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.