few things
1. I'm currently sitting in the (surpisingly clean and nice) Northwest terminal at LAX. I just paid $3.24 for a 20 ounce bottle of Diet Coke.
2. Last night I had my first experience with the Nintendo Wii. It's so much fun. I'm pretty good at the tenis game, but awful at boxing. My bowling skills were average, although I did improve markedly throughout the game. Good stuff.
3. I've once again been reminded that there's practically nothing better than old friends and great coffee. I've also discovered that I really want a french coffee press.
4. Once again I've been reminded that there really is nothing better than family, even with how flawed everyone undoubtedly is.
5. I'm really excited to see some great friends for New Years Eve.
6. I got the first season of Felicity for Christmas and I can't wait to start watching it on the flight. I just wish the seats had indivdual power outlets so my laptop battery wouldn't die somewhere over Colorado.
It's great to be back on the Pacific. I'm just sorta bummed because I can't surf :( Storms that will wreak havoc in Colorado next week are causing strong winds and 10-15 foot swells in California this week. So instead I have to settle for sipping my "Strawberry Surf Rider" Jamba Juice on the rocks while watching the real pros attempt to catch some monsters. Dang...maybe next time.
recovery time
I guess the Christmas season is officially over. It's halfway through the week between Christmas and New Years, and it seems everyone is switching their attention to the next holiday. And that's ok with me. I'm relieved this year is almost over.
But in the meantime, I'm coming out of this Christmas season with more than I had going into it. Besides a wonderful visit to sunny California, a couple great DVD sets, and some sparkly stuff every girl wants, I've also emerged with a couple of new Christmas favorites in the music department. Besides a compilation album from Starbucks, the only new X-mas album I picked up this year was Allison Crowe's "Tidings." I love it. She's got this rich, almost melancholy quality to her voice. It's appropriately Christmas-y without being jolly or overdoing it, because sometimes you're just not in the mood (no matter how much you love Christmas.) I also realized that I love the songs "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and "In the Bleak Midwinter."
So another Christmas came and went.
question
The other day I saw a house with a charming sign out front that read "Blue Gables." Of course this reminded me of the great classic "Anne of Green Gables," which of course begged the question... what in the world is a gable?
ga·ble /ˈgeɪ
bəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[gey-buhl] –noun Architecture. | 1. | the portion of the front or side of a building enclosed by or masking the end of a pitched roof. |
| 2. | a decorative member suggesting a gable, used esp. in Gothic architecture. |
| 3. | Also called gable wall. a wall bearing a gable. |
now we know.
courtesy of dictionary.com
funny news from china
It seems that only 2 of every 10 Chinese people smile at strangers. To help raise that number, China has employed "secret smilers," who spend all day stationed around major cities smiling at people. It's part of a huge effort to make the country more friendly since China is hosting the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
4 things
1. I like snow, but not ice. In the first "real" winter snow last week I slid off the road twice on my way to work. A co-worker of mine was stuck on an iced-over bridge for an hour and a half...not fun.
2. For once, I'm actually satisfied with how the mainstream media portrayed people of faith. On "Nightline" there was a segment covering Barack Obama's visit to the mega church Saddleback. Pastor Rick Warren invited him to speak on World AIDS day. The show interviewed several intelligent and well-rounded people of faith, who all spoke of how important these matters are. They talked about the value of putting aside theological differences in favor of actually accomplishing something. Then they interviewed and showed a "small faction" of Christians who were up in arms and boycotting Saddleback because Pastor Rick was letting a Democrat speak from the pulpit. The ridiculous close-minded Christian minority was portrayed as just that, and did not come off pretty. On the other hand, the majority of Christians were portrayed in a very positive light. It was one of the few times I can recall wanting to identify myself with anything "Christian" in the media.
3. Earlier today I heard this news headline on the radio: "Today Iran holds a conference to decide whether or not the Holocaust actually happened." Ummmm, seriously people. Come on.
4. Christmas is coming. Yay!
confused
I read a quote recently from a movie..the character says something like, "When you're young, your potential is infinite. You could be anyone, or antyhing. Then you get to an age where what you might be gives way to what you have been. You weren't Einsten, you weren't anything. That's a bad moment."
I don't even know if that's true, but if it is I really hope I'm not to that moment yet. Sometimes I think I am. Sometimes I feel like I should be so much more, or better, or different than I am. Other times I feel grateful and fortunate for the things I've done, places I've been, and person I've turned out to be. I guess one of my greatest fears is not living life like it's meant to be lived, and squandering time not pursuing things that are fulfilling and substantial. I don't know. Life is hard and sucks sometimes. Lately I've been learning that it sometimes sucks bad. Strangely though, it's still really, really good. And everything's gonna be ok. I don't usually write things this personal or of this nature on my blog, so I'm not sure why I'm typing this. But whatever.
Here's to life. And Christmas :)
World Aids Day
Today is World Aids Day. So do something, anything, to help the cause. At least make an effort to become a little more socially responsible and educate yourself a little bit. If you need some suggestions, check out articles/podcasts on these web pages:
http://www.npr.org
http://www.one.org
http://web.mac.com/beckagrace/iWeb/becka/podcast/D5264FD3-D836-4219-ADF5-E054ADB46177.html
And if you don't want to educate yourself, at least be AWARE of the fact that others ARE making strides worldwide to help those afflicted with this disease.
