Christmas Time Is Here

Christmas is coming! Based on my calculations it should be here… tomorrow! Yes, I know the calendar says it should take another 124 days, but based on how quickly the summer went by, I figure it will only feel like one day, maybe two. Personally, I had planned to do a lot over the summer but ran out of time. After all, you can’t do much overnight.

That’s sure what it feels like to me. It feels like commencement was just yesterday, yet we already have convocation today. Somehow, I managed to be in a wedding, find a new apartment, undergo knee surgery, go to New York three times, and fall in love with my Kindle—all between yesterday and today. However, that isn’t nearly as much as I had wanted to do!

So little time, so much to do. I had wanted to get to the beach. I had wanted to have a Lord of the Rings marathon. I had wanted to rearrange my office. I had wanted to update my blog more often. Somehow, all that time just got away from me. Crazy work hours dominated the few days of nice weather with which Scranton is graced every year. Life has always been a battle between what I need to do and what I want to do.

The beautiful thing about Christmas is its scheduled sanctity. We get federal holidays and office parties and bonus checks: we get a BREAK. I don’t know about you, but I know that I’m already looking forward to the vacation. All those tranquil days of quiet snow that can be spent cuddled under a blanket on the couch… I’m feeling peaceful just thinking about it! Good thing it will be here tomorrow.

Summer Vacation

Most people seem to forget that Memorial Day is about honoring our soldiers’ sacrifices and instead equate it with one thing: summer! Today marks the unofficial beginning of the vacation season, as everyone takes advantage of the federal work holiday’s long weekend. Everyone except me. Being the rebel that I am, I am working today—because I have to.

Just to be clear, I took off all of last week. I spent the week with my little brother. We did tons of exciting things, like visiting our grandparents and watching lots of movies. Oh yes, Scranton is an awesome place to spend your vacation, especially when you’re a couple of broke kids. I highly recommend it. Just be aware of the very real possibility of getting hit by a city bus.

Americans have become obsessed with vacation. We spend enormous amounts of money we don’t have to reach “exciting” recreation destinations. We plan our whole calendars around specific dates. Everyone talks about who’s going where and doing what… but why? We’re already one of the laziest nations in the world and then we can’t wait to take a long weekend.

Not that vacations are design to be relaxing. On the contrary, they are usually some of the most stressful times. Nothing is quite as soothing as hours and hours trapped in a hot car with small children. Needing a vacation after a vacation is a very common sentiment. So go ahead, enjoy your traffic jams and sunburns. Don’t forget to charge it all on your credit card too!

Personally, I’m just fine with working today. There’s a whole week’s worth of email to deal with, plus I get so much more done when there are no distractions or interruptions. I’ve got my music cranked so I won’t get freaked out by random noises in an otherwise empty library. Besides, working today means that I can take Friday off instead and go to Baltimore for the weekend.

Spring in my Step

Ah, Spring! When the whole world reawakens from its wintry slumber, refreshing itself with showers and dressing itself in new life. The stirring of both spiritual and natural resurrection demand celebration, which we gladly give. This time of year always makes me wish I were a poet so that I could more fully observe such revitalization.

This past Winter refused to relinquish its frigid grasp on Scranton for the longest time. We were all tantalized by a few rays of sunshine, only to be disappointed in more snow. Easter and Spring were both so late in arrival this year! However, the birds outside my window sing to me their assurances that the sun is finally here to stay.

Seeing the new buds begin to bloom, I can’t help but smile. “Walking on Sunshine” has been playing in my head all day. Just as the ice has melted, so have I determined to enjoy the promises of the season and conquer the depressing failures of the past few months. I am trying very hard to catch a breath of the fresh air while I still can.

Now, we’re hurtling toward summer vacation and wedding season. A whole new set of challenges are just up ahead. But for today, take a break. Go for a walk. Literally stop and smell the new flowers. We should appreciate Spring and the gift of renewal it brings. No matter what happens, every year it reminds us that life goes on. For that, I am grateful.

TAKA•PIL

Some days, you just need to take a trip from the mundane. I saw several things that I had never seen before today. First, I saw a mail truck at a gas station. I’d never seen that before. Somehow, I had always assumed that there was some magical federal fuel depot in the sky for them all. You know, like where babies come from.

Then I saw a dog in a shopping cart. My friend Naomi and I were in the Salvation Army store, digging for buried treasure. I looked over as another shopper passed me, only to see a small Yorkie staring bag at me. This woman had the poor dog sitting in the basket of her cart and it did not look happy. Can’t say that I blame it.

We also found a pair of Apple Bottom jeans in the store. That’s right: a genuine pair of Apple Bottom jeans with gold stitching. That dumb song has been stuck in my head ever since—just like it’s stuck in yours now.

The fourth and final awesome thing that I saw was a vanity license plate which said “TAKA·PIL” on the way home. It made me chuckle. Either its owner is a pharmaceutical salesman, or they were simply expressing the quintessential attitude of a hot summer day in Scranton. Saturdays are good Take A Chill Pill Days.

With all the craziness of life, it’s important to decompress periodically. I don’t know about you, but lately every aspect of my life seems determined to stress me out. Today, I am relaxing. A trip to the Salvation Army, Wal-Mart, making brownies with my friend Michelle, watching sweet action movies… It’s been a good sabbath day so far.

Heat Wave

Ever have one of those weeks? You know, one of THOSE weeks. I’m just finishing one of them. Since I got back from vacation, pretty much every major aspect of my life has been subject to some form of catastrophe. On top of which, it’s been HOT!

One of the things I love about Scranton is its temperate climate. I do not enjoy warm weather. I think that the 70’s are the perfect summer temperature. The 80’s make me uncomfortable. When we hit the 90’s, I become miserable. 100 makes me wonder why God is punishing me.

We passed 100 several times this past week with a vicious heat wave. When combined with everything else going on, it was not a particularly pleasant few days. I have been incredibly grateful for my air-conditioned office! My apartment, however, has been so warm that I worried I might explode like a baked potato that wasn’t properly poked.

Thankfully, the heat wave seems to have subsided last night. It was still plenty hot today, but not so sweltering. Hopefully, I’ll soon find some relief from the other anxieties in my life. Until then, pass the ice cream!

Midnight Eclipse

It’s true: I went to the midnight, premiere showing of the new Twilight movie last night. Still not exactly sure why I went, but that may have something to do with getting less than four hours of sleep. That was one of the things I always swore I would never do, yet there I was with all the screaming fan girls in their full vampire costumes—even in Scranton.

Good thing today was already Dew Day, so I didn’t feel guilty for adding a caramel macchiato to my morning routine. The experience was totally worth it, though, and it was a good exercise in spontaneity for me. I had a lot of fun with my friends, even if Megan was hissing Team Edward sentiments in my ear the entire time. Now, I just have to stay awake…

I was quite satisfied with the movie itself. I won’t give anything away here (don’t want to spoil it for anyone who plans to see it). They stayed accurate to the book with the plotline, which is always a good idea—no real surprises. They also really stepped up the quality of the CGI, especially in the action sequences. The major battle scene was excellent.

So yes, I did go to see Eclipse last night. And yes, I did have fun. But no, if you saw the news on WNEP 16, that was not me. I was not the short blonde in the white shirt. Although, that was Thomas who was jumping up and down, waving at the camera. Nothing unusual about it, we were just a group of college and seminary staff and students at a movie about teenage vampires and werewolves.

And by the way, go Team Jacob! We still love you!

Home Sweet House

Earlier today, someone said to me, "you are where you live." I have already been recently contemplating the concept of Home and what it means to a person. To some, their dwelling is merely where they keep most of their stuff and occassionally sleep—these people would probably find their true home to be elsewhere, such as an office.

Where you live really does say a lot about you and where you are in your life. For instance, it would be unlikely for a family with several children to live in an apartment. Similarly, a socially active extrovert would not likely live in a cabin in the woods. If you live with roommates or alone instead of with relatives, that also says a lot. (Most generalities do not apply to New York City or other such evil metropolises.)

A few years ago there was a tv show called "Get Packing" which was quite short-lived and with good reason. The two contestants each had a few minutes inside someone's house to learn as much about them as possible and pack a suitcase for a weekend getaway... the person then chose his/her date based on the contents of the suitcase and how well the contestants had guessed his/her personality based on his/her house. The interesting thing about the show was how exactly precise or widely inaccurate the contestants could be.

If you look around my current apartment, I'm sure it would tell you a lot. A poster from my favorite film is framed and hanging in my living room. Most of my furniture is second-hand. I have two separate organizers for my shoes (one for dress shoes and the other for street shoes). There is usually a pile of dishes in the sink. Currently, there is only one toothbrush in the holder on the bathroom counter.

When I was growing up, my family moved around a lot. A lot. I hated it. Now that I'm out on my own, I would like to put down roots somewhere. Not necessarily here, where I am at this moment, but I do not enjoy a transient lifestyle of only a year or two in a town. I think that my generation has had it with the gypsy ways of our youth—parents moving around, parents moving out, parents provided by the foster-care system...

We young people have multiple, significant obstacles in our way, but we'll make it. We have to. I would want my kids to go to the same school for their whole education and not have to constantly make new friends. I want to be able to actually buy a house, instead of just renting. I want to invest in that house and make it a home for myself and for the family I hope to have someday.

Oops! I Did It Again

Last night my friend Amy and I went to a comedy club, which I’m pretty sure is the only one in Scranton. Neither of us had ever been before, but we figured it was worth a shot. The comedy was okay… not bad, but I know why these guys were playing Scranton.

Halfway through the last guy’s routine, he starts playing a movie quote game with the audience. That was when it happened. It was not entirely my fault... he did say just to yell out the answer if you knew it and he should have realized that eventually someone would know it. However, it turns out that I was actually the first person ever to get the answer correct.

The movie quote was “we keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well and live.”

In the pause that followed the delivery of the line, I leaned over to Amy and whispered that it was from Ben-Hur. She, being such a supportive friend, encouraged me to yell it out. So I did.

What followed was a moment of silence. It felt like there had been a death and indeed, there had been. I had killed the poor guy’s routine. At that moment, as everyone looked around to see who had said that, I knew that I had done it again.

I was instantaneously transported back to the first grade. The teacher asked “does anyone know where Antarctica is?” as the beginning of her lesson. I raised my hand and proceeded to inform everyone in the class that Antarctica is the seventh continent, located at the southern base of the globe, and is covered in ice and snow. Meanwhile, all the other kids were still trying to count to seven and wondering if AJ was ever going to get that Lego out of his nose.

As the comedian stood there staring at me, all I could think was “oops!” Somewhere around middle school I had discovered that having all the answers was not always a good thing. I had started keeping my mouth shut more and people started liking me more. But last night, I blew it. Nobody laughed. Everyone just stared.

Finally, the guy cleared his throat. “So what’s your name, princess?” he asked. “What are you, some kind of movie buff or something?” Yes. Duh. Also, my parents constantly used that line in reference to my household chores.

I did find it incredibly ironic that he called me princess while asking for my name, since that’s what my name means. From now on, however, I’ll try to keep my mouth shut along with all the other idiots. Hopefully, they may let me back into the club again someday.