My 100th entry: hallelujah

What a lame day to have my hundredth entry on. A centennial should have something profound connected with it, and there are few profundities in my life at the moment.

Sister the Elder will be stopping over this evening for instructions on how to take care of the cats while I’m gone next week. The only big concern is pilling the Clueless Wonder. His heart medication should be given at the same time each day, or as close to the same time as possible. Because our three cats have different diets and eating habits, they’ll have to be kept separate for the week we’re gone, which I feel badly about, but can’t figure out any way around. The Warrior Princess bolts her food and then cries for more. She’s likely to raid any other bowl in the apartment once she’s done hers. The Kitten is being free fed for the moment, until I get a feel for how much I can feed her. Kitten food is fattening; if the Warrior Princess ever got into that she’d become the Warrior Blimptress for sure. The Clueless Wonder prefers to pick at his food, eating a kibble or two at a time and then wandering off to find other things to do. He’s being fed a strictly measured amount, and Kitten has been found raiding his bowl more than once. So I can’t let anybody mingle with anybody else while we’re gone. I guess Kitten and George can play “paws under the door” to keep themselves amused, anyhow.

The Professor is actually on my schedule at the moment! I think this may have happened a grand total of twice in the past year. Last night we went to bed early, took advantage of going to bed early, and then finally got to sleep. I still got close to nine hours sleep – unheard of for me. He was still abed when I left for work this morning, but I think his allergies gave him a bad night of it.

I guess my big news is that, emboldened by the prior success of coloring my hair, I’m going to do it again. I’m being a bit more daring this time, using a more permanent dye (up from level 1 to level 2) and going for something that has more of a ginger to the brown. I liked the results from the first hair coloring, but it washed out of my hair far too easily. After the first week I could see most of my white hairs again. With luck, this will last a bit longer. Although, since it’s a bit more daring, I may regret the longer lasting part of this experiment.

Anybody heard the song “Hallelujah” by Rufus Wainwright from the Shrek soundtrack yet? The lyrics are absolutely wonderful. I just found out the song was written by Leonard Cohen, and that I’d already heard it before. I just didn’t recognize it, with Rufus Wainwright singing it. One of the few instances I know of where a cover is better than the original.

Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen

I heard there was a secret chord

that David played and it pleased the Lord

but you don’t really care for music, do you

well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth

the minor fall and the major lift

the baffled king composing hallelujah

hallelujah…

well your faith was strong but you needed proof

you saw her bathing on the roof

her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

she tied you to her kitchen chair

she broke your throne and she cut your hair

and from your lips she drew the hallelujah

hallelujah…

baby I’ve been here before

I’ve seen this room and I’ve walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch

but love is not a victory march

it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

hallelujah…

well there was a time when you let me know

what’s really going on below

but now you never show that to me do you

but remember when I moved in you

and the holy dove was moving too

and every breath we drew was hallelujah

well, maybe there’s a God above

but all I’ve ever learned from love

was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you

it’s not a cry that you hear at night

it’s not somebody who’s seen the light

it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

hallelujah…