New things!

After a long and very very stressful semester, I'm glad to say I've made it to the other side!! I am totally broke as of today because of Christmas shopping and knowing that I have just one short semester before I graduate with an undergraduate degree, I've already applied to Half Price Books in hopes that I may obtain a job there...here's hoping! How cool would that be?!!? In other news, thanks to my mentor and great friend Christina E., I am well on my way to attempting my first crocheted hat! Woot!! What a great little diverting activity it is!! That along with catching up on my reading (Trying to continue/finish David Sedaris' book "Me Talk Pretty One Day") are my tasks until after Christmas I've decided. After Christmas, however, my tasks turn to completing my graduate school application and completing my undergraduate thesis. So, much more important things will happen then. Now though...one week of calm with no work. How exciting!

I feel as though I ought to make my blog page into something more focused...perhaps a cooking blog like this lady or perhaps a photography blog like Jessica Claire which sometimes has a personal twist...maybe an education blog or a more religiously-based theme might be best...I could continue my attempted list of things I'm thankful for in trying to emulate a grateful friend or I could do a blog about crafting which I've been really into recently. Or I could even go a little more close to my daily life and have my blog be based more on ceramics and art or even BOOKS!!!

I don't know yet...I feel like it's probably a step that has to be taken though. What do you think? Let me know.

I'm just gonna come right out and say it

I'm not afraid to admit it. I am really into popular music right now. I want to listen to Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and I want to dance around my room and act like an idiot to get all of the frustrations of my life out of my system in a way that is fun and which I have not done anytime lately.

P.S. each link between the videos is to a different video that it would not let me embed...just gave me the "share" link...so the links are all different too...in case you were inclined to listen to/watch all of them.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn6-c223DUU



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7J_IWUhls









whew! finally. I feel so relieved since I got that off my chest...trying to keep something like this under the radar is so tough. No wonder I don't have any secrets...it's far too straining. I'd share more but I need to shower and go to sleep now.

look at these things: an irregularity

This post is irregular, but still interesting and important!
look at this:
http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/10/10/23/ (and all previous photographs)

also check this out...


I want to go see Pomplamoose when they play live in San Francisco opening for the Dresden Dolls on New Years Eve. If someone would like to fund me a ticket to fulfill this lifelong dream to the west coast and to see Pomplamoose, go here then once you've gotten the ticket, you oughta give it to me...also, you might think while you're at it about giving me money for gasoline to drive there...or a plane ticket...or ya know...a picture of Pomplamoose to hang on my wall instead. Whatever is your preference.

I made a chalkboard...and an eraser. If anyone has any good recipes for making chalk, please let me know.

I've been in the studio working nonstop for the past week from sunrise to sunset...I'll take some photos of some stuff I'm doing and then maybe post it here. I think it's pretty cool. Gotta get my name out there somehow, ya know!? I'll work on it. Today's homecoming at school. woot! I think it might rain. I haven't checked the news or weather in a week or so therefore I'm clueless as to what natural disaster has everyone all hyped up and canceling all the festivities.

Also, what do you think about me doing a video blog? I think it might be fun.

And...I'm thinking about finally jumping on the band wagon and getting one of these

If you'd like to make a donation of monetary or intellectual value, please do not hesitate to do so. (by the way, totally kidding about the giving me money thing...I don't need it...I'd love your thoughts though!!)

And another thing...I'm reading Desiring God by John Piper(that's the link to the whole book online for free) right now and it is fascinating. A lot of things he talks about are things I've always kind of believed in, he just has kind of been solidifying my thoughts. If you'd like to start reading it, we can chat about it over coffee or something. I'm reading through it with my mentor and though we're going slower than we were at the beginning of the semester, it's good stuff.

I went to help shoot video of an MFA thesis presentation last night. The two projects were pretty interesting. I think I'll talk more about them later. I've been online too long this morning.

And now that I've wasted an hour of daylight on the computer, I'm off to the studio!

Notes on fantasy

So, in the past few weeks of my being without a nonstop job and just starting a new semester of school, I've tried to ingest as many books and movies and other miscellaneous culture items into my system as possible. I've noticed a few interesting things and had some interesting ideas concerning them:

-I've noticed I don't get as scared as easily as I used to. Before quite recently, I was unable to have anything to do with any kind of horror film, murder novel, or suspense thriller. Just today, I've read several chapters of the book Perfume which is a murder novel, watched The Manchurian Candidate, and watched Apocalypse Now. Granted, I also watched The Never-ending Story and went to a quite joyous football game to balance out good and evil but nonetheless, I've become much more accepting of these sorts of things which once I had no part of. (I know it's ending in a preposition, it's late and I'll accept my grammatical errors without fixing them for now)

-I've noticed and finally come to accept that romance movies and really anything which ends in such a way that everyone ends up happy except for the worst bad guy...is fake. It's not how real life happens and despite the fact that I absolutely still would love for it to be that way, it's not. Because of this, I also can't help recently finding myself, at the end of these sappy films, where the credits start rolling as the couple kisses and looks off into the sunset, commentating on what would probably happen in real life...for instance: In the movie Sabrina, in the end, the couple ends up in Paris together, they are all touchy kissy lovey and everything's perfect. The audience assumes they get married and live happily ever after either in Paris or back in NY with the family. What would likely happen in real life, though, is that he'd eventually have to come back to work at his job, they'd argue about how she's too bohemian and he's to high-strung, six years down the road, they have 3 children and he wants a divorce from his "hippy Parisian and their three bohemian love children." Of course, that's taking liberties where I obviously have none but all the same, it happens more often than not now.

I wonder if I'm a cynic. I used to call myself a cynic and then all of a sudden my hope for world peace and a healthy planet with healthy happy people took over and I wasn't. I think I'm maybe becoming a cynic again. Who knows? At least its nice for a laugh.

-I've always wanted so much to be able to read all that I wanted...the system I've laid out now is one which seems quite good for that sort of lifestyle...more about that later.(feel like my lifestyle now is a bit selfish at the moment)

-Wouldn't it be nice if elephants really could fly? What if his mother had told Raymond to make an elephant fly? what would he have done to obey? I bet he would have gotten an elephant onto a plane and had it thrown out in the air. How dreadful...

I can't remember any of my other theories/thoughts/ideals right now...

Anyway, I feel as though my lifestyle's a bit selfish right now. I've got it all lined up so that I get all my homework done, enough sleeping done, I drink enough water, I exercise at least twice a week, usually more, I hang out with my friends sometimes, and I have a boyfriend who I get to spend a considerable amount of time with despite our very busy circumstances. All that being said, I don't know why it is that whenever I get myself a balance, I feel overwhelmingly selfish. Probably because my schedule is made out for ME to feel comfortable and healthy. I suppose I've been conditioned so long to allow others to plan my days for me that I feel as though when I'm not spending every waking moment trying to unfrazzle my life and hang out with my friends, I'm missing something I should be doing. Of course, you know how that goes. I forget everything so even when I write it all down, sometimes things get forgotten...I get worried more often now. CA points that out a lot lately.

Perhaps there's some linkage with being cynical, a worrywart, and being able to handle suspenseful things; and being constantly smiley, watching only uplifting, happy movies, and allowing my schedule to remember things for me and dealing with what I've forgotten when it comes. I'd love to have some sort of mixture of the two...ya know...a cynical, happy, smiley person who doesn't worry and can watch uplifting and terrifying movies and be equally content with each.

Here's some things I'm thankful for to add to my list:

021-I am thankful for a family who feeds me strawberry cake

022-for friends like Grace who will dance with me when the marching band plays at the football games

023-I am grateful for my two dogs who are so loyal and loving to me, even in their old age

024-I have a job interview with the Outdoor Adventure section of our Rec Center on campus. WOOT!

025-I get to go climbing tomorrow with Dreds, Kernal, and Tim. Super Excited!!

026-I got to go out to eat with several people this past week who I hadn't talked to in a while and one girl who I'd never really talked to...what great fellowship.

027-I am so thankful for Christina, my mentor and her husband and her fantastic daughters. Christina is such a great role model and she helps keep me accountable in a way that no one else really has the ability.

So, let us drink a cup of tea.

"When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?

The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accesion to simple, authentic and refined sensations, a license given to all, at little cost, to become aristocrats of taste, because tea is the beverage of the wealthy and of the poor; the tea ritual, therefore, has the extraordinary virtue of introducing into the absurdity of our lives an aperture of serene harmony."

-excerpt from The Elegance of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

echoes of my thoughts exactly.

and for this I will drink tea as a ritual, likely for the rest of my life, and have tea stains removed from my teeth twice a year...and, might I add, be overjoyed to do so.

What A Difference A Year Can Make

so...it's been a while, yeah? I'm reminded constantly how different this summer is from last summer...NYC to SCR...biggest city in the USA to a tiny ranch in Royse City, TX. It's amazing though. God's put me in places I never expected I'd go and he's shown me things I'd never expected to see. So, I think I'd like to do a list similar to last year's just kind of highlighting my new experiences. So here it goes in no particular order(it is 2 months in length and totally scrambled)...

I moved to a cabin, learned to cook for 300 people, fried chips, was introduced to silly bands, killed a family of wasps, painted windows, painted signs, painted paper, learned to keep my mouth shut, faced my fear of heights, shot a moving target, saw a family of skunks blown to pieces, ate goat meat, met Bhutanese refugee children, read Cinderella to them, played in Dallas apartments, learned to belay, made 20+ lifelong friends, had Thai tea, renamed two dogs, watched a spider wrap up and eat grasshoppers, got over 200 chigger bites, said goodbye to a friend leaving the country, prayed for souls to be saved, saw fruit, created the Cheerio Special, checked cabins for cleanliness, cleaned cabins, bleached tables, vacuumed, went fishing, played pretend, got a new name, painted faces, became a Kachumbian, created games, picked vegetables, had coffee with Chris, watched Fantasia with Chris, worshiped at the Harbor, went swing dancing, went country/line dancing, swam in a pond, saved a paddle boat, helped kids overcome their fears, took up cup stacking, was a street-side entertainer (sort of), ate cake, received a sonic drink as a gift, drank water, got a day off, got another day off, became a super hero, received bribes of candy, drew a picture, drew another picture, tried slack-lining, squeegeed after a storm, learned to make slushies, created a special slushie, convinced people to buy souvenir cups, laughed till my sides hurt, gave a back rub, gave another back rub, started a group hug, went to nerd prom, started a conga line, truly danced like no one was watching, got sweat stains, got bleach stains, got muddy, took an oath, was encouraged, ate frozen yogurt, tried endomame, tied knots, drank water, comforted someone sad, saw faces light up, ate a popsicle, ate a slushie, did research on seminaries, looked intimidating, got invited to a quincinera, told inside jokes, was the butt of jokes, made a kid smile, watched someone fly, was encouraged some more, prayed for fellow staffers, was prayed for, became a fan of Jimmy Needham, was late to breakfast, chatted on walkie talkies, watched a movie, shared my testimony, cleaned bathrooms, cleaned up blood, went to a picnic, met Lazaria, met Laquarian, met Sam, Sophia, and Sawyer, got annoyed, helped someone feel better, made tea, drank tea, became a lifeguard, learned to tie a balloon, learned how to make sacrifices for children, learned to be kind to angry people, gave hugs, laughed, missed home, missed friends, missed Chris, drove to Celina, drove to Quinlan, stayed the night at home, learned to make a spider web on food, ate candy, ran, looked at the stars, danced in the rain, played in the rain, participated in a chinese fire drill, made up a story, made people laugh, bought a hat, drank water, got tan lines, wrote a letter, wrote a clever letter, didn't wear makeup, cleaned, watched fireworks, drove a golf cart, put on harnesses, felt sick, served food, sang songs, made a pyramid, smiled, took a nap, memorized scripture...


will add more later.

009-today has been rough but I'm thankful that I got breakfast this morning. Don't know what I would have been like without it.

010-I got to go out to eat with Ashlee yesterday for lunch. It was so great to catch up with her after a couple weeks of not really talking.

011-Chris bought me Reese's Peanut Butter Cups last night. It made me happy.

012-I'm thankful that God showed me how to calm down through a random song found on a random cd in my car on the way to Dallas today.

013-I am thankful that God has given so many people hearts to go to beach reach!! It's going to be phenomenal.

014-I am so thankful that there was no room for my sculpture to be critiqued today. It's going to make a big difference to have the weekend to finish things up.

015-My wood piece got into the Juried Art Show!! It was so awesome. I was super excited. I'm a real artist!

016-I'm grateful that Chris sacrificed study time to help me celebrate my piece getting in.

017-Christina called me up to meet with her this Friday. I'm excited about that. It's awesome that she has such initiative to call me because I don't think I'd ever think I had time to call her or meet with her if I did it on my own...

018-God is growing me into a more mature person...it's tough, but I can feel him showing me how to be a grown up. I think that's probably a good thing.

019-Our book is going to be published soon!! I'll be busy finishing the project in the next two weeks and after that, this book can go out to the nations and hopefully inspire people to go minister to New Yorkers. They need it. What a great ministry tool.

020-I am thankful for lotion.

new thing...

So, my good friend and mentor Ashlee does this thing on her blog here that has been a real blessing to me so I am going to start doing the same thing I think. I'll probably add more random blogs in between but all in all I think it is a good practice and I'd like to start doing it too...she started out with a challenge. She decided she would write 100 things that she was thankful for and after the 100 things...she just kept going! Not only does it still continue to tell what's going on in her life, it also shows that God is with her through everything...FANTASTIC. So, here I go...things I'm thankful for today.

001-I'm thankful for Ashlee. She is always there for me even though I'm pretty selfish when it comes to our relationship. She pushes me on toward the upward call when I don't feel like pushing myself. [Phil 3:13-14]

002-For God showing me what it's like to be in a relationship that is not based on attractiveness or how successful the other person is but is securely focused on God. It's different, but I definitely like it.

003-For my Granny. She's the one person I can call anytime and just say absolutely everything that's on my mind and she just lets me talk. It's fantastic.

004-A lady from my church and I are going to start meeting weekly so that she can be my prayer mentor. Praise God for letting her approach me about it where I was unsure of how to go about starting a mentoring relationship with a more mature christian woman.

005-I'm thankful for my bed. It is so comfortable. I sometimes wish I could just sleep all day long because I'd just be comfortable forever.

006-Catherine got me some twilight chocolates for Valentines Day and we went to see Percy Jackson...I guess you could call it a date. She makes me laugh. It's great.

007-I just was introduced to these guys on youtube that are just hilarious. Check out this video...one of many...

008-I got a plant today. It's a Croton and now sits in his own little ivory ceramic planter next to the window. I hope to get a planter at the ceramic fundraiser for him that will be more fun but for now...his name is Cornelius and he likes the sun. Come say hi. :)

That's it I think for now.

Pray for Haiti

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/earthquake_in_haiti.html

Check this out...it made me want to cry.

When I saw the news report, I wanted to hop the next plane to Haiti and help pull people out...I hate that I don't have the resources to do so.

Please pray for the people of Haiti! And for the rescue teams. Pray that they will be swift and be able to help put Haiti back together. They're the poorest country in the western hemisphere...and many fear that the country will not survive the catastrophe.

I heard on a news report that for Haiti, this disaster is like that of 9/11 only multiplied by 10 or 15. THEY NEED HELP!!

I've heard that you can donate to American Red Cross by texting HAITI to 90999. That'll donate 10 bucks to the rescue teams to be paid on your phone bill. If you can't donate, you could GO!! Do what I wish I could...or at the very least...pray.