Blue Monday

Today has been scientifically calculated to be the most depressing day of the year. A psychologist at the University of Cardiff designed a formula considering factors such as weather conditions, debt levels (did you get your credit card statement from X-mas today too?), time since X-mas, time since failed New Year's resolutions, statistics about domestic arguments and relationship break ups, etc. I'm not sure if I buy it, but what do you think?

Here are some reasons that it might not be.

1) The days are getting longer. It's finally almost light when I leave work at 4:30. Whew.

2)The tenderness of wolves. The book, by Stef Penney. Man, am I in love with this story! I'm listening to it actually, and I can't recommend it enough. It's not the type of thing I would normally pick up. It's a murder mystery set in The Hudson Bay Company, northern Canada in the late 1800's. But it's so much more than that! The character development is extraordinary and the plot twists and turns unexpectedly. It's completely absorbing and compelling and so, so good! Go and get it now!

3) The new Band of Horses CD.

4) Although frogging Anouk was painful and heartbreaking, starting it over again to the first season of the Gilmore Girls on DVD is just about the best thing ever.

5) Going grocery shopping on my own late in the evening. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I usually buy my groceries online or make a painful journey to store on the weekends when everyone else (and their screaming children) decide to shop. I popped in to the Starbucks* to get a delicious Chai latte to enjoy while I was shopping and my i-pod on shuffle played You Will Always Be the Same by Ryan Adams as I took my first sip. It's so true!

*When I lived in Seattle, I avoided Starbucks like it was made out of brussel's sprouts and rolled my eyes and scoffed when anyone mentioned the name. There were just so many other options in that coffee slinging city. I now rely on Starbuck's to be one of the few things that reminds me *exactly* of home when I get a wave of the homesickness. I learned this first when I was travelling through eastern europe, in the middle of the coldest winter in 50 years, and on my own. We'll discuss the why's of that situation another time. Anyway, I stumbled into a starbucks in Vienna out of desperation one day and lo! They had sugarfree vanilla syrup! And tazo passion tea! And it tasted just like it did at home! I sorta let Starbucks off the hook after that.