Day #8155 - A Very Snowy Solstice

Well we have finally arrived at one of the most hectic weeks of the year socially, emotionally, and (unfortunately, commercially) financially. With Christmas being on a Saturday this year, it brings about an interesting mindset. It reminds me of a typical work week - everyone with the focused goal of just making it to this weekend and knowing they'll have Sunday to use as a time to recover from the food-coma that may set in.

This first full week off from school was bliss - I actually feel caught up on sleep, I went out and had fun times with good friends, and it still looks like a winter wonderland. I know that not many people who live in the midwest are necessarily fans of the snow and cold, but I love it, and I'm of the mentality that if we do live in a place where it does get so cold, it better look beautiful at the same time. I don't want to see the grass until the end of February. Though we have been dealing with below-freezing temperatures for a while now, today is actually the first day of winter. Happy Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year! From now until June, the days will start getting longer. I am a huge fan of all things solstice and equinox related, so I am excited that today is finally here.

So in case I don't have a chance to write again before the weekend and all its crazyness is upon us, here is wishing everyone a very Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy Solstice. :o)

Day #8140 - Yule be Singing About What?

The sounds of the holiday season are in the air. Literally. If you're in Chicagoland, just tune into 93.9FM for all your Christmas, holiday, and snow-themed songs of the season. Now I love winter and I love Christmas carols, but you can't deny that some of them are a little brow raising. So let's start off with Monica's Top 3 Creepy Christmas Carols

3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Am I the only one bothered by this song? Especially in the version that sounds like a little kid is singing, almost proudly declaring that he's witnessed his mother cheating. I know some people might argue that in today's society with 50% of marriages ending in divorce, maybe Mommy is single and ready to mingle. But the lyrics clearly bring up the question that Daddy could walk right in at any moment. And what about Mrs. Claus, eh? Some sailors would brag about having a girl in every port, but poor Mrs. Claus could very well be married to a man with women all over the world.

2. Santa Baby

This song kind of reminds me of when Anna Nicole Smith was still alive and married to that millionaire who looked about 100 years old. While it's not uncommon for women to be attracted to older men, but I mean, this song just makes me go "ew." It's skeevy! I hear this and just think, "This girl must have some serious daddy issues" and that if Barney Stinson were real, he'd be taking advantage of her in a heartbeat.

1. Baby It's Cold Outside

Oh how I both love and get mildly creeped out by this song! I love the duet, it's incredibly catchy, and it just screams Rat Pack to me. But the lyrics do have a little bit of a "hey, wait a minute" feel to them. Girl needs to go, boy seems to be concerned for her safety and the fact that it's freezing, girl accepts another drink before she hits the road, girl realizes boy roofied her drink?! Okay maybe not that extreme, but I can easily see the girl coming home the next morning, makeup smudged and hair disheveled, asking her mother to stop yelling because she's got a hangover and is in desperate need of aspirin and some strong coffee. But unlike the other two songs, I'll happily sing along with this one because it's so dang catchy!

Honorable Mention: The Christmas Shoes

Now before you think I'm a horrible person for putting this on my list, let me explain. This song is actually very sweet, telling the story of a poor boy who wants to buy a Christmas present for his dying mother. However, me and some friends in high school believed this was just a cover story and made up an alternate. The little boy is only pretending to need money to buy his mom shoes - in actuality, Mom is a drug addict and has sent her son out to collect money from kind, unsuspecting strangers to help support her habit. What can I say? We were in high school and we thought it was hilarious. So now every time I hear this song, I think about my friends from yesteryear and our theories about what this song might really be about.

Day #7428 - Silent Night

I literally haven't left my house today. Down at school this past week during finals, me and my roommates would make sure we at least went outside once a day. The closest I got today was answering the door for the mail lady because someone had to sign for a package. That doesn't mean I haven't been in total awe of it's beauty. It's been snowing pretty consistently all day. Like I said the other day, though, I know it can be dangerous and I know that so many people find it annoying and a pain to deal with. Pardon me if I start to sound like Charlie Brown, but this season is supposed to be all about Love and family and hope, with peace on earth and goodwill toward all men. However, all of that, no matter how hard we may try, becomes secondary to the commercialism that consumes us. People genuinely don't believe me when I say I don't care so much about Christmas presents. Sure I want things, but I'd rather have a few days with my family and friends with no drama or fighting than any material things. So even though scraping the ice off the windshield of your car in the sub-zero windchill is never fun, take a moment to just appreciate what we do have. And come on, it's hard to deny that the power of weather is pretty awesome. All of this snow fell from the sky. It was just evaporated water, turned into a cloud, and now our landscape has been completely transformed. Come on, it's a little bit cool =)

Another thing I just want to take the time to comment on is surprises. I love it when things in this world can surprise me. People, places, things. For example, I'm not sure if I can remember the last time a movie made me cry. It rarely happens and I think the first time it did was when I first saw Finding Neverland. Tonight I watched Dan in Real Life with my brother and dad. Now for most of the movie, I just felt awkward and uncomfortable (probably because I could identify with the protagonist more than I wanted to). However at the end when Dan was talking to his daughters, I felt a tear on my face. I never watched this movie before because I thought it looked awful, and I ended up really enjoying it.

And I love it when books can surprise me. I'm currently re-reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time in a few years and wow, I forgot so much of the story. Usually I'll just pop in the dvd if I want a bit of Lizzy and Mr. Darcy, but the book, wow. Austen really knew how to tell a story. I never really appreciated Mr. Darcy's side of the story before - the movie just makes him seem like a jerk because you're only seeing her side of the story. In the book, you really get to see how tormented he is and we can all relate to the idea of falling for someone that our friends don't approve of. I never fully saw that Darcy starts falling in love with her the night they meet. It's like I'm reading a whole new book - what a great surprise.

And with this night being the eve of Christmas Eve, I now close this post while wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday. Travel safely and just try to remember the real reason for the season =)

Day #7426 - Yarn and Yultide

Well final exams are finally over for everyone, so I'm back in Schaumburg for a month of rest and hopefully letting my brain recover from the massive assault it's been subject to for the past semester. I already went to Michael's today and got started on a new sweater that I hope to finish knitting by the time we head back to school.

The neighborhood is beautiful right now. I know that snow can be really unsafe to drive in and completely annoying when it comes to shoveling, but especially at night, it just makes everything look so at peace. Not going to lie, one of my main motivations for blogging tonight was going to be so I could rant about the fact that I've only been home a day and already, some people who I have always considered good friends are already not returning my calls and ignoring my texts and how much it sucks when I try to take an initiative like people are always telling me to do, but at the end of the day I'm still alone. It's a horrible feeling. But when I look out at the streetlights and snow covering my currently quiet street, it's just nice. Sure it'd be nice to have anyone to share these kinds of moments with, but it's so pretty that I don't mind. Patience is a virtue that I have always struggled with, and I also just try to remember that those kinds of things just might not be in the cards for me. So yeah. Sometimes, life is just a pain. Sometimes the people you need to listen, won't. But then other times, it'll snow in the days before Christmas and put a blanket over the world in a way that makes you wish that things like magic and Santa Claus were real to you all over again.