A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Uneventful Christmas

From:          Elizabeth  
To:            LMixson@PEC.com
Sent:          Monday, December 28, 1998 11:38 AM
Subject:       Uneventful Christmas
 
Christmas was pretty "un."  It rained all day and was cold.  I reminded myself to feel fortunate because many people in N. AL in Huntsville (that's where I traveled this summer to see the opera) were without power, not only on Christmas, but through the weekend.  I thought about you because I heard many people in VA were without power as well. I did catch a small rainless window on Christmas morning, very early, and took a walk in the park.  Prior to the holiday I took t.v. guide and mapped out time slots for movies I wanted to watch on cable.  The weather made most travel unfeasible, as the interstates were closed for points North. There weren't a whole lot of good movie choices to map out, but I did watch Manchurian Candidate, which for some reason I had never seen.  It was "banned" after JFK's assassination, however.  I could see why.  It was released about a year before he was assassinated and basically dealt with how Russians took control of an American citizen and "hypnotized" him via mind control to kill on command, or on a certain coded signal.  Ironically, JFK had read the book and helped get the movie filmed.  It was a long movie and so something of a treat to have the time to watch it.  Have you ever seen it?  I think I may read the book. I also watched an OLD OLD movie with Spencer Tracy called "Deskset" which was about installing a "computer" in a library reference dept. to provide reference answers.  It was hilarious.  I truly enjoyed that movie, and interestingly I had never heard of it. Of course, being a very old movie, the computer was massive, with tapes and cards, and when it would go haywire, smoke would come out. It was interesting, because searches were done via natural language, even though, at that time, that was probably an absolute impossibility. The movie was set around Christmas time, and I laughed at all the calls the reference staff kept getting, over and over, to name all the reindeer.  It reminded me of my "public" job. I also watched an old animated (67) Disney movie, The Jungle Book, which was quite good.  It was about a boy raised with wolves.  There was one scene which I'm surprised people aren't objecting to as "racist" these days, because it involved a dance with monkeys, but the monkeys were basically characterized as blacks.  In part of the dance a character cut coconut shells in half and made himself big lips so he could disguise himself as a monkey. I also spent some time trying to find out and watch what's on all my unlabeled video tapes, which I have quite a stack of.  I discovered I had recently taped a 6 hour program on Cecil Rhodes, the man who took over a great deal of Africa for the English (Rhodesia was "his country" and Rhodes scholarships are in his name). I haven't quite finished watching all of it, but it is quite good as it was a PBS special presentation.  From these tapes I also watched an Agatha Christie mystery. One thing I discovered was that I did not want to cook AT ALL.  I cooked the lamb roast because I had already let it sit in the refrig for a while, but I was not into it. I also made an apple crisp, as I had these apples which were drying up.  I was even less into having to clean up the pans, which I put off and off. I hadn't planned on not wanting to cook, so I actually got a take out pizza at one point, and take out another time. Otherwise I ate fried egg sandwiches or grill cheese. I did see something really wonderful at the park.  I was there in the evening, watching the sunset and the geese "came home." (The day after Christmas, late in the aft. the weather cleared and was absolutely gorgeous, with the sun coming out, etc. Unfortunately it did not last as it is raining again today.) I have been seeing a small group of geese fly over my apt. every day, right on schedule, about quarter to five.  I had wondered if they were heading "home" to the lake in the park.  Well, at the park, just about 4:45, groups of geese of various sizes started zooming in, in V-formations, honking and landing on the lake. I counted over 50 or so.  The small group near my apt. was around six or eight.  I went back last night, hoping to catch them again, but even though I went early they were already landed.  They may never have left, however, as the day was so dreary. While there, however, a friend of mine saw my car in the lot, and left me a note that she was in the museum, which is on the lake.  I went in and walked through a few exhibits with her and we talked a while. The stuff with my family, the disruption after my mother's death, was one thing I had to deal with this Christmas.  Also, we very frequently had "bad" Christmases when we were a "family" which is something I've had to deal with all my life.  So, late Christmas Eve, I had some distress from memories, etc.  I got up and made hot chocolate and finished Poisonwood Bible.  I've also made a commitment to try and journal more often, as I've let that lapse.  So, I never made the sausage balls, but in a sense the "holiday" isn't over yet. I was VERY out of synch in making all the gestures needed to come to work this morning, like getting dressed in something other than sweats or jeans.  Also, it was dreary, rainy.  I brought slim fast for lunch, hopefully to erode some of the effects of stuffed crust pepperoni pizza.  So, I've enjoyed the free time, and will have more late in the week, but my joys have been simple and personal--long hot baths, walking in the park, old movies, and reading.  I sometimes get aware that there is much "good literature" I haven't read, so I decided to try and make efforts along those lines ( but not give up my "fun" reading).  I tried Dr. Zhivago a while back, but I just never could get into it.  I kept forgetting who the characters were.  However, I got a library copy of a Dicken's book, The Old Curiosity Shop, and have been reading it.  It is quite good, and I actually may finish it.  Often though, I have to read a sentence several times to figure it out, as the sentence structure is not only complex, but also dated, if that's the right word.  Well, hope you had as relaxing time as I did. Did you get your white Christmas.  I would think this would be a good time of year to wander through the capital.
Elizabeth

OK Christmas considering