Stuff and Stuff makes me happy

"Not that I depend on pleasant circumstances to govern my attitude toward life, but they do help."
-----John McCloy

Peace On Earth

I already posted this on Facebook, but it's worth a repeat. Best rendering and devotional of Longfellow's poem I've ever heard.

Quote from Laura's FB

"The truth is, as much as we complain about it, we are drawn to hurry. It makes us feel important. It keeps the adrenaline pumping. It means we don't have to look too closely at the heart or life. ...We want to microwave maturity." - John Ortber

From facebook

1. What time did you get up this morning? After 10! I stayed up really late last night watching the extended Pride and Prejudice at the Longacres, so I was sleepy!

2. How do you like your steak? I don’t eat steak often enough to know. I have been told that if you cook until there’s no pink left you have ruined the flavor. So I guess medium rare?

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Transformers II—didn’t like it. Before that—Harry Potter, loved it!

4. What is your favorite TV show? I don’t watch much television. When I did in-home care the tv was on all the time. I liked “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”, “Reba”, and “Prince of Bel Air”.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Israel.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Raisin bran—without the raisins.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mama or Dad’s food. Chinese besides that.

8. What foods do you dislike? Dried fruit.

9. Favorite place to eat? Asiana Buffet here in Claremore. Lemon Grass Hot Pot in Taiwan. Schlotzsky’s in Tulsa.

10. Favorite dressing? Being the good Southern girl I am—ranch!

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? ’92 Honda Civic LX. Rather pathetic car actually.

12. What are your favorite clothes? Comfy ones.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Somewhere in Asia.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Either way, it’s going to be empty when I drink it!

15. Where would you want to retire? I don’t plan on retiring until my health is too bad to work. Then I shall have to live near whoever is taking care of me.

16. Favorite time of day? Evening.

17. Where were you born? Amarillo, TX.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? RSU Hillcat basketball!

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Don’t’ really care.

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? See above.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? This is like playing favorites among friends—I’m not biting!

22. Bird watcher? Not intensely. My dad is so I’ve picked up the names of most area song birds from him.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? It kinda depends on who I’m living with. I can be either.

24. Do you have any pets? 3 ½ dogs, assorted fish and chickens. The dogs and the plecko are really the only ones I’m attached to.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? BonnieJean and Samuel both got teaching jobs! Chera is moving here soon! Dad is leaving for 6 months in Afghanistan on the 23^rd. L

26. What did you want to be when you were little? Violin teacher.

27. What is your best childhood memory? Can’t really pick. We loved to all be in the car together. Perhaps Dad or Mama reading to all of us. Anything we all did together.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Definitely dogs. I had traumatic childhood experiences with cats so I tend to be skittish of them.

29. Are you married? No.

30. Always wear your seat belt? Me and all my passengers, you betcha!

31. Been in a car accident? Yes, but by the grace of God I’m still here!

32. Any pet peeves? People who call Jane Austen’s books romances or chick flicks.

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Don’t really have a favorite.

34. Favorite Flower? Roses.

35. Favorite ice cream? Braum’s frozen yogurt twist.

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Mickey D’s or Subway.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Just once.

38. From whom did you get your last email? Samuel, I think?

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Could I max out someone else’s at Walmart?

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? I took 3 little kids from church bowling with the youth group because their mom was too busy to go.

41. Like your job? Yes. If it wasn’t so far away, had benefits, and paid better I’d really love it!

43. What was your favorite vacation? U. Kent’s house and Six Flags.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Umm… don’t remember. My boss Melissa maybe?

45. What are you listening to right now? BonnieJean visiting with her friend Cherise on the phone.

46. What is your favorite color? PURPLE!

47. How many tattoos do you have? Sadly, none.

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Don’t know yet.

49. What time did you finish this quiz? see above.

50. Coffee Drinker? Has to be flavored, creamy, iced and/or frozen.

Facebook stupidity

I got this invite on Facebook. "Support my cause, Help Indigenous Peoples for the Healing of our Mother Earth and Bringing More Peace in Humans. Help by joining, donating, or inviting your friends!" Wow. This is what you get when you allow an open forum.

Random Thoughts from State Committee Meeting

This is what you get when I have internet access and am sitting in a session about Facebook that's not telling me anything new.

Tweet is one of the funniest words ever.

I wish the American Majority and Republican stuff would emphasize getting content in social networks instead of just connections and quantity. I think we're ending up with people generating a lot of fluff or worst just empty accounts that don't do anything. We need to use new media for meaningful connections and discussions--not just numbers. Perhaps I'm just a step ahead. maybe we need to get people on before we can train them for significance. I'm just concerned that I'm not seeing any move towards that. We need to be training people on how to write blogs, feed blogs into Twitter and Facebook, use Facebook to notify them of a meaningful politcal email, etc.. Right now I just feel like they're just chanting "Use Facebook! Use Twitter!"

I love hot rolls.

Naomi was so sweet to come with me today. I've been fighting a migraine for a couple of days now, so she came in case I get bad enough that I can't drive.

I wonder how long until the FCC starts regulating Facebook ads.

I was tagged on Facebook

multiple times.  I figured it would make a good blog post as well.

1. I hereby give you permission not to read all 141 things.
   
2. However, I triple dog dare you to read all of them.
   
3. Please note that this is split into six different notes.
   
4. Please note that this is doubling as a blog post, so it will show up as a really short note with a link to my blog.
   
5. Besides the people I’m tagging back, the people I’m tagging to do this next are people that I’m either very curious about what they’re going to put or I enjoy their writing.  I don’t think there is a set number of people I’m supposed to tag.  Note also that I’m not tagging people that have already done this.
   
6. Julie tagged me when she did a random 25 note.  I know Julie through her kids doing home school band.  She was Cole’s campaign manager, which meant that she was my site supervisor for my internship.  She takes amazing pictures and I really need to leave her some feedback on them on flickr.  She goes to RSU where I occasionally see her.  My nickname for her is Superwoman.
   
7. JC tagged me as well.  He was the first ever honorary Bavido.  He’s my big bro who first got me serious about my spiritual walk by starting a Bible study when we lived in Wilbur.  He is a Greek scholar, which I find very admirable.  Of all the people that tagged me, I’ve known him the longest—10 years, I think.
   
8. Chloe is my vivacious Latina friend.  She is way more athletic than me.  I love to watch her dance.  I wish she would come back to karate, which is where I met her through her uncle Andrew.  Figuring out that family tree took me several conversations.  Her people are wonderful.
   
9. Beth has many a health problem, but I admire her for just keeping on trucking.  She is a prayer warrior who prays for me.  I’m very honored not only to be friends with her, but also her quiet and kind husband, Bert, and her physical and spiritual warrior son, Josiah.
   
10. Theresa is my karate inspiration.  When I first met her, she weighed a lot more than she does now, and didn’t fight or break boards very well.  Now, she breaks regularly for demos and is quite the killer in fighting and has lost weight, which gives me great hope.  She’s also a prayer warrior who prays for me.
    
11. Alicia tagged me in a 16 random thingy.  Alicia is one of the taller people I know.  She is a highly skilled veterinarian student and martial artist.  She is the reason I passed my blue belt test.  I very much admire her endless patience, as exemplified by teaching me karate and planning a wedding.
    
12. I think that all of the above people should get to know each other (although I think Theresa, Beth, and Alicia know each other already).  Y’all could form a support group for people who are stuck with me.
    
13. I’m going to attempt to write a sestina tonight.
    
14. I recently found out that I enjoy writing pantoums.
    
15. I’m doing Capstone this semester and I’m really nervous about it.
    
16. Friday I spent about 4 hours driving around a lady who delivers meals on wheels.  I had no idea where I was, but she knew exactly where we were and how to get to the next place.  It was definitely a team effort.
    
17. Sometimes I feel like I live in a family friendly SNL or Comedy Central.  The people I live with are so funny and really good actors!
    
18. I bought some random fun things for my friend Chera Saturday and I need to mail them Monday.  I enjoy sending and receiving random-no-reason care packages.
    
19. Phase 10 is a fun game that should be played…in, well, phases.  It gets too frustrating to play more than 3-5 rounds at a time.  I’m currently on phase six in a game with Ethan, Naomi, and Joshua.  This game originally had Isaac and BonnieJean in it as well, but they dropped out.
    
20. I know quite a few, but not all, VeggieTale songs.  I think they’re very cleverly written.
    
21. I’m learning how to play “Savin’ Me” by Nickelback on the piano.
    
22. I’m also learning the piano accompaniment for “Oceano” as sung by Josh Groban.
    
23. I messed up the invitational at church this morning, but nobody said anything about it.  In fact, two people complimented me.  I love my church family!
    
24. I’m currently listening to a silent film that I really like—“The Piano Must Go Up.”
    
25. There are two people in my Comparative Politics class that are incomprehensible and/or irrelevant 80% of the time they open their mouths.  Unfortunately, one of them is quite talkative.
    
26. Joshua made popcorn this evening, which I’m currently eating.  Later I’ll need to wash the dishes up that we dirtied during this project.
    
27. I’m turning into a big time Longfellow fan.
    
28. I think these survey things are so popular because they appeal to our innate egocentrism.
    
29. Death is everywhere I turn, in one form or another.
    
30. The only teams I follow are RSU’s men and women’s basketball teams.  I casually follow UFC through Samuel.  I follow individuals that I know in sports such as karate and gymnastics.
    
31. I agree with the concept that those who do not follow the law should not be able to participate in law making.  This is the reasoning behind revoking the voting rights of felons.  However, in our current legal system it is insanely easy to get a felony.  I could technically be convicted of a felony for even telling y’all Donna’s name.  A lady was convicted of a felony for spanking her child on a plane and then arguing with the stewardess about it.  What needs to be done is a serious reevaluation of the number of laws we have.  However, the group of people that actually cares enough about this to lobby the government for it is the group of felons that can’t vote.  No lawmaker will listen to them, unless they’re rich.  Those of us who can vote don’t care enough about this to change it.  Therefore, I think the first step we should take is to change the law so that only certain kinds of felons will be denied voting rights, such as murderers and rapists.
    
32. I explained all of that reasoning to Mama, BonnieJean, Ethan, and Samuel this afternoon while drying the dishes.  Samuel was washing dishes.  Samuel got very frustrated with me, because every time I got excited about what I was saying I would quit drying and he really needed me to.
    
33. One of my major goals in life is for my words to be heavier on the quality side than on the quantity side.
    
34. I just took a short break from this to make a batch of hot chocolate oatmeal cookies.  They were yummy.
    
35. I really hope we fight tomorrow night at karate.  We’ve been trying to for literally a month.
    
36. For Christmas, I got a pair of fleece Dr. Pepper pants.  They are very comfortable and look very good with my OBI OU shirt.
    
37. I am a Dr. Pepper addict.
    
38. In case y’all haven’t been avidly following my facebook, I’ve been contemplating on the possible purposes and themes for my statuses and am open to suggestions.  What kind of statuses do y’all enjoy?  JC and Chloe have already given me feedback on this.
    
39. I think I would enjoy riding a motorcycle.  I get along really well with bikers.  I usually prefer their company.  I think that bikers and motorcycles in general are way cool and awesome.  However, I think motorcycles are just too dangerous, so I won’t ever get one.  I worry a lot about my friends who ride motorcycles.  In fact, I had a dream the other night that Jesse lost his left arm in a motorcycle accident.
    
40. My dreams are usually my sleepy mind’s continuations of whatever I was thinking about most that day or what I was thinking about right as I fell asleep.  If I kept a dream diary, over time, I would be able to see what I thought about most.  However, I don’t find my dreams very interesting, so I don’t think I’ll do that.
    
41. I find newspapers cumbersome.  I think it’s one of the most inefficient and difficult formats you could possibly come up with for the printed word.
    
42. I am finding iambic pentameter to be quite a headache.  BonnieJean was helping me with it today, and she just tries saying a word with different emphasis each time.  Whichever way sounds correct, she goes with.  My problem is that each way sounds right to me.
    
43. I left my violin’s shoulder rest at church this morning.  Oops.
    
44. I don’t mean to sound prideful, but I love paying tithe.  Giving and being right with God is a wonderful feeling.
    
45. My laptop is named Hermione.  She has made my life so much easier.
    
46. I very much prefer Google Chrome to Internet Explorer.
    
47. I very much prefer Microsoft Word 2003 to the 2007 version.
    
48. I very much prefer anything to Windows Vista.
    
49. I am told by my family that I am very flexible.  Taking my BCM director’s, Jamey, advice, I’m working on my strengths and am trying to develop that.
    
50. Jamey is looking at two different possible locations for the BCM’s spring break mission trip: Shreveport and Chicago.  I will probably go again this year.  I hope we go to Chicago.
    
51. Last year, I went on the BCM Spring Break Mission Trip.  We went to Nashville, helped out the Fisk/UT BCM with remodels, helped out Feed the Children with maintenance, and volunteered at a soup kitchen where we served fried chicken, not soup.  We also went to a concert at the Grand Ole Opry and heard Randy Travis, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, and others.
    
52. Jamey has set a goal of never charging participants more than $100 for a mission trip.  I think that’s an awesome idea.  What most organizations do is take the entire estimated cost of the whole trip (from transportation to supplies to translators to food) and divide that number by an estimate of how many people they want to take.  The answer is what they charge everybody.  I kinda think that if you’re willing to give seven to ten days to help somebody out you shouldn’t have to pay for the entire trip’s cost.
    
53. I don’t believe in asking other people to give to God’s work.  George Mueller is my hero.
    
54. I don’t believe that people should give to God’s work because they think they’re getting something.  This is why I don’t help with church bazaars, bake sales, or art for missions, although I will buy from them.  I only buy because it’s something I actually want, though.
    
55. Something I’ve learned from my parents is to live a thoughtful life.  I want to be able to give a reason for everything I do.  By thinking something through, I know that the method I’m using, whether it be for studying, working, or fellowshipping, is the best method available to me.
    
56. I still miss Judi, Jaron, Jon-E, Miss Johnson, and Ada Mae.  I still grieve for them.  I think the fact that our society wants people to hurry up and get over deaths quickly is a sign of how messed up our society is.  I’m encouraged by people that defy this cultural norm.  I’m thinking of Chera, Mama, Mrs. Holliday, and the Williams.
    
57. I think this is a project that will take several sessions.
    
58. I have really enjoyed reading other people’s 25 things.  Bonnie Cagle did one that was very open, honest, and informative and had me howling with laughter.
    
59. Ricky Cagle also wrote a fascinating one of these.  He’s one of those people that always appears so confident and at ease, but he’s not always.  In fact, I think he beats himself down too much.  Perhaps this means that I, as his friend, am not the best encourager.
    
60. I loved Kelly Holliday’s version of this.  I can’t remember if it was 16 or 25, but she was incredibly transparent within it.
    
61. Jenifer Williams wrote a mini autobiography in her random 25.  She is an incredible woman, which I knew before I read it, but now I am more firm in that knowledge.
    
62. Ever since I read Peter Williams’ random 25 I’m wondering how he managed to propose while administering Pepto-Bismol.
    
63. Over the past three years, being single has gotten harder for me.
    
64. I have always had a commitment to wait on sex until marriage (well, for as long as I have known the facts of life), but I recently (as in September) bought myself a purity ring.  Now people think I’ve gotten engaged, if they notice it at all.
    
65. I think I would rather have an elopement blessed by my parents than a formal wedding.
    
66. I have an unhealthily excessive attachment to wealth.
    
67. I wonder if this would count as a stream of consciousness writing exercise.
    
68. I love campaigning.
    
69. I love studying campaigns.
    
70. I love studying the practices and theories of voting.
    
71. I wish that someday I might do a series of qualitative studies on the motivations of political participation and political nonparticipation.
    
72. Until that day, I’m surviving on quantitative studies on the interaction between political alienation and voting behavior.
    
73. I don’t think I will ever run for public office.  However, as Sammi Jones said, I don’t want to dare God by saying no or never.
    
74. My mother has a rare bleeding disorder.  I once had a goal of giving plasma or platelets as often as I could because of that, but I’ve never had a blood donation go smoothly.  In fact, my parents have now banned me from giving blood.  I hope all of y’all will give in my stead, provided y’all have no blood-transmitted diseases or bleeding disorders, and aren’t anemic.
    
75. When I did give blood, I preferred donating to the Oklahoma Blood Institute because they have awesome techs and supply blood to the Claremore hospital.
    
76. I have a very low opinion of the Claremore hospital.
    
77. I know a lot of smart people, such as Chera Davidson, Dr. Roberto Estevez, Helen Gerald, Haley Williams, and Fred Sutherland.  That is not an exhaustive list.
    
78. I enjoy having clean teeth, but I hate the process of getting them clean.
    
79. I enjoy the sight of a well-made bed, but I hate making my bed.
    
80. Ditto for a clean desk.
    
81. I wonder if I’m repeating anything from my previous 80 items.  I apologize if you have to read something twice.
    
82. I’ve recently discovered that I enjoy oil painting and am not as hideous at it as I was expecting.
    
83. I love music.  I love music so much that I would rather go blind than deaf.
    
84. When I started playing music I had no sense of rhythm and a terrible ear.  I am now only slightly better at those than when I started at the age of six.
    
85. I am bad about doing all or nothing.  Because I’m so bad at music, I have, on more than one occasion, tried to quit being a musician.  However, I love being a musician too much and God would never let me quit for long.
    
86. Dr. Suzuki was correct.  Talent can be given at birth or made in life.
    
87. I have to try very hard not to be jealous of insanely musical people, like Jesse.  I frequently fail.
    
88. I play the violin, piano, and flute.
    
89. Bevelary De La Bretone was my first violin teacher.
    
90. Helen Gerald was my second violin teacher.  We still correspond.  I am honored to know her.
    
91. I briefly took violin from a Flora Long in Washington.
    
92. Then I took from Claire Keeble, a very eccentric person who was as fascinated by the slow-talkin’, conservative, Southern, homeschoolin’ Christians as we were by her.
    
93. Over this last summer I took fiddle lessons from a gentleman named Shelby Eicher.  I hope to take from him again after graduation.
    
94. Miss Johnson was my first piano teacher, my grandmother in all but blood, and my musical mother.
    
95. BonnieJean was my next fabulous piano teacher.
    
96. My last piano teacher was Helen Metcalf.
    
97. I have never taken private flute lessons.  I learned it in home school band, directed by Jerry Roper.
    
98. I love colors.  I could stare at shades and tones all day.
    
99. I prefer bright or rich colors.
    
100. In order to get into the habit of reading my Bible every day, I used my imagination.  My imagination has me convinced that it is physically impossible for me to fall asleep without having read the Bible for at least 5 minutes that day.  It has worked so far.
     
101. I do not miss night shift at all.
     
102. At several different times in my life I have had the Sermon the Mount memorized, but I’m not sure I could recite it right now.
     
103. I would like to memorize the 119^th psalm.  At one point in my early teens, I had about half of it memorized.
     
104. Maybe I should beg/pay Jesse to put both of those Scripture passages to a catchy tune.  They would be much easier to memorize that way.
     
105. I have never regretted choosing English as my minor.  I have enjoyed every single one of my English classes.
     
106. I have had three different teachers, Dr. Mackie, Dr. Varner, and Dr. Dial-Driver, who have fearful reputations among the student body.  I love(d) their classes and enjoy them as people as well.  I think their reputations are undeserved.
     
107. I tease my professors terribly.  Dr. Varner is the most fun to tease.
     
108. I am a HUGE fan of CLEP tests.
     
109. Our public education system is so pathetic that colleges are having to adjust their lower level classes down a notch.  This is why CLEPs are so good for homeschoolers.  Basically, our high school education is so superior to public schools that we actually receive a lot of knowledge covered in introductory college courses.
     
110. I am terrified that something will go wrong and I won’t graduate this May.  This probably would help me in my ongoing battle against my ego, not a thought I enjoy.
     
111. This is my first week on my new job.  I am now a job coach for a staffing company that specializes in finding jobs for people who receive government aid with the goal of getting them off of it or at least decreasing their dependency on it.  Most of their clients are from Rehabilitative Services, but they also have some Developmental Disability Service Division clients.  Since I’ve been trained extensively by DDSD from my work with Donna, I will probably mostly work with DDSD clients.
     
112. God is so good.  There were two big things I wanted when I was looking for a job.  I wanted to be able to work MWF days and make at least $8/hour.  This job fits that to a T.
     
113. I am so glad I have a job now because I hate job hunting.
     
114. I think I find too much of my worth in success, especially academic success.  I think this is why I find job hunting so hard.  I figure if I’m turned down for a  job or don’t have a job, my worth is diminished.
     
115. I love sleeping in.
     
116. I love afternoon naps.
     
117. Basically, I love sleeping.
     
118. I enjoy listening to music really loud, but only if it’s being played over good speakers.
     
119. Bose speakers rule.
     
120. People that admit that unborn children are persons, but still think it’s a woman’s choice so greatly disturb me that I can’t describe it.
     
121. Not so long ago I was greatly discouraged by the possibility that the FOCA might pass.  However, since hearing some news about OK strengthening its 10^th Amendment rights and considering the makeup of the current Supreme Court in relation to abortion, I’m not so worried about the FOCA anymore.
     
122. When it comes to long-term missionary work, I don’t like the traditional method.  Missionaries seem to spend more time fundraising in the States than they do actually in the field.  Also, they usually spend a great deal of time and money on language school in the States, instead of paying for lessons in the country they want to serve.  I think you should prepare yourself to have a job in the community you want to serve so you can support yourself.  If possible, you should serve through a local church that is already there.  That’s the kind of missionary I want to be to Israel.
     
123. If I ever have children, I would like to give them unusual first names that are beautiful and full of meaning.  I would like their middle names also to be beautiful and meaningful, but I would make them a little more normal.  That way my kids could switch to their middle names if they absolutely hate having weird first names.  But I will always call them by their first name.
     
124. I have an English name, a name in Sign Language, and a Chinese name.  I got to pick my Sign Language and Chinese names.
     
125. I think it’s important to know what your convictions are and what your preferences are.  God places convictions on your heart and they are sacred.  Preferences aren’t worth fighting over.
     
126. I think there is a difference between God’s law and personal convictions.  The Law, New Testament Law being a higher standard than Old Testament Law, is mandatory for everyone.  Convictions are personalized laws God wrote just for you.  You should honor them just as much you honor the written Law, but you shouldn’t hold other people to them.
     
127. I think the modern church doesn’t practice I Corinthians 8.  In that chapter, Paul says that he will not eat meat offered to idols, even though God had not given him that conviction, if it offended another Christian brother.  For example, some Christians see rock music as a stumbling block.  I don’t think rock music is wrong.  But, I do think it’s wrong of churches to force those people who have a conviction against rock music to worship to rock music under the guise of appealing to a broader group or improving their own Sunday morning experience.
     
128. I have found that I worship better on Sunday mornings playing my fiddle with the praise band.  When I was in the congregation all I would notice would be problems with the arrangement, choice of songs, or the acoustic balance.  I don’t struggle with that nearly as much when I’m playing the violin.
     
129. The acoustic balance has improved drastically at church.  We got a cage for the drums and earphones for the guitarists, pianist, and drummer.  Now they can get the balance however they need it in their headphones and Brother Al can get the balance right for the congregation.
     
130. I go to church with Mark McClurg, who plays fiddle for Alan Jackson.  He’s an incredible musician.  I’m gradually getting over being nervous while playing in front of him.
     
131. I love popping bubble wrap.
     
132. Today was Legislative Prayer Day, but I didn’t have the gas money to go.  It happens on the Sunday before the first Monday of the State legislative session.  They pray together for the session and then pray individually, sitting in the Senator and Representatives’ chairs.  Usually, they get every chair prayed over.
     
133. Wednesday is Rose Day, an abortion awareness effort, at the State Capitol.  I’m working that day, so I’ll miss it, too.
     
134. The Claremore Progress used to be terrible, both in content, coverage, and English technicalities.  However, it has changed hands in the past year.  I’m thinking about getting a six month subscription just to see if it’s improved any.
     
135. I’m depressed that my blog readership has gone down.  I’ve lost Katie, JC, Ginger, and Leona. L
     
136. I love country music.
     
137. I love classical music.
     
138. I love bluegrass music.
     
139. I love Celtic music.
     
140. I love rock music.
     

I love the song “I Love” by Tom T. Hall.

Randomness

  This was a tag thing that's running loose around facebook.  I got tagged a total of 4 times and you had to write 16 random things about yourself each time you were tagged.  Here they are, as a cheap way to get a blog post done.

1. I love hot chai.

2. I worked out this morning and I feel much better for it.

3. I drew a rose on my left arm Sunday night with a sharpie and it's still there.

4. I got a compliment the last time I fought Larry.  He told me I needed to control my knee strikes better.

5. I think my low thyroid problems are getting worse.  It seems like I can't keep warm no matter what I do.  Maybe this is a good thing.  Maybe my thyroid is doing poorly enough that it will now show up on the blood test as doing poorly.

6. I had a lovely long chat with Rachel last night which was oodles of fun.  I love her!

7. I hope Chera, Dad, Caleb and the other sick people get well soon.

8. I need to get a hold of Sandy Gilliland about doing a weekly accountability/prayer time.

9. I need to start finding more sources for my capstone paper.

10. I wonder when IBC is going to do that second interview.

11. My skin is really dry.

12. I think I might make tapioca this afternoon.

13. i'm going to have to be very careful not to tag anyone that hasn't been tagged already.  I wonder if there's 16 people left that I know that haven't been tagged.

14. I miss my sister Naomi.  This is kinda weird, considering we live together, but I feel like I hardly ever see her and rarely get to do anything with her.

15. BJ is going to start a Bible study soon for us Bavido girls.  I think that will be fun and good for us.

16. I want to spend an afternoon taking pictures at the Tulsa Violin Shop.

17. I want to get a master's in Israeli Politics and Society from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at their Rothberg International School in Jerusalem.

18. Said school is very expensive.  Does anyone want to give me 40-50 thousand dollars.

19. During the first year of Worldview we put our initials together and formed the group The HERJIMAS: Haley, Emily, Randy, Jesse, Isaiah, Megan, Anna, and Sarah.  And we were and are freakin' awesome!

20. Sam Bower deserves some kind of huge medal for voluntarily puttin gup with us for 3 years.

21. As long as we're handing out medals, let's give my parents one, too.

22. I think tattoos are cool.  I think it would be cool to get a tatto.  However, I think I'll wait until I'm done having kids and am at my ideal weight, because I hate tattoos that are all distorted from variations in skin elasticity.  So, maybe when I'm 50 or something.

23. I think the excuses people make up for not going to church are very sad.  It's sad that they don't go, it's sad they have excuses, it's sad that churches have to miss out on them, it's sad all around.

24. Baby Lam will be here in about a month!  I'm already insanely excited.  I will probably have spontaneously combusted by February 1st.

25. I am a terrible board breaker, but I am very determined and have very patient teachers.

26. I still get a Christmas card every year from my violin teacher in Amarillo, Mrs. Gerald. :)

27. I am very nervous about finding a job for this semester.

28. I am very nervous about finding a job in May after graduation.

29. I don't think I will ever run for public office, but I don't want to dare God by saying never.

30. I went to the men's basketball game last night.  We beat NSU by 11 points.  Oh yeah!

31. Tomorrow the Bavidos will open presents.  I hope everyone likes what I got them.

32. I love starting laundry, but not putting it away.

33. My flute looks like it has some kind of rash.  I'm going to polish it first and then try taking it to McGuire's.

34. I might go the White's tonight and I will definitely be going to the Murry's.

35. I have made tremendous strides on cleaning my room.  I still need to throw out some old shoes (sing with me! "Good old shoe, good old shoe...") and clean off my headboard.

36. I have also made tremendous strides on cleaning my desk, but I still need to do some filing.

37. Cleaning is no fun, but it gives me a very pleaseant satisfaction when it's done.

38. I am a sucker for notebooks.  I love to buy them.  I bought one just the other day on sale at Barnes and Noble's.  It has pansies on the front and is spiral bound.

39. I am eating a luscious chocolate chip cookie.  It was supposed to go the Dermody's, but I couldn't find their house.  So, today, I'm making more and trying again to find their house.

40. I am considering getting a Cricket phone for this next year.  But the poverty of unemployment is scaring me.

41. I miss my little friend Willow.  Her parents better be taking good care of her and Xavier up there in Kansas.

42. We had communion at church Sunday evening.  We came forward by families or a couple of families together, had communion, and then the group would be prayed over by a deacon.  And there was an open mike if anyone wanted to share what they were grateful for.  At the end, we all sang one verse and chorus of Jesus Loves Me.  It was beautiful.

43. I wonder how many people are still reading this?

44. I'm excited about Dr. Mackie's poetry writing class.  I love getting better at something and she's a good teacher.

45. Even though people tell me that I'm a good speaker and I can articulate my ideas well, I don't feel like a good oral communicator.  I'm such a marble mouth and I interrupt without knowing that I have.

46. I need to get my net teller account working and do some hard figuring.  The bank thinks I have about 300 more dollars than my calculations show. ???

47. My foot is very sore and stiff from stepping in a hole yesterday.

48. The sun is shining today, but it's only 38 degrees.  Maybe I'll go sit on BJ's bed where the sun pours through the window and read.

49. I'm turning more and more brunette as the years go by, but I still love my hair.  In fact, I'm kinda vain about it.

50. I should probably wash my hair today.  Usually I would work out first thing in the morning and then shower, but I'm not sure if this foot is up to it.

51. I hope my memory's good enough that I don't repeat one of my random things from the previous two notes.

52. Why are there limits on the size of notes and posts and comments?  Facebook stinks and y'all should all go to bloggers and forums.

53. I am a huge fan of Gmail.  I got my parents to sign up for one and they hate it.  Weird.

54. Right after my profile picture was taken my ball went in the gutter and I fell down.  But it was fun.

55. I skipped this one, but Chera caught it.  This one would have been: I'm addicted to Bubble Spinner off of addictinggames.com.

56. I think I'll make rice krispy treats today.

57. Joshua is reading over my shoulder.  When I wrote number 56 he hugged me and told me he loves me.  Awwwww...

58. What does goodbye mean?

59. For that matter, what does hello mean?

60. Good grief, I'm starting to sound like a sociologist.

61. Only 3  more to go.

62. 4 is my favorite number, but I also like mulitples of 4, especially 12 and 24.

63. I think the metric system has major flaws.  What do you do if you need to divide something into thirds.

64. I made it!

Lazy ramblings

This is a meandering post of my random thoughts. Proceed at your own risk.

I want to learn how to play this.

I had such a lovely time yesterday! I don't really care for baby showers (they're just so feminime and trivial) and this was a very stereotypical baby shower. So I played with my cousin Sarah's baby Zoey most of the time. I wish I could have taken her home. The good part came after the shower when we just got to visit with Sam, Samantha, Tobin, Erica, Kent, Linda, Adam, Matthew, and Nathan (it gives me warm fuzzies just to write their names out!)

Erica has gained 32 pounds and it's almost all entirely in her baby bump. She's as gorgeous as ever! It still freaks me out to think that she's actually having a baby! I'm insanely excited, too! If it's a boy, his name will be Blake Cameron. I don't care for the name Blake, but if she has a boy I will instantly love the name Blake. If it's a girl, she'll be Molly Jean, carrying on the family name of Jean. :)

Adam went against all of our advice and bought a pick up truck--a huge truck. It's a Dodge Ram, double cab, really nice bed liner, silver, seats 6. I don't think he should have gotten in debt for it, but it is pretty awesome. I forgot to ask him what he named it. He's working two jobs and going to school--typical overachiever Sutherland, I love it. I like his girlfriend Sam more every time I see her.

While we girls were in Texas, Samuel, Ethan, and Joshua went with a bunch of other karate people to the Murrow's Children Home in Muskogee. The famous Zip Taylor was there! Erica, I hope you realize what I unknowningly sacrificed for you! Zip Taylor is old, old school ABKA, and THE kata man. He's helping out at Vicki Rutledge's dojo in Lawton. I think that's a good thing--their kata needs help and Vicki's health isn't going to be getting better. Vicki asked him to help out because she's been having trouble with gangs at her dojo.

I LOVE driving on the Indian Nation Turnpike. It's relatively flat and straight and almost desserted. I went 85 the whole way--Mama wouldn't let me hit 100, even though I really wanted to. Next time, I'm not gonna ask, I'll just wait until she falls asleep. I had a moment of pure joy when I came over a rise, got hit with a lovely view of pasture land and straight road all to Josh Groban singing Panis Angelicus on the I-trip.

I've come down with some kind of throat infection and left my voice in Texas. Poor thing, it's probably cold and confused, trying to hitch it's way North along highway 69. I'm sure it will eventually find me. I still have Whisper with me.

I'm reading Blue Like Jazz right now. I'm really enjoying it. It has deep truths, but it's still very readable.

There are a lot of CDs I need to get, which is rather unusual. Usually I just want specific songs, not the whole album. I want Dark Horse by Nickelback, Fearless by Taylor Swift, Anti-Meridian by Brave St. Saturn, Weezer: The Red Album by Weezer, And Winter Came by Enya, Peace on Earth by Casting Crowns, and the Twilight and Prince Caspian soundtracks. I think I'll space it out throughout my yearly budget, one CD a month. So I should have all of these in a year!

I need to make a point to read some poetry over my break. If you read well, you write well and I'm already nervous about my poetry class next semester.

It's sleeting right now and the low tonight will be 19. Yuck.

Starting tomorrow, I'm job hunting. Jia-o!

Facebook etiquette is confusing. Is it rude to peruse someone's wall? Does anyone read my notes that are a feed from this blog? Do people only read notes in which they are tagged?

Uncle Evan fell off a ladder after Thanksgiving and broke his pelvis. He's home now. Mama called Esther this evening, but I haven't debriefed her yet.

I finished reading Mort by Terry Pratchett. It was stunningly clever. I think I'll read The Color of Magic next, also by Pratchett.

I think I'm going to go play a mindless computer game, read my Bible, and hit the sack. Love y'all!