Lots of work has been done. But I still found time on Monday to watch nearly 5 hours of Return of the King: Extended Edition. All I can say about that trilogy is,"Amazing." I got the ROTK DVD for Christmas from my parents. It was the only thing that I wanted. They were also generous and got me a few things on top of that. It was more than I expected. I was surprised by a beautiful rubber stamp of large poppies and shimmery, pearlized watercolor pigments to go with it.
Ok, what work has been accomplished? Well, I have my class syllabi finished and that feels so good. I am getting excited about the beginning of classes. Before this week I was a little bit terrified about the first day. I had a horrible time falling to sleep one night, sometime before Christmas, because I was so nervous and all the things I had to do and questions were spinning in my head. Mom, in a wise moment, told me that I should remember that I am not doing this alone and that God would not have given me more than I could handle. I woke up and she had printed out some scriptures on cards and taped them in my room and in my bathroom.
Here are a couple of them.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received a spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
My sister told us that she and her husband should be moving to Washington sometime in the fall of 2005. I am so excited and I will prepare to move out of the house. I am already thinking about what would be a good location. I don't know if I’ll move out by myself or try and share an apartment with someone. We’ll see. Mom is especially pleased. She mentioned twice today how great it will be to have Jan and Kevin living locally. She was imagining next year’s holidays with all of us together.
We had split pea soup tonight that was made with the bone of the ham and the last of the leftover meat. Oh, so good. We had asiago cheese bread from Safeway, toasted up to go with the soup. Perfect combination and finished off with Pino Grigio, a white wine. I love split pea soup. Except when I was a kid and would throw a fit each year at Maundy Thursday Soup Supper at church because it was always split pea soup. I didn’t like it until I tried it again sometime in college. Now I love it. Sorry about the fits, Mom. Funny how tastes change.
December 30, 2004
December 26, 2004
The After Christmas Rush
I worked my last shift at the Lane Bryant today. Of course, it was quite busy being the day after Christmas, but that made the time fly. There were lots of us working so it wasn’t overwhelming and went smoothly. I had to get to the mall two-and-a-half hours before my shift started because Mom and Dad had to be at church early. My shift started at 11:00 am, around the time that their service would be ending. So I brought some prep materials with me and sat in the foodcourt getting some things ready for next Monday, the start of classes. I also did some shopping since it was the last day for my employee discount and they are having a great sale. I spent some Christmas money that Grandpa gave me and put the rest on my card. I bought bras, a pair of boot-cut jeans, and a couple of shirts. Many of my coworkers were there so I got to say goodbye to them. Of course I will see them when I go in as a customer later. I sure won’t need new clothes for a while, though. The “girls” that work there work hard but treat each other like family and know how to have fun while working.
I didn't have time to eat the ham sandwich I had made in case I got a 15-minute break and could eat. After my purse and all my bags had been looked through (routine after each shift to prevent employee theft) and I had started walking to the door, I realized that I had left the sandwich in the fridge in the break room. I was really hungry, too. I went to the threshold of the store and my manager saw me. I told her that I had forgotten my sandwich. She was the same one who had just looked through all my stuff and didn't really want to do it again. She said, "Let me go back and get it." and returned quickly. Then I took all my stuff out to the parking lot to find Dad. I didn't see him right away and he told me that he'd be in front. I put my bags on top of a truck and got my phone out to call him. He doesn't usually pick me up and he can get impatient. But before I could hit the speed dial, there he was. I quickly grabbed bags and trotted to the car with all my stuff, except for the sandwich. I left the small bag with the sandwich on the hood of that truck in the parking lot. I realized it when we were half-way home. At first I was really disappointed, but then we laughed. He said that mall security would probably have dogs sniff it for drugs or explosives and call the police, who would send it to be tested for biological or chemical weapons. "It might be on the news tonight" he smirked. "Oh, yeah. Mall closed after suspicious ham sandwich with swiss cheese and dijon mustard was found left in the parking lot. No suspects have been identified yet."
When I got home I relaxed, watching a movie (Bulletproof Monk) with Dad. It was silly story but fun. I also found a treasure on the Sundance channel, La Jetee. It’s an experimental French short film that inspired the movie 12 Monkeys. I watched it while I taped it. Even though it's just half-an-hour long, I was so tired that I kind of dozed a couple of times. I have read about the movie, but have never seen it or thought that I would get the chance. The most interesting thing is that it is all still shots. Sometimes there is some camera movement to zoom in on part of a photo, but the pictures do not move. It sounds like it could be stilted and perhaps kind of boring, but it’s not. There is still a sense of movement in some parts, especially the quick succession of photos at the end of the man running. After seeing the original inspiration, I know where Terry Gilliam, who directed 12 Monkeys, got the idea for the strange optical gear that the “scientists” or “doctors” wear when they examine the man. Terry took it a lot farther, though, and it worked really well in 12 Monkeys. As I write this, a furry tabby, Scruffy, the neighbor’s cat, is laying across my arms. It makes it a little hard to write, but she keeps my arms warm.
I didn't have time to eat the ham sandwich I had made in case I got a 15-minute break and could eat. After my purse and all my bags had been looked through (routine after each shift to prevent employee theft) and I had started walking to the door, I realized that I had left the sandwich in the fridge in the break room. I was really hungry, too. I went to the threshold of the store and my manager saw me. I told her that I had forgotten my sandwich. She was the same one who had just looked through all my stuff and didn't really want to do it again. She said, "Let me go back and get it." and returned quickly. Then I took all my stuff out to the parking lot to find Dad. I didn't see him right away and he told me that he'd be in front. I put my bags on top of a truck and got my phone out to call him. He doesn't usually pick me up and he can get impatient. But before I could hit the speed dial, there he was. I quickly grabbed bags and trotted to the car with all my stuff, except for the sandwich. I left the small bag with the sandwich on the hood of that truck in the parking lot. I realized it when we were half-way home. At first I was really disappointed, but then we laughed. He said that mall security would probably have dogs sniff it for drugs or explosives and call the police, who would send it to be tested for biological or chemical weapons. "It might be on the news tonight" he smirked. "Oh, yeah. Mall closed after suspicious ham sandwich with swiss cheese and dijon mustard was found left in the parking lot. No suspects have been identified yet."
When I got home I relaxed, watching a movie (Bulletproof Monk) with Dad. It was silly story but fun. I also found a treasure on the Sundance channel, La Jetee. It’s an experimental French short film that inspired the movie 12 Monkeys. I watched it while I taped it. Even though it's just half-an-hour long, I was so tired that I kind of dozed a couple of times. I have read about the movie, but have never seen it or thought that I would get the chance. The most interesting thing is that it is all still shots. Sometimes there is some camera movement to zoom in on part of a photo, but the pictures do not move. It sounds like it could be stilted and perhaps kind of boring, but it’s not. There is still a sense of movement in some parts, especially the quick succession of photos at the end of the man running. After seeing the original inspiration, I know where Terry Gilliam, who directed 12 Monkeys, got the idea for the strange optical gear that the “scientists” or “doctors” wear when they examine the man. Terry took it a lot farther, though, and it worked really well in 12 Monkeys. As I write this, a furry tabby, Scruffy, the neighbor’s cat, is laying across my arms. It makes it a little hard to write, but she keeps my arms warm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
