Now where was I...

I was going to write a meaningful reflection on 2008 but I'm too lazy to do that now. Maybe in February or somesuch. Well in a brief update on my life (or at least as brief as I ever make anything, which is to say not very), I made it home for Christmas despite the combined misfortune of nature (read: too much snow for Seattle) and Alaska Airlines' lack of foresight (read: too little deicer. Um, for a company named Alaska Airlines they'd be prepared for inclement weather). Once home I got excited because no snow meant I could go for a run! I promptly fell down and severely sprained my ankle ("That's what you get for exercising," said my sister). Spent all Christmas break with my foot propped up or hobbling around except for the night I went out with my Sac friends which turned out to be clubbing instead of just drinks. "Single Ladies" came on and I can't resist the pull of Beyonce's unbearable sass and awkward dancing so I dance about three or four songs which was three or four too much as testified to by the hideous bruising over my foot and up my leg which was revealed when I removed my boots. Back to Seattle, into the crazy week of rehearsals for the Beethoven 9, the first performance was New Year's Eve and there was a man wearing a top hat in the audience--God bless you, sir. Post Beethoven it was home to a house party so full you could barely move through the house and where I drank champagne and ended up dancing with a comedian and getting briefly locked in my room with two of my roommates before being freed and falling asleep at 3am. Then a week of horrible car problems the high point of which was me bursting into tears in front of the dealership guy, and which ended with me stepping into an ankle deep puddle of snow melt. Huzzah. Illness, illness, random, mysterious, excruciatingly painful finger injury which still haunts me, my three month review at work so I am now officially "off probation" (I feel like I committed some sort of crime...) and that brings us to 10:09pm on January 12th, 2009. P.S. It's still a little weird to say 2009.

On a random note, I've decided to try and keep track of the books I read this year. I'm curious to see (1) How many I read (2) What kind of books I read (3) If I really spend as much time REreading old favorites as I think I do (a very likely "yes" as I am currently rereading Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic for probably the 5th time...) I can't help it, some books are like home. They're my grown up saecurity blanket (although if Beaky, my childhood companion, weren't just a literal knot of yarn now I'd probably still have and actual security blanket). Where was I going with this?...

If You're Actually Reading This...

It's weird to get in and out of the writing mood. This is probably why I'll never be a writer (that and a dearth of actual ideas). Sometimes I just think, "Everyone needs to know EVERYTHING about me! All the time! RIGHT NOW!" And then you get a blog a day, etc. I guess I'm currently in a writing funk. Not an emotional funk, but a writing funk where I think, "Why bother?" Maybe that will be fixed soon and I'll tell you about Christmas and New Year's...

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Today I had my first ever official SNOW DAY. I was so excited!!! It snowed last weekend but that disappeared pretty quickly. When I woke up this morning Liz was sitting in the living room in her jammies--usually she's out the door by the time I'm out of my room. I looked out the window--snow! Lots of snow. Nothing last night and this morning when I woke, a lovely blanket of white. I scraped the snow off my car (White Christmas came on the radio at that exact moment--providence) and drove to work only to find no one there. With no key to get in, I drove to a park near us and sat around for a little bit. Intersting Fact: It is incredibly amusing to watch a crow try to walk through snow up to it's chest. Crows are funny enough when they're strutting around unencumbered, but with snow--pure genius. Interesting Fact 2: Seagulls like to catch snowflakes on their tongues, too. I witnessed it with mine own eyes. I drove back by work to check and my boss was there. However, it was only the two of us and by the time we'd worked our way through one pot of coffee and marveled at the snow STILL coming down, she said, "You're done, go home." Hooray! Snow day! Home I went (it was also my first time ever driving in snow--I was so proud of me). Dang, I would have loved to have a snow day when I was little.

If you live inside my head you know how happy snow makes me. You also know how happy Seattle makes me. Combine the two and it was unbearable levels of happiness--heart hurty happiness. I grinned all the way home. Watching snow makes me feel overjoyed and at the same time peaceful, it was wonderful. I'm actually sad this is sort of fluke weather (it was the ONLY thing on the news aaaaaaaaall day long). I say that because I've never LIVED in snow, lived through several months of its constant presence. If that happened I'd probably complain a lot and grouch about it. As it stands, though, I already miss it even though it's not gone. I almost get a white Christmas--almost.


I took a lot of pictures, but I can't seem to find the cable that connects my camera and, thusly, said pictures to my computer, so you'll have to imagine and maybe I'll get them up soon.

*Siiiiigh* Oh, snow, I love you.

"Thus did Herod sore afray and grievously bewilder"

Tonight we sang our first (and only) Holiday Sing-Along concert and it made me think we need to have more good ol' fashioned carol singing at parties like they do in movies where everyone gathers 'round the piano and has a grand old time. The blog title comes from one of the songs we sang, "Unto Us Is Born A Son". I just love archaic and awkward language, it pleases me greatly and in a way makes me sad that the majority of our speech is nowhere near as creative. Our director called the song "stodgy", but I call it something we would have sung in Chamber Singers and that makes me both happy and sad. (I missed Westmont Christmas for the first time in six years and it just about breaks my heart).

When singing in choirs our directors always remind us over and over again to THINK about what we're singing--the WORDS and the HARMONIES, the MOOD. It's surprisingly hard to not just do them by rote (come on, I've been singing it every year since I can remember!), but they really do become something much more special. Here are a few that I've seen in a new way the past few years.

Good King Wenceslas: How entertainingly masculine is that song?

Bring me flesh and bring me wine!/Bring me pine logs hither!

And again, my beloved archaic language:

Hither page, and stand me by/ If thou know'st it telling/Yonder peasant, who is he?/Where and what his dwelling?

How much better is it than "Hey, who's that guy?" And the tune is so hearty and hopeful! Try belting it out without smiling--I dare you! (well, maybe don't, I'd hate to find out I was the only one who liked this song--leave me to my delusions).

The First Noel: We sang a beautiful arrangement by Mark Hoover that reminded me how lovely this piece is.

O Holy Night: How many FRIGGIN times do I have to sing this song? It is NOT a fun song to sing--in fact, it's pretty damn boring....but the WORDS. Look at them some time.

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing: I distinctly remember the Westmont Christmas Festival the first year after I graduated. I was working at the program and was in the back of the audience when they sang it. I didn't really remember the lyrics, so I was reading along and I just couldn't believe it was the same blah, straight-forward song I'd been trampling through for the past twenty-odd years. The words that keep coming back to me now. I say that "Lo, How a Rose" is my favorite Christmas song, but when I'm reminded of these words, I realize I should probably change my answer. So I will leave you with the lyrics:

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark the herald angels sing:
"Glory to the newborn King."

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark the herald angels sing:
"Glory to the newborn King."

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in his wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing:
"Glory to the newborn King."

Frida, Frida, Nice Ta Meetcha

Two completely unrelated topics: Halloween and the movie Changeling.
Halloween -- I haz it. Or, hadz it. Last night was the blessed event and for the first time in years I dressed up in a real costume. Not, Wear-Everything-Black-And-Call-It-Teen-Goth costume, but a costume. My neighbor/housemate/landlady let me borrow her jewelry, fake flowers and a dress that she used last year to dress up as Frida Kahlo. So on Friday night I fought years of instinct that have kept me battling my natural tendency towards uni brow and drew one in on purpose. It was the best Halloween I've had in years--I even enjoyed going to two parties full of people I'd either never met or barely knew and, if you know me, I'm not much of a party person even when I know everyone. But I think I made a damn fine Frida.

MY FACE ISN'T USED TO LOOKING THAT SERIOUS. I'M TOO NATURALLY SMILEY.

Changeling -- Liz and I saw this movie tonight and I cannot get it out of my head. It's eating me from the inside. In a good way. I wanted to see it because I think Angelina Jolie is a good actress and I love the few movies I've seen Clint Eastwood direct--though I have to say that he doesn't have a good track record for "happy ending" films, so I knew I was in for a hardcore drama. It was a wonderful movie, I was thoroughly impressed by the acting of all involved. Even minor characters--one man who played a lawyer couldn't have been in the movie for more than 15 minutes altogether but he made an impression on me. At one point all he did was make a small, protective lunge forward with a defensive look on his face and I was mesmerized, I really couldn't look away from him. But it was one of the most intense movies I have ever seen. Let's be honest, I cried a couple times. It was a true story (not "based on a true story" which generally means something like 85-90% of it is made up) but I wish it wasn't because it is not a pleasant story. Alas, this film was not about happy endings. This film was about justice and hope in very horrible circumstances. You feel vindicated in a way, which makes this it's own kind of "feel good" movie, but it's definitely not in a daisies and unicorns style. All that to say, if you can handle the gut-wrenching aspects for the sake of a well told, well done story, PLEASE go see it.

And In Your Dreams, Whatever They Be

THEIRS IS A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Wow, it's been a long time since I blogged. That's what happens when you're employed, I suppose: you don't have time to think that every little stupid thing you do might be interesting. Because it's probably not, anyway. More about the job later. And by later I mean next time I blog. I don't feel like organizing thoughts about work right now. I will, however, post an e-mail I sent to my former co-worker/current friend. For those of you who don't know, I have ridiculous dreams. Seriously. Ask me about them some time--I once dreamed an entire movie that had a soundtrack AND rolled credits at the end. Also, I usually remember them in far more vivid detail than other people. There are a number of dreams I had when I was a child that I still remember clearly. Last night was an excellent series of dreams. Enjoy:

Beth, I blame you and your e-mail and its mention of men for the fact that last night all my dreams revolved around me being awkward around men and wishing I had a boyfriend. Seriously. And they were all the WEIRDEST dreams. I can't recall them exactly, but in one, Matt was trying to date me again...sort of. He wasn't sure if he wanted to and so he kept trying to sneakily hold my hand over the wall of our cubicles (we were in an office?) and I kept thinking "WHAT the HELL are you doing?" but I figured it was easier to let him do that and just forget it happened than mention it. Then I dreamed that the guy I dated in Italy moved to Seattle and had a girlfriend and she hated me because I was taller than her and therefore closer to his 6'4". THEN I dreamed that Fred Astaire told me that he needed my help on an important caper, so I went with him to an amusement park where we found this guy who was really important and then Fred started ignoring me and we were all eating corn dogs and gently singing "Nature Boy" by Nat King Cole except Fred didn't notice me anymore and it made me really sad. I'm insane and I blame you.

I love my brain.

Young Lady With the Socks on Her Hands

I rode the bus today and feel very good about it. Gosh, I just love public transportation!

PLEASANTLY BALD GUY AT 3RD & PIKE STOP

A lady next to me was having a very pleasant conversation with herself. Not the kind where the person is yelling at someone nonexistent, it was almost as if she were talking on the phone with a good friend (I checked, no ear piece and no cell unless they were invisible). She was talking very softly and happily about the arrival of Christmas and the beauty of nature and how wonderful it was. I wandered around downtown a bit and stopped at Pike's Market for a few minutes where a young guy selling various pastas shouted, "You, young lady with the socks on her hands! Come try some chocolate pasta!" I like my arm warmers.

"GEE, WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN KNITWEAR?"

In other news, I'M EMPLOYED!!! With job! Having of a place to go Monday-Friday 40 hours a week!

HOORAY FOR ME!!

That's right, I'm finally going to return to the status of "Gainfully Employed". I interviewed Thursday morning and by Thursday afternoon I was hired.

"I'm hiiiiired/I hope I don't get fiiiiiired/In 30 years I'll be retired/But for now I'm simply hiiiiired" - MST3K

Apparently they actually canceled other interviews they had planned because they liked me so much (they said I was "sharp" and they liked my enthusiasm). So starting Monday I'll be doing the 8:30-5 thing (not quite the ring of 9-5 but I'm going for honesty). It's nice because the place is so very close to my house that in nice weather I can bike there and even if I drive I'll be using very little gas. Tomorrow I see about taking the bus there. Hooray! I'm employed!!! Now i guess I won't have to spend my days winding my miscellaneous yarn into center-pull balls...actually, that's kind of sad. Oh well--I HAVE A JOB!

I LEAD A SMALL BUT HAPPY LIFE