I celebrate the day.

I'd like to share one of my favorite Christmas songs with you. It's not a traditional song at all, and it's done by a not so traditional band, but the lyrics are just really amazing. Just close your eyes and really listen, it's pretty cool.

I Celebrate The Day - Relient K - Let It Snow Baby...Let It Reindeer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AcTxNr_Xx8&feature=PlayList&p=6FA3B26BED9B2484&index=17

He was quite cheery until the Iocane took effect.

The Princess Bride ~

'A tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts.'

Sure you all have seen the movie. You probably have quite a few scenes memorized too. But with nearly all great movies, there is behind it an even greater book, and that is the case here. Most people I discuss the movie with have never heard that it was based on a book, but it says so in the beginning credits, "based on the novel by S. Morgenstern." "Based" is not the word I would use in most movie/book instances. To me, based is a word used when a director follows the basic plot of a book but has taken creative license with the story, changing and adding things either because there's a time crunch or they don't think it's necessary.

Well I saw this particular movie many years before I read the book and when I finally read it I was very surprised that I was actually able to quote lines from it. They had followed the book so closely that I was surprised to find that the characters in the book were just as amazing and witty (if not more so) in the book as they were on screen. The author, William Goldman, who would have you believe that he's not really the author - just some guy who has painstakingly edited an ancient documentary on the rival countries Florin and Guilder - writes with such humor that at times I sat there guffawing - {Sophia "They laughed harder than it was funny." ;)}

I received this book for Christmas last year, reading it for the second time was even better than the first. One day soon after Sophia and I went shopping at Barnes and Noble where I convinced her that she also must own and read the book. So we set off in search of it, but try as we may we couldn't find it! We looked under action, fantasy, fiction, teen, classics, documentary, but it wasn't turning up anywhere! Finally we went up to the desk and asked a clerk if they could help us. The guy said "oh yeah! I just saw that book a few days ago...what's the author's name?" - "William Goldman."and off we went, the three of us, to search for Mr. Goldman...but we found nothing. The clerk was shaking his head now saying that he had just seen it, and where could it be. We went back to the desk where he asked the computer where it would be. The answer we got: Science-Fiction.....there was a moment of silence between the three of us as we exchanged confused glances. "Science-Fiction?" one of us said, "really?" And off the three of us went(again) to search for the book, this time in the science-fiction section.

We found it and Sophia bought it and she loved it.

So when you are done with the book you are reading now, assuming that you are a bookworm like myself, rush off to B&N and run to the Sci-Fi section. Buy The Princess Bride and laugh. NO, it is not a girly girl book, there are pirates, and monsters, Rodents of Unusual Sizes, albinos, men with six fingers, flesh eating sharks, fencing, kidnapping, revenge, angry Spaniards, rhyming giants, scheming Sicilians, and masks! As well as a man trying to start a war by murdering his own wife. But there is humor, and some touching moments...it's not all action. The plot thickens, back stories are told, and the prince is not so charming as the pirates. Try it. I think you'll like it. If not, you can check it off your 'books I've read' list and let it live on your shelf, never to be touched again.

Knit wittery

I have problems. I like to knit. I like new yarn. I like new projects....and I kinda like instant gratification with my projects. I recently started a new project. One of my friends is having a baby, their baby shower is this month. I went online and looked up where they were registered and what they wanted. While my mom and I were looking at the lists I saw that they wanted Baby Mittens and a Baby Hat...."I COULD KNIT THOSE!" I exclaimed with glee, and that night we went yarn shopping.

I love yarn shopping, just standing in the aisles looking and stroking the yarn.

My mom was like "You like all this yarn but what would you do with it?" *I stroke more yarn* "I don't know, I rarely have plans for it. You just kinda have to hold it, and stroke it, and listen to it. The yarn speaks to you. " I say with a silly smile. She just laughs at me. So we left the store with a single skein of Bernat Softee Baby 100% acrylic, light yarn, in Mint. I think I wanna go buy more cause it was SUPER soft!(This is where some of my problems lie...I just like the yarn too much) If I were really ambitious(and could make myself finish the second sock I'm working on) I'd buy more and make socks out of them!

There was also a little bear cartoon on the paper around the yarn, and next to it said 'Ellie the bear.' The only significance this has is that these people are going to name their baby Eleanor and call her Ellie :)

Insanity runs in my family, it practically GALLOPS!

I have an interesting family, to say the least. I have a ball whenever I'm around them. Last month my family and I took a trip to PA to visit some of our relatives. While we were there we stayed in a little apartment (that reminded me of British PBS shows) which was behind kind of an old folks home where my Great Aunt *Sis lives. (Her real name is Florence, something I didn't find out until we visited last month.) The woman is somewhere in her 90s but her mind is sharp as a tack! We would go in to visit for a few minutes only to come out an hour or so later smiling and laughing at all the stories she would tell us. On our last day there we asked her a question. Most of my grandmother's siblings have rather unusual names, and I'm not talking about the names they were given in the 1920's, but the nicknames they gave themselves, like, Fuzzy, Wavy, Bump, John, Sis....etc. I have a Great Aunt John - Aunt Sis' younger sister - and non of us knew why we called her 'John'. Half the time when Sis talked about her she used her given name - Verda - and I had no clue who she was talking about cause until then I didn't know her name was Verda! Well, on our last day we asked the question: "Why do we call her John?" the story that was our answer was pretty funny.

But the story is: Late one night the family was going to bed when they realized the Verda was no where to be found. Everybody is searching for her and kinda freaking out, (Aunt Sis probably was around 16 at this time) when in walked Verda. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" was the much echoed frantic question. My great grandfather asked her a little more gently, I bet he was amused at the little runaway.
"I was out by the hay stack." was Verda's answer.
"And what were you doing out by the haystack?" My great grandfather asked.
"Talking to the Man in the Moon."
"And what did the man in the moon have to say?"
"He said, my name is John."

And that was that. From then on she was known as John...because the man in the moon told her so.

First Snow

Saturday night I had gone to bed watching heavy white flakes float down from the sky. There was a slight dread in me because normally I hate all things cold and winter-like. Why then do you live in New England? you may ask, to which my reply would be, My father was born here and has an apparent fear of moving...or else he really likes the cold, but if that's the case he could have fooled me.

But Sunday morning came. The sun rose behind our pine trees and came in through my window. I raised my head and was awestruck at what I saw. My backyard was white and perfect, about an inch of snow was on our sycamore tree, and the fur trees looked like they'd been dusted with powder sugar. The sky was a bright, clear ultramarine.

The air was still, cold, and quiet, the silence broken only by a vibrant red cardinal's song somewhere in the trees.

Just this once I didn't have animosity towards the bone-chilling, white condensation. I actually admired it - from inside my semi-warm bedroom under my pleasantly warm down comforter and fuzzy blanket - from here it wasn't so bad ;)

I guess I'll give snow more of a chance to grow on me this year, before I get my hairdressing license and go work on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean ;)

"Moses supposes his toeses are roses. But Moses supposes erroneously..."

Who needs a nose job when you've got one of these?Late Fall time(maybe) 2008 I think. We were doing Nose Night. Previously our YG had done, Cheese Night, Potato Night, Banana Madness Night, even a Dental Hygiene Night, but never had we ever ventured into the realms of "Facial Appendage" night... Well, we did, and we pulled it off. (You can't tell, but there are small silver rings in the noses we're wearing.)

freedom of movement

For the past ten years of my life I've taken dance classes. It's become something in my life that I am known for in my circle of friends. Here's a look at things that one might get over a long period of time from dancing. This is what I've received from the past five years of dance, and of course some things come with stories :)

My second pair of pointe shoes.

I soon found that this type of shoe would not accommodate my type of foot...there was a chance of snapping an ankle, tendons, or any number of bones in my foot. Needless to say...I found a different kind of shoe.

My second pair of shoes. Bloch - Aspirations.

(first pair)

No, I did wear these shoes with my feet at the current size. My feet were a bit more wee six years ago. My feet were changed by wearing these shoes. They don't look at all like the rest of my families, the effect I imagine is similar to when the Chinese would wrap their feet. Only difference being that is no longer legal or practiced.

This was my very first pair of pointe shoes, I bought them 6 years ago. Bloch - Aspirations. The epic shoe that starts it all. They give this shoe to every beginner, then when that dancer is ready for another pair they bring the shoes in and the shoe mistress takes a look to see what kind of damage was done and in how much time it was caused. Based on that 'interview' of sorts she goes on to pull many boxes of different kinds of shoes that may or may not be just what your feet need. A person with normal feet can spend a little longer than an hour searching for a right pair...I take a bit longer ;)

This was my first 'big girl' tutu. When my dance teacher moved studios we faithfully followed her. As I started my classes I found myself surrounded by older and taller girls, but was surprised to learn that most of them had just started dancing. This was the year I first started dancing En Pointe.

this was an, interesting, costume. We danced to "In Like a Lion (Always Winter)" by Relient K. I was happy to join this class with Bella and Lissy :) We had fun!

This was my first tap costume(2007), it was gold and sparkly. On occasion I still find gold glitter in my tap shoes!

To be fair, out of all the pointe shoes I've ever owned these ones looked the best :) (Capezio Glisee)

My one and only pair of Capezios. Capezio Glisees. The gave my feet painful burning sensations...so this was the one and only pair I bought.

As you'll see further on...I'm rough on shoes.

They were well loved :)

Bloch, Signature Rehearsal - Strong. When I bought these the woman who owns the store and does the shoe fittings told me that they rarely sell these, ever, because "no one ever has a foot like yours." I have very flexy, archy, beastily-strong feet. When I put pointe shoes on my foot pops out, even with elastic there to hold it in. As you'll see below...my feet can damage shoes...

.:warning:. shoe carnage ahead.

By the end of the 3.5 months that I had been wearing these (once a week for about 45 minutes) I had completely snapped the shank (that red part there) in half...just by wearing them...

This was the first time we had ever done ballet with props, it was rather tricky.

Ballet 2006, we danced to Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera - my MOST FAVORITE ballet number ever!

Tap 2008. We danced with canes...and pants. Not to worry, they're there...folded somewhere under the shirt thing.

2008 was the year I discovered Fuzi! An interesting brand of pointe shoe. You either love 'em or hate 'em. {Pointe shoes # 5 and 6}

2007 ballet. We danced to "A Time For Us" and were forced to improv when our music started skipping. Do you know how hard it is to improv ballet and make it look smooth and executed correctly? Extremely.

2009 tap costume, complete with newsies hat and suspenders ;)

(above) 'Haley'. The lyrical class did a dance to Haley by Need To Breath. This was probably my favorite costume :) and the best part was the 'arm-y thingys' ;)

This year we had props. :) those are always fun...

<-- This was last year's (2009) ballet costume. Our dance was done with a little bit of 'Spanish Flair'.

...I felt like a spanish bumble bee :D