We humans are essentially the same. Sentient bodies experiencing trials and tribulations.* Nearly genetically identical.†
But we’re distinguished by our experiences and driven by our desires, some innate and some cultivated. In no particular order, these are some of the things that I particularly appreciate.‡
Created: November 18, 2018
Last updated: August 30, 2021
- God
- Responsible, caring parents
- Siblings ♥
- My one and only, Justin Smith
- Mia cat
- Friendships throughout the years
- Mental health
- Physical health
- The sun (hence this site’s favicon!)
- State of flow, and activities that lead into flow
- Coding
- Well-documented code / README files / clear tutorials
- Beautiful visual design and presentations
- Walks
- Journaling and self-reflection
- Greater perspective on life
- Long, hot showers
- Redwoods
- Concert band
- Phone chats
- Maximum thrill roller coasters (esp. Kingda Ka)
- Well-written fiction
- Stephen King
- People who approach the awkward people at networking events
- Light-hearted sassiness
- Scientific / general editing
- Hiking
- Curry (Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese)
- Watching fireworks
- Tennessee sunsets
- Art museums, particularly modern art
- Pinball machines
- Efficiency
- Dark chocolate
- Minimalism
- SoCal weather
- Greg Laswell’s song, Comes and Goes
- Boba milk tea
- Swimming
- Staring out the window during long drives or flights
- Super soft blankets
- Fireflies
- Empathy
- Cruises, the vacation kind and the whale watching kind
- Retail therapy
- Car karaoke + 2000s pop music
- Skylights
- Matcha lattes
- Wearing clothes straight from the dryer on a cold day
- The convenience of smart phones
- Death Valley
- Sleeping
- Maroon / teal toenail polish
- Learning Vietnamese
- Scientific conferences
- A clear sky full of stars
- Meaningful conversations
- Monarch butterflies
- Stack Exchange (esp. chemistry, Stack Overflow, biology, statistics, physics)
- Marvel movies
- Nice handwriting
- Closets spacious enough to sleep in
- Analog watches§
- Brilliant colors of deciduous trees in autumn
- Cool, crisp autumn weather
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Helsinki, Finland
- An out of the blue message from an old friend
- Science camp
- Sangria
- Old-fashioned letter writing
- Hard work that pays off
- Good questions
- Organization
- Helping others
- Rain jackets
- Thunderstorms
- Rainbows
- Trying new cuisines
- Puns
- Pandora radio
- ASMR
- Completing my dissertation
- Sparkling water
- Avocados
to be continued…
Footnotes
* Actually, how would you define human? All the definitions out there seem to focus on what a human is biologically (i.e., Homo sapiens), or they use the word human itself in the definition which even my elementary-school self knew not to do.
† “Human-to-human genetic variation is estimated to be at least 0.5% (99.5% similarity).” (wiki) Also see an interesting StackExchange discussion on that here.
‡ The motivation for and inception of this list actually began when I was in high school. It was likely the result of early onset existential crisis combined with middle child syndrome.
§ On analog watches, I particularly appreciate: luminous watch hands, discrete motion of the second hand, no ticking sound, small box with date, solar powered functionality, and tick marks for every minute.
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