The Delights of Anticipation

Two pelicans are coming over to the house tonight. One of them is my sister. The other one is the lucky lad who will be dog sitting for us when we're up at the TAC graduation.

All in all, it should be exciting (tonight, not the graduation...well, that should be exciting as well). Our dogs are...um...overenthusiastic, but this young gentleman has proven his mettle against them before. Hopefully, he will be able to do it again :D The point and purpose of this evening is double. The first, and primary reason, is for the dogs and the pelican to become reacquainted. That way they won't flip-out (very technical term, I know) when he shows up at the door. The second purpose, which maybe should be considered equally important, is to give the young man an opportunity to "practice" driving to our house from the school. I know that neither boy scouts nor men ever get lost, but it makes us feel better :)

So, yes. We are anticipating this event with great...erm...anticipation. Let us hope we all survive :D

Movie Mania

Over the past two days...maybe three, I can't remember exactly...I have been privileged enough to have seen two VERY good, distinct, and thought-provoking movies.

The first one was "The Star of Bethlehem." Its existence was brought to my attention a number of months ago when Steve McEveety appeared on "Life on the Rock", a program which airs Thursdays on EWTN. He was there promoting various things, one of which was this movie. He was the executive producer of the project and was (or, at least, pretended to be) very enthusiastic about it. It fell into my hands, as it were, because a family friend who I was babysitting for offered to lend it to us. (btw, it has been the past two days. we got the movie on Sat., 'cause that is when I was babysitting and we watched it the next day) We, as a family watched it, and it absolutely blew me away. Of course, maybe some of the theories are slightly far fetched, but overall it gave me goosebumps. It was AMAZING. You all need to see it!

The second one, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed", was equally though provoking but in a very different way. The first movie was questioning between degrees of faith. This one was between faith or none at all. Intelligent Design of the universe was the specific issue. Ben Stein hosted and he did a very good and thorough job of it. I would recommend it to everyone. Well, maybe not everyone. The attitudes of some of the evolutionist professors were quite chilling and could be disturbing to younger people. Some of the images used to illustrate points were also beyond what you would want younger audiences to be viewing. But EVERYONE else needs to see this. Amazing stuff.

Go see them. NOW!

Berry Much Fun

Friday night was awesome! I went to a swing dance with my pelicans!!! I loooooove swing dancing...although you might say it is one of those things that I do with more enthusiasm than grace.

It began at 7:26. Well, it was supposed to. But since there were only a handful of people there, things didn't really get going until more like 8:00. But it was awesome when it did. As the most enthusiastic of the bunch, I got elected to teach several people how to dance. Thankfully, they were all very adept pupils. I just got them going, and they ran with it. Technically speaking, I suppose, they danced with it...

At 10:00 the power went out. That killed the music. But not the party. College age kids will always find something exciting and/or dangerous to do when they get together. The boys began exercising their physical prowess by jumping over things such as chairs, each other, and some of the girls. It provided several laughs and multiple photo ops. And the fun didn't end until about 11:30.

Here are some pictures. I didn't take very many -- I was too busy showing people how to mop the floor and beat eggs. :D

"Put on your happy face"

Tomorrow afternoon, I get to do the above. Smiley, perky, wonderful me will go around and drop off job applications. I don't have any idea why I'm so nervous about this. It is an utterly ridiculous way to be feeling. My common sense is telling me all that you could say to comfort me...but at the moment common nonsense has possession of my soul.

But then I get to have some fun. No matter what happens tomorrow afternoon, I get to spend my evening and night and morning in an enjoyable manner. I'll tell you about it later. :D

Boredom Made Manifest

It's another one of these meme things. But I really like doing them. So there. muahahahahahahahahaha

1. Your name spelled backwards?
Tegdirb Hcnyl

2. Last incoming call on your phone?
erm, I don't have a cell phone...I'd have to go downstairs and check the home phone...but I'm too lazy to...probably my sister.

3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
Pictures from the twins' baptism!!!

4. What's your favorite restaurant?
ooooo, tough one. Depends on what I want....Pat and Oscars if I want breadsticks, Mimi's if I want salad, El Ranchito if I want a burrito...just depends

5. Last time you swam in a pool?
Last September, probably. Pools are kinda cold this time of year.

6. Britney Spears is a skank. Agree or disagree?
A what? I don't even know what that means.

7. How many kids do you want?
Tons. But God will take care of the final total.

8. Type of music you dislike most?
Rap. ugh. gives me a headache. and nothing vulgar.

9. What was the last thing you bought?
It's been a while. My college fund has precedent over everything else presently

10. Have you ever ridden on a motorbike?
No. They scare the heck out of me.

11. Does someone have a crush on you?
If anyone does, they obviously don't want me to know, so I'm not about to go asking around. sheesh

12. Ever made a prank phone call?
I'd start busting up laughing if I tried.

13. Listening to music?
Not right this instant.

14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Neither, thank you.

15. What shoes are you wearing right now?
None!!! Yay for bare feet!!!

16. Do you have a garden?
If I planted a garden, my dog would eat it. So, no.

17. What's your favorite comic strip?
I haven't read a comic strip in a really long time. I like almost anything that doesn't have a political agenda.

18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
The first verse and fragments of the other three.

19. Bath or Shower, morning or night?
Morning shower. It's like my coffee.

20. Hello or goodbye?
what about 'em?

21. Favorite pizza toppings?
Cheese...sausage...pretty much anything besides onions or pepperoni or pineapple or ham.

22. Chips or Popcorn?
I'm not a big snack food person. I'll eat either one, but there is usually only one to be eaten at any given moment

23. Favorite color?
To wear, paint walls, or draw with?

24. What did the last text message you received say?
I don't have a cell phone, therefore I don't receive text messages. Simple as that.

25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
Erm, I'm not that pretty.

26. Orange Juice or apple juice?
Generally orange. But certain kinds of apple juice I like.

27. Who was the last person you ate dinner with?
The fam (I realize they're not a "person", technically speaking)

28. What did the last text message that you sent say?
See question 24

29. Lucky number?
I don't believe in luck

30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
Last summer sometime.

31. Have you ever won a trophy?
I have, surprisingly enough.

32. Are you a good cook?
My friends think so. But I'm very messy.

33. Do you know how to pump your own gas?
That would be a big, fat NO. But it can't be that complicated.

34. Do the Chinese really use cats in their food?
Wow. I don't even know where to go with that one

35. Sprite or 7-Up?
There's a difference?

36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school?
Yes, actually. For kindergarten. And it was a public school, even.

37. Last thing you ate?
turkey and cheese on sourdough. yummmm

38. Ever thrown up in public?
yeah. I got seasick really bad once.

39. Would you rather find true love or be a millionaire?
The former. Doesn't everyone?

40. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Pizza love, puppy love, or real love?

41. Think fast, what do you like right now?
I don't think fast.

42. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
Maybe a friend after they had a baby? I couldn't really say for certain. I think I was the last person I visited in a hospital.

43. Where were you on Valentine's day?
St. Valentine's Day happened?

44. Last time you laughed?
2:13 pm today

45. What's your favorite animal?
I love dogs. And horses. And cats. I'm an animal person.

46. What was the name of your first pet?
Jupiter or Tina...I was about 4 at the time. I think Tina came first...

47. Who was the second to last person to call you?
To call me? That would've been weeks back.

48. Is there anything going on this weekend?
Well, if Friday night counts as a weekend, then I'm going to a swing dance with my raspberry. And I get to babysit Saturday night.

49. How are you feeling right now?
Relaxed. Kinda spaced out.

50. What do you think about the most?
I don't know. I don't take notes on my mental processes.

51. What do you think of the person that posted this before you?
Bekah is awesome!!! Even if she did move across the country :(

52. Who is MOST likely to re-post this survey?
I have no idea. Probs no one.

Commander and Commanded

I'm not exactly sure how to do this...or how it's going to turn out...or what exactly it's going to be about in the end...but I'll do it anyway.

"I obey all lawful and reasonable commands...even when they come from you."

That's what I told him. He told me to stop thinking about my conundrum. So I did. But does the above statement convey a compliment, an insult, or is it just a passive thing?

Let's take a look at each one:

Compliment: The only way this could be construed as a compliment would be to follow a line of logic that goes something like this. The ability to give lawful and reasonable commands is a talent which must be either inborn or acquired. It is something that is difficult to do well and consistently. If the above statement is true, then yes, it is a compliment. The statement implies that he is one of the individuals who possess that happy talent.

Insult: This is probably most obviously insulting in nature. The fact that I bothered to tack on that last part implies that there are lawful and reasonable things that I wouldn't do for him. But that I would do for others. For instance, being nice.

Passive: It is always nice to interpret things in a passive manner. My statement could be viewed as quite innocuous and harmless. I was just saying something to say something. It is neither good nor bad. I obeyed his command. And that, as they say, is that.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Mercenary Me

Scholarship applications are terrible things. Especially when the essay question is, "Why do you want this scholarship?" Uh,...'cause I want the money? I mean, how original can one really get? Why do people want scholarships other than to get money? It doesn't benefit anyone but the recipient, as far as I can tell. But for me, things are doubly complicated. The real reasons I am applying would be kind of unsuitable for an essay. If I were to be completely honest about the whole thing, there is no way I would get the scholarship. The following is a sketch of what I would write if I were to be completely and utterly honest about my reasons.

"Why do I want this scholarship? There are two reasons which are the most prominent. The first is that Fr. Michael, the pastor of this parish wants me to. The second reason is not at all mercenary, believe it or not; it is simply that this scholarship will benefit my college of choice. I do not get any of the promised $1000. I am merely applying for the sake of Fr. Michael as a sign of my active participation in the life of the parish and for the benefit of TAC.

To Fr. Michael, my application for this scholarship is a vital thing. He believes that I should do it, no matter what. He is convinced that it is a necessary and right course of action for anyone who wishes to attend college. K of C is generous enough to provide this money - worthy candidates should apply for it.

But to TAC, the fact of a scholarship does not affect either the student or the parents. The total paid by both parties remains the same. Any money I receive from the scholarship fund will be paid to the school and will be taken off of the total financial aid I receive. I do not know if this is a common route or not, but since TAC tries very hard to provide enough aid so that all interested students may attend, I should do my part. The $1000 can be used towards someone else's aid or the building of the new campus church.

As you can see, then, this application is not merely mercenary. I do not benefit from this money. It will serve to further Father's confidence in me and increase the amount of available aid for other students at TAC."

But that, my readers, would be a very strange essay to enter. Totally and brutally honest, but undeniable strange. So, I shall write something else. What exactly, I don't know. But something.

MY BABIES!!!

Here are some pictures of my kiddos on their biggest day yet -- BAPTISM DAY!!! I love them so incredibly much, it's ridiculous. YAY!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

Girls!

Exasperation was running high this afternoon. Girls can be so...so....exasperating!!!

I'm trying to teach "my girls" aka "my choir" the Latin Mass parts. One of the girls wouldn't sing, the other one wasn't paying attention to my directions, and the last one knew them better than I did! Don't get me wrong, the last one wasn't as exasperating as the first two. It was the contrast that was driving me nuts!

I tried to very patiently explain that in order for the congregation to follow along, the choir had to be solid. But they were convinced that they could "wing it" to a satisfactory degree. But for me, little perfectionist over here, they have to KNOW it. Not wing it.

So, I have to painstakingly maintain their attention again next week.

Gather round, kids

Time for a funny story.

A member of our choir had knee surgery earlier this week. Her life is a very sad story, but for the purposes of this post, suffice it to say that she has no family around to help her. She is staying at a friend's house. But the friend is out of town. So, she's 65 years old, all by herself, and recovering from a torn meniscus. Mum, a veteran of knee surgery, brought her supper today. But not before she had a very peculiar adventure.

Mrs. B is a good friend of ours and the injured lady's. She gave Mum directions to the house. They were, "Turn left onto the street that you turn on to get to my house, but she is in the second house on the right. There is a big, white car in the driveway."

So, Mum did just that. She turned left and looked at the second house on the right. It existed, but there was no car. She looked at the second house on the left. It also existed. And it had a car in the driveway. A gold one. Then she began to worry that maybe she had misunderstood Mrs. B. Maybe it was the house on the left. Then she got scared. She couldn't remember for sure what Mrs. B had said! While kicking herself for not writing it down, she proceeded to the left side of the street.

Mrs. B had told Mum that the lady would be leaving the front door unlocked for her. That way she wouldn't have to get up and hobble over to let her in. Mum, even with her uncertainty, didn't want to run the risk of making the invalid walk. So she opened the door cautiously and tip-toed in. She called out, "Ruth?" No answer, but she saw a young girl at the other end of the house. This couldn't possibly be it. She ran back out, shut the door, and then knocked on it. The little girl came to the door. She was about 10 years old and while she didn't know anyone named Ruth, she was kind enough to fetch her mom. My mum, in her extreme embarrassment, explained to that mom that she was looking for an old lady named Ruth who had just had knee surgery. She was trying to bring her supper, she told the stranger. The lady was very sympathetic and said that it probably was the house without the car. Mum thanked her and got away as fast as she possibly could. Then she got back in the car and did a couple laps around the block.

For anyone who knows my mom, you can probably picture fairly well the state she was in. A bit of panic would have set in by now and that makes her (like most people) less rational. She turned onto another street. There, on that street, there existed a second house on the right with a white car in the driveway. Could it be possible that Mrs. B had gotten the streets mixed up? Not likely. She lived in the neighborhood and had been to the elusive house just that morning. Thankfully, Mum didn't adventure into that house, but she went back to the original street and bravely approached the second house on the right. The one with no car in front. Not wanting to risk another indelicate entrance, she tapped on the door before she opened it and peeked in. To her utter relief, she heard Ruth's greeting. Whew! She got her dinner delivered and was back, safe, in the car headed home.

And then Mum, because she is my mum, started wondering, "Maybe there was a car in the driveway and I was just hallucinating."

hehehehe

Poor Mum.

hahahahaha

My grandpa sent us these. Thought I'd share:

LARRY THE CABLE GUY SAYS:

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.


9. Support bacteria. They 're the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'

22 . Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

One fantastic thing about old people, is they have extra time to sit around and email hysterically funny (or occasionally lamely funny) things like this around. One terrible thing about being young is having to go apply for jobs. Like me. Tomorrow. Please pray for me (after you stop laughing at the above, of course).

Goodness Gracious Me!

My twins are growing up SOOOOOO fast!!! Well, technically not my twins, but that doesn't change the fact that my favorite pair of twins is getting so big so fast!

I haven't seen them in almost a month, and a month can do so much in the world of babies. They're twelve weeks old now and oh so big!!! George Nicholas weighs 12 pounds now and Coral weighs 9 pounds 15.4 ounces. With a bit of assistance they can sit up fairly well, both of them look around and actually focus on things across the room, and they can SMILE!!! And giggle, too!!! Can you tell I'm excited??? I got to spend four hours making babies LAUGH!!! Oh, the joy and felicity baby giggles bring me!!! I am so happy and lucky and I feel I can face anything at the moment!!!

I suppose I shall come crashing down to reality soon enough, but I think the present high will at least carry me to Sunday which is their baptism!!! I'll post pictures when I have them!!! AAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! I'm so HAPPY :D :D :D :D

Mia Familia

Out to dinner last night, I was telling Mum, Dad, and Scott about a mini-conversation I had the day previously with Andrea and one of her fellow pelicans. The topic? Food. We were discussing (for about one minute) the difference in guys' and girls' relationships to food.

I was explaining our findings when Dad said, "But your answer is right at the beginning of the conversation. Girls have a relationship with food. Guys just eat it."

While I was busy laughing at this, Mum asked Scott, "Do you have a relationship with food, Scott?"

"I do right now," Scott replied. "I mean, you can't get more into a relationship with something than eating it."

Yeah, that's my family. Good times, good times. :D

The Mount of Iron

We conquered! A large hill, which the locals call a mountain, was taken by force by Scott's CAP squadron yesterday. I went along, too.

We were all supposed to report at 0800 hours. Most of the cadets did. Some of them didn't. Between all of the incomplete CAPF-31s (fancy name for a permission slip) and people forgetting water, etc, we didn't actually start hiking until almost 0900 hours. That wouldn't have been as much of a problem, except for the fact that it got to be just about 100 degrees yesterday. Every minute that we "hurried up and waited" was another minute to be in ever increasing heat.

But start we did. And in one hour and thirty minutes we completed climbing the 2.8 mile trail. The view from the top was fantastic. A strange weather phenomena called Santa Ana winds was causing the extreme heat, but it also gave us a breeze that wasn't altogether unpleasant and it pushed all of the smog out over the ocean. We could see all the way to the coast (which, I'm guessing here, was about twenty miles) along with quite a bit of the ocean itself. We all perched up on the rocks for a while and I had a discussion with one of the cadets. He was saying that even though it was hot, it was nice to have the Santa Ana winds blowing for the sake of the breeze. I was convinced that if the Santa Ana winds had not been blowing at all, that it wouldn't be as hot. Period. The temperature is supposed to drop approximately 20 degrees in a few days when the flow shifts. He wasn't convinced. So he and I continued to argue about it. One of his friends was sitting next to him, silently laughing his head off.

The descent was very pleasant. It is always easier to go downhill than uphill. And I was able to listen to a fascinating discussion about giving blood and fake blood and lots topics pertaining to blood. My dad and a couple of the cadet sponsors were having this discussion. Very fascinating. But slightly gross.

And, after 3 hours on the "mountain" we got back down. I, personally, was very tired. I got in a fight with a rock and lost, acquired two new blisters, and became caked in dust due to the extreme wind. But it was worth it.

Moment

Well, my flu-like symptoms have dissipated and I have a better perspective on life right now. A song that completely and totally expresses my mood right now? Providence dropped it in my lap this evening. It's by the group "Leahy" (who are AWESOME, btw -- you should check them out) and though I heard it years ago, it struck a particular chord with me tonight (no pun intended)Here's the chorus:

"And I'll run to the light
Though I don't know what's coming before me
I'll be alright
Now I know, I'm alive
Oh, my heart is wide open,
I'm giving each moment my life"

Breathe in, breathe out. Life is good, even if I can't tell from where I'm standing.

A Jonah Day

Everybody has Jonah days. I've had three in a row. Wednesday I spent crying, Thursday I spent half of crying, and today I haven't cried, but I woke up with mild flu-like symptoms.

This job finding thing is going to kill me. . .

Poor Kid

Every morning at daily Mass, a little girl of approximately eleven years sings an entrance, Communion, and recessional hymn. She does pretty well; her pitch is great and her timing is good. For an eleven year old, she's phenomenal!

This morning, while singing "Though the Mountains May Fall" (or whatever it's called) she got a terrible case of the hiccups. At totally random intervals, she would hiccup really loudly. She had courage and tenacity though -- she got through the whole thing without completely busting up laughing. It had to have been dreadfully embarrassing...I don't think I could've gotten through it. Like I said, she's a brave little kid.

I had to hide my face behind my book to keep her from seeing how hard I was laughing. It was AWESOMELY funny.

Poor kid.

A Knot in my Stomach

I'm about two hours away from meeting my destiny. And it is coming in the shape of an assisted living home in RB. I'm going in at about 3 o'clock to fill out an application. And my anatomy is quite kerflummuxed. My heart is in my throat, my stomach is in a knot, my legs are shaking....I just hope I get a job soon...the suspense is killing me...please pray for me!

Is It True?

"Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because it is unlikely that both heads will go wrong in the same direction." C.S. Lewis

The above is one of my favorite quotes from Lewis. And now I am going to take the terrible liberty of misapplying it. I took two quizzes. Both claimed that they would tell me which Jane Austen character I most resemble. I took both, and the results came out astonishingly similar. Take a look:

Quiz #1

You're Emma Woodhouse of Emma.You're intelligent and manipulative, and tend to form strong opinions of people. You are also very popular, and like to help others.

Emma Woodhouse: 85%
Catherine Morland: 65%
Elizabeth Bennet: 65%
Marianne Dashwood: 55%
Elinor Dashwood: 55%
Anne Elliot: 25%
Fanny Price: 20%

(by the way, I have no idea what those percentages mean. They don't add up to one hundred...I am really quite at a loss. If anyone cares to enlighten me, I'd be more than happy to hear their opinion on it.)

Quiz #2

You scored as a Emma Woodhouse. Emma is possibly one of the most loyal characters of Austen, always wanting better for those around her and doing all she possibly can to make it happen. Her motives sometimes get in the way of her good intentions and her own opinions can end up ruling her actions, but she has a good heart. She loves to be social and is welcoming to most, unless they are too silly to tolerate. While she sometimes changes her behavior to make others feel comfortable, she knows who she is and is always bettering herself.

Emma Woodhouse: 88%
Jane Bennet: 63%
Marianne Dashwood: 63%
Elizabeth Bennet: 53%
Lady Catherine: 31%
Elinor Dashwood: 28%
Charlotte Lucas: 28%

So, stretching Lewis's claim to an unpardonable degree, I must really be a good deal like Miss Woodhouse. Almost exactly the same result came from two completely different sources.


And, I did a little wacky math to see if I could make some sense out of the percentage deals. This is what I came up with:

In quiz #1, I am approximately 23% Emma, 18% Catherine and Lizzie, 15% like both of the Dashwood sisters, 7% Anne, and 5% Fanny. (It adds up to 101, but that's better than 370)

In quiz #2, I am approximately 25% Emma, 18% Jane and Marianne, 15% Lizzie, 9% Lady Catherine (!!!), and 8% Elinor and Charlotte. (again it equals 101, but again that's better than 354)

Praised from the outside, discontent on the inside

The above phrase describes my present state. I'll explain why.

I love to sing. I've always loved to sing. My beloved siblings have always "disliked with a fiery passion" my singing. Not my actual singing, but I do it all of the time and everywhere I go. Sometimes (and quite understandably) they would like to experience something called peace and quiet. Then my sister got a roommate who sings almost as much as I do, just not quite so loudly. Poor her. But Andrea's roommate isn't the cause of my discomfiture. My own singing is. Specifically, my singing at Mass this morning. This is going to take a bit of explaining, so please be patient.

Our choir director is also my voice teacher. He is very nice and very good, but part of his technique of making me a better "performer" (if that's the right word for singing at Mass. If it isn't, please excuse me) is to throw surprises at me. Like this morning. I had been told on Wednesday that I would be singing a verse solo at Mass. It is a song that I know like the back of my hand...I've been singing it at every lesson for the past couple of months. This didn't bother me too much. It would be over in thirty seconds, so I wasn't anticipating being very nervous. Then Adam leaned over and said, "I want you to stay here while the rest of the choir goes to Communion and start the song." I said, "Ok." I thought, "Grrreeeaaat" (intense sarcastic intonation). So, I'm standing in our "choir corner" as it is affectionately known, all by myself with a big ol' mic in my face. Then three things happened that caused me to freak out. 1) I was standing really far away from Adam. My comfort zone is standing right next to the piano, almost behind Adam's left shoulder. I was about ten feet away from him, with him almost behind me. 2) He played it A LOT slower than we had practiced it. This may appear a trifle, but it really isn't. When you sing, you need energy. It is very easy to get the required energy when singing a fast and/or upbeat song. When singing a very slow, quiet song, you have to artificially come up with that energy, which is a skill I haven't mastered yet. Most people never do master it -- it's one of the things that distinguishes between good and great singers. 3) Right as I started singing the first refrain, all by myself, far away from Adam, really slowly, one of the guys threw me a look. It is hard to describe looks with words, but it was basically a "Why are you singing?" look and for a split second, it totally threw me. The second half of that seemingly infinite second contained a realization on my part that I was supposed to be singing...Adam wanted me to. I managed to get through it, following a really shaky first four measures. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't what I normally am capable of.

Now, internally, I was rather disappointed with myself. I knew the song, I normally don't get that nervous, and, from my perspective, I totally fell apart. I said something after Mass about how I totally slaughtered my part of the Communion song. Everyone else disagreed with me. They thought it was lovely, beautiful, awesome, etc. But it is still "rankling in my soul" to steal a phrase. And I shouldn't let it bother me as much as it is. But it does. It really, really does.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

The other day, I was bemoaning the fact that I miss my sister when she's off at college. Unbeknownst (sp?) to me, a plan that allowed me several hours with her was in the works.

Scott had a CAP staff meeting. He is now officially on staff as Aerospace NCO. He had to go to a meeting, and it just so happens that the meeting was at the apartment complex where my sister lives. So, after leaving Scott to find his fellow cadets, the rest of our family went out to have a hamburger. It was nice. We talked about widely varying topics and ate In-N-Out food which was awesome.

We then went to Ross. Mom is always convinced that Andrea needs more clothes, so whenever we go out shopping, she usually gets Andrea something. Well, this time Andrea actually got to pick the item of clothing. As it was nearing seven o'clock (when the meeting was supposed to end) we headed back to the complex.

Then we overheard Joe ordering pizza. Great, so they hadn't even started eating dinner yet. What to do with the extra time? Mum and Dad decided to go for a walk and have a cup of coffee. My feet were killing me. I didn't know we were going to be walking, and so I stupidly wore the shoes that had given me the blisters that still weren't healed up. I got a couple new, smarting blisters in addition to opening up the old ones. So, I sat on the floor of Andrea's apartment and listened to her and her roommate read each other their homework. It was actually pretty entertaining. Totally different subjects, but it kinda worked. We did some laughing and some talking, even though I entered that room determined not to distract them.

Eight thirty rolled around and brought with it Scott's release from the meeting. He was very happy with how it went...and the rest of us got a pretty relaxing evening out of it.

So now, I've got to run off to Church. And hopefully it won't be three days before I post again. I'm right in the middle of a book that I am finding rather difficult to put down, even for the your sakes. (or sake. there might only be one of you. who knows?)

A Slice of Humble Pie

Or maybe more than a slice. Applying for a job is like eating a gigantic, stale, disgusting humble pie. But, at least, humble pie is good for you.

Places I've applied? A few, but I am not too hopeful about them. Next week I hoof it through Poway, begging for employment. whoopee. The short list of places that I've applied to in the past three days:

Catholic Answers
Midland Animal Clinic (I already a "no" from them. But at least it was a very gracious "no".)
People-Trak (actually, I haven't applied there yet. I'm still waiting for them to email me the address where I can send my resume)
Autobody Excellence (yes, I applied to a auto repair shop. No, I won't be fixing cars. i'm not THAT insane)

So, if you would be so kind, please pray for me. I need to get a job. Any job. And, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'll take anything. (except military enlistment. I couldn't handle that.)

The Joys of the first of April

I generally ignore the existence of April Fool's Day. Alright, I'll be honest -- I tend to forget the significance of April 1st until it is April 2nd. But not this year. This year I got my brother good.

The idea was originally Mom's. She was going to tell Scott that CAP's National Commander was coming to the meeting (which was last night) to inspect everyone's PT exercises. She was then going to ask him to come upstairs and look on the computer at some CAP provided video on the subject. When he looked at the computer, there was going to be a word processor up, bearing the legend "April Fool's!" Good idea. But she forgot to do it.

So, after we dropped Scott off at the meeting, Mum and I went out to dinner. We do this about once a month. We get some girl bonding time and go see what the newest ridiculous fashions at the local stores are. Over dinner, we perfected our plan.

About half-way home, I launched our scheme. I told Scott that the Wing Commander (I decided that was more believable than National) was going to come some time during the next month and all of the cadets of the squadron were going to have to redo their latest review board. He was going to be doing this all over the state during the course of the year. But he wasn't allowed to tell. I had only gotten this information through our sister who had been told by one of her roommates (who is very involved in CAP). Scott's reaction was priceless. He bought it, hook, line, and sinker. "Oh, no!" said Scott. "Why?" I replied that it was to ensure that all of the cadets were up to par. He groaned and got all worked up. It was fantastic.

But it is a very good thing that it was almost 9:30 at night and very dark. Otherwise my face would have betrayed me. I managed to keep my voice steady, but I couldn't keep my face from stretching into an enormous smile. We didn't leave him in suspense long, however. I left him to agonize for about a minute and then told him I was kidding. It was great. I've never been able to pull something like that off before...and I probably never will again. But it was fun while it lasted.

Just throwin' this out there....

There is a debate, which is at times pretty intense, about holding hands during the Our Father. I'm not going to get into it here, but I will share the opinion of a priest who was Dad's professor in college. You all may have heard of him: his name is Fr. Fessio.

Question: Is it liturgically and theologically correct to hold hands during the Our Father?

Bishop Cordileone: Well, it really isn't symbolically appropriate, but it doesn't say not to in the rubrics.

Fr. Fessio: It also does not say to not stand on your head throughout the entire Mass in the rubrics.


:D