Valentine's Day--Bah, Humbug!!!

With February 14th quickly approaching, I feel it necessary to comment on some of the more traditional elements of this retail-exploited holiday otherwise known as Valentine's day. Today my topic of discussion is roses:

So what's the big deal about roses anyway? I mean, all they are is a flimsy bunch of petals attached to a THORNY stick! And the cut ones are dying anyway, for pete's sake--so in a few days or a week, you have a wilting bunch of death sitting on your desk for everyone to see!


Well, ok--maybe they can be kind of ok to look at--if you're into that kind of thing. . .


Alright, they are beautiful--there, I said it! Are you happy now?


And I don't know this from PERSONAL experience or anything, but I'm sure it would be ok to receive roses, like at work or something. . .. I wouldn't know because it's never happened to me personally. . . but I've seen other people receive them and it SEEMS kinda nice.


Ok, it would be great to receive them at work!



Gee, if only there were some occasion coming up. Something that would give someone a reason to send ME roses at work (physical address: 609 Victory Drive, New Iberia, LA)?!


Not that a person should NEED a reason to send roses. . .


And not that there is a person, anyway. . .


*sigh* Valentine's day. . .bah, humbug! ;)

Random Pictures of Downtown Lafayette

Which way?

The new downtown location--coming soon. . .I'm so excited!

This is where we produce fun in Lafayette!

The Old Guaranty Bank Building

THE swankiest dentist's office I've ever seen

You are here

The Most Talented People I Know, Part 1

I've decided that I know a good many talented people, and I thought that I would brag on them a little. These will be random posts that I write as different people come to mind. I have several in mind right now, so you may get a little sick of this, but it's my blog, so I guess you'll just have to deal! ha!

James Edward Bates: Photojournalist

I met Jamie the year I interned at FBC Gulfport, Mississippi. Jamie was a photojournalist for the local paper and would help with youth events from time to time. Always friendly, but very shy, it took me a while to get to know him, but I’m glad I had the opportunity. During a phone conversation one time, Jamie asked me where I grew up. I said Crowley, LA, thinking that he’d have no clue where that was, but he responded by saying that he’d been around there a few weeks before. Perplexed, I asked him WHY and he said that he’d been at a Klan rally outside Crowley. I simply said “Oh,” not knowing what to think—Jamie is a member of the Ku Klux Klan?! But he quickly explained that he’d been working on a collection chronicling the activity of the Klan in the modern south. A few months later, he showed a slideshow containing his work from the Klan collection as well as other significant photographs he’d taken and I was hooked. Jamie is one of the most talented photographers I’ve ever known. His pictures tell a story and they tell it well. The following is a biography (from zReportage.com) summarizing his talent and renown.

James Edward Bates grew up in south Mississippi. He considers renowned civil-rights photojournalist Charles Moore to be his mentor; Moore's reportage of the civil-rights movement in the 1960s is attributed to shifting the national mood in favor of equality for all Americans. Bates documents the Ku Klux Klan and other groups honestly, recording their words and actions accurately, as they exist before his camera. His seven-year reportage of the Ku Klux Klan featured among hanging exhibits at the prestigious international festival of photojournalism in Perpignan, France: Visa Pour L'image, 2003. It is part of the traveling and permanent exhibits for the Middle Passage and African American History Museum and will exhibit at the St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, which is part of the prestigious Glasgow Museums family, from November 2005 to April 2006. Bates' photography appeared in Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster's In Search of America. He has been published U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, American Photo, People, Rolling Stone, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Miami Herald and many other national and international newspapers and magazines.

Click here to see a slideshow containing some of his KKK collection photographs

What gets me is that, while they look like they could be images from the 40’s or 50’s, all of these pictures have been taken in the last 8 years or so! My favorite picture isn’t in this collection, but even now—five years later—I can see it clearly in my mind’s eye.

In my search for Jamie’s work online, I came across another site containing his work—this one quite different from the first. Apparently, he’s a wedding photographer as well. I think that’s neat because I have said for a while that, if I ever get married, I would LOVE for Jamie to be the photographer! Now he has a business, I just need to find a groom! ;) I hope these sites give you a glimpse into the heart of this talented man.

Some Assembly Required

Today I spent a little time getting my new home in order. It's pretty slow-going, especially since I stop every hour or so to check email/go to wal-mart/meet a friend for coffee. . .and do whatever else I can to avoid the inevitable task of unpacking! These are just a few pics that I thought I'd share with the world--don't you want to come help??? ;)


UGH!!

1/4 of the finished product

My temporary multi-media center

What were they thinking?

I just bought a new sofa--some simple, neutral number that I found on sale--and these are the pillows that came with it. Seriously, why do they even produce upholstery that looks like this? And what do I do with them? They are ugly as all get out so I don't want to use them, but they are new pillows, so I don't want to get rid of them! Oh, the dilemma!

Camellias and Moving Day

Well, I have finally flown the coop!! I have managed to move nearly everything I own into my new apartment--minus all of the clothes that Erica has borrowed during my stay!--and I am now surrounded by musky smelling boxes. Don't ask me what's in any of the boxes! I spent all afternoon opening them up just to find out. Most of my stuff has been in storage for almost nine months now, so I'm rediscovering my stuff. And it's always on days like today when I swear that I'm gonna get rid of it all and have only what I can carry on my back! Ugh, I hate moving! But it is done and I plan to stay put this time! (Sorry Della, I think you're gonna have to look elsewhere for a roommate! There is NO way I'm carting this stuff cross-country!)

But hating to move does not stop me from accumulating more stuff! Even now I'm shopping for more furniture! Erica and I were talking about moving and, as they are buying a house (oh, yeah--hey Kyle, Erica and Damon are buying a house!) I was saying that they're gonna need to rent a truck b/c they have too much stuff for pickup trucks. I said that they are ADULTS moving--and she asked what that made me, a college student? And I'm thinking that I still kinda have that mentality. I said that I may be a student moving in, but I have a feeling that I'm gonna be an adult moving out! Ugh, and there are poor people in Uganda and whatnot who are barely scraping by and I'm shopping for entertainment centers and big, cushy chairs!

Anyway, the people who offered to help me move my belongings were available this morning so at 8:00 on Mardi Gras day--when most people are gearing up to head for the parades--I was carting heavy boxes! Ugh, what a day!! So sorry Melissa--I don't have any pics. But my friend Jen will be posting her Mardi Gras pics in the next day or two so check it out.

On a completely unrelated note, I spent some time this weekend taking pics of camellias in my neighbor's yard while Ony harassed a very determined squirrel. These are a few of the pics I liked the most. I don't know names of the individual varieties, sorry. I just thought they were pretty--sorry it's such a 'girly' post Brian! ;)








an action shot--see the bee! I was livin' life on the edge to get this shot!


my second favorite


my favorite pic--and I love this color/variety the most

such a cutie!

My HOT Date!!

Oh, I'm so excited! I just found out that I've got a hot date tonight! He's got big blue eyes and a wonderful smile! He is SO cute!! ;) I'm spending my evening with Jackson so that his mom and dad (Amy and Lawrence) can go downtown with Erica and Damon to catch a little of the Mardi Gras festivities. I'd much rather stay in with Jackson, myself! It's just blah outside right now!


Jackson Landon, man of the hour

Is this not THE cutest car?

This little cutie lives in the driveway right next to my sister's house. I've never seen one like it before and I just think it's so cute! Apparently, Jordan and Jeff (the fellas who live next door) drove it up until a few years ago.



The front--obviously!

A side view--they had the top off for a while, but I guess it got cold, it being winter and all. . .

A view from the rear--I can't be sure, but I doubt that yellow magnet ribbon thingie is original to the car. ;)

through the window dimly. . .

My semi-bitter rant. . .ah, Valentine's Day--you bring out the best in people

In the whole of my 29 years, I have been to numerous weddings and have even served in my fair share—bought the dress, thrown the shower, listened to the bride-to-be chatter endlessly on the minutiae of the ‘big’ day—but I guess that I must have zoned out at the precise moment that the entire blessed event paused in order for the couple to swap out their “single” brains for the newer, better-than-ever up-grade to “married” brains! Some how I’ve missed it every time!

Seriously, It seems like the instant the ring goes on the finger, married people completely forget what it’s like to be single! Please don’t misunderstand, I am NOT knocking marriage—would love to be in that blessed state myself some day—but it just frustrates me that so many married people consider single people to be second-rate citizens. No one would ever actually SAY that they think less of single people than married people, but the signs are there. Married people have it all: lower bills (all those “family plans” and such), tax breaks (I just read an article about how the government wants people to be married), built-in common interests with other married people (“My husband does this. . .,” “Well, MY husband does this. . ..”), automatic dates for social engagements, companionship, approved sex, etc. Single perks? Well, more left-overs (so now I can eat the SAME thing for lunch everyday this week!), sole possession of the remote control, and the option to chuck it all and fly off to Europe on a moment’s notice—provided the bank account is willing and the passport is valid! I realize that I am exaggerating, so please don’t post comments lamenting the harder side of married life! I just wish one's marital state wasn’t such a big deal.

What sparked this bitter little rampage, you may ask? Well, other than the fact that Feb. 14 is racing on in like a horse with its tail on fire, this really all stems from a very simple comment that the small groups pastor at my church made—twice—during announcements at church today. I was working in the media booth this morning so I was in two services (and CAN it all of you saying, “Good, she needs it!”) so I had plenty of time to ponder this while I waited for the second service to see if the statement was merely a slip of the tongue, or was indeed something much more extensive. While announcing upcoming Valentine’s Day activities, he started by saying, “and if you are ‘a single’. . ..” Now, I instantly picked up on it, but I waited to pronounce judgment until after announcements in the second service where again, he said very clearly, “if you are ‘a single’. . ..” And there it was—my whole life summed up by the lack of a ring on my finger! A SINGLE!! I AM single, but when has my state of marital union become the label by which I am referred? I am a human being! I just happen to be single. . .and who knows, maybe I will continue to BE single, but I am so much more than single!

So if you’re reading this through sage, married eyes, please stop and think back to before your brain transplant and realize that only the transient ‘jar’ of another person separates your condition from mine. Singleness is not a curse and I often enjoy the many benefits. And I know that, were I ever to marry, I would find that my outlook would not change THAT much because marriage has its own sets of pluses and minuses. But I just wish that singleness didn’t have such a negative association. Remember, Jesus was single and he saved the world! I’m not saying that I can do that, but who knows what I can do by following His example.

Hallelujah!

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Well, it's Mardi Gras time in south Louisiana! I am over the parades and stuff, but I love the holiday!! And this year, it's even longer than usual. Our school schedules our Spring Break Holiday to coincide with Mardi Gras, so we're off for a week!! Yee-hah!

It's all about me!

I copied this blog quiz from Melissa's blog. She got it from her friend Mindy who got it from someone named Neil. . . We shall see where it pops up next! It is Sunday night and the rest of the world (it seems) is gearing up for the Super Bowl. I guess I'll watch it while I'm working on other things, but I get bored easily with football on tv and I've been disappointed with the commercials in recent years, so I'm not arranging my entire evening around it.

1: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says: ". . . His person. The grace of his call burst all the bonds of legalism. It is a gracious call, . . ." The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Yeah, I'm doing a little light reading on my spring break! ;)
2: Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? The back of the purple booth at which I am sitting. My sister and her husband's kitchen seating is an abandoned vinyl booth from a now-defunct Mexican restaurant. Classy stuff!!
3: What is your favorite vegetable? Broccoli
4: What is your earliest memory? Being irritated by the monkeys in the movie The Jungle Book. I found out only recently that I saw that movie when I was 2 1/2 years old when my dad took me to see it around the time my brother was born. I also have memories of Kyle and my mom coming home from the hospital. They stayed at my grandparents' house for a few days and I remember being told to stay out of the way! But I remember that I didn't mind b/c I was concerned about my mom and I didn't want to upset her.
5: What is the last thing you watched on TV? TiVoed showing of The Apprentice.
6: WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is: 4:45pm
7: Now look at the clock; what is the actual time?: 4:37pm
8: With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? The washing machine and dryer--I'm doing laundry.
9: When did you last step outside? What were you doing? About 15 minutes ago--taking Ony out for her hourly trip to smell the ENTIRE yard!
10: Before you came to this website, what did you look at? I was looking at Melissa's blog which is where this came from.
11: Did you dream last night? Not that I can remember
12: When did you last laugh? This afternoon while playing with my mom's puppy Gus (who can be seen in earlier posts on this blog)
13: What is on the walls of the room you are in? A large mirror, A photo collage board with pics, a knick-knack shelf, and a little black cabinet
14: Seen anything weird lately? Oh, I was looking at some pics of the KKK yesterday. They were taken by a friend of mine--but I'll be blogging about that later and posting the site. It's truly fascinating and disturbing. Stay tuned. . ..
15: What do you think of this quiz? It makes me realize to what extent I will go to procrastinate! (I'm supposed to be preparing my junk to move tomorrow--it's almost there!)
16: What is the last film you saw? The Phantom of the Opera--Friday night. Good movie--disturbing storyline but the music is beautiful (along with some of the scenery! ;)
17: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? A new car--or maybe several! That would be quick and easy. Then I would organize a really long, very expensive trip to Europe.
18: Tell me something about you that I don't know. I don' t have wisdom teeth. I was looking at my x-ray while waiting for the dentist at a dental appointment several years ago and the nurse (hygenist?) said that I didn't have any! Daddy's response was that he'd already figured that out!
19: Do you like to dance? Yes, if no one is watching--I have no rhythm but it's fun!!

Learning the Lingo. . .

The other day as I was driving aimlessly around town, I heard a radio advertisement that caught my attention. It was a psa/website ad warning parents about underage solicitation and telling them to be aware of who their kids are talking to and what is being said in online convos. The site mentioned a list of common IM abbreviations and that's what piqued my interest. Now, I am definitely anti-underage solicitation, but seeing as I have no children of which to monitor, I got really curious about these abbreviations for purely selfish personal reasons. :)

I'm relatively new to IMing as a regular form of communication with some of my friends (even some that I see on a regular basis and can call for free ;), and I have realized that it's requiring a great deal of typing! And as I'm concerned that having this new computer is going to eventually lead to carpal tunel, I decided that I need to look into these abbreviations! Of course I couldn't remember the address for the advertised site in the trip from the car to my computer--I'm so NOT an auditory learner!--I just decided to google it and found a few sites that have enlightened me to a whole new way of thinking! I thought I'd share a little about what I've learned.

All of the lists I found are in alphabetical order, but I thought I'd list a few of my personal categories:

Useful and/or common abbreviations:
brb--be right back
btw--by the way
cfn--ciao for now (for you Italian speakers out there!)
drib--don't read if busy
fyi--for your information
iswym--I see what you mean
k--ok
lol--laugh out loud
lmk--let me know
ltmc--long time no see
oic--oh, I see
omg--oh my gosh
ttyl--talk to you later
wdyt--What do you think?
yw--you're welcome

What's the point:
(these are abbreviations that take just as long to type as the real thing!)
id10t--idiot
kewl--cool


Some new ones/interesting ones that caught my eye:
el--evil laugh (really, now?)
oz--stands for Australia (I didn't know that!)
dyoh--do your own homework--i can only imagine why that one exists?! ;)
rofl--rolling on the floor laughing--one I was introduced to just two nights ago
fubar--f/ed up beyond recognition--I've heard this one used as an acronym before and never knew what it meant/realized it contained a potty word!
iiio--Intel inside, idiot outside (just thought it was funny)

Why bother?
(These are the ones I wouldn't get if I came across them in a conversation.)
iykwimaityd--if you know what I mean and I think you do. . .
iliciscomk--I laughed, I cried, I spit coffee/crumbs/coke on my keyboard
bbfbbm--body by fisher, brains by matel--ok, I know it's referring to toy manufacturers, and matel makes barbie and I can see the bubble-head connotations, but I still don't get the point.

Let me know if you've run across any interesting/useful/funny abbreviations of your own!

Breaking New Ground at Highland

Today was the groundbreaking ceremony for the new middle/high school building at Highland Baptist Christian School. These are just a few pics of some of my students and colleagues.


Jenni, Lindsey, Kelli, Courtni, and Lauren smile for the camera while waiting for the festivities to begin. (I see you hiding, Gipsy!)

Adrienne, Taylor, Melissa, Emmie, and Laura pose for a pic with Mr. Hodge

Corey, Chris, and Joey--three of our 8th grade heartbreakers!

Principal Lamothe addresses the crowd

Is it time yet?

The break and the release

Up, up, and away!

Michelle, Janie, and Rich playing it up for the camera

Janie, Rich, and Carol looking a little more dignified

The Joy of Geometry

Today Hanna's ADD kicked in while we were working on proofs so I thought I'd post a few of her pics.


Morgan is focused on the task at hand, unlike SOME people. . .

Sam is concentrating on her work!

Brittney is focused on her work, even when a camera is in her face!

Becca is ALL smiles for Geometry!

Kaci and Grace doing a great job of paying attention. . .to the camera!

Grace, what are you doing?

Grace in her never ending quest to soothe her chapped lips