Only at Christmas Time

I just want to share a quick story from my time in Graz. This is my favorite moment of the trip, I think.

I had mentioned in a previous post that Christian, Julie, Michael and I had returned from a Christmas movie marathon and decided to sing Christmas carols in four-part harmony. We happened to learn "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" fairly well and that became a staple of the rest of our trip.

The day after we spent that evening singing together, we walked to Christian's church after rehearsals. Our path took us through a little park in Graz (it's actually quite large) and while walking we decided to renew our singing. So here we were, four Americans walking through a park in Graz, covered with snow, singing "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" in four-part harmony. It was so fun. But the best part was that at one point a man who was out jogging happened upon us. He then slowed down and walked along with us while we sang. He began to hum along. Then our paths split and we went right while he went left. As he began his jogging again he thanked us and told us it was beautiful.

That moment really made me smile big smiles in my heart. I hope I always remember it. That's part of the reason I just wrote it down.

Houyue has been posting some videos on Facebook from the China trip and many have been posting their pictures from the trip. It's been great seeing everything and everyone again, even if it is only in 2D pictorial representations. Now that I'm a few days removed, I remember the trip fondly. Not the bathrooms, but the trip. And although I don't particularly care to ever return to China, I still have to smile and laugh when I think about all that went on. But my heart still aches for my friends. Luckily I get to see Michael and Angie tonight in Muncie!

Today's song was one that we heard at the Christmas party with Christian's ÖSM friends. We got to the party late, but just in time to hear Karin and Phil singing Sufjan Stevens Christmas songs which they had spent an hour singing in town earlier that day. I had never heard this one before and it has since stuck with me strongly. I really am so blessed and this world really is full of the most interesting people. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the ones I have had the privilege of meeting.

Time for some coffee with my friend Katie G. now!

Only at Christmas Time
Sufjan Stevens

Only to bring you peace

Only at Christmas time
Only the king of kings
Only what once was mine
It takes the end of time
It takes a long long time
Only one thought of mine
Only at Christmas time

He brings us peace
He brings us joy
He brings all thoughts to destroy
Only at Christmas time

To brings us peace
To brings us joy
To brings all thoughts to destroy
Only at Christmas time

Only at Christmas time
Only a tree to climb
Only at Christmas time
If you can read the sign
Only at Christmas time
Everything lost will find
Only at Christmas time
Only at Christmas time

I Feel It All

Here's a question, well, a series of questions, probably.

Why do we miss people?

Not like "shoot, I just missed you" but the heartwrenching unidentifiable, but unmistakable pain resulting in someone leaving your life ... sometimes even while they're still standing right next to you?

And how do we miss people?

I want to know about the psychology behind missing someone AND the biology involved. What is the cause of this. What IS that feeling of "missing"? Is it a neural synapse? Is it a thought? Is it some sort of spasm? What causes it? And why?

Also. Why do we miss some people more than others? Why can I spend 7 days nonstop with person A and then spend 7 days nonstop with person B and at the end of the 7 days, I say goodbye to person A, and we have had quite a delightful time full of good conversation and honesty, but parting is no trouble. Whereas with person B, I could have equally good conversation, or no conversation at all, or only talk about ... farting or childhood and yet when the time has come to say "goodbye," I feel like I'd rather just go to sleep forever and never wake up again. What causes that? Why do some people we form a deep attachment, even if circumstances are completely equal, and some others we have an affection for, but not attachment?

I don't normally try to find the answers to these questions or think about them too much because, like right now, I tend to really go a little insane because I think and think and think and come to no answer or conclusion whatsoever.

Anyway. Does anyone know? Does anyone else ask?

I Feel It All

Feist

I feel it all I feel it all
I feel it all I feel it all
The wings are wide the wings are wide
Wild card inside wild card inside

Oh I'll be the one who'll break my heart
I'll be the one to hold the gun

I know more than I knew before
I know more than I knew before
I didn't rest I didn't stop
Did we fight or did we talk

Oh I'll be the one who'll break my heart
I'll be the one to hold the gun

I love you more
I love you more
I don't know what I knew before
But now I know I wanna win the war

No one likes to take a test
Sometimes you know more is less
Put your weight against the door
Kick drum on the basement floor
Stranded in a fog of words
Loved him like a winter bird
On my head the water pours
Gulf stream through the open door
Fly away
Fly away to what you want to make

I feel it all, I feel it all
I feel it all I feel it all
The wings are wide, the wings are wide
Wild card inside, wild card inside

Oh I'll be the one to break my heart
I'll be the one who'll break my heart
I'll be the one who'll break my heart
I'll end it thought you started it

The truth lies
The truth lied
And lies divide
Lies divide

Alphabutt

I am finally home. In Muncie. In my bed. My real bed. Where just down the hall is my bathroom. My bathroom with a porcelain toilet, a shower curtain, a tub, soap, and no windows. I kid you not, I am so relieved to be back in the land of acceptable bathrooms. (Yup, I know that pun's there.) This is the thing I am most excited about. Yes. It's great to be back with my family, and my car and my church and my friends and my work. But mostly (and please don't be offended) it's great to be back to private all-encompassing bathrooms. The bathrooms in China. Sub-par, except on occasion. Mostly, they're squat toilets. Read: hole in the floor. They smell. They don't have toilet paper. They don't have soap. They're terribly uncomfortable. Even in the nice hotels where they do have actual porcelain commodes, the bathrooms will also have some sort of awkward window so that if the light is on in the bathroom, the person in the bedroom can see into the bathroom and if the light is on in the bedroom, the person in the bathroom can see into the bedroom. It's really weird. I thought I had more to say, but I don't. I'm just glad to be back to American bathrooms. So here are a couple of pictures. Don't worry, they're not obscene. No one's IN the bathroom.

The symbol on the door indicates whether it has a seat toilet or only a squat toilet.

Ahem.
It's not a toilet or bathroom related, but it IS the Emerald City made out of ice. And it is cool.

In honor of the subject matter of this post. An ode to childhood by Kimya Dawson.

Alphabutt
Kimya Dawson

A is for apple
B is for butt
C is for catbutt
D is for doo doo
E is for elephant doo doo
F is for fart
G is for gorilla fart
H is for huge gorilla fart
I is for eyeball
J is for jammies
K is for kid fart
L is for loud and long farts
M is for monkey butt
N is for saying nite nite to neko at nap time
O is for Oh!
P is for panda peeing and pooping in her potty while papa plays peek a boo
Q is for quebert
R is for robotic monkey who's going to take over the world
S is for stinky
T is for turd
U is for uh oh
V is for flying V
W is for wee wee
X exactomundo
Y is for yuckie and yummy and you
and Z is for farts that smell like the zoo