(no subject)

[violachic]

Feeling a modicum of better about the impending holidays. I've been kind of forcing myself to listen to some of the Christmas music on the radio, and last night I watched a few corny movies on TV. ABC aired A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is hands down my favorite Christmas movie. For some reason, I managed to pretty much cry all the way through it. I wish I could figure that out. I do, however, find it ironic that the theme of the movie is that Charlie Brown is fed up with the commercialization of Christmas, yet it was aired by ABC, which is owned by Disney, the definitive commercialized company (please note that this does not mean I necessarily have anything against the Disney Corporation- I simply think the word I'm searching for here is "juxtaposition"). I've also had two and a half invitations for something to do on Christmas Day or a reasonable facsimile thereof, including the celebration of A Very Jewish Christmas, which is sounding more and more appealing.

I wish I could put a finger on why I've been plunged to the bottom like this. About a week or so ago I was saying to myself "The bad news is, I think I've hit rock bottom; the good news is, rock bottom isn't nearly as deep as I thought it would be". News flash: as soon as you qualify something to yourself, worse tends to become worst.

I kind of hate making posts like this. But the reality is, I'm not making them for other people, I'm making them for me, and if people who have me on their friends page don't want to read them, they don't have to. I guess I'm just sort of tired of ignoring issues and problems, because ignoring them won't make them go away, it just makes them fester. So my new life policy (or at least part of my new life policy) is to confront what I have head-on, and deal with it, then it will be over with.

Other parts of my new life policy involve the word respect. More on that to come at a later time. If I feel like it.

Yesterday I drove past a medium nasty accident after dropping pheret1 at work. A lady driving an Expedition or a Suburban or something equally impractical and unwieldy T-boned a sedan at a four-way stop sign. It looked like one or the other (I'd put my money on the SUV, but I'm probably unduly biased) had run the stop sign, and the truck had pushed the sedan completely out of the intersection, and the driver was trapped. Although I didn't witness it, it looked like it had only happened a few moments before I drove past. I rolled down my window and asked if it had been called in yet. They said no, that they couldn't get through to anyone at emergency (I only took about half a second to wonder how the heck you can't get through to 911 in the suburbs), so I told them I was only blocks from home and as soon as I got there I'd call the police. Turns out I didn't need to do that, because only a couple blocks later, I came upon a police car that had just pulled someone over for a moving violation. So I pulled over, and politely interrupted the officer, who proceeded to toss the guys license back at him, say "drive more carefully next time", and take off to the accident scene. So as far as I'm concerned, I did two good deeds: got the police to the scene, and got some guy out of a ticket.

The more magnanimous side of me was truly concerned about all involved in the accident, including the (idiot) driver of the SUV (the lady was truly shaken and hysterical, and I can only imagine what she'll have to live with if she actually majorly harmed or killed the driver of the other vehicle), and I wish I had some way of inquiring about the well-being of the other driver. However, the bitchy, catty, cynical side of me wants to point out that if you are driving something that size and weight around the suburbs (where there are obviously no hills to climb, or places to off-road it, and its CHICAGO, for pete's sake, its not like its northern Minnesota where you have to put chains on your goddamned tires in the winter), chances are the odds of you rolling over or hitting something one-fifth your size will eventually catch up to you. I'd also like to bet my last $0.91 that the driver of said SUV was on the phone at the time of the accident. But again, that's the cynic in me speaking, and I may feel differently later.

Okay, there are positive things to report, too. I have two concerts coming up that may be of interest to some of you. I know that lcohen has in the past expressed interest in when I have my next concert dates (I wish I could come see your Messiah- hell, I wish I could come sing your Messiah- but I'm deathly broke, plus its probably being performed sometime I can't make it). This Sunday I have a Symphonic Pops concert. Usually we have two concerts, but for some reason the Janesville, WI people didn't as us this year, the first year in like, fifteen- their budget was probably cut. But we are playing at the Sisters of St. Joseph, on Ogden Ave, in LaGrange this Sunday, at 2 pm. Unfortunately, tickets are $25, as the proceeds go to the convent. Last year we were each offered a comp ticket, but there was no such offering this year. The up side is, its a professional group, and its a great concert (female vocalist aside), with some really fun music. I always enjoy playing Pops concerts. The next concert is the Harper College orchestra, on Sunday, Dec 14th, I think at 3 pm. Tickets are only $10, I do get a comp, but keep in mind that its mostly a community group, so its not as high quality a concert as the Pops. If you're interested in attending either one, please contact me (or you could call the Sisters of St. Joseph, that would probably give you better odds of getting you a ticket) and I'll get you further info.

Yeah. That's all. I hope you're still awake. I'm not.