One more for 07

Summing up the year the cheap way, with a meme. Answers in blue.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Witnessed the Jayhawks beat the living snot out of the Huskers.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't even remember making a resolution last year. This year I resolve not to forget my resolution. My resolution is not to buy any more shirts that are too small for my freakishly long body and even more freakishly wide shoulders and long arms, just because they are on clearance.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Just missed this. My baby sister had a baby last New Year's Eve. Happy B-day baby C!

4. Did anyone close to you die? My Grandma.

5. What countries did you visit? Marioland, Babyland, Christamas land, Lava land, Spongebob land, Ad infinitum. All courtesy of a four year old's imagination. Oh, and Texas (for real).

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? More energy

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Mural painting.

8. What was your biggest failure? I wish I would have stood up stronger to a certain jerk of a human. Oh and I wish I were more forgiving.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope

10. What was the best thing you bought? My French press.

11. Where did most of your money go? With three teens in the house, food.

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The season premier of Heroes. How pathetic.

13. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? a) happier. b)the same. c)poorer, we are paying for insurance for two teen boy drivers.

14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Dating my husband. Getting my bible study done daily instead of cramming it all in on the last day of the week (I am getting better at this). Actively participating in the four year old's games. Spending time alone with each of my kids. Non computer artwork.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying.

16. What was the best book you read? This was a year of reading books so I could read them before the movie. More often than not I never make it to the movie. I just finished reading Atonement. I has really gotten under my skin. I was often frustrated while reading this book because it requires a level of attention that I'm barely capable of at the moment. I'm also not quite sure I agree that there was any actual "atonement" made in the plot. I can't get the story out of my mind though. I think it was written beautifully in sometimes agonizing detail and self reflection. It contains the most fantastically accurate description of a migraine that I have ever read. I'm undecided about seeing the movie. I'll probably rent it.

17. What did you want and get? A tall table for my kitchen

18. What did you want and not get? A vacation in San Diego.

19. What kept you sane? Prayer, my own and others. Breathing. Smiling.

20. Who did you miss? I really missed my Grandma at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Happy New Year Interwebs!

Breaking News

I'm poking my head in from all the Christmas merriment to bring you this breaking news alert. Peter Jackson to produce The Hobbit movies! Yes, not one, but two movies. And, while I still haven't really gotten over what he did to Faramir and the fact that he brought Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath, this is fantastic news to me. I now have something to look forward to again, cinematically speaking. The release date is planned for 2010 so the four year old will be in school all day and I can slink off to the local theater on opening day. I'm not geeky enough to sit in line, dressed in character for the midnight show but I do like to see the first show on opening day with all the other fringe geeks.

OK , back to your regularly scheduled merriment.

The Iceman Cometh

Apologies to Eugene O'neill.

What is it with KC. Nine times out of ten our "big" winter storms come in the form of ice. I remember coming to KC to pick up my brother from the Art Institute one year, I noticed that the forested areas off the interstate looked like someone had inserted giant toothpicks randomly throughout. I later came to realize that those were tree trunks snapped like twigs as a result of heavy ice.

Our forecasters are predicting the second ice age tonight, that is, if (big if), the temperature stays below 32 degrees. Bring it on. It can't be worse than the "Storm of 02" That was the storm that showed me what a big baby I am. Five days without power. Five days! I worry for our trees though. One more branch off the gum tree in back and it's surely a goner. Oh well, more free fire wood. Bundle up and stay warm people. I'm off to shop for provisions.

If the Angels Created a Metal Band

I think it would sound pretty much like Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It is a commonly known fact, as any fan of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure can tell you, that symphonic music + metal = eargasm. Sorry to be indelicate but there it is. My magnificent husband surprised me one day (in October) with tickets to this year's concert. If you are unfamiliar with their music perhaps you have seen this video that made the rounds last year, or the year before. The music is TSO's Wizards in Winter. Honestly, I prefer to feel my Christmas Carols. Feel them as a driving beat in my gut. Look, I know this doesn't really wash with my attitude from a few posts back about mall music but let me back pedal a little bit. It's all about the venue. Loud music while shopping? bad. Loud music in a 15,000 seat auditorium? good. And lights, lots and lots of lights. Strobe, laser, spot, pyrotechnics and spewing flames, all good.

Here is a crudcam photo of me and my husband in our awesome seats. We got bumped from our back of the auditorium seats to the floor, twelve rows back center stage. Insane.
Here is a crudcam video of the finale. Note the bald head right in front of me reflecting the breathtaking lightshow.



If they are ever in your neighborhood it is a show well worth the price of a ticket.

Christmas Fun

Or what passes for it at our house.


See how the front end feels about it?


Don't feel to sad for him, he got a piece of cheese out of the deal.

I know I'm not the boss of you,

but I really think you should go check this out at my favorite blog.