tiras comicas

Today was a lot like the corresponding Far Side Gallery2007 daily caledar tear-off.

Picture a family of fish huddled on a tabletop around their glass fishbowl, with their watery house going up in flames. The father fish says "Well, thank God we all made it out in time. . . . 'Course, now we're equally screwed."

back-up plans change

Hey bro,

I guess I always figured the farm as a second home and that maybe even as early as this fall I could be working near there, living there with Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Ralph.

But the ditches are being covered over, according to Dad.

I'd never considered, I've never wanted to consider, housing developments coming to the Heights.

It puts a stop on my heart.

At the same time, my heart is pulled at Dad's words of home. Am I needed there, and more Is there a mission?

Maybe we could buy some property together, maybe we could have a place in the city and a place in the country. Maybe there could be a community.

Thanks for praying with me. I don't even know what I want but you remember my heart. Thanks, bro.

I love you, and Brenda and Mom and Dad.

Keep dreaming.

"God, why are you putting up obvious road blocks? Is there some other way you want us to try. For now, I know only prayer: the need for direction and you."

Ash Wednesday

Tonight I remember

• from dust I came
• I must toil for food
• I have not yet reached a state of rest
• my maker
• if I toil only to sustain my dusty state, I am soul-less
• I must observe my maker

http://nfclent.wordpress.com/tag/daily-reading/

Fat Tuesday listed

Tuesday, Fat Tuesday

I passed my final ETS (Math!) PRAISE THE LORD

Spent a lovely evening with Mandy and her family. Carissa is talking! and comes to me! She snuggled in my arms and I was so blessed. God, do you feel the same when I come to you, smiling into you, trusting and relaxing, just being?

Today was a good day at school – starting off with a song, diffusing any anxiety.

Last night was so good of a time with Irene. She loves food, is a great cook and revels in the strong flavors. She layered onions and lemon atop Alaska Salmon. I brought the chocolate chip bar cookies I had made and they were much appreciated. Irene is still busy with her part-time job and many volunteer opportunities, so she doesn’t get around to making pies or desserts much. The mint chocolate chip ice cream went nicely with the cookies. Merritt showed me some of the slides of Alaska which he has been organizing. And Irene and I had such a wonderful time of sharing and prayer.

Tonight I have not had a time of devotions like I had planned – oh and I just remembered the laundry. Will have to switch it to the drier with one of the last drier sheets I received my junior year in college – haven’t had to buy one yet – and let it sit dry overnight

I really do like The Lake House the more I ponder it and . . . . Dawn claims that I am a serial movie watcher.

Tomorrow is lent

Feb. 19: Dear Daniel

Dear Daniel,

There is a dull light outside and a yellow light within. Makes it a good day for staying indoors to study. Although I have been studying, I have also been playing quite a bit of solitaire this afternoon: good for processing thoughts and recent movies: The Lakehouse and Music and Lyrics. While I do enjoy the plot in the former and Hugh Grant’s wit in the latter, both pictured unhealthy relationship and culture phenomenon as normal. I really must write something phenomenal.

How’s this for a movie?
I call it 8 Cousins and it is the story of my life over the last six months.

• It starts with a trip with Cousin #1: Jennifer and Chrissy to see Grandpa,
• Cousin #2: Chad in the MAT program,
• Cousins #3Nancy and #3b Kelly,
• a massive family and friends’ reunion (Janel of Janel and Brian is now on my MySpace friends list) at Grandpa’s funeral,
• connecting with #4 Mary Bel,
• then #5 Dan and #5bTami Cammack,
• #6 Irene Tegler,
• then #7 Joel and #7b Mark Kelly at Yearly Meeting,
• dinners with #8 Jan and #9 Meghan,
• Thanksgiving with #10 Richard, Katie, Daisy, Margaret and Bill Edmison,
• finding creative ways around saying “She/He’s my cousin” when asked how I know ___
• catching up with #11 Steve at Christmas
• talking with #12b Bill and #12 Betty Kelly about teaching possibility in Morocco
• finally getting together with #13 Jennifer Johnson and her family this past Saturday. Who knew we now live only 26 miles and 30 minutes apart? She lives on the route we took as kids between Grandpa and Grandma’s Rosedale farm and Newberg during Yearly Meeting.

The “b” labels distinguish the supporting cousins. Maybe I should re-title it: my Newberg Cousins: a quaker family, 13 cousins, White’s 13 (racist feel?), Joyce’s 13 (hey, gear up for Ocean’s 13!) or My Brother’s Cousins.

To catch you up, we have been having a variety of weather states: sunshine and warm temperature, cooler weather, rain – especially in the evenings, wind, and more sun peaking through the clouds. I have enjoyed the rare sunsets.

Lent is coming – I just learned that the Sundays during lent are supposed to be a time of celebration. I plan to use a collection of scripture and meditations put together by Jo Lewis for my reflection time, which I have moved. I have been getting up with time only to dress and go to school – previous bad habit revisited. However, this week I am experimenting with moving it to the exact same time as Chrissy, in Rwanda. She plans to do devotions between 6am and 7:30am her time. My time, that is from 8 to 9:30pm. That is my experiment time for the week.

This afternoon, I have a date with Irene and Merritt Tegler at their home near Oregon City. We plan to have Salmon and ice cream and I will bring the chocolate cookie bars.

I brought some of the a’ fore mentioned bars with me when I visited Jen, Lonnie, Eric, Justin and Scotty. Jen and I went to watch Music and Lyrics and ate Chinese food. I recognized the computer came Runescape, which Eric and Justin were busy playing and gave tips on how to monopolize the sheep market. Then I lost against Scotty in both Wii baseball and Wii bowling. I also played with him in Tennis and successful managed to lower his average to just over Pro. I tried hitting his Wii character in the back of the head with the tennis ball, but I think there may be a flaw in the game. =)

How's the business? How are all your jv pals? Learn any new teaching tricks? I'm up for trying almost anything. Chrissy's advice is to not engage students in "argument" type conversations. I'd forgotten that. Maybe you could be a guest speaking, and come tell the students what a messed up life they could have if they don't buckle down and learn Spanish. Hmm, I suppose that might not be completely honest.

Last thing: if you were on MySpace with a bunch of friends your age, and then one of your JV kids asked to be connected to you as your "friend," your response would be . . .?

Poems Craig gets, but us women don’t

Most evenings, I have been sitting in the living room, working on my laptop. Craig is in and out between the wood stove and the workshop. Karen has been knitting and reading from books such as Zippy. When Karen reads the memoirs of Zippy aloud, we laugh almost as much as her. Tea is the drink of choice, unless wine has just been served with dinner.

Half of the time, Vincent joins us. The other half of the time he is either preparing asian food in the kitchen or watching a movie he dislikes. Vincent watches movies downstairs in short segments - 20 minutes, break for tea, 20 minutes, break for talking upstairs, 20 minute return to the movie. If you went by what Vincent said, all of the movies he has been watching through Netficks are bad and he is a poor cook. If you go by trying some of his food, you would realize that you are in the presence of a gormet. His movies . . . remain to be seen.

Logical, Vincent is not. Mathematical, he is. This Thursday evening, Vincent was reading a 60's Chinese book of poetry. He would not read the poetry to me: I have insulted his precious Under the Tuscan Sun and disagree about one's ability to define love. He would not read it to Karen: she likes one of the same movies as I, would thus have all of my same tastes and would most assuradly dislike all of Vincent's tastes. But, he would read to Craig: Craig would understand, Craig always understands.

While I attempted to type up geometry lesson plans for the following day, Vincent began.

The 4 seasons could be arranged very plain
If the sun went away
Life could be arranged very lonely
If love were sparse
I could never appear again
If that’s your wish
1968 Chinese Shi Mu Lo
translated by housemate Vincent
interpreted through Joyce’s ears

“This is a good one” Vincent says as his eyes switch to another poem written vertically.
How do I let you see me
The time I was the most beautiful
For this moment
I have prayed to God, you know, over 500 years now
I pray we can get together

So God, make me become a tree
This tree is growing right next to the tree you pass by every day
Every single flower on the tree was my wish from my last life

“So now you are the tree waiting for your lover on the side of the road” Vincent breaks in
When you are walking closer, listen very carefully
The tremblinig leaf is your burning desire
But when you finally pass by, you do not even notice
After you left, you know, she said all the, uh, flower, uh
Coming down, falling off the tree, you know?
Are the many broken pieces of my heart

1968 Chinese Shi Mu Lo
translated by housemate Vincent
interpreted through Joyce’s ears