Requiem

In paradisum deducant te Angeli: 
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, 
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. 
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, 
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

May Angels lead you into paradise;
may the Martyrs receive you at your coming
and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of Angels receive you,
and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.

I really like the changes to Blogger. To celebrate them, here's how I've spent the last hour of my day:

What Amy Is

Reading: 
The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell

Written in an interview style, I'm really enjoy Campbell's ability to apply mythology to modern culture. I've just started this one, but B.J. tells me that I've made a good choice in my library book this week.

Watching:
Glee!

This season started picking up steam with Neil Patrick Harris's guest role. Given the first five minutes of this episode, it's going to continue to improve.

Hearing:
Coverville

One of the better podcasts I've heard. It had me hooked on ukulele music for a solid week.

Smelling:
Orange Sapphire from Bath and Body Works

Thanks to Mom for the lotion, shower gel, and the body spray. It's orange with a touch of amber, so I smell like fruit, but not a snow cone.

Loving:
Galway Crystal

Made in Ireland, I now have a gorgeous set of four wineglasses. I also love the Little Black Dress Cabernet Sauvignon that is currently inside it.

Hating:
Sex and the City 2

Any movie that uses the phrase "Lawrence of My-Labia" is on my shit list. Ebert has it correct.

Two years ago...

Two years ago, I was sitting in room G-3 of the Electrical Engineering building. It was Thursday of dead week, and I was listening to senior design presentations. Some guy fainted while giving his. It was the most exciting thing to happen all semester in that class, but I wasn't paying attention. Once my class got out, I was planning on leaving Rolla for St. Charles, blowing off my marketing class tomorrow. The class had been a joke, and I had no qualms about making up an excuse to cover my absence. My first final wasn't until the middle of next week, so it was going to be a long weekend.

I'd need that break, because two years ago tonight, I did the most reckless thing I've ever done in my life, and I met the person who has irrevocably changed my life for the better.

Our wedding anniversary isn't for another couple of weeks, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for May 8th.

What Amy Is...

Reading: Tess D'Ubervilles, Penguin Classic edition.
I'm a sucker for a pretty book, and the rereleased Penguin series are a serious level two contender in my collection of pretty books. (Level one is the leather bound gilded editions, Level two is pretty covers, Level 3 is unusual normal editions, like my autographed Terry Prachett books.) I'm finding James slow going, but the premise is interesting.

Watching: The Olympic Games
I've always enjoyed the figure skating, but this year, I'm drawn to sports that I've never watched before. I loved watching the moguls, and I have a hunch that snowboarding will be fun too.

Hearing: The Glee Soundtrack, Volume 1
Beej got me the soundtrack as part of my Valentine's Day gift, and it's been enough to knock me back into listening to music after my recent podcast kick.

Smelling: Macaroni and Cheese
There's someone in my vicinity of the office who eats lunch at 10:30-10:45. It's usually just enough of a smell to make the last hour before lunch crawl.

Loving: Real Simple Magazine
The only magazine that I've ever really loved just gave me a recipe for chicken parmesan AND had an entire spread on trench coats.

Hating: Best Buy's coupon.
We have a ten percent off coupon from Best Buy, and as we are planning to purchase a new tv in a matter of days, we'd been seriously considering using their store. Of course, the fine print excludes tvs in our price range and just about anything else that we'd want (video games/accessories, the tv stand...). The coupon is a tease.

What Amy is:

Reading:

  The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft 
Generally, I'm not a fan of horror or suspense stories, as I find they get predictable after a few iterations, but Lovecraft manages to keep surprising you with the tales of the grotesque and supernatural. He writes primarily from the first person point of view, which brings to mind the telling of ghost stories around a campfire. Needless to say, the man's single handed invention of Cthuhlu guaranteed his literary immortality, but his mastery of terror-induced madness deserves an honorable mention as well.

Watching:

The X-Men Trilogy

One of B.J.'s Christmas gifts was the third movie in the X-Men trilogy. As I hadn't seen the third movie at all, and first two in a while, we spent several pleasant evenings with him introducing me to the movie version of one of his favorite comic books. I have to say that seeing the movies so closely together made me appreciate the difference that a good director makes. Overall, these are good examples of a superhero movie, but I still claim Iron Man as the pinnacle of the genre.

Hearing:

(500) Days of Summer Soundtrack

Thanks to a Christmas gift, I was able to pounce on the bonus version of this soundtrack. Featuring a mix of indie pop rock, my only regret is that they didn't include the original version of the Pixies "Here Comes Your Man". (Nothing against Meaghan Smith's cover.) I am now tempted to raid B.J.'s collection of The Smiths for more of the same style.



Smelling:

Victoria's Secret Love Spell Body Splash

A gift from my sister in law, this is a refreshing, light scent. Wearing it is an automatic compliment from my husband, and a nice break from the muskier perfumes that I normally wear in the winter.






Loving:

L.L. Bean's Wicked Good Slippers and other cold weather garments

Winter is like childbirth. Summer makes us forget how bitterly cold it gets, which is probably the only reason that the entire country hasn't moved to Florida.





Hating:

Snow and other winter precipitation

Shut up about your childhood wet dreams of snow days. Snow is a nasty driving hazard that does nothing but inconvenience the grown ups.