And the blind shall see...

Their eyes are open!!

Saturday Dose of Randomness

It's been a while, so here's a little randomness for your reading pleasure...and my blogging delight! :)

I am turning into my father! I received a movie last night (thank you Netflix!) and as I write, it's playing for the third time! I remember when I was a kid, Daddy would play the same movie over and over again on Saturday afternoons...it wasn't every Saturday. I guess maybe when he was stuck in the house because it was raining or something, but it's a definite memory. It was usually some movie that he liked but had seen too many times to count, so it would just play continually and he'd stop from time to time, watch some scene, and then go back to whatever he was doing. The movie I remember him doing this with best was Dune. I still don't know if I completely understand that movie, but I've seen it (or parts of it) more times than I can count! I thought Kyle MacLachlan was SO cute! Anyway, it's something I think of every time I do the same thing...

Speaking of Dad, I read a story to my 7th graders yesterday. It was this paper that I'd written in an Advanced Composition class in college. The assignment was to write about some event or experience that taught a greater truth or 'bigger picture' lesson. I wrote about the day my dad died and how that taught me about the transient nature of life. I thought about posting the paper on my blog last year, but it's kinda long and I rather morose. Anyway, I made the mistake of mentioning the paper when we were talking about expressive writing in my 7th grade English class a few months ago and several of the girls have been hounding me to read it ever since! I'm not sure WHY they were so interested, and I told them several times that it's somewhat depressing, but they wanted to hear it. We finished a Lit unit earlier this week and as I hate starting a new unit on Friday, I took the time and read the story. It had been a while since I'd read it and it really brought that 'big picture' lesson home to me all over again...and it was a little embarrassing that it was happening in front of my 7th grade Literature class! My friend Jen wrote about the way God's been speaking to her in themes and the same has been true with me as well. It was just neat that God would use something that I had written to remind me of a lesson that He is re-teaching me now! Pretty cool...

Speaking of yesterday, after listening to my junior girls talk about their mothers...I have decided NOT to have children!! :) They were saying all of the typical, "my mother drives me nuts" things and OF COURSE their mothers are the worlds worst. (Sorry girls, not trying to downplay your angst. It's just that it's a song sung by adolescent girls the world over!) I used to really want to have children. I thought that was THE thing to do when you grew up. You got married and had kids. I've been doing other things for so long that I'm really beginning to re-think those childhood dreams a bit. I'm not saying that I don't want to get married or have kids anymore. I'm just realizing that there are other options and that I can't allow myself to think that marriage and kids is the be-all, end-all! I guess I've just decided to accept the role as the fun, eccentric aunt...which means I need to start doing cooler stuff! Otherwise I'll be the old-maid-English-teacher aunt! That means I need to start traveling more and collecting weird things with which to fill my home because weird--oh excuse me eccentric--aunts need to have neat, weird things in their homes! Speaking of home...

I hate my apartment...more specifically my kitchen...even MORE specifically the fire alarm that is hardwired into the ceiling in my kitchen! I cannot bake anything without this thing going off and it drives me crazy! I have to do this thing where i bump the air conditioner/heater on so that the intake vent will suck up the hot air (it's right across from the oven) any time I need to open the oven...it does not matter if the oven door is open for two seconds, or 15...that darn alarm goes off! And it's not a weak, 'hey, there might be a fire' kind of alarm. It's this obnoxious "OMG, you're burning down the whole freakin' complex!" kind of alarm! I've never heard my neighbor's alarms so either, 1. they don't bake, 2. we have well-insulated walls, 3. I am doing something terribly wrong!. There is never smoke (because I do know HOW to cook!) so I can only guess that it's detecting the hot air. Ugh! So aggravating!! AND the darn thing is wired into the building, so no batteries (which I guess is good from a 'it might save my life' standpoint, but frustrating otherwise.) So baking in the apartment is a LITTLE frustrating which is sad because I enjoy baking...

So I'm tired of all my default dishes and, while 'picking up a few things' in Albertsons the other day, I decided to try something a little different. I saw those little individual-sized pre-made pizza crusts and so I thought that would be fun! I began to think otherwise after I went through the check out! I think I could have bought two or three regular-sized pizzas with what it cost to buy the stuff to make my own! But it was fun! I make a mean ricotta and Roma tomato pizza! :) ...In a very frustrating kitchen!

Alright, I've run out of ways to connect my random stories. The movie I'm watching for the third time today is Must Love Dogs with Diane Lane and John Cusack. The movie I just sent back to Netflix was Under The Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane and lots of cute Italian men. ;) Apparently, there is a "divorced woman rediscovering life and love" theme going in my movie-watching these days. Not sure why as I'm not a divorced woman...but maybe I need to rediscover life and love? That could be it. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that I have had a long-time crush on John Cusack. Love him! Since Better Off Dead...! I realize that he's playing a part in all of these movies but there is something about his personality that creeps into his roles and I think it's cute! But someone once told me that you're not supposed to call guys cute...so it's attractive?! Anyway...

Alright, I think that's enough randomness for today. I'm sure I'll be back with more some time soon!

A Valentine's Sentiment from The Office

I think The Office is one of those "love it or hate it" kinds of shows, but I love it! While I am intrigued by the everyday going-ons of the Dunder-Mifflin group, my favorite part is the story of Pam and Jim. Pam, the receptionist, is engaged to Roy--the big lug in the picture. Roy is very much the stereo-typical insensitive boyfriend type. Jim (the guy leaning against the wall) has a huge crush on Pam and the two would make SUCH a cute couple...if only Pam would realize it! ...if only Jim could work up the courage to say it!! ...if only Pam would see that Jim values her WAY more than her putzy boyfriend does!! ...if only I'd get a life!!! :) It's a funny, off-beat show and Jim is definitely my favorite part...and that whole Jim/Pam storyline is great too! ;) It plays on Thursdays at 8:30pm on NBC. If you are a fan, I'd very much like to recommend the Dunder-Mifflin newsletter--highly entertaining junk mail! Just thought I'd share!

Satan dwells here

Well, not here as on this page...and not in my heart either! :) But I am beginning to believe that that Lucifer himself is residing in my computer! I've had this sucker only 13 months now, and it's been acting all sorts of crazy lately! Seriously, I think it's possessed!! Last month it just decided to reject my wireless card (rookie mistake: I didn't think I'd need to spring for wireless access...who really needs wireless?! Little did I know that only two months later I would be screaming, "ME!! I need wireless!!") so I'm forced to sit on the floor two feet away from the stinkin' DSL modem so that I can plug in directly! (and no, I'm NOT gonna go buy a longer cord--I refuse!! I'll just sit on the floor and whine about it!)

And then this afternoon it just decided that it didn't want to be on the internet! After spending twenty minutes on the phone with my friendly Indian customer service agent, I decided that it was not my service that was screwed up, but my sweet lil' computer!!! ugh! After trying everything I could think of (I'm not super computer savvy, so it wasn't that much!) I gave up and decided to work on some of the homework that I've been dragging back and forth for days. After my pouting had run it's course, I decided to try "one last thing" and low-and-behold, it worked! So here I am, blogging away like a fool...I've got to get this in before the NEXT thing goes wrong!! So...I don't suppose any of you faithful reader just happens to be a computer genius who'd like to donate his or her time to clean up this lovely little mess of a computer?! yeah, I didn't think so! ha! Oh well, I guess it's making me a stronger person!

Remembering, "Who's on first?"

My Aunt sent me this and as I have been lax in posting this week, I thought I'd leave this as a somewhat humorous peace offering. I think it's funny! :)

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on "START".............

Ppppbbbbbbbtttttt!

Assimilation

Well ladies and gentlemen, I have finally joined the 'i' cult...er, family. ;) When the whole ipod thing became popular, I quickly dismissed it. I'd had a Sony Walkman when I was a kid...what's the big deal?! Living with college kids for a summer (with their expendable incomes and fun toys) made me start to rethink my staunch anti-bandwagon view on this new techno-gadget, but I still wasn't convinced that I wanted to spend THAT much money for a suped-up jump drive! (Although I was being swayed by the free engraving promotion that Apple was offering this summer.)

Little did I know that simply waiting would give me a version of that 'toy' I'd begun to think on fondly. Other years Centrifuge Directors have been given anything from beautiful watches to leather office chairs...this year the Director gift was an ipod shuffle! While it wasn't a full-blown ipod, it was a start! I brought the little sucker home and promptly forgot all about it until December when I found it in a box of stuff (very important stuff, mind you!) that I'd mailed home at the end of the summer. It's been sitting on my coffee table for two months along with a hearty resolution to start exercising more! Today I finally got around to setting up itunes and organizing my playlists. Ladies and Gents, I am finally ready to join that oblivious multitude who manage to drown out that pesky oncoming traffic with tiny little ear-buds! Watch it, I may be stepping out in an intersection near you!! ha!

Remembering Challenger

Today was the 20th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle explosion. I can't believe it's been 20 years! I was in 5th grade and our class had gone over to the 6th grade wing to watch the television coverage of the event. It was a big deal because Christa McAuliffe was the first teacher to go into space. There were several interviews with her prior to the launch and she seemed like a really neat person. I remember wishing that she could have been my teacher. I don't think I'll ever forget where I was when it happened.

Yeah, that's right...SEVEN!

One pooped pup!

Mom's dog Izzy had puppies yesterday! She's a small dog but she had a BIG belly, so we were expecting 4 or 5. Yeah, she is now the proud mamma of SEVEN black and tans!! 4 girls, 3 boys. And mom is looking for homes...so lemme know if you're interested! :)

Here is Izzy with her brood


One day old!

Awwwwhhhhh, how sweet!

Stuff I want...

Alright, I'm not intentionally trying to be materialistic. I'm just bored and thought it would be fun! Click on the image for more information!

I want this camera (or the D70s). Back in the day, we had a film SLR and I loved it! I've missed it ever since it decided to run away (on a trip to Seattle, I think? ha!) I've become addicted to digital photography recently, so I'm thinking a digital SLR would make more sense now. And everyone I know is sporting a Canon, and as I'm not much of a 'bandwagon' person myself, I'd get the Nikon just to be different! ;)


I need a club chair for my apartment. A leather chair and ottoman would be nice. Or if you click on the picture, you can see the link to the Lay-z-boy chair style that I like. Not sure what fabric I'd choose, given the choice, but I like the style.

A West Highland Terrier! I want a girl and I would name her Coconut! :)

Oh, uhm...Michael Rosenbaum...hmmmm, how did HE get here?! ;) Well, while we're on the subject of things I want... ha!

A 2006 Nissan Z Roadster--Silver is good...or black...or white...or ANY color would work if you're actually gonna get me one! I'm not picky! ha!

And WORLD PEACE of course! ;)

This has been a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at the stuff I'd like to have. I am very aware that THINGS will not make me happy, so no need to give me a reality check. I find that the content of my blog is often inversely proportional to the things I'm actually thinking on. If that is the case, just know that while this post may seem shallow, the stuff going on behind is much more profound. Cryptic, I know...hopefully one day soon I will share out of the depth rather than indulging in the frivolous. Until then...

Test post

This is just a test to see if I can figure out how to link a site to a posted image. I saw a guy do it on his blog last week and I want to know how! :)


...alright, I've tried everything that I can think to do (and Blogger's help pages aren't being very 'helpful')! So any ideas? I'm sure it's very simple and I'll feel like a fool for not thinking to try 'that', but I'm impatient and prepared to look foolish at the moment! And yes, that camera is part of the post I'm trying to create...so stay tuned! And somebody help me figure this out!

Never a dull moment with Emory!!

Tonight my friend Emory and I went to dinner at Zeus (which I've blogged about at least a time or two! It's my favorite!!) Weeknight dinners out are rarely worth mentioning but this one will definitely go down in my books as one of my most entertaining meals ever!! Emory meets no strangers, so she's good at keeping up with the 'friendliness' of our dear servers at Zeus. Tonight, we had the good fortune to meet Nidal, the owner...and just to let you know, WE are family now! ha! He sat us at a table in the back--near the kitchen--where 'the family' sits and he checked on us throughout our meal to flirt with us and make sure we were doing well. Eventually, he came over to check on us and proceeded to sit down and visit with us for probably thirty minutes or maybe more! It was a very interesting conversation ranging from a mini-lesson on Islamic beliefs (Nidal is Muslim) to relationship advice! SO funny!!! Of course we took pictures!

Emory trying a little 'kibbe'

Nidal and Emory

Me and Emory in the tent

A very creative shot, courtesty of Nidal :)

Nidal vanished for a little while and we had no clue where he went. I ran to the restroom, and came back to find him and Emory sitting in the tent! It was hilarious!!

Emory's getting all 'duded' up!

A view from behind

Who is that masked woman?!

Emory's birthday Baklava came with a little birthday dance with Clay

Happy Birthday Emory! :)

You can check out Emory's version of the story, along with a few different pics, here.

My very diligent friend

A few months ago my friend Emory introduced me to the music of her friend Nathan Lee. I really liked it, so she said she would get one of his CD's for me (they aren't for sell). Well, in the meantime Emory decided to move off to Nashville in search of riches and fame (just kidding) !She was busy packing and getting ready for the move, but she promised me that she would send me the CD. Well, a few days after she moved, I received a package in the mail and it was the CD she'd promised! Problem was, my 'ray-of-sunshine' mail carrier jammed it into my box behind a magazine and some junk mail, crushing the package that was clearly labeled Do Not Bend! UGH!!! I hated to do it because she'd gone through so much trouble, but I emailed Emory and told her about the broken CD. She was disappointed but said that she would send another one.

So yesterday when I came home, I had a delivery attempt slip on my door. I'd missed a package from Emory. Today I picked the package up at the FedEx office. This was it:

As I began to open the box, I had to laugh! She made sure no one was gonna crush this package! :)




So after I fought through all of the packing tape and bubble-wrap, I managed to find the CD--contained in a CD holder and wrapped in a big plastic bag! Here is the CD with all of it's 'packaging' :

And here is the result! My very own Nathan Lee CD--in pristine condition! Thanks Emory! I appreciate the effort and I am sure I will appreciate the music as well! You are a diligent woman!! :)

Nothing like the last minute!

As of about 9:00am this morning, I found out that I will be a leader for FBC Lafayette's DiscipleNow THIS weekend! Nothing like those last-minute phone calls! I've been a leader for plenty of D-Nows in the past, but this is probably the shortest notice I've ever had. Makes me a little nervous! And I just feel strange about the whole deal. Ever have one of those times where you feel like you should do something, but you don't feel like doing it? Does that make sense? My spirit is torn but I feel like this is where I need to be this weekend. I have more to say, but I can't find the words. Oh, well...maybe they will come later. Until then, I'll be cramming! :D

food associations

I contemplated making chamomile tea earlier this evening and that made me think of Katie because I remember her drinking chamomile tea when she was pregnant and nursing David. That made me wonder who else I associate with various foods...and then it hit me--Blog Topic!! So here are some food associations and why they exist:

Erica::cheese--because the girl loves cheese
Kyle::chocolate cake--Kyle likes to bake and I remember him making a KILLER chocolate cake!
Mom::roast beef--Sunday lunches growing up (baked chicken and 'sticky chicken' also makes me think of her)
Dad::homemade cinnamon rolls (sourdough bread too) (oh, and sardines, and liver...Dad has some pretty strange food associations! ;)
Damon::vegetables--because he doesn't like them
Erica::green beans and corn--that's what she always picked when she picked out vegetables!
Katie::hummus--that girl makes some MEAN hummus!! :)
Glenn::chocolate Easter bunnies--the man is addicted!
Della::chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies--because we made them all the time (ahhhh, the things we'd do to avoid studying!)
Jen::chicken shwarma salad at Zeus--because that's what she always orders
Joni::Hot Tamales--she had this candy dish of Hot Tamales when she lived in Baton Rouge and she never ate them. I never could understand how she could have candy sitting there and not eat it! That girl has some will power!
Bonny::chips and dip--her favorite junk food
Jeff::peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with homemade mayhaw or muscadine jelly--because he'd always come over to my apartment and make himself sandwiches!
Della::mom's homemade figs--because she says no one in California makes fig preserves like my mom (and I still have two jars that I need to send to her!)
Mickey::Big Red gum--he liked cinnamon. Cinnamon gum was the only positive thing that came out of that relationship! ha!
Erica::nachos--because nachos involve cheese and the girl loves cheese!
Joni::homemade chocolate mints--when we were just young-uns, we made mints for some youth group fundraiser and we thought we were SO on-the-edge b/c Mrs. Gloria used actual Creme de Menthe in the recipe!
Joni::Bishop's Bread--I love me some of her mom's bishop's bread! And apparently we were just lil' alchies in training, weren't we?! ha!
Brian::Secco-Bertani Valpolichella--just because! ;)
Mawmaw::Aunt Sally's Cheesecake--Good stuff!
Pawpaw::Wild Game Gumbo--I won't describe it--it's something you just have to experience!
Granddaddy::chocolate spread on sliced white bread--childhood memories
Granny::ponce--another interesting dish that is probably better left unexplained!
Aunt Debbie::flintzens--she makes great ones!
Uncle Donald::black coffee--he always allowed us the joy of getting him another cup of coffee--I was just glad he liked it black!
Phillip::Sonic Jalapeno Poppers--a memory from when I was living in Clute
Josh::steak fajita tacos from that hole-in-the-wall place in Clute--those things were GOO-OOD!
Mrs. Loretta::chicken spaghetti--she'd always make it for covered dish lunches at church
Ms. Jean::monkey bread--finally being a 'helper' at VBS and getting to eat the teacher's snacks!
Ms. Ouida::chocolate chip cookies--she always made great cccookies

I'm sure there are more associations, but I think this will do for now! Oh, and Ritz crackers and orange juice reminds me of the nursery at church...random, I know! I've got to keep it interesting!

Happy Epiphany!

Today was Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, which kicks off Mardi Gras season and EVERYONE knows what THAT means, right?! King Cake!! ;) I had my first piece today, thanks to the lovely Grace who provided a Gambino's king cake in celebration of Epiphany--and the fact that they officially go on sale today! I just wanted to share a little 'holiday cheer' with all of my faithful readers! So who's getting the next one?!

My, what big FEET you have!

Tonight included a little bathtime fun for ole' Gray-ster! I have pictures (of course) but I'll post the rest of those tomorrow. I did want to let you know that Damon has set up a blog just for Grayson, so if you'd like to see pictures of the cutie (without having to rifle through all of my mindless rambling) you can check it out here: http//graysonparks.blogspot.com. I will be posting on his blog as well as my own. Until then, I leave you with this foot... ;)  

The many faces of Grayson

Grayson makes lots of fun faces. I tried to capture some of them today...

Wow

There are those who enter and leave this world without leaving a fingerprint and then there are those who can make the sun fall when they leave. Those are the ones who never did something because they could, but because they knew they had to. They are the ones who refuse to follow the path of mediocrity and excel beyond their own expectations. To them, there are no limits because they refuse to believe that there is such a thing. They are the ones who never brag because they expect better from themselves. They continually challenge the world around them because they refuse to compromise their ethics. These are the ones who never envy someone else, but rather congratulate them. Most importantly, they are the ones who inspired others to begin focusing on the path that lies ahead rather than the sickening thought of failure.

~Morgan Tang

;)

Steph's Obituary and Info on the Accident

WRIGHT, STEPHANIE LYNN a resident of Franklin, Tenn., died Friday, Dec. 23, 2005, in an automobile accident in Lexington, Tenn. She was 31 and a native of Baton Rouge. Visiting at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27. Religious service at the funeral home at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with Dr. Allen Jackson and Dr. Ken Sneed officiating. Interment in Resthaven Gardens of Memory. She is survived by her mother, Jeanne Wright, Baton Rouge; father, Ronnie Wright, Hollywood, Fla.; brother, Kevin Wright, Baton Rouge; and grandparents, Ola Mae and Elbert Wright and LeRoy Ragsdale. Preceded in death by her maternal grandmother, Betty Ragsdale. She was a graduate of McKinley High School, LSU and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Published in The Advocate on 12/27/2005.

And this is an article in the Jackson Sun from Saturday, Dec 24, describing the accident.

The Eagle has landed! I repeat, the EAGLE has landed...yeah, I don't know either! ;)

It was a Christmas miracle! Erica and Grayson got to come home tonight!! Ok, I'm being a little silly about the whole 'Christmas miracle' bit, but I WAS beginning to wonder if it was ever gonna happen! Here are a few shots for your viewing pleasure. (And I'm quickly realizing that a digital camera and a newborn are a dangerous combination! I've probably taken over 150 shots and he's only 6 days old!)

Grayson already seems to be one for the holiday costumes...;)


Home Sweet Home


Grayson and his favorite aunt! ;) Shhhhh, don't tell Heather or Amber!! haha!


This was one of several pictures I took while holding Grayson...we just thought it was a neat shot!


It's been quite an eventful day! Damon and Grayson are all tuckered out!

On a different note, I am realizing that I am quickly turning into an OLD person! While I waited for Erica and fly. to come home, I occupied myself by watching the Prairie Home Companion on the public broadcasting station! Yeah, bring on the old-folks home! Actually, I would love to live in an assisted living center--have you ever seen those places? Cute little apartments, easy access to everything. Someone comes by every once in a while to check on you! It would be great! :) Alright, it's obviously getting to be a bit TOO late for me! Merry Christmas, y'all!