Parachute Band

Parachute Band

I'm sitting in the church office trying to cram several songs worth of Parachute Band music into my head before they call me into practice. I'm supposed to fill in on every song, wherever I feel like it....

Scholarship productivity

Attempts at ScholarshipI filled out a scholarship application for the OP Loftbed contest. I answered four questions, 120 words or less: What would you do on your last day on earth (visit my sponsor kids), What is your favorite season (summer), what is the best practical joke you've ever played (see Wycliffe tour notest), and how would your life change with an OP Loftbed (my cats would sleep up there and I could have my bed back).

I also wrote a letter to my church, that has a fund for theological studies for laypeople. Maybe I can get enough support to take my first class at least.

Dealings with Mono

Dealings with Mono

I am so tired of this illness. It was novel for a while, being careful and getting lots of sleep, and always having an excuse not to go out if I didn't feel like it, but now I'm just everlastingly sapped. Every day after work I come home and sleep for several hours. And since I have to be in bed by 10:30 or so to be up again at 5:45, I only have an hour or two to get anything done. My house needs cleaning desperatly. My kitchen has spilled ice tea under the microwave and cheery juice on the floor. Which I've mopped twice but is still sticky. There are four hairballs on my bedroom floor, my bathroom is half torn to shreds, and I lack the energy to finish, and my fridge looks like a bomb went off. And the worst of it is my GM told me not to tell anyone at work, so I have to keep up an energetic face while sucking down the emergenC's so as not to alert anyone. My hypochondriatic friend is convinced that I have anemia.

I went to Spokane Wednesday, overnight, to visit a friend who just moved there. We walked around downtown and went to Nordstrom, hurrah! I bought two pair of seamed stockings.

And I was told last night at worship team practice that the group touring through on the 30th needs a keyboard player and they've said I'll do it. So I will be highlighting as a member of the Parachute Band for two services and a concert.

Ending things

What a week

Only a quick update. Sorry for the long absences. I likely have a new roommate coming in, and if that pans out we'll be getting internet, so I'll have a computer close by instead of trying to find time to drive to my parents'.

The mono has been giving me a hard time this last week. I was feeling pretty well, but then got overconfident and added a couple more things than I should have, and spent the last week sleeping whenever I'm not at work.

I ended things with someone I've been on again off again with for some time. I'd needed to do it for a while, but couldn't. Sunday I did. I've eaten a lot of ice cream the last few days.

Yesterday was a very busy day at work. The tips were good, too, except for one table of demanding cross toting people who came in after 15 people walked off a tour bus, and watched another group of 30 get seated, and still demanded fresh coffee as soon as they'd sucked down another cup. They left a 60-cent tip on a $58 bill. Good thing I'm already a Christian or my opinion of christiandom would have been sent down the drain (though, admittedly, my opinion of christiandom hasn't been very high lately anyway). Another group of loudly missions oriented people (they had an Indian couple with them) tipped very well and were quite nice about things.

My roses are looking very pretty. I've got a black thumb most of the time, but roses I'll go out of my way for. I'm also tearing out a bathroom, and have picked a color for my living room. Those projects are mosly on hold until I'm less tired.

And Teri will be in the country soon!

Get ready for it

Get ready for it...

I paid off my car yesterday.

(Pause for gasps of amazement)

My baby is mine mine mine. And now that she's mine, not the banks, I'm sure some major catastrophy will occur requiring large amounts of money to fix. Because that's murphy's law of car ownership.

On a Culinary role

On a culinary role...

After smelling my garlic and rosemary scented hands, I decided to try for some more culinary masterwork. I have cheese ravioli in the freezer, and found last week that tomato sauce is too heavy for it - it covers the taste and seems bland. With just virgin olive oil and pepper the cheeses emerge. Today I fine chopped garlic and rosemary and sauteed it with virgin oil. I added some Kestral Cab that had gone to vinegar but I couldn't bear to throw out and more oil and honey. I let it cook down and tossed it with the finished ravioli.

Molto Bene!

Song of Songs served with a side of lamb

The songs of songs, served with a side of lamb.

I am cooking for a dinner party on Friday. It's going to be an all out affair. My bible study said, once upon a time in Genesis, that we should do a themed party when it's time to read Song of Solomon aloud. We discussed chocolate, and strawberries, and laughed. Well, the time has come. We're skipping around Solomon's reign. He's just met the queen of Sheba. And so it's time for the "song of songs."

I have a 7lb bone-in leg of lamb in my fridge, waiting to be stuffed full of garlic and rosemary and marinate in wine and apricots. For appetiser I thought some goat cheese and fruits, nuts and dates, and maybe some strawberries in a brandied whipped cream. And my dessert is chocolate dipped strawberries. Everyone is bringing a little main dish (mine was little until the butcher gave me 7lb instead of 5. I'll be eating lamb until it's time for turkey leftovers.) and a dessert - the theme is romantic finger foods. I've passed on the word that no one needs to bring a meat dish after all, I've got it covered. At last talley Omar is bringing hummus and pita and Denise is making Baklava. Maybe some champagne to go with that. Maybe we'll have some wine or champagne in small quantities.

I'm going to collect my feather beds, down comforters and pillows to lay on the floor. And we're all wearing comfortable dress up lounging clothes, and don't ask me what that's going to be. I'm thinking velvet harem pants for me. I'll post pictures.