Ein deutsches Requiem

Or, in English, “Blessed are they that mourn”

Yesterday, I went to the Church of the Redeemer near my house to hear Brahms, Requiem performed. In a word, moving. In fact, when we walked in (more on the entrance later), and were welcomed by the already in progress first movement, I immediately got chills and felt the breath of mourning the piece is meant to convey even in the first moments.

Brahms Requiem is known mostly for its humane (for a requiem), rather than traditional, you're going to deal with the wrath of judgment upon death approach that (of course) the Roman Catholics put forth. He wrote it after the death of his friend and mentor Robert Schumann and mother, which maybe led to the method by which he characterized death not as a day of pain and darkness but as a day of solace. Interestingly, the requiem is composed and pieced together with passages from the Bible even though it is non-liturgical, and never makes mention of JC himself. It focuses on comforting the living, hence the (translated title), "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." It is also written in German, which was pretty uncommon. In fact, his boy Shumann had had the same plan before he kicked it. (Can't get too serious now can I?)

Anyway, that's the quick back story.

Now, to our entrance. I really wanted to go see this, but Trent was definitely not into it. I mentioned it to Leslie the day before, and thankfully, she seemed interested. The day escaped us, and while I thought about it, we were in the yard playing with the neighborhood kids, and time went by. Luckily, Leslie reminded me, and we decided to go--five minutes before it started. We show up on the street where the church is, and for blocks, it is full of cars. You'd think the pope himself was coming to Rogers Forge.
We managed to land a spot, and scurried to the front doors.

Now, I am typically overdressed for anything I attend, but this day I was not. People were literally in their Sunday best. Men in suits, women in southern wedding suits, and chiffon, and there may have even been a few hats. I was like, is it Easter?

I had not bathed in about 30 hours, my hair was so greasy I could have fried eggs for the whole congregation on my head. I had jeans on with flats and a tunic with a sweater over it. Fine for the mall, maybe even the local cafe, but certainly not The Church of the Redeemer 4:00 chorus!

We slither in about five-ten minutes into it, and like I said, it was amazing. We were prepared to stand, since there wasn't a seat in the house, but an usher ushered us away into this corridor that led to the back of the church. We agreed, and hurried to the side entrance. Well, that led us to the side altar seating area, which in this case, was completely behind the chorus. So, in an orchestral and chorale performance, we were sitting behind the action. Blast!

You could immediately hear the difference, but honestly, it was still pretty darn good. This beautiful wood church had some acoustics to it. We couldn't really see the tenor or soprano soloists, which stunk, but they had some major pipes, so all was well.

Then, some jack sits next to me with canine cologne on. Oh Lord. Yes, I prayed to him directly to ask this man to get up. He didn't. Well, he did before it ended thank goodness, but not soon enough. Anyone who knows me knows I can not tolerate the smell of perfume or cologne, much less this Drakkar Noir business. I immediately felt faint and sick, but I closed my nostrils and looked the other way. It actually worked, I couldn't smell him too badly. He didn't have a lot on, otherwise I would have made a massive scene and either moved, or asked him to move. Luckily, I did not have to yank Leslie out of her obscured view seat or myself into the holy water to cleanse the smell, I just dealt with it.

Back to the brilliance...the whole thing was truly amazing. When the tympani errupted in the second and third movements, with the chorus on top of it, I thought my heart would leap out of my chest. I was in love. There is nothing quite like that. I had tears in my eyes it was so exceptional. It didn't feel anything like playing playing the Stars and Stripes Forever in band class. Although, I have been lucky enough to play the 1812 Overture, and let me tell you when the da da da da duh duh duh da da duh...duh...duh comes, it's magical too. Yes, I'm a nerd, I played the flute for many years, who wants to know?

If anyone is interested, I have pasted the English translation to the text here. Enjoy, because you don't get a lot of sap from me on this blog.

1.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

They that go forth and weep, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them. Psalm 126:5–6

2.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falleth away. 1 Peter 1:2

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the morning and evening rain. James 5:7

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. 1 Peter 1:25

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10

3.

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee.

Surely every man walks in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heaps up riches, and knows not who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee. Psalm 39:4–7

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and there shall no torment touch them. Wisdom of Solomon 3:1

4.

How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God.

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will always be praising thee. Psalm 84:1,2&4

5.

And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. John 16:22

Behold with your eyes, how that I have but little labour, and have gotten unto me much rest. Ecclesiasticus 51:27

As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:13

6.

For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Hebrews 13:14

Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:51–52,54–55

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

7.

Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, from henceforth. Yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Revelation 14:13

Last Post About Twilight?

Ok, so I watched the movie last night. A guy I work with ripped it online, so I didn't have to wait for the DVD. I started watching it last night at 11:40 p.m. and finished at 2:00 a.m. It was like reading the books all over again.

Now, for those of you who have read the books, the movie will be the biggest disappointment of your book to movie adaptation life. I'm not even talking about The Firm or Bridges of Madison County disappointing, at least those movies had some substance. This is one of the worst movies you will ever watch. I know they made it on a shoestring budget, but The Wrestler looked pretty damn good, and I think Darren Aranofsky made it for less than Twilight.

They turned it into a cheesy teen movie with absolutely no character development and no real plot. They rush through everything that was so important in the books; like the relationship between Bella and Edward. It is so forced and uncomfortable in the movie. The actors are not very good, and they display little emotion in any of the lamely lit and set directed scenes. Don't get me wrong, Robert Pattinson is hot, and I was still drooling over him, but he was not very good. Plus, he put on this odd accent which had a hint of New England in it. The kissing scene was luckily the best, and thankfully you felt something for these characters. Beyond that, it was beyond terrible. Don't even get me started on the special effects. It looked like a film school project gone wrong. What should have been Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon-esque turned out more like that Wolf movie with Michelle Pfieffer and Jack Nicholson. I'm not even someone that pays attention or knows anything about special effects, and I know these were terrible. What a complete let down.

However, in celebration of the movie's release on DVD, I did wear my Team Edward t-shirt to the gym this morning. Whatever I can do to provide more subsidies to the talentless community of people that made the movie possible.

Back to the Grind

I finished the Twilight books two weeks ago, and I am having withdrawal symptoms. My dreams of Edward are slowly fading, and my preoccupation with young love is dimming as the days pass. Luckily I still have my Team Edward shirt, wallpapers of the movie, and YouTube vids of my love to keep me dangerous.

Our next book is The Pillars of the Earth, so I need to prepare myself for another 1,000 pages of reading. Everyone who has read it has loved it, and I heard there's some sex, so that should keep things interesting. I'm not sure that the building of the cathedral could keep me going if someone wasn't lifting their skirt up.

I've joined a Coven

Yes. I have joined the millions of others addicted to the Twilight series of books. When Twilight was announced as our next book club book, I cringed. I don't like sci-fi, I'm not a big vampire plot line fan, and the book was 600 pages. I almost opted out, but with a pending trip to Colorado, I knew I had the time to read on the plane. I started on the ascent out of Baltimore.

Three hours later, I was page turning faster than I ever had. I was slowly falling in love with Edward, the sweet, gorgeous, and humane vampire that is the love interest of the main character Bella. Typically, the love story of a 17-year old girl and a vampire wouldn't keep my interest, but the author suspends the story line and the characters actions perfectly. I was so engrossed, I barely noticed the major turbulence landing in the Rocky Mountains on the very same type of plane that went down near Buffalo.

Back to the suspense...
You are always wanting Bella and Edward to become physical, but he always stops her (soas not to kill her), but I'm telling you my heart races every time she talks about the way he touches her lips. I told Trent I thought I was falling in love with Edward.
I finished the book in two days.

When we arrived back in Baltimore, I immediately went to Barnes & Noble to buy the other books. I didn't even know there was more than one when I started. I looked in the Fantasy section where all the other vampire books were. No luck. Then I tried fiction, but couldn't find it. When I finally asked, the guy told me they were in the Teen section. Ahhh, perfect. I felt like a teenager, I might as well be reading from this section.

I got New Moon, the second one, and Breaking Dawn, the last one. However, they didn't have the third. I read New Moon in two days too (after staying up until 2:00 a.m. last Saturday night) so I needed Eclipse ASAP. I went to three other book stores, and none of them had the book. Finally, I ordered it from Amazon and had it overnighted. I was desperate! I started two days ago, and I'm half way through. I can't read as much or as quickly on week nights.

Then I started becoming completely preoccupied by the books, and what would happen next. I couldn't concentrate. I was dreaming about the characters. Last night, I was an onlooker in Bella's house while her and Edward were arguing. I guess reading before bed will do this. I wake up tired and restless.

Thankfully, I have another book left, to keep my obsession alive. I'm also currently reading the unfinished manuscript of Stephenie Meyer's (the author) upcoming compliment to Twilight. It is the story of Twilight, and how Edward and Bella come together from his perspective. I can barely keep it together hearing Edward's voice in my head. I wonder if I'll fall for the movie version of Edward. We'll find out 3/21 when it's released on DVD. Ha ha ha.

Meanwhile, I find out I'm not the only fiend. Everyone I know is reading the books and fantasizing about Edward. Wives are wishing their husbands were Edward, men are wishing they looked and smelled like Edward. I wasn't alone. I've been seriously weighing the options as to whether I would myself become a vampire for him. The answer is yes.

As much as I am enjoying the books, I know it's not good for me. I need to get through them now so I can stop this nonsense, and start remove Edward from my mind. I have to focus on important things like our new Wii, back episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County and Gossip Girl that I've missed since reading, and our daughter. No! I haven't been that distracted. I only read when she's eating breakfast next to me, and I talk to her all the while. Then I re-read to make sure I didn't miss anything. Well, last weekend, I may have brought the book everywhere I went, but Trent was there, so Lyla was safe.

For any of you doubters out there, let Edward show you the way. He will not disappoint.

Decisions, Decisions

This blog is about to go interactive. I received a response from a job applicant applying for a Producer position, which is pretty senior at my company. Now, if this person were to use the word advise incorrectly, should I not ask him to come in for an interview? Unfortunately this misuse of the word has been sent to me many times by co-workers, so I'm wondering do I
1. pursue the interview, and see how many other grammatical errors he makes or 2. not even reply and let him figure out his mistake. Let's not even mention the "very interested to explore" part of the paragraph.

"Thank you very much for reaching out. I would be very interested to explore the producer position with your company.

Anyway, kindly advice on the best way to move forward with the opportunity."

Where Are You?

Notice the title of my post has no dangling modifier at the end of it. With the disappearance of grammar, and kids and even adults my age and older speaking so horribly, it scares me to think how Lyla will speak and write when she is older. Hopefully my Journalism degree will be good for something.

My worst complaint lately is this commonly misused phrase: “Where are you at” or even worse, "Where you at"
“Where are you” is no more difficult to say, has no more syllables, and is correct. To me, ending a sentence with the word at is painful to my ears. It screams ignorance. It is one of the worst offenders in terms of speech in my opinion.

Shall I explain further?

The word where means at what location. Therefore, Where are you at is the equivalent of At what location are you at? Never use where and at in the same question; just ask Where are you instead.

At my job this is almost exclusively used by my co-workers and clients alike.
"Where are we at with this project?"
"This is where we're at in terms of making our deadline..."
"Can you tell me where you're at (with this task)?"
I want to correct it so much, but I don't want to be the corrector (all the time--hee). Even though I tend to be a harsh editor with copy for work, since I'm tasked to correct it.

Other favorites in my office and beyond include:
"Let's touch basis next week on this issue." Instead of let's touch base (as in baseball).
"Whatevers, we'll just leave without her." This pluralization drives me mad, even though it's clearly slang.
"Do whatever is more easier." Umm, easier is more easy. Enough said.
"Supposebly or supposively, the project is going to be done next week." I'm not going to even go into this one. I can only recount that great Friends episode with Ross and Joey, where Joey says, "Supposebly. They went to the zoo, supposebly."

Last week Ali and I were discussing the Duke Senior English major (a broadcaster during the pitiful Duke/Maryland basketball game) who said more better during her broadcast. Could she have misspoke, or is it possible this soon-to-be graduate of a very respectable university thought that sounded correct went it left her lips?

Listen, I'm no expert of the spoken word, I say like and you know, but that's nothing compared to kids today. They say like so much you don't even know what they're trying to say in between. Shamefully, Trent and I watch the Real Housewives of Orange County. Not only are all the kids on that show the most spoiled, disgusting children, but none of them can speak. The new lady's kids literally talk like the old school 80s valley girls. It sounds like a joke. They're also drunk all the time, lazy, stupid, and ungrateful. Talking is probably the least of their problems.

Now, in an age where email, texts and quick communication are more dominant, I can let a lot of things go, but when it comes to formal writing or speaking, you have to get on the stick.

While I'm on my rant, can you please stop sending mail addressed to us as The Walter's
There is no apostrophe. You have pluralized our names, not given possession of anything to us. If your own address labels from Lillian Vernon say this, they are also wrong. Next year, when I send Christmas cards, you'll see all of this flawless grammar in action. Until then, I'll edit all of yours in red pen.

Back in Business Baby

The Rosedale Library, located close to our house has this amazing installation that includes a full town with houses, a supermarket, planetarium, garden, playground, etc. all for kids under 5. Lyla of course spent most of her time in the kitchen. What can I say, the kid loves the kitchen. Every morning after breakfast she yells, "Cook! Cook!" She can and does spend hours down there. The video here is us enticing her to do something other than cook, but she eventually made her way back to the kitchen.

Now that the holidays are over, Lyla is finally over her two months of sniffles, and the fever she had for about a week on and off. She really is a trooper, and barely acts sick when she's sick. One night, she was just burning up, and we called the doctor since it lasted over 24 hours, and she got a little sick that morning. Well, he said she was fine, and to wait it out for other symptoms or sleepless nights. The funny thing that ended up happening was the night she had a really high fever and was pretty listless, I jokingly offered her a Dum Dum lollipop. She was really clingy, and wanted to rest on mine or Trent's shoulders for about an hour and a half. We finally decided to take her to bed, and suddenly like a switch of a light, she snapped out of it. She started ripping around the living room, and bounced all over the sofa. She then found the lolli, and began sucking it while reminding us how yummy it was. She was so funny, I started videotaping her. This is the tail end of that night. We stripped her down because she was so hot and sweaty, which makes the video that much more amusing. Lyla loves to be free of clothing anyway, so this has become her new nightly attire anyway!