Bearshorty's musings

I made fried potatoes for dinner after my omelet plan went awry after one of the peppers did not look right. But potatoes were really good.

This day has been a bit weird – I was a bit lazy and I really can’t afford to be. Well, tomorrow is a new start and I’m going to make it count. A year ago I was in Minsk, visiting my family and my birth city, waiting to turn 30. And it has been an interesting year. I really like being in my 30s. This year I got to teach history again, which was unexpected and interesting and I really learned a lot about world history myself. And I started writing fanfic too. And I met interesting people online too. I had good trips to New Hampshire and Montauk. I watched and fell in love with “Highlander” and “Queer As Folk UK”. And my friends and I are really adults now, it feels like, especially with Marianna’s baby about to be born any day. This past year definitely had many good memories. I’m looking forward to being 31 because it actually feels like a crucial year. Either I finish my dissertation or I’m done. Either Bear and I move in together or …not something I want to contemplate but I know I can’t be in limbo anymore on anything. So this year feels important but I really need to take it one day at a time and figure out my life.

( Avatar: TLA S3 E13-15 )

SYTYCD Atlanta auditions were great - great girls with bodies of real people and great guys too. (I refused to watch the last ten minutes of wacky auditions and went to the other room to go online). New York auditions were great too – lots of impressive people. And I really love it that this year the producers are showing mostly great auditions and very little terrible ones. Very excited for Season 8.

“Men of Certain Age” is back! I love this show.

There was a TV spot for TNT’s “Falling Skies” the Spielberg’s alien invasion tv show. I won’t have time for it this summer but I would be interested in reading reviews for future reference.

A USAToday article about how Christmas for many is secular. This is not really news but it shouldn’t be a shock. For people who are religious Christmas is a religious holiday, for the rest of us it is a national holiday time aimed to brighten up winter. The season does bring good values emphasis on family and togetherness even without religious underpinning. When I was little, New Years served the same purpose. New Years is the biggest holiday in the former Soviet Union. We had a New Year tree and children got presents on New Year’s Day delivered by Grandpa Frost (who looks exactly like Santa) and his granddaughter, Snow Girl (who melted every spring). Kids dressed in costumes for school parties with Grandpa Frost and we got candy too. And we gathered as a family with a big table full of food and we were allowed to stay up until midnight. People enjoyed it because it was also one non-political holiday. We still put up a tree every year and I get presents on New Year’s day (Bear and I split our presents in two –for Christmas and for New Years).

When we moved to America, I enjoyed the holiday decorations on houses but we really didn’t do anything for the day. Sometimes we would go to movies. New Year’s Eve continued to be the day of celebration. Only when I started going to Bear’s house for his family’s celebration did I started to have Christmas traditions. And for me, while I acknowledge and know the religious story of Christmas, it is not about a religious aspect at all, it is about gathering with family. For Bear’s family, Christmas is about Jesus since his parents are very Catholic and I go to church with them this one time a year. I always view going to church as an opportunity for social observation. (The singing is nice and the sermon too but I do get creeped out when everyone starts to say Creed in unison). Over the years, I look forward to Christmas traditions like Christmas Eve seafood lasagna and Christmas pancake breakfast that Bear and I always make. And the afternoon slow opening of presents. And the evening family meal. And I participate in this holiday because I recognize the value of having traditions and holidays while being well aware how traditions develop. I really don’t understand people who think that their religious feelings would somehow be lessened if other people enjoy this holiday for a different reason.

“Men of Certain Age” continues to be lovely.

Happy Solstice! It is the shortest day of the year!

I have a brand new red toy – Samsung Intensity cellphone . My phone was finally eligible for a free update. My last phone refused to recharge in the summer and caused my all sorts of trouble. I had to use Papa’s old phone for the last couple of month and that needed to be recharged every day and it was not working that well. But now finally I have a new phone that even has a keyboard (not that I text but I kind of like the look of it). As soon as I saw this phone on the internet I knew it was for me, not the least because it is red. I do like some color in my accessories. My purse is red, and so is my wallet. My laptop is pink and my iPod is green. A red phone will fit right in.

Today was a bit busy as we traveled to New Jersey and to Brooklyn and had to do lots of little chores. First Mama and I drove to my campus so that I could finally pick up an advance check that my school owes me. I do find it a bit funny that they need to advance me 60% of my own money, but at least I can now pay tuition and health insurance for next semester. It is good to see that my union works for me when I need it. I pay dues for a reason. Then we went to the student center for swine flu vaccine clinic for Mama and ran into Medusa there too. Then I had to go to the health center. I had hoped to avoid it this semester but no such luck. This has not been a great year for infections for me, all of a sudden they are common guests. Well, a bit of antibiotics should clear it up, I hope; it all just annoys me. I need to be consistent with cranberry drink I make.

After campus and a Russian store to pick up bread and candy for Bear’s grandmother for Christmas we stopped by the bank where I deposited the check and then a pharmacy for my prescription. At least the antibiotics are free which is still awesome of the large chain grocery store. Then in the afternoon, after the cell phones came (Mama got a new one too) we went to the cell phone store to transfer contacts and photos. Overall, too many chores at once.

Once Papa came home from work we went to Brooklyn to visit my grandmother in the hospital. She is looking better which was good to see. But she will likely need heart surgery. I promised to take care of her hospital phone – I need to call and give my credit card to activate it. After, I stopped by Yeva’s for a bit for some paperwork and then finally home.

I find “Men of Certain Age” on TNT to be a really nice and pleasant show to watch. Having Scott Bakula on TV is always nice but all the characters are interesting.