Christmas Diversions

Adorable little girl signs her Kindergarten Christmas concert for her deaf parents:

My kids ask for this one every year:

And this one:

And my husband asked for this one:

What Christmas "bideos" (as Miss Lili would say) do you watch every year?

Christmas Diversions

In Which We Are All Amazed

And another:


(OK, I admit to being conflicted posting these videos of North Korean kids. But still: wow.)

It's a Good Day

Because sometimes, on a rainy day, I like Peggy Lee to remind me.

It is a good day.

The Piano Guys - The Cello Song

I love all the videos by The Piano Guys but this is one of my most favorite. Enjoy!

In Which We Discuss Beethoven, Pianos and Powerful Music

This part I can play:

And this part I can't...yet. (Yes, I'm actually working on it):

This is Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", which is also known as Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia, Opus 27 No. 2 (the last section is sometimes just called his Presto Agitato)

And another favorite, just because it's one of the most beautiful things ever written:


My most favorite, and not by Beethoven:

Would it be a bit much to have this at my funeral? I don't care. I want it.

And, while we're talking funeral music, let's go ahead and have this one too:

I'd prefer live symphony orchestra, obviously, but I suppose what will happen is one of my daughters will play this from whatever replaces iPods in the future. That'll be OK too.

Does that music not make you choke up a little bit? If it doesn't, might I suggest you find out where you left your soul today?

One of the reasons I've taken to piano practice in earnest again is because sometimes all I want to do is sit down and pound out a nice, moody piece of Beethoven's finest. And, while piano playing may not be exactly like riding a bicycle, I'm happy to say my skills are returning faster than I thought they would. (An hour a day of serious practice will do that.)

Now, to buy a piano with decent key action and tone...I asked Philip yesterday at what point in our marriage I would be able to buy a piano both the size and cost of a small car. I just wanted reassurance that I would get one before my fingers are crippled with age. He assured me it would happen sooner rather than later.

We'll see. Of course, if we get a bigger house (and that's a pretty big "if" right now), we'll have to fill up that house. And what better way to fill a room than a nice five foot long baby grand piano, right?

In Which We Talk of Small Houses and Moving

Things like this make me think our 800 odd square feet ought to be plenty.

And then I think again.

In other words: we're still planning to move. One of the people who walked through our house last week (because, yes! there was more than one!) is supposedly going to make an offer today.

I say supposedly because it hasn't happened yet.

Bad things about this: we don't have a "new to us" house picked out yet. I might have to leave my new stove (sob!). We just paid $$$ for a new floor in the kitchen that isn't even in yet and the guy maybe would have bought our house without it. Due to the downturn in the economy the best we can hope for - despite living here for eleven years and doing lots of work - is breaking even.

Good things about this: we'll get to move to a bigger house. We're also leaving the appliances we don't like. We're - hopefully - breaking even instead of losing.

Meanwhile, Tigger is threatening to take down the sign in the yard because, "I like this house just fine", and Polly can't wait to move because, "Maybe then I won't have to go to bed when my sisters do."

And my emotions are somewhere between those two extremes.

Update: Aaannnddd...we have an offer. And we're going to take it. Looks like Chez Charming will be changing locations. So weird. I've lived here for almost 11 years out of my {almost} 31 years of life. I only lived for three years longer than that in my childhood home (14 years).

Breathing (and Praying)

There are days when breathing and praying (and writing and maybe crying) are all that get done. Those days it is an accomplishment to get out of bed and get dressed.

And there are days when someone asks how I'm doing and "fine" is not a lie, when "OK" is actually the right answer. Those days remind me what "normal" life was like just a few weeks ago and I think maybe we'll be there again sooner rather than later.

(P.S.: Dear Ingrid Michaelson, thanks for writing a song I would need one day.)

Groundhog Day

It's Groundhog Day. Again.

And if you've never read Jonah Goldberg's excellent essay on the movie, you can find it here.

The King's Speech - My Take

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I felt a bit paranoid. Why? Let's see:
- Set in England - check
- About the monarchy - check
- Just before and at the beginning of, the Second World war - check
- Starring Michael Gambon (Cranford), Geoffrey Rush, Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice!), Helena Bonham Carter (A Room with a View) and, oh, yes, Colin Firth.

It was like someone had looked in my favorite things notebook or something. OK, I know, that's silly. But seriously, the only way this movie could be more up my alley is if Jane Austen wrote the screenplay.

The story is real: King George V is getting up in years. His heir is his oldest son, known to the family as David (the future King Edward VIII). His second son is the Duke of York, known to his family as Bertie.The oldest son is the golden boy, beloved by the press, brought up to be King. The second is son is quiet, devoted to his family and afflicted with a speech impairment that makes any sort of public appearance or obligation torturous.

Unfortunately for his family and his country, David was apparently not interested in subjugating his own desires to those of honor or duty. Which leaves...Bertie. (And, consequently in line to the throne, his daughter, the current Queen Elizabeth II)

Since David had not married, nor produced an heir, it seems maybe the Duke of York ought to have been preparing for the eventuality that confronts him.

The movie is about helping the future King George VI find his voice, yes, but it's also about duty, honor, and courage.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. -- Ambrose Redmoon

Colin Firth is, as I expected, absolutely brilliant in this role. He brings the man to life and makes his stammer much more than just a affectation of an actor. (I found myself echoing George V: "Just get it out, man!") The audience feels badly for the king, you want the unorthodox methods to work.

Helena Bonham Carter dials it down in this film. She sparkles quietly, acting in a much understated fashion compared to what one is accustomed to seeing from her.

Geoffrey Rush is his usual scene stealing self. Michael Gambon so inhabits the role of George V (actually onscreen only a scant few minutes) you easily understand Bertie's equal parts awe, fear, respect and love of his father.

The weakest point, to my mind, is the unfortunate casting for Winston Churchill. Timothy Spall (Mr. Venus in the BBC adaptation of Our Mutual Friend) is not a good fit (one reviewer called him toad like, perhaps rat might be a better description considering Mr. Spall's role as Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter movies) and does not capture the wit or the gravity of Mr. Churchill. (I am willing to excuse this, however, considering the fact that if someone could actually capture Mr. Churchill's magic in a movie, the movie would then be about Churchill and not anything or anyone else.)

The wit is dry; the pace steady. There are no blatant s** scenes, no nudity, no violence and the one and only reason this film is rated R is because twice there is a long string of profanity. It is not spread throughout the movie (as so many action movies seem to do) and it is understandable (however unfortunate) in context. Without that I would have no objection in allowing my 9 yr old daughter to watch the film - it is uplifting without being saccharine and entertaining without being mindless.

Philip and I both found it depressing that he had to explain to the teenager behind the cash register at the movie theater what the movie was about. Apparently this boy had even asked his manager and he didn't know either. There was no poster up outside the theater. The movie was shown in the smallest theater in the back of the complex. Philip and I were easily the youngest folks in the room. It seems odd for such a deserving movie to be getting such treatment. Maybe that's not representation for the entire country: it is a gem of a film and deserves each and every award it receives.

The King's Speech official site, if you want to find out more.

The 12 Days of Christmas...Among Other Things

Christmas Is Coming

And that means music. Lots of music! One of my favorite albums in recent years (as opposed my old favorites Bing Crosby or Perry Como) is the1993 Harry Connick, Jr. album, When My Heart Finds Christmas. Here's one song from that album that deserves to be better known:

Previous posts about Christmas music can be found here (least favorite lyrics), here (two versions of a favorite song) and here (some favorite albums).

I Find This Excessively Diverting

H/T: Mem (my mother-in-law who does not currently blog. But she will sometime, because that's what we do)

Thanksgiving Blast from the Past

A song from the classic movie Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby:
"I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For".

Bad grammar aside, it's a great song.

Well...At Least I've Heard of Him

I write like
Mark Twain

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Boys Don't Sing?

This one shows how far they've come:

Google, Ancient Chinese Charts, and The Like

I don't know what pregnant moms did before the internet. Where else can you do a search on some arcane pregnancy symptom and diagnose yourself, thereby becoming sure that you have some rare disorder that will most likely...

OK, that's probably not one of the best things about modern pregnancy. I have to actually tell myself, "Do not Google this" when confronted with medical symptoms. Headache? Doom! Rash? Doom! Tired? Doom! Can't sleep? Doom, again! Of course!

Back when I was pregnant with the child that turned out to be Tigger, I discovered sites that discussed old wives' tales about whether you were pregnant with a boy or girl. (Eating salty or sweet foods, carrying high or low, etc.) These type things are amusing, of course but sadly inaccurate. For instance, I thought Sweet Pea might be a boy because I just felt so "different" and the old wives' tale consensus seemed to say so.

Obviously, they were mistaken. Sweet Pea is the girliest-girl in our family. The child doesn't like to go out of the house without fixing her hair and donning matching (or not) jewelry.

One prediction method has been accurate for us, however. Have you heard of the "Chinese Gender Chart?" This is some silly chart that was supposedly found in an ancient tomb...blah, blah, blah. The thing is, you put in your birth date and when the baby was conceived and it tells you whether to buy blue or pink.

For us the chart is 4 for 4. So I was beginning to think it strangely accurate. Until I discovered that a friend would have a girl according to this chart and, lo and behold, she's actually expecting a little boy.

Hmm. So, just to satisfy my curiosity, was this chart accurate for you?

(Disclaimer: The Management wishes to make clear that this is a "just for fun" exercise. The management in no way endorses planning your life around, taking seriously or otherwise caring much about charts found in ancient tombs, whether Chinese or no. Thank you, very much.)

We Are So Getting This

Perfect for when Prince Charming finally decides to allow Polly to date...

My Favorite for this Year

Favorite Christmas song, that is. Sara Groves' version is sweet and has that extra poignancy because she is a mother herself:

And there's this version, by the incomparable Nat King Cole (and no, I have no idea what the image on that video is. Just ignore it.):

If I shiver when I hear this, it isn't due to the sub-freezing temps. The only version that will never make it onto my Christmas play list is the Vince Gill one. No song is beautiful enough to withstand that kind of abuse.

Sunday Song - Be Glad!