Packing sucks

I'm sure JB would agree with me on this, but packing sucks. Especially books. OMG! The books I have are insane! I think I've packed at least 8 boxes of books already and I have more in my storage and still more to pack! And that's just books! (I am taking your advice though and not buying an iPod while I'm supposed to be packing...even though I could use some major retail therapy.)

But it's more than that. It's putting away memories that have been made in my little cupboard below the stairs (i.e. my apartment). It's packing up my life, into small and hopefully manageable boxes for when I get a truck to stack them in and transfer to a new location to start this all over again.

This is truly a moment when I believe that we are constantly part of God's creation - recreating our lives and changing the world. God didn't just make the world and wash his hands of it when God was finished. Nope...God made it and constantly worked through us pathetic sinners to recreate it into something better, and when the shit hit the fan, helped to clean it up and start all over. It's amazing.

And maybe that's what I'm doing. The shit hit the fan and now I'm cleaning it up to start fresh in a new locale. Sort of. I think it was just that my life needed a change. It was time. Maybe even past time, but I think this will be good. And even though I'm packing all my pathetic belongings into boxes to stack and transfer elsewhere, change is good and this is a good thing for me.

I got it!

IT

As one year ends, another begins

Well, aren't I just profound with that title? Truthfully, I have never felt the intense changes of one year to another as I am feeling them this year. Less than a week ago I was offered a new position with my part-time job (i.e. becoming full-time there) and I accepted. Less than a week ago I put in my resignation at my current position, to end the beginning of January. Less than 24 hours ago I was searching for a new home in my soon-to-be new city, trying to sort out what I can afford, what I can't and guessing at what my monthly income will be with the new position. And in less than 2 weeks, I will be at the new position, beginning my new life.

I came home here in the Cities last night to sleep a bit before beginning the intense process of packing, moving and transforming my life. I really feel like I'm entering the Federal Witness Protection Program or something. I'm going to have to change my address, my phone number, my email, packing up everything I own and moving to a place where I have friends but they are fewer in number. Truly this city has become home for me over the past 6 years. I have family here - not blood relatives, but the other kind of family: the family you know you can call on to go grab a beer, or just shoot the shit with without feeling like you may be judged for your actions. A family where you were chosen to be loved by them...not because they have to.

It's kind of intense right now. I find myself in a stage of bipolar behavior. I go from ecstatic moments of "yay I have a new job which I have wanted for 10 years and I can't wait to start! YAY!" to "holy shit, I'm leaving my friends and a place I truly love and am going to miss more than I thought." I go from bawling to rejoicing. From tearing up at the thought of leaving to tearing through papers and throwing crap I've collected while I pack.

What a freakin' roller coaster. The next couple weeks are going to be intense. I know I can make it through, but holy crap, this is going to be exciting and rough.

And then there was one

16:4:1 = Me.

It's like a dirty math problem. Oh wait, no. That's a Friends line. Nevermind.

Well slap me up and call me stupid

I linked to the wrong post!
THIS is what I bought. I'm so excited. It should be here next week. But thanks for the affirmation anyway, Cate! :)

Psst...

Remember this post?
Well, I bought it.
I'm so bad. I hope Santa will still come.

Last day

Basically, today is my last day in the cities before Christmas. I'm heading home tomorrow AM (maybe tonight after Altar Boyz since my mother is FREAKING OUT about the freezing rain and such headed their way) and though I may be back for a quick stop off, depending out tomorrow goes, this is basically it until after Christmas.

Man, tomorrow. That's just scary. I know what's happening tomorrow and I'm excited and scared and nervous all at the same time. It's a big step for me if what I'd like to happen would happen. I guess we'll see how things go. You just never know. Especially since the other is still a possibility too.

Okay, I know I'm talking in code here...sorry. I'll write more later when I know more. For now, I'm just freaking out a bit myself since Christmas is Monday and I still have gifts to find for relatives and gifts to finish for others. And cookies to bake. And flat bread to make. And krumkake to roll. O! the pressure of it all! :)

So anyway, Merry Christmas, if you're so inclined.

For the record

I still haven't put up my Christmas tree.

So far, so good

Yep, I'm on vacation. Truly, I am. Yet there are still these sightings of me at work. (I really need to get a computer at home!)

But so far it hasn't been bad. I've had breakfast with fun people, I've had supper with other fun people, I've helped a friend move many, many heavy boxes to her new apartment, I've relaxed and read books and started knitting a blanket for a friend. Life is good.

Speaking of books, JB gave me this book and Brenda gave me this book, of which I've almost finished the latter. Yeah, it's not on my list, but when people loan me books I want to read them right away so I can return them. I haven't been so good with that in the past. In fact, I think I still have a book of Sean's I need to return to him. Hmm.

Anyway, the book from Brenda has been very interesting. Upon my initial reading of the series, I found a lot of Christian-like set-ups, as well as Greek Mythology and other just basic world views in life. Granger points out these quite well, but also steps into a few other thoughts I hadn't considered. It really kicks out from under their feet the whole "Harry Potter is evil" phenomenon that was occurring early in the series publication days. It only goes through book 5, and now I want to reread those first books to see if I can see the match-ups he's made, and then read book 6 to see if I can see the patterns still occurring.

So so far, that's what I've been doing. I know all you readers in internet land are really excited about this. Whatever. I just didn't want you to think I had disappeared due to the Rapture or something. Oh and I have an interview on Wednesday, for which I'm excited and nervous and excited again. I'm hoping it will go well, though it would mean an entirely new life (both in the workplace and in general location of life) would begin. It's kind of fitting that all this is happening during Advent, the season of waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ. I've been waiting too...and maybe if this goes well my life will begin again anew.

I'll be back in the meantime and will fill you all in. Until then, enjoy life!

Danger, Danger

So vacation may be a bad thing for me. I am so not motivated when I don't have anything to do. Example: I got up around 8, went for a massage (yay, Keith!), then went home and took a nap. How sad and pathetic is that?

Okay, so Sarah says I can have unproductive days, but seriously, this was pathetic!!! This is not a good start to the vacation. I have so much I need to get done and I.DID.NOTHING!!!

Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. Cross your fingers, folks!

Leaving you

WOW! I missed a day yesterday and somehow I survived. Craziness. It's just a foreshadowing of what is to come. Tomorrow I begin my vacation... *sigh*. I'm very excited for this time away and yet at the same time it makes me a bit nervous to be away for such an extended period of time. I hope to do some serious baking, return my flabby ass to the gym, and get some serious reading accomplished.

Cate mentioned a while ago, again, the From the Stacks challenge. Last week before I left for my faboo weekend, I picked out 5 more books to read (I'm already in the middle of 3 but apparently they don't count). So here's my list, in no particular order:

• Generations of Faith by Carl G Eeman (K had recommended this to me last year before she moved and I haven't read it yet!)
• Charming Billy by Alice McDermott (this is on my shelf and I don't know why, so I figure I'll read it and hand it off to mom)
• Pursued by Grace by Jim Klobuchar (found book in Lost and Found, so I thought, why not?)
• Taking Jesus Seriously by John Cowan (this was recommended to me by Ian and I love Ian so I'm sure this will be interesting)
• Baudolino by Umberto Eco (I had started this a while back when Jay was reading a lot of Eco books and I haven't finished it, so maybe I can now)

I'm also hope to finish the other 3 I'm reading - the Bono book, Book 4, and the Dale Carnegie book I've been reading. And maybe if I get through these 8 I can get the new Stephen King book. Should be a good time.

Anyway, I hope to come back here to visit on occasion while I'm on vacation. But just in case, I hope you all have a fabulous holiday season!

Revelation

Not often do I say this, but I am jealous of my sister.

Yeah, she's older than me. Yeah, for a long time we lived in basically two different worlds (she was in college when I was in 1st grade). Yeah, she's pretty cool.

But I've never really thought of myself as jealous of her (except for her skinniness and beauty - she is the looker in the family). I always just saw her as someone I looked up to, someone I admired and someone I really respect and love.

But tonight I realized I'm also jealous of her. She has things I want. She is good at things I'm scared I'd fail. She is an amazing woman.

She has a family - a wonderful, loving, caring family. She is completely in love with her husband, anyone could see it. She is an incredible mom - giving and demanding respect from her kids who love her a ton. She is so 'put-together'. In a million years, I don't think I could ever be as together as she is.

And I'm jealous.

I know I'm coming up a few years behind her in all this, but I wish I was now where she is now. My sister is an amazing woman.

It's good to be home

Welcome back, boys. It's great to have you back.
Counting the days till the rest.

Signing the Magna Charter

This weekend my friend Justin will help a church become a church, a whole church and nothing more than a church, so help them God.

Justin helped begin a mission start church in MI last year about this time and they are aptly named Advent Lutheran Church. This Sunday they sign the charter. It’s very exciting!

When J-man started all this over a year ago he invited me to be a prayer partner with the church: I, Moe, agree to pray daily for Advent Lutheran Church and its ministry for the next year starting this day. I will also pray for Pastor Justin and his family as they continue to strive to listen for God’s voice on this journey. In addition to whatever else the Spirit leads me to pray for; I will lift up the search for leaders, the establishment and functioning of small groups, the vitality of worship, and the openness to being surprised by the work of God.

I have been proud to be a silent partner with this church. It’s amazing to me what God is doing through my friends on a daily basis. I decided this fall to offer my tithing to Advent to help them and to help me feel even more connected. I can’t wait to visit sometime and see Advent in person (and Justin...I miss you, man!).

If you’re the praying sort, I invite you to pray for Advent this weekend as they sign the charter and become even more whole as a church and community.

You can't go yet!!!

Soon I’ll be on vacation. Like a real vacation from work where I’m not off guarding things or pretending to be on vacation to just stock up comp time for later. No, I’ll be on a real vacation: away from here, away from the computer (sort of, I’ll probably hit the library a few too many times), and away from email (that’s going to kill me).
It’ll be good. I’ll get to bake, knit, shop, relax, watch cheesy 80’s movies until my eyes ache, and just have a jolly good time.

BUT vacation doesn’t happen yet. I have to wait a few more days.

I think my mind is already gone though.

Wanting to be Tops

Last night was great. I got to spend time with my fabulous friends JB, Megan, Megan’s Chris, Emily, Kevin and Kevin. Kevin’s Sarah was supposed to be there, too, but she wisely opted to rest up for her important approval interview today (and she was approved, naturally). But much Top Chef was watched, cookies and chips were consumed, and beers were coerced by me from others.

Top Chef is an interesting show and I’m sure most of you out there in TV-land know what it is, but this was a new one for me. I don’t have cable so watching shows on stations like Bravo, TV Land, Showtime, Comedy Central, TBS, HBO, etc., just doesn’t happen in my world. I live with six stations, my rabbit ears and a tiny TV.

So anyway, Top Chef was pretty cool and since over the past year I have become “miss baker”, this was very interesting. I’m so not creative to come up with what they do. I admit, I yelled at the TV and wondered why people were still competing who just didn’t seem to be very together, as it were, but really deep down I’m jealous. I wish I had their abilities, drive, skills to do and go after what they want.

And until I figure out what I’m going to do with my life, I’m going to use their recipes and start practicing on my own cooking skills.

Thursdays Tip

“We have learned the difference between putting Vaseline and K-Y Jelly up your nose.”

In case you’re wondering, both moisturize but KY is less oily. Don’t ask how I know this.

Extra! Extra!

Our school is testing a free newspaper program here this week and next. Our paper choices are the USA Today, Pioneer Press and New York Times. It’s been interesting. I don’t normally read any of these. It’s been interesting to skim them, though I haven’t had time to really sit down and read them. Maybe tonight. I'll let you know my preference. Eventually there will be two of the three here for students to read. I'm curious to see which win out.

Must. Leave. On. Time.

Over the last few months I have been working extra hours…mostly because I don’t have students who can come to work at my normally scheduled end time of 4:30 due to classes or CPE, and today is not unlike the others.

But today, I am really feeling the effects of working 9.5 hours straight. My luncher was sick and so I’ve been stuck here straight through. Now normally working at a desk for almost 10 hours wouldn’t be a big deal, but I deal with people all day long, and I’m trapped…I can’t leave so people come to stay and chat. Most are respectful of my time and work I have so they don’t stay long, but some know that I can’t go anywhere so they stay and chew my ear off - for almost 40 minutes (of course this is the exception to the case and he has mental issues and telling him he has to go doesn't always work). I have to be hospitable so I can’t tell them off, and faking work doesn’t work either. I have, at times, picked up my cell phone and called the phone so I have to answer it but I’m not clever enough to come up with a story line. I should have one written up I could read.

So now I have a headache, my fingers are cold, and it’s unusually bright over my desk today. Odd. But Standoff is on tonight and my goal is to clean off my coffee table so at some point this week I can put up my Christmas Tree. Yay!

Still crazy after all these years

First – sorry to tag you, Cate. You just seem so cool and I wanted to know more. But please don’t feel obligated.

Second – me being me, I woke up with the ultimate weirdness of me and in the last four hours since I have completely forgotten it. So, too bad for you but writing…

Holy cow…it just came back to me. That was weird. (Can I count that too?)

So my ultimate weirdness, for which Dave and Rolf continue to make fun of me, is my way of reading certain books. Since I was little I have had this ‘thing’ when reading book series. If I start a series in hardcover, I have to finish it in hardcover. If I start a series in paperback, I have to finish in paperback. I cannot read one of the books in hardcover and buy the paperback later to keep for the collection. That doesn’t work. I have to read it in the published format I began in.

I know this is crazy. And it really makes no sense to many, well most people, and really I don’t know why I am this way. But all my Harry Potter books are hardcover. Most of my Stephen King books are hardcover, except for the Dark Tower series. Those I can only read in paperback. In fact, my mom bought me book 5 for Christmas one year but she bought it in hardcover and I haven’t been able to read the series since. (I’m insane, I know.)

And now the Song and Ice series I’ve been promoting is the same way. I started it in paperback because that’s what Dave got me for Christmas last year. And since I started that way, I will finish that way. Book 4 just came out in paperback a few months ago but last spring Rolf kept trying to get me to read his hardcover version or (worse yet!) listen to his audiotapes of it. (Don’t get me started on that one.)

I just can’t do it. I don’t know why, but I can’t. So alas, I’m trying to take my time with this book because book 5 isn’t even finished yet, let alone published, and I’d hate to have to wait another year before I can read that one.