Monday, December 27, 2004

Tsunami

The tsunami disaster is so huge, it's hard to wrap one's mind around it. It's like when someone talks about a billion dollars...it's too big and it's very hard to relate to. You see the pictures on TV and you know this is a horrible, horrible thing. At the same time, unless you know someone there, you feel distanced from it. When there is a disaster, and they tell the number of Americans who died on the news, it can be infuriating, like they're saying that's what matters. I think the purpose, though, is to make it more real for people. I pay more attention to things that happen in the world now if I have, or have had, students from that country, or if I have visited that place. Also, because this was perpetrated by nature, not human beings, the sense of helplessness is compounded. There is no one to hunt down and punish. I guess all people can do is make some contribution towards disaster relief, or for the very bold, go and help with it.

Post-Christmas

Although this was a wonderful Christmas Eve/ Christmas (mostly), I'm glad it's over. I used to not want to take the decorations down after New Year's Day, but now I think I will put a few things away every day so it's not such a daunting and depressing task at the end of the holiday season. Because there is so much stuff, I think I can still maintain an air of festivity while still taking down some stuff each day. What I'm really dreading is seeing the credit card bill next month. Since my husband insists on paying it off every month, I'm anticipating a dreary January, in which I will have to eat healthy food, go to the gym regularly, and avoid shopping, movies at the theater, and restaurants. What kind of life is that? Actually, once I get into it, I will enjoy living like that.
Also, this is really superficial (per my quest), but I got a Coach purse for Christmas. I've never had one, and it's beautiful. It's downright cuddly. Although I have requested one for years, and thought I might get one next summer, I got it for Christmas and it was a total surprise, which made it very special.



Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Jingle Bell Vault

Last week, my husband and I made a decision about Christmas music. Just as Disney puts movies "into the vault" where they can't be accessed until the studio re-releases them, we are sending five songs every year "into the vault" for five years. We will then decide if we ever liked them. (A couple are no-brainers.) Our nominations for this year are "Jingle Bell Rock," "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," the barking "Jingle Bells" dog, and I can't remember the fifth one. It was going to be "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" but it gets a pass this year because it's the 40th anniversary of the Christmas special.Oh, yeah! It was "The Little Drummer Boy." Along with Frosty and Rudolph, it goes in the category of bogus made-up Christmas stories that turned into animated specials. If these songs are played in our presence, there will be repercussions. Those will probably include our grousing at some length, which can be quite intolerable.