weekly poem

We had no white Christmas in Chicago today; it was a beautiful, sparkling, sunny winter day. But on Christmas Eve especially, when there's no soft and silent snow, I always feel there's something missing. It must be my New England blood, restless for weather. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

The Snow Man

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

-- by Wallace Stevens

from Harmonium, 1923

you'll shoot your eye out, kid

I love, love, love when TBS runs the 24 hours of A Christmas Story. For that one, magical 24 hours, there's always something good on. Think of it: a 0% chance that you won't want to watch what's on. It's unprecedented.

On the less fun side of things, I am stranded at home in my apartment with a stomach bug/achey/fevery/shaky thing when I'm supposed to be in Virginia visiting my grandparents and sisters. It's making for a fairly pathetic holiday, I'm sorry to say. I did go out today to get some groceries for tomorrow so I could at least pretend to make Christmas, but as I was rewarded by almost passing out when I got home, I don't think I'll try again for a couple of days.

It's the pity post! Feel bad for me, for I am ill and sad!

c'mon, don't be such a selfish bitch

So I'm sitting here watching Seinfeld, making jewelry, and an American Express giftcard commercial comes on. The first line of this masterpiece of marketing is, "This holiday season, give your best friend a relaxing getaway, and your husband a chance to let loose! With the American Express giftcard, give them both what they really want."

No other examples of things you could give. No other people you might want to give gifts to. Just your best friend and your husband. This was followed by some other Amex-detail junk, but by then I was too distracted with plans for my best friend and my husband to pay attention. Um...

(in my very best Anna Russell voice, "I'm not making this up, you know!")