Happy New Year!

We wish all of you a Happy New Year!

As we ring in 2009, we are feeling blessed that no one was injured and no other structures were damaged in a fire that destroyed my sister's SUV in my parents' driveway in the middle of the night.

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIAN!

Happy Birthday, Brian!

Hope you had a special day.

5-9; 9-5

Should I even ask how many games have been lost by fewer than seven points?

How many games has defense lost? How many games has offense lost? How many games have, in essence, ended by an INT? Dare I say, TOO MANY!

Had we wanted INT endings, we should have kept Favre, at least the Packers might be seeing a football field in January, not a golf course.

Speaking of stinkers...notice who's in the last "Struggliscious" bracket? Yes, yours truly. It hasn't been the best of seasons for the Cheese. Struggling just a little less than the Packers at 6-8, the Cheese finds itself holding a slight lead in today's battle against Smell the Coffee. Barring a huge fourth quarter explosion in Sunday night's game, both teams have one more player in Monday Night Football to determine Week 16. Come back Tuesday for an update.

Mrs. Grinch

Well, it all started with a "discussion" on why we should/shouldn't get a Christmas tree. We have this discussion every year. Because we often travel around Christmas, my reasoning is that if we don't get a tree during Thanksgiving weekend, we shouldn't get one. I know, I'm Mrs. Grinch! You should have extreme empathy for Brian.

It made me think about my MBTI® personality type.

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.
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I am an ISTJ:

Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty. (Here's another ISTJ description.)
See other MBTI® personality types

However, here is a "funny" description of the types. Perhaps, there's some truth. :-)

ISTJ: "Bean Counter"
Like the ESTJ* but with less vision.

*ESTJ:
"Stuffed Shirt" - No imagination, no flexibility, no common sense, no capacity for tolerance of others with different priorities.
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What's your MBTI® type? Check it out at www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.asp. (If nothing else, leave a condolence comment for Brian!)

Christmas at Luther

"Christmas at Luther: Night of Glory, Dawn of Peace," the 27th annual Luther College Christmas concert, was this weekend. The five performances were sold out.

Granted so much has changed since I graduated in 19...never mind that's not the important part! :-) Here are some fond memories from my participation in Juletide Fest (now Christmas at Luther):

• Driving back to Luther from Thanksgiving with family at home in order to be on time for Sunday evening dress rehearsal
• All of the logistics and choreography involved to make the concert look seamless
• Our freshman year when then Pike Kor (now Aurora) opened the concert with "Before the Marvel of This Night;" I still get chills
• When we were at Luther, I think we only had two or three performances of Christmas at Luther; however, we also performed Handel's Messiah once or twice
• Performing Silent Night in a candlelit auditorium
• A finale composed by John Rutter that we learn from a faxed copy
• The absolutely indescribable sound of singing with a mass choir of more than 500 voices

Luther is a very special community. I have rarely heard anyone else talk with such fondness about their college experience, the friends they made and those they still stay in contact with, than I have with other fellow Luther alums. Thanks for letting me reminisce!

Here's information about this year's Christmas at Luther. Perhaps you can catch this year's broadcast on one of the many public television station:

More than 600 Luther student musicians present traditional holiday carols and sacred Christmas choral anthems, performing in one of the nation's top college concert halls, the Luther Center for Faith and Life.

The concert includes performances by Nordic Choir under the direction of Craig Arnold, Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Baldwin, Cantorei under the direction of Linda Martin, Christmas Brass and Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Nyline, Cathedral Choir and Aurora under the direction of Sandra Peter, Collegiate Chorale and Norsemen under the direction of Timothy Peter, Luther Ringers under the direction of Gregory Peterson, and the Christmas Flutes.

Organist is Gregory Peterson, and faculty accompanists include Du Huang and Xiao Hu, piano; Juan Tony Guzman, guitar; and Jacquelyn Venter Ridder, harp. Ann Sponberg Petersion is the narrator, and the narration was written by Carol Gilbertson.

Each year, more than 6,500 people attend the Christmas at Luther performances on the Luther campus. The concert has been broadcast on almost 100 public television stations in 25 states, and it is broadcast annually on public radio.
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"Pearl"man

Part of my birthday present this year was a subscription to several concerts at The Kennedy Center. Last night's concert was National Symphony Orchestra: Itzhak Perlman, conductor & violin. They performed J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor. He also conducted Mozart's "Haffner" Symphony and Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique" Symphony.

It was quite amazing. I had not seen Perlman in live concert before, so I didn't realize that he had lost the use of his legs after he contracted Polio at the age of four. He performs and conducts while sitting down. Nevertheless, he does nearly magical things with his Stradivarius.

Well, it might not be Perlman, but if you haven't been to a symphony concert recently, you really must go. If you're in a bigger city, you'll obviously have options; however, even if you're in a smaller college town, go to a concert! Every time I go, I realize how much you miss the nuances from just a recording.

iPWSG

What Crackberry? Less than a week after Brian was forced to get a new iPhone 3G, he's not looked back at his what? BlackBerry.

It all started when somebody tried to borrow his BlackBerry without his permission. Later he was disappointed by the return of said borrowed BlackBerry.
[It was obvious he had enabled this loan.]

And then, mere days later, of all the crazy things, the return key on his BlackBerry went missing! Gone. Kaput. In its place was a sad, little vacant space where a small, but vital key was no longer.
[Insert squeaking...prying...ping...uh oh, what's that little piece of plastic flying through the air...wheee]

Conveniently, a couple of days later, we were in the Apple Store for a travel charger for Ellie's new Nano, when all of a sudden an iPhone jumped into Brian's hands and hasn't left them since.

His first iPhone email was to a fellow iPhone owner: "I no longer covet your iPhone. However, I am having impulse control issues. Sent from my iPhone."

Of course, one of the main iPhone features is the ability to download applications, such as Urbanspoon.


Five musical instruments, four news aggregators, multiple restaurant locaters, apps to find apps, now fifty or more apps later, the lure of still more apps continues to call...Brian, download me...

In this spirit, I have started the iPhone Widows Support Group.

Ladies, join me. iPWs ban together!