It's important to keep in check the things that make you happy. In fact, the smaller the better.

For example:

The Rolling Stones (particularly Moonlight Mile)
A pretty cloudy day where you can still see the bright blue behind the fluffy white blobs in the sky.
A cup of tea in the morning, properly sugared- and milked-up.
A library card (yes, that is a picture of our very own neighborhood library)


So, let's extrapolate on this whole library thing, because really that's the whole reason I made a list in the first place--maybe to seem a bit less like a nerd. But, really, it is amazing how the smell of musty library can lift my spirits in such a fantastic way. And it was, but again, the example of the laidback nature of the inhabitants of this island. It is required to have two types of identification: something that's a proof of residency, like a utility bill, and just another whatever to prove your name, like a student card. Of course, we don't have any bills coming to us and just printed up a quick letter on official @ letterhead.

First, we show him what we have and say we have a letter from our employer. He is a bit unsure, with his messy hair and tie-dyed t-shirt, but quickly gives in when we explain that we work for an educational charity and have no utility bills of our own to pay. He ruffles his hair a bit, purses his lips and nod/shurgs. Yeah, I could see that. Then promptly supplies us with our very own, beautiful navy blue library cards.

(and I swear to you, this guy could have stumbled right out of The Dawn Treader in downtown Ann Arbor, or perhaps off the Diag after the Hash Bash. All he was missing was the Grateful Dead tee, but he was wearing something properly tie-dyed anyway.)

I leave with a Herbert Selby Jr, Kerouac, Haddon and collection of short stories compiled by Zadie Smith. Not to mention the big smile on my face. Especially when we can join the music library at the main branch for free, and we'll have to figure out at which branches we can rent these dvd type things.