The Power of Music

Things have been a little stressful at work. I'm slowly accepting that some things simply cannot happen on time, and the world will still continue to turn. Hurts a little, though. Earlier this week I turned my desk music down for a phone call. When I turned it back up, this song was playing from the asterisk. Made me feel better. It's A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley.

Sometimes in the morning I am petrified and can't move
Awake but cannot open my eyes
And the weight is crushing down on my lungs
I know I can't breathe
And hope someone will save me this time
And your mother's still calling you insane and high
Swearing it's different this time
And you tell her to give in to the demons that possess her
And that god never blessed her insides
Then you hang up the phone and feel badly for upsetting things
And crawl back into bed to dream of a time
When your heart was open wide and you love things just because
Like the sick and dying

*And sometimes when you're on
You're really fucking on
And your friends they sing along
And they love you
But the lows are so extreme
That the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence
But you'll fight and you'll make it through
You'll fake it if you have to
And you'll show up for work with a smile
And you'll be better
You'll be smarter
More grown up and a better daughter or son
And a real good friend
And you'll be awake
You'll be alert
You'll be positive though it hurts
And you'll laugh and embrace all of your friends
And you'll be a real good listener
You'll be honest
You'll be brave
You'll be handsome and you'll be beautiful
You'll be happy

Your ship may be coming in
You're weak but not giving in
To the cries and the wails of the valley below
Your ship may be coming in
You're weak but not giving in
And you'll fight it you'll go out fighting all of them

Bring Your Own Decorations?

Every year my office holds a suite decorating contest around the holidays. A few years back, Horace and I kicked it up about 40 notches when we built a glowing fireplace. It was magnificent. There were lights behind the red tissue paper creating an almost real sense of warmth, and I drew bricks on the cardboard just how I'd learned in my set design class in college. (I knew that theater degree would come in handy!) We sat in front of it with blankets and wine all morning on the day of the holiday party, and I remember being very happy.

In the years since then, competition has been fierce. Dickens Christmas, Candyland, The Grinch, White Trash Christmas, all intense decorating themes with impressive outcomes. But now that I'm older and busier, there's no time for decorating. I am swamped, and so is everyone in my suite. Not to imply that other people aren't busy, but I've been working more than a few 12 hour days, and I can't seem to muster the energy to cut out cardboard or draw pretty scenery.

So we put up a few holiday-themed toys we each had around the house - some singing penguins that shake their tails, a Santa statue, and a small, rubber Bart Simpson figurine. He's wearing a Redskins Santa hat and mooning passers-by. Yes, it's a sweet suite.

Did I mention that there are awards for the best decorated suite in the office? Well there are. Those who truly win the best decorating award get small gift cards of some kind, and pretty much everyone else receives good hearted ridicule. Here is the text from our award, taped outside the suite:

ATTENDANCE AWARD: BYOD (Bring Your Own Decorations)
Congratulations! The penguin tail was cute, so that was something... Maybe you should have taken sick leave today. But thanks for showing up!

I'm so proud.