In honor of today's snow fall, a song.

If you think my rowing habit is unhealthy, well, this could be my hobby:

Crazy. Thanks to J for the link.

The Niece & Nephew

There are not enough hours in the day.

Session began last week. It's my sixth. Because of the shift in power, my job has become insane earlier in the session than it ever has before.

After getting over a cold myself, my roommate has that Looks-Like-A-Cold-But-Is-Really-The-Flu thing. I hope I don't catch it.

Our pastor is back in the pulpit as of this weekend, and I'm happy for it.

Other than those things, I've been reading quite a bit the last few weeks. My favorite book of 2011 was the book I just finished this weekend, Condoleezza Rice's Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family. Although I don't agree with her on all points political (for example, she doesn't believe Roe should be overturned, although she does agree that limitations should be placed on it), I still love her. She is a very classy and graceful lady, and I so appreciated her story. The book begins with the lives of her parents and segues into how she grew up in Birmingham, AL, and later Denver, CO. This woman has been busy racking up degrees at a young age, and making tough decisions as both provost of Stanford and multiple presidential administrations, but I appreciate how down-to-earth she seems to be even with and throughout her many accomplishments (for example, she loved television growing up and watched an awful lot of it, and wasn't always as interested in reading). It was a quick and easy read - I finished it in a couple of days - and I highly recommend it.

Trader Joe's is bad for me. (Never mind, TJ's is bad for anyone on a Sunday afternoon. Everyone goes there on Sunday afternoons. Ack! Too. Many. People. Also more bells rung than an Italian church on Sunday morning.) I go in to buy one or two things (chicken noodle soup for the sick roomie), and walk out 50 bucks later. (No, chicken noodle soup does not cost $50. I am aware of that fact.) My latest love: their crisp pineapple chips.


It's snowing. Again.

Today.

Five years.

Merry Christmas!

Sing we now of Christmas,
Noel sing we here.
Hear our grateful praises
To the Babe so dear.

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

Angels called to shepherds,
"Leave your flocks at rest;
Journey forth to Bethl’hem
Find the Lamb-kin blest."

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

In the stall they found Him;
Joseph and Mary mild
Seated ‘round the manger,
Watching the holy Child.

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

From the eastern kingdoms
Came the wise men far,
Bearing ancient treasure,
Following yonder star.

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

Gold and myrrh they took there,
Gifts of greatest price;
There was ne’er a stable
So like paradise.

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

From the distant mountains

Hear the trumpet sound,

With angelic blessings

On the silent town.

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

Come let us surround him

On this magic night;

Gather here around him,

Wondrous Babe of light.

Sing we Noel!

The King is born, Noel!

Sing we now of Christmas

Sing we here, Noel!

In this YouTube clip, although the song is called "Now the Green Blade Riseth," an Easter hymn that I also love, the tune is the same as "Sing We Now of Christmas." And once I saw Luther College perform the same arrangement on a PBS special from 2008 as "Sing We Now of Christmas," I've become obsessed with handbell choirs playing this piece.

Tune & Lyrics: Noel Nouvelet, Traditional French Carol, 15th century

Lyrics Translation: Traditional English Carol, 17th-18th century

There are supposedly 13 verses to this carol; in the short time I've had to investigate, I've found seven of them. (And in the searching for all 13, I discovered - and now want - this book. And this one.)

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas in 2010! The King is born, Noel!

PhiladelphiOddity

Is it odd that I was wandering around for a portion of today with a partially-eaten package of cream cheese in my coat pocket? And not one of those small mini ones, but a full eight-ounce package? Yeah, that's what I thought: weird. (I was taking it home from work and had no place else to put it.)

2010: Gingerbread Houses

Hands down, the best gingerbread house of the year: here.

Don't you just love it when...

...you schedule an appointment for something in a day or two, and the company calls you back a couple hours later to remind you of your appointment that's going to take place in a day or two?

This morning I scheduled a haircut for Friday afternoon. A few minutes ago, I received my reminder phone call for my haircut appointment on Friday afternoon. The phone call this afternoon was from the same woman who scheduled my appointment for me this morning.

Now, maybe this makes sense if you have a really large salon or a lot of Jane Does (or here in Minnesota, it'd be Jane Johnsons or something suitably Scandahoovian like that) as clients. But it's not a large salon, and I'm guessing they probably don't have many clients with my name, no matter how Scandahoovian. Just sayin'.

Tragic Fire: The Nook

Burned last night. Totaled. No one was hurt, though, so that's good. And Shamrock's (the Irish Nook) is still open so I can get my fix of Paul Molitor burgers.

Ah, the Metrodome (aka, the big "puffy white thing" according to a television reporter this morning)

Snowmageddon 2010: the Proof is in the Pictures

The view from my bedroom window on Saturday afternoon. Yes, that's snow stuck between the screen and storm window.

Normally we can see downtown St. Paul in the distance from the balcony.

It wasn't just the amount of snow (though that was pretty cool). It's the wind and snow drifts that really make a blizzard. And now it's going to be frigid here for the next couple of days.

Saturday evening: made sugar cookies and ginger snaps. What a way to spend a snowy day. (Yes, that is snow piled up in that window, too.)

Blank canvases.

Seriously, too much fun. Also, too much sugar.

Roomie K had a slight mishap with the nonpareils in one of these. We called it the "swimming pool."

The aftermath this morning: roomie K is there with a shovel trying to dig someone else out. I don't think we'll be going anywhere until they come to plow our parking lot. And look! Now you can actually see downtown in the distance.