Random stuff
- We put up the tree and decorations last weekend. It feels nice to walk around and have decorations that remind me of happy times. Here's the tree:
This was before the kitties realized how fun the ornaments are to play with (now all of the ornaments have been hung at least 2 feet above the bottom). The stockings hung are the stockings for the kitties we've lost. The rest are ones we've had forever, including ones Sis and I made as little kids. Traditions are cool.
- I caught a cold at the clinic on Friday, I think. Yesterday evening, I all of the sudden got completely congested, my nose started running, and my throat started hurting. This morning, I can't breathe, my maxillary sinuses (the cheek ones) hurt like a bitch, and I'm running out of kleenex. I'm just hoping that the two sudafed (the real stuff you have to present your driver's license to buy, not the OTC stuff that is basically useless) will kick in soon. If you never hear from me again, it's because my face has exploded.
- Sis and I went to a concert last night. Doug was playing cornet in the Houston Brass Band and we went to see him. However, the band was following a choir that sucked. Like SUCKED. SERIOUSLY BLACK HOLE-TYPE SUCKAGE. They sang twelve songs, each in a different language, all relating to winter holidays. I think the concept was great, but the execution... wow. They had to be given starting chords for each song, they missed cues, didn't enunciate, and were totally not on pitch. And the director... holy crap. His conducting style was really weird, and it showed in how the choir responded. He seemed to only cue the entrances for the sopranos, and completely neglected the altos on the opposite side. He also got down from the podium, walked to the choir, and gestured like a curtain call after every song. I was like, "dude, we get it, they sang. Move on." I've never seen that before. Usually, you just see the conductor turn around and bow, or step off the podium for a minute, and then get right back to the next piece. The worst, though, was when they tried the Hallelujah Chorus. The sopranos were so off pitch at the highest "king of kings" I actually cringed.
Once the band came out, however, the mood of the whole place changed, like everyone thought "I'm so glad that's finally over." They only got to play four pieces, but they killed it. Doug was hilarious, because he joined in with the choir bashing after the show, and actually said that the band wouldn't be doing this again, but they got $2000 for it, so they did it. It's an English-style brass band, which, as the director said, "which means no French horns." Instead of trumpets and french horns, they use cornets, fluglehorns, and alto horns. Very nifty. This is Doug:
- Also, THE TEXANS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!! WOOOO!! FIRST TIME EVER BABY!! And this is with a rookie quarterback leading, since both our first- and second-string qbs have been sidelined by injuries. Just incredible. The game yesterday? They won by one point in the last 30 seconds of the game. Wow. Needless to say, Houston is just berserk today. The last time Houston had a football team in the playoffs, the Oilers made it in in 1991. Of course, they lost, and never did get in again (because they sucked).
- I'm going to go make some toast because I'm nauseated like crazy. Blech. At least Monsieur is making me feel better:
This was before the kitties realized how fun the ornaments are to play with (now all of the ornaments have been hung at least 2 feet above the bottom). The stockings hung are the stockings for the kitties we've lost. The rest are ones we've had forever, including ones Sis and I made as little kids. Traditions are cool.
- I caught a cold at the clinic on Friday, I think. Yesterday evening, I all of the sudden got completely congested, my nose started running, and my throat started hurting. This morning, I can't breathe, my maxillary sinuses (the cheek ones) hurt like a bitch, and I'm running out of kleenex. I'm just hoping that the two sudafed (the real stuff you have to present your driver's license to buy, not the OTC stuff that is basically useless) will kick in soon. If you never hear from me again, it's because my face has exploded.
- Sis and I went to a concert last night. Doug was playing cornet in the Houston Brass Band and we went to see him. However, the band was following a choir that sucked. Like SUCKED. SERIOUSLY BLACK HOLE-TYPE SUCKAGE. They sang twelve songs, each in a different language, all relating to winter holidays. I think the concept was great, but the execution... wow. They had to be given starting chords for each song, they missed cues, didn't enunciate, and were totally not on pitch. And the director... holy crap. His conducting style was really weird, and it showed in how the choir responded. He seemed to only cue the entrances for the sopranos, and completely neglected the altos on the opposite side. He also got down from the podium, walked to the choir, and gestured like a curtain call after every song. I was like, "dude, we get it, they sang. Move on." I've never seen that before. Usually, you just see the conductor turn around and bow, or step off the podium for a minute, and then get right back to the next piece. The worst, though, was when they tried the Hallelujah Chorus. The sopranos were so off pitch at the highest "king of kings" I actually cringed.
Once the band came out, however, the mood of the whole place changed, like everyone thought "I'm so glad that's finally over." They only got to play four pieces, but they killed it. Doug was hilarious, because he joined in with the choir bashing after the show, and actually said that the band wouldn't be doing this again, but they got $2000 for it, so they did it. It's an English-style brass band, which, as the director said, "which means no French horns." Instead of trumpets and french horns, they use cornets, fluglehorns, and alto horns. Very nifty. This is Doug:
- Also, THE TEXANS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!! WOOOO!! FIRST TIME EVER BABY!! And this is with a rookie quarterback leading, since both our first- and second-string qbs have been sidelined by injuries. Just incredible. The game yesterday? They won by one point in the last 30 seconds of the game. Wow. Needless to say, Houston is just berserk today. The last time Houston had a football team in the playoffs, the Oilers made it in in 1991. Of course, they lost, and never did get in again (because they sucked).
- I'm going to go make some toast because I'm nauseated like crazy. Blech. At least Monsieur is making me feel better: