I took a few pictures, including one that caught the entire band and choir, a close up of the director, and a up front shot with Trevor. I wasn't feeling the best going to the concert, and may have dozed a bit during it, but I feel ... well, not better, but emotionally lifted for having attended. Several former students also seemed pleased to see me there, making me even happier that I went.
For reasons beyond my understanding, all three boys had music concerts scheduled for today. Thankfully, Connor and Rowen's was together, but Trevor's was at the same time and in a different town. This meant that Janelle and I had to divide forces: She took the little boys and I took Trevor. I took a few pictures, including one that caught the entire band and choir, a close up of the director, and a up front shot with Trevor. I wasn't feeling the best going to the concert, and may have dozed a bit during it, but I feel ... well, not better, but emotionally lifted for having attended. Several former students also seemed pleased to see me there, making me even happier that I went.
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It seems strange that I would be sitting in the winter wonderland of Alaska and have a twinge ... well, a full-blown attack ... of envy as I heard accounts of the winter storm that went through Michigan yesterday. Many of my friends were enthusiastically sharing their snow day experience. Even my parents let me know that they were continuing our snow day tradition of braving the roads to go out to lunch (not a lot of crowds on days like today). Meanwhile, I got to spend time hunting down River, who had broken her chain in the sub-zero morning and enjoyed her freedom in the woods, before heading in early to work to meet with a student and his parents, all while sporting a resurgence of the cold that has been plaguing me the past week and a half.
We still have a good amount of snow on the ground and the deep cold has placed a gorgeous layer of frost on everything--the trees, in particular, look like something off of a Hollywood set. Instead of getting our snow in huge pilings, ours has been coming an inch or two at a time. My only concern is that they are predicting above freezing temperatures this Friday and Saturday, which the chance of ice rain ... yuck! Thankfully, the extended forecast is currently suggesting that our Christmas will be fantastically white. Despite my envy, I hope that the storm was not to much of an inconvenience and that people enjoyed their snow day. Gaudete Sunday is meant to be joyful. Today's joyful festivities included watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Connor finished the book on Friday, eating cheesecake in celebration of Alex's birthday, and watching the last episode of the new Gilmore Girls season (which obviously is going to have another season after this, right?). While these not be the divine elements of joy that most people think of when they think of God, I believe that God wants to be a part of our everyday lives, not just when we sit in a church, mosque, or temple.
Meanwhile, I will try to brush off the non-joyous aspects of the day, particularly the assignment that I just turned in nine minutes late (probably due to the aforementioned movie and television watching as well as a week of procrastination). Things will work out just fine, as we learn from our mistakes, and thus I tend to learn an awful lot. I sang at funeral today for a woman whose name I didn't know before today. She came nearly every Sunday to church, aided by a friend or relative, and sat in one of the front rows near the choir. I learned a few things from her funeral.
I learned that the world rotates to the key of A. Before the mass, a Native Alaskan flutist gave us that piece of knowledge before playing the second of his three haunting songs. As I listened, I could not help but agree that his music, more so than mine, was in tune with the Earth. I learned to revel in challenge. It was said of Laura that she loved to fish out on the ocean. In the cold and wet, covered in water and slime, her brother said that she would stand at the front of the bow with her nose to the wind, spread out her arms and say, "I love this [expletive]!" There are so many who shy away from adversity; rare are those who face it head on. I learned that God is present in all cultures. This is an idea from a statement made just before one of her relatives (from the Raven clan, the opposite of her Wolf clan) placed a traditional blanket over Laura's casket to keep her warm on her journey. God set our world and its people in motion. Every culture is born from that fact. Even if some have strayed from God's divine purpose, I believe that nothing can exist in our universe without God being present in some way. Being a part of this funeral that combined Native Alaskan and Catholic customs and rituals made me feel like a part of a larger world. This is the best part of a multicultural society: we can take the best pieces of each group and make them into something grander, something better. I'm glad that I went today. I learned more about Laura, and more about myself. Yesterday, John Glenn passed away at 95 years old. He has always been one of my all-time greatest heroes. Back when I was a junior in highschool, I wrote a fictionalized (I was too lazy to actually research all of the facts) account of his first trip into space. I have long held the deepest respect for our astronauts, but those who were our firsts hold the largest part in my memory.
John Glenn has been a hero to me not just because of his historic voyage, but also because he was an outspoken champion of space exploration--a cause in which I deeply believe. He was one of the most vocal critics against the dismantling of the space shuttle and the privatization of space travel. I have often wondered how our history would have been different had he been elected President (he had been a Democratic nominee who lost to Mondale). I hope some day that we press forward into the realms beyond our Earth the way he envisioned we would. As many of you know, I have a tradition of spending my birthday (December 23rd) watching some sort of movie marathon. Last year, the marathon was the double Star Wars trilogies. The year before was the entire X-Men movie set from the first X-Men movie up until Days of Futures Past. The year before that (in Bj's theater) was Marvel Phase I (Iron Man to the Avengers). The year before that included the four Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The year before had all eight Harry Potter movies (with the first two movies shown the night before). The year before that was the Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy. Before that was Indiana Jones (ending with the terrible Crystal Skull--my first and only time seeing it). Somewhere before that was the original cast Star Trek movies (back when we were still using VHS players). Before that ... well, let's just say that some of these movie marathons have seen more than one go around.
When I originally thought about this year's marathon, the plan was to watch the entire Hobbit through Lord of the Rings series (preferably in the extended form). Unfortunately, we watched all of the extended Hobbit movies this summer, and they just weren't good enough to justify such a binge (that, and the third extended Hobbit breaks the R-rated rule for my birthday movie marathons). Another possibility was the Hunger Games trilogy-plus-one. This would be a shorter marathon, but while I love watching Jennifer Lawrence and I really enjoy the second movie, I don't think it hits the right chord. I also thought about a Harry Potter run again, but we started watching the movies as Connor started finishing the books this year. Another possibility was to go with 80s and 90s Disney animated musicals (The Little Mermaid to Mulan), but even with the Hunchback of Notre Dame, that's a little too much sugar for my birthday. My thought, then, was to go with Marvel Phase II (Iron Man 3 to Ant-Man). Because Ant-Man isn't a real climatic end to this phase, I thought I would bring Phase III's Captain America: Civil War to end the run. However, considering Civil War directly references events from the first Avengers movie, I thought I might bookend both sides of the marathon with movies out of Phase. There are two problems. The first has an easy solution. I don't have all of the movies. This hopefully can be rectified by nearby friends who have copies of the movies that I lack (I also have ordered them, but it looks like not all of them will be here on time). The second is more problematic: As I was putting together a schedule, I discovered that the run times are longer than I thought. With the bookend movies, I would have to start at 1am and end at midnight to get through the entire planned marathon. Even dropping the bookmark movies starts us at 6AM and ends at 11:30PM. I can't frontload a couple of movies on the 22nd this time as I am picking up Katrina at the airport that night. For that matter, considering we won't be home until about 1AM on my birthday, an early morning start might be even more painful. Going into the 24th is also not a viable option as that is Christmas Eve. I could choose to not watch the bookend movies even with the aforementioned Ant-Man lack of climax, but that is still a long run. Alternatively, I could drop movies that do not have much bearing on Civil War, such as Thor 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, but that also has a long run time (and I love Guardians). I could shelve the Phase II idea until summer of 2018 when I thought of running a multi-day Phase I, Phase II, and some Phase III in anticipation of the Infinity Wars release. However, that leaves me back at the drawing board when it comes to what to watch this year. Janelle has always felt that the entire thing was a little crazy. Alex is going to be working and sleeping through a large part of it anyway. Trevor and the little boys say they're excited, but have always drifted during the actual events (although they were pretty good with last year's Star Wars run). Currently, I'm leaning towards just a Phase II run, while watching the Avengers a couple of days before and Civil War after Christmas. What do those of you on the Interwebs think? I know; I know ... First World Problems (and nerd problems, at that). There are a couple more windows where I would like to put up Christmas lights. I love the way that the lights brighten not just the room, but my overall mood. While the lights I've set up look pretty good, they also seem to accentuate the lack of lights around the other windows. Unfortunately, one of them will require me to use a ladder on the stairs in order to plant in the hooks and hang the lights. I'm not entirely trusting my sanity in coming up with this idea as heights and I don't get along too well.
Now that I think about it, I might need to get more hooks first, and possibly a drill bit too as I accidently snapped the one I was using before. Perhaps that delay will be enough to bring me back to my senses. Nah ... I like the lights too much ... Today's the feast day of Saint Nicholas, often referred to as Santa Claus. In the spirit of the day, I figure that it's a good time for me to write my letter:
Dear Saint Nick, While I might not have been the best of boys this past year, I certainly hope that you take good intentions into consideration. At least as a compromise, I will not burden you with a list of things that I feel show me as nice as long as you don't publicize the list you have for naughty (no matter how much some people might want to see it). Anyway, I've been pretty blessed this year so I don't really need you to bring anything from my list (although the rest of you can find the list on my website if you so desire). Rather, I ask instead that you pray for a few things for me. First, as a saint of educators and school children, I ask that you pray for me and my student as well as educators and students everywhere, from helping to inspire a thirst for knowledge in some to giving those with such a thirst the means to slake it. Second, as the saint for the protection from fire and natural disaster, I ask that you pray to protect those in facing cold fronts from the dangers of home fires and from the deadly storms that can rage. Third, as the saint of those engaged, I ask that you pray for my daughter Katrina and her fiance, Peter, most especially for Katrina's safe travels up to spend Christmas with us. Fourth, as the patron of reforming criminals (especially thieves ... and bankers), I ask that you pray for those who are searching for the strength to turn away from the temptations that drag them down such dark paths. Lastly, please pray for the children and all who look up to you as a symbol of joy and peace. Thank you for the inspiration that you have brought to so many. Today, my car registered a negative eight degree temperature, our van registered a negative twelve, and a not-entirely-trustworthy Walgreen's sign said it was negative seventeen. All of this is before adding in any wind chill. These temperatures make me grateful for our heated home and vehicles.
We gave the boys the warning that they weren't to touch the dogs' hooks for their chains without wearing gloves. I'm hoping that we didn't give Connor any ideas. Meanwhile the trees near the river and along heavily traveled roads were coated in a beautiful white frost from the moisture in the air. I will admit that the cold makes me rather envious of people's remote engine starters. However, it does make me tremendously grateful that we have a heated garage, and that isn't completely full from storage. I believe that our vehicles are also happier not having to start in such amazingly cold temperatures. I'm hoping that the cold weather continues to hold. Sure, I wouldn't mind if it got a little warmer so the boys could play outside more, but I'd rather have the cold than have everything melt and refreeze like it did around this time last year. I prefer seeing the snow even if I don't quite feel like playing in it. Today's readings focus on John the Baptist, a man who was born into the priesthood, but who chose instead to live in the wilderness and devote himself to preparing his people for the message of Jesus. The are and have been many men and women who have similarly devoted themselves to an austere lifestyle as a way to build a deeper connection with God. I don't think that I could do it. Thankfully God asks each of us to play different roles, just as in any family.
Today's homily was handled by our deacon as, with only two priests serving four towns, today was our week off. He spends time serving as a minister to those in prison and often incorporates stories from the prisoners (with their permission) as part of his message. Today, he spoke of a man who loved sharing Thanksgiving with his grandmother. Unfortunately, his family fell apart due to a disagreement when he was twelve. Soon after, his mother taught him how to use heroin and set him on a path that led to his current incarceration. More than anything he wants to bring back those family Thanksgivings after he is finally released from prison. I often take for granted what a wonderful family I have. I know that my decision to move to Alaska has put a strain on my relationship with my parents and siblings. It was certainly the most difficult part about moving. However, I believe that we will still have the opportunities to gather together at holidays in the future. Hopefully, in the meantime, we can at least still stay in contact through the wonders of technology. Meanwhile, my heart goes out to those who do not have such an option available to them. There are many whose families are not as close (emotionally) or whose family members have passed on. I hope that they find some means of human connection, especially during this holiday season. Our minds have a nearly unlimited potential to learn. The storage capacity of the brain has yet to be defined. However, we do know that there is an upper limit to the amount of information that anyone can process at any given moment. We believe that at any one time, we pull in information from our sight, hearing, our sense of smell, and sense of touch. That is the extent of our multitasking. Meanwhile, we can only hold a certain amount of information (and the amount varies per person) in our active memory before either dumping or storing it.
Interestingly, those born in this age of multimedia have an increasing capacity to switch between sights, sounds, smell and touch that are presented at a higher rate than those of us born in a slower world. Unfortunately, the amount of information held in active memory has not really changed (although there is evidence that certain video game players have grown in this area). Thus young people can sift through what seems to be a bombardment of information better than older people, but cannot process it to the same extent. Feeling cognitive overload is one of the main sources of measurable stress, the kind that eats at our health. This happens when we try to hold too much in our active memory for too long. It's the reason why worry creates stress. We need to learn to process and release, which is why meditation and prayer are often so essential for healthier lives. Despite the onset of a cold today, I set the hooks in the window casings and hung lights in three of our living room's windows this evening. We also precariously set our pretty, but a bit flimsy, LED angel on the top of the tree. With our holiday villages set up on the entertainment center and side cabinet, as well as the lights and stocking set up in the dining room and kitchen, our home has more Christmas decorations than we have attempted in quite a few years.
I've set most of the lights on timers so they are on until we go to bed (well, midnight) and then on again when we wake up. Not only do they turn off at midnight, but during most of the daylight hours of the weekdays (on all day on the weekends). So far, all of the lights are LEDs, meaning that, including the tree, all of the strands are currently using less energy (and thus also producing less heat) than one strand of conventional Christmas lights. It certainly makes walking through the house much easier in the "dark," as well as giving it a festive feeling. We still have more that we plan on putting up. My only problem will be that I won't want to take any of it down once the season is over. Yesterday saw the end of November and my mind is still reeling with the implications. Somehow another month coasted by, but not without leaving some impressions. A few of the events that come to mind include:
The biggest is Katrina and Peter's engagement announcement. Although not particularly a surprise, it certainly was a happy moment. Downside? We have to start getting Peter gifts now ... The election that would not end came to a conclusion (or did it?) that was bound to have people screaming whichever way it went. I have managed to keep most of my political commentaries off of the interwebs as I really did not (and do not) want to fuel the rage. Janelle and I got to go on a day-long date to Anchorage that introduced to (among other things) my new favorite Chinese restaurant: Charlie's Bakery. Playing the guitar, I led a children's choir mass with the help of my fellow choir members. Now we just need to prepare for Christmas. I received my first royalties for my eBook: Dragon Hunter, making me a paid author. Our second Thanksgiving (and subsequent Black Friday) here went very well. The leftovers are gone (except for some of the cranberry relish and some frozen turkey), but I have yet to watch a full movie on our new "theater system." I completed my first course in my doctorate program, amazingly receiving an A for my work. Two new courses have taken its place. It was a packed and fun month. May December be even more awesome! |
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