Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Ode (except this isn't a poem) to Gratitude (the Letter O)

Oxymorons: Like my ode that isn't a poem. I love the word, and inconsistencies and things that don't make sense are what keeps the world interesting, right?

Oreos: dunked in milk, crumbled on top of Ghiradelli brownies, and/or crushed and mixed with peanut butter and melted chocolate and white chocolate (this stuff is unbelievable--I just finished making/eating a batch). Let me know if you want the recipe for "Oreo Bark."

Ode to Joy: LOVE that song.

The Old Testament as well as the class by the same name I took in college. I wasn't a Christian, but the class was really interesting and made me feel slightly more culturally literate.

Old people and old books, especially my copy of Self Reliance, which my great-aunt gave my mother in 1969. My aunt underlined the parts that were significant to her, and one of my favorites is: "It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

Ozzy: He has become a wonderful friend over the last six months or so. We have so much fun doing nothing. After my moody Sunday, I headed to the ATL after work for a hearing early today, so Ozzy and I had take-out calzones from Mellow Mushroom, watched Ricky Bobby, played in the weight room, and downloaded music while drinking apple cider. It's great to have someone so fun to pal around with, and I am SO excited about our trip to NYC.

Oswald Chambers, Outkast (my drunk law school classmates were always singing "Sorry Ms. Jackson" to me) , Oleander, Our Lady Peace, the Outfield ("Your Love" --remember? "I don't want to lose your love toooonight"), overtime pay when I was paid on an hourly basis, "Off He Goes" by Pearl Jam, "Ocean Front Property" by Georgia Strait (If you'll buy that, I've got some ocean front property in Arizona...."), and "On the Way Down" (yes, I've listened to Ryan Cabrera).

Orlando: I went for the international science fair when I was 12, and my only other visit was a little over year ago and considerably less academic.





Orwell, George: 1984



Orange juice--in the small cartons and almost completely frozen. Aunt Rene always had an orange slush waiting for me when I got off the bus. If I had a friend coming over, she'd make two. We'd curl up in front of the television, eat the slushes, and watch He-man and Shera.

The O.C.: not so much anymore, but it was good when it was good.

"O Come All Ye Faithful:" This and "The Little Drummer Boy" (esp. the version by Angie Aparo) are my favorite Christmas carols. The words to this song pretty well sum Christmas up:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

Refrain
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

Refrain
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

Refrain

And on that note, I officially wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that your heart is as filled with joy when you think about the meaning of Christmas as mine is. I cannot wait to celebrate with my family, especially my nieces; we're baking a birthday cake for Jesus and cookies for Santa:)

11 comments:

Accidentally Me said...

My most special "O" is my little Munchkin...her last name starts with O:-)

Ditto on Oreos and Outkast especially

anne said...

Oh how wonderful - it put me in a happy holiday mood and reminded me of other great things. Thanks for the gratitudes

Unknown said...

Merry almost Christmas to you too :-) I realize you are baking a birthday cake for Jesus, but please tell me you don't have a light up sign that says, "Happy Birthday Jesus" on your lawn!!!

I love that you love "Off He Goes" by Pearl Jam...a true fan picking something off the No Code album! I really like Red Mosquito from that album, but I guess that will have to wait for "R" huh??

The Emerson quote is an interesting one. I think it shows one of our country’s greatest strengths and yet one of our greatest weaknesses. While we are unafraid to march to the beat of our own drum we also have turned this independent desire against our standards of truth which we make much more individualistic than we should. The desires of the flesh far too often over power our hearts and lead us away from the Spirit of God. May you find your reliance on His Spirit stronger than on your own "independence of solitude".

Ally said...

AM: Munchkin certainly sounds like a blessing, and I know you're someone for whom she is very grateful.

e.b.: You're welcome. Glad I could help get you in the spirit.

Jeff: Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I always love hearing what you have to say. That light up sign sounds interesting, but we're just sticking with icing. And I've definitely been a true PJ fan.

And I agree that we've made our own truths entirely too individualist/subjective. But I disagree that we are unafraid to march to our own drum; I think a lot of people are marching to society's drum with either little thought or just because it's easier than marching to their own, which seems out of step with the world's. And as Christians, we're often called to be out of step with the world--even when it isn't easy. And of course, to do so, like you said, we must rely not just on our independence of solitude but on His spirit. We certainly cannot do it alone.

cdp said...

Umm, just reading about the Oreo bark made my mouth water. Yummy.

Also a big fan of George Orwell and I am willing to admit to listening Ryan Cabrera as well.

PS, The Little Drummer Boy is my favorite too!

I love Christmas!

ella said...

Hmmmm...Ozzy is coming up a lot on your post. If you really enjoy spending that much time with him it's a good sign. Sometimes these things just creep up on you.

My special "O" is Tim, because that is the first letter of his last name.

Kimberly said...

Some of my O's to be thankful for:
oreo blast from Sonic; those orange roll breakfast things; being off from work; or being really "on" (i.e. excited and motivated) about work; Olivia (my grandmother); the ocean.

Merry Christmas to you!!!!

icadle said...

Oh my goodness!!!

megabrooke said...

hi ally, thanks for stopping by my blog btw:) the oreo bark sounds to die for! i'd love the recipe. that book, self reliance, also sounds very interesting- and i loved the line.
happy holidays to you as well. thanks for the suggestion about "listing the bad stuff"... i have tried it before but perhaps it's time to make a new, updated version!
thank you.

DCVita said...

I love the list! Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Ally said...

DCVita: Thanks! I am excited about the new year!

Brookem: My pleasure. I'll send you or post the recipe. I made another batch this morning (if I had made it last night, I would have eaten it all before I got to the office).

Ivy: I think I get it now:)

Kimberly: The ocean is a good one, and so is "off from work." And yes, I like feeling "on," just wish I felt that way more often at work!

Ella: I have been spending a lot of time with Oz lately, and it's nice. Being at his place in Atlanta feels like a vacation to me. Oh, and I have a guess on Tim's last name, but I'll keep it to myself.

Cindy: I'm glad I'm not the only adult woman listening to Cabrera:)