Thursday, November 26, 2009

Tebow in Buffalo? Definitely cause for thanksgiving.

1 - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

2 - Totally suggested that the Meyer/Tebow combo come to B-lo last week when they fired Jauron, and totally moving to Buffalo if it actually happens... http://www.timteblog.com/2009/11/tebow-draft-watch-jim-kelly-approves.html

(P.S. - this also happens to be my 15th post. Coincidence? I think not.)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Christmastime is (almost) here

One month until Christmas, people. ONE MONTH!

And so as not to put the cart before the horse, let's not be hasty and forget about the horse of a holiday headed our way tomorrow: Thanksgiving. Any day whose purpose revolves around food and football gets a very good rating in my book. AND the opportunity to be openly enthusiastic about the many blessings in life...this day could not get any better if it tried (unless it was Christmas...there's just no topping December 25th).

Not the least of these many blessings is the fact that the much abhorred church bells outside of my apartment are still out of commission...the lack of noise pollution on a twice hourly basis is cause for an overjoyed attitude of gratitude.

Thank you Lord for the silent passing of the day, and for the innumerable blessings of every day, seen and unseen - all of which are far more significant than muted bells.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Wonderful.

Things that are wonderful (mostly about this weekend, mostly in chronological order):
  • New Moon. Yes...seriously. And as a secondary point, midnight premieres. Yes...seriously.
  • Days off, especially when those days fall on Fridays.
  • Friends. (As in the TV show in this instance, but also as in the relational entity. That bullet to follow.)
  • Magazines.
  • Barnes and Noble.
  • Simply Crepes.
  • Hurd Orchards (and along with that, homemade baked goods and dried flowers).
  • Pictures, and endless shades of colors.
  • Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate.
  • Italian (the language, which I really want to learn, just for fun).
  • Unhurried time with friends.
  • Hearing the right song at the right time, especially at church.
  • Wegmans.
  • Two consecutive wins. Go Pack Go.
  • Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Pecan Cookies.
  • Brisk walks in crisp autumn air.
  • Beauty that is so beautiful it hurts a little, in a good way.
  • Literature that elicits a response.
  • New music.
  • Weekends.
A thing that is not so wonderful: the nagging feeling that accompanies Sunday nights, the one that keeps poking you persistently, telling you that weekend freedom is fleeing. Sigh.

Monday, November 16, 2009

I wonder how many glasses of OJ would equal this much Vitamin C...

Thanks to a couple hearty doses of Airborne, I consumed 3,334% of my daily allotment of Vitamin C today.

It's good to know that I'm covered in the Vitamin C department until about 2010.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Morning Diversion: Page 2 Power Rankings

Hardy: Page 2 Power Rankings (Nov. 9)

Found this morsel of entertainment while ignoring my yoga DVD this morning. I bought the Biggest Loser DVD expecting an invigorating yoga session with Bob, the positive, life-affirming contingent of the show's trainer duo. What I received was all-out boot camp with a little yoga thrown in, a certifiably unacceptable activity to perform before birds start chirping for the day. So instead of groaning alongside the agonized contestants in Warrior 2, I did my usual morning website circuit...and rejoined them during the cool down.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Water Filtration Calendar

I hadn't thought about how quickly this year has gone by until I reached into my pantry for a new Brita filter tonight and realized it was the last of my one year supply. I remember standing in Target last January thinking I was getting an excellent deal because the bulk box of filters would last me a whole year which is basically forever...and here it is almost a year later already and it hardly feels like basically forever. It's funny how something so trite can conceptualize the all too swift passing of time.

On a less philosophical note, I love new filter days (I know it's lame...but it's the truth).

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Really...Really???

Speechless:

Freeman leads winless Bucs past Pack in first pro start

And to think I was sure last week would be the low point of the season. Nope. Wrong. This is worse.

Four Random Thoughts

Random thoughts for the weekend:

1. It is unbelievably good to be in my own apartment, making my own coffee, hearing my own squirrels burrowing into the roof...
2. I am usually a strict no-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving person, but I am all about the holiday season right now. I bought Christmas stamps at the Post Office, an advent calendar at Hallmark, Christmas lights at Target...it's November 8th and apparently Christmastime is here.
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer was absolutely amazing - beautiful, insightful, true. I can't say enough about it, and nothing I could say would do it justice.
4. Throwback jerseys in the NFL are out of control...the Bucs look like padded creamsicles. If they beat us today it will be more shameful to be beaten by a team in pastels than a team without a win.

And with that, I'm off to enjoy this unseasonably beautiful November day.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

You Wouldn't Think a Day Could Be This Pathetic Before Noon...

Sometimes I wish I were the type of mild-mannered Christian woman who faces some sort of adversity and says, "Well that's just a blessing in disguise!" or "I'm so thankful for this unexpected opportunity for spiritual growth." But let's be honest...I have a better chance of making the Olympic Curling team than I do of that ever happening. That being said, here is my beef with this day in chronological order:

First of all, it's the fifth, and fives are notorious for hating me. I don't know what I did to upset them, but it's clear that we are not on good terms. So this day was pretty much doomed as soon as the clock struck twelve. Which is also when I went to bed because I was watching the World Series, and also the reason why I was none too pleased when my alarm went off a mere 6 hours later. Leaving my hotel for the day before 7:00 am doesn't exactly foster sentiments of contentment and joy, but what better way to rectify that than a steaming cup of coffee from the Promised Land? Imagine my dismay when I plugged Starbucks into my GPS and found not one near my current location, current route, or destination. Still attempting to befriend this day, I decided that I would just get coffee anywhere along the way; so long as I could be caffeinated this day and I could start amiably. Imagine my horror at driving all the way to my first high school visit without passing a single establishment willing to sell me a cup of coffee. Time: 7:45 am. Not a good start, Thursday, not a good start.

I plow on. I walk into my first visit feeling like my eyes have been tethered shut and my brain has been submerged in cement. The decaffeinated world has such a blurry, underwater quality to it at 8:00 am. However, I was quickly snapped into awareness at learning that I was scheduled as the Chapel speaker of that day. For the entire high school, about 150 kids. Imagine my surprise at finding out this juicy morsel of knowledge. Now on most days I would be able to take this in stride and run with it. However, on the second to last day of two months of travel with no coffee and zero tolerance for surprises, striding was out of the question. After taking in my befuddled expression the teacher who informed me of the duty I was about to perform asked, "Oh, did you not know about that?" Yes, I always look like I'm about to be hit by an oncoming bus when I'm fully prepared for an event.

So, much to my chagrin and everyone else's, I spoke in Chapel. Time: 8:30 am. Thursday was really on a roll at this point.

The first thing I do when I get into my car is type Starbucks into my GPS, knowing it is the only entity which will save this day from it's quickly approaching demise. I found one 9 miles away from the school I was leaving, and it was only 5 miles from the school I was going to. The sun shone a little brighter, the birds sang a little sweeter, and I took back a few of the more nasty thoughts I had directed toward Thursday.

Imagine my all-consuming rage when I find out that my demonic GPS has brought me to a rest stop on the thruway which, although is geographically only 5 miles from my next location, is actually 35 MILES away due to lack of appropriate exits and roadways leading to the school. Time: 9:00 am. At this point the sound of the impassioned screams emanating from my car could be heard state-wide.

The Starbucks in hand assuaged some of my wrath, although more and more crept back in with every additional mile I drove. Imagine my need for antidepressants as I pull into the parking lot of the school and find it to be, "Home of the VIKINGS!" Of course. Time: 10:00 am.

Being an Admissions Counselor at a college fair guarantees a variety and quality of conversation unfathomable to the rest of the sane world. I've been asked some interesting questions before, but this one is probably up there on the list of All Time Bests. After speaking with a student at length about our criminal justice major, he begins to gather brochures from the table. I ask, "Have you ever heard of Roberts before?" Imagine my mind shutting down in an act of self-preservation upon hearing his response, "What's Roberts?" Time: 11:00 am.

And, last but not least, imagine my total complacency at finding out that the college fair was raffling off Starbucks and Barnes and Noble giftcards to the admissions counselors, and I missed the memo about entering the drawing. It went so well with the theme of the day that I didn't even flinch. Time: 12:00 pm.

This day and I are officially done. In my head, it's already the 6th.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Ugh.

Packers lose to Judas and the Vikings, again.

A very small (and by small I mean nearly imperceptible) consolation prize: I won my first fantasy football game in 5 weeks.

But still...ugh.

D-Day

A short shout-out before the apocalypse begins, courtesy of my facebook status and indicative of my current emotions:

"Beka Watts thinks that if she were a better person, she would go the Tim Tebow route and inscribe Ephesians 4:32 in her eye black today for the Packers/Vikings game. Since she's not, she would probably go with Isaiah 33:1 instead."