the roar, the year, the rise.

I'm back to one of my many "homes." Not that I gave any hints that I had left at all, in my blogging hiatus.

Going home to the holidays was incredible, though at times it didn't feel like there was much holiday left after all the working I did. The season has left me feeling alive out of excitement, human out of vulnerabiltiy, and in complete awe of how everyonce in awhile, something can happen exactly how you dreamt it.

The new year calls for some kind of list. Best of 2005 or some-such thing. How about categories?

Best Shows I saw in 2005
4. Decemberists in Fargo, North Dakota
3. Shapes and Sizes in Victoria, BC
2. Lila Downs at Folk Fest in Edmonton, AB
1. Sufjan Stevens in Omaha, Nebraska

Most Moving Musical Moments
4.Tegan and Sarah sing-along in a mom van to Minneapolis.
3. Jamming with Guy Davis
2. Filling the summer streets of downtown Victoria/Hey Jude Trumpet riff with Black Tie Social.
1. Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings in brass quintet.

Most Endearing Moments with Food of 2005
4. Soggy Waffles in the blizzard.
3. Dad cutting the watermelon.
2. Cinnamon toast crunch at the fifty-fifty.
1. Mashed Potatoes with Chopsticks for Canadian Thanksgiving.

Greatest Tragedies of 2005
4. I burnt the cutting board. That is not the tragedy. It was art and shouldn't have been thrown out.
3. iPod shuffle, rest in peace.
2. Falling asleep during sin city, for more then one reason.
1. A broken heart and a friendship flailing helplessly for survival.

Greatest Kodak Moments
3. That little tiny girl that danced to Jason Cook, Aidan Knight, and I busking.
2. Grad crashing with Gerald-Gregory and Veronica Charles (right through the kitchen was a definite photo-op).
1. A burning tree down the Saskatchewan River, the greatest of all stealth missions.

Best Games of 2005
3. Connect Four
2. Making lists with Devlan at Murchies.
1. Cano-ball

Best Fortune Cookies of 2005
3. A truly creative person rids him or herself of all self-imposed limitations. Lucky Numbers 37, 15, 5, 42, 11, 7
2. Good books are friends who are always ready to talk to us. Lucky Numbers 4, 18, 50, 33, 21, 42
1. Love is in the air. Lucky Numbers 7, 22, 38, 11, 40, 5

Greatest Successes of 2005
3. Kept up a 4.0 and still going (nerds unite)!
2. Made Jazz Band and being invited to join a lucrative brass quintet (small feats at a time)!
1. I moved to a city where I didn't know a soul, met people, made friends, and felt at home, all in one summer!

Top 10 things that prove 2006 will be an incredible year
10. Slightly fewer credits this semester, meaning more time for things I want to do.
9. An inspiring conversation with a cocky man who is out there living it (I shall continue to pick his brain in the next few days).
8. The colour green and a street called The Rise.
7. Live Wilco listening party/Wilco concert (fingers crossed).
6. More music history classes.
5. Peers around me are fueled and ready to drive. I'm riding the wave. (Possibly starting a folk band among other things!!)
4. The prospect of packages in the mail/sending mail!
3. Wide open spring break just waiting for an exciting trip.
2. A night in a fort, a flashlight to stare at, a pillow to hide in, and many confessions.
1. A pact.

Thank you so much for the visits in '05 from Brianne (BFF 4EVA!), and Tara (Momma Turkey) this year at home. Love the girls. Many thanks to everyone in Victoria for welcoming me into your lives with such open arms and warm embraces. It really feels like home. '05 will be hard to beat.

Happy New Year to every love in my life.
Je t'aime,
Julia.