Yesterday, I was writing a little list of all the simple pleasures in life--thinking of about 45 pleasurable things in 10 minutes or so. They are just a little too private to share, but here is one kosher example: drinking a cup of homemade hot cocoa on a cold day.

Today, however, that toasty warm, mushy feeling has passed so I want to talk about a couple of the annoying things in life.

Who invented the plastic window coverings that keep out the cold and hold in the heat? Who created these very helpful, but nearly impossible things? Some require a blow dryer, some require two-sided tape, but all require a person with at least 6 arms and tons of extra time.

Why do people have to be reminded to be respectful of other people's space? Why does an office whose mean age is 35, at least, have to post rules about how many times you can knock, how open your door should be, not yelling between offices, etc.? People, we go through the hell of junior high and high school to learn how not to act...now it is time for those lessons to come into play or we went through hell for nothing!

Public transportation is a beautiful thing and I support the movement wholeheartedly. I do think, however, that people would be a lot more likely to rely on public transport if the schedules were accurate. Online, you see one schedule, on paper, another schedule...which do you believe? Can you risk getting stuck somewhere, missing the last bus home and being left in the bus/train station like I was yesterday? Please, unify the schedule system! Please?!?

Who created really large, light up fictional characters? What is more scary than a five foot tall, fully lit Santa smiling maniacally through pasty cheeks and an untamed beard? Basically, he is David the Gnome (subject of many a child's first nightmare) magnified, illuminated and dressed in red, creating a parent's nightmare when they see the electric bill.

Why do southern New Englanders have to move so quickly all the time? I fear that the pace we set for ourselves leaves us open for mistakes, nervous breakdowns, and inefficiencies. Let's all just take a breath, relax and function properly. This lesson was in Aesop's fables, remember? Slow and steady wins the race!

Why doesn't snow clean itself off my car? While the scraper-brushy things are very helpful, they do not reach all the way across the roof, hood or windshield and therefore, I inevitably end up with a soaking wet mid-section, snow up my sleeves and seriously cold hands.

Why is it that the people we fall in love with, don't always love us back? I mean, we take the big risk and place our beating hearts on the table and sadly, it is often beaten with a meat tenderizer. Helena says,"I will be your spaniel." I say,"Am I tender enough yet?"

As a cruel twist of fate, and biology at its best, we all get zits--big ones in the middle of our faces--when we feel stressed or sad. So basically, at the time when you most need to impress, or you feel just plain crappy about yourself, you also know that Rudolph has misplaced his nose right in the middle of your cheek/forehead/nose. And, to top it off, that everyone including cute little old ladies and cherubic children, stare at your face in horror as you walk by feeling anxious, bloated, fat or sad. A cruel joke--one that I hope somebody out there is enjoying.

I think I am done for now. Hope this brightened your day a little!