click here to apply for a job under our new President-elect, Barack Obama!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day 2008 - Yes to Hope, No to Fear
I'm excited today. I woke up this morning, and the air was crisp, the leaves are bright, and I found myself praising God, saying, "this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" No matter what ends up happening today, the same words will be true tomorrow.
I've had a lot to think about these last few weeks. I've made my decision and turned in my ballot. It wasn't necessarily easy, but I made the best decision that I can in light of how Scripture instructs me. Many people of faith are afraid right now. I have to admit, that I'm taking a lot of comfort in the fact that God is in control and that no matter what happens he is still sovereign. I don't have to choose fear. God's word says that perfect love casts out fear.
Here are a few words from Jim Wallis that I appreciate today.
God's Politics
Be Not Afraid
by Jim Wallis 10-30-2008
In the final days of this election campaign, a new message has emerged. For the entire political year, the overriding theme has been change—with each candidate competing to be the real champion for a new direction. With 80 percent of Americans unhappy with our country’s current direction, it seemed that no other theme could break through.
A new message has, and it is this: “Be Afraid— Be Very Afraid.” Most of that fear is directed at Barack Obama, the leading candidate with just days to go before November 4. Instead of being content to offer a competing policy vision to Obama’s, the Right has now focused on the man himself in an attempt to stir the fears of the electorate that “he” is not really like “them.” “Do we really know who Barack Obama is?” has been the refrain of partisan peddlers. A parallel and ugly national innuendo campaign stokes the fear. Is he a Muslim? An Arab? A pal of terrorists? Or maybe even a closet Socialist? Where did he grow up? Why such a funny middle name? Doesn’t his support come from those parts of the country (and those people) that deep down inside are anti-American? And, of course, what has quickly become a campaign classic—guilt by association.
The fact that Barack Obama is the first black nominee of a major party for president gives all the fear a decidedly racial undertone. YouTube has quickly become populated with video after video of the dark underbelly of American fear and racism. The innuendos and rumors have brought to the surface latent fears and thinly veiled biases that many had hoped were gone from our country. The message of fear is the same: Obama may look okay on the surface, but we don’t know what might lie beneath.
Regardless of whether one favors Obama or McCain, this development should be of concern to all Americans, and especially people of faith. There is now a new spiritual dimension to this election, and it is decidedly evil. Christians believe that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear…” (1 John 4:18.) There are, of course, good and decent motivations to vote either way in this election. Strong people of faith will be marking different boxes on Election Day, but for people of faith there will be a spiritual decision to be made as well. Will we put our trust in the power of fear or hope?
Conservatism did this with the bright and hopeful theme of “Morning in America” with the Ronald Reagan years. I disagreed with most all of Reagan’s agenda, but his appeal was to ask us all to choose hope, not fear. Similarly, the best of liberalism was seen in the power of John and Robert Kennedy’s appeal to build a “newer world.” Both conservatives and liberals can appeal to the better instincts of the American people, or to their worst—and each side has done both over the years.
Fear has always been the dark side of American politics, and we are seeing its resurgence in the campaign’s final days. Demagoguery has come from both the right and the left in America, and the most dependable sign of it is the appeal to fear over hope. Facts don’t matter when fear takes over. Fear covers over the debate on a candidate’s tax plans, the wisdom of their foreign policies, their experience and judgment to handle the economic crisis. Fear attacks character and lies with false prophecies of what a candidate would do if they are elected.
Some of the worst fear-mongering has sadly come from leaders of the Religious Right who are worried about losing their control over the votes of the evangelical and Catholic communities, especially a new generation of believers. Their apocalyptic rhetoric has been among the worst and most irresponsible. When religious leaders sound so desperate and seek to stoke fear and hate, they have lost their theological perspective by putting too much of their hope in having political power. It is that loss of power and control which seems to be motivating the current campaign of desperation and fear now being waged by so many conservatives. Instead, scripture points to a better way:
For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:10-15, emphasis added)
With that reminder that Christ is our ultimate hope, let us pray that, on November 4, the need for change will finally prevail over the appeals to fear. Pray that the voters will choose either Barack Obama or John McCain as the best agent of change, rather than submit to the tyranny of fear. It is always better to live (and to vote) in the light of hope than in the darkness of fear. It is always an act of faith to believe that, in the end, hope will prevail over fear. So pray, and vote.
I've had a lot to think about these last few weeks. I've made my decision and turned in my ballot. It wasn't necessarily easy, but I made the best decision that I can in light of how Scripture instructs me. Many people of faith are afraid right now. I have to admit, that I'm taking a lot of comfort in the fact that God is in control and that no matter what happens he is still sovereign. I don't have to choose fear. God's word says that perfect love casts out fear.
Here are a few words from Jim Wallis that I appreciate today.
God's Politics
Be Not Afraid
by Jim Wallis 10-30-2008
In the final days of this election campaign, a new message has emerged. For the entire political year, the overriding theme has been change—with each candidate competing to be the real champion for a new direction. With 80 percent of Americans unhappy with our country’s current direction, it seemed that no other theme could break through.
A new message has, and it is this: “Be Afraid— Be Very Afraid.” Most of that fear is directed at Barack Obama, the leading candidate with just days to go before November 4. Instead of being content to offer a competing policy vision to Obama’s, the Right has now focused on the man himself in an attempt to stir the fears of the electorate that “he” is not really like “them.” “Do we really know who Barack Obama is?” has been the refrain of partisan peddlers. A parallel and ugly national innuendo campaign stokes the fear. Is he a Muslim? An Arab? A pal of terrorists? Or maybe even a closet Socialist? Where did he grow up? Why such a funny middle name? Doesn’t his support come from those parts of the country (and those people) that deep down inside are anti-American? And, of course, what has quickly become a campaign classic—guilt by association.
The fact that Barack Obama is the first black nominee of a major party for president gives all the fear a decidedly racial undertone. YouTube has quickly become populated with video after video of the dark underbelly of American fear and racism. The innuendos and rumors have brought to the surface latent fears and thinly veiled biases that many had hoped were gone from our country. The message of fear is the same: Obama may look okay on the surface, but we don’t know what might lie beneath.
Regardless of whether one favors Obama or McCain, this development should be of concern to all Americans, and especially people of faith. There is now a new spiritual dimension to this election, and it is decidedly evil. Christians believe that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear…” (1 John 4:18.) There are, of course, good and decent motivations to vote either way in this election. Strong people of faith will be marking different boxes on Election Day, but for people of faith there will be a spiritual decision to be made as well. Will we put our trust in the power of fear or hope?
Conservatism did this with the bright and hopeful theme of “Morning in America” with the Ronald Reagan years. I disagreed with most all of Reagan’s agenda, but his appeal was to ask us all to choose hope, not fear. Similarly, the best of liberalism was seen in the power of John and Robert Kennedy’s appeal to build a “newer world.” Both conservatives and liberals can appeal to the better instincts of the American people, or to their worst—and each side has done both over the years.
Fear has always been the dark side of American politics, and we are seeing its resurgence in the campaign’s final days. Demagoguery has come from both the right and the left in America, and the most dependable sign of it is the appeal to fear over hope. Facts don’t matter when fear takes over. Fear covers over the debate on a candidate’s tax plans, the wisdom of their foreign policies, their experience and judgment to handle the economic crisis. Fear attacks character and lies with false prophecies of what a candidate would do if they are elected.
Some of the worst fear-mongering has sadly come from leaders of the Religious Right who are worried about losing their control over the votes of the evangelical and Catholic communities, especially a new generation of believers. Their apocalyptic rhetoric has been among the worst and most irresponsible. When religious leaders sound so desperate and seek to stoke fear and hate, they have lost their theological perspective by putting too much of their hope in having political power. It is that loss of power and control which seems to be motivating the current campaign of desperation and fear now being waged by so many conservatives. Instead, scripture points to a better way:
For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:10-15, emphasis added)
With that reminder that Christ is our ultimate hope, let us pray that, on November 4, the need for change will finally prevail over the appeals to fear. Pray that the voters will choose either Barack Obama or John McCain as the best agent of change, rather than submit to the tyranny of fear. It is always better to live (and to vote) in the light of hope than in the darkness of fear. It is always an act of faith to believe that, in the end, hope will prevail over fear. So pray, and vote.
Monday, October 27, 2008
mixed messages??
honestly, I'm not sure if the mis-spellings are on purpose - or just ignorance. You decide.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
alive
"Do you know what today is??" LG bellows from his office.
I roll back in my chair until I'm in his line of sight.
"Its July 18 - but other than that, no."
"Two years ago today I got run over by a Semi," he announces. "I just realized that when I wrote the date down. "
LG had a long, hard row of recovery to hoe. Just last fall he had to have another reparitive surgery on his leg, and there was a significant chance that it would have to be amputated. He works hard and plays hard, and his 6'5'' former basketball player's frame wasn't really given the time it needed to recover.
Now he is walking without his cane and (more significantly) without a limp.
"What are you doing tonight?" I holler back. "You definitely need to celebrate being alive."
Being alive is wonderful and probably the biggest thing I take for granted. Oftentimes we hardly stop to think about how close we all are to not being alive.
Being alive is pain, it is exhilaration, it is suffering, it is knowing love, joy, laughter, despair, and all of the myriad emotions in between those.
Tonight I think I'll celebrate being alive, too.
I roll back in my chair until I'm in his line of sight.
"Its July 18 - but other than that, no."
"Two years ago today I got run over by a Semi," he announces. "I just realized that when I wrote the date down. "
LG had a long, hard row of recovery to hoe. Just last fall he had to have another reparitive surgery on his leg, and there was a significant chance that it would have to be amputated. He works hard and plays hard, and his 6'5'' former basketball player's frame wasn't really given the time it needed to recover.
Now he is walking without his cane and (more significantly) without a limp.
"What are you doing tonight?" I holler back. "You definitely need to celebrate being alive."
Being alive is wonderful and probably the biggest thing I take for granted. Oftentimes we hardly stop to think about how close we all are to not being alive.
Being alive is pain, it is exhilaration, it is suffering, it is knowing love, joy, laughter, despair, and all of the myriad emotions in between those.
Tonight I think I'll celebrate being alive, too.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Paradoxical isn't it.
normally waiting for things to transpire causes a lot of angst and agony for me. By nature I am impatient. I already know that, don't have to keep realizing that about myself, and I never pray for patience because I don't want to have the trials of having to learn patience. In spite of this, God is teaching me to have patience anyway. I have spent the last three years since I graduated from college sort of floating around without any real direction. The direction I thought I was going in didn't pan out, for various and complicated reasons. I never really had a plan B so this left me mildly distraught when I actually sat down and thought about it.
Lately though, doors have been flung open for me. Clear indications of how to proceed. I am starting my Master's Degree this fall in Community Development at Eastern University. I didn't realize this, but my mom just told me that Eastern is the number 1 school in the country for Community Development! A fact she learned from a friend whose child was doing college research.
Currently my job is exceedingly boring and not challenging and at several points in the last year I tried looking for and applying for new jobs. However, things have shifted some because my work offers a tuition reimbursement program, and is generously contributing toward my Master's Degree. This is so amazing. I prayed that I would at least get a scholarship to fund my education and not have to shoulder the entire burden myself. Not only did I get a scholarship, but the tuition reimbursement came through, and they cover text books too, and the time off that I needed for my classes in September was approved as working time off, and I get to stay with my roommates friend in Philly and drive her old car instead of rent one! I mean talk about open door!
However, I don't necessarily have a real clear picture of how I'd like to apply this degree. Even though I'd love to have a nicely laid out 20 year plan, I am Trusting God for that.
I am letting go of the need to control and have it all laid out. It is not easy for me but the more that I am able to do that, the more excitement I feel about what lies ahead contrast to the worry and stress of needing to have a plan of action.
Paradoxical isn't it.
Lately though, doors have been flung open for me. Clear indications of how to proceed. I am starting my Master's Degree this fall in Community Development at Eastern University. I didn't realize this, but my mom just told me that Eastern is the number 1 school in the country for Community Development! A fact she learned from a friend whose child was doing college research.
Currently my job is exceedingly boring and not challenging and at several points in the last year I tried looking for and applying for new jobs. However, things have shifted some because my work offers a tuition reimbursement program, and is generously contributing toward my Master's Degree. This is so amazing. I prayed that I would at least get a scholarship to fund my education and not have to shoulder the entire burden myself. Not only did I get a scholarship, but the tuition reimbursement came through, and they cover text books too, and the time off that I needed for my classes in September was approved as working time off, and I get to stay with my roommates friend in Philly and drive her old car instead of rent one! I mean talk about open door!
However, I don't necessarily have a real clear picture of how I'd like to apply this degree. Even though I'd love to have a nicely laid out 20 year plan, I am Trusting God for that.
I am letting go of the need to control and have it all laid out. It is not easy for me but the more that I am able to do that, the more excitement I feel about what lies ahead contrast to the worry and stress of needing to have a plan of action.
Paradoxical isn't it.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Yo quiero!!
I was reading a magazine article about how you spend your energy. Basically, you need to be expending energy, and also recouping it at some sort of even ratio in order to feel happy, stay sane, not get burned out, etc. It asked you to fill in several circles that were cut in half - emotional, spiritual, mental, physical energies - to see what filled each half. One half was what was expended, one half was how it came back to you.
One lady was just exhausted and thought she needed a vacation, but when she filled out her circles, it turned out that really she wasn't spending enough mental energy. She needed a new job, not a beach vaca.
I feel like that today, and yesterday and the day before...
I'm looking forward to starting Grad school this fall... that will give me a good mental workout. But organizing files, making the Boss's flight arrangements, and re-organizing his business cards is sapping me of my mental vigor. But anyway, I found it interesting that by not spending enough mental energy you actually can feel more lethargic! Mysteries of the universe!
In other news, I am doing really great these days.
Yesterday, I (left work early b/c there was nothing to do and the boss was gone :) and came home to make a strawberry pie with the berries that I had picked at a beautiful farm, on a picturesque day. I liked doing it all from scratch! That was very fulfilling.
Then I went up to Alberta street for some fun-filled (and freak-filled!) people watching during the monthly "Last Thursday" art night. {the link does NOT do it justice!} It is very ripe for people watching! There were some Cirque Du Soleil style people on stilts, an aggressive 12 year old white boy trying to sell candy so he could "buy a bike," and the regular fare of Obama supporters and interesting art.
And for the daily spontaneous laughter, I was driving home when I spied a little Chihuahua with a major bout of machismo in the drivers seat of this little hot-rod. He was trying for all his life to start a rumble with the bikers and peds...!
One lady was just exhausted and thought she needed a vacation, but when she filled out her circles, it turned out that really she wasn't spending enough mental energy. She needed a new job, not a beach vaca.
I feel like that today, and yesterday and the day before...
I'm looking forward to starting Grad school this fall... that will give me a good mental workout. But organizing files, making the Boss's flight arrangements, and re-organizing his business cards is sapping me of my mental vigor. But anyway, I found it interesting that by not spending enough mental energy you actually can feel more lethargic! Mysteries of the universe!
In other news, I am doing really great these days.
Yesterday, I (left work early b/c there was nothing to do and the boss was gone :) and came home to make a strawberry pie with the berries that I had picked at a beautiful farm, on a picturesque day. I liked doing it all from scratch! That was very fulfilling.
Then I went up to Alberta street for some fun-filled (and freak-filled!) people watching during the monthly "Last Thursday" art night. {the link does NOT do it justice!} It is very ripe for people watching! There were some Cirque Du Soleil style people on stilts, an aggressive 12 year old white boy trying to sell candy so he could "buy a bike," and the regular fare of Obama supporters and interesting art.
And for the daily spontaneous laughter, I was driving home when I spied a little Chihuahua with a major bout of machismo in the drivers seat of this little hot-rod. He was trying for all his life to start a rumble with the bikers and peds...!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Really?!?
This 2nd hand fortune seems to be eluding visibility.
It reads
"Maybe you can live on the moon in next century."
It reads
"Maybe you can live on the moon in next century."
its a bird...its a plane... its a coon-skin cap??
There are lots of reasons why I love living in Portland!
Last weekend I was with one of my friends and we were about to pull out of her driveway when I exclaimed, "Watch out for the guy in the coon-skin cap!"
As he proceeded to walk by it became apparent that he was not actually wearing a coon-skin cap, it was only his gross ponytail protruding from underneath his backwards hat...
I love that after living here for a year and a half that I would automatically assume that he was wearing a coon-skin cap, of all things.
That's what we do here... we Keep Portland Weird!
Another friend of mine told me that while she was sitting in a coffee shop, she thought that she saw a guy walk by on stilts right outside the window. But in reality the street sloped sharply upwards and he was just really tall...
But I really did see 3 people unicycling down the street in the course of 1 week.
I guess that some people are really doing their part to "Keep Portland Weird" and the rest of us are just mentally compensating for it.
Last weekend I was with one of my friends and we were about to pull out of her driveway when I exclaimed, "Watch out for the guy in the coon-skin cap!"
As he proceeded to walk by it became apparent that he was not actually wearing a coon-skin cap, it was only his gross ponytail protruding from underneath his backwards hat...
I love that after living here for a year and a half that I would automatically assume that he was wearing a coon-skin cap, of all things.
That's what we do here... we Keep Portland Weird!
Another friend of mine told me that while she was sitting in a coffee shop, she thought that she saw a guy walk by on stilts right outside the window. But in reality the street sloped sharply upwards and he was just really tall...
But I really did see 3 people unicycling down the street in the course of 1 week.
I guess that some people are really doing their part to "Keep Portland Weird" and the rest of us are just mentally compensating for it.
Monday, April 21, 2008
earth day... oh the irony!
I live in Portland.
Portland is where people who love, nay worship the earth live.
This means Earth Day is a sacred holiday.
It is also a time when people get to push their lefty agendas, particularly the one about global warming.
On Saturday I went to the local Earth Day festival.
I saw electric cars, all sorts of stuff about recycling, and anti-fossil fuel proponents. I even saw a sign claiming that meat-eating was the #2 leading cause of global warming.
Well, it just so happened that the day's temperature was at a record low. We're talking 30's- 40's and they were calling for SNOW. There was an intense hail-storm all throughout this Earth Day Festival, and lots of people were wearing all of their winter gear.
Global warming???
I think to celebrate Earth Day I am going to drive around and then eat some beef.
Hopefully then it will finally warm up around here!
Portland is where people who love, nay worship the earth live.
This means Earth Day is a sacred holiday.
It is also a time when people get to push their lefty agendas, particularly the one about global warming.
On Saturday I went to the local Earth Day festival.
I saw electric cars, all sorts of stuff about recycling, and anti-fossil fuel proponents. I even saw a sign claiming that meat-eating was the #2 leading cause of global warming.
Well, it just so happened that the day's temperature was at a record low. We're talking 30's- 40's and they were calling for SNOW. There was an intense hail-storm all throughout this Earth Day Festival, and lots of people were wearing all of their winter gear.
Global warming???
I think to celebrate Earth Day I am going to drive around and then eat some beef.
Hopefully then it will finally warm up around here!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I do like surprises, generally
Yesterday I found a chocolate chip cookie in my mailbox. This does not normally happen.
I started to look for clues in order to understand this mystery.
Clue #1: It was inside of a little brown bag that told me that it came from Noah's Bagels.
Clue #2: My apartment number was also written on the brown bag. Strange
I thought this was quite odd at first. Maybe someone wants me dead and poisoned the cookie!
My mind immediately wandered to scenes from Snow White where the wicked witch poisons the apple with what appears to be toxic waste.
I quickly discarded that unpleasant thought.
Well anyway, I thought, maybe the Bagel shop is doing a promotional!
However Clue #3 dispelled that. The receipt inside indicated that a) it was from a person - the bagel shop would not buy their own cookies and stuff the bags with receipts- and b) the person who bought the cookie bought 2 of them...
This was getting weirder, but I opened it up and ate it anyway. Sharing with my friend, who also agreed that while the whole things was creepy, the cookie still looked good.
I do realize that this is the same logic that nearly did Snow White in. I'm still in good health today, so unless its a slow-acting poison, I'm probably out of the woods.
I started to look for clues in order to understand this mystery.
Clue #1: It was inside of a little brown bag that told me that it came from Noah's Bagels.
Clue #2: My apartment number was also written on the brown bag. Strange
I thought this was quite odd at first. Maybe someone wants me dead and poisoned the cookie!
My mind immediately wandered to scenes from Snow White where the wicked witch poisons the apple with what appears to be toxic waste.I quickly discarded that unpleasant thought.
Well anyway, I thought, maybe the Bagel shop is doing a promotional!
However Clue #3 dispelled that. The receipt inside indicated that a) it was from a person - the bagel shop would not buy their own cookies and stuff the bags with receipts- and b) the person who bought the cookie bought 2 of them...
This was getting weirder, but I opened it up and ate it anyway. Sharing with my friend, who also agreed that while the whole things was creepy, the cookie still looked good.
I do realize that this is the same logic that nearly did Snow White in. I'm still in good health today, so unless its a slow-acting poison, I'm probably out of the woods.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Tightrope Walking of the Heart
Yesterday I had a realization.
Both of my efforts at a relationship with the aforementioned PERSON were capped by a viewing of Cirque du Soleil,
as in a matter of days later...
as in a matter of days later...
Its almost like Cirque du Soleil is the perfect analogy for our relationship.
Some days I felt like I was using all of my energy to just stay with it...
to not fall off one side or another...
tightrope walking...
I felt like I could understand how tightrope walking uses so much more energy than it seems like it would. You have to focus and use all of your muscles to attain that perfect balance...
... its so exhausting...
Some days I felt like I was using all of my energy to just stay with it...
to not fall off one side or another...
tightrope walking...
I felt like I could understand how tightrope walking uses so much more energy than it seems like it would. You have to focus and use all of your muscles to attain that perfect balance...
... its so exhausting...
Thursday, April 10, 2008
sigh
"sigh" is the best I can do right now.
Ever had just a total doozy of a week?
Last Sunday I had a much needed conversation with a certain person*.
I didn't realize until the end of our conversation how exhausted I really was. This was our second "go-round" as I like to call it... I thought that maybe this time it would be different, that maybe now he was really "ready," and that maybe he actually had realized what a good thing he had let go, and oh, you know... all of that other naive, or shall we say hopeful (?) thinking. But, alas, that was not the case.
But before you feel too bad for me, I was relieved. It needed to end, and as much as I was trying to be open, I just wasn't sure exactly at what point I would concede a loss. So his honesty about not really feeling like it was working made it a lot easier for me.
On paper it seemed like a match made in heaven! We had a lot in common but that wasn't necessarily translating into magnetic chemistry...
In other news, I finally realized the intensity of feeling that I once had for a previous boyfriend, who just so happens to live on another continent and be of a race different than mine. My parents freaked out (not really a surprise) and while I loved him, I never even entertained the possibility of our relationship making it through the long-haul - in part I guess because I knew I did not have their support. Over the course of 2 days I unpacked (through tears) all that had long laid buried.
And thats why "sigh" is the best I can do for now...
{*I first called him Anti-Mr. Darcy to invoke Anti-Christ connotations but the next day felt that may have been too harsh...}
Ever had just a total doozy of a week?
Last Sunday I had a much needed conversation with a certain person*.
I didn't realize until the end of our conversation how exhausted I really was. This was our second "go-round" as I like to call it... I thought that maybe this time it would be different, that maybe now he was really "ready," and that maybe he actually had realized what a good thing he had let go, and oh, you know... all of that other naive, or shall we say hopeful (?) thinking. But, alas, that was not the case.
But before you feel too bad for me, I was relieved. It needed to end, and as much as I was trying to be open, I just wasn't sure exactly at what point I would concede a loss. So his honesty about not really feeling like it was working made it a lot easier for me.
On paper it seemed like a match made in heaven! We had a lot in common but that wasn't necessarily translating into magnetic chemistry...
In other news, I finally realized the intensity of feeling that I once had for a previous boyfriend, who just so happens to live on another continent and be of a race different than mine. My parents freaked out (not really a surprise) and while I loved him, I never even entertained the possibility of our relationship making it through the long-haul - in part I guess because I knew I did not have their support. Over the course of 2 days I unpacked (through tears) all that had long laid buried.
And thats why "sigh" is the best I can do for now...
{*I first called him Anti-Mr. Darcy to invoke Anti-Christ connotations but the next day felt that may have been too harsh...}
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Times are Tough for the B-52's
Their new "hit" is called Funplex. Here, have a listen!
- out of respect for my potentially loyal readers I have deleted this link because it was annoying me too much, and therefore I figured that it might be annoying everyone else too. If you were coming to my blog just to listen to the song "Funplex" whenever you wanted to, I sincerely apologize. -
"It's loud, sexy rock and roll, with the beat pumped up to hot pink," says guitarist Keith Strickland. Funplex sounds like us, updated," adds Fred Schneider. "It's the B-52s now – or fifteen years from now."
But gee, that sounds an awful lot like twenty years AGO.
I'm sorry B-52s. Irrefutably the Love Shack does hold a special place in my heart. But this sounds just like that, only with different words. And words that aren't quite as Karaoke-worthy, either.
BUT maybe the old adage "If its not broke, don't fix it" is what propels the artistic intent of this song. The Love Shack is an iconic classic, and one of the best things to happen in 1989:
next to the fall of the Berlin Wall,
and the release of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
- out of respect for my potentially loyal readers I have deleted this link because it was annoying me too much, and therefore I figured that it might be annoying everyone else too. If you were coming to my blog just to listen to the song "Funplex" whenever you wanted to, I sincerely apologize. -
"It's loud, sexy rock and roll, with the beat pumped up to hot pink," says guitarist Keith Strickland. Funplex sounds like us, updated," adds Fred Schneider. "It's the B-52s now – or fifteen years from now."
But gee, that sounds an awful lot like twenty years AGO.
I'm sorry B-52s. Irrefutably the Love Shack does hold a special place in my heart. But this sounds just like that, only with different words. And words that aren't quite as Karaoke-worthy, either.
BUT maybe the old adage "If its not broke, don't fix it" is what propels the artistic intent of this song. The Love Shack is an iconic classic, and one of the best things to happen in 1989:
next to the fall of the Berlin Wall,
At least Funplex is a
throwback
to those pop-rockin' good times.
throwback
to those pop-rockin' good times.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I Guess Its Just the School Marm in Me
I freely and proudly admit to being a bit of a word snob.
Yes it is true, I corralled a large group of people to join me for the Spelling Bee (!) at a local pub. {The weird thing was that almost everyone I invited showed up and brought more people. Who knew that a spelling bee would have such a pull??}
I find men with highly developed vocabulary and spelling skills to be quite hot. Likewise, men who might be hot to start with, and whose aforementioned skills prove to be inferior, quickly become not-so-hot.
I will also admit that, right or wrong, I tend to make character assumptions based on pedantic capabilities.
To further solidify my place as a grammar geek, I relish taking out my red pen when colleagues ask me to proof-read their corporate propaganda.
Perhaps I missed my calling...
Here are a few blog offerings that get off on other people's ignorance and fully entertain me.
Red Pen, Inc.
The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks
Friday, February 22, 2008
Tragedy Strikes the Holy Family (and friends) - OR - The Virginless Birth
I have been on a quest to develop a collection of "ethnic" Nativity Sets... a divergence from the traditional glued-on-straw creche that we usually see with a cherubic blond & blue-eyed baby Jesus, and Mary and Joseph. As you might (or might not) guess, these can be a little hard to come by. So imagine my DELIGHT when I happened upon an ethnic nativity scene from Target.com at 75% off! woo hoo! It was perfect! - see picture to the left.
Today I just opened it up. I lovingly unwrapped each piece from their cushy protective wrapping and started to assemble my own ethnic holy family. There was first a docile looking donkey, an equally humble bovine, and a baby Jesus with outstretched arms. Yes, it was looking amazing, and larger than I thought it would be, too! Joseph, Kings 1 & 2 both made their appearance, and then that was it... there was nothing left in my box!!!
Um, how do you have a HOLY FAMILY NATIVITY SCENE without the VIRGIN MARY!?!
I'm sorry, but this does NOT work. (There was also King 3 missing, but he is much more peripheral and I don't really care about that as much.) I immediately called Target to inform them of this tragedy and to explore my options for recovering the renegade Mary. They informed me that they were out of stock and that all they could do was to offer me a refund for the missing Mary.Still sad, I am $5 richer. Which I guess is enough for me to buy a beer to nurse my sorrows with and to try to overlook the fact that Mary and King 3 have run away together. This Holy Family looks pitiful, the feminine presence is conspicuously missing.
This is NOT how the story is supposed to go...
I guess I now
have a Peruvian
version of
Three Men and a Baby...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Awkwardizer
May I please take this moment direct you to my most favourite blog ever...
(drum roll please)
www.awkwardthingsisaytogirls.com
start with "its not a date"
I stumbled upon this delicious treat a few months ago, and proceeded to use up hours of work time (heh heh heh) digesting Justin's literary gems all gleaned from his seemingly endless personal experiences. I love that a) he knows how to spell, b) he is a vocabulary rock star, c) when I emailed him saying that I loved his blog - he emailed me back!, and d) his stories are quite painfully endearing!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
(Justin, if you ever read this, I would love to have an awkward moment with you!)
(drum roll please)
www.awkwardthingsisaytogirls.com
start with "its not a date"
I stumbled upon this delicious treat a few months ago, and proceeded to use up hours of work time (heh heh heh) digesting Justin's literary gems all gleaned from his seemingly endless personal experiences. I love that a) he knows how to spell, b) he is a vocabulary rock star, c) when I emailed him saying that I loved his blog - he emailed me back!, and d) his stories are quite painfully endearing!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
(Justin, if you ever read this, I would love to have an awkward moment with you!)
Friday, February 15, 2008
I Heart Tracy Jordan
Is it bad that I have a TV crush on Tracy Jordan? Somehow I'm not sure its "good."
Thursday, February 7, 2008
a cure for S.A.D.
Maybe its the Seasonal Affective Disorder, the endless drizzly days, or just a general and pervasive sense of ennui that I feel right now, but in an effort to combat the winter blues I'm composing a list of things that make me happy.
1. for the past 3 days I have heard a bird chirping in the morning outside my window.
2. It was sunny this morning. The crisp air, and warmth of the sun took me back to days in Germany on the lake shore.
3. Dark Chocolate
4. Aveda tea
5. good conversations
6. Butterflies
7. Observing the better points of human kindness and generosity
8. Praying for random people just because I feel compelled to
9. Films with a good plot and nice resolution at the end
10. the book - Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende- it was delicious writing!
11. dancing
12. Ray LaMontagne
13. my "little felon"
14. good $ales
15. new fingernail polish
16. when someone remembers an important day! like my birthday!!
17. new beginnings
18. old friends
19. hearing other people's stories
20. my favorite blog - awkwardthingsisaytogirls.com
21. local indie bands
22. a fine, handcrafted Stumptown latte
23. walking barefoot in the grass
24. getting a letter in the mail
25. taking communion
26. fortune cookies
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