My esteemed MARN Mentor has tagged me with the meme. I have never fallen for a chain letter before, but will enter in the spirit that appears to have started this. Here is the progression as far as I have followed it Shelly Lowenkopf's Blog begat Liz Kuball's blog begat Susanna Raab's blog begat Kevin Miyazaki's blog begat me. Clearly you can see how out of hand these things can get.
I am going to go with a theme of the season:
1. The only reason I have a baby picture of myself is that I was the only baby born on Christmas day and in fact the only baby in the hospital in Bath, New York at that time (you'll just have to guess the year) so the newspaper came and took a picture (see above).
2. My middle name is thus Noel.
3. I have never felt deprived, which is what most people ask when they find out I am a Christmas baby. When I was a child most kids asked if I was Jesus' sister.
4. I can sing all four parts (bass, tenor, alto, soprano) of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from memory.
5. One of my most memorable Christmases was going to Christmas Eve services at St. Paul's in London a few years ago. In the quiet or the evening service a single boy's voice came from the back to fill the cathedral with the opening verse to Once In Royal David's City followed by the organ, the choir, the procession of sextant, altar boys, minister in scarlet and ermine. It still brings goose bumps, but I am a sucker for pageantry.
6. I know all the words to Amahl and the Night Visitors by heart, having played the part of the Mother back when my life's calling was theater.
7. My favorite Christmas was 1981. My daughter was born 5 days earlier.
The theme to my tags are those (with blogs) from whom I was fortunate enough to buy work from or through in 2007 (the method to my madness is how angry can they be? I bought their work!).
Jon Gitelson (because he was kind enough to send me his Social Studies [if you haven't seen it, you don't know what you're missing] book and no good deed goes unpunished. Furthermore as soon as I can afford a piece, I'm there! That and I am hoping the Packers kick the Bears asses on Sunday.)
My wish for 2008 is that Blogger will let me set line spacing to my liking!!!
I am leaving early tomorrow for a week at the beach. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, best wishes to you all.
Posts
aggggggggh, ok I'll get round to it.
ReplyDeleteBack in my musician days I once directed the choir and played the organ for a Christmas Mass at Ely Cathedral. Male soprano down the far end of the church just done his breathtaking intro, I come in with the choir, only to accidentally hit the 'off' button which was followed by the gasping sounds of a choir dying. In my haste to find the damn button on a strange organ I then hit a piston which immediately changed all my quiet settings into a thundering blast! Not my best moment
Thank you Julian for being such a good sport. Perhaps the only thing more awkward than being tagged is tagging others.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it some of our most memorable moments are those we consider not our best? They stick with us with (excuse the allusion)photographic detail.
Happy New Year!
Mel
Well now this is interesting. How critical are childhood memories to who our identities. As the fanatic for Amahl and the Night Visitors, it is true I sometimes propped you in your tender years of 4 and 5 as Amahl. But it was the best part so I often took it, propping you up as the mother or even as one of the kings (the one with the box). Remember the bed for Amahl we made under the piano? I still play the CD every Christmas and like you, know all the words. So you see, we have this connection still. "Don't cry Mother dear, don't worry for me. If we must go dancing a good dancer I'll be."
ReplyDeleteLove,
P