the script had called for rain, but it was clear so we faked it.

chapel 2: that's right, tonight i attended my second chapel of the semester. i have many excuses as to why i've not gone to many, but they are all lame and most of them involve the word sleep or late or sick. but i'm slowly working up to the total i need, which is thankfully greatly reduced due to observations.

the chapel was off campus at mitchell's coffee house, which is usually a welcoming environment, but for someone who doesn't like to go to church by themselves, it's torture. but that was one of my resolutions: go to places you wouldn't normally go to alone, alone (which translates as just about everywhere). so i went, and i will probably never go back again. i usually like the alternative style chapels over the service in bush, but ugh, i felt out of my league. so i spent an hour not hearing a soft spoken woman that was being overpowered by the ice blender (impossible) "preach" a self-help sermon with lost words.


things that made my day great,

an exchange from a class today:

teacher: what makes your generation "special", a "joshua generation", the generation that will change the world?
student: because we have a black president.
teacher: obamarama.

2 conversations (over the phone) with people i love who live far away.

a text message sent on a friends phone:

text: hey! i miss you! chuck
re: i miss you too. i guess that makes me the piemaker.

free pancakes!

something that pained me:

what if "history makers", the church, your generation, decided to change their world at home (divorce in their own homes, bashing from their own mouths) before trying to "set the world straight"?

the good stuff:

downloaded a great gadget: the blogger gadget.

just thought I would try it out and post a nice picture.

dreams are for dreaming.

listening to : stay or leave\\dave matthews; first day of my life\\ brighteyes; slow dancing in a burning room\\ john mayer; blackbird\\ the beatles; fix you\\coldplay; cats in the cradle\\harry chapin.

reading: the metaphysical club:a story of ideas in America\\ louise menand; inside out\\kirby, liner

:night 3: finer things:
movie: doubt
amazing.
it was so moving (meryl streep is wonderful),
viola davis is great, i would like to see her have a lead role (she was good in nights of rodanthe, one of my favorite characters in the film);
philip. seymour. hoffman (need i say more).

book/play recommendations:
whit\\margaret edson
the tipping point: how little things can make a big difference\\malcom gladwell

i think it is my favorite amy adams movie, i could really relate to sister james; she is innocent, she doesn't want to think others are capable of the evils that others are quick to shove on them. when those evils do come up, she is quick to dismiss them, and yet easily swayed by others.

favorite quote:
whatever i have done, i have left in the healing hands of my confessor

on st. valentine's day, when i went to the farmer's market, i passed by this booth of self proclaimed "concious" clothing. i spoke with the woman how created the glorious hemp braids strewn with hand-blown glass beads, and skirts made from pillow cases, and crafty crocheted bags; she told me how she was competeing with gap, so she likes to help out the "underdog," and buy and created things from recycled objects (as she pointed to the nifty bottle cap earrings), and then she gave me her card. now i lost that card; i just dropped in it the bottom of my bag when she handed it to me. but i cleaned out my bag the other night, only to find it again. it has a great picture trees outside a car window with the side mirror reflecting the trees that were just passed, and a little bit of information about her "company," but what caught my attention was the back of the card; a quote reading: "somebody has to do something, and it is just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us." i couldn't help but laugh and think "who else would it be?" i immediately put it up on my board--where things that have made my day (a valentine's day card from my mom and dad, ticket stubs from films i watched with people i love, & notes from joy), or stressed me out (the list of poetry readings from last week, & the 2 papers due the end of next week), or perplexed/stretched me (that card, & a lectio divina reading from matthew).
i've heard a lot about it lately: "god's coming back soon, so screw the trees"; the mentality of irresponsibility. and every time, i fight the urge to say: this is our home, we should take care of it; that's our responsibility; if nothing else, we owe it to our planet, to ourselves.

Hug: noun; an emotional heimlick.

v-day itenerary:

>farmer's market (orchids, honey, fresh fruit, and wonderful puzzle boxes)
>the patchwork pig (fabric store)
>mitchell's (for iced coffee)
>brooke pottery (just for fun)
>lloyd's of london (antiques and collectibles)
>sub's and such (yummy, lunch)
>reading in front of the library on blankets with friends.
>movies (27 Dresses & Little Mermaid)

:::fun with friends!

they will make your name sing, or the world smells of chocolate. or the sky is calling. or tomorrow will not be so bad. or (sigh, a ring by spring)

listening: bobby dupea//jack's mannequin//nada surf//blue october//margot & the nuclear so & sos
reading: teaching to transgress//bell hooks

note worthy:

• i got my ring (pop) by spring.
• i picked up 1 of 2 reference letters
  (working on resume' for the last one)
  
• i was wished "happy valentines day" by a class of 6th grade ESOL students (so sweet).
• I got to give my valentine a present. (:

////////////////////////
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

the hardest thing for me to do is to get up in early in the morning (any time before 11 is early these days). i have a hard time sleeping, i guess because i'm sick, so i wake up often during the night (even if i take meds.), so that shoots my sleep all the bits. i'm sad, because i really like to sleep; if you had asked me last week what i liked to do, i would have told you sleep. but now it's not the case, because sleep doesn't like me, so it's futile to like sleep.

this morning was the second morning in a row that i had to get up before 8 (torture, pure torture) to go to a school. Yesterday, it was for a school observation assingment, but today it was to pick up a reference from a teacher that i worked with a couple of semesters ago and LHS. being in his class taught me a great deal about ESOL and the struggles that teachers face with those students, but how rewarding it can be when your students succeed at the things you are teaching them. he has since left LHS and moved to SHMS where he teaches middle grades ESOL, i walked into his 6th grade class and he let me talk with the children and let them ask me questions: where do you go to school, what grades do you want to teach, what subject, do you want to teach ESOL (my favorite question) how long have you been in school, do you speak more than one language, do you want to learn languages (another favorite), have you been out of America (since the whole class came from other countries: mexico, peurto rico, columbia, brazil, spain, portugal, texas) , where's the first place you want to go when you leave america (italy). They were really sweet, and full of questions, the q&a went on forever! but that was good, b/c they were interested and talking (in english).



tonite: it's movie in the park ("cinderella man") and flight of the conchords.

tomorrow: farmers market and reading on blankets.