when i was in high school, my parents would refer to occasional moods and attitudes i displayed as "senior-itis". i even diagnosed myself with this same affliction a couple of times in college. ok, more than a couple. pretty much every friday in spring that i had money for beer and a tube rental for the river i would beg off on the grounds that i was suffering from senioritis, whether i was a senior or not. since i was never really a freshman, i reasoned it was fair enough. i guess senioritis is the same thing as spring fever...
i have a severe case of it today. i don't want to do ANYTHING but blow off work, go home and get a book and a towel, and head to barton springs to soak up some sun and be outside. i have a million and 87 things i need to be doing, and i just can't make myself buckle down for beans. spring fever strikes again. even reading about random inane information, which usually spurs me to do actual relevant work isn't doing the trick today. instead of steering me toward work, it's just irritating me, because i can't do what i want to do. sometimes being a responsible grown up is not fun. blah.
i'll live. i mean, i'm griping about delaying gratification, because this time next week, i'll be neck deep in the gulf of mexico, with a cooler full of adult beverages waiting for me on the shoreline. i love family weddings. more than that, i love destination family weddings. maybe one day i'll even have my own destination family wedding. that's a whole other blog for a whole other day.
i'm getting a hair cut tomorrow. like you needed to know that, right?
mil besos-r
13 April 2005
12 April 2005
random bit of information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerealia
some of you know my penchant for the trivial. this is right up my alley. today, i'd like to remind each and every one of us of our roman/greek influences, everything from paved roads, indoor plumbing (praise G-d!), govermental archetypes (for which i am sometimes thankful), to the way western theology has evolved over two thousand years of Christian influence.
ceres was the roman godess of grain. in greece, she was known as demeter. her husband was her brother, jupiter (zeus in greece). their daughter proserpina (persephone in greece) was wooed away to become queen of the underworld, and cerealia commemorates Ceres' search for her daughter. apparently the festival was celebrated in several ways. one involved tying lit firebrands to the tails of foxes, and turning them loose in the circus maximus. the other involved a bunch of women dressed in white running around with lit torches. go figure. i don't know what the roman obsession with running and fire, or running with fire was, but it's a bleeding miracle that any of them lived to tell about it.
i guess if i were going to make a recommendation for how to celebrate cerealia today (which i wouldn't because everyone knows that you get sent straight to hell for that sort of thing, and by that sort of thing i mean celebrating a PAGAN holiday), i'd have to go with lighting up a giant 120 mentol (which i wouldn't because i quit, and because it's bad for you, and because it's not fancy at all) and eating a bowl full of chex mix (which you shouldn't eat because the dietary fiber content is negligible, the sodium content is astronmical, and it gives you horrible stinky garlic breath). and maybe drink something stiffer than a diet coke (but i can't, since the diocese passed all the dumb rules about drinking on the job).
it's going to be a long week...
mil besos-r
some of you know my penchant for the trivial. this is right up my alley. today, i'd like to remind each and every one of us of our roman/greek influences, everything from paved roads, indoor plumbing (praise G-d!), govermental archetypes (for which i am sometimes thankful), to the way western theology has evolved over two thousand years of Christian influence.
ceres was the roman godess of grain. in greece, she was known as demeter. her husband was her brother, jupiter (zeus in greece). their daughter proserpina (persephone in greece) was wooed away to become queen of the underworld, and cerealia commemorates Ceres' search for her daughter. apparently the festival was celebrated in several ways. one involved tying lit firebrands to the tails of foxes, and turning them loose in the circus maximus. the other involved a bunch of women dressed in white running around with lit torches. go figure. i don't know what the roman obsession with running and fire, or running with fire was, but it's a bleeding miracle that any of them lived to tell about it.
i guess if i were going to make a recommendation for how to celebrate cerealia today (which i wouldn't because everyone knows that you get sent straight to hell for that sort of thing, and by that sort of thing i mean celebrating a PAGAN holiday), i'd have to go with lighting up a giant 120 mentol (which i wouldn't because i quit, and because it's bad for you, and because it's not fancy at all) and eating a bowl full of chex mix (which you shouldn't eat because the dietary fiber content is negligible, the sodium content is astronmical, and it gives you horrible stinky garlic breath). and maybe drink something stiffer than a diet coke (but i can't, since the diocese passed all the dumb rules about drinking on the job).
it's going to be a long week...
mil besos-r
08 April 2005
something totally different
i figure life on longvallyelane.blogspot.com can sometimes read like one long random ramble about my life. that's because that's exactly what it is. but, i also imagine that sometimes you might want more from me, more hard hitting information, and fewer pms induced rants. because i care about what you want, or at least because i'm supposed to care what you want, i figured i'd expand on something i had to do for work earlier this week i'd also love, love, love if this could generate some conversation on the comments section., or at least tell me what you think. or if you just like the news and rants, minus any philosophical waxing. let me know and we'll see what we'll see. smooches--rmg
Prayer of Mother Teresa
Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
That our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
That every soul we come in contact with
May feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
So to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
By shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
Not by words, but by our example;
By the catching force-
The sympathetic influence of what we do,
The evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.
Amen
The Kalighat Home for the Destitute and Dying stands on the site of a temple dedicated to Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, in the midst of a city dedicated to that same goddess. Mother Teresa arrived in India in 1931, and began to help establish an incredible Roman Catholic presence in a country that had very little religiously in common with her church’s ideology. Nevertheless, Teresa began to do her work in the streets, in schools, in the sewage filled neighborhoods of Calcutta. Mother Teresa came to that city as a teacher, and in 1952 reclaimed the Kalighat Temple, and turned it into a haven for the poorest of the poor. She renamed it Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart), and it was there that Mother Teresa began her life’s work and ministry. Helping poor Bengalis know that there was hope and care in a society that called them “untouchable”, Mother Teresa would walk up and down the aisles whispering to them in their native tongue that “God is here” and touch their foreheads with her small hands.
Now, i have some issues with the Catholic Church, and with overt proselyzation. But that discussion is for another day. The thing about this prayer and about this story that just leaves me in awe and amazement is that opening line-- Jesus, help us spread your fragrance all around. Think about that for a minute. Imagine being surrounded by death at every turn, surrounded by raw sewage when you step outside to get a breath of "fresh" air, and to still have the desire to pray for a new smell. What must Jesus smell like in that instance? I know that seems like a random question to ask, but really, what would you want to smell in the place of what was there. Smell is a powerful sense. It has the power to generate memories that are powerful in their intensity. Case in point--the smell of camay soap always reminds me of my great-grandmother's bathroom, and these funny little picture things she had hanging on the wall. The smell of coconut reminds me of the beach. The smell of gardenia reminds me of my mother. The smell of patcholi reminds me of the drag.
For me, were I to stand where Mother Teresa stood, Jesus would smell like several things. Jesus would like that moment between being asleep and awake, when you can almost smell breakfast, almost smell the fresh shampoo smell from last night's shower, almost smell the laundry sheet you dry your bed linens with. it's a smell that's almost nothing, but very definitely something. Almost overwhelming in its simplicity, but above all, comforting and so incredibly ordinary. Or maybe Jesus would smell like a wide open field after a good central texas rain, full of wild flowers--smelling sharply green, slightly sweet, and so clean you could eat off of it. Or maybe I'm reaching too far with this analogy, and have finally slipped into the sweet bliss of crazy. Who knows.
What I do know is that there are days when the sights, sounds, smells, and frenetic pace of life overwhelms each of us. I do know that there are days when we get so caught up in our own ambitions, intrigues, relationships, and disappointments that we forget the very basic necessity of breathing in and out. My yoga teacher (we hosted a class during let at the church) reminded us that breathing in and out is something we should concentrate on doing, that it's part of us loving ourselves. Prana is the Sanskrit word for "life-force", which is connected to breath, but is so much more than just breath. Our teacher told us to feel our prana when we breathed, to take time out every day to feel it, if only for a moment, that our breath and our bodies were alive. It's amazing how squaring back your shoulders and breathing all the way to your toes five or six times can change your entire attitude. And in opening up your lungs, in being mindful of the breaths we take, maybe, just maybe, we can smell Jesus. And maybe after we've done that, we can take that scent with us, and share it wherever we go.
mil besos--r
Prayer of Mother Teresa
Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
That our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
That every soul we come in contact with
May feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
So to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
By shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
Not by words, but by our example;
By the catching force-
The sympathetic influence of what we do,
The evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.
Amen
The Kalighat Home for the Destitute and Dying stands on the site of a temple dedicated to Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, in the midst of a city dedicated to that same goddess. Mother Teresa arrived in India in 1931, and began to help establish an incredible Roman Catholic presence in a country that had very little religiously in common with her church’s ideology. Nevertheless, Teresa began to do her work in the streets, in schools, in the sewage filled neighborhoods of Calcutta. Mother Teresa came to that city as a teacher, and in 1952 reclaimed the Kalighat Temple, and turned it into a haven for the poorest of the poor. She renamed it Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart), and it was there that Mother Teresa began her life’s work and ministry. Helping poor Bengalis know that there was hope and care in a society that called them “untouchable”, Mother Teresa would walk up and down the aisles whispering to them in their native tongue that “God is here” and touch their foreheads with her small hands.
Now, i have some issues with the Catholic Church, and with overt proselyzation. But that discussion is for another day. The thing about this prayer and about this story that just leaves me in awe and amazement is that opening line-- Jesus, help us spread your fragrance all around. Think about that for a minute. Imagine being surrounded by death at every turn, surrounded by raw sewage when you step outside to get a breath of "fresh" air, and to still have the desire to pray for a new smell. What must Jesus smell like in that instance? I know that seems like a random question to ask, but really, what would you want to smell in the place of what was there. Smell is a powerful sense. It has the power to generate memories that are powerful in their intensity. Case in point--the smell of camay soap always reminds me of my great-grandmother's bathroom, and these funny little picture things she had hanging on the wall. The smell of coconut reminds me of the beach. The smell of gardenia reminds me of my mother. The smell of patcholi reminds me of the drag.
For me, were I to stand where Mother Teresa stood, Jesus would smell like several things. Jesus would like that moment between being asleep and awake, when you can almost smell breakfast, almost smell the fresh shampoo smell from last night's shower, almost smell the laundry sheet you dry your bed linens with. it's a smell that's almost nothing, but very definitely something. Almost overwhelming in its simplicity, but above all, comforting and so incredibly ordinary. Or maybe Jesus would smell like a wide open field after a good central texas rain, full of wild flowers--smelling sharply green, slightly sweet, and so clean you could eat off of it. Or maybe I'm reaching too far with this analogy, and have finally slipped into the sweet bliss of crazy. Who knows.
What I do know is that there are days when the sights, sounds, smells, and frenetic pace of life overwhelms each of us. I do know that there are days when we get so caught up in our own ambitions, intrigues, relationships, and disappointments that we forget the very basic necessity of breathing in and out. My yoga teacher (we hosted a class during let at the church) reminded us that breathing in and out is something we should concentrate on doing, that it's part of us loving ourselves. Prana is the Sanskrit word for "life-force", which is connected to breath, but is so much more than just breath. Our teacher told us to feel our prana when we breathed, to take time out every day to feel it, if only for a moment, that our breath and our bodies were alive. It's amazing how squaring back your shoulders and breathing all the way to your toes five or six times can change your entire attitude. And in opening up your lungs, in being mindful of the breaths we take, maybe, just maybe, we can smell Jesus. And maybe after we've done that, we can take that scent with us, and share it wherever we go.
mil besos--r
06 April 2005
i know, i know, i know
geeze, it's been a while. the office recently moved, and we've been without internet for a whole week. i felt like someone cut off my arms. it was awful. but we're back on line, and i feel much better.
let me tell you about the excitement in my life.
hot news item #1: sometime in either december or january, i will become a real-live official aunt. that's right, seth and monica are expecting. i am so freaking psyched about the impending arrival. it's going to be a long ass wait. i guess that will give me plenty of time to jockey for a god-parent spot, buy the kid lots of books and stock up on juicy fruit gum, which i think every aunt should have in her purse. i will also practice my skills on the baby nels, and hope i don't mess him up, either. yay.
hot news item #2: for those of you waiting with baited (live or dead?) breath on my D-Day decision, here's the jist... i'll totally be in austin for the forseeable future. what i'll be doing, that's the next big hurdle to cross. i can't say more than that at the moment, just know there are a ton of exciting opportunities presenting themselves. yay!!
hot news item #3: i found my first gray hair last week. there's no way it was anything but a gray hair. i know this because i pulled out a blonde hair and a brown hair to compare. this was all white and of a totally different texture than the rest of my hair. i pulled it out and threw it away. i thought about keeping it, and then changed my mind. it's not like keeping your first tooth...
hot news item #4: i finally got asked to a prom. i know, that's hard to believe, but when you date a younger man in high school, you are the one who does the asking. yeah, one of my freshmen boys asked me to got to his prom (he goes to a small high school, so their prom is open to everyone), but i'm pretty sure he was mostly joking. i got a big kick out of it, though. i did make sure and tell him that it was inappropriate, however. he said that he was renting a camoflage-patterned tuxedo, and if my professional ethics hadn't been enough to elicit a "no" from my very shocked and amazed lips, the thought of that tux would have done the trick. a camo tux-- what will they think up next?
hot news item #5-- i'm going to the beach with my junior high kids this weekend. yay beach, boo junior high hormones. i figured i will just threaten them with bodily harm and then ply them with sugary snacks to keep them in check. i'll let you know how that works out.
mil besos--r
let me tell you about the excitement in my life.
hot news item #1: sometime in either december or january, i will become a real-live official aunt. that's right, seth and monica are expecting. i am so freaking psyched about the impending arrival. it's going to be a long ass wait. i guess that will give me plenty of time to jockey for a god-parent spot, buy the kid lots of books and stock up on juicy fruit gum, which i think every aunt should have in her purse. i will also practice my skills on the baby nels, and hope i don't mess him up, either. yay.
hot news item #2: for those of you waiting with baited (live or dead?) breath on my D-Day decision, here's the jist... i'll totally be in austin for the forseeable future. what i'll be doing, that's the next big hurdle to cross. i can't say more than that at the moment, just know there are a ton of exciting opportunities presenting themselves. yay!!
hot news item #3: i found my first gray hair last week. there's no way it was anything but a gray hair. i know this because i pulled out a blonde hair and a brown hair to compare. this was all white and of a totally different texture than the rest of my hair. i pulled it out and threw it away. i thought about keeping it, and then changed my mind. it's not like keeping your first tooth...
hot news item #4: i finally got asked to a prom. i know, that's hard to believe, but when you date a younger man in high school, you are the one who does the asking. yeah, one of my freshmen boys asked me to got to his prom (he goes to a small high school, so their prom is open to everyone), but i'm pretty sure he was mostly joking. i got a big kick out of it, though. i did make sure and tell him that it was inappropriate, however. he said that he was renting a camoflage-patterned tuxedo, and if my professional ethics hadn't been enough to elicit a "no" from my very shocked and amazed lips, the thought of that tux would have done the trick. a camo tux-- what will they think up next?
hot news item #5-- i'm going to the beach with my junior high kids this weekend. yay beach, boo junior high hormones. i figured i will just threaten them with bodily harm and then ply them with sugary snacks to keep them in check. i'll let you know how that works out.
mil besos--r
24 March 2005
dave day
dave matthews is on my mp3 player-- live at luther college is such a great album. mad snaps to chase for letting me copy it onto my hard drive. just for the heck of it, i wore my pink boston hat today (ok, that's partially a lie, because i went to bed with wet hair last night, and it looks a little lumpy). the weather is clearing up, and i am going to listen to live music and hang out with my family tonight. life is good. oh, and a family of mourning doves has moved into the tree outside my bedroom window. they sang me to sleep two weeks ago, and it was a lovely thing.
you know, for the first time in a long time, i totally believe that everything is really going to be ok. regardless of any decision that gets made by me on April 1, everything is going to be ok. it's good to know that in my bones, again. mary's baby daddy (that's God, in case you were confused) and i had a long talk last night, which consisted mostly of me listening, and God listening. mother teresa said that was how she prayed, and i figure if it's good enough for her, i ought to at least give it a try.
easter is sunday. finally. this has been the longest lent ever, and i didn't even really give anything up. i added a couple of things, and tried to be mindful of a couple of things that needed attention, but this season has still just eaten my lunch. eaten it, threw it back up into my lunchbox, and hit me in the head with said lunchbox. sorry for the graphic discription, but seriously, as ted said in bill and ted's excellent adventure, "stange things are afoot at the circle k".
on an interesting side note, the divine ms. e and jax and i all had a very interesting conversation last night re: why europeans can get away with anything from having outrageously heinous body odor to smoking to using the metric system with reckless abandon simply based upon the fact that they are european. it's like the ultimate get out of jail free card for any faux pax you may make in American society (although they( the euros) would probably argue that we don't really have our own legit society, anyway). keep in mind, this only adds to my admiration of all things european (except for the b.o. part), i heart the euros and their quirky ways.
funny what you end up discussing on random wednesday nights, no?
jimi thing is on the radio, now, so i am going to chair dance and then get back to work.
happy easter. jesus loves you.
mil besos-r
you know, for the first time in a long time, i totally believe that everything is really going to be ok. regardless of any decision that gets made by me on April 1, everything is going to be ok. it's good to know that in my bones, again. mary's baby daddy (that's God, in case you were confused) and i had a long talk last night, which consisted mostly of me listening, and God listening. mother teresa said that was how she prayed, and i figure if it's good enough for her, i ought to at least give it a try.
easter is sunday. finally. this has been the longest lent ever, and i didn't even really give anything up. i added a couple of things, and tried to be mindful of a couple of things that needed attention, but this season has still just eaten my lunch. eaten it, threw it back up into my lunchbox, and hit me in the head with said lunchbox. sorry for the graphic discription, but seriously, as ted said in bill and ted's excellent adventure, "stange things are afoot at the circle k".
on an interesting side note, the divine ms. e and jax and i all had a very interesting conversation last night re: why europeans can get away with anything from having outrageously heinous body odor to smoking to using the metric system with reckless abandon simply based upon the fact that they are european. it's like the ultimate get out of jail free card for any faux pax you may make in American society (although they( the euros) would probably argue that we don't really have our own legit society, anyway). keep in mind, this only adds to my admiration of all things european (except for the b.o. part), i heart the euros and their quirky ways.
funny what you end up discussing on random wednesday nights, no?
jimi thing is on the radio, now, so i am going to chair dance and then get back to work.
happy easter. jesus loves you.
mil besos-r
21 March 2005
catching up
ok, sorry for the delay in game. i was a tad on the busy side last week, and am just now sitting down to go through emails and phone messages. blah. and next week, we get to move offices again. yeah, that's right. the week after easter, the church offices are moving across the street, again. i'd hate for you to think that i'm irritated by that. irritation is such a minor word to me, at the moment. i know, all i do is gripe and whine. i promise, after my beach trip(s), a) all will be revealed, and b) i will be in an exponentially better mood.
as of today, i am setting april 1st (yeah, i know it's april fools' day, but it's also baby austin's b-day) as my very own D Day. that's Decision Day, for those of you who may assign a different word to the letter D. like Dumb, or Dover, or Dipstick... but i digress.
ok, so camping trip. what a mess. i was shivering cold for almost 36 consecutive hours. i kept thinking about how excited i was about getting back to my warm little apartment and cranking the heater way up, taking a bath, and having an actual flush toilet, and was reminded that there are people who have not been warm in months, who have not had a bath in months, and who have to go to the bathroom in the streets where they sleep. sharing a little of their discomfort make me more aware of the blessings in my life, and a little more aware of their own humanity.
in other news, i had a 12 hour work day yesterday. i was very glad to get home, and not have to threaten to beat children. seriously. i do love them, but i don't understand why they can't sit still in church for 5 minutes. granted, i was even having a hard time sitting still by the end of things, but seriously. i guess it all relates back to a conversation i had with my dear mother on friday night-- most of the problems i have with society right now, including governmental issues, issues of politeness, issues of personal freedom, issues of political correctness, etc, all freaking boil down to parenting. if you'd like to hear more about that, lemme know, and i'll give you all you can stand. basically it boils down to the fact that i think it's a dirty rotten shame that parents make any effort to be friends with their children while they are still in the process of raising them. being friends with your children is a luxury you should not allow yourself until they are adults--for lots of reasons, but the biggest one being that they have no sense of how or why to respect authority because you've muddied the waters by being friends with them in the first place. arrggg!! i could go on and on, but i won't.
if you have the opportunity and the means, i have two must have suggestions for your springtime enjoyment, as well as a couple of just fun items to pick up.
one-- you must RUN, don't walk, and pick up the Ray Lamontagne cd "Trouble". i put it in my cd player in late january, and i haven't taken it out. it's that good. seriously. that skinny kid from maine can WAIL.
two-- you must RUN, don't walk, and pick up a book called "Mutant Message Down Under". holy crap, what a great book. i read it in like three sittings. it's amazing and wonderful. that's all i can say.
three-- (not a must have, but a cool thing) the scissor sisters' debut album is a hoot to listen to. track two is my favorite. and the bright eyes cd called "i'm wide awake, it's morning" is a good pick, as well. tracks 1, 2, and 6 are wonderful.
four-- call me next week after baby nel's mom and i make some fun candy. you will want some of this, trust me.
suffice it to say that all things shall be well (they have to be, because Dame Julian said so).
mil besos--r
as of today, i am setting april 1st (yeah, i know it's april fools' day, but it's also baby austin's b-day) as my very own D Day. that's Decision Day, for those of you who may assign a different word to the letter D. like Dumb, or Dover, or Dipstick... but i digress.
ok, so camping trip. what a mess. i was shivering cold for almost 36 consecutive hours. i kept thinking about how excited i was about getting back to my warm little apartment and cranking the heater way up, taking a bath, and having an actual flush toilet, and was reminded that there are people who have not been warm in months, who have not had a bath in months, and who have to go to the bathroom in the streets where they sleep. sharing a little of their discomfort make me more aware of the blessings in my life, and a little more aware of their own humanity.
in other news, i had a 12 hour work day yesterday. i was very glad to get home, and not have to threaten to beat children. seriously. i do love them, but i don't understand why they can't sit still in church for 5 minutes. granted, i was even having a hard time sitting still by the end of things, but seriously. i guess it all relates back to a conversation i had with my dear mother on friday night-- most of the problems i have with society right now, including governmental issues, issues of politeness, issues of personal freedom, issues of political correctness, etc, all freaking boil down to parenting. if you'd like to hear more about that, lemme know, and i'll give you all you can stand. basically it boils down to the fact that i think it's a dirty rotten shame that parents make any effort to be friends with their children while they are still in the process of raising them. being friends with your children is a luxury you should not allow yourself until they are adults--for lots of reasons, but the biggest one being that they have no sense of how or why to respect authority because you've muddied the waters by being friends with them in the first place. arrggg!! i could go on and on, but i won't.
if you have the opportunity and the means, i have two must have suggestions for your springtime enjoyment, as well as a couple of just fun items to pick up.
one-- you must RUN, don't walk, and pick up the Ray Lamontagne cd "Trouble". i put it in my cd player in late january, and i haven't taken it out. it's that good. seriously. that skinny kid from maine can WAIL.
two-- you must RUN, don't walk, and pick up a book called "Mutant Message Down Under". holy crap, what a great book. i read it in like three sittings. it's amazing and wonderful. that's all i can say.
three-- (not a must have, but a cool thing) the scissor sisters' debut album is a hoot to listen to. track two is my favorite. and the bright eyes cd called "i'm wide awake, it's morning" is a good pick, as well. tracks 1, 2, and 6 are wonderful.
four-- call me next week after baby nel's mom and i make some fun candy. you will want some of this, trust me.
suffice it to say that all things shall be well (they have to be, because Dame Julian said so).
mil besos--r
10 March 2005
and another thing...
ok, so since i can't really rant about what i truly want to rant about, i'll gripe and whine about something totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things. i still think this little item is adding to the downfall of western civilization as we know it, but i'll let you, my adoring public, make your own decision... after i've told you what i think, of course.
baseball is God's favorite sport, and since i love God, it's my favorite sport (next to shopping), too. although, i'm pretty sure if those boys don't quit juicing, the Big Umpire in the Sky might send down some of what we like to call wrath... as a result, i have several opinions about the game. the thing about expansion teams is just a glimpse into it...
the designated hitter rule is one of the things i despise in life. i don't mean that i'm just generally irritated by it, like how i'm generally irritated by the fact that everytime i go out, i invariably walk by at least one person covering up their oniony b.o. by having steeped themselves in patchouli oil like some kind of hippie teabag. don't get me wrong--i like patchouli, but seriously people, do you have to make my eyes water on two counts? just take a bath. no, no, i find the dh rule personally offensive, the way i find it personally offensive when someone uses the word "your" when "you're" is the correct word. it bothers me on a very deep and fundamental level that almost defies words-- in fact, it bothers me in a way that damn near transcends all rational emotion. yeah, that's bad.
one of my male friends, who disagrees with me over the rules of the universe and how they govern the realness of sports teams (there's no accounting for taste...), has this to say about the DH rule: " Designated hitters suck. The rule allows overweight, defensive-deficient losers to make millions of dollars." i agree with him. the whole principle of the designated hitter is anathema to any true baseball fan. i'm real sorry if you disagree, but you're just plain wrong.
there is nothing ok about having one person on the team do nothing but hit (even though i realize that other important activities take up a lot of time in a game, spitting and scratching DO NOT count as multitasking in this situation). everyone else has to do something besides hit but the DH, and don't even get me started on pitchers. what a bunch of high-priced cry babies. and in a World Series, the DH doesn't even play in (some cases) half of it. they should get like a world series drop pendant, instead of a ring, or they should have to have a time share with the weenie-poo pitchers.
yeah, that's right, i said it. and tomorrow, i may just write something about why i think it's stupid to have salary caps for teachers at like 50k, or 40k, or even 35k in some school districts, but we as a society have no problem at all setting a salary cap of millions of dollars for a bunch of people who run around in tight pants and play games where you hit and chase things.
good night, my lovelies. i'm off to another meeting...
mil besos-rachel
baseball is God's favorite sport, and since i love God, it's my favorite sport (next to shopping), too. although, i'm pretty sure if those boys don't quit juicing, the Big Umpire in the Sky might send down some of what we like to call wrath... as a result, i have several opinions about the game. the thing about expansion teams is just a glimpse into it...
the designated hitter rule is one of the things i despise in life. i don't mean that i'm just generally irritated by it, like how i'm generally irritated by the fact that everytime i go out, i invariably walk by at least one person covering up their oniony b.o. by having steeped themselves in patchouli oil like some kind of hippie teabag. don't get me wrong--i like patchouli, but seriously people, do you have to make my eyes water on two counts? just take a bath. no, no, i find the dh rule personally offensive, the way i find it personally offensive when someone uses the word "your" when "you're" is the correct word. it bothers me on a very deep and fundamental level that almost defies words-- in fact, it bothers me in a way that damn near transcends all rational emotion. yeah, that's bad.
one of my male friends, who disagrees with me over the rules of the universe and how they govern the realness of sports teams (there's no accounting for taste...), has this to say about the DH rule: " Designated hitters suck. The rule allows overweight, defensive-deficient losers to make millions of dollars." i agree with him. the whole principle of the designated hitter is anathema to any true baseball fan. i'm real sorry if you disagree, but you're just plain wrong.
there is nothing ok about having one person on the team do nothing but hit (even though i realize that other important activities take up a lot of time in a game, spitting and scratching DO NOT count as multitasking in this situation). everyone else has to do something besides hit but the DH, and don't even get me started on pitchers. what a bunch of high-priced cry babies. and in a World Series, the DH doesn't even play in (some cases) half of it. they should get like a world series drop pendant, instead of a ring, or they should have to have a time share with the weenie-poo pitchers.
yeah, that's right, i said it. and tomorrow, i may just write something about why i think it's stupid to have salary caps for teachers at like 50k, or 40k, or even 35k in some school districts, but we as a society have no problem at all setting a salary cap of millions of dollars for a bunch of people who run around in tight pants and play games where you hit and chase things.
good night, my lovelies. i'm off to another meeting...
mil besos-rachel
09 March 2005
the rules of the universe
ok, i've tried to explain this to two of my male friends, and they just can't seem to get their heads around this concept. let me just preface this explanation by saying that these rules are very important. in fact, they may be the only thing that keeps the space/time contiuum in tact. they are not to be questioned, just to be accepted and obeyed.
there are two kinds of sports teams: real teams and expansion teams. real teams come into being when either a major league of something (football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.) is formed, or when a collegiate conference is formed (like the ACC, etc.) all teams that are considered charter members of those entities are deemed real. you can cheer for them, buy their merchandise, go to their games, even proclaim yourself a fanatic. they are the only ones who can legitimately win a title. for instance, big snaps to the diamondbacks for winning that world series title two years ago, but it wasn't real. they are an expansion team. that's the rule.
additionally, a team that began as a founding member can loose it's status as a founding member if it leaves the conference for another, or departs for another city. for example-- the brooklyn dodgers were a real team, but the los angels dodgers are not. likewise, the houston oilers were a real team, but the houston texans are not.
you can also gain or loose status by your rate of suckage. for instance, the dallas cowboys are in danger of becoming a fake team because they suck so badly. conversely, because they have sucked since almost time out of mind, the redskins will always be real. cleveland, although it sucks as well, is not a real team because it left and came back. that's worse than just leaving. plus, they loose points for having a color as their mascot and for having ugly uniforms. like i said, these are the rules. our job is to just accept them.
a team may also gain real status by procuring a dynasty-- like if san antonio were to win the nba title again this year, they would become real. kind of like the veleveteen rabbit. for instance: chicago became a real team because they won four straight titles in a row in basketball. you have to be really really loved and really really awesome to become real. it also helps if there is scarlett fever or cholera involved.
let me further illustrate the point:
the dodgers aren't a real team-- they are an expansion team. you can still like them. it's lame, but you can still like them. however, if they were to play in a world weries against the yankees or the sox (Red, not White, because the White Sox lost their realness when they let Shoeless Joe take the fall), you'd be obligated to cheer for the real team (i.e. the Yanks, even though that would be like drinking turpentine and peeing on a brushfire, as far as i'm concerned). why aren't the real anymore? because no one leaves new york, ever. and certainly no one ever leaves Ebbetts Field, a cathedral of baseball, for the lameness of Los Angeles. It's worse than saying bad things about one's mother. You know what they did to Ebbetts Field? They tore it down. There's probably a 7-11 or a Dunkin'Donuts there, now. Shameful.
it sucks, but it's the law.
--rachel
there are two kinds of sports teams: real teams and expansion teams. real teams come into being when either a major league of something (football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.) is formed, or when a collegiate conference is formed (like the ACC, etc.) all teams that are considered charter members of those entities are deemed real. you can cheer for them, buy their merchandise, go to their games, even proclaim yourself a fanatic. they are the only ones who can legitimately win a title. for instance, big snaps to the diamondbacks for winning that world series title two years ago, but it wasn't real. they are an expansion team. that's the rule.
additionally, a team that began as a founding member can loose it's status as a founding member if it leaves the conference for another, or departs for another city. for example-- the brooklyn dodgers were a real team, but the los angels dodgers are not. likewise, the houston oilers were a real team, but the houston texans are not.
you can also gain or loose status by your rate of suckage. for instance, the dallas cowboys are in danger of becoming a fake team because they suck so badly. conversely, because they have sucked since almost time out of mind, the redskins will always be real. cleveland, although it sucks as well, is not a real team because it left and came back. that's worse than just leaving. plus, they loose points for having a color as their mascot and for having ugly uniforms. like i said, these are the rules. our job is to just accept them.
a team may also gain real status by procuring a dynasty-- like if san antonio were to win the nba title again this year, they would become real. kind of like the veleveteen rabbit. for instance: chicago became a real team because they won four straight titles in a row in basketball. you have to be really really loved and really really awesome to become real. it also helps if there is scarlett fever or cholera involved.
let me further illustrate the point:
the dodgers aren't a real team-- they are an expansion team. you can still like them. it's lame, but you can still like them. however, if they were to play in a world weries against the yankees or the sox (Red, not White, because the White Sox lost their realness when they let Shoeless Joe take the fall), you'd be obligated to cheer for the real team (i.e. the Yanks, even though that would be like drinking turpentine and peeing on a brushfire, as far as i'm concerned). why aren't the real anymore? because no one leaves new york, ever. and certainly no one ever leaves Ebbetts Field, a cathedral of baseball, for the lameness of Los Angeles. It's worse than saying bad things about one's mother. You know what they did to Ebbetts Field? They tore it down. There's probably a 7-11 or a Dunkin'Donuts there, now. Shameful.
it sucks, but it's the law.
--rachel
08 March 2005
tuesday
i remember last night having some profound thought and thinking-- wow, i should totally blog about that tomorrow. for the life of me, i can't remember what that thought was. so now, all you get to hear about is how i wish there were a margarita machine in the work room. and a deck of the back of the work room. i would be on the deck, well on my way to a buzz by now. this has been the longest day. i swear, seriously. i didn't even get here until 10:15, and it still feels like i've been here since i was like 12. we even had cake in staff meeting. you'd think that would have pacified me a little bit. no, no, all it did was give me a big sugar rush, followed closely by a carb coma. damn that cake.
i have nothing especially exciting to report. baby nels (who i personally think bears some resemblance to winston churchill (but what baby doesn't, really?)) lost his bellybutton stump last night. i was kind of grossed out, but it was sort of nice to be there for that momentous event. his father, mr. nels, said that it looked like there was peanut butter in his bellybutton hole. that grossed mrs. nels and i out a little bit.
other than that, nothing remarkable to report. i'll keep you posted.
see on the flippy...
mil besos--r
i have nothing especially exciting to report. baby nels (who i personally think bears some resemblance to winston churchill (but what baby doesn't, really?)) lost his bellybutton stump last night. i was kind of grossed out, but it was sort of nice to be there for that momentous event. his father, mr. nels, said that it looked like there was peanut butter in his bellybutton hole. that grossed mrs. nels and i out a little bit.
other than that, nothing remarkable to report. i'll keep you posted.
see on the flippy...
mil besos--r
01 March 2005
you, you with the chair, quit the dancing!!!
it's almost spring. i am so greatful for that. i don't care what anyone says, i don't think april is the cruelest month, at all. i think it's going to be a lovely spring, all drama and blahness aside.
in other news, i am so bored at work today that i might just curl up and die. i have a ton of bible study stuff that i should be writing, phone calls i should be making, plans i should be firming up or cancelling, and soem stuff to put in the mail. so i will likely focus on that this afternoon, after staff meeting. which is about as much fun as a staph infection. no, seriously. i'm not kidding. it's so hard to sit through these meetings, especially now. gross. so to keep myself somewhat sane and happy, i have been listening to my favorite jams on the old mp3 player, and chair dancing. have to be careful with that today, since it's a skirt day.
i forgot to mention that when i was driving back from new orleans last weekend, there was a stretch of road between baton rouge and lafayette that had just been re-striped. whoever was painting those stripes must have stopped at the drive-thru daquiri place, because they a) weren't even in the middle of the road, and b) wobbled at the beginning and end of each stripe. it was kind of funny to see, and wonder what the guy or gal who painted those stripes must have been thinking about while they were painting. what a weirdo.
oh, i need to pay bills, since i got paid yesterday. (yay, payday!!) i am doing my best to be a good american by putting the bulk of my funds back into recirculation as soon as possible. yay capitalism. whoo hooo.
sorry for the boring post. it's a tuesday, what can i say?
mil besos--rachel
in other news, i am so bored at work today that i might just curl up and die. i have a ton of bible study stuff that i should be writing, phone calls i should be making, plans i should be firming up or cancelling, and soem stuff to put in the mail. so i will likely focus on that this afternoon, after staff meeting. which is about as much fun as a staph infection. no, seriously. i'm not kidding. it's so hard to sit through these meetings, especially now. gross. so to keep myself somewhat sane and happy, i have been listening to my favorite jams on the old mp3 player, and chair dancing. have to be careful with that today, since it's a skirt day.
i forgot to mention that when i was driving back from new orleans last weekend, there was a stretch of road between baton rouge and lafayette that had just been re-striped. whoever was painting those stripes must have stopped at the drive-thru daquiri place, because they a) weren't even in the middle of the road, and b) wobbled at the beginning and end of each stripe. it was kind of funny to see, and wonder what the guy or gal who painted those stripes must have been thinking about while they were painting. what a weirdo.
oh, i need to pay bills, since i got paid yesterday. (yay, payday!!) i am doing my best to be a good american by putting the bulk of my funds back into recirculation as soon as possible. yay capitalism. whoo hooo.
sorry for the boring post. it's a tuesday, what can i say?
mil besos--rachel
24 February 2005
kite song, and other nice things
there are a few things lately that have been helping me cling to sanity... here's the list, in no particular order:
flip-flop weather
car trips
cokes in glass bottles
phone calls from people who make me laugh
emails from people who make me laugh
Grace and Peace
Jesus
that clean baby smell
burping teenagers
good mix cd's that never seem to get old
early mandatory bedtime
and this song:
The Sunday after there was laughter in the air
Everybody had a kite
They were flying everywhere
And all the trouble went away
And it wasn't just a dream
All the trouble went away
And it wasn't just a dream
In the middle of the night
We try and try with all our mights
To light a little light down here
In the middle of the night
We dream of a million kites
Flying high above
The sadness and the fear
Little sister just remember
As you wander through the blue
The little kite that you sent flying
On a sunny afternoon
Made of something light as nothing
Made of joy that matters too
How the little dreams we dream
Are all we can really do
In the middle of the night
The world turns with all of it's might
A little diamond colored blue
In the middle of the night
We keep sending little kites
Until a little light gets through--patty griffin
i'm hanging in there, formulating a plan, and getting ready for the next thing. st. julian of norwich said it best, "all things shall be well, all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
--rmg
flip-flop weather
car trips
cokes in glass bottles
phone calls from people who make me laugh
emails from people who make me laugh
Grace and Peace
Jesus
that clean baby smell
burping teenagers
good mix cd's that never seem to get old
early mandatory bedtime
and this song:
The Sunday after there was laughter in the air
Everybody had a kite
They were flying everywhere
And all the trouble went away
And it wasn't just a dream
All the trouble went away
And it wasn't just a dream
In the middle of the night
We try and try with all our mights
To light a little light down here
In the middle of the night
We dream of a million kites
Flying high above
The sadness and the fear
Little sister just remember
As you wander through the blue
The little kite that you sent flying
On a sunny afternoon
Made of something light as nothing
Made of joy that matters too
How the little dreams we dream
Are all we can really do
In the middle of the night
The world turns with all of it's might
A little diamond colored blue
In the middle of the night
We keep sending little kites
Until a little light gets through--patty griffin
i'm hanging in there, formulating a plan, and getting ready for the next thing. st. julian of norwich said it best, "all things shall be well, all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
--rmg
22 February 2005
peace in the middle
i read somewhere once that peace is not being in a place where there is no conflict, no disturbances, no disappointment. peace is being in the midst of those things, and knowing in your heart that everything, regardless of what happens, is going to be ok.
these pictures remind me of that. two are of churches in manhattan, the busiest slice of civilization i've ever seen. the bottom one is trinity church, which was a haven for people fleeing the distruction of 9/11. it's spire used to be the highest point in new york city. as you can see from the picture, that is no longer true. but it is beautiful, nonetheless.
the next picture is of st. patrick's cathedral in mid-town manhattan. it's very famous for lots of reasons. i like it because it's old, has tons of historic significance, and has beautiful artwork in it. i have been in a lot of churches, but this is one of my all time favorites. it's quiet, and cool, and wonderful. and the neighborhood around it just seems so serene.
the candles are votives that were lit at one of the side altars at st. patrick's. i can't remember which altar, but since i lit one of them, my bet is that they were in the chapel of our lady of guadalupe. mine is the one in the middle. this is not the best photo i've ever taken, but it's one of my faves.
i'm going to see if i can find a pic of el santuario de chimayo that i took a couple of years ago to post. we'll see. in the mean time, i'm praying for some peace in my heart as i go to a vestry meeting, wherein The Budget will be discussed. oy and vey. i think Jesus wants more money in the youth budget...
big love--rachel
these pictures remind me of that. two are of churches in manhattan, the busiest slice of civilization i've ever seen. the bottom one is trinity church, which was a haven for people fleeing the distruction of 9/11. it's spire used to be the highest point in new york city. as you can see from the picture, that is no longer true. but it is beautiful, nonetheless.
the next picture is of st. patrick's cathedral in mid-town manhattan. it's very famous for lots of reasons. i like it because it's old, has tons of historic significance, and has beautiful artwork in it. i have been in a lot of churches, but this is one of my all time favorites. it's quiet, and cool, and wonderful. and the neighborhood around it just seems so serene.
the candles are votives that were lit at one of the side altars at st. patrick's. i can't remember which altar, but since i lit one of them, my bet is that they were in the chapel of our lady of guadalupe. mine is the one in the middle. this is not the best photo i've ever taken, but it's one of my faves.
i'm going to see if i can find a pic of el santuario de chimayo that i took a couple of years ago to post. we'll see. in the mean time, i'm praying for some peace in my heart as i go to a vestry meeting, wherein The Budget will be discussed. oy and vey. i think Jesus wants more money in the youth budget...
big love--rachel
16 February 2005
hunger pangs
it seems like lately there has been a lot of drama in my life. i don't mean like your garden variety drama, either. we're talking full-on melrose place-esqe drama. work stuff, life stuff, just lots of stuff. people have been breaking up, getting engaged, and every permutation inbetween. a couple of people have even been written off as sorry pieces of crap, and i think we all know that it takes me a long time to get to that point with anyone. as an aside, if you are reading this, and believe yourself to be someone who's been written off, it's probably not you. but you should definately send me something nice, just to make sure.
you are never hungry for humble pie. but God help you from passing that plate when it comes your way. the best thing you can do is just choke the bite, or in my case, the whole freaking pie, down all the way to your toes, praying to heaven that you can just keep it down long enough to learn your lesson. there are days when we take ourselves way too seriously, and days when we don't take ourselves nearly seriously enough. lately, i've been trying not to take myself at all. things have been so muddy, i've just been trying to step back and out, to try and get some kind of a bird's eye view of things. to be honest, i think i'm way too mired in multiple messes to really have any perspective other than my own.
and right now, that perspective is fairly healthy, if not brutally honest, i think. i mean, in matters personal, i have been as honest as i've ever been. and while that got my heart ever so slightly broken, at least now i know that those parts of my heart and mind still work the way they are supposed to. i still have no regrets. not any real ones, at least. the good news-- i know that in six months, this will be a very tiny dip in the alpha waves of my life. the bad news-- it sucks real bad right now. i'm listening to a lot of aretha franklin right now, drinking a lot of diet coke, and blogging like a crazy woman.
in matters professional, i have been honest and aboveboard. i have tried to do the right thing, and for all intents and purposes, that mess is out of my hands. i'm just trying to get through everyday in this forsaken place with some semblance of grace and integrity in tact. and it gets harder every day-- i just keep hanging on because being with my cherubs is one of the things i know i am really good at in this life.
i know that this mess can't last forever. i know that i have done what i can do to make things right. and i know that i have followed "the chain of command" the right way. as for any kind of resolution or denoument, i have to trust that other people will do the right thing. and that is so freaking hard right now, because right now, for all my talk of love and peace and believing in the goodness of humanity, i just don't trust people to make good decisions right now, at least where my well-being (emotionally, professionally, etc) are concerned. and yes, i know that's to do with my control issue(s). i'm working on it, ok?
so, back to the humble pie analogy... humble pie comes to you when you're already full. full of yourself, full of the world, full of everything. humble pie is like an emotional emetic. you have to cram it down your throat and let it sit and fester, and kick everything else out. humble pie leaves you feeling hungry for purpose, just purpose. humble pie leaves you with the bitter taste of your own pride in the back of your mouth, because that's what it makes you vomit up. pride is a fearful thing.
when we are prideful, we are the strongest, loveliest, weakest, happiest, saddest, honest, and decietful bastards ever to roam the earth. humility, true humility, is the greatest gift we can possess. when we are humble, we are honest about our strengths, our weaknesses, our loves and our deciet. when we are humble, we are more able to own our feelings and our actions. being humble dosen't mean moaning and wailing about how sad and empty and pathetic we are, because it's easy to be proud about what a worthless sack of shit you may or may not be, as well. being humble means being a realist-- there are days when we just don't get it, period. we don't get how to be loved, or how to love in return. being humble means admitting that. and that is the hardest admission we ever make. my friend evan reminded me this weekend that the longest distance any of us ever travels is the 18 inches between our brains and our hearts. very interesting, don't you think?
humble pie is my least favorite dish, ever. and i feel like i've just had to eat about a million pounds of it. blah. sometimes we need the pie because we've lost touch with reality, or because we're choking on our own sense of self, for good or ill. and sometimes, sometimes it's just freaking time for pie and that's when the waitress of the universe just hands over a big chunk, a giant plastic spork, and a glass of skim milk and stands over you, snapping her gum and smoking a 120, and yelling at you in the flo voice from "mel's diner"-- "eat the g.d. pie, sweetheart, 'cause we ain't got all day, and someone else needs that booth."
in the finaly analysis, i guess who ever said that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger was mostly right. i mean, the tough stuff won't kill you totally off, and some of what dies and goes away is separating wheat from the chaff. but in the meantime, it kind of sucks to find out if you're getting stronger, or just dying off. gross, i hate that.
but you know, in spite of all of the mess, all the pie, all the drama, i still have this bizarre sense of hope everytime i think about things. i still wake up everyday, hoping that people (yes, even me sometimes) will pull their respective heads from their behinds and be real people. i still wake up everyday, ready for new challenges, excited to see what the day holds. i still love people and their messes. i still believe that people will do the right thing, 9 times out of 10. i know that God loves me, and that none of this is God's fault. that 10th time that people don't choose the right thing is a real dozy... and the universe can keep it's freaking pie.
mil besos--rachel
you are never hungry for humble pie. but God help you from passing that plate when it comes your way. the best thing you can do is just choke the bite, or in my case, the whole freaking pie, down all the way to your toes, praying to heaven that you can just keep it down long enough to learn your lesson. there are days when we take ourselves way too seriously, and days when we don't take ourselves nearly seriously enough. lately, i've been trying not to take myself at all. things have been so muddy, i've just been trying to step back and out, to try and get some kind of a bird's eye view of things. to be honest, i think i'm way too mired in multiple messes to really have any perspective other than my own.
and right now, that perspective is fairly healthy, if not brutally honest, i think. i mean, in matters personal, i have been as honest as i've ever been. and while that got my heart ever so slightly broken, at least now i know that those parts of my heart and mind still work the way they are supposed to. i still have no regrets. not any real ones, at least. the good news-- i know that in six months, this will be a very tiny dip in the alpha waves of my life. the bad news-- it sucks real bad right now. i'm listening to a lot of aretha franklin right now, drinking a lot of diet coke, and blogging like a crazy woman.
in matters professional, i have been honest and aboveboard. i have tried to do the right thing, and for all intents and purposes, that mess is out of my hands. i'm just trying to get through everyday in this forsaken place with some semblance of grace and integrity in tact. and it gets harder every day-- i just keep hanging on because being with my cherubs is one of the things i know i am really good at in this life.
i know that this mess can't last forever. i know that i have done what i can do to make things right. and i know that i have followed "the chain of command" the right way. as for any kind of resolution or denoument, i have to trust that other people will do the right thing. and that is so freaking hard right now, because right now, for all my talk of love and peace and believing in the goodness of humanity, i just don't trust people to make good decisions right now, at least where my well-being (emotionally, professionally, etc) are concerned. and yes, i know that's to do with my control issue(s). i'm working on it, ok?
so, back to the humble pie analogy... humble pie comes to you when you're already full. full of yourself, full of the world, full of everything. humble pie is like an emotional emetic. you have to cram it down your throat and let it sit and fester, and kick everything else out. humble pie leaves you feeling hungry for purpose, just purpose. humble pie leaves you with the bitter taste of your own pride in the back of your mouth, because that's what it makes you vomit up. pride is a fearful thing.
when we are prideful, we are the strongest, loveliest, weakest, happiest, saddest, honest, and decietful bastards ever to roam the earth. humility, true humility, is the greatest gift we can possess. when we are humble, we are honest about our strengths, our weaknesses, our loves and our deciet. when we are humble, we are more able to own our feelings and our actions. being humble dosen't mean moaning and wailing about how sad and empty and pathetic we are, because it's easy to be proud about what a worthless sack of shit you may or may not be, as well. being humble means being a realist-- there are days when we just don't get it, period. we don't get how to be loved, or how to love in return. being humble means admitting that. and that is the hardest admission we ever make. my friend evan reminded me this weekend that the longest distance any of us ever travels is the 18 inches between our brains and our hearts. very interesting, don't you think?
humble pie is my least favorite dish, ever. and i feel like i've just had to eat about a million pounds of it. blah. sometimes we need the pie because we've lost touch with reality, or because we're choking on our own sense of self, for good or ill. and sometimes, sometimes it's just freaking time for pie and that's when the waitress of the universe just hands over a big chunk, a giant plastic spork, and a glass of skim milk and stands over you, snapping her gum and smoking a 120, and yelling at you in the flo voice from "mel's diner"-- "eat the g.d. pie, sweetheart, 'cause we ain't got all day, and someone else needs that booth."
in the finaly analysis, i guess who ever said that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger was mostly right. i mean, the tough stuff won't kill you totally off, and some of what dies and goes away is separating wheat from the chaff. but in the meantime, it kind of sucks to find out if you're getting stronger, or just dying off. gross, i hate that.
but you know, in spite of all of the mess, all the pie, all the drama, i still have this bizarre sense of hope everytime i think about things. i still wake up everyday, hoping that people (yes, even me sometimes) will pull their respective heads from their behinds and be real people. i still wake up everyday, ready for new challenges, excited to see what the day holds. i still love people and their messes. i still believe that people will do the right thing, 9 times out of 10. i know that God loves me, and that none of this is God's fault. that 10th time that people don't choose the right thing is a real dozy... and the universe can keep it's freaking pie.
mil besos--rachel
14 February 2005
happy sts. cyril and methodius day!
ha ha, betchu thought i was going to use the three words most disliked by bitter single people everywhere: happy valentine's day. gotcha. no, cyril and methodius were brothers, one was a monk, the other was a bishop. both helped to write down the language of the slavic people in an alphabet (cyrilic, anyone?) and taught the gospel in the native tongue of the people whom they were evangelizing. very cool, no?
as for the other important part to this day:
did you know that during roman times, feb. 14th was the day when birds supposedly paired up for the spring mating season?
the feast of the lupercalia began on this day, as well. remember that from "julius ceasar"?
everyday is special if you fill it with love. and yes, chocolates and candy hearts, big balloons and stupid stuffed plush whatevers are nice to get. it's nice to set certain days apart. but love and the people in your life who give it and recieve it are the better than the mess and drama that can go with making the perfect dinner reservation, or sending the best bouquet of flowers, etc.
end of rant.
mil besos--rachel
as for the other important part to this day:
did you know that during roman times, feb. 14th was the day when birds supposedly paired up for the spring mating season?
the feast of the lupercalia began on this day, as well. remember that from "julius ceasar"?
everyday is special if you fill it with love. and yes, chocolates and candy hearts, big balloons and stupid stuffed plush whatevers are nice to get. it's nice to set certain days apart. but love and the people in your life who give it and recieve it are the better than the mess and drama that can go with making the perfect dinner reservation, or sending the best bouquet of flowers, etc.
end of rant.
mil besos--rachel
beating on the door
thursday night was a good night. not only did i get 15 hours of mostly uninterupted sleep (i say mostly because i woke up twice to drink water, and once to get rid of the water), but i got to attend an incredible youth community night at Youth Advocates in Houston. you can read all about that organization at www.youthadvocates.org they are very nice people, by the way.
at any rate, i was at the YA office for three hours on thursday night, and even though i'd been up since 5:45 that morning, i was totally riveted. there was breakdancing, skate boarding, an mc contest, and of all things-- chess. a group of like 80 kids gets together at the YA office once a week to just be together. they dance, they skate, they play chess, they eat pizza, and they are loved. it was incredible to see all that happen-- no programming, no fabulous pretty room, no overinvolved crazy parents (quite the opposite, i'm afraid, for most of them), no bells or whistles-- just those kids, in their space, doing their own thing-- drug free, violence free, and just happy to be there. it was incredible.
watching them dance, watching them skate, hearing them rap, and seeing them play chess in the midst of all that noise and action was incredible. they were amazing. some of the kids who dance at YA are internationally known breakdancers. i even got to watch them battle! it was so different and exciting from anything i've ever seen before. i felt refreshed, inspired, and happy just to know that a place like that existed in the world.
life is good.
love--rachel
at any rate, i was at the YA office for three hours on thursday night, and even though i'd been up since 5:45 that morning, i was totally riveted. there was breakdancing, skate boarding, an mc contest, and of all things-- chess. a group of like 80 kids gets together at the YA office once a week to just be together. they dance, they skate, they play chess, they eat pizza, and they are loved. it was incredible to see all that happen-- no programming, no fabulous pretty room, no overinvolved crazy parents (quite the opposite, i'm afraid, for most of them), no bells or whistles-- just those kids, in their space, doing their own thing-- drug free, violence free, and just happy to be there. it was incredible.
watching them dance, watching them skate, hearing them rap, and seeing them play chess in the midst of all that noise and action was incredible. they were amazing. some of the kids who dance at YA are internationally known breakdancers. i even got to watch them battle! it was so different and exciting from anything i've ever seen before. i felt refreshed, inspired, and happy just to know that a place like that existed in the world.
life is good.
love--rachel
08 February 2005
shrove tuesday 2005
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-13
.
The people to whom Jeremiah is speaking had been in exile for many years. Faith seemed to be fading fast, and from the way Jeremiah talks, there were many who were looking for answers anywhere they could find them—from false mediums, false teachers, false prophets, and false doctrine. For the exiles, I’m sure that any answer at all, to any question at all, would have seemed a tender mercy—a ray of light upon which to cling in a dark time and place. But out from the darkness of the Babylonian Captivity comes God’s voice through Jeremiah, asking God’s people to be faithful, and promising that by searching for God, God will be found. God promises new hope, a new future, a renewal, restoration, and a gathering of all that had been scattered. God doesn’t say how, and only gives a general when, but the promise and answer to questions is there just the same.
My good friend Sandy Johnson had a plaque in her kitchen, just above the sink. Upon it were the words, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you”. That very idea is presented in this Old Testament reading. We don’t always understand from where or why the dark times come, but we know that God not only promises to restore us, but has hope for us and our future. That is amazing to me—that God has hope for us all—even in the face of war, bigotry, and deceit. God has hope for us, even when we see the world or life through a hopeless lens. Thanks be to God.
Lord Jesus, my Brother, my strong Companion—Grant me the grace to know that your will is better than my own. Thank you for your promises that exceed my want and my imagination. Thank you for your hope in me, and your hope in the world. Give us the will and the strength to have hope in and for each other. AMEN
.
The people to whom Jeremiah is speaking had been in exile for many years. Faith seemed to be fading fast, and from the way Jeremiah talks, there were many who were looking for answers anywhere they could find them—from false mediums, false teachers, false prophets, and false doctrine. For the exiles, I’m sure that any answer at all, to any question at all, would have seemed a tender mercy—a ray of light upon which to cling in a dark time and place. But out from the darkness of the Babylonian Captivity comes God’s voice through Jeremiah, asking God’s people to be faithful, and promising that by searching for God, God will be found. God promises new hope, a new future, a renewal, restoration, and a gathering of all that had been scattered. God doesn’t say how, and only gives a general when, but the promise and answer to questions is there just the same.
My good friend Sandy Johnson had a plaque in her kitchen, just above the sink. Upon it were the words, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you”. That very idea is presented in this Old Testament reading. We don’t always understand from where or why the dark times come, but we know that God not only promises to restore us, but has hope for us and our future. That is amazing to me—that God has hope for us all—even in the face of war, bigotry, and deceit. God has hope for us, even when we see the world or life through a hopeless lens. Thanks be to God.
Lord Jesus, my Brother, my strong Companion—Grant me the grace to know that your will is better than my own. Thank you for your promises that exceed my want and my imagination. Thank you for your hope in me, and your hope in the world. Give us the will and the strength to have hope in and for each other. AMEN
05 February 2005
sometimes there is a "yes"
it's no big secret that life has offered me more questions than answers, especially over the last couple of months. who am i kidding? i have about 8 million questions at the moment, and am trying to figure out an answer to at least three of them.
a couple of weeks ago, i had a conversation with one of my nearest and dearest, who seems to be standing in solidarity with me, in terms of existential angst, at the moment. we were talking about what we each thought we needed to get through this period. kind of like when you can't go to sleep, sometimes, you can think of your favorite place, etc. and at least be able to get some rest. i thought-- God, if i can just find something beautiful to look at, or be a part of, or hear about, i'll be ok. and you know what? i finally got an answer.
jacob conner nels was born at 8:08 pm, on Groundhog's Day. he's the newest member in a long line of friends who have become family. new babies are beautiful things-- they represent the best of hope and love and potential we all possess within us. i can't wait to just watch him grow-- watch his parents grow into even more incredible people than they already are.
beauty comes in all shapes and sizes-- in strange ways, too. when my grandparents moved to new braunfels this summer, they brought a whole big tupperware box full of pictures, letters, and telegrams. looking at those pictures was beautiful. i saw pictures of when my grandfather was a marine, and had a private room. he had all sorts of pin-up girls in his room, but above his bed, you could see a picture my grandmother had sent him, set apart from all the rest. he still has that picture. seeing the telegram my grandparents sent to tell their families they had finally run off and gotten married was beautiful. it's nice to know that after almost 53 years of being married, they are still such good friends, and have created beauty in their wake-- after all i'd be a horrible child if i didn't say that the most beautiful thing they created was my mother. happy birthday, momma.
life is good. still lots of questions. still no real serious answers. but there is beauty, and that is enough.
mil besos--rachel
a couple of weeks ago, i had a conversation with one of my nearest and dearest, who seems to be standing in solidarity with me, in terms of existential angst, at the moment. we were talking about what we each thought we needed to get through this period. kind of like when you can't go to sleep, sometimes, you can think of your favorite place, etc. and at least be able to get some rest. i thought-- God, if i can just find something beautiful to look at, or be a part of, or hear about, i'll be ok. and you know what? i finally got an answer.
jacob conner nels was born at 8:08 pm, on Groundhog's Day. he's the newest member in a long line of friends who have become family. new babies are beautiful things-- they represent the best of hope and love and potential we all possess within us. i can't wait to just watch him grow-- watch his parents grow into even more incredible people than they already are.
beauty comes in all shapes and sizes-- in strange ways, too. when my grandparents moved to new braunfels this summer, they brought a whole big tupperware box full of pictures, letters, and telegrams. looking at those pictures was beautiful. i saw pictures of when my grandfather was a marine, and had a private room. he had all sorts of pin-up girls in his room, but above his bed, you could see a picture my grandmother had sent him, set apart from all the rest. he still has that picture. seeing the telegram my grandparents sent to tell their families they had finally run off and gotten married was beautiful. it's nice to know that after almost 53 years of being married, they are still such good friends, and have created beauty in their wake-- after all i'd be a horrible child if i didn't say that the most beautiful thing they created was my mother. happy birthday, momma.
life is good. still lots of questions. still no real serious answers. but there is beauty, and that is enough.
mil besos--rachel
24 January 2005
unbelieveable
before you read this-- let me say that a) i pray for this president and this country daily, and b) i think that you can love this country and ask questions about policy, and disagree with the way the ship is sailing, and all the while still consider yourself a "patriot". i guess maybe this is a way for me to spend my own "political capital". --rachel
here's the Center for American Progress' look at the inauguration by the number$ (thanks to Mediacitizen's Tim Karr who also reveals a most interesting donor toward the jaw-dropping inauguration price tag which may be closer to $70 mill all told). For emphasis, it comes just as the U.S. announces that it's scaling back tsunami relief efforts (even as the death toll skyrockets to over 226,000):
$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.
$2,000: Amount FDR spent on the inaugural in 1945…about $20,000 in today's dollars.
$20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by D.C.'s Ritz Carlton.
200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on the inauguration.
$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.
400: Pounds of lobster provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the exclusive Mandarin Oriental hotel.
3,000: Number of "Laura Bush Cowboy cookies" provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the Mandarin hotel.
$1: Amount per guest President Carter spent on snacks for guests at his inaugural parties. To stick to a tight budget, he served pretzels, peanuts, crackers and cheese and had cash bars.
22 million: Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who could have received vaccinations and preventive health care with the amount of money spent on the inauguration.
1,160,000: Number of girls who could be sent to school for a year in Afghanistan with the amount of money lavished on the inauguration.
$15,000: The down payment to rent a fur coat paid by one gala attendee who didn't want the hassle of schlepping her own through the airport.
$200,500: Price of a room package at D.C.'s Mandarin Oriental, including presidential suite, chauffeured Mercedes limo and outfits from Neiman Marcus.
2,500: Number of U.S. troops used to stand guard as President Bush takes his oath of office
26,000: Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan that could be purchased for $40 million.
$290: Bonus that could go to each American solider serving in Iraq, if inauguration funds were used for that purpose.
$6.3 million: Amount contributed by the finance and investment industry, which works out to be 25 percent of all the money collected.
$17 million: Amount of money the White House is forcing the cash-strapped city of Washington, D.C., to pony up for inauguration security.
9: Percentage of D.C. residents who voted for Bush in 2004.
66: Percentage of Americans who think this over-the-top inauguration should have been scaled back.
here's the Center for American Progress' look at the inauguration by the number$ (thanks to Mediacitizen's Tim Karr who also reveals a most interesting donor toward the jaw-dropping inauguration price tag which may be closer to $70 mill all told). For emphasis, it comes just as the U.S. announces that it's scaling back tsunami relief efforts (even as the death toll skyrockets to over 226,000):
$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.
$2,000: Amount FDR spent on the inaugural in 1945…about $20,000 in today's dollars.
$20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by D.C.'s Ritz Carlton.
200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on the inauguration.
$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.
400: Pounds of lobster provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the exclusive Mandarin Oriental hotel.
3,000: Number of "Laura Bush Cowboy cookies" provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the Mandarin hotel.
$1: Amount per guest President Carter spent on snacks for guests at his inaugural parties. To stick to a tight budget, he served pretzels, peanuts, crackers and cheese and had cash bars.
22 million: Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who could have received vaccinations and preventive health care with the amount of money spent on the inauguration.
1,160,000: Number of girls who could be sent to school for a year in Afghanistan with the amount of money lavished on the inauguration.
$15,000: The down payment to rent a fur coat paid by one gala attendee who didn't want the hassle of schlepping her own through the airport.
$200,500: Price of a room package at D.C.'s Mandarin Oriental, including presidential suite, chauffeured Mercedes limo and outfits from Neiman Marcus.
2,500: Number of U.S. troops used to stand guard as President Bush takes his oath of office
26,000: Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan that could be purchased for $40 million.
$290: Bonus that could go to each American solider serving in Iraq, if inauguration funds were used for that purpose.
$6.3 million: Amount contributed by the finance and investment industry, which works out to be 25 percent of all the money collected.
$17 million: Amount of money the White House is forcing the cash-strapped city of Washington, D.C., to pony up for inauguration security.
9: Percentage of D.C. residents who voted for Bush in 2004.
66: Percentage of Americans who think this over-the-top inauguration should have been scaled back.
18 January 2005
Oy and Vey
well kids, it's been an interesting two weeks, i must say. if variety really is the spice of life, i think mine has just turned into an all you can eat mexican buffet of sorts. seriously, i kid you not.
today is meeting day. from 1:30pm until about 8:30pm, i will be in meeting land. if you want to call and leave me funny messages on my cell phone, i will be so happy when i get them. and i will even return your phone call! yay.
confirmation retreat was a ton of fun, really. i didn't cry, none of the kids cried, and i'm pretty sure that we all learned something. thank God for favors large and small.
i feel like i have some big story i'm supposed to tell you, but i can't think on one right now, so i guess i'll log off and get back to work.
life is good.
mil besos--rachel
today is meeting day. from 1:30pm until about 8:30pm, i will be in meeting land. if you want to call and leave me funny messages on my cell phone, i will be so happy when i get them. and i will even return your phone call! yay.
confirmation retreat was a ton of fun, really. i didn't cry, none of the kids cried, and i'm pretty sure that we all learned something. thank God for favors large and small.
i feel like i have some big story i'm supposed to tell you, but i can't think on one right now, so i guess i'll log off and get back to work.
life is good.
mil besos--rachel
04 January 2005
geeze, oh man
well kids, it's 2005. can you believe that? 2005, man. that's bizarre.
this is the year i turn 27... dammit. i guess it's better than being dead, though.
i hope you all had a fabulous new year's celebration. i was quite happy to see a) texas a&m get their asses handed back to them( i was praying for a shut out, but God is merciful even to fran. thankfully, bear bryant is not) b) the University of Texas had a stunning last minute win in the only non-corporately sponsored bowl, for which i was very grateful, and c) people from high school, some of whom i had not seen in literally YEARS. whooo hooo and cheers.
i also learned something between the late night hours of dec. 31st and the early morning hours of january 1st. and it's this-- if you make the commitment to drink scotch at the beginning of the evening, stick with it. resist the urge to switch to champagne (ok, ok, it was sparkling white). otherwise, you will end up calling one of your nearest and dearest and yelling random bits of advice (most of which were probably not needed) and not making much sense. you also may spend a lot of time leaving voice mails for people who will laugh at them the next day. that's kind of nice, but in a sort of annoying way. so, make your committment, and stick to it. also, hydration is a good thing. even if it means you spend 25% of the night peeing, running to pee, or running back from peeing. the lack of headache the next day is well worth it. however, if you choose to be a moron and smoke a whole entire pack of mentholated cigarettes, you deserve to feel like you spent the whole night licking a cat's ass. btw, for those of you keeping score at home, this lady is four days nicotine free. whoo hooo. if you want to know who to thank, thank Baby Nels' parents for getting knocked up in time to save me from myself.
i'm still recovering from christmas crud, just in time to run out to the cedar forrest of new braunfels to teach my little angels all about the sacrament of confirmation. oh joy. no, i really do like the teaching end of things. it's a lot of fun when they get it. and when they don't get it, well, it's kind of like having splinters shoved under your fingernails and then getting a lemon juice manicure. i'm hopeful that they get it. in any case, i'll keep you posted.
life is good.
mil besos--r
this is the year i turn 27... dammit. i guess it's better than being dead, though.
i hope you all had a fabulous new year's celebration. i was quite happy to see a) texas a&m get their asses handed back to them( i was praying for a shut out, but God is merciful even to fran. thankfully, bear bryant is not) b) the University of Texas had a stunning last minute win in the only non-corporately sponsored bowl, for which i was very grateful, and c) people from high school, some of whom i had not seen in literally YEARS. whooo hooo and cheers.
i also learned something between the late night hours of dec. 31st and the early morning hours of january 1st. and it's this-- if you make the commitment to drink scotch at the beginning of the evening, stick with it. resist the urge to switch to champagne (ok, ok, it was sparkling white). otherwise, you will end up calling one of your nearest and dearest and yelling random bits of advice (most of which were probably not needed) and not making much sense. you also may spend a lot of time leaving voice mails for people who will laugh at them the next day. that's kind of nice, but in a sort of annoying way. so, make your committment, and stick to it. also, hydration is a good thing. even if it means you spend 25% of the night peeing, running to pee, or running back from peeing. the lack of headache the next day is well worth it. however, if you choose to be a moron and smoke a whole entire pack of mentholated cigarettes, you deserve to feel like you spent the whole night licking a cat's ass. btw, for those of you keeping score at home, this lady is four days nicotine free. whoo hooo. if you want to know who to thank, thank Baby Nels' parents for getting knocked up in time to save me from myself.
i'm still recovering from christmas crud, just in time to run out to the cedar forrest of new braunfels to teach my little angels all about the sacrament of confirmation. oh joy. no, i really do like the teaching end of things. it's a lot of fun when they get it. and when they don't get it, well, it's kind of like having splinters shoved under your fingernails and then getting a lemon juice manicure. i'm hopeful that they get it. in any case, i'll keep you posted.
life is good.
mil besos--r
29 December 2004
five golden rings
happy fifth day of christmas.
i'm at work today, listening to nora jones on my computer, making phone calls to parents to ask for sponsors for next semester, and fighting off one monster allergy attack.
for those who may want to follow my every move during this upcoming holiday weekend, i'll be in greater metropolitan mcculloch county, at the weatherman-burson estate. i think i get cell phone service in brady, so call me if you want to say nice things, or tell me how pretty i am.
life is good- all of it is a gigantic question mark at this point in the ball game, and that's a little frusterating. it's hard to know that you're about to start shutting doors, and aren't sure which ones you need to begin opening. the good part is that up to this point in my life, i've always landed on my feet, so i see no reason why that trend should fail now. rest assured i'll keep you updated.
this year has been incredible. i've laughed and cried and learned so much. even though i never imagined my life would look like it does, i wouldn't trade a minute of it. i think about all the things i've seen this year, and i'm absolutely astounded at the variety of my experiences. all i have to do is flip through my blog and email folders to remember that there has been a lot of substance in the last 12 months-- it hasn't just been work and recovery from work.
life is a beautiful thing. thanks for being part of mine for another year.
merry christmas. jesus loves you. happy new year.
mil besos--rachel
i'm at work today, listening to nora jones on my computer, making phone calls to parents to ask for sponsors for next semester, and fighting off one monster allergy attack.
for those who may want to follow my every move during this upcoming holiday weekend, i'll be in greater metropolitan mcculloch county, at the weatherman-burson estate. i think i get cell phone service in brady, so call me if you want to say nice things, or tell me how pretty i am.
life is good- all of it is a gigantic question mark at this point in the ball game, and that's a little frusterating. it's hard to know that you're about to start shutting doors, and aren't sure which ones you need to begin opening. the good part is that up to this point in my life, i've always landed on my feet, so i see no reason why that trend should fail now. rest assured i'll keep you updated.
this year has been incredible. i've laughed and cried and learned so much. even though i never imagined my life would look like it does, i wouldn't trade a minute of it. i think about all the things i've seen this year, and i'm absolutely astounded at the variety of my experiences. all i have to do is flip through my blog and email folders to remember that there has been a lot of substance in the last 12 months-- it hasn't just been work and recovery from work.
life is a beautiful thing. thanks for being part of mine for another year.
merry christmas. jesus loves you. happy new year.
mil besos--rachel
15 December 2004
you pulled the string in my back, and out came chat
i know, horrible slacker. no update for a whole week. and i haven't even been out of town. i've just been going nuts trying to put a volunteer team together, get our christmas tree families taken care of, and trying to figure out how and when i'm going to do my christmas shopping. i've given up on the idea of decorating my apartment this year-- i'm not going to be there/haven't been there to enjoy it, nor to merit getting into the hall closet and dusting stuff off. not trying to be a grinch about it, but since i'm not hosting a party this year, it seems kind of like a waste of good energy.
in other news, i will be knee deep in snow by sunday. yay. i'm excited about the ski trip-- good friends, fun kids, and colorado. i've only been to the denver airport, so this is my first legit trip to colorado. i'm fairly excited. i just can't think about the fact that i'm leaving on friday, and won't be back until the 22nd. what was i thinking when i said i would sponsor this trip? probably i was thinking that between the 17th and the 22nd, i pretty much didn't want to be in the office.
during christmas, a church office is about the last place you'd ever want to be. the phone rings off the hook, and the people on the other end are determined to ask the stupidest questions imaginable-- like last year when some one called and wanted to know what time our 5pm christmas eve service started. yeah, they actually stated the time in their question. people start dropping like flies, too. so, you get totally inundated with funeral calls-- what time is so-and so's funeral? what's your flower policy? what's your parking situation? and it's not like i have to answer any of those calls, but listening to other people answer them, and watching the clergy scramble to deal with the fallout is enough to make you doubt that the christmas spirit is alive and well in the hearts of all mankind. blah.
i have to say that on sunday, i think i may have broken some kind of a quantity record for items/poundage cooked. no, seriously.
let me tell you about it, because i still don't entirely believe all of it myself.
so for ski trip, i drew spaghetti night as my night to cook. i was instructed to cook the pasta before hand, since it takes like 8 hours to make a pot of water boil that high in the mountains, and i'd have to boil enough water to cook enough pasta to feed 48 hungry skiers. so, i cooked 14 lbs of spaghetti on sunday, before my youth group kids showed. that's 7 gallon glad-lock bags full of pasta, in case you needed a different measure to picture. needless to say, there have been no pasta cravings this week. in fact, i think i may have just thrown up a little bit thinking about it...
after i got the pots cleaned out and washed (thank God the church has a commercial kitchen), it was time to get ready for our youth group service project. every second sunday is a service project, and we have chosen Mobile Loaves and Fishes as our outlet. they are a mobile soup kitchen from St. John Neumann Catholic Church. very cool people. and we send them boiled eggs every month. a lot of boiled eggs. like on sunday, we boiled 9.5 dozen. the whole kitchen, and later my car, smelled like a giant fart. i hate the way boiled egg smell lingers in my car after i drop them off at the loading dock. it's gross. that's why i keep a dryer sheet under each seat. eww.
in addition to the eggs, we also make cookies. why? because everyone needs a cookie, that's why. and because it takes some effort to make a cookie, even if they are slice and bake. and people who are down on their luck need to know that someone is making some effort on their behalf. and cookies are a creature comfort that we can provide. cookies can be a great equalizer, if you think about it.
so, since it's christmas, i let the junior high kids decorate a whole gigantic wad of sugar cookies. we left a few undecorated, too. just to be nice, i guess. i saved the chocolate chips cookies for my high school kids. they were masters of efficiency. and they were so funny! we made and made and made cookies, eight pans at a time, on both sides of the oven. at the end of the evening, when we counted up, including the junior high cookies, we had made 55 dozen. that's a lot. i was very proud of them.
life is good.
mil besos-rachel
in other news, i will be knee deep in snow by sunday. yay. i'm excited about the ski trip-- good friends, fun kids, and colorado. i've only been to the denver airport, so this is my first legit trip to colorado. i'm fairly excited. i just can't think about the fact that i'm leaving on friday, and won't be back until the 22nd. what was i thinking when i said i would sponsor this trip? probably i was thinking that between the 17th and the 22nd, i pretty much didn't want to be in the office.
during christmas, a church office is about the last place you'd ever want to be. the phone rings off the hook, and the people on the other end are determined to ask the stupidest questions imaginable-- like last year when some one called and wanted to know what time our 5pm christmas eve service started. yeah, they actually stated the time in their question. people start dropping like flies, too. so, you get totally inundated with funeral calls-- what time is so-and so's funeral? what's your flower policy? what's your parking situation? and it's not like i have to answer any of those calls, but listening to other people answer them, and watching the clergy scramble to deal with the fallout is enough to make you doubt that the christmas spirit is alive and well in the hearts of all mankind. blah.
i have to say that on sunday, i think i may have broken some kind of a quantity record for items/poundage cooked. no, seriously.
let me tell you about it, because i still don't entirely believe all of it myself.
so for ski trip, i drew spaghetti night as my night to cook. i was instructed to cook the pasta before hand, since it takes like 8 hours to make a pot of water boil that high in the mountains, and i'd have to boil enough water to cook enough pasta to feed 48 hungry skiers. so, i cooked 14 lbs of spaghetti on sunday, before my youth group kids showed. that's 7 gallon glad-lock bags full of pasta, in case you needed a different measure to picture. needless to say, there have been no pasta cravings this week. in fact, i think i may have just thrown up a little bit thinking about it...
after i got the pots cleaned out and washed (thank God the church has a commercial kitchen), it was time to get ready for our youth group service project. every second sunday is a service project, and we have chosen Mobile Loaves and Fishes as our outlet. they are a mobile soup kitchen from St. John Neumann Catholic Church. very cool people. and we send them boiled eggs every month. a lot of boiled eggs. like on sunday, we boiled 9.5 dozen. the whole kitchen, and later my car, smelled like a giant fart. i hate the way boiled egg smell lingers in my car after i drop them off at the loading dock. it's gross. that's why i keep a dryer sheet under each seat. eww.
in addition to the eggs, we also make cookies. why? because everyone needs a cookie, that's why. and because it takes some effort to make a cookie, even if they are slice and bake. and people who are down on their luck need to know that someone is making some effort on their behalf. and cookies are a creature comfort that we can provide. cookies can be a great equalizer, if you think about it.
so, since it's christmas, i let the junior high kids decorate a whole gigantic wad of sugar cookies. we left a few undecorated, too. just to be nice, i guess. i saved the chocolate chips cookies for my high school kids. they were masters of efficiency. and they were so funny! we made and made and made cookies, eight pans at a time, on both sides of the oven. at the end of the evening, when we counted up, including the junior high cookies, we had made 55 dozen. that's a lot. i was very proud of them.
life is good.
mil besos-rachel
02 December 2004
happy birthday, general theory of relativity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_theory_of_relativity
i'll give five bucks to the first person who can explain this theory using every day examples that don't include donuts, records, coffee, or caramel.
mil besos--rmg
i'll give five bucks to the first person who can explain this theory using every day examples that don't include donuts, records, coffee, or caramel.
mil besos--rmg
30 November 2004
phoenix-- an existential musing
you know, the phoenix is an interesting symbol. for those of you who aren't familiar with the legend of the phoenix, here's a great link to catch up--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix . i don't know about the rest of you, but i'm totally on board with that right now. i'm wondering which parts of my life are the ashes from which something new will be born, which parts of my life are the nest, and which parts of my life are the left-overs that will be embalmed and bourne away.
i have a lot of questions. and in my pursuit of answers, i am asking a lot of my nearest and dearest, what on the surface seems like random and goofy, questions. most of them center around me. i know, i know, i need to get over myself. and in order to do that, i (get ready, holy crap, this is the kind of thing i only say once in a blue moon) need your help.
so, in no particular order, here are some questions you can answer, if you choose. you may hit comment on the bottom of this post, or you may respond to me by email: rachiepoo78@yahoo.com.
1) if you could choose one job for me to do for the next four years of my life, what would it be?
***seminary is not an option to be used at this time. period***
2) if you could choose one job that i should never do, not in a million years, what would it be?
3) if you could choose one city for me to live in for the next four years of my life, where would it be?
ok, this is scientific, so be honest. i'll post results and other things soon.
mil besos-rachel
i have a lot of questions. and in my pursuit of answers, i am asking a lot of my nearest and dearest, what on the surface seems like random and goofy, questions. most of them center around me. i know, i know, i need to get over myself. and in order to do that, i (get ready, holy crap, this is the kind of thing i only say once in a blue moon) need your help.
so, in no particular order, here are some questions you can answer, if you choose. you may hit comment on the bottom of this post, or you may respond to me by email: rachiepoo78@yahoo.com.
1) if you could choose one job for me to do for the next four years of my life, what would it be?
***seminary is not an option to be used at this time. period***
2) if you could choose one job that i should never do, not in a million years, what would it be?
3) if you could choose one city for me to live in for the next four years of my life, where would it be?
ok, this is scientific, so be honest. i'll post results and other things soon.
mil besos-rachel
18 November 2004
back east
i've been in virginia since monday night. it's been a blast. mostly, i've been at the seminary in alexandria looking at curriculum for my rotten ungrateful children. i found the things i want to use, and am actually excited about implementation and planning. yay. and i've been hanging out with friends and catching up on their stories. and riding the metro into dc. i miss that town.
what a great place, seriously. it's messy and busy and full of noise and i love it. i ate chinese food at my favorite hole in the wall in china town-- the new big wong. seriously, that's the name of the place. it's on H street nw, you should go there sometime. get the general tso's chicken with a bowl of hot and sour soup-- you will not be dissappointed.
and last night, oh night of nights... i met my old roommate melissa, and after tea and sympathy at her precious house in our old neigborhood, we metroed to shaw for one of the great meals in the history of western civilization.
at 14th and U street NW, in the dc, there is a lovely little spot, framed in yellow and red. it's ben's chili bowl. you can google the name, and go see their website. it will make you very hungry and jealous that i used to get to eat there all the time. when i worked about three blocks from ben's, way back in the day, i would go in and get a chocolate milk shake with extra chocolate about twice a week. that's one reason my ass stayed the exact same size from san marcos to dc and back. those damn shakes... nectar of the gods, that's what.
those milk shakes may very well have helped me keep my sanity. lord knows there was precious little of it left by the time i moved back to the terra firma of texas. milk shakes, cheese fries, and half-smokes drenched in chili. yay.
there was a guy named rob who worked behind the counter, and every time my old office mate and dear friend hope would hit the door, rob would start making our order-- a cherry shake for hope, a chocolate one for me, one half-smoke split down the middle, and an order of cheese fries with two forks. and by the time the two of us had finished filling the incredible juke box in the corner full of funk in the way only two really sheltered white girls can, our order would be sitting on the counter, between our two favorite stools. and even on days that were bad days, the lights and grease and friendly conversation in that place would wrap us up in familiar smells and laughter, and enable us to brave the harsh environs of the office of the farting boss. ahh, nostalgia.
in other news, you MUST see (read that--run, don't walk to your nearest video store or netflix cue) True Stories. this is the funniest movie i have seen in ages. it's so off-beat, so bizarre, and so circa 1986 mocumentary that i may have to buy my own copy. for those of you who grew up in brady, have ever been to brady, or have ever heard me tell a story about brady--you must see this movie, because you will know just about everyone in it. as an aside about small town humour, tuna christmas is playing at the kennedy center right now. what a hoot!!
ok, gots to run and eat and go catch a plane. pray delta doesn't loose my bags between here and atlanta and on to austin. catch you on the flippy.
mil besos--r
what a great place, seriously. it's messy and busy and full of noise and i love it. i ate chinese food at my favorite hole in the wall in china town-- the new big wong. seriously, that's the name of the place. it's on H street nw, you should go there sometime. get the general tso's chicken with a bowl of hot and sour soup-- you will not be dissappointed.
and last night, oh night of nights... i met my old roommate melissa, and after tea and sympathy at her precious house in our old neigborhood, we metroed to shaw for one of the great meals in the history of western civilization.
at 14th and U street NW, in the dc, there is a lovely little spot, framed in yellow and red. it's ben's chili bowl. you can google the name, and go see their website. it will make you very hungry and jealous that i used to get to eat there all the time. when i worked about three blocks from ben's, way back in the day, i would go in and get a chocolate milk shake with extra chocolate about twice a week. that's one reason my ass stayed the exact same size from san marcos to dc and back. those damn shakes... nectar of the gods, that's what.
those milk shakes may very well have helped me keep my sanity. lord knows there was precious little of it left by the time i moved back to the terra firma of texas. milk shakes, cheese fries, and half-smokes drenched in chili. yay.
there was a guy named rob who worked behind the counter, and every time my old office mate and dear friend hope would hit the door, rob would start making our order-- a cherry shake for hope, a chocolate one for me, one half-smoke split down the middle, and an order of cheese fries with two forks. and by the time the two of us had finished filling the incredible juke box in the corner full of funk in the way only two really sheltered white girls can, our order would be sitting on the counter, between our two favorite stools. and even on days that were bad days, the lights and grease and friendly conversation in that place would wrap us up in familiar smells and laughter, and enable us to brave the harsh environs of the office of the farting boss. ahh, nostalgia.
in other news, you MUST see (read that--run, don't walk to your nearest video store or netflix cue) True Stories. this is the funniest movie i have seen in ages. it's so off-beat, so bizarre, and so circa 1986 mocumentary that i may have to buy my own copy. for those of you who grew up in brady, have ever been to brady, or have ever heard me tell a story about brady--you must see this movie, because you will know just about everyone in it. as an aside about small town humour, tuna christmas is playing at the kennedy center right now. what a hoot!!
ok, gots to run and eat and go catch a plane. pray delta doesn't loose my bags between here and atlanta and on to austin. catch you on the flippy.
mil besos--r
03 November 2004
porcelain chariot
let me tell you, election night is probably one of my favorite nights, ever. it's almost better than christmas, except for the Jesus part, and it only comes around every four years. but last night, fate dealt me a cruel blow, and i'm not just talking about the fact that half the people i voted for tanked.
no, last night, in between blearily gazing at the trusted face of peter jennings, i was calling the dinosaurs of old. i got the old fashioned third-grade variety 24-hour bug. you know the one-- throw-up everything you've eaten in the last 7 years, lay on the cold bathroom floor, praying for death, wishing like hell you still lived at home so your mom could bring you a cold wash cloth and sympathy, being tempted to eat something so you wouldn't have to yark up your toenails. oh yeah, that's the one. i knew you'd know what i was talking about.
i was glad, well sort of, to see the light of day this morning. i agree with John Kerry about many things. and while i was sad to see him go down in the polls, i was glad for the dialogue that has been started in this great nation. i agree with him that the greatest prayer we can pray today is "God bless America". and i hope that the next four years can be about people meeting each other, people talking and sharing with each other. i hope the next four years aren't met with more division, more rancor, more intolerance. i hope the next four years can be spent talking about what's going right, making more things go right, and i hope we can talk about love and understanding, with out having to legislate what that all means.
end of rant. i need to drink some more gatorade, and get my head together for my high school kids tonight.
smooches to all-rmg
no, last night, in between blearily gazing at the trusted face of peter jennings, i was calling the dinosaurs of old. i got the old fashioned third-grade variety 24-hour bug. you know the one-- throw-up everything you've eaten in the last 7 years, lay on the cold bathroom floor, praying for death, wishing like hell you still lived at home so your mom could bring you a cold wash cloth and sympathy, being tempted to eat something so you wouldn't have to yark up your toenails. oh yeah, that's the one. i knew you'd know what i was talking about.
i was glad, well sort of, to see the light of day this morning. i agree with John Kerry about many things. and while i was sad to see him go down in the polls, i was glad for the dialogue that has been started in this great nation. i agree with him that the greatest prayer we can pray today is "God bless America". and i hope that the next four years can be about people meeting each other, people talking and sharing with each other. i hope the next four years aren't met with more division, more rancor, more intolerance. i hope the next four years can be spent talking about what's going right, making more things go right, and i hope we can talk about love and understanding, with out having to legislate what that all means.
end of rant. i need to drink some more gatorade, and get my head together for my high school kids tonight.
smooches to all-rmg
01 November 2004
in thanksgiving for the souls of all faithful departed...
well, it's that frequently forgotten holiday that gets sandwiched in between the sugar orgy that is halloween and the turkey--gobbling binge that is thanksgiving. it's all saints' day today-- incidentally one of my very favorite of all church holidays. it's a good time to remember those who have gone before us, and to be thankful for their influence in our lives. it's a nice day, without being all sad and droopy. except that the weather today, combined with my allergies is making me a little droopy, nonetheless.
you know, there are a thousand ways a person can die. and i don't mean just die like cease to respire. sometimes people die out of our lives through no fault of their own-- people grow away from each other; not every relationship has the shel-life of a twinkee. sometimes people move away, and distance proves too wide to cross. sometimes people turn into other things, and we realize that things are not what they were, things will not be better, and it's just time to cash out and cut our losses. and yes, sadly, sometimes people just really do die. but being sad about any of those things for very long is just as bad as not being sad at all.
case in point-- there was a girl (that's me), who once upon a time loved a young man very much (that's him). and the girl and the boy were very good friends, and sometimes were other things. and there was much phone calling, and letter writing, and email sending, and present giving, and votes were cast, and stars were read, and prayers were prayed, and futures were discussed. and one day, the girl and the young man woke up to find that both of their worlds and views had very much changed, and that nothing they thought they had in common was really in common any more, except for the fact that they kind of knew some of the same people, and were in a lot of photographs together. but the things that had kept them up for hours talking and sharing now just kept them up for hours arguing and trying to score points. and so they became ghosts to each other.
would you believe that last week i walked right by that ghost? and i was greatful. greatful for what i've learned, for what i've seen. i was greatful that i've learned to stand on my own two feet, and that i'm not scared any more that someone might leave if i say or do or believe the wrong thing. it's good to not be scared anymore. sometimes the scariest things about ghosts are what they show us of ourselves-- and it was good to see that the other side of me is doing ok-- not that it's all in the bag, but hey, i didn't throw up like i thought i might, and i enjoyed my evening out with a dear friend. and you know what? i hope the ghostie enjoyed his night out, too.
at any rate, thanks for listening.
mil besos--r
you know, there are a thousand ways a person can die. and i don't mean just die like cease to respire. sometimes people die out of our lives through no fault of their own-- people grow away from each other; not every relationship has the shel-life of a twinkee. sometimes people move away, and distance proves too wide to cross. sometimes people turn into other things, and we realize that things are not what they were, things will not be better, and it's just time to cash out and cut our losses. and yes, sadly, sometimes people just really do die. but being sad about any of those things for very long is just as bad as not being sad at all.
case in point-- there was a girl (that's me), who once upon a time loved a young man very much (that's him). and the girl and the boy were very good friends, and sometimes were other things. and there was much phone calling, and letter writing, and email sending, and present giving, and votes were cast, and stars were read, and prayers were prayed, and futures were discussed. and one day, the girl and the young man woke up to find that both of their worlds and views had very much changed, and that nothing they thought they had in common was really in common any more, except for the fact that they kind of knew some of the same people, and were in a lot of photographs together. but the things that had kept them up for hours talking and sharing now just kept them up for hours arguing and trying to score points. and so they became ghosts to each other.
would you believe that last week i walked right by that ghost? and i was greatful. greatful for what i've learned, for what i've seen. i was greatful that i've learned to stand on my own two feet, and that i'm not scared any more that someone might leave if i say or do or believe the wrong thing. it's good to not be scared anymore. sometimes the scariest things about ghosts are what they show us of ourselves-- and it was good to see that the other side of me is doing ok-- not that it's all in the bag, but hey, i didn't throw up like i thought i might, and i enjoyed my evening out with a dear friend. and you know what? i hope the ghostie enjoyed his night out, too.
at any rate, thanks for listening.
mil besos--r
26 October 2004
finally!!
i woke up this morning and promptly discovered i have finally attained enlightenment.
i have a third eye directly between my eyes, and slightly elevated on my forehead.
i knew all that reading about easter religions was bound to pay off, someday.
mil besos-- the bodhisattva of clearasil
i have a third eye directly between my eyes, and slightly elevated on my forehead.
i knew all that reading about easter religions was bound to pay off, someday.
mil besos-- the bodhisattva of clearasil
21 October 2004
justice in the universe and chicken soup
and so it goes that the best team money can buy is crushed by their rivals. i have no idea what has spurred on my love affair with baseball this year, nor what has prompted my seeminly undying devotion to the bosox, but i will say that baseball may be the saving grace of western society-- but only if the freaking american league will dump the designated hitter rule. the world series starts on saturday. hot diggity.
in other news, well, there is no other news. i'm just working, trying to digest political, social, religious, etc. kind of information. lately, i can't seem to read enough, or hear enough, or think about enough. i'm trying not to talk so much, but for a chatterbox like me, that's a tough deal. life is good.
i made a damn good pot of chicken soup for my high school kids last night. it was spicy, and chickeny, and full of noodle goodness. and just because i can, i'll include the recipe below.
needed: one large stock pot, chicken parts or whole chicken (if you're not picky about white vs. dark meat, it's cheaper to buy a whole chicken), six or seven ribs of celery, four or five carrots, one large sweet yellow onion, about 20 cloves of garlic (no seriously), mrs. dash's bold and spicy, a small box of knorr chicken boullion cubes, a carton of sliced mushrooms, six or seven stalks of fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, one large package of small egg noodles.
if you are using a whole chicken--wash it inside and out with cold running water. salt and pepper it, and shove a couple of spare rosemary stalks under the skin. if you are using chicken parts, i recommend that you use two dark pieces for every white piece you use. throw the chicken in the pot, and cover it with water, plus about two inches. turn the fire on high. while that's cooking, chop your veggies. chop coursely, or dice finely, depending on your preference. i know my kids like to pick things out, so i chop big. leave the garlic cloves whole. i'll tell you why in a minute.
once everything is chopped, throw the veggies, the garlic, and the mrs. dash in, as well. readjust your salt and pepper. you can leave out the salt, if you want, since you are using the chicken boullion. by the way, you should put that box in now. did i mention that the water should be boiling at this point? a nice rolling boil to cook that chicken...
the chicken is done cooking when the juices in the fattest part of the breast and thigh run clear, or when the thin bone in the leg slides cleanly out. you want to get the chicken just before this point. put the parts or the carcass in a separate bowl, and turn the fire down to low, add the noodles at this point. also, check your flavor, and adjust as necessary.
allow the chicken to cool a bit, and then remove the skin and discard. at this point, you can remove the meat and return it to the pot, or if you're using pieces, and want a more rustic presentation peel the skin off, and throw the meat back in the pot to finish cooking. when you plate up, everyone can have their own piece of chicken in the bowl. i saw that on a show once, it just looks messier for everyone.
once the noodles are aldente, turn the pot all the way off. you're ready to eat now. you can serve this with brown and serve rolls, or an artisan bread, etc. and the reason you want to leave those garlic cloves whole is because they make an excellent butter substitute, now that they are all mushy and good. we also followed with sugar cookies and butter cream icing. woo hoo.
randomly yours--
mil besos, r
in other news, well, there is no other news. i'm just working, trying to digest political, social, religious, etc. kind of information. lately, i can't seem to read enough, or hear enough, or think about enough. i'm trying not to talk so much, but for a chatterbox like me, that's a tough deal. life is good.
i made a damn good pot of chicken soup for my high school kids last night. it was spicy, and chickeny, and full of noodle goodness. and just because i can, i'll include the recipe below.
needed: one large stock pot, chicken parts or whole chicken (if you're not picky about white vs. dark meat, it's cheaper to buy a whole chicken), six or seven ribs of celery, four or five carrots, one large sweet yellow onion, about 20 cloves of garlic (no seriously), mrs. dash's bold and spicy, a small box of knorr chicken boullion cubes, a carton of sliced mushrooms, six or seven stalks of fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, one large package of small egg noodles.
if you are using a whole chicken--wash it inside and out with cold running water. salt and pepper it, and shove a couple of spare rosemary stalks under the skin. if you are using chicken parts, i recommend that you use two dark pieces for every white piece you use. throw the chicken in the pot, and cover it with water, plus about two inches. turn the fire on high. while that's cooking, chop your veggies. chop coursely, or dice finely, depending on your preference. i know my kids like to pick things out, so i chop big. leave the garlic cloves whole. i'll tell you why in a minute.
once everything is chopped, throw the veggies, the garlic, and the mrs. dash in, as well. readjust your salt and pepper. you can leave out the salt, if you want, since you are using the chicken boullion. by the way, you should put that box in now. did i mention that the water should be boiling at this point? a nice rolling boil to cook that chicken...
the chicken is done cooking when the juices in the fattest part of the breast and thigh run clear, or when the thin bone in the leg slides cleanly out. you want to get the chicken just before this point. put the parts or the carcass in a separate bowl, and turn the fire down to low, add the noodles at this point. also, check your flavor, and adjust as necessary.
allow the chicken to cool a bit, and then remove the skin and discard. at this point, you can remove the meat and return it to the pot, or if you're using pieces, and want a more rustic presentation peel the skin off, and throw the meat back in the pot to finish cooking. when you plate up, everyone can have their own piece of chicken in the bowl. i saw that on a show once, it just looks messier for everyone.
once the noodles are aldente, turn the pot all the way off. you're ready to eat now. you can serve this with brown and serve rolls, or an artisan bread, etc. and the reason you want to leave those garlic cloves whole is because they make an excellent butter substitute, now that they are all mushy and good. we also followed with sugar cookies and butter cream icing. woo hoo.
randomly yours--
mil besos, r
19 October 2004
falling up
just finished reading "white oleander" by janet fitch. forget that it's an oprah book club selection-- it's a great book. i read it in four nights. searingly beautiful. seriously. i found myself thinking about what was said in the book more deeply than i've thought about just about anything in a long time. thoughts that would keep me up, keep me reading, keep me thinking. i'm half-tempted to re-read it this week. it's a book about home, about longing, about belonging, about love, about growing up, and about lonliness, which the protagonist's mother claims is THE human condition. interesting, no? seriously, pick up this book.
life is good. same insanity, different dress.
mil besos--rmg
life is good. same insanity, different dress.
mil besos--rmg
05 October 2004
the grass is always greener on the sliver side of the cloud...
or whatever. like anyone ever believes that crap, anyway. seriously. i know i've been negative nelly lately, but i'm just not in the mood to be positive polly at the moment. no, right now, i think i'd like to be get-it-done gloria. yeah, that's it.
what am i getting done you might ask? well, i'll be perfectly honest i'm trying like hell to get it all done. it's time to clean house, people. and i'm not talking about getting rid of old sweaters. i'm talking about a serious attitude adjustment, some good introspection being had, some good work on myself and my relationships. i think it's about getting rid of the bullshit, to be blunt. and you know what? it's exciting.
i've been thinking about strategic planning for my job alot lately. some of that is self-preservation, and some of that is about ending the professional funk i seem to be stuck in, and some of that is about really coming up with a well-articulated vision/mission that people can invest in and be excited by. it's a daunting task, to tell the truth. and it's risky. risky because it will seem to some that i'm calling some people to task for not doing the same kind of planning. it's risky because it's a new thing for this place, and new things are always risky. but it's time to do it, nonetheless. best case scenario: it works, it's contagious, and things get better. worst case scenario: the whole thing implodes and sucks, and then i get fired for being too smart for my own good, or looking like a subverter. either way, there will be change. change i can deal with. but mediocrity and status quo are pretty much making me want to throw up on an hourly basis, to be perfectly honest.
and as far as that goes, the strategic plan is extending itself into my life. granted, it's not the same plan as the work one. shocked, aren't you? i know i was...
no, the life plan is different. and it's not about being unflexible. it's about calling myself into account. when i was 20, there were about 9 million things i wanted to do when i grew up. well, i am up. and i've done some of those things. and other of those things, i have let grow very far away, for no good reason other than that i was being lazy or fatalistic about them. and it's time to reconnect with those things. it's time to make a list of goals, simple though they may be, and just start doing them. no one is keeping me from them but myself. and i can do something about that. everyday.
thanks for listening to the existential rant...
life is good. the seasons are changing...
mil besos--rachel
what am i getting done you might ask? well, i'll be perfectly honest i'm trying like hell to get it all done. it's time to clean house, people. and i'm not talking about getting rid of old sweaters. i'm talking about a serious attitude adjustment, some good introspection being had, some good work on myself and my relationships. i think it's about getting rid of the bullshit, to be blunt. and you know what? it's exciting.
i've been thinking about strategic planning for my job alot lately. some of that is self-preservation, and some of that is about ending the professional funk i seem to be stuck in, and some of that is about really coming up with a well-articulated vision/mission that people can invest in and be excited by. it's a daunting task, to tell the truth. and it's risky. risky because it will seem to some that i'm calling some people to task for not doing the same kind of planning. it's risky because it's a new thing for this place, and new things are always risky. but it's time to do it, nonetheless. best case scenario: it works, it's contagious, and things get better. worst case scenario: the whole thing implodes and sucks, and then i get fired for being too smart for my own good, or looking like a subverter. either way, there will be change. change i can deal with. but mediocrity and status quo are pretty much making me want to throw up on an hourly basis, to be perfectly honest.
and as far as that goes, the strategic plan is extending itself into my life. granted, it's not the same plan as the work one. shocked, aren't you? i know i was...
no, the life plan is different. and it's not about being unflexible. it's about calling myself into account. when i was 20, there were about 9 million things i wanted to do when i grew up. well, i am up. and i've done some of those things. and other of those things, i have let grow very far away, for no good reason other than that i was being lazy or fatalistic about them. and it's time to reconnect with those things. it's time to make a list of goals, simple though they may be, and just start doing them. no one is keeping me from them but myself. and i can do something about that. everyday.
thanks for listening to the existential rant...
life is good. the seasons are changing...
mil besos--rachel
30 September 2004
word for the day
insanity. i heard somewhere that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time. if that's the case, then when it comes to planning and executing retreats, i have totally lost my ever-loving mind.
in 2002, i took 16 kids and two other adults to wimberley, texas. we played in the river, ate God knows how many roasted marshmallows, and played hide and go seek until we couldn't run any more. this year, there are 38 kids and five adults. i'm excited and nervous. and i'm so glad they are making sugar-free red bull that i can hardly contain myself.
i'm sure by the end of the weekend, i'll have had a little bit of sun, a little bit of drama, been farted or burped on by at least three children, had to sit someone in time out, make someone apologize for being an asshole, and be praying to God that if i ever do get married and have children that they will have all the good things my current kids have and none of the bad stuff. at some point this weekend, i will question whether God really does have a sense of humour, whether or not taking a retreat was ever a good idea, whether or not the pharmacist who fills these kids' prescriptions accidentally switched their real medicine for crack, and i will probably wonder if you can do an emergency tubal ligation on yourself with a s'more skewer and a flask full of johnny walker black. except i wouldn't take a flask of johnny walker black with me. mostly because i don't have a flask, but also because i would feel bad for drinking on the job. i hate that i have a code of ethics...
one day, i will look back on this period in my professional life and be amazed at the stamina i had, because by the time it's over with, i want to be a profession beach-bum and pina colada tester.
i hope this fall retreat is as fun, and not quite as eventful as the famous meth-lab raid of 2003. i'll keep you updated.
mil besos--r
in 2002, i took 16 kids and two other adults to wimberley, texas. we played in the river, ate God knows how many roasted marshmallows, and played hide and go seek until we couldn't run any more. this year, there are 38 kids and five adults. i'm excited and nervous. and i'm so glad they are making sugar-free red bull that i can hardly contain myself.
i'm sure by the end of the weekend, i'll have had a little bit of sun, a little bit of drama, been farted or burped on by at least three children, had to sit someone in time out, make someone apologize for being an asshole, and be praying to God that if i ever do get married and have children that they will have all the good things my current kids have and none of the bad stuff. at some point this weekend, i will question whether God really does have a sense of humour, whether or not taking a retreat was ever a good idea, whether or not the pharmacist who fills these kids' prescriptions accidentally switched their real medicine for crack, and i will probably wonder if you can do an emergency tubal ligation on yourself with a s'more skewer and a flask full of johnny walker black. except i wouldn't take a flask of johnny walker black with me. mostly because i don't have a flask, but also because i would feel bad for drinking on the job. i hate that i have a code of ethics...
one day, i will look back on this period in my professional life and be amazed at the stamina i had, because by the time it's over with, i want to be a profession beach-bum and pina colada tester.
i hope this fall retreat is as fun, and not quite as eventful as the famous meth-lab raid of 2003. i'll keep you updated.
mil besos--r
29 September 2004
thank God it's wednesday
if it were monday, i'd probably be in tears. i have no idea why i have such a bad attitude lately, but i sure do. i'd like to chalk it up to pms, but i'm afraid that is simply not the case. i'm just asking myself some big questions lately. like "what do i really want to do with the rest of my life?" or "who do i want to be when i'm 30?" or "what kind of a life do i want for myself?" or "what really is my vocation?" like i said, big questions.
and i'm not pretending that i think i'm the only one who ever feels this way. God knows everyone goes through some new self-discovery period every few years. it seems like it's so popular for 20somethings to go through a "quarter-life" crisis, that i think i've thought myself into that particular hole.
i mean, each of us, in our own way, is seeking to make a difference in the world. and that is going to look totally different to every person, because we all see the world through our own sets of values, mores, ideals, etc. i just want to know what God or the Universe or Ultimate Reality expects of me. and maybe that's a cop out. maybe all that God or the Universe or Ultimate Reality every really wants from us is for us to find out what makes us happy, under what set of rules we function best, how we can best fill a hole or grease a gear, etc. the frusterating thing for me right now is that i can see so many holes, and hear so many grinding gears. does that make sense?
i just think it's time to say all of this out loud, because the great bulk of you already know how i'm feeling right now, and some of you have felt this way yourselves at some point. at any rate, talking about this, and "saying it out loud" is better than gassing up the car and driving to a beach far far away. sort of.
tomorrow will be better.
mil besos-r
and i'm not pretending that i think i'm the only one who ever feels this way. God knows everyone goes through some new self-discovery period every few years. it seems like it's so popular for 20somethings to go through a "quarter-life" crisis, that i think i've thought myself into that particular hole.
i mean, each of us, in our own way, is seeking to make a difference in the world. and that is going to look totally different to every person, because we all see the world through our own sets of values, mores, ideals, etc. i just want to know what God or the Universe or Ultimate Reality expects of me. and maybe that's a cop out. maybe all that God or the Universe or Ultimate Reality every really wants from us is for us to find out what makes us happy, under what set of rules we function best, how we can best fill a hole or grease a gear, etc. the frusterating thing for me right now is that i can see so many holes, and hear so many grinding gears. does that make sense?
i just think it's time to say all of this out loud, because the great bulk of you already know how i'm feeling right now, and some of you have felt this way yourselves at some point. at any rate, talking about this, and "saying it out loud" is better than gassing up the car and driving to a beach far far away. sort of.
tomorrow will be better.
mil besos-r
23 September 2004
surreality
ok, so around 1:30 this morning, i had to get up and go potty. it took me until 3:30 ish to get back to sleep. go figure. that's the thanks i get from the body i am trying to hydrate. traitor...
at any rate, i tried frantically to go back to sleep, and all i could think of were things i needed to do at work, as well as possible blog topics to write about. once again, go figure.
some of you may know my deep affection for john cusak movies. i love them. and one of my absolute favorites was "high fidelity", based on the eponymous book by nick hornby. great book, great movie. and in the book/movie, the main character has this habit of making top five lists. i adore that. i think you can tell a lot about a person based on the topic of the lists, as well as content thereof. so this morning, in the wee wee (ha ha, get it?) hours, i came up with a list all my own to share with you guys.
ahem,
top five most surreal locations/happenings i've dealt with thus far(in no particular order)
1. being farted at/on-to during a staff meeting when i worked in dc, with nary a word to excuse the farter or to comfort the fartee (that would be me)
2. seeing an actual shark in the wild while i was snorkeling off key west three summers ago
3. last night in my car, giving "the talk" (you know the talk i'm talking about) to five of my high school cherubs
4. actually being on top of the empire state building, site of two of my favorite love stories-- an affair to remember and sleepless in seattle
5. getting coffee at national press club, and being pissed that the guy in line in front of me was hogging all the cream, only to realize that said cream hog was none other than former vice-presidential candidate joseph liberman. he's very short, and likes the cream ALOT
and there you have it, my dearies. a top five that kept me up and amused until 3:30 this am.
peace out. word to yo mutha.
mil besos-r
at any rate, i tried frantically to go back to sleep, and all i could think of were things i needed to do at work, as well as possible blog topics to write about. once again, go figure.
some of you may know my deep affection for john cusak movies. i love them. and one of my absolute favorites was "high fidelity", based on the eponymous book by nick hornby. great book, great movie. and in the book/movie, the main character has this habit of making top five lists. i adore that. i think you can tell a lot about a person based on the topic of the lists, as well as content thereof. so this morning, in the wee wee (ha ha, get it?) hours, i came up with a list all my own to share with you guys.
ahem,
top five most surreal locations/happenings i've dealt with thus far(in no particular order)
1. being farted at/on-to during a staff meeting when i worked in dc, with nary a word to excuse the farter or to comfort the fartee (that would be me)
2. seeing an actual shark in the wild while i was snorkeling off key west three summers ago
3. last night in my car, giving "the talk" (you know the talk i'm talking about) to five of my high school cherubs
4. actually being on top of the empire state building, site of two of my favorite love stories-- an affair to remember and sleepless in seattle
5. getting coffee at national press club, and being pissed that the guy in line in front of me was hogging all the cream, only to realize that said cream hog was none other than former vice-presidential candidate joseph liberman. he's very short, and likes the cream ALOT
and there you have it, my dearies. a top five that kept me up and amused until 3:30 this am.
peace out. word to yo mutha.
mil besos-r
20 September 2004
shoes, and ships, and sealing wax...
the short story of the rest of the vacation goes something like this-- ryan and i rented a car. we went to maine for an afternoon/evening. it was gross. we went back to boston and slept, because if we had gone out to the cape that night, it would have cost us $190 for a queen-sized bed (only one, i might add) at a best western (or something like that) in fall river. not just no, but hell no. so, we went to plymouth the next morning. the day was beautiful. high blue sky, and a little brisk. i took along a jacket. it was sunday, so the traffic wasn't bad at all. we got coffee at dunkin donuts. it was good. the breakfast sandwich i got, sadly, was gross.
i'd like to point out that texas does not have the market cornered on dumbass drivers. i'm not talking about people who occasionally space out, or drive with their blinkers on for miles, or even the one's who perpetually drive ten miles slower than the speed limit in the fast lane. no, no-- i'm talking about people who actually come to a full stop on merge lanes when there is no one coming in the next lane. i'm talking about people who aren't watching the merge traffice, they're watching you come down the ramp behind them. i'm talking about the a-hole i love tapped at the bottom of the merge lane on our way into plymouth township, who insisted on pulling over to check the bumper on his car.
brendan-- don't get all panicked. we didn't even call the cops, and all the info on my driver's license is at least three apartments old by now. sucka...
at any rate, thank God for five mile an hour bumpers, and that God loves morons. this guy had bumpers and was a moron, so all to the better, i say. yeah, instead of merging like he was supposed to, he was watching me come down the ramp. i was trying to see what was going on and why he wasn't merging when i tapped him. i was not happy. not happy at all. honest mistake, but even so. he was fine, his passenger was fine (they both said s0) but he took my info anyway. he said he'd been "watchin' yas, and i didn't like how ya was comin aff the ramp". i hope he was just having a bad and isn't really that big of an a-hole in real life...
plymouth looks like exactly what you'd expect it to look like. lots of "ye olde shoppes" along the water front. plymouth rock (see pictures) is way up at the water line, and i hate to tell you this folks, but there's no way in hell the mayflower actually got anywhere near that rock. they even told us as much on the tour of the historic MayflowerII. as an aside, Mayflower II and most of the "ye olde shoppes" were full of workers in period dress, much like Williamsburg, etc. it's kind of informational and kind of creepy. plymouth was interesting-- i didn't get the chills or the warm fuzzies, but i did get a little teary reading the native american plaque. as much as i'm glad for forward progress and all, and as thankful as i am to live in a free/industrialized nation, it makes me sad to think of all the people who got stepped on and over on our way to where we are.
the ride home was uneventful. we returned the car, told the guy about the bumper dude, and went to find some lunch. we ended up eating on newberry street, but sadly missed the tricycle man who screams at people to move. we drank some adult beverages, and watched the red sox game on tv. once we had a decent buzz, we called my mother, because that's just what ryan and i do when we drink together. i don't remember what we talked about, but i know everyone was laughing. we did actually make it back to ryan's and promptly fell asleep.
monday was lots of walking-- we went to harvard square, and while i wanted to buy something in the harvard bookstore, i didn't want to spend $60 on any given item. so we ate some really bad mexican food and went back to town. and then i bought my obligatory t-shirts, etc. then we went home, and slept some more. and then, i had to be up at 3am on tuesday, so i could come home.
and just like paul harvey says, now you know the rest of the story.
something informaiton and enlightening to post next time, perchance.
smooches--r
i'd like to point out that texas does not have the market cornered on dumbass drivers. i'm not talking about people who occasionally space out, or drive with their blinkers on for miles, or even the one's who perpetually drive ten miles slower than the speed limit in the fast lane. no, no-- i'm talking about people who actually come to a full stop on merge lanes when there is no one coming in the next lane. i'm talking about people who aren't watching the merge traffice, they're watching you come down the ramp behind them. i'm talking about the a-hole i love tapped at the bottom of the merge lane on our way into plymouth township, who insisted on pulling over to check the bumper on his car.
brendan-- don't get all panicked. we didn't even call the cops, and all the info on my driver's license is at least three apartments old by now. sucka...
at any rate, thank God for five mile an hour bumpers, and that God loves morons. this guy had bumpers and was a moron, so all to the better, i say. yeah, instead of merging like he was supposed to, he was watching me come down the ramp. i was trying to see what was going on and why he wasn't merging when i tapped him. i was not happy. not happy at all. honest mistake, but even so. he was fine, his passenger was fine (they both said s0) but he took my info anyway. he said he'd been "watchin' yas, and i didn't like how ya was comin aff the ramp". i hope he was just having a bad and isn't really that big of an a-hole in real life...
plymouth looks like exactly what you'd expect it to look like. lots of "ye olde shoppes" along the water front. plymouth rock (see pictures) is way up at the water line, and i hate to tell you this folks, but there's no way in hell the mayflower actually got anywhere near that rock. they even told us as much on the tour of the historic MayflowerII. as an aside, Mayflower II and most of the "ye olde shoppes" were full of workers in period dress, much like Williamsburg, etc. it's kind of informational and kind of creepy. plymouth was interesting-- i didn't get the chills or the warm fuzzies, but i did get a little teary reading the native american plaque. as much as i'm glad for forward progress and all, and as thankful as i am to live in a free/industrialized nation, it makes me sad to think of all the people who got stepped on and over on our way to where we are.
the ride home was uneventful. we returned the car, told the guy about the bumper dude, and went to find some lunch. we ended up eating on newberry street, but sadly missed the tricycle man who screams at people to move. we drank some adult beverages, and watched the red sox game on tv. once we had a decent buzz, we called my mother, because that's just what ryan and i do when we drink together. i don't remember what we talked about, but i know everyone was laughing. we did actually make it back to ryan's and promptly fell asleep.
monday was lots of walking-- we went to harvard square, and while i wanted to buy something in the harvard bookstore, i didn't want to spend $60 on any given item. so we ate some really bad mexican food and went back to town. and then i bought my obligatory t-shirts, etc. then we went home, and slept some more. and then, i had to be up at 3am on tuesday, so i could come home.
and just like paul harvey says, now you know the rest of the story.
something informaiton and enlightening to post next time, perchance.
smooches--r
16 September 2004
it takes a village...
this week has been...special. if it hadn't been for my kids-- who seemed to make me laugh at all the right moments, and my mother--who seems to be willing to listen to me talk about damn near anything, i might have just run away from home. i think i may be bordering on what some people call "burn-out". seems like a candy-assed thing to say, since i just got back from a week away, but it's true nonetheless.
the move into the new offices has been...interesting, and the start of the school year seems to be on super fast-forward. it's just been a really stressful couple of months. i'm sure everything will time out and get smoother. or at least i hope so. i'd hate to be staring down the barrel of christmas still feeling like i'm barely treading water. yuck.
the kids are great though. apparently, one of my cherubs burped so loud last night that he actually stopped conversation in the next room. thank God it was Rhoda's bible study, and they think stuff like that is funny, or i would have been in a world of hurt.
i still have to finish telling my vacation stories, i'm just kind of pooped right now, and need to go buy dodge balls for sunday youth group.
i promise to have something good to say.
love--rachel
the move into the new offices has been...interesting, and the start of the school year seems to be on super fast-forward. it's just been a really stressful couple of months. i'm sure everything will time out and get smoother. or at least i hope so. i'd hate to be staring down the barrel of christmas still feeling like i'm barely treading water. yuck.
the kids are great though. apparently, one of my cherubs burped so loud last night that he actually stopped conversation in the next room. thank God it was Rhoda's bible study, and they think stuff like that is funny, or i would have been in a world of hurt.
i still have to finish telling my vacation stories, i'm just kind of pooped right now, and need to go buy dodge balls for sunday youth group.
i promise to have something good to say.
love--rachel
08 September 2004
pictures!!
ok, i will finish telling stories about my trip tomorrow, but i wanted to share some pictures with you guys.
mil besos--r
mil besos--r
07 September 2004
mas y mas
ok, so i'm back in austin. i've been up since 3am, because i had to catch a cab at 3:30, to be at the airport at 4am, since my flight left at 6am, even though the a-holes at united check-in didn't show up until 4:45am, so i missed my last shot at a dunkin' donuts iced french vanilla latte with double milk and double sugar. booo.
but, i made it back in one piece, and that's really the important part of the story.
when last we spoke, i was in new york city. what a freaking sweet time. i had no idea you could get dirt rings around your ankles, even if you were wearing pants. i had no idea that taxi cabs really did get up on two wheels. i had no idea that a six hour bus ride could actually feel like a six year bus ride. if you have the means, i highly suggest taking the fung wah bus line from boston's china town to new york's china town. holy crap, what an experience. who knew any single experience could make a 15 minute stop at a roy rogers in new haven look like a 15 minute detour to heaven?
i had no idea that maine is actually an entire state full of towns that look exactly like waco (the name of one of the towns was actually saco. coincidence? i think not...) and college station and abilene, with a smidge or two of fredricksburg's faux arty pretentions. i had no idea that moxy cola is secretly just carbonated robitussin cough syrup (yet another item we found in maine, i might add). i had no idea that i could actually hate a cat, ever, until said cat peed on my stuff. i had no idea that the only thing more addictive than crack is a cannoli from mike's pastry in the north end of boston.
i had no idea how much overly apologetic waitstaff annoys me, until that night at the bull and claw in good old wells (said hey to the place for you, hopie), when our perky high school kid kept appoligizing for how long our food took, for the fact that the credit card machine was slow, and that there was drama in the kitchen. what i really wanted an apology for was getting suckered into the all you can eat salad/soup bar in the hopes of having some chowder. after all, maine freaking owed me. i mean, it took us the better part of four hours to figure out that there were plenty of light houses in maine, but no road signs telling you how to get there. i figured i would at least get some freaking chowder out of a state that started out "quaint" and ended up "kwaint", if you know what i mean. you know what soups they had? cream of broccoli. turkey and wild rice. and split pea. i have never felt quite so smote in all my life.
more stories tomorrow-- mostly about pilgrims, and why i hate driving on merge ramps.
mil besos-r
but, i made it back in one piece, and that's really the important part of the story.
when last we spoke, i was in new york city. what a freaking sweet time. i had no idea you could get dirt rings around your ankles, even if you were wearing pants. i had no idea that taxi cabs really did get up on two wheels. i had no idea that a six hour bus ride could actually feel like a six year bus ride. if you have the means, i highly suggest taking the fung wah bus line from boston's china town to new york's china town. holy crap, what an experience. who knew any single experience could make a 15 minute stop at a roy rogers in new haven look like a 15 minute detour to heaven?
i had no idea that maine is actually an entire state full of towns that look exactly like waco (the name of one of the towns was actually saco. coincidence? i think not...) and college station and abilene, with a smidge or two of fredricksburg's faux arty pretentions. i had no idea that moxy cola is secretly just carbonated robitussin cough syrup (yet another item we found in maine, i might add). i had no idea that i could actually hate a cat, ever, until said cat peed on my stuff. i had no idea that the only thing more addictive than crack is a cannoli from mike's pastry in the north end of boston.
i had no idea how much overly apologetic waitstaff annoys me, until that night at the bull and claw in good old wells (said hey to the place for you, hopie), when our perky high school kid kept appoligizing for how long our food took, for the fact that the credit card machine was slow, and that there was drama in the kitchen. what i really wanted an apology for was getting suckered into the all you can eat salad/soup bar in the hopes of having some chowder. after all, maine freaking owed me. i mean, it took us the better part of four hours to figure out that there were plenty of light houses in maine, but no road signs telling you how to get there. i figured i would at least get some freaking chowder out of a state that started out "quaint" and ended up "kwaint", if you know what i mean. you know what soups they had? cream of broccoli. turkey and wild rice. and split pea. i have never felt quite so smote in all my life.
more stories tomorrow-- mostly about pilgrims, and why i hate driving on merge ramps.
mil besos-r
03 September 2004
nyc
oh my God. this really is the greatest city in the world. it smells like ass and old cigarettes mixed up with rotting fish heads. you hear a different language from every clump of people you pass by. you almost get hit by flying taxis. you see all the stereotypical new york attitude and kitsch, and it is magnificent.
i think ryan and i walked about 8000 miles yesterday. we saw all of lower, upper, and mid-town manhattan. and we slept in the tiniest one room apartment i have seen in my whole life. seriously. we saw almost every famous structure you can think of actually in person yesterday, and the one's we missed, we saw from the top of the empire state building this morning. as an aside, an 86 floor elevator ride only took about 3 minutes. my ears popped!
ok, our time is almost up at the cyber cafe on 33rd street. we're off to the donald's building to meet ryan's friend, who's coming with us to the lady liberty. i'll try and update from boston or maine soon.
life is good.
mil besos--rachel
i think ryan and i walked about 8000 miles yesterday. we saw all of lower, upper, and mid-town manhattan. and we slept in the tiniest one room apartment i have seen in my whole life. seriously. we saw almost every famous structure you can think of actually in person yesterday, and the one's we missed, we saw from the top of the empire state building this morning. as an aside, an 86 floor elevator ride only took about 3 minutes. my ears popped!
ok, our time is almost up at the cyber cafe on 33rd street. we're off to the donald's building to meet ryan's friend, who's coming with us to the lady liberty. i'll try and update from boston or maine soon.
life is good.
mil besos--rachel
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