The Proms...what is it?

Andrew is a big questioner. He hears EVERYTHING and he isn't afraid to admit when he doesn't know what something is. It occured to me that it might be kind of fun to answer his questions on this blog, since my answers are usually more general than I would like and researching the details is fun for me!

So yesterday while we were listening to MPR he heard an announcement for today's BBC Proms concert and he wanted to know what it was.

Here is what wiki says:
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Founded in 1895, each season currently consists of over 70 concerts in the Albert Hall, a series of chamber concerts at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the United Kingdom on the last night, and associated educational and children's events. In 2009 the total number of concerts reached 100 for the first time. In the context of classical music festivals, Jiří Bělohlávek has described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".[1]

Prom is short for promenade concert, a term which originally referred to outdoor concerts in London's pleasure gardens, where the audience was free to stroll around while the orchestra was playing. Promming now refers to the use of the standing areas inside the hall (the arena and gallery) for which ticket prices are much lower than for the reserved seating. Single-concert Promming tickets can be bought, with few exceptions, only on the day of the concert, which can give rise to long queues for well-known artists or works. Proms concert-goers, particularly those who stand, are sometimes described as "Promenaders", but are most commonly referred to as "Prommers". Prommers can buy full- or half-season tickets instead for guaranteed entry (until 20 minutes before the concert is due to start), although not the assurance of a particular standing position. A number of Prommers are particularly keen in their attendance. In 1997, one programme in the BBC documentary series Modern Times covered this dedicated following of enthusiasts.

Wiki defines classical music as: the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times.[1] The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period.

This year they played Gabriel Prokofiev's Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra which certainly doesn't carry a feel of traditions or the liturgical, but is somehow so lovely anyway. And yes, the name does imply what you think: This is Sergei's grandson. Here is an interview with him about the piece.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think.



Oh and speaking of Albert Hall, I need help adding on to my Gardens of Time on facebook, anyone want to be my neighbor?

Holiday Wish List TodaysMama and GameStop

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme


TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.


1. What is your holiday wish for your family?
That we find moments of grace together and that we don't go without food like last year.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?
We have changed to fit our family, so "Christmas morning" for us is now in early January. We all get together as a family, play some silly games, eat everyone's own specialty concoction and sometimes do a gag gift exchange. Its mainly about being together and laughter.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?
Erasing of all debt, a clean slate to start 2011 out of the hole.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?
We open little cards on the 25 days before Christmas and each one has a little family activity, like making cookies, a craft or serving someone in need.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?
Scrabble, Masterpiece, Parcheesi, Clue...games are a huge part of our family gatherings.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?
Breakfast is the big meal at our holiday gathering as it was when I was a child. Also, we fill knitted stockings with little gifts that reflect the special loves of the person they are for. A way of saying, "I know you and love you!"

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?
My grandmothers. I hardly ever get to see her and she's my last living grandparent.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?
XBox360 console
Kinect360 Health bundle
Ninetendo DS game Art Academy

Minda, your Motives are Suspect.

What motivates you to live life – body, mind and soul - to its fullest each day?
Pick the answer that best fits your motives, and go ahead and be honest, they are all wrong.

1. Nothing. I just sort of go along the path of least resistance.
2. My happiness. I seek each day to find what feeds me; body, soul and mind and I pursue that.
3. My family and friends. I want to give them the best version of me that I can.
4. I follow the latest trends and scientific findings on living life fully.
5. I try to figure out how I’m perceived and then act to improve how others perceive me.
6. To rage against the machine. If everyone else is doing it, I’m headed the other direction.
   

As I was out running this morning I was thinking about what moves or motivates me. I’ve been accused of running to look good to others. I’ve been accused of running to make others look bad. I’ve been accused of running because I’m crazy. Although I don’t think anyone has said it, it wouldn’t be totally crazy to hear someone say that my running is selfish. As I am an avid Biggest Loser watcher and many of my friends are full of information about living healthy, I could be thought of as a person who is just following trends. Probably it would be hard to make a case that I run as a way of least resistance. There is MUCH resistance nearly every time I go out!

Of course running isn’t the only thing I do. What motivates me to volunteer for Team Ortho? To take photos of others for free? To cook with my husband on Sundays? To post comments on Facebook? To get enough sleep? To read, argue, play cards, drink beer, go to work or to bathe? And what about those higher activities, reading through the Bible, spending time in prayer, working to stay in touch with others who believe in God? What about watching Dancing With he Stars? Whatever could be motivating me to do that?

The Bible talks about taking every thought captive. It talks about seeking God’s way above all else. That is what I want to motivate me. I want there to be an underlying current of connection with the Creator that guides me in each activity, thought or emotion toward my true path, a direction only God could know. A story that is at once completely unique to me and valuable to all I come in contact with.

You could say my motivation is to find that groove and stay in it. But for now I’ll probably wander back and forth between selfishness, resistance, pride and mindlessness.

I Had a Prophetic Dream

This happens to me a couple of times a year. I had a dream that I knew I was supposed to stay asleep until the end of.

In the dream our house was burning down. Scott, Andrew and I were playing a game in an upstairs bedroom and we saw the house catch on fire from lightning. Although it looked different than our house now, it was still a duplex and our landlord neighbors were in the dream. The thrust of the first part of the dream was that I couldn't get anyone to take the situation seriously. At one point Andrew said, I don't care about my stuff, you can just buy me new clothes and stuff.

My parents were suddenly there in the dream and they were just sort of milling around outside watching curiously. I spent precious time trying to get Scott and Andrew out of the house, to think about if there was anything they wanted to save, to try to get them to believe anything at all needed to be done. Finally I got them out. I was exhausted.

While they dithered around talking with my parents I decided to try to save our memories. The books weighed so much and no one would help. Finally a stranger came along and helped me carry a couple out. I realized after one heavy trip that I was probably only going to be able to get one year of it out. I exhaustedly put those books and one other posession, which unfortunately I have now forgotten, on the floor of my car. I moved my car away from the house, which was now visibly blazing in the basement.

I asked around and no one had called the fire department yet. They looked annoyed when I asked, so I called them myself. The dispatcher said she already knew about the blaze and they were busy, would get there when they could. Alot of families were in trouble. She was annoyed with me too. You could tell she thought I was making too big of a deal out of it.
Soon the house on our side was gone completely. There was a deep hole next to the basement and the basement was filled to the brim with water (apparently the firetrucks did eventually arrive, but with no fanfare) One fireman said, You know, you are gonna lose everything.
By this point in the dream Andrew and Scott were gone.

I ran into a woman outside who asked if I was missing anything after the fire. I said I was missing everything, even my loved ones, and she said she had some of my things. She handed me a red plastic wrist band and told me to come to a certain place in a few days to "redeem" my things and she listed the thing I had put in the car along with my scrapbooks, a quilt I had made, and a few other things. I realized she had taken these things out of my car so that later I would pay her to get them back. I was furious. No one else seemed to think anything of it.

I went around the corner to my parents house, put my few memory books left in their spare room and thought about taking a shower. I realized I had no clothes to change into. My mom came in and said, "I see you have piled a bunch of your crap in the spare room." I told her I was hoping I could sleep there for one night. She seemed annoyed but didn't say I couldn't. I realized that it was late and that I hadn't called the landlord at work to let him know of the disaster. Then it dawned on me that they had their parent's dog there and that he had probably perished in the fire. I was sick about it.

I ran back to the house and knocked on the door, to find him home in the livingroom watching a sports game with some male friends and his wife upstairs taking a shower. In another upstairs room was Josie and Debbie. They were playing a game and laughing and talking. I came in and started to tell them what had happened, first the landlords wife, and then Josie and Debbie. The landlords wife said, "Whatever, that's okay" in a light and airy tone. Josie and Debbie were annoyed when I talked about it, and when I started to cry for the exhaustion and frustration and loss, they got mad. Debbie said something about me making such a big deal about it and Josie rolled her eyes and was downright mad. They left in a huff as if my behavior was too drama ridden and unworthy of their attention. I trudged back downstairs to apologize to the landlord and explain it wasn't out of our carelessness, it was a ligtning strike. He was busy and didn't seem to really care. He said it was okay in a distracted dismissive way.

I wondered if the insurance had been truly switched over by Scott. I wondered where I would stay. I wondered where everyone I cared about was and why no one took me seriously. I finally was allowed to wake up.

New Beginnings

Sunday, an hour before we moved, our church prayed for this new home to be a marker of new beginnings in our lives. Already, after less than two days there have been so many blessings. Above are some pictures of the outside of the house. Isn't it lovely?

One of the new beginnings is that on the first morning we went out and sat on the patio and had our coffee and woke up together. Andrew joined us a little later and then last night requested that we make it a morning routine. We enjoyed it again this morning, just a half hour between 7:30 and 8am, but a nice way to wake up and have some sweet family time before heading in for our chores and school. I think we are all looking forward to this change!

Probably the nicest new beginning is in Andrew. He has been cheerfully helpful, he's been leaps and bounds more responsible, and it is a thing to behold. Yesterday when we came in from the patio he went to work on his room and got it in tiptop shape, including making both beds to perfection and hanging up his dress clothes.

In the afternoon he had his friend over, and they played in the sprinkler, then hung the towel up on the line, rolled up the hose on to the rocks so it wouldn't kill the grass and put their toys away in the garage, shutting the garage door. What a treat!

We did give him his own key and he loves locking up after us if we leave the house, which is quite helpful, because with three doors I can see myself forgetting to lock one!

Today we start up school again after four days off. I believe we will see even better improvements there!

A little sentimental, I say goodbye

This move has come together so fast, I haven't had much time to process it. Last night and this morning I find myself thinking about it more, and I'm a little sad.

• It is hard to say goodbye to one level living.



• It is hard to say goodbye to my running partner being just down the hall.



• It is hard to say goodbye to Andrew's friends being just down the hall.



• It is hard to say goodbye to a right sized home.



• It is hard to say goodbye to a big kitchen.



• It is hard to say goodbye to the wood lot behind our sunroom.



• But honestly most of all it is hard for me to say goodbye to a laundry room on the same level as the closets. Sigh. I've done 10 loads of laundry this week, washing everything I can think of, to cherish that treat a little longer.

Of course I haven't forgotten what we are saying hello to.

• Hello to a backyard.



• Hello to cheaper rent.



• Hello to nice landlords.



• Hello to a quiet street.



• Hello to being closer to the Julie's.



• Hello to a safer place for my bike.



• And honestly most of all, hello to a new start, I'm quite fond of them!

Hey Minda! You're Moving in...

• ...5 days, whatcha gonna do? Go to a concert and the library in St. Paul



• ...4 days, whatcha gonna do? Meet friends at Bush Lake Beach for three hours!


• ...3 days, whatcha gonna do? Take three kids to Lake Harriet for three hours & do some carpooling!


• ...2 days, whatcha gonna do? Skip school and go to see the new Shrek movie!


• ...36 hours, whatcha gonna do? Go for a nine mile run in the soup!


• ...24 hours, whatcha gonna do? Drive to Farmington and spend the day at the Scottish Fair, then go out for dinner!
  
  
  Now, do you think my son will remember all that when next week the answer every day is UNPACK? I hope so!