Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter last night (don't worry, I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet), which means I'm basically useless today. Wow, I hate staying up that late. I slept in until about 11:30, but of course my brain is still meg fuzzy and lethargic. I'm happy that the sun has come back though. Soon it will be river-floating time. Woo hoo.

It was so funny yesterday, my neighbor/landlord June had called me on the phone to come over and see a new bouquet of something ("show-and-tell", she called it; she loves showing off her flowers...or even pictures of flowers). I wasn't able to come, though, because I was over working at the Pregnancy Center, but I left a message saying I'd try to stop by in the afternoon. Well, about 2:15, not long after I'd arrived home, the phone rings, and when I pick up, June says, "Would you like to have tea at 2:30 or 3:00?" It cracks me up when she does this--she likes to give me "positive choices," like a toddler. "Would you like to have naptime before or after your snack?" But, I wasn't particularly busy--just trying to decide what kind of dessert to make for an Anne of Avonlea-watching party that night--so I said 2:30 would be fine and went over and had tea with June. Of course, the blessing ended up being mine in the end, because not only did I get to have a lovely chat with her, she gave me the bouquet of Easter lilies and very fragrant pink roses, along with a large basket of marionberries, which solved the dessert problem.

So, I never allow myself to feel annoyed for longer than, like, a second when June uses creative methods to get me over for tea and a chat because I remember certain other neighbors and am immediately reminded of how lucky I am to have June.

Labels: ,

Posted by: DVE / 1:29 PM
4 comments

Monday, July 13, 2009

Things That Are Awesome 

1) Our new library! I visited our new public library today--the first weekday it's been open. It's bee-you-tiful. I never thought Lebanon would have such a great library. There are huge windows and easy chairs and ever so many shelves. Somehow all those books look more interesting on the brand-new shelves--I can't explain it. I only got to spend about an hour there today, but I envision many lovely hours of browsing and studying and reading.

2) The new Harry Potter movie! (Well, I haven't exactly seen it yet, but I'm taking it on faith that it will be awesome. And of course, the fact that it is coming out tomorrow night at midnight is totally awesome.) According to the interviews and such that I've listened to, this one will be more funny and less dark and action-y. Which makes sense, since both the seventh movies will be non-stop action.

3) The cream cheese mints that we made today for the wedding. Secretly, every wedding I go to I look around for these mints and am very disappointed if all they have are the standard pastel powdery ones. They aren't quite as good lukewarm, so I only ate one while we were rolling them and pressing them into molds. But on the day of the wedding, I'm going to be sneaking in before the ceremony and snitching them from the fridge, I can promise you.

4) Seeing like ten people I know at the paint store while in my sweaty paint clothes and bandana. Oh wait, no, that's actually NOT awesome.

5) The Hunger Games. I know I talked up this book already once on here, but I've been reading it aloud to one of my friends, and I'm repeatedly struck by how great the writing is. The first time around, I was really focused on the plot and the emotion and finding out what happens, but this time I'm paying a lot more attention to the language, and it's amazing. Seriously, read it.

6) Joss Whedon's comics. I've been reading Buffy Season 8 for awhile, and I love it of course, because I love all things Buffy (except possibly the new movie--what's that about?), but I discovered Whedon's Runaways series at the library today and read the collection of #25-30 because that's all they had, and I really liked it. It had a very Whedon feel, which is always a good thing. The more I read comics, the more I like them, but it has taken awhile to get used to the form. My tendency is to skim, focusing on the word bubbles, but you really have to slow down and study the drawings as well, panel by panel, because they often contain crucial elements of the plot that you would otherwise miss. I never thought I would get into comics, but the more they feature women NOT wearing pointy metal bras and without bodies in which most abdominal organs have apparently been relocated to the breasts and/or butt, the more I think they might be kinda ok.

Labels: ,

Posted by: DVE / 9:50 PM
0 comments

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Wow, this has been a busy week. Let me tell you all about it. Here's what has happened:



1) I cut my hair. I know I promised to do it way back when and then changed my mind, but this time it's really real. I have this kind of strange picture where I look a little crazed, but it gives you the idea.

2) I got stung by a bee for the first time EVER in my life. We were shearing our boxwoods the other day and I apparently chopped through a nest. Yes, it hurt, but the greatest pain was emotional. The pain of betrayal. Bees have always taken care of me before--we were friends. They buzzed harmlessly around me and treated me nicely. Well, it's all over now. Bees and me are through.


3) I also went to the dentist. It's been, let's see... over three years since I went last. Remember? I had that root canal and crown in grad school. Anyway, the dentist who did my crown was so great that I wanted to go back to him, but by the time I was ready for another cleaning, I had moved back to Lebanon and completely forgot his name AND the location of his office. So I had to go back to the U of O and trace my referrals until I figured out who had treated me. How did this take two years? Wellll, it may have had something to do with my aversion for going to the dentist in the first place. Procrastination on overdrive. So, anyway, I went back and guess what? I had NO cavities. Woo hoo! That is cause for some celebration.


4) One of our new pastors, named Shanette, invited me up to Salem to participate in a meal with the homeless that her current church helps organize. It was a great experience and it's definitely gotten me thinking about similar things that could be done for our substantial homeless population out at River Park. Not only do they provide a meal once a week (five churches take turns), they build relationships with the people in that area, so that when there is a need--like a medical problem or cold weather or whatever--they can trust (to whatever extent it's possible) that that need is legitimate. Also, they have been able to help a number of people into apartments or jobs, which is a more long-term solution than a meal here and there. But according to Shanette, getting to know them, listening to their stories and problems, and helping create a community for them are the most important things that this ministry provides. Neat, huh?

5) I got a netbook. Woot! I've been saving up for some time for a laptop, since the one my brother gave me awhile ago worked and then stopped working. :( I finally decided on a netbook because of how convenient they are. I discovered last year that hauling even a normal-sized laptop to school every day, along with all my other books, is kind of prohibitive. But this one is less than 3 pounds and fits in a purse! (I love gadgets.) Most of this post was typed on it, and I haven't found the keyboard to be uncomfortably small. Plus, it's going to be very convenient to use with my classroom projector.

6) I threw a little party last night for my National Honor Society students. I had promised them in the spring to try to take them out to lunch one day and it never happened, so this was my alternative. I didn't have a great turnout (blame the summer, I say), but we did have a really good time with the kids that came. Logan and I took on Geron and Ryan in badmitten and squeaked out a win in the last point. Which obviously makes us the Super Awesome Badmitten Champions Forever.

Yes, and all that happened just this week. Whew. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight. I'm completely wiped out.

Labels:

Posted by: DVE / 9:05 PM
1 comments

Monday, July 06, 2009

Like Twilight?

Like Buffy?

Ever wonder what Buffy would say if she met Edward?

Now's your chance to find out.

Trust me, it's everything you've ever dreamed.

Labels: , ,

Posted by: DVE / 10:00 PM
2 comments

Thursday, June 25, 2009

All right, I'm going to call the vote. As it stands, there is a tie between "Begin" and "Wonder," so I'm going to exercise my vote to break the tie and pick "Wonder." I couldn't decide when I first made that post, but the more I went back and looked at it, the more I favored the last one. I like it because it matches my room and the weirdness of it actually appeals to me. Besides, I'm always better at wondering than at actually beginning. :)

I spent yesterday working at the nursery, painting one of the office buildings. It's an old house and the siding is practially falling off (in places, at least), but we're giving it one more coat of paint to eke out a couple more years. Anyway, that rough cedar siding means painting with a brush, which = major hard work in the hot sun. But I had Speaking of Faith and Galactic Watercooler and Pottercast to keep me entertained. And I feel very strong and Amazon-like after painting by hand for ten hours. :)
Posted by: DVE / 8:37 AM
0 comments

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tell me if any of you have this experience...do you ever notice that when you're not really spending time in the Bible and in prayer, spiritual concepts--maybe from books that you pick up or said in church or mentioned by a friend, or even from the Bible itself--start to sound empty and trite. You start to find fault with sermons, notice the flaws and inconstencies, entertain more doubts. And it becomes harder and harder to get motivated to do anything about it.

Whereas when you are making purposeful time in your life for God, intentionally being thankful, spending time in self-reflection, pursuing humility in prayer, those statements/concepts/quotes become real again; you can find the best in them. That's not to say that you lose your ability to be critical (in the best sense), but space is created for those ideas to be entertained honestly in your mind.

At least, that's what I thought about today when I read this verse:
"To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Rom. 8:6
Posted by: DVE / 9:04 AM
0 comments

Monday, June 22, 2009

I have only 10 pages left in my journal (that would be the replacement of the one lost last summer at the Chicago airport). So, I'm looking to get a new one from the same company, Papayalicious. Here's what I love about the one I have:

1) The cover is bee-you-tiful (and unique).
2) It's thin--not too bulky to fit in a purse or slip in with other books.
3) The paper inside is actually attractive. (I hate it when journals have a really pretty cover and then the inside is this hideous paper. Or if it's too froofy--like bright pink or something.)
4) Half the pages are lined and half are unlined. The perfect compromise.
5) The lines are college-rule. Which is important.
6) The pages are big enough to write a decent amount--about 6x9".
7) It has an attached ribbon bookmark.

Here's what I don't love:
1) It's not spiral-bound.
2) It starts to fall apart after about 8 months (clearly, I need to write faster).

Obviously, the pros win out. (At least until I find a journal with no cons at all...) So, I've gone to Papayalicious's website and picked three choices for my new journal that you get to vote on. Here they are:
BEGIN

FLAMINGO

WONDER
Vote in the comments!

Labels:

Posted by: DVE / 10:09 AM
9 comments

Saturday, June 20, 2009

News, Thoughts, Links 

The first thing that's been on my mind this morning is the fate of the protesters in Iran. In case you've been out of touch with the news lately (no judgment here--that happens to me often), here's a recap: Iran held a presidential election last week and the purported results showed a victory of around 65% to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent, who is supported by Ayotallah Khameini, the supreme leader of Iraq. However, those results are mighty sketchy, for reasons that a John Green video outlines much better than I could. Supporters of the reformist-ish candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, began protesting election fraud and those protests have continued now for several days. Yesterday, Khameini told the protesters to disperse and warned that they would be responsible for any violence that occurred. Today (which is to say, from yesterday evening until midday today in US time), police and basij (the volunteer militia, sort of) have been shooting, tear-gassing, beating, and otherwise harming protesters all over Iran. When the wounded are taken to hospitals, police are waiting to carry them away. Instead, many protesters have been bringing wounded to European embassies to be cared for. You can keep up with what's going on at these Twitter sites: IranRiggedElection, IranElection09, Smileofcrash, Persiankiwi. Or if you prefer to read an actual article, here's one. I don't know that Mousavi would be necessarily all that much better of a president (from a US perspective), but the people of Iran still have the right to have their choice of a leader respected.

Other things I've been meaning to share with you:

I've been hearing some weird language usage lately--particularly, people who are verbing words in business contexts. At H&M in Seattle a few weeks ago, I overheard these beauties from some staff members: 1) "When you're merchandizing..." 2) "Do you think you would wardrobe this with that?" And then the other day at the Pregnancy Alternative Center, the volunteer supervisor asked me 3) "to reception." As in, be the receptionist. Do these not just grate on your ears? I don't even know what #1 means. Presumably #2 means, "Would you pair these two items of clothing in a display outfit?" but surely it can be said in a more graceful way. And #3 is just ugly and results from the obsolescence of "receive" as the root of "reception" and "receptionist." Bleh.

And on the In My Life Channel, the latest news: I have been injured. Yes, while fruitlessly chasing the world's naughtiest dog, who had absconded with a glove (hours after chewing apart Father's work boots), I tripped over my own feet and landed on my shoulder, which is now massively bruised. I also spent 8 hours scraping paint off a nursery building yesterday, so my upper body is basically one giant sore muscle. I was going to go back and work today too, but that's feeling less likely. I think I'll probably instead spend the afternoon cleaning my very dirty house and moping about how my arm hurts.

Did you know that the movie Ivanhoe is now out on DVD? Those of you who shared Professor Hill's class know which one I mean--it stars Olivia Hussey and Anthony Andrews. I watched an old VHS version in Brit Lit at NNU and slept through the middle third of it. (Yes, I did occasionally sleep through classes in college.) I was ticked when I woke up because I did actually want to watch it, and I thought I'd never have the chance. But now it's back and all remastered and pretty. You should watch it. It's awesome.

Lastly, I recommend that you head on over to youtube and watch Harry Potter, the Musical. Just in case you ever wondered how on earth Professor Quirrel could sleep.

Labels: , ,

Posted by: DVE / 1:09 PM
3 comments

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

You can call me Flower if you want to. 

There was a baby skunk in my yard yesterday. Yup, around 5 o'clock I looked up from my computer and saw a black-and-white figure toddling around my back yard, nose to the ground. Hold on, aren't skunks nocturnal? I asked myself. Well, there was counter evidence, right before my eyes. I watched him wander around the perimeter of the grass before climbing up and over the mound and disappearing into tall weeds. Huh, weird. I thought. I told my dad about it later at our church meeting. "During the daytime?" he asked. "Huh."

When I got home, June was out working. "Have you seen our new visitors?" she said, and pointed to the skunk, who was over in her driveway now.

"Oh, yeah, that guy was over in my yard earlier. He walked all around..."

"Actually, there's five of them," she said. "They live under my house."

Oh.

So, of course something must be done. The property already smells faintly of skunk. (Not that I really mind that smell too much--when it's faint, that is.) But they are really cute--I mean really. And not particularly scared of people. The little one that was out in the evening wandered up and down while June and I looked at our flowers. I have this mad urge to put out food for them.

Not that I will. I just think it's so adorable the way they sort of rock back and forth when they walk. And their little faces. I mean, look at it. I had a stuffed skunk that I slept with for awhile when I was little--maybe that has something to do with it.

But, alas, June has already called an exterminator, so their days are numbered. Maybe they'll wander off and find a happy little home in the woods before he gets here. I'm gonna just hope.

Labels: ,

Posted by: DVE / 8:22 AM
1 comments

Monday, June 15, 2009

How do y'all feel about Twitter? I kind of feel towards it the way I used to feel about MySpace and after that, about texting--that it's an annoying toy for people who have too much free time in their lives and feel the need to spend it making superficial and self-involved announcements about themselves.

Of course, now I am actually on MySpace and Facebook, and I do occasionally text people, so I think I can see where this is going. And if you've been online at all recently, you've probably seen too that Twitter is completely everywhere--it's replacing people's blogs, it's replacing some message boards. There are people whose internet presence has shifted in large part onto Twitter. (And can I just say that the whole vocabulary is sort of irritating to me: "tweets" and "twitted" and "twittering." Thank goodness I don't have to use these words in aural conversation or Miss Kitty Fantastico would probably launch herself at me from across the room, teeth and claws bared.)

In fact, I've been reading (and watching) today about how much of the news from the troubled Iranian election yesterday has been coming through on Twitter, since the government of Iran has shut down most of the news outlets. So, apparently not all tweets are comprised of the lunch menus of celebrities. Plus, all the cool kids are doing it. I'm trying to hold out in my little 140-characters-is-not-meaningful-writing bunker, but I don't know how long it's going to last. And, well, frankly, although a good 65% of my brain thinks Twitter is pretty much useless and a big time-waster, and maybe 25% is intrigued by the few worthwhile uses for Twitter, I have to admit that the remaining 10% thinks it would be... um... kinda fun to tell the world random things about my life throughout the day. What can I say? I'm a child of the blogging age.

Labels:

Posted by: DVE / 8:43 AM
3 comments

Friday, June 12, 2009

Ahhhh... *she sighs a giant sigh of relief, having at last graded all papers, entered all grades, filed all lesson plans, reshelved all books, attended all meetings, vacuumed all carpet, inventoried all materials, stacked all chairs, and signed all forms, and being now at leisure to begin her summer vacation*

The vacation is not starting off entirely roses, however, as I have come down with a curious and disagreeable condition whereby my left eye is bloodshot, puffy, and teeth-grindingly itchy. Conjunctivitis it is not. I have some theories, but I'll keep them to myself. Needless to say, the vast majority of my energy is devoted to maintaining the thread of self-control that keeps me from scrubbing my eye out with a grill brush. With the rest, I've been organizing some school files, putting together lists of poetry for next year, and reading a really excellent fantasy novel recommended by the good people at Powells. :) The Name of the Wind. It was awesome. I probably spent like twelve hours reading it this week. The only thing is I didn't realize it was the beginning of a series, so I was all expecting to get the narrator's whole life story and ended up only getting like up to his sixteenth year or something. It was one of those things where your fingers realize the books is winding down and your subconscious goes, Hold on, we can't be there yet... and you get all confused and have to flip back to the title page and see "Part 1" or whatever. *sight* And the worst part is that there's no release date yet for book 2. Sad.

Everyone keeps asking me what my plans are for the summer, and for the first time in a long, long time, I really don't have any. I can't afford to go anywhere. Mostly I'll be working--either for money or on school stuff. Helping out with my sister's wedding. Garden. Volunteering some at the Pregnancy Alternatives Center, I expect. Reading a lot. Probably not too much else. I'm ok with it. I need the break.

Labels: ,

Posted by: DVE / 11:10 PM
2 comments

Friday, June 05, 2009

Guess What Day It Is? 

And guess what time it is?

Labels:

Posted by: DVE / 11:47 AM
5 comments

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

How to make a Burger King hamburger palatable 

1) Take it home
2) Unwrap
3) Open and place hamburger patty on separate plate
4) Microwave 30 seconds
5) Place top and bottom bun in toaster
6) Toast
7) Go out to garden and pick two leaves of lettuce
8) Wash and dry lettuce
9) Remove original lettuce from wrapping and discard
10) Reassemble burger ingredients
11) Enjoy
Posted by: DVE / 5:42 PM
1 comments

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Is there anything potentially hazardous in this book? 

Ok, so back when the post office changed their policy about leaving packages in mailboxes, I know I blogged about it, but I can't find the post to link to, so I'll just give your a recap: It's massively stupid and inconvenient. That's my opinion. It hasn't changed now that the policy has been in effect for a year or two. I still don't appreciate having to physically travel to the post office with my innocent package, stand in line, hand the package to the postal clerk, say, "no, I don't want insurance, delivery confirmation, or rushed delivery," etcetera, etcetera. I still have no idea how personally walking in and handing my package to the clerk prevents it from being a bomb. I still think that the inconvenience and cost to millions of citizens greatly outweighs whatever security benefit could be gleaned from one or two dangerous packages that are maybe stopped by this law. But whatever.


The point is, most of the packages I bring in are books that I'm sending to someone via Paperback Swap.com, so sometimes the clerk will say, "Is there anything dangerous, flammable, or potentially hazardous in this book?" And I always want to respond with a clever comeback like, "I certainly hope so," or "Just on page 45" or whatever, but I'm a little bit afraid that a team of riot-gear-wearing soldiers from Homeland Security will jump out from behind the counter, tackle me to the ground, and throw me in an unmarked van if I do, and I'll never be heard from again. So I just look blandly at him and say, "no," and take my receipt, and leave. But next time, I'm going to say it. I really am. And if I suddenly go missing, you'll know why.

Labels: ,

Posted by: DVE / 4:59 PM
3 comments

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?