. On days like these, when we know we're supposed to feel serious - much like a funeral, when everyone is afraid to tell a joke or smile, remembering a funny story - I think sometimes the best thing we can do is just that. Reverence on the anniversary of such an enormous event is, of course, of utmost importance, but so is living and living happily.

So when I sat down at the computer just now, feeling sort of heavy with the weight of this day, I did one of my favorite new things, which is to look up the "recent searches" on my stat counter, which tells me what searches led people to this blog. Most are obvious - people who look up my name or Justin's and stumbled upon this site. Some are less so. People looking up the names and phone numbers of restaurants, or looking up geographical locations I've written about.

Some are the best thing I've ever seen.

Like the person who searched the phrase "showering nude," and thus happened upon my online ramblings.

To the person who looked up "showering nude," and then read my blog: thank you for reading, and though I know you must have been disappointed, I hope you realize that, because of you, even on the darkest of days and in the most difficult times, I have faith that this world is filled with not only doom and despair, but fascinating, curious people, who simply want to have some fun, and I consider myself fortunate just to learn of their - and your - existence.

Five reasons I love Nordstrom

1. Although it is, admittedly, an expensive store, they have amazing sales that people plan their lives around. Ok, they don't plan their lives around Nordstrom sales, but they don't stray too far from the nearest location when, say, the bi-annual women's shoe sale is coming up.2. Nordstrom avoids at all costs the clutter and absurdity that is All Other Department Stores. 3. Those salespeople...the ones my little brother and I used to fear as youngsters, because, when mom and dad were off drooling about some designer crap we were too young to understand, they'd just walk right up and ask if they "could help us," when clearly, no, NO, we just wanted to be left alone and please not be accosted be well-dressed strangers who wanted us to buy clothes with starched collars or - God-forbid - shiny buttons ...those people are actually, as I've learned in grown-up life, the best people in the world. 4. I could try to be unique and not say it, but the piano player, of course, reminds me that the world can be a gentle and well-mannered place. 5. The other day when I went in to buy some sunglasses (the third such pair of that kind from that store, because I keep doing things like sitting on them and breaking them and can't find any that are even close to being as satisfactory as these) the woman ringing me up, who was stuck behind the counter on a phone call, apologized for having to reach over the counter when she handed me my merchandise, because at Nordstrom they come out from behind the counter to give you your stuff instead of just handing it to you like a some ordinary barbarian, because that's how much they love you.