Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:11-14
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Anytime I hear or read this verse, I hear it in Linus' voice from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special... no joke. :) love that Linus... I'm a big fan...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

{{{{{{{{{ frosty }}}}}}}}}}

"Half of the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't; the other half consists of people who have nothing to say and keep on saying it." Robert Frost

Hmm... i think that's a great quote. So i've been having a mental block lately... not able to post much... sorry Steph! I have a feeling that the block will pass soon. Shoot, i might even start writing some poetry up on here or something! ha!
So the last couple of weeks have been pretty good- been keeping busy with all the Christmas stuff- shopping, partying, etc. I've received some great gifts already and it's not even Christmas yet! We did that "Secret Santa" thing at work and my Secret Santa (who was Jamie) was really good to me and got me James Blunt's "Back to Bedlam" album and lots of other great stuff! More about James Blunt: http://shopping.msn.com/prices/shp/?itemId=1738404,ptnrId=26,ptnrData=0
I've also received lots of Starbucks love thanks to winning a door prize at the work Christmas party & thanks to another gift from my Secret Santa. Can't go wrong with Starbucks people! Just in case you still haven't had the opportunity to do your shopping for me... S T A R B U C K S. :)

I'm listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio(Charlie Brown Christmas) and i love it. you've got to love jazz. Christmas is just around the corner... and we're having a little snow in T town today! hmm... i hear a peppermint mocha calling my name.

avodah(Ah´-voe-dah) (thanks for the help Stacey)

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving holiday. This weekend I came across something that I wrote a few years back... thought i'd share it:
The words "work" and "worship" come from the same Hebrew root, "avodah." Some people say, “As you work, you are worshipping the Lord”. It’s almost like the idea of “suffering” for God. I disagree with this idea. I believe that God created me to worship Him. God created us all to worship Him with the talents and gifts that He has given to us. In our use of those gifts and talents, we worship Him. And that is our work on this earth.

Kinda interesting that I came across this... as I am becoming increasingly convinced that I am not able to use my unique talents or gifts in the particular job that I have at the moment.... hmm...

A little Thanksgiving History:

Continental Congress Thanksgiving Proclamation 1782

STATE OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE. IN COMMITTEE of SAFETY, EXETER, November 1, 1782.
ORDERED, THAT the following Proclamation for a general THANKSGIVING on the twenty-eighth day of November instant, received from the honorable Continental Congress, be forthwith printed, and sent to the several worshipping Assemblies in this State, to whom it is recommended religiously to observe said day, and to abstain from all servile labour thereon. M. WEARE, President.

By the United States in Congress assembled.

PROCLAMATION.
IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:----- Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.

Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh. JOHN HANSON, President. Charles Thomson, Secretary.
PRINTED AT EXETER.

To see Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamations spanning from 1789 through this year visit:
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanxProc.htm

slow motion

got the new David Gray cd “Life in Slow Motion” over the weekend… it’s so great. http://www.davidgray.com
does anyone else see their life as a slow motion music video like I do?
speaking of slow motion- it's Monday.

our employer supplies us with free soda & juice… the kitchen is stocked… nice, eh? anyway, it's really been one of those days for me and so… I went into the kitchen, grabbed a V8 & poured it in a glass along with lots of black pepper & some dried red chili peppers that I found in little Mazzio’s packages. yum. yes, I pretended it was a bloody mary. and while I was sipping my pretend Bloody Mary, I had a great marketing idea for bars. They should run specials for Bloody Marys after 5 o’clock on Mondays…. and call them BLOODY MONDAYS. if they marketed it right it would be a big hit.
seriously… I’m not much of a drinker… I have my occasion glass of wine… and a pretend bloody mary in the office every once in awhile.
Drink responsibly.

Listening to Coldplay's "Fix You"

FIX YOU
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.


Don't you hate it when you're so passionate about something that it comes spilling out all over the place and all over everyone around you? Yeah, I don't either. I make no apologies for who I am. Just call me Joan of Arc.

I promise to write an entry in the near future that's a "real" entry and not just lyrics & hub-bub.
But seriously, LOVE this song. Don't you have songs that speak to you??

Wizard Academy Reunion

Got back from the Wizard Academy Reunion just in time to make it to Joy & Isaac's wedding on Sunday. Had a great time in Austin!! We met Michele Miller at the Wizard Reunion & had the opportunity to chat with her a bit. Michele's blog WonderBranding was named as one of the best blogs by Forbes.com this year. check it out: http://www.michelemiller.blogs.com/marketing_to_women/
how cool is it that i got to meet Malcolm Gladwell in Atlanta & then Michele Miller the next weekend in Austin... and get my picture taken w/both of them! oh, and the top pic here is our pic with the wizard himself, Roy Williams. wow... i'm a nerd sometimes.

the happy couple

i present to you, Mr. & Mrs. Issac Abad.

THE RIGHT STUFF!

okay- so I went to the Catalyst conference in Atlanta- got back on Saturday afternoon. it was a great experience. just when you think that all christian related events and churchy people suck- you learn otherwise. let me just say that the very first sounds I heard coming from inside the arena when I walked through the door was: “ohoh oh o oh, ohoh oh o oh, the right stuff!” Yes, that’s right, a New Kids on the Block video. It was at that moment that I knew I was going to have a fabulous time.
I’ll write more about my Catalyst experience later when I have more time…
…checkout my picture with Malcolm Gladwell, author of the Tipping Point. Which btw, I was a big fan of Gladwell BEFORE the conference… if you haven’t read either of his books, you might check them out. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=pd_kk_sr_2/102-6254586-7647309?index=stripbooks&field-keywords=malcolm%20gladwell

Adam, Dad, & Jared at Goldie's on our recent trip to Norman.

Ingrid, Melinda, & Brian!

Ingrid, me, & Bethany "BeatDown" Jones.

Ingrid & me- she paid a visit Labor Day weekend.

Mister Roger's Neighborhood

if it were an option, I would adopt our little neighborhood kid.
he’s such a good little guy. his name is Collin and he’s 9 years old. sometimes I pay him to help with yardwork or whatever… but last night he said “I just want to help for free”. ahh... how cute... makes me feel like i live in Mister Roger's Neighborhood when he offers to sweep my driveway or sidewalk... just for the joy & warmth it brings to his little heart...
you think he’s just working on me? nnnaaaahh…… he’s truly a good kid. he cracks me up too.
I wish I could record some of our conversations and so you could hear what comes out of his mouth. he’s gone through a lot in his little life already… more than a lot of adults I know. sad… he’s had to “grow up” more than a lot of adults I know too.
hmm… all I have to say is you should never underestimate a 9 year old. :)

interactive posters… what will advertisers think of next? seriously, look at this: http://www.adverblog.com/archives/001971.htm
dang, if you ask me, it might spook some people…. could be a lot of fun though.
you know it will definitely grab people’s attention.

i stand corrected.

well- good news- I stand corrected. the little email subscription notice thing DOES work. whooflippinhoo. so, have at it… if you’re so inclined. and you can always unsubscribe if you get sick of it… which is very possible.

so here’s something annoying: I got some very dirty unwanted spam comments overnight. I immediately deleted them. ugh- I hate junk like that! anyway, so, now you’ll have to do a word verification when dropping me a comment because I don’t want anymore junk like that… yuck.

surprised that I haven’t mentioned anything about the hurricane? well, I really don’t know what to say about it… it’s a sad thing that is going to take a lot of work for a long time… from a lot of people. even if they don’t rebuild in New Orleans… thousands of people will have to rebuild somewhere. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in their shoes. the best thing I know to do is to give to the relief funds & pray.

if you haven’t noticed… I’ve tried to avoid talking about anything sobering, serious, or spiritual lately. the last couple weeks have been crazy! I’ll get around to getting out all that serious junk later. :)

on a different note, whoohoo for shopping. Ingrid & I did a little shopping this weekend & I got some new bedding. yeah! it coordinates well with my black furniture. for some reason the pattern reminds me of India.

this weekend's purchase...

my new bedding.

yeah for Labor Day weekend!

well folks, I had a fabulous 3 day weekend. hope you all did too.
My dear friend Ingrid came into town & we got together with tons of friends. Good times! i'll put a couple pics up before too long. unfortunately... i think that any weight that i had lost... i gained back this weekend. oh well... the cheesecake was totally worth it.

so i added the "subscribe" feature via bloglet last week but i'm not sure it works properly... so for the handful of you that actually keep up with my blog... i guess you'll just have to keep me in your favs for now.

later-
k

slimjim goodness

last week my boss came back from a trip with a slimjim. he hasn't eaten it. nope, he's been using it as a whip... slapping his desk when he's frustrated, or joking around, etc. well, today when he took a break to go to the restroom, i went into his office with a slimjim of my own in hand. i promptly hid his slimjim in a drawer. i opened my slimjim and sat down and awaited his return. jamie, one of my coworkers, joined me. as she & i waited & chatted, i proceeded to eat my slimjim. of course, i knew that when he came in that he would assume that i had opened his slimjim to partake as i pleased. well, you should have seen his face. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?! WHY ARE YOU EATING MY SLIMJIM!?!" i said "what? this isn't yours... open your drawer."

hahaha... good times. he was a good sport.

thanks slimjim. http://www.slimjim.com/

Wakamaru and Cuckoo

okay, those in favor of sending the Japanese the dvds of the Terminator movies say "I".
"A child-shaped humanoid robot that can recognize about 10,000 words and work as a house sitter will go on sale in Japan in September..." see the full story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JAPAN_HUMANOID_ROBOT?SITE=NCAGW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I had a good weekend. hung out with friends… ate a lot of good food… watched movies… got some work done… pretty successful weekend.
one of the movies I watched was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. gotta say… wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did… but I truly enjoyed it overall.

H2O phenomena and dontdatehimgirl.com

so, I was on this blog today:
http://www.newpersuasion.typepad.com/

I enjoyed her entry about water because I’m a bottled water connoisseur…
a bottledwateroholic…
a bottled water snob...
a bottled water extremist…
a bottled water lover…
a bottled water freak…
anyway, at least I own up to my bottled water issues. i've been a bottled water connoisseur for as long as i can remember... maybe it has something to do with living in Oklahoma and preferring filtered H2O to tap?
no, i'm not the water lady from Return to Me.
(what a great movie! http://www.mgm.com/title_clip.do?title_star=RETURNME ).

here’s something else that I found funny on her blog:
http://www.dontdatehimgirl.com
oh… dear… lord…

in the news today...

from one extreme to another:

iced out babies:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166346,00.html

$7 landfill tour:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1057708

all I have to say is what an exciting & ridiculous day for the newscasters.

fun ideas

so someone asked me if i had a favorite entry that i’ve written since i’ve been doing this blog thing. i can’t believe that i’ve been writing stuff up on this since October 2004! crazy. anyway, this “favorite” question got me thinking and i went back & read some old ones. don’t we all have our moments? i’m sure that most bloggers could say that they have some “favorites”. as for me, i think that my best mental spills come after i’ve been around kids or after i’ve been speeding down the highway at night blaring music in my car. hmmm… if i’m most inspired when i’m around kids and when driving… maybe i should switch career paths… school bus driver? okay- don’t fly off the handle- i’m just kidding. besides, i don’t think it’d work since i like to drive at night speeding down the highway with the music…. really don’t think they’d allow overnight delivery of the kids. but it’s a fun idea.

speaking of fun ideas… SPRAY-ON salad dressing! hmm… spray-on ranch doesn’t sound too appetizing… but spray-on Italian maybe… yum. seriously, check this out:
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=45819

well, i'm off to lunch... bye for now.

i work with an Elmer Fudd.

http://www.reelclassics.com/Audio_Video/Videos9o/looneytunes_rabbitofseville.mov

anyone else work with any annoying cartoon characters?

i bet my friend D does. see his new blog:
http://www.fullhousley.blogspot.com

CORRECTION: www.seriouslyd.blogspot.com

the following may not be suitable for young children:

so as I was getting ready for work this morning I heard a “news” story on the Christian radio station. …and very quickly became seriously irritated. the story was about how this missions training school “discovered” that they could train pastors in Uganda via the internet. in other words, they now have online courses.
whoohoo! duh, we can have online courses?!?!? you mean the internet can be used as a valuable tool? whoa! yippee! thank you reverend dipstick! what’s taken you so long to figure this out?! maybe if you weren’t sitting in your bubble all the freakin time you would have found this out a long time ago! the internet? what’s that??

so, this amazing “news” story got me thinking about the AGE OLD question:
Why are most Christians always 10 years behind?

and then i started to think about Jesus in the Garden with his disciples…
you know when he asked them to pray and he went off to pray by himself. he kept coming back to find them sleeping. oh boy, was Jesus a nice guy. i have a feeling that when he said Come on guys, can’t you stay awake?? that it was probably very evident that he was serious… it probably came out with some divine emotion. but if i was Jesus, i would’ve been DIVINELY PISSED OFF when i kept finding them sleeping!!! AAAAAHHHHHH C’MON YOU STUPID LAZY MO’FOS!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAKE UP!
Most christians are always 10 years behind because they’re sleeping… just can’t seem to stay awake. please note that I said MOST and not ALL.

since I’m sure someone might think it, let me just say that i do not by any means claim to be perfect… but I’m no sleeping bubblelover.
here’s another bone I have to pick w/sleeping bubblelovers:
why is it that the UK and Australian Christians are sending MISSIONARIES over to the U.S.????? why????

anyway, sorry about all this ranting & raving. I just get divinely pissed every once in awhile and have to get my “preach” on. WAKE UP YOU SLEEPING BUBBLELOVING MO’FOS!!!

wow, sometimes i read something i've wrote & think what's got into me?!
i'm really a nice person... i think. THAT'S IT- no more writing about christians that tick me off for at least a month.

you think?

Is blogging a crutch? Is it a valid substitute for face-to-face conversation? I think blogging should be used as an introduction to people you want to meet in person, because no matter how cool someone is on her blog, she is much more interesting in person.
-from Matthew Homann at
http://thenonbillablehour.typepad.com/nonbillable_hour/2005/08/blogher_brain_d.html

well, i'm not sure that always rings true... but I think I like Matthew Homann.

While you're checking Homann's blog, here's another you should look at:
http://www.michelemiller.blogs.com/marketing_to_women/

big ad

Click on the link,
click "YES"
Then "HIGH"

http://www.bigad.com.au/

all by myself in the office

i was working a bit this evening so that i can leave early tomorrow... Rebecca & I are going to an Alison Krauss concert. anyway, i'm listening to Coldplay's Fix You in my office here and i'm getting emotional. i know, it's ridicluous. Fix You is just like my life in the past few weeks. but who's fixing me? Who!?!?! it's hard for me to not try to fix things all by myself. i learn a little more everyday how to give things up- to let God do stuff in my life- rearrange things- fix things. ugh...

i gotta say music is a beautiful thing. i was thinking about it this morning... thinking about how music is an art form that pretty much everyone in the world enjoys. of course, people have different preferences of musical styles... but everyone likes it and is moved by it in some way. i think it's a gift from God. love it.

i would like to give a shout out to my dear friends the Burkes & the Etzkorns. love you & lots of people are praying for you all.

No Diggity

i took the StrengthsFinder Test yesterday. It's the Gallup Organization's Web-based talent assessment tool.
Just in case anyone is interested, the test's results say that my five most dominant themes of talent are:

Belief: People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

Relator: People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Strategic: People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Activator: People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Responsibility: People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

Yes, I agree with the assessments.

btw, i'm having a GREAT week at work... so far.

pics and personal email

so i've added some pics (see below) that i took way back... way back in february... the trip to Colorado. I've also added a few from our recent trip to the zoo. it was a family thing. Here's Jared & Joel (above) on the happy zoo train. thanks to the grocery store's crappy developing, Jared has some phantom lightscar on his face.
anyway...
things have been going okay with me. busy as usual. lots to say... but i don't feel like saying much at the moment. :) can you believe i haven't seen the new star wars flick yet? what the heck? i need to go see that.
okay, here's something frustrating: i want to get a new personal email address but every possible login combination i've tried is already taken! well, everything except sexylamb. you guys have any ideas?? i was hoping to keep it short & sweet... i need at least 6 characters... and i'm not sure that i want to go with sexylamb. please help.

the Garden of the Gods is freakin awesome.

Ingrid on the way to CO... way back in February.

Me and Samantha at the zoo

another Garden of Gods pic from February

Garden of Gods in February

Here's my little cousin Samantha giving a look at the zoo. The look being "not having so much fun... would rather take a nap".

this will probably bore you if you don't care about advertising

In the advertising business? See this story about Shona Seifert being sentenced to 18 months of prison: http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=45545
Here’s what I find somewhat humorous: the judge has ordered her to develop a written code of conduct for the advertising industry. Now what do you think about that? Shoot, a written code of conduct developed by someone convicted of conspiracy, fraud, and false claims? That’ll be a winner!
Yes, someone who tried to fraud the government... that'll be a quality code of conduct. :) i wonder who's going to be grading this code of conduct? Maybe the Wizard of Ads should... i dunno... i really don't.

email notification ideas?

well, last week i changed my email notification to
http://funwavs.com/wavfile.php?quote=1899&sound=188
"where's the beef" and my immediate boss copied after me & put it on his PC too. :(
oh brother. i tell ya, creativity runs rampant around here.
now i'm going to have to change mine again.
it'll have to be short and sweet... you guys have any ideas for me? check http://funwavs.com/ for some wav files... or you can send me your own entries for my consideration. :) thx.
so glad it's friday! i'm outta here!

i'm borrowing this pic from steph's blog cause i think it's awesome. it's a ricefield... check steph's site for more great asian images: http://www.stephlloyd.com/ 

someone sent me this pic of temblor range. cool, huh? 

don't know why, but i felt like putting an ugly fish on the blog today. boy, is this fish ugly. 

today's emailed topics around the office

Jamie sent this link about a crazy restuarant in Taiwan.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8417691/
Wayne posed this question: what do the restrooms look like in this restuarant? :)

on a different note, many of us get emailed a "monday morning memo" from the Wizard Academy every week. well, i thought i should put a little excerpt of today's memo on my blog for you.

Business people, do you want to attract multitudes? Develop the heart of a servant – one who truly loves – and you will quickly become beloved. The world has masters aplenty; it is servants who are in short supply.
I'm not the first to note how words and actions reveal the heart. Luke tells of a dawn two thousand years ago when Jesus walked grass still wet with dew. After choosing from among a great crowd of followers the twelve who would accompany him to the end, Jesus stepped forward and spoke to the waiting throng, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Now let's look at Jesus' actions - beginning with his choosing of the twelve - and see if they reveal his motives: The fact that none of them were leaders in the business community indicates that he wasn't planning to measure membership or attendance numbers, build a bank account or launch a political action committee. "Minister" was more of a verb in his day.
Flash forward to his final day in John 13: "… so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." The twelve were aghast. Foot washing was like scrubbing a public toilet or scraping gum off the bottom of bus benches. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" Jesus asked them. "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."
Consciously or unconsciously, each of us follows a hero. We model our actions after their actions and measure our success according to their values. Are you consciously aware of whose example you are following? Look quietly to your daily actions and you'll find your hero vividly revealed.
[Roy H. Williams]

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th! I'll type more at ya soon!

the controversial "Blingin in the Rain"

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-video/Media/video/2005/01/27/golfgti.mov

yes, kinda creepy... but i like it. Thanks VW.

wake up.

My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant, total amazement.
-Meg Ryan to Tom Hanks in Joe vs. the Volcano

watch out- I'm in a mood.

So I loved the seminar that I went to last week. I am convinced that Roy Williams is some kind of genius. See http://www.wizardacademy.com/
We had a good time in Austin for the most part. Quite a driving experience. As one of our friends living in Austin mentioned, the roads haven’t quite caught up with the city’s growth… and they apparently didn’t plan well for expansion. Oh well, we made it in one piece. We rented an Expedition… I have to say, it was fun driving that monster.

After going to the seminar last week, I’ve been doing some thinking about a little something I said on my blog right before going back to work. The part about me being glad that my job doesn’t define me. Yeah, well, that’s just not good. If we all spend 8 hours a day/5days a week doing something that does not in some way fit who we are…. then what the flip is the point? I know, I know, this isn’t a mind-boggling, first-time ever thought… we’ve all thought this before… it’s just so disappointing when the honeymoon part of a job wears off and the reality of things hits you… I’m not in love with this… but I am remaining faithful and giving my all anyway. I just have to remember what my history teacher in highschool used to say: Everything is going to be okay. One of the most important & most useful things I’ve ever learned. Mr. Cap was right… everything usually does end up being okay. :) What kind of torture have I been going through since going to that seminar? I hate “office” work. I hate offices in general. Anyway, I don’t want to think about this any more… I love Office Space… what a great movie. Speaking of jobs, here's some good management advice: http://www.guthy-renker.com/about/10commandments.php

So, last night, Mel, Nicole & I were talking about how crazy Tom Cruise is. He babbles on & on about nothing… has anyone seen that Oprah with him jumping on the sofa about Katie? Yeah, well, I’m not even talking about him & that Katie thing… I could care less about it… I’m talking about just Tom… not Katie… just him. He doesn’t make any sense… ever. That’s why Oprah had to interrupt him a couple times & go to a commercial & pretend like he wasn’t a babbling nonsensical fool. Poor Oprah… I have to wonder what’s going through her head sometimes. I don’t think I could do it… don’t think I could pretend like someone is saying something intelligent that’s worth listening to… when they’re clearly not. But she’s obviously got a knack for it as she has made a very good living for herself doing just that. Why does America listen to what actors & actresses have to say when most of them haven’t even had ANY sort of decent education? Tom just repeats the same things over & over like a broken record.
Wanna check out his rad website? http://www.scientology-kills.org/personal_pgs/crusie/cruise_page.htm
Okay, I’ll stop now... enough bashing. Gosh, sorry… when I start reminding myself of Tom, that’s a cue that it’s a good time to stop. I have a feeling that the Tom Cruise Fan Club is going to hate me.

boom goes the dynamite...

Hey! What the heck is wrong with me?!?!? I’m not good at this blogging stuff lately! Dang!

Anyway, I’m back at work and things are going okay. Speaking of work, they’re sending me to Austin tomorrow to a seminar. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard TONS of great things about it… when I get back from my trip I’ll have to write all about it… something tells me that it’ll be quite inspiring. It’s called the “Wizard Academy”. I hear that all who attend are never the same. Rebecca is joining us on this adventure… I think it’s gonna flippin' awesome.

On a completely random & different note, has anyone ever tried “Press & Seal”? That stuff is SOOOO GREAT! I HATE SYRANWRAP! I’m all about Press&Seal, baby! I had dinner with Bethany last week & we both started talking about how great it is… I guarantee we’ll both be lifetime customers of Press & Seal. i guarantee...

Here’s a quote that I want to have framed one day:

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
-Dr. Seuss

Man, is that my motto or what? That Dr. Seuss was a genius!
Catch you all next week! Have a great weekend!

Ben & Kelly's B-day & BMC's BBQ picnic fun! 

ocean or chlorine H2O?

so, i go back to "work" in a week. boy, am i glad that my job doesn't define me. i needed this "break" from my life in the office. life outside of the office needed some attention. i'm so thankful for my recovery time... but it kinda stinks cause it's just about sucked my vacation time dry. oh well, there's nothing i can do about that one.

okay, it's summer & i've been thinking about buying a new suit & swimming. which got me to thinking, say i did a cannonball, water splashed up & i accidently swallow a mouthful(as i'm sure we all have at some point in our lives)... which would be worse: swallowing ocean water or chlorinated pool water? lemme guess, you're all thinking it depends on which ocean we're talking about?

tomorrow is my dad's bday. whoohoo! happy bday dad!

shhh!

okay, so i'm at the library again... checking my yahoo email and what else?
g o i n g i n s a n e.
if you know me, you know that i'm not the type of person to lose my temper & start screaming at the top of my lungs... but i'm on the verge of doing just that. what ever happened to the library being a quiet place??? these librarians are slackers! the kids here are being so freakin' crazy loud... i can't hear myself thinking. other adults around me keep Shhushing them but it's not working. :( sorry, i gotta go... i'll give you guys an update later on. man, what a lame entry.
peace out.

hey

well, hey my friends... i'm doing alright. my surgery went well. i haven't updated this in quite awhile because i'm not plugged into the web at home... ridiculous, i know. anyway, i'm allowed to drive now so i'm at the LIBRARY checking email & thought i'd write a line to say i'm doing good. also, just want to say thanks to all of you who contnue to pray for me! you all are awesome. i'll be talking to ya soon! much love, k

from a Starbucks cup... #34

There are no limits on how much the heart can love, the mind can imagine, or the human being can achieve.
-Lynne Cox
Author of "Swimming to Antarctica". She broke the world record for swimming the English Channel.

How cool is it to get an inspiring little message like this from the side of your Starbucks coffee cup in the middle of a business meeting? Yes, it was a little distracting as I spent the next several minutes trying to get a peek at the words of wisdom that might be written on my co-workers' cups. Anyway, thanks Starbucks. :)

Well, i'll catch up with everyone in the near future... i'm having surgery on Tuesday 4/19... and I suspect i will be out of commission for a bit. but don't worry, i'll catch up w/cha later. i will be spending a lot of time reading & journaling as I'm in "recovery mode". among the 6-7 books i'll be reading, I'm going to read Code of the Samurai - i can hardly wait. well, this will give you time to catch up on my blog entries that you haven't read & holla at me in the meantime. peace out- love you all. ~k

R is for residue

finally, after days & weeks of no blogging… i return. please forgive my absence. unfortunately, i’m thinking that my entries will continue to be few and far between for awhile. so, don’t say i didn’t warn you.

i’ve been doing a lot of “soul searching” lately. and it’s a damn shame that i haven’t been writng out my thoughts over the last couple weeks. not that any of my thoughts would be enlightening or helpful to any one else…in fact, they could’ve been harmful. but sometimes you just need to write/type/scream things out so that you can breathe. unfortunately, i don’t really feel like writing about any of that out right now. i’d rather type out the randomness.

I love great solo jams on my acoustic... had one of those on Sunday.
I love it when I see an 80 year old man holding open the door for his bride of 50 years.
i love the sound of wind. i love rainstorms. I love thunder.
I love lemonade stands. I love hearing from old friends. I love stories from grandparents. I love listening to music full blast. man, the stuff life is made of. anyway, could go on forever so I’ll just stop.

have you ever got into the habit of playing the same song on a cd over and over again? i do that a lot. but, you know, i got to thinking that playing the same song over and over again can be a dangerous thing. yes, i may love the song i’m listening to and want to put it on eternal repeat… but… what if the 10th song is even more amazing??? so, i take the stereo off repeat and take a leap of faith… believe that this cd has more to offer. the next song just might be the most beautiful music i’ll ever hear – a life-changing ballad or something. you just don’t know what you’re missing when you refuse to move on. the 10th “song” could be mind-blowing… take a risk… let go.

new topic: what are the things in this life that are worth fighting for? what do you want to earn in this life? what’s most important to you? these are questions that i’ve been thinking about over the last couple weeks. reading brandon’s blog entry ‘Life As We Know It’ corresponds with these things. (see http://www.marshillproject.com/the_mars_hill_project/2005/04/life_as_we_know.html) what stuck out to me the most in his entry was the statement “…I can’t help but wonder about the residue my life will leave on this planet.” Residue. yup… that’s what it’s all about… the residue trail you leave behind you. as many of you know, Rebecca & i recently moved. a couple neighbors have introduced themselves… but only a couple. as far as the kids in this neighborhood go, they’re all quite friendly and more children have stopped by to say hello than adults. kids are very intuitive and many times wiser than adults may be aware. after all, kids DO “say the darndest things”. some of those darn things are words of wisdom… s o m e. anyway, i’ve being thinking about the residue stuff… thinking about what/who i want to be. do you think that kids might be able to pick up on your residue trail quicker than most adults? i say that in the hopes that it might be true. why? well, several days ago, Rebecca & i were cleaning up the front yard a bit when one of the kids cried out to me from his yard asking if i wanted to play “hide and seek”. i felt like a million bucks at that moment… it’s not very often in one’s adult life that an offer comes to play “hide and seek”. i feel silly writing this now… but i’ll say it anyway… i was humbled. his offer to play a game meant that i had left residue somewhere along the way. it was one of the coolest moments i’ve had in a while.
all we have is our residue… without love we are nothing. when i go to the grocery store, i hope the clerk behind the counter hopes i come through his/her line again. it’s the simple things like that that i hope for most in my life. that’s what matters. offers to “hide and seek”… for a moment there, i felt like i was closer to the person i want to be… the person i want to be remembered as… the residue i want to leave behind.

If you can look into the seeds of time,
and say which grain will
grow and which will not
speak then to me.
-William Shakespeare

the new place of residence! 

at Kip & Lafawnduh's wedding

Kip, singing :
Yes, I love technology
But not as much as you, you see
But I still love technology, Always and forever. Always and forever.

Tom O'Dell fans unite

back when i was in college, Mar & I thought that we were the ONLY crazies watching Mr. Tom O'Dell. We became fans... we went as far as to tape the programs we missed... sad but true. hey, when you're a college student up in the WEE hours of the morning... the shopping networks become entertainment... apparently, we weren't the only ones. Mar sent this link to me: http://www.astreetproductions.com/weblog/archives/2004/01/28/so-long-tom-odell/ Glad to see that there are other true O'Dell fans. haha... oh man... these people are funny. sorry to say that it's probably only funny to those of us who used to watch it "back in the day". what's O'Dell up to these days you ask? http://www.cutlerycorner.net/ man, i'm glad i'm not in college anymore... but sometimes i miss those O'Dell nights 'o fun.

kamikaze mode

i've been in this workaholic mode at work... i've been in a mode in every part of my life... kinda feel like i've hit "cruise control". yikes....? :(
Rebecca & i are moving on the 19th. we're moving into a house in the Brookside area. think it's gonna be great.
now, all we have to do is pack everything up over the next 2.5 weeks & haul it over. whoohoo.
so, since i haven't blogged in AGES, let me just say concerning my trip to CO, i had a great time. it was good for me to get away for a bit. i ran errands for Ingrid in an attempt to be helpful. one day, i drove through the Garden of the Gods. love that place. it was very surreal. it was awesome. actually, the whole trip was surreal. can't wait to go back to visit my friend & do some fun colorado stuff. she & i didn't have anytime to do that on this trip... but that's cool cause we knew that we probably wouldn't anyway. when i get the rest of my pics developed(yes, i said developed) i will post a couple from the Garden of the G.
i'm reading a fabulous book that ingrid suggested to me, it's The Secret Life of Bees. i'm loving it. i plan on typing out a couple excerpts that have really stuck out to me.
i haven't been faithful to my blog lately & i haven't been a faithful blog reader lately. oh well, just a short hiatus. does it matter really? probably not. :)
well, i better go before it gets too late. i have a lot to do tonight. i'll type more at you later. love ya! ~k

i'm back from springs

well, i'm back from C. Springs. i haven't had a chance to type out all my thoughts from the trip & i don't really feel like typing it all out right now because it's after 5:40 on a Friday night and I need to get out of here(yes, i'm still at the office). things have been a whirlwind... big flippin' surprise.
i love king soopers in Colorado... could i enjoy shopping at a grocery store more? no, i doubt it. love the music they play... i love their super friendly employees... i could go on & on... but i won't. there are too many companies that have turned me into Customer Evangelists for them. (www.creatingcustomerevangelists.com)
also, before i log off here, let me also say, i love colorado! the land of the suburau & land rover drivers! and, might i add, they all safely break the speed limit constantly. "Go Speedracer, GO!"

lunch on thursday

Life is too short to not risk being remarkable. If doing what people expect you to do is not getting you where you want to go, why keep doing it? Do the unexpected. Be remarkable.
~C. Michael Johnson
http://www.breakthroughchurch.com/

i'm on lunch

okay... i know, i know, it's been more than a few days since i've typed here. things have been nuts.
ever since i've found out that Ing is moving, i've been on the GO-GO-GO! btw, we leave this friday to move her out to springs... whoohoo! i'm sure everything will go well. anyway, i'll be out there a few days helping her & won't return until the middle of next week. :)
i must say that i thoroughly enjoyed the President's State of the Union last week. very enjoyable. was that last week? ...i've lost track of time.
i have found time to play poker a couple more times with my friends... and guess what? yup, i keep winning. what's the deal? should i quit my day job and become a fulltime poker player? i'm seriously considering it.
please see this story: http://marshillproject.typepad.com/the_mars_hill_project/2005/02/one_bet_you_don.html
what the heck was this guy thinking? this game is more important than any of my own offspring! I'll prove it! thx to brandon for blogging about this, my opinion of Welsh people will never be the same.
now, for my favorite techie-nerd gadget blog, http://www.gizmodo.com/
i'm eating dirty rice for lunch and dang, is it spicy! yum! i'm washing it down w/diet A&W rootbeer. just thought you'd like to know today's menu.
i watched the finale of Amazing Race last night. I wonder if Jon & Kris would have won if the train hadn't have decided to cruise on by? I was very proud of their great attitude about the whole thing. They were my favorite team & i wish they could have won... they're probably the only team that can watch the show & not be embarrassed of themselves... they never once acted or reacted like idiots. (idiots! said in the Napoleon D. tone.) oh well, good game Jon & Kris! i still love you guys!
type at you later.

Grandpa in WWII. 

passion

i’ve promised to say something about Perpetua… i enjoyed the book thoroughly. might be too spiritual for some… but what book about martyrdom isn’t uncomfortable for everyone in one way or another? http://www.relevantstore.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=101
I won’t say anything that will ruin the book for you… just in case you decide to pick it up. It’s a story based on the true events of this young woman's life… go ahead… google Perpetua… you’ll see. She was a real person- a real martyr. have you ever truly thought that you might give up your life for something or someone? ever loved someone that you would give your life for?? have you ever risked loving someone or something that much? it’s a huge step… and it can be a hard one to make. i hate when i get “poetic” and “deep” sometimes… oh well. the thing is, Perpetua is a book that’s for the courageous & passionate people alone. this young woman knew that she had no life without Christ. when she met Him and invited Him into her life as Lord, she finally found her life… and she loved living more & more everyday… with Him. it didn’t take her long to realize that she would be forced to give up one of two things: her life or her Lord. which, you must understand, she hated the thought of her life without Christ… to her, there would simply be no life at all without Him. it was easier for her to make the decision of giving up her life than giving up her Lord. that’s how it is when you love something or someone that much… make sense? can i get an amen? she knew long before she was martyred… she had already made her decision, already knew how it would all play out. then she lived her life with no regrets… doing everything in her power to see to it that other people would have this same opportunity as her… the opportunity to truly live and not die.
speaking of passionate people, i hope that i am like my grandfather. i want to be the type of person who my neighbors and friends will talk about 20+ years after i’m gone. no joke, there have been times, when i’ve spent time in the town that my parents are from, that the people in the town have taken the time to tell me stories about this man who they all loved. i feel like i know him because of all of the stories i know about him. i hope that my grandkids would be able to say that about me. i have had wonderful grandparents on both sides that were all amazing people. i wish that i could have known all of them. i know that my grandpa invested time into other people… why else would these people invest time into me to tell me about him? it’s cool to see the “memory light” come on in people’s eyes when they meet me and find out that i’m his granddaughter. i met one of his bestfriends a few years back… my dad introduced me to him. he almost started crying when he shook my hand & told me stories… i feel lucky to have had experiences like that one. lucky for me that i have family members that still live there so that opportunities like highschool graduations have created these meetings and memories for me. one of the town people once told my dad that they thought that he walked like my grandpa… i love the “little” stuff like that. i’ve included a pic of him from WWII. i like this pic a lot. i know him from this pic… what i mean to say is that this is the most familiar pic of him to me… it’s this young face of his that i think of & associate any & all stories. he didn’t know that when someone snapped this shot of him that it would be this smile that his granddaughter would hold on to… he didn’t know he was smiling for me… but he was. man, am i a romantic or what?
anyway, back to passionate people, there’s a lot of us in this generation… we are a generation of mosh pits, tattoos, brandings, extreme athletics, so on & so forth. those are passionate things… some(old farts) might call those things stupid… but they scoff at what they do not understand. am i right? to me, all of those things require a certain degree of endurance, courage, and/or passion… if you’ve never participated in a mosh pit then you probably have no idea what the heck i’m talking about right now. ever been shot by a paintball gun? ever been shot by a real gun? ever been skydiving? ever been bungee jumping? tattooed? branded? moshed? headbanging? cliffhanging? we’re a generation of thrill-seekers & risk-takers… what in the world could be next for us? what are we to do with ourselves now? :)

steph sent this link to me:

http://www.users.muohio.edu/miyamadm/here.htm

glad i have a sense of humor enough to know that this guy is not serious.

cardboard cakes

no, Jared didn't make it home this weekend... :(
The first time I tried rice cakes, I thought “what the *%$#! are they thinking with these things!” It was like some sort of food they served in prison camps as torture. But, I guess the makers of these healthy “snacks” eventually realized they’d have to put something on these things(sugar) in order to keep people interested… I remember it years ago… I remember them running a huge marketing thing when I was a kid…
I remember that my mom bought some… but that healthy alternative didn’t last too long… we went back to the potato chips and cookies in no time.
Anyway, I recently bought some http://www.quakerquakes.com/QRS_Products/Product.cfm?ProductID=22
And I have to say, they are quite enjoyable. I’m quite sure that all of the sugar, etc that they have to add to the little rice cake absolutely ruins the whole purpose of trying to eat healthy… oh well. Now they’re making soy cakes… hmmmm. What, the rice cakes aren't dry enough for you… don’t taste like cardboard enough? Solution: soy cakes.

too toasty.

it's after 5pm... why am i still at work? to type at least a little something into my blog so you know i'm still alive. things have been nuts & i haven't had the opportunity to say anything. anyway, so, it snowed today. it's all sloshy & white outside. :) now i just have to go drive in it. Jared(my brother) was supposed to drive home from Norman today. i don't know if the weather stopped him... i sure hope that he came.
you know what i love? Big Al's Health Subs on 15th. great place, great wraps, great hummus, great smoothies, and great prices! what more could you want?? yes, i am a living commercial. i can't help it.
so, last night, as i was stopped at a big & busy intersection, i saw 2 people way over on the other side of the street waiting for the signal to walk across. it was 2 women. from what i could tell, it was a teenager & her mother. as they started to cross the street, i noticed the mother had a cane and the daughter was helping her walk... i'm pretty sure that everyone sitting at the intersection was watching them. my light turned green and as i started to drive away, i immediately thought of turning around to pick them up. but, i was in the far lane and couldn't get to the place to turn around due to all of the traffic in the other lane.... anyway... started getting further & further away... and i passed another place that i could of turned around at... thinking that i was too tired, it was too late, etc. anyway, got to the next intersection and finally turned around because it didn't matter if i was too tired. it was chilly & what the heck is my car for anyway??? so i got back to the place i'd seen them walking & searched & searched as i drove around for several minutes looking for them. i finally decided that someone else had beat me to it.... probably one of the other drivers who'd witnessed them hobbling across the street. so then i started home looking for anyone else who might have needed a ride. have you ever given a ride to a stranger before? it's good for the soul. word of caution: you must practice this w/common sense. i do not suggest women picking up anyone of the opposite sex... so, don't hold me responsible if you pick up a guy with a machedi. (<-sp?) don't worry dad, i never offer rides to men walking along the side of the road. ;)
but anyway, i drove home mad at myself for not turning around quick enough... ugh!!! i'm not looking for "oh, that was thoughtful of you, lamb...blah,blah" comments so don't give them to me... just wanted to get that off my chest... wanted to say that God is still having to work on getting rid of the selfishness in me... i was too tired to turn around! i was too warm & toasty in my car... in my NEW car at that! ugh, okay, i'm done.
dang i gotta get outta here- type atcha later.

type at you later

hey everyone.
i finished that book, Perpetua, a while back... sorry i haven't given my final analysis yet. i'll do that soon.
i have a lot in my head that i need to type out this weekend... so check me out next week.
happy b-day to me... yup, my b-day is sunday. whoop-de-frickin-do. (haha... sound familiar?)
thanks for stopping by- i'll type at you later.

for those who've asked...

here's the link to The Village movie:
http://video.movies.go.com/thevillage/splash.html

it was a movie weekend.

i got my fill of entertainment this weekend- what with the video rentals & trip to the movie theater. Rented “The Village” and went to see “Meet the Fockers”.
I really enjoyed The Village. My favorite part was the “dancing” conversation between Ivy & Lucius. I also love every time she says she can see his color. That Howard girl is a superb actress. In fact, that entire film is filled with refined theater veterans… fabulous talent in that movie. I will say that it didn’t catch me off guard too terribly much… I had key elements figured out… but I did enjoy the movie nonetheless. It still made me jump a little. it’s one that i think i could buy.
Meet the Fockers… that was pretty good too. It was a lot better than i thought it would be actually. the kid’s first word was funny. Robert DeNiro carcks me up.
helped some friends move this weekend.. they had so many people helping them… went well i think. didn’t really feel like i did much… but i’m glad i went. their new house is beautiful- exciting stuff. i think they’re going to love it there.
ingrid is packing. packing, packing. i wish she wasn’t moving. but i know it’s what she wants… and i know it’s probably the best for her… ugh. :( i hope we live in the same city again at some point in our lives.
i downloaded the asteroids game onto my phone. usually, i’m not one for games on phones… but i was bored the other night when i couldn’t sleep. i have the highest ranking scores… ha… makes me think that there must not be too many other folks playing it.

bloggy fog

did you read my last blog entry? please tell me you did. if you didn’t, get to it. learning to surf… it relates to this entry. how so? well, my very close friend & confidant, Ingrid, is moving to a different state. she got a job offer on Friday. She must report at her new job in approximately 4 weeks. yes, it’s heartbreaking… it’s bittersweet. my roommate put it well when she said: “it’s almost as exciting as it is sad.” i know Ingrid will love her new job & new home… so i’m excited for her. but at the same time, the girl who 99.9% of the time cannot successfully get her tear ducts to create any kind of flippin’ moisture when she wants it the most, cried Friday night. the tears were flowing down my cheeks. i’m going to miss being able to hang out with Ingrid anytime i want… but i’ll look forward to visiting her in Colorado. so, the waves of change wasted no time & hit sooner than i expected… within the first week of the new year.

last night i drove home through thick fog. i mean that literally… i’ll get to the figurative & symbolic in a minute. ain’t nothing like it: driving home from a friend’s house, listening to what seems to be my own personal Switchfoot concert late at night. [side-note: i’m tired of driving home from other people’s houses… i’m ready to leave this stage of my life behind. do you know how bad it sucks to get home to your apartment and have no flippin’ place to park?? ugh! i’m too old for this…. circling around the dang complex in search of some golden space… I wish I could jump the curb & park in the dead grass.]
where was i? ah yes, my personal Switchfoot concert in the car… driving through fog.
i noticed street lights that i’ve never saw before. ever notice how light cuts sharp lines through the fog? i love that. you can see how far the beams reach in fog. so, here i am feeling unsettled & a little “foggy” in life at the moment… and i’m driving home in this massive fog noticing street lights & beams from other vehicle’s headlights… can i get symbolic on you now? in my mind, my future seems foggy with a slight chance of more drizzle on the way… but there’s these steadfast light posts… they cut through the fog and steer me clear of the ditches and the potholes. what does the light represent? well, take a wild guess. if you know me, you know that i’m a spiritual person & i like God. i like to pray, etc. so the light may represent Him, or His Word, or my fellow believers… any or all of the above. I won’t take this too far… but I just wanted to share some.
so, on the way home, i sat, stopped at a light. as the light turned green, i happened to turn my head and see one of those stupid, lovely, yellow “waves of change” signs staring back at me. and yes, i gave it a smirk as i slammed the gas pedal, gunning it through the thick fog closing in around me… lights cutting the pathway ahead.

alright, for the sake of you reading, i’ll try to have a lighter entry next time and try to keep it fun… i don’t know if it’s as therapeutic for you to read as it is for me to write. check out my “Rambler” shot below… sometimes i wish i could leave my day job in search of fun photo opps like this car. don’t tell me; keep the day job, right? :(

The "RAMBLER" 

learning to surf

well, here i am six days into the new year. our team lost the Orange Bowl this week… not the best way to start out 2005… but i’m optimistic. luckily, my life’s happiness does not depend on any football team’s record. :)
on a serious note, i just want to say that i feel a little unsettled in life right now. i’m kinda feeling like things will be shifting in some way. unfortunately, i don’t know what things or which way… and i’m too busy to think or worry about it. do you ever just have a knowing that something is about to happen? …like you’re on the verge of something? i was thinking about this as i was driving a couple days ago… have you realized that i’m a “pondering” driver yet? anyway, as i drove up to a traffic light near an intersection with a gas station on the corner, i was thinking & praying about my unsettled feelings and I glanced over at the gas station and saw: WAVES OF CHANGE- Coming Soon. (see the pic below.) Talk about a sign… literally. a big, bright, yellow, waving banner staring at me. hmm… guess i better learn how to surf.
okay, i’m done being serious.
on an advertising note, i like that banner… it’s cool because it fits into the company’s theme… the Shell Gas Company. get it? beach, waves, shell? anyway, thought it was cute & clever. not only that, but the sign itself was designed very well with the colors and graphics. the only unfortunate thing for them right now is that in a very round-about way, it reminds me (and probably reminds others) of the world’s current tsunami disaster. now, of course, it wouldn’t keep anyone from doing business with them right away… but signs and colors do weird stuff to people… that’s why i like advertising & graphics so much… people make associations in their minds without realizing it and so, seeing that sign might have some negative reactions in the unconscious minds of some folks. i know, you think i’m crazy… but it’s true.
am i the only person who’s noticed that every moviestar wants to be a rockstar and every rockstar wants to be a moviestar? so annoying! please! most of them clearly are not capable of both… why don’t their managers tell them? Please, We the People do not want to be witnesses to this behavior anymore. Spare us… please!

hmm... 

Happy B-day to Ingrid & Happy 2005 to everyone else!

last night i drove home in the rain with my music blaring.
drives like that give me room to think.
i watched that show last night- that show that makes me and everyone else i know cry. and believe me, i don't cry easily.
i totally agree with Mike. see: http://michaelstaires.typepad.com/weblog/2004/12/the_best_christ.html
Extreme Makeover Home Edition -the show is pure good. tonight one of the guys on the show said something like "i'm so glad that i get to just reflect the light, man, it's great." hmm- what light do you think he may have been referring to? gee, i don't know what the heck he could've meant by that.
have you ever read Max Lucado's book, You Are Special? No? well, you need to. a friend of mine got it for me in college. At first I was like, oh great, my friend thinks I'm depressed or something. But seriously, it's a great little inspirational book. i think that the people of Extreme Makeover Home Edition would love the book- they would get it. the book is about these little wooden people called Wemmicks. we’re all a bunch of Wemmicks. you see, it's up to you whether or not you let labels stick to you- you are not and do not have to be what other people try to make you or tell you. what i love about Extreme Makeover Home Edition is that they decided that families were special and deserved to be helped and they stepped out of “the norm” to produce a program where deserving families are blessed. they throw away the old and they put on new. without even realizing it, they are helping people see God... and they're accidently running into Him theirselves. oops. :) and all the producers wanted was good ratings.
The show gives me warm fuzzies... and the book gives me warm fuzzies...
anyway, what did i do for new year's you ask? well, i did a little karaoke, i did a little "dance revolution", and i played poker. no, not w/real cash but i wish we had because i came out the winner... and it was my first time to play poker. came out w/$1,052 worth of chips! maybe i should visit Vegas? ...nah.

anyone recognize this missing person? last seen: 1989, boarding a flight to LA with her hairdresser.