So.
I just finished reading Julie & Julia, which is one of the best "easy reads" I've had all year and would highly recommend it to anyone. A woman named Julie (heh) who's living in NY, been married for over five years and is a permanent secretary decides to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child in one year. The book is hilarious and mostly about food, which of course was a huge interest to me. If you get the chance, pick it up. Seriously, it's worth it.
After reading any particularly good book I'm always inspired to do *something*. It's really more romantic than it sounds, seeing that it never leads to anything except the occasional extra load of laundry done or half page of journal written. Today I actually opened the windows to let some sun and fresh air in, seeing that I've caught my annual Easter Plague and still haven't managed to get over it. I initially thought it was just a head cold, but seeing that I'm heading into my fifth day and still feel like Pickled Shit I think it's a little more than that. I busted out the antibiotics yesterday and seem a little closer to human today, and maybe after I actually take a shower and shave if I have the energy (you seriously do NOT want to see my legs omgz forest yuck) I might even be all right when I have to go out tonight and work.
Yeah, it's Holy Week. Those of you that Don't Care what Holy Week is, you might as well go back to YouTube and look up Alanis Morrisette's version of Fergie's "My Humps" (I shit you not, it exists). For the rest of you, Holy Week is the week between Palm Sunday (this past Sunday) and Easter Sunday (which most of you know is this Sunday - even if you don't celebrate it's on pretty much every goddamn calendar out there plus the appearance of seven million shitty stuffed rabbits and crap plastic eggs in every store since the end of February should have clued you in). Palm Sunday has some pretty big music in it, so I had to bust out the bell choir and the children's choir (which consists of six kids that can't sing but I bribe them regularly with candy so they keep coming back) and make it all sound good while hopped up on enough decongestant to clear up the nose on an elephant.
Then comes Holy Thursday, which is the Thursday after Palm Sunday, and traditionally has something to do with the Last Supper. In my church's case, we all get together in the main gathering area, eat some crappy chicken soup and plain bread, sing something miserable and then read paragraphs one by one while putting out candles. It's actually a nice ceremony, but there's only about 30 people who give a shit about it. That's a shame.
Good Friday is next. That's the Actual Day Christ Died, and it's a day Catholics beat themselves with pain sticks, don't eat meat/fast all day, and remind the world it's their day to be Religiously Miserable. The Jews have Yom Kippur, the Catholics have Good Friday.
Holy Saturday is your traditional Filler Day. Okay, not really, but the whole saying is "on the third day he rose again," and Saturday was the actual Sabbath observed back then, so they couldn't do anything with the body except dump it in a cave and plan to come back on Sunday.
Annnnnnd now we have Easter Sunday. The Biggest Liturgical Day of the Year, the day most of this whole religious stuff is built around, the Death and Resurrection and Let's Have a Celebration By Hopping Our Kids Up On Too Much Sugar, Dress Them In Cute Clothes and Haul Them To Church Day. Bring out the trumpets, the ridiculously difficult music no one really cares about and the Twice a Year Churchgoers (who think that by going to church on Christmas and Easter they can still count themselves as Good Christians, and hey, they fill up the donation plate during the offertory so maybe they are). We sing the first Alleluia since Ash Wednesday 40 days ago and generally have as much of a Good Time as Christians allow themselves to in a church.
This is my Christmas of retail, my Back to School of office supply stores, my Biggest Client Wants Twice As Much In Half the Time of corporate jobs. I work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday officially with prep work taking place on Friday and Saturday. Usually my Easter plague comes from the stress of trying to make sure everything is Exactly Right when it really doesn't matter what the hell I produce as long as it sounds good and the people are happy.
They are happy, for the most part - except for the fact that my last Sunday at this particular church is April 15. I've taken a new job in the lower half of the state that involves a 60 minute commute one way (don't ask) but also offers twice the pay AND health and dental, which is a far cry from the pat on the ass I get now. It's a big step for me, not just the drive but the job itself because the church is in a Rich Town and they're asking for the sun, the moon and the stars. I'll eventually be able to give it to them, but I've already made it Quite Clear that it'll be accomplished at my own pace and will take some time to get there. I can work miracles, but only when I'm damn good and ready.
On that note, I think I'll call it a day for this entry.