(no subject)

[mapsedge]

So here I am, drinking hot chocolate (made with milk, vanilla, nutmeg, and dark spiced rum), getting ready for another week. I've got a custard pie cooling on the stove¹, and it won't be long before I'm in bed with visions of sugarplums (whatever those are) dancing (God forbid) in my head.

It was a weird weekend. Yes, we got the house decorated (mostly; we've a few pieces left), and listened to a lot of Christmas music - a heavy dose of Bing tonight. I had a thing to do for church this morning - I bookended the sermon with readings from A Christmas Carol, in costume and accent, starting with the initial description of Scrooge ("He was a tight-fisted hand to the grindstone, Scrooge...") and ending with Scrooge's redemption ("Scrooge was better than his word; he did it all, and infinitely more...'God bless us, every one.'")

It was fun, but I learned something important. I had the speeches word perfect going into the morning; once I stepped onto the "stage", though, I struggled (though the audience never knew). I had never rehearsed the lines in the environment, so my brain hadn't made the necessary visual connections to help the memorizing. I told pastor Jim that I could have the speech without any flubs or stress if only we could install a shower next to the altar: hose me down and wrap me in a towel, and call it done. Working from the area next to the lectern, I had all kinds of new stuff to look at, and my brain allowed a few distractions. First service had a few pauses; second service only one; third service went without a hitch. Next time, I'm breaking in to the sanctuary on Saturday and running my lines where I'll actually be performing.

It was a source of great stress for me all week. Yeah, I know it's just church, I know that Jim is the most flexible minister ever to take the pulpit, but I look at these performances as a sort of ministry and therefore, they matter, and there's no rehearsal. Well, unless you count first service as a rehearsal. (I'm the same way running multimedia.)

Services aren't videotaped, but I'll gladly post audio of the readings if anyone wants to hear it. The sermon, in case you're interested, was about the redemptive message of the Christmas season, and Dickens' clever use of the name Ebeneezer, which is from the Old Testament and means, "rock of hope."

Anyway, weird weekend, as I said. While Michelle and the kids decorating the house, I was installed in the family room with a couple of sewing machines, making my costume for this morning. I think most folks in my position would grab some old clothes from the back of the closet and make do, but of course I'm not content with that. I made a new waistcoat² and shirt, bought some slacks from the Salvation Army store and altered them to be more appropriate to 1843-ish (high waisted with braces, and pressed the creases out). Since I don't have the costume shop anymore, I have to compete for space to cut and stitch.

The combination of me sewing and the family decorating has given the house the appearance of having been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Explosive. After church, and a nap if we're to be totally honest, Michelle and I have attempted to get some semblance of order back. Excepting the custard pie, we've made significant progress. There is still much to do.

Me, vacuum? Bah, humbug.

I've a lot to write about this season. I hope I'll have time to get it all down.

¹ No, Donal, that's not the same custard pie we talked about on the phone. With talking on the phone and trying to marshal Katie into not adding the hot milk too fast to the eggs, I neglected to add the sugar and vanilla to the first one, ending up with a rather flavorless and unpleasant quiche instead of a sweet, nutmeggy custard.

² Observant readers who know me from Way Back will recognize the waistcoat: it used to be a gravedigger doublet. I added lapels and a collar, and expanded the front to accomodate an ever-expanding me, and allow buttons.

Comments

[sacristan.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. My apologies for the interruption, sir. I hate coming between friends and their dessert.

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

The interruption was quite welcome, my friend. The greater challenge was working an unfamiliar recipe while managing an aspie seven year old.

[brotherwilliam.livejournal.com]

Pictures! We want pictures!

brother william
I have a Spartan hand crank that doesn't take up much space...

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Under the link, "Costume", above.

[glesyn.livejournal.com]

First, costume is FANTASTIC. Wish there was video. Just fantastic.

Second, "but of course I'm not content with that". I hear ya. Totally hear ya.

just maybe...

[iarraidh.livejournal.com]

Take photos from the church stage. Possibly even when people are present or an audience is in attendance.

Blow these up and print them.

Place them on the walls of your rehearsal space in the appropriate orientation for your performance.

Might not be -exactly- what you'll see while performing; but at least a familiar reference point so as to not throw off your performance.

Just thinking out loud...

sugarplums

[themadblonde]

They CAN be almost any kind of sweet, but THESE are what sugarplums mean to me:

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/browse/Home/Food-Candy/The-Candy-Counter/Chocolates/Sugarplums/D/30100/P/1:100:1020:10280:100780/I/f01267?evar3=SEARCH

They are a rich, dark-chocolate, fruit flavoured almost-truffle (heavier than a true truffle should be, but far richer than a simple cream) & they are my special treat from my Bear every Xmas that we can afford it. Which reminds me- I need to order some Andre's marzipan fruit for him....

nice costume!

[jogreen.livejournal.com]

Ok, that's another "William from high school" expression on your face! It sounds like you really enjoyed your role in the sunday sermon (even sans shower!). I can relate, I have gotten up to give a talk, only to realize that I hadn't taken into account the layout of the room, where my class would be positioned, etc. You said your pastor is rather laid back, what kind of church do you attend? Just curious.
Looking forward to more of your entries as related to the holidays, you are a good writer. Jody

Re: nice costume!

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Ultimately, the Restoration didn't pass the "thinking" test. In other words, can I think about the doctrine, really think about it, and still have it make sense? For me religion in general fails that test, but the Restoration even more so.

We eventually landed on Methodist, without really meaning to. Katie went to pre-school there, and the folks who owned the coffee shop attended there...it just sort of happened. Dogmatically, they work a bit better for my mindset, since they are more focused on service than on going to Hell for your "transgressions."

I'd rather see to the community's needs than worry about dropping the F-bomb, y'know?

Re: nice costume!

[jogreen.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, we bailed out of the Restoration about 20 years ago. We have been to a smattering of churches, mostly conservative, Bible teaching type. HOnestly, I have gone through something of a change of mind (some may call it midlife?) this year. I have not been to church in months. Not sure if I'll go back.

How's that for a rebel's stand?