there's about twenty solid christmas songs.

unless it's a particularly bad arrangement, usually these are all stellar christmas songs:

little drummer boy

o come emmanuel

love came down at christmas

noel

judy garland's merry little christmas

o holy night

taylor swift's santa baby

all i want for christmas is you

mary did you know

do you hear what I hear

all of andrew peterson's Behold The Lamb of God album

1 Samuel 7:12

'Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer*, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”'

*Ebenezer means stone of help.

the road back to tempe

, a photo by Mythopoetic on Flickr.

AZ trip

, a photo by Mythopoetic on Flickr.

the grand canyon! right before we hiked it.

AZ trip

a photo by Mythopoetic on Flickr.

Saguaro cactus in Arizona

the heater and the cold.

When my little heater is chugging out hot air for me, for some reason the mental image I get of the little thing doing its work is an oil pipeline, chugging oil out of the earth. I don't know why.

some of my favorite things to do

currently:

creating a perimeter of soap and dousing it with left-over boiled water to sanitize the sink.

binding packets at work.

replacing the staples in a stapler.




previously:

mopping the floors at departure

going running after work at wycliffe

buffing stainless steel

a little self-congratulations

I've cooked for the past three nights. That's a feat.

sunday: meatball curry. finally.

monday: chicken curry. i was on a theme.

tuesday: baguette french toast. and blueberry syrup. which I had made.

advice for living in dc

Found this on the world wide web the other day.

Pretty awesome: DC: A Guide for Twentysomethings Who Want to Live on the Hill

the salad that made the other salads cry

Arugula/mixed greens
Black beans
Goat cheese
Cherry tomatoes
Yellow peppers
Avocado
Crushed tortilla chips
Wedge of lime, squeezed
Dressing: light olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic clove, dijon mustard, salt/pepper

I knew I was a city person.

I just need to move a little bit further in... all the way to the Hill.

The neighbor committee-people of Capitol Hill have these annual (presumably) dinner parties where a book is the centerpiece for the menu and atmosphere. This is a party-theme after my own heart.

A Literary Feast, it's called.

fahrenheit and celsius, for my own reference

Quick reference for myself, when I'm talking to British people

3 degrees Celsius, 37 degrees Fahrenheit

5 degrees Celsius, 41 degrees Fahrenheit

10 degrees Celsius, 50 degrees Fahrenheit

16 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit

20 degrees Celsius, 68 degrees Fahrenheit

25 degrees Celsius, 77 degrees Fahrenheit

32 degrees Celsius, 90 degrees Fahrenheit

35 degrees Celsius, 95 degrees Fahrenheit

38 degrees Celsius, 100 degrees Fahrenheit



So I guess double and then add 30 roughly works?

we love summer

it's worth mentioning

August 2, 2011

One year exactly since I left London.

It was quite a year, and it's been quite a year.

spotted: good design

Way to go McDonalds design people.

everything changes

Campus Crusade for Christ is changing their name. Steve Douglass "himself" emailed me about it. Apparently, they had the big unveil out at staff conference at CSU.

Read the official press release here.

It makes sense, but still I have way more affinity for the original name and logo.

word of the day

Heard: bevy

Noting from real conversations, the artful and appropriate use of a exemplary word.
Word of the day.

ice breakers

"If your life were a tv show, what show would it be?"

My old roommate told me that mine would be "Fraser". I'm okay with that. I just love it.

Fraser and Niles are so smart. The dad keeps a touch of reality, and I love that a Brit is one of the main characters.

heck yes

I get to see my grandparents more since I moved nearer to family when I came back from London. I don't mind summertime at their house and the pool either.

4th with new friends

a. California and Tennessee
b. Iwo Jima memorial
c. Fireworks across the Potomac
d. California and Florida

general service announcement

Did anyone know that Wycliffe had a regional office in Washington DC?

Me either. But now we all know. So excited to have Wycliffe up here!

i'm okay with cubicles.

This is one of the reasons I'm okay with working in an office.

answering that question

I really dislike the small talk question, "So, what kind of music do you like?" Besides that it is always exactly how the question is framed, this question makes me nervous.

I don't understand the motive behind this question, besides the obvious to-get-to-know-you motive. As less than average music enthusiast, I don't really know where to take you in answering this question. It's a dead-end for me.

Do I just list off a few people? I'm not into music, so I already know I can't take you there. If I quickly answer and turn the question around, then again it won't be helpful because I can't parry when you answer with something that would spark a conversation with a music enthusiast.

I used to say I really liked Sarah Brightman but then I either got "who's that?", or was mocked. I don't care. Sarah Brightman is awesome.

I also don't know the rules for describing "the music you like". Do you list genre, band, album? Singer? (I also have issues with calling singers, "artists", but I'll hold back). And are you allowed to list people everyone likes, like the Beatles?

Personally, I think this is a boring question. But I know this is just because I'm not a music person. So if we're conversing to get to know each other, there's that.

I've been trying to work out a decent answer for next time this comes around. Since I don't live in the music world (I'm more of a talk radio, podcast kind of girl), I need to think. Usually, I just say whoever comes to my head that doesn't sound ridiculous, you know, like saying you used to love Steve Green.

I probably should memorize to aid in my interpersonal exchanges.

Sarah Brightman
Mumford and Sons
Sondre Lerch
Abba (Mamma Mia)
Jacob Simmons
Andrew Peterson
Fernando Ortega
Journey
Regina Spektor
Soundtracks
The Beatles
Sara Evans
Death Cab for Cutie, that one song

But just because I say I like any of these people does know mean I know the band member's names, all of their songs, or any of the lyrics.

maryland.

there's no point looking for alligators
i miss treefrogs
it's safe to shuffle through leaves
no lizards to jump out at you
nothing scary in the lakes.

good things about maryland.

They have fireflies and bunnies.

finally like Florida weather

I'm going to Florida this weekend, and I'm desperately trying to add a little color to my skin so my friends will recognize me.

normal blog things.

I would share recipes on here, like a good blogger, but I never cook any more.

this book was swelligans

image source

Once I finished Harry Potter, I had to find something to fill the void.

The day after I finished book 7, I wandered down to our library to find something else to read while I was still on a reading kick. I was still feeling fiction.

I'd never read Hemingway, and he seems like kind of a big deal, and this book wasn't too imposing looking. So I picked it up for a go. During lunch, I read the first half. I was going to save the second half for the next day, but at the end of the day I bolted downstairs, checked it out and finished it as soon as I got home.

That guy has got talent. Only one thing happens in the entire book, and you just had to know how the one thing turned out.

these are my fave.

retraction.

I was gutted when Cedric died in book four.

I am no longer sad he died. Naturally, I decided to watch movie four, now that I was done with book four. Did you know that the guy from Twilight plays Cedric? That's right, Edward is Cedric.

It's really hard to feel sorry about a vampire dying.

the obsession is heightening.

Last night, I had a couple things I was sad about. I mulled them over instead of sleeping.

I compiled a short mental list to examine later. But something had escaped the list. I could tell because I could still feel the unnamed trouble still pulling on my mind.

Oh, I remembered. Cedric was dead.

That's right! I have discovered Harry Potter. That night I had just finished up Harry Potter book 4. Harry and I sat on the couch for three hours Sunday afternoon and our session culminated with Harry and poor Cedric Diggory suddenly flung into Voldemort's path and Cedric is killed. It was so shocking. He was such a nice kid. He loved Quidditch. This was the final thing weighing on my mind.

I am having so much fun being caught up in this, I don't even care how ridiculous it is to be so caught up in this. I'm so glad I didn't discover the series until now, after the series is completed. I have all seven books at my fingertips and can tear through them as quickly as my emotions will allow.

macro

ikea pillow.

I know everyone has already seen this.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)

But it's so great, that I don't care.

Plus, I saw he (of course) has a website and looked it over. There is just something about the whole idea that I like, plus his "about me" is pretty well written.

my one day in Ireland

That's right. I've been to Ireland. For a whole twelve hours or so.

I've only been to Northern Ireland, not the Republic. I went to Belfast for a conference in November a year and a half ago now.

And I took a picture of the ground, just in case from it you could tell I was standing on awesome Irish soil

St. Patrick's Prayer

My annual post of this rad prayer.

Its authorship is attributed to St. Patrick.


I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayer of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightening,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison,against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

my light at night

terrible English words

Jeggings.

Signage.

Resource. (when used as a stae of being verb or whatever. eg, "We would like to resource you"

Ajudication. Not really; that word is cool.

Collate.

Linkages.

the one where I join fifth grade readers.

I just started reading Harry Potter book 1.

Collect yourself and keep reading. For various reasons, I've never read Harry Potter up until now. And I'm a reader. My little brother, who shares my taste in lit, has re-enumerated various times that I'm seriously missing out. And I trust him.

So I'm getting around to it. Just thought I'd share.

And yes I know Dumbledore dies. But I've only seen a few movies so don't go telling me anything else that happens past like book three.

jamie oliver

Just bought Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Food Revolution.

Rationale:
Tempted because Border is going out of business, and everything was on sale.
Reconsidered because I tend to like more spice than I usually found in English cooking.
Remembered that a lot of Americans had recommended it.
Pushed over into the positive because of the cache of curry and korma recipes.

Bonus:
Flipping through the book to find the pictures of British people.

symptoms

On my drive to work, there is this stretch of highway that looks exactly like a section of I-4 in Orlando. For five long seconds, I enjoy the feeling of being back in Florida.

This is what homesickness can do to you. I never liked driving on I-4 when I lived in Orlando. If I went back, I wouldn't like it. But because I'm not there, I indulge in the nostalgia.

the loneliest whale

This actually made me kind of sad.

And I'm not an animal lover.

Everyone empathizes with being alone.

image source.

mark 4

Mark 4 (New International Version, ©2010)


1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”


NIV from Bible Gateway.


Has anyone else had trouble understanding this bit of Mark? Especially, 4:23-25.


I consulted my awesome A Translator's Translation of the New Testament in hopes of clarification.

This how it puts 4:23-25:

If you want to understand this, you should consider carefully what you have just heard.

Then he said to them, "Consider carefully what you hear me say to you, for God will let you understand to the same degree that you carefully consider what I say. He will let you understand even more than that. Those who consider what I say and understand it, God will enable them to understand more. But those who do not consider carefully what I say, they will forget even what they already know.

A Translator's Translation of the New Testament, Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.

The italics are not mine. They are how it is written in the book. This New Testament is (quoting from the front page, "A translation that has arisen out of the process of producing a source text of the New Testament for minority languages."

What the italic bits are is, "the implicit information that is deemed necessary to understand what the original writer intended to convey is supplied in italics."

Brilliant. This helps me a lot.

This translation simplified language and explains cultural jargon and concepts which a lot of people would find foreign. This aid helps the translator with the first step of discovering the meaning of a passage and insuring that that is what gets across in the translation.

an england remnant

I needed a band-aid the other day. I dug around looking for one, reached down into the bottom of the bag and fished out - a plaster!

"Band-aids" are "plasters" in the UK, and they are always blue because apparently it's the law or something. I don't know but I only ever saw blue ones. Health and safety.

If fb groups were still cool, I would create one - "Make facebook fun again: ban businesses" - I really could care less if my bank, grocery store, etc. is on fb.

how to make oatmeal unhealthy

Add peanut butter and chocolate chips.

But it's so so good.

outliers

I really want to read this book Outliers.

When I went to email someone to ask if they had it, I wanted to refer to the author as well, and I couldn't remember his name. This is so frustrating, because I knew it.

As usual, I was appalled at the retrieval area of my memory. I told myself sit there until it came to me instead of googling the author. How will my brain ever learn otherwise? It probably took a full three minutes.

As I sifted through the possibilities, I wrote them down to help myself recall his name.

I feel like it's a really weird way to remember something (I remember learning this an off-beat philosophy of language class), but it has helped me in the past.

Redman

Dave Redman

David Sedaris

Malcolm

Malcolm Doyle

Malcolm

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell.

this past year

2010 was more of the most notable years I've had to date. Mostly, I moved a lot and spent way too much time digging through boxes. But I consciously made the decisions I did and I stick by them. I do hope there's a bit more stability in 2011, though.

Here's 2010 in review with pictures from each month.

January
I got back to the UK just before New Years, and my American roommate and I spent the holiday with some great friends in Sheffield, England.

While we were there, besides freezing (because Steph and I are both from Florida), we got to see the Peak District, York and lots of countryside. Then it was back to work in London.












February

For my birthday in February I got an awesome package from my friend, Hannah, a teacher living in Taiwan.

January and February, and even into March blend together in my memory. They were dark, cold, and short days. The outside was so cold but when underground on the tube it was hot with all the people.






March
We climbed the Fire Monument. I'd been planning to go up the monument for a while and one day we just did it.

My favorite part of being in London was just roaming the streets. The monument is right over London Bridge on the north side of the Thames. Of course, they give you a certificate for climbing all the stairs to the top.

Before I went to London, I didn't know they had a massive fire in 1666.








April
I finally understand why in books and movies people love to rave about spring. I was so glad to see color and blue skies again, even if it was still cold.

In April, I did a lot of exploring on my own around the city.






May
We went to see a play at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. If I had remembered my Shakespeare, I would have remembered how gory Macbeth is but it was fun all the same.

If you are willing to stand for the performance, you can get five pound tickets.






June
I think June was my happiest month in London. It got warm and sunny. I got a nice sunburn in Greenwich Park the first Saturday we had great weather.

In good weather, everyone comes out to lie in the sun and have picnics. It gets really crowded and you have to claim a spot of ground. It's like the beach.

I finally felt comfortable with the city and how to navigate around my favorite places... I actually had favorite places. I had found some good friends outside our little team, and there was weekly frisbee at the park.






July
July was a little more manic but cool. We had good, even hot, weather.

At the end of the month, Steph and I went to Nice.We had been planning this trip for a while. With all of Europe so close by, it was hard to decide where to go. My only stipulation was it had to be on the Mediterranean.So we went to Nice and I saw the Mediterranean for the first time!

Then one of our teammates got married. She let me make the cake - such a scary job- and she asked me to be a bridesmaid.

July was also really scary though because I was getting ready to leave some great people and a nice situation and I wasn't sure what I was going to come back to in the US.






August
In August, I travelled all over. But I was mostly in Florida.

I counted- 4 different cities in August, 9 different hosts - 7 days was my longest stay in one place. 2 weddings.

I was job searching. My friend Kristi was getting ready to go to Norway. At the end of the month, I left Florida, my home area, and went to Maryland.






September
I got offered a job in Maryland and decided to go for it. Instead of going back to the familiar Florida, I decided to take the challenge and relocate. I took the job. Besides my family, I knew no one. I spent a lot of time on skype and the phone with friends.






October
Nothing says diversion like a sibling getting married. My older brother got married to this wonderful girl. We all went down to Florida for the event.

For me, it was awesome to be back in my home state, feel the warm sun. But especially to see friends, some I hadn't seen since before London.





November
Really cold and working hard at settling into a new job. I had to get warmer shoes, especially since I had to paperclip-rig them.







December
Two of the best times I had in the fall was when I had friends come up to DC. I went down to the city twice for the weekend to see old friends from Orlando.