Let's Start Walking

Coming soon...


Good reason to buy a smaller car...

Another good idea...

Picture of my father...

And, finally...

These have been around, of course, so you may have seen them. But now they're around here. :)

Making my life better

So while I was running this evening, the song "If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" came up on my iPod. Now I realise that this song has some dodgy lyrics somewhere around the second verse, but it is the chorus that I like:

If you buy this record your life will be better
Your life will be better
Your life will be better
If you buy this record your life will be better
If you buy
If you buy
If you buy

I don't know what the songwriter's point was, but it makes me smile every time I hear it. This is so the point of all advertising. Sadly, I think we are all far too convinced and pulled in by advertising. So in that way, this song makes me more aware of the tact.

So after this song came on, it made me think of the line in Ten Things I Hate about You, when Kat is lamenting the "meaningless, consumer-driven lives" of her peers. Now while Kat is hardly someone I would choose for an ideal role model, her attitude toward the "everybody's doing it" mindset is great.

Now of course Kat comes round to some extent before the end of the movie, although not quite in the same way as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew. Chad and I saw that as a "Shakespeare in the Park" production a few years ago, and during Kate's speech at the end, Chad poked me and asked, "Are you listening to this?"

Anyway, my life is not better for having bought whatever record it was the song was on. I haven't quite hit the level of hostility of Kat or Kate. I don't go running out and buy everything I see on TV. So I don't really know what that all says about me.

Hurray for Lynne Truss!

The author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves and Talk to the Hand has confirmed, once again, my preference for British writers. Sorry, American and Canadian writers, I know many of you are wonderful as well, and with any luck I will someday join your ranks, but British writers are absolutely unbeatable.

So if you haven't read these books by Lynne Truss, by all means please do so. If you can read the entirety of either one without laughing out loud, then I'm afraid there is really no hope for you.

More on my mother

Karla, here you go... is this anything like what you imagined?

Yeah, Mother in McDonald's was priceless. I had tried to get her attention as she walked past the counter (I was about to order), then told the cashier by way of explanation for my bizarre behaviour, "That's my mother." The cashier, having never met me, was a bit surprised at this, and turned to ask my mother how many children she has. My mother turned, looked at me, and screamed in a way I imagine she would do if suddenly faced with a gun-wielding madman. Then she started to cry, tried to explain her own bizarre behaviour to her coworkers, and ended up just shooing me into the "Employees Only" area. I don't think I'll be doing that again, just because I do not wish to be responsible for my mother's cardiac arrest.

On the upside, if it happened at work, at least she'd be eligible for worker's compensation benefits.

Grace and Madeleine

We've had a visitor from the UK in our clinic the past couple of weeks. Grace is a Churchill Fellow of 2007 and is travelling around the world looking into the use of bacteriophage. Since we (word used loosely-- I am not personally involved) are currently conducting clinical trials on phages at the Wound Care Center, Grace elected to pay us a short visit. She is quite a delightful person and I am so glad to have met her! Please visit her blog to read about her trip to Lubbock and what she has seen/learned while she has been here.


Also, if you have missed the news about the young British girl who was abducted while on holiday in Portugal, Lynn of the Daily Photo blogs has pictures of Madeleine and links to the story of her disappearance, as well as updates on the search. Please go and have a look-- this little girl could be anywhere by now. And also take some time to be praying for her and her family.

Greenfield

So I went to Indiana this weekend, to see my grandfather (he's in the hospital), surprise my family, and generally spread cheer and goodwill to all around me. Sort of.

My mother screamed in McDonalds when she saw me. My sister stepped on my foot. My father thought I was an insurance salesman. My grandfather just smiled and told me he was "Wunnerful" when I asked. (Not all at once.)

I have some photos and a couple of amusing videos that I will probably share, once I get them off my camera and on to my computer.

New Toy

I got my birthday gift a couple of days early-- a shiny blue iPod Shuffle, with Cheeky Su beautifully engraved on the back. Isn't my husband the greatest?

Can't manage a pic that's not blurry. Will try again later.

Denver City

So I went to Denver City last weekend and it was absolutely brilliant, as ever. I never grow tired of seeing those friendly faces. And since I rarely get to go there, I never grow tired of seeing that town, either.

There was some disagreement on the drive out as to where we should turn, and the driver ignored my advice. But I told him how to get to the church once we got to town, anyway.

Anyway, much laughter was shared, much chitchatting took place, and goofiness reigned in the land. One of the teens (who I've now known for almost 11 years) is going to aim this fall, news which delighted me to no end. And I got to spend an hour or so with a delightful elderly woman (I hope she isn't reading this) who I hadn't seen in ages.

Also, I think there may have been a Bible bowl meet taking place while all this was going on.

Tabitha (again)

I know I've posted about her before, but I would again like to express my fondness for this godly woman.

So the next time I'm asked one of those internet-survey-friendly "If you could meet anyone, who would it be?" questions, my answer is Tabitha. I want to chat with her over tea. I want to show her my sewing machine. I want to take her to Hobby Lobby and let her see all the fabrics we have available now-- things she did without. I want to buy some fabric, bring her back to my house, and let her teach me how to make useful things. Maybe I'll teach her how to crochet.

And I'd like to know what she was doing when she wasn't starring in Acts 9.

They don't OWN it!!

This is the least important of the promised posts kicking around in my head, so it goes first!

The other day, our office was all in a dither over the need for a clock that has "military time" on it. Apparently, times must be recorded in the 24-hour clock for our studies. Wait, did you see what I did there? I called it the 24-hour clock, instead of "military time". Why, one might ask, would I do such a thing? Because that is what it is called!! Believe it or not, the military does not own the 24-hour clock. In some countries, everyone uses the 24-hour clock. Even civilians! Amazing!

What is more amazing to me about this little scenario is that we do not attribute everything the military uses to the military. For instance, while people often wear camouflaged clothing, I do not believe I have ever heard an adult refer to them as "military clothes", even though the military wears such things. Medals are given as prizes at various academic, athletic, or scouting events, yet never does the announcer say, "And now for the military awards ceremony!" Why? Because the military does not own all medals! They have no copyright over them!! People go to gun shows, not military weapon shows. The military uses computers, yet I never ask my husband to turn off the piece of military technology. And so on.

Now while I proudly claim my title of "stickler" (thank you, Lynne Truss), I am not usually this anal about things. But this one bugged me.

And the time now is? 19:25!

Celebrate Competent and Know Stuff Day!!

Doesn't matter when you celebrate it, or even how, because we haven't worked out those minor details yet. But if you are unsure of what I am talking about, hop on over to Kar's blog and find out.

Watch this space

I have a great post-- actually, a couple-- running around in my head, and I hope they don't leak out my ears before I have a chance to get them down. But right now I don't have time for getting them down, I'm afraid.

On the upside, I got final Jeopardy! right on Monday.

Running on earth, because space is out of the question

Some of the Earth Day specials last week were amazing. How anyone can see some of the world's most beautiful places and not see God is beyond me. If you missed the broadcasts, you missed out.

My sister was astounded to hear that I wore a dress to the funeral last week. Hey, even I have standards.

I wish I had done something exciting last week that would be worth blogging. In fact, I wish I could remember anything at all that I did last week. It's all gone completely. I did recruit (well, dragooned is a better word) a new running partner, who I dragged from bed at 6 AM on Saturday to run 4 miles. He didn't seem to mind too much, since he talked the entire time. He says he is trying to get me to talk, to make sure I'm not working too hard. I told him the only way I could be both running and not working too hard is to walk instead. Fortunately, he is willing to acquiesce when I request his silence so I can concentrate on getting one foot in front of the other.

I did go to a spa-themed Ladies' Day on Saturday, and amused the other women by my non-touchiness when we tried to give one another massages. I'd really rather go around stiff and tense than have someone (other than Chad, that is) give me a massage. At least they didn't try to hug me.

No, wait, someone did. But I got away.

Something new

Okay, I really hope to make this my last post for the day! So I added a link to "Reverend Fun" to my sidebar, and idea which I stole from Sparquay. Some days are... um... less funny than others, just by way of warning. But go on over and have a look.

I admit it, I copied off of Flee

So I've been singing this song to myself for a few weeks:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light my strength my song
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This Gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till he returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand!

I even tried to learn all the words while working a few weeks ago-- still can't remember all of them. But this song (like so many others) not only points me to Jesus, but also to the church family that I love. The last time we sang this on Sunday morning, I had gone to church without Chad and was sitting with people who I barely know (though I did know who they were). And every time I've thought of this song in the past few weeks, I've been back in that moment, worshipping alongside a brother and sister with whom I have an eternal bond. It hardly matters that our earthly bond is merely "acquaintance".

Thanks, Joe and Linda.

Spring is here

And I would not bother announcing that, except we are certainly getting the spring weather.

I've been reading in the paper lately that we are getting a wetter year than usual because it has been an El Nino year. Apparently, we will (at some point) be coming out of El Nino and into La Nina, which will give us a hot and dry summer. (Causing me to wonder, do we have La Nina every year?)

So, blah blah blah weathercakes, we are under a tornado watch. Again. So I have the window open to watch for the tornado. And if it does make an appearance on my street, I am fully prepared to dive under my bed. Because while I don't mind being the last one to see the tornado, I do mind the tornado being the last thing I see.

Gone, but not forgotten

I went to a very lovely funeral yesterday. This is really a sentence I never imagined I'd type. The funeral was not for someone I knew, although I met him a couple of times. He was the father of a friend. During the course of the eulogy, I thought it is a fitting testimony to what a wonderful man he must have been that everything they said could also be said about his son (our friend). He may be gone, but he will live on in the example he set for the subsequent generations of his family.

Also I hugged people while at the service. I'd hate for that to catch on.

I would be delighted at this sermon...

Bible Bowl: Part 2

I would say that we woke up nice and early on Saturday morning, but some of our group never really went to sleep, and in my hotel room, the awakening was neither nice nor early. Trains went by across the street at 30-minute intervals, which was sufficient to keep a lot of us from getting a good night's sleep, I'm afraid.

We had to load up to go to McDonald's for breakfast, because the hotel did not serve breakfast. Although it is fair to say that none of us really wanted to stick around there any longer than we had to, anyway, still it was an additional snag in our weekend. (By "snag" I mean "unplanned expense".)

So after loading up on fats and carbs, we headed for the church where the competition was held. Someone lost her glasses, quite a few children had early-morning grumpiness, and a couple of the girls apparently had their brains reprogrammed overnight so that all they could say was "Stop it!" to one another in really high-pitched, whiny voices. (Another side note here to say, this is probably the worst-behaved I've ever seen this group of children act, so it's not like I have much to complain about.) After a last-minute behaviour pep talk, we sent the children in to their holding area whilst the coaches went to a meeting. When I was a kid at these things, I used to wonder what it was the adults were all talking about. Now I know: Nothing. Although this meeting did give us a funny moment for the weekend. The man running the meeting prayed for us to all have "safe passage" home, so at the end of the prayer, I turned to Rebecca to ask, "Are we going home by ship?"

And the rest of the day went pretty smoothly. So far as I know the lost glasses were never found, one of the spectators took a phone call during the competition (really annoying the moderator, not to mention everyone else), and our scorekeeper thinks Lubbock is spelt "Lubic". We came home with a few ribbons and trophies.

And for some bizarre reason, they let me choose where to eat supper. I haven't worked that one out yet.

Bible Bowl Weekend: Part 1

I don't know if you'd call this weekend a comedy of errors, or perhaps the lighter bits of a tragedy, or maybe just what happens when a group of people get together and do things.

So on Friday morning Chad and I went to pick up the rental vans for the trip, only to find out (much to our horror) that we were the "only authorised drivers" of the vans. Chad and I were not planning to drive to Abilene. Turns out, though, that was a problem easily fixed.

So before we even left, one sponsor dropped out of the trip, one of the drivers came late (and had to be rushed to the car rental place to hand over his driver's license before we could go), and several of the girls started off their first round of bickering. So we left late, inciting Rebecca to panic (since she was in charge of all the arrangements). Then we ran into some zero-visibility blowing dust. All that and we still arrived in Abilene on time to get to the gymnastic sports centre.

I would like to take this opportunity to say, if you are ever bored in Abilene, go by the Gymnastic Sports Centre. It is fantastic.

After an enjoyable couple of hours of playing, we went to our (somewhat disappointing) hotel to check in and unload, and then on to Gatti's for the children to stuff themselves with pizza and finish running themselves ragged before heading back. Also while at Gatti's, I was dancing along to "YMCA", causing one of the other adults to remark, "I would say she is re-living her youth, but she is too young for that."

Whatever. Someday my grandchildren will be dancing along to "YMCA".