let them eat cake

Jen over at 144 Inches if I-Cord posted a link to this blog. the following clip had me almost falling out of my chair (at work!). that never happens.

something to teach Sable:

Ireland . . . day 4

we had breakfast at the hotel, and then checked out at 8:30 and loaded up the bus to head for Waterford, stopping first in Kilkenny. the drive took a few hour. I think today was the first day we encountered any actual rain in Ireland, but it wasn't anything heavy. we had a little time before our tour of the castle at Kilkenny, so the group scattered a but to checked out the crafts center and grab a bite to eat. the crafts center is located in what used to be the castle stables. the front areas are now two very nice gift shops, with a mixture of handmade local pieces as well as plenty of Irish souvenirs. above the shop is a little cafe. this was a very nice. however, if you cross the stable courtyard towards the back, you'll come to a pair of galleries. first let me say that the gallery spaces are walled almost entirely in windows, so the lighting is fantastic. the collection that was on exhibit that day was basketry from all over the world. it was a fascinating collection, but I might be a little biased. the array of styles, techniques, and materials was amazing. after I wandered around in there for a while, I headed back over to the castle for our tour time slot.

the castle is completely restored, and beautifully so. they don't allow photographs inside the castle, so the only ones I took were around the outside, and from the village bridge. the castle was fantastic - thick stone walls, tiny winding stairs, and grand staircases. the collection of landscape oils in the main drawing room reminded me of the American Art course I took back in college.

after the tour of the castle, mom and I walked through town and hiked (not kidding, it was a hike) up to St. Canice's Cathedral. besides St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, this was probably my favorite of the churches and cathedrals that we visited. the wooden roof is a restoration, and was carved and built without even a single nail. Bill was allowed to play the organ in this cathedral as well.

after the group gathered at the bus, we loaded up and headed for the town of Waterford, where we were staying for the next few days. Days Inn Waterford is actually three (maybe four now?) old buildings linked by enclosed hallways. it's a little odd, and if you ever stay there make sure you shower later in the day or at 6am, otherwise the hot water might run out on you. other than that the hotel looks very modern, and the pub downstairs is great for meeting some of the locals. later we headed out to dinner at a pub a few blocks over.

Ireland . . . day 3

after and early breakfast at the hotel we climbed onto the bus at 9am to head for a day in the Wicklow Mountains.

Powerscourt was once a huge estate with a vast Art collection. in the 1970s a fire started in the mansion which destroyed everything but the stones. three months later the stone walls were still too hot to touch. sadly, the insurance on the estate was not sufficient to cover the damages, and the home and grounds were sold. eventually the first floor was restored, and is now part of the visitors center. the grounds and extensive gardens are now open to the public.

walking down the stairs that lead to the pond is like walking though a movie. if that wasn't enough the view from the stairs is incredible. it looks over the valley and mountains. truly spectacular. of course I had to see the Japanese gardens. they were full of little streams and nooks and even a grotto. standing in the grotto was like shutting out the world while standing under an open sky. all you can hear is the water dripping through the moss and ferns that cover the rocky walls. just you and the moment. it wonderful and very very strange at the same time. we came out of that garden and walked back up to the pond, where a mother duck was guiding her ducklings through the water. they almost disappeared against the water plants that covered the surface of the pond. we then climbed the path that led past the pet cemetery and up to the kitchen gardens. those gardens were once walled to protect the food, so of course the gates were gilded . . . yes, the gates were accented with gold. now it's a lush flower garden full of poppies and tulips and such. there's a fountain with a mermaid as well. after the garden we headed inside and grabbed a bite to eat. the little cafe had the best lemon curd tart I've ever tasted . . . so now I have another recipe to work on. no complaints about that of course. after wandering around the shops for a bit we got back onto the tour bus and headed to Glendalough.

Glendalough is home to a monastic site dating back to the 6th century. it was founded by St. Kevin. the site is now in ruins, but the stone chapel with its stone roof still remains. we actually were asked to sing inside of the tiny chapel, which is closed except to tours. it's in a beautiful little valley, located between two lakes.

after a day of hiking up and down hills we headed back to Dublin. mom and I decided to try a little fish & chips place around the corner from our hotel. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they give you half of a fish. we really should have split one order, but it was still worth it. the cod was great. after that we decided to call it any early night considering we would be checking out the next morning at 8:30am.

Ireland . . . day 2

an Irish breakfast varies a bit depending on who's serving, but it generally consists of some combination of eggs, sausage, bacon (ham to southerners), roasted tomatoes, toast, and black pudding. that's what they served in the hotels every day, with a selection of cold cereals as well. now, I know what they put in black pudding, so I skipped that. however, after a week of these hearty breakfasts and hiking all over Ireland . . . I had to go out and buy new jeans because my old ones were too loose.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin (there are others of that name in Ireland) was only a couple of blocks away from our hotel, so we walked over there for the second lunchtime concert on Monday. it's lovely and full of history, as most of these places were. in one part hangs the flags carried into battle over the centuries. some are so burned and blackened that the fabric and colors are no longer distinguishable, and a sort of net has been attached to hold the remaining pieces together. they hang as part of the memorials to lives given and lost over the centuries.

my favorite photo at St. Patrick's was one that I took from behind the altar. there is a space behind where the choir rehearses before the concerts and services. sort of a backstage area that is only separated by half-walls and wrought iron gates.

Melody and I stayed long enough to take some pictures of the concert, and then headed out to explore more of Dublin. we headed down to some of the shopping areas. I had to stop in the music stores, though as it turned out both shops that we passed were for sheet music and instruments, respectively. I didn't see any record stores. odd. eventually we headed back to the hotel and I did some reading and rested before getting ready for dinner that night.

Gogarty's Pub is in the heart of Dublin, and has a "beer garden" on it's first floor. we went up to the third floor restaurant for dinner. if you travel to Ireland, keep in mind that though the menu prices seem high, you're actually getting enough food for two people. if you want to try to eat it all yourself, you're welcome to, but it won't leave much room for beer. just saying . . . anyway, dinner was delicious. the cuisine is generally simple everywhere there, but the quality of the ingredients more than makes up for it. after stuffing ourselves we headed down to the second floor to hear live traditional Irish music. it was fantastic, and it's a tradition at the pub. if you're ever in Dublin, go find this place - it's well worth the trip.

Ireland . . . day 1

we landed in Dublin just before 7am local time, after about a six hour flight that departed Newark around 7pm EST. I tried to sleep a bit, but of course that came to little actual rest. the flight wasn't bad though, and if I remember the flight to Amsterdam correctly, this one was easier.

we were met by Andy, our tour guide for the week outside of baggage claim, and then all fifty of us followed him to the bus to load up for a tour of Dublin. part of the tour took us through Phoenix Park, where the residences of the Irish president and the American ambassador are located. America is well loved by Ireland, as we were the first country to recognize them as a country after they gained independence from Britain. no other ambassadors live in the park.

eventually we stopped outside of Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. now this was exciting to me for several reasons. I've studied it as Art, as musical inspiration, but most of all it is a book of the four Gospels . . . Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. in some of the darkest times in history, the saints and scholars of Ireland preserved the written texts of the Bible. the Book of Kells is one of those. it is an illuminated manuscript many centuries old. pictures aren't allowed inside the areas where the book is kept, as light damages the over 1,000 year old book. the room where you can view it is kept extremely dim. still, it was amazing to see the actual book, instead of slides on an auditorium wall.

after Trinity college, we piled back on the bus, and met John, our driver for the week. more on John later . . .

John drove us to Jurys Inn which is in downtown Dublin. our check-in was later in the day so we unloaded our bags into a secured room that they had for that purpose, and then wandered over to some local Pubs and restaurants for lunch. or, as it turned out . . . brunch. it wasn't quite noon yet so not all of the Pubs were open. in Ireland, Pubs are the places to go eat. trust me on this. after the meal we headed back to the hotel where some of our rooms were beginning to come ready. the hot shower was fantastic at that point.

around four we headed over to the Brazen Head Pub, Irelands oldest pub. it dates back 1198. I had the beef and Guinness stew, which is going to become a staple recipe in my kitchen. it was wonderful. the dinner took quite a while, but eventually we finished and I went with the choir to Monkstown for their evening concert. yes, it was that night . . . they were troopers. while the choir warmed up I went across the street with a couple of other "non-singers" from the trip and had a real Irish Guinness. it's not the same by the time it gets over here to the US.

the concert was a joint affair with the Dun Laohghaire Choir at the Parish Church in Monkstown. it was exceptional, and the audience was quite receptive to the FCC choir. afterwards there was a small reception across the street for the performers and friends. they were very nice. after that we piled back onto the bus and headed for the hotel and our beds.

I'm leaving for Ireland in less than three days, and I'm really looking forward to it. it's been years since I've been overseas. I even had to get my passport renewed. to be honest, I wasn't all that excited about the trip to begin with. you see, it's a tour (music) of Ireland which my mother is singing on and my dad was supposed to be going with her. but work picked up for him and he's in the middle of a least one major project, so traveling out of the country for eight days isn't the best idea for him. my dad is amazing, he never asks for anything, and he never goes on trips like this. I really REALLY wanted for him to go. but, the trip is already paid for, so they put the ticket in my name. after all, it's IRELAND (said like "it's IT-TAH-LEE" by Sandra Oh in Under the Tuscan Sun). the funny part is that so many of my friends have been asking whether I've seen P.S. I Love You . . . that would be a yes. I think I saw it the weekend it opened actually. "that could be YOU!" well . . . maybe. I plan on having a blast and having a Guinness as it should be.

I'm also coming to what looks like the end of a very hard, very dark chapter of my life. at least I have PLENTY of material to mine for songs, right? lately it feels like when I take one step froward there's a wave waiting to slam me five feet back. well, the wave can try all it wants . . . I'm not giving it an inch. not a chance. it's exhausting, sure - but you fight anyway. I am truly blessed to have some amazing friends in my life. ones who call when they know things are bad, and we pray for each other all the time. because we all have to deal with something. we all make mistakes, and we all have days when everything hurts. then you wake up the next morning and the day couldn't be more beautiful. there's a saying around here . . . "feelings are like the weather in Georgia, wait a minute and they'll change." there are good times and bad times, and that's just the way of it. you savor the good, the wonderful and remember that the bad will be over soon.

so many things

my pastor has been preaching a lot on running on empty, filling our lives with to many things, too many commitments. to be honest it's a struggle for me right now. sometimes I feel like I'm ten feet under the waves fighting to get a breath. my job is great, but working full time at the University and working on bringing my art to full time is a lot of very hard work. I know that it would be when I decided to go for this, but it isn't any easier. so some days I come home and just want to collapse on the floor. but I can't just do that. even though I'm going back to Nashville in less than a year, even though my circle of friends here has diminished substantially (this is a very transient town), I still want to give this place and the people that I love the time and attention that they deserve. it's my hometown after all, even though it feels less like home every day.

I don't know what is going to happen when I do move. if I have to get a desk job, even for a while, I'll do it. even if no one ever hears a song I write, or falls in love with any of my work, I'll still do it. it's just part of who I am and I'm a mess when it's not a part of my day-to-day. art is something I do, and music is like breathing. they've been there as far back as I can remember. no idea why piano recitals had me in tears the night before as a child and singing was so much fun, but that's how it always was.

for now I'm working and fighting as hard as I can to make these things happen. if one of my friends needs to talk, then the torch and the palette can wait. plus I can usually be found online during office hours.

new pendant series

I've listed some new pieces over in my Etsy shop!

apparently this is one of my blogging weeks . . . good times.

so as life goes on you learn more about yourself and how you work (hopefully). I've found that if I'm in a funk, or depressed, or whatever, and I haven't been in my studio or at the piano then that's probably why. I just don't function well for very long if I'm not creating something. I'd had conversations about this with several other creatively-minded friends about this as well. take last night for example - I'd been out of town a few days earlier, hadn't slept a whole lot, and had picked up my guitar maybe once in the last week. I was rather out of sorts. so I worked on a piece I've been composing and then headed downstairs to work on a series I came up with (@ Fido's, btw . . . it's my Blue Sky in Nashville). the new pieces will be finished tonight, and then posted over at Etsy tomorrow. anyway this morning I woke up relaxed, happy, and motivated to get to the next project.

now if I can stop running to the piano every time I run out of chords that I know on the fret board, maybe I'd learn to play my guitar a little better . . .

there is always someone

trying to make a difference somewhere . . .

Here is an article about scientists working to provide medical technology to people in countries where it isn't really available . . .

(thanks to RELEVANT for the link!)

back in Georgia

at 3am this morning in pulled up in front of my house in Georgia. my heart is definitly in Tennessee, along with a few of my best friends. it was an amazing weekend in many ways, one of them being that I was able to get away and clear my head. of course I more ideas now than ever. not a bad thing for an artist. :-) I'll be in my studio a lot this week working on new designs, and thinking about where to go with the next ones. there is so much to do between now and December, and then I'll be packing to move back to Nashville. sometimes it takes getting away to realize just how much one thing fits and another doesn't. there's pain in life, and friendships take work in some way or another, but the real ones stand the test of time and distance. so Athens & Watkinsville will always be my hometown - the place I grew up, and very soon Nashville will be the home I choose.

oh, and I'm flying to Ireland on the 17th . . .

after that last post

see more crazy cat pics

last weekend . . .

started thursday night with a bachelor/bachelorette party for some friend who got married over the weekend. it was rockin. literally. the groom's old band got back together and played, the couple's friends played, and the grooms parents performed. all very cool.

saturday began the baby shower WEEKEND. two baby showers in one weekend! now this could make some women (like me) go a little nuts. I mean, there's only so much pastel icing and rubber duckies that a gal can take. unless of course one of the showers includes wings and beer and a rock band. Wild Wing made an EXCELLENT baby shower location. props to Alex for throwing that one. now, the one sunday was good too. the game wasn't too bad (I won, thankyouverymuch), and Ginger did a lovely job throwing the shower. but still . . . the hot wing buffet was pretty awesome.

nice cut

I spent all of last night going back and forth between the ER, my house, and various stores. my dad had an accident involving a circular saw that decided to kick back, and his leg. dad is fine, and didn't have to have surgery to clean and repair the wound. it happened to be a 8-9 inch gash that was about 1.5 inches deep. no bone was hit though. so they gave him a couple of layers of stitches, and lots of antibiotics. lots and LOTS of antibiotics.

but anyway, that was my night . . .

day ??

the babies, they are growing fast, and o-m-g CUTE! and they're the last of the rabbits waiting to be adopted. Sable isn't going anywhere, unless it's with me. I let her out to run around in the mornings while I'm getting ready for work, and she's always coming up wanting scratches on her head and such. she's awesome.

here are pics of the babies:

day 11

monday morning update

Bella keeps getting hassled by the bunnies (and then I go writing about it on the web). one morning she even got karate kicked by Sable. Sable was doing one of the happy jump/kick/twist moves that rabbits do when they're running around enjoying themselves, and kitty got kicked. it was hilarious.

the babies started opening their eyes saturday morning. they still sleep all the time, but they're starting to explore a little. it's cute how they lurch forward on their little wobbly legs. pretty soon they'll be all over the place. I'll take some new pictures soon and post them.

right now I think I have a cold.

Spring

according to the calendar that I keep at my desk at work, today is the first day of Spring. I'm in the South, so we already knew that - there are lavender-pink blossoms all over the peach trees over at Hot Thomas, and little green buds are popping out all over the place. the really cool thing though is what happens after the leaves come out. everything is fresh, and green, and lovely . . . and then it explodes. like someone reached over and amped up the volume on all of the green. you really have to see it to understand.

lots of the rescued bunnies have found new homes. however . . . one had babies. they're a week old today, so here are some pics:

day 1

day 5

stuck on my playlist

I checked out this artist named Brandon Young who happens to be on (dozens??) of my friend's "friend" lists on MySpace. well I thought his songs were pretty good and now I'm listening to them over and over and over.

check him out . . .

safe and sound

this weekend we rescued twenty-five rabbits. TWENTY-FIVE! four are in their new homes, and other people are helping us find new, permanent homes. this one is peering out of his old cage:

some of the rabbits are ready to go to new homes now, but some are in need of a little tlc, and maybe even a nursery. in a month we'll know for sure if any of the does are going to have a litter. for the most part though, the rabbits are very healthy. only two of them I'm concerned about, so they'll stay with me until they've recuperated. overall they're also much sweeter than I was afraid they'd be - just a little on the shy side for now.

we're looking for good homes, and I'm working on what questions I'll be asking for the screening process. the big thing with that is, we want people who will actually commit to taking care of the rabbits. I also want to make sure the rabbit is a good match. "Bear" is one of the larger rabbits, so he needs more space than one of the smaller Rex rabbits. so far two of the local papers are going to run ads, so hopefully more of the rabbits will have new homes soon.

still life

a PSA

at the request of the (very well fed & spoiled) critters of the studio house, we would like to post this for critters everywhere . . .



moar humorous pics

thank you very much.

update

my mother was admitted to the hospital yesterday with a fever (102.5) and abdominal pain. they were concerned that she had Diverticulitis, so they ran a CT scan. this morning her temperature had dropped to a normal range, and the doctors don't think that she needs surgery. they did however confirm that she had Diverticulitis, so they're keeping her in the hospital for a couple of days for IV antibiotics. she's doing well. we tried to get her flowers on the way over to the hospital yesterday, but that turned out to be a small disaster seeing as it was Valentine's Day. this morning I got her some roses and took them to her hospital room before I went to work.

thank you to everyone who has been praying!

sunday afternoon

sunday morning

I thought I was fine until I walked into church yesterday morning.

or had it together anyway.

since we've been in the new building, there is a period of time before the morning service when we have open worship & prayer time. the songs are a little softer, and if you want to talk you can step out into the cafe area and find a table. well, as soon as I walked into the sanctuary the waterworks started. but that's the thing about our church - it isn't the place where you have to try to save face by pulling it all together or acting the part, it's the place where we all come and love each other when we're a mess and life hurts. it didn't used to be so much. then years ago this pastor came in and God gave him a vision of what we wanted from that church. he got a lot of grief for that. people got mad, people left. why? because people who looked different started showing up and getting their lives changed. some guy with dreads would be sitting next to some guy in a business suit. Chinese students who barely spoke English would fill rows and anyone could walk in wearing jeans and a t-shirt. interracial families came in and joined the church. I sometimes forget that this still isn't normal.

when contact shakes you out of your supposed composure and lets you work through your hurt into healing, that's love and friendship, and most of all that's God showing us just a little of how much He loves us.

please pray

something really really bad happened today. I can't really talk about it, except to say that it has to do with my family. so if you read this, please pray for us. I wish I could tell you more but I can't right now.

thank you.

local knitters

Main Street Yarns put out a (partial) list of local knitters who blog. Check it out:

• Carrieoke
• Jodi's Weblog
• Lotus Knitter
• Studio Bleu
• Wool and Words
• Pixie Purls
• ChickChick Studio
• Inside a Black Apple
• Hissy Knit
• SouthBork
• Woofgang Pug
• Famous Steve Knits
• The Knitting King
• The Chickengoddess Knits
• Fibermeister
• Knits4Bears
• Casting On... and On
• Knit and Purr
• iPurrl

concept sketches

they are really rough, but I'm working on layouts for the new banners in my Etsy shops.

props

I ordered a couple of tools from some ebay vendors friday. well, they were waiting for me at my house yesterday when I got home from work! that's the kind of service that makes monday a little better. :-)

(no, I didn't have a "case of the Monday's")

people who have their numbers blocked

shouldn't leave messages saying to call them back when they don't leave a number. or a name.

just sayin'.

ugh

I'm going to go ahead and say it . . .

I am not happy about Valentine's Day.

whether by coincidence or not, Valentines Day and I have had a very bad history. something goes wrong, something that usually has absolutely nothing to do with pink & red hearts, flowers, or chocolate. things like a four and a half hour drive taking seven. so from about the time they start covering the shelves in merchandise to Feb 14th, all of this red and pink kinda puts me in a funk. I have nothing against the holiday, or the sweethearts, or any of it. it's a really sweet little day. or I'd really like to think so anyway.

I just really wish it was the 15th already.

knitting update

Main Street Yarns & Fibers (my LYS) just sent out their latest newsletter, and they mentioned my blog. awesome! but I've been keeping up with my projects over on Ravelry lately, and not here. oops! well, here's an update (and I'll post more projects soon!) . . .

socks, socks, and more socks . . .

I learned toe up on circulars (oh GASP, the audacity! according to some) and I love it! it's personal preference, but I like a smooth toe. I just do. also, not so fond of pattern going down the back of my heal. nothing against it in general, but just not a favorite on socks that I wear. so to each their own, but I like the short-row heel for this reason. I also tend to go for thicker socks, like this pair that I made for my dad as a Christmas present:

it's an organic cotton/merino blend by O-Wool, with ribbing going up the cuff. my one complaint about this yarn is that it gave me lots and lots of SPLINTERS. i know, that's what happens when fibers are minimally processed, but it was still painful. other than that it was pretty good, even for a cotton. and the heathering in the yarn is lovely.

there was also a second pair of socks that I made for dad's Christmas present - also a simple toe-up pattern with ribbing up the cuff. did I mention that ribbing isn't my favorite thing? I must have forgotten when I planned these.
the yarn is a hand-painted bamboo blend by chick chick studio. really lovely, and nice dimension in the solids. dad seems to be enjoying both pairs!

I'll update you more in the next few days, but for now I've got to get back to setting up my metalsmithing bench again.

it looks like this at my parent's house quite a bit:

moar funny pictures

The Birds 2

first, please accept my most sincere apologies for not having my (shiny new) camera in hand when the the story I am about to tell actually happened. second, I am very happy to be working for an educational institution which shuts down on major national holidays (I had yesterday off).

as I've probably mentioned before, I have a pair of lovebirds ("lovies" as they're called in some circles), which are by nature little feathered clowns. if they will stay still for long enough, I might post a decent picture of them sometime. however, Bitty is alarmed by most anything inanimate that is brought near him, and flies away with a high-pitched call of alarm. Pip is quite the opposite. well, over the weekend I had the lovies out quite a bit to play - Bitty seems to think he is actually a help when hanging up clothes for some reason. well, Bella (the cat) decided to observe. she's learned that the birds are off limits (although she still isn't left alone with them), and after dragging a cage over on top of herself once, she doesn't bother that either. well, the birds aren't so passive. they decided to fly down to where Bella was curled up and began chewing on her. ears, whiskers, fur - it was all fair game. almost immediately Bella tried to get away from her feathered terrors, so I stepped in, but it was still quite a sight.

the lovies seemed to wonder why their "toy" had been taken away.

I also cleaned cleaned cleaned, cleared out more things I don't need, clothes I NEVER wear, etc. I'm trying to avoid a major purge cleaning, because I usually end up throwing out things that I really need to keep, and that's no good. I also needed to clear some space for the new tumbler that I ordered last week. I had been putting off making any chain (jewelry) because polishing without a tumbler is at the very least problematic, and at the worst at the cost of one's limbs (literally). seeing as I like my hands attached to my body, I needed a tumbler.

oh . . . it snowed over the weekend, only none of it stuck. however, several Georgia reservoirs are back up to normal winter levels, and some are even at regular normal levels.

what happend?

so yesterday we got some snow. SNOW! big soft white flakes and clumps of flakes flying every which way (but mostly down), and they even stuck in a lot of places. lovely. and then it started sleeting. and then it started RAINING. so all that was left this morning was patches of slushy stuff here and there . . . *sigh* . . .

at least it's January and we have time for more. last year there wasn't ANY.

oh, and there were predictions of a warm, dry winter . . . HA!

happy moment

moar funny pictures

new year, new things

I'm beginning my second week off of sugar, and it's AWESOME. no, I'm not kidding. I've done this before, and it worked, but I stopped probably because I didn't know enough about body chemistry. or whatever. so how am I feeling? awesome! and a little wired, which I wasn't expecting. but I FEEL so much better, and my skin is loving the break because it looks amazing. it's actually not that hard, and I'm finding that I don't even WANT sugary stuff. now I might enjoy a slice of Cecilia's chocolate cake, but I don't want to waste my time on a ring-ding. no thank you.

I've been looking at tumblers lately (for jewelry polishing), and I think I'm going to order one by the end of this week. it's all part of the "get-the-business-full-time" plan. and I found a non-toxic acid pickle solution (for cleaning metal). score!

more new stuff happening, so more later . . .

on St. Nick

Relevant did a piece in their 850 Words newsletter, and here's an excerpt:

The original Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop in 4th-century Myra, geographically located in modern-day Turkey. As an adult, Nicholas gained a reputation as a generous man and the protector of innocents. These saintly traits largely arose from two horrific legends, both of which eventually led to his canonization.

The first is said to have occurred during a terrible famine. A local butcher, in need of something to sell, lured three unsuspecting boys into his shop. He killed the boys, chopped them into pieces, then stuffed their remains in a brine tub, hoping to cure them enough that he could sell the parts as ham. Nicholas was visiting the afflicted region at the time of the crime. Somehow Nicholas became aware of the butcher’s wicked deed. He visited the shop, uncovered the crime, and hastily reassembled the three boys. They came back to life, a bit salty but otherwise in good health. Despite the happy ending, it’s not exactly the kind of story that gets told at the Christmas Eve candlelight service.

In the second legend, a poor citizen of Myra had three daughters, but not enough money to afford a dowry for them. No dowry meant no marriage, and unmarried women in those days generally had one career choice: prostitution. The father was less than thrilled by this possibility, but too proud to ask for help. Nicholas discovered the family’s predicament the night before the first daughter came of age. Not wanting to embarrass anyone, he approached the family’s house late one night and tossed a bag of gold through an opened window. He did the same thing the night before the second daughter came of age. Both gifts were enough to cover the dowry, and both girls were spared the consequence of their poverty.

Before long, the third daughter was ready to marry, and the appreciative father wanted to find out who was behind the lavish gifts. When the time came, the father hid next to the window, hoping to catch their anonymous benefactor in the act. Nicholas learned of the father’s plan and improvised: Instead of lobbing it through the window, he dropped the third bag of gold down the chimney.

It wasn’t long before people began to suspect that the kindly bishop Nicholas, who had inherited money from his affluent parents, was behind these mysterious actions and a great many other secretive gifts to the poor. After he died of old age on December 6, 343 AD the people of Myra continued providing for those in need. In fact, they made a practice of giving gifts anonymously, always attributing them to the late Bishop Nicholas.

Before long, the bishop — who had worn liturgical robes of red and white — was canonized as a saint. Saint Nicholas became venerated as the protector of innocents, the patron saint of children, and a secret giver of gifts.

Of course, the traditional American idea of Santa Claus — along with his British/Canadian counterpart, Father Christmas — originates in the stories surrounding Nicholas of Myra. As far as saints go, St. Nick was especially venerated in the Netherlands, where he became known by the Dutch variant Sinterklaas. When the Dutch came to the New World and settled in New Amsterdam (today’s New York City), they brought with them the story of the now-anglicized “Santa Claus.”

hahahaha

ok, let me preface this by saying that I am a HUGE fan of sci-if & fantasy. I even enjoy some of the stuff that's not even that well written. that said, I hated the Golden Compass trilogy. I wasn't aware of Pullman's atheistic tendencies, or his pure hatred of all things Narnian & C.S. Lewis. whatever. the books were just horrible.

then comes the movie.

for months nothing but barrages of ads (and the awful pop-up floaters) for The Golden Compass. ugh. granted, it was the best of the three books, but that's still not saying much. AT ALL. this morning the news reports were listing weekend box office grosses, and while the GP was No. 1, it only grossed about $7k a theater. Juno, on the other hand, grossed about $60k per theater. that's hilarious.

Prince Caspian

the teaser/trailer is out.

see it here.

ok, I had to come back and edit this post. you know the weird Scifi Channel commercials where the things pop, turn into something else, etc.? well if I was one I'd turn into an explosion of happy little firework sprays that go dancing all over the place because I'm that happy/excited about the newest Narnia movie.

insert perma-grin & happy dance.

elf-ish

I would love to be blogging about some Christmas present projects right now, but unless you're on Ravelry . . . . you probably won't be hearing about them here. just on the off-chance that the person I'm making the thing for actually happen to read this blog. it could happen. must . . . keep . . . surprise! ugh. I really want to blog about it!

I think I might have figured out my dad's Christmas present this year. it's not easy - he just goes and gets exactly what he wants (computer, book, e-book, etc.) most of the time. but I think I figured out Christmas AND his birthday, which is Jan 1st. we've never done both together in the same gift for dad, which is tough. this year both should be great though. woo-hooooo!

oh, my friend Steve was interviewed for an article. you can read the article here.

WARNING:

MAY CAUSE INVOLUNTARY OUTBURSTS OF LAUGHTER . . .

click here to proceed . . .

Christmas trees!!!

I love Christmas. it's my absolute, hands down favorite of the holidays. yesterday was a tree hunt that turned into a comedy of errors, but all ended well. mom and I went and found the "family" tree at Lowe's (GREAT deal, btw!), and that went surprisingly smoothly. I think it took us all of ten minutes to find our perfect tree. I finished getting the lights and ornaments this evening, and we'll add the star once the pruning shears are tracked down. here's a night shot:




Now MY tree on the other hand . . .

first of all, I've been collecting ornaments of various shades of blue for years now. the big white trees that are everywhere would look great with the collection, and be perfect for my bedroom. however . . . the 7 or 8 foot pre-lit white trees are way too big for my space. so I started hunting for a 4 or 5 footer. well, Target seemed to have a white, pre-lit tree in-store when I checked online . . . perfect! so when mom and I went shopping friday I looked around. all I could find at the moment though was one (the only one left) 2 foot potted one. so I bought just in case. well, we got home and it was just too small. so, I headed back out to return it and check Hobby Lobby. no 4 foot white, but there was a 4.5 foot silver, un-lit. so I bought the silver Hobby Lobby tree. well, back to Target to return the 2 foot white, and grab a couple of things I had forgotten on the first visit. as I looked through the holiday section what did I find? the 4 foot pre-lit white trees! maybe some group was huddled in front of them the first time, who knows. so then it was BACK to Hobby Lobby to return the silver tree that I had just bought. after that a very tired me headed home to start decorating. here's the result:

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hop everyone is enjoying a drowsy turkey coma . . . I know I have been! my mom and I made dinner for everyone this year (especially after the last Columbus turkey-spam debacle . . . shudder.), and it was great. my grandfather was there (dad's side), my grandmother and her husband (mom's side), and a family from Kenya. it was a lovely meal.

tomorrow is the first Black Friday in YEARS that I have not had to work. THIS IS VERY VERY EXCITING FOR ME! I plan to sleep in, and then go see what sales are still going on. I also plan to be exceptionally nice to all the salespeople . . . no sane person likes working that day. be nice to your salespeople - having to be at work at 3am (at least!) to face screaming lunatics (because a lack of sleep can do that to you at 4am) fighting for "deals" at 4am isn't fun.

Toya posted another blog entry over at blackgirlslikeus, and I feel the same way about her post as I did about Tia's. one of my best friends used to be a stripper/dancer, and we share very different values when it comes to sex. HOWEVER, we both respect each other, and value the other's opinion. just sayin' . . .

well said

I was checking out my friend's blog today, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about this issue, so I'm posting it for you here:

Can I just say...- Tia

that I am constantly floored by how lackadaisical people are about sex. I'm sure I'm opening up a whole can of worms here but right now I just don't care.

I just don't see how another person being up in your body or you being up in another person's body can NOT be a big deal. I'm sure I'm coming off as sanctimonious and self-righteous. But if you really think about it, I mean truly take a moment to think about it, sex is a big deal. And just doing it with anyone just doesn't seem right. Making that HUGE of an emotional commitment to someone is so serious. And I'm astonished that people seem to think that because I don't want to just have any ol' body up inside my body that I'm uptight or old fashioned or that I need to "live a little." Eff that. I know how attached I can get from just kissing someone I'm in a relationship with. Don't let me fool around and sleep with someone and then they leave. I would be gutted. I would be an emotional mess for a long time.

Forget what you heard. If you want that level of commitment from me then you damn sure better be willing to wait for me. And I mean wait until we have the same last name. If you just want to get laid, stroll the eff on. I know me. And I know that I'm worth waiting for. And if you can't wait for me, then you don't want me. There's no love loss. We just aren't supposed to be together. And I'd be full of bullshishery if I said that waiting was easy. But there aren't really any alternatives for me. You do what you have to do and hard as it is, I'll do what I have to do...which is wait. But I'm not just going to let you up in my body because you want to be there. Child, PLEASE.....

This concludes my soapbox rant for the day.

you can visit the original here.

signs

when you can't find the other Netflix dvd AND your current knitting project . . . it's probably time to re-organize. they're there . . . somewhere. I know because I JUST HAD THEM, but this morning they were not in sight. bah. time for more storage containers and trips to Goodwill.

I started a blog for my Etsy shop. I had considered just blogging about projects and such here, but then things would get mixed up in the posts. and since I've started blogging about my knitting projects, I don't want to confuse customers. knitting has become a hobby for me - there's no way I could do it for profit, but I still love doing it.

I finally got to see Amazing Grace this weekend, and it's excellent. in fact, it will be added to my dvd library very soon.

bunny love

here's the little sweetheart . . .

maybe this is it

I visited Athens Church this morning (they meet at the Classic Center theater but they are NOT Athens Church of Christ). it was great. definitely one of those, "wow. this fits . . ." moments. the small group intros start again in January, which is perfect. it gives me a few more weeks to check them out some more. this morning they were talking about clean water in Africa, which I think is something we as Christians should be at the very least aware of. it's great to send out missionaries, but if people are dying from the water they have to walk miles to get, then how are they supposed to learn the gospel? it was refreshing to hear a pastor in my town talking about something I've been caring about for a while now.

they're taking next Sunday off for the holiday, but I'll definitely be there again in two weeks.

and now I'm a little scared

(from overheardinathens.com)

• Sorostitute: On the way from school I popped both of my tires. This like might be a stupid question...
  
• Guy: Shoot
  
• Sorostitute: Do tires like, cost money?

really, what is going to happen to some people if they're suddenly actually cut off from their daddy's money? and who did they pay off to get into college??

men in black

for all of last week the buzz around campus was that Coach Richt had made a call to all UGA fans to wear black to the Georgia-Auburn game on Saturday. that was fine by me. the "blackout" sounded like a fine idea.

then came Saturday.

the stands were black, with the exception of a few red dots (a few didn't get the memo?). the cheerleaders were in black, and even UGA VI had himself a little black jersey on. the team was warming up in usual red. then they all went inside and the captains came out for the coin toss. nothing unusual so far, right? then it happened . . . a team in black came streaming out of the Bulldog's tunnel onto the field. the red-clad captains pealed back there jerseys to reveal the new black jerseys. and meanwhile the fans were going nuts . . . everywhere. cool would be an understatement. the team had no idea that they were finally getting the jersey's they had been asking for for years now until after the pre-game prayer in the locker room.

they went on to beat Auburn 45-20 on Saturday, and the campus is still electric.

vampires beware . . .

the butternut squash soup at Five Star is tasty, but they did NOT skimp on the garlic. it was obviously fresh too, because the soup had that slightly-sweet squash flavor that powdered garlic does not enhance. mmmmmm . . . autumn . . .

the first pair of socks are DONE! I used a different cast-off than I had first planned on, and I think I like it better. we'll see how it wears though. (link to the other way here) I've already started on a striped pair. yes, my name is Meredith, and I'm a sock knitting addict. :-)

new project!!!

ok, so I almost did a cheezy title involving socks . . . but it's early and there's no need for that.

I am almost done with my first pair of hand-knitted socks! toe up, short row heel, and I'm hooked!



the picture is a bit blurry, but it was late last night when I took it. I did manage to get one of my moon-face stitch markers in there though. the toe was done with the Magic Cast On, and Wendy Johnson's Generic Sock Pattern. Cosmispluto's short-row heel illustrations were also very helpful. it IS possible to do a whole sock start to finish on one pair of circulars, but I moved mine to double points so that I could do two socks at once.

turning a short row heel wasn't bad, and I ripped out enough stitches so that now I can get them back on the needles pretty easily. a few more inches on the cuff, and a little ribbing, and then the socks are DONE.

To cast off, I'm planning on using a binding method I found here.

'tis a whirlwind of emotions at times, it is . . . .

I rode over to Atlanta with my parents (slightly scary and nerve-shredding) on Saturday to attend my great-uncle's memorial service on Saturday. it was small and sweet, and shed more light on a man whom I rarely saw growing up. he was an editor in New York City for many, many years. my dad's side of the family is interesting, and almost always full of surprises. there are a lot of very accomplished individuals, but the funny thing is - no one talks about it that much. which is kinda nice too. I knew my grandmother as a grandmother, not the political powerhouse that she was to Atlanta. family was a big deal, education was a big deal, but celebrity wasn't.

anyway, it was all another thing to get me thinking about what I want to do. I just got an offer at UGA, so now I'm back in a full-time job (this time with great benefits!) and I can save up for a big move. Nashville to be exact. and while I'm in this job I can take classes, learn more programming languages, and maybe even take that painting class I missed during Art school. so it's good, as long as I don't lose my mind living in the same town as my family. I'm looking for a new church though. it's not that I hate the one that I grew up in, or was hurt by it, or anything like that. it's a great church, but the people that are my age are rapidly disappearing, and attempts at a ministry group hasn't worked . . . so I'm going to check out some other places. I hope it's not too hard. when you've been in the same church for almost 15 years, it's a little scary to think about starting over at a new one.

weekend racap

first of all, I forgot to take a camera, and therefore have no pictures from this weekend . . . again. I'm bad about that. snapping pictures is usually the absolutely last thing on my mind.

the Fall Festival was great! and while we wish that we had been able to sell more, we all made it out with what we needed, and had a great time doing it. the weather was perfect, and I even managed a (mild, very mild) sunburn in October. the Eggroll Lady lived up to the hype, but I'm wondering if she uses MSG because it's monday, I've been drinking water like a fish, and I still feel weird. those were some fine fried meat delights though . . . yum.

so now back to recovery . . .

counting down

the earrings are on cards and in their little baggies . . . happy dance! things have been going really smoothly, which is great considering that I've been working on this since like April. the smoothness also freaks me out a little because it kinda makes me wonder if I've forgotten something . . . something crucial. but the little earrings are looking fab on the dark gray cardstock, and I think the necklaces and bracelets are all getting little hang tags . . . so . . . cool.

eep!

that's it . . . a mirror . . . I need to go find a mirror for the tables.

well, it's almost here . . . the festival is this saturday (eeep!). actually, I'm doing really well. I have over 95% of the jewelry that I'm going to have there finished, everything is inventoried, the cardstock is the house, the rest of the displays are on their way . . . . looking really good. of course I'm going to have some last-minute additions, but that's fine. at this point it just down to tagging and organizing everything so that set-up early saturday morning is a breeze.

so Logical is trying to assure Emotional that everything is cool. Emotional is still freaking out a little. ;-)

working at a University is great - I'm always picking up new things. occasionally though, I do hear the "our grads make 50k a year starting out" and I start to question why I took the route I did. but only for a second. if there's anything that time & experience have taught me, it's that being where you belong is much more fulfilling than doing something for the wrong reasons. I could be good at those higher paying things, but I'd be miserable in the long run. now, I'm not planning on this current track forever, and even a moderately successful career in the Fine Arts can take a while, but to me it's worth the time and sacrifice. those other things just aren't for me.

how NOT to make me want to hear your band

so I get these ads, or msgs, or whatever saying "if you like ____(artist)____, then you'll LOVE ________. they sound so much like them!" (or some message-ish equivalent thereof).

well . . .

the reason I like these people to begin with, is that some of them ARE ACTUALLY MY FRIENDS or I like their music. and I don't want to hear someone who sounds like them. go be yourself - that's much more interesting.

ok, so I got a lot done this weekend, although the purging part turned out to be more shreading credit card offers and old (useless) receipts than getting rid of stuff. there's a half-full (huge)box of clothes and books, but not alot else. but I was only working on upstairs - downstairs (studio/storage room) will not be approached until after the festival booth.


last week I decided to check out the new "Pushing Daisies" on abc. the previews weren't really exciting me, but I came across a couple of reviews that caught my interest. and seeing as there isn't usually anything I'd want to watch at 8 on Wednesday night anyway . . . so I checked it out.

wow.

seriously.

I LOVED it!

I sat there curled up on my sofa just delighted . . . it's this wonderful blend of wit and humor and artistry and fairytale (fairytale in the classical sense, not so much the Disney) that was just fantastic. rich use of color, great writing, wonderfully acted . . . I've watched the dvd I recorded from the re-air on friday several times over now. it's really that good.

I'm blogging cause I'm cracked out on coffee??

pretty much. the pot I made this morning was really good, even HOURS later, and I made a lot of it . . . so I'm still really really awake.

the cleaning went well, and I'd probably still be running the vacuum again right now except for the fact that it would really bother the sleeping birds. cranky pets are no fun. but I did get quite a bit done, which is another step towards getting ready to move. I hate moving, so anything to make it easier is good.

ok, synapses going fuzzy . . . off to bed . . .

monumental purge . . .

the house is actually going to be empty this weekend, so I'm going to take advantage of the time & space and CLEAN OUT! there's a huge box sitting here next to me just waiting to be filled with things to free-cycle/donate away, and plenty of trash bags for the rest.

time to make some coffee . . .

I'm really familiar with migraines - I've been having them off and on since I was kid. for a long time they were an all day build up thing, with me in bathroom doing everything I could to get to the point where I could finally sleep off the pain. I'd have the hyper-sensitivity to all things sensory, and what felt like an ice pick trying to shoot out of my skull. today was a first though, because I discovered something that got me through the time before the pain medication kicked in. it's something I've only been able to do recently. I sat at the piano and just played. I didn't try to compose, or use a certain key, I just let go. can't really explain it except that it was like doing it without thinking and completely on instinct - which is big for me when it comes to music. I was trained to sightread since I was about five, and there's the oldest-child/daughter-responsibility-control-perfectionist issue. something about the music let me forget that my head felt like it was going to split open, and that hours before I could barely
see straight. it was effortless and yet it was totally engulfing.

a few months ago I was writing songs in my dreams because I wasn't in my waking life. now I'm doing both.

fall fall fall

I love it! the weather here is fab, and I tend to get this creative rush. who wouldn't love that? and THIS year I have a booth at the Fall Festival to look forward to! I'm sharing it with a couple of friends who are also jewelry artists, and I swear it looks like this thing is going to turn into one big party. so much fun!

progress on the work to sell is also going nicely. I have spreadsheets set up to price, number, and track my stock, most of the pieces are done, or waiting for clasps or earwires, and I only have one or two more supply orders before it's time. well . . . unless I decide to make more, but even if I didn't there's still plenty for the festival. so one nice saturday between now and I'll shoot pictures of most of it, and whatever doesn't sell goes directly onto Etsy the day after.

Ravelry is really growing on me. it's nice to have another motivation for my fiber projects, and it'll be great to have all of my needles and yarns indexed. in fact, that's had me thinking a little differently about how I have my jewelry supplies inventoried. Jen had some similar observations on her blog.

Ravelry

today there was an invite to join Ravelry in my inbox, so I joined . . . apparently I don't have enough projects already . . . teehee.

maybe I'm obsessed.

all I can think about is jewelry designs and music. which is a good thing - the Fall Festival is coming up, so I need to have plenty of jewelry to sell, and I want to get some songs recorded soon. it's just fast. a couple of weeks ago I was still wondering what I wanted to do, where I wanted to live, should I do this or that? I think I've written at least a dozen songs in the last week. less than that have made it to paper, but it's all a process.

nine years ago I was sitting in a coffee shop talking to a guy from Brooklyn about life and music. somewhere in there something clicked and I started writing songs. that path eventually lead me to Nashville for a while, although I didn't go there to become a star. most of my friends there didn't even know I could sing, or had played the piano since I was five. I was just me. if they knew me for anything it was that I was an artist. not a musician (because that's what "artist" meant there), but the other kind - the kind who could draw and paint and tell you which color was a bad idea. I watched friends give up on dreams, and it broke my heart. some have found their way back, and one is even becoming increasing successful at it. I miss it. I miss them.

I asked a friend of mine if he'd help me record a couple of rough-cut demos. nothing fancy, just something to put out there. he said he would, so unless something comes up here, that'll probably happen on my next trip up to Nashville.

well, back to work . . .

(quick note)

I turned on my heater (on very low, but still) in my car on the way to work this morning. I love autumn!!!! (happy dance)

what is it about bunnies? seriously - I think I might spontaneously melt here.

another fun way to kill some time . . . (click here)

it is day two on my lovely new job. yes, lovely. I'm working on campus at UGA, and there's still several weeks to settle in before the students descend in the campus and everyone gets a little crazy and stressed for a few weeks. seriously though, this is great! I can go for a walk around campus if I need it, Downtown is right there (I'm in Brooks Hall), but far enough away that I don't have to smell it (on the bad days) if I don't want to. lovely. the ladies in the office are wonderful, to the point, and easy to get along with as long as the work gets done.

I saw Transformers & Harry Potter 5 recently, and both were awesome. Transformers was better than I expected, and I really want to go see it again while it's in the theater. HP5 was really well adapted from the book.

well, I thought I was tired yesterday, but it seems that was nothing compared to today. why is that? well there was a wedding on saturday. my baby brother is a married man now, and on his way to Hawaii with his new bride as I'm writing this. well . . . I think. I don't know what time their flight was supposed to leave today.

yesterday, after stumbling into church, I suddenly realized how exhausted I actually was. maybe it was divine providence that the service ran a bit shorter than usual. then it was off to a restaurant (none of the family really felt like cooking), and home for a nap . . . followed by four loads of laundry!!! it was a loooooonnnnggggg weekend.

I'm looking at the calendar on my desk and realizing that tomorrow is the first day of summer (and the longest day of the year). it's also sixteen days until my little brother's wedding (Sam, not David), and so we're probably about to get slammed. starting monday, we have David's birthday, mom's birthday, July 4th, my birthday, and then the wedding. oh, and a trip down to Ft. Walton for my great-aunt's memorial service. can we say "whirlwind"? :-) it'll be great though, and the water down at Ft. Walton beach was beautiful last year when we were there. I might even be coming back with a little friend for Bitty . . . maybe.

I am sooooo thankful for my gym membership right now. there's the part about feeling great, which is awesome. however, it's that I don't have to work out in THE GEORGIA HEAT that is fabulous right now. while it has been unusually dry lately, it's still too hot to be doing the 7-8 miles that I've been doing almost every day after work OUTSIDE.

bring in the soap!

I'm on my second Gerbera daisy this year at work. the first one fell prey to aphids, and I'm seeing spots again on the new one as well. I'm going to try the insecticidal soap, but the poor little plant is NOT looking happy. now the orchids in my bedroom are thriving, and some are even putting out new shoots. however, I have reservations about bringing any into the office - the air tends to be pretty dry.

the new Transformers movie looks like it could be a pretty decent summer flick. fine. cool. I might have gone to see it anyway. but now I know that MUTE MATH recorded the theme, I'm definitely going to have to see it. why? this particular band ups the geek-chic exponentially. because out of all the concerts I have EVER been to, they do the best. but hey, when the drummer is amazing AND he has to gaffer-tape his headphones on . . . really, go see them live. anyway, the movie might end up being overdone and annoying, but let's hope not. I plan on seeing it. maybe not opening weekend though . . . and I still find it interesting that this band hails from New Orleans.

last week was NUTS, so it's taken a minute to slow down and write . . . .

POTC 3 was awesome . . . and every other woman I spoken to about it agrees that Orlando at the end was something else. in the best possible way. and if I can find a screencap or still or whatnot I will be posting it.

while Athens will always be my birth-home, Nashville/Franklin is my heart-home. which doesn't even make sense to me all the time (no beach, colder winter than here, no local UK accents . . . ), it is. and I miss it dearly.

I have lost ten, TEN pounds . . . and not by any crazy, shock-your-system, crazy-fad diets. cardio, weights, less sugar and lots of water.

now I have to find something to wear to my little brother's wedding . . .

I'm spending the evening with some pirates.

counterpoint

WARNING: spoiler alert!

Pat is trashing the finale on his blog, so here's mine . . .

I love HEROES. HEROES is awesome. it's fun sci-fi. and while it may borrow from a lot of comic book lore (because what haven't they done in the comic book world?), it's still great. and I for one enjoyed the season finale. I wish Hiro had taken Sylar's head (a la Highlander), but oh well . . . I guess they wanted another option for next season. maybe he's dead, maybe he dragged himself into that sewer. the heroes finally figured out that they could beat him, even if they weren't totally in control of their powers. Nikki with the parking meter? nice. Claire bellyfloping out of the window - cool. Peter pummeling Sylar? YES!

the dvd set is coming out in August, and I already have it on my Amazon list.

Peter's the bomb in more ways than one . . . ;-)

oh, and I'm so very very happy that Stargate: Atlantis is back. very happy indeed.

workaholics?

ok, so call my crazy, but isn't it the point of a VACATION that you DON'T come in to work? I think someone here missed the memo . . .

2.5 more work days and then I will be driving to Nashville . . . (happy dance!)

frosty

I had a minor personal victory last night - I successfully recharged my car's A/C. this is especially nice as I'm going to be driving through Atlanta next Friday afternoon on my way to Nashville.

I finally got the dates posted for the Radiant summer book club. I think it was harder cutting books than finding them. there's a good variety, a novel, a biography, a really great book on prayer, and a few others. There's also a women's Craft Fix coming up June 3rd. lots to do this summer . . .

minor rant

Outlook keeps "eating" dates that I've entered into the calendar at work . . . so not cool!

smell of burning wood

we woke up this morning to a thin blanket of smoke this morning. apparently winds have pushed the smoke from the wildfires in south Georgia all the way up to Atlanta, and even a little further northeast here in Watkinsville (and Athens).

we need rain in all of Georgia.

and we're back

now that the Radiant blog is up and running, it's just going to be easier to run things off of one account (yay, Google!). I'll be moving posts over soon. I hope. :-)

Gilmore Girls is ending for good tonight, and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. maybe too many television relationships have taken their toll . . .

I'm heading up to Nashville for a long weekend next friday, and I just wish it was sooner. I need to get out of town and chill. (no drama this time . . . please!?)

six months

it’s astounding how much or little can change in six months. for me, there’s been alot of change. so much so in fact, that sometimes I don’t recognize myself. it’s only for a moment of course, but it’s true. I was so afraid, so anxious all the time. not so much now. after my grandmother died I finally forgave myself for some things. I’d asked God for forgiveness, asked other people for their forgiveness, but never considered forgiving myself. then one night I finally did. and then I changed a little bit. just a shift, which wouldn’t seem like much, but sometimes that half-step changes the entire piece.

(thud)

is the sound of my bag hitting the floor.

it’s been busy this week! busy is good . . . busy means that time goes quickly . . . busy also means that I have a list of people I need to call back in my free time.

it’s funny to think that this time last year I was working on my Exit show, trying NOT to have a nervous breakdown. that weekend was insane.

I’m trying to get little things ready for the Craft Fix this weekend at COTN . . . hopefully it will be the start of some new things for the women at the church. if enough people are interested, we can start offering some topical Art classes or workshops. this summer I want to try out a more open study format for Radiant Women. one of the books that I would love to offer doesn’t seem like it would work as well for a weekly study as it would for a monthly or three-week study. but it’s a great book, and I think it would be really helpful for some of the younger women. plus, it’s summer . . . who wants to have your weeks booked solid in the summer?? summer in Georgia usually leaves me inclined to find the coolest cave possible and stay there until it’s over . . .

tired

yesterday was the funeral for someone I used to know. she was this wonderful, beautiful woman named Kari who was married to a friend who I’ve know for about as long as I can remember. her death was sudden, and during sleep. she took with her their unborn child as well. as sad and horrible as this might seem to some, she is Home. Kari had these awful seizures, and it was one of those that sent her spirit to Heaven last week. we were all together at the Women’s conference the night before, and it wasn’t until noon the following day that most of us found out. not everyone took it well, or at least at first. I’m not going to go into some of what happened later that day . . . I’m still trying to understand it myself. the leadership of the conference dedicated the last service to her. it was beautiful, full of dancing and worship, just like her.

life keeps going. we said goodbye to two women over the last seven days . . . my aunt and my friend are with the Father.

it’s been a long week, and I’m so tired . . .

the conference

last thursday I left my house a little before 5am (yeah) to head up to Fort Mill, SC for the MorningStar “Women in the Kingdom” conference. it was wonderful. truly awesome. and, as I found out later, it was put together by women who “don’t really like women’s ministries and don’t even really like women.” which makes total sense to me. until recently, most of my friends were guys. I didn’t grow up with any sisters, so I just don’t get that whole thing. and the “typical” female behaviors used to drive me up the wall. all this makes it seem strange I guess that I volunteered to lead a women’s group, right? yeah, I wasn’t asked, I asked them. but I guess maybe that’s why it works, because some of us are tired of the cute (nothing wrong with cute), and want something that’s different. something where we can dig in and say “that snake is MINE, hand me my hoe” and hack the thing to pieces.

anyway, it was a great conference and I feel like I learned alot. not to mention faced some things that I had allowed to stop me from go after things in my life. still it makes me wonder . . . why havn’t some of the others who have been going up there for other conferences brought back the knowledge and skills to pour back into the church here. that baffles me.

trying it out

I'm moving the blog (maybe temporarily, maybe not) here.

-Meredith

(ouch)

it's monday and my head is throbbing . . . probably because of the 9.2 pollen count? I love spring around here, but we need a nice rain shower.

yesterday I went to a dirt bike race . . . it was awesome. this one was an endurance race, so it was about finishing, not finishing first. a couple of my friends' husbands race, so we girls would drive around and meet the guys at the fuel and reset stops. it was so much fun. it was also cool to see the guys being guys . . . reminded me of when I read Wild at Heart.

eeek!

Pastor Rick linked me on his blog . . . at least Jessi is sharing this boat . . .

ok, so I've never been one of those people who was excited about exercising. for one thing, it takes nothing for me to break a sweat. so who knew I'd be one of those people who gets hooked on the post-workout endorphin kick? I've started walking with a friend of mine after work. we're both not to the running point yet, so we go at least half an hour and then do other things on the days when we can't meet. it's GREAT! the mornings after the workouts I feel fantastic - all bright and shiny.

Radiant Women is also great. we're taking it easy in March, which has become the new June, if all of the weddings and baby showers are any indication. the events will kick back into gear in April after Easter. oh, and that reminds me . . . this whole (rather poorly done) "documentary" thing that James Cameron did . . . really. is that all he's got? if you're going to spend all of that time and money trying to debunk a faith then you should at least pick something that might actually possibly work. seriously.

at work we're reading A Celebration of Discipline right now. it's pretty good so far topically. there are some (mostly contemporary) authors that drive me a little crazy with their writing styles, and right now this author is one of them. it's a personal thing . . . I'm one of those oddballs who reads things like Mere Christianity as much for fun as study of the faith. his content is wonderful, it's just the written delivery that I'm trying to sort through. maybe the later chapters will be better . . .

RELEVANT has been having this HUGE moving sale, so I bought a bunch of books that I've been wanting to read. now that I've ordered it, I keep seeing references to G.K. Chesterfield's Orthodoxy everywhere! I really hope that order arrives soon . . .

fun with iPods . . .

this is the soundtrack of your life game:

Opening Credits: "Sin Ella"- The Gipsy Kings
Waking Up: "Time That Bald Sexton" - Danielson
First Day At School: "Beneath Still Waters" - Emmylou Harris
Falling In Love: "Out of the Woods" - Nickel Creek
First Kiss: "Chant" - The Katinas
Fight Song: "Cold" - The Cure
Breaking Up: "This Love" - Stavesacre
Prom: "In a Graveyard" - Rufus Wainwright
Life: "Jenny was a friend of mine" - The Killers
Mental Breakdown: "Butterflyz" - Alicia Keys
Driving: "Baby Sister" - Damien Rice
Flashback: "Fields Of Gold" - Sting
Getting Back Together: "Feeling Good" - Nina Simone
Wedding: "So Simple" - Alicia Keys
Birth of Child: "Ice Cream" - Sarah McLachlan
Final Battle: "Rivers Underneath" - Stavesacre
Death Scene: "It'll All Work Out" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Elizabethtown)
Funeral Song: "Oh! Sweet Nothin'" - The Velvet Underground (High Fidelity)
End Credits: "It Is Well With My Soul" - Jennifer Knapp

wow, it's been over a month since that last post . . . oops.

ok, so here go the updates . . . .

my new job? fabulous. I like them, they like me, and I get to be creative. (insert happy dance) and, OK, I figured working in a church office would be busy, but I didn't know it would be as busy as it is. crazy.

my social life is sorta on hold. not entirely mind you, but I've been working on all of the catch-up, fix-up, and straighten-up details in my life, and that takes a while. being an artist I tend to collect things, even when I don't have a place for them. so I've been making places and getting rid of the unnecessary, which is coming along great, although not in a weekend.

I'm leading/coordinating a women's ministry in my church for the 20s & 30s age ladies. I kept missing the community we used to have, and we needed one at COTN, so with the time I have now that I have this new job . . . voila. if you can't find it, make it. right?

anyway, I have more boxes to go through . . .

wait a minute

I'm hoping that this week goes by quickly. it's my last one before I start my new job on the 2nd (nice way to start the new year, huh?), and I'm really glad because I'm not sure that I could take much more of this one. but God knew that. going postal on the few hippies and and New-Agies that come into the shop wouldn't be a good thing. for that matter glaring at the older men who think that it is necessary to explain to me the plot of Jurassic park wouldn't be good either. (hey, I saw that move WHEN IT CAME OUT!) I just have to put up with this until saturday, and then I'm done. DONE!

all I need . . .

some really great things have been happening, and I'll be sharing more shortly, but for now enjoy this video I found on YouTube. it's an old friend and one of my favorites of his songs . . .

interlude

well, the instructions from a recently completed project are on their way, but not quite ready yet. for now I'll just say that I'm exhausted. I'm also waiting to hear back about a job. from all appearances it looks like it could be really great. it would also be a reason to stick around Athens for a while yet. and give me more flexibility to travel.