AWESOMER AND AWESOMER

Some things will always be awesome.
By Amanda Miller, Amateur Awesome Aficionado

(The Book of Awesome.  You can buy it on Amazon.  Also, this chick kind of looks like me, but isn't.)

I saw this Book of Awesome in Barnes and Noble the other day, and I was intrigued.  First of all, I grew up in the 80s when “awesome” was, like, the totally raddest word on the block, the "sick” or “fetch” of its day.  

(click to see animation)

Second of all, how can you not be intrigued by something called “The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple Brilliant Things,” containing 1000 of the little joys in life, listed off one after another as innocently as a grocery list.  

A little internet digging revealed that not only is there a book of awesome, there is also a website of awesome, three sequel/spin-offs (Even More Awesome, The Journal of Awesome, Holiday Awesome), and even an App of Awesome!   

 (The Book of Awesome Trilogy)

In these treasures, you can find all sorts of little happies to make you smile.  Some of my favorites include:

• #917.  The moment at a concert after the lights go out and before the band (or actors or other musicians)  comes on stage.  (I tend to mark these moments by poking the arm of the person I'm with repeatedly and loudly whispering, "It's starting!")
• #814.  Cheesy theme songs from 80s sitcoms.  (Check out the Doogie Howser theme song video in last week's post!)
• #844.  Celebrities on Sesame Street.  You can click the link for 15 awesome examples, but here is one of my personal favorites:

Now, as far as I'm concerned, there can never be enough awesome in the world, so without further ado, here are a few humble additions of my own to the list of awesome:

• The song, "All Summer Long" by Pheobe Kreutz.  (The chorus involves the lyrics "awesomer and awesomer and awesomer and awesomer," which makes it exponentially more awesome than the average song, right?)
• When your couch-to-5K app suddenly jumps your daily workout to “20 minutes of straight running” and you fricking DO IT WITHOUT DYING.
• Chinchillas eating out of your hands and off your fingers.
  
  (meet Fosse, the chinchilla)  
• This "Awesomer than a double rainbow" T-shirt.
• Little Debbies.  All kinds.  Especially Donut Sticks.
• Dog hugs (the kind when a big dog comes over to you and LEANS).  Or this kind.
  
• When you discover a full web series or performance online.  (Some of my faves:  Submissions Only, Dance Academy, or A Very Potter Musical.)
• Handing out a dozen-ish songs out to your OCU classmates and friends for a cabaret and then watching them rock the house with them.  I'm pretty sure that will never stop being awesome.  And because I am shameless (and quite proud!), here they are.  :)

  

AMANDA LOUISE MILLER is a grad student, pursuing an MM in Music Composition at Oklahoma City University
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Comments

[David Davila]

Everything about this post is AWESOME!!!! Loved reading it.

Also... as you may know... I'm OBSESSED with Denyce Graves, so thanks for sharing the love.

PS Your songs are awesome too! Sharing some now.... and the boys are pretty, which always helps!

Keep up the awesome work!

[Amanda Louise Miller]

Thanks, David! The "Opera Lullaby" video was how I originally discovered Denyce Graves as a wee young thing, and I've pretty much been obsessed with it ever since. :)