living 202

Hello Readers!

2011-09-18T17:58:00.002-04:00

You probably think I've abandoned this blog... You'd be right about that assumption. I've been posting at a different address: http://emdowneyhaiti.blogspot.com/

My heart and mind have been in Haiti for months now.

Read all about it there. :)

Patio Stop 2b: My Porch

2011-02-23T23:07:00.002-05:00

After being out around town, I had to make a special stop: home. I had some reading to do before small group, and I had forgotten to bring the book with me. And, the poor kittens needed to be fed. So home I went. When I got there, it occurred to me I had been neglecting a very special patio: my screened in porch.

I have a porch on the front of my building that I sometimes neglect. Partly I neglect my porch because its leaking and the landlord isn't doing anything to fix it, and partly because the leaking has lead me to neglect the condition of the porch (which means there is a growing accumulation of stuff that needs a different home)...

My porch is a little special because I don't have usual porch furniture on it- I have a bed on my porch, a full sized bed. It is beyond luxurious to relax on the bed on my screened in porch, red a book, and sip a glass of wine. The only thing that would make my porch better (besides the landlord fixing the leak) would be less traffic on Briarcliff road. Unfortunately, being the front apartment means I get a front row seat to the traffic on Briarcliff road. Its not insufferable, but its not exactly peaceful either. Which means I have only attempted to sleep on the bed on my porch 2 times. Neither time did I get a whole lotta sleep. So the bed is mostly used for reclining and reading on lazy afternoons.

So between patio stops, I stopped at my own porch. The parking isn't bad- I have a pass in my own lot! There is no food service unless I make something for myself... And, as for plugs outside, I don't have one. The porch faces the east, which means in the afternoon there is no direct sun- which is nice in the summer, but cool still in the early spring. When I compare it to the other patios on the tour, it ranks pretty high because, after all, it is attached to my home. But, its not quite high enough on the scale to keep me home and off other patios around town. And so onto other patios I go, in search of the perfect place to get out into this early spring weather!

Patio Stop 2: JavaVino

2011-02-23T10:56:00.005-05:00

Patio Stop 2: Java Vino

JavaVino has this tiny corner of space carved out in the Highlands, and if you don't know where it is, you'll probably drive by without noticing. I have been once before, and remember loving the atmosphere, and I knew they had a patio. So JavaVino was my goal for patio stop #2.

JavaVino has a little parking problem- that is, their parking lot is tiny and you can't tell if its full until you drive down this steep hill into the parking lot. If the lot is full you have the difficult decision of trying to back up the hill you just drove down, or try to turn your car around in a tight spot... Fortunately the handicap spot is usually empty, so you can use it to turn around. There are other plentiful parking lots all around, but they are all marked "Parking for Manual's Tavern Only." I think there must be some kinda of parking lot wars going on in our city, at least in the Highlands there is. Why can't these neighboring businesses get along and share parking lots? I might be willing to patronize both businesses if I knew they one of them wasn't going to tow my car away while in the other establishment.

After solving the parking puzzle, JavaVino is a great stop on the Patio tour. The menu has loads of options for the hungry and thirsty. Loads of light varieties if you just want a snack, but whole meal options too if you're there for breakfast or lunch, as I was. The guy in front of me in line was surprised at how cheap his total was for coffee and a cookie and a coke. So, good prices too! They have couches and high-top tables, and free wifi! Unfortunately, I didn't use the wifi so I can't say whether its easy to log on or not. And yes, they did have one plug on the patio for us with dead batteries in our laptops!

I do have to say, both times I have eaten at JavaVino, I thought that my food took a peculiarly long time in arriving, however they apologized for the wait. And, it was delicious. So, I guess since I was sitting around working, the wait wasn't a big deal.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at JavaVino. Mostly positives with just one wish for better parking . Definitely one of my favorites places in the highlands. Next time I need to order one of the glasses of wine!

Patio Tour 2011

2011-02-22T11:08:00.002-05:00

So the weather is beautiful in February, I am on break from school, and I don't want to work inside my apartment. I don't want to be inside my apartment period. The studio is closed and I have "homework" from kindergarten that is threatening to take over my life. Solution? Take advantage of the local patio's in my neighborhood that offer outdoor escapes from my apartment and free wifi. It seems like the perfect arrangement! I can be outside and get my kindergarten homework finished...

Which is the beginning of Patio Tour 2011! I live in a community of amazing local businesses that I have not taken full advantage of and that is a pity. So today I begin my patronage while fulfilling my need to get out of the apartment and be out in the pretty weather.

First stop is an easy one because I needed to start with a warm-up stop. Warm-up because I had my hands full and I was familiar with the franchise (yes, franchise, not locally-owned...), warm-up because sometimes I feel a little shy when I go into a new business all by my self, and warm-up because I wanted my first stop to be successful.

So here I am on my first stop of my patio tour: Caribou Coffee in Edgewood! When I was at home checking out yelps list of local patios with free Wifi, I completely forgot about Caribou Coffee here in Edgewood. I used to come down here a lot when I first moved to the neighborhood. I totally forgot they have a patio. So here are the pluses: easy to get to, ample parking, huge patio, and a familiar menu. My tea only cost me $2 and change, and its not crowded outside. Oh, and the wifi is easy to get on, no asking for a password or log-in code.

I do have a couple wishes too... I wish the patio had plug-in's, because my battery isn't going to last long. I wish the patio wasn't covered in shade, but when summer comes around the shade will be a plus.

2 wishes versus 3-4 pluses is great for my first patio stop! I don't know how long I'm gonna be able to sit out in the shade though. I might be hitting my next patio, hopefully sun-drenched, sooner than planned. Now, to the whole reason I am working and not playing: homework!

Don't Use All the Washing Machines

2010-06-30T01:22:00.001-04:00

This might seem like a insignificant annoyance to me on any other day, but today it was the thing that confirmed that I am in a grumpy mood. Let me start at the beginning...

Around 9:30 I was laying in bed, when I heard pounding on the door. I wasn't entirely sure it was pounding on my door because I still had my ear plugs in and was somewhere between asleep and waking. Regardless, I jumped up, ripped out my ear plugs, and hobbled to the door. And when I opened it, there was no one there... Strike 1.

After an abrupt start to the day, I woke up remembering I didn't have peanut butter for my bagel, so before having a cup of coffee or eating anything, I went to the store. I decided to get some quarters to do laundry, and while doing so the teller at the bank counter proceeded to try to interest me in a home loan... Let me paint the picture. I was in a t-shirt and jeans, no make up, and a cap. Clearly I had just woken up. When I cashed my check, I couldn't even remember my account number. I know this guy is just doing his job, but I think the signals were clear that I wasn't lucid enough to come close to thinking about when I would be needing a home loan. Strike 2.

I took my time getting motivated to do the laundry. I was groggy when I got home and although I drank 2 cups of coffee, I wasn't in my brightest mood! When I finally gathered everything together to go to laundry it was probably about 3. So I made my basket full of clothes, grabbed the detergent and bleach, and headed to the laundry room, in the basement (which is at the end of the hall, down two fights of stairs). When I got down there another girl was casually sorting her laundry and I asked if there was a free washer. As she continues to toss things in the washer she says, "that one is broken, and I am using the others..." There ought to be a sign that says, "Its not cool to use all the working washers at one time. Other people might want to use them. We don't have multiple washers so you can do all your laundry at one time." But there isn't a sign. So she continues on saying, "But, this is my last load, so in 30 minutes there will be one free." Typically I would just shrug my shoulders and be cool with the whole thing. But today after starting off a little rough, I was, honestly, extremely annoyed. I wanted to tell her that its not very considerate or thoughtful to not leave at least 1 washer free for the other tenants. I wanted to tell her that even if she had 5 more loads, she was going to let me use it after this one. I wanted her to relinquish the washer to me pronto! Of course, I didn't say any of those things and of course she didn't relinquish the washer. So I carried everything back up to my apartment and waited. Strike 3. And I'm officially in a grumpy-pants mood.

I tried to snap out of it! Really I did. It wasn't until I scored a point playing ultimate frisbee later this evening that I felt the grumpiness start to ease off... And that *is* a good feeling. Hopefully tomorrow won't start with pounding on my front door!

The Secret to Aging

2010-06-29T00:48:00.002-04:00

So, I was watching Dr. Oz this afternoon after a run at the YMCA, and he was sharing his prescription for aging well. To start his show, he introduced a couple of older gentlemen who were *much* older than they looked, one was 88 and looked about 70 and the other was 64 and looked 45. He asked both men, what is your secret to looking so young? Or, in other words, aging well? And both men started their answers with, "Love life..." Both men had found what they love doing in life and hobbies they loved, and spent their lives doing it. Then, they both said, "I have a great wife." They both had partners whom they loved sharing their lives with. The third thing on their lists? Eat veggies. So, while I was expecting some strange list of things to do or not to do, it boiled down to common sense things.

1. Love life.

2. Spend your life with people you love.

3. Eat your veggies (and yes, they talked about restricting calories)

4. Get some cardo and strength exercise weekly (cardo 2-3 times a week, strength 2-3 times a week)

Then! He has some interesting little "experiments" to test yourself.
First- how many push-ups can you do?

Second- when you pinch (gently) the skin on your hand, how long does it take for the crease to disappear? This demonstrates the elasticity of your skin.

So what's my point? There isn't a special secret to aging well! Just use your head: Eat well, Live well, and Love well!

Blogging from my itouch

2010-02-27T08:04:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday morning, I'm still in bed, and here I am blogging :) I am trying out the blog app on my iPod and enjoying that it might motivate me to start blogging regularly again! It's pretty amazing what I can do from this little device... I can check my balances, pay my bills, find a car or house to buy, my nearest starbucks (or any other nearest thing). I can do a yoga session, manage my schedule, stream pandora (or radio paradise!), catch up on the medal standings at the olympics, send email, chat, figure out what constellation that is, or cheer with a cow bell! Now if I could just get it to make me coffee...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Two Paths...

2010-02-25T16:50:00.002-05:00

This afternoon I decided to go by some old blogs that I haven't made time for reading lately. My activity in the blogging world used to be so frequent... Anyhow, as I zipped by some old blogs, I realized that some folks that used to link here (living 202), don't link here anymore. And, they're folks that I haven't seen in awhile or talked to in awhile, so its not too surprising that those blogs don't link here anymore. But, it made me wonder about the moments when we decide that we no longer want to keep in touch with someone. I feel like my life has been a revolving door. People come and go out of my life a lot. Mostly its girlfriends that come and go a lot, and it makes me wonder why. I realize most of the time its because lives change, circumstances change, the landscape of our day to day lives change. But does that really necessarily mean that our friendships have to change? I often blame myself for not keeping up with these girls, but the other day I was thinking about this I also kinda realized that the phone works both ways. But somehow I still feel responsible for the waining of those friendships. There have been weddings, many birthdays, showers, loads of events that I somehow didn't get invited to, and I also am sober minded enough to know that you can't invite everyone you know to these things. But again, missing those things makes me just wonder about the moments we decide a friend isn't friendly enough to invite back anymore, or to link to their blog, or to wish happy birthday on facebook? I'm not fishing for sympathy or pity, I'm truly curious about the passing of time and what makes some friendships survive and others fizzle?

For the love of Pots!

2009-12-17T19:08:00.003-05:00

Ok, ok, I can explain my long absence. I have this clay obsession. And its really hard to type with clay covered fingers. Well, its not that hard. But it is hard to keep the keys clean when your fingers are clay coverage. Just ask Erik. This post is for him. He's one of the Head Potters at Mudfire were I indulge my clay obsession. He casually, or blatantly, suggested I follow his thoughts on pots at his blog. And, you know what, I like his thoughts on pots. SO, Mr. Head Potter Erik, I have now linked to you from my blog so that everyone else can ponder those thoughts too! So, everyone look to the left.. see, the link.. Erik Haagensen. Click there now.

I love my Job!

2009-08-11T18:42:00.002-04:00

I was talking about my job yesterday, and I was so excited to tell the details of how the children's faces light up when I play the guitar or read a story. I seriously love to sing the Hokie Pokie and the Tootie Ta, and I can turn any theme into a sorting, patterning, graphing, counting, or grouping activity. When I was thinking about all this yesterday, I couldn't help be be thankful for a job I love. I know how rare it is to have a job I look forward to everyday, and having spent a year doing a job that I didn't love has made this year even more sweeter. I so love Kindergarten! If you wanna hear stories from the front lines of my class, check it out here.

My heart breaks

2009-07-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

Today my heart breaks still. I found out that one of the students who was in my first kindergarten class suffered from a heart attack and died. She was a precious and delightful little girl who always had a smile for me. She always tried her very best, listened to everything I said, and was aways doing the right thing. One of the sweetest little souls I have had the delight of teaching. I dream about my students growing up and one day visiting me, telling me stories of high school and college and getting jobs; stories of falling in love and having their own children. But, I never, ever expected to outlive any of my students. It makes me wonder about the things she learned in my class. Not just the things she learned about academia, but the things about life and living. Did I tell her that she was special and lovable? Did she know that I cared tremendously about her? Did I give her enough hugs, enough attention, enjoy praise? Did she see God in me? It is still just so unbelievable. And, I confess it makes me want to hold closer the ones who are still here with me, to cherish them so much. If she were able to turn her ear down and listen now I'd whisper "Sweet child, we love you much."

What I was really doing in Canada last week!

2009-07-15T21:12:00.002-04:00

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You Are Creative

2009-06-10T23:19:00.002-04:00

I was at the pottery studio a couple days ago and overheard a comment that made me smile. A girl about my age was talking about her endeavor in pottery. Apparently she is a number cruncher during the day and something inspired her to try out pottery. As she was talking she said, "I'm not ..." paused, "I am trying to stop myself from saying I'm not creative..." I have heard so many people say that they are not creative, and it was so good to hear someone say that they are not allowing themselves to say that. I've always felt that there is some creativity in each person, even if they don't realize it. It just has to be tapped.

People have told me that I'm creative because I am interested in doing things like pottery and beading and other crafts, and turn out some interesting products. Its nice to hear, but I don't feel any more creative than someone who would say, "I'm not creative." However, something in me feels fulfilled and peaceful and overflowingly happy when I am in the creative process. I glean immense pleasure from producing art. And, I think it has something to do with God's fingerprint on me. We're all created in God's image, and HE is the master creator. Creating somehow makes me feel in touch with God. And because we're all made in His image, I maintain that on some level we all must be creative. For proof I'd like to offer any one of my kindergarten classes. I can put out a huge box of crayons and markers and a stack of plain paper, and they all will be content for as long as I let them draw and color. We're all creative.

I was thinking about that word: creativity. People generally use that word to describe new, interesting ideas and original or unique work. But as I was thinking about it I realized that the word creativity comes from the word create, and the word create doesn't mean anything more than "to cause something to be" or "to make." Well, we all make things. Some people make grilled cheese sandwiches, some people make charts for business proposals, some people make ridiculously complicated software, some people make comfortable homes, and some people make elaborate cakes. Everybody makes something sometimes; a perfect pyramid of canned food, a tree house in the backyard, a happy birthday card, a snugly rolled sleeping bag, a precision shave, a detailed tour of a city... the list is endless. We all create. We all bare the fingerprint of the Master Creator. We all are creative. How freeing would it be for each of us to embrace this? What would you create if you believed you too were creative. You are.

"They Don't Know My Hip Pain."

2009-06-03T20:22:00.004-04:00

This post has slowly been composed in my head for several weeks now. Its swirled around in my head while running and living my day-to-day life until now. Nothing specific has happened to prompt me to finally put it into words except that its time to get the thoughts out there.

For the past several months I have been running on a relatively minor injury. I have tendinitis in my right hip-pelvis area, probably caused by running. I did have a small fall a couple months ago, and although it might have contributed to the painful hip, I don't know if it was the cause of the current pain. Anyhow, I have had X-rays and been examined by an orthopedist and currently am taking a round of NSAIDs to see if we can treat the injury orally before considering a shot. In reality, compared with other injuries people run on all the time, its really not severe enough pain to complain too much about. In fact, I feel silly spending all this time talking about it. But I bring it up to explain what I really want to talk about: our perceptions of other people.

When I go running I am acutely aware of other people noticing if I am a slow runner or a fast runner. That's to say I am extremely self-conscious. I hate the idea that people might see me out on a run and think "wow, she needs to kick it up a notch." I know I shouldn't worry about these other people's judgements, and I have really battled those thoughts to a point that I am comfortable in my own shoes out on a run. One line of battle I use in my mental fight is, "they haven't seen the 4 miles I ran before this one," thinking that if that had seen those 4 previous miles they'd be easier on my current pace. Some other lines of battle are, "they aren't running these 8 miles with me," "they haven't seen where I started from," and"its so stinkin' HOT!" I know I am not the only person fighting mental battles when I run. As the old line goes, "running is 90% mental, the rest if physical."

Lately though, I have been fighting my mental running battles with a new line and applying the same line to my daily non-running mental battles as well; "They don't know my hip pain." If someone were to see me running, and pass judgement that I was running too slow or with a bizarre gate, they'd have no idea I was running on an injury. But the point of this post isn't to make myself feel better about what other people think of me. It is about what I have learned in the process. You see, I am just as guilty of noticing other runners and thinking, "C'mon, we can make it up the hill a little faster," or something similar. I know that being a runner I should be more compassionate knowing too well the pains and struggles they may be facing. And now that I do have a legitimate reason for running slower than I want to, I realize all to well that I have NO idea what battles other people are facing. I don't know if their knees are throbbing or their backs are in stitches. I have no idea if they are wearing old running shoes or have the worst shin splints ever. I really have no idea what battles other people face on a run-to-run basis.

Similarly, I have no idea what people are facing on a day-to-day basis either. I really have no idea why people do the things they do or how they do them. And running on a bum hip has caused me to realize that I need to be much more compassionate. So, my mantra lately has been "They don't know my hip pain." It's not a statement I say to make myself feel better when I do something ridiculous, rather, its a statement of reminder that I don't know your battles and I need to be nice. When I see someone taking up the entire aisle at the grocery store, I tell myself, "They don't know my hip pain." When I see someone taking a LONG time to make the right hand turn, I tell myself, "They don't know my hip pain." Its my reminder to myself that I ought to show some grace, some patience, and compassion.

Flying over the Clouds

2009-05-25T14:40:00.004-04:00

I have this thing for clouds. I love them. Its not obsessive or anything like that. I just love to lay on my back and look at the them. I think they are so beautiful. I especially love the clouds you get to see when I fly. I love breaking through the cloud cover on take off and looking out over the clouds like its a big fluffy blanket, or an ocean of whipped cream drenched in golden sunlight. There are few things more beautiful than that to me. While I was looking out over thoe clouds yesterday while flying from Toronto to Atlanta, it occurred to me that I wouldn't have gotten to see such beauty if we hadn't just gone through some turbulence on the flight. And I admit, regardless of the million flights I've made between Toronto and Atlanta, the turbulence always makes my heart pound. I get a little nervous when the plane shakes. And when I realized that I had to go through those nervous moments to see one of my favorite sights, it was like the voice of God whispering to me, reminding me that life is the same; To experience true beauty in life, we sometimes have to go through some turbulence. And that turbulence in life can be scary, but the view on the other side makes the scary worth it...

"Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;

O LORD, be my help.

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."

~Psalm 30:10-12

"I will extol the LORD at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

My soul will boast in the LORD;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame."

~Psalm 34:1-5

Talk on the phone or park your car. But don't do both

2009-05-06T19:11:00.002-04:00

I drive a little car, so maybe I just don't understand. Parking my car takes about 5 seconds and no skill at all, so maybe my opinion comes from too narrow a focus. But, after watching someone struggle to park her gigantic SUV next to my little car, I decided that auto dealerships or the DMV ought to create a parking test for people who want to drive an SUV. If you can't park it, you can't drive it. If you can only get it into the spot kinda straight, then you can't drive it. I realized after I had created this lovely parking test in my head, that my little friend trying to park her unnecessarily large truck, was actually just talking on the phone and trying to park with one hand... Of COURSE you can't park a huge car straight with one hand! What was I thinking?

I Love My Neighborhood

2009-05-03T21:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I drove out of the Highlands to go to Midtown. It's only a couple of miles, 10 minutes or so across town, 20 in bad traffic. Its closer than driving to work by a long shot. But, it just wasn't "home." I went to Midtown to find a dress for a my little brother's wedding, and although I found something, I really didn't like being in that part of town! The taffic was aweful, the roads were closed all over the place, and to make it worse, it was pouring rain. I went to a grocery store in Midtown instead of waiting until I got back to the Highlands, and I hated trying to find what I needed there! Its probably a little insane I think, but I immediately felt better when I turned off of Monroe Drive onto Virginia Ave and was back in "my neighborhood." I am inclined to say that there isn't anything special about my neighborhood, but that is a lie! Its a like a little town inside the city. Regular folks live here. I can walk to the grocery store or, like I did today, down to the village and buy my mom a mother's day gift. I can cross streets in the middle of the street because its all residential area and few people are zipping along these streets- except of course the one my building is on. There really is nothing I HAVE to leave this area for, except to go to work and church. I hope I can stay in this neighborhood a long time, or at least, one day find another that I love as much as this one. I know I am totally corny..! So now I feel like all the people in my building should all come out on the front lawn now and we can sing, holding hands in a circle, "these are the people in my neighborhood, in my neighborhood, in my neighborhood, yes these are the people in my neighborhood..."

ING Marathon: Mile 20 Girl

2009-03-30T18:45:00.003-04:00

I woke up bright and early Sunday to cheer on a few friends and running buddies who were running in the ING Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. To my delight, mile 20 of the marathon was set up right in front of my apartment! I was excited the way I imagine I would be excited if a parade was going by my house. I just love running! After cheering at mile 8 for my friends running the 1/2 (go Jessy, Duffy, Amy, and Laurie!), I headed back to my mile marker at home and cheered on the runners who were crossing the 20 mile mark. Yes I sat on the steps and cheered for absolute strangers; Yes it was cold; Yes I probably looked like a dork (and fun to tease; thanks guys)! At first I did kinda feel silly cheering for people I didn't know, but then runners started to smile and cheer and say, "Thank you for being here!" The longer I sat there, the more I realized how important it was for me to be sitting there, cheering with a combination of phrases like, "looking strong," "looking good," "almost there," "on the home stretch now," "dig deep," "hang in there," "Yay Mile 20!" "Good Job!" "You got this," and "Woohoo!" Ok, so maybe Emerson and the guys enjoyed cheering on my single-handed job of cheering on runners, maybe I did look silly hanging out by myself, but I don't care. I know how much that cheering means to a runner, even if they have no idea who I am, and for that reason and a love of the sport, I cheered, and cheered, and cheered, and cheered, foolish looking or not. And, afterwards, about 2 hours or so afterwards, I went inside and drank another nice, hot, toasty, cup of coffee and realized all that clapping and cheering had broken the skin on my hands. I had no idea at the time my skin was starting to crack. But now, its incredibly painful and nearly impossible to wash my hands. However, I am fairly certain that the pain in my hands is minimal to the pain those runners I cheered on are feelings now. Strangely, the cracks are motivating. They remind me of the struggle of those other runners and inspire me to push through fatigue and keep running when what I really want to do is not run another step. Somehow if they could find the mental and physical discipline to run pass my 20 mile marker, then I can find the discipline to run pass a 6, 7 or 8 mile marker! So now I add a giant "Thank you" to all the "Woohoo's." Thank you for running and inspiring me to run. You all are my real-life heros!

Coming Alive

2009-03-09T20:40:00.002-04:00

It's Spring!
It's Spring!

Roll Down the windows
Turn up the music
Let down your hair
Feel that warm air!

It's Spring!
It's Spring!

Can't you smell it?
Can't you feel it?
I can taste it
I can hear it!

It's Spring!

and
I feel like I'm coming alive
again

Dear Neighbor

2009-03-08T10:00:00.003-04:00

I don't know you. I don't know your name or which apartment you live in. I don't know even what you look like. I know you're a girl and I know that you ride a car pool at 7 am on Tuesdays. But if I passed you in the street, I wouldn't recognize you. And I am hoping that you wouldn't recognize me either. I just want to say, "I'm sorry." You see, you said, "Good Morning to me" and I didn't even look at you. I didn't mean to be rude. It's not normally like me to walk on by without looking at or speaking to someone who spoke to me first. But something was happening Tuesday morning that you had no idea about. Tuesday morning was crazy hair day at school; We were celebrating Dr. Seuss at school. Because I have beyond my fair share of hair, I always am able to create some sort of wild hair-do for crazy hair day. When I was leaving my apartment (late) I was REALLY hoping not to run into you, or any other neighbors, and when I saw you there, waiting for your ride, I had tried my very best to pass by without being noticed. I failed, and you said, "Good Morning." In my shame I couldn't even look at you, so I just mumbled something and ran on by. I'm sorry! But can you blame me? If you had crazy hair day at your job, and you left you apartment looking like a "who" from who-ville, would you be bold enough to greet people you'd never met before? Maybe you are that bold. Well, if you are brave enough to leave your apartment looking like this and still feel confident and act normal, I think you are my new hero. So I am sorry, hopefully you won't recognize me when my hair is normal and you'll always be wondering about who the crazy hair girl was. I've included a picture in my little note so you know who it is apologizing.

The Point of No Return

2009-03-01T21:35:00.002-05:00

We all have these decisions to make in life.Sometimes we have to make a decision about proceeding or turning back and the wisest choice isn't always apparent. I'm not talking about major, life-changing decisions. I'm talking about everyday sorts of decisions, for example, take the downtown connector or stay on I-20 and go to the Moreland exit, get gas here for a $1.74 or hope that the next station will be $1.72. These everyday sort of decisions can stump me sometimes. usually I can make a pretty good choice, and then there are times, when right as I pass the point of no return I realize with that sinking feeling in my heart I have made the wrong choice. And of course, the worst the choice, the more "sinking" that feeling is. Today, I made a miserable, wrong decision that could have gone very bad, and it was just as I literally stepped across the point of no return that I realized it was a choice I made from a stubborn, silly heart.

To tell the story, I have to give you a tiny bit of background. I am training for another 1/2 marathon. The race is in a little less than 2 months, and my training is going really well. The race is all trails at a horse park, and I am looking forward to a different adventure with this race. Usually when folks train for races they complete shorter runs during the work week and have a long run on the weekends. This weekend I was on schedule to run 8 miles during my long run. I was excited to reach this benchmark because its an important distance in preparation for the rest of the training.

So, on to the story! This morning I woke up excited for the run, and ready to get going because I had several other things to do today. I knew it was going to be raining, but I also enjoy running in a light rain. As I headed out, it was already drizzling and the air was pretty cool but the first 4 miles were actually really comfortable. My lungs and legs felt great and the drizzle keep me feeling comfortable. I pulled on my jacket around mile 3 because the drizzling had started to turn into a real rain and I decided it would be best to stay as dry as possible. I didn't start to question the wisdom in my run until mile 4 when hail started falling. It was small hail, and although it stung a little bit, it wasn't enough to make me seriously consider ending my run short. In fact, it quickly stopped and turned into a more steady and heavy rain. At that point I started going over my options: finish now with a solid 4 miles, or run another mile and turn around and finish with an admirable 6 miles, or just press on to the end of the 8 miles. The rain must not have been falling very hard, because I didn't actually even consider ending the run. I knew I would continue on to the end. And so on I continued. At mile 5 I momentarily thought about heading home and getting out of the rain, but unfortunately, I didn't entertain the thought for more than 5 seconds. It wasn't until about 50 strides past that I realized I should have turned around and headed home. But at the end of those 50 strides I was at the bottom of a gigantic hill, and it was either run on and finish the 3 miles or run up the hill and head home. The option was clear: run through the miserable rain and finish the last 3 miles because I had passed the point of no return. It somehow seemed that at the bottom of that hill either choice would mean running in the pouring rain and being miserable and since my shoes were already soaked through, I might as well stick it out to the end. I will not lie and say I enjoyed the run. I hated every soaking minute of it and entertained my mind with rescue stories most of the way home. I envisioned any number of people who knew I was out running being worried and driving the neighborhood looking for me; a couple of police officers and ambulances drove by me and several times I considered waving them down and asking for a ride. Perhaps all the cold and wet went to my brain because once I was SURE I saw a familiar pair of long legs and a Ford right ahead of me the had pulled off the side of the road waiting to take me home. But I was wrong. It turned out to be a Frontier of the same color and in the rain I am sure you could understand how I could mistake a frontier for a ford. So on I ran, and ran, and ran, until I ran up the stairs of my building and struggled with freezing fingers to punch the code into my front door and manage to wrangle it open so that I could take on another set of stairs and then fumble with the key to my front door. After successfully forcing my frozen fingers through these tasks which ought to be easy, I immediately removed all my wet running clothes and went start for the hot shower which I stood under and said, "ow, ow, ow" until the tingling in my limbs stopped and I felt human again. And as I drank the hot coffee to warm myself from the inside out after my shower, all I could think was, "why didn't you just come home after 4 miles?" Maybe one day I won't be so stubborn, but today I am just thankful I made it home before it started to snow.

My Newest Love Affair

2009-02-28T14:12:00.002-05:00

When I was a child someone asked me what my favorite color was, and when I didn't have an answer, it occurred to me that I was suppose to have a favorite. Before then, I never really thought about which color I liked above all the others, I just enjoyed them all. So, as that child, I somehow decided that one of the colors were my favorite. I think at the time I choose green. I remember having a green pair of shorts and jeans and being disappointed that I couldn't find green nail polish. A few years down the road I decided that green was not really the color I loved, and decided I wanted a new favorite and at that point I picked red. It seems weird to me now that I would determine that a color would now be my new favorite, as if I could make myself like it above all others, but I was determined at the time that red was going to be my favorite. And for a long time I really did love red more than all other colors. When I read those silly personality indicators based on your favorite color, I always identified with the red traits the most, so I knew I had picked right. Then, as time passed, red seemed to harsh and I found myself gravitating towards pink. Pink clothes, pink shoes, pink accessories, pink, pink, pink! This kinda made me uncomfortable though because it seemed much more prissy than I felt inside. Still, pink was what I always picked somehow. The pink years lasted about as long as the red years. Then without notice something new started happening. And, it seemed to coincide with new things happening in my life also. Suddenly this new color started to attract me, and before I knew it, I wanted everything in the new color. I bought a watch, then a dress, and then a bikini, and soon I had another dress and some tank tops and a V-neck sweater, and before long I realized, I absolutely loved everything that was yellow. I found myself buying yellow tshirts and yellow towels and another yellow dress and my newest yellow purchase: a beautiful yellow bag that I adore. Now, everything that I see that is yellow I love. It reminds me a sunny happy days, and I absolutely can note get enough of it.

The Front Porch

2009-02-09T17:11:00.002-05:00

One of the great joys of my life right now is sitting on the front porch. I love to be outside, and since my porch is screened in, its like being outside, but not. Its like having the pleasure of being outside, without the bugs. I sit out here and watch the traffic go by and I send email and I read books. It's just so peaceful out here on the porch. I guess many people wouldn't consider it peaceful because the traffic is constant. But I don't mind that. Its a sharp opposite balance that brings me deep delight- The traffic is constant and never peaceful, people are rushing and walking and hurrying to get somewhere, the traffic lines up all the way down the street to my building, people hate having to take my road south to go home. But Me, I am still and quiet and serene, the exact opposite of the traffic, and I like to watch it and be still and hear the sounds of the city all around me. I guess it might be harder to explain than I thought it would be. I like to wonder where all those people are going. Perhaps its like the combination of mountains and valley's. The mountain seems quite high from a flat place, but from a valley it seems exceptionally high. So, perhaps because I am being still right on the porch near where people are still rushing and being busy, it makes my stillness seem more still and satisfying. Someone said once: "as much of an annoyance that it may be [the traffic], it is nice at the same time. You're sitting in your place relaxed, candles burning, cozy and warm, slowed from your busy life. Then, outside the chaos continues. Sounds of people frantically going from a to b to c back to a. Ambulances, police, marta, and the occasional drunken bum stumbling up the street shouting a loud. City life, isn't it great." I couldn't agree more.

Sitting on the porch, drinking Nick's last beer, and freezing my fingers off!

2009-01-25T18:14:00.006-05:00

Recently I have been told that its just impossible for someone to be as sweet as I seem to be. And the truth is, I'm actually not! I am actually not at all just sweetness and niceness. I sometimes wake up really grumpy (ask Jessy who got shushed by the grumpy me). And even though it might seem like a good thing to just be sweet and never mean, its actually kinda a sickening thought that someone might never have a bad moment. And I know that I am super good at hiding my flaws and plastering a smile on my face like everything is right in the world. But here is the truth: I can be a regular infuriating girl that you might want to light on fire sometimes... Seriously.

So, as evidence of this claim, here are my particular flaws:

-When I am focused, I am absolutely unable to deal with interruptions unless its someone I like. I almost WILL the person to go away.

-Sometimes I don't answer the phone on purpose. I see who's calling and just ignore it. I don't press the ignore button though because I am smart enough to know you can tell when you've been sent to voice mail. I just let you think that I missed the call

-I talk too much. I could talk the paint off a wall. And other times I don't talk enough. I turn silent because I am lost in my own thoughts.

-When something bad happens, I automatically say bad words, repeatidly. It's usually a long string of s**t. If there are other people around, it's usually in my head, but if I'm alone, I just say it outloud.

-I am an aggressive and bad driver. I have cut people off, ran red lights, speed like I have somewhere important to be. I sit behind slow people and fume that they can't go any faster.

-Before I knew my neighbor, I would put my high heels on and stomp on the floor on purpose when he had friends over and they were louder than I wanted them to be. I've never actually admitted to this until now.

-I think about all the wrong things at all the wrong moments. I can't hear people say certain everyday words without automatically thinking of the naughty meaning.

-I think Angelia Jolie is absolutely unattractive and I think Brad is nutso.

-I cry too much for any reason that seems remotely reasonable to cry. I cry when it's the day before my period, I cry when I haven't had enough sleep, I cry when I haven't had enough to eat.

-I drink out of the cartoon. ALL of them. I don't buy milk, but everything else in my fridge that is a drink, I drink it straight from the container. The juice, the wine, the tonic. Whatever's in my fridge, I've drank from it. (sorry if I just grossed you all out)

-I am horrible about returning books I've borrowed. I still have library books from I don't know when. Come to think of it, I am horrible at returning anything I have borrowed

-I use other people's shampoo when I use their shower.

-I squeeze the toothpaste from the middle just because I can and its mine and no one is here to fuss with me about how I squeeze my toothpaste.

-It takes me about a week to wash wine glasses

-My closet is a disaster. I do the laundry, fold it all up neatly, and never get around to putting it all away. So the dirty laundry and the clean laundry end up getting all mixed up.

That's all I can think of or admit to right now

No internet

2008-12-30T20:27:00.002-05:00

I am currently living without internet. Did you ever think it was possible to live without it! You can! I am doing it right now. Of course I stop into Caribou and other places frequently enough that you could make an arguement that I am not really living without internet... BUT, I am living without in my home. Which means I am drinking a lot of coffee not at home too.

Algebra

2008-12-05T20:12:00.003-05:00

I kinda surprised some folks yesterday in our faculty meeting. It's true that I am the sorta person who does more listening than talking, and at work, I kinda keep to myself because I am too focused on work to really think about socializing. So, I think that perhaps people don't really know the real me and have a false idea that I am just sweet and pretty and not much else. So here is where the surprise comes in. Our assistant principal was leading a math session and gave us a problem that involved finding the prices of several pieces of fruit. The fruit combinations and totals were given, so the task was to find the price of the individual pieces of fruit. My first approach was to assign all the fruit a variable and solve the problem algebraically. It was just linear algebra, so it was easy enough to solve and plug and solve some more... So, the fact that I approached the task this way blew away the ladies I was sitting with, whom then asked me why I was teaching first grade, and when I then demonstrated my solution to the entire staff, I was applauded! It made me smile to think I surprised some folks who probably were thinking, "Who'd of thought that Miss Downey had that card up her sleeve?" I wonder if they'd force me to teach 5th grade or higher if they also knew that I got an A in calculus too!

Homemade

2008-11-19T20:59:00.004-05:00

I really need some input here. I do a lot of different arty/crafty things. And, I usually do a pretty good job if I say so myself. Most of my work lately is bead weaving, but I also have done some knitting and sewing and painting (I don't claim the painting to be any good!) Anyhow, I often times give something homemade to someone as a gift at Christmas or a birthday. However, sometimes I get a less than excited reaction, and it makes me wonder if homemade gifts can be done too often? I mean, do I give a homemade gift one year and not the next? Does it make me seem cheap? One gift I am working on now I think is beautiful, and although I am only half way finished, I have already invested about 4 hours into it. I personally think that the investment of time makes the homemade item worth more than the store bought item, but I could be bias! So, I really need some folks to chime in here! Are homemade gifts ever not appropriate? Can they be done too often? Are they sometimes perceived as "cheap?" I need to know before Christmas rolls around! If you don't tell me, you might just get an unwanted homemade gift! Here are some pictures of recent homemade things to help your thinking process!

Ironic

2008-11-06T21:07:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday I got my hair cut. Most people haven't noticed and probably no one will. But, I did get 7 inches cut off! I needed to tame some of my wild locks, clean up the ends, and go for a more "respectable" length. But honestly, I miss the inches that are gone. I enjoy the blanket of hair that I am known for having. Part of what motivated the cut was a picture taken by a school photographer. I was ALL hair, completely overwhelmed by hair, and it was shocking. So, I had it cut. It still falls down to the middle of my back, which according to everyone else, is still very long. For example, I was at work today when two other teachers commented that my hair was SO long. I laughed and said, "actually, I just had 7 inches cut off!" Which, they both displayed adequate disbelief over. I added, "it feels short to me." They just shock they heads and gave me that "huh?" look. Its just a little ironic that 2 days after I had it cut, people were commenting on how long it is. And yes, it does feel short. I'm used to it being much longer, and much wilder. I feel like I have gone backwards in time to about 25 when my hair was this short. Anyhow, I think by about January it will have grown about 2 inches, and that will be perfect :)

Dr. Jekyll in the fur!

2008-11-04T20:51:00.001-05:00

So I tried to get Dr. Jekyll to pose for the camera, but he just wasn't having it. I think the beeping waas actually making him a little crazy. So this is the best shot I could get. I think it's a good shot of his crazy adorableness :)

Vote for Me.

2008-11-04T10:32:00.002-05:00

I can't vote. I don't get a choice. But you do. And even if you don't agree with me on all the issues, PLEASE go vote. If you won't got vote for yourself, please go vote for me.

AND his boots leak!?!

2008-11-03T21:27:00.002-05:00

I've shared this a couple years ago and found it again. It makes me laugh until my stomach hurts! It's too good not to share again.

These are actual excuse notes from parents excusing their children from missing school (includes original spelling):

~ My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

~ Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

~ Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31,32, and also 33.

~ Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

~ John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

~ Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

~ Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

~ Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side

~ Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

~ Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak.

~ Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

~ Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

~ I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don't know what size she wear.

~Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

~ Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.

~ Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

Dr. Jekyll

2008-11-03T19:19:00.007-05:00

I can hear a few things from the chair at my computer: traffic zooming down Briarcliff rd, the hum of the fridge, my downstairs neighbor's ceiling fan (it's less than 50 out!), a bus, and the sweet cry of a kitty. It makes me wonder if it's Dr. Jekyll down there. I go look, but I don't see him, so it must be another kitty. But secretly I was hoping it might be Dr. Jekyll so I could go down for a visit.
Dr. Jekyll is a kitty the lives somewhere near my apartment. He has a collar and looks pretty clean and healthy, so I think he belongs to someone. Dr. Jekyll is solid gray and definitely not shy. He walks right up to you meowing the whole way. He definitely wants your undivided attention. He doesn't have a tag on his collar; I gave him the name Dr. Jekyll. You see, he has this crazy habit of crying for attention and acting sweet, but once you start giving him some affection he starts to eat your hand. And these aren't just little love bites, they are big monster love chomps, including menacing swats from his front claws. I can't figure out why he goes a little mean when you start to pet him, but when you start to walk away, he follows you for more attention!
Part of me thinks that Dr. Jekyll isn't getting enough attention at home (that would be the teacher in me!) and another part of me wonders if he was feral once, and just never got totally domestic. But, regardless, although it took a few careful and tentative pets from me, I learned the art of giving Dr. Jekyll some affection without getting my hand eaten or sliced and diced. When he lays down, you gotta be careful, that's when he's ready to swat. But if he's standing and circling, petting is definitely what he wants. He's such a peculiar little guy, but I think he recognizes me, and I enjoy our little encounters. I don't have a pet of my own, so these little interactions make me feel like Dr. Jekyll is a little bit mine too even if he is a little crazy.
Sometimes I don't see Dr. Jekyll for awhile, and I wonder where he goes when I finally get back to wherever I was going when we bumped into each other. But it's certain that if I even hear a kitty meowing outside, I always check to see if it's Dr. Jekyll coming by to say. "hi!" And it kinda makes my heart smile whenever I it is him dropping by. I can handle that kinda of crazy :)

What do a USPS Truck, MARTA bus, ATL PD, and MARTA police all have in comon?

2008-10-21T18:57:00.003-04:00

They've all be sitting in front of my apartment building now for at least 30 minutes or more. At first I thought it was weird when the USPS truck pulled up on the sidewalk, and then the MARTA bus pulled up behind it and just hung out for awhile. But I didn't clue in that something was actually up until I got out of the shower and they were both still there, but now accompanied by their own set of police officers and cruisers. The wonders of the city never cease to amaze me. I'm thankful I don't have to drive south on Briarcliff Rd right now or try to get in my driveway!

Divine Intervention

2008-10-13T22:04:00.004-04:00

I know the table is nearly the very same color as the floor, but the table was free! This is the story. One day recently I walked into work and my coworker asked had I settled into my new place yet. My response was, "yes, but I need a table." What a weird way to respond, especially since I was actually still doing a lot of unpacking (see box in corner!) He says, "A table? We have a table you could have." We discussed a few details and that was it. A dining room table, free! And besides the exact coordination of that conversation, I felt like God kept leading me to wait for the table because something just right for me was going to somehow come along. And, without any worrying or stress on my part, no extra cash or budget stretch, God provided the table that I just knew was going to turn up if I waited. Thank you ABBA, God that you are involved in the day-to-day details!

My Prayer for America

2008-10-12T21:44:00.005-04:00

We live in a country that we are lucky enough to choose who is going to be our leaders. But, in the process, we tear apart each other with our passionate disagreeing. Friendships, families, communities all broken over differing ideas on how best to handle issues like health care, education, and taxes. Why does choosing someone to be our leader have to leave behind a wake of pointing fingers, rumors, harsh accusations, and heartaches? As I was talking to God about some of the issues we need to make decisions about when choosing our new leader, my heart was broken over how much hate I see and hear when people begin to express their opinions on these things and the people surrounding them. There is not just a dislike of or a disagree with the other ideals and candidates it seems, it is searing, passionate hate. When did our freedom lead us to draw such rigid lines in the sand? Why do you have to be on one side or the other? So this is my prayer, in form of a song from Watermark, for our country as we draw closer to and after this presidential election comes to a close.

Mended

You repair all that we have torn apart
And You unveil a new beginning in our hearts
And We stand grateful for all that has been left behind
And All that goes before us

You've got all things suspended
All things connected
Nothing was forgotten
'Cause your love is perfect
You are our healer
And you know what's broken
And we're not a mystery to you
oh Lord, to you

We will dance 'cause you restore the wasted years
And You will sing over all our coming fears
And We'll stand grateful for all that has been left behind
And all that goes before us

Lord, you mend the breech
And you break every fetter
You give us your best, but what we thought was better
And you are to be praised
You are to be praised

You've got all things suspended
All things connected
Nothing was forgotten
'Cause your love is perfect
You are our healer
And you know what's broken
And we're not a mystery to you
oh Lord, to you
to you, oh Lord, mender of the broken

I'm in love with the Farmer's Market

2008-10-07T18:08:00.002-04:00

Its fantastic. You go in and there is fresh, delicious produce, for much less than the grocery store. And the spices are wonderful too. They have dried fruit that is to die for, flowers that are gorgeous, and every variety of fish you could dream off. And of course, who could pass up the delicious prepared foods? Its all wonderful. Farmers Market, I love you.

No Power in First Grade

2008-08-26T19:51:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time there was a sweet teacher and a class of students sitting down to watch a Magic School Bus video about plants and seeds, because the class had been learning about the parts of a plant. The children lined up their seats near the TV just like they were at a movie theatre. The teacher turned off the lights and told the class when the video was over they'd have a test over the parts of a plant. Just then, as the video was starting, all the lights went black, the computers shut down, the TV stopped, and the kindergarten class next door screamed. The power had gone out! And our excited first grade class could not watch the science video or take the science test (as the sweet teacher had not yet printed it off the computer). The teacher, being a master of improv, quickly asked the class what they thought a group of people should do if the power suddenly goes out. A bright young boy put up his hand and said, "Read a story!" Which, was exactly the answer the sweet teacher was looking for. So the teacher grabbed a chapter book all about first grader, and read the antsy class a chapter of the story. It was a good story. It was all about a first grader who had a loose top tooth. When the chapter was over, the lights were still off, and the sweet teacher was secretly hoping the principal would send everyone home. Since the lights were still off, the teacher asked the students to make a picture of their favorite part of the first chapter. Soon children were creating pictures of peculiar colors because its hard to see what color you're using in the dark. Pictures finished, children got out toys to have some inside recess and some snack. Our sweet teacher thinks that this power outage must come to an end soon, but as the timer goes off for children to clean up, the power still has not come back on, and now its time for reading centers. What is a teacher to do for reading centers when there is no power? How are the children suppose to listen to the stories on CD? How are the children suppose to use the computer? How are the children suppose to see the words on the pages? How is our sweet teacher going to sharpen pencils in the electric sharpener? Alas, the sweet tired teacher can not let the children play all day, so onto reading centers they go, playing puzzles instead of listening to a story on CD, and writing sight words on dry erase boards instead of using computers, and doing their best to use broken, dull, barely there pencils or in the worst case, a crayon. It was not the best solution, but it was going to have to do. Right about the time when our sweet teacher's eyes seemed too tired to strain to see any more words and just in time to go to lunch (all sandwhiches, because the cafeteria can't cook steak and gravy or chicken chunks without power), the computers flicker to life, the lights buzz on, and the kindergarteners next door squeal with delight. All the children's learning was done in the dark, but fortunately they get to eat in the light! And our sweet, tired teacher wonders why, at the end of the day, she is sometimes exhausted.

Traffic at Church

2008-08-24T17:23:00.001-04:00

I was surprised today when I witnessed the human condition, and was actually a little disappointed where I saw it too. Its no big secret that we have a traffic problem at Buckhead Church. If I didn't attend church there, I would avoid going to that area of town on Sundays. But, I do go to church there, and love it, but today I was surprised by my fellow members! Let me tell the story:
I was turning off of GA 400 onto Lenox Rd., making a left hand turn. Traffic was backed up to that intersection and all the way to the next light, which is not unusual. I had to make a left at the next light where there are 2 left turning lanes. I lined up to wait my turn, which I thought everyone else would do also, but as I naively sat there in my car, people started pulling out around the line of traffic and cutting off the people who were patiently waiting for their turns to make the left at the light. At first I just thought it was one rude person, but then I saw car after car do it, and I amazed; couldn't believe it! What is this? Here we are going to church to learn how to live lives that reflect the heart of Jesus, and we are cutting each other off so we can get there first? Is this so we can get a better parking spot? Or better seats? And if so, doesn't that also show that we are failing at reflecting the heart of Jesus who wouldn't fight for the best parking spot or the best chair? I was truly shocked that even at the place we go to learn how to live better we treat each other with very little courtesy. Would it really hurt for us to wait maybe 5 extra minutes?
Now, I know that I am not a perfect driver, that I am guilty of taking control of intersections when it's only maybe my turn, or squeezing through on a yellow light. But for the most part, I think that I am at least aware of the other drivers around me, and I try for the most part not to take someone else's turn, cut people off, or just be plain rude. And maybe this morning God was trying to get me to think about my driving habits and really evaluate how they show my opinion of other people. If I really respected other people, I probably wouldn't tailgate them or get all frustrated when they aren't driving exactly how I want them to drive. Hmm, this is not an easy city to practice courtesy when driving, but you know, I think I really am trying, especially on Sunday morning! And that doesn't mean I am driving super-slow, it just means I am looking for you out on the roads, and respecting the fact that you have the right to drive there too!

It's a book store, they SELL the books...

2008-08-24T01:10:00.000-04:00

I love Book stores. They are my personal favorite stay-cation all over town. I love them. Today I happened to be in a big one, when I overheard a guy being down right nasty to one of the customer services guys. His problem? They didn't have the book he wanted. Luckily another one of the stores at a different location had the book, but this mean old man didn't care that he could drive 10 minutes down the street to get a copy, he wanted that book in that store at that moment! When another customer service guy came over to join the conversation, he made the mistake of trying to explain why they didn't have the book (someone else bought it), and this somehow made the man ever more angry. He went to the lengths of saying to the gentlemen, "Look at me. I am a customer, and you should treat me like one." Whoa! Someone is pretty self important. It makes me wonder how people get so self-centered. What exactly has happened in his life, or hasn't happened, that has him under the impression that the whole world is set up to revolve around him? Sure he is the customer, but wow! What about a little common courtesy! It's not like the book store sold the book just to spite you. I found myself wanting to go over and tell the man what a jerk he was being, but alas, I did not. So, here I am telling you Mr. Mean Old man, you can't treat people like that. That's mean and nasty, and even my first graders know better. Be nice, mean people are not cool.

New Day, New Blog

2008-08-23T17:21:00.000-04:00

Life changes fast doesn't it? Sometimes everything changes at the same time, and sometimes just one thing changes. But it's constantly something different from day to day. Life for me has been full of changes for the past 6 months. The summer was particularly full of changes, culminating in August, when everything was changing at the same time: New school year, new grade to teach, new colleagues, new lease at a new apartment, new friends, and even a new leader at Waumba land (which means a lot of new also). To be honest, its been hard to deal with all this newness all at the same time. I commented that the only thing that seemed to be the same was that I was driving the same car and my hair is still long. And then my mom added that my family is still the same. But, they are changing too! My little brother is getting married, someone new is being added to my family, and my family is spending its first Christmas in Atlanta this year! But all these new things are good things, and God is using them to produce good things in my life too. And I am not the only one with newness in their lives! I know a couple of people with exciting newness in their lives, and it reminds me that anything new can happen at any time, and it could be amazing newness! So, with all this newness, I've decided that the lessons of Living 101 have drawn to a close. I have learned living 101, it's now time to tackle living 202, where I am sure I will tackle bigger issues and more difficult lessons that God has planned. So, with a new chapter, a new blog.