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I like ice-cold vodka tonics in the summer, an occasional good bourbon (neat) in the winter. I always like beer. And margaritas on the rocks. I like to run my fingertip through the salt on the rim of the glass and lick it off. I like going out for drinks with my friends. I like that we’re always that group that’s having WAY TOO MUCH FUN.

I like my bed. I like spending lazy mornings in it, especially because these days, lazy mornings are increasingly rare. I like it when it’s made neatly, and I like it when it’s a jumbled mess of sheets and blankets. I like high thread-count cotton sheets because thread-counts really do make a difference. I like forcing a foot through the sheets and blankets (I tend to roll myself up like a burrito) into the cool night air.

I like high-heeled shoes, mostly because I love taking them off at the end of a long day. I like big, dangly earrings, because I like to fidget with them all day. I like wearing a lot of bracelets because yes, I do like jingling when I move.

I like hanging out with my dog. I like listening to her snore (and man, can she ever snore), and I like the fact that I still think it’s funny after all these years. I like that I can tell when she’s about to have a burst of out-of-control goofiness, and I like that I now know that when she does, I’d best get out of her way. I like that when we walk, she looks up at me and smiles. I like everybody else’s dogs, too. I like all dogs, immediately and unconditionally. Cats, on the other hand, have to earn it.

I like that first cup of coffee in the morning (and on days when I have to go to work, it’s my only cup of coffee in the morning, because I don’t have time to sit around drinking coffee — sigh — unless I got out of bed earlier, and, well, that’s not happening), strong and black. I like the occasional frou-frou coffee drink, which is just like dessert WITH CAFFEINE! BRILLIANT!

I like dessert. I like it a lot.

I like my job, even if there are days when I hate everything about it (it’s possible to do both at the same time), because I like what it’s made me learn about myself. I like that it’s taught me to remain calm in the midst of chaos and occasional hostility, and I like that I really can keep a straight face through anything. I like that it constantly tests my skills at diplomacy, and that it doesn’t allow me time to equivocate. I like the people I work with, and I like the snarky emails they send me which pop up on my monitor when I’m dealing with an especially difficult person. I like sending them snarky emails when they’re dealing with someone difficult. There are a lot of snarky emails, is what I’m saying, because gosh, there are a lot of difficult people. It’s a kind of neverending verbal serve-and-volley. Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps a person from losing it.

I like clever banter with smart people. I like conversations that aren’t about anything in particular, the ones that meander along just for the sake of the conversation. I like telling stories about how I got my scars, because I think it’s entertaining that I really am that accident prone. I like texting (it’s my #1 mode of communication when I’m not face-to-face with someone), and I love getting really funny ones at inappropriate times. (Of course, in general, I like the inappropriate.) I like words and people who use them well. This is at least partly why I am a bit of an incorrigible flirt, which is something that gets me into trouble on occasion. I like accents. All of them.

I like hot showers and smelling soapy-clean. I like pedicures. I think I may spend too much time thinking about skincare, but I really like products (stuff by Philosophy is my downfall). I like to exfoliate and moisturize. I really, really do. Yes, yes, I like lipgloss. I don’t even know how much I own anymore. My favorite right now is Philosophy’s Pink Frosted Cookie. It’s sparkly. AND DELICIOUS.

I’m not going to lie. I like sitting around in my underwear.

I like turtleneck sweaters and my winter coat. I like my red raincoat, because it is red. I like walking around barefooted. I like sunny weather and I like thunderstorms. I like foggy mornings. (I do not like snow, and you know, I’m not even giving it a pass for being pretty anymore. It can be pretty somewhere else, and I wouldn’t mind. It could go be pretty in Texas. It’s their turn.)

I like driving my car and I like going for walks. I like curling up on the couch and watching a movie, only to fall asleep halfway through and then pretending that I didn’t fall asleep and I totally know everything that just happened.

I like when all the laundry is done and put away, except I don’t like putting laundry away. It’s a problem.

I like looking up at the night sky and recognizing the constellations. I like being in the country and watching a rainstorm move across the land. I like driving to work this time of year and watching the sunrise in my rearview mirror.

I like good music and good books and really bad TV. I like good TV too, but I get caught up in bad TV and then I can’t stop watching it, because it has the same appeal as watching some sort of disaster. I don’t watch TV as much as I used to, but at some point I seem to have developed an embarrassing crush on Gordon Ramsay. I like him because he’s passionate about what he does and he’s a master profanity artist. It’s a winning combination.

I’m pretty tired right now and you know what I like? I like going to sleep at the end of a very long, really good day.