again with the no internet. grr. why doesn't earthlink have local access numbers in every town in the country? isn't that their job? whatever. here's the update.
day six
drove to carlsbad, NM. boring drive, of course. we did go to roswell, and we went to the museum, and it was super cheesy but we had fun anyway. no, we did NOT take our pictures with the glittery flying saucer model or with the movie prop alien. tell me, why is it that we always assume that life from other planets is small, with big heads, no hair, and no clothes? this makes no sense. it's as bad as racism--isn't this the way we thought about africans, south americans, indigenous australians, etc, for many many years? anyway....it was fun to visit there, and we got to carlsbad caverns in time for the bat flight!
it was so so so cool....almost half a million bats flew out of the cave at sunset! too bad there were loud people nearby, but as i always say (whatever) "those who endure to the end shall be rewarded." we waited it out and once they left, the bats would fly SUPER close. some of them, i could even hear their wings beating they were so close! it was absolutely awesome.
so anyway, we spent the night in carlsbad and went to the caverns in the morning.
day seven
Carlsbad Caverns.
SO awesome. beautiful, and thankfully different from mammoth cave, because i've been there before! we took the Kings Palace tour, which was ranger guided. i love blackout tours, where the ranger turns the lights off for a few minutes and you can see how dark caves really are. anyway, then we did the self-guided "Big Room" tour, which was very good too. the room is absolutely huge. there are lots of formations too...but there's not as much color as mammoth cave. that's probably good, because mom apparently remembers something about the color of mammoth cave being caused by algae that grew because of the lighting system, so it wasn't actually part of the natural cave ecosystem. since, after all, calcite is colorless. anyway...the caverns rocked. heheh!
there is a lunchroom (and restrooms, yay!) down there, 75 stories underground. the options of food didn't look so good (the veggie burger would have to be microwaved. i don't think so.) so we just ate a super pretzel and went upstairs to the restaurant where I could have a veggie burger from the grill. :-) it was fun.
then we drove on...mom took a "shortcut" that meant we didn't have to go back north to carlsbad, then south on US285. we cut down on whatever highway we were already on, then on an 'other road' (according to the handy-dandy atlas) over to 285. uh huh. there's a reason it's called an 'other road'. anyway...we got there. we were planning to stop in fort stockton but decided to keep driving because it was only 5-ish. we got to Sonora, TX, and decided to go ahead and stop. thanks to the Discount Traveler Guide we got $20 off a Days Inn room, and the front desk woman gave us a good tip on dinner. we ate some great mexican! with the chips and salsa they brought this mint-green stuff that was kind of weird looking. mom said it tasted good but it was so bizarre looking that i couldn't bring myself to do it. anyway, we finally asked the waitress what it was. it turned out to be avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and garlic. it really was good--but it was mint green! why would i eat that without knowing what it was first? anyway....yum. and the chips....have you ever seen "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" you know they have a game called "props." well, the chips were REALLY big half-circle shapes. like at least 4-5 inches in diameter. so we played a little game of props while waiting for dinner....elephant ears, toucan noses, cheesy grins....yeah. hilarious!
we managed to find the mariner game on tv because they were playing the braves...so it was on TBS. we watched it all and yay the m's won!! :-) and, of course, mom and i were cracking each other up the whole time. we laughed so hard that i didn't breathe for at least a minute. heheh! i'm always amusing, after all. :-)
day eight
we drove to amy's house. we stopped in San Antonio and saw the Alamo, did the riverwalk, ate, played around...then drove the rest of the way.
The Alamo was VERY cool, although now i'm quite sure that i know enough texas history to last me a lifetime. it was warm out, and sunny...we did the museums, bought a keychain and a magnet (keychain for me, magnet for mom, obviously), and moved on. however, we were in San Antonio for almost 4 hours. :-) we found a metered parking spot, which was apparently a good find!
we also saw this "saloon and museum" on our way back from the river walk. it was EXTREMELY bizarre--unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the museum part. there were lots of animal heads on the wall, and inside it appeared to be a large number of stuffed animals. real ones, stuffed. eew.
so we drove on to the Woodlands. (north of Houston) thankfully the rand mcnally directions were in fact to amy's house! we got here, we mingled, we slept. really it was mingling until late into the night, of course. good times! amy's fam is fun, and so far all is well!
so amy, rachel (amy's college friend) and i are sleeping in a queen bed. amy's in the middle. not long after we go to bed, amy wiggles out via the bottom of the bed and plops onto the floor...i had to laugh silently because she thought i was asleep. heheheheh!!! i was dying! it was so funny. she decided to sleep on the floor...even though she was preaching in the morning. i offered to sleep there, she declined. until the morning. heheh!
day nine
amy preached an awesome sermon ever!! it rocked. good times. amy and rachel and i have been chatting away all afternoon...and now i have to do my laundry. ttfn!
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Thursday, June 12, 2003
no internet access for the last couple of days...sorry...will try to be better as there are mostly bigger towns on the way now. :-)
The Epic Road Trip
day three
Six Flags Magic Mountain. Awesome. I thought I was going to die several times, but had a blast…it was great. My aunt played hookey from school (she’s an elementary teacher) and came too—it was fab! Was so tired when we got home that I pretty much passed out.
The Epic Road Trip
day four
Driving to the Grand Canyon. Good times had by all, of course! Again, mom keeps driving and I keep passenging. Passengering? Whatever…not driving! We tried SO HARD to get there by sunset, but nnoooooo, due to a freaking PARADE closing a block of the street we needed to drive on in order to get there! Dumb town. Anyway, we drove much of the way on Route 66 instead of I-40 because it was scenic and we could. We got to the GC at 8, the sun had set at 7:45. so we looked around, then went to the evening program. Ranger Randy presented a thoroughly fascinating hour on “six sweet souvenirs” to take from the grand canyon. I was so enthralled….until he started to sing and mom actually said (joking, of course) “maybe we can buy his cd!” and I busted out laughing even harder than I had been before. And no, I’m not joking about his name. oy. It was so awful, I begged to be allowed to leave mid-presentation. Mom said no. anyway, he was all into the powerpoint, the singing (Badly, and asking for audience participation that was even worse) with the guitar…and talking like everyone was 6 even though the average age in the place was probably 50.
Thankfully, we decided to get a hotel close to the canyon. I think the hour drive back to Williams would have killed me…and the hour up in the morning wouldn’t have been so fun either.
The Epic Road Trip
day five
Holes in the Ground, rocks that used to be trees, really old houses. Really really old rocks. (duh)
The Grand Canyon was super awesome—looked at lots of cool things, took photos, had a great time. Beautiful, awe-inspiring, etc. Drove briefly through Navajo Reservation—distressing poverty, or at least distressing lack of pride and therefore lack of cleanliness on the property. Some funny signs though—like by the little jewelry markets signs would say “nice Indians, behind you!” or “friendly Indians ahead!” or “got turquoise?” I was amused. There were several pueblo ruins in our day, which was VERY cool. For the second day in a row we ate lunch at Del Taco. Surprisingly good, and it’s not taco bell, which means that we’re not boycotting it, so it’s even better! We tried to see the meteor crater but it was ridiculously expensive and I didn’t want to go in the museum—I just wanted to stand on the edge of the meteor crater, duh! It’s big, though, so we saw the impact on the drive up to it, and we saw the picture in the brochure. That’s going to have to be good enough—it was so much $$ that even I, the non-budget girl, nearly had a heart attack. The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest were SO COOL, we spent almost 3 hours in the park after they told us it takes people 45 minutes to 2 hours to see it. And we skipped a couple of trails. There’s just so many pieces of tree!
The town we were supposed to stay in tonight was super shady, so we drove half an hour to the next one. The first town, as we were driving in, had two LDS churches and an Assembly of God. There were two hotels, and the only restaurant appeared to be the one at the Days Inn, which looked sketchy and smoky. The whole town looked dead and the weird vibes (especially the slightly odd LDS vibes…no offense meant…) were overpowering and I insisted that we keep driving. I’m glad we did. We’re in a nice, clean hotel, we ate really good pizza, and there was a Safeway where we could buy milk and swipe plastic spoons so we can eat cereal out of the plastic cups next to the sink in the morning. :-) ha!
Anyway, we have 10 hours of driving tomorrow so I’m going to bed. I know this isn’t very exciting, but I promise it’s a good time in the car, so far. We’ve listened to 24 cd’s since leaving home. We’ve filled the gas tank only 6 times (maybe 7?), but then again susan drove everywhere on Monday. We’ve seen some pretty good road signs. No elk, though, in spite of signs that warn us to “be alert” for them for the next 36 miles. We did see two California condors today, though! I’m waiting to see my first saguaro cactus. That will be an exciting little moment. :-)
We’re stopping briefly in Roswell, NM tomorrow. If we see any UFO’s, y’all will be the first to know, I promise. Heheh!
Time for sleep so that day six can be productive! tatafornow…
The Epic Road Trip
day three
Six Flags Magic Mountain. Awesome. I thought I was going to die several times, but had a blast…it was great. My aunt played hookey from school (she’s an elementary teacher) and came too—it was fab! Was so tired when we got home that I pretty much passed out.
The Epic Road Trip
day four
Driving to the Grand Canyon. Good times had by all, of course! Again, mom keeps driving and I keep passenging. Passengering? Whatever…not driving! We tried SO HARD to get there by sunset, but nnoooooo, due to a freaking PARADE closing a block of the street we needed to drive on in order to get there! Dumb town. Anyway, we drove much of the way on Route 66 instead of I-40 because it was scenic and we could. We got to the GC at 8, the sun had set at 7:45. so we looked around, then went to the evening program. Ranger Randy presented a thoroughly fascinating hour on “six sweet souvenirs” to take from the grand canyon. I was so enthralled….until he started to sing and mom actually said (joking, of course) “maybe we can buy his cd!” and I busted out laughing even harder than I had been before. And no, I’m not joking about his name. oy. It was so awful, I begged to be allowed to leave mid-presentation. Mom said no. anyway, he was all into the powerpoint, the singing (Badly, and asking for audience participation that was even worse) with the guitar…and talking like everyone was 6 even though the average age in the place was probably 50.
Thankfully, we decided to get a hotel close to the canyon. I think the hour drive back to Williams would have killed me…and the hour up in the morning wouldn’t have been so fun either.
The Epic Road Trip
day five
Holes in the Ground, rocks that used to be trees, really old houses. Really really old rocks. (duh)
The Grand Canyon was super awesome—looked at lots of cool things, took photos, had a great time. Beautiful, awe-inspiring, etc. Drove briefly through Navajo Reservation—distressing poverty, or at least distressing lack of pride and therefore lack of cleanliness on the property. Some funny signs though—like by the little jewelry markets signs would say “nice Indians, behind you!” or “friendly Indians ahead!” or “got turquoise?” I was amused. There were several pueblo ruins in our day, which was VERY cool. For the second day in a row we ate lunch at Del Taco. Surprisingly good, and it’s not taco bell, which means that we’re not boycotting it, so it’s even better! We tried to see the meteor crater but it was ridiculously expensive and I didn’t want to go in the museum—I just wanted to stand on the edge of the meteor crater, duh! It’s big, though, so we saw the impact on the drive up to it, and we saw the picture in the brochure. That’s going to have to be good enough—it was so much $$ that even I, the non-budget girl, nearly had a heart attack. The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest were SO COOL, we spent almost 3 hours in the park after they told us it takes people 45 minutes to 2 hours to see it. And we skipped a couple of trails. There’s just so many pieces of tree!
The town we were supposed to stay in tonight was super shady, so we drove half an hour to the next one. The first town, as we were driving in, had two LDS churches and an Assembly of God. There were two hotels, and the only restaurant appeared to be the one at the Days Inn, which looked sketchy and smoky. The whole town looked dead and the weird vibes (especially the slightly odd LDS vibes…no offense meant…) were overpowering and I insisted that we keep driving. I’m glad we did. We’re in a nice, clean hotel, we ate really good pizza, and there was a Safeway where we could buy milk and swipe plastic spoons so we can eat cereal out of the plastic cups next to the sink in the morning. :-) ha!
Anyway, we have 10 hours of driving tomorrow so I’m going to bed. I know this isn’t very exciting, but I promise it’s a good time in the car, so far. We’ve listened to 24 cd’s since leaving home. We’ve filled the gas tank only 6 times (maybe 7?), but then again susan drove everywhere on Monday. We’ve seen some pretty good road signs. No elk, though, in spite of signs that warn us to “be alert” for them for the next 36 miles. We did see two California condors today, though! I’m waiting to see my first saguaro cactus. That will be an exciting little moment. :-)
We’re stopping briefly in Roswell, NM tomorrow. If we see any UFO’s, y’all will be the first to know, I promise. Heheh!
Time for sleep so that day six can be productive! tatafornow…
Monday, June 09, 2003
the epic road trip
day two
thankfully, i got to sleep an extra two hours over yesterday. i was so tired. even sleeping on the floor at joan and eddie's house was good. ha!
the drive through california to LA was decidedly less than exciting. several wineries, but it was early in the morning and we weren't about to stop for wine tasting at 9am. can you imagine? we saw a lot of...vineyards. and random bits of grass. and one oil well. about five feet off the freeway! very bizarre. essentially, the drive was thoroughly uneventful. mom drove all the way again. i didn't nap today though.
tomorrow is six flags magic mountain. yay! 12 hours open...probably a lot of hours we'll be in the park! good times.
well, after the four-alarm fire susan's dinner started in my mouth, and the huge mint chip milkshake i had at mothers, not to mention the hour-long trip around huntington beach and long beach seeing where mom and susan grew up, including schools, hang outs, and the beach...and more oil wells...i'm tired. it's a long day tomorrow with magic mountain, so i'm going to bed. i can hardly believe how tired i am! finally, i get to sleep in a bed. i never thought one night on a floor would be so traumatic. the main issue was that i was supposedly sleeping on this cushion from the deck chair, which is a chaise-lounge cushion. i also had a body pillow next to it, so it would be a little wider (the cushion was only maybe 18 inches wide). unfortunately, i turned over and went between the cushion and the pillow, and woke up that way. on the floor, basically. it would have been better to start on the floor instead, and at least not have the shattered illusions of the cushion--y promise!
right. bed. yay. :-)
day two
thankfully, i got to sleep an extra two hours over yesterday. i was so tired. even sleeping on the floor at joan and eddie's house was good. ha!
the drive through california to LA was decidedly less than exciting. several wineries, but it was early in the morning and we weren't about to stop for wine tasting at 9am. can you imagine? we saw a lot of...vineyards. and random bits of grass. and one oil well. about five feet off the freeway! very bizarre. essentially, the drive was thoroughly uneventful. mom drove all the way again. i didn't nap today though.
tomorrow is six flags magic mountain. yay! 12 hours open...probably a lot of hours we'll be in the park! good times.
well, after the four-alarm fire susan's dinner started in my mouth, and the huge mint chip milkshake i had at mothers, not to mention the hour-long trip around huntington beach and long beach seeing where mom and susan grew up, including schools, hang outs, and the beach...and more oil wells...i'm tired. it's a long day tomorrow with magic mountain, so i'm going to bed. i can hardly believe how tired i am! finally, i get to sleep in a bed. i never thought one night on a floor would be so traumatic. the main issue was that i was supposedly sleeping on this cushion from the deck chair, which is a chaise-lounge cushion. i also had a body pillow next to it, so it would be a little wider (the cushion was only maybe 18 inches wide). unfortunately, i turned over and went between the cushion and the pillow, and woke up that way. on the floor, basically. it would have been better to start on the floor instead, and at least not have the shattered illusions of the cushion--y promise!
right. bed. yay. :-)
The Epic Road Trip
day one
we left early. a nearly ungodly hour--6:30 we were out the door.
we drove a long way. a long long way. in very boring country--south central washington, eastern oregon, and north-central california...all desert, desert, and more desert.
Highlights of the day: very bizarre looking animal statue (about 5000 times larger than life) that was very distressing...mom called it a tapir, and i called it a messed-up-looking cow. whatever. it may have been made of metal...it was black, and we later found out that it's been there roughly, oh, forever.
we stopped briefly at castle crags state park to see what was up. the park ranger gave me the world's most blank stare when i asked her "what's in here?" and ultimately she gave us some made-up info about the rocks inside, then looked at mom and i (dressed in shorts and t-shirts, i was wearing sandals...) and said "it's rated one of the top fifty rock climbs in the US." hmm. do we look like rock climbers? and if we were, wouldn't we know what was in the park? anyway, we didn't stay and check it out because it was $4 just to go in, and it was 2.7 miles hiking, one way, to the base of the rocks. so we looked at them from the freeway as we were driving away. oh yeah, she also claimed there were lovely views of mt. shasta. Lady, we drove straight at the base of the mountain for about an hour, on a completely clear and sunny day. we've seen the mountain from two sides now...don't worry.
next detour was lake shasta caverns. the drive up the hill was kind of distressing--i was so sure that mom would drive us off the edge of the cliff. thankfully, not. anyway...we got up there, looked around, but didn't go in the caves for several reasons. One, the pictures looked remarkably like Mammoth Cave. Two, it took two hours. Three, it was $18 per person. Four, we are visiting Carlsbad Caverns later in the trip.
partway to sacramento, in corning, we HAD to stop at the Olive Pit. olive tasting, a deli/restaurant, and more kinds of olives than you've ever seen made for a thoroughly enjoyable hour. that's right, an hour. we tasted, we debated, we went outside to talk on the phone briefly, we tasted more, we looked, i had a milkshake, we looked, finally we purchased. they were so good--i tasted green olives stuffed with parmesan and romano cheese, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic...i tried ranch-style, and some other ones i don't remember...mom tried anything hot--chile, mexican, texas something-or-other, and the blue cheese (not hot, but apparently very tasty). anyway...yeah. fab.
so anyway, we drove to sacramento. we got there at about 7:30...13 hours. with two hours of stops. so the total drive was 11 hours! hmm...speeding? maybe just a little. literally--mom drove the whole way and she normally won't go above 10 miles over. whatever...just wait until i get in the driver's seat and we're driving through new mexico desert!!
anyway, we got to my grandma's cousin's house around 7:30, and my grandparents were already there, of course. we chatted for a long time, and went to bed around 10. good times.
day one
we left early. a nearly ungodly hour--6:30 we were out the door.
we drove a long way. a long long way. in very boring country--south central washington, eastern oregon, and north-central california...all desert, desert, and more desert.
Highlights of the day: very bizarre looking animal statue (about 5000 times larger than life) that was very distressing...mom called it a tapir, and i called it a messed-up-looking cow. whatever. it may have been made of metal...it was black, and we later found out that it's been there roughly, oh, forever.
we stopped briefly at castle crags state park to see what was up. the park ranger gave me the world's most blank stare when i asked her "what's in here?" and ultimately she gave us some made-up info about the rocks inside, then looked at mom and i (dressed in shorts and t-shirts, i was wearing sandals...) and said "it's rated one of the top fifty rock climbs in the US." hmm. do we look like rock climbers? and if we were, wouldn't we know what was in the park? anyway, we didn't stay and check it out because it was $4 just to go in, and it was 2.7 miles hiking, one way, to the base of the rocks. so we looked at them from the freeway as we were driving away. oh yeah, she also claimed there were lovely views of mt. shasta. Lady, we drove straight at the base of the mountain for about an hour, on a completely clear and sunny day. we've seen the mountain from two sides now...don't worry.
next detour was lake shasta caverns. the drive up the hill was kind of distressing--i was so sure that mom would drive us off the edge of the cliff. thankfully, not. anyway...we got up there, looked around, but didn't go in the caves for several reasons. One, the pictures looked remarkably like Mammoth Cave. Two, it took two hours. Three, it was $18 per person. Four, we are visiting Carlsbad Caverns later in the trip.
partway to sacramento, in corning, we HAD to stop at the Olive Pit. olive tasting, a deli/restaurant, and more kinds of olives than you've ever seen made for a thoroughly enjoyable hour. that's right, an hour. we tasted, we debated, we went outside to talk on the phone briefly, we tasted more, we looked, i had a milkshake, we looked, finally we purchased. they were so good--i tasted green olives stuffed with parmesan and romano cheese, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic...i tried ranch-style, and some other ones i don't remember...mom tried anything hot--chile, mexican, texas something-or-other, and the blue cheese (not hot, but apparently very tasty). anyway...yeah. fab.
so anyway, we drove to sacramento. we got there at about 7:30...13 hours. with two hours of stops. so the total drive was 11 hours! hmm...speeding? maybe just a little. literally--mom drove the whole way and she normally won't go above 10 miles over. whatever...just wait until i get in the driver's seat and we're driving through new mexico desert!!
anyway, we got to my grandma's cousin's house around 7:30, and my grandparents were already there, of course. we chatted for a long time, and went to bed around 10. good times.
Saturday, June 07, 2003
The Epic Road Trip
I've been in WA three days (including the day i flew in, after missing the plane and getting on a later one...long story involving the El and a forty-five-minute window to check luggage...which I missed...anyway). it turns out that I am getting the Explorer, which is great news. i'm so excited to have that car, you have no idea! anyway...the road trip begins.
Part I: preparation
the map is made.
the car is prepared: A/C fixed, ABS checked up and fixed, oil changed, car washed, windows Rain-Xed (just in case it should rain on our route through the desert in the summertime), digital compass installed and calibrated.
snacks, beverages, and other road trip essentials (sunscreen, emergency kit, etc) purchased and piled in dining room.
packing....not started.
leaving...in 9 hours.
the basic route is:
day 1: Yakima to Sacramento. 13 + hours.
day 2: Sacramento to Long Beach. 7-ish hours.
day 3: Magic Mountain.
day 4: Long Beach to Grand Canyon. 9-ish hours.
day 5: Grand Canyon, then to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. 5-ish hours driving.
day 6: St. Johns Arizona to Carlsbad Caverns (new mexico). 11 hours.
day 7: Carlsbad Caverns, early in the morning --> early afternoon. drive to Fort Stockton, TX. 4-ish hours.
day 8: Ft. Stockton to San Antonio, see the Alamo, drive on to the Woodlands (just north of houston). maybe 8 hours? i can't remember.
day 9: church...Amy's preaching!
day 10: six flags houston.
day 11: houston to new orleans. several hours.
day 12: new orleans to atlanta. 8 hours driving the speed limit, but honestly....after 12 days...who knows.
I'll be taking note of interesting or not interesting things along the way, and I'll post every day about the adventures of the Epic Road Trip. Watch this space!
in the meantime, i have to pack. excuse me. :-)
I've been in WA three days (including the day i flew in, after missing the plane and getting on a later one...long story involving the El and a forty-five-minute window to check luggage...which I missed...anyway). it turns out that I am getting the Explorer, which is great news. i'm so excited to have that car, you have no idea! anyway...the road trip begins.
Part I: preparation
the map is made.
the car is prepared: A/C fixed, ABS checked up and fixed, oil changed, car washed, windows Rain-Xed (just in case it should rain on our route through the desert in the summertime), digital compass installed and calibrated.
snacks, beverages, and other road trip essentials (sunscreen, emergency kit, etc) purchased and piled in dining room.
packing....not started.
leaving...in 9 hours.
the basic route is:
day 1: Yakima to Sacramento. 13 + hours.
day 2: Sacramento to Long Beach. 7-ish hours.
day 3: Magic Mountain.
day 4: Long Beach to Grand Canyon. 9-ish hours.
day 5: Grand Canyon, then to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. 5-ish hours driving.
day 6: St. Johns Arizona to Carlsbad Caverns (new mexico). 11 hours.
day 7: Carlsbad Caverns, early in the morning --> early afternoon. drive to Fort Stockton, TX. 4-ish hours.
day 8: Ft. Stockton to San Antonio, see the Alamo, drive on to the Woodlands (just north of houston). maybe 8 hours? i can't remember.
day 9: church...Amy's preaching!
day 10: six flags houston.
day 11: houston to new orleans. several hours.
day 12: new orleans to atlanta. 8 hours driving the speed limit, but honestly....after 12 days...who knows.
I'll be taking note of interesting or not interesting things along the way, and I'll post every day about the adventures of the Epic Road Trip. Watch this space!
in the meantime, i have to pack. excuse me. :-)
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
CPM meeting went well. yay.
Am writing candidacy essays--due tonight...one more to go (oy) plus the revision of any that need revising. given that they've been written at an average rate of 45 minutes or less per essay, they probably need it.
leaving tomorrow morning. must pack.
grades came in today--and I'm all clear! woohoo! my GPA is a resounding 3.765...yay! an A in Church History puts me in the clear, scholarship-wise. I'm also going to get a good-student discount on my car insurance. This is a good thing.
big news on the car front: i'm getting the Explorer after all! apparently all my begging and pleading was simply a humiliation tactic on mom's part--she's been planning it as a surprise for a long while. hm. i'm glad...and thankful....yay!
anyway, i'm writing essays again. I have one hour left before I really must pack. one hour, one essay....should be good.
next time you hear from me, I'll be back in WA. oh boy. :-)
ta
Am writing candidacy essays--due tonight...one more to go (oy) plus the revision of any that need revising. given that they've been written at an average rate of 45 minutes or less per essay, they probably need it.
leaving tomorrow morning. must pack.
grades came in today--and I'm all clear! woohoo! my GPA is a resounding 3.765...yay! an A in Church History puts me in the clear, scholarship-wise. I'm also going to get a good-student discount on my car insurance. This is a good thing.
big news on the car front: i'm getting the Explorer after all! apparently all my begging and pleading was simply a humiliation tactic on mom's part--she's been planning it as a surprise for a long while. hm. i'm glad...and thankful....yay!
anyway, i'm writing essays again. I have one hour left before I really must pack. one hour, one essay....should be good.
next time you hear from me, I'll be back in WA. oh boy. :-)
ta
Thursday, May 29, 2003
clever title here is one year old today.
oh, the excitement!
it's been a fun time in chicago here--one more week to go before going to the 'rents to prep for the long road trip. good times!
happy birthday to my blog,
happy birthday to my blog,
happy birthday to my bloooooggg....
happy birthday to my blog.
:-)
oh, the excitement!
it's been a fun time in chicago here--one more week to go before going to the 'rents to prep for the long road trip. good times!
happy birthday to my blog,
happy birthday to my blog,
happy birthday to my bloooooggg....
happy birthday to my blog.
:-)
Sunday, May 18, 2003
it is finished.
school is over. the paper's done, the exam's over, graduation has happened, and my room is clean and my bag is packed. i'm leaving in 7 minutes to go to the airport.
while i'm gone the internet access is looking a little shady--who knows what's up. i'll post when i can and when something interesting happens--which is more likely in chicago than here, at least, but don't get your hopes up. i'm back in atlanta sometime around the 23rd-ish of June for sure, maybe before then. who knows.
happy end of the school year, everyone! and don't forget: 24 season finale, tuesday, 9/8central. :-)
peace
school is over. the paper's done, the exam's over, graduation has happened, and my room is clean and my bag is packed. i'm leaving in 7 minutes to go to the airport.
while i'm gone the internet access is looking a little shady--who knows what's up. i'll post when i can and when something interesting happens--which is more likely in chicago than here, at least, but don't get your hopes up. i'm back in atlanta sometime around the 23rd-ish of June for sure, maybe before then. who knows.
happy end of the school year, everyone! and don't forget: 24 season finale, tuesday, 9/8central. :-)
peace
Friday, May 16, 2003
i have plane tickets.
no thanks to the BUSY SIGNAL at United Airlines Reservations.
whatever happened to the auto system that told me to hold, then played the terribly canned and obnoxious Rhapsody In Blue for an hour, interrupted every few minutes with assurances that my call was important, that i would be helped shortly, and that calls were answered in the order they were received?
i swear, in an attempt to get out of bankruptcy they have let go of every single f***ing person (sorry...) that answers the phone. and we're left instead with the wonderful automaton i've christened "joebob", to whom you talk and who will supposedly find your flight availability but won't be able to actually book a flight for you. instead he encourages you to say "reservations" when you're ready to book, and you'll be transferred to an agent--a real live one. Except that he actually transfers you to a busy signal, and you can't even push buttons to go back to the main menu from there, you have to hang up and start all over again.
whatever.
i recommend the internet. but not if you want to try to use frequent flyer miles to book a non-round-trip ticket. because it doesn't like it when you try to do that.
i really am studying for the test tomorrow. and i really have started on my paper.
ok, so there were two lies in the previous sentence. but i'm going to do both of those right now.
you, United Airlines real-live-reservations agents, are the weakest link.
goodbye.
no thanks to the BUSY SIGNAL at United Airlines Reservations.
whatever happened to the auto system that told me to hold, then played the terribly canned and obnoxious Rhapsody In Blue for an hour, interrupted every few minutes with assurances that my call was important, that i would be helped shortly, and that calls were answered in the order they were received?
i swear, in an attempt to get out of bankruptcy they have let go of every single f***ing person (sorry...) that answers the phone. and we're left instead with the wonderful automaton i've christened "joebob", to whom you talk and who will supposedly find your flight availability but won't be able to actually book a flight for you. instead he encourages you to say "reservations" when you're ready to book, and you'll be transferred to an agent--a real live one. Except that he actually transfers you to a busy signal, and you can't even push buttons to go back to the main menu from there, you have to hang up and start all over again.
whatever.
i recommend the internet. but not if you want to try to use frequent flyer miles to book a non-round-trip ticket. because it doesn't like it when you try to do that.
i really am studying for the test tomorrow. and i really have started on my paper.
ok, so there were two lies in the previous sentence. but i'm going to do both of those right now.
you, United Airlines real-live-reservations agents, are the weakest link.
goodbye.
Thursday, May 15, 2003
Dawson's Creek is over. Forever.
Joey picked Pacey, Jen died, Grams is relatively ok, and Jack & Doug are together and will raise Jen's baby.
yay!
I have a paper to write and a final exam to study for, and one day to get it all done.
oy.
i'll see y'all friday afternoon sometime, assuming i'm still alive then.
ta.
Joey picked Pacey, Jen died, Grams is relatively ok, and Jack & Doug are together and will raise Jen's baby.
yay!
I have a paper to write and a final exam to study for, and one day to get it all done.
oy.
i'll see y'all friday afternoon sometime, assuming i'm still alive then.
ta.
Monday, May 12, 2003
due to requests, i submit these answers/pieces of information.
1. the word i ended up using in my sermon was "insolence".
2. i am technically single. if you know any nice guys between the ages of 21 and 30, email me. they also have to be smart.
3. i'm a seminary student, not a college student.
4. i love hebrew.
5. my blog will be one year old on the 29th of May.
6. my amazon wishlist is located to the left, and down a little.
7. no, i can't put pictures on my blog, because i use the free blogspot software.
that's all for now. any further inquiries may be directed to comments, guestbook, or email. thank you. :-)
1. the word i ended up using in my sermon was "insolence".
2. i am technically single. if you know any nice guys between the ages of 21 and 30, email me. they also have to be smart.
3. i'm a seminary student, not a college student.
4. i love hebrew.
5. my blog will be one year old on the 29th of May.
6. my amazon wishlist is located to the left, and down a little.
7. no, i can't put pictures on my blog, because i use the free blogspot software.
that's all for now. any further inquiries may be directed to comments, guestbook, or email. thank you. :-)
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Friday, May 09, 2003
Hallelujah!
classes are over. the presentation is over. the paper and the exam loom next friday--but that's 7 days away so i'm not concerned right now.
it's sunny outside for the first time in what feels like ages. it's also about 80% humidity, but whatever. that is irrelevant.
i'm going to read a book. not a school book. a cheesy book.
yay!
it's the end of the year!
classes are over. the presentation is over. the paper and the exam loom next friday--but that's 7 days away so i'm not concerned right now.
it's sunny outside for the first time in what feels like ages. it's also about 80% humidity, but whatever. that is irrelevant.
i'm going to read a book. not a school book. a cheesy book.
yay!
it's the end of the year!
Thursday, May 08, 2003
Wednesday, May 07, 2003
ok, i have slept. i have also done some homework.
i have had the LAST EVER day of Eucharist class. Thank goodness!
tomorrow is the last day of Hebrew exegesis and the last day of preaching.
Friday is the last day of worship class and of church history.
Then all I have to do is write a paper on the Doctrine of the Incarnation and take a Church History final exam. on friday of next week.
Then i am done, free! until 30 June, at which point i will be fettered by Greek school, every morning at 8:30. fun.
it is humid outside.
but not hot.
very bizarre.
apparently thunderstorms are normal for this place during the summer. that's not cool. i am afraid of lightning and thunder--i prefer to live without it. i don't like rain either, but if it's going to rain then PLEASE no thunder. thank you.
:-)
i have had the LAST EVER day of Eucharist class. Thank goodness!
tomorrow is the last day of Hebrew exegesis and the last day of preaching.
Friday is the last day of worship class and of church history.
Then all I have to do is write a paper on the Doctrine of the Incarnation and take a Church History final exam. on friday of next week.
Then i am done, free! until 30 June, at which point i will be fettered by Greek school, every morning at 8:30. fun.
it is humid outside.
but not hot.
very bizarre.
apparently thunderstorms are normal for this place during the summer. that's not cool. i am afraid of lightning and thunder--i prefer to live without it. i don't like rain either, but if it's going to rain then PLEASE no thunder. thank you.
:-)
Friday, May 02, 2003
Sunday, April 27, 2003
I am desperately looking for the perfect word.
it has undertones (or overtones) of/implicitly and explicitly says all these things:
trespass, intrusion, encroachment, impinge, infringe, audacity, effrontery, insult.
does anyone know this word? please say yes. before tuesday. i need it for my sermon.
hmm..you might need a little context. 2 Samuel 6. Uzzah reaches out and touches the ark, and God strikes him dead.
so the sentences in the sermon look something like this (right now):
The cart is shaking, maybe trembling or even rattling...and the ark seems to be shifting around a bit. The parade arrives on some level ground, a threshing floor, and Uzzah takes the opportunity to remedy the problem, at least a little. He reaches out his non-ritually purified hand and takes hold of the ark to steady it, and God is furious about this ________. (or, God is infuriated by his _______.)
any ideas? please? i'm so sidetracked by this word that i can't quite get--it's on the edge of my brain somewhere, the tip of my tongue, the border of my consciousness, etc....and i just can't quite get it--that i can't even move on and work on the rest of the sermon. this is bad because i have a good four pages left to write. at least. there's a lot of ground to cover still, and i'm not there yet! help me!
it has undertones (or overtones) of/implicitly and explicitly says all these things:
trespass, intrusion, encroachment, impinge, infringe, audacity, effrontery, insult.
does anyone know this word? please say yes. before tuesday. i need it for my sermon.
hmm..you might need a little context. 2 Samuel 6. Uzzah reaches out and touches the ark, and God strikes him dead.
so the sentences in the sermon look something like this (right now):
The cart is shaking, maybe trembling or even rattling...and the ark seems to be shifting around a bit. The parade arrives on some level ground, a threshing floor, and Uzzah takes the opportunity to remedy the problem, at least a little. He reaches out his non-ritually purified hand and takes hold of the ark to steady it, and God is furious about this ________. (or, God is infuriated by his _______.)
any ideas? please? i'm so sidetracked by this word that i can't quite get--it's on the edge of my brain somewhere, the tip of my tongue, the border of my consciousness, etc....and i just can't quite get it--that i can't even move on and work on the rest of the sermon. this is bad because i have a good four pages left to write. at least. there's a lot of ground to cover still, and i'm not there yet! help me!
Friday, April 25, 2003
Thursday, April 24, 2003
two tasks for tomorrow down, three to go.
those three would be:
1. 2 Samuel 3.1-39...translated.
2. Memorize a bunch of stuff for preaching/worship class
3. watch Dawson's Creek.
the two things I have accomplished today?
1. Read "any 100 pages" of a book for exegesis class. no, not just any book, a specific book, about 1 Samuel.
2. An analysis (chart and word study) of 1 Samuel 25.23-42.
see, i've been working today! I even slept in because we didn't have class. ("slept in"=8:15, but that's an extra hour!)
right...Dawson's is in an hour I think. time to get to work on...one of the things i'm supposed to do. isn't it sad to be living so day-to-day? i have a gazillion things to do between now and the end of school, and they are so many that i simply have to do it one day at a time. planning ahead? WHATEVER.
maybe tomorrow.
those three would be:
1. 2 Samuel 3.1-39...translated.
2. Memorize a bunch of stuff for preaching/worship class
3. watch Dawson's Creek.
the two things I have accomplished today?
1. Read "any 100 pages" of a book for exegesis class. no, not just any book, a specific book, about 1 Samuel.
2. An analysis (chart and word study) of 1 Samuel 25.23-42.
see, i've been working today! I even slept in because we didn't have class. ("slept in"=8:15, but that's an extra hour!)
right...Dawson's is in an hour I think. time to get to work on...one of the things i'm supposed to do. isn't it sad to be living so day-to-day? i have a gazillion things to do between now and the end of school, and they are so many that i simply have to do it one day at a time. planning ahead? WHATEVER.
maybe tomorrow.
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