It's just another New Year's Eve...

...another night like all the rest. And so the song goes... and when it's through, this New Year will be just fine. Yes, I am an optimist. I think we are in for even more hard times than we already have. I am glad we are reaching the end of W - can't get much worse, in my world view. BUT I believe in the ingenuity of the American people and sincerely hope that the politicians will work WITH the American people to get us on a right track again. There is a report that a Russian professor is predicting the break-up of the U.S. by 2010. I am certain he does not understand the American psyche. If Washington maintains a populist track, we will reinvent what needs reinvention and maintain what needs to be maintained and it will all be better. Our danger is greed. We cannot let greed direct bailouts, even of the little people. We need visions of prosperity for all and shared responsibility parceled out according to ability to share the load. Big money had its chance and failed and its time for small money to take the load and lift up everyone. I look forward to new entrepreneurial spirit and innovation that will puzzle, bedazzle and amaze me into old age! I have to figure out what type of new TV to buy and when! Not to worry- my TV is fine and I hav cable, so I am ready for the digital switch. But, I do need to update the TV at some point! Consumerism to help the economy at some future date! Happy New Year!

Great Inspirations

Readers Digest this month has an article where famous people talk about other famous people who have been inspirations to them. One that caught my attention was the Chinese pianist Lang Lang who explained that opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti had inspired him because of his ability to make classical music interesting to such a wide audience. I regularly bemoan the influence of pop singers on the performance practices of singing just about anything in public these days. My favorite Christmas albums are the ones done by opera singers because the arrangements are so interesting. Electronics make live performance more and more manufactured. Yet a young Chinese pianist still has the desire to bring live music to lots of people. This is indeed encouraging. There is just nothing like live performance. I hope that it is always avilable for the rest of my days. And I'm not likely to stop doing my own small part arranging music for church that probably has not been heard in a few hundred years in the city of Baltimore - or hasn't been heard in its re-arranged form. Arranging music, if only for me for a small Wednesday service, keeps the minds working. This is a good thing. But I am happy to read about Lang Lang.

Checkin' it six times

Gosh, I REALLY hope I'm ready for Santa tonight. I've checked my list several times and I keep checking. At my age, one just has to do that. There is always something to be forgotten.
Perhaps a change of mindset would do. I just need to keep rehearsing for Christmas - whatever comes to past. I rehearse music frequently. Translate that into rehearsing for the holidays. Just keep playing the music and the mood takes care of itself. If only the mind could be trusted. The mind is such a precious thing, yet so easy to attack, befuddle or allow to go fallow. Yet, no matter. Forward! Que sera, sera! Don't say anything about dated. Lucky I can remember! This too is a good sign! Ho ho ho! Peace on earth!

'Twas the night before the night before Christmas

On the night before Christmas I am always in church and it is a long night. So probably there will be no blog post for the night before Christmas unless ghosts awaken me during the night - IF I ever really get to sleep! The problem with Christmas Eve night is that it is hard to wind down after church to get sufficient sleep to get up the next morning and go back to church. I had my last appointment with the urologist today to set me free post prostatectomy. It is indeed a good thing to cross a doctor off the list in these latter years. I am already praying that some other malady doesn't crop up in 2010 - you know foot in 2006, prostate in 2008 - I would rather avoid the obvious pattern. We had a holiday luncheon at work. I did a half day so I could attend lunch. As usual, I have use-or-lose to be frittered away before the end of the year, complicated, of course, by furlough days - oh joy! I spent most of the night cooking - much better than thinking about normal life. Christmas music on the stereo helps to keep the season moving forward. I hope the magic of the season touches and blesses as many people as I can think of - and more! I think peace would be the greatest gift for everyone.

Food Glorious Food

Perhaps I should save this title until after Christmas, but today it is all about planning food. I've made my list and checked it twice. Tomorrow is last minute grocery shopping to make all the goodies that have to go to complement the various holiday festivities. I have become the vegetable expert. No weird stuff for holiday gatherings - just basics. The HUGE disadvantage of having such a small house - it is hard to have more than just the smallest number of people in. I need to have at least a few people in to show off my beautiful kitchen floor. But cooking for gatherings elsewhere is great fun. Heck, just cooking for me is great fun. I'm still learning good things to make. Who would have thought that rutabagas would be just the thing for in-between eating to keep the diabetes in control. Gee, and the doctor just let me in on another secret I didn't know: if the sugar gets too crazy, just increase the meds cuz I'm on such a low dose anyway. It's all so easy. And great-grandmother would be pleased because on Christmas morning, finally, after all these years of singing in church, it's Ihr Kinderlein kommet (O Come Little Children) - in German! I will never forget when great-grandmother sang it for me in her 80's or 90's, showing me that she still remembered the German. Now, I will sing it for her! - and cook for everyone else whose path I will cross!

The Goose is Getting Fat

One week until Christmas eve...Traveling does not help to accomplish holiday preparations. I usually try to get the decorating and preparations done around or before December 6, St. Nicholas day. Tonight is Advent Lessons and Carols - for me almost as big as Christmas Eve. I will need the help of the Almighty, as my cold still lingers. I need to be in top form. I accomplished absolutely NO preparations for Christmas in the house before today. Today, I changed out the bathroom and the bedroom, the decorated the front bay window, and hung the Christmas wreath on the door. I think I'm going to forego outside lights because I just don't have time. Maybe Saurday! Again, laundry all day! It never stops. Of course, now with allergies blooming with old age, everything always gets washed every time it is used, curtains, shower curtains, throw rugs, sheets, towels. I guess it is really not different, but I am more aware of making sure it is done and changing fabrics in the house more frequently. Christmas cards have begun to arrive and I haven't even checked my stock. I don't remember if I remembered to stock up during the after-Christmas sales. Growing into my dotage I forget lots of things. I noticed when I put down the bathroom throw for Christmas it's a Ralph Lauren - I don't think I realized it when I bought it - largely rich red with gold & green botanical trim - NOT holly. Goes with my RL river rock paint over the plastic tiles in the bathroom. And you know, I didn't even try! WHo me coordinate? NEVER! I think I'm going to make bread in the machine every night now to experiment and possibly for some gifts. I think I'll be doing laundry every night too. Now that we know the governor has furloughed state employees, I'll have a bit more time, because I have to transfer two of my use-or lose days off. I laugh thinking how no matter what, time always seems to escape us so easily during holiday preparation time and then it's suddenly January. Three more days to the solstice. I always rejoice with the passing of the solstice because I do not relish so many hours of darkness. I like daylight when we don't have to fret about electricity use. But as Christmas approaches, I always put things in terms of the goose getting fat for the feeding and pleasure of many. I hope as the days pass there is increasing satisfaction and pleasure for the holidays. If only the laundry would stop!

Hotlanta

It's a tough job, but I had to go to Atlanta for meetings on midnight regulations. I've never been so subject to politics before, and I must say, I don't like it even if it does include a free trip to Atlanta. Surprisingly, the presentation was well-done, but the message was NOT to my liking. I was told that legal types are ready to go to court to ask for an injunction the day the regulations are published. Since these types of cases are file in the DC circuit, word is that they will probably win... which will make my trip to Atlanta just a junket. I didn't have much time. I got to tour CNN. I was amazed at how small the place where they actually did the election night coverage with all those millions of people is. I was looking for something interesting to eat and saw a menu posted on the outside of the building with soething called Twisted Macaroni with Cheese and Chicken that sounded interesting to me, and kind of like comfort food. I walked in to the restaurant to discover that I had wlked in to a Hard Rock Cafe. I would have never chosen the place if the menu outside had night tempted me. When I am in a different place, I always like to find the local hot spots that are NOT chains! It's still quite do-able. I was at the Peachtree Center also. I had planned to do some Christmas Shopping there, but was uninspired because it was just like a mall in Baltimore. I think part of our problem with the American economy is that all of our malls are the same now. We don't support little people, just giant conglomerates with glitzy displays in malls. Now, for my reading material for this trip, I picked up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which is the book about one family's effort to survive for a year solely on local food stuff that they either grew or traded with other local farming families. I was remembering my farming roots. I was remembering my aunt saying that they didn't know anything about the depression because they always had enough food and there was always plenty of work on the farm. I think the Wall Street debacle shows clearly that many Americans have lost their grip on reality. Why else would I have to go to Atlanta for meetings on midnight regulations that may get stopped in court? And then there is the question of did I enjoy my flight? Flying is great for time, but other than that,it is deadly dull. And I think we've really gone overboard with security. I really absolutely resent that travelers have no choice but to buy food and drink in the airports where they jack the price up for everything. There is definitely something wrong when an industry (and the government) assumes that everyone is rich and will pay higher prices for food, just because they happen to have an airline ticket. Hey, after, all, I don't even pay for my ticket, you do! But guess what. I don't think I've ever seen a homeless person or a welfare queen trying to get a seat for a short flight. Atlanta is good for walkers. I never knew it before. It's hilly! Oh, and the subway runs through rock. The station I had to use to get to and from my hotel was chiseled out of rock and left exposed for all to see. I liked that! BUT, Atlanta was NOT hot for this visit. It was cold and windy, just like it was when I left and when I returned to Baltimore. I was hoping for the milder southern breezes and temperatures. NOT this trip!

hematoma granuloma 2

Back in June I wrote about granuloma on my vocal chords. Yesterday, the ENT told me he doesn't believe it is a granuloma. He had also told me back in August about doing some sort of exploratory surgical procedure to further examine whatever it is, but yesterday he told me it may or may not explain what is going on. So now he says he wants me to do Nexium twice daily, going back to the original WRONG diagnosis of 3 years ago, and have yet another videograph in January - there have been five since June - to see what can be seen. Now add in the factor that DR. Brilliant is leaving Hopkins, which means he may or may not be there for however long it takes to follow up on this mystery. Then I watch Discovery Health channel where they show people who go through many years of agony and torture with doctors in cities all over the country before someone figures out the REAL diagnosis. I am beginning to think my vocal saga is the makings of another episode of Mystery Diagnosis for Discovery Health. Meanwhile I age, but the voice teacher says age is NOT the issue. Still, this is making me so distraught that I am considering just hanging up my hat and retiring from singing. I'll certainly be on the ball to publish the fact IF Discovery Health contacts me!

When the bow is seen in the clouds

...then I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature that is on the earth. Revered words from Genesis.
I have been nursing a cold all week-end and have become tired of cold symptoms and over-the-counter meds to treat those symptoms. The day grew blacker and blacker as storms moved upon us in the sky. But it was a curious afternoon with fleeting fits of sleet or hail and rain and stubborn sunlight refusing to be eradicated. I was glad to be driving home after a lackluster day of work. And then suddenly, I turned a corner and saw upon the horizon TRIPLE rainbows, and the first one was absolutely the widest rainbow I think I've ever seen in my life. At first I could only see two rainbows because the first one was so wide, but within a second or two I realized there were actually three! I wanted to stop and wonder, but unfortunately I was on a busy and dangerous street, so the best I could do is drive slowly to extend the wonder.
Wonder is uplifting!