get off your high horse and give us a hand

Opinions like this make me mad. Why? Because they're counter-productive in a really bad way.

Now, I havn't seen the new Amy Grant hosted show, but I have watched more than a few Extreme Makeover: Home Edition programs, and that this guy thinks that they're worthless because some companies get great rating and advertisment is so ridiculous. So what? Does it really matter when the REAL pay-off is that a little girl's future health (oops, sorry . . . LIFE!) is spared and her family is given back what they sacrificed so that she could have a shot? And what about the single parents who took in kids who had no future, but were packed into 2 bedroom houses (we're talking about 9 people here)? The ones who turned their personal tragedies into a motivation to help others?

If you're going to preach about giving privately and without fanfare, then you need to be practicing that in your own house. Christians have got to stop persecuting those who do things to help others. It makes us look the fool. So what if the motivation is a little off at first? That can change. The point is helping others, and the people EMHE picks seem to be the ones who were helping others to begin with, even when they had nothing.

underwater basket weaving

no, I'm not kidding.

Homework/study session at Katie's and Nicole's. Bring your bathing suits, and whatever you didn't finish today in class. We also need to discuss the trip to IKEA to pick up more chocolate crisps. A's all around sounds great, so a few cases should be enough to ensure it.

pleasant distractions

Ok, so there's this grad student on campus who I met over a year ago through some friends. Good looking, very nice, but super shy around women. His friends have told me that he doesn't think the ladies find him attractive. Fast forward to today. Sitting in a spot downtown working on some things for school and he walks by . . . and I lose all mental capacity for a minute there. So it's a officially a crush now? Yes, I think so. Now if we can only get him to talk.

This is the harmless drama I don't mind dealing with. :)

Mutts & Bella

I have the kitty version of that dog. Except that she doesn't stop with people.

not so much a recap?

Well, the weekend was . . . strange. A mix of good and bad, a meltdown, followed by 24 hour bug or something that felt like my brain was going to force open my skull, and other random oddness. ugh.

However . . . the Bulldogs won, I got a sunday off on a day that I was really glad that I didn't need to leave church early, and I have a ticket for the (almost sold out) Switchfoot show at the 40watt in November. Life isn't bad.

Oh, yeah, and I have chocolate cookies . . . yay!

Things That Make Me Happy Volume . . .

I'm borrowing the title from one of my favorite sites, but I doubt that they'll mind. That phrase just makes me happy (or smile).

So it's after midnight and I'm waiting for the washer to finish so I can hang some things to dry and go to bed (dryers are wonderful, but not for everything). At least the silk skirts dry quickly. Anyway, I found something the other day, something that I've been secretly searching for, for quite some time. And, thanks to Mr. Brown, I found it. I found my personal perfect biscuit recipe. Confused? Let me explain. I was raised in the south, hearing tales of country kitchens and days gone by. Of the made-from-scratch delights of the southern kitchen. I think I could count on one time how many times I saw a box of mix in the pantry. Mom taught us how to make everything (even yogurt at one point) from scratch. This being the case, I always had a little trouble getting the homemade biscuits to come out the way I envisioned them. As I would later come to learn from a wizened southerner, every cook has to have their own, somewhat unique, biscuit method. Oohhhh.

So one day, I'm watching Good Eats. Why? Because the show is great. Alton likes to explain why chemical reactions and such produce certain culinary masterpieces or disasters. That's great, because I like to know why my experiments might not rise the way I'd hoped. Anyway, he gave out a recipe for southern biscuits, and I tried it. Several batches later, and my family still loves them.

Thank you Alton Brown!

I think the laundry should be about done . . .

random quote of the day . . .

"I'm sorry - the way the light is hitting the Ritz Crackers right now - I wanna weep." - Prof. Mark Callahan

I could try to explain the context, but it would still be random and strange. It's amazing I that just kept a straight face. Ahh, critiques.

indecisive

Oh, it's up to it again. The weather is flip-flopping back and forth heading from summer into fall. I have the mild sore throat/run-down bug thing to prove it. Or maybe from my schedule, or both? Who knows. I really wish it would rain though. Two home games in a row with no rain in between makes for some rather nasty sidewalks. Still, the sky looks amazing, and it's nice to keep the windows open in the morning. The cats love it too.

Going to find beverages before I drag myself to Jewelry . . . *where's the vitamin C?*

poor little Daisy

The fuzzy little puffball jumped too far and cut her lip open (yes, rabbits have lips). So I'm playing overprotective mom and making sure she's as comfortable and spoiled as possible tonight. Poor little bunn. She'll be fine though.

I have some pieces in an art show going up (tomorrow?) at Lamar Dodd. The show is a collection of works by fellow students in the Jewelry & Metals department. The first of a series. Check it out if you are near the UGA School of Art (main building). There are some unusual pieces.

Gearing up for the game this weekend . . . GO DAWGS!!! ;)

First up . . . hi Patrick! Thanks for the note on that post sweetheart. That email address is probably out of date by now. ;)

hmmmm . . . monday. Well, it's been smelling like fall for at least a week or so now, which is great. I love fall!

I read an article in Relevant dealing with art and the Christian culture "ghetto". Link to it here. This is an ongoing issue. Has the Church made for itself its own little cultural ghetto? A selling point for Christian radio is that it's "safe". So what, we isolate ourselves so that no one gets in with their messy lives? People still have problems even when they're IN the Church, so that seems the old ostrich head in the sand bit. Not to mention that the vast majority of Art currently created under the term "Christian" is significantly sub-parr. Some of the music is improving, but it's coming (mostly) from Christians who don't associate themselves with CCM. A lot of people may get offended, but maybe that's what they need.

I'm still working this out in my own head, but I do believe that your craft deserves the best possible effort on your behalf. Why settle?

a temporary home

My extended family faired this last hurricane rather well, and did not even need to evacuate as they had in the past. Today I met some who did have to flee, and are now making Athens their home for the time being. We chatted for a while, not on what is left of their home, but about life as it is now. They're welcome for as long as they need. One lady was amused to find that just as at Tulane, art supplies are cheaper at the campus bookstore.

not now . . .

why does this happen? I decide that school is important, and that I don't really have the time to date right now, and then this great guy (with a JOB, manners, and charm) is asking for my number and noting complimentary things when he enters it into his pda/Blackberry(?)/high-tech cell phone gadgety thing. I know, he let me watch while he entered it. Lord please help me. At least he doesn't live in any of the area codes that I work or live in. Now we'll just see if he calls. I'm not freaked out by him, so that's a good sign. I hope.

Oh, and my beloved Bulldogs (DAWGS) won tonight. Maybe it does go to show that if you sell your soul to the devil it does eventually come back to bite you in the ass (talking about the other team).

oh, of course . . .

hair and makeup went way too smoothly this morning. Actually, everything did up until I tried to start my car. Yes, tried. Dead battery. So, got mom to drive me over to Wally-world to get a new one after I hooked up the charger to see HOW dead the thing was. R.I.P. little battery.

Ok, so normally replacing a car battery is not too hard, and Saturns are pretty easy to do basic maintenance on. No big deal. Except that the housing/heat shield that protects the battery is about as easy to get off as an Orbit at the Tate Center stop. There's a lot of pushing, shoving, squeezing, and even yelling.

"Great, I'm gonna be covered in sweat."

"Aww. It's cold out this morning. No you won't," said my mother.

Guess who was right?

So the new battery is in, I took the morning off from class, and I'm all showered (again) and ready for work.

c'est la vie

it's in 401 and it's packed

Tonight was the first night of the new women's Bible study at my church. Don't worry, the men have one all their own as well. Well, they didn't put out enough chairs, and I wish I had a camera to capture the look on Miss Ellen's face. That wonderful woman was just surprised and elated all at once. Of course, one of my favorite moments would have to have been when Pastor Mel stuck his head in the door. That man looked shocked at number seated in the room. Or maybe it was that it was a room full of women but none of them were talking. This was during the "video" session, but still .

The under-thirty crowd has their own area in the back. It just kinda happened.

I want to punch Bill O'Reilly

and all of the other people who are blaming everyone else. Go out and give blood, cash, even your old suits for crying out loud!!! Do your best to help, and then maybe you'll have something to talk about.

Ok, so maybe the "punching" bit isn't very Christian of me. I'm stuck in the lab at the moment.

Seriously though, I wonder how much these people are actually physically doing to help the situation. A category 4 hit the coastline and obliterated it. Regular routes were blocked if not destroyed. People freaked out and started firing on others trying to help them. It's a nasty situation, but how does blaming everyone really help that at all? For now, the point is to do whatever you can to help.

help name the bunny

We have a new rescue bunny, but she doesn't have name yet. A couple found her (she's still a baby) on their way to the St. Mary's Emergency Room around 1am. They couldn't keep her, so I took her in. Anway, she has markings like a snowshoe hare, only a bit darker. More silver than white Very classic, very elegant.

Here's the list thus far . . .

Adelaide
Aspen
Clover
Daisy
Daphne
Lady Juniper Draonfly Babbette Koko Hiers (not really, but in honor of Ruthie & Josh, I listed this one. Bunnicula is still NOT an option.)
Penelope
Tali

sorry

hi everyone . . .

One the one hand, sorry for the lack of posts. However, life is keeping me quite busy, and more than a little worn out by day's end. It's a good thing in a way. I have several thoughts I'd like to expound on, but by the time I make it home and finish up the work for the next day, in-depth blogging is about the last thing I want to do. So, everything is bustling, but should be clearing soon.

Going to give blood again tomorrow (don't worry, it's been a while since the last time). Do what you can to help out . . .

first day

As much as I find annoying about the first day back at school (crowded buses, obnoxious freshmen, long lines everywhere . . . ) there are also things that make me happy . . .

• This is one of the shortest class days I'll have all semester.
• Buying school supplies.
• Having been in a department long enough to know 90% of my classmates.
• Catching up with said classmates and the three months worth of (let's be honest here:) gossip we've lived through since we saw each other last.
• This is my last year as an undergrad.
• It's one of the few times of the year that you don't have to pay for a paper, because they beg you to take a "free" one.
  
• Hearing the bus driver announce that "This bus is NOT making any stops at the residence halls, including Russel or Brumby," and laughing along with the other older students and faculty also riding ORBIT . . . priceless.
• Oh, and explaining to the new Art professor how gamedays at home actually work, why it is dangerous to work in the studio on those saturdays, and how many there actually are this year.
  

currents

An influx of people is nothing new around here. It's Athens, people come and go for as many reasons as you could possibly think of and then some. Still, the number that I've come across lately is interesting for a very specific reason - they say it was God telling them to come. Some of these people are still not sure that they even like this place, but they're here anyway. It seems that the prayers prayed years ago are being answered. Not as quickly or in the way that was probably intended, but the currents are moving differently now. A steady force this time. There's a calm within the force of the movement that bears no uncertainty. I think that when what is beginning becomes apparent we will be swept along with it. I heard my father say over and over again that the evidence of a true revival is that it is obviously, unmistakably the work of God. I'm starting to believe that what I saw almost ten years ago happened that very day, and it has taken this long for us to be ready. Some of it has not happened though. In order to live without fear of demon or spirit, we must know who we truly are.

While we hope that peace will come to the land that cradled the people of our faith, such a place receives contempt for that very reason. Still, we owe our brothers and sisters our prayers and support. Whatever the outcome of human action, there was a purpose for every interaction.

it would be so much easier

if I was much less particular about the variations in color tone. I'm serious. I've been trying to decide on a color for my new bedroom for . . . oh . . . weeks now. If one shade is too green, then the other is too grey, or too pastel. And that's before I try the sample in the various lights, which change EVERYTHING. It's fun being an artist. Now granted, I still have to strip the old wallpaper, which can't be done until saturday at least. Why can't I decide on the wall color?

At least, five months after we started demolishing the dining room and kitchen tile, the new wood floors are finally going down. Oh yeah, and I finished redoing the bathroom.

ok, enough venting, so back to obsessing over paint chips . . .