Well!

After my previous blathering post, I wanted to say that I'm in a better mood today...and it's FRIDAY, thankfully!

Plus Laini Taylor (fabulous author and artist) commented on said blathering entry (in which I mentioned her), which made me both very happy and VERY embarrassed. I may have turned red upon realizing who the comment was from.

Last night was another night of broken sleep, just like Monday night. Even though I was tired! Even though I went to bed early BECAUSE I just felt so drained and exhausted! I still ended up waking up multiple times during the night/next morning for bathroom trips and I have no idea why. Grrg. I thought hydration was a GOOD thing!! :P

Anyway! Tomorrow, a family get-together is being held with Nate's family at a state park to celebrate Mother's Day. There will be 4 mothers (inc. Nate's mom, older sister, and 2 sisters-in-law), 4 fathers (inc. Nate's dad, 2 older brothers and brother-in-law), plus the crazy uncle and aunt who have no kids (that would be us), plus 2 single aunties (Nate's 2 younger sisters- though one is getting married in August). AND- 9 nieces and nephews, 3 per each of Nate's older siblings, in various configurations.
In other words, his immediate family including spouses and children totals in at 21 human beings. 22, come August. And that won't be the cap, I guarantee.

Getting together with everyone is fun but also RATHER chaotic. So I hope I'll have enough energy when it comes time to be all social and interact-y. The moms are of course being treated to a meal prepared by the rest of us adults. Crab legs will be involved. We do things up right here in Western PA!!

It's supposed to rain tomorrow morning but our outdoor plans are for the late afternoon so hopefully the weather will be kind, since a hike and frisbee throwing are planned.

Happy Friday, everyone. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. :)

Warning: This is long, and vaguely neurotic, and wasn't really edited much. Just so you know.
****
I have non-fiction books I've bought but barely cracked open...including, in my bag, 100 Ways America is Screwing up the World. I also have End of America, Return to Modesty, and Musicophilia on my shelves at home, all dipped into but mostly unread.

Instead I've been re-reading Fruits Basket, a Japanese manga series that is being translated in the U.S. It's pretty recent (was wrapped up in Japan last year, I *think*) and there are 23 volumes. I have 19 plus a fanbook (with color art and extra info and interviews with the author/artist). I have read all 19 volumes multiple times each.

Here at work, I've been reading the blog archives of one of my favorite ever authors, Laini Taylor. She's a fantasy author and a fantastic writer, as well as an artist.

I've been dwelling in fantasy while my non-fiction books are like "what's the deal??"

I...think maybe part of it has something to do with the fact that I have had enough of reality in some sense...maybe?
I also have silly worries that if I disagree with something I read it'll be stressful-but, truthfully, it sometimes is because I end up spend a lot of time arguing my differing position in my head.
Which is really exhausting.

I'm someone who worries too much AND thinks too much...and it's hard to find the balance sometimes between being "brave" and reading something I know I won't agree with all points on, and knowing what my limits are and what I can take right now.
I definitely have developed all sorts of self-protection strategies for a variety of situations...my internal life is SO....I don't even know what to call it. Nate affectionately calls me crazy if I mention that I like to eat the foods on my plate "in order" from the ones I like the least to the ones I like the most.
I don't just do that with food, though.
I do that if I have multiple things I want to do in a day.
I do that with the blogs and websites I visit.
I "save the best for last" in a myriad of specific and ridiculous ways.

But in this situation with the reading, I'm "comfort reading" instead. Maybe "lazy reading" as well, since I'm not being challenged.
And, of course, I am definitely someone who loves her comfort food as well.

I have such a hard time with just letting things be. I know so many things intellectually, the most important being that no matter how much in common you have with someone, you will NEVER agree 100% on everything. You just won't.
So, for instance, I love Laini Taylor's art and writing very much and she inspires me in SO many ways. But- she doesn't really care about music that much. It distracts her when she's working, or it's just background noise.
This seems so very alien to me! When I work out without a dvd, I put music on. If I'm working on drawings, I put music on. If I'm on my computer doing finances or web-surfing, I have mp3s playing from the computer.
The only time when I really can't have music on is when I'm reading something that needs my concentration. This is because, even with instrumental music (ie, no words), I often pay a lot of attention to it, my mind gets tangled up in it.
This isn't very conducive to reading something intelligent and complicated for the first time. For instance, I probably couldn't listen to music while reading Oliver Sacks' very intelligent book Musicophilia.
Unless the music was very very quiet, perhaps.

With conversations of course I also need music to be quiet so I can pay attention to what the other person is saying, especially if that other person is Nate and is explaining something related to web-programming to me. I can understand a good bit of what he tells me but it takes a lot of concentration to do so.

But besides things that take a lot of concentration and visualization, most things in my life are accompanied by music. Even if it's just in my head, as snatches MCP pieces often are. (Messiah, Elijah, Faure's Requiem).
And to be finally involved with music in a real way outside of my living room, car, or church choir is SUCH a big deal to me! I know I've said this before but truly I was starving-I was so very unfulfilled in that regard.

ANYways. That was quite the tangent.
It's just often very difficult for me to translate what I know intellectually about people and life and reality into something I can use to not hurl myself off the edge.
I just have such a hard time sometimes because part of me really really wants everyone to get along with each other and agree on the important things.
Which is impossible. People don't necessarily even agree on what things ARE the most important.
But I'm that person who doesn't like conflict.
Even if it's one-sided.
Even if it's me arguing with someone whom I've never met inside my head.
Not that I haven't occasionally considered writing to an author or blogger to express something important. And I think about it and stress about it and write it in my head and rehash it until finally I get tired of it and/or chicken out, convincing myself that it wouldn't matter anyways or that someone else already conveyed whatever sentiment I might want to, and better at that.

One time- just one time I've actually sent a letter like that...and I didn't offer too many specifics, though I did provide contact info. The letter was written to a relatively new magazine (that's I'd had high hopes for) to explain why I was canceling my subscription. I gave some reasons but didn't go into details regarding specific (poorly written) articles. I actually kinda WANTED them to e-mail me and ask me for specifics. But nope. Oh well.
And of course it was different because I wasn't to writing to one specific person that I really admired, so that made it easier.
-----
I admit I've been down this week for some reason. Monday night I didn't get a lot of sleep- I woke up a lot for some reason- so Tuesday I was just really depressed. Yesterday (Wed.) I felt better but then had a late night last night due to MCP (and I yawned through the rehearsal even though I really like the piece we're singing), so today my eyelids feel thicker and I just want to go back to bed. Not to mention I ended up sitting in front of a certain pair of friends that gets on my nerves and had to listen to them whisper to each other intermittently through the ENTIRE PRACTICE. Bleh.

And...even when I fit everything important into a day- relaxing with Nate, some form of exercise, reading or doing something faith-related, practicing music, working on drawings, AND job searching- I've still felt kinda empty and just dissatisfied with things and with myself, instead of productive and making progress.

I know, I know. A lot is going on. We have some big changes coming up. We're looking for a new place to live, which is kinda annoying and stressful (though our lease isn't up until June 30th as opposed to June 1st like we originally thought). It's especially annoying now because we had high hopes for a nearby development but the 2 townhouses we looked at (one 2br, one 3br) both had weird floor-plans and, esp. with the 3br, somewhat inefficient use of space. But with the 2br the already small kitchen and bathrooms were even smaller.
We're going to ask if there are other floor-plans or if all units are the same. Then we'll go from there.
But around here, most rentals are in old subdivided houses with creaky, un-level floors and poor insulation...so I really wonder if we have many options. Even so, the townhouses WOULD be, in many ways, a lot better than what we're in now.

And of course I've started my new job search in earnest, and that's annoying as all get-out. Ideally I want to work no more than 20 minutes away. Every job listing I've looked at has averaged 40 minutes away or more. Booooo. With gas prices what they are and the fact that we only own one car, that kind of commute isn't really an option...unless it's, like, my DREAM JOB or something.
Which would be either basic office work with NO FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES (and relatively clear-cut duties right at the outset) or an editing/proofreading position. Which do exist! But the only proofreading position I've come across lately was 40ish minutes away (South of Pittsburgh) and was proofreading catalogues of the company's merchandise. So...no. But if it were in my commute range? I would totally apply!
A nice filing/scanning position was also too far South. Raargh. And I know I've only been really looking for a week and a half, but in addition to being a worrier who thinks too much and wants to be at least content and comfortable with her duties in her job as long as she has to make money doing things she doesn't love and aren't in her chosen field(s), I'm also impatient.

Poor Nate.
I'm really blessed to be with him, what with all my issues and quirks.

*After a week and 5 days, I'm getting used to my shorter hair. Maybe even liking it sometimes! I do really like how curly it is and the layers- it's kinda fun! But I have to get used to stying short hair now, which is a little bit tricky considering it's been years since my hair was this short. Oh, well!

*The Elijah concert was now a week ago! That's so strange to me. I was gearing up for it for so long- for that week in general, with rehearsals AND Holy Week and my parents' visit all jumbled up together. Now that it's all behind me I definitely feel a little drained and also...a tad lost, maybe? But only in this weird ephemeral sense, because life is moving forward and new decisions are being made which leads me to...

*We are looking for a new place to live. We want to stay in the same town. However we would like to live in a place that was actually designed for human habitation from the get-go rather than for a small business office. Plus the noise and dust from the concrete plant across the street are something we'd rather do without after 2 years. Luckily our landlord is pretty flexible notice-wise. So we are looking at rental townhouses, constructed relatively recently, with back decks! And in an area with no big trucks going right by! The only unfortunate thing is that the development we're looking into is sadly beige. I wish we could paint ours a nice blue or something but that's not really possible. *Sigh*

*The other change coming is this: I have started looking in earnest for a new job. It's a long-ish story but the short version is that my duties ended up being much more involved in company finances than I ever really wanted or was completely comfortable with, and now MORE financial duties are being transferred to me...so I think it's really time to move on. I am frustrated, though, because I finally had a nice boss (if scatterbrained and forgetful at times), I work 4 minutes from home and have great hours, I have an hour-long lunch break that I can spend at home and/or with Nate...so much of it is extremely ideal. But. Not enough.

*Nate has started himself on a new plan to get fit and strong and healthy. He wants to be able to climb more and better and just wants to be healthier and in better shape all around. So this week he started working out in earnest, using some rather advanced and butt-kicking workout videos he downloaded because they were recommended by a friend, and I did one of the workouts (an abs/core workout) with him. I was sore for the rest of the week and HE- after 3 workouts working various muscle groups- has also been sore. VERY sore. We've decided to start things off a *little* more gently! But I'm going to try and get back into working out finally, too. It's been too long! We'll be eating more healthfully, too- Nate's all for it but I am hesitant because I- I just LOVE my food. So wish me luck!

*Related to the above, Nate has been getting up earlier. Which helps me get up on time. Which has enabled me to actually eat something breakfasty at HOME, before work, 3 out of 5 workdays this week! Yay! This unforeseen consequence has made me very happy! Having more leisurely mornings is something I stopped trying for due to laziness and frustration...and now, thanks to Nate, I'm more inspired to get up just a little earlier so we can start off our days better. :)

*We had to return Russell's nice new big cage after only a week and a half!! Know why? Because he had chewed a SIZABLE hole in the bottom tray, which was apparently made from softer plastic than his older, smaller cage. But PetSmart let us return it and gave us a full refund and Russell is back in his old cage again with a full Listerine bottle on the top hatch so he won't escape. But we arranged it differently so that his running wheel is more out of the way and he has more space to bustle around. Still! A $70 cage, designed for large-ish rodent-type mammals with big teeth was made with too-soft plastic for a little Chilean squirrel's teeth! Hmmmm. We will be getting him a bigger cage again soon, though- it just has to be made of tougher material.

*After my week of only singing I'm back into doing edits and coloring again for my illustrations. Slow going but I'm making progress!

*Weirdly, this week of the end of April and beginning of May has been rather chilly, with temperatures even dropping to the high 30s! But- it's been sunnier which reminded us that we really ARE edging into Spring instead of backsliding. And today, finally, the temps. are supposed to be in the 70s and for the next 10 days, highs in the 60s and 70s. Now THAT'S what I call Springtime!

**Happy Beginning of May, everyone! And Happy Friday!

Actually, today is MY Name Day! Today is Liana Day!

Nate started working out in EARNEST this week, and as he was worried he'd be too sore this morning to make me breakfast (his own idea, not mine!) he surprised me YESTERDAY morning with French toast, a fried egg AND a piece of toast to dip it in!

I have a co-worker whose wife is Latvian (as in, she grew up in Latvia and came to the US for work later and that's how they met). Apparently they have multiple Latvian calendars in their house, and he noticed that today was my day.
He came in , wished me a happy name day, and gave me a little package of mini-cupcakes (which are SO yummy) and a beautiful, tiny violet.
He also told other co-workers who then later also wished me a happy name day!

Because of Nate and this co-worker, I have indeed had a happy name day!

Also, I suppose, because I'm getting more rest after last week's long string of late nights and singing singing singing.

Plus- we celebrated Pascha (Eastern Orthodox Easter) this past weekend, so: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

This is Bright Week, the week after Easter in which NO FASTING is allowed, not even on the usual Wed. and Fri.

We can eat meat again! I have already had 2 cheeseburgers and 2 chicken salad wraps (though not all at once or even on the same day, I promise! I'm not THAT much of a glutton. Usually.).

It was also lovely, if way too short a time, to see my parents on Thursday and Friday and Sat. morning.
My father's Name Day was a week ago- the day before they came to our place. His name is Juris, the Latvian version of George.

Nate and I actually took them to the monastery we sometimes visit to swing by the gift shop and show them the grounds, and my dad surprised me. He was looking intently through the small icon cards, and when I asked, he told me he was looking for Saint George! We found one he liked and he bought it for $1.00. Later I saw it sitting on his Bible.

My parents appreciated the Holy Thursday service and they and Nate and Nate's parents all really enjoyed the Elijah concert the next night.

It WAS really special to have them all there. It was also really special to share one of the most profound Holy Week services with my parents.

I am so thankful!

I am also very thankful for some much-needed rest- we have no Mendelssohn Choir practice at all this week!

But! I can't rest TOO much. Things to do!

P.S. Cousin Sarah, we DID have tacos for dinner last night and they were yummy! Thanks for giving me the idea by accident on your livejournal! ;)

Yes, I will post pictures of the haircut. But not today....we haven't taken any yet.

But! My parents are coming to our place at around 5 tonight. And my big concert is tomorrow, so we'll probably take some pictures when we're all elegant-like and I'll be wearing my new choir dress, hooray!
I haven't told my parents about my haircut either. I guess they'll find out soon, though!

Same with Nate's parents, come to think of it...
And Nate is going to the concert in the same car with BOTH our parents (as I'm driving down earlier).
He's fine with it- it was his idea- but I think I would be a little weirded out!

*Sigh* I'm slowly getting used to having shorter hair. But it's still REALLY weird to me. And part of me thinks this is only very temporary and I'll have my long hair back by next week or something. I'm a weirdo, I know!

I'm STILL sick. I know it's due to later nights and stress...but I really need to baby my voice I so can sing in church choir tonight AND in Elijah tomorrow.

The interesting thing is that it's two very different styles of singing. Tonight for the Holy Thursday service I will be doing something akin to chanting...including a gorgeous piece with just 2 other women about how "He who hung the Earth upon the waters is hung upon the tree..." It is very haunting and emphasizes how Christ, God incarnate, came to Earth and made such a huge and heartrending sacrifice.
I feel privileged that I get to help sing it.

But I definitely use different technique singing in church choir from how I sing in the Mendelssohn choir. This is partly due to the styles of music (vaguely Eastern chant in church as opposed to more obviously classical in the MCP) and partly due to the people I sing with- in other words, I blend as best I can.

Some people don't seem to know how to blend. A woman who stands behind me in the MCP for our upcoming concert sings with quite a bit of vibrato and really loudly, almost as if she is singing a solo. It kinda gets on my nerves.
Sometimes a woman who used to go to our church comes back to visit and sings with the choir when she does. She has a nice voice, but uses vibrato as if she were singing solo and often holds notes longer than the rest of us.
This is definitely one of my biggest pet peeves. Choir singing and solo singing are DIFFERENT, people!!!!

I admit- vibrato comes less naturally to me than to other people. So maybe some people just can't help it...?

Who knows. All I know is that I try to blend with the group as much as I can AND sing pretty. It is possible to sing pretty and not have your voice stick out identifiably!

ANYway. It's not a big deal, just something I notice.

Meanwhile my eyes feel extra heavy and I am very much looking forward to sleeping IN tomorrow morning and having a nice breakfast with Nate and my parents! Having tomorrow off is SO very needed.

I hope my parents enjoy both the Holy Thursday service AND the Elijah concert. I'm glad that they'll hear me sing in the two major (and very different) groups that are such a big part of my life.

I want them to be proud of me, too...not that they aren't, but, during MCP rehearsals this week I've had strong moments of realization that they really will be in the audience on Friday night...when this happens I get excited but also a little overwhelmed and seriously motivated to try even harder to do my very best.

I have a crazy busy week this week:
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I have Mendelssohn Choir practices.

Thursday is Holy Thursday (for all Eastern Orthodox Christians), and Nate and I are singing in our church choir, and I have readings as well. PLUS, my parents, who are in Pittsburgh in the beginning of this week, are coming to our place on Thursday afternoon, and coming to the Holy Thursday service with us.

Then! On Friday (which Nate and I are taking off from work) we'll hang out with my parents during the day. Friday EVENING is the Elijah concert I'm singing in (with the MCP of course), and Nate and my parents and Nate's parents are going to it.

My parents leave early Saturday morning, and Nate and I will be singing in church Saturday evening for the Holy Saturday/Pascha (Easter) service.

Sunday there is also a church service we're going to.

This past Saturday I went to a service at the monastery, during which I sang. Then I sang in church yesterday for Palm Sunday...and this week I'll be singing every night.
And I'm still not quite over being sick.
But! I'm excited about the concert and my parents coming and Holy Week and Pascha.

Since the week is going to be busy, we had to clean and run errands this past weekend.(Plus I had a goal of finishing editing and coloring the illustration I was working on- which I finished at about 8:15 last night!)
Saturday was cleaning and tidying and throwing stuff away...and it was really satisfying, getting everything all clean and in order.
(Nate cleaned the kitchen on Friday before he went to do some work up at his parents house (where I later joined him) so there was already a head start!)
Then I went to the service at the monastery which started at 5:30pm and finished around 8:15pm. But it was a beautiful service commemorating Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday.

On Sunday, after our church's Palm Sunday service we had a quick lunch and then it was off to run errands.
This is where the title "New Things" comes into play.

-I got new shoes! After our Carmina Burana concert, during which the choir had to stand almost the entire time, I decided I needed new black flats to wear because my feet had started to get all tingly and uncomfortable in the ones I've been wearing.
Luckily I found a really cute pair at Target that has padding in the toe area, heel, and arch! My feet will be happy this Friday. Plus, add these to my new (and hemmed and taken-in) choir dress, and I am ALL SET for Friday's concert.

-We got a new cage for Russell. It's a lot bigger and the bottom part is deeper. This gives him more space to run around AND less chance of him kicking as much bedding out of the cage. We got him a running wheel last week (which he seems to love!) and it took up a lot of space in his old cage- now that problem is no more.
Plus last week we switched his bedding to timothy hay, which is supposed to be the best for Chilean squirrels, and he really seems to like it AND it gets kicked out of the cage less than pine or cedar chips did.
This means, with the cleanliness factor improved, we can put his cage somewhere besides the bathroom closet! ...We just haven't decided where yet.

-And now...
Nate needed a hair trim. His hair is pretty long and looks really good long but the ends were definitely unhealthy and breaking off and frustrating him, so he decided to get a trim before just getting it all cut off.
Okay, I said "please get a trim first! that was the goal this time around!"
So he did and this morning he had a lot less hair breakage to deal with in the shower. Success!
Of course, he still may get it all cut off come summer, but that's fine- I just didn't want him to give up without getting a trim first since he'd said he wanted to grow it out the right way this time :).

BUT. After he and the stylist were talking about hair breakage and health and such, I decided to get a trim too. I had considered it but wasn't sure-- then after hearing how often hair SHOULD be trimmed, and thinking about how the last time I got mine cut was last May, well, I decided I'd better get a trim, too.

It ended up being a lot more than a trim. She put in layers, which I'd wanted to try anyway and was fine with, but...but...
The overall length is a LOT shorter than I'd wanted.
My hair hasn't been this short since I was about 13 or so and had a chin-length cut.
Yes, my shortest layers are now an inch or so longer than chin length.
My longest ones do go a little past my shoulders, but....but....

IT IS VERY SHORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Especially considering the longest parts used to go all the way down my back, more or less.

I work in an office full of men, and NOT ONE OF THEM has said anything.
Now I know men often don't notice such things, but this is a relatively drastic change.
So...I don't know if they noticed but didn't feel like saying anything, or if they just didn't notice at all. But I'm not TOO surprised.

Nate LIKES my haircut, which is good! Plus he's glad that there's less chance of him leaning on it and pulling it by accident...and he thinks it looks cute.

I...uh...well I wanted it to be healthy. And to grow back pretty. And get regular trims like you're supposed to. BUT. It is SO VERY SHORT. Also bouncy and less heavy, I admit. And curlier/springier because there's less weight.
BUT. SHORT. And....and I....I liked being one of few people to have very long hair that looked decent and kinda romantic or medieval or fairy-tale-ish or like a Raphaelite painting (or was it pre-Raphaelite?), or you know, like a mermaid or wood nymph.

That is still the goal again- to have long hair, but healthier (and therefore prettier!) and keeping the layers which are kind of fun.
MEANWHILE it is A LOT to get used to. I even got a blow dryer and a diffuser (which, whoa) and...and mousse, even (because my hair is thin and needs a little volume) (DOUBLE WHOA)! These purchases were made at the suggestion of the stylist, who really seemed to know what she was talking about...but I have yet to be brave and actually make use of them (give me time- it hasn't been a full 24 hours yet!)

And now...now I'm kinda dreading every encounter with people I know. (I was a teensy bit apprehensive about co-workers, but that has proved unfounded...for now. I'm sure someone will probably say something eventually...maybe not, though.)

And I have Mendelssohn Choir practice tonight. There are lots of women there. They will notice. AND they will say things.
I will be turning red a lot, probably.

Then later this week I'll see Grace (Nate's sister), my parents, church people, Nate's parents...ALL IN ONE WEEK. I don't think I can handle this!!

Well! I wanted to post a little run-down of our Tekkoshocon weekend before too much more time went by.

I've been sick- it had been developing gradually and last Friday I had a sore throat. But! That didn't stop us from going :).
It DID mean, of course, that I didn't really get enough rest over the weekend and felt pretty bad by Sunday evening.
I ended up taking Monday off from work and took the time to unpack and rest and blow my nose a WHOLE LOT...Which continued into Tuesday when I went back to work. My upper lip is still a little raw. :( ...AND I've had a gravelly voice most of today, too. Will I even be able to sing at Choir practice tonight??

Anyway!

*-Dumbest remark I overheard: Nate and I were going towards the elevator and we were behind what seemed like a father and son. The son was dressed up as one of our favorite anime characters (Ichigo from "Bleach") but I heard him saying "I like anime and I like to dress up!" in a defensive tone to the man I assume was his dad.
When the elevator doors opened, a whole lot of people came out dressed up as various anime characters, and then the four of us got in. I heard the boy's father snap "This country is in such bad shape."

Now...I can't completely disagree with that, but I don't really think that an elevator-full of people dressed up as Japanese cartoon characters is an indicator of what's wrong with this country! In fact, it's something FUN about this country!

*-Unfortunate problems with capacity: This was the first year Tekkoshocon was held at this particular hotel. And...well...there really wasn't enough space for us! The room where the main events and dance were held was WAY too small...people had to line up for the dance because staffers at the door had to keep track of how many were in the room, only letting people in as people came out.
That has never happened with the dance before, to my knowledge.

There were insanely long lines for almost everything..and they had to snake around down hallways. Things really became quite crowded and overwhelming in some places. So that was definitely annoying at times.

*+Costumes!: There were some fabulous costumes this year (there always are) and some of our favorites were people dressed up like the Espada from "Bleach" and the Akatsuki from "Naruto Shippuuden." I'm always happy to see people dressing up as "Sailor Moon" characters as well...after all, that series in many ways opened the floodgates for more anime and manga to come to the U.S.!
Plus, while we didn't dress up as any characters, I still wore an outfit that I wouldn't normally wear on Saturday. It's fun to dress differently for a change!

*+Staying in the hotel where the con was held was pretty great. If we got tired or bored, our room was just a few flights of stairs away. If we bought anything we could easily bring it up to our room.
They also had a REALLY great breakfast buffet, including made-to-order omelets and waffles!
-Sadly, the pool and hot tub were on the bottom floor where all the main traffic was...and while there were restrooms right next to that area, you had to change and then go out into the hall to get to the door for the pool and hot tub etc. So we didn't use them, alas.

*+Seeing Deena from the Mendelssohn Choir (and her friend and boyfriend) was definitely a highlight- especially when we went to the Hello Kitty panel on Sunday!
It is just so refreshing to be with people who understand one's quirks and like some of the same silly (but oh so very cute!) things.

*+Para Para dancing! Not surprisingly, the room where we were learning was too small to spread out enough sometimes, but it was still fun.

*+Nate surprised me. We won a DVD at the charity auction. It was the first volume of a four-volume anime that I love ("Fruits Basket". I have the manga, too, which continues on quite a bit more). It was signed by quite a few of the American voice actors, which was really cool.
Then, I went to hear a group that performs traditional Japanese drumming. Nate came in later after having visited the dealer's room (We'd gone together earlier and I'd spent my set-apart money then).
He had a bag with him and whispered "I spent the rest of my money." He let me peek inside, and lo and behold, the other three volumes of my anime were in there!!

Which we have since watched. Together. :)

This weekend Nate and I are going to Tekkoshocon! It is Pittsburgh's annual anime and Japanese culture convention. This year is its 6th year, and we have been going since year #2.
Years 1 and 2 were held at a hotel only 15 minutes from our place, so commuting was really easy when we first went for year 2 (which was the first year we knew about it).
Years 3 through 5 were held in a hotel/convention center 45 minutes or so away. That made things more difficult...year 3 we only went on Saturday. Year 4 we went more than one day but still commuted. Last year we stayed in a nearby motel, which made things a lot easier but still a little annoying.

THIS year it has been moved again because the previous place is being torn down. Luckily the new location is only about 35 minutes or so away...but THIS year....drumroll please....we are STAYING at the hotel where it's being held!
We thought we couldn't at first because no rooms were available under the discount code (we assumed that meant that no rooms were available)...and another option was a nearby motel. But! Nate did some digging and discovered that rooms were still available, albeit not at a discount.
As this is a once-a-year event for us, we decided to go ahead and splurge a teensy bit. We are staying both Fri. and Sat. nights. We won't have to drag stuff we buy to the car. We won't have to drive somewhere else to rest or change clothes. AND- the hotel has a heated pool, sauna, and whirlpool (hot tub)...so we're bringing bathing suits and really planning on enjoying the weekend as much as we can.
The convention itself doesn't cost all that much...and Nate had squirreled away some of his Christmas bonus money...which means we can pay for admission and fun things like t-shirts and pocky (a yummy Japanese snack food) and such without having to use our checking account at all!

All this to say, Nate is wonderful. I enjoy these things more than he does, but that first year he came along for my sake and realized he could have fun, too! (Plus there's always a video game room. :)
But truly, he could have just reserved us a room at the motel but he surprised me!

AND another bonus is that Deena, one of my friends from the MCP, will be there, too!

I'm SO excited! Going to this is always fun because we are in very good company...people who like the same silly and geeky and weirdo and cute stuff we do! It's really refreshing and fun, and there's still tons of variety. Plus, costumes! We haven't ever worn costumes yet but I always dress up a little, at least on Saturday...in things that are fun but I don't wear normally.

Something cool, too, is that for the past few years they've held a charity auction. Sometimes it's for literacy, sometimes cancer...this year it's Leukemia and Lymphoma, I believe.
I find it pretty great that in the midst of our fun and indulgence we can still think of others and contribute to worthy causes. Last year donations exceeded the goal- I hope that happens this year, too!

P.S. The ears I'm wearing in that picture are a pair that I bought last year at Tekko :)

Happy Friday!

Today's meme brought to you by Friday Fiver (http://community.livejournal.com/fridayfiver/).

Singing mighty protest songs (is the title for it. i'm not sure why)

1. When were you born?

I was born in 1980, July 21. My mother says it was an EXTREMELY hot and sticky humid summer that year. Like all my parents' children, I was delivered via c-section. (It's all Zaiga's fault- she was breach, and after the c-section to deliver her, we all had to be- that's how it was in the late 1970's and early 80's I guess).

Apparently, I was a loud screamy baby. My mother told me that sometimes the ONLY thing (to her understandable frustration) that could calm me down in the heat of the summer was for my father to lie on his back on the couch, shirtless, and they would place my little self curled up on his chest...then I could be calm and sleep.

I've been a slightly crazy summer baby ever since.

2. What's your favorite photograph?

I don't have one....but I'll be totally honest and say that it would probably have me in it...and it would probably have me smiling with people I love, whether it be family or friends. Some of my past favorites are of me and my sisters and cousins being silly for the annual Christmas photo.

3. What's the longest distance you've run?

5 miles. I don't think I ever did 6. Most recently the farthest I've run in one stretch has been 3 miles, which is 33 laps on the indoor track at the YMCA!

4. What is familiar?

Massachusetts. Dover. Cape Cod. New England in general. Being in nature, being able to breathe.
Western PA is becoming more familiar as time goes on, but I'm still surprised by its weirdness.
Being with family and/or other people I've known for a long time...no matter how much time has passed between meetings, things just fall back into place, into familiar rhythms and interactions.

Being with Nate is familiar, too...things just feel right, laughing together, talking, even the mundane like grocery shopping (which we almost always do together). If that makes any sense.

5. What do you count on?

I count on Nate and on family, friends, my priest, etc., but this question asks "what", not "who."
What do I count on?
I think I do count on Eastern Orthodox Christianity to give me a strong base for my faith and a home to return to when I go off to learn or explore.
I...I do count on God. I count on the prayers of the saints, both living and departed. I would truly be lost without these things.

I foolishly count on what I read to be true- though I am learning more and more to be discerning.
I count on my mind and my senses to interpret the world around me.
I count on certain places to be rejuvenating.
I count on my current knowledge to be more-or-less correct...maybe. Hopefully.
But I also count on the fact that I have much, so much to learn. I hope I continue learning forever.

WARNING: This is incredibly garbled. Also, it really expresses some social and emotional issues I have. And not necessarily well or clearly at that. This post could really be summed up in three words: I. Have. Issues.
If you WANT to read the long and pathetic version, well, don't say I didn't warn you!
Also, yes, I'm kinda stupid. I just needed to vent about things that annoy me (about others AND myself) so I could help myself get over it.

So...say you're at choir practice, and you're talking to your friend about an upcoming anime convention you are both going to (squee!).
Somebody else walks behind her- ie traipses through your field of vision-- THREE TIMES in the space of oh, maybe, one minute?
Then hugs his married female choir bff (whose Husband is also in the choir), also right in your field of vision. And they both happen to be wearing jeans and navy blue hoodies. (which i'm sure was coincidence but doesn't weird me out any less).
Um...yeah.
Annoying much?
Oh- right- this post is titled "Questions." Well, here's MY question: HOW could that NOT be on purpose?

Especially when, just a few weeks ago, I was staring off into space and he went the long way around the room to where no one was just to walk in front of my field of vision. Unless I'm paranoid. But it sure didn't make any sense.

Is this mind games? Or what? We've talked maybe 3 times total, ever. And he "shmoozes" with many female choir members (inc. older ones) but seems inseparable from this one young-ish married woman. (Who I think is really cool, by the way, aside from this!)
I just don't get it...how exclusive they seem, how they'll sit next to each other every chance they get, how they're always chatting during free time or before practice....and HER HUSBAND (who, as far as I can tell, is a pretty cool guy) IS IN THE CHOIR. Once in a while he'll be talking with them, but at least in my observation, usually not.
Sometimes I wonder if they'd known each other before choir (as this is his first year), to give them the benefit of the doubt.

And in addition to the shmoozing with females, I also overheard him in December talking about how the girlfriend he's with now is different from someone he'd been dating just a little while before.
So.
OBVIOUSLY a womanizer.

And I am obviously self-conscious and read too much into things and in some ways am just jealous of their exclusivity even though I have friends in choir, too! Who I always talk to if they're there! But they're girls (and one other guy hangs out sometime with us, too, like when we went to Subway on Sunday).
And while one of my friends is married and they other in a steady relationship, I can't really say I've observed either of THEM being extra-familiar with guy members of the choir.

Does this entry have a point? Part of my problem is I sometimes don't know how to relate to guys. Still. Marriage hasn't cured me of my insecurities involving guys and wanting them to at least like me.
I mean, often it's easier if the guy is married (or otherwise off-limits). And with some guys it's just easy to be on casual friendly terms with.

But....not all. I don't necessarily know how to strike up a conversation out of the blue with a guy I'd like to be casual friends with....and I feel intimidated if the guy is cuter for some reason.
Which.
STUPID. A guy is still A GUY. A PERSON.
But this is unfortunately something I STILL haven't grown out of. Will I ever??

And I admit I want EVERYONE to like me, girls AND guys. There's a girl in choir who is kinda pretty and wears interesting clothes and we have similar hair but doesn't really talk much to anyone and I'm a little intimidated by her even as I'd kinda like to be friends. But with her, too, I find myself unable to strike up a conversation with her, even the few times we've been placed next to each other. Though I'm often a "quiet type" and get annoyed when people assume I'm unfriendly or something, that doesn't stop me from wondering if her reticence means more than just that she doesn't feel like making small talk or laughing at stupid jokes.

So after all this, we know that I've got a lot of insecurity going on inside this head of mine...yet...I'm not hallucinating what I see, either.

*Sigh*
Maybe I just need therapy? Because the smart part of me knows that I should just let it go and ignore the things that bug me. "But I wanted to be friends!" I whine. "I want them to like me, too!"
My smart self says, "Whether or not they are being untoward at all, that doesn't change the fact that YOU have friends! Especially two girls who are always nice to you and talk to you! One of whom really likes Japanese pop culture, just like you do! What more do you want?!"

What more, indeed? Some bizarre form of affirmation that I'm not even sure how to define??
EVEN THOUGH I have an INCREDIBLE husband who is my perfect match?
And he KNOWS about all these issues I have (and still loves me! and gives me hugs when I'm sad or frustrated!). That doesn't mean he quite understands the issues, but he still lets me whine about them from time to time.
He knows what insecurity feels like, even if not quite in my special brand of insanity.

I just wish I could let people who insist on being blatant BE blatant, and just ignore.
I wish I could let the quiet girl be her quiet self...or say "hi" to her the next time we're next to each other on the seating chart.
I also wish I could just say "Hi! Fancy seeing you walk by! AGAIN!"

Okay, maybe just "Hi!"

And then go on talking to my actual friends.

Here's two things that happened lately:

This past Friday, my little sister-in-law Rachel got engaged! Okay, now I'll be honest and say that they (and we) already knew with little doubt that these two were going to get married (there had already been some talk of when the wedding would be) but he hadn't proposed.
On Friday, Rachel and Bryn (her then-boyfriend) were the first of two opening acts for a concert at her college.
In the middle of their set, he gave her a different water bottle than the one she had and told her to read what it said inside the cap, but she wouldn't read it out loud (later on she told the audience that the cap said "say yes.") Then he showed her HIS bottle cap, and then got down on one knee while repeating what it had written in it- "Will you marry me?" and she said "yes" and they hugged and it was really cute. Then he picked up a little tupper-ware container and took a kiwi out of it. He removed part of the kiwi, and the inside had been hollowed out and lined with something- and the engagement ring was in there. It must have been shinier and sparklier than she expected because she said "Whoa!" really loud and made the whole audience laugh. Her parents, all but one sibling, me, and lots of her friends were in the audience. Her roommates had been told by him that he might propose if he had the ring, so they weren't sure what would happen.
On the car ride there, Nate and I drove up with Jess and Grace (Nate's older and younger sisters (Rachel being the youngest)). Grace said "I think he's going to propose tonight at the concert."
I gasped and said "I thought that too!"
"I thought that, too" said Nate.
"Hmmmm," said Jess.
So...yeah. Those of us who hadn't been told still had mad suspicions (and so had Rachel :), And Rachel's dad gave her flowers after the proposal...at the very end of the set when they were walking off-stage, she smacked Bryn in the butt with the bouquet.
Then most of us went downstairs and had cake that Grace had made for Nate's birthday (which was Sunday).
Later on we siblings, Rachel and Bryn, one of Rachel's high school friends AND her three roommates all ate at a pub. It was such a fun night.

On Sunday, on poor Nate's birthday, I didn't get to spend much time with him because I had my re-audition for the MCP that evening! We'd been divided into quartets, and each quartet had a scheduled time to re-audition. Some people (about half the choir) re-auditioned with the Carmina Burana music before our previous concert...and we in the other half re-auditioned on Sunday (or today, for some) with Elijah music.
The thing was, of course, we didn't know which songs our director would have us sing, and she did things differently for each quartet.
SO. I practiced a LOT last week, and went over ALL our choral pieces on Saturday AND Sunday.
Had to deal with a detour on my way there (and a simpler one on my way home)- luckily I could call Nate and he guided me when I wasn't sure what to do and I still made it on time.
Our tenor was late, so for most of the first song she had us do it was just a soprano, alto (me) and bass.
The first one was faster, the second was more lyrical and slower. Luckily they were two of my favorites and I knew my part well for both...but...I still wonder- did I do enough dynamics, enough diction, etc....
And we won't find out for a while yet.
We'll have one more concert this season and she might re-re-audition some people using that piece...so we probably won't find out for sure until after that.
So I just have to relax...I'm not really worried, either, I guess. With nerves, I think it went more or less the best that could be expected.

After my re-audition there was still a half-hour before practice (we had practice from 6-9 that night with a 15 min. break). So I went to Subway with three choir buddies. I was really relieved that we had time to eat because I had eaten very little that day.
By the end of the night, though, many of us could barely speak. From practicing for our re-auditions and then a long practice, we were pretty worn out!

But- I've been able to rest my voice these past 2 days because now I know my notes pretty well from all that practicing!

I have mentioned that we have a Chilean squirrel named Russell. I have also mentioned that he has escaped from the top hatch of his cage at least two major times in the middle of the night.

The first time, we found him in our bedroom, which is the warmest room at night due to our space heater (we turn the heat down and just keep the bedroom warm). Nate noticed when he caught Russell that the whiskers on one side of his face were much shorter and a little curled at the ends. We figured he must have gotten too close to the space heater.

Last week, Nate was cleaning out our humidifier, which we also keep in the bedroom.
He was in the bathroom, and I was next door in the bedroom, reading.
"Holy crap!" says Nate.
"WHAT?" say I, worried that he has found some extra-gross mineral deposits in the filter or something nasty like that.
"I can't believe Russell is still alive!" says Nate.
"Why??" say I, confused.
"Hang on" says Nate.
Moments later, he brings in the base of the humidifier. The cord had been chewed. Not only were there teeth-marks but a tiny bit of wire was exposed and the coating of the cord was blackened in some places.

Russell had chewed on the electrical cord and it had sparked and shocked him! THAT was why his whiskers had been singed, NOT because he'd been huddling too close to the space heater.

Nate went back and showed Russell that cord. Russell jumped away from it! Seemed like he remembered the experience.
Well, that meant he'd learned his lesson, right??

I've mentioned that Russell escaped more recently...and that he was found behind the washing machine (which, with the dryer, is in a little laundry area on the same floor as the bathroom where the cage is, our bedroom, and our office with our desks and computers).
Just the other day I was sitting in the living room. Nate comes up and shows me a section of a cord chewed straight through. "I was wondering why I wasn't getting any audio to that one computer!"

Further inspection yielded more cords and cables with evidence of chewing. Seems Russell HADN'T learned his lesson, and took a detour beneath Nate's desk before hiding behind the washing machine.

Now, we've decided to put something on the top hatch of the cage so he won't escape through there again, hopefully...but Nate worries that if he still manages to (through our error or his) he could get his little furry self killed.
There is NO way we can somehow set things us so that no cords are chewable.
And one of these times Russell could manage to kill himself, and we would find him dead instead of hiding. Which would be really sad.

So- Nate is considering letting him chew on a low-watt cord so he'll get shocked a little but not really harmed, hoping that THIS might help condition him to not chew on cords anymore.

Hopefully it'll learn him better than getting singed whiskers apparently did.

Today's meme brought to you by: Friday Fiver (http://community.livejournal.com/fridayfiver).

Feedback baby

1. What have you sold?

-Um, nothing. I pretty much keep keep keep. I keep memories in old notebooks, drawings and doodles, books upon books and clothing I might use for future sewing projects....I find it very difficult to get rid of stuff...everything seems to be a part of my life and letting go is really hard.
Honestly, it is even difficult to lend things to people (esp. books!) because I always worry- will I get it back? Will my collection have a hole forever? When certain people take FOREVER to give back something they've borrowed due to sheer forgetfulness, my issues are only compounded...not to mention when a CD is returned scratched or a book bent up.

I also don't really like borrowing from other people. I'd rather get my own copy of a book or album.

This doesn't mean I won't buy used things or accept second-hand things as gifts- not at all! I just want to be sure they are mine to keep.

I think this is more of a weird security issue than a materialistic one.

When I lost a lot of my things in a storage fire at my college between my junior and senior years, that certainly didn't help, although it was a forced way for me to pare down.
Sadly I also lost some special jewelry, books, artwork and writings AND some beloved stuffed animals, not to mention clothing I liked and cassette tapes I still listened to in a wooden box I'd made in Shop class.

I'm still kinda sad about some of the things I lost....I'd hoped that the effects of what happened (besides the insurance money that helped me and Nate start out our marriage with some savings) would help me hoard less and ascribe less value to material things...but sadly I don't think that really happened...

I have more thoughts on this but I'll stop for now. :)

-But we DID trade in one car when we bought another. Does that count?...Didn't think so.

2. What do you want to change?

-Toning down my above tendency might be one thing, wouldn't it? I'd also like to change my tendencies towards overreacting and towards getting stressed out and worried about things...and I'd let to be able to let go of things more easily, both literally and figuratively.

3. What does your answering machine / voice mail message say?

- Something pretty typical and mundane. Purely functional.

4. Where did you go to school?

(I don't know the name of my preschool but I think it was at Wellesley Baptist Church in Natick, MA.)
Kindergarten Sept. 1985 through Dec. 1985- Benjamin-Hemingway School in WELLESLEY (yes! not Natick!), MA.
Kindergarten Jan. 1986 through 3rd grade: Chickering School, Dover, MA.
4th through 6th grade: Caryl School, Dover, MA.
Junior High (grades 7 and 8): Dover-Sherborn Regional Junior High School (Dover, MA).
High School (grades 9 through 12): Dover-Sherborn Regional High School (Dover, MA).
College (Bachelor's Degree): Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL.

The grade configurations for the elementary and junior high schools have since changed, but that's how it was when I was attending.

I also attended Bostonas Latviesu Skola (Boston's Latvian School) from childhood through 9th grade in High School. Latvian school had preschool and kindergarten levels and then 8 grades but they didn't always match up with whatever grade you were in your English-speaking school.

5. Friday fill-in:
If you'd like to reach me, ______.

-Hmmm. If you'd like to reach me, call me! Or e-mail me! Or send me a message on myspace, friendster, or facebook! Or comment on my livejournal! Or respond to a comment or message I left for you! Or write me a letter and mail it to me!
-OR, write a post or article or book about one of the many things that fascinate or interest me.

Yesterday, I paid some invoices at work...what happens is I send the boss our payables list, and he sends it back with the invoices he wants me to pay marked.
I pay them in our Quickbooks system, which I also print the checks from. After he signs the checks, I have to make 2 copies- one for a general check folder, and the other copy gets attached to the invoice(s) it paid and put in that vendor's file.
Then I put the checks in envelopes (also from Quickbooks), attach stamps, then drop them in a mailbox on my way home.

Now...I always have to make sure every single check has been signed. I flip through them when I get them back, I watch them while they go into the copier feeder, I look at the copies as I file them, AND I make sure when stuffing the checks into their envelopes.

Overkill, much?

But I definitely have a minor strain of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in me. Now, anyone who has taken Psychology probably knows that everyone has bits of most, if not all, possible disorders inside them...and when certain things happen in our lives, we get a taste (often a only a small one) of what having a certain disorder is like.
This is NOT to diminish the experience of people who have clinical diagnoses and deal with such disorders on a day-to-day basis, of course.

An example might be when someone is under a great deal of stress due to college finals or something going on in the family. That person may react in ways that give them a taste of an anxiety disorder.

OCD means that the person has an obsession, and develops a compulsion related to that obsession.
For instance, someone's obsession may involve worry that the house will burn down, so this person will check and re-check the oven and other devices/appliances before leaving home.

My obsession is with checks not being signed by mistake and therefore important bills not being paid.
My compulsion, then, is to make absolutely sure, multiple times, that the checks are signed.
I do this at home, to a point, when paying our bills, too.

A similar case with me involves my alarm clock. My obsession is with not sleeping late by mistake and therefore missing work (and pay), or with missing other important things that might be happening the next day. During college, of course, I worried about missing morning classes. Plus, occasionally something has gone wrong and I HAVE overslept and had to rush around, etc.
So, my compulsion is to check that my alarm clock is set correctly multiple times before I go to bed.

Of course, these are only two minor cases in my own life. Sometimes I take them to extremes- I'll put a check in its envelope but worry that I didn't really see whether it was signed or not (even if I'd looked at the copies already) so I'd get up and check the vendor file copy to make sure.

I know that if we don't pay attention, we can see what we expect to see instead of what's actually there, so that plays a part in the deal.

In order for such a thing to merit clinical diagnosis it has to greatly interfere with someone's life. In the oven example, if the person starts leaving later and later because of all the checking and re-checking, that can affect his or her job or other aspects of life...when the situation goes that far, diagnosis and treatment are probably in order.

Anyway! Since nothing is serious in my case (rather, annoying), I can treat it lightly, observing myself with something like amusement.

Yet, it IS really difficult to not check my alarm clock more than once, to not make ABSOLUTELY sure a check is signed. Once in a while at home I'll even rip open the envelope if I'm not sure I signed a check.

I worry about things not being done just right, about things not running smoothly, and a little about "getting in trouble." I'm not sure why this is, especially since most things can be fixed somehow, even if it means extra work or apologies or something.
These irrational fears- I don't know where they come from.

Ah, well. "Who knows where thoughts come from? They just APPEAR!"
(-the character Lucas from the movie "Empire Records.")

***What about you? Any minor tendencies toward certain psychological disorders?

Hmmm. The banner at the top of weather.com has spring flowers on it. However our current temperature is around 22 degrees F and this morning there was quite a bit of frost...and I haven't seen any flowers or attempts at becoming flowers.

Happily there are more birds around. We can hear them outside, and see them on our way to work. More robins have shown up which is especially nice...but I hope the poor birds don't freeze!

We may have more snow later today, possibly mixed with rain. Boo.

Spring needs to assert itself in my opinion! It's sunnier and we have more birds now but that is NOT enough.

Meanwhile I'm wearing gloves at work because my office is way too chilly. I sit below a window which is part of it. Cold air seeps through it and then drops down right onto my desk, onto my hands.

Also of course I'm near the front door and entry way so whenever anyone comes in or goes out, I get nice gusts of cold air.

Yesterday, my hands and nose were cold CONSTANTLY. Today is more of the same.

Today, this entry is boring. Tomorrow it will also be boring.

Uh....yeah. So, yesterday, I was thinking about how I had various things I could write about here. Now I can't remember what those things were.

Today we can have fish, though! Today celebrates the Annunciation, and as a feast day it's not actually part of Lent (not counted as part of the 40 days, etc.) so fish and dairy are allowed for everyone, even those who do the strictest fast. I think we will DEFINITELY have fish tonight, in some form or other, whether it be fish and chips (Yum!) or a tuna sub (also yum).

Poor Nate hasn't been sleeping well these past few nights, but he can't think of any reason why. He even made sure not to nap yesterday so he would go to bed tired, but he still woke up a lot...and was exhausted this morning. I wish we knew what was wrong!

But, I'll blame Winter's insistent lingering.

Looking at my little calendar that appears next to my journal posts, I noticed that I rarely post on Mondays.
So! Here I am, breaking that pattern!

Things today:

Poor Nate was basically run off the road after he dropped me off at work this morning. A pickup truck driver SAW him but still took his turn way too short and Nate had to pretty much STOP the car and let him go by.
I have to say that in my experience, pickup truck drivers are OFTEN bullies. Plus, I read in an article a while ago that they are also the drivers most likely to not wear their seat belts, figuring themselves to be invincible.
That could explain why one of them that was tailgating me on Saturday passed me in a no passing zone on a winding road.

I love listening to the contrast between Dick Button's and Peggy Fleming's commentary on figure skating (I have the World Figure Skating Championships recorded. Because I am a geek and huge fan for that sort of thing). They can both be brutally honest at times, but she is MUCH gentler in her tone even then. But I still like him, too, and it's fun to listen to them go back and forth a little bit. I also appreciate their expertise- I learn a lot about figure skating by simply listening to the commentary.

We have Chilean squirrel. I think I have mentioned him before...he used to belong to a previous cleaning lady at Nate's workplace, and she gave him to us on a "trial basis" as she and her husband were giving away a lot of their animals.
Then, she stopped being their cleaning lady and we had no way to contact her. Coincidence?
Luckily he's gotten used to living with us and we with him, so we're happy to have him.
We named him Russel (though the jury's out on the proper spelling- I don't think Nate and I agree on it)...pretty much because that's what he does most of the time- rustles around in his cage, diligently rearranging his chips.

This morning Russel woke both of us by squeaking in these short, high-pitched chirps over and over and OVER again.
I got up to go to the bathroom and Nate got up and petted Russel a little bit through the top hatch of his cage.
This morning that hatch was wide open and Nate found Russel hiding behind the washing machine (on the same floor)...Nate says he tried to close the hatch quietly but did close it.
Russel HAS escaped at least one other major time, and then, it was I who had petted him last, and at night, but I was sure I'd closed that hatch securely!
We're starting to wonder if he is able to open that hatch by himself sometimes...
But as for the squeaking, in light of his subsequent escape, Nate said, "Maybe he was planning a jail-break with himself."

Today feels like Friday, but it's not. However! When usually such a realization is extremely depressing, it's not so bad today because we have Friday off due to (Western) Good Friday.

Last evening Nate and I went to church. During Eastern Orthodox Lent, Pre-Sanctified Liturgies are held every Wednesday. In our parish, these services are hosted in rotation by a few area Orthodox churches. I love this! We worship with Christians from other parishes- it is a good reminder that we are not experiencing Lent alone and that parishes are not islands. The services are always done by multiple priests from the various parishes, and I love that, too.
Last night wast the only Wednesday service I can go to this Lent due to MCP practices, so we went. It was at a very small and old parish that's just two streets over from ours. They don't have a choir, so those of us from our choir sang in the balcony.

Since these services include Communion (and people are supposed to fast from lunch until Communion if they're going to take it), dinner is always served afterwards in the fellowship hall.
Nate and I were sitting with some choir people at a table at the back of the fellowship hall. There was a picture of Jesus on the wall above the table. It wasn't an icon, but a more modern/literal depiction I suppose...He is looking straight at the viewer and it's basically a head-shot. Happily the artist at least gave him dark brown hair and eyes (as opposed to blue eyes and blondish hair for goodness sakes) but he looks pretty young and almost doe-eyed.

Our priest, Father Gregory, came over to our table, looked up at the depiction on the wall, and said "Is that Jesus' high-school picture?"

Needless to say we busted out laughing, especially me.

I love Fr. Gregory's sense of humor.

And now from some completely un-church-related humor...

Nate and I love Bleach, which is a Japanese cartoon (ie anime). It is slowly being released in the U.S. but you can also watch fan-subs online. (Fan-subs the term for what's created when fans who know both Japanese and English subtitle the episodes themselves).
I can't speak for all anime, but in many there often seems to be the quintessential big-boobed female character. In Bleach there are at least 3, two of which have been in recent episodes we've watched (and both have reddish/orange hair. Hmmm.).

There is also a character named Kon who is an engineered soul- he is basically a pellet that can be inserted in to any body (human or non-human, living or non-living) and he can use it as his own as long as it's unoccupied by another soul at the time.
Usually he is inside a stuffed lion, which makes the things he says less offensive. Things such as: "Boobs are the shape of happiness!"

It's pretty much his goal in life to be near a girl or woman with big breasts. So noble!

I had a very unique experience this past weekend- the MCP got to sing Carl Orff's Carmina Burana while the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater performed (their orchestra played with a guest conductor and there were also three soloists).

The music was altered to fit the choreography in some places- there were some repeats added and some cuts were made, but it's still such a fun piece to sing!

There were problems to overcome, though.
We in the choir stood on risers at the VERY back of a rather large stage. There was a stage prop in FRONT of us made of criss-crossed metal pipes. It was raised or lowered at times but it was always in front of us to a degree, and sometimes it was climbed on by the dancers.
Then of course there was the expanse of the stage with dancers dancing on it.

Then there was the orchestra pit and finally, the conductor. Who we were supposed to be able to watch...but who we often couldn't see due to the stage prop and the "flying bodies" as our director so aptly put it. Luckily two tv monitors were affixed to the front of the balcony so we could look at him on the monitors if we couldn't see him in front of us...and luckily we actually had sound monitors near our risers so we could hear the orchestra in real time instead of having to ignore it because of the time lag and echo that we'd normally have to contend with in such a large space and with such a vast separation.

In other words, the monitors helped save the day! If we'd had no sound monitors, we'd only have been able to rely on the movements of the conductor, which we often wouldn't have been able to see at all if it weren't for the tv m