Every time it snows now, I get a little wistful at the idea of a snow day. Laptops have, sadly, destroyed that once fun idea.

(Also, to be fair, the snow isn’t sticking here. So it’s really serving to just be pretty and perhaps slow down my commute home.)

For some reason today, I changed the route of my last, solo mile, and ended up passing by the National Museum of the American Indian right as I hit the 6-mile point. In other words, I was almost done. And as I was heading by, I saw an older woman waving a cane at me. It took a couple of seconds for it to fully register, but then I slowed down to see what was going on. (My immediate thought was that she was lost and needed directions.)

“Excuse me,” she said, “but this cane isn’t enough today. Can you help me across the street?”

I blinked for a second or so and then, “Sure, of course.” How often do little old ladies actually ask you to help them across the street, right?

So, she took my arm and we started heading slowly across the slate sidewalk in front of the museum, and then crossing Jefferson Avenue. “My son normally drives me to work,” she said, “but he had to go in early this morning.”

“Oh, ok,” I said. “And this can be a little slick with the cold weather.”

“My legs aren’t very good,” she confided to me. “I have sickle cell and it makes it hard to walk. My doctor told me I should retire because I’m turning 70 this year but if I just sit around the house then my legs will get stiffer and then I won’t be able to walk at all.” (Later, I realized that she might have said something different than “sickle cell” but it’s what I heard then.) A minute later she said, “I’m so sorry if I ruined your run, but I’m glad you stopped. Several people just walked right past me.”

By this point we’d crossed the street and were still going strong. In the back of my head it hit me that she had wanted help for a little further than just across the street. And so we kept going, up 4th Street and all the way to Constitution Ave. She paused and said, “I’m almost there,” as if to let me go, but at that point I was in it for the long haul. I said that Constitution wasn’t an easy street to cross under the best of circumstances, and she agreed and we went a little further until she insisted that she was good and had no more streets to cross and was on her block. By this point we were just around the corner from the DC Courthouse, a third of a mile from where we’d started.

The whole time we walked there, we talked about the weather, she told me about her son’s job, and even pointed out a building he’d helped construct. She mentioned that sometimes she took the bus all the way in from Anacostia but it was too cold to wait for the line that would have taken her all the way and she’d thought she could walk the rest. And all I could think about was if it was my mother or grandmother (she reminded me so much of Grammy that it brought some tears to my eyes) and everyone had walked past either of them, how horrible I would have felt.

It made me think, how often do all of us (myself included) just hurry past someone who needs help, assuming that someone else will step in? And if she’d said, “Could you walk me to the DC Courthouse” would I have done so or would I have been more worried about the last quarter-mile of my run, or the fact that at 7am the parking meters would click on and I’d be skirting the edge of getting a ticket? I can pretend that I would have not worried about all of that. But you never know. There’s a good chance I might have kept going.

(I also like to think that if I’d initially realized how far it was, I would’ve had the good sense to just say, “Let me get my car” and run over to it and picked her up. By the time we were at Constitution I was kicking myself for not driving her over so that she wasn’t on her feet the whole way. Hindsight is 20/20.)

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. I think there’s something particularly arbitrary about them and they’re just not for me. But I might make an almost-exception here. I am going to try and remember this down the line, and be more observant for those in need that I can assist. A couple minutes out of my morning is ultimately not that big a deal for me, but it can be huge for someone else.

I might not know this woman’s name, but I am going to remember her for a very long time. I’m sharing this story because hopefully, I won’t be the only one to do so.

(Oh, and in case you were wondering: I got back to my car at 7:10am, and there was not a parking ticket on the windshield. Thank you, universe.)

Movies:

1. True Grit
2. Rabbit Hole
3. Another Year
4. The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2011: Live Action
5. The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2011: Animated
6. The Illusionist
7. All About Eve
8. Cedar Rapids
9. Source Code
10. Scream 4
11. POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
12. Bridesmaids
13. Potiche
14. Meek’s Cutoff
15. Midnight in Paris
16. Super 8
17. X-Men: First Class
18. The Future
19. The Prestige
20. The Help
21. Griff the Invisible
22. The Debt
23. Weekend
24. The Skin I Live In
25. Martha Marcy May Marlene
26. Le Gamin au Velo
27. The Deep Blue Sea
28. The Descendants
29. Shame
30. Hugo
31. Young Adult

Books:

1. Voodoo Heart by Scott Snyder
2. The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
3. The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
4. Last Summer by Michael Thomas Ford
5. Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
6. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
7. The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa
8. This Is NPR: The First Forty Years by NPR
9. The Diary of a Dr Who Addict by Paul Magrs
10. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
11. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
12. Trouble on Triton: An Ambiguous Heterotopia by Samuel R. Delany
13. The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee
14. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
15. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
16. Twinkle Twinkle by Kaori Ekuni
17. D.C. Noir edited by George Pelecanos
18. Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More by Ashley English
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
20. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
21. The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
22. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
23. Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow
24. Bob the Book by David Pratt

Fiction Magazines, Chapbooks, and Zines:

1. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #23
2. Lightspeed Magazine, January 2011
3. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #24
4. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #26
5. Lightspeed Magazine, February 2011
6. Fantasy Magazine, March 2011
7. Fantasy Magazine, April 2011
8. Lightspeed Magazine, March 2011
9. Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011
10. Fantasy Magazine, May 2011
11. Lightspeed Magazine, May 2011
12. Fantasy Magazine, June 2011
13. Lightspeed Magazine, June 2011

Graphic Novels:

1. Tintin in America by Hergé
2. Kurozakuro Vol. 1 by Yoshinori Natsume
3. Twin Spica Vol. 5 by Kou Yaginuma
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh by Hergé
5. The Blue Lotus by Hergé
6. The Broken Ear by Hergé
7. Hikaru no Go Vol. 20 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
8. Hikaru no Go Vol. 21 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
9. Toys in the Basement by Stéphane Blanquet
10. Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
11. Batman – The Annuals Vol. 1 by Various
12. The Complete Ouija Interviews by Sarah Becan
13. Justice League International Vol. 5 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Bart Sears
14. Bakuman Vol. 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
15. Bakuman Vol. 3 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
16. Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Pat Broderick, and Larry Mahlstedt
17. Cross Game Vol. 1 by Mitsuru Adachi
18. Cross Game Vol. 2 by Mitsuru Adachi
19. Ivy by Sarah Oleksyk
20. Gaylord Phoenix by Edie Fake
21. A Friendly Game by Lindsay Hornsby
22. Shadoweyes Vol. 1 by Ross Campbell
23. Aria Vol. 6 by Kozue Amano
24. Yotsuba&! Vol. 9 by Kiyohiko Azuma
25. Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939-1940 by Harold Foster
26. Lewis and Clark by Nick Bertozzi
27. Tsubasa Vol. 23 by CLAMP
28. Tsubasa Vol. 24 by CLAMP
29. Tsubasa Vol. 25 by CLAMP
30. Tsubasa Vol. 26 by CLAMP
31. Tsubasa Vol. 27 by CLAMP
32. Tsubasa Vol. 28 by CLAMP
33. Twin Spica Vol. 6 by Kou Yaginuma
34. Scenes from an Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine
35. Finder: Voice by Carla Speed McNeil
36. Hikaru no Go Vol. 22 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
37. Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Jock, and Francesco Francavilla
38. Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell
39. 7 Billion Needles Vol. 3 by Nobuaki Tadano
40. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
41. Brody’s Ghost Vol. 1 by Mark Crilley
42. Brody’s Ghost Vol. 2 by Mark Crilley
43. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 11 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
44. Salt Water Taffy, vol. 4: Caldera’s Revenge! Part 1 by Matthew Loux
45. Love and Rockets: New Stories Vol. 3 by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez
46. Earl & Mooch: A Mutts Treasury by Patrick McDonnell
47. The Complete Peanuts 1963-1964 by Charles M. Schulz
48. It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi
49. Bunny Drop Vol. 1 by Yumi Unita
50. Bunny Drop Vol. 2 by Yumi Unita
51. An Elegy for Amelia Johnson by Andrew Rostan, Dave Valeza, and Kate Kasenow
52. Tonoharu Part Two by Lars Martinson
53. I Will Bite You! and Other Stories by Joseph Lambert
54. Bunny Drop Vol. 3 by Yumi Unita
55. Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
56. Astro City: Shining Stars by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
57. Hikaru no Go Vol. 23 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
58. Paying for It by Chester Brown
59. Torpedo Vol. 3 Enrique Sanchez Abuli and Jordi Bernet
60. Cross Game Vol. 3 by Mitsuru Adachi
61. Empire State: A Love Story by Jason Shiga
62. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: Race to Death Valley by Floyd Gottfredson
63. Real Vol. 9 by Takehiko Inoue
64. Justice League International Vol. 6 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Adam Hughes, Bart Sears
65. La Quinta Camera: The Fifth Room by Natsume Ono
66. Cross Game Vol. 4 by Mitsuru Adachi
67. Twin Spica Vol. 7 by Kou Yaginuma
68. The Summit of the Gods Vol. 2 by Baku Yumemakura and Jiro Taniguchi
69. Bakuman Vol. 4 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
70. Wandering Son Vol. 1 by Shimura Takako
71. Wimbledon Green: The Greatest Comic Book Collector in the World by Seth
72. Americus by M.K. Reed and Jonathan Hill
73. Congress of the Animals by Jim Woodring
74. Cul de Sac Golden Treasury: A Keepsake Garland of Classics by Richard Thompson
75. Bake Sale by Sara Varon
76. Troop 142 by Mike Dawson
77. Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami
78. A Zoo In Winter by Jiro Taniguchi
79. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
80. Holy Terror by Frank Miller
81. X 3-In-1 Vol. 1 by CLAMP
82. Any Empire by Nate Powell
83. Loserville Vol. 1: And Then You Might Explode by Alex Cox
84. Feynman by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick
85. Who is Jake Ellis? Vol. 1 by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic
86. Twin Spica Vol. 8 by Kou Yaginuma
87. The Walking Dead Book One by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charles Adlard
88. iZombie Vol. 2: uVampire by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred
89. Celluloid by Dave McKean
90. Twin Spica Vol. 9 by Kou Yaginuma
91. Prince Valiant Vol. 3: 1941-1942 by Hal Foster
92. Bubbles & Gondola by Renaud Dillies
93. Kobato Vol. 4 by CLAMP
94. Freddy Stories by Melissa Mendes
95. Tesoro by Natsume Ono
96. Twin Spica Vol. 10 by Kou Yaginuma
97. Picket Line by Breena Wiederhoeft
98. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: Trapped on Treasure Island by Floyd Gottfredson
99. Yotsuba&! Vol. 10 by Kiyohiko Azuma
100. The Hidden by Richard Sala
101. Nina in “That Makes Me Mad!” by Hilary Knight
102. A Waste of Time by Rick Worley
103. Rust Vol. 1: Visitor in the Field by Royden Lepp
104. Criminal Vol. 6: Last of the Innocent by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
105. Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks
106. The Punisher Vol. 1 by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto
107. American Vampire Vol. 3 by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, Sean Murphy, and Danijel Zezelj
108. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
109. Wandering Son Book Two by Shimura Takako
110. Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1 by Brian Holguin, Barbara Randall Kesel, Alex Sheikman, and Lizzy John

It was awfully hard to pick just one song from the Vince Guaraldi’s famous soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas. I almost went with “O Tannenbaum” (another favorite) but in the end, I had to pick the iconic “Linus and Lucy.” When you think about it, the song itself has nothing really to do with Christmas. But this song to me—and millions of other people—just screams Christmas. It’s pretty-near perfect.

In fact, I’m going to listen to the entire album all over again once I’m done writing this. So wonderful.

Probably the most famous version is by Nat King Cole (he actually did four versions!). His smooth voice coupled with the simple instrumentation? Marvelous. This is one of those few songs where if someone doesn’t like it, I seriously wonder what went wrong. (If you don’t like it, my apologies. But you’re slightly wrong in the head.)

Take it away, Nat.

Loreena McKennitt’s rendition, though… it just feels festive, and happy, and there’s something about this one that strikes the right nerve that none of the others have. She recorded this on her A Winter Garden EP back in the day, although when looking up a YouTube link for the song, imagine my surprise to see that she’s since gone back and recorded eight additional tracks, paired them with the five from the EP, and released it as the full-length’s album A Midwinter Night’s Dream.

I guess I know what I’ll be getting soon…

(I am pretty sure this choice will horrify a lot of people. That’s ok.)

Then, a few months later, she released Midwinter Graces, and it did for me what her last couple couldn’t; drew me in and grabbed my attention. It was a lovely reminder of what I’d liked from some of her earlier albums, and was nice to know that she could still create something that felt like it was especially for me. (Interestingly enough, I also think it’s not like anything else she’s done, so that made it all the more impressive.) Anyway, this is a simple but lovely song from the album that just makes me feel like I’m in front of a fireplace with snow coming down outside. Good stuff.

Keen observers might note that the lyrics are slightly different than a lot of the later versions; when Frank Sinatra covered it he changed the lyrics to be a little more happy/cheerful. Personally I like the original better, but to each their own…

No no, just kidding, it’s my Christmas playlist.

Anyway, it’s a great time of year for music, so I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorites… so, seven days of Christmas songs! Let’s see if I can really pull this off.

First up, Aimee Mann’s “Calling on Mary.” It’s an original song from her One More Drifter in the Snow album, and I just love her deep, soulful voice on this song. So many original Christmas songs stink (let’s be honest, they really do) but this is one of the few exceptions to the rule. It’s hard to keep from humming this song after you listen to it.