yummy fries and a holiday greeting, to boot

Um... so much for the twelve days of Christmas. Sorry, work kind of ate me alive and after regurgitation (now, isn't that a lovely word?), I didn't feel much like waxing eloquent about Christmas.
However, a random woman totally imbued me with holiday spirit tonight. I was just getting dinner at the local ghetto-palace-of-burgers-and-fried-foods when a woman, who was also waiting for her food, started talking to me. She asked me if I was ready for the holiday. I kind of laughed and out of politeness, asked her if she was ready. Well, she was so super nice! For the next ten minutes, she told me about what she was giving her husband and nieces and gave me the scoop on where to find gift boxes around here. (I asked... she didn't just randomly start recommending gift box vendors.) Sometimes I'm so busy maintaining my personal space walls that I forget how nice it is to just chat with someone for no good reason. And, also, while I'm thinking about it....what is it in black people's blood that makes them so friendly to everyone? It used to kind of freak me out (and it still does sometimes, e.g. the guy calling after me, "sweet cakes, boo-boo" etc.), but I realize that usually people are just being nice. Maybe we should teach that to the white folks?
In any case, when that woman walked out the door, I had a big smile on my face... So, there, I guess that's my sixth day of Christmas.

The second day of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas, my life gave to me, two rejection letters and a new life in Washington, DC.
Yeah, I didn't have a whole lot of Christmas spirit this afternoon after being turned down for two jobs. Probably, two jobs I wouldn't accept, but still... it's the principle of the thing. On the upside, though, I got to see the National Christmas tree lit up, finally. And, the yule log! That's the best part. We have a national yule log! How cool is that? Turns out that a yule log had to do with the festive celebrations associated with the god Thor. Who knew?
So, yes, two rejection letters, but also a yule log! Maybe I'll incorporate the yule log into tomorrow. We'll see.

The first day of Christmas

I've decided to post something for the twelve days of Christmas from now until December 24. I think that the real twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas, but whatever, it's my blog and I get to do what I want. I should warn you, though, that they may read more like a New Year's entry than a Christmas entry. My inspiration was a series of thoughts (there needs to be a word for the conversations that take place in my head) centered around the things that are different in my life today from one year ago. So, it's more reflection, perhaps, than festive greetings. Anyways, so without further delay, the first day of Christmas.

On the first day of Christmas, I woke up and found, a life in the nation's capitol. Christmas in DC is a whole new experience. I've had to really try to seek out Christmas-ness. I'm not entirely sure if that's endemic to Washington or if it's just because I'm new in town. I knew how to "do" Christmas in Philly, but I'm not that adept in DC yet. I'm working on it, though. So, if anyone has any great Christmas-y suggestions (Metro or foot accessible, please), I'm all ears!!

It's football Sunday again

Well, fortunately, the Steelers picked off the cobwebs and played a fine, snowy game against Chicago today. I love watching football in the snow. It looks like so much fun! Anyways, at the other end of the room the Bengals/Browns game was on (we would be helped by a few Bengals losses) so I was yelling things at the tvs on both ends of the room. Fortunately, Tara didn't seem too disturbed by my antics. I'm so embarrassing. I think at one point I yelled, "Hurt a Bengal, get a cookie" And, I still have friends? wow.


My boys in the snow--
SO PRETTY, SO MESSY!

Thanks, once again, to Pandora

I've been listening to jazz on pandora.com (if you haven't checked it out yet, go there right now, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to pandora) and I never realized how much I like Diana Krall. Her band is good, her voice even better, and her sense of musicality and style is just plain hot. If I was a guy, I would totally be in love with her, or at least crush on her.
Unfortunately, I'm too lazy right now to post a clip, but you can check out some clips on her website at dianakrall.com. Her Christmas album is AWESOME.

A retroactive post

Since I can't change the date and time in blogger anymore, I'll 'fess up and say that I wanted to post this yesterday, but it just didn't happen.

So, it's happening again - Washington's giving me yet another reason to love it against my will. Snow delays! I haven't felt like this since I was a kid. When the weather report says there's a chance for snow, the whole city crosses their fingers and hopes for no work! No joke! Most companies here go by the federal government schedule and they close their offices or delay opening when there's bad weather. And, around here, a skift of snow is a good enough excuse to close up shop. So, that brings me to yesterday. There was a delayed opening of two hours. For me, that means I wouldn't have had to go in until noon if I didn't want to! Whoo-hoo! I think it might snow again next week! I can hardly wait!

Also, a random comment from my oh-so-exciting life: I never realized how many trees I walk under on an average day. Yesterday, though, they were all dripping on me so I noticed them. It turns out that I walk under a TON of trees! (as my wet head would testify)

Happy weekending!

If only God had e-mail

I wish God would e-mail me a brief summary of what it is that He wants me to do here in DC in the next year. I know he's stirring things up and moving me into different areas to build relationship with people and generally do good PR for Him, but I could use an itinerary right about now.
I feel like I know there's a lot going on somewhere, but I can't quite see it right now.
Allow me to give a little parallel from work: I sell tickets for Kennedy Center concerts, right? Well, in the side tiers, there is limited visibility of the stage and I tell patrons when they buy those seats that they will have a restricted sightline. I feel that way now, that I have a restricted sightline. I know there is a lot happening onstage, but I can't quite see all of it. I hear it and get glimpses when it's on the right side of the stage, but it would be nice to see the whole picture. Oh well, I suppose the journey is half the fun!

Sentenced to Marriage

I went and saw a documentary film this evening about Israeli women bound to marriages because their husbands won't consent to a divorce. I liked it. It wasn't overdone, wasn't overdramatized...just showed the footage and presented the situation as it is. Apparently, because Israel does not separate church and state, there is no such thing as a civil marriage. Therefore, there is no such thing as a civil divorce...everyone must go through the rabbinical court. Anyways, it was interesting and it was good to stretch my brain a bit. If I wasn't so tired, I would stretch it more successfully and share further. Unfortunately, you'll have to settle for this. I included a link about the film, but I don't know that it's playing anymore around here. Who knows when it will show up in other cities, though?

Check out the film

Word of the day

Today's learning moment comes from the second book in the Chronicle of Narnia series.

biv·ou·ac ( P ) Pronunciation Key (bv-k, bvwk)
n.

A temporary encampment often in an unsheltered area.

intr.v. biv·ou·acked, biv·ou·ack·ing, biv·ou·acs, also biv·ou·acks

To camp in a bivouac.

But, as you all know, true learning comes from application. And, so, a few of my own interpolations:

-Stranded at O'hare, we did our best to defend our bivouac.

-"No, Mom, please... not bivouacking AGAIN!"

-She bivouacked for three days outside the box office waiting for U2 tickets.

And, he wrote these books for kids? Now, seriously, how many 10-year-olds know the word, bivouac... heck, how many 30-year olds know that word?

Anyways, happy bivouacking.

The boats were a bust

Ok. So, I was looking for something cool to do this weekend b/c a friend was visiting me and I thought, "hey! what a good opportunity to do something Christmas-y!" So, I found out that there was this parade of boats that would be coming by the SW waterfront tonight by 6:30. I found it on cityguide, but then someone at work told me about it, too. So, tonight, my friend and I trudged down there (knowing how relatively inconvenient it is from NE - my neighborhood) all psyched for this parade of 50 decked-out boats. We got there a little early and it was cold, but it wasn't bad at first. So, we sat and waited and talked and then walked some more. So, it was 6:30 and no signs of the boats. 6:40 - no boats. 6:45 - no boats. Also, relatively little sign of life - as in people watching for boats. Where were the boats? Is there another SW waterfront? It said the Washington Channel/ SW waterfront. I feel betrayed, as though it was a big joke on me. Ha, ha... stupid girl thinks there are going to be big, beautiful decorated boats... she's going to freeze her ass off out there and drag her friend the whole way down there just to see the water and half the washington monument peeking up over buildings. Last night, I took her to see the National Christmas tree and we missed it by 4 minutes! 4, mind you. What do the festivity gods have against me? I just want to see some Christmas lights!! I haven't given up yet, but I am getting discouraged.

Very little left in the fingernail department... they'll come back, though. My fingernails, I mean... we'll see about my boys.
K, I'm going to try to decorate my apartment for the third day in a row. It's very difficult to feel Christmas-y when it's 60 degrees outside. NOT that I'm complaining!

Why I won't have any fingernails on Tuesday

Well, tomorrow could make us or break us. We could be on the top of the world or in the land of mediocrity. Mettle will be tested, endurance stretched, determination displayed. What, you ask, am I talking about? Well, Steelers vs. Colts on Monday Night football, of course. Undefeated colts, I might add...for another 24 hours or so. So, for all you people that don't really care one way or the other, just do me a favor and root for the Steelers (Stillers, if you will) tomorrow night. We can use all of the extra fans we can get, even if they are a bit fickle. I'm tempted to pray for the offense to show up, but I have some other prayer matters that I would like to be answered first so I don't want to throw the petty stuff at God. Besides, what if He decides to move that one to the top of the list and answer that one first?? That would be sad. K, I'm done now. I will not attempt to use God for my own personal NFL desires. I promise. That's all.

Go Black and Gold!!!

Thanksgiving observance

Thanksgiving was once my favorite holiday. But, yesterday seemed a bit hollow. I tried not to have high expectations, knowing ahead of time that it would be a small crowd, but I still seemed a bit disappointed for some reason. I think I figured out at least part of the reason, though. I want my own traditions. There is a big part of me that wants to stay home (as in my actual residence) and celebrate holidays there and create my own traditions. But, then I realize that doing so would involve a lot of sitting alone and staring at the walls (or more likely, my computer screen) and that would be disappointing, too, if not downright depressing. This being grown-up stuff is highly overrated.

a nice little concert

I just got home from a concert of chamber music at the Library of Congress. A free one, none-the-less! Listen up all you DC-ites: There are free concerts all the time at the Library of Congress. And, these are no second-rate performances. We heard chamber music performed by NSO players tonight and I will be returning soon to hear the likes of Eugenia Zukerman and the Julliard Quartet (playing my absolute favorite string quartet EVER, I might add!!). However, as usual, I had some random thoughts during the performance. First, I was reminded how incredibly silly it is to list the first tempo or directive of a movement to identify it if the work was written during the romantic period or later. I looked down at the program during a particularly fiery, appassianato section and realized that it was part of the "Molto Tranquillo" movement. So much for that.
Second, poor Mendelssohn. I feel so bad for him everytime he digs himself in a hole and gets stuck trying to get out. Fortunately for him, even the stuck music is beautiful, if not cleverly constructed.
Third, live music, particularly chamber music, is such a luxury. If I had remained in Cambria County, I would never have had the opportunity to hear such high quality music live, let alone just blocks from my house. There is something about hearing a live performance that is so refreshing for my soul. Second only to standing on the ocean's shore.
Finally, I should have been a string player. I am so physical when I play...and string players communicate so much physically... I would stick out less as a string player.

Lessons I learned tonight

• Trying to do something social without my cell phone is just dumb. It nearly always fails
• When it rains in DC, traffic is a nightmare and hailing a cab is even worse.
• Cab drivers that pontificate about the current state of affairs in Iraq are really quite irritating when you've already had an atrocious evening.
• The SW waterfront is horribly inconvenient for those of us car-less people.
• My boots are not waterproof...sexy, perhaps, but not waterproof.
  

Autumn thiefs

They're stealing my Fall! I'm still running through piles of leaves and enjoying my pumpkin candle and the world is trying to encroach on my Fall. I'd like to remind the world that it's only officially been Autumn for about 7 weeks. When I was walking by Union Station on my way home this morning, they were installing giant wreaths and bows. That's not fair!! It's only Nov. 12. They can't hang Christmas decorations yet! They're trying to steal my Fall! I refuse. I love Fall and I will enjoy every leaf-crunching minute of it. They can't take my favorite season away from me.

Homecoming weekend, con't.

Finally, the long-awaited weekend moments post, illustrated. Blogging's a funny thing. I absolutely HAD to write about this stuff when I thought of it, but now that 3 days have gone by, it seems much less pressing. But, I still want to share three little thoughts.
First, I got to see Freya this weekend. Freya and I hadn't seen each other since I was in her wedding two and a half years ago. Sadly, we hadn't spoken in that long either. I'm not entirely sure what happened and we didn't discuss it this weekend, but regardless, it was good to see an old friend and a kindred spirit. So here's Freya...and her 3 week old baby boy, Max!!! Now that's craziness! It's just weird how everyone's lives are changing so quickly. We used to sit around and talk about cute boys and bad dates. Now she has a husband and a baby. Regardless, it was good to see her. I was a little mad at her for not keeping in touch, but there was something about her infectuous (sp?) smile that just made all of my inner bitterness toward her melt away. Maybe that's the sign of a natural friendship. Or, maybe not... whatever.
Saturday morning, I was practicing in the concert hall at the music building on campus. I was just playing along, staring at my music, but then I needed to really work out a run so I started pacing around playing it over and over like I always used to do. Memories of long practice sessions in that room started flooding back to me, but then I looked up at the little window above the clock. It's in the picture to the right, but it's hard to get perspective from that shot. The window is just a tiny little square way up high on the white, concrete block wall. But, the cool thing is that you can see a little piece of a tree in that window. Just a few branches...none of the rest of the tree is visible from that perspective. I missed that window. I didn't even realize that I missed it, but I had. I used to watch the light change, the leaves change, the seasons change through that window as I practiced. I watched time go by through that window. I knew that I needed to kick it in for finals when the leaves started falling off that tree and that I would soon be shedding my sweaters when I could see the flowering blossoms in the spring. For some reason, that window symbolized a sort of peace and steadiness and constancy and routine that I crave when life is really crazy.

Ok, the last one is just plain old funny. In fact, I laughed so hard, I could hardly breathe. So, Rachel and Dan (her husband...noticing any themes among my college friends?) and I were driving through the great metropolis of Winona Lake on Sunday and got a little misdirected so I pulled into a parking lot to turn around. I don't know what it was... the local sanitation office or some such thing, but they had labeled parking spots. Not with numbers or titles, but with the employees' names. Apparently, the thought that one or more of them might leave the company at some point was beyond their imagination. Also, I feel a need to point out that there were only about 6 spaces in the whole parking lot. Yet, they labeled the employees' spaces personally. I'm sorry, but did they have a hard time finding parking before? And, do they have to work their way up to the front parking spot? I mean, that could cut a full 15 seconds off their commute. God help Becci if she tries to park in Giselle's spot. K, I'll stop my insensitivity now... but it's just so funny!

Lions and wolves and Jesus bread

I was all psyched to post some pics and thoughts
from the weekend, but I'm a dork and grabbed the wrong film this morning. So, instead of pictures of Grace and Gracies and the midwest, I have zoo animals and Columbus Day. Doh! Well, I will throw a couple in here anyways. Completely unrelated, but that's ok.
The first one is just for Nathaniel. Thany, they're woofs!! I miss you! (I know they're hard to see, but I promise they're woofs!)

The next one is the lion I saw at the zoo last month. He (or she) is fast asleep and his tongue is hanging out. I thought it was SO funny that I giggled out loud.

The last one is completely unrelated. I told a couple of people about our communion at my newest church so I thought I'd give you a visual. I know the picture quality isn't great, but it's a small silver tin filled with a vial of red juice of some sort and a tiny little communion "bread". I didn't take communion that day b/c I have a weird thing about communion. I grew up in a church that made a HUGE deal out of communion and so sometimes when communion is sprung on me, I don't feel prepared to take it. Anyways, so that's why I had the "communion kit" leftover. I guess if they were Grace Brethren, they'd throw a little wet-nap in there!

Thoughts from Indiana and a promise of pictures

I went back to Grace this weekend. It was only the second time I had returned since graduation. This was homecoming weekend and the music department invited me back to play for a sort of choir reunion/music celebration weekend. Anyways, I went and played a concert with my fellow alum. It was so refreshing. I enjoyed playing immensely. I cannot say enough. The other players were excellent and that sort of musical experience is always enjoyable...those moments when the music truly feels alive in your hands....when you can feel it and mold it and touch others with it. It was pretty awesome. Alex and Thomas and I played this entirely too cool trio. How nice to play with really good musicians again.
However, there was so much more to the weekend. I could write so much, but I will try to keep it reasonably short. (Perhaps I will continue this later this week.) In a way, it was healing to go back and realize that the bitterness I have for Grace is not really about Grace so much as it is about my own decisions. It wasn't the rules or the buildings or the classes. It was me. But, as I've said a million times, I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. It had a hand in making me who I am today. (scary as that is!)
I have lots of little funny randomness to share, but I will save it for tomorrow when I have illustrations. I'll leave you with one, though.
When I got off the plane in Fort Wayne, an older gentleman holding a basket greeted me and said, "Welcome to Fort Wayne. Have a cookie!" Oh, the good 'ol Midwest.

a new computer

Oh, it feels good to blog again! It also feels good to have a sweet, sweet machine in front of me. My new computer came this weekend while I was away. Whoo-hoo! Life is good. The screen is wide... really wide...movie screen wide. No, really... I mean it. Ok, fine, but it is big and sweet. yippee. So, I'm officially back in the world of blogging. It makes me feel alive again. Living without a computer was like living in a black hole. I never want to go back there again!! I think I'm going to rent a DVD tomorrow and watch it in surround sound...just because I can. (Oh, yeah, did I mention I got external speakers, too?) K... I'm done blabbering now.