In my attempt to reduce my use of plastic, I visited the Ikea store in a search for some cheap ceramic/glass containers that were microwavable for my lunches. I found a great one, ceramic bottom and glass top which indicated the important feature of microwave and dishwasher safe! I was heating up my deliciously-prepared, homemade food in my trendy, Ikea container when I heard a crack. I immediately stopped the microwave and checked out the horrendous sound. There before me was my Ikea container shattered, much like my love of the store itself. The glass top had broken. I threw the glass top away and inspected my food. After having visions of shards of glass going through my intestinal tract, I threw my homemade goodness away.
I now needed some food. I walked to the Einstein's on campus and purchased a pre-packaged, in a factory in Nebraska no doubt, salad. I get in a very long line only to get to the register and be told, "That will be $6.70." Dejected, I handed him my money to pay for my salad that was very much packaged in plastic.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Forizzle?
There is another office on campus that keeps signing for my packages. We have a history. I haven't always been sweet to them, they haven't always been apologetic. The last time we talked, I might have said a few things about recommending they not be idiots and suggesting they not sign for stuff that isn't their's. We don't like each other.
This brings me to today. They signed for another package of mine. I am listening to her and her giddy voice that is telling me to walk down to her building and pick up the box, "If I would like it." What I wanted to say was, "you know what sweety, I'll tell you what I'd like. I'd like for you to have some sense. I'd like for you to make some good judgement decisions. I'd like for you to take a peek at the boxes when they're delivered to you and only sign for them if you know they're yours. I'd like for you not to continually try and teach me a lesson of patience and kindness!". What I ended up saying was, "oh well of course, I mean I'd love to walk down there and get my box. I'm already looking forward to it".
Bite me MicroBiology, really, all of you collectively, as one big giant unit of women who can't seem to handle simple tasks.
This brings me to today. They signed for another package of mine. I am listening to her and her giddy voice that is telling me to walk down to her building and pick up the box, "If I would like it." What I wanted to say was, "you know what sweety, I'll tell you what I'd like. I'd like for you to have some sense. I'd like for you to make some good judgement decisions. I'd like for you to take a peek at the boxes when they're delivered to you and only sign for them if you know they're yours. I'd like for you not to continually try and teach me a lesson of patience and kindness!". What I ended up saying was, "oh well of course, I mean I'd love to walk down there and get my box. I'm already looking forward to it".
Bite me MicroBiology, really, all of you collectively, as one big giant unit of women who can't seem to handle simple tasks.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I'm sorry, what?!
1. It's April, and cold weather has swept through the lower 48.
2. I forgot to water my garden this morning.
3. My boss just said she's tired of dealing with stupid people.
4. The coffee made this morning was not flavored.
5. I woke up 30 minutes late.
6. There were more spam email this morning than real.
7. I got flustered and forgot to have breakfast.
8. Work today= invoices, invoices, invoices.
9. People are not speaking to me, you know who you are.
10. It's only 10am; there are 7 more hours to the work day.
2. I forgot to water my garden this morning.
3. My boss just said she's tired of dealing with stupid people.
4. The coffee made this morning was not flavored.
5. I woke up 30 minutes late.
6. There were more spam email this morning than real.
7. I got flustered and forgot to have breakfast.
8. Work today= invoices, invoices, invoices.
9. People are not speaking to me, you know who you are.
10. It's only 10am; there are 7 more hours to the work day.
Monday, April 14, 2008
What can I say...
Sometimes I just have days of feeling like I work a worthless and unrewarding job. I have days where I feel unproductive and completely unpopular. I feel awkward, unstylish and backwards. I make awful mistakes. I say the wrong thing. I embarrass other people without meaning to. These moments don't last long, but they are there. Yet, It is in these moments that I realize I am nothing save the love of my Savior, and the grace He has chosen to give me. If there is any good in me, it is because of Him. His love transforms me, making me able to remove the "un" and the "less" in these phrases and be made into a woman of worth, reward, productivity and style who speaks with love and eloquence. Only He is able to take my red cheeks of embarrassment and replace them with the glow that comes from being forgiven.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hostile Intruder Training
Location: campus
Time: 2:00pm
Duration: 30 minutes
MO: Powerpoint presentation
Points of Interest:
I have learned how to identify an active shooter.
- He's the one with the weapon. (Really? Huh.)
I know how to exit the building so that the officers can identify hostile/civilian.
- Hands over head, do not carry a purse. (as that may be identified as a weapon)
We were told how our campus location is defined by the authorities.
- A target rich environment. (That's really swell)
What to do if the above mentioned active shooter enters my office.
- Remain calm and dial 911. (Where does screaming like a little girl come into play?)
If you decide to flee, how we are to proceed.
- Have an escape route and plan in mind. (I repeat, DO NOT run in circles!)
Should the active shooter enter my building, I should keep this in mind.
- Do not respond to voice commands until verified. (As in, no conversing with active shooter.)
So glad I went.
Time: 2:00pm
Duration: 30 minutes
MO: Powerpoint presentation
Points of Interest:
I have learned how to identify an active shooter.
- He's the one with the weapon. (Really? Huh.)
I know how to exit the building so that the officers can identify hostile/civilian.
- Hands over head, do not carry a purse. (as that may be identified as a weapon)
We were told how our campus location is defined by the authorities.
- A target rich environment. (That's really swell)
What to do if the above mentioned active shooter enters my office.
- Remain calm and dial 911. (Where does screaming like a little girl come into play?)
If you decide to flee, how we are to proceed.
- Have an escape route and plan in mind. (I repeat, DO NOT run in circles!)
Should the active shooter enter my building, I should keep this in mind.
- Do not respond to voice commands until verified. (As in, no conversing with active shooter.)
So glad I went.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Two points of Irony
Yesterday while driving I saw somene riding a bike and smoking at the same time.
________________________
I was told today to make an internal note of a student's intension...and to post it so that 3 other offices could see it.
________________________
I was told today to make an internal note of a student's intension...and to post it so that 3 other offices could see it.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
My evening with lil' Jimmy, a timeline
6:05pm I lose my electricity. I try to harness the chi of my brother Billy and say out loud "Embrace it Cindy!". And so I gather up some flashlights, light some candles and continue cleaning.
6:10pm Teresa arrives with lil' Jimmy, both pretty wet from the rain.
6:15pm (still no lights) We all walk into the kitchen where I have set up some finger paints over newspaper on the table.
6:16pm Jimmy begins running around in a circle and screaming. (Internal Dialogue: Huh, what exactly do I do now?)
6:18pm Teresa and I suggest we do some finger-painting.
(I really thought the finger painting would take at least a good 20 minutes while we waited for the pizza to arrive. Silly me.)
6:19pm Jimmy gets a couple drops of colors on the top of his paper. With what appears to be both fists into the paint takes two or three giant swirls around on the paper and pretty much has completed the finger painting exercise.
6:21pm Ponder what to do now. I seem to keep getting phone calls, from my mom asking if I got a hold of the power company, from Jenny to let me know she was running late (no worries, I'm not starving or nothing ;)
6:22pm We put down the shades in the house and begin walking around looking for things with flashlights.
6:24pm (While looking for cool things) Teresa makes the comment that in the chaos of picking Jimmy up, she didn't let her dogs out. We decide that since Jenny is running a little late, she'll run home and let them out and Jimmy and I will "chill" for a bit.
6:25pm Jimmy and I sitting across from each other in the living room, both holding flashlights, both pondering what to do.
6:30pm Thus begins the tale of the Giant, White, Fluffy Marshmallow Man. If you have ever seen those car insurance commercials where they have the celebrity interpreter. This is what I felt like. The conversation would go something like this.
Jimmy: And I think I think the Marshmallow man should go home, and I think he should get his race car markers and draw a race car.
Cindy: What color should the marker be?
Jimmy: I think the color should be um, um, um
Cindy: What about race car blue?
Jimmy: No
Cindy: What about race car green?
Jimmy: No
Cindy: (chuckling a little, knowing I think I'm starting to annoy him by offering up suggestions) What about race car orange?
Jimmy: No! (with a tiny bit of adorable tone) I'm picking the color. I think he should get, um I think race car blue. And he goes home and he draws a race car and I think he should eat some peanuts, 1, 2, 3 peanuts
Cindy: Are they magical peanuts?
Jimmy: YES! They're magical peanuts. He eats 1, 2, 3 magical peanuts and he says, "mmmmm that smells like pepperoni" (internal dialogue: Oh my gosh, you are so Danielle's child!) and he turns into the race car so he can go on the race track he draws with his favorite race car blue marker.
Cindy: Ok
Jimmy: (this is my favorite line!) Now tell the story!
Of course I then tell the story, with a few interjections from Jimmy to correct me along the way :)
7:05pm (Starting to get a bit ravenous) Jimmy and I go to look if we can find a little snack while we wait for the girls. Mind you that the smell of pizza, which was already delivered, is waffing through the kitchen. With our flashlights, we check out the pantry. Jimmy finds some chips. "CHIPS!", he says.
7:06pm I try to explain that I'm not sure his parents would be thrilled with him eating, chips, pizza and then cupcakes/cookies all in one meal. I try to make sunflower seeds sound positively delicious. I might have told them they are magical. (sneaky, I know!)
7:10pm Teresa arrives back from letting her dogs out. I'm exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I didn't do any physical labor, but the story telling was pretty grand and listening and watching him so he doesn't break a limb on my watch pretty much exhausted me. For some reason Jimmy starts running in circles and screaming when Aunt T arrives.
7:15pm Jenny arrives and we all sit down for some pizza. We ask Jimmy to tell us about his new dog Dixie.
7:16pm We enjoy a few choruses of "ruff" along with trying to figure out if he wants a story about Mr. Dupree or Mr. DeQueen. I won. It was Mr. DeQueen!
7:30pm Dinner is finished. We decide that we are going to watch a Thomas the Tank Engine movie while having some cookies.
7:31pm I brew coffee. It's the only way for me to survive this.
By 8:00pm we have Jimmy sitting on a cool blanket watching a movie. You could hear a pin drop he's so silent. Finally I realize, this is what parenting is about. TV! Note to self: If I am ever blessed with children, there will be a tv in every room of my house. No need for magical peanuts, or treasure hunts with flashlights or fingerpainting. I'm going to have them watch hour after hour of "Wuzzby Wuzzby Wow Wow". Sure I might get annoyed at the weird rhymes and songs with bouncing balls, but it's better than the alternative!
6:10pm Teresa arrives with lil' Jimmy, both pretty wet from the rain.
6:15pm (still no lights) We all walk into the kitchen where I have set up some finger paints over newspaper on the table.
6:16pm Jimmy begins running around in a circle and screaming. (Internal Dialogue: Huh, what exactly do I do now?)
6:18pm Teresa and I suggest we do some finger-painting.
(I really thought the finger painting would take at least a good 20 minutes while we waited for the pizza to arrive. Silly me.)
6:19pm Jimmy gets a couple drops of colors on the top of his paper. With what appears to be both fists into the paint takes two or three giant swirls around on the paper and pretty much has completed the finger painting exercise.
6:21pm Ponder what to do now. I seem to keep getting phone calls, from my mom asking if I got a hold of the power company, from Jenny to let me know she was running late (no worries, I'm not starving or nothing ;)
6:22pm We put down the shades in the house and begin walking around looking for things with flashlights.
6:24pm (While looking for cool things) Teresa makes the comment that in the chaos of picking Jimmy up, she didn't let her dogs out. We decide that since Jenny is running a little late, she'll run home and let them out and Jimmy and I will "chill" for a bit.
6:25pm Jimmy and I sitting across from each other in the living room, both holding flashlights, both pondering what to do.
6:30pm Thus begins the tale of the Giant, White, Fluffy Marshmallow Man. If you have ever seen those car insurance commercials where they have the celebrity interpreter. This is what I felt like. The conversation would go something like this.
Jimmy: And I think I think the Marshmallow man should go home, and I think he should get his race car markers and draw a race car.
Cindy: What color should the marker be?
Jimmy: I think the color should be um, um, um
Cindy: What about race car blue?
Jimmy: No
Cindy: What about race car green?
Jimmy: No
Cindy: (chuckling a little, knowing I think I'm starting to annoy him by offering up suggestions) What about race car orange?
Jimmy: No! (with a tiny bit of adorable tone) I'm picking the color. I think he should get, um I think race car blue. And he goes home and he draws a race car and I think he should eat some peanuts, 1, 2, 3 peanuts
Cindy: Are they magical peanuts?
Jimmy: YES! They're magical peanuts. He eats 1, 2, 3 magical peanuts and he says, "mmmmm that smells like pepperoni" (internal dialogue: Oh my gosh, you are so Danielle's child!) and he turns into the race car so he can go on the race track he draws with his favorite race car blue marker.
Cindy: Ok
Jimmy: (this is my favorite line!) Now tell the story!
Of course I then tell the story, with a few interjections from Jimmy to correct me along the way :)
7:05pm (Starting to get a bit ravenous) Jimmy and I go to look if we can find a little snack while we wait for the girls. Mind you that the smell of pizza, which was already delivered, is waffing through the kitchen. With our flashlights, we check out the pantry. Jimmy finds some chips. "CHIPS!", he says.
7:06pm I try to explain that I'm not sure his parents would be thrilled with him eating, chips, pizza and then cupcakes/cookies all in one meal. I try to make sunflower seeds sound positively delicious. I might have told them they are magical. (sneaky, I know!)
7:10pm Teresa arrives back from letting her dogs out. I'm exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I didn't do any physical labor, but the story telling was pretty grand and listening and watching him so he doesn't break a limb on my watch pretty much exhausted me. For some reason Jimmy starts running in circles and screaming when Aunt T arrives.
7:15pm Jenny arrives and we all sit down for some pizza. We ask Jimmy to tell us about his new dog Dixie.
7:16pm We enjoy a few choruses of "ruff" along with trying to figure out if he wants a story about Mr. Dupree or Mr. DeQueen. I won. It was Mr. DeQueen!
7:30pm Dinner is finished. We decide that we are going to watch a Thomas the Tank Engine movie while having some cookies.
7:31pm I brew coffee. It's the only way for me to survive this.
By 8:00pm we have Jimmy sitting on a cool blanket watching a movie. You could hear a pin drop he's so silent. Finally I realize, this is what parenting is about. TV! Note to self: If I am ever blessed with children, there will be a tv in every room of my house. No need for magical peanuts, or treasure hunts with flashlights or fingerpainting. I'm going to have them watch hour after hour of "Wuzzby Wuzzby Wow Wow". Sure I might get annoyed at the weird rhymes and songs with bouncing balls, but it's better than the alternative!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Life is precious
It's a difficult thing to be reminded how fragile life is. It is so very precious, and we should use every opportunity we can to tell the people close to us that we love and care for them! I firmly believe that the Lord controls our days, and that they are numbered to perfection. We should be using every single one of them to bring glory to the Lord and further the kingdom. There can really be no greater purpose than that.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
YUM!
My friend Chelita first introduced me to this heavenly food. I have always loved fried plantains, but fried plantains where I don't have to do any work? Three cheers for Goya! I've added this ingenius deliciousness to my cooking along with sazon and adobo seasoning. Thanks to Goya (and Chelita) I can now cook with a little flava ;)
Productivity City!
Things I have accomplished before 12pm on Saturday...
1. Planted my garden. I'm a little late with planting, but it feels so productive to put in a garden! If anything grows, it will be a miracle.
2. Paid my bills.
3. Put money into savings, a rare but incredible feeling!
4. Organized receipts to balance my "checkbook" which is just a notebook.
5. Washed the dishes, ok ok I put them in the dishwasher, but that's close enough!
6. Actually got out some cleaning product and cleaned the kitchen. It now smells clean and like coconut!
7. Baked some chocolate chip bread, Betty Crocker does the hard part, I just take the credit.
8. Chatted with my sister, productive feeling?? YOU BET! :)
9. Uploaded some cds into itunes, love itunes!!
10. Did a load of laundry. Yes, it really washed itself while I did everything else, but still!
Friday, March 28, 2008
You got a little soul...Sista'!
I have to say...sometimes I wonder about my heritage. Specially, I'm talking music tastes. I think it all started very innocently with a little Aretha Franklin and Gloria Gaynor belting out their tunes of female solidarity, what the suffrage movement would have sounded like had it taken place in the 60s and 70s.
My music likes and dislikes have changed over the years, as any one's does when they are growing up. Thankfully I grew out of that awkward country phrase with adolescence and moved on up into adulthood with a new found love of all that is great: Jazz, Soul, Motown, R&B and (the one that gets me smiling no matter what) 70s Funk. I'm talking anything from Etta James to James Brown. Please notice with me here the commonality between all of these artists and singers. That's right, they are of the darker persuasion. I will never deny that I do love me some brown skin, so maybe it's only natural that I would be delighted by the music, which is as vast and varying as the people who sing it. All I can say is that nothing is as soul-satisfying. Solid!
My music likes and dislikes have changed over the years, as any one's does when they are growing up. Thankfully I grew out of that awkward country phrase with adolescence and moved on up into adulthood with a new found love of all that is great: Jazz, Soul, Motown, R&B and (the one that gets me smiling no matter what) 70s Funk. I'm talking anything from Etta James to James Brown. Please notice with me here the commonality between all of these artists and singers. That's right, they are of the darker persuasion. I will never deny that I do love me some brown skin, so maybe it's only natural that I would be delighted by the music, which is as vast and varying as the people who sing it. All I can say is that nothing is as soul-satisfying. Solid!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
43 days and counting....
I have been receiving the blessing of cable television without paying for it. I have informed my local cable provider already. I am waiting for the day when I turn on my tv only to get channel after channel of static. Until that frightful day, I am am clicking through them and feasting my eyes upon the entertainment of the masses!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Ahhhh Men....
A sincere tribute to the other half of the population:
In truth, your well-dressed, great-smelling, witty selves practically make me go weak in the knees. I delight in your humor and ability to keep things simple. I thrive on how you communicate and letting a topic drop when it needs to be forgotten. Your confidence and adventurous spirit always make me smile. And when your defenses are down, you are a sight to behold. Please know that while at times you can make me frustrated, annoyed, irate, confused, sad, anxious, irritated and even depressed, your positive qualities far exceed your negative. I get giddy at the thought of the varying types, humors, futures and ambitions you all possess. And for the one that holds all the qualities I am specifically searching for, all I can do is steal the words of my friend Karin and say, "bring it to me, my Jesus"!!
In truth, your well-dressed, great-smelling, witty selves practically make me go weak in the knees. I delight in your humor and ability to keep things simple. I thrive on how you communicate and letting a topic drop when it needs to be forgotten. Your confidence and adventurous spirit always make me smile. And when your defenses are down, you are a sight to behold. Please know that while at times you can make me frustrated, annoyed, irate, confused, sad, anxious, irritated and even depressed, your positive qualities far exceed your negative. I get giddy at the thought of the varying types, humors, futures and ambitions you all possess. And for the one that holds all the qualities I am specifically searching for, all I can do is steal the words of my friend Karin and say, "bring it to me, my Jesus"!!
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