yikes! it's all for nought!!!

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. It was SOOOOO soothing.

While that was nice, it means I sat there in a trance for a half hour, and never did get down into the basement and onto the treadmill before work!

I have plans after work, so that means no exercise at all ... none.

One day without exercise is NOT that big of a deal, except that I immediately start to imagine myself giving up entirely, and becoming one with my recliner! This must not be allowed to happen. :)

stolen from Jane's blog

My first...

car:
$600 1981 burgandy Ford Escort (that dramatically went up in flames in the yard 5 months after purchase)

music purchase:
Sean Cassidy's "Born Late" ... thanks to my cousin Denise's crush on him!

major concert:
I wonder if Petra counts ... my brother and I went in high school

movie (that I remember):
Charlotte's Web

drink:
don't think I've ever had anything that would qualify! a sip of wine here & there

presidential election as a voter:
1988 - George Bush Sr.


You?

like a turtle on its back ...

was my dear little Saturn Ion last night.

Ever since I got my first front-wheel drive car, 17 years ago, I've felt fairly confident driving on bad roads, provided I could go slow enough, and take my time.

However, last night I discovered that my cute little Saturn's light weight makes for absolutely NO momentum to rock free when stuck. None at all. THIS is an important consideration!

A retired couple from church has the staff over for a Christmas party every year. It is SUCH a nice evening, and last night was this year's gathering.

This couple has a lovely home about a half-mile back from the road.

At the end of the evening, I snuck out a little before the others, since I get up early for work.

Their driveway ends in a steep uphill grade onto the road.

As I gunned the car to make it up the grade on the ice ... I saw headlights coming down the road.

BOTHER!

So, I slow down, feeling the wheels starting to slip backwards ... and sideways ... and then ... stop.

It wasn't stuck that badly. But it also would NOT rock free, no matter what I did. I'm guessing this is due to the lighter weight. I'd been noticing it seems to slide around more than my previous cars.

The men came out and pushed me out, for which I was very thankful. But I'm going to have to exercise a bit more caution from now on. I've always been able to free myself before, but it seems that won't be happening with this car!

Trinka ... who really DOES not like winter driving

hmmm ... interesting idea

Where HAVE you been? Ummm ... not sure ... but certainly not HERE for a long time. :)

Just talked with a lady from church who works at the local library (which happens to be directly across the street from my house). They are hiring someone part time to shelve books, read shelves, etc.

I find living with no emergency fund nervous-making ... and I've never been able to re-build mine since buying my condo. After 3 years, it's time to admit that it's not going to happen unless I change something.

When I think about part-time jobs, I always think "waitress" or "store clerk" ... but as a basically non-social person, after 8 hours at work, I'm not sure my energy could hold up to something that chatty.

But ... shelving books in a quiet corner ... THAT I could do! Plus it would be on my feet, so a certain amount of exercise built in.

Quite excited at this prospect, actually! I asked her to pick me up an application.

Exercise is still happening - often twice a day, but at least once. Study ... um ... not. I'm working on some projects for Christmas presents, and they're effectively consuming my time.

Trinka

the psych hospital

No ... no joke to follow that title ...

I just returned from visiting a friend in the psychiatric hospital. You know - when we come near to having a bad auto accident, or get a nasty case of food poisoning, we realize how fragile we really are. God gave us life in a moment, and He takes it back just as quickly. (and is just and right in doing so ... it all belongs to Him).

But our minds, too, are a gift. And one I take for granted, really.

When the Scripture says God "holds all things together by the word of His power." It is talking about galaxies, and molecules, oak trees, and our circulatory system. But He ALSO continually holds the reigns on our reason. That reason could slip away from my control just as easily as I could find myself tomorrow with diabetes or a sore throat.

The sweet lady I visited is one of the most gentle, quiet people--with a quirky sense of humor, and a desire to serve in behind-the-scenes ministries. I can always make her laugh - even tonight when her mind is a battleground.

just thinking, I suppose ... and thankful to be able to do so ...

miscellaneous miscellaneous

Just got done looking through a friend's pictures from her missions trip to Peru. They had a great opportunity to help out in a school, and work on building a church high in the mountains (about 2 miles up!). Plus ... apparently ... wear some nifty local swirly skirts. :)

I discovered at my condo board meeting Monday night that there's another signer on the board. We were discussing how many years a board member's term is, and another lady and I held up the sign-language #3 (thumb, and first two fingers ... the common way of holding up the middle three fingers is the sign language letter "w"). We both noticed, and I'm hoping to get a chance to ask her about it some time soon. She's already caught my attention by talking about missions trips, so I think it would be great fun to get to know her!

Working out continues to go well -- we've got treadmills in the basement now, so I have a date with one every weekday morning at 5:00, and my regular workout after work. Going to exercising twice a day seems to have been quite helpful.

My brother and sister-in-law had an exciting week last week - they won a Christian radio station's contest to have a free kitchen make-over. It was great fun listening to the announcement on the radio over the internet. If I could post audio files here, I'd let you hear it ... she was quite excited!

Hmmm ... and about Bible study ... not happening much right now. It needs to happen. I got some books from the library, and checked out too many at once, so I've been spending time devouring them to get them back by the due date. (ridiculous excuse ... I know ... however, it's the truth!) My pick of the bunch is called Kicked, Bitten and Scratched -- it's about a college program for animal trainers. I always love getting inside a career that's totally different from mine - and this was a fascinating read.

The fellowship to which my church belongs (I.F.C.A.) is having a cruise in February. They are discounting the interior cabins, and it's almost down to what I would be willing to pay. So I'm considering it. I've never been on a cruise before, and it might be fun! Particularly so, since it's church-related, so the drinking/gambling aspect won't be present. And the fact that it's in Feburary (a gloomy, depressing month, if ever I saw one) is a draw as well!

I also want to speak a word in praise of a great new Access add-in I bought for work. It's called DBPix, and it has performed miracles. Access allows pictures to be inserted in the database, but it's got a bug called "image bloat" that causes the database size to expand exponentially with every picture inserted. (mine was up to 1.3 gig in size). This add-in ties right into Access, and fixes the image bloat problem, as well as giving more options in working with the pictures. My database is now down to 14 mg., and I am a MOST satisfied customer.

OK - back to work for this girl!

our problems solved by Mr. T

Today as I was eating lunch (home-made split pea soup, thank-you-very-much ... patting self on the back), I turned on the television to keep me company.

I ended up seeing a show where Mr. T was solving a family's relationship problems.

Hmmm ... fascinating.

Of course, the scoffer in me rose up to comment.

But before it did, I had some other thoughts.

How many situations in our relationships really don't require intensive therapy, or professonal intervention? How often would an outside observer, who had our best interests at heart, really be able to give us a clear picture of what needed to happen? It could be Mr. T (though I'd prefer no television camers!), or it could be a good friend, or an elder from church, or a stranger's offhand comment.

Recently I was visiting with a friend, who mentioned she heard an overseas missionary say that Americans are noted for their easily-wounded emotions ... that it's nearly impossible to give us constructive criticism without it being taken as an offense.

Oddly enough, this same friend mentioned this in the context of discussing how she'd been wounded by a rebuke.

It's one of the things Christians are supposed to do ... encourage one another to love and good works, and how often that requires going out on a limb, and saying something that might not be easy to hear.

Yet, if it's done in love, it can precisely the conversation that turns our life in an entirely new, and God-ward direction.

Doing it properly, giving these exhortations, is not an easy thing. Much prayer, and self-examination needs to happen. "Am I really seeking this person's best? Or is this particular issue just something that happens to annoy ME?" "Is this really a sin issue? Or is it just a personal preference with which I don't agree?"

And receiving it properly is also not easy. "Do I really believe this person loves me and has my best at heart?" "Even if this doesn't ring true for me, is there something that God wants to say to me through it?"

The Scripture that says we're to "bear with one another in love" is one that needs a great deal of application, because there are times when we're simply unbearable! But there are also times when the love of an honest brother or sister can make us easier to bear.

Just pondering. Maybe I'll turn the tube back on and see if Mr. T. solved things. :) He's not such bad company when one's folding laundry!

a nice fall walk

Had a beautiful walk tonight, and thought to take my camera along. I thought I'd share some of the pictures!

ruined lives

This fellow yesterday who shot up a school in Lancaster in recompense for a 20-year-old grudge of some kind ... he has me thinking.

It is SO easy to carry bitterness around, and it grows ... all out of proportion to the original offense. It doesn't matter how awful the thing was that happened ... our lives are only ruined by it, if WE choose it to be so.

If we, rather than choosing bitterness and introspection, choose to present the ugliness to God, He can make something out of it ... He can take the worst offense, and change it to bring good from it.

Locked in a Nazi concentration camp, and watch your sister die from the conditions there?
God can make you into a Corrie TenBoom.

Break your spine in a stupid teen-age jump off a bridge?
God can give you Joni Erickson's ministry and influence.

Born blind?
Give it to Him, and you can write hymns that bless generations like Fannie Crosby.

And it's not just a few well-known examples ... I can think of dozens of people whose faces and stories are well-known to me, who have given their tragedies and pain, and handicaps to God, and He has made them something glorious.

OR

There's always the natural alternative. You can blame God, and blame others, and never allow yourself to move beyond the pain ... and rather than blessing those around you ... the bitterness can fester until it destroys everything in its path. Lancaster saw a vivid picture of this yesterday, but it happens ALL the time - maybe not with the physical taking of lives, but with smearing reputations, and destroying relationships, and sucking away hope.

hmmmmmmm ... on a totally different line ........

I've been meaning to blog about an advertisement I've seen lately for a local indian casino. (Kewadin, I think).

It shows a man in a company break room, and he starts to buy a sandwich from a machine, and they just keep spitting out at him. Then the casino logo comes up, and it says that it might be a lucky day for him to gamble there. (obvious paraphrase ... "gamble" is never used ... lest people realize what they're REALLY doing there).

I thought this ad was very telling. Because the person who's obviously NOT shown is the fictitious small business owner who stocks the sandwich machines in the fictitious break room. So this man's "luck" was breaking someone else's pocketbook.

Isn't that just what casinos are doing? One or two people may win money. Others may (for some odd reason) go and just enjoy losing theirs. But how many lives are negatively impacted by it? How many people develop addictions they can't shake? How many children are impacted by having an immoral atmosphere dragged into their communities? But the only thing that gets publicized is the "one who gets all the sandwiches."

****************

OK - on to exercise - got to the gym last night, and walked in the morning before work. Having the treadmill down in the condo basment is proving to be MOST helpful!

does this make sense to anybody?

The pope accuses Muslims of being violent.

They become irate.

They begin killing people and burning things.

you know ... . if they really wanted to protest his remarks, maybe they could knit sweaters for the poor, or save abandoned kittens ... it would be considerably more effective at proving him wrong!

Exercise is going well. I've got my treadmill in the basement now, so I can walk in the morning before work without bringing the ceiling down on my downstairs neighbor's head. :)

know what?

If you loaf all day, and go to bed at 8:00 p.m. ...

You wake up at 2:00 a.m. Fascinating. :)

And I DID loaf all day - I've had quite a busy month - company for 3 weekends, and one trip to see my dad & step-mom in PA. Yesterday (or today? ... whatever Saturday would be in this context), I just crashed.

I did make it to the gym, but other than moving some furniture and doing a load or two of laundry, that's ALL I got done. Feeling slightly guilty, but also very well rested.

I'm enjoying reading Mission to the Headhunters by Frank Drown. He's coming to speak at our church in November, so I wanted to have read his book first. He and his wife have been life-long missionaries, and he headed up the search party that found the missionaries who were killed by the Auca indians in 1956. (Jim Elliott, Nate Saint, Roger Youdarian, Peter Flemming, Ed McCully).

Well ... back to my book. :)

Psalm 139

I've been working on this Psalm for our ladies' study this Thursday. I especially appreciated this comment by Spurgeon - it's regarding verse 10 which says "Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."

We could only fly from God by his own power. The Lord would be leading, covering, preserving, sustaining us even when we were fugitives from him. -CHS

It's so true ... even when people curse God, and turn their back on Him, they do it with the breath He gives, and the strength He allows them. He is good even to those who deny Him.

No exercise has happened since Friday. But tomorrow it begins again. I had company, and several other things going on all at the same time, and exercise disappeared. But I miss it ... which is in itself a victory!

Had some delightful guests here from Missouri. It was a blessing to have the time together.

I know it makes no sense ...

But Dan installed a wireless router here at work, and now my computer has no sound.

Everything's plugged in ... all the settings are right ... just no sound.

Ah, the mysteries of life.

On the exercise front, I got a good long time on the treadmill last night, and enjoyed it immensely. A friend loaned me some peppy music, and it's quite energy-giving! I also found out that the condo has our "exercise room" (previously known as "storage closet") wired so we can put treadmills down there now. I haven't been able to use mine in the morning or at night, less I annoy my upstairs and downstairs neighbors. But this windowless little basement cell should allow for a nice workout any time of day (provided claustrophobia doesn't get me first!). :)

I've been reading in Psalm 139 in preparation for our Thursday night ladies' study starting up again in a week. No thoughts to share just yet, but I'd be interested to hear yours!

now have a toilet in my Saturn

After a nice dinner with C., who is visiting from Cyprus, T. and I went to Home Depot, and picked up a toilet for her condo. The Home Depot men were nice enough to load it, but it was heavy enough that we weren't interested in UNloading it. It's going to live in the car until T.'s brother comes next weekend. Should have taken a picture, actually!

No exercise happened yesterday - between visiting and toilet installation, I got home pretty late.

Woke up to no electricity this morning - though God woke me up 5 minutes before my alarm would have gone off, for which I was thankful.

I was thinking about Gideon. Israel was under control of the Midianites, and God intended for Gideon to lead them free. Where did God find him? He was threshing grain, in hiding, lest the Midianites steal it. God greeted him by calling him "a mighty man of valor". :) I'm thankful that God sees who He intends us to be, instead of what we are! To further demonstrate Gideon's valorious spirit, when God told him to destroy the town's idol, Gideon did it ... but did it at night, in hopes he wouldn't be seen. Yet God took him, fearful as he was, and used him as Israel's judge and deliverer.

OK - off to work for me.

I have an excellent excuse!

For some wacky reason, after creating a g-mail account, now every time I try and log into blogger from my home computer, it autofills with the g-mail account info. So I can't sign in. Weird. Going to try running ad-aware tonight and see if that helps!

But since I usually get to work 15-20 minutes early every morning (I DO love my job), I feel reasonably sure I can take a few minutes to type something from here!

I've been enjoying thinking about the Valley of Achor lately.

"Huh?" you might say ...

The Valley of Achor is where Israel's sin was discovered ... a man named Achan had stolen some things when they conquered Jericho, directly disobeying God's wishes for that city. As a consequence, Israel was routed when they attacked the next city - Ai ... and in the Valley of Achor, all was discovered, and Achan and his family lost their lives as a consequence of his behavior.

So, I'm thinking ... first of all ... our sin (MY sin) has consequences that will forever impact those dearest to me ... my family, my church, my friends ... I don't live in a vacuum.

The name "Achor" means "trouble" or "disturbance" ... and any time it was mentioned, it would have immediately brought to mind this terrible incident in Israel's history. When we hear "Oklahoma City" or "the World Trade Center" ... there is an immediate context of tragedy and loss ... so it would have been with Israel - with the added element of humiliation and sin.

What really blessed my heart was the other two times the Valley of Achor is mentioned.

In Isaiah 65:10
"Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My people who seek Me."

The place where our sin is dealt with ... and all the nastiness is exposed ... one day that will be a place where we'll return for sustenance. Our of our shame will come a desire to seek Him, and a place of rest for ourself and others. He can take the worst ... and ...

Hoseah 2:15 "Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

This is Hoseah talking about Gomer - his wife who was a prostitute (and a picture of God's people in their constant unfaithfulness to God) ...

After our constant following after other lovers ... God still seeks us ... still brings us home ... and the valley of Achor is a door of hope to us. When our wandering is dealt with, we'll return to the songs we sang when we first came to Him ... when we were first delivered from our bondage.

Isn't it amazing that God can take the worst, and somehow bring good from it?

OK ... boring exercise stuff ...

I had company for a long weekend, and exercise suffered somewhat, but we did a LOT of Dance Dance Revolution, so that probably compensated! :) I've gotten to the gym a couple times, though not as regularly as I need to.

Trinka

finally tackling this project

I have a very low tolerance for visual clutter (not to say that my house is neat ... I wish it were! ... but too much stuff around is definately a distraction to me).

So I'm only just recently started putting many pictures on the walls of the condo.

I've put up a few at a time, to make sure it doesn't go over the "clutter limit" ... than I add a few more later.

The last area to be tackled is - I've wanted to put up photos in the hallway. But of necessity it will mean a lot of frames on the wall, and I just haven't wanted to deal with it, lest it end up driving me nuts when I'm done.

But I started tackling it last night. All the pictures I'm considering are spread out on the floor, and I'm starting to lay out all my garage sale frames, and cut mats to fit.

The project-clutter is annoying me, but I have high hopes that once they're on the wall, they'll be pleasant and not clutter-ish!

Got in a good walk with a lady from church last night, and had a swim later when the pool-crowd got cold and went home. :) Thursday was a stressful day at work (two dead printers, an unexpected power outage, and a generally busy building). It was neat - towards the end of the day, I found myself equally daydreaming about going out to eat (not an uncommon daydream at the end of a hectic day) and going to the gym and having a good workout. I took the latter option ... but it was nice to have it attractive, instead of forced!

Haven't been reading much - projects are pulling me away. Though I have been enjoying J.O. Fraser's biography - Behind the Ranges - at night before bed. He was an amazing man. He died in his early 30's, but accomplished so much for God.

Psst ... for Carol ... to add a link to your blog (at least in blogger) all you have to do is highlight the text you want to make into a link, then click the button on the toolbar that looks like a chain over a greenish-gray globe (fourth from left - bold, italic, text-color, then link). It will give you a place where you can type in the url. :) Easy as pie! If you have trouble, send me an e-mail, and I'll send you some pictures of how to do it.

Trinka

meet Fred-Shep

A message board I'm on had the question posted ... "What's the rattiest old thing you can't bring yourself to get rid of."

Well ... here he is.

Fred-Shep ... a ratty stuffed dog I had when I was a little girl. He's made of plain cotton with dog-spots and a face printed on it. And he's patched in one place with blue flowered double-knit, and another place with tan nylon. He's got holes where you can see he's stuffed with old panty-hose. His panty-hose stuffing is so wadded up inside that his neck doens't stand up anymore. But for some weird reason I just can't throw the ratty old thing out. :)

Got in a good walk today, and lifted weights and swam last night.

mark this one down for the record books ...

I actually cooked a hot meal tonight.

A lady at church gave me some yellow squash, and someone else some zucchini ... so I fried it in olive oil, and added onion, garlic, tomato and mushroom, and made some rice.

This is NOT something that happens very often, but it was kinda fun. I might try it again one day. :)

If I don't mess with meat, I'm a LOT more likely to actually fix something. :) (But I still like eating out TONS better!)

Got to the gym tonight, and am trying something different. I decreased the weight slightly, added another 10 repititions.

Trinka

a relationship I need to sever

It’s been three years and two months now that I’ve ignored the problems (mostly).

But the shocking behavior just hasn’t stopped.

I’m constantly offended, and there are no apologies or attempts at reconciliation.

The world’s dirt is dragged into my home, and trapped here, and I find myself living with it for far too long.

Yet … if I stand up for change … will there be anything to fill the empty hole?

Will I live in darkness, and wish for the old unhealthiness to be restored?

Yet I’m ready, now, to take the risk.

This awful bathroom light fixture has GOT to go. It zaps me when I dust it, yet it persistently DRAWS dust to its ugly chains. It doesn't provide much light, yet exhudes ugliness.

It must go. I am resolved.

A friend with considerably more home-improvement experience is coming to visit in two weeks, and I'm prepared to throw myself on her mercy. :)

Trinka

better to just file the passport ...

Last night, while sleeping, I spent the entire 8 hours fighting dream-land beauraucracy.

I had my passport out for something, and before I went to bed, I put it in my "to be filed" pile. (I usually pay bills, and file, on Sunday nights.)

So ... last night while asleep, I found myself at a border ... somewhere ... and after having an interview with some nameless official, I left my passport and wallet behind in his office. I then spent the entire night trying to get them to let me back into the building to retrieve the passport, only to be repeatedly told that I couldn't enter the building without a passport.

Note to self: "File the bloomin' thing before you go to bed tonight!"

I've been reading in Ruth 3, which starts out with Naomi telling Ruth that she should "seek security" for her. Her plan to do this involved Ruth doing the Old Testament equvalent of proposing marriage to Boaz. (interesting precedent ... gotta keep that one in mind). :)

I found the connection between "security" and Ruth doing one of the most risky things imagineable very intriguing.

I've been swimming in the evenings, though last night there were rowdy folks there all night, and I never had opportunity. Hope to get to the gym after work today.