Last ditch pre-dialup post

Well, I'm sorry for the blog drought. I'm going to try to update here before I go home and am sans internet for a couple of weeks (although I am planning to spend a day in the Bountiful library filling out grad school applications, so maybe I'll take a break and write about Christmas then). Also, note that I've started a new playlist on my sidebar (yeah, still working on that feature), so feel free to offer suggestions.

It's been a busy week, largely because I worked all of the hours I possibly could before they kicked me out of the MAD for good. Yesterday I worked a solid 12 hours, and I think I got a good eight in on the other days this week. Needless to say, my neck and back are even more full of knots than they usually are from hours at the desk, but it was fun, and I'm still going to miss that place, my excellent coworkers, and finding all of the cheesy pictures that cheesy musicians put all over their albums. Amazing. (Today I shelved a new DVD called "Harp-felt Song" or something like that. Ridiculous.) I did make use of my continuing privileges in the library for the break though - everyone gets all of their materials until January right now, so I checked out five operas, two Messiah scores for a sing-in we're going to try to hit over the holidays, and four movies. I don't know when I'll make use of them, but I figure that if I fill out grad school applications to opera I'll probably sound smarter.

On Wednesday, Miri and I had our final hours together. We went to Olive Garden for soup, salad and breadsticks, then watched "What Not To Wear" (GREAT episode with a lady who had the ugliest pants I've ever seen) and the beginning of an episode of Gilmore Girls. We'd had our roommate Christmas Eve-ish already, but it was nice to have one more outing with just the two of us. I'm really going to miss her. (And you too, Mike.) Best of luck to both of them in Texas.

To console myself, I found something new and amazing, and I converted Torie and Amanda as well. 

This is BBC's Robin Hood series, which I found out about because it features Richard Armitage of my favorite BBC miniseries. You know I'm a dork if you read this blog, but good crimony. This show is so great. I'm a little sad that I accidentally ruined a big plot twist for myself on the BBC website today, but I'm still excited to get a hold of season two. My favorite moment was the Eric Clapton reference in the 3rd or 4th episode. Some random guy: "I shot the sheriff!" Sheriff: "No, you shot the deputy." Oh, those Brits and their Eric Clapton.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Christmas Eve-ishes with both sets of roommates - they all know me so well, and we had a blast giving each other awards in the new apartment or just being generally awesome as part of the old 154/36. Lindsey wrote about this in a lot more detail, and I just don't feel coherent enough to go into it at the moment, but it was grand and funny. 

Finally, I'd like to leave you with this list of things you may have missed so far this Christmas season, but should check out before it's over. 

• Joyeux Noel - possibly my favorite Christmas movie after It's a Wonderful Life (and Muppet Christmas Carol, but we're not talking about that, which by the way was again amazing this year with scones and hot chocolate and Doug's amazing set up). It's an absolutely beautiful film about a Christmas Eve truce during WWI, and I don't think they could have made it more wonderful and poignant. Check it out - even the less movie-obsessed members of Mushie night liked it . . . and watched it with us a second time when we watched it for Whitney's sake two days later.
• Sufjan Stevens's version of "The Friendly Beasts." I noticed it because of the incredible version that showed up at the Tabernacle Choir concert this year, but it's delightful.
• Please tell me you've already listened to David Bowie and Bing sing this year. You know you want to.
• Notice when Ingrid Michaelson mentions Christmas in "The Hat" and when Ben Folds mentions it in "You to Thank," and when the National talks about holiday lights in "Gospel." Christmas is everywhere!
• Listen to Blues Traveler's "Christmas," which was partially composed by Trey Anastasio of Phish (I just found out!) and includes the line that sounds dumb when I type it but great when it's sung: "I wish a one-horse open sleigh would come and carry me away, but I've been waiting here all day and one just hasn't come my way." Yay.
• Last year's Tabernacle choir concert, which is now on DVD. The King Singers are just generally fabulous, but their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is almost as amazing as the rendition performed at the Winegar family Christmas party every year. 
• Anything by John Rutter that says Christmas in front of it. 
• All kinds of amazing Christmas stuff that I missed last year and this, but you can include the Decemberists' song, "Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas." I think there was some better stuff - Death Cab last year, Ingrid Michaelson and Brandi Carlile this year - all I know is it's out there and you can find it if you need something new that isn't the same Christmas music that you hear on the radio every year. (Let's be honest - some of it just gets obnoxious after awhile. It's nice to mix it up.) 
• Enjoy lines like "The logs on the fire fill me with desire," and "the lights are turned way down low, let it snow," and then think about why so many Christmas songs are about lust. Seems a little out of sync to me, but then people do get trampled to death at the Wal-mart Christmas sales, so it's better than that. At least it's lurve. 
• Claymation Christmas, which is definitely available in BYU's music and dance library. Trust me.

And now that I feel thoroughly crazy, I'm going to go to bed so that I can go sledding with my roommates before I go home (because I decided I didn't want to drive home in the snow and then it stopped snowing and then I didn't want to drive home in the dark, but as long as I'm still here, I may as well take an hour out to hurl myself down an ice-covered hill with nothing but a garbage sack for protection). 

If you were all waiting for this post with great anticipation, I apologize for the lack of flow and the atrocious punctuation. I just reread it and realize that I sound like a loon. But there you are. Now I go to the strange internetless land of home, so you'll have to have human style interaction with me. (And Trebby's coming home in just a couple of days!) 

The end.