Procrastinate With Me...

Bienvenido a Miami!

2009-08-02T21:13:00.005-04:00

I've moved to Miami and am gearing up for the school year as a campus minister. It's a crazy cool job, and I don't really know how I got here. I mean, I remember interviewing and all, but I always thought I'd end up in social justice work. Instead, I'm attending to the social needs and spiritual development of college students, who are always in a time of transition and discovery. And who are more often than not neglected and even ignored by the church despite its grumblings about there being no young people in church.

I suppose it's a different kind of mission and advocacy. I get to preach every week to college kids trying to figure out who they are and how to live in the world. I get to help them discern their paths and talk about what it really means to follow Jesus in our interactions with God and others. I'm getting to know my ecumenical colleagues. I painted my office two shades of aqua, and I'm planning all the cool decorating improvements I can make to make the place more comfortable and aesthetically appealing to students. I'm ordering slick postcards and fun coasters to advertise on campus. And I get to play games and hang out for my job.

But although it's exciting and fun, it's still an adjustment. 6 years ago I lived and worked in a shelter for homeless families. Then I moved to Atlanta and in seminary we talked a lot about living the gospel and being in community. And now I live in the fancy part of the city that looks like a resort, and my house that's too big for me has an alarm and lawn service. And I'm probably going to get an iphone so I can keep up with my students online and so I can find my way around the city.

But I'm planning our first international mission trip. I'm working on pairing us up with a local agency so students can build relationships and learn about local issues that affect the way that people here live. And I plan to do a book study on one of Shane Claiborne's books, and a study series from Sojourner's. Hopefully, I can introduce a desire for social justice and understanding others into the lives and spiritual vocabularies of the students.

I know this is the right place to be, and I am totally stoked. I spent the last two years at a children's hospital, wondering every day if I'd be with a family when their child died. I was, 36 times. I loved being there, and it was an amazing privilege to be with people at the most tender times of their lives. I would love to do that work again some day, just as I'd love to work again with people confronting housing, poverty and other justice issues. But it was heavy. It was hard. I'm glad I did it and I wouldn't relinquish a day of it, but I am glad to be doing something different and more upbeat. This is a challenge, too, in different ways. And maybe one day I'll feel as cynical and frustrated about this as the campus ministry veterans I met at a conference recently. If that starts to happen, I hope I'll notice and be excited to move to a new adventure, perhaps one in social justice or pediatric chaplaincy. (And if I don't notice, you hereby have permission to point it out to me.) I imagine that I'll spend my life moving from one project to another every few years, as I already have. That itinerant system is in my blood.

Right now, I'm glad to be focused on having lunch with board members and students, redoing the prayer room, planning a leadership retreat, buying new couches, and plotting out sermons for the fall.

Rock on.

The Michael J. Fox Show

2009-05-07T22:42:00.000-04:00

"I think that's where the hope comes from. If I could do everything, I'd have no reason for hope."
~ MJF

Sunsets of Late

2008-12-29T00:36:00.003-05:00

I've been bouncing off the walls all day!

2008-11-04T19:05:00.006-05:00

I went to vote this morning.
I got there at 7:30.
I needed to be at a meeting at 9:00,
so I thought that when I got to the poll
I would be all anxious and worried about getting to work.
Instead, when I got to the church where I vote
and I saw the line,
I was overwhelmed with joy.
People were participating!
Democracy in action!
And I was so glad to be a part of it.

People in line were nice, too.
It was a fun little place to be.
Folks were chatting, sharing newspapers, smiling.

I was stir-crazy all day.
I jumped around in the office.
I ran up two flights of stairs from our offices to the ICU.
I had to go run around
at the park after work.

I love to vote.
I love election day.
It's like Christmas
except the whole world changes,
which is how Christmas should be
but not how it is.

But today,
I am HOPEful!

Things I think are awesome:

2008-10-26T17:01:00.002-04:00

1) You can buy a chicken suit at Target.

2) Gas at the QT down the street is $2.37.

3) My roommate's cat eats her dry food one tiny piece at a time.
Paw in bowl, one piece knocked on floor and consumed. Repeat.

Drill, Baby, Drill

2008-10-24T00:49:00.002-04:00

In 9 hours, I'll be having a root canal. I must say, this has never been on the list of things I hope to experience in my lifetime.

So I've been taking some medicine since I saw the dentist last week in preparation for the Big Drill. I was about to take one of the pills the other night while I was on call. I dropped the pill, and it rolled under the desk in the chaplaincy sleep room.
Now, this room has only been in use for a year and a half, but I guarantee you no one has vacuumed under that desk in the time that has elapsed.
So, I dropped quickly to the floor, grabbed the pill, blew it off, dusted it off, and thought:
"Eh, 5 second rule???
Well hell, it's penicillin!!!"

Meet me in St. Louie... especially if you were a US-2 from 2001-2003

2008-10-21T20:42:00.004-04:00

words of wisdom from the scripted mouth of Sandra Bullock

2008-09-21T23:17:00.001-04:00

"Beginnings are scary.
Endings are usually sad.
But it’s the middle that counts.
And you need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning.
Just give hope a chance to float up.
And it will, too."

8:35am

2008-07-23T08:35:00.003-04:00

I tried to go to sleep just after 2 last night.
I got back up and wrote the evangelism essay instead.
I haven't read it yet this morning, but I bet it's a 2am essay.

I got 4 essays completed yesterday.
I had hoped for more than that, but
I have about half of the others started.

This, my friends, is a lot of writing.

Chugging along...

some pictures from a while ago when I went to Florida, because it's the middle of the night and I don't feel like writing anymore...

2008-07-23T01:32:00.004-04:00

Countdown to CrunchTime

2008-07-22T14:45:00.002-04:00

I have 9 Leadership essays, 1 Theology essay, the brief "Personal Growth" section, an analysis of my sermon video, and some forms left to complete. All is due tomorrow by 5pm.

I'm in a coffeeshop writing, and I look up when I'm trying to focus a thought. I keep accidentally looking right at this one guy. I bet he wonders why... but he's right in front of the window!

It's strengths and weaknesses day (most of the leadership essays ask for them), so I'll be sure to include "work well under pressure"...

One Crazy Week

2008-07-19T10:41:00.002-04:00

I'm writing my commissioning essays right now. They're due next week, so of course I'm feverishly typing this week. I've completed at least 6 essays this week and am nearly done with a few more. I have big hopes for my quick typing skills today.

Monday, I was getting ready to go to work, and I put some stuff in the front seat of my car. I shut the passenger door, and the back windshield just FELL IN. I walked around the car like 3 times going "What? How does that happen?" Luckily, insurance covered it and a fella came out and fixed it that day.

Tuesday, I got home from being on duty at the hospital and my fish, Fritz Hundo, had died. He had looked pretty bad for a couple of days. My mom was offering her condolences, and I said "He was a good, solid fish." She couldn't stop laughing. She said that was a ridiculous thing to say about a fish. But really, he was a good solid fish. He was pretty, with flowy tails. He was active, flipping around in the water and stirring up the plastic "rocks" in the bottom of the bowl. And he never seemed to mind when I made fish faces at him.

All my childhood dreams come true

2008-06-15T13:45:00.002-04:00

Unicorn

Conference, Day 1

2008-05-30T09:36:00.002-04:00

So, I drove down south for Annual Conference. I'm staying with my friend Lauren from college, and her two cute boys -- Gunnar and Fielder -- and her husband Tate. They live right across the street (like little neighborhood street) from a lake, which is lovely, and they're only 25 minutes from the conference center.

The day yesterday was filled with wandering around and meeting new people. I sat with my minister Clarke during the afternoon session. We had a break between some reports and Randy Maddox's lecture on "Living The Wesleyan Way." During the 15 minute break, Clarke introduced me to 5 people (including the heads of Extension Ministries, Mission, and the Order of Deacon, as well as one new D.S). With one minute left before Maddox took the stage, Clarke says "Hey, want to meet the Bishop?" and he leads me up ONTO THE STAGE. The Bishop has gotten out of his chair to go to the podium to introduce Maddox, and Clarke stops him so we can meet! The Bishop was very kind and gracious, and after shaking my hand and saying how glad he was to meet me and how excited Florida is to be getting me, he stepped to the side and called the session to order! I scampered quickly offstage...

Bonus Material:
Top 3 musical moments of my day (in no particular order, and keep in mind that "top" does not equal awesome and is perhaps more akin to absurd/disturbing):
1. Babyface's version of "Fire and Rain" on the radio
2. a high school drumline marching in to accompany the praise band
3. a plea for episcopal reappointment in hymnody -- "Be Thou Our Bishop", complete with 3 verses

Spuggles' Last Stand

2008-05-24T23:36:00.002-04:00

This morning, Lance, Chad, Ogle (briefly) and Greg came over and we packed Sara's furniture and boxes into a moving van.
This afternoon, Sara, her dad, Allen and I went to the Braves game -- the first one Sara'd been to this season. When we discovered that she'd never been to the Varsity, our dinner plans were made.

the sky was green for a while

2008-05-20T21:01:00.003-04:00

I started feeling a little off last Wednesday,
but nothing to speak of.
Sunday night I started wheezing and woke up with a sore throat.
Last night, I sounded like a frog and/or a pre-pubescent trucker.

I stayed home sick today.
Here's how it went:

89 ounces of water
8 episodes of Gilmore Girls
6 mugs of hot green tea
2 fat free fudgecicles
1 tornado warning

Some pics from Rome

2008-04-13T14:59:00.003-04:00

Some pics from Florence

2008-04-13T14:39:00.002-04:00

A few Venice pics (more Italy pics to come...)

2008-03-16T23:34:00.006-04:00

Ha!

2008-03-06T23:30:00.002-05:00

I was right!
I am frantically shoving stuff into ziploc bags!
In fact, I am currently (at almost midnight) drying some pants to take.

Away I go!
Rock on.
Ciao!

In one week...

2008-02-28T21:12:00.002-05:00

I will be frantically packing for Italy.
I will be rolling up jeans and sweaters, shoving them into huge ziploc bags and rearranging the ziplocs in the baggage to be checked.
I'll be counting and recounting the pairs of socks and camisoles I've packed.
I'll be totally stoked. I'll be really really hyper.
I will be paring down my carry-on stuff, but making sure I have my camera, and my Rick Steves' Italy Through the Back Door, and my empty journal.
I'll be putting photocopies of my passport and my mom's cousin's phone number into every secret pocket I can find.
I'll be, like the little kid waiting to go to Disney World, too excited to sleep.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2008-02-11T19:31:00.000-05:00

Seriously awesome.
Watch this.

Note the saints.
As I suspected, Fred Rogers is among them.

Rock on.

It Snowed Here

2008-02-07T18:27:00.000-05:00

a few weeks ago...

Today

2007-12-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

I was awakened by an enthusiastic mom,
flinging open the door to the bedroom and saying
"There's another one!"
Me: "Hmmm? Another what?" (sitting up by now)
Mom: "She brought another one! And it's white and gray!"
Me: "Another kitten?"
Mom: (no longer at the door, but has taken off down the hall)
So, I go look out the dining room window,
and indeed,
there is another kitten -- siamese-esque in coloration,
which is starkly different from the 3 strictly black and white kittens to date.
I wonder aloud whether there are more tiny baby kitties elsewhere.
Around 9am, the lady from the CatNip program at UF's Vet school arrives.
We called yesterday when we returned home to find their postcard
announcing free spaying until the end of January.
The nice vet student assures us that if there are other kittens
mama kitty will be able to go get them soon
even if she has the surgery today.
AND the nice vet student says she can foster the kittens until they are adopted!
So, we painstakingly corralled the cats into her carrier and off they went.
All but one, that is, for whom I had found a home in the ATL.

So I drove back to Atlanta with a kitten in the passenger seat.
Every time I stopped, I opened the door to the carrier and petted her
and let her walk out.
She walked across my lap,
climbed up the door armrest,
and looked out the window to see what was going on in the world.
She's adorable.

In other news, my phone died.
It did the same thing it did 6 months ago
when the buttons would light up
but the screen was black.
Alas.
I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get the kitty to my friend
since I can't remember how to get to her house.
Alas again.
I guess I'm going to go get a new phone tomorrow.

Sweet Mama and some Tiny Baby Kitties!

2007-12-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

My aunts decided to call the mama kitty "Ms. Claus" and they tried to come up with holiday themed names for the tiny baby kitties. Noel is the only one that stuck. She's the one with the white face, and she's the boldest.

Rock on.

Happy Christmas!

2007-12-25T23:54:00.000-05:00

The 25th:
* sleeping in
* BACON and eggs with CHEESE
* crazy family fun
* entirely too much food, with the ham and the potatoes and the broccoli salad and the wild rice salad and the regular salad salad and the rolls and the haystacks...
* presents... including jewels, a trivet, books, the traditional calendar, some dvds, coffee from my cousin's shop, and some other nifty whatnots
* brunswick stew leftovers!
* um, and the 1987 World Series, in which my Twins bested the Cards, and of which Shanfro and I watched the first two games. Phil -- who actually remembers the games since he was 37 while Shannon and I were 5 and 9, respectively -- kept asking "Is this when Gagne gets a double?". Shannon kept reading the cliffnotes on the dvd case and saying things like "I bet Hrbek will get out at first." All in all, a good time. And 5 games to go!

The 24th:
* I cannot really remember what happened, except we ate brunswick stew, went to church and hung out with my cousins and the flying monkey.

Rock on.
Hope you had happy days as well!

Sweet Darkness

2007-12-10T23:26:00.000-05:00

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.

There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

~ David Whyte
from The House of Belonging

Talk about productive...

2007-12-10T01:20:00.000-05:00

I watched 17 episodes of The Office
today (which is still Sunday to me because I am still awake).

My favorite way to watch a television series
is straight through on dvd.
Similarly, I'm a sucker for a reality tv marathon.

Rock on.

The Christmas Shindig

2007-12-09T14:58:00.000-05:00

Our tree!

white elephant and new friends...

Craiggers in curlers... I love it.

BFF trumpeteers

Happy Advent!

2007-12-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

www.paperlesschristmas.org

It's good.

I went to the UF/FSU game

2007-11-27T21:57:00.000-05:00

from the Turkey Potluck

2007-11-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Or not...

2007-11-19T18:46:00.001-05:00

On my way home
I saw a street sign lying on the side of the road.

Yield.

Heavy

2007-11-16T17:24:00.000-05:00

today

child abuse conference
all day
staying at a family shelter
overnight

but!
turkey potluck...
mmm...
i love tomorrow.

when I was searching the blurg-hives...

2007-11-15T23:03:00.002-05:00

to find that Autumn poem
I re-read the burnball post from last October.
Funny stuff, my friends, funny stuff.
That was a good night.

Last Year's Autumn Poem

2007-11-15T23:03:00.001-05:00

The leaves are
Donning new gowns of red and orange
Making their olympic high dives
Swirling around my head

Sometimes
on sunny days
I like to walk with my eyes closed
peeking quickly every five or six steps
to avoid a concussion

Just now
wind danced
sun shone
leaves fell
and I remembered
to look
when I crossed the street

Autumnal

2007-11-14T22:53:00.001-05:00

my back porch

gorgeous!

commuting...

Halloween...

2007-10-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Sara and I had a tandem costume...
Peace and Quiet

Hmm...?

2007-10-25T22:58:00.001-04:00

So, I had heard that ER would be getting a chaplain this season.
We, the seminary crowd, have frequently said "a doctor shouldn't be doing that!" and "augh! where's the chaplain?" when watching ER or Grey's.
Well, it's a weird thing to add a new staff position in such an established series, but I was excited about the possibility. I mean, for a while there was a social worker who was a regular character, so...

Anyway, I've been watching this season out of curiousity. (I used to watch ER every week, but stopped watching last year when that guy was trying to kill Luka.)
So weeks went by... no chaplain.
But tonight, she appeared. She looks normal. She came in, talked softly to the patient to soothe her during a procedure.
And then she says, "do you want to pray?"
The patient nods.
Chaplain says, "we can do it together."
Silence.
Then they look up again, and the dr. says that the procedure went well.
Chaplain says, "that must have been one hell of a prayer."
Seriously? Seriously.
She didn't actually pray, but she did actually cuss.

However, later she tried to explain to John Stamos that she "has a spiritual life, and a spiritual job, but [she] live[s] in the real world."
So that's helpful.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about this. I'm glad there's a chaplain, but one of the things I read online said she'd be a "sexy chaplain." I definitely appreciate the attempt at balance between the holy and the human. I do hope that ER tries to, as we'd say in the seminary, live in that tension. And I hope they don't make chaplains look trashy. That's not helpful.
We'll see how it goes.

We're all pretty much the same

2007-10-14T23:10:00.001-04:00

just older and fatter.

I went to high school with these people. And Saturday, we got together and ate tacos.
It's odd how little we have changed in a decade or so, yet we are also completely different.
We laughed. We looked at pictures and mocked each other's high school style. We reminisced. We tried to understand what Brian was saying.
And everyone left by 10pm. Because we're old.

Rock on.

I really do

2007-10-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

have a pretty strange life.

It's mostly good strange.
But it certainly is crazy.

Rock on.

I've had some pretty cool experiences, but I'm glad I didn't miss frisbee today.

2007-10-05T18:49:00.001-04:00

In 4th grade, I went to my first Major League Baseball game at the Metrodome (Twins v. Orioles).

At 16, I worked on a roof for the first time.

When I was 21, I stood in the grass and daisies in the sanctuary ruins of an 8th century monastery.

At 23, I swam with (and kissed) stingrays.

At 26, I held my best friend's 4 day old baby.

At Emory, I have heard Jesse Jackson, Margaret Atwood, and Elaine Pagels speak in the auditorium (i.e. sanctuary) at Glenn Memorial UMC.
I also heard Jimmy Carter (thrice) answer questions from Emory students ranging from the inane (he actually still is a peanut farmer, which is why he doesn't miss it) to the silly (his favorite movie is Casablanca) to the seriously political (he really is not thrilled with this administration, and he has helped broker peace in countries I haven't heard of).

And I've played a lot of ultimate frisbee on the Quad (as evidenced somewhat in the picture below of us all soaked after the really rainy day a few weeks ago). We've had loads of passersby join in the game, whether intentionally or incidentally. Once a year or two ago, a Tibetan monk caught (or picked up) the frisbee and tossed it back to us. That was pretty cool.

But today, the Tibetan monks (there's a Tibetan program at Emory) were walking by -- several of them. One of us asked if they wanted to play. They looked at each other, grinned, secured their deep red robes, and took the field.

We played frisbee with three Tibetan monks.

It was surreal. It was serene. It was crazy.
It was pretty amazing.

We didn't worry about who was on what team. We just tossed the frisbee to a monk and followed his lead. Early on, I had said to one of the monks that I was going to guard him if that was okay. I looked around and none of the other monks were being "guarded," but I had committed. So I stayed near this one monk. And he asked me questions about the game (because obviously I am an expert).

They seemed so glad to be included in our funny little Friday tradition.
And we were all so glad they were willing to run (maybe shuffle) around the warm messy quad in full monk garb.

It was good. Maybe (okay, certainly) not quite as good as cuddling that 4 day old baby whom I love dearly. But really good.

I went to Tallahassee

2007-10-04T23:46:00.000-04:00

and it went pretty well.
I saw some old friends.
I ate at some familiar old restaurants.
I reconnected with my church.
I hung out with my cousins.
In fact, these pictures are from my one cousin's new coffeeshop in south Georgia, just north of Tally.

In other news, it's rainy in Atlanta, and my hands are stiff.

I should go to bed

2007-09-29T23:17:00.001-04:00

since I have to be there at 8:10 in the morning.
There are three services.
Rock on.

So goodnight, friends.

Holy Crap

2007-09-27T21:49:00.000-04:00

Code blue
during Grey's Anatomy.

I don't think I have run that hard in ages.

False alarm. Amen.

soaked. and blurry.

2007-09-15T15:54:00.000-04:00

We got this picture yesterday on Candace's phone. We're assembled on the steps of Pitts after what may be the best game of ultimate frisbee in my life...
We stopped playing (and by playing I mean sloshing and sliding around the quad, fumbling for the frisbee) when the lightning and thunder were simultaneous.
It was beautiful. Soggy. Hard to see. Muddddddddy. Delightful. Crazy. Amazing. Just what I needed.

I'm still hoping my car seats will dry without smelling terrible.
Fingers crossed... (and a dryer sheet in the front seat with the windows rolled down).

Rock the heck on.

Um, makeover?

2007-09-08T23:14:00.000-04:00

So, I got a haircut today.
Instant gratification after a helluva week.
And then tonight we went to a Mary Kay party.
That's how I got the gold-green eyes and the sparkle lips.
Pretty awesome, huh?

Rock on.

I heart Live Music

2007-09-04T16:12:00.000-04:00

So I was talking with a friend the other day
about how many concerts we've each been to.
He's been to like 4 rock shows.
I know I've been to significantly more than that,
and I decided to try to tally them up.
I've included people that I intentionally went to see
as well as music festivals with more than one artist.
People I saw more than once are noted with an *
though some are listed more than once since I saw them with other bands.
Also, I didn't include people that I saw but didn't like at the time.

Here's the list, as best I can figure:
(remember that some of these were a LONG time ago...)
- NKOTB
- Hootie and the Blowfish, Edwin McCain
- Tom Petty
- Blues Traveller*
- Sarah McLaughlin, Indigo Girls (Lillith Fair)
- Bare Naked Ladies
- Jump Little Children*
- Cowboy Mouth, Vertical Horizon, Gran Torino
- Train, Jude
- Cake*
- Everclear (and solo Art Alexakis)
- Mike Doughty*
- Weezer*
- Ben Folds
- Foo Fighters, Weezer
- Indigo Girls*
- Dixie Chicks
- Rebecca Loebe*, Abi Tapia
- Ward Williams*
- Jay Clifford*
- The Decemberists
- Patty Griffin
- Bo Beddingfield*

Feel free to comment with your own list,
or to comment on mine.

Rock the heck on.
Seriously.
Go.
Rock on.

And now a word from our sponsors

2007-08-30T00:25:00.000-04:00

This was my lunch, half eaten, last Thursday in a small town diner in Minnesota. In at least one town where we lived, this particular sandwich (white bread, roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy) was called a "commercial." On this diner menu, it was called a hot roast beef sandwich.
Mmmmm... delicious!

Some blurbs for the blurg

2007-08-24T01:05:00.000-04:00

* My folks (which is what you call parents in Minnesota) picked me up this morning in Brainerd, where Ben & Marie live. We headed to Milaca, the town my folks lived in when I was born. My parents like to just show up in Milaca and hope that the 3 people they want to see will be available. But now I have friends there too -- 2 friends from elementary school (across the state) who married each other and moved there and now they have 2 kids. We ended up seeing all those people, even the ones who had no clue we were coming.

* There really are a ton of lakes in MN. It's lovely.

* My dad and I had this exchange in the car today:
Phil -- Up ahead there's a place where the cows used to graze under the road.
Me -- There was a cow overpass?
Phil -- It was an over-pasture.

* I started making a throw. I needed something to do for all those hours we will spend in the car in the next several days.

Sleep...
Rock on...

monday

2007-08-22T21:55:00.000-04:00

I got up early, though still 45 minutes after my alarm started to sound. I rushed around, and Candace and I left for the airport just after 7am. We stopped by the bank, which had no envelopes at the ATM, though Candace had some in her car. We got to the airport, I checked in and stood in a heinously long security line. I took off my shoes and walked through the metal detector. I got to my gate and found that the flight was delayed 2 hours.
I wandered around -- got a bacon/egg/cheese sandwich on croissant, read some Emma, sat in the sun and listened to M Ward (who made the world melt away with his lilting mellow tunes). We boarded the first plane -- that's right, the first -- got settled, and de-boarded 15 minutes later. We were redirected to another terminal where a larger plane was waiting, hoping to hold a few more of the other passengers from delayed/canceled MSP flights.

When I finally got to MN, Ben and Marie had been on an adventure of their own. Having gotten a flat tire the night before, they took the opportunity afforded by my late flight to get new tires installed on their minivan. It was drizzly and grey. We found our hotel, checked in, discussed some tourist possibilities in the cities, nd headed to the Mall of America. We wandered. We shopped. We bought snacks. And then we found the light rail and set off for the Metrodome.
Our seats for the Twins game were primo. We were on the top level, but directly behind home plate. And the top level at the Dome is the height of the Lexus level at Turner field. We had pretty good seats, but we were in the middle of the row. So we had to repeatedly climb over folks, and the inevitable happened -- we lost a hot dog... down the pants of the lady in front of us. We scurried (good thing we had those extra napkins in our purses) to clean the mess.
The game was not a bang up show, either. The pitcher gave up 4 homeruns in the first couple innings, and the Twins lost pretty decidedly.
But there was beer, there was baseball, there were kids... and we were in the Dome.

Aside (imagine Don Saliers stepping everso slightly to his left): I love it. I know most people think it sucks as a baseball stadium, because everyone loses the ball in the white ceiling... but I love it. I saw my first major league game there, and I can still hear the announcer saying "Now batting, Kirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrbbbyyyyyyyyyyy Pucccckkkkkkkkkkettttttttttttttttt." It was the most magnificent thing. It's why I love baseball. That game lured me in, and the 1987 world series got me hooked.

(stepping back to center)
After the game, we rode the lightrail back to the car at the Mall. I sat beside a kid and his dad. The kid kept looking at his dad's scorecard, asking question after question. What does this symbol mean? What's in this column? Why do the Twins have so many injured players? And then he turns to the front, looks at the player's uniform, and asks "Why is there a 34 on his sleeve if he's #33? Just because of Kirby Puckett?" I was aghast. Just because of Puckett? I said, "How old are you? 'Cause I was 9 when the Twins won the '87 World Series, and 13 when they won in '91. And that's why." The dad chuckled. The kid looked just as puzzled as ever. And I felt disgruntled. Just because of Kirby Puckett... what are parents teaching their kids these days...?

So, we eventually got to the car and went back to the hotel. And then there was sleep.
Rock on.

[Tuesday we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and saw the Nordic Landscapes exhibit, which is evidence of the Scandinavian pride rampant in my birthstate.]

i need a moment

2007-08-22T21:44:00.000-04:00

i'm sitting in Ben's mom's office in Brainerd, MN.
at this desk on this computer i found out 3 hours ago that i got denied for health insurance. i can only guess that the determining factor is my arthritic condition, for which i have not received any medical treatment in over 3 years, since i moved to atlanta.
i applied for another plan with a different company (after Ben's mom said i should be glad i didn't get the first one because they have repeatedly screwed over her friend). here's hopin...

on the window sill in front of the desk is a picture of a couple who i assume is Ben's parents in the 1970s. the man looks just like ben. just.
further to the right on the sill is the prayer of st. francis. let me sow love...

we had a wonderful dinner. there was delicious food, laughter, stories, an irreverent family atmosphere, a sharing of meal blessings from various Christian traditions (the Catholic one, Johnny Appleseed, the Methodist one...), a bit of religious banter, passing plates and drinking of drinks.

we watched turtles race earlier today. i love minnesota.

tomorrow, my parents will pick me up and we'll visit a town we lived in when i was a baby and see friends of mine from elementary school who are married with kids and live there now.

i'll post in a moment about monday. it was a day for the blooper reels for the 3 of us (Ben, Marie and me). but despite the craziness, it was really good to see their faces at the airport and to sit high above home plate in the metrodome, even if gravity works harder on hotdogs.

rock on.

I'm taken aback.

2007-08-19T12:18:00.001-04:00

I just visited a different church.
I got doorprizes.
And the sermon included a sexist illustration.

I was on call last night, and I spent a little extra time at the hospital this morning. So I wasn't ready in time to get to the church I had planned to go to, which is at least 20 minutes away.
Well I have passed this sign for a UM church between my apt and the hospital, and I decided that since it's less than 10 minutes away today might be a good day to visit.

I almost walked back out as soon as I arrived. The guy was praying about winning souls, and that's not really my jargon or theology. But someone spotted me. I was greeted and given info about the church and a fancy pen in a box. Then I was ushered to a seat.
The pen was really fancy, so that felt a bit like a bribe to come back.

The minister had picked a topic and used the concordance. He sited at least 9 scripture passages. No joke. I wrote them down.

So up until this point, each of those things on its own is tolerable. Not my ideal worship experience, but tolerable.

The sermon was about love, and the guy was trying to say that love endures because it's a decision that is enabled by God and that it requires adaptation and commitment. The most outstanding illustration mentioned the jogger this morning -- "guys, you know the one" -- "her parts that you admire now will be sagging tomorrow." I didn't know what to do. All the old men laughed, and the women looked uncomfortable. I was so horrified.

I thought about walking out (for the second time now). I thought about telling the minister that I was offended when I met him at the door after the service. But then when I did meet him at the door, an usher told him I was a first time visitor, and the minister shoved a bigger box into my hand. So now I have a pen and a travel coffee cup with the ensignia of this church that creeps me out.

[Additionally, the church is in a predominately hispanic area, but none of the service was in spanish and there did not seem to be any outreach to/opportunities for the surrounding spanish-speaking folks.]

I am terrible. I can't go to a church without analyzing everything. There's more here, but... that's enough. I feel so crazy.

What a weekend

2007-08-12T22:44:00.000-04:00

And how.
Why, you ask?
When I'm ready, I'll tell someone.
Who? Perhaps you.

Ha. I just used the Big 5 question words.

So, this weekend I:
* was on call Friday night (which includes one death call)
* broke a tooth
* ran a (very little) bit Saturday
* vacuumed
* pruned the plants
* hung out at Craig's pool
* got a bit o' sun
* napped
* had dinner with a Wesley grad
* helped with Rachel's late night move
* went to church
* had lunch with Sara and Allen
* returned shoes to REI
* watched an Amanda Bines movie
* talked to the wireless router people for almost an hour

"That's a fresher. I'm going on break."

Hm.

2007-08-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

Um, tonight I watched three new reality tv shows.

Scott Baio is 45... and Single
The Pickup Artist
Who Wants to be a Superhero

They were,
shall we say,
quality.

Why does reality tv suck us (and obviously I mean me) in?
Is it because we can relate to those folks?
Scott Baio is trying to figure out why he can't commit.
8 normal guys are on The Pickup Artist because they're scared of women.
A bunch of grown ups wear spandex and take Stan Lee's challenges trying to be a hero.
Like many of us, these folks are looking for some secret to fulfillment, some brighter, shinier version of themselves.

also

2007-08-08T23:33:00.001-04:00

the air today
was so heavy
I thought I might have to chew my way through it
to get to my car after work.

that's not our fish

2007-08-08T23:29:00.000-04:00

Did she think that putting a plant in there
and tiny little rocks
(instead of the cool big clear blue rocks we had)
would divert my attention so much
that I would not notice that this fish is
smaller
redder
and has a tiny little tail?

That, my friends, is no Fritz Hundo.
No Fugitsu.
Not even a Chewbacca.

I mean.
Seriously.

I stared at that fish a lot.
And this is not that fish.

I have a crazyred tongue

2007-07-31T17:52:00.000-04:00

When I'm on call,
I get an icee.
That's the only time.
They have an icee machine in the cafeteria, but I restrict my icee intake to duty shifts so I have a reason to look forward to being on call.
I prefer cherry icees.
In fact, I only get them if they are cherry.
Thus, red tongue.

I wonder if parents I see tonight will wonder why they have a younger, cuter, less make-up-ed Gene Simmons for a chaplain.

The hotel was much posher than we expected

2007-07-28T22:01:00.001-04:00

I ended up having a three and a half day weekend, so Dana and I went to Savannah!

scenes from Tybee

down by the riverside, down by the riverside

joined by a Shanfro!

oh, so very Methodist

Dana enjoyed the trip thisssssssssssssss much!

Beach

2007-07-25T17:58:00.000-04:00

I want to see ocean and sand.

Soon.
Like tomorrow.

So Dana and I may go.

Overheard

2007-07-19T16:37:00.000-04:00

"When they found him, he was all wet. And when they got him home and gave him a bath, they opened his backpack. What do you suppose was in there? A live penguin. The kid had jumped in that tank and took it with him."

A fun story, because I'm pretty sure it'll be a long night

2007-07-17T19:07:00.000-04:00

I visited a kid today, and when I was leaving his mom said, "Say goodbye to Miss Beth." So, he said, "Goodbye, Miss Beth." And I said, "Goodbye Mr. Brian." He scrunched up his face, laughed and laughed and laughed really hard, and said, "Mr. Brian... you're crazy."

"Strange how hard it rains now..."

2007-07-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a weird 24 hours.

I'm spending the afternoon in the Emergency department,
and I'm on call tonight.

It's pouring.

It seems like a very long time until I get to go home tomorrow noon.

Weekend Movies

2007-07-16T11:31:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I read like a fiend, finishing one book, reading all of another and half of a third. This weekend, I watched some movies. (I did a little reading, too. I'm laughing my way through Sarah Vowell's Take the Cannolli.)

So, I can check these movies off the to-watch list:
Music and Lyrics
The Break-up

La Dolce Vita

My Current Soundtrack

2007-07-16T11:10:00.001-04:00

These songs are in my head right now:

Never Knowing (Jack Johnson)
Bottom of the Barrel (Amos Lee)

Smudge toe

2007-07-14T16:25:00.000-04:00

Sara and I got pedicures today.
I promptly smudged my big toe
carrying her rocking chair.
And that's funny because
I made Matt and Craig come help
my brother move a couch
so my toes would be safe.

Our internet is acting screwy.
The cable guy came out on Wednesday
and the problem then was that we had
accidentally hit the "standby" button,
which we did not know existed.
At this point, the problem is that the internet
does not appear to be there.
So that's exciting.

This is a really boring blog.
I should do something spicy to make it better.
Jalapeño!

sniffle, sniffle

2007-07-11T14:21:00.000-04:00

I'm sick.
It's "just a summer cold,"
says the nurse at employee health.

Here's a tip:
if you're ever cooking
and you think
"yeah, this could use some more barley,"
think again.

867-5309??

2007-06-30T14:27:00.000-04:00

My phone quit working on Thursday night.
Here's how I've described it
(if you've already heard this, I apologize,
but once I find a good metaphor
I have to milk it for all it's worth):
it's like the phone went on strike
and only the keys crossed the picket lines.

I have thus far been to a Cingular/AT&T store 3 times in the last 2 days. Turns out, they cannot port my number directly because I don't own the number; the local phone company in SC does. It's complicated. But I'm requesting that they release it so that I can be a general AT&T customer and keep my number.

So, I still have the crazy phone, probably for a month. Then I might be able to get a contract through the local AT&T store and get a new phone.

Ah. I don't think I'll have to switch numbers, which is what I was afraid of. I have no idea who all I would need to contact to change that number as my primary contact info.

I think I might go to the pool.
This phone stuff is exhausting.

Take a Gander at These

2007-06-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

Happy Matt Day!

living room basketball

solo cup martinis...

Matt loves pictures

lovely Dana

Oh Boy

2007-06-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

I just figured out how to
move players around
add new players
drop players
on my fantasy baseball team.
That's right. Just now.
I might have moved a player or two before,
but I just never tried to dump guys on the DL
or get new folks.

What has sparked this sudden interest in my fantasy team?
1.) I am now 6 games back, whereas before I was winning without trying.
2.) I realized that several of my players are on the DL, including Smoltzy.
3.) I am sitting in a computer training all day.

Rock on.

Lots of Blue

2007-06-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

There are several large blue items of furniture in my new living room,
including two humongous ottomans (ottomen?).
This morning, Candace and I lugged in the latest addition,
a chair that's almost a loveseat
plus an ottoman that's almost a twin bed.
We almost didn't make it.
The stairs nearly captured us.
We each had a moment where we accidentally sat down under the chair and couldn't stand back up.
But never fear. We did, in fact, prevail.
The massive chair and its likewise massive footrest
are now in my home.
If you come to visit, the monkey doormat will greet you
and you can enjoy the comfy blue seating.

The rest of the house is still full of boxes,
but we do have seating.
And a porch swing. Which I guess counts as seating.

And we have cable and internet now,
though I haven't gotten the wireless set up yet.
But we do have a huge remote with lots of funny buttons
for the digital cable box.

Okay, I'm driving to SC now.
Annual Conference, here I come!
Rock on.

p.s. My first on call night as a chaplain went smoothly. No calls at all.

This Week

2007-05-30T21:26:00.000-04:00

I moved this weekend.
So did a LOT of my friends.
Moveapalooza 2007

I have a monkey doormat now.

And lots of boxes of stuff.

I started CPE today at a children's hospital.
We had a little commissioning service so now I'm a chaplain.
Rock on.

It's going to be an intense summer
since all the sick people in that building are kids.

But the hospital is pretty cool.
It's bright and colorful and cheerful and
there are fish tanks everywhere
and they have bins of candy in the gift shop.
They also seem to take a more holistic approach to care,
considering all aspects of the patient
(who in this case is a child, so "all aspects" includes play and developmental stages and family).
I dig it.

Oh, and there is an ICEE machine in the cafeteria.
Awesome.

Two Things

2007-05-24T00:16:00.000-04:00

This has been a weird week.

I hate packing.
Packing, you are tedious!

What a Weekend!

2007-05-20T23:50:00.000-04:00

Friday:
- got TB test & other blood stuff for the hospital
- drove to Gainesville, and then rode with my dad the other 2 hours to the rehearsal dinner
- went to an Irish pub with my bro and cousin

Saturday:
- ate bacon at Cracker Barrell with an insane number of relatives and psuedo-relatives
- went to my cousin's wedding, which was lovely
- sat in a circle of hotel-room chairs on the sidewalk outside my grandma's room with 10-15 relatives, talking, laughing and eating

Sunday:
(that's today for 5 more minutes)
- hugged relatives and wished them safe travels
- drove to Deland and had lunch with Bob and Erin!
- drove the rest of the way back to the ATL, stopping briefly at a Gap Outlet

and now I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, I have to get the TB test checked, get a vaccine, pick up a headboard, pack some more, and probably sit on my porch swing.
Rock on.

My days, in bullet points

2007-05-17T15:52:00.000-04:00

Today, I have done the following:

* woke up at 8:15 after two really creepy dreams

* installed our wireless internet router (after we tried for hours the other day, and by "we" I mean Dana and her dad), with the help of a funny technical support guy from India who talked to me on the phone for 58 minutes and kept saying "okay, just do one thing" and who told me I am not good at technology but that he would help me

* watched The Good Shepherd

* sorted my dress clothes and put them on super duper new hangers, which do not fit in on the bar in my closet

* put my winter clothes into the storage containers under the bed

* uploaded graduation pictures onto yahoo

* ate some chicken and corn

* stayed in my pjs until at least 1:00, and still haven't showered (it's 4:00!)

I think I will fold up some clothes now and then move some stuff out of my closet into John's empty room so I can see what I need to do in my room.
Oy, the day is nearly gone and I have so much to do! I'm going to Florida tomorrow for my cousin's wedding, and I'll be gone until Monday. I have next week to finish this packing stuff, but I'd like to get some more done before then.

Yesterday seems much more productive:

* got a drug test for CPE. I'm clean, but I should drink more water.

* spent an hour and a half in Target, where I bought super duper clothes hangers to consolidate my skirts and dress pants into just 5 hangers!

* packed 11 boxes -- 8 of books, 2 of movies, 1 of framed pictures

* watched 4 movies -- Steel Magnolias, Ever After, Jersey Girl, and Catch and Release (all of which deal with death, it turns out... maybe that's why I had creepy dreams last night...)

* ate dinner at Athens Pizza with Candace

A Couple of the 250+ Graduation pics...

2007-05-14T22:46:00.000-04:00

Moving

2007-05-11T15:03:00.000-04:00

I've moved a lot. Like, for real a lot.
I hate packing. And unpacking.
I told Joy last night that I am moving in a couple weeks, and she said "so, you're going to start packing the night before?"

I was helping one of my students move his stuff into storage the other day, and he was frustrated with himself for waiting so long to pack. So, I had to tell him about my own college packing joys. Many readers will remember the excitement... always last minute, always a mess, always confusing and dreadful. I always had so much stuff. It multiplies...

One of the years I was an RA, my parents came up with the minivan and took a load of stuff home in my car. I waited until all the residents had moved out, and loaded up the minivan. It took for-ev-er. And it filled the van from top to bottom. I couldn't see out the rearview mirror, and the passenger side mirror was broken. So the only mirror I had was on the driver's side. Luckily (???), I left G'boro in the middle of the night, so there wasn't much traffic to look out for as I drove 3 hours in the dark, stopping every so often to do sprints in a gas station parking lot so I wouldn't fall asleep.

This move shouldn't be quite that bad, since I'm just moving across the apt. complex. I've given myself 6 days where I'll be an official resident of both apartments, so I take as many trips as I need. My parents are bringing the minivan, though.

At Last

2007-05-08T21:55:00.000-04:00

I am done with school.
Next Monday, they will proclaim me a Master of Divinity.

Almost...

2007-05-07T20:37:00.000-04:00

So, I am a bit of a wizard.
I did get that crazy paper done the other day.
And I wrote 5 pages this morning to finish a 9 pg paper.

It's been a busy day:
Last paper... check!
Last presentation... check!
Last exam... check!

Last WTM retreat...
One more day...

Holy Crap.

2007-05-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

I might be a wizard.
It remains to be seen.
I just wrote 5 pages in about an hour.
I have another half hour to write the remaining 5!

I'm eating skittles and drinking coke.
Seems to be helping.

Rock on.

Some stuff:

2007-05-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

* I have two rather long papers due tomorrow. I'm about to email for an extension on one.

* I just ate some cotton candy, left over from the Braves game on Tuesday. It's the first thing I've eaten today. Mmm, breakfast!

* In a minute, I'm heading to campus for my final advising with LTJ. It probably should have been done a month or two ago. Rock on.

* I put on an outfit this morning, checked myself out, and decided I was way cute but looked too much like an Emory undergrad. Now I'm just wearing jeans and a brown tshirt.

* I got accepted to the CPE program I was hoping for. I'll be a children's hospital chaplain this summer.

* I emailed a guy about a job this morning. It would r-o-c-k (except that it's part time -- but I could tutor small Koreans again...) But I had to ask whether I should bother to apply since I'm doing CPE all summer and won't be available until late August.

* Tonight, I will flip pancakes for hundreds of Emory students. Should be an adventure. And adventure that will mean that I cannot work on my papers that are due tomorrow... but fun times nonetheless.

* I must go iron my hair and go to school. Good day.

No Place

2007-05-02T15:14:00.000-04:00

I need to read.
Like hardcore.
For a solid two hours.
And there is no place for me to do it.

Pitts is cold, dark, and evidently today it's loud.
Woodruff is good for writing, but there are billions of people there.
Brooks has old people studying very very loudly.
I'm going to try sitting on one of the couches I selected
for their comfortability,
putting in earphones
and listening to some Schubert
while I try to plod through the Bonhoeffer.

Is it bad that I want to punch that lady across Brooks?
She's loud. "But, what I'm sayin' is that what happened is..."
Her bag has wheels. And an adjustable-height handle. If you know what I'm saying.

BAH!!!

More Candler Prom pics

2007-04-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

Spring Banquet

2007-04-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

Sara and me with our "dates." They sure look stoked to be there with us... I think they were just looking for a ride.

What's Going On

2007-04-26T19:41:00.000-04:00

It's the last week of classes.
I have a project (10 "findings"/journal entries) & paper (12pgs.) due tomorrow.
I have lot of work to do, and of course I can't focus.

Tomorrow is Spring Banquet.
I have a pretty dress to wear.
I got a pedicure today, and it is not the best ever. In fact, it was a bit messy, and I had to clean it up. Terrible news.
I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow by Tami the hair wizard.
Today was rainy, so I'm all a-frizz.

Next week I have a Worship project due,
a 10pg. paper for my Bonhoeffer class,
and a project and 10pg. paper due for Images of Christ.

I need to figure out my housing situation.

There is a choir practicing outside my office, which happens often.
I must go try to write something.
Ugh.

Oy. I'm a nut.

2007-04-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

I have a sermon to write.
It's a 7 Last Words sermon for the University Worship service tomorrow,
which means that folks from the whole university could be there.
I don't have any clue how to write this.
So, I'm sure I'll still be working on it tomorrow morning...
Rock on.

In just over an hour

2007-03-30T11:58:00.001-04:00

I'm going to Charleston!

That is, provided I get all the stuff done that I need to in the next 60 minutes...

Bah!!

2007-03-29T21:37:00.000-04:00

I can't focus.
This long overdue midterm is thus far only
eight sentences long.
Alas.

"sometimes we forget
who we got,
who they are,
and who they are not..."
~Amos Lee

screeeeech

2007-03-29T11:15:00.000-04:00

The weather is lovely,
with blue skies and warm sun.
(We'll ignore the yellow pollen blanket.)

There are tiny people running around and screeching outside my office window.
That's how I noticed that I have a headache.

I jammed my thumb on the steering wheel last night
and my nail split --
not down the middle vertically
but across the side HORIZONTALLY.
That sucks. Pain, blood...
but it's no broken kneecap, so I'm good.
You don't realize how useful a digit is until it causes you great pain.

I got a weird phone call this morning
about, you know, being a minister
and I had to go eat some bacon and talk to Daniel.
I'm good now.

magnetic poetry in my office

2007-03-28T10:23:00.000-04:00

* you look a little lost but fascinating
* together everybody was beautiful
* it's lunchtime
* don't worry I is eating
* dude nice pants!
* we like cute fabulous brilliant...whatever between
* delirious flower this is naptime
* she likes rock & roll beauty
* he wanted good food good times outrageous people
* yeah right she is hanging out with our hero
* the boring woman was his clown love
* family is different
* soon the comfort of sleep
* she let out a sweet laugh
* oh boy she wasn't queen you're bling?
* he liked serious drink dark
* you are a good friend
* this is that light secret smile

sometimes:

2007-03-26T13:46:00.001-04:00

- it's too hard to explain what's going on, even to yourself
- you find the perfect song at the perfect time
- there is too much work to be done, and it's overwhelming
- the weather is pretty and the office is cool, the pollen is thick and the air is humid
- there's no explanation for where the time went
- it's just good to talk about nothing
- reconnecting is simple
- I'm totally ready to be done with school
- I can't imagine what comes next
- blogging is an excuse for not doing real work (I mean, it's called "Procrastinate with me")
- things work out better than you think, despite lack of planning

"strange how hard it rains now,
rows and rows of big dark clouds
but I'm holding on
underneath this shroud..."
~Patty Griffin

The Hirsch

2007-03-20T10:17:00.000-04:00

"Ohh, I don't know what to do with this one wild and precious life!"

She was lying on the floor of our office, taking a brief break from the paper on which we are both working, and which was due in the class we are both currently skipping.

Older? Yes. Wiser? Um...

2007-03-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

I have a paper due in the morning.
It's to be 8-10 pages.
In the past (which is either a couple weeks or over a year),
I have read most of both the books I plan to discuss/compare.
(That's right, I haven't read either book the whole way through.)
And I haven't started.
Good news: I'm taking the class pass/fail.

In better news,
the waitress carded me on St. Pat's
2 days after I turned legal+8.

Rock on.

Spring Break, part 2

2007-03-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

After 12 hours in the ATL oon Wed/Thurs,
I jumped in my car and headed to my aunt's beach condo in FL.
Got in some good girl time,
visited my grandmother twice,
and saw Yetta on the way back home yesterday.

Spring break was good,
but not so much restful.

I did a lot of driving.
Luckily, I could be called a driving enthusiast.
Just don't tell Mitch.
("I mean, I like boats, but I don't want to be called a boating enthusiast...")

Spring Break, part 1

2007-03-10T07:40:00.000-05:00

Headed to Alabama
with 8 undergrad students in my charge
to work on houses
and have some fellowship.
Back to the ATL on Wednesday
then headed to the beach for my birthday.

Rock on.

TO DO List for the next 36 hours:

2007-03-08T20:49:00.000-05:00

1.) Finish Bonhoeffer's Ethics. I've read about 1/3 of the book, and it's crunch time so the rest will be skimmed heartily.
2.) Write 10 pages (which we all know really means 8 and 1/2) about Ethics by 5pm tomorrow.
3.) Write a worship reflection for 8am tomorrow. This will also require reading (obviously I mean skimming) something. And I bet I'm supposed to go to class, too.
4.) Go to a Candler student gov't meeting at lunch tomorrow. I sure hope there's food.
5.) Find someone to go with me to pick up the rental van, and then go pick up the rental van.
6.) Shop for the mission trip. This will include purchasing 5 pairs of gloves and safety goggles, 3 hammers, and 5 airmattresses. (Matt added 3 lbs. chicken and 4 basketball nets to the list, which is funny because he's vegetarian and not that tall.)
7.) Pack supplies for the mission trip.
8.) Pack my own stuff for the mission trip.
9.) Get donuts.
10.) Load the van for the trip at 7:30am Saturday, and roll out at 8am for southern Alabama.

Amen.

um, chel-lo.....

2007-03-07T16:08:00.000-05:00

this song I'm listening to is called "Pickup Truck Girl"
and it's an instrumental
and the instrument is a cello
and the instrumentalist is Ward Williams.

oooh, now it's John Denver singing "Annie's Song" --
officially my favorite song of all time.
it's on the album my family always listened to on road trips,
an album we've had in many incarnations --
cd, tape, and yes even 8track.

so, I'm listening to music on itunes
because I was falling asleep trying to read.
I have loads of reading to do -- 2 entire books, in fact
by tomorrow
and one of them is Bonhoeffer's Ethics
which, let me just tell you, is no easy read.
turns out the prof was not joking
when he said that at the beginning of the course
6 or 7 weeks ago...
he suggested starting reading then...
interesting.

i like oreos.

paper...

2007-03-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

I have 968 words.
The max is 1200.
I have completed 2 sections of the paper, for the most part.
That leaves one section and significantly less than 300 words
until I can go to sleep.

Must focus on "how Word and the Holy Meal refresh one another."
Must first figure out what the heck that means...

I'm wearing a purple raincoat

2007-03-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

because it's DREARY!
It's all gray and hazy and misty outdoors.
Yesterday was GORGEOUS. And I loved it. Sun, blue sky, light breeze...
No more.
Rain, you are tedious!

However, something to be glad about
is that I have a giant purple flower pen
to write with that Candace made for me.
It's pretty ridiculous. Also it's pretty. And it's ridiculous.

Dave Scott is on our couch.
I mean maybe not right this second,
but he has been sleeping and sometimes lounging there
for the past week
and the weather has extended his stay one more night.
He said this to me at breakfast yesterday:
"The majority of my leisure activities involve exercising my id."
(Maybe he said "exorcising" -- it's hard to tell the difference in pronunciation,
and although I used context clues like we were taught in elementary school
I may well have made the wrong vowel assumption.)

We have also gotten to hear loads of stories
recounting Dave Scott facilitating the learning of small children.
* Trapezoid. Auuuuggggh!!! Dodecahedron. WOAHHHHH!!
* Benevolent... Malevolent!

ugh

2007-02-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

I'm getting sick.

On Friday, I thought my throat was just sore from breathing all that cold air at frisbee.
I might have been mistaken.

I am achy and exhausted, despite a nap yesterday and at least a full 8 hours sleep last night.
My throat hurts and my head feels cloudy.

I have class tonight, and I don't want it.
I have so much class tomorrow I can't even focus on it.

Here's where you cheer me up by saying:
"But Beth, it's a beautiful day
and there's a fun bird on your shirt!"