10/29/08
Check back tomorrow for....
A day in the life... with ME!
I've decided to document my day tomorrow via cell-phone pics. I've got a new 2 gig card in my phone, so I can take all the pics I want to. This is an experiment. If it goes well, I might do it once a month or so, just for fun.
So, check back here, tomorrow night, for...
A Day In The Life Of Ashley!
I've decided to document my day tomorrow via cell-phone pics. I've got a new 2 gig card in my phone, so I can take all the pics I want to. This is an experiment. If it goes well, I might do it once a month or so, just for fun.
So, check back here, tomorrow night, for...
A Day In The Life Of Ashley!
10/12/08
Hey, I just realized...
I have had this blog for 4 years! I started in October of 2004, and here it is, October 2008! Wow... time flies. A lot has changed since this blog began. Hmmm....
I want to travel...
Has anyone ever been to Taiwan? I haven't either. But I've been looking at websites about it... (most not in English) and it is a gorgeous place. Look at it on Google Earth sometime.... Specifically the Nantou County (right in the middle) and the city/village of Yu Chih. It's beautiful.
Jordan, I know where I want to honeymoon.....
Jordan, I know where I want to honeymoon.....
10/11/08
Etch-A-Sketch
I was sitting in church today and there was a little boy sitting in the row in front of me. He was active, as most boys his age are, but quiet. I figured out why he was so quiet when he lifted up a red and black etch-a-sketch and began to shake it, narrowly missing his chin. These old toys are probably very familiar to any child who has spent any time in a church service. They are amazing and magical. (Unless you click on this post's title, which discloses how these wonders work)
As I was watching him try not to bonk himself in the nose with the E-Sketch, a thought occurred to me. Wouldn't it be great if life were like an etch-a-sketch?
Imagine, You're going along smoothly, life is turning out just how you wanted it to, and then you twitch the knob the wrong way... you fail a class. A quick shake erases the F forever.
Or say you decided to date the "wrong" guy or girl, and the relationship ended terribly and you just want to wipe away the memory of all the hurt and pain... with a flick of the wrist, the memory of the person fades into a film of grey dust.
Or you make the choice to buy something extra this week... one more latte, or a new pair of shoes, or a video game. But that purchase leaves your bill money dangerously low and you can't make the payments... just shake and erase the costly indulgence, and end up back where you started.
It sounds great, doesn't it? Complete control over what stays or goes. We decide what the world remembers of us. We can erase the mistakes with a simple shake.
But is it simple? Anyone who has played with an E-Sketch knows there is no erasing without erasing the whole thing and starting over. Even if you try to be gentle and just tap the board, just to get rid of that one little mistake, it messes up the whole picture. No matter how hard you try, erasing one mistake means erasing everything and starting from scratch.
Imagine if life were like that.
You're in your last semester of college and fail just one class. In trying to erase the F, you shake up the whole thing, and have to start college all over again...
Or with that wrong relationship. If trying to erase the memory, you smudge every relationship and have to begin again with no one...
Or with the expensive indulgence. Try to erase it so the money appears back in your bank account, and you wipe away all your earnings and savings with a flick of your wrist. You have nothing...
What if God treated us like an etch-a-sketch? Each time we sin, He erases us from existence, with no hope. I imagine that would be rather frustrating, just like when we shake an etch-a-sketch and have to start all over. Pretty soon, all you want to do is give up. But God never gives up on us.
God has a different kind of etch-a-sketch. He erased just the mistakes with the death if His Son, Jesus. He still erases the mistakes with His love. We don't have to worry about starting over.
Isn't it wonderful that life is not like an etch-a-sketch?
As I was watching him try not to bonk himself in the nose with the E-Sketch, a thought occurred to me. Wouldn't it be great if life were like an etch-a-sketch?
Imagine, You're going along smoothly, life is turning out just how you wanted it to, and then you twitch the knob the wrong way... you fail a class. A quick shake erases the F forever.
Or say you decided to date the "wrong" guy or girl, and the relationship ended terribly and you just want to wipe away the memory of all the hurt and pain... with a flick of the wrist, the memory of the person fades into a film of grey dust.
Or you make the choice to buy something extra this week... one more latte, or a new pair of shoes, or a video game. But that purchase leaves your bill money dangerously low and you can't make the payments... just shake and erase the costly indulgence, and end up back where you started.
It sounds great, doesn't it? Complete control over what stays or goes. We decide what the world remembers of us. We can erase the mistakes with a simple shake.
But is it simple? Anyone who has played with an E-Sketch knows there is no erasing without erasing the whole thing and starting over. Even if you try to be gentle and just tap the board, just to get rid of that one little mistake, it messes up the whole picture. No matter how hard you try, erasing one mistake means erasing everything and starting from scratch.
Imagine if life were like that.
You're in your last semester of college and fail just one class. In trying to erase the F, you shake up the whole thing, and have to start college all over again...
Or with that wrong relationship. If trying to erase the memory, you smudge every relationship and have to begin again with no one...
Or with the expensive indulgence. Try to erase it so the money appears back in your bank account, and you wipe away all your earnings and savings with a flick of your wrist. You have nothing...
What if God treated us like an etch-a-sketch? Each time we sin, He erases us from existence, with no hope. I imagine that would be rather frustrating, just like when we shake an etch-a-sketch and have to start all over. Pretty soon, all you want to do is give up. But God never gives up on us.
God has a different kind of etch-a-sketch. He erased just the mistakes with the death if His Son, Jesus. He still erases the mistakes with His love. We don't have to worry about starting over.
Isn't it wonderful that life is not like an etch-a-sketch?
8/4/08
Dusty
Marked
Filled with bookmarks
And dog-ears
And highlighter
And notes
And pieces of paper
But dusty.
Loved
Read and memorized
And shared
And thought about
And pondered
And written about
But dusty.
Filled
Stories and parables
And sermons
And lessons
And mistakes
And promises fulfilled
But dusty.
Dusty
Shelved and forgotten
And passed over
And dismissed
And needed
And occasionally thought of
But dusty.
Filled with bookmarks
And dog-ears
And highlighter
And notes
And pieces of paper
But dusty.
Loved
Read and memorized
And shared
And thought about
And pondered
And written about
But dusty.
Filled
Stories and parables
And sermons
And lessons
And mistakes
And promises fulfilled
But dusty.
Dusty
Shelved and forgotten
And passed over
And dismissed
And needed
And occasionally thought of
But dusty.
Some ponderings...
Hey all,
This is a post from back in December. I was going through a low point and had a lot on my mind. This spilled out into my journal one Sabbath afternoon. I may use the concept again sometime... maybe for an actual article. Let me know what you think!
xoxo,
Ashley
It's Sabbath. Lately Sabbaths have been getting more tolerable. They were getting really hard to deal with. I was feeling like a hypocrite sitting in the pew. I felt like I didn't belong. But Jordan kept dragging me along. He sat beside me with his arm around me, gently, silently, telling me it was ok, that I was supposed to be there, it was alright. If it hadn't been for him, I don't know where I would be right now.
But I'm here now. In my room. Alone. I went to church this morning. I didn't feel uncomfortable being there. I wasn't as comfortable as I once was, but it wasn't bad. That church makes it easy to want to be there. Everyone welcomes you and greets you like it's your first time being there. Of course, that's probably because they are so old they don't remember you being there last week. But really, it's a nice place. I'm probably going to transfer my membership there within the next year or so.
But the real reason I wanted to write was because I've had something going through my mind lately that I wanted to get out and ponder.
Honestly, I don't pray. I try sometimes, and maybe it can be considered prayer, but it never really feels satisfying for me. So I don't. I know I should, and I do feel guilty about it, but for a few years now, I've started wondering, what's the point? I don't know if my prayers even go anywhere. I can't sense in any way that they were received.
Are prayers just like kites? You send them up, but they only go so far? Kites are held at the end of a string. Is that how prayers are? They are sent up, reeled out, but pulled back in when no answer immediately shows up?
Or are they like a ball? Thrown in the general direction of God only to come bouncing back down and rolling away? Or a boomerang that just circles around to hit you in the head, never going anywhere at all?
What about steam? Are prayers like steam? It floats away into invisibility, but then you never really know where it goes. Did it really go anywhere?
Or smoke. Do they just billow upwards only to hit the ceiling, leave a mark, and float back down to choke you?
Or like a tether-ball, you keep having to hit it away, but it always comes right back, with absolutely no point?
I was pondering all of this in my head on my way to a class, when it hit me. Helium balloons. Prayers are like helium balloons.
Think about it. All they want to do is go up, they are just waiting to be released. If you let them go, but still cling to the string, they can only go so far. If you keep hanging on, eventually they deflate and fall. But if you are brave enough, you can step outside, and let go. The helium balloon does the rest. All it can do is go up and up and up, like it's on a track or a path or... a string. Like it's on a string being pulled to Heaven, finally, now that you've let go of it.
Yeah, that's how prayers are. They are tugged at from heaven, waiting to be released so they can be answered. But if you don't let go, God will, and the prayer will fall, unanswered, because you couldn't give it up. You must give it up completely, give it over, before anything can be done.
I can just picture a field filled with people, each holding a balloon. Each balloon is filled with prayers and helium. All at once, they are released, and each one flies on it's path to Heaven.
Wow. Balloons. Prayers are like....balloons.
This is a post from back in December. I was going through a low point and had a lot on my mind. This spilled out into my journal one Sabbath afternoon. I may use the concept again sometime... maybe for an actual article. Let me know what you think!
xoxo,
Ashley
It's Sabbath. Lately Sabbaths have been getting more tolerable. They were getting really hard to deal with. I was feeling like a hypocrite sitting in the pew. I felt like I didn't belong. But Jordan kept dragging me along. He sat beside me with his arm around me, gently, silently, telling me it was ok, that I was supposed to be there, it was alright. If it hadn't been for him, I don't know where I would be right now.
But I'm here now. In my room. Alone. I went to church this morning. I didn't feel uncomfortable being there. I wasn't as comfortable as I once was, but it wasn't bad. That church makes it easy to want to be there. Everyone welcomes you and greets you like it's your first time being there. Of course, that's probably because they are so old they don't remember you being there last week. But really, it's a nice place. I'm probably going to transfer my membership there within the next year or so.
But the real reason I wanted to write was because I've had something going through my mind lately that I wanted to get out and ponder.
Honestly, I don't pray. I try sometimes, and maybe it can be considered prayer, but it never really feels satisfying for me. So I don't. I know I should, and I do feel guilty about it, but for a few years now, I've started wondering, what's the point? I don't know if my prayers even go anywhere. I can't sense in any way that they were received.
Are prayers just like kites? You send them up, but they only go so far? Kites are held at the end of a string. Is that how prayers are? They are sent up, reeled out, but pulled back in when no answer immediately shows up?
Or are they like a ball? Thrown in the general direction of God only to come bouncing back down and rolling away? Or a boomerang that just circles around to hit you in the head, never going anywhere at all?
What about steam? Are prayers like steam? It floats away into invisibility, but then you never really know where it goes. Did it really go anywhere?
Or smoke. Do they just billow upwards only to hit the ceiling, leave a mark, and float back down to choke you?
Or like a tether-ball, you keep having to hit it away, but it always comes right back, with absolutely no point?
I was pondering all of this in my head on my way to a class, when it hit me. Helium balloons. Prayers are like helium balloons.
Think about it. All they want to do is go up, they are just waiting to be released. If you let them go, but still cling to the string, they can only go so far. If you keep hanging on, eventually they deflate and fall. But if you are brave enough, you can step outside, and let go. The helium balloon does the rest. All it can do is go up and up and up, like it's on a track or a path or... a string. Like it's on a string being pulled to Heaven, finally, now that you've let go of it.
Yeah, that's how prayers are. They are tugged at from heaven, waiting to be released so they can be answered. But if you don't let go, God will, and the prayer will fall, unanswered, because you couldn't give it up. You must give it up completely, give it over, before anything can be done.
I can just picture a field filled with people, each holding a balloon. Each balloon is filled with prayers and helium. All at once, they are released, and each one flies on it's path to Heaven.
Wow. Balloons. Prayers are like....balloons.
4/9/08
Logan, the SkyAngel Cowboy
Grab some tissues... this will bring tears to your eyes, but a smile to your face. If only we all had the connection with God that this guy has...
3/13/08
A Wedding Adventure!
For the few people who still don't know, Jordan and I got engaged on March 2. We've now stepped into the whirlwind of wedding planning!
There is no date set yet, we haven't had time to get our calendars together. (We had a minor car accident that left me with a fractured bone in my hand and Jordan recently had his appendix out!) But we are slowly getting up to speed on planning!
We are hoping to have a small, intimate wedding here in Tennessee.
We will try to keep this updated with our progress.
Love to all!
Ashley and Jordan
There is no date set yet, we haven't had time to get our calendars together. (We had a minor car accident that left me with a fractured bone in my hand and Jordan recently had his appendix out!) But we are slowly getting up to speed on planning!
We are hoping to have a small, intimate wedding here in Tennessee.
We will try to keep this updated with our progress.
Love to all!
Ashley and Jordan
2/25/08
7.6 billion years???
I just read a news article stating that scientists have figured out how the earth will come to an end, and about how long it will be until then. Those are some pretty large numbers. According to this article, the world will be drawn magnetically into the sun, and basically vaporize. But it won't happen for another 7.6 billion years.
7.6 billion years...? I'm sorry, but when you are predicting something that far ahead, it sounds more like a not-so-educated guess than a certainty.
But, lucky for us, science says we won't be around for the vaporization, at least not the Big one. Apparently we've only got about a billion years left before the sun has completely evaporated our oceans, ponds, and rivers, and baked our sorry selves to a crisp. Well, at least I'll be long gone (one way or Another) by then.
I guess when you think that we've been here for 3.7 billion years already, it doesn't seem too impossible... oh wait, thats right. Those first 3 billion years we were just pond scum, floating around in nothing, waiting for the big bang to zap us into existance. So the .7 billion years that we've been semi-intelligent isn't that long at all.
Yeah, right.
How is it that scientists are so certain about their educated assumptions? Really, the information in that article is actually quite silly when you really think about it.
Ok, I'll grant the scientists one thing. The whole "pond scum" theory could be slightly possible. After all, Genesis 1:2 says the earth was "formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." If there was "water" there could have been "scum."
But then again, it says the earth was "empty".... I guess that turns the "pond scum" theory into... well.... scum.
What about the whole sun-swallowing-earth theory? Is our home going to turn into solar sustenance? I'm not so sure about that...
The earth was destroyed once so far. God sent the floodwaters to eliminate evil from the surface. Now, I'm pretty sure we are even more evil now than we were when Noah was around, but still, God made a promise after the water receeded.
Gen. 8:20-22 says: "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."
Never again will the earth be destroyed. I think that goes for us being solar food too.
What about that whole, ".7 billion years" of intelligent life? Well, since our Bible gives an account of history from Adam to John the Revelator, and contemporary history books can fill in the blanks, I'm not so sure we've been here for .7 billion years. That's a lot of history that's unaccounted for. Pretty fishy if you ask me.
And if we've been told that our final dwelling place, after our millenium in Heaven, is right back here, why would God allow Earth to be engulfed by the sun?
So really this article is a joke, from a Creationist Christian's point of view. It is interesting to see what other people believe, but sometimes common sense out weighs scientific evidence.
At least we'll end the same way we started. With a Big Cosmic Bang!
7.6 billion years...? I'm sorry, but when you are predicting something that far ahead, it sounds more like a not-so-educated guess than a certainty.
But, lucky for us, science says we won't be around for the vaporization, at least not the Big one. Apparently we've only got about a billion years left before the sun has completely evaporated our oceans, ponds, and rivers, and baked our sorry selves to a crisp. Well, at least I'll be long gone (one way or Another) by then.
I guess when you think that we've been here for 3.7 billion years already, it doesn't seem too impossible... oh wait, thats right. Those first 3 billion years we were just pond scum, floating around in nothing, waiting for the big bang to zap us into existance. So the .7 billion years that we've been semi-intelligent isn't that long at all.
Yeah, right.
How is it that scientists are so certain about their educated assumptions? Really, the information in that article is actually quite silly when you really think about it.
Ok, I'll grant the scientists one thing. The whole "pond scum" theory could be slightly possible. After all, Genesis 1:2 says the earth was "formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." If there was "water" there could have been "scum."
But then again, it says the earth was "empty".... I guess that turns the "pond scum" theory into... well.... scum.
What about the whole sun-swallowing-earth theory? Is our home going to turn into solar sustenance? I'm not so sure about that...
The earth was destroyed once so far. God sent the floodwaters to eliminate evil from the surface. Now, I'm pretty sure we are even more evil now than we were when Noah was around, but still, God made a promise after the water receeded.
Gen. 8:20-22 says: "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."
Never again will the earth be destroyed. I think that goes for us being solar food too.
What about that whole, ".7 billion years" of intelligent life? Well, since our Bible gives an account of history from Adam to John the Revelator, and contemporary history books can fill in the blanks, I'm not so sure we've been here for .7 billion years. That's a lot of history that's unaccounted for. Pretty fishy if you ask me.
And if we've been told that our final dwelling place, after our millenium in Heaven, is right back here, why would God allow Earth to be engulfed by the sun?
So really this article is a joke, from a Creationist Christian's point of view. It is interesting to see what other people believe, but sometimes common sense out weighs scientific evidence.
At least we'll end the same way we started. With a Big Cosmic Bang!
2/20/08
Heaven in a cup
Its Wednesday, "hump day." I'm in my room, with an brain freeze. The Heaven In A Cup slushie from KR's has given me pains in my head. Blasted slushie. And yet I still drink it. What stupid creatures we are, eh? Something hurts, we know what is causing the pain, and yet we keep doing it. Habit? Nature? Addiction? I'm not sure what it is... probably just stupidity.
Mid-terms start next week. Booo. bah. curses! Mid-terms are not fun, but they are something every college student must endure. An hour, no, 50 minutes, to recall everything you've learned over the last quarter, and then walk out knowing your future GPA is at stake.
Some mid-terms aren't bad. The ones that teachers give study guides for are nice.... if you use the guide. (Of course I do. Cause the ones who prepare me often know I need the preparation.)
But Mid-terms mean one good thing. Spring break is 9 days away! In 9 days I will be in a car with some of my closest friends, heading for Myrtle Beach, SC for 4 days. The Beach! Oh how I have missed the beach! The 5 of us pooled (splurged) on a hotel room for the 4 days. Beach front. Hot tub. REAL TV! hahaha Being a college student in an Adventist school and dorm makes you really appreciate the little things. Like TV. Bathtub showers. Heck, baths! big beds (even if you have to share). Chicken. you know, the little things that Adventist education (and most secular education) deprives you of for the sake of... well.... you're best interest, I think.
Maybe I'll get to sleep in! Oooh, what a thought that is!
So tonight is the lunar eclipse. 10:26pm is the best time to see it, or so I've heard. Let's home it's not cloudy, which it probably will be as it's already cloudy and is supposed to rain tomorrow. Buckets. Cats and dogs. Torrents. (ok, 2 inches is predicted... is that really torrents?) But anyways. I wanna see the eclipse, so it had better clear just for me. Yes, just for me.
Looking back, this blog doesn't really seem the happiest. I don't understand that. I guess I'm just feeling a bit melancholy. Oh well.
Must go take pictures. More musings later perhaps.
Mid-terms start next week. Booo. bah. curses! Mid-terms are not fun, but they are something every college student must endure. An hour, no, 50 minutes, to recall everything you've learned over the last quarter, and then walk out knowing your future GPA is at stake.
Some mid-terms aren't bad. The ones that teachers give study guides for are nice.... if you use the guide. (Of course I do. Cause the ones who prepare me often know I need the preparation.)
But Mid-terms mean one good thing. Spring break is 9 days away! In 9 days I will be in a car with some of my closest friends, heading for Myrtle Beach, SC for 4 days. The Beach! Oh how I have missed the beach! The 5 of us pooled (splurged) on a hotel room for the 4 days. Beach front. Hot tub. REAL TV! hahaha Being a college student in an Adventist school and dorm makes you really appreciate the little things. Like TV. Bathtub showers. Heck, baths! big beds (even if you have to share). Chicken. you know, the little things that Adventist education (and most secular education) deprives you of for the sake of... well.... you're best interest, I think.
Maybe I'll get to sleep in! Oooh, what a thought that is!
So tonight is the lunar eclipse. 10:26pm is the best time to see it, or so I've heard. Let's home it's not cloudy, which it probably will be as it's already cloudy and is supposed to rain tomorrow. Buckets. Cats and dogs. Torrents. (ok, 2 inches is predicted... is that really torrents?) But anyways. I wanna see the eclipse, so it had better clear just for me. Yes, just for me.
Looking back, this blog doesn't really seem the happiest. I don't understand that. I guess I'm just feeling a bit melancholy. Oh well.
Must go take pictures. More musings later perhaps.
2/6/08
safety invaded
Why do I feel edgy and uncomfortable in an environment I'm so used to? And for no visible reason?
There's an older gentleman on campus who threatened a girl a couple weeks ago on the Greenway. It got the girls dorm semi-locked down, setting off the building's alert system with a description of the guy and warning the girls to not go anywhere alone. The police were called, but as far as I know, nothing was done. I guess they think he's bi-polar.
Tonight, as I walked into Brock with Jordan, we were told the guy was on campus again and had been spotted IN Brock! Apparently he is wearing tan pants and a plaid shirt.
None of us in the Mac Lab tonight have actually seen this guy, but now we are checking around every corner and fearful of leaving the building alone. But we personally have not seen him. So why are we scared?
I walk these halls every day. I know every classroom. I know most of the people who are here right now, and if I don't know them, I still see them every day.
But someone has invaded the safeness of my little world. And it's put me on edge. I don't like it.
There's an older gentleman on campus who threatened a girl a couple weeks ago on the Greenway. It got the girls dorm semi-locked down, setting off the building's alert system with a description of the guy and warning the girls to not go anywhere alone. The police were called, but as far as I know, nothing was done. I guess they think he's bi-polar.
Tonight, as I walked into Brock with Jordan, we were told the guy was on campus again and had been spotted IN Brock! Apparently he is wearing tan pants and a plaid shirt.
None of us in the Mac Lab tonight have actually seen this guy, but now we are checking around every corner and fearful of leaving the building alone. But we personally have not seen him. So why are we scared?
I walk these halls every day. I know every classroom. I know most of the people who are here right now, and if I don't know them, I still see them every day.
But someone has invaded the safeness of my little world. And it's put me on edge. I don't like it.
11/12/07
I learned...
This weekend was one of discovery. Allow me to share...
After waking up a little late for church, and realizing that the pants I wanted to wear had not been ironed yet, I went in search of the ironing board and iron that can usually be found in the kitchenette. The board was there, the iron was not. So I had to either go to church wearing pants that looked like they had dried tied in a knot, or, find some other way of ironing them. Dilemma! But, I figured something out. My hair straightener works to iron clothes! Who would'a thunk it? Yep, I learned that a hair straightener can be used as an iron.
After church, while we were sitting at potluck, I learned something else! There were two little girls playing by the wall behind us. Keith was sitting across from me and saw them. He decided to try something. So he pulled out his pen/flashlight/laser-pointer and pointed it at the wall next to where the girls were playing. Sure enough, it worked. Like cats they started climbing the walls after the little red light. So, when you have a room full of adults, and two little girls, you can use a laser pointer to entertain everybody!!!
See, a day full of lessons that I will take with me for years to come.
After waking up a little late for church, and realizing that the pants I wanted to wear had not been ironed yet, I went in search of the ironing board and iron that can usually be found in the kitchenette. The board was there, the iron was not. So I had to either go to church wearing pants that looked like they had dried tied in a knot, or, find some other way of ironing them. Dilemma! But, I figured something out. My hair straightener works to iron clothes! Who would'a thunk it? Yep, I learned that a hair straightener can be used as an iron.
After church, while we were sitting at potluck, I learned something else! There were two little girls playing by the wall behind us. Keith was sitting across from me and saw them. He decided to try something. So he pulled out his pen/flashlight/laser-pointer and pointed it at the wall next to where the girls were playing. Sure enough, it worked. Like cats they started climbing the walls after the little red light. So, when you have a room full of adults, and two little girls, you can use a laser pointer to entertain everybody!!!
See, a day full of lessons that I will take with me for years to come.
11/8/07
Starbucks
I'm sitting in Starbucks right now. It is 10:37 in the morning on a Thursday. There are a lot of people here.
Across from me there is a young man with three or four rings on his hands. He's drinking something hot and studying for one of his classes. He steps outside for a smoke every now and then.
Next to him are two women and a little boy. One is his Mom, the other might be his aunt. They each have a hot drink, lattes I think. They got him a little hot chocolate. I think he's asleep now.
Next to them are some abandoned newspapers left by the gentleman who isn't sitting there any more.
On my right there are three older people. Two gentlemen and a lady. They are looking at something on a laptop, but I can't tell what it is. It must be interesting though, they are looking really closely and talking and pointing.
Behind them are three women sitting at a table. Two came late. I can't tell what they are talking about, but all three are dressed very business like, but quite fashionable. They all have dangly earrings and bracelets and they are all wearing pointy heels. One ordered the pumpkin spice latte, and when she tasted it, she exclaimed “Oh my God, it tastes like pumpkin pie!” I guess she didn't expect it.
Behind me I hear a shuffling of newspapers. An older gentleman is sipping on his coffee and looking at the business section. Or is it sports. Maybe he's interested in lifestyles. I bet he's looking for someplace to take his wife tonight. It's probably their 30th anniversary or her birthday or something. I bet she's at work right now, and has no idea he's planning something for her. I bet he'll pick her up at work with a bouquet of 30 flowers. Or maybe he's just reading the headlines...
A large group just walked in. They are all wearing white shirts and black pants and black-and-white-striped aprons that come down below their knees. It looks like their boss is treating them to coffee for a job well done. He is in a black suit. They are probably caterers. They have that air of high-end food about them. One tab, he said. There are about 12 people there. One tab. There are five women and five women, plus the boss. Did I count right? One is standing in front of me waiting for his drink and looking at the CDs. His pants are Dickies. The girl in all black has a big, silver belt buckle that she keeps hooking her thumbs over. She's with one of the guys, they just put their arms around each other. They all have a little black book in the pocket of their aprons, some on the left, some on the right. Some of these guys seem really young, other seem very experienced. They are “heading back to the operation” the boss says. They have their “goodies” so it's time to go. Just like that they leave, and it's somewhat quiet again.
The store is already decorated like Christmas here. They have a wreath in the window. All of their Christmas themed merchandise is on the shelves, red, green, white, snow flaked, candy-caned. The CD rack holds Christmas albums by Josh Groban and other names that I don't recognize.
My ice water is sweating on the table beside me. My coffee is not quite warm anymore.
I just heard the older people beside me mention Southern. One is talking about colleges in the area. I'm wondering what they are talking about. The couple doesn't seem too old. It looks like they are wanting to buy something. Property, houses. I don't know. They have a couple of maps out. I guess they are leaving now. Going to look at something or another.
The place seems empty now. But it's really not. I'm just here alone.
Across from me there is a young man with three or four rings on his hands. He's drinking something hot and studying for one of his classes. He steps outside for a smoke every now and then.
Next to him are two women and a little boy. One is his Mom, the other might be his aunt. They each have a hot drink, lattes I think. They got him a little hot chocolate. I think he's asleep now.
Next to them are some abandoned newspapers left by the gentleman who isn't sitting there any more.
On my right there are three older people. Two gentlemen and a lady. They are looking at something on a laptop, but I can't tell what it is. It must be interesting though, they are looking really closely and talking and pointing.
Behind them are three women sitting at a table. Two came late. I can't tell what they are talking about, but all three are dressed very business like, but quite fashionable. They all have dangly earrings and bracelets and they are all wearing pointy heels. One ordered the pumpkin spice latte, and when she tasted it, she exclaimed “Oh my God, it tastes like pumpkin pie!” I guess she didn't expect it.
Behind me I hear a shuffling of newspapers. An older gentleman is sipping on his coffee and looking at the business section. Or is it sports. Maybe he's interested in lifestyles. I bet he's looking for someplace to take his wife tonight. It's probably their 30th anniversary or her birthday or something. I bet she's at work right now, and has no idea he's planning something for her. I bet he'll pick her up at work with a bouquet of 30 flowers. Or maybe he's just reading the headlines...
A large group just walked in. They are all wearing white shirts and black pants and black-and-white-striped aprons that come down below their knees. It looks like their boss is treating them to coffee for a job well done. He is in a black suit. They are probably caterers. They have that air of high-end food about them. One tab, he said. There are about 12 people there. One tab. There are five women and five women, plus the boss. Did I count right? One is standing in front of me waiting for his drink and looking at the CDs. His pants are Dickies. The girl in all black has a big, silver belt buckle that she keeps hooking her thumbs over. She's with one of the guys, they just put their arms around each other. They all have a little black book in the pocket of their aprons, some on the left, some on the right. Some of these guys seem really young, other seem very experienced. They are “heading back to the operation” the boss says. They have their “goodies” so it's time to go. Just like that they leave, and it's somewhat quiet again.
The store is already decorated like Christmas here. They have a wreath in the window. All of their Christmas themed merchandise is on the shelves, red, green, white, snow flaked, candy-caned. The CD rack holds Christmas albums by Josh Groban and other names that I don't recognize.
My ice water is sweating on the table beside me. My coffee is not quite warm anymore.
I just heard the older people beside me mention Southern. One is talking about colleges in the area. I'm wondering what they are talking about. The couple doesn't seem too old. It looks like they are wanting to buy something. Property, houses. I don't know. They have a couple of maps out. I guess they are leaving now. Going to look at something or another.
The place seems empty now. But it's really not. I'm just here alone.
11/5/07
Wind-blown Color
I was sitting down by the elementary school yesterday afternoon, taking some pictures. The leaves on the tree over my head were orange, yellow, and almost-green. The leaves under my feet were mostly orange and crunchy.
When the breeze blew, the leaves on the ground would rustle and move a little. Leaves fell from the tree over my head, swirling around me. And the leaves on the pavement in front of me scuttled and rattled across the black top as the wind blew them in every different direction.
The wind hummed low in my ears, and caused the leaves all around me to rattle and hiss. They sounded like a rain stick.
The time I spent under that tree brought me back home in a way. The foliage at home far outshines the colors here. Here, most of the time we just go from green to brown. Not much orange or red in between. But under this tree, it was orange. It was a taste of what I've been missing.
When I caught the leaves in my camera, the colors that I saw just popped. The oranges were brighter, and reds were redder, the yellows were sunnier. Everything just seemed to glow through my lens, making me feel almost as if I'd stepped out of my world and into one of much more color.
The breeze that swirled around me must have carried me off somewhere with color and sun.
And then I noticed the trunk of the tree I was leaning on. It was actually pretty ugly, knotted and gnarly with lichen growing haphazardly here and there in ugly white spots. There was nothing especially spectacular about the trunk. Until I noticed something move.
A bright red lady bug was making his or her way up the trunk on the most ugly side of the tree. The stark contrast between the rough and grey bark and this smooth red bug was beautiful. That bug just crawled over whatever bumps or crevasses he came to. He didn't let anything stop his ascent. When the breeze blew too hard against him, he just hunkered down and clung with all his might to the bark.
More color in a drab situation. More color. Maybe that is what I need. More color.
See A Developing Story for a picture picture.
When the breeze blew, the leaves on the ground would rustle and move a little. Leaves fell from the tree over my head, swirling around me. And the leaves on the pavement in front of me scuttled and rattled across the black top as the wind blew them in every different direction.
The wind hummed low in my ears, and caused the leaves all around me to rattle and hiss. They sounded like a rain stick.
The time I spent under that tree brought me back home in a way. The foliage at home far outshines the colors here. Here, most of the time we just go from green to brown. Not much orange or red in between. But under this tree, it was orange. It was a taste of what I've been missing.
When I caught the leaves in my camera, the colors that I saw just popped. The oranges were brighter, and reds were redder, the yellows were sunnier. Everything just seemed to glow through my lens, making me feel almost as if I'd stepped out of my world and into one of much more color.
The breeze that swirled around me must have carried me off somewhere with color and sun.
And then I noticed the trunk of the tree I was leaning on. It was actually pretty ugly, knotted and gnarly with lichen growing haphazardly here and there in ugly white spots. There was nothing especially spectacular about the trunk. Until I noticed something move.
A bright red lady bug was making his or her way up the trunk on the most ugly side of the tree. The stark contrast between the rough and grey bark and this smooth red bug was beautiful. That bug just crawled over whatever bumps or crevasses he came to. He didn't let anything stop his ascent. When the breeze blew too hard against him, he just hunkered down and clung with all his might to the bark.
More color in a drab situation. More color. Maybe that is what I need. More color.
See A Developing Story for a picture picture.
10/31/07
feeling bloggish....
yeah, I know... two blogs in two days, almost unheard of!
So life is pretty much "normal" right now. We are almost half-way between mid-term break and Thanksgiving. I can't wait until thanksgiving!
I've been writing a piece for Columns, SAU's alumni magazine... it'll be out in the spring, so go look for it. This thing has caused me joy and grief... I'm enjoying writing it, but I'll be glad when it's finished.
Classes are trying to kick my butt.
I wanted to blog tonight... but I guess I've lost whatever it is I was going to say....
so....
goodnight
So life is pretty much "normal" right now. We are almost half-way between mid-term break and Thanksgiving. I can't wait until thanksgiving!
I've been writing a piece for Columns, SAU's alumni magazine... it'll be out in the spring, so go look for it. This thing has caused me joy and grief... I'm enjoying writing it, but I'll be glad when it's finished.
Classes are trying to kick my butt.
I wanted to blog tonight... but I guess I've lost whatever it is I was going to say....
so....
goodnight
10/30/07
The Lab
The lab is quiet. If you get past the sound of film canisters shaking and banging on the counter, it's quiet.
If you get past the sound of the dryer door opening, then slamming shut, then humming it's low-pitched, heated hum, it's quiet.
If you get past the tongs dropping on the floor in the developing room, it's quiet.
If you get past the shoes, wet from chemical drippings, squeaking across the floor, it's quiet.
If you get past the print dryer rollers constantly spinning like tires on pavement and it's occasional pop, it's quiet.
If you get past the trickle of water in the print room, it's quiet.
If you get past the students coming to the door asking for the personal opinion you can't give them, it's quiet.
If you get past the friends who crowd in and take up room in the print room while laughing obnoxiously at not-funny jokes, it's quiet.
If you get past the noise, it's quiet.
Tonight the lab is quiet. More quiet than usual. There have only been three people here so far. And none have been here at the same time.
One girl wanted to develop her negative. They didn't come out, so she left disappointed.
One guy wants to try a sepia print. So I mixed the chemicals, cause the entire first floor of Brock to smell like rotten eggs (as this is what sepia toner smells like) and set them out for him. He said he only wanted to do one print.
Another guy came in looking for film. He said he had run out. I don't know how that could be. Everyone got the same number of rolls. He should still have five rolls or so. But he's out. I don't know what to do, so I passed him off to Ruf. He'll fix it.
Now it's quiet again. I think I'm alone again.
I hear the trickle. The hum. The pop. They echo in my ears, and soon I don't know if I hear noise or silence. It's in the background, somewhere. Far away maybe.
The lights are bright, but I can see, so I won't complain. In the print room, the lights are yellow. They cause your eyes to feel wide open. Like you stepped into something just outside of real, but not quite.
I hear the trickle. But it's quiet.
If you get past the sound of the dryer door opening, then slamming shut, then humming it's low-pitched, heated hum, it's quiet.
If you get past the tongs dropping on the floor in the developing room, it's quiet.
If you get past the shoes, wet from chemical drippings, squeaking across the floor, it's quiet.
If you get past the print dryer rollers constantly spinning like tires on pavement and it's occasional pop, it's quiet.
If you get past the trickle of water in the print room, it's quiet.
If you get past the students coming to the door asking for the personal opinion you can't give them, it's quiet.
If you get past the friends who crowd in and take up room in the print room while laughing obnoxiously at not-funny jokes, it's quiet.
If you get past the noise, it's quiet.
Tonight the lab is quiet. More quiet than usual. There have only been three people here so far. And none have been here at the same time.
One girl wanted to develop her negative. They didn't come out, so she left disappointed.
One guy wants to try a sepia print. So I mixed the chemicals, cause the entire first floor of Brock to smell like rotten eggs (as this is what sepia toner smells like) and set them out for him. He said he only wanted to do one print.
Another guy came in looking for film. He said he had run out. I don't know how that could be. Everyone got the same number of rolls. He should still have five rolls or so. But he's out. I don't know what to do, so I passed him off to Ruf. He'll fix it.
Now it's quiet again. I think I'm alone again.
I hear the trickle. The hum. The pop. They echo in my ears, and soon I don't know if I hear noise or silence. It's in the background, somewhere. Far away maybe.
The lights are bright, but I can see, so I won't complain. In the print room, the lights are yellow. They cause your eyes to feel wide open. Like you stepped into something just outside of real, but not quite.
I hear the trickle. But it's quiet.
10/16/07
Wow...
This video was played this past weekend at a conference I went to in Nashville. This was an inspiration to me. It's edginess and message is the kind of thing I want to do. This is the kind of ministry I want to do.
I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
9/25/07
"I caught a toad!"
*This is a reprint, somewhat. I wrote this early in the summer, and just re-wrote it to turn in for a class. This is a better version.*
On one particularly sunny summer day, my sister, Sam, went outside, tired of being confined to the indoors. She went alone; everyone else was working on something or reading something or not doing something. She stepped out the door, skipped off of the porch, and disappeared around the corner of the house, running off on a grand adventure all by herself.
Not five minutes later we heard her little footsteps padding across the porch again. We couldn’t see her, as she was shorter than the window in the door, but we could hear her plea.
“Can someone open the door, please?”
The urgency in her voice brought Mom to the door. Upon looking out, she saw little Sam standing there, with her hands cupped together in front of her, shaking all over with excitement.
“What do you have?” asked Mom.
“I caught a toad!” Sam exclaimed, with a grin stretched across her face.
Sam opened her hands just a little to show Mom her prize, and sure enough, a little toad poked his head out from between her fingers. Immediately following his head, the entire toad crawled out from the confines of the little hands holding it.
Before Sam could react, the independent toad leapt from her hands to the floor of the porch. It took Sam only a moment to recover, and she bent to try to catch the toad again. Anticipating her movements, the toad hopped to a spot just beyond her reach, closer to the edge of the porch. Once there, he turned back as if to say, “Catch me if you can!”
Sam accepted the challenge, and again moved towards the toad. The toad seemed to hesitate, seemingly mulling over his options: Be caught again, or jump. Apparently, the toad decided the best option was to jump.
Just as Sam's hands came within reach, the toad took a flying leap off the edge of the porch and into the forest of ferns growing below. Sam, heartbroken, stood on the edge of the porch staring into the ferns where the toad had disappeared. She watched closely, looking for any signs that would warrant re-capture of the leggy creature, but saw nothing but ferny green.
After a few moments of mourning the loss of her latest friend, Sam recovered and ran off again, disappearing around the corner of the house.
Five minutes later we heard her little footsteps padding across the porch. We couldn’t see her, but her plea was familiar.
“Could someone open the door, please?”
On one particularly sunny summer day, my sister, Sam, went outside, tired of being confined to the indoors. She went alone; everyone else was working on something or reading something or not doing something. She stepped out the door, skipped off of the porch, and disappeared around the corner of the house, running off on a grand adventure all by herself.
Not five minutes later we heard her little footsteps padding across the porch again. We couldn’t see her, as she was shorter than the window in the door, but we could hear her plea.
“Can someone open the door, please?”
The urgency in her voice brought Mom to the door. Upon looking out, she saw little Sam standing there, with her hands cupped together in front of her, shaking all over with excitement.
“What do you have?” asked Mom.
“I caught a toad!” Sam exclaimed, with a grin stretched across her face.
Sam opened her hands just a little to show Mom her prize, and sure enough, a little toad poked his head out from between her fingers. Immediately following his head, the entire toad crawled out from the confines of the little hands holding it.
Before Sam could react, the independent toad leapt from her hands to the floor of the porch. It took Sam only a moment to recover, and she bent to try to catch the toad again. Anticipating her movements, the toad hopped to a spot just beyond her reach, closer to the edge of the porch. Once there, he turned back as if to say, “Catch me if you can!”
Sam accepted the challenge, and again moved towards the toad. The toad seemed to hesitate, seemingly mulling over his options: Be caught again, or jump. Apparently, the toad decided the best option was to jump.
Just as Sam's hands came within reach, the toad took a flying leap off the edge of the porch and into the forest of ferns growing below. Sam, heartbroken, stood on the edge of the porch staring into the ferns where the toad had disappeared. She watched closely, looking for any signs that would warrant re-capture of the leggy creature, but saw nothing but ferny green.
After a few moments of mourning the loss of her latest friend, Sam recovered and ran off again, disappearing around the corner of the house.
Five minutes later we heard her little footsteps padding across the porch. We couldn’t see her, but her plea was familiar.
“Could someone open the door, please?”
8/2/07
kinda bored...
| What Your Favorite Color Green Says About You: |
 Balanced --- Relaxed --- Flexible Compassionate --- Philosophical --- Humble Loyal --- Inventive --- Unique |
| Your Personality Cluster is Extraverted Intuition |
 You are: A true wordsmith - a master of words Original, spontaneous, and a true inspiration Highly energetic, up for any challenge Entertaining and engaging, both to friends and strangers |
| Your Makeup Look Is |
 Dramatic Eyes with Naked Lips You rock an edgy, modern look with feminine grace |
| Your Quirk Factor: 23% |
 You have a few little quirks, but you generally blend in well with society. Only those who know you well know how weird you can be. |
| You Are a Cappuccino |
 You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please |
| You Can Hang With the Guys and the Girls |
 You've struck a good balance between girlie and laid back. You can keep it casual but when you dress up, you are as girly as the next girl. |
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