We're all enjoying the 40 degree temperatures here today. In western New York, we refer to this as "a warm up!" We get all excited and put on our spring jackets. It's quite sad really. But I'm hoping that some of the snow melts, since the weekend is supposed to go back to being frigid. There is a LOT of snow on the ground right now. I don't hate looking at it, but I'm tired of not being able to see around corners when I drive due to the mountain that has been plowed to the sides of every exit. Next week will also be more seasonable, so here's hoping for that meltage!
An aside: I once heard a radio story about a town somewhere in Scandinavia that lies above the Arctic Circle. They have that white nights/dark days phenomena going on because of their high northern location, and every year in the spring when the days start to become more normal again they hold a festival to celebrate. I will always remember the comment that the town children DRESS UP LIKE THE SUN to celebrate it's appearance in their lives again. I mean, did you ever? All these tiny suns running around celebrating spring and having daylight again. Precious. I suppose we don't have the weather situation nearly so bad, now do we? :)
-2-"Mommy, my blankets aren't working anymore!!"
If any of you can translate this one, message me please. :0 This is what Anne announced to me this morning when I opened her bedroom door. She's battling a cold, and had a rough night of sleep as a result of the coughing. My suspicion is that she felt chilled, maybe? I'm not certain, but she is absolutely adorable, standing there in her sleeper with reindeer feet and very pink cheeks. Broken blankets. If only this was the main thing on my list of worries. :0 Cutie pie. I do feel badly that she's sick, and none of us slept well last night as a result.
Ugh.
-3-#LentFail
Offering up the sleepless night, which is needed since I'm doing very poorly keeping to my Lenten resolutions. This is not exactly a new phenomenon. :0 I always try, and some Lents go better than others, but never does it go 100% as planned. I've been doing my Morning and Evening Prayer...sometimes. Which is better than never, right? I have maintained my fasting from sweets at lunchtime, that has gone well, and each time I get to the end of my lunch I remember what I gave up and why I'm doing it. That's a good thing. I've been good about starting my rosary each day in the car, but I don't always get to finish all 5 mysteries. I'm doing what I can, and trying to do better.
In his podcast "The Break" this week, Fr. Roderick talked about this very issue, and said that for him, this Lent is about a fresh start. He's been trying to declutter his apartment and give some things away, so that he can live more simply. I really relate to this message. It doesn't have to be anything major. We are just trying to do good things and freshen up our spiritual lives a bit.
-4- Fish fry, baby!
Fish fry on Fridays is *big* in this area, and fasting from meat has never been difficult for me. I almost feel guilty about that. :) We make fish for dinner at home most Fridays in Lent, but 3 times or so per year we seek out a local fish fry. Parishes have them, restaurants do take out, even supermarkets and the *meat market* get in on the action. There are so many Catholics in this area, they really have to or otherwise risk losing a lot of business during Lent. We're getting a fish fry today, and I'm very excited. Although, inevitably every single fish fry comes with coleslaw, and I've never liked that particular side dish. Who's wish me? :)
-5-Fluorescent orange is a remarkably versatile color for the form of dance that I perform...
I mentioned last week my love of orange and my hunt for a new dance costume. I love orange. It's just such an underappreciated color, don't you think? It needs some love. I adore orange, but I also adore a bargain where dance costumes are concerned. They can be expensive, and I don't have a big budget for them. I often shop used. And I like it if a costume can be worn more than one way, maximizing the use I can get out of them. This works best in Middle Eastern dance with a bra and belt set. You can switch out the skirt color/type, and voila! Looks like a whole new costume with minimal expense.
And so, this week I put an affordably priced new bra and belt set in a neutral color (brown, another underappreciated color that I love :)) on layaway, and ordered a few new skirts. Chocolate, and dun dun dun!!!!!! Bright orange velvet!! I seriously CANNOT.WAIT to wear it. Expect pictures. :0
-6- "What? Oh yes. This is my natural hair color." *look of innocence*
And so we get to my weekend plans. Saturday the big event is my pilgrimmage to the hair salon, which I make every 10 weeks. Kind people have complimented me in the past on my hair, saying "and you don't have any gray!" Welllllllllll. :) I don't have any gray because I dye the gray out of my hair, and I'm going to be honest: I feel 0% guilt about this. Gray hair is lovely, just not on me. :0 I am a natural brunette, and the gray strands stand out very noticeably when they dare to make an appearance. Plus, their texture is SO different from the rest of my hair, it just looks weird. Thus, I am unashamed to admit that I color my hair and I plan to do so for the foreseeable future. I plan to "not have any gray" well into my 80's.
-7- "One, two, Plie three, four..."
Sunday I am attending a dance workshop on combinations set to Middle Eastern pop music. It should be loads of fun, and also a good workout. I have to giggle myself to think about how growing up, I was this very serious ballet dancer, who studiously kept her pink tights spotless and never dared to perform solo, and now I'm almost 40 and I jangle around belly dancing in public. And I couldn't be happier. Life is good! And festival season will soon be upon us. PREPARE FOR AMUSING STORIES. You know you can count on me. ;-)
All right everyone, the countdown to my fish fry has begun. Check out Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes! See you all next week!
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