Fall Conference Rocked

and i'm back :)

this week is bound to be a bit nuts. i'm having an insanely hard time with another 20th cent. am. poetry paper... need to do this NOW. it's due tuesday and it begs for the editing eye of daddy-man. but i am having a very bad time writing it. :-( concentration level is pretty much nil.

We Won

we won, we won we won we won

we won we won we won
we won we won we won

we won we won we won we won
and we did it in less than 30 minutes

i hope you don't think i'm bragging
but lest you think so, i say unto thee

that i did not play
but like 5 minutes
so maybe i shouldn't be surprised!

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off to fall conference

yo ho ho and a bottle of flavored water

CoRec RUF Volleyball Team Scores Its First Loss

depressing, eh?

and we had a shot at winning, but then i pulled my hamstring enough to slow me down, and that certainly didn't help. i think we have the potential for victory, though. :)

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in other news, my russian masterworks in translation (fondly referred to as RMWT by...well, no one) professor just keeps getting sketchier and sketchier with his in class comments. trust me, i am NEVER going to office hours. heebeegeeeeeeeeeebees.

today he made a HIGHLY suggestive comment and then said, "i would go on, but i don't think i will." when provoked to elaborate, taking suggestive to a whole new level of disgusting, by one of the guys in my class, he said, "no, even i have my limits of how low i will go." and to think that there is an 82 year old retired french professor - who happens to be a very sweet old lady - having to put up with all of this! you'd think he had more decency!

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also wanted to note that i'm reading Acts right now, and it's flippin' sweet, to quote napoleon dynamite. hopefully soon i'll post on some of that. :)

Flu Season Came Early

i'm sick. have been since saturday night. be glad i'm sparing you details.

the best way to keep food down seems to be reclining or lying down and not moving my stomach. i got to go get my car yesterday (YES - she's finally finished!), but obviously that didn't jive well with not moving my stomach. hopefully this blasted thing is on its way out the door.

anyway, so i haven't been doing much, seeing as i haven't been able to. pretty much reading, sleeping, and watching law and order sums it up.

blech.

Bad OED

i'm on the mailing list for the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), and they send me a word of the day every day. these words are frighteningly banal. "deejay" and "bar-hopping" are among the recent vocab lessons i've gotten.

and this is the standard english dictionary? who are we kidding, people???

Y'all All Need To Look At This

and you probably each know a few people who you need to show it to. hint - they're probably women.

it won't take much of your time, but you've got to look at it - probably multiple times.

personally, i'm impressed with the people over at dove.

Random, Excellent Film Quotes

"righteous...not so righteous..." - just like heaven

"in case of altitude change, put your head between your knees and kiss your bum goodbye." - chicken run

leia: "i love you"
han: "i know" - star wars: return of the jedi

"don't a-stomp your little last season Prada shoes at me, honey." - legally blonde

"i am going to rip you to pieces with my bare hands...or vicious rhetoric." - win a date with tad hamilton

dad: "hello, katarina. make anybody cry today?"
kat: "sadly, no. but it's only 4:30." - 10 things i hate about you

drew: "so what are you doing right now?"
claire: "i'm checking out this cute guy..."
drew: "why are you telling me that?" - elizabethtown, which is me in a movie - music, roadtripping, and sweet humor

"i'm sorry, the position of annoying talking animal has already been taken." - shrek 2

"y'know, 'those who can't do, teach?' well those who can't wed, plan." - the wedding planner

"fashion is what one wears oneself. what is unfashionable is what other people wear. other people are quite dreadful. the only possible society is onself." - an ideal husband

"i take a vitamin everyday. it's called a steak." - kicking & screaming (and darn right)

"how would you like to go through life with the name cooper banks-mackenzie? the kid's gonna sound like a law firm." - father of the bride II

"elizabeth...it never would have worked between us, darling. i'm sorry. will...nice hat." - pirates of the caribbean: curse of the black pearl

jack sparrow: "one question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. this girl...how far are you willing to go to save her?"
will turner: "i'd die for her."
jack sparrow: "oh, good. no worries then." - pirates of the caribbean: curse of the black pearl

"there'll be no living with her after this." - pirates of the caribbean curse of the black pearl

"look - undead monkey" - pirates of the caribbean: dead man's chest

"i'm a tv personality. my hair is my trademark. just like the 'i don't like to shower' look is your trademark." - life or something like it

"he was very vigorous, father." - mask of zorro

don diego de la vega: "do you know how to use that thing? [a sword]"
alejandro: "of course! the pointy end goes into the other man." - mask of zorro

"there's a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. twould be a pity to damage yours." - the princess bride

"i don't want to see you breaking anyone else out of jail. without my permission, of course." - the legend of zorro

"who died and made you danny?" - ocean's twelve

john smith: " i realize you witnessed the mrs. and i working through a few domestic issues. that's regrettable, but don't take that to be a sign of weakness, that would be a mistake on your part."
jane smith (drumming her fingers impatiently)
john smith: "honey!"
jane smith: "wrap it up."
john smith: "maybe it's not such a good idea to undermine me in front of the hostage - sends a mixed message."
jane smith: "sorry."
john smith: "girls... where was i?"
benjamin: "mistake on your part."
john smith: "shut up." - mr & mrs smith

hermione: "now, if you two don't mind, i'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed, or worse, expelled."
ron: "she needs to sort out her priorities." - harry potter and the sorcerer's stone

Must Add This

this is hilarious. it helps to know the original song weird al is parodying is called "ridin' dirty" and is about avoiding detection by the police while moving drugs... anyway, i recommend it for a solid laugh.

What If CSI Stood For...

...candles still illuminate?

that was just a random way to start this update.

so the chocolate chocolate chip cake was a hit, even though i didn't exactly do it as per the directions. i was short 2 oz. of sour cream, and i forgot the tablespoon of vanilla, but it was still really good. in the future i'll fix all that, use fewer chocolate chips (it was a wee bit overwhelming), and top it off with powdered sugar. i think that'll take it from good to great.

phantom is great. personally, though, i can't figure out why everyone is in love with the phantom and not raoul. helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo - raoul is freakin' awesome. bad boys are SO overrated, mostly because they're BAD. (not rocket science, but you'd be surprised - or maybe not - at how delusional girls can be about these things...)

i got to listen to paige brown's talk on the kingdom from the WIC conference in atlanta while i was prepping for tonight - it was even better this time than the last time i heard her give it (at summer conference a few years ago). that whole concept and the dichotomy of the church and the kingdom is what i want to unpack next fall at l'abri. i'm so excited it makes me slightly more spastic even than normal.

i love milk.

oh, guess what - i'm REALLY sore, but not nearly so bad as in high school. then, since we did frog hops (though coach had to go easy on me because of my back) and wall sits and all that stuff, i would hobble around really badly and have to put my hand down to brace myself before dropping into my chair - i actually couldn't physically sit down. it was pretty awful. i'm glad to say i'm not nearly so bad off at the moment.

i don't like the new blue raspberry jolly ranchers. they taste funny. and my tongue FEELS blue even though i can't see it sitting here, drinking my milk and watching CSI and blogging. i can just tell, you know?

i got my finger- and toenails done today. it was delicious. hopefully it will help me stop picking at my fingers and ripping up my fingernails. they look so pretty - i would hate to ruin them.

VOLLEYBALL

it's that time of year, ladies and gentlemen - time for intramural volleyball. being the overachieving nutcase that i am, this year i am the captain of two (2) teams - one corec and one all girls. yummy, eh?

we had practice today and let me just say i am SORE and will probably not be able to sit down tomorrow. can you believe unathletic little me (ok, not so little) is engaging in athletic activity - voluntarily? why, you ask, are you breaking out of your mold? well, i am glad to say that when my soul was being created, and God didn't put in me the athleticism and such He would impart to my sister and brother, He decided to make volleyball an exception. i'm actually quite good, considering. and i actually like it. weird, huh?

in other news, tomorrow i am making a chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake and then watching "the phantom of the opera" with some friends. i'll let you know how it goes.

chicks dig scars and glory lives forever.

I Hate Accounting, &tc.

i. hate. money. this could explain why i hate accounting and balancing the blooming checkbook and all that sort of rot. drives me nuts. too bad it's part of every day life, eh? too bad i'm stuck with it.

i got to go for fall break to my sister's school for her family weekend, like i said. it was really great. my whole family descended en mass on the campus. it was great to be with my parents and the bug and my kate. :) wouldn't trade it for all the tea in china.

the hotel beds were EXTREMELY comfortable. i'm pretty much in love. it was like a nice cushy european bed with down comforters and the whole bit. it was fantastic. it helped my back alot, though i did have a lot of trouble at the football game. stupid backless bleachers... at any rate, this whole weekend (including watching the lovely film gridiron gang - bet it's never been called "lovely" before), coupled with some other brief viewings of IM football lately and a great book for dummies like me, resulted in what i believe to be quite a miracle: i like football.

yeah, that was the sound of hell freezing over. (at this rate, i may actually love it by the superbowl!)

i am hungry and tired. i think i shall take a shower.

Ma Familia

tomorrow is the day i leave for fall break. my parents, brother, and i are converging on my sister's school for family weekend. it'll be SOOOOOOO fantastic. :-D oh, and did i mention that i'm not taking any homework with me? JUST my application for covenant and my receipts (for some hardcore accounting). but you know how nice it is that homework is not a part of the picture? it's nuts. i'm tickled pink.

i have some utterly remarkable friends. they are incredible. they are amazing. i am like obsessed. they're good times, and i can't believe in a year we will be living all over the country. :-(

Life Goes On

it's amazing how time never slows down. people have horrible things happen to them and the days just keep marching on. great things happen, too, and the world doesn't stop for one second to rejoice. the thing is, life comes at you at 60 seconds per minute all the time. and lately, as i've been dealing with those minutes being packed with hard things and watching my friends deal with similarly exhausting situations, i've come to realize that this is not only good practice for "real life" - like when the baby is up screaming at all hours of the night, or when your best friend's car dies at the mall and you have to go jump it - this IS real life. and Christ is with us always.

sandra's new cd has a fantastic song about time, distance, and lovers. i may not have a lover, but time and distance i kinda understand, and the song is beautiful. the best part is at the end, and i think it can accurately be applied to alot of things.

i have no claim on the future, so here i lay me down
and God is a friend to lovers, He makes the bone, the flesh, the ground
and He walks with us, make no mistake
He holds us when our hearts, they break...
this is not make believe

thank God that the sorrow and suffering of life, as well as its joys and ecstacies, are accompanied by a sovereign, loving, compassionate Heart with His people's best interests in mind. we are not abandoned or outside His grasp ever, no matter what happens and no matter how we feel about it.

ps the plethora of crummy things happening seems to have ended (?) or at least abated. the big trend-breaker? mom coming, of course. :)

Parents' Weekend

my mom came for parents' weekend, and all i got was...
alot of fantastic food
some great shopping
a trip to an american art museum/estate
mom's opinion on and insight into all sorts of things (and she's, like, always right - just ask my dad)
a long nap in a super-comfy bed
someone to hang out with (not impress or entertain) non-stop for 2.5 days
lots of just silly, fun conversation
time with my friends' families (some of whom i'd never met before)

i know, i know - you all pity me immensely.

my mom is the best.

New Question to Ask at Premarital Counselling

"if something traumatic happened to me, and i turned into a superhero, would you still love me and stay with me?"

a nice follow-up to that is "even if my ears disappeared and my skin turned into a rock-like substance?"

(i'm watching "fantastic four")

hmm

what do you think of the green? did you like the old layout/back drop better?

A Few Random Things

1) i am really excited about this website and the conference next may. i'm just keeping my fingers crossed that none of my friends decide to get married that weekend (hint hint) so i can go.
2) covenant seminary is now rivalling rts jackson for first place on the seminary list.
3) i hated moulin rouge. it was a really annoying mosaic of postmodernism, bohemian romanticism, and sin. oh, and bad music. i know, i know - i'm an awful english major/romantic.
4) x-men rocks.
5) this is a really fun way to spend time when you're trying to keep your brain from completely shutting down.
6) it is a really good thing that there is enough grace to float the worst sort of sinner, cause that would pretty much be me and my selfish self. i am really strongly coming to grips with how mean my heart can be.
7) there are a couple of machines i think someone ought to make. first, one to take out the trash. this one would probably have to be a robot, unfortunately... then, we need one to kill large spiders that take up residence in our doorway to the porch. and finally, i think we need a machine (or a computer program) that distills tolstoy's war and peace into a comprehensible, relatively interesting, reasonably lengthed house pet instead of the ridiculous, excruciatingly longwinded and meandering, monstrous beast it is now.

Nail Polish

my new nail polish color is called: "a-rose at dawn...broke by noon"

now either somebody flunked marketing class or there is a mysteriously verbose demographic of nail polish buyers out there...

Psalm 23

there's something supremely humbling, in my opinion, about nervously chanting psalm 23 over and over and over again as you drive the 1.7 miles between school and your house. it's humbling because, if you were me a couple of weeks ago, you were doing this to keep from a) hyperventilating and b) driving like a granny and being rear-ended. but the funny thing is, if you say something over and over again, it starts to hit you differently. the word "potluck" is a good example. personally, i think it sounds alot less like a meal-style and alot more like something to do with leprechauns...

anyway, psalm 23 (which i haven't been fond of if quite a while to be honest - it's so frequently quoted i've assumed that makes it trite, when in fact nothing can be less trite than the word of God - ever) has taken on a whole new weightiness, or rather, i understand more of the weightiness it has always borne.

i think that, despite the obvious timing issues, psalm 23 is an explication of romans 8:38-39. God is permanently with us, protecting and loving us, and that looks like...
...not lacking what we need (not necessarily for life even, but as piper says in don't waste your life, what we are given is what we need for faith)
...we hang out (spiritually) in restful, peaceful places
...our souls are restored (that obviously means they needed it!)
...we are led in "paths of righteousness for His Name's sake" - we are being sanctified -becoming holy like Christ - for the purpose not of people being amazed at us, but floored by the generosity, patience, and love of God
...we don't fear in the valley of the shadow of death (again, note that we still go there!) because we are accompanied by "our shield and defender, the ancient of days"
...we are comforted by His discipline
...(to be honest i'm not sure what the "prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" is getting at - thoughts?)
...we are chosen and set apart (anointed)
...we are satisfied to overflowing
...we are tailed by twin bodyguards, goodness and mercy
...we will live with Jesus in His house forever

:)