Waiting to go.

I'm pretty much entirely packed. I still need to do a few finish-up things (mainly: putting a tiny bit of trash out, putting the plants on automatic waterers). My train seems to be delayed already - it's currently sitting on a siding outside of San Marcos, according to Amtrak's track-a-train.

And again, that strange melancholy (perhaps it is that I just don't like traveling and all it's attendant logistic snarls). Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing my parents and some old family friends and being TRULY free to do what I want for a while and to have a better kitchen in which to make cookies, but....I admit I wish things had worked out so I was maybe 45 minutes or an hour from my  parents, instead of 700 miles. I could then pop over for celebrations, for Christmas morning, for Christmas dinner, but also have my own house and my own plans....

And there is the mild stress of "have I got everything? Did I remember all my cosmetics? Do I have enough warm clothes if it gets cold?" and also worries about getting down there safely, dealing with any road construction, etc. (It's hard, sometimes, being the only one. If I were married or coupled, I might have someone to trade off driving with, and we might just DRIVE up there instead of relying on trains, I don't know.)

A couple more pieces of Christmas music, courtesy of Sufjan Stevens. (There will be a number of embargoed posts. Perhaps not one EVERY day, but there will be posts while I'm gone)





I tend to feel that the good old hymns - especially Silent Night, which was originally performed by simply voice and guitar - are best done simply. Too many of the modern singers want to show off their vocal range (or the wonder of Autotune, I suppose) and they're too sweetened-up for my taste - what's important here is the meaning of the words, not the vocal acrobatics of the singer. The Stevens version even veers off a bit much for me....perhaps I like The Thorns' version better:




Edited to add: train still hasn't moved. It's over an hour late to its next stop. I really really really hope something bad isn't wrong but I fear it is. Either a derailment ahead of them or some other kind of issue. I would hope Amtrak would call or e-mail me before I have to leave if I can't go today, and the thought of having to reschedule and try to find a roomette NOW....yipes.