So tired of being cold, but:

It is winter proper; the cold weather, such as it is, has come to stay. I bloom indoors in the winter like a forced forsythia; I come in to come out. At night I read and write, and things I have never understood become clear; I reap the harvest of the rest of the year's planting.

--Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

Documentary Photographs by my husband, who lives in this cold, cold house with me, who goes and splits wood for our warmth, who keeps me warm in more ways than this one. (Thank you darling, thank you.)

Ode to work--

Why I'm sick?
Standing out it the freezing,
raining,
Miserable Saturday
weather.
Pulling race number
tabs off people
who's intelligence
I truly question.

Proof:Image take by Josh, who had to be there too, because he is the photographer for the same University where I work... The look on my face is a direct link to the thoughts running through my head.

The best medicine.

There is something totally intoxicating about the simple things in life and love. Tonight I have been thinking about those things and I just can't quite get past how important they are. Just the littlest things that make things right and good. Naps on Sunday afternoons, looks from across the room (that you know exactly what they mean, without words to explain them), dancing in the middle of the afternoon, music so good it makes you close your eyes, candy canes on a Christmas tree (our Christmas tree), loitering in a bookstore for two and a half hours. The list could go on and on, because those small whispers are everywhere if you take time to notice them and recognize their significance.
Today was/is Sunday and the largest portion of it was spent being lazy after a late night of music and other things. I woke up to Josh saying something silly, and making me smile. Making me smile right after I wake up is one of those whispers. We made lunch together and ate watching parts of Jackass: The Movie and Beavis and Butthead. One of my favorite things is that laughing is a large part of my relationship with Josh. We laugh about everything: being happy, being silly, being bad. I doubt I've laughed this much in my entire twenty-one year old life. It is nice.
Eventually the Sunday afternoon led to a nap had on a Josh's incredibly comfortable couch. We let the outside enjoy its bitter cold and we snuggled up together to the better body heat we create. Our tree sparkled and winked in approval.
A few nights ago due to a downward spiral of lack of money because of the holiday season we decided to forgo a show in town and just go over to some friend's house and enjoy the evening. The seating arrangement had me on the loveseat with a honey dog and Josh was across the room sitting in a recliner. Throughout the evening there were a series of looks passed between the two of us, and with each one something silent was said and heard.
I must admit, I have fell back into my habit of musical obsession. At the moment it is The Postal Service. On Thursday I holed up in the house and worked on a presentation due for art history, during this time I set my Launch.com player to the Indie rock station. As contemporary West African art became tedious I would get up and dance around the living room and dining room. Delilah accompanied me for a portion of the expression, but the majority of the time she sat on the couch and watched me dance, dance. My favorite song to dance to was The District Sleeps Alone Tonight, by The Postal Service. It is the perfect mix of ambience and electric, and it makes me close my eyes. Imogen Heap does that as well, at the moment.
As I have mentioned before, and will probably mention countless more times (because its that important) we have a beautiful Christmas tree up at Josh's. After a recent trip to Dollar General it is now graced with approximately twelve candy canes. These cinnamon crooked candies make me happy. I love being able to reach over and snatch one off the tree and enjoy it throughout the night.
Yesterday we spent part of the day Christmas shopping for Josh's nieces and nephews. We went to Hastings and proceeded to spend two and a half hours there, more or less. I drank three cups of coffee and got wired. We loitered, occasionally sitting in the aisles with random books and magazine, reading, looking, and criticizing the horrible selection of Christmas music they were playing. In the end we spend approximately a combined amount of $17.00 and left with a list of books to look up on Amazon to see if they were cheaper.

Its here:

A merry one.

My favorite holiday song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Last year it held my hand as things deteriorated, I remember watching Meet Me in St. Louis and just crying and crying as Judy Garland sang it. This year it reminds me to be thankful and to be happy (not that I need much reminder, ever moment I am aware of how lucky I am and every moment happiness is nearby).
Today has been a bitter cold day. Thankfully my Lit. classes were cancelled and therefore I have turtled up in the house, listened to Indie rock and roll, and worked on my presentation for Art History tomorrow.
I did have to go out earlier for Delilah to go to the vet for a follow-up, they gave her two shots and drew blood to test it for heart worms (just precautionary). She did a big girl job. It was funny though, because she did squirm a bit and the vet that was holding her called her a wiggle worm (which is something we tend to call her, a lot).
I downloaded two Christmas albums today. One is my all time favorite Christmas album, it is by Relient K and it is called Deck the Halls Bruise Your Hand. It is a really cute album with lots of holiday favorites and a couple of their own Christmas songs. The second is Bright Eyes A Christmas Album. I've not heard it before but I would assume it to be good because Bright Eyes is pretty much fantastic.
Alright, so I discovered this new candy bar today. It is a Charleston Chew, its like chewy nougat covered with chocolate. It is not fluffy like Tree Musketeers. Its good. I'm gnawing on it right now and sipping a cup of coffee.