pondering 2007

Looking back to my first post of 2007, here's what I hoped for this year:
- more sleep. less Red Bull.
- more creativity. less working for The Man.
- all in all, a more life-giving vs. soul-stealing year.

I think I did sleep more. And while it is still around, Red Bull is much less a necessity than it was last year. I can quit any time. Really.

Not sure how much less I'm working than in 2006. But working for a different man is a lot better.

More life-giving than soul-stealing? Yeah, I think so. Spiritual direction helped immensely with this. As did pulling out of doing some things that were just a drag.

I'd say the highlights of 2007 were starting a new job, turning 40, deepening some friendships, and starting to simplify my life. And finding the Ricola Mystery Cougher.

I'm hopeful for what lies ahead in 2008.

do you hear what I hear

I'm not the music junkie I used to be, but I was still happy to see some of my favorite albums of 2007 on Paste Music's Top 100 Album List.

In no particular order:
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

reading...

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Simplicity, Kim Thomas
*
Christmas additions to the Library:
Dorothy L. Sayers: The Complete Stories
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, Michka Assayas

which holiday character are you?

first thoughts about advent

Today I finished decorating my house for Christmas. I have a few items that were Christmas decorations in our house when I was a kid. One of those things is an Advent calendar. An Advent calendar is traditionally used to count the days of Advent. Not at our house. It was used to count the days until Santa came.

I look at that calendar now – red felt background with a Christmas tree cut-out and gold rick-rack on it, little numbered pockets on the bottom, which always held cellophane wrapped candy canes, and feel like I missed out on something.

Growing up in a denomination (yes, I think it is one) that typically didn’t celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ – because, hey!, we don’t have proof that Jesus Christ was born on December 25! – I missed out on the real Christmas story.

I remember rolling my eyes in 9th grade when a teacher chastised someone for writing “Xmas”, saying “Don’t take the Christ out of Christmas!”, and thinking she was a real whack-o. Now I realize that she knew more about the Story than I did.

It wasn’t until I moved to Denver almost four years ago that I encountered Advent. I wish I could say that each year it changed me a little bit, but I’m not so sure. May it be so this year.