The Joy of the Alter Ego

I got flowers at work today!

2011-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that I'm spoiled?

Happy Valentine's Day!

80s Fashion

2010-09-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

There's something slightly alarming about watching a movie like "Valley Girl" and thinking, "hey! My sister and I had that same shirt!"

The Measure of a Bad Day

2010-07-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

This morning alone had been so bad that I decided, after lunch, to get a candy bar from the vending machine. When I returned to my desk with said candy bar, eagerly ripping off it's wrapper I discovered that it was completely melted.

Yeah. Today is not going well for me...

I Write Like...

2010-07-16T16:09:00.001-07:00

According to this lovely little application, I write like Vladimir Nabokov, the author of Lolita.

Riiiiiiight...

Taking a later excerpt from the same story, it declared that I write like Stephanie Meyer of Twilight fame. ::shudder::

And then, using part of a totally different story, I was told I write like Kurt Vonnegut. Interesting.

I foresee this entertaining me for quite a while...

The Imperials make me smile

2010-04-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

No joke, I started crying today when I saw that "Let the Wind Blow" by The Imperials is available for download from amazon.com because I was that ecstatic over the discovery. Seriously one of my all time favorite albums of my childhood let alone Christian pop from the 80s. I'm so freaking excited--I've been trying to hunt down a copy of this album for years now. I will be downloading this the instant I get home.

How do you define selfish?

2010-03-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Are you the kind of person that defines selfishness as doing whatever you have to do to get what you want?

Or are you the kind of person that defines selfishness as only wanting what benefits you, even to the harm of others?

And then, after you've thought about all the world and the different people in it. And about yourself and what you're proud of and what you're ashamed of. Are you the kind of person who believes that people only act on what they think is in it for them? That even a desire for goodness and heaven is a vanity and selfishness? That even God is selfish?

Or are you the kind of person who believes that a man can want redemption for a world, even to the point of being willing to die? Are you the kind of person that defines that death as selfless?

Is everything selfish? Or do you allow for that possibility that some motives are beyond simple survival and gratification?

Resolutions?

2010-01-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, my "New Year's Resolution" is to blog more. Wow. So original of me. Not.

However, in that vein I have decided to dredge up some old pictures I took back in November that I meant to post but never did. They are Thanksgiving leftover potstickers. Yum, yum, yum!

I had actually made three kinds.

The first were potsticker skins filled with green bean casserole, parmesan, and garlic.

The second set I fried up were turkey, stuffing, and gravy.

I ground the turkey in my food processor with the stuffing then used the congealed gravy as the base to hold it all together. This worked really well and was seriously tastey.

The last set I made were turkey, cranberry, and brie. I chopped everything super fine then mixed it with some mayonaise to hold it all together when filling the potsticker skins.

The final cooked result was gooey but good.

I should have taken pictures of the insides... oh well.

Happy weekend!

What I recommend today

2010-01-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

Pick something from this list, at least one thing, and do it.

And then do another.

It's Christmas at our apartment!

2009-12-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

Or at least it's getter there. :)

Happy weekend!

p.s. Can you see the mini light up Darth Vader? Yeah, we's cool beans.

downright poetic

2009-11-13T08:26:00.001-08:00

I love it. That's what you get for blowing a million bucks on a sportscar then being dumb enough to talk on the phone while driving it.

Photo Friday wants you to FEED THE PIGEONS!!

2009-11-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

Have a great weekend!

2009-11-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

All I had to do was bring the deli plate to work and I couldn't even do that.

Just call it one more task that everyone else gets to fuss at me for messing up.

Photo Friday loves the old city

2009-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

A shot of Zurich's old town from a wall across the Limmat.

What's on my computer desktop

2009-10-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

www.hpmphoto.com

Midweek Menu

2009-10-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is actually from Sunday, but W and I made the most fabulous cinnamon French toast ever with homemade Strawberry Peach Syrup. And brie. So good. Be jealous.

Meanwhile, dinner tonight is anyone's guess. Pasta Roni?

Photo Friday wants to hold your hand

2009-10-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

While crossing the street in a 1930s hat and jacket. Cute!

Not bad, I say. Not bad.

2009-10-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I loved getting married.

photo courtesy of our fabulous photographer Heather

Looking back to see how far I've come

2009-10-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I wrote the following in a blog post (found it again while reposting old stuff):

"I just know that love is work. If you find the right partner to work with you can produce something great. If you find a lazy partner the work can eat you alive."

You know, I made a lot of dumb statements about love during that time in my life but this one I think is true. More true than I even realized when I wrote it.

I am so thankful that my husband is someone willing to work toward something great with me.

progress report

2009-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Yay! I've finished uploading all of my posts from 2004.

Now on to 2005.

2009-10-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but I'm slowly working on adding all my old blog posts to my new blogger format (I'm only halway into the old 2004 posts). I wanted to have everything in one place. That and I was kind of curious as to how prolific of a blogger I am. The answer is: holy crap, I've written a lot of blog posts...

Photo Friday says hello to Spiez

2009-10-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

The chapel at Castle Spiez in the little town of Spiez along the Thunersee. Former home of the Bubenburgs...*snort* (Yeah, I've got the maturity of a twelve-year-old. You got a problem with that?)

2009-10-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

Seriously, not all software updates are improvements. I mean, yeah, Flash CS4 has some really awesome new features, but I kind of hate ActionScript 3. With a passion.

Maybe I'll change my mind after I've been working with it for a couple weeks.

But I'm not holding my breath...

Some days I'm a fairy princess with a Midweek Menu

2009-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

And for no particular reason, today is one of those Fairy Princess days.

Okay, there's a reason. I was looking at wedding photos. Teehee! Flowers and pretty dresses will do that to a girl.

Makes me wish I could just step through a door in some castle wall and be in Switzerland again, fluttering about on my honeymoon.

Oh, and I'm making chicken tonight, with spinach and Thai peanut sauce. Sound good? Well, it should. Cuz that's my midweek menu.

Butterflies and feathers

2009-10-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Seriously, my bouquet rocked. I mean, just look at those colors. And the peacock feathers. And the little matching paper butterfly!

Did I mention I made it myself? Yeah, I'm awesome.

photo courtesy of Heather at hpmphoto.com

Photo Friday is kicking off the Honeymoon photo bonanza!

2009-10-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

So, marriage has been pretty awesome so far. And I would tell you all about it if I weren't currently suffering from an allergy attack.

Anyway, that's a picture of Zurich, one of our first stops on our honeymoon. Pretty fabulous.

Being married means all your stuff gets lost in the move

2009-09-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

As soon as I find my camera cable, there will be honeymoon pictures all over this blog.

Oh, and I'm back. And I'm married. :)

Photo Friday will see you after the honeymoon

2009-09-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

One day left.

I've got no picture for that.

Photo Friday is counting down the days

2009-09-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

...til I officially change my last name. Eek!

A photo of a religious venue in which others have gotten married seemed appropriate...

In the single digits

2009-09-03T16:25:00.001-07:00

20 wedding tasks yet to complete and only 9 days to complete them.

AAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Photo Friday makes nice with the kitteh

2009-08-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Meet Mr. Muggles aka The Mouser. Or just, The Cat as he's usually called by us, seeing as we don't know his real name and I've only just recently taken to calling him Mr. Muggles in my head as a silent tribute to Heroes. "The Mouser" title is equally recent due to the thoughtful presents he's now left us on the front and back porches (just in case we missed them, you know).

Apparently, Mr. Muggles has been kicked out of his own home a couple doors down by the newly adopted dog. He's decided we are the most suitable replacement family and has been diligently courting us ever since. Even going so far as to sneak into the house on more than one occasion.

He's definitely getting to my dad (supposed hater of cats) who recently started talking about buying kitty litter.

Don't do it Dad! Resist! Resist!!

It was the mouse that won him over. My dad has infinite respect for any creature that is willing to earn his keep.

Personally, I don't mind The Mouser. He's a super sweet cat; constantly rubbing up against legs and tentatively meowing for some love. But I'm moving out in two weeks and I can't take him with me. Oh well. I'll just come back to visit.

Oh, and Mr. Muggles: thank you for the half mouse on the back welcome matt that you so generously stopped chewing on in order to present it as a gift to me last night when I got home. Very thoughtful of you. I feel loved.

Some Wedding Advice for Dealing with a Bride

2009-08-28T09:12:00.001-07:00

If I could give you just one piece of advice for when you're dealing with a bride: edit what you say about the decisions that have already been made and paid for.

Don't tell her that the beautiful bridesmaids dresses she fell in love with and picked because she thought they would be truly lovely and not too bridesmaidsy are secretly hated by one of the bridesmaids who thinks she looks fat in it.

Don't tell her that the Maid of Honor thinks the shoe color she carefully picked out to match the flowers clashes with the dress.

Don't tell her that her colors are ugly and mismatched; don't say, well, maybe it'll look better when it's all put together and then try to retract your statement with, "Oh but it'll be beautiful anyway!" It's too late. You can't take it back. And, besides which, you didn't really take it back at all, just allowed that it might not be a disaster.

Don't second guess her hard won decisions when she's already given up what she wanted for the sake of the budget or the sake of her mother or the sake of her groom or whoever else in her mind (and there's a good possibility it's all in her mind) she thinks she's sacrificing for. If there isn't a logistical problem--if the only problem is that you don't particularly like the shade of red used, please keep your mouth shut.

And please, especially don't say any of these things to her two weeks before the wedding when she has other, more pressing, decisions and she's just found out that the best friend she hasn't seen in four years who she was so, so, so excited about seeing again has announced that she can't come. Your bride may be brave and understanding about her friend, but it's still not a good time.

Don't tell her that she's just pmsing when she now feels bad about the friend and the shoes and the dresses and the flowers as a direct result of everything you've said that I just asked you not to say.

There's a good chance that this bride you're dealing with is a little overwhelmed. And vulnerable. That she's suddenly feeling thrust into the role of grownup and is insecure about the validity of her choices. And trying so hard to please you and everyone else and just make this marriage thing happen that criticizing something as small as the color of shoe she wanted is a bit like stabbing her in the back.

So, in conclusion, please watch your mouth around your poor little bride. It's hard enough to not be a bridezilla without you provoking her by pointing out that the few decisions she was allowed to make for herself are hopelessly bad.

*The "you" for this post may in fact be my mother...

All I gotta do is...

2009-08-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

...ride it out. Just ride it out Marianne. It'll get better and if I do what i know to be right even though it's stinkin hard right now, I'll come out clean on the other side.

But seriously, there's something brilliant about lyrics that decide to forego the flowery language and just say: "When you're screwed, you're screwed." Sometimes being able to sing it like it is makes you feel so much better.

*The song, btw, is Blue by Soler.

Photo Friday Loves the Love-potamus

2009-08-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Because Brimly the Unconditional Love-potamus loves you.

Wedding Wednesday

2009-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Twenty-four days until the wedding. Can you believe it?

I've decided to post a few wedding thoughts in honor of this fact.

Most of you probably don't know this, but we won't be having a unity candle. It's not because we want to be different or offbeat, it's actually because Pasadena requires the church to hold a license to light candles inside and we don't have that license. Stupid, right? But I've never been a huge unity candle person anyway, so it's not great loss for me. I mean, unity candles are a recent invention; if thousands of years worth of people can get married without a unity candle, then so can I.

Anyway, I thought of this because I recently read a post on Offbeat Bride regarding substitutions for the unity candle ceremony. One of the suggested alternatives was a "ring warming" ceremony. I've seen this ceremony featured a couple times now and I have to say that there's something about it that appeals to me. There's something beautiful about passing an item so closely worn as a symbol of love, from loved one to loved one to be blessed. I like the idea of all the little prayers piling up on each other, one on top of the other in layers of peace and communion. I imagine looking down at my wedding ring in the years to come and not only seeing a reminder of my committment but a reminder of all the prayers that God has promised to fulfill--prayers made on my behalf; what a reassurance!

Okay, so unfortunately there are practical reasons why we won't be doing a ring warming any more than we'll do a unity candle: too many guests in too short a time, not to mention the super high risk of losing the rings altogether. Not good for a wedding. We need those rings.

Once again, it's no great loss to cross another ceremony off the list. This is not something I've always wanted, it's just a ceremony that recently captured my imagination a beautiful way. But if someone else sees this post and is thinking of such a ceremony for their (much smaller) wedding: I hope you do it and tell me about it. It sounds lovely.

Many good and lovely things

2009-08-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

I gotta tell ya: yesterday was a crappy day. And not just kinda crappy, but really crappy. It was just one of those. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them.

This morning wasn't starting out so great either. Still too many things to do and not enough time to do them.

But somewhere between lunchtime and 4 pm, I had a breakthrough. The sun shone brighter, the people got nicer. I think there may have been a blue bird. On my shoulder. Okay, maybe no bird, but you get my drift. Things got a lot better.

And thanks to the improvement in my day I started remembering some other great things like: my shoes today are totally awesome! Gold and satin aquamarine stilettos. I am one sexy hot mama in these suckers. And I haven't even mentioned my sassy matching scarf yet!

AND HOLY CRAP, LIZ AND DAVID GOT MARRIED ON SATURDAY!!

It's as if, in my major funk over the past day and a half, I couldn't remember this incredible and wonderful thing that had happened to some really special friends. Seriously, what's wrong with me? That wedding was absolutely beautiful. And also the marker to the four week countdown until I'm married. Whoa. Surreal.

I better get crackin' on some of that wedding stuff...

And that's it...

2009-08-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's official. The Alive not Dead blog/account is almost totally cleared. I haven't found a way to delete the account completely and there are two photo albums still posted, but I'll get to that later. Maybe. Whatever.

Yet another joyous Monday...

2009-08-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever just had one of those weekends that zipped by you before you were able to get anything done? And suddenly you found yourself on a Monday morning feeling a bit like your life sucks, your relationships are a sham, you're never going to accomplish anything, and everything is happening to you as a result of selfish, uncooperative folks despite your best efforts to treat people right and do the right thing.

Yeah, it's one of those days for me.

But, on the flip side, W prayed with me last night and I know for a fact that I never would have fallen asleep and I would be so much worse this morning if he hadn't.

A quick note regarding proper public attire

2009-08-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of the short fluttery summer dresses. I mean, I think they're pretty and all, but unless you're of a mind to diligently guard the hem of your skirt and vow never to wear a thong while sporting your lovely little outfit, I highly advise against any dress that ends more than a handwidth above your knees. Because, well, you never know when an inopportune gust of wind may blow by, no matter how sunny and perfect a day it is. I say this because I just witnessed it.

My point? My eyes! My poor, poor traumatized eyes!

Photo Friday has no arms

2009-08-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

Venus di Milo in the Louvre. And random toursists.

Tomorrow my friends are getting married! And four weeks later, I'll be getting married!! Wow.

Enjoy your weekend. :)

If I Could be Creative...

2009-08-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Seriously, this blogger is the most inventive parent on the web.

One day, when I have children, I'm going to come back and copy all the marvelous learning activities and make my babies even greater geniuses than they are already gauranteed to be.

Furniture!

2009-08-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend W and I bought furniture for our new apartment. Our new life together. Very exciting.

As W said last night: we're grownups now. In reply, I picked up the giant stuffed cow in the passenger seat of his car, sat down, and very solemnly* agreed.

*And by "solemnly" I mean that I giggled uncontrollably at the absurdity as I played with a stuffed cow, repeating "we're grownups!" over and over.

Photo Friday is Swiss Fair Cuteness

2009-08-07T16:49:00.001-07:00

Yeah, Swiss Fair was two weeks ago celebrating Swiss National Day which was one week ago, so I guess that makes me a tad bit behind. But can you do anything but forgive me when I provide you with photos of darling 80-something year old yodeling Swiss accordion players? I mean, can you???

I didn't think so.

Have a great weekend!

Blog Evolve

2009-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

So, as I'm working on this general phasing out of my old web hosting service, I've been thinking through what I like and don't like about hosting and coding my own blog; and basically what I will be sacrificing by making this complete move to the convenience of a service like blogger.

And you know what the surprising answer is? Not that I'll be losing all my pictures or story jukeboxes or tutorials (I can move those all to my other hosting service--where it will make more sense anyway, after a good reorg), but that I'll lose all the old blog designs that accompanied my old posts. I'm sure there's a way to save the posts and add them here, so I'm not too worried about the content, it's the nostalgia of the designs. Don't get me wrong, it's not like they were anything spectacularly wonderful. In fact, I'd almost say that a couple were spectacularly bad. But I'm one for looking back, not to live in the past, but to marvel at how far I've come.

So! In that spirit, I've collected screen shots of my old blog designs so that they will be a memory never lost.

The first and (probably) the worst. I don't have any other way to describe this than... um... colorful...

Actually, I was still pretty early in my html coding days at this point, and design is not actually my strong point when it comes to building webpages, so I kept it simple and made up for it with color. It was definitely an interesting decision...

My next attempt was a slightly more subtle and considerably more complex on the html back-end. I went for something less modern and something more visually representative of my personality. Sort of. Two sides to every coin, of course and this was more my Fairy Princess side.

And then back to the whole "modern" thing (this one lasted quite a while).

Then a bit more Fairy Princess.

And then a very short-lived attempt at a little bit of both that, strangely, led to my current blog design. Go figure.

It'll change again once I'm married (or possibly a little before because of the hosting stuff). Why? Because I like the fact that, not just the content of the posts, but the very look of my blog can reflect a new stage of my life; add new depth to the understanding of where I've been and where God's taking me.

Monday...

2009-08-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Tired.

Yeah, that's right, you heard me: tired.

Seriously, I need to find posting theme for Mondays.

Photo Friday

2009-07-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that I'm happy to be home? It's this weird phenomenon that occurs with me that I get desperate to travel after a while, but then once I get the chance, my quiet little mundane life suddenly becomes a beautiful sanctuary of peace and rest. Basically, travel makes me happy and after I've adventured a little, staying home makes me happy. It's a win win.

Anyway, some of the more mundane things that have made me inexplicably happy this week after my exciting trip to Hong Kong include: work, driving my own car, cleaning the new apartment in preparation to move in, lunch with my work buddies, Swiss Fair, church, scrapbooking, dinner with my mom, talking on the phone with W, photo friday...

kowloon walled city park

It's good to be home. Have a great weekend!

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Hong Kong!

And totally jetlagged! Yay!..?

Okay, so I've actually been back for a couple days already, but the time change has completely thrown me off my game. I'm hoping to be on track again soon. In the meantime, here's a couple pictures from my trip. We had a really good time and I enjoyed meeting the cousins and W's grandma. All the family is wonderful; I'm definitely one blessed fiancee.

happy tofu bank (actually, W took this picture, not me)

suckling pig from the banquet/family reunion we went to...yes those are flashing bulbs in the eye sockets...

The harbor at nighttime (yes, I have less than stellar photography skills)

the warring neon signs from the bus to Kowloon

the bridge leaving Lantau on the bus

It's so surreal, I can hardly believe I was there...

Photo... Wednesday?

2009-07-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

Well, this is it: the last you will hear from me until my return from Hong Kong. Unless I somehow get Internet access that is (which I not only doubt, I doubt having enough time to blog anything anyway). I'll be taking along my dinky little digital camera, so I'll hopefully return with some interesting shots to share. In the meantime I leave you with a little piece of London I took a few years back.

Have a great time without me!

more work for you

2009-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Important note to anyone who is following my blog through Blogger: you will need to update your feed url (or just scroll to the top of the page and click "Follow" to update your subscription) to the following: http://joyofthealterego.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

If you subscribed to me using Feedburner (that little "subscribe in a reader" link on the bottom right), you shouldn't have to update anything.

2009-07-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I leave for Hong Kong tomorrow night!!

Technical difficulties

2009-07-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Bear with me, I'm having some technical problems with my blog so I'll be moving a few things around. However, if I do it correctly, you shouldn't even notice a change.

Photo Friday - Apartments and Ren Faire

2009-07-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last night W and I ate our first dinner ever at our new apartment. We were somewhat enamored of the idea of eating on the floor from take-out boxes like one of those classic romantic movie cliches (I know, we're severely cheesy, but this is precisely why we're perfect for each other), so we picked up some Chinese food and sat in the middle of our future dining room and gleefully attacked our repast with chopsticks. And giggled like a couple of love-sick idiots the whole time (which we are, so I guess it's appropriate).

Anyway, we were so silly that we took a few pictures...

picture is blurry, but I love it anyway. how cute are we?

(catatonic fiance on living room floor for purposes of scale only)

And finally, my official photo for Photo Friday: happy cave baby at the Rennaisance Faire with thoroughly gnawed turkey leg and reaching for a swig of dad's beer. Baby says, "Ugh, give me me beer or I club you with my turkey bone."

Can I adopt him?

2009-07-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

No, seriously, can I?

2009-07-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

This bride's headpiece completely reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Beautiful.

Houses, Churches, Interior Design

2009-07-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

I just feel the need to share this quickly: today I followed a link to a brief article highlighting an old church building repurposed into a home. It's a beautiful building; the lighting is absolutely incredible (as would be expected in a house of God). The people who renovated it did an incredible job preserving and recycling the building and artifacts within it. I can definitely appreciate that.

And yet...

I could never live here. Never. I don't know if I'm too traditional and too religious or just plain close-minded, but it feels... wrong to me. Or rather, more specifically, a bed situated in the place of an altar to God gives me the heebie jeebies. It does not sit well with me. Maybe the unfortunate placement wasn't done on purpose, but the possibility that it was intentional really bothers me.

I guess, I'd just rather have a church stay a church is all...

Anyway, kudos to the couple who renovated this place. They did a beautiful job and at least the building is preserved.

Fail and unFail

2009-07-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

The fails:

Last week's photo Friday (but, come on, it was a Holiday weekend and I was apartment hunting)
I forgot to bring the weekend left overs for lunch today. :(
The Post Office didn't have those hundred stamp coils. Grr...

The un-fails:

We found an apartment (signing the papers today!)
I realized that I had viable food in the refrigerator at work for my lunch (suh-weet!)
I ran errands on my lunch, successfully picking up the deposit check and stopping by the Post Office for stamps (hey, their lack of postage was not my fail)
I brushed my teeth after lunch
...and remembered to take my vitamins (so much harder than is sounds)
We finished the invitations this weekend! (well, assembling them anyway; a few addresses are still missing and I still need those darned stamps...)

I can't believe we've got an apartment. It totally blows my mind that I solidly have a place that I get to start making our home. Sure, I don't get to move into it until September, but I do get to start setting it up!

So close and so far...

2009-07-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

Ten more minutes. Just ten more minutes and I can pack up and go home with a clear conscience.

[staring wide-eyed at the clock]

Crafty like a fox

2009-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Not half bad for my first time making a hairpiece of this type. Or any type, for that matter. Imma feelin' pretty proud.

p.s. Please excuse the mess, it was the only room with sufficiently good lighting.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

2009-06-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Celebrated my birthday yesterday with wedding invitation assembling and lots of good food. Yum, filet mignon....

Photo Friday -- Random Swissness

2009-06-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's not the greatest picture I've ever taken, but I happen to be rather fond of that tiny flower. Sandwiched between the pages of an old LonelyPlanet guidebook, I picked it walking from Interlaken to Wilderswil (that's in Switzerland, just so you know). Wilderswil is one of several of my most favorite places in the world; I have fond memories of church camp at the Credo and climbing around the Unspunnen ruins. This flower is from a trip I took alone when I was studying abroad.

Domesticity is getting closer...

2009-06-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Only 79 days until the wedding!

I merely need to help finish the invitations, find a place to live, find accessories and shoes for my bridesmaids, pack, go to Hong Kong...

Whew. Who knew that wedding planning would involve travelling to a different country and back?

Moving and Scrapbooking

2009-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'd taken it into my head several weeks back that in order to make my life easier when moving out of my current home into the new one that we still have not found (W and I will be apartment hunting this weekend), that it would be easier to move some sentimental things if I scrapbooked them first. That way, instead of transporting boxes of loose pieces of paper and photos, I could just transport a few scrapbooks. Clever, right?

Someone please remind me why I thought it was a good idea to embark upon this project while trying to plan a wedding??????!

Anyway, last week I ordered some new page protectors in order to finish one scrapbook I had already started and the order arrived yesterday. They're the wrong page protectors. Sigh. At first I thought that this was my own error since I'm fairly new to the scrapbooking thing and I'd been lazy and ordered online instead of going in to a craft store and making sure I was buying what I wanted, but I double-checked my order and it was not me but Target that got it wrong. My order says postbound and they sent me three ring binder. So my pages don't fit in the album. [frown]

Oh well, at least I can return them to the store and don't have to pay shipping.

Mall living

2009-06-22T14:34:00.001-07:00

I've noticed that the perks of working in an office building located in the middle of a mall/shopping center are often accompanied by quite a few drawbacks (most commonly: soccer moms in outfits meant for trailerpark teens or a hard-core rap video). Today a young mother walked through the foodcourt as a ate lunch and I found myself thinking: that's not a shirt, that's a fancy border around someone's cleveage vaguely pretending to be a shirt.

On the bright side, I was able to get some necessary shopping done without having to make an extra trip outside my workday. Always a plus for someone like me who hates to shop for anything apart from shoes.

Photo Friday

2009-06-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the amazing birthday party last weekend and Father's day this weekend, I give you the birthday girl:

I predict RedVine lipstick will be the new trend after this.

Incidently, I had planned a fantabulous Father's Day for my dad involving making this and this, but then I found out this morning that he'll be out of town on Sunday... Thwarted!! Dang. Well, I'm a creative gal, I can come up with something by tomorrow evening... I think...

Life-group, life sharing

2009-06-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Last night was the last meeting of my small group. No more meetings for the rest of the summer. While I'm grateful to have my Wednesday nights to do other things (bridal hair comb is still not done, not to mention the veil) I think I'll miss regular meetings with the ladies even more.

Final proof why Astrology doesn't belong in my belief system

2009-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today, on MyYahoo, my horoscope popped up out of nowhere (it occasionally does this to me, I think because it's a popular function and they're trying to entice me) and gave me the following blurb:

"You've always believed you'd be good at management. And now the chance to climb the ladder, corporate or otherwise, has just arrived, and if you can manage to negotiate the in-betweens with your family, you might just be able to make a name for yourself, and a comfortable mark on the world at large, too. Go for it!"

They were screwed the moment they used the word "management" in the same sentence as the words "you'd be good at." I'd rather gnaw my own leg off, thank you very much.

Savannah's b-day

2009-06-15T08:23:00.001-07:00

That wasn't a birthday party for a one year old, that was a freaking carnival.

Friday... again

2009-06-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

So, despite the fact that I live in "sunny" Southern California's region better known as the greater Los Angeles area, it's raining today. Ah, June gloom. How I love the way it messes with our summertime expectations. Actually, I really have always liked June gloom. Maybe it's the Swiss-German genetics in me. Or maybe I just associate it with my upcoming birthday (oh, wait, that should be a bad association... oh, screw it; I love my birthday, cursed or not). But in any event, while everyone else here at work is complaining about the overcast drizzle, I'm secretly dancing inside with glee. Yessiree. I'm a weird one.

And I'm just happy that it's the weekend, aren't you? (Or, it will be in about six hours when I get off work)

Totally unrelated and merely because I've decided every Friday--when possible--to try and post photos I've taken at random intervals in my life; I give you, the Odeon in Lyon:

It was overcast and drizzly that day in France too.

2009-06-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I blew out my front tire and got sick. It was kind of a crappy day and I'm not feeling much better today. But oh well, I still managed to drag myself in to work.

Just wanted to share that status update in case you were curious...

blogger dislikes me

2009-06-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Blogger is giving me trouble with the comments. I don't know why. Maybe a personal vendetta or something...

Friday, Coffee Bean, and Old Pretty Photo

2009-06-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Why do I do this to myself? Every now and again someone asks me to join them on their morning ritual walk from our office building to Coffee Bean for some--can you guess?--coffee! And every once in a while, like this morning, I start feeling social and decide to tag along just for the company. And, yet still rarer, I arrive at the purveyor of caffeine and, whether it be that one 16th Jewish guilt I've got running through my blood, or the overwhelming smell of warm beverages on a June gloom morning with everyone in the store staring at me expectantly, I end up caving to the social pressure and leaving with some java/chocolate/caramel latte thing and a pastry of some kind that I know is going to give me a stomach ache before lunch time even rolls around.

So here I am, three sips of coffee and a strawberry cheese danish later, sitting at my desk and already starting to wish I could run to the bathroom and puke. In about an hour I should start getting shaky and unfocused from the caffeine. Yep. I'm retarded.

Anyway, on a much happier note, I have a photo from my six months in Scotland way back when. One of my favorites: my mom and dad walking arm and arm through the gardens of Cawdor Castle (the setting of Macbeth).

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend!

EDIT: It's the afternoon now and I've got a nearly full cup of unwanted coffee sitting on my desk. Brilliant.

2009-06-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

You know, it's slightly alarming when the first thing your boss says to you in the morning is, "Hey! How's it... whoa! Are you feeling alright? You look tired..."

Yes. Thank you. I am tired.

Nutrition Facts

2009-06-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

So my calorie counting has been a little alarming... Not because I'm going over my allotted calories (I expected that and have little intention of doing anything about it since I've only recently acheived a healthy weight by the standards of most doctors and it's largely due to the calorie in-take), but because I don't know what the calories in most of my foods are. I'm eating out too much and have no way of knowing the facts about what I'm putting in my mouth. That's a tad bit creepy if you ask me.

Obviously, the solution to this dilemma is to make more food at home (yay! because home-cooked tastes better anyway!), however, that's not quite so simple when I live with my parents and have to factor in my dad who insists on eating dinner the moment I walk in the door. And, truth be told, since I will be moving out in three months, I want to eat as many dinners with him as I can before the wedding. So, little control over dinner. That leaves lunch, which I theoretically have more to do with, but alas, I'm still struggling to bring a lunch mostly because I just straight up forget whatever I prepare in the fridge. Grrrr...

With practice the lunches can be fixed. Right? That's the hope I'm holding on to. Then come September, dinner will be the awesome domain of my soon-to-be mad cooking skills. Rapidly followed by my less-soon-to-be mad photographing-the-results-of-my-mad-cooking-skills skills.

Or so I hope...

Nutrition and Calorie intake...blegh...

2009-05-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a dietician from Kaiser come give a free session at our work, prompting me to be inspired to start a calorie diary for the next week. It's a bit difficult to remember to write down the nutrition facts of everything I put in my mouth but I'm sure it'll also be enlightening.

For instance: today I have already surpassed my recommended calorie intake. I didn't eat a breakfast and it's not even dinner time yet and I'm already over by about 500 calories. Could it have been the burger and fries that comprised my lunch? Maybe it was the Pocky I ate earlier... or the YanYan... Ooh, so many tasty possibilities...

Num, num, num, num...

2009-05-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

I found these on my computer. They're actually from Christmas, my mom makes these cookies every year in an effort to carry on the tradition started by my grandmother. Gruesli used to make 12 dozen of twelve different kinds of cookies every year as gifts (she was one heck of an old world baker)--that's 1,728 cookies every year! Sheesh. And she'd make extras of our favorites to keep at home and munch on. Understandably, my mom doesn't make the twelve on twelve on twelve cookies (seriously, my gruesli would start making them a month in advance...) but she does try to make the most traditionally Swiss holiday cookies. This results in a rather saliva-inducing display of cookies that are pretty much impossible to find anywhere else except at my mom's house at Christmas (and the homes of a few other German/Swiss born and bred ladies with mad baking skills). In any event, I took these photos to rub it in with W who had been unable to join us this past Christmas and thus missed out on the cookies (more for me!).

Mailanderli

Schwabebrotli

Cherry cookies? (All these cookies typically have wonderful difficult to pronounce names, but sometimes they end up being labeled something easier and I forget their official titles)

Actually, these are apricot filled somethings that we don't usually make, but my mom got the recipe from another old German lady from my grandma's generation and they turned out sooooooo good.

Spitzbubli! That's straight up melted chocolate in there spread between two sugar dusted shortbread like cookies. Aww yeah...

Bridesmaid Dresses

2009-05-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

So I've finally picked the dresses for my bridesmaids. It took a while and I changed my mind several times, but I finally came to a decision and my sister has ordered the dress and it even arrived already (in, like, less than a week!).

A few of the original candidates were Lynn Lugo pieces that I was thinking of ordering in red...

...but gorgeous as they are, they also happen to be more expensive than I feel comfortable telling my bridesmaids to purchase. This led to me almost picking an Alfred Angelo dress merely to make my life simpler and the dress cheaper. Which was a cute dress and all, but I wasn't over the moon about it. And then, miraculously, I found a dress online at Nordstrom. No, seriously, I did. Nordstrom quality but online and absolutely beautiful. Only catch? Purple instead of red. So, I discussed it a little with W (because, for some reason, I feel compelled to go over every wedding decision with him) and... purple it is! Yay! Pretty dress.

I'm afraid to post at picture of it though because someone already told me once that I keep ruining the surprise by revealing all my wedding details... bummer... You'll just have to wait for photos of the actual wedding.

You're Making Me Hungry...

2009-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad... I have recently found The Daring Kitchen and I foresee this as the future major time sink of my married life that will promptly result in a fat but very happy husband...

Wedding Registries

2009-05-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to understand why everything interesting that W and I like and want to register for goes out of stock/becomes unavailable while all the ugly, overpriced stuff sticks around. I can't even bring myself to discuss the most recent regristry crisis. It makes me too mad...

Suffice it to say that I'm glad dinner plates don't make a marriage...

Wiggy Dreams

2009-05-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

So I had this really weird dream last night that I was this guy (yes, a guy, not a girl--my dreams are weird, yo) running for my life in the large parking structure of a partially constructed super luxury hotel in downtown L.A. I'm not exactly sure why the hordes of ninja-type security guard/assassins were after me and my unimportant accomplice, but I had some information that would bring down the corporation building the hotel that was owned and run by someone I was related to.

In any event, I escaped (by awesome sauce jumping out of the side of the building like I was in a Jackie Chan movie, no less) but the guy who'd been running with me got caught. For some reason I didn't really know him so his capture was only alarming to me in the sense that I felt more motivated to run while I could. Some of the ninja-security-guards continued to chase me through the streets of downtown L.A. at night until I turned a corner and spotted this black mayan inspired facade that was completely unlit, so I ducked inside.

Alright, so here's where the dream got really weird and totally fascinating. It was like watching a really exciting movie. Anyway, once I stepped inside this weird, dark building, the front shifted and became invisible to the guys chasing me (who consequently ran right past) and I turned around to discover that I was in the dimly lit hallway of a 1920s grand hotel with wall flourishes and carpeting and chandeliers. It was also completely devoid of live except for the faint sound of voices drifting down the hall. I followed this sound and discovered a small guest kitchen where the few permanent residents and staff greeted me as if I was expected. Creepy.

Eventually, while staying there I found that everyone (except the staff) had also come there in escape of something; that the hotel moved supernaturally and that a few of the guests were actually ghosts (one was an old woman who was actually a cross-dressing man while she was alive; that was particularly strange). I also met a beautiful girl and another shy young man, resulting in an interesting love triangle. Meanwhile, the mobster people that had originally been after me were getting closer to finding my sanctuary and were continuing forward with their nasty plot, forcing me to realize that I would have to leave if I wanted to stop them.

Unfortunately, I woke up before the hero my dream was so faithfully following could leave the crazy hotel and stop the mobsters, taking the girl with him. Darn it. The dream would have made an entertaining book/movie though.

Photo blogs

2009-05-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

I think I'm becoming addicted to photo blogs... or, at least, blogs that feature a lot of beautiful photos. It all started with looking for pictures of real weddings in order to get ideas and affirmation. But it's kind of expanded from there and now I'm starting to peruse the home decorating and food blogs (especially food blogs; yum!). I suspect that the closer and closer I get to the wedding and thus the actual marriage, I'll get deeper into the homemaking type stuff and farther from the wedding related things.

Ooh! I should find a sewing blog...

Engagement Photos!

2009-05-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

I picked up our engagement photos yesterday. Our photographer, Heather, is a lot of fun and super nice. I'm really pleased with how the photos turned out. Here are just a few of my favorites:

I just think W looks sexy in this one:

More Changes

2009-05-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, I know, I already changed everything once this year; but I'm still experimenting until I find something I'm happy with. The final goal is to end up with something is going to make it easy for everyone to find all my blogs in one spot. While also making it easy for me to post. A worthy goal in my opinion. Just bear with me please...

Wedding stuff

2009-05-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Oy.

Places I have been and want to one day visit...

2009-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Alaska
Australia
Bermuda
Boston
France
Hong Kong
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
London
Mexico
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Spain
Switzerland
Taiwan
Vancouver

Stuck in Traffic

2006-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

This morning could have gone horribly wrong. I was late leaving the house with no Quiet Time and a good ways down the freeway, when it was clearly too late to turn back, I realized that I left my laptop at home and I needed it today for work. A revelation that set off a series of thoughts and memories all focusing on my stupidity and the various dumb things I've said and done in my life. This snowballed into a nice self-accusation session involving charges of hypocrisy, judgemental behavior, and failure to exercise mercy and grace. Which cycled back into memory bursts of putting my foot rather viciously in my mouth and halfway down my throat. So I put in a CD to distract myself from this attack and set the playback to random (I love my car stereo for having that function), praying that the right songs play. It was sort of working until I hit a sudden and unexpected traffic jam. Something up ahead had the 210 N completely stopped. A parking lot. I am probably the only human being there that actually smiled when I saw it.

My dad hates traffic. He really truly does. But for some reason, when I'm alone in my car, I love traffic. To me it has always felt like a personal invitation from God – more than that even. It's like God reached down and said: "There. Now you can't go anywhere. If anyone asks why you were playing hooky you can tell them it was traffic. I get you all to myself now. Just you and me alone." I guess that's kind of a romantic way to see things, but I often feel like God is wooing me, His love for me is that intense. In any case, it made me remember that the last time I saw my Bible and journal (they've been MIA a couple weeks now, which is why I'm always on Bible.com) was in my car so I made a quick search of my temporarily stationary vehicle. I didn't find my Bible (this is what I get for toting it with me all over the place) but I did find a pen and an old bulletin from the Mandarin Baptist Church which I eagerly scoured for any kind of scripture. Here's what I came up with, this verse and the space to scribble my thoughts in the margins:

Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

The Lord is my shield against stupid attacks. Against putting my foot in my mouth and against punishing myself for those moments of stupidity that He has already forgiven. He is my reward for choosing righteousness when it is difficult to do so. His love is my reward. He is the ultimate source of all rewards/good things like blessed fellowship, true romance, and getting stuck in traffic and every soothing and appropriate song that my CD player plays at random. Time with Him in traffic is my reward. And it is truly and exceedingly great.

Well Worth It

2006-09-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Yay for good days and shopping with friends on lunch breaks!

Today

2006-09-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today this is the way feel.

Today this is what I am.

Today I want one of you to seek me out and one of you to leave me be; never bother me with your presence again.

Today my heart cries the poetry I have failed to write.

Today friendship and love have redefined my mind's apathy and proved themselves malleable, defying man's attempts to break them into a series of easy-to-follow steps.

Today I am angered on behalf of the man who does right in the face of a world without justice; I see you; I bleed you; you are my unsung hero.

Today I weep blood and tears fill my veins, spilling out of me in laughing anger and thankful curses.

Today is the day that I tell you the truth.

Without any words at all.

Earth, Wind, & Fire

2006-09-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yay! The Internet is back up! And it's September 21st!! If you don't know why that's awesome then you don't know enough Earth, Wind, & Fire (hereafter refered to as EWF). Every year on the 21st of September I play "September" by EWF over and over because 1) it's an awesome song and 2) it begins with the line "Do you remember the 21st night of September?" September 21st has consequently become my own personal EWF holiday. I figure I should take my little joys and not worry about how silly I look because I'm in a darn good mood. And just to make today that much more interesting, on my drive to work I noticed this souped up little car with a crazy-slick paintjob and a racing number moving at a bizarrely slow pace. As I passed by it I glanced over and saw a woman in her late forties/early fifties was the driver with no passengers. Unexpected to say the least. And then I had to wonder what the reaction will be when someone realizes that his mother has been joyriding his prized street-racing vehicle. Ha!

No Particular Reason

2006-09-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Internet access is down here at work right now, so this post won't make it onto the web until whenever that gets fixed, but I felt like typing anyway. After all, today is a slow day. And I meant to have my quiet time on break but I can't utilize Bible.com today because I don't have Internet. Dang.

God Provides

2006-09-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

This was my quiet time today. God knows what I need before I do.

Friday, September 15, 2006

2006-09-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

I wonder sometimes if the real reason that I'm so good at listening to other people's struggles is that it's easier than examining my own.

Thank You Yahoo and Foxtrot

2006-09-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

I love the comic "Foxtrot". And here is a prime example why:

No Title Today

2006-09-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'm tired, my eye is twitching, and I have Nic Tse stuck in my head singing "Come back to me, love you baby, wo ji xu ni de ai". To top it all off, I slept late and had to run out the door without my quiet time. But I'm a resourceful girl and have made good use of Bible.com's daily scripture readings. It's funny how just a little scripture can make up for a myriad of things that are otherwise not quite right.

I Just Wasn't Eclectic Enough

2006-09-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

I decided that it wasn't enough that I prefer Mandarin rap over English, like Chinese pop, listen to Christian rock, adore African love ballads, dance to Japanese hip-hop, mellow-out to Spanish folk-rock, enjoy Italian pop & electronica, throw my hands up to gospel choirs, am totally pumped by classic American rock, and dream to classical music covers by a group playing electric string instruments and pop music covers by a woman who sings in operatic style. No, I had to add to all this Indian Bhangra and French R&B. My newest additions to my CD collection that arrived in the mail yesterday were "Bhangra Fever" and "Tragedie". Right at this moment, I'm listening to a song called 'Donne-Nous une Chance' (Give Us a Chance) by Tragedie (if you saw 'Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior' this group sings the song for the music video). I'm so horribly addicted that I just had to put it on infinite repeat. It's absolutley gorgeous.

Just for the Hilarity of it

2006-09-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

I just had the following conversation with
a good friend online and I had to repost it because it made me laugh
so hard:

Friend: brb
Friend: ib
Me: yay!
Friend: yeah. i had to go change my loads of laundry.
Friend: my fun and exciting night right hter
Friend: there
Me: lol
Me: i just finished my second load
Me: we are fun and exciting together
Friend: nice.
Friend: all i have to say is, as my decisions were do laundry tonight or go topless to work tomorrow, laundry won out by a landslide
Me: lol
Me: mine weren't quite so obvious as it was: laundry or go commando
Me: and really, my coworkers could be happily oblivious
Friend: lol. nice.
Me: but i, personally, wouldn't be very comfortable
Friend: so true
Friend: i've had to make the commando vs. laundry decision before too
Friend: i don't remember what won...hmm. i'm guessing laundry cause i'd probably remember the other one
Me: lol
Me: probably

In the Wee Hours

2006-09-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

I posted this on my MySpace blog and felt like sharing it here too.

So it's four o'clock in the morning right now and I have no idea why I'm awake. Really, truly no idea. But I am seriously wide awake. Which is kind of annoying because I'd much rather be asleep. But anyway, I've been sitting here thinking -- because that's what you do when you are trying to sleep and can't -- and I've been thinking about what are the things that make people unhappy. What are the things that steal our joy? And I've kind of come to this conclusion: the people, ideas, and attributes we choose to focus on are the things that can either add to our joy or steal it completely.

In general, I'm a pretty joyful person. There are a lot of people who don't know me very well so they don't see that right away. They're too busy being intimidated by my quiet nature to notice something that positive about me. They're focusing on my silence and the fact that they can't tell what I'm thinking or control what I'm thinking and they let that uncertainty steal their joy. Really, they're focusing on themselves and what I'm saying about them by not saying anything. What they don't get is that I'm not saying anything about them. I'm probably not even thinking about them. Not everything is about them. People don't bond with my by getting my attention, they bond with me by giving me the space to allow my attention to wander and not being offended by it. I'm kind of ADHD sometimes. They really shouldn't be taking it so personally.

But I'm totally getting off my original topic here. Because, see, I had something useful to say. That is, I had something useful to demonstrate. You see, when I was contemplating this stealing of joy, I was specifically thinking how it is possible for a woman to allow something like a romance story or romantic comedy steal her joy. Really, nothing this fluffy and light-hearted should leave a woman feeling down. And yet, I see it happen to women all the friggin time. Why? Because of what they're focusing on. They're always thinking: why can't/don't I have that guy? Why isn't my relationship like that? Why am I single? Where's my romantic hero?

Okay, first of all: The guy on the screen isn't real. He's a fantasy. Let him go. You do a great disservice to all the good men in the real world if you don't.

Second of all: When did the story become about you? How on Earth did you manage to twist what you saw into being about you? Were you the actress on the screen with him? Christian women, follow me here for a moment if you want to get out of this rut. What is the scene that your mind keeps going back to? You know the one; you replay it in your mind again and again because it makes you sigh every time. What is the quality the hero is displaying in that scene that makes you long for his attention so much? For the purposes of this demonstration, let's say tenderness. He's extremely tender in that scene. Why is tenderness a good thing? Don't say "because I like it", that's an unproductive reason. Tenderness is a virtue. How do you know? It says so in the Bible maybe? How else do you know? It's a virtue that Christ shows. How does He show it? I shouldn't have to list the stories here, that'd be doing too much of the work for you. Who does He show it to? Pretty much everyone. In fact, He showed it to everyone when he died on the cross. Wow, I guess that even means you. What other great gifts has He given you?

Hey, where are your thoughts now? Where is your joy?

Don't get me wrong, you're bound to find yourself back at the beginning at some point, but do it again. Find another virtue; it will lead you to the same conclusion. It'll take some conscious thought at first but after a while it becomes habit and the joy becomes habitual too.

A Heart Full of Doubts

2006-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

I recently received in the mail my most recent order of CDs by a group called Gypsy Soul. I wouldn't necessarily say that they're a spiritual band, but a lot of their music makes me pause and think. And makes me appreciate God's mercy anew. In this new batch of CDs is a song called "Who?" I think everyone who has ever wanted to live a right and righteous life has asked themselves the questions in this song. I know I have. I have asked and found my answers unsatisfactory. But just when I could let it overwhelm me, I listen to this song and praise God for the blood of Christ that redeems me, that wipes away my answers and fills in His own.

Who?
Who will speak in my absence?
Who will stand in my place?
Will you rejoice in the life that I have led?
Who will I inspire along the way?
Who will sing at my passing?
Who will dance upon my grave?
For whom will I be a lasting memory?
For whom will I easily fade?
Do I give enough?
Do I love enough?
Do I live enough?
Did I ever give up on anyone I shouldn't of?
Do I risk enough?
Do I forgive enough?
Do I trust enough?
Am I good enough?
Who will wake from this slumber?
Who will share in the faith?
We are the sum of the choices we make
We cannot lay down at the mercy of fate
Do I give enough?
Do I love enough?
Do I live enough?
Did I ever give up on anyone I shouldn't of?
Do I risk enough?
Do I forgive enough?
Do I trust enough?
Am I good enough?

Questions I'd Really Like to Have Answered

2006-08-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

What kind of idiot goes to see a movie called "Snakes on a Plane" and expects it to have any kind of serious plot? I mean, it's called Snakes on a Plane. It's entire plot is given to you in the title before you even watch it.

What kind of idiot, instead of hiding in a hole after realizing their mistake, then broadcasts their idiocy by railing against the film's lack of plot on public Internet forums? The movie was friggin called Snakes. On a Plane! You brought it on yourself when you bought your ticket! Must you revel in the pain of your bad judgement by advertising it to the world?

Seriously. That's all I had to say.

Oh, and there's no way on God's green Earth that I'm going to see that movie. If I want to watch some good old fashioned shmaltz, I'll just watch something with David Hasselhoff or Bruce Campbell in it.

I Love Being Brilliant

2006-08-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today my dad handed me a wireless network router for our house (without instructions, mind you) and asked me to help him figure out how it works. I looked at it for about ten minutes at the most then plugged in two wires and now I'm sitting here in my room connected to the wireless Internet. Aw yeah. I'm that good.

Pirate Pick-up Lines

2006-07-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

As stolen from the FictionPress story "Letters From a Toothpick Fiend" by Plinky:

“Argh, you can climb my rigging.”

“Argh, you can fire my cannon any day.”

“Argh, do you want to see my wooden leg?”

“Argh, do you want to polish my hook?”

I simply had to share as the new "Pirates" movie is out now and it seemed appropriate.

Birthday Girl = Me!

2006-06-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

In celebration of my birthday I would like to relive one of my better random comebacks:

"You wish you had my monkey."

And I'll just leave it at that.