Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
Plays, concerts, shows, and other events that I’ve been to in the flesh. Or have had an out-of-body experience about. Also, other items and events that inspire me, and are no less than a “show,” be it in my mind’s eye or in my backyard.
If I haven’t told you this little lovely fact, may i do so now… I love James Taylor and had the pleasure of seeing him at a bookstore concert and CD signing here in town a couple years ago.
And this is one of his very famous songs, of course. And a lovely little video someone has put to it, don’t you think?
Shower the people, indeed!
Emmanuel: that word in Hebrew means “God with us”. Which is what Christmas is all about.
This is my nativity scene that comes out each Christmas season to remind us that the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. This is a lovely set that I found some ten years ago– it was a collector’s edition it said on the box, and each porcelain figurine is crafted with the finest detail.
For the rest of the album, click right here.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.– Isaiah 9:6
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.— Matthew 1:23
That’s what its called: when you do it three times in a row, that is! That’s what a hat-trick means in the game of cricket. As also in the game of life, if you will. 🙂
And that’s what I’m celebrating today. This one particular staff-writer at The Emery, Huron High School’s newspaper, who happens to share a last name with me, had her story featured on the cover of the paper– three times in a row.
For a look at the album, click right here!
Well, it could be anything… anything at all from a birds-nest, to a proper tree-house, to an ornament. Or many such ornaments. 🙂
Yes, I’m fully aware of the origins of the Christmas tree to be a symbol of a pagan winter festival and all, and yet I choose to associate it with the tradition of the season. And although I might be labeled as just another victim of the rampant commercialism that this holiday reeks of, I still choose to make of my tree what I will… which is that it represents family and tradition in my house.
Each ornament on my tree has a story– of when it was bought, for whom, by whom, and from where. That’s a lot of stories on that tree.
So, it’s ten days to Christmas from today– here’s wishing you a very merry one, and best wishes in the new year!
(And in case you’re wondering why this post has been housed here, this isn’t just a conglomeration of pictures of a christmas tree; it is the embodiment of a lifetime of christmases spent here in these great United States. It is a show. And it must go on.)
We’re not done with Shakespeare for the year just yet…
Last Saturday we attended a terrific production of Much Ado About Nothing put on by the University of Michigan’s Dept. of Theatre at the Power Center.
Want proof? Click here!
Rick Snyder, Michigan’s New Governor-Elect (who takes office next month) on the campus of Wayne State University earlier today. For an accountant by profession, his jokes were not too bad. It is to be seen what new policy measures he takes that might be just as good, or hopefully even better
Sorry, the picture’s blurred– thanks to my not-so-cool cellphone camera. Still, it’s proof that I was there! Oh, and it pays to be a little late sometimes– I was ushered in all the way to the front of the auditorium just like that!
My noon-hour expeditions/adventures on the campus of WSU continue unabated by the weather outside. Wrapped up in scraf, hat and gloves (no they didn’t all match!), I had stepped outside my warm office building even as fat flurrying flakes fell all around me. Heading north on campus, I approached the somewhat non-descript building called the General Lectures Building adjacent to the Alex Manoogian Ethnic Heritage Center, a quick ten-minute walk from my office. Manoogian Hall, as it is commonly known, houses a number of Departments, many of them in the languages (modern and ancient) and social-sciences. On its many floors, there are a number of study-rooms that are themed in decor and style for a certain country. So, there’s the Polish Room, the Greek Room, the Chinese Room, and so on. Anyway, more on these lovely rooms in Manoogian Hall another time…
Today, I discovered that the General Lectures Building, right next door to Manoogian Hall also had one such study-room called the Italian Heritage Room. And what a lovely room it is!
Here’s an album of some pictures I took (again w/ my lowly but trusty cellphone).
Scattered through the room were several interesting pieces of art– ceramic and bronze sculptures, paintings and reliefs, beautiful calligraphy on the walls, and other historical info about the the once vibrant Italian Languages Department (now perhaps collapsed into the Classics Dept.). The black-and-white checquered marbled floors and the grand columns inside the room certainly gave off a certain Italian vibe, no doubt!
And to quote Dante, the great Italian poet, “He listens well who takes notes“. Which is exactly what a study-room is good for– to read and revise notes that were taken in class!
