You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August, 2008.
Today was an odd and stressful day. I went in to work early to make up for time I missed at my doctor’s appointment last week, and because I knew today would be busy since our deadline has passed but articles keep arriving and must go into the October issue. Most days, when I get to work, I spend a while getting situated, checking a few things online and chatting with coworkers, but today I got right to it. Around 10:30, right in the thick of things, I had to leave work to go with Adam to straighten out his bill at the college. He was dropped from all of his classes because his tuition wasn’t paid. It turned out that there was a misunderstanding as to whether he was getting financial aid (he’s not), so we have to come up with the funds ourselves. The paramedic program builds upon itself, meaning if Adam missed taking some of his classes this semester, he couldn’t take the next sequential class next semester and would have to wait another year. We have about half the money for his tuition and ended up asking a generous backer (my dad) for the other half. Neither of us wanted to ask anyone for money, but we also don’t want to extend Adam’s schooling any longer than necessary. So we bit the bullet, and it’s dad to the rescue. Thankfully, because I’m teaching this semester, we’ll have the money to pay him back quickly. Also, Adam gets reimbursed from the city of Mobile at the end of the semester for 50% of his tuition if he makes a B, which will help with next semester. So, it seems, everything is okay.
When I got back to work, it was one interruption after another. I worked on a 20 page article for three long hours because of the interruptions (and to take a minute or two to discern what the writer meant when he wrote “the northwestern hemisphere” — wrap your head around that one). By the end of the day, I had gotten a few other things accomplished, but I have a pile sitting on my desk awaiting my arrival tomorrow morning.
At home this evening, I watched an episode of The Sopranos while I ate my dinner, then did yoga. Penny decided to chew her bone under me as I did cat and cow, plank, and child’s pose. Honestly, it was nice to relax doing yoga and spend some time with her. She’s been really needy for attention since the kitten’s come to live with us. By the end of my workout, she was playing loudly with the kitten making it difficult to do the relaxation/meditation at the end of the DVD. Oh well. I still feel pretty relaxed.
Adam and I discussed the potential of Gustav creating problems next week and he prompted me to find someone to stay with, since he will most-likely have to work through the entire storm. Thankfully, Lesley (the coworker I ran the 5K with) said she and her husband would be happy to house me, Penny, and Scooter (since I don’t have an actual scooter, I decided that the kitten would be my Scooter) if Gustav heads our way. Hurricanes are one reason I wish we didn’t live here, especially because our families are so far away. But we’ll be okay. I trust God will take care of us.
I have a few things to take care of for class tomorrow, then some reading and bed. I’m glad not to be exhausted this week. Last week was a bear.
I’m glad to say that I had a lovely, restful weekend. Fay was supposed to rain down on us, but the rainfall was mild and the sun came out quite a bit. The temperatures were a bit cooler, so I went running around the neighborhood twice. As the weather cools, I plan to run outdoors more often — in addition to my bike riding, of course. I’m looking forward to fall and to days that are not 90 degrees.
Friday was a good ending to last week. I had a doctor’s appointment, which took much longer than I expected, early in the day. When the nurse pricked my finger to take blood, I covered my eyes because I hate it so much, and the woman standing with her daughter who was next in line said, “See, she’s a grown up and she doesn’t like it either.” What an example I am. I did get to read a sizable chunk of Kathleen Norris’s Amazing Grace while in the waiting room (forever). Good news: I’m healthy. From the doctor’s office, I had to rush to lunch with coworkers to celebrate a birthday. We went to a semi-fancy place called The Pillars, and I had the most amazing fillet mignon salad with spinach, peaches, tomatoes, and a lime dressing. It was delicious. After work, I went for a run and camped out in front of the TV, while Adam was at work.
Saturday, I overslept and we missed the food share at church. Adam and I did our regular grocery shopping and also stopped by Old Navy to buy jeans — they had a one day only sale on jeans for $12. Adam spent the day reading a lot for class. I read and napped and relaxed. We took Penny for a long walk, then went to Callaghan’s for the best burgers ever. Afterward, we stopped by Blockbuster and bought four movies for $20 — Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Paris, Je T’aime; Once; and National Treasure. We pulled the guest bed out onto the living room floor (something we did often when we first got married and wanted to wanted to watch TV in bed) and watched Harry Potter.
Yesterday, I slept late again. Then we dashed off to church and returned home to do laundry and prepare for class this week. I napped again (I was really tired!) and went to the gym to swim laps. We ate delicious, greasy pizza for dinner and watched National Treasure. We also caught a glimpse of the Olympics closing ceremonies.
Today, it’s been rainy. The rain was very loud last night, due particularly to the metal and concrete between the houses that make the rain sound much louder than usual. I was in and out of sleep all night, though I feel OK today, definitely ready to take on this week.
I’ve been sitting at my desk at work all day, thinking about what to write. Today, nothing of particular interest came to mind. It’s been a strange week–I haven’t had a good night’s sleep all week and am exhausted, Adam is going to class every night, I am teaching again, the animals are keeping their own peculiar schedules. And somehow, it’s all holding together, which is good.
I’ve been praying a lot, and I’m learning to find contentment in chaos and really trust God. I’m not sure what’s changed, just that the past few weeks have been difficult and, though it’s been stressful, this week has seemed less difficult.
I am very much looking forward to this weekend, mostly so I can rest. The church is having a food share on Saturday morning, where food boxes are given to families in need, and Adam and I are planning to attend. I’m hoping that helping will help recharge my spirit. I’m also planning on naps–lots and lots of naps.
I’ve decided I’m going to read Eats, Shoots & Leaves out loud to my class this semester. It’s a slim volume on punctuation, and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. My plan is to read it for 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class most nights, to give everyone a chance to settle down–and for fun, of course. I had a professor in college who read us Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle in a semester, taking up large chunks of class to do so. I loved it (though I remember often having a hard time following at 8 a.m.), so as an homage to Dr. Stewart, I present Eats, Shoots & Leaves.
Tonight, however, I won’t be reading anything aloud except for homework and a prompt for the diagnostic essay. I’ll pass out the syllabus and most likely spend the rest of the time doing crossword puzzles while the students write. Then I’ll have to madly read all the essays before Thursday in addition to preparing for class. Let the madness begin.
I have been trying my darndest to enjoy my last week of non-teaching freedom, but I admit I’m exhausted. This weekend was one of much sleeplessness, and for no particular reason. Friday night, I barely slept a wink and laid on the couch with the dog and cat for most of the day Saturday. I did muster the energy to run four miles and work fairly extensively on my syllabus. But I was mostly in and out of consciousness, catching glimpses of the Olympics or watching The Sopranos when awake.
Yesterday, Adam read for school and I did the morning crossword puzzle before we headed off to church. The church was having a ministry fair with tables set up with information about the ministries offered. I signed up to help feed the homeless once a month and to get more information about their refugee-outreach ministry. One thing I like about the Episcopalian church is the focus on social justice and on working and praying for the community. Other churches I’ve been to have felt so insular–focused almost exclusively on bible studies and youth group–that it’s refreshing to have a place to reach outside of the church.
After church, we spent some time at the bookstore, reading and sipping tea. I picked Kathleen Norris’s Amazing Grace off the shelf and read the preface, but decided to get it from the library to save a few bucks. Instead, I got a copy of Poets & Writers and told Adam that I may as well just subscribe since I seem to get a copy in my hands every other month anyway (it’s published semi-monthly). When we got home, I did laundry, napped, finished my syllabus, and read for class while Adam watched the Olympics. We stayed up too late and I’m paying for it now.
Tomorrow is my first day of teaching for the semester. I’m looking forward to it, though I am a bit nervous. I just keep reminding myself to trust in God and to have hope, especially since I’m so tired. It’s become something of a soundtrack playing in my head, and I keep on rewinding and replaying it. He really is good, even when things are tough.
Saw this on Living to the Hilt.
Here’s how it works:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Choose 3 columns with 4 rows.
The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)
1. Lindsay, 2. Lunch 10-7, 3. 0708 Harding High School–Fairport Harbor, Ohio (9), 4. Lime, 5. Matthew Fox, 6. Blue Moon Beer, 7. Irish Farmland, 8. Brioche Moment, 9. Artist Under Bridge, 10. 365/365: 525,600 minutes, 11. Curious George & TMITYH, 12. giraffe
Okay, I know why this day is going by so slowly. It’s because I’m busy checking facebook, perusing blogs, checking my Google Reader, uploading pictures to Flickr, taking this quiz and that one, getting mad at the first quiz because it should have been easier, getting mad at the second quiz because it gave me a crappy score even though I try hard to be eco-conscious, drinking bad work coffee, and reading old entries on this blog because I don’t have much to work to do. Also, I went to lunch early because I forgot my breakfast at home and had only a few animal crackers to nibble on this morning, so the second half of the day has been longer than usual.
Thankfully, it’s almost 4, and I’m leaving at 4:30.
There are days like today, when my workday is slow, that I am motivated to work on my writing, I’m busy revising poems and researching where to send what I’ve written. Last Friday is a great example, and I got so much accomplished and had five poems to send off. But for some reason, today I’m lacking motivation and the muse hasn’t struck. I write something and quickly delete it. Nothing sticks. You win some and lose some, I suppose.
I’m looking forward to going home, relaxing, and having the house to myself tonight. This is the last week before I start teaching again, and I feel compelled to enjoy my last little bit of freedom, the last little bit of doing nothing.
Thankfully, the animals are getting along better. For a while, Penny was constantly licking and playfully biting the cat, who would respond by biting Penny’s face and making angry kitty noises. It was driving us a little nuts. But they’ve settled down — mostly. Even though she may not stay with us, I named the cat Scout, though I mostly call her Goober. As of yesterday, Adam started calling her Scooter, which makes me think of the muppet. I reminded him that it’s Scout, not Scooter (we went through a similar incident when I thought the kitten was a boy and I named him Jake — Adam called her Jack). He’s still calling her Scooter. Grrr.
I have a lot to be thankful for today. Yesterday, however, was a struggle from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep. I had lots of questions and didn’t feel thankful for anything. But today is a new day, and for that–especially for that–I am thankful.
I am also thankful for:
-God, whose grace really is sufficient.
-Adam, who loves me even when I am my craziest and believes in me no matter what
-Our pets, even the unexpected new edition. This morning, I was in the bathroom, which is also where she sleeps, and eats, and she wasn’t in her bed like I expected. I heard footsteps in the kitchen and she poked her head in the bathroom, looked at me, and darted to her bed, as if to convince me she’d been there all along. It made me smile.
-Having a job and already getting a raise. It’s not my dream job by a long stretch, but it pays the bills and keeps me busy.
-A new school semester. This morning I spent time praying for my class. I have meetings later this week and a syllabus to finish, but there’s something magical about a new semester, like there’s all the possibilities in the world. Even though I’m not a student anymore, I still get excited about the possibilities.
-Having a bike to ride. If only it would stop raining.
-Creativity. I’ve been spending a lot of time uploading photos to Flickr and organizing them. It’s been fun to look at old photos and get a bit nostalgic. (Not sure what project will be next, though . . . )
-Unexpected cards in the mail from old friends. I’m trying to send out more of them, too.
-New friends who fill my life with laughter and joy.
-Reading. This year, I’ve learned the value of reading slowly, which is difficult at times because I’m always finding books I want to read. I can’t imagine not being able to read and write, and I know I take it for granted.
-Worship, especially hymns. Lately, I can’t get “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” out of my head.
-A slow, small, simple life.
I’m sorry to see the weekend go. It was quite productive and the weather was superb–little humidity, cool mornings. It was perfect for bike riding, which I did both Saturday and Sunday. I decided yesterday to ride the entire bike route through midtown to see how far it went. Turns out it only goes about a quarter mile farther than my ride to work, which means it takes only a half-hour to ride the entire thing. I was pretty disappointed by that, but glad to be out in the sunshine and fresh air. I was also pleasantly surprise to see a bunch of people riding on Saturday–families, not just bums. Other bicyclists tend to be so friendly, including one who came up behind me and reminded me to have fun. I’ve been having problems with my foot–Adam thinks it’s turf toe–so running has been mildly painful. Biking is a nice alternative. But my old bike needs better brakes and the gears don’t change anymore, so I’m going to see how much it will cost to fix it.
Saturday morning, Adam and I went to a local nursery to see about getting plants for my herb garden. We ended up getting five plants for $3 because the herbs were a bit wilted and the season’s coming to a close. I couldn’t believe it! We left with basil, cilantro, oregano, chives, and another herb that wasn’t marked but smells lemony. When we got home, Adam dug up his garden–everything except the pepper plants were sun-scorched or dead–and I planted the herbs in pots so I can take them indoors this winter.
I also spent some time sanding the cupboard doors and taking more pictures around the house. I also took pictures of photos from our wedding and uploaded them. (Our wedding photographer didn’t specialize in weddings, so we don’t have tons of pictures like I wanted. He is a friend of my dad. I don’t recommend using someone who doesn’t do weddings.) Most of Saturday was spent watching the Olympics. Adam is somewhat of a sports junkie, so he’ll watch anything that’s on, especially since we don’t have ESPN. The Olympics is a special treat for him.
Yesterday, I went to the Episcopal church. The service was focused on Mary, mother of Jesus, and the sermon was about her song:
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”
The rector mentioned that, though we don’t know much about Mary’s personality, we can see here that she advocated social justice. She also quoted St. Augustine who said, “To sing is to pray twice.” That’s why so much of the Episcopal service involves singing, that we participate in the song of the angels when we sing holy, holy, holys and alleluias.
I wrote a poem for my master’s thesis about Mary’s song and her visit to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. The scripture says that when Mary arrived, the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s one of my favorite poems I’ve written (though I can’t share it here because the poem hasn’t been published and I don’t want to squander the first rights) and one of my favorite scripture passages.
The rest of my Sunday was spent bike riding, laundering, watching the end of Sopranos season 5, and spending time with these two (both who have fleas and need baths–yes, even the cat):
Here’s the final product. More pictures from around our house here.
