Movie Review: "Public Enemies"

When I heard Johnny Depp and Christian Bale were going to be in a gangster movie, I couldn't help but be excited. I've had a crush on Christian Bale since I was 12, and Johnny Depp is, well, Johnny Depp. Then it came out, and I heard it wasn't that great, so I decided to wait for Redbox.

Good choice. It wasn't bad, it just wouldn't have been worth theater prices.

It was slow, which surprised me. I mean, it's a gangster movie. It's supposed to be all action-y and suspenseful. It also was lacking in character development (particularly for Melvin Purvis, Christian Bale's character), which it shouldn't have been if it was that slow. There didn't seem to be any reason why Purvis was so set on getting Dillinger, other than Dillinger being the bad guy. Usually the cop is out to prove himself, or sets great store by the law, or is doing it for his wife and kids or something. Here there didn't seem to be any extra motivation. Also, none of the secondary characters were ever really introduced so there seemed to be a lack of depth to the movie. It was fairly one-dimensional.

On the plus side, though, it was a gangster movie, so there were tommy guns, nice cars, and great clothes. There was that wonderful feeling of rooting for the bank robber instead of the cop. There was Christian Bale with a southern accent. (Goodness that boy does accents well.)

So basically, "The Untouchables" it is not, but "Public Enemies" is still worth renting.

"Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." - Is. 60:1

Merry Christmas!

This is dumb.

Dear Mr. Nice Pharmacist at Rainbow Foods,

Thank you for letting me buy my cough syrup and Sobe drinks at the pharmacy counter instead of making me wait in line. I didn't realize how many people love $1 Cheez-itz when I decided to stop at your store.
Sincerely,
Lucy

The Exception to My Two Favorite Christmas Songs

"Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through music." - Martin Luther

My two favorite Christmas songs are "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." Josh Groban's "O Holy Night," however, stops me in my tracks every time. It's glorious. When he says, "Fall on your knees," I almost feel compelled to do so. Just imagine when someday we all will fall on our knees before Him. It will be amazing. Praise God!

My new favorite quote

Sheldon: "Why are you crying?"

Penny: "Because I'm stupid!"

Sheldon: "That's no reason to cry. One cries because one is sad. For instance, I cry because others are stupid and that makes me sad."

- "Big Bang Theory"

I just remembered my hair story

So Friday evening I stopped at work for something. My boss was still there. "Wow! Your hair is getting really long."
"I got 2 inches chopped off this afternoon."
"And I really like the color!"
"I'm dying it tomorrow."
"Oh. Well, I like this. It's lighter than the last time I saw it."
"I'm actually going darker."
"Oh, well, your hair looks really nice."
"Thanks." And I smiled.
In all fairness she's used to seeing me with my hair up, and she did today compliment me on my hair color. I just found her humorous.

For those of you (chelleybutton) who are afraid you won't get to see my new hair color

But this, of course, is taken with a cell phone camera (since my webcam one isn't working for some reason), so the quality is only cell phone camera quality. It's something like this, though.

Not a Book Review: "Faust," by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

In Nazi Germany, saying "I'm looking for a rare edition of 'Faust,'" when walking into a used book shop meant that you were there to pick up fake passports or other needed paperwork to smuggle Jews out of the country. (Although, I guess I don't know how historically accurate that is. That's just what they always say in movies and books.) I've always wondered why they chose that particular book, and seeing as I was thinking it was high time I read a classic again, I finally decided to read it.
I now know why they chose it. No one else would be asking for it.
It's a play written in the late 18th century, and it's all poetic about things like philosophy and spirits and whatnot. Not so understandable, and not interesting enough to make you want to try to understand it.
So now I don't know what classic to read next. But I just ordered a Shoeless Joe Jackson biography from the library to tide me over until I decide.

Yahoo of the Day

Hi, Lucy Eleanor...
You rock!

I like Yahoo.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Revelation 21:22-27

"And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, and its gates shall never be shut by day - and there shall be no night there; they shall bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Congratulations, Joe!

AL MVP

Hm...

Mookie Wilson, Junkyard Dog, Charlie Brown, Sesame Street, and Froot Loops. Apparently I'm feeling kiddish or something lately.

My annoying grocery shopping story

I decided to run to Cub today, because they have Froot Loops on sale (plus if you bought 3 you got a free gallon of milk next time you shop). There were a few other things I wanted to get, too, but the Froot Loops are the most urgent. Why, you ask? Because, I answer. Froot Loops have now added fiber. They claim it's the same great taste, but I've tried them. It's not. So I wanted to buy a few of the old boxes while I still can. (I learned my lesson when Honeycomb changed their recipe to nasty and I didn't think to stock up.)
I finished my shopping and realized I had 11 items. Seeing as I find it annoying when people try to sneak into the 10 items or less line, I figured I would be honest and go in a regular line. Which, naturally, moved very slowly, seeing as people are starting to buy for Thanksgiving. Also, I was carrying a 12-pack of pop, which is fine for a bit, but after awhile starts getting heavy, so overall it was a very annoying line experience.
I then got to the register, she rang me up (slowly), and I noticed that the Froot Loops were full price. I called her on it, and she showed me the ad, and apparently it was the bigger boxes that were on sale. So I had to make her unsell them to me. She looked more saddened than annoyed, and I think she would have liked to have someone fetch the sale-size boxes for me, but the sale-size were all fiberized, so I didn't want those. And I wasn't about to pay $3.25 for the small box of cereal when I could get half again as much for $2.49.
And so, I left without Froot Loops, and with 8 items. I could've gone through the express lane after all.

Oops, I forgot!

Happy 40th birthday, Sesame Street!

All you need are some profound lyrics

K, so maybe I'm not the best attention-payer in the world after all. Generally I'm very good at noticing details, but somehow I've never actually noticed the verses to "All You Need is Love." Until now. Now that it's in Blackberry commercials (and they're apparently the only sponsor of the MLB postseason), I've finally heard the verses.
And it's the dumbest song ever.
"There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
"There's nothing you can sing that can't be sung...
"There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
"No one you can save that can't be saved..."
Thank you for the profundity.

How my sister and brother annoyed me this week

Who just doesn't make it known when "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is on, when one knows when "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is on? What a pair of information withholders. If they come here trick-or-treating, you best believe they're getting rocks. But P. S. to the rest of you: Happy Halloween!

I thought of a time my brother didn't give in

When I was little, being so much younger than my brother meant that I usually got my way. Like always drafting Mr. Mookie, when Joe Jr. and I were wrestling I always chose to be Junkyard Dog. He was my favorite. And see how nice Joe Jr. was? He always let me be JYD. Much nicer than my mother who, when I wanted a Junkyard Dog comforter for my room, only bought a Junkyard Dog school folder for me (and a comforter with ruffles and light pink flowers).

Until one day when Joe Jr. decided to not be nice anymore. He tricked me into letting him choose who he wanted to be first, and then he chose Junkyard Dog. I was so mad. I yelled and whined and he would not change. I'm sure I threatened to not play, and I'm sure he said he didn't care. Honestly, it's the only time I remember him not giving in. It was infuriating. I ended up having to be Hulk Hogan. It was a sad day.

Another letter

Dear Minneapolis,
There's a reason I don't live in Seattle. Please have some sunshine soon.
Sincerely,
Lucy

My daddy made my day

When I was little my favorite baseball player (yes, coming even before Kirby Puckett) was Mookie Wilson. He was the most wonderful baseball player a small person could ask for: his name was Mookie, and he was once on Sesame Street. When my brother and I would play the baseball card draft game that he and my father would always play (and thus I wanted to play because Joe Jr. was my hero), it was guaranteed that I would draft Mookie if he was in the pack. (And if he wasn't, my next choice would be a Twin, followed by a Met [since that was Mr. Mookie's team].) (And if he was and my brother tried to be a brat and draft him, I probably cried, and with me being 9 years younger, he always had to give in.)

Well, my dad still occassionally buys old cards at garage sales and antique stores just because. And while looking through a 1990 pack the other day, he came across my beloved Mookie Wilson. Not the perfect card, since by 1989 Mookie was no longer with the Mets, but still, it's Mr. Mookie. And so, my dad pulled it out of the stack to give to me when he saw me later. And so, I now have a Mookie Wilson card propped up on my dresser. Thank you, Daddy!

Jeremiah 33:2-3

"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it - the Lord is His name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known."
How cool is that?

Conversation of the day

At lunch at work today:
Resident: "Lucy! Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!"
Me: "Yes?"
R: "Lucy!"
Me: "Yes?"
R: "Lucy!"
Me: "Yes? What do you need?"
R: "Lucy, do you have anything to go with coffee?"
Me: "A pumpkin bar."
R: "A what?"
Me: "A pumpkin bar."
R: "I don't know what that is."
Me: "It's like pumpkin bread."
R: "Oh. Do you have pumpkin bread?"
Me: "No, I have a pumpkin bar. It has frosting on it. But it's like pumpkin bread."
R: "Do you have pumpkin bread?"
Me: "Well, it's like pumpkin bread, but it's a bar."
R: "I don't know what that is."
Me: "It's like pumpkin bread. Why don't you just try it."
R: "Do you have pumpkin bread?"
Me: "Why don't you just try it?"
R: "I don't know what it is."
Me: "I'll go get it and you can try it."
R: "Oh."

Dear my brother's dog,

A ponytail is not the same thing as a tug-of-war rope toy. Please don't maul my head. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lucy

Movie Review: "The Outlaw Josey Wales"

My brother loves Clint Eastwood, which is why he was scandalized when he found out recently that I had never seen a Clint Eastwood movie. He decided he needed to show me the greatness that is Clint, and I said, sure, fine, whatever.
So today we were supposed to get together and have a marathon. He, however, has no attention span, so we ended up with only one. Seeing as my first Clint movie had to be a western, and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," is "like 5 hours long" (or 2 hours and 47 minutes), he decided the best one would be "The Outlaw Josey Wales."
Basic premise: bad guys kill Josey's family, Josey goes out to kill the bad guys.
It was alright. It was a western, and I think that's my feeling towards most of them (except "Shane," which was dumb, and "Tombstone," which I just don't get the appeal of). There were some intentionally funny moments, and a few moments when I just had to laugh at Clint being all tough.
I didn't mind watching it. As long as I was watching it with my brother. He asked if I wanted to borrow "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," but I really don't see myself watching one of these by myself. But now I can say that I've seen a Clint Eastwood movie. So there we go.

I would just like to take this opportunity to say...

1. That I apparently use capitals in my posts all the time now.

and

2. That we love you, Nicky.

Dear Twins,

Thank you for not playing tonight so I don't have to choose between you and 'The Office' wedding.

Sincerely,

Lucy

Congratulations, boys!

AL Central Division Champions!

today's yahoo greeting

My, don't you look swell?!?

Why Joshua?

For a few months, I've felt like God was telling me to read Joshua. But I couldn't figure out what for. I knew the funk I was in, and the conquest of Canaan didn't seem like it would be the thing to snap me out of it. So I read through the epistles, focusing on all the purposes God has for us. I was blessed.
But I still felt like God was telling me to read Joshua. But I know those stories, and couldn't think of a single passage that would help me get back on track with quiet times. I couldn't even see there being a verse that would jump out at me. So I read through the minor prophets, since I hadn't read through them in awhile. I figured reading something not as familiar would teach me new things, and I'd be cured. I was very blessed.
But I still felt like God was telling me to read Joshua. But why would He tell me that? I didn't get it. And so I flipped through the Bible trying to figure out what to read next, coming up with nothing.
And then I went on this retreat. and had lots of time for reading. 'Fine, God. Fine. I'll read Joshua. I'll still have plenty of time to read some Psalms and some other stuff that will really get me going.'
So I read Joshua. And I found no passages that jumped out at me. Not a single verse grabbed me, and said, 'See? Here I've been this whole time, just waiting for you.' As far as the book of Joshua went, I got nothing.
But that, in and of itself, is where the beauty lies. Where do we get this idea that we have to get something, are entitled to get something, out of obeying God? The real blessing was knowing that I had (finally) obeyed my Lord. It was (and still is) a wonderful feeling; a feeling that a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and a feeling of joy. And that is why Joshua. That is why God had me read about the portioning of land after the Israelites entered Canaan instead of the easy-to-relate-to Psalms. And I think that's why He started telling me to read it long before He knew I would. Sometimes He works with our disobedience to show us how wonderful it is to obey. God is good. Why would we not want to?

how my sister annoyed me this week

She sent me this link, which has posts like this:

*Today at work I was in the middle of a big yawn when a customer smiled at me, I tried to smile back. She looked very afraid. MLIA
*My lit teacher has two sets of legos on her desks. Pirates and Ninjas. Every day their positions and hostages change a little because she says they fight at night. She's my favorite. MLIA
*A fortnight ago I finally solved my rubiks cube. I waited two weeks to post this so that I could use the word fortnight. MLIA
*Today, I realized the word bed actually looks like a bed. MLIA
*Today, while on a bus, I heard a man on the phone behind me say "well just tell her you've lost your pants and need some refugees." I have never been more curious as to what someone's situation is. MLIA

I'm now thoroughly addicted. MLIA

part 3 of that post

I just looked at the date. All of what I just wrote looks exceptionally shallow and selfish in light of the fact that it's September 11th. So I'd just like to take a minute to remember those who were lost that day 8 years ago, to pray for the families of the victims, and to thank first responders everywhere for all that they do for us. God bless.

part 2 of that post

I finally called the Dome and asked them what time they close off that street, because I didn't want to make another trip, when I was heading that way in a bit. The woman was understanding, and told me they would be closing it off between 3:00 and 3:30. I was leaving shortly before 2:00, so yay, I didn't have to make another trip.
So I got there about 2:00, and they had already closed it off. So now I will be going sometime Monday. And hopefully I'll get those tickets.

just shoot me

When I left to go out of town, I was going to buy Twins tickets for me and my dad for next Friday. I was running late, however, so I decided to get them on my way home today.
On the way home, I ran into road construction, which made me miss my exit, which meant that I was then nowhere near 35W, which meant that I had to figure out where I was and how to get to downtown from there. I figured it out, though by now I was going way out of my way, but it was fine, I knew I would get there eventually.
Yeah, no. Apparently, the Polaks are having some polka fest today, which meant that there was a major traffic jam, so I had to go way around that, too, and take another different route.
Finally, I got to the Dome. I got up to the window, handed the lady my coupons, at which point she handed them back and said, 'The Applebee's coupons are only good Sunday through Thursday.' I had a different coupon at home, but of course, that's not the one I brought.
So now I have to go back. But of course, they close Kirby Puckett Place, where the free parking is, early on Fridays, because they have stuff going on before games. So I have to go back soon, and can't wait til I go out again. So annoying.

My Top 10 Fiction Book List (I think)

If AFI can have their top 100 movies, and top 100 passions, top 100 movie lines, top 100 suspense movies, etc., I can have more specific book lists in addition to my top 10. So here, without further ado, are, I think, my top 10 favorite fiction books.

*The Street Lawyer, John Grisham

*The Testament, John Grisham

*The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
*Les Miserabes, Victor Hugo

*The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis

*Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

*The Princess Bride, S. Morgenstern (The Good Parts Version, by William Goldman)

*The Ezekiel Option, Joel C. Rosenberg

*Vienna Prelude, Bodie Thoene

*The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

A thought

"Should we not all be flexible before we know God's will? Should we not all be immovable after we understand what he wants done?" - Calvin Miller

my new favorite sport that i want to try sometime

japanese people come up with some of the coolest games

well, i survived my trying week+ at work

it was close at times. there were moments when i thought either i might die, or someone else would as i bit her head off. there were moments when i felt like sitting down and crying. there were moments when i just started laughing because i didn't know what else to do. there were times when i felt like just stopping, just being done. but i made it.

thankfully i convinced the cook to find a babysitter for that one friday and come in to help me. my boss also did all she could to rearrange her meetings to be there for almost all of it. and then one of the nurses helped us serve breakfast. so we managed.

saturday actually ended up being the hardest. we were still short-staffed, we were all tired, and we all knew we had one more day to go. also complicating matters was the return of the r.o.u.s., though this time he decided to be not in the ceiling, but on the floor, coming out every so often to scare the crap out of us.

but we managed, and we managed the days after that (cuz while we were full-staffed monday, we were short again later in the week). my boss even sent me a note of appreciation for all that i had done.

what meant even more, though, was when the cook acknowledged that it had all fallen on me. my boss knew i had done a lot, but she doesn't actually work in the kitchen, so she doesn't know what needs to be done. the cook on the other hand, sees what goes on every day, and saw that as everyone i worked short with was new, i was the one who had to make sure everything got done. the brain energy involved tired me out about as much as the actual work. it meant a lot to me that he noticed and commended me for it.

and now, thankfully, it's all over. Hallelujah.

greetings from yahoo

Hi, Lucy Eleanor!
Moths have no stomach.

wow

it's been longer than i thought. i'll get back here soon.

dear mlb video highlight people,

this is not jason kubel. just so you know.
lucy

oh for heaven's sake!

seriously?! this week?

like i said, short staff all week. so today, before lunch, there was a fire in the activities department's oven. stop everything, rescue the residents, sit with them til the fire department comes and gives the all-clear, then get them back to where they were (or wherever they want to go).

then, just before we were finally going to get to punch out, tornado warning! move all the residents to the hallway, sit there for an hour til we get the all-clear, then get them back to where they were (or wherever they want to go).

love it.

"i am not an octopus!"

my poor nieces have heard this who knows how many times from celeste. she can only do so many things at once. well, i would like to take a moment to tell the people at work that this runs in the family. i am not an octopus either.

we have 4 people working in the kitchen every day. right now, 2 are on vacation, but we have a weekend girl who is able to work through breakfast a couple days, and one girl who works at night has picked up a couple days. we thought we'd be more or less fine through thursday, only being screwed on friday, when it would be down to me and the one other full-time person.

yeah, we thought that until this morning, at which point we got a phone call from the other full-time person saying that she fell yesterday and jacked up her knee and will be out of work for at least a week. this leaves me scheduled for friday. me.

apparently i'm going to cook, set tables, serve, clean up the dining room, do dishes, bake, prep for the next day, and clean up the kitchen. this should be interesting.

i'm a thief!!!

oh my goodness, i'm a horrible person! they should come and arrest me and stick me in a pillory with a big sign that says 'thief.' i stole a book from the library.

i didn't mean to, though, i swear!

k, so i was checking online to see if i have any items on hold, and there it said, 'love in the time of cholera.' but i already have that out of the library. i was confused, but thought that maybe i had hit request twice. i then checked to see what items i have out of the library. yeah, no 'love in the time of cholera.' so i grabbed the book to check the due date slip. yeah, it's not a due date slip. it's a hold slip. somehow, i managed to get the book out of the library without checking it out. apparently, i'm so sneaky even i didn't know it.

now i have to go unsteal the book. i'm scared to death that the doors are going to beep upon my arrival and everyone's going to look at me, and everyone's going to know. and the crabby librarian will be there. and he'll be mean. i'm tempted to just drop it into the book return outside and call it good, but i'm 80 pages in so i don't really want to return it. so i have to go in with it and check it out. i'm such a dork.

i think in the future i'll just not steal books.

i'm so sad to not have this weekend off

i'm missing the camel and ostrich races at canterbury park on sunday. that would've kicked bottom.

The Size of a Mustard Seed

"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!'
"He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." - Mt. 8:23-26

The disciples were scared. Understandably so. They encountered a huge, unexpected storm. They didn't know what to do. The size of the storm was beyond even the fishermen. Finally, as the waves were crashing over the boat, they went to Jesus. He asked them about their little faith, but therein lies the key. They may have had little faith, but they had enough faith in Jesus to turn to Him at their time of need.
They had no need to be as scared as they were. They knew Jesus was with them. But they were human and fear set in. Jesus asked them about their little faith, but at the same time, He answered their cries. He didn't do a thing about the storm until they called on Him. Their faith demanded a response from Him. And He answered.

the next list I might have to make

My dear best friend hasn't asked me for my top ten movie list, but I was watching my favorite movie yesterday and the thought of a top ten list crossed my mind. We'll see if I'm that ambitious (considering how hard the book list was). I make no promises. Suffice it to say, 'While You Were Sleeping" would be number one.

tell me how this is fair

my sister puts a huge dent in our dad's new car, then leaves me at home to face him.

(wow, that sounds like we're teenagers. but no. she's just still like that.)

midnight serenade

the other night, i was treated to my neighbor's rendition of 'the star spangled banner' at 10:15pm. it was very patriotic of her.

Habakkuk 2:1-3

I will take my stand to watch,
and station myself on the tower,
and look forth to see what He will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
And the Lord answered me:
"...For still the vision awaits its time;
it hastens to the end - it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay..."

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

Best Holiday of the Year! :DIn 1984, President Reagan designated the third Sunday of July National Ice Cream Day, stating that it should be observed with 'appropriate ceremonies and activities.' So basically, you have to eat ice cream. It's your patriotic duty.

is it me...

...or does it look like they're protesting
the pringles guy?

Dear R.A. Dickey, Kevin Slowey, and Denard Span,

Thank you so much for speaking at Faith Night last night. You guys have such a unique opportunity to witness for Christ; it's wonderful to see your willingness to be used by Him. I pray God's blessing on each one of you.
In Him,
Lucy

another summer disappointment

it is a well-known fact that ice cream is the best thing in the whole wide world (with the exception of toilet paper and brain waves). of course, it's best in it's pure form, but sometimes one just wants an ice cream treat. i, however, am notoriously cheap, so i don't get them very often.
last week i was at the store, though, and i had to spend $25 to get cheap pop, so i figured why not? this was the time to treat myself. then i faced the dilemma of pudding pops or chocolate malt cups. pudding pops aren't what they used to be, but they're still good, and come on a stick. malt cups are scrumptious, but as far as treats go, they're not that different from just buying a carton of chocolate malt ice cream and scooping it up yourself (except that they're in nifty little cups, which makes them quite novel). finally i decided that since i got malt cups last time, i'd go with the pudding pops.
yeah. great move.
apparently, on the way home, it was hot enough in my non-airconditioned car that they melted some (i need to learn to eat only crackers i guess). so far i've had two of them, both of which have seemingly not had sticks because the pudding melted, ran down the sticks, and refroze all the way around them. slightly inconvenient and very messy.
they still taste good, i suppose, but the joy of eating them has been sorely diminished. yet another reason why ice cream, straight up ice cream, is the best thing in the world.

Happy Fourth of July!

i actually remembered something i was going to post

being the kind person i am, i couldn't help but feel sorry for this man when i sat behind him a month ago. i also couldn't help but take a picture so that i could laugh at him later with my blog friends.being the kind of forgetful person i am, i forgot about it. until tuesday, when it all came back to me.

one bummer about summer

hey, that rhymes.

you can't bring chocolate on road-trips, because it will melt all over everything.

update

lest you worry, seeing as it's been a couple days, i thought i should let you know - i did not fall over and die.

my sad state

i'm so tired i might fall over and die

Book Review: "Q&A", by Vikas Swarup

This is the book that inspired "Slumdog Millionaire." And I think that is how it has to be worded (not "the book the movie was based on"), because "Slumdog Millionaire" was definitely not based on this book. About the only similarities were that he was a kid from the slums who went on a quiz show, and that there was a character named Salim.

I'm glad I saw the movie first. If I had read the book first, I wouldn't have wanted to see the movie, and I would have missed out on a wonderful thing. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is [much] better than the book.

One problem is the lack of character development for the supporting characters. The main character in the book, Ram Mohammed Thomas, is constantly on the move, so he's with new people all the time. There's never time to get to know them, which makes it hard to identify with his feelings toward them, which makes it hard to care about him. Another fault I found with it was that it was almost crass in parts. I don't like that.

Perhaps another problem was that I was expecting to like it at least as much as the movie. But I didn't. It just was too different.

So in conclusion, I can't really say this is a book I would recommend. It's fine if you're curious as to what inspired the movie, but overall, I wasn't too impressed.

I like this

"And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul." - Jer. 32: 38-41

why don't they make 'em like this anymore?

"...risking his neck for dames he never saw before, and, seconds later, he's singing them love songs." - trailer for Harum Scarum

dear fellow customers,

if you and i get to the register at the same time, and i have one item and you have twenty, please feel free to let me go first. thank you.
lucy

so wrong

for shiloh jolie-pitt's 3rd birthday, brad gave her two diamond and platinum necklaces, along with a $15,000 gold chain. that's just sick. (i was going to type, 'i'm sorry, but that's just sick.' but i'm not sorry. that is just plain sick and inexcusable.)

My Top 10 Booklist (I think)

[The Bible is Number One. But since it's more than a book, it's the Word of God, it's in a class by itself and thus not on this list.]

Here, finally, are my top 10 favorite books:

*The Confessions of St. Augustine, St. Augustine

*The Unusual Suspect, Stephen Baldwin

*Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

*The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence

*The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis

*The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis

*Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

*Like Christ, Andrew Murray

*The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

*The Best of A.W. Tozer, A.W. Tozer

Dear Celeste,

My wishing you a happy accordion appreciation month did not mean that I wanted your daughter to wake me up with accordion music. Just thought you should know.
Lucy

Happy Accordion Appreciation Month!

hy i cannot type the letter ' ' and ' '

apparently i do not value my finger . thi time i decided to lam it (a different one) in beteen the plate armer and teamer at ork.
at leat i don't eem to ue thee letter a often a 'd' and 'e'.

Dear Subway by my house,

No provolone and no red wine vinegar? Why do I go to you?
Sincerely bewildered,
Lucy

i refuse to be controlled by anyone

thanks to a certain reader, i now have to make up some random posts before i can post my booklist so that i can prove that i don't have to listen to her.

The sermon today

Our pastor is gone for the week, so we had a guest speaker today. He was good. He spoke on 2 Cor. 5. One thing he said struck me: "If we don't know God, how can we represent Him?"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Cor. 5:17-21

Food Review: Doritos Late Night Tacos After Midnight

Oh these are just weird. Good, but weird. You open the bag, and what you smell is lettuce. You take a bite, and your first thought is lettuce, followed by, 'I think I just ate a whole taco.' They taste exactly like tacos. You've got the lettuce, the tomato, the taco sauce, the meat, and the shell all in one handy little chip.

I'm not quite sure when you're supposed to eat them, though. These aren't just something you would eat along with your sandwich. They taste too much like a meal in themselves. And yet, they are not a meal in themselves, so you'd be awfully hungry if they were all you ate. I guess the best time to eat them would be, like they claim, after midnight, for a snack while you're studying for finals or something. But seeing as I don't so much have those anymore, I'm just left confused.

These chips are good, so I recommend them. But please, if you do try them, let me know in what context I should eat them. Thank you.

Michael Cuddyer is also Freakin' Awesome

I think that's all that needs be said about Mr. Second-Twin-to-Hit-for-the-Cycle-This-Year!

Oh my.

"Winfield goes back to the wall. He hits his head on the wall and it rolls off! It's rolling all the way back to second base! This is a terrible thing for the Padres!" - Jerry Coleman, radio announcer for the Padres (from my sister's calendar of dumb quotes)

"She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain." - Louisa May Alcott

My dear best friend asked me awhile ago for a list of my 10 favorite books. I told her that was a horrible thing to ask of me, and then proceeded to forget about it. She asked me again recently, though, so I feel like I have to give her an answer.

I'm stumped. Favorite book? Yes. But 10? There are so many great books out there! 10 widens the range of possibilities, but then crushes it by limiting it. I simply don't know what to do.

why i cannot typ th lttrs ' ' an ' '

i slamm my fingr in th footrst of th arm chair whn i stoo up, an holy crap it hurt. i thought for sur it fll off. thankfully it in't, but it was prtty arn clos. ow.

(p.s. 'c's kina hurt, too)

"The Motions" - Matthew West

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions)
take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)
take me all the way (through the motions)
take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions

just wrong

alex trebeck saying, 'my bad.'

my sad day

we lost the game and my lettuce fell out of my sandwich and i lost my shirt. oh. that's not supposed to sound as bad as it does. i was so excited to get the free t-shirt that they were giving out to the first 5,000 females at the game, that i made my nieces go all super early (although that did get them in line for autographs early enough that they actually got them). i got my shirt, and it was cute, and then, somewhere between concessions and my seat, i lost it. i'm so sad. i guess i just have to be thankful it was my shirt that got lost, not my nieces', since they had gotten theirs autographed. and i'm just gonna tell myself that it went to some breast cancer survivor who had gotten there late and hadn't gotten one. she deserves it more than i do.

i finally got my laptop and wireless!

but chelleybutton asked me what i was going to post to celebrate that fact, which made me feel like i was under pressure to do something great, so instead i just haven't posted anything in days. so forget that. instead, i'll just post this.

i don't get it

i babysat yesterday morning. it was raining, so the boys and i stayed inside and built a fort. it kept them somewhat occupied and they worked together instead of fighting.
when their mom came home she yelled at them for having the cushions off of the couch. hello, mom, be glad i found a way to channel your children's excessive energy!
and hello, what's the point of couch cushions if not to build a fort?

Place Review: Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary

My best friend and I went there yesterday because she had seen it on a website full of free places to go and neither of us had ever been there. How the heck we've lived in Minneapolis all our lives and never discovered this wonderful place I'll never know. It's beautiful. You completely forget that you're in the city (well, except for the fact that you can hear the freeway nearby). It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be, but there were hardly any people. (Maybe I shouldn't be telling people about it. It was so nice and quiet.) It would be a great place to go and read a book or pray. I just have to remember next time that, oh yeah, I have allergies.

a devastating tragedy (to say the least)

from the moment i went to my first twins game this year, i knew. i just couldn't make myself believe it. they wouldn't do this to me. they couldn't.

they did.

blue bunny is the official ice cream of the minnesota twins.

which means that kemps isn't. which means that the best flavor of ice cream ever produced by cows is no more. no more touch 'em all chocolate malt. i will never again taste that heavenly chocolate malt ice cream with fudge swirls and little minnesota shaped chocolates with tc's on them filled with chocolate nougat.

the store by my house has never had a good selection of ice cream, but today i finally went to the one with the good ice cream section, and indeed the wonderfulness is gone. i can no longer live in denial. ice cream perfection is no more.

i found a way to slow down a crazy two-year-old boy

get him stuck in a chair.
i was babysitting at my aunt's last night. currently she has 4 foster children, 2 of whom (brothers) are extremely energetic. in other words, they ran. all night. i think that's all they did. run. they weren't naughty, they were just impossible to keep up with. (thankfully my cousin was there to watch the other two.)
i was in the living room with the older brother when my cousin started laughing. the little brother was in the dining room and had slid his little body through the chair and was stuck between the back and the seat. so i went over to pull him out, and couldn't. i yanked and pushed and pulled, and he looked like he had no clue what was going on and wasn't bothered in the slightest by the fact that he was stuck. until i started laughing so hard that i was crying. then he lost it and started bawling. which made me feel bad, but i was still laughing and he was still stuck.
anyway, somehow i finally got him out, which made him happy, and it was that much closer to bedtime, which made me happy. i think i'll try that more often.

Faith

"To believe and not doubt means not only believing in the existence of God, but also believing in His loving care. It includes relying on God and expecting that He will hear and answer when we pray. We must put away our critical attitude when we come to Him, and have confidence that God will align our desires with His purposes. Our Father really knows what is best." - Tim Cash, Baseball Chapel

it's been slow at work lately

so today i tried to convince my coworkers that we need to find a way to make things more interesting, perhaps by making the day a musical or by having office (well, kitchen) olympics. but they're a bunch of party-poopers. so that's the end of that story.

WARNING!

i received this text message:

Beware of wild chinchilla monkeys with candy corn hats!

as i am as concerned about your well-being as the sender was of mine, i thought i should pass the warning along. so watch your backs; they could come creeping up behind you en masse, which would be scary both because you wouldn't see them coming and because it would be french.
oh, but side note: apparently wild chinchilla monkeys in bowlers are completely harmless.

dear person who called at 7:31 this morning,

DO NOT CALL PEOPLE AT 7:31 IN THE MORNING! (you're lucky my phone was on silent.)
sincerely,
lucy

Jason Kubel is Freakin' Awesome

I'm pretty sure that's all that needs to be said about Mr. Hits-for-the-Cycle-to-Win-the-Game-With-a-Grand-Slam.

dear people who called at 8:30 this morning,

do not call people at 8:30 in the morning!
sincerely,
lucy

i am so sad i didn't get a picture

i looked out the window the other day, to see a man walking by wearing dressy loafers, bright blue sweatpants, a leather jacket, and a top hat.
oh yes, and he had a walking stick.

Happy Easter!

"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." - Eph. 1:15-23

our very secure security code

on tuesday this week, a notice was posted that we would be getting a new security code for the doors at work. the number would be given to us with our paychecks, which are available at noon on thursdays.
at 11:00 thursday morning, one of the nursing assistants knocked on the window of the dining room. she couldn't get in. the code had already been changed. at 11. when our checks aren't available til 12.
when i saw my boss, i mentioned it to her, and she said it was ridiculous. she had been in the office at 10:45 when another aide came in after being locked out. the assistant administrator told the aide that the code had switched, and she should have known that. the aide protested and said she couldn't possibly have known that, seeing as she didn't have her check yet. she then asked what the new code is, but the a.a. refused to tell her: "you'll get the code with your check."
"can i get my check early then?"
"absolutely not."
"and you won't tell me the code."
"you'll find out what it is when you get your check."
after the aide gave up, the a.a. turned to my boss and said, "she shouldn't have been going out to her car when it wasn't her break time anyway."
first of all, she doesn't know when the aide's break time is.
second of all, why couldn't she have just given the aide the code when the aide was going to get it in an hour anyway?
and thirdly, how the heck can they change the code before telling us what it is? i figured we'd get it on thursday and they'd change it friday. what the heck?

Book Review: "Quiet Strength: A Memoir," by Tony Dungy

I love this man. I absolutely love him. He is an amazing man of God.

One of the things I like about the book is that his faith shines through, but it does not feel forced at all. It's not like he's preaching at you. He's telling his story, which means he can't help but talk about his God, and all that He has done for him.

"...we press on...our hearts buoyed by a God who loves us and wants us to know Him deeply. We press on with our sense that life's not always fair. And we press on with the knowledge - and assurance - that even though we can't see all of God's plan, He is there, at work and in charge, loving us. We press on with the conviction that even though we don't deserve the gifts and blessings we've been given, He gives them anyway. We press on into an abundant life on earth, followed by an eternity with God."

This book tells mostly of his life (which means there's more football than I would ordinarily like, but considering he's a coach, I wouldn't expect less). He's written a second book, though, that looks like it's more about his beliefs. I really want to read that one. It could be even better.

For now, though, this is the one I've read, and I highly recommend it.

Restaurant Review: The little Italian place I went to last night

After much deliberation about where to go to eat last night, my friend and I finally decided on this little Italian place in New Brighton. I had the spaghetti with meatball which was good, and the minestrone soup which was alright, and of course, there was bread. Wonderful, yummy, different kinds of homemade bread. They were scrumptious. There was oil to dip them in and parmesan cheese to sprinkle on them, and all that, and oh they were good. They were all so good.

And the place itself was way cute. Tiny and homey and family-owned, and the waitress was so friendly.

So I highly recommend place. Sadly, I don't know the name of it. It's in New Brighton next to a small no-name gym. I could find it again, though, so if you want to go, I guess you have to go with me. :)

huh?

so i got a letter today from the court system saying that the lady who hit the lady who hit me had been to court, and part of her sentence was that she had to pay for any damage done to our cars. it included a form to fill out if i want restitution that i didn't fully read because i figure i'll have my dad figure it out sometime cuz he's a dad and dads know things. anyway, so on that form, right above where i would sign, in big bold letters, it says:
FURTHER AFFIANT SAITH NOT
huh?

i've done it!

i have now managed to reach 5,000 emails in my inbox.

one of the old ladies at work told me i have a big mouth today

all because i told her we didn't have any cookies. she was also mad at me for not putting coffee on her table (which i was not in charge of) and for not giving her an egg at breakfast (when she didn't want one anyway). oh yes, and she was mad at me for bringing her lunch to her. i'm such a horrible person.

they told me at work that i was quiet today

i guess that's why i have nothing to post

Book Review Preview: "Quiet Strength," by Tony Dungy

In my continued effort to read different types of books (most recently a politcal thriller, a book of short stories, a Russian classic, a book about the religious themes of the Chronicles of Narnia, and the penultimate book in A Series of Unfortunate Events), I am now reading Tony Dungy's memoir. I'm liking it very much. He is such a good man.
Pauletta and Denzel Washington, in their foreward to the book wrote, "It has been said that we get good at whatever we practice. Coach Dungy practices proactive faith. This faith is not a gimmick or magic or the will of a strong mind. It is not a short-order request to receive what we want when we want it. Proactive faith is receving everything that has been promised to us by God's Word for His purpose in His timing.
"Because of his proactive faith, Tony Dungy has been able to climb many mountains. Great achievements require great effort, and Coach Dungy's greatest accomplishment is that through it all, he has stayed obedient to God's will...
"The payoff of such faith is far better than anything the material world can offer. In this world, one can never be satisfied. The reward of remaining patient and obedient to the will of God is that life becomes fulfilling and satisfying...complete."
So far, so good.

how the grinch's cousin stole st.patrick's day: my sad mcdonald's story

me: i'd like a shamrock shake.
guy: we're out.
me: you're out?
guy: we're out. [hollering at the manager] we don't have shamrock shakes no more, do we?
manager: no, we're out.
me: you're out? but it's still march!
guy: we ran out of the syrup.
manager: our distributer ran out. you can't get it here, brooklyn park, brooklyn center, roseville, nowhere...they're gone.

and that was that. :(

Good Thought

Clearly dost Thou answer, though all do not clearly hear. All consult Thee on what they will, though they hear not always what they will. He is Thy best servant who looks not so much to hear that from Thee which he himself willeth, as rather to will that which from Thee he heareth.
-St. Augustine

because i love you so

i was so happy when i finally got this out of my head.

sadly that meant that there was room for this.

argh!

i was going to do a post today. but instead, i think i'll throw my shoe at the computer screen.

some of my favorite subtle movie moments

jack standing in front of the globe when he gives lucy florence in while you were sleeping

rhett running his eyes over scarlett as he says 'i'd like to see more of you' the day they meet in gone with the wind (scandalous, i know, but funny)

peter using the griffins as dive bombers in the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (because he wouldn't have known much about military strategy, but as a young boy in 1940s england, he would've known about air raids)

the argument at the council of elrond being reflected in the ring in the fellowship of the ring (the ring almost seems happy that they're arguing about how to fight against it)

georg glancing at maria over the car toward the end of the sound of music (but that's purely for the dreaminess factor)