Sandy and Sally

Okay; so the title of this post is a little tenuous for creating theme, but hey. Sometimes life is tenuous. (Hopefully not in this instance...)

When I was growing up, joyously singing in the children's choir at my church, I longed to sing with "the big kids" in the chancel choir. And when that day finally arrived, I remember being adopted by the most dynamic (some might say notorious) duos in the choir: Sandy and Sally.* They were like two halves of the same person; I don't know how long they'd been friends, but truly peas in a pod. Very irreverent, amazing alto peas. It was awesome. It was, I think, only 4-5 years later that Sandy passed away from cancer :-( I still miss her and can't imagine what Sally feels.

But, now that I am a "big kid" too, and back at the church I grew up in, I feel a little of that spirit of Sandy when I'm singing alto (and being somewhat unruly) with Sally on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings.

This weekend, we're all wondering if we're going to experience a different sort of Sandy altogether, though. (See? Tenuous. But that's stream of consciousness from the human mind for you.) So I thought I'd better write something before all heck breaks loose...which I hope it doesn't.

For those of you who missed all my posting on Facebook, the Seminary had a huge celebration in the nearby University chapel yesterday for the bicentennial of the school. I got to sing in the choir. It was AMAZING. Still having trouble getting back to a normal sleeping schedule from all the endorphins.

Tomorrow, my dad (and maybe my aunt) and I are going to meet with a landscaper over at my grandparents' house in the hopes that we'll be able to get an estimate we can live with for dealing with the years of overgrowth. Trying to avoid this look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hbomb/41068279/in/set-177453

I've also scheduled a meeting on Tuesday morning with a plumber for an estimate on all the plumbing stuff that needs to be done. Let's hope Sandy isn't in the midst of creating a much larger moisture problem than we're already having!

On Sunday, weather permitting, we'll be singing a really fun arrangement of Amazing Grace in church :-)

My sister's finishing up another field job (this one's in Iowa - which reminds me; I need to find out where I go to vote and whether I can vote early...) and should be headed back east in a little more than a week.

*Incidentally, when I joined BCS back in 2007, two of the first people I met were altos named Sandy and Sally. My time with that choir was some of the best time in my life so far. Coincidence? I think not ;-)

Dieses Wochenende (This weekend)

So...really not so good at this blogging thing. You're a patient, patient person for reading this :-)

Things are both good and busy here. It's sometimes a challenge to keep everything spinning without getting dizzy.

This weekend, I was planning on either going to yoga or celebrating my friend Pam's birthday (which is today) with her after work. But it turned out that Pam's a little under the weather and would rather try to get together on Sunday; also, I didn't get done work until late, so I couldn't make it to the yoga class. Alas! But, I did have a nice conversation with my Dad on the phone, a relatively pleasant drive home from work (the sun finally came out after several days of grayness), and a fun/good conversation with my sister which included watching a couple of episodes of Arrested Development together – a pretty good trick, since she's working out in Iowa this month and I'm still in NJ.

Tomorrow, I'm not really sure what my plan is, but at least part of it will revolve around my biggest challenge – working with my Dad to get his parents' house (which to say it is in serious need of help is something of an understatement) fit for me to inhabit. Preferably by the time my lease runs out next spring. Neither of us knows what we're doing, so we're going to have to hire people who do know. And yet we have to know something in order to hire the right people to do it. A pretty puzzle and that's without the layers of psychology involved, which I won't even go into, except to say, it probably would help to hire someone to help with that, too! ;-) Could be worth it though. This has the potential not only to result in a habitable house for me and my cats (and future special someone, suggestions, anyone?) close to my church, family, friends, work and public transit (hooray for trains!), but it would keep the house – which has been in the family for 60 years now – in the family. I'd like to hope that it will help some of the psychological stuff, too, but let's not put too much on this one (albeit massive) project.

Sunday, I have church (and church choir, of course) in the morning and then it's on to the Deacons' Pancake breakfast (yay!!!) and then a visit to one of my friends from high school who now lives a ways away (still less than 1 hour, though) and finally a visit with Pam – who also lives a ways away but less than 1 hour.

Tomorrow's got a slight chance of rain and is still forecast to be in the upper 70s, but Sunday's forecast is for cold (low 50s) and rain. So I may be forced to eat a few extra pancakes to make it through the day ;-) Must also see about getting a bike sometime soon; all this driving isn't being kind to my girlish figure...

P.S. Nina says it's time for bed: