Joyous Stats

outside temperature: 58*
cups of tea: 5
study mode: intense
feeling: energized
days until Jake comes back: 7
days until semester ends: 15
days until Christmas: 19
state of shopping list: 23% done
looking forward to: neighbor's open house tomorrow night
highlight: caught my brother listening to my Of Monsters and Men cd, Christmas shopping with Mom

Weekly Update:

The tree is now up and trimmed, as of Tuesday night!

And this week appears to be dominated by sound. Though we haven't been playing as many Christmas carols as usual (probably because Mom is not home all day) they are getting some air time. Some of our favorites besides the classics are Tonic Sol-Fa and Michael Buble. I've also been listening to a lot of music thanks to suggestions from the freshmen! (They don't know it yet, but it is going to be part of their Christmas present!)

Last night, our family sat around the living room and watched The Sound of Music Live with Carrie Underwood. I am not a fair judge of acting--I'll leave that to the pros (like Jake)--but I must say, Carrie Underwood did not make the most convincing Maria. It also took me a good twenty minutes to realize that it was the stage version, not a re-do of the original movie. Once I got over that, it was okay.  Conceptually though, I think the idea of live theatre on television is a fascinating idea that could open up new doors for theatre to reach a wider audience.

Finally, and this brings me to the title of my post, Jake is performing tonight in SDCC's Christmas Concert, "The Joyous Sounds." My parents recieved a formal invitation in the mail to attend and all the fees for dinner and the concert had been "graciously waived by friends of the college." I was planning to go in their stead, but my parents nixed it for ethical reasons. "But it's a free dinner!" I argued. "No, it is not a 'free' dinner; they are expecting you to donate money to the college. It's a fundraiser!" On second look at my schedule, I couldn't have afforded to attend anyway because I'd lose too much study time, but I was a bit disappointed my parents wouldn't let me take advantage of the opportunity to eat a free dinner and see Jake. Oh well. So instead of seeing Joyous Sounds tonight, I'm writing Joyous Stats, for despite that slight disappointment, I am feeling pretty bubbly in the excitement of the Christmas season.