I Am Trying To Believe

I'm completely dreading the first half of this weekend. It's YS's doctorate graduation ceremony and I really really really really really don't want to go. It's going to require driving up to Mt. Pleasant tomorrow after work with Mom, sharing a hotel room with Mom and YS, getting up before the crack of dawn on Saturday (my only day to sleep in), dressing in layers because God only knows what the temp in the gym/auditorium is going to be (at the May commencement ceremony – yes, I've already been to her Master's commencements – the graduates were sweating down on the floor while those of us up in the bleachers were FREEZING), sitting on hard bleachers for at least three to four hours (have to get there early to get good seats) while nothing happens, while the boring keynote speaker drones on and on (we couldn't hear jackshit during the May ceremony), then while the 500 graduates get their little slip of paper which tells them if they passed their diploma will be mailed to them. It wouldn’t be bad if it were just graduate students, but it's the undergrads too.

I've had Martha praying for snow (because if the weather is bad, I've been told I don't have to go as driving in snow is one of my most despised activities), but she prayed too hard and it came a day early – yup, it's snowing today. Supposed to have anywhere from 4-8" when it's all done. *sigh* Too little, too soon.

And because of the graduation, I had to switch my Friday symphony tickets to tonight (it's Beethoven's Symphony #9, otherwise I would have just found someone to use my tix), so I'll be heading downtown in 4-8" of the white crap. I'm really not happy about this.

The rest of the weekend should be fun, though. Saturday night is a friend's Christmas/Holiday concert. Normally, I'd be shunning local community singing groups' holiday concerts like the plague, but this group is very good and always worth seeing. They have one guy in the group who looks like Wallace Shawn (poor guy) and every year he writes his own Christmas/Holiday song which is usually beyond hysterical, especially when combined with the appropriate costume. There are usually tears in my eyes when it's over and I'm gasping for breath from laughing so hard. Somehow though it always snows the night of that concert.

Sunday is the Christmas Brunch at Shortstuff's (Grandma) country club. Ooh la la! I'm planning on wearing the black velvet dress I got from Trashy Diva in New Orleans when we were stranded there in January. Grandma invites the entire family, including significant others, so it's the most non-stressful Christmas gathering. Just eating lots of food, no presents, no one has to do dishes (except the people being paid to do it). After the brunch, we'll all head back to Grandma's and annoy her husband who somehow thought that when he married Grandma we would all disappear and leave her to him. Yeah, right.

Okay, enough from Ms. Cranky Pants today. ;-) Except for the virus infection below….

I've been "infected" by Clarity with The Infection. It's simple, "Write 5 random facts about yourself, and then list the names of 5 people whom you in turn infect".

1. I don't like potato chips.
2. I love cookbooks and own more than you could possibly imagine, but rarely, if ever, cook.
3. I have zero athletic ability and am lucky I'm able to walk without falling flat on my face.
4. I like being helpful.
5. Just like a school kid, I live for summer.