I’m not much for poetry, really. My favorite poets, in no particular order, are Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, and my husband. So when I come across a poem that moves me, it’s quite unusual. And wonderful. Which is probably the best way to enjoy poetry, even if it’s not often.

Yesterday, a poem grabbed me. Enough to make me think I might want to read more of this author. Here it is.

i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
-i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april

my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth’s own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness

around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains

i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
-i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing

winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

 

– e.e.cummings

Ah New Year’s Day. A day in which to make all sorts of new promises to yourself. Neat.

I made five resolutions this year. They are as follows.

• Live like we are broke because we are. (Better chance of becoming non-broke that way.)
• Eat more fruit and drink more water.
• Private
• Start the year with clean towels. ( I made that one while the towels were in the dryer last night and I like to have something to check off.)
• Update the books I read on my Goodreads shelf.

I figure: keep it simple. Towels? Check. Books updated? One read this year so far, two currently reading. Check.

Ok, I have a ton of UNOFFICIAL resolutions. But if you don’t keep those, it doesn’t count. Because they are UNOFFICIAL. duh.

I don’r know about you, but I am REALLY looking forward to Clash of the Titans next month. 

And so that was Christmas. How was yours? Mine was AWESOME! Home for the first xmas since 2006. It was a thing of wonder. I admit to being a bit worried about Wil. He’s not much for holidays. In my family, we are VERY MUCH for holidays. Especially Christmas. I think I’ve been warning him and preparing him for years for his first Christmas Eve get-together, aka: Stocking Madness. He did great! I think he really enjoyed it. Beer probably helped. And the fact that, for us, it was a smaller group. No orphans or close family friends, only people in the family.

I got some great Christmas presents, but for me the best present was just being there. No, really, I’m serious. Shut up. The biggest surprise present was a Wii from my mom and Bob. We were not expecting that! I also got the Biggest Loser game for the Wii. Now I am going to take advantage of the Boxing Week sales to pick up a Wii fit with board.

Additionally I got a Sony E-reader, all 6 Harry Potter movies in a box set of blu-ray and my “And then Buffy staked Edward. The End” t-shirt.

But Christmas is not about how much loot you got, it’s about how much sugary goodness you stuffed in your belly. It was a very Merry Christmas indeed. My pants are tight.

Shhhhh…. It’s 1:30 in the Christmas morning. I’m waiting up for Santa. There are some things I want for 2010 and I need to discuss it with him. Like my perm res visa for one. It would also be nice if he could come down the chimeny with a big sack of jobs. I know a lot of people, including myself, who would like one.

2009 has been tough for a lot of people I love, so I’d like to ask him to deliver more joy and good luck and peace in the new year for everyone.

And I would a two bedroom apt with den, w/d and dw please.

Here’s to hoping you get everything you want for Christmas.

I specify because I have two now.

It’s a little early here. I didn’t sleep at all last night, I figured if I made until 5, and I was still awake, I’d get up. We are heading down to my mom’s this morning. I was hoping to leave by 8. I think I’ll have no problem making that goal. As long as I can get Wil up and going in time.

Here is a list of just some of the things I am grateful for:

• I’m able to go home for Thanksgiving this year.
• Someone else is cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Yay mom!
• pie
• The cheap gas and the prevalence of Dr Pepper available via soda fountain that I will be enjoying for the next 4 days.
• Christmas decorations.
• My husband’s passport, which allows him to travel with me.
• The diet pepsi that is going to help me make it until I cross the border and have access to the afore mentioned Dr Pepper.
• And of course friends and family… blah blah blah. Mooshy.

There is so much more. I could make a pretty long list because, for the most part, I am very thankful for my life.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you eat too much pie. I know I plan to.

I wasn’t back in the states more than 20 minutes before I was asking myself why I left in the first place. Oh yeah, fell in love with a boy. Man, I sure do love it here. I haven’t even travelled across the bridge to Seattle proper yet. Been spending most of my time in the Woodinville – Bothell – Kirkland area. So gorgeous. All the evergreens mixed with fall foliage.

The one thing that would make it perfect is for a certain boy to be down here with me. And the kittens.

Going here helped.

I decided that the best way I could help my cousin Kirsten through this horrible time was to ease her spirit a bit. And make sure she has baby soft skin. So I am taking her to the naked lady spa on Tuesday. Where she has permission to cry all she wants to while she soaks in a hot pool for 45 minutes before someone spends another 45 minutes scrubbing the sadness and death off her. Even the sadness hiding in her butt crack. I don’t know, maybe that’s not what most people would do for a grieving widow. But it sounded appropriate to me.

Ok, yes, I get to go as well. But I might have some sadness hiding in my butt crack too.

I’m just all about joining the blogging games now.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this, but several months ago, Pru quit using the litter box. She will pee on a puppy pee pad. And, when we are lucky, she poops there as well. My cat is toothless and voids her bowels wherever she wants. It’s like having an infant.

I sole this from Delmer. The Telegraph ran a poll, rating men of different nationalities on their skills as lovers. 

All the immigration hassle makes sense now, eh? Git it, I said “eh” because I live in Canada now. (Don’t worry, American men, it’s just a stupid poll. From Europe! It’s not your skills as a lover, but rather our foreign policies that are to blame.)

The author of the book I reviewed on Satan’s Bookclub, Frank Portman, linked to me, well, SBC, from his blog. I feel all warm and fuzzy.

I am thoroughly enjoying this season of House, as naturally I would. Has anyone checked out Modern Family? It’s hilarious.