g

* * * *

2009-02-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

MY BLOG HAS MOVED!

hop on over to http://justgennie.blogspot.com

same blog, same stuff, just a different address.

i won't be updating on this address anymore, and eventually i'll delete it, so here's your chance to update your blog if you've linked me.

* * * *

2009-02-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

2.18.09

it's about the enjoyment:

from designer daily.

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2009-02-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

2.4.09

colorado highlights:

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2009-01-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

1.21.09

highlights of our road trip to colorado:

*tumbleweeds in kansas

*that really large gas station with a circuit city inside it

*windmills

*seeing the mountains

*going to boulder (oh, memories)

we're learning a lot here and meeting really interesting people. hopefully we'll have some more time to hang out with our dearies here in colorado before we leave. we are here for 5 weeks, after all...

* * * *

2009-01-06T11:22:00.001-08:00

1.06.09

www.poladroid.net!

* * * *

2008-12-31T14:52:00.001-08:00

12.31.08

and a happy new year to you. my most recent sewing project: lounge pants. they're pretty good for lounging, sleeping, vacuuming, probably some slumber partying, and lots of other low-key activities.

some things i'm looking forward to in the year 2009:

my debit card expiring and closing my arvest bank account

seeing our dear friends in colorado

hopefully selling our house

celebrating when baby compston comes

moving to china (kind of a biggie)

some things i'm considering in 2009 (resolutions if i feel like resolving to do them):

not cutting my hair for the whole year... yeah, not even a trim

running a lot before moving to china, because people don't do that there

card making

calling every friend & family member on his or her birthday

some things i really loved in 2008:

experiencing a lot of freedom and healing spiritually

spending time with my sister and mom and grandparents

teaching art to kids

meeting some really great people

happy 2009.

* * * *

2008-12-29T15:19:00.001-08:00

12.29.08

orlando, here we come.

* * * *

2008-12-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

12.23.08

i did it! this apron is the result of my very first sewing attempt (well, that is kind of true. i sewed one stitch in an old blanket and decided i knew enough to sew something spectacular). i had a lot of fun. even though some parts were incredibly frustrating, when i finished i had probably the greatest sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that i have ever had after making something. and now that i've tackled an apron, i'm thinking that i can handle something that goes all the way around, like a skirt. anyway, i'm thinking of giving this to my sister for christmas since she was the one who gave me the sewing machine.

* * * *

2008-12-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

12.16.08

so this year we aren't really doing the gift thing since we're trying to sell all our stuff. but, if we weren't moving, then i would definitely consider these clever/funny items as potential stocking stuffers.

temporary mustache tattoos:

Titanium spork:

flashcards for those studying slang:

build it yourself stonehenge:

File folders:

mix tape flash drive:

from etsy, urban outfitters, think geek, and knock knock.

* * * *

2008-12-13T09:58:00.001-08:00

12.13.08

friction bailey: the silent night. this is a good christmas album. i'm listening to it, and so should you.

and in other news, you should come to our christmas party/fundraiser/send us off to china thing we're having on december 19th (that's a friday) at 7 p.m. we're calling it "pillage our village" and you get to come and go through all of our stuff. if you like it, you can make a donation to the hirschys in tibet fund. or if you just really need it and you have no money, then you can just take it, but you might feel guilty later for not making a donation of some kind. oh, and it's definitely a party, so come even if you don't need anything, and you just want to hang out with awesome people.

* * * *

2008-11-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

11.6.08

so i realize i'm way overdue for a post. i don't want to become like some people i know who haven't posted in months or over a year in some cases (these friends will remain nameless, but you know who you are!) anyway, despite my absence from the blogging world this past month and a half, i have remained quite faithful to my daily internet surfing habits (do people still call it "surfing" the internet? i haven't heard that in a while...) i've actually been home sick the last two days, and not leaving the house for 48 hours has allowed me the luxury of doing mass amounts of laundry vacuuming my mattress and box springs. and here are some fun things i've found online while i've been at home:

luxe deluxe jewelry on etsy. yes please. i've been plotting how i can make something like this. it doesn't seem too hard, and i won't have to spend as much as i would for cool jewelry from scotland.

moo.com -- it's this fun printing site out of the uk where you can upload all your own images like photos or artwork or whatever, and make things like mini cards (below) or postcards, or sticker books. pretty cool. we're thinking about doing the mini card thing as info when we meet with potential supporters.

full episodes of gilmore girls on abcfamily. i was in branson last weekend where we pretty much watched all of season 7 of gilmore girls from start to finish. anyway, the video player on abcfamily is a little choppy, and they only have a few episodes you can choose from, but i enjoyed watching an episode today.

oh i can't believe this next site-- lbw eyeware is this wholesale online eye glasses store where you can get your frames and your lenses for ridiculously cheap prices. brian just got some in and they look great and haven't fallen apart. i think we paid $30 for them. all you need is your prescription and you can order them online. these are the frames i'm thinking about getting ($13!)

that's all i have to say for now, even though it's a lot. happy november. happy internet. happy day.

* * * *

2008-09-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

9.26.08

this song is played all the time in china. oddly enough, brian and i both really like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEd6WCaUsvY

* * * *

2008-08-30T07:40:00.001-07:00

9.1.08

so we just got back from a support raising seminar where we learned, among other things, to make communication pieces that aren't boring. can i say that the thought had never crossed my mind before- to make "un-boring" pieces of communication, that is. actually, i'm pretty excited about the idea and now i have a better excuse to spend all my free time messing about with the adobe suite. here are our most recent creations, and yes i have to confess that i stole the first layout design from an article in paste magazine and the second from a layout in bike magazine. cheers to non-boring communication piece #1 and #2.

* * * *

2008-08-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

8.12.08

i'm enjoying the olympics. when i first saw that visa "go world" commercial, i thought it was silly. now i kind of cry when it comes on.

i'm consuming a lot of honey lately. i put it in and on a lot of things-- bread, tea, peanut butter. should i be worried since, due to a freaky & mysterious plague, honey bees are dropping like flies (or bees)?

we're going to ozark, ar in two weeks. i like ozark, ar, though i've only been there to stop at the mcdonald's and another time when i drove across the bridge. so pretty.

i'm going to watch more olympics now. "go world." (tear)

* * * *

2008-08-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

8.7.08

"how can i just look up and talk to God, if i don't know that this person is up there listening to me? how can i pray? how can i believe in him?"

this is an excerpt from an article npr did on a summer camp for atheists and agnostics. here is another part of the conversation with some campers:

"i call myself a christian," he says, "but if i get proof that there is no God and no christianity is a wild goose chase, then i would completely abandon it."

"if God really really wanted us to know he existed, he'd make daily appearances: like, 'it's 3:15. oh, it's God time!'"

reading the article had me wondering why a camp would base its foundation upon developing agnostic thinking. then i thought maybe its because we just want to be around other people like us. what do you think a loving, christian response to camps like this is? or do we even need to react? i'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions/comments. this article was really fascinating to me. you can read it here.

* * * *

2008-08-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

8.6.08

top five memorable moments of erin and adam's wedding:

1. spending time with kirsten compston... and ashley haguewood, and erin, of course. compstons, move back to fayetteville!

2. swim party the day of the wedding

3. watching adam laugh/cry on several occasions, including the ceremony

4. 103 degree heat-- oh wait, i hated that

5. Erin's cousin asking me (in all seriousness) if i was gay because i had said erin was my soul mate

honorable mentions:

* james miller's cardie

*the waitress at bosco's not knowing what she was saying... at all

*justing laughing at the man who got new arms

and did you all hear about the man who beheaded another guy on a greyhound bus? CR-AZY! i still have a hard time reading about it. who does that?

* * * *

2008-08-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

8.4.08

some photos from the johnson-anglin wedding:

* * * *

2008-07-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

7.21.08

we saw this on 60 minutes last night. it's really inspiring.

* * * *

2008-07-08T12:51:00.001-07:00

7.8.08

artpad! thanks, meredith!

* * * *

2008-07-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

7.7.08

it's been a while. i've updated my links, and i've included a new sections called "every ethne" for your browsing enjoyment.

here's what else i've been working on:

these are for the september 20th rug sale. we're hoping to do some sort of art auction as part of the event. if anyone wants to donate a piece to have in the sale, please let me know. we'd love to have a wide representation of work from local artists.

* * * *

2008-05-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

5.24.08

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!!!

* * * *

2008-05-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

5.23.08

Happy Birthday to my husband, tomorrow!

I've been subbing for an art class in the afternoons, and I've had a lot of fun listening to elementary aged kids say funny things. Yesterday I heard some interesting pronunciations and definitions that I thought were worth sharing:

caffi-chino= cappuccino

hobo= someone who rides a train and eats beans out of a can

hobo #2= someone who can't afford cable

happy memorial day weekend!

* * * *

2008-05-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

05.12.08

the latest:

* * * *

2008-05-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

5.4.08

some of the pics from our trip. i have a lot more-- if you want to see them, you'll just have to come over. we can drink coffee together.

our accomodations. pretty nice.

the complex we stayed in. it's the same one whit lives in.

the game all the old chinese men play.

whitney's tutor.

john, teaching about drawing what you see.

a worker laying bricks.

a little girls head. i like her beads.

tibetan dancing at xining square. this was so fun!

whit at wholesale market stop #2

a lady selling fruit on the way up the hill to the complex.

at the whole sale market on the west side of town.

students participating in a mural project for english corner.

at the park.

spices at the wholesale market.

love these girls.

* * * *

2008-05-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

5.4.08

we're back.

i just spent 30 minutes re-organizing our dvd collection. we managed to come back with 25 new dvds (we probably spent about $18 total). i am pretty excited about some of them because they haven't been released on dvd here yet. here is a list of some of our new 25. feel free to borrow or come over for a movie marathon.

edward scissorhands

fight club

there will be blood

penelope

no country for old men (justin and shelli, we bought you a copy too)

into the wild

big fish

eagle vs. shark

vantage point

okay that is all for now. i'll blog later.

* * * *

2008-04-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

4.25.08

ni hao from china!

we've been here for one week, and we have one more week to go. it has been really great seeing everyone, and it is especially great to spend time with whitney. i'm really glad to be here, although the weather has reminded me of arkansas weather (it was 80 degrees our first day here, then it snowed about 4 inches on Monday). this trip has also helped me see the less "romantic" side of living here. for instance, once we arrived in the city and settled into the apartment we are staying in, the small hallway toilet overflowed with sewage for about 30 minutes. gross. but other than that, it has been really enjoyable. different, but enjoyable.

and in celebration of the "it's not wrong, it's just different" moments of being here the second time, here is a top five list for your reading pleasure:

top five oddities of being in china

1. toilet paper that is really crepe paper-- you know, like the party decorations you hang up-- the toilet paper is basically a white, slightly larger version of this. its also a little rough on the bottom.

2. "spicy dirt" smell. brian coined this term, which is used to describe the really interesting and never pleasant stink of the city.

3. crossing the street in chinese traffic. crosswalks are for sissies! this is all about running into the middle of the road and trying to dodge busses, taxis, bicycles, etc. always a rush, and not for the faint of heart.

4. mini-everything! mini-refrigerators. mini-sinks. mini beds. mini-plates, chairs, cups, cars... you get the idea. when everything is made to accommodate the average-sized chinese person, being a 5'9" american girl makes me feel like a giant

5. everything is incredibly "zhenda tai pian yi le!" (really very cheap). even with the weakening dollar, its still incredible to think of how inexpensive everything is to a westerner. (e.g. a bottle of water costs 1 kuai, which is 1/7 of a u.s. dollar--amazing.)

and if you have been to xining, you know these things already. so, happy china-life from us here. we'll see you in a week or so.

* * * *

2008-04-14T16:44:00.001-07:00

4.14.08

have i mentioned how much i love my friends?

we're counting down 3 days until china! i can taste the muslim noodles now.... i'll also be taking "shout outs" for whitney if anyone is interested.

* * * *

2008-04-03T13:35:00.001-07:00

4.3.08

* * * *

2008-03-24T16:44:00.001-07:00

3.24.08

check out the human calendar to the left. the human clock is also enjoyable.

* * * *

2008-03-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

3.19.08

so i've taken up a new project at the grove. this time i'm working on the "change the world" display. basically this is a new take on a kind of old and boring subject- the church missions bulletin board. the idea is to celebrate our missionaries but in a cool and unique way rather than just with a map and some push pins. we landed on the idea of doing a shadow box for each missionary (or missionary couple) that corresponds with a text about them and what they are doing. we'd like to display them as a gallery-type display along one of the walls in the new building.

this is a first draft of one i'm working on for whitney. for some reason my camera rendered it a little brighter than it is in reality, but you get the idea.

* * * *

2008-03-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

3.17.08

i was reminded of this video today and wanted to post it.

* * * *

2008-02-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

2.29.08

top 5 things i'm currently excited about:
1. the 65 degree weather
2. my upcoming birthday
3. the $10 giftcard to maggie moo's i got yesterday from an extremely belated christmas gift
4. watching God provide money for our trip to tibet
5. the color yellow. why am i just now appreciating yellow?

* * * *

2008-02-18T14:23:00.001-08:00

2.18.08

happy president's day.

meredith wanted me to post this. it's a picture of my grandpa that i finished on sunday afternoon.

* * * *

2008-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

2.11.08

i'm really into birds today. this is quite unlike anything i've done before, but i had fun making it.

* * * *

2008-02-09T17:41:00.001-08:00

2.9.08

i'm kind of excited to post my little shelli collage. we had a great time celebrating with shelli for her 30th bday. below is some of my favorites photos that we took of her doing the "pamper shelli photo shoot."

also, i wanted to share with you a really neat idea that i stumbled onto today while online: lace chain linked fences. these are designed by the dutch design house demakersvan. i really appreciate looking at these. what a great idea-- turning ugly metal fencing into works of art.

* * * *

2008-01-31T09:34:00.000-08:00

1.31.08

happy birthday, shelli!

pictures of your photo shoot to come soon (and a cd of them for you as well).

* * * *

2008-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

1.5.08

today i've been thinking a lot about my community studio idea. basically the idea came when i was thinking that a community with a viable artistic base should create their own studio which would be open to, well, the community. nadine baum studios is similar to this, being a non-profit that offers community classes. but i've been thinking more along the lines of a shared space where artist can come and go as they please. i googled "community studio" to see what i could find, and there are several community art studios, mainly in big cities on the west coast. if you're not in school taking classes in a studio, or not rich enough to have you're own awesome studio space, there isn't really anything available. i'm longing for such a space today. i find it difficult to work on my art at home because there are so many other distractions. the lighting isn't very good at my house either. maybe someone in fayetteville will share this idea and actually make it happen.

until then, i'm off to work in my distracting, poorly lit environment.

* * * *

2007-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

12.30.07

at first i thought i would do a year in review, but that would take too much thinking on my part.

i will tell you about how i've been running in to walls lately, figuratively speaking that is. one wall i've hit is with cleaning my house. the newness of living here has worn off, and i'm beginning to treat is as a dumping zone.

my second wall i've hit is with running. i've been training for my marathon for 63 days, and i have 62 days to go. i'm halfway there, but i've started to hate my long runs, mainly because of the time commitment and the boredom that eventually sets in for running longer than 2 hours.

so for the new year, i am resolving to run through my walls. hopefully 2008 will start off with a cleaner home and added miles to my running shoes.

* * * *

2007-12-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

12.01.07

this was my FAVORITE show as a kiddo. also, the first cast member is none other than Fergie.

* * * *

2007-11-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

11.23.07

happy holidays, everyone.

i'm blogging from work, where i eventually ended up after attempting to participate in "black friday." i came away with 3 picture frames (dirt cheap at hobby lobby), a mild amount of stress from the traffic, and a renewed passion for purchasing christmas gifts online.

and, in honor today being the official kick-off of the holiday season, i want to share two websites with you that i have enjoyed lately. hopefully the joy will spread.

the first sits is archive.org. its basically a digital library of text, images, films, and music. but what's especially exciting is the live music page, where you can download (free) live music from a wide array of artists (ryan adams, ben gibbard, waterdeep are among my favorites on the site).

the second site is freerice.com. its an online vocabulary game where they give away 10 grains of rice to help end world hunger for every word you get correct. the man who started it launched the website just a couple of months ago, and to date they have given away 3,403,520,350 grains of rice. the site partners with the united nations to disperse the rice among nations such as myanmar, nepal, cambodia, bangladesh, and several others. the game is a lot like practice questions from the vocab section of the GRE. so, the next time you want to piddle around at work, don't waste your time on crosswords or youtube. you can donate rice instead!

merry christmas!

* * * *

2007-11-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

11.10.07

prepare yourself, for you are about to read something completely ridiculous...

i heard a story on npr today about this organization called reversible destiny lofts. these two people- artists-architects-poets Arakawa and Madeline Gins- design these architectural spaces to stimulate the mind and "complete" the position of one's soul (as in, the soul extends out beyond the vessel of the body and into the space around it) in order that the body will never die. the idea sounds a lot like existentialism.

now if this sounds totally silly, it is. but this is the premise of their work-- to "reverse" one's destiny (which would obviously be ultimate death) and to experience immortality. They have also written a book about this called Reversible Destiny: We Have Decided not to Die. Here is some of what they have written:

" 'Beginning,' 'past,' 'future,' 'I,' 'me,' and 'you' are all words that have no place in this process. They are superfluous. As if magnetized, the body, moving in a veering, unbalanced balance, loses all sense of identity, or casts the little that remains of its identity as a person, outside itself. The person who entered the cylinder on her own volition ceases now to be the initiator of her own actions."

so to make a crazy idea a little crazier, this couple builds this outrageous living spaces to help you achieve immortality, mostly popular in japan. here are a few images of what they look like:

feeling immortal yet?

* * * *

2007-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

10.25.07

2 days until our halloween party! invite your friends-- the more the merrier.

in other news, i wanted to share with you two cds that keep me sane during the day:

both of these cds are full of great music for kids but that i also enjoy (aka i don't want to pull my hair out after listening to them). the putumayo cd is one of a really great selection of ethnic, world, and cultural music by the orgazition putumayo kids. if you have kids or teach kids or just like listening to fun music, you should check out their website here.

anyhoo, i'm really looking forward to our halloween party, mainly to see everyone's costumes and to play halloween charades. i will probably need some help with food if anyone wants to volunteer to bring something to eat or drink.

happy halloween.

* * * *

2007-10-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

10.14.07

happy birthday to my sister, ashley.

although its a little soon, i'm already starting to plan our halloween party. my mom came up for the game this weekend and dropped by one piece to my costume. i plan on going all out with the decorating at our house, so any volunteers to help with that process are more than welcome. oh, and if you're reading this, you are definitely invited. the party will be saturday, october 27th, and if you're going to dave and sarah's shower, don't fret-- we'll start after the shower is over.

i'm also trying to get game/events/fun things together to do at the party. one will obviously be a costume contest, so come ready to win. but, i'm in need of ideas for other fun games to play while we're partying out. suggestions?

invitations to soon follow!

* * * * *

2007-10-06T15:19:00.001-07:00

10.6.07

happy birthday, michelle.

these long awaited photos from the monster truck rally are for meredith. enjoy.

mere and shelli look anxious.

jen is so excited that her body is warping into light speed!

ashley looks nervous. she knows it will be loud.

vroom!

get er done!

r.i.p. little cars, r.i.p.

the motorcycle man is high! horray!

* * * *

2007-09-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

9.30.07

okay, so i only titled my post once. i'm not quite ready to turn over that leaf.

but, i do want to tell everyone about two things that made going to wal-mart on thursday totally worth it:

1. i saw mercy morgan.
2. the automatic doors at the exit shut on a man while he was trying to leave. he was yelping with a very funny and dramatic yelp. no worries, he was okay.

turning over a new leaf...

2007-09-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

... starting with titling my posts

i realize i already posted today, but i didn't want to wait until tomorrow. i was looking back at past blogs, and i came across a post where i was griping about local stores/restaurants/shops that had poor customer service. i have over 12 comments, with almost half of commentors voting rice village one of the worst customer service restaurants in fayetteville. i just wanted to say to you, rice village, that i think you are most improved. congratulations! you no longer get "worst place" for customer service.

however, i still firmly stand by braums being one of the worst places for customer service. i think kinkos might also get a few points for improvement.

* * * *

2007-09-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

9.18.07

on thursday i register for the little rock marathon... gulp. anyone want to join me for the fun on march 2nd? (*coughs* meredith)

* * * *

2007-09-04T19:55:00.001-07:00

8.4.07

september resolution:
after talking with a friend the other day, i decided i would be more serious about producing art. whenever i seem to "not have time" for it, i have this eating feeling within me. instead of finding time to make something, i tend to exacerbate my condition by being frustrated with my lack of time and apathy towards making time. i don't want to be this way. rather, i want to be proactive in my creativity, encouraging it with my time management instead of stifling it. so, my september resolution is to do more art: good or bad, rushed or not rushed, genius or idiotic... i'll attempt a few pieces each month. below are two i finished in the last two weeks.

* * * *

2007-08-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

8.31.07

these are photos of the final project my art kids did this last spring. they had to incorporate concepts from our units on transparency/translucency, composition, color as mood, and collage. the kids who helped complete this were 6th graders from our afterschool program.

* * * *

2007-08-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

8.31.07

a friend at work gave me three huge bags of ripe bananas becuase her afterschool kids wouldn't eat them... so i spent the afternoon looking up recipes for bananas. i'm trying to somehow not waste these. i came across this recipe and wanted to post it because it's quite clever. so for all your bakers, enjoy this recipe for "banana nut bread baked in a jar."

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease insides of 8 (1 pint) straight sided, wide mouth canning jars.

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, bananas, and water. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Add to banana mixture. Stir in nuts.

Pour mixture into greased WIDE MOUTH pint jars, filling 1/2 full of batter. Do NOT put lids on jars for baking. Be careful to keep the rims clean, wiping off any batter that gets on the rims.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, sterilize the lids and rings in boiling water.

As soon as cake is done, remove from oven one at a time, wipe rims of jars and put on lid and ring. Jars will seal as cakes cool. Place the jars on the counter and listen for them to "ping" as they seal. If you miss the "ping", wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it's sealed.

Jars should be eaten immediately or kept sealed in refrigerator for up to a week.

* * * *

2007-08-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

8.26.07

grovefest+ summer class

* * * *

2007-08-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

8.21.07

i'm blogging from work. parties are slow now that school is back in session.

i was browsing the blogs i have linked and was starting to wonder when anyone was going to post anything new, then i realized i should probably post something if i was gong to complain about other people not posting... so here i am, posting.

sadly, i don't really have anything interesting to say. maybe i'll leave this post open by asking you to comment on your favorite hang out spot in fayetteville (that's all i could think of).

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2007-08-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

8.17.07

Random 8's:

1. every day i pray for a different chinese city or people group from my IMB china flip calendar. today is the city of Shenyang. i think matt and michelle lived there at one point...

2. i love to carve my own stamp designs out of rubber pads using cutting tools.

3. i collect really fun magnets and unusual postcards. i like to randomly send postcards to my friends, or put them on my refrigerator with one of my fun magnets.

4. sometimes i like to say the phrase "jump back, kiss myself!" when something crazy happens. i think this is from a james brown song.

5. i am missing my appendix. it exploded when i was 9, was promptly removed, and i haven't missed it since.

6. my list of dream jobs, in no particular order, are as follows: national geographic photographer, fabric and/or wrapping paper designer, operation world field researcher, running an art-education non-profit for underprivileged children.

7. i know random baseball statistics and have potentially memorized more than half the answers from the early version of trivial pursuit (in any category other than "arts and entertainment").

8. i am currently reading information on children with sensory processing disorder and how to treat it in a classroom setting. exciting stuff.

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2007-08-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

8.15.07

things i've been enjoying lately:

-i google+ google calendar. i just started using these, and its great. a personal calendar/planner that i have access to from any computer with the internet.

-swimming at FAC. meredith's encouragement helped me to utilize the clubs facility. we swam today and although my arms are killing me, i feel great.

-2 weeks off from preschool until fall starts. i welcome the break from 2 and 3 year olds.

-anticipating fall. despite the triple digit temperature, i can still feel it coming (i think)... at least with the arrival of school supplies.

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2007-08-06T17:06:00.001-07:00

8.6.07

happy august, everyone. (although, august is my least favorite month due to extremely barely-bearable heat conditions...)

meredith is now linked. welcome, many mumbling mice.

oh, and french wine makers love global warming. read about this interesting perspective here.

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2007-07-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

7.28.07

from McSweeney's:

Dan Liebert, Verbal Cartoonist
www.verbalcartoonist.com

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The Game of Horseshoes.

The game of horseshoes is actually very aerobic if you leave the horses in them.

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2007-07-27T09:18:00.001-07:00

7.27.07

http://www.banksy.co.uk/

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2007-07-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

7.23.07

i know that the index is a blogger favorite, but i'm sticking to the traditional top five list.

top five "oh yeah, i'm a wife moments" of the past week:
1. mopping my floors
2. doing twice as much laundry, and marveling at brian's clothes being way bigger than mine
3. "planning" my meals in advance
4. having a garage
5. buying a new dishwasher and having it be one of the highlights of the month of july (no really, i'm so excited)

top five things i'm looking forward to in the coming days:
1. erin hanging out with us before she moves
2. back to school, back to school... and school supplies!
3. did i mention my new dishwasher?
4. autumn. its not really here yet, but i wish it was
5. starting the harry potter trilogy. thanks, mere!

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2007-07-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

7.17.07

brain, the husband of 10 days.

(if you are wondering, its not a mistake i wrote his name "brain," that is just what i call him sometimes).

hound me to get pictures up from the crazy first 2 weeks of july. i'd like to highlight those days with a photo index, but i always think to myself, "oh, i'll just upload those another time..." and i know that i won't post them if i think that every time i sit down at my computer.

oh, and please join me in praying everyday for the tibet team this week and next.

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2007-07-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

7.16.07

i just finished playing with this sketch i did. hopefully this week i'll make it to kinkos to print out a series of this one picture, only in different background colors. i'm going to hang them in our living room.

speaking of my living room, come by and see us sometime. i'll make brownies.

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2007-06-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

6.23.07

a couple of days ago i made my playlist for the 4th of july. if you don't know, my parents are having a big party on the fourth, kind of a preliminary wedding event. if you read my blog, you are probably a friend and are welcome to come. there will be food and fireworks, and my 4th of july playlist.

on a similar not, ryan adams is all i'm listening to right now. rock n roll is a summer favorite of mine.

others i've included in my 4th playlist:

allison krauss + union station

the beatles

elton john

the cardigans

coldplay

counting crows

gin blossoms

the eagles

the new amsterdams

james taylor

jamie cullum

ray charles

norah jones

simon and garfunkel

the strokes

marvin gaye

nickel creek

ben kweller

jack johnson

the get up kids

belle and sebastian

the anniversary

martha reeves

the beach boys

the format

james brown

diana krall

4 tops

patty griffin

wilco

whiskeytown

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2007-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

6.16.07

Why no one should ever eat (or drink) at applebees:

Toddler served margarita in a sippy cup

Fri Jun 15, 4:12 PM ET
ANTIOCH, Calif. - Kim Mayorga was confused when her 2-year-old started making funny faces and pushing away the apple juice he had ordered at Applebee's. The explanation came when she opened the lid of the sippy cup and was hit by the smell of tequila and Triple Sec.

The restaurant staff accidentally gave Julian Mayorga a margarita Monday. He grew drowsy and started vomiting a few hours later and was rushed to the hospital.
"I wasn't going to make a big deal about it," the mother told the Contra Costa Times on Thursday, "but then he got sick."

The apple juice and margarita mix were stored in identical plastic bottles, and the manager mistakenly grabbed the margarita container to pour the boy's drink, said Randy Tei, vice president for Apple Bay East Inc., which owns the franchise restaurant and nine other Applebee's in the San Francisco Bay area.

The Mayorgas will be reimbursed for their medical bills, and Tei said the franchise group's restaurants will no longer serve apple juice and margaritas in similar containers.
"We absolutely believe it was an honest mistake," Tei said.

The serving appeared to have been accidental, Antioch police Lt. Pat Welch said. Mayorga said her son is now doing fine.

She said the company has been very apologetic and offered free meals, but she added, "If they think I'm going back there, they're ridiculous."

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2007-06-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

6.14.07

DON'T PUT YOUR KEYBOARD IN THE DISHWASHER!

not that i need to really tell you that, because you probably have enough common sense not to do so...

but apparently its all over the place that this is a good idea. NPR did a story on it this morning. go here to read more and see the results of a keyboard that's been through the pots and pans cycle.

oh, and to all of you slackers who never update their blogs... you should update them. i have nothing to do now while i'm at work. shelli is the only one who gives me something new everyday. and stu, i'm glad you commented, even if all you said was, "ridiculous."

i overreacted in the last paragraph. i'm not mad.

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2007-06-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

6.8.07

word of the week:

"bureaubabble":

"They have taken language hostage. We wanted numbers but this is bureaubabble. ... It is not real in any language. We are looking for accountable language and numbers. I might be a rock star but I can count."
- Bono, denouncing G-8 leaders for a lack of timelines and other substantive details in their recent pledge to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.

This was taken from the Sojomail daily email. Its one of those made up words that only professors -or in this case- rockstars can use as a legimitate word. thanks, james,for being the first to blog about this.

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2007-05-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

5.18.07

while reading an article online, i found out that actor orlando bloom converted to a form of japanese buddhism.

along those lines, several actors and directors have been forever banned from entering mainland china (due to their involvement with movies about tibet or tibet itself), including richard gere, martin scorsese, and brad pitt. i don't really know why, but this is mildly amusing to me.

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2007-05-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

5.14.07

in the words of the pixies, "where is my mind?"

the spring seemed to go by much quicker than i anticipated. nonetheless, i'm happy for it, and happy that summer is here.

there is so much that has to be done though, and i'm frantically trying to do it all. well, actually i'm learning to delegate, which is hard at times, but much easier than trying to do everything myself. thanks, tracey, for being the one to hold me accountable and provide vision. thanks, mom, for all the phone calls you make and all the running around you do on my behalf. and thank you, erin, for everything you have done, are doing, and will do. i'm going to buy you a big, fat, something-awesome.

because of all the crazy stuff, i've had to put some things i love on the back burner. these neglected activities include taking pictures (i especially love to do this in the summer as the days and shadows cast by objects grow longer), painting, running regularly, reading (when was the last time i actually read??? no clue), sleeping.

some day i shall reclaim these beloved pastimes.

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2007-05-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

5.1.07

Happy May.

and to honor the new month, a list:

reading: the marriage builder, art is elementary
listening to: elliotto smith XO
watching: american idol, survivor
eating: sugar free jello
enjoying: family
surfing: my google reader
anticipating: valentino achak deng, summer
loving: refrigerator magnets

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2007-04-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

4.25.07

sir paul is complete, sans some minor finishing touch-ups. he's just one example of interest in my recent obsession with british pop culture.

and,
to all going to the achak deng tour, i'm beyond excited.

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2007-04-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

4.22.07

the
what is the what
tour

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Valentino Achak Deng will be discussing What Is the What at the following locations and times.

Friday, May 11
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
Nightbird Books
557 S. School Ave., #103
7:00 p.m.

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2007-04-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

4.19.07

this is a great listen, especially if you know a second language and/or have funny translation stores about being overseas. its an npr segment about poor english translations of advertisements in china.

this is the part where i start to wonder what the heck i'm doing...

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2007-04-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

4.17.07

the winner is sir paul. i'm going to try to take pictures during the whole process for kicks.

here is the original photo:

here is my canvas at stage 1:

2007-04-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

4.15.07

these are some google images i found to help inspire my next project. i'm not sure exactly how i'm going to incorporate elements from these photos, but i enjoy each one individually. i need some encouragement to get started. i find myself uninterested in painting lately, which saddens me seeing as how it is typically what i love to spend my time doing. i have a blank canvas sitting on my easel, but that hasn't done its usual trick of motivating me to paint it. ergo, i leave it now to the images below to conjure up my desire to paint.

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2007-04-14T07:38:00.001-07:00

i miss you, spring.

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2007-04-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

4.9.07

greetings from sunny california.

i'm currently in the bay area visiting some family. its been a whirl-wind trip, complete with every travel disaster possible, including lost luggage i still haven't received. oh well.

in other news, i'm coming home today, hopefully to a warmer NWA. i heard the weekend weather was brutal, especially to our vegetation.

if jesus can raise from the dead, he can bring our plants back to life.

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2007-04-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

4.5.07

virtual things:

chris and evie jones are officially linked. adam is also now linked, so go have some squash.

brian is currently working on a new page for my photos. i'm excited. it should look much better than it currently does. however, i need help naming the site. suggestions?

--------

happy coming easter. he is risen.

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2007-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

4.1.07

this is great:

"Jesus, the pork chop multiplier" -kent hodskins*

this is also great:

the last half of my shower was spent taking terrible pictures and dancing around in a green bath robe.

*this was in reference to Jesus multiplying the fish and loaves, noting that the Lord at one point had multiplied a pork chop dinner at a missions bible base in mexico that one of kent's old professors had witnessed. but it sounds so funny, like a nickname for Jesus, like Jesus "the pork chop multiplier" Christ. it should go on compston's link list.

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2007-03-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

3.30.07

i defaulted to communicating to those i don't see that much via my blog.

john, why is "sea" your quoted middle name on stephen's page?

my beer is getting cold. bye.

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2007-03-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

3.25.07

its 2:06 a.m. and i'm plagued by the inability to sleep. not to mention i'm suffering from heat rash, which seems to exasperate itself whenever i attempt to lie down.

i am catching up on my blog reading, though. i've read practically everyone on my link list and then some. john painted a piece that looks like trees in a purple winter (which is kind of funny because one time we had a discussion about how it would be impressive if the weather had a tint of color so one would know how hot or cold it was outside based on this. he mentioned frigid conditions should look purple-ish in tint). polly gets to travel to the central americas to practice some nursing and use some spanish. james is moving to austin. whitney recounted past spring breaks. jordan enjoys comic books. shelli hates spring fashion. all good stuff. thanks, everyone, for entertaining me during my insomnia.

and for everyone else's reading enjoyment, i am posting my favorite list:

Things I'd rather do than go see Catwoman
by Benjamin Kharakh

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Build a sandcastle for the sole purpose of having it kicked in my face.

Fall from a reasonably high ledge.

Swallow several Legos.

Rip a dollar into three unequal pieces.

Buy an expensive pair of pants and then spill grape juice all over the crotch.

Fill out a Mad Libs and then eat it.

Have a colonoscopy.

Wake up very early and go running.

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2007-03-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

3.19.07

my most recent:

acrylic on 2x2 plywood (how romantic)

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2007-03-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

3.18.07

currently appreciating:

ben gibbard
my computer
warm weather
holden caulfield
James 1:2-3
john zumwalt

happy spring.

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2007-03-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

3.11.07

His Excellency, Pontiff Gateway XVI

i have some recollection of posting this picture a while ago. i came across it today and laughed as usual, so i decided to post it again. the holy miter is actually a vacuum cleaner filter for our dust buster, and the righteous robe is a dishtowel.

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2007-03-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

3.8.07

kristen compston gave me the thumbs up on running a marathon with me*, so i've been researching anything and everything about it. there's so much more planning than i would have guessed, including preparation for weight training, post-running routines, and psychological issues.

this is where is get my info: http://www.marathontraining.com/index.html

*kristen will run assuming that her knee doesn't die in the process.

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2007-02-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

2.18.07

happy homeworking.

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2007-02-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

february 18, 2007

it's chinese new year. xin nian kuai le.

hope the year of the golden fire pig is a good one for you and yours.

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2007-02-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

2.17.07

Yesterday she asked me to roll up her gloves. She meant to say sleeves. I have the greatest job.

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2007-02-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

2.11.07

more funny kid quotes:

*miss gennie, your feet smell like flowers in a tea pot, and your hair smells of tire. -tony kopek

*miss gennie, you have to roll your pants on the road. -ian shirley

*miss gennie is so mrs. hirschy, that she smells like chocolate and caramel. -tony kopek

and a couple others from the oh-so-hilarious tony kopek:

*when i grow up and marry a girl, all the cars are going to float.

*raise your hand if you like Neptune!

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2007-01-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

1.26.07

some favorite verbal deliveries from my kids this past week:

*miss gennie, you come to my house and see my swimming pool bathroom- elizabeth ervin, age 2
*today i'm friends with my brain because it went to collage. is that airplane a fighter plane? -tony kopek, age 6
*mmmm, it smells delicious in here!- jared cononigo, age 7, after smelling where another boy had recently passed gas.
*yeah! quit being ginger mc scribatory! noah arrington, age 8, trying to repeat me telling some girls to "quit being gender discriminatory."

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2007-01-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

1.14.07

although its no longer the season to be jolly, here are just a few of my photos from the bentonville christmas parade, as well as my step mom's scrumptious holiday cookies. spongebob says, "merry christmas."

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2007-01-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

1.06.07

highlights of the past week:

*my newly revamped scripture memory system
*deciding on a wedding date (07.07.07!)
*a great round of hangman with brian
*having erin back at the house
*no bake cookies
*resurgence of napoleon dynamite quotes... filppin awesome!

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2006-12-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

12.30.06

holy smokes, i'm engaged!

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2006-12-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

12.29.06

happy new year to all.

its good to be back. my life for the month or so has been sans laptop. the good news is that my provisionally benevolent parents santa clause'd me a desktop for christmas. i am beyond grateful, for it has been so long since i could type the letter G without my default "ctrl V" movement. (i had to forever copy and paste my g's because the key fell off and stopped working.) Not to mention the fact that my crappy and deficient laptop LCD screen has been replaced by a newer, better, shinier, and far superior flat screen monitor (yesh!). Ahhh sigh of great relief. like i said, its good to be back. thanks for the material blessings, dad and trace. i greatly 'preciate you.

all this to be said, i plan on updating much more frequently, since any update would be considered more frequent than what i was previously providing. new year's wishes to all! happy 2007!

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2006-11-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

11.29.06

let it snow! we anticipate winter weather.

all of my free time in the last eight days have been dominated by the chronicles of narnia. this is my first time to read the series, and currently i'm in the last chapter of the silver chair. today i continually thought through how i am much like jill-- well aware of my instructions and specific guidelines, yet so easily distracted by temptations of which i was warned. i found myself angry with jill for how she quickly forgot aslan's words of what to look for and how she so willingly convinced herself that they were unimportant once she was on her journey... then i realized i do the same and all the time. i am much like jill but wish i was not.

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2006-11-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

11.16.06

Homemade granola, for Polly

INGREDIENTS

* 8 cups rolled oats
* 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
* 1 1/2 cups oat bran
* 1 cup sunflower seeds
* 1 cup finely chopped almonds
* 1 cup finely chopped pecans
* 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup maple syrup
* 3/4 cup honey
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans and walnuts. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to a boil then pour over the dry ingredients and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toasted. Stir once about halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

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2006-11-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

11.8.06

new favorite things:

mushroom veggie burgers
the rocket summer
my puffy vest
maybe this christmas
homemade granola
moving home
the razorbacks (whitney, i too am a fair wheather fan)

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2006-10-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

10.29.06

we had a field trip friday in which my group went to the gentry safari. i had never been to the gentry safari. the gentry safari is a drive thru safari in the middle of no where, complete with lions, tigers, bears, panthers, bobcats, one hippopotamus, one rhinoceros, llamas, one gorilla, one giraffe, deer, small deer, fox, dinosaurs, monkeys, donkeys, zebras, camels, ponies, and other strange and out of place animals.

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2006-10-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

10.19.06

we went to the pumpkin patch today. we experienced frigid conditions, but it was enjoyable nontheless. mostly the enjoyment came from hanging out with these kiddos.

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2006-10-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

10.18.06

something useless but extraordinarily fun:

if you go wo wikipedia and search for your birthday (month+day), you'll find an amazing list of historical occurances for that day in addition to an exhaustive list of people's birthdays you share, deaths for that day, and holiday observances.

some interesting recordings for march 4th (my birthday):

*1493 columbus arrives in America (wikipedia does not lie!)
*1789 first US congress meets
*1861 president lincoln openes goverment printing office
*1921 hot springs national park created
*1933 FDR outlines the new deal
*1952 earnest hemingway finished the old man and the sea
*1966 john lennon says "the beatles are more popular than jesus"

birthdays i share:
a good deal of people, including a dozen or so european composers, mathematicians, astronomers, comic book illustrators, civil rights leaders, screenwriters, and scottish politicians.

william willett, the inventor of daylight savings time, died on my birthday in 1915.
so did john candy in 1994.

on march 4th, Whales celebrates the feat of Rhiannon, the celtic moon goddess.

happy march 4th, everyone.

* * * *

2006-10-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

10.16.06

what i do with my computer, now that my internet is slightly more than entirely unreliable...

organize the files in "my documents"- organization knows no bounds.

walk around my house attempting to find the best wireless signal, then settle for the corner of my bedroom at 2.0 mbps.

charge my ipod.

use my rommates computer. this is what i'm doing right now.

read all the newly organized files in "my documents".

take a nap and wait for a better signal.

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2006-09-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

9.25.06

i quote brett harkey: "blogging is so 2005"

for those who have ever lived below someone:
Apparent Passions of
My Upstairs Neighbors.

BY GLENN LINGLE

- - - -

Moving furniture

Rolling bowling balls off of tables

Keeping time to music by beating a staff

Picking up anvils, and then dropping them

Riverdance

* * * *

2006-09-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

9.23.06

the bear in nepal.

we miss you, jordan. but i find your blog far too entertaining to ask you to come back. that and the jesus thing that got you over there.

*g*

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turning over a new leaf...

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The Game of Horseshoes.

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g