Gotta Love the Car

Well, as I type this blog post, I am sitting in my car. I have either posted a blog about this or a facebook update about this, but for those that don't know, my car is my favorite place to be on Wednesday nights.

I live too far from the church to drive home on Wednesday evenings, so I have gotten into the habit of sitting in my car listening to the radio while I wait for evening services to begin.

So, here I sit.

For those that are curious, I am listening to NPR on the radio.

My Blackberry is plugged in so that I don't run down the battery while I type this.

And I am sipping a soda (Gasp! Yes, a caffeinated drink.) as I am waiting to go in.

It is my metal/plastic safe haven.

As I sit here just a little bit longer, I will take a moment to wish all of you a very Happy New Year.

Ode to Lisa and Nichole

Okay...this is my ode to Lisa and Nichole who both made me feel so much better tonight in my misery (long story).

So, I am going to take a moment to tell you about them.

Lisa has promised to smock me a pair of overalls for many years, but still hasn't gotten it done, and every 30+ year old needs a pair of smocked overalls. Also, she and her husband have "lied" to their kids and told them they were taking a trip to see plantations and civil war sights when they were actually going to Disney World.

Nichole laughs openly at me and has been known to start quite a few emails to me with the phrase, "I'm going to shoot you." She also is the human weather channel and most times of the day can be found actually watching for incoming storms to tell everyone about.

Regardless and because of these things, these two ladies are two of the most wonderful people I know. They let me randomly call, text, email, and IM them with usually the same complaint, and they listen and commiserate each and every time.

Everyone needs a Lisa and Nichole.

Best Money I Ever Spent

Well, folks, I am blogging to you from the comforts of my car. Yes, that is right...my car. Seems I have a VERY flat tire.

I will admit that when I saw it, I felt momentary panic because I only know how to change a flat tire in theory. Fortunately, I remembered that I have a membership to AAA. And I have decided, after the panic wore off, that it is hands down the best money I have ever spent.

So, now I am just waiting for Roadside Assistance to come change my tire so that I can be on my merry way.

Do you think I can convince them that washing and cleaning my car is part of their normal roadside assistance duties?

Plan of Attack

In my last post, you read about my grand plans. Well, I have taken my grand plans and created a plan of attack (I realize that I am letting the organizational nerd in me shine through).

To start my plan of attack, I wanted to reorganize my bean storage, but the current "bag they came in" system wasn't working. As I was digging around in my grandmother's utility room on Christmas day looking for the trash bags, I stumbled upon a huge number of large mason jars. Those were perfect.

Since I don't tend to eat much meat (childhood trauma with both chickens and cows--but that is for a later story), I do lots of beans and rice. One day as I was flipping through the TV channels, I stopped on an episode of Martha Stewart. I sometimes secretly wish I could do all the things she does, so I watched it for awhile. She was using mason jars as a storage system for beans, and while that wasn't just innovatively mindblowing, it was something simple that I could do.

So, I spent last night with the plan of attack of getting my beans (and rice, too) organized into the jars from my grandmother's house.

Now I know what you are thinking, you are mentally making fun of my love of all things organizational. All I have to say is that when my beans are neatly displayed on my food shelf, and I can grab them quickly to add to a recipe, you will be oh so jealous.

Grand Plans

I am packing up getting ready to head back to Houston in the morning. When I get back, I will have a relatively light week. The office is only open until 2pm each afternoon this next week. Plus, while I still need to finish my lecture for a conference I am speaking at, I can also plan to get other things done.

So, I have made a list of "Grand Plans" that I hope to accomplish this coming week.

1. Go see a couple of movies.
2. Clean out my overstuffed closet.
3. Clean out my utility room.
4. Clean out my dresser.
5. Replan my bean storage system (my grandmother sent me home with large mason jars).
6. Replan my rice storage systerm (again, the mason jars).
7. Plan my meals for this month.
8. Bake some homemade bread.
9. Hem my pants.
10. Figure out what Houston-winter clothing will actually work for Colorado-winter clothing.
11. F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. clean up my office at church.
12. Read a book (or two, or three).

I will let you know how much progress I make.

Bible In a Minute

My niece was reciting this to me this evening, so I thought I would look it up to share with everyone.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Merry Christmas from the booming metropolis of Troup, Texas. I hope everyone has woken up to a wonderful Christmas morning.

All is quiet here in my grandmother's house. We did all of our Christmas stuff last night, and today, we are getting ready to head over to my aunt's house for Christmas lunch.

Once we get back to Troup this evening, I will sit down and update my blog. In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I Only Have Myself to Blame

Whew...I am finally home. Yes, even after much declaration that I would not set foot into the stores today, I ended up going Christmas shopping. In my defense, I realized that I was missing a couple of gifts because I forgot one person (yes, I know I am a horrible relative) and the other person's gift never arrived.

So, about noon today, I set off towards the mall. I ended up going to one that was terribly near me because I also had a haircut appointment. I cruised down the interstate towards this mall, and as I neared my exit, I saw a massive back-up of cars. I thought that certainly there must have been a wreck. Nope. No wreck. It was all cars trying to get to the mall.

I should have come to grips with reality right then, but the lure of a fresh haircut kept me going towards the mall.

Fast forward a few hours, and I successfully navigated through most of the shops in the mall with no luck as far as gifts go (although, I was highly tempted to purchase a retro Green Lantern watch to give to my dad as his Christmas gift; I don't think he would have dug it quite as much as I did).

Well, my hair is freshly cut, and I am sitting on my couch. I would proclaim again that I refuse to hit the stores again. However, I am still short 2 Christmas gifts. What if I wrapped up my extra cans of Muir Glen tomatoes? Could those be considered reasonable Christmas gifts?

Last Day to Christmas Shop

Good morning, all. I am typing this new blog post from the comfort of my cozy bed (thank you, Blackberry). I really should be getting up and getting stuff done, but it is my day off, and I am not feeling highly motivated.

However, laying here a little while has given me a chance to mentally go through my checklist of Christmas gifts and realize that I still have a little shopping to do.

About 3 months ago, I got industrious and I shopped online for all the gifts. I was scoffing in the face of Christmas because I had all my gifts purchased by November 9th.

Well, Christmas scoffed back. One of my packages (a gift for my dad), never arrived, and a couple of others ended up sending notices of being sold out.

So, today will be a shopping day--my last shopping day before Christmas because I R.E.F.U.S.E. to go to the stores tomorrow when people are off work and frantically buying their last minute gifts. Although, I will admit that it is kind of interesting to watch the husbands (who waited till the last moment to shop) search through the picked over merchandise only to be forced to leave with either a holiday hot chocolate pack or an "As Seen on TV" item as their wife's gift.

Well, I think I have finally decided what I need to get for my few remaining gifts. I also feel fairly certain that I will have to brave the mobs (even on a Friday) to do so.

Hmm...

I took this post straight from my friend Lynn's blog (lynnslittlelessons.blogspot.com), but I located the video so that you could watch it as an illustration.

*******
Randy [Harris from ACU] then showed a video where Joshua Bell, a classical violinist, participated in a social experiment in January 2007. He positioned himself at the L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION which is part of the subway station in Washington and played some of the hardest classical pieces for 43 minutes.

Over 1,000 people passed by while he was playing and paid him no attention. These same people would have had to pay $100.00 for the cheapest seats to hear him in a concert, but they paid him no mind.

He had put out a case to collect money and had only raised $12.00 before a lady recognized him and gave him a $20.00. Here is what that lady had to say, "Joshua Bell was standing there playing at rush hour, and people were not stopping, and not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I wouldn't do that to anybody. I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?"

Randy used this to further his point that we are surrounded by the presence of Jesus and do we take the time to notice it or not? As we rush about and scurry we may miss the Lord of Lords and King of Kings because He almost never appears the way we expect it?

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells what is going to happen at His second coming and what He will say to the sheep and the goats. Basically he either praises them or condemns them for the way they treated Him when He was poor, hungry, sick, thirsty, naked and in prison. Both groups question when they had seen Him at all, to which He replies "Inasmuch as ye did it(or did it not) to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

They had missed Jesus by not recognizing His presence in people.

********

What an interesting illustration. In this time of hustle and bustle, are we slowing down to notice the people around us and see Jesus in others?

Finally Updating

So, I am finally getting a chance to update. Things have been quite busy here, but I can't actually remember what has been going on, so I will give it my best attempt to update you.

1. Yesterday was Sunday Funday for my church and two others. We took 60 kids to play LaserQuest. If you have never had the chance to do this, I highly recommend it. It was quite fun, and I think I took too much pleasure in "shooting" the kids.

2. I ordered the George Barna book called Revolution from Amazon. When the box came, instead of a book, it contained the Wii game Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Dance Party. Trying to get that returned while explaining that I did NOT order it was way more difficult than it should have been, but that will have to be a separate post.

3. I have continued to L.O.V.E. my Dyson. My carpet is super-duper clean, and I generally vacuum for long enough each evening that I am thinking I could count the vacuuming as my exercise regime each night.

4. I think I will be losing another toenail. Saturday morning, I was trying to dash out of the church office before the alarm system was set, and I ran smack dab into a desk. O.U.C.H. My toenail is now purple and black.

5. My new check-in system kiosk arrived. While it looks really nice, it is rollable and if you stand behind it as you roll it around, it looks like it could either be a rolling pulpit or a rolling bar. Neither of which would be appropriate for me to roll around (especially on a Sunday).

You Won't Believe It

As I was traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, I loaded my Ipod with podcasts.

One of my favorite radio shows is NPR's show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me". As I was listening to one of their recent shows, they began talking about a new invention that had not received any backers just yet, but promised to revolutionize the exercise industry.

Because I know all of you will be just as interested in it as I am, I have posted the video demonstrating its merits.

If anyone orders one, please let me know, because I want to see you in action on this.

Drumroll Please

This morning was a VERY early morning and involved standing in line in the rain. There was actually a bit of pushing and shoving (not on my part, of course), but when all was said and done, I must say that it was a successful morning. This means that Santa Claus is giving me my dream gift for Christmas.

So...

without further delay...

Drumroll, please.

I am now the proud owner of a Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Can I tell you how anxious I am to get back to my home so that I can pull out my vacuum cleaner and begin cleaning my floor. Yes, that is right, Santa is letting me have my gift early. It is a dream come true.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Black Friday, and if you dared venture out, I hope you were able to get the deal you were hoping for.

Goodbye Turkey Day #1...

Goodbye Turkey Day #1. Hello Turkey Day #2. Thanksgiving dinner today was wonderful! We had way too much food for the 16 folks who sat around the table, but it was really great.

Anyway, tomorrow brings another Thanksgiving meal (yes, we celebrate twice which means twice the pumpkin pie), but tomorrow also brings Black Friday. In years past, my mother and I typically have hauled ourselves out of bed at around 3:30am to get the majority of our shopping done during the "doorbusters" hours.

Tomorrow, we won't need to do much. There are only a couple of items that are "must haves." One of those items is going to be my present from Santa Claus. Just thinking about it today has made me giddy (in fact, today my relatives were forced to listen to long monologues espousing the wonderment that is this item). Anyway, I don't want to jinx it, so I won't tell you what it is right now, but I promise to do a HUGE post about it if I am able to scrap my way through the crowds and grasp the coveted item.

In the mean time, everyone enjoy the rest of their holiday weekend. I am off to finish the last bit of cooking that I think I will do for a bit.

Lessons from Cooking for Thanksgiving

So, I have been "cooking up a storm" since about 4pm this afternoon (it is currently a little after midnight). Everyone else in the house has gone to bed, but I am still waiting on my last pumpkin pie to come out of the oven.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a stellar cook. However, over the past few months, I have been working hard to do a lot more cooking. So, I was excited to get to cook some of the Thanksgiving meal. I still have a number of items to get up early and work on, but I thought I would go ahead and tell you some of the things that I have learned up to this point. These are definitely "must knows" so that all of your cooking turns out just as wonderfully as mine.

1. Don't lick the spoon that you used to scrape out the can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk as you are getting ready to throw the spoon in the sink. You will GAG, and the obnoxious sweetness of it will simulate a burning feeling as it goes down your throat.

2. If you keep messing up the banana pudding and finally get it right on the 4th one, then you probably didn't need banana pudding to begin with.

3. A pumpkin pie shell filled to the brim with pie filling will not contain all of its contents as one makes the journey from the counter to the oven.

4. If you hold the beaters up out of the mixing bowl while the mixer is still on, you will splatter batter everywhere.

5. It shouldn't take 3 boxes of Vanilla Wafers to make one banana pudding, but it does if you have to keep starting over (and your dad eats quite a few before you start).

6. When you accidentally drop frozen mounds of strawberries into red jello mixture, there will be lots of red spots on the cabinet, counter top, and floor to clean up.

7. It is actually possible to have to load and run the dishwasher 3 times amidst cooking, and still run out of dishes.

Well, there is still more cooking to be done. So, if I learn any more valuable lessons to share with you guys, I will most definitely let you know.

Stocking Cap

So, I thought about taking a picture of myself for this post, but then I thought better of it. You will just have to use your imagination.

Since we have entered the colder weather season (keep in mind that this is Houston colder weather season which is chilly but not unbearable), I have decided to see how long I can go without turning on my heater. As of now, it is November 22, and I still have not turned on my heater, but then again, we have only had a few days of cold cold cold weather.

To help with the chill in my apartment, I have taken to wearing a stocking cap. It is nice and warm and cuddly, but I think I now have given myself permanent hat head. In fact, I am already preparing for the inevitability that is hanging my head upside down for a good while tomorrow morning as I blow dry my hair and try to find some amount of bounce.

If I come to church still wearing the stocking cap, you'll know I failed miserably.

Blessing

It has been a pretty awful past couple of weeks. I've found myself frustrated to no end, tired, overwhelmed, and nursing some hurt feelings. I have shed at least a few tears (sometimes more) each night this week, and I am fairly certain that trend will continue this evening. I desperately need to go back into work tomorrow on my day off for the 3rd week in a row just so that I can get a little bit closer to having my "must finish by Sunday" list completed. Things seem pretty bleak.

However, I finally found some perspective. Someone recently told me, "There are always blessings in your life. It's just a matter of finding them."

Well, tonight I found my blessing. My blessing is finding joy in hearing that my good friend's husband has made it through a very difficult surgery to remove cancer."

Next to that, everything else seems unimportant.

In fact, I would have to say that is definitely a blessing.

Hmm...What to Comment On???

Well, I don't have enough of any one story to write an entire blog post, so I will give you tidbits.

1. I saw someone driving down the road today wearing a Santa hat? Yes, a Santa Hat. Now, I love Christmas as much as the next person, but it is not even Thanksgiving yet. There should be a law against wearing Christmas apparel until after Thanksgiving, and then another law banning ALL Christmas sweaters. You know the ones I am talking about. They usually have a protruding Rudolf nose sticking out from your tummy, or bells on a "tree" that jingle as you walk.

2. I went to the Medina Children's Home Dinner last night and the first part of it was a silent auction. I ended up in a bidding war for a Michael Jordan bobble head doll. I lost (sniff, sniff).

3. When I spoke to my niece on the phone this afternoon, at one point I could hear her roll her eyes at me over the phone. So, I gave her my dissertation on eye rolling. Let me know if you want to hear it sometime.

4. Typically, I am not a Lifetime Television viewer. However, I am super-excited because the other night as I was watching Fraiser, I saw the advertisement for Fa-La-La-La-Lifetime Time. All those Christmas movies...I had better get my DVR warmed up.

5. As I was driving to church this morning, I saw a hatchback Ford Focus STUFFED with clothes, etc. I mean really stuffed. You could see the driver and part of the passenger seat, and the rest of it was filled to the brim with items. It looked a little strange until it got all the way past me, and I saw the Vic Firth sticker on the back. Then it all made sense. (FYI...You probably have to be a musician to get this one.)

6. Last, but not least, I broke down and bought a soda this afternoon.

Christmas Shopping...Check

Yep, it is true. It is completely and totally true. The date is November 14, and I have finished with ALL of my Christmas Shopping. Now I don't mean to sound boastful, but I am rather proud of myself and pleased with the gifts I found, too.

Now, the key is to not forget that I have finished my shopping and buy people additional items.

In other news, something is wrong with my smoke detector. In the middle of the night last night it went off for about 5 seconds (and it is L.O.U.D.) and then stopped. It scared me to death. I was a little afraid I might wet my bed.

Anyway, I got up and looked around and sniffed around. I didn't smell any smoke, and again, it only went off for about 5 seconds.

Then about 30 minutes later, just as I had fallen back asleep, it did it again. And again, it scared me to death (there's nothing like being jolted out of a totally relaxed state by an ear-piercingly shrill sound). Again, I got up and checked around, but didn't see or smell anything. So, I went back to bed. However, this time, I could really fall back into a deep sleep because I was so afraid it was going to go off again.

I hoping tonight will be a much different story, and there will be no suddent smoke alarms going off.

Good Thing I Have My Dignity

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday with a specialist in binocular vision/strabismus. Because of my eye issues, I have to see (no pun intended) a specialist when my eyes need to be checked.

Anyway, I made my appointment with a doctor who had come highly recommended by both my former opthamologist and others who have needed this sort of specialist.

So, I got up bright and early yesterday morning and made my way downtown. As I entered the building, I found the suite of offices that I needed and entered.

Here is the first thing I saw...

Yes, those are giraffe legs protruding from the ceiling (actually very cool giraffe legs). My appointment was apparently with a PEDIATRIC opthamologist. On the positive side, she and her staff were absolutely wonderful, and I got to enjoy some time playing on the Leap Frog learning pad before my appointment.

Productive Day

Today was quite a productive day. Fridays are my day off. So, when I get up on Fridays, sometimes I just stay in my pajamas and work on stuff here at the house, and other Fridays, I take advantage of no crowds and run my errands. Well, today was an errand kind of day.

I'm feeling like I accomplished a lot. In fact, I have given myself quite a few pats on the back today. I knew I was going to get a lot done when I woke up feeling like cleaning. So, I went up to church and cleaned my ever-so-messy-but-never-gets-picked-up office.

Then, I took all of my newspapers and magazines to the recycling bin. Made my house a little neater and was earth-friendly.

Next, I went in search of a five gallon bucket with a lid because I am going to start making my own laundry detergent. I currently spend an arm and a leg on laundry detergent because my sensitive skin requires me to get the Tide with no dyes and no perfumes. I have a friend who makes her own hypo-allergenic laundry detergent, and she swears by it. So, after doing the math, I figured out that I could do 500+ loads of laundry for what it currently costs me to do 32. Anyway, I found my bucket and lid at Home Depot.

Next I went to Walmart because I needed a few more basics, and I had a Randalls ad with zucchini 10 pounds for $10. So, I got my basics and my zucchini (to make loafs for Christmas).

Then I headed to the library. I had some books that needed to be returned, and I wanted to check out a few more.

After that, I stopped by Kroger because they were having a coupon mega-event and their were items there that I needed to stock up on. So, for $8.68, I purchased $24.28 worth of groceries.

My last stop was by Walgreens because I had a set of coupons that matched their easy saver deals for this month. I spent $4.24 for $30.34 worth of merchandise. Again, none of it was extraneous.

(As an aside, I would like to point out for all the gas conscious people, that with the exception of the church, all of these places are fairly near each other, and I made a neat little circular route so as not to waste gas.)

Now, that I am home, I am a little pooped, but feeling good about all that I got done. Now, I can spend my Friday evening making laundry detergent, peeling and grating 10 pounds of zucchini, and starting a new novel. I know, I know, you wish you were going to have as much fun on a Friday night as I am.

Christmas Gift

So I am working on a Christmas Gift for my grandmother, and for her to give everyone else as a Christmas gift. Since that probably doesn't make sense, I will explain.

I am scanning in ALL of the pictures that my grandparents took over the years, and they took a lot. Wherever we went, there was Granddaddy with his camera (usually with duct tape holding it together) documenting whatever was happening. So, as my gift to her, I am preserving all of those pictures on DVD, and then she will give everyone a DVD with the pictures.

It has been a lot of fun, looking through the old pictures, and so I thought I would share a few of them with you.


This is one of the many family pictures we would take when we would get together. Notice the clothing. It is superfly.


At our regular gatherings, my grandparents would usually get out the volleyball net for a family game. The man in the pink shirt that is showing his mad volleyball skills is my dad. I am fairly certain the photo was photoshopped, because I don't think he can jump that high.

This is me holding one of my cousins. I vaguely remember dropping him at one point. Also, notice the knees. I was forever falling or running into things which is why it is surprising that they were letting me hold the baby.

This picture is my favorite one of all time. Camera in hand, hat turned to the side so the bill of the hat wouldn't affect his picture taking skills.

Two Eliz(s)abeths, Two Rebeccas, and a Kathleen

Two Eliz(s)abeths, Two Rebeccas, and a Kathleen (aka Kathy, Elisa, Becky, Elizabeth, and me (who's name is actually Rebecca Jennifer for those who are confused about the second Rebecca)). That's who we have in the picture above. These are my dear, dear friends from college, and I have to say that this is probably my favorite picture of the five of us (yes, a little because I still wished I looked like that).

Anyway, Lindy forwarded me the following email tag:

Name your 10 most interesting moments from college.

And while I could only come up with 7 rather than 10, here are my answers...

1. I don't remember who all was involved in this, but I do remember an incident with pushing each other in shopping carts across the Braum's parking lot. I'm still a little embarrassed about that one.

2. Elisa, Elizabeth, and I worked Cheerleading camps for a couple of summers. The best part of that job was the walkie talkies and celebrating Canada Day.

3. I went home with Becky one Christmas holiday for a few days to Pennsylvania and we chased/stalked the Amish people. Plus everyone in my family got chocolate from the Hershey factory for Christmas.

4. A few of us felt the need to reinact the Kerri Strug vault. That included a lot of fake "tumbling" that ended with us throwing our arms in the air and standing on one foot.

5. Kathy, Becky, and I had Orchestration class together, and even though we look NOTHING ALIKE, our teacher couldn't remember which one of us was which and constantly called each of us by the wrong name.

6. Three of us worked at the DCC (Denton Country Club) one summer, and they loved that we could sing Happy Birthday in harmony. Our uniforms consisted of tux shirts from Sears, a bow tie, black pants, and awful, manly shoes.

7. If I remember correctly, I believe that Becky, Elisa, Elizabeth, and Kathy all dated (or were at least asked out) by one particular guy. I don't think he realized that they were all friends and compared notes. (And no, he didn't ask me out.)

Well, thanks for walking down memory lane with me. I enjoyed the trip, and made myself laugh some during the process. I'll get to see some of the group over Thanksgiving holiday, so I'll be sure and let you know if there are any stories to add to the list.

Television

I'm a fan of Survivor. I have watched it the last few seasons. However, I have to say that I haven't actually ever watched an entire episode of Survivor.

I really don't enjoy watching bickering and fighting, so I have gotten into the habit of fast forwarding my DVR through everything but the challenges and the tribal council. In doing that, I actually get a pretty complete picture of what is going on, and it makes for quick television viewing.

In my opinion, that is the way to watch.

Speaking of television, I have to tell you something that I stumbled across today on television. First off, I must explain that it has been a bit of an unusual day in that I have been home much more than normal. I have a sick dog, and so I went to the office to get some "must finish" work done this morning, and then brought the rest home with me.

Since I have been home most of the afternoon I had the television on while I worked. At one point, I was flipping through the guide on my TV, and I'm not sure if it was subconscious or not, but I stopped on "Walker, Texas Ranger." (I included a picture in case you weren't placing the show, but I made it small in the hopes that you wouldn't figure it out.)

Yes, "Walker, Texas Ranger" is the the old Chuck Norris television show. My parents used to watch it, but I think that is because they didn't have cable. Needless to say, it was an oft-viewed show in our house.

So, I decided to watch it. I watched the WHOLE episode. Oh it was awful. It was essentially Chuck reading cue cards, then Chuck fighting bad guys, then Chuck reading more cue cards, then Chuck arresting bad guys, then Chuck reading a very Brady Bunch-like moral of the story off the cue cards.

Strangely enough, I couldn't make myself turn the channel. Man, that is an hour I will never get back.

Ouch!

So, I have always had a bad habit of sticking things in my mouth. I know that is a bit gross, and it is not a habit I am proud of, but it is textural. Every pen and pencil I own have teeth marks in them. In fact, I usually have to wipe them off before I feel comfortable handing them to someone.


Give me a styrofoam cup, and I can have fun for hours biting away at the rim. Now keep in mind that I don't actually swallow or chew on the styrofoam, but I do create a nice little design.


Well, this morning I figured out why it is definitely not a good idea to put things in your mouth.


Here is what I stuck in my mouth.

Let me assure anyone who ever wondered...it hurts when one of those is hooked up and the metal part is even just a little bit broken, and you get a bit of current going into your mouth.

I'm thinking that I won't ever make that mistake again.

Soup Soup Everywhere

I realize two posts in one day is a bit much, but oh what an evening it has been. Before I tell you what happened, I first have to ask Deborah if she can figure out what my post is about before I even tell you guys the story.

Anyway, when I got home this evening from work, I felt like soup for dinner. My soup of choice for this evening was homemade tomato-basil. As I finished heating the diced tomatoes, I put them in my blender to puree.

I made sure the top was vented since the tomatoes were still hot. As I finished one pass with blender, I decided it needed a little more. So, I hit the puree button. Oops. Actually, BIG OOPS.

I exploded tomato-basil soup all over my stove, countertop, blender, refrigerator, basically anything within a 5-foot radius was showered with soup. You know that cute little container that holds all the stirring/mashing/ladeling utensils? Completely showered with soup.

Once everything was cleaned up, I managed to salvage enough soup for a yummy dinner in my pajamas (did I mention my clothes were covered in tomato bits?).

Back in the Land of the Living

So, I am not sure if that is the best title of for this blog post, but it will have to suffice for now.

I survived two carnivals this weekend (fortunately, I was not in charge of either; I was just there to help), a handful of meetings, way too much work to do, and all of this while I am still a little sick.

Now before you go asking, yes, I have scheduled a doctor's appointment. It is on November 18th. Yep, you read that correctly...November 18th...and we are still in the month of October. It's a good thing I am not seriously ill. Otherwise, I might die before I am actually able to see a doctor.

In the meantime, I have toyed with the idea of going onto WebMD and self-diagnosing, but the last time I did that I managed to diagnose myself as having a tapeworm that is only contractable if you have been in the far reaches of the rain forest...which I haven't. So, I think maybe I will stay away from WebMD for now.

New Post

Okay...I guess I need to update my blog since it has been a few days.

I haven't done much lately because I have been a bit under the weather. So, each night, I come home and just crash. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much work done.

I did try to go vote yesterday. I wasn't able to, though. (Yes, I am registered to vote.) For some reason, the system wouldn't pull be up. It went something like this...

Early Vote Person (EVP): My I see your Driver's License? Do you still live at *** *******?

Me: Yes.

EVP: (swipes my driver's license) Nothing is coming up. Are you registered to vote?

Me: Yes.

EVP: Do you live in the Harris County part of Katy?

Me: Yes.

EVP: Let me hand you over to Patricia. She'll take care of it. Patricia, the system is not recognizing this lady.

Patricia (P): Sit over in this chair while I call someone.

Me: Okay.

(At this point, I sit for about 10 minutes while she visits with various people. I see her reading information off my driver's license.)

P: Nothing is coming up. Are you sure you are registered to vote?

Me: Yes.

P: Are you sure you live in the Harris County part of Katy?

Me: Yes.

P: Let me hand you over to Robert and he'll take care of it.

(At this point, I sit for about 10 more minutes while he visits with various people. I see him shaking his head and rolling his eyes a few times as if he thinks that I don't know whether or not I am registered.)

Robert (R): Nothing is coming up. Are you sure you are registered to vote?

Me: Yes.

R: Are you sure you live in the Harris County part of Katy?

Me: Yes.

R: Let me try one more phone call.

(I sit for another 10 minutes while I am assuming Robert is on hold with the person he is talking to because he did some texting and clipped a hang nail while he was supposed to be sorting out my voter mess.)

R: They have located your voter registration information, but it was held up at the State Department. You will have to call this number tomorrow and sort this out before you are allowed to vote.

(I see him secretly judging me for unlikely reasons as to why the State Department has held up my voter registration.)

Me: Thank you.

Like I said, I tried to vote yesterday. I have contacted the State Department, and it is nothing major. There apparently was information that they needed to verify since I lived out of the country almost SEVEN YEARS AGO. Apparently, my time in the middle of Siberia has now made the American government a little suspicious of me.

Hopefully, the next time I stop by the Early Voting place, it will be a much more fruitful trip.

In the meantime, I am on my way home and off to bed because I still don't feel good (sniff, sniff).

Saving Supper Carnival

So my cousin is hosting a Saving Supper Carnival today. The goal of this carnival is for everyone to post "tips/ideas/humorous stories on how they survive the late afternoon/dinner preparation time in their household without losing their mind!" The prize is a collection of recipes from casa de Phillips. Lynley (casa de Phillips madre) is a very good cook, and so this is a very good prize.

So, here goes.

There is not much demand for dinner at my house. No kids underfoot. No whining voices. However, I am not a fan of cooking, so if I am really tired when I get home, I REALLY don't feel like cooking. So, my tip is that I try to prepare the majority of my food for the week during the weekend. That way when I get home, I just pop stuff my dinner into the microwave, heat up some vegetables, and my dinner is ready. I do the same for pre-make for breakfast.

My new favorite dinner that survives reheating pretty well is Deborah's Tomato-Basil Soup. I sprinkle some croutons on top and yum-o. For breakfast, I tend to do Whole Wheat Pancakes, and since I am not really a syrup person, those go right into a baggie, and I can eat them on my commute.

Check out the Phillips' Family Blog for more Saving Supper Carnival tips.

My Search for Gold Crowns

I realize the title of this post might make you think that this is going to be a deep, profound post on a Christian's search for living a more godly life.

However, that is not the case. I really am just going to tell you about my search for gold crowns.

The 3-year olds need them for Bible Class on Sunday, and it is actually harder than one might think to find child size, gold crowns that have a hook so that you don't have to staple them.

I thought about going to Burger King, grabbing a handful, and running out of the store, but some might call that stealing, and I feel fairly certain that a church worker probably shouldn't steal. Plus I would then have to spray paint the crowns so that the kids wouldn't ask where the Burger Kings were in Jesus' time and if they had camel-through windows.

I've searched as the usual craft stores and teacher stores, but I didn't find any. I also went to Party City, and while I didn't find any paper crowns, I did find a good variety of Mardi Gras head pieces. Hmm...I wonder if those would work?

Wouldn't You Know It

Okay...so I have to be honest...I really don't have the time to update my blog tonight. I was already behind on my work from this weekend, and then I had an all-day meeting today. So, I am REALLY behind now.

However, the last 30 minutes have inspired me to carve out a few minutes for an update.

As I was leaving work today, a couple of the wonderful office ladies sent me home with a couple of leftover biscuits from this mornings staff meeting. You see, I make a week's worth of Deborah's Whole Wheat Pancakes to eat for breakfast on Sunday or Monday night, and then just heat one up each morning. However, they knew I didn't have time tonight (and I didn't get it done last night). So, they sent me home with breakfast so tomorrow morning is taken care of.

When I got home, I realized that I didn't have any dinner stuff ready to heat up either. So, I threw a handful of noodles in a pot, and once they were ready I mixed a little spaghetti sauce in.

As I was sitting down to eat, I thought ever so briefly that I should probably change out of the ALL WHITE shirt I wore to work today. But then I realized that I was an adult, and I could probably eat spaghetti without making too much of a mess.

Oh how wrong I was!

The spaghetti kept sliding off my fork and down the front of my all white shirt, and I only seemed to make the mess worse as I would try to pick it off my shirt. Needless to say, my shirt is no longer all white. In fact, it has been doused with Shout and is soaking in the wash.

Lesson to self, spaghetti doesn't care what age you are.

Okay...thanks for letting me complain...now back to work.

Oh Man...

Oh man...I think I am going to have to break down and buy a new television. This really bums me out because first of all, I was really hoping to celebrate its 20-year old birthday, and secondly, I have never actually bought a new television. I've always gotten hand-me-down TVs.

Needless to say, my television is a little old school. My parents purchased it in the early 1990s as their brand new, fancy television, and then they gave it to me in the early 2000s when they got a new TV.

The screen keeps going dark, and I either have to turn it off and count to 10 then flip it back on or I have to hit it good on its side (I'm guessing that the hitting of it is not prolonging its life).

Anyway, maybe my dad will read my post, take pity on me, decide that they need a new TV and give me their old one. I'm thinking that answer would be no, though.

I guess I need to start shopping for a television. Maybe I'll get fancy and go for a 19-inch with a remote control. A girl can always dream.

Dancing 2008

Once you watch this video, read the post below.

Dancing 2008

The following post and the above video came straight from my friend Roxanne's blog. She is very articulate and able to express so much through words. After seeing the video and reading her thoughts on it. I had to share it with you.

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Dancing: Now Expanded (by Roxanne Langley)

I did some poking around his website last night, and read his FAQ section. He’s a very witty writer, self-proclaimed computer game geek, and Humanist. Someone asked him if he was religious–that’s how I found out the Humanism part.

Anyway, someone ELSE asked him what the lyrics were to the song in the video. Sometime after I’d watched it again, I began to realize that the pictures are wonderful, but the song PAIRED with the pictures is what pulls at me and brings the emotion to the top of my throat. Here is his answer regarding the lyrics.

That’s a difficult question to answer. The lyrics to “Praan” were taken from a poem by a Nobel Prize winning Indian author named Rabindranath Tagore. While the poem was written in Bengali (or Bangla), I chose it based on its English translation, which I later learned to be more of an interpretation that captures the spirit of the original without matching it word-for-word.

The English version of the poem is called “Stream of Life.”

Here it is:

The same stream of life
that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world
and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life
that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life
that is rocked in the ocean-cradle
of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious
by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages
dancing in my blood this moment.

To fit the song, we had to chop things up a bit; turning one verse into a repeating chorus and omitting other sections. Here are the lyrics as they ended up in the song, translated in a more direct way from the original Bengali:

I will not easily forget
the life that stirs in my soul
Hidden amidst Death
that infinite Life

I hear you in the thunder
A simple tune
A tune to which I will arise (3x)

And in that storm of happiness
As your music plays in your mind
The whole wide world
Dances to your rhythm

I hear you in the thunder
A simple tune
A tune to which I will arise (3x)

This video is one of those things that begins to take on a life of its own. I love that no matter where he is, there are people and kids and dogs and other animals–that he has to put a banner across the bottom to let you know where he is, but the life in the shots is still the same. It pulls the lines off the map and turns it into one big world instead of something that is broken into pieces. It shows that some guy doing a goofy dance will make people laugh and/or join in no matter where they are. . .well. . .maybe not in the Korean DMZ. And even if Matt doesn’t KNOW that there is a God–or doesn’t care–the lyrics of the song he chose, and the images of the world he’s showing scream that there is a Divine Creator who put that “stream of life”–that LIVING water–into this place He created for us so long ago.

I taught a student a few years back who had just come to the United States from Pakistan. Pakistan had recently opened a Consulate in Houston, and his father had been chosen as Consul. I was invited to the Pakistani Independence Celebration where I met his mother. She and I stood and talked for a bit. She had three sons; two in “university” and the one in middle school. As we spoke, I asked her what it was like to move to the United States and if she missed home. Her reply was, “We took this job and came to give our sons a better education–a better life. They are happy, so I am happy.” I very nearly cried right there in the dining room of the Consulate building. It did not matter than she was from Pakistan and I was from the southern United States, or how old our kids were, or how we were dressed, or that we would probably disagree on our political points of view. We were two mothers wanting the exact same thing for our children: education, a good life, happiness.

That’s why I love this video.

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Thanks, Roxanne, for articulating such a neat sentiment.

So This Is Probably Photoshopped

So this probably is photoshopped, but even so, I had to admit that I laughed pretty hard at the thought of church trash talk via the church sign.

Church Bulletins

Okay...since I don't really have any great ideas for a post today (blogger's block), I thought I would reprint an email that was forwarded to me. First though, I want to give all of you moms a heads up to check out my cousin's blog. She has an upcoming Saving Supper Blog Carnival that you might be interested in reading about.

Now, to the post at hand. Enjoy the giggle.

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Thank goodness church ladies with typewriters. These sentences appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services.

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. The sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang I Will Not Pass This Way Again, giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be What Is Hell? Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new contribution campaign slogan last Sunday : I Upped my Pledge - Up Yours.

It's Time for a Week Off

You know ever since Hurricane Ike, my motivation to get work done has been incredibly low. In fact, it just dawned on me that this week was the first FULL week that I have had complete with power. Maybe that is why I am so tired.

Maybe we need to take a cue from Ike and schedule more "holidays". Although, I think the government might frown on calling a natural disaster a holiday.

Just a thought.

Fantasia (1940) - The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Everyone, enjoy a little culture. My mother needed this for her elementary music class, and so I posted it for her.

I Think There Is Something Wrong With Me

So, I think there is something wrong with me. However, before I get started on this post, I need to comment on my previous post.

Many of you have commented, both in person and on my blog, about the fact that the whole money bank incident actually happened in college. Yes, it is true. In fact, all 6 of us were either in college or out in the work force. I'm now thinking that I should be embarassed by that. There is a picture that was taken that day with the boys and their banks and me empty handed, but I couldn't seem to find the picture. If I happen across, though, I'll post it.

Anyway, back to the point of this post...I think there is something wrong with me.

Usually, on Wednesday nights, I go grab dinner at Subway in between work and church. So, this evening, I leave work and head to Subway. Once I pick up my sandwich, I jump bag in my car to head back to church.

As I get closer to the building, I realize that it is only Tuesday. So, I switch lanes, and when the light turns green, I head for home.

Unfortunately, it actually is WEDNESDAY. I had made it about halfway home before I realized it, and honestly, the only thing that tipped me off to the day was the traffic guy.

Now what I want to know is where did Tuesday go?

Follow-Up to Previous Post

Okay, so it seems I need to do a follow-up to the previous post. Item #68 referred to my Darth Vader Money Bank, and both my dad and my aunt commented on the story behind the DVMB. They both think I need to give you more details on that story, and since it is so strongly etched into my mind, I think I will do just that.

First of all, you must understand that for the past 30+ years (ever since my grandparents had more than 1 grandchild), they have traditionally gotten their grandchildren the same gift(s) for Christmas. One year, they got all of the grandkids these really cool tables, and another year it was super hero pajamas. The year prior to the whole money bank incident, we each got a really good hammer (that hammer also has a story behind it, but that is for a later day).

The second important fact is that there are 7 grandchildren - 5 boys and 2 girls (counting me). The 5 boys and I are pretty very close in age, while the other girl is about 14-15 years younger than me. So, it was the 6 of us that each got the same gift for so many years.

Well, the Christmas morning of the money bank incident, everything seemed to be going as usual. We ate breakfast. We opened our stockings, and then it was time for gifts. As we started opening the gifts, I saw the cool money bank that the boys were each opening. It was a Darth Vader money bank who played the theme song, spoke, and used his light saber when you either put money in it or pushed the button. And, I started looking forward to opening my own not just because it was the special gift for that Christmas, but also because we were all Star Wars fans (yes, please feel free to openly mock my inner geek).

I honestly don't remember what all I got for Christmas that year. I feel certain that I received some really nice items because my grandparents (and their shopping elf) always did a good job of selecting gifts. However, when the realization set in that a Darth Vader Money Bank was not among the gifts that I opened, I was heartbroken.

Yes, you read that correctly. I was heartbroken.

I remember hearing my grandfather tell my grandmother that he told her if she was getting one for the boys, then she should get one for me.

After all of that on Christmas morning, I tried to just brush it aside, and not worry about it. The boys, in all of their kindness and sensitivity, set about reminding me each and every moment of that day that they each had a money bank and I did not.

Unfortunately, it did not end there.

When I got back to college a couple of days later, there were messages on my answering machine from Darth Vader. In fact, for many weeks after Christmas, the boys would take turns calling me and "playing" their money banks.

In the end, my grandmother ended up sending me a late Christmas gift...a Darth Vader Money Bank, and I still have it to this day.

Hello, Saturday!

Okay, folks. I think I have found my calling in life. Are you bursting with anticipation to hear what that is? Okay...so here it is...drumroll please...a Veggie Tales cast member. Wouldn't that be awesome? I wouldn't try to be Bob the tomato or Larry the cucumber. No, I really don't think that I have acquired all the necessary skills to aim for one of their spots, but I would be an amazing cast member because I can do all of the Boys in the Sink moves.

Speaking of Boys in the Sink, is it a little strange that I find the Veggie Tale parody of the boy band (Boys to Men, Backstreet Boys, N'Sync) so hysterically funny? I'm a little embarassed to admit that.

We did have fun last night, though. The kids loved it, and it was a really well done show.

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Also, I didn't realize it until one of my friends pointed it out to me last night, but yesterday was my 100th post. So, in blog tradition, here are 100 things about me.

1. I was born in Dallas.

2. I was raised in Longview, Texas (deep East Texas where the family trees do not fork).

3. I have one brother.

4. Even though, my brother and I were in the same grade, we graduated on two different days.

5. He went to high school in Pine Tree ISD, and I went in Longview ISD (see #4).

6. I have two chihuahuas that I got from a family at Saturn Road.

7. I have Bachelors degree, a Masters degree, and a Doctorate. However, it is not the good kind of Doctor that can write prescriptions.

8. My favorite colors are lime green and bright orange.

9. I worked cheerleading camps in the summer for a number of years.

10. During this time, the majority of the cheer camp staff was Canadian, so we all embraced our Canadian heritage and learned Oh Canada and God Save the Queen.

11. I am a complete and total clutz.

12. I broke both of my arms in two separate incidents one some (see #11).

13. I do not like to celebrate my birthday.

14. One year in college, my roommate threw me a surprise party. Since she and I were coming home from a rehearsal, everyone was already waiting in the apartment. They had locked the dead bolt, and so as I am trying to unlock the door, I feel someone pulling it open. I briefly thought I was about to be murdered. This is not the reason for #13.

15. During the 1996 Olympics, my friends and I re-enacted the Kerri Strug vault numerous times.

16. I love love love to vacuum.

17. I do NOT love love love to mop.

18. I love the fact that I get to wear jeans and a tshirt to work everyday.

19. My favorite season is fall.

20. I lived in Russia and worked for the Peace Corps.

21. I was evacuated out of Russia in 2001. On the day before Christmas, they took me from Novosibirsk, Siberia (where I lived) to the US Embassy in Moscow. The others and I had to stay in the Embassy Christmas Day because they couldn't get us out until the day after Christmas.

22. I got surface frostbite on my nose (see #20).

23. I love to read.

24. I have a bad habit of throwing things away when I get fed up with how messy things are. My mother is the same way.

25. I love listening to NPR. I download the podcasts for Click and Clack (Car Talk) and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.

26. I checked under my bed for monsters each night until I was well into my teenage years.

27. I favorite books of the Bible are the "ians".

28. My not-so-secret dream is to win the National Spelling Bee.

29. I also want to be a contestant on Jeopardy, but I could probably only win the kid version.

30. I hate to make my bed.

31. When I was younger, I would sleep on top of my covers or on the floor (see #30).

32. I see two of everything and so I will often close one eye to look at something when it is close to me.

33. I have strabismus and insufficient convergence (see #32).

34. I regularly remind my parents that I am a joy in their life.

35. I also remind my parents that I get to choose their nursing home.

36. I really do have good parents that are able to laugh at my sense of humor.

37. My favorite sport is basketball.

38. I can lay radiant floor heating, a floating wood floor, and I can dry wall.

39. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for a few years (see #38).

40. I have broken the same leg 2 times.

41. The first time I broke that leg, I was volunteering at Special Olympics.

42. I can name all of my favorite church songs by the page number they are in the song book.

43. Singing is my favorite part of the church service.

44. I can only sleep on my stomach even though it is not good for you.

45. I love all things pumpkin.

46. While I was working on my doctorate, I taught Integrative Arts and Humanities at the university.

47. In grad school, I tried to convince my 20th Century Compositional Techniques professor that analyzing John Cage's 4'33" was a legitimate project and good use of all that he had taught me. He did not agree.

48. I was one of the editors of my high school's literary magazine.

49. The youth minister at my church and I went to high school together, and he sometimes reminds me that I didn't put his writing in the magazine (see #48).

50. The magazine was called The Lupus which is a type of wolf (our school mascot was the Lobo), but it is also a degenerative disease.

51. On my lecture recital (AFTER I had already passed the defense of my dissertation), my entire lecture consisted of the sentence, "My research was on the selected works of Verne Reynolds as it pertains to his duo pieces. If you would like to know more about my dissertation, I will give you a copy to read." Then I performed the pieces.

52. My roommates and I used to give people nicknames in college to identify who they were such as cumberbund boy and opera man.

53. I love to play board games, card games, and dominos.

54. I truly enjoy spending time with my family.

55. I love the fact that my entire family (extended family too) work so hard to all get together each year.

56. My grandfather passed away 1 month ago, and that has hit me harder than I ever expected.

57. I grew up spending a great deal of time with both sets of grandparents.

58. I knew 6 of my 8 great-grandparents.

59. I can run a module builder out on the farm.

60. I learned how to drive on a tractor.

61. I often use the phrase "in my reality", and I often think that people don't realize that I am joking.

62. I am not a morning person.

63. I am also not a very sentimental person.

64. I absolutely love what I get to do for a living.

65. I do not cook very well, and therefore, I am not a big fan of cooking.

66. I still remember the Fifty Nifty United States song from elementary and can use it to my advantage if I am ever called upon to recite all 50 states from memory (mmwwaa ha ha ha - it's my secret weapon).

67. I carry a note pad around with me each Sunday to write down what people tell me needs to be done or bought, etc. Otherwise I will never remember it.

68. I have a Drath Vadar money bank that plays a song and speaks every time you put money in it.

69. I love musicals. I think that comes from my secret desire to be able to break out into song or dance at any moment in my life.

70. I talk to my grandmother every Sunday and Wednesday night as I drive home from church.

71. One of my nicknames growing up was Gertrude Bovina. We called my cousin Felicia Juanita. My niece was Roberta LaQuitia.

72. Now, I call my niece Matilda Jane. Her name is actually Brittany.

73. Some of my favorite movies to watch are the Anne of Green Gables movies.

74. I love love love doing math.

75. I get very excited when I have to help my niece with her math homework (see #74).

76. I am awful at telling jokes because I never can remember the punch line, but I envy those who can tell jokes well.

77. I can be a major procrastinator when I really don't feel like doing something.

78. Every year on Thanksgiving night, my mother and I look at the circulars and make our plan of attack. Then, we get up for the 4am day after Thanksgiving shopping.

79. I have already figured out what I am getting everyone in my family for Christmas (woohoo!!!).

80. I love looking at old family pictures. I have determined, though, that what we once thought were bold fashion choices were really just bad clothing choices.

81. My childhood best friend and I watched the Saved by the Bell Marriage of Zack and Kelly while on the phone with each other. We were both at separate colleges and had always watched the show together.

82. I have naturally frizzy hair. This is not a good hair texture for Houston.

83. Most days, I really enjoy the drive to and from work.

84. I really enjoy reading everyone else's blogs. I am not good about returning emails, and so it helps me keep up with everyone.

85. The same red suitcase has been sitting on my coffee table for 2 weeks now. I hate to completely unpack it and put it away since I will be heading out again at the end of this week.

86. I am usually cold. In fact, during the summer, I rarely have to run my air conditioner.

87. I think I am going to move my office at church into the server room with all the electronics. The rest of the building is so cold, and that room is nice and toasty.

88. Even though I do not cook well at all, I actually can bake very very well.

89. I love watching infomercials.

90. I have Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and HSM music on my Ipod. I claim that it is for work.

91. I just recently unpacked the last remaining box from my move here to Houston. It had set in the corner of my living room for over a year.

92. The fact that I have come up with this many "about me's" is amazing to me.

93. I love Diet Coke's from Sonic. I think it is the combination of the ice, the caffeine, and the carbonation.

94. Every so often, I think it would be nice to just live out in the middle of the woods in a little cabin that was away from it all.

95. I enjoy blogging.

96. I pray in the morning before I get out of bed.

97. I hit my snooze button each morning as many times as it takes for me to finish my prayer (see #96).

98. I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunities that I have in life.

99. I am also very thankful that I am almost to the end of this list.

100. If you have made it through the end of the list with me, then I thank you for reading.

What To Do?

Hmm...what to do, what to do???? Today is my day off.

I could catch up on work. I could clean out my closet and drawers (the messiness of both of those have been driving me crazy for weeks). Or, I could run errands; the oil in my car desperately needs to be changed.

I have a whole day ahead of me with boundless possibility. Well, not actually the whole day. I am taking a group from church to the Veggie Tales Live show tonight.

Regardless of what I decide, I should probably make a decision and get started with my day because 10am is just too late to still be in my pajamas.

Lots of Tidbits

Good evening, all.

First, some good news about the day. The church finally got electricity back on today. We are all feeling very thankful and blessed. Next step is getting our internet service back up and running. Comcast is still a little behind on their fixing of lines, but since they had to fix the lines for approximately 2 million people, I won't quibble about it.

Secondly, I successfully cooked yesterday. I know. That's pretty huge. I made spaghetti with tomato sauce and white beans. Nothing even remotely difficult about it (some noodles, some Ragu, and some beans), but the important thing is that it actually tasted good after I made it. So, now I have leftovers to eat that are tasty.

Next, I discovered something about myself today, I am one of "those" people, and by "those" I mean a person who breaks out into the shakes when she has to take her cell phone in to be repaired and must actually leave it there for even just a short while. Yep, even though I am really not a fan of actually talking on the phone, I apparently go through withdrawal when I have to hand it over to someone else. In fact, you should have seen my reaction when they told me that they were going to have to do a hard reset, and I would lose all of my contact information. I guess I must own up to my problem. My name is Jennifer, and I have become one of "those" people.

On another topic, I have to announce that I messed up. I have a bad habit of only checking my mailbox about once a week. I rationalize this saying that the post boxes are at the front of the complex, and I live at the back and enter at the back gate. However, in reality, it is a little bit of laziness of having to sort through all the junk mail. Anyway, I made my weekly stop by the post box this afternoon, and it turns out that my postman apparently thought I had moved due to the buildup of mail. So, he sent all my mail back to the main post office to be returned. After spending a little over an hour hunting down my mail this afternoon, I am thinking that it would just be easier if I checked my mailbox regularly.

Working from Home

So, I have discovered that I am really not meant to work from home. I too easily get off task. I try so hard to work, but then I think of something that I have always wanted to know, and I google it.

In honor of my moments of wasted time, here are some of the things I learned today.

• Polar bears are left-handed, and when they are hunting prey, they will cover their black nose with their paw to help hide themselves.
• When bats exit a cave, they go left out of the cave.
• 1 out of 20 people have an extra rib.
• Orcas (killer whales), when traveling in groups, breathe in unison.
• The typical lead pencil can draw a line that is 35 miles long.
• More people are killed annually by donkeys than in plane crashes.
• 2.5 cans of Spam are consumed in the United States every second.

There is one other piece of information that I happened upon. You can buy real sheets of uncut money to wrap gifts in. They are sold by a place called Maus & Hoffman. One sheet of wrapping paper is 32 one-dollar bills. However, it costs $60. So, essentially you waste $28 to purchase $32 that you are just going to waste.

Pictures of Ike

Okay, so a number of my loyal blog readers (all 1 of you) have been asking about pictures from Ike. I don't have any other than the few that are in my last post taken from my car phone. Here are some from my friends.

The main damage that occurred were trees blown down and fences blown down.

Here are a few pictures from the church. The main damage to the church was in the form of trees (whole trees, brances, and limbs) coming down, water damage from the roof leaking, and still no electricity.

Lastly, I was very fearful of whether or not my car would come out of this unscathed. My car was fine, but the car below definitely was not.

All Things Fall

So, technically it is not quite fall, but it almost is, and in honor of that, my post today is in honor or all things fall. I aboslutely love fall. Granted, I live in Houston where fall consists of 85 degree weather, but even though, this is the time of the year that Starbucks pulls out their pumpkin spice drinks (yum yum), and you can walk through the grocery store and easily find a spaghetti squash.

For those who have not experienced the spaghetti squash yet, you really must search out your grocery store for one. Even in my limited cooking ability, I will whip one of these up at least once a week during the fall.

My other favorite fall food is the pumpkin. First off, it is orange, and I do love all things orange (especially the fake orange cheese found in boxed mac and cheese). Secondly, it is so versatile. You can make a pie, bread, cheesecake, soup, and pumpkin risotto. What other food offers you so many options?

If you haven't had the chance to embrace fall, I encourage you to break out your tea kettle, open up your windows, and settle into a nice slice of pumpkin bread. You will be filled with autumnal joy.

Thoughts on Ike

Hello from Houston. I made it home today, and it was relatively unpainful.

As I drove home from airport (yes, my car had not blown away nor sustained major damage), I passed by lots of destruction. It really was an eerie sight. I have to be thankful, though, that it wasn't worse.

One thing that I did have to snap a picture of on my way home was not 1, but 2 traffic lights dangling from the cords. I quickly pulled out my cell phone and snapped pictures from my driver's seat. The first one you can't really tell the angle. However, if you see the car in the far right of the shot, you can tell kind of wear the light was. It really was swinging back and forth right beside my car.


In the second picture, you can barely see the light, but you can see it's proximity to my car. I so desperately wanted to lower my window and reach out to touch it.


The other big adventure of the day was purchasing gas. I waited in line for about an hour, and when I finally got up to the pump, I made sure my car was as full as humanly possible. I really wish I had gotten a picture of the line of cars, but I never could quite get the shot.

Most places are still closed because of no electricity. However, both the Starbucks and the Panera seem to have electricity, and their parking lots were F.U.L.L. The draw of internet service was awfully powerful.

I know once Houston has power and things are cleaned up, life will get back to normal. In the meantime, my dogs and I will stay sheltered in our little home.

**********

On another topic, in the airport, I did have to take a picture of the new Southwest lounge chairs that are found at most every gate. These leather chairs are complete with regular plugs, USB plugs, and internet service. I could have slept here.

The Rain Follows Me Everywhere

So, apparently the rain follows me everywhere. As I said in my last post, I am in Lubbock working on something through LCU. Well, it has rained some the last couple of days, but yesterday, it didn't just rain, it R.A.I.N.E.D. They got between 8-10 inches in a single rainfall. According to the news reports, they haven't had something like this happen in over 100 years.

You know what that means, right? It means that all the schools and universities are closed and everything is cancelled. So, the reason that I am not in Houston is cancelled, and I can't actually get back to Houston until Sunday at the earliest.

Oh well.

So, I am currently holed up in a Starbucks (complete with free Wi-Fi), drinking my warm beverages, trying to get some work done. At least this will give me the opportunity to attempt to get caught up on work.

Good thing it is Pumpkin Season at Starbucks. I love me some pumpkin spice beverages.

Dichotomy

So, in graduate school, one of my roommates and I had a number of classes together. In those classes, there were invariably people who felt as if it was their mission to use as many "graduate level" words as possible. Two of the words that we heard A LOT were paradigm (and all of its forms) and dichotomy.

Well, today was truly a dichotomous day. You really could take each large event today and split it into two totally separate parts that each exhibited their own sets of characteristics.

Since I know you can't wait for me to expound on this, here I go.

So, I had a church business trip that I was leaving for today. To get to the airport on time, I had to leave my house at 5am this morning. My trip to the airport was uneventful (in fact, traffic was a breeze). I got on the plane and headed out.

Once I arrived, I headed to the car rental counter where I had already reserved the cheapest economy car they had. When I got to the counter, the worker informed me that they had overbooked, they were out of cars, and one should be arriving any moment. So...I waited...and waited...and waited. A bit over an hour later, a car arrived, and they sent it to be cleaned. When the guy brought it to me, it wasn't the cheap little golfcart that I was expecting. Instead, it was a really pretty Nissan Maxima, and I got it for the golfcart price.

Part A of the Dichotomy - Sat at the airport for over an hour.

Part B of the Dichotomy - I am driving around town in a pretty nice car for not very much money.

Then, I headed to campus. As I was walking up to the Administration building to pick up a parking pass, I slipped in the mud and fell (yes, I realize that is fairly normal for me). My jeans were covered in mud. My knee is scraped up, and I think I am going to lose a toenail. I headed off to the restroom to try to clean up as well as I could, but there was mud and dirt everywhere. So, I changed into another pair of jeans.

Since I only brought the exact amount of clothes I needed (that is so not like me), I had to go to the mall this afternoon to grab another pair of pants. I found the cutest pair of jean trousers, and they were on clearance.

Part A of the Dichotomy - I fell down and got a boo boo.

Part B of the Dichotomy - I have a really cute pair of jean trousers that will take me through the fall.

As I went early this evening to check into my hotel, I unloaded everything out of my car and headed to the front desk. The front desk manager greeted me by saying that they had had a pipe burst, and a number of the rooms had flooded, and so they didn't have a room for me. The front desk manager then told me that they had made reservations for me at a different hotel (a nicer hotel), and that they would comp my room.

I headed over to the other hotel. When I got to that front desk, the clerk checked me in and then told me that the only room they had left was one of the suites. So if that was okay, then that is where I would be staying.

Part A of the Dichotomy - Reservations at a hotel with a pipe that burst.

Part B of the Dichotomy - I am typing my blog entry tonight from a lovely, comfortable couch in my sitting room.