Well, here it is! The very end of 2006. It’s been quite a year! We’ve lost a few blogger friends, had some leave and come back (see here and here … and a few I won’t expose publicly ;o) … and found lots and lots of new Blogging friends - far too many to list! In fact, I just found a new one (new to me) today: Doctor On Call … although it almost didn’t happen, since he forgot to send me a blog link in the first email! *cough* *evil grin* Great blog though! Please take a look if you haven’t yet! He’s recently been transplanted from the deep warm south - all the way to Alaska! *brrrr*

By the way … before someone we all know and love puts me on the spot, I’d better admit that I’m bringing in the New Year with a Grateful Dead (and some of his buddies! ;o) and having my last food fling before I tape my mouth shut on January 2!

Thought I’d welcome the New Year by sharing a song from my childhood. It’s a tune I remember quite well, but I was not able to find the MP3 anyplace, unfortunately. I will keep looking, and if I should come across it, I’ll post it at a later time. The song pleads a blessing upon the New Year, our parents and friends … and I plead the same blessings upon all of you! Be well, be safe … see you all on the other side …

Here are a few pics from our Christmas Eve Reveillon. The last of my company left today, and this is my first chance to get into here and post. I hope to post again before the New Year … AND get to do a blog run! :o)

You can view the pictures inline, along with the explanations underneath, or you can click on the first picture, and click through them like a slide show …

Project is reviewed, and ready to be passed in … Christmas cleaning has begun … Sarah put up my Christmas tree and some decorations … a week from tonight, I’m going to be up to my eyeteeth in baking …

In an effort to promote a bit of Christmas spirit, I’ve decided to post a few Carols from my childhood. These are hard to find online, and I’m pretty certain you won’t hear them in the malls or shopping centers, unless you’re in a French speaking area, like Quebec or New Brunswick. These make up a very large part of my warmest Christmas memories … all of them are French Carols (Cantiques de Noël - Canticles of Christmas,) and I learned them before I learned any English Carols. I wish I’d been able to come up with better versions of them, but unfortunately, this is all I have. We should try to get Dr. Hébert to put his Christmas Bayou music online!

If I don’t get a chance to post again before Christmas, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! I hope that you find yourselves surrounded by those you love!

To my Hebrew friends: !חג חנוכה שמח לכולם

Well, this is it! I have to make posts on two of my classroom threads, and take a final this coming week, and then I’m all done until January 8th!

Earlier today, I finished the second large personal project required by the class I’m taking. I intend to look it over again tomorrow, and then pass it in. I’ll try to do my material review on Monday - and take my final on Tuesday, so that I can spend the rest of the week doing Christmas things. I haven’t done a single bit of Christmas anything yet. We will have our annual Reveillon on Christmas Eve … and we haven’t even begun planning our menu.

I intend to take photos and share our reveillon with all of you. I also hope to get caught up on my blogging and blogruns before the New Year! ;o)

I bet you’ve all got me beat when it comes to getting ready for Christmas … anyone feel like decorating my tree? *innocent blink*

Read more about Reveillon on Wikipedia

Some time in the past, I must have tagged Dr. Wes … imagine! Sweet, innocent me? Ask Vijay! He’ll tell you that I never tag people!!! *blinks innocently*

It’s a good thing, I guess. It’s making me come up for air for a few minutes! I passed in my last class project, and got 100% on it! I was delighted. The second half of the course calls for another huge project - this time in MS Access - a program I’ve never used before. Well, we were given two choices for project themes … however my professor surprised me by telling me that I can “continue” with the project I started in Excel. I was delighted, until I realized that Access is not intuitive, especially if you’ve never used a relational database before! I’ve had several 4 AM bedtimes … with 8 AM risings … to try to get on top of things on time to finish the project and pass it in. My kitchen is buried in dirty dishes! In the last couple of days, I’ve gotten on top of things a bit though - now I need to go through my inbox and answer about 100 emails …

I’m just too old for all of that school stuff! ;o)

Anyway … where was I? Oh yeah! Dr. Wes. Lovely fellow. Yes indeed. Guess I’d better just go ahead and jump in, eh … ?

Okies - 5 favorite Christmas songs, and 5 tag-ees. Here goes!

♬♫♪♩ 1) Any Christmas music by Mannheim Steamroller!

♬♫♪♩ 2) Silent night - especially done with my dear friend Joanie doing the harmony.

♬♫♪♩ 3) Grandpa Got Run Over by a Beer Truck … and yes, there really is such a song! It’s hilarious! See below for the lyrics. >;o)

♬♫♪♩ 4) Il Est Né Le Divin Enfant … see below

♬♫♪♩ 5) Minuit Chrétiens … Oh Holy Night in French. The words don’t translate well into English. This is my absolute favorite Christmas song.

And now - for my five victi … erm … tag-ees! Hmmmm …

- - - Sarah-Jean - Moofie ducks and runs!* ;o)

- - - PeggiKaye - I haven’t forgotten you! I’ll try to answer those emails this week!

- - - Pattie! {{{ hugs! }}}

- - - Ipanema! {{{ more hugs! }}}

- - - Vijay! … Um … do you have Tamil holiday music? Vijay … you know that I can’t do a meme without you! >;o)

GRANDPA GOT RUN OVER BY A BEER TRUCK

GRANDPA GOT RUN OVER BY A BEER TRUCK
COMING OUT OF WOODY’S CHRISTMAS DAY
GRANDMA GOT A JOB OUT AT THE BREWERY
I NEVER KNEW THAT SHE COULD DRIVE THAT WAY

1. GRANDPA WAS OUT DRINKING WITH THE FLOOZIES
SPENDING ALL OF GRANDMA’S HARD EARNED DOUGH
HE DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH TO PAY THE BAR TAB
SO WOODY TOSSED HIM OUT INTO THE SNOW

2. GRANDPA STOOD THERE FROZEN IN THE HEAD LIGHTS
HE LOOKED JUST AS HELPLESS AS A DEER
I DON’T THINK HE WAS AFRAID OF DYING
I THINK HE WAS AFRAID HE’D SPILL HIS BEER

(REPEAT CHORUS)

3. WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT HE’D END UP AS A ROAD KILL
SHE FLATTENED HIM RIGHT OUT ON THE CENTER LINE
HE COULD HAVE MADE IT TO THE CURB IF HE WERE QUICKER
BUT SHE BACKED IT UP AND SQUASHED HIM ONE MORE TIME

4. GRANDMA CRIED AND CRIED AT GRANDMA’S FUNERAL
NOT BECAUSE WE PEELED HIM OFF THE ROAD
ALL THE LOOT SHE GOT FROM HIS INSURANCE
WENT TO PAY THE BAR TAB THAT HE OWED

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Il Est Né, Le Divin Enfant

Chorus:
Il est né, le divin Enfant,
Jouez, hautbois, resonnez, musettes;
Il est né, le divin Enfant;
Chantons tous son avenement!

1. Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Nous le promettaient les Prophetes;
Depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Nous attendions cet heureux temps. Chorus

2. Ah! qu’il est beau, qu’il est charmant,
Que ses graces sont parfaites!
Ah! qu’il est beau, qu’il est charmant,
Qu’il est doux le divin Enfant! Chorus

3. Une etable est son logement,
Un peu de paille, sa couchette,
Une etable est son logement,
Pour un Dieu, quel abaissement! Chorus

4. O Jesus! O Roi tout puissant!
Tout petit enfant que vous etes,
O Jesus! O Roi tout puissant!
Regnez sur nous entierement! Chorus