Lent, Weather, and Thirty Years

We had sunshine this past weekend as I completed my first week "in my thirties". Being sick all week seemed an inauspicious beginning, but that will probably not prove typical for the entire decade.

Thirty does and does not feel different from twenty-nine. In health and personality I still feel very much the sometimes-childlike twentysomething that I have been since I cut my hair at 22, or whenever that was. But the number feels different. The number has overshadowed me for long enough to have realized the intangible change that happens between twenty and thirty--the shift from looking at one's life as "the future" to feeling it as a very present thing.

At present, it seems to be raining: standard February fare for Washington state. I want spring.

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While sick, I read the thousand-plus pages of the Sigrid Undset novel Kristin Lavransdatter. Until Lou gave it to me for my birthday, I had never even heard of it, but it proved to be a well-told tale, although so sad at times that it turned me into a sobbing wet heap of mush. It also contained such thorough and excellent depiction of the consequences of sin and bad decisions that I think I may have spared myself the necessity of reading Anna Karenina.

But it was not untouched by grace, and it is particularly for the last few pages and a spot in the middle that the book still remains in the book stack under my bed. I want to re-read a couple of segments before it goes up on my shelves.

* * *

After a thousand pages of that book, though, I actually began to think in the old-fashioned language of the translation; obsolete words and all. At times I actually had to translate to normal modern English in my head before saying anything.

* * *

Lent begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. This year I'm giving up the free coffee/soda/juice at work. Also, I'd like to make prayer a more regular part of my evening routine, so faithful Vespers are my goal. Those are built on readings from the Bible, especially Psalms--my favorite.

* * *

I put drum set on a song the other day. This was an especial achievement because I ... *sigh* ... don't play the drums. But I do have a reasonably good idea of how they work, so me and my keyboard went on a little sound adventure together and the result impressed even me, all things considered. Sure, the kick track needs redoing because I got slightly off time at the beginning of the second chorus, and I plan to improve a couple of the cymbal accents, but it works.

Coming soon ...

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I should probably try to slow down on the ellipses. Using them as often as I do is either my trademark or bad form; I don't know which.