And to all a goodnight......

Just got to San Antonio after a 16-hour car trip from Nashville. Yay God for safe passage and good travel time.

And, yay for Taco Cabana tortillas, which we grabbed shortly after our arrival.

A Gift from My Parents

Lately I've been thinking about how awesome it is that my parents made sure I got music lessons as a kid. I've only started truly to appreciate that.

Yes, it's great that they sacrificed time and money for me to take piano and clarinet and to be in marching band and choir. But that's not the amazing part.

The amazing part, to me, is that they did all this even though they are not musicians themselves.

You see, lately I have realized how rare that actually is.

Musician parents usually give their kids the tools to become musicians, too.

But I've seen that non-musician parents often don't think to give their kids music lessons. Sure, these parents like and appreciate music, but they figure that their kids will just like and appreciate music, too. The thought doesn't occur that the kids could actually BE musicians.

My parents fall into the "like and appreciate music" category. They both like music (and my dad did some music-y stuff in high school), but to my knowledge, they never did much music-related stuff as adults, except singing around the house occasionally.

So how amazing and awesome it is that they made music lessons for me a priority when they saw that I was interested. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

The Origin of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Ah, who can forget the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. First brought to fame with their rockin' cover of "Carol of the Bells," they gained further renown when an enterprising Christmas-lights lover coordinated his holiday lights to one of their songs and spread the video across the internet.

But did you know that this Christmas mega-band, now filling arenas across the nation, starting out as a metal band? Oh, yes, folks. Trans-Siberian Orchestra started its life as Savatage.

My source is Blackie P, a metal enthusiast and music journalist who was one of my friends back when I worked at Naxos. In fact, Blackie is thanked in the credits of the Savatage album that contained the original "Christmas Eve Sarajevo" ("Carol of the Bells" with electric guitars). The album was Dead Winter Dead, one of several rock operas by the band.

Apparently, after the surprise success of "Christmas Eve Sarajevo," several members of Savatage formed the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, cheesy Christmas metal at its best.

Capgras Syndrome

Capgras Syndrome fascinates me. I first heard about it on NPR a few weeks ago.

Here's the deal: A person with Capgras Syndrome believes that someone (or several someones) close to them has been replaced with an imposter. Generally it occurs due to severe brain injury or schizophrenia.

Example: Mary is married to Bob. Mary sustains a head injury in a car wreck. After the wreck, Mary is convinced that the man living in her house is not Bob, even though he looks and sounds exactly like Bob. One theory is that Mary's conscious ability to recognize her husband is intact, but the part of her brain that produces an emotional response is damaged. Mary knows that the man looks like her husband, but she doesn't feel like he is her husband.

me grumpy

I am rather grumpy this evening.

Here's why:
1. I have been eating too much sugar over the past few days.
2. I have not been getting enough sleep.
3. The Predators lost to the Buffaslugs tonight, 7 - 2.
4. In addition to the Preds losing, Predator Scott Nichol is in major trouble for fighting with a Buffalo player. He, um, didn't exactly play fair. Something about taking him down from behind....
5. I still have a bunch of Christmas shopping to do.

So yeah, I am a bit of a bear at the moment.

Go Samford! Whoo!

Now, I'm not a big fan of my alma mater's sports program. But I have to say, I was very proud to be a Samford alum today when fellow Samford grad and current Titans player Cortland Finnegan returned a fumble for 92 yards and scored a touchdown. Perhaps the finest moment for the Samford Bulldogs.

Older siblings everywhere can now guilt little brothers and sisters into submission....

Younger Siblings Bring Risk of Brain Tumors

Fortunately for my brother, it seems to only apply for people with three or more younger siblings.

I've been busy lately...

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I've had a lot going on. Plus, I'm just not that reliable. :-)

One of the many fun things that happened this week was a baby shower for Nick and Sarah. And, of course, for their beautiful baby, Annie.

Annie Hilscher

Also went to a Preds game on Thursday night. We SMASHED Ottawa, 6-0. Whoo! Glad most of the Preds are healthy and back on the ice. That also helps my Fantasy Hockey team. I was especially happy about the assists from Dumont and Kariya, and the goal from Radulov. I also was grateful to Darcy Hordichuk for getting into a fight. My husband had gone to a taping of the Darcy Hordichuk show the previous night, and he let Darcy know that he needed to help out my fantasy team by getting more penalty minutes. That's a good husband for ya, eh? Especially since he is my fantasy hockey opponent this week.

Franz of the Week

This week's Franz is Franz, Ontario. Yes, a town in Canada. Actually, it's an unincorporated community. But how fun is that, to have a town named Franz? Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Food for Fines

This is cool. Got any overdue library books?

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Did you forget to turn those movies in for a day or two? Your son or daughter cleaned out from under the bed and found a book that was due last month? Now you've got overdue fines on your library account. Would you like to start the new year with a clean slate?
Have we got a deal for you!

Between December 18th and 31st, for every can of food you bring to the Library, we will forgive $1.00 of overdue fees on your library account. The food will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank at the end of the promotion. This is a great chance for you to clear up those fines and help the hungry in our community at the same time.

There is a catch ... there always is.

The only charges we can waive are fees for items returned late. NOT included in this offer are: charges for lost or damaged items; items for which you have been billed or that have been sent through the collections process; and charges for lost cards.
Cans only; no boxed food or pet food.

I have a nice life.

Downstairs, curled up on the couch with a blanket.
Listening to trip-hop remixes of Christmas songs while hubby designs a web site for a friend.
Dog is outside, barking at nothing in particular.
Cat is upstairs, asleep on something soft.

Wanna see some cute cat pics? This is Loa peeking under the door to our downstairs:
http://www.nicholsonrecords.com/pics-cat.html

[snicker]

With Amy and Paul both blogging recently about these weird blog quiz things, I decided I need to do some myself. I don't like the quizzes that purport to tell me something useful, like my learning style or personality type. But quizzes that tell which character on The Facts of Life I am most like? I am so there.

Your Inner European is Italian!

Passionate and colorful. You show the world what culture really is.

Who's Your Inner European?

Your Geek Profile:

Geekiness in Love: High Music Geekiness: High Academic Geekiness: Moderate SciFi Geekiness: Moderate Internet Geekiness: Low Fashion Geekiness: None Gamer Geekiness: None General Geekiness: None Movie Geekiness: None

How Geeky Are You?

You Are: 20% Dog, 80% Cat

You are are almost exactly like a cat. You're intelligent, independent, and set on getting your way. And there's no way you're going to fetch a paper for anyone!

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Speedy Delivery!

My friends Nick and Sarah just had their baby girl, Annie. She surprised us and came a bit early, but both mom and baby are doing fine.

Congrats, guys!

Marketing Lures, Round 2 (ding)

So, remember my post about wanting a Nano (but not really wanting a Nano, just appreciating its sleek, cute hipness)?

Here's another way Apple has snagged me.

iPod Socks

This is a really dumb idea. But in practice, the socks are cute and fun and so very Real Simple. See?



Apple is evil.

I wonder if these will work with Sansas........