Ice Day

So despite having a day and a half off from work due to the "Great Texas Ice Storm", this has felt like the longest week ever. Work is soo busy right now, and I am exhausted. I've had to put in late nights all week to make up for the time off and next week will be just as busy. The good news is that the week after THAT I am going to use some of my comp time to take a day off.

So Tuesday morning, after sleeping in late because of the 3:58 a.m. text message saying UNT was closed for the day, I looked out my apartment window and noticed that one of my front tires was flat. I immediate thought three things: 1) Thank goodness it didn't pop on me while I was driving on I-35 (that's happened to me twice, and it's scary), 2) What a horrible weather day to have to go outside and put on my spare tire, and 3) Can I just leave it till tomorrow? The problem with leaving it till tomorrow was that I couldn't miss any more work, so I bundled up and drove slowly around Lewisville to look for a car repair shop. After spending my ice day sitting in a Firestone waiting room reading magazines, I got the dreaded news: You need new tires, and we've found about $1,500 worth of repairs that need to be done to your car.

Can I just say as a single woman who knows nothing about cars, there is no place that makes me feel more insecure than going into an auto repair shop alone? Do I really need this repair? Are they trying to rip me off? Why can't I remember when was the last time I got that part replaced? What will happen if I don't get it done? I also know that I commute 20 minutes up and down I-35 every day in lots of traffic, and I don't want to be nervous about my car going out on me. Anyways, the guy at the counter was really nice and patiently explained everything to me and told me he would "hook me up" when I told him I couldn't afford a lot of the maintenance that needed to be done.

The truth is, I know I probably don't maintain my car as well as I should. It's a nuisance to me, and I hate spending money on it. It's time for my attitude to change, I guess. I got some of the repairs done, and I will have to save up for the later ones. So, here's the funny part of the story, as I was getting ready to leave, the guy I'd been talking to all day asked if he could take me out sometime. He was nice, but I wasn't feeling it, so I gave him the "Thanks, but I have a boyfriend" lie. As I left, I wondered if I really should have turned down the guy who could help me out with $1500 in car repairs. He gave me his number to call "if I changed my mind", and when I looked at it later, I realized he gave me the Firestone customer service line where people are supposed to call and take a survey on the service they received. So was it really all a ploy?

What an ice day.

Make new friends, but keep the old...

...One is silver and the other gold. (Ah, Girl Scouts). I got to see some of my favorite Baylor girls this weekend. Lara and Ashley came up from Houston, Stacy came down from Oklahoma, and Lauren and I made the long trek from across the metroplex to Holley's house for a reunion. It was so good to see old roommates and friends, and I am so blessed to have become a part of this group of friends. I wish I could have had 4 full years with them at Baylor, and I missed their sweet spirits and goofy jokes after they graduated. Thanks for a great time, girls! (We missed you Chelsea.)



So, about my new year's resolution ... It wasn't hard to get all my veggies in this week, so I think I accomplished my first goal. However, I bought myself a bag of valentine's candy heart, and, let's face it, Necco advertises them as a "fat free candy", but there is nothing good about candy hearts. Pure sugar. Oh well, at least I didn't eat cookies, right?

This week:

• I will go to the gym M, T, H, F after work.
• I will not drink sodas or buy any more candy hearts.
• (And continue eating fruits and veggies with every meal).

Yes we can

It's my first post of 2009! The fact that this is being written on Jan. 16 is not a good sign considering my New Year's resolution was to write every day, either in my journal or on my blog. I've done better with writing in my journal. I have decided that I miss writing, and I hope 2009 will bring a job change. I remember that one of my professors told me that good writing takes practice. She said that even just writing in streams of consciousness for five minutes a day would help improve somebody's skills. Since I've been out of the writing biz for the past 6 months or so, I've decided I need to sharpen up. Hence the new year's resolution.


My second resolution this year is to shape up. Now this resolution has been set many times before. This time is different. I lost about 10-15 pounds while I was living in England. But now, six months later, I am back at my pre-England weight. Boo America. Too much Chick-Fil-A, Mexican food, and cookie dough - all nonexistent across the pond. I also walked everywhere in England and worked out almost every day as a break from studying. Now, I spend much of my day sitting and work out 2-3 times a week. Here's why I think I usually fail: I give up on myself too easily. I have never had accountability in my weight loss goals. Also, when you live by yourself, it is much easier to eat over eat. I am hoping by talking about this on my blog, that will change a bit. More so that exercising, my weight loss obstacle is food. Therefore, I am taking baby steps to change my lifestyle.



Goals for this week:

• Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal.
• I will not buy any cookies (my weakness) at the store this week.

See you next week!

In 2008, I ...

• Lived in England
• Interned at the BBC
• Travelled to Norway, Ireland, and Portugal
• Wrote a dissertation
• Finished grad school
• Moved back home
• Made new friends, but kept the old
• Found a job
• Got my first "real" paycheck
• Moved into an apartment
• Found a church
• Began a quarter-life crisis (to be continued in 2009)

Not bad ...

A Chasing After the Wind

Do you ever wonder what the point of life is? I mean, every day, I get up, go to work, go to the gym, come home, sit on the couch, watch tv, and go to bed. Rinse, lather, repeat. Ok, some days I skip the gym part. And some days I go out and see friends, but really, what is the purpose of it all? Am I missing something?

I've been chewing on Ecclesiastes this week after a great sermon at church on Sunday. I think Ecclesiastes is quickly becoming one of my favorite books of the Bible. I'd read it before and never quite got it. The book just seemed depressing to me, but my pastor explained that Ecclesiastes is written like a diary. The author's emotions go up and down, and he is writing every which way as thoughts come to him, much like my diary would appear to any one who read it (you know, my REAL diary). In the end, he makes some great conclusions. Check out some of these passages:

"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him who can eat or find engagement?"

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good where they live." 3:11-12

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." 7:14

"Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whoel duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." 12:13-14

So, here's what I take from the book: Only in God does life have meaning or pleasure. Without him, nothing will satisfy, everything is meaningless, "a chasing after the wind." We should enjoy the good things God gives us without guilt and accept the bad, understanding that only in the end will we see God's plan. God also gives me a lot of reassurances about time, which is a struggle for me as I wait for many things ... "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven," ... "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

I love that God understood that man would question the meaning of his life, like the author, and include this man's ramblings in the Bible to help us on our own search for meaning. I don't know how anyone can say the Bible isn't relevant to life today. Not when you've got good stuff like this in it. There are so many applicable insights in it, it makes me wonder why I ever struggle to read the Bible sometimes. I should want to devour it. I have some good things to ponder as we enter the new year.


Currently watching: Marley and Me (almost makes me want to get a pet)
Currently reading: The Secret Life of Bees (Thanks Paige)
Currently listening: Jason Mraz (it's been in my car for months and I'm still not tired of it. definitely a new record.)

The Divine Romance

I got to see Shane & Shane, Phil Wickham and Bethany Dillon in concert over the weekend with my good friend Lauren. They were all great, but I was totally blown away by Phil Wickham. I have never heard someone make so much noise with just a voice and guitar. He completely filled the room. I think he is better in person than on cd. His song "Divine Romance" has held a special place in my heart over the last year as I have struggled with refinding the emotional side of my faith. It has helped me rekindle my desire to not just follow God, but to develop intimacy with him. I am in a divine romance with my creator. When I really think about that, I get shivers up and done my spine. Anyways, if you haven't heard of Phil Wickham, check him out.

"The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph. 3:17

Graduation and Mistranslation

My graduation ceremony for Leeds is on Thursday morning. I have been getting Facebook messages from my classmates and friends for weeks about making plans for reunions and parties this week since many of them are going back for the ceremony. It's making me a little sad that I don't get to join in the festivities or attend my master's graduation. I see no future plans for a PhD, so that was my last chance at a graduation ceremony. Poor me. Maybe my parents will take me out for a nice dinner or something to celebrate from a far.

Speaking of graduation, my brother graduated from UT last weekend. One thing I admire about my brother is that he has always had a vision and a goal. He wants to be a movie director. He has had this goal since he was about 15 and started making movies with his friends. He graduated from the RTF program at UT and has taken advantage of lots of opportunities to gain experience, and I have to say, I think he has a shot of making it. His plan is to move to LA in May. This plan is probably every parent's worst nightmare, but I think everyone in my family sees how hard he has worked to accomplish his dreams and are supportive of him. Yay Christopher!

I realized that I need to start blogging about all the funny things that happen at work. Working with international students lends itself to comedy. A few days ago, a man came into my office and wanted me to make a doctor's appointment for him. This is normal because many of my students are uncomfortable making phone calls because people can never understand their accent over the phone. Anyways, I asked him what was wrong and he tried to explain his symptoms to me but couldn't come up with the words in English. He pulled out his electronic dictionary and finally came up with translation for the problem he had: Herpes. He was looking at me with these big eyes and nodding his head up and down vigorously: "Yes, yes, I have herpes." I started to laugh. I guess I am not a very good counselor.

We got everything cleared up eventually.