depends on your focus."

visit rachel for a stunning demonstration... photographic and otherwise. [you may need to scroll down to january 2nd.]

so, i've been noticing that i've been getting lots of hits on a particular image. i finally checked it out with a search on women with short hair and voila! [that's "viola!" to you beboardies]... there's my hair, among scads and scads of other google images of the short hair variety.

it's an interesting browse, and i clicked on a picture taking me to this site which is, apparently, my Hairstyle Information Source. and since you could say i am indeed interested in short spiky haircuts styles [sic], i of course followed the directive and surfed myself over to this page, where i found my most favorite and fitting quote of the day:

"There is a little punk even in the most conservative of people."

oh, yeah. 

with an old staple: quotes.

a friend of mine, an audiologist, received this as a christmas present. he brought it out for display to our bemusement, remarking, "well... it's a good thing i'm not a gynecologist."

other quotes of the weekend:

"it's weird when you travel through time. but i like it."

"you were perfectly exposed. so to speak."

"there's also group therapy in the adult section."

"oh, he just flashed me!"

"sometimes my rear end gets out of control." 

as i was clearing off my coffee table tonight -- this would be a few hours after i SWEPT DUST OFF MY WALLS WITH A BROOM, which itself was a few hours after i SCRUBBED NASTY STOVETOP GREASINESS OFF MY TEA KETTLE -- i discovered this lovely juxtaposition:

ah, the irony.

over the christmas holiday, i received [along with my "Recipie" book] several inquiries about whether i am getting my master's degree, or interested in being a cpa, etcetera, etcetera. sometimes i think about it, but then i look around at all the stress my student-friends are going through, and i am reminded:

[via toothpastefordinner]

and then i realize i rather enjoy the eight-to-five thing. 

my flickr link now resides off to the right and down. not too much going on, as i've reached 97% of my bandwidth for the month. unless anyone wants to sponsor ol' mdog for a pro account, of course...

"he's so aggravating to me!"

- quote on christmas day from my FIVE-AND-A-HALF-YEAR-OLD nephew, entirely correct in enunciation and context, regarding his three-year-old brother. which i am certain he picked up from my mother. during her fits of exasperation with, oh, GUESS WHO? I GIVE YOU ONE GUESS. NO, REALLY.

ah, the irony.

check out the scared of santa gallery. found via comments on this great picture in dooce's photostream.

addendum: my top three picks...

#11 - even santas break down sometimes.

#62 - the parents used this as their christmas card. so awesome.

#29 - not only are they screaming, but it appears they are doing so painfully and violently. i'm so glad i wasn't in a three mile radius of this scene.

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks [from Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ, 2004]

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around

"Fear not!" said he; for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled minds
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind

To you in David's town this day
Is born of David's line
The Savior who is Christ the Lord
And this shall be the sign:

The heavenly babe you there shall find
To human view displayed
All meanly wrapped in swaddling bands
And in a manger laid"

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Christ is born
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Christ is born

All glory be to God on high
And to the earth be peace
Good will henceforth from God to man
Begin and never cease

Traditional. Music and additional words by Andrew Peterson. Copyright 2004 New Spring Publishing, Inc./ASCAP.

[lyrics. audio.]

o come, o come emmanuel
and ransom captive israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the son of God appear

rejoice! rejoice! emmanuel shall come to thee, o israel

o come, thou wisdom from on high
who orderest all things mightily
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in her ways to go

rejoice! rejoice! emmanuel shall come to thee, o israel

o come, thou rod of jesse, free
thine own from satan's tyranny
from depths of hell thy people save
and give them victory over the grave

rejoice! rejoice! emmanuel shall come to thee, o israel

o come, thou dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here
disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death's dark shadows put to flight

rejoice! rejoice! emmanuel shall come to thee, o israel

o come, desire of nations bind
in one the hearts of all mankind
bid thou our sad divisions cease
and be thyself our king of peace

rejoice! rejoice! emmanuel shall come to thee, o israel

latin hymn, 12th century. french melody, 15th century. translated by john mason neale, 1851. music arranged by thomas helmore, 1854.

o come, o come emmanuel
and ransom captive israel...

It Came To Pass [from Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ, 2004]

It came to pass back in those days that Caesar, he decreed
A census would be taken of the Roman world, you see
So everyone packed up and headed back to their home towns
And Joseph up from Galilee to Bethlehem was bound

So it came to pass this man named Joe was with his fiancé
When her pregnancy began to show he planned to go away
But it came to pass that in a dream an angel of the Lord
Said, "Joseph, don't you be afraid to marry Mary for
The little baby in her womb it is the Holy Spirit's work
You may have read the prophet said a virgin would give birth"

So it came to pass that Joseph was the noblest of men
With a woman on a donkey on their way to Bethlehem
And I wonder whether either was aware enough that day
To know the child would bring a Kingdom
And the old would come to pass away...

Words and music by Andrew Peterson. Copyright 2004 New Spring Publishing, Inc./ASCAP.

[lyrics found here. poor audio of this track and others here.]

a recap of circumstances, scandal, prophecy, hope, and even an angel to boot. everything as it should be.

glory be to God on high.