Ker also made us a proper English breakfast, replete with beans, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, eggs and bacon.

We also had Babci (Vin’s mom) and Nani (my grandmother) over the house. My brother Greg was sick, so he didn’t come up at all. Hopefully we’ll see him on New Year’s.

Nani just loves Dot, and fortunately, the feeling is mutual. Poor Nani, she’s a bit out of it with old-age dementia, so keeping up with Dot is about all she can do.  Nani didn’t stay at our house the entire day, but considering we had her here by 9am, she did pretty well for the 5 hours she was over!

Babi stayed until the very end of the day! She enjoyed our Christmas breakfast, the cinnamon buns Kerri made in the afternoon, and then the pork roast, lasagna and cannelloni Vin and Kerri made for dinner. I made 2 kinds of cheesecake, which Babci enjoyed with her wine.

Next up: New Year’s Eve! We’re having a Hobbit Day during the day, our annual Chinese food marathon for the evening, and Tim’s parents over on New Year’s Day.

I have really great holiday music.  In addition to the Time-Life Treasuries (who doesn’t have them!?), I have “Best Carols 100” which has some awesome choral work on it; “Broadway’s Carols for a Cure Vol. 12” from 2010 (one day, I shall get them all!), The “Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice” (which a co-worker gave me and I love!), and “Karolju: Christmas Music” (probably my favorite holiday CD), which includes composers Christopher Rouse, Witold Lutoslawski and Joaquin Rodrigo. I also have albums by various singers, such as Josh Groban, Amy Grant, Sarah Brightman, Celtic Women, and Jingle Dogs (Dot’s favorite)! Then there is all the instrumental music, such as The Nutcracker, brass groups, jazz groups, and a really pretty album “A Christmas In The King’s Court” which features Celtic harp and pan flute. Throw in some Vince Guaraldi and Peanuts gang, and that is one incredible holiday mix of music!

• The Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen)
• Romanze (from Die Verschworenen)
• Erstes Offertorium, Totus in corde lanqueo

The Totus is a nifty piece for C clarinet, and since I have a brand new C clarinet, I can’t wait to play it!

In addition to these pieces, I am playing a solo piece for clarinet and piano:

• Norbert Burgmuller: Duo for Clarinet and Piano

This is a wonderful and rare piece written in 1834. Burgmuller was only 26 when he tragically died; he left behind some great music, but think of all the music he never wrote.  Of course, Franz Schubert was only 31 when he died. (Both lived less than Mozart.)

If you have the afternoon available, please come to hear the music!

• Sudafed at least every morning; as often as allowed when necessary. I use the CVS store brand, but only the one that you get “behind the counter”.

• Once or twice a day, a Mucinex tablet; every morning, and in the evening if I need it.

• Daily sinus rinses with NeilMed Sinus Rinse.  I used to do it twice a day with 1 packet of saline, but now I do it once a day with 2 packets.

• Four capsules of echinacea a day. Natrol makes one that is corn-free.

• Daily use of fluticasone propionate nasal spray, especially in the late afternoon when my sinuses are tight and stuffy.

• Avoid allergy triggers like hairspray, perfume, and cleaning products. These products seem to cause the allergy reactions in me that lead to sinus issues.  Kind of obvious when you think about it.

• Sleep! I make sure I get as close to 8 hours of sleep a night as possible. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people that can skip sleep and still function, let alone get run down and sick.

• Use a humidifier in the bedroom at night. We have hot air heat (as opposed to electric), so our rooms get very dry. The humidifier works wonders.

With this strict regime, I now get only one or two sinus infections a year. What a relief! Sinus infections are not only painful, but I am very limited as to what antibiotics I can take. Not to mention that my doctor’s office has a policy of making us wait 10 days from the first symptom before they will prescribe antibiotics. While I completely agree with that policy, being sick for 10 days (or even a week if it clears up on its own) is pretty rotten!

Some of them are quite ironic. California with the dirtiest air (I said ironic, not bewildering) and Utah with highest porn usage (and all those Mormons, many of whom are not even supposed to own radios or TVs!).

But Rhode Island with the most drug use? Washington and bestiality? (How do you even begin to measure that? never mind, I don’t really want to know.) Maine the dumbest? But I think the most shocking ones are tornadoes in Minnesota and ugly people in North Dakota. I can’t recall ever hearing of a tornado in Minnesota.  Blizzards, yet, but tornadoes? Actually, I’ve never heard that North Dakota is brimming with ugly people either.

Here’s a link to the map directly. Maybe you’ll learn something too!

Looking at something like this really makes me appreciate how vast everything is, also puts into perspective how minor my problems and worries are.  A teeny blip in the grand scheme of things.  How lucky we are, with everything out in the universe (or multiverse) to have things in our world that are so pleasant, like music.

Speaking of music, careful, there’s music on the site! It’s not loud or annoying, but be aware in case you are at work and decide to peek.

How wonderful is this news!? Now gay people can serve in the military, just like everyone else.

Next up: let’s let them marry as well!

Unfortunately, the first time I sat down to write up my To Do list, I realized that the columns were inaccurate for me. So here is MY 4 Quad To Do list:

Yes, for me, everything is either “Critical” or “Very Important” and it’s all either “Overdue” or “Due Now”. So much for that time-management hint!

But the good news is that I am in my second-to-last class for my graduate degree! Finally!

And the other good news is that I am continuing my “one a month” (at least) streak of musicals!  I do shows all the time, but since last November, I’ve done at least one a month.

• Aida
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Feeling Electric (the workshop of Next to Normal)
• The Last 5 Years
• The Little Mermaid
• Tommy

I’ll be driving down to CT for my grandmother’s birthday (91!), and it will be nice to have my iPod and iTrip all set up with great music. And I love Sherie René Scott! She has the prettiest voice, and is such a wonderful actor.