beneath an orange sky

2008-08-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

I received news yesterday of a rather depressing nature. A good friend of mine, currently living in Manila and working for the Peace Corps, lost her dad in a car accident Tuesday. I'm going to the funeral today, and it's left me thinking about my own experience burying my dad 12 years ago.

It's hard to believe it has been that long and that the loss can still be so close to the surface after all this time. I've decided that you never really fully recover from tragic loss...especially when you loss a close loved one. I feel like there should be a whole category of people who are the walking wounded. We learn how to move on, but we never really heal. We grow and change around the damage, but it remains an inescapable and undeniable piece of who we are. It may rarely be spoken of as time moves on, but in a moment we can be right back in that place reliving the clear and sharp memory of the day we lost someone important to us. No one can really understand if they've never experienced it for themselves, but we are sort of "related" to those who have. It's instant common ground found in shared experience. It's an irrevocable alteration to the very core of our lives and the grieving never seems to really end. Instead, it seems to just lay dormant for awhile waiting for a birthday, anniversary, important life event, or just a rainy day to resurface. We get used to dealing with it and aren't blind-sided by it anymore, and to the outside world, it appears that all is well. It's really an interesting situation.

Anyway, my heart is heavy for my friend. I know better than most what it is like to lose my father. I cannot imagine dealing with that loss and being a world away from my family. Being the counselor that I am, I want to help ease the pain, but I am fully aware that there isn't anything one person can do to make these situations better. They must work it out for themselves in their way just like I had to do. All I can do is be available with open arms and a ready ear putting my own feelings aside for the moment to help carry another's burden.

2008-06-30T14:03:00.001-07:00

Greeting from Ireland! I'm sitting in a lovely little B & B in Trim, Ireland as the sunsets outside the widow on Trim Castle. Ah...

I'm completely in love with Wales and Ireland. Wales is beautiful, but Ireland has captured my heart. All except for the blind corners on tiny unmarked roads which continue to cause my life flash before my eyes with a steady stream of near death experiences...but it smells really good here!!! The combination of pine and heather is severely intoxicating.

I'll post some pics once I get back to the USA. I think I'll be sad to leave two of the most beautiful countries I've ever been in.

And is case you were wondering...Irish Guinness does in fact taste much better than American Guinness. And that, my friends, is very good news indeed.

2008-06-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

I LOVE summer time. No work. No children. No drama...as far as middle school goes. It is pretty awesome.

I also love foamy soap, but that's a topic for a different blog.

More to come on the foamy soap issue, and why it's pretty much the greatest invention in the last 50 years.

Peace. Out.

I wrote all that and then was so gently reminded by my friend, Amy, that I will have to work with small children Wednesday and Thursday and that I've been surrounded by 2 year old drama since Sunday night. My work is never done.

BUT foamy soap is abundant so all is well with the world.

Ah...life.

2008-05-28T19:06:00.001-07:00

why isn't school over yet?!?!?!?!

2008-04-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

This is my adorable nephew, Brinson, when he was just about an hour old. So cute!

2008-04-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

okay, emily. i know i promised a post a million and a half years ago, but i've completely forgotten what i was going to post. nice. so here's something.

i'm writing this from the hospital labor and delivery waiting area about to become an aunt. yeah!
i'm off work for 3 days. wahoo!
and last but certainly not least...

I LOVE FOAMING SOAP! it is arguably the best invention in the last 50 years. go foamie soap. go with your bad self.

2007-11-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

waiting for something to happen while resisting the urge to make something happen is difficult and exhausting. alas. what's a girl to do...

2007-10-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

here's my favorite moment from halloween this year...

i was helping at trunkfest in euless when this little boy dressed in a spider man costume, complete with his glasses on the outside of his mask. comes over for a visit. here's how our conversation went.

spiderman: you're very pretty.
me: thank you. you're a very nice spiderman.
spiderman: i'm not really spiderman. do you know who i really am?

he was adorable. i gave him extra candy for saying i was pretty... :)

2007-10-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

so i rant and rave about how much i hate tech's lack of drive and mediocre ways...and yet i'm going to watch them play baylor in waco. it should come down to which team stinks less. man...am i a glutton for punishment. i just can't give it up.

2007-10-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

WARNING: The following is most definitely a rant brought on by the nightmare that was the Tech-Colorado game. You may or may not want to proceed.

Dear Texas Tech Football team and coaching staff,

You are the biggest joke in college football, and I, an inexplicably devoted fan, hate you. I despise you with such loathing as no human has ever felt before. I would like to pose a question. When will you be tired of mediocrity? What will it take to snap you out of the pattern in which we again find ourselves? It seems the fans are in every game, fighting for that which you are trained to fight for. There is only so much we, as fans, can do. You have a job to do...so do it for the love of all things pure and holy. You have shown us the potential you have. You have shown us that you are capable of rising to the occasion, of putting together a solid game, and of overcoming obstacles in order to conquer your opponent. And you have shown us how you will consistently bring us bitter disappointment whenever we dare to hope. I could concede you one bad game, but two in a row is completely unacceptable.

Coach Leach, give me a flipping break. You have been in your position far too long and are paid way too much to not have moved us to the next level. And FYI...it takes an offense AND a defense to be a solid, respectable, winning team. Offense cannot and will not carry us anywhere but down the same stinking road we've been on forever. The fans are ready for progress. Do your job.

Graham, Graham, GRAHAM! You are ridiculous and highly over-rated. Eight interceptions in two games??!! Please. I am tired to your overinflated ego. You are not leading your team. What I saw from you today on that field was so unbelievably horrid that I am ashamed to call myself a Tech fan. If your heart is not in the game, what on earth makes you think the team will rally? You're kidding yourself if you think they will not follow your example. You don't have a chance of getting any respect playing like that. You may put up great numbers most of the time, but we have to win games. You have to lead the rest to victory which you seem suddenly incapable of doing. If you will not rise to the occasion, let some one else have a chance. I'm pretty sure the back-up could have given a comparable performance today.

In conclusion, I feel as though you owe me something for all the blood, sweat, and tears I have given to you. I would like a refund for the cost of my season tickets, reimbursement for all my travel expenses, and compensation for all the pain and suffering you have cost me.

I, like so many others, walked into the stadium hoping for victory and only received bitter disappointment and a sunburn. You are a better team than this. We are tired of mediocre football. You are capable of greatness. All we expect is for you to reach your potential. That is the reason you were given an opportunity to play. I am exceedingly disappointed in you. I sincerely hope you can redeem yourself by winning at least two of the next three games. Get it together. Perhaps there is still hope.

2007-10-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

so i've finally decided to post something. it's not for lack of inspiration but instead lack of time. i've been ridiculously busy....and evidently at the moment slightly uninspired--since it's taken about 20 minutes to decide to write the above. nice. so here are two of my thoughts for today.

1. i have decided to seriously consider reviving my dormant-since-college golf game. of course...i need some gear.

2. i really love my kiddos at school. they are really funny. for instance, i had a student who talks and cuts up all the time. neat kid, but he was getting on m last nerve. one day, i was glaring at him for disrupting the class and he says, "oh. she's looking at me firmly." i couldn't help but laugh. he's hilarious. ah...the beauty of the 6th grade.

oh...and some good news. I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!! How exciting is that???

2007-08-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have become an apple junkie. I love it. And yes...I'm typing this from my new Apple Mac Book! Fun times! I'm totally digging this stuff.

Anyway...the summer was pretty awesome. Getting paid to be on vacation for several months rocks pretty hard...but going back is really difficult. I think I'm ready though. The summer has been good...but I didn't get done what I had hoped. For instance, my book still remains unfinished, but I'll keep working on it. Maybe one day I'll get all the way through it. I get distracted and uninspired very easily it seems. Who knew. Anyway, I'll post soon...hopefully...about the really crazy people and the dog I stayed with in Colorado. Suffice it to say that I've never been so uncomfortable in my life, and flushing toilets isn't a luxury. It is necessary. More soon from the mac and me! Peace.

2007-06-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

I flipping love my church. I love that I can't remember a week that I wasn't absolutely 100% challenged by the sermon...unless I was not paying attention which would be my own fault. I love that it makes me think and re-evaluate things. I love that we are an eclectic type of charismatic presbypentabaptist. Who knew such a thing could exisit and thrive?! It's a beautiful thing. Check out the Village podcast. There are some nuggets in there.

2007-05-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

ONLY 4 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT. Glory. Hallelujah! I'm so excited.

On a completely unrelated note...

I went dancing last night with some friends from work/church. Super fun. Rode a mechanical bull. It bucked me off, but I laughed like crazy. It was pretty hilarious. When I get the pics sent to me, I'll post one. If you've never ridden a mechanical bull, I highly suggest it. It's really hard, but oh so funny!

And did I mention I love dancing? It's fabulous. And the night was a complete success until my new cell phone met an untimely end in a puddle of water. Stink. A total accident. Good thing I got the insurance plan...just in case my phone jumps out of the back pocket of my jeans to go for a swim or commit cell phone suicide. So I'm currently waiting on a replacement to be sent to me so I can once again be in contact with the world. No one text me. I can't read it. Nor can I see who's calling, but I can still talk on it. It's almost like the stone age...or back to my high school days when I didn't have a cell phone to carry around. And the ones my parents had wouldn't even come close to fitting in your pocket! Times certainly have changed.

Did I mention I only have to deal with kiddos for 4 more days??? Bring on the summer and 3 months of paid vacation. I will be a VERY happy camper!

2007-04-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

i think i'm going to write a book this summer.

i hate that moving means way too much time alone and that the older you get the harder it is to make connections with people that are deep and meaningful and would translate into that person being a real friend. i have work "friends" and that's about it. i hate that. one of my best friends got married, one works too much, one is moving to a 3rd world country in a few weeks, and one has an unreliable car (LAURA...get that fixed would you, i need to hang out). the rest live hours away. i just needed to vent for a sec. this totally sucks. but it will get better.

i really am going to write that book. if it's as good as the ideas/dialog floating around my head, it might be worth the effort. even so, i'm going to do it. i've always wanted to so why not?

I LOVE SPRING BREAK

2007-03-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

who knew a week off of work...that i didn't have to take time for...could be so refreshing?! i'm totally digging this public education thing. not too shabby. we'll only have 8 weeks left of school when i have to go back to the grindstone next week, but that's nothing. it's hard to believe time has flown by so fast. it's been crazy since i moved closer to work. i heart not having a crazy commute. i've also noticed my road rage has decreased dramatically...along with my gas bill. :) also, i must recommend listening to the cross series of sermons from the village. they're podcasted if you use i-tunes at all. they seriously are some of the most challenging things i've ever heard. i love being challenged. it's good stuff. anyway, i thought i should probably update this bad boy since it has been forever.

eb...it was so wonderful to visit with you. call me when you get to town. and stop looking at me, swan!

2006-12-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

things i've learned today.

1. being 27 doesn't feel any different from being 26. perhaps this will change in a few months, but right now...i feel exactly the same.

2. sometimes it's not so fun when your sister tries to break you out of your shell a little, but resistance is mostly futile. it may not be fun, but it could be that she sees a side of me that i didn't and she's lovingly but unexpectedly pointing that out.

3. new friends are cool and all, but no one loves me like my friends who've been around the block a few times with me. they always make me feel loved and appreciated and easily bring a smile to my face. i'm very thankful for them.

4. my family rocks. i already knew that, but even the older sis surprised me today and that doesn't happen often. it's a wonderful thing when we're all on the same page!

5. i'm so very ready from christmas break if only to have a break from 5 a.m. mornings.

2006-10-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

this only will make sense if you read my pity party in the previous post. sorry about subjecting you to the pity party fest, but sometimes... anyway. here are my new thoughts on the previous subject.

so i've come to the realization that everything i wrote a few hours ago...while it is actually how i have been feeling...is me just throwing myself a pity party. i know why i'm in this place. i need to grow here. i resist growth, but thankfully the Lord pushes me there. i don't really watch the show "30 rock" but i did here a quote on a clip that i think is quite fitting. basically tina fey's character asks the question "what if i can't swim?" as she is trying to figure out how to deal with the cast of their fictional show. so alec baldwin's character says, "then i'll do what my dad did when i was two...lure you to the edge of the pool with a puppy and push you in." so maybe it doesn't happen like that in that i can swim and there is no puppy but still...sometimes i just need to be shoved into growth. it doesn't matter how much i feel a situation stinks. i need to learn 1. how to be content in all things and 2. how to praise God regardless instead of balling up my fist like i often want to do. so my growth task for this week-ish is to continue to say hallelujah no matter what. my worth is not wrapped up in how many people care about me or remember that i even exist. i am who God is making me and that's all i am asked to be...exactly who He is creating me to be. i'm a huge work in progress. i was starting to feel good about my contentment level so i got my face rubbed in it. so what. i will continue to walk...dirty face and all. after all, everyone falls. at least He's there to clean me up, bandage my wounds, and keeping me moving.

2006-10-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

how is it that you can come to hate silence. these last few days have shown me that silence can truly be oppressing, and i loathe it. at least for now. there are days when i crave it, chaotic days when i need it. silence and solitude are my means for recharging. i love people, but sometimes a girl just needs to get away and be. however, now it is taking less alone time to recharge and the silence is becoming draining. i'm really lonely at this point. i have friends, but many of them don't have time in their lives for me due to commitments that i just don't have. it feels like some of them have chosen to replace me with people that i don't think treat them very well. that's just my perception. whether or not this is reality is a moot point. this is the tape playing in my head. this is my reality. i feel like the person everyone loves to be around but no one remembers to call. i'm the back up for when everything else falls through. and in all honesty, it's crap. i can't figure out how to turn the tape off. i would love to. i got it to stop for a month or so, and then here it comes again. maybe i just tuned it out. i know what i need to change. i just don't know how to do it or what exactly to do for that matter. sad isn't it. i really hate being a buzz-kill. but i am right now. is it too much to ask to feel necessary, to feel needed, to feel wanted? because i don't, and it's been awhile since i did, and i'm tired of wanting things i may never have. i'm tired of having dreams and never seeing them become reality. i'm tired of wishing and waiting for things that may never come. i have a great family, but they aren't here, and if they were, i'd still have this commentary going on and on and on. i've prayed and prayed and prayed that God would be enough...that i would find contentment and peace. i have, but it's never constant. and frankly, i'm getting really tired of fighting this battle. but i know that i am made for war, that i have to fight these stupid battles. if i could only get out of my head for awhile, maybe i'd see the way out of these...or at least understand the point of this mess. i can fight against the outside things and do okay. but it's these battles with myself that i just can't get a grip on. these are the things that trip me up most easily. i'm so ready for this war to end.

2006-10-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

two posts in the same month. i must be sick! :)
well...the last few days have been pretty rough as far as work goes. i still love my job, and i guess the smooth sailing was bound to get rough eventually. evidently it has. there's one really difficult person that i get the pleasure of working fairly closely with...only she thinks i work FOR her. she likes to come chastise me and tell me how i can better do my job...as far as her class is concerned...on a regular basis. this compounded by the fact that she is constantly comparing me to my predecessor and apparently sees that my lack of testicles makes me incompetent really makes a girl feel good. never mind the fact that i got a degree in this stuff and evidently know enough to get myself licensed. whatever. i just wanted to tell her that i'm not him. (the dude i replaced was...well a dude.) i don't do things like he did, and i don't plan on changing my anatomy to make her more comfortable with my work abilities. evidently the fact that i am relatively young and female puts two strikes against me in her three strike world. cool. i love when people set me up for failure and then try to push me over the edge. but i know God will give me the grace and patience to deal with her and that one day i'm going to have to stand up to her and tell her how i feel about the demeaning way in which she likes to treat me. rant ended.

this post was really supposed to be about something else. i just needed to blog-vomit for a minute. now on to it. i work with some really cool people. two of which are the other counselors on campus. it's a blessing that we gel really well and get along fabulously since there are those sand paper-death breathers hanging around. anyway, one of them is around my age and single. she is really into self-growth and doing those things that stretch you. so she's been giving us challenges. the first of which i actually completed. no, i'm not telling because you don't need to know. after i managed to complete task one with relative ease, i decided to push myself so i've been working on that. so today...after about two weeks of brooding...i did it. i was feeling bold so i did something of my own volition that i would only do if forced. and i didn't die. i've decided that if i want things to change i have to do something other than what i always do...whether that's step into some uncomfortable situations and actually start conversations with strangers. i've also become keenly aware that i sometimes have a big "f off" stamped on my forehead. i am currently working on not wearing that around so people won't think i'm mad all the time. i figure a sign like that can't be good for business, and i don't want to seem unapproachable. it's time to retire it. so that's it. peace out.

2006-10-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

so it's been a couple of months. good thing no one reads this thing! the job is going well. the commute is crap, but the job is worth it...although a full moon will make a girl rethink things. man...kids really twist off on and around the full moon. i was skeptical, but i must say it is true. the last two days have been increasingly dramatic...making me lose total track of time and space at one point. it was truly amazing. i don't have any inspiring tales, but i work with some pretty amazing and fun people. we laugh a lot which is really nice when the 6th grade is on my last nerve. they're fun, but sometimes i just want to run screaming down the hall. like this week when we had a lockdown drill WHILE i was teaching a 6th grade health class. sure glad the teacher left me ALONE. it was my first lockdown drill. crazy. but try teaching a class after the drill ends. it's virtually impossible. we survived though. no one died. so all is well in the world. anyway. that's about all. and i must say...free tickets to the fair is pretty darn cool. more money to spend on food that will most likely shave time off my life.

2006-08-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

when God tells you He's got big changes for you...He isn't playing. i got a new job in a day. craziness. i start on august 9th. more craziness. this has been quite an adventure.

2006-07-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

i've decided to attempt to write a book...actually two books. one based on a dream i had. it will be a children's book. and the other stemming from some thoughts i had after spending time in the Word one night. we'll see how this goes. i've already started the kids book. could be interesting. i just thought it would be fun...we'll see if they ever get finished. :)

peace out.

2006-07-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

my mom shared a link with me that i think is worth seeing. it is interesting to read scripture in the light of our world today. it seems old testament scripture sometimes feels so distant because it feels more historical. however, reading psalm 83, knowing what happened to israel then and what is happening now, makes it take on a whole new life. the person who created the presentation talks about psalm 83 as a prayer for israel. i think it is very appropriate. so i thought i'd share it in case anyone is interested.

http://www.acwitness.org/psalm83.html

Just copy and paste the link.

2006-07-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

since i haven't had anything to blog about lately, my friend, amy, decided to help me out. so here's an interesting fact she found on an airline webpage. you cannot check a person's remains, but you can carry on their ashes. i wanted to know if you can carry on a dead person, but we speculate you'd have to actually buy a seat. also, can you check pet remains? is this rule extended to all remains? inquiring minds may or may not want to know.

it may be lame...but at least it is something.

2006-05-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

t-minus one month and counting until the LPC exam. YUCK.

i thought i may as well post something for my 2 readers to have something new to look at. life has just been boring lately. it's always the same old story. work stinks...and nothing else is happening. exciting i know. it's hard to contain myself...i'm so not excited. work has hit a new all time low, but i don't want to get into that right now. suffice it to say that i'm seriously looking for new employment because i'm not sure how long i can last, which sort of stinks becausei enjoy most of the people i work with. it has absolutely nothing to do with my clients...and it has everything to do with the world's worst management. groovy. bad management which devalues its employees totally rocks. so yeah. not a whole lot happening. so i think i'll call it a night.

2006-04-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

i think my handwriting looks better in pencil than in pen. go figure. this is what happens to a person less than two months away from a licensure exam.

2006-03-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

i was in walgreen's picking up a prescription yesterday. when i walked by the toy aisle, i heard a whoopie cushion being utilized. as i turned to look to see what just happened, a little boy...probably about 8 years old and utterly unattended...just looked at me with a very, very guilty appearance--perhaps because I caught him squatting over said whoopie cushion. i had to laugh. boys are silly.

2006-03-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

Aren't we cute?! That Kate is my favorite pseudo-niece in the whole world...

2006-02-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

i intervened in my first altercation on tuesday at the lovely jjaep...quite exciting. not really...but i did get the two boys separated before punches were thrown. here's the deal. i was walking a group back to class when a kid in the challenge class...which is a collection of the most poorly behaved students on campus...walked out and started posting up to one of the boys in my group. and to help me out another of my students started throwing gang signs at the rest of challenge class who hate this kid. how nice of him. anyway no blood was spilled. i was pretty proud of myself considering every other staff person in the area were not paying any attention. you'd think when a kid walks out of class without permission the adults supervising the class would notice...apparently not. but luckily nothing severe happened...and for that i'm very thankful. i don't get paid to break up fights. and i'm not about to jump in between two kids throwing punches...especially since most of these boys are way bigger than i am. i may know how to restrain them, but i'm not so dilluded as to think i could actually take one of those kids down without first hurting them and that would get me fired. so if they want to fight, fine. but they better be prepared to see it through because i will not be attempting to break that up. that's what campus police officers are for.

2006-02-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

**as a disclaimer...this isn't anything serious. just some thoughts i was having. no need to be worried, bruce.

so yesterday...and monday too it seems....were just days i could have done without. just one of those times when a bunch of junk happens that you really didn't need in your life...ever. in my reading through james again, i've been reminded by the Lord to praise through the circumstances even if i don't feel like praising. so yesterday i just was done. i didn't even want to try. it was like i was just saying not now, Lord...i just can't be okay with this, and i don't even want to try. and all the while this song is echoing in my mind...
living water swallow me
deepest river wash me clean
Jesus savior more of thee
Jesus more of thee
come and ruin me with your love
so no other is enough
come and leave your mark on me
Jesus more of thee

and in the end it's not a matter of if i can or can't. it's has to become a must. i must or nothing is okay. i must not out of obligation but out of sheer reverence. it was just kind of startling...how He brought me to that point. and like so many things...i asked for it, but i didn't see it coming like that. yet, i'm really thankful that it did...rotten circumstances or not. and that only reminds me that He's really not safe. but He is so very worth it.

And yes, Amy. I've been checking on the little girl every day through the site. She certainly is a beauty.

2006-01-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

oh happy day! my little almost-niece is finally here! she's absolutely beautiful, and i can hardly wait to see her!

2006-01-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

New York in June. I can hardly wait.

2006-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

so i learned last night that one of my former JJAEP students died last weekend due to a drug overdose. yikes. this is the first client i've had die. he was only 16. i spent part of the evening reminding myself that it wasn't my fault that he didn't get help. we offered him help. we gave him every opportunity to get into treatment, and he wouldn't go so it isn't my problem. it is very sad though. kids never think what they do is going to hurt them. well...sometimes the price is high.

2006-01-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

according to the giant electronic billboard things the dps uses to post amber alerts and road closures/construction zones, arson is now banned. that's funny. hasn't arson ALWAYS been banned? last i checked, arson was illegal prior to today. maybe it was illegal but not banned...even though i see both of those terms as delineating something that is, in fact, against the law. it's nice to know it is now officially banned...because i know we were all wondering.

2006-01-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, I arrived at church early since I was singing with the praise team. The guy who heads up the praise team is also a police officer. When I arrived he said...and I quote... "Angie, last night I arrested some girl that looked an awful lot like you. When I first saw her, I did a double take and had to remind myself that that wasn't your apartment. Apparently you have a twin in Arlington." So I have a criminal twin. I always get told by people that I look familiar...or like Jennifer Aniston--which I get a lot and I have absolutely no idea why because I don't look anything like Jennifer Aniston. Anyway, this is the first time I've been told that I look like someone that was recently arrested. Cool...or something like that.

2006-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

dang you, cotton bowl.
dang you, alabama and your little tenor sax player who insisted on making obscene gestures while moving into his half time show position. that was REALLY classy, you redneck.
dang you, cheating blind officials.
dang you, field goal kicker with your 45 yard piece of crap lucky kick.

i have one question. what on earth does an elephant have to do with the crimson tide? where you just out of mascot options? pitiful.

2005-12-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

Bruce tagged me a week or so ago...so since I have a serious lack of blog worthy material...I thought I'd go ahead and do this. And since no one will read this, I don't really suppose it matters what I write...so here you go.

7 things to do before I die
1. Master snowboarding.
2. Travel to all 7 continents.
3. Become a rock star.
4. Become independently wealthy and finish my years as a lady of leisure.
5. Get a doctorate degree.
6. Become fluent in another language...preferable Spanish and/or Italian.
7. Write a book.

7 things I cannot (or won't) do
1. Go streaking.
2. Dance in public.
3. Go into a medical professions...too many disgusting things.
4. Eat anything abnormal.
5. Ski a black.
6. Answer the next question.
7. Tag anyone else.

7 things that attract me to my spouse/significant other/best friend
Reference answer 6 of the previous question.

7 things I say most often
1. Sweet merciful crap
2. I gotta have more cowbell. And...Never question Bruce Dickenson.
3. Fabulous
4. Sweet
5. Now is the time on sprockets when we dance.
6. Whatever
7. For the love of all things pure and holy

7 books (or series) that I love
1. The Chronicles of Narnia
2. The Great Divorce
3. The Harry Potter series
4. Pride and Predjudice
5. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
6. The Poisonwood Bible
7. A Farewell to Arms

7 movies I watch over and over again
1. Sense and Sensibility
2. Orange County
3. Pride and Predjudice...the A&E 5 hour version
4. Lord of the Rings Movies
5. Mansfield Park
6. Tommy Boy
7. The Goonies

7 people I want to join in
See list of things I won't do.

2005-12-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

I'm am almost officially 26. It will be official in about an hour. Aside from the fact that I had to get up early, early, early to go to a 3 month probation review for a kid who didn't show up, it hasn't been bad. Oh...there was the greeting I got this morning at work. The signs read as follows. "Happy Birthday Angie B. December 9." I proceeded to take my handy dandy magic marker and cross out the 9 and insert a 7. However, Jesus did answer my birthday request. I asked for December to feel like December...and isn't it a BEAUTIFUL winter's day! I'm so excited about the cold, and my coat, hat, gloves, and scarf! Brilliant. :) But enough about that.

I've been trying, and succeeding somewhat, for that past couple of days to mull over year number 25 of my life. A 2 days ago, I realized that probably isn't a good idea for me to spend too much time doing because inevitably I end up wondering if my life thus far has been a long series of mistakes and wrong decisions...all culminating in my current position in life. Not necessarily a happy thought. I can't justify that as a good use of time so last night I decided to just think about all the things I have to be thankful for...and the list was long. Why brood in a melancholy manner over things when I can rejoice?! Why was time in worthless speculation when I can live.

Father,
Thank you for another birthday. Help me to spend my days growing in a deeper knowledge of you and bringing you honor. After all, this life is Yours...not mine. Live it through me.
Amen.

2005-12-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Amy,
A new post is coming. Consider this a prelude to a post!
Your friend,
Angie

2005-11-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Taurean Henderson...you are my hero! what a nail bitter! i think that game took 10 years off my life span. wow.

i forgot to post about the opera...it was WONDERFUL. i loved it and will be going again...most likely in march to see la boheme. yeah!

i saw harry potter and the goblet of fire on saturday. it was well done. i think i still enjoy the book more, but it was not a waste of almost three hours of my life. i did enjoy it.

i can't wait until wednesday...i get to trek to the south plains and hang out with the fam. i have been promised mucho movies so i'm very excited. yippee for thanksgiving.

funny occurance of last week.
i've been teaching good ol' prevention ed at the jjaep again...in only the three middle school classes so it isn't as bad as previous experiences have been. after the lesson, i give them riddles to answer for candy, of course. one of them is "it is full of holes yet still holds water. what is it?" the answer is of course a sponge. however, one child guessed a club...as in night club. when i said no, he said, "but miss, a club is full of hoes (as is woman of questionable repute) and has water in it!" i couldn't help but laugh...and laugh i did. it was rather amusing. kids...

2005-11-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

my brother-in-law works with a guy who happens to have been eating with some of the tech football players the other day. apparently, the team didn't play so well because they all had food poisoning. if you saw or listened to the game, you may remember announcers trying to explain why dwayne slay suddenly disappeared from the game. it seems mr. slay was very ill and spent most of the half in the restroom. now, i know you're probably thinking what a great excuse this is for playing like preteens who are just learning the game of football, but considering that the same situation happened last time we played osu in stillwater...one has to wonder. leach isn't really talking about this because of a similar situation with ut playing at osu. on 2 different occasions the longhorn football team has had food poisoning issues. when coach brown talked about it the first time, everyone accused him of making excuses for his team. if you will remember, osu played texas at home this year. the team had an inexplicably rough first half but rallied in the second half to win the game. perhaps they too were suffering from illness... if you take this into account with past problems we've had in oklahoma with discrepancies in the game clock, time being sheared off without reason, etc, it would seem that osu/osu fans like to win illegitimately. so i propose a name change...the osu cowboys are now the osu yellow-bellied cheaters. this isn't an excuse for the way we played...but honestly...that bunch of red raiders isn't the bunch that has been playing the rest of our season. so i leave this information in your capable hands, reader. judge for yourself. being a tech supporter and a huge fan of big 12 football, i have to question the events surrounding trips to osu especially since it is happening to more than one osu opponent. and so in the well expressed words of hamlet...something is rotten in the state of denmark...or in this case oklahoma.

2005-11-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - 'mank' and 'ind'. What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind." --Jack Handey

I'm a little upset that I don't get to see the Tech game this weekend since it isn't televised. I know OSU has yet to win a conference game, but does that mean that there are fans who DON'T want to see the game?! I think not. It's our last away game of the season, and I for one would like to see the action. But alas. I'll have to go sit in my car and listen to it on the radio...I can't get good radio reception in my apartment. Oh well.

Anyway...I have a serious lack of interesting material for this here blog it seems. Nothing worth ranting about has happened since I switched jobs. And I've been very bored lately...and I doubt everyone wants to read miles of rants about Harry Potter. So I'll spare my very small audience.

I will be experiencing my first real opera on Sunday. I'm very excited about this. I'm taking my mom to the opera for her birthday. She hasn't been to one since college so it should be very fun.

So yeah. That's about all the interesting occurances in my life. Other than that...it's been a whole lot of boring nothing. But whatever. Exciting or not...it's still my life, and thankfully nothing is falling apart...yet.

And who knew I could write so much about absolutely nothing?

2005-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Who could resist this face?!

2005-11-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

1. so far the new job is...well...it's there. i'm still adjusting, but i think i'll make it...at least i probably won't die from a work related cause today.

2. i had some fun with the emily and the chad last weekend...and i get to have amy bettis baby shower fun times this weekend! i'm very excited about my pseudo-neice, kate. i even have pictures of her on my frige. my only problem is limiting myself in the shower gift department. i'm already so attached to this little girl that i want to buy her everything...only being in social services doesn't really allow for that...so...i must pace myself...especially since she's not even here yet!

3. we are steadily approaching my favorite time of the year...and i'm VERY excited about that.

so all in all...not a bad week on my end...although it was slightly tragic with the change and all, but hey...at least i've had some good cake!

2005-10-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

so i have a new job. i start on tuesday...same agency...different program. my current job's grant was ending at the end of the year (september) and i could have chosen to finish it out with no guarantees as to what i would be doing next year. instead, i am giving up two evenings a week for groups...but getting a raise...which is nice. i wasn't anticipating this, but i can't say that i'm not surprised.

on a completely unrelated note...i finished the first four harry potter books in a week and a half. i really have no life...and i wish i was magical...

2005-10-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

nice, new black explorer with beige trim.
and on the back, covering the ball hitch...a doll's head.
this vehicle is currently parked outside my office building.
creepy.

and i am currently reading the harry potter books...they are very well written and imaginative...so as a result i am hooked. i finished the first book in a day. brilliant...especially since i need to be studying for my lpc exam, but i would rather read fun books like harry potter.

2005-10-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Texas Tech is ranked in the top 10. And we're 6-0. Spectacular. I love Red Raider football!

and...[Begin Rant] Last week I notified one of my bosses about the harrassment issue. She then took it to the school director. This person then decided to mishandle the situation...making my life even more miserable. Then I talked to her in order to stop the potential blow-out. She looked at me like I'm insane and proceeded to tell me basically that it sounded like a personal problem and nothing would be done. Gee, it feels so good to be completely unsupported by the very people who are supposed to help. Seriously, people. DO YOUR JOBS. [End Rant]

2005-10-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

this morning, the today show did a story about a couple who had just had their 16th child. they've had 16 kids in 17 years. wow. and they would like to have more kids. i don't really understand that, but more power to you.

2005-10-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

i absolutely love monday mornings when you hit the door and not 10 minutes later some strange man that apparently works for Lena Pope Home whom you've NEVER MET comes over an makes it a point to be the biggest jerk in north america and make you feel like you're the biggest idiot in north america by pointing out a very tiny mistake and harping on you in the most ugly way he can. i wonder what crawled up his rear and died this morning. mister rude guy...i hope you have a nice day and someone eventually puts your attitude in check. and by they way...when you are talking to a stranger...be nice...as opposed to the pretentious egotistical manner you apparently haul your bald headed self around in. must be difficult being you. i'm sorry you have such a distorted picture of things that would allow you to treat perfect strangers in a manner that attempts to control them through intimidation and domination. you are not the it man. get over yourself. and thanks for ruining my monday.

2005-10-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

my work environment is so unhealthy. i know i've voiced my work issues before, but it never improves. since school started in august, the problems i've had with the high school boys has gotten completely out of control. instead of making slightly veiled comments toward me or within earshot, they have begun full on harrassing me. so it went from mildly disturbing to making me severely uncomfortable...like referring to me as "the wife" or just flat out propositioning me. it is awful, and i loathe having to even set foot in the high school building. anyone who knows me knows that i am not asking for this. i'm very careful about what i wear to work and what i say to the kids. i've addressed this issue head on and gotten no results. i never hear the other staff back me up. my boss and i are it. i don't want other staff...particularly the male staff...to fight my battles for me since that just makes it look like i won't defend myself and that it is okay to objectify women. and that is never okay. but it would be nice to feel like i'm backed in this...that when it continues they will help me out...a team approach if you will. i've worked with teenagers along time and have never been in a situation like this. last year i could just laugh about it, but it has gotten so bad that i just feel dirty and want to hide out in my office. i shouldn't even have to deal with this. but how does a counselor handle harrassment when it is the clients doing the harrassing? i can't very well file a lawsuit on them. this completely sucks.

2005-09-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

well...friday night rocked our faces off. the pit was brutal, but we survived the pushing and elbowing and spilt beer and smoke... it was so worth the black eye i almost got and the one i really wanted to give. we were literally 2 people away from the stage. it was an absolutely amazing show. however, standing for 5 1/2 hours is never good. my knees and feet protested...but they did not give up. after this experience, i can say that coldplay is a fantastic live band. i love their recorded stuff...but they are unbelievable live. it was awesome. also partaking for the show was kelly clarkson and a member of the david crowder band. quite exciting. plus, the opening band, rilo kiley, was really pretty good. much better than the killers opening act. one of my favorite moments came during coldplay's acoustic set...which incidently happened to take place DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US...when they did an ode to the greatness that is johnny cash and played "ring of fire." it was simply brillant. they played all my favorite songs and were highly entertaining. it was awesome. it could have only been better if the mormon kid next to me would have stopped touching me every five seconds and the drunk guy behind me had not been there...and if they both would have let coldplay sing the songs instead of shouting them in my ear off key. well...if that had happened, i suppose it wouldn't have been near the experience that it was.

2005-09-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

coldplay commences at 7 pm tonight. misty and i will be taking in the show from the pit area...right smack dab in front of the stage. i anticipate mild hearing loss and sore feet...but some really good pictures.

2005-09-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

curse you, hurricane rita, and the inevitable rise you will cause in gas prices and for the way that will hurt my finances. curse you, oil companies, for capitalizing off a natural disaster by price gouging. there is no reason for oil companies to post $10 billion in profits AFTER a hurricane. you jerks. you should be ashamed of yourself and your greedy lack of compassion for the people who buy your product. honestly...have a conscience and show some mercy.

2005-09-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

anyone need tickets to the tech vs. kansas game on oct 1st?

2005-09-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

"It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day."

2005-09-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

so the sermon sunday came complete with a barber shop quartet singing such classics as "the wind beneath my wings" and "what's love got to do with it". seriously...i almost fell out of my chair laughing. it was hilarious. emily...you really missed a good one.

there was something else i was going to post about, but i cannot remember what it is.

the year's most highly anticipated event is a mere ten days away. yes...10 days. and you guessed it...it's the coldplay concert i bought tickets for like 6 months ago. that's alot of waiting. and our seats are way close to the stage...so i'll probably lose some more hearing, but man...it will so be worth it. here's to concert induced hearing loss!

and randomly...a gecko seems to be stuck inside the cover of my office light. i just saw it run across...weird.

2005-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

the yearly review is over...and i survived. thank you, Jesus.

on a completely unrelated note...
sbc completely ticked me off prompting me to immediately cancel my home phone service. those jerks. they need a lesson in the customer is always right and a course in service with a smile. i swear. they mistreat and over charge their customers...and i've had enough. death to sbc.

2005-09-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

it's time for my dreaded yearly evaluation. so i'm trying to fill out my self-evaluation which will be compared with my 2 supervisors' evaluation of me...yuck. for one, i absolutely loathe these things. i have having to rate myself for other people to look at because i'm afraid that when my bosses look at this they'll wonder what i was smoking when i filled it out...like i'll rate myself way better than they did. on the flipside, i could rate myself worse than they did and look like i'm overly judgmental and a possible head case. plus, factor in my last experience with yearly evaluations at work. i was working full-time for a church while in graduate school. my yearly evaluation rolled around. i filled out my self-evaluation, and when my boss called me into her office for what i thought was an evaluation, i was informed that the church would no longer allow me to adjust my hours in order to attend classes, and i had to pick between finishing my masters and working there. needless to say, it really threw me for a loop...thus increasing my pre-exisiting anxiety about evalutaions by an astronomical percentage. no matter how certain i am that my experience won't be repeated when we go over my eval tomorrow, there's still a thought that it might lodged in the back of my mind.

i loathe you, yearly evaluation. please be more merciful that you were before.

2005-08-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

dreams. for some reason all those things that drove me, all those idealistic ambitions and pursuits, have faded into some other time. it seems i cannot remember how i got to this point in my life. i don't remember why i do what i do. and for the life of me i don't know what to do next. there's such an apathy in my heart...no drive...no direction...no goals...just an apathetic nothing. i feel like there are no roads...that i've hit a dead end. i know that isn't true, but it feels that way. i'm stuck...trapped. and i cannot stand being so. yikes. what to do next? that is the million dollar question.

2005-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

last night, misty and i partook of the killers live and in concert. let me recap the evening.

we arrive early...of course and hang out for awhile. we find our seats. we chat it up for awhile. enter "ken" frat boy and "barbie" sorostitute. they proceed to put on a rather disgusting public display of affection. then the opening band, Louie XIV comes on and they royally stink. worse bands are seldom heard. they should give up the music business and try there hand as a band of travelling salesmen. disgusting pda continues. we chat and anticipate the killers set. finally, it begins. the killers rock it out. and the digusting pda is now horribly disgusting. i seriously consider tapping them on the shoulder and asking them to stop because now i want to vomit. it was too much. misty considers telling them to take it outside...or to a hotel...whichever. we exit the theater like cattle being herded into an awaiting semi truck. people are pushing...totally invading my personal space without regard. then we see the girl in the white mini skirt and a flowered thing that we deduce to actually be her bra. yes...she chose to CARRY her shirt instead of wear it...much to the chagrin of most...and most likely to the delight of every slightly intoxicated male at the concert. we exit the nokia and descend into what is now a traffic jam instead of a parking lot. we laugh at confused concert goers who are unable to locate their cars since everything has seemingly gone sideways. after some skilled manuvering and staring down of cheating drivers attempting to cut us off, we exit the parking lot and head home.

interesting evening as most secular concerts are...wondering if people looked into the mirror before they left the house...because if they had, they may have chosen a more covering outfit...or to at least put on their shirts. girl with white mini skirt...please leave something to the imagination and wear a shirt for the love of all things pure and holy.

misty...thanks for going with me...the coldplay warm up concert proved to be mostly fun...coldplay will only be 1,000 times better. :)

2005-08-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

12 hours left in la...sad day in the city.

i've laid on the beach...played in the ocean...got chased out of the ocean by a jelly fish...

met new friends...ate a lot of really amazing food...sang asian style karaoke...

helped remove grout from a newly laid tile floor...heard some amazing classical music...

and had great time with my sister and brother-in-law...

i love los angeles and california weather and california friends.

i'm sad to leave them here...but alas...duty calls...home calls...so texas...i'll see you tomorrow.

2005-08-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

today we viewed an art exhibit centering on capital punishment and the death penalty in america. it showcased some art by a latino painter who also uses various mediums to express himself as well as a collection of various posters expressing various takes on the death penalty.

it was very interesting to learn the stories behind some of the more prominent cases that makes us think about people who live on death row every day...some rightly and some wrongly accused. a lot of these stories are never heard. for instance...all my years growing up i never really new anything about julius and ethel rosenberg except their names. i had no idea what they had supposedly done, the controversy surrounding the case, or that they were electrocuted at sing sing based soley on the outcome of a civil trial. things like the rosenberg executions, the case surrounding a black journalist and black panther member who is apparently wrongly accused and down to his last appeal in philadelphia...convicted of a crime that he didn't do during the height of philadelphia police brutality against blacks, the poor, and women of the area, and various other instances like the iranian student organization exocutions were truly fascinating. it made me really stop and evaluate my position, and what i believe Jesus would think about such a position.

is an eye for an eye really valid position in a lifestyle/religion that promotes mercy and compassion and forgiveness? if vengence really is the Lord's to dole out, why do we feel we have the right to take life in retribution? we are to turn the other cheek...give a person our shirt too if they take our coats. i don't think punishing lawbreakers is wrong. we have to have boundaries to keep everyone safe. but is legalized killing of criminals different that murdering someone on the street? sure they broke the law, but is it morally right? our justice system is so very flawed...with corruption at every turn. people get lazy and pin things on the easiest target. there is still so much racial injustice in the world that many times, unfortunately, it is a racially drawn conclusion. i can understand why the african american community is so angry about the injustice they are shown even now and understand better how we as a society perpetuate this stigma. this is not just a political and moral issue...i believe it to be a social issue, and one that like other social issues in america is flawed. food for thought if nothing else.

but through all of this, i have come to some sort of philosophy of why we don't really try to reform our prison/justice system. the united states has roughly 8% of the world's population and we use roughly 80% of the drugs produced world wide. that in and of itself is a huge issue. roughly 90% of the prison population has or has had a substance abuse and/or dependence issue at some point in their lives. then the issue is suddenly not a matter of a law or two broken...it's a social issue that requires addressing problems in many different areas. it becomes about changing all of the systems that feed into the crime committed. not to say that you won't just get a bad apple every now and again. if men are inherently evil and prone to do evil naturally, there will just be people who have no respect for the law and the rights of others. however, there are people who commit crimes and can be rehabilitated. we can interrupt the cycle when they are children and adolescents. reforming the juvenile justice system to treat them as children...like they are...instead of miniature adults could make a world of difference for the majority of kids who are simply in need. we can meet those needs if we'd stop being so lazy and go the extra mile for the marginalized of our society. eliminate poverty and you remove a huge stumbling block. i know this is all easier said than done, but it is about time something changed. maybe we don't need state sanctioned murder to teach people lessons. it obviously doesn't deter people from killing other people. i think we need to re-evaulate ourselves.

there was one poster in particular that really got my attention. it had to do with a case in florida in which a prominent civil rights activist had been murdered. the man responisble was charged and sentenced to death. at a clemency hearing for this man, the victim's son spoke to the judge. what he said was in effect this. the God he learned to believe in from his father (the victim) was a God of compassion and mercy and forgiveness. he said that the family did not want this man killed for what he had done. they couldn't not justify that as being right and in accordance with the teaching they believed. i thought it was particularly poignant. they didn't want him freed. they just wanted him to live for the rest of his life with what he had done...knowing all the while that this man's family showed him compassion...and in effect heaping hot coals of kindness on his head. wow. i can't imagine how hard it must of been for them to come to terms with a human tendancy for justice and the christian teachings they stood for in the end.

i think it is time that we as christians stand up on sound doctrine for what is right and what embodies the teachings of christ we claim to adhere to. it's time to put into action what Jesus lived. as micah 6:8 says...we should live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

2005-08-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

last night, we made a trip to the hollywood bowl to hear yo yo ma and the silk road ensemble. very, very cool. they played different musical pieces representative of the countries and cultures found along the silk road. there were some of the most amazing musicians playing with him. it was a joy to listen to and watch. a culture rich experience indeed.

yesterday i also ate my first kosher hot dog and the first hot dog i had eaten in somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 years. go hebrew national!

so you should consider giving yo yo ma and the silk road ensemble a listen and eating a hebrew national...though not necessarily in that order.

2005-08-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

i love california weather...sleep with the windows open...it's a beautiful 70 degrees at noon...heaven.
it took an act of congress to get here. i arrived at the airport two hours in advance to find that my flight was delayed two hours. the plane coming out of baltimore was delayed due to microburst concerns in the dallas area. so we were told that we may leave by 8:40 but it could be delayed even longer. considering i was supposed to arrive in la at 8:05 pst, this was less that desirable. so i hung out in the tgi friday's and read my book and waited and waited and waited. we left dallas at 8:50.

it was quit amazing though to fly over la at night...you really get to see how amazingly huge it really is...all those lights and all those people. it was very impressive.

so finally my vacation has begun.

2005-08-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

california here i come!

vacation is a mere 26 hours away!!!!!!!!!!

2005-07-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

everyone eat a pluot...it will change your life.
i'm still searching for the elusive aprium and nectocotums and peach-a-rines.

2005-07-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

12 days until i wing my way to sunny socal
21 days until summer break ends
23 days until the killlers
32 days until the LPC exam
41 days until labor day and lubbock, texas
60 days until coldplay
121 days until thanksgiving
134 days until my birthday
211 days until christmas

2005-07-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

this is what the label of my glaceau vitamin water says...

formula 50

grape (50% daily dose)

inspired by today's most talked about artist, hottest record producer, and soon-to-be movie star, this "not so-hypnotic" tonic contains (hint, hint) 50 (per) cent of many of the important vitamins that you need every day.

however, unlike mister fifty (or "fiddy" as the kids say), this drink does not contain talent, a seven-figure recording deal, platinum jewelry, a big entourage, or a bulletproof vest.

...now that's a witty label. bravo, glaceau vitamin water, bravo for making my label reading/beverage partaking experience a humorous one.

2005-07-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

1. i have air conditioning in my office!!!
2. there is a way to get rid of millipedes attempting to invade your apartment...in case anyone was wondering...
3. i now have a wireless mouse and keyboard for my office!! i love technology...
4. i got to enjoy some tasty chipotle for lunch...thanks cruz!
5. i just discovered my friends, brandi and sarah, now have blogs. two of the coolest girls joined the world of blogging...AND DIDN'T TELL ME. but that's okay. i'm not bitter. no really...i'm not. so welcome brandi and sarah!!!

thoughts from the back row

2005-07-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

well...maybe not the back row. we were pretty far away...but still not back row.

anyway...ash, ben, and i had a fantastic time at the kelly clarkson concert voicing the thoughts of a few odd balls sitting around us. and really...what else are you supposed to do when the lady sitting directly in front of you has hair so big that it could probably be seen clearly from space thereby creating an unbelievable obstruction in your view? honestly, people. factor in the males of questionable nature, middle aged mothers attempting to look as young as their preteen daughters, and an open bar...and you've got the makings of a great few hours of people watching.

by questionable i am referring to the fact that it isn't normal for a college aged boy to be waving a glow stick in the air and singing the words to EVERY kelly clarkson song...from both albums...while the girl he came with...possible girlfriend...stares in disbelief. honestly...she may want to rethink that relationship. he did compete well against the preteen girls in the glow stick wave/lyric recitation event.

and in reference to another male of questionable nature...it isn't normal to wear your hair like a porrcupine, wear your sunglassess in a concert venue (AT NIGHT) and sing all the songs into your cell phone while screaming "kelly, your so fine" from the balcony and dancing around like you had a little more than alcohol. seriously...i think he forgot where he was.

it was truly a spectacle.

2005-07-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

it's the bottom of the ninth...and we are down by one. batter #1 hits a pop fly and of course becomes out #1. batter #2 hits one long into right/center field. it drops in just short of the wall...triple play. batter #3 gets a walk. runners on 3rd and 1st. batter #4 gets pegged by a wild inside pitch...he gets to walk. now...bases are loaded...and one out. the crowd is tense with anticipation. one well placed shot and we win the game. enter batter #4. the pitcher fires...and he swings. the result was a beautiful and very long shot into left field...right down the 3rd base line where no one could get to it before damage was done. and that's the game. 15 minutes later...an amazing fireworks display...30 mins later...a mass exodus of 50,000 people from ameriquest field. and the rangers beat the boston red soxs. how sweet it is.

2005-06-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

the story you are about to read is mostly untrue and, therefore, only partially factual. names, dates, details, and occurances were embellished and manipulated for your reading enjoyment.

and now for the tale of the attacking toilet...

several days ago...or something like that...the water on our campus was shut down to address a leak in the water main. mind you...this is completely different from the repairs going on in my building which has deprived me of air conditioning and water for two weeks now. anyhow, the water main problem was fixed the same day (unlike the air conditioning and water in my building but i won't stay on that soapbox), but as some of you probably are aware, turning off water and turning it back on at a point away from the faucet/etc causes air pockets in the pipes. thus begins the tale.

a young girl, delightful girl on a certain wednesday was sitting as close as possible to the large box fan circulating hot air around her office as she attempted to get some work done before a meeting. she received a phone call from a co-worker who asked this young woman to stop by her office and help with setting up her new dell dj mp3 player. so after a few minutes, our heroine treads lightly throught the fort worth heat across the street to the office of her friend...only her friend wasn't in her office. so before gliding back across the street to the 7th circle of hell she decides it might be wise to visit the facilities since she was half way through 32 ounces of crystal light's refreshing raspberry iced tea. unbenounced to her, the enemy air pockets had been lurking in the pipes making the toilet very, very angry. here we will skip over details that are unimportant...yada...yada...yada...blah...blah...blah.

as our wonderful heroine goes to flush, nothing happens. so she tries again...naturally. and the toilet flushes. however, as the bowl was refilling the toilet recognized the opportunity to rid itself of the evil air pockets and and explosion of water rose from the bowl. the young girl used her amazingly fast cat like reflexes to bound out of the way of the water...narrowly avoiding a precarious situation. as she went to wash her hands, as all good and clean girls do, she hesitated wondering if the sink would attack her as well. however, the evil air pockets had already been worked out of the sink. all was well as she decended back into her office...now dubbed "the inferno".

the moral of the story is...use the bathroom at home...or at least go equipped with full rain gear if the water has been off for any amount of time.

the end.

2005-06-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

according to tom cruise...you can be a Christian and a scientologist.

funny...i didn't think the two actually mixed.

2005-06-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

lack of functioning air conditioning + paint fumes + poorly ventilated office = a headache and lots of sweat

just another day at the office...

2005-06-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

while at the macaroni grill in dallas saturday, two elderly couples dining together were seated at a table next to amy, kristin, and myself. i noticed that they looked perplexed while trying to read the menu...so naturally they requested extra light from the waiter who promptly brought them a flash light. after reading the menu and making their selections, one gentleman proceeded to shine the flash light in the other gentleman's face. finally the waiter eighty-sixed the flash light so it wouldn't be a dinner distraction. so the waiter most likely didn't remove the flash light for that reason...but that would have been even more amusing.

**so jacko is not guilty...even of providing alcohol to minors...who knew...
yes i listened to the entire reading of the verdict...not that i really care...i'm just really bored.

2005-06-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

i'm posting from frank kent honda. that is neat. and all i have to write about.

peace out.

2005-06-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

i've been trying to come up with something new to post...but alas...i am not feeling inspired. this is all i have. sad...i know.

2005-06-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

it is official...

misty "misdemeanor" childress and i are now coldplay concert ticket holders...

rock on.

2005-06-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

this never gets old...

http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/7452/

2005-05-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

To buy or not to buy the Killers album...that is the question...

Friends

2005-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about what makes a true friend different from an aquaintance in my book. In doing so, I have discovered a few things I had never really thought about.

Those I consider true friends are those that are all of the obvious things...trustworthy, caring, invested in the relationship, encouraging, etc. However, they all have done a couple of very important things. Most of them have walked with me through one or several trying periods in my life. Not one of them has ever failed to offer gentle correction when needed. The writer of Proverbs states that wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (Proverbs 27:6) Wounds from my true friends are those I can trust since they come out of love and concern for me. It is the example given to us in the Bible. Isaiah said that God wounds but He also heals. He wounds us to heal us...to grow us...and those friends who are willing to do the same also want to see us grow. This is characteristic I have realized that I value above all else. They don't correct me out of a need to "run" everyone elses business because even if I didn't accept their correction, they would love me anyway. And they expect the same thing from me. These are the straight shooters that possess honesty that should be prized. They don't worry about what it may do to the relationship...but they have also made deposits enough into that relationship account that they can make those kind of withdrawls. And it is that characteristic alone that earns my respect and unending devotion above all else. Anyone I consider a close friend has this quality.

I am so very private and guarded that most people never really get to know me. There are precious few who have that priviledge...but I know I can be real and sometimes real ugly with them with the security of knowing that they love me anyway. And they can be the same with me...no pretentions, no judgements...just freedom to be emotionally, spiritually naked. In fact, I can almost count them on one hand.

So...those of you that I know read this and fall into that catagory (you know who you are)...thank you for letting me bare my heart and loving me enough to offer correction when I need it. I wish I was perfect so I wouldn't need it, but it is comforting to know that I have you. Everyone needs an Aaron and Hur to hold up their arms sometimes. You better believe I would do it for you. Some of you are actual family, most of you aren't, but you are all family to me.

the 80s are still alive

2005-05-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

while driving back to work from lunch this afternoon, i saw the most fabulously dressed guy mosey down south hulen...looking like a circa 1980s don johnson groupie. the guy was wearing a white v-neck t-shirt and ridiculously short shorts...sporting the kicks and a mullet...plus a baseball cap that appeared to be left over from the 1980ish green bay packers. it was amazing. oh how i wish i had a camera at that moment...

2005-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

coldplay...september 23rd...dallas...

my day has been made.

2005-05-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday I discovered the magical world of gelato.

Amazing in every fantastic way.

2005-05-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Emily...dear friend.
Happy Birthday to you! Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Today...Cinco de Mayo...the fifth of May...is Emily's birthday. And in honor of Cinco de Mayo being your birthday, I shall wish you happy birthday in Espanol. (cue birthday song music)
Feliz Cumpleanos a ti!
Feliz Cumpleanos a ti!
Feliz Cumpleanos a Emily!
Feliz Cumpleanos a ti!

2005-05-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

People of America!!! Or at least those who read this blog...
REPORT CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT! Don't think it isn't your business. If your child reports seeing things in the house that make it unsafe (ie. drugs, weapons, etc), don't discount it or gripe them out. Encourage them to tell you what's going on.

I say this because I just got gripped out by an angry mother. Her son was in my office helping my fill out a CPS report on the mother of a friend of his. He's seen drugs and weapons in the house as well as the filthy state of the house. He reports it to me...we fill out a report...he calls to get the exact address...and voila. I'm in hot water with his mom. She's yelling at him and me on the phone...and he's probably going to be in trouble when he gets home.

If you even think something isn't right with a child, ask them, listen to them, and REPORT it. If you don't, you are just as responsible for whatever happens to that child. Every child deserves a chance. Don't take it away from them.

That is all.

2005-05-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm in my office talking with my co-worker, Jimm, when we here running and a bang. My locked door flies open followed by retreating footsteps and laughter. Yes...the high school challenge class (aka any kid on campus who is too out of control to leave in the regular JJAEP classroom) has kicked in my door, ruining the door, and breaking the lock. Kids have broken into my office before, but this is the first time they've kicked in my door. Of course, they all develop amnesia as soon as they are faced with someone owning up to the crime. The class tried to blame it on this "vertically challenged" kid. He's an African American teenager who is only about 3 feet tall. Some other kids in that class abuse the poor kid. For instance, they were seen by Jimm, following this incident, holding him by the back of the neck, kicking him, and telling him to confess to kicking in my door. Honestly, I'm not sure if he could get his leg up that high. So here I am...waiting for my door to get measured so they can order a new one that will probably take 6 months to get here and installed. Whatever...but the state of Texas requires that counselors keep their confidential records behind two locked doors. I've only got one locked door now. Hopefully we don't get surprised with an audit. Yeah. It's only Tuesday.

2005-05-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

...lunches with amy and one guy from italy
...singing really loud in the car for five straight hours and getting really hoarse
...hanging out with my fabulous mom, sister, and brother-in-law
...being the only single person in the young married adult bible study class because you are playing third wheel to your sister and brother-in-law
...chai cream frappuchinos from starbucks
...watching hours of law and order on tnt
...my grandad's hamburgers
...my grandad's outlandish stories
...seeing old friends
...sunday afternoon thai food
...friday's with no work
ah yes...weekends in lubbock.

**I neglected to mention the run in Amy and I had with the elfvator in FBC, Lubbock. It was amazing in every way. However, I am sad to report that the elfvator is now more. It has been renamed the elevator.

2005-04-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Lucas shared something last night at Mezzanine that really blew my mind. He related something one of his seminary professors had told him. He talked about God being omnipresent. He is geographically omnipresent...He is all around every piece of His creation...around every blade of grass...over the whole earth...around every star and galaxy in the entire universe... That's a sizable chunk of reality to grasp in and of itself. But since God is omnipresent, He is also in every piece of the past and the future right now. Yeah. Wow. So since that is true, God may be working out a prayer I'll pray tomorrow for the past 25 years of my life. I know that makes little sense, but it's amazing. Lucas used a story like this to illustrate the point. Let's say a man is in an airport about to board a plane to fly home. He arrived three hours prior in order to check his baggage, etc. As the airport employee was driving the cart of luggage to this particular plane, the man's bags fall off. Three hours later, the man prays that God would allow him a safe trip home with now hang ups, lost luggage, delays, etc. So...God taps the luggage car driver on the shoulder and makes him look back and notice the luggage that has fallen off so he stops and picks it up. All this happens in a three hour time span...in our frame of reference...but for God, since he is not bound by time and space, it is different. He is fully there in that last three hours as well as being fully in the present as the man is praying and fully in the future. Wow. So who am I to say that God isn't listening to me or that He doesn't answer me. I'm finite. He is not! That is simply amazing. I know I've heard stuff like this a million times before, but for some reason, last night it just hit me...that's how big my God is! Makes me thankful that I belong to Him. While this may not make much sense, I don't suppose it is really supposed to. I don't really think it can be coherently explained. It's just more proof of how God confounds the wisdom of men! My Dad is Amazing.

2005-04-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

a kid broke into my office today. nice. luckily, nothing was missing...as far as i know. but the state requires my records to be kept behind 2 locked doors since they have to be kept confidential. but that means nothing if these teenagers can break into my office...they could certainly pop the lock off the door that is presently securing my records. lovely jjaep students. what a monday.

2005-04-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

So I typed a post and then my computer started wigging out and now it is gone.

But the building my office is in smells like something died and is now rotting. Therefore, my office smells like that as well. Lovely.

So the post I lost ended up posting itself about 10 times...amazing. My computer is possessed.

2005-04-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile...

Anyway, it has been a crazy week thus far. I spent two days in Grapevine at a conference for the Texas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. It was fascinating...and I'm not being sarcastic. It really was. This is a much needed alliance of law enforcement, CPS, medical, and mental health professionals coming together to help kids who grow up in the presence of drugs or drug manufacturing so they don't become our next generation of criminals. It was heartbreaking, but it is a cause I'm glad to be apart of. In fact, it has only spurred me on to greater career aspirations. It's exciting stuff. But it is a long, long story.

Anyway, that is all. Thank you and have a great day.

random bits and pieces

2005-04-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

t minus 28 days until the concert of the century...Kelly Clarkson...
so maybe it isn't the concert of the century, but emily and i are sure excited.

my new favorite book is called Redeeming Love...it's fabulous. right up there with some others.

i'm currently listening to dean martin's greatest hits on my i-tunes.

last nights episode of 24 severly stressed me out. i just don't know how jack bauer will save the world from certain nuclear diaster by terrorists this season. especially with president keeler out of commission from the crash of air force one. gee...i'm glad this isn't actually real.

i've heard more references to the snl cowbell skit since easter sunday than ever in the history of the world. if you haven't seen it visit emily's website...there's a link to the video.

...and that emily bryant is so hot right now.

2005-04-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

Main Street Arts Festival
...this weekend
...downtown
...all day
...and it's free.

2005-04-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

I typed a really long post and now it's gone. Curse you, internet, for not behaving.

*this is strange since I typed this yesterday, but it wouldn't post...and now here it is. You crazy blogger program you.

2005-04-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yea for the Baylor Lady Bears and their first NCAA Championship Title...
Yea for the Big Twelve...
Yea for the Baylor girl who tackled the Baylor Mascot in an effort to save a ball headed out of bounds...

I do wish it had been my Texas Tech Lady Raiders, but at least it's a win for the Big Twelve. Nevertheless...GO BIG TWELVE!

2005-04-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Since gas is so expensive now-a-days, I thought I'd explore my options.

1. Stop eating so the grocery budget can be used for gasoline.
2. Stop driving altogether and brave my germaphobia induced fear of public transportation.
3. Walk everywhere...even to Arlington once per week for supervision.
4. Get a new job that pays more money so I can afford to drive...or at least a second job to defer the cost.

I think I like option 4...

Somebody do something about the stinking fuel crisis!!!!!!!!!

April Fools...

2005-04-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

It's April Fools Day. In light of today, I thought I'd share the last prank that got pulled on me one year ago today.

I was finishing my graduate internship at a residential treatment center for teenage boys. The house only held nine boys, and all our beds were full. I had two individual clients and did groups with all nine boys daily. There were several other interns there as well.

I walked in to prepare for group...completely oblivious to the fact that it was April Fools Day. Too bad the boys remembered. Two boys came around the corner to meet me with the news that one of my clients had run away. Now, this was an open door facility...meaning they could leave at any time, but we'd call their probabtion officer and the police so they never got far. Anyway, they told me the story of what had happened, and I bought it.

At that moment, Erinne--a fellow intern--came in. She was helping me with group that day. We walk into the office, and I relay the information to her. Immediately we start restructuring group in order to process with the other eight boys what has happened. As we were talking another inter walks in. I asked her if she knew about my client. Debbie looked at me strangely and said, "But I just saw him." Then, like a lightening bolt, it hit me...the boys got me.

In disbelief, I could feel the anger rising as all the blood in my body rushed to my head. I hate to be embarrassed, and embarrassed I was. The joke was in bad taste considering I had been at the center for almost a year and during that time, we all became attached to the boys. We poured everything we had into trying to help them work through their junk, and this is how they repay us! So goup that day was on why that was so mean...ending with a homework assignment. I had them write a five page essay on why that was mean and how sorry they were. They kept asking me if I was joking, but I was dead serious. If they didn't write all five pages of the essay, which started out as a 10 page essay but Erinne talked me out of that, there were serious consequences.

That's the last joke they played on me. I'm not good with practical jokes, but I would never tell a counselor her client ran away...especially when they know it only ends in that kid going to jail. It's just not nice.

That's my April Fools story. It's the only prank anyone has ever tried to pull on me thus far...not a good one, but a prank nonetheless.

So what's the best April Fools prank that's been pulled on you?

Two Things

2005-03-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

1. Ben is going home tomorrow!!! No more Houston...no more hospital...three cheers!

2. On my way back from lunch today, I saw the most interesting thing. Picture this...Mazda Protege, sun roof, ladder hanging out of said sun roof, driving down Hulen St. It was sweet.