Huh?

Apparently, Gov. Mark Sanford is to blame for Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer's lead foot.

It makes perfect sense. If a government official isn't given a driver/security detail, he obviously has no choice but to drive at excessive rates of speed. (78 in a 65 isn't so bad, but 101 is, IMO, a bit of a problem...)

Speaking of the Easter Bunny...

I'm adding a bit of an "edge" to my blog this evening. Isn't that a prerequisite to popularity? ;-)

I received this comic via email some time ago. It's not original with me, but I don't know who should receive credit for it...

Monica, remind me sometime--I ran across a few comics that I'm sure you'll enjoy (I say that sarcastically) that I'll have to post in your honor.

The "Music Wars"

Here's an interesting article.

Quote of the Day (March 28)

"And, as we all know, Christians worship the Easter Bunny!"

--Ralph Bristol, commenting on the removal of Easter decorations from the St. Paul (Minn.) City Hall

(Note: I'm not commenting on whether I think the Easter bunny should have remained; I just thought the comment was funny.)

Taxes and upset stomachs

I'm in the middle of doing my parents' taxes, and am being interrupted rather frequently by my brother, who is doing his taxes and has questions. (I guess I'm the expert, since I photocopy tax returns for approximately 25 hours/week. Oh, and I took a tax class once.) :)

I'd been feeling a little guilty for being at camp this past weekend, since I missed the family party for my great-grandmother's 90th birthday. (In my defense, I will say that the party was originally scheduled for yesterday evening, but was rescheduled after I'd committed to work at camp for the weekend.) Now, I'm feeling relieved that I wasn't there. Why? Out of the 8 family members there, 4 (so far, that I know of) have come down with a nasty stomach bug. (The doctor said it's not food poisoning.) Fortunately, none of my immediate family has gotten sick yet, but I suppose it's still possible--especially since my mom spent today dropping off ginger ale, medicines, etc. at my grandparents' and aunt's home. My great-aunt also got sick today. Pray for her especially--she's in a nursing program, and if she misses even 1 day of class she won't be allowed to continue.

And pray that nobody else will get sick!

Oh, and a praise--my car is fixed. It cost a pretty good chunk of change, but at least it's running smoothly now... I was starting to worry about whether I'd need to buy a new car before grad school! (I guess if my current car keeps up its pattern of needing fairly significant repairs every 3 months, I'll have to.)

Car trouble III

My car died. Again.

Thankfully, it didn't die on my way to or from camp this weekend. And it happened after I left work today, but before I had reached a major road. (I can imagine stalling in the middle of rush hour traffic. Somebody would probably shoot me!)

I'm praying that it won't be too expensive to fix... and that it can be fixed so my car will be reasonably reliable. I'd really prefer not to have to buy a new car before grad school, but if mine is leaving me stranded on a regular basis, I don't think my parents will be too happy about letting me move three hours away to a place where I really don't know anyone.

I think that maybe God is teaching me to trust Him to provide what I need. I've never really had to before (even though I know that everything I have is what He has provided and that He could take it away at any time). I've always had a nice house in which to live, enough clothes (even when I have "nothing to wear"), more than enough food to eat (sometimes I think I'd be better off with a little less of that!), my entire education paid for, a scholarship that more than paid for my textbooks, a car that my parents owned and allowed me to drive (while they paid for repairs), good health insurance...

Now I'm facing three semesters of school for which I'll need around $20k (for tuition), finding a place to live, paying for my own (crappy) health insurance, paying an arm and a leg when I need medical care (which, thankfully, hasn't happened yet since I went off my parents' insurance--knock on wood!), maintaining a car that seems to be developing an alarming pattern of needing repairs on a quarterly basis, rising gas prices... This is definitely testing my faith and revealing to me how pathetic my level of trust in the Lord really is.

I'm also learning that it really doesn't get any easier to focus on God when I'm out of school. Sure, I don't have homework anymore (for now!), but I have taxes, work, bridal showers (not for me!!!), the occasional ministry...

My weekend...

I spent another weekend at camp--working in the nursery again.

Working in the nursery makes me laugh, because I'm mostly clueless when it comes to dealing with small children... or large children, for that matter. I suppose it's good that I'm getting some experience with other people's kids, because otherwise, any children I may have in the future will pretty much be doomed to either (1) an early death, or (2) a very traumatic childhood, resulting in emotional scars that will remain their entire lives.

Anyway, I'm sure the teenage girls working in the nursery with me thought I was a complete idiot when I held up an infant and asked, "I just fed it. Am I supposed to burp it or something now?" (The answer, actually, was no, because the kid was asleep.)

On a more optimistic note, I did manage to wipe up spit-up without gagging... it helps not to look at it while you're wiping it up. I also learned that it's a bad idea to wipe a four-month-old's hands with a tissue--apparently, tissues are fun toys. Oh, and I changed a poopy diaper--I think that was the first time. Maybe I'm weird, but I have a harder time with spit-up and snot than with diapers.

Maybe I should just find a guy to marry who already knows how to take care of kids (and cook and clean). He can be a stay-at-home dad. We won't start our family until I'm at least a tax senior (in a Big 4 firm, of course), pulling in $60k-80k/year...

Riiiight. :)

Wal-Mart

I try not to laugh at little old ladies, because I realize that I may be one someday, but earlier this afternoon I couldn't help it...

...I had to stop at Wal-Mart on my way home from lunch today. A little old lady came up behind me in line, nearly running me over with her shopping cart, and complained to me about the fact that she couldn't find anyone to help her locate an item. I mumbled a reply ("hmm") and turned to the cashier, who was by this time scanning my items.

As I started to ask the cashier a question, the little old lady interrupted and said, "Isn't there anyone in this store who can help me?"

"There are people in each department, but they're really busy. They have a lot of things they have to do," replied the cashier.

"I've been wandering through this whole store looking for something, and I couldn't find any employee to help me. I can't believe this. I'm never coming back to this store, and I'm going to call and speak to a manager as soon as I get home."

"Ma'am, I can call a manager and have him come so you can speak to him now, if you'd like."

"No, that's all right," the lady said. "Do you have gift boxes?"

"We have some over there," the cashier pointed and told the lady the price.

"You have to pay for them?" the lady looked shocked. Apparently she'd confused Wal-Mart with a store that provides more than rock-bottom prices. "You don't do gift-wrapping?"

I'm glad I don't work at Wal-Mart.

Weddings...

I went to the wedding of a high school friend last night. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually, but right now it still feels a little weird to see people my age married. (And the usher who seated my mom and me last night just about gave my poor mother a heart attack when he told her that his wife is pregnant!) I can't be old enough yet to have friends with spouses and kids!

Every once in a while, I miss being a 4-year-old, when my biggest worries were being chased by boys at recess and getting down from the "tower" on the playground equipment after escaping from the boys! (Yes, the teacher had to come rescue me... so I've always been a wimp...)

Secondhand Smoke

I enjoy driving with my windows down when the weather is nice and when I don't care what my hair looks like. It's been beautiful outside recently, and my hair is much too long to look good anyway, so I've been doing lots of driving with the windows down.

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon which occurs during my drive home between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. each day. When I drive with the windows down, I get to breathe lots of... no, not car exhaust (although I'm sure I'm getting some of that as well), but cigarette smoke. I guess that all the smokers who work downtown need a cigarette on their commute home. And, of course, they blow all the smoke out their car windows--after all, who wants to keep all that smoke in the car where they'd have to breathe it in?

Another thought on secondhand smoke... If I ever get lung cancer, I know of a couple bowling alleys that are on the top of my Lawsuit List.

Fundamentalist "Logic"

From a sermon I heard at camp this summer...

"Ouija" = "oui" ('yes' in French) + "ja" ('yes' in German), making the "ouija board" a "yes-yes board"

Therefore, Satan is the originator of Positive Thinking.

This was in a sermon from Nehemiah 6 titled "Say No to Ono."

Fortunately, this was not typical of the preaching at camp, or I would have drowned myself in the lake long before my 11-week contract was up!

Thinking...

Sometimes, I think that I think too much. But most of the time, I think that I think too little. I think I'd be a lot happier if I just stopped thinking. =) (My brain would hurt less, anyway!)

Another update... There may be a possibility of my receiving some additional financial aid for grad school. Please pray that I will, and if I don't, that I'll keep trusting the Lord anyway.

Joke of the Day

A lady went into a butcher shop complaining about some hot dogs she had just bought. "The middle is meat," she exclaimed, "but the ends are sawdust!"

"Well," said the butcher. "These days it's hard to make ends meat."

From one of my favorite websites, Rinkworks. The joke, #782, is here.

Be sure to check out the Book-A-Minute section, too. One of my favorites is Animal Farm.

Priorities?

"BJU staff evangelist plays trumpet, preaches Gospel"

So, which order is it?

Favorite quote from the article: "His great like of his instrument is found in his belief that 'real men play trumpet.'"

It helps to confirm my opinion that Mr. Shrock is, in fact, a stereotypical trumpet player, as well as my opinion that the Collegian's writing could use some help. That sentence would be much clearer (i.e., mean what I think the writer intended it to mean) if it said, for example, "His partiality toward his instrument stems from his fallacious belief that 'real men play trumpet.'") (In fairness to the Collegian writers, I will say that I realize that they're all quite busy, and probably churn out articles in very short periods of time that do not allow for adequate revision. I've written plenty of papers like that myself--a big difference being that only the teacher and I critiqued most of my papers, while newspaper writers have a much broader range of critics.

New weapon in the fight against whiteness!

Those of you who, like me, have naturally pale skin (the pallor of which is enhanced by the fact that most of your epidermis never sees the light of day) will be happy to learn about a great new product from Jergens. The (cheaper!) Target variety really works, so I'm assuming the Jergens brand does as well. I have high hopes of being able to wear knee-length dresses without hose this summer... and not blind anyone with my ankles! (We're talking color here, not shape or size, all right?)

Quote of the Day

From SharperIron:

The minute my loyalty to any movement obligates me to be aligned with someone whose teaching or personal life is an embarrassment to the gospel, I'm no longer a conscientious fundamentalist—right? Whenever I am forced by the protocol or politics of any movement to defend something that is indefensible, I have ceased practicing fundamentalism. Whenever I have to kowtow to someone else's list of dos and don'ts in violation of my own conscience, I have forfeited the integrity of the fundamentalist principle. If I ever have to stifle valid, weighty, and biblical concerns about someone's doctrine or practice just because that person has clout in the movement, I am instantly set at odds with authentic, historic fundamentalist principles.

--Phil Johnson in Dead Right, Part 2: Taking a Second Look at Fundamentalism

I don't know if any comments on my part are necessary. But I'll make one anyway and let you draw your own conclusions: This statement by Johnson made me think of chapel. (That is, certain chapel messages, as well as the occasional exhortations not to criticize God's messengers.)

Grad school update

Heard from grad school again... They're offering me a half tuition scholarship. Based on what I was told when I met with some of the faculty members there, I'd been sort of expecting a full tuition scholarship. (I was told that full scholarships were possible, and what the usual qualifications were. I met those qualifications, but perhaps their requirements have changed.) But I suppose I shouldn't complain about being given what should amount to almost $20,000!

Well, more later. I'm planning to leave for the Wilds in around an hour, and I still need to pack. I'm taking fewer shoes this weekend. =)

It's almost official!

I received an e-mail today notifying me that the admissions committee of the graduate school to which I've applied is recommending that I be admitted to their program in the fall! If the Dean of the Graduate School approves the committee's recommendation (which sounds very likely), I should get my official letter in about a week!

I'm also being considered for merit-based financial aid (i.e., scholarships). I'm supposed to hear more on that by Friday. I'm praying!!! :)

Choices...

I can't decide. Would I rather have this one or this one?