Perfect Days

What would your perfect day look like? Would there be money? Fame? Chocolate? Jazzercizing Elephants in pink leotards?

In sort-of-sometimes-weekly tradition yesterday I left Amy a quiz while she covered my post for lunch. My post is that boring that I feel the need to leave the gracious person who allows me to eat, blog, occasionally go to Target or get gas, or start driving my car towards Mexico with thoughts of never coming back during my lunch hour something wonderful to occupy their time. Yesterday's "survey" included things like:

What is your favorite type of restaurant?

1. Mexican
2. Italian
3. One with Good Looking Waiters
4. Pizza
5. Sandwiches
6. Greasy
7. Sushi
8. One Where I Don't Get Food Poisoning

and What kind of music do you like?

• Music that sucks
• Awesome music
• Rock
• Roll
• Rhythm
• Blues
• Rhythm is Hard to Spell

I added a bonus as well, it was to draw a picture of your perfect day on the back of the survey. This is what Amy drew:

First of all she said she really, really enjoyed this project and said, "See, I created something and it made me happy, just like you always say." I am not sure what her exact words, but that was somewhere in the ballpark. So you should all create your own perfect day and email it to me at officesupplyart@gmail.com, too.

Okay, a summary of her drawing of her Perfect Day:

• There will be a GIANT cup of coffee in it, so large that it looks as though it may crush the cafe that it is next to. Or maybe she didn't mean that literally, I'm not sure.
• See how the cafe has a table and it's empty? She said that's to signify that she is alone, as apparently her perfect day would be spent by herself. Not me, my perfect day would be spent with John McCain and Sarah Palin. Oh, and Sarah's husband, too.
• Amy's perfect day also has very dark clouds in it. Yes, this freak of nature that I call a friend absolutely loves dark and cloudy and rainy days.
• From the dark clouds a plate of Mexican food shall appear, containing a beef burrito, Mexican rice, guacamole and sour cream.
• In the competition to destroy the cafe the giant coffee cup has some competition...the giant guitar. Really, this represents her spending part of her day playing her music.
• To the right of the guitar is a bowl of ice cream in a bowl that says "ice cream". She didn't say what flavor it is, but if I know her it's super peanut butter chunk with concord grapes.
• Bottom left is a trail or road with some mountains, I can't remember exactly what it is, but it's something to do with two large mounds.
• There is a book or journal, I think that's her writing more music.
• Below the journal is a diorama of how the West Was Won. I stand corrected, it's a drawing of any empty theater, again indicating that she's ALONE. Since she ate all that Mexican food and ice cream earlier, it's probably best that she stays that way.
• Lastly there is some wine, a bunch of grapes and some cheese. She wanted me to point out that first of all there isn't a glass for the wine because she's drinking straight from the bottle and that there is an entire crate of wine available to her.

I can say with 100% certainty that today isn't Amy's perfect day. I do not see a drawing of our place of employment, her behind my desk or her writing a news release about a subject that is about as interesting as watching this year's Emmys, and those are all things she has had to do today.

Her drawing inspired me (so did I really inspire myself?) to draw my own perfect day:

My perfect day contains:

• A sunset or sunrise or something. We all know how much I love those, maybe in my perfect day I see both.
• To the right of that are a stack of pancakes and a frying pan. I love making breakfast, so making and eating the pancakes would be equally pleasurable. Cleaning the dishes is not in my perfect day, as you can see.
• On the right of that sketch is a circle surrounded by dark. It could be a full moon, but it also represents a quite space in my mind, my perfect day would definitely involve some silent, contemplative time. And not pictured, chocolate.
• What perfect day would be complete without some one-legged-up-hill hiking? I was just too lazy to try to draw a second hiking boot, but yes, my day would involve some physical activity, like a hike to the top of a mountain with a beautiful view.
• I put a sleeping kitty in my picture because my wonderful girls always make me feel happy (except when I get too close to Coconut and have to smell her breath) and my day wouldn't be perfect without spending some time with them.
• When Amy saw what I drew next to the cat she said "Your perfect day involves you sleeping alone?" Not exactly, it's me taking a nap. Mmmm, I love naps.
• In the center is a road going through some fall colors, I used to live in Vermont and other areas in New England and I love watching the leaves change. Of course, if I was there watching the leaves change the cats would either have to stay home or I'd have to give them kitty Valium, they aren't much for car rides.
• The book could be me reading, me writing, or me looking my own published book (hey, it's my perfect day!) Office Supply Art: How to Not Die of Boredom and Lack of Creativity at Your Lame 9 to 5.
• Bottom left is me holding hands with someone special (Amy thinks it's her, but she's wrong: John McCain again) and drinking a glass of wine.
• The explosion thing? That's my microwave exploding after I put tinfoil in it again. Okay, really it's the only way I could think to illustrate that feeling of spontaneous creativity that I sometimes get, I wish I could feel that every day!
• A cloudless blue sky.

So, that's it. Our perfect days. I realized when I drew this that many of the things I want in a perfect day happen to me with some regularity, so I'm a lucky girl.