The Angel Gabriel

Happy feast of the Annunciation! Today is the day we celebrate Christ’s incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary! The song I am about to share with you is technically a Christmas song, but I think it fits today’s feast! And it is one of my favorites!

I’ve included the lyrics because they are so beautiful, I don’t want you to miss a word. My favorite line is the very first: The angel Gabriel from heaven came His wings as drifted snow his eyes as flame.

1. The angel Gabriel from heaven came His wings as drifted snow his eyes as flame “All hail” said he “thou lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!
2. “For know a blessed mother thou shalt be, All generations laud and honor thee, Thy Son shall be Emanuel, by seers foretold Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!
3. Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head “To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said, “My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.” Most highly favored lady. Gloria!
4. Of her, Emanuel, the Christ was born In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say: “Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!

What Happened During the Radio Silence

So this is what I’ve been up to . . .

Okay, so all the Irish-y stuff happened before I went MIA, but I never had a chance to show you!

The Cutest, Sweetest, Most Adorable, Short Film – EVER!

This film, The Paperman, has been all over my Facebook news feed and I just had to share it. Isn’t it the sweetest thing you ever saw!

Friday Afternoon op. #7

So I stumbled across this piece by Benjamin Britten, called Friday Afternoon op. #7 (Cuckoo). I guess it was used in Moonrise Kingdom, the film by Wes Anderson, which I haven’t seen yet and I mean to soon.

Anyway, I love this bit so much I made it my alarm. It’s perfect! I love waking up to it. I love it so much that I press snooze several times so I can hear it again and again (never mind that I would be pressing snooze anyway).

Rain, Rain, Go Away. . .

So it’s been depressing as all get-out here, the rain never stops. It’s overcast and gloomy. I’ll admit that I don’t handle the cold very well, but I do better when there is quantitative amounts of sunshine. So, to brighten your day(and mine), here are a few clips.

A happy music video full of sunshine!

Make a bowl and eat it all! (Just remember what your mother told you about eating raw egg.)

Information on deserts to take your mind off all the nasty rain.

Don’t forget, summer clothes! Vogue fashion shows for Spring/Summer 2013.

St. Scolastica the patroness of weather.

Homemade Limoncello - it’s like sunshine in a bottle.

Um, because it was too funny not to include.

Image Source: saatchionline.com via Pablo S. on Pinterest

Les Miserables – The Movie 2012

Can’t wait for this one to come out, I feel like I’ve been waiting for forever!

Lisboa

So a friend posted this music video on Facebook, and now I am hooked on everything by Wendy Nazaré. I can pick out bits and pieces of the French and get a general feeling for what they are saying, but I don’t feel confident giving translation. I tried to find a translation for this song, but I guess it doesn’t exist yet in English.

I feel like I always have a disclaimer before music videos about the content-but I don’t feel like I need one before this video. There is some really cool eyeshadow that I am filing away in my mind for future use. Maybe a masquerade party? Halloween? Who knows.

Adele – Skyfall

I heard this one by Adele on the radio yesterday and I immediately looked it up. It’s for the new 007 movie coming out next week. I love her voice, it’s so nice and raspy! The LA Times had a few interesting things to say about the song.

When Your Favorite Radio Station Has a Pledge Drive

My days have been full of unrest I tell you, WETA, the classical radio station here in DC, is having another pledge drive and my commute is fraught with John Chester telling me strange stories about his childhood and promises of the amazing adagio CD that can only be obtained with a monthly pledge of $10 for a year.

Source: google.com.au via Trena on Pinterest

 

I really want that CD, I am almost ready to make the monthly pledge just so I can hear one of the pieces all the way through. Part of the strategy is to play portions of the CD and then encourage listeners to pledge so that the CD is theirs to listen to in its entirety. Very effective. I now spend my commute wondering if I can justify $120 for one CD. Of course its more than just the CD, it is also supporting the station, but I wish they would just sell the CD. I would totally pay $25 for it, and I bet a lot of other listeners would too.

Anyway, I am clearly a victim of first world problems.

Jodhaa Akbar

Hello! Sorry I fell off the face of the earth there for a few days – it was a busy weekend!

But, since it was a rainy cold weekend, I had a chance to watch Jodhaa Akbar, a period Bollywood film, and as of Sunday night, a favorite of mine. Why? Probably because it is almost like a fairy tale – the right combination of romance, beautiful language and costumes. I honestly think that Indian films have some of the best language ever – they know how to phrase things just right. The the saris in this film are beautiful! Yes, every now and then there is the little bit of cheesiness that makes is a Bollywood film, but for the most part it is a beautiful film.

Oh, and it is three hours long with subtitles. So make sure you have enough snack food. And don’t try to knit while watching it (like  I did), you’ll just end up making a mess because knitting and reading subtitles is a little difficult (for me at least).