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Sunday, February 03, 2008
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A couple of random questions about Texas
Ah, yes, a beautiful afternoon in Abilene and I am currently putting off working on my annotated bibliography for my Music History paper.
I thought I would take this procrastination opportunity to ask a couple of questions that I have pondered from time to time for a couple of years now. These are questions of virtually no substance, so if that's what you were looking for, sorry.
(By the way, I did in fact live in Texas until the age of nine, but I then became an Okie and lost touch with the state until college. At nine years old, I wouldn't have asked questions like these, so those years don't count.)
Okay, so I've wondered if these things are peculiar to the state of Texas. Just a couple of things I've noticed:
1. Texans in general spell the word that stops a horse as "Woah." Now, all my life I had seen this word spelled "Whoa." But once I got to ACU, everybody seemed to be putting the "h" at the end of the word. But in fact I believe that the script of the musical "Oklahoma" spells the word "Whoa," which kind of explains why I had always seen it spelled that way around Oklahoma. But why do Texans spell it the other way? And is one more correct than the other?
2. For as long as I can remember, I have said, "I intend to ______" Insert verb of choice in the blank. But when I got to college, I noticed several different people (all of which I believe are native Texans) who said, "I intend on _____-ing." There may or may not be a "something" following the verb. For example, my version: "I intend to go to the library." What appears to be the Texas version: "I intend on going to the library." This was mildly perturbing for a while and it still throws me every time I hear it. So I'm wondering . . . Again, is one more correct than the other? Is this really just a Texas thing?
If you have any insight to offer, I would be much obliged. These two things really honestly have bugged me for four years and I would love to get to the bottom of them. Many thanks!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
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Welcome back to Abilene
Wow. Something weird about Abilene - everytime I come back, it feels either as if I've never left or as if I've been gone for years and years. It's like entering a foreign country where I know all the streets. Same cute little garage apartment (though it is now completely rearranged from last semester), same library, same campus center, same wind.
So last Sunday, I went to Sonic for breakfast because there was nothing in my apartment to eat (I fortunately had the foresight to give my milk away before leaving for Christmas break). Being January, it was *cold.* I rolled down my window, ordered, and tried to roll the window back up. Bad news. The driver's window, which has a history of causing all sorts of irritating and expensive problems, was decidedly stuck about two inches from completely down. At this point, I recollected that the window tends to make unhappy sounds when it is cold and it definitely was cold. So . . . I decided to go on to church and wait until it warmed up later to see about the window. More bad news. I go to Southern Hills - on the other side of town. Have I mentioned that it was cold? Well, it was. I turned the heater waaaay up and prudently decided to take the route that didn't involve speeds in excess of 65 MPH. *Fast forward a couple of hours.* Stupid window was still stuck after church. So I took the same, low speed route back to campus. But as I turned onto Judge Ely, to my dismay and great chagrin, there was one of those guys who sell the Sunday paper on the street corners. I'm sure his thought processes ran thus, "Oh, look. She's got her window down. She must want to buy a paper since she couldn't *possibly* have her window down for any other reason." Well, I didn't want to buy a paper and was most pleased when the light changed before I could give him any gritty details. It's a little difficult to explain exactly why that was embarrassing, but it was almost as bad as the time I got carried away in the kitchen singing while baking cookies. After a few minutes, I heard a strange noise from the apartment above. I listened . . . and the guy upstairs was singing back down through the floor at me.
On Monday, I managed to spill a good third of a can of SpaghettiO's. Not really much of an adventure, but you'd be amazed how hard it is to get that stuff out from under stove knobs.
On Tuesday, I was at hard at work fetching books from the third floor in the library. The elevator stopped on the second floor and a little old lady got on. People usually give me funny looks when they see my book cart for some reason - it is a library for goodness sake - so I smiled and struck up a conversation about how I usually don't pay attention and accidentally get off on the second floor when it stops on the way up. She was a pleasant little lady, but when we were getting off on the third floor, she . . . *thinks of a way to put this delicately. Nah.* . . . farted. Loudly. Three times. Now, the library is generally a pretty quiet place, so things like that are not going to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, the middle school boy in me immediately rose to the surface (betcha didn't know I had one of those, did ya?) and I absolutely *had* to laugh. It was imperative that I find a way to let that laughter out or risk inflicting massive internal damage on myself. You know, I'm pretty sure the only reason that I needed to laugh so much was because it was socially inappropriate to do so. If there had been no social restraints on me, that impertinent middle-schooler would never have shown himself and I would have gone on as if nothing had happened . . .
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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NaNoWriMo
Soooo . . . here's the scoop. I'm thinking about writing a novel in a month. Yes, during school. NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth (NaNoWriMo) is officially in November, but that's too far away to wait. I am so dangerously close to doing this that I checked out the unnofficial book - No Plot? No Problem! Ooooh, it's tempting, my friends. The book has lots of tips and helpful hints for making it through to the goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 (or 31) days. Actually, there are really a bunch of pep talks and a couple of helpful hints
Helpful hint #1: Have obscene amounts of munchies and coffee on standby.
Helpful hint #2: Write in groups. It's a lot more fun.
Helpful hint #3: Write when you have a ridiculously filled schedule anyway. Hey, novel writing will just be one more thing on the list.
Here's the cool part: nobody ever has to read it; it is only an exercise in accomplishment; and ambiguous settings, undeveloped characters, and gaping plot holes are allowed (nay, expected and inevitable).
Chris Baty does actually give some pointers for fitting writing into your schedules, because he knows people won't commit unless their excuses are stared down. Yes, school is busy. That's why I'm planning to do it during February, when finals aren't right around the corner and end-of-the-semester projects aren't due yet. Here's the question: Does anybody want to write with me? Really, I think it would be a lot of fun to commandeer a computer lab somewhere on a nightly basis and moan and fuss and eat and rejoice together. Plus, there are all sorts of nasty, competitive things to people who aren't getting their word count quotas: not allow them to go to the bathroom, remove munchy privileges, . . . the possibilities are endless. Plus plus (
), you can base your characters on the "interesting" people around you if you start running short of ideas. If somebody was interesting in writing and isn't on campus, we could still keep in contact via email, AIM, facebook . . . as long as there are more novel words written than cyber-communication between group members. So let me know if you're interested. I'm waiting until February (plus an odd day or two from January to get our allotted number of days) so I can see how my schedule's going to be and if it will be physically possible to squeeze it in.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
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Do You Think I'm Beautiful? Guys, this is girl stuff. Read at your own risk.
"Little girls know about Cinderella-about her breathtaking beauty, about Prince Charming, about a magical destiny called "happily ever after." And inside every woman is a little girl who secretly aches for a fairy godmother to wave a wand and transform her into the princess she has always longed to be. To make her beautiful. Captivating. Adored.
But we've learned that fairy tales aren't real, and so we squelch our precious gifts of longing and desire. We stop dressing up or anticipating the ball, deciding it's better to stay home than to hope again and be disappointed. Besides, being asked to dance isn't all that important anyway.
Oh, but it is!"
~ Do You Think I'm Beautiful?
Angela ThomasIt's interesting. During the past six months or so, I have had the best self/body image I can remember ever having. So much more of the time, I have been content with the girl/woman/lady/chick that I see in the mirror. Whether or not my pictures give me reason to be is irrelevant. Finally, I can stand in front of my long mirror in my skivvies, turn around for inspection, and say to myself, "Hmph. That's not perfect" . . . and yet turn away a few seconds later and actually be okay with it. The imperfection remains, yet I am able to crack a grin, strut my stuff, maybe blow a smooch at my reflection, and be done with it. And anyway, the only person who's going to be seeing those parts of me is my husband - and the chances of my marrying a hunkamuffin Adonis are slim to none, so I figure a few flaws are to be mutually allowed. To be fair, I did lose about fifteen pounds over the summer (wasn't intentional; it happens when you have a job that involves a lot of walking and not much time for eating) and it somehow stayed off for a whole semester (again, not on purpose; maybe I was just used to not eating as much). But I don't think losing fifteen pounds is enough to satisfy a woman's built-in longing for beauty.
Oh, to be sure, there are days when I wake up and bumble into the bathroom, only to catch a glimpse of my fresh-as-a-daisy self and think, "Oh, girl, you need some work . . ." But there are far more days that I can start off the day without insulting the temple of my body, sometimes even some when I can skip across campus with a twinkle that says, "Heck, yes, I'm beautiful. And don't you forget it!" And my confidence has taken great strides forward. Ladies, especially those who know me well, I know it's hard to believe, but . . . I actually told a guy about a crush that I'd had on him years ago. (Adam, if you're reading this for some reason, please accept my heartfelt apologies and consider that you were in fact warned by my subject line.) And to be fair again, it didn't hurt to have a boyfriend for the first time in my life. Let's face it, going to school for 3 years+ at the "Marriage Factory" and never having anybody show interest does not exactly work wonders for the self-esteem. But he didn't last long. And I'm still okay with the fact that my body is not perfectly tanned and toned.
What I'm wondering is how/why this happened. What is the source of all this? Physical beauty is only a small part of the sum of a person, and my appearance has not drastically changed anyway. I've mentioned Do You Think I'm Beautiful? before, and it used to have me literally bawling by the time I'd gotten past the section quoted above - within the first two pages. The message of the book is basically the same as Stasi Eldredge's book, Captivating, but I connected much more strongly with Angela Thomas. (Oh, by the way . . . ladies, does it ever just gall you that all these women that write all these books about finding your beauty and self-worth in God are freakin' gorgeous? I appreciated the fact that there it not a picture of Angela Thomas anywhere in/on her book. Even though she is freakin' gorgeous.) I can only hope that this change of attitude has come about for good reasons. When I look back over the past summer/semester specifically, I consider what has been my source of joy and passion and contentment? I am sad to say that there are many, many times of shortcoming in this area. So many times, I have left my garden neglected, letting the treasure of my love for the Lord grow dull and dusty. I have wasted time with doing nothing and allowed other people's words shape what I believe about myself and God. And yet, all is not lost. I can also look back and see defining moments - moments when I have most fully known that this earth is not my home, that I have a place and a role in this greatest of epic stories. There were moments when I leaned fully and dangerously into the faithfulness of my Lord and was not disappointed.
Maybe nothing here means anything. Most of it is about me; sorry about that. It's been a while since I wrote anything even borderline pithy here. But, ladies, the fairytales aren't out there for nothing. We so much want them to be true. And in some sense, they are true - if you know where to find your Prince.
He notices wallflowers (and the pretty girls, too). And He's captivated. Warm, fuzzy, emotional piffle, I don't care. It's true. He's asking you to dance.
Monday, December 31, 2007
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Survey swiped from Jessica!!!!!
2007 Quiz:
01) Was 2007 a good year for you?: Meh, there were a lot of good things, but frankly, it leaves a rather bitter taste in my mouth.
02) What was your favorite moment of the year?: Maybe when I realized, "Wait a minute . . . I think people actually do like to have me around sometimes."
03) What was your least favorite moment of the year?: @#%^%$^*$
04) Where were you when 2007 began?: Wow. For some ridiculous reason, I don't remember.
05) Who were you with?: Again, what's wrong with me that I don't remember?
06) Where will you be when 2007 ends: Not sure - we haven't decided yet and time is running out. Maybe at Opening Night downtown?
07) Who will you be with when 2007 ends?: If we are at Opening Night, my parents and a lot of other people. The person we invited can't come and my brother is probably going to take a couple of his buds to a youth group party. Or I may go to the highschool party with my dad because Marmee isn't feeling good.
08) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2007?: I don't think I bothered making any.
09) Do you have a new years resolution of 2008?: Not planning on it.
10) Did you fall in love in 2007?: Well . . . not really, but I did have a nice time with my first boyfriend ever.
11) If yes, with who?: ...
12) If yes, did they know?: ...
13) Are you still in love with them?: nope
14) You regret it?: Only very slightly
15) Did you breakup with anyone in 2007?: Yes
16) Did you make any new friends in 2007: A few
17) Who are you favorite new friends?: I didn't get close enough to any new friends to have a favorite.
18) What was your favorite month of 2007?: Probably July. No, definitely July.
19) Did you travel outside of the US in 2007?: Went to Mexico over spring break. I guess last spring does count as this year; I pretty much just think in terms of semesters and school years.
20) How many different states did you travel to in 2007?: Just Texas and Oklahoma.
21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2007?: Yes. But not to death.
22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?: Yes.
23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2007?: I'll have to agree with Jessica and say, "ENCHANTED!!!"
24) What was your favorite song from 2007?: In some moods, I'll tell you it was the "Ne Irascaris" from choir. In other moods, I'll tell you it was "Born to Fly," which I only learned this year. "Because of You" is not an un-candidate. But my favorite song title was undoubtedly "Stupid Boy."
25) How did you change in 2007, physically, emotionally,mentally and spiritually?: Physically, I lost about fifteen pounds and it stayed off for some reason. Emotionally, I actually think I improved a lot of things this year. Mentally, I'm more focused and yet as distracted as ever. Spiritually, I feel that I floated. Because there weren't as many times that I could "feel the Spirit," it feels as if I lost a bit of ground. There were a few times, though, that God and my place in the Plan were more obvious and real than I had ever known them before.
26) How many concert did you see in 2007?: Haha, that's funny. I'm in recital seminar and that's just not a fair question.
27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2007?: I will grudgingly admit that the Carmina Burana concert was my favorite.
28) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2007?: Oh, oodles. I think I took Nyquil a couple of times . . .
29) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2007?: Excedrin?
30) How many people did you go out with in 2007?: One
31) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?: Embarrassed about, oh my, yes. Truly ashamed, no, I don't think so.
32) How many times did you cuss in 2007?: Zero, same as every other year so far. I won't deny that I definitely thought about it though. Actually, there was that one time that I was singing along in the car and forgot what verse I was on and accidentally combined the words "Afraid" and "Stuck." I don't think that should count though.
33) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2007?: I don't much care to talk about that . . .
34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2007?: Not on a consistent basis that I know of. I did break up by letter (handwritten, in my defense - and not over myspace the way he asked me out), but he already had another girl by that point, so I'm over it.
35) Will you go streaking in 2008?: Hehe. Maybe.
36) How much money did you spend in 2007?: Plenty.
37) What was your proudest moment of 2007?: I dunno. It was probably in one of my voice lessons. I had several really good ones this year. Those might not be "proud" moments though so much as "Yes! I'm finally starting to figure this out!" moments.
38) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2007?: Darned if I know. There were so many . . .
39) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2007 and change something, what would it be?: I'm not even going there.
40) What are your plans for 2008?: Go back to school and finish by December or I might go insane. Learn to sing. Write a novel. Maybe try for NaSoAlMo (look it up - it sounds fun!). Maybe meet some people. Insert sappy or obligatory spiritual goal of choice here (wow, I am in a wretchedly sarcastic mood - sorry 'bout that). Stop apologizing for things that aren't necessarily bad or my fault. Take up bellydancing. Maybe do some things that take tremendous nerve for me. Maybe find out if there is even one man in the world that just might be worth the hassle of getting married. Just be me.
We soldier on! Soldiers of Christ Arise!
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