Culture, Taste, Wisdom, & Words

You haven't heard from me in ages, you say?

Well, last weekend, I went to the symphony, the opera, and a beer-tasting. Keith Lockhart is on the verge of leaving the Utah Symphony, so the parental units and I caught his last "Pops" concert. They played everything from The Blue Danube and Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy to the Beatles. Lots of fun! That was Thursday.

Friday, I went with my grandparents to see The Marriage of Figaro by Utah Opera. Watching it, you could tell exactly why Mozart was revered as highly as he was. Truly amazing. LONG, but amazing. A happy opera. Wow!

Saturday night, our group of friends that meets for a monthly wine-tasting, met for the annual because-it's-St.-Patrick's-Day beer-tasting. I find that my taste for beer has waned somewhat. There was some of my favorite Bass there and it just wasn't as tasty as I remembered. I guess as my knowledge of wine grows, my palate has changed. Or I'm a freak. Take your pick.

This just past Friday, another of my mother's infamous teas was on the books. "Pearls of Wisdom" was the theme of this one. I don't know how "wise" we were after the two bottles of champagne we had, but we didn't really care.

My pearl of wisdom for the day?

"Mastering yourself, makes you fearless."
-Lao Tzu

A huge congrats to Ang and her honey-man on their new arrival!!! Go happy for you guys! She's beautiful!

I Vo-ted!

I went to vote today (yes, early, thank you very much)! I took great delight in doing my meager part. I touched that screen with joy and hope in my optimistic little heart.

This is the great part of living in a democracy! Even living in a red state, as I do, I still get to have my say. It may not do anything, but nothing ever changed from people saying, "One person doesn't matter." As President Bartlet says, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world." And as Will Bailey responds, "It's the only thing that ever has."

So, go vote somewhere between now and Tuesday and let's see if we can change the world.

Friday Quote

"Bartlet: Why are you doing this? You are a player. You are bigger in the party than I am. Hoynes would probably make you national chairman. Leo, tell me this isn't one of the twelve steps.
Leo: That's what it is. Right after admitting that we are powerless over alcohol and a higher power can restore us to sanity. That's where you come in.
Bartlet: Leo....
Leo: Because I am tired of it. Year, after year, after year. Of having to choose between the lesser of Who Cares. Of trying to get myself excited over a candidate who can speak in complete sentences. Of setting the bar so low I can hardly look at it. They say a good man can't get elected president. I don't believe that. Do you?
Bartlet: And you think I'm that man?
Leo: Yes.
Bartlet: Doesn't it matter that I'm not as sure?
Leo: Nah. 'Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you.' Put another way: 'Fake it until you make it.'"

-The West Wing, "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part 1"

What I Learned on My Christmas Vacation

Don't wear a blue velvet track suit and leave the plastic sleeves on the handle of your purse. You look like a fool.

Bring something sharp with which to jab the asshole next to you, who kept his drink cup so he could spit tobacco juice into it every two seconds.

Deny yourself that chai from Starbucks, if only to spare yourself the humiliation and discomfort that come when you remove it from the seat pocket in front of you to give to the nice Southwest flight attendant for disposal and end up spilling your Coke onto your crotch. Or, if you must, wait until the second leg of the flight rather than the first.

Do your best not to hurl onto the happy, gibbering, smooching, cuddling couple that you wind up sitting next to. Ah, isn't it sweet, they fell asleep on each other. Where's my barf bag?

And these lessons were just in the airport and on the planes! What did you learn in Utah, Kati?

If you're going to wear your chartreuse muppet-skin hood to the grocery store, be prepared for people to stare at you and laugh. And by "people," I mean me and my mom.

Grand Marnier makes a damn fine Cosmopolitan.

My dad doesn't like risotto, because it's too "glutinous." Yeah, I don't get it either.

The second National Treasure was better than the first.

Toast racks kick ass.

Snow is fun, but only for short periods of time.

Two door cars suck.

Being 28 feels pretty much the same as being 27.

Happy New Year, all!