a test from your friendly neighborhood English major

Whats wrong here:

AAA
BBB
CCC
DDD
EEE
FFF
GGG
HHH
III
JJJ
KKK
LLL
MMM
NNN
OOO
PPP
QQQ
RRR
SSS
TTT
UUU
VVV
WWW
XXX
YYY
ZZZ

Did you know that 80% of UCSD students could not find the error above?


(P.S. ... got the guest room done, and a good start on the living room & my bedroom. I LOVE de-cluttering days!)

basement's done!

Now ... on to the guest room.

(Well ... it's as "done" as it can be until I borrow a vehicle to haul a bunch of stuff to Goodwill!)

visiting a new church

Yesterday the church where I work & attend held our first service in our new addition. We built on a sanctuary, kitchen, classrooms and BATHROOMS (can you tell we needed those?) that more than doubled the size of our facility.

Meeting there for the first time was very strange! It was like visiting a friend's church ... but having everyone I know visit along with me. Very odd, really!

"So, Trinka, what are your plans for New Years? Particularly since you took today off from work, you must have something exciting planned, right?"

"Yes! Very exciting! I'm de-cluttering, organizing, getting rid of stuff, etc. Starting with my basement storage room, which is in deplorable condition."

"No party?"

"What? Party? Who needs a party when you can have EMPTY SHELVES?"

Have a safe evening everyone!

yikes, that was close!

On my way home from my mom’s yesterday I was on a road that has a big open field along one side.

An elderly man in a monster, tank-like car was driving right on my back bumper.

In the field was a deer, and I saw it coming at me.

I had to slow down to an almost-stop and get off onto the shoulder to avoid it.

Mr. right-on-the-bumper didn’t slow down at ALL, and started to go around me.

Fortunately he finally saw the deer. He must have been so focused on my back bumper and wanting to pass me that he wasn’t seeing ANYTHING else, because that deer was VERY visible (and very large!)

The poor fellow must have been from California ... where 5 mph over the speed limit isn't nearly fast enough, and they don't HAVE to watch for deer!

when the extraordinary interrupts an ordinary day

The man playing the video in this clip is Joshua Bell.
He's one of the best violinists in the world.
He's playing a violin worth several million dollars.
He's playing some of the most beautiful music you can imagine.

and nobody stops to listen

He's in a metro station in D.C. as part of an experiment that the Washington Post did. They planted him there, to see how the public would respond.

And the public's response? Almost exclusively ... they didn't notice him.

Over a thousand people passed him, and less than a dozen stopped to listen. Only one spoke to him. His open violin case received $35.

This isn't a lecture about busy-ness, and how it distracts us from smelling the roses.

It's a lecture about Christmas.

What was playing on your car radio this morning? What was printed on that Christmas card? The music in the mall ... what were the words?

Veiled in flesh, the God-head see
Hail the incarnate deity
Pleased -- as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Immanuel (God with us)

Are you listening? Am I?

Mark 27:36 And sitting down they watched him there;

This was spoken at the cross, but the same can be said of the incarnation ... God becoming man ... the awe we should feel at the very idea of

Him.
There.

Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace among men upon whom His favor rests.


(much of this post stolen from a sermon illustration this morning, by the way!)

Kristen says I need to post something

Didn't I just say I don't like change? Here the internet keeps on changing all the bloomin' time, and Kristen wants me to contribute to that unhappy situation? :)

What I'd really LOVE to post is one of my friends' descriptions of a funeral she just attended in Cyprus. But I don't dare, lest someone acquainted with the situation somehow run across it and be wounded by it.

The internet is a big place, but indiscretion somehow makes itself known even in the largest room!

However, if you'd like to read the description, and won't forward it ... I will share via email!

Change continues to intrude on my life. Our office is discussing switching to Macintosh computers.

I can deal with the actual O.S. change. But the thought of losing 10+ years worth of work and having to start from scratch ... THIS is not a pleasant thought. Most of what I do is in Microsoft Access, which doesn't have a Mac version. I've been up several nights dreading this thought!

Anyone out there use Filemaker Pro? What can you tell me about it? I've made some pretty fancy Access forms & queries, and a friend whose co-worker uses Filemaker says I'll need to learn to write code if I want to do anything beyond the basic. I'm quite sure I can learn it, but what I'm NOT sure of is if I can learn it AND get my job done at the same time!

change

Yesterday, our morning ladies' Bible study was canceled due to the ice on the roads. One woman hadn't gotten the message, and showed up with her baby and little girl, Olivia.

Poor Olivia. When she heard she wasn't going down to the nursery, it just broke her little heart, and she sobbed and sobbed.

Now, the nursery wouldn't have been ANY fun yesterday. All the kids she liked to play with had stayed home. But she had been PLANNING on being there with them, and she was crushed at the change of schedule.

I know just how she feels!

It takes me an inordinate amount of time to adjust to change. I can't even write it off to the fact I'm getting OLD (my last year in my 30's is just about to begin). I've ALWAYS been this way. I have these friends who are spontaneous and flexible, and while they're good for me, I have to force my brain to join that particular party!

So this accelerated car-change process is still boggling my brain. Normally I spend months deciding to get rid of a car and researching its replacement. I'm astounded that I just went out Monday and signed papers on a new (used) car with only a weekend's consideration.

Drove to the body shop Monday, also, and cleaned my stuff out of Lil #5. I hope to pick up Lil #6 today after work, and if so, I'll post a picture.

a tale of two bicycles

I don't remember much from my childhood. In fact, I don't remember much from high school, college, or anything else that happened more than 5 years in the past.

However, one strong memory I have of growing up involves these red & yellow bicycles. (the back tire of the yellow one is just visible in the left side of the picture next to my brother).

The yellow bike was a small one, and the one on which I learned to ride. Once I had grown, my parents bought me the red bike, and put training wheels on the yellow one for my brother. (They were still together at that point ... it seems SO strange to speak of them in the plural -- they divorced at about the time this picture was taken.)

The red bike was snazzy. It had gold flecks in the paint. (Even then, I thought gold was prettier than silver!). It never had a kick-stand, but other than that, it was the perfect little-girl bike.

But I couldn't enjoy it!

Why?

I felt sorry for the yellow bike. I was concerned that I was abandoning an old friend.

OK. Kids personify objects. Understandable.

But know what?

I still feel that way about my cars. :)

I went car shopping yesterday, and am going to Lansing today to look at a dealership my step-father likes.

But I just want Lil back!

Night job over the holidays

See what useful things the internet has for us? :)

Get to work Trinka!

oh please

Jews urged to light one less candle this year for Hanukkah to help the environment.

whew - right-side up

Well ... no word on what the insurance company is going to do, but I at least discovered I'm not upside down on the loan. That was a relief!

So, now, either way, I'm happy.

I don't particularly like car shopping, but I also know that a car that's been in an accident can be a rattle-trap sometimes. So either option has its pluses and minuses.

Relieved ... yes, I am.

totaled

They're talking about totaling out my car.

I'm upside-down on the loan.

I'm SO not excited about this possibility.

Did the car in the below pictures LOOK totaled to you?

update on the car situation

The car is at the collision-repair shop, and they've sent an estimate to the insurance company. As soon as it's approved, then (hopefully!) they'll get to work, and I'll have my little car back. I'm thankful for the rental, but I find myself wandering aimlessly around parking lots, forgetting what I drove. :)

Oddly enough, my mom & step-dad hit a deer the next day, and so they're awaiting a car repair as well.

Had a delightful early-birthday celebration today. The above-mentioned mom and step-dad went with me to Meijer Gardens, and then we tried a new restaurant called "The Melting Pot" - it was a fondue place. Quite fun! And any meal that ends with a vat of melted chocolate is a winner in my book.

poor wounded Ion

I went to the body shop to look at the car and snap a few pictures.

I was surprised - it doesn't look nearly as bad in daylight, without police lights flashing on it. In fact, the lights aren't even broken.

Interesting that you can see the outline of the other car's tire on the front bumper!

I was turning right, and then realized at the last minute that I needed to go straight. I turned off my blinker and kept going, and the lady who was coming from the other street, thinking I was turning, pulled out in front of me to make a left turn.

I squished her, or she squished me, or maybe both.

She was at fault on the police report, but thankfully didn't get a ticket.

Things to be thankful to God for about this:

* it didn't happen in any of the far-from-home places I've been in the past few days
* nobody was hurt
* the other driver was very pleasant, as was the police officer. Our stories all agreed, and everyone was civil ... even kind ... to one another
* it was still light - our cars were at the end of a curve, and after dark, would have been hard to see in time for other traffic to stop
* because the police report did not list me as being at fault, none of it will cost me a dime ... even my rental car is paid for
* it happened to damage my car in the same area where I had gotten a scratch on the bumper from a parking lot, so that will be fixed in the process
* T. was riding with me, and her level-headedness, and sense of humor, made the whole thing much easier to deal with
*the officer was willing to use her discretion and not give the other lady a ticket
* T.'s friend lived nearby and was willing to give me a ride home (about a half hour away)
* my boss was willing to pick me up for work this morning

So, while I have a sore neck and shoulders, and am somewhat inconvenienced, there were a great many blessings in the whole thing.

after all those miles ...

In the last week and a half, I drove from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Roanoke, Virginia, to Kingsport, Tennessee, and back to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

So tonight?

I wrecked my car driving to Taco Bell.

I am SO not kidding.

remember how fun leaves used to be?

my nieces

This is Adorable Niece #2 and Adorable Niece #1 wearing their new aprons my mom made for them.

a view from vacation

Thanksgiving

I've been having a delightful trip. On my way to Roanoke I happened to run across Fenton Glass's factory, and I stopped and enjoyed their outlet store. I wanted to take a factory tour, but I would have had to wait for an hour for the next one to start, and I didn't feel like cooling my heels quite that long. I also stopped and wondered around the West Virginia capitol building in Charleston for a little while.

While in Roanoke, I had a lovely visit with an internet friend and her family. Then I left yesterday morning to head to my brother's.

It was a beautiful day -- the sun on the remaining autumn leaves was beautiful, and I stopped mid-way for a walk in a park I happened across. When I got to my brother's, we loaded up our kayaks and took my nieces out for a paddle on a lake. It was that warm out!

This morning, my sister-in-law's parents and sister came for Thanksgiving, and it was so nice to see them. We had a good dinner and visit, and have been playing with my nieces the remainder of the day. (We had a tea party and pajama party all in one afternoon ... ah, the social whirl).

Tomorrow, I hope to do all in my power to avoid any encounter with a retail establishment.

ahhhh ... vacation

Now, if I could only persuade my body not to wake up at 5:00 a.m., THAT would be a thing!

While I've traveled a good deal, I've always flown if I was going alone. It was usually cheaper to fly than to drive, with one person. But this time I had several stops I wanted to make, and needed to have my car.

Hence the reason I find myself in Akron. I was thinking last night how strange it is to find myself in a city where I don't know anyone. I walked to a restaurant last night from the hotel, and it seemed odd that there wouldn't be any cars passing, or families at the restaurant, who would know me.

While I'm a fairly solitary person, I see how I really do have quite a community around me of extended connections. It's actually quite ideal. God has blessed me in a way I hadn't realized.

After a day at work, I LOVE being able to go home, close the door, and be alone and quiet. But I also enjoy bumping into familiar faces at the grocery store, or seeing cars of those I know when I'm out walking.

So, in this season of Thanksgiving - I am Thankful for His blessing to me in that area.

I'm going to Roanoke today to meet a friend from the MeetChristians site. (added for my worrying mother's sake - a female friend). Then I'll be going to my brother & sister-in-law's to spend Thanksgiving with them and the adorable nieces.

On the way back home, I'm looking forward to visiting Answers in Genesis. They have a new museum on creationism, which I've been wanting to see. I had forgotten where it was located, and when reminded, looked up the location of the hotel room I had already booked, and discovered it was only 5 miles away. Well ... that aspect of the planning was easy!

Well, I suppose rush hour is probably almost over, and I should start thinking about getting on the road.

Remember this week, it's impossible to be truly thankful, unless you're thankful TO someone. God has blessed us greatly.