On Really Good Things

Hugo is a really good movie.  I highly recommend it.  I got the chance to go see it while celebrating Chris L's birthday on Monday.  The birthday party also involved fish and chips (the BEST fish and chips), chocolate cake, and champagne, so obviously it was great.  The night before I finally made it to an Evensong service at Chris's church and I got to hear him play the organ.  Absolutely gorgeous.  I realized about halfway through the service, though, that this was the first Anglican service I had been to and that I had no idea what everyone was doing.  I figured things out through context.  Guy is swinging an incense ball at your head?  Bow.  Then he'll bow back and swing the incense ball at your head again.  Then you nod at him once more.  I heard this was originally used in temples to mask the smell of animal sacrifice.  At the sound of the bell, everyone kneels.  Why a bell?  No idea.  Didn't get the historical reasoning behind this.  Maybe an angel gets his wings.  Anyway, the real takeaway is that my friend Chris is ridiculously talented at playing the organ and is also a year older. 

Last night I went to hang out with the remnants of GULC and David Husband, who is on break and who I convinced to come into town and sleep on my air mattress.  I often stay up late.  When I don't have a given schedule my body reverts to owl mode and and I find myself up at 3AM and sleeping until noon.  I can't explain why.  That said, it is very rare that I ever stay up past 5AM.  I did so last night though.  Why?  I'm going to go ahead and blame David Husband and the remnants of GULC.  I think the last time I legitimately stayed up until five I was also with David.  And it was in college.  We may be getting too old for this. 

Right now I'm on a train heading for Williamsburg.  The plan is to meet up with Absi and Zanzibar and Meimei and have a colonially good time.  Then on Friday- home for Christmas!  Safe travels to everyone who is traveling over the next few weeks- I know there will be a lot of it.