If you've ever watched Irving Berlin's White Christmas, you'll surely remember the song the foursome sings about the splendor of winter on the train up to Pine Tree, Vermont, "Snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW!"
How ironic, then, that it was the first measurable snowfall in these parts that kept my sister and me from seeing the Broadway version of White Christmas on this weekend in New York City. No worries. We enjoyed the scenery in our respective homes - both in front of gleaming fires amidst twinkling Christmas lights and decorations with cups of hot chocolate or tea. Snow days are the best, especially when you don't have to go anywhere.
Which is why I loved the article that columnist Mark Di Ionno wrote in Saturday's Star Ledger (a local paper) about "the innocent snows of yesteryear." He hit the nail on the head. Snow, in no small fault of the media and weather reporters, has become a point of anxiety, inconvenience and worse to us adults rather than a beautiful, seasonal blanket that christens the world anew with shimmering brightness.
Now, I know that this is nothing new. The wonders of snow always seems to fade away that moment we start driving and moving about our adult worlds. Snow days are for the kids. Right? No. I don't believe so. But whenever there's a snow storm (at least here in the NYC metro area) it's like the biggest catastrophic event that you could imagine. Batten down the hatches! Snow is coming! A whole 3-5 inches! SAVE YOURSELVES!!
I've lived in New Jersey all my life, with the exception of my college years in even-snowier Massachusetts. It's no big deal. If it's bad, don't go out. If you HAVE to go out, wait until they clear the roads. Drive safely. Leave yourself enough time and room between cars. Done. But, if you DON'T have to go out, enjoy it! Don't think "Oh, God! I have to shovel this mess. It's going to freeze. I'm trapped inside (and that's another point...here in the NYC metro area, no on is so isolated that they will be trapped for days on end, except maybe the extreme North/ Northwestern corners - not even, so I have to laugh when people go to the grocery store at the mention of snow in case the snowy apocalypse comes and they don't have their Ding-Dongs on hand.)
So, enjoy the snow. Revel in the beauty of it. It won't last forever.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Then & Now
I hadn't planned on posting anything today, but I need a mental health break, so what better way to enjoy a few minutes than to fill out a survey and give you more of an idea (maybe too much of an idea?) of who I am (and then, it will be your turn!) A special thanks to PQ Nation for posting this first!
THEN AND NOW: This tag basically asks what I was like as a kid, at age 18, and now, for all of the following:
*MY DREAM JOB*
Kid: It varied. For a while, I wanted to be an English teacher. Then, since I played "business" all the time (with no more than a tricked out calculator and a pad of paper), I wanted to go into "business." Then I wanted to be a journalist. I even used to have weekly issues of a newspaper I made myself on lined paper. My only subscriber was my sister, so the paper folded.
Age 18: I was a freshman in college studying child psychology. But my dream job was to be a journalist for Rolling Stone or National Geographic.
Now: Would love to be a published writer (book or magazine). Also, anything to do with music (magazine, radio station, whatever). Hey, you said "dream job!"
*MY FANTASY CRUSH*
Kid: Kirk Cameron, Joey McIntyre (NKOTB)
Age 18: Brad Pitt
Now: Anthony Bourdain, House (do I have a thing for grumpy, scruffy old men?)
*FAVORITE SONG*
Kid: Anything NKOTB or Debbie Gibson, then I really loved "I Beg Your Pardon" by Kon Kan...toward the end of the 80s I was into New Order and the Cure. And many many more.
Age 18: Anything Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, BNL, Britpop. Loved "The Child Inside" by Qkumba Zoo. And many many more.
Now: I listen to a ton of music so it's hard to narrow down.
*FAVORITE MOVIE*
Kid: "Never Ending Story" and "Sound of Music." A few others, I'm sure. There was also a time when I watched "White Christmas" almost every day for a week. Don't ask me why.
Age 18: Anything John Hughes. It's a Wonderful Life. Sound of Music, a ton of others
Now: Anything John Hughes. It's a Wonderful Life. Sound of Music, Donnie Darko. About a Boy. The Notebook. A ton of others
*HOW YOU SPENT YOUR EVENINGS*
Kid: watched TV or played until bedtime
Age 18: Classes, watched TV, parties, typical college stuff
Now: cooking dinner or get togethers with friends, watching TV, reading, running errands
*YOUR BEST FRIENDS*
Kid: my sister, Lynette, Sam, James, my cousin Jaime
Age 18: Sam, James, my college roommate and friends
Now: my husband, my sister, Sam, Joanne, Beth
*MY JOB*
Kid: Being a kid.
Age 18: I worked over the summer and on holiday breaks as a bank teller
Now: Director for CME programs at med ed company
*MY CRUSHES*
Kid: I had a few. None you need to know about.
Age 18: I had a boyfriend then but it lasted only a few months. Not sure if that counts as a crush.
Now: My husband!
*WHAT SCARED YOU?*
Kid: The thought of losing my mom, then when that happened, having a stepmonster, which also happened
Age 18: living away from home for the first time and trying to make new friends
Now: The thought of losing my grandparents
*YOUR HERO?*
Kid: my mom, Amelia Earhart
Age 18: my mom, Amelia Earhart, Audrey Hepburn
Now: my husband, my mom, my grandparents, my sister and to echo Princess Q "Anyone who spends their life trying to make a difference in the world by being true to who they are."
*MADE YOU LAUGH?*
Kid: it seems that kids are always laughing at something stupid, so it could have been anything
Age 18: Being goofy with friends
Now: Inside jokes and being goofy with friends/my husband/my sister; stupid people
*HOW YOU FELT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY*
Kid: Loved my mom and grandparents. My sister was annoying. My father was, well, there.
Age 18: Loved my grandparents and sister. My father put stepmonster first which strained things a little. Loved him but it was hard at times.
Now: Love them all even if they can get annoying. Family is the most important thing.
*A DREAM COME TRUE?*
Kid: not that I can recall.
Age 18: Um...not that I can recall.
Now: My husband.
*WHO WERE YOU?*
Kid: The youngest in my family. Incredibly shy. A four-eyed, braces-wearing, taller than all the other kids in class, brainiac (aka, Nerd!). In a black hole after my mother's death.
Age 18: College freshmen trying to find my way. Trying new things and listening to my heart. A bit more confident.
Now: Still shy and trying to find what it is I am meant to do on this great earth. A wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a coworker.
I…tag…YOU!! Do this…it was a lot of fun
THEN AND NOW: This tag basically asks what I was like as a kid, at age 18, and now, for all of the following:
*MY DREAM JOB*
Kid: It varied. For a while, I wanted to be an English teacher. Then, since I played "business" all the time (with no more than a tricked out calculator and a pad of paper), I wanted to go into "business." Then I wanted to be a journalist. I even used to have weekly issues of a newspaper I made myself on lined paper. My only subscriber was my sister, so the paper folded.
Age 18: I was a freshman in college studying child psychology. But my dream job was to be a journalist for Rolling Stone or National Geographic.
Now: Would love to be a published writer (book or magazine). Also, anything to do with music (magazine, radio station, whatever). Hey, you said "dream job!"
*MY FANTASY CRUSH*
Kid: Kirk Cameron, Joey McIntyre (NKOTB)
Age 18: Brad Pitt
Now: Anthony Bourdain, House (do I have a thing for grumpy, scruffy old men?)
*FAVORITE SONG*
Kid: Anything NKOTB or Debbie Gibson, then I really loved "I Beg Your Pardon" by Kon Kan...toward the end of the 80s I was into New Order and the Cure. And many many more.
Age 18: Anything Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, BNL, Britpop. Loved "The Child Inside" by Qkumba Zoo. And many many more.
Now: I listen to a ton of music so it's hard to narrow down.
*FAVORITE MOVIE*
Kid: "Never Ending Story" and "Sound of Music." A few others, I'm sure. There was also a time when I watched "White Christmas" almost every day for a week. Don't ask me why.
Age 18: Anything John Hughes. It's a Wonderful Life. Sound of Music, a ton of others
Now: Anything John Hughes. It's a Wonderful Life. Sound of Music, Donnie Darko. About a Boy. The Notebook. A ton of others
*HOW YOU SPENT YOUR EVENINGS*
Kid: watched TV or played until bedtime
Age 18: Classes, watched TV, parties, typical college stuff
Now: cooking dinner or get togethers with friends, watching TV, reading, running errands
*YOUR BEST FRIENDS*
Kid: my sister, Lynette, Sam, James, my cousin Jaime
Age 18: Sam, James, my college roommate and friends
Now: my husband, my sister, Sam, Joanne, Beth
*MY JOB*
Kid: Being a kid.
Age 18: I worked over the summer and on holiday breaks as a bank teller
Now: Director for CME programs at med ed company
*MY CRUSHES*
Kid: I had a few. None you need to know about.
Age 18: I had a boyfriend then but it lasted only a few months. Not sure if that counts as a crush.
Now: My husband!
*WHAT SCARED YOU?*
Kid: The thought of losing my mom, then when that happened, having a stepmonster, which also happened
Age 18: living away from home for the first time and trying to make new friends
Now: The thought of losing my grandparents
*YOUR HERO?*
Kid: my mom, Amelia Earhart
Age 18: my mom, Amelia Earhart, Audrey Hepburn
Now: my husband, my mom, my grandparents, my sister and to echo Princess Q "Anyone who spends their life trying to make a difference in the world by being true to who they are."
*MADE YOU LAUGH?*
Kid: it seems that kids are always laughing at something stupid, so it could have been anything
Age 18: Being goofy with friends
Now: Inside jokes and being goofy with friends/my husband/my sister; stupid people
*HOW YOU FELT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY*
Kid: Loved my mom and grandparents. My sister was annoying. My father was, well, there.
Age 18: Loved my grandparents and sister. My father put stepmonster first which strained things a little. Loved him but it was hard at times.
Now: Love them all even if they can get annoying. Family is the most important thing.
*A DREAM COME TRUE?*
Kid: not that I can recall.
Age 18: Um...not that I can recall.
Now: My husband.
*WHO WERE YOU?*
Kid: The youngest in my family. Incredibly shy. A four-eyed, braces-wearing, taller than all the other kids in class, brainiac (aka, Nerd!). In a black hole after my mother's death.
Age 18: College freshmen trying to find my way. Trying new things and listening to my heart. A bit more confident.
Now: Still shy and trying to find what it is I am meant to do on this great earth. A wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a coworker.
I…tag…YOU!! Do this…it was a lot of fun
Monday, December 15, 2008
Run, Run, Rudolph!
Ack! 10 days until Christmas!
I was having a near-heart attack 37 days ago so you can imagine the frantic state I'm in now! I have managed to get the majority of my cards out, which is good. There are just a handful left to mail because I don't have new addresses (people, you know who you are! Please respond!) We also cut down our tree last weekend (I know, I know...for you greenies out there, I'm sorry. It's tradition, what can I say? Maybe next year we'll go "green"...so to speak) and decorated the house. Christmas shopping is about 50% done. Ack! It's not for lack of trying - I just cannot find the things that I wanted to get. So, over all, we're getting there. With 10 days and counting.
A few things have been put on the back-burner. Like the christmas cookie marathon. I'll be lucky if I can make a single batch of cookies this year with the lack of spare time. Same goes for seeing the NYC lights and displays. Thank goodness I have some time off after Christmas.
Added stress comes from work - an unusally busy time right now due to a major change in our company. But I suppose that's a good problem to have in light of the economy and all right now. So, I just feel like I'm running, running, running. Come December 25, I will be a more relaxed, and happier, camper.
So, my posts will be few and far between in the next few weeks. In the meantime, here's a little tune for you:
Vince Guaraldi: Christmas is Coming
I was having a near-heart attack 37 days ago so you can imagine the frantic state I'm in now! I have managed to get the majority of my cards out, which is good. There are just a handful left to mail because I don't have new addresses (people, you know who you are! Please respond!) We also cut down our tree last weekend (I know, I know...for you greenies out there, I'm sorry. It's tradition, what can I say? Maybe next year we'll go "green"...so to speak) and decorated the house. Christmas shopping is about 50% done. Ack! It's not for lack of trying - I just cannot find the things that I wanted to get. So, over all, we're getting there. With 10 days and counting.
A few things have been put on the back-burner. Like the christmas cookie marathon. I'll be lucky if I can make a single batch of cookies this year with the lack of spare time. Same goes for seeing the NYC lights and displays. Thank goodness I have some time off after Christmas.
Added stress comes from work - an unusally busy time right now due to a major change in our company. But I suppose that's a good problem to have in light of the economy and all right now. So, I just feel like I'm running, running, running. Come December 25, I will be a more relaxed, and happier, camper.
So, my posts will be few and far between in the next few weeks. In the meantime, here's a little tune for you:
Vince Guaraldi: Christmas is Coming
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Toy Catalogue
Unless you have children (which I don't...not yet), have young relatives or have close friends who are parents of young children, it's not expected that you'd be hip to the cool toys of the season. I know for certain that I fall into that category. For instance, what was last year's Hannah Montana craze is this year's Twilight rampage (or is it HSM?); what was once Pictionary is now Wii (or is it XBox?). It's hard to keep up. And that's just for the "older" kids. I'm totally lost when it comes to the hot list for those under, say, 10.
So, why am I surprised every year when our company does its charity holiday gift giving initiative, I select a child who wants a toy I have never heard of in my life? Last year it was the Backyardigans. I had no clue. Luckily, a coworker had a young granddaughter who also liked those characters, so she helped me. This year, it's Elmo Dance and Learn. Now, I know who Elmo is. That part is simple. What I didn't know is that Elmo Dance and Learn is not, in fact, a dancing furry monster that giggles when you press his hand. It, as I've learned, is a mat for dancing....and learning. (I just thought I'd share my new-found knowledge for those of you in my shoes.) I still can't find the darn thing in stores, but that's besides the point.
When I was young, it was simple year after year: Barbie! Loved her. I had all sorts of Barbies, and accessories, including her townhouse, her Corvette, her McDonald's; then there was Ken, Theresa, and Skipper, and some other cousin/sister/friend whose name escapes me...and the horses....Oh, it was great. I don't think Barbie has the same luster any more. She doesn't even look the same. Even though Barbie just won a legal battle against Bratz dolls, I don't even know if either is popular with girls anymore.
I was in the toy section of a store today. They still sell Lincoln Logs. Can you believe that? With all the gizmos and gadgets out there now, they still sell the simplest (and most boring, if you ask me) toy.
I'm not sure what my point is today, except that suddenly I am reminded again how old I'm getting and how different childhood seems through these adult eyes.
So, why am I surprised every year when our company does its charity holiday gift giving initiative, I select a child who wants a toy I have never heard of in my life? Last year it was the Backyardigans. I had no clue. Luckily, a coworker had a young granddaughter who also liked those characters, so she helped me. This year, it's Elmo Dance and Learn. Now, I know who Elmo is. That part is simple. What I didn't know is that Elmo Dance and Learn is not, in fact, a dancing furry monster that giggles when you press his hand. It, as I've learned, is a mat for dancing....and learning. (I just thought I'd share my new-found knowledge for those of you in my shoes.) I still can't find the darn thing in stores, but that's besides the point.
When I was young, it was simple year after year: Barbie! Loved her. I had all sorts of Barbies, and accessories, including her townhouse, her Corvette, her McDonald's; then there was Ken, Theresa, and Skipper, and some other cousin/sister/friend whose name escapes me...and the horses....Oh, it was great. I don't think Barbie has the same luster any more. She doesn't even look the same. Even though Barbie just won a legal battle against Bratz dolls, I don't even know if either is popular with girls anymore.
I was in the toy section of a store today. They still sell Lincoln Logs. Can you believe that? With all the gizmos and gadgets out there now, they still sell the simplest (and most boring, if you ask me) toy.
I'm not sure what my point is today, except that suddenly I am reminded again how old I'm getting and how different childhood seems through these adult eyes.
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