Wrinkles

Dear Claire,

You were right, these wrinkles on our faces are a bit disturbing/distressing/sucky. I will no longer make fun of you for obsessing over the one wrinkle you thought you had a couple of years ago. I want to start using anti-wrinkle cream too.

Your friend,

Me

Do you remember how your mother used to say, “Be careful, your face might stick that way.”? Do you remember that you came to a point in your life that you didn’t believe her?

Believe her.

What she should have said is: “Be careful. If you smirk too much and make too many snarky faces, your forehead will resemble the warning bumps on the side of the highway.” Forever. Starting when you are in your 20s.

I don’t know if I can live with the fact that my face is going to be stuck like this when I am in my 80s:

I need to stop making such facial expressions. Ick.

Little Drummer Girl

If you catch me at a stop light and a good song happens to be on the radio, you will likely discover my talent for air drumming. Yes, air drumming. I’m not a big air guitar person; I prefer the drums. I’ve always imagined that if I were in a rock band, I would be the drummer.

This is mainly because the drummer sits in the back. And everyone probably realizes that I prefer this position to being the lead singer. I don’t need or want the attention. People don’t need to know my name. I am totally cool with being “that one chick” in that really awesome band.

And that is the crux of my penchant for the drums. But it goes a little further than that. I think that I’m better at the drum function of things. The drummer sets the tempo, provides stability, and adds a little heart – maybe not in the oozy, cheesy way the guitar or piano do, but in a soulful sort of way it adds its version of heart. I feel like the drummer lays down the plan for the song – gives it support where it needs it and emphasizes the really great parts. Do you also need a melody, some lyrics, and someone who can sing? Sure, but the drums are important too.

Related: The Art of Simple Drumming. I didn’t read the whole thing (music’s really not my thing), but I like the titles of the tips.

Secret 1: Tempo

Secret 2: Confidence

Secret 3: Dynamic Finesse

Secret 4: Go Easy on Yourself!

Secret 5: Listen to the Best!

I’m going to embrace this drummer thing, I think.

(I also have an unrequited fantasy of dating a drummer. I feel like the drummer has all the attractiveness of a musician, but is less likely to be as emo-crazy as the other boys in the band. But this is just my gut feeling.)

And for the holidays:

I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum

That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,

On my drum? . . .

I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,

I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum

Me and my drum.

A blessing and a curse

There are so many things in this world that you can be elated/thankful/can’t-live-without-happy-about one moment and find frustrating/hurtful/pull-your-hair-out-angry-about the next. This applies to some of the most important things in our lives: the people who love us the most, education, children, computers, wine.

Any of these things can make life easier, give us purpose, the strength to keep going, the answers we seek. Or they can send us straight to the insane asylum, mumbling and shouting and feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

Case in point: my computer got a virus this week. Correction, it got two viruses this week, two days in a row. A week where on top of normal goings on I had a project due and exams to study for. Computers are obviously a blessing, but when they don’t work right they can ruin your whole day – they make things more complicated, they make you want to cry or be sick – kind of like your loved ones, school, or wine. (This original post, by the way, was scrawled on a scrap piece of paper while I awaited my computer repairs.)

Also, getting a virus when your computer is covered by antivirus software feels like being the girl who gets pregnant while on birth control. And to that point, tech support people should really learn better bedside manner - with less condescension and judgment.

Listen, don’t tell me not to worry. I don’t understand how this could happen. I have priorities and things to do; this is not the right time for this to be happening. I am not in the financial or emotional place in my life to cope with this situation. I know I should have backed up, I know that, but I didn’t ok and I’m afraid that I’m going to lose everything. And I’m not in a committed, long term relationship, so there is no one here to help me in this time of need. I can be worried if I want to – it’s my life, it’s my body, er, I mean computer.

Anyway, the computer’s working again – back to studying.

Let the holidays begin.

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with my extended family. Here’s how we kicked off the holiday season:

I woke at my parents house at what I thought was 6 o’clock. It was actually only 5 o’clock – the clock in my room had not been changed for the daylight savings. Mom was already awake cleaning the house and soon took her mid-morning nap…or what she refers to as “restful prayer time,” though I doubt there are any prayers happening when she begins snoring. And so after coffee and breakfast and waking up truly, I began preparing the turkey.

After the turkey was in the oven, Mom and I were forced to work together. I’ve mentioned our tendency to frustrate one another – this is why I typically run the kitchen and she does the rest, but I was too prepared and had spare time. (She has difficulty focusing on the big picture. I’m too controlling. So the story goes . . .)

Finally it was time to check the turkey and put out the appetizers. I look for the meat thermometer. Mom says she thinks she packed it with my things when I moved out. Crap! In a panic, I grabbed my purse and darted to my car to buy a meat thermometer. It wasn’t until I was half way to the store that I realized I was wearing my bedroom slippers. (I’m just grateful I was wearing a bra!)

I made the mistake of getting a digital thermometer and may have freaked out while we struggled to get the battery in place. I was meant to check the turkey 20 minutes ago! But I soon found the turkey cooked to the right temperature and ready to rest. At this point, Dad and Rae are making fun of my tendency to talk to the bird and mumble under my breath. I was not, though it may be perceived differently, in a bad mood. I was simply focused on completing the task well.

The rest of the family arrived and the meal was perfect and everyone was happy.

Here’s how we finished the kick-off to the holiday season:

I opened the refrigerator door to take home some pumpkin pie. Both the pumpkin and pecan pies fell to their demise, along with my mother’s best pie plate. This is more devastating than you may realize. I love, love pumpkin pie.

Overall, the day was filled with good food, words uplifting and not-so-uplifting, laughter, adjustments, and love. By the end of it, we were all blissfully exhausted.

Let the holiday season begin. I can’t wait to cook my non-traditional Thanksgiving food on Thursday.