Okay, so I’ve been reading some stuff on body image. You know, stuff like…be happy with who you are. Find your own personal style. Forget the cultural ideal. It great rhetoric, but come-on.
My imagination of what I can look like is too crazy to be comfortable with my image of myself right now. Today, I want to be 5′2″. It wouldn’t matter if I’m a little chubby, but I want a bright bubble-gum pink cardigan, a pleated skirt, and chunky oxford shoes that I wear with hose. My hair then needs to be in two blonde pig-tails on the top of my head. Maybe I could have a poodle-skirt for the weekends.
Last week, I wanted to be about 5′6″ and stick skinny. I wanted ink-black eyeliner and a choppy hair-cut…dyed pitch black with just a little bit of purple or red on the ends. Of course, I would be wearing mostly black. Once again skirts not jeans.
One of my favorite imaginations is me my height, a little thinner, with a good haircut… one that just happens to blow in the wind well. This Jenny always wears light-weight clothes like linen stuff. She’s a bit of a hippy and isn’t afraid to wear a poncho. She dresses up in dresses based on ancient Greek influences. Very 70s.
Then there is farm-girl Jenny. Not like the Jenny who actually worked on a farm in the 1990s…that Jenny had a pair neon-green shorts that she wore while driving wheat truck. (It was pretty scary.) This farm girl has the perfect pair of bootcut jeans, a nice boot, a fitted tweed jacket…not too much country…just enough to fit in a little bit. Maybe a cool belt.
So do I not know who I am? I think I just enjoy the possibilities of what I could be. It’s ridiculous to think that you cannot be something. It’s so much more interesting to dream, and then perhaps discover something new…
Okay, so 5′2″ is not going to happen, but I can always hang out with really tall people. =)
Friday, December 21, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
It happened again…
I occasionally can get to this place in my brain when it seems that universe is dissolving away and that I am an insignificant peon on the cusp of total annihilation. Does this happen to anyone else?
Let me explain. So PBS was advertising a special program on microbiology and the formation of life on this planet, billions of years ago. I watch the commercial slightly interested, and I started playing through my head my bag of arguments on the existence of God. You know intelligent design type arguments… the kind that really doesn’t even relate to creationism that much.
My brain reaches this point where it faces the crux of the matter: Either there is a eternal God with infinite powers that controls everything…and I’ll repeat it…He has always existed. Or matter has always existed. There is no meaning in life, and everything has evolved simply by matter of survival. But here’s the clincher…either way, do you know what my chances are to be thinking at this very moment? I exist, but the chances are infinitesimally higher that I wouldn’t exist. That some how out of the unlikely billions of people born, I am cognizant.
And to top that, I am on a computer. I, even with my outrageous school loans, am living like the top 5% richest people in the world. I have two masters degree by golly. Nevertheless, I am totally and completely insignificant in the great scheme of the universe. A little blop of chance to a materialist.
But instead, I am a theist. I believe that there is a Being out there that is so complex that the whole universe was created upon his simple word. What are the repercussions of that? What does that mean to my further existence? What types of responsibilities does that mean I have?
Sometimes, it seems like there is a little hope in not being eternal… Eventually, past memories and mistakes are left if I am finite, but if I am eternal, what does that mean for the playing out of my future? How can I live in such a way that eternity is not Hell? Personally, I do not know what the appeal is in eternal life, unless the existence beyond death is profoundly different from this one.
Now, that I have my entire family worrying, I am going to reassure them. These occasions last about 30 seconds max. My brain implodes or explodes (I can’t tell), and I cannot contemplate the situation any longer. I am glad that I believe in my Christian beliefs that give purpose to life and to eternal life, so it makes it all bearable. In those few seconds if I didn’t have those beliefs, I feel like I could literally slip past gravity, off the earth, and into the unknown. There would be nothing to tie me to anything.
However, I have hope in a purpose for existence, a God who cares, and for love and goodness to prevail over darkness and hatred. So in reality, what more is there to ask for.
(posts)
Susannelein Says:
December 17th, 2007 at 7:38 am
I am thankful for our God who cares and for His love and the love of our friends to sustain us in this life. Thanks for the Merry Christmas phone message! I’ll give you a call soon.
Let me explain. So PBS was advertising a special program on microbiology and the formation of life on this planet, billions of years ago. I watch the commercial slightly interested, and I started playing through my head my bag of arguments on the existence of God. You know intelligent design type arguments… the kind that really doesn’t even relate to creationism that much.
My brain reaches this point where it faces the crux of the matter: Either there is a eternal God with infinite powers that controls everything…and I’ll repeat it…He has always existed. Or matter has always existed. There is no meaning in life, and everything has evolved simply by matter of survival. But here’s the clincher…either way, do you know what my chances are to be thinking at this very moment? I exist, but the chances are infinitesimally higher that I wouldn’t exist. That some how out of the unlikely billions of people born, I am cognizant.
And to top that, I am on a computer. I, even with my outrageous school loans, am living like the top 5% richest people in the world. I have two masters degree by golly. Nevertheless, I am totally and completely insignificant in the great scheme of the universe. A little blop of chance to a materialist.
But instead, I am a theist. I believe that there is a Being out there that is so complex that the whole universe was created upon his simple word. What are the repercussions of that? What does that mean to my further existence? What types of responsibilities does that mean I have?
Sometimes, it seems like there is a little hope in not being eternal… Eventually, past memories and mistakes are left if I am finite, but if I am eternal, what does that mean for the playing out of my future? How can I live in such a way that eternity is not Hell? Personally, I do not know what the appeal is in eternal life, unless the existence beyond death is profoundly different from this one.
Now, that I have my entire family worrying, I am going to reassure them. These occasions last about 30 seconds max. My brain implodes or explodes (I can’t tell), and I cannot contemplate the situation any longer. I am glad that I believe in my Christian beliefs that give purpose to life and to eternal life, so it makes it all bearable. In those few seconds if I didn’t have those beliefs, I feel like I could literally slip past gravity, off the earth, and into the unknown. There would be nothing to tie me to anything.
However, I have hope in a purpose for existence, a God who cares, and for love and goodness to prevail over darkness and hatred. So in reality, what more is there to ask for.
(posts)
Susannelein Says:
December 17th, 2007 at 7:38 am
I am thankful for our God who cares and for His love and the love of our friends to sustain us in this life. Thanks for the Merry Christmas phone message! I’ll give you a call soon.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Ice, Ice, Baby.
Actually, I’m not talking about babies. Just ICE. Oklahoma has it’s largest amount of power outages ever! Because it’s raining, it’s pouring, and then it’s freezing. It’s freezing on trees. It’s freezing on cars. It’s freezing on my roof, and then the stuff on the roof begins to melt and avalanches slide off. All the pretty trees in front of my complex have split down the middle. It’s amazing. The roads are pretty good, but some of our trees may never have leaves again.
Luckily, I have electricity. It sounds like a lot of OU students are just hanging out of the library because of the power outages. That really sucks because school was cancelled today. Can you believe it…school cancelled on finals week. That usually doesn’t happen unless of national disasters, not just local ones.
For me, the storm is all good. It means that I’ve got to stay at home for the last two days and drink as many hot beverages as possible. I did something really stupid on Saturday. I went to a party as I was getting a cold, and then I sang Christmas carols when my voice was already starting to go.
So I’ve been iced at home with my klennex box and larangytis. The voice is bad enough that the guy who checked out my groceries at the store this afternoon said he hoped that I feel better soon…and that despite the fact that the line was over 3 people long. Luckily I don’t feel too bad. I just sound aweful. No more Christmas carols for me for a little while.
On the other hand, I submitted my online final that was due today, yesterday, 15 minutes before I found out that school was cancelled. Well, I guess it’s done. But now my final on Wednesday is going to be fierce. I have hundreds of pages of material on my floor right now that I need to actually internalize with some meaning.
Well, that’s all. If you ever have something to say, give me a message. I like being sequestered by ice, but it’s getting kinda lonely.
Luckily, I have electricity. It sounds like a lot of OU students are just hanging out of the library because of the power outages. That really sucks because school was cancelled today. Can you believe it…school cancelled on finals week. That usually doesn’t happen unless of national disasters, not just local ones.
For me, the storm is all good. It means that I’ve got to stay at home for the last two days and drink as many hot beverages as possible. I did something really stupid on Saturday. I went to a party as I was getting a cold, and then I sang Christmas carols when my voice was already starting to go.
So I’ve been iced at home with my klennex box and larangytis. The voice is bad enough that the guy who checked out my groceries at the store this afternoon said he hoped that I feel better soon…and that despite the fact that the line was over 3 people long. Luckily I don’t feel too bad. I just sound aweful. No more Christmas carols for me for a little while.
On the other hand, I submitted my online final that was due today, yesterday, 15 minutes before I found out that school was cancelled. Well, I guess it’s done. But now my final on Wednesday is going to be fierce. I have hundreds of pages of material on my floor right now that I need to actually internalize with some meaning.
Well, that’s all. If you ever have something to say, give me a message. I like being sequestered by ice, but it’s getting kinda lonely.
Last Blog was written on Monday
Hey, sorry for the accidental not posting…. I meant to post that last last blog on Monday, but I hit the wrong button.
Now, the ice is melted. More people have their electricity, and my finals are done! The apolypse is over until tomorrow when the snow storm comes. Also, I had a wonderful time chatting with church folk over dinner last night. So after 3 days of seclusion, I am now acclamized to conversation again.
Take care and I’ll blog again soon.
p.s. Where is that stupid spell check? I thought I had one on here. Well, you are just going to have to live with the misspelled words.
Now, the ice is melted. More people have their electricity, and my finals are done! The apolypse is over until tomorrow when the snow storm comes. Also, I had a wonderful time chatting with church folk over dinner last night. So after 3 days of seclusion, I am now acclamized to conversation again.
Take care and I’ll blog again soon.
p.s. Where is that stupid spell check? I thought I had one on here. Well, you are just going to have to live with the misspelled words.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Babies, babies, everywhere!
Help! I’m surrounded by new mothers! What happened? Did my age group decide as a collective that the biological clock had ticked enough? This is so weird.
I hope you guys don’t mind:
Helen just had Sebastian.
Molly is having twins.
Diane’s due next month.
Amy is next.
Megan is having one in February. And I’m sure I’m forgetting someone. Mom mentioned somebody last week. Though I got to give Sarah kuddos for keeping my whole high school class up to date on what’s going on!
Now, I understand wedding showers. I’ve been to wedding showers galore. I’ve cut cake at more wedding receptions than I can remember. But baby showers. This is incomprehensible. It’s imposible even to buy a gift. There are millions of sizes of diapers, and they are expencive! And there are rows and rows of baby clothes that the baby won’t even fit into after a month. Then, there are 6 month toys, and 1 year toys, and toddler toys…and how soon do they start on the learning games. Blocks vs. Music toys. What to do? And now they have coed baby showers. When did that start? I’m all about the coed wedding showers. It’s humorous seeing the couple getting a playstation for the wedding…but baby showers. There were more guys than girls at the last shower I went to…and they had more kids! As for me, I’m positively clueless.
Then, one of my classmates gave me a good deal of encouragement to take in foster kids when I grow up and get settled. She said she had never planned on kids until she met one that really needed her. Cool story, but somewhat out of the blue.
Okay, that’s my baby rant. I’m just a little fazed. I still don’t feel grown up. How can all my classmates be mature adults already?
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:54 am
No babies anytime soon for the little sister! Yea!
Sorry. Just had to celebrate.
jen_archaic Says:
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Hmmm, JoeyGirl. You kinda increminate yourself. Makes a sister wonder if you were wondering….
JoeyGirl Says:
December 4th, 2007 at 6:24 am
No, I wasn’t, thank you very much (poop head). I have been thinking about it recently, in that many friends/coworkers have expressed the desire to have children in the last couple of weeks. I find that interesting, as I don’t, still. I rather expected myself to by this point, but nope. No baby hankering for me. At least not yet…I won’t say it isn’t possible, but right now…nope.
JoeyGirl Says:
December 10th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Okay, chica. Blog already.
Hey, how’d the interview go?
JoeyGirl Says:
December 11th, 2007 at 10:15 am
You know, you could write on the ice storm. That’d be interesting.
I hope you guys don’t mind:
Helen just had Sebastian.
Molly is having twins.
Diane’s due next month.
Amy is next.
Megan is having one in February. And I’m sure I’m forgetting someone. Mom mentioned somebody last week. Though I got to give Sarah kuddos for keeping my whole high school class up to date on what’s going on!
Now, I understand wedding showers. I’ve been to wedding showers galore. I’ve cut cake at more wedding receptions than I can remember. But baby showers. This is incomprehensible. It’s imposible even to buy a gift. There are millions of sizes of diapers, and they are expencive! And there are rows and rows of baby clothes that the baby won’t even fit into after a month. Then, there are 6 month toys, and 1 year toys, and toddler toys…and how soon do they start on the learning games. Blocks vs. Music toys. What to do? And now they have coed baby showers. When did that start? I’m all about the coed wedding showers. It’s humorous seeing the couple getting a playstation for the wedding…but baby showers. There were more guys than girls at the last shower I went to…and they had more kids! As for me, I’m positively clueless.
Then, one of my classmates gave me a good deal of encouragement to take in foster kids when I grow up and get settled. She said she had never planned on kids until she met one that really needed her. Cool story, but somewhat out of the blue.
Okay, that’s my baby rant. I’m just a little fazed. I still don’t feel grown up. How can all my classmates be mature adults already?
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:54 am
No babies anytime soon for the little sister! Yea!
Sorry. Just had to celebrate.
jen_archaic Says:
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Hmmm, JoeyGirl. You kinda increminate yourself. Makes a sister wonder if you were wondering….
JoeyGirl Says:
December 4th, 2007 at 6:24 am
No, I wasn’t, thank you very much (poop head). I have been thinking about it recently, in that many friends/coworkers have expressed the desire to have children in the last couple of weeks. I find that interesting, as I don’t, still. I rather expected myself to by this point, but nope. No baby hankering for me. At least not yet…I won’t say it isn’t possible, but right now…nope.
JoeyGirl Says:
December 10th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Okay, chica. Blog already.
Hey, how’d the interview go?
JoeyGirl Says:
December 11th, 2007 at 10:15 am
You know, you could write on the ice storm. That’d be interesting.
Monday, November 26, 2007
I withdraw my previous statement…
My apologies to the injured party. Not all English teachers use green ink pens. Green is an appropriate color of ink for managerial notes, and red dresses are still the bomb.
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
November 27th, 2007 at 6:16 am
Amen.
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
November 27th, 2007 at 6:16 am
Amen.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Green Pens?
My sister wants me to blog about green pens…that evil tool of English teachers. Somebody did a crazy study that students feel bad when their papers are marked with red ink, so teachers correct with green pens. It’s sad, very sad. So I’m supposed to write in sympathy that my sister cannot find a packet of green pens. I really don’t feel sorry for her… I do feel sorry for the chump working for Bic who missed the memo on that crazy study.
There is going to be a paradigm switch. First, it’s green pens. Then it is there will be the demonization of green. Green means stop. Red means go?! Red will no longer be the color of danger and intrigue.
So Joanna…your lust for green pens has just alienated your red wardobe, and you have ended changing our entire culture. Shame on you. =)
And just forget the lure of red pieces of clothing. Girls get your green dresses this season! Lady in Green is dancing with me (singing).
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
November 26th, 2007 at 11:18 am
This is my formal, written protest. I do not grade in green. I have graded in green before, but it is important to note that I only grade in the color of ink that the various students leave behind. I have no consistent color of grading ink, because I have no consistent pens. They all disappear off of my desk, and then I have to grab whatever pens are handily lying about the classroom.
No, the reason I need green pens is that Patrick uses them for work. It is his official, managerial color. If he checks things off, it must be in green.
So. There. PHBT.
There is going to be a paradigm switch. First, it’s green pens. Then it is there will be the demonization of green. Green means stop. Red means go?! Red will no longer be the color of danger and intrigue.
So Joanna…your lust for green pens has just alienated your red wardobe, and you have ended changing our entire culture. Shame on you. =)
And just forget the lure of red pieces of clothing. Girls get your green dresses this season! Lady in Green is dancing with me (singing).
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
November 26th, 2007 at 11:18 am
This is my formal, written protest. I do not grade in green. I have graded in green before, but it is important to note that I only grade in the color of ink that the various students leave behind. I have no consistent color of grading ink, because I have no consistent pens. They all disappear off of my desk, and then I have to grab whatever pens are handily lying about the classroom.
No, the reason I need green pens is that Patrick uses them for work. It is his official, managerial color. If he checks things off, it must be in green.
So. There. PHBT.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
So sad…that’s my life.
My life might be sad, but it’s kinda fun too. I’ve been watching Sailor Moon…3 full seasons so far. Once upon a time, I saw that show when I was like in middle school. It was serious when I watched it then. Now, it’s a show about a very silly 14 year old who just happens to save the world every season.
Actually, I’m going to be little sociable this week to… Lunch with friends yesterday, Bible study tomorrow, possible lunch on with a friend of Joanna’s on Thursday, dinner with my friends on Friday, baby shower Saturday, bake-off Saturday evening… and a big wedding the next weekend. Now, that’s a social calendar! Finally. Now if my car and my computer would work, everything would be good.
I guess that’s all. I’m going to watch another episode of Sailor Moon.
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Three cheers for Sailor Moon! I don’t think your life is sad, my darling.
Thanks for the library help. You saved my class this morning, and I give you full credit for it!
Actually, I’m going to be little sociable this week to… Lunch with friends yesterday, Bible study tomorrow, possible lunch on with a friend of Joanna’s on Thursday, dinner with my friends on Friday, baby shower Saturday, bake-off Saturday evening… and a big wedding the next weekend. Now, that’s a social calendar! Finally. Now if my car and my computer would work, everything would be good.
I guess that’s all. I’m going to watch another episode of Sailor Moon.
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
November 7th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Three cheers for Sailor Moon! I don’t think your life is sad, my darling.
Thanks for the library help. You saved my class this morning, and I give you full credit for it!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
I’m 30.
Howdy. I’m 30. The big 3-0. Yep, it’s my third decade. Another notch on the age scale. Joanna, Micci, and I just had a fun weekend in Dallas. We had some good food, and we laughed very hard. One of the best parts of the weekend was when we visitted a historic train depot in downtown Grapevine, TX to listen to scary ghost stories. Now, not all the stories had ghosts, and they were pretty tame because it was a family event…but the storytellers were very talented and funny and even educational! Joanna says we have to go back next year. I say that if we come back next year, we have to see King Tut when he visits the Dallas Museum of Art, and then make up our own scary tales. Either that or Joanna has to compose her own scary story that includes her penguins or her sheepys. (Look at that…”sheepys.” How many grammatical mistakes can I make in one word! The possibilities are endless.)
We also got to see my best friend and old college roomate, Carissa and her husband for lunch on Sunday. That was wonderful. I miss my old friend. She was a little under the weather that day, so I hope she is feeling better now!
Thanks all of you who sent notes and left messages on my phone! I really appreciate it!
(posts)
Susannelein Says:
October 29th, 2007 at 7:02 am
Oh, happy belated birthday! Glad that you had a terrific day!
JoeyGirl Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 5:21 am
“There is a fountain (dum, dum, dum)…”
Would it be sheepies instead? Mercy says hi. She did a very lovely interpretive dance last night during “Biggest Loser”…
We also got to see my best friend and old college roomate, Carissa and her husband for lunch on Sunday. That was wonderful. I miss my old friend. She was a little under the weather that day, so I hope she is feeling better now!
Thanks all of you who sent notes and left messages on my phone! I really appreciate it!
(posts)
Susannelein Says:
October 29th, 2007 at 7:02 am
Oh, happy belated birthday! Glad that you had a terrific day!
JoeyGirl Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 5:21 am
“There is a fountain (dum, dum, dum)…”
Would it be sheepies instead? Mercy says hi. She did a very lovely interpretive dance last night during “Biggest Loser”…
Thursday, September 27, 2007
My Plant: The Story
Once upon a time, there was a funeral, and somebody gave the family a beautiful plant. The middle child in the family wanted to take the plant to her apartment, but that’s was several states away, and she couldn’t.
Then one year, she moved back to Oklahoma. The plant had grown and prospered…perhaps a little too much. Its leaves and branches over poured from its too small pot. So one mother dumped the plant out onto the cement outside the garage. She took the scissors and started trying to divide the plant, but it would not divide. Snip, snip. There went part of the plant. Snip, snip. There went more. Pretty soon some sad little excuses for branches were sticking out of a huge pot… without a single leaf.
But the middle child would not give up. She would rescue this plant, and so the plant took the 2 and a half hour drive to its new home. It would have been a good trip, save the fact the middle child hit the breaks and toppled the plant over in the car. And then she dropped the plant inside the door of her apartment, covering the nice clean carpet with potting soil. But still she would not give up.
Well, late last week a miracle happened. After constant watering (and one Sprite), the plant produced a beautiful, big, shiny leaf. Another leaf appear earlier this week, and today…. 5 leaves! Yes, 5 leaves. My plant is on the road to recovery.
As you can easily tell, I’m the middle child, but that doesn’t matter. The plant is beginning to thrive. I have it gently tied to my old Jael tent peg from my old Halloween costume (a sharpened dow rod), and it’s starting to look really nice. It seems to like my window. The carpet is clean again too, and everything is going to be all right. So now, I will open my blog up for discussion… What should a name my plant? (Anastasia and Lazerus are already taken.)
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
September 28th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
George? No, Bob. Or Ethelbert. I’m always good with Ethelbert.
Oooo…maybe Ignacious.
Or because there are two of them, you could name yours and Mom’s, and one could be Dr. Jekyll and the other Mr. Hyde.
John (next door neighbor) suggests Nero, since he apparently came back to life, according to legend.
Or you could call it Phoenix…or Athena who sprang fully grown….
OH! The possibilities!!!
Susannelein Says:
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:32 am
Oooh, that was a great Halloween costume. How about naming the plant Jael in honor of it?
jen_archaic Says:
October 5th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
We have a winner! I think my plant will be called Jael. That’s great. Thanks, Susan. Kinda a softer, sweeter Jael, but Jael none-the-less. And now there are 9 leaves!
JoeyGirl Says:
October 6th, 2007 at 6:51 am
Hm. With the peg stuck into the plant, it could also be Siserea (or however you spell it). Then you could water it with milk just to complete the metaphor…
Randomly, when I got to your page, to see if you had blessed us with another posting, I thought you had, and I thought it’s title was “My Planet.”
I am very sleepy this morning. Nevertheless, it could be an interesting blog!
jen_archaic Says:
October 7th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Okay, so Jael likes milk. (She has had a little.) But she would prefer Sprite. I would call my plant Sisera, but she is a she…. I think.
Susannelein Says:
October 9th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Yay! I hope that you and Jael are having a good October so far. I missed my annual Labor Day/fall break visit with you this year
Hope school is going well for you. Joan says hello!
jen_archaic Says:
October 9th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Hey Susannelein!
I’ve missed you too! Thanks for my plant’s name. It’s awesome.
Then one year, she moved back to Oklahoma. The plant had grown and prospered…perhaps a little too much. Its leaves and branches over poured from its too small pot. So one mother dumped the plant out onto the cement outside the garage. She took the scissors and started trying to divide the plant, but it would not divide. Snip, snip. There went part of the plant. Snip, snip. There went more. Pretty soon some sad little excuses for branches were sticking out of a huge pot… without a single leaf.
But the middle child would not give up. She would rescue this plant, and so the plant took the 2 and a half hour drive to its new home. It would have been a good trip, save the fact the middle child hit the breaks and toppled the plant over in the car. And then she dropped the plant inside the door of her apartment, covering the nice clean carpet with potting soil. But still she would not give up.
Well, late last week a miracle happened. After constant watering (and one Sprite), the plant produced a beautiful, big, shiny leaf. Another leaf appear earlier this week, and today…. 5 leaves! Yes, 5 leaves. My plant is on the road to recovery.
As you can easily tell, I’m the middle child, but that doesn’t matter. The plant is beginning to thrive. I have it gently tied to my old Jael tent peg from my old Halloween costume (a sharpened dow rod), and it’s starting to look really nice. It seems to like my window. The carpet is clean again too, and everything is going to be all right. So now, I will open my blog up for discussion… What should a name my plant? (Anastasia and Lazerus are already taken.)
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
September 28th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
George? No, Bob. Or Ethelbert. I’m always good with Ethelbert.
Oooo…maybe Ignacious.
Or because there are two of them, you could name yours and Mom’s, and one could be Dr. Jekyll and the other Mr. Hyde.
John (next door neighbor) suggests Nero, since he apparently came back to life, according to legend.
Or you could call it Phoenix…or Athena who sprang fully grown….
OH! The possibilities!!!
Susannelein Says:
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:32 am
Oooh, that was a great Halloween costume. How about naming the plant Jael in honor of it?
jen_archaic Says:
October 5th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
We have a winner! I think my plant will be called Jael. That’s great. Thanks, Susan. Kinda a softer, sweeter Jael, but Jael none-the-less. And now there are 9 leaves!
JoeyGirl Says:
October 6th, 2007 at 6:51 am
Hm. With the peg stuck into the plant, it could also be Siserea (or however you spell it). Then you could water it with milk just to complete the metaphor…
Randomly, when I got to your page, to see if you had blessed us with another posting, I thought you had, and I thought it’s title was “My Planet.”
I am very sleepy this morning. Nevertheless, it could be an interesting blog!
jen_archaic Says:
October 7th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Okay, so Jael likes milk. (She has had a little.) But she would prefer Sprite. I would call my plant Sisera, but she is a she…. I think.
Susannelein Says:
October 9th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Yay! I hope that you and Jael are having a good October so far. I missed my annual Labor Day/fall break visit with you this year
Hope school is going well for you. Joan says hello!
jen_archaic Says:
October 9th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Hey Susannelein!
I’ve missed you too! Thanks for my plant’s name. It’s awesome.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Arr!
Oops. I almost missed it. I was too busy wallowing in a bad mood to remember that today was International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Well, forget the bad day.
So avast, me maties! Shiver me timbers! ARR! Ho, ho, ho. Where’s me bottle of rum?
(Joanna, can I be King of the Pirates of Wednesday? It in no ways conflicts with any pretty, pretty princesses.)
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
September 21st, 2007 at 6:32 am
I’m good with that. The Pretty, Pretty Princess coalition is always looking for bad guys with inherently good hearts to encourage moral development and a sense of adventure in some of our younger members, so a King of Pirates of Wednesdays sounds like a great idea (We can’t let them go off and get soft…all Pretty, Pretty Princesses must keep up with rigorous physical training and kung fu. Otherwise, we can’t help when Prince Charming comes along, and that makes us all grumpy). I’ll make an official commendation and proclamation next Thursday! I’d do it before, but it wouldn’t do any good…
Love, your Pretty Pretty Princess of Thursdays.
JoeyGirl Says:
September 26th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Okay, so, I was going to wait until tomorrow to demand another blog entry, as would be my perogative as pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays. However, as I am currently also the Queen of Hearts of Wednesdays (a temporary position…I’m only filling in), I invoke my rights as queen to request a blog entry or I shall follow you around all day, twirling my long heart bespeckled tulle cape, waving my scepter topped with a foil covered heart, and yelling “Off with her head!!!”
I might even see if I can get a couple of those little card dudes to cause mishcief in the library or your house…
JoeyGirl Says:
September 27th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
You have forced my hand. I am now exercising my rights as pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays, throwing my proverbial princessy weight around, and pitching a princessy hissy fit until you write another blog. Or call me. I could handle a phone call. I’m really not picky…
So avast, me maties! Shiver me timbers! ARR! Ho, ho, ho. Where’s me bottle of rum?
(Joanna, can I be King of the Pirates of Wednesday? It in no ways conflicts with any pretty, pretty princesses.)
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
September 21st, 2007 at 6:32 am
I’m good with that. The Pretty, Pretty Princess coalition is always looking for bad guys with inherently good hearts to encourage moral development and a sense of adventure in some of our younger members, so a King of Pirates of Wednesdays sounds like a great idea (We can’t let them go off and get soft…all Pretty, Pretty Princesses must keep up with rigorous physical training and kung fu. Otherwise, we can’t help when Prince Charming comes along, and that makes us all grumpy). I’ll make an official commendation and proclamation next Thursday! I’d do it before, but it wouldn’t do any good…
Love, your Pretty Pretty Princess of Thursdays.
JoeyGirl Says:
September 26th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Okay, so, I was going to wait until tomorrow to demand another blog entry, as would be my perogative as pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays. However, as I am currently also the Queen of Hearts of Wednesdays (a temporary position…I’m only filling in), I invoke my rights as queen to request a blog entry or I shall follow you around all day, twirling my long heart bespeckled tulle cape, waving my scepter topped with a foil covered heart, and yelling “Off with her head!!!”
I might even see if I can get a couple of those little card dudes to cause mishcief in the library or your house…
JoeyGirl Says:
September 27th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
You have forced my hand. I am now exercising my rights as pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays, throwing my proverbial princessy weight around, and pitching a princessy hissy fit until you write another blog. Or call me. I could handle a phone call. I’m really not picky…
Thursday, September 13, 2007
A rose by any other of name….
Once I was in a discussion with a friend of mine. He suggested that there was a lot to peoples’ name, and that we should seek the calling that our name’s suggest. He had a name that was quite a calling: “gift of God” and “light unto the world.” That’s very honorable.
The conversation stuck with me, and another friend a few years back tried to find the meaning of my name. She arrived at “fair one,” “sparkling stream,” and “wise one.” “Wise one” was her translation for “Rempel,” and she spent hours trying to search for the meaning of that name. Rempel is not the most usual of names in the area. I was flattered with the answer, so thought no more about it. I want to be wise. I will be wise. Heck, maybe I am wise…..
Well, maybe not. Being the German descendent that I’m, I recently had a conversation with a German student in the department about my roots. She asked what my family name was, and when I told her she laughed. Why did she laugh? Don’t worry, I asked. She said that my name was a verb in German….just add an “n” to the end.
So, here’s a few definitions.
umkrempeln - to turn upside down
anrempeln - to jostle
aufkrempeln - to roll up
rempeln - to barge in
That’s about right. My family tends to rempeln where angels fear to trod. All of a sudden, it makes sense that when I’m nervous I burst into loud speach, or when I make up my minded, I charge into a situation and throw open a door. Perhaps, I’m not as wise as I thought, but I can always remember to “umkrempeln” and “change my ways.”
(Post)
big sis Says:
September 14th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Thank you Jen, you just made my week! How perfect could our birth family name be? We’ve been living up to our name and not even knowing it! I should have included the Rempel in Hannah and Hailey’s names because they sure inherited the tendency - go Hannah the Viking and Hailey the Hurricane! Love you muchly!
The conversation stuck with me, and another friend a few years back tried to find the meaning of my name. She arrived at “fair one,” “sparkling stream,” and “wise one.” “Wise one” was her translation for “Rempel,” and she spent hours trying to search for the meaning of that name. Rempel is not the most usual of names in the area. I was flattered with the answer, so thought no more about it. I want to be wise. I will be wise. Heck, maybe I am wise…..
Well, maybe not. Being the German descendent that I’m, I recently had a conversation with a German student in the department about my roots. She asked what my family name was, and when I told her she laughed. Why did she laugh? Don’t worry, I asked. She said that my name was a verb in German….just add an “n” to the end.
So, here’s a few definitions.
umkrempeln - to turn upside down
anrempeln - to jostle
aufkrempeln - to roll up
rempeln - to barge in
That’s about right. My family tends to rempeln where angels fear to trod. All of a sudden, it makes sense that when I’m nervous I burst into loud speach, or when I make up my minded, I charge into a situation and throw open a door. Perhaps, I’m not as wise as I thought, but I can always remember to “umkrempeln” and “change my ways.”
(Post)
big sis Says:
September 14th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Thank you Jen, you just made my week! How perfect could our birth family name be? We’ve been living up to our name and not even knowing it! I should have included the Rempel in Hannah and Hailey’s names because they sure inherited the tendency - go Hannah the Viking and Hailey the Hurricane! Love you muchly!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
I Like Norman
Today, I took a deep breathe and enjoyed my surroundings. It is terribly fun to people watch around OU.
Point One. There’s diversity. American Indians, African Americans, International Students galore, second generation immigrant students, Hispanic groups. Two girls of indeterminable ethnicity walked passed me today talking excitedly in Spanish, and I saw two other girls wearing head-coverings.
Point Two. Not everybody is rich. OU does have its share of SUVs and so forth, but even the sorority girls don’t wear Prada. They totally can’t even pull off those silly goalashes like the scary girls at my last school.
Point Three. The professors actually seem to like me. The work is good. Class work is good. Aerobics is good… Okay, I can barely move, and apparently, the ibuprofen isn’t working, but that probably means that is good too.
At this point, I need to thank God for all the great opportunities. It’s truly been good.
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
September 7th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Yea!
Celebrate by walking around Campus Corner and visiting their quirky shops. Maybe duck into Hideaway for slice of bbq chicken pizza while you’re at it. And then head down Main Street to my favorite 7-11 in the world (the one with the old school fuel pumps) and grab the world’s best Pepsi Slushie.
And think of me. O:)
I’m so glad you like it there…I did, too (although you seem to like the school aspect of the town much more than I did…que sara.). I’m happy for you!
Point One. There’s diversity. American Indians, African Americans, International Students galore, second generation immigrant students, Hispanic groups. Two girls of indeterminable ethnicity walked passed me today talking excitedly in Spanish, and I saw two other girls wearing head-coverings.
Point Two. Not everybody is rich. OU does have its share of SUVs and so forth, but even the sorority girls don’t wear Prada. They totally can’t even pull off those silly goalashes like the scary girls at my last school.
Point Three. The professors actually seem to like me. The work is good. Class work is good. Aerobics is good… Okay, I can barely move, and apparently, the ibuprofen isn’t working, but that probably means that is good too.
At this point, I need to thank God for all the great opportunities. It’s truly been good.
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
September 7th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Yea!
Celebrate by walking around Campus Corner and visiting their quirky shops. Maybe duck into Hideaway for slice of bbq chicken pizza while you’re at it. And then head down Main Street to my favorite 7-11 in the world (the one with the old school fuel pumps) and grab the world’s best Pepsi Slushie.
And think of me. O:)
I’m so glad you like it there…I did, too (although you seem to like the school aspect of the town much more than I did…que sara.). I’m happy for you!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Follow-up
Well, after some discussion with the sisters… I’m the new lead singer of the Three Weird Sisters. We’re all going to wear our hair like Emma Thomson’s character in the Harry Potter movies, and we’re going to have tattered robes with neon green and pink striped stockings with platform baby-doll shoes. This is disturbing…. Most disturbing of all is me as lead. But I was assured by the sisses that as the 3WSs that we would only screech at the top of lungs so vocal ability was not an issue. Plus they said that if I wanted to, I could resurrect my alto saxophone from its highschool graveyard.
In the meantime, I checked the 1950s bathroom on the fourth floor, and yes, it is still there. But the little, round, pink chairs have 4 legs, and not just three. However, I did get a weird look from a passing shelver who happened to see me just as I openned the door to peak in.
And in hopes of finding other portals to the unknown. I checked a woman’s bathroom in another part of the basement that had the promising room number of 42. Unfortunately, that bathroom was not too unusual, except for the old furniture and some standing water (from that flooding last week). Oh, it stank!
Well, that’s all for now. Until later…
(posts)
big sis Says:
September 4th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
It turns out that our homeschool playgroup is having a Halloween party at the Austin Children’s Museum on the 29th, and the parents are encouraged to dress up too! What are you doing that weekend Jen? Shall we make it our debut performance? We couldn’t ask for a more friendly crowd…. ; D! I think I have that pair of really awful glasses from when I was in 10th grade around here somewhere. I wonder what happened to my college graduation gown, the one I splatter painted for a Pine Cove costume…
On the novel front, I love Joanna’s suggestion for a protagonist, but who should our antagonist be? Maybe it should be the library itself and the plot revolve around multiple adventures in the different portals until the librarian solves the secret of …? Any suggestions? Could we make the womens bathroom 42 susceptible to the improbability drive? Please?
JIll
JoeyGirl Says:
September 5th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Or the library acting as an accomplict to its evil architect, out to force the world to read nothing but science textbooks and Milton? BOOO! BOOOOOO!
jen_archaic Says:
September 6th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Oooo. I love costume parties. I’m pretty sure I have at least one graduation robe still in my closet.
As for evil libraries, I like the OU library. It has a sense of humor. But maybe there could evil libraries too. Perhaps all libraries connect throughout time, so I can transport to Norman 1950 or Alexandria 350. And I also kinda like science textbooks, and Milton isn’t the end of the world. Wait. Maybe he is.
In the meantime, I checked the 1950s bathroom on the fourth floor, and yes, it is still there. But the little, round, pink chairs have 4 legs, and not just three. However, I did get a weird look from a passing shelver who happened to see me just as I openned the door to peak in.
And in hopes of finding other portals to the unknown. I checked a woman’s bathroom in another part of the basement that had the promising room number of 42. Unfortunately, that bathroom was not too unusual, except for the old furniture and some standing water (from that flooding last week). Oh, it stank!
Well, that’s all for now. Until later…
(posts)
big sis Says:
September 4th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
It turns out that our homeschool playgroup is having a Halloween party at the Austin Children’s Museum on the 29th, and the parents are encouraged to dress up too! What are you doing that weekend Jen? Shall we make it our debut performance? We couldn’t ask for a more friendly crowd…. ; D! I think I have that pair of really awful glasses from when I was in 10th grade around here somewhere. I wonder what happened to my college graduation gown, the one I splatter painted for a Pine Cove costume…
On the novel front, I love Joanna’s suggestion for a protagonist, but who should our antagonist be? Maybe it should be the library itself and the plot revolve around multiple adventures in the different portals until the librarian solves the secret of …? Any suggestions? Could we make the womens bathroom 42 susceptible to the improbability drive? Please?
JIll
JoeyGirl Says:
September 5th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Or the library acting as an accomplict to its evil architect, out to force the world to read nothing but science textbooks and Milton? BOOO! BOOOOOO!
jen_archaic Says:
September 6th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Oooo. I love costume parties. I’m pretty sure I have at least one graduation robe still in my closet.
As for evil libraries, I like the OU library. It has a sense of humor. But maybe there could evil libraries too. Perhaps all libraries connect throughout time, so I can transport to Norman 1950 or Alexandria 350. And I also kinda like science textbooks, and Milton isn’t the end of the world. Wait. Maybe he is.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
What to write….
So, I’ve had several ideas for this blog. Sometimes during the day, a topic will reveal itself, and then I get home, and *poof* all ideas disappear. My brain turns to mush, and I become a potato. (This is a little know fact. After work, I become a potato, and after 10:00 pm, I become a pumkin…. what other types of fruit and vegetables can a person turn into?)
But today, you get to read about the very warm bathrooms at library at OU. If you haven’t been there, the Bizzell Library is a mish-mash of architecture, design, and remodelling efforts. The beautiful reading room with its Norman design, cathedral ceilings, wood panelling, and leaded windows is amazing, and it’s in the oldest wing of the library. My office is in the basement of that wing, and it’s home so who can complain. Plus, my office doesn’t flood like the office of a professor down the hall.
Then there’s a second wing, the decks. I have no clue when they were built, but they are from the days when the stacks are closed. It has 1930ish dumb waiters to move books, and big cages surround the bookcases. It’s the area of the library that you’re most likely to die in. Or expect to die in. (Has anybody else read the Time Traveler’s Wife? Freaky. It dispeals the myth that librarians are boring…but really freaky. Slightly wrong and freaky.)
Then there’s the new-er part of the library. It looks like a “normal” library. Plain brick walls. Plain linolium. Plain beige walls and darker, non-descript, commercial carpet. Some of this wing is in transition. The area around the reference desk and circulation is kept up to date, and there’s some pretty-sweet heavy wood furniture and museum-like displays of first edition books. The school is also remodelling a good chunk of the third floor to hold the special collections. That should be cool, but they had to move those special collections b/c the 5th floor is no longer safe from leaks in the roof. Nobody wants to see a first edition of Galileo’s work or a Guttenburg Bible getting wet!
But back to the bathrooms. The secret passages between the different wings of the library are slowly becoming new to me. I can get from the coffee shop on the second Lower Lobby of the New Building to my office in the old building by only walking through a fire door or through the dealthly cages. (By the way, if you are claustaphobic, I wouldn’t suggest going through the decks. I’ve already hit my head on the ceiling above the stairway.) Nevertheless, I still have no idea what is in the hidden corners of that library. Today, I took the “old” elevator (circa 1950? The buttons look like that evil elevator in Kerr Dorm at OBU, but it works like a “normal” elevator, but none of the buttons glow, and the buttons are round, stubby things that stick out of the wall.) in the “new” wing to the fourth floor to find a book in the “z” section.
Then the need to meet a need presented itself. I ran to the nearest bathroom and entered into 1959. It had a large mirror across one wall with a vanity underneath. A very low vanity with three stubby circular chairs. Each with three stubby little legs. The seat were made of very pink leather. Then a girl with a puddle skirts walked through… just kidding. However, when I entered into the toilet part of the restroom, I discovered that the toilet paper dated from 1959… Okay, maybe not that old, but the toilet paper was turning brown…kinda like when you leave a piece of paper on the dash-board of your car and leave it for an entire Oklahoma summer. Hmmm… When was the last time someone used that bathroom? I figure someone at least visited sometime in the 1990s b/c the white plastic soap dispencers with the bright red OU emblazend upon them looked fairly new.
But you might remember that I called the bathroom “warm.” I have yet to find a bathroom in the library that is less than 80 degrees inside. The air-conditioning seems to work well (perhaps too well) throughout the rest of the library. Did some architect or designer decide that they never wanted to sit on a cold toilet seat again? I find some comfort in a cold bathroom. Less chance germs. The bathrooms at the library scare me a little bit.
Wasn’t that deep? Aren’t you happy to hear about toilets?
(posts)
big sis Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
I see the beginnings of a somewhat strange Japser Ffordish/Douglas Adamish novel here - why NOT have a library in which by entering different wings (bathrooms even..) you actually do travel in time! And secret passages to boot! It could even be a VERY strange 3 weird sisters collaboration…. hmmmm ; D
jen_archaic Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Is the name “3 weird sisters” taken? That should be our pen name! Yay!
big sis Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Isn’t the band in Harry Potter called the “weird sisters”? That could be another avocation for us — writing bizarre 3-voice novels and hitting all the future HP conventions as an all girl band a la Macbeth. I take dibs on bass guitar and the lead on Monster Mash!
JoeyGirl Says:
August 30th, 2007 at 7:54 am
I’ll do rhythm guitar/keyboard/percussion and back up vocals!
Does this bathroom sound like a fairly strange version of the “Room of Requirement”? I really like the book premise, regardless; the main character needs to be a librarian, obviously. I’m thinking horn-rimmed glasses who also happens to be proficient in JuJitsu or something…
Jen, don’t forget to visit the fourth floor bathroom in Gittinger and see the infamous “Destory the dominant paradigm” in pink bubble letters. I think it’s the first stall…or is it the fourth stall on the first floor?
Carissa Says:
September 2nd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I’d like warm bathrooms, germs and all. I HATE being cold! LOL!
jen_archaic Says:
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:09 am
Hey Carissa,
Welcome on board! =) You like warm bathrooms, huh? Well, that’s okay we still can be friends.
Warm bathroom before a shower is one thing. Entering into a bathroom with a temp of 88 degrees and a relative humidity of 80%, you start to wonder if the OU metereorology department is using those bathrooms as experimentation for inside thunderstorms!
But today, you get to read about the very warm bathrooms at library at OU. If you haven’t been there, the Bizzell Library is a mish-mash of architecture, design, and remodelling efforts. The beautiful reading room with its Norman design, cathedral ceilings, wood panelling, and leaded windows is amazing, and it’s in the oldest wing of the library. My office is in the basement of that wing, and it’s home so who can complain. Plus, my office doesn’t flood like the office of a professor down the hall.
Then there’s a second wing, the decks. I have no clue when they were built, but they are from the days when the stacks are closed. It has 1930ish dumb waiters to move books, and big cages surround the bookcases. It’s the area of the library that you’re most likely to die in. Or expect to die in. (Has anybody else read the Time Traveler’s Wife? Freaky. It dispeals the myth that librarians are boring…but really freaky. Slightly wrong and freaky.)
Then there’s the new-er part of the library. It looks like a “normal” library. Plain brick walls. Plain linolium. Plain beige walls and darker, non-descript, commercial carpet. Some of this wing is in transition. The area around the reference desk and circulation is kept up to date, and there’s some pretty-sweet heavy wood furniture and museum-like displays of first edition books. The school is also remodelling a good chunk of the third floor to hold the special collections. That should be cool, but they had to move those special collections b/c the 5th floor is no longer safe from leaks in the roof. Nobody wants to see a first edition of Galileo’s work or a Guttenburg Bible getting wet!
But back to the bathrooms. The secret passages between the different wings of the library are slowly becoming new to me. I can get from the coffee shop on the second Lower Lobby of the New Building to my office in the old building by only walking through a fire door or through the dealthly cages. (By the way, if you are claustaphobic, I wouldn’t suggest going through the decks. I’ve already hit my head on the ceiling above the stairway.) Nevertheless, I still have no idea what is in the hidden corners of that library. Today, I took the “old” elevator (circa 1950? The buttons look like that evil elevator in Kerr Dorm at OBU, but it works like a “normal” elevator, but none of the buttons glow, and the buttons are round, stubby things that stick out of the wall.) in the “new” wing to the fourth floor to find a book in the “z” section.
Then the need to meet a need presented itself. I ran to the nearest bathroom and entered into 1959. It had a large mirror across one wall with a vanity underneath. A very low vanity with three stubby circular chairs. Each with three stubby little legs. The seat were made of very pink leather. Then a girl with a puddle skirts walked through… just kidding. However, when I entered into the toilet part of the restroom, I discovered that the toilet paper dated from 1959… Okay, maybe not that old, but the toilet paper was turning brown…kinda like when you leave a piece of paper on the dash-board of your car and leave it for an entire Oklahoma summer. Hmmm… When was the last time someone used that bathroom? I figure someone at least visited sometime in the 1990s b/c the white plastic soap dispencers with the bright red OU emblazend upon them looked fairly new.
But you might remember that I called the bathroom “warm.” I have yet to find a bathroom in the library that is less than 80 degrees inside. The air-conditioning seems to work well (perhaps too well) throughout the rest of the library. Did some architect or designer decide that they never wanted to sit on a cold toilet seat again? I find some comfort in a cold bathroom. Less chance germs. The bathrooms at the library scare me a little bit.
Wasn’t that deep? Aren’t you happy to hear about toilets?
(posts)
big sis Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
I see the beginnings of a somewhat strange Japser Ffordish/Douglas Adamish novel here - why NOT have a library in which by entering different wings (bathrooms even..) you actually do travel in time! And secret passages to boot! It could even be a VERY strange 3 weird sisters collaboration…. hmmmm ; D
jen_archaic Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Is the name “3 weird sisters” taken? That should be our pen name! Yay!
big sis Says:
August 29th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Isn’t the band in Harry Potter called the “weird sisters”? That could be another avocation for us — writing bizarre 3-voice novels and hitting all the future HP conventions as an all girl band a la Macbeth. I take dibs on bass guitar and the lead on Monster Mash!
JoeyGirl Says:
August 30th, 2007 at 7:54 am
I’ll do rhythm guitar/keyboard/percussion and back up vocals!
Does this bathroom sound like a fairly strange version of the “Room of Requirement”? I really like the book premise, regardless; the main character needs to be a librarian, obviously. I’m thinking horn-rimmed glasses who also happens to be proficient in JuJitsu or something…
Jen, don’t forget to visit the fourth floor bathroom in Gittinger and see the infamous “Destory the dominant paradigm” in pink bubble letters. I think it’s the first stall…or is it the fourth stall on the first floor?
Carissa Says:
September 2nd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I’d like warm bathrooms, germs and all. I HATE being cold! LOL!
jen_archaic Says:
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:09 am
Hey Carissa,
Welcome on board! =) You like warm bathrooms, huh? Well, that’s okay we still can be friends.
Warm bathroom before a shower is one thing. Entering into a bathroom with a temp of 88 degrees and a relative humidity of 80%, you start to wonder if the OU metereorology department is using those bathrooms as experimentation for inside thunderstorms!
Monday, August 20, 2007
First Day of School
Hip Hip Horray! School went well. I like the girl I share an office with. I like my computer. I like my job. I like my first class. I like the teacher. I like the topic. I like the assignments, and I like the job prospects.
Whew. Great!
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 20th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
YEA!
Susannelein Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:06 am
Hi Jenny!
Good luck with school! I’ve been reading your blog ever since you sent me the link and finally figured out how to register to leave comments. I’m sad that you aren’t East of the Mississippi River anymore, but I’m happy that you are back in your home state. Things here are fine and the classes at Lee start tomorrow. I’m going to Chicago next week for a conference - it makes me sentimental for the time I visited you there over Labor Day weekend and we went to Catigny Park and ate lots of pizza. Anyway, just thought I’d leave a note to wish you luck with the semester. I miss you!!
S.F.
JoeyGirl Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
When, oh when, will my Jenny-bear write…when, oh when will she write?
Whew. Great!
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 20th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
YEA!
Susannelein Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:06 am
Hi Jenny!
Good luck with school! I’ve been reading your blog ever since you sent me the link and finally figured out how to register to leave comments. I’m sad that you aren’t East of the Mississippi River anymore, but I’m happy that you are back in your home state. Things here are fine and the classes at Lee start tomorrow. I’m going to Chicago next week for a conference - it makes me sentimental for the time I visited you there over Labor Day weekend and we went to Catigny Park and ate lots of pizza. Anyway, just thought I’d leave a note to wish you luck with the semester. I miss you!!
S.F.
JoeyGirl Says:
August 28th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
When, oh when, will my Jenny-bear write…when, oh when will she write?
Friday, August 17, 2007
Love and Romance
No, I’m not personally in that state right now, but I am listening to Diana Krall on a PBS tv special. Her music could put any body in the mood for amor…
But in the greater context of life, today is my Uncle Ken’s and Aunt Laura’s 50th wedding anniversery, and I wish them many congratulations and happy years to come.
But what is love any ways? Is it something that grows? Is it a chemical reaction? Is it immediate? Is it friendship-based? Is there such a thing as true love? That last question has been a topic of discussion inbetween my lil’ sis and I. She believes in it, and she believes that she’s found it. Others believe that there is no such thing as the “right” one. In a way, this argument seems like a protection from the idea that there “might have been” someone better. And I hope my readers can agree with me that “might-have-been” thoughts are extremely dangerous.
So peeps, to further the question, is “true love” a state of mind that a person decides to have, or is it an actual condition that is “real?” Does true love happen very often or just to a few? I would love to hear peoples’ ideas. So that’s all for now, but hope to hear from people.
(posts)
Susannelein Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:08 am
I have some exciting news on this front. Maybe it doesn’t amount to “true love” but it is still sweet and happy all the same. I’ll try to give you a call sometime soon and tell you about it!
big sis Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:58 am
Is there such a thing as true love….big question. Yes and no. I think about the couple of guys I thought I was in love with pre-Scott and I realize now that no amount of deciding to love them would have resulted in “true love”. We were just too different at all the important points. So, I don’t think that you can create true love with just anyone. But is there only one? I think it is kind of like finding a “bosom friend” (thanks, Anne). There are a few people out there that you have the potential for that kind of intimate relationship with. I think it is the same on the romantic level. I think God gives us opportunities to recognize those special people as He brings them into our lives. Then we have to do our part. True love is not some mystical state where everything is “happily every after.” It takes patience, selflessness, the willingness to speak truth to each other in love (not in frustration), all kinds of things - and to really be true love, I think both spouses need to be committed to do the work necessary. And even with your “true love” you aren’t perpetually in a “true love” state. All relationships go through seasons, and sometimes you do have to decide that you will choose to love even when you don’t feel like or there is conflict between you. Kind of like tough love in parenting. You don’t quit loving your kids just because they are being willful and disobedient, but you do have to be loving, consistent, and tough at times. And sometimes you are the one being stubborn and YOU need the tough love!
Scott and I had the privilege of recognizing the potential for true love in each other immediately - but I guess the Lord thought He needed to be really obvious since we had been such blockheads in previous relationships. In a sense, I think it might be better to discover that potential more slowly, but since we were already married and committed to each other by the time we started to meld our lives together, we had extra motivation to stick it out where we might have given up if we had just been casually dating.
So, I am of the opinion that finding true love has a lot to do with having an open heart when God brings people in your life. Then it is primarily a matter of choosing to hang on to true love and nuture it through all the changes and difficulties that life throws your way. Chemistry is great, but you can be attracted to someone who wouldn’t be a good lifetime partner. And often it clouds your ability to see the more important parts of your relationship. I absolutely do not believe that if you experience any flux in your mystical expectations of love that it must NOT be true love and therefore you discard that relationship and keep looking. I also think we really need to avoid the anxiety trap of “oh no, there is only one person in the whole world for me and what if I’ve missed him already!”
Okay, I need to quit rambling…I would love to end with something pithy and wise, but I have two little ones who seem to be intent on annoying each other to death at the moment. Love you Jen!
But in the greater context of life, today is my Uncle Ken’s and Aunt Laura’s 50th wedding anniversery, and I wish them many congratulations and happy years to come.
But what is love any ways? Is it something that grows? Is it a chemical reaction? Is it immediate? Is it friendship-based? Is there such a thing as true love? That last question has been a topic of discussion inbetween my lil’ sis and I. She believes in it, and she believes that she’s found it. Others believe that there is no such thing as the “right” one. In a way, this argument seems like a protection from the idea that there “might have been” someone better. And I hope my readers can agree with me that “might-have-been” thoughts are extremely dangerous.
So peeps, to further the question, is “true love” a state of mind that a person decides to have, or is it an actual condition that is “real?” Does true love happen very often or just to a few? I would love to hear peoples’ ideas. So that’s all for now, but hope to hear from people.
(posts)
Susannelein Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:08 am
I have some exciting news on this front. Maybe it doesn’t amount to “true love” but it is still sweet and happy all the same. I’ll try to give you a call sometime soon and tell you about it!
big sis Says:
August 21st, 2007 at 6:58 am
Is there such a thing as true love….big question. Yes and no. I think about the couple of guys I thought I was in love with pre-Scott and I realize now that no amount of deciding to love them would have resulted in “true love”. We were just too different at all the important points. So, I don’t think that you can create true love with just anyone. But is there only one? I think it is kind of like finding a “bosom friend” (thanks, Anne). There are a few people out there that you have the potential for that kind of intimate relationship with. I think it is the same on the romantic level. I think God gives us opportunities to recognize those special people as He brings them into our lives. Then we have to do our part. True love is not some mystical state where everything is “happily every after.” It takes patience, selflessness, the willingness to speak truth to each other in love (not in frustration), all kinds of things - and to really be true love, I think both spouses need to be committed to do the work necessary. And even with your “true love” you aren’t perpetually in a “true love” state. All relationships go through seasons, and sometimes you do have to decide that you will choose to love even when you don’t feel like or there is conflict between you. Kind of like tough love in parenting. You don’t quit loving your kids just because they are being willful and disobedient, but you do have to be loving, consistent, and tough at times. And sometimes you are the one being stubborn and YOU need the tough love!
Scott and I had the privilege of recognizing the potential for true love in each other immediately - but I guess the Lord thought He needed to be really obvious since we had been such blockheads in previous relationships. In a sense, I think it might be better to discover that potential more slowly, but since we were already married and committed to each other by the time we started to meld our lives together, we had extra motivation to stick it out where we might have given up if we had just been casually dating.
So, I am of the opinion that finding true love has a lot to do with having an open heart when God brings people in your life. Then it is primarily a matter of choosing to hang on to true love and nuture it through all the changes and difficulties that life throws your way. Chemistry is great, but you can be attracted to someone who wouldn’t be a good lifetime partner. And often it clouds your ability to see the more important parts of your relationship. I absolutely do not believe that if you experience any flux in your mystical expectations of love that it must NOT be true love and therefore you discard that relationship and keep looking. I also think we really need to avoid the anxiety trap of “oh no, there is only one person in the whole world for me and what if I’ve missed him already!”
Okay, I need to quit rambling…I would love to end with something pithy and wise, but I have two little ones who seem to be intent on annoying each other to death at the moment. Love you Jen!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Yay!
I have an office!!! Yippee! Lucky number 13.
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 20th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Well? How is life in Office 13? Did the first day go okay?
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 20th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Well? How is life in Office 13? Did the first day go okay?
Saturday, August 11, 2007
You know you’re in Oklahoma when…
… you cross the border the speed limit goes to 75, the people drive 90, and the wind is blowing against you 120 mph.
… the tumble weeds wreck your car
… the sunflowers are taller than the trees
… when the families live underground and come outside for tornados.
…when your state dirt is “port silt loam.”
…you don’t have a fall break, but you get out of class for “statehood day.”
…all the people talk about sports and weather, not b/c it’s polite but b/c it’s all we know.
…when the largest man-made structure is a grain elevator, and it’s visible for 30 miles on the ground and for 250 miles from the sky (according to the airforce pilots).
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 12th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
It’s not all we know. It’s just one of the more interesting things we know…
And yea for airforce pilots.
… the tumble weeds wreck your car
… the sunflowers are taller than the trees
… when the families live underground and come outside for tornados.
…when your state dirt is “port silt loam.”
…you don’t have a fall break, but you get out of class for “statehood day.”
…all the people talk about sports and weather, not b/c it’s polite but b/c it’s all we know.
…when the largest man-made structure is a grain elevator, and it’s visible for 30 miles on the ground and for 250 miles from the sky (according to the airforce pilots).
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 12th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
It’s not all we know. It’s just one of the more interesting things we know…
And yea for airforce pilots.
Oops. I’m a republican.
I thought I would come out of the closet. I’m a Republican, and I like Bush. Has anyone actually listened to him speak in 2 years? He’s reasonable. On Thursday morning as I unpacked my apartment, I listened to an entire hour of him talking to reporters, and I found him candid and logical. I didn’t agree with him on everything, but I could see where he was coming from, especially considering his recent lack of action on Guantanamo and his position against pulling out of Iraq.
I’ve been angry with Bush ever since the Iraq invasion. I thought he was better than that. The December before the invasion, I bragged that he was just playing brinksmanship. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. He was serious. Then he rushed the entire operation. (Let’s give kuddos to Bush the First at this point.) But I’ve been thinking about it…. Both the senate and house overwhelming (and without bickering) voted to go to war as well.
Bush should get some of the blame, but not all. It’s like an incident that happened when I was moving. It was my little sister who forgot to pack a few items before she took the plane to Austin. It was my mom who placed my little sis’s yarn, penguin blanket, and various other items in a trash bag by my door. It was my older sister who told me to take that bag and throw it away. But it was me who threw the bag away, and who took the blame. The person who owned the house and who actually tossed in the bag took the blame. Poor Bush. or maybe poor me. I’m not sure.
At CTY, I came to sudden realization. Why is everybody wrapped up in Bush’s approval ratings? Look who’s had good ratings. Everybody hated Lincoln, and he’s gone down in history as perhaps the best President. This for Lincoln, however,…. he listened to his opponents and sought their advice. That’s something lacking in Bush, but I still think he’s principled. He’s acting (at least in as far as the war is concerned) exactly how a Republican is supposed to act. Now, the financially conservative are ticked off at him for spending money, and the fianancially liberal are ticked off at for cutting spending on the homeside, not increasing taxes, and spending money on the war…but then does that dichotomy make Bush fiscally moderate?!
Most of my friends from the last few years are Democrats, and I still respect everbody, but I’m tired of taking all the flack. One cannot even voice an opinion these days without getting their head chopped off. I’m tired of being mocked and poo-pooed when I am an intelligent, thinking individual. At least, have a discussion with me about what I believe before you completely dismiss me. Is that too much to ask?
Okay, I got it off my chest. Tomorrow, I’ll meet a firey Republican, and then I’ll argue against the war, our foreign policy, and the deadly pseudo-paternal nationalism that grips the country…but that’s tomorrow.
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 12th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Well done. As for the stuff…I don’t suppose you’ve remembered what else was in the bag? You DO still have Annie and Danny, yes? (and I don’t mind. I just feel badly that I left it in the first place, so add some of that blame on me)
I’ve been angry with Bush ever since the Iraq invasion. I thought he was better than that. The December before the invasion, I bragged that he was just playing brinksmanship. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. He was serious. Then he rushed the entire operation. (Let’s give kuddos to Bush the First at this point.) But I’ve been thinking about it…. Both the senate and house overwhelming (and without bickering) voted to go to war as well.
Bush should get some of the blame, but not all. It’s like an incident that happened when I was moving. It was my little sister who forgot to pack a few items before she took the plane to Austin. It was my mom who placed my little sis’s yarn, penguin blanket, and various other items in a trash bag by my door. It was my older sister who told me to take that bag and throw it away. But it was me who threw the bag away, and who took the blame. The person who owned the house and who actually tossed in the bag took the blame. Poor Bush. or maybe poor me. I’m not sure.
At CTY, I came to sudden realization. Why is everybody wrapped up in Bush’s approval ratings? Look who’s had good ratings. Everybody hated Lincoln, and he’s gone down in history as perhaps the best President. This for Lincoln, however,…. he listened to his opponents and sought their advice. That’s something lacking in Bush, but I still think he’s principled. He’s acting (at least in as far as the war is concerned) exactly how a Republican is supposed to act. Now, the financially conservative are ticked off at him for spending money, and the fianancially liberal are ticked off at for cutting spending on the homeside, not increasing taxes, and spending money on the war…but then does that dichotomy make Bush fiscally moderate?!
Most of my friends from the last few years are Democrats, and I still respect everbody, but I’m tired of taking all the flack. One cannot even voice an opinion these days without getting their head chopped off. I’m tired of being mocked and poo-pooed when I am an intelligent, thinking individual. At least, have a discussion with me about what I believe before you completely dismiss me. Is that too much to ask?
Okay, I got it off my chest. Tomorrow, I’ll meet a firey Republican, and then I’ll argue against the war, our foreign policy, and the deadly pseudo-paternal nationalism that grips the country…but that’s tomorrow.
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
August 12th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Well done. As for the stuff…I don’t suppose you’ve remembered what else was in the bag? You DO still have Annie and Danny, yes? (and I don’t mind. I just feel badly that I left it in the first place, so add some of that blame on me)
I’m in Oklahoma..
Hi all. I’m in Oklahoma. The drive was uneventful; the gas was terribly expensive; and the breakfast buffet at the hotel I stayed was wonderful.
After Kara and Dave from Veritas helped pack the van on Monday, Joanna and I took off cross-country. We stopped in Rolla, Missouri for the evening, and then we were on the road again by 7:30 the next morning, headed to Norman. We just barely beat my parents there, and Jill and my nieces were there ready with hugs for us. Each group brought a little bit of furniture, and the apartment really looks great.
Thanks to Gary and Annette for the couch and recliner. Thanks to the parents for driving it my direction. To Joanna and Patrick for the TV. And to Jill and Scott for the transport of that tv and the future trips to Ikea in Austin.
A cheap dining room table is on order right now to JCPenney, and then I need another bookcase or two, and I’m set. Except, for end tables and new lamps and decorative lamps and curtains and wall hangings and pictures…. Must not buy everything on my credit card! Must wait for last CTY check, and for my scholarship to come through! ackkkk!
My guess is that I won’t afford a trip to the NE with my friend Diana for Fall Break. Which is just as well…I don’t have a fall break. We do get off for our State Centennial Celebration on November 16. If my Grandpa Koehn was still alive, he would also be 100 this year. He was born exactly two weeks before Statehood. Though speaking of the Koehn family, I hope to make Uncle Ken and Aunt Laura’s 50th wedding anniversary next weekend, and then my cousin Melissa is getting married on Nov. 17. I hope to make that celebration as well.
Well, I better get going. I’ve been writing blogs for quite awhile. Although I must admit… I did eat one of my mom’s lovely, home-made dinners inbetween posting my many bloggings. It’s good to be home.
After Kara and Dave from Veritas helped pack the van on Monday, Joanna and I took off cross-country. We stopped in Rolla, Missouri for the evening, and then we were on the road again by 7:30 the next morning, headed to Norman. We just barely beat my parents there, and Jill and my nieces were there ready with hugs for us. Each group brought a little bit of furniture, and the apartment really looks great.
Thanks to Gary and Annette for the couch and recliner. Thanks to the parents for driving it my direction. To Joanna and Patrick for the TV. And to Jill and Scott for the transport of that tv and the future trips to Ikea in Austin.
A cheap dining room table is on order right now to JCPenney, and then I need another bookcase or two, and I’m set. Except, for end tables and new lamps and decorative lamps and curtains and wall hangings and pictures…. Must not buy everything on my credit card! Must wait for last CTY check, and for my scholarship to come through! ackkkk!
My guess is that I won’t afford a trip to the NE with my friend Diana for Fall Break. Which is just as well…I don’t have a fall break. We do get off for our State Centennial Celebration on November 16. If my Grandpa Koehn was still alive, he would also be 100 this year. He was born exactly two weeks before Statehood. Though speaking of the Koehn family, I hope to make Uncle Ken and Aunt Laura’s 50th wedding anniversary next weekend, and then my cousin Melissa is getting married on Nov. 17. I hope to make that celebration as well.
Well, I better get going. I’ve been writing blogs for quite awhile. Although I must admit… I did eat one of my mom’s lovely, home-made dinners inbetween posting my many bloggings. It’s good to be home.
Monday, July 23, 2007
It got me!
First, I swerved to the right. The virus past to my left. Then, I dodged a stray cough by ducking the liquid particles clinging ever so softly to wind protruding from the enemy’s mouth. To be careful, I took my magic brew of “airborne” constantly and slept well (at least 8 hours) in a attempt to avert certain tragedy.
So what was the final blow? Was it borrowing the book of one of the contagious enemy? Was it my attemp to converse with the TA mute with larengitis (and yes, I know, but no comments on spelling). Perhaps, I just drank after the wrong person at the water fountain… Okay, I did stay up to 1:00 am on Saturday reading Harry Potter, and then woke up at 7:30 am to make it to early service…but that’s besides the point.
Nevertheless, I have a runny nose, a sore throat, and now a stuffy chest. To add insult to injury, I’m talking like 60 year old smoker…who was an alto lounge singer to begin with.
Luckily, I have the night off. I have a fieldtrip tomorrow, and most of Wednesday is planned! Hip, Hip, Hooray! I do need to take the tape off the reconstructed pottery, so it can be recoonstructed again, and I do need divide my 50 lbs of clay into smaller pieces, but that shouldn’t take too long.
How is everyone else doing? I miss getting emails! I know that the lil’ sis has a cold too, but I don’t know how to blame my cold on hers. Those of you who are well and happy have no excuse but to write.
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 25th, 2007 at 2:48 am
Lil’ sis is up at 4:30 in the morning because she was so tired she went to bed at 8 last night…however, she’s thinking that it’s about time for a “mid-morning” nap. She also thinks it is time to stop speaking about herself in third person.
Hi, sister dear. I’m sorry you got a cold, too. I’m going to try very hard to get over mine before I come see you next week. In the meantime, good news. We have another English teacher! He’s a boy who is getting married in a week. It seems we agree, for the most part, on educational/Englishy things, so I’m a happy camper!
So what was the final blow? Was it borrowing the book of one of the contagious enemy? Was it my attemp to converse with the TA mute with larengitis (and yes, I know, but no comments on spelling). Perhaps, I just drank after the wrong person at the water fountain… Okay, I did stay up to 1:00 am on Saturday reading Harry Potter, and then woke up at 7:30 am to make it to early service…but that’s besides the point.
Nevertheless, I have a runny nose, a sore throat, and now a stuffy chest. To add insult to injury, I’m talking like 60 year old smoker…who was an alto lounge singer to begin with.
Luckily, I have the night off. I have a fieldtrip tomorrow, and most of Wednesday is planned! Hip, Hip, Hooray! I do need to take the tape off the reconstructed pottery, so it can be recoonstructed again, and I do need divide my 50 lbs of clay into smaller pieces, but that shouldn’t take too long.
How is everyone else doing? I miss getting emails! I know that the lil’ sis has a cold too, but I don’t know how to blame my cold on hers. Those of you who are well and happy have no excuse but to write.
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 25th, 2007 at 2:48 am
Lil’ sis is up at 4:30 in the morning because she was so tired she went to bed at 8 last night…however, she’s thinking that it’s about time for a “mid-morning” nap. She also thinks it is time to stop speaking about herself in third person.
Hi, sister dear. I’m sorry you got a cold, too. I’m going to try very hard to get over mine before I come see you next week. In the meantime, good news. We have another English teacher! He’s a boy who is getting married in a week. It seems we agree, for the most part, on educational/Englishy things, so I’m a happy camper!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Session 1…Session 2
Hi friends,
I stop here for a pause… a time of reflection… a time for sleep. Yes, it’s Sunday evening at 9:00, and I’m going to bed very soon.
Session 1 ended with the sounds of CTY graduation. These sounds do not include pomp and circumstance… No, that would be too easy. The sounds of CTY graduation are those of groans and cries of agony. These sounds all have to do with the History of Disease classes producing their short plays for the entertainment at graduation. This Friday, the students produced one play on the Civil War and medicine…during which many a student lost a fake limb, and then they produced a second called “The story of Typhoid Mary,” which was funny but terribly ’scatological.’
Speaking of the word ’scatology,’ it’s my word for the weekend. This weekend involved much playing of speed scrabble. I must thank Chris for reminding me during the course of the game that without an “e” escatology is something to be ashamed of. However, I must say if your opponent decides to play speed scrabble in Latin half way through the evening, it’s rather intimidating. However, I never lost to someone playing me in Latin….
This weekend also included my first attempt at being “cruise director.” In past years, one member of the staff always to upon themselves the task of planning some weekend activities. I decided to give it a shot. I chose mini-golf for this weekend…1. b/c I like it and 2. b/c I had a free game. My outing was a mixed success. Only 4 people showed up, but they were 4 awefully wonderful people. So I suppose it works out in the end. Next week, I was trying to get people to go to Philly with me to see King Tut, but I guess it might be too expensive b/c nobody seems to want to go.
So today, the new day dawned, and I had to work registration tables at 9:30 am for all the new students coming in. My old students have showered me with love and support, but now my new students are looking at me with a mix of interest and doubt. It should be interesting. My TA, Nate, says that the guys aren’t that interested in archaeology. If that’s the case, why did they take the class?
In the meantime, I haven’t gotten to church today. I didn’t realize how much I would missed it. Even meeting with a group of believers you don’t know is a time of refreshment and worship. Having to work this morning, just left me drained. On the up side, I started reading the book, “Irresistible Revolution.” It’s truly been “irresistible.” That book has literally been hounding my tracks. First, all my house church friends were saying “read it, read it…” Then, I heard about the fire in which the author of the book lost all of his belongs in June. (By the way, go to ‘http://www.thesimpleway.org/’, to donate money to rebuild the old warehouse that was Shane Claiborn’s home and a place for under-priviledged kids to go to after-school programs.) Third, I stopped at a Barnes and Noble for a “potty emergency” (you see scatological topics pop up all over the place), and when I came out of the bathroom, there the book was. There were at least 10 of them on the religion table so I bought one, and now I’m reading it. I’ve finished the first couple of chapters on Mother Teresa, Wheaton College, and Willow Creek, and his sumation of life at Wheaton College is pretty dead on. As for Willow Creek Community Church, it reminds me of an opportunity I had to work with the youth once while at Wheaton, but I didn’t do it b/c I had too much crappy (scatological?) baggage. It’s been kinda a sore point in my soul for a couple years now.
Well, one lives in learns…hopefully. If you have a chance, pray that my health stays good and that I make good decisions and that I show integrity and the love of God. With that good night, good luck, and thanks for all the fish….
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 17th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Your welcome.
Isn’t it eschatology? So you might have been in trouble anyway, without an H.
Patrick and Micci both beat me in Scrabble the other night, but I regained dominance with a score of 300 on Sunday.
I think you’re wonderful, and I wish I could have gone golfing with you.
Last but not least, I am a bad sister and a horrible person, and if you so wish, I will renounce my throne as pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays because I didn’t call you last night. However, please realize that I would then no longer be the pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays, and that would be a sad, sad thing.
Love you, bear!
jen_archaic Says:
July 18th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Joey,
Stay the pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays! No one else could fill the role like you.
“Scatology” means dealing with doo-doo. The study of excremate. The conducting experiments with coprolites. The playing with poo.
jen_archaic Says:
July 21st, 2007 at 8:36 am
I just realized that Joanna knew what scatology meant. She was just complaining about my spelling of eschatology. Does anybody have an OED? I think there is an alternative spelling (brittish?) that allows for the spelling without an “h.” I don’t know.
JoeyGirl Says:
July 22nd, 2007 at 10:30 am
Thank you. It asssuages my pride for you to realize that maybe, just maybe, I might know what I’m talking about when it comes to spelling.
759 pages and 6.5 hours later, it is done. I finished the last HP book at 2am. I will say nothing except that she quotes both Aeschylus and the Bible during the course of it, and I appreciate it.
I stop here for a pause… a time of reflection… a time for sleep. Yes, it’s Sunday evening at 9:00, and I’m going to bed very soon.
Session 1 ended with the sounds of CTY graduation. These sounds do not include pomp and circumstance… No, that would be too easy. The sounds of CTY graduation are those of groans and cries of agony. These sounds all have to do with the History of Disease classes producing their short plays for the entertainment at graduation. This Friday, the students produced one play on the Civil War and medicine…during which many a student lost a fake limb, and then they produced a second called “The story of Typhoid Mary,” which was funny but terribly ’scatological.’
Speaking of the word ’scatology,’ it’s my word for the weekend. This weekend involved much playing of speed scrabble. I must thank Chris for reminding me during the course of the game that without an “e” escatology is something to be ashamed of. However, I must say if your opponent decides to play speed scrabble in Latin half way through the evening, it’s rather intimidating. However, I never lost to someone playing me in Latin….
This weekend also included my first attempt at being “cruise director.” In past years, one member of the staff always to upon themselves the task of planning some weekend activities. I decided to give it a shot. I chose mini-golf for this weekend…1. b/c I like it and 2. b/c I had a free game. My outing was a mixed success. Only 4 people showed up, but they were 4 awefully wonderful people. So I suppose it works out in the end. Next week, I was trying to get people to go to Philly with me to see King Tut, but I guess it might be too expensive b/c nobody seems to want to go.
So today, the new day dawned, and I had to work registration tables at 9:30 am for all the new students coming in. My old students have showered me with love and support, but now my new students are looking at me with a mix of interest and doubt. It should be interesting. My TA, Nate, says that the guys aren’t that interested in archaeology. If that’s the case, why did they take the class?
In the meantime, I haven’t gotten to church today. I didn’t realize how much I would missed it. Even meeting with a group of believers you don’t know is a time of refreshment and worship. Having to work this morning, just left me drained. On the up side, I started reading the book, “Irresistible Revolution.” It’s truly been “irresistible.” That book has literally been hounding my tracks. First, all my house church friends were saying “read it, read it…” Then, I heard about the fire in which the author of the book lost all of his belongs in June. (By the way, go to ‘http://www.thesimpleway.org/’, to donate money to rebuild the old warehouse that was Shane Claiborn’s home and a place for under-priviledged kids to go to after-school programs.) Third, I stopped at a Barnes and Noble for a “potty emergency” (you see scatological topics pop up all over the place), and when I came out of the bathroom, there the book was. There were at least 10 of them on the religion table so I bought one, and now I’m reading it. I’ve finished the first couple of chapters on Mother Teresa, Wheaton College, and Willow Creek, and his sumation of life at Wheaton College is pretty dead on. As for Willow Creek Community Church, it reminds me of an opportunity I had to work with the youth once while at Wheaton, but I didn’t do it b/c I had too much crappy (scatological?) baggage. It’s been kinda a sore point in my soul for a couple years now.
Well, one lives in learns…hopefully. If you have a chance, pray that my health stays good and that I make good decisions and that I show integrity and the love of God. With that good night, good luck, and thanks for all the fish….
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 17th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Your welcome.
Isn’t it eschatology? So you might have been in trouble anyway, without an H.
Patrick and Micci both beat me in Scrabble the other night, but I regained dominance with a score of 300 on Sunday.
I think you’re wonderful, and I wish I could have gone golfing with you.
Last but not least, I am a bad sister and a horrible person, and if you so wish, I will renounce my throne as pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays because I didn’t call you last night. However, please realize that I would then no longer be the pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays, and that would be a sad, sad thing.
Love you, bear!
jen_archaic Says:
July 18th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Joey,
Stay the pretty, pretty princess of Thursdays! No one else could fill the role like you.
“Scatology” means dealing with doo-doo. The study of excremate. The conducting experiments with coprolites. The playing with poo.
jen_archaic Says:
July 21st, 2007 at 8:36 am
I just realized that Joanna knew what scatology meant. She was just complaining about my spelling of eschatology. Does anybody have an OED? I think there is an alternative spelling (brittish?) that allows for the spelling without an “h.” I don’t know.
JoeyGirl Says:
July 22nd, 2007 at 10:30 am
Thank you. It asssuages my pride for you to realize that maybe, just maybe, I might know what I’m talking about when it comes to spelling.
759 pages and 6.5 hours later, it is done. I finished the last HP book at 2am. I will say nothing except that she quotes both Aeschylus and the Bible during the course of it, and I appreciate it.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
I have a moment…
I have a moment, so I’m saying hi to whomever is reading. Tonight, I don’t have to teach during study hall, my evaluations for my students are almost done, and my novel just happens to be a good breaking point, so it isn’t difficult to take a moment to write a note.
Unfortunately, I have nothing to write about. This could be a problem, but it justifies my category: “Talking about nothing.” Considering I wrote 14 evaluations this week, I would say I have quite a bit practice at “talking about nothing.” Each evaluation is one page long, single spaced. Honestly, I have so many assignments that it’s usually not hard to write my evals. It does mean that I grade constantly. Actually, that is on my to-do list, so I better continue working.
This weekend is intersession, so hopefully there will be more time then!
p.s. I’m learning how to juggle…finally!
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 12th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Hello, oh purveyor of nothingness!
It always makes my day to see that you have blogged, even if it is on nothing. It’s like receiving non-junk, non-school emails. It just makes me happy.
Unfortunately, I have nothing to write about. This could be a problem, but it justifies my category: “Talking about nothing.” Considering I wrote 14 evaluations this week, I would say I have quite a bit practice at “talking about nothing.” Each evaluation is one page long, single spaced. Honestly, I have so many assignments that it’s usually not hard to write my evals. It does mean that I grade constantly. Actually, that is on my to-do list, so I better continue working.
This weekend is intersession, so hopefully there will be more time then!
p.s. I’m learning how to juggle…finally!
(posts)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 12th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Hello, oh purveyor of nothingness!
It always makes my day to see that you have blogged, even if it is on nothing. It’s like receiving non-junk, non-school emails. It just makes me happy.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Heads Up
As I write, another tornado makes an appearance only 30 miles away. Sweet. They seem to follow me. This might be a reason for me to remain in rural vs. urban regions.
However, it was dry enough that we didn’t have to keep the students after study hall. Study hall ends at 9:00 pm, and by that time, both students and teachers are going crazy. Tonight was a fun study hall, but I feel bad if the students have to stay past 9 for weather reasons.
Tonight we reconstructed the pots I “borrowed” from the trash-can of the art building at Miami U. The kids noticed that one whole set of dishes and platters were supposed to be for someone’s wedding. I feel sorry for the artist who went through so much work to make that set only to throw it away.
I feel slightly evil… I’ve already taught my TA the joys of breaking pottery and playing with people’s minds. These are nice hobbies to have.
Then sometimes I feel slightly out of my league. Did you know that Kepler hints at the math that Newton creates/steals about gravity (calculus)? Apparently, it’s all the news in the field of the history of math. I had an astronomer and a math genius/musician argue about the particulars for 30 minutes while I was grading my homework on how to classify buttons. Eventually, the philosophy-of-the-mind instructor jumped in, but by that time, I had lost the thread of the argument.
Now in defense of buttons, they are rather hard to classify. There are two-hole buttons and the four-hole. Some of them only have the one loop on the back, and sometimes I even throw a hook-and-eye into the sample bags to confuse students. ACK! Well, my class have more fun than most here. We spent 2 hours today making pots today, and tomorrow we’ll make stone tools. We are aboriginals. Hear us yell!
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 9th, 2007 at 9:47 am
I really think you should yawp instead of yell, to take a page out of Whitman.
Hi, sister darling! Do call me sometime. I would love to hear what you’re up to, and I want to make wild and devious plans with you for the time I spend with you in Pennsylvania and elsewhere!
But one other thing…cnn.com this morning said that Pennsylvania was closing down some parts of its government, including museums. Is this going to affect you any?
However, it was dry enough that we didn’t have to keep the students after study hall. Study hall ends at 9:00 pm, and by that time, both students and teachers are going crazy. Tonight was a fun study hall, but I feel bad if the students have to stay past 9 for weather reasons.
Tonight we reconstructed the pots I “borrowed” from the trash-can of the art building at Miami U. The kids noticed that one whole set of dishes and platters were supposed to be for someone’s wedding. I feel sorry for the artist who went through so much work to make that set only to throw it away.
I feel slightly evil… I’ve already taught my TA the joys of breaking pottery and playing with people’s minds. These are nice hobbies to have.
Then sometimes I feel slightly out of my league. Did you know that Kepler hints at the math that Newton creates/steals about gravity (calculus)? Apparently, it’s all the news in the field of the history of math. I had an astronomer and a math genius/musician argue about the particulars for 30 minutes while I was grading my homework on how to classify buttons. Eventually, the philosophy-of-the-mind instructor jumped in, but by that time, I had lost the thread of the argument.
Now in defense of buttons, they are rather hard to classify. There are two-hole buttons and the four-hole. Some of them only have the one loop on the back, and sometimes I even throw a hook-and-eye into the sample bags to confuse students. ACK! Well, my class have more fun than most here. We spent 2 hours today making pots today, and tomorrow we’ll make stone tools. We are aboriginals. Hear us yell!
(post)
JoeyGirl Says:
July 9th, 2007 at 9:47 am
I really think you should yawp instead of yell, to take a page out of Whitman.
Hi, sister darling! Do call me sometime. I would love to hear what you’re up to, and I want to make wild and devious plans with you for the time I spend with you in Pennsylvania and elsewhere!
But one other thing…cnn.com this morning said that Pennsylvania was closing down some parts of its government, including museums. Is this going to affect you any?
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tired, so tired.
Hello, my adoring public.
That might be a little over the top, but that’s what come to me tonight. Since I last wrote, I visitted Austin, TX, played with adorable nieces, and went to Ikea. We also got to go swimming in Barton Springs, a very-Austin, very-cool, natural-spring swimming pool. Then, I once again went to Oklahoma where my mother, my sister, and I took up gardening by stealing blue grass, indian paintbrush, and yucca plants from neighboring, roadside ditches and planting them on the north side of my parents’ home. We also shopped garage sales where I bought the perfect $10 orange chair. Then I flew back to Ohio, where my car broke down. I got to go swimming. I hung out with dear friends, both from OBF and Veritas.
Then my friend Amy drove me to Kentucky where we hiked in Red River Gorge. It was 5-6 miles in about 4 hours. That might seem slow, but we did climb on some rocks too! It was beautiful. I got back home again in that day. Picked up my car from the mechanic who miraculusly fixed all my problem for under $200. Then I left for Lancaster, PA to work at the Center for Talented Youth, teaching archaeology.
I arrived only 15 minutes late. Then I’ve unpacked and gone through orientation through every waking hour. Caffeine! Give me Caffeine!!!!
Every day of the last week has had more action than all of the previous weeks between January and May. Except perhaps for that week in March when I got sick with the flu. But that really wasn’t action. At least, not the type I like. On any of those weeks, you would have received a much funnier commentary concerning orange chairs and my hiking faux pas at Red River Gorge, but I want to go to sleep. I’m pooped, and we’ve got more to do tomorrow. I need to determine if my lesson plans are sufficient for next week.
What else should I tell everyone? It’s Joanna who wanted me to write a blog, and she’s going to be writing a better blog on the yucca plants soon on her myspace account. Here’s a cheery hello to all my guy friends at CTY. Strangely, CTY is the only place where my guy friends out number my girl friends by about 3-1. That’s indirectly proportional to guy/girl ratio of friends for the rest of the year.
Also, the mamogram looked good a couple weeks ago, but Dr. Dexeus wants to keep an eye on me. That means another appointment in September. Pout. Will I be forever chained to a doctor’s office?
It’s been a good week. God has been gracious in so many with so many blessings, big and small. Just pray that keep running the race and push on to very end.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Thank you, Jenny.
JoeyGirl Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Hola, darling! No yucca blogs, but there is one on Boulder. Give me a call when you have a chance. Or blog a bit. That would also be acceptable. I’m thinking about you!
That might be a little over the top, but that’s what come to me tonight. Since I last wrote, I visitted Austin, TX, played with adorable nieces, and went to Ikea. We also got to go swimming in Barton Springs, a very-Austin, very-cool, natural-spring swimming pool. Then, I once again went to Oklahoma where my mother, my sister, and I took up gardening by stealing blue grass, indian paintbrush, and yucca plants from neighboring, roadside ditches and planting them on the north side of my parents’ home. We also shopped garage sales where I bought the perfect $10 orange chair. Then I flew back to Ohio, where my car broke down. I got to go swimming. I hung out with dear friends, both from OBF and Veritas.
Then my friend Amy drove me to Kentucky where we hiked in Red River Gorge. It was 5-6 miles in about 4 hours. That might seem slow, but we did climb on some rocks too! It was beautiful. I got back home again in that day. Picked up my car from the mechanic who miraculusly fixed all my problem for under $200. Then I left for Lancaster, PA to work at the Center for Talented Youth, teaching archaeology.
I arrived only 15 minutes late. Then I’ve unpacked and gone through orientation through every waking hour. Caffeine! Give me Caffeine!!!!
Every day of the last week has had more action than all of the previous weeks between January and May. Except perhaps for that week in March when I got sick with the flu. But that really wasn’t action. At least, not the type I like. On any of those weeks, you would have received a much funnier commentary concerning orange chairs and my hiking faux pas at Red River Gorge, but I want to go to sleep. I’m pooped, and we’ve got more to do tomorrow. I need to determine if my lesson plans are sufficient for next week.
What else should I tell everyone? It’s Joanna who wanted me to write a blog, and she’s going to be writing a better blog on the yucca plants soon on her myspace account. Here’s a cheery hello to all my guy friends at CTY. Strangely, CTY is the only place where my guy friends out number my girl friends by about 3-1. That’s indirectly proportional to guy/girl ratio of friends for the rest of the year.
Also, the mamogram looked good a couple weeks ago, but Dr. Dexeus wants to keep an eye on me. That means another appointment in September. Pout. Will I be forever chained to a doctor’s office?
It’s been a good week. God has been gracious in so many with so many blessings, big and small. Just pray that keep running the race and push on to very end.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Thank you, Jenny.
JoeyGirl Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Hola, darling! No yucca blogs, but there is one on Boulder. Give me a call when you have a chance. Or blog a bit. That would also be acceptable. I’m thinking about you!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Planes, Trains, and Thunderstorms
Okay, this post has nothing to do with trains, but I’ve always wanted to ride a train. Oh. wait. I think I can fit a train into the following narrative. It’s not big train, but it was a train.
Monday, I began to travel home in a good way. Annie came early to pick me up, and I was ready. We stopped and got coffee at starbucks for a treat, and then we headed to Dayton.
Flight from Dayton to Dallas. perfect. Arrive in Dallas. 10 minutes before taking off to Wichita. Thunderstorm #1. It was raining so hard you couldn’t even see past the tail of the plane. The flight was delayed 30 minutes, then an hour, then another 30 minutes. I ran to get food, and by the time, I got back the flight was cancelled!@ Ack!
It was either fly to Wichita the next day and sleep at the aiport, or fly to Oklahoma. So, I flew to Oklahoma City. Now, my parents had already driven over an hour to get to Wichita, but I called them, and they did a 180 and headed to OKC, 3 hours south.
That flight was seriously delayed, and I had the chance to take the airport’s mono-rail to extravegant Councourse D. (You see I did mention a train.) Lovely shopping, eating, and art, but no time to stay. Soon I was on the plane. It was time for take-off. Then, Thunderstorm #2. Rain swept across the tarmac in waves as the wind blew the plane side to side like a rocking horse. 45 minutes later, my parent’s were already in OKC, and I was just beginning to take off.
When I arrived at OKC, I headed down to the baggage claim where I got a big hug from my parents. However, my bag was not there with them to greet me. I assumed it probably was in Wichita, but the guy in the missing bag department didn’t believe me when I showed up. He said I had to wait until all the bagage was cleared from the carasol. The only problem was that the same 20 or so bags continued to go around the ramp while approximately 30 people were bagless. By the time, I got back to the office. There were 20 people with missing lugage ahead of me in line. Luckily, there’s a phone number, and you can report your missing bagage that way instead. It was only 15 minute wait on my cell phone to get an available representative.
So my parents and I leave OKC around 11:30 and finally arrive home about 1:30 am the next day. It was an adventure, but I’m thankful for understanding parents and other passengers who took the delays considerably well.
And my bag? It came 24 hours later. They found it in Wichita the next day, and then hired a currier to drive it out to the family farm. She arrived at 10:00 pm in the evening. I wondered how the lady handled it, driving off the highway, onto a blacktop road, and then down 1.4 miles of gravel. She didn’t seem to worried.
The End. Hopefully… I fly again tomorrow to visit my sisters in Austin. It’s OKC, Dallas, Austin. Last time, I made it in under 2 and half hours. May there be no more storms tomorrow!
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
June 21st, 2007 at 8:45 am
Okay, beautiful. You’re going to have to start blogging again. I’m not there anymore, and I want to live vicariously through you.
Monday, I began to travel home in a good way. Annie came early to pick me up, and I was ready. We stopped and got coffee at starbucks for a treat, and then we headed to Dayton.
Flight from Dayton to Dallas. perfect. Arrive in Dallas. 10 minutes before taking off to Wichita. Thunderstorm #1. It was raining so hard you couldn’t even see past the tail of the plane. The flight was delayed 30 minutes, then an hour, then another 30 minutes. I ran to get food, and by the time, I got back the flight was cancelled!@ Ack!
It was either fly to Wichita the next day and sleep at the aiport, or fly to Oklahoma. So, I flew to Oklahoma City. Now, my parents had already driven over an hour to get to Wichita, but I called them, and they did a 180 and headed to OKC, 3 hours south.
That flight was seriously delayed, and I had the chance to take the airport’s mono-rail to extravegant Councourse D. (You see I did mention a train.) Lovely shopping, eating, and art, but no time to stay. Soon I was on the plane. It was time for take-off. Then, Thunderstorm #2. Rain swept across the tarmac in waves as the wind blew the plane side to side like a rocking horse. 45 minutes later, my parent’s were already in OKC, and I was just beginning to take off.
When I arrived at OKC, I headed down to the baggage claim where I got a big hug from my parents. However, my bag was not there with them to greet me. I assumed it probably was in Wichita, but the guy in the missing bag department didn’t believe me when I showed up. He said I had to wait until all the bagage was cleared from the carasol. The only problem was that the same 20 or so bags continued to go around the ramp while approximately 30 people were bagless. By the time, I got back to the office. There were 20 people with missing lugage ahead of me in line. Luckily, there’s a phone number, and you can report your missing bagage that way instead. It was only 15 minute wait on my cell phone to get an available representative.
So my parents and I leave OKC around 11:30 and finally arrive home about 1:30 am the next day. It was an adventure, but I’m thankful for understanding parents and other passengers who took the delays considerably well.
And my bag? It came 24 hours later. They found it in Wichita the next day, and then hired a currier to drive it out to the family farm. She arrived at 10:00 pm in the evening. I wondered how the lady handled it, driving off the highway, onto a blacktop road, and then down 1.4 miles of gravel. She didn’t seem to worried.
The End. Hopefully… I fly again tomorrow to visit my sisters in Austin. It’s OKC, Dallas, Austin. Last time, I made it in under 2 and half hours. May there be no more storms tomorrow!
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
June 21st, 2007 at 8:45 am
Okay, beautiful. You’re going to have to start blogging again. I’m not there anymore, and I want to live vicariously through you.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Another Sigh of Relief
Whew. All I have to say is, “Whew.” And possibly, “Yea!” Never told the Anderson clan this, but I thought I might have to cancel my visit next week. My advisor told me that I needed to attend an early orientation next weekend, but he was wrong. Hip hip horray. Oklahoma and Austin, TX here I come!!!
Also, I am finally enrolled. Plans (other than my apartment and moving needs) are taken care of. I still can’t believe I’m moving from Oxford. In some ways, the transition is becoming easier. A lot of the folk I like to hang out with have been so busy, and many are starting new phases of their lives. I even had a chance to make peace with the history department and had a nice chat with one of the profs.
Every once and awhile, a reason to stay will pop up. For example, Veritas is growing so much in depth that they will widely reach the community this year. I would like to stay and watch that happen. They basically offered me a midnight-9:00 am shift at King Library when I visited this week. But honestly, those hours would probably kill me. Maybe not literally, but I’m not sure.
Just one more cool thing about today, and then I’m going to bed. I got 9 or 10 boxes for packing from the copy shop. I love the boxes from copy shops with their wonderful lids and heavy cardboard. It’s packing heaven! (And not near as embarassing as packing Biblical Studies books and my language books in vodka boxes that I picked up from the liquor store near Curves.)
Also, I am finally enrolled. Plans (other than my apartment and moving needs) are taken care of. I still can’t believe I’m moving from Oxford. In some ways, the transition is becoming easier. A lot of the folk I like to hang out with have been so busy, and many are starting new phases of their lives. I even had a chance to make peace with the history department and had a nice chat with one of the profs.
Every once and awhile, a reason to stay will pop up. For example, Veritas is growing so much in depth that they will widely reach the community this year. I would like to stay and watch that happen. They basically offered me a midnight-9:00 am shift at King Library when I visited this week. But honestly, those hours would probably kill me. Maybe not literally, but I’m not sure.
Just one more cool thing about today, and then I’m going to bed. I got 9 or 10 boxes for packing from the copy shop. I love the boxes from copy shops with their wonderful lids and heavy cardboard. It’s packing heaven! (And not near as embarassing as packing Biblical Studies books and my language books in vodka boxes that I picked up from the liquor store near Curves.)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
The Hollywood Librarian
he listserve from my library science program sent me an announcement about a new movie/documentary coming out about librarians. Is this for real?
Check out the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8kd4fC1bwo
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Do I need to write another horrible poem to get you to blog again? Hm??? Don’t think I won’t do it…
Check out the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8kd4fC1bwo
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Do I need to write another horrible poem to get you to blog again? Hm??? Don’t think I won’t do it…
Thursday, May 24, 2007
My Day
Whew. Today is going better now. Earlier, I was stressed out. I am trying to hang out with everybody I know in my last few weeks of living in Ohio, work my temp job, begin packing, and prepare for CTY all at once. Today already, I’ve been to a prayer meeting, I’ve exercised, I had a nice cry over some hurt feelings, I chatted with my roomate’s future roomate, had lunch with a friend, and I have finally contacted all the museums for fieldtrips…although dates are not secured. I now have 45 minutes all to myself! And I had some lovely emails and comments to my blog.
Thank you, Joanna, for your last comment, but I would disagree that Cinderella’s tragic flaw is talking to mice. It’s the fact that she’s condemned to wear corsetted ball gowns and glass slippers. It probably led her to an early grave, and it definitely led to bunyans. (Speaking of Cinderalla, I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. It was terrific. Depressing, but terrific. I think it’s head and shoulders above and better than Wicked. However, the book did make me moody for a couple days. The book does have a somewhat cathartic ending, which keeps me from being in the dumps for weeks. The rest of this week, I’m listening to non-fiction at work, just to stabilize mood.)
Well, I can also talk about buying shower gifts yesterday and the perfect Mocha Frappachino I had. Or would you like to hear about the self-defined s.a.d.-a.s.s., I work with? He says he’s got social-anxiety-disorder, anti-social-syndrome. I told him I’m stealing the term. It’s brilliant.
No instead, I’ll sign off. Too much craziness in the world today to spend the whole day writing on my blog. Not that it’s bad thing to write all day on my blog..
Thank you, Joanna, for your last comment, but I would disagree that Cinderella’s tragic flaw is talking to mice. It’s the fact that she’s condemned to wear corsetted ball gowns and glass slippers. It probably led her to an early grave, and it definitely led to bunyans. (Speaking of Cinderalla, I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. It was terrific. Depressing, but terrific. I think it’s head and shoulders above and better than Wicked. However, the book did make me moody for a couple days. The book does have a somewhat cathartic ending, which keeps me from being in the dumps for weeks. The rest of this week, I’m listening to non-fiction at work, just to stabilize mood.)
Well, I can also talk about buying shower gifts yesterday and the perfect Mocha Frappachino I had. Or would you like to hear about the self-defined s.a.d.-a.s.s., I work with? He says he’s got social-anxiety-disorder, anti-social-syndrome. I told him I’m stealing the term. It’s brilliant.
No instead, I’ll sign off. Too much craziness in the world today to spend the whole day writing on my blog. Not that it’s bad thing to write all day on my blog..
12:51 am
Good morning. Sorta.
I’m wired. I have too many loose ends to go to sleep despite the fact that I know my body is craving it.
I was expecting to get off work earlier tonight, and then I could have called friends and family and talked about stuff and got stuff off my mind. But our work load lasted to 11:45, and that means no phone calls. I though about calling my friend in Washington, b/c it’s only 8:00 there, but I couldn’t convince myself.
Tonight, my past is just haunting me a little bit. I have a really cool boss at MEDCO, and she was talking about how in less than a year and half, she went from my job to supervisor. Is it really worth it go through another 2 years of school? So far, where has school gotten me? It taught me to read all the wrong books.
I’ve also been listening too much to that money guy on the radio. He’s beginning to be more depressing than helpful to me. I’ve made some really stupid mistakes economically since undergraduate, and I can’t change it. But how does one move on after really huge mistakes? I never made any huge mistakes. I’ve been the good girl my entire life. I usually play by the book and try not to make waves.
So despite my cool summer job, my scholarship for the fall, and the accompanying assistantship, I still feel directionless. What’s my purpose in life? I’ve been asking that question since I was 12, and now I’m wondering if it was ever the right question.
Now, I feel kinda silly b/c God has provided so much, but there is something to my thought about purpose in life. I don’t think our job is to pursue a purpose… at least as I was thinking about it. I thought I needed a job and an identity and money and connections and a Christian calling… a missionary or archaeologist or professor or something. Most people just do the job they can for the time being and life for Jesus while doing that job. That’s our purpose… to live simply and follow God.
Okay, now I’m starting to get sleepy, and my back just popped in a lovely way in the small of my back as I stretched, so I’m all relaxed. So now, I say goodnight. “Goodnight, all.”
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 25th, 2007 at 6:01 am
Love you, J-bear. Unsurprisingly, you, Patrick, and I share the same philosophy about jobs. Yes, my current calling is to teach, but I may be doing something completely different next year at this time. It all depends on God.
It’s like the guy who came and spoke at our chapel said. We all search for our identity, and frequently we find it in what we’re good at. “I’m a teacher,” or “I’m a volleyball player,” or “I’m a mother.” The problem happens when we lose our job, or sprain an ankle, or the kids move out of the house. What is your identity, then? He said the only way to be secure in who we are is to identify ourselves as children of God. God doesn’t change, and so we can have peace and be steadfast in that knowledge…
Anyway, sorry to wax philosophical on your blog. As I already said, I love you muchly and I missed our conversation last night. Talk with you soon!
glenn Says:
May 26th, 2007 at 1:14 am
i resonate with you closely on this post. thanks for your honesty about struggling with these things. the Church overall hasn’t done very well in helping people rightly and conscientiously work out issues of vocation (ours included). this is especially true when we consider just where our place is in it “all.” who are we and how do we fit in? what about income? what about past foibles? what restricts us from doing this or that? where is “my” place? who are “my” people?
i think we can’t help but think of purpose when we attempt to place ourselves in the story of God. that may be God’s intention, that we struggle in the light of such weighty considerations because of the fantastic implications. it is struggle, contentious and conflicting, through and through, but it is definitely the work of the Spirit in the heart of someone longing for authentic connection to their creator and to his Kingdom. that is why he doesn’t remove the discomfort.
think of what you began seeking and asking for when you were 12. God’s only giving you that for which you were praying isn’t he? didn’t he take us seriously when we prayed, even if we didn’t know that for which we were asking? (i’ve come to this conclusion, for what it’s worth, in much the same vein as in your musing here). it’s just that we don’t factor in the transformation God requires. i once told God i would go anywhere for him and do anything and i never could have fathomed this.
but you got this…..”live simply and follow God” as you’ve posted. i think that’s right on. perhaps the issue resides around what we append to that maxim, which has to do with seeking the Kingdom first and having all the things “added” unto us as we seek. and even more, who it is we have surrounded ourselves with to discern that.
now if you could only do the same magic on my back…..
I’m wired. I have too many loose ends to go to sleep despite the fact that I know my body is craving it.
I was expecting to get off work earlier tonight, and then I could have called friends and family and talked about stuff and got stuff off my mind. But our work load lasted to 11:45, and that means no phone calls. I though about calling my friend in Washington, b/c it’s only 8:00 there, but I couldn’t convince myself.
Tonight, my past is just haunting me a little bit. I have a really cool boss at MEDCO, and she was talking about how in less than a year and half, she went from my job to supervisor. Is it really worth it go through another 2 years of school? So far, where has school gotten me? It taught me to read all the wrong books.
I’ve also been listening too much to that money guy on the radio. He’s beginning to be more depressing than helpful to me. I’ve made some really stupid mistakes economically since undergraduate, and I can’t change it. But how does one move on after really huge mistakes? I never made any huge mistakes. I’ve been the good girl my entire life. I usually play by the book and try not to make waves.
So despite my cool summer job, my scholarship for the fall, and the accompanying assistantship, I still feel directionless. What’s my purpose in life? I’ve been asking that question since I was 12, and now I’m wondering if it was ever the right question.
Now, I feel kinda silly b/c God has provided so much, but there is something to my thought about purpose in life. I don’t think our job is to pursue a purpose… at least as I was thinking about it. I thought I needed a job and an identity and money and connections and a Christian calling… a missionary or archaeologist or professor or something. Most people just do the job they can for the time being and life for Jesus while doing that job. That’s our purpose… to live simply and follow God.
Okay, now I’m starting to get sleepy, and my back just popped in a lovely way in the small of my back as I stretched, so I’m all relaxed. So now, I say goodnight. “Goodnight, all.”
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 25th, 2007 at 6:01 am
Love you, J-bear. Unsurprisingly, you, Patrick, and I share the same philosophy about jobs. Yes, my current calling is to teach, but I may be doing something completely different next year at this time. It all depends on God.
It’s like the guy who came and spoke at our chapel said. We all search for our identity, and frequently we find it in what we’re good at. “I’m a teacher,” or “I’m a volleyball player,” or “I’m a mother.” The problem happens when we lose our job, or sprain an ankle, or the kids move out of the house. What is your identity, then? He said the only way to be secure in who we are is to identify ourselves as children of God. God doesn’t change, and so we can have peace and be steadfast in that knowledge…
Anyway, sorry to wax philosophical on your blog. As I already said, I love you muchly and I missed our conversation last night. Talk with you soon!
glenn Says:
May 26th, 2007 at 1:14 am
i resonate with you closely on this post. thanks for your honesty about struggling with these things. the Church overall hasn’t done very well in helping people rightly and conscientiously work out issues of vocation (ours included). this is especially true when we consider just where our place is in it “all.” who are we and how do we fit in? what about income? what about past foibles? what restricts us from doing this or that? where is “my” place? who are “my” people?
i think we can’t help but think of purpose when we attempt to place ourselves in the story of God. that may be God’s intention, that we struggle in the light of such weighty considerations because of the fantastic implications. it is struggle, contentious and conflicting, through and through, but it is definitely the work of the Spirit in the heart of someone longing for authentic connection to their creator and to his Kingdom. that is why he doesn’t remove the discomfort.
think of what you began seeking and asking for when you were 12. God’s only giving you that for which you were praying isn’t he? didn’t he take us seriously when we prayed, even if we didn’t know that for which we were asking? (i’ve come to this conclusion, for what it’s worth, in much the same vein as in your musing here). it’s just that we don’t factor in the transformation God requires. i once told God i would go anywhere for him and do anything and i never could have fathomed this.
but you got this…..”live simply and follow God” as you’ve posted. i think that’s right on. perhaps the issue resides around what we append to that maxim, which has to do with seeking the Kingdom first and having all the things “added” unto us as we seek. and even more, who it is we have surrounded ourselves with to discern that.
now if you could only do the same magic on my back…..
Friday, May 18, 2007
Cheering Up!
Okay, so I’ve only been up 3 hours 30 minutes, and I’ve already heard from two women who are having bad/grumpy days. And honestly, I’ve been funky this week as well…too much stress with the move. So I’m going to cheer up whoever’s reading with as much silly stuff as possible.
#1. I’m always amazed that women who love flowerly, cutsy furniture end up with husbands who puke if they see ceramic snowbunnies giving each other eskimo kisses.
But it raises a question. Since I’m a done-to-earth, simple, messy woman, does that mean I could end up with a fastiduous, clean, into-the-particulars partner some day?!
#2 I ordered a Tai Chi Latte today. =) It’s supposed to be a Chi Tea Latte. Then I droped my coffee-cake on the floor. So imagine me in Chinese robes doing the crazy stretches with a glass of milk in my hand. Except remember don’t cry over the spilled milk.
#3 that’s all I got, but maybe more later.
So whoever is reading, have a better day. It’s probably the weather and lack of sleep, and it will get better soon.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Magnificent.
JoeyGirl Says:
May 18th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Okay. I just tried to read this outloud to my next door neighbor and ended up laughing so hard I’m crying now. Thought you’d like to know.
Tai Chi Latte…
JoeyGirl Says:
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Cheering up for the Jenny-Bear. In case you were having a bad day, I thought these excerpts from my freshmen essay exams would be amusing…
-”There are many good tragic heroes in many movies. We will be focusing on one of the kings from the movie Lord of the Rings. We are not sure of his name right now, so we will be calling him King Bob.”
-”The F.B.I. came to her house and kidnapped her, to use her as a fish.”
-”The third criterion is that she must have a tragic flaw, and Cinderella does, because in the movie, she talks to mice, and that is definitely a tragic flaw.”
#1. I’m always amazed that women who love flowerly, cutsy furniture end up with husbands who puke if they see ceramic snowbunnies giving each other eskimo kisses.
But it raises a question. Since I’m a done-to-earth, simple, messy woman, does that mean I could end up with a fastiduous, clean, into-the-particulars partner some day?!
#2 I ordered a Tai Chi Latte today. =) It’s supposed to be a Chi Tea Latte. Then I droped my coffee-cake on the floor. So imagine me in Chinese robes doing the crazy stretches with a glass of milk in my hand. Except remember don’t cry over the spilled milk.
#3 that’s all I got, but maybe more later.
So whoever is reading, have a better day. It’s probably the weather and lack of sleep, and it will get better soon.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Magnificent.
JoeyGirl Says:
May 18th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Okay. I just tried to read this outloud to my next door neighbor and ended up laughing so hard I’m crying now. Thought you’d like to know.
Tai Chi Latte…
JoeyGirl Says:
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Cheering up for the Jenny-Bear. In case you were having a bad day, I thought these excerpts from my freshmen essay exams would be amusing…
-”There are many good tragic heroes in many movies. We will be focusing on one of the kings from the movie Lord of the Rings. We are not sure of his name right now, so we will be calling him King Bob.”
-”The F.B.I. came to her house and kidnapped her, to use her as a fish.”
-”The third criterion is that she must have a tragic flaw, and Cinderella does, because in the movie, she talks to mice, and that is definitely a tragic flaw.”
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
A Short Post
Hey all. I’m blogging b/c of guilt. Yes, once again, there was a plea for a new blog. It sounded a little like a hobbit wrote that plea, but apparently, this hobbit is about 5′12.”
I will try to write more later. I did have some interesting topics to address in the last few days, but I didn’t have the time to address them, and then the mood past. (In the meantime, I did get my CTY science supply sheet submitted!) When I do write, it will probably be about the retreat I took with my house-church, Veritas. It was really cool. But I’m beginning to go through a bit of separation anxiety. I hate to move, and I’m very comfortable here. Veritas is about to embark is so many cool things, that I would love to help, but it really feels like my time with them is supposed to draw to a close for now. Although maybe not forever. Who knows maybe I’ll find Veritas’s future sister house church.
That’s all for now. Ohio’s cool today, and it’s almost as windy of Oklahoma, so it’s a good day.
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 16th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
A hobbit? A HOBBIT?!! I mean, yes, my toes are hairy, but come now…
:) Love you, sister darling. Thanks for the update. I’m having separation anxiety because I haven’t talked to you recently. I think there might be something Veritas-y at OU, so you’ll find kindred spirits, I’m sure. You always seem to attract perfectly Jenny-ish friends…it’s one of the things I envy you!
I will try to write more later. I did have some interesting topics to address in the last few days, but I didn’t have the time to address them, and then the mood past. (In the meantime, I did get my CTY science supply sheet submitted!) When I do write, it will probably be about the retreat I took with my house-church, Veritas. It was really cool. But I’m beginning to go through a bit of separation anxiety. I hate to move, and I’m very comfortable here. Veritas is about to embark is so many cool things, that I would love to help, but it really feels like my time with them is supposed to draw to a close for now. Although maybe not forever. Who knows maybe I’ll find Veritas’s future sister house church.
That’s all for now. Ohio’s cool today, and it’s almost as windy of Oklahoma, so it’s a good day.
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 16th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
A hobbit? A HOBBIT?!! I mean, yes, my toes are hairy, but come now…
:) Love you, sister darling. Thanks for the update. I’m having separation anxiety because I haven’t talked to you recently. I think there might be something Veritas-y at OU, so you’ll find kindred spirits, I’m sure. You always seem to attract perfectly Jenny-ish friends…it’s one of the things I envy you!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Decision.
It’s made. The letters are signed and mailed. The schools have been notified. I am going to Oklahoma University in the fall.
I got a lovely email from UT after I began asking questions about the possible TA position. The secretary from the OTHER PLACE wrote another chilling letter of dismissal and intolerance, but at least in the process, I made friend with another professor. Maybe someday we will meet at a conference and swap ideas.
Thanks for all the concern and prayers. It might just work out. In the meantime, I’m looking for the cheapest (safe and clean) apartment in Norman, OK.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 15th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Bloggity, bloggity, bloggity…
I wait for blogs most patiently
from sisters writing so prettily
I can hardly stand it, you see?
Tell me, when will it come to me?
my loverly billowing bloggity…
:)
I got a lovely email from UT after I began asking questions about the possible TA position. The secretary from the OTHER PLACE wrote another chilling letter of dismissal and intolerance, but at least in the process, I made friend with another professor. Maybe someday we will meet at a conference and swap ideas.
Thanks for all the concern and prayers. It might just work out. In the meantime, I’m looking for the cheapest (safe and clean) apartment in Norman, OK.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 15th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Bloggity, bloggity, bloggity…
I wait for blogs most patiently
from sisters writing so prettily
I can hardly stand it, you see?
Tell me, when will it come to me?
my loverly billowing bloggity…
:)
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Crap, something good happened.
Did you ever get good news at a bad time, and then the bad timing won out over the good news? Yep. I didn’t like it either.
I just got a note from the University of Texas saying that I made their TA pool. I don’t exactly have a TAship, but I do have the opportunity of being a TA if a prof wants to work with me. Let me change that. …if a prof wants me to be their slave.
Here’s the problem. I have to send in my acceptance letters to OU by Thursday this week, and I officially declined my acceptance into UT last week! What in the world is going on?! I’m so confused. I so mad at UT’s administration that I wanted to throw something at the wall last night. I didn’t. I didn’t even sob or stamp my feet or hit anything. On the whole, I think I handled it fairly well.
In the meantime, please, pray for the situation. I want to do the right thing. I want to be fiancially responsible; I want to stay connected with family and friends; and I want to get a decent job when I graduate that can be a calling. Although, working at a public library and forgetting the archaeology digs, ancient langauages, and academic competition is looking better every day.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 8th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Hiya, J-Bear. I’m praying for you! And I love you lots. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat over the weekend. We’ll talk soon!
JoeyGirl Says:
May 10th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Any news? The decision is….????
I just got a note from the University of Texas saying that I made their TA pool. I don’t exactly have a TAship, but I do have the opportunity of being a TA if a prof wants to work with me. Let me change that. …if a prof wants me to be their slave.
Here’s the problem. I have to send in my acceptance letters to OU by Thursday this week, and I officially declined my acceptance into UT last week! What in the world is going on?! I’m so confused. I so mad at UT’s administration that I wanted to throw something at the wall last night. I didn’t. I didn’t even sob or stamp my feet or hit anything. On the whole, I think I handled it fairly well.
In the meantime, please, pray for the situation. I want to do the right thing. I want to be fiancially responsible; I want to stay connected with family and friends; and I want to get a decent job when I graduate that can be a calling. Although, working at a public library and forgetting the archaeology digs, ancient langauages, and academic competition is looking better every day.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 8th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Hiya, J-Bear. I’m praying for you! And I love you lots. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat over the weekend. We’ll talk soon!
JoeyGirl Says:
May 10th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Any news? The decision is….????
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Rocky Balboa
Am I the only girl in the world to watch all 6 Rocky movies? Quite possibly.
Duh, da, da, duuuuh, du, da, daaaaaaaaaaa. (Imagine Rocky song). I love Rocky. I love Rocky so much that when I was in Philadelphia for a conference in 2005. I ran out of a very boring lecture on who knows what. (I think it had something to do with ethnic identity in ancient Israel.) And started walking briskly down the same road that Rocky ran down in the movie. I looked briefly for the free tourist trolley, but it was 10:00 in the morning, and it didn’t start to 11:00.
But I took off on a bright, 50 degree, windy, fall morning. I was going to the museum, and I was going to run up the stairs! As I drew close, an abnormally large crowd obstructed my view of the steps. Tents and concession stands and a stage full of sound equipment sprang before my eyes. Then over the PA system, “John Doe, place 33, 2 hours 33 minutes.” Or something of the sort. The Philadephia Marathon’s finish line was right between me and the steps. Rats, foiled again!
I did tour the museum, but I had to go through the back door, and the steps aren’t the same in the back.
Well, just to inform. I was very leary of the Rocky VI, but I had to watch it. And I liked it. The speech in the middle that he gives his son, almost made me cry. I did say amen when he finished delivering it.
It was something to this effect: It’s not how many punches you throw, but it’s about how many punches you can take, surviving them, and working through it. I think he nailed it. It’s the hard stuff that gives us heart, and it’s the heart that makes life fuller and deeper. Go, Rocky. You’re right.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 4th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Patrick says: “And here I was thinking it was just about the American flag boxer shorts he wore…”
JoeyGirl Says:
May 4th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Is it any wonder I married him?
Duh, da, da, duuuuh, du, da, daaaaaaaaaaa. (Imagine Rocky song). I love Rocky. I love Rocky so much that when I was in Philadelphia for a conference in 2005. I ran out of a very boring lecture on who knows what. (I think it had something to do with ethnic identity in ancient Israel.) And started walking briskly down the same road that Rocky ran down in the movie. I looked briefly for the free tourist trolley, but it was 10:00 in the morning, and it didn’t start to 11:00.
But I took off on a bright, 50 degree, windy, fall morning. I was going to the museum, and I was going to run up the stairs! As I drew close, an abnormally large crowd obstructed my view of the steps. Tents and concession stands and a stage full of sound equipment sprang before my eyes. Then over the PA system, “John Doe, place 33, 2 hours 33 minutes.” Or something of the sort. The Philadephia Marathon’s finish line was right between me and the steps. Rats, foiled again!
I did tour the museum, but I had to go through the back door, and the steps aren’t the same in the back.
Well, just to inform. I was very leary of the Rocky VI, but I had to watch it. And I liked it. The speech in the middle that he gives his son, almost made me cry. I did say amen when he finished delivering it.
It was something to this effect: It’s not how many punches you throw, but it’s about how many punches you can take, surviving them, and working through it. I think he nailed it. It’s the hard stuff that gives us heart, and it’s the heart that makes life fuller and deeper. Go, Rocky. You’re right.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 4th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Patrick says: “And here I was thinking it was just about the American flag boxer shorts he wore…”
JoeyGirl Says:
May 4th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Is it any wonder I married him?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Two Words
“Diabolical Cuddliness”
http://www.comics.com/webmail/ViewStrip?key=53894135-63456414cd-FF
Thanks, Joanna. Way to stay on theme.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
I do what I can.
I was just glad to find that someone else talks to and is spoken to by their stuffed animals.
http://www.comics.com/webmail/ViewStrip?key=53894135-63456414cd-FF
Thanks, Joanna. Way to stay on theme.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
I do what I can.
I was just glad to find that someone else talks to and is spoken to by their stuffed animals.
My Totem
Many of the people who read this blog might not know my totem. I am a bear. Jenny-bear to be exact. I earned this name for giving big bear hugs, early on in college. I have the coolest set of friends from that time.
Funnily, over the years, I’ve gotten more self-conscious of my hugs, and that ruins the whole process completely. But… I’m still a bear. For many reasons. I like to sleep all winter, eat large amounts, play in mountain streams, and I’m high protective of those I love and can be roused into bursts protective anger. I like to be solid, stallwart.
It was in anthropology class, that I learned that many native american tribes take an animal as a totem that represents the essential character of who the tribe is as a collective. I still like that idea. Think of it as my own personal mascot.
So Jenny… The cuddly, sleepy one who when finally aroused can tear apart many things. Sometimes I wonder when I will wake up.
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 1st, 2007 at 7:45 am
I’d say my totem was the penguin, but I don’t like freezing cold weather, I don’t like fish, I’m a horrible swimmer, and while I certainly mated for life, I’m not so sure about having kids and then leaving them with Patrick for the first several months. Although, really, that might not be a half bad idea…
Funnily, over the years, I’ve gotten more self-conscious of my hugs, and that ruins the whole process completely. But… I’m still a bear. For many reasons. I like to sleep all winter, eat large amounts, play in mountain streams, and I’m high protective of those I love and can be roused into bursts protective anger. I like to be solid, stallwart.
It was in anthropology class, that I learned that many native american tribes take an animal as a totem that represents the essential character of who the tribe is as a collective. I still like that idea. Think of it as my own personal mascot.
So Jenny… The cuddly, sleepy one who when finally aroused can tear apart many things. Sometimes I wonder when I will wake up.
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
May 1st, 2007 at 7:45 am
I’d say my totem was the penguin, but I don’t like freezing cold weather, I don’t like fish, I’m a horrible swimmer, and while I certainly mated for life, I’m not so sure about having kids and then leaving them with Patrick for the first several months. Although, really, that might not be a half bad idea…
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Joanna’s Birthday
It is officially 12:07 AM Eastern time, April 27. That means that Joanna has a whole 53 minutes of birthday left in Central time. I said that I was going to dedicate a post to her a couple of months ago. And here it is. It’s not so nice.
She has shown a remarkable ability to show how my desire to be a lounge singer/ cake decorator/ librarian is all related to my not-so-well-hidden desire to take over the world through manipulation. (See her comments to my last blog.) Joe Provine from high school would be so proud to see that my megalomania has progressed so far.
Speaking of Joe, he was the reason I couldn’t call my little sister Joey for a decade, a name that she now claims for herself! His name was Joey in grade school, and he liked to call my dear sis-Lester Bananna Frog. Brilliant. You see how it all comes together. Megalomania encourage by friends with an equal need to protect themselves from the incomparable verbal jousting of that sister of mine who would grow up to the ultimate English major. Actually, maybe we taught her the verbal jousting. Thinking about Joe is weird. It was Joe that encouraged me to read Asimov for the first time. Which is weird since I just finished listening to the book I-Robot and watching the movie by the same name (but drastically different plot) that has Will Smith in it. It is quite possibly that this reading genre, that Joe introduced me to, led me down that path to Megalomania. That or watching Pinky and the Brain. It’s hard to tell.
But to bring it back to Joanna. She wins the weirdest award, and I’m the sane one according to some. A fact that I still contest. In the meantime, may she remember the happy times when the quiz bowl team stole her shoes. But in the end, I have found my revenge to her claims concerning my manipulative purposes. She used “it’s” as a possessive pronoun in her comment instead of “its.” Ha ha ha ha…. I’ll blackmail her. Her students will all get higher grades on their term papers.
This email makes no sense, but Joanna will get it b/c she shares the memories. By the way, those shoes were really great. Oxfords should never die in fashion.
So here is my stream-of-consciousness, hopefully-funny post in honor of dear Joanna’s third annual 25th birthday. (The first annual 25th brithday being the year she actually turned 25. The math is harder than it seems.) Happy Birthday!!!!
p.s.
Believe it or not a lot of this is reminding me of CTY and OBU. So go with Ka-rip or sing American Pie. Swing a dance or marry drummer. Definitely adopt a penguin. It’s all good. =)
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
April 27th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Marvelous. Although if I go with KaRip right now, my students will think I have lost it completely, instead of only partially, as they suspect.
She has shown a remarkable ability to show how my desire to be a lounge singer/ cake decorator/ librarian is all related to my not-so-well-hidden desire to take over the world through manipulation. (See her comments to my last blog.) Joe Provine from high school would be so proud to see that my megalomania has progressed so far.
Speaking of Joe, he was the reason I couldn’t call my little sister Joey for a decade, a name that she now claims for herself! His name was Joey in grade school, and he liked to call my dear sis-Lester Bananna Frog. Brilliant. You see how it all comes together. Megalomania encourage by friends with an equal need to protect themselves from the incomparable verbal jousting of that sister of mine who would grow up to the ultimate English major. Actually, maybe we taught her the verbal jousting. Thinking about Joe is weird. It was Joe that encouraged me to read Asimov for the first time. Which is weird since I just finished listening to the book I-Robot and watching the movie by the same name (but drastically different plot) that has Will Smith in it. It is quite possibly that this reading genre, that Joe introduced me to, led me down that path to Megalomania. That or watching Pinky and the Brain. It’s hard to tell.
But to bring it back to Joanna. She wins the weirdest award, and I’m the sane one according to some. A fact that I still contest. In the meantime, may she remember the happy times when the quiz bowl team stole her shoes. But in the end, I have found my revenge to her claims concerning my manipulative purposes. She used “it’s” as a possessive pronoun in her comment instead of “its.” Ha ha ha ha…. I’ll blackmail her. Her students will all get higher grades on their term papers.
This email makes no sense, but Joanna will get it b/c she shares the memories. By the way, those shoes were really great. Oxfords should never die in fashion.
So here is my stream-of-consciousness, hopefully-funny post in honor of dear Joanna’s third annual 25th birthday. (The first annual 25th brithday being the year she actually turned 25. The math is harder than it seems.) Happy Birthday!!!!
p.s.
Believe it or not a lot of this is reminding me of CTY and OBU. So go with Ka-rip or sing American Pie. Swing a dance or marry drummer. Definitely adopt a penguin. It’s all good. =)
(comment)
JoeyGirl Says:
April 27th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Marvelous. Although if I go with KaRip right now, my students will think I have lost it completely, instead of only partially, as they suspect.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Registration and Weather-Related Phenomenon.
Howdy. Monday, Monday. Every other day of the week is fine. Oh ya. But when Monday comes…..
So here’s the info on how to post a comment. You first have to register with my blog, and you can find the register key under the heading meta. The magic computer will then send you a password to any valid email account, and then you can log on. Not too bad.
Now, the weather. I’ve always thought that storms and tornadoes and sunny days and rainbows and windy weather and mist and dewy days and misty days were all wonderful. Meteorology was on one of my extensive lists of what I wanted to do when I grow up. It was pretty high on list with other great careers such as lounge singing, cake decorating, and President of the US. (I’m willing to pay money to any one who could figure out a connection between those four fields b/c I sure can’t.)
But this last month has been exaspirating! 80 degree days, then snow, then rain, then 80 degrees… Ack! And I am now going to blame the weather for my mood swings. When the weather swings this much, I am almost positive that my moods start to change with it. We had a little thunderstorm tonight. Before it started when the wind was picking up, I was excited and antsy and couldn’t stay still. The storm finally broke later that evening when I was in a room with no windows, so I had no idea what was going on outside. Right before the clap of thunder, I was in tears…literally. Just one or two tears, nothing big, but I felt the world had fell to pieces, and then the thunder clapped, and I started to get better. This is the second time that this has happened, so I’m wondering about a pattern. Jenny the human weather barometer strikes again.
Well, I must go to bed, so later.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Yea for instructions on how to comment!
I think I must say that if I had my druthers between an ugly, icky standard barometer and my beautiful Jenny the human weather barometer, I’d definitely choose you. Even if upkeep would cost more.
JoeyGirl Says:
April 25th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Oh, and the connection between the four occupations? Manipulation. You manipulate data with meterology, audiences with lounge singing, frosting with cake decorating, and people with politics. Not that you’re manipulative. You’re not. I promise.
All of the occupations are also all Jennirific.
So, what do I win?
jen_archaic Says:
April 25th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Hmm. You got a b-day gift. Be thankful. You’re also forgiven for insinuating that I’m manipulative. LOL
JoeyGirl Says:
April 26th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Gasp! That’s why you want to be a librarian! You are going to manipulate small children minds! You’re life long ambition is finding it’s outlet! YOU’RE TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!
Do I still get Lichtenstein if you do? Even if it has been invaded by Switzerland?
So here’s the info on how to post a comment. You first have to register with my blog, and you can find the register key under the heading meta. The magic computer will then send you a password to any valid email account, and then you can log on. Not too bad.
Now, the weather. I’ve always thought that storms and tornadoes and sunny days and rainbows and windy weather and mist and dewy days and misty days were all wonderful. Meteorology was on one of my extensive lists of what I wanted to do when I grow up. It was pretty high on list with other great careers such as lounge singing, cake decorating, and President of the US. (I’m willing to pay money to any one who could figure out a connection between those four fields b/c I sure can’t.)
But this last month has been exaspirating! 80 degree days, then snow, then rain, then 80 degrees… Ack! And I am now going to blame the weather for my mood swings. When the weather swings this much, I am almost positive that my moods start to change with it. We had a little thunderstorm tonight. Before it started when the wind was picking up, I was excited and antsy and couldn’t stay still. The storm finally broke later that evening when I was in a room with no windows, so I had no idea what was going on outside. Right before the clap of thunder, I was in tears…literally. Just one or two tears, nothing big, but I felt the world had fell to pieces, and then the thunder clapped, and I started to get better. This is the second time that this has happened, so I’m wondering about a pattern. Jenny the human weather barometer strikes again.
Well, I must go to bed, so later.
(comments)
JoeyGirl Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Yea for instructions on how to comment!
I think I must say that if I had my druthers between an ugly, icky standard barometer and my beautiful Jenny the human weather barometer, I’d definitely choose you. Even if upkeep would cost more.
JoeyGirl Says:
April 25th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Oh, and the connection between the four occupations? Manipulation. You manipulate data with meterology, audiences with lounge singing, frosting with cake decorating, and people with politics. Not that you’re manipulative. You’re not. I promise.
All of the occupations are also all Jennirific.
So, what do I win?
jen_archaic Says:
April 25th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Hmm. You got a b-day gift. Be thankful. You’re also forgiven for insinuating that I’m manipulative. LOL
JoeyGirl Says:
April 26th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Gasp! That’s why you want to be a librarian! You are going to manipulate small children minds! You’re life long ambition is finding it’s outlet! YOU’RE TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!
Do I still get Lichtenstein if you do? Even if it has been invaded by Switzerland?
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Post to End all Posts
When they said that WWI was to be the “War to end all Wars,” There was another war called WWII that made them liars, so don’t take this title seriously. However, I do have an amazing amount of material to cover.
#1. I meant to write a philosophical post about a week ago on acting and life. There was this guy interviewing on NPR who felt that he did not discover his “true” self until he was acting. That in some way he was too inhibited to display his own thoughts, ideas, and emotions until he had the chance to pretend be someone else doing that very thing. I’m completely facinated. Once upon a time, I read that really famous book about masks in psychology class, but this was the first time, I had heard of a person using a purposeful mask as a way to take off the fake masks that we use everyday.
What was that book anyways? If any of my college friends are reading, it was from Dr. Roark’s class. Ah ha! Found it on google. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. A truly seminal work. (Now isn’t that a good used of seminal in a sentence? English teachers of the world be proud.)
As for myself, I feel torn between the dualing conceptions of myself either being either completely transparent or hopelessly masked. Can a person really be both transparent and masked? No, nope, not logical. Time to move on.
#2 Sunday night. Down in the dumps, I arrive at house church. Now, house church is always an upper for me. Just being with good, genuine people is totally refreshing. They let me cast out my woes, and I felt much better for doing it. In the end, I asked that they pray for my future decision-making and plans. I’ve been very concerned about making the right choice on where to go next, because it seems like I missed up the graduate school thing so badly in the past.
Well, what do you know… On Monday, I received a letter for a $3500 scholarship to OU in the mail. I went to work early that afternoon, but then had a message on my phone when I got home from OU. When I called the next morning, a lady offered me an assistantship (which means stipend and full tuition) as well !!!! So I ask my reading public. Is this a sign? It’s as close to a burning bush, neon sign, lightening strike as I’ve gotten in a long time. Of course, my sisters are bummed that I probably won’t move to Austin, but my parents are ecstatic! I hope this what I am supposed to do, b/c I like the idea very much.
#3 There was a number 3. There really was, but I don’t remember it. Oh, now I do. I love Hildago. The movie is awesome. Viggo Mortenson actually sounds like a cowboy from the west, and I can almost forgive him for his accent sounding like elvish when he’s talking Souix. I love the fact that there is a gigantic desert. I love the Nomads and Wild Bill, evil Bedouin plots, and the fiesty heroine who needs saving, I love the fact (spoiler ahead) that Viggo and girl at the end realize that the relationship can’t go anywhere’s but they leave with a chaste affection. I love the horse. The horse has a sense of humor, and you can tell. True, Hildago (the horsey hero) is played by two horses, but there was one main horse that did the acting, and rumor has it that Viggo bought him after the movie.
#4 There wasn’t going to be a number 4, but I have been ruminating on the aweful massacre at VT this week. I won’t go too much in detail, but we’ve got to start preaching love to the world. Not money or sex or acceptance or power. Not strength or intellingence or superiority. Love. Real, true, deep, self-sacrificing love. Love that doesn’t seek for self but reaches out to others. God’s love.
I’m trying to remember some themes to keep focused on this idea this week, and I want to make something physical to wear around to remind me.
My themes: Live the Life of Love; Life Counts; My Life is not Mine; redeemed for a purpose; love others
I really like the idea of being “redeemed” this week. 10 year ago this month, I could have easily died as I was living on the almost-bubble ward of MD Anderson Cancer Hospital. I couldn’t eat for a couple weeks, and I couldn’t even really take care of my own bodily functions. But God decided that I would live, and I can’t really ever forget that. We all owe our lives to God, but looking back, I can’t help but realize God kept me here. He saved some extra years for me, and I want to use them wisely. My life has been redeemed, and if I think about it, it’s not really my own. Nor has it ever been.
So here’s to the four-point post. I was serious on this one, but It has to happen sometime. Speaking of 4, think Jung, and his book was the other book I had to read for Dr. Roark’s class.
(comments)
#1. I meant to write a philosophical post about a week ago on acting and life. There was this guy interviewing on NPR who felt that he did not discover his “true” self until he was acting. That in some way he was too inhibited to display his own thoughts, ideas, and emotions until he had the chance to pretend be someone else doing that very thing. I’m completely facinated. Once upon a time, I read that really famous book about masks in psychology class, but this was the first time, I had heard of a person using a purposeful mask as a way to take off the fake masks that we use everyday.
What was that book anyways? If any of my college friends are reading, it was from Dr. Roark’s class. Ah ha! Found it on google. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. A truly seminal work. (Now isn’t that a good used of seminal in a sentence? English teachers of the world be proud.)
As for myself, I feel torn between the dualing conceptions of myself either being either completely transparent or hopelessly masked. Can a person really be both transparent and masked? No, nope, not logical. Time to move on.
#2 Sunday night. Down in the dumps, I arrive at house church. Now, house church is always an upper for me. Just being with good, genuine people is totally refreshing. They let me cast out my woes, and I felt much better for doing it. In the end, I asked that they pray for my future decision-making and plans. I’ve been very concerned about making the right choice on where to go next, because it seems like I missed up the graduate school thing so badly in the past.
Well, what do you know… On Monday, I received a letter for a $3500 scholarship to OU in the mail. I went to work early that afternoon, but then had a message on my phone when I got home from OU. When I called the next morning, a lady offered me an assistantship (which means stipend and full tuition) as well !!!! So I ask my reading public. Is this a sign? It’s as close to a burning bush, neon sign, lightening strike as I’ve gotten in a long time. Of course, my sisters are bummed that I probably won’t move to Austin, but my parents are ecstatic! I hope this what I am supposed to do, b/c I like the idea very much.
#3 There was a number 3. There really was, but I don’t remember it. Oh, now I do. I love Hildago. The movie is awesome. Viggo Mortenson actually sounds like a cowboy from the west, and I can almost forgive him for his accent sounding like elvish when he’s talking Souix. I love the fact that there is a gigantic desert. I love the Nomads and Wild Bill, evil Bedouin plots, and the fiesty heroine who needs saving, I love the fact (spoiler ahead) that Viggo and girl at the end realize that the relationship can’t go anywhere’s but they leave with a chaste affection. I love the horse. The horse has a sense of humor, and you can tell. True, Hildago (the horsey hero) is played by two horses, but there was one main horse that did the acting, and rumor has it that Viggo bought him after the movie.
#4 There wasn’t going to be a number 4, but I have been ruminating on the aweful massacre at VT this week. I won’t go too much in detail, but we’ve got to start preaching love to the world. Not money or sex or acceptance or power. Not strength or intellingence or superiority. Love. Real, true, deep, self-sacrificing love. Love that doesn’t seek for self but reaches out to others. God’s love.
I’m trying to remember some themes to keep focused on this idea this week, and I want to make something physical to wear around to remind me.
My themes: Live the Life of Love; Life Counts; My Life is not Mine; redeemed for a purpose; love others
I really like the idea of being “redeemed” this week. 10 year ago this month, I could have easily died as I was living on the almost-bubble ward of MD Anderson Cancer Hospital. I couldn’t eat for a couple weeks, and I couldn’t even really take care of my own bodily functions. But God decided that I would live, and I can’t really ever forget that. We all owe our lives to God, but looking back, I can’t help but realize God kept me here. He saved some extra years for me, and I want to use them wisely. My life has been redeemed, and if I think about it, it’s not really my own. Nor has it ever been.
So here’s to the four-point post. I was serious on this one, but It has to happen sometime. Speaking of 4, think Jung, and his book was the other book I had to read for Dr. Roark’s class.
(comments)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Blogging
I like blogging. It turns out it’s like a journal, but you get to edit it for others to enjoy. I especially like it when people tell me that they like the blog. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. So here a question… can anybody post on my blog? I don’t even know if any one has tried or not. If not, you can always email me…hint, hint.
Hey, cool thing today. I had to stop by OBF on an errand, and I got a chance to have a long chat with Pastor Win. I haven’t had a fun religious discussion in a long time. It hit on topics of Messianic Judaism, Women in the Ministry, Biblical Archaeology/ academica, Francis Schafer just to name a few. He even lent me a tape on Leah (wife of Jacob and sister of Rachel), when I mentioned that I like sticking up for the little people of the Bible. Not that Leah is little, but you get the point. She wasn’t exactly anybody’s (let’s say Jacob in particular) first pick.
Okay, that’s it for the evening, but more to come.
(comment)
contactscott Says:
April 11th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Anyone can post a reply. Simply register with a valid email address. Comments may be deleted by the administrator if she so chooses.
Hey, cool thing today. I had to stop by OBF on an errand, and I got a chance to have a long chat with Pastor Win. I haven’t had a fun religious discussion in a long time. It hit on topics of Messianic Judaism, Women in the Ministry, Biblical Archaeology/ academica, Francis Schafer just to name a few. He even lent me a tape on Leah (wife of Jacob and sister of Rachel), when I mentioned that I like sticking up for the little people of the Bible. Not that Leah is little, but you get the point. She wasn’t exactly anybody’s (let’s say Jacob in particular) first pick.
Okay, that’s it for the evening, but more to come.
(comment)
contactscott Says:
April 11th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Anyone can post a reply. Simply register with a valid email address. Comments may be deleted by the administrator if she so chooses.
Forwards
Here’s a funny one. That my sister Jill sent me. I’ve filled it out and decided to share it with my blog.
Here it goes. Just looks what you started Jill. =)
1. My Real Name: Jenny Lynn Rempel
2. My GANGSTA NAME (first four letters of real name, plus izzle):
Jennizzle (I’ve got the best GANGSTA name!)
3 My DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color and animal):
I still haven’t figured out my favorite color. And Mulberry Bear doesn’t sound too good, unless he’s a friend of Pooh or Strawberry Shortcake or both.
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, and childhood street):
How about Lynn Muddy-Road. She’s a daughter of Native American, Jazz muscians.
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom’s maiden name.)
Remjekoe. No choice. This is what I got, but it makes me want to start a marshall arts class.
6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color & favorite drink)
I’m the Green Pepper!!
7. YOUR IRAQI NAME (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your mom’s maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, last letter of your moms middle name):
Emyoejy (and you must pronounce each vowel. emy-o-e-jy) Can I use this for my star wars name?
8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (grandmother/grandfathers first names):
E. E. Jacob-Henry
9. YOUR GOTH NAME (black, and the name of one your pets):
Black Beta… Joanna used most of our pets in her forward, so I’m suing for custody of Carissa’s fish in college!
Here it goes. Just looks what you started Jill. =)
1. My Real Name: Jenny Lynn Rempel
2. My GANGSTA NAME (first four letters of real name, plus izzle):
Jennizzle (I’ve got the best GANGSTA name!)
3 My DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color and animal):
I still haven’t figured out my favorite color. And Mulberry Bear doesn’t sound too good, unless he’s a friend of Pooh or Strawberry Shortcake or both.
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, and childhood street):
How about Lynn Muddy-Road. She’s a daughter of Native American, Jazz muscians.
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom’s maiden name.)
Remjekoe. No choice. This is what I got, but it makes me want to start a marshall arts class.
6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color & favorite drink)
I’m the Green Pepper!!
7. YOUR IRAQI NAME (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your mom’s maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, last letter of your moms middle name):
Emyoejy (and you must pronounce each vowel. emy-o-e-jy) Can I use this for my star wars name?
8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (grandmother/grandfathers first names):
E. E. Jacob-Henry
9. YOUR GOTH NAME (black, and the name of one your pets):
Black Beta… Joanna used most of our pets in her forward, so I’m suing for custody of Carissa’s fish in college!
Monday, April 9, 2007
Gloom, Despair, and Agony on me…
As Phillipa Gordan in the book “Anne of the Island” would say, “I am having a Jonah day.” Today, I feel unloved, ugly, unredeemable, and selfish. I might as well just jump overboard and get eaten by a whale. It’s my own fault anyways. I figure that three days of being masticated in whale saliva is similar to letting bad thoughts eat me up on the inside. And darn that vine that was shading me from the sun. Why did it have to just go and wilt on me? The day was bad enough already. I deserve that vine! (And to those readers who are scratching your heads, if you want to catch the Biblical reference, read Jonah. It’s only like 8 pages long. I even tried to read it in Hebrew once. It’s not going to kill you.)
Well, I got to remember. Jonah caused his own torture, and God was the one who was willing to save. It was Jonah with the bad attitude, not God.
And God is good.
All the time.
Now, if I can only can believe it…
p.s. I did get emails today. Two people now want to interview me soon. One who’s seen my resume (at the University of Illinois); one who hasn’t (the private school in Austin). Who’ld have thought?
Well, I got to remember. Jonah caused his own torture, and God was the one who was willing to save. It was Jonah with the bad attitude, not God.
And God is good.
All the time.
Now, if I can only can believe it…
p.s. I did get emails today. Two people now want to interview me soon. One who’s seen my resume (at the University of Illinois); one who hasn’t (the private school in Austin). Who’ld have thought?
Friday, April 6, 2007
Snow and Redbud Trees
I had the strangest occurence today. While driving to work, it began snowing huge snow clumps for the sky. It was fairly light outside, although the sun wasn’t shining, and the grass and new leaves were still a beautiful spring green despite the near freezing temperatures. I drove slowly taking in the view. The redbud trees added another touch of color. Ther are at the height of their magenta budding. To make things even stranger, there was man mowing the lawn as it snowed. I wish you could be there to see the sights. My words do not do the scene justice.
Today’s view ranks with seeing rainbows after sunset and driving on orange streets after a storm.
Well, that’s it for today. Work was short. My project for tomorrow was cancelled. It’s just me in the weekend.
Today’s view ranks with seeing rainbows after sunset and driving on orange streets after a storm.
Well, that’s it for today. Work was short. My project for tomorrow was cancelled. It’s just me in the weekend.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Revealing the Outcome
The unidentified female from the last post was successfully freed from her bonds this week. Praise God, the applications are all in, and while her mailbox at work is still missing, both the temp agency and her place of work has acknowledged her existence. She didn’t even have to hunt for a chair to sit down at her desk one time this week. Somebody had kindly left one for her.
(I haven’t mentioned this about work, but there aren’t enough chairs at work, so if people are working overtime, I have to work in the “stand-up” area where the computers are up high enough to work at standing up. Once the first shift gets off, there’s more than plenty chairs.)
Okay, I’m done with the third person bit. There is even more good news. My battery charger didn’t break after all. (Imagine me with huge sheepish look.) It turns out I didn’t take out a thin bit of plastic that kept the batteries from charging. I got to use my rechargeable batteries for the first time this evening, and they worked very well!
Here’s the new news in the land of Jenny. My little sister, Joanna, has successfully convienced me to apply to Summit Christian Academy to be a history teacher in the fall. At this point, the school is about to beg for me to come from what Joanna reports. Here’s the kicker. My little sister helped me get my very first job away from the farm, so I’ve been reluctant for her to arrange this one too. But beggers can’t be chosers, and in short time, I could see me taken on the role of begger if I don’t get a higher paying job or go back to school. Pride can be highly overated in these situations.
(I haven’t mentioned this about work, but there aren’t enough chairs at work, so if people are working overtime, I have to work in the “stand-up” area where the computers are up high enough to work at standing up. Once the first shift gets off, there’s more than plenty chairs.)
Okay, I’m done with the third person bit. There is even more good news. My battery charger didn’t break after all. (Imagine me with huge sheepish look.) It turns out I didn’t take out a thin bit of plastic that kept the batteries from charging. I got to use my rechargeable batteries for the first time this evening, and they worked very well!
Here’s the new news in the land of Jenny. My little sister, Joanna, has successfully convienced me to apply to Summit Christian Academy to be a history teacher in the fall. At this point, the school is about to beg for me to come from what Joanna reports. Here’s the kicker. My little sister helped me get my very first job away from the farm, so I’ve been reluctant for her to arrange this one too. But beggers can’t be chosers, and in short time, I could see me taken on the role of begger if I don’t get a higher paying job or go back to school. Pride can be highly overated in these situations.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Cause of Death: Strangulation by Red Tape
News Flash. Today, a person was found bound and gagged with red tape. The un-identified female had just finished two more applications for scholarships and assistantships at various colleges around the United States when she began making phone calls. First, the University of Illinois had lost her application into a spam mail account. This situation was eventually solved when the application was found by the surprised account owner in Champaign, IL. Secondly, the victim called the University of Texas who said that their application was due not, April 1st, but March 1st. After an episode of dueling computers, the victim won the momentary battle when the secretary found the in-question application online and asked her supervisor about the change. The supervisor revealed that the awards committee had made the decision and changed the website without notifying the staff. They wanted to make the assistantships open to first year students. What a concept.
The final situation was a work related incident. The victim’s supervisor has promised another month of temp work, but victim’s mailbox was confiscated, and it is possible that her temp agency does not yet know about the extended job offer. Luckily, either way the victim can pay for rent next month, but the situation remains intense, and the red tape might yet choke the female. A phone call to the temp agency during hours tomorrow will clarify the situation. Hopefully, the victim will not be completely strangled by the red tape but merely maimed.
The final situation was a work related incident. The victim’s supervisor has promised another month of temp work, but victim’s mailbox was confiscated, and it is possible that her temp agency does not yet know about the extended job offer. Luckily, either way the victim can pay for rent next month, but the situation remains intense, and the red tape might yet choke the female. A phone call to the temp agency during hours tomorrow will clarify the situation. Hopefully, the victim will not be completely strangled by the red tape but merely maimed.
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