It all starts with the permission slip.
Yes, when teachers send them home before the bell rings so parents can rubber stamp the bumpy yellow bus trip to the museum, then it’s on, my friends, it’s on.
Soon the days count down and the buzz builds up as the class gets ready for the day away from school. The middle-ages unit wraps up at Medieval Times, paintings are handed in before the art gallery, and everyone mails a friend a letter before the tour of the post office.
On the morning of the big day you wake up with some extra pep in your step because you know we’re all going far away. It’s time to skip the portables, soggy sandwiches, and long afternoons with the Spanish teacher.
It’s time to do something different.
It’s time … to go for a ride.
Yes, whether it’s the petting zoo, chocolate factory, or a long hike in the woods, it’s time to enjoy the school vacation with some of the following perks:
1. Subs in the house. Taking thirty screaming seven-year-olds to the planetarium is a bit much, so most teachers call in backups in the form of parent chaperones. These subs act like a sweet and sweatered army of substitutes and don’t know enough names or have enough power to mess up the fun. Of course, that’s assuming they’re not your mom or dad. If that happens, your day is done.
2. Wheels on the bus. They go round and round on the way there and back. Yeah, we all gang rush into the slippery seatbelt-free seats and enjoy a loud, laughing party on wheels. There are loud screechy songs, secret makeout sessions, and some friendly gestures at passing motorists. This is also when the classroom’s social structure is on display too — from the cool kids at the back to the nerds sitting with the teacher up front. I really did love sitting up front though. I mean, how about that view?
3. Sealing it in. A friend and I were strolling quickly through an art gallery a couple years back when we stumbled on a group of kindergartners holding a rope and looking at splotchy art paintings. I’ll never remember the jaw-dropping look of pure head-tilting amazement from the little boy at the end of the group — eyes twinkling, mittens hanging out his winter coat, and his whirring brain soaking and swallowing up something beautiful on the wall. And it’s true: field trips often help seal in the learning. Chalk one up for school.
So… let’s enjoy the memories, let’s enjoy the moments, and let’s enjoy the parking lot speed bumps. Yes, let’s all love those special days when dusty chalkboards fade away and buses wheel us down the freeway, far away, far away, far away.
AWESOME!
Pre-order The Book of Awesome
Procrastination
You have to write a paper for college but the idea of expending all your creativity on finding things to delay the paper with just sounds so much better.
Nothing like fleeing the scene of college by going out to a dumpy diner at 2am with a paper due at 8am.
Procrastination is made even better when you put something off, and still get away with it!
#817: http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/03/04/817-doing-something-half-assed-at-the-last-minute-and-getting-away-with-it/
Awww.. look at the puppy!
shooting something into a far away trash can and making it
When the job you are currently working at is your dream job.
Waking up everyday excited to go to work, impatiently trying to get through the weekend so that Monday comes quicker, loving every minute when you are working…
Awesome!
Eating leftover cake or pie for breakfast!
You roll out of bed and think it is another normal day. You walk to the kitchen still in your pajamas to find something that might jump start your day. Coffee? Tea? Cereal? Then you see it sitting there on the counter! You completely forgot about the birthday 2 days ago or that your friend left the rest of the pie with you instead of taking it home! Just the boost of sugar and yum you need! Full of pie and cake and ready to start a wonderful day!
AWESOME!
Receiving a package of things you ordered from the internet.
Because nothing is better than the excitement of opening something you’ve been waiting for a long time.
Agreed! I love mail. And when I have the parcel key in my mailbox I get really excited! :D
pulling up to our house & just sitting in the car for a long time talking. i know we could go inside but it’s so nice to sit in the car.
yes! sitting in the car and just talking with zero distractions and the radio on really quiet is the best!
The perfect merge, the one where you don’t have to slow down and just coast right onto the highway without dodging cars or hearing someone laying on his horn. AWESOME!
When you clean out your car, after having it look like you’ve lived in it for several months.
This can also go for cleaning your bedroom after it’s been messy from the human tornado inside of you.
Jinx. For me, it doesn’t happen that often. But whenever I’m with someone (usually my husband) and we both happen to notice the same thing out of all of our crazy surroundings and say the same thing about it at the same time, it’s like we’re connected on crazy levels. And the free coke is always a bonus :)
Randomly paying someone elses bill at a restaurant.
I love being a cheerful giver, and the expression people have on their face when they find out what a stranger has done for them is worth every cent.
Getting a Jeopardy question right is pretty awesome. Because, then you know that you are not as dumb as you think you are. ;)
New smells. Whether it’s a brand new textbook or the ever coveted “new car smell,” it’s totally awesome !
Discovering the end of the tape isn’t really the end.
You know what it’s like… You are getting ready to wrap a present that you need to give the next day. It’s 10:30PM and you finally decide to complete the task before heading to bed. The wrapping paper is smoothed out, the scissors are in hand and you go in search of your Scotch tape.
When you finally find it you have a moment of panic as you discover there is barely anything left on the roll. It’s too late to get more, and you can’t put it off any longer, so you have to be as tape efficient as possible.
Slowly pulling the tape off bit by bit; getting closer to finishing the job. Just as you think the piece you are pulling is going to be the last pull to discover you have a whole other layer to go!
AWESOME!
When you over-hear someone say something nice about you.
They didn’t say it because you were listening, they didn’t say it just to be polite. They said it because they meant it! AWESOME.
Getting a clean bill of health:
The dentist tells you you’re cavity free.
The dermatologist tells you the infection has cleared.
The doctor tells you the cast can come off.
Awesome!
when you fluke the answer to “guess who I saw today”, “guess what I did today” “guess who’s pregnant” type questions without being given any clues and then get to ponder whether you are psychic or just awesome at guess who
The crunch of an apple. Nothing says freshness like the sound of a perfectly ripe, red little fruit being bitten into.
The “buffer zone” males give themselves when there are plenty of seats to choose from.
AND… imagining their reaction if another male stranger went and sat down in between them!
No where is the “buffer zone” more important than in public restrooms!
#555: http://1000awesomethings.com/2010/03/05/555-proper-urinal-etiquette/
When your dogs finally decide to quit playing and instead decide to lay down and finally go to sleep with you.
Awesome!
When you buy a new book and the pages crinkle and crack when you open it.
Think about it. That book is brand new! Maybe it’s been sitting on the shelf for a few years, or maybe it was just put there yesterday. Either way, YOU are the very first person to run your eye’s over it’s beautiful black and white lines.
In return the book gives you a crinkly, crackly hello.
Hello to you too book, You’re AWESOME!
Buying an album at the store and getting a physical copy rather than buying a bunch of mp3’s and then having to download them
Tricking an idealistic young blogger into shipping a 2lb. parcel to Kazakhstan
When you make a grilled cheese sandwhich and it comes out perfect!
Making grilled cheese is an art. It’s a difficult process and it takes effort for that lovely cheesy snadwhich to come out JUST right.
Sometimes the toast is burnt, or not toasted everywhere or sometimes the cheese doesn’t melt enough. Sometimes you’re bread is askew and the cheese leaks out everywhere.
But there are those days when you’re bread is even, the cheese stays well within the lines and melts to prefection and the bread comes out prefectly toasted and golden.
You take a huge bite and YES! it tastes as good as it looks.
Both Delish! and AWESOME!
Spontaneous dates. My boyfriend and I do this all the time. We never really plan things in advance. All we know is that we have free time on our hands and we decide what to do as we go. Museums, arcades, bookstores, walks in the park, you name it! These spontaneous dates turn out to be awesome every single time. ;)
Walking by someone’s house and hearing their music and having to stop and listen because it’s so fabulous and good
Especially if they’re practicing a real musical instrument (is that what you meant?)
a perfectly-timed meal. When all the vegetables are ready at the same time as the rice and chicken. Bonus points if your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/parents get home just as it’s ready. Or your favourite tv show is starting just as it’s ready.
Being blessed enough that day to witness a beautiful sunrise or sunset while driving. You know, one of them that has such intense colors that you want to pull the car over and take pictures…and then as you’re driving every time you look at it, something has changed subtly. Maybe the colors have deepened, or the clouds are even more tinged in gold.
Whatever your belief system, witnessing something so natural and beautiful just has to confirm your belief in a higher power and always brings me a measure of awe and peace.
And that is AWESOME!
When you find out that someone else likes the same really weird and freaky thing you like.
When you’re suspiciously hiding your mustard dipped french fries, your peanut butter and pickle sandwich, or your soda dipped potato chips, something wonderful happens. It’s a grand moment, indeed, when that special person comes up behind you and dips their own fry in mustard, makes their own peanut butter and pickles sandwich, or dips their own potato chip in soda. You are suddenly not the only one anymore. You are no longer alone in your strangeness, you have a companion! Life has just become a little more
AWESOME!
Helping someone out on a forum and having them truly appreciate what you have shared.
When things are released on your birthday! My birthday is April 15th, and I love when movies, books ;) etc are released on my birthday. It makes me feel like it belongs to me. Therefore, I should get this book as an awesome birthday present!
This one’s for the ladies (or the boys, if you’re into this sort of thing): when your bra and underwear match.
The matching set could be chosen by design (for an important night or a big date, ooh lah lah) or on accident (you’re running late for work and your throw on the first ones you can find). Regardless, wearing a pair that match makes you feel extra pretty and put together. Even if no one ever sees it, your skivvies are samesies. AWESOME!
“Your skivvies are samesies”.. Classic!
agreed.
When you really have to go #2, you walk into a public restroom, and it is empty! You are good to go, literally
Ha! Don’t have to resort to all those tricks – flush and go fast is my favorite :)
1- Scratching your dog’s belly:
Look at Jimmy! He’s so cute, so fluffy, so adorable you can’t just help it, you HAVE to pet him. And he knows it too, because he rushes at you, tail waggling, barking, as if you’re the ONLY thing that matters to him.
And then it happens. He lies on his back and shows you his big, fat belly. You know what’s gonna happen, he knows what’s gonna happen, and he knows he’s gonna get away with it. He’s begging you to scratch his belly.
You lie down and start scratching. Nope, not there. Try another spot. Not there. Again.
THERE! Now we’re talking! He’s kicking like crazy, completely oblivious to everything else around him. All that matters is you.
AWESOME!!
Spending half the time you take cleaning your room playing with a random, formerly epic, and somewhat useless gadget from your past.
We’ve all been there. While dusting your object-crowded desk, your ancient feather duster moves a sheet of paper aside and admist the swirling dust particles, an object of beauty and nostalgia lays amongst the clutter. How wonderful it is to see this long-lost thing again! Feather dusting can wait, you’ve got a date with your past. Whether it’s that crazy looking pen that lights up when you use it, that age-old bouncy ball that used to be your pride and joy, or that microscopic squirt-gun you used to torture all your friends with. No matter what it is, that object, and your life is
AWESOME!
Getting a package while you are at college. I love going to the mail office and signing for my package, everyone is so jealous that you got new goodies from your parents/friends/ebay lol
does that mean only countries that start with a B are eligible????
Yup. If you’re not from the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma or Burundi, don’t bother commenting.
:)
People who return lost wallets!
Yes, totally awesome. I just wanted to reference 30-Rock, episode “Future Husband”, where Kenneth had a “wallet angel” return his wallet…
Free Gifts with Purchase!
It doesnt actually matter what the gift is, it could be a rubber band or an oven mit. The fact is, IT WAS FREE. So what if I had to spend an extra 29.99 to get the free gift, it worth it. A little bit of the guilt that comes along with “over spending” is releived by the fact that you got a free gift. So here is a “cheers” to getting something for nothing.
AWESOME!
When somebody looks you in the eye to say “thank you.”
Born and raised in the US Midwest, I have been trained to automatically respond to the needs of others without thought to what I may get out of it.
Picking up a dropped toy for a toddler stuck in a shopping cart when the mom is trying her hardest to coral his older siblings earns a quick “thanks” as she grabs her son’s hood and pulls him down the cereal aisle.
Letting a waiting car to go in front of me because the driver appears to be in a hurry and I have nowhere better to be earns a courtesy wave over the shoulder as he pulls in front of me.
I start to expect the distracted responses I get, but then…the magic! Shelling out a simple dime for a young child at a gas station who has lost the last one needed to pay for his Bug Juice earns me a square look in the eye, a huge smile, and a genuine “Thank you!”
The warm fuzzies that follow are just AWESOME!
having my kid come home from college for break
There’s nothing quite like seeing your big kid come home to you. They’ll always be your baby but somehow the unbelievable knowledge that they can exit on their own. Knowing you’ve done a good job as parent AND seeing their face again–awesome.
Using an entire tube of toothpaste!
When you are able to roll the end and squeeze out the last little bit of pasty awesomeness, you not only feel thrifty but proud of your ability to maintain good dental hygiene.
AWESOME!
Thrifty and awesome indeed!
#904: http://1000awesomethings.com/2008/11/03/904-one-last-brush/
Buying a whole album just for one “hit” song, and then realizing that the other ones are just as great. It feels like a present from the artist!
NCAA March Madness:
Selection Sunday when they reveal the bracket one team at a time, and then periodically show those bubble teams celebrating their trip to the Big Dance…
First and second round games, when inevitably, some point guard no one has ever heard of, from a school no one can even find on a map, hits a last second shot to win the game for his team…
Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four games…
When they play One Shining Moment after the nets are cut down, and you get to relive all the great moments again…
AWESOME!!!
What about when you check your email/texts/voice mail before getting out of bed and realize that thing you were getting up unusually early for and hate (meeting, appointment, anything on Saturday) has been cancelled and you roll over and go back to La La Land.
yep, that’s right along with shutting off the alarm you’ve set on your phone to see a new email notification letting you know class has been canceled. didn’t even have to get out of bed.
Seeing your first robin and believing it’s spring, especially after a long, cold, winter!
That’s awesome!
Using the Last of the milk before the “sell by date”.
I’m with you on this one Beth.. But not Neil.. he likes to live dangerously..
#985: http://1000awesomethings.com/2008/07/11/985-eating-things-past-the-expiry-date/
Gross!
When you’re minding your own business and when you suddenly look and be receiving a friendly smile from a stranger.
when you sneeze and fart at the same time and nobody notices. Its like you just got away with something illegal.
AWESOME!
What do I think is AWESOME? Finally figuring out where you recognize a voice over actor from. You can spend all day racking your brain for answers, but as soon as you stop thinking about it, the answer lights up brighter than a standard fluorescent light bulb. A ridiculous smile stretches across your face as you glow with personal pride. Yeah, you’re just that good. Awesome!
Yup – recognizing voice actors is truly awesome!
#578: http://1000awesomethings.com/2010/02/02/578-correctly-guessing-the-actor-voicing-the-animated-character-in-a-movie/
Realizing you’re happy.
being able to sing an entire rap song, nailing all the lyrics, and not running out of breath. I do this with Eminems “The Real Slim Shady”, try it….. its AWESOME!