What do you get when you have a cumulative 9.75% off at Target and a tax return? Everything, apparently. We are proud new owners of everything Target sells.
In our defense, I had been making a list for about two months of the things we needed, in hopes that one day the gods of crass commercialism would look upon us with favor and bestow the means and opportunity to spend our fleeting wealth. Among the items purchased were:
New dress clothes for Damien. He had no dress pants that fit him. Well, I suppose technically they did fit, but they would have been better-classified as dress shorts at this point. Conveniently, Anthony automagically has a whole wardrobe that suddenly, mysteriously fits him.
A new belt for me. I should take pictures of my old one. It had run the gamut from hilarious, to sad, to hilariously sad.
New undershirts for me. I still occasionally wear undershirts that me dear mother bought for me in high school. You know, the ones I used to wear to dance?
New pillows. I can't remember if the ones we have now were bought new when we got married, 9 years ago, or moved into this condo, 7 ½ years ago.
Whiskey and rum, to end the torment and misery felt when looking up at the liquor shelf, sighing loudly, and muttering forlornly, "why is the rum gone?"
The Murloc also purchased sundries and miscellany. I have learned not to look too closely at the things she purchases. They might bite.
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And Anthony is sick again. Fever of 102°-103° running for the last couple days. He just finished a dose of antibiotics for his last illness/ear infection on Monday. This marks the fourth consecutive Sunday that he's missed Sunday Mass due to illness.
The Murloc went into full panic/remorse mode, wondering why her baby gets sick so often, and questioning, among other things, if he's sick because of her cooking or because she doesn't clean the house enough. Discussing this with a family friend, it was remarked that nobody can beat oneself up quite like a mother. It was also mentioned by said friend that "if not cleaning caused illness, then we'd [her family] all be dead."
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Yesterday was a momentous day. I officially started working on Jack Flint: Space Pirate, release candidate 2. The one I'll actually submit to an agent (for reals). Granted, I only wrote one sentence, but it's a start.
I also recently figured out that I could probably submit "What Do You Make of Reality" to a magazine. Thoughts on who might be interested?
The Murloc has been featured on examiner.com in conjunction with an article on cosplaying at Wondercon, taking place next weekend at Anaheim convention center. If you follow her on the Book of Faces, you are well aware that she is creating a classic Catwoman costume. She and a friend planned on doing a simple photoshoot with a few other friends of DC costumes. The event quickly ballooned to the point where now there are around 90 cosplayers and 8 photographers signed up. In the related examiner article, it mentions the 1pm DC shoot, with link to the page that Rie created for the event.
Pictures to follow.
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Reality TV is not something I am ever remotely interested in, but The Murloc and I do have to admit to being interested in Penny Arcade's "Strip Search" (not what it sounds like). It's basically "America's Next Top Web Cartoonist". See? Webcomic → comic → comic strip → strip → strip search?
It's produced by the Canadian Comedy Robots of Loading Ready Run, of whom I am also a fan.
Normal Penny Arcade content warnings apply:
Katie is the current favorite in our household. She's resilient, even in the face of having faced elimination twice, and doesn't seem bitter about it.
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Last Christmas, lamenting about how little time I actually had to just pray at Mass any more, between children and choir, I asked the Schola mistress if she ever got to pray at Mass. "Yes," she responded. "I pray: 'Please, God, let this next song go OK.'"
I am in the middle of rehearsal throes. Practicing for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, I'm at the point where I can't even remember what it is I'm supposed to be practicing. And those that I remember, I'm not always exactly sure when I'll be singing them.
Since my acquisition of an Asus Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700), that has become my music book, so I no longer have to lug around a binder full of stuff. The disadvantage, as it turns out, is sheet music never crashes at inopportune times.
Anyways, my workflow for music is: obtain sheet music handout; scan sheet music to PDF; upload to Drive; sync Drive with tablet. This means that all my music is stored in Drive and accessible anywhere. I can also star the pieces that we'll be singing next, for quick access. I star the pieces that I am working on or will need for Mass in the future. So here's a list what I have starred:
- Crux Fidelis chant (Good Friday, for veneration of the cross).
- Easter Gradual and Alleluia (the Alleluia is really cool and really long).
- Easter Music: ordinary chants and hymns for the Easter season (we won't be using these until the second Sunday of Easter).
- Holy Week Music: Vexilla Regis Prodeunt, Gloria Laus, Ubi Caritas et Amor (for Palm Sunday), "O Sacred Head Surrounded", O Crux, Ave! (for Good Friday).
- Jubilate Deo, Michael Praetorius: post-communion on Easter Sunday. Sung as a canon.
- Mass - Advent and Lent chants: ordinaries used during Lent. I guess I don't need this anymore, technically.
- Missa L'Hora Passa by Ludovico Viadana: the Mass we sang at our last concert will be the Mass we use for Easter day.
- O Filii et Filiae, arrangement by Luigi Cherubini: wicked awesome 3-part arrangement of the traditional chant. Difficult to sing (long, long, runs of 8th notes). For sometime on Easter day. I hope someone tells me when.
- O Sacrum Convivium: the same one we sang at our first concert. I think this is for Good Friday?
- Palm Sunday Gradual and Tract: another very, very long tract, like we had on the first Sunday of Lent.
- Regina Caeli Jubila: the first polyphonic hymn I ever sang with the choir. I think this is the processional on Easter Sunday.
- "Remember, O Lord": For Holy Thursday, I believe. The Latin schola is not singing the Holy Thursday Mass, but the Schola mistress invited anyone who would be attending to come sing. And since I was planning to attend the Mass anyways....
- Surrexit Christus by Giovanni Pergolesi: a fun piece for, I think, offertory on Easter.
- Ubi Caritas arrangement by Audrey Snyder: for Holy Thursday (I should probably actually look at this one at some point).
- Vidi Aquam: No Asperges Me during the Easter season. Last year, we perfected the Vidi Aquam on Pentecost Sunday. This year, we've been practicing it ahead of time.
- "When Jesus Wept": canon for Good Friday. Not sure when. Probably post communion.
So, allegedly, I should have all this music learned. Plus, I'm taking a business trip to Denver Monday-Thursday this week (getting back in the morning). I figured I'll just practice in the hotel room, but then remembered that my voice is always shot after training (speaking for 8 hours in a row does not do a singing voice good).
It's funny. I joined the schola because I loved the music. I was hoping singing it would inspire me to be more prayerful at Mass. However, it's really, really easy to lose sight of the Sacred Mystery altogether. Mass can become a production, with my focus turned towards the music. It's at times like that that I try to remember: this is all in praise of God. The image I keep in mind is Christ on the cross. If there is anything I can do to ease His suffering, I will do it. If my voice can please Him, I will sing along with the whole communion of saints. But I must remember: not for my glory, but for Thine.
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And it occurs to me that this is not just an addendum, but a quick take in its own right. Two in one weekend! Don't say I never did anything for you.
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