still a better love story than Twilight #70808
So I took Mary and Christine's advice and just went with the most makeshift Advent "wreath" ever. It ended up being a bread plate with green tissue paper taped around the edge, and four white tealights in the middle. LOL. We had yet another minor fight about what exactly we should do as our "ceremony." Probably mostly because we were both of us thwarted by Pippa in our napping ambitions today (we both wanted a nap; she didn't) so we were on edge. Some couples fight about finances, others about jealousy, we start sniping about prayer texts.
What we ended up doing is singing just the antiphon of Rorate Caeli, the Advent Prose ("drop down dew ye heavens from above, and let the clouds rain the just"); then Gordon read the traditional Collect as he lit the candle ("Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, O Lord, and come, so that we may escape through Thy protection and be saved by Thy help from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins.") And that was all. Pippa got to blow out the candle.
I'm hoping sometime this week I can upgrade to a better wreath, at least one with the correctly colored candles.
Next week, since it's John the Baptist, we're probably going to sing "On Jordan's Bank".
----
My husband just made me some hot chocolate. <3
Is it just me or is one of the best parts of hot chocolate from a mix the little clumps of not-quite-mixed-mix? I love them.
---
I stumbled across, most unexpectedly, a mention of the soap opera Guiding Light, and was instantly taken back to 1998-9, when I was 12-3 years old, and completely obsessed with the couple Danny and Michelle on that show.
See, when I came home from school, it was usually just about time for GL to start on TV (4pm) and my mother usually had it on mostly as background noise. I never paid it much attention either until the Danny and Michelle storyline started up.
Stereotypically they say that the pubescent female's first crush(es)/fantasy(ies) tend to be those that embody a paradox of danger and safety. Danny/Michelle definitely fits that mold. In brief, Michelle kills a man who is attacking her in self defense; the man is Danny's older brother, and they're both part of a crime family, and he comes to the area to kill his killer; when he finds out it's Michelle, he believes her that it was self-defense, but says that his family will insist she be killed anyway... unless she marries him (Danny), because family never kills family. But that it will just be a show marriage.
So we have an forced, false marriage to an honorable gangster. Danger/safety? Check.
Danny ends up falling in love with Michelle pretty quickly, but it takes her MUCH longer to reciprocate, and even when she reciprocates she doesn't want to reciprocate for a while after that, and when she does want to reciprocate the universe still throws a million bizarre obstacles in their way (because it's a soap opera) like bombs planted in churches, fake blindness, Michelle being framed for murder, and of course (altogether now) amnesia!
Gotta have amnesia. It's a soap opera rule.
Anyway as the plots started getting more ridiculous, and I started staying after at school more for activities (and thus missed the show), I lost interest in it. But there was a while there where I was totally obsessed.
When I first rediscovered this, I was thinking I should probably cut the Twilight and worse books fangirls some slack for falling for the bad boy fantasy, but then I watched this clip and realized why I loved this couple and why Michelle was awesome:
Michelle is furious that Danny's mother has decorated their bedroom to look like a boudoir
Michelle: I don't know what you were hoping would happen, but I wouldn't sleep with you if my life depended on it.
Danny: But it does. Our marriage looking real is the only thing keeping my mother from killing you and everyone you love. You know, you could be just a little bit grateful.
Michelle: Grateful? Is that what this is? I’m supposed to fall into bed with you out of gratitude. Give myself to you in lieu of flowers and a thank you note?
interruption by Danny's mother; after she leaves:
Danny: Haven’t you gotten it yet, Michelle? All of this is for you. Everything that I have done, I’ve done keeping you alive. I didn’t say anything to my mother just now because I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive. It’s not about my mother, it’s not about my brother anymore either, it’s about you... and me.
Michelle: There is no you and me, Danny... You saved my life, and I'm grateful, but that's as far as it goes. I don't love you, I'm sorry. No, actually, I'm not sorry.
Danny: We are stuck together. It would be better if we could find a way to make it work.
Michelle: There is no "making this work." You are keeping me hostage!
Danny: Maybe you should just relax and you might find out that I'm not so bad.
Michelle: If a hostage falls for their captor, that's a psychological disorder! This is not the beginning of wedded bless or a great love story or even a one night stand. I am going to find a way to get out of this and keep my family safe too.
Danny starts getting undressed
Michelle: What are you doing?!
Danny: I think it's called getting ready for bed.
Michelle: I didn't see any pajamas laid out for you.
Danny: That would be because I don’t wear pajamas.
Michelle: What do you wear?
Danny: Nothing.
Michelle: Not tonight.
Danny: Touche.
What we ended up doing is singing just the antiphon of Rorate Caeli, the Advent Prose ("drop down dew ye heavens from above, and let the clouds rain the just"); then Gordon read the traditional Collect as he lit the candle ("Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, O Lord, and come, so that we may escape through Thy protection and be saved by Thy help from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins.") And that was all. Pippa got to blow out the candle.
I'm hoping sometime this week I can upgrade to a better wreath, at least one with the correctly colored candles.
Next week, since it's John the Baptist, we're probably going to sing "On Jordan's Bank".
----
My husband just made me some hot chocolate. <3
Is it just me or is one of the best parts of hot chocolate from a mix the little clumps of not-quite-mixed-mix? I love them.
---
I stumbled across, most unexpectedly, a mention of the soap opera Guiding Light, and was instantly taken back to 1998-9, when I was 12-3 years old, and completely obsessed with the couple Danny and Michelle on that show.
See, when I came home from school, it was usually just about time for GL to start on TV (4pm) and my mother usually had it on mostly as background noise. I never paid it much attention either until the Danny and Michelle storyline started up.
Stereotypically they say that the pubescent female's first crush(es)/fantasy(ies) tend to be those that embody a paradox of danger and safety. Danny/Michelle definitely fits that mold. In brief, Michelle kills a man who is attacking her in self defense; the man is Danny's older brother, and they're both part of a crime family, and he comes to the area to kill his killer; when he finds out it's Michelle, he believes her that it was self-defense, but says that his family will insist she be killed anyway... unless she marries him (Danny), because family never kills family. But that it will just be a show marriage.
So we have an forced, false marriage to an honorable gangster. Danger/safety? Check.
Danny ends up falling in love with Michelle pretty quickly, but it takes her MUCH longer to reciprocate, and even when she reciprocates she doesn't want to reciprocate for a while after that, and when she does want to reciprocate the universe still throws a million bizarre obstacles in their way (because it's a soap opera) like bombs planted in churches, fake blindness, Michelle being framed for murder, and of course (altogether now) amnesia!
Gotta have amnesia. It's a soap opera rule.
Anyway as the plots started getting more ridiculous, and I started staying after at school more for activities (and thus missed the show), I lost interest in it. But there was a while there where I was totally obsessed.
When I first rediscovered this, I was thinking I should probably cut the Twilight and worse books fangirls some slack for falling for the bad boy fantasy, but then I watched this clip and realized why I loved this couple and why Michelle was awesome:
Michelle is furious that Danny's mother has decorated their bedroom to look like a boudoir
Michelle: I don't know what you were hoping would happen, but I wouldn't sleep with you if my life depended on it.
Danny: But it does. Our marriage looking real is the only thing keeping my mother from killing you and everyone you love. You know, you could be just a little bit grateful.
Michelle: Grateful? Is that what this is? I’m supposed to fall into bed with you out of gratitude. Give myself to you in lieu of flowers and a thank you note?
interruption by Danny's mother; after she leaves:
Danny: Haven’t you gotten it yet, Michelle? All of this is for you. Everything that I have done, I’ve done keeping you alive. I didn’t say anything to my mother just now because I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive. It’s not about my mother, it’s not about my brother anymore either, it’s about you... and me.
Michelle: There is no you and me, Danny... You saved my life, and I'm grateful, but that's as far as it goes. I don't love you, I'm sorry. No, actually, I'm not sorry.
Danny: We are stuck together. It would be better if we could find a way to make it work.
Michelle: There is no "making this work." You are keeping me hostage!
Danny: Maybe you should just relax and you might find out that I'm not so bad.
Michelle: If a hostage falls for their captor, that's a psychological disorder! This is not the beginning of wedded bless or a great love story or even a one night stand. I am going to find a way to get out of this and keep my family safe too.
Danny starts getting undressed
Michelle: What are you doing?!
Danny: I think it's called getting ready for bed.
Michelle: I didn't see any pajamas laid out for you.
Danny: That would be because I don’t wear pajamas.
Michelle: What do you wear?
Danny: Nothing.
Michelle: Not tonight.
Danny: Touche.