all roads use-ta lead to Rome, but now some other roads lead to who-knows-where. for me, it looks like that road is leading back to the land of GR Ford, apples, lots of trees and water, and blondes galore. Yes, folks, it looks as if I am going to be heading back to the great state of si quaeris peninsulam amoenam... CIRCUMSPICE!! if you know what that means, yes. I'm not sure when, yet. I do want to see the Grand Canyon and maybe CAlifornia first, but who ka-nows...
Apparently I am allergic to amoxicillin. however it is spelled (my computer is wiggly-red-lining that version, and prompting me to choose tamoxifen, penicillin, amontillado, or painkilling. none of which is the word i am looking for...
i found an amazing new scent: DKNY-Be Delicious...... has a new version: be delicious - night! :)
its almostasgood or better than DKNY- bd (green), which i got at burlington in Phoenix after we got back from MEXICO. (which i still need to writes aboot. sorry!!)
but now, i need to go to bed. apparently my eyes are sinking into my head. or i have huuuge undereye circles. let's chalk that up to 1)grad school 2)teaching children that act like monkeys 3)not drinking enough water because antibiotics make me nauseated 4)not enough sleep 5)not enough conversations with my Abba and all my homeslices - remedied easily enough, :-D
so the thing is: I am going to miss this place, as dusty, dry, and brown as it is. I've met some extraordinary people here, and living in the high desert has given me a huge appreciation for, well, SOOOO much. more on that laters, though. :) I need to sleep... sometime :)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
should i stay or should i go?
some of my pros and cons:
staying in AZ to work in Sanders:
pros:
-job. good insurance / benefits
-get to teach a crochet class.
-get to use my spanish
-amazing church and friends there (well, in Gallup)
-a lot of the teachers and students "want" me to stay...
-i feel needed here
cons:
-far from hospitals, people my age, stores, et cetera.
-far from family
-living by myself makes me think about my health a lot more than i should be.
-i have to use a PO Box and can only get mail between 8 and 5 ... or something.
-far from all the new babies in my circle
-far from my favorite peoples ever-ever-ever
leaving sanders to go to an unknown (as of yet) destination:
pros:
-no more filters for my water
-no more huge amounts of money spent on propane
-possibly living closer to good friends and family
-more adventures
-more adventures in trust. . . and letting God love on the people I leave behind.
cons:
-leaving my kids to another year of uncertainty... with teachers coming and going and no real stability...
- the whole unknown thing. . .
-leaving another group of people and friends and a new culture ... well, just leaving in general.
staying in AZ to work in Sanders:
pros:
-job. good insurance / benefits
-get to teach a crochet class.
-get to use my spanish
-amazing church and friends there (well, in Gallup)
-a lot of the teachers and students "want" me to stay...
-i feel needed here
cons:
-far from hospitals, people my age, stores, et cetera.
-far from family
-living by myself makes me think about my health a lot more than i should be.
-i have to use a PO Box and can only get mail between 8 and 5 ... or something.
-far from all the new babies in my circle
-far from my favorite peoples ever-ever-ever
leaving sanders to go to an unknown (as of yet) destination:
pros:
-no more filters for my water
-no more huge amounts of money spent on propane
-possibly living closer to good friends and family
-more adventures
-more adventures in trust. . . and letting God love on the people I leave behind.
cons:
-leaving my kids to another year of uncertainty... with teachers coming and going and no real stability...
- the whole unknown thing. . .
-leaving another group of people and friends and a new culture ... well, just leaving in general.
Friday, March 27, 2009
job search tips: for you! i share them now...
Are employers ignoring you because you aren't appealing to their new recession-oriented mindset?
In the past 6 months virtually every employer has transitioned to a new candidate evaluation mindset, although sadly most job seekers haven't adjusted to this "new normal." A few job seekers have figured this out and it is the secret that is getting them hired.
In this email I'm going to tell you how to make this necessary adjustment to your job search, with the goal of dramatically improving your odds of landing a job.
The "New Normal"
The biggest change in today's job market is that almost every "open" position is now a "replacement hire." Meaning, unlike boom times when jobs were created due to growth (e.g., "let's add another position because we can't handle all these orders"), the job openings you are looking at today are the result of someone leaving a company. They were fired, transferred, retired, or voluntarily left the company. When the job market gets into this mode, the nature of hiring decisions change dramatically.
What's the biggest difference?
In a "replacement hire" market, employers are focused on hiring impact players. To use a sports analogy, if you lose your star running back in midseason, you don't think about waiting for next spring's college draft. Rather, you head straight to the free agent market to hire the best impact player that's available today. Employers are in the same mindset. Getting approval to hire someone has become extremely difficult for managers, so when they get the green light they want to make sure it's a great "game-changing" hire.
Now for the advice
During times like these, the theme of your job search needs to be that you are an impact player. This feeling and message needs to permeate everything you do, from your resume and cover letter, to your interview responses, to your thank you note; the employer needs to feel that you are an impact player. They want to know that hiring you will lead to an instant improvement in their department. That means you need to convey confidence, self-assurance, and a message that you can step into the job and immediately make a positive impact on their business. Here's what it might sound like in an interview session:
In the past 6 months virtually every employer has transitioned to a new candidate evaluation mindset, although sadly most job seekers haven't adjusted to this "new normal." A few job seekers have figured this out and it is the secret that is getting them hired.
In this email I'm going to tell you how to make this necessary adjustment to your job search, with the goal of dramatically improving your odds of landing a job.
The "New Normal"
The biggest change in today's job market is that almost every "open" position is now a "replacement hire." Meaning, unlike boom times when jobs were created due to growth (e.g., "let's add another position because we can't handle all these orders"), the job openings you are looking at today are the result of someone leaving a company. They were fired, transferred, retired, or voluntarily left the company. When the job market gets into this mode, the nature of hiring decisions change dramatically.
What's the biggest difference?
In a "replacement hire" market, employers are focused on hiring impact players. To use a sports analogy, if you lose your star running back in midseason, you don't think about waiting for next spring's college draft. Rather, you head straight to the free agent market to hire the best impact player that's available today. Employers are in the same mindset. Getting approval to hire someone has become extremely difficult for managers, so when they get the green light they want to make sure it's a great "game-changing" hire.
Now for the advice
During times like these, the theme of your job search needs to be that you are an impact player. This feeling and message needs to permeate everything you do, from your resume and cover letter, to your interview responses, to your thank you note; the employer needs to feel that you are an impact player. They want to know that hiring you will lead to an instant improvement in their department. That means you need to convey confidence, self-assurance, and a message that you can step into the job and immediately make a positive impact on their business. Here's what it might sound like in an interview session:
| Hiring Manager: Why do you want this accounts receivable position? You: I'm confident that I can help you quickly reduce the amount of overdue invoices you have. I have six years of accounts receivable experience, and I would expect that you'd start to see results in the first week after me starting in the job. I'm not someone who is afraid of hard work, and digging into a new challenge is something that I relish. Hiring Manager: How would you go about doing that? You: On my first day I'd start a triage process, where I'd rank the outstanding invoices by size and age. If you're like most companies, 80% of your outstanding collections is attributable to 20% of your customers. Next I would create an action plan for each client, and immediately start making collection calls... |
As you can see, this is a much different interview style than answering questions with cliché's like "I'm a fast learner and a good team player." My suggestion is for you to reread your resume and cover letters, think back to your last interview, and ask yourself whether the employer would think of you as the best free agent on the market, or just another job seeker.
If the answer is the latter, you've got some work to do. (If you need help with your resume, check out Jobfox's resume writing service, it's one of the most popular resume writing services on the Internet.)
Best of luck with your job search,
Rob McGovern
Founder and CEO
Jobfox.com
Sunday, March 22, 2009
i kissed a b- i mean, a boy kissed me!
now, i've never been one to kiss and tell, but... i've never even been one to KISS. so tonight when this cutie kissed me, i let it sink in. literally. I mean, i know I said i was going to wait until my wedding day to kiss, but... I couldn't resist! And plus, it doesn't count...
see, Elisha and I have been friends for some time now. Since last October, I think. He's 4 now, so I guess it's okay. Anyways, I made the mistake of showing him that red frosting (from Jeff's Christmas Oreos) + lips = bright red, awesome, kissable lips. hahaha. So he went around kissing people.... or at least, trying to kiss them. He gave me a big, juicy one on my cheek. and yes, it was with red frosting. hehe.
and then he went for Rob, and Casey, and Betsy, and "Uncle Jeff," and anyone else in the room. (we were hanging at Rob's for foodage after a very, very, very windy/dusty day-trip to Canyon de Chelley(pronounced Shay).
Speaking on CDC, it was amazing. Jeff, Betsy (no Ray), Sara (no Paul, but yes Elisha and Keira), Casey, Rob, Rachel (and Alvia), and Jesse and I all went. We took Jeff's truck - me and all the guys!! - and Betsy's yellow... thing. it was a tight fit, but it was worth it :) The ride over was great fun - I drove my car to Window Rock with Casey and Jesse, and then we met everyone in the McDonald's parking lot. Jesse and Casey and Elisha kinder dozed off for awhile on the way over to the Canyon / National Monument or whatever you want to call it, but Rob, Jeff, and I stayed awake the whole time. We went to about two overlooks, and then decided to forego the rest of them because it was inCREDIBLY windy and dusty, and just went straight to the big hike. I stayed with Sara and Betsy and Keira for half of the way down - they were pushing K in the stroller, but gave up (sad) after awhile, so I traipsed to the bottom of the Canyon and met up with a huge duststorm as I crossed the bridge to see some Anasazi (?) ruins, a bathroom, and the rest of the peoples. Elisha was a bit of a slave driver on the way back, so we made it to the top in record time. After battling the dust blowing at us... I was the only one dumb enough to have my legs showing - I wore capris - and I got a few little cuts on my legs from something or other that blew into me in the fray.
But it was really, really pretty. No, that's not the word i want. *Something just blew off something outside. I heard a thumpdbd. Like maybe Forster's tv dish? hmm.... It's realllly windy. I hope my dish stays up.
It was - spectabulous. Although my earholes are full of dirt. I need to wash them out. Mayhaps I shall do that now, while I am i the middle of posting this. Since it keeps "autosaving." I need to write all this and more - much, much, much more! - in my journal, which has been neglected due to blogger and xanga and trying to teach and take classes and make and keep friends,...
okay, time to wash my hair - i mean, turn it to mud and then wash the mud out, and think about things. and then post some more more more. :) i promise you, if you read ALL of this, it will... be good for you. and your reading / proofreading skills.
okay, next day. got done from school, went to tutoring, came home, made moon toast. it is now Monday evening.
Yesterday after we finished hiking, we drove over to Spider Rock - also in the same "park."
Apparently this is where lots of commercials have taken place. For example, helicoptering a jeep to the top of Spider Rock - which is like this huge double-spire formation. it was realllly cool, and there were horses and cowses and sheep foraging at the bottom.
I ran around with Keira and Elisha, being silly. It was greeaaat fuun!
and then we got back in the vehicles and drove over to Rob's house. . . I sat in the middle front again, between Jeff and Jesse. Jesse dozed off, as did Elisha and Casey, and Jeff let me shift for him since I was practically sitting on the gearstick -thing. It wasn't that easy shifting with mainly my left hand, but I double-handed it some of the time, and I only got it out of gear once towards the beginning. hahaha.... it was fun, though. Especially since the last time I drove a stick was in Manistee like 10 or so years ago. The roads were passable - they seemed a lot like Betsy's road, and apparently were also similar to the road to Jeff's house. That is to say, the mud was dried out and there were some sweet tire ruts and all that. which made it fun to ride belted tightly next to Jeff and Jesse so I wouldn't fly away from the bumps haha.
Jeff and I discussed the various bears of the woods - i guess he has an altimeter or something and we were at like 8,000 feet :) And I asked him - since we were driving past some beautiful Ponderosas - what kind of fauna lived up this high. I heard a few people in the back say "grizzly," and then Jeff mentioned like all the varieties of bears available - black bear, brown bear, grizzly, polar (i was like, what>! ), panda (so we can eat them)... and we drove past a puddle and talked about going fishing. It was fun :)
but we got to Rob's place and had sammiches and fellowship and i heard that the Spartans won, (yey!) and then we had ice cream and I snuck into the kitchen and did the dishes. yes!
...Except jeff came in and almost gave me away when he asked "What are you doing the dishes?" so I shushed him and he whispered the same question-statement and ran away, hehehe. I love having people's dishes to wash! :) *sigh.... someday. Abba?
Aaaaand now it is Tuesday. here are some more updaters:
Last Sunday (a week ago) I went to the ER after Edge because my neck was bugging me and i've been having headaches; I got some Xrays, and the xray technician, whose name is dave, was a little friendly... he told me about his ex wife, whose name is Mandy, and his 8-year old daughter(or maybe it is she who is the Mandy), who lives near Gallup (hence his reason for "Sticking around." And after he took my xrays and showed me how straight my vertebrae were (there was barely any curve!) *result of whiplash = sprained neck, for me, I guess. ... He wheeled me back to the exam room and basically asked me out. It's an open-invitation - "You're an incredibly beautiful woman; any time you're in town and maybe want to see a movie or something, ...." sure, it was flattering and all, but yipes! gleeps! he practically saw me naked! and i have no idea who he is....
So I went into Albuquerque (there's no "r" after the first "U!") this past Friday to get a root canal... I made it, barely - i had to drop off my grades at school, and stop in to pick up a PT recommendation from Gallup, but i made it!! only 10 or so minutes "late." *sigh* I got there and the office was all dark and stuff, and apparently they are really into being Asian. the room they stuck me in had a huge window-door and there was a creek outside with bamboo growing, and rocks, and....pigeons. hahahahahaha. so he gave me like 20 shots of something to numb my right side of my face, and i started shaking but that got better eventually. and he drilled around in my tooth for a bit and it was great fun. and it smelled like burnt hair. which is probably more to say, burnt tooth. and he filled my tooth with putty of some sort, wrote three incredibly messy prescriptions, and sent me on my way. I went to wal-greens and got some drugs, and took them, and then went to target to get some yogurt (and a scarf!) to go with the antibiotics. then I drove around until I found my hotel - a Days Inn... very posh. king sized bed!. et cetera.
I tried calling Jessica and Jeff and Betsy to see if they were still going to the hockey game, but I couldn't get a hold of anyone. So... I decided to risk it. I packed my crochet in my purse in case I couldn't find them, and drove 40 minutes to Rio Rancho. Luckily, the ice wasn't frozen, so instead of being late, I was 40 or more minutes early, and even better, I found Jeff / Jessica / Rachel right away! Jeff moved over so I could sit next to Jessica, but he didn't have to. Silly boy. We lost, but the ref totally stole 2 of our goals (and by "we" i mean the scorpions. they were playing arizona, haha). It was a pretty good games besides the referee.....
after the game we met up at some gas station - after waiting for people to leave the parking lot, that is. ha! - and Jeff showed me the road "back" to ABQ. . . . which apparently needs a number/name sign. because i failed to turn where i should have, ... Good thing I had a map. ABQ is so confusing at night. It's almost as confusing in the daytime, but I drove around a lot on Saturday, so things are a.... smidgen more clear now. The mountain is "east," got it. :)
Saturday I drove around town and bought stuff, and had starbucks (my new drink is the "Espresso Truffle." which btw is amaaaazing and you need to try it!) and then attempted to eat some food which was hard because my tooth is really sharp right now so drinking was the worst, and i kept cutting my tongue. owww. I think it's a little wee bit better now, though, because either it's scarred over, or it's wearing down. yipes. So I got back on the road, finally,... and made it back a little before 11. After stoppin in Gallup to use the bathroom slash wake up.
And I got to go to B&N while in ABQ, and before i went in the store, one of thesongs from the new BSS CD (Anti-Meridian) was on the RADIO - "starlings." It's a great reminder of how incredibly much God cares for us, because of his care for the silly little birds of the earth.
here are the lyrics .... and if you want to hear the song for yourself (it's incredible: ) email me!
THE OFFICIAL STARLING LYRICS(taken from the official message board) ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Filthy bird laying in our yard
four chambered heart never beat so hard
Dad said she was almost gone,
upside down out on our lawn.
And I could hold her in a shoe box,
if she heals she could be mine.
And if I cannot save her spirit,
dad says I should break her spine.
Shaking, brilliant, silver-black wings,
Jesus Christ, what prayers these tears sing.
Chorus
Wear your hearts out on your sleeves for
starlings... starlings.
Of the least of all of these,
are starlings... starlings.
Two years pass, I pumped the chamber,
full of air to shoot the birds.
Harmless game to hit them slightly,
to scare them off, in other words.
Starling falling to her death,
piercing copper steals her breath.
See the flutter in her breast,
starving babies in her nest.
Raise their souls up to the sky,
why must helpless creatures die?
Chorus
Bridge
Every breath has sacred weight,
every life has some design.
Can we kill and also save,
speak of life,
while digging graves?
Chorus
also, yesterday marty was playing around in 4th hour and totally ran into the wall... my 7th hour kids discovered a huge hole. ooooops. So i told him to talk to the peeps in the office about it. *sigh* poor kid.
this whole decision-thing coming up is kinda freaking me out. so... i shall not freak. I am going to trust. it's like bittersweet Ghiradelli - you want to finish it, you don't want to finish it, but you love the savoryness of the process.
see, Elisha and I have been friends for some time now. Since last October, I think. He's 4 now, so I guess it's okay. Anyways, I made the mistake of showing him that red frosting (from Jeff's Christmas Oreos) + lips = bright red, awesome, kissable lips. hahaha. So he went around kissing people.... or at least, trying to kiss them. He gave me a big, juicy one on my cheek. and yes, it was with red frosting. hehe.
and then he went for Rob, and Casey, and Betsy, and "Uncle Jeff," and anyone else in the room. (we were hanging at Rob's for foodage after a very, very, very windy/dusty day-trip to Canyon de Chelley(pronounced Shay).
Speaking on CDC, it was amazing. Jeff, Betsy (no Ray), Sara (no Paul, but yes Elisha and Keira), Casey, Rob, Rachel (and Alvia), and Jesse and I all went. We took Jeff's truck - me and all the guys!! - and Betsy's yellow... thing. it was a tight fit, but it was worth it :) The ride over was great fun - I drove my car to Window Rock with Casey and Jesse, and then we met everyone in the McDonald's parking lot. Jesse and Casey and Elisha kinder dozed off for awhile on the way over to the Canyon / National Monument or whatever you want to call it, but Rob, Jeff, and I stayed awake the whole time. We went to about two overlooks, and then decided to forego the rest of them because it was inCREDIBLY windy and dusty, and just went straight to the big hike. I stayed with Sara and Betsy and Keira for half of the way down - they were pushing K in the stroller, but gave up (sad) after awhile, so I traipsed to the bottom of the Canyon and met up with a huge duststorm as I crossed the bridge to see some Anasazi (?) ruins, a bathroom, and the rest of the peoples. Elisha was a bit of a slave driver on the way back, so we made it to the top in record time. After battling the dust blowing at us... I was the only one dumb enough to have my legs showing - I wore capris - and I got a few little cuts on my legs from something or other that blew into me in the fray.
But it was really, really pretty. No, that's not the word i want. *Something just blew off something outside. I heard a thumpdbd. Like maybe Forster's tv dish? hmm.... It's realllly windy. I hope my dish stays up.
It was - spectabulous. Although my earholes are full of dirt. I need to wash them out. Mayhaps I shall do that now, while I am i the middle of posting this. Since it keeps "autosaving." I need to write all this and more - much, much, much more! - in my journal, which has been neglected due to blogger and xanga and trying to teach and take classes and make and keep friends,...
okay, time to wash my hair - i mean, turn it to mud and then wash the mud out, and think about things. and then post some more more more. :) i promise you, if you read ALL of this, it will... be good for you. and your reading / proofreading skills.
okay, next day. got done from school, went to tutoring, came home, made moon toast. it is now Monday evening.
Yesterday after we finished hiking, we drove over to Spider Rock - also in the same "park."
Apparently this is where lots of commercials have taken place. For example, helicoptering a jeep to the top of Spider Rock - which is like this huge double-spire formation. it was realllly cool, and there were horses and cowses and sheep foraging at the bottom.
I ran around with Keira and Elisha, being silly. It was greeaaat fuun!
and then we got back in the vehicles and drove over to Rob's house. . . I sat in the middle front again, between Jeff and Jesse. Jesse dozed off, as did Elisha and Casey, and Jeff let me shift for him since I was practically sitting on the gearstick -thing. It wasn't that easy shifting with mainly my left hand, but I double-handed it some of the time, and I only got it out of gear once towards the beginning. hahaha.... it was fun, though. Especially since the last time I drove a stick was in Manistee like 10 or so years ago. The roads were passable - they seemed a lot like Betsy's road, and apparently were also similar to the road to Jeff's house. That is to say, the mud was dried out and there were some sweet tire ruts and all that. which made it fun to ride belted tightly next to Jeff and Jesse so I wouldn't fly away from the bumps haha.
Jeff and I discussed the various bears of the woods - i guess he has an altimeter or something and we were at like 8,000 feet :) And I asked him - since we were driving past some beautiful Ponderosas - what kind of fauna lived up this high. I heard a few people in the back say "grizzly," and then Jeff mentioned like all the varieties of bears available - black bear, brown bear, grizzly, polar (i was like, what>! ), panda (so we can eat them)... and we drove past a puddle and talked about going fishing. It was fun :)
but we got to Rob's place and had sammiches and fellowship and i heard that the Spartans won, (yey!) and then we had ice cream and I snuck into the kitchen and did the dishes. yes!
...Except jeff came in and almost gave me away when he asked "What are you doing the dishes?" so I shushed him and he whispered the same question-statement and ran away, hehehe. I love having people's dishes to wash! :) *sigh.... someday. Abba?
Aaaaand now it is Tuesday. here are some more updaters:
Last Sunday (a week ago) I went to the ER after Edge because my neck was bugging me and i've been having headaches; I got some Xrays, and the xray technician, whose name is dave, was a little friendly... he told me about his ex wife, whose name is Mandy, and his 8-year old daughter(or maybe it is she who is the Mandy), who lives near Gallup (hence his reason for "Sticking around." And after he took my xrays and showed me how straight my vertebrae were (there was barely any curve!) *result of whiplash = sprained neck, for me, I guess. ... He wheeled me back to the exam room and basically asked me out. It's an open-invitation - "You're an incredibly beautiful woman; any time you're in town and maybe want to see a movie or something, ...." sure, it was flattering and all, but yipes! gleeps! he practically saw me naked! and i have no idea who he is....
So I went into Albuquerque (there's no "r" after the first "U!") this past Friday to get a root canal... I made it, barely - i had to drop off my grades at school, and stop in to pick up a PT recommendation from Gallup, but i made it!! only 10 or so minutes "late." *sigh* I got there and the office was all dark and stuff, and apparently they are really into being Asian. the room they stuck me in had a huge window-door and there was a creek outside with bamboo growing, and rocks, and....pigeons. hahahahahaha. so he gave me like 20 shots of something to numb my right side of my face, and i started shaking but that got better eventually. and he drilled around in my tooth for a bit and it was great fun. and it smelled like burnt hair. which is probably more to say, burnt tooth. and he filled my tooth with putty of some sort, wrote three incredibly messy prescriptions, and sent me on my way. I went to wal-greens and got some drugs, and took them, and then went to target to get some yogurt (and a scarf!) to go with the antibiotics. then I drove around until I found my hotel - a Days Inn... very posh. king sized bed!. et cetera.
I tried calling Jessica and Jeff and Betsy to see if they were still going to the hockey game, but I couldn't get a hold of anyone. So... I decided to risk it. I packed my crochet in my purse in case I couldn't find them, and drove 40 minutes to Rio Rancho. Luckily, the ice wasn't frozen, so instead of being late, I was 40 or more minutes early, and even better, I found Jeff / Jessica / Rachel right away! Jeff moved over so I could sit next to Jessica, but he didn't have to. Silly boy. We lost, but the ref totally stole 2 of our goals (and by "we" i mean the scorpions. they were playing arizona, haha). It was a pretty good games besides the referee.....
after the game we met up at some gas station - after waiting for people to leave the parking lot, that is. ha! - and Jeff showed me the road "back" to ABQ. . . . which apparently needs a number/name sign. because i failed to turn where i should have, ... Good thing I had a map. ABQ is so confusing at night. It's almost as confusing in the daytime, but I drove around a lot on Saturday, so things are a.... smidgen more clear now. The mountain is "east," got it. :)
Saturday I drove around town and bought stuff, and had starbucks (my new drink is the "Espresso Truffle." which btw is amaaaazing and you need to try it!) and then attempted to eat some food which was hard because my tooth is really sharp right now so drinking was the worst, and i kept cutting my tongue. owww. I think it's a little wee bit better now, though, because either it's scarred over, or it's wearing down. yipes. So I got back on the road, finally,... and made it back a little before 11. After stoppin in Gallup to use the bathroom slash wake up.
And I got to go to B&N while in ABQ, and before i went in the store, one of thesongs from the new BSS CD (Anti-Meridian) was on the RADIO - "starlings." It's a great reminder of how incredibly much God cares for us, because of his care for the silly little birds of the earth.
here are the lyrics .... and if you want to hear the song for yourself (it's incredible: ) email me!
THE OFFICIAL STARLING LYRICS(taken from the official message board) ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Filthy bird laying in our yard
four chambered heart never beat so hard
Dad said she was almost gone,
upside down out on our lawn.
And I could hold her in a shoe box,
if she heals she could be mine.
And if I cannot save her spirit,
dad says I should break her spine.
Shaking, brilliant, silver-black wings,
Jesus Christ, what prayers these tears sing.
Chorus
Wear your hearts out on your sleeves for
starlings... starlings.
Of the least of all of these,
are starlings... starlings.
Two years pass, I pumped the chamber,
full of air to shoot the birds.
Harmless game to hit them slightly,
to scare them off, in other words.
Starling falling to her death,
piercing copper steals her breath.
See the flutter in her breast,
starving babies in her nest.
Raise their souls up to the sky,
why must helpless creatures die?
Chorus
Bridge
Every breath has sacred weight,
every life has some design.
Can we kill and also save,
speak of life,
while digging graves?
Chorus
also, yesterday marty was playing around in 4th hour and totally ran into the wall... my 7th hour kids discovered a huge hole. ooooops. So i told him to talk to the peeps in the office about it. *sigh* poor kid.
this whole decision-thing coming up is kinda freaking me out. so... i shall not freak. I am going to trust. it's like bittersweet Ghiradelli - you want to finish it, you don't want to finish it, but you love the savoryness of the process.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
high altitude banana bread
I made a triple batch of this banana bread here.... try it yourself!! :)
I was looking for a higher-altitude version, and I think it turned out okay. I put two in baggies, and the third in another baggie and walked around in staff housing in flip flops and capris in thirtyish degree weather until I found Gay and Christine and gave them the third loaf (along with the rest of my skim milk)
This bread also went to MEXICO with us, and it is very tasty toasted with peanut butter
I was looking for a higher-altitude version, and I think it turned out okay. I put two in baggies, and the third in another baggie and walked around in staff housing in flip flops and capris in thirtyish degree weather until I found Gay and Christine and gave them the third loaf (along with the rest of my skim milk)
This bread also went to MEXICO with us, and it is very tasty toasted with peanut butter
Banana Bread Recipe
Print Options
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Method
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
from jobfox: How to cold-call potential employers
Here are the five essential elements of a great telephone follow-up to a resume submission with a sample for each element:
- Start with a contextual opening: If the job opening is for a project manager, introduce yourself in a context that will make the employer want to speak with you. For example, "This is Sarah Smith, and I am one of the experienced project managers from Smith corporation, one of your local competitors."
- Say why you're contacting her/him in context to the search they have underway: "I recently saw that you're looking for someone with experience in Microsoft Project. I believe I am one of the most experienced MS Project people in the local area. I have more than 7 years of experience and have an advanced certification in the software."
- Say why you are interested in the job: "I am familiar with the type of work you do at Jones Corp and think it's both interesting and exciting. Even if I'd have to start as a junior member of the team, I'd be excited to learn and grow in the position."
- Let them know how to find your resume in their email stack that contains hundreds of resumes: "On February 11th, I submitted my resume with sarahsmith@jobfox.com as the return address."
- Close with a call to action: "I'd love the opportunity to interview for this job. My mobile phone number is 555.555.1234, and my email address is sarahsmith@jobfox.com. Thanks in advance for giving my resume a look."
Monday, February 23, 2009
bua ha ha
if i ever get my "own place" i am so buying one of these.
and if i ever have a little manchild of my own, he's getting this.
and if i ever have a little manchild of my own, he's getting this.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
painting people.
i was "roped" into facepainting at the guys' bball game to raise money for yearbook today...
i turned several young sprites into pirates with realistic sponge-painted facial hair, one into an eagle, and another bazillion were decorated with basketballs and multitudinous hearts.
it was fun.
and we lost by about ten.... so close! :)
i turned several young sprites into pirates with realistic sponge-painted facial hair, one into an eagle, and another bazillion were decorated with basketballs and multitudinous hearts.
it was fun.
and we lost by about ten.... so close! :)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
taken / wanted / hound of heaven.... also in "amoeba thinks"
So I just got back from watching the movie "Taken" with Jeff... It was a very intense movie, and got me to think about some things.
Basically the whole two-or-so hours of the movie, the main character is looking for his daughter. He literally does anything to find her: killing people - including once-comrades, torturing people, crashing a house of prostitution, stealing cars, and breaking into buildings. I'm going to spoil it and say he finds her in the end, but I'm not going to say whether she's living at the end.
So this father flew across America and the Atlantic (from California), all the way to France, to save his daughter from being forced into an underground human trafficking ring. How much more, then, does our heavenly father chase us down to keep us from digging a hole into the grave?
Such a precious contrast - Taken:Wanted as Before Christ: With Christ
As far as being taken, Liam Neeson's character's daughter in the movie was kidnapped, and given drugs to seduce her into "wanting" to be a whore, but Neeson's pursuit and love for his "daughter" opened her eyes to reality.
Consider the poem "The Hound of Heaven," by Francis Thompson. Or at least, some bits and pieces.
"The Hound of Heaven
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat -- and a voice beat
More instant than the Feet --
"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."
" Nigh and nigh draws the chase,
With unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy ;
And past those noisèd Feet
A Voice comes yet more fleet --
"Lo ! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me."
" All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home :
Rise, clasp My hand, and come !"
Such a creator as we have surely desires our every cell, our every tissue. He chases us across continents, moving obstacles and "things" to reach us in the time He has chosen. As a real father, he knew about me before I could breathe "outside" for the first time. He's not afraid of anything, and will do anything to "get me back" - save one thing. He will not sin. My God is a God of passion and love, and He pursues me even when I am indulging in the "drugs" of the world....
Basically the whole two-or-so hours of the movie, the main character is looking for his daughter. He literally does anything to find her: killing people - including once-comrades, torturing people, crashing a house of prostitution, stealing cars, and breaking into buildings. I'm going to spoil it and say he finds her in the end, but I'm not going to say whether she's living at the end.
So this father flew across America and the Atlantic (from California), all the way to France, to save his daughter from being forced into an underground human trafficking ring. How much more, then, does our heavenly father chase us down to keep us from digging a hole into the grave?
Such a precious contrast - Taken:Wanted as Before Christ: With Christ
As far as being taken, Liam Neeson's character's daughter in the movie was kidnapped, and given drugs to seduce her into "wanting" to be a whore, but Neeson's pursuit and love for his "daughter" opened her eyes to reality.
Consider the poem "The Hound of Heaven," by Francis Thompson. Or at least, some bits and pieces.
"The Hound of Heaven
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat -- and a voice beat
More instant than the Feet --
"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."
" Nigh and nigh draws the chase,
With unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy ;
And past those noisèd Feet
A Voice comes yet more fleet --
"Lo ! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me."
" All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home :
Rise, clasp My hand, and come !"
Such a creator as we have surely desires our every cell, our every tissue. He chases us across continents, moving obstacles and "things" to reach us in the time He has chosen. As a real father, he knew about me before I could breathe "outside" for the first time. He's not afraid of anything, and will do anything to "get me back" - save one thing. He will not sin. My God is a God of passion and love, and He pursues me even when I am indulging in the "drugs" of the world....
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