Archive for December, 2007
December 29, 2007 at 11:13 pm · Filed under blather
I had the pleasure of a girls’ day with my singing buddies – we met at a gorgeous house on the lake. The owners are on vacation and invited S. and her husband to spend some time there. It’s the most harmonious, peaceful living environment I’ve ever seen. Everything in the home is placed with intention, and there’s beauty and simplicity everywhere you look.
We laughed, talked and listened to music. Very fun.
Then tonight, Pete and I enjoyed hearing Arturo Sandoval at the Overture Center. Wow. I love Latin music, and Arturo is quite the engaging entertainer. Multi-talented, too. I don’t think my mambo skills could keep up with the beat, though. (Do I even remember any of the steps I learned this fall?)
Moon is fighting a cold and has been quite upfront about her misery. She’s still going to stage crew, but she’s very stuffed up and not sleeping well. We got Indian takeout for dinner so she could benefit from the spices. She said she was able to taste the food, so that’s a good thing.
December 28, 2007 at 3:02 pm · Filed under x365
Tall (6’4″) and thin with light red hair, he was a country boy who once raised a squirrel. We were mutually attracted, but it never really went anywhere, even though he gave me a breathtakingly handcrafted valentine with a poem written in his calligraphic hand.
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December 26, 2007 at 1:33 pm · Filed under knit/crochet, shopping
This morning, I had a happy surprise at the Starbucks drive-through. The person ahead of me had paid for my drink … after having her drink paid for by the person ahead of her and so on. Already, 10 cars had passed the good will on.
Of course, I paid for the order after mine. And since the barista from last winter seems to have moved on, I gave the barista at the window the knitted handwarmers I’d been carrying with me. She seemed very pleased and surprised. It was the perfect complement to the acts of kindness already in progress.
December 21, 2007 at 11:09 am · Filed under x365
He was very effeminate, which I’m sure wasn’t easy for a high school teacher of German in the late 1970s. Not only did he use flamboyant hand gestures, he spoke with a lisp and topped off his image with a tiny mustache and jaunty beret.
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December 18, 2007 at 10:13 pm · Filed under shopping
The cards and address labels are printed, and Kinko’s will be processing our newsletters overnight. I updated the family site with last year’s newsletter, and I can rest until we do the whole assembly line thing tomorrow.
Oddly enough, when I was looking for last year’s newsletter photos, I noticed they were dated Dec. 18. Which means I was doing this very thing on the same day in 2006.
No, I don’t think I’ll start any earlier next year. And I’m not done with the Christmas shopping, either.
December 16, 2007 at 4:58 pm · Filed under blather
I never saw her without her makeup done, well-dressed with her hair elegantly arrayed. She outlived her own daughter, but at 98 was our honorary family matriarch. She lived independently and gracefully, and died the same way — quietly, in her sleep, in her own bed.
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December 16, 2007 at 4:48 pm · Filed under blather
Moon and I are headed out soon to see a performance of The Nutcracker downtown at the Overture Center. I’m psyched, because nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit like Tchaikovsky and a guy in a massive skirt with lots of little kids popping out from underneath it.
Truth be told, I have a LOT to do in the next week. Not only have we not wrapped a single present, about half of them haven’t even been purchased yet. Also, I’m finally getting around to our holiday letter, which means we should be able to mail our cards before Friday. I think my family is getting used to way I do things, because I’ve heard very little in the way of reminders. Last year at this time, I had to put my hands over my ears on a regular basis to drown out the guilt.
It’s not Christmas without the last minute rush, right?
December 12, 2007 at 9:29 pm · Filed under moon (rachel), peter
Some of us are still cozy despite the heaps of snow covering the ground outside. The kids should have had a snow day on Tuesday, but the school district didn’t agree. When I came home for lunch, I couldn’t get into our driveway, and at least an inch of snow fell while I was eating. Brooke’s mom called and we decided to give permission for Moon and Brooke to miss their last few class periods. The girls arrived while I was still home, and were generous enough to clean the car off for me.
Teenagers can be so awesome.
Tonight Peter had a band concert, which is always enjoyable for us because it’s the only time we actually see him play his instrument. His section sounded pretty good, and he provided much entertainment for us by blowing kisses to the crowd during the applause, etc. And of course he was wearing shorts with his band t-shirt.
December 9, 2007 at 6:35 pm · Filed under spiritual
Yesterday our family participated in a Cosmic Celebration (like a Techno Cosmic Mass but without the Christianity) of the winter solstice. It was a small group but a lot of fun. The kids ran sound, and Pete led music. The best part was the dancing. I couldn’t believe how much the kids were getting into it.
Before that, we had a family portrait done for our church directory. It’s been ages since we’ve had a portrait done, and I had forgotten how funny and unnatural the whole process feels. But the pictures turned out well enough that we bought a set. The photographer was tearing down his set during our Cosmic Celebration, and he said he thought we were awesome.
December 6, 2007 at 5:01 pm · Filed under blather
She got out of bed by 3 a.m. weekdays, had strangers greet her by name during routine errands, and received critical emails whenever she changed her hairstyle in the slightest. Such was the life of a morning news anchor. Local fame and lots of scrutiny.
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December 6, 2007 at 8:35 am · Filed under peter
Have I mentioned that we’ve had over a foot of snow in less than a week? This morning it was zero degrees as Peter and I headed out the door for school and work.
And what was Peter wearing? Shorts, gym shoes, a t-shirt and zippered sweatshirt. Same as every other day so far this school year. I’ve been hinting that we should go shopping for some cargo pants, but he continues to insist that his legs don’t get cold. I did manage to buy him a heavier sweatshirt with a fleecy lining, which is an improvement over the raggy one he’s been wearing. The one that’s missing the lower part of the sleeves because he’s ripped them off in a fashionable manner.
He reminds me of his paternal grandfather, who enjoyed making sandwiches out of overly fragrant, nasty-sounding ingredients so everyone would go “ewwwwww.”
I’m almost kind of curious to see how long he can keep this up.
December 4, 2007 at 10:40 pm · Filed under x365
One of my college housemates visited us in our new home a few years after graduation, and threw up on our kitchen floor in the middle of the night. We’ve lost touch since then. I hope she’s having a happy Hanukkah wherever she is.
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December 3, 2007 at 9:28 pm · Filed under heroes
Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But … I have to admit it was still a pretty great episode.
Now I’ll be able to go to choir practice on Monday nights. I promised I’d be in chime choir during the holidays. I’m also going to dust off my clarinet, believe it or not.
December 2, 2007 at 3:04 pm · Filed under blather
The first storm of winter blew through here yesterday, and I couldn’t be happier. Have I mentioned that I generally like winter? Pete had music practice in the morning, before the snow really started coming down. The drive home was crazy enough that we decided to stay put, make brownies and watch DVDs.
I think that’s the appeal. So much of the time I’m running to and fro, doing this and that, being all efficient and wise in the use of my time. (Or at least I’m trying for that last part.) Crappy weather gives me a reason to slow down. There’s something very comforting about being warm, safe and at home when nature is slowing us what it can do.
The sleet started in the afternoon. Noisy pellets that pummeled the side of the house and sounded exactly like rain sticks. Right now things are rather icy. Pete went out for his morning jog at 5 a.m. An hour later, he was pounding the front door because he had lost his keys somewhere along his 4-mile jaunt. He backtracked and miraculously found those keys, after many false alarms from spotting fallen leaves, rocks, etc. Quite the adventure. We’re heading across town for a meeting this afternoon, and that ought to be an adventure, too.
Tomorrow will no doubt be back to normal, with school and work and the related bustle/hustle.
I might feel a little different about winter by the end of February, but for now I wouldn’t have it any other way.
December 1, 2007 at 10:39 pm · Filed under x365
We met through the school musical my senior year. He was only a sophomore, and I thought he was small and cute. I was surprised when he described me as popular, because I didn’t have the looks or social status — just a lot of friends.
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