(spoiled American expat in Taipei) MISS LIST*:

LOVED ONES:

family (+ birth of niece, Marlowe/brother's wedding/sister's puppies)
friends (+ birth of "nephew," David)
dogs (+ Zeke's hematoma ear surgery + his 1st bout of severe arthritis in his back legs)
cat

HEARTH + HOME + DAILY LIFE:

home (LA+SD--skylight w/ sun streaming through in our mobile home)
watching our garden grow
own decor
own cooking utensils
own stove (Dan's banana bread requires an oven for baking)
own comfortable bed
own, contained shower (drains that drain)
functional plumbing
not breaking "rules" by flushing toilet paper down the toilet
own TV (TiVo)
TV programming with more than Stevens in it: Baldwin or Segal
magazine subscriptions
synced Treo
faster Internet service
Oil of Olay w/ SPF 15 for combination skin
Personal Touch razor
Glide wax-free dental floss
Vicodin Tuss (cough syrup to kick my cough's ass)
rest of my wardrobe (+ shoes/accessories)
beloved old Honda CRV
beloved beach cruiser
jewelry supplies (designing)
interior door thresholds that aren't raised by 2 inches
kitchens that are designed to be used by both women + men

OUT + ABOUT:

not bumping into people everywhere I go; yet running into people I know
ice-cream truck music played by an ice-cream truck instead of a garbage truck
public trash cans (admission: their streets are Disneyland clean + ours are inexcusably littered)
sidewalks meant for walking (w/out worrying about getting hit by scooters or tripping on insanely unsafe "transitions" or no sidewalk at all + worrying about frayed metal or wood sticking out threatening to scrape your calve.)
toilets that flush properly
toilets with seats vs. toilets flush to the floor
napkins instead if toilet paper (tissue) on restaurant tables
public restrooms w/ TP in the stall
speaking the same language as doctors
taking the dogs to the Arroyo
Cal-Tech campus strolls
Beacon's beach tide-pooling

GREAT + VARIED CONSUMABLES:

In-N-Out
Mexican food (Villa Sombrero's chips + guacamole)
The York (dirty martinis sans lime, thank you)
Trader Joes: Um, evvvverything but the parking lots.
Half-and-Half
Silk soy milk
Bagel Broker on Beverly Blvd.
Vons bakery: chocolate glazed donuts + olive bread


AMERICAN SOCIETY:

eavesdropping
pedestrians having the right of way
people who think outside their "programming"
Americans' sense of self-preservation
not being unabashedly stared at (either as if a celebrity or freak show--feels the same on my end)
cleaner air (mind you: I reside in Los Angeles)
fewer smokers
competent drivers (mind you: I reside in Los Angeles)
less sexism
people getting my humor
cultural diversity
children's safety
animal rights (respect + population control--though, sorry any Pit owners-I DO NOT miss Pits)
ladybugs

CULTURAL EVENTS:

Election day
Inauguration day

REVERSE MISS LIST:

Clean streets free of doggie dookie, straws, condoms, and Burger King hamburger wrappings.
Desserts not disgustingly sweet
Gun control
Safer society in general: Out any time of night and not have a perpetual guard up
MRT

COME VISIT, CREATE YOUR OWN LISTS:

http://taipeiguide.blogspot.com/2006/05/table-of-contents.html



*WIP.