Last Post of 2008

In the spirit of New Years' reflectiveness, I thought I'd copy a tactic I've seen on a few other blogs and post the first sentence of the first blog of each month as a sort of Year In Review.

January: When I think of January I think of:Snow, blue, ice, crock pot meals, soup, coffee, fires, lazy late afternoons, wind, slower times, flannel sheets, freezing nights, gloves, and my Birthday.

February: Hmm. I keep getting worse at this updating the blog thing.

March: I seem to be getting the sneezes.

April: I had a fantastic time in SC at my friend Katherine's wedding.

May: I think May is always a bittersweet month for me.

June: As of tomorrow, I'll be in DC for the week.

July: I've been watching the Olympic Trials for Diving, Gymnastics, Track, and Swimming for the past few weeks.

August: In about 15 hours and 42 minutes, I will be headed to Maine on vacation!

September: Well, I'm home from SC and had a great, albeit busy, visit.

October: October is, and really always has been, my favorite month.

November: Somehow in the last 4 years that I've lived in Annapolis, I've become a Navy Football fan.

December: Does anyone know where September went?

So there you have it...the bloggy Year in Review at Just Another Page in the Book of Life...

Bliss

I had the ideal lunch hour today. I picked up a free Mocha at Starbucks that I got for filling out a survey, and headed over to the salon/spa around the corner from my office. I'm going to a semi-formal event for New Years' tomorrow night, so my tootsies needed a polish so that they'll sparkle in my sparkly 3 inch heels!

I brought my book, so I read and drank my coffee in a massage chair while someone was massaging various masques, oils, and lotions onto my feet and legs. Deeelightful! Soothing instrumental music was playing in the background, and a wall of water was cascading in front of me.

After my pedicure, I swung by Chick-Fil-A to pick up my lunch with a gift card I got for Christmas.

Coffee, Crack-fil-A, and body/mind pampering all in one lunch hour...that shopping center around the corner from my office is a dangerous, yet happy, happy place!

The Return

Tap, tap, tap...is this thing on? Heeellllllooooooo out there Blogosphere! Do I still have anyone reading this blog after my long hiatus from my primary means of external processing? I'll assume I do and continue on.

As you can probably imagine, my long absence from this here bloggy blog was due to a number of factors, all of which stemmed from the Christmas Season of busyness. It began with my voluntary indentured servitude to the chorale...I think someone counted 13 performances/gigs in a 3 week span. That was all wonderful...I had my normal Messiah moments, teary eyes during Christmas Carols, seating dramas, as well as a few insecure times. Par for the course.

Then, last week, I met my parents in Williamsburg for our Christmas trip that involved seeing sights, dinner and lunch at a few of the taverns, brushing up on my Revolutionary War knowledge, many humorous family moments (apparently my Mom can go 20 hours without eating while my Dad and I have to eat every few hours), some fun shopping purchases, musical diversions, and lots of catching up on sleep.

On Christmas Eve, we drove up to Annapolis. After 2 years of missing out on the fun at the Home For Wayward Chorus Girls' Christmas Eve Bash...I decided that this year I was not going to be sleeping in SC at 2AM on Christmas Day getting texts about how much fun everyone was having without me. The party begins at 6ish, breaks up around 9 while everyone heads to sing at church, and then reconvenes around 12:30 AM after church. It was quite a lot of fun, and I think I got into bed around 3;30. Whew!

So, I'm back...and caught up on things like work, finances, and cleaning. Now, if I can just check laundry off my list, all will be well!

Friday Favorites

I had every intention of writing a meaningful post about Christmas today...but my brain is a bit fried, so that fell by the wayside. In its place, I'm going to post a list of things that I'm currently loving.

• LL Bean Flannel Sheets in Bay Blue. Perfect for frigid December nights.
• Peppermint Mocha Twists at Starbucks
• I'm still digging Enya's new album And Winter Came
• Lavender Bubble Bath
• Audible.com Audiobooks
• Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion- light and creamy without being sticky
• Water. From the tap. Great when you have to sing...

Anything in particular that anyone else is attached to at the moment?

The Bag Lady

At my office, I think I am the crazy bag lady. Every day, I have mutliple bags I bring to work. There's my laptop bag, my purse, my iPod case, my lunchbox...and recently I've had other bags with me due to the hectic nature of my schedule. You see, I don't like carrying one big bag. Even in my tiny purse, things get lost. In my OCD organization mode, I want separate bags for separate purposes. Otherwise, I don't feel like I can ever find anything...

My bag lady ways reached new heights on Friday. I literally had 8 bags with me that I had to carry out to my car. The normal bags...laptop, purse, iPod case, lunchbox...but add to that a Target bag of things I'd purchased, my gymbag (for a workout I never got to), a tote bag with make-up, hair stuff, and my chorus clothes (I was headed straight to a double gig evening), and my music bag. I was quite the sight as I walked out of the office and to my car.

Frazzled Friday

My brain is just a little too scattered to come up with any cohesive thoughts today...so I'm going to resort to a bullet point post. You know, I think those are the easiest to digest most of the time, anyway.

• First of all...I really have the worst handwriting. On Tuesday, I jotted down a few things that I wanted to mention on the blog. Today, I can only make out one of them. Nice.
• The one thing I could make out was a note about my Starbucks experience prior to rehearsal on Monday evening. Maureen and I have not had the best baristas at grocery store Sbux's in the past few months. Incorrect orders, bad attitudes, apathy...surprising since Sbux has had to close stores. Anyway, we went to the Not-So-Safeway on Forest Dr, expecting to wait awhile for our bean juice and be treated to an apathetic barista. Not so! Our barista was witty, charming, and made our drinks quickly. Isn't it sad that enthusiastic service is the exception to the norm? Props to you, Calvin!
• I've felt unprepared for a lot of things in the past few weeks. Most of it is out of my control, but it's hard for me to deal with, anyway.
• Before Thanksgiving, I downloaded Enya's new Christmas album, as well as Yoyo Ma's Songs for Joy and Peace. Both of them are excellent, and I highly recommend them.
• I haven't figured out how I am going to squeeze dinner into my packed singing schedule tonight. Oh well, perhaps I'll make up for all of the cookies I inhaled last week.

Where is Pa-age, Where is Pa-age, Here she is! Here she is!

In case anyone is looking for me in the next 2 1/2 weeks, I'm gonna make it a bit easier for you.

Tomorrow evening, I'll be singing carols at the Paca House in downtown Annapolis with the newly formed AC All Women's group, and then on to sing the Reluctant Dragon at this benefit for the WBAL Kids' Campaign. Saturday, I'll be at the Home For Wayward Chorus Girls watching the Army/Navy football game, decorating our house for Christmas, spending some quality time with a certain someone, and enjoying a "mini" piano bar party. Sunday, I'm attending this benefit for the ASO, and then singing carols at a Christmas party here.

Next week, MondayTuesdayWednesday nights will have me rehearsing here, and Thursday and Friday I'll be Celebrating Christmas with this concert (click on the link and buy tickets. Now!). Saturday, I'll be Celebrating Christmas with the same concert at this venue. Sunday...All-female caroling here.

The next MondayWednesdayThursday involves rehearsing Handel's music about the life of my Messiah here. FridaySaturdaySunday I'll be performing that bastion of choral repetoire here.

And then at 5 PM on Sunday, December 21st, I will drive to Williamsburg to blissfully relax and spend Christmas week in the Colonial City with my parents. Until, of course, I drive with them back to Annapolis to sing at the Christmas Eve service here.

I love this time of year....Promise!

Catch me if you can! (Seriously, buy some tickets. The Arts need us...)

The Magic of Cheese Straws

For the past 3 years, part of my Thanksgiving vacation at home has involved what my family and I have dubbed "The Cheese Straw Factory". I wrote about the Southern art of cheese straws a few years ago, in this post. In short, cheese straws are like a flaky cheese biscuit. Yummy, flaky, spicy, cheesy goodness. And they are considered a Southern delicacy...served anytime...but especially at events such as weddings, funerals, showers, etc. I like to give tins of them away as Christmas gifts. This year, the factory opened just like any other year:

With cheese grating.

Even my Daddy had a job in the factory this year.

After grating, the next annoying part is to mix the dough...which can really only be done by hand. It takes quite awhile to incorporate the flour, butter, cheese and other secret ingredients into each other (you didn't think I was actually going to give my recipe away, did you?)

In years past, we've made the cheese straws fancy by pushing the dough through a cookie press. Unfortunately, the cookie press we used last year got worn out. My mom bought a new one...but it was way too big to actually get any dough through. My poor hands would never have made it through 5 batches of squeezing out cheese straws! Instead, we made them the old fashioned way... with our thumbs!

After they get smashed...we added a stylish touch by imprinting the tops with a fork.

I bet you want to see the finished product, huh? Well, I don't happen to have a picture of the finished product yet. However, some of you will be receiving your own lovingly cared for and created tin of cheese straws soon. Enjoy with port, madeira, or just as a yummy snack. Bon Appetit!

December Already?!?!

Does anyone know where September went? What about October? November? Hmm. Somehow, it seems that we've encountered December. Usually, I'm ready for December. I actually look forward to it every year. This year is no different, but it somehow has snuck up on me.

I've written about my crazy December singing schedule for the past few years. This year has, I think, reached new heights. I'm not really complaining though...I love being busy, especially doing something I enjoy (singing in a chorus). However, when I put together my calendar for December and looked at the next three weeks, the only nights I have without a rehearsal, performance, or "gig" are this Saturday, and Tuesdays. Yikes. That includes the weekends. But seriously, I do look forward to these 3 weeks every year. They are lots of fun, and exhausting at the same time. This year has set a new record, though. Maureen and I were unable to figure out a night to have a Christmas party like the ones we've had the past 2 years. There literally is not a weekend night when we could have it. Last night, we were trying to figure out when to pick up our Christmas tree. There is little time to do that as well. She jokingly said she was going to email our conductor and make him pick it up for us since it is his schedule that is making us crazy! I'm sure that would go over well...

Anyway, I don't feel as prepared for December as I have in the past. I'm not sure why...most of my gifts are purchased, with a few exceptions. There is no party to plan and prep for. My room is fairly organized. I have my schedule under control. Work is pretty sane. Yet, I don't feel ready for December yet. Maybe I can hold it off for awhile? :) Likely not. I don't think I have a choice in the matter!

Homeland Thanksgiving 2008

Well, I had a very relaxing and typical Thanksgiving. When I got up this morning, my Daddy had coffee ready...as well as ham biscuits and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Since I'm the turkey expert at the house, I spent the morning basting and roasting our turkey. As usual, it was moist and perfect. :)


My Godmother came to join us and brought the McCulloch special...Broccoli Spinach casserole. Yum!


Dinner was delicious, and my Mama set a beautiful table, as always.









Dessert was fantastic, as well. It's her secret recipe for chocolate mousse with my Daddy's yummy chocolate chip cookies.





After eating we sat around and chatted for a bit until all the food settled and we could go for a quick walk around the neighborhood. The high today was about 65...quite a change from last Thursday in Annapolis when I don't think we got above freezing!


Once we got back, the four of us turned the gas logs on in the living room and played a fun round of Scrabble...which eventually led to Round 2 of the food. Magnificat had 4 rounds of turkey...his favorite. All in all, a successful Thanksgiving for everyone!

You Know You're a Southern Belle When...

...you celebrate the 100th anniversary of your sterling silver. Of course, I haven't had it for 100 years, but this set of sterling has an interesting story.

A few years ago, I complained that it wasn't fair that you have to get married to have fine china, sterling, and crystal. My Southern Mama agreed, so she spent 6 months searching antique malls and auctions for affordable fine tableware. So, my Christmas present that year was a set of crystal, 2 sets of fine china, and 4 place settings of sterling. The sterling had an interesting story...my mom bought it for almost nothing at an estate auction of a 100 year old friend of ours from church. It was such a unique pattern, no one seemed to realize it was sterling. The pattern is Cairo, and was inspired by the fact that Egyptology was all the rage at the turn of the century. The motif engraved into the silver is quite Egyptian.

One of the neat things about Ms. Huggins' set is that the knives are engraved with "Thanksgiving '08". Obviously, that is 1908!

Unfortunately, we didn't know to ask Ms. Huggins about the story of the silver before she passed away, but the pattern came out in 1908, so I imagine it was a Thanksgiving gift to her parents. I used the silver at one of the first Thanksgivings I hosted in 2002. Anyway, this was the 100th anniversary of the silver, so of course, we had to use it for this year's Thanksgiving dinner!

Ummm...FAIL!

So, I have officially failed at NaBloPoMo. Oh well. When I missed posting Saturday, I knew it would all be over. Don't worry, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I've just been zipping up and down highways to and in SC. After a super fun housewarming party that I attended on Saturday evening, I got up Sunday morning and drove the 8 hours to Spartanburg. I stayed with my old roommate, Ashley. Monday, I drove to Greer to spend the day/evening with my college roommate, Rachel and her family. I got the bonus of seeing my dear friend Holly and her son Andrew for a few minutes! Tuesday, I drove to Charleston and visited with my college friend Amy and her 2 sons (one of whom is 3 weeks old). Tuesday evening, I went to dinner and stayed with my high school friend Sallie and her husband. Yikes! It's been a wild few days, and I didn't really want to miss out on "people time" to get on the computer and blog. Now, I'm at my parents' house in Columbia in a content mood since I ran, had a yummy dinner, and my parents are making desserts in the kitchen.

Here are a few highlights from the past few days:

1. Meeting 5 new babies/children (whew!) and getting to see what it's like to have a family (spent the day with Rachel).

2. Having adult time with adult beverages after meeting 5 new babies/children!

3. A tasty French dinner in downtown Chaaaaasssston.

4. Sleeping in (relatively).

5. Having a good audiobook to listen to on my iPod.

6. Good food!

7. Catching up with old friends that I haven't seen in way too long.

8. Not having to tell the same stories about my life over and over again (Thank you to everyone who reads my blog!)

9. Remembering that there are some things I still love about SC.

10. Warmer weather than where I left!

Ipod Game- Quick We Have But A Second

While I was driving around town running errands during lunch, I composed a blog post in my head about how cold it is and that it is snowing. Seriously...it's not even Thanksgiving yet! The current temperature outside is 28 degrees. It feels more like January...and there I go. So, to stop my whining about the cold and rejoicing that it's supposed to be in the 60s when I'm in SC next week, I stole an iPod game from Facebook and decided to post it as a cop out blog. At least I added comments to the results...

1. Put your Ipod on shuffle.
2. For each question, hit the next button and get the answer.
3. Write the song no matter how silly it sounds.

1. If someone asks "Is this okay?" you answer: If Ye Love Me- Choir of King’s College (Maybe I should start saying that...)

2. How would you describe yourself? Sweet Baby James- James Taylor (Or Sweet Baby Page)

3. What do you like in a guy/girl? I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City- Sinead O’Connor (Well yes..they should love the Lord...and NYC would be nice except I don't live there)

4. How do you feel today? Zadok the Priest- Handel (Baroque? Yeah...kind of)

5. What is your life's purpose? Baal, We Cry to Thee- Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Seriously? My life’s purpose is to worship an idol??)

6. What's your motto? Tu…Amonasro!....tu!...il Re?- Verdi’s Aida (translated “You Amonasro, you the King?”) (Nonsense.)

7. What do you think about often? To be sung of a summer night on the water II- Cambridge Singers (singing...yes, I think about that...water, too. Summer....not so much)

8. What is 2+2? To Zucchabar- Gladiator Soundtrack (No comment)

9. What do you think of your best friend? How Sweet It is to be loved by you- James Taylor (Aww..yes, this is true)

10. What do you think of the person you like? Never Again- Kelly Clarkson (Maybe this would apply a few years ago...)

11. What is your life story? Stormy Weather- Ella Fitzgerald (Ha! Funny, but not true)

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Seasons of Love- Rent (Yes, I want to love people when I grow up)

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like? Oh, the Deep Deep Love of Jesus (hymn) (Ok. I'll take that...)

14. What will you dance to at your wedding? Sicut Locutus Est- Vivaldi Magnificat (Ummm...no. Maybe during the ceremony)

15. What will they play at your funeral? Airplane- Indigo Girls (Sure, why not? I won't be there...)

16. What is your hobby/interest?Oh Day of Rest and Gladness (Hymn) (Yes! One of my hobbies is sleeping...and it makes me glad!)

17. What is your biggest fear? Torture- Voices of Light (This one is pretty apt).

18. What is your biggest secret? With You- Pippin (With Who?)

19. What do you think of your friends? Lady Marmalade- Patti LaBelle (Cool sistas...yeah).

20. What will you post this as? Quick We have but a second- Cambridge Singers (Yes...but a second to write...)

Jumbled Thoughts in the Head

I have a busy day at work today...as well as a bunch of stuff I need to get done before I leave for SC on Sunday. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to get any of that stuff done...

Thus, my head becomes a bunch of jumbled thoughts. Since I'm a visual thinker, I probably need to make a schedule of what I will do when. OCD, I know...but it helps me calm down and get myself together.

So...hopefully my slow day at work tomorrow will allow for a little more blogging than this measly little post...

Facebook

Facebook thinks it knows me oh-so-well. Some advanced software program obviously finds things in my profile and tailors the ads on the sidebar to my preferences. I'll see ads for bikes and cycling gear, swimming diets, music, singing lessons...but my all-time favorite is the one that says "29 and Alone again?".

This summer, during a moment of silly vacation relaxation, Maureen, our friend Jean and I thought it would be funny to create a Facebook account for Jean's cat, Byzwaden. When we visited them in Maine last year, Byzwaden fell madly in love with me and followed me around the house. So, in a fit of laughter, we posted that Byzwaden and I were in a relationship. I figured that people would see he was a cat...and think it was funny. Well, apparently his kitty face on the profile pic was not big enough, and seeing that I was in a relationship with Byzwaden Nowak...some of my friends thought I had found some crazy Polish/Eastern European guy to be my boyfriend. Everyone kept asking me how to say his name (it's actually a nonsense word made up by Jean's friend). Anyway, when I "broke up" with Byz on Facebook, I started getting these ads on the side saying "29 and Alone again?", and "Was it your fault that he left?". I mean seriously...does Facebook think I tell it everything? What does Facebook know about my dating life? There is no option on Facebook that says "dating"...just Single, In a Relationship, Engaged, or Married. So....I choose Single. But Facebook chooses to portray me as some washed-up 29 (almost 30) year old who does everything wrong when trying to "keep" a man. What if I had broken up with him...and I had done nothing wrong?

Anyway, a few weeks ago my pastor made the statement that Facebook requires us to maintain an image that we present to the world...whatever image it is that we are trying to maintain. I get annoyed by people who post passive-aggressive statements as their status...exactly what are they trying to tell people? I do find that I'm trying to maintain an image on Facebook...and I'd like to try and move on from that. I'll just try to be honest from now on. And not post that I'm in a relationship with a cat. :)

Anonymity

I spent my lunch today reading blog posts that were exchanged through BlogSecret, a blogosphere project where bloggers anonymously wrote a secret they have been carrying around and didn't feel they could post on their own blog. While reading these posts, I became a little jealous and wished that I had participated.

Not that I have any really juicy secrets. I'm kind of a boring person in that sense. I haven't done anything shocking in my life, I'm pretty normal, and my opinions on life are fairly run of the mill. But, there is a part of me that wishes my blog was completely anonymous. That I could write about all kinds of things on an anonymous blog that I can't on this one because most people who read my blog know who I am IRL (In real life- for my non internet-speak readers). Things like my real thoughts on politics, dating experiences, issues with friends...there is something quite cathartic about writing anonymously. When I first started my blog on xanga 4 years ago, the only people who read it were strangers. It was easier then to be honest, because I knew that I would likely never meet these folks. Now, well, I know my family reads my blog, friends around the country read my blog, and I occasionally have random visitors who don't know me IRL.

**Warning..I'm going to get a little vulnerable below...proceed at your own risk!**

I think the reason I'm not completely forthcoming about things on the blog is that I am a people-pleaser. Even when I pretend to make decisions based on my own thoughts and feelings, I know a huge part of me is looking for approval from others in those decisions. I feel like I have grown up a lot in the 4 years that I've lived away from SC, not just because I moved away, but also because I've spent the last part of my twenties here...which is where many of us mature a lot anyway. Some of the decisions I've made in the past two years would have been unfathomable to me 5 years ago. I think I had a narrow view of what my life should look like, and made decisions based on the little box of values and ideals that I had created for my life. If something was outside of the box, it was out of the question.

In the past two years, I've made some decisions that have taken me outside of the box. I've matured a lot, and the person I am is very different from who I thought I was. I'm still fundamentally the same- I love Jesus, I want to see His Kingdom advanced in the world, I'm seeking God's Will for my life, my theology is the same...but practically, these things are manifesting themselves in ways that I could never have thought of 4 years ago. I'm outside of the conservative evangelical box that I built for myself, and I think that God is teaching me a lot through being oustside of the box. During the years I lived "in the box", I thought I was a very analytical introvert. Surprise! I'm really more of an extrovert...although I am pretty analytical. I saw God as giving me very strict rules to live by...and I always felt like I never measured up. I understand His grace so much more now because I don't feel bound by the rules and behaviors that I thought I was supposed to have. I feel free...and I think that was His intention for me all along...it just took a peek outside of the box for me to see it.

There is a part of me that is afraid that those who knew me when I was inside the box will be disappointed that I have not followed the traditional "in the box" path. That because my life isn't centered around a church or full-time ministry...I will be seen as someone who has "fallen away". Because that is so far from the truth. I think I love God more now than I ever did before...simply because I have seen His hand in my life in so many ways and I've learned so much by just knowing Him and not trying to make my life look like the cookie-cutter single Christian girl. My idea of a perfect evening is sitting around with friends drinking wine on our deck (or in the kitchen in the winter), discussing life. Those friends may or may not share my spiritual beliefs. I like to discuss my beliefs with them, and listen as they share what they believe. That to me is more fulfilling these days than sitting around with women who believe the same thing that I do...patting each other on the back for believing what we do, and lamenting the sad state of the world. That last statement isn't meant to be offensive...it just describes some situations that I've found myself in and what I sometimes think is expected of me as a "single Christian woman".

I guess I just long to look to God for His approval, and not the approval of man. I believe that I am living my life the way He intends for me to...and I pray that I will continue to mature and be able to hold to that and have Him be my only concern.

Anyway...for those of you who stuck with this post- thanks! See, I guess I can use this blog to write cathartically even though I'm not anonymous!

Argh! Navy vs. Notre Dame and Other Shenanigans

Ok, so I missed blogging yesterday and have now failed at NaBloPoMo. I really had every intention of blogging yesterday about my weekend...but if I had blogged in the morning, then I would have missed out on writing about the exciting (relatively) part of the day.

Anyway, after only sleeping for about 2.5 hours on Friday night (that's what happens when you stay up until 3 AM having serious conversations), I arrived at Ravens Stadium with my tailgate crew at 7:00 AM on Saturday (hence the 2.5 hours of sleep). It took about 2 hours, 2 cups of coffee, an egg, potatoes and bacon, as well as a mimosa for me to get to a point where I could carry on a coherent conversation. Around 11:00, Maureen got a call from our midshipman Maile saying that the mids were being "held" near Camden Yards and she hadn't eaten all day. So, I stole some barbecue from the tailgate, made a sandwich, and walked it over to her.

The game was great, despite my tiredness, the rain, and the fact that Navy lost. It started out as a beautiful sunny day...but the weather was kinda weird and in the middle of the 3rd quarter the sky opened up and a monsoon arrived. Our seats were amazing...it was the first time I have ever sat on the front row at a football game...ever! It was a lot of fun, especially when the mids were actually playing well. I had a blast!

After we made it home aroun 6:30 or so, I crashed and attempted to catch up on my missed sleep. I also made the decision that running a 10K the next morning in windy conditions with my sleep deprivation might not be the best plan (ok...really it was a good excuse not to have to run!).

Sunday morning I woke up, had some coffee, started watching a movie...and fell asleep again. About 11:45, Maureen came into the living room and woke me up to tell me she had cut her finger (she had been cooking breakfast in the kitchen). I got up and walked into the kitchen. I wasn't worried until she said, "I don't think I cut it off". I grab her finger and look...she had what looked to be a pretty deep cut that was bleeding profusely. We called all of our medically oriented friends, but couldn't get in touch with any of them to see if they could take a look at her finger and see if she needed stitches. So- we headed off to two Urgent care facilities (the first one didn't take insurance). After a 2 hour wait, we were back home and she was taken care of (no stitches, but it took awhile for the doctor to stop the bleeding). Thus, I ended up cooking dinner...and we had a lovely Sunday evening despite the stress of the first part of the day.

Exhausted

2.5 hours of sleep + Page and football game= skimpy blog post. More on the last 24 hours tomorrow...

Friday Drain

This would normally be a day that I wouldn't post anything, since my brain is pretty darn empty. However, in the spirit of NaBloPoMo...I have to at least post something. I spent the morning organzing news clips in my company's software while listening to Messiah. Hence, the brain drain. You'd think I'd be tired of that piece...but it seemed the perfect companion to the boring task of cataloguing clips. Of course, I'd prefer an audiobook, but I'm trying to save those for my roadtrip to SC next weekend.

On tap for the weekend- a wine-tasting fundraiser this evening in Baltimore, the Navy vs. Notre Dame game in Baltimore tomorrow...and a 10K race Sunday morning, and an early Thanksgiving dinner with a group from church Sunday afternoon. And probably a little bit of time spent getting ready to go away for a week next weekend.

Let's hope I can find something more interesting to post about tomorrow!

Random Thursday

Well, this week is going to be another departure from "The Thursday Commute". The darkness accounts for our lack of seeing strange things...but mostly Laura and I have been thinking through big life events and using each other as external processing outlets. In other words, we've been talking too much to see anything strange happening on the roads. So, today's post is going to be a random jumble of thoughts and occurences.

• Somehow, I've managed to un-align some of the vetebrae or discs in my neck. My PT friend Sharon says it should be ok on its own...but in the meantime I can't lift my head all the way up. I spent most of last night after rehearsal laying on the floor with an ice pack at the base of my neck.
• Because of the afore-mentioned neck issue...I felt like I was singing horribly at rehearsal last night. Not being able to lift your head properly doesn't make for correct singing posture. It didn't help that our conductor kept saying, "Sopranos- what's up with the thin, reedy sound? You don't normally sound like that." There are only 10 of us. I'm pretty sure that was all me and my inability to properly hold my head up. Ok, maybe not...but it sure felt that way!
• It's a cool, rainy day in Maryland today. The absolute last thing I wanted to do this morning was get out of bed. The neck issue didn't help either. Yesterday my coworker forwarded this link. I think I need one of those...
• I know it's getting colder because my sensitive facial skin is starting to get a little dry. This means it is time to switch back to liquid foundation for the winter. I'm not a fan of liquid foundation, but hey...if it keeps my face from getting so dry that it flakes off and breaks out, I'm all for a little extra time to apply it in the AM.
• I bought a Neti Pot yesterday. I'm breathing through my nose just fine...but I can tell that the fall/winter lovely post-nasal drip has started again. Hopefully the Neti Pot will help combat that.
• Since it's raining, I'm not running tonight. I think I'm going to plan on a nice, cozy night in...watching Grey's Anatomy, playing with my iPod, cuddling with my Wofford blanket on the couch...yeah. Sounds like a perfect evening...
• Let's all hope the rain stops before Saturday and the Navy vs. Notre Dame game that I'm headed to in Baltimore. Rainy football games are not my favorite...but I always feel compelled to go anyway.

Ok, that's it for Random Thursday. Hope I haven't bored you all to tears...

Playlists on my iPod

One thing I keep meaning to do, but haven't gotten around to, is create playlists on my iPod. I actually have one I created a while back titled "Mellow Vocal". I'd like to create more...for driving, based on a particular genre, for working out, etc. I also need a "mood-lifting" playlist..you know, for those days that you need to be reminded that there are good things in the world. I like the shuffle feature on the iPod, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing random songs every now and then.

I think I miss my mix CDs mostly because I'm tired of shuffle. This morning, I put in one titled "I Like Boys and Boys are Icky". It's a mix made by a Furman student that somehow made its way to me. It cracks me up...the first 10 songs are all kinda sappy love songs, and the last 9 or so are all angry-girl songs. A little bit schizophrenic, but fun. I also have "Page's Favorite Songs of the South", "Movin' On Boston Mix" (for my 2003 trip to Massachusetts), "Driving Mix" and a few other good ones. I think I need some fun playlists like that.

Does anyone have any favorite playlists? If so, leave some suggestions in the comments!

Support the Arts!

As my regular readers/friends know or have guessed, I am a big fan/supporter of the Arts. Music in particular, but I have an appreciation for all of them. As a late 20-something, I'm not able to be a huge financial supporter of the arts (I live a comfortable lifestyle, but I would not be able to hand an Arts organization $2000 "just because"). However, I give huge chunks of my time to supporting the arts as a performer, and in the past year I've been on a quest to see more live performances (music, theater..and even a few art galleries). And yes, most live performances cost money.

Based on conversations I've had with those in the Arts recently, and news clips that I've read, I think we can make the statement that just like the economy, Arts organizations are in a crisis. Don't believe me? Opera Pacific closed it's doors, the Washington National Opera "postponed" it's Ring Cycle, and the New York City Opera is holding on by a tiny, fraying thread. This does not bode well for the future of the Arts in our country.

I am often frustrated when I invite friends to my concerts, and they say, "Oh, that ticket is too expensive". Why is it that we think performances should be free? It's nothing personal...I'm not upset that they don't want to come see me...but that they will miss out on a good performance. When I say "community chorus", I imagine people think the quality is going to be bad. Let me tell you, it's not. While we are not "professional", what we do is good. And worth $33 for a ticket. Maybe I'm just not selling it well. Support of the Arts is crashing almost as quickly as the stock market these days. I'm not saying that I expect "Joe the Plumber" to pay $30 for a music concert instead of buying food. But there are plenty of us that have not been hit too hard by this economic crisis and need to step up our support.

But Page, why should we support the Arts? Well, I think the reasons are different for everyone. I write about my relationship with music often, and I still can't quite describe it. Personally, I believe that the Artistic realm displays the creativity of God's creation, and thus brings glory to Him. The Arts also reflect His glory, and they show us that beauty can exist in a world that is becoming more and more depraved. Who doesn't want to hold on to something that is beautiful, when fear, ugliness, and despair are threatening to take over the hearts of many?

So, wherever you are, I challenge you to go out and support the Arts. Instead of buying a new pair of shoes, go to a concert. Need a Sunday afternoon activity? Don't sit on the couch watching tv- head to an art gallery or museum. Take your little girl (or boy) to the ballet. Spend an evening watching passion light up the stage at the opera.

**A quick shameless plug for my "community chorus"....click here to buy tickets to any of our Christmas performances...I'm telling you....you won't be sorry you did...Both the Celebration of Christmas and Messiah are bound to get you in the holiday spirit!**

Popcorn

I love popcorn. I always have. It was tragic for me to have braces for 4 years as a teenager because I wasn't supposed to eat popcorn (I snuck some every now and then anyway...). Microwave popcorn came out when I was a kid (along with microwaves), and I thought it was the best thing ever. I ate it almost every day for awhile. In college, one of the things I took with me to school was an air-popper for popcorn. Movie popcorn is my favorite, though. With butter. Extra butter. One of my favorite most recent evolutions in the movie theater is the "pour your own" butter machine. Mmmmm...and yes, I know it's like eating pure cholesterol. Luckily, I only go to the movies a few times a year.

Anyway, I digress. I'm actually going to write about burned popcorn. And how much I hate it. I would prefer a bag that is half-popped than a bag that has a little bit burned. And there are few things worse than the smell of burned popcorn. In college, we used to smell burned popcorn in the dorms all the time. I always assumed it was because everyone liked popcorn as much as I did but were too stupid to figure out how to keep it from burning (although...I shouldn't give college freshman girls too much credit...we had one set the fire alarm off in the dorm when she put a pop-tart in the microwave for 2 minutes and it exploded). When I became an RA my senior year, I was told that people burn popcorn to mask the smell of Pot. I was shocked...but it made sense that our hall always smelled like burned popcorn...I was (am?) so naive.

So...people seem to have issues with burning popcorn in my office as well. Although people are free to do what they like on their own time around here (no drug testing) ...drugs are not allowed in the office. So, that means that people really are burning popcorn out of stupidity. Seriously? Just take it out early. One friend of mine put a mini-bag in and then hit the "popcorn" button on the microwave without selecting a size. It caught on fire. Today, someone must have burned another bag because it was super stinky! I guess I just don't understand how people can repeatedly burn popcorn...what a waste of a beautiful thing!

A Saturday Full of Parties...

After getting home late Friday night (more like early Saturday morning), I slept in a bit and then Maureen and I made my famous grits casserole and headed over to her friend Katherine's for a Tug O War party. Since it was a nice day, most of the party occured outside by the chimnea:

Just before the Crack O' Noon (the official start of the tug), we headed over to the Eastport side of the Tug. Somehow Eastport managed to lose (but we didn't see it because we only stayed for 4 of the 7 tugs).

Maureen and I at the Tug (I'm still kinda sleepy)

The Tug site near the Chart House (if you look towards the water you'll see the middle of the Tug and the Annapolis side)

Tuggers

At one point, these older ladies just jumped onto the line without signing up...so no official tugger t-shirts. Notice the outfit...

But really check out the shoes...not quite appropriate Tugging-wear!

After the tug, I came home and spent the rest of the afternoon in my bed taking a nap and watching football and movies. It was really lovely...just what I needed. I don't have any pictures of me napping, though. (At least not from yesterday!)

After regaining some energy, we drove up to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for Party #2 of the day. One of my running buddies, Steve, turned 40. His wife Maria threw a huge party complete with barbecue, beer, and a great band (his brother's band, the Cheaters). It was a lot of fun hanging out with my running friends...chatting, dancing, and listening to the band.

The Cheaters....great band!

My friend Dawn being silly


Dawn, Katie and I (not a good hold the camera yourself pic)


Katie and I on the dance floor

Katie and Dave having fun dancing

Wallflowers Matt, Maureen, Lauren, and Scott

At the end of the night, Steve joined the band for a song.

All in all, it was quite the fun "party" day. :) I made it home by midnight so that I would be able to get up for church in the morning.

Lucrezia Borgia...Again

But this time with a different Soprano in the lead. Vastly different, but still fabulous. I said her voice seemed a little brighter than Renee Fleming's...everyone else disagreed and said it was darker. Definitely not quite as smooth, but she had a lot of power. All in all, it was another really great performance, and I'm glad I got to see it again. A drink afterwards made it a late night (you know...in bed around 1:30 AM), but a very enjoyable one.

Tomorrow, I'll post pictures of my activities today...

Fun Times

The end of this week has and hopefully will continue to be a fun one. Last night, I went on what amounted to a super double date! It was a friend's birthday, and the celebration began with a Scotch tasting at one of the wine stores in downtown Baltimore. I am not usually a Scotch fan (my usual assessment is that it tastes like windex), but some of these were pretty tasty. Of course, the last one that we tried was a bit windexy...and that is the one that stuck with me. :) After the tasting, we went to Pazo, a tapas bar in Baltimore. It was fantastic...the food, the wine, the company...kinda one of those nights that will always bring up fond memories. We had so much yummy food that I had to stop eating at one point...or I would have moved on to the "uncomfortably full" stage. The night ended at the Owl Bar in Baltimore...always a fun place to see folks. I thought that I might be able to go all day today without eating...but then I walked in this morning and it is Crack-Fil-A Friday at the office...when my boss brings in Chick'n minis for everyone. Yum.

Anyway, tonight Maureen and I are headed back to the Kennedy Center Opera House to see Lucrezia Borgia (again). This is an actual performance, not the dress rehearsal, and the soprano is different. Sondra Radvanovsky. I've read good things about her, so it will be interesting to compare her performance to Renee Fleming's.

Saturday is the Annual Tug of War between Eastport and Annapolis. Always a fun time. Maureen's friend Katherine throws a killer party in the morning pre-tug. Last year, I brought my famous Grits Casserole, and it was a hit, so we'll be bringing it again. I suppose Saturday is going to be a party day since one of my running friends is turning 40. His wife is throwing a major Beach Bash at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation complete with barbecue and a great band. I've never been to a party on the beach of the Bay, so it should be fun (the weather is supposed to cooperate, as well). The party is only about 2 miles from our house, so I ought to be able to stay pretty late.

I guess I'll be recovering from my fun, busy weekend on Sunday!

The Thursday Commute- Standard Time Edition

Welcome to this week's installment of the Thursday Commute. Now that we are back on Standard Time, the afternoon commute is completely in the dark. We leave work at 5:30 PM...and here in the Eastern part of the Eastern Time Zone...it's pretty darn dark at 5:30 PM. Shoot, come the end of December, it'll be pretty darn dark at 5:00 PM. Anyway, we don't see as many strange things on the road in the dark. I guess it's more difficult to see people in their cars.

However, we did catch a lady from Colorado sleeping in her car last evening. We were sitting on Aris T Allen Blvd (AA, for those of you who get my frustrated "I hate AA" texts), in the normal bottleneck that occurs EVERY SINGLE DAY, and noticed that an SUV beside us wasn't keeping up with the stop and go cars in its lane. When we got up close, there was a woman nodding off with her eyes closed. She woke up, drove forward, and nodded off again. It was pretty entertaining...but I made sure to give her a wide berth when I passed her. The sad part? When I am having sleeping problems and I'm in the car by myself...I have sooooooo been that sleepy person!

My next thought relates to commuting, but only has to do with me...not anything strange that we have seen. Does anyone else absolutely hate morning talk shows on the radio? I am the type of person who just wants to listen to music while I'm driving in the morning. I drove by myself into work this morning, and my iPod died 2 minutes into the trip, so I turned the radio on to find some music. It took about 5 minutes to find a station that didn't have some radio personality giving his/her opinion on entertainment, the election, etc. I guess I must be the opposite of most people...I like to listen to music on the way to work in the morning, and listen to the news (usually NPR) on the way home in the afternoon. In the morning, I'm often processing my dreams (they are usually pretty vivid), solving problems, or just daydreaming. Since I usually don't feel completely awake on the way to work, my brain is still in that productive dream-like state. The last thing I want to hear is Jack Diamond talking about why some actress got kicked off of Grey's Anatomy. This morning, I had to settle on the country station because even the Classical stations had someone prattling away. I guess it's a good thing that I can usually just plug in my iPod...

Interesting Demographics

I don't generally write about politics on this blog because my blog is not intended to be controversial. I'm also not going to write about who I voted for, because I think that is a private decision that should be made conscientiously, without too much influence from others. Personally, I'm pretty cynical when it comes to politics and I don't think I'll ever be able to back any candidate 100%. Maybe not even like 80%. If I could find a morally conservative, social liberal that doesn't believe in legislating morality to the nth degree...well, then I wouldn't live in America. :) Some of you would be shocked to know who I voted for, and some of you would be ecstatic. Jesus isn't a Republican or a Democrat, and I could never fully support anyone who doesn't attempt to think like He did.

Anyway, I really have been shocked at how many people declared their voting preference on Facebook. And not only that, I was most shocked that the voting preferences fell exactly along predictable lines among my friends. This analysis isn't meant to offend anyone...I am just taking what has been put out there on Facebook by my friends and analyzing the data. Southern College ministry friends...all but one for McCain. Friends from my church in Maryland ...about 70% McCain/30% Obama. Friends from other groups in Maryland...about 95% for Obama.

I mean, that's what I would have predicted...but it makes me wonder if we aren't being too heavily influenced by our friends and family when making political decisions. I would consider almost all of my friends on Facebook very well-educated (a lot from private liberal arts colleges), and yet the fact that there is such a geographic and spiritual split is interesting. I can't tell you how many political email forwards I received from people where facts were not checked and the email was just sent around (again...if you sent me one of these emails...I'm not trying to offend you...just found them interesting).

I guess my point is that I hope everyone does their own research when it comes to voting for a candidate, and doesn't just rely on who our friends or family support. I also hope that we are all taking a hard look at the issues, and while voting our conscience, also look realistically at what can be changed in our country and what can't.

In any case, those of us that voted were able to take part in a historic election that showed how far our country has come with regard to race. I don't think our grandparents could have imagined an African-American as President. No matter what our political leanings, I hope we all realize that our country has taken a big step in upholding our creed that all men are created equal.

Voting and Caffeine

Well, I managed to get up an hour early this morning to hit the polls and do my civic duty. Thankfully, I only had to wait 20 minutes or so to vote. Some of my coworkers were not so lucky...considering I heard stories of over an hour wait at some polling places. Considering my love of coffee, I'm sure some of you think that I used my "I Voted" sticker to get a free cup of coffee at Starbucks. Truthfully, I'm a little caffeined out. I haven't been sleeping well for the past few nights, and I think it has something to do with my afternoon and evening caffeine intake, so I'm cutting back. Sigh. Coffee just doesn't taste quite the same when it's decaf...

Navy Football

Somehow in the last 4 years that I've lived in Annapolis, I've become a Navy Football fan. It's pretty simple, actually. When I first moved to Annapolis, I lived about mile from the stadium. I could hear most of the games from my house. I'm a huge football fan, and at the time I wished I could go to the games. Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone in town very well yet, and didn't want to go to the games by myself (I had a few good friends, but they didn't LOVE football the way I do). I used to sit in my apartment with the windows open listening to the game, the echo of the drums of the bands, and just feel kinda homesick and lonely.

Fast forward a few years when I moved in with Maureen. She is not only a huge football fan, but also a Navy fan (her brother went to the Academy, and she worked there for 15 years). So, I started going to games with her. I've been to about 10 Navy games in the past 3 years, and have had lots of fun at all of them. There is something pretty cool about the traditions of the Academy...the mids marching on the field, the flyover (although we haven't had jets at any games I've been at this year), the Drum and Bugle Corps...I love it all. This year, a friend has tickets to the Navy vs. Notre Dame game at Ravens Stadium in Baltimore. I'm excited about going, and I plan on being an all-out Navy fan complete with hat, shirt, and face tattoos. It should be a lot of fun!

Early Darkness

You know, so many people complain about going back to Standard Time because it gets darker earlier. For me, I don't mind it so much. It reminds me of my childhood a bit...I was always amazed that one night, it was light at 6 PM, and then the next, it was dark at 6 PM. Shows that time is really just a perception, anyway...

I always like that it gets dark early...means that it is Fall (my favorite season), and that the fun holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are on their way. It's kind of cozy, in a way. So, I am celebrating the time change...and looking forward to the coming holidays!

Privileged

I think in life, I have a tendency to forget how privileged and blessed I am in so many ways. Materially, monetarily, spiritually, physically (good health), and other ways. But often while performing during concerts, it strikes me that all the little annoying things I focus on in my musical endeavors prevent me from seeing the amazing privilege it is to perform great works of great composers with a talented conductor, talented orchestra...and dedicated chorus. When I think about all of the amazing works I've had the chance to perform, and the cool things I've gotten to do...I'm embarrassed by the pettiness of my complaints about what happens during rehearsal. Ultimately, having to sing next to an under-pitched voice, an uber-vibrato voice, or a harsh-toned voice is worth it. And thankfully, for this concert, I'm surrounded by basses and the only soprano I hear happens to be my favorite person to sing next to-she has a lovely voice, knows the notes, and is very easy for me to blend with. I am blessed, indeed.

**If you want to read my attempts to explain my relationship with music, try here (this one has links to old xanga posts on music, too), or here.**

Hmmmm

Well, THAT kind of Monday turned into THAT kind of week. The week wasn't without high points, but having to meet a deadline at work made things slightly stressful yesterday and today. Add in the fact that it's concert week...and I'm so looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!

High points of the week:

1. Tuesday night I went to the Kennedy Center to hear a dress rehearsal of Lucrezia Borgia with Renee Fleming. And, oh my goodness, was she wonderful! I know all of the "haters" out there (I can't believe I just used that word...) think she's overrated, but wow. Such a beautiful voice...rich tone, supported, steady high notes, amazing control...yeah. I walked out feeling kinda floaty.

2. Wednesday I had a Drs appt, so I "scheduled" a sick day. Meaning, since I had a Drs. appt my boss approved me taking the whole day. It also kind of doubled as a mental health day. I took a nap, laid on the couch, ate McDonald's, read a trashy magazine, and took a bath at 3:00 in the afternoon just because I was cold. I wish I could be "sick" every day...

And now, I'm looking forward to a fun weekend filled with concerts, a Navy game, and hanging out.

Tomorrow, National Blog Posting Month begins, so I'm really going to do my best to post something every day. Wish me luck!

Crazy Monday

After a good weekend...I had one of THOSE Monday mornings...where little spiders crawl under your desk, pumpkins won't sit up straight, and computers and phones have little demons controlling them. However, here are three things that are preventing me from getting too down:

1. Mint.com...a new way for me to obsess about my finances
2. Winter veggie soup...yum!
3. Hoops and Yoyo- A perennial mood-lifter!

Until tomorrow...

End of the Week Musings

I've realized a few things this week:

1. No matter how much easier it is to go into a Friday with no trainings scheduled, having no trainings during the day makes it drrraaaaggggg...

2. After tracking all of my calories in FitDay.com this week, I apparently eat more than I thought I do. No wonder my weight tends to always stay the same, even when I'm an exercising fiend.

3. I cram my weekends way too full of stuff...some of it self-imposed (like chores and organizing), some of it imposed by others (emergency rehearsals), and some of it that is too fun to pass up (dinners with friends, fun shows, and dates). Maybe next weekend I'll finally have some time to lay around and do nothing...oh wait. Next weekend is a concert weekend...

4. I'm terrible at fixing mechanical things. Whether it's my computer moving slowly or my sunroof not closing (oh the sunroof drama I've had this week...thankfully, I found non-residue duct tape) I seem to have a knack for being frustrated by things I can't fix.

5. Fall-scented candles are relaxing mood-lifters for me.

6. I've become a bit obsessed with having an organized closet. It's a little sick actually. Everything is perfectly lined up and soon all the hangers will match.

7. I need to exercise more. I feel so great afterwards...it's just the getting myself into gear that's hard.

8. This makes me laugh. Maybe one of my crafty readers can crochet (or knit) me a Sexy Turkey Hat? Who would've thought that a Turkey Hat could be sexy? :)

So, while it's not been a particularly enlightening week, I did realize a few things...

The Thursday Commute

Laura was on vacation last week, so I was driving to work on my own. I think the fact that I didn't notice anything strange truly proves the fact that I am not as observant when I'm driving by myself. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing...

So after last week's carpooling hiatus, the Thursday Commute is back this week with one odd thing we noticed on the road. Window Decals with pictures and writing. I supposed I've noticed them before, but this time the irony of the order of the cars we saw with them sparked a funny conversation. First, a minvan drove by with a decal that was essentially the outline of a naked woman. And you could see everything. It said something about women in spanish over the woman. I'm guessing it must have been "sexy women"...but perhaps not in such mild terms! The next car that passed us had a decal with praying hands on it. I started commenting on window decals; particularly about how I don't understand the "In Memory of..." ones that people put on the back of their cars. And lo and behold, the next car that comes has a decal on the back that reads, "In Loving Memory of ..... 1980-2008". It's especially odd when the car is an old beat up Mercury. You have your beat up car in memory of that person? Is that what you think of them? I mean, I understand a gravestone, or maybe a picture or a plaque...but your car? Clearly, I just don't get it...

What I've been up to since last Friday...

You know, you'd think when fun stuff is going on in my life I'd be able to blog about it. But for some reason, for me, fun=busy...and blogging falls by the wayside. So anyway, here's a quick run-down of what I've been doing:

-Hanging out in Irish Pubs. Or one Irish pub really...just 2 nights in a row...Friday for Happy Hour, and Saturday after the...

-Navy Football game. The Mids lost miserably, and it was freezing. Here is evidence:

Unfortunately, I missed the hooded sweatshirt memo...

-Purging clothes and re-organizing my closet. This took most of Sunday afternoon...but my closet is now much freer and I can actually find clothes I need.

-A Chris Botti concert at Ramshead last night. It was fabulous...he and his band always put on a great show...entertaining jazz, funny commentary, and fabulous musicianship. We had great seats for seeing the stage and were close to the soundboard, so what we heard was really nice. If you haven't heard him live, you should...(and ladies, he's pretty darn easy on the eyes, as well!).

-The normal stuff...rehearsing, running, drinking coffee, drinking wine, etc.

Tomorrow, I actually have some interesting material for The Thursday Commute...

Full Blogroll (Updated Summer 2011)

Well, I've been playing around with a way to easily display the blogs I read on a daily basis along with a little blurb about what they are and why I read them. For awhile there has been a link on the sidebar to my Bloglines account with a list of all of the blogs I read...but no place to add a description. So, I'm going to create a link on the sidebar back to this post, and I'll update it periodically as I start reading new blogs. If you want to be added, let me know!

Theology/Spiritual Blogs
Amy's Humble Musings- The adventures of a Mom of 6 living on a farm and attempting to raise Godly children
Bethany- Friend of a friend of a friend who recently moved to NYC to fulfill her life dream of living in the City
Tim Challies- Blogger, book reviewer and "theologian" extraordinaire
Josh Harris- Pastor and author of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye"...he's now married.
Radical Womanhood- Blogger and Author Carolyn McCulley
She Worships- Edgy and creative thoughts on culture and theology by a former female college minister

Environmental Blogs


Walk Slowly, Live Wildly- Sara is a lovely, green Jesus loving wife and mom

Friends
The Hickmans- Former discipler Steph, her husband Pat, and their super-photogenic kids
The Brooks Blog- Jennifer and Charlie...more college CO friends
Carson Family of Three (by invite only)- CO friends Tracy, Keith, and son Owen...many great photos!
Clement Crew- Former BEP Church friends and their baby (still friends...just former BEPers)
Ewing Family- CO friend Beth
Hidden Glory- CO friend and fellow Mexico Team member Heather
In the World of the Webers- Friend of a Friend Amanda...with 3 hilarious little girls
Josh and Natalie's World- CO acquaintance
Make Something Beautiful (by invite only) - Dear college friend and roommate Rachel...updates and pictures on her 2 precious kids
My life as a Novel- Blogger Rita...I actually followed her over from Xanga
Ginger and Chris- Friend from church in Sparkle City...New Tribes Mission Missionaries in Brazil and new parents
Penny for Your Thoughts- CO friends from college
PJ's Ramblings- Fellow Chorus Girl writes about singing, teaching, and life
Ramblings on Anything- CO friend Jill blogs about her job, her hubby, and life in general
Right Now with the Rocks- Dear college and beyond friend Holly updates us on her life as a new mom...with photos!
The Sanders- CO friend Sara tells us about her life with her family in Texas
Seven Answered Prayers- CO friend Stephanie updates about her life and her son
Shmomo- My roommate occaisonally blogs about her travels
Stacy Richardson Photography Blog- Pastor's Wife and fantastic Wedding Photographer
Thatsathought- CO friend Carrie...wife, mom, artist...a mix of life with her kids and thoughts on Jesus
Thimbly Things -Dear friend Kristena blogs about crafty goodness and her family in Oklahoma
Tracy Revels- My favorite Wofford History Professor blogs about Wofford, teaching, and History


Music Blogs
A Soprano Steps Out- Very funny soprano Jessica blogs about singing and life in general.
Coloratur...aaah- Young coloratura soprano blogs about the singing business
The Concert- My favorite music blog...ACB blogs beautifully about being an up and coming soprano on the opera scene
I am Chorus- Canadian Choral Singer
Ionarts- DC classical music scene
Little Ms. Bossy- Opera Stage Director writes about food, books, a little opera, and Life
The Melear-o-sphere- Conductor Eric Melear blogs about music, life, and photos
The Next Hundred Pounds- Cindy blogs about opera singing and weight loss (and how the two intersect)
Opera Chic- All the news of the opera world delivered with edgy wit and interesting analysis by a young American woman in Milan
Operavision- Aprile Millo Blogs
Podium Speak- Canadian Choral Conductor lends his insights into life, music, and choral musings
Rahree- Opera Administrator blogs about her life...in opera and other pursuits
Singing'rin- Rinat Shaham blogs about traveling the world as an opera star
Singing for My Supper- Baltimore-based mezzo/alto who also likes photography
Sticks and Drones- Two Conductors on the Beat
Trying to Remain Opera-rational- Lovely soprano blogs about the funny stories associated with productions and life
YankeeDiva- Gratitude, stories, and photos from Joyce DiDonato

Personal Finance Blogs
Boston Gal's Open Wallet- Just what it says...posts on finances
Debt Hater- she's out of debt and now working on saving for life
My Open Wallet- An anonymous New Yorker tells the world how much money she earns, spends, and saves
Well-Heeled, with a mission- A 20-something on a mission to climb the net worth ladder, navigate the quarterlife, and find that perfect pair of heels

Random Blogs
Fly Fishes Fly- Wonderfully written blogs about an American family living in India
Journey Mama- Rae's insights on life in India with 4 small children
Nervous Birds- Bird-watcher and musician Dan on birds and life
PastaQueen- She lost half of herself weight-wise, wrote a book, and now wittily blogs on a variety of topics, not just weightloss
Young House Love - A young couple blogs about their DIY home projects (and other stuff)

Raise Your Hand if You Can Follow Instructions...

Has anyone else noticed that people in our society can't seem to follow simple instructions? The unfortunate thing about my comment is that I'm not referring to children...but adults. One of the basic things I remember teachers trying to convey in school was the need to follow instructions. Most students seemed to have issues with this in Middle School...but as they went on to High School following directions seemed to become less and less of an issue. I think that process must reverse as people get older...

It seems that one of the consequences of email is that people no longer read anything for detail. When barraged with email after email, I think we get to a point where we skim for pertinent information and ignore details. I find this happens often with emails I send out for training sessions. I have a few sentences bolded and in red in the emails...most importantly "To ensure that you’re able to login to the WebEx session correctly, please attempt to login at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time." Well, most people login about 3 minutes late...and then we spend 10 minutes waiting for the session to load on their computer.

Other people that I work with seem to have the same issue with reading emails. I know that I am a fairly detailed person so I usually read for detail...but the unprofessional mistakes that we accept in the business world these days is astounding. Things like spelling errors (we have spellcheck now!), tardiness, missed deadlines, rude comments...I have a feeling these things would not have been acceptable in the business world 20 years ago. Maybe it's just the industry I work in, but it seems to be a common issue.

Anyway, just had to vent about some things that I've experienced today...

Napping

I love taking naps. I probably have loved them since....well, Middle School I guess. I often took Sunday afternoon naps then...always my favorite! When I was in Middle School and High School, I would sometimes nap in my bed, but more often on the Lazy Boy or the sofa in the Den. On weekends, I was usually napping while my Dad was watching golf or Nascar. The low drone of the Nascar races is very soothing...

Anyway, in college I started taking longer, deeper naps. Probably because, like most college students, I was pretty sleep deprived. My Freshman year, I napped from 1 PM to 4 PM everyday. Later, I didn't sleep quite as long or as hard, but I would still usually take some form of an afternoon nap.

When I started working, I obviously had to do away with the afternoon nap. However, I often still would take a short 15 or 30 minute nap when I came home in the evening. When I moved to Annapolis, that would continue....usually the time between when I got home from work (5:15) and when I had to be at rehearsal (7 or 7:30), I would take a quick cat nap while watching tv.

For some reason, I don't really take regular naps anymore. Part of it is because I don't get home until after 6 now, and I guess another part is that Maureen is usually home...and in order to fall asleep quickly I need complete silence (except for the tv, of course). I find that I get very sleepy around 2 or 3 PM every day. So, I will occasionally go out to my car and take a quick nap in the backseat. My Saturn isn't as comfortable as my 1984 Chevy Caprice Classic (the backseat was like a couch!), but it does the trick. Until my company buys one of these nap pods, I guess I'll have to make do with my backseat...

Movie Education

Maureen says my classic movie education is severely lacking. She came up with a list of movies that I must see...

I managed to check one off last night when I went to see The Godfather at the Senator Theater in Baltimore. To be honest, I've always shied away from actually watching The Godfather for a few reasons. Number one- the strange cult-lore that surrounds it. I have friends who can quote the whole thing...and so many of its classic lines are always repeated (I find most movies that have this quality are not all that entertaining for me). Number two- the length. The movie is usually on a TV station with a marathon of all of the sequels, and I usually have too much going on to sit down and watch it...and then get sucked into the sequels (Reminds me of the Anne of Green Gables marathon weekend that I had just after college).

In any case, I really enjoyed the movie. It was different than I thought it would be...a lot more depth and not as much violence as I was led to believe. I think I'm still processing what I think about it..but I definitely enjoyed it. Mr. Coppola did a fine job. I like his wine (especially the Zinfandel), too.

A Peek into the mind of my iPod

I've recently found the Top 25 Most Played Playlist on my iPod. With the help of technologically advanced playlists, my iPod knows which songs are most often played. I find the results interesting. Keep in mind that I use shuffle on my iPod alot, which would skew the results a bit, and I tend to play songs that I have purchased on iTunes more often than what came from my CD collection.

1. Moonshadow- Cat Stevens
2. Goodbye My Lover- James Blunt
3. Livin' on a Prayer- Bon Jovi
4. Ma Tovu- Danny Maseng (Jewish Worship Song)
5. Can't Help Falling In Love- UB40
6. Hungry Eyes- Eric Carmen (from Dirty Dancing)
7. Hide and Seek- Imogen Heap
8. Jessie's Girl- Rick Springfield
9. Do You Love Me- The Contours
10. Me Love- Sean Kingston
11. Glory of Love- Peter Cetera
12. Make Me Lose Control- Eric Carmen
13. I Don't Know How to Love Him- From Jesus Christ Superstar
14. Song For A Winter's Night- Sarah McLachlan
15. Cry To Me- Solmon Burke
16. Red Red Wine- UB40
17. Stay- the Zodiacs (from Dirty Dancing)
18. Beautiful Girls- Sean Kingston
19. Mickey- Toni Basil
20. Kokomo- Beach Boys
21. Hey There Delilah- Plain White Ts
22. Pie Jesu- Faure Requiem
23. The Loco-Motion- Little Eva
24. These Words- Natasha Bedingfield
25. Love Me Tender- Norah Jones

Pretty eclectic, huh? I was a little surprised, myself. The 80s songs don't surprise me..but some of the Oldies do!

Whirlwind Weekend

I'm kinda shocked to already be back at work this Monday morning. It seems like I left only a few short hours ago...

Which I didn't. But my weekend flew by so fast that it felt like that! Friday evening was a nice, relaxing one...came home to dinner on the grill (thanks Mo!), watched the re-released version of Sleeping Beauty (my all-time favorite Disney movie), and christened my new Riedel spirit glasses with some Port.

Saturday, I got up earlier than I typically do during the week (6:15), and headed over to my church to join up with a group going to work with Habitat for Humanity for the day. As we were standing around, I noticed that my tire looked flat. I walked over and heard the dreaded "sSSSSSSS" sound of leaking air. At some point that morning, I had driven over a nail. Ugh. We headed off to Habitat site, and I was assured by the menfolk around that they would help this Damsel in Distress by changing my tire when we got back to the parking lot.

I really enjoyed the Habitat time (although we were doing my least favorite task...painting). When I worked with Habitat in college, we were always building new houses. Here, they work on a mix of new houses, and then rehab a lot of old rowhouse/townhouse type structures. I think that is so much more beneficial to a community than building a bunch of new houses. The day went by quickly....we sanded drywall, dusted the walls, and painted the entire house! By the time we finished, I was dirty, tired, and already sore from squatting to paint the bottom of the walls. But, it felt good to volunteer some of my time for a worthy cause, and I enjoyed working alongside one of the women who will soon be purchasing a Habitat House. When we got back to the church, the helpful menfolk changed my tire and sent me on my way.

Saturday evening, Maureen and I went shopping...she was looking for fancy shoes for a dress...I needed some fall/transition weather tops to update my wardrobe, some jeans, and brown fall/winter shoes without a huge heel. We were both somewhat successful. After a tasty dinner at Lemongrass II, I fell into bed exhausted around 10:00.

Sunday, I slept through my alarm and missed church. Which was ok, because I had a lot to do for the day...chores, a haircut/color...a visit to the tire place...where I ended up getting 4 new tires. My old ones were 4 years old, and I've known I probably need new ones for awhile. These have a nice ride and are quiet, so I was glad to get some new ones.

When I got home, we had a cookout to officially inaugurate the new grill. We originally thought we'd have a few folks over (3 or 4)...and somehow that grew into 15. It was a very fun evening, though! London broil, tasty salad, yummy apple crisp...impromptu piano bar...I definitely enjoyed myself! I folded some clothes and fell into bed again and attempted to wind down. And then suddenly, it was this morning...

Habitat for Humanity + Shopping

= a tired Page. Will post more about my thoughts on painting a rehabbed house and finding some new clothes later (maybe tomorrow...most likely Monday).

The Blog Topic Stream Has Dried Up

In my quest to blog every day for the month of October (NaBloPoMo), I have to post something today. Since I arrived at work this morning, I've been racking my brain in between trainings and actual work in order to come up with a suitable blog topic. I've had a lot to write about this week (trip to NC, the Opera, the Thursday commute...), but now the blog fodder has dried up. I suppose I could blog on the NaBloPoMo topic for the month...vote....but that might open up a whole can of worms that I would like to leave the lid on! Political discussions can be painful enough in person these days!

I thought about posting what I'm up to this weekend, but that is kind of boring. Chores, Habitat for Humanity (not boring, but I won't have much to say about it until it's over), getting my hair cut and colored, a cookout.....definitely things that are better written about after the fact.

Last week, I mentioned that at some point I want to write about my personality changes as I've grown up, but I'm not feeling reflective or inspired today, so that's not really an option. When I attempt to be deep while I'm not in a reflective mood....it just comes across as cheesy and insincere. That's not something I want to be...

But, hey! Look! Like Seinfeld, I've managed to write a whole blog post about nothing...well, nothing significant, that is. A blog post about not knowing what to post about. How clever!