Formalizing/Small Pleasures?

[Shangas]

I don't think I have any 'formal' things I do, but little 'rituals' or 'pleasures' which I carry out fairly regularly include...

- Winding my pocket watch (each morning, and each evening).
- Filling my vintage fountain pens, ready for the next day's work.
- Occasionally changing the paper on my rocker-blotter.

Strange as it may seem, I do have a lot of fun doing these things. Especially winding my watch and filling my pens.

We always dine by candlelight...always have. There is always gentle music playing in the background...usually related, in some way, to what's being served.

Skeet, would you care to expound on this ritual of yours? What music goes with what food?

 

["Skeet" McD]

Skeet, would you care to expound on this ritual of yours? What music goes with what food?

With pleasure, although there's not much pound to ex, if you will! Things are so much easier in the land of iPod...I've cobbled together playlists of appropriate things under the heading TAFELMUSIK: things make it into these lists by being restful or romantic, and largely instrumental--because, as I said, we talk during our meal.

Probably the most common variety of food that hits our table (the result, most likely, of our having spent a 3-week honeymoon ALL OVER ITALY, and never a bad meal--and then home to start our life together) is Italian regional. So there is an ITALIAN playlist which contains things like Giuseppe di Stefano doing classic Neapolitan songs; Italian 78s from the 1930s and '40s; and various operatic Intermezzi.

Mexican food is also frequent....so there are bits of 78s from Yucatan and early Tex-Mex stuff like Conjunto Bernal. I must confess...we sometimes lump other Latin stuff in, like Luiz Bonfa and some of the Latin Big-band artists like the Lecuona Cuban Boys.

And then there's Indian. You can imagine. And Moroccan (this is admittedly a bit more up-beat!). And Greek (although I confess we listen to more Armenian stuff than Greek stuff for that: Kef Time! Oor e? HOSSEH!)

And, for the "normal" stuff there's a playlist of peaceful instrumental jazz, with lots of piano and lots of Ben Webster. For the particularly romantic, I tend to put on Louis Armstrong and Ella--a fave from our courting days--or Sinatra, which my dear wife grew up with.

Breakfast/brunch on the deck tends, for whatever reason, to be accompanied by quiet tracks by Acoustic Alchemy. And, believe it or not, another frequent appearance on our table is...ancient Roman food, served in the appropriate dishes and eaten the appropriate way. And yes: there's a playlist for that, as well. But that's quite a different Golden Age to the one we mostly talk about here...

Hope that's at least amusing, and perhaps helpful to some one...

"Skeet"

 

[Shangas]

Aaah. Dining to Louie Armstrong and Sinatra is fun

Sometimes I eat my lunch and/or dinner while listening to OTR shows. I started with Abbott & Costello and gradually moved around and wandered between genres and shows. It remains a ritual/habit to this day.

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

Cigarband:

I started lurking in the Fedora Lounge in 2005, and came to realize that I had been completely seduced by the expensive disposable "Modern" lifestyle. Plastic cups, plastic cutlery, paper napkins, paper plates, and take-out food. My wardrobe consisted of multiple pairs of jeans, and polo shirts. All my shoes were big names, but made by underpaid workers in tropical countries. I shaved with a plastic razor and plastic shaving gel. I wore a plastic digital watch. I had enough baseball caps to never wear the same one twice in two months. I was drinking 10 cups of coffee a day, and sleeping badly. Smoking 2 packs a day and hating it. I wasn't a drinker, but wished I was. I decided that things had to change. I wasn't a kid anymore, I was an adult, and should live like one. Since then I have changed to grown-up mode. I begin my days with a vintage double edge razor removing the fine English shaving soap from my face. Followed by a homemade breakfast with a real porcelin cup, filled with oolong tea steeped in a proper teapot. I wear a button down plaid workshirt, gray pants, Redwing work boots, and a vintage Newsboy cap to work (I am an electrician).
When I see that it is lunch time by my vintage Ingersoll pocket watch, I open my old-school domed lunch box, and eat the meal I made. When I get home, I put on my vintage silk robe, (a present from my sister) and relax with a cocktail. Last night I made a Singapore Sling ( I was once a bartender). I then make Dinner, which I eat on
a white tablecloth, on vintage china with real sterling cutlery and linen napkin, accompanied by the appropriate wine in a crystal glass. After washing up, I put on some 50s Jazz, light my one cigar of the day, and visit the Fedora Lounge. I have tried as much as possible
to "Formalize" and "vintigify" my life. I am leaner, happier, and much better rested. And the ball caps made a lovely fire.

Treat yourself better. Savor ever moment. And wherever you are, be there.

Well said! :eusa_clap

My only "ritual" is that I must have at least one cup of tea at some point in the day. Living by myself with CFS I try to just keep it as easy and simple as I can for myself, but if I have someone over, I really try to make things nicer. My friend said that I cook a "mean meatloaf" - I'm pretty good with the more "traditional" meals, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner. I'm a good cook, just don't really 'care' to cook 'big meals' unless I feel physically up to it.

Lately, I've been getting some better items, just small things, to replace the "cheapos" that I had to get "on the fly" earlier. One of the things was my Japanese lacquer wood coasters. I do pay attention to little details like that and it does make a difference. I've even noticed this with my uniform at WWII events.

 

[Foofoogal]

My only "ritual" is that I must have at least one cup of tea at some point in the day.

definitely a small pleasure. I drink lots of tea when I am stressed I have found. It calms me.

 

[Cricket]

I am starting to have a soothing tea at night before bed. And, like so many have said before on here, I get out the fine china. I know that I am usually in the living room with my husband winding down for the day, there may not be any crowd to impress. But instead of the cups sitting in the cabinet collecting dust, I might as well use them.

I enjoy the sound of the cup hitting the saucer for some odd reason. And I guess the light of the tv could substitute for the glow of a fireplace. lol

 

[analiebe]

ah the small, quiet rituals of life... to me these things are true treasures... and have always been a part of my life but i never really thought too much of their importance to me but several years ago after a rather traumatic experience of loss i realised something that i had known for a long time...
that in reality, although life is marked by the "big" events/ occurrences/ happenings that it is almost entirely made up of all the small moments in between and it is up to us to make each of those moments worthwhile - to give them meaning and gravity...
as an artist/ aesthetic i have always loved the idea of beauty in things - a vase of garden picked flowers on the table, a bath lit with candles, a table set with my grandmothers china, tea set properly on a tray to be drunk in my garden on a sunny day - the list goes on... as someone who lives alone i understand that it can seem easier to many to just not bother going to the 'trouble' to include these rituals in ones life... but to me it is impossible not to... my life would be less beautiful, less inspired and certainly less creative without them

 

[Aorta]

I like to look at the flower pots on my windowsill (remember that poem by Robert Frost named "The Telephone"?). I pick withered blossoms, see if the orchids need water, look out my window, and so on. That's one of my everyday rituals. In the winter time I also light candles that are on my windowsill - they give a cozy atmosphere, even if my desk is besides the window (and all the piles of paper seem to scream "Work, work, work!" at me).

Oh, and does putting on make-up also count? I make the effort (in a postitive sense) and take the time every morning, no matter if I'm working at home the whole day or going out. It just makes me feel good and these ten minutes in the morning are entirely mine.

 

[Foofoogal]

Oh, and does putting on make-up also count? I make the effort (in a postitive sense) and take the time every morning, no matter if I'm working at home the whole day or going out. It just makes me feel good and these ten minutes in the morning are entirely mine.

absolutely. When our children were small I didn't have quite the time I do now of course. So now I relish taking time to get fixed up including makeup.
A nice smelly lotion can do wonders and bath powder.
I am sort of hooked on Gardenia lately. lol

 

[Wally_Hood]

I agree that certain “rituals” enhance our lives, if only that they take us out of the normal flow of our twenty-first century lives. Sipping teas, brewing a special blend of coffee, turning our regular dinners into formal dining, all these contribute to our ability to enjoy life.

As for me, Thanksgiving is the yearly opportunity to formalize an event, one whose enjoyment is increased because it comes around with anticipated regularity, and it lends itself to another part of these rituals that I benefit from, that of the preparation and production of the ritual. When it’s time for Thanksgiving, I really like the planning, the shopping, the chopping and slicing and dicing, the cooking, the moving the furniture around to accommodate the guests, and then, to crown it all, to feast with family and friends. And because it’s a front-loaded holiday, I can look forward to the highly-anticipated turkey sandwiches with dressing and cranberry sauce. It’s a win-win.

The repeated ritual, with the buildup while waiting for its arrival, is reflected in the Friday night cocktail. I like the mixing of the martini or Manhattan as well as the sipping of same. The drink is emblematic of the start of the week end, so it means more than one on Tuesday or Thursday.

And let us not forget the mental benefits of regular yard work; there is some brain relief when you focus on watering, weeding, or just puttering around.

 

[Darhling]

Definitely a woman thing, but when I get ready my favorite part is putting on perfume. It is an instant calming thing and my favorite scent always makes me smile.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

I'm rather taken with Tiffin at 15:00.

 

[NY_Confidential]

Living as a bachelor now, I am finding it far easier to simplify my life than before. But to formalize? Bah! I'd rather be digging in the garden than polishing the fancy silverware.

Hahahha. Let me tell you something.. When I became unemployed back in August, and my girlfriend at the time, and I moved up further into the country in NY (Elizaville-- some of you may have heard of it.. if not it's slightly past Red Hook and near Kingston), I was so very bored up there-- that I did just that!

Between reading the newspaper and looking for jobs online, I spent a lot of time with the dishwasher and the silver-polish! (My grandmother had given us a bunch of silverware--nothing worth more than a nickle, but it was silver plated nonetheless).

So I got a laugh just reading that. Yeah, I would've rather been working on cars or in a garden.


Back to the original subject.. Formalizing life? I'm thinking of it, in my own way. Dressing the part is the first step for me, so I'm browsing eBay, getting cash in order for nice things I saw from johnnyphi, etc.

 

[Foofoogal]

Formalizing life? I'm thinking of it, in my own way.

Own way is how it is done. I find it amazing that if one looks hard enough small pleasures can be found in small ways even.

Do one thing today along these lines.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Last week in my office, we were thinking of ways to ask co-workers in other Departments of the Organisation to visit & meet us and see what we do.

I Suggested "Afternoon Tea" so each day this week we are inviting guests to "Take Tea" with us between 3.00pm and 4.00pm its Wednesday and the crowd is getting B I G G E R each afternoon.

We all take turns in creating a "Tableaux" mine has been "Art Deco" with my Heatmaster Teaset. co-workers are arriving with their own inferior tea in chipped mugs, only to have it whisked, away, and replaced by "Teacup and saucer" in fine china, and the question milk or lemon?

"Oh look "Sugar Tongs" was one delighted squeal ,ooooh! A 3 tiered cake stand, was another remark "

We are having a guess the smile contest with prizes!!! such fun!!!

hope to post the pics on the weekend

 

[Foofoogal]

you made my day Binkie. Fabulous. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

For the one who squealed tongs was a small pleasure. lol

 

[Missy Hellfire]

It is the little things that make all the difference. I have to say that I fight a battle with my boyfriend over this as he is all for ease and convenience and getting things done quickly and I am rather more for getting things done properly if not slower. I love to make tea in a pot and drink it from a cup and sauce, mainly because I find the process relaxing and I find that the tea is far niceer for being loose leaf and brewing in a pot rather than a bag in a cup. I always eat my meals with a napkin, albeit on a folding table as our house is too small to permit a proper one. I find that little things like that are a balm for the soul. There is something almost meditation-like about taking tea for me and sometimes I really rather need that moment of stillness!

I would like to do more things properly, but I think I need a bigger house before I can do so!

 

[Delia's Gone]

I make loose-leaf tea in a teapot every night, and enjoy it in a pretty teacup. I have a cookie when I have them around.

I always make time to do my makeup and apply some lotions and perfume in the morning.

I light candles every evening and put on some music while I prepare dinner, and we always eat with cloth napkins - which are not always ironed.

I pack my husband's lunch each morning and prepare him breakfast. Even if it's just cereal and some fresh fruit - I set it out with a nice napkin and colorful bowl or plate. I think he appreciates it a lot.

I try to have a "spa night" for myself often.

 

[vintage_jayhawk]

My newest thing is knitting. I started a couple years ago and would just do it "when I had time". Hence why I worked on the same scarf for most of that two years. I've come to realize that knitting is really relaxing, and more importantly, gets me away from sitting in front of the tube. So I make time several days a week to work on it, even if it's only a few rows.

 

[Foofoogal]

I always was so envious of those who could knit. I used to cross stitch alot but not anymore. A sister in law used to knit on a loom. I was mesmerized.