Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Thief

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs of all time. Brooke Fraser has some of the most inspiring songs I've ever heard. She is absolutely amazing.

"The Thief"

Your eyes are full
Full of the future of us
The air changes as you look across
At me in that wondering way

It is as if
I knew you before we spoke
Do our hearts know something we don't?
Conspiring, converging without giving us any say

You, sing me to sleep
Talk down my walls
Look through my windows as I wait
You could be the thief
I give the key to

You're ruining me
With secrets and gestures and looks
With sonnets from second-hand books
Playing the chords in me nobody knew how to play

It fits in your hand like water in rain
It unlocks our two different selves
And shows we are the same
Rather than wait `til I put me out for the taking
You're breaking
You're breaking
You're breaking into my heart
And I'm letting you

Monday, January 26, 2009

A decision made...

For the last week, one thought has consumed me more than anything.

Ireland.

Am I supposed to go? It is certainly something I want to do, but is it what God wants me to do?

Beltway takes a group every year, and for the past few years it has been in my head to go, but I never acted on it. I took the first step and went to the meeting last Sunday. They will be doing a children's camp in Enniscorthy. Sweet, I've been a camp counselor multiple times. And I loved it. The price tag was pretty hefty, but my mind was already racing with fundraising opportunities. And then out of the blue on Tuesday somebody gave me $250. Unsolicited. And it just so happens that it was the exact amount of the deposit due for Ireland. Wow. At that point, I had decided that it was a God thing, what one friend called a 'holy hookup.' But then I started to have reservations. Extreme ones, mostly regarding finances. Can I raise enough money? If not, can I come up with the rest? I worried. A lot. And I decided that I needed a word from the Lord.

I went to Dallas on Saturday afternoon. Met up with a couple of friends for dinner and went to an amazing concert (Erin McCarley) in Dallas. On Sunday morning, I went to Prestoncrest with Becky. The service was focused on giving and their vision for 2009. They had this video that showed a collection plate being passed in the church. Then the plate was taken to a children's class and when it was turned over, crayons and paper fell out of it. The man with the collection plate then walked out of the church and around the corner to a homeless man. He turned over the plate and out fell a blanket, and then a bowl of soup with a spoon. I was nearly in tears. This was God's word to me: I have a heart for the homeless. I love children, but I don't have a heart for children's ministry. One of my professor's in college once said (regarding giving money to people on the street), 'It is not your duty to judge, it is your duty to help.' That stuck with me, and I get an overwhelming feeling in my soul every time I see someone in need.

So Ireland is a no, for now. And I plan on working with some local ministries that help the homeless in Abilene. Thank you, Lord, for using the church in Dallas to speak to me.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

On Hemingway

This week's review: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I enjoyed the candor between the characters, the interesting situations they got themselves into, the amount of not working that took place (I'm definitely jealous of that), and the implied 'relationships' between the female lead and all of the male characters.

By far, it was MUCH better than Catcher in the Rye, though not nearly as funny.

Next book on my list: Light in August by William Faulkner

It will likely be a few weeks until my next review. I read fast, but I also have a life.

Speaking of which, I am headed to Dallas this weekend to see Brett Dennen and Erin McCarley at The Loft. I'm excited! Not only do I get to hang out with good friends (yay Audra, Becky, Christy, and Nicole!) that I don't see nearly enough, I also get to see two great musicians. Woohoo!


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Now playing: Andrea Bocelli - Ama Credi E Vai (Because We Believe)
via FoxyTunes

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sunday Drive - the photos



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Now playing: Erin McCarley - Bobble Head
via FoxyTunes

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Classics

I've decided that I need to expand my literary horizons this year. Though Harry Potter and Twilight were fantastic, I've never delved into the classics, nor enjoyed many of the ones I did manage to read, though high school assigned reading usually isn't all that enjoyable.

I picked up a few books for mere couch cushion change at a library book sale a few months ago, and I started with J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye.' The more pages I turned in this book, the more I thought, WTF? Who decided that this book was a "classic?" It's crazily written ramblings of a 16 year old prep-school dropout did not ilicit many feelings of awe and admiration for Mr. Salinger or his book. While there are many amusing situations and hilarious quotes that are just begging for 'facebook-status,' fame, I just wasn't that impressed.

From wikipedia: "The novel was chosen by Time among the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005, and by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century."

Next week: Ernest Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises.'

Monday, January 12, 2009

Sunday afternoon drive...

There's nothing quite like taking off on a Sunday afternoon and going for a drive. No particular place in mind, no set schedule, just go. This road looks good, right turn. This one will work, left turn. I love it! I filled up the gas tank, threw on a sweatshirt (it was only in the low 60s and that wind can freeze ya to death), and took off south on 277 toward San Angelo. About 15 miles outside of Abilene that road gets fantastically snakey and there are quite a few hills--the only downside is there's usually a cop or two. Luckily, an audi convertible (top-up, loser) flew past me and the cop stopped him. I love it when that happens. :)


View Larger Map

I picked that direction because there are a lot of windfarms out that way, and I LOVE those things. I don't know what it is about them, but they're mesmerizing. I took a right turn on a county road, and then another right turn, and then a left turn at some point, all of them gravel. Let's just say the Beemer is not that well suited for gravel roads, but she's a trooper. Finally made it to a paved road (woohoo!) and that took me straight into the wind farms. Most of those out there are in cotton fields, which made for some fun photos (that I'll post later). The cool thing about the ones out in Nolan county, they're out in the open. No locked gates or 'no trespassing' signs, so you can drive right up to them. I'm just in awe of how HUGE they are. Got to a dead-end on my paved road and had to pick west or east. I picked west hoping that it would lead me back to I-20, but decided that I should probably 'phone a friend' and be sure of how to get back to Abilene. I had a full tank of gas, but it was starting to get dark and there just aren't that many houses out there. Luckily he answered and was near a computer; he was able to figure out where I was (even though many of those CRs are not on a map). After a few minutes I ended up in Nolan and then on 153 headed to Sweetwater. I hadn't realized how far south I'd gotten.

I love doing that! Next time, though, I'll take the TomTom. And maybe somebody with a truck. :)

Friday, January 09, 2009

well $&!%

Pins and needles. For the entire game. I can't handle too many games like that. Ulcers, people!

Our defense showed up, but where the hell was our offense? Did you leave them out on the bus? For pete's sake, somebody text our receivers and tell them to get their butts on the field. Two interceptions claimed by our defense, but yet our offense couldn't turn them into points. $(#$&#@(*$. An interception means NOTHING if you can't score from it.

The commentators were ridiculously biased, from the beginning. I was seriously about to vomit from all of the 'Superman' and 'Tebow is the best thing that's ever happened to the game of football' bull crap. Did you hear the comment when he got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct? Yeah. "That's probably the first wrong thing he's ever done in his life." Are you freaking kidding me?

I hate to lose. But at least we weren't embarrassed. At least we made it a game to watch. We had the opportunities to win it, and we didn't take them. Ok then.

We're #5 in the final AP poll, with Florida rightly at #1, Utah rightly at #2, and USC and Texas taking 3 and 4. Meh. I guess.

Now begins the long 7 1/2 month stretch of sadness. Depressing, isn't it?

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

A shared National Title?

I think not.

While it was an exciting 2nd half, the Longhorns performance was just not that impressive. They almost got their act together at the end of the first half, but that resulted in a pick on the 2 yard line. Colt made a few spectacular plays, but overall his throwing just seemed a bit off. Ohio State had something to prove (which ultimately they did not, again) and that cost the Horns their hope for a shared title.

Don't get me wrong, Texas is a great team. I mean, they beat us for pete's sake, as any Longhorn will tell you. Repeatedly. Until it makes you want to punch them in the face. But the fact remains that they were beaten by Tech which put us in a 3 way tie negating the head-to-head argument. Get over it guys. Continuing to whine does nothing for you. What you should have done was march into Tempe and hand the Buckeyes their butts. On a platter.

I like to see the Big 12 do well in the postseason. I rooted for every Big 12 team, yes, even Tech. Well, for a little while.

Now it's our turn. And I'm excited and nervous and sad (it marks a long 7 months of no football, sigh). And against my better judgment, I'm having a few people over to watch the game. But a select few. Those that know how I am during football games, that won't get offended, and have quick reflexes to duck flying objects.

It's our turn.

Boomer Sooner.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Let this be a lesson to you.

PHILADELPHIA – A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm, police said.

James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault. He remained in custody Saturday.

Police said Cialella told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son. The victim, whom television reports identified as Woffard Lomax, told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.

Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband, police said.

Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."

Lomax, 31, of Yeadon, was released from a hospital after the shooting. He declined to comment when contacted by phone Saturday.

It was not immediately known whether Cialella had a lawyer or whether bail had been set. A woman who answered a call to his home number Saturday declined to comment.

A theater manager referred calls to Regal Entertainment Group spokesman Dick Westerling, who did not immediately return a phone message Saturday.

Police could not confirm what movie was playing in the theater, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

I saw this very same movie with my lovely friends Bonny, Carol, Jamie, and Sabrina yesterday. It was quite good (especially Brad Pitt), except for the guy sitting behind me. He crunched his nachos obnoxiously loud, he kicked my chair every 5 minutes, and about halfway through the movie decided to rummage through his popcorn bag like he'd lost his keys in it. And with every handful of popcorn, it was preceded with a rustle, rummage, rattle, crackle. Seriously? I paid $5 to see this movie, not to be annoyed by you. If you can't behave in public like a normal human being, DON'T LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. Stay home. Rummage in your popcorn bag all you want from your own couch.

I turned and looked his direction several times, hoping he'd take the hint. Nope. So I then turned and said, 'shhhhh.' No luck. Finally, after clenching and unclenching my fist several times, I turned in my seat and said, "Seriously? Enough with the popcorn bag already. Put it away!!" You'd think that would have done the trick. You would be wrong. I almost lost it. It's a damn good thing he high-tailed it out of there when the credits started rolling. And if I'd been packing heat like Mr. Cialella, I might have spent the night in jail.

That's why I don't go to movies very often. It's really for the safety of the other patrons. Where has common courtesy gone?

Oh, one more thing. If you can't get through a two hour movie without checking your phone 65 times, you have a serious problem.