Thoughts on the Eve of December 24

        First, I must give a warning to all of those who do not celebrate Christmas: Christmas doesn't start until the 25th; it does not start at sundown. Good job.
        I'm watching Midnight Mass on WGN right now, and I thought I'd provide some commentary to it...
• They're singing songs in English and I recognize some of the lyrics as from the Old Testament. I know this because these same lines are used in certain Jewish songs; "Sing a new song unto God(aka: Shiru l'Adonai shir chadash)", and "let the heavens be glad".
• There are two cantors singing. If they were Jewish, the only change that would need to be made is the language used. I don't particularly care for that. I understand the purpose of sacred music, I rather enjoy it. What I don't understand is why it must take a form so similar to that of the church. Please don't read too much into this comment as I really don't know what point I'm trying to make. Just a thought.
• The Archbishop is giving a sermon. It's so simple. But it teaches. He's talking about his religion, not politics. I think I might understand why Christianity has such a big draw: simple lessons and values that are easy to understand, and these lessons are taught over and over again. That is also, however, why I love Judaism. I love the nuances of our faith and how so many people can take these same texts and get so many different ideas and conclusions. I just wish the pulpit was used more for the purpose of teaching, rather than politicking.
• The podium being used by the Archbishop is made of wood. On the front is a carving of the body of Jesus on the Cross. The top vertical post, however, is not there. So it looks like Jesus is carrying the podium.
• They're prostrating. It reminds me of Yom Kippur.
• They're talking about his death. I thought this was his BIRTHday? I need to study this religion more...
• There's a guy speaking in Latin with an American accent. It's like "Spanglish", but more like "Latinish"
• I find it fascinating that above all, Jews and Christians pray for the same thing: (as quoted from a song during this Mass) "Oh Lord, hear our prayer." It's so simple; we all just want to make sure that there's someone/something listening.
• Now they're passing baskets attached to poles for collecting money. It's kinda in your face giving. I hope that money goes to a homeless shelter.
• Funny shot: cups of wine, and a mic cable sticking up. Awesome.
• The people leading the service keep bowing to each other. I'm confused. Again, I need to learn more about this religion.
• The Archbishop is doing an adaptation of the Priestly benediction for the congregation. Mos def an adaptation...but still close...

That was really interesting. It made me want to learn more. Happy holidays to all.

The Weekend That Was

Note: This was refering to Thanksgiving weekend...a little delayed I know...

"I don't want my love to go to waste, I just want you and your beautiful soul."

This weekend was unique. I think that's the best way to describe it. There weren't any earth/relationship shattering events, but nothing of exceptional positive significance either.

Wednesday: I left Davis on a shuttle and wrote. It was awesome. The thanksgiving thoughts from the previous entry were written on that ride. I sat in front of a girl and the conversation she had was really interesting. She was describing a problem she was having in the dorms: her roommates talked to her about cleaning up her dishes in the sink. She was so distraught that they would have the gaul to ask her that request. I found it really amusing.
I got to the airport and realized that I had just about 3 and a half hours until my flight left. I also noticed that three flights were leaving before mine. So I requested to be put on the stand-by list for one of the earlier flights. Not only did I get on the earlier flight, I was in group A, and the flight was more than half empty. Crazy. I guess Southwest had too many flights to San Diego or something. Either way, I got home earlier than I thought I would. I got home and spent some good time with my parents.
Thursday: Early in the morning, my dad and I got up and went to Seaport Village for a 5k walk/run for Jewish Family Service. While it was nice to spend time with my dad, I think the best part was hearing the live bands along the way. There were some blues and rock groups, there was a DJ along the way, and two Blues Brothers and an Austin Powers impersonator. The walk went around about 15 blocks downtown. I was able to see the area in a way I hadn't seen before: slowly. Usually, I am driving through the area, but it was really interesting to see downtown up close and personal.
After the walk, we went to Jamba juice, went home, and got the house ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Before dinner, there was an incredible sunset. When I saw it, I remembered how beautiful the sunsets are in California and San Diego. I'll let the picture speak for itself.
Friday: After some much needed sleep, my parents and I went out to get some clothes. For those who know me well, you know that I don't get new clothes very often. So this was a significant occasion. We went to Old Navy and I got...well, your probably don't care.
Friday evening was a lot of fun. I went to Sarah's and random people showed up, and most seemed to be in pairs. Catherine and Kevin, Taryn and Amy were there for about 5 minutes because Taryn thought that we thought something about her. I didn't really understand. Alexa and Jordyn, Ben Lieberman and Mike Feldman, Dusty and Joanna, Yve, Seth, Sarah, and her Brother Ben. It was really nice to see everyone, especially Dusty. I hadn't seen her since February and I realized that this was the first time we'd seen each other where we didn't hook up, and it also wasn't incredibly awkward. After some good times, I went home content from a really fun evening. There was no drama, just good fun.