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!