Le mieux blog dans le monde!

So I broke down and saw the movie and was pleasantly surprised. It was nice to see a condensed version of the book and I eagerly await future condensed versions of the series in movie format. Edward was charming although he could have smiled more. Bella was good, but I became a fan after Speak. The "baseball scene" was awesome and my only complaint is that it was too short. And Jasper was absolutely adorable. The movie reflected how I remember life as a teenager to be--miserable--and I found myself giggling--a lot.

I went with my friend Nan, who is a mega fan of both the books and the movie. We talked and I came to the conclusion that I didn't really enjoy the books because I just don't like romance novels. Books that are of another genre with a little romance are fine; just not the formulaic romances. Plus, I'm blessed with a wonderful hubbie and don't need an aphrodisiac like I hear so many women claim Edward to be.

Latest books that I absolutely love:

* The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
* Ophelia by Lisa Klein
* Courtney Crumrin & the Coven of the Mystics by Ted Naifeh

There was a time when I hibernated, well, year round. Mostly this was in high school, particularly the Alaska chapter.

This past week I've craved the sleep and luckily had today off to do so. I got up, ate Christmas day leftovers, read, slept, awoke, told Russ to get up for work, read, said goodbye to Russ, finished my book, and slept some more. Often I'd awake feeling guilty but remembered Russ' Dove chocolate advice to have a relaxing holiday.

Now I'm watching House Hunters International and wondering how I can move to Spain. I recently read a book that took place in Spain, and watching the beautiful scenery and architecture make it seem like a likely place for me. Not to mention it has very mild, beautiful weather as opposed to the the past two winters in Utah.

I'm really looking for a weather reprieve when we visit Austin for my friend's wedding in March. Hopefully this year an ice storm isn't due in Austin. I escaped the experience both years I was there and hope it is an every 3-4 years type thing--they had one last winter.

Here are my top ten places to travel. I've already visited a couple but would love to return.

1. The beach--it doesn't matter where so long as the water is warm like the Gulf coast.
2. The Mediterranean. I imagine the most romantic spots are along the Mediterranean Sea. Greece and Morocco are high on my list and I'm jealous of my friend Maggie who gets to honeymoon in Morocco next month.
3. Miami, Florida. Everyone I know who has lived in Miami loves it. To just think I passed up this opportunity with a job offer and came to Utah instead, but I met Russ so it made Utah worth it.
4. Chicago, Illinois. This is a super fun city to visit during the summer. The bay is a beautiful sight and there are many museums and parks that are fun to visit. The downtown is very nice and you really can't surpass the mass transit system. And our new president calls this city home.
5. Egypt. I've heard mixed things about Egypt. You have to take the difference in culture with a grain of salt and be prepared to meet those differences. Simply the magnificence of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx, Luxor, and temples would be nice to see in real life. I had a friend in high school from Egypt and so it easily made the list.
6. Kenya. While in Egypt, we may as well take a safari in Kenya. I hear this is the place in Africa to see the animals. I've wanted to visit Africa for years.
7. China. I've read some history and a little of the culture. It seems so at odds with American culture and such a deeply ingrained culture, much like other Asian cultures, since it is one of the oldest in the world.
8. Boston, Massachusetts. Boston is also a fun city full of history and a true cultural center. With it's many districts, there is something for everyone! There are some really fun restaurants and bars, with some of the best food I've ever eaten. It also had a great public transit system. I've only been to Boston during the winter and would like to see what it looks like without all the white stuff.
9. New York City, New York. Russ and I want to go to a Broadway play and eat at a fancy smancy restaurant here. I'm not sure we could afford to go shopping, though.
10. San Francisco, California. My friend will be moving here after she gets married so after a year or so hopefully we can visit the Bay area. My parents used to live here and had a book about the city with great pictures. I looked through this book time and time again as a kid. My sister and her husband spent their honeymoon in San Fran and others have said great things about San Fran too--another cultural center.

I didn't put Texas on the list because I've lived there and visited and plan to continue visiting regularly. And of course, there are other places I'd like to visit, such as all the National Parks (thanks Nevada Barr) and some church history sites.

There are so many places to go and people to see; so many cultures to learn a smidgen about first hand. Earth is such a diverse place. Even within the United States itself there is a wide range of cultures. My life goal is to experience a good portion of it before I die.

I took my church class on a "ding, dong, ditch" excursion last week. We were pretending to be Santa's elves and left homemade cards, ornaments, and goodies to some members of our church. The kids talked the talked but proved they could not walk the walk. Maybe it was that we had 6 (3 boys and 3 girls) and that is too many for this kind of activity to remain hidden. One girl didn't even try to hide and was chided by her classmates the rest of the night, which caused a whole lot of ruckus. One of the highlights of the night was when the boys, who were in charge of one particular house, were scared out of their wits: the owner of the house saw them and scared them as they approached the door.

On Sunday I spoke to the wife of the house and she said they didn't really expect to get anything out of the "ding, dong, ditch" and were trying to get back at the young rowdies in the neighborhood. Apparently there are many kids in the nearby neighborhoods from one end of the school boundaries to the other who either on their way to school or their way home like to ring people's doorbells and run off. This lady said they've had their doorbell rung with no one waiting on the doorstep numerous times. She said that once she opened the door and was greeted by a bag of poo lit on fire.

Another lady told me that it's usual for the doorbell to ring at her house at 3:30 pm, which is when school is out. She's been conditioned to not answer the door, but is reminded that her children will be home any minute.

Aside from seeing the dog poo on fire trick on the movies, it never occurred to me to either leave nothing or a prank while performing this rite of passage. My mom always had us kids deliver fudge to her neighborhood friends around Christmas using this technique. In college there were "chain" doorbell ditches where if you were hit you were expected to return the favor by delivering some baked goods to another apartment.

Still it was a humorous experience and the kids did beat their old teacher's house, which they failed just a few years ago. They swore it was a difficult house, but I knew they could do it if they just hid in the right spot. Maybe in a couple of years they'll learn to be quiet as they move from one house to another and to wait a few extra minutes before ringing the doorbell again just in case the resident is extra slow answering the door. Of course, by then they'll probably be past this stage, the girls more interested in spying on boys and the boys more interested in staying in and playing video games.

I have fond childhood memories of participating in the family presentation of the nativity for my father on Christmas Eve. My mom assigned each kid a part and we'd try to memorize our lines and hunt down props and pieces for our costumes (usually consisting of bath robes, towels, belts, and sheets or blankets). My Cabbage Patch doll Gus was always baby Jesus. We'd perform our lines and sing the appropriate songs. Once we visited Grandma and relatives in California for Christmas. The family tradition traveled with us and incorporated a couple of uncles who added the use of a shower cap to the costume repertoire.

These were happy experiences. The tradition has ended and the only nativity I've experienced the past 15 years are performances done at ward Christmas parties or video clips. Usually these performances are more professional than the ones we performed as kids, which means the cast took themselves very seriously and sometimes the adaptations went on and on and on and on, while overdoing the "spiritual" experience.

Well, that is until last night.

Last night I attended my ward's performance of the nativity at a real barn that an older couple in town loans out for performances such as the nativity. It is a rustic barn that has been wired with lights. Hay was piled up like bleachers on one side of the barn for people to sit on (at the risk of their precious lives). On the opposite side of the barn was the "stage" where benches were set out for the choir and a manager for baby Jesus.

Much to my delight there were real life chickens and a calf inside. Outside of horses, and sheep and goats at the petting zoo this was the closest I can remember being to farm animals, although I've lived in more rural cities (yes, this is possible in Idaho and Utah) for a total of 11 years. In these places it is not unusual to be driving through what appears to be an urban neighborhood and pass a field with houses on every side holding horses or hear a cow lowing from the distance. Following the example of a teen, I petted the calf (J would be jealous--or maybe terrified!) and was surprised at how coarse his/her fur was. I was just as tempted as the little kids to catch a chicken but refrained out of fear of being pecked. For me, a city girl, it was a cultural experience.

I arrived early while some of the cast were getting dressed for their parts. As the audience arrived via hay rides (I came straight from work and missed the hay ride), dust and hay was kicked up (and boy am I feeling it in my sinuses this morning). People came with their blankets, and luckily a happy couple shared with me since I was expecting a heated barn. The kids were excited about the animals and wanted to climb to the top of the hay.

Everyone settled and the production began. My experience with ward parties in the past and thus my stereotype of ward activities is that those in charge are pretty darn Martha Stewartesque. I expected this activity to be beyond Martha Stewart since I'm in the Mormon cultural center of the world. I was pleasantly and humorously surprised.

It was obvious no rehearsal had taken place. In fact, the nativity my family performed back in the day was more professional than this one. The narrator had to share his copy of the script with the angel Gabriel, who seemed to lose his place, and whisper Mary's lines to her from three feet away. Baby Jesus was a pile of blankets swaddled together and Joseph seemed more nurturing than Mary, who kept zoning out. The person working the lighting tried to spotlight the characters by turning the overhead lights on and off, but had to turn on and off every single light in the barn each time to find the right ones. I outright laughed in inappropriate places, as did our old bishop (phew!), and the gal I sat with kept commenting on how they should have rehearsed at least once.

It was a funny experience, animals included, but it was a worthwhile experience and I learned a lot about the talents of my ward members. There was charity present. As mentioned before, a couple shared their warm, thick blanket with me. My work schedule doesn't allow me to attend most ward activities, so outside the 11 year old kids I teach I haven't gotten to know very many people. My ward members are very friendly. There is musical talent that I didn't know about. The three kings sang "We Three Kings" in perfect harmony and the sister who sang "O Holy Night" a capella hit every note perfectly--it was amazing! The teens and children of the ward participated as characters in the play or as members of the choir and often out-shined the adults as they delved deeper into their roles. It was fun to see the support and enthusiasm (or lack thereof) of the people who volunteered to participate.

Overall it was a memorable experience and one I'll hold in my heart for many years to come. This time of year I look for opportunities to help me feel the true Christmas spirit. I hope we can all remember that outside the shopping and gift giving, parties, and merrymaking, that there once lived a man who sacrificed all he to help mankind heal from physical and spiritual ailments. A man who's birth we celebrate this season. And even if you don't believe this man ever lived or did the things attributed to him, the spirit of giving can extend outside our circle to those in need.

Happy holidays!