WHAT BROUGHT YOU JOY IN 2018?

WHAT BROUGHT YOU JOY IN 2018?

After recently sharing my trivial irritants of 2018, I thought perhaps it was time to be an equal opportunity blogger and identify the “Ten Things That Brought Me Joy in 2018”.

I have not included people or events or travels, but tried to identify the more menial “things” that I enjoyed this year.

• Alexa. For the uninitiated, Alexa is a voice activated little box of widgets and gremlins that will respond to my voice command to answer any of my questions or play any music that I request. “Alexa, what is the temperature outside? Alexa, play the music of John Denver.” And voila, I find out the temp and hear the music I like in a couple of seconds. It’s like having a magic genie!
• Library “books on hold”. There is little point in buying any new books these days. I will often cruise Chapters or Indigo book stores, identify new books and then place a hold on my favourites at the local library. Sometimes I may wait a month, but I have a long list that just moves along like a conveyor belt and I am always reading the latest best seller books for free! 
• Light weight shoes. We now live in the era of very light weight footwear. A pair of shoes, that don’t weight a pound, are a real treat. Combine them with custom orthotics and I could probably run a marathon, if I was so inclined!
• Short hair clippers. I have finally smartened up and now wear my hair in a one centimetre buzz cut. I now boycott barber shops and cut my own hair with a round devise that buzz cuts my short hair as I stand outside on my 20th floor balcony and let my silver locks blow away in the wind, all over the countryside below. It has occasionally been mistaken for snow by people living below me.
• The cell phone camera. I have little use for the actual cell phone, but I love the camera feature it includes. It is pocket size, light weight (is there a pattern here), and you can judiciously take photos without drawing any attention to yourself, as people just think you are talking on your phone. Real secret agent paraphernalia!
• A small air fryer. A crock pot size fryer that does not fry with oil but just cooks with very hot circulating air. It is excellent and any food that you could fry - chips, steak, potatoes, chops, bacon, or sausage can be fried grease free. It’s hard to believe that it is actually healthy cooking!
• Outdoor light remote. At Christmas, we usually string some coloured lights outside on the balcony railing. With this handy dandy, little hand held remote I can now turn the lights on or off without venturing outside. It is a real godsend when the winds of winter are blowing and it is minus 20 degrees outside!
• The PVR. This is of course a golden oldie, but I am just discovering the advantages of recording any TV program that I might want to watch at a later time. It is a joy to be able to skip all commercials and fast forward through the action or inaction scene. It gives me more time to blog!
• Deluxe reclining movie seats. Going to the movies today has risen to a new level. No longer do you have to jockey for a seat behind a short person or a person without a hat or a bouffant hairdo. The new seats are soft leather (plastic?) with a reclining feature and an elevated foot rest and no obstructions in front of you. I could get used to this luxury.
• High rise condo living. Condo living means no pulling weeds, no cutting grass, no shovelling show, no ants on the counter, no door to door salesmen or JWs, no hauling out blue, green and black boxes, no painting fences and the biggest bonus of all, no end to hot water for showers! The life of Riley!