Sometimes you have to ignore your feelings, turn up the music, and clean the house.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

I have season 2! Happiness is sitting on the couch, watching Big Bang Theory Season 2 with a stomach full of amazing chili and Christmas cookies. Big Bang Theory is my favorite sitcom, and I now have seasons 1 and 2, and I am happy.

I had a very good Christmas, though we were not able to make it up to visit my grandparents, aunt and cousins. It was kind of weird being home for Christmas, as we always go up North, and I missed everyone. It was a good and relaxing holiday, however. We opened gifts in the morning (they let me sleep in :-) and Dad and I made chili in the afternoon. This chili is our special chili. No beans, about 13 lbs of meat, lots of spices, mole...so good. Mole as in the Mexican chocolate-like sauce, not the animal or unit of measurement. I now have a large skillet, a vegetable steamer, and a Best of Illinois cookbook. I already picked out some yummy sounding recipes. I'm excited to try chicken pecan quiche. And horseshoe sandwiches. Dad also gave me a book from 1877 of old ballads and songs, mainly from England. There is a good ballad/song on smoking and another as a warning to drunkards. :-) It also has the Robin Hood songs. I love old books.

I am starting to fade. A bad sleep schedule and stressful driving are combining, and I should turn in soon. Especially as I have to work in the morning.

Happy New Year!

The Eye of Sauron

There is a major intersection that I go through when I drive to work. One of the red lights is burned out in the middle, and every time I am stopped at that intersection, I feel like the eye of Sauron is watching me. It's slightly unnerving.

Also, on Sunday I had my first Stuff Christians Like moment. I really like the blog Stuff Christians Like, written by Jon Acuff. I have it on my blog feed/side bar, and you may want to check it out. Jon pokes fun at some things that Christians do, but as he is a Christian himself, it is more redeeming than skewering. His serious Wednesdays are also very good. They almost always hit me square between the eyes. Anyway, he wrote a post a while back about saving seats in church and how he found it largely unnecessary. Last Sunday, I decided to check out the fellowship hall service, which is smaller and has a different style of worship than the large services. (Though I didn't see much difference.) The pastor still gives the sermon, but it is a smaller group. So, I decided to check it out. I went by myself and was a bit late coming in. I was looking for a place to sit without being too conspicuous, and I saw two seats open on an end. I went to the seats, sat down, and the lady a seat over says, "I'm sorry, but these are saved." What? There was nothing on the seats to indicate that they were saved. The sermon had already started. I was new to the service (though she wouldn't know that), and I had to move because the seats were saved. It did not make me feel good or accepted, which is something that I've been struggling with this church anyway. Oh well. Rant over.

On Sunday, I also saw the movie Avatar. It is a good movie; visually stunning, even if the plot was predictable. The effects were amazing and it was a beautiful film. I did not like the mother earth, spirituality, New Age, all energy is connected stuff, but that is almost a given to be included in movies like this. Also, I really liked how the Nauvoo (native blue creatures) were composites of almost all primitive civilizations. I saw aspects of American Indians, Central and South American and African peoples, as well as some South Seas influences. Twas pretty cool.

Well, I have a lot to do still.

Merry Christmas!

Sweet Christmas Laughter

After several very late nights and finishing 3 big projects, I am done with my first semester of library school. I do not have any finals, which is wonderful. This is a very different experience from undergrad. I've never done schooling like this before, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I am looking forward to next semester already. I am hoping to be able to keep up better with everything, do my projects ahead of time (i.e. not the night before), and become involved with other community activities. In short, I am hoping to become a better manager of my time, which has always been a struggle for me. It also does not help that my bad behavior (procrastination) is often rewarded with good grades. It just reinforces that I can get away with it. Though I know sometime I'm going to push it too far, and that will not be good. So, I am hoping to change before that happens. I guess this is an early New Year's resolution.

Also, a week ago from Friday, I went with my friend of the same name and I picked out my first Christmas tree. We went to a Christmas tree farm and picked out a live one. My friend had never picked out an uncut tree before, so it was a new experience for both of us. The guy let me cut it too. He offered to let me cut it completely by myself, but I let him start it, as I didn't want to look stupid if I couldn't get it started. (The first cuts are the hardest.) So I finished cutting it. It is a cute little Scotch pine: short and fat, just like I wanted. I had a few friends over for wassail, cookies, and tree decorating. The guys helped me get the tree more securely attached to the stand. It is a spike stand, so the tree is wedged on a spike. It's leaning a little, but I don't think it will fall. (Hopefully) It was so funny watching them trying to force the tree more securely in place. Also, Scotch pines are extremely spiky and prickly. One guy was impaled by a needle, and there was a good amount of teasing and complaining about the spikiness. But it is is a cute tree, so I don't care about the prickly part. :-) The tree's name was originally Addison, but that changed when we put the lights on. It then seemed like an Ambrose. This opened the door for a plethora of name suggestions. Like Ira. And Pierce. And Mahalel Hashbaz (sp?) (Courtesy Angy, of course :-) So, it doesn't really have a name, but I think it's Ambrose. :-)

My first tree makes me happy.

On Thursday we had our Bible study Christmas party. Another first for me, as it was my first White Elephant. So much fun! Oh my, I laughed so hard that night. It was good for the soul. Angy's gift was amazing. The recipient was not impressed, but several of us were laughing so hard we were crying. I don't want togive it away, so you'll have to bug her if you want to know. We also played a game of telephone pictionary, which is great fun.

I am looking forward to making Christmas cookies, sending Christmas cards, and catching up on my life. I think it will be a little hard when everyone leaves for break. I will be here as I have to work, but I don't mind. It gives me something to do. Even though I was busy and low on sleep since Thanksgiving, I don't have the same exhaustion/relieve that I had in undergrad. Maybe that's another reason why I procrastinate. I like the relief and sweet sleep when it is all over.

Question: What is your favorite Christmas carol? Mine is Oh Holy Night. Most definitely.

Blessings.

Burning the Midnight Oil

I just finished an all-nighter, and all I want to do is sleep. But I have to go to class. Then sleep. Then work on a database presentation with Angy for reference. Then go to work in the evening, as I'm training new pages. Training went well last night. Hopefully tonight goes as well. It should.

I am a fan of heavy flannel shirts. They are warm and cozy. Not necessarily flattering, but you can't have it all.

A good housewife is of necessity a humbug--Vanity Fair by W. M. Thackeray

I am reading Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, and I thought the above quote was quite funny. Especially when taken out of context. :-)

I had a good Thanksgiving with my family. My brother was able to make it up, for which I am very grateful. His work schedule is so crazy we didn't know if he would be able to visit. He was in rare form too, and I just love hearing his work stories. He works with some characters. :-) My grandparents came down as well, and Grandpa gave me a knife that he had. He had shown it to us at Easter, and none of us were sure what kind it was. He said he talked to a guy at a show, however, and the guy said it was a librarian's knife. I'll have to post a picture. It's pretty cool looking, almost like a scalpel. I am intrigued, and I inter library loan several books. We'll see if I can find out more about it when the books come. I need to make friends in the ILL department. I miss being able to run over to Judy's office and ask her if she can get me another obscure book. She is amazing at her job. Now I need to find another Judy here. Especially when I want books that are only owned by one library or organization. That means that they are probably not willing to let them out. :-(

Mom and I had girl's day out on Friday and I drug Mom out for Black Friday, though we didn't hit town until noon, so it wasn't as crazy as the morning. I found some good deals. I now have my Christmas cards to send and Christmas lights for my tree. We also went to the movie Blindside. Mom had seen it about 2 days before, but she liked it so much she was willing to see it again. It was really good. I highly recommend it, and I LOVE Sandra Bullock's character. She is so good. It's based on a true story too, which is really cool.

Speaking of Christmas lights, I am looking forward to having my first Christmas tree. I am hoping to have friends over this weekend for a small holiday party including decorating the tree. I searched through my stuff at home and rounded up all my ornaments. When my brother and I were younger, Grandma and Grandpa Henry bought us Christmas tree ornaments, as they thought that we might want our own trees when we were older. (My parents don't do Christmas trees.) So, I found the ornaments they gave me, and that was pretty special. I will try to post pics of the tree when it is up.

Well, I should work on my collection development project. Looking for numismatic resources. It's actually pretty fun.

Blessings

Brilliant

I am so ready for a break. Case in point. I work two morning shifts, and my Monday morning shift is atypical, as I have class until 9:15. So, I work 9:30-2:30 while most morning shifts are 9-2. Today, I finished my duties per normal, signed out, and realized when I was almost back on campus that I should still be working. I skipped out on the last half hour of work! So, I had to turn around and go back to work and explain to my supervisor what I just did. Yeah... I'm going to make up the extra half hour tomorrow, as I don't have any classes.

So, after class tonight, no more classes until next Monday! Woohoo! I do have work though. But I like work, so that's not really a bad thing. I am looking forward to my four day weekend though. Lots of homework to do, but it will get done. It always does.

Sunday School

I am here in the library trying to work on an assignment for class, but I cannot do this if no one asks a reference question. Sigh. It's due tomorrow. Ugh. I am generally stressed and taxed emotionally and physically, as I haven't been sleeping as much as I should and starting to up the caffeine intake. Oh the joys of procrastination, work, and social life.

I am settling down, but I was NOT HAPPY with Sunday school today. Our regular leader was gone today, so he had one of the pastors/elders/big whig in the church come and "lead." Well, he did not have anything prepared and he liked to hear himself talk and it was very difficult to get a word in edgewise. There wasn't much discussion, and I knew where he stood when he said, about the Temple being destroyed "it would be like burning our Constitution and destroying our government, though that may not be a bad thing." ?! He then proceeded to talk most of the time about patriotism and nationalism in churches, displaying the flag in church, and being generally anti-war. Not that this was particularly bad, but it was not the time and/or place and it really rubbed me the wrong way, especially as I felt like I was the only one who really disagreed with him. We didn't discuss the chapter much or delve into the scriptures as I would have liked. Instead, it felt like he was just expounding on his own beliefs/ideas. And I was not impressed.

Community

I have realized that this is the first place I have lived that has not had a strong sense of community, and I think that is one of the hardest parts of living here. I am surrounded by peers, but I do not feel like I have many connections to the community as a whole or to people who are rooted in this community. Being a large university town, it has a more temporary feel, and many people come here from a variety of places. Some stay and others move on, but it is a different feeling and a different environment. It feels much more like you're on your own. There aren't a whole lot of people looking out for you. And it's harder at church because the church I go to is very large, and I don't know very many people outside my friends and Sunday school group. I am going to try to get more involved during break, and I may look for a different Sunday school group that is a bit more integrated. That is one thing that I don't really like about the modern church. It's so segregated. Especially in large churches. You only meet with peers and it can be kind of isolating. I really like meeting people in my same situation and my same age group, but I miss the connections I had last year. I miss HFMC's Sunday school so much! The Lord met me there so many times and I learned a lot from the dear people there. I was the youngest one by far, but it didn't matter. I need to visit.

Oh Western Wind, When Wilt Thou Blow

I love allusions. They make me feel like I am part of an "in crowd," and inner circle of knowledge that not everyone will pick up on, but that the author knowlingly snuck in there. And you read and recognize and and there is this sense of sharing a secret with the author. A "See, I know what you did there."

This weekend was very good. It was so nice to have friends over, but now comes the inevitable let down and the necessity of school work. Which I have been putting off horribly (what else is new) and is quickly approaching. Again, I seem to never learn. Oh well.

I am already looking forward to next semester. I will only have 3 classes, and my Mondays and Fridays will be free, but I will most likely have to work, though I'm hoping for Sunday/Monday off. I hope I will have more time to devote to volunteering, church, and making friends. I want to make a difference and do something outside myself. Being on my own is good, but it also means that it is very easy to be selfish and focus too much on myself.

I am really liking Bible study, and I hope that I can go on Thursday and also spend more time with people from that study. There have been a lot of social opportunities with the study recently, but I haven't been able to attend any of them.

I need to get back to homework. Ebooks. Oh the joy.

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

Realizing that you are the only person who can make decisions for yourself and taking complete responsibility for those decisions is a moment of true adulthood. The Lord revealed this to me this past week, and it has really been an epiphany. I am responsible for myself to God. I need to make sure that I am in the center of His will and doing what He wants. This does not mean disregarding other people's advice and opinions, but I am ultimately responsible to God for my actions, not to other people.

I'm back, I suppose. I figured the "sabbatical" would not last too long, but I didn't want people expecting a post that I wasn't going to write, hence the courtesy warning.

Three very good friends are coming this weekend and I cannot wait!

I'm Giving Notice

Instead of not posting in forever, I'm giving notice. I'm going to take a little sabbatical from blogging, though I don't know how long it will last. Who knows, I may post tomorrow. But, I may not. Just so you know.

Me and the Moon Stayed Up All Night...Gaelic Storm

It is late, but I think the Coke I drank at the art exhibit kicked in. I forgot about the caffeine.

How do you balance being in the world but not of the world? How does one cultivate friendships with non-believers without down playing or sacrificing your own beliefs, but also not making it awkward or treating people as projects? College was wonderful, but I was generally surrounded by Christians and/or religious people. Now I am in an environment where God is barely on many people's radar. And that's hard for me to grasp. How do I react when surrounded by that? I don't want to sacrifice my beliefs, but it's hard to really stick out and be "the weird one." I think it's all about timing and finding your boundaries.

Angy and I watched a Bollywood movie based on Sense and Sensibility. It was ok, but Bride and Prejudice is a lot better. The main actress in Bride and Prejudice was the lead in this one too. The songs were more random. And I'm not sure they translated well, as the movie was not in English, and we had to use subtitles.

Fly Me to the Moon and Let Me Play Among the Stars

I have a group project due tomorrow. I am editing/proof reading the paper, so what do I do? Blog! Yeah. It was a good group and the project has gone very well, but I am ready to be done with it. I am tired. Have been all day. I am looking forward to tomorrow night when I can relax.

There is a book called "The Wacky World of Peafowl." It's about peacocks. It made my day yesterday. :-)

I want to know the end before I've even begun.

Hernando's Hideaway--Brave Combo

I am listening to Brave Combo, which, as you should know by now, is one of my favorite bands.

I should do a lot of work this evening. But, I am enjoying my lazy weekend. I have been having more of a social life, but not having any plans is nice too. Angy and I watched Hairspray last night. So much fun! Angy is now trying to use my enjoyment of that movie as leverage to get me to watch High School Musical. We'll have to see about that. I admit that I am prejudiced against it.

I am looking forward to having a real job and no classes, but I am also enjoying where I am right now. I had a good year last year, but I am willing to trade off some of my free time from last year for friends, a social life, and cultural opportunities. I may go to an art show on Friday with people from my group in management class, but I'm not sure yet. It could be cool.

TTFN

Leggings Are Not Pants!

Said by many people and adhered to by too few.

Let's see, a lot has happened since I had a full blown post. Last Saturday, there was a "barn bash" with the Sunday school and other related groups at church. It was hosted by an older couple who converted an old barn into an amazing and beautiful home, and they have a beautiful spread of land. We went on a hayride, and stargazed. Some people had really good telescopes, and I was able to see Jupiter and its four moons. We also saw satellites and shooting stars. It was nice to meet more people from church, and I had a wonderful time.

That weekend was crazy, however, as I had a big project and other homework due, and I had less than 3 hours of sleep Sunday night/Monday morning. It all got done, however. Monday was a very full day. I had class and then staff day at work all day. It was a lot of fun. I won a mum. And our bookcart came in 5th. (out of 6 :-) But we got a coupon for free cookies out of the deal. Totally worth it. :-) After staff day, I went to night class, bearing my mum. Then, we went to a friend's apartment to play games. We played Clue and Phase 10. Interesting note: this friend has the same name as me. We are both trying to get used to hearing our name not necessarily addressed to us. :-) I think game night is going to be a weekly thing, which is a happy thing.

Yesterday, a guy I met at the "barn bash" invited myself and others from church to go out to one of his favorite local restaurants and listen to the Irish music. They have people who play Irish music every Friday. They just sit at one of the tables and play. It's very relaxed, no stage, just playing. It was wonderful!

I am tired, and I am going to bed.

Night.

People should be able to figure out that you are a Christian the same way they find out if you have a boyfriend (or girlfriend). You talk about them. If you like someone, it is just natural to talk about them, reference them, include them in your regular conversation. It shouldn't be forced, but something that just flows from you. That you can't help but show how much someone means to you. And that's how it should be with God. He should be such an integral part of my life that it would be weird not to mention Him, not to talk about church, or praying, or the Bible.

That was my epiphany today.

Cold, Wet, and Miserable, I Stumbled in to the Inn of Three Witches

Tale told by an Idiot, one of the Plays in May that I was in this past May.

It rained yesterday and is raining today. I had to trek across campus to work yesterday in the cold and the rain, and even though I have an umbrella, it is not very large, and my legs still got wet. I was feeling rather miserable, and then I thought of the quote that I put as the title, and it made me happy. Good people, good quotes, good memories.

Historically, I am extremely unproductive on Friday afternoons/evenings/nights. Today, however, that needs to change, as I have a substantial project, as well as other homework due on Monday, and other projects and things going on this weekend, that will hamper my ability to study. Like decorating a book cart. And attending a "barn bash" with people from church. I hope it doesn't rain on Saturday, as I'm really looking forward to a hayride and bonfire. I am also somewhat excited about the bookcart competition. I just hope I can get some help with it, and a large umbrella, or it will not be done.

I am basically going to crash after my night class on Monday, but I have to survive until then.

Also, my cold is almost gone, which is good. But I'm pretty sure the cold and rain is not good for it.

Blessings

And the People, Ah the People, They That Dwell Up in the Steeple, All Alone

I am, in fact, alive. Sorry for the wait, as I know you are all anxious to know how the doves tasted. :-) They were good. They taste like birds, but not like chicken. Dove meat is very dark, which was somewhat surprising. Almost purplish. We made a casserole and put the meat on top of it. I don't think Angy was a big fan, but she went along with it, and I think the guys enjoyed the meal and fellowship as well.

I volunteered this past week at the Red Cross Book Fair. It was huge, and very good, though I didn't get to look much for myself, as I was volunteering. I did pick up two books though. One is a cute little volume of Edgar Allan Poe's stories published at the turn of the 20th century, and another is a popular history book on pirates. Dad was able to find an old book on pirates published in 1860, as well as a book of sermons from an anti-Episcopalian Scottish minister. :-) My parents came down for the book fair and to see me on Saturday, and it was so good to see them. I had a very good afternoon and evening with them.

I had an easy week last week, the calm before the storm. Now that things are getting really busy, I have a cold. I am too busy for this. I only worked half a shift today, and I did not go to my evening class. I also skipped a seminar on searching in old newspapers online, which I was looking forward to. Aye well. I hope this doesn't last long, as it is hard to focus on work, and I have a lot to do this week. I don't have class tomorrow though, and I hope I can last the whole shift at work, as I really don't have much sick time yet.

I think I've found a church. I am not enamored, but it is a good church, I have not heard anything objectionable, theology wise, from the pulpit, and I have friends that I attend with, which is a big plus. Church is about fellowship with the body of Christ, and it is very difficult to go to a church when you don't know anyone. This church is very active, and they have a "care fest" coming up in a few weeks, which is a day of service, where you can sign up for different places and help out in the community. They had a promotional video for it that they showed at the end of the service this past week. It was a spoof of Braveheart. I about died laughing, mainly because I had to suppress it. No one else was busting out with laughter, but I so wanted to. So I had to content myself with shaking and suppressed squeaking. Instead of swords, they had rakes. It was incredibly cheesy. :-)

There is also going to be a bonfire/hayride/get together with the small groups/Sunday schools on Saturday, which I'm really looking forward to. I'm so glad it's fall, and the weather has been wonderful. I just wish I didn't have a cold to go along with it. But it seems like I often catch cold when the weather changes.

I have had a few conservative moments in my collection development class, and it makes me happy. I can ride those for a long time. :-)

Not much else that I can think of.

TTFN ta ta for now

P.S. My titles are generally quotes, but I don't attribute them. Sorry.

I'm Looking for a Pioneerin' Woman

Today was an eventful day. It started at 4:30 AM. I woke up to the a very high pitched, incessant noise that sounded kind of like a smoke detector. So, I got up, but I couldn't really hear it in the living room, so I went back to my bedroom, and I could hear it clearly. I tried to think of anything of mine that might have gone off, but it didn't sound like my metronome, and that's all I could think of. It may have come from outside or from the maintenance shed, as we are right above it and can hear most everything that goes on down there. I went outside, but I couldn't really hear it, and I didn't want to wander too far that late/early. So, I called the emergency number and was contacted by the night shift guy. He didn't sound too worried about it, and I didn't want to get a maintenance man out and wake up my roommate, so I decided to wait until the morning and sleep on the couch in the meantime. Then, at 7:15 AM, there was very loud knocking on the door. I didn't know who it could be, but I thought maybe it was the maintenance man, but I hadn't made a request. So, I hollered through the door and asked who it was. It was our neighbor. He and his wife heard the noise as well and thought it was our smoke detector and wanted to make sure we were ok. I thought that was very good of him to do that. They had also put in a maintenance request, and the noise was taken care of later in the morning.

Then, at work, I was the only crew chief all day, and it went well, though it is rather busy with returns.

Tomorrow, we are having guys over for Sunday lunch, and we are having...doves! My brother hunts and he gave me a bag of dove meat to bring back with me after I visited him. Angy found a recipe for wild rice and doves (these are wild doves, btw). It is kind of like a casserole with dove meat on top of it. I hope it turns out. I cut the dove meat off the bone, and I felt kind of resourceful and pioneering. :-)

Speaking of meat, I found a decent meat market. It's located in a strip mall, which is kind of weird, but I "grilled" them about their meat, and it met my standards. :-) (I'm picky about my meat. I've been spoiled by living in a rural area with fresh, local meat.) They obviously can't do their own slaughtering or processing, but they do have some local meat, and it's all natural, which is good. They also make their own brats. I cooked chicken brats yesterday, and they are pretty good.

I am excited about tomorrow, as I will be able to go to the regular church service, Sunday school, and then Sunday night college group, as well as Sunday lunch with friends. It is also nice not to have too much homework hanging over my head right now, though I should get started on some of my projects.

I'd better go. I promised I'd work on my room tonight.

Twas Brillig and the Slithy Toves

I have things to say, but I'm in one of my "think of blog posts but then go blank when in front of computer" modes.

I am going to start attending a new church. I met some people who go there, and it seems like a good church, though very large (it doesn't seem like a mega church though). I went to the 8 AM service last week, as I had a meeting at work later. :-( I liked the worship though. There was a very good violinist, and he opened with a Celtic song, and it made me really happy, because I realized that listening to "secular" music can still be a way to commune with God and please Him. I think He likes it when His children enjoy beauty. And beauty is a way in which we can connect with Him, like enjoying the things He has created.

I am very busy with work and school work. I have a paper due on Thursday that I still need to write. Ugh. I am not a fan of homework and papers and such again. There is always something to do, and time management is still not my forte, though I'm getting a little better. I have to with all the hours I'm working.

Speaking of work, I'll be working Saturday mornings instead of afternoons, and I'm glad about that. It will free up more of my Saturdays, and get me up and going earlier, so I can actually get errands done after work, as it never happens before work. :-)

I am getting more of a social life and making some friends and meeting new people, which is good. I really am a minority in my field, however, as the majority of librarians are rather liberal. I add diversity. ;-)

Up Wi' the Carl's O' Dysart

I should be reading collection development stuff, but I'm not. :-P Tomorrow is going to be nuts, but then I don't have class on Tuesday. Which means that I need to be very productive, as I have a presentation to give for management on Thursday, and I have to read the article for it and make up an outline. Woo hoo. Grad school is really busy. Lots to do. It's only the third week and I'm already freaking out. Sigh. I also didn't have this much work work. Twenty-five hours is a lot, but I like my job. I get my exercise. :-)

Speaking of work, we can wear headphones, but I'm reticent to because I know how I react to music. I will probably start singing and moving to the music and generally looking odd. So it may be best not to do that. I also think it would reduce my productivity. Thus, no music.

I spent the weekend with my brother. Actually, I left after work on Saturday and came back after lunch today. So, part of the weekend anyway. It was good to see him again and see where he lives and who his friends are at church. The area and the church seem to be a good fit for him. We ate at TGI Fridays pretty late, which was fun. I did get very lost on the way there, though. It was not cool. I actually found myself on gravel roads for over a mile. It was dark and creepy. But I called my brother and he was able to talk me through the rest of the way there. My GPS didn't know where I was. From now on, even if I use a GPS, I'm going to check a map first, so I know approximately where I'm going.

I discovered a new possible favorite band. They are called Reelroad. They're a Russian band that sounds kind of Celtic? All I know, is I really like their sound! Yay for the world music section at the public library. :-)

Addendum

After I reported about the "You can be good without God" slogans on busses, I saw a bus that had an ad that said "You can be good without God but you can't be saved without Jesus." It made me happy, but also a little sad. People need to know what they need to be saved from. That statement wouldn't make much sense to me if I wasn't "religious." I think we as Christians need to be careful about using Christianese. But, that said, it still made me happy. :-)

Beware the Jabberwock

I am not lonely per se, but I am feeling "out of community." I am generally content with my situation, but there is this feeling of not quite fitting in, not quite connecting. I'm here, but I don't necessarily feel like I completely belong yet. I hope it will come, but I know that I am in a different environment, and we'll see how it pans out.

Also, there is a campaign on campus with the slogan "You can be good without God." I saw it emblazoned on a bus. If I drove a bus, I do not think that I could drive that bus. I do not agree with putting inflammatory messages on public transportation. Thankfully, the busses I ride are neutral.

Here's to You Mrs. Robinson

Bagpipe music feeds my soul. I had about an hour before the next bus, and there was a "4th Street Festival." I was completely spoiled with the art fair, so the "festival" wasn't that great, but there was a bagpiper playing, and it was wonderful. I sat and listened to him, and even requested a song. I asked for the Black Bear, as Dad always asks for that, but he wasn't quite sure about it, so I asked for Highland Cathedral. He wasn't in a kilt, but the music was still wonderful.

Angy and I just finished watching a very bad chick flick called The Holiday. I do not recommend it. It has some of the most messed up relationships ever. And the end doesn't give resolution. The best parts are a cameo of Dustin Hoffman, and Eli Wallach as the elderly screenwriter neighbor. Eli Wallach is an adorable old man. (He played the bad guy in The Magnificent Seven in his younger days.)

Church is having a pancake "breakfast" for the college students after the 11:30 service, so I'm going to the later service. Yay for free food, and I'm hoping to meet and connect with people. We'll see.

I have lots of reading to do tomorrow. Welcome to grad school.

Not in Kansas Any More

I had my first day of classes yesterday. Mondays are crazy for me, as I have class at 8 AM and class at 5:45 PM with 5 hours of work in the middle. Oh well, I don't have class on Tuesdays, which means I can sleep in and catch up on studying. My collection development class looks like it's going to be good, especially as we'll have several guest speakers and some field trips. Yay! It is an adjustment for me, however, as the classes are so different from my undergrad. I have to realize that I'm here to get a degree and a job, not necessarily to learn wonderful amazing things. The classes are reminiscent of my education classes. And, the approach to academics is different. I can feel it, even with the undergrads, I don't think they expect as much from the students here. And that's kind of sad. Though I'm pretty sure they expect more from the grad students, especially in other, more liberal arts programs. I was spoiled/blessed for 4 years at the dale, though it will be nice not to have the same amount of academic pressure on me, especially with all the hours I have to work.

I would still appreciate prayers for finding and fitting in with a church body here. I am still going to go to the church I wrote about previously, but it's kind of hard. I went to the Cracked Pots and we talked about Romans 9! Wow. I'm glad they don't shy away from the hard stuff, but that was a little intense, though they focused on God's sovereignty and not on the debate between free will and predestination.

I slept in until 12:30 today. I can't remember the last time I did that, and it was great. I really needed the extra sleep, as I'd been running ragged. Work is going well, but it is an active job, and I get a workout every day I work. I have Fridays and Sundays off, which is great, though Fridays feel like Saturdays.

My roommate and I helped out at the main library last night with a late night event for the new freshmen. We were in charge of the corn hole games, and it was really fun.

Short update, I have errands to run and things to do.

TTFN

Sing We of Him Who is Coming to Reign

I may have found my new church. At least, I plan on going back next week. Trying to find a new church can be very painful. I miss my old church so much! The sermon was good. He's no Pastor Keith, but he was good. I hadn't planned on taking notes, but there were some good points that I wanted to record, so that is a good sign. Now I understand where the term "noteworthy" comes from. :-) Also, the pastor earned points from me for alluding to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He talked about sin as a hindrance like an albatross around the neck. I don't know if anyone else got it, but I did. He probably didn't notice, but it elicited a grin from me. :-) Also, one of the Sunday school groups is called the Cracked Pots, which has to be one of the best names for a Sunday school group ever.

In all seriousness, however, I was impressed with how they emphasized Jesus. The sermon was on Hebrews 12:1-13, and I found it interesting when the pastor pointed out that we are to focus not on the finish line, but on Jesus. Which is true. Being in the presence of Jesus is the most important thing. Where Jesus is, 'tis heaven there. Also, the singing was mostly hymns and older choruses, which made me happy. It is a bigger church, but they seem to have a very good blend of sound doctrine and "traditional" beliefs with an emphasis on outreach and being "relevant," which I appreciate, as I do not really care for ultra contemporary, we need to be with the culture attitudes. (Though I am not discrediting that approach, as it has some merits as well.)

I would appreciate prayers as I seek the Lord's will and try to fit into a new community of believers.

Handkerchief Mousepad

We now have Internet in the apartment. The installer said it was his hardest job yet. The wires were all messed up and he was having trouble isolating the signal. Or something. All I know, is he finally figured it out, and I am grateful.

My parents came over today with the second load of things, so I have more unpacking to do. Ugh. I'm not a fan. We also bought and put together a desk, which went together rather smoothly. We had a good system. Dad was in charge of the directions and some assembly, Mom helped assemble, and I mainly handed out the screws, nails, etc. I did help with the other stuff as needed, though. We got the desk from Wal-Mart, and it is cool when you can see God in the little things. We almost turned around, as we thought we were on the wrong road, but we could not make a left due to long lines of cars. Continuing on the same road in the same direction, we found out that we were going in the right direction after all. Some may think it a coincidence, by I think we were getting a little extra help today.

I am going to check out an evangelical, non-denominational church tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about it. I checked out their website, and everything looks sound. They were very thorough in expressing their beliefs, and it seems like a fit, though paper and real life can be very different. So, we'll see. I hope the Lord shows me where He wants me to meet. Looking for a new church is so hard. I miss HFMC. But, maybe a change will be good. It is easy to become spiritually comfortable and complacent, and I hope that this transition will snap me out of that. :-)

I'm Here

I'm here. I won't have internet at my place until Friday, so access will be sporadic. I survived my first bus ride. Thankfully someone else got off at my stop, as I knew how to get on, but not necessarily how to get off the bus. :-) I have a meeting at 2 at the library to fill out paperwork and such. I visited the library on Saturday, and it is the biggest public library I've seen. And very busy. I think this job will keep me jumping. :-)

Gotta go.

Twilight, Sunlight, Starlight, Noon.

I'm moving tomorrow, and I won't have reliable internet access for awhile, as I'm not sure when the install guys can hookup the wireless. I have been very busy these past couple days, and it finally caught up with me tonight. It feels like lots of loose ends. Hopefully I will be able to get the essentials this first time and then get some of the other stuff later. It's nice that I'll be closer to home. I'm really spent. I hope I have some reserves for tomorrow.

Baseball: The Great American Pastime

Baseball is the one sport that I like and care to follow, and I have been blessed with the opportunity to go to three games so far this year. (1 with family, 2 with friends.) The first two pictures were taken at the Tigers/Cubs game, and the last was taken at the Mudhens' game.

Sorry, no pictures of the Chiefs' game.

P.S. The Mudhens and Chiefs are minor league teams. I like minor league ball just as much as major league play for the ballgame experience, though I follow the Cubs and not the up and comers in the minors.

Hodge Podge

There is a hippie memorial in a small town 15 minutes away from where I grew up. Lynn and I saw it when we were walking around, "exploring" the town. I find it rather comical, especially when you read the placard and find out that the guy who had it built was not a hippie himself.

This was taken at the art fair. This is one of the flowers that I really liked, but I do not have hundreds of dollars to spend on art. Nor do I have a house to put it in. Sigh.

This is at the Michigan Museum. I was attempting a Rosie the Riveter face, but I just look mournful.
Another pic from the museum. Women's lib is serious business. No smiling.

This is one of the baby deer that were born on campus this spring. It is no longer this small and cute, but the mother and her "babies" still roam around. They were often seen around the library.

I have heard complaints every now and then that I do not post enough pictures. This is not a picture blog, though I will post pics once in a blue moon. Today is my blue moon.

I wish I could figure out how to post text at the beginning of the post, but it will not let me.

Jesus Savior Pilot Me

I had a good vacation visiting my relatives and friends and attending a wedding. I fit a lot into five days, and almost 1/5th of the time was spent in driving. Uff da. I'm still recovering. :-) But it was most definitely worth it.

I visited my grandparents and my aunt on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I went to the ice cream social at my grandparents' church, and I won a gift certificate to a Swedish restaurant. Swedish pancakes are quite good. :-) I then went to a friend's house on Friday. My future roommate came for a visit as well, and we went to a Mudhens' game. It was a lot of fun, and the Hen's won. On Saturday, I went to a wedding, which was beautiful. And then, I came home.

My first day of work will be this next Tuesday. I can't believe that I'm moving in a few days. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also nervous. It will be a very different environment than I'm used to. It will also be the first time that I will be living in an area big enough for public transportation. (Dial a Ride does not count.) Though that will not be the biggest change. :-) It will be interesting, but Lord willing, all will be well.

Michigan Seems Like a Dream to Me Now (Kathy's Song, Simon and Garfunkle)

I hung out with Lynn today, which was fun. It was good to see her again.

I am doing a bunch of little things that come along with moving. Changing addresses, finalizing my schedules (class and work). I'm also preparing to visit people before I move again. It will be interesting deciding what to bring down with me. I think it will take more than one trip, especially with the furniture I'll need to bring. (bed, dresser, coffee table, etc.)

I still feel like I'll be going back to the dale later in the month. That's what I've always done in the past. It will be weird going to a new place and realizing that that period is over, for now anyway.

I am reading Dinesh D'Souza's book Notes to a Young Conservative. It's a good book and a good reminder that I am going to be in a different environment with its own set of challenges. But I am ready and excited. I don't know what's going to happen, but the Lord does, and I know that whatever happens, He will see me through and it's all for His glory.

I Left

I'm back home. Move #1 is over. Move #2 will commence in two weeks. Woo hoo.

Silly Child, Why Do You Doubt?

I have a job! I was offered the position at the public library and I accepted it. It is mainly a "page" position, which involves mainly shelving and revising, but it will also include a bit of supervising and training new pages. I'm really excited, but I am also nervous about balancing the amount of work with schoolwork and a life. It will be a lot of hours, but I am willing and eager to do my best. This will be my first public library experience, and I'm looking forward to it.

I went to Auto Zone the other day and bought new windshield wipers. They were very helpful, and even offered to put the new ones on for me, which I accepted. The guy who helped me struggled with them, so I know I would not have been able to remove the old ones and put on the new ones. I was very impressed. I didn't expect them to offer to help me, as they were really busy, but they did. :-)

I have a ton of packing to do. :-( Only a few more days left. My co-workers threw me a farewell potluck. It was delicious. Then one of the librarians did a presentation of her travels this summer. Very interesting.

Moving on soon to the new. Wow.

Blips on the Radar

'ello ello. It has just started to sink in, starting yesterday, that I only have a week and a half and then I am leaving. As in, not coming back. It's been hard at work because I realize I may not have time to do certain things, wait for incoming books, start new projects. It's been a good year and a hard year in some respects, but I am attached to this place (I knew I would be), a little more and a little less than I thought I would be. I am looking forward to being in the same city as friends again. I have missed that.

I am applying for jobs--any that I am possibly qualified for. Trying to learn the art of cover letters. I'm getting a little nervous about it, but I know it will all work out.

I enquired about a cool voluntee opportunity with the Red Cross when I move. They have a huge book fair fundraiser, and they would like people interested in rare books to research books they get and write up descriptions for them. This is essentially what I've been doing all this past year, but with books. Research is like opening a present. You can kind of guess what is in the package, but you don't know how cool (or uncool) the item is inside until you tear off the wrapping paper. Same with a book or coin. You can guess at the history behind it, but you don't know until you search.

Ok, I promised an update about the field trips last Thursday. We visited two libraries, one of which was new and "green" and the other, which had an automatic retrieval system. The automatic retrieval system was really interesting. It was a crane that ran on a track and located and pulled out a bin corresponding to the book or periodical requested. It was really cool, but I'm not a big fan, as it eliminates browsing. It would be good for back issues of periodicals and other materials that most people don't browse through anyway.

Blessings.

The World is Filled With the Grandeur of God

Gerard Manley Hopkins (quote above, I highly recommend reading the whole poem)

I visited A squared this weekend with two friends, one of whom lives there. Her house is so cute! It is an older house with a lot of character. Those are the best houses. :-) The Art Fair is in town, so we looked at the different artists' wares. It is just blocks and blocks of paintings, pictures, pottery, glass work, sculptures, jewelry, etc. I was in raptures. To be surrounded by all the beauty and creativity. I wished that I had the money to spend and a house to put it in. It was all beautiful, but two booths really stuck out to me. One had large glass daffodil type flowers that could either be displayed on the wall or stand up as a sculpture. I have a picture of me smelling the flower, but am unable to post it, as internet is still down at the house. :-( The artists were really nice too. They were younger and more energetic, and they didn't mind that we took a picture. Some of the artists were kind of grumpy or curmudgeonly, which seemed weird. Aren't people artists because it is their passion and they love beauty and want to share this passion and beauty with others? It should not be a commercial matter, though I understand that to make a living one must sell pieces. The other booth I liked almost brought me to tears. I had to leave so I didn't embarrass myself in front of the artist. He had 3 photographs with views looking out from a dock with the water and the sun gleaming through the clouds. It looked like God's grandeur. It touched me beyond words. I think that's what good art, truly good art does.

We also went to a sleepover last night, and it was a lot of fun. The hostess was very gracious to allow us to come, even though we had never met before. We talked and watched Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is very cute. I also realized, though not necessarily for the first time, that I am a baseball nerd. I hope I didn't bore the other girls. :-)

I am playing during the offering at church tomorrow. So I need to remember and not sleep through the first service. :-)

Also, I would like to give a word of warning in regards to laundry. I found out the hard way that if you leave your wet clothes in the washer too long, they will get bright purple mildew stains on them. At least mine did. Not all the clothes got them, but some of my favorite pieces did. Of course. I was on the phone with my brother when I discovered this and started freaking out. Poor guy.

A lot has happened this week, but this is already a long post. I think I'll postpone the stories from the Thursday field trip. Stay tuned. :-)

How Great the Father's Love For Us

There is a bike race going on today, and it runs on the road outside my house, so I have to be careful not to run over bikers or spectators.

I cannot sing How Great the Father's Love For Us without crying. It is what I consider to be a contemporary hymn. The theology and lyrics are really good, and the tune is similar to hymn melodies. I realized this morning that it is difficult for me to sing it without emotion because it emphasizes Jesus' sacrifice for my sins. I benefited from someone else's pain. My sin kept Him on that cross. My unbelief. My scoffing. Christian humility comes from that: we are saved and forgiven because Jesus was willing to be hurt and suffer and die for us. We benefited from His pain, and it is most certainly by nothing good we have done that we can glory. It is all to the glory of God, the great three in one. He did it all, and everything we can do, everything we can give is the very least He deserves.

Audio Visual Update

I ordered Robin of Sherwood on MelCat. It's a BBC TV series from the 80s. I liked the characters and setting, even though the battles were very staged, and I even liked Robin's hair (80s shag, almost mullet. :-) However, I do not recommend the series and I could not watch it myself because it was so New Age and "spiritual." One character was overtly demonic (he was the bad guy). I wanted to keep watching, hoping it would get better, but I was starting to crawl in my skin, so I stopped and returned it today. I'm waiting for some other series through MelCat, and I know they'll be better, as I've seen them before and know what I'm getting into. :-)


Over the 4th of July holiday, I watched Gran Torino, which is an amazing movie. It is less violent than I thought it would be, and it has a redeeming message. It is very gritty, but it is also good. I have been impressed with the idea this year that everything in this world is mixed and nothing is pure. Nothing is perfectly good, and nothing is so bad that it cannot be redeemed. I am not rationalizing filth, but merely stating what I find to be true. Every good moment will have a bit of negative, and every negative will have some good, even if we do not realize the good on this earth. Thus, some good messages and some good things in life will be tinged with bad. So, we should weigh our choices and make our own personal decisions in regards to this balance.

I also watched Defiance over the weekend with my family. I had seen it once before, by myself, as my mom gave it to me for my birthday. It also is an excellent movie about Jews resisting and surviving in the forests of Belarus in World War II. It raises the question of humanity and the response to evil and injustice. Retribution? Fighting? Surviving? It is very realistic, and I like that. It is a resistance movie, and even though they are the "good" side, the "right" side, they still had to do "bad" things. Steal. Murder. How do you endure injustice? How do you react? How do you keep your humanity in the face of inhumanity? War is both extremely human and inhuman, and it will always be a part of this life until Jesus defeats Satan for good in the final battle. I am glad that they made a movie that shows the struggles and survival of Jews who resisted, both physically and merely by surviving, and what they endured, both physically and emotionally. Also, it is nice to see a movie that does not idealize living in the forest.

Also, I really like the new series on USA called Royal Pains, and I do not generally like medical TV series. Mark Feuerstein plays the main character, Hank Lawson, and he is also in Defiance as the socialist intellectual. It made me happy, but I didn't notice until the credits rolled the first time I watched Defiance.

The End. (For now.)

Fricaseed Frogs and Eel Pie

I have a job interview at the public library in Bloomington. I'm really excited about it, especially as I was getting a little nervous about finding a job. It will be my first phone interview; I hope it goes well. It doesn't mean I'll get the job, but interviews and feedback are promising.

I had a good 4th of July with my family. It rained the entire day of the 4th, however, so we didn't get to see fireworks. It has been cooler too, which is nice. It doesn't feel like July, but I'm not complaining. :-) We played a trivia game, and I realized how many extra facts and trivia I have crammed into my head in this past year. So many things relate back to the coins and the history behind them. I am going to miss my job. I can't believe I only have about 3 weeks left. I'm done when the month is done.

This will be the first Wednesday that I haven't had Bible quiz practice in a long time. I had a lot of fun with the quizzers. I was the quotes coach, and I think those verses are going to stick with me. I hope. :-)

Well, I'm going to head home. TTFN

My brother got me a BB gun for my birthday. I'm in my mid-20s and received my first BB gun. It's rather hilarious. :-)

I am not feeling particularly inspired. I was going to post pictures since I'm home and have Internet access, but I think I left my camera cord at home. If I find it, I'll try to post pics.

Forward and Onward and Remembering Back

I'm looking forward to my 4 day 4th of July weekend. Very much so. I have a month left here. It's getting real. And hard. I had a very good day. Sunday school and the service were very good, and then we had a cookout at the house/property of one of the couple's from church. It was a lot of fun.

I need to go. It's dark and I'm at work. And I heard a noise.

Edit: Made it home safe. :-) I think the noise was the sprinklers.

Hott Jstor Bag

I have a Jstor bag. Jstor is an online resource of journal articles dealing with history, economics, culture, etc. It is a very useful resource, and I have a bag with its logo on it. Nerdy, I know, but it's one of the perks of working in a library. I have received some comments about it, but they are usually "You have a Jstor bag?" (implying...weird, why would you have a Jstor bag, etc.) At church however, one of my ex-professors told me that a guy I know asked where he could get a hott Jstor bag. Yes, my Jstor bag is nerdily hott. :-)

I also learned, from the same professor, that there is a book called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It is Pride and Prejudice with zombies added in. I am very curious, but MelCat wouldn't let me order it, even though it was available at one library, so I may try again later.

Hi There. My Master Made Me This Collar So That I May Talk. Squirrel!

I have had a very busy and wonderful past couple of days. This was the first time that I was away from my family on my birthday, and I missed them. But, I was able to celebrate with friends, and phone calls and speaker phone are great things. On Thursday, my actual birthday, we had the all college picnic, and I had more fun than I thought I would. After the potluck, different departments competed in games, and it was so fun and funny. The president also went around squirting people with squirt guns and water hoses. Good times. I managed to avoid most of the water. I got a sunburn and sore muscles as mementos from that day. :-) Then, my friend came over and we went to Jackson for dinner and then to see the Fantasticks at the community theater where I did the Plays in May. It was a good show, and we made it just in time, as the restaurant was a half hour to 45 minutes away from the theater. It was fun to see some of my cast mates again. The theater is like its own community, and I am now a part of that. I was also able to speak with the director of the reader's theater, and it is still going to happen, and I most likely have a part in the Glass Menagerie. I can't wait!

Then, on Friday I went to the drive-in theater and watched Up with another one of my friends. The experience was heightened by the fact that it was raining and lightning out, and when it stormed on screen, the wind sound effects made us a bit nervous. :-) I was somewhat nervous anyway, as I am not a fan of storms. It is a really good movie. I highly recommend it, but it's different from what you may expect. Pixar is very good with character development. (The title quote is from Dug, the talking dog.) I then spent the night with my friend and we visited the Michigan museum the next day. Unfortunately, half of it was closed for remodeling, but I enjoyed it anyway. I should post some pics of us with our faces in the cutouts. We are serious suffragettes. :-) I also bought Anna Karenina and a book on sea myths, ghost ships, etc. I found them for a really good price at Barnes and Noble. And they're hardback! I couldn't resist. :-) I'm a book addict. Which is one of the reasons I'm going to library school.

On Tuesday, I am going to a Tigers/Cubs game in Detroit, and I am excited! Go Cubs!

I plan on relaxing today. The sermon was very good today. It was about how without God, life has no meaning and it is all relative. I needed to get my focus back on track, and it was a good service for it.

Toodle-00

Drip Drip Drop Little April Showers (in June)

I hope my last post generated thought and discussion. It was not an endorsement of following natural inclinations (I am very much a fan of self control), but of pointing out that not all natural inclinations are bad and my frustration with people who admit that there is an innate desire for God but deny the validity of that desire.

It has been very rainy lately. It looks like it's going to rain again today. I wish it wouldn't, as I'd like to go on a walk this evening.

I have been watching the A&E miniseries Ivanhoe, and I am a bit startled to find that I kind of like the Normans. I don't know what's come over me, as I've always been firmly on the side of the Anglo Saxons. I think it may be because I have learned more about the Normans with my job, and I am really interested in Norman Sicily. Coins of Norman Sicily are rather interesting, and there was an interesting dynamic there. I ordered a book from another library about it, and I hope to read it this summer. I don't know much about the Normans in England, and I'm still on the side of the Anglo Saxons, but I have a bit of sympathy for the Normans that was never there before. The portrayal in the miniseries and the very poor hair and makeup job on Ivanhoe may have something to do with it. If I re-read the book I'll probably be back on the Anglo Saxon side of things.

It is getting difficult, as I really want to go to Bloomington and start library school, but I still have 2 months to go and little to fill the time between. I'm really hoping to hear something about the reader's theater, but I just don't know.

Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Grant it Jesus This My Plea

There is an article in a magazine called "New Scientist" that was published in February about belief in God. The article says gods, mythology, afterlife, etc., but I'm going to say God. Here's a quote from the article. "Based on these and other experiments, Bering considers a belief in some form of life apart from that experienced in the body to be the default setting of the human brain. Education and experience teach us to override it, but it never truly leaves us, he says." So, some scientists believe that it is an innate and natural part of being a human being to belief in God, but we shouldn't give in to that natural "impulse"? This really rankles me, especially as people who believe this probably also believe that one should give in to natural impulses instead of repressing them, i.e. sexuality. Why would we have an innate desire for the eternal, for something greater than and outside of ourselves and this temporal realm if it wasn't true? That is such a cruel idea, and it would be the world's greatest delusion if it were true, but it's not. There is more to this world than what we can see, touch, taste, etc, and I am looking forward to the day when my sinfulness and limitations are removed and I can truly experience God and finally come alive.
Also, I am reading "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer, and I really like this quote.
"The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain." So many times we focus on doing for God, when we should be focusing on being for God. Just "to be" in Him.

Curiouser and Curiouser

I'm pretty sure I won't have internet at my house for the next two months, but at least I can come in and use my work computer.

Yesterday was gorgeous, but it is warmer today and overcast.

When I walked by the lake yesterday, I saw two guys on horseback and wearing cowboy hats. It made me happy.

I think of things to blog about, but then I get in front of my computer and nothing comes. Sigh.

I'm not sure why my quotes all tend to be Lewis Caroll, but he has good quotes.

Greeks and Romans and Persians Oh My!

There is a sense of accomplishment, not quite euphoria, but akin to it, in completing a coin attribution. When you figure out the missing information and match it in the ID book, it's pretty awesome.

All Mimsy Were the Borogoves and the Momeraths Outgrabe

For my college peeps: The lawn gnome rides a Harley.

I still haven't heard about the reader's theater auditions. I think they've been trying to recruit more people, as I don't think many people auditioned. I hope to hear something soon though.

I went to a drive-in theater for the first time last night. Jessie and I saw Night at the Museum 2 (the second viewing for both of us), and it was so much fun. Drive-ins are a very different movie experience. It's almost like a tail gate party. People come early, bring lawn chairs, so sit in the back of pick up trucks with a portable radio. (You tune in to a certain station to hear the movie.) It's also more private and you can talk and laugh without bothering people as much. Which was good for me. :-) It was a double feature, Wolverine was next, but we left after the first show as it was late. The movie can't start until sundown, so it didn't begin until around 9:30 PM. It would have been around 2 AM if we had stayed for both shows, and we both had a 1/2 hour drive back home. We had also seen Wolverine before, so we opted for sleep. :-)

My internet isn't working at home, so I'm using my work computer.

I had an annual meeting with the committee that oversees my project, and it went very well. I am excited for what's ahead, even though I won't be around to see it.

The Time Has Come, the Walrus Said, To Talk of Many Things

I am in my home town for the weekend. I haven't been home since Thanksgiving, so I am taking advantage of the three day weekend. Three day weekends are scarce at work, so I am enjoying it. I get a 4 day weekend for the 4th of July, which is exciting too. We are going to a Peoria Chiefs game tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to. I love minor league baseball, and the Chiefs being a Cubs farm team makes it even better. I am woefully out of touch with the Cubs this year, as I live in Tiger territory and do not get WGN. :-(

The plays ended last weekend, and I've missed it. It has been nice to have free evenings, but I had a good time with my cast mates, and it was so much fun to meet new people and act again. I realized that I am hooked, so I auditioned for the reader's theater in July. I haven't heard back yet, but I also haven't checked my phone today, as my phone has zero signal here, and I also left my charger at home and need the battery to last for the trip home. They are doing the Glass Menagerie and Fairy Tales and Folk Tales for reader's theater, and I would like to get a part in both productions. I haven't read the Glass Menagerie, but it sounds good, if not overly uplifting or cheery. And, I love fairy tales and folk tales, so that would be a lot of fun. The fairy tales and folk tales will have both adult and children readers, which I think would be fun too.

So, last weekend, my family and my friend from college came to spend the weekend with me and watch the performance. They went to both the Friday and Saturday performances, which was good, as Saturday was a lot better than Friday. It's also amazing how much an audience plays into the dynamic. The shows go better if the audience is into it. Feedback and all that. Anyway, we had a cast party of sorts at the Mexican restaurant after the show on Saturday, and it was a lot of fun. Jess went with me, and as we left around midnight, I get to the car and realize that my keys were not in my purse. They were in the car. Which was locked. To make a long story short, one of my fellow cast mates drove me home to get my spare, and we had a few adventures, including seeing two deer and getting pulled over (only a warning, thankfully). That was quite the evening. But, all things work out for good. In my audition for the reader's theater, I had to tell a story that had happened to me in the past week, and if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have had anything to tell.

I think my brother and I are going to see a movie tonight. Probably Night at the Museum II.

Also, I had a wonderful night out with a couple from church on Thursday. I finally made it to the Cutty Sark restaurant, which is rather good, and laughed as one of them sped around Target in a motorized cart that had the most annoying backing up sound ever. :-)

Be strong, be brave and take no sass

I know, I've been remiss in posting, but I've also been crazy busy. I'm really glad that we are on summer hours now. I don't like the earlier mornings, but I get off work an hour early. We had the first performance yesterday. It was a small crowd, but it went well. The audience was really good. My parents and a friend are coming for the weekend, and I cannot wait! I just want work to be done and to see my family and friends again.

The other night, I had a visitor. A huge daddy long legs spider crawled over me while I was in bed. I bludgeoned it with my Bible and disposed of it with a church info sheet.

I'll have to get a picture of my hair and makeup for the last play I do. Not knowing how to apply makeup well is a good thing in this case. :-) And I actually like my crazy teased hair.

A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.

I think God likes to bust through preconceptions and self-idealization like a SWAT team busting down doors. There are many things in my life, that even if I don't admit it to myself, I subconsciously believe will never happen to me. I would never do that... I would never put myself in that position... That would never happen to me... But then God sets up certain situations, and I realize, "there but for the grace of God go I." I think it is a very dangerous place when we get cocky or confident about our faith. He is always faithful to bring me down a few levels whenever pride escalates.

Ay, this is Birnam Wood

My posts all sound the same, and they will until the middle of May. Things are busy with the plays, and they're only going to get crazier, but I'm enjoying myself. It's so nice to meet new people and have new experiences. No practice on Thursday, (a day off, gasp!) and I'm going to see a movie with a friend. There are some good movies coming out, and I can't wait until "Up" comes out. It looks cute, and I really like Pixar movies.

The weather has been gorgeous, and I've been walking the path by the lake, but I haven't been able to do it as much because I don't get out of practice until after dark most days. It shouldn't go as long tonight, hopefully, as I have several things that I need to do. There's a campus job that I'm looking at, and I think I'll try to apply for it. It closes tomorrow, so we'll see. I'm not real gun ho about it, as I'm afraid it might be a lot of stress and responsibility to juggle it and classes, but it can't hurt to apply.

TTFN, Ta ta for now.

What is it that impels me to tell you these things...?

The plays are eating up my life, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm having a lot of fun, though yesterday was hard. I didn't get home until 10, and I had my contacts in, which gave me somewhat of a headache, as they aren't adjusted for my astigmatism. I should have gone with the better, stronger ones instead of the dailies, as it makes more of a difference than I thought it would. Today was still very long, but it went better.

I learned something shocking today. Not all libraries have books! I met a guy who goes to a college that's library consists of a room with some documents and a hard drive to download other documents. I didn't realize that when I look for library jobs I should make sure that I will actually be working in a library with books housed in a decent sized building.

We have the regional Bible quiz this weekend in Indianapolis. Yay! That should be fun. It will be my last quiz, as I cannot go to nationals. I have to work. Sigh. I have had such a fun time coaching and working with the quizzers.

I should go. Things to do.

Sunshine is a ridiculous name for a bagel.

I am posting from my future institution of higher education, and it is absolutely gorgeous down here! They have leaves, and red buds and flowering trees, and chlorophyll filled grass. It is also the Little 500 weekend, but it's not too bad so far. I didn't realize that I picked this weekend to come down. I looked at 3 apartments today. It is a daunting task, as there is such an abundance of places. I feel like I'm limiting myself, but I also don't feel like just going to random places willy nilly. The places I looked at were all recommended, so that is good.


I am in the music library listening to Beethoven's 5th Symphony. I had the 3rd movement going through my head earlier. Victry is mine, victry is mine... :-)

Now I'm listening to Elgar.

I'm getting excited about this fall. I realized that part of the post-school difficulty might be because I have been a student my entire life, excepting the first six years and now the past one year. It is difficult to all of a sudden be an adult when school is all you've known. I think that I'm looking forward to school again, though it will be hard to be back on the "I always have something to do that is hanging over my head" sometimes followed with the "but I'm going to ignore it for now and have a life." Don't worry, it always gets done. :-) I am mainly looking forward to being back in a community of peers and having friends in the same vicinity. I'm going to miss my work and church families though. Everything is mixed and bittersweet.

P.S. The title theme is quotes from the one act plays.

I Knew It!

While the Auto Waits is an O. Henry story. I hadn't read it before, but it had his style and literary signature all over it. Now I'm doubly excited that I get to act out a story by one of my favorite authors!

The Tinkling of the Ice in My Champaign Glass Nearly Drives Me Mad

The title is a line from one of my plays.

I'm tired. I can't believe how busy April is, and I can't believe how absolutely quickly it is going, flying, zooming. I'm starting to get into rehearsals for the plays that I'm in. There's one I still haven't been contacted about, but my part is small, so it should be ok, though I'd like to see the script. I am having a great time with this, and I especially like the main play that I'm in. I get it better now that I've acted it out instead of just reading it. The guy I'm playing opposite is nice and it's just fun. It's just kind of crazy, and it is such an O. Henry story. I love it. :-) O. Henry is one of my favorite short story writers, along with James Thurber and Flannery O'Connor. (Sorry Tessa)

I'm getting kind of stressed with needing to search for apartments and get things together for IU. I have decided. I am going to IU this fall, but I need to register and find an apartment, and tell them I'm coming for sure... Sigh. And I really don't have the energy for it. I'm afraid that I may be getting sick, and that cannot happen. It just cannot. Not until after the plays anyway. I think the main thing is my sleep is a bit off. I didn't get to sleep in at all this weekend, and now I'm getting set on an earlier wake up schedule than I'd prefer. I also didn't get to recuperate from Easter too much, either, so it all adds up.

I would appreciate your prayers for these next few weeks.

Blessings.

Tea Day, Tax Day

I was watching the news coverage of the Tea Parties on some news channel, PIX or something. It is a more local channel, not like Fox or CNN. They were talking about the original tea party, where the people were taxed without a vote, and the news guy said this: "These people of course did have a vote, but they lost." I couldn't believe he said that, and I had to share. He said it in such a matter of fact, news guy way. Cold hearted. Besides, how does he know that some of those protesters didn't vote for Obama and now regret it? But it made me laugh.

Backwards and Forwards and Upsidedownsideways

I had a wonderful Easter weekend with my family, but it was way too short. I wish I had more time with them. I was bummed about coming back, but the drive back was better than I thought it would be; I wasn't depressed like I thought I'd be. My grandparents have season tickets to travelogues hosted by the Rotary Club, and they were showing one on Saturday. Grandpa asked me if I wanted to go, and I almost said no, but it was on Scotland, and since I want to go there sometime, I figured it would be good to learn a little about the land. So, my dad, brother, and I went with my grandparents. I am almost positive that my dad, brother, and I were the three youngest people there, and my brother and I were the youngest people there by fifty years, excluding my dad and one other couple who might have been around my parents' age. I thought it would be a video showing the landscape and cities of Scotland with a voice over narrator. However, they start introducing someone, and I wasn't sure what was going on. My brother leans over and says "It's going to be slides." At this point, with a two hour production ahead of me, I thought "What have I got myself into?" Thankfully, it was not slides. Instead, they showed footage from a couple's travels in Scotland and France with a live narrator, so he read the narration from a podium off screen. Being a travelogue, it was very tame, but it was ok. I'm so glad it wasn't slides. :-)

Earlier on Saturday, my grandpa, dad, brother, and I went to Gander Mountain and Barnes and Nobles. I hadn't been to Barnes and Nobles in a long time, and I got three books: My Antonia by Willa Cather, Firmin by Sam Savage, and Who Will Write Our History: Rediscovering a Hidden Archive from the Warsaw Ghetto by Samuel D. Kassow. The last book I simply had to buy because when I saw it, I started tearing up. In Barnes and Nobles. In front of my dad and grandpa. It was kind of embarrassing. I did a history fair project on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising my senior year of high school, and that event in history means a lot to me. Firmin is the book I'm really excited about though. It's a fictional story, and the main character is a rat. I'm not exactly sure what it's about, but he lives in the basement of a bookstore, and one of the blurbs on the back says "Delicious. Firmin is a book that is written for Readers, that is, for people who have the book passion and for whom books are as real as anything else in life. Realer, perhaps." Donna Leon. Yeah, that kind of describes me. :-)

I don't feel like doing anything that I should do. Drat.

April is the Cruelest Month

Today we had a spring snowstorm. I greatly dislike spring snowstorms, as they mostly bring disaster and sorrow. Today, I am without power, and it probably won't be restored until tomorrow afternoon. There has also been a devasting fatal accident today involving children. April is cruel. (Though I have to admit I didn't think of it until I saw it on other people's facebook statuses.) So, I'm hanging out in the library. I bought a book by James Thurber at the paperback store, and it is hilarious. I had read some Thurber before, but I had forgotten how good and funny he can be. I do enjoy his work.

We had chocolate cupcakes at work today, and I was reminded of my visit with friends this fall when we had chocolate cake for breakfast and listening to Bill Cosby's "Chocolate Cake" sketch. That is a wonderful memory.

This is going to be a busy month. I have so much to do, and I need to figure out what exactly is going on with my weekends. I also need to apartment hunt. Not looking forward to that, but I have gotten some good advice. It helps that I know people down there. :-)

I have my first play rehearsal on Thursday. Yay! Not many guys auditioned, so we are waiting for a male lead for the main play that I'm in.

Blessings.

Dear Readers

What is one of your favorite quotes? I'd like to collect some quotes, and I'd appreciate some help. So, please leave a comment with a funny or inspirational or literary or biblical quote.

Thanks!

There's No Business Like Show Business

Well, I received a call today from one of the directors, and I am going to be in 4 of the 10 plays, with the lead role in one of them. I'm so excited! It's funny because the play in which I have the lead is not one that we read for at the audition. It sounds pretty good though, kind of like an O. Henry story. (Who, by the way, is one of my favorite short story writers. Highly recommended.)

Work is getting a bit difficult. I'm down to the really hard pieces, and they are getting difficult to research and even identify. I can't believe that I'm on the home stretch, 3/4 done. It's going to be hard to tear up the roots I've laid down and move on. I wanted to put down some roots, and I knew it would be hard, but it is worth it. I'm going to miss the church. And by church I mean the people, not the building. We are the church, who meet in a building. Also, I went to the women's ministry movie night and saw Fireproof. It was pretty good, though I can't really relate yet.

Blessings.

The World is a Stage

I did something that I haven't done since high school. I auditioned for a play. Several plays, actually. The community theater is doing an assortment of short one act plays; one of the directors posted an "ad" that said they were looking for more actors, and I decided to go for it. It was my first real audition, and I had a really good time. I hadn't realized how much I enjoyed being onstage and acting. I chose music over theater at college (for which I'm glad), but I'm happy that I have this opportunity again. The audition was really laid back, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to meet new people and have a new experience. I hope I get a good part or parts, as people may act in more than one play because they are a bit short-handed. As of now, I'm glad I took the risk and decided to go for it.

She Looks at Books

Does anyone have any book suggestions? I am currently in between books, and I would like something entertaining and preferably light hearted but also a bit informative. I know, that's a tall order, but any suggestions are welcome, even if they don't fit the "requirements." :-) I recently finished two book by A.J. Jacobs: The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All. They were so good! He is hilarious. There were times that I would laugh aloud, loudly. Just burst out laughing. He actually wrote The Know-It-All first. It's about his endeavor to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. He then wrote a book about trying to follow all the rules in the Bible for a year. I like The Year of Living Biblically best. He is an agnostic, very nominal Jew, but even though I don't agree with him on some things, he wrote it in such a manner that it was rarely offensive or off-putting. He was very open-minded, which I appreciated, especially in regards to things that are often criticized, like fundamental Christianity and snake handlers. (No, I do not agree with snake handlers, but his coverage of it was very good and interesting.) These two books, alas, are his two main works, and now I am looking for something else to read. I have some books on order featuring bookmobiles, but I think they are children's lit and won't take long to read.

I have to clean the house tonight. Especially my rooms, which is a big undertaking right now. But, it needs to be done.

Also, in the paper today, there was a huge, two page spread about the Beat and the Bench. It was kind of odd that those two houses, inhabited by people who were 2 years ahead of us, got such big press. I guess the editors were trying to foster off campus community? Not sure, but it was kind of cool to read about people who were "big names" when I was an underclassman.

Faith, Hope, Love

I want to go to IU! I am getting very excited. It's the little things. They sent me an info packet, and included in the packet was a postcard. With flowering trees in a dense fog. Also, they have a world music festival every year. And the student archives group teaches elementary and jr. high students how to use primary sources. They also have a great rare books and special collections program. I will also join the ranks of the expatriots from my alma mater. The biggest draw, however, is the personal interaction and friends. People are the most important. Now I know where I want to go, here's hoping I get to go.

Not Yet and NO

Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between God saying "Not yet" and "No." Last year, when my application to U of I was rejected, I thought God was saying "Not yet." (I still believe that that rejection was one of the best things to happen to me.) Yesterday, I found out that He was actually saying "No." No to U of I anyway. I thought that I was going to be angry and bitter about it. When the letter was taking a long time, I thought that I might be rejected again, and I imagined writing biting posts about it. I even considered calling them up on Monday to see if I could get an answer as to why I'm not good enough for them, but I don't think I'm going to. God has closed that door, and that is ok, because I still have two that are open, though they are not fully open. Out of state tuition being what it is, I'm still waiting to hear about financial aid. My desire to go to IU is now firmly cemented, though I'm going to visiting days/open house at UM tomorrow. This is a very busy week.

I got back from Purdue today where I attended a conference of people from the Midwest who use the same software as I do at work. Most of the people there were librarians or associated with libraries in some way. I was not the only young person, and even though I don't know much about the software, I learned a lot and was able to keep up. Many of the topics were about new ways to integrate and use the technology. One college uses Flickr and another is on Second Life. (Ha!) I went with a group of people for dinner at an Irish Pub. It was really cool, and I loved the music mix (several Gaelic Storm songs). I had to be careful, because one of the ladies teased me about dancing. I can't help it, I move to music. :-) I am, however, very tired. I wanted to sleep when I got home at 5, but I know I can't, so I'm forcing myself to stay up. I should do some things, but I don't feel like it at all.

TTFN

If We Are the Body

It's amazing what a spiritual cry will do for the soul. (By spiritual cry I mean physically crying while engaging in prayer or Christian fellowship.) Church was beautiful today. I had some unexpected reactions and I felt like the Lord was speaking to me and working on me, and that is good. I am so blessed with a church family that is willing to reach out and a pastor who is willing to say hard things. Today's sermon was about compassion and helping others. In Sunday school we discussed the prodigal son, and with these two subjects, I realized again how it's easy to help with physical needs, but being truly involved with people is where things can get messy. We are all sinners and we all fail, and I need to be willing to accept that in myself and in others. (Though of course I do not want to fail, and I do not want others to fail, but we will; that's just the way this world is.) I was reminded of one of my favorite stories by Flannery O'Connor entitled "Redemption." I highly recommend it. Mrs. Turpin is a great character.

Also, I really don't like not knowing, and not knowing is a very prevalent thing in my life right now. Not knowing if I'm accepted to U of I. Not knowing about financial aid. Not knowing where I'll be next year. Not knowing what branch of library science I want to do. Etc. But I realize that all of this doesn't matter, because God has taken care of me thus far, and I know that He will continue to be faithful. He knows what's going to happen. He knows what He has planned for my life, and right now, that is enough.

Herbert the Dragon

I enjoy grocery shopping. It's fun to pick out food and other items, and it's about the only shopping I do anymore. :-)

At work on Wednesday we built a castle out of food in our work area. We went shopping for the items and then spent a couple hours assembling it. It's part of the county "Big Read" featuring the book The Glass Castle. I haven't read it, but I think it's about a girl growing up in poverty. On Saturday, we are going to compete with other teams to build a castle out of canned goods and non-perishable items, and the items we use will then be donated to local food banks, shelters, etc. I think it's a very good idea, and it's fun too. I made a dragon out of washcloths and rubber bands. His name is Herbert. He requires some imagination, but he is cute. We also have a king and queen with shampoo and conditioner bodies, dishcloth robes, and round soap heads. They are fantastic. My co-worker did a wonderful job.

I have to get up early tomorrow for the Bible quiz. I really like coaching Bible quiz, but early mornings on Saturdays are not cool. The meet is closer than some, so that's good, but it's still early. Also, I cannot just make myself fall asleep earlier, so I'm going to be tired in the morning.

Blogospheric

I know the color scheme is off, but I can't help it. Fall colors are my colors.

I have more that I could say, but I'm tired.

Night.

White Monkey

I made white monkey for lunch today. I got the recipe from a book called Old Squire's Farm, which is a collection of stories about cousins growing up on their grandparents' farm after the Civil War. The stories are really good, and one of the stories had this recipe at the end. It is an old recipe, so instruction include warming the milk over a fire. :-) It is a bit like Welsh rarebit, I think, though I have never had Welsh rarebit. It's surprisingly filling, and would make a good breakfast food, though I don't discriminate. "Breakfast" food is good any time of the day.
Here's the recipe:
Put over the fire one pint of new milk in a double boiler. As soon as the milk is warm, stir in one teaspoonful of flour mixed with two tablespoonfuls of cold water. As the milk gets hotter, add slowly, so as to dissolve it, two ounces of cheese, grated or chipped fine. Then add one ounce of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of cayenne pepper, and one egg, well beaten and mixed with two tablespoonfuls of cold milk or water. Let the mixture simmer five minutes, then serve hot on wheat-bread or brown-bread toast, well browned and buttered.

That is the exact wording, but it is not hard to modernize. It is liquidy, so be careful when pouring it on a plate.

I tried to go back to work on Friday, but I had to take off the afternoon. I'm feeling better today, so hopefully I'll be fine come Monday.

It definitely feels like spring is coming. Yay! I ran some errands this morning and I could get away without a coat, which was so nice. :-) I'm getting a little stir crazy.

Rain and Crows

I am taking the afternoon off, as I am sick. I am don't feel as bad about it because my work isn't very time sensitive and other people will not have to work harder because I am gone. I was always grateful not to have to use a sick day at Burger King because I knew they would be understaffed if I wasn't there.

Also, my freshman high school science teacher's son died on Monday, I think. He was a junior in high school and died from pneumonia. Several years earlier, his classmate died from a hunting accident, so this class has been hit hard. I was so shocked when I found out. I didn't think people died suddenly from illnesses like that anymore.

I guess I don't have happy new right now. Sorry.

The History of the Hose

My brother is training to be a volunteer fire fighter, and he went to a training session where he sat through 40 minutes learning about the history of the hose. I think it's hilarious. :-)

I had an absolutely wonderful weekend. And now I am getting a cold, but that is ok, because it did not start until after the reception. I figured it was coming because many people around me have been sick, andI had a busy and fairly stressful past week. But, the wedding and the weekend was amazing. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful in so many ways, especially in its Christ-centeredness. The music went well too, even with the very old piano. Kara sang beautifully, and I only made one mistake, and that was at the end of the recessional. The reception was a blast; we danced the night away.

I also had a taste of city driving, and I'm not a fan of it in general. No big problems though. I have oversensitive, rather poor hoodlum radar, and it kicked in again as we headed to the rehearsal. (Btw, the rehearsal went the smoothest that I have ever seen.) I got lost, as my GPS did not put me in the correct place, and as I'm driving around, trying to find the entrance, the neighborhood looked a bit sketchy and a car with 2 guys was following me. I got a little paranoid, but it turns out the "hoodlums" were part of the wedding too, and we eventually all got to the right spot.

Cherish the memories!