Going Downhill

In the last few weeks I've been seeing cops hanging out within a block of my place of work. Previously I hardly ever saw them unless they were on their way to somewhere. Hmmm.... Maybe my neighborhood's going downhill. You know how dangerous Warsaw can get.

Self-Injury Counter from Tuesday

Paper/Filefolder cuts: 3
Stabbings w/ mechanical pencil: 2
Stepping on a notebook and slipping like I was sliding across ice: 1

I don't know what situation I am most unsafe in... The office, my bedroom, the classroom, an ice rink, driving in winter weather... No matter what the environment, there's always something that can become dangerous.

Forever My Friend

Okay, I really wanted to post a video, but either the site is having difficulties or I am, so... If you want to hear an amazing song by Ray LaMontagne (one of my new favorite artists), click here.

Bellwether at the Brewha

Friday evening I'll be at the Brewha in Columbia City seeing my favorite local band: Bellwether. (It will sort of be half of them, but it'll still be good.) The lyrics pull you in, and their sound is quite nice. For a sampling of their music, I'd recommend stopping by their myspace and/or Eric's myspace.

My Hidden Talent

I have a hidden talent. Yes, that's right. Out of everything I do and am capable of, there's only one thing that can fall under the qualification of both "hidden" and "talent." Thankfully, once I share this with you, it can still be considered hidden because I am not widely read. (Yes! The benefits of being an unknown!)

So what is this hidden talent? After not being exposed to a clock for a period of time, I can guess the approximate time of day. (We're not talking about "morning" or "afternoon" but actual times.) On occasion I even correctly guess the time to the exact minute. For some reason this gives me great satisfaction.

The guess that I am most proud of was sometime in the summer or fall of 2007. I had gone to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour, but woke up an unknown period of time later in the darkness of my bedroom. Without any indicators as to the time of night/early morning, I correctly guessed the exact minute. (Although today I do not remember what it was.)

The most recent correct guess wasn't as amazing, but it did involve me "winning" against a certain boyfriend who will remain nameless.

Money: What a Wonderful Word

My mom was telling me yesterday that I should save for the long-term as much as I give. My first thought was, "Whatever. I already save." But after her words settled a little more, I think I agree with her.

So... I'm vamping up my saving. And in order to do that I need to keep a closer watch on where my money is going. I know that generally school, gas, food and the like nibble away at my paycheck, but I need to be able to sit down and say, "Ohhhh. I'm spending too much on _____. I need to cut down on that next month."

I'd like to think that I have good spending habits, but it seems that I'd have more set aside right now if I was really doing a good job.

"The Office" Personality Quiz

I have now taken a quiz to see what character from "The Office" I am most like. I guessed it would figure me as a Pam type, and I was right. Considering she's one of the more normal people, your average female quiz taker will probably come out as a Pam type as well. (But if you come out as a non-Pam, that's okay.)

If you want to take the 20 questions, click here. If you couldn't care less about "The Office," you might be finding me mingling in your crowd soon. The lack of new shows (or even the playing of reruns) has contributed to my growing lack of enthusiasm for the sitcom.

Ice Skating

Ken and I went ice skating on Saturday. Overall it was a good experience, but now I'm sore from slamming into the ice. Amazingly I didn't fall more than I did. (The counter stopped at 3.5 falls--the half representing my ability to catch myself on the wall.) And the only people to see me fall were Ken and a bunch of strangers.

I have the opinion that if you have to make a fool of yourself, it's best to do it in front of close friends and family or strangers. Your friends and family already know you're strange, so why would you care if they witness one more unflattering thing. And strangers will probably never see you again, so you're covered there. But don't cause yourself embarrassment in front of acquaintances. They know you enough to recognize you again, but they don't know you enough to hardly care what you do.

Saturday Morning

Listening to jazz, sipping coffee, and soaking in the sunshine...

No Rhymes Please

When it was raining yesterday afternoon, someone asked me, "Is it going to turn into snow?" I responded with an "I don't--I'm not sure." I just couldn't bring myself to rhyme.

And if you're wondering, this is my 100th post (according to my dashboard). Yeah!

My 10-Key

Here's a picture of my 10-key at work. Just because.

I like it, but I think there could be improvements on the design if we were going for a sleeker, more stylish look...

What Song Is This?

When I first saw this, I was honestly trying to figure out what the heck he was singing. I thought all the things he showed us were clues. Halfway through, when I realized what it was, I thought that I should have known. It sounds really good, though. Like it's a classic in another language or something.

"Leave a Comment" Poll #1

In lieu of a multiple choice poll, here's a "leave a comment" poll:

What is the one thing you are most likely to forget?

You're How Old?

I recently ran into a couple who used to attend my family's church. All was well until the husband asked for my age. I wanted to say 24 but didn't think that was right. So I stopped and thought for a moment before correctly telling them 23. My drawn-out pause caused the wife to think that I didn't want to reveal my age. (Who cares when you're only in your twenties.) If they knew the real reason, they might wonder about me...

College Flashback

Last night I went to bed early. Well, early for me. I had the lights out by 10 p.m. and fell asleep very nicely. However, I later awoke to my parents watching television, talking, and laughing. Looking at my clock, it was 11 p.m. Uggghhhh, I thought. I got out of bed and into the hallway, squinting in the light. I looked at my parents and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm trying to sleep." At that I went back to bed and fell asleep again.

Waiting in Expectation

The last poll's results show that we all feel we really need to talk with God a lot more. On one hand it is sad we feel this way, but at the same time, we're being honest. And no matter how closely we are walking with God, we've never really "made it." We can and should be confident that we will spend eternity in heaven if we have accepted Jesus Christ as the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. But we can never say, "Okay, I've done ____ so far. God doesn't expect anything else from me."

This is a reminder--for me and for you. Let's not rely on those around us, our routines, and our plans. We're bound to have routines, it's good to plan, and we should appreciate those around us; but let's not leave God out of the picture.

We need to really go to Him. However often or long we spend in His presence, let's confess to Him sins we've let come between us, thank Him and praise Him, pour out our concerns at His feet, and also... Listen for Him. Let's not just ramble without asking for guidance, without truly looking for what He's telling us.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (Psalm 5:3)

2008

I've hardly posted anything recently, so here's an update.

There's snow outside. Of course you're probably not too suprised considering most of you live in the same area as me. All you have to do is look out your window to see... white. Everywhere. The trees might be the prettiest sight with a thorough coating of snow on each branch.

Here's to 2008.