2 Things @ Once

CSO Tales From Tchaikovsky

If you're looking for something festive to do this weekend--well as festive as listening to music from a pair of tragic love stories can be--I'd suggest the Tales from Tchaikovsky program the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is running through the weekend.

I saw it last night as part of my Afterworks Masterworks series and was pleasantly surprised to see it was in collaboration with Redmoon Theater. Incidental music from the The Snow Maiden included narration which greatly added to the emotional impact of the music.

The second work was Swan Lake, which, beautiful as it is, has become so cliche in my mind that I thought I never needed to hear it again. Wrong. Hearing it live was quite amazing. In addition, Redmoom has created a shadowplay presentation using overhead projectors and paper cutouts to dramatize the story with cinematic touches reminiscent of silent film. Two teams of puppeteers on either side of the stage and behind the orchestra, worked in time with the music. A large screen over the stage used video cameras trained on each projector's screen to combine the images in real-time. It was a unique and entertaining way to tell the story. 

Good Morning

Saturday 3 p.m.: Slowest Tree Decorating in Town

In the last few years I've adopted a very drawn out method for decorating the Christmas tree. In the true spirit of Two Things at Once, I hang an ornament on the tree every once in a while, usually when I'm passing by the tree on my way to do something else. It helps to break up monotonous tasks around the house and keeps me from getting bored while decorating the tree.

There's no way you'd get away with this with kids in the house but it works for me.

Where the Hell Have I Been?

I think it's smart marketing to put advertising on your blog that garners you noticeable revenue (we're talking real pennies here people!) right about the time you slow down stop posting to your blog every day, thereby drastically lowering your daily hit rate. Timing is everything.

Speaking of timing, life has recently thrown me a curve ball (more on that in a minute) in addition to which I'm already up to my eyeballs in projects I'm trying to complete before Christmas the end of the year. Catching a cold, not once but twice, did nothing for my productivity. Stress, in addition to the bitter cold and darkness that falls around three every afternoon, is wearying and by the time ten o'clock rolls around some nights, I can barely keep my eyes open. Blogging has fallen by the wayside. And it's official, my holiday cards are now New Year's greetings. It's a big relief knowing I don't have to deal with compiling writing my annual Book Recommendation List until next year.

So, back to that curve ball. I don't blog about work, it's not worth it and it's not interesting (unless it has to do with the antics of a certain soon-to-be-three-year-old.) But things "at the office" have taken a turn worth mentioning and life is about to get a lot crappier more interesting so it's worth mentioning here. Plus it saves me the hassle of telling people on an individual basis.

Some of you who read this blog know I've been with the same company since oh my God! 1994. A lifetime ago. I was the very first employee and now I'm one of the last. At the end of this year, my company will crawl up to the finish line, reach its anemic finger across the line, and die turn off the lights for good. The final death knell didn't exactly come as a surprise; the writing has been on the wall for some time now, but this most recent incarnation of the job gave me the flexibility (and the health insurance) to be a part-time nanny.

I have the office gig completely to thank for my past two years with JD and for that I'm amazingly grateful. I mourned the loss of the company a long while back when we down-sized considerably. With this ultimate down-size, purging files and packing up the few remaining boxes hasn't taken long and shredding paperwork is amazingly cathartic. I'm definitely ready to move on and I'm naive enough to think optimistic that I'll find new challenges and opportunities that will interest me as well as pay the bills. While I don't know what the heck I'm going to do next new direction I'm headed in, I do know whatever it is, I'll want to make it work around my time with JD. I'm determined to keep up with that little tyke as long as her family is willing and I'm able. Say, when she heads off to college.

My first hurdle and top priority is to find affordable individual health insurance, a process I began today. After years of dreading the prospect of getting individual coverage, I met with a broker this morning and the news wasn't that bad. So far. Fingers are crossed as I await the underwriter review. This is huge no small thing for me and if once I jump through this hoop, a lot of the stress of this new situation will be lifted.

So, I'm living the economic headlines. 2010. A new decade, a new direction.

Saturday 3 p.m.: A Trunk Full of Tree

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is extremely cool. View it as wide as you can.

Tea Time

NaBloPoMo, Day the Last

While JD was at preschool today, I popped home for a pot of tea. This cold is really hanging on and I'm fighting back with a tsunami of hot tea.

Goodbye November and hello December and so ends my third successful NaBloPoMo. I'll probably take a break tomorrow, to break the chain and prevent myself from continuing on. It's nearly time to compile my annual "Best Of" book list for 2009 and I'm way behind in writing reviews so there will be a flurry of book thoughts coming along soon. Not to mention a backlog of photos to process that could stun an ox.

But now, to bed.

Sick Day Sunday

NaBloPoMo, Day 29

Just a quick post here to say I'm back safe and nearly sound after a wonderful Thanksgiving spent in San Diego. Unfortunately, most of our group, both locals and visitors, was felled by one sort sickness or another at some point during the week. It didn't manage to dampen our spirits or our appetites, as we pretty much ate our way through the five days I was there.

It was great to finally be "home" to gather with the family and relax among familiar surroundings. It's been four-and-a-half years since our last visit (before Jen's cancer/treatment) so we were long overdue. The weather could not have been more ideal--sunny and 70s nearly every day, until the last when San Diego finally had its first measurable amount of rain in over 150 days! I knew we were going to bring a little of the wet stuff with us from soggy Chicago.

It was extremely low key. The home I grew up in has a great view of downtown San Diego, the bay and the mountains behind so it was treat enough to spend as much time as we could outside, soaking up the sun, reading and chatting on the front porch.

And we drank tea. Lots and lots of tea. Lucky for us, we knew a good tea shop in town and could stock up on fresh, fragrant and healthy tea. I've never drunk so much tea in my life but I could think of no better way to flush the cold out of my system than with peppermint, red bush, chai, and relaxing calm teas.

Today, I laid low, taking it easy, trying to thwart my cold from turning into a hacking cough and storing up as much energy as I can for the coming week. (Four days with wee JD this week!) I read more of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (which finally became truly engaging around page 300), while sipping yet more tea (and cough syrup.)

I also began the healing treatment of Thai hot & sour soup. I can't remember the last time I had a cold hold on for this long, and I firmly believe it's because I haven't taken a course of what I call "the healing soup" -- until now. I fully expect to turn the corner tomorrow, after a few meals of soup, chock full of ginger, lemon grass, bamboo, and peppers.

Saturday 3 p.m.: Heading Home ... Or Maybe to Alaska

On the Point