"Stand in Awe" - Jeremy Riddle

Gracious and astounding
God's love so confounding appears to us
In a cleansing flow of blood
The Son left throne and glory
Bore the Father's wrath and fury
In our stead
For the sins of all He bled

Stand in awe and worship
Raise a voice in worship come adore
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Behold the Lamb in Heaven
He was dead but God raised Him from the grave
His arm is mighty to save
Now glorified and reigning
The keys to death and Hades in His hand
All hail the Lord of every man

Stand in awe and worship
Raise a voice in worship come adore
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords

October is National Book Month

And I am reading "Canterbury Tales" (amongst other things). And I am loving it. Way too much. Even my mother is calling me a geek. "Who just reads Chaucer for fun?!" But how can I not love it?

'It nere,' quod he, 'to thee no greet honour
For to be fals, ne for to be traitour
To me, that am thy cosyn and they brother
Ysworn ful depe, and ech of us til oother,
That nevere, for to dyen in the peyne,
Til that the deeth departe shal us tweyne,
Neither of us in love to hyndre oother,
Ne in noon oother cas, my leeve brother;
But that thou sholdest trewely forthren me
In every cas, as I shal forthren thee,
This was thyn ooth, and myn also, certeyn;
I woot right wel, thou darst it nat withseyn....'

This is a simple part, but it gives an idea. It's so fun!

HalleluJah, they're up!

God is so good. What else could possibly explain how and why the miners survived? To think that all 33 made it through that - it's crazy! I cannot imagine it. What a horrible, dreadful experience. And yet I love what Jimmy Sanchez, the youngest and most terrified of the group said while they were still inside the mine, "There are actually 34 of us, because God has never left us down here." Mario Gomez, the oldest and so-called spiritual leader of the group, upon coming out of the mine briefly hugged his wife, then gently pushed her away as he dropped to his knees in prayer. And Mario Sepulveda Espina, the spokesman stated, "I was with God and with the devil. They fought over me. And God won."
How can this be anything but a miracle? Sure, people can say it was people working together, it was technology, it was whatever else they want to claim it was. But there is absolutely no way it could have all worked without God orchestrating it all. It's amazing.
Praise the Lord!

Happy 60th Anniversary, Peanuts!

(http://comics.com/peanuts)

Oh, but I must add this to my last post

Bible (well really book) study was good. Hopefully my book will come very soon and I can start reading. The little bit that we read together sounded good. Also, it's exciting, because they were thinking small group, which then turned into 20-25 of us. While that might mean I'll be less likely to talk, it also means that there are that many of us wanting to grow together. I think this will be a good study.
So the day wasn't totally spoiled. :)

A perfect day foiled

Today was my day off. And scheduled to be perfect. I got to sleep in, so that was a good start, had some God time, so that was good, too. Then I decided to go online for a half hour before I ran to the bookstore.
Twenty minutes later my stupid internet finally started working. Which of course inevitably led not to me being on here for 10 minutes, but to me putting off going to the store even longer because I didn't have the self-control to stick by the original plan. (And not getting much done in that time, because the internet was still unsure of itself apparently.)
Finally I gave up and got ready to go. I stepped outside and it was absolutely gorgeous. Seventy degrees and sunny. Perfect. And I was on my way to buy a book for Bible study. And I had a coupon for 30% off. And I had a coupon for 50% off at Cold Stone. And so I made the wonderfully perfect plan to go buy the book, go get ice cream, and go sit outside somewhere enjoying myself completely.
Two Borders and one Barnes & Noble later, no book. Borders said they could order it for me and have it delivered to my house, so that's what I did, but it'll take a week and Bible study starts tonight.
While I was at B&N, I checked out their used section for a couple of books I want. I figured if I was going to be all disappointed, I could at least console myself with shopping. No luck there either.
Of course, by this time it was getting late and cooling off. I could've gone for Cold Stone anyway, but my mom was making a nice dinner, and I knew she would be disappointed if I skipped that to have ice cream for supper.
So basically, my perfect day ended up having no books, no outside, and no ice cream. I take that back. I did park as far as I could from all these stores so I could walk in the gorgeousness. Maybe I can't complain after all.

Gracious it's been awhile

And it will continue to be considering that I'm out of town and don't know when I'll next have access to a computer (and my cousin should be done blow-drying her hair any minute). Oh well. Not much to say right now anyway.

I must be an idiot

Really?

Book Review: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, by Anne Fadiman

As I was perusing the bulletin from my parents' church recently, I noticed that they have a book club. I glanced at their book list, looking to see if there was anything interesting, and I found, "Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader." It's basically the ramblings of a woman who is in love with reading. Naturally I had to read it.

It was good; not spectacular, but a fun, light read, and one in which I saw some shades of myself. (Although there were some points on which she and I differ considerably, such as taking care of books. Fadiman's all for dog-earing the pages, lying it open and face-down on a table, and other such things. She says that shows that they're loved. I say you use bookmarks, don't break the spine, and other such things. This shows they're cared for.)

One of my favorite parts was her chapter on how much she loves to proofread (to the point where it's almost an affliction). “Alas, there is no twelve-step program for [chronic proofreaders]. We must learn to live with our affliction. Perhaps we could even attempt to extract some social benefit from it by offering our faultfinding services on a pro-bono basis…had we been present last year at the Tattoo Shoppe in Carlstadt, New Jersey, we could have saved Dan O’Connor, a twenty-two-year-old Notre Dame fan, from having Fighing Irish tattooed on his right arm. He has sued the employer of the tattooist who omitted the t for $250,000 in damages. I hope O’Connor wins. I can imagine few worse fates than walking around for the rest of one’s life wearing a typo.” I must agree.

Overall, I would say this is a decent book for those of us who love reading. It's not one I would rush out to get, but if you happen upon it at the library, it's worth reading.

"All I Have is Christ" - Jordan Kauflin

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

Love it

So there I am, innocently trying to drive home from my friend's house, needing to get into the other lane, when the person next to me decides to be evil and not let me over. I try speeding up, try slowing down, try giving the guy dirty looks - nothing works. He will not let me over. Finally we get to a stoplight, and as I'm stuck behind him (but in the lane next to him - he never did let me over) I can't help noticing his bumper sticker:
"Be Kind: Think Green."

My continued dilemma

I wasn't convinced of the title of this blog when I started it a couple years ago, and I'm still not convinced. But I can't figure out what else to call it. "These mashed potatoes are so creamy," "What are you, the Happiness Guru?", or "Elsie made the eggnog," don't sound right either. And so, while I really want to change the title, this is what I've got.

May God bless you

Sometimes, when we don't know what to pray for someone, we just say 'God bless ___.' It kind of feels like a cop-out, but we don't know what else to say, and that sounds like a nice thing to pray for someone, so that's what we do.
How on earth can we think of that as a cop-out prayer? Is there anything more amazing that we could ask for someone? Blessings from God. Blessings from the Creator and Lord of the universe. Blessings from the King of kings. Blessings from the One who upholds the earth by His mighty Power.
Wow. What more could anyone ask for? What more could we ask for someone? If you pray for me and that's all you say, I know I'll be eternally grateful!
And so I pray God's blessing on you. Whatever that may be, whatever that may look like, I pray it for you. God is good.

"Of two evils, choose the lesser one" - advice from one of my spammers

And so, sorry guys, we now have word verification.

What is this world coming to?

A woman left her dog in the car in the heat the other day. Thankfully it managed to get itself to the front seat and honk the horn, so it turned out okay. This got the news people talking, though, about people forgetting children and pets in the car.

The official advice from experts? When you put your baby or pet in the car, leave your cell phone on the seat next to him or her. Because when you get out of the car, you won't forget your cell phone.

My happy trip to the bank

Today I brought a little old lady to the doctor and then to the bank. As we were at sitting in the car at the bank waiting for the container thing to come zhooping back to us, I told the little old lady that I've never driven through the drive-through at the bank before. I always go in. But back when I was little and would go through in the car with my mom, they used to send me suckers. "I don't think they do that for grown-ups, though." I said sadly.
The thing came zhooping back, and as I emptied it, along with the little old lady's money and i.d., were two dum-dum suckers. :D WIth a huge grin on my face, I said, "Oh! She must've heard me!" "I did!" "Well, thank you very much!"
Totally made my day. :)

A most exciting development

So that sunburn that I got the other day? Yeah, it's kind of turning tannish. I'm sure it won't last long, but for right now, my arms actually look pretty nice (well, aside from the fact that it's a farmer tan). Alright, fine, so it's a farmer tan that won't last more than a week. The point is, though, that I actually have some color right now! That never happens! I burn, then it peels off to white again. (I still don't think it's fair that I get my grandpa's fair skin, but not his red hair.) I'm sure none of you believe me that I'm tan, and it will be gone before I see any of you again, but whether you believe me or not, I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Jim Thome

I still think he looks like an old-time baseball player.

Dear Mr. Thome,

They might say you're 10th on the homerun list, but seeing as 4 of those guys are cheaters, I say you're 6th. Good job. (And like Killebrew said, it's nice that you did it in a Twins uniform. A+)

Sincerely,

Lucy

It's an adventure, Charlie!

I am a very brave soul. Today I bought from a scalper.
I went up to guys who were ginormous, and guys who looked like thugs, and guys who looked like rich snobs, and every other kind of guy out there. (And in doing so I realized that rich snobs annoy me the most.) The prices were just plain crazy. And the number of people looking for tickets was crazy. But gall dang it I had requested this day off back in April to go to this game, and I was going to go. After a lap around both Target Field and Target Center with no success, and with the game already started, I had to decide whether or not I should think about giving up. But what kind of boring story would that be? I didn't want to. I decided to head toward the ballpark one last time.
And there I found a normal-looking guy selling the one extra ticket he had for $15 to a scalper. "No! You should've sold it to me! Now he's going to scalp me!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! If I had known..." he turned to the scalper, "Tell you what, sell it to her for $20."
The scalper was holding on to a $10 bill, looking through his wad to find a 5 for the guy. Not finding one he gruffly turned to me, "Just give the guy $20!"
And so I did. The guy was happy because he got $5 more than he thought he was going to, I was happy because I finally had a ticket and because I'd rather give money to the normal guy than the scalper, and the scalper was crabby because he lost a sale. "Now I won't be able to eat!" he yelled after me. Yeah. Cuz I care. He can eat the rest of the tickets he wasn't able to sell because he was asking too much.
It was annoying that he stepped in, but I suppose I can't balk at $20 too much. I had set my limit at $15, but there was nothing out there, and it was a $35 ticket. It felt a little far from home plate, but beggars can't be choosers. And now I learned that I would rather sit up higher and closer to home than closer to the field but farther down the line.
Ooh, and I can't complain at $20 too much cuz I got a free shirt. TC was shooting them in my section, and rather than stand up like everyone else, I decided I would stay seated, figuring that it wouldn't come to my area, and if it did, staying seated would make it easier to dive. My technique worked. The people next to me were in the bathroom, and it fell right next to me. An easy dive.
And it was good that I got the shirt because someone two rows up spilled his beer, trickling down onto the bottom of my purse, which I could now wipe off because I had a shirt.
And the shirt is now in the washing machine.
It was a nice day for a game (though with no breeze or shade, a little hot), and we won, and I don't think I got too sunburned. A bit of a farmer tan maybe, but not burnt.
Ooh! And excitement of excitement, the fire alarm went off. A big siren sound, followed by an "Attention, please!", followed by everyone looking confused, followed by everyone cheering.
All in all, a good day.

(Though I still wasn't able to take my nieces, Target Field. Still not your biggest fan. Your loveliness is eclipsed by your inability to supply me with tickets.)

Today is Stupid Guy Thing Day. I would just like to say, that stupid guy things are a big part of why I love boys. So Happy Stupid Guy Thing Day!

Dear StubHub people,

I have no intention of paying $31.95 apiece for Standing Room Only seats on June 30th. Nor do I intend to pay $64 apiece for the Home Run Porch. I realize now that it was dumb to not order my tickets online and pay the fine (I mean convenience fee) when I had the chance, but I seriously thought that I'd be safe buying them at the stadium one working day later. I'm willing to pay for the tickets, but it's just not fair for you to try to gouge me so much. I have two darling nieces I want to take to the game! Please be nice and let me!
Sincerely,
Lucy

II Timothy 2:11-13

"Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with Him,
we will also live with Him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with Him.
If we disown Him,
He will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
He will remain faithful,
for He cannot disown Himself."

I love that. I was going to write more here about why I love it, but I don't think my words will add anything to it. He is good.

How the heck...

does one lose 3 hubcaps within a month and a half? My new car looks so ghetto now! I was able to get the one back that fell off in the carwash, but the other two are gone. Grr...

Advice of the Day

If you have a bum knee, one that was injured years ago and still has occassional flare-ups, one that has been reinjured and the ache has yet to subside, one that occassionally experiences sharp pains that make you think someone is jabbing a fork into it, do not, when that sudden shooting pain hits in a way that is nearly unbearable so that you bite your lips so that you don't go 'AAAHHH!' and disturb the residents at the nursing home you work at, then stomp your foot in frustration. At least not the foot of that same leg. It won't help your cause.

Book Review: "The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers," by Harry Bernstein

I've been thinking lately that I've been reading too much fiction. Not solely fiction, but mostly fiction. I'm a grown-up. I should change it up more often and make myself a bit smarter. So when I was at the library a week or two ago, I decided to see if there was anything in the biographies that sounded interesting. Nothing jumped out at me in the 'A's, but when I got to Bernstein and found this book, I decided it sounded good.

And it was. Bernstein grew up in England during WWI. His family was very poor, and the little money his father made he spent drinking and gambling. His mother worked hard to raise Harry and his brothers and sisters, trying to give them better lives.

On the street where they lived, the Jews were on one side and the Christians on the other. They didn't really ever cross over, unless the Jews needed something at the Christian store or it was the Sabbath and the Christians went to the Jewish homes to stoke their fires. Or if a nice Jewish girl wanted help with her homework from a nice Christian boy. Except that that last one wasn't supposed to happen.

The book was mostly about Bernstein growing up and what his neighborhood was like, though a big part of that was shown through his sister's relationship with a Christian boy across the street. It was a sweet story and fast reading (actually, it read like a novel). Bernstein apparently has an amazing memory, considering he started writing this when he was 93. He wrote a sequel, too, which I want to read sometime. Because I very much enjoyed this one.

The Wells Fargo Wagon

UPS trucks keep stopping on my block. They're never for me. So sad.

Memorial Day

I have been blessed to have men in my family who have served their country. My dad, my brother, my brother-in-law, my uncle, my cousins, my grandpas, my great-grandpa, way the hang back to the Revolutionary War. I am extremely thankful for all they have done.

I am also extremely thankful that, at least from my great-grandpa on, they have all come home in one piece. Not everyone can say that. And so, today, I want those who have lost loved ones to know that we appreciate their sacrifice - both the sacrifice the loved one made, and the sacrifice they themselves made, watching their husband, son, daughter, mother, friend go off to war. Thank you to you all, and God bless.

Food Review: DiGiorno 200 Calorie Portions Chicken With Peppers and Onions Pizza

Yummy.

I had no idea what I wanted for supper when I went to the grocery store. Deciding to be lazy, I started walking through the frozen pizza section. I didn't feel like having leftovers, though, so was about to give up (a party pizza wasn't really what I wanted), when I stumbled across this. With only 200 calories, chicken instead of pepperoni (pepperoni was sounding too greasy and unhealthy to me), and being on sale, it sounded just about right.

And oh my goodness it was. It was delicious. I think I could eat 84 more of them. The sauce is good, the cheese is good, the amount of garlic is good. The only bad part is that they're small, but we all know that that is what 200 calories actually means. There are two in the box, though, so if you're up for 400 calories it's all good.

This might be my new favorite frozen food (as long as we're not counting ice cream as a food - if that's a food, sorry pizza, you lose). I highly recommend it.

Why I'm Okay With the Ending of Lost

*Spoiler alert!*

Though I'm seriously doubting you managed to get through the day without coming across a spoiler. And if you didn't watch Lost but don't want spoilers because you want to watch it someday and it gets spoiled for you, it's your own fault.

When I first started watching Lost, I was drawn in by the movie scope of the show, the mysteries of the Island, and most of all, the characters. Sayid, Charlie, Claire, Jin, Sun, Hurley, Sawyer, Jack, Kate, Michael, Walt, Locke, Boone, Shannon, and eventually Turniphead - they became part of my, perhaps not everyday, but weekly life. I liked finding out about them little by little. I liked watching them interact. I liked watching them try to figure out how to survive in this crazy place.

Come the second season, they added new characters. I became quite disenchanted with it, due in part to the characters they introduced (though I did like Eko, and had nothing against Bernard), and in part because the episodes were all so similar.

The third season was too focused on the Others. I wanted my Survivors back. I didn't know who the Others were, why they were there, or what they were doing, and they were just plain evil.

Seasons four and five were more focused on the Island. There were more mysteries, more questions, and the search for answers kept me interested. I had to know what was going on. I wanted them to quit leaving me hanging and tell me something for once!

And then came season six. Promising to give me answers, the writers kept me coming back, in spite of the fact that they were frustrating me to no end and making me at times want to give up. It had gotten to be too much. As the finale approached I gave up hope that they would answer everything, and after the third to the last episode (the Jacob one), I gave up hope that they would give me more than a hokey, SyFy-worthy, Black Smoke-filled extravaganza.

But that's not the direction they went. Sure there was some battling on the Island and some 'protect the light' crap. Sure it was predictable enough that I had already figured out who was going to protect the Island in the end and what the last shot would be.

What surprised me was how completely not focused on answering the questions it was. Hardly any of the big questions were answered. And about 3/4 of the way through, I realized I didn't care. They brought my Survivors back.

I liked the way they did it. The flashbacks didn't seem forced, but instead served as a reminder as to why I loved the show in the first place. Charlie and Claire and the peanut butter. Jin and Sun re-falling in love. Kate delivering Aaron. And Hurley and Charlie being best friends. Sadly, they got the Jack/Kate/Sawyer thing wrong, but there was bound to be some major disappointment somewhere.

There was no way the writers were going to please everyone. And from the sound of it they didn't please most people. So I just want to say, that while yes, it could have been better, I'm okay with the way it ended. It ended with what I cared about the most.

Is. 30:18-21

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for Him.
Yea, O people in Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Jason Kubel is Again Freakin' Awesome

Mr. Two-out-grand-slam-off-Rivera-to-beat-the-Yankees-in-the-Bronx-and-finally-shut-the-sports-writers-up

Happy Reading is Fun Week?

On Tuesday we had a meeting after work. I brought all my stuff with me to the meeting; my hoodie, my lunchbag, and, unfortunately, my book. Immediately upon my sitting next to one of the girls from the activities department, she noticed it. She always asks me what I'm reading, but when I'm reading things like "Les Miserables" (at work they just roll their eyes at that one: 'again?'), "Quiet Strength," or "Watership Down" (stupid Lost-recommended bunny book), she just says, "Oh, that sounds interesting." But this time, my book was "The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way." She perked up. "Oh! Bill Bryson! I like him! Is it any good?" I said, "Yes. I'm enjoying it immensely. But then, I'm a huge language geek. The history interests me. I guess I don't know what other people would think."
So yes, reading was very fun this past week.
At least for the first part of it.
I had three books checked out from the library this time, and this was the third one. It was due on Friday, but I was only half-way through. So on Thursday I went to the library website to renew it. And couldn't. Because someone had it on hold. I was very much surprised and disappointed. I was so enjoying this book! But it's kind of geeky. Why would anyone think to put it on hold? Oh! Crap.

Happy Reading is Fun Week!

For the record

You know that yogurt container that splattered in the aisle at Target? Yeah, I know nothing about that.

My poor left side

Every time I get injured, it's the left side of my body.
Cases in point:
1. (by far the most serious) Tripped up the stone stairs in my friends dorm, slamming my knee against the edge of a stair, moving my knee cap and hitting the actual knee underneath, causing permanent damage.
2. Smashed my finger between a cart and a counter at work causing a blood blister beneath the nail, as well as my heart rate to drop to about 40 as I almost fainted.
3. Slammed the back of my thigh on the counter at work, as I gracefully fell off of it, making me unable (for a couple weeks) to sit.
4. Was attacked by a 50lb box of potatoes that fell off of a shelf at work, giving me a nasty nasty bruise on my calf.
5. Banged the back of my hand against a cupboard at work, pinching the nerve or something, making it nearly impossible for me to bend my fingers enough to grab anything.
6. Cut myself on the saran wrap cutter thing at work (a few times now) drawing blood.
And my one last night (this took talent):
7. I had squatted down to get something off one of the shelves by my bed. I then stood up. Small problem - my knee was under the bed frame. The knee cap moved (down this time, instead of up), and holy crap, ow. Ow ow ow. Today as I gimped around work all I could think was, "'OOOOOOWWWW. Can somebody get the knife and fork out of my leg, please? Can somebody please remove these cutleries from my knees?'"
I don't know what it is with my left side. Maybe since I'm right-handed I don't think my left side is that important. Maybe I had a silent stroke and instead of being paralyzed, I just have no left-side awareness. Maybe I figure that if I'm gonna need knee replacement surgery, I'd rather only need it on one knee. I don't know. But right now, my knee very much hurts.

My Top 10 Classic Book List (almost)

After doing my top 10 book list and my top 10 fiction book list, I decided to do my top 10 classic book list. The only problem is, I couldn't think of 10. There are those I've liked well enough (Anne of Green Gables), and those I had to read for school (The Crucible), and those that would be fine except for the fact that they're 200 pages too long (Jane Eyre), but I couldn't think of ten I would read again. But there are so many books out there for me to read still! I just haven't found those last two yet. So this is my start.

*Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

*Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

*Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

*The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo

*Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

*Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray

*Ben-Hur, Lew Wallace (not necessarily one I would read again, seeing as he's extremely intelligent, which makes it hard at times, but it was very good)

*The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

Dear Target Field,

I am very perturbed at you right now for being sold out on June 30th. I wanted to take my nieces to a day game, and I managed to get off work, but no, there are no tickets, so we can't go. Next time you get built, please have another 10,000 seats or so (or at least 3).
Sincerely,
Lucy

Take that

"There must be something very wrong with a person who would prefer that there were no God. 'Well,' says one, 'I don't care much whether there is a God or not; I am an agnostic.' A gentleman once told me that he was an agnostic. I replied, 'That is a Greek word is it not? And the equivalent Latin word is ignoramous.' Somehow, he did not like it in Latin nearly as much as in Greek." - Charles Spurgeon

Book Review: "The Last Empress," by Anchee Min

Usually when checking out a book from the library, it's one I've already decided to read and have had on hold. Once in a great while, though, I browse the shelves. This time the book I came across was "The Last Empress." It's a novel based on the life of Empress Yehonala of China.

It was okay. It was nice to read a different kind of book, but it may have been a little helpful to know a bit of the history behind it. It felt a bit disjointed, but that may not have been the case if I knew more about China in the late 19th century so I could fill in the blanks. Once I just accepted the fact that I wouldn't know everything that I might like to, I liked the book better.

Overall I think it was a fine book. The author knew her subject well, which lended it credibility, and she had a fairly poetic voice. If you're looking for any old thing to read, it's worth it, but if you have other books in mind, I'd probably go with those first.

Probably not the intended effect

This guy makes me want to throw up.

Happy Easter!

You will say in that day:
"I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord,
for though Thou wast angry with me
Thy anger turned away
and Thou didst comfort me.

"Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation."

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
"Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the nations,
proclaim that His name is exalted.

"Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
- Isaiah 12

Grad school Easter

When I was in college, I was close to home. There was no question as to where I would spend any holiday. When I was in grad school, however, I was farther away. While, yes, obviously, I went home for Christmas, Easter was a different story. Just a weekend wasn't really long enough to make the trek worth it. And so I was prepared to spend the holiday alone. I bought some ground lamb, having no idea what I was going to do with it, but figuring whatever it was would be easier than making something with a real hunk of lamb (considering that I hadn't [and still haven't, actually] ever done lamb).
But then, one by one, I heard of girls from my Bible study who weren't going home for Easter. Suddenly I was hosting Easter dinner for six. I loved it. But I didn't have enough lamb. So I saved the lamb for a different day, we pooled things together, and we ended up with shepherd's pie. We figured shepherd's pie -> sheep -> lamb -> close enough. It wasn't the best shepherd's pie I've ever had; I think that whole 'too many cooks' thing, in addition to our constantly changing the recipe to go along with people's food preferences, took its toll. But don't get me wrong, it was still good, and we had fun making it.
The whole day is one of my favorite grad school memories. I'd never gotten to spend a holiday with friends before. I love my family, but this was nice, too. I liked it.
I also really liked when Chelleybutton came over and we made stuffed peppers with the Easter lamb. Those were yummy.

Easter dinner

Why on earth do Christians eat ham on Easter? It's Passover, for heaven's sake. Shouldn't we be eating lamb?
While you may claim I'm biased because I don't like ham, that's not the real issue. (Though it might be a valid one, I'll save that argument for Christmas.) The issue is that we're celebrating the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Through the blood of the Lamb, we have been delivered. This is the fulfillment of Passover. In Exodus, God says that the Israelites are to celebrate Passover forever. Forever. He didn't say "until Jesus comes to deliver you from your sins." He said forever, as a reminder of all He has done for us. Us. Gentile Christians are grafted in to His people Israel. Thus it only makes sense that we would celebrate Passover and it's Fulfillment the proper way; which includes lamb, not unkosher ham. Hopefully someday I'll get to.

Praising God in advance

Today our worship leader was talking about Palm Sunday, and how the praising that went on that day was really a glimpse into what would come the week after. It got me thinking. Why don't we praise God in advance more? They were praising Jesus for a salvation they had yet to see, based on miracles they had seen. No, they didn't know what "the King who comes in the name of the Lord," was going to do, or how it was going to work, but they were praising Him, because they knew their salvation was near. We may not know how He's going to answer our prayers, but we know He's going to. We've seen Him do it. Why do we wait til after He answers them to give Him honor and glory? Praise Him now!

Oh heavens - I'm a book thief again

I stole another book.

But again, not on purpose! I honestly thought I returned it. So when I got an email saying it was due that day, I called and told them that. The librarian said, "Oh, it probably just didn't get scanned right. We have tens of thousands of books coming in every day, and that happens sometimes. I'll change it to say that you returned it." I had been thinking she'd check the shelf to see if it was there. But she didn't check, and I (shame on me) didn't tell her to, figuring I didn't want a fine if she couldn't find it.

Well, I found it. Don't worry, I will return it Monday, but yeah, until then I have a contraband library book. I'm so horrible.

Psalm 104:31-34

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever,
may the Lord rejoice in His works,
who looks to the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.

Book Review: "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," by Muriel Barbery

Excellent book. I don't really know what to say about it, though, since I kind of reviewed it in my not-a-book-review.

It's French, so it's kind of artsy-fartsy. It's nice to read something with a different tone, though. I like to expand my horizons. It got me thinking a little bit, too, which is nice considering that I have a job in which thinking is optional. My one complaint is the ending, but it's not bad enough to change my opinion of the book as a whole.

If you're looking for a fast read that's not fluff, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it.

My really long quote

I open the envelope and read this little note written on a business card whose surface is so glossy that the ink, to the dismay of the defeated blotter, has bled slightly underneath each letter.

Madame Michel,
Would you be so kind as, to sign for the packages from the dry cleaner's this afternoon?
I'll pick them up at your loge this evening.
Scribbled signature

I was not prepared for such an underhanded attack. I collapse in shock on the nearest chair. I even begin to wonder if I am not going mad. Does this have the same effect on you, when this sort of thing happens?
Let me explain:
The cat is sleeping.
You've just read a harmless little sentence, and it has not caused you any pain or sudden fits of suffering, has it? Fair enough.
Now read again:
The cat, is sleeping.
Let me repeat it, so that there is no cause for ambiguity:
The cat comma is sleeping.
The cat, is sleeping.
Would you be so kind as, to sign for.
...we have this dribbling scribbling on vellum, courtesy of Sabine Pallieres, this comma slicing the sentence in half with all the trenchancy of a knife blade:
Would you be so kind as, to sign for the packages from the dry cleaner's?
If Sabine Pallieres had been a good Portugese woman born under a fig tree in Faro, or a concierge who'd just arrived from the high-rise banlieues of Paris, or if she were the mentally challenged member of a tolerant family who had taken her in out of the goodness of their hearts, I might have whole-heartedly forgiven such guilty nonchalance. But Sabine Pallieres is wealthy.
...Sabine Pallieres has no excuse. The gifts of fate come with a price. For those who have been favored by life's indulgence, rigorous respect in matters of beauty is a non-negotiable requirement. Language is a bountiful gift and its usage, an elaboration of community and society, is a sacred work...Society's elect, those whom fate has spared from the servitude that is the lot of the poor, must, consequently, shoulder the double burden of worshipping and respecting the splendors of language. Finally, Sabine Pallieres's misuse of punctuation constitutes an instance of blasphemy that is the more insiduous when one considers that there are marvelous poets born in stinking caravans or high-rise slums who do have for beauty the sacred respect that it is so rightfully owed.
To the rich, therefore, falls the burden of Beauty. And if they cannot assume it, then they deserve to die.
- from "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," by Muriel Barbery

The prelude to my long quote

Hm...What is "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" about? It's hard to say when there's not much happening in it. Basically it's written as the journals of the two main characters, who are both too smart for their stations in life. A German review said, "Free of any real 'action' it is nontheless immensely exciting and captivating...Whoever is convinced that philosophical discourse is highbrow and boring will think otherwise after having read [it]."
I love that it's an intelligent book, and yet is approachable. There was one part that was so very me.

It really is too bad that he's married

My chiropractor (with a big grin), when I went in the other day: "I was so excited when I saw your name on the schedule for today! My own personal scouting report! How did they look? Who did you see pitch? What did you think of Ben Revere? Oh, and did you get a new hairdo?"

Book Review Preview: The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery

I'm loving it. And I'm trying to figure out how long of a quote I can put here. Doesn't copyright law say 10% or something like that?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Disney World

When I was 7, my family went to Disney World. I did not get to go on the Dumbo ride. I was extremely disappointed. My mother says now that if she had known what a big deal it was to me then she would've seen to it that I got to go on it. As it is, not getting to go on it is one of my main memories from that Disney World trip. Well, when we were down in Florida for Spring Training, we also went to Disney World (thanks to the Give-a-Day, Get-a-Day promotion). And I got to go on the Dumbo ride. And that's my happiest memory of this Disney World trip. :) Yep, I think that sums it up.

How's this for convicting?

"If we do not devote all that is within us to the glory of God, which part is it that we should leave unconsecrated?...'All that is within [us]' must bless God's holy name. To withhold part of the price is robbery; to reserve part of our territory from our King is treason."
- Charles Spurgeon

"Full Attention" - Jeremy Riddle

May Your voice be louder
May Your voice be clearer
Than all the others
Than all the others

May Your face be dearer
May Your words be sweeter
Than all the others
Than all the others in my life

Please keep my eyes
Fixed on You
Please root my heart
So deep in You
Keep me abiding
Keep me abiding
Keep me abiding
That I may bear fruit

May Your presence be truer
May Your presence be nearer
Than all the others
Than all the others

May Your light burn brighter
May Your love move deeper
Than all the others
Than all the others in my life

Baseball Review: Spring Training

I loved it. Sunshine, blue skies, palm trees, relaxed atmosphere, not being in Minnesota in March, everything. My nieces were able to get their picture taken with Michael Cuddyer (they tried for autographs, but the marker didn't work), and autographs from Matt Tolbert, who was kind enough to pull over on his way out of the parking lot (the next day - when they had a working marker).
I think another part of what made it so enjoyable was that since these games don't matter as far as the regular season goes, the fans weren't as competitive. Yes, we were cheering for our teams, but, as cheesy as this sounds, we were all there because we love baseball. I also really liked that at the second game we went to, when the person who was supposed to sing the national anthem had to cancel because of laryngitis, they had everyone sing it instead. Again with the cheesiness, but it just felt so American.
We had a lot of fun (even with our Standing-Room-Only seats for the one game), so I highly recommend it.

Things I learned on vacation

1. Florida does not believe in road signs. If you're looking for Merritt Island Drive (or whatever it is) so that you can get to the manatee boat, there will neither be signs for Merritt Island Drive nor the manatee boat. This means you will not get to go on the manatee boat and you'll have to entertain your nieces in some other way while your sister and brother-in-law are being space geeks.
2. If you're looking for another way to entertain your nieces, ask the gas station people about putt-putt. They'll look really confused if you ask them if there's a mini-golf place around.
3. Dinosaurs did exist. If you don't believe me, look at the size of some of the pterodactyl-type birds they have down there, like the Big Black Scary Birds of Death.
4. The phrase is apparently "See you later, crocodile," according to the little boy on my plane.

Just so y'all know...

I won't be posting for a few days. Because I'll be in Florida. Not looking at snow. Watching manatees. And baseball. And Mickey Mouse. Aw yeah.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

Dear the Media covering the Olympics,

Please stop covering the whiny athletes. If they didn't have anyone to complain to, they'd stop, and the gold medalists would be able to enjoy their moments. You're part of the problem, too, you know. Only those cheesy Olympic stories from now on please.
Thank you.
Lucy

Dear Russian Federation,

Please teach your athletes to not be whiners. First Plushenko, now Domnina and Shabalin. Virtue and Moir beat them. Tell your skaters to suck it up already. Let Virtue and Moir enjoy their gold. It's called sportsmanship. Domnina and Shabalin's behavior, as well as Plushenko's, doesn't fit with the Olympic spirit. Please send better representatives next time.
Sincerely,
Lucy

(PS - Again, I know this is not their Olympic performance, but again, it's not online yet.)

Dear Evegeni Plushenko,

Get over yourself. Evan Lysacek won. Whether or not you feel he actually beat you is your prerogative, but also, immaterial. He won the gold medal, you won the silver. Show a little class and let him have his moment.
Sincerely,
Lucy

(PS - I know that's not Evan's Olympic performance. It's not up anywhere yet.)

Dude, what's with Michael Phelps' head?

and neck for that matter

Why I like my chiropractor

When telling me to have a good time at spring training:
"Just remember that you have a chiropractor back home wishing he were there, smelling the leather of the gloves, and the freshly mown grass, and hearing the 'whoosh' of the ball off the bat."
Then, coming out of his dream-like state: "I know. I'm a dork."

Book Review: Man in White, by Johnny Cash

Wow. That man knew his Bible. New Testament, Old Testament, Biblical history, it was all there. For the most part it was woven seamlessly into the story. There were a few times where it felt like he was spelling out the Gospel for his readers, but if there were any Johnny Cash fans out there who didn't know the Lord, but wanted to read a novel by Johnny Cash, this was an opportunity to witness, and Johnny seized it.

The book was about the time immediately before and immediately after Paul's conversion. It's not how I picture it all happening, but considering I don't know how it went either, I'm fine with what he wrote. Johnny felt he could identify with Paul, and you could tell in reading it that the subject was close to his heart.

I wouldn't say it's the best book I've ever read, but it was good, and worth reading. Like I said in the comments of another post, I wish there had been more of the introduction, with Johnny talking about his faith. I know that wasn't the point of the book, but I liked it.

Oh, and one more good thing about it, the way Johnny so obviously delved into the Scriptures made me want to do more exploring of my own. Good stuff.

Gotta love Johnny Cash - pt. 2

more from the intro:

"Is [the book] written from the Baptist Church's angle?" one asked. "You are a Baptist, aren't you?"
"Paul was not a Baptist," I replied. "He admonished those whose doctrinal tenets focused on John the Baptist."
"Then you're a Catholic, maybe?" he asked.
"Maybe," I said, "since catholic means 'universal.'"
"But not the Roman Catholic Church?" he asked.
"No," I said. "Paul was a Jew. He was a doctor of the Law."
"Then it's written from the Jewish viewpoint, right?"
"No, mine," I said.
"But you're a Baptist."
I finally settled on a fundamental answer. "I, as a believer that Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew, the Christ of the Greeks, was the Anointed One of God (born of the seed of David, upon faith as Abraham had faith, and it was accounted to him as righteousness), am grafted onto the true vine, and am one of the heirs of God's covenant with Israel."
"What?"
"I'm a Christian," I said. "Don't put me in another box."

Smurfiness

So earlier today I was looking down at my blue jeans, blue hoodie, blue jacket, and blue mittens, thinking, 'Wow. My shoes are brown.'

That's all.

Beverage Review: Mountain Dew Throwback

I love my Mountain Dew. Since I started working at 5:30am every day, it has become my sole mode of survival. (Well, not quite, because there is tea.) So Mountain Dew Throwback, with real sugar, sounded like it would be worth a shot.

And it is. I almost feel like it's better for me, since sugar is natural and high-fructose corn syrup isn't. It's not as fizzy, but doesn't taste flat, and tastes perhaps a little more citrus-y.

The one thing I'm not too sure about is the after-taste. The pop feels like it coats the throat a little bit, and the taste stays there.

But the cans are cute, with a hillbilly on them (though apparently there are some out there that just look like cans from Piggly-Wiggly), and it's nice to have a little different flavor once in awhile. I'd say you should try it.

Gotta love Johnny Cash - pt. 1

I just started reading "Man in White: A Novel About the Apostle Paul," by Johnny Cash. Johnny did extensive research into the life of Paul, taking classes, reading commentaries and articles, and all that, but he also "discovered that the Bible can shed a lot of light on commentaries."
The book took him many years to write, and he got many different reactions when he told people he was writing it. For one:

A reporter asked me, "What is this about a new book you're writing?"
"It's called Man in White," I replied.
"Neat idea. Man in White by the man in black."
I nodded, waiting.
"What's it about?" he asked.
"The apostle Paul's conversion, before and after," I explained. "It's a novel."
"Nothing about yourself?"
"No, it happens in the first century AD."
"Really, a novel? Anything about prisons?" he laughed.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, Paul sang in prison. He sang a jail-breaking song."
"Really. What was the song?"
"I don't know," I said. "He and a guy named Silas sang a duet, but they never recorded it."

Happy 50th Birthday, Bubble Wrap!!!

Game show questions

*Why do people clap when a contestant finds the Daily Double on Jeopardy? It's not like they've gotten the question right.
*Why, on Family Feud, does everybody read the answers that remain on the board?
*What would happen if the wheel landed on bankrupt on the Final Spin on Wheel of Fortune?

Questions that plague me.

Success vs. Significance

When Outliers finally came for me at the library, I was in the middle of reading Uncommon, by Tony Dungy. I then finished Outliers, and went back to Uncommon, but it took me awhile to finally getting around to doing my Outliers review. So I finally did the review, and promptly picked up Uncommon to finish it. (Good book, by the way. It's written for young men, but anyone can get something out of it. In fact, Dungy's coauthor dedicated it to his daughters, "that they might hold out for someday spending their lives with uncommon men.")
Anyway...
So right after slamming Gladwell for saying that the man had made no impact on the world, I read this, "I believe that the imprint you are meant to leave on this world is not accidental or coincidental. Your life has been intentionally designed by God to have a uniquely significant and eternal impact on the world around you. Think about that for a moment - your life has been intentionally designed by God to have a unique and significant impact on everyone you meet, and many you may never meet."
There is such a difference between how Christians think and how the world thinks (or at least there should be). I'm so thankful for that. Dungy goes on to say, "What if we all lived our lives embracing that idea as true - what would our lives begin to look like? What would we attempt to do that we never would have attempted otherwise? What difference would we begin to make in the lives of those around us?"
Have I mentioned that I like Tony Dungy? Cuz I do.

Yahoo greeting of the day

Hi, Lucy Eleanor!
Now's a great time to yodel!

Book Review: Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell

This was an extremely interesting book. It was recommended awhile ago when I was looking for different types of books to read, and finally, after months on the waiting list, it finally came in for me at the library.

Success is often assumed to be the result of ambition and hard work. In this book, however, Gladwell makes the case that it has more to do with opportunity and the people who came before you. He has some very compelling points and backs them up quite well. The areas he chooses to address are varied (from professional hockey to computer geniuses to rice paddies), yet all seem to be well researched. I disagreed with him as far as his take on education, but had little problem with the rest of what he said.

Except for one particular instance. He was talking about a genius who had missed out on college for various reasons, and ended up doing a variety of jobs such as being a bouncer or farming. In his spare time he read academic journals and was working on a project involving physics and whatnot, knowing he'll never be published because he doesn't have letters after his name. Gladwell states, “Here he was, a man with a one-in-a-million mind, and he had yet to have any impact on the world.”

I found that offensive. If he wanted to say, "on the science world" or "on the academic world," fine. But to say he's never had "any impact on the world," is terribly wrong. Has Gladwell never seen "It's a Wonderful Life"? Everyone has an impact on the world. And there's a good chance it's for good. Maybe he bounced a guy who was giving a girl a hard time at a bar, who otherwise would have stayed until she left and then attacked her. Maybe he called a cab for a drunk who otherwise would've tried to drive home and killed someone on the way. We don't know. Saying that the man's never had an impact on the world comes across as judgemental.

Other than that, I liked the book and found it fascinating. I highly recommend it.

I need to do another post

I can still see that scary picture when I come here, and it scares me. I need to quick post something new so he'll go away.

Thank heaven for Elvis

#1 song 1955 was this

#1 song 1956 was this

Thank you, sir.

And happy birthday!

Scelerophobia

I am scared to death of Mike Lowell. Absolutely terrifed. I'm sure there are many things he can think of that he would rather do with a baseball bat than hit a ball. (But I mean this, sir, with the utmost respect. Please do not get angry with me.)
So imagine my horror when, last night, I apparently was involved in some relay obstacle course and my team was up against his team. There was a chance that I would meet up with him in the tunnel we had to crawl through. I was scared for my life. My teammates assured me, though, that since I was going second for my team and he was going seventh for his team, there was little chance of my meeting up with him.
Apparently they were right, and I didn't run into him. Casey Blake, on the other hand, his own teammate, didn't quite get so lucky. Lowell kinda worked him over a little. (Or at least it appeared that way when they came up the stairs from the subway.) I was very scared for him.
Then, somebody did my laundry and dried all the things I don't dry so all my clothes shrunk. It was horrible. The end.