Science (non) Fiction

LOLCats are my new current obsession - I don’t even think I can explain why I find them funny, but I do, quite hysterically so. So I’m going to share a few of my more recent favorites.

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

We’re about to head into our last, crazy week of rehearsals for this year’s production of Handel’s Messiah with The Mozart Club of Winston Salem. I was looking back through my posts for this time last year and found this, and it pretty much sums up how I still feel about Messiah, so I’m re-printing it here. The 2007 performance will be at Reynolds Auditorium at 3pm on Sunday, December 2nd - hope to see you there!

I’m performing in the chorus of Handel’s magnificent oratorio Messiah this weekend (Dec 3rd at 3pm in Reynolds Auditorium, for those interested). The community group that sponsors didn’t perform it last year, but I’ve done it every other year I’ve been in Winston Salem since I started graduate school. And moreso this year than any of the years previously (mostly cause I haven’t been doing any choral singing for over a year now), I’m so grateful for this chance to sing a masterpiece with other people who love Messiah as much as I do, with really great soloists and instrumentalists who do the work justice in performance.

We’ve had our rehearsals this week with the guest conductor who’s come in from NYC (he’s the choral conductor for the NYC Opera), and it’s amazing how much physical work actually goes into singing something like this. I was exhausted after a 2.5 hour rehearsal last night, and in pretty much the same place tonight after another one. But there are times in the middle of rehearsal where you can catch these glimpses of the genius of Handel, things that no matter how many times you’ve sung it will suddenly catch you by surprise; the power of a lyric you hear in a different way, or the clarity of an ascending line from the sopranos that brings a deep emotional response.

And every year, I’m amazed at the poignancy of his description of Christ’s birth, and the vitriole and anguish expressed in the Passion section, and the joy found in the Resurrection. Handel’s choruses describing the trial and death of Jesus are full of text-painting, with chorusmembers representing at one point the angry mob calling for Christ’s crucifixion (’He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him’), and at another the whips during His beatings (’The chastisment of our peace was upon Him’). Our guest conductor this year describes Messiah as more opera than oratorio and I think I agree with him - singing it, you feel like you’re living in the middle of ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’, not just standing by watching it.

And it’s a good reminder as I kick off the busy holiday season, that beyond the ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’ platitudes, there is this: that Christ’s arrival on eath as a baby, while miraculous and glorious on its own, fits in the much larger scheme of God’s plan for redemption, and that His birth would mean little to us without his subsequent death on the cross. And that, friends, is what Messiah means to me.

It’s been a long time since I posted last - sorry. Things have been really busy, and I’ll eventually try to update you about the goings-on in my life lately. But that will have to wait til I have more time. Until then, enjoy this list.

Things you might not know about me

1. I almost have to have the toilet paper roll over the top in order to use it - it drives me crazy to have it come out from the bottom.

2. I care way too much what people think about me. I’m working on that.

3. I think I walk in a strange way - when the ground is wet, my shoes throw water droplets onto the backs of my calves - does that happen to everyone?

4. I have a tiny scar under my right eye from falling into a metal-rimmed ping-pong table when I was little.

5. My handwriting varies a lot from day to day - I mean, if I signed two checks on two different days, it might look like two completely different people signed them.

6. I am often easily coerced into agreeing with you, unless I really don’t like you.

7. I hate throwing anything away. Seriously, anything.

8. I am seriously bothered by grown adults who refer to themselves in the third person. *shudder*

9. I don’t like talking to people I don’t know on the phone. Though I’m getting better at that.

10. I can’t wink my right eye, only my left. And I apparently have no control over my right eyebrow.

There you go. 10 useless facts about me. To tide you over until I can really post.

I think I need to take more risks.

(I’m sure this would get a resounding AMEN from my mother at this point, actually. So I’ll pause for that.)

I have never been much of a risk-taker - even as a kid, I think. I was never the one that went the highest up in the climbing tree, or that liked to speed around corners on roller skates (or later, roller blades), or that enjoyed having the older boys in the neighborhood take me on go cart rides careening through the streets. This has led to not liking roller coasters, or downhill skiing, or going too fast in cars.

And I think a lot of it comes down to me needing to have control over what’s going on with me and the things around me. If I don’t feel like I have control over my body when downhill skiing, for example, that removes all of the enjoyment from it, despite the adrenaline rush from the speed. And maybe that means that I just need more experience (and/or lessons), so that I do have a bit more control, but part of me feels like it’s the desire for control in the first place that’s the problem.

I know that I’m not ultimately in control of my life - that’s in God’s hands, and I can say that I trust Him with my life, but am I actually living that? Is my fear showing a lack of faith in God’s ability to rule my life?

(And this totally applies to things less physical than roller coasters as well. Like taking risks with relationships and telling people how I really feel. But that’s a whole other post.)

Now I’m not talking about sky-diving or base jumping or anything crazy. But I’m thinking I could use a little more ‘risk’ in my life. Maybe a roller coaster at the fair this week? or pulling out the roller blades for some roller derby-style racing? or heading up to Virginia for some downhill skiing when it turns chillier? I am open to suggestions for my risky-ness. What do you think?

I seem to oscillate in my music choices for running lately - between music with a really strong beat, and music with really strong lyrics. Sometimes I need the push of the rhythm to keep me moving when I feel like quitting, and then sometimes I need to have something other than my own thoughts to focus on, words that draw me away from all the stuff cluttering up my life. So tonight when I started my run (2 miles, woo!), I began with (and continued with) Indelible Grace. I love the depth of the lyrics, written long ago, but now set to different, beautiful melodies. This one especially struck me tonight, so I’m sharing it with you. It was just the thing I needed to hear tonight, so maybe it will be just the thing you need to hear too.

Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner’s prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet

A random list of things I currently love:

~ Sugar-free popsicles - yummy, especially in the heat we’ve been having.

~ Robert Sean Leonard - also yummy I’m watching House season 3, so I get to see lots of him as Dr. James Wilson.

~ Over the Rhine’s new album, The Trumpet Child - so awesome and beautiful.

~ Gail Godwin’s books - Father Melancholy’s Daughter was incredible, and Evensong is also enjoyable so far.

~ COBigelow Mentha Lip Tint from B&BW - yummy (again) and light color.

OK, I finally bit the bullet and cut my hair - it was soooo hot at that length, and had no body at all - so we cut a whole hunk off for Locks of Love, which Rebecca demanded to document. For those of you who won’t see me for a while, I am providing here picture evidence of the new look.

Last picture with long hair:

The big cut:

New ‘do:

…aaaaand now I have ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ stuck in my head. Maybe you do too. I’ve been getting really random songs stuck in my head lately - songs that have no reason to be there - songs like ‘Baby got back’ that I shouldn’t even know all the words to (but I do). It wasn’t even playing on the radio in lab, it just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and I found myself humming it as I was making media. Then someone walking by heard and asked what I was humming and when I stopped to think about what I was humming, I was shocked to realize it was ‘Baby got back’. And it chose to stay there all day - nice for me. hehe.

In other news - my parents are heading up to Wisconsin for a vacation/’quick dash to see everyone’ trip - they are (I’m pretty sure) taking the cute new Civic they just bought - it’s a lovely dark blue and very nice. My brother is happily working in Los Angeles, looking into getting his own place with a friend or two, and getting some good experience in production by working on the set of The Biggest Loser as they wrapped the current season last week. I told him he has to get a nice enough apartment/house that I can come and visit once I get a real grown-up job and can take a vacation.

Things I’ve done lately: saw Top Gun at an outdoor movie showing (fun!), saw Paris Je T’aime with some girlfriends (sooo fun and a cute movie! 18 short films set in Paris in one movie!), got Dawn moved into her new camp in Reidsville (she has her own nice big room) and hit a new high score in Wii bowling (for me, that is - 228, baby!). Lots of fun, but I need a little down time, if only to do some laundry and cleaning.

Have you ever had the sudden realization that the way that you see something is not the way that some people see the same thing? That your impression of something, be it a person or a situation or whatever, is quite different compared with perhaps the person next to you? How do you reconcile something like that? I’m having trouble trusting my feelings/impressions about things when they can be so radically different from person to person. Is that just par for the course in life?

From Over the Rhine’s newest album, The Trumpet Child, here are the lyrics for the title track - simply amazing, even without the powerful trumpet accompaniment. I strongly recommend the album, which has probably become my favorite of their albums for me so far - track me down and make me play it for you on my iPod, if nothing else!

The trumpet child will blow his horn
Will blast the sky till it’s reborn
With Gabriel’s power and Satchmo’s grace
He will surprise the human race

The trumpet he will use to blow
Is being fashioned out of fire
The mouthpiece is a glowing coal
The bell a burst of wild desire

The trumpet child will riff on love
Thelonious notes from up above
He’ll improvise a kingdom come
Accompanied by a different drum

The trumpet child will banquet here
Until the lost are truly found
A thousand days, a thousand years
Nobody knows for sure how long

The rich forget about their gold
The meek and mild are strangely bold
A lion lies beside a lamb
And licks a murderer’s outstretched hand

The trumpet child will lift a glass
His bride now leaning in at last
His final aim to fill with joy
The earth that man all but destroyed

OK, so it’s been too long since I updated, but there’s been a lot going on, some of it just not blog-worthy or blog-appropriate. (that sounds slightly dirty, sorry.)

~ My college sorority had a reunion a couple weekends ago in the mountains of Pigeon Forge (which, incidentally, is like Myrtle Beach in the mountains - and if you don’t already know how I feel about Myrtle Beach, I should tell you that I HATE it.). We ate a lot, reminisced, looked at oooold pictures and went to Dixie Stampede - a lot of fun, but very little sleep was had with that many girls in one house.

~ We are now looking seriously at a December graduation, largely dependent on my productivity over the next couple months, as well as my committee’s mood at the time of our meeting. But I’m looking into job possibilities and have some good ones so far, though nothing is definite yet. I will almost certainly have to leave the area, which makes me sad, but there will hopefully be a chance for me to return sometime soon. We’ll see…

~ The brother is working at Sony pictures right now - he’s been making some good contacts with people in the industry and helping with some indy productions (is that right?) - he’s looking for a place to rent, possibly with a couple friends he’s got who are currently or soon will be out in LA, so that’s exciting. Maybe they will find a place big enough that I can come out and visit after I have a real job. (please?)

~ I got to spend some time with some girlfriends this part weekend - it was a really nice, relaxing weekend, nothing super-structured or formal, and I had a really good time - drinking wine, talking, playing with the new bunnies (!) and watching movies.

~ My friend Dawn and I are going to try to run a 5K in the fall, so I really have to get back to training - I haven’t really run since the early spring, so I’m way not ready right now - and I pulled a muscle in my lower back a couple weeks ago, but that’s almost completely resolved now, so I have no excuses. I even bought new running shoes, since I’d worn through the backs of my previous ones.

~ I’ve slipped back into my habit of reading several books at once, so that has changed my reading pattern a bit - it takes me longer to finish an individual book with several going together, but then I finish a bunch all together. It’s largely because of book clubs and when the library happens to get certain books to me, but I should really go back to my original rule of one at a time. Anyway, after finishing the Harry Potter series (finally!!!), I’ve moved into Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, mourning over the completion of my beloved HP children’s series. I’ve gotten really sucked into them (I’m almost finished with #2), though I don’t think they compare all that well with the complexity of Harry Potter or some other children’s series - they are quite enthralling on a plot-level, and the major children characters are precocious but sympathetic. (Plus, I’m listening to them on CD in the car, and one of the major characters is voiced by this guy who sounds EXactly like Colin Firth!!! Awesomeness!) I’m also reading Bel Canto for a book club, and I’m constantly struck by the beauty of the writing - and I have to admit, I’m rarely focused on the writing over the plot, but I’ve definitely stopped reading several times and sat there stunned by the incredible way in which things have been described. I’m about halfway through, and I’m looking forward to our eventual discussion.

OK, that’s enough for now - this fall is shaping up to be a very busy time for me, but I will try to keep this more up-to-date than it’s been the past couple months. Even if it’s just what I’d reading or what I’m doing.