Sunday was absolutely wonderful. It has long been my favourite day of the week, although I admit that being a part of a church of 1000+ in Texas does not give Sunday quite the same quality that it once had for me. It's hard to get round to everyone and have a nice conversation when there are such huge crowds to navigate, plus you have everyone hurrying out to get a seat at a restaurant. (Remember when people went home to have Sunday dinner? No? Ask your grandparents about what it was like.)
So I had high expectations of what my Sunday in Glasgow would be like. And, of course, I wasn't disappointed. The congregation in Castlemilk has breakfast together before class begins, which is enjoyable, and also gave us plenty of time to catch up with everyone-- what we've been doing and that sort of thing. I had sat down next to Dawn, but what with more people coming through the door every couple of minutes, there was a lot of up-and-down, and-- most people will be surprised to hear this-- lots of hugging. That's right, me, hugging people. It was brilliant.
The service was excellent as always, and I was feeling unexpectedly teary (not that I actually shed any tears) at my happiness to be here. Afterwards we went home (ah! there's that word again!) for Sunday dinner. The afternoon went by entirely too quickly, though, mostly because in order to get to East Kilbride for evening services we had to get the bus at 3:40, since it only runs once an hour. Apparently, not a lot of people go between East Kilbride and Glasgow on Sundays.
So we got the bus at the bottom of the hill, right next to the church building actually, and headed on our way. I was quite amazed at how many buildings there are between here and there, because there used to be a lot more open fields. Progess, I suppose. We arrived at the East Kilbride centre well before the time we were meant to meet Cathy, so we walked through it for a few minutes.
Now when I lived here, this mall was still quite new, and it was being billed as "The only 5-star mall in Scotland." I have no idea, still, what that means. But it is a large and very nice shopping centre, complete with ice rink and cinema. And apparently they've added on to it; Cathy took us through the new part as we went out, since that's they way out. And there's a quite large car park outside as well.
The congregation West Mains meets in a rented hall not far from the shopping centre, so it was a nice wee walk. Cathy got us all caught up on people I hadn't heard from since I left, pretty much. And it was totally worth all that travelling around and early leaving once we got there. I love these people so much, and it was brilliant seeing them again.
I was feeling welled again during the service, so it's a good thing it ended when it did. Another reason I love Scottish people is that they can all talk at least as fast as me, so the catching up was an easy matter. :) It was brilliant to be able to talk to everyone for a while, with the promise of more nattering next Sunday.
13 September 2006
Day Two: Saturday
Okay, time to catch up before I forget everything we've done.
Saturday morning we got off to a bit of a slow start, much to the annoyance of the nice people at Central Station, who wanted us off their train. We only got off five minutes late, at 7:35. Still, those five minutes were more than enough to miss Dawn, who had come to collect us at 7:15.
So we walked through the city centre to the bus stop to get to Castlemilk, getting ourselves into an amusing (for us) situation as we stopped to phone to let Dawn know we would be arriving soon. Instead, we spoke to Daniel, who said Dawn was in the city centre as well. So he phoned Dawn's mobile, while we stood at the bus stop and watched the buses go by.
It turned out that Dawn, having not found us at Central station at 7:15, had decided that we must have already headed to her house, so that's where she was on her way back to when she got Daniel's call. So she got off her bus, on to another, and went back to the city centre, where we saw her 20 minutes later.
So after such an amusing beginning, the rest of the day was remarkably calm. We went back into the city centre after getting cleaned up and had lunch (Actually, Chad had an all day breakfast, which involves a lot of dead pig and grease, while I had a baked potato with chicken curry. It was wonderful.). After a wee wander about, we headed for home because we needed to do the shopping. So we stopped at Asda.
Now when I first arrived here as an aim student, eight years ago, the Americans who were already here were all mourning the lack of Wal-Mart in this country. Not being a fan myself, I was perfectly happy with that state of affairs. However, the current aim students have no such complaint, since Asda was bought out by Wal-Mart many years ago. While it does not have quite the Wal-Mart aura inside, Asda is open 24 hours (just the thing for your Scot who can't sleep and has no car), and does have a lot of stuff at reasonable prices. And since it still has "Asda" printed in rather large letters on the outside, I can't bring myself to dislike it. If they ever change the sign, that will be a different matter altogether.
And that was our Saturday! Nothing exciting, just life the way I lived it when I was here.
Saturday morning we got off to a bit of a slow start, much to the annoyance of the nice people at Central Station, who wanted us off their train. We only got off five minutes late, at 7:35. Still, those five minutes were more than enough to miss Dawn, who had come to collect us at 7:15.
So we walked through the city centre to the bus stop to get to Castlemilk, getting ourselves into an amusing (for us) situation as we stopped to phone to let Dawn know we would be arriving soon. Instead, we spoke to Daniel, who said Dawn was in the city centre as well. So he phoned Dawn's mobile, while we stood at the bus stop and watched the buses go by.
It turned out that Dawn, having not found us at Central station at 7:15, had decided that we must have already headed to her house, so that's where she was on her way back to when she got Daniel's call. So she got off her bus, on to another, and went back to the city centre, where we saw her 20 minutes later.
So after such an amusing beginning, the rest of the day was remarkably calm. We went back into the city centre after getting cleaned up and had lunch (Actually, Chad had an all day breakfast, which involves a lot of dead pig and grease, while I had a baked potato with chicken curry. It was wonderful.). After a wee wander about, we headed for home because we needed to do the shopping. So we stopped at Asda.
Now when I first arrived here as an aim student, eight years ago, the Americans who were already here were all mourning the lack of Wal-Mart in this country. Not being a fan myself, I was perfectly happy with that state of affairs. However, the current aim students have no such complaint, since Asda was bought out by Wal-Mart many years ago. While it does not have quite the Wal-Mart aura inside, Asda is open 24 hours (just the thing for your Scot who can't sleep and has no car), and does have a lot of stuff at reasonable prices. And since it still has "Asda" printed in rather large letters on the outside, I can't bring myself to dislike it. If they ever change the sign, that will be a different matter altogether.
And that was our Saturday! Nothing exciting, just life the way I lived it when I was here.
11 September 2006
Day One: Friday
We landed, went through customs (and I was frightened out of my wits by a customs official who I'm almost sure is the same person I had to go through 8 years ago-- thankfully we went to someone else this time around), and were launched into London.
So it seems that there is no good time of day to go through Victoria station. It was getting close to noon, but the queues to all the ticket counters were enormous. However, the London underground system is quite well set up-- there was a large map which we consulted, decided what kind of all day ticket we needed, and were able to buy it from a kiosk with no problems. Next obstacle: getting ourselves, and our luggage, to Euston station.
As I said, it was completely packed, and people were crushed together quite tightly, and we were certainly not the only ones with luggage on the underground. We managed it though, got to Euston, checked our luggage into the luggage holding place, leaving us unhindered to wander about.
The first thing we saw once we were out the door was a Krispy Kreme, next door to a Starbucks. It's things like that which make international travel worthwhile. :) Unfortunatly, we have no picture.
Seriously, we didn't go into anything, even though we had planned to do, because the exchange rate is horrible and everywhere is quite expensive. We did see the Houses of Parliment, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, Downing Street (that's where the Prime Minister lives), Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Picadilly Circus-- all the touristy places, in other words. And do remember that we were doing all this walking about while half-dead with jet lag and lack of sleep (neither of us slept well on the plane). I've posted all our pictures here.
Also I had a very funny moment in a loo, in which a woman spoke to me, not in English, so I answered her in Spanish. I only spoke to her in Spanish because: 1. I had already spoken to her in English, and she didn't understand, and 2. What she said to me sounded like a romance language of some sort, so I decided to take the chance that she would understand Spanish. Well, after I spoke to her, she said "Okay," and we went on our merry way. On our way out of the restaurant, I spotted her again, along with a crowd of people, who were all speaking very distinct German. Oh, well.
So at the end of the day, we headed back to Euston station, collected our luggage, printed out our train tickets, and waited for our train to appear on the board. This is the much-anticipated sleeper train that everyone was so excited about. It was actually quite nice, and we really enjoyed it.
To begin with, it had been a nice break to hear English accents (along with who knows how many other languages) all day, since we are generally surrounded by Texan drawl (my apologies to the Texans who read this). However, all the people we met on the train had very distinct Scottish accents, which was such a relief to hear. I really felt like I was going home at that point.
We went to bed, because we were completly shattered, but I wasn't asleep yet when the train pulled out. The first little bit of the was there was a lot of lurching about and rails screeching, so I began to doubt that I could sleep on the train. Well, I was wrong. Thank goodness. I fell asleep shortly afterwards, only woke up once or twice that I could remember, and the next thing I knew the nice woman was waking us up with tea and a snack, because it was Saturday morning and we had arrived in Glasgow.
So it seems that there is no good time of day to go through Victoria station. It was getting close to noon, but the queues to all the ticket counters were enormous. However, the London underground system is quite well set up-- there was a large map which we consulted, decided what kind of all day ticket we needed, and were able to buy it from a kiosk with no problems. Next obstacle: getting ourselves, and our luggage, to Euston station.
As I said, it was completely packed, and people were crushed together quite tightly, and we were certainly not the only ones with luggage on the underground. We managed it though, got to Euston, checked our luggage into the luggage holding place, leaving us unhindered to wander about.
The first thing we saw once we were out the door was a Krispy Kreme, next door to a Starbucks. It's things like that which make international travel worthwhile. :) Unfortunatly, we have no picture.
Seriously, we didn't go into anything, even though we had planned to do, because the exchange rate is horrible and everywhere is quite expensive. We did see the Houses of Parliment, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, Downing Street (that's where the Prime Minister lives), Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Picadilly Circus-- all the touristy places, in other words. And do remember that we were doing all this walking about while half-dead with jet lag and lack of sleep (neither of us slept well on the plane). I've posted all our pictures here.
Also I had a very funny moment in a loo, in which a woman spoke to me, not in English, so I answered her in Spanish. I only spoke to her in Spanish because: 1. I had already spoken to her in English, and she didn't understand, and 2. What she said to me sounded like a romance language of some sort, so I decided to take the chance that she would understand Spanish. Well, after I spoke to her, she said "Okay," and we went on our merry way. On our way out of the restaurant, I spotted her again, along with a crowd of people, who were all speaking very distinct German. Oh, well.
So at the end of the day, we headed back to Euston station, collected our luggage, printed out our train tickets, and waited for our train to appear on the board. This is the much-anticipated sleeper train that everyone was so excited about. It was actually quite nice, and we really enjoyed it.
To begin with, it had been a nice break to hear English accents (along with who knows how many other languages) all day, since we are generally surrounded by Texan drawl (my apologies to the Texans who read this). However, all the people we met on the train had very distinct Scottish accents, which was such a relief to hear. I really felt like I was going home at that point.
We went to bed, because we were completly shattered, but I wasn't asleep yet when the train pulled out. The first little bit of the was there was a lot of lurching about and rails screeching, so I began to doubt that I could sleep on the train. Well, I was wrong. Thank goodness. I fell asleep shortly afterwards, only woke up once or twice that I could remember, and the next thing I knew the nice woman was waking us up with tea and a snack, because it was Saturday morning and we had arrived in Glasgow.
Thursday
Okay, so we'll start from the beginning. Thursday afternoon we headed for the airport, after last-minute packing, a run (well, cycle) to Burger King, watering the plants, closing the windows, turning the AC way up, and opening the blinds just enough to let in sunlight so we don't come home to a plant graveyard.
Nothing of any note whatsoever happened at the Lubbock airport. We didn't even have a very long wait, although we did get a bit bored:
The real fun started when we landed in Houston. We arrived 20 minutes early, which is in itself pretty impressive. Except for one thing: There was no gate available for us. And, unfortunately, it took 25 minutes for a gate to be ready. Then, when we managed to get to what turned out to be a square of tarmac, it took another 5 minutes to get the shuttle bus to us. So our 20 minute early arrival turned into a 10 minute late one, in terms of us actually being in the terminal.
We had a fast layover anyway, only 40 minutes, now down to 30. We went up to the monorail to get to our gate, to find out it was having problems as well. So there goes another 5 minutes. At this point I am holding a very nervous conversation with my watch about how much time we have, while Chad is totally calm, cool and collected. Our terminal was the last stop on the monorail, and as things go, our gate was the furthest one at the other end of the terminal building. (I used to really like the Houston airport, but trust me, a lot of that fondness is now gone.) So we race up to the gate at 6:44, essentially waving our passports and shouting, "We're here!" Fortunately, the door of the airplane wasn't shut yet, and they hadn't yet removed our bags from the cargo hold, so the people at the gate told us, "Run!" as they phoned down to the plane to wait a few more seconds before shutting us out. So we did.
I'd also just like to say at this point that the Continental airlines people who got us on the plane were all wonderful, except for the one man at the end of the jetway who asked (thinking, I suppose, that he was funny) "Did you take the long way around?" At that point, I was not in the mood for wit, and this wasn't it anyway, so I snapped back, "It was the airplane and the monorail, not us!" I didn't add "so shut up!" although I certainly wanted to. We got a few glowers from other passengers as we got on, which I ignored since we were technically taking off at our correct time anyway. We got our seats, shooed off a woman who had decided this was her row, since no one was sitting there, and settled down. Fortunately, we each had our own video screen, which went a long way toward making me feel a resurgence of loyalty toward Continental.
So the flight was pretty uneventful-- thank goodness! Also, the food was great. IMO, British Airways has the best airline food, but Continental is almost even with them. At a very distant third (and by very distant, think me running a marathon against an Olympian athelete) is American. Bringing up the rear, and falling in behind school lunches, mystery meat in hole-in-the-wall red-light restaurants, and road kill you scraped up and cooked, is Sabena. I've never had worse food in my life than when I flew with them. In fact, I think they may be out of business now, and I would guess that's because their loyal customers all got food poisoning at some point.
Coming soon... Friday: Day One
Nothing of any note whatsoever happened at the Lubbock airport. We didn't even have a very long wait, although we did get a bit bored:
The real fun started when we landed in Houston. We arrived 20 minutes early, which is in itself pretty impressive. Except for one thing: There was no gate available for us. And, unfortunately, it took 25 minutes for a gate to be ready. Then, when we managed to get to what turned out to be a square of tarmac, it took another 5 minutes to get the shuttle bus to us. So our 20 minute early arrival turned into a 10 minute late one, in terms of us actually being in the terminal.
We had a fast layover anyway, only 40 minutes, now down to 30. We went up to the monorail to get to our gate, to find out it was having problems as well. So there goes another 5 minutes. At this point I am holding a very nervous conversation with my watch about how much time we have, while Chad is totally calm, cool and collected. Our terminal was the last stop on the monorail, and as things go, our gate was the furthest one at the other end of the terminal building. (I used to really like the Houston airport, but trust me, a lot of that fondness is now gone.) So we race up to the gate at 6:44, essentially waving our passports and shouting, "We're here!" Fortunately, the door of the airplane wasn't shut yet, and they hadn't yet removed our bags from the cargo hold, so the people at the gate told us, "Run!" as they phoned down to the plane to wait a few more seconds before shutting us out. So we did.
I'd also just like to say at this point that the Continental airlines people who got us on the plane were all wonderful, except for the one man at the end of the jetway who asked (thinking, I suppose, that he was funny) "Did you take the long way around?" At that point, I was not in the mood for wit, and this wasn't it anyway, so I snapped back, "It was the airplane and the monorail, not us!" I didn't add "so shut up!" although I certainly wanted to. We got a few glowers from other passengers as we got on, which I ignored since we were technically taking off at our correct time anyway. We got our seats, shooed off a woman who had decided this was her row, since no one was sitting there, and settled down. Fortunately, we each had our own video screen, which went a long way toward making me feel a resurgence of loyalty toward Continental.
So the flight was pretty uneventful-- thank goodness! Also, the food was great. IMO, British Airways has the best airline food, but Continental is almost even with them. At a very distant third (and by very distant, think me running a marathon against an Olympian athelete) is American. Bringing up the rear, and falling in behind school lunches, mystery meat in hole-in-the-wall red-light restaurants, and road kill you scraped up and cooked, is Sabena. I've never had worse food in my life than when I flew with them. In fact, I think they may be out of business now, and I would guess that's because their loyal customers all got food poisoning at some point.
Coming soon... Friday: Day One
10 September 2006
It's 21:55... do you know where your children are?
So we've now been in the UK for three days, and are quite enjoying ourselves. I will (I hope) be posting more photos tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are our obligatory Trafalgar Square photos with the lions (and I don't even want to tell you how I got up there):
07 September 2006
So long, farewell, I can't spell the rest of the words...
I'm updating now, because I don't know if I'll get a chance this afternoon. We're leaving today! We fly out at 4:30 PM. So right now I'm wide awake (very early) in the hopes I will be able to sleep on the plane. Tomorrow we're spending the entire day sightseeing in London, and I have a feeling that Westminister Abbey is best viewed while awake, and not sleepwalking, so I really, really want to sleep on the plane. Prayers for a safe journey will be appreciated!
06 September 2006
Goo-be-gone! (Please!)
Well, this week I haven't quite been the giddy-bouncing around-driving everyone crazy bundle of energy that you might expect, being as we're leaving for Scotland tomorrow. Well, London, technically. And that's because my leg (the one that had a blood clot three years ago) has been bothering me with similar symptoms, and I was worried that I had developed blood clot #2, days before leaving the country.
So I went to my doctor yesterday, who I suppose was happy to see me (at least, that's what she said). I was quite gratified when she told me I'm doing everything right (never heard that before!), but she had to order a doppler, which is basically an ultrasound on my leg. So I had to go to the hospital to let someone slather my leg in goo, while looking at the nice picture on the screen. Good news: no blood clot. Bad news: My leg will just do this from time to time, to keep my life interesting. And she didn't even let me see the picture, although since this is my fourth doppler, it's not like I don't know what she was looking at.
So we get to go on our trip (some of the girls at work had some dire predictions in that department) with no hindrances. And, also, I get to ride my bike to work today and tomorrow, which I had been sad about missing out on. The more exercise I get (especially on the day of the trip), the better I sleep. I'm really hoping to be able to sleep on the plane this time around, although I admit it will be a first if I do. And speaking of which, I need to go to the library to get a book to read before I leave. Wow, I have a lot to do in the next 30 hours.
We finally bought a digital camera!
So I went to my doctor yesterday, who I suppose was happy to see me (at least, that's what she said). I was quite gratified when she told me I'm doing everything right (never heard that before!), but she had to order a doppler, which is basically an ultrasound on my leg. So I had to go to the hospital to let someone slather my leg in goo, while looking at the nice picture on the screen. Good news: no blood clot. Bad news: My leg will just do this from time to time, to keep my life interesting. And she didn't even let me see the picture, although since this is my fourth doppler, it's not like I don't know what she was looking at.
So we get to go on our trip (some of the girls at work had some dire predictions in that department) with no hindrances. And, also, I get to ride my bike to work today and tomorrow, which I had been sad about missing out on. The more exercise I get (especially on the day of the trip), the better I sleep. I'm really hoping to be able to sleep on the plane this time around, although I admit it will be a first if I do. And speaking of which, I need to go to the library to get a book to read before I leave. Wow, I have a lot to do in the next 30 hours.
We finally bought a digital camera!
29 August 2006
I could think of it as cleaning the blinds AND the floor...
Time to update-- not that I have a lot to update about.
This past Sunday was our last day teaching the second grade. I made them cookies, which several of them turned down-- more for everyone else, I say. :) They were a fun bunch to teach, and as much as I like the idea of not having to come up with something to keep their attention for an hour every week, I'll miss teaching them.
I cleaned our blinds on Saturday, which made me wish we had a yard and a hose. The reason for that is, I rinsed them off in the shower. It took the combined efforts of six bath towels to clean up all the water off the floor, but we have clean blinds now on all our windows, so I suppose it was worth it.
My bike tyre is flat; I've been getting a lift to work the past few days. While decreasing my chances of getting killed on my way to work, this arrangement also decreases the excitement and adventure in my life.
We leave for Scotland in just over a week, and I'm pretty sure everyone will be happy to be free of me for a couple of weeks. Everyone at work now (forcibly) knows almost as much about Scotland as I do. It will be a quiet place with me gone...
This past Sunday was our last day teaching the second grade. I made them cookies, which several of them turned down-- more for everyone else, I say. :) They were a fun bunch to teach, and as much as I like the idea of not having to come up with something to keep their attention for an hour every week, I'll miss teaching them.
I cleaned our blinds on Saturday, which made me wish we had a yard and a hose. The reason for that is, I rinsed them off in the shower. It took the combined efforts of six bath towels to clean up all the water off the floor, but we have clean blinds now on all our windows, so I suppose it was worth it.
My bike tyre is flat; I've been getting a lift to work the past few days. While decreasing my chances of getting killed on my way to work, this arrangement also decreases the excitement and adventure in my life.
We leave for Scotland in just over a week, and I'm pretty sure everyone will be happy to be free of me for a couple of weeks. Everyone at work now (forcibly) knows almost as much about Scotland as I do. It will be a quiet place with me gone...
17 August 2006
Cycling in the rain
Wow, five posts in four days. I've gone crazy!
This week (can't remember if I've written about this or not) I've been cycling to and from work. So far, so good. Of course, this week we've also gotten more rain that we've had all summer. But I'll take it. In fact, on Monday night I really thought it was going to pour down, so I prayed, "If I have to get wet, so be it. Please let it rain." Well, the Lord kept the rain away until after I got home, anyway, which I appreciated, although I was 100% sincere in my prayer. I got sprinkled on Tuesday evening, and today, the rain started after I had already arrived at work. I was happy about that, because it's bad enough to arrive at the office in a T-shirt and shorts, without adding being completely drenched to the mix. I was all set to ride home this evening, but one of the girls in the office talked me into leaving my bike behind, offering to take me home tonight and bring me back tomorrow morning. So I accepted, which turned out to be good, since it did start raining while we were coming home.
So, I need to buy: 1. A poncho. 2. Reflective tape of some sort. 3. No, that's it. I'd like to have a basket, but that isn't paramount to my safety, so I can't call it a need.
Three weeks until we leave!
This week (can't remember if I've written about this or not) I've been cycling to and from work. So far, so good. Of course, this week we've also gotten more rain that we've had all summer. But I'll take it. In fact, on Monday night I really thought it was going to pour down, so I prayed, "If I have to get wet, so be it. Please let it rain." Well, the Lord kept the rain away until after I got home, anyway, which I appreciated, although I was 100% sincere in my prayer. I got sprinkled on Tuesday evening, and today, the rain started after I had already arrived at work. I was happy about that, because it's bad enough to arrive at the office in a T-shirt and shorts, without adding being completely drenched to the mix. I was all set to ride home this evening, but one of the girls in the office talked me into leaving my bike behind, offering to take me home tonight and bring me back tomorrow morning. So I accepted, which turned out to be good, since it did start raining while we were coming home.
So, I need to buy: 1. A poncho. 2. Reflective tape of some sort. 3. No, that's it. I'd like to have a basket, but that isn't paramount to my safety, so I can't call it a need.
Three weeks until we leave!
15 August 2006
Eight o' clock
Well, as anyone who knows me at all can attest, I am not one for forwards. I do not enjoy being told that I am a selfish person because I refuse to annoy 30 people in my address book with a false story about someone dying of a ingrown toenail. I do not believe that all my fondest dreams will come true at 9:12 am tomorrow, but only if I send this to 7 people and make a wish. And, finally, I refuse to believe that "something cool" will pop onto my screen as soon as I send this on to 100 of my closest friends and relatives.
However, this one I liked. And rather than send it to an inbox near you, I am posting it on my various blogs in the hopes that someone will read it and join in. I don't intend to follow the instructions to the letter; however, our nation needs prayers, and the thought of even a few people joining together to pray at the same time is an exciting one. So here is the (tidied up and grammar-checked) forward:
During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour to collectively pray for one minute for the safety of England, its people, and for peace.
There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in the US.
If you would like to participate:
Every evening at 9:00 PM ET (adjust for your time zone), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for peace in the world.
If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.
May God bless and keep you.
However, this one I liked. And rather than send it to an inbox near you, I am posting it on my various blogs in the hopes that someone will read it and join in. I don't intend to follow the instructions to the letter; however, our nation needs prayers, and the thought of even a few people joining together to pray at the same time is an exciting one. So here is the (tidied up and grammar-checked) forward:
During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour to collectively pray for one minute for the safety of England, its people, and for peace.
There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in the US.
If you would like to participate:
Every evening at 9:00 PM ET (adjust for your time zone), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for peace in the world.
If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.
May God bless and keep you.
13 August 2006
Shopping
I accidentally went to Wal-Mart yesterday.
I don't mean by "accidentally" that I tripped and that's where I landed, or that I was unconscious and was carried there or anything. In fact, I was out shopping for back-to-school trinkets for the cherubs in our Sunday School class, and spent a very enjoyable 20 minutes or so in Mardel picking up pencils, stickers, etc. But, Wal-Mart is across the street from Mardel, and I needed a new drink holder for my bicycle (the old one was broken in my accident last fall, and gradually more and more pieces fell off of it to the point that it was no longer viable as a drink holder). So, in what I can only suppose was heat-induced madness, I thought to myself, "I'll just pop into Wal-Mart while I'm here and get a new drink holder." Also, I decided to look at the prices for decaffeinated tea, since my normal grocery store charges much more than I'm willing to pay, but I'm planning to make the switch to decaf as soon as my current stash is gone.
Now, I am not normally a WM shopper. I really don't like it there. They may have low prices, but that doesn't make up for the huge crowds and poor customer service. And going at night, which I used to do, doesn't really help that much-- the crowds may be gone, but the service is even worse, if you can believe that. Plus, since they do all of their stocking at night, the peanut butter you need may well be hidden behind a huge pallet of Windex.
Anyway, I made my way across the street, to the WM parking lot. Now, I seriously don't know why anyone would bother trying to actually park in that lot. I personally, if I had a car, would park three blocks away and walk, because that's about as close to the door as you can get, anyway. After I chained my bike to a convenient cart corral (one of the cycling perks), I went to stand in the queue trying to get in. Seriously, there were so many people going in and out, that there was a literal queue at the door. Once inside, it was a trek of several minutes to get to the bicycle section. Not because it's such a large store, but because half of the population of Lubbock was inside (I'm supposing the other half was at the other WM in town). And apparently quite a lot of people needed bicycle drink holders, because while there is normally a wide variety of said drink holders, there was only one yesterday. I poked around for a while to see if there were any others lurking somewhere, but no such luck. I also got to have a nice conversation with a woman who was in the bicycle section on the same errand, and I was amused by a small group of people nearby who were buying a bike for a young man (presumably, a new college student) who doesn't have a car. They were getting extra inner tubes and all sorts of gadgets, while he looked like he just wanted to take his bike and go. Meanwhile, the conversation ran something like this: "And how will you get to ____ on a bike?" "Well, I guess I'll go on X street, up to Y stoplight, then turn left..." I felt kind of sorry for him, and contemplating telling these rather flustered ladies that you can, in fact, go just about anywhere in this city on a bike, but I decided that would only bring their flusterment upon myself. So I headed for the self-checkout and out the door. It was only when I got home that I realised that I still don't know how much decaf tea is at Wal-Mart.
Moral of the story: Never, ever go to Wal-Mart on a Saturday. Or any other day, if you can help it.
I don't mean by "accidentally" that I tripped and that's where I landed, or that I was unconscious and was carried there or anything. In fact, I was out shopping for back-to-school trinkets for the cherubs in our Sunday School class, and spent a very enjoyable 20 minutes or so in Mardel picking up pencils, stickers, etc. But, Wal-Mart is across the street from Mardel, and I needed a new drink holder for my bicycle (the old one was broken in my accident last fall, and gradually more and more pieces fell off of it to the point that it was no longer viable as a drink holder). So, in what I can only suppose was heat-induced madness, I thought to myself, "I'll just pop into Wal-Mart while I'm here and get a new drink holder." Also, I decided to look at the prices for decaffeinated tea, since my normal grocery store charges much more than I'm willing to pay, but I'm planning to make the switch to decaf as soon as my current stash is gone.
Now, I am not normally a WM shopper. I really don't like it there. They may have low prices, but that doesn't make up for the huge crowds and poor customer service. And going at night, which I used to do, doesn't really help that much-- the crowds may be gone, but the service is even worse, if you can believe that. Plus, since they do all of their stocking at night, the peanut butter you need may well be hidden behind a huge pallet of Windex.
Anyway, I made my way across the street, to the WM parking lot. Now, I seriously don't know why anyone would bother trying to actually park in that lot. I personally, if I had a car, would park three blocks away and walk, because that's about as close to the door as you can get, anyway. After I chained my bike to a convenient cart corral (one of the cycling perks), I went to stand in the queue trying to get in. Seriously, there were so many people going in and out, that there was a literal queue at the door. Once inside, it was a trek of several minutes to get to the bicycle section. Not because it's such a large store, but because half of the population of Lubbock was inside (I'm supposing the other half was at the other WM in town). And apparently quite a lot of people needed bicycle drink holders, because while there is normally a wide variety of said drink holders, there was only one yesterday. I poked around for a while to see if there were any others lurking somewhere, but no such luck. I also got to have a nice conversation with a woman who was in the bicycle section on the same errand, and I was amused by a small group of people nearby who were buying a bike for a young man (presumably, a new college student) who doesn't have a car. They were getting extra inner tubes and all sorts of gadgets, while he looked like he just wanted to take his bike and go. Meanwhile, the conversation ran something like this: "And how will you get to ____ on a bike?" "Well, I guess I'll go on X street, up to Y stoplight, then turn left..." I felt kind of sorry for him, and contemplating telling these rather flustered ladies that you can, in fact, go just about anywhere in this city on a bike, but I decided that would only bring their flusterment upon myself. So I headed for the self-checkout and out the door. It was only when I got home that I realised that I still don't know how much decaf tea is at Wal-Mart.
Moral of the story: Never, ever go to Wal-Mart on a Saturday. Or any other day, if you can help it.
12 August 2006
Four more weeks!
So, we're now inside a month until we go to Scotland. I am looking forward to this trip so much-- coming back to Lubbock is going to be very depressing afterwards. Ce la vie...
So I go into work on Thursday morning, in my usual "morning" mode (happy, but not particularly talkative), all ready to start my day, and the woman who sits next to me starts talking about what she thought the terrorists were doing, how it was probably meant to be on the anniversary of 9/11, and I stop her by saying, "What are you talking about?" She has, you haven't heard?, written all over her face. Well, I generally don't watch the news in the morning, ever since Katie Couric left the Today show, and because I also discovered what a great time of day that is to read my Bible or chat with my husband. Anyway, Marcha gives me the readers' digest version of the plotted terrorist attack, which sends me scrambling to the BBC news website. And throughout the day, my co-workers all expressed varying degrees of concern about our impending trip. For me, though, I'm not worried. Partly because Jesus said, "Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" which, admittedly, has some disturbing implications in this particular situation, and also because Paul wrote, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." And on a purely silly level, if I die on my way back from Scotland, at least I will die happy.
Finally finished a baby blanket for my newest cousin, who is now three months (and ten days) old. I rarely finish blankets before the baby is born, and I would like to be able to say this is the record latest finish, but it isn't. My record is four and a half months. I suppose I could say my friends and family are used to me by now...
So I go into work on Thursday morning, in my usual "morning" mode (happy, but not particularly talkative), all ready to start my day, and the woman who sits next to me starts talking about what she thought the terrorists were doing, how it was probably meant to be on the anniversary of 9/11, and I stop her by saying, "What are you talking about?" She has, you haven't heard?, written all over her face. Well, I generally don't watch the news in the morning, ever since Katie Couric left the Today show, and because I also discovered what a great time of day that is to read my Bible or chat with my husband. Anyway, Marcha gives me the readers' digest version of the plotted terrorist attack, which sends me scrambling to the BBC news website. And throughout the day, my co-workers all expressed varying degrees of concern about our impending trip. For me, though, I'm not worried. Partly because Jesus said, "Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" which, admittedly, has some disturbing implications in this particular situation, and also because Paul wrote, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." And on a purely silly level, if I die on my way back from Scotland, at least I will die happy.
Finally finished a baby blanket for my newest cousin, who is now three months (and ten days) old. I rarely finish blankets before the baby is born, and I would like to be able to say this is the record latest finish, but it isn't. My record is four and a half months. I suppose I could say my friends and family are used to me by now...
29 July 2006
Sports, shoes-- but not sports shoes
So I've managed to steer clear of the TV this week-- wasn't too hard, actually. Most of what I've watched the past two months have been sporting events (World Cup, Tour de France), so in the absence of those, I watch-- nothing. It's kind of nice, really. My sister will be unhappy to hear that I also missed Stargate, but I was taking a nap. Yeah, in the evening. Stranger things have happened.
Normally, I would be looking forward to a new season of (insert current favourite show here). However, The West Wing is off the air, and I haven't watched new episodes of much else in years. We watch Scrubs when we remember that it is on, so maybe that will be our new thing. And I've often thought about picking up ER again, it's kind of like a soap opera really, you can start again one day and have not missed much.
Yeah, this is not going to be a TV-watching post. At least, not entirely. We arrive in Scotland six weeks from tomorrow! (We arrive in London six weeks from today, but since we're spending only one day there doing touristy things, it's hard to count that.) I'm so looking forward to it. Next week I'm going to break down and buy new tennis shoes, since we'll be doing a lot of walking and my current shoes aren't up to that any longer. With a four-week gap between buying and all that walking, I'm sure I'll have time to break them in. I hope so, anyway, since we are planning to go on a hill walk and that is NOT pleasant in brand-new shoes. I might try to get my hands on some reasonably-priced Doc Martens, even, since they are much better for walking around in than any tennis shoes (at least, my last pair were).
TV and shoes. What an exciting life I lead. :) Oh, and I started studying Acts for the next Bible Bowl-- presumably, South Plains will once again field a Senior Bible Bowl team, and since I was part of the original team, I'll be back. This time around I'd like to finish higher than sixth place.
Normally, I would be looking forward to a new season of (insert current favourite show here). However, The West Wing is off the air, and I haven't watched new episodes of much else in years. We watch Scrubs when we remember that it is on, so maybe that will be our new thing. And I've often thought about picking up ER again, it's kind of like a soap opera really, you can start again one day and have not missed much.
Yeah, this is not going to be a TV-watching post. At least, not entirely. We arrive in Scotland six weeks from tomorrow! (We arrive in London six weeks from today, but since we're spending only one day there doing touristy things, it's hard to count that.) I'm so looking forward to it. Next week I'm going to break down and buy new tennis shoes, since we'll be doing a lot of walking and my current shoes aren't up to that any longer. With a four-week gap between buying and all that walking, I'm sure I'll have time to break them in. I hope so, anyway, since we are planning to go on a hill walk and that is NOT pleasant in brand-new shoes. I might try to get my hands on some reasonably-priced Doc Martens, even, since they are much better for walking around in than any tennis shoes (at least, my last pair were).
TV and shoes. What an exciting life I lead. :) Oh, and I started studying Acts for the next Bible Bowl-- presumably, South Plains will once again field a Senior Bible Bowl team, and since I was part of the original team, I'll be back. This time around I'd like to finish higher than sixth place.
16 July 2006
Changing gears
We went to the Spanish service at church again today (we tried last week, but apparently no one but the preacher and his wife had shown up for Bible class, so they gave it up and went home). I had a much harder time understanding the sermon this time around-- couldn't get my brain to switch gears into Spanish. While we enjoy teaching in Sunday school, it will be nice when we can go the the Spanish Bible class as well as the service. That way, we can prepare by reading the Bible in Spanish (and speaking it to each other, as much as we can) before going to church so we're totally in Spanish for the entire morning. As it is now, I can read beforehand but then have to switch to English for a hour, then back again. The preacher's wife told me this morning that I should make English off-limits for myself as soon as I walk into the room where the service is held. And she's totally right, of course. I'm struggling with the European problem of not wanting to speak a language until I can speak it. (Americans tend to not have this problem as much.) So that's probably what I'll do next Sunday. Maybe I'll teach the kids some Spanish words to get my brain more in gear. :)
The other day I was speeding along on my bike (speeding for me, that is), tried to change gears and my chain fell off. All I remember from when I was young is that getting the chain back on is a huge deal, complete with pinched fingers and a long delay while Dad gets it going again. So I was not happy when I got off to survey the damage. Well, it took me all of five seconds to get it back on and get going again. So, I'm guessing that bikes are made better these days, to facilitate the ease of putting the chain back on the bike. Either that or my father was making it seem like an ordeal just to keep us entertained. Which I suppose is possible.
The other day I was speeding along on my bike (speeding for me, that is), tried to change gears and my chain fell off. All I remember from when I was young is that getting the chain back on is a huge deal, complete with pinched fingers and a long delay while Dad gets it going again. So I was not happy when I got off to survey the damage. Well, it took me all of five seconds to get it back on and get going again. So, I'm guessing that bikes are made better these days, to facilitate the ease of putting the chain back on the bike. Either that or my father was making it seem like an ordeal just to keep us entertained. Which I suppose is possible.
08 July 2006
I'm already exhausted...
and it's only 9 in the morning! I have just booked our train tickets from London to Glasgow, which was arduous, to say the least. The online booking service is not American-friendly, so I had to recharge our phone card and ring the customer service line. Then, the man couldn't hear me (I was only phoning from across the ocean, can't imagine what the problem was), so I had to shout into the phone. Well, shouting for me, which I suppose is normal volume for everyone else. :) Anyway, the man was very helpful and got us exactly the tickets we wanted. So we're all set. I am so excited-- we arrive in London two months from today!
In other news, packing my lunch has gotten to be a bit of an art for me. I usually eat a salad, which I assemble at work, so I take an entire grocery bag full of salad stuff, every day. It reminds me of a Cathy cartoon strip I saw many years ago, in which she was trying to eat healthy lunches so she carried a large paper grocery sack full of ingredients for her lunch with her to work-- and then couldn't find a spot in the refrigerator because of everyone else's large grocery sack. Fortunately, I seem to be the only one who needs an entire refrigerator shelf-- at least, so far. Of course, the carrying of the contents of my kitchen gets even more complicated on the days I have to take the bus, which are blessedly few, because I take my breakfast on those days. So yesterday morning, I was frantically running around the kitchen, putting my bag full of salad fixings in my backpack, followed by a small tupperware thing of cereal, then a small container of milk, plus a banana for the cereal, and yoghurt for a snack... I'm thinking of just doing some grocery shopping one day during my lunch break, and keeping stuff at work all the time.
And since I took the bus, I got to walk in the morning, which is always fabulous. I really would like to do so more often-- I suppose I could say, "thanks, but no thanks" to the people who currently pick me up in the mornings-- but I do enjoy the extra half-hour of sleep thus obtained. Oh, well. Yesterday morning was beautiful, anyway. In fact, I think I'll head outside now, see if I can enjoy another beautiful morning...
In other news, packing my lunch has gotten to be a bit of an art for me. I usually eat a salad, which I assemble at work, so I take an entire grocery bag full of salad stuff, every day. It reminds me of a Cathy cartoon strip I saw many years ago, in which she was trying to eat healthy lunches so she carried a large paper grocery sack full of ingredients for her lunch with her to work-- and then couldn't find a spot in the refrigerator because of everyone else's large grocery sack. Fortunately, I seem to be the only one who needs an entire refrigerator shelf-- at least, so far. Of course, the carrying of the contents of my kitchen gets even more complicated on the days I have to take the bus, which are blessedly few, because I take my breakfast on those days. So yesterday morning, I was frantically running around the kitchen, putting my bag full of salad fixings in my backpack, followed by a small tupperware thing of cereal, then a small container of milk, plus a banana for the cereal, and yoghurt for a snack... I'm thinking of just doing some grocery shopping one day during my lunch break, and keeping stuff at work all the time.
And since I took the bus, I got to walk in the morning, which is always fabulous. I really would like to do so more often-- I suppose I could say, "thanks, but no thanks" to the people who currently pick me up in the mornings-- but I do enjoy the extra half-hour of sleep thus obtained. Oh, well. Yesterday morning was beautiful, anyway. In fact, I think I'll head outside now, see if I can enjoy another beautiful morning...
03 July 2006
Happy 3rd of July!
Every Sunday (just about) we spend an inordinate amount of time deciding whether to sit upstairs or downstairs at church (dumb, I know, but that's what we do). Sometimes we take so long in our decision-making that the choice is taken out of our hands by the arrival of the rest of the congregation, leaving us to sit wherever we can find space. I suppose we can say for ourselves that at least we aren't glued to one pew, like so many people are.
So, yesterday we decided to try something new. There is a very small Spanish congregation that meets in the building at the same time as the late service. We've meant for ages to go to it sometime, and yesterday was the day. Needless to say, we enjoyed it very much. For one thing, a smaller group really is preferable (at least in my opinion) to the huge congregation we normally worship with. And since it's been years since either of us worshipped in Spanish, that side of it was nice, too. Afterward when we talked over the sermon, I was surprised at how much Chad understood. So we will definately be going again, at least a couple of times a month. If nothing else, my Spanish is really rusty and this gives me a chance to practise. As well as fellowship with a different group of hermanos.
The World Cup is almost over, much to my dismay, but Wimbledon has started, so that eases the pain a bit. And the Tour de France started up over the weekend as well. Sometimes I wonder why I don't watch the same sports as everyone else, and then I remember: because being like everyone else is so dull. Besides which, I really am being like most of the world in my love of football (soccer, if you need a translation). So I am happy with my little world of sport.
So, yesterday we decided to try something new. There is a very small Spanish congregation that meets in the building at the same time as the late service. We've meant for ages to go to it sometime, and yesterday was the day. Needless to say, we enjoyed it very much. For one thing, a smaller group really is preferable (at least in my opinion) to the huge congregation we normally worship with. And since it's been years since either of us worshipped in Spanish, that side of it was nice, too. Afterward when we talked over the sermon, I was surprised at how much Chad understood. So we will definately be going again, at least a couple of times a month. If nothing else, my Spanish is really rusty and this gives me a chance to practise. As well as fellowship with a different group of hermanos.
The World Cup is almost over, much to my dismay, but Wimbledon has started, so that eases the pain a bit. And the Tour de France started up over the weekend as well. Sometimes I wonder why I don't watch the same sports as everyone else, and then I remember: because being like everyone else is so dull. Besides which, I really am being like most of the world in my love of football (soccer, if you need a translation). So I am happy with my little world of sport.
27 June 2006
Falling down
Yes, my husband talked me into a Pilates class. And also yoga. I was using my gym membership for such dull things as the weight machines, stairmasters, and rock climbing wall, but it turns out there are even more exciting things to do there-- in the shape of yoga and pilates, apparently.
So, what happens when an inflexible, slightly overweight woman who can't even stand up without falling over takes yoga? As if we were in any doubt about my inner ear and its ability to keep my upright, I went to yoga to find out for sure that I have no balance. Haven't hit the floor yet, though-- many years of practise at catching myself are paying off. However, I have been practising at home, and I can now do the "tree" for almost two minutes before having to put my hand on the wall to steady myself. Unfortunately, we haven't done that one yet this week. After all my practise? Come on!
Also would like to report that after hovering at the same weight for months, I finally broke through my plateau! Hip, hip, hooray! Long may it last!
So, what happens when an inflexible, slightly overweight woman who can't even stand up without falling over takes yoga? As if we were in any doubt about my inner ear and its ability to keep my upright, I went to yoga to find out for sure that I have no balance. Haven't hit the floor yet, though-- many years of practise at catching myself are paying off. However, I have been practising at home, and I can now do the "tree" for almost two minutes before having to put my hand on the wall to steady myself. Unfortunately, we haven't done that one yet this week. After all my practise? Come on!
Also would like to report that after hovering at the same weight for months, I finally broke through my plateau! Hip, hip, hooray! Long may it last!
25 June 2006
Don't Walk
Okay, this may be a minor rant:
This is not a city that is pedestrian-friendly. To begin with, most of the sidewalks are on east-west streets. If you want to go north or south, you're on your own. And pedestrian crossings are a joke, where they exist at all. If you're lucky, the "Walk" signal will get you to the middle of the street (you know, just where the traffic turning left can run over you). And that's if you're lucky. Usually I get about three steps before I'm staring a flashing "Dont Walk" in the face. Very helpful. (How I long for the nicely planned pedestrian crossings in the UK...)
Cyclists are a little better off, because there are at least planned bike routes around. However, the city planners didn't take into account that cyclists might want to go, say, to the grocery store. Or the movies. Or the bank. Or anywhere but a public park, really. Which really strikes me as hilarious-- do cyclists only go to parks? Who needs a park if you are already out riding your bike? I don't know what I would do after riding to a park. Walk around and enjoy the... um... flatness?
Upon further reflection, riding my bike to the park would allow me a grand revenge on the mad ducks. Heh heh heh.
Anyway... mini-rant over.
Having said that, I will say for the umpteenth time that I do enjoy riding my bike. Much, much more so than I every enjoyed driving my car (I realise that sounds bizarre). Yesterday morning I went out to run some errands (actually I was comparing prices for a blender) at about 9:15. When I told Chad about my plan (stop at 4 stores + bank, buy from the cheapest) he said, "So you're just going to shop?" Imagine that-- I'm a woman who likes to shop from time to time. Alert the media. So when I told him that I was kind of excited by the prospect, since it's been ages (almost a year, actually), since I've done so, he more or less wished me well and sent me on my way. Hee.
Anyway, it was totally liberating to be riding around on my bike. I was getting some great exercise, enjoying a nice morning (sunny and not too hot, if you can believe that), and-- here's the best part-- I spent a grand total of $0 on fuel. The only "fuel" I really used was a litre of water. Which is good for me anyway. So, after I made 6 stops (I added a store, due to its proximity to a planned stop), I then went back to two of the stores I had already stopped at, to get a couple of different things. And I ended up getting the blender at Target (they've got a great sale going, by the way, if anyone needs a blender), which was both my first and last stop, since it's the closest to our house. Anyway, here's the point: I was out for about 3 hours comparing and shopping. Seriously, if I had taken a car, I'm willing to bet I would have spent the exact same amount of time. I'm almost certain of it, just based on past shopping trips with a car. So I was pretty happy.
And in other news, the US is out of the World Cup, Mexico is out (I usually support them as well, being as they are neighbours), and England is still in. Nothing is going my way in this World Cup. Although I do give all kudos to Ghana, they are doing brilliantly and I do always like to cheer for the underdog. Even if they did knock the US out.
This is not a city that is pedestrian-friendly. To begin with, most of the sidewalks are on east-west streets. If you want to go north or south, you're on your own. And pedestrian crossings are a joke, where they exist at all. If you're lucky, the "Walk" signal will get you to the middle of the street (you know, just where the traffic turning left can run over you). And that's if you're lucky. Usually I get about three steps before I'm staring a flashing "Dont Walk" in the face. Very helpful. (How I long for the nicely planned pedestrian crossings in the UK...)
Cyclists are a little better off, because there are at least planned bike routes around. However, the city planners didn't take into account that cyclists might want to go, say, to the grocery store. Or the movies. Or the bank. Or anywhere but a public park, really. Which really strikes me as hilarious-- do cyclists only go to parks? Who needs a park if you are already out riding your bike? I don't know what I would do after riding to a park. Walk around and enjoy the... um... flatness?
Upon further reflection, riding my bike to the park would allow me a grand revenge on the mad ducks. Heh heh heh.
Anyway... mini-rant over.
Having said that, I will say for the umpteenth time that I do enjoy riding my bike. Much, much more so than I every enjoyed driving my car (I realise that sounds bizarre). Yesterday morning I went out to run some errands (actually I was comparing prices for a blender) at about 9:15. When I told Chad about my plan (stop at 4 stores + bank, buy from the cheapest) he said, "So you're just going to shop?" Imagine that-- I'm a woman who likes to shop from time to time. Alert the media. So when I told him that I was kind of excited by the prospect, since it's been ages (almost a year, actually), since I've done so, he more or less wished me well and sent me on my way. Hee.
Anyway, it was totally liberating to be riding around on my bike. I was getting some great exercise, enjoying a nice morning (sunny and not too hot, if you can believe that), and-- here's the best part-- I spent a grand total of $0 on fuel. The only "fuel" I really used was a litre of water. Which is good for me anyway. So, after I made 6 stops (I added a store, due to its proximity to a planned stop), I then went back to two of the stores I had already stopped at, to get a couple of different things. And I ended up getting the blender at Target (they've got a great sale going, by the way, if anyone needs a blender), which was both my first and last stop, since it's the closest to our house. Anyway, here's the point: I was out for about 3 hours comparing and shopping. Seriously, if I had taken a car, I'm willing to bet I would have spent the exact same amount of time. I'm almost certain of it, just based on past shopping trips with a car. So I was pretty happy.
And in other news, the US is out of the World Cup, Mexico is out (I usually support them as well, being as they are neighbours), and England is still in. Nothing is going my way in this World Cup. Although I do give all kudos to Ghana, they are doing brilliantly and I do always like to cheer for the underdog. Even if they did knock the US out.
22 June 2006
A (less than?) spectacular finish
Found this earlier and I was delighted.
Okay, so the US has exited the World Cup. Since I was technically at work, I didn't get to watch most of the game, and just had the "official site" window open to see live updates. The woman who sits next to me was, I think, less than amused at my continual groans of despair (although my small display of delight at our one goal did draw more interest my way). I did see the last 10-15 minutes, which was nice, although Claudio Reyna was not on the field by that point and he is the player I most enjoy watching. So, well done Ghana. We'll be back.
Okay, so the US has exited the World Cup. Since I was technically at work, I didn't get to watch most of the game, and just had the "official site" window open to see live updates. The woman who sits next to me was, I think, less than amused at my continual groans of despair (although my small display of delight at our one goal did draw more interest my way). I did see the last 10-15 minutes, which was nice, although Claudio Reyna was not on the field by that point and he is the player I most enjoy watching. So, well done Ghana. We'll be back.
14 June 2006
Heading Home
We've now been in California for (nearly) a week, and it's time to go home. But not before getting our hands on some Carl's Jr. I am still in shock that Lubbockites are unable to appreciate the finer fast foods in life... but they are. Carl's Jr. has now come and gone-- twice-- in Lubbock. So we'll get it while we can.
The weather here has been great-- so nice and cool. Temps in the 60s-70s are a welcome change after 100s. But back we go this afternoon. And while it has crossed our minds a few times this week to move out here, the reality is I like living in an inexpensive place. And that's certainly not here.
The weather here has been great-- so nice and cool. Temps in the 60s-70s are a welcome change after 100s. But back we go this afternoon. And while it has crossed our minds a few times this week to move out here, the reality is I like living in an inexpensive place. And that's certainly not here.
29 May 2006
Twenty-one o' clock
I have no particular reason for using the 24-hour clock, except that I enjoy it.
I sit down at the computer to look up one thing. Three hours (and at least one suggestion from my husband that we get a second computer) later, and I am more informed (and consequently more depressed) than I was, but no closer to a solution. The internet is a great tool. Why is it that when I've finished what I'm doing, I find it harder to part with the internet than say, a hammer I would use to drive a nail? Once the picture is on the wall, I have no need to carry around the hammer, just in case there is another nail lurking somewhere I can pound into another wall. Yet the internet compells me to move from one topic to another, despite the fact I have researched my original subject throughly. And this is a malady that affects millions, to judge from the number of blogs on this service alone.
Anyway. Time to get ready for bed.
I sit down at the computer to look up one thing. Three hours (and at least one suggestion from my husband that we get a second computer) later, and I am more informed (and consequently more depressed) than I was, but no closer to a solution. The internet is a great tool. Why is it that when I've finished what I'm doing, I find it harder to part with the internet than say, a hammer I would use to drive a nail? Once the picture is on the wall, I have no need to carry around the hammer, just in case there is another nail lurking somewhere I can pound into another wall. Yet the internet compells me to move from one topic to another, despite the fact I have researched my original subject throughly. And this is a malady that affects millions, to judge from the number of blogs on this service alone.
Anyway. Time to get ready for bed.
28 May 2006
The greatest spectacle in... blogging?
Yeah, so I'm listening to the Indy 500 right now. I don't intend to do so all afternoon, but for now I'm chilling and enjoying the commentary. Well, the commentary about what is actually happening. The conjecture and trips down memory lane I could do without. Anyway, my favourites this time around are Dan Wheldon, Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti, so I'm just keeping an ear open for them. As it turns out, these three must be everyone's favourites because they are coming up for discussion a lot. That's something new, for my opinion to go along with everyone else's.
There's a happy little song, called "Lines on the Road," that only a few people know. It's been in my head intermittently all morning because Keely and I were talking about it yesterday, while hanging out in her empty house. They left this morning. (Aaron, pity you weren't here last night! The three of us had to hang out without you. But only for a few minutes, before Keely scurried off to finish packing.)
In related news, the World Cup starts June 9! I'm so looking forward to it. Last time, we were in California for the entire run, so I missed most of it (although it turned out that one of Chad's uncles was following it very closely, and he kept me updated). This time around, we will be in CA for the beginning, but we'll be back in time for me to catch plenty of it. Okay, so that wasn't related at all.
There's a happy little song, called "Lines on the Road," that only a few people know. It's been in my head intermittently all morning because Keely and I were talking about it yesterday, while hanging out in her empty house. They left this morning. (Aaron, pity you weren't here last night! The three of us had to hang out without you. But only for a few minutes, before Keely scurried off to finish packing.)
In related news, the World Cup starts June 9! I'm so looking forward to it. Last time, we were in California for the entire run, so I missed most of it (although it turned out that one of Chad's uncles was following it very closely, and he kept me updated). This time around, we will be in CA for the beginning, but we'll be back in time for me to catch plenty of it. Okay, so that wasn't related at all.
12 May 2006
Riding in cars with birds
Sometimes I feel like I'm in a movie by, what's-his-name, anyway, the movie with the birds. You know, the one entitled, The Birds. Why? Well, birds seem to follow me around more than they do any normal people.
I haven't been chased by ducks in a couple of weeks; apparently they decided they have heaped enough humiliation on me for a while. I did, however, help a co-worker remove a baby bird from the bumper of her car this afternoon. It had apparently decided this was a good place to hang out, but she wanted to leave, sans bird. So I tried shooing it away, thought about picking it up (I got gloves from the medical staff for that very purpose) and then decided there was no good way to pick it up without it biting me. So I tried reasoning with it. (I am not joking.) I knelt down to look at it, and said, "We really need you to go away." And-- this is the good part-- it flew away. I don't know if it was from sheer terror at this person talking to it, or (as another girl at the office said) if I have some Doctor Doolittle qualities. Whatever it was, it flew away, directly into one of the rafters of our covered parking area. And when I say it "flew into" a rafter, I mean in the same way that I walk into stationary objects like walls. It hit the rafter, then fell down. This caused me some distress, but the bird was still moving around, so I left it alone lest I cause the poor bird further trauma. And when I came out to leave 30 minutes later, it was gone. I hope it left of its own accord.
On a sadder note, this Sunday I will say good-bye to a good friend, one that's been with me for a while and who I will miss terribly. This friend, of course, is The West Wing. Okay, so I exaggerate a bit. It is, without a doubt, my favourite television show, but then I only watch about three shows with any regularity at all, so it's like my most favourite of my three favourites. These last couple of seasons have been kind of up and down in terms of quality, right enough. But I am still sad to see it go; this is one fantastic group of actors, and it almost seems a crime to separate them when they work so well together.
Okay, I'm done being sentimental about a TV show. I watched a movie called Hope and Glory the other day, and as a result, the song Land of Hope and Glory has been in my head ever since. If you're not familiar with the title, and you're an American, then it's the song that was (most likely) played at your high school graduation. It's technically only a part of Pomp and Circumstance, but for some reason we just skip directly to the main title, possibly because a name like Land of Hope and Glory might tip us all off that this song is British in origin. The song actually has good lyrics, especially for a British patriotic song, but it is a bit incongruous with an American high school graduation.
I haven't been chased by ducks in a couple of weeks; apparently they decided they have heaped enough humiliation on me for a while. I did, however, help a co-worker remove a baby bird from the bumper of her car this afternoon. It had apparently decided this was a good place to hang out, but she wanted to leave, sans bird. So I tried shooing it away, thought about picking it up (I got gloves from the medical staff for that very purpose) and then decided there was no good way to pick it up without it biting me. So I tried reasoning with it. (I am not joking.) I knelt down to look at it, and said, "We really need you to go away." And-- this is the good part-- it flew away. I don't know if it was from sheer terror at this person talking to it, or (as another girl at the office said) if I have some Doctor Doolittle qualities. Whatever it was, it flew away, directly into one of the rafters of our covered parking area. And when I say it "flew into" a rafter, I mean in the same way that I walk into stationary objects like walls. It hit the rafter, then fell down. This caused me some distress, but the bird was still moving around, so I left it alone lest I cause the poor bird further trauma. And when I came out to leave 30 minutes later, it was gone. I hope it left of its own accord.
On a sadder note, this Sunday I will say good-bye to a good friend, one that's been with me for a while and who I will miss terribly. This friend, of course, is The West Wing. Okay, so I exaggerate a bit. It is, without a doubt, my favourite television show, but then I only watch about three shows with any regularity at all, so it's like my most favourite of my three favourites. These last couple of seasons have been kind of up and down in terms of quality, right enough. But I am still sad to see it go; this is one fantastic group of actors, and it almost seems a crime to separate them when they work so well together.
Okay, I'm done being sentimental about a TV show. I watched a movie called Hope and Glory the other day, and as a result, the song Land of Hope and Glory has been in my head ever since. If you're not familiar with the title, and you're an American, then it's the song that was (most likely) played at your high school graduation. It's technically only a part of Pomp and Circumstance, but for some reason we just skip directly to the main title, possibly because a name like Land of Hope and Glory might tip us all off that this song is British in origin. The song actually has good lyrics, especially for a British patriotic song, but it is a bit incongruous with an American high school graduation.
07 May 2006
Rainy days and laundry
Yesterday we rode our bikes in the rain. Well, to call it rain is a bit much. At most I would say it was a very heavy fog-- so heavy that my glasses were coated with water droplets. After drying my glasses twice, I gave up and rode the last mile without them, much to the alarm of Chad, who is convinced that I am as blind as a bat without them. However, it did me no good whatsoever to be able to see everything clearly, when all I could see clearly were the raindrops. Better to see slightly blurry cars than not see them at all, I say.
I was, in fact, delighted with the weather yesterday-- it was such a Scottish day. If I could have just convinced all the cars going by to drive on the left, my joy would have been complete. But they didn't. I read a blog from one of the AIM students currently in Scotland yesterday, in which she said that the temperature was over 60 degrees one day last week, and so she was able to wear a T-shirt outdoors for the the first time since her arrival one year ago. I'm presuming that last summer she was not acclimated enough to the weather to go out in short sleeves, because they always get at least a few nice days. Anyway, apparently Scots were bringng out the shorts and sandals for the 60-degree weather, to which I say: I remember those days. I used to lie in bed listening to the radio in the morning, waiting for the weather report to see if it was more that 15 degrees outside (translation: 15 C= approx. 60 F). If so, I was excited.
(This next thought may turn you all off from every reading this blog again, but I'm going to say it anyway, so you have been warned.) I'm puzzled a bit this week with the American need (possibly obsession) to continually be doing laundry. For instance, the clothes that I have on right now will be worn for 4 hours, tops. Presuming I don't spill anything on myself at lunchtime, when I get home, I will take them off and hang them back in my closet. Yet there are many people who would be horrified at such an action. Why? All I'm going to do in them is sit in church, and possibly have lunch. I do the same with my work clothes-- all I do is sit in them at my desk. Unless they get actual dirt on them at some point during the first wearing, I wear them all twice before washing. Saves water, soap, time, energy, and electricity. None of which would I so lightly throw away on anything else. So there's my thought on doing the laundry.
I was, in fact, delighted with the weather yesterday-- it was such a Scottish day. If I could have just convinced all the cars going by to drive on the left, my joy would have been complete. But they didn't. I read a blog from one of the AIM students currently in Scotland yesterday, in which she said that the temperature was over 60 degrees one day last week, and so she was able to wear a T-shirt outdoors for the the first time since her arrival one year ago. I'm presuming that last summer she was not acclimated enough to the weather to go out in short sleeves, because they always get at least a few nice days. Anyway, apparently Scots were bringng out the shorts and sandals for the 60-degree weather, to which I say: I remember those days. I used to lie in bed listening to the radio in the morning, waiting for the weather report to see if it was more that 15 degrees outside (translation: 15 C= approx. 60 F). If so, I was excited.
(This next thought may turn you all off from every reading this blog again, but I'm going to say it anyway, so you have been warned.) I'm puzzled a bit this week with the American need (possibly obsession) to continually be doing laundry. For instance, the clothes that I have on right now will be worn for 4 hours, tops. Presuming I don't spill anything on myself at lunchtime, when I get home, I will take them off and hang them back in my closet. Yet there are many people who would be horrified at such an action. Why? All I'm going to do in them is sit in church, and possibly have lunch. I do the same with my work clothes-- all I do is sit in them at my desk. Unless they get actual dirt on them at some point during the first wearing, I wear them all twice before washing. Saves water, soap, time, energy, and electricity. None of which would I so lightly throw away on anything else. So there's my thought on doing the laundry.
06 May 2006
Coming to the end
We just got back from our last Bible Bowl-- last one of this year, and last one ever for us, at least at South Plains. We'll be moving to Austin before they start again next spring, so we are hanging up our flannelgraph and moving on. We may help with the senior Bible Bowl team until we go, should one be organised, but that will be the full extent of our involvement. We had a really fun day today, with only two girls to look after. One of them was quite teary at a couple of points, which led to me dramatically climbing over a pew to try to comfort her (okay, it wasn't that dramatic, and it didn't really help, anyway), and the other one kept dropping her answer cube. But we made it to the end alive, and we really are done. I suppose someday if we have children who want to do this sort of thing we'll do it again. Anyway, here's a picture from our last competition:
Not our biggest group ever, but these are some great kids.
Not our biggest group ever, but these are some great kids.
29 April 2006
... And the peasants rejoice.
I've chosen a university-- really good for someone who has been out of high school for a decade (almost!), right? Anyway, I'm currently in the application process for the University of Texas in Austin, to start in the spring of 2007. Pretty exciting stuff. Apparently Austin is an expensive place to live, which is a bummer, but I'm not too worried. And they also have a really good public transport system, so we can continue in our car-free lifestyle if we wish, with a lot fewer problems getting around.
Speaking of which, last weekend we celebrated (well, acknowledged is probably a better word) our first anniversary of being car-free!
Speaking of which, last weekend we celebrated (well, acknowledged is probably a better word) our first anniversary of being car-free!
26 April 2006
Duck!
Okay, by popular (if one request counts as popular) demand, here is more on the ongoing saga of the manic ducks in the park.
I saw them most days last week, and they were content to just come towards me a few steps (except for the aforementioned day when they ran alongside me for a little way). And on Monday somebody was feeding them, so they didn't even bother with me invading their space.
Tuesday, I was walking around the lake again, as I do. This park is south of where I work, and on Tuesday I started out walking southwards along the west side, and then circled around so that I was headed north on the eastern side of the lake--I'd come 3/4 of the way around, in other words. And I moved away from the edge of the lake once I got over to that side, because I've decided that these are birds that need their space. There are some baseball diamonds on the edge of the park, so I headed up towards them.
Not that it worked. These two ducks were swimming around in the water, saw me, started quacking madly, and then got out of the water. But instead of coming directly toward me, they started running forward at an angle, to cut me off from finishing my walk. Not kidding. These are ducks who paid attention in geometry. So, I changed course, to go around behind them (they were quite a way up the bank by now). But they weren't having that, and they swerved around to catch me no matter which direction I went. So I decided that I had upset them enough for one day, and turned around to go back the way I came (my plan being to go around behind the baseball diamonds). This, it turns out, was not my brightest move. I heard a strange rustling noise and looked around just in time to see one of the ducks, wings out, bearing down on the back of my knee. These things had apparently decided that if I didn't have a snack to offer them, they were getting a snack one way or another, and therefore sprinted after me. I jumped out of his way, but not quite far enough, and he grabbed the back of my trousers with his bill. So I now am standing in a public park, with a duck attached to my trousers, trying to get it off of me without hurting it (or me!). The other duck was flapping around right next to me; thank goodness it didn't go for my other leg.
So I swung around, as you do when a 10-pound bird has a death grip on an article of your clothing, and shook him loose. Both of them immediately came after me again, but our little manouevers had put them on the south side of me; they were no longer between me and the office. So I did what any rational adult does when being charged by creatures not one-fourth one's own size: I ran. I was a bit afraid, actually, that they would suddenly remember that they have wings and try to ram me in the back of the head or something like that (at which point I would no longer have been quite so concerned about them being injured, and probably would have started an all-out fight with the mad ducks), but they didn't. However, should I become an Olympic sprinter one day, I will have two really mental ducks to thank for it.
Today, needless to state, I went around behind the baseball diamonds to begin with, and the mad ducks never saw me.
I saw them most days last week, and they were content to just come towards me a few steps (except for the aforementioned day when they ran alongside me for a little way). And on Monday somebody was feeding them, so they didn't even bother with me invading their space.
Tuesday, I was walking around the lake again, as I do. This park is south of where I work, and on Tuesday I started out walking southwards along the west side, and then circled around so that I was headed north on the eastern side of the lake--I'd come 3/4 of the way around, in other words. And I moved away from the edge of the lake once I got over to that side, because I've decided that these are birds that need their space. There are some baseball diamonds on the edge of the park, so I headed up towards them.
Not that it worked. These two ducks were swimming around in the water, saw me, started quacking madly, and then got out of the water. But instead of coming directly toward me, they started running forward at an angle, to cut me off from finishing my walk. Not kidding. These are ducks who paid attention in geometry. So, I changed course, to go around behind them (they were quite a way up the bank by now). But they weren't having that, and they swerved around to catch me no matter which direction I went. So I decided that I had upset them enough for one day, and turned around to go back the way I came (my plan being to go around behind the baseball diamonds). This, it turns out, was not my brightest move. I heard a strange rustling noise and looked around just in time to see one of the ducks, wings out, bearing down on the back of my knee. These things had apparently decided that if I didn't have a snack to offer them, they were getting a snack one way or another, and therefore sprinted after me. I jumped out of his way, but not quite far enough, and he grabbed the back of my trousers with his bill. So I now am standing in a public park, with a duck attached to my trousers, trying to get it off of me without hurting it (or me!). The other duck was flapping around right next to me; thank goodness it didn't go for my other leg.
So I swung around, as you do when a 10-pound bird has a death grip on an article of your clothing, and shook him loose. Both of them immediately came after me again, but our little manouevers had put them on the south side of me; they were no longer between me and the office. So I did what any rational adult does when being charged by creatures not one-fourth one's own size: I ran. I was a bit afraid, actually, that they would suddenly remember that they have wings and try to ram me in the back of the head or something like that (at which point I would no longer have been quite so concerned about them being injured, and probably would have started an all-out fight with the mad ducks), but they didn't. However, should I become an Olympic sprinter one day, I will have two really mental ducks to thank for it.
Today, needless to state, I went around behind the baseball diamonds to begin with, and the mad ducks never saw me.
And where will they live? That's what I often wonder.
At risk of turning my blog into my own personal extended edition, I'm going to finish my thoughts on watching LOTR start to finish (twice!):
In the intervals of gorging myself on these brilliant movies, I watched a lot of the extras; in particular the cast commentaries. Now I've never really been a fan of watching commentary instead of just watching the movie (although I understand that the commentary on The West Wing DVDs is worth a listen), but I gave it a try and was so glad I did. It's fun to listen what is essentially this group of actors getting together to reminisce about the making of these films. In particular I enjoy listening to Billy Boyd, which should come as a surprise to no one since he is from Glasgow! He and Dominic Monaghan had me laughing throughout every scene. Also bringing me delight was the others "translating" what Billy Boyd said for the benefit of audience members who do not speak Glaswegian-- and I admit I was quite chuffed with myself that I required no translation. Anyway, I'm not going to repeat all the funny moments here, but I will say that if you are a fan, the commentaries are well worth the time it takes to watch. (And I also admit that I skipped quite a bit.)
As someone whose future degree lies (I hope) in linguistics, I also marvelled during the extras at how many accents Peter Jackson managed to assemble for the films, with actors from just about every commonwealth country (or so it seemed), plus a few more places thrown in for good measure. I would give quite a lot just to have been there and listen to all these different accents. And in addition to those of course is the linguistic treasure Tolkien himself created, with a different languages for several of the cultures he created-- some of which managed to get into the film, notable the Elvish. And some Dwarfish (?-- not sure that's what it's called, and I'm not looking it up at this moment). I lack the creativity to make up a language myself, I'm afraid, but I do have a love for languages on this earth. And once I get a reasonable handle on all the languages I want to learn, maybe I'll become fluent in Elvish. :)
In the intervals of gorging myself on these brilliant movies, I watched a lot of the extras; in particular the cast commentaries. Now I've never really been a fan of watching commentary instead of just watching the movie (although I understand that the commentary on The West Wing DVDs is worth a listen), but I gave it a try and was so glad I did. It's fun to listen what is essentially this group of actors getting together to reminisce about the making of these films. In particular I enjoy listening to Billy Boyd, which should come as a surprise to no one since he is from Glasgow! He and Dominic Monaghan had me laughing throughout every scene. Also bringing me delight was the others "translating" what Billy Boyd said for the benefit of audience members who do not speak Glaswegian-- and I admit I was quite chuffed with myself that I required no translation. Anyway, I'm not going to repeat all the funny moments here, but I will say that if you are a fan, the commentaries are well worth the time it takes to watch. (And I also admit that I skipped quite a bit.)
As someone whose future degree lies (I hope) in linguistics, I also marvelled during the extras at how many accents Peter Jackson managed to assemble for the films, with actors from just about every commonwealth country (or so it seemed), plus a few more places thrown in for good measure. I would give quite a lot just to have been there and listen to all these different accents. And in addition to those of course is the linguistic treasure Tolkien himself created, with a different languages for several of the cultures he created-- some of which managed to get into the film, notable the Elvish. And some Dwarfish (?-- not sure that's what it's called, and I'm not looking it up at this moment). I lack the creativity to make up a language myself, I'm afraid, but I do have a love for languages on this earth. And once I get a reasonable handle on all the languages I want to learn, maybe I'll become fluent in Elvish. :)
21 April 2006
I heard a good deal about a ring, and a dark lord, and the end of the world...
Well, this has been quite a week. The stress level at work has been quite high, and being me, I absorb the stress of others and make it my own. So I've had to find an effective stress reliever.
And I found it! Chad borrowed the three extended edition Lord of the Rings movies from some friends of ours, and so the dream I have carried around in my heart for 4 1/2 long years now was realised last weekend: We watched all three movies in a 24-hour period. Actually my dream was to watch them all in one go, but I really wanted to start watching Friday night, after getting home from work. So we watched FOTR Friday night, and as strong as my love for the books and movies is, I didn't think I could stay awake long enough to finish the job. So we continued with TTT and ROTK on Saturday. It was brilliant-- to the point that I was almost completely useless at work on Monday and Tuesday. But since our stress showed no sign of relenting, I decided to do a modified marathon LOTR viewing, and watch it over a few evenings. On Tuesday I got home, turned it on, and watched until I fell asleep (sometime in the first half of TTT, right after Frodo and Sam reached the Black Gate). More of the same on Wednesday and Thursday, for a grand total of 12 very happy LOTR hours. And now we're going to have to give the movies back, before I start going around muttering about "my precious" and how it was a birthday present. There's a scene in TTT in which Frodo is sitting off in a corner, rocking back and forth, which apparently is cut short from a longer scene in which he essentially turns into Gollom, and Faramir sees what the ring would do to Frodo eventually... anyway, all that is in the movie is a glimpse or two of Frodo rocking back and forth while Sam has a brilliant scene with Faramir. The point is, I don't actually want that to happen to me.
In other news, I was chased by ducks this week. Not kidding. These ducks live in Maxey Park, and apparently harass everyone they can, looking for food. I never have food with me in Maxey Park, which I suppose is why they chase me; they are trying to get rid of me so better prospects can come along. Anyway, on Tuesday I really thought I was going to get bitten (or whatever you call it, since ducks don't have teeth). It would have been kind of embarassing to have to go back to work and request wound care after getting bitten by a duck. Or two. And if they had attacked me and I'd had to fight them off, no-one would have ever believed that the ducks started it. What is really amazing here is that their legs are not one-tenth the length of mine, and I'm not exactly a slow walker, and these ducks were keeping up with me. Scary, now that I think about it.
And I found it! Chad borrowed the three extended edition Lord of the Rings movies from some friends of ours, and so the dream I have carried around in my heart for 4 1/2 long years now was realised last weekend: We watched all three movies in a 24-hour period. Actually my dream was to watch them all in one go, but I really wanted to start watching Friday night, after getting home from work. So we watched FOTR Friday night, and as strong as my love for the books and movies is, I didn't think I could stay awake long enough to finish the job. So we continued with TTT and ROTK on Saturday. It was brilliant-- to the point that I was almost completely useless at work on Monday and Tuesday. But since our stress showed no sign of relenting, I decided to do a modified marathon LOTR viewing, and watch it over a few evenings. On Tuesday I got home, turned it on, and watched until I fell asleep (sometime in the first half of TTT, right after Frodo and Sam reached the Black Gate). More of the same on Wednesday and Thursday, for a grand total of 12 very happy LOTR hours. And now we're going to have to give the movies back, before I start going around muttering about "my precious" and how it was a birthday present. There's a scene in TTT in which Frodo is sitting off in a corner, rocking back and forth, which apparently is cut short from a longer scene in which he essentially turns into Gollom, and Faramir sees what the ring would do to Frodo eventually... anyway, all that is in the movie is a glimpse or two of Frodo rocking back and forth while Sam has a brilliant scene with Faramir. The point is, I don't actually want that to happen to me.
In other news, I was chased by ducks this week. Not kidding. These ducks live in Maxey Park, and apparently harass everyone they can, looking for food. I never have food with me in Maxey Park, which I suppose is why they chase me; they are trying to get rid of me so better prospects can come along. Anyway, on Tuesday I really thought I was going to get bitten (or whatever you call it, since ducks don't have teeth). It would have been kind of embarassing to have to go back to work and request wound care after getting bitten by a duck. Or two. And if they had attacked me and I'd had to fight them off, no-one would have ever believed that the ducks started it. What is really amazing here is that their legs are not one-tenth the length of mine, and I'm not exactly a slow walker, and these ducks were keeping up with me. Scary, now that I think about it.
12 April 2006
I love children...
because I was walking through the park today, and a preschool boy saw me and shouted, "Look! A teenager!" I wanted to hug him. And normally I don't want to hug anyone. Not even cute children.
I love this verse: "May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (Ruth 2:12) That image is so reassuring to me- Ruth taking refuge under the wings of God. As do I. What a comforting verse that is.
I love this verse: "May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (Ruth 2:12) That image is so reassuring to me- Ruth taking refuge under the wings of God. As do I. What a comforting verse that is.
11 April 2006
Cycling
I was reflecting to myself yesterday, as I rode to the grocery store, that it's a good thing I enjoy walking and cycling so much. I would really, really be hating this otherwise. But really, cycling is so liberating that I find myself wondering why everyone isn't doing it. It would also solve that nasty problem of so many Americans having obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease... and the list could go on. To say nothing of the fact that gas prices are expected to go up, again, for the summer "driving season" (is that like hunting season? basketball season?). And of course we can add the minor detail that if there is another round of hurricanes on the Gulf Coast like the last one, we may have no other choice but to cycle. And so I say, Join me in my cycling lifestyle! (While it's still your choice to make!)
Anyway, yesterday evening I was riding to the store and was pleasantly surprised at how light the traffic was. Apparently, the good citizenry of Lubbock stays home at 7ish on a Monday evening, which I appreciate. There were some boys practising baseball at the school just a couple of blocks from our house. As I rode by, one of them was running to third base and the coach was shouting "Hold it! Hold it!" to the boy with the ball. I appreciated that as well, because while I enjoy watching Little League baseball, and I get lots of mileage out of my I-got-hit-on-the-head-with-a-softball story, I had no desire to get hit by a flying baseball while cycling. Which is almost certainly what would have happened, because I was just beyond third base, and there didn't seem to be anyone there to catch the ball, had the boy thrown it for the out. (And while I don't think it's likely that a small boy would leave any permanent marks on me, I do still have a bump on my head from the last time, even though it's been 14 years.)
Speaking of small children and baseball, all the diamonds in Maxey Park (near my work, where I go for my lunchtime walk) are all spruced up for the summer. Fresh lines are drawn in the dirt, all the rubbish has been cleaned up-- they really do look nice. Plus, the new adverts are up all around the fences. They are all set to go for another season of children learning such values as teamwork, doing one's best, and corporate sponsorship. While I do realise that organisations such as Little League could not exist without such corporate sponsors, it still makes me laugh. A lot.
We just bought our plane tickets to go to California and see Chad's family! When I say "just bought", I mean, 15 minutes ago. I had an IE window open for every travel website there is, I think, only to finally hand over our money to Priceline. We named our own price, and it worked! For the second time in my life!
Anyway, yesterday evening I was riding to the store and was pleasantly surprised at how light the traffic was. Apparently, the good citizenry of Lubbock stays home at 7ish on a Monday evening, which I appreciate. There were some boys practising baseball at the school just a couple of blocks from our house. As I rode by, one of them was running to third base and the coach was shouting "Hold it! Hold it!" to the boy with the ball. I appreciated that as well, because while I enjoy watching Little League baseball, and I get lots of mileage out of my I-got-hit-on-the-head-with-a-softball story, I had no desire to get hit by a flying baseball while cycling. Which is almost certainly what would have happened, because I was just beyond third base, and there didn't seem to be anyone there to catch the ball, had the boy thrown it for the out. (And while I don't think it's likely that a small boy would leave any permanent marks on me, I do still have a bump on my head from the last time, even though it's been 14 years.)
Speaking of small children and baseball, all the diamonds in Maxey Park (near my work, where I go for my lunchtime walk) are all spruced up for the summer. Fresh lines are drawn in the dirt, all the rubbish has been cleaned up-- they really do look nice. Plus, the new adverts are up all around the fences. They are all set to go for another season of children learning such values as teamwork, doing one's best, and corporate sponsorship. While I do realise that organisations such as Little League could not exist without such corporate sponsors, it still makes me laugh. A lot.
We just bought our plane tickets to go to California and see Chad's family! When I say "just bought", I mean, 15 minutes ago. I had an IE window open for every travel website there is, I think, only to finally hand over our money to Priceline. We named our own price, and it worked! For the second time in my life!
09 April 2006
Palm Sunday
Hmmm... this seems to have become an "every Sunday" kind of pastime for me. And I wish it were because I've spent less time on the computer lately, but really, it's because I spend all my time at the computer playing goofy games. Seriously, these games are so addictive. And all that is going on in our life lately is Bible Bowl, anyway, so I have nothing interesting to write about, even when I am online.
So we had our second road trip with the kids yesterday, this time to Denver City, which is only 1 1/2 hours away. Thank goodness. We're supposed to review on the bus on the way there, which generally turns out to be a good thing. I tried running the review on our bus yesterday and was answered mostly with silence from the children. One of them complained to me that "this is supposed to be fun." I'm afraid I'm a bit at a loss for words for children who look at the Bible as something even more boring than school. So I assured him that there was plenty of fun to be had if he would only participate. Chad then got into the act to counteract the boredom by singing Judges chapter 3. That amused and re-energised them for a little while, and when interest started to wane again, I started calling on people instead of waiting for them to answer. Which worked. So now I know what to do next time. We have one more road trip, this time to Monahans, which is a tiny town on the other side of the moon. The drive there is only about 3 hours long, but it seems twice that distance since there is nothing at all to look at between here and there. That is, unless you like dirt.
So we're half-way through our Bible Bowl season now (or the "circuit", as one of the children expressed it last week). The competition in Denver City yesterday was different than any we've had before; there were four rounds of 25 questions (instead of the usual five rounds of 20), and children answered on a Scantron. And that being the case, the correct answers weren't read out right away, which made for shorter rounds. (Hallelujah!) We had a lot of broken pencils, but no other problems, and the South Plains group took home first, third, and sixth place team awards. The only individual awards given out were for perfect rounds, and one of our kids had the only perfect round the entire day. So we did well, again.
Apparently some of the kids thought it was boring, but I'm afraid I've grown so accustomed to them being bored that I don't even care. I'm guessing this is the result of children having every gadget known to man, as well as having activities every spare second of their day. And I wish I had a great plan for counteracting our culture's need to be in overdrive for our own children (should we ever have any), but there again, I'm at a loss. However, I do still have some time to work on that. :)
I read an amusing article earlier about ways people waste money, and one of the things mentioned was gym memberships. Apparently, purchasing a gym membership is the best way to ensure that you will never work out again. I believe this to be true, since I owned my current membership for about four months without using it once. And I've not used it a lot while it's been cold, because I still have to get there, and however good a workout may be, battling freezing wind before and after is no fun. But I mention this to say that I've actually had a really good week in terms of working out. Since we have no car, I have no excuse for not having a high fitness level anyway, so I can't explain why I'm not in fantastic shape. However, we're working on that. :)
I had more things in mind to write about, but since this is getting ridiculously long, I'll put them on hold for now.
So we had our second road trip with the kids yesterday, this time to Denver City, which is only 1 1/2 hours away. Thank goodness. We're supposed to review on the bus on the way there, which generally turns out to be a good thing. I tried running the review on our bus yesterday and was answered mostly with silence from the children. One of them complained to me that "this is supposed to be fun." I'm afraid I'm a bit at a loss for words for children who look at the Bible as something even more boring than school. So I assured him that there was plenty of fun to be had if he would only participate. Chad then got into the act to counteract the boredom by singing Judges chapter 3. That amused and re-energised them for a little while, and when interest started to wane again, I started calling on people instead of waiting for them to answer. Which worked. So now I know what to do next time. We have one more road trip, this time to Monahans, which is a tiny town on the other side of the moon. The drive there is only about 3 hours long, but it seems twice that distance since there is nothing at all to look at between here and there. That is, unless you like dirt.
So we're half-way through our Bible Bowl season now (or the "circuit", as one of the children expressed it last week). The competition in Denver City yesterday was different than any we've had before; there were four rounds of 25 questions (instead of the usual five rounds of 20), and children answered on a Scantron. And that being the case, the correct answers weren't read out right away, which made for shorter rounds. (Hallelujah!) We had a lot of broken pencils, but no other problems, and the South Plains group took home first, third, and sixth place team awards. The only individual awards given out were for perfect rounds, and one of our kids had the only perfect round the entire day. So we did well, again.
Apparently some of the kids thought it was boring, but I'm afraid I've grown so accustomed to them being bored that I don't even care. I'm guessing this is the result of children having every gadget known to man, as well as having activities every spare second of their day. And I wish I had a great plan for counteracting our culture's need to be in overdrive for our own children (should we ever have any), but there again, I'm at a loss. However, I do still have some time to work on that. :)
I read an amusing article earlier about ways people waste money, and one of the things mentioned was gym memberships. Apparently, purchasing a gym membership is the best way to ensure that you will never work out again. I believe this to be true, since I owned my current membership for about four months without using it once. And I've not used it a lot while it's been cold, because I still have to get there, and however good a workout may be, battling freezing wind before and after is no fun. But I mention this to say that I've actually had a really good week in terms of working out. Since we have no car, I have no excuse for not having a high fitness level anyway, so I can't explain why I'm not in fantastic shape. However, we're working on that. :)
I had more things in mind to write about, but since this is getting ridiculously long, I'll put them on hold for now.
02 April 2006
Oh, these children
Well, we're back home again and it's Sunday morning, and I feel sufficiently recovered from having spent many hours on a bus with 15 little boys. (Which, by the way, is a considerable improvement from last year. This year the decision was made to split the boys and girls on two separate buses. Last year I was on the bus with all of the sixth grade boys and girls, and was thus ready to tear out my hair long, long before we arrived home.) We had a fun trip to Abilene, and a good start to our Bible Bowl season.
I don't have actual numbers, but 20+ children went with us, and quite a lot of adults as well. Five of us spent Saturday at Abilene Christian University competing in the National Bible Bowl, while the rest of the gang was at Junior Bible Bowl, just up the street from us at the Hillcrest Church of Christ. I don't remember all of the results, but at the junior level we took the first place team and I think the fourth place, and several of our kids placed individually as well. Our senior level "team" consisted of two adults and one junior high student. Our student was on the seventh place team and took the eighth place individual, while on the adult side I placed sixth individually (no teams at the adult level). So we were all pleased with the results of our day and also of the behaviour of the children. We've rarely had cause to complain there, and we did have a "pep talk" about the need to be humble in our successes before departing. And we pointed out that they are representing Jesus, to say nothing of their families and congregation, which they really took to heart.
So that's why I haven't posted in a week; I've been frantically studying in preparation for yesterday's competition. The children have three more events, but I'm done, so now I can focus on helping them. Oh, and as soon as I get some pics, I'll be posting them.
I don't have actual numbers, but 20+ children went with us, and quite a lot of adults as well. Five of us spent Saturday at Abilene Christian University competing in the National Bible Bowl, while the rest of the gang was at Junior Bible Bowl, just up the street from us at the Hillcrest Church of Christ. I don't remember all of the results, but at the junior level we took the first place team and I think the fourth place, and several of our kids placed individually as well. Our senior level "team" consisted of two adults and one junior high student. Our student was on the seventh place team and took the eighth place individual, while on the adult side I placed sixth individually (no teams at the adult level). So we were all pleased with the results of our day and also of the behaviour of the children. We've rarely had cause to complain there, and we did have a "pep talk" about the need to be humble in our successes before departing. And we pointed out that they are representing Jesus, to say nothing of their families and congregation, which they really took to heart.
So that's why I haven't posted in a week; I've been frantically studying in preparation for yesterday's competition. The children have three more events, but I'm done, so now I can focus on helping them. Oh, and as soon as I get some pics, I'll be posting them.
26 March 2006
Sunday Morning
Grandpa is still in hospital. Apparently the docs were willing to let him go home this week, but he wasn't willing to go home, so there he still is. Grandma, on the other hand, decided to give us all a fright by going to the emergency room on Friday evening with chest pains. Which, by the way, gave my brother his first experience calling 9-1-1. As happy as I am to have never needed to call them, I'm kind of jealous, too. For some reason, they sent an ambulance, a police car, and a firetruck. I'm still not too clear on the details of why the emergency services do this. Did they think Grandma's chest pains might be related to her being on fire? Or (perhaps the more likely conclusion) did they just remember that the last time they visited this house, someone had to be carried out the window, and thus thought the more people there, the better? Anyway. Grandma was sent home at 2 AM, after having experienced a battery of tests, and having scared my mother half out of her wits. The good news there is, you keep scaring her half out of her wits, she always has some left. As long as no one scares her out of the other half, we're okay.
24 March 2006
Nothing to Report...
And you would think, that being the case, that I wouldn't bother to blog. Well, you would be wrong.
I was summoned for jury duty this week. Eagle-eyed readers will note that "I was summoned," not "I attended." Well, it wasn't for lack of trying. I set out on what was a cold, very windy Wednesday morning to get the bus. I didn't know it was cold and windy until I was on my way, and thus had to stop to retrive my hat and gloves from my bag. I was still a couple of blocks from the bus stop when I saw it go by-- even with the bus having a red light, I was too far away to run for it. So good sense prevailed and I didn't try. Instead, I went back home, logged on to the county's really exciting web site, and rescheduled. (And I'm sure the county clerk employee who got my email muttered something really nice about waiting until the last possible minute to reschedule.) And then went to work. Funnily enough, in our office of 30ish people, two other people were summoned for the same day. Neither of them missed the bus though, perhaps because they had cars to get there in. Hmmm. Anyway, one of them was my supervisor, who actually was picked to serve on a jury. But it was a quick trial apparantly, as she was back today.
In completely unrelated news, the rain we got over the weekend was enough to fill the playa lakes back to more or less their normal levels. I've been watching the one in Maxey Park (near my work) shrink over the last five months, and it's been enough to fascinate even me who has no interest in-- I don't even know what field "looking at the earth under the water of a playa lake" falls into. Geology, maybe? Anyway, it was cool to watch, even when I was wishing for rain. But on Monday, when I went out for my normal lunch-time walk, the water was back where it belonged, and it was even more bizzare than seeing the water receding. I walked around the lake, finding it unbeliveable that I was walking out there just five days ago. (Well, at that time it was five days ago.) I was also having a rough time keeping my feet because the wind was so wild. If I'd had a cell phone, I would have called someone from the office to come get me, while hanging on to a tree for dear life. But I fought through it and went back to the office. And spent a considerable amount of time brushing out my hair so I wouldn't scare the patients.
Edited to remove quiz results, because they were screwing up my margins, and therefore, my sidebar.
I was summoned for jury duty this week. Eagle-eyed readers will note that "I was summoned," not "I attended." Well, it wasn't for lack of trying. I set out on what was a cold, very windy Wednesday morning to get the bus. I didn't know it was cold and windy until I was on my way, and thus had to stop to retrive my hat and gloves from my bag. I was still a couple of blocks from the bus stop when I saw it go by-- even with the bus having a red light, I was too far away to run for it. So good sense prevailed and I didn't try. Instead, I went back home, logged on to the county's really exciting web site, and rescheduled. (And I'm sure the county clerk employee who got my email muttered something really nice about waiting until the last possible minute to reschedule.) And then went to work. Funnily enough, in our office of 30ish people, two other people were summoned for the same day. Neither of them missed the bus though, perhaps because they had cars to get there in. Hmmm. Anyway, one of them was my supervisor, who actually was picked to serve on a jury. But it was a quick trial apparantly, as she was back today.
In completely unrelated news, the rain we got over the weekend was enough to fill the playa lakes back to more or less their normal levels. I've been watching the one in Maxey Park (near my work) shrink over the last five months, and it's been enough to fascinate even me who has no interest in-- I don't even know what field "looking at the earth under the water of a playa lake" falls into. Geology, maybe? Anyway, it was cool to watch, even when I was wishing for rain. But on Monday, when I went out for my normal lunch-time walk, the water was back where it belonged, and it was even more bizzare than seeing the water receding. I walked around the lake, finding it unbeliveable that I was walking out there just five days ago. (Well, at that time it was five days ago.) I was also having a rough time keeping my feet because the wind was so wild. If I'd had a cell phone, I would have called someone from the office to come get me, while hanging on to a tree for dear life. But I fought through it and went back to the office. And spent a considerable amount of time brushing out my hair so I wouldn't scare the patients.
Edited to remove quiz results, because they were screwing up my margins, and therefore, my sidebar.
19 March 2006
Jeff Foxworthy on Indiana
I just got this e-mail from my cousin, and I had to blog it:
Jeff Foxworthy on Indiana.................
If someone in a store offers you assistance & they don't work there, you might live in Indiana. ***
If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Indiana. ***
If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Indiana.
If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Indiana.
YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE HOOSIER WHEN:
1. Vacation means going north or south on I-65 for the weekend. ***
2. You measure distance in hours. ***
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once. ***
4. You often switch from heat to AC in the same day and back again. ***
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching. ***
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events including weddings.
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
9. You design your kid's (in my case, my own) Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. ***
10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow. ***
11. You know all 5 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, road construction, & It's Hot. ***
12. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
13. Down south means Kentucky to you. ***
14. A brat is something you eat.
15. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
16. You go out to a tailgate party every Friday.
17. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
18. You find 0 degrees a "little chilly." ***
19. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Indiana friends. (What's not to understand?)
I decided to really show my true Hoosier colours (which, by the way, are not red and white), and put stars next to the ones that, at some point in my life, I have thought/experienced. I hope everyone gets a good laugh out of this one.
Jeff Foxworthy on Indiana.................
If someone in a store offers you assistance & they don't work there, you might live in Indiana. ***
If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Indiana. ***
If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Indiana.
If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Indiana.
YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE HOOSIER WHEN:
1. Vacation means going north or south on I-65 for the weekend. ***
2. You measure distance in hours. ***
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once. ***
4. You often switch from heat to AC in the same day and back again. ***
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching. ***
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events including weddings.
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
9. You design your kid's (in my case, my own) Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. ***
10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow. ***
11. You know all 5 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, road construction, & It's Hot. ***
12. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
13. Down south means Kentucky to you. ***
14. A brat is something you eat.
15. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
16. You go out to a tailgate party every Friday.
17. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
18. You find 0 degrees a "little chilly." ***
19. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Indiana friends. (What's not to understand?)
I decided to really show my true Hoosier colours (which, by the way, are not red and white), and put stars next to the ones that, at some point in my life, I have thought/experienced. I hope everyone gets a good laugh out of this one.
18 March 2006
It's Raining!
I peeked outside this morning after getting up, only to see-- RAIN!!! Now if you don't live around here, let me explain. About a week or so ago, they announced on the news we had gone 150 days with less than a quarter-inch of rain. In fact, on day 97 (I think!) we got three-one-hundreths of an inch, which was the first measurable rain for 97 days. (I'm pretty impressed that such an inconsequential amount of rain is called "measurable".)
Yesterday morning, I was brushing my teeth when I heard a strange noise on our roof. We live on the top floor of our apartments, and pigeons tend to hang out around the air-conditioning units (why, I have no idea), so I thought it was just the birds. I looked outside and told Chad that it must be cold, because people were really bundled up-- and then I realised that it was raining. But I think our ensuing excitement must have scared it away, because it was gone when I went outside five minutes later. I think this morning's shower may be already gone, too.
Anyway, at nine o' clock this morning, tea cup in hand, I went outside to have a closer look at the rain, and thus became one of those people who goes outside dressed in a bathrobe and sweats early in the morning. (Well, early for a Saturday morning.) But, it was totally worth it. And a great opportunity for a prayer of thanksgiving.
And another ETA:
I'm adding the Myers Brothers Band to my list of family/friends blogs (hey, I may not know them well, but I have known them for a while!). I'm assuming, again, that most people who wander on here have at least a vague idea of who they are-- so pop on over to their blog and give them a listen. And if you don't know who they are-- same recommendation.
Yesterday morning, I was brushing my teeth when I heard a strange noise on our roof. We live on the top floor of our apartments, and pigeons tend to hang out around the air-conditioning units (why, I have no idea), so I thought it was just the birds. I looked outside and told Chad that it must be cold, because people were really bundled up-- and then I realised that it was raining. But I think our ensuing excitement must have scared it away, because it was gone when I went outside five minutes later. I think this morning's shower may be already gone, too.
Anyway, at nine o' clock this morning, tea cup in hand, I went outside to have a closer look at the rain, and thus became one of those people who goes outside dressed in a bathrobe and sweats early in the morning. (Well, early for a Saturday morning.) But, it was totally worth it. And a great opportunity for a prayer of thanksgiving.
And another ETA:
I'm adding the Myers Brothers Band to my list of family/friends blogs (hey, I may not know them well, but I have known them for a while!). I'm assuming, again, that most people who wander on here have at least a vague idea of who they are-- so pop on over to their blog and give them a listen. And if you don't know who they are-- same recommendation.
17 March 2006
Computers: can't live with 'em, can't use 'em for target practise because they cost too much
Well, I am able to view my blog now (apparently my credentials checked out), but I only get the archives section. Oh, and the last two posts on the list of recent posts. Sigh. I hope no-one out there is looking for me today.
Another week has come and gone, and I am once again up against a weekend. This weekend, however, will be spent typing up notes from Judges and Ruth, for myself and to share with the kids in Bible bowl. So I'm going to start on that as soon as I finish emptying my brain here.
I went to the gym last night, did some weights, had a really good cardio workout, and was just getting off the elliptical machine when someone approached to tell me a Pilates class was starting. I was dripping with sweat, totally flushed (all over), and looking forward to a cool-down ride home, so what do I say? "Okay, I'll try it!" (I didn't used to be a moron. What happened?) Anyway, it was an enjoyable class, but I got home much, much later than I intended. Oh, well, not a problem once in a while. Unfortunately, two of the class instructors now know my name... may have to run and hide when I see them coming...
Edited to add:
I've added a few things on my sidebar, but the one I wanted to point out is the blog link to Rebecca Evans, who is currently teaching school in Uganda. She is from Lubbock, and attended the South Plains congregation as a matter of fact. I put her in the "family and friends" section, even though technically we are only acquaintances, on the basis that she is my sister in Christ! Anyway, I wanted to give a little attention to her direction. (One note: when I tried to check it, it seemed that her blog was working about as well as mine. I hope it will be up again soon.)
Another week has come and gone, and I am once again up against a weekend. This weekend, however, will be spent typing up notes from Judges and Ruth, for myself and to share with the kids in Bible bowl. So I'm going to start on that as soon as I finish emptying my brain here.
I went to the gym last night, did some weights, had a really good cardio workout, and was just getting off the elliptical machine when someone approached to tell me a Pilates class was starting. I was dripping with sweat, totally flushed (all over), and looking forward to a cool-down ride home, so what do I say? "Okay, I'll try it!" (I didn't used to be a moron. What happened?) Anyway, it was an enjoyable class, but I got home much, much later than I intended. Oh, well, not a problem once in a while. Unfortunately, two of the class instructors now know my name... may have to run and hide when I see them coming...
Edited to add:
I've added a few things on my sidebar, but the one I wanted to point out is the blog link to Rebecca Evans, who is currently teaching school in Uganda. She is from Lubbock, and attended the South Plains congregation as a matter of fact. I put her in the "family and friends" section, even though technically we are only acquaintances, on the basis that she is my sister in Christ! Anyway, I wanted to give a little attention to her direction. (One note: when I tried to check it, it seemed that her blog was working about as well as mine. I hope it will be up again soon.)
16 March 2006
How'd that happen?
I've now tried three times to look at my blog, b/c I made some template changes, either last night or this morning, can't remember which, and I want to look at them. But I have now gotten the same message three times:
You are not authorized to view this page
You might not have permission to view this directory or page using the credentials you supplied.
I am not authorised to view my blog, apparently. Too bad my own credentials don't meet my own exacting standards to view my own blog. Eh?
Anyway, viewing my blog is actually a small matter to me right now, b/c I have something to share of actual value for a change. I was at Camp Adventure off and on this week-- the building is pretty close to my work, so I skipped on over at lunch a couple of times, plus we went to the evening stuff. So on Wednesday at lunch, I walked to the building hoping to hear a couple of letters from Aim students on the field, see some friends, etc. When I walked in, Kris Smith was in the middle of a story about visiting the Aim students in the Ukraine. He asked one of the girls what she was going to do first when she got back to the States, and she told him that she would buy some new shoes. The shoes she was wearing at the time were getting worn out, with holes in them and the sole parting company with the rest of the shoe. As Kris was describing the shoes, I was thinking, "I hear ya." If you didn't read my post about needing new shoes-- I walk just about everywhere and am quickly wearing my own shoes out. SO, a couple of weeks later, Kris gets an e-mail from this girl telling him that she was wrong, and she doesn't need new shoes. She had noticed that one of the Ukrainians (and possibly more than one) had shoes that were much, much more worn than her own, so she decided that she could do with hers as they were.
Well, obviously, I decided that I don't need new shoes. I am getting holes and worn-down treads, but they still work, and thus far the soles are sticking with the uppers on my shoes. So I had a conversation with God as I walked back to the office, and we made a list of all the things that I want, which I frequently refer to as "needs", that I don't actually need. I'm not going to repeat the list here, except to say: 1. New Shoes.
The day may come when I discuss the 5 month+ drought we've got going on here, but it is not this day. Today, we go to bed!
You are not authorized to view this page
You might not have permission to view this directory or page using the credentials you supplied.
I am not authorised to view my blog, apparently. Too bad my own credentials don't meet my own exacting standards to view my own blog. Eh?
Anyway, viewing my blog is actually a small matter to me right now, b/c I have something to share of actual value for a change. I was at Camp Adventure off and on this week-- the building is pretty close to my work, so I skipped on over at lunch a couple of times, plus we went to the evening stuff. So on Wednesday at lunch, I walked to the building hoping to hear a couple of letters from Aim students on the field, see some friends, etc. When I walked in, Kris Smith was in the middle of a story about visiting the Aim students in the Ukraine. He asked one of the girls what she was going to do first when she got back to the States, and she told him that she would buy some new shoes. The shoes she was wearing at the time were getting worn out, with holes in them and the sole parting company with the rest of the shoe. As Kris was describing the shoes, I was thinking, "I hear ya." If you didn't read my post about needing new shoes-- I walk just about everywhere and am quickly wearing my own shoes out. SO, a couple of weeks later, Kris gets an e-mail from this girl telling him that she was wrong, and she doesn't need new shoes. She had noticed that one of the Ukrainians (and possibly more than one) had shoes that were much, much more worn than her own, so she decided that she could do with hers as they were.
Well, obviously, I decided that I don't need new shoes. I am getting holes and worn-down treads, but they still work, and thus far the soles are sticking with the uppers on my shoes. So I had a conversation with God as I walked back to the office, and we made a list of all the things that I want, which I frequently refer to as "needs", that I don't actually need. I'm not going to repeat the list here, except to say: 1. New Shoes.
The day may come when I discuss the 5 month+ drought we've got going on here, but it is not this day. Today, we go to bed!
14 March 2006
One Day More
What can I say, the Les Miserables soundtrack is in my head more or less all the time, so this brilliant song at the conclusion of Act One is bouncing around in there right now. And I must say, while I liked this song before ever seeing the musical in person, it was much, much more impressive live. And now it's tied for my favourite song in the musical, with "Do You Hear the People Sing?"Thursday and Friday we had some nasty wind, accompanied (as it usually is around here) by flying dirt. Saturday gave us a bit of a reprive, which lasted (as it turned out) into early Sunday morning. So on Sunday, we rode our newly-repaired bikes to church. Now it's just over 3 miles from our apartment to South Plains. This is a trip we've taken many, many times before, but it's been a few months so we're out of condition, and the light wind that we had on Sunday was against us on the way there. Neither of these things were a problem.
Problem: When we walked out of church at noon, the wind had picked up again (I heard later the gusts were 60+ mph), and had picked up the dust to go with it. So we had a couple of options: Take the bikes home, or find a lift home and get the bikes later. Since there was no hope of the wind settling down within a couple of hours, we decided to ride home and hope for the best. There were plenty of points along the route when I didn't even bother to pedal, because I was being pushed along by the wind-- and at one stoplight, I was almost swept off my feet (quite literally) by an unexpected, and very strong, gust. Anyway, we went the long way around, to avoid being blown into traffic, so we didn't get home any more quickly than we had gotten there that morning (despite my joking that we would be home in 15 minutes). The wind, incidentially, continued throughout most of the night, but it was calm by Monday morning. And has been so ever since, although the cold front that blew in is still around. (Typical... last week we had multiple days of 70+ weather; this week, spring break, it's been in the 50s.)
I've run across a couple of blogs lately belonging to people I do not know, so I won't name them here, except to say that clicking on the "random blog" button or one of the "recently updated" blogs can yield some surprising, and rewarding, results. (But not all the time, so please don't blame me if you end up on the I-hate-everything-including-you blog.)
12 March 2006
Tennis shoes and Sandals
So we went to the Aim graduation banquet last night, probably the last one we'll attend-- at least until we start meeting more Aim students. I knew about 5 people in the graduating class, one of them being the younger sister of my own Aim teammate. But in the last class and the current class, I know a grand total of zero (0) people. So I do not see many Aim graduations in my future.
And I only write about it here because of what I wore. Now, I am not at all a normal 20-something woman who knows all about clothes and shoes. If I ruled the world, we'd all wear scrubs to work, capris and T-shirts in our spare time, and skirts and tights would be banned. And high heels (although I have no objection to platform shoes). Anyway, I do normally dress up for Aim banquets, but this year, we had to walk there (or, as I've heard it said, we took the "shoe-leather express"). So we both went in slacks, nice tops, and tennis shoes. The best outfit in the world can be made to look very casual when you put tennis shoes on with it.
As often happens to those who use their shoes a lot, Chad and I both need new ones. I have three pairs of tennis shoes, he has two, and none of them have any tread left. Well, that's kind of important. And when we buy shoes this time, we'll have to get good quality, substantial ones that can stand up to us walking a few miles every day. So this will take some looking, comparison shopping, and so on. If anyone would like to offer suggestions, they would be highly appreciated, because I know next to nothing about shoes. I know which foot they go on, and that's about it.
And as we were walking, we were talking about God and his promises. I am so blessed to have a husband who cares passionately about studying the Bible and sharing what he's learned. But our topic led my brain to wander and think about Jesus and his disciples, who walked everywhere they went (no cycling for them!) wearing sandals. And not the comfortable sandals we have today. I don't know what their shoes were made of, although I would guess either wood or some reeds woven together in a complicated way. And they walked for miles in them! I discussed this with Chad and a friend of ours (another younger sibling of my former teammate) after the banquet last night, and Chad pointed out that the sandal-wearing was the reason for the practise of washing feet being an integral part of hospitality at the time. Personally, I also think this is why they ate lying down-- just to get your feet elevated a bit and off the ground. As someone who has experienced a blood clot in my leg from too much standing, I shudder to think what it would be like to have one in an age in which not only was it undiagnosable, but it was certainly untreatable! Anyway, I don't know if they had the same kind of thorns and sticker bushes to deal with as we do, but I imagine there was some form of it. I can't walk around in sandals without getting a sticker in my toes. So what a walk that must have been for Jesus and his disciples-- going along, dust blowing, hot day, and every few feet someone has to stop to remove a thorn from his foot. And another thing we talked about last night was blisters. Did people in that time develop some serious callouses an early age, so that their feet would not be continually covered in blisters? I would certainly hope so. I hate to think the shape my feet would be in if I walked to work, or to church (4 and 3 miles away, respectively), in sandals. I wouldn't be walking for a few days after that, that's for sure.
Okay, so I've written an entire post about shoes. I can't believe it. Oh, and just as a side note, I saw a friend from waaay back in my summer camp days last night. He's in town to visit someone over spring break, and he came to the Aim banquet as well (he is also an ex-Aimer). So it was cool to see him, and maybe we'll have a chance to catch up a bit this week.
And I only write about it here because of what I wore. Now, I am not at all a normal 20-something woman who knows all about clothes and shoes. If I ruled the world, we'd all wear scrubs to work, capris and T-shirts in our spare time, and skirts and tights would be banned. And high heels (although I have no objection to platform shoes). Anyway, I do normally dress up for Aim banquets, but this year, we had to walk there (or, as I've heard it said, we took the "shoe-leather express"). So we both went in slacks, nice tops, and tennis shoes. The best outfit in the world can be made to look very casual when you put tennis shoes on with it.
As often happens to those who use their shoes a lot, Chad and I both need new ones. I have three pairs of tennis shoes, he has two, and none of them have any tread left. Well, that's kind of important. And when we buy shoes this time, we'll have to get good quality, substantial ones that can stand up to us walking a few miles every day. So this will take some looking, comparison shopping, and so on. If anyone would like to offer suggestions, they would be highly appreciated, because I know next to nothing about shoes. I know which foot they go on, and that's about it.
And as we were walking, we were talking about God and his promises. I am so blessed to have a husband who cares passionately about studying the Bible and sharing what he's learned. But our topic led my brain to wander and think about Jesus and his disciples, who walked everywhere they went (no cycling for them!) wearing sandals. And not the comfortable sandals we have today. I don't know what their shoes were made of, although I would guess either wood or some reeds woven together in a complicated way. And they walked for miles in them! I discussed this with Chad and a friend of ours (another younger sibling of my former teammate) after the banquet last night, and Chad pointed out that the sandal-wearing was the reason for the practise of washing feet being an integral part of hospitality at the time. Personally, I also think this is why they ate lying down-- just to get your feet elevated a bit and off the ground. As someone who has experienced a blood clot in my leg from too much standing, I shudder to think what it would be like to have one in an age in which not only was it undiagnosable, but it was certainly untreatable! Anyway, I don't know if they had the same kind of thorns and sticker bushes to deal with as we do, but I imagine there was some form of it. I can't walk around in sandals without getting a sticker in my toes. So what a walk that must have been for Jesus and his disciples-- going along, dust blowing, hot day, and every few feet someone has to stop to remove a thorn from his foot. And another thing we talked about last night was blisters. Did people in that time develop some serious callouses an early age, so that their feet would not be continually covered in blisters? I would certainly hope so. I hate to think the shape my feet would be in if I walked to work, or to church (4 and 3 miles away, respectively), in sandals. I wouldn't be walking for a few days after that, that's for sure.
Okay, so I've written an entire post about shoes. I can't believe it. Oh, and just as a side note, I saw a friend from waaay back in my summer camp days last night. He's in town to visit someone over spring break, and he came to the Aim banquet as well (he is also an ex-Aimer). So it was cool to see him, and maybe we'll have a chance to catch up a bit this week.
11 March 2006
Before Going to the Gym
I just checked my e-mail and in it were the prayer requests from our Bible class last Sunday. And mine was phrased thusly: "Susan-- Grandpa broke hip & family." Now to be fair, I think that is how my husband wrote it down. However, while my grandfather does indeed have a broken hip, he did not break his family. We are all still in one piece. I really hope everyone else find it as amusing as I did. As far as Grandpa goes, apparently he will be in hospital for at least a week. Our phone card ran out of minutes on Wednesday, and we don't have a cell phone (pauses for gasps of horror), so I haven't talked to them in a couple of days. I just get my information from my brother's blog.
Yesterday! I bought a new coat! That may seem like a lot of excitement for what is actually a very small deal, however it can be substantiated. My last coat I've now had for seven winters. It was a thrift store find in Glasgow, one of those with two layers- an outer windbreaker and an inner fleece jacket- that can be worn together or separately. And when they are together, it is the warmest jacket I've ever owned. So I've been reluctant to part with it, but it has been steadily deteriorating over the past few years of wear, and after my bike accident last fall, the windbreader now has two irreperable tears in the sleeve. So I decided to wait until winter coats went on sale, and get a new one as much like the old one as possible. I had anticipated it would take most of my day today to (1)ride my bike to the mall, (2)find a place to park it, and (3)look in several stores until I either found something I liked at a reasonable price or gave up in frustration. Well, while sitting at work yesterday, I decided that Chad and I should walk to Kmart (pauses for a second gasp of horror) after work and see if there was anything available that would be suitable. So after a rather windy (and life-threatening-- some of these people should have their driver's licenses revoked) walk to Kmart, we walked straight to a rack of exactly what I was looking for. Not only does it have two detachable layers, but the inner layer is reversible, and it's a nice lime green. The only drawback to this new jacket is that the outer layer isn't wind- or waterproof. But I am still pretty happy about it.
Chad is getting our bikes fixed this morning (another reason against riding my bike to the mall) and I'm going to the gym. I've been doing cardio workouts all week in our mini-gym at work, but I need to do some weights, too, and thus far I've been avoiding it. Fortunately, there aren't many people at the gym at this time on a Saturday, so I can take my time figuring out how much weight, how many reps, etc. And if I am totally bewildered by any given piece of equipment (which seems likely), I can ask without feeling too dumb.
Tonight is the Aim graduation banquet, for... I think the class that began in 2003. This is the only class in recent years of which I know quite a few people. After being an assistant for the 2000 & 2001 classes, I haven't really kept up with them. And, quite honestly, it's hard for the Aim students themselves to be interested in talking to someone who is outside their realm. I found that out when I tried talking to various people in the current class, early in the year. And goodness knows I remember what that was like-- there are too many new people, new sights, new experiences, and so on to want to add anything extra. Even going to the grocery store was an exercise in "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto" for me. Anyway, the banquet also is the beginning of Camp Adventure, and it is a time to see friends we don't really see apart from this time of year. And a friend of Chad's from California is the main speaker during the week, so we always enjoy getting to see him.
Until next time...
Yesterday! I bought a new coat! That may seem like a lot of excitement for what is actually a very small deal, however it can be substantiated. My last coat I've now had for seven winters. It was a thrift store find in Glasgow, one of those with two layers- an outer windbreaker and an inner fleece jacket- that can be worn together or separately. And when they are together, it is the warmest jacket I've ever owned. So I've been reluctant to part with it, but it has been steadily deteriorating over the past few years of wear, and after my bike accident last fall, the windbreader now has two irreperable tears in the sleeve. So I decided to wait until winter coats went on sale, and get a new one as much like the old one as possible. I had anticipated it would take most of my day today to (1)ride my bike to the mall, (2)find a place to park it, and (3)look in several stores until I either found something I liked at a reasonable price or gave up in frustration. Well, while sitting at work yesterday, I decided that Chad and I should walk to Kmart (pauses for a second gasp of horror) after work and see if there was anything available that would be suitable. So after a rather windy (and life-threatening-- some of these people should have their driver's licenses revoked) walk to Kmart, we walked straight to a rack of exactly what I was looking for. Not only does it have two detachable layers, but the inner layer is reversible, and it's a nice lime green. The only drawback to this new jacket is that the outer layer isn't wind- or waterproof. But I am still pretty happy about it.
Chad is getting our bikes fixed this morning (another reason against riding my bike to the mall) and I'm going to the gym. I've been doing cardio workouts all week in our mini-gym at work, but I need to do some weights, too, and thus far I've been avoiding it. Fortunately, there aren't many people at the gym at this time on a Saturday, so I can take my time figuring out how much weight, how many reps, etc. And if I am totally bewildered by any given piece of equipment (which seems likely), I can ask without feeling too dumb.
Tonight is the Aim graduation banquet, for... I think the class that began in 2003. This is the only class in recent years of which I know quite a few people. After being an assistant for the 2000 & 2001 classes, I haven't really kept up with them. And, quite honestly, it's hard for the Aim students themselves to be interested in talking to someone who is outside their realm. I found that out when I tried talking to various people in the current class, early in the year. And goodness knows I remember what that was like-- there are too many new people, new sights, new experiences, and so on to want to add anything extra. Even going to the grocery store was an exercise in "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto" for me. Anyway, the banquet also is the beginning of Camp Adventure, and it is a time to see friends we don't really see apart from this time of year. And a friend of Chad's from California is the main speaker during the week, so we always enjoy getting to see him.
Until next time...
07 March 2006
We're supposed to sing about Piratey things
This Sunday at Bible Bowl, we're teaching the last three chapters of Judges. If you haven't read them in a while, they are an example of just how evil Israel could be. I'm not repeating the content here, mostly because everyone who will be reading my blog owns a Bible and can read it themselves. But our skit for the evening is "A Pirate Adventure." It was really entertaining reading it Sunday evening, because everyone uses a different accent, and because the person who wrote the script generally includes a few spelling errors for our entertainment. (For example, in one of my lines, I say, "Not even a bite!" However, the script reads, "Not even a bight!") I am naturally using a Scottish accent, because it tends to lend itself to moments like these (my apologies to any Scots reading this whose ancestors were not pirates), and also because that way I can say pretty much anything I want and none of the children or other teachers will understand. Well, except for Chad, of course. We have the evening off from actual teaching, which is a relief because we haven't had a week off yet. Actually, we got the week off because I wrote the review questions for these chapters, and told everyone else in no uncertain terms that there was no way I was teaching them. And they took me seriously.
Now that I have my links going at the side, here's a quick rundown of what they are: Google news-- duh. South Plains is the website for the church we currently attend. AIM is the abbreviation for Adventures in Missions, a program that allows college students to experience missions firsthand (and of which I am a graduate!). Know Truth is a website run by a couple of friends of ours, which talks about absolute truth and the existence of God. LOTR caption page has a lot of stills from the LOTR movies, along with some very funny captions about those pictures. Some are stories, some are stand-alone, and some are a bit questionable, just by way of warning. And the last one is for Best Smileys, the index of the emoticons I use-- there are a lot of good ones on there.
Now that we are over a week past the end of the Olympics, and the Paralypmics are about to start (on March 10), the hype is (more or less) forgotten, the soveniers are bought and, most likely, stashed in a corner somewhere, and our TVs are long since tuned to something else. And while I enjoy the Olympics, I only mention them here because I am still so encouraged by people like Joey Cheek, Clara Huges, and Yang Yang A. who used their Olympian status to bring attention to Right to Play. And I didn't see interviews with either Clara or Yang, but Joey Cheek used a lot of his interview time talking about Right to Play and why it is a good cause. So thanks to these athletes, and the others who donated who haven't been mentioned by name, for bringing some sense of dignity and what has been called "the Olympic spirit" back to the reputation of the athletes. Unfortunately, some others of the athletes really gave them all a bad name this time around. And I'll be adding the Right to Play website to my list of links shortly.
This post is getting kind of long, but what can I say? I'm long-winded. Today was the primary election in Texas. An acquaintence of ours from church is running for judge, and the results so far are very much not in his favour. But, the only ones posted are from early voting and they were expecting turnout today to be higher than turnout all through early voting. So I'm keeping a pretty close eye on the results as they come up. Turnout locally was expected to be pretty high, due to a rather heated, and pretty ugly, campaign for a Texas House seat. The incumbent is well on top at the moment, and I'm pretty happy about that because the challenger went negative-- and I mean way negative-- first. So I have to say, it totally serves him right should he be defeated.
And, finally, we saw Hotel Rwanda on Sunday night. That is one powerful movie, one which certainly earned all its nominations and awards. I was warned to take some tissues with me to see it, which it turns out I didn't need, but it was pretty close. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means, do so. But be prepared; it is a close look at one of the most horrific moments in recent history. I can't speak for everyone who was watching, but I know I felt this; when the U.S. failed to help these people, and in fact wanted to pull out the few UN peacekeepers who were there... to say we messed up is inadequate. We blew it. Completely. I hope we've learned from our previous foreign policy mistakes, but as we all know, the only thing people ever learn from history is that no one ever learns anything from history. Rwanda is now one of the most stable countries in the world, but what a terrible price they had to pay to get there.
Well, I finished this abnormally long post on a down note, I'm afraid. But if you've stuck it out to get to the end of this post; thank you. You deserve a medal.
Now that I have my links going at the side, here's a quick rundown of what they are: Google news-- duh. South Plains is the website for the church we currently attend. AIM is the abbreviation for Adventures in Missions, a program that allows college students to experience missions firsthand (and of which I am a graduate!). Know Truth is a website run by a couple of friends of ours, which talks about absolute truth and the existence of God. LOTR caption page has a lot of stills from the LOTR movies, along with some very funny captions about those pictures. Some are stories, some are stand-alone, and some are a bit questionable, just by way of warning. And the last one is for Best Smileys, the index of the emoticons I use-- there are a lot of good ones on there.
Now that we are over a week past the end of the Olympics, and the Paralypmics are about to start (on March 10), the hype is (more or less) forgotten, the soveniers are bought and, most likely, stashed in a corner somewhere, and our TVs are long since tuned to something else. And while I enjoy the Olympics, I only mention them here because I am still so encouraged by people like Joey Cheek, Clara Huges, and Yang Yang A. who used their Olympian status to bring attention to Right to Play. And I didn't see interviews with either Clara or Yang, but Joey Cheek used a lot of his interview time talking about Right to Play and why it is a good cause. So thanks to these athletes, and the others who donated who haven't been mentioned by name, for bringing some sense of dignity and what has been called "the Olympic spirit" back to the reputation of the athletes. Unfortunately, some others of the athletes really gave them all a bad name this time around. And I'll be adding the Right to Play website to my list of links shortly.
This post is getting kind of long, but what can I say? I'm long-winded. Today was the primary election in Texas. An acquaintence of ours from church is running for judge, and the results so far are very much not in his favour. But, the only ones posted are from early voting and they were expecting turnout today to be higher than turnout all through early voting. So I'm keeping a pretty close eye on the results as they come up. Turnout locally was expected to be pretty high, due to a rather heated, and pretty ugly, campaign for a Texas House seat. The incumbent is well on top at the moment, and I'm pretty happy about that because the challenger went negative-- and I mean way negative-- first. So I have to say, it totally serves him right should he be defeated.
And, finally, we saw Hotel Rwanda on Sunday night. That is one powerful movie, one which certainly earned all its nominations and awards. I was warned to take some tissues with me to see it, which it turns out I didn't need, but it was pretty close. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means, do so. But be prepared; it is a close look at one of the most horrific moments in recent history. I can't speak for everyone who was watching, but I know I felt this; when the U.S. failed to help these people, and in fact wanted to pull out the few UN peacekeepers who were there... to say we messed up is inadequate. We blew it. Completely. I hope we've learned from our previous foreign policy mistakes, but as we all know, the only thing people ever learn from history is that no one ever learns anything from history. Rwanda is now one of the most stable countries in the world, but what a terrible price they had to pay to get there.
Well, I finished this abnormally long post on a down note, I'm afraid. But if you've stuck it out to get to the end of this post; thank you. You deserve a medal.
Good morning
It's almost time for me to go to work! Grandpa had his surgery last night, and all went well. I was on the phone with my siblings until about 10, when they were able to go into his room and I really needed to go to bed. But at least I got to hear that he was out of recovery and in a regular room.
The birds are wide awake outside-- I seriously don't know how anyone could sleep through the birds getting up. And they don't sleep in on the weekends. It's nice of them to announce the day, I suppose. And I do enjoy watching them on the tree outside our window.
Time to go... more soon, I hope.
The birds are wide awake outside-- I seriously don't know how anyone could sleep through the birds getting up. And they don't sleep in on the weekends. It's nice of them to announce the day, I suppose. And I do enjoy watching them on the tree outside our window.
Time to go... more soon, I hope.
04 March 2006
Update
Well, I'm having trouble getting to my previous post to update, so I'll just post a new one. Grandpa has broken his hip and, as my brother put it, he'll be staying in that $1,000-per night hotel room until his team of various doctors can be consulted regarding surgery. Any prayers sent his way will be appreciated.
Waiting
I just got off the phone with my brother. Our grandfather fell down earlier this afternoon, landing on his hip, and he couldn't get up again. So they are now at the hospital, and I'm waiting on a call back from my brother once they know something.
Both of my grandparents are really calm right now, which is something. Of course, Grandpa has been in poor health for about 20 years, so they are more or less accustomed to the routine. And on a lighter note, the paramedics had to take Grandpa out of the house through the window! My grandparents' bedroom is at the end of a narrow hallway, with a fairly narrow doorway added to that, so with Grandpa on a backboard there was no negotiating the turn. So out the window he went. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I would give a whole lot to have been in the room when they took him out. Or- even better- standing outside. Hee.
Both of my grandparents are really calm right now, which is something. Of course, Grandpa has been in poor health for about 20 years, so they are more or less accustomed to the routine. And on a lighter note, the paramedics had to take Grandpa out of the house through the window! My grandparents' bedroom is at the end of a narrow hallway, with a fairly narrow doorway added to that, so with Grandpa on a backboard there was no negotiating the turn. So out the window he went. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I would give a whole lot to have been in the room when they took him out. Or- even better- standing outside. Hee.
03 March 2006
Friday morning
I love walking. Especially early in the morning. One of the upsides to being car-free is that I get to take the bus quite a bit-- and today was one of those days. So I got off the bus about a mile from the office and had a nice walk the rest of the way.
On my mind this morning was an e-mail I got last night about how women can safeguard themselves, to some extent, from being abducted. Apparently women with long hair are more likely to be a target (the reason being the the hair is easy to grab on to). Also the prime time for abduction is between 5:30 - 8:30 am. Well, I have 2 out of 2 right there. So I was more jittery, and certainly more aware of my surroundings, than usual this morning.
My morning started off pretty funny; our apartments have access gates, and when I went out, the doorknob came off in my hand. That's never happened before. And on the bus, I overheard a man talking about the bus he normally takes, which had "about 60 kids on it this morning." Well, I could guess what was coming next, so I stayed tuned. The woman he was speaking to thought he was talking about schoolchildren, I think, but it turns out he was talking about the Aim students, and he said some really nice things about them in the course of his conversation. So if there are any Aim students, or assistants, reading this: People are watching. Keep up the good work.
But what really made me feel particularly alive and happy this morning were the daffodils. Now I know we've had a mild winter, so it's no surprise that flowers are blooming, but I have also seen these same flowers brave the ice of Scotland this time of year. Daffodils are gifts sent from God, just as everything else on earth is, but flowers that bloom while there is still snow on the ground (in some places) are an extra-special blessing. It's almost as though God is saying, "Don't worry- spring is coming, look, here are some flowers to tide you over."
Okay, well, that turned out more sappy than I intended, but that's the kind of morning I had. :) I also thought of the new series of Visa commercials (the Life takes... Visa ones) as I was walking, and decided, I feel more like I'm participating in life when I'm out walking at this time of day. And I can't think of a better way to start a Friday.
On my mind this morning was an e-mail I got last night about how women can safeguard themselves, to some extent, from being abducted. Apparently women with long hair are more likely to be a target (the reason being the the hair is easy to grab on to). Also the prime time for abduction is between 5:30 - 8:30 am. Well, I have 2 out of 2 right there. So I was more jittery, and certainly more aware of my surroundings, than usual this morning.
My morning started off pretty funny; our apartments have access gates, and when I went out, the doorknob came off in my hand. That's never happened before. And on the bus, I overheard a man talking about the bus he normally takes, which had "about 60 kids on it this morning." Well, I could guess what was coming next, so I stayed tuned. The woman he was speaking to thought he was talking about schoolchildren, I think, but it turns out he was talking about the Aim students, and he said some really nice things about them in the course of his conversation. So if there are any Aim students, or assistants, reading this: People are watching. Keep up the good work.
But what really made me feel particularly alive and happy this morning were the daffodils. Now I know we've had a mild winter, so it's no surprise that flowers are blooming, but I have also seen these same flowers brave the ice of Scotland this time of year. Daffodils are gifts sent from God, just as everything else on earth is, but flowers that bloom while there is still snow on the ground (in some places) are an extra-special blessing. It's almost as though God is saying, "Don't worry- spring is coming, look, here are some flowers to tide you over."
Okay, well, that turned out more sappy than I intended, but that's the kind of morning I had. :) I also thought of the new series of Visa commercials (the Life takes... Visa ones) as I was walking, and decided, I feel more like I'm participating in life when I'm out walking at this time of day. And I can't think of a better way to start a Friday.
02 March 2006
Conversation Starters
Every week... seriously, this has been the case for the last five months or so... I get to Wednesday and think, "Really? It's Wednesday already? This week is flying by!" Then, by 3:00 on Thursday, I'm thinking, "It's only Thursday? This week is NEVER going to end!"
This has been a week of good conversations for me. Not all of them have been fun ones, but there have been a lot of good ones. And the unfun ones tend to lead to growth for me, so I can't really be sad about that, can I? It all started with some very good conversations with God, which leads naturally to conversations with friends, coworkers, and my husband. I've been praying (among other things) to hear God's voice and to see areas in my life that need growth. So it happens that this has been a week of frustration, in which Chad has had to bear with me more than usual. :) I love him so much.
I was talking with a coworker, in one of these conversations, about reading the Bible. It swung round to me saying that I frequently read the Bible and think, "ouch." For instance, I read in Judges about God doing amazing things for Israel, only for the Israelites to desert God in favor of Baal. Over and over again, he draws them back and they go their own way. Ouch.
This picture is from our first Sunday of Bible Bowl; not the best shot, although Chad and I are both in it. Well, you can see my hair. :) The mummy in the background is an actual person, who came to life and chased Scooby and Co. around the stage at one point in the skit (I was backstage and didn't get to see it, but the screams coming from up front were enough to keep us all rolling with laughter in the back.).
Chad made some brilliant spaghetti for our dinner; I usually make the sauce myself, but this time he bought some stuff in a jar that was just amazing. And I would recommend it to all, but I can't remember the name. Garden fresh something or other, I think-- it had tons of veggies in it. Really good stuff. And afterwards we went for a walk to enjoy the really nice evening. The neighbourhood we live in is great for walking in (which is good, since that's all we do!). The sunset was very orange tonight-- it was brilliant. Oh, and two dogs were following us for a while. I don't know if that means anything.
This has been a week of good conversations for me. Not all of them have been fun ones, but there have been a lot of good ones. And the unfun ones tend to lead to growth for me, so I can't really be sad about that, can I? It all started with some very good conversations with God, which leads naturally to conversations with friends, coworkers, and my husband. I've been praying (among other things) to hear God's voice and to see areas in my life that need growth. So it happens that this has been a week of frustration, in which Chad has had to bear with me more than usual. :) I love him so much.
I was talking with a coworker, in one of these conversations, about reading the Bible. It swung round to me saying that I frequently read the Bible and think, "ouch." For instance, I read in Judges about God doing amazing things for Israel, only for the Israelites to desert God in favor of Baal. Over and over again, he draws them back and they go their own way. Ouch.
This picture is from our first Sunday of Bible Bowl; not the best shot, although Chad and I are both in it. Well, you can see my hair. :) The mummy in the background is an actual person, who came to life and chased Scooby and Co. around the stage at one point in the skit (I was backstage and didn't get to see it, but the screams coming from up front were enough to keep us all rolling with laughter in the back.).Chad made some brilliant spaghetti for our dinner; I usually make the sauce myself, but this time he bought some stuff in a jar that was just amazing. And I would recommend it to all, but I can't remember the name. Garden fresh something or other, I think-- it had tons of veggies in it. Really good stuff. And afterwards we went for a walk to enjoy the really nice evening. The neighbourhood we live in is great for walking in (which is good, since that's all we do!). The sunset was very orange tonight-- it was brilliant. Oh, and two dogs were following us for a while. I don't know if that means anything.
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