Labor Day

Sep. 6th, 2010 07:38 pm
hermionesviolin: (self)
I think the last time I had a Monday holiday it felt interminably long, but today felt like a good relaxing day off.

***

Both today and Saturday I'd been up for like an hour when I felt like I really needed to get out of the house and walk some.  Saturday I went and got groceries -- so about an hour walking roundrip (and another trip to get a gallon of milk from the corner store, so maybe twenty minutes roundtrip for that).

Today, I walked to the Fells.  I went the way that looked easiest on the map, Governors Ave. to South Border Rd., so it took me about a half hour to get there (about five minutes past the hospital), so I only walked about 15 minutes into the Fells -- because I was cognizant that I'd have to walk back.  Possibly next time I'll turn on Lawrence Rd. and see if there's an entrance to the Fells around there.

Looking at the map, I'm also curious to walk to the West Medford commuter rail station -- not that I would have any need to get to and from there (being able to walk to and from Alewife would be much more potentially useful) but just because.  I still know barely anything in Medford, despite having lived here for 2 years, which is fine by me, but exploring is nice.

Back to the topic of "non-workdays, I do not walk enough"... I may take to walking to CWM again -- especially if we move the starting time (in which case the bus will get me there either a few minutes late or really early).  Walking to and from morning church is about a 40-minute roundtrip, which is only about as much walking as my work commute one way (and I've been walking all the way home more often recently, which adds ~30 minutes of walking).

***

It took facebook to remind me that my dad's birthday was yesterday.  In my defense, he has never been big into celebrating his birthday.  I also totally failed to notice that it was his 60th birthday.  (I think we also mostly failed to celebrate my mom's 50th last year.)

***

This morning I dreamt I was at MML, talking to Beth, and I was behind the circulation desk, and she kept asking me to help, in that way that you do when someone is working with you, and I did what she asked me, but I felt hedgey, and when something came up that was gonna involve a patron's record, I said something like, "I'm gonna go shelve some stuff because this involves the computer and I don't work here anymore."  (I was telling Cate the story recently of being at MML one time after I'd left, and how I'd gone behind the circulation desk to check out a book and Irene told me I couldn't do that because I didn't work there anymore.)  Later, I was kind of hanging out and Jeanie, Tina, Hope, and Margot(?) were all there and they all acted like it was just fine that I was hanging out there, behind the circulation desk, as if I worked there.

I was gonna say that it's weird to me that all my reconciliation dreams take the form of the other party acting as if things are fine (rather than my taking the initiative, getting to demand anything from them, etc.) but then it occurred to me that oh yeah, I'm the recipient of the silent peace offering model rather a lot.  *cough*  Also, my waking brain has difficulty imagining how any of those confrontational conversations would go, so I'm not really sure what my dream brain would do.

The other night, I dreamt that a whole bunch of folks from MML were leaving work and I sort of caught up with Michele to talk to her/ask if we could get together sometime, and Beth passed me by and sort of greeted me and I wanted to accept her implicit invitation to conversation, but it was more important to me to get to talk to Michele.

***

At Coffee Hour yesterday, Matt M. said they're thinking of having a before-service Sunday School, with sort of rotating leadership, and my name had come up as someone who might be interested -- this made much more sense once I clarified that he meant Adult Bible Study/Adult Education.

I feel torn, because SCBC Adult Ed will (I assume) start up soon, and I want to continue to attend that -- I value that community, plus I think my voice is (more) valuable there.

Also, I am much better at being That Girl who interrupts (who critiques and problematizes and sometimes just bitches) than I am at developing and leading programming (yes, I know, one of the things church is about is growing us -- see also, "hospitality team").

Heh, lol irony, from an article seen via facebook:
But there's another less talked about advantage to these schools. Said Madeline Albright in a commencement speech at Wellesley, "...We sometimes misunderstand what leadership really is. We expect it to come from the outside. And so we wait and listen for the sound of some mighty voice coming out of a loud speaker. But real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing...that the time has come to move beyond preparing to doing."

Albright scratches at what is perhaps the most important aspect of a single sex education: self agency. Social psychologists refer to this as one's "locus on control," or the extent to which we believe we can affect the forces around us. Girls are largely reared to believe that their locus of control sits outside of them (think "Someday your prince will come"), while boys are typically taught that their locus of control resides within them. Consider the commonalities in stories like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. You'll find that all of these stories depict women facing dire straits from which they can't save themselves. Men dash in, rescuing these women from harm, which is the key to the women's lives moving happily forward.

When one studies in an all female environment, there is less reliance on someone sailing in and fixing everything. Women are not waiting to be saved, believing that outer forces will help them, rather they are steering the ship, making cause and effect moves that actively sculpt their lives. Is it any wonder then that women's college graduates have developed a self reliance that serves them time and again in their careers?

-from "Are Women's Colleges Still Needed?" (by Selena Rezvani, Washington Post)
hermionesviolin: black-and-white image of a church in the background, with sheep of different colors in the foreground, text at the top "Religion is a Queer Thing" and text at the bottom "Cambridge Welcoming Ministries" (religion is a queer thing)
Dreams this morning included Jenny (my brother's fiancee) having a trans sibling.  She kept saying "he" and then she said something that made me think the sibling had been born "he" and so I said, "Oh, SHE's trans," and Jenny was v. confused, and I kept insistently asking, "What gender was your sibling assigned at birth?" (knowing that I could just reverse that to come up with the correct way to refer to the sibling now) and she refused to answer and as the dream went on I came to the conclusion that it was because she was referring to her sibling by the correct/chosen gender and wasn't gonna provide me with personal information -- which was interesting, for me to be the bad guy in an interaction like this.

Expandcrankypants )

***

CWM tonight was a small turn out (though we had 4 newbies), but it was a good night.

Our guest preacher was Rev. Chuck Hartman from Melrose, who was good.  After service, Barbara was saying Sean did such a good job with his creative and powerful story of the Last Supper and we have such talented people here and oh, Elizabeth preached and that was great.  So Chuck asked me about that, and I sketched out how I became this girl who wrote sermons in her free time and Tiffany insisted I preach out loud before she left.  He asked if I was studying, and I said no -- told him where I work, said I have an undergraduate degree in English and people keep suggesting I go to divinity school and I keep saying no (he made some noise in agreement with all those people).  I said that church is basically what I do with my free time, and I sketched out my primary weekly church involvement -- so I said it's like I'm taking classes.  He invited me to preach at Melrose and I said sure.

Chuck: "How about next Sunday?"
me: "Maybe not so much."
Chuck: "How about the next few Sundays?  I could take a vacation."
hermionesviolin: image of Glory from Buffy with text "at least I admit this world makes me crazy" (crazy [lavellebelle])
I kept waking up this morning from dreams wherein I was Really Emotional, which is unusual for me.

Expandnot that you care )

Yeah, I think going to First Church to help them set up for Advent sounds like a good thing.  (That's at 11am today, and I'd been planning to go anyway, but yeah.)

Friday

Oct. 9th, 2009 07:17 pm
hermionesviolin: (self)
There were whole hours yesterday wherein I forgot I was sick.  Today I was mostly just congested.  And hey, Kieran never got back to me about plans, so I get to go to bed early again.  (I realize I have turned into a person who doesn't respond to messages in a timely fashion -- though I am usually wicked prompt in responding to stuff about actual plans -- but I caught up on a whole bunch today, which I feel really good about.)

I went to bed ~10:30 last night.  My dreams this morning were clearly influenced by events of the day.  Dreams included some comfort/reconciliation -- because my brain loves me and wants me to be happy -- and also my brother being a (still more conservative than I) Lutheran.

Expandgym )

On my way from the gym to the office, I saw Scott heading toward me, and we waved and then we hugged and we actually went around in I think a full 360.  (Hi, Amy, I thought of you.)

Proving that he had read my email (he has RSI, so I'm usually more surprised to get an email from him than not), he said, "You need my cell phone number, and you need mine."

He also said he didn't know if he had shared his GoogleCalendar with me.  (Cate, are you proud?  Sidebar: When we were scheduling for the weekend his girlfriend was in town, I said that the purple was my calendar, so he could ignore the blue, and he was like, "Oh, too bad, that looks like a fun calendar -- Date Night ... BOOTIE Boston...")

"Oh, and I was supposed to invite you to Simchat Torah."  ♥  I got an email yesterday afternoon from the Temple Shalom Medford young adult listserv, so I knew what he was talking about, and I also knew that I had a conflict -- Salvadorian dinner + walk around Jamaica Pond with Carolyn.

I said, "Oh, so that's what GoogleCalendar calls Rejoicing of the Torah."  We talked some more about religious holidays on GoogleCalendar, and I actually looked up Creation on October 23 (true story the Wiki entry was the first Google hit for october 23 creation) and Reformation Day.

Then he went and met with a prof and then came back and talked to me more (about NCOD, among other things) and then hugged me before he left.  \o/

After work, I was at CVS, and the Seasonal section of the greeting cards section included Pastor.  I have no idea why.  There were 7 -- 4 used male language for God, 1 assumed a male pastor, 2 were neutral.  There were also 3 Rosh Hashana cards -- 1 "to both of you," 1 "from both of us," and 1 generic (which actually read from left to right).

My Barnes&Noble order came today.  As did a notice from Payroll:  "The Payroll Office has been notified by the Cash Management Department of Financial Systems that the following check(s) made payable to [my name] have not been cashed.  [Check Amount: $744.81, Check Date: 2/3/06]  As payroll checks are non-negotiable after six months, we have enclosed a replacement check(2) for you."  That date is right after I got hired fo'real (after being a long-term temp), so my guess is that it got lost in the direct-deposit shuffle.

Tuesday

Oct. 6th, 2009 05:01 pm
hermionesviolin: (self)
I went to bed at like 8:30 last night.

Dreams included a not-very-good date with Jason. /o\

Walking to work, I was feeling better (as in, less sick). I was also thinking that maybe I should have just skipped the gym, but I actually did my entire usual "strength training" workout in ~45 minutes. I was really conscious of not rushing myself -- since I wasn't feeling well -- but I think having gotten a lot of sleep made the actual work feel a lot easier (inorite).

Greg to Kathleen: "Are you around--?"
Kathleen: "I have a break--"
Greg: "Not today, just broadly speaking, over the next two or three weeks."
Kathleen: "Yeah, I'm around."
me: "What, your answer isn't "No, I'm in meetings all the time"?"
Kathleen: "Elizabeth points out that "here" and "available" aren't the same for me. So you should probably try to get on my calendar. Thanks, Elizabeth."
me: "Do I get a bonus for the fact that I manage EVERYONE?"

edit: I sent off Jim's visa application around 3:30, and I kept feeling like I was missing something, despite having double- if not triple-checked the list of what was needed. As I was walking to the T after work it occurred to me: CIBT wants a photocopied set of all submitted documents, and gee, maybe it would have been a good idea for me to make a copy for myself as well. Sigh. /edit

***

Things wot are awesome:
+ ninja heads (aka, buckeye candies)
+ church history in 4 minutes (set to "We didn't start the fire")
hermionesviolin: (tired)
I woke up after ~9hrs of night sleep (during which time I dreamed I was spending time with Laura Ruth, critiquing worship services I think), so this afternoon I took a nap, and my dreams included (1) my dad remembering better than me the "planning ahead" stuff I'd posted to my LJ , and (2) a conversation with some folks at HBS about which cases I had read.

I'm not quite like liz_marcs, but I've noticed that it's better for me to get out of the house and get some actual physical activity in my day.

The book group formerly hosted at Micah House is doing Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance next, and I got an email on Friday suggesting we start this coming Friday.  SOM/WEST has a copy, but they have limited hours.  Today I looked at other local libraries to see if maybe I could just pick one up today.  Medford didn't have any, and Arlington's copies were out/missing, but I decided to just walk to Arlington because I could.  I took GoogleMaps' right-angle driving route (College Ave. to Broadway), which it said was 3.2mi.  I did it in 52min.  For the return, which would be more uphill, I took a more diagonal route (Broadway to Powder House -- via North -- to Curtis to College -- via Professor's Row) which also took me 52min (GMaps Pedometer says that route is ~2.9738mi vs. ~3.2035).  It occurred to me now to tell it to give me Walking Directions.  This gives me a 2.7mi route, though it's lots of side streets.  It also tells me that will be 54min, so clearly I walk faster than average.  Which surprises no one.  (Interestingly, I hadn't wanted to go all the way to Somerville Main Branch, but GoogleMaps driving directions say it's 2.8mi from my house -- almost a half mile closer than Arlington.)

And having gotten home I didn't wanna do anything.  /o\

My facebook status is: My mom just said "trufax :)" in an email reply to me. \o/

CAUMC-Meredith emailed me: "This made me think of you - despite the url, it's not porn."

Edit: Ari emailed me:
I totally namechecked you at Seers tonight.

Also, I bought Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition by Steve Harper for free at a yard sale for whichever one of us wants it. It looks like of interesting, but you're the one who !is Methodist.
hermionesviolin: an image of Alyson Hannigan (who plays Willow Rosenberg) with animated text "you think you know / what you are / what's to come / you haven't even / BEGUN" (you think you know...)
At lunch today, Greg mentioned that how you FEEL in a dream is more important than what HAPPENS in the dream, which makes sense but which I'd never thought about before.

It made me think of how last Wednesday I dreamed a bunch of really disturbing (and even terrifying) things but felt really detached (emotionally), like I was watching these things and recognizing the emotional import but not feeling it myself.  Which I guess is a good thing?
hermionesviolin: black-and-white image of a church in the background, with sheep of different colors in the foreground, text at the top "Religion is a Queer Thing" and text at the bottom "Cambridge Welcoming Ministries" (religion is a queer thing)
I went to bed at like 9:30 last night, woke up at like 6:30 this morning (yeah 9 hours of sleep!), woke up again (and got up) a couple minutes before my 8:00 alarm.

Dreams included going through a series of tunnels (Star Trek reboot movie -- which I haven't actually seen -- mixed with Cold War era) and the last security door we had to go through our IDs didn't work and an official was examining mine and I got fed up and said, "IT'S FROM NASA."  My companion was like, "Why the rush?" and I said I was getting tired of waiting.  My interpretation of this when I woke up was something positive related to taking charge -- though on reflection it could also be something about me being an impatient control freak.  But so many of my dreams involve me running (or trying to and failing), so I feel like this was probably a good thing.

I got ready for the day (black sneakers, blue jeans, brown button-down shirt, Ask. Tell. dogtag, rainbow star earrings, CWM "Religion Is A Queer Thing" button on my black backpack) and headed out to Annual Conference.  #101 bus to Sullivan, Orange Line to North Station, bought double breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts and also a round trip to Beverly Fams (Zone 5).  I was gonna read on the commuter rail, but instead I totally fell asleep -- though I woke up at every stop, and the stop before mine I got up to be sure to not miss my own stop.  I had Beverly City Taxi in my phone from when Cate and I went to NSMT, but I was really feeling the fact that I had barely walked all day, so I took out the Google directions I had printed out and walked the ~2.5miles.  It was a nice walk.

I had skimmed the schedule, but didn't think to look closely or print it out, so I retained the "Registration at the Barrington Center" part and even looked at a map of Gordon College to have a basic sense of where I was going, but when I got to the Barrington Center it was empty.  It was nearly noon, so I figured I'd soon see floods of Methodists heading to lunch, but I was getting bored so I started to walk back through campus.  I saw a guy with a nametag and said, "New England Annual Conference of United Methodists, where is that?"  He replied, "Everywhere," but then said it was almost lunchtime and lunch was on the lawn in front of the chapel, "the tall white pointy building," and pointed me in the direction thereof.

As I walked up the steps of the chapel, I saw Barbara at the rainbow stoles table.  I'd been given one at Convo 2007, but it was a bit too flourescent for my taste, plus I just felt weird, so I didn't wear it (yes, I'm the only person in the CWM photo not wearing one), but here there were a multitude of options on this table, and one pattern reminded me of a facebook quiz my best friend took, so I bought one for me and one for her.  (If anyone wants one of their own, just let me know, since I know the folk storing the leftovers.  There were beautiful ones reminiscent of stained-glass windows, but since I am never going to wear one it seemed extra foolish to wear two.  Though I found myself really appreciating seeing all these people wearing stoles and knowing they were Reconciling, and I'm actually still wearing my stole.)  Expandrainbow stoles explanation )

I had lunch with the Reconciling folks (apparently you couldn't buy a lunch ticket, had to have pre-registered, so I was glad I had brought second breakfast and trail mix).  Someone said that 12 or 13 retired Reconciling clergy (I wasn't clear if this was just in the New England Annual Conference or nationally) have presided over same-sex marriages and holy unions -- because the Church can't do much to punish retired clergy, whereas it can punish those who are not yet retired.  Hi, I think this is awesome.  He also said they're gonna be making a public declaration of this fact, signing their names, as a show of support.

***

I had come today primarily because Tiffany had raved about Violet Fisher's preaching.  And really, coming for lunch + church service was probably a good plan (though next year maybe I will go for some of the discussion/voting).  The service lasted literally from ~2:00-4:50pm.  I knew almost all of the hymns, and I found myself really conscious of the language of submission and Lordship and blood atonement and so forth.

Scripture Readings:
Amos 8:10-12
Psalm 119:97-105
II Timothy 2:8-16

Bishop Violet Fisher preached on "Being the Word."  Her sermon was very much slanted toward the confirmands etc., which made sense [the booklet we got said on its cover, "Order of Worship for: Recognition of Local Pastors, Commissioning of Provisional Deacons & Elders, Ordination of Deacons and Elders, Reception Into Full Connection"] but which still felt a little weird to me.
    She said that there is a famine of the Word and we are called to be the Internet.  (Near the end of the sermon, she repeated that with lots of specific examples and after listing Facebook and MySpace, she had a slip of the tongue and said SpaceBook :) )
    She quoted Gandhi as saying the Bible "has enough dynamite in it to blow the whole of civilization to bits; to turn society upside down; to bring peace to this war-torn world.  But you read it as if it were just good literature, and nothing else."
    She exhorted us: "Don't get so wrapped up in church-work [e.g., what color a room should be painted] that you lose sight of the work of the church [saving people, healing people, loving people, blessing people]."
    Don't lose your joy -- "Dragging to the pulpit -- just as I am, without one plea," she deadpanned.
    She said, "Don't let the folk in the church wipe you out," and in part because I was sitting with CWM folk, I automatically heard that as a word of encouragement to queer folk (and anyone else the institutionalized church would be happy to not have to deal with ... though I know that in the context, what she had meant was in the sense of "worn out and worn down" rather than "eliminated").
    She exhorted us to be, said "our excitement is contagious ... that others will hunger and thirst for righteousness."
    She reminded us to "stay in the Word, find yourself in the Word."
    She said that people outside of the church ask, "What is the lifeline of that church?  Where is the transforming hope?"

It was really unclear when we were supposed to go up to get communed (P.S. It still irritates me that the official UMC Communion liturgy says "wine" when one of the defining characteristics of Methodists is that WE DON'T CONSUME ALCOHOL.) so eventually when we saw Will really near us, we just went and got communed.  Will said, "The Cup of the Holy Spirit, poured out for you."  Yes, I am glad the CWM balcony contingent were able to get non-traditionally communed.  [At LizL's ordination, the people communing me just said "The Body of Christ" and "The Blood of Christ," and I almost said "The Bread of life" and "The Cup of blessing" or something as a response instead of "Amen" because I was so thrown.  I am used to there being metaphors, both because straight-up blood atonement is uncomfortable and problematic and also to make it more meaningful and relevant and resonant.]

Tallessyn and Michele went down at the not-an-altar-call (apparently in the UMC, there's a whole Process for becoming a deacon, not just for becoming an ordained minister [edit] at CWM on Sunday, Sean reminded me that in the UMC, "deacon" is a position of ordained ministry -- though there's also "deaconess," which is a lay position and is what Michele is discerning a call toward [/edit]) and the congregation was singing "Here I Am, Lord," and I didn't go down to pray with them because I didn't really understand this unfamiliar-to-me process and didn't feel like I was in the right [soul/head/heart/something]space to pray with them, but I actually cried as I watched their family [for various definitions] gather around them, which surprised me.

***

Tallessyn drove me back to Beverly Farms T station because I didn't have quite enough time to walk back for a 5:36 departure, but then Carolyn called and said her friend Sarah had another seat in her bug, so I got a ride all the way to a block from my house.  She picked me up about 5:35 and I got home around 6:10.  Sweet!  (I wouldn't have gotten to North Station until 6:22, and then I still would have done Green Line to Park Street, Red Line to Davis, and walk home -- because I didn't have a #101 schedule but didn't think it would be running very frequently and I don't know the walk back from Sullivan.)

***

Sidebar: If you Google hrc + enda, this really thorough blogpost from October 4, 2007 is the first hit.  \o/  Someone was asking me what the trans community's complaint with the HRC is, and I wanted to confirm that I was recalling correctly.

***

"Joy Sadhana is a daily practice in the observation of joy."
-[livejournal.com profile] mylittleredgirl [more info]


"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." --Anne Lamott

Good things about today:
  • It was not grossly humid out.
  • The abovementioned good things about Annual Conference.
  • During part of the service, Carolyn was scratching my back, and it felt really good.
  • Apparently Singspiration is happening for a 12th season, just on a reduced frequency.  (I worry about JoeF burning out, but it will be nice to see the gang.)
  • bff (2:34:58)
Things I did well today:
  • I did sufficient planning ahead (okay, much of that happened in previous days) and successfully got to Annual Conference.
  • I did some LJ commenting, and was thoughtful and attentive of others in various ways.
  • I appropriately set my alarm for tomorrow.
Things I am looking forward to (doing [better]) tomorrow:
["anything that you're looking forward to, that means you're facing tomorrow with joy, not trepidation," as Ari says]
  • 9am corporate prayer at SCBC
  • Kelsey and Kristy are leading worship at CHPC, and I'm lay reading.
  • hearing more about Annual Conference from CWM folks (oh, and I'm lay reading there, too)
hermionesviolin: (restless [moobytooby])
Apparently seeing ads while at the gym for Anna Paquin's WWII movie and the Wolverine: Origins movie gives me weird dreams.

I went to bed around 9pm last night and woke up this morning not long after I would be getting up for work -- which in this case meant I got about nine hours of sleep.  I got up and puttered for a bit and then went back to sleep for a bit and then got up and showered and stuff and after a bit took a sort of a nap.  I had plenty of time and should have done stuff like catch up on financial bookkeeping, but I was feeling tired/lazy and didn't want to do anything.  I am choosing to blame this on the letdown after having been strongly emotionally engaged for a week (I think I remember this from last time).  I did at least launder my sheets and do some online shopping looking for a simple small black backpack and the jeans I like, and I got to Harvard Square a little bit early to check out the Gap since they're having a cardholder's sale.

Allie and I met up around 2 and sat outside Crema Cafe for hours (it was ridiculously warm out) and then went questing for chocolate cupcakes, ultimately ending up at Finale where apparently they discourage ordering from the bakery case if you're sitting at a table so we ordered actual expensive plated deserts (I got the Apple a la Mode, which was good, but which I probably wouldn't get again).  We then did assorted grocery shops (I now know where the Whole Foods by Central Square is, and I also got to pick up stuff at Shaw's which I'd realized last night/this morning I should do but wasn't sure when I'd have time).

FCS UCC was watching Crash at 7pm tonight as part of their Sacred Conversations on Race series, and I was considering going, but when we got to Allie's apartment it was like ten of seven, and I opted to continue hanging out with her for another couple of hours.

I feel like there's nothing in my head about what's been going on in my life recently other than "Holy Week" and "so a friend of mine...," and it's nice that we can apparently spend seven hours together and just chat about this and that, drifting from topic to topic not getting exceptionally deep about any of them, and just enjoy each other's company.

Also, it is good to have friends who will threaten to punch people in the face on my behalf :)
hermionesviolin: image of Jewel Staite (who played Kaylee on Firefly) with text "Jewel" (jewel)
I took a sort of nap this afternoon, but I think I must mostly be getting enough sleep because I wake up remembering my dreams -- which I feel like doesn't happen when I'm not getting enough sleep.  Expandblah blah blah dreams )

***

The lectionary readings today were Isaiah 40:21-31 and Mark 1:29-39.  I was unimpressed by the rambly sermons at both my churches.

The Isaiah verse which uses the twin names of "Jacob" and "Israel," CHPC used a gender-inclusive text which said "Rachel and Leah and Jacob," and I was thinking about this later, about Rachel and Leah, how they are both mothers of the people who would become Israel, even though Jacob only wanted one of them.  Even later, I thought about the second half of that verse -- the '[why do you say] "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?'  I appreciate the reminder that we are all God's beloved.

I want more silence in my worship services.  I don't notice this lack at CWM particularly, but at CHPC it really bothers me because we ostensibly have spaces for silence but they are literally thirty seconds or less, which is just really not sufficient.  I may need to start carving out time to read the Psalms in the morning or something, as having more meditative time would probably be good for me.

I am not a fan of this continuing feeling of, for example, not really wanting to go to work.  I like being functional and accomplishy and stuff.  Last year had a lot of ups and downs, but that was like really active angst, not this flatness which reminds me of clinical depression.  If I am actually clinically depressed, I am gonna be PISSED.  But I got up this morning and read like half of Galilean Journey, and I'm only being avoidy about a few things, so I am sticking to my assessment that it's a situational thing wherein I'm worn down by a variety of things and I know pretty well what I need to feel better but just haven't been able to get enough of it and I will totally be fine.

***

"Joy Sadhana is a daily practice in the observation of joy."
-[livejournal.com profile] mylittleredgirl [more info]


Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine
     -"You Are Mine" (David Haas)


Five good things about today:
1. Carolyn was not actually ignoring my email.
2. Dan brought back the folders from Thi, so I can actually do the financial stuff I'm supposed to do.
3. Michele and Sean counted the offertory.
4. I got to take home leftover vegetarian lasagna -- thus increasing the odds that I will have something other than a lightly toasted cinnamon-raisin bagel with peanut butter for dinner.
5. L. emailed me back.  (Most immediately, I am glad to know that she is not yanno dead, but it is also a substantive email with some news I am happy about.)

Three things I did well today:
1. I switched the 'magic lever' so I had hot water for my shower.  I ate breakfast and brushed my teeth AND flossed (I'm often slack in the morning).  I washed dishes and did another load of laundry and wiped clean some of the grungy surfaces in the bathroom because I realized we weren't actually out of paper towels.
2. I stayed through coffee hour at CHPC.
3. I paid a credit card bill.

Two things I am looking forward to (doing [better]) tomorrow:
["anything that you're looking forward to, that means you're facing tomorrow with joy, not trepidation," as Ari says]
1. Getting the ball rolling on dinner plans for this Friday's book group meeting.
2. Replying to L's email.
hermionesviolin: (hipster me)
I didn't get to bed until around midnight last night.

Expandweird dream )

I woke up, and while I didn't particularly want to return to that dream, I felt really restful (as opposed to last night when I woke up and then slept somewhat fitfully).

I don't entirely know what that all means, but I'm just gonna be glad.

***

"Joy Sadhana is a daily practice in the observation of joy."
-[livejournal.com profile] mylittleredgirl [more info]


Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine
     -"You Are Mine" (David Haas)


Five good things about today:
1. Lots more interesting (mostly !50books_poc) books added to my GoodReads thanks largely to the Friends Updates emails (which I am still catching up on).
2. Greg bought me a vending machine snack in between running studies.
3. And we also got to chat a bit during the downtimes.
4. And I hugged him after we got back to the office.
5. I get to go to bed SO SOON.

Three things I did well today:
1. I actually got up with my alarm (rather than snoozing it twice) and left the house significantly closer to when I should than I have most of this week.
2. Expandgym )
3. I helped Greg run two studies -- and I caught up on my work email after I got back even though it was after 5pm so technically I was off the clock.

Two things I am looking forward to (doing [better]) tomorrow:
["anything that you're looking forward to, that means you're facing tomorrow with joy, not trepidation," as Ari says]
1. I do not have to go to work.
2. Bloc 11 Cafe with Allie.
hermionesviolin: (glam)
Dear [livejournal.com profile] pirateygoodness,

This morning I dreamt some 1920s gangster AU involving a wee Vanessa Hudgens.  I blame you.

Weirdly,
[livejournal.com profile] hermionesviolin
hermionesviolin: (hipster me)
ExpandFriday gym )

***

ExpandSingspiration )

***

Saturday, as I got in to Norwood Central to wait for my train, I was like, "Is that Jackie?"  And indeed it was Jackie and Terry [different person, obv., from the Terry I'm usually talking about], who were heading in to the city to do Christmas shopping (the weather having thwarted their plans to do so in Portsmouth).  I totally didn't know that Terry's teaching 8th grade social studies at the junior high.  It was nice to catch up with them, and in theory we'll make actual plans someday.  They said to say hi to my family for them.

***

GinnyC sent me a Christmas card:
    It's good to get a chance to chat with you every once in a while.
    You've changed a lot since the trip to N. S. in the motor home.  Life goes by much to fast.
[We went to Nova Scotia when I was 9.]

***

Excerpt from Diana Butler Bass' Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith:
Although hospitality at Cornerstone is free, it is not without cost.  Indeed, Christians who enter into the practice of welcoming the stranger know that it is risky---and sometimes dangerous.  Hospitality is not a tame practice, an option to offer only to those who are likeable.  As the ancient Christian theologian Gregory of Nyssa reminded his flock, "The stranger, those who are naked, without food, infirm and imprisoned are the ones the Gospel intends for you."36  Hospitality can be frightening at times.
    The people at Cornerstone know this.  One man shared a story about Rick, a man who challenged the congregation's hospitality. "He comes with tattoos, addiction problems, and even long braids of different colors all over his head."  But, he insisted, the congregation accepted Rick as a human being in need of God's love: "People still saw HIM."  Still, it is risky welcoming Rick because "he continues to struggle with life issues and is in and out of jail because of his addictions and inappropriate behavior."  Yet the people at Cornerstorne know and accept him, holding him accountable for his faith journey and actions.  "This is not the kind of miracle story people like to hear," the Cornerstone member admitted, "but it is a part of the real world."
    At Cornerstone, they speak of living out the "apostolic core" of Christianity, a reference to a brief sentence in the Book of Acts: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers."  An essential part of that early Christian teaching and fellowship was hospitality, a practice that awed even the Roman opponents of Jesus' first followers.
    A few centuries later, as the Roman Empire broke down amid social chaos and violence, Saint Benedict charged monastic communities to "receive guests as Christ" and to embrace the poor, outcast, strangers, and pilgrims.  The heart of Benedictine spirituality is hospitality: a Christian community is not a closed community but extends welcome and shelter to all, regardless of class, status, or respectability.  Joan Chittister, a contemporary Catholic writer says, "Hospitality means we take people into the space that is our lives and our minds and our hearts and our work and our efforts.  Hospitality is the way we come out of ourselves."37  Or, as two Roman Catholic writers put it, "Guests are crucial to the making of any heart."38
    -p. 83-84 [Chapter 5: Hospitality]

36. Gregory of Nyssa, "As You Did It to One of These" (homily), in And You Welcomed Me, ed. Amy G. Oden (Nashville: Abingdon, 2001), 59.
37. Joan Chittister, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990), 130.
38. Father Daniel Homan, OSB, and Lonni Collins Pratt, Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2002).
hermionesviolin: (hard at work)
I couldn't even tell you what I did at work most of this past week, but I really was working most of the day every day.  Friday like 2 or 3pm I had finished everything that really needed to be done and I wanted a nap.  Hopefully there were will be fewer late night comfort sessions this week.  I am really looking forward to that week off between Christmas and New Year's.

Somerville UCC is doing a 15-20min prayer service every weekday morning during Advent at 7am.  I am debating whether this would be good for me or not.

Oh, and I want to go to the Back Bay Chorale's "An 18th-Century Christmas" (Saturday Dec. 20 @ 8pm -- there's also Sun. Dec. 21 @ 3pm); I have friends in it, plus it sounds appealing -- "Enjoy selections from Handel's Messiah, Bach's glorious Mass in B Minor, the gem-like Christmas Concerto of Corelli, and Vivaldi's Gloria.  Then lend your own voice to our traditional carol sing!"  I could just buy my ticket now, but on the off chance that anyone wants to come with...

***

Expandgym: Wed-Fri )

***

Saturday I read [Newsweek] My Turn: Confessions of a Fat Runner.  That night I dreamt I was jogging the Boston Marathon, barefoot (but painless), and I kept getting interrupted -- including by [livejournal.com profile] hedy who was telling me about a job she got involving purses.

***

The music video for Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" makes me uncomfortable.

***

Wednesday SquawkBox: Rick Santelli talked about how markets get conditioned, like Pac-Man where you eat something and that opens up zones and Becky Quick was nodding her head, talking about the ghosts flashing.

They were gonna have bond guy Bill Gross (PIMCO) on later, and asked Rick what he wanted them to ask him.  He said, "The markets give me all the answers I need, so ask him about global warming."

***

I saw a blogpost titled Harvard's endowment loses the GDP of a small country in 5 months.  I wasn't sure whether to giggle or feel depressed at that framing -- both, I suppose.

Clicking on Matthew Yglesias' "Harvard" tag,
Out of Town News

Speaking of smoking, the confidence in the economy of America's elite is sure to be shattered by the news that Out of Town News, the newstand smack in the middle of Harvard Square, is shutting down. The internet had basically made its core business model obsolete some time ago. The general idea, as witnessed by the name, was that you could buy all kinds of "out of town" publications there, thus serving the news needs of the university's geographically diverse community. But people still buy other stuff — I used to buy cigarettes there, and sometimes Diet Coke (but soda's cheaper at the university vending machine), but I think cigarette retailing is a declining industry as well.

Note that the closing of Out of Town News is part of the dystopian vision of The Handmaid's Tale.
That last line is of course a bit of a cheat since a big reason places like Out of Town News are shutting down is because there are other, cheaper, more easily accessible, ways for ordinary folks to get lots and lots of information from a variety of sources.
hermionesviolin: (hipster me)
Why did I dream about being in a cult?  Dreaming about Ben delineating catering options for the Unit makes sense, but srsly?  (I also had two running dreams, which hasn't happened in some time.)

***

Expandgym )

I hit the cardio room just before 8:00am, so I got to watch Sports Center (ESPN) from the beginning.  They opened with the All-Star Game but, actually didn't say who won until the end of the ten minute rehash of the game, which pleased me.  ExpandAll-Star Game, 2008 )

***

Expandbisexuality ftw! )

***

ExpandRest and Bread - theme: Memory )

They have t-shirts that say "Beloved," which I was tempted by, but I saw the one that Gary got [which was long-sleeved, what up?] and it just says it in small print on the front (with a descending dove beneath it, white on navy, so it is lovely) and the back has this giant logo for the church [edit: currently the profile pic on the church's facebook page].  So yeah, opting out of that.

***

Laura Ruth invited me to join her small group, which was meeting Wednesdays at 7pm (right after Rest and Bread service).  I said sure, of course.  She said we would be doing the third question today (I immediately thought of Passover, but just sort of looked at her blankly).  She said that each week all of the small groups discusses the same question, which I knew from last week, but I didn't actually know what the questions were.  So she took me up to her office and gave me the handout.

I knew the groups were about 12 people each (and that only about half that number actually attended group) but hadn't realized that they had "put every last person at First Church into small groups," as the handout says.  Which makes for 10 groups, apparently.

Laura Ruth had to take care of some stuff, so James and I went ahead to JP Licks without her.  I got a medium peanut butter with hot fudge.  Tasty.  I also paid for hers (and totally used it to get points on my loyalty card).  After was had all finished eating ours, she still hadn't arrived, so we left JP Licks and walked back up to the church.  I held her ice cream and ended up eating some of it 'cause it was dripping all over me, but I pointed out that there was a "diminishing marginal utility" (and I didn't even use scare-quotes when I said it) since I was already full.

Also present were Carolyn, Kim, Daniel-Rosie, and, joining us later: Carolyn's sister Marjorie (all of whom were new to me).

Expandspiritual gifts; prayer )

Sunday, July 27 they're having a Blessing of the Animals (yes they're not following the liturgical calendar) in combination with Vegetarian Sunday (followed by a vegetarian potluck).  I was first tempted at the news that last year someone brought a hedgehog to the Blessing of the Animals, but I think it is Vegetarian Sunday that will really entice me to go.

***

Group wrapped up around 9pm, so I was still able to go see Gender Redesigner at the Brattle.  (So you see why I didn't get this post finished last night.  I got home around quarter of midnight and practically fell into bed.)

Heading into Davis T Station I passed Tamerleigh coming out.  She couldn't remember my name, but we hugged, both as hello and goodbye.  Win.

Expanddocumentary: Gender Redesigner )

+

CineMental does a film at the Brattle the third Wednesday of every month, and the next one is Trans Entities, Wed. Aug. 20 at 9:30pm.  The night before I come back from Europe.  I am missing docu-porn!  :(
hermionesviolin: (professional me)
Well, the network's back. Good job. Though I was actually kind of looking forward to the forced non-'Net productivity (plus I had a brain-flash re: tag-bundling after I went to bed last night, so it's gonna be a challenge to force myself to do actual work rather than fannish del.icio.us).
[ Edit: Yeah, I say that, and I am indeed fiddling with del.ico.us rather than the non-'Net work I should be doing -- I did respond to all my e-mails, though -- but I am v. glad to have Internet, both for the entertainment factor and for the ability to coordinate plans. /edit]

I had a running dream this morning, which hasn't happened in ages. More triumphant than they usually are. (I'm always running away from something, and I'm usually inexplicably unable to move much at all, but this time I was fast and successful.) Though there was also a component of real worry, which is also in marked contrast to my lack of emotional connection in dreams the past couple weeks.

P.S. This lack of trash barrels is Not On, as far as I'm concerned. Where would one go to purchase one? Does Tags sell them?
hermionesviolin: (andro)
Friday

I downloaded Firefox 2.0.0.4 on my work computer.
I'm not sure how I feel about the glossy gray rounded edge style.
It gives me the red-underline spellcheck in all windows where there's a composing box, which is neat.
I'm really not sure how I feel about the fact that the close tab is on the active tab itself, not off at the end -- so you can't just quickly click closed a lot of them (unless you start at the far right end).
Also interesting (and kind of annoying), only a limited number of tabs are shown, so you have to use the drop-down menu at the end of the bar to select other ones -- though this does mean you can actually read the titles of your open tabs (the ones that are showing) which ultimately makes navigation easier.

In other news: I am tempted to switch to S2 so for the ease of seeing what other tags an entry has when viewing by tag [I also really like the sidebar of tiered tags -- as seen on emotionalperil, marginalia, nikitangel, etc.,], but I hate S2 on principle, and it's so unwieldy.  Okay, my S1 mainpage ("lastn") style is tweaked from one that someone had already customized, but still, not that hard -- whereas S2 so often feels non-intuitive to me.  *growls*

[I also continue to be annoyed by people who force their styles on the comment page.  I have my flist set to give me ?style=mine, but when I'm browsing other journals, or visiting from Message Center or Memories, I have it inflicted on me.  Yes, I know there are GreaseMonkey scripts for that.  But still.]

And so often I'm browsing journals of people who do have S2 and it makes me sad that their entries aren't (consistently) tagged.  Hi, "cataloguer at heart" = no lie.

/complaint (for the moment, on that topic, anyway)

***

The book my mom's boss is co-writing, turns out they don't need the References, which is good news for her in that she doesn't have to format them, but this makes the baby jesus me cry 'cause it's a nonfiction book, how can you not include References?  And it's easy to list them all in the back, so it's not like they're gonna infringe on your reading experience.  Are people really gonna be intimidated by the presence of superscript numerals?  Oh the irony that the title is: "Come on, People! On the Path from Victims to Victors."

I felt tired after dinner (had kinda napped on the train ride home) but obviously 7:30pm is a bit early to go to bed -- especially when you're sleeping on the living room couch.

Excluding West Wing at work, this is the most tv I've watched in I don't know how long.

We watched Jeopardy (trivia learned: W. H. Harrison was the first POTUS to die in office).

My brother channel-surfed during the commercial breaks, so we watched a large chunk of The Simpsons -- "Eight Misbehavin' " [11.07] -- and some snippets Malcolm in the Middle -- "Secret Boyfriend" [7.06].

I was frequently like dead from laughter at The Simpsons.  For shame.  Hi, that show is not allowed to be that funny.

Malcolm in the Middle had a character who struck me as a Topanga knock-off, and my brother said I should know the actress, and indeed, it was Hayden Panettiere.

A couple minutes before 8:00 it was pointed out that Smackdown would be on soon.  Aww, father-daughter bonding.  ExpandRead more... )

I also saw more commercials than I have in ages. ExpandRead more... )

Saturday

My great-aunt Grace died early in June, and we went down to Falmouth for the Memorial Mass.  ExpandRead more... )

I finally went to Keegan's to get my watchband fixed/replaced. I also stopped by the library -- in part because I was purposely postponing going home to where OriginalRoomie's high-energy chatty family would be waiting.
I was wearing my light blue shirt, Beth said it was a great color on me, was in fact my color.  I tend to prefer darker colors, but I can see that.  (And she didn't ask me if I'd lost weight!  Which, okay, is Marcia's schtick, but still.  I don't actually have weight issues, but I get so tired of the idea that looking good clearly equals looking thinner.)  She said, "You look great -- better than you ever have before.  Whatever you're doing must agree with you."

I told her I was learning ASL, and she said she'd learned some way back in the day but forgotten most of it now.  But she signed that sentence, which I was impressed by.

I really should check out Simmons' night school program.  She said she thought if I went into librarianship I should become an academic librarian -- academic or some specialty like business, law, medical library.  People tell me this, and I'm honestly not sure it's true, but I haven't hashed out exactly what "being a librarian" would look like for me ideally, so I just nod at people.
She said she can see me running my own library (♥!) and if I ever need reference letters, let them know :)
I forget how it came up, but my dad and I finally looked up "que sera sera."  Was nice to know that we're right that in Spanish it would be "Lo que será, será.

There has been some minor controversy about the reputed language of the song title. The phrase "Que sera, sera" was an alteration by the songwriters of a quasi-Italian phrase, "Che sara, sara," a fictional family motto in the 1954 film The Barefoot Contessa. It is not Spanish, Italian, or French (but is acceptable in spoken Portuguese). The correct Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese renderings of the phrase are: 
* Portuguese: O que será, será
* Spanish: Lo que será, será
* Italian: Quello che sarà, sarà
* French: Ce qui sera, sera.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Que_sera_sera#Trivia


I saw Mrs. Leary on my way back to the train, and she mentioned Glasgow.  I'd heard about London, but Glasgow was news to me.  Sigh.  Last time I flew overseas people worried (it was summer of 2003, so people were still recovering from 9/11; I memoried this entry as "i'm not afraid of flying overseas even with a war") and I'm not enjoying starting to have these conversations again.

OriginalRoomie's family was actually not overwhelming (and they did dishes and bought lots of food including booze and ice cream).

My "For the Next X: A Benefit CD for RAINN" arrived, and I am underwhelmed.  Anyone want it?

Sunday

I thought my string of dreams of destruction was over, but this morning I had an extended dream which was not only full of destruction but also actually hit me on an emotional level, as the previous string of dreams hadn't.

As I walked to the laundromat, a car drove by and a guy in it yelled, "Happy Canada Day."

OriginalRoomie's mom's chattiness is starting to grate on me.

However, she asked about where to go to get a new parking pass.  I hadn't realized mine expired Jan. 1 rather than 12 months after I got it, so that was good.  I have definitely been loaning them to visitors, though, and no one has told me they've gotten a ticket.

And they keep washing our dishes, so I can't complain too much.

Do I want to even have a birthday party this year?  I'm already planning to party two weekends in a row, and the Saturday that looks like it'll work better for more people is the date of the CWM benefit concert.

Monday

I slept for ~9 hours.  Rock.

OriginalRoomie's mom gave me a heart-shaped throw pillow with an American flag design.  Um, okay.  Last time she gave me a couple of nice gold-and-black ones.

I did a couple errands and went to the gym.
I was kinda tired, so I started in the weight room, did a few of the machines.
I decided to try the the StairMaster.  Intensity ranges from 1 (lowest) to 20 (highest).  I started at 1, which felt obscenely slow, and ended up spending most of my time at 7 (my average was 6.3).
I am not a fan of the machine.  I kept stepping too far forward and thus smushing my shoe, and I felt like I had to keep watching the stairs because if I wasn't I would get off rhythm and that would be bad.  I also felt like I was being bad to my back, like I was leaning down funny or something, but I couldn't figure out how to do it right.
I had plugged in 20minutes (Fat Burner program, 'cause why not), but I stopped at 10min 'cause I didn't feel like dying.
workout summary: 41 flights of stairs, 0.84miles

I stopped by the office to see if Katie had killed herself from boredom yet :) and chatted with her and Greg for an hour or two.
Katie said her mom has been stressing for the past 8 weeks trying to find a dress to wear to her cousin's wedding.  This led to conversations about how when it's your own kid's wedding, and I insisted that my parents were not of that sort, was like, "They will wear clothes..." though this then prompted ideas (which I did not voice) about having a nude wedding.  Which then reminded me of a recent conversation with Katie about a wedding one of her roommates is going to which will have a pig roast.  I'm a vegetarian so of course I'm opposed to this in principle, but I also thought it would be such a great visual to have a giant pig roasting on a spit.  Katie was joking about going dressed in tattered clothes with a nametag saying "Simon" and going off to die in the bushes.

I felt like I should go clothes shopping but was really not excited about that.  Meh.  Tomorrow will be more productive.

I saw Katherine from CHPC on my way out of the T station.  She's reading Jasper Fforde, on her son's recommendation.  Yay.
I hadn't realized they lived right on Curtis St. so close to Davis Square (for some reason I thought they lived up toward Medford).

What is up with our disappearing trash barrels?  I know we started out with 3 (I recall boggling that we filled them up since there were only 5 of us living in bathe house, and my family of 4 growing up would fill up one trash bag maybe 3/4 of the way each week) but we've had 2 for a while now, but tonight we were down to 1. [Edit: Turns out DownstairsNeighbors are moving to a place closer to the Square, but I think all the trash barrels pre-dated them anyway, so that doesn't help.]

I do not react well to people fussing over me -- which I think is a control freak thing.
OriginalRoomie's grandma was moving stuff in the fridge so I could fit my stuff in when I came back with groceries, and I was like, "No, it's fine, I'll make it fit, don't worry about it {flaps hands}."

Hi, it's my birthday in a week.  Craziness.
hermionesviolin: (older Cordelia)
Friday

Prof.B. working from home is both good and bad.

I went to the gym after work.  Did a half-hour on the elliptical (interval program), pedaled backwards for second half.  (mile 1 - 11:17, mile 2 - 22:52)  Then I did a half hour on the rowing machine.

*

Mike&Meredith hosted a Game Night.  I only ever seem to be able to attend the ones they host :)

Michelle's been talking about how she read Anton LaVey's The Satanic Bible, and I'm starting to want to read it 'cause she talks about how LaVey is such a good writer.
Michelle recommended Elaine Pagels' The Origin of Satan to Sue.  Anyone have thoughts?  I remember being unimpressed by Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, and I seem to recall that I've heard mixed things about Elaine Pagels.
She also explained the difference between a pentacle and a pentagram, which was news to me.

At one point during the night, Michelle said approvingly, "I'm getting my back rubbed by a cute girl."  (I was sitting behind her on a piano bench.)  She hadn't heard from her boyfriend since Tuesday and next time she talks to him she's gonna tell him: "There are plenty of people happy to take me off your hands, if calling me once a week is too back-breaking for you" and totally namedrop me :)

Michelle was telling me about this online survey that had as one of its questions: "Who would you HIGH-FIVE right now?"
She said she cracked up laughing, and thought of me.

At one point she said she (we?) needed to get psyched up... that the jazz music in the other room just wasn't doing it for her.  I knew what was coming, but when she busted out with, "Shot through the heart!" I  still nearly died laughing.  [ref.]

At one point, Sue asked, "Were you two separated at birth?"
I said normally Michelle prompts a lot of "This is my tolerant face" from me, but that we happened to be focusing on the stuff we mutually geek out about.

Michelle says next time we marathon HIMYM we're inviting Sue and Catherine.  I pointed out we're most of the way through S1; she said we'll start over, she's happy to rewatch.

We played Apples to Apples.
I got intense (Black Holes - Mike) and corrupt (My Love Life - Michelle).
The last hand we played before people had to start getting home (it was like midnight) was "spunky" and the final choices were "Rock & Roll" or "Girlfriends" -- my card and Trelawney's, respectively.  Trelawney enlisted peer pressure, and not actually wanting to be spunky, I was ok with forfeiting to her.

Saturday

I was gonna go to the gym but ended up sleeping for an eternity.  ::confused::

[livejournal.com profile] collegecate and I went to see Titus Andronicus, with dinner at Tamarind Bay beforehand, and dessert at Finale afterward.

I had Nezami Handi ("Mix Vegetables with spinach in almond sauce.")  It very much wasn't what I was expecting, but I liked it, and though I was surprised at the apparent small amount of food, I was full at the end.

Anyway, Titus Andronicus.  That was a very disturbing play.
Back when we watched The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover and Emma couldn't stomach it, I said, "But you love Titus," never having seen or read the play myself.  Now that I've seen it, I stand by that statement more strongly.
Also: there was a moment wherein a character gagged another by stuffing a piece of paper in his mouth.

Yeah, that a dessert place has a buy-one-get-one-free promotion with a production of Titus Andronicus is a bit disturbing :)  I'd actually never been to finale before.  I ordered a Manjari Mousse.  Not to die for, but that was okay.

The company that did Titus Andronicus... their 2007-2008 season is: Macbeth, Henry V, The Tempest, King John; and the coda to the 2006-2007 season is Love's Labour's Lost.
I am undecided.

Cate lives near Coolidge Corner.  Good to know for future midnight showings.  [midnight showings permalink]  I wouldn't have gone to the prom thing anyway -- though because '"Everything's funnier when seminarians do it," I will be at ANTS next Friday :)

Sunday

I dreamt that I happened to visit the library and I saw Terry in the old children's room with a young daughter.  Awake, I have decided this was Tallessyn's daughters, whom I see at Cambridge Welcoming every Sunday (especially since my dream self seemed to think Terry had two daughters) but it was very bizarre since that is not how he normally shows up in my dreams.

Last night I was telling Cate that I was considering taking an Intro to Islam course at the extension school next year.  However, trying to come up with a bibliography and thesis for my 15-page research paper for my Medieval Church class is making me wanna drop out of school.  I also dislike that I've been in a poor mood all day because of it.
hermionesviolin: (hipster me)
Apparently NewRoomie+gf had a small party last night with some friends, so I'm rather glad I didn't come straight home (though I probably would have been able to fall asleep no problem).

I got my hair cut this morning.  Wednesday Alyssa and Thursday Cailin both complimented me on my hair -- which as ironic since I was planning on getting it cut.  I had it in a more defined side part than I usually have it, and it did look good, but I felt fairly confident it would start annoying me again soon, so I kept my appointment.  I got it trimmed and layered, and of course now it's falling in my face a bit.  I definitely like the cut, though.

It really bothers me when people on the street ask you for money and then keep asking you for more (seventy-five cents, a dollar, three dollars, five dollars) -- you're being nice and giving them what they asked for and they're making you feel guilty for not giving them more.  I know [okay, technically, I "believe"] that Christ would take them to a sandwich shop and sit down to a meal with them, and I think that God wants us to be that good, but I'm just not (especially 'cause feeling like I'm being taken advantage of does not make me want to be good.).
"and it's bad to have eyes like neon signs flashing open open open open open open open open open all the time"
I came home and made donations to real charities (Doctors Without Borders and First Book), which I had been meaning to do for a while.

I spent way too much time on Ari's tags this afternoon.  (I corrected lots of tags, so you can sort by usage at Tags Management and delete the zero use tags.  It's probably good I can't access your Tag Management or I would be so tempted to rename tags by my own subcategorizing preferences.  There were some duplicates I left alone 'cause I didn't know what your preference was re: hyphens and underscores, and other 'cause I didn't know if the duplication was intentional -- though I often doubted it.)

via [livejournal.com profile] thistlerose: SCMA installation gets Golden Plunger award

----

Today I:
* mailed a package
* got my hair cut
* fixed lots of Ari's tags
* took out the trash
* washed dishes
* bought groceries [I splurged and bought egg nog.]
* cleared out some of the crap in my room (Yay, tomorrow is trash night!)
* took a long nap [I only got 5-6 hours of sleep last night.]
What's up with the superpowered dreams?  This morning between turning off my alarm and getting up I had a normal mundane pseudo-dream, but this evening I dreamt I was like Claire but also with phasing and I sort of had Lwaxana Troi as a mother and she didn't want me to tell anyone and I was a teen and met a my age Clark Kent a la Smallville sort of and later met a guy with a hanglider in a scene out of a Forester or Waugh type novel who may have been superpowered also and to whom I was telling my lifestory.
* read the "Penelope" chapter, and Blamires chapter thereon (i.e., have now read all of Ulysses)
Edit: * finally responded to comments about Episcopalianism
hermionesviolin: black and white photo of Emma Watson as Hermione, with text "hermionesviolin" (hermione by oatmilk)
I had a weird dream this morning in which I was (watching) one of the Heroes, and a semi-separate dream in which I tried to make out with Nicole while she was drunk.

I was expecting to get to catch up on stuff (processing application materials, SSRN, etc.) today since Prof.B. was at a meeting downtown all day.  However, I came in to e-mail which included: [paraphrased] "Please put together a giant packet of course materials to FedEx to this job candidate we're courting."  I was really glad when the candidate e-mailed to say he'll be meeting one of our profs for lunch tomorrow so he can pick up the stuff then and we don't have to FedEx it -- 'cause it was a "fancy dancy binder" and two green boxes of course materials.

I said at CAUMC tonight that I'm so "over" talking about work.  I think the work that remains is handleable, but I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend and to the Christmas break and to February (when this process should be over; let's not think about how NEG starts in April).

Edit: Hee! An e-mail from a company I ordered something from earlier tonight:
Subject: "Your [Company] Order (might contain gift information)"
Opening text: "PLEASE NOTE: The following message might contain details about gifts from [Company]. If you share this email address and have not recently placed an order with us, please do not read on. We don't want to spoil a surprise."

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hermionesviolin: an image of Alyson Hannigan (who plays Willow Rosenberg) with animated text "you think you know / what you are / what's to come / you haven't even / BEGUN" (Default)
Elizabeth (the delinquent, ecumenical)

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