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.)

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…

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..

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…..

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.”

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!

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…

:)

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….????

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?