Advent

It's not any big news that the hustle and bustle of Christmas now starts the day after Thanksgiving (even earlier)? Stores put out their Christmas decorations and the Christmas music starts a plyain'. I'm pretty sure that most people, myself included, get a little annoyed at this. I tend to recoil from the consumerism that is telling me to start buying gifts, but the prospect of hearing Jingle Bells for a month straight is also a little daunting. Of course I'll eventually buy some gifts and want to hear Jingle Bells, but just not yet.

This morning on my ride to work, however, I heard a Christmas tune that put me in a great mood. As I walked down into the station I heard a sweet lonely trumpet playing, Low How A Rose 'Ere Blooming. You might not be familiar with this hymn as it's not the most popular Christmas tune. It's slow and somber and the rhythm of the lyrics seems strange to me.

In the church I grew up in, we would always do a hymn sing at some point near Christmas. People would call out all the songs they wanted to sing and everyone would sing a verse or two of each one. There was one woman who would request, Low How a Rose 'Ere Blooming, every single year. It just never seemed to fit in to me, but now I've really grown to enjoy it. I think I find the pace and melody to convey a sense of peace and stillness. A refreshing pause seems to be built right into the song.

Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming From tender stem has sprung of Jesse's lineage coming As those of old have sung. It came, a Flow'ret bright, Amid the cold of winter, When half- spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it, The Rose I have in mind, With Mary we behold it, The Virgin Mother kind. To show God's love aright. She bore to us a Savior, When half-spent was the night.

This Flow'r whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, Dispels with glorious splendor The darkness ev'ry where. True Man, yet very God, From sin and dath he saves us And lightens ev'ry load.

Football Frenzy

"At least I quit before all the fantasy drafts. Let's face it: If I'd quit after the drafts, the fans would all hate me." -- Ricky Williams

That quote is awesome. I picked up Ricky Williams with the last pick of the draft in my keeper league, hoping he might make it back next season. Now it looks like there may be a good chance of that happening, as the NFL may let him serve his 4 game suspension at the end of this season. So as long as we're talking fantasy football my ultimate fantasy football scenario is that Ricky comes back, so that I have Tomlinson and Williams as my two RB's. Priest Holmes gets hurt in the preseason, so Ricky and LT go 1 and 2 as the leading fantasy rushers.

After losing in the first round of the playoffs this year, the Colts realize they need to spend some money on defense and do not resign Marvin Harrison. Wayne steps up into the #1 receiver role and the Colts offense now fires all their TD's to him. My fantasy team benefits as Wayne is my 3rd keeper of the year.

Other than all that, I just need to find some defense, a second receiver and TE. It would be nice if my TE could be Stephen Alexander, but that might be a little too far fetched.

In real life, I went to the Patriots vs Baltimore game last night. Big thanks to Jim who hooked me up with 7th row goal line tickets. It was super rainy, but we were soo close to the field that it was worth it.