Joyeux Noël

Here it is, another Christmas!

What a weird time of my life, where I don't even know what my life will look like in two or three weeks. How can I be in my mid-thirties and still never have had a permanent job?! Literally every job I have ever had has been temporary, unless you count jobs in 2007 and 2011 where I only planned on having them a few months to make money for mission and college. I had a job interview this week on Zoom; it was OK. Last week I also had a job interview; the hiring manager reached out to me this week to tell me she hadn't made a decision yet, but she called me Mike. I had lunch with my supervisor, and he encouraged me to apply to two open positions in the Church History Department, so I did. And I also applied to another job. And Wednesday I had to do some more last-minute copyediting for Wayfare.

As I mentioned last week, my brother's family is in town. On Wednesday they wanted to make sugar cookies, but then they lost interest before it became time to actually decorate them. 

Can you tell that the holiday cookie cutters were all mixed together?

On Thursday, I took my sister-in-law and her sister to see the lights at Temple Square, but of course the lights are limited because of construction. Since I work downtown, I tend to take it all for granted. My SIL's sister has never experienced an American Christmas before. I also drove them around Bountiful, and we passed a house ("Candy Cane Corner") where Santa and Mrs. Claus were sitting out front, so she wanted to stop to see Santa.

Me with Second Sister at the Assembly Hall. That's literally what they call her, even in Chinese.

On Friday, my brother joined the rest of his family here in Utah, and I took the niblings sledding. Second Sister enjoyed sledding for the first time.

And of course Saturday was Christmas Eve. I love to spend holidays playing their respective playlists while I make seasonal foods. I made gingerbread pancakes, pomegranate guacamole, cherry salsa (to use the leftover cilantro—it has nothing to do with Christmas, though it is red), and apple crisp with chocolate peppermint topping.

I smashed twelve candy canes for this topping

I also took my cousin's kids sledding.

And then Christmas came! Most of my gifts followed a theme of rainbow or cats or both. Even the wrapping paper.

My brother created this AI-generated picture for me. In 2017, my nephew Franklin coined my nickname, Holiday John.

I also got some bear spray and safety wristbands. But I usually stick to well-traveled trails that feel pretty safe.

I attended the family ward for Christmas services. Earlier this year, my youth Sunday School class created a group text, and today I got a text that said "Guys he's not wearing a festive suit"—I'm assuming the "he" is referring to me because of my Fourth of July suit. I was kind of surprised they would notice and send a group chat! I might have to invest in a Christmas suit. But I probably won't be in the family ward again for a while, since next year it overlaps with the single-adult ward. I opted not to go the SA ward today so I can have more time with family.

I have opinions about Christmas hymns. The ward choir sang "The First Noel" with some of the words set to Pachelbel's cannon, but the traditional tune is literally the only good thing about that song. The lyrics are trash. And why is "Silent Night" always the closing hymn? Those lyrics aren't great either!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the rest of my Sunday/Christmas with family.

Happy Holidays!

Halfway through December, the end of a long, weird year

Many of my blog titles come from song lyrics, and usually I just leave it for people to pick up on, without explaining it. But this time, I will tell you that the lyric comes from one of my favorite new Christmas songs this year, which seems very appropriate for this particular moment.

(This year didn't seem to be as good for Christmas music, not like 2017, 2018, and 2020.)

My life is in so many weird directions right now. My current internship is set to expire in about three weeks. They told me there's an option to continue on as a part-time contractor, but not full time yet. I also had an interview this week for another part-time job, but I didn't realize it was part time when I applied. They seemed impressed with my credentials, so I could potentially do that one and my current job at the same time. And I have another interview coming up on Thursday for a full-time position, though I think I'm less qualified for that one.

Also, this week I learned that the journal I submitted my Pioneer Day article to declined my paper. They said it was well done but a better fit for two other journals. But those other journals have word limits where I would have to cut my article in half. So I submitted it to a different journal. Then if they reject it, then I will do the work to trim it for one of the other journals. (I would have submitted it to one of those first, except for the word limit.)

Last week, they read my records into the single adult ward. Then today they read them into the ward again. A few people noticed, and I quipped that either I'm so amazing I had to be welcomed twice, or I'm so forgettable that they forgot the first time. But when I moved back into the family ward back in the beginning of 2020, they never read in my records, so I guess this makes up for it.

On Monday, I attended Elf the Musical, which was fun if a little vapid. For many years I refused to watch the movie because I was overly scrupulous about the kinds of movies I watched. And for many years the heteronormative plotline might have discouraged me because it was out of my grasp, but I don't need to worry about that anymore.

Saturday my brother's family, minus my brother, arrived for Christmas. It's always fun to visit with them. My younger two niblings have enjoyed playing with Reggie, and how could they not?

I did my usual temple run yesterday, but shortly after I turned around, I knew I wouldn't make it all the way home, and I had to call my dad to pick me up. If it were March, I would have walked the five miles home, but when the temperature was in the 20s, it was much too cold for the way I was dressed.

And twice this week, I made apple crisp with the apples from our neighbors' tree, but I fiddled with the topping to make it a gingerbread crisp. I did a great job, if I do say so myself. So I guess it doesn't matter that I missed most of this week's episode of Holiday Baking Championship!

Make the yuletide gay

Since this is my first Christmas out of the closet, the lyrics of old Christmas songs from my playlist hit differently this year: "make the yuletide gay," "don we now our gay apparel," "old hearts seem much lighter, young hearts seem more gay," “If a tear falls when you’re smiling, and you’re still gay inside,” "a story fantastic, a story so queer." I want to laugh each time.

Every year we get a new Christmas ornament that has something to do with our lives for that year. This was a momentous year, so my mom made a custom ornament for me. The U represents graduating from the University of Utah, the googly eyes represent my PRK surgery, and of course the rainbow represents my coming-out.

Every day I've been trying to do strength training and watch a Christmas show, but on Tuesday and Wednesday I was too busy doing proofreading and copyediting for Wayfare magazine. This beautiful magazine, devoted to "explorations in faith," has been a delight to read. And its articles and its contributors support people like me—which is important, because I feel like some people want to crumple me in a ball and chuck me in the trash. The magazine also has a lot of poetry, which isn't really my jam, but I'm glad it works for other people.

I was also unable to do those things on Thursday, because I attended the Lower Lights Christmas concert. My family has been attending since 2014, but they were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID. So it was fun to be back! They always put on a great show. There have been a lot of personnel changes, but it's still an immensely talented crew. (And the most annoying singer, Ryan Tanner, is no longer in the lineup!) 

And speaking of Christmas music, I was also happy to receive my copy of the Super Deluxe edition of the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the best Christmas albums of all time, and during COVID they found a lot of the original recordings and released them fifty-seven years later. This five-disc set has eighty tracks! Guaraldi was a genius. But these outtakes also include alternate takes where he messed up. That's a good reminder. Even the best of us mess up, and we often only see the final, polished version of others' successes, not their flaws and mistakes.

Merry Christmas!

November into December

This week I returned to the office after Thanksgiving,* and it's fun to see all the lights downtown. That's one thing I missed not working downtown 2018 to 2021. 

Even the temple construction cranes got into the spirit.

And I put some USB- and battery-powered lights in my cubicle.

*Speaking of Thanksgiving, last week I forgot to tell this story: I saw a coworker a few days before Thanksgiving, and he asked about my plans for the holiday. He asked if I was going to eat copious amounts of food, and I said "cornucopious amounts." He asked if he could use that dad joke.

Also speaking of Thanksgiving, we had some leftover mincemeat from the pie my mom made for her parents. I turned them into cookies, but I quartered the recipe, which meant some adjustments—I wasn't about to use a quarter of an egg. I was happy to discover that I know enough about baking to recognize that the batter didn't look right, so I added some oats and more flour to fix it. They weren't as good as they would have been with a regular recipe, but they still had a nice flavor.

I bought a lot of fun things this week. I should be buying gifts for other people, but I have bought things for myself instead. (I did, however, donate STEM supplies at one of the giving machines.) I bought a Hanukkah Squishmallow,

Is that religious or cultural appropriation? It's so cute I don't care.

a wreath,

spicy candy canes,

The pineapple flavor is especially good!

spicy cereal,

it was on clearance

and new snow boots and boot sneakers.

I still have boots I bought at Walmart on my mission back in 2008, but these new ones are more comfortable and they're easy to put on! 

I also got my new Christmas tree pants. I haven't washed them yet, so I'll have to see if the trees fade away like the candy canes did.

I have been making my way through my Christmas playlist. I still collect and buy music, and my playlist now has 1,762 songs (but that will go up when I finally get my copy of the Super Deluxe edition of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which hasn't been delivered yet). I started the playlist back in 2012, and ever since then I've just appended my new additions to the end. So it's fun to start at the beginning and go through the Christmas seasons of the last ten years by listening to the playlist. In 2013 and 2014, I was interested more in quantity than quality, so there's some pretty terrible stuff to slog through (but one of the purposes of Christmas music is nostalgia, so I keep it in). The United Way of Utah County made some CDs for charity in the mid-2010s, which were amazingly good, but sadly they don't make them anymore. Today I made my way out of 2016 and into 2017, which means some of my favorite albums are still coming up. I didn't add as much for 2022 as I have added for previous years.

Yesterday (December 3) I did my usual eleven-mile run to the Bountiful Temple. On December 3 last year, I did a thirteen-mile run in North Canyon. Though I'm sad the trail season is over and I won't be back in North Canyon until April or May, I'm so glad we are getting the necessary snow.

I suppose the most important, interesting part of the week was Saturday evening, and I just made you read through all the nonsense to get to it. In October, I attended the Faith Matters Restore Gathering. Faith Matters is now launching a magazine, Wayfare, and last month they sent out an email asking if people wanted to be involved. I volunteered to help with editing. Since I joined late in the process, my editing is minimal. But anyway, last night I attended a launch party for the magazine at a former church in the Avenues.

I am so awkward in social situations, but a former Sundance coworker was there, so I caught up with her. I got a copy of the magazine, and it is my job to proofread it before it officially goes to press. I helped with some footnotes a few weeks ago, but now I really have to commit to helping out, because they put my name in the masthead.

Wayfare, you've got just what I need!

Reading this issue will let me know if I want to continue helping out in the future! The work is pro bono, but it should help me make connections and build my resume, since I don't know what my job will look like come January.

Since late July, I have been attending a mid-singles ward in addition to the family ward. Not only does the singles ward help me form social connections, but the talks also resonate more with me. But I've attended both wards since I've been teaching the youth Sunday School class. Today they released me from my calling, so I will officially be joining a singles ward again.

Today, Merriam-Webster's word of the day is "celerity," which means "swiftness of motion or action." But to me, it looks like a combination of "celery" and "celebrity," which made me think of the episode of Lost in Space with Dr. Smith as celery. 

The talking carrot turned Dr. Smith into celery with great celerity.

My blogging takes less time now that I'm not doing pumpkinundation roundup!

Another Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and this year's was just as fine as any. I love Thanksgiving weekend, and this one was more enjoyable than I have had for the last few years. In 2020 and 2021, I was still in grad school and had to worry about homework. In 2018 and 2019, I had a lot of assignments for Sundance. So it's nice to actually have a four-day weekend again!

I made sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, mulled apple cider, and green bean casserole. I don't love green beans, cream of mushroom soup, or crispy onions on their own, but something about all of them together is magical.

Thanksgiving morning, I did a five-mile run and had to make a last-minute trip to the grocery store before I helped with final preparations. Of course, I had to turn on my Thanksgiving playlist. It was an enjoyable gathering. And after dinner I went on a walk and watched Turkey Hollow. Thanksgiving is such a mellow holiday.

The day after Thanksgiving kicks off Christmas season, but I wasn't able to get much decorating done. I went on a run, met an old roommate for lunch, reviewed Figgy Pudding Spam (watch for a review soon), applied to a job, and edited my nephew's college application essays. But I was able to get more done on Saturday.

Squishmallow tree

Also this week, Reggie likes to sit on me in the middle of the night. That's endearing but also annoying, especially when he licks my chin. And then he does this thing with his mouth that I can only describe as licking the air. It's very noisy. I wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't 3 a.m.

In July, I made a public Facebook post, and this week I keep getting "likes" from fake Facebook accounts of scantily clad women. I can't help but laugh at the futility of the scammers' efforts. My gay shield is impervious to your womanly wiles!

Last week I shared with you my candy cane pants. I washed them once, and I was dismayed to see the candy canes disappear! So I wrote a two-star review, and the company is sending me another pair—I'm getting green pants with trees on them. So if those fade too, then I'll have two pairs of faded pants, which is better than one faded pair. I feel a little bad, because they sell unprinted pants for the same price—but I wouldn't have bought them if I knew they faded so bad.

***

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's the last week of pumpkinundation roundup until September.

Here is the Cafe Zupas Turkey Cranberry Panini. You can't go wrong with turkey and cranberry on a sandwich! 8/10.

The Cafe Zupas Pumpkin Chorizo Soup is OK. Not very memorable. 6/10.

Thanksgiving dinner included three Sam's Club pies: apple, pumpkin, and pecan. They were all typical; I was full, so they didn't stick out to me. 7/10 for all.

Here is Land O'Lakes Pumpkin Pie Spice Butter Spread. I'm not really a butter person, but this was sweet and pumpkiny enough that I liked it. 7/10.

I still had this Trader Joe's Sweet & Spicy Lightly Spiced Pumpkin Spread leftover from last year. It's best on meat, which I don't usually eat a lot of. And at Thanksgiving dinner, turkey is better with cranberry sauce. 6/10.

Bobo's Apple Pie Stuff'd Oat Bites are better than regular Bobo's bars. The little filling, though fake, provides a good contrast to the dense oats. 7/10.

Atlantis Burger Pumpkin Spice Eggnog Shake has been around since at least 2011, I think, but I don't get why it's their signature seasonal treat. There's really nothing in the flavor reminiscent of pumpkin. But it's fine as a shake, just not a pumpkin shake. 7/10.

I think this Kneaders Pumpkin Pie was overcooked, or maybe it had been in the fridge too long. It was OK. 7/10.

Kroger Pumpkin Eggnog doesn't have any pumpkin in it, even though that seems like an obvious, easy ingredient. It's fine as eggnog but not so much as a pumpkin product. 6/10.

The Crumbl White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie is typical for this kind of cookie. 7/10.

The Crumbl Pumpkin Pie Cookie looks amazing; it could taste better. 7/10.

Kneaders Pumpkin Cheesecake is fine, but I'm not a big fan of cheesecake. 7/10.