Peace and good will to all.
A happy Christmas to those who celebrate!
Best wishes for a peaceful, healthy, and creative 2011 to all.
I'll be off to enjoy my Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian self at Midnight Mass several hours from now. This week, I have averaged 2 cakes or pies baked per day. Last night'sdinner was well stir-fried tofu & veg, a final nod to delicious but sensible eating before tomorrow's delightful gluttony.
Oranges! Fresh homemade bread from a neighbor! Rutabagas, turnips, and carrots fried in butter & dusted with cardamom! Turkey! Stuffing! Gravy! Collard greens! Giant lettuce salad with apples, walneuts, & dried cranberries! Reisling! Chess pie! A person could indulge in greater excess, but most aspects of my life are fairly spartan, so such a list represents wild dissipation for me.
As December draws to a close, I've consider the year & decide that I have been fortunate. Still working my multiple jobs, and I'm grateful to be tired from working & commuting rather than from an extended, intense job search. Family members are safe and reasonably healthy. Ancient car still runs. Donated to favorite charities despite tight budget. Weekly cardio kickboxing class continues. A different weekly class involves an intense dance workout and a dance-off, which has got to be one of the best ways to cast daily stress to the winds -- just get loose and silly for about 3.5 minutes (maybe six minutes if the song is a remix).
I've been welcomed to holiday parties in an old mansion, in a contemporary concrete and glass structure filled with contemporary art, and a party for one of my workplaces held inside an African American motorcycle club.
The business owner in the last situation has a personal connection to the motorcycle club (it's a long story, too many private details to risk as it's someone well-known). It was an entirely tidy, peaceful environment. Plentiful food, a raffle and the few bikers present -- Harley fanciers all -- were so laid back that few of them even danced or ate much, despite the powerful sound system that vibrated heavy hip-hop bass notes in your chest like an EKG machine, and the 12 feet long tables full of food. Some partygoers danced The Wobble. I like seeing people do line dances like this one because it reminds me of the Shim Sham (examples here and here) and other dances from the long history of Black dance in America (the arm movements done by the woman in the linked Wobble clip remind me of what someone might do when dancing the Charleston). I also like the line dances because no one has to feel as though they must wait for a partner to dance, and line dances are easier for older people (like me) to do.
I had a good time at each event. I'm lucky to know so many kind and interesting people, most of them from completely different worlds. No wonder I like Star Trek so much. Living in a modern American urban setting means that I cross many borders and interact with different cultures every time I leave the house...and often when I don't leave it.
Enjoy yourself. May something good happen over the weekend.
Best wishes for a peaceful, healthy, and creative 2011 to all.
I'll be off to enjoy my Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian self at Midnight Mass several hours from now. This week, I have averaged 2 cakes or pies baked per day. Last night'sdinner was well stir-fried tofu & veg, a final nod to delicious but sensible eating before tomorrow's delightful gluttony.
Oranges! Fresh homemade bread from a neighbor! Rutabagas, turnips, and carrots fried in butter & dusted with cardamom! Turkey! Stuffing! Gravy! Collard greens! Giant lettuce salad with apples, walneuts, & dried cranberries! Reisling! Chess pie! A person could indulge in greater excess, but most aspects of my life are fairly spartan, so such a list represents wild dissipation for me.
As December draws to a close, I've consider the year & decide that I have been fortunate. Still working my multiple jobs, and I'm grateful to be tired from working & commuting rather than from an extended, intense job search. Family members are safe and reasonably healthy. Ancient car still runs. Donated to favorite charities despite tight budget. Weekly cardio kickboxing class continues. A different weekly class involves an intense dance workout and a dance-off, which has got to be one of the best ways to cast daily stress to the winds -- just get loose and silly for about 3.5 minutes (maybe six minutes if the song is a remix).
I've been welcomed to holiday parties in an old mansion, in a contemporary concrete and glass structure filled with contemporary art, and a party for one of my workplaces held inside an African American motorcycle club.
The business owner in the last situation has a personal connection to the motorcycle club (it's a long story, too many private details to risk as it's someone well-known). It was an entirely tidy, peaceful environment. Plentiful food, a raffle and the few bikers present -- Harley fanciers all -- were so laid back that few of them even danced or ate much, despite the powerful sound system that vibrated heavy hip-hop bass notes in your chest like an EKG machine, and the 12 feet long tables full of food. Some partygoers danced The Wobble. I like seeing people do line dances like this one because it reminds me of the Shim Sham (examples here and here) and other dances from the long history of Black dance in America (the arm movements done by the woman in the linked Wobble clip remind me of what someone might do when dancing the Charleston). I also like the line dances because no one has to feel as though they must wait for a partner to dance, and line dances are easier for older people (like me) to do.
I had a good time at each event. I'm lucky to know so many kind and interesting people, most of them from completely different worlds. No wonder I like Star Trek so much. Living in a modern American urban setting means that I cross many borders and interact with different cultures every time I leave the house...and often when I don't leave it.
Enjoy yourself. May something good happen over the weekend.