Science (non) Fiction

This Wednesday, April 4th

2007-04-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

Hello all! The beach trip was fantastic, the run/walk went really well, and the weather was wonderful! Hope that y'all enjoyed our time away as much as I did!

We're back at Keith's this week to continue on in Hebrews - the plan is to get through Hebrews 4, so feel free to read through it and come with questions if you've got any. Tomorrow, 6:30pm, Keith's house (directions in the sidebar at right). See y'all there!

~Andrea

Moving

2006-04-06T08:28:00.000-04:00

That's right, I'm movin' on up in the blog-o-sphere, to a new address:

http://rmfo-blogs.com/drea

It's hosted by the online forum/community I've been a part of for a while now - should be a cooler layout and easier to manage - I may update this one for a little bit to ease you through the transition ;) but eventually I'll switch over completely to the new one - so change your links and come visit me over at the new space!

I survived!

2006-04-03T19:50:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Charleston SC after spending a long weekend there with friends for the Cooper River Bridge Run, which I ran (mostly anyway) for the first time this year, on my 26th birthday! And while I didn't get up to the point where I could run the whole thing straight through, I did make it in under an hour and a half, so I was pleased with that :) My parents and brother came down, and Mom and Matthew walked/ran the race as well, and we all did really well, time-wise!
Afterwards, we got to spend some time on the beach, and the weather was perfect upper, 70s-low 80s, mostly sunny the whole time - we ate lots of good food, watched a couple movies, sang some karaoke and saw a bit of Charleston and Isle of Palms - I only got a little bit of reading done, but it was really good to catch up with some people on the trip, who haven't been around a whole bunch. Its wierd how different the trip was this year compared with the same trip last year - the makeup of the group is different, a lot more people raced this year, and not as many people were able to stay late... but we had a good time, and I'm now looking forward to doing maybe a 5k sometime soon, and eventually another 10k.

My birthday was nice, though exhausting with the race - after meeting up with my parents, and all of us getting showered, we ate lunch out before they had to leave to get back home - so it was nice to see them, even if it was pretty short... my friends had organized a cake and all sang Happy Birthday - it was really sweet :)

I'll try to post pictures once I get some (I, of course, did not take any) - and there should eventually be pics of us all crossing the finish line (which I may or may not share :) ) - in the meantime, I've recently acquired some good new music by Patty Griffin which I'm about to go listen to some - I've been interested in her music since I heard some of her stuff played at the Derek Webb concert a while ago, and I've been recommended her music by several people - I'll let you know what you think :)

The joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue

2006-03-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

So I've been listening to Derek and Sandra a lot this week to get 'in the mood' for the concert tomorrow night (!), and even though these are old words to which Sandra wrote new music, they hit me every time I listen:

Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.

And I guess the song gets me because it's how I WANT to be, not how I usually AM - how God's mercy should be 'the joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue', but all too often it isn't - unless I'm in Bible study or church, all too often the only things that occupy my mind are MY concerns, MY wants, MY needs, rather than on GOD's mercy and goodness in my life. Just something I'm struggling with currently...

Whew!

2006-03-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I survived my lecture this morning for the first year grad students - they were attentive and asked questions, and my boss told me I did a good job, so I'm pretty happy with the results - especially given that I'd like to teach as a career, it was nice to at least not get a resounding NO as an answer after my first official teaching gig! :) And I've got a new haircut, pink roses on my benchtop, Frank Sinatra playing on my computer, and this weekend is going to be great, so I'm a happy, happy girl!
Concert this Friday night in Greensboro at Christ Community Church (http://www.cccarp.org) with Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken (!) and Judd and Maggie (who I don't know, but are apparently opening for DW and SM) - Matthew will be coming up to spend the weekend with me, so he's going to try to make the concert too - then we'll have a fun weekend of movies and eating and maybe we'll spend some time outside at some point :) too bad we missed the film festival that was running last weekend - we'll have to make our own I guess...
My dad comes back from WI tomorrow (I think), so it will be nice to have him back - its wierd to call home and not be able to talk to him :( But I'd better get used to it, since he's recently decided to go back to Kenya again this summer for 3 weeks - which is very exciting! He's already got all the shots, and the guy who runs the orphanage over there will be going with him, so it will be good for him to see people over there again and see how things have changed - I'd love to go with him, but this summer is going to have to be dedicated to getting some good data under way or my committee is not going to be pleased come fall...
Off to finish work so I can make it to Bible study on time!

Life update

2006-03-18T23:31:00.000-05:00

So here's what's been going on recently:
- I'm getting ready to give an hour lecture for our first year grad students on Wednesday, talking about antibiotics and bacterial resistance - I'm excited about it, but its been quite a bit more work than I originally anticipated.

- My dad is up in WI til later next week, helping to take care of my grandma - hopefully getting her to eat more than she's been eating - and his cooking should help that :)

- I had a blast Friday night with some girlfriends watching Pride and Prejudice (the new Keira Knightley version) - lots of fun, and I like the movie pretty well for a fairly short adaptation of one of my favorite books of all time!

- I attended a baby shower tonight for a classmate's wife who's having a baby in a few months - and while it was fun to see all the baby stuff, there's only a certain amount of 'super happy for you' that I can pull off in a span of 2.5 hours - plus I had to eat baby food (yes, that's right, baby food!) as part of a scary baby shower game - please, people who love me, if I ever conceive a child and you throw me a shower, please, please, please, for the love of all that is holy, do not make the shower guests eat baby food - ok? thanks!

Leaving you with 'She must and shall go free', which we sang this week at Bible study and has been stuck in my head for a while since:

Mercy speaks by Jesus’ blood
Hear and sing, ye sons of God
Justice satisfied indeed
Christ has full atonement made

Jesus’ blood speaks loud and sweet
Here all Deity can meet
And, without a jarring voice,
Welcome Zion to rejoice

All her debts were cast on me,
And she must and shall go free

Peace of conscience, peace with God
We obtain through Jesus’ blood
Jesus’ blood speaks solid rest
We believe, and we are blest

Should the law against her roar
Jesus’ blood still speaks with power
“All her debts were cast on me,
And she must and shall go free”

Come ye sinners

2006-03-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

So I've been listening to a mix of praise music from a friend recently - and this song is on there and getting a lot of play:

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and pow'r.
He is able, He is able,
He is willing, doubt no more.

Come, ye needy, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
Ture belief and true repentence,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh,
Without money, without money,
Come to Jesus Christ, and buy.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him;
This he gives you, this he gives you,
'Tis the Spirit's rising beam.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and mangled by the fall,
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all;
Not the righteous, not the righteous,
Sinners Jesus came to call.

Lo! th' incarnate God ascending,
Pleads the merit of His blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude;
None but Jesus, none but Jesus
Can do helpless sinners good.

I love the last three verses - it really strikes me every time I listen, about how God meets us where we are, and doesn't require us to 'get better' on our own - that He loved us enough to send His Son to redeem our fallen lives - and that our attempts at 'redeeming' ourselves are nothing compared to the redemption offered to us through Christ's death on the cross.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for the prayers - my grandmother is now back in her apartment in the retirement community, and my dad is actually there from today for about 9 or 10 days to stay with her and make sure she's eating - isn't he great? :)

Quick update

2006-03-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

OK, just a quick update to fill you in on what's going on in my life these days:
- Grandmother (Ruth) is doing better, should be able to leave the hospital sometimes next week they think - moving to nursing care facility for a while before moving back into her apartment
- Work is going fine - we're getting close to wrapping up the paper I think (finally!), but it will probably take some time to smooth things together coming from two labs - but at least I've gotten my last piece of necessary data I think...
- I bought a queen mattress set from a friend getting rid of them for pretty cheap, so I'm on the hunt now for a bed I like (and can afford - beds are expensive!) - but I think I'm going to wait a little and save up before I look too seriously. In the meantime, the mattresses are taking up a great deal of space in my apartment, but I'm dealing with it :)
- I've got a busy weekend ahead of me - little time in lab, meeting tonight at a pub to discuss theology over beers (well, I don't like beer, but others will be drinking beer), driving to Raleigh to see Alexa and Daniel and ARIA (!), and a wedding shower Sunday afternoon for a classmate who's getting married in April - whew! Should be fun though...

Engage, energize, exalt

2006-03-03T11:34:00.000-05:00

It's time for the 4th installment of CityWide!!!!
We will be meeting next Tuesday, March 7th at First Presbyterian Church on North Cherry St in downtown Winston Salem at 7:30pm. This is where the first CityWide was held back in January of 2005, so it's a nice circle back to our 'roots'! :)
It will be a great time of worship, including music and teaching and fellowships with young adults from across the city - so please come and bring lots of friends/coworkers/random people/whoever you can find - we believe God will do great things in Winston Salem through young adults and CityWide!

Check out the website for more info and how to get involved!

http://www.citywideworship.org

In dreams...

2006-03-01T23:07:00.000-05:00

So I've been running regularly, and a lot of days I leave from the hospital and run around Ardmore, then come back and shower in the fitness center at work. And in my latest running route (I can do 3.5 miles straight now - whoohoo!), I run down Ebert from Hawthorne (I know this means nothing to those of you not in Winston - sorry) and there on the left is this beautiful house! It's been under repair for a week or two, and its just now been put on the market and I finally found it online - the picture is small, but you can kind of see how cute it is - especially the sort of extended dormer window upstairs and the little front porch! And the color is a sort of khaki/gray color in those old-fashioned kind of siding - love it!

Anyway - thanks for the prayers for my grandmother - she's doing better, moved out of the ICU and is already walking around - she'll be there til next week sometime, and then moving into the nursing home part of the retirement community where she has an apartment, before she moves back into her own apartment. I may go up at some point in the next little bit and see her, maybe once she's back on her own and still needing some help getting around.

Prayer

2006-02-24T19:54:00.000-05:00

My maternal grandmother is in the hospital after open heart surgery to fix a partially blocked cardia artery and an occluded heart valve - she's in the ICU for a couple days, then in the regular hospital for another week or so - she's apparently doing fine, vital signs all good, but its still a little touchy, since she's 83 (ish) and surgery at that age is never completely safe or predictable. So prayer for her health would be greatly appreciated - and that she would have plenty of support and care when she eventually leaves the hospital. Thanks!

...silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz

2006-02-20T20:07:00.000-05:00

That's right, I'm re-reading Donald Miller's Blue like jazz, mostly because I haven't been able to get a hold of his new book yet (To own a dragon), so I'm reading BLJ to 'take the edge off' :) Anyway, as I've already stated on here a while ago, Donald Miller is fabulous - he expresses his thoughts about faith so realistically and honestly, that it can't help but resonate with me. My favorite of his is Searching for God knows what, but I don't have a copy of that anymore :(
Well, I just read one of my fave parts of BLJ - he's talking about relationships and dating and girls, and he talks about how a girl friend once gave him a copy of Pride and Prejudice with an inscription on the inside cover saying, 'What is in this book is the heart of a woman.' (which is, I think, overstating the importance of P&P, but not by much :) ). He then proceeds to say that he has never read it, since, in his words, "I am sure the heart of a woman is pure and lovely, but the first chapter of said heart is hopelessly boring. Nobody dies at all." hehehe But this is what gets me - he keeps the book on his bookshelf so when girls come into the room, they see it and sigh, 'you have P&P!', he says, 'yes, yes, I do' - that cracks me up! Anyway, it's one of the less serious parts of the book, but one of my favorite parts nonetheless... I like what he says about relationships, and about how the idea of being that honest with someone is what scares him about marriage/serious relationships - cause I can relate to that - real emotional intimacy is one of the scariest things to me about a marriage relationships, sharing stuff that I can keep covered up kinda well on my own, letting someone else see my 'real life', the way I am when no one else is looking - that's the scary part of relationships for me. And that's also part of the reason why building that kind of trust and honesty in other relationships (like in Bible study small group) seems so difficult but necessary for me in my life, as a way to ease into intimate relationships with people.

OK, so enough of Donald Miller - I had a chemical peel on Saturday at the spa downstairs from where mom works (and now as a result, my face looks like I'm molting - *shudder*), got to hang out with Matthew a bit over Fri/Sat (we worked out together - and he gave me some really good workout mixes!) and I'm now volunteering at the Family Room, where we finally have internet access, allowing me to update this in the copious downtime I have! Oh, and go check out Daniel's blog (link at right) with new pictures of baby Aria!!!!!!!!

Freaky economics?

2006-02-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

So I'm reading (actually listening to it on audiobook) Stephen Levitt's book Freakonomics - he's an economist who writes about questions that have interested him for a while, and they're not typical 'economist' questions - he asks stuff like 'what do sumo wrestlers and real estate agents have in common?' and 'do teachers cheat for their students?' and 'why did the crime rate drop so dramatically in the 1990s?'. Anyway, his answers are thought-provoking to say the least - some things are pretty clear-cut, like his example of school teachers in the Chicago public school system who were caught cheating on standardized tests to increase their student's scores (and therefore any benefits/pay increases coming to them) - and he's got a whole section on the KKK (including quite a bit of history of which I was not aware), and about how their methods of intimidation and terror have changed over the years (including a story about a guy who went under-cover with them for several years to learn more about their secrets) - and there's a really interesting section on drug dealers who still live at home with their moms, about how the majority of people selling drugs on the street aren't making enough to live on their own, much less get out of the poverty they're in... but the amazing part is when he talks about the crime drop in the 90s, he links the drop in crime with the legalization of abortion in Roe v. Wade (again, there's some of this about which I was not completely aware), leading to much fewer births for women who are at the highest risk for raising children who will go on the become criminals (he says the education status, economic status and several other factors are the leading causes of children becoming criminals later in life) - so fewer births for those women means fewer criminals down the road, specificall children who would have 'come of age' in the 90s. This is fascinating to me (who knows why...) - and while I still think abortion is morally wrong, the concept is quite amazing, that legalizing abortion (and therefore making it available for those of lower-income/power rather than just those who could previously afford the illegal one - rich little girls) could have such a drastic effect on crime statistics. Now he does walk through the other causes of the crime rate decrease (gun control, better policing strategy/hiring, decreased drug market, etc) but he contends that the effect is still not fully explained without considering Roe v. Wade.
Anyway, you should check the book out - I'm thinking about getting a hard copy of it to look through so I can check out some of his references. I'm in the middle of a section on 'what makes good parents?' - also interesting, if slightly less controversial!
I'm heading home early today to see mom and dad and brother, but I'll have to be back Sat night for some lab stuff and to be in church Sunday morning - better get things wrapped up so I can actually leave!

I would do anything for love

2006-02-10T11:59:00.000-05:00

Well, that's what I'm listening to on my iPod currently - its cycling through my songs in an apparently random manner... I love me some Meatloaf!

We're off for a weekend retreat in the moutains of Southern VA this weekend - its actually just over the VA border, close to the Blue Ridge Parkway - we've got a 'lodge' (just a house I think) for about 13 of us from the labs that all study similar stuff in the department - I wasn't really looking forward to it, but now I think it might be some good times! Plus we have a better chance of getting more snow up there than we do down here! (though Winston is supposed to get snow again tonight/tomorrow anyway...) - they almost got snowed in at the retreat last year (which I skipped cause I didn't want to drive in the snow/ice) - hopefully that won't happen this year, but I want to get enough to at least have a snowball fight or two! :) And I went to Sams last night with a friend who's a member, and we got a ton of food for the weekend (10 lbs of pancake mix, anyone?!?!) - Sams has awesome produce right now, fyi...

My weekend plans with Matthew fell through last weekend - but I'm hoping he can either come up or I can get home next weekend - I miss everybody when I haven't seen them in weeks!

Oh, and I ran 3 miles on Monday!!!! That's the most I've done all at one time (well, except for a 30 second break to grab a drink of water) - but its still only half of the 10k, so I've got to keep going to get my endurance up... maybe I can get a little running in this weekend, assuming there's any moderately flat ground around...

Finally!

2006-02-03T23:48:00.000-05:00

I'm finally through with my round of presentations!!!! My thesis committee meeting went decently well on Wednesday, and they've passed me on the next level, meaning that come August, I can progress to 'fifth year' status - whoa!!!!! How scary is that?!?! It's so incredible that I've reached this point in my graduate school career - as a first year student struggling to make it through classes and choose a lab and learn technical basics and not make a fool of myself, I never really pictured myself this far along in school - it was too far out in the future to picture. Now that I'm here, it's almost surreal, realizing that in another year or two, I could be finished with school and out in the 'real world' finding a job!

Now my work turns to getting some really impressive data in the next couple months, before I have to turn my focus to teaching a lecture at the end of March - which I'm a bit apprehensive about, but very excited at the same time! I mean, this is what I'm hoping to do for the rest of my career, so I'm hoping this will provide some really good experience and a chance to get better with teaching skills - plus a national conference at the end of May where I'll present a poster of my recent work - a good place for networking and making contacts for future job searches!

All right, enough work/school related stuff - I've got a fun weekend planned - a girls afternoon tomorrow, then my brother is coming up to seen me Sat night and staying til Sunday sometime - yay! I haven't really seen any of my family since the holidays, so it'll be nice to catch up - we have a lot more fun together now that we're both adults - I think we're going to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show (the only time I've seen it before was with him too) and eat take-out and have fun! Good times! And I'm still not sure about what I'm doing for the superbowl - I've been invited to a couple parties, but we'll have to see when Matthew has to leave and how dedicated I am to the game...

Praise!

2006-01-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

Praise the Lord - that I made it through my presentation, certainly, but even more importantly, my mom just called and said that the lymph node biopsy from my aunt Kelly's surgery last week showed no sign of cancerous spread from the primary site into the lymph nodes!!!!!! Yay!!!!! She had the surgery on the 18th, and she's been home several days, and now my dad is up there to help her and the family out while both she and her husband (my uncle Tim) recover (he had a blot clot in his lung and one in his leg a couple weeks ago) - how great is my dad? Especially considering that it's my mom's brother and so Dad's only related by marriage! hehehe I think he'll be up there til at least next weekend to keep them comfie, including cooking them some fabulous meals while he's there (he's a great cook!). In the meantime, Matthew is doing a lot of the cooking at home for Mom, and apparently that's going really well too - he likes to experiment a lot, but everything he's ever made while I'm home is excellent! I think the men in my family got more cooking genes than did the women... ;)

So my presentation went well, I think I handled the questions at the end fairly well, and since some of the data was really new, people had some really good ideas about where to go from here, so that's helpful, and will hopefully help prepare me from the kinds of things I'll have to deal with in my committee meeting next Wednesday (why did I think it was a good idea to put my committee meeting the week after my seminar?!?!). My boss seemed pleased, and it's started me thinking about some new avenues we've not pursued yet...

Tomorrow is the graduate student forum at the undergrad campus - I was planning on taking most of the day off after the stress of the last week or two, but it's only two hours over lunch, and I'm actually looking forward to the topics I've been assigned (Post-doctoral fellowships and Teaching at a liberal arts college - whoohoo!) - plus I might be able to see my college roomie Heather while I'm over there, since she works in the library nextdoor!

So I've got lots to celebrate, and I'm going to go home and go for a quick run I think before it gets too dark - I've got to keep increasing my mileage or I'll never be ready for Charleston in April!!!! (I'm currently at 2 miles without stopping (and that's with a few hills!) - whoohoo!)

PANIC!!!

2006-01-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

Well, not quite PANIC yet, but my presentation is in a day and a half, and I just spent an hour going over my presentation with my boss - and while he seemed pleased with the overall layout, there were a lot of changes that we discussed me making, so I'm a little worried about getting everything done and getting comfortable with talking through it... I've added a lot of new data, or at least, new concepts, so I'm hoping to spend most of tomorrow going through things and getting comfortable with the whole presentation.

But I'm going to be so glad when it's over, and I'm going to allow myself a day to relax before starting to worry about my committee meeting next Wednesday - which unfortunately will be even more stressful than this week's presentation - lots more questions, lots more debate over experimental design, etc...

So, basically, prayer would be appreciated in the next week - I'll be sooooo glad when Feb 2nd rolls around!

A King and a Kingdom

2006-01-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

There are two great lies that I’ve heard
The day you eat of the fruit of that tree you will not surely die
And that Jesus Christ was white, middle class, republican
And if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like him

So I've been listening to Derek Webb's new album, Mockingbird - and while there is a lot of controversy surrounding this album, even among some of his most loyal fans, I really like most of this album! There are lots of very convicting songs (which is what Derek does best!), and in particular, the song quoted above 'A King and a Kingdom' is really great - not that I completely agree with all of the sentiments expressed, but I love that he's pointing out that there are other options for being a thoughtful, intelligent Christian without necessarily subscribing to every Republican idea and living in the suburbs - now there are plenty of people living that life who are living wonderful examples of the Christian life, ministering to those in need around them. But pointing out that that doesn't have to be the 'only' way to be a Christian is really important.

And this is from another song on the album, 'Rich Young Ruler':

Cuz what you do to the least of these
My brothers you have done it to me
Cuz I want the things you just can’t give me
I want the things you just can’t give me

Now the song talks about selling your SUV and your house and giving the money to the poor (following the Rich Young Ruler story in Mark), but I believe Derek is using these as examples of the things that our culture holds dear, and therefore what God requires us to give up in order to follow him - so not that I necessarily need to sell my car, etc... but that I'm going to have to give up what's difficult for me to give up, which might not be my SUV (I don't have one) or my house (also don't have one), but it might mean me giving up some of my time to do something that might put me outside my comfort zone, etc... It's only the things that are difficult to give up that will mean anything, as those are the things that we risk putting above God in our lives.

Anyway, you should check out the new album - it's pretty good, but quite different musically from his previous albums.

New Year!

2006-01-15T19:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been absent for a while - not much to say, not much time to say it... but I'm going to try this year to post maybe less often, but with more interesting things to say - we'll see how that goes...

I didn't really make formal new years resolutions this year (I don't normally anyway), but my major informal resolution is to get fitter, specifically in time for the Cooper River Bridge 10K run, where I plan on running/walking come April 1st (also my 26th birthday!) - I think Mom and Matthew are also planning on walking/running too :) This is also the beach weekend for YAF, originally so people could walk/run in the race, but lots of people go just for fun too (like I did last year!) - all in all, it should be a great birthday weekend for 2006!

I'm in the middle of a very stressful time in school - I've got a departmental seminar to give in a week and a half (for the whole dept, faculty, students, etc) and then my committee is meeting the following Wednesday (Feb 1st), so I'm massively freaking out (at least internally) about not having finished enough to be where I am right now - this is my classmates' and my first time giving a full 50-60 min seminar (last year was only a half seminar), so I'm worried about having enough data to talk about for that long... plus my committee meetings are always stressful, but they're a necessary part of progressing through grad school, and they're supposed to be helpful in guiding the progress of my research, as well as giving advice about post-grad stuff, but mostly they just scare me! The positives are that I have most of the paper to tell my committee about, plus I mentored a first-year grad student in the fall whose work contributed to my project, so I hope my committee will understand how much time that all took away from actual research sometimes... we'll see...

OK, that's enough for now!

Finally...

2005-12-26T22:44:00.000-05:00

as in, I finally saw 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' tonight! My brother and I saw it this evening (after the afternoon shows selling out when we first tried today) and I have to say, I really really liked it. I knew from talking to others and reading people's opinons some of people's fave/least fave parts and was partly prepared for some of the changes, so I think that helped in a lot of ways.
Spoilers may follow, so read with caution if you've not seen the movie!

I think overall, they maintained the allagorical nature of the story with a clear (at least clear to those of us who know the story) line towards the sacrificial nature of Christ's story - I really liked that they left in a lot of the stuff with Aslan at the stone table, with him talking about the blood of the innocent being needed to satisfy the need for the blood of the guilty - it was really a beautiful picture of Christ's death as the atoning sacrifice for our guilt in betrayal (as all sin is really our betrayal of God) - I did shed a little tear when Aslan was killed, which is quite unusual for me in movies in general...

I was also quite moved by the sacrifice made by the rhino and centaur in the middle of the battle, when they go charging down the hill to save Peter from the Witch - you know they're going to die, and they clearly know that, but they're willing to make that sacrifice for the greater good of having Peter there to lead the battle - it was very compelling I thought. And Edmund's courage in facing the Witch to try to save Peter was also well done - it was a good attempt at redemption on his part...

And I think overall the changes they made were decent (Father Christmas handing out the gifts was a bit slim on details as I recall, and I don't seem to remember quite that much time with the professor - but I might just not be remembering correctly), but a few would have added some to the movie I think - like the 'tame lion' speech at the end, that's one of my fave parts of the book, and it ended up being delivered by Tumnus (not the beavers) right at the end, and it certainly wasn't as powerful as it could have been - and I agree with several people I talked with before I saw the movie, that there wasn't enough build-up to showing Aslan as a lion - I mean, we all know he's a lion, but the kids don't, and yet they don't seem at all suprised that he's a lion when they first meet him coming out of his tent - I wish they're done more with the idea of the 'deeper magic' being love, but again, overall, I think the changes they made didn't distract too much from the point of the movie, and the sacrificial nature of love was really evident in much of the film.

I know today was a big movie day for most people, but I was really impressed that the majority of Narnia showings today were sold out and even some of the movies that came out this weekend still had tickets left - that bodes well for them doing more of the series in terms of profit I guess...
I highly recommend it, but you should really read the book (or the whole series!) before you see it - you'll probably get more out of it in terms of understanding the back-stories for everything and seeing more of the 'deeper meaning'.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T19:46:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas y'all!
I'm at home in Monroe spending time with the family - I'm actually typing this in the living room, cause my dad just bought me a wireless card and we put it in my laptop!!!! whoohoo!
Christmas has been quiet (mostly) and uneventful - we've cooked a lot, eaten a lot, wrapped a lot and watched a stupifying amount of tv sports events (actually, I should clarify that the boys have watched, mom and I have tuned it out mostly ;) )... I got some great gifts (including a fun game, Imaginiff, that I'm sure will be enjoyed at several parties in the coming months...) and got to see some old friends - unfortunately, Frances couldn't make it to NC for Christmas, but Thea, Alexa, Aria and I got together for coffee at Dean and Deluca - I'll post pics at the end - really fun to catch up and see how big Aria is getting!
I'll be heading back to Winston sometime this week, probably Wed/Thur-ish, and there's a New Year's Party back at Mike's place, so there should be some good times this weekend! Our Christmas dinner there was fun and very much like a big extended family getting together for a big meal - lots of food, lots of laughing, a few akward moments, but a good time was had by all I think... hopefully New Years will be a repeat!
I was sorry not to be at Redeemer this weekend for Christmas church (as I've never been there for Christmas before), but the Lutheran church my parents have been attending recently had a really nice Christmas Eve candlelight service with lots of carol-singing which made up for not going to a Lovefeast this year...
Also, one of Mom's friends wants to hook me up with one of the guys at her church (actually, it's a Messianic Jewish church/synagogue - not sure what to call it...) - apparently she didn't think it would work out to have us meet without it being really obvious (yup), so she asked Mom is she could give him my email address... I haven't made up my mind about this yet... I don't know how I feel about it yet...

OK, enough updating - I can't get the photos to work right now, but I'll try again later!

Christmas is coming!

2005-12-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

So I finally got Handel's Messiah into iTunes so I can get it onto my iPod and listen like crazy from now til Christmas (and really til Easter since that's also included in Messiah - it's not just about Christmas folks!) - whoohoo! It's actually playing in the background now actually... beautifully poignant...

Lots of stuff going on lately, keeping me from updating more often - my mom came up and stayed with me last week for a night, after visiting Alexa and Daniel (and Aria!) in Durham - so after the mad rush to et the apt clean, it's nice to have it presentable (mostly) in case people feel like dropping in, or just so I feel more relaxed/organized in my own house - I have to remember how this feels so I have the motivation to keep it clean! I have only put up a few decorations (midget tree and my awesome new wreath!), but I might do a bit more this week, although it's getting close to the point where it won't be worth it if it goes up now... :( we'll see...

Anyway, continuing along, I saw a high school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Andrea Lloyd Webber) with Becky - it was a typical high school production, but quite ambitious really, esp given the high percentage of guys in the cast and the usual lack of guys interested in musical theater at that age - the Pharaoh (who's an Elvis-type 'King') was great and hysterical - and they added a few funny touches throughout... Saturday I faced the enemy of people everywhere this time of year - the MALL! I did get a cute sweater, which I then wore that night to Becky and Wendi's Christmas party, but there were WAY too many people there! While I was out shopping though, I did get my brother's Christmas present (hehehe - it's a secret!), but that's the only family present I have so far - I'm really slacking this year... usually I have most of my shopping done before now...

Anyway, the party Sat night was fun, and Sunday was busy but productive - I went back to the mall with Jen and we searched for a good lip color - I've been irritated with my last few drugstore lipstick purchases, and figured I'd shell out the money up front this time so I could try on colors/textures first and get some opinions, rather than wasting money on lip colors I couldn't try on beforehand - and I found two great colors from Stila - they're like gloss with intense color added in, and I love them! One more for everyday and one with more color for dressing up (thanks to Jen's insistence that I needed MORE COLOR, emphasis hers).

Also, I put Christmas lights up in the lab - the others burnt out sometime in the last year or so, but I just never got around to taking them down, so I put up some new ones that work - I'll try to post a pic with this of what they look like, though as someone already pointed out, it would be better it I took a pic at night - plus my bench is pretty cluttered right now... oh well...

Well, you can't really even see the lights - I'm going to take a pic at night sometime and you'll be able to see them hopefully!

Seven things

2005-12-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

OK, I've been passed the torch by Brandi

Seven Things to Do Before I Die (Lord willing):

1. Take a road/train trip across Europe
2. See Prince Edward Island (LM Montgomery fan!)
3. Work for a non-profit org
4. Get married and have children
5. Adopt a dog
6. Learn to keep my house clean for more than a week at a time
7. Teach

Seven Things I Cannot Do:

1. Keep things clean/organized

2. Be aggressive.

3. Be completely honest about my feelings

4. Whistle

5. Play guitar

6. Speak comfortably in front of people

7. Understand football

Seven Things that Attract Me to My (potential future) Spouse/Significant Other (we're talking theoretical here, people!):

1. The way he makes me laugh.

2. His ambition and passion for his work.

3. His hands (strong)

4. The way he remembers all the random little things I say.

5. That my family loves him and he loves them

6. How we disagree on some things, but see eye-to-eye on the important stuff

7. The way he challenges me to see things differently.

Seven Things I Say (or write!) Most Often:

1. fabulous

2. right...

3. uh-huh

4. sure...

5. clearly

6. dude (I'm embarassed by that one!)

7. I don't know, but...

Seven Books (or series) I Love:

1. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

2. Harry Potter!

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

4. Searching for God Knows What/Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

5. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

7. Emma by Jane Austen

Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again:

1. Princess Bride

2. Harry Potter series

3. While you were sleeping

4. Rat Race

5. Pride and Prejudice (A&E)

6. In Good Company

7. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Seven People I Want to Join in:

1. Frances

2. Alexa

3. Thea

4. Rebecca

5. Becky

6. Matthew

7. Bethany

Cutie!

2005-12-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a new pic of Aria with mommy (Alexa and Daniel's little girl - who's 4 months now I think) - so cute!

Plenty

2005-12-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

I meant to post the words for this Sandra McCracken song on the last post, but here they are - it's fabulous and very poignant - it was the first song she sang at the concert a couple weeks ago when she 'opened' for Derek Webb - this and 'Sunday Morning' are my fave songs on 'the Crubicle' (her first big album).

Plenty

Dishes piled on the counter,
you are not in the mood for me.
A stale beam of light pulls your face from the night
and your gaze falls blank on the TV

You never gave your two-cent share,
but I was nice to have around.
You threw the first stone,
when I turned you were gone,
and that`s the way the door revolved.

I never planned to leave,
and you never planned to stay.
It`s too late for your questions,
I have to walk away.

Tears in a bottle and wounds that are sore.
No one beside you to battle your war,
but I cannot rescue your heart from the empty,
I must release you for I`ve given plenty.

I poured out like a rainstorm,
you were dry under the bridge.
The love that I gave, tied your hands like a slave
and your history was more than you could live.

A state of relentless absence,
you were near but self-absorbed.
You mastered the game, played the thief,
turned the blame, just to spin the ball back into my court.

I never planned to leave,
and you never planned to stay.
It`s too late for your questions,
I have to walk away.

Tears in a bottle and wounds that are sore.
No one beside you to battle your war,
but I cannot rescue your heart from the empty,
I must release you for I`ve given plenty.

"I just don't think I'll ever get over you"

2005-12-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

I'm listening to the Garden State soundtrack, which is awesome btw - and I really like this song - I'm not sure who sings it though... but I'm very attracted to the moody songs lately, esp those about break-ups/bad relationships - lets not touch on the irony there, ok? I bought two Sandra McCracken CDs at the concert a couple weeks ago, and I've probably played 'Plenty' (from 'The Crucible') 25 times in the last week or two - it's awesome! Her new hymns CD (The Builder and the Architect) is really great - new melodies with old hymn lyrics - and I'm not always a big fan of that kind of stuff (I like the old hymns), but she does it was a lot of respect for the beauty of the original words.

I've had two presentations in the last week and a half, plus I'm turning in my first (very) rough draft of my little section of a paper we're trying to get published to my boss today, so I've been very busy, but not with experiments, which is hard, cause it sometimes feels like I'm not really doing anyway if I'm not running an experiment... but this stuff had to be done - glad it's over!

Thanksgiving was great, but busy - we fed about 55 people or so - and we made close to 30 lbs of mashed potatoes - yes, you read that correctly, 30 lbs! That's a small child's weight in potatoes! We mashed them at the church where we served dinner and used this huge potato masher that made it look like we were churned butter - I wasn't as proud of them as I usually am at Thanksgiving, but they were decent - plus everything else was sooooo good! We spent several hours out at the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) processing center too, so that was good - and no shopping on Black Friday! The mall in Charlotte opened at 1am that morning!!!! Crazy, eh?

We saw the lights at Tanglewood last night after dinner out - big group of us (about 15) crammed into one covered pick-up truck, driving through Tanglewood at about 5 mph, ooohing and ahhhing at the cool lighting displays - very good induction into the holiday spirit!

Oh, and Matthew is back from NYC - you should read his posts about his exploits there - he's crazy!

I'm thankful!

2005-11-22T17:54:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for being able to leave for home earlier than I though possible - it looks like I can head home tonight or tomorrow morning - I've got a ton of work to do on the computer, so I don't need to be in the lab to do it! But I wasn't counting on that, so I'm thinking I'll have to take dirty laundry home with me - flashback to me in college...

We're hosting about 60 people (at the church, don't worry!) for Thanksgiving dinner this year, a continuation of our tradition of hosting youth groups from Operation Christmas Child, here to work at the processing center - bigger group this year than we've had, but it should be fun, and with Matthew in NYC til Friday, it will be good to have lots of other peeps around. I'm going to have to come back Sat night though, since I think I committed to staying around for Thanksgiving nursery - but that's ok, cause I'll need time to get things back to normal around here after the holiday off...

So I'm off - have a great and safe holiday - hopefully I'll see some of y'all over the next few days!

O love that will not let me go

2005-11-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

All right, so it's been too long since I really updated...

I had a great visit home last weekend, complete with lots of shopping, as predicted - Matthew and I spent several hours scouring the city of Charlotte (seriously, we went all the way across town!) for his birthday present clothes - came up with lots of good stuff, if I do say so myself! Had a really nice lunch too (my first time at Red Lobster - yum) - we had a good time! We bonded over listening to my new favorite CD, the RENT movie soundtrack - good times!

Mom and I spent several hours at the Southern Christmas Show in Charlotte - it's such a great tradition, and we found several things there for people on our lists - we seem to hit up the same places each year, but it's still lots of fun - and I have been listening to more Christmas music since then, so the holidays are in full swing!

I came back to Winston Sat evening in time for a bonfire at Captain Mike's house - lots of (cold) fun, including hide-and-seek in the dark and s'mores - hopefully we can have another one sometime soon...

OK, something I've been thinking about recently - I think there was a song on the radio that sparked this, but I can't remember what it was. I don't want to be known for what I DON'T do - I want to be known for what I DO do. I mean, as a Christian, there are a lot of things that I don't do (drink to excess, sleep around, etc) but I don't necessarily want those to be the things that define my life - you know what I mean? I wouldn't want those things to be the first things that pop into the head of someone I know when my name is mentioned - this is probably most relevant with my non-Christian friends, but maybe not... I'd rather be known for the positive things that define my life, but I guess that's what I need to work on... Anyway, something I'm thinking about...

On a sad note, the Mozart Club of Winston Salem will not be performing Handel's Messiah this year (for the first time in >70 years) - I don't know why, but I'm very sad that I won't have that to get me into the holiday spirit :(

Also, my uncle Tim (mom's brother) is in the hospital for blood clots in his lungs, and they recently found another clot in his leg, so they're checking for several kinds of cancer, since clots are often associated with some cancers - so prayer would be appreciated greatly - I think they might let him go home later this week depending on test results...

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths
its flow may richer, fuller be

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flick'ring torch to thee,
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine's blaze
its day may brighter, fairer be.

Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee,
I trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
and from the ground there
blossoms red life that shall endless be.

Quickly...

2005-11-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

Not a real post, just wanted to say thanks for praying - my boss's mom came through surgery really well (better than he thought even!) and she was walking around a bit a day or two afterwards - she's still got weeks/months of rehab and therapy ahead, but I think he's pretty relieved it went as well as it did - I was kind of thinking he might not be back til later this week, but he was here bright and early this morning.

I'll post more later this week...

Great...

2005-11-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I've now managed to waste almost the entire week in terms of getting any data out of experiments - I have poured three gels of the same type, and none of them have worked out (all for different reasons) and now today I was trying something else and realized way too late that I'd gone too far and messed it up, which means I now have nothing productive to do the rest of the day... except I should be writing...I'm planning on leaving early today and heading home to Charlotte and maybe getting some writing done there tonight and tomorrow... I just hate wasting time in lab so much - grrrrrr!

I'm going home anyway, to celebrate Matthew's birthday (he gets several celebrations this year) - also, Mom will now be home, so we're going to take our traditional trip to the Southern Christmas Show (for those of you not familiar, it's a HUGE Holiday extravaganza with everything you could possibly want to buy/eat/make for the holidays - we get quite a bit of Christmas gifts/ideas there each year) on Saturday - should be tons of fun! We've gone every year for at least the past 7/8 years probably - I was worried it wouldn't happen this year with our busy weekend schedules... I'll also be spending a few hours shopping with Matthew for his birthday present (he said he wants dressy-ish clothes) so lots of shopping ahead! Whoohoo! Plus, the Christmas show really says to me, this is it, it's finally getting to the holiday season, you can start playing Christmas music, etc... sooooooo exciting!

In other news, I got the soundtrack for the new movie version of RENT (out in the next month or so) - it's knock-your-socks-off awesome! I hadn't heard the music since college (suite-mate who played it constantly - thanks Kelly!), but it's still great! There's this heart-wrenching song I keep listening to over and over called 'Goodbye love' - where two of the main characters sing back and back and it makes me get all choked up (which you know it saying a lot), but I keep listening to it on repeat, so I'm walking around the lab in a perpetual state of teariness... now I really can't wait til the movie comes out! I recomment it highly, even if you're not necessarily into musicals (it's quite controversial though, I'm just warning you - AIDS, homosexuality, drugs, sex, profanity, etc... although with just the music it's a little cleaner than watching).

Gotta run to seminar - good speaker today!

Prayer request

2005-11-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

My boss just found out that his mom broke her hip yesterday, and he's flying up to MI today or tomorrow to be with her for the surgery - she's apparently not in good health to begin with, and he's in charge of her medical decisions if she's incapacitated, so I'm not sure how long he'll be there - please pray for her and for the whole family, for safe travel for everyone going to see her, for wisdom for the medical staff...

Thanks!

Fall is busting out all over!

2005-11-07T09:12:00.000-05:00

Wow, I was gone for the weekend, and it's like fall came to town while we were gone! Leaves changing and falling all over the place, even though it's been unseasonally warm here, and continues to be this week...either way though, it's beautiful!
The beach was wonderful - perfect weather, warm during the day but cool at night, lots of time spent relaxing in the fabulous house Becky found for us (kudos Becky!), plenty of good food and lots of laughs - good times! I unfortunately forgot to bring my camera, but others took lots of pics, so maybe I can post some later on...

Happy (early) Birthday to my little brother Matthew, who's turning 24 tomorrow! I'll be home at least part of this weekend to celebrate - good luck at work this week too! Love you lots!

Ick...

2005-11-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I'm coming down with something - woke up with morning with a sore throat, after spending most of yesterday afternoon feeling like I was walking around in a stupor - not sure exactly what's going on, but I came in late today and will most likely be leaving early, so maybe some rest will clear it right up...
On the other hand, I had a good time last night with Wendi and the two Beckys - Becky and I were going to watch Angel and answer the door for trick-or-treaters, but we ended up all four being there, so we ate the beef stew I brought over (football stew - yum!) and then went to the 'haunted house' around the corner and did a little trick-or-treating ourselves in Ardmore - very fun! But I did get to bed pretty early for me - still a little tired...
Well I better go figure things out for the rest of the week - if I'm going to leave early, I've got to make sure things are in order...

I'm Aurora

2005-10-31T11:10:00.000-05:00

You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

That fits, doesn't it?

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

Well, it's the day before halloween and I still can't find the part of my costume that I know is somewhere in my house - so I'm off to Target to buy a replacement, since it's needed tomorrow!

Homecoming at MHC was great - I got to stay with a former prof of mine (she's fabulous!) and got caught up on all the school goings-on - saw several other faculty Sat (all very influential for me) and of course, my Gamma girls! I was in a local sorority while in college and some of my fondest college memories are wrapped up in Gamma activities! It's definitely true what they say, you can't really go back (and have it quite the same) - it was really the girls that were in the sorority at the time that made it what it was to me, so going back and seeing all the new girls is strange and surreal - not to mention that it makes me feel incredibly old...But I got to see several of the girls who were my closest friends, and that made the whole trip worthwhile! Also got to hear the choir concert, and it was great - they sound really good - I miss that really rigorous choral performance that we used to have in college...

Returning to Winston, I quickly changed and headed to a halloween party - unfortunately, for all Sat activities, I either forgot my camera or the memory card, so I have no pics - will hopefully got some from others...Anyway, halloween party at Captain Mike's compound in Lewisville (boonies) - lots of fun, I only really got dressed up (not costumed), and stayed up WAY too late, even with the time change, so I'm hoping to head to bed earlyish tonight...

That's all for now - busy week ahead, and the beach trip this weekend, so I hope I'll have time to post a bit before then...

Another victory!

2005-10-27T18:06:00.000-04:00

The graduate student rotating in our lab (who I've been mentoring for 8 weeks) got 2 sets of good results today in lab - another example of how good God is! She was having a horrible day/week, even going so far as to break down a little this morning, so these results come at the perfect time, especially as she has to give a short presentation next week on what she's accomplished while here - great timing! I would just like to point out that I, unlike my student, have gotten crappy to mediocre results all week - but seeing her face today and hearing her get excited about it and tell the boss was totally worth any frustration! :)

In other news, I've decided to go to homecoming, but only for Fri/Sat - but Dr. Croom (former biology prof at MHC) has offered to let me stay with her again, so that will be great to catch up with her especially, and other profs/friends there as well - hopefully I'll make it back here in time to go to the YAF halloween party Sat night - but I'm still a little iffy on my costume situation, so we'll see...

I bought myself flowers today at the Teeter (yellow roses with reddish tips - yummm) - and almost every person coming into the lab today has asked about them - and rather than making up a story I've said, I bought them, or They're just for fun, etc... and they all seem somewhat disappointed... which is making my nice, happy flowers into somewhat depression flowers, but oh well - they still smell/look pretty!

Victory is mine!

2005-10-25T15:12:00.000-04:00

I have triumphed over the evil forces that have frustrated my attempts to have my luggage repaired/replaced after being lost and damaged on my flight back to NC - I finally talked to a live person today at Raleigh/Durham who is sending a replacement bag for me to pick up at PTI (G-boro airport) - now I just have to drive to PTI and swap my bag for theirs - so maybe by this weekend this whole thing will just be an ugly memory... persistance pays off, the squeeky wheel gets the grease, etc...
In other news, I think we're carving pumpkins at YAF this week, so that should be fun - and I don't think I'm going to go to homecoming - it's just too much traveling and with the beach trip the following weekend, too much time away from here - maybe I'll just pop down to Charlotte for a while to see my parents and brother...
Our commissioning ceremony for Family Services Volunteering is tonight - sounds a bit cheesy but it should be a good way to wrap things up now that training is officially over!
Off to make some serious scientific discoveries before the day is up (not really, but a positive attitude is helpful!)...

Got to the lab early...

2005-10-24T08:55:00.000-04:00

only to discover that the strains I started growing last night (which is why I came in early - to get them re-started this morning before going to work out) did not grow!!!! Grrrrr... oh well, at least I have tomorrow before I have to talk with my boss...
A few small things...

I'm still in the midst of 'discussing' my luggage situation with United - the last person I talked with left me with some hope that they will actually do something, but she had to talk to her boss, so she's supposed to call me today - we'll see...

I saw 'In her shoes' with Becky late Sat night - and it was quite funny and much better than I expected - I could even tolerate Cameron Diaz in it, and I loved everyone else in it (Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine, etc) - it was laugh-out-loud funny - but maybe only for girls...

My brother starts a new part-time job today - I called him this morning and he was stuck in traffic on 485 going around Charlotte - good luck today Macks!

My alma mater's homecoming is this weekend, and while I was planning to attend, I'm still not really caught up from the Seattle trip, so I don't know that I can justify another weekend away - plus that's another sub for nursery that I'd have to find, and the beach weekend is the weekend after, so I'm already going to have to find one for that - speaking of nursery though, I got recruited to help out in the 1st grade (well, I think it was 1st grade - maybe kindergarten - they were 5 years old) since one of their teachers was out and we had 4 adults in my nursery room - and it was a nice change of pace, but I definitely like the younger kids (ie 6-18 months) better - I guess they're not as cute once they can start talking back...

Oh, and congrats to Andie and Chuck on the new baby girl - I don't know them very well (actually I only barely know Andie and don't know Chuck at all) but I'll be praying for y'all!

And I got a new praise/worship CD from Sovereign Grace Ministries - it's really good and I like this one especially:

This Fathomless Love

Lord what moved Your heart
To love lowly man
Before any star could
Herald Your praise
And why did You come
Abasing Yourself
Veiled in a robe
Of frail human clay
Why would You the pure
Give Your life for the vile
The innocent Seeking the guilty
To be reconciled

Chorus
I can't comprehend
This fathomless love
I'm gripped and amazed
At what You have done
Why would the Adored
Become the despised
To bear all the furious wrath
That was mine
How awesome this mystery
of Your fathomless love for me

Why would You adopt
And take as Your own
Those who had crushed
Your one precious Son
Why mercy and grace
Towards Your enemies
Your name they have cursed
And Your throne they have shunned
Oh how could You choose
To show kindness to these
The ones who would
Mock You and hate You
The ones just like me

Tale of two cities

2005-10-21T17:16:00.000-04:00

So I'm finding out how funny this book is in spots (certainly not all the way through - it's quite depressing in places...) - here are two favorites from the last part I read last night:

"Cramped in all kinds of dun cupboards and hutches at Tellson's, the oldest of men carried on the business gravely. When they took a young man into Tellson's London house, they hid him somewhere till he was old. They kept him in a dark place, like a cheese, until he had the full Tellson flavour and blue-mould upon him. Then only was he permitted to be seen, spectacularly poring over large books, and casting his breeches and gaiters into the general weight of the establishment."
Such a good description - I feel like I'm there as he's talking about the bank...

"The scene was Mr. Cruncher's private lodging in Hanging-sword-alley, Whitefriars: the time, half-past seven of the clock on a windy March morning, Anno Domini seventeen hundred and eighty. (Mr. Cruncher himself always spoke of the year of our Lord as Anna Dominoes: apparently under the impression that the Christian era dated from the invention of a popular game, by a lady who had bestowed her name upon it.) "
This part just cracks me up (the Anna Dominoes part) - kind of Monty Python-ish...the rest of the chapter is about Mr. Cruncher's home life, which is also funny (but disturbing)...

More pics...

2005-10-21T12:59:00.000-04:00

OK, more random Seattle trip pics...

On the way back to camp Sat morning (after spending the night near Seattle) we stopped at Bea's Flowers, which is a field of dahlias (I think) in some lady's yard and you can pay $1 and pick 5 flowers - good deal, since some of these flowers were HUGE! So here are a few of my faves

Bunny that was in the field of dahlias - there were actually at least 3 that we saw - but this is the only one that held still long enough for me to get a pic

Dawn's back in front of the field of flowers - and that's only part of the field - it was quite large - they even provided scissors to cut them...

Trying more pictures...

2005-10-21T12:43:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm going to try some more pictures - I figure I'll try the ones from the aquarium the day we went into Seattle - went by way of the ferry, which was awesome - really good views and no long car ride with frustrating parking situations... So here goes...

Cute bird - he could hide his whole head and very long beak under his wing - and this exhibit was outside, so he had his own little heating lamp (which is why he'd kind of reddish)

One of the coolest parts of the aquarium - this tank of jellyfish that was a circle of clear (very thick) plastic and went above your head and below your feet and jellyfish went all around it - soooooo cool! Plus the lighting changed colors, so they looked different all the time - here's Emily standing in the middle of the circle looking at the jellyfish

Puffins are one of my fave birds ('there once was a puffin, who ate only muffins...')- this one's blurry, cause he was apparently in the middle of bathing when I snapped it - but still adorable!

This one's kind of gross, but very cool - this huge starfish was eating the animal inside that shell that seems to be stuck to the center of the starfish. Starfish 'eviscerate' or throw their stomachs out of their bodies to eat their prey, so that clearish stuff at the center is actually it's stomach, startingto digest the animal that used to live inside that black shell - cool, eh?

OK, I'll try more later...

Grrrrrr

2005-10-20T14:57:00.000-04:00

OK, the link to the photos isn't working (thanks Daniel/Alexa!) so I'll try to fix that, and eventually get back to my trip story, but right now I'm so irritated I can barely see straight!!!!! My bag got lost on the way back from seattle (sent to Alaska) and when it was returned 24hr later, the zipper was broken and it smelled like a fish crawled inside and died - ick! So now I'm struggling with the airlines (I hate United!) about getting some kind of reimbursment/repair for my bag...it's very frustrating and I'm not good with confrontation, even when I know I'm right... oh well... updates soon...

Seattle Trip

2005-10-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

All right, I'm done with trying to get the pics uploaded here - I put them on webshots (check them out here) so I'll just continue with my story on my next post and you can check out the pics there!

Seattle Part 1

2005-10-19T13:25:00.000-04:00

OK, so my trip to Seattle was great fun - it was good to see Dawn (college roomie) again and we packed a lot of stuff into a short amount of time! I'm having issues with getting the pics online, so I'm going to split it up into several posts - so here's the first part of my trip:

OK, so this is really pre-trip stuff, but it's from the airport or plane, so it still counts - I just saw this couple while I was eating lunch in the Raleigh/Durham airport - I don't ever want to be like this - now, I'm sure they're really nice, wonderful people, but it just looks sad, doesn't it? He's sleeping (he slept for about 20 min while I was there) and she's reading and they didn't communicate AT ALL in the 30 min or so that we were occupying the same room - crazy, huh? Just a thought, I'm sure it's WAY over-generalization about their situation but it just looked sad to me...

I don't have a pic of this, but I had a layover in Charlotte for 2.5 hours, so my dad and brother came to pick me up and we went and had milkshakes and talked about music and sports before I had to go back - very fun! It meant going through security again, but it wasn't too bad, even at Charlote Douglas.

Cute kid in the seat next to me on the Charlotte to Seattle flight - he was sooooo sweet, saying a few words but the rest was sort of babble - and yes, that's my stuffed dog he's holding - travel tip - take along stuffed animal to double as travel pillow and child distracter! He held it on and off the whole flight and he really only got antsy the last hour or so of the flight, which was pretty late...

Another shot of the cute kid (I never found out his name...) - he was sitting on his Grandpa's lap, and his mom was in the row ahead of us with an infant - his G-pa (I think he referred to himself as Pappy, or Papaw - very southern!) was really good with him - eventually, they moved up to the row ahead with his mom, and the guy sitting in front of them moved back and sat with me - ick for sitting in the middle for a 5.5 hour flight...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

2005-10-13T15:01:00.000-04:00

Whoa! So many posts this week! I don't know if y'all will be able to stand it! But I won't be able to update things until I get back next week, probably Tuesday/Wednesday, so this is it!
I'm having my hair cut and highlighted today - yeah! It's getting unmanageable, so it's about that time... plus that means quality time with Rebecca and fun with Cheryl - even better! And we have tonight off from training, so I have one free evening, during which I will be frantically packing and cleaning and organizing for my trip...
I've started to read 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens - I've started this book before and for various reasons, never made it farther than maybe 50-60 pages in - so I'm hoping to do better this time, and I'm planning on taking it on the plane, so together with my iPod (which needs some serious updating) I should be all set! I actually also need to finish the last 40 or so pages of 'Searching for God Knows What' (Donald Miller) before I give it to Dawn this weekend, so I should really read that on the plane too... It's sooooo good!
Oh, and CityWide is next Tuesday, the 18th, at 7:30pm at Redeemer Pres on Miller Street - should be really awesome, so come if you're in the area - I'll have just gotten back to this time zone earlier that day, so I may be out of it, but it will still be pretty great I think!
Till next time...

Meibomian gland

2005-10-12T16:28:00.000-04:00

Well, apparently I have a 'plugged Meibomian gland' (hope that's close to the correct spelling!) - resulting in my appearance today, with a drooping eyelid, and red and puffy upper eyelid - very attractive!!!! Seriously though, it's annoying more than anything, first of all because of the strange looks I keep getting from people who notice it, and also because it takes more energy to keep that eye open, making me feel a tad bit sleepier than usual, which is not being helped by the overcast weather out there today... But the MD at employee health thinks that hot compresses several times a day will clear it right up, but unfortunately I can't do that except at home, since there's no place here where I would feel comfortable keeping a washcloth over my eye for 15 minutes straight (much less nothing from the lab that I would feel comfortable putting anywhere near my eye!) - so I went home for lunch and did one then - we'll see...

I'm getting ready for my trip to visit college roomie Dawn in Seattle this Friday - talked to her and she's got a lot planned to keep us busy - but she did promise some down time (hopefully it won't take any time for me to get over jet lag...) - but we're going to the aquarium, Pike's place, the Space Needle (I think), some cool hiking place and of course, around her camp (where she teaches environmental education/conservation) - I'm glad I'll be able to meet her friends out there and see that part of the country - but I'm mostly glad to hang out with her - she's been going through some tough stuff lately, so I think we'll have a lot to talk about - prayer would be great, both for her as she deals with this stuff, but also for me, so I can say the right things and know when to shut up (that's hard for me, esp with her!)...

The rest of the fall promises to be whopping full as well - I'll get back from Seattle Tuesday morning (my first ever red-eye flight!), drive back to Winston, spend a few hours in the lab (maybe?), nap a bit, then it's CityWide that night at 7:30 (check out the link on the side for those of y'all who will be around Winston!) - whew! Plus homecoming at Mars Hill (alma mater) is the end of October, so that should be fun, seeing everybody again! And the YAF beach trip is the first weekend in November, so the fun just keeps on rolling!!!!!

OK, I'll finish with lyrics from one of my fave songs from Wicked, one that makes me think (about how many musicals can you say that!):

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better?
And because I knew you
Because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good.

Aria picture!

2005-10-10T15:50:00.000-04:00

Here's a pic of Aria, who was awake enough when I visited Alexa and Daniel that I got to actually see her eyes this time! Just sharing the cuteness!

So I'm a little late...

2005-10-08T16:08:00.000-04:00

at posting this week - but thanks to everyone for praying for my presentation at the conference on Friday - it went really well, I didn't throw up on stage (or at all for that matter!), and I don't think I said anything too incredibly stupid (or I blocked it out...) - Anne (a year ahead of me in the lab) won one of the speaking prizes, so that took the pressure off me and now our lab has won the prize 4 years in a row! Whoohoo! Had a couple people ask some really good questions and got to feel (if only for a little while) like a bit of an expert in what I'm doing... I also got to spend some time with Alexa and Daniel (see link on side of page) spending that night there Thurs night, plus I went back after the conference and hung out with them again, so I got to see Aria - and this time she was awake! Sooooo cute! I didn't take any pics though - gotta get better at that... We had a cook-out Wed night to celebrate the two students from our lab who have graduated in the last few months (they're both leaving in the next little bit) - I made a dessert and I was so proud of how it turned out, I took a picture (all right, several pictures!) and I'll try to post that so y'all can see the cooking genius's product ;) - Beth let me use her trifle dish, so that's really why it looks as good as it does! My brother is coming up to spend the rest of the weekend with me, so I better head out to meet him - we could all still use prayer for stuff that's going on, when you think of us - hope we can have a fun, relaxing visit - maybe some more putt-putt!

Thursday seems to be...

2005-09-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

my day for posting - my meeting with my boss is on Wednesday, so Thursday is always a little less hectic than earlier in the week...
Had a great but busy weekend - went home to celebrate Mom's birthday, which was fun and got to spend some time with Matthew (and his friend John) - we had a really good time, played a lot of games, went through a corn maze (if you haven't done one, you need too, they're fantastically fun!) and ate a lot of good food!
My week has also been crazy busy - volunteered Monday night (at Ronald McDonald Family Room in the hospital, which I've been doing for over a year and half), training for crisis-line sexual assault/domestic violence volunteering Tuesday and tonight (6-9 - ugh!), YAF last night (dinner for Mike's B-day and then Maggie Moos) and home again this Friday night to see family again and maybe go to at least part of mom's birthday party this Sat - whew! Plus I got to have some real quality talks with Matthew and that's been awesome! Also got caught up with some friends I haven't talked to/seen in a little while - coffee with Frances and our moms Sunday before I left Charlotte was great, and got to catch up with Alexa some by phone this week too (I'm praying!) - really good to chat...
I've been singing this song in my head for a while now - the words are great and work well even without the music - love Caedman's Call!

"Shifting Sand"

Sometimes I believe all the lies
So I can do the things I should despise
And every day I am swayed
By whatever is on my mind

I hear it all depends on my faith
So I'm feeling precarious
The only problem I have
with these mysteries
Is they're so mysterious

And like a consumer
I've been thinking
If I could just get a bit more
More than my 15 minutes of faith,
Then I'd be secure

My faith is like shifting sand
Changed by every wave
My faith is like shifting sand
So I stand on grace

I've begged you for some proof
For my Thomas eyes to see
A slithering staff, a leperous hand
And lions resting lazily

A glimpse of your back-side glory
And this soaked altar going ablaze
But you know I've seen so much
I explained it away

Waters rose as my doubts reigned
My sand-castle faith, it slipped away
Found myself standing on your grace
It'd been there all the time

My faith is like shifting sand
Changed by every wave
My faith is like
shifting sand
So I stand on grace

O love that will not let me go

2005-09-22T09:32:00.000-04:00

I love this song - we sang it last night at YAF and it reminded me how much I like it - the melody is pretty, but the words are also really powerful for me - beautiful and poignant and hopeful...

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flick'ring torch to thee,
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine's blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.

Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee,
I trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
and from the ground thereblossoms red
life that shall endless be.

Dinah!

2005-09-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Cute kitty!

Donald Miller

2005-09-16T13:38:00.000-04:00

So I'm in the middle of Blue like Jazz by Donald Miller, and unlike the first time I tried to read it 6 months ago, I am absolutely loving it! I bought it after hearing all the rave reviews from people and tried it, only to give up after 15-20 pages because I got so frustrated by his somewhat rambling style of writing. Well I was looking for a good book at Borders the other day and ran across another of his books called Searching for God Knows What and after reading the title and summary, I decided to give it a try - and it was awesome! He's still a bit ramble-y (I know that's not really a word), but it's so great and he expresses so many fears and questions and random things that I can relate to - quite brilliant really... Anyway, so I got my copy of Blue like Jazz back after having loaned it out to several people (who all enjoyed it immensely) and I'm now probably close to halfway through it - and I'm really enjoying it now - I've laughed several times, and not just the little silent chuckle, but the 'I'm out in public and laughing out loud and people are looking' kind of laugh - embarassing but still funny! So, I highly recommend both those books, plus he's written other books, but I haven't read them yet - Matthew's reading Through Painted Deserts now, so I'll find out how good that one is soon.
I still have a rather large stack of books that I'm working on, including one written by a scientist who's a Christian about his struggles with connecting his faith with his work - really good so far, but pretty dense for bedtime reading, so it's slow going... I can always use suggestions for books to read, light or heavy reading!

From Blue like Jazz:
"In exchange for our humility and willingness to accept the charity of God, we are given a kingdom. And a beggar's kingdom is better than a proud man's delusion."

"The ability to accept God's unconditional grace and ferocious love is all the fuel we need to obey Him in return. Accepting God's kindness and free love is something the devil does not want us to do. If we hear, in our inner ear, a voice saying we are failures, we are losers, we will never amount to anything, this is the voice of Satan trying to convice the bride that the groom does not love her. This is not the voice of God. God woos us with kindness, He changes our character with the passion of His love."

He's so good at making connections between big faith ideas and normal everyday things, or at least things that we can try to grasp more easily than 'God stuff' - like he talks about how penguins have an internal knowledge of when their eggs are about to hatch and that that's how he feels about God, that he's drawn to Him by some inexplicable force - and he says that people like to think about the love story of people and God being something like Romeo and Juliet when really it's more like The taming of the shrew with the persistent lover chasing the reluctant bride - good stuff, eh?!?!

Well...

2005-09-15T11:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a while - but that means I have a little more to tell y'all about!
I've started training at Family Services for becoming a volunteer in either their sexual assault or domestic violence program - I could either be doing something like the rape crisis line I worked for in Asheville in college, or something more to do with court cases involving domestic violence - but the training is going to be pretty intense I think (at least it was when I did something similar in college) and quite long, so let's hope I can keep it together for that - with the bonus being that I get to hang out with Beth, who just started her job at Family Services this week (Congrats Beth!) and has to re-take the training, since she'll eventually be leading all or parts of it in the future. I'll keep you posted on the status of things...
I went and saw my brother this past weekend - actually Sunday and Monday - we went to Raleigh (he's between Raleigh and Fayetteville) and played putt-putt and got lost in downtown Raleigh (apparently we both inherited Mom's sense of direction!) and ate too much at talked and watched some of The Office (embarassingly funny) - we talked a lot about stuff we remember from our childhood, which is always fun, cause Matthew remembers almost nothing before he was about 6 or 7! A good visit all around - and since he'll probably be leaving in a little while, it was good to spend some time together just the two of us. :)
Had a picnic last night with YAF - I'd never been to the place before (Reynolda House - the front 'yard' which is like a country estate!) and it was awesome! Beautiful weather, nice lawn for playing frisbee and bocce (which I won! with a lot of help from Keith!) and a couple people brought guitars so we even had some music - got ice cream afterwards at Coldstone (or Stone Cold as we will now refer to it as!) - yummy and fun night!
We have a very famous scientist in today to give a seminar - he studies anthrax and anthrax toxin - very interesting stuff actually - looking forward to it, even if it is in the middle of the afternoon...
I was going to post some fave new Get Fuzzy comics, but I can't get them to work right now - so if you want to laugh - go to the Get Fuzzy link on the side bar ------->
and read yesterday's and today's comics - hysterical!

Congrats!

2005-09-08T11:59:00.000-04:00

Congratulations are in order for my mom, who accepted a job with MetLife (hehe - makes me think of Snoopy!) and will begin working there shortly!!!!!! Yeah Mom! There's some kind of training period, during which she's supposed to take this very tough insurance-y test, and then she'll be more official - but it's a first step! Whoohoo! And the office is over in Ballentyne, so it's not too far from their house, which is great - some of the other jobs were farther away, even one downtown, so this is a major plus - esp given gas prices...

In other news, my laptop's hard drive crashed yesterday, but the fabulous people in academic computing managed to save pretty much everything before it fritzed out - but it's going to take a while to get a new hard drive in and even to get a loaner - hopefully sometime today... But good news, I'm going to visit my brother this weekend - probably Sunday til Monday - so we should get some good brother-sister time - maybe putt-putt or go-carts - that sounds bro-sis-ish, right?!?!

I'm bringing back a quote from a while ago cause I read it again and loved it again - from Robert Burns - abridged from one of his poems (actually called something like In the Prospect of Death or something morbid, but still quite good!):

Thou know’st that
Thou hast formed me
With passions wild and strong;
And list’ning to their witching voice
Has often led me wrong.

Where with intention I have err’d,
No other plea I have,
But, Thou art good;
and Goodness still
Delighteth to forgive.

Update

2005-09-05T00:10:00.000-04:00

OK, much to be summarized, so I'll do it in bullet form:
- I have passed to my fourth year of graduate school - whoohoo! Doesn't mean a whole lot, except a longer presentation in the spring (actually January - yikes!) and teaching one lecture for the first-year grad students - but it's a step forward!
- I'm working with a first-year grad student on part of my project, similar to what I did for the summer, but she's supposed to be (or become) more autonomous and self-directed, plus it's a little longer - sort of scary for me, but if she can help my project forward, that's awesome!
- I finally bought an MP3 player - an iPod mini - the small one - and it's pink (of course!) - so cute! I already had a bunch of songs on iTunes so I'm set for a little while for songs - but could always use suggestions...I even got an armband so I can now listen to music/books while working out, doing labwork, etc...
- I got new glasses - well, since I didn't wear the old ones all that much, this isn't a huge change, but I was getting a lot more headaches than usual, and squinting more (and I don't need any more little lines in the forehead), so I got my eyes checked and he changed my prescription a little bit - so, two new pairs of glasses - one with metal frame on top, and the other sort of horn-rim librarian glasses - I'll try to post pics later on...

So, my mom and brother both need prayers still for job hunting - they both have some good leads, but more prayer is never bad! I will hopefully be heading out to WA state to see Dawn (college roomie) in mid-October - should be a blast! And the next CityWide has been set for Oct 18 at 7:30pm. Plus several YAF-related trips (beach, camping) and my alma mater's homecoming in October - busy fall, even without work! hehehe

Happy Labor Day!

Break in the cup

2005-08-31T16:28:00.000-04:00

Given some of the stuff going on in my personal life right now, this song has a lot to say about the situation - not that I agree completely with it, especially the ending (since I think God can fill us up enough for us to be complete in Him, without the need for another person), but the main message is right on with some stuff I'm struggling with in reference to issues in my family now (prayer is still much appreciated!) - again, the song is better with melody and words together, but you can get the idea...

Break in the cup
David Wilcox

I try so hard to please you
To be the love that fills you up
I try to pour on sweet affection,
But I think you got a broken cup.
Because you can't believe I love you
I try to tell you that there is no doubt,
But as soon as I fill you with all I've got
That little break will let it run right out.

I cannot make you happy.
I'm learning love and money never do
But I can pour myself out 'til I'm empty
Trying to be just who you'd want me to.
But I cannot make you happy
Even though our love is true
For there's a break in the cup that holds love
Inside of you.

Now I begin to understand you
As you explain this fear you feel.
It's when you see me fall into that sorrow
It makes you doubt the love is real.
'Cause the lonely wind still blows through me
I turn away so can't see
But now how could I still be so empty
With all the love that you pour on me.

I guess you cannot make me happy
That's a money back guarantee.
But you can pour yourself out 'til you're empty
Trying to be just who I'd want you to be.
You cannot make me happy
It's just the law of gravity
And that break in the cup that holds love,
Inside of me.

So if you're tempted to rescue me
Drowning in this quicksand up to my neck
Before you grab my hand to save me
Why don't you ask me if I'm finished yet.
Because you cannot make me happy
Not when I'm empty inside of me
But you can pull yourself right in here with me
My misery'd love to have your company.
We cannot trade empty for empty
We must go to the waterfall
For there's a break in the cup that holds love,
A break in the cup that holds love,
A break in the cup that holds love,
Inside us all. Inside us all.

Hair...

2005-08-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

So I was going to post this last night, but the internet was down while I was volunteering, so I'll try it now - got a haircut Wed night with Rebecca - of course, we had a blast, since it's always fun to hang out with Cheryl, who also cuts/colors/styls our hair! She's the best! Anyway, there's no good 'after shot', cause I can't get that picture to upload (it's not the best pic anyway - hehe), but I'll post the before one of the two of us and also one showing how much hair she cut off, mostly from me, but also quite a bit from Rebecca! I really like the cut and she gave me reddish highlights which are really fun! I've always wanted red hair!

Oh, and I was going to post another Get Fuzzy cartoon about world domination, but I can't find it online yet, so maybe that will be coming later!

Get Fuzzy, baby!

2005-08-24T11:59:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share with y'all the comic genius that is Darby Conley's comic strip Get Fuzzy - couldn't get them to work earlier, but I think I've got it now - maybe you have to understand the characters to think it's hysterical (or maybe just have a warped sense of humor!), but I laugh out loud when I read it!
Enjoy!

On another note, I have several Christmas songs stuck in my head right now - can't imagine why they're there - but it's frustrating...
"Silber bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city..."

Prayer request

2005-08-19T10:58:00.000-04:00

My family is going through a bit of a rough time right now - I'd appreciate prayer when you think of us - prayer that God would work His will in this situation, that He would give us the words to say to each other for comfort and support, that He would give us peace...
Thanks!

Random thoughts...

2005-08-15T20:05:00.000-04:00

So I've been reading some about reformed theology and I'm cool with everything so far - I agree with several people I've talked to in that it all comes down to total depravity - it's not until we accept that we, in our natural state, can do nothing to recommend ourselves to God, that we can begin to see the truth - that rather than election being about who God comdemns, it's about who He chooses to save, out of His mysterious mercy - and also understanding that just because something doesn't make sense to me, doesn't mean that it isn't the most perfect, holy thing God could do - all of which goes back to the Table for Two post a little while ago. And as difficult as some of these concepts are to grasp, it's easier (I think) than trying to understand a theology in which we have control over whether or not we're chosen by God - but I'm still not 100% sure...

So it's not official yet (grrr) but I am very close to being a 4th year grad student (or should I say, PhD candidate!) - which is frightening to the nth degree and also exciting - I don't feel nearly ready enough to be this far along, but I remember feeling this way when I progressed into the upper levels of Sunday School, and suddenly realized that I was one of the 'big kids' now - yikes! This is going to be a big year, as I will have to publish at least the one paper I'm working on now, plus keep working on gathering data for a second paper (on which I will hopefully be first author - necessary for graduation) - plus I'll have a full 1 hour seminar to give in the spring for the whole dept, and a lecture to give in one of the bacteriology classes for the 1st years (our dept's only teaching requirement - grrrr) - and I hope my collaborator from NY will be able to come down this fall and I'll need to have a committee meeting sometime before Christmas most likely - ahhh, the life of a grad student! But I'm actually enjoying most of the work I'm doing right now (except the necessary committee stuff) - the lab work is mostly enjoyable currently and I'm actually moving forward on several fronts and got some really good suggestions/direction from meeting with committee members, which has slightly rejuvenated me and parts of the project - very good!

In other news, Mom has a job interview tomorrow, so prayer for her would be greatly appreciated by all - it's kind of a crticial one, as lots depends on whether or not this goes well, so I think she's a little nervous - but who wouldn't love her?!?! I sometimes think some of my friends are just friends with me so they can be friends with my Mom - she's that cool!!! Anyway, job issues with the parents might make them move and one of their options is the triad, so this job interview will tell them a lot about the relocation possibility - I'd love to have them closer, but I do love the house they're in now - I'd hate for them to leave it - so cute!

And I haven't heard from my brother in a week or two now - Matthew, call me!!!!!!! Nothing big going on, would just like to hear from you - at least I know you're alive, since you're posting on your blog...

Other than that, it's been a quiet past few days - I've reached the point in P&P (movie) where Lizzy goes to visit Pemberley, which is one of my fave parts, as you start to see Darcy's true character coming through to Lizzy and her aunt and uncle - and she starts to see the errors she's made in judging his character - and then all of that comes crashing to the ground with bad news about her youngest sister running off with a military guy (gotta watch those men in uniform!) - anyway, can't wait to finish it and will then move on to Sense and Sensibility (movie) after I finish the re-read of that book - I think I actually prefer the movie of this one to the book in some ways (I know, horrible!), but the book is much slower than some of her other work. OK, and I was thinking about this today and it's one of my fave moments in any movie (and I just found out that it's not a Jane Austen line, it's just in the movie - sniff) - it's in Emma (with Gwyneth Paltrow) and it goes like this:
Emma is in a carriage with a guy that she's not interested in, but she had wanted to set him up with a friend of her's - anyway, he starts making proclamations of love to her and she's repulsed by his offers and as he leans in to speak again, she says, 'Please, sir, refrain from the intimacy of whispering!' - isn't that understated, yet perfect!
OK, this is getting too long, so I'll go back to my volunteering and cut it off!

New CD!

2005-08-12T16:57:00.000-04:00

Well, actually I just downloaded it from iTunes, but it's almost like a new CD! Amici has a new CD out called Amici: Defined - and from what I've heard of it so far, I really like it - it's much like their last CD, but the music is a bit more obscure for the most part... For those of you poor souls who don't know of Amici, it's a group of 3 guys and 2 girls who are opera singers - and they form Amici, or the Opera Band and sing classic opera arias, etc that have been rearranged for multi-part harmony - my Dad introduced me to them and I love their last CD, Amici: Forever - they do some songs everybody knows, like Nessun Dorma and an Italian (I think) version of Unchained Melody, plus they sang the theme song of Band of Brothers (which I don't like much), but there's an incredible song called Whisper of Angels that is beautiful - they do haunting songs very well! Anyway, they new one is quite good, although I'll have to burn it and listen over and over before I can decide if I like it better than the last one - they do have a version of the Adagio for Strings that a lot of people are familiar with - sounds interesting, eh?!?! Check them out!

I've been struck lately by how much transition is going on in the lives of the people around me - even people like my parents are going through lots of changes right now, even at a time when you might not expect it - but everyone else is too, new jobs, new homes, new loves, new lives - sometimes I'm grateful for the stagnant nature of my life as it exists right now, but sometimes I feel a bit, I don't know, claustrophobic with the way things are going now - I guess it's a bit better now that I am over halfway through school, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel (which is frightening in and of itself) - but I sort of thought by now I'd have some more of my life figured out and grad school has not turned out to be the place where those questions about my life are getting answered - but they are slowly being answered through other means, often through relationships with friends right now - sorry that's kind of vague and nonsensical, but that's somehow as clear as I can make it now...

On a lighter note, I'm seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tonight with friends, after dinner at Sonic - should be a fun, kid-hearted evening! I need to get some lab work and cleaning done this weekend, so it can't all be fun and games, but it can't be put off any longer... and I just realized that I missed my bro and sis-in-law's anniversary (rats!) so HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you guys!!!! Lots of love and much happiness for the coming year!

Jane Austen was a genius!

2005-08-09T10:56:00.000-04:00

So I finally finished reading P&P, after getting slightly de-railed by the Harry Potter re-read - I bought a huge copy with all my other fave novels by her in the same book, so I've already started Sense and Sensibility again - but anyway, P&P will most likely always be my favorite, if only because for some reason I identify so much with Elizabeth Bennet - I felt this way about the book the first time I read it (when I was maybe 11 or 12) so I don't think I can attribute the feelings completely to the fact that Colin Firth plays Mr. Darcy - hehehe...
Anyway, Jane Austen wrote some of the most hilarious dialogue (specifically the situation with Mr. Collins, and also Lizzy's relationship with her parents) and also some of the most incredibly romantic speeches, at least romantic for the times. Some of my favorite parts:

from Lizzy in reference to Mr. Darcy (before she falls for him),

"Heaven forbid! That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man
agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil." haha

from Darcy on his own failings of character,

"My good opinion once lost, is lost forever." Lizzy, "...your defect is a
propensity to hate everybody." Darcy, "And yours is willfully to misunderstand
them."

from Mr. Collins in pursuing Elizabeth's heart,

"And now nothing remains for me but to assure you in the most animated language
of the violence of my affection." So sweet, if only coming from a more agreeable
source...

between Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Lizzy,

"Shall we ask your cousin the reason of this?" said Elizabeth, still addressing
Colonel Fitzwilliam. "Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education, and who
has lived in the world, is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers?"
"I can answer your question," said Fitzwilliam, "without applying to him. It
is because he will not give himself the trouble."
"I certainly have not the talent which some people possess," said Darcy, "of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done."
"My fingers," said Elizabeth, "do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women's do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault--because I will not take the trouble of practicing. It is not that I do
not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman's of superior execution."
Darcy smiled and said, "You are perfectly right. You have employed your time
much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you can think anything
wanting. We neither of us perform to strangers."

from Darcy in proposing to Lizzy (the first time),

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not by repressed.
You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." awwwwww

Lizzy's response,

"In such cases as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a
sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be
returned. It is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel
gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot--I have never desired your good
opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have
occasioned pain to anyone. It has been most unconsciously done, however, and I
hope will be of short duration. The feelings which, you tell me, have long
prevented the acknowledgment of your regard, can have little difficulty in
overcoming it after this explanation."

from Lizzy on discussing with Jane the true nature of Wickham's character,

"There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two
young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of
it."

from Lizzy's thoughts when she realizes she has fallen for Darcy,

"She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and
talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her
own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to
the advantage of both; by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been
softened, his manners improved; and from his judgment, information, and
knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance."

Okay, that's enough - for those of you who haven't read it yet, get moving - it's wonderful! I can now watch the movie in good conscience having finished the book - on to Sense and Sensibility!

wow...

2005-08-06T12:51:00.000-04:00

So I was listening to a Caedmon's Call CD in the car today, which I haven't heard in a while, and I was struck by the words to Table for Two, which is their ode to 'singleness' (written by Derek Webb), albeit from the guy point of view - it's quite moving and the references to being 'scared of being alone' are very poignant, but I was actually struck by the words later, here shown in bold:

Danny and I spent another late night over pancakes
We talked about soccer and
how every man's just the same
And made speculation on the 'who's
and the 'when's of our futures
And how everyone's lonely
but still we just couldn't complain

And how we just hate being alone
Could I have left my only chance
And now I'm just wasting my time
Looking around

But you know I know better
I'm not gonna worry 'bout nothing
'Cause if the birds and the flowers survive
then I'll make it okay
If given a chance and a rock
see which one breaks a window
And see which one keeps me up
all night and into the day

Because I'm so scared of being alone
That I forgot what house I live in
But it's not my job to wait by the phone
For her to call

Well this day's been crazy
but everything's happened on schedule
From the rain and the cold
to the drink that I spilled on my shirt
'Cause You knew how You'd save me
before I fell dead in the garden
And You knew this day
long before You made me out of dirt

And You know the plan You have for me
And You can't plan the ends and not plan the means
And so I suppose I just need some peace
To get me to sleep

This goes along so well with what I've been reading about Calvinism and the things I've been thinking about in my own life and relationship with God - the idea that God knew even at the Garden of Eden that I would need salvation just blows my mind - and just shows how much higher are God's ways than out own... anyway, you should check out the CD (it's CC's 40 Acres - really good stuff - had forgotten how much I used to like them when it first came out when I was in college)!

I scored as Jane...

2005-08-03T14:10:00.000-04:00

Not sure why, but I scored as Jane in the 'Which P&P charcter are you' quiz - but Lizzy was also 100%, so I guess it was a tie and they put me as Jane...
Give it a try - it's fun!

You scored as Jane Bennet. You are like Jane, who is optimistic in every sense but with herself. Jane tries desperately to see the good in everyone, and is hurt when she cannot. She is harder on herself than anybody, but everybody loves her for her caring and devoted nature. She also loves children.

Jane Bennet

100%

Elizabeth Bennet

100%

Charles Bingley

88%

Mary Bennet

88%

Mr. Bennet

75%

Mrs. Bennet

63%

Caroline Bingley

50%

Fitzwilliam Darcy

50%

Mr. Collins

25%

Lydia Bennet

25%

Catherine Bennet

25%

Lady Catherine De Bourgh

13%

Charlotte Lucas

13%

George Wickham

13%

Which character from Pride and Prejudice are you most like?
created with QuizFarm.com

Bravo!

2005-08-01T17:13:00.000-04:00

Bravo! The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) was fabulous fun and hysterically funny, as I anticipated! Imagine three people, two guys and a girl, doing all the roles in Shakespeare's plays, regardless of gender/age/relationship - very silly at times, but quite funny! It was originally written for 3 guys, which would have been better I think, but they still pulled it off with the one girl added in - haven't seen my brother on stage in quite a while, so it was nice to see him having fun on stage again - this is one where he can really let loose! He got to spash water on himself about 12 times, wear women's clothes for about half of the time on stage (which brings the number of times he's played a woman on stage into the double digits - long story!), and fake-barf all over the first few rows of the theater several times - if you know Matthew, you know that this was probably a big incentive to doing the play in the first place!!!! Anyway, we got to see Candace (sis-in-law) and had dinner with them both afterwards - really good to catch up with her a bit, since she's been gone all summer - will have to get over their way again soon, maybe to see her next production at the beginning of Sept - The Children of Eden, written by the same guy who did Godspell - his name escapes me right now...
I also got to see little baby Aria and Alexa and Daniel after the play - meant to take pics, but I totally forgot as soon as I got there - she's soooooo adorable and she slept for the first 1 and half hours I was there, then woke up for the last ten minutes - they actually have to make her wake up sometimes to feed her! But she's only 11 days old or so, so she's still probably pretty tired from the whole being shoved through the birth canal (as is Alexa!), so maybe she'll perk up in a little while... But you would not believe how cute she is - little button nose, funny 'baby mullet' hair (Daniel's words, not mine!), incredibly long fingers and toes (you were right Frances - a budding pianist or violist!), etc... Can't wait to see her grow up...
I better finish up some stuff - things are moving along in the lab - but I want to head to the Y tonight, so I've gotta get things done in a timely fashion!

P&P

2005-07-29T14:17:00.000-04:00

OK, so I started watching A&E's version of Pride and Prejudice last night - what else would I logically do at 11pm when I can't get to sleep?!?! I borrowed the DVDs from a friends, but I have now decided that I think I would like to re-read the book before I watch it again - it's been a really long time since I read it, and there's quite a bit that didn't make it even into the 6-hour A&E version, so I'm going to Borders this weekend to pick up a copy - can you believe, I don't own a copy of P&P?!?! How is that possible?!?! Anyway, I was recalling what I like so much about Jane Austen's characters - they're real in a way that most literary characters aren't, in that they have flaws, some of which they may be able to fix, but some of which are fairly fixed in their personality - they're just so interesting to read about and see interact. And I also realized that as much as I like Mr. Darcy in P&P (for the life of me I can't remember his first name - William? Charles?), I like Austen's hero of "Emma", Mr. Knightly - the older, intelligent, serious guy who loves Emma first as a little sister, but then develops deeper feelings for her - it's a nice, if slightly less realistic (in the modern world), version of how I'd like a relationship to progress - he's a real leader, not shy to correct Emma when he finds flaws, but he clearly does it out of love and a desire to see her character improved. I see those kinds of things happen in P&P also, but it's more clear in Emma to me... However, Mr. Darcy is the dark, brooding kind that appeals to me, but I think that would get old after a little while, even if it were Colin Firth...hehehe! It's also interesting to watch P&P after watching Bride and Prejudice - when I was watching B&P for the first time, I was thinking about P&P and comparing them - then watching P&P last night, I was thinking about B&P and what would happen next in terms of that movie - wierd... Thoughts, comments from people who have read/seen P&P and/or Emma?

On a sadder note, my summer student left today - they had their poster presentations and then we had a lunch with everybody in the program and now they're gone!!!! sniff, sniff... Seriously though, this has been a great experience for me, especially since I do eventually want to teach college - but it has slowed everything else down, so I'm about ready to get geared back up for more research! He wrote me a nice thank you note and everything - even if we didn't get a whole lot of positive data, I think it was a good experience for both of us - so good luck next year Doug! And Joseph!

I've got a ton of stuff to finish up today before I can leave - hopefully for dinner with Frances tonight before she leaves for CA tomorrow - sniff, sniff... and then helping Becky move tomorrow, before heading to Raleigh Sunday for the play and then seeing baby Aria after that - good, full weekend ahead!

Check it out!

2005-07-28T10:31:00.000-04:00

I'm going to see my brother in a play this weekend - that hadn't happened since he was in college - very excited! It's a hysterical spoof on Shakespeare's plays, with three actors playing all the dozens of different roles in the many plays they cover - I saw him do at least part of it during a summer theater stint he did in college, but this should be really good - much more rehearsed and in a real theater and everything - it'll be good to see him back on stage - he's quite good with comedy, if I say so myself! Also, other bonuses - should get to see my sis-in-law, who I haven't seen in a long time - plus my parents are coming to the same show, so I'll get to see them after their trip to WI - they're back in NC now btw... I also hope to be able to stop in and see Alexa and the newest Carter - gotta call them though to make sure that's ok with them - hehe!
Also, Frances is leaving the state this weekend - I'm not going to say for good, cause I have to believe she'll be back in NC after a while - please Lord!!!!! Anyway, hope I can catch up with her for dinner tomorrow night - I'll call you Frances!!!! It would be nice to say bye and hang out one more time before she leaves...sniff, sniff...
All right, I'm going to include the info for the show this weekend in case any of y'all are bored enough, um I mean interested in driving to Raleigh to see it - you can also check out Matt's blog from the link on the sidebar to the right on this page - this is what's posted there about the show right now:

Come and See
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield
Directed by Andrew Hayworth
Noelle Barnard... Caleb Custer... Matthew Rockel
July 30, August 4-6 at 8:00pm, July 31 at 2:00pm
At the Leggett Theatre,
Peace College, 15 E. Peace St., Raleigh, NC
Tickets - $10 for adults; $5 for students, seniors 65+,
active military personnel, and anyone with a good excuse.
Sorry, no credit cards accepted.For reservations call 919.602.8034.
Tickets also available at the door.

CRAZY DEALS
Name (correctly) five of Shakespeare's plays and get half off the ticket
price!!

Perform one of Shakespeare's monologues for everyone in the lobby and get
in free!!! (at least one minute please!)

Peace College students get in free without having to make idiots of
themselves.

Men in tights (especially pink ones) get in free!

This production is rated PG-13, due to content that may be inappropriate for small children or anyone who never rode the bus to school. No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.

Cutie patootie!

2005-07-25T02:13:00.000-04:00

Just in case any of y'all were wondering what the adorable child looks like, here is a pic of little Aria Vally - hope to be able to see her in person very soon!

In other news, my sis-in-law is back at home (I think as of last night) - hope to see her soon, as it's been too long since we've even talked - Matthew is doing a play at Peace College (a very funny Abridged version of Shakespeare with only three actors covering tons of Shakespear'es plays - hysterical!) so I hope to see them then at least...
Mom and Dad are in WI, actually visited with Mom's dad this morning - can't wait to hear how that went...and they're driving back Wed I think, so they've still got a little time with the family up there - they said the wedding was fun - included several unusual things, like quotes from Monty Python (the one about 'take thou the holy hand grenade of love' or something like that), but that's actually fairly normal for our extended family, so no big suprises there!

I've had a hankering (isn't that a wierd word?) to watch Pride and Prejudice, I guess probably ever since I bought Bride and Prejudice - luckily a friend is letting my borrow the A&E version (the only GOOD version!) so I will hopefully to able to calm my Mr. Darcy craving in a little while - hehehe! And I'm starting to change my opinion on how bad the new version of P&P will be, the one coming out in Sept with Keira Knightley - I watched the trailer for it and it looks like it might be decent, although without Colin Firth, I don't know... we'll have to wait and see how it looks...
I'm off to get back to work - this is our last week with the summer students, so we've got a lot of stuff to wrap up before they leave!

Welcome Aria!

2005-07-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

Well, Alexa and Daniel are the proud parents of a little baby girl, and I hope I've got the name right - Aria Vally - she came at around 4:30pm yesterday (on her due date!) and weighed in at just under 7 pounds I believe - I'm sure she's gorgeous, can't wait to visit and see her for myself! Alexa is fine and actually called me 3 hours after she was born - they went home last night, so hopefully they're getting all settled in as a little family of 3! Thea and I will hopefully be taking a trip to Durham to see everyone very soon...

That's the big news - no big plans for this weekend yet :-( But a restful time of reading, writing and movies will probably be in order!

Oh my gosh!

2005-07-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

Alexa went into labor this morning, so for all I know, little baby Carter may well be with his parents right now! Otherwise, I'm still praying for a speedy and (relatively) painless delivery for Alexa and for peace for her and Daniel as they start this very wonderful and yet scary part of their lives as first-time parents!!! There's no way this baby won't be the cutest thing around, and it wil get tons of love from all involved family and friends - can't wait to go for a visit sometime very soon! And I can't believe it's coming on the due date - after all the stress of waiting and worrying, it's right on time! haha

In other news, my parents are on their way to WI as we speak (or write...) - they're going up for a few days for my cousin's wedding on Sat I think - it will be stressful, with all the extended family around, but should be fun for them too - aside from the 18-hour one-way drive! And my sis-in-law is coming back home (near Fayetteville) after spending a part of the summer away at ECU working their summer theater program - I know Matthew will be glad to have her back full-time!

I will keep you posted on baby Carter news as I receive it!

hehehe

2005-07-19T14:18:00.000-04:00

This is cute - from a friend's sister's blog - love silly quizes!

Aladdin

Who's Your Ideal Disney Guy?
brought to you by quizilla

Well, I finished...

2005-07-16T16:45:00.000-04:00

The first book of the Chronicles of Narnia, better known as 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' - I'm re-reading them in anticipation of the movie being released this December of the first book - they're much easier to read than I remember, but then, the last time I read most of them, I was about 8 or 9 - loved them then, still love them - but I'll have to wait to get started on the next one, since my HARRY POTTER #6 just came in the mail from the nice people at Amazon.com - I'm going to try to go through it slowly, since the next one won't come out for sooooo long, but who knows - I might finish it this weekend...

Along the lines of the Chronicles of Narnia though - I love the part towards the end when the kids are talking about Aslan (Christ in the analogy) and someone, I think one of the Beavers, says, 'He's not a tame Lion' - and they talk a little more about how kind and gentle, and yet powerful and strong, He is - it's such a great picture of Christ as the meek servant, but also the King of Kings - fabulous!

Better run finish up my lab work or I won't even get to start Harry - hehehe!

Tomorrow is Friday!!!!!

2005-07-14T17:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I don't have all that much to say, but I've got more lyrics for you - I gave my dad Derek Webb's CD 'She must and shall go free' for Father's day, and I think (and hope!) he liked it - and it got me listening to it again, so I'm posting the words for Beloved - the melody (again) is half of what I like about the song, but like most of his stuff, the words are quite profound - about our dependence on Christ alone, even surrounded by a world that does not see the importance of Him - you should really check the CD out!

In other news, oh, actually, there's no other news really! Alexa is still pregnant (no baby Carter yet!), Bible study is going mostly as normal, and work is, well, work... except that I did get an email from my boss today on his way out of town for a week and a half, saying that I should start writing the Results and Material and Methods sections to go along with the data we're putting in a paper - it's a collaboration between our lab and the lab I visited in Buffalo last April - so I will most likely not be first author, which sucks, but they've done a lot of the biochemical analysis of the protein that we're studying, so what am I supposed to do...? Anyway, it's stressful and exciting and overwhelming and crazy all at the same time - plus I'm supposed to get permission from my committee members in the next few weeks about progressing on to my 4th year, so that's giving me a bit of a tough time... so I guess more is going on than I thought!

Anyway, I will be in town this weekend, so I will hopefully be able to catch up on some of this stuff, plus get started maybe on writing - we'll see...

Enjoy the song!

Beloved(words and music by derek webb)
beloved these are dangerous times
because you are weightless like a leaf from the vine
and the wind has blown you all over town
because there is nothing holding you to the ground
so now you would rather be a slave again
than free from the law

(chorus)
beloved listen to me
don’t believe all that you see
and don’t you ever let anyone tell you
that there’s anything that you need
but me

beloved these are perilous days
when your culture is so set in it’s ways
that you will listen to salesmen and thieves
preaching other than the truth you’ve received
because they are telling lies
for they cannot circumcise your hearts

beloved there is nothing more
no more blessings and no more rewards
than the treasure of my body and blood
given freely to all daughters and sons

Fireworks!

2005-07-12T18:04:00.000-04:00

Hope this works - just got this from a friend who took a little video clip while we were watching the fireworks at the country club in Winston - it's so cool!

http://cogitations.typepad.com/P1010032.MOV

Enjoy!

Since U been gone...

2005-07-11T20:41:00.000-04:00

So I love Kelly Clarkson - she's fabulous and fun and I've been playing this song a lot, but the one thing I dislike is the fact that she used the letter 'U' in the title of this song, rather than saying 'Since you've been gone' - bad grammar - grrrrr!

Anyway, it's been a little while - but there's not much to report so I don't want to bore the (very few) people that actually read this!
Dad is now back in the States, safe and sound (YEAH!), with lots of intersting stories and pics from Kenya - and yes, they would make you drool Dawn, he saw giraffes and lions and wildebeasts and everything! It looks like they got a lot of work done while he was there, and the guy that went with him say he made a real impression on the people there - of course, you won't hear Dad say that, he's too modest - but he does love a good project! Mom's got him working on several already now that he's back - she's still looking for a job - so I think they're both trying to keep busy...

We had our 'relationship' talk last week and overall, it sparked some good dialogue, not necessarily at the talk itself, but even afterwards, other conversations have been started because of it - so that's good - basically, I think we've all concluded that relationships are super hard, whether or not they involve romance, and that without God being involved, people would drive themselves crazy with worrying, obsessing, etc... even with God being involved sometimes - sigh... I sometimes envy my brother and his adorable wife for getting married so early, but I know that old problems are just traded in for newer problems that come with being married, but at least they have each other to share the problems... hmmmm...

Also, I've been reading more on reformed theology - figure I should know more about what I claim to believe, both in being a Christian, but also as a member of a reformed church - so I'm starting with some of Dad's books he lent me on Calvinism and the 5 solas of reformed belief - most of his books (from seminary mostly) are way too far above what I can understand in theological studies, but we found a few 'easier' ones to start with - I'm trying to balance my somewhat voracious fiction reading habit with some non-fiction - we'll see how long that continues... especially since I'm also reading (or rather re-reading) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5) in prep for #6 coming out this weekend - I know, it's a guilty pleasure - I would never recommend them for young children, but they're fun and super easy reading, which is nice after days of reading science journals and protocols! hehehe... On a more grown-up note, I just finished the newest Elizabeth Peters novel, which is the latest installment in her series about a family of Egyptologists (excavators) in the 1920/30s - they're really fun to read, and given the author's background in Egyptology, I'm hoping they're also somewhat historically correct - the newest one is called 'The Serpent in (or on?) on the Crown' - very good reading!

Sorry this is turning so long - but several of my closest friends are all about to undergo some serious changes themselve - Alexa's baby is due in less than two weeks (ack!), Thea will be moving to NY (Cornell) in August, and Frances will be moving across the country to CA in a month and eventually getting married next summer - I'm going to miss them (Thea and Frances, since Alexa is still here, but will be getting quite busy, I'm sure!) - we've all stayed pretty close through several years (I've known most of them since I was about 10 and we moved from WI to Charlotte) - it will be hard to maintain that closeness over the distance, but I'm going to try REALLY hard, ok?!?! Love you girls!

I'm out - gotta wrap this up to leave my volunteer shift for the night - pretty quiet night here in the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Children's hospital - that's good, but it makes it a bit lonely/depressing at night - good time for reading though!

Independence!

2005-07-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

Well, the 4th of July has come and gone and it was a great holiday! Although I had to be in the lab for a few hours each day of the long weekend, the rest of the weekend was both restful and fun! Becky and I did some karaoke Friday night - it was practice for me so I can some day actually do karaoke in front of other people - we had a blast anyway! And fyi, the words to some songs are not as nice as you probably think they are...
Saturday included an Italian dinner with friends and then playing spades late into the night - and fyi, I'm not very good at spades - sorry Becky! But we had a good time even if we were in the negative scoring range...
Sunday I had to spend some time in the lab, but several other friends went to Lake Norman and had a good time tubing and water skiing - missed that but got to catch up on a bunch of stuff I'd been falling behind in - including a little bit of sleep! And after a few hours in the lab Monday morning, there was a great cook-out at Keith's for the 4th - you're a great host, Keith! (and Rich!) I had a really good time - Becky even broke out some bubbles and you would not believe how long that kept the 20 or so adults entertained! Ended the evening with fireworks at the country club, which were beautiful - you almost couldn't see the ones at the end of the finale through all the smoke, the finale was so long!
Wish I'd taken more pics of the whole weekend - keep forgetting my camera... I'd love to see anybody else's pics if y'all got good ones!
In other news, my dad is coming home in two days - Mom is sooooo glad, we're all getting anxious to have him back, safe and sound! Matt and Candace are coming home this weekend too I think (me too) and we'll all get to celebrate Father's day together! Yeah!
And in honor of the patriotic nature of the holiday, I leave you with this quote from the Gettysburg Address:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent
a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all
men are created equal.
Abraham Lincoln, 1863

Try it out!

2005-06-30T16:19:00.000-04:00

Try this out - my answers are listed below - it's so fun!

Google image search the following:
1. The age you will be on your next birthday.
2. The place you live.
3. Your favorite color.
4. The place you want to get married.
5. Your first love.
6. Your favorite fruit or vegetable.
7. Your favorite animal.
8. The last name of your favorite actor or actress.
9. The name of a pet.
10. Your favorite song.
11. A bad habit of yours.
12. Your middle name.

Email me (arockel@gmail.com) your answers if you try it out!

Fun!

2005-06-30T15:50:00.000-04:00

age - 26 - not sure what this is though!

Winston Salem, NC - where I live

pink - fave color of course!

Charlotte - I would probably want to get married in my home church there

My first love - well currently - the bug I study - yep, I'm a geek, but I'm certainly not going to write my first love's name here anyway!

Berries - all berries
(pic didn't copy - no time to fix it now!)

Manatee - fave animal - isn't he cute?!?!

Colin Firth - can we just say, hello Mr. Darcy!

Dinah - kitty's namesake

Love me tender - like the song, love this pic! (but I like Norah Jones's version of the song best)

Procrastination - my biggest fault...

Beth - middle name - also the name of some skate apparently...

So much fun - give it a try!

Why is it...

2005-06-30T14:04:00.000-04:00

Why is it that relationships are so hard? What is it about us as people that makes it difficult for us to communicate well with each other? I mean, I assume it's because we're fallen people, and so our relationships can't be the optimal kind until we reach heaven, but come on, it's just down right hard sometimes! These kinds of problems go on in all kinds of relationships of course, but I'm specifically thinking now about guy/girl relationships, in which there is either the potential or the reality of a romantic connection... these seem to be especially tough, and I'm talking from my perspective now. We've been talking about relationships some in my Bible study group (young adults, mostly single - 20s-40s) and we're going to have a sit-down-and-talk-about-relationships talk next week, specifically addressing the guy/girl relationship in the context of our group - which might seem like a good idea on the face of it, but once we actually sit down, I'm thinking it's going to be rather weird, but maybe that's just me... Part of my thinks it's just so official and rigid to have to set up a time to specifically address something that could just come up in conversation, but on the other hand I don't want issues like this to stay unresolved if people think it will drag the group down...hmph...
One of the best things about this group is the diversity of the ages, backgrounds, experiences of the people in it - we're all coming from different places trying to learn things together and from each other - it's good to get different people's perspectives on issues and hear other opinions apart from the things I'm used to hearing - but it's also what makes things like relationships difficult sometimes, since not everyone is looking for the same thing, both in the sense that everyone may not be looking for a guy/girl relationship and also that people are certainly looking for different things in a potential mate. So conversations about relationships can get kind of hairy, and it's certainly difficult to make generalizations even about our small little group of people...
And maybe one of my friends is right - we should just go to non-verbal communication to indicate interest in a person - something like flashcards that would eliminate the whole awkward 'wanna go out sometime' conversation... but maybe I'm just a sap, but I think that would be horribly un-romantic - and maybe without the risk, there wouldn't be as much contentedness with the relationship (should it develop)... but I don't know, seeing as how I've never really been in love... maybe skipping the part with the potential for hurt would make more sense sometimes...
Sorry this has turned into a bit of a rant/blab on relationships - any insight from people would be helpful...
I'll repeat a CSLewis quote from an earlier post since it's appropriate here and I need to hear it quite often anyway:

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want
to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an
animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all
entanglements. Lock it up save in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.
But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will
not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To
love is to be vulnerable.
C.S. Lewis

On a lighter note, and for Beth's update purposes, I'm having lunch with nurse Pettitt (otherwise known as Amy!) and we celebrated Kari and Wendi's B-days last night at YAF - well, except Wendi couldn't be there, but we celebrated with her in spirit! Rebecca made cake and cupcakes and would have made you proud Beth! At least Becky and I are going to go to a Warthogs game tonight - and the summer students will be there too, so that should be interesting - thirsty thursday!

Also, my Dad will be back in the states from Africa next Thursday, so prayers for safe travel and a good finale for his trip would be greatly appreciated - I'll be glad to have him back safe and sound!

I'm out...

<><

Joke of the day

2005-06-28T16:50:00.000-04:00

Found this when cleaning out my email inbox - cracked me up a bit, so I thought I'd share - and yes, I know it's not theologically or doctrinally or church-ily sound, but I still laughed...
Will try to share more on a (at least slightly) more serious note in the next few days...

A man, his wife and mother-in-law went on vacation to the Holy Land.
While
they were there the mother-in-law passed away.
The undertaker told them, "You
can have her shipped home for $5,000, or you can bury her here in the Holy Land
for $150.00."
The man thought about it and told him he would just have her
shipped home.
The undertaker asked, "Why would you spend $5,000 to ship your
mother-in-law home, when it would be wonderful to be buried here and spend only
$150.00?"
The man replied, "A man died here 2000 years ago, was buried
here,and three days later he rose from the dead. I just can't take that chance."

Movies, movies, movies...

2005-06-27T17:27:00.000-04:00

I have seen a lot of movies in the last few weeks - new ones (Batman begins was awesome!), old ones (Blazing Saddles was, well, funny, but shocking...), and in-between ones (Tommy Boy and Happy Gilmore last night - both hysterical, especially with other people who enjoyed them!) - plus I saw Funny Girl for the first time - can't believe it took me this long to see it - very depressing ending (I don't think that spoils anything in particular) but really good music (ie Don't rain on my parade, people who need people, etc...). Plus I've been watching the 100 greatest movie lines (AFI) that I taped last week, and I realized how many of the movies they listed I haven't seen - like the Godfather movies, and Citizen Kane - some of which I'm not sure I want to see, but maybe...
Update for Beth: I didn't do much with the group Fri or Sat, but we had a big group for Japanese lunch after church Sunday, and then David had people over to watch Tommy Boy and Happy Gilmore - actually he just had us over for the first movie, but we all stayed to watch the second - loads of fun!
Picture below is from Nertz (card game) Night at Kari's last Wed - trying to use Rebecca's camera timer, so that partially explains the funny looks on most people's faces! hehehe

2005-06-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

Silliness at Kari's house for Nertz Night :-)

G'bye Beth!

2005-06-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my friend Beth, who is on her way tonight to spend the next week with one of her best friends before she gets married - I'll miss you while you're gone, but I'm sure you'll have a great time with all your friends down there! Make sure you get lots of pics of you in that cute dress - we'll expect to see them when you get back, 'k?!?! I promise to keep this updated at least as long as you're gone so you can keep up with what's going on, although I imagine the emails will keep you going pretty well...
To everyone traveling in the next few weeks - have a safe trip(s) and good times while you're gone - not sure what my plans will be for the 4th of July, but I hope to spend some quality time with friends and/or family (and maybe with my bed - sooooo tired still!)...
Happy Friday y'all!
<><

I'm not going to belabor that point...

2005-06-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

This is what my summer students have been saying all week - copying something a scientist said at a recent convention one of my labmates attended - someone was questioning his data or interpretation of said data - and the guy actually responded with the above quote (or something similar) - anyway, it cracks us up, so the guys have been using it in any situation - now it's stuck in my head!
This week has been crazy busy with stuff going on after work each night - two volunteer shifts, Wed night card night with the YAFers, now a hair appointment tonight - no early nights this week! But it's all stuff I enjoy so that's better than having to do stuff in my free time that I disliked...
I've been making mixed CDs - decided over the weekend that I needed to simplify my CD repertoire, so I figured I'd make some mixed CDs with my fave songs and I wouldn't have to take so many CDs along everywhere - good idea, but my computer didn't cooperate, so it's taken until just yesterday to actually get functional CDs that will play in all of my CD players... They're nice for me, and I made one for one friend already - I love giving them almost as much as I like getting mixed CDs! Whoohooo! I have a 'brooding/sad' song mix, and a 'love songs/songs about love' mix, plus I want to put together one with my fave 'praise/God' music, but I have to upload a few more of those songs yet- iTunes rocks!
I should get back to work - lots to do yet to finish up before I can leave tonight - hope to catch up on sleep and work this weekend!

Ahhh - Mondays!

2005-06-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a long day and it's not quite over yet - I'm working a volunteer shift at the Ronald McDonald Family Room in the Children's Hospital - it's actually quite peaceful and enjoyable for the most part - good time to get some stuff done, if I don't waste too much time surfing the web (hehehe!). Several things:
- Great weekend! Got to hang with my bro and a few of his friends and see the show he did lights for (see earlier post) - it was very funny! He got me the 1st season of 'That 70s show' on DVD for my birthday (belated obviously) and we watched a few episodes - sooooo fun! Love the show! I came back Sat afternoon/evening and was all set to make some mixed CDs so that I could simplify my music listening, but I discovered that somehow my computer didn't like the CD burning program on my laptop anymore, so I spent several hours trying to rectify this (with a dial-up connection at home no less!), with the end result being 11pm, no software, no mixed CD - grrrrr...
- Sunday was also fun, church, then lunch with friends, little power nap at home before going to the $3 movie theater in Kernersville to see the new Batman Begins - quite good, especially with Christian Bale (can we say, yummmm!) - and funny in the places where it wasn't extremely dark...then some tasty treats at Arby's, before continuing the party at Becky's apt to watch 'Blazing Saddles' (it took a while to get the guys to let the girls watch it with them - very innappropriate in places, but funny!) - several of us ended up staying up talking til 4am! ACK! That's the latest I've been up since college days while pledging a sorority probably... so let's just say I'm running on less than a full tank of gas today! But we were having such good conversations, I didn't want to stop talking and laughing...
- You have to check out this link, especially if you liked Napoleon Dynamite - Beth sent the link, which is promoting a festival in Idaho - all about NapDyno! It's hysterical! Too bad Idaho is so far...
- I'm attempting to compile a list of books and movies that I haven't seen/read but think that I probably should, in order to be a more well-rounded, pop-cultured person - any suggestions for necessary books/movies? Like I haven't seen any of the Godfather movies, or any of the Matrix movies for that matter...
- I'm starting to re-read the Chronicles of Narnia, in an attempt to get ready for the Christmas release of Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, which looks like it could be very good - but seeing the trailer (on the Star Wars III previews) made me realize how little of the books I remember, so I'm going back to them - I bet I've read the LW&W several times, but I know that I only read the later books once, so I barely remember them at all - they bring back all kinds of memories from when I was reading them at a much younger age - the Chronicles and Madeleine L'Engle books for some reason - very strong memories attached to them...

OK, I'll finish up now - and leave with another set of lyrics of a song, this time a Derek Webb song from 'She must and shall go free' - the words are great, but with the melody it's absolutely fabulous! Quite vivid and strong language, but a wonderful picture of Christ's redeeming work in His people, the Church - enjoy!

The Church(words and music by derek webb)

i have come with one purpose
to capture for myself a bride
by my life she is lovely
by my death she’s justified

i have always been her husband
though many lovers she has known
so with water i will wash her
and by my word alone

so when you hear
the sound of the water
you will know
you’re not alone

(chorus)
‘cause i haven’t come for only you
but for my people to pursue
you cannot care for me
with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church

i have long pursued her
as a harlot and a whore
but she will feast upon me
she will drink and thirst no more

so when you taste my flesh and my blood
you will know you’re not alone

(chorus)

there is none that can replace her
though there are many who will try
and though some may be her bridesmaids
they can never be my bride

Weekend plans!

2005-06-17T14:14:00.000-04:00

Fun and exciting weekend ahead for me! I'm heading to Fayetteville tonight after work (hopefully I can leave a little early and miss traffic) to spend the night with my brother (Matt) - haven't seen him in a while so it will be nice to catch up and hang out! We're going to see Idols of the King tonight when I get there - show about two fans of The King (yes, I'm talking about Elvis, not God!) - they have an actualy Elvis impersonator for the show - how fun is that?!?! Matt designed the lights for the show (which is at the theater where his wife normally works, but she's working the summer theater program at East Carolina so she's gone a lot this summer) - so I'm looking forward to it on a number of levels! Sad that I won't be able to see Candace (sis-in-law) but I'll hopefully be taking a trip over to ECU sometime soon to see her and maybe one of her shows!
I'll be coming back from Fayetteville probably Sat night - since I think I might be needed in the nursery at church this week - not sure, gotta go call the church when I wrap this up... Since Dad is in Africa, we're not celebrating Father's Day til he gets back - it shouldn't be weird for me to celebrate holidays on different days than the rest of the world celebrates them, since that's what my family does best - I think we celebrated Christmas '04 three different times! But it is weird with him out of the country...I've heard from him by email, and it sounds like he's doing well - can't wait to see the pics when he gets back!
I got some good news in lab today, something worked that has been giving me a lot of problems, so I'm pleased with that - and Doug (summer student) is still making good progress so things are moving along quite swimmingly (fun word!)...
And as a follow-up on my last post, I got Derek Webb's first CD (She must and shall go free) - I really like it - kind of different than most 'Christian' music, but really good lyrics and beautiful melodies - especially if you like a kind of bluegrass, folky sound, although I think his later stuff is not quite the same style - several of them are stuck in my head right now... plus they make you think and examine your beliefs in a way that most (even 'Christian') music doesn't...
I'll leave you with the lyrics for Trade my Love - it's on Sandra McCracken's CD from the last post (Gypsy Flat Road) - beautiful lyrics and the music is also great - all about the best way to love someone who's struggling - it might not be trying to cheer them up or trying to explain and rationalize thing away, but just to be with them and listen and let them know you're there and praying...

As dust on the scales
As grass of the field
So are our days with
the
serpent on our heels
The reed is bruised
The sky is cracked
You wear
your pain as a veil of black

Proverbs of ashes
Smear you with
lies
The one who changed your name has touched your
side.
Fortune and
favor
You have not known
What is the vine, you
have not grown?

I will not sing songs when you’re heavy
I will not
speak words
to make it clear
I will stay with you and all that you carry
I would
trade my love, for all your fears.

If I speak or refrain
You
may not be changed
For your deliverance your days are arranged
To the
roots of the mountains
You sink down
Hurled into the
deep, spit onto the
ground

Severe mercy
is your one great hope
It is well, it
will be well with your soul

I will not sing songs
I will not speak words
I will stay with you and all that you carry,
I will trade my love…
For all your fears

Remembering why...

2005-06-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

Remembering why I want to teach - having a summer undergraduate student has helped remind me that I do like to teach and explain things, especially things that I love learning about to begin with! It's fun to see someone get excited about something that I've started taking for granted - gives a new enthusiasm for the work which can only be a good thing! And while my research is interesting and exciting at times, the teaching is what I think will keep me going long-term...
Also, thanks to a friend, I am now a new fan of Sandra McCracken, whose music is kind of, well, I can't really explain it - it's almost a little folky in places - she's a Christian, but the songs aren't all completely about God - but the lyrics are quite profound and I'm enjoying the CD a lot - it's called "Gypsy Flat Road" - she's got others but I think they can only be ordered online. You should give it a try! Her husband Derek Webb (who used to be with Caedman's Call) also has some excellent CDs but I don't have any of those yet - them singing together is fantastic!
I'm off -
A

Cookout at Crumley's!

2005-06-09T16:31:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I just posted a bunch of pics I took last night at the cookout up in Pilot Mtn on Webshots - email me at arockel@gmail.com for an invite to see the pics - I tried a link to the album but it's not cooperating since it's a private album - I had a blast and hope everyone enjoyed themselves! Thanks a bunch to Lance and Lynn for letting us take over their home and yard - they have so many fun toys (ATV, pond, rope swing, trampoline)! Kudos to Beth on the veggie burgers and blondies, even if you didn't think they were fabulous, the fact that they disappeared says otherwise!
Let me know if you have other pics to add and I'll try to upload them to the same album - I'm having issues with my memory reader - can't believe I just bought it and it already doesn't work well - won't read my big new memory card - grrrrr...
Things in lab are going well - summer students are settling in - I'll have to post pics of them soon! We're making good progress and I think/hope they're learning a lot along the way...
Have a wonderful weekend if I don't get back here before then!
<><

Stormy weather...

2005-06-08T14:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I haven't figured out yet how to post the pics as part of my post, so they all post individually but at least I can put a caption, so that's ok...
So, to catch you up, I drove to Durham Monday night for dinner with three of my bestest friends from, gosh, from like elementary/middle school age (since we were all homeschooled, the whole 'middle school', etc thing doesn't help much since we were all together at most ages!) - we're all in very different places now, although at least through the next month or so, we will all still be in the same geographic location! Alexa is just over 7 months pregnant with her first child (husband Daniel works something like city planning - I think), Frances just got engaged to Johnathan (computer genius in CA) and will be getting married next summer most likely in CA, and Thea just graduated in polisci from Duke and will be working on her masters in Asian Studies (or something like that) at Cornell in Ithaca NY, so we will soon by spread across the entire continent - sniff, sniff... so it was really nice to see everybody together again and get a little bit caught up on stuff - hopefully will be able to do something with most of them again before we all split up and before Alexa has the baby...
Also, our summer students have started in the lab - they're two guys, rising juniors in college (yep, they're not even 21 yet!), interested in med/grad school, so one of them is working with me on my project - it's going really well so far - they're hard workers and fit into the lab really well, which is funny since the rest of the lab is almost completely female - actually maybe that's why... anyway, they're great and it's one of them whose hand is pictured below holding the melting hail - we had a crazy storm yesterday afternoon and I think we'll have some more this week - it would rain like crazy and then start hailing (which we could hear on the roof and metalic ducts above our heads), and then go back to rain and then start hailing again - it was crazy! I don't think I've ever seen hail that big!
So the exciting things I've done this morning: pay my rent (finally), get my car inspected (it passed!), and get my registration renewed - whoohaaa! Busy morning! Feeling very on top of things - let's see how long that last...
Well, I'm off to prepare for the afternoon with my summer student - it's forcing me to be more organized and that's always a good thing! Plus we have a cookout in Pilot Mountain tonight so I have to finish up here on time!
Peace out!

2005-06-08T11:04:00.000-04:00

Hail melting in the hand of one of our summer students - crazy weather here folks!

2005-06-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

Hard to see, but those white dots are marble-sized hail from the storm here Tuesday afternoon - generously captured by a new grad student in our lab!

2005-06-08T11:02:00.000-04:00

Frances, me, Thea, and Alexa (can barely tell she's 7 months pregnant!) at dinner Monday night

Silly blog...

2005-06-04T14:27:00.000-04:00

My blog has been having some issues lately, so I haven't posted in a few days - not that much has been going on...
Starting Monday, I will be in charge of supervising a summer undergraduate research student, which scares me a little, but I also realize that this is what I'm here for, to learn to pass on knowledge to others - and while it would be nice to use the summer to get ahead on my research, I think in the long run this will be more productive for me, since I want to teach - plus he'll be helping out with my project, so all will not by lost, just probably slower than normal!
I'm planning a trip to see my brother in a few weeks, so I'm looking forward to that - we will hopefully get to go see Idols of the King at the theater where his wife works (and he also did the lighting design for this show) - it's all about Elvis fans - should be funny!
I've been reading a cute series of Christian romance - but I'm going through them really fast, so I'm about to need something else to read - I think I'll do a run of classics this summer, maybe re-read my faves (Anna karenina, Jane eyre, Pride and prejudice, etc...) but I need to try some new ones - any ideas?!?!
My dad leaves this Monday for a month in Kenya - please be praying for him and for my mom - she's going to be busy while he's gone but I'm sure it will be weird/sad for her...
Well, I'm off to finish up my work in the lab - and take a shower, since I just went for a job while things were running in the lab - I'm going to miss the cooler weather - maybe it's time to start working out inside again...

Awesome quote

2005-05-31T19:55:00.000-04:00

I'm back!
Thought I'd share this great quote from the Scottish poet Robert Burns - it was quoted in a book I've been reading (thanks Becky!) and I found it quite inspirational, considering some of the stuff I've been thinking about in my personal life!

Thou know'st that Thou hast formed me
With passions wild and strong;
And list'ning to their witching voice
Has often led me wrong.

Where with intention I have err'd,
No other plea I have,
But, Thou art good; and Goodness still
Delighteth to forgive.

I found it amazing that this man, writing so many years ago and so far away, could understand and express some of the same feelings I've had in my heart so many times in the last few years, when I can barely even express those same feelings to myself! But his assurance (or rather, God's assurance) at the end is what I need to remember - as hard as that can be sometimes!

I'm off to finish up my lab work - with the holiday yesterday and a lab picnic today, I can tell this is not going to be the most productive week ever!

Good holiday weekend!

2005-05-31T12:53:00.000-04:00

Pic below is from the Memorial Day cook-out at Chad's house Sat night - I think I good time was had by all, even though there were only a few of us left to take pictures by the time we broke out the cameras! Went to see Madagascar Friday night with friends, including Frances, which was nice since I don't get to see her much - and now she's moving to the West Coast and getting married! Anyway, the movie was funny - not Monsters Inc or Finding Nemo, but that's a high standard to live up to! Had a cook-out of some sort Sat, Sun, and Mon - crazy amount of food eaten over the holiday... and I've got a picnic today for lab people, so I better hop off and get my work done so I can go!
By the way, my dad (Mike) will be going to Kenya for a whole month starting this coming Monday - he'll be working with a couple that runs an orphanage near Nairobi and he's very excited about it! I (and I know he also) would appreciate prayers, both for the ministry of the trip, and also for everyone's safety and health - thanks!

2005-05-31T09:38:00.000-04:00

Me, Rebecca and Kari at Chad's Memorial Day cook-out

New Favorites

2005-05-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

Newly discovered (or re-discovered) faves:

Sour patch kids - well, I've been addicted for a while now, but I used to not like them...

TV on DVD - this is newest fave addiction - if I had the money and time, I'd totally get a DVR and watch all TV without commercials, whenever I feel like watching them - it's great! Worth it to just wait til a show comes out on DVD! Like Scrubs - I've been watching the first season and I'd totally forgotten how funny it is (and incidentally how much Zach Braff looks like my brother!) - I haven't watched any 'real' TV in a long time!

Wicked - re-telling of the back-story of the Wizard of Oz, trying to explain the reasons behind the Wicked Witch of the West's wickedness - I really disliked the book (didn't even finish it, which for those of you who know me well, you know that's pretty extreme - I'll finish almost anything!) but the musical is really fun! One of my labmates gave me the soundtrack and it's pretty good - I'd love to go to NYC and see it on Broadway (that and Spammalot!) - maybe when I'm officially a 4th year! Anyway, I recommend the musical highly!

80s music - thanks to several friends who are 80s buffs, I've know become addicted to (at least some) 80s music, especially stuff like 'I would do anything for love' and 'total eclipse of the heart' - stuff that's fun to sing really loud in your car with the windows rolled down and volume up!

OK, that's probably enough for now - I can tell you now that a future fave will most likely be the new movie version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" coming out in Dec of this year - can't wait - it looks really good!
If I can't post again before the weekend, I wish everyone reading this a wonderful Memorial Day weekend - hope you can enjoy it with friends and family!

~Andrea

Ode to Agar

2005-05-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

Oh agar, so smooth and clear,
beaming at me from your simple glass
jar,
cheering me with your sunshiney yellow hue,
providing my bacteria
friends with nourishment,
you are the delight of my lab.
OK, if you didn't have the privilege of taking microbiology in college, you may have missed this, but agar media is the jello-ish stuff we pour in the bottom of petri dishes - we then grow the bacteria on the agar, which contains 'food' for them. Anyway, I was making agar media today and was struck by how pretty it is before it hardens and stuff grows on it - very bright and cheerful and happy! It doesn't really stay that way too long, so I was inspired to write the above poem in honor of how the agar made me feel for at least a few minutes today!
I got some good and bad data today, so it's a bit of a wash realistically, but I'll cling to the good stuff and rationalize away the bad - trying things again a new way to see if it helps... I've been much more productive recently, so I'm trying to keep the ball rolling on that - we'll see...
Also, City Wide was great last night - we had a few more people come out than for the last one and we hope to have even more at the next event in a few months! The teaching was really good and the music was a good mix of stuff everybody knew and a few new things thrown in - created a really energetic and sometimes pensive worship experience. I'm looking forward to planning the next ones and seeing what great things God can do with a group like this!
Peace out ;-)

Happy Monday!

2005-05-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

Ok, so after a bummer week, I had a great weekend! Mostly spent hanging out with friends, plus a little time in the lab - all together, not too shabby. Picked strawberries early Sat morning with Beth (the ones I picked are mostly gone already!), then a couple hours in the lab, followed by STAR WARS III in the afternoon with friends - we almost didn't make it in the theater in time to get seats, but we pulled it off - pretty good movie too, by the way! We decided that we wanted to end things on a happy note though, so after eating dinner in the back of Chad's pickup truck (from Cook-out!) we watched Star Wars IV and then selected parts of V and VI - late night with a LOT of Star Wars! Church on Sunday morning, attended a volunteer appreciation banquet with a friend (it had a pirate theme - use your imagination to guess how lame it was (in my friend's words)! Then some of us hung out at Becky's that night and watched Princess Bride because one of the guys hadn't seen it yet (I know, gasp!) - then hung out talking til much too late, which is why I keep yawning this morning...
Anyway, now that I've caught you up on my life for the past few days, I'm off to get back to work - volunteering tonight so I have to get stuff finished up early or at least on time!
I'll leave with a fave quote, something I need to be reminded of quite a bit:

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up save in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
C.S. Lewis

Post melt-down reflection

2005-05-20T12:04:00.000-04:00

OK, so I had a slight emotional melt-down last night - you know, 'why am I here (grad school, not on the planet earth)?', 'what am I doing with my life?', 'will I ever be happy doing this?', those kinds of questions - sometimes I don't know why I'm struggling so much to stay in grad school when I don't think I want to stay in academic research for the rest of my career anyway, but I realize that it's an important step towards my ultimate goal, which is to teach college biology. So, following a good, cleansing sob-fest on my cell phone talking to Mom, I feel much better today and I have a plan to keep this from overwhelming me again in the near future. So there! It bothers me no end to have a bad attitude (as it bothers me when others have one), so I'm resolving to be more positive (with God's help!).
On a happier note, today is the departmental picnic (at my advisor's house) - so assuming that the thunderstorms don't get it cancelled, we should have a good time of eating and hanging out with dept friends! Also, my classmates and I have now all finished our departmental seminars, so we are all well on our way to becoming official 4th years (that's scary!) - I think we did a pretty good job, personally!
I'll leave you with the words that are rolling around in my head right now from listening to my 'Ultimate 80s' CD (Thanks Charles!):

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart

This just in!
Topher Grace has been cast in the new Spiderman 3 - no news yet on what character he'll play, or even if he'll be good or evil - if I didn't want to see this movie to begin with, I'll certainly be seeing it now! Love me some Topher! Hehehe!