1. To be saved from having to deal with my phone company by John’s contact spray.

2. The beef smells delicious as it browns in the pan. The onions smell delicious as they brown in the pan. The parsnips… I’m clearly hungrier than I thought – thankfully the stew doesn’t take too long.

3. The lecture series isn’t quite as good as I’d hoped – too much emphasis on poetry, points pressed for too long, his voice a little too forced for clear articulation – but every lecture, I learn something that delights me.