A November Hallelujah
Jeff Buckley (You can download his version from iTunes)
"Hallelujah"
Well I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this :
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah...
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
And she tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah...
(Yeah but) Baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor, (You know)
I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
and love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah...
Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me do ya
But remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallelujah...
[Instrumental]
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu...
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu...
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallellllluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuujjjaahhhh...Hallelllluuuuuujjaaaaaaaaaahhhh
The Call of the Wild
Let's set the scene:
Soulful jazz is wafting through the house, accompanied by the aroma of some soulful cooking.
Richard in the kitchen (natch), Robin in the living room pretending to understand the new cable tv system (she hasn't read the manual, natch), and Bryn the dog is settling down with a rawhide chew (oh the joy).
The tv tunes into one of the three local pbs stations, five minutes before "Masterpiece Theatre" is to start. It is the end of a National Geographic special called "Christmas in Yosemite," and wolves are howling because their baby has been found, alive but hurt.
Suddenly, Bryn drops the rawhide and stares at the TV. This is new behavior. As the howls continue, her head tips to one side and she rises to a half-crouch. She takes two slow steps toward the screen, watching as a wolf family reunites. Bryn crouches transfixed, until the scene shifts. As the howls fade and snow becomes the visual focus, she loses a little interest. Finding her chew again, she settles closer to the TV, and when the howling starts again, she's there.
I can't wait to take her camping.
Reason #274
How do I love him?
Let me count the ways, which brings us to #274.
We're at the front of the post-postlude line in our church Sunday, enjoying the Greeting of the Priests and moving towards the Coffee in the Courtyard. As Richard hugs Father Jason, he lays a hand on Jason's shoulder and says, "Listen, if you know someone who doesn't have a place to spend Thanksgiving, let us know. We can seat a couple more people around the table."
The joy of being married to a man who welcomes strangers to our table, glad to cook for them. I've waited my whole life for this.
Plus, he talked to me about it first, and asked Jason knowing we were in agreement about welcoming people we didn't know. AND, before that, Richard had said, "Let's invite your family, and which of our friends might want to celebrate with us?"
Uncle Mark can't come, but both Janine and Michael can, plus friends Bill and Larry. I'm looking forward to see who joins us from church, giving thanks for the family and friends around our table, and for a husband who is eager to set another place.
I love paper ballots
In San Francisco, we have paper ballots. And seven-digit dialing...even from cell phones! I love living here.
Last year, I voted early in Texas before the marriage and move, so couldn't vote in California. So today was my first election as a Kalyfornyan.
The picture is from the SF Chron's web site, of college students waiting in line to vote. The scene was much the same at the Presidio where I voted: sandals, sneakers and backpacks, although the median age was about 50 in my line.
In Texas, most polling places seemed to be churches, schools, libraries, etc. Here, almost any place can be a polling location -- cafes, coffee shops, car dealerships, art galleries. Our new polling place will be about two blocks from our house -- a fire station.
I'm not sure what my favorite part of the ballot was...
- the option to choose Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Gobernador (or not)
- the tri-lingual iteration (English, Chinese, Spanish)
- Proposition J, which reads, "Shall it be City policy to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice-President Cheney?"
- the fact that it is still paper, and not some evil hacked vote-stealing Diebold machine
I think my favorite part is that it's paper. As I handed it in to the Blessed Elder, who had just been telling another poll worker he was born almost 100 years ago in China, I felt tears stinging my eyes. Despite the atrocities perpetrated on our civil liberties and the ugly, ridiculous partisan fighting, people still come to America and vote. This time, I felt as if my vote counted.
