quick update

Hope you all are doing really well. I'm pretty up right now.... i've got a date with J and B's friend on Tuesday....I know its book club night, but well...a date with N is going to be really fun... also, my case load is dropping to half of what it was. This will mean that maybe, just maybe, I'll actually get all my work done for once in my life. Love you all. See you soon.

Oh yeah, and hanging out with my birthmom, her husband and thier girls went just beautifully. We are going to make chocolates next weekend...

Dream Jeopardy Categories!

Wow, it’s been awhile since any of us blogged. Maybe we’re all just so busy living our incredibly exciting lives we just don’t have time? That’s what I’m going with.

This week we discussed our “Seven Dream Jeopardy Categories”. As usual, we stole this from a Douglas Coupland book. Sometimes I wonder if he might have a right to some of the royalties from my life. Well, he wouldn’t get much, that’s for sure. Here, Mr. Coupland, your brilliance helped me earn enough to pay my mortgage this year by keeping me from going insane which allowed me to continue working. Also, think of all the money I’ve saved in therapy or anti-depressants since your wonderful books replaced them quite nicely. Good luck getting your portion of that. You might also get a nice achievement plaque from my husband for his gratitude of your giving me something else to focus on when I feel bitchy.

Anyhow, we stole another Coupland idea. Big surprise. Specifically, the idea came from Microserfs, in which the main character tells us the other characters’ dream Jeopardy categories every time he describes someone new. We decided to pick Jeopardy categories based on things we like or things we know a lot about – even if we don’t necessarily like them. Just for fun, I’ve decided to post ours here. For anyone who was present this Tuesday Night, here we go:


Cuthbert
*Airport City Codes
*Roman Mythology
*Lines from Musicals
*Beers that are Yummy
*South Park
*Bible Trivia
*Geography

Jason
*Quotes from Fight Club
*Beers that are Yummy
*Maritime Ship Terminology
*Marlin Spike Seamanship
*Celestial Navigation
*Motorcycle Travel
*Thus Spoke Maynard (Tool Lyrics/Music)

Velma
*The Rules of Basketball
*Super Secret Internet Crush Rules
*Speaking in Whale
*Quotes from Superstar
*The Famous Quotes of Jesus
*Grey’s Anatomy Characters
*Suspicious Bank Activity

Qu (D&D)
*Conspiracy Theories on LOST
*Lines from Musicals
*Quotes from Tommy Boy
*Fertility Awareness
*Music Theory
*Dark Tower Trivia
*Lip Balm Application Methods

Mia
*Lines from Musicals
*Furry Things I am Afraid of
*Hot Sexy Dance Moves
*Crazy Person Etiquette (How to act around crazy people)
*Singing Hymns to Drunk People
*Abominable Words
*Liquors That are Yummy

Jonathon
*Star Wars
*Lines from Musicals
*Chris Farley Movies
*Stargate
*Computer Terminology
*Modern Technology
*Celebrity Impressions: Impersonating the Christ


That was fun, wasn’t it? I’d love to add a few more to my list – maybe “Weight Watchers Meals for Under 10 Points” or “The Art of Writing”, but I’m afraid we only get 7 a piece. Now if we could just put together little Jeopardy games for each other with questions for our dream categories….. Hmmmm……

happy

So, it was great to see you guys on Tuesday. I have been missing the community as I try to figure out my life and where everything fits. I will see you all again soon, I'm sure. Thanks for being a bright spot in my week!!!

Super-Secret Internet Crush

it's true, i have one. i have a super-secret internet crush. what is that? well i'm gald you asked. basically one day i was reading a friends blog and noticed several ever so enticing links to other blogs/websites. i began looking through those and found one that caught my eye, one that got me intrigued and made me what to read a little bit more of the things this guy had written. what he had to say was pretty awesome and he's pretty cute and well one thing lead to another and here we are, velma with a super-secret internet crush. i have devised several rules for super-secret internet crushing, please be cautious.

1. never reveal your identity to your super-secret internet crush (ie. leave comments on their wall, initiate a 'friendship' on facebook)
2. never make other decisions based on the idea that 'someday i may met my super-secret internet crush' (ie. not go on another date with someone else because someday i may met my super-secret internet crush and i want to be available for him)
3. do not be hit # 330,342-330,400 on his tally of how may hits he's gotten on his webpage(ie. do not go to his blog/webpage more than once a day)
4. if he does make a new years resolution to go on 4 dates this year do not assume you will be one (or all) of them and begin making plans about when you're available
5. if you do happen to run into him in a public place you can introduce yourself but at all costs never reveal your identity as his super-secret internet crush.

that's about all the rules i have for now. please feel free to add any additional rules or words of wisdom.

Community Goals for 2008

What a boring blog title, don't you think? What can I say - I tried!

Anyhow, here are the goals we came up with for 2008. Hopefully we can expand on these and have a very productive year.

• Have more community events outside of Tuesday Nights
• Have more events for the broader community
• Work toward communal living
• Engage in service together
• Re-visit the Tuesday Night Gospels
• Do a reading of D&D's book
• Continue book club
• Watch 'Saved' together
• Make a Tuesday Night soundtrack
• Grow and diversify the book exchange (already starting this... it has been re-named the media exchange and movies and music are welcome)
• Add some boys to the group. Cuthbert can't provide all the testosterone when Jason and Matt are gone!
• Establish goals / actions toward simplier living on a community-wide scale
• Have a community getaway
• Make that bitch move back to Fort Wayne (you know who you are!!!)

Let's keep talking about these and revisit them every once in awhile to make sure we are on track with the way we want to live.

Coupland

Ok, so... In honor of us reading Generation X for book club, I have a fun project. I know it's kindof late notice, but let's start tomorrow night!

Today and tomorrow, and throughout the time that we will be reading GenX, be thinking of random words or phrases that have cultural connotations for our generation. Words that didn't exist for the generation before us, or had a different meaning for them, or things that hold different significance for our time than for our parents'. We'll compile a list and add to it each week. The words don't necessarily have to hold great significance or represent epic culture shift or anything. They can be silly and arbitrary or deep and somber. Doesn't matter. Anything goes, so long as it is somehow represtentative of our generation and our culture today, if even in a small way.

Here are a few of my ideas to give you a feel for what I mean. We don't need to keep a list here or anything. These are just to show everyone what I'm thinking. In no particular order (kindof the idea anyways):

Google
SARS
Text Messaging
9/11
Girls Gone Wild
IPod
Ecstasy
Emo
Global Warming
Blog
Columbine

Ok, that's enough for now. As you think of more the next few weeks, we'll add them to the list. I think this is gonna be fun and pretty funny. It'll be interesting to see what things we think define or describe our generation, or detail the minutiae of the culture we've grown up and lived in. It just feels so Couplandesque.

Upward

Velma is coaching 1st and 2nd grade boys in UPWARD basketball. Check out a game sometime if you're free on a Saturday.

Location: Westview Alliance Church
Team Name: Cardinals

Jan. 12 11:00 am
Jan. 19 10:00 am
Jan. 26 10:00 am

Feb. 2 10:00 am
Feb. 9 8:00 am
Feb. 16 8:00 am
Feb. 23 12:00 pm


The boys kicked butt in their first game and we're expecting great things this season. They have great attitudes and they love the game. I hope to see you sometime! (Note: I may not be in attendance Feb. 16th--I'll keep you posted)

i am resolved in 2008 to...

• check books out from the library
  
• read all the prophetic books of the bible (Joel, Amos, Hosea, Jonah, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, Habakkuk and Lamentations)
  
• identity modern day prophets and take in what they’re saying for this generation
  
• do more to things to keep in contact with my far away friends
  
• write more hand written letters
  
• watch 4 sunrises
  
• find some sort of artistic/creative expression for myself
  
• take a trip to Texas
  
• play bingo at a bingo hall
  
• read more books that tell stories
  
• take time to catch up with old friends/acquaintances when I see them in public places
  
• speak with the Holy Spirit directly
  
• have people over a least once every two months
  
• learn how to use movie maker software
  
• go on several camping/hiking get-a-ways
  
• fight against my need for productivity
  
• hide God’s word in my heart by learning and meditating in 40 verses
  
• journal more: document what God’s doing, places I see Him, things He’s doing in me and people around me
  
• play in a basketball league
  
• get up to being able to run 4.5 miles easily
  
• spend more time in coffeehouses
  
• embrace my present state: (i.e. singleness, living alone, occupation) as opposed to always looking towards the future
  
• not be so hard on myself: see myself more like the way the Lord sees me than the way I see me
  
• listen to more music outside of my favorite genres
  
• be more aware of the ethics and business practices of companies I support by purchasing products from them
  
• study more psychology, sociology and counseling to help understand human interaction
  
• extend Grace more often (giving people what they need; not what they deserve)
  
• drink more water
  
• look into further education
  
• live on less (less clothing. less food. less money. fewer things.)
  
• practice all of the disciplines outlined by Foster at least once this year (prayer, fasting, meditation, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, celebration)
  
• embrace Celtic spirituality/Celtic prayers
  
• stay in tune with the liturgical calendar year