It's been a while. My thoughts are now so scattered, crumbled, and tired of being expressed that they hardly know how to rest anymore, much less rest in a coherent set of ideas laid out nicely on this pretty blog. See, THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE. But I'm okay with it. And despite that odd beginning, I must assure this blog (for no one else may ever read this) that I am well. Quite well. Sure I freaked out a lot last week. Sure I have a ton to do. Sure I might not be as organized as I would like and I have started putting off doing the dishes (which I was so hoping not ever to do, but even now as I write I should be doing dishes before bed). Sure I may be getting a cold that I don't have time for. Sure I just got an extra 5 hours of work per week. Sure. But regardless of all this, I am content, chipper, cheerful even. And to convince you, I will make a list.
Thankfulnesses:
1) My homity homerson with it's lovely wood floors and all-my-own-ness.
2) Peanut butter.
3) The internet and all things technological.
4) Sunlight.
5) Plants. Well, plant. I only have one.
6) My extremely comfortable bed that makes it hard to move in the morning sometimes.
7) God. Which, yes, should have been first, but these are in no particular order and I can see and feel my home around me and I just ate peanut butter and I am using the internet, etc, you know.
8) People. I love them. And they are nice. And they laugh at my jokes sometimes. And on occasion they feed me.
9) Framily.
10) The ability to add extra r's to almost any word.
11) Shoes.
12) Green. (yes, the color)
13) Helen Keller.
14) Sweaters.
15) Brownies.
16) Babies.
17) Painting. Not paintingS, though I like them, too.
18) Salsa. The food, the dance, the lifestyle. (Ok, that last part isn't real.)
19) Moo. The noise.
20) All things nature.
21) Genetic modification. (Oranges without seeds, for example.)
22) Cameras. (How are they possible?!?)
23) Ha, that's how old I am.
The end.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Words
This was probably the best time for me to move. Not necessarily in my interpersonal life, but in my intrapersonal self. I feel, for the most part, prepared and competent. I feel, for the most part, content and happy. I feel, for the most part, as though I can handle this.
I also know that these feelings of general contentment could give way in a matter of weeks or days to a sense of malaise or even freakoutdom. Now, "freakoutdom" is not a word, I admit, but "malaise" is. It is my word of the week in fact. I decided, as I was planning my new start here in Columbia, that it would be beneficial for me to incorporate certain things into my daily and weekly routine. These things include, but are not limited to, praying more, cooking healthy food once a week or so that will last me the rest of the week, making sure my apartment is tidy when I leave it and when I go to bed, reviewing a rotating set of Spanish language flash cards in the morning and the evening to increase my vocabulary, and a few more. Having covered a goal of daily improvement in my foreign language choice, it seemed only reasonable that I attempt to increase my English vocabulary as well in order to increase my ability to express myself intelligibly. I therefore decided to buy a small whiteboard to stick on my fridge on which I will write one word each week and it's definition. I am considering expanding it to include some synonyms and antonyms, but there isn't a lot of space on the tiny board, so we will see.
And so we have (not chosen for any particular reason pertaining to meaning): Malaise - a feeling of general discomfort - mental, moral, physical, etc.
I also know that these feelings of general contentment could give way in a matter of weeks or days to a sense of malaise or even freakoutdom. Now, "freakoutdom" is not a word, I admit, but "malaise" is. It is my word of the week in fact. I decided, as I was planning my new start here in Columbia, that it would be beneficial for me to incorporate certain things into my daily and weekly routine. These things include, but are not limited to, praying more, cooking healthy food once a week or so that will last me the rest of the week, making sure my apartment is tidy when I leave it and when I go to bed, reviewing a rotating set of Spanish language flash cards in the morning and the evening to increase my vocabulary, and a few more. Having covered a goal of daily improvement in my foreign language choice, it seemed only reasonable that I attempt to increase my English vocabulary as well in order to increase my ability to express myself intelligibly. I therefore decided to buy a small whiteboard to stick on my fridge on which I will write one word each week and it's definition. I am considering expanding it to include some synonyms and antonyms, but there isn't a lot of space on the tiny board, so we will see.
And so we have (not chosen for any particular reason pertaining to meaning): Malaise - a feeling of general discomfort - mental, moral, physical, etc.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A comment on the cold
I have more to say.
Yesterday was cold. I know that now that I live in Missouri I really have no right to complain since Iowa is a good 10 degrees colder on average, which in this frigid weather could be the difference between below zero temperatures and temperatures that can be considered slightly more reasonable. Anyway, now that I have appeased my sense of obligation to those who live further North (none of whom may read this anyway, so it is merely for my own contentment that I mention the above situation), I will now continue to my cold experience. It is not very exciting, but I do find it rather humorous and it is short enough that I can finish it before my fingers freeze in an uncomfortable bent position.
This is it, remember I already warned that it is uninteresting: Yesterday, after I got home from a noon devotional meeting, I couldn't get warm. I decided it was silly and so donned: flannel pajama pants, sweatpants, socks, hand knit slippers, other slippers, tank top, sweater, zipper hoodie, huge sweater, hat, and over everything, a shawl. This was all while I was in my apartment. I later covered myself with yet another blanket and was almost warm. The only thing that really worked was a hot shower. Eating food helped too. I swear my body is trying to add on extra layers just as much as my mind has been directing the external layering of large amounts of clothing. My body however has other methods: the building up of body fat. It's a really wonderful thing if you think of it. Our bodies are designed to help us survive and mine doesn't want me to die of hypothermia or any other cold-related terminal malady (which actually I'm not sure exist, it's just called freezing to death). Oh body, how I love you. You and your survival skill I-must-eat-everything mind tricks. I just wish you weren't too cold to realize that exercise would warm you up just as effectively, if not more effectively. But no, you are too cold to think straight.
Yesterday was cold. I know that now that I live in Missouri I really have no right to complain since Iowa is a good 10 degrees colder on average, which in this frigid weather could be the difference between below zero temperatures and temperatures that can be considered slightly more reasonable. Anyway, now that I have appeased my sense of obligation to those who live further North (none of whom may read this anyway, so it is merely for my own contentment that I mention the above situation), I will now continue to my cold experience. It is not very exciting, but I do find it rather humorous and it is short enough that I can finish it before my fingers freeze in an uncomfortable bent position.
This is it, remember I already warned that it is uninteresting: Yesterday, after I got home from a noon devotional meeting, I couldn't get warm. I decided it was silly and so donned: flannel pajama pants, sweatpants, socks, hand knit slippers, other slippers, tank top, sweater, zipper hoodie, huge sweater, hat, and over everything, a shawl. This was all while I was in my apartment. I later covered myself with yet another blanket and was almost warm. The only thing that really worked was a hot shower. Eating food helped too. I swear my body is trying to add on extra layers just as much as my mind has been directing the external layering of large amounts of clothing. My body however has other methods: the building up of body fat. It's a really wonderful thing if you think of it. Our bodies are designed to help us survive and mine doesn't want me to die of hypothermia or any other cold-related terminal malady (which actually I'm not sure exist, it's just called freezing to death). Oh body, how I love you. You and your survival skill I-must-eat-everything mind tricks. I just wish you weren't too cold to realize that exercise would warm you up just as effectively, if not more effectively. But no, you are too cold to think straight.
This is Kara's fault, but she doesn't know it
I used to have a blog when I was in Bermuda. It was a way for me to stay connected with family and friends back in the States and share my thoughts with whoever cared to read them. Now I will say that I do not really expect people to read this blog much this time around. I am not in some warm, new place that none of my relations or closest friends have ever been to. No, I am in the Midwest, where right now we are experiencing the coldest of coldnesses and where people rarely vacation.
I decided to do this quite spur of the moment because of Kara. She did it. She started her own blog. I cave to real and imagined peer pressure (absolutely imagined and actually completely non-existent in this instance). So this time it is actually much more for me than for anyone else, hence the name of this blog. You know how you have a coat rack to hang your coat and a foot rest to prop your feet on when they are tired? Well, I want someplace to rest my thoughts. Like a pillow cradles your head while you sleep. I was going to journal, but I find my fingers too cold and impatient for that at the moment.
And so I type...
I decided to do this quite spur of the moment because of Kara. She did it. She started her own blog. I cave to real and imagined peer pressure (absolutely imagined and actually completely non-existent in this instance). So this time it is actually much more for me than for anyone else, hence the name of this blog. You know how you have a coat rack to hang your coat and a foot rest to prop your feet on when they are tired? Well, I want someplace to rest my thoughts. Like a pillow cradles your head while you sleep. I was going to journal, but I find my fingers too cold and impatient for that at the moment.
And so I type...
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