Gratitude Attitude: Inspired by (Iron and) Wine

My "angerball" and negative disposition continues into Week 2, so I'm not going to spend any time at all dwelling on all the things that did or didn't happen this week, but rather recap some of the pleasantness that stood out:

• Mr. Melissa has been cleaning out our garage, and miraculously came across one of my family heirlooms that had been tucked away out there during the move, and never retrieved until now. This book was published in 1935...I have no idea about its provenance, only that it's been in our family for a long-ass time. This charming little book, which now holds pride of place on my coffee table, tells the tale about the kittens Suzz, Buzz, Fuzz, and Agamemnon, and is filled with "unusual photographs of real kittens...made possible only by patient, unfailing kindness on the part of the photographer at all times. "....(One can only assume that this was the prescursor to the PETA-inspired disclaimers in modern films...)

• I don't really think too much about this holiday, but it's nice when friends think of you, no matter the day. Friends (and colleagues) who think of me on Valentines Day...I love 'em. The pic on the left is a package of Marvel goodies one of my Midwestern Internet friends sent me; the pic on the right is a book that one of my colleagues left on my desk. In case you can't see the title: it's What the Librarian Did.

• The Music of Iron and Wine: Completely aside from the fact that the name of this band is impossibly romantic, the band itself has charmed me with its sleepy, melancholic music. I'm sure once I start reading the lyrics I'm gonna be as far gone as I was all those years ago when my eldest sister got me into Grey Eye Glances. 

And speaking of wine...

• Quite possibly the best wine I have ever tasted. With no small amount of trepidation, I picked this up at Fresh and Easy on clearance for $3.98. And I was utterly blown away...it's a red blend, and while it's not terribly dry, it's also not sweet at all. It's surprisingly light and mild, but full of flavor. It is, simply, my favorite wine.

And finally...

• Absurdly bright pink lip butter from Ulta. The color is all wrong for me (with lips like mine, I've never been very comfortable with wearing vivid colors), but sometimes a little bit of color is exactly what's needed to jazz up a quiet, restorative day of puttering around the house. 

As I go into this next week, I am quietly and desperately hoping that I change my disposition for the better. I always lecture people: "You can't control what people do to you, you can only control how you react..." So, time to put my money where my mouth is...and hope that I don't smear bright pink lip butter every where.