laceblade

I think that my favorite Christmas songs tend to be the darker ones, or at least the ones with spookier melodies. I enjoy "What Child Is This?" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is probably my favorite.

Anyway, my family has celebrated Christmas Eve. We went to mass, and saw my niece Olivia sing in the children's choir. Afterwards, the family assembled at my sister's home for hors d'eourves, dinner, present-opening, etc. On Christmas Eve, we always take the kids into one of the bedrooms, and read the story about the birth of Jesus from a children's Bible. For whatever reason, my mom had left the children's Bible in the car, so I was given a regular Bible. Read the passages about the birth of Jesus from Luke. From Matthew. (Do Mark and John not have them? Or could I just not find them?) Finally, I just kept reading, and Jesus was giving the Sermon on the Mount by the time Santa finished delivering presents downstairs. Which was good, because, you know, eventually the story of Jesus isn't really a "OMG, be excited and happy, children!" story. Well, it is. But it isn't. You know what I mean.

I was even able to run to the library this morning, while doing all of my other errands. I now have some more manga to read, and DVDs to watch. I also received some from Santa Claus...Santa got me the omnibus edition of Magic Knight Rayearth, bwahaha (vol. 1-3 in one book). Which is cool. I also just used a coupon to get the Tsubasa Chronicle omnibus (again, 3 volumes in one). That's a pretty awesome deal, yo! I'd get the xxxHolic one, too, but I already own volumes 1 and 2. Oh yeah! Santa gave me the Whisper of the Heart DVD, so now people need to watch it with me, because it's so good and I love it! I've received nice things this year, and Christmas isn't even over yet.

Tomorrow will be my family's rendition of Christmas, Part II: More Screaming Children.

Merry Christmas, etc. to all.

I seem to be plowing through Libba Bray's Rebel Angels fairly quickly, so hopefully soon I can write about books and comics again. Because I know you're all dying to know what I think about them, :)

I am home now!

Yesterday was quite full. In the morning, I finished my horrible paper, and then went to campus to turn it in. I then returned books to Memorial Library, picked up lunch, returned books to the public library, sent out some Bookmooch books at the post office, and then went to work.

There were only about five of us at work, so it was a bit different. I then grabbed a bus, grabbed my car, and drove out to Verona to pick up Antoine from work. We stopped back at the house for Chad, packed up everybody's stuff, and set out. Unfortunately, right when we started driving, it started snowing. At first it wasn't too bad, but it kept getting really bad. Visibility was so bad that we stayed on 151 until Fon du Lac, because I was afraid that without a car right in front of me, I wouldn't be able to stay on the road. Once we got past Oshkosh or so, the storm stopped, and visibility was okay once more. The boys slept when it was the worst, but my mp3 player kept me focused!

We got home around 8:00 or so. Chatted with my parents a bit, and then walked over to my friend Lindsey's house, and got to see Heather, Laura, and Jennifer as well. I haven't seen most of them in a long time, so it was nice to spend time with them.

Anyway, I need to go put on makeup and figure out what (if any) homework I can get through today, before we go over to my sister's house. My mom's sister had five children, all of whom are over the age of 40, and most of whom now have families of three children. Add in Julie's in-laws, children, my parents, and Antoine and I, and....well, we eat family meals in 3 shifts. The only thing I'm dreading about the holiday is being unable to answer "So what are you doing after you graduate?" 15 times.

The Fourth of July
Okay, so in my rush to slap a blog post up, I totally forgot to blog about my Fourth of July activities, which is sad because it was so much fun!

Firstly, I didn't have to work, so that was cool. And Antoine didn't have to work, either! He came to my house and we started a Final Fantasy V game.

Then we joined some of my fellow pages/friends on the lawns of the Capitol for Concerts on the Square: Special Nation's Birthday Edition. They had some fifties-ish music, but also played the 1812 Orchestra AND SHOT CANNONS. I WAS SO EXCITED. One of my co-workers made some amazing sandwiches, and the rest of us brought things like potato salad and chips and brownies and goodness (and yes, we ate the leftovers all day Thursday).

THEN, after Concerts on the Square was done, we went inside the Capitol and, after tidying up, went upstairs and outside to the Observation Deck, which surrounds the entire Capitol. We could see fireworks being set off from about four different towns surrounding Madison, and it was amazing (also, some illegal ones being set off inside the city limits!). The sun had gone down by that point, so the temperature was nice, too - especially on the north side, where you could feel the wind. Also, on the Observation Deck, we're right beneath the giant Greco-Roman statues that are up there, so that was awesome, too.

Right before we left, we went inside and up a little bit more to the Trumpters' Balcony, which goes around the circumference of the Rotunda inside the Capitol. We were much closer to the mural that's up on the very top, and could also see the beautiful marble floor and pillars, tiled mosaics, and portraits of all four floors of the Capitol at once. So awesome. It was a very nice Fourth of July.

Saturday
My family came down to visit me, which included both of my parents, my sister Julie, her husband Kevin, and their 3 children: Olivia, Dylan, and Amelia.

They arrived around 9:30am, and the first thing we did (after showing them my room) was go to the Farmers Market. It was insufferably hot outside yesterday, and my family, parents especially, don't do well in heat. We made it halfway around Capitol Square and then went inside to walk around. My sisters children were very pleased with the incredibly beautiful Capitol, considering it to be an upgrade from my previous job at ShopKo. I love walking around inside the Capitol, but truth be told, it makes me a little sick. I can think of a lot better use for taxes than marble floors and oak paneling.

After that, we picked up Antoine and drove out to McDonald's for lunch (when there are lots of people, cheaper is better!). From there, we went to Half-Price Books (OMF, I got a volume of manga for $2; WIN), and then to Trader Joe's. I think that overall, the family was impressed with both stores, although they didn't buy much. I came out of Trader Joe's with food that will get me through most of the week, and also a new plant. I've kept my Lucky Bamboo alive for like, 4 months now, so now I have a new one. I like the idea of plants in rooms, but I also like it more when they're alive.

After Trader Joe's, everyone was tired and hot, so we came back to my house and watched some of a Harry Potter movie that was on TV, while I followed Amelia and Dylan upstairs to my room and tried to persuade them that it wasn't necessary to touch all of my things.

We ate dinner at Ella's Deli on my family's way out of town, and Olivia, Dylan, and Amelia enjoyed two rides on the carousel. Saying goodbye wasn't very sad, because this coming weekend, I am going home. So, friends from high school take note! I will be home the 13-15, and will definitely be up for doing something Friday after dinner.

I did end up going to see "Paprika" with Antoine, Creighton, Carolyn, Kristen, Louise, and other various people from Anime Club at the new Sundance Theatre. It was...amazing. Very trippy, ridiculously well-animated (really, I couldn't even believe some of it), great music, interesting premise, and masterfully executed, as is usual with works done by Satoshi Kon. Highly recommended!

Of course, afterward, everybody came over to our house. I struggled to stay awake, but eventually just came upstairs and crawled into bed,

Harry Potter
Hey, did you guys know that J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the bartender at the Hog's Head is Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth? I hadn't! Yay.

Anyway, everything else contains SPOILERS FOR BOOK 6, THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. If you are one of those people who only watches the movies and doesn't read the books, then, well, what the hell is the matter with you. The books are 80,000,000 times better. Anyway.

( Why Snape is not evil )

Sometime before Book 7 is released, I'll put up a list of all the things I think will happen, or just what I want to happen before the end. I really love being around as this fandom has evolved over time. I never wrote fanfiction or anything, but just reading the news online and discussing the books with both my friends from school and with people all over the world through the Internet has been amazing. I'll be sad when it's over.

That's right. Herein lies a list of everything (I think!) I read and watched over winter break. I guess there's not as much as I thought there was. Oh well. I'm in the midst of the novel Snow Crash right now, which is pretty awesome. Also, I'll be reading a crapload this semester for all of my awesome classes. Anyway, here we go:

( Things I Read )

( Things I Watched )

....and I do swear that at some point, I'll upload pictures of amusing presents I received for you all to look at. A lot of people on my LiveJournal friends list have posted lists of everything they got for Christmas. I didn't really ask for anything specific, but I've received useful things, funny things, and a couple random books that I wasn't expecting, but still love.

I know that I haven't blogged in a while, but I guess I really haven't had that much to say. I almost blogged Tuesday night after a very rage-related incident at the part-time job I have in a store, but common sense prevailed at the last second, and I didn't post it.

Life is stagnant here at home. Seeing people I haven't seen in a long time is nice, but overall, life is insufferably boring. I work a few days per week at my job - I'm grateful to get money (my wage isn't much, but it's something), so thus far I've been able to handle my infrequent shifts. I've been reading a lot and watching some anime, and peppering most nights with spending time with high school friends or family (or both). It's really nice to stay in my pajamas until 2:00 pm, which is what I'm doing right now. I've also been trying to figure out the status of this internship I'm trying to get for next semester. We'll see what happens, but I'm pretty determined, so hopefully things work out.

I watched the first 4 episodes of the anime series Haibane Renmei with Ryan and Dave, and all three of us were unimpressed. Still, I had rented all 4 DVDs from the library and I've since finished the 13-episode series by myself. It did redeem itself in that the characters became interesting enough that I cared about that. The plot is essentially a story about salvation and friendship. The art style is nice, too. Overall, I liked the series, but not enough to go out of my way to recommend it to friends. Watch it if you get the chance, but there are much better series out there.

The 32nd episode of the anime NANA was subbed, so I've seen that. However, in the last couple of episodes, a new plot line has been introduced that has made things almost disgustingly melodramatic. I'm too attached to both the characters and the music to abandon the series now, so I'm really hoping that it will redeem itself. Still, I adored the series up until this point, and would recommend both it and its manga counterpart to anyone looking to start up something new.

Also, I'm closing in on the anime series about the French Revolution, Rose of Versailles, so look for a more detailed synopsis of that once it's over! I enjoy watching it, and I learn about French history at the same time! It's a win.

Anyway, I'm off to take a shower now. Perhaps afterward, I'll be active enough to change my sheets, go to the bank, peruse some book stores, and stop in by some places that sell used DVDs and check for anime. Of course, I could also lay on the couch and watch more Sailor Moon, or finish my book. We'll see, ;)

I really don't understand the hype surrounding Barack Obama. I mean, he seems pretty cool. But, the man gave one good speech at the Democratic National Convention, and it hasn't really done much since then (aside from almost completing his....first term as a senator! The guy has no experience! I don't know. We'll see what happens. The 2008 election will be interesting, if nothing else.

Also, someone has created a very amusing Christmas greeting about the origin of Santa Claus, and setting it to the music and (altered) text of the opening of Battlestar Galactica. It is here, and you should watch it even if you don't watch BSG, because it is amusing.

Anyway, I should go. Mom becomes upset if I sit down for more than 5 minutes, and wants me to do things like fold stray blankets. Also, Dad is making me vacuum the stairs! OMF, Christmas Eve at our house! I should probably shower before we go to mass at 4:00 pm. EVEN THOUGH Catholics are supposed to go to church twice this weekend - once for the 4th week of Advent (you should've gone yesterday afternoon or this morning) and then again for Christmas (tomorrow/tonight), I'm only going once. But, can I say that sleeping in today for the first time in a very, very long time was SO nice? Because it was. I really hope that Jesus understands. If I had had another 'first day all semester to sleep in,' then I would have gone twice.