On Monday night I got to share in a Three Kings Eve celebration with friends. We watched a Christmas story, told mostly in music, including Juanes, Julieta Venegas, Olga Tanon, and other excellent musicians...A side performance by Daddy Yankee seemed slightly out of place in the story line but was still entertaining.
We ate pasteles, pork, and rice and beans, and I could have eaten about 18 plates but restrained myself to two. And then we got a flashlight and trekked outside to gather grass for the camels of the kings bringing gifts to baby Jesus.
What a great way to finish the Christmas season - enjoying good food and friends and stories, celebrating the complete story of Christ's birth...my Friends had painted the story of the nativity, and it was like a living painting - the kings hadn't been added yet, because they hadn't come yet - such a lovely, cool way to reflect on the Christ's birth and teach little ones about the story. you should read what Eliacin says about it.
I think 12th night and other festivals used to be celebrated much more frequently - I vote we bring them back.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
waving magic wands making everything more beautiful....
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
"I have wrapped my laughter like a birthday gift / And left it beside your bed..." Hafiz
The New Year has started with a bang - in more ways than one, I guess, with all the new-old violence flaring up again - I've been lucky enough to be partying it up with friends old and new, good music, good food, good conversation...and this is what I've felt all week, that gifts of laughter and presence are like birthday gifts wrapped up beautifully for me to share. k8 and I each told the same story about 5 times with different friend groups this weekend, but it didn't matter, it was still funny. That's the best kind of friend, right there.
Monday, January 5, 2009
"Can't you get a farmer on match.com?" - Mom
If you imagine my mom, you could imagine a Mrs. Bennet of the current day. Although my mom is so much cooler than Mrs. Bennet in so many ways, she does have this thing about wanting all her children to be married off. It physically pains her that my cousins have all paired up, while none of my siblings or I have current love interests.
I've been reading a lot about food lately - Animal, Miracle, Vegetable, Omnivore's Dilemna, Citizenship Papers, Allan Nation, Marion Nestle, Joel Salatin....and at New Year's I thought out loud that I should maybe move to Bellingham with a goat and some raspberry plants and grow a garden there that my friends and I can eat from.
This was mom's response to said idea.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Re-mix: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
This quote has been at my computer base for the entire year. I'm moving it on Friday to the wall, and another quote will take its place.
I'm sad about leaving imagination behind, because it was a beautiful word for 2008, but 2009 is upon us. Once again, instead of a resolution, I've got a word.
You can read about my 2009 Word of the Year here.
