On the Eve of the New Year

So…here we are again. Moving from one year into another. All over the world people are celebrating, even those who don’t share the Western calendar. And all over the world people are making resolutions - pacts to improve themselves in the coming year. Sometimes I wonder what rituals like this really achieve. Are they merely some kind of ancient myth that we desperately cling to - the hope that with the promise of a new year we can be reborn ourselves?

I actually had this whole resolution post planned myself. I had this Santa sized list of things I wanted to achieve in the coming year, everything from going to the gym regularly to limiting my dairy intake. But as I thought about it further, I realized that I shouldn’t need to use a new year as an excuse to better myself. This should be something that I want to do every single day, be it January 1st or August 20th.

So, while I do have things I want to accomplish this year, I don’t really consider them resolutions. This isn’t Lent and I’m certainly not Catholic. One might observe that it doesn’t really matter how I wrap the package, it all amounts to the same thing, but hey, it’s my blog and my delusions.

Here are three things I plan to be more considerate of in the future:

1. Spend more time with my friends and family. I can be pretty introverted and fairly happy to spend time alone. But I want to spend more time with those I love - after all, you never know how long you have with those close to your heart.

2. Be healthy. This is especially important now that I’ll be spending most of my time in the pestilence ridden elementary schools. So, more exercise, better foods - no fast food!

3. Indulge in my hobbies: writing, photography, cooking, music, reading, etc. Turn off the television and concentrate on these things instead.

This post, at least to me, seems a bit more melancholy in tone than I really meant for it to be. I think this is because I’ve been under the weather for the last few days and am just sick of having no energy. And now it is time for me to go get ready for a New Year’s celebration with friends - see? I’m already working on Non Resolution #1!!

This just in: Shiny to take over the world, one person at a time!

This post goes out to my good friend K. Marie:

We’ve done it, my friend…we’re taking over the world! How, you ask? It’s simple, really. We have, between us, created a concept that is spreading like wildfire. Shiny, the idea, the dream…LIVES!

A few days ago, I went to my hair appointment (to get it cut and colored, if it matters). The girl that does my hair happens to be one of my best friends. We went to NAU together, lived together for a time, she was one of my bridesmaid’s and I was one of hers. She’s done my hair forever, in fact I was her guinea pig when she was attending a design school. After all these years, she’s family.

But I digress, I was getting my hair done and we were talking about whatever we talk about. She happened to be at my mom’s house with me when the “Shiny” shirt was created. She liked the idea so much my mom made her a dishtowel that said “Shiny” on it. She told me that everyone who sees the towel falls in love with it. So now, one of her friends who loved the towel, has converted to Shiny-speak.

We are taking over the world, my friend. One person at a–ooh! Shiny!

Meet Buckface

Once upon a time, in a dry and dusty land, there lived a girl. Every winter in this particular land where this particular girl lived, there was a festive celebration known as Christmas or Yule. The girl especially loved this holiday, for it was filled with much merry-making, festive decorations and blessedly wonderful weather. During this time of year, the townspeople would decorate their houses with lights and animated representations of favorite symbols of the season.

The girl and her mate would join in this tradition, for the most part. They covered the outside of their dwelling with sparkly lights and placed a glowing tree in their front window. But never, in all the years of the girl’s life, had she been able to put an animated creature in her front yard. She had always longed to do so, had even begged her mate to purchase her one. But, what with one thing or another, the girl and her mate had been unable to fulfill this lifelong dream.

This holiday season began, for the girl, like so many others. She began decorating her holiday tree, she even made a new wreath with with to decorate the entrance to their home. Her mate decorated the outside of their home with lights, like every other year. But suddenly, what appeared before the girl’s eyes but a 48″ animated standing buck! The girl danced with joy and designated a place of honor for the beautiful animated creature.

She bestowed upon him the name of Buckface…and he was glorious.

Meet Buckface:

I am Hobie’s utter loathing…

DSC00777.JPG

Originally uploaded by Achoo-D2.

…and if you haven’t seen Fight Club, that title will fly right past you. But it’s funny, trust me.

As the photo suggest, my poor puppy had a bath today. Since it’s cold outside, we have to wash him in the shower, which provides the most entertaining portions of the event. He’s gotten to the point where we don’t have to force him in anymore. In the beginning, you would have thought we were sending him to the “showers” at Auschwitz concentration camp.

Today, he just went right in, even though the water was already running and he HATES being in water. You have to respect the kind of Holmes/Moriarty hatred that dog has for being wet. So, now you can understand the look he’s giving me.

Sick Dogs and Beethoven

You see this face? You see how sweet it is? Now imagine this face depressed and sick. That was my poor baby today. He must have eaten something that didn’t agree with him, poor guy. Dan and I were very worried when he didn’t even seem interested in going for a walk…or canned food. He slept for a few hours and now seems to be approaching normal, which is a great relief. A few minutes ago, we went out into the backyard together and he even wagged his tail and scampered a bit. Always a good sign!

I’m watching something I DVR’d this morning - and I find it odd that something like DVR has become a verb. It’s a mini movie about the first performance of Beethoven’s third symphony, “Eroica.” It is my favorite of his symphonies, actually. One I performed when I was in the Flagstaff Symphony many years ago. The show, however, is not at all what I expected. I guess I thought it would be more of a History channel type thing. You know, where they poke around historical documents, read letters of people who knew Beethoven, and generally make assumptions and never say anything concrete.

What it actually is, on the other hand, is a reenactment kind of thing. Like I said earlier, kind of a mini movie. And Jack Davenport from “Coupling” is in it - not playing Beethoven, though. He was also in Pirates of the Caribbean - which really doesn’t relate to what I’m talking about now.

So, the movie…the parts where the orchestra is playing through symphony are both beautiful and, well, weird. It’s just the orchestra playing and the audience watching the reaction of the other people in the room. They all appeared to be in different states of being extremely moved (from what seemed like arousal to fear to disgust). I’m not sure what I think of it. I do know that the orchestra seems to be playing the piece awfully well for sight reading it. Either they are REALLY good at sight reading or I call foul.

Nova

Rude Awakening: I have become obsessed with Nova’s website on www.pbs.org.

It started out a few days ago, during my internship at ANLC. It was the day they were doing sex ed in the 7th/8th grade classrooms. I had been dreading this day, imagining this horrifying day where 7th grade boys asked disgusting questions to irritate everyone. I had forgotten, however, that they separate boys and girls for sex ed. Someone asked me why they do this (separate them) and to me it’s obvious. You aren’t going to get an honest reaction from any 7th/8th grader (regardless of gender) if a member of the opposite sex is in the room. They just won’t feel safe and will be embarrassed.

Where was I? Oh yeah, sex ed. So, in this class, which I had been dreading, we just watched a couple of videos. Really not what I had been expecting. So, the video was by Nova. It was called “Life’s Greatest Miracle.” It wasn’t that I loved the video or anything. I mean, it was good, but come on…no one is going to pop “Life’s Greatest Miracle” in the DVD player for an evening of relaxing viewing. I’m getting off track again. Grr.

At the end of the video, a couple gives birth to their baby. Earlier in the video, it was stated that they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby before it was born. The birth was both gross and touching. I actually misted up. Then I mentally called myself a pansy. I don’t know what is more sad: that I almost cried in a birthing video, or that I called myself a pansy. Or that I got off track…again! Gah! After the birth, I waited anxiously to find out what it was…and they never tell you. Never. Tell. You. They even wrap the baby in a blanket that has equal amounts of pink and blue.

(Maybe it’s a hermaphrodite. Maybe not.)

It’s actually been bothering me that I still don’t know the sex of their child. Like it’s my business or something. Like it’s going to have some profound affect on my life. In my OCD moment, I went to the NOVA/PBS website to see if they had any info on that particular show. Turns out they do. They have an entire freakin’ website devoted to it. Not only that, but they apparently do the same for EVERY SHOW THEY AIR! How amazing is that!?!

Long story short? If that’s possible at this point? I just spent about a half hour digging through this site, looking at the shows and their companion websites. And I still don’t know the gender of that child.

*Edited because I can’t spell.