Little things please me.

Today’s modest pleasure: my iGoogle page. I have a koi pond and a lava lamp soothing me with their gentle motions, a Youtube widget that points me to entertaining videos, and National Geography Pic of the Day that’s like having a personal gallery for daily enjoyment.

But you know what really pleases me? My new page theme from Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli is my favorite animation studio. I love Miyazaki’s tales — his strong female protagonists, his love of fable and fairy tale alike, and his reverence for the earth, all amaze me.

And the theme banner simply delights me. When I call up my browser, I find one of Miyazaki’s characters staring back from mountain peaks. Today it was No Face from Spirted Away, then the cat bus from My Neighbor Totoro. Behind them, a serene valley spreads between mountain ranges, lush, fertile, and verdant.

Yeah, simple things please me.