Thankful

For a spirituality night this week, our exercise was to create a list of fifty things we are thankful for. Here's the one I came up with:

1. honey in my tea
2. homemade baked goods
3. a healthy, strong body
4. health insurance for when unexpected things happen to it
5. a community of amazing people to come home to every night
6. a big family back home
7. the best friends a girl could ask for cheering me on
8. parents who have always been committed to raising good people
9. two very different, but no less fantastic, siblings
10. the real presence in the eucharist
11. the holy rosary
12. spiritual reading a la Sheen and Merton
13. the collective works of Jane Austen
14. Jane Eyre
15. quirky reading, a la Christopher Moore and John Green
16. mozart
17. chopin
18. show tunes
19. pasta carbonara
20. growing our own parsley and basil in the backyard
21. homemade salad dressing
22. crockpot meals
23. la boheme
24. organic cotton yarn
25. foot rubs
26. hand lotion
27. herbal essences shampoo
28. yoga
29. new balance running shoes
30. sleepy monk organic coffee
31. ipod armbands
32. spanish rice
33. jewelry pliers
34. letters from home
35. care packages
36. emails/facebook messages from loved ones
37. patco subway rides to philly
38. jason robert brown musicals
39. josh groban
40. mocha breves
41. travel coffee mugs
42. breakfast for dinner
43. rowing machines
44. ferry rides
45. big hugs
46. cheek kisses
47. new stationary
48. the hallmark aisle of the supermarket
49. village thrift sweaters
50. suede high heels

On a lighter note

It hit me after posting yesterday that I’ve put some pretty heavy stuff on the blog since I arrived. I should try and lighten the mood around here.

Good or funny things that have happened in the past few weeks:

The Camden JV house pooled its resources over the weekend to enter a raffle, and we ended up winning FREE ORGANIC MILK for a WHOLE YEAR! Woot! Simply living is awesome when you get 52 coupons for free anything, let alone organic dairy products!

Last night Mark, out of the kindness of his heart (and his stipend), bought flowers for his roommates. :)We are a lucky group of girls to have him around.

None of us has gone running for a while because there’s been some pretty shady activity on and around the bridge. Our favorite bicycle cop told us a few times once we got there not to cross the bridge because it didn’t look safe for us. I knew it was too good to be true, having a safe place to run. I think the shady stuff picked back up as soon as the mornings started getting darker. But the happy phoenix from the ashes is that we’ve been doing yoga together to get some exercise in. Yoga and weight routines… I’d better have some decent muscles come springtime!

We’re a particularly musical household. Mark practices guitar a lot, and I’m sure I’ll start borrowing his chord books to learn as soon as my guitar arrives. Last night, after the guitar’s curtain call, I was drying my hair and belting out selections from Les Miserables, which gave us all a lot to talk about. Good times.

I’m developing a fascination with Lady Gaga. Between a beautiful voice and the masquerade thing she has going on, I’m overlooking how weird she is. Wouldn’t it be fun to be her for a day?
My birthday is coming up and all I really want to do is go to Independance Hall and check out all the historical stuff in Philly. I've been there before, but I'd like to go refresh. I have a sentimental weakness for American history.
We used our leftover apples to make apple crisp for dessert last night. Hello, autumn. You smell like baked apples and cinnamon.
It feels good to write about less heavy things than work. I'll remember to do this more often.

Birds on the Wires

http://vimeo.com/6428069

I stole the link from Colleen, but it's too cool not to share. :)

Now that's what I call a BIG lapse of concentration

Has it really been so long since I last blogged? Huh.

The blog has fallen by the wayside, but oddly not because I'm any more busy than I ever was. Part of me claims a need for privacy-- many of the things in my life of late that I really want to write about have been of a pretty personal nature. And those things are, well, personal. They go in the real diary, not the online one. The people who need to know do know; the people who don't need to know may find out one day, but at least they won't have found out because I spilled my guts in cyberspace. Nothing huge, just things that I feel need to remain close to my heart.

Since the last post (June 18?!?) I have moved home for the summer, with intermittent trips back home to Bellingham. Most were to sing at Sacred Heart, a few were for rehearsals for wedding music, twice was for moving my things out of my wretched apartment (AND, let it be known, the lease EXPIRED today at 5pm! I'm free! And now I officially live at the Siena house), and once was just because I wanted to see everybody.

People have come and go quite a bit this summer: Cory and Athena, quite notably, took off for Arizona shortly after their wedding. And oh buddy, do I miss them. But remember, we all receive the Blessed Sacrament. And if Christ is present to me in the Sacrament, He sure as shooting is present to them in it, too. So really, how far apart are we? Lauren, Athena, Sara, Andrew, John, and Cory have all left 35th St, which means next year... well, they won't be there. But again, we'll never be very far apart. I've also seen some people that I've missed: Lauren came home for a baby shower, and I got to hang out with her and feel the baby kick; Jacob has returned from Alaska, and it's seriously like he never left, and I got to hang with Lindsey a bunch before her wedding.

This summer has entailed: two weddings (congratulations to the Gaunts and the St. Hilaires! I found myself wishing at Andrew and Lindsey's wedding that I had been born into the St. Hilaire family-- that would have been a great childhood! And Andrew would have been my brother!), four dead deer (I'm back at the county road crew, by the way), a lot of reading, a lot of flagging, knitting for imminent babies, driving around a lot and singing a lot.

This month ought to prove quite fun: we've already had the St. Hilaire wedding, next Thursday I head to Oregon with the family for a few days, then I'm hitting a ball game with Patrick the next weekend. Sprinkle the word "work" into that list a few times and you basically have the rest of my summer.

My last day of work shall be the 5th of September. Soon after I'm going back to Bellingham to go on a peer minister retreat to prepare for the coming year. So I think I'm going to hit the ground running, and may not stop until at least December. No matter. My extra-curricular life is composed of taking care of 1) the faith, 2) the friends, and 3) liturgical music. Life is pretty damn fine.

Bella bella bella bella Molly

Remember how a long time ago I mentioned that a band I really like has a song called "Molly"?

It wasn't written for me, but when I'm in the crowd, they tend to sing it to me because they know me and I know them, etc.

I finally found the lyrics, and upon further inspection on YouTube, found a video of them singing it (go forward about 2min and 45 seconds in if you don't want the really cool intro). If I do say so myself, it's a good song.

Learning guitar at a glacial pace

This just in!

I successfully played the first verse of Lonesome Dove by Garth Brooks... without looking at my hand while changing chords!

Thosw who know me, my poor muscle memory, and how clumsy I am will concur that this is a big deal for me!

Checklist

Meet with advisor to discuss finer points of thesis- check.

Submit thesis.

Present music seminar class with a crash course in Indian music theory & sitar music- check.

Paper on the evolution of the zither via acculturation along the Silk Road... erm, due Tuesday...

Submit two final papers for 16th and 17th century fantasy class- check.

Music for Mass Sunday, Thursday and Friday- half-check (it's not Sunday, Thursday or Friday yet).

Packing for Mexico-- must find work gloves and sunscreen!!! Lots and lots of sunscreen!

But... I'm done with classes for the quarter! Boo-yah!

Al Otro Lado del Rio

Clavo mi remo en el agua
Llevo tu remo en el mio
Creo que he visto una luz
Al otro lado del rio.

Oigo una voz que me llama,
Casi un suspiro,
"Rema! Rema! Rema!"

I plunge my oar in the water
I carry your oar in mine
I believe I've seen a light
On the other side of the river.

I hear a voice that calls me,
Almost a whisper,
"Row! Row! Row!"

Keep rowing! We're almost there!

I will learn this if it kills me...

I needed to blow off steam from studying, and the running, weight training, and showering didn't quite do it for me.

If you need me, you'll find me holed up somewhere with a bottle of wine and a guitar, trying to learn Dire Straits' Romeo and Juliet from an online guitar chord guide.

A lovestruck Romeo sang the streets a serenade...

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

My favorite version of this is sung by the indomitable Ella Fitzgerald.

When the bells all ring and the horns all blow
And the couples we know are fondly kissing.
Will I be with you or will I be among the missing?

Maybe it's much too early in the game
Ooh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's,
New Year's Eve?

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night
Welcoming in the New Year,
New Year's Eve.

Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
I'd ever be the one you chose
Out of a thousand invitations
You received
Ooh, but in case I stand one little chance
Here comes the jackpot question in advance:
What are you doing New Year's,
New Year's Eve?

Silent Night. Literally.

Last night we went to see the Seattle Men's Chorus perform at Benaroya Hall. They're a scream. It'll make you laugh, cry, and do a little of both at the same time. It's a very good show.

One of the chorus members also worked as the ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter downstage right from the chorus, so he sang and signed as he went.

All the men wore black suits and shirts with AIDS awareness ribbons on their lapels, but toward the end they each pulled out a pair of white gloves and put them on. They began to sign along with the ASL interpreter.

The first verse, they signed as they sang. They second, they signed silently with the accomplaniment. Then all the music stopped, but the director continued to conduct in time. The chorus signed one more verse, absolutely silently.

The hall was so quiet you could hear the men's jackets rustling as they moved.

It was a very poignant moment for me-- I'm so into music and language and sound that it nevered occurred to me how different my life would be if I could not hear. Last night, for a minute, everyone at Benaroya Hall experienced how deaf people listen to music. It was pretty moving.

It has to be some sort of crime...

Exhibit A) A Spice Girls reunion, sans crazy hair, trashy outfits, childish nicknames, and with a few offspring in tow.

Exhibit B) A Backstreet Boys reunion, sans 1/5 of the group (run for your life, Kevin!).

Exhibit C) A Jackson 5 reunion, sans any lingering goodwill from the public and Michael's original face.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it falls to you to reach a verdict on where the music industry is going and why they are in that hand basket.

Deliberations begin tomorrow at 9am. Madame Foreperson, bring doughnuts. We're adjourned.

Moment for the Maestro...

Luciano Pavarotti has passed away.

Although I'll bet my grandmother's thrilled up there in heaven- now he can sing "O soave fanciulla" to her directly. : )

RIP, Maestro.

Ooh, you make me live/ Whatever this world can give to me...

"Oh, you're the best friend that I ever had/ I've been with you such a long time/ You're my sunshine/ and I want you to know that my feelings are true/ I really love you (ooh)/ Oh, you're my best friend."

Unfortunately, right now you're all far away!

So I'm going to go hole up in a hole-in-the-wall bookstore with my laptop and just write for a while. Thinking of you, whoever you are (that is, you reading this).

If you get a minute today (or five minutes and fifty-six seconds, to be exact), listen to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Today would have been Freddie Mercury's (the brilliant and incredibly flamboyant front man of the group) 61st birthday. Alas, he died of AIDS in 1991. The death of one of the most brilliant minds in pop music history (the man came up with Bohemian Rhapsody in his head- he was a genius) helped raise global awareness of the disease.

So as a nod to a pop music legend, or a nod to the ongoing battle against AIDS, or in the spirit of rock n' roll, crank up the stereo, bang your head, and belt it out!

"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?/ So you think you can love me and leave me to die?/ Oh baby - can't do this to me baby!/ Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here!"

How much do I love Phantom of the Opera?

It's funny, when the mundane overtakes you. The simplest things can bring you back.

For me, today, it was just listening to Phantom. And singing Edleweiss (from The Sound of Music, for all you non-musical theatre buffs) while I vaccuumed today.

What beautiful stories. The music is great, too.

In other news, I am a total geek. That's why I can only blog about musicals.

Whatever. Simple pleasures.

Wherever you live, you must be living in a holy city

"All over the world, human beings start out thinking that God must live in the mountaintops. Look at the clouds, thunder and lightning; of course that’s where God would live. For example, when Moses wants to talk to God, he climbs a mountain.

"But all over the world, there are stories where young brave or the young medicine woman climbs to the mountaintop to see God. He or she gets to the peak, looks out, and realizes that it was all sacred down there. They didn’t have to go to the mountaintop to see God. As Buddy Glass says, 'What do we ever do, but move from portion to portion of the Promised Land?'

"Our struggle is sacred; wherever you live, you must be living in a holy city." ~ Stephen Hatfield

"We come together to work, so that face to face/we can instruct our hands to build a house of grace,/for every one of us here is a dwelling place/and we’ll assemble and form a holy city./ Alleluia, Alleluia!" ~ Living in a Holy City, by Stephen Hatfield

I was listening to this song earlier today, thinking about Stephen's thoughts on the subject and hearing the beautiful chorus of the song repeat, "a holy city, Alleluia, Alleluia!"

I was struck by how much it reminded me of God in our midst every day. The Holy Spirit is present in this world, Christ is fully present in the Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist, every one of us here is a dwelling place. How very lucky we are, how privileged, that God is present. That the ground we stand on is holy, because our Lord made it. No matter where we are, we stand together in a holy city.