Sidetracked

So I didn't hold up my end of the deal, you know, the blog every day thing because I have been plowing through Dark Angel. Yup, that's right, I don't show up 'cause I am watching old TV.

Redo greenery tomorrow and make whipped short bread. Basically ready for Christmas.

Ick, I am ... guess.

I couldn't let it go for two days, but all I really have to say is neocitron is my friend.

I read Princess of the Silver Wood - Jessica Day George the third in a series. It came out yesterday, and I have to say that one aspect of owning a kindle was being able to have access to something so soon after release. The story combined Little Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood, and I enjoyed it.

Sn*t & stuff

I am failing at this Christmas baking thing. On the come down from singing sick I continued to be sick today. It is the sore throat back to haunt me. This illness appears to cyclical. I'm experiencing take two. I get better, it comes back. Sucks.

Anyway, the point of me sniveling (pun) about being sick is that the last thing I want to do is stick my hands in pastry. So no butter tarts.

I do on the other hand get to stop obsessing over German and listen to fun music again.
This has been playing bunches in my house.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSUFzC6_fp8

 We have the Ep. and I love their version of  "O come, o come Emmanuel" it has addictive properties.

Re-reading A Posse of Princesses - Sherwood Smith, I really enjoy her work, and apparently reading new material is beyond the powers of sick brain. Sigh.

This has been an update. Talk tomorrow. Over and out.

I feel lighter

Concert done. Week over. De-stress has begun.

Umm... I think I said that I was going to elaborate on my life, and be a little more informal, but tonight I have very little to add.

Second week of Advent started today.

OK, talk tomorrow.

Getting better

I know, I know, I missed yesterday. These things happen.

As the week progresses my brain gains space. Three of this weeks performances are done. Now I just have to do the personal concert. You know, the solo bit. AHHHHH! Help me. Rescue me. Take me to a private island. Ok, freak out over.

I got to be part of a choir which sang at an ordination today. The music and mass were lovely.

So, I am now just sitting watching Jamie Oliver's Christmas specials and not going over my German words for two of my songs and generally being a lousy student.

Second week of Advent starts tomorrow.

Day five

 Fifth day of Advent

Days do not have enough hours to do all the work and still have fun time. But I don't want to give up fun time, so the days need to grow more hours. Just saying.

In other news, Happy St. Nicolas Day!!! I hope you ate your body weight in chocolate.

I have to do junk in my life and yesterday I was loquacious, so this is it.

Stress Bumps

I suffer from anxiety. I also get stressed. Both happen at the same time on an all to frequent basis. But over the last four years I have worked to get them under  into the realm of "normal".

My stress bumps came back this week. Stress bumps are literally what they sound like. I get these weird bumps on my knuckles. The doctor could not figure out what they where, when we asked. They get dry and sore. And they only show up when I am so stressed-out-of-my-ever-loving-mind that the stress has to become external.

I think the last time I got stress bumps was music festival six years ago? Seven? Five? (Before my voice got sick, and I got to quit music festival.) I am not sure. I could look it up, because I know what I was doing, but I am too lazy. It was the last year I got sent to provincials. For MF that year I had seven solos, two choir groups, and two dance numbers in the space of a week and a half. I would never preform if given the choice. I don't like it. It does not thrill me. In fact IT STRESSES ME OUT. So do I think it is a coincidence that the last time I had growths on my hands was the last time someone asked me to preform that many times in a week, and they came back for the first time in years, in a week that I have to preform four times in a week? No, not a fluke.

Talent and desire do not always line up. Just 'cause I can sing and preform well does mean that I want to. Ever. But I do, because God judges us on the talents that we do not grow. But it is painful.

Not that anyone will be able to tell from my peaceful countenance. It took me hours in front of a mirror to master looking calm. But I also learned that one, because people can hear better if you look happy. Go figure.

Rant over?

Well, that was full of Advent cheer, wasn't it? People always want you to sing around Christmas. Sheesh.

Lets put in a picture.

Evergreen

So unlike past years I actually got to cut greenery in the daylight when it is not raining. I felt special.
The house also looks more like Advent. Here are a couple before shots.

The end results are lovely but you can't tell. I can't take pictures. I will of course put them up, but they are not pretty.

Not once did I ever say it wouldn't be messy.

And the after shots.

I have resigned myself to the fact that December is not freezing and it rains and no snow and it just has to be a balmy 12 degrees, but Christmas without evergreen is not something I could ever come to grips with. So decorating in our house has lots of green. Lots. I only showed you the beginning.

Maybe tomorrow I will get in some baking. I want it started before St. Nicholas day. (fingers crossed)

And I will be back on all local stations tomorrow.

BEDA, kinda.

I am already a day behind on Blog Every Day Advent. Or a modified version of BEDA. I will not call it blogmas until after the 25th of Dec.

Yesterday was day one. I have not put up the advent wreath, I did not post. I went to work at 6:30 AM and got back to the house at 10:30 last night. I thought that was a legitimate reason for not starting yesterday. I was not at work that entire time, I went to a birthday party for my cousin. December and January are birthday months in my family, on both sides. Anyway, there will be updates, and from here on out I will probably still miss days.

So, shall we do this? Yup.

Ending on a high note.

And we come to the end of a month of nothings. Did I add to the overall goodness of the world? Have I said a single thing that could improve anyone's life? Probably not. Has my typing got much better? Not really. I have to start at the beginning again and unlearn all my bad habits. But I am not letting any of these insignificant things deter me. I will not be brought down. Positive thinking and all that junk.

This years BEDA reminded me of this years Lent. Not a lot happened.

 My gosh, I am having one of the most groan worthy, first world problem riddled years. I laugh at how sad I think my own lack of growth is. Good things have happened, I still have a job, I am preparing for one of the biggest exams of my life and I want to b***h about my lack of personal and spiritual growth. Can anyone say goof?

On an upbeat, I made mini shortcake so we can have strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight.

Wow. I am a bucket of cheer. I am actually quite happy. It just is not apparent form the above.

So, I hit a minor stumbling block on the books from the library but I picked up Penhallow again. My kindle tells me I am over half way now. Gosh, I have never taken this long on Georgette Heyer. I think I am losing my touch. Maybe I don't know how to read any more? Oh well.

My new random image generator came up with a...

Rock. So there we have it.

Quote: “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
― George Bernard Shaw

Pesto, food of minor gods.

My mum must approve of my pasta habit. She bought me a treat, one that she hates the smell of and still she loves me enough to buy something that makes her feel sick. Pesto. I adore pesto. I could and do eat it on everything. I eat pesto the way some people eat ketchup. And because of the herbaceous smell and bright green colour it feels healthy. My mummy loves me. Bunches. For which I will forever be thankful.

The random image generator had to go home so it could go to work. I have to come up with an image on my own. I can promise it wont be nearly as funny.
...

I tried. I just don't have that particular talent.

So have this instead.

Quote: “It would seem that you have no useful skill or talent whatsoever," he said. "Have you thought of going into teaching?”
― Terry Pratchett

DAY TWENTY-NINE

Counting down the days.

At several points today I had the thought, "oh that would be a great post", but being at work or wherever, I could not write it up, and am now left at the end of the day with brain suck once again.

BEDA is almost over and I cannot say I will be sorry. I might keep posting more often than I had been, but definitely not every day. The well of interesting things to say is not that deep in me.

For my record keeping I just finished The False Prince - Jennifer A. Nielsen

I think everything I ever say is that I have nothing to say. Which might be totally true. Some people are here to have thoughts and others must be here to hear thoughts. I hear. I feel that listeners are not appreciated fully. But someone has to listen to all the hot air being blown over the world.

I'm not feeling particularly lucid right now, so I am cutting myself off there.

And the random generator once again comes up with the most odd junk. Really.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bactirium that causes most cases of tuberculosis.

 

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT

Because I'm lazy. Or something.

I was thinking of doing an unofficial 7 quick takes but I don't have that much  raw material.

But here we go..
1. I love the 2005 edition of P&P. The characters have been made real and believable, which if you take straight Austen, they can be a little goofy. don't get me wrong, I LOVE Austen,just that it was nice in the movie that the people were believable.

2. Also both the cinematography and soundtrack were awesome, which is very important to me. I can't think of a time when I have ever loved a badly shot movie just because the story was good.

3. When I have to only feed myself I never want to cook, which is sad because if it is only me I can make whatever I wanted with no food preferences to ruin my life.

4. I happen to really like fictional characters with sticky fingers. Have I ever told you that?

5. Yup... drawing a black. I ran out after four. Sad really.

6. “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”
― Madeleine L'Engle
I happen to love children's books. I often think they are better written.

7. The image generator came up with a bat wing this time. my goal is to play slightly on the suggestion, so without further ado... a bat wing.

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

We are really close.

Please use your library.

Library's should be utilized as often as possible. I just hitchhiked on someone else card and consequently I have to many books to read. One down, five to go.

Nothing to say otherwise. Really.

This is for my new thing of cataloging how many and which books I read in a year.
The Morning Gift - Eva Ibbotson

The random generator of images asked for a screwdriver tonight. I hope this is the random item they were thinking of.

Quote: “Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.”
― Robert Benchley

DAY TWENTY-SIX

One should never have days off. They make one more tired when one has to go back to work. Also If one gets up at 5am one's eyes get tired by evening and one can't finish one's book. Blarg.

This is only for the sake of BEDA. If I wasn't doing it this would never exist.

Random Image

The random generator asked for a bear claw. It did not specify what kind.

Quote:“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid

DAY TWENTY-FIVE

Not a movie review.

If I only discover little personal quirks once, they just pass out of my mind, because I am not reminded. Last night I was reminded of one I discovered in Disneyland. I am a giggler.  People have many different  responses to excitement, like a ride, some gulp, some scream, some grip, others look away. I laugh.

Last night I went to watch Cabin in the Woods. I would not recommend  this movie unless you enjoy the genre of horror. It was my first horror film, but I have experienced horror on Supernatural and I knew that I could enjoy it. But I had a fear. I didn't want to scream.

Fortunately there was no screaming, only much giggling.

This is not going to be a review of Cabin in the Woods. I suggest you only watch it if you like horror, Joss Whedon and are old enough to get into an R-rated movie. All I really wanted to say was I'm happy I'm a giggler.

Now for an image of randomness from my personal generator.

This is a blue button.

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Not Shopping.

Shopping on the internet is by far my favorite way to shop. I don't have to deal with pushy sales people. There are no rush decisions, I can add something to the cart and think about it for days. Right now as I type, I am shopping for new summer sheets. My old one are dying. Like coming apart at the seems, dying.

But I have to think some more. Which is why the interwebs are amazing.

DAY TWENTY-THREE

Many Half Baked Ideas

Um... I have half formed ideas for several posts, but this is April, and I never fill out my ideas anyway. I gave up doing that when I finished my last exam with essay portions.

I was yawnig so hard this morning I thought my jaw was going to dislocate.

Growing friendships is work. Very rewarding work.

Trying to keep up with a bunch of sports without spare time is rough. (Case in point; I am watching a hockey while doing this.)

I pre-ordered the second season of Sherlock today. I almost bought it in Oxford. It was sitting behind the counter in Blackwell's and I sooooo wanted to buy it, but any DVD I bought there would never work here, so I refrained. I tacked it up to just another thing I have against living here. I love it most of the time, unless it comes to books, TV and choirs. Also old stuff.

My days are not long enough. Or I am just to dang tired to take advantage of the remaining day. I don't even have kids and I'm this knackered.  Sheesh, what a wimp.

I have to start practicing actual typing again. What I do is just not going to cut it.

Quote: A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.
Oscar Wilde

This baby rattle is an act of randomness. I asked for a suggestion of an object. This is what I got. Why do baby toys have to make so much noise?

 DAY TWENTY-TWO

Recreate?

Why the constant need to recreate stuff?
And yes, Blogger I am targeting you right now.
I get redoing some things, but, but...
Oh fine. I like when people rewrite fairy tales. Not always, but there has been more than one successful retelling done. I also collect versions of  the Twelve Dancing Princesses. So I can't be totally against the re-vamp.
Mostly I don't like it when people move stuff on my computer, I am too close to being a Luddite, that this messing with things always leaves me close to the edge of not being able to find anything. And I have control issues, I don't like not being able to find junk.
GRRR! Oh well. I must carry on.

Quote: A room without books is like a body without a soul.
 Cicero, (Attributed)
Roman author, orator, & politician (106 BC - 43 BC)










DAY TWENTY-ONE

Work shmorck.

Got called into work tonight. BOOM! That was the sound of all my plans.

But this morning I finished a book. So that was better. And I think I came up with the name for the tag I am going to use to track my book progress. Biblio-geek. How does that sound? Huh? Yeah, thought so too.

It was the Dragon Tooth one. I liked it, also it was the first in a series, which is always good, if it continues to be well written and interesting.

Now I have to go finish my laundry. It got interrupted.

DAY NINETEEN