Ahem. The stars have something REALLY important to say...

If you want to laugh (hard), type "wacky web tales" into google, and go to the site. it's like Mad Libs. But SO much funnier. These horoscopes are brought to you by Christina, Sofie and me courtesy Wacky Web Tales:

Aries — Ram (March 21-April 19)
Someone you know may be feeling friendly. Stay out of the way!

Taurus — Bull (April 20-May 20)
Don't feel in public. It could prove embarrassing.

Gemini — Twins (May 21-June 20)
Control the urge to lather. tap instead.

Cancer — Crab (June 21-July 22)
marauding too many worms will leave you exhausted!

Leo — Lion (July 23-August 22)
A loved one thinks you are pointless. Do not be taken in by flattery.

Virgo — Virgin (August 23-September 22)
stroll in private when possible. It's difficult to concentrate when people are watching.

Libra— Scales (September 23-October 22)
Avoid snorkling noses.

Scorpio — Scorpion (October 23-November 21)
Never loan money to american mudskippers! They are poor credit risks.

Sagittarius — Archer (November 22-December 21)
Today is a good day to stink a(n) mud.

Capricorn — Goat (December 22-January 19)
You may receive some banana stands from a secret admirer! Water them every day, and they will last a long time.

Aquarius — Water Bearer (January 20-February 18)
Unless you organize your mustaches better, you won't get anything done.

Pisces — Fish (February 19-March 20)
A good friend will give you $1000 to buy new hard candys. Be sure to thank your friend.

(Mine is Leo.)

My Morning Tai Chi (are you ready for this?)

After my shower this morning, i didn't bother getting into clothes right away, but slipped into my extremely soft, pink bathrobe and did some wandering around the house. i ate a spoonful of peanut butter and some crackers, and then i decided to practice singing.


I turned on the piano, propped open my book and began the unflattering warm ups that singers are forced to do. And then I began to warble for real. ("Warbling" really IS the only name I can give the quality of my voice. My instructor operates under the delusion that i am a soprano. I've tried several times, merely by singing, to disabuse him of this notion, but alas...) Feeling the usual frustration mounting, I suddenly remembered something i'd been shown two days ago by my instructor. "You're gonna think this is super weird," he'd said, "But trust me on this. Have you ever seen anyone doing tai chi?..." The idea was to sink down in your legs and shape the music as you sang it. To literally move slowly and evenly with the phrases, and to shape the rises and falls with your hands. Ted did it with me and then accompanied me on the piano. To be totally honest, I didn't find it strange at all! Being a dancer, this kind of thing resonated with me. And heaven knows it takes A LOT more than something like that to weird me out.

So, this afternoon, wearing nothing more than a pink bathrobe, I did tai chi to the sound of my own voice as the snow fell quietly outside my window. i stopped worrying about how poor my breath control was or how hard it is to sing a high D. it didn't matter.

Yes, i laughed at myself. And yes, I looked like a goon.

And yes. it felt great.

I can't hold it in any longer...

I HATE CORNY THINGS!!!

Ok. I feel better.

the end.

signed, pear.


addendum: Turns out it's actually saccharine things that really bother me. Corny's alright. Plus, I guess i just really don't understand the point of this blog entry other than to complain about something really abstract.

the real end.

signed, pear.

Winter Appreciation Month

I am trying really hard not feel oppressed by Winter, because it is far from being over. I'm trying really hard not to mind feeling a little cooped up indoors, huddling in blankets and sweaters--and shivering as I am shivering at this moment. I'm trying to learn to NOT transfer my physical state of coldness to my mental and emotional states. For example, if I let myself succumb to the gray, vitamin-D deficient, philosophical fatalism of February, I am only shooting myself in the foot. So, I have been looking for the beauty of the natural world, and I figured something out today that I should have figured out long ago (especially living in Utah) and that is that the world does not have to be green to be beautiful. Green is nice; green is comforting, and life-giving. But green is not the end-all of beauty; green does not have a corner on the loveliness market. There is something about the way the bare branches of trees arch upward like the arms of candelabra. It's something you can only see when the leaves are gone. Or the way the sun when it's setting turns the white mountains to amber. Or the way the snow dripping off trees sounds like a light rain... Yesterday, Utah Lake looked like a stripe of white gold. (Christina can tell you.) Yes, Winter is beautiful. I will always prefer Summer. But Summer's foil--Winter--is taking on its own unique brilliance for me.