Christmas Eve in Norman----- still Friday

My roommate Charley and I played music for a service at his church earlier this evening. His guitar-picking and my cello-bowing (and occasional plucking) were a big hit. And I realised that it's been almost two and a half years since I last played in front of people. Practicing at home with other people within earshot doesn't count. Nor do lessons, where Kyle was apt to stop me at any moment to critique my phrasing or my posture. Two and a half years is a long time to go without an audience. I've really missed it.
It's also been at least six or seven months since I was last in church. I don't think I've missed that.

Charley has gone to pick up his kids from their grandparents' house, and Mark should be home soon from his gig at one of the state prisons (we're such a musical household), and then we're all going to sing and play Christmas carols and bake cookies for Santa... until the kids go to bed, which is when Charley and Mark both go into frantic-parent, Santa-still-has-a-lot-of-wrapping-to-do mode and when I get to start packing. (To my parents when you read this: Don't worry. I'm always ready somehow.) But there are also possibilities of Jaegermeister, hot chocolate with butterscotch schnapps, and a plummy merlot, so it won't be all work.

packing to move AGAIN----- Friday 24 December

Procrastination is an art not appreciated by many, including my parents. I, however, try to use this finely honed skill of mine whenever possible. And moving provides such wonderful vistas (vistae?) of opportunities.

Monday 20 December

All the thoughts in my head pile up and then the thought of posting is too overwhelming, so one or two days snowballs into nearly two weeks. Finals are over, my last day at the clinic is Wednesday, and I'm making preparations to move out of here. I'll come back to this later.

ARGH ----- 7 December 2004

OU computer labs are a wonderful thing.
I'm sitting here, sweating slightly from the warmth generated by 46 computers (plus various copiers and printers) and at least as many bodies, unable to complete my stats lab homework because the license for the program I need to use has expired. Oh. Wait. A computer behind that was able to access the program has just opened up. More later.

Sunday 5 December

It's a gorgeously damp, grey Sunday in Norman, and I'm enjoying lazing around the house, doing whatever strikes my fancy, alternately cleaning my room, playing piano, reading Middlemarch, starting some laundry, cooking lunch, replying to emails.... Theoretically, I should probably be studying for finals, but in my personal reality the semester is essentially already over, and, as I told someone, I'm now merely spinning my wheels as I wait for the rest of the university to catch up with me. I do plan on taking my exams; I'm just not overly concerned about them [understatement].

Charley left the television on when he left for work, and the noise pollution of a commercial break is drifting up the stairs to my room, but I don't at the moment have the gumption to go turn it off. It's that sort of day. Next on the agenda (once I've finished this post) is probably a nap, and then I might peruse some Arabic later. I'm told there'll be a good South Park episode on tonight, and I'm contemplating munching on some of the peppermint Chex mix I made for Dead Heretics last night. Yup. That's about it. A good day, no?