Posts
Nope, not temperature (unfortunately). :)
I've spent the weekend at home trying to get over a nasty cold that has been hanging on for the last week. (For those who know the church I work for, listen to the recording on the prayer request update for a taste of just how bad my voice has been sounding!)
Trying to feel better, I've been lazying around, watching television - specifically a dvd set of a television show I just loved in high school - Remington Steele.
Not only am I enjoying the trip down memory lane, but it's amazing to me to see how accustomed I've become to the current technology. It still sets me back to watch people hunting for pay phones, using "high tech" computers that look like the old Dictaphone word processor we had in our storeroom when I started at church, and for real luxury, a car phone ... with a cord ... and (in some episodes), a rotary dial.
Haven't accomplished much of substance, obviously, but if a rest was what this cold needed, I certainly gave it. The real test will be when the phones start ringing tomorrow! I feel a LOT better when I haven't had to talk!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
things that only make sense early in the morning
Self #1
"I've got a cold, I don't WANT to go to work today."
Self #2
"You've got to. You need to get the bulletin done. Plus, you won't feel any better if you stay home."
Self #1
"Don't WANNNNA get up."
Self #2
"Doesn't really matter what you want, does it?"
Self #1
"Suppose not. But if I'm going, I'm going to wear JEANS."
Self #2
"OK, jeans it is. But good luck trying to explain this reasoning after 5:30 a.m."
"I've got a cold, I don't WANT to go to work today."
Self #2
"You've got to. You need to get the bulletin done. Plus, you won't feel any better if you stay home."
Self #1
"Don't WANNNNA get up."
Self #2
"Doesn't really matter what you want, does it?"
Self #1
"Suppose not. But if I'm going, I'm going to wear JEANS."
Self #2
"OK, jeans it is. But good luck trying to explain this reasoning after 5:30 a.m."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
there's a crash coming some time today
I tried a new cold medicine last night. And, it worked GREAT. I could breathe, and felt a ton better.
And it had the added benefit that I no longer need sleep.
That's right. None at all.
Coffee's got NOTHING on this stuff.
Guess I won't be taking THAT one in the evening again.
And it had the added benefit that I no longer need sleep.
That's right. None at all.
Coffee's got NOTHING on this stuff.
Guess I won't be taking THAT one in the evening again.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
staying home on Easter Sunday
I was torn this morning!
Yesterday, I started coming down with a chest cold, or some-such. I'm not feeling that bad, but I can tell it's time to load up on vitamin c. So I'm faced with the "do I go to church or not" decision.
When it's someone else, I WANT them to stay home when they're feeling sick, so as not to pass it around to others. But when it's ME, I feel lonely wanting to be there.
Somehow, sipping coffee, and keeping company with my computer screen ... just isn't the same.
It's bad enough on a regular Sunday, but today is Easter, and we're having baptisms.
Probably changed my mind 5 times this morning, until it was finally just too late to go, no matter what I decided!!
People in fragile health should be able to go to church without worrying they're going to catch something, and the only way for that to happen is for the rest of us to stay home when we feel buggy. I understand that. But I don't feel bad enough to be glad to be staying home!
Yesterday, I started coming down with a chest cold, or some-such. I'm not feeling that bad, but I can tell it's time to load up on vitamin c. So I'm faced with the "do I go to church or not" decision.
When it's someone else, I WANT them to stay home when they're feeling sick, so as not to pass it around to others. But when it's ME, I feel lonely wanting to be there.
Somehow, sipping coffee, and keeping company with my computer screen ... just isn't the same.
It's bad enough on a regular Sunday, but today is Easter, and we're having baptisms.
Probably changed my mind 5 times this morning, until it was finally just too late to go, no matter what I decided!!
People in fragile health should be able to go to church without worrying they're going to catch something, and the only way for that to happen is for the rest of us to stay home when we feel buggy. I understand that. But I don't feel bad enough to be glad to be staying home!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Spring-time in Michigan
Day 1 of Spring-time in Michigan ... yesterday
The sun shines, and the only snow still on the ground is the piles left by the plows. I eat lunch in my car with the roof open, enjoying the sunshine.
Day 2 of Spring-time in Michigan ... today
The snow starts mid-morning, and comes like crazy all day. We cancel Good Friday service due to the road conditions.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
my brother's blog
My brother left today for his officer training school. I'm thankful he's planning to blog about his time there - if you want to have a look, his blog is here.
And just in case you haven't discovered my sister-in-law's blog, hers is here, so you can follow the family at home also.
Quickbooks worked for me yesterday, with only about a half hour's effort. I was most thankful.
And just in case you haven't discovered my sister-in-law's blog, hers is here, so you can follow the family at home also.
Quickbooks worked for me yesterday, with only about a half hour's effort. I was most thankful.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Quirky Quickbooks
I've been using Quickbooks at work for ages. And I love the fact it calculates the payroll taxes for me, prints w-2s. It really does everything I need it to do.
Except ...
The installation process for it is, without fail, a huge hassle.
I don't think I've ever bought a version, or an upgrade, that installed smoothly.
And yesterday's jump from 2005 to 2008 has proved true to form!
I started trying to upgrade at 9:30 yesterday morning, and I STILL can't open the files from the 2005 version.
I'm downloading updates right now, in hopes that will solve the problem.
Hopeful?
Um ... no. Not really.
I'm envisioning that I'm just beginning what will be an on-the-phone-with-tech-support day.
Tuesdays, of course, are the days I normally pay bills and do payroll. I thought by starting to install it yesterday morning I was giving myself plenty of time.
Um ... no. Not really.
Except ...
The installation process for it is, without fail, a huge hassle.
I don't think I've ever bought a version, or an upgrade, that installed smoothly.
And yesterday's jump from 2005 to 2008 has proved true to form!
I started trying to upgrade at 9:30 yesterday morning, and I STILL can't open the files from the 2005 version.
I'm downloading updates right now, in hopes that will solve the problem.
Hopeful?
Um ... no. Not really.
I'm envisioning that I'm just beginning what will be an on-the-phone-with-tech-support day.
Tuesdays, of course, are the days I normally pay bills and do payroll. I thought by starting to install it yesterday morning I was giving myself plenty of time.
Um ... no. Not really.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Behold the Hat of Supreme Ugliness!
I wear hats to church. I recently bought a lot of 4 off Ebay. Three were quite nice, and the last one was ... well ... this!
You may not be able to tell from the picture, but it is made of silk flower petals, and there are rhinestones embellishing it, as well as the plastic cherries and red netting that you may have noticed.
It's actually quite well made. About 50 years ago, someone, somewhere spent a lot of time making this. Someone else, somewhere, spent a lot of money to buy it.
Amazing, isn't it?
Friday, March 14, 2008
Not good ... not good at all
I am finding people exceptionally irritating today.
The phone has been ringing off the hook, and a higher-than-usual percentage of the calls were people asking me to make another phone call.
For example:
"Could you call and ask Joe ____________"
"Hi Joe, Bob asked me to ask you _________________."
"I'm not sure, did Bob want ___________ or _______________?"
"Hi Bob, Joe wondered if you wanted ________________ or ____________?"
"If __________ then I want ____________, or else, if ___________, then ___________. See which one will take more time, could you?"
etc.
Now ... if it appears obvious to you that Joe & Bob speaking to ONE ANOTHER would be far more efficient? You would be correct.
But, you see, Bob doesn't have Joe's phone number with him, and so ... it's WAY easier to keep dialing my number, which he has on speed dial, and my constant call-backs for further information don't seem to clue him in that this is not the best system.
The phone has been ringing off the hook, and a higher-than-usual percentage of the calls were people asking me to make another phone call.
For example:
"Could you call and ask Joe ____________"
"Hi Joe, Bob asked me to ask you _________________."
"I'm not sure, did Bob want ___________ or _______________?"
"Hi Bob, Joe wondered if you wanted ________________ or ____________?"
"If __________ then I want ____________, or else, if ___________, then ___________. See which one will take more time, could you?"
etc.
Now ... if it appears obvious to you that Joe & Bob speaking to ONE ANOTHER would be far more efficient? You would be correct.
But, you see, Bob doesn't have Joe's phone number with him, and so ... it's WAY easier to keep dialing my number, which he has on speed dial, and my constant call-backs for further information don't seem to clue him in that this is not the best system.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
the house of sleeping
For whatever reason, my phone number seems to draw an inordinate amount of late-night wrong numbers. Normally I just roll over and go back to sleep. (and add them to the phone book as "wrong no." so I don't answer the next time!)
But last night's was most unusual.
Rather than drunken party-goers, last night was a lady asking, "is this the house of prayer?"
Immediately I thought of all the biographies I've read, of great preachers and missionaries, and martyrs, who WOULD have been on their knees, communing with God at that hour of the night.
Hmmmm ... not the house of prayer. I'm afraid it's the house of sleeping.
But I'd like to become more "the house of prayer"!
I didn't add this lady to my "wrong number" list. If she calls again, I think I could use the challenge.
On more mundane matters ... I woke up this morning (way too early thank-you-very-much) with actual motivation. Got to take advantage of it before it wanes, and see if I can get this house clean!
But last night's was most unusual.
Rather than drunken party-goers, last night was a lady asking, "is this the house of prayer?"
Immediately I thought of all the biographies I've read, of great preachers and missionaries, and martyrs, who WOULD have been on their knees, communing with God at that hour of the night.
Hmmmm ... not the house of prayer. I'm afraid it's the house of sleeping.
But I'd like to become more "the house of prayer"!
I didn't add this lady to my "wrong number" list. If she calls again, I think I could use the challenge.
On more mundane matters ... I woke up this morning (way too early thank-you-very-much) with actual motivation. Got to take advantage of it before it wanes, and see if I can get this house clean!
Friday, March 07, 2008
an answer to the fact I don't particularly like any of the potential presidential candidates
To the citizens of the United States of America:
In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).
Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.
A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.
1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'.
Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary'). And while you're at it, take a moment to discover the difference between "lose" and "loose" - you may lose your wallet, in which you had loose change.
3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let
Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell- checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.
4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.
Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
8. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline)-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth. - See what it did for them. American brands will
be referred to as Near-Frozen Cat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of pansies). Don't try Rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.
13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.
God save the Queen.
In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).
Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.
A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.
1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'.
Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary'). And while you're at it, take a moment to discover the difference between "lose" and "loose" - you may lose your wallet, in which you had loose change.
3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let
Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell- checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.
4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.
Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
8. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline)-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth. - See what it did for them. American brands will
be referred to as Near-Frozen Cat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of pansies). Don't try Rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.
13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.
God save the Queen.
Monday, March 03, 2008
anxiously studying ...
I've been doing a little thinking about anxiety lately.
I've had some health issues for the last couple years, and after ruling out a lot of fairly scary stuff, the docs have settled on some kind of anxiety disorder. Basically my body is producing the "fight or flight" chemicals without any real reason to do so.
So ... if a wolf pack slinks up behind my on my way to my car some evening ... I'm ready!
I've started on some meds that are helping, and for which I'm very thankful. Right now, a side effect is that I could easily sleep 23 hours/day, but that will pass, and I'll be myself again, only ... hopefully ... feeling a LOT better.
That has led me to do some studying on anxiety in the Scriptures.
While I know that what's going on with my health is physically-caused, it's made me think about the sin of worry, and what it does to a person's life and relationship with God.
The first passage I looked at was in Psalm 127, and it stood out to me that God "gives to His beloved, even in their sleep." When I'm worried, and stressed, I spend the midnight hours trying to work through the issues, and figure out solutions. There is so little profit in this, and God is at work, whether I stay up or not!
I was looking, too, at Matthew 6 and Luke 12, where it talks about the Lord caring for lilies and sparrows. I happened to notice a phrase in "The Message" translation that I liked. It described the sparrows as "careless in the care of God." I loved that wording!
It was interesting to me how often worry/care/anxiousness is shown to distract a person from the Scriptures, and deaden to what God is doing. In Matthew 13:22, the parable of the four soils says that the weeds that choked out the influence of the Scriptures were the "cares of this life." And the reason why the banquet guests didn't come to the banquet in the Luke 14 parable, and why they weren't ready for the Lord's coming in the Luke 21 parable ... all the "cares of life."
And the special charge given to the single person in 1 Cor. 7 is directly related to being worry-free! vs. 32-35 say the single person is "free from concern" so they can serve God whole-heartedly. In fact, we're "free from concern" so we can be 'concerned about the things of God." "Careless in the care of God" just like the sparrows. :) Freedom from concern is the special blessing of singleness ... if we choose to reach out and grab it.
I've had some health issues for the last couple years, and after ruling out a lot of fairly scary stuff, the docs have settled on some kind of anxiety disorder. Basically my body is producing the "fight or flight" chemicals without any real reason to do so.
So ... if a wolf pack slinks up behind my on my way to my car some evening ... I'm ready!
I've started on some meds that are helping, and for which I'm very thankful. Right now, a side effect is that I could easily sleep 23 hours/day, but that will pass, and I'll be myself again, only ... hopefully ... feeling a LOT better.
That has led me to do some studying on anxiety in the Scriptures.
While I know that what's going on with my health is physically-caused, it's made me think about the sin of worry, and what it does to a person's life and relationship with God.
The first passage I looked at was in Psalm 127, and it stood out to me that God "gives to His beloved, even in their sleep." When I'm worried, and stressed, I spend the midnight hours trying to work through the issues, and figure out solutions. There is so little profit in this, and God is at work, whether I stay up or not!
I was looking, too, at Matthew 6 and Luke 12, where it talks about the Lord caring for lilies and sparrows. I happened to notice a phrase in "The Message" translation that I liked. It described the sparrows as "careless in the care of God." I loved that wording!
It was interesting to me how often worry/care/anxiousness is shown to distract a person from the Scriptures, and deaden to what God is doing. In Matthew 13:22, the parable of the four soils says that the weeds that choked out the influence of the Scriptures were the "cares of this life." And the reason why the banquet guests didn't come to the banquet in the Luke 14 parable, and why they weren't ready for the Lord's coming in the Luke 21 parable ... all the "cares of life."
And the special charge given to the single person in 1 Cor. 7 is directly related to being worry-free! vs. 32-35 say the single person is "free from concern" so they can serve God whole-heartedly. In fact, we're "free from concern" so we can be 'concerned about the things of God." "Careless in the care of God" just like the sparrows. :) Freedom from concern is the special blessing of singleness ... if we choose to reach out and grab it.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
on helping
I was paid a great compliment today.
A friend had surgery, and I was over at her house giving her a hand this morning.
I did a little puttering around her kitchen, and just helped out a little here & there.
What was the compliment? She told me she felt "comfortable" with me in her house.
There is a delicate balance in being able to help someone without making them feel mothered or pressured.
I SO appreciate the friends in my life who are gifted at this, and it's a skill I've long wanted to develop.
Obviously everyone has different comfort levels, and so there's no one approach that will make everyone feel "at home" with you doing their dishes, or scooping their cat box ... but I know folks who seem particularly gifted at sensing where the lines are, and what the needs are.
Any time I get a little glimpse that I may have accomplished this in a situation, it gives me hope that I just may be of some use every now & again outside of my office!
A friend had surgery, and I was over at her house giving her a hand this morning.
I did a little puttering around her kitchen, and just helped out a little here & there.
What was the compliment? She told me she felt "comfortable" with me in her house.
There is a delicate balance in being able to help someone without making them feel mothered or pressured.
I SO appreciate the friends in my life who are gifted at this, and it's a skill I've long wanted to develop.
Obviously everyone has different comfort levels, and so there's no one approach that will make everyone feel "at home" with you doing their dishes, or scooping their cat box ... but I know folks who seem particularly gifted at sensing where the lines are, and what the needs are.
Any time I get a little glimpse that I may have accomplished this in a situation, it gives me hope that I just may be of some use every now & again outside of my office!
Saturday, March 01, 2008
suffering from a serious motivation deficiency ...
So ... don't assume that my lack of blogging is due to a spurt of productivity in other areas.
Napping. Been getting a LOT of napping done. TV watching. yep. That's pretty much it!
This has got to stop before my house gets to front-page-of-the-paper degrees of chaos!
Napping. Been getting a LOT of napping done. TV watching. yep. That's pretty much it!
This has got to stop before my house gets to front-page-of-the-paper degrees of chaos!
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