'Tis Friday

And I can't not post on Friday.

Although, I did spend some time playing with the sidebar. I'm so helpless with this whole HTML thing it's just horrible. So I cheat where I can.

I'm tired from the weekend already. It won't be like last weekend. No siree.

It'll be Crazee.

There's this person that I live with, and she has a birthday tomorrow. In fact, it might even be a bit of a milestone birthday (She turns 30!). So we celebrate her. It'll be fun.

I'm also going to a concert downtown this evening. Can I just say I love summer in Chicago? I mean, besides the oppresive heat and humidity? There really is tons of stuff to do and I wish I worked closer to downtown and got off from work earlier than I do because then? Then I would be all over this stuff. Well, maybe not all over it, but would be doing better than I am this summer. Because, not one single movie in the park or outdoor concert or dance or fireworks. Nope. Not a one. So I am attempting to remedy this a bit.

Also on the agenda this weekend:
Fusion
Family Meal
Band Practice (to play with lights)
Yellow Bags
Church

Did I mention I was tired already?

And did I mention that I'm learning this light thing for all these teenagers that are coming in NEXT WEEK PEOPLE!?! And I'm hopeless at it, if my dabbling last night was any indication at all.

Birthday of a Bear

Yesterday was the Bear's birthday. She's OOOOLD.

Well, older than me at any rate.

And very dear too.

And sweet.

And lovely.

So a little party to celebrate her.






















And, since we are a very singy bunch of folks, singing,

















with guitar,





















and drumming





















And my friends who have a baby due in, oh, like two weeks!
Isn't she cute preggers?

And there was a puppet show at the end involving a sheep and a shepard and a donkey.
Very amusing.
Oh, and there was cake too. Very yummy cake. Mmmm... cake.

And thus ended my participation in the birthday of the Bear.

Happy Birthday CareBear!
Hope this year is fantastic.

Learning New Things

Last night I started learning how to do the lights at my church. Not the lights in the chandeliers that hang down from the ceiling, but the electronic lights that do mood sets and move around to the music and twirl and swing around. There aren't too many people that understand them so I was starting from scratch with a friend that didn't know much more than I did. But, after a few hours, it started to make sense and I could do much better things with them.

Why you might ask? Well, we've got some kids from our church and a few other churches coming to town in the next few weeks for a conference. Music every night with fun lights to boot. That's me!

So it's fun. With the power to get into the church anytime I want to now, I might be able to go in and play with the lights to be a little more adept and get some sets staged for the event. And? I'll have just one more unmarketable skill in my repertoire.

Sabbath

This weekend I took a sabbath. I rested. I didn't do anything that would require me to be "on." It was great to just be. I putzed around some. Did some cleaning and laundry. Hung up some pictures in my room. Scrubbed the tub. Framed a painting I had done a while ago, back when I was painting regularly. Found some other paintings that I think I want to hang up. I was handy and put up hooks in my closet and the back of my bedroom door. I put my bed up on risers so that I can put more junk under there. Replaced batteries in a few things. It was lovely.

Not only did I feel like I was relaxing but I also felt like I was accomplishing things - and it was only an added bonus - not the whole point of the exercise.

And last night? I didn't get that dreaded feeling when I realized that my weekend was coming to an end. Not because I didn't have a good weekend, but because I had a real weekend.

Also, I apologize to anyone walking or driving down my street the past three mornings as I enjoyed my coffee and book on the front porch in my nightgown.

Borderlands

Boundaries exist for a reason - whatever they are, and for whatever reason.

Major geographic boundaries might happen naturally because of a river or mountain range. City boundaries limit jurisdictions and define responsibility.

We create boundaries in friendships or with acquaintances, helping define the relationship.

And sometimes, these things that we've put up to protect ourselves (and, let's just be honest, protect others from us) get fuzzy and before you know it, the person who was once over there is now over here.

A while back my roommates and I had a fabulous party which lots of fabulous friends attended. But I stretched my neck out a bit in my invitations. I invited a few colleagues at work that I really like in the work context. Thought they would be fun to have over and get to know a bit more. But, the bigger risk was that I invited a student from the program where I work. I know both her and her husband (he was a student in this program and has graduated), have met their son and periodically get updates on him along with pictures. I really like them all.

Of course, despite dealing with all the inner turmoil about crossing that boundary that I had set, the not-hanging-out-socially-with-students boundary, they ended up not coming to the party. It's hard with a kindergartener. And a long haul from where they live to where I live. But now there's more talking about stuff. And book loaning. And today I got an email in which I was sent a blog address.

I think that I want to reinstate that boundary. Not because I don't like them anymore. I do. Probably even more. But because this whole blogging thing, for me, it's very cathartic. And I put stuff out there more readily than I would out loud in the everyday and in speaking with my friends. We would get there eventually. But it's more like my inner dialogue about my pain and my joy and my moments of work rage. It's a bit of me that doesn't get out much. Sometimes for good reason.

As is her blog. So now I feel like I have a look inside this person's brain and life that I haven't earned. I feel as though I haven't invested enough in this relationship to deserve this trust yet. So I have to say I'm honored. Thrilled to my toes. Truly.

And so Minty, here you are.

Welcome.

Nothin'

Folks, I got nothin' for today's five things. I know! One would think that with all the time I had off I would have been able to come up with something between then and now. Yet, I remain blank.

My sincerest apologies.

But, you might notice me turning a little green. It's because of my roommate. She brought her new baby home a few nights ago. It's a MacBook and oh so pretty. She also got a free iPod Nano to go along with it. I'm just slightly envious. Someday I will have my own laptop. I will.

It's also payday. So I took care of those pesky tickets I needed to pay. Someday I will need to get my vehicle registration updated. But for now, I can park in my village and not suffer any undue consequences. And? And I protested another ticket and got it dismissed!!! Which is incredible. Noone thought I would be able to get it dismissed and yet, they did. And they were fairly pleasant this morning.

See, the incredible thing is most people see the parking bureaucracy around where I live like this:


And I? Am like the Allies.
OK. Maybe too strong of a simile. But, really, someone thought poorly enough about this village's parking situation to photoshop this up. It's a bad situation for the most part. But it's nice to have a little silver lining in the looming car clouds.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

I plan to run amok with my new set of church keys. OK. That sounds like an oxymoron. All I'm sayin' is that some misguided soul (or souls) thought I should have keys to the church. Really?? I was just fine without them. But thanks anyways. Now I can have hookah parties in the balcony!

Fuzzy Animals

I promised!


Ooh! And ANTELOPE!

Good Help

is so damn hard to find.

My office employs students. Some of them are assigned to us through the federal work study program and their salary is paid through this as part of their financial aid package. Except during the summer. We need helpers during the summer because our department runs a full schedule for classes all year round. So, we usually keep one or two around to help out in the office and make sure we have the money in the budget for that. Easy enough, right?

Except that the issue of student workers has not be an easy one. It is almost like a revolving door. And I have certainly asked a few not to come back - after winter vacation, after the start of the school year, the day after tomorrow. See, when I have someone working in my office, I sort of expect them to, well, work. When there is work to be done - you work. I also expect them to let me know when they can't come into the office and maybe make other arrangements - a few days ahead of time.

Sometimes I think the revolving door issue has something to do with me not being a good boss. But I know this is not true. If I was a bad boss I wouldn't keep the really good ones that do a great job, ask good questions, and take initiative. I also wouldn't be asked to do recommendations for scholarships, RA posts and other jobs. Yet I am. And, I wouldn't have a former student worker now filling a full-time real world job in my office or have another be sure to visit me when she comes in from the west coast. I am a pretty good boss.

But, see, when a person doesn't come into work for two days straight with nary a phone call or email, I get pushed into a corner. Hey, if you aren't going to be here, let me know for crying out loud. Because that sort of behavior? Will make me fire your ass. Which is now part of my plan for one of my summer hires. And the other one will get more hours, which I'm sure she wanted to begin with.


Also, one of the people in my office just asked me "Do we have any of these?" (hanging file folders people - he doesn't' know what they are) "I didn't get any with my file cabinet." Seriously?? And, can I just say, he's had these new filing cabinets for, oh, close to a year now. Suddenly he wants to use them?

It never occurred to this genius that these fancy hanging file folders might actually be a pretty standard office supply and we might have a few boxes on hand in the supply cabinet! Did he even think to look there first? Oh, I'm sure not.

It's been a rough week at work folks. Being gone, jumping in to work on the same morning I take a flight at the butt-crack of dawn, plus a missing student worker are not a good combination.

Sorry to be all pissy. Tomorrow, I promise, fuzzy babies.

Home

Guess who's back? Back again?

Can't go wrong with a little Marshall Mathers.

So the week was OK. Several good things. Several things that it would be nice to change or do over. But I have survived.

I did get to see my cousin's baby for the first time. He is a chunky monkey. Solid baby. I love him dearly.

I also got to see my aunt's horses. A mare, a gelding, and a surprise filly. When she bought the mare the previous owners were selling her because she was too old to have any more foals. Apparently she was pregnant when they bought her. A few months later there was this little horse and my aunt was totally freaked out and in denial. But they are all very sweet. I'm a big fan of the horses. I read the black stallion when I was in 5th grade and it was all over from there. Actually, it might have started earlier than that but it's what I remember. When my parents were having trouble and we moved to New Mexico I remember riding my bike over to the stables on the mesa where we lived almost every day after school. It was a good place to escape.

I got to meet significant others of two of my cousins. One of whom got married on Friday. But the guy seems like a nice guy - even if he is going to seminary at a Southern Baptist establishment come fall.

There's a little bit of denominationalism for you. Although, in my defense, my year at the Southern Baptist church did such great harm to my adolescent faith that I went off to college not quite sure I believed in God. And they were mean to my grandpa. So he became an American Baptist. So, there. Not entirely unfounded.

I forgot my Netflix dvds! Dammit. And my phone charger so the phone was off most of the time. And I didn't remind my father to bring his computer with him so I was disconnected from you, oh blogosphere of beauty and randomness.

And, despite the fact that it was gorgeous country, driving for four days with legs at a fairly small angle takes its toll on my already rather arthritic knees. I have had very little cartilage in one of them since I was in fourth grade.

Another thing. Who knew that Jehovah's Witnesses had taken over Amarillo this last weekend? At 11:30 pm it is not fun to find out that a hotel room is not to be found because of a convention. So we finally found something decent and got to bed by 2. Wildorado, TX. But we were happy to find something where the bed didn't look like it had already been slept in that day.

But, hopefully, once I catch my breath at work I can share pictures of beautiful mountains and horses and antelope and that sort of fun.