point tally...

okay - so a while back, i posted a bunch of quotes - points up for grabs... but i felt like updating the tally, so i get the points now... which knocks me into 3rd place...

the old post is here and then there was another quote... "i'm busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kickin' contest" -

well, the answers are:
5. Quantum Leap
9. Identity
17. Princess Diaries
21. The Truth about Cats and Dogs

other quote: Straight Talk

which gives me 2500 points...

so... the tally is:

amy: 12,700
chad: 5100
robyn: 3000
marie: 1600
stacey: 1000
mom: 500
jeremy: 500

there are currently no quotes available for points... but i may add one in the next entry...

something better than fridays...

fridays before holiday weekends...

joy fills my soul... and then some... to top it all off... i'm heading to seattle this weekend... i get to hang out with my friend emily... we don't talk a whole lot but when we get to - and when we get to hang out, we have fun... emily is from arkansas, too... she went to high school with some guys that i went to college with - and we moved out here at the same time... so we have mutual friends and we've known each other for a few years, but we've never lived in the same place... it's a cool friendship, though... she's so cool...

i've been to seattle several times, but i always love going - and the weather is beautiful here and according to weather.com - it looks perfect in seattle for the whole weekend... this week has been one of the those weeks when i find myself thinking, "i love living in the northwest" - especially the last 2 mornings when i've driven to work with great views of mt. st. helens and mt. hood... (it's sad - when my mom and aunt were here it was so rainy and cloudy... we couldn't see them at all... this week has been lovely...)

this entry probably doesn't make sense... so i guess at that, i'll stop... i'm having late lunch with bethany and then i'll come back to work, but will probably take off early, because i've gotten most of the stuff done on my list already... so i'll just do web stuff this afternoon for about an hour, probably and then i'm going to try and sneak off early...

happy holiday weekend!!!

this is a picture of my mom and me after graduation... 

one of the few pictures i actually like from graduation - me, april, bobbie, matt and keith...  

happy birthday mom... and other random tidbits...

*today is my mom's birthday - happy birthday mom... don't worry... i won't tell anyone how old you are...

*today is also the day my mom and my great aunt left vancouver to go home after graduation... 2 years in a row that i got to see my mom on her birthday - pretty fun considering we live 2258.1 miles away from each other... it was kind of a sad departure... in part, partially, i think because i'm not sure when i'll see her again... i don't have any trips scheduled to arkansas and maybe using my 2 weeks of vacation for camps this summer...

*today life sort of moved into normalcy (i just like that word a lot) - now that i'm done with school, my schedule will be a little more normal... i'll still be busy - but work will strictly be mon-fri, 8:30-4:30 - with minor variations...

*today has seemingly lasted forever... but i take comfort in knowing that it's 4:00 and i could probably sneak out at 4:15 with so few people in the office today... about half of the staff is gone to a retreat and will be out of the office today, tomorrow and wednesday... exciting!! one cool thing is that even though the day has gone on FOREVER... it hasn't seemed like monday... i typically hate mondays - and even though i'm a little tired and ready to go home, i'm not hating the day - maybe because it's sunny today and it hasn't been sunny all day here in a few weeks...

*saturday was graduation (see last post) - but that's not all... i acted courageously (sort of) in one area of my life on saturday... i told the guy - the guy from school... i told him that i had been interested in him for a while... it's a pretty fun story - so if you want to hear it, leave a comment and let me know - those who actually read my blog probably already know the story... i couldn't believe i did it, but i did... and now i'm in the waiting process... which turns out to be no fun...

*friday was an important day - my car became an official resident of washington... she has the identifying marks of a true washingtonian (?) - a northwesterner - we'll leave it at that... all that's left to do is for me to get a washington driver's license and i'm all set... i'll officially be a resident of the state of washington... oh - and while i'm at it, i should register to vote and get a library card - because that really says that you live somewhere - when you have a library card...

*i got some cool stuff this weekend - 1) a vcr... woo hoo - now i don't have to worry about missing a show... and i can watch vhs tapes that i have... it makes me happy... 2) a cool new weekly-planner-note-pad-mouse-pad, which i'm totally excited about... it has a bunch of lines for each day of the week - i can pretty much write all over it and then tear off that page and start over each week... right now i write everything on my desk calendar and it gets confusing... so this will be a cool addition to my desk... 3) a "beach hobo" purse... i think it might be like amy's... but since target.com won't put a picture of it on their site, i can't be sure... it's so cute - reversible... one side is white and the other is rainbow stripes... it makes me happy - because it makes me think of spring and summer - and i've been wanting one for a while... 4) a slip cover for my couch - it was gross.. but now it looks better - it's just a khaki colored cover - but it looks so much better... and it only cost $40 - which is really good for a slip cover... now i just need to get some boards to go under the cushions and maybe some foam rubber to make it more comfortable... for now it looks better so that's one small step in making my apartment look more me... next up... the walls!!!

*i got my first byline this month - which is kind of exciting... i had written some other small articles, but this one was the first one that was credited to me - but i got to layout the whole page - it was pretty cool - big sense of accomplishment which is fun...

*okay - i'm sure there are a ton of other things i could write about this afternoon, but it's 4:15 and i am going to sneak out of here... only 4 more days in the work week and then i'm off to seattle for the weekend - and i'm so excited that it's a holiday weekend coming up - i'm excited about the extra day off... scary that it's almost june, though!!!

thoughts on graduating...

today i'm graduating from seminary... it's a big step and i think it's the end of my educational journey - within a structured academic institution, that is... i hope i don't ever quit learning - but i hope that from now on, the learning insights won't have to be typed, double-spaced in turabian form...

one of the girls i'm graduating with spoke at our graduate luncheon a few weeks ago... she said, "i don't think any of us thought we'd ever graduate..." - and i think she hit the nail on the head... i think i've been going and not really thinking about the finish line... i didn't know i was going to graduate until the end of last semester - that's when i switched degree programs and figured out that i'd be done now... so it kind of sprang up on me and i think it sprang up on others as well...

but today's the day - for 11 of us from my campus and 49 from the contextualized learning development (i think that's what cld stands for, anyway) students who have been going to a campus in portland... they're getting a diploma in christian ministries or something like that... so 60 of us, altogether, will walk across a stage, get a degree, turn the tassle and take another huge step in our lives...

i didn't really care about my college graduation, but at my high school graduation, i sat next to this guy named geoff... geoff was smart - he was m.i.t.-bound and had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of scholarships... he had been my lab partner in 10th grade biology - and was a really nice guy - kind of a geeky science type - but one of the friendliest people i knew... as we stood in line waiting to go in, i was questioning everything - why do we have to wear square caps - does that make us look smart? if this day makes us grown ups, why do we have to act like adults with all this formal stuff? why don't we go out and play in the playground and get it all out... an opportunity to play one last time..." geoff looked at me and said, "you're so smart..." i really don't think i'll ever forget that... he was cool...

as i've been thinking about graduating this time, i want to start humming the song - and the first song that pops in my head is not pomp and circumstance - and when i hear that tune i think of this silly song that i learned in jr. high - something about reindeer and bathtubs and cats and dogs and mary and old mcdonald - i know... weird...

today's the day - g-day...and now i need to go get ready...

this is today's song...

here's what's been stuck in my head today - it fits my mood, i think... it's been a rainy northwest day... with little spots of sun poking through the clouds every now and then... but i heard thunder today and i love it when i hear thunder...

i think it's gonna rain today:

Broken windows and empty hallways,
a pale dead moon in a sky streaked with grey.
Human kindness is overflowing,
and I think it's gonna rain today.

Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles,
the frozen smiles to chase love away.
Human kindness is overflowing,
and I think it's gonna rain today.

Lonely, lonely.
Tin can at my feet,
I think I'll kick it down the street.
That's the way to treat a friend.

Bright before me the signs implore me:
Help the needy and show them the way.
Human kindness is overflowing,
and I think it's gonna rain today.

Lonely, so lonely.
Tin can at my feet,
I think I'll kick it down the street.
That's the way to treat a friend.

Bright before me the signs implore me:
Help the needy and show them the way.
Human kindness is overflowing,
and I think it's gonna rain today.

hazy shade of winter...

this song popped into my head this morning... and i went back and read through the lyrics... and it kind of fits how i feel today... so i thought i'd post it...

Time, time, time, see what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around, leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the salvation army band
Down by the riverside, it's bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say, but if your hope should pass away
It's simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around, the grass is high
The fields are ripe, it's the springtime of my life

Ahhh, seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any convenient time
Funny how my memory slips while looking over manuscripts
Of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime
I look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...
Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...
Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...

senioritis...

i think i've always had a case of senioritis - even in kindergarten... and now i'm down to just a few days left in school... tuesday is when everything is due... and i'm supposed to graduate on saturday... so i should probably get everything done by tuesday...

it just seems like everytime i sit down to do any kind of homework i can't focus on it... no motivation... i'm not sure why... i keep thinking... "if i can just get these few papers done..." - to no avail... i can't make my brain work on them...

and i'm not getting them done right this second... so that means it's time for bed... at least i can get some rest... 72 hours and i should have it all done... let's hope, anyway... or else i may be in big trouble!!!

pageant life...

friend erin was in a pageant for mr. and ms. clark college (her comm. college)... it wasn't necessarily a beauty pageant... it was the first year that they decided to do the pageant - and the winners of the competition, a.k.a. mr. and ms. clark college would be the king and queen of the prom which is to take place tonight... yes... prom in college...

i decided to go and support friend erin... she tells me what she's doing for the talent portion of the competition... she's rapping ice ice baby while her friend charlotte (who's also in the competition) dances around in the penguin mascot costume - which is her talent for the competition... there's something you should know about erin before i go any further... erin is not what i would think of when i think of typical pageant contestants... she's a tall, loud red-haired girl... she is one of the coolest people i know - for sure... she's so fun... and hilarious... but when it comes to prim and proper type girl-ness... that's not erin... which she loves... she was standing with other contestants and she wanted someone to yell out... "get the fat girl a cheeseburger" - not that she's fat - she's just not anorexic tiny beauty pageant girl...

so i go to the competition - she told me the doors open at 6:30 - but i got it in my head that it started at 6:30 - so i get there about 6:30 and her parents and grandma and grandma's boyfriend are all there... and that's about it... so we waited and waited - and close to 7, there still weren't a lot of people there - it ended up being maybe 50 people... but the competition started... they all came out and introduced themselves and then they started with the talent portion...

first, let me say a bit about vanna... that's not her real name - but she was the emcee, stagehand, and vote-counter, i think... she changed clothes 3 times during the show and each dress was a little too tight and two had slits in them that i was embarrassed about - no need to even think of what my grandmother would have thought!!! she opened the show talking about how it was her idea to have the pageant... but we really couldn't hear her over the loud music that was playing... so eventually...

guy #1 comes out - denis mikhailenko - he's wearing a t-shirt, sweatpants and holding a toy light saber... (is that how you spell it) - anyway - he talks about the force and what light sabers are for - and then he says he will demonstrate his light saber skills... and has one of the other contestants come out and throw stuff at him that he hits (like a baseball with a bat) to show his defense skills with the light saber... yes... he is talented...

girl #1 - caylee rushing... she dances around in true britney form while lip-syncing to a song... i didn't know lip-syncing was a career, but evidently i don't know much... so she goes through her routine, bouncing around, flipping her hair... jamming out to the song... and then she exits...

guy #2 - micah west... he comes out looking like a shepherd from an upscale christmas play... with the head covering and all... he does a "dramatic" reading about the life of noah... and he has different voices for noah, God, and noah's neighbors... which all sound about the same... and the message of it was pretty good... but only because i know the story, i think... it didn't really make a whole lot of sense outside of knowing the context of the story... i'll chalk it up to nerves... and maybe a little bit of unpreparedness... but it was kind of weird and went on for too long...

at this point, i'm thinking maybe erin and charlotte have a chance...

guy #3 - aaron reuter - he comes out and starts doing a dance which is actually pretty decent... when he first came out to introduce himself (first round), he was wearing a straw hat and jeans and a t-shirt carrying a 4-foot trophy... so i was a little skeptical... after his first dance routine, he did a martial arts (i guess) demonstration... it was not bad either... but the whole thing was kind of weird...

then it's erin and charlotte's turn... charlotte comes out on stage, in full penguin costume... sets down the boom box... the music starts and erin walks in from the back... and it was awesome... she rapped every word to ice, ice baby... everyone in the audience was getting into it... it was fun... and charlotte was hilarious, too... and they fed off of each other, which helped... it was very entertaining... i was proud of erin... her grandmother even liked it - she was very skeptical going into it... but it was great... definitely the most entertaining so far...

guy #4 - aaron paul mcpherson - at this point my cell phone rings and i leave to go answer it... so the rest is what i heard mixed with what i was watching through the windows while i talked on the phone... he gets up and i hear him say he's going to read a poem... i don't know how the poem was - but he was dressed in all black, complete with a beret...

girl #4 - teal griffey - i turn around and there are 3 people on stage with her - they're all wearing weird outfits... well, it turns out, she designed (?) and made costumes for a play - 35 in all - and these were some of the costumes... she went into detail about how she made them... and all that jazz... i know sewing and fashion design are talents... but it seemed weird...

guy #5 - brandon stewart - he gets out his clarinet and plays... and that seems cool and normal... but evidently he must have said something weird or done something - because when i asked about it, the people at my table said, "yeah, he played well, but he's weird..."

girl #5 - jill southard - she does a dance - for real dancing - like she's taken dance lessons... with the smile plastered on - this girl is a pageant girl, no doubt...

girl #6 - LaQuinta White - they bring in a couch, set it on stage - she sits on it, reads a poem - and then her mom (?) and another lady come walking through - i'm not sure if she was talking to them or what was going on - but i heard it was weird... it looked weird from the window...

so that wraps up the talent portion of the night...

it just got worse... after the talent portion, they had a "10 minute intermission" that lasted about 20 minutes while vanna counted the votes... she came back and asked girl #1, boy #'s 1, 3 and girl #6 to step forward... and then she said, "thank you for partcipating." then she told the 6 contestants to stay on stage... it was weird - like no one knew what to do and who actually moved to the next round... so she listed off the names - and she hadn't said erin's name in either group... so erin looked at her and said... "no... not you..." - so charlotte was still in - and then after another 20 minutes, the girls came out in their formal wear and answered a question... either a question about a smoking policy or the student union... then the guys came out and did the same thing...

then vanna announces another 15 minute intermission - which lasted more than 30 minutes... and she called them back on stage... she announced the congeniality awards - charlotte and clarinet boy... and then announced erin as the photogenic award... which is funny - i think she won because all of her friends/family were there and put her name in... as soon as vanna announced it, erin busted out in laughter...

then vanna goes behind them and puts a sash on clarinet boy as well as a crown - one of those crazy velvet crowns with a cross on top of it... yeah - weird... and the sash has stuck on lettering that says "mr. clark college" - but it's the kind of lettering that is black squares with gold letters on them... very ghetto!!

then she goes behind the girls and does the same thing (with costume girl)... with the sash and a huge tiara - i was thinking, a small, elegant one would be nice... but the thing was huge... but whatever - there they were - mr. and ms. clark college - king and queen of the prom... their college prom...

i wish that i could do justice in writing what i saw... i can't... but i knew i had to write something or else my time would have been wasted... it was the most bizarre experience i've ever had at a pageant - or most other "performances." - weird...

bargain book shelves at school...

i love books... i feel like i already have a ton, but i love getting more... and my favorite kind of books are the kind that are really funny when taken out of context - like the creative dating books i mentioned before... books that have titles like, "how to make friends and be popular..." - stuff like that... so the two books that are posted below (the pictures of the covers, anyway) - were on the bargain book shelves at school... those shelves went to "free" status this week... and that's my favorite price... so these are the ones that were picked up this week... i didn't really get a chance to look, though... these were pulled off by other people... i'm going to look when i get a chance... i hope to stock up...

on the spine, the title reads love, sex, and life... but a friend from school thinks it's funnier without the commas... this one is copyright 1964... it's pretty hilarious... there may be quotes at a later date...  

i don't think this book title is quite p.c. the copyright is 1955. friend erin thinks it would be a great father's day gift for her dad...  

new drink at starbucks...

i just received an email from starbucks... the new drink for summer is the mint mocha chip frappucino... yum... it sounds so good to me right now...

anyway - on their website, there is a store locator... i can find out where starbucks is located - all the stores within a certian mile radius from my apartment... so - within 5 miles of my apartment, there are 7 starbucks locations... 10 miles - 24 starbucks locs, 50 miles - 178 starbucks locs...

to put this in proper perspective... i just did the same search for my mom's address in arkansas and amy's address in kentucky...

within a 50 mile radius of amy's house, there are 13 starbucks locations... my mom's house - 6 starbucks locations...

then i also did a check for 50 miles away from the main campus of my seminary (san francisco) - 375 starbucks...

isn't that insane? that's just my randomness for the day... and i think i'm going to stop in at one of the 6 starbucks locations that i pass on the way home and try a new mint mocha chip frappucino...

***to add a little bit more - that doesn't count barnes and noble cafe's - only retail locations... i'm not anti-small coffee shops... but i do love starbucks... the mint mocha chip frap was okay - but it's not going to be my drink o' the summer... oh - amy, i did a search, and it's not looking good... but i don't know about b&n's...

happy mother's day...

so this morning, pastor rob asked us to share stories about our moms... things that were meaningful to us about our moms... and while i'm sure there are many stories of devotion and love from my mom... (because she's the best)... one story kept popping in my head...

feeling it was to irreverent to share in church, i share it on my blog...

one time when my brother and i were small... i don't know how old we were - old enough for me to remember this... but too young to for me to remember when it took place...

first, one of my mom's favorite sayings (when we were having a screaming fight) was "if you two don't be quiet, i'm going to _________ in a minute..." - it worked when we were threatening to hit each other or something else violent...

anyway, we were having a "shut up" fight... it went something like this...

me: SHUT UP!!!
brother: NO! YOU SHUT UP!
me: YOU SHUT UP!!!
brother: SHUT UP!!!
me: MOM, TELL LOUIS TO STOP SAYING SHUT UP!!!
mom: IF YOU TWO DON'T BE QUIET, I'M GOING TO SHUT UP IN A MINUTE!!!

it was one of those moment when, as much as you want to be serious, you just have to laugh... and i think i'll remember it as long as i live...

thanks mom, for everything... i love you!!!

friend mary is engaged!!!

i got a phone call this week... it was a surprise in one sense, but it's been a while coming... friend mary moved to pittsburgh in december... her boyfriend (now fiance) had just started a job in pittsburgh... and so she moved, too... she's been living with her sister and brother-in-law and working at the march of dimes as an event planner... (or something along those lines...)

so we thought he was going to propose at christmas time? no... maybe new year's? no... maybe valentine's day? no... i had kind of put it out of my mind... but her birthday was tuesday and he proposed, as she stood over the sink, washing dishes... they haven't set a date yet...

i couldn't be more happy for friend mary and her fiance rob... they deserve the best and i'm thankful for God putting them together (twice) and for the ministry they will have together... plus, they're really cute together... see pictures below... :)

this is the happy couple... engaged on may 2, 2005... congrats! 

this is the ring... imagine this, but a lot more sparkle... isn't it beautiful? - for the specifics... it's a 1.36 total carat wt. from Tiffany & Co. set in white gold...  

little bits o' stuff... and 5 questions...

so evidently i'm the supernanny... it's okay.... i guess there are worse people to resemble from tv... let's start a list... i, as a for instance (i like that expression), would not want to resemble star jones or joan rivers (i don't know why - i just wouldn't...) ... who would you not ever want to resemble from tv?

amy also talked about superpowers... interesting stuff... if i could have any superpower, i think it would be to be a chameleon... but more than that... to not only be able to physically disquise myself, but to be able to play any part... sort of like in quantum leap - which is different, because he didn't really fit the part... but he learned how to... but better than that... like - to be able to look completely different - however i needed to and star in a broadway musical... then, the next day, to be able to look completely different and play on a little league team... or be a teacher or a ph.d. student... or an astronaut or firefighter... or a factory worker, if i wanted... what superpower would you want to have?

this is staff week - it's one of my favorite times at work... it's the first wednesday of the month - when everyone is in meetings and the office is quiet - except for the rumbling of the press in the other room - but that means richard is busy (happy) and the buzz of the lights and the computer screen... it's also one of my favorite times to blog... i'm not sure why... but i didn't really have anything of worth to write about - so it's all random stuff... but that's okay... today my new boss is taking the support staff (that includes me!) out to lunch... i figure we'll probably go to applebee's, which sounds so good right now... i'm hungry... so... if you could go anywhere for lunch today, where would it be?

last night we watched the first part of bridget jones's diary to show red-haired friend erin one of the best scenes in movie history for single women... i can't find an image of the scene... but she's sitting on the couch... playing the air guitar and air drums, complete with a kick... priceless... what is one scene of a movie or a tv show that you've watched that, when you watch it, you say... "that is so me...?"

okay - last little paragraph... this morning, i talked to one of our "clients" - that seems a weird word... the director of communications (or something like that) from golden gate called... and he said, "i overnighted that to you yesterday... you should get it today..." - i've never had anything overnighted to me before!! i got so excited... the people in my office will see that it has been overnighted to me... it's only for their print order (graduation programs), but it's still exciting... it's the thing i'm looking most forward to today... getting the package that was shipped to me overnight... what thing are you looking most forward to today?

if singleness is a state, i think i am the governor... or at least one of the state representatives...

so i've written a couple of times about this guy at school... and today i wondered how things would be - at school... when i saw him this week, would things be different for some reason? there are less than 3 weeks left in school... i figure - something needs to happen if it's going to... and i've given all the hints i know how to give...

so hinted out this morning, i showed up for work and then school... i've gotten into a bad place where, when i see him, i get really excited that i get to see him or when he says hi... don't get me wrong... i've been surprisingly normal about this one... more normal than i've EVER been about any guy EVER in my life... i've been mature about it - haven't really gone into 7th grade girl mode...

so today is graduate luncheon... there are a lot of people running around... and there are a few kids... and after everything was over, i see him, talking to one of the kids... but he's not just talking, but down at the boy's level, talking to him... and i realized i had let it happen... i had become really interested... darn it... (i kind of mostly was... but this is like icing on the cake...) i am a sucker for that kind of junk... the guys who will go out of their way to talk to a child, on the child's level and not just walk by...

and i want to say something to him today... i want to be frank and honest and open... even ask him out... but i won't do it...

and i think, because i have been normal about this one, that there must be something different this time... like it's automatically going to turn into something more, just because i haven't gone jr. high about it... i didn't get upset when he didn't talk to me or cry into my pillow because i was so heart-broken... so that must mean something, right?

wrong... i walked into the computer lab a few minutes ago... he is the only other person in the room... we exchanged a friendly "hi." and he resumed his game playing, and i checked blogs... and i realized... as much as i wanted something to happen, and just because i was normal doesn't make it happen...

i'm quite sure that he'll go on about his life and he may remember me as a classmate from seminary... a kind-of half acquaintance who really liked movies and could make pretty good cinnamon rolls... but that's probably the extent of it...

and i'll have to be okay with that...

sometimes i think, with all the guy friends in my life... "what about this one? or that one?" - and i always think... i'm going to get married someday... maybe it will be one of my good guy friends... but the thing about it is - it never is... and i'm not saying it's not ever going to happen... today i just realized that i can't expect it to right now... regardless of how "ready" i think i am...