Well, this semester is off to a splendid start so far. (I mean that both seriously and sarcastically.) Sarcastically because I came down with a cold the beginning of this second week of classes, but apparently that's just life these days. There seem to be some fierce viruses out there this year. I think I probably got it at swing dancing, which is not terribly surprising since there were a lot of people crammed in there this month...but I'm not giving up swing dancing to avoid catching colds!
Seriously the semester is going splendidly because I'm mostly enjoying school so far! Mostly. I knew there were going to be things like papers I didn't want to write and such. (I'm sorry, who has a rough draft due tomorrow at noon? Me? But I'm blogging...) And obviously there's a lot of work that goes with 16 credit hours, but I'm finding that what's hard is not so much the work itself, but keeping track of all the assignments to be turned in. It's sheer quantity over difficulty. Plus, I think it's made almost more confusing by the fact that I have only two different teachers and a lot of overlap in the classes, so I'm having trouble remembering what's supposed to be done for which class and how they want us to turn it in. Thankfully, I think I'm getting used to using Blackboard and finding my assignments on there, and I've figured out that if I take notes on there too then everything is online and I have all the assignments in one place. So it's manageable, which is what I needed, and now it's not driving me crazy like it was the first week. I realized yesterday that I feel like I've been at school forever already, so I guess I've settled in. :)
We're learning proofreading marks in both Text-Editing and Keyboarding, which is great. I proofread things anyway (Facebook drives me nuts as a result sometimes), and I'd learned all the marks before but they'd slipped my memory. However, and I didn't speak up and correct the teacher, because I don't want to be one of those homeschoolers, but she told us that "stet" is just a proofreading term that, "Well, it doesn't really stand for anything, but it means you leave the correction as is." At which I thought, "Um, I'm pretty sure it's a Latin word, that yes, does mean something along the lines of 'leave as is'." [It means "let it stand".] So, yeah... Some teachers I would've said something but not with this lady, as I don't think she'd appreciate it. She does have a bit of a sense of humor, but she made sure to scare us all the first day so nobody is getting too comfortable in her classes. (Incidentally, if I start posting your Facebook comments back to you, complete with editing, I apologize.) ;)
Lest you take that "it's great" to apply to Keyboarding too, let me assure you that Keyboarding is not great. The class is fine, it's just that I've taught myself to type and so I don't just have to learn to type, I have to unlearn what I'm used to doing. Oh yeah, and judging from how my fingers feel, I only type with the middle three fingers on either hand, and the thumb for the space bar of course. I'm supposed to be using my right little finger for the enter key and my finger is getting tired. So, lots of unlearning to do. Re-wiring...yay.
Anyway, in general, school is going well so far! I've just been too busy until now to blog about it. I'm definitely glad that I made a decision to sort of mentally and physically put aside at least this first year to really focus on school and get a good start on it, because there's no way I could add much on to this schedule and still get done as soon as I'd like. At least not with my low tolerance for stress. These first two weeks have shown that even weekend activities take purposeful scheduling to fit in. Granted, a lot of this is because I'm seriously out of the habit of getting schoolwork organized and done, and no doubt it will go a little bit smoother as the semester progresses. My mom just reminded me the other day that I'd said something at some point about how if this semester went really easily, maybe I could even work a job during my later semesters. I stared at her blankly for a moment, both having forgotten that I said that, and because the thought of working at the same time sounds slightly preposterous now. Well, I'll see how this year goes and decide about working after that.
Now I really should go work on that paper. I woke up this morning pretty much unable to talk because of the lingering effects of this cold, so I guess I might as well write!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Normal? Hardly.
My house was full of people New Year's Eve, and I think a discussion even came up at some point during the evening about how we all weren't exactly normal...but then, what is normal? :D Not my party, that's for sure.
I mean, there was the usual making sure people had food and drink, and making introductions, and taking coats, etc. But start with a game of Catchphrase (guaranteed to go slightly awkward at some point, with my group), try to keep the noise to a level quiet people can bear, connect various people's technology to the network, arrange and explain games, and handle the verbal sparring brought on by several guests who let no misspoken word slip by, and I had my hands full. Throw in a little counseling, mediation, and distribution of Advil to people recovering from frisbee pains and headaches...and you have a party that I'm not sure any hostess book would have all the etiquette tips for.
But, all that is exactly why it was awesome, and I loved every bit of it! :) My friends and I are all admittedly white and nerdy and probably 2/3 of us were homeschooled, so geeky references and reactions were abundant. A nerf war broke out at one point. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised there was no sword-fighting, either real or pretend. And there was a lot of caffeine...which affected some of us more than others.
The NYE countdown app on my iPod worked splendidly...I simply handed it to the tallest person once we went outside, and stood back so as not to be deafened by everyone's noisemakers. It certainly worked better than last year's sitting-on-the-remote debacle... :P And of course a few people took a celebratory run down the street and jogged back up blowing horns. (We have yet to hear complaints from my grandparents next door....but then, we haven't talked to them since Saturday...) Several of us also finished out the night at about one o'clock with a bit of swing dancing on the patio. (Next time I shall have to plan ahead: speakers and a playlist, for example.)
All in all, I think everyone had a good time, it was even better than last year (perhaps because there were twice as many people!), and barring unforeseen circumstances...next year should be great too. ;)
The December quote from my Jane Austen calendar: "One cannot have too large a party. A large party secures its own amusement." -Mr. Weston in Emma
I think I agree.
I mean, there was the usual making sure people had food and drink, and making introductions, and taking coats, etc. But start with a game of Catchphrase (guaranteed to go slightly awkward at some point, with my group), try to keep the noise to a level quiet people can bear, connect various people's technology to the network, arrange and explain games, and handle the verbal sparring brought on by several guests who let no misspoken word slip by, and I had my hands full. Throw in a little counseling, mediation, and distribution of Advil to people recovering from frisbee pains and headaches...and you have a party that I'm not sure any hostess book would have all the etiquette tips for.
But, all that is exactly why it was awesome, and I loved every bit of it! :) My friends and I are all admittedly white and nerdy and probably 2/3 of us were homeschooled, so geeky references and reactions were abundant. A nerf war broke out at one point. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised there was no sword-fighting, either real or pretend. And there was a lot of caffeine...which affected some of us more than others.
The NYE countdown app on my iPod worked splendidly...I simply handed it to the tallest person once we went outside, and stood back so as not to be deafened by everyone's noisemakers. It certainly worked better than last year's sitting-on-the-remote debacle... :P And of course a few people took a celebratory run down the street and jogged back up blowing horns. (We have yet to hear complaints from my grandparents next door....but then, we haven't talked to them since Saturday...) Several of us also finished out the night at about one o'clock with a bit of swing dancing on the patio. (Next time I shall have to plan ahead: speakers and a playlist, for example.)
All in all, I think everyone had a good time, it was even better than last year (perhaps because there were twice as many people!), and barring unforeseen circumstances...next year should be great too. ;)
The December quote from my Jane Austen calendar: "One cannot have too large a party. A large party secures its own amusement." -Mr. Weston in Emma
I think I agree.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Peace on earth...good will to men
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.
From the anguish of:
To the reassuring declaration of:
From the anguish of:
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
To the reassuring declaration of:
Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor does He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
God is not dead, nor does He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
Merry Christmas everyone! The Lord was born as a baby two thousand and eleven years ago and he still reigns today!
Even if it seems like Christmas came up on you suddenly this year, take the time to enjoy it and enjoy the people you're spending it with. :)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Swirling Thoughts
- At least today the weather didn't feel like it should have swirling snow flakes to go with it...sun and slightly warmer temperatures are very welcome!
- I should be doing lots of things. Like baking Christmas cookies, and knitting, and reading, and making things in Microsoft Office.
- Instead I'm blogging. Because I should be doing that as well.
- And using sentence fragments. Word would have a fit about that.
- Basically I have lots to do and so I've run run afoul of the paralysis that comes with that. Too much to do, no idea where to start.
- I also just looked out the window and realized that the guys pretty much only put Christmas lights on one side of the mailbox. I'm not sure why... Either that or they've fallen off since they were installed?
- We (the family and I, I mean) are planning on going gluten-free next year, so I mixed up a gluten-free brownie mix and it's in the oven right now, and it smells really good! At this point it would have to be very odd indeed to discourage me from eating it though, because I'm starving.
- I should be knitting, in case I didn't mention that...!
- Aaand, the cat is eating my earbuds...well, there's a good reason to get the old-school headphones. Or a cat with less disgusting habits. Sheesh.
- My brain is a confusing place right now, obviously.
- And if I feel this confused, I feel sorry for all the people all over Facebook and Twitter who are talking about how they're madly working on finals this week. :/
- Apropos of nothing, do they just not make jeans that fit anymore? I haven't found any the last few times I went to Goodwill, and the new ones I've tried on have been way too big in the waist. Granted, I haven't tried any Eddie Bauer jeans recently, so I may have to bite the bullet and buy some more expensive pairs of jeans and try to keep them from wearing out too soon.
- On the bright side, I'm almost done with Christmas shopping! I have one more thing to order and then that will be one less thing to think about!
- Those brownies smell really good...
Friday, December 09, 2011
Fusion or FrUStratION...
*sigh* If it's not one thing, it's another. Fusion is installed on my MacBook along with Windows 7, but now it won't download and install the updates for Windows. Dad messed with it last night and couldn't get it to work, then I tried it and it immediately started the download and install process. Hehe. My dad was a little peeved that it just worked for me. However, it got all the way to the end and wouldn't finish installing IE 7 (like I would want that anyway!) so I finally gave up and closed the installer window....and found that there was another window under it that I needed to click "install" on. And now it won't work again. Urgh!!! So I guess while I'm out today I'll stop by Panera and see if I can get the downloads to work while I'm connected to their network, because Dad thought it might have something to do with our network at home...though, that doesn't explain why it worked for a little while last night.
On the school front, I got some classes moved around so that I only have to go three days a week, plus I signed up for another class as well, so if I can test out of the computer class I'll still be getting 16 credit hours, but at the same time, if I don't test out, this other class probably won't interfere and give me too much work. It's something about professional development and not looking like a slob and mumbling when you go to work. (At least that's the impression I got from the description of the class...perhaps it's a bit more useful than that.) ;) It's on Wednesdays, before my self-defense class, so I get to be all business-like and professional and then go beat people up (sort of). Sounds pretty awesome to me.
And then there's Christmas shopping. I've gotten a few things, but Christmas is sneaking up on me and I need to get done! So, I'm going to see what I can do about that this afternoon. It's not helpful that my family is rather hard to shop for...
I'm finally getting excited about Christmas though! :) I got the tree put up yesterday and I'm looking forward to baking and cooking and wrapping presents. I just have to find the time to do all that. Which reminds me: I'm blogging when I need to be vacuuming the house and cleaning the bathroom.
Alrighty, back to work!
On the school front, I got some classes moved around so that I only have to go three days a week, plus I signed up for another class as well, so if I can test out of the computer class I'll still be getting 16 credit hours, but at the same time, if I don't test out, this other class probably won't interfere and give me too much work. It's something about professional development and not looking like a slob and mumbling when you go to work. (At least that's the impression I got from the description of the class...perhaps it's a bit more useful than that.) ;) It's on Wednesdays, before my self-defense class, so I get to be all business-like and professional and then go beat people up (sort of). Sounds pretty awesome to me.
And then there's Christmas shopping. I've gotten a few things, but Christmas is sneaking up on me and I need to get done! So, I'm going to see what I can do about that this afternoon. It's not helpful that my family is rather hard to shop for...
I'm finally getting excited about Christmas though! :) I got the tree put up yesterday and I'm looking forward to baking and cooking and wrapping presents. I just have to find the time to do all that. Which reminds me: I'm blogging when I need to be vacuuming the house and cleaning the bathroom.
Alrighty, back to work!
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Ramones...
...sure want an awful lot.
They wanna be sedated. And then, presumably after being sedated (judging by the monotone), they wanna be your boyfriend.
They also wanna live, want you around, wanna be well, etc. And let's not get started on all the things they don't wanna do!
Whiny, yet amazingly catchy, much? :D
They wanna be sedated. And then, presumably after being sedated (judging by the monotone), they wanna be your boyfriend.
They also wanna live, want you around, wanna be well, etc. And let's not get started on all the things they don't wanna do!
Whiny, yet amazingly catchy, much? :D
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving 2011
 |
| Mud-less fire pit. |
On that note, I want to pause just long enough to mention that I actually packed light for once! I was very proud of myself. ;) I wore/used all but two of the items I packed.
 |
| This was fascinating. The log was hollow so the fire went right through it and out the end. |
On the way home from Ohio we stopped at a rest area and I noticed that the lady in the car next to us was wearing a head scarf. I didn't really think much of it and we went on.
A while later, back on the road, we saw a car stopped by the side of the road, and a woman who seemed to be kneeling on some sort of rug looking under the car. Mom and I remarked on this, and I added that I thought it must be the people who had been parked next to us at the previous rest stop, because that lady was wearing a headscarf, as was the lady peering at her car. So unless there were a lot of ladies in head scarves on the route, it was probably the same one, and she and her husband must be having car trouble or something.
It was probably thirty minutes later that a thought suddenly hit me and I turn to Mom. "The lady with the headscarf, kneeling next to her car! She was probably praying! On her prayer rug!"
We're so religiously-aware.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Logistics
Well, I registered for classes the other day...Monday, rather. Registration started at eight Monday morning, and I underestimated how many people would actually get up early and how fast classes would fill up. Next semester I'll be able to register online, but the first semester you attend you have to go in person to sign up. As a result I wasn't able to get the schedule I wanted (only going to campus Monday and Wednesday), but this way I will have more leisurely days and time to interact with people as opposed to rushing between classes two days a week. I have classes Monday through Thursday, which isn't so bad.
I ended up having to sign up for an evening class because that's the only time I could take the Intro To Computers class. Well, I had an option to take it at one of the other locations...with the race car technology students. The lady helping me register pointed out that at least there'd be lots of guys there. Haha, yeah! Um...yeah...no...I'm not going there to look for guys... That class didn't work well with my schedule anyway, so I signed up for the evening one and I'm going to at least try to test out of the class. Otherwise Thursdays will be rather annoying since my afternoon classes end and then there's 3.5 hours until the evening class.
The next step is to get my books, as soon at the updated list of curriculum is up on the website. I'm hoping to rent as many as I can from a place online and only buy what I have to. Textbooks are ridiculously expensive! But if I rent I should be able to get the total price down from $800ish to $200 or so. I'm all for that!
Hmm...also, I'm thinking stylish shoes are out of the question for school. :) When I was there Monday and today, both times I needed to be wearing my running shoes, especially on Monday since I'd been wearing heels over the weekend. Hmph, I'm too old for all this walking over campus. Good thing I'm not on a normal college campus where the buildings really aren't as close together! :D
Yeah, heels...I played frisbee on Saturday (in good shoes, but there was lots of running) and then wore heels Saturday night when I went swing dancing, and wore them again for church on Sunday. My knee disliked that blatant disregard of practicality. Oh well. It can just suck it up and stop hurting. Hopefully.
Oh yes, swing dancing is something I've taken up over the past few months! I'd all but given up on it, figuring I'd never have the coordination to figure it out, but my friends convinced me to come to the dance with them a few months ago, and it finally clicked! And now I'm hooked.
Last weekend I was dancing with an older guy and he was telling me I should go ask one of the younger guys to dance...indicating several that were standing at the edge of the room. Two of them linked arms and starting "dancing", at which point my partner remarked "Well, they're having a bit of a gay moment...but they'll get over it." I pretty much lost it at that point...he was lucky I was able to keep dancing despite how much I was laughing. :D
Furthermore, when I did ask one of the guys to dance, he warned me that he'd been drinking (to apologize for...what, I don't know...he seemed to be able to dance still and didn't do anything inappropriate). I later looked him up on Facebook and realized he was a homeschooled kid (now a college freshman.) Uh-huh. That's cute. Yes, you're so cool. Perhaps the drinking remark was supposed to impress me? Oh, silly boys. :)
Basically, swing dancing is fun, and it amuses me. It's a great opportunity for people watching, combined with some additional interaction with them.
I ended up having to sign up for an evening class because that's the only time I could take the Intro To Computers class. Well, I had an option to take it at one of the other locations...with the race car technology students. The lady helping me register pointed out that at least there'd be lots of guys there. Haha, yeah! Um...yeah...no...I'm not going there to look for guys... That class didn't work well with my schedule anyway, so I signed up for the evening one and I'm going to at least try to test out of the class. Otherwise Thursdays will be rather annoying since my afternoon classes end and then there's 3.5 hours until the evening class.
The next step is to get my books, as soon at the updated list of curriculum is up on the website. I'm hoping to rent as many as I can from a place online and only buy what I have to. Textbooks are ridiculously expensive! But if I rent I should be able to get the total price down from $800ish to $200 or so. I'm all for that!
Hmm...also, I'm thinking stylish shoes are out of the question for school. :) When I was there Monday and today, both times I needed to be wearing my running shoes, especially on Monday since I'd been wearing heels over the weekend. Hmph, I'm too old for all this walking over campus. Good thing I'm not on a normal college campus where the buildings really aren't as close together! :D
Yeah, heels...I played frisbee on Saturday (in good shoes, but there was lots of running) and then wore heels Saturday night when I went swing dancing, and wore them again for church on Sunday. My knee disliked that blatant disregard of practicality. Oh well. It can just suck it up and stop hurting. Hopefully.
Oh yes, swing dancing is something I've taken up over the past few months! I'd all but given up on it, figuring I'd never have the coordination to figure it out, but my friends convinced me to come to the dance with them a few months ago, and it finally clicked! And now I'm hooked.
Last weekend I was dancing with an older guy and he was telling me I should go ask one of the younger guys to dance...indicating several that were standing at the edge of the room. Two of them linked arms and starting "dancing", at which point my partner remarked "Well, they're having a bit of a gay moment...but they'll get over it." I pretty much lost it at that point...he was lucky I was able to keep dancing despite how much I was laughing. :D
Furthermore, when I did ask one of the guys to dance, he warned me that he'd been drinking (to apologize for...what, I don't know...he seemed to be able to dance still and didn't do anything inappropriate). I later looked him up on Facebook and realized he was a homeschooled kid (now a college freshman.) Uh-huh. That's cute. Yes, you're so cool. Perhaps the drinking remark was supposed to impress me? Oh, silly boys. :)
Basically, swing dancing is fun, and it amuses me. It's a great opportunity for people watching, combined with some additional interaction with them.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Here it goes again
I'm going to try, yet again, to start a blog and actually keep up with it. It may be wishful thinking, but it might also be very good for me. I'm finding myself at a loss for reasonable words anytime I need to write something that's more than three or four sentences and it's probably from lack of practice.
Besides...things are a little different now! I'm officially unemployed now and will be starting school in January. Yes! Also...eep! Yay! Oh my. Slightly mixed feelings, as you can tell...or conflicted feelings, perhaps.
I decided a few months back to quit my job as a nanny and go to college to study office administration. I'm super excited about it, as well as being a little bewildered at being thrown back into school life. Well, let me rephrase that...it's not the school life that's confusing me, seeing as I haven't started yet. It's the switch from being out of school and working, to being back in school...away from being...professional? An adult? Being in school really shouldn't govern that, but mentally it's a bit of a switch-up. I can only imagine what it must be like for people older than me to go back to school. I mean, I'm typical grad school age at least and have only been working three years. I did feel horribly old when I was at school a few weeks ago to drop off my transcript though. I saw a bunch of kids who looked about twelve...and then I realized they were the highschoolers. :D Phew. I'm going to the local community college and it will be nice that there should be a variety of people there, of different ages and with varying goals.
On that note (school), there's another reason I should try to keep up with this blog. I'll be taking an expository writing class and the extra practice won't hurt! And I'm guessing with school going on I'll have more to write about, or at least more time to write about life in general? We'll see. *fingers crossed*
I said I was officially unemployed and by that I meant my previous nanny job has ended. I have a few other babysitting and house sitting jobs lined up before the end of the year, and I'm hoping to have time for that after school starts as well. Obviously pet sitting and house sitting jobs will really fit into my schedule well...one can sit a house and do homework at the same time...not so much with children. :)
At the same time, I'm looking forward to my remaining free time to get some things done around the house and be prepared for school. Obviously a major room-cleaning is in order. (Obviously? of course obviously, if I expect to study in there.)
So yeah, today was my last day of work, which was kind of bittersweet. I've been taking care of these two girls since the oldest was a baby so it's odd to think I won't see them all the time anymore. Such a lovely last day too...rainy and cold! ...though I was able to take the little one out for a walk during a break in the rain.
And after work I went and got a haircut...which seems somehow indicative of something. New beginnings? Maybe if I'd gotten something radically different done with my hair, but I only got a trim which it had needed for a while, and did it today because I was on the right end of town. :D Maybe I'm just trying to come up with a good reason for the $16 I spent. ;) (And that's why I don't get my hair cut every six weeks like you're "supposed to".)
Anyway, that's a brief overview of what's been changing lately in my life!
And thanks to the post title I chose I'm thinking of that Ok Go song: the one with the video involving treadmills.
Besides...things are a little different now! I'm officially unemployed now and will be starting school in January. Yes! Also...eep! Yay! Oh my. Slightly mixed feelings, as you can tell...or conflicted feelings, perhaps.
I decided a few months back to quit my job as a nanny and go to college to study office administration. I'm super excited about it, as well as being a little bewildered at being thrown back into school life. Well, let me rephrase that...it's not the school life that's confusing me, seeing as I haven't started yet. It's the switch from being out of school and working, to being back in school...away from being...professional? An adult? Being in school really shouldn't govern that, but mentally it's a bit of a switch-up. I can only imagine what it must be like for people older than me to go back to school. I mean, I'm typical grad school age at least and have only been working three years. I did feel horribly old when I was at school a few weeks ago to drop off my transcript though. I saw a bunch of kids who looked about twelve...and then I realized they were the highschoolers. :D Phew. I'm going to the local community college and it will be nice that there should be a variety of people there, of different ages and with varying goals.
On that note (school), there's another reason I should try to keep up with this blog. I'll be taking an expository writing class and the extra practice won't hurt! And I'm guessing with school going on I'll have more to write about, or at least more time to write about life in general? We'll see. *fingers crossed*
I said I was officially unemployed and by that I meant my previous nanny job has ended. I have a few other babysitting and house sitting jobs lined up before the end of the year, and I'm hoping to have time for that after school starts as well. Obviously pet sitting and house sitting jobs will really fit into my schedule well...one can sit a house and do homework at the same time...not so much with children. :)
At the same time, I'm looking forward to my remaining free time to get some things done around the house and be prepared for school. Obviously a major room-cleaning is in order. (Obviously? of course obviously, if I expect to study in there.)
So yeah, today was my last day of work, which was kind of bittersweet. I've been taking care of these two girls since the oldest was a baby so it's odd to think I won't see them all the time anymore. Such a lovely last day too...rainy and cold! ...though I was able to take the little one out for a walk during a break in the rain.
And after work I went and got a haircut...which seems somehow indicative of something. New beginnings? Maybe if I'd gotten something radically different done with my hair, but I only got a trim which it had needed for a while, and did it today because I was on the right end of town. :D Maybe I'm just trying to come up with a good reason for the $16 I spent. ;) (And that's why I don't get my hair cut every six weeks like you're "supposed to".)
Anyway, that's a brief overview of what's been changing lately in my life!
And thanks to the post title I chose I'm thinking of that Ok Go song: the one with the video involving treadmills.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Ezekiel 22:23-31
I was reading this the other night:
23And the word of the LORD came to me: 24"Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. 25 The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 28And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken. 29The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. 30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD."
So many times in the Bible, the sins of the nation of Israel sound so much like now, with corruption even within the church. And yet the Lord STILL has mercy on them and on us! Later in chapter 37, Israel is despairing, fearful of being cut off...and yet the Lord shows Ezekiel that as he can raise the dead bones to life, preaching to them the gospel, so the Israelites will be brought back and given the spirit.
I was just particularly struck by it, and how it brought to mind the modern church. Teachers "saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken."
This too made me pause: "30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none." Wow. That's awful.
Anyway, just something I was reading. Not much of a blog post. :) I've been super busy, and my blogging has suffered as a result. Plus the more people I talk to in person, the less need/desire I feel to write out what all's going on. (My relatives are yelling at me right now, probably, since I've neither blogged, nor called, nor emailed them.) :D
23And the word of the LORD came to me: 24"Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. 25 The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 28And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken. 29The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. 30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD."
So many times in the Bible, the sins of the nation of Israel sound so much like now, with corruption even within the church. And yet the Lord STILL has mercy on them and on us! Later in chapter 37, Israel is despairing, fearful of being cut off...and yet the Lord shows Ezekiel that as he can raise the dead bones to life, preaching to them the gospel, so the Israelites will be brought back and given the spirit.
I was just particularly struck by it, and how it brought to mind the modern church. Teachers "saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken."
This too made me pause: "30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none." Wow. That's awful.
Anyway, just something I was reading. Not much of a blog post. :) I've been super busy, and my blogging has suffered as a result. Plus the more people I talk to in person, the less need/desire I feel to write out what all's going on. (My relatives are yelling at me right now, probably, since I've neither blogged, nor called, nor emailed them.) :D
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Books are a drug
It's a relatively painless addiction, though, like most addictions it must be fed and that can place a heavy toll on your bank account. You find yourself wandering around used book stores and scanning the book shelves at the local Goodwill for hidden gems, your neck going stiff from reading all the titles sideways. You snatch up even paperback versions of rarer books, just to have a copy, and when you find a beautiful hardcover classic for $15-$25, you justify the purchase as being an investment, even when you realize you just ruined your budget because after all you don't have an "old books that I simply must have" category in it.
Do you smell books? The majority of the time it's a pleasant experience, only marred by mold and cigarette smoke.
Old and new books all have certain smells, and I find that I associate them with past books by their smell. After spending way too many hours with my head on or too close to my textbooks, I can recognize textbook smell. (Side note: I don't think I would have done that if I wasn't homeschooled and my textbooks weren't usually new and clean...yuck) The thin, slick paper and the ink used in textbooks has a certain smell. Rough paper and ink workbooks smell the same as crossword puzzles and coloring books and construction paper. There's the quality paper and ink smell of a well-bound hardcover book, or the basic papery smell that the majority of your paperback 5th-8th grade range books have, the kind you pick up in the childrens' section of Barnes & Noble.
I just pulled an unread old used book off my bookshelf and now I'm struggling to read it instead of burying my nose in it because it smells like books from my childhood, namely Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web and our older set of the Little House On the Prairie books. The book happens to be A Candle For St. Jude and quite honestly I have no idea what it's about, but I recognized the author's name (Rumer Godden) and remembered I'd read some of her books years and years ago, so I picked it up at Goodwill since it was inexpensive but in good condition.
So if you happen to be in a used bookstore here in town and find me totally oblivious to everything but the books that I'm looking at...or possibly smelling...don't worry, I haven't gone crazy. Or at least not any crazier than I already am. ;) I'm merely under the influence of a mildly dangerous drug.
Do you smell books? The majority of the time it's a pleasant experience, only marred by mold and cigarette smoke.
Old and new books all have certain smells, and I find that I associate them with past books by their smell. After spending way too many hours with my head on or too close to my textbooks, I can recognize textbook smell. (Side note: I don't think I would have done that if I wasn't homeschooled and my textbooks weren't usually new and clean...yuck) The thin, slick paper and the ink used in textbooks has a certain smell. Rough paper and ink workbooks smell the same as crossword puzzles and coloring books and construction paper. There's the quality paper and ink smell of a well-bound hardcover book, or the basic papery smell that the majority of your paperback 5th-8th grade range books have, the kind you pick up in the childrens' section of Barnes & Noble.
I just pulled an unread old used book off my bookshelf and now I'm struggling to read it instead of burying my nose in it because it smells like books from my childhood, namely Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web and our older set of the Little House On the Prairie books. The book happens to be A Candle For St. Jude and quite honestly I have no idea what it's about, but I recognized the author's name (Rumer Godden) and remembered I'd read some of her books years and years ago, so I picked it up at Goodwill since it was inexpensive but in good condition.
So if you happen to be in a used bookstore here in town and find me totally oblivious to everything but the books that I'm looking at...or possibly smelling...don't worry, I haven't gone crazy. Or at least not any crazier than I already am. ;) I'm merely under the influence of a mildly dangerous drug.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Color-sorted closet
Yes, I'm that OCD. But I read about this sometime back when I used to read more decorating/organizing blogs. You know you have too much time if you read about organizing instead of just doing it. Well, to a certain extent; you can get some helpful tips from reading about it. Anyway, somewhere I saw a suggestion of getting matching hangers and also hanging your clothes sorted by color, to make your closet neater.
And it works! It sounds ridiculous, but it looks nice. Plus, when you go to get a shirt to wear, instead of wearing Blue Shirt No. 1 that you wore three days ago and stuck right back in the front of your closet when it came through the laundry, you notice that you also have Blue Shirt Numbers 2 and 3 right next to it, and maybe would like to wear one of them instead. I mean...if you only have one shirt of each color then that doesn't apply, of course.
I was reminded of it, because I just saw this post today: 31 Days To a Less Messy Nest Day 12: Hanging Clothes Someone posted the link to that one, but I think I'll have to watch and see if any of the other 31 days are helpful as well.
I don't do this to quite my entire closet. The majority of my skirts are patterned, and therefore not definable, besides I have skirts and dresses all on one side where there's enough room for them to hang down. But tops can coexist within color groups: sweaters, sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve. I had all green hangers too at one point, but I ran out of them, so the matching hangers part of the plan kind of fizzled out.
Oh, I took a picture and blogged it after I got the hangers and sorted it by color...two...years ago... Okay, that does it. Time is going way too fast. I could've sworn it was earlier this year, or possibly last when I started doing that.
Nevermind, Blogger doesn't want to load photos again...!
So, obsessive color sorting. But I WILL NOT sort my books by color! I love how it looks, and if you can deal with it, then more power to you, but my books have to be sorted by author. I look at pictures of color-sorted bookshelves, and appreciate them, but I would slowly go crazy trying to find my books. No, I take that back, I have a good idea of what color all my books are anyway, so it wouldn't be so hard to find them, but it would just bug me that they weren't sorted by author. :D I highly recommend sorting your clothes though.
And it works! It sounds ridiculous, but it looks nice. Plus, when you go to get a shirt to wear, instead of wearing Blue Shirt No. 1 that you wore three days ago and stuck right back in the front of your closet when it came through the laundry, you notice that you also have Blue Shirt Numbers 2 and 3 right next to it, and maybe would like to wear one of them instead. I mean...if you only have one shirt of each color then that doesn't apply, of course.
I was reminded of it, because I just saw this post today: 31 Days To a Less Messy Nest Day 12: Hanging Clothes Someone posted the link to that one, but I think I'll have to watch and see if any of the other 31 days are helpful as well.
I don't do this to quite my entire closet. The majority of my skirts are patterned, and therefore not definable, besides I have skirts and dresses all on one side where there's enough room for them to hang down. But tops can coexist within color groups: sweaters, sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve. I had all green hangers too at one point, but I ran out of them, so the matching hangers part of the plan kind of fizzled out.
Oh, I took a picture and blogged it after I got the hangers and sorted it by color...two...years ago... Okay, that does it. Time is going way too fast. I could've sworn it was earlier this year, or possibly last when I started doing that.
Nevermind, Blogger doesn't want to load photos again...!
So, obsessive color sorting. But I WILL NOT sort my books by color! I love how it looks, and if you can deal with it, then more power to you, but my books have to be sorted by author. I look at pictures of color-sorted bookshelves, and appreciate them, but I would slowly go crazy trying to find my books. No, I take that back, I have a good idea of what color all my books are anyway, so it wouldn't be so hard to find them, but it would just bug me that they weren't sorted by author. :D I highly recommend sorting your clothes though.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
I don't do poetry, but I did write this
I wrote this some afternoon after relaxing outside in the sun. I'm guessing I was probably half asleep and dreamy when I wrote it because typing it up and editing it just now put me to sleep. "3/9/10" is written at the top of the page, so presumably that's when I wrote it, and since it's written on the back of my January calendar page that sounds about right. It must have been an unusually warm day early this year.
3/9/10
Rest and relaxation.
A pause from the cares of life.
A time perhaps to dream.
A time to think of things beyond oneself,
Or consider those that are merely new.
Perhaps a time of actual sleep.
Closing the eyes, resting the mind
Waking to life renewed.
Perhaps a time to gaze into the heavens.
To see the hawk-- gliding, swooping
Bringing remembrance of a kite flown in childhood.
A time to see and feel the sun,
To be thankful for its warmth.
To see a promise of spring all around.
Or even relaxation in the company of a friend.
To talk, or not, as each feels led.
A time to enjoy shared laughter,
Or if alone, even a smile from a stranger.
Perhaps it's a second,
Perhaps a whole day, or longer,
But when it's finished it leaves one refreshed
With strength to handle the certain cares to come.
As I said, I don't really do poetry. There are a few poems I really like, such as "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, or "The Road Goes Ever On" the song/poem from The Hobbit and LOTR...those are the first two that occur to me at the moment. (I seem to like roads.) But apart from that I'm not an avid poetry fan or anything, and I hardly ever write any myself. So, I have no idea if this is even any valid form of poetry...I guess it can be free verse if nothing else, right? It was just something that came to mind, so I scribbled it down.
3/9/10
Rest and relaxation.
A pause from the cares of life.
A time perhaps to dream.
A time to think of things beyond oneself,
Or consider those that are merely new.
Perhaps a time of actual sleep.
Closing the eyes, resting the mind
Waking to life renewed.
Perhaps a time to gaze into the heavens.
To see the hawk-- gliding, swooping
Bringing remembrance of a kite flown in childhood.
A time to see and feel the sun,
To be thankful for its warmth.
To see a promise of spring all around.
Or even relaxation in the company of a friend.
To talk, or not, as each feels led.
A time to enjoy shared laughter,
Or if alone, even a smile from a stranger.
Perhaps it's a second,
Perhaps a whole day, or longer,
But when it's finished it leaves one refreshed
With strength to handle the certain cares to come.
As I said, I don't really do poetry. There are a few poems I really like, such as "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, or "The Road Goes Ever On" the song/poem from The Hobbit and LOTR...those are the first two that occur to me at the moment. (I seem to like roads.) But apart from that I'm not an avid poetry fan or anything, and I hardly ever write any myself. So, I have no idea if this is even any valid form of poetry...I guess it can be free verse if nothing else, right? It was just something that came to mind, so I scribbled it down.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Ultimate Mondays
Mondays are awesome these days. Well, Monday evenings to be exact. The rest of the day can still be awful, there are no guarantees. But for the past few months Mondays have meant playing ultimate frisbee with my friends.
Ultimate frisbee is something like a combination of soccer and football, except with a frisbee. (And technically it's just "ultimate" because "Frisbee" is a brand name...and not even the brand of discs we use.) At least I think I'm correct in saying it's like soccer/football, but I'm not really sure of the rules of either, so don't quote me on that.
I only have a few photos of an ultimate frisbee game, because there was one I didn't play in because I was sunburnt. It wasn't all of our usual crowd either so I'm not even sure who everyone is, but anyway there's a few basic action shots. I'd love to get some really cool close-up shots of throws and catches sometime! Of course, that means not playing. :(
In ultimate you have two end zones; ours are each marked by four small orange cones. To score a point, a player has to catch the disc while in the defense's end zone. You start out with each team standing in their end zone, and when both teams are ready, one player calls "Disc!" and throws the disc. At that point it belongs to the other team until they drop it. Basically anytime the disc is dropped the other team gets it. We usually have 9-14 people playing altogether; last night we had 11.
Technically ultimate is a non-contact sport, but that pretty much means you don't purposely tackle someone and it's a foul if you do so. But people do run into each other or get hit with the frisbee. We've had several close calls with people getting hit or nearly hit in the face or neck, or getting their feet stomped on...those three are the most possibly serious injuries, at least that we've run into so far... Unfortunately, my style of playing ultimate seems to end up with me landing on the ground quite a lot. The sad thing is that probably nearly 75% of the time it's my own fault, either because my feet slipped while trying to stop or turn too fast (I think I need cleats!), or I run into another player when I'm trying to get the disc. Diving for the frisbee is a valid (and impressive) way to play, but I may unintentionally do it more than necessary. Ha! My neck is very sore today because during last night's game I managed to trip over/crash into one of my own teammates while we both went after the disc, and I hit the ground hard which jarred my neck and shoulders pretty good.
However, I've also been run into, elbowed, kicked, tripped, etc. by other players, so it's not always my own fault. I'm just not really afraid to get in there and get dirty and possibly injured and that leads to...well, getting dirty and injured, surprisingly enough. :D It's kinda odd really, because I've never been one to play sports a whole lot, or to get into them much if I did, but I get really competitive about ultimate and end up out there playing hard and yelling when things aren't going well. Weird. I'm positive my game could use more skill and less injury, but it unfortunately hasn't gotten to that point yet. :/
I also still need to learn some more throws and perfect the ones I do know how to do. There are several different ways to throw a frisbee, from the basic backhand throw that most people know, to a hammer throw, which is throwing the disc vertically instead of horizontally...with the ideal finish being that it somehow flattens out by the time it has to be caught. That doesn't always happen though, so you find an extremely dangerous-looking disc hurtling down at your head. :/ (I don't much care for those, if you couldn't tell...) I really need to get myself a decent disc and practice some, because even my basic throw is somewhat unreliable and entirely dependent on how well I happen to be throwing that day.
As far as defense, there are two ways you can block people (as well as several much more complicated defensive maneuvers involving the whole team). You can stand in front of the person who's trying to pass the disc and distract them or try to knock down the disc as soon as they throw it. The other option (that I generally go with) is to block the players who are going to be trying to catch the disc when it's thrown. I find this much more effective. It's really interesting too, because the more you play, either as a group in general or during one game, you realize that there are certain people who will always end up blocking each other, or you can figure out who someone's likely to try to throw to and block that person, which adds some more strategy to the game.
This website has the basic rules, and diagrams of various types of plays: Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Frisbee. After reading through that I realized that there are several rules we don't really follow. We also don't keep score. At least, we kind of have an idea of which team is doing better and try to make sure the teams are even, but we don't keep track of the numbers. It sounds silly to play with no goal in mind, and normally that would bother me, but for some reason it doesn't in this case.
At any rate, I find it to be a lot of fun! Great stress-relief and exercise because it takes some concentration and there's lots of running around involved. So that makes Monday nights something worth looking forward to. :) Afterward we usually either go hang out at someone's house or at McDonald's. Unfortunately it's getting dark sooner now and colder, so I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to play. We really need to either find a lighted field to play in, play at some other time, or figure out a way to be more visible in the dark. Last night we had a lighted disc to play with once it got dark, but we could only see the disc and the people who had somewhat light-colored clothes on. The people in dark clothes were invisible or indistinguishable. The two tallest guys were both wearing blue, so it was pretty much impossible to tell them apart in the dark, and one was on my team and the other was not, so it was either going to be a really good thing to throw to one of them, or a dire mistake to do so! The cones marking the end zones were also invisible, so it was pretty hard to tell when anyone actually scored. So we gave up not long after it got dark and headed to McDonald's to eat and get warmed up.
Actually last night was a little crazier than usual because some of us were a bit hyper thanks to coffee from McDonald's. :) I ordered a mocha, expecting it to be hot and they gave me a frozen one instead. Well, they said to just keep that one and they'd make me a hot one too, so several of my friends shared the cold one and we were all, um, obviously caffeinated. Sometimes I think I really need that caffeine to get over my introverted tendencies in a crowd though. Of course it can go too far in the other direction, i.e. being very hyper and random... :D But I had a great time hanging out and talking with friends. We stayed there pretty late too. I guess McDonald's usually closes at eleven, so they would have eventually kicked us out, but we stayed there until a little after ten-thirty. At some point thinking "Oh, it's dark, but wait, it's only eight after all" turned into "Hey, no way it's as late as it looks...oh, nevermind, it is actually". :D
Anyway, that's one of my favorite things to do these days. I probably just bored half of my readers to tears though. Oops. I apologize. *tosses a friendly reconciliatory frisbee to you* What, what do you mean you hate frisbees...?
(I've also really got to figure out what to do about my addiction to emoticons. I ought to be able to write a blog post without these, right? :D :) :/ :P Right??) Hmph. I'm disappointed with myself.
Ultimate frisbee is something like a combination of soccer and football, except with a frisbee. (And technically it's just "ultimate" because "Frisbee" is a brand name...and not even the brand of discs we use.) At least I think I'm correct in saying it's like soccer/football, but I'm not really sure of the rules of either, so don't quote me on that.
I only have a few photos of an ultimate frisbee game, because there was one I didn't play in because I was sunburnt. It wasn't all of our usual crowd either so I'm not even sure who everyone is, but anyway there's a few basic action shots. I'd love to get some really cool close-up shots of throws and catches sometime! Of course, that means not playing. :(
In ultimate you have two end zones; ours are each marked by four small orange cones. To score a point, a player has to catch the disc while in the defense's end zone. You start out with each team standing in their end zone, and when both teams are ready, one player calls "Disc!" and throws the disc. At that point it belongs to the other team until they drop it. Basically anytime the disc is dropped the other team gets it. We usually have 9-14 people playing altogether; last night we had 11.
Technically ultimate is a non-contact sport, but that pretty much means you don't purposely tackle someone and it's a foul if you do so. But people do run into each other or get hit with the frisbee. We've had several close calls with people getting hit or nearly hit in the face or neck, or getting their feet stomped on...those three are the most possibly serious injuries, at least that we've run into so far... Unfortunately, my style of playing ultimate seems to end up with me landing on the ground quite a lot. The sad thing is that probably nearly 75% of the time it's my own fault, either because my feet slipped while trying to stop or turn too fast (I think I need cleats!), or I run into another player when I'm trying to get the disc. Diving for the frisbee is a valid (and impressive) way to play, but I may unintentionally do it more than necessary. Ha! My neck is very sore today because during last night's game I managed to trip over/crash into one of my own teammates while we both went after the disc, and I hit the ground hard which jarred my neck and shoulders pretty good.
However, I've also been run into, elbowed, kicked, tripped, etc. by other players, so it's not always my own fault. I'm just not really afraid to get in there and get dirty and possibly injured and that leads to...well, getting dirty and injured, surprisingly enough. :D It's kinda odd really, because I've never been one to play sports a whole lot, or to get into them much if I did, but I get really competitive about ultimate and end up out there playing hard and yelling when things aren't going well. Weird. I'm positive my game could use more skill and less injury, but it unfortunately hasn't gotten to that point yet. :/
I also still need to learn some more throws and perfect the ones I do know how to do. There are several different ways to throw a frisbee, from the basic backhand throw that most people know, to a hammer throw, which is throwing the disc vertically instead of horizontally...with the ideal finish being that it somehow flattens out by the time it has to be caught. That doesn't always happen though, so you find an extremely dangerous-looking disc hurtling down at your head. :/ (I don't much care for those, if you couldn't tell...) I really need to get myself a decent disc and practice some, because even my basic throw is somewhat unreliable and entirely dependent on how well I happen to be throwing that day.
As far as defense, there are two ways you can block people (as well as several much more complicated defensive maneuvers involving the whole team). You can stand in front of the person who's trying to pass the disc and distract them or try to knock down the disc as soon as they throw it. The other option (that I generally go with) is to block the players who are going to be trying to catch the disc when it's thrown. I find this much more effective. It's really interesting too, because the more you play, either as a group in general or during one game, you realize that there are certain people who will always end up blocking each other, or you can figure out who someone's likely to try to throw to and block that person, which adds some more strategy to the game.
This website has the basic rules, and diagrams of various types of plays: Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Frisbee. After reading through that I realized that there are several rules we don't really follow. We also don't keep score. At least, we kind of have an idea of which team is doing better and try to make sure the teams are even, but we don't keep track of the numbers. It sounds silly to play with no goal in mind, and normally that would bother me, but for some reason it doesn't in this case.
At any rate, I find it to be a lot of fun! Great stress-relief and exercise because it takes some concentration and there's lots of running around involved. So that makes Monday nights something worth looking forward to. :) Afterward we usually either go hang out at someone's house or at McDonald's. Unfortunately it's getting dark sooner now and colder, so I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to play. We really need to either find a lighted field to play in, play at some other time, or figure out a way to be more visible in the dark. Last night we had a lighted disc to play with once it got dark, but we could only see the disc and the people who had somewhat light-colored clothes on. The people in dark clothes were invisible or indistinguishable. The two tallest guys were both wearing blue, so it was pretty much impossible to tell them apart in the dark, and one was on my team and the other was not, so it was either going to be a really good thing to throw to one of them, or a dire mistake to do so! The cones marking the end zones were also invisible, so it was pretty hard to tell when anyone actually scored. So we gave up not long after it got dark and headed to McDonald's to eat and get warmed up.
Actually last night was a little crazier than usual because some of us were a bit hyper thanks to coffee from McDonald's. :) I ordered a mocha, expecting it to be hot and they gave me a frozen one instead. Well, they said to just keep that one and they'd make me a hot one too, so several of my friends shared the cold one and we were all, um, obviously caffeinated. Sometimes I think I really need that caffeine to get over my introverted tendencies in a crowd though. Of course it can go too far in the other direction, i.e. being very hyper and random... :D But I had a great time hanging out and talking with friends. We stayed there pretty late too. I guess McDonald's usually closes at eleven, so they would have eventually kicked us out, but we stayed there until a little after ten-thirty. At some point thinking "Oh, it's dark, but wait, it's only eight after all" turned into "Hey, no way it's as late as it looks...oh, nevermind, it is actually". :D
Anyway, that's one of my favorite things to do these days. I probably just bored half of my readers to tears though. Oops. I apologize. *tosses a friendly reconciliatory frisbee to you* What, what do you mean you hate frisbees...?
(I've also really got to figure out what to do about my addiction to emoticons. I ought to be able to write a blog post without these, right? :D :) :/ :P Right??) Hmph. I'm disappointed with myself.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Minor pet peeve
It's definitely pronounced Or-a-gun. (How you pronounce it doesn't diminish its general awesomeness though.)
Though, speaking of pet peeves, Blogger has a new image posting system and it's not working. So I had to email this post (.jpg file) in and then edit it. Fix it, Blogger, fix it. It's not like you to be troublesome like this.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
New favorite
Ever heard of Mumford & Sons? My mom told me about this band after it was mentioned in a podcast she was listening to. I think I have a new favorite band. They're a folk band based in London, and they have a slight Irish sound to their music (probably because of the drums) and it's just amazing! On top of that, they're very good singers as well.
(They're not bad-looking guys either, for that matter...) :D
This one is also very very good: Roll Away Your Stone
(They're not bad-looking guys either, for that matter...) :D
This one is also very very good: Roll Away Your Stone
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Jacket
Here's my dress and jacket combination that I mentioned in my last post:
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| Also note the cat lurking behind my legs... :P |
Gracie wanted her picture taken too, so I obliged:
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| Doesn't she look happy? |
And this is what I meant when I said I thought it looked Jane Austen-esque...like this:
And now I'm going to go clean my room, because I thought it was clean, but I just realized I have nowhere to set anything down on my desk, and the contents of my closet appear to be trying to escape. And the rest of my family is coughing/sniffling/groaning because they all have colds...so...there's really nothing more exciting to do. :/
Saturday, September 18, 2010
More than ready for fall
Apparently I managed to completely irritate my mom with my last post, because she doesn't like any of that song, and I got the whole song (complete with its bad grammar) stuck in her head.
On the other hand, I'm going to argue that we're even because later in the week, unable to come up with the name of Lewis Carrol (as part of something we were discussing) she proceeded to quote lyrics from "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. (Because if you weren't aware, that song is, in a very trippy way, Alice in Wonderland-related. I mean, sort of...er, nevermind.) My brain being what it is, I knew what she meant, but I also got the song in my head. And let me tell you, there is nothing like getting the sound of Grace Slick shrieking "remember! what the dormouse SAID....FEED YOUR HEAD!!" on a nearly constant loop in your mind. It's still not completely gone. Which is why I say we're even, if not more so.
But, that's not what I was intending to blog about. Excuse my digression.
I was intending to blog about the fact that I have birthday money, and needed a few clothes for this fall, so I did some shopping yesterday. At Goodwill, because that's where I find most of my awesome clothes. Especially since I needed jeans. I may have mentioned this before, but it's hard to find jeans, and apparently the only ones that fit me right are expensive brands. :/ So, I get them at Goodwill instead and pay $5 rather than $50. Only problem is that it's rather hit and miss, so sometimes I find several pairs, or I might find nothing at all. I found one pair yesterday, plus a pair of black pants, two pairs of pajama pants, a brown jacket, a green t-shirt, and another green t-shirt that is too big for me, but I intend to alter. Oh, and two t-shirts for Dad and Colin. All for under $30. If I said things like this, I would say "I heart Goodwill". But...I don't, so "I love Goodwill and bargains!" :D
The jacket I will have to take a picture of tomorrow, because I'm going to wear it to church. I was planning on wearing it with jeans and such, but I discovered that it will also go perfectly over a dress a friend gave me some time ago. I don't wear the dress very often because it's not great colors to have near my face (brown and beige pattern on lots of off-white background) but it will work great with the jacket over it, plus it looks very Jane Austen-esque. :) Edwardian, I suppose the style would be, but "Jane Austen-esque" describes it much better.
And the black pants will have to be hemmed, because apparently pants have to be extremely long these days. (Hmm, I noticed that the tag does say "long" on it, so that explains some of the extra length, but they're still awfully long. Hello, extra 5 inches of fabric...)
Anyway, I'm very happy to have found some nice clothes at Goodwill for this fall! If it ever is fall...it's supposed to be in the 80s still this week. :( But I think that's really about right; it cools off around my birthday, but then it really starts getting cool the first week of October, in time for the fair. October is my favorite month. :)
Oh, I bought some boots on sale at Target a couple weeks ago too:
Haha, they look huge in that picture! Ah well, plenty of room if I decide to put my pants legs inside them, and they'll keep my feet warm this winter.
On the other hand, I'm going to argue that we're even because later in the week, unable to come up with the name of Lewis Carrol (as part of something we were discussing) she proceeded to quote lyrics from "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. (Because if you weren't aware, that song is, in a very trippy way, Alice in Wonderland-related. I mean, sort of...er, nevermind.) My brain being what it is, I knew what she meant, but I also got the song in my head. And let me tell you, there is nothing like getting the sound of Grace Slick shrieking "remember! what the dormouse SAID....FEED YOUR HEAD!!" on a nearly constant loop in your mind. It's still not completely gone. Which is why I say we're even, if not more so.
But, that's not what I was intending to blog about. Excuse my digression.
I was intending to blog about the fact that I have birthday money, and needed a few clothes for this fall, so I did some shopping yesterday. At Goodwill, because that's where I find most of my awesome clothes. Especially since I needed jeans. I may have mentioned this before, but it's hard to find jeans, and apparently the only ones that fit me right are expensive brands. :/ So, I get them at Goodwill instead and pay $5 rather than $50. Only problem is that it's rather hit and miss, so sometimes I find several pairs, or I might find nothing at all. I found one pair yesterday, plus a pair of black pants, two pairs of pajama pants, a brown jacket, a green t-shirt, and another green t-shirt that is too big for me, but I intend to alter. Oh, and two t-shirts for Dad and Colin. All for under $30. If I said things like this, I would say "I heart Goodwill". But...I don't, so "I love Goodwill and bargains!" :D
The jacket I will have to take a picture of tomorrow, because I'm going to wear it to church. I was planning on wearing it with jeans and such, but I discovered that it will also go perfectly over a dress a friend gave me some time ago. I don't wear the dress very often because it's not great colors to have near my face (brown and beige pattern on lots of off-white background) but it will work great with the jacket over it, plus it looks very Jane Austen-esque. :) Edwardian, I suppose the style would be, but "Jane Austen-esque" describes it much better.
And the black pants will have to be hemmed, because apparently pants have to be extremely long these days. (Hmm, I noticed that the tag does say "long" on it, so that explains some of the extra length, but they're still awfully long. Hello, extra 5 inches of fabric...)
Anyway, I'm very happy to have found some nice clothes at Goodwill for this fall! If it ever is fall...it's supposed to be in the 80s still this week. :( But I think that's really about right; it cools off around my birthday, but then it really starts getting cool the first week of October, in time for the fair. October is my favorite month. :)
Oh, I bought some boots on sale at Target a couple weeks ago too:
Haha, they look huge in that picture! Ah well, plenty of room if I decide to put my pants legs inside them, and they'll keep my feet warm this winter.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
"Even though we ain't got lyrics...
...we've got a hit with this chorus!"
Know what song should be better than it is? Danny's Song by Loggins and Messina. I mean, how obvious is it that they came up with the catchy chorus and then had to come up with verses to go with it? And failed horribly? The music is nice enough, but it sounds like they're making up the words as they go, and it ends up utterly ridiculous apart from the chorus:
"Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya, honey, and everything will bring a chain of love... And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes and tell me, everything's gonna be alright."
Sorry, I just heard the whole song for the first time today and I'm a bit disappointed. :D
Know what song should be better than it is? Danny's Song by Loggins and Messina. I mean, how obvious is it that they came up with the catchy chorus and then had to come up with verses to go with it? And failed horribly? The music is nice enough, but it sounds like they're making up the words as they go, and it ends up utterly ridiculous apart from the chorus:
"Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya, honey, and everything will bring a chain of love... And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes and tell me, everything's gonna be alright."
Sorry, I just heard the whole song for the first time today and I'm a bit disappointed. :D
Friday, September 10, 2010
Not quite
Guitar chords always make me wish I could actually play guitar.
So, on a whim I picked up a guitar and tried again, because it's been something over a year (or two, or three...) since I last gave it a shot. Well...mixed results.
Negatives:
My fingertips still don't want to cooperate and prefer to drag on all the strings and not switch chords very fast. Switching takes practice; getting my fingertips off the strings...I don't know what the answer for that is.
I still can't quite come up with an appropriate strumming rhythm.
On the plus side:
I can actually hear the sound I should be getting...muddled greatly by the awful strumming and my fingers slipping, but I can hear something, which I couldn't before.
I can't get exactly the right rhythm, but I do feel like I have a better sense of what it should be.
So I'm wondering what's changed? Perhaps listening to more folk music helped? Or dancing? As clueless as I thought I was about rhythm, something's managed to slip in and plant itself in my brain?
I was happy to find that "Down To the River To Pray" has very easy chords.
I also attempted "I Would Be Sad" and "Swept Away" by The Avett Brothers, but I think they must pick the strings, and not so much strum, because I was having a lot more trouble with those. Not to mention their sound is very unique, so I'm not sure I'd get it anyway.
So, it gave me hope that maybe five years from now or something, I might be able to finally figure out how to play. It just irks me, because it's not supposed to be hard to just play a little bit.
My fingertips are gonna hate me tomorrow.
So, on a whim I picked up a guitar and tried again, because it's been something over a year (or two, or three...) since I last gave it a shot. Well...mixed results.
Negatives:
My fingertips still don't want to cooperate and prefer to drag on all the strings and not switch chords very fast. Switching takes practice; getting my fingertips off the strings...I don't know what the answer for that is.
I still can't quite come up with an appropriate strumming rhythm.
On the plus side:
I can actually hear the sound I should be getting...muddled greatly by the awful strumming and my fingers slipping, but I can hear something, which I couldn't before.
I can't get exactly the right rhythm, but I do feel like I have a better sense of what it should be.
So I'm wondering what's changed? Perhaps listening to more folk music helped? Or dancing? As clueless as I thought I was about rhythm, something's managed to slip in and plant itself in my brain?
I was happy to find that "Down To the River To Pray" has very easy chords.
I also attempted "I Would Be Sad" and "Swept Away" by The Avett Brothers, but I think they must pick the strings, and not so much strum, because I was having a lot more trouble with those. Not to mention their sound is very unique, so I'm not sure I'd get it anyway.
So, it gave me hope that maybe five years from now or something, I might be able to finally figure out how to play. It just irks me, because it's not supposed to be hard to just play a little bit.
My fingertips are gonna hate me tomorrow.
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