Ever Wonder What Type of Person is Crazy Enough to go to a Midnight Sale?

That is one of those questions that haunted me for years, along with things like-Who is crazy enough to do that?  How many people would actually show up at one of those?  Would it me worth it? 

Well, now I know the answer…

My sister Krista convinced me to go the the Black Friday sales at the Gilroy outlets this year, and yes, they start at midnight.  Krista can talk me into just about anything.  I mean, if my needs-12 hrs-of-sleep sister could do this, so could I.  And what if I didn’t go and I truly missed out on something wonderful?  Some Ann Taylor blowout sale could be happening that I would miss just because I wanted sleep.

So I went.

Along with the thousands, yes thousands, of other crazy people.  There was no parking, there were lines in front of most stores (they were limiting the number of people in a store at one time), I hear the traffic on the freeway was horrible and there were people all over the place.  Never would I have imagined that so many people would want to go to Gilroy at midnight!

Was it worth it?  Yeah, one time.  Ann Taylor was packed and I stood in line there for at least 45 minutes, but I got the cashmere sweater I have been hoping to buy.  I also had plenty of time to chat with the two girls behind me-they had plenty of entertaining stories about their day and their life.  I got to see a couple of would-be line hoppers get caught by the people around them. 

But after a couple of hours of this craziness, I was totally exhausted and my body started to shut down, and I felt sick, and I just wanted to be in bed…

It was an experience!

I am a fearful CC signer

Here is an entertaining story of one person’s quest to find out just how much our signature on the credit card receipt really matters-The Credit Card Prank.

I would have a tough time pulling this one off-it would add far too much extra stress to my life.  I already find far too many minuscule things to worry about.  Adding to my already racing mind the need to come up with stories to justify my wacky signature or to prepare a dignified response in the event someone called me on a fake signature are two things I can leave to someone else.  I would be sweating bullets if I handed someone a receipt with anything other than my name on it.

Postrio and our Girls’ Weekend

Sara, Giselle and I had a wonderful weekend away to San Francisco recently with a great room in Union Square, lots and lots of shopping, and a fantastic dinner at the Postrio restaurant.

We got up there on Saturday night, and in true form, had no set plans for dinner…I had some ideas but was doubtful of our ability to get a table.  After about 5 or 6 calls to some of my top choices, we were looking at the 24 hour diner down the street or dinner at 9:30.  Keep in mind that one of our group was pregnant and all of our group just loves to eat, 9:30 was not an option.

 We could call the concierge. 

How about we just sit there watching TV for another 30 minutes and hope we think of something else?

Why did we hesitate to call the concierge?  Umm, no good reason, but no one wanted to do it.  So finally I buckled and made the call…how embarrassing to admit to a cool city person that you are a tourist and have no plans for dinner and you have some standards for eating and you don’t want to eat at midnight…

He was very kind and withheld all verbal judgement and laughs at our country bumpkin ways.  He punched away at his computer and saved us!  There was a table at Postrio at 7:00.  A table at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.  We had been saved from eating at the Westfield mall that night.  He did kindly warn us, “You all are in for a treat.  It isn’t a casual dining restaurant though, so is that OK?  Dressing up a bit for the evening?” 

“Oh, of course that’s fine.” as I quickly ran through the 3 clothing items I brought with me, but kept a cool, refined and citified tone to my voice… “Thanks so much for your help!”

Then I had the good news for the gals-a great dinner ladies!  And the dress is elegant casual  (concierge’s words.)  No problem, right? 

Well, as we headed to dinner that night, we had completely convinced ourselves that jeans were elegant enough…that we all possessed an inner elegance that more than equaled the finer duds that others might have.  We were going to pull off sophisticated in our jeans.

We were admittedly a tad under-dressed, the hostess was a bit snobby, but the waiter was gracious and the food was amazing, absolutely, totally worth every bite, wish you had more, but you’re really are full, amazing.

We shared the pomegranate and pear salad and the roasted beet salad. 

Then for dinner I had:GRILLED PAINE RANCH SQUAB
squab mince, wild rice, shaved fennel, Black Mission figs, Bing cherry-veal sauce

It was amazing.

Sara had: CRISPY WOLFE RANCH QUAIL
candied pistachio, heirloom melons, chili glaze

Amazing.

Giselle had: ALASKAN HALIBUT
sweet gulf shrimp, snow peas, baby carrots, tapioca, coconut curry

Amazing. 

We highly recommend each of these dishes.  And mid-way through the dinner, we had lost all pretense of citified behavior.  I was pumping the waiter for any and all details on the food, we were laughing way, way too much, staring at other tables, talking about people…and laughing way, way too much. 🙂

My New Hobby-Audio Books

Now that I have rejoined the commuting world, I am loving audio books.  In determining my new work schedule, I knew that I would be very happy with it all if I made sure to include a variety of books on tape.  It makes my drive so happy! 

I have been introduced to the world of audio books-so many choices!  And I don’t even have to go anywhere to get them now-no library late fees, no super expensive books on tape at the store, just a great book plan from Audible.com. 

I must say that one of the things that amazed me in a recent perusal through an audio books catalogue was the fact that they sell abridged fiction books…Who can’t take the time to listen to a whole Nicholas Sparks novel?!?  Is a James Patterson novel really so  loaded with pithy, heavy ideas that you might want to take in only part of it on your first exposure…

Anybody have an audiobook reccomendations?  Or want to trade?

I have some truly coveted, popular selections that you might want to check out-

Beowulf, read in a beautiful Irish accent by Seamus Heaney

The Iliad, with Susan Sarandon and Stanley Lombardo

A Biography of FDR

Some fascinating book on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge

Some lectures of the Iliad

A lovely collection of Bill Bryson books

and A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Fun that Comes with a WordPress Blog

I love seeing the types of interent searches that can lead people to my blog…The last one was particularly entertaining-

“poems for roasting people”

Wow, so now I am writing poems to roast people…I don’t know if I like that…

Music, a necessary part of being human?

My dear sister Anna has been on a music tour around the US with a wonderful group, Music Camp International.  This ministry is dedicated to the work of bringing music to children here in the US and in Romania and the Ukraine.  Many of the children who participate in this program overseas have their first taste of personally participating in music during their week of camp.   The director of Music Camp, Int. often speaks of the music that she believes that is in every child, the music that she wants to help them discover and appreciate.

I must admit, the first time I heard this I thought it was just a little hokey (I have a, umm, cynical side…just so you know.)  But I am beginning to appreciate this idea more and more.  I absolutely love beautiful music-it makes me cry every single time.  I cry at every Schola Cantorum concert, I cry EVERY time I hear the Messiah live and sometimes when I hear it on CD, I cry at a particularly well done symphonic concert. And I don’t actually consider myself to be a “crier.” 

What would it be like if I never experienced the beauty of music?  Would I be less human, or less of who I was created to be?  Is music needed to really pursue the idea of knowing and enjoying God forever?

 I am thinking that without music, I would be less of a person.  I can’t imagine a life without music.  And I have been thinking that there is a really good reason that the Church has for so long preserved and used beautiful music-it is indeed part of knowing and enjoying God.  If all of this is the case, I am delighted that there are Christians committed to excellent, beautiful, meaningful music.  I am delighted that there are Christians committed to giving music to people who might not have much of it.   I am delighted that there are Christians committed to teaching children to love and enjoy this amazing gift of God.

     Psalm 33

 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.

51 Days until Christmas-Stocking Stuffers

Here is a handy website with lots of stocking stuffer ideas and tips:

The Plump Stocking

Reason to Keep Teaching

I love being a teacher.  I always have and I am pretty sure that I always will.  For a long time I had been hesitant to say that teaching is my calling, but at this point, if there is such a thing as a “calling”, I am confident that teaching is mine.  Of course that doesn’t mean teaching is the only thing I love doing; I just know that I can’t imagine a life without some type of teaching.

And then this last week I had a key experience that confirmed this calling:

I was a tad impatient with the junior and senior highers’ lack of interest in memorizing poetry…We have a big parents’ day coming up and these kids need to do something for their parents-poetry is good, right?  So in conjunction with our history studies, I chose a short poem.  Poetry is art in words.  It is our language taken to heights of glorious style and meaning that prose just can’t muster up.

“Ughh, Miss Leah, we hate poetry.  Do we really have to do this?”  (My classical teacher’s heart is just singing at this point.)

“Who memorizes poems anymore?” (Umm, how about the educated, the people who value the gift God gave us in language?)

“Are you really going to make us do this?

(Picture my mental snap)

Yes, you are going to do this!  Why do you even have to ask!?! 

“Well, what if we just don’t learn it?  What will it matter?”  (Their high achieving tendencies are strong at this point.)

What will is matter?  Well, how about this-if you all don’t memorize it I’m going to make you stand up in front of your parents anyway.  You’ll have to say something. 

“Can’t we just do the “Roses are Red” poem, whatever that one is… “(note that not one of them knows this poem either, they are trying to figure it out…)

OK-sure, you can do a special version of Roses are Red.  Your parents will love it.  If you don’t memorize the poem you are assigned, you can just recite this one:

Rose are Red,

Violets are Blue,

We’re Group III

and we don’t know what to do.

This poem brought down the house, people.  This poem has made the rounds and been recited to their friends.  This poems makes my students think I am funny. 

I think that I have to keep teaching.  If this is the amazing stuff I am able to come up with on the fly, I need someone to think I am funny…