Need For Speed

Well, my house is still standing.

Last night was Punky's birthday party, and we had his school friends and their parents over to our (very small) house for cake and queso and pizza pockets. There were 13 kids all crammed into Punky's room, and the room was literally pulsating with the kinetic mayhem that resulted from sugar, adrenaline, and the delirousness that happens naturally after a week of being cooped up in school. Dana and Elisabeth were jumping up and down. Quintyn and Turner were running and sliding into the walls in their socks, taking full advantage of the hardwood floors. Christian, Dylan, and Brandon played with cars in the corner. Colette and a few others systematically popped every single balloon with tacks. It was great. After much cake and 4 dozen pizza pockets, they all went outside and rode their bikes while the parents gathered around our fire pit and attempted to police the bike carnage. Then the girls left, and the boys were invited to spend the night, 5 boys in all including Punky, because Turner decided to go home after Quintyn hit him on the head with a golf ball.

The slumber party was a milestone. It was Punky's first slumber party, and for several of these boys, the first time they've ever spent the night with someone other than Grandma. I thoroughly enjoyed being a fly on the wall. Their little conversations were priceless:

Punky: Brandon! You broke the hydraulics off of my car! Why'd you do that?
Brandon: I'm sorry... it was a accident. I didn't mean to.

They were silent for a bit while they continued crashing cars, and then:

Brandon: Punky, am I still your best friend in the world, even if I broke your car?
Punky: Of course... how could you even ask that? You're my best friend ever.

Brandon is in the second grade, and Punky is the oldest in the 3rd grade, so there is almost a 2-year age difference between them. Brandon is very small, and is very much like Piglet: meek, cute, fearful. But Punky has always been very kind to younger kids, and is not much of a rough-and-tumble boy like some of the others in his class, so I am sure this is why the two of them get on so well. We laid out pallets for them in the living room and turned off the lights and put "Robotz" in the DVD player, and Brandon snuggled up to Punky like a baby brother and went to sleep. Precious.

I think they went to sleep around 12:30, after lots of giggling and fart noises and butt jokes and other random boy stuff, and then, as if someone flipped a switch, they were all instantly awake and jumping again at 6:30 am. No coffee necessary with these boys. I got up to make my coffee when I heard them, and the moment they saw me, one of them asked, "Can we go outside and ride our bikes?" It was 6:30 am and cold outside and they hadn't been awake 5 minutes. I told them to wait until after pancakes, and at that, I think collectively they ate 6 bites and were dressed and out the door, where they played on their bikes and in the dust with cars, until their parents came at noon.

I am so happy to see Punky outside with friends. We isolated him so much last year, and while he did okay with the homeschool/new church/no friends thing, I always felt lonely for him. He is a very social person, more so than me or David...no, rather, he hasn't yet been scarred for life by the cruelty of his peers, thus causing him to retreat into the hermitlike existence we have come to seek. There is such innocence in his relating to others. It's all out there, take it or leave it, with nothing to hide and no innate need to do so. I am learning from him to come back out of my shell and to be human and to not run from human contact. Typically, I do not want to be friends; Punky craves new friends and will talk to (and accept) anyone he happens to meet. I avoid eye contact unless absolutely necessary. He will walk all the way across Walmart to say hi to a random church member he spots while I am ducking behind the canned goods hoping no one will see me. I'm such a psycho. It's not that I think myself better than anyone, or that I don't like people... I've just gotten so used to hiding, protecting, cocooning, that it's habit.

So these birthday parties are good for me, because it forces me to open my home and my heart to people I really don't know very well, and to spend time with them simply because our kids are friends, and to learn that other people aren't really so scary after all, and that making small talk isn't really that bad. It's good to watch my son with his friends, because it reminds me of my kid self before things went bad, and how playing, dreaming, exploring, and observing in the presence of friends is a really beautiful thing.

A Picture Share!

A four-year-old after my own heart.

A Picture Share!

Writing is life.

Phrases I Am Sick Of

"In the wake of"
"Don't hate, appreciate"
"storm-ravaged areas"
"oil for food"
"bird flu"
"Forewarn Stormteam Chief Meteorologist Jennifer Broom"
"extra value meal"
"basal cell carcinoma"
"no more late fees"
"I need to return this"
"I need to speak to your manager"
"Inspiral Carpets"
"your truth is whatever you want it to be"
"cedar season"
"there is no safe cigarette"
"I'm down on my knees, I'm begging you please"
"the desperately needy country of Mauritania"
"ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies"
"git'r done"

A Picture Share!

The result of a halloween costume gone horribly wrong...

A Picture Share!

I went as scully for our costume party tonite... Wasn't much of a stretch really...Just me in a black suit with an fbi badge!

Patience

We have been in this house for nearly a month now, and I still feel like we haven't moved in. Of course, this place is just a temporary stopping-place, and we will be moving into our more permanent residence in about 6 months, but I just hate the unfinished business of boxes and endless searching for that random item that I haven't needed in 3 years but just happen to need today. I hate boxes! My life has become solely about endless mounds of corrugated madness and everything therein for the past month or so. At home I'm tripping over them, have no place to put them, really don't want to unpack much more because I'm just going to have to pack them back up again very soon. At work, Daddy Warbucks brings trailers full of them, and they stack up and I'm tripping over them there, and just when we have unpacked the last box, he shows up with more. And then Friday night I was at work until 9:00 pm packing up infinite numbers of books into boxes. I am so very sick of cardboard.

But it's okay, really... cardboard has come to mean transition, change, growth and expansion. It's a mirror of my internal self: unpacking certain items, truths, that have been long since forgotten or hidden away, and boxing up or discarding old pieces that no longer have use or relevance. Compartmentalizing certain areas -- "No, I can't get into that box now. There's no place to put all that stuff. There will be time for that later..." -- putting some things on hold knowing that God can take better care of them than I at this point.

I'm trying to be patient with all the unfinished business around and inside of me. I am exactly one-half neat freak and one-half pack rat, depending on the mood I'm in. I like to carry stuff around, but only for so long, and then it starts to drive me nuts and I toss it. So as I'm tripping over things in my house and getting irritated and wanting to do crazy things with the boxes that just don't fit anywhere right now (can I just throw away the box that has my china in it? There's nowhere to put it for the next 6 months! Oh, wait, I like my china.), I'm trying to have patience and not let the neat freak freak out too much, trying to remember that it's just a season, we're in transition, and soon we will have a large place in which to spread out and unpack all that stuff. Maybe not today, and maybe it's okay for stuff to look messy and unkempt... there's a process behind the mess. My neat freak self will just have to let go and live in the process instead of trying to control it.

But come April, I never want to see another box again.

drink

I love autumn. I am so happy that the air is just a bit crisper, that it's time for pumpkin muffins and spicy flavored coffee, for less time inside and more time spent soaking up the quiet of the moment surrounded by nature and God.

When it begins to show little hints of autumn outside, I instinctively want to get a little quieter in my soul, go more inward, listen more, talk less; take in instead of dole out... the world could probably use a little less of my opinions anyway. It is so hard to find the time to actually go there these days, and my pursuit of quiet must be purposeful or the opportunity will be missed. The change in seasons creates the desire for change in me, and the choice is mine whether or not to follow through.

I have been in such a season of hustle and bustle and urgency over things that just really don't matter much. I have not been able to really create (to rest, to dream, to try) in so long that I think I have forgotten how. But I am feeling the pull, the call to come away and be and do what I was created to do; in the image of my Creator, I was created to create. And I am not fulfilled when I am not doing what I was created to do... and how easily I forget this truth. I don't want to live a flat, stale, one-dimensional life spent in pursuit of comfort and status-quo-middle-class existence, because it becomes just that: existence, not living.

But why is it so hard? Why do I have to be so vigilant to keep the focus? Why do I have to try so hard to stay awake and not fall into the slumber of the mundane, everyday existence? I don't need fireworks, I just want to live and breathe and know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, learning what I'm supposed to be learning, listening instead of glazing over. Time is so short. I just don't want to miss it...

Anne Lamott is my hero.

I was snooping around and found this 2003 article on Anne.

I'm even more intrigued in her knowing now that she loves Joyce Meyer.

What a nut! I love her. I want to be like Anne Lamott when I grow up.

Jack?

From annerice.com

NOTES FROM ANNE ON CHRIST THE LORD: Out of Egypt

"Dear Ones --- As many of you know, my new novel will be published in about a month. I've not said very much on this because perhaps there is so much to say. But let me make a few introductory remarks now. Christ the Lord -- Out of Egypt is a novel about Jesus as a child, a boy of seven. And the story is told from his point of view. The research for this book has been endless and thrilling and at times confusing. I'll post more about the research, the sources in all fields, including archaeology, social history of the first century, Jewish history, Jewish law and customs, New Testament studies, etc., as time goes on. An entire bibliography of works consulted would be very simply impossible. -- What I want to say here is this: every effort has been made to make the entire world of this book accurate according to all the records we possess. This is the Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, celebrated by angels, visited by shepherds, and the Magi. This is the Christ of the four gospels in whom I believe. -- In a way, the novel is the story of Christmas told in a new way -- from the point of view of Jesus Himself when he is old enough to start talking seriously about the mysteries surrounding His birth. --- My life has led to this book.

Love, Anne."

(Thanks to Shane for the heads up.)

So, wow. That's amazing. What's even more amazing is that she posted Brian McLaren's review of her new book on her site. That's the weirdest collision of worlds, like, ever.

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out... Whether it will be a huge "Last Temptation of Christ"/"DaVinci Code" type controversy or if people will actually be open to what the book says. It apparently opens with the apocryphal story of Jesus as a boy killing a playmate just to see if he could resurrect him, so right away it's not based on canonist Scripture and leaves a lot of room for fanciness, but we'll see, now, won't we?

A Picture Share!

At the corn maze..

mom, can i go outside?

can you see me, mom?

fruity monster

I am tired.

Yesterday I worked a 12-hour shift. Not by choice, mind you, but oh well... I guess I made up for the day I was sick last week.

Daddy warbucks came down for the weekly visit, and ended up pulling a gazillion books right at 5:00. Susan and I ended up having to box them all up and get them ready to go, which we finished doing at 8:45. eeejole.

Oh well.

Today we are taking the youth to the Hondo Corn Maze today. Should be fun, although my homebody self is longing to stay here and do all the laundry I have to do. It's become a mountain. I feel like we've just sort of moved in, but not completely, and I hate the unfinished aspect of it all. Of course, I never have enough of a block of time to actually finish any project these days, and it really irritates me. By the time I finally finish getting settled here in this house, we're going to be moving again. I'm trying not to think about it.

I still have yet to think about Halloween. I need to find a costume for myself and for Punkster. He wants to be a cop. That should be easy. I don't know what I'll do. We're having a "We Don't Celebrate Halloween" party for the youth, and then we're going trick-or-treating in David's sister's neighborhood on the 31st. With two opportunities to dress up as something, it should be fun, but I am clueless as to what to do. Maybe I should go as a Compass employee.

Actually, we at the Compass are having a big Narnia day in December right before the movie opens, and we're all going to dress up as Narnia people. I think CJ needs to come back and be Susan Pevensie. CJ is Susan. :) I want to be a Dryad.

See? Narnia is becoming my own personal Star Wars. I can become a total geek and stand in line for a month at the theater in costume! Cool! New hobby!

Oh yeah, I don't have time. I forgot.

Okay. Must go make coffee. Again.

Straight out of the X-files

I just read an article at Salon.com about the soldier of the future, who will be aided by nanotechnology and turned into, in essence, a supersoldier. Whoa...

"Based simply on the projects posted for public consumption, the ISN is busy creating a soldier of the future who will be protected by an impregnable exoskeleton. This 21st century armor will also impart superhuman strength, reflexes and endurance. It will sense its environment with molecular precision and administer chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other potions directly to the human inside based on pre-programmed stimuli or other command and control signals (global satellite phone link to headquarters ... a battle computer in geosynchronous orbit ... HAL?). It kind of makes one long for the old 'mineshaft gap' of the Cold War."

Ugly

This is the beast that tried to attack us on our hike.

Disco

I have found aural heaven, and it is XM.

So I went to Target yesterday to use my birthday money to get more clothes. I actually found pants that fit me, which is unusual because Target pants are made for girls with no hips and I definitely have hips. So I was about to buy said pants when I impulsively stopped by the electronics department. I found a XM Roady2 receiver for $49 and instantly forgot about the pants!

Today I activated my receiver, and when I got home I installed it in my car. I was pretty proud of myself... I ran the wires all by myself, which required running antenna wire under the weather stripping and through the trunk and under the carpet and such. Now I'm all XM'd! There are so many good channels I can't stand it. O, the sheer bliss! O, the ecstasy! I don't have to listen to San Antonio crap radio anymore!!

I met a female FBI agent yesterday. She came in the store. She rekindled my FBI pipe dream... after talking to her, it doesn't sound as impossible as before. Maybe there's still a chance. Maybe I'm stupid, too. That's entirely possible. But I guess I owe it to myself to at least check it out, right? I just want one of those cool FBI flashlights... is that so wrong?

Guess I better get to running again. I'm all out of shape and stuff.

There is absolutely no good TV. I've resorted to watching Sex In The City reruns on WB. We don't have our satellite hooked up yet, so all we get clearly is WB. The only good thing about that is that they are showing Season 1 of 24 on Saturdays, and it's been awesome to watch Season 1 again. There's so much I don't remember! I do remember Kim being stupid, but I had totally forgotten about the other stupid CTU girl who looks like she's wearing a wig.

I need to get a life. Oh yeah, I don't have time.

Ok, must go do dishes now. I've been putting them off. We moved into a house without a dishwasher [sob] and now it sucks to do dishes.

Goodbye, cruel world.

CJ and Jeff, stop fighting over my blog.

:)

I have exactly 10 minutes before I have to get ready for our gig.

We're playing at Fralo's in Leon Springs tonight. I hope my friends make it. That will be fun.

I went hiking today. Got stung by a bee. Ticked off a tarantula. He ran towards me with his butt in the air. All I did was take a picture of him. Geez... Not a good day for nature. Apparently nature was in a bad mood. Didn't get enough coffee or something.

So okay. now I must go shower.

Birthday

My lands, has it really been 6 months since my last post? No wonder people keep calling to poke me with a proverbial stick to see if I'm alive.

I have been in a season of sheer insanity. Working full time retail (I'm now managing the Compass... yikes), of course all the while still trying to maintain a full time job as mom and wife, and then working with the youth at church and attempting to play LJG gigs from time to time. Oh, and in the midst of it all, we've just moved. Just finally got settled (sort of) in Boerne, where we're still tripping over boxes but fully enjoying the life of city dwellers -- first time in 10 years that we've actually had modern conveniences like pizza delivery and a corner store within rock-throwing distance from the house.

And we did away with our phone at home at the old house the last three months we were there. Initially we got rid of it because we were finally able to get DSL, so we no longer needed the land line (we've gone almost exclusively cellular) for anything. And then we found out we had to move, and so I've been without internet for a long, long time.

It's been really great, though... I have spent my (miniscule) free time reading. I have discovered some really amazing books that have revolutionized my world and have thus inspired me to write again. This summer I read "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller, and while I was, as usual, late to the party concerning my discovery of Donald Miller, it came at just the right time.

I just finished Anne Lamott's "Traveling Mercies," and I have decided that I have found my favorite writer in Lamott. Reading her book was like a cool drink of water for me. I was inspired by her journey, her real-ness, her view of God that sometimes makes me wince a little but challenges my formulaic view of Christianity.

That's the road I'm currently on... I think God is breaking down some of the formulas, some of the "pat-ness" of my thinking, not that Truth is any less Truth, but I think that I have been taught to believe in a very small God, one who we have tried to fit in a tidy little box because it's easier for us to manage, and He doesn't fit in a tidy little box at all. I am learning how big and other He is, His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts, and while it blows my mind, it is comforting to let go and to surrender to this huge Other and know that I don't necessarily have to figure Him out. And the beauty of that is that it opens me up to find Him in lots of new places, to not be limited to my usual American conservative right-wing consumer-driven perspective, but to be more open to the fact that He is not limited to my narrowness. There is so much more of Him to find.

I will continue this track later... I have to go to work. I'm 33 today. Wow. Maybe I'll get a muffin.

House of Duchovny

Just got home. David and I went and saw "House of D" at the Bijou in SA. The venue was very cool... I can't believe we've never been there! It's truly a best kept secret. No one was there, and we had a great time soaking in the art and the experience. I didn't feel like I was in San Antonio for a brief moment, which means something pretty significant.

Anyway, I'll post a full review tomorrow, because right now I'm tired and drunk on the emotion of the movie and can't be as objective as I should be. But wow. It was great. It had it all... I laughed because Duchovny's familiar wit was ever-present, and that's just so endearing to me... but I cried too because it's a sweetly melancholic story. I loved it. Definitely go see it. It was innocent and beautiful.

So I got my hair all cut off today. It was strangely liberating, especially since I woke up every hour last night freaking out about whether or not I really wanted to chop it. My friend Cat cut it... she did great. I love it, and most importantly, David does too. He's not one of those, "You-can-never-cut-your-hair" guys, and he agreed it was a nice change.

I'm listening to "White Ladder" for the first time in 2 years... I was totally addicted to that record and finally had to put it away because it was getting out of hand. But I guess the last copy I owned was the UK version that didn't include "Nightblindness, " because I can't remember it being part of the one I owned. Can't remember what was in its place though. But omigosh, what a great record. It is still at the top of my list as one of my Desert Island Discs.

Okay, I must sleep now, lest I drown in all this inspiration and art.

I will blog more after I run in the morning.

Love and sausages.

dreadfully busy

Hello. Thank you. I have been exceedingly bad at blogging lately. Smack my hiney! I have been so busy that I just realized that I hadn't spoken to my mother in 6 weeks. I'm a bad blogger, and an even worse daughter. Bad. Bad.

So, okay. Much to catch up on. I just stumbled onto David Duchovny's blog. I love him. He is fabulous. I am dying to see "house of d" and I really hope it comes to S.A. Although I would drive to Austin to see it. It looks great.

I finally cleaned out my office last night and have my Mac up and running again. Got iTunes going and, for the first time, actually bought a song (Coldplay's new one). I'm so in! Anyway, now I'm itching for an iPod. Or an iPod mini, even. I will possess the iPod. I need it for when I run, anyway.

Speaking of running, I'm up to 1.5 miles a day now. This is a big accomplishment because I've NEVER been able to run distances, ever. Flo has been my inspiration... I watched her run off 125 pounds, and I am thus empowered. My goal is to hit the 3 mile mark. That's do-able. But I must have an iPod.

So we bought a new truck (loving it!) -- a Trailblazer -- and promptly wrecked our other car Friday night. Blasted deer ran out in front of us on the way home from August E's. It did about $2500 in damage. I'll post pics in a bit. They're beautiful. We kept the deer guts on the car for evidence, plus we thought it would make a good meal later.

I am very, very sad today. Stinkin' Tivo didn't record 24!!!! What the @#*&$*%# is up with that?! It records it EVERY WEEK! And in looking at the record schedule, it is set to record next Monday night, but for some weird reason it skipped last night. We realized it at 8:45, so I hit record and got the last 15 minutes of the show. I don't have the heart to even watch. What's the point? And President Palmer (a.k.a the Allstate Man) was going to be on. I am just sick about it all. Have I told you how much I hate Dish Network? We are so ready to switch over to Direct TV.

I have to go to the store today. Ugh. I hate going to the store. I always end up running into about half of Pipe Creek when I go, and while I love my peeps, I just really don't want to stand around and talk. I want to get in and out. Therefore, I hate going to the store, because I can never just get in and out. Ugh.

I must go now. Go see House of D. Let me know how it is, you fortunate people who get to see it right now. Please. I'm dyin' here!

Word to your mom.

Alien in a capsule. Very X-Files. He talked and made weird noises. Not very X-Files. But it reminded me of the alien embryo in the jar that Scully found. 

. 

This is a Coke machine on Main. 

. 

This is a model of the alien autopsy. It came from the set of a movie and the producer donated it to the museum. 

In the UFO Museum 

More cheese. This is on Main St. 

Punkster and I at the UFO Museum... 

Roswell is so cheesy. It's great. 

The truth is here. 

24 and American idol

So I haven't blogged in awhile... I'm sitting here watching American Idol while dinner is cooking in the oven.

Bo Bice rocks. Simon Cowell sucks. He just said Bo's song sounded like something that would be sung at a wedding. No. Not true. Sometimes I think he has to dis something just to be "simon."

Omigosh... I think Paula Abdul is totally drunk. She's all spacey and slurry. Totally bombed.

I am currently downloading software that will allow me to upload pics to the blog. That way, I can share our photos from Roswell and such. Anyway, that's coming later tonight.

Jack got away really easily last night on 24. I was expecting him to at least die once or something. He didn't really even get beat up. What's up with that? I can't tell if it's because I'm watching it from week to week for the first time or what, but this season doesn't seem as riveting as the past years. Of course, when one has the luxury of watching 4 hours at a time, one gets pretty involved. It's still the best show on television.

So Dina Araz is dead... or is she? I knew she was gonna bite it when they showed her walking away from Behrooz last week, but as I was thinking about it yesterday, they didn't actually show her getting shot, which can mean anything in the world of 24.

I am loving that Michelle is back. I am not loving Chloe, though. I'm glad they brought her back, but she is annoying... all that political bickering she and Edgar are doing is stupid.

I think Michelle and Tony will end up getting back together, though. They're already softening toward one another.

They're doing a great job of making the bad guy really bad... he's been invincible so far... outwitting CTU at every turn. Jack will handle him, though.

Okay, and Audrey is starting to get on my nerves. I'm glad Chloe fronted her out about the Paul/Jack thing. She needs to make up her mind. I have a feeling, just because Jack is a tragic character, that she'll end up going with Paul. Nothing ever goes Jack's way in love and life. He can kick butt in the field, but life just sucks for Jack.

I don't know what to think about Behrooz... probably won't die, but I don't know for sure. It's a toss-up. He's the Kim of this season... young and stupid but somehow manages to survive.

Okay, I'm ready for food now. I'll blog with pics later.

Word.

Roswell

I promised Shane I would blog when I could, so I'm taking advantage of the early hour here in Roswell. I think this may be the only place that has internet while we're on our trip, but we'll be back here on Thursday night for an extended stay in Roswell.

Yesterday's drive was a breeze. I had routed our trip on Rand McNally and it gave us absolutely perfect directions, but when it calculated the mileage and how long it would take to get here, the map said it was a 10 hour drive to Roswell. We got on the road and I realized that that didn't sound right, so I calculated it myself and got 7 hours. Apparently they were calculating mileage at a speed of 52.5 miles an hour (who drives 52.5? Especially in West Texas? We were pleasantly surprised! And we gained still another hour at the border when we got into the Mountain Time Zone, so instead of getting here at 11:30 like we thought, we got here at 8! That was so great!

We had X-Files-like weather just after Pecos, TX. It was totally flat for miles... we could literally see forever. It was beautifully rugged terrain with Joshua Trees and a bed of yellow flowers on the desert floor, and we could see a band of rain showers hanging like a curtain in the distance ahead. The sunset was just behind the rain, giving it an orange-and-gray-streaked cast, each fold of the rain-curtain painted a different shade. It was absolutely gorgeous. Occasionally lightning would streak through the gray part of the curtain. It was a classic desert storm.

We got into it suddenly, and for 5 minutes drops the size of golf balls pelted the car. Then, just as suddenly, we were through the curtain and the sun was setting and the sky was clearing. We looked behind us, and the back side of the storm displayed the most beautiful rainbow we have ever seen. It was a complete arc, from the desert floor on our side of the highway, reaching all the way to the opposite side of the highway and landing on the ground over there. We could literally see the rainbow's end melting into the ground. And the colors were so vivid that each was pronounced and we could even see the indigo and violet. Just above it, another more faint rainbow hung, its colors just opposite of its companion.

We stopped to snap some quick pictures, and weren't back on the road 2 minutes when the car began to slide on what looked like sand that had been spread all across the road. I thought that the rain had washed the sand from the desert across the road in that particular spot. Then we realized that it was ice! Two inches of ice had been dumped from the clouds, and we were going 75 mph! David slid a bit and then regained control, and then, suddenly, the ice was gone, the roads were dry, and we were on our way as if the storm had never happened.

I love random acts of nature. They remind me that our Creator has a sense of humor and creativity.

Last night we got to the hotel, which has an indoor pool, and I went to look at the facilities, only to find 8-9 German men swimming, all wearing Speedos and sitting in the hot tub together. No. That was not necessary. That's a random act of nature I really could do without.

I'm looking forward to seeing Roswell in the daylight. We'll leave here around 10 and head north to the mountains. I can't wait.

Meow

I am going hiking today, hooray, hooray. I have skipped many workouts this week, and I don't like myself very much for it. I ran monday, lifted weights on Tuesday, and then I don't know what happened, but I just never got around to it again. And I was so proud of myself... I actually ran and completed my workout exactly as i planned. Cool.

So I figure hiking 6 1/2 miles will make up for it...

Yippety Craycox

Well it's Friday night and I'm actually free. So I'm sitting at home watching "numbers" on CBS... I never watch CBS. But I think it's odd that Numbers' main characters are a redhead and and a guy that looks strangely like Mulder and they are partners in the FBI. X-Files has created a formula, for sure.

Oh... this is the pilot. Hmmm... well, I can't involve myself in another show. Oh, wait, 24 reference... they are using the boxes... the divided screen.

Well, okay, good for them.

I'm almost packed for our excursion. I'm at that "what am I forgetting?" stage. My suitcase is overloaded already, but I keep finding things that I just really need.

I can't wait to go to Roswell. I don't care if there's nothing there but the UFO museum. That's enough for me.

I had a lady come into work today, and she came up to me and said, "Do you have things about a nurse?" I was like, "Ummm... what sort of things? Books? Plaques? Figurines? Cards? Bibles? Candy? Stories?" I'm finding that most people cannot communicate. A couple of weeks ago, a lady asked me, "Are those the same ones?" and pointed to a bunch of boxes at the top of a bookshelf. I said, "The sames ones as what?" (because generally when one uses a comparative statement, one has to include something with which to actually compare it.) "CARDS! ARE THEY CARDS?!" she spat, acting as if I had greatly insulted her. Yes. Thank you. I never realized that I was so stupid until I started working with the public.

I really need to get a brain.

Actually, I need to go and pack now.

Good night.

24 Musings

Last night Jack got to stick it to Paul, whom he suspected was operating as a hostile. Jack's so cool. Who else would resort to yanking out lamp wires as a makeshift questioning tool? That's brilliant. He really should have sent Audrey out... She was horrified at seeing the "real" Jack and I suspect is having feelings of sympathy and pity for Paul. That can't be good for Jack.

Although, David had a good point: she can't be too shocked. After all, her father is the Sec. Of State. She has to know that these types of actions are necessary in a crisis. She seems smart... We'll see if she can withstand the stress and hang tough with Jack or not. She doesn't deserve him if she can't hang. Terri was tough, and thinking back to her, she seemed more way more prepared to handle the crises than Audrey is. Interesting.

Curtis, amazingly, isn't dead. Haven't these terrorists learned that if you don't kill the CTU people on the spot, they're going to escape? Didn't they watch the last seasons? Curtis proves to be pretty bad-to-the-bone... he killed those dudes with his bare hands. Jack would be so proud! :)

So Curtis, proving to be better equipped in the field than Almeda was last year, kicks butt and takes names and manages to escape. Jack's questioning leads to the same building, to the same guy, Marwan. Hmmm....

I was reminded, as Tony was questioning Dina, of Jack's handling of Nina in Season 2. Only Tony didn't kick over any tables. Hmm... Dina... Nina.... maybe the spirit of Nina lives on after all. Nina, however, didn't have a weakness like Dina does with her son.

Okay, and Driscoll's daughter... I'm really tired of that story line. I kept thinking throughout the episode that the daughter was going to end up stabbing someone on the CTU floor, namely Driscoll herself. Put the dadgum daughter in a state hospital, dangit! Why is she at CTU? Again, don't these people watch the show? They have to know that any random outsider is ALWAYS going to wreak havoc.

Oh, I get it. Daughter offs herself. Erin seems mildly upset. She's very cold... even Jack would have freaked out more if it had been Kim. That just proves my point that Erin is a Vulcan and incapable of showing emotion. So now what? Erin leaves, and Jack/Tony will be the "temporary" head of CTU again. It's about time.

You know what is absent from this season of CTU? The ever-dreaded "Division" threat. In every previous year, the bad bureaucrats from Division have always shown up and put the hurt on whoever is in charge. I guess since Jack killed Chapelle and since George died in season 2, they've learned not to mess with CTU. Although Erin, being a Vulcan, plays by the book, so they've had no reason to interfere. Just wait till Tony takes over again.....

President Keening is still flying around. He's been in the air for 11 hours now. What a wimp. I'm always shocked, but he sounds SO much like John Kerry. I really think that was intentional. He's so hands-off... I miss Palmer.

Oh, and look, Jack found the override device. Curtis and Edgar have effectively saved the world. Wait, it's only 6:00! We have like 13 more hours! Marwan has escaped dressed as a CTU officer. Crap. Now what? I can't take it! I'm going to be in freaking ROSWELL next week and won't get to see it! Oh, TIVO, don't fail me now.....

Fried Rice

So wow... I haven't blogged in a long time. This past week got away from me again. Let's see... to catch up:

Tuesday of last week I woke up and my eyes were completely stuck shut. Completely (one of the kids in my youth group asked, "So how did you know you were awake?"). I unstuck them, staggered into the bathroom to look at what was going on, and was alarmed to find that the whites of my eyes were sticking out like little bubbles past my eyelids. I freaked: I was having my very own personal X-Files episode in my bathroom. Cool. I then proceeded to awake my husband, tell him to get up and take me to the doctor (he had to drive since my eyes would not accept my contacts at the moment), and got dressed. On my way into town, I did some research on the web, thanks to my ever-faithful Treo, and found that I had allergy-related conjunctivitis, which is a fancy word for "pinkeye." I told David that I really didn't want to go to a doctor, sit for an hour, and pay $150 for him to tell me the same information I had just gotten from the web, especially since there's really nothing they can give you for it, so we went to HEB instead to get some antihistamine drops.

So picture this: I'm at HEB all slummed out, having not showered and properly dressed for the day in my haste to get medical help. My eyes are tearing up excessively. I have my glasses on, which are cool but less than attractive, and the prescription is 10 years old and so I really have to squint like Mr. Magoo to see properly out of them. David had dropped me off and was next door at Half Price Books. I decided to get all my groceries while I was there, so I was standing in the laundry aisle when I hear someone coming towards me from behind. I was in NO WAY obstructing the aisle -- there was plenty of room to pass. But as this guy passes me, he reaches out and (key "Psycho" music) GRABS MY BUTT!!!! Not like, "oops, I just accidentally brushed it, sorry," but, "I am totally going to cop a major feel because I'm entitled." He GRABBED MY BUTT!!! It took me off guard, and I mumbled, "Excuse me" or something, and as he left the aisle, the realization struck me that, omigosh, he did that on purpose! I went down another aisle, and a few seconds later, I see Mr. Creepy coming toward me again. I move to another aisle, just to make sure that we're not just going in the same direction coincidentally, and I see him lurking on that aisle. Thing is, he's not buying anything. He has nothing in his hands, but he's strangely studious of anything on the shelves that happen to be within 15 feet of me. So at this point, I realize that he is stalking me, and I get on the phone and call David, who is literally at my side within 32.8 seconds. And he's ticked. Mr. Creepy, meantime, who couldn't find me because I dodged him and went to the front of the store to wait for David, had headed over to the produce and was intently perusing an orange or something. David walked over to him and gave him the ol' fisheye for about 5 minutes, long enough for him to understand that he was being watched, and then David rejoined me on the other side of the store. Mr. Creepy, I noticed, was following David, presumably to verify whether or not David was with me, and when that fact was cofirmed, he promptly disappeared. He never did buy any groceries. Funny, that.

I'm just really glad David was there. I couldn't have left HEB with that going on.

Sucka.

Okay, so I figured out why I was so blooming hungry all the time... I had my calories calculated based on a moderate exercise level, and when I added up all my workouts for the past few weeks, I should have been calculating calories for an active level of activity. So I wasn't getting enough calories! Yaaayy!! I get to eat more! It was REALLY hard to stay under a calorie limit of 1600-1700 a day. Now I get 1800-1900, and it feels like I'm pigging out! But I did lose 3 pounds last week. Happy.

I went hiking yesterday because I was tired of waiting to find someone to go with me. So I just up and went, in the rain, by myself, and it was fun. I burned like 1083 calories. And then got to celebrate last night at the Pasta Bar downtown. Yum.

I finally watched the Grammys today. They were good, except for J-Lo. Wow. And I don't know what it is, but Kanye West just really irritates me. I have never seen such a baby... he totally acts like a spoiled brat who thinks he deserves special treatment, and his attitude just really irks me. Loretta Lynn and Jack White were hilarious.

Okay. Carpal Tunnel is bothering me and I need to go wash my face.

Feed the world.

Jeff....

Whoa. I just saw your comment on the dumb people at CTU after I launched my diatribe against them. We are on the same wavelength! Whoa.

I forgot about the girl from season 1.

Random 24 Musings (again)

I can't believe it's already Thursday. This week has gotten away from me... I meant to post about Monday's ep much, much sooner than this.

So Tony Almeda is a drunk, angry bum. I loved the "let's catch up the viewers" game that he and Jack played in the car... "Jack, you got me out of prison, Michelle left me, and I have no job." Thanks, Tony. Because I was wondering about all three of those questions. Seemed a little too easy, though. I miss Michelle. I really began to like her last season.

Why was Tony watching Mexican soccer? In Spanish?

oooooh, Aisha Tyler is getting on my nerves. They really have a way of making the bad women really easy to hate. She's not a Sherry Palmer and certainly not a Nina, but she'll do in a pinch. I'm glad they busted her.

I still think Erin belongs on Star Trek commanding Voyager or one of those B-grade, WB spin-offs. She just screams "Vulcan."

What's up with CTU hiring these borderline autistic people (e.g. Chloe, Edgar)? Edgar is really close to being Rainman. Must be that quirky computer nerd thing. At least he won't bring a random baby into CTU and try to hide it... at least, I hope not.

Dina and Behrooz are screwed, basically. They'll end up finding Jack somehow, I'm sure. But we'll be watching many a near miss with them for the next, oh, 8 eps, most likely.

OK, where the heck is President Kerry-sound-alike -- sorry, Keeler -- going? He's been in the air for ummm....(counting on fingers)... 8 hours now. Is he just flying all the way around the globe because he can? Or are they keeping him and his peeps in the air for security reasons? Not clear, Mr. Writer. Not clear at all.

Are we actually going to get to see Kim this season? As stupid as she is, I can't imagine that she'll just live an off-screen, Season-8-Mulder-like existence the whole season.

Man, I miss X-Files. But I digress....

I've noticed that with 24, things tend to build and build and climax, and then there's an episode of rest before the tension begins to build again. This was that episode. Not too action-packed, new situations developing... man, I'm brain dead. I've forgotten how to use English. I had to think for a minute before the word "developing" came to me. Wow.

I started my new "get unfat" program this week... so in addition to cutting calories way back, I've been excercising like a fool. Running every day, lifting weights, yoga, etc. Problem is, I'm freaking STARVING all the time. I can't tell if my body is just adjusting to not overeating all the time, or if I need to add more calories in since I'm working out more... I guess I'll wait a week and see. When I get hungry, though, I get stupid. Can't function the ole' reasoning center of my brain.

My moment of realization happened last Sunday when I stepped on my mother-in-law's scale (I don't own one of those things... I'd be too depressed if I did) and realized that I've gained like 15 pounds since summer. 'Course, I was swimming every day last summer. And now I'm not. But I will be skiing in a couple of weeks, Lord willing. Oh yes, I can't wait.

Meow.

I want a smoothie.

Ugh. I shouldn't have eaten that chicken fried steak. Vegetarian type people should not indulge and eat chicken fried steak. My tummy hurts.

See, I only eat vegetarian because I feel better when I do. I'm not one of those, "Oh, the poor chickens" type people. I adore animals of all kinds, but I refuse to be a militant paint-throwing animal rights person because it's just not my scene. But my body is happier when I eat vegetarian... which is evidenced by my situation with the chicken fried steak. It just sounded so good.

Yesterday was the day of creepy customers. They come in waves, I find. We'll go a long time without them, and then in one day we get 8. Yesterday, there were two guys in there who come in all the time, carry stuff around for an hour, and then never buy anything. Except yesterday they decided to actually break down and make a purchase, and when I stepped up to the register to help one of them, it smelled, umm, less than fresh. Wow. I walked into a cloud of death. People need to learn to not rip gnarly ones in my store. Please. For the love of fresh air. And it was so rank that it got in my nose and I smelled it all day. Why me? What did I do?

Then, after I got back from an errand, I walked in and this guy was acting very shady... dodging me every time I looked at him, hiding behind stuff in the gift area, just generally lurking in the gift area, where men NEVER hang around, and when I asked him if he needed help with anything he responding (much too quickly), "No, I'm fine." CJ and Phillip also caught on and felt like he was acting suspiciously as well, so we all followed him around and let him know he was being watched. I'm not sure if he got away with anything -- we couldn't approach him and say, "Hey, dude, whatcha been sticking in your pockets?" But he was mighty shady. Mighty shady, indeed.

Then another woman tried to use a stolen credit card. Hmmmm. Must have been thieves' day out.

I would have a much better time understanding the kleptos if I didn't work in a Christian bookstore.

Why can't people just ACT NICE? Just be nice. Just do what's right. Is that so hard?

And don't fart in my store. Please.

Tomorrow we are going to Galveston for a gig. That should be fun. I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a spell.

I was thinking today about how much traveling it looks like we're going to be doing this year. It's about time. I LOVE traveling. It's been a long time since I've been out of state! I cannot wait for Colorado. The mountains are my happy place.

Oh, and I was watching a thing on the History Channel today... it seems that the part of southern CO where we'll be is a hotbed of UFO activity. We're already stopping in Roswell on the way up there, but maybe we'll see ET in Colorado too.

"Mulder, you are acting BIZARRE!"

Jeff, I'll bring you a t-shirt.

I am not remotely tired. It's 9:15 and I should be getting sleepy. We have to leave at 8:00am tomorrow. My family does not know what that time of day looks like. We are vampires. 8:00 is ugly. So I know I should go to bed soon, but alas, I am not ready. Looks like it's going to be a valerian root night for me.

carrot cake

we are hanging at the blue cactus cafe right now... just got done with our set and now i'm watching david play electric and keys with the sinners. it makes me want to do more with ljg. we have lots of options but we never use them!

the whole cibolo creek gang is here...gotta love cibolo. chris is so blessed to have a church that supports him as much as they do.

well i'm gonna sign off...my contacts suck today and it hurts to look at anything up close...

chowder...

Random 24 musings...

I have SO been meaning to blog about 24, the best show currently on television, but I'm usually exhausted Monday nights and want to go to sleep after being riveted for a full hour by 24, the best show currently on television.

So... anyone watching 24 right now? No one gets it. You HAVE to watch 24. You are compelled to watch 24. It is the best show currently on television.

Here's the deal. David and I have always waited till the season comes out on DVD, and then, as you know, we watch 8 eps in a row because it is so freaking addictive, and then I am a blithering idiot for days until I can get my fix. It's like heroin. It really is.

But this time we are watching the 4th season as they air it, and I don't think I can take it! One episode at a time SUCKS! Thanks to TIVO, though, it's nice to skip through commercials and also to know that we won't miss an episode. You can't miss an episode with 24.

I couldn't believe my eyes Monday night.... TONY is back! I missed Tony. They cleared out every last character from the previous 3 seasons, and some I missed, and others (like stupid Kim) I didn't. So it was really cool to see Almeda swooping in and saving the day. But the obvious questions arise: He's supposed to be in prison. How the heck did he get out? Where is Michelle? And Tony was never a field agent, so how is he suddenly superman (he got shot the moment he went out in the field last season).

Okay, oh, and this is my other complaint. Every season, for some reason, they allow some random civilian to come into CTU during a crisis, and that random person ends up causing all sorts of trouble. Last season it was Gayel's wife, who then shot the main terrorist guy. This season it's Erin's schizo daughter, who's going to go nuts shortly, I'm sure. Oh, and Audrey's ex-husband. Why is he still hanging around CTU? I don't trust him.

See, if this were truly a government agency, civilians would NOT be allowed on the CTU floor. They would (if they were allowed in at all) be contained to an area where they could not see, know, or interfere with the operations of CTU. Because CTU's operations are supposedly critical and crucial to national security. That would never happen in real life.

Does anyone else think that Dina Araz is a man?

Behrooz has replaced Kim as the dumbest person on the show this season.

I think Chloe is coming back.

I think it's sad to see President Palmer doing Allstate commercials now. Poor President Palmer. He was so good.

Is it just me, or does this new president sound suspiciously like John Kerry when he talks? And what's the deal with the airplane? He's been in the air for like 7 hours now.

Erin Driscoll looks like she needs to be on Star Trek. She just really suits that part. I can totally see her in a Star Trek uniform.

I don't know if I like Jack's girlfriend. She's so different from Terri. And even Nina for that matter. Gosh, I miss Nina. She was such a great bad guy.

Alright. I think that's all. I must go make waffles for Punky. Back to reality.

Do not bray.

I do not like February.

I have never liked it. It is an ugly month. It's not the holidays anymore, but it's always grey and drizzly. There are always really stale things going on around town... nothing really exciting. Globetrotters, Monster Trucks, stock shows... I have generally always hated anything that happens at convention centers. Especially in February. Especially when it's drizzly. And I can't ever get myself motivated to do anything because it's so blah outside. And I really hate pink, and February is all about pink doilies. I don't like doilies.

So there. Is it March yet?

I am so excited about March. We are going skiing!!! YAAAAAAAY! I haven't been to Colorado in 13 years. David and Punky have never been. Punky has never seen snow. It is going to ROCK!

I am such a mountain person. I feel so close to God in the mountains. I have craved the Rockies for 13 years, and it is so exciting to be able to go again.

But let me tell you, this trip is going to be very, very weird for me.

22 years ago, when I was about 9, my family went to a family camp with our church in Colorado. That was the last trip we took as a normal family. My dad got sick at the end of the trip, had to be hospitalized the day after we got back, and contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. The next several years were hell... and he passed away in '86.

That Colorado trip is my most vivid childhood memory. It's the last time I really remember doing things with my dad. I remember the lodge we stayed in vividly, from the snow tubing hill to skiing at Monarch to playing "Pit" with Missy Davidson in the Crow's Nest at the lodge to ice skating in the outdoor rink. There are so many memories of that week, and then everything became one giant blur after that as I tried my best as a kid to deal with a terminally ill parent. My childhood basically ended when that ski trip ended.

God works in crazy ways. Crazy! Last fall, when we went to Youth Specialties, I was walking through the exhibit hall and happened to pass a booth for this place in Colorado called Horn Creek. The woman I talked to invited us up for a "pastoral retreat" and mentioned that they also have summer camp for youth there. So we decided to take the pastoral retreat (and later take the youth) as our vacation and go skiing and just hang in the mountains.

But the more I thought about Horn Creek, which is near Monarch Ski resort, the more I kept thinking about that family camp 20 years ago. I knew it was going to be weird skiing at Monarch again, and that sent me down memory lane as I thought about it.

Today I talked to my mom and found out that the camp we went to 20 years ago was in fact HORN CREEK! Can you imagine? What are the odds? I couldn't have found the place if I tried, but here I just "happened" to stumble onto their booth at a conference in Dallas.

So it's going to be really strange going back to Horn Creek with my husband and son. My life has come full circle, and it will be very healing to revisit that moment of my childhood, the last bastion of innocence and joy before everything changed so very drastically. There are memories that have come up today that have been locked away for years and years. I am looking forward to unlocking more.

Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burnin', burnin', burnin'

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - SpongeBob Accused of Promoting Homosexuality

Okay. Now look. Everyone needs to settle down. Spongebob is a CARTOON. Gimme a break.

Y'know, it's people like this that make people like me look bad. Please please please don't lump me in with these folks. Please.

I thought he was saying good luck...

yes, okay, so i misspoke.

In my last post, I said, "24 is the best show on TV, ever."

I was drunk on the season 3 finale adrenaline rush. yes, I love 24 more than any show that's currently on.

But what I truly meant to say, yea and verily, was, "24 is the best show on TV after the X-files."

Because nothing will ever replace the X-Files for me ever. ever.

There. I said it.

It's 1:30 and I'm fighting sleep. I'm trying to work on hammering out a new press kit for tomorrow... sounds like we're going to have some pretty big industry heavyweights at the show tomorrow. So i want to be prepared. Problem is, every time I *have* to get something done for an important event, my computer decides not to cooperate with me, and a task that should take 1 hour ends up taking all day. Ugh.

Hopefully that won't happen, because i'm on my mac. Hopefully my mac feels my warm and fuzzy vibes towards it, and it's going to love me back. We shall see.

My PC is shot. I'm at the point right now where I can't do anything at ALL with it. It won't go to secure websites. It won't open any of my word documents. It won't autorun when I want to install a CD. It won't do windows update because I'm mysteriously missing .dll files. I have always wondered how .dll files suddenly decide to go AWOL? And where do they go? Are they with my missing socks that disappear in the dryer? Is it dryer or drier? Dryer looks right.

Golly ned, I need to go to sleep.

Good night, fair chickens.

I am loopy.

Chocolate

We just got home from Fredericksburg, where we did an interview at KFAN to promote this weekend's show in Fredericksburg (more on that in a second). While we were there, we reminisced with Jay Fritz, the owner, about playing for KFAN for the first time on their "Bandera Music Hour" show 4 years ago. We played at this dive of a place in Bandera (well, that narrows it down, doesn't it?) on a Saturday afternoon to 4 people. And yet, that was how KFAN first picked us up, started playing our songs, and thus got much of our following. Who knew that Bandera would be the jumping-off place for so many of our dreams? I was driving around the other day, listening to the radio, and I was reminded (and humbled at the same time) again what an absolute honor it is to be able to be played for the world, sandwiched in between musical legends, masters of the craft, people who have inspired me. What a gift. I never dreamed that, as a college student, struggling to learn chords on my guitar, devouring every Shawn Colvin record and longing to *be* what she represented to me, I'd have the privilege of being heard alongside her and her peers.

I read a quote today that hit home: "The chief cause of unhappiness is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment." How many times do we set our dreams aside for something that, while it may be good, may not be God's *best* for us? How many times do we let fear keep us from accomplishing what we really have always wanted to do? My favorite saying of all time is, "Jump, and the net will appear." David and I are living proof of that truth. It really is possible to do what you know you were really, truly created to do. Don't let fear hold you back. I was so very "Much-Afraid" when we first started this whole venture, but it has been so cool to watch the whole thing unfold. Be encouraged. Your heart's desire is your heart's desire for a reason.

So we just finished up with 24 Season 3. Omigosh. That show is like heroin. Freaking heroin. We have the first 4 hours of the new season Tivo'd and I can't wait. Jack Bauer is hardcore. I love him. 24 is the best show on TV, ever.

Well, I'm off to bed.

Word up....

flava flav

we just got home from fredericksburg... had a great gig there. it was a blast. i'll write more tomorrow. i'm actually blogging from my palm pilot in bed because I can. man, I love technology. love it. i'm such a nerd.