MTheads

Happy New Year's

New Year's is Russia's biggest holiday, at least gauging by the lines at the supermarkets.  My husband had to wait over 30 minutes to get to the checkout (ha ha, but the caviar here is cheap!!).  

I had hoped to make this holiday more family oriented -- more special and warm, something the children could look back on and remember fondly...  I could see all of us sitting on the couch together eating popcorn and watching episodes of the original Star Trek TV show (the only Netflix DVD to have made it to Moscow so far) on our desktop computer.  But, not surprisingly, the children begged to be allowed to do anything other than that.  So they're off God knows where with their little friends probably smoking or playing brain-numbingly violent computer games.  Our poor youngest daughter is still stuck home with us.   She's moping over on the couch because I won't let her wander around in near zero temperatures with her siblings.   

Later tonight the husband and I are heading over to Red Square to watch fireworks with Putin and Medvedov.  The kids didn't want to hang out for hours in freezing temperatures, so we're leaving them  home to celebrate in their own special way, eating junk food and playing on the computer.  It's so nice to have semi-responsible teenagers who can stay home to watch the younger ones.  Our one rule -- everyone is alive, to include the dog, when we get back.

I wish everyone a wonderful New Year's Eve.  Here's to the New Year 2010.  For myself, I hope I can put to use what I've learned this last year to be a better person this year. 

Christmas Poesy

The Burning Babe

As I in hoarie Winters night stoode shivering in the snow,

Surpris'd I was with sodaine heate, which made my hart to glow;

And lifting up a fearefull eye, to view what fire was neare,

A pretty Babe all burning bright did in the ayre appeare;

Who scorched with excessive heate, such floods of teares did shed,

As though his floods should quench his flames, which with his teares

  were fed:

Alas (quoth he) but newly borne, in fierie heates I frie,

Yet none approach to warme their harts or feele my fire, but I;

My faultlesse breast the furnace is, the fuell wounding thornes:

Love is the fire, and sighs the smoake, the ashes, shame and

  scornes;

The fewell Justice layeth on, and Mercie blowes the coales,

The mettall in this furnace wrought, are mens defiled soules:

For which, as now on fire I am to worke them to their good,

So will I melt into a bath, to wash them in my blood.

With this he vanisht out of sight, and swiftly shrunk away,

And straight I called unto minde, that it was Christmasse day.

Robert Southwell S.J.  (1602)

This is one of my favorite Christmas poems.  It's kind of creepy and moving at the same time.  Poetry, especially the old kind, is one of my favorite things to read.  But it's a lonely taste as I meet so few people who really like poetry.  I ask almost everyone I know at some point.  I don't read it like an academic.  I read it like I watch exciting movies, with the design to be entertained first.  I don't study them particularly or try to wring every bit of hidden knowledge from them.  I enjoy their meanderings and surprises and cleverness.

Merry Christmas, Bethlehem

Here's an interesting article in the WSJ today or was it yesterday for the United States?  

Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks so much to my 1.8 readers for welcoming me back! 

Love This Little Poem

Weare I a Kinge I coude commande content;

Weare I obscure unknowne shoulde be my cares,

And weare I ded no thoughtes shoulde me torment,

Nor wordes, nor wronges, nor loves, nor hopes, nor feares.

   A dowtefull choyse of these thinges one to crave,

   A Kingdom or a cottage or a grave.

Anonymous but thought to be Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford

Dang, I hate the learning curve

I'm trying once again to start up a blog. I had to stop blogging earlier due to lacking time.  But now I'm itching to complain and nag to someone other than to my poor husband and kids.  Maybe I'll use less bad language if I have an outlet. 

I find navigating around Typepad and trying to figure out how to tweak my site to be annoying.  Oh well, otherwise, I like the service.