~Randomlings ~

01/22/12

2012-01-22T16:41:00.005-06:00

This post is in effort to remember what I've been filling my time with lately.

Reading:

Bossypants by Tina Fey. The Wichita Public Library is having their annual Adult Winter Reading Program and they are encouraging staff to get involved. This means reading from a variety of genre, including things I don’t normally read. I just finished this last week for the non-fiction category.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. This is for the classics category as well as my resolution to read 5 classics this year. Hopefully I can finish it. I haven’t really read much Austen but since I’ve been steeping myself in historical British things maybe I can stay focused.
A variety of cookbooks and gardening books. I can’t help bringing them home, but often barely glance at them until it’s time to return them. But I am ever hopeful they will inspire me.

Listening to:
Playlists- Matt Hamer and the Ramshackle Sound. Matt’s a friend who just came out with his first CD and it’s pretty great. I’m also pretty attached to my “Folksy” playlist which includes the Civil Wars, Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes, and Aaron Lee Martin.
Podcasts- Joy the Baker. Joy and Tracy from Shutterbean.com discuss “all the unimportant important things” and very little about food, but definitely a fun listen.
We’re About to be Friends. Joy the Baker’s other podcast which doesn’t update weekly, but actually is normally about food is a good kitchen listen.
NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.
WNYC’s Radio Lab.
Audiobook- A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King. This is the second book about Sherlock Holmes’ female apprentice Mary Russell and is pretty enjoyable so far.

Watching:

Downton Abbey. It took me awhile to make time for it, but I’ve been hearing great things about it for months. Finally we started watching it and we just finished the first season (Netflix) this afternoon. Thankfully PBS is putting season 2 online so hopefully we can keep up. It has wonderful characters and beautiful settings and compelling stories that we just couldn’t stop watching.
Star Trek: The Next Generation. Brian and I started this awhile ago, after he finally caught an episode that did not bore him. We are near the end of the 5th season and return to it whenever we’re not in the middle of something.
Murdock Mysteries. I often end up watching something in the afternoons after work. I just caught up on Inspector Lewis and have watched a lot of Midsomer Murders and can’t seem to tear myself away from mysteries. I thought maybe I couldn’t tear myself away from British shows, but I think Downton filled that gap. So I turned to Murdock Mysteries, which is almost British as it takes place in Toronto. It’s rather steampunk-y and a bit cheesy, but at least it’s only an hour.

Cooking and Baking:

I’ve been keeping track of what we’ve been eating lately and it’s been nice to see lots of eating at home. Most of the meals haven’t been too exciting, but they are happening. Baking is not happening as much, but it’s definitely more exciting. Last weekend I made Brownies from scratch which was a first, and I added some cinnamon, since they we accompanying tacos. Friday I made these yummy Blood Orange Crostatas (the pictures with the recipe link are beautiful), except I used mostly whole wheat flour and had cream cheese on hand so I substituted that for the mascarpone.

Discussing:

Topics of discussion lately have ranged from reasonable and unreasonable Non-Compete forms, healthy eating, church hunting, and hopes for the new Sherlock season (it doesn’t air on PBS until May! no spoilers please, since it’s done in the UK).

And now I'm off to go attempt a quinoa salad.

Hey! It's 2012!

2012-01-07T13:43:00.002-06:00

I even made some resolutions! How very grown-up of me. The good thing: I started thinking about some of them awhile ago so I’m really sure I want to work on them, and even got started on some of them. The bad thing: I had a cold the entire first week of the year. This means I have barely done anything yet. But I’ve got a whole year to figure it out.

So, here goes!

1) Deliberately BE in the Kitchen
- Record our meals. This way I know what I can cook in a pinch and it’ll be easier to see where I need to challenge myself (and maybe even share more food related stuff here).
-Make menus. Sometimes at least, to get in the habit of thinking ahead.
-Shop better. Coupon more, keep an eye out for deals, and keep track for the budget.
-Do the dishes more regularly. Load the dishwasher right away, check (for this week)! Wash pans, still needs work.
-Bake more! I realized toward the end of 2011 that I really like making cookies and I want to broaden my baking horizons. Brian’s definitely on board and got me Cookiepedia for Christmas.

2) Physical Fitness
I’m pretty vague about my resolutions. These are things I want to be mindful of all year, and I don’t want to set myself up for too much failure. So, become more physically fit. Shouldn’t be too hard to improve a little bit, but it will be necessary if I follow through on baking more. Sometime after Thanksgiving a couple of friends and I started getting together for yoga once a week. Wahoo! Progress! Other plans include jumping rope, going for walks, and riding bikes.

3)Travel
We have friends and family all over that we would like to visit more. We would also like to see some places we haven’t been to before. No extensive plans yet, just, travel more.

4) Read 5 Classics
Last year my reading goal was 30ish books and Goodreads helped me keep track of everything I read and I’ll be using it again. I want to focus my goal this year so 5 Classics is a good start, I even left it open-ended and haven’t picked which ones yet. Any ideas?

5) Spend Time Each Week Creating
Ok, hopefully this happens more than once a week, but I needed to be a little more specific about some goals, right? This is kind of a joint resolution with Brian. Basically it means we will spend time away from the TV and work on something we wished did more last year, he on “recreational programming,” and me on writing, or creating. Hopefully this means more posts here, I really would like to inhabit it more, but I already know I can’t promise that.

6) Home Improvement
Not the show (No, I did not have a JTT crush, but we watched it regularly). I just added this to my resolution list, even though we have plans to remodel the kitchen this spring, and want to get the office in order. Not sure why it wasn’t on the list. Maybe my subconscious knows most the resolutions are a bit flimsy and this one needs to actually happen. Somehow it got filed elsewhere, but it fits here as well. Woo, plans! And hopefully details posted as we get closer to working on things.

A pretty ambitious list. For me at least. But I do want to be more ambitious this year. I need to live my life more fully, and stop saying “Someday I’d like to...” and just do it.

Randomling: Is this winter? Mostly I don't mind the temperate weather (especially when driving), but I kind of miss the white stuff. I've prolly just cursed myself with the iciest roads ever, but so be it.

Summer 2011 Recap, what I can remember anyway...

2011-09-29T09:24:00.004-05:00

I’ve been meaning to recap the summer a bit. I know it’s well into feeling autumn-ish, but I don’t want to forget what we did this summer. Er, any more than I already have...

Projects:
Memorial Day sort of kicked off summer and we painted the kitchen a lovely pale yellow. Hooray for a whole room that is not the same color as everywhere else in the house!

Mid-July my uncle visited which gave me incentive to clean out the “guest room” and make it a real guest room. It had become a catch-all room for my stuff after I moved in, as well as wedding gift bags and tissue paper, Christmas wrappings, and general junk. Also we had my daybed and Brian’s full size mattress and box springs in that tiny room. Now it’s basically the daybed and actual floor space!

Other projects included painting the trash can and spray painting a metal bench? vanity stool? i should find that picture...

I still want to get some different fabric for the cushion, but this stuff matched so it’s safety-pinned to the pillow. Currently it's sitting in the tidy guest room and I still need to work on my camera skills. Probably some other small projects happened but I can't remember them right now.

Travel and People:
In June we road-tripped to Colorado with my parents for my brother’s wedding. It was the most intimate, beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to. It was immediate family only and we just spent the afternoon together on the top of a mountain and ate good food and had great fellowship. C and her family are wonderful. (check out these blogs for a great peak, uh, peek: http://seanflanigan.net/?p=5790 http://sergiomottola.com/blog/?p=724 )

In July, as previously mentioned my uncle from L.A. visited. It was fun to host him and show him around to some of our favorite places in Wichita. We also attended a family reunion, where we mainly showed up to eat, and were terrible about talking to any of the relatives.
Then we road-tripped back to Colorado with my youngest brother and sister-in-law for a camping trip with my family, and said uncle, an aunt, and a cousin and wife. It ended up being a lot of fun and definitely cooler than Kansas. It was good to catch up with family we haven’t seen much lately and hang out with the month-old newlyweds. Most of us went down a zipline, had a little archery tournament, and played lots of Five Crowns.

August included a bridal shower for one of my best friends (and former roommate), as well as wedding preparation. We welcomed friends home after they’d been in Korea a year. All summer we soaked up time with friends and family. The wedding shindig was over Labor Day weekend and felt like the official capstone to summer!

Busy Summer

2011-08-11T08:19:00.006-05:00

I've been wanting to get back here for a while now. It's even on my to-do list, but (aside from getting sucked in to Pinterest and audiobooks) it has been a busy summer. Which is exactly what I've wanted to write about, so I remember the trips and the people and the projects. I figure since I just finished another little project that now is a good time to get back into things and maybe (maybe) I'll catch up on everything else too, one of these days.

I've been inspired by a number of sources and projects to return to my roots of garage sale-ing and thrifting, and to try my hand at re-inventing my findings. (These sources include, but aren't limited to, Young House Love, A Beautiful Mess, and Pinterest)

I have a short list I carry around with me of Things to Keep an Eye Out for While Thrifting/Garage Sale-ing (or other Shopping). One (or rather two) of the things on the list is a trash can. The office, or studio, or whatever we're calling it, needs a trash can. Especially if we ever get it cleaned out and functioning. Hmm, I guess I am sitting in it right now, so it's functioning, but the piles o'stuff are distracting.

Anyway. Trash can. On the list. Found one! An old metal trash can with hand painted fruit was waiting for me at the DAV thrift store:

So I painted it. I mixed the paint myself from two sample pots I have around.

After a couple of coats of paint I decoupage'd some circles from an old book. Cause I like the look of old pages and I wanted to experiment. I'm not sure if the circle of circles is my favorite design, but I can always turn the trash can around and look at the turquoise? tiffany blue? greeny blue? side (since that's what's pictured above). Or I can decoupage something new.

I know. Decorating a trash can. Soo exciting. But, it gave me something to do, a creative outlet, and I like pretty things. And sorry about the pictures. One of the other things on my to-do list is learn how to use the camera better, and some editing.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with another project that is in progress and maybe other random tidbits or improved camera skills.

Updates 4/13/11

2011-04-13T20:59:00.004-05:00

Hmm, i was doing so good updating more regularly there for a while. Then the weather turned nice, beckoning me. Also I’ve been using the ipad for most of my internet-ing lately, since Brian upgraded to the xoom, and that’s just not good for blogging, at least not for me.

So here’s some stuff that’s happened/been going on since I don’t really have any stories to tell...

We have now been married over a year! It has been a great one, our best yet! And we decided to celebrate with a trip to Kansas City where we did lots of walking and eating good food, as well as saw some art and spent some money. Ah, vacation.

We also celebrated Brian’s birthday with a small gathering. The theme was, rather loosely, Robots. Of course, the only party hats I could find on short notice were dinosaur ones, and i found a pirate pinata that I couldn’t pass up. So, it felt like little boy extravaganza complete with cake and ice cream only there were also more adult drinks. I drew a large robot and we played pin-the-mustache-on-the-robot. It was a surprising success. Hold on, I think I can find an after (after people had some fun with mustaches that ended up on the wall, that is) picture...

And all of that was about a month ago. Lately time has been filled with books and gardening. So far I have onions in as well as some going in pots. Last summer I started on clearing out a spot in our garden for a garden. It had completely become overrun with day lilies and weeds and a few iris’ and other random things. So this year I have continued digging it up, and hopefully when it’s time to plant more things I have the space for them. Just so long as I can keep the cats and other wildlife from using it as a litterbox.

I’ve also been listening to and reading several books. This has probably cut into some blog time, but the listening ones have been great for the yard and getting dishes done. I listened to Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and am about ⅕ of the way through Wise Man’s Fear, the second in the trilogy. These are fantasy books (and they’re certainly long enough to be), but they are also just really well told stories. I also just finished Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. This book is the first for the author, who is from Wichita, and won the 2011 Newberry award. Needless to say it’s got a little bit of hype around here. It is definitely worth it. The main part of the story is set in 1936 in a small southeast Kansas town and focuses on a 12 year-old girl, but there is another story about the same town in 1918 and is about a 13 year-old boy. It’s beautifully told and I think it would appeal to boys and girls alike, of all ages.

Good Grief! I had no idea I had so much I wanted to talk about. Sorry it’s so long! and random! I’ll leave you with that, and try and keep things more current... Who am I kidding? There will be a new post when there is a new post.

Random: Everyone seems to be blogging these days. Check out the new people over there ----> And I’ll probably be adding more soon. (i like it when i know bloggers :-) )

A Few of my Favorite Things

2011-02-27T19:37:00.003-06:00

I’m feeling the need to write. or something. I’m doing absolutely nothing else. I’m not involved in any books right now (other than Hunger Games, but I’m waiting to read it with the Read Allowed Group...I don’t cheat), and I started a project, but it involves waiting for glue to dry. I feel like I’ve done enough of nothing today. So I’m going to have myself a cup of tea and share a list of current favorite things. Because that’s a good thing to do on a blog.

1) I’m kind of obsessed with the blog A Beautiful Mess right now. It’s been overly full of the writer’s dress shop projects lately, but that has only served to whet my appetite for vintage things. The nice thing is I’m rediscovering vintage things i already own, wahoo!

2) Another blog I’ve been following lately is Young House Love. They recently bought and started re-doing a new house and it’s very inspiring. Now that I have weekends off my list of projects has grown.

3) A trip to World Market last weekend scored some half-price water bottles. It’s nice ‘cause they’re glass, so that’s healthy and stuff. Also they’re cute so I find I’m drinking more water. (Hmm, I planned on linking a picture, but I suppose they were on sale for a reason, and they're no longer on their website)

4) I’m excited about gardening. I’ve been planning it out in my head and even on paper. These warm bursts that feel like early spring have me antsy.

5) Brian and I have be re-watching and re-enjoying Arrested Development. So good.

#6 For good measure. It goes without saying but Brian is my all-time Favorite. cheese, I know but still true :-)

Not favorite: the Ice Cream trucks already starting up.

2/18/11

2011-02-18T09:11:00.001-06:00

I’m thinking I’ll take up journaling again. In some form or other. The thought springs from starting the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Who knows if I’ll finish it, I’m bad at reading non-fiction, and I'm just in the introduction. And I don’t know that I really want to be a writer...
I also read Neil Gaiman’s blog. And both of these things remind me that I spend a lot of time putting things into my head, but I never pull anything out. I spend so much of my day reading the endless subscriptions in my google reader, watching tv, looking at magazines, reading books, that I rarely take time to process it.

So, even though I don’t think I’m really a writer, I feel the need to take time to write, or at least process. Maybe that will be through some art, or maybe it will be while I’m working on some project, or maybe it will simply be washing the dishes with no extraneous noise, no podcasts or audio books, just taking the time to let my mind wander. And wonder. And maybe stuff will end up on the blog, and maybe it won’t. Because that’s not the point.

And now I think I’ll go wash dishes.

Note: When I say “writer,” well, obviously I’m writing. But I don’t think it’s my craft, my best way of expressing myself. I’m not bubbling with stories that must be told. I’m not a wordsmith. I’ll leave that in more capable hands. I simply use writing as a means of expression, not the means of my expression.

Inspired Bookshelf

2011-02-05T15:16:00.004-06:00

I've been inspired. Over at Apartment Therapy last month they spent a lot of time talking about organization. Mostly I hadn't thought about reorganizing my bookshelves because the thought is a little overwhelming. We're running out of room on the shelves and one of the bookcases is kind of falling apart, and there are other parts of the house I would rather focus on. But then my attention was drawn to artist Stanford Kay. He paints pictures of books. Rather pretty artistic interpretations of stacks and shelves of books, often enhanced with other objects painted over the books.

And Inspiration struck.

What if I covered some books and painted over them? Eureka! A great way to hide some somewhat gnarly booksale paperbacks that have seen better days, yet are still classics, as well a Christian fiction series. So I scrounged some brown paper that had been used as packaging filler and covered a couple stacks of books. Then I busted out the acrylic paints and a sharpie pen and Voila!

Yes, I know. There are a lot of comic books on those shelves too. They would be a pain to cover, and I'm really not sure if I'd be allowed to anyway. So the plan is to put some pictures in front of them. That's a bookshelf tip I've seen somewhere I'm sure! And while I think I'll use some family pictures, if you're looking to do something similar check out Laura's print sale lasting till Valentine's Day. There's some beautiful pictures from Korea and elsewhere!

2011-02-03T20:40:00.002-06:00

Hey! Look over There!

Rachel has joined blogland! And she is really a much better writer than I am, so go read her stuff! She writes about her time in the ER and about the wonderful food she makes, and I'm sure life in general. It's still pretty new, but definitely one to watch!

Oh, and Brian's been working on his site too, so now there's something to see there too :-)

And that's all I have for now. I'm being terribly lazy and ignoring the mess in the kitchen and the list of projects and simply enjoying my blanket, couch, husband, and the internets. It may be about time for some hot cocoa though...

Amybuller.com is HERE!

2011-01-29T16:33:00.004-06:00

I have the best husband ever!

One bit of evidence in support of that fact is that he got me some domain names! Woo!

Welcome to amybuller.com! (mrsbuller.com will bring you here too...hehehe)

While I love the fact that I have my own website with my own name, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I feel like I should be doing awesome things with it, writing witty posts, having a theme, or just make it cool. But... I also know myself. So I resolve to not resolve anything. Or rather, resolve not to do anything Differently. I'll just keep posting my random stuff, whether it's pictures, or talk of projects, or recipes, or just an annual update. And really, at the rate I'm going now, the posts may not be too few and far between. I like sharing my projects, and I've got several planned. So, stay tuned!

Let the Light Shine!

2011-01-16T15:47:00.003-06:00

Hurray! I'm finally off on the weekends! (Officially anyway, still have 1 more weekend to fill in) I've changed library locations and the hours I work. I'm getting used to the location and really enjoying it so far. It's a lot quieter, but we still have plenty of people come through. I do feel busier though, since I'm by myself anything that needs done, I do; or leave for the lady who comes in after me.

The schedule is taking some getting used to. I work 10:30-2:30 most days, so I have plenty of time to do stuff, just as long as I get out of bed. Easier said than done. Also, I've had a hard time taking lunch with me, and even taking time for a break, so when I get home I'm starving and sleepy. But I have goals, things like exercise and projects, so I hope to be more disciplined with my time.

The easiest and best part of the schedule is having a weekend. What?! Two whole days that I can spend with my husband?! Neither of us has to go to work... this is amazing!

So we spent part of our Saturday brushing up on some basic electrical work. Well, mainly Brian did. And we replaced the light fixture in the dining room! (see above) No more ball of cords looking hideous at the top of our fixture. And hey! We can actually see the pictures on the wall from across the room!

I really love to drum fixture too. It's the Eden lamp from cb2.com. I'm not sure how I feel about the plate on the ceiling. Since we converted a lamp it didn't come with anything, so that's something we picked up at Sutherlands. It has gold nobs to cover the screws. They need to be painted. But the white doesn't exactly match the ceiling or the lampshade. So my questions are, Do I just paint the gold white? Or should I paint the whole thing a completely different color? Maybe the same blue as the wall?

Also, we figured while we were switching lights and playing with wires we'd change the kitchen fixture too. So, now it's something brighter and more kitchen, maybe a little more old-fashioned, but I think it fits!

Time for Tea!

2010-11-11T15:24:00.005-06:00

I don't really have much to say, no deep thoughts or funny anecdotes. But brian has a good camera that really never goes out, so i thought i'd dust it off again and have something to post about. Since today is Veteran's Day i've been off and being lazy. i decided to make myself some tea and use the lovely set that Jen gave me for my birthday. So here's the happy set she picked up at ikea (plus my own tea cup):

Oh dear, the poor sugar bowl is hidden. And it's my favorite part, it's got lovely detail just inside:

Too bad i dripped tea on it before the picture. Oh, well. So, that's my less than intellectual post, but it is a lovely tea set. Wanna come over for a tea party sometime?

Crafty Times

2010-10-11T13:42:00.012-05:00

I made a wreath.

I used pages from a book.

I was inspired by Apa rtment Therapy and found the tutorial over here.

It also gave me an excuse to get a stapler. Who can pass up a red one?

Brought to you by... SUMMER!

2009-07-24T13:42:00.002-05:00

Ah! i just finished a wonderful summer salad and am now just sitting at the picnic table cruising the internets. i've been reading some food blogs lately, well, mainly just thekitchn.com, and was inspired to make that lovely salad i just ate, and then to write about it.

It was a delightful assortment of What-i-found-in-my-refrigerator! Namely, zuccini given to me by my mother, which was given to her by a friend (and desperately needed finishing otherwise it was destined for the compost), tomatoes (actually, there were on the table, not in the fridge) from my parents garden, some cucumber from them as well, and some mushrooms, from the store. What really made this salad was the 'dressing'. i used some store-bought garlic humus and mixed it with some italian dressing... mmmm....
The only thing i forgot was the cheese, sigh... some grated romano would have been nice, but i was all settled in for my personal picnic.

And all that lovely salad was brought to me and my stomach by....SUMMER!

And that got me thinking of summer and the other wonderful things it has brought me.
Right now, it's bringing me lots of noise. Which is annoying, but part of being outside, in a city. Sounds of air-conditioners, dogs, and noisy vehicles in the alley (which is making the dogs bark) are reaching my ears. Ah, well. Yesterday i got to observe young robins and bluejays learning to fly and find food in my backyard. i thought i was going to end up in the middle of a squirrel fight, and was enjoying all the nature around me, until some cats started really fighting. time to go in.

Summer has brought me a new neighbor! Brian bought the house just down the street! it's been fun trying to help him get set up. i just spent the morning trying to find what is supposed to be the garden, but is currently a weed, tree, and cement block patch. So nice to actually do yard work! (but only when i feel like it. it's much more fun than when i have to.)

Summer brought me 3 whole tomatoes of my very own! and one more ripening! also a couple of peppers so far, with some more set on. And some trips to Farmer's Market... good times!

Summer has also brought me time to hang out with family and friends. So Good. It helped that a bunch of people got married at the beginning of summer so there were a lot of people around to see and hang out with. I also got the chance to go to Chicago with some wonderful friends, and visit other wonderful friends there! Such a fun time, great company, great food, a trip to Ikea, and fireworks! And i love that city. At least as a place to visit some more.

And now, as i've sat out here a while i'm running out of clear thoughts...all i can think of Summer bringing me is Heat, and reminding me of the chigger bites it brought earlier this week....

so, that's my update for now, maybe i'll add a picture of my delectable salad later...i will spare you a picture of my compost, which needs maintenance.

i have a tomato set on!

2009-05-29T21:20:00.005-05:00

i've been meaning to blog for a while. honest. i was gonna talk about the loveliness of spring, write up a humorous little anecdote about the possums in the garage, mention that brian is gonna be my neighbor soon! lament my dead laptop and poor hard drive... talk about how i planted vegetables, started composting, i'm redoing a table, trying to do some spring cleaning, catching up on reading and generally enjoying the spring. so i haven't written about it. sorry. i'm not dead, just doin' other stuff.

Random Observation:
if you like black and white movies with lots of talking and yelling watch His Girl Friday. this is not really a random observation. the movie is playing as i write this and it's pretty good as background, but prolly boring to just watch. even if it is carey grant.

Vague Thoughts about Cheerful Traffic Lights.

2009-01-28T10:42:00.003-06:00

umm, that's what i thought right after having some vague thoughts about traffic lights, and then i thought, 'hmm, that's six words. i haven't posted in a while. maybe i should post that.' except that's kinda weird (not that it's stopped me before...). But i had a funny dream the other night that would be a much better post. so, i'll just use that as the title that won't make any sense with the rest that follows.

So, remember being in school? it might be a stretch for some people, but i remember certain feelings quite clearly, especially when my dreams dredge them up again. Ok. now, remember Test day? Just a normal day where you have to go take a test in a class (this probably works better on the college level, but it's similar to highschool feelings). You walk in to the class the same time you do every day, but all those people that normally show up late, or don't show up at all, have come early, because there is a test. So it completely throws off your groove because now you have to sit on the other side of the classroom than you normally do, surrounded by people you don't really know. And to top it off they're going over notes that you didn't really study, and it only sounds vaguely familiar. So you try and listen in and make sure you remember what they say, because you realize you're not quite as prepared as you thought you were.

Ok. Now that i've dredged up all those memories of Test day (if you are anything like me, that is), picture a big expanse of outdoors-ness. There's a bit of a forest up to the right, and back to the left and you are in the the middle of an opening with really really tall grasses. Yet way off in the distance you can see a glass wall? huh? in my dream i was in a conservatory-type room. a really big one. this was the classroom and it was Test day.

And i must have gotten there late because i couldn't be by the T-rex's where i usually was. i had to go over by those other dinosaurs that i didn't know very well. and they loomed over me. and looked at me like they knew i was out of place too. and they started talking (communicating?) about stuff i hadn't studied. stuff about themselves. because this was a type of intercultural type class. where we learned about other types of people (creatures?) and how to see things from their perspective. only i guess it was really an interspecies type class. and it turned out to be a good thing that i had to be by those other dinos because i learned a lot more about them than i had from the text book.

ummm.....yup. that was my dream. nothing weird about hanging out with dinosaurs, even the meat eaters. just that panicky Test day feeling. i'm taking it as a sign that i should not go back to school. and that my job makes me wish that i had taken intercultural communications class? wait, does that mean i feel like i'm surrounded by a different species? or that you can learn a lot outside of the typical classroom? or maybe it just means i've read too many dinosaur comics. And i don't even know if i passed the test! probably because i woke up before i even got the test.....
The mind is a curious thing.

Random Observation:
I just noticed (again) that Live backwards is Evil.

2008-12-01T00:57:00.001-06:00

So Thankful. So very thankful, indeed.

2008-11-22T00:03:00.001-06:00

Wished Friday was my week-end too...

2008-11-19T23:10:00.001-06:00

Brother! Happy birthday! enjoy another year....

2008-11-17T10:47:00.000-06:00

Great weekend! I have awesome friends!

2008-11-13T23:29:00.003-06:00

Nothing pithy to say. Must sleep.

Have you seen the moon tonight?!

2008-11-12T23:31:00.009-06:00

Sunny G'Mornin'!

Blurry day.

Silver-covered sleep

Yesterday's six words. Today's later (hopefully)

2008-11-12T11:48:00.001-06:00

Yay! pretty new phone!! It's orange.

Can everyday be like this weekend?

2008-11-09T23:34:00.001-06:00

Today: Autumn escapades and African adventures.

mmm, to sleep, perchance to dream

2008-11-09T00:21:00.001-06:00

Best dreams are awake, not asleep.

Don't wanna go to work today

2008-11-07T13:04:00.001-06:00

Inspired to be creative; alas, responsibilities.

(debating if a title is cheating)

2008-11-05T18:56:00.003-06:00

Small undisciplined children drive me crazy.

November Project

2008-11-04T10:39:00.004-06:00

So November is National Novel Writing Month. Lots of people use this as an excuse to work on that story that's been rumbling around inside of themselves. There's a few parameters, like length, but mostly i think it's so you know you're not alone trying to get stuff out on paper, er, computer, er whatever. If you're one of those people with a story rumbling around inside, wahoo! go for it!

But i'm not one of those people. at least not right now. i think i'll do the opposite. well, kinda. Sometime recently Smith magazine and i'm not really sure who else (and i'm too lazy to look it up) put together a book call Not Quite What I was Planning that compiles a bunch of six-word memoirs. They took the idea from Hemingway's six-word story "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn" and got a bunch of people to send in their memoirs in six words. And i think they did this in November or something, because when i read the book i thought "hmm, i'm not gonna write a novel, but maybe i'll blog some six-word stories or memoirs, or what-have-you." So, i'm getting a bit of a late start, but, that's what i'm gonna try and do this month. So here goes:

Chili dishes piled high. Blogging instead.

Oops.

2008-10-22T17:25:00.002-05:00

So, i'm messing around with my look again. but i've already wasted a lot of time on it so i'm gonna come back to it later. mostly i really need to fix the colors, but what do you think about the picture? too busy? too awkward? don't worry, it'll get better, at least that's what i'm telling myself.

Autumn Update

2008-09-17T12:23:00.003-05:00

Much has changed since my last entry…

It is glorious fall! There’s that crispness that spikes the air (even on warmer days) and makes me want to watch soccer or go on a meandering walk. There’s that crystal clearness in the air that makes me want to use my mind, to shake of the dust and stickiness of summer and at least listen to an intellectual discussion, even if i don’t partake. it makes me miss college and the opportunity to both do, and to sit back and enjoy the doing of these things. Although i suppose i now have the time to fully explore whatever i want without the drudge of homework…as long as i can figure out what to explore…

Like my new home! my head hurts much less than it did last time i wrote. Etta is one of the reasons. we found a delightful little house to rent and we characterize her as an older, mostly proper, British lady with a fascination in India, who plays badminton in her Victorian dress, barefoot. She is also characterized by the hardwood floors, arched doorways, gas fireplace, and somewhat wild backyard. and i’m surprising myself by enjoying living in a city and exploring it.

i have a new job i’m getting used to as well, the one i referred to in the last post that i took a skills test for. i started in july. it’s only part time, but it’s busy enough that i’m ok with that. It’s very different from the small academic Tabor library, but most of the time i enjoy it, and there’s plenty of quirky and strange characters to observe.

rachel’s enjoying her job as ER nurse and being nocturnal. i’m adjusting to having a nocturnal roommate. you would think it would work well with the insomnia, but instead i just stay up way too late sometimes…good thing i work in the afternoon. i’m also adjusting to living in the same town as brian and getting to see him more than just on the weekend, hooray! which i must say is a delightful adjustment.

and so. that’s the brief update. life is good. different, but good.

Random:

Six-word stories and memoirs coming soon!

and this is why my head hurts.

2008-05-15T22:30:00.003-05:00

moving.
moving sucks, even if you know when and where you are moving to. if you're still in the deciding stages of such, it's worse.
job hunting.
i've applied for 2 library jobs. i have a skills test for one of them on saturday. i plan to case the joint for the second one. and scope out a house.
work stressed that shall not be named.
work party that will be fun, but i have to do stuff for.
work stress about the fact that i'll probably be leaving, and what will happen then? who will train all the new students we need?
that thing called Commencement Day where i get to run around like crazy trying to go to everything i possibly can, and seeing and hugging as many people as i possibly can. but is still a week away.
that thing called all of graduation weekend were there are a million people running out your ears. but also a week away.
and of course the usual:
allergies.
not sleeping.

Hooray for the fact that this weekend should be really good. busy, but good.

so now, instead of listing any more of such pesky headaches, i will go scope out some library-ness. or maybe go to bed.

random thought:
taffy is good. i need to try some homemade stuff.

why did i decide to post Right Now...shouldn't i be sleeping?!

2008-04-18T00:01:00.005-05:00

dang. it's been a long time. again.
hmmm, what to write about? the craziness of life? the craziness of spring weather? the craziness of my house? yes, yes i think that's it.

mostly because we had another funeral. yep. killin' 'em off left and right over here at Myra (beware!). Now, it's been awhile, so this will be to the best of my memory. please, correct me if the details are a bit hazy.

It was a lovely March evening. Spring Break for some people, so we had company staying over (shocking, i know). It was one of those weird late evening dinners. Huzzah, Pizza! Again, we were lingering far too long over our meal when Sharon looks up and says, "I think he's dead."

"Huh?" "No way!" "Who?!" "Is he faking it again?" the chorus of responses....But no. Rachel jumps up to give Oscar a closer inspection. The poor guy has looked a little listless before, even green around the gills, but this, this was definitely dead. We have a floater.

But are we really sure? i mean, we don't want to flush him and then find out he's alive when he hits the bowl. So Rachel grabs some sort of (formerly) clean utensil and nudges him a bit. and then stirs the water a bit. (we'd already done this frequently when he was living, because he wasn't really the kind of fish to live without an air pump. except he did a pretty good job of it for 5 months.) Then Erin decided to give it a good little whirl. which would almost make you think he was alive, except for the swimming backwards. which of course is easily remedied by stirring the other way.

well. after deciding that he really was dead we made the funeral preparations. We had to scrounge up a few more hats for the guests. Make a nice little cloth funeral pyre for the poor little guy. find the right text. come up with a song. make sure we have the roles properly assigned.
ok, we're ready. Rachel is the primary mourning this time. i held the lad and was secondary mourner. Sharon read the text, Ecclesiastes 3, again, so appropriate. Lisa graced us with the song "Baby Beluga," a melancholy little ditty that was fitting for our finned friend. Erin led the funeral procession to the almost-final resting place, while we all hummed "Taps". Rachel said her final goodbye and dropped dear Oscar in with a 'plop' and there he went, on that final swim to that Great Fish Bowl in the Sky.

So goes another adventure in Myra. And the rest of the week proceeded along quite nicely, with lots of food, some of it even fried, although it wasn't the pizza. and none of it named, sadly enough.
and the adventures have gone on, and on, and will keep going on...huzzah!
(just beware, if you are ever a birthday present to someone in Myra...your life may not be as long as you would like....dun, dun, duuun)

Random:
if you want something more random than this entire post is, including the fact that it's a month late, and midnight, you'd better look somewhere else....
(ugh, that's really lame...maybe i'll think of something better after i sleep...look somewhere else??!)

Plant Funeral

2008-02-11T10:34:00.000-06:00

(the neighbors are home!!!)

we do a lot of somewhat strange things in our house, in case you hadn’t noticed. we’re practicing for when we’re eccentric old ladies, but that’s another story. this is a story that took place longer ago than i would have liked to have recorded it, but, alas, we’ve been without the kindly internet of the neighbors, so this post is a bit behind. Anywho…on to the dirge.

We here at Myra were having a lazy Saturday morning. We slept late, had pie and cake for breakfast, planned our parties for the next semester, and pretty much didn’t move from the table till noon. Ah, but when we did move, that’s when tragedy struck. Sharon comes back to kitchen very mournfully. The mere bump of a leaf brought Chahia to her death. Or rather made the rotted center apparent. And so, such a member of the family cannot just be dropped in the trash can, oh no. We donned proper attire, top hat for Rachel, fedora for Sharon, and bowler for me…along with our bathrobes. May i just say that Ecclesiastes 3 is the perfect text for almost anytime. You can’t get any better than a time to tear, a time to ruin, and best of all a time to uproot. And a multitude of laughter can be covered by fake sobs. So, with a chorus of Amazing Grace, Hope found its way to the wastebasket with a dash of dust to dust.

Yup, just another day at Myra.

Random Thought: I'm sick of my nose getting cold INSIDE my house!

Inappropriate Thursday

2008-01-17T21:57:00.000-06:00

it's thursday and i haven't been inappropriate yet, at least not on purpose....so i'll share a dream i had the other night that could be classified as inappropriate.

there i was, leaving one dream, walking out of a door, and into another. i was dressed in these hideous orange hawaiian gaucho pants and a shirt that was some awful contrast. apparently i was dreaming in color (also people's hair kept changing colors, sometimes it was that horrendous orange-ish yellow that was high school bleaching). And i was standing on the top of a mountain ridge. there was a shallow valley area that had large patches of snow that people were playing in, making mounds of snowballs and such. i saw some random friends and waved. i saw some other friends and darted behind a tree (i didn't want to be seen in my weird clothes). i guess when i turned around one of my college friends, briana was sitting on a rock and we started talking. then other college friends started showing up. and other random people. i knew all of them, although some were people i hadn't seen in a while. all except one. some Random Guy that had apparently shown up with someone else was there. we were all sitting around on rocks and joking around and such, and then Random Guy pipes up (something along the lines of) "Supreme Pizza will take a woman places a man never could!"
umm... uhh... awkward shifting gazing as everyone thinks "who is this guy?" And then i woke up.

so, i guess, the moral of this dream is to beware of orange hawaiian gauchos....

Random...well, actually Random Guy has been random enough for this post.

2008-01-14T11:10:00.000-06:00

Good Morning!

i'm in denial that it's been since October that i posted. yes. it was only like a month ago... i'm sure of it.

ok, so i did realize that it's been a long time when i decided to remind myself what my new year's resolutions were last year. At the beginning of 2008 the only one i could remember was the goal to read 1 non-fiction book a month. i failed. but i did do a lot of reading and a lot more of it was non-fiction. maybe i'll compile a list of what i read...if i can remember... maybe.
i completely forgot about the posture one. although i did work on it off and on throughout the year. like when we happened to meet up with Uncle Emery one evening. and right now because i'm thinking about it. i never did go back to the homeless shelter, although it did cross my mind. maybe this year?

This year my only solid resolution is to tithe. cause i pretty much don't. so that's what i'm gonna do.
Maybe now that i've reminded myself of last year's i can kind of work on them as well. i've never felt that these resolutions were very concrete. They're more like goals to work toward, but if i don't quite achieve them, well, i can keep working on them.

perhaps i should also make a resolution to post more often, but that seems a little unrealistic. who knows, maybe this will just become a record of my new year's resolutions. which would be ok with me.

Random: We must be swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon!
(guess what i'm listening to...)

whiteboard conversations

2007-10-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

we have a whiteboard in our house. we generally use it to let each other know where we are and what's going on. lately we've been using a little 'artistic license'. here's a little example of our current dialogue:

S~ I'm being stalked by an ampersand! It's leering over my shoulder.

R~ Do you suppose he's like... the bully of symbols... you know the kid who spent some time in Ju-V and never adjusted to normal society?

A~ I don't know, maybe he's just sadly misunderstood. I mean, now one knows how to write him correctly, they always make up their own symbol or write out 'and'. really he just wants to be seen [and (fake symbol used here)] understood. That's my analysis.

S~ I think Amy must be right. I mean both of you wrote ['and' fake symbol] when the appropriate symbol would have sufficed. He's just neglected :(

A~ Of course I'm right, I was a psych major.

R~ So is a wrong psych major like a blue moon? Or maybe a snowball in hell? Or just really unlikely like cake R doesn't like.....

This conversation isn't over. i don't think. i'll let you know how it ends. maybe.

Random?
FYI- my bike's name is Sally. it fits well.

ahem, yes, it's random.

2007-08-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

I like helping people. I'm glad i get to help people in my job. it makes me smile. i like it best when i actually know the answer and it really is helpful. which doesn't always really happen. but i do know where the caf and the admissions building are.

On another note, i'm trying to figure out what to name my bike. Any suggestions??

Random Observation:
My hands look extra freckle-y today.

Salads, Mustangs, and Earthquakes, Oh My!

2007-07-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

Today i rode around in a '68 Mustang. i saw a movie. i went shopping. i had lunch. i took a nap. soon i'm going to eat some fabulous beef stew. This is the life. having other people pay for my food, cook me food, pay for my clothes, my movies...it's been great.
They say, "So, have you ever thought about living in California? You could get a job and live with us till you get on your feet. it'd be great!" i honestly never thought about it. seriously. i've imagined living in so many places, but this was not one of them. dangit. something else to add to the list. although something about almost always perfect weather and almost always crowded streets doesn't quite suit me.

well, i've got another week to hopefully experience my earthquake. That, i believe would make the California experience complete. However, i could be wrong. if you know of something else i should do to complete this experience, please, let me know!

Random Observation:
Californians are weird. (Big surprise) They devote entire restaurants to salads. (i've been to two such places.) at least that's what you would think. you walk in and immediately you have a tray that you start create your perfect salad. They want you to have the perfect perception that they are all health nuts. however, once you've paid for your salad you can then load your tray with other foods such as a variety of breads, pastas, soups, fruit, pudding, and yes, even ice cream!

Salad anyone? oh yes, and i'll top it off with a soda and some ice cream!

2007-06-23T20:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not dead. i'm just tired. i'll post again someday. i promise.

Random Thought: there is only one The Land Before Time. nothing else that tries to have that name is legit. ...in my own opion...

My Almost Entire Week of Live Music. (pt. 1)

2007-05-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

umm, this is mostly just a list so i can kind of remember some of what i did this last week. it may not really be that interesting.

So, i’ve done more than my fair share of grumbling, complaining, wretching, sighing, whatever, about how no one plays (live) music in our living room anymore.
(see, people used to hang out at our house and just pick up that guitar in the corner and play…sometimes there would suddenly be more guitars and various percussion. Or (nor really in the living room) when Becky and Jen would sit on the balcony and play, play, play, and people would sometimes come by and sing. then of course it moved to the back porch and the djembe was added.)

i think i’ll have to shut up for awhile.

Let’s see….(shimmery, wavey filmstrip color wash fade to flashback like the old movies)

Last Thursday i got to hear landon play and sing and elise sing, and Sharon play to practice for The Foote’s wedding. it was great and vaguely reminiscent of years past. this was followed by Friday and the Actual Wedding which was Mauve-elous (actually it was coral-ish, but ya know). so this was more of the same music as the day before plus landon playing at the reception.
we drove back Friday night so we could enjoy an Entire Day of music.

Saturday! Taborstock! “Did you know that Tabor was copying Woodstock? I could hear the drums all day…boom, boom, boom.” said the little old lady at church Sunday. hmm, yes, something like that. we heard more Landon Tucker, Radiant Effect, i268, Chasing Eleanor, Abandon Kansas, SP&D, and Stephen Speaks (i may have forgotten someone, eh). Pretty sweet, and only my leg got sunburned.

Sunday i listened to “Gospel Hill and Friends” practice. aka Dr. Ressler, jen, norm, laura, josh, and Bethany, and a banjo player. i watched the practice so i could go to the Tabor Band concert. It was awesome! Angie totally rocked the Rhapsody for Flute. and they did a great suite from Pirates of the Carribean.

OK, so this feel pretty stinkin’ long since i filled this piece of paper at Guitar Recital. so Monday-Thursday will appear in part 2.

Whew, that's outa the way!

2007-05-03T23:42:00.000-05:00

Oh goody. i got the Depressing Post of the Year (or at least a while). Up next.... My Almost Entire Week of LIVE Music..... tomorrow. cause even though i wrote part of it tonight at the latest live event, i'm too tired to type it up.

hasta manana.
ciao.

Blue\Funk

2007-05-03T11:37:00.000-05:00

*WARNING* This is fairly long, and not quite as well thought out as i would like. Read at your own Risk.

So, there’s this mood-swing-type-thing that happens to me in the Spring. It’s something that i always kind of associated with having too much homework and procrastinating because of spring fever. Apparently that’s not the problem, cause i have a case of what i like to call the Blue\Funk.

What it is:
Blue\Funk is what i call it, because i go from being Blue to being in a just plain Funky mood like the swing of a pendulum, sometimes in the matter of minutes. Now, you must understand what i mean by Blue. This not quite a “woe is me” or “in the depths of despair,” obviously, otherwise it would be called that, and i might need professional help. this is just Blue. kind of like the sky after dusk. or the sky when it’s thunderstormy, and it all looks tossed about…that feeling. Blue is kind of a melancholy contentedness. i’m not sure if i can explain that. i’m content not in a HaPpY *big cheesy grin* kind of way, but a completely content, but in a bittersweet sort of way. (I also tend to contemplate my life a whole lot more.)

This of course leads me to explain my definition of Funk. This is not like “whoa, what’s that funky smell?!” and not the state of fear (as Merriam-webster mentions). Nor is it the common Mennonite name of Funk. This is more like the musical kind of Funk. like Thirstborne’s Funk Song, or maybe moreso their AcoustiFunk Song version. It just makes you want to dance, you can’t help but moving. Generally when i swing toward Funk i get kinda hyper. this is also interesting because i’m more likely to be Funky when others are around.

What it has caused me to do:
I’ve frequently stood on random pieces of furniture. Normally chairs, but sometimes desks…i haven’t met a table quite sturdy enough yet. i generally like using furniture incorrectly, which i think i have mentioned before, but this time i’m generally much more hyper. i think i’ve scared my roommate. or maybe just been a form of amusement for her.

I guess i felt like sharing, because this is a ‘neurosis theory’ i’m trying to work out, and i needed to put it into words. cause sometimes i have a hard time figuring myself out and putting it into words. And, i really wasn’t expecting to have to deal with it this year, since i’m not it school. Maybe it’s because in the Spring there’s always change on the wind. and while i like the wind, it can make me a little restless.

Random Thought:
I think that bimonthly get-togethers, or at least phone calls should be manditory for friends after college graduation. (i'm sick of having people fade out of my life!)

2007-03-31T19:27:00.000-05:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

so, i guess i sorta stole this. i'm pretty much a fan of personality tests. maybe that's why i was a psych major...?

Green Confetti Dots!

2007-03-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

I love spring.

my walk home was a feast for the senses. I smelled rainforest, Ireland, wood smoke, fresh laundry. I heard happy twittering birds, someone whistling Ode to Joy, a mourning dove.

I'm glad God loves spring too. why else would he shower confetti all over the place. the white petals drifting over campus are beautiful to watch (from the safety of the library where i don't have to smell them...eww). I think my favorite is the vibrant green confetti falling around our house. dotting the mud and the naked yard, making it feel like, well, not really like a party. more like royalty or a bride is coming. ooh, that's cool! lent is almost over.

in many ways i'm getting tired of not seeing the sun, or at least not for very long. i'm tired of the smell of moist wood in our house, and all the other odd smells it gives off in the dampness. the stuffiness in my head from allergies? but, i can't get over how alive green things look right now. how the air feels like it is offering something nurturing to the earth, to me.

it's sprinkling again. what a beautiful sound. refreshing and renewing. just what i need.

Random Thought: actually it's not random...it's surprisingly 'coincidental'. yesterday i glanced at some notes i had taken out of my c.s. lewis folder. i had written "LOTR, I want to be an elf -they provide rest in chaos". Late last night i was flipping through a journal i like to make lists in and saw "Elves provide rest in chaos. -I want to be an elf. LOTR". I would imagine i copied the second note from the first, but i sure was surprised to see them on the same day!
it made me wonder, What would Faber have done if i had made my mission statement "My mission is to be an Elf."?!

(sorry the post and random thought were so long, i couldn't decide which one i wanted to be the thought and which the post, till i walked home)

fried pizza

2007-03-23T13:50:00.000-05:00

so. i've been meaning to write something on here for a long time. but i had nothing to write about. no exciting stories, except sitting around. no deep thoughts. but now...i have something to write.
we. fried. pizza. yes, that's right.... we deep-fat fried pizza. pretty amazing. and surprisingly tasty. kinda like a pizza roll and a mozzerella stick, just like the one website said. of course it sat very, veryheavy in the stomach for quite some time.
see, when rachel's former roommate erin comes to visit they like to make new and/or exciting foods.

we also went and saw the Bridge to Terabithia, which was very good. i cried. i knew it would be sad. i read the book. i think i liked to movie better. or at least the same, it was well done. it made you feel more connected to Terabithia. they did a good job of communicating things that are often hard to tranfer from a book to the screen. things such as the longing for a relationship with his father, and the desire and struggle to find true creativity. however they did have a little problem setting up the reason for the kid running at the beginning.
we also ate lobster. i hadn't ever had it, so i wasn't sure if i would like it. but i sure did. seafood is pretty amazing when it's done right.
now i'm gonna go back to being lazy and enjoy my brief 'spring break'.

Missing the Blanket

2007-03-02T16:17:00.000-06:00

I miss the Blanket.

Today is Friday. Friday means Blanket Day. True, it's a bit chilly and quite blustery. We probably wouldn't have made it out today,but perhaps.

I miss those warm summery-fall or summery-spring days spent lougeing in the sun. I miss those philosophical and theological debates, that i normally just listened to, occasionally putting in a comment probably only worth two cents. i miss the drawing of fake tatoos, mimicking strange noises and shadow puppets, napping, frisbee-ing, staring at the clouds, listening to music, simply enjoying the silent sounds of the trees, wind, and birds with and among friends. Oh, that circle of friends! oh, my dear friends.
The circle ever changing. As the bells tolled, calling people to class, work, video games,life. but for a brief time we sat together. and they would come back, later, or the next week. and new people wouldcome. The circle was a fluid, changing thing. It was at it's best when it was so.
truthfully there were times when it wasn't as good. when it was viewed as, and perhaps became, cliqueish. sadly enough.Oh, those golden early days though!

It would not be the same now. but i have those glorious memories. and it felt like home.

I sit in the Library these afternoons of sudden spring. I look longingly out the windows wishing i could be sitting inthe black hole, or on a blanket, or a balcony with friends playing guitar. Times change. I also look with a ridiculous amount of pride at all the people who are actually enjoying the fine weather, as if i had something to do with it. one day i observed people avoiding chapel and sitting on a blanket...and then, playing Red Rover! how glorious! i'm sure i was grinning ridiculously, just glad that there are people with that childlike abandon i hope i can always keep.

Someday something like the Blanket will return. because people always came back. we will come back. we have to.

Random Thought: i got nothin'. sorry.

My Bedroom Window is Frost-covered

2007-02-15T00:10:00.000-06:00

"Whoah! she posted twice in one week!!"

This is what i'm gonna do with my blog. keep writing and posting the same way i always have.

I worry too much about what other people think. in every area of my life. when i started this, for the most part i didn't care what people thought, partly cause i knew no one knew about it. then i just kept posting cause i enjoyed it and i knew a few other people read it, and at least felt connected to me.

i went back the other day after my last post and reread my entire blog. before my post i had only looked at a few dates. after reading the whole thing i realized that those select dates were just that...a part of the whole thing. sure, there are shallow, poorly written entries. sure, there are ones that i put more thought into...that still didn't end up being all that much. but they are still interesting, at least to me. 'cause sometimes it helps me rememberwhat else was going on at that point of my life. or because it's interesting to see the types of thoughts i was having...so, i'm not gonna change the way i post. at least not make a deliberate change. it's gonna just be how it comes. and probablya lot of sentences will start with 'So'.

i discovered some things in going back. I was really bogged down with homework and i used this as an escape...to procrastinate-my middle name. This isn't necessarily an escape right now (except maybe from dishes) so i got to over-thinking it. I had forgotten that i had an anonymous commenter last year. if i had read itbefore i had forgotten that after our JTT bday party last year my friend beth told me about being in class with him! And wonder of wonders, after my july post about Lord Peter What's-His-Bucket a lady named Anne found me when googling one of his quotes...amazing. So, even though i may have been feeling sorry for myself and the fact that no one reads this...i'm wrong. sometimes people read it. and it doesn't really matter if they do or not. as long as it's fun, i'll post.

Oo, oo, and i think my facebook status is going to sometimes be one of those "Amy is..." google things that i posted sometime last year. teehee.

Oh, and it'll still be somewhat random. i hope. (since i changed the name and all.)

Random Thought: I like to get roses...bush.

Past the 2 year mark...now what?

2007-02-12T22:30:00.000-06:00

I started this thing over two years ago. crazy. it doesn't seem like there's much here for as long as i've had it. probably cause there's not much here. a post sometimes barely once a month.

shortly after starting, i quit. for lent. i wonder what or if i should do something for lent this year?

i'm trying to decide what i want to do with it.

i finally started a blog after my roommate had to get one for class. i had been an avid reader of blogs for quite some time prior to this. by reader i suppose i mean stalker, since i didn't actually know many of the people i was reading.

I wrote this last week, but didn't post it, maybe it makes sense, since it's on this same subject::

I have a blog.
I read other people's blogs. Sometimes i feel like i know the people who write them. most of the time i don't know the people at all...i mean at all. i'm a really good lurker. (if i were stalking them i would find their real names and google them and find pictures and home addresses and all that.. but i don't, i just read the stuff they write, that i find through someone i actually know's link...
this makes me wonder if people read mine randomly. and if they are at all intrigued with who i really am. or have any thoughts i have about the people i lurk around. sometimes i come across someone who is probably very nice and cool and i could be friends with, but their blog is... well... boring. i read a bit, but it's kinda stale, so i leave.
i think that's probably what my blog is like. but what do i really want it to be like? do i want to pour out my thoughts here like other people do? because of this i have felt connected with them. that takes vulnerability. do i want to spend the time constructing a well written entry. one that is both grammatically correct and witty (or pithy...a great word)? do i want a little log of what i'm currently doing with my life...a day by day of my journey (it'd either be prettyboring, or i would have to be creative with it.) That's just it..it would have to be creative. that's what catches people... do i want to catch people? is my blog creative? oy...i'm thinking way too much. (especially about what other people think) 02.08.07

If you actually read all that, Good for You!! Gold Star!
Please tell me what YOU think i should do with this blog....

Random thought: Snow comes up, Charlie Brown! Snow comes up!

Random Fact #303

2007-02-05T12:01:00.000-06:00

So, a little over a year ago i started to tell random facts about myself. it didn't last long. i also don't really remember what they are. i just thought of one, but i don't feel like looking back and seeing if it's already on here.
...Random Fact #303:
When i eat soup my nose runs. i always thought this was kinda normal. it makes sense, the soup is hot and heats up the sinuses causing your nose to run. it happens to my dad and my grandma. it's normal, right? apparently not. or at least it doesn't happen to everyone.

this random thought/fact brought to you by Mother Campbell's chili. it's quite good. it makes my nose run.
[edit] For clarification: Mother Campbell is Laura's mom. The chili was homemade, and delicious.

soo sleepy

2007-01-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

I'm tired. Of what, i don't know.
oh, i know some things that i'm tired of: i'm tired of waiting. of wondering. of being in charge. of not being in charge. of feeling lost. of people asking questions i don't know the answers to. of stress that makes me sleepy. of not having anything to say. of being expected to know what to say. of not knowing what to write on here. of rambling and not making any sense on here.

(is all that really what i'm tired of, or is that just a symptom?)

Something i do know enough about to actually write about: My New Year's Resolutions
1) i will be working on my posture. Nothing like talking to a relative i haven't seen in years to tell me i have bad posture (two years ago). Then of course there's seeing myself in pictures and being reminded of that conversation. oy vey. hence the resolve.
2) I'm going to read one non-fiction book a month. it's so much easier and faster to read fiction. although if i actually get to some of the classics on my list they might count. i also want to read something that challenges me.
3) later, sometime (not a solid resolution, obviously) i'm going to reassess the homeless shelter thing and probably start volunteering again. i think it would be easier if i had someone to go with me though.

well, those are my current ambitions for this year. i think i like the idea of having them on here so that i can come back and be reminded. and maybe help me be more disciplined. maybe.

Random Thought #17:
i really love live music, especially if it's in my living room. ...i miss that...

2006-12-22T00:30:00.000-06:00

I know i said i was gonna do a real post, but since i haven't done one yet, and i don't think i could really write anything right now, here's something fun!

this was for my name Green Pea

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Silver Stalker
Your Superpower is Telepathy
Your Weakness is Bald People
Your Weapon is Your Plasma Bazooka
Your Mode of Transportation is Vortex

What's your Superhero Name?

These came up with Amy Marie:

Your Pirate Name Is...

Surgeon Bessie Backstabber

What's Your Pirate Name?

Your Band Name is:

The Gagging Leprechauns

Band Name Generator

I think i'll go to bed now.

Random Thought: Presents are good. They are a chance to say "here, i like you, you're my friend...have something cool."

umm, almost a post...

2006-12-13T21:57:00.000-06:00

so, i guess it's been a long time since i've posted. or rambled. well, actually i've rambled a lot, just not on here. and, as it turns out, i don't have time to ramble now either. i have to go pack for an early Christmas with the fam. so. maybe i'll try this again later. bye.

Random Fact:
I like great-aunts from Boston.

Circulation Supervisor

2006-08-23T15:28:00.000-05:00

Meet Tabor's newest hire (at least that's what Kirby said): ME!
yes, i'm still at tabor, and i still work in the library, but not as a STUDENT! Huzzah! No more homework! That's one of the best parts. plus there are tons of my friends in Hillsboro, so it's going to be an awesome year.
well, that's all for now. look me up in the library if your on campus!

List o' books

2006-08-17T11:56:00.000-05:00

OK, so i am most majorly procrastinating...but, as i think i promised, or mentioned earlier, or not, here is the list of books i have read so far this summer.

Guardians of the Singreale - Calvin Miller
Star Riders of Ren - Calvin Miller
War of the Moonrhymes - Calvin Miller
Dirk Gently's Holistic Dectective Agency - Douglas Adams
Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams
Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams
Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Morning Star - Sigmund Brouwer
Wings of Dawn (Magnus) - Sigmund Brouwer
Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (Babysitter's Club bk. 2)
.38 Caliber - Roy Maynard
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah - The Message

Currently in progress:
Sense and Sensability
Messy Spirituality
Nesting, it's a Chick thing
Micah
Les Miserables (from last summer *gulp*)

So that just shows you that i have done something this summer, even if it's just reading.

Random thought # 31:
sometimes i don't really mind waiting, but today i hate it.

BBC

2006-07-31T13:22:00.000-05:00

So, my parents have this thing where everything on television is pretty much trash (which it is, but i still like to watch it). So i have been getting movies from the library that i think we will all like, cause most evenings i'm sitting at home watching t.v. with my parents. So the thing we all like are mysteries. The BBC kind based on Agatha Christie books and the like. so, (i'm gonna see how many sentences i can start with that word), i make at least once a week trips and try and find something acceptable. Sometimes dad and i catch on pretty quick. I'm also beginning to sound like them, at least in my internal dialogue.
It's kind of an intersting study of the British heirarchy. Apparently most of the detectives have these unknown sources of income, or they are some sort of nobility, that have all the time in the world to go galavanting all over the countryside figuring out whodunit. And a majority of them rely on their hired help as their sidekicks. The British humor that pervades is amazing. They are so cynical and sarcastic. my favorite line, said from one Lord Something-or-other to a secretary whom he was thanking, "May your shadow never grow bulkier." somehow i don't see that going over too well here in america.

sorry this is kind of rambling and rather bad writing, so to anyone who suffered through reading this, May your shadow never grow bulkier!

Random Thought: If carrots make flamingos more pink, would blueberries make them blue and purple?

2006-07-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

a quick rundown of my summer so far:

work...
cleaning some people's house
helping a caterer
wheat harvest at the elevator
baby sitting
applying for jobs

fun...
hanging out in hillsboro, many times
hanging out with my brothers, sister-in-law, and friends
watching some movies, x-men, pirates...
going to a triple feature drive-in, lady in the water, click, superman
eating
hanging out with my mom
spending a weekend at the lake
getting stranded and having to spend the night places
going to omaha, twice
saw my cousin for the first time in 6 years
read books (i'll post a list when i have it with me)

i guess i just needed to remind myself that i have accomplished something this summer. mostly fun stuff, but that's what really counts anyway, isn't it?

Random Thought #38:
i really like chalkboards. i want a wall or part of a wall in my house to be painted with chalkboard paint and people can draw on the walls. that'd be cool.

Food of Heaven

2006-07-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

I love the summer. One of the best things is the food. blts, watermelon, snow cones, corn on the cob, fresh EVERYTHING from the garden, fresh fruit, grilling galor...all sorts of wonderfulness.

anyway, that was a tanget. i was really going to write about the wonderful fourth of july. i got to see a whole bunch of tabor people and it was wonderful. wonnerful. and i'm really sore. pretty sure it's from the water fight. i'm not really used to doing anything physical. pretty sure most of the soreness is from fighting over the hose. ahh, but it was glorious. all of the girls (that played) were soaked. about half of the guys were barely wet. oh, the unfair advantages of size and speed.

it was also great seeing people that i haven't seen yet this summer. and those people that i know from school, but don't really hang out with much. it was a wonderful time catching up and just being in the presence of people i've been used to seeing over the last three years. Some of them i didn't even get a chance to talk to last night, but it was so good to just see them, look at them, if that makes sense. yes, these people are still around, we have a connection, it's like home.

and the food was magnificent. that's probably what got me thinking about food at the beginning of the post. we had brisket, pasta salad, jello fruit salad, watermelon, baked beans, homemade ice cream, carmel apple pecan pie....all heavenly.

Random thought # eleventy-one:
Eastern Kingfishers make very protective parents. just ask my cat.

2006-06-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

Thank God for wireless coffeeshops! Honestly i haven't the patience to check my email at home with the ridiculously slow internet that blocks half the sites i want to go to. And then wonder of wonders, i found out yesterday that the coffeeshop has wireless. it's much easier to come here than to go to dairy queen. it has a better atmosphere, and i know half the people who work here.

anyway. summer is upon us and i should probably let everyone know what i'm up to since i never update...but i'd rather share some scary things that have happened to me. Twice, not once, but TWICE, i have had nightmares. overall they are different so i'm busy enjoying the dream, cause at least then i can see my friends from school, and then it happens. I've realized i've missed something vitally important. a final. Either i'm dreadfully late, or just completely missed it. The first dream was shortly after school got out, so it wasn't too surprising. i was pretty stressed. but the second one was just last friday. i'm supposed to be caught up on sleep and relaxed and everything! but no, i'm suddenly panicking that i now have to reschedule a test, take it before graduation TOMORROW, and pay out the wahzoo to get it done. This is not right!!! I'm done! i don't have anything to worry about! (well, except for cognitive, which i do worry about, but i don't even have a final test for that!)

ok, that's a look into my interesting mind, it makes me wonder and worry about what i might be suppressing.

i haven't done a whole lot since school got out. i didn't get the job at Prairie View, which is probably a good thing. they still have my app. for jobs that would be more fitting for me. i start work today at the grain elevator, so fun fun fun in ElyriaTown. it will mean i'm pretty antisocial for couple of weeks which is sad because i've now had enough of 'home time' and being antisocial. i'm ready to see people, but that's ok. it's money, which will mean i can afford to be social after harvest. let's see this is really long. maybe next time i'll make a list, if i ever post again.

Random Thought: I wonder how long it will take before i'm addicted to coffee if i keep hanging out here... maybe i should go to dairy queen...

P.S. i really hate how long it takes for this to actually appear on my blog, so i apologize.

2006-04-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Someday i'll post.

2006-04-09T14:12:00.000-05:00

I'm nervous. my roommate and best friend is about to give her senior voice recital. in less than an hour. i always get nervous for her. maybe it helps take some of her nerves away. of course, by the time this shows up on my blog she will be done, and proabably have been done for several days, as it takes my stupid blog that long to update. grrr. anyways, let's hear it for the Wonderful, the Amazing, the Beatiful, JEN!!!!

oh, and i added a link to a game site that i used to be kind of addicted to. my especial favorite is Bubble Bees.

Random Thought: College students should have a year after graduation to catch up on sleep. Then enter the real world.

I should be doing homework...

2006-03-05T22:59:00.000-06:00

W H O . W A S . T H E . L A S T . P E R S O N . T H A T ?

1. You hung out with? Tiffany and prospective Lisa
2. Saw you cry: Val and Rachel R.
3. Went to the movies with you? A bunch of people to see Chronicles of Narnia
1. 4. You went to the mall with? Mom
5. You went to dinner with? Becca P.
6. You talked on the phone to? Mom
7. Said 'I love you' to you and really meant it? Dad

W O U L D . Y O U . R A T H E R ?

1. Pierce your nose or tongue? Nose
2. Be serious or be funny? Depends on my mood
3. Drink whole or skim milk? 2%
4. Die in a fire or drown? Umm, drown?
5. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Parents

D O . Y O U . P R E F E R . . .

1. Flowers or candY? during lent, flowers
2. Gray or black? black
3. Color or Black and white photos? Black and white
4. Lust or love? Love
5. Sunrise or sunset? Sunset.
6. M&Ms or Skittles? M&Ms
7. Staying up late or waking up early? Staying up late

D O . Y O U . P R E F E R . . .

1. Sun or moon? depends
2. Winter or Fall? fall
3. Left or right? right
4. 10 acquaintances or having two best friends? 2 best friends
5. Sunny or rainy? I really do like the rain, but it depends
6. Vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream? Vanilla

A B O U T . Y O U

1. What time is it? 9:33 pm
2. First and middle Name? Amy Marie
3. Nickname(s): Roose, Green Pea, Ames Amiamma4. What is your birth date? October 25
5. What do you want? my homework to be done, but not to do it myself
6. Where do you want to live? some place that feels like home
7. How many kids do you want? No idea
8. You want to get married? Yes

U N I Q U E

1. Nervous habit: sometimes I ramble, but sometimes I do that anyway, sometimes I get quiet, but sometimes I do that anyway too.
2. Are you double jointed? I don’t know
3. Can you roll your tongue? Yes
4. Can you raise one eyebrow? Yes
5. Can you cross your eyes? yes
6. Do you make your bed daily? Heck no

R A N D O M

1. Which shoe goes on first? Probably my right, but I have no idea
2. Ever thrown a shoe at someone? Heck yes
3. On the average, how much money do you carry with you? none

O T H E R
1. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Depends on the spaghetti and/or my mood
2. Have you ever eaten Spam? Yes
3. Favorite ice cream: I think cookies n cream
4. How many kinds of cereal are in your cabinet? 1, off brand honey nut cheerios
5. What's your favorite beverage? pepsi
6. What's your favorite food? Umm, I like lots of things a lot
7. Do you cook? I can, but I don’t very much

I N . T H E . L A S T . M O N T H . H A V E . Y O U ?

1. Had a b/f or g/f? no
2. Bought something:
3. Most expensive thing you bought? A trip to a Beth Moore conference
4. Sang: yes
5. Been hugged: yes
6. Felt stupid: sure
7. Missed someone: yes
8. Got drunk: no
9. Danced crazy: probably
10. Gotten your hair cut: no
11. Cried: yes12. Lied: possibly?
13. Snuck out of the house: I don’t think so.

Rando

2006-02-20T18:29:00.000-06:00

Random Fact #15:

I like emo. ...maybe i should dye my hair black...

Random Facts #02

2006-02-11T00:42:00.000-06:00

So, it's exceedingly harder to think of random thoughts about oneself than i originally thought. and it is also rather difficult to remember them once you thought of them in class, had 2 more classes, ate lunch, took a nap, and then tried to actually write them down.
This is the sad and pathetic fact than i can think of right now.

Random Fact #02: I really like to have red toenails. This is pretty much the only color i paint them. i don't know why, i just do.

Random Facts

2006-01-27T01:25:00.000-06:00

whoa. another post so soon? amazing. i'm going to try and be more "cosistent." i'm also going to try a new line of randomness. Random Facts about me. of course, it might be a rather *short* series, cause there are so many random facts about me. anyway, enough of the rambling introduction.

Random Fact #01: I like to stand on things. to use furniture incorrectly. mostly i stand on chairs and sit on tables and desks...that sort of thing.

yup, that's random.

Million years

2006-01-23T00:06:00.000-06:00

so, i haven't written in a million years. i'm sorry. i am still alive. i'll actually post something real when i can breathe again.

Random Thought: Dozing in sunny spots is one of my favorite pasttimes.

Fried Cheese?

2005-11-14T23:50:00.000-06:00

i'm posting. finally. i should be writing papers or sleeping, but i'm not.

life is crazy. i need to work myself to the bone this week to get everything done that i need to, and most of it will still not get done. i'm trying not to look at the mountain too long or i can feel the knots in my back getting tighter. i'll survive. i always seem to manage.

i love my friends. a lot. all of them. even the ones i haven't seen in forever or talked to in an ice age. even the ones i randomly run into and never really know what to say cause i never knew them very well. even the ones that randomly pop up in my dreams. i miss them a lot. i even sorta miss the ones i see every day.like the ones i see but don't have a chance to talk to. i think i'm in too pensive a mood to do anything other than sleep. needless to say if you're actually reading this then you probably fall into one of those friend catagories, so, thanks for being my friend. i think i'll go to bed.

Random Thought: people never should have introduced me to facebook. now i have a whole new outlet for random thoughts. thoughts like: If purple were my friend i'd skip to the moon.

BRIEF rundown (yeah, it could be 12 pages)

2005-10-31T12:18:00.000-06:00

I'm really tired and all i want to do right now is take a nap, but alas, i haven't posted in ages and i guess people actually read this, so here goes. (i like run-on sentences by the way)
Ummm, a stinking lot has happened since i last posted. one thing is i have started talking like all my friends, i don't think i have anything original. this is probably due to the close proximity i've had with so many of them. there was the musical, it was amazing, and i ran my feet off being voluntary go'fer which makes sense since my muppet personality is scooter the gofer. homecoming was fun in general. it was really good to see everyone who came back and to have a million people stay at our house. i am still really behind in my work though.

then came fall break. everyone wants to go on the roadtrip of a lifetime during college. well now i've done it. and it was insane! jen did a really good job of listing what we did. and i am the one that saw the dolphins, at least six of them. we spent 50 hours on the road for 46 hours actually in virginia beach, and it was worth it. that was the one question i heard the most on wednesday in all my classes, was it worth it. and i proudly answered with bleary eyes that it was soo worth it.

ok, so this is a little on the long side so hopefully it will be sufficient for the few who check this site. i will probably, well, maybe, talk more about the trip and everything. if you really want more, look at jen's blog, she even has pictures.

Random Thought: if video killed the radio star, did dvd or internet kill video?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Sigh of Relief

2005-10-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

I made it. the presentation didn't completely fry me.

and now i can enjoy homecoming...except i still have a lot of homework. curses. but procrastination is my middle name, so i probably won't let it bother me.

the show is going really well. jen has some pictures from rehearsal on her blog. it's amazing. i actually heard someone say last night that it's their favorite show tabor has ever done. pretty cool. somehow it's kinda surreal. i get that feeling i've been getting more and more often, that this is the last time i'll be doing this, it'll never be the same. hmm, not to be a downer. i'm gonna enjoy every minute.

Random Thought: Napoleon Bonaparte wore a weird hat.

P.S. I'm trying something new with the comment verification to avoid those spammers. if it gets obnoxious let me know.

AAHHGG!

2005-10-14T03:04:00.000-05:00

i'm so totally toast. mmm hmmm.

Old World What?

2005-10-05T00:08:00.000-05:00

Sooo,
i was going to post this morning because i didn't want to do my homework. and then i had a great idea of what to post about. and then i realized that if i didn't do some homework, i would die.
and now i feel all pensive and...something...i think its tired, and i don't know why i'm posting. for some reason i don't feel like sleeping. actually now i do, so instead of rambling about what i was going to i will condense it into my random thought.

Random Thought: an ad i saw online today, "Old World Diet Secret." umm, is that something like having famines and plagues and things ravage the land so there's not enough food so you're stick thin? Cause that's what i think of.

Good Night!

Rand om Thoug hts

2005-09-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

i received a complaint from my roommate that my last post did not have a random thought at its conclusion. of course, there's probably not really that many people that read this, but to please the public i will post a random thought or two.

Random Thought: Green makes me feel happy and free.

Random Thought: I am so worth eight cows.

Ahhhh, FRIDAY!

2005-09-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful Friday!!!! the weather is beautiful, my prof. never showed up for my first class (hopefully not my second either), and life is good. i really need to be doing my homework that's due today, but instead i'm writing here. oh, yeah, i joined facebook, another way to procrastinate. welp, off to homework.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Mmm Good

2005-09-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

May i just say, i LOVE college. i do. you can take naps in the middle of the day, stay up as late as you want, not have to cook (unless you want to), not have to do the dishes, sit around with your friends at all hours of the day and night...it's great. and i'm going to savor every last minute of it.

Where else but college do you have birthday parties for old teen idols like Jonathan Taylor Thomas, or two surprise parties in one day for the same person, one at 6 a.m. and one with a cowboy theme? i love it, absolutely love it. and i know there is so much more in store.

i love my friends. i am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people all the time. blessed to live in this house. blessed to be here, at this exact place in this exact time. i feel so unworthy and unthankful. thank you so, so much Jesus!

as always this is random, so:

Random Thought: I miss Eddie Rocket's.

Amy is...self-centered

2005-09-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

Wow, i'm actually learning something in Social Psych. i guess that's because all we've been talking about is self, and we are more interested and learn things better when they relate back to us. People, myself included, are so self-centered.

I was reading some people's xangas and found that they had played the "google game" which is where you type in "[your name] is" and see what it comes up with and post your favorite 15. so i think to myself, i'll try it, just to see, but i probably won't post it. well i'm posting it:

Amy" is comfort food for tired, hungry professionals

Amy is known for her love of bunnies, which she shares as a frequent guest onboth the Conan O'Brien and David Letterman late night shows.

Amy is dead.

Amy is the daughter of Leo and Inez Wong, one of the richest families on Mars

Amy is my Idol and she is brilliant

Amy is an 8 year old Yorkie who was rescued by Elaine

Amy is a genetically altered creation of a team of scientists.

Amy is distant and strange, but we see her as a kind of nature girl, a pagan sprite

AMY IS NOT AVAILABLE TO DESIGN PERSONAL TATTOOS AT THIS TIME.

Red-head Amy is rehearsing for the touring version of the musical My Fair Lady

Amy is showing allegiance for satan,

Amy is outraged at the number of people who can't spell Stewart

"Amy Is Annoyed" Week Continues.

Amy is refereeing property disputes between midget albino cross-dressers.

Amy is taller than Sue.

SEE!! see how self centered i can be. i spent forever going through this, and trust me, there are some great things out there, when taken out of context....
of course, i do love random things taken out of context....they're hilarious...but now i'm just justifying my actions....

and rambling. i apologize. good night.

And So It Begins

2005-09-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

so, school has started. i really don't know what to post. basically i'm not doing anything and this is semi productive.

it feels like i have been here forever. i mean, yeah, three years, but already this past summer is a distant memory. seriously, only two weeks ago was my last day of work, but it feels like last year. school has been good so far. different than i thought it would be. peer advising with my freshman is not working out the way i would like, but it is working out. everything is just going to take way more effort and initiative than i would prefer, especially my classes. and why am i posting and not actually doing something you ask? mostly because two of my big projects i can't start on because the teacher has to tell me my subject, and partly because nothing is due for a while and therefore uninspiring.

ok, this is rather boring and depressing sounding, and since i can't think of anything else of interest i will leave you with a random thought.

Random thought: Purple tigers eat yellow stockings.

summer summary

2005-08-13T17:22:00.000-05:00

Wow, i had so many things i wanted to post about, i even started some ideas on scraps of paper at work, or paragraphs in my head when i couldn't sleep. so much for all that. i was always too tired or impatient to put up with our slow computer, and probably a little too lazy.
but i'm dog sitting at the hope's and they have dsl, so why not finally post?
i guess i'll just list some highlights, if i can remember any of them. i actually have had more of a life this summer, which has been an amazing blessing. my job has also been a whole lot better than i thought it would be, though all i've been doing the last two weeks is data entry... at least i'm in the a.c.
anyway, my paritial list:
first- my brother's wedding! wow, crazy. but it's been a great summer getting to know my sister and her two best friends.
rachel p. was around the first month of summer, so we got to hang out a lot
fourth of july (i mean third) was great, getting to see people, just hanging out, it came at just the right time to get me through the summer.
all the weddings i went to, not only were they beautiful, they were also a great time to see so many friends.
Sonshine. a Christian music festival in minnesota. sure was hot, but so much fun, now i just gotta figure out how to get my brother to stop wearing girl jeans, and make sure he doesn't steal mine!

So, that's what i can think of now, maybe i'll tell some anectdote or other about this summer some other time, or might have an adventure while the hope's are gone, i'm still trying figure out why the bird like me on wednesday, but now he only hisses.
anyone who reads this, have a great rest of the summer!

waiting for mash

2005-06-17T22:23:00.000-05:00

so, i guess i'll post something. not that anyone will read it because i'm still working on my mass email. of course, as often as i post, and as lame as it is, i'm not sure if i want anyone reading it. right now the only reason i'm writing is because i was surfing before mash and i got bored. of course mash is starting in two minutes and i haven't written a thing worthwhile.
The joys of payday. ahh yes, the feeling that you are going to get what's coming to you as soon as you get home and check your mail. a warm feeling that causes impatience for the day to be over and an incredible amount of laziness because your already getting paid. (of course not really, cause the paycheck for today doesn't come for two weeks). the joys of being in operations on payday.(maybe i'll explain operations sometime)The same feeling of laziness, only maybe more so. and the chance to eat an amazing amount of food throughout the entire day. breakfast burritos at 9:30, free pizza at 12:30, and chocolate cake at 3. wow, it doesn't get any better than that. oh wait. i get home and a have a paycheck waiting as well as a steak dinner.
all this is not really to brag about getting paid or eating well, it's really to say that life can be revolve around the most pointless of things, like getting out of work, eating extravagently, and getting money (which most will immediately spend).
oy, this ramble turned into a rant, and now i'm missing mash. uhh, so long!

2005-06-02T22:27:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe it’s over. I have a sister now. It was a lovely wedding, elegantly simple and short. The reception was not too long and they had people share stories. They opened it up to everyone and I was surprised at how many people shared, and what they shared. i hope Nate wasn’t embarrassed. Since Amanda’s from Washington most of the people who
came were there for Nate or friends of both of them. It was really fun for me to see all those old family friends.
The days before the wedding were rather interesting. Amanda’s family came in last wednesday and thursday so we spent a lot of time getting to know them. they have a very different background, Amanda is the only Christian. her niece and nephew were a lot of fun. Some of her family will probably be back for her graduation in the spring.... the same
day mine! sheesh, looks like another hectic spring! guess i have a year to start worrying about that.
well, that’s all for now. work’s rather boring so i spend some of my time writing up stuff like this, it helps since our internet is so slow. anyway, i wrote this a couple of days ago.
have a great day, week, month... whatever. ~g.p.

2005-05-23T20:14:00.000-05:00

This will be brief as our internet is slow and our computer is ancient. summer has started, but not like most summer breaks. Far more stress is accompanying (is that a word?) it than should be allowed. i didn't think this last weekend would be so emotionally draining, but it was. i forgot both my brothers graduated, one from highschool, and one with an A.A. so we had receptions, as well as tabor graduation. also i was not able to get into my room until yesterday because of visiting family. if anyone even reads this, pray for my family. we have people staying with us all week. it is rather difficult dealing with a wedding and someone with a progressive disease.
Well, i rambled more than i planned, and maybe i'll actually tell some people about this site so it actually gets read, even if it is boring.

Summer Grumble

2005-05-03T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hmm, I almost started this post with So, as well. apparently i haven't anything better to say. i'm really only posting so i don't completely abandon the site. This summer i will probably post more so i can feel connected. not like i'm going to do anything interesting. back to the good old refinery with foul-mouthed, crass, alcoholic college girls. exciting. i really need to work on my attitude. it will be a decent summer. i might even work on having a social life...that'll be fun. but first i need to finish this year. which i really do not want to do. i really am enjoying my friends, though not so much the homework. which i should be doing right now. and i have to go to work, so, so long.

So.

2005-03-28T22:24:00.000-06:00

So. it's after lent. so i am free to roam the internet. my mother applauded me for keeping my lenten fast, but i wondered if it was too easy. but i did struggle with it, mostly at work, or when i wanted to procrastinate, or had already had my nap for the day. but i did it.
so now i have to figure out what i'm gonna do with this page. i still want to tweak it and get it just right but that probably won't happen for at least a week. see, i'm on spring break, which rocks, but i'm at home where the internet is slower than molasses. so i might post occasionally, but the tweaking will have to wait.
i hope that i can survive spring break. it's great being away from school and the constancy of homework. but i might go insane, seeing the same five people in the same house day after day, several of them also on spring break. but i will survive and enjoy it, and not let this become a vent/ramble that is completely pointless and i would regret in the morning or when i'm not bored out of my mind. so maybe i'll just go to bed, and try to not start all of my sentences with so.

Taking a Break

2005-02-09T00:29:00.000-06:00

Ok, so i know this is brand new, and i'm still messing with stuff, but i'm seriously considering a break. not that anyone really knows its here, but just in case someone stumbles across it in the next forty days, there is a reason:
i think i'll give up "extracurricular internet" for lent. i've never given anything up before, but i really think i will this year. so that means no posting, no obsessively reading other people's stuff, and no checking strong bad. the internet is solely for educational purposes. so anyone stopping by, enjoy the next month, smile, hug a llama, and have be encouraged.

Beginnings

2005-02-08T12:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, for anyone who happens to stumble onto this before i have it ready, i'm working on it. just be patient. i still have no idea what i want to do with my blog, and i'm just trying to figure it out, so relax and check back later.

2005-02-08T12:39:00.000-06:00