Outside my window… dark. It’s my usual late night blogging time. It was hot today though not completely unpleasant considering it was reported as being 95F. The breezes help.
I am thinking… about the things going on this week and the trip to be with my parents this coming weekend. I’m hoping my car’s CD player starts working well or it will be a boring drive.
I am thankful… that Todd, the newest cat addition in our house, is calm and not growling or swatting at us. Last night, he sat with me even though he was growly. When I went out for a midnight snack, he touched his nose to my fingers and let me pet him. Today, he has been licking my fingers and purring for me. I think he really just needed to know that he would be loved up and have human attention.
In the kitchen… my mother-in-law made pizza from scratch for my sister-in-law’s birthday.
I am wearing… jammies.
I am going… to have to figure out a game plan for Wednesday when the power will be off from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and I have to entertain Daniel.
I am wondering… about how to remove certain food dyes from Daniel’s diet and if it will make a difference.
I am reading…The Alpine Zen by Mary Daheim. I actually finished it earlier this week (I could barely put it down) so I’m re-reading it. I finished Vanishing Grace by Phillip Yancey this week as well and *VERY HIGHLY* recommend it.
I am hoping… that my sleep deprivation feelings cease soon.
A Daniel story for today… my little monster fell asleep at 7:30 and at 10:30, he walked into my bedroom rubbing his eyes and climbed on the bed where he preceeded to fall asleep.
Around the house… quiet. It’s wonderful.
One of my favorite things… well-done hymns.
A few plans for the rest of the week: PT on Tuesday morning, Daniel’s dentist appointment on Wednesday, and whatever else comes up.
A peek into my day… Today was the “bread of life” reading in the Gospel of John so I thought I’d share one of my favorite hymns.
A serious uff-da! In #5 of last week’s Quick Takes, I completely blanked on having met Kym in 2011. This is why I crowdsourced stuff last week — I’m lacking the brain power and memory to do this well! Sorry, Kym.
Ulcer. For those who don’t normally read this blog, I ended up in Urgent Care last Saturday afternoon with stomach pain, nausea, and some other unpleasant symptoms. After an equally unpleasant exam, I was put on omeprazole (because giving me Dexilant would be wrong even if it is what works) and told to get in with my PA to get a referral to a G-I specialist. I was also given a list of foods to avoid. My PA ordered blood, various other labs, and an abdominal ultrasound as well as giving me a referral to a G-I specialist. All but the ultrasound have been done (the ultrasound will be August 18th and I’ll be having to go 12 hours without food or water which is not making me happy) so, God willing, I’ll have some preliminary results in a couple days.
So you’re, like, Catholic, right? I’m Episcopalian and apparently, autocorrect can’t spell it. Some of these suggestions are pretty funny, especially the one about cotillions because Episcopalians have tended to be the richer people on the mainline Christian spectrum.
Secret Catholics in Jamestown?!?!?!?!? Apparently, one of the bodies dug up was buried with a reliquary. Considering that a number of settlers fled England due to religious persecution, it makes total sense that one (or many) was a crypto-Catholic. The Anglican church is also very similar in terms of worship to the Roman Catholic Church so someone who was privately Catholic could hide in plain sight. That’s not to say that Jamestown wasn’t anti-Catholic; but it was not any worse than it would have been to stay on the other side of the Atlantic.
For those who attend book signings… A couple days ago, Twitter had the hashtag #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter and some very well-known authors weighed in. I recommend reading it.
A Giant at a Dodgers game. There has been some good-natured teasing going on between my husband, my priest, and me over our plans to attend Episcopal Dodgers Night in September. For you not familiar with baseball, I’m a San Francisco Giants fan and the Dodgers are our hated enemies. However, I have never been to a professional sporting match and I love baseball, so we’re going. My priest suggested wearing my Giants socks and I’m going to be sourcing a pair of those. (I’ll also be wearing black.)
Outside my window… dark. (Surprised?) Earlier, it was about 90F and thankfully, the park was breezy when we were there between 4-5 p.m.
I am thinking… about my to-do list tomorrow: calling my doctor to get a consult with a G-I for my ulcer (which landed me in Urgent Care on Saturday afternoon), calling Daniel’s pediatrician to get a referral to radiology for the x-rays that the orthopedist wants, and calling Microsoft to figure out what in tarnation is happening to my laptop.
I am thankful… for Margaret, my partner in doing music for VBS earlier this month. Our music director/organist had a medical emergency and she stepped in to play piano for Communion and the recessional hymn. We did the first hymn acapella (which sounded amazing) and spoke the service music instead of singing it though the choir could probably have cantored it. Girlfriend is hella talented and did a better job sight-reading than I could have done actually *playing* back when I had decent piano skills in high school and the beginning of college.
In the kitchen… crackers and chevre for dinner because I knew it wouldn’t mess with my stomach.
I am wearing… grey shirt and capri sweats. For church, it was a black shirt (Old Navy) and a paisley skirt (Kohl’s).
I am going… to watch some Viperkeeper videos when I’m done with this.
I am wondering… if we will ever get Daniel to sleep through the night in his own bed. (I just came into the bedroom and found my precious sweetling asleep on my side of the bed.)
I am reading…Vanishing Grace by Phillip Yancey. Next on my TBR list is The Alpine Zen by Mary Daheim.
I am hoping… to get in with the G-I specialist soon. This stupid ulcer is driving me crazy.
I am looking forward to… Daniel going back to school in a month — the kid is bored!
I am hearing… silence as I haven’t put anything back on Youtube.
A Daniel story for today… my in-laws had new lighting put in the kitchen including one over the sink. Daniel can’t reach the switch for that one so he’ll pull an adult over and point to it to get it turned on and off. (His pulling on me is why my pinky is sprained at the very least and possibly even fractured. Kiddo is strong and has a good grip.)
Around the house… silence. Everyone is asleep except for me.
A favorite quote for today… “A pilgrim is a fellow traveler on the spiritual journey, not an experienced guide.” — Phillip Yancey, Vanishing Grace
One of my favorite things… this rendering of the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili by Peter Hollens and Malukah. (It was the main theme of the game, Civilization IV.)
A few plans for the rest of the week: errands, medical appointment scheduling, possible doctor’s appointments, PT on Tuesday, and whatever comes up.
A peek into my day… A raccoon we’ve been feeding and her four kits. Jon had only seen two of them and had named them “Bonnie and Clyde”. We’re currently searching for more fitting names.
1. What’s your favorite grocery store splurge? For me, it’s probably ice cream or some kind of fruit that I want but isn’t in season. I’m in California so I can get pretty much anything but I’ve lived in places where the selection of fruits and veggies was limited due to the climate and what the store chose to stock.
2. How’s your penmanship? Mine is pretty as long as I’m printing. I can’t do cursive anymore without seriously thinking about it. Seriously, the only time I use it these days is to sign documents and even then my signature has flattened out and is pretty utilitarian.
3. Do you have a “Summer Bucket List?” Nope. My life would probably be improved if I did but there’s too much in flux in my life to create one.
4. What’s the best thing on the radio right now? I generally only listen to Air 1 or NPR so I’m liking the latest Casting Crowns album, Thrive.
5. Ice cream or frozen yogurt? Ice cream is a weakness. My favorite flavor of all time is Oatmeal Cookie Chunk from Ben & Jerry’s. What I would eat on a daily basis if I had a choice would be sorbet because I’m lactose-intolerant and I have an egg allergy.
6. Have you had that baby NOW? (Again, you can skip this one if you want.) Funny you should ask that… my friend Jenny just wrote a blog post on that!
Outside my window… dark and probably still raining. It’s the second time this summer I’ve been greeted by serious rain between Pasadena and home on 210 when I’ve been coming back from visiting my parents. Given the fact that California is seriously short on water and that little brush fire in San Bernadino County almost prevented Jon from getting to church this morning, I’m completely content to let it rain and rain and rain.
I am thinking… about the things that await phone calls and efforts tomorrow. Argh. Social Security is *STILL* a mess and I’m hoping that my worker actually follows through and untangles this mess.
I am thankful… for a good week with my parents, time with Rebecca, and being able to attend my church back home.
In the kitchen… I microwaved some frozen pizza for dinner.
I am wearing… black v-neck shirt and navy/white striped pajama bottoms.
I am praying for… a call for Jon, Daniel to retain skills over the summer, patience as I work with Daniel in these coming weeks (not something I possess in large quantities), the marriages of some friends, and some special intentions.
I am going… to watch some Viperkeeper videos when I’m done with this.
I am reading…Vanishing Grace by Philip Yancey. I’ve picked it up again and I’m enjoying it.
I am hoping… Daniel sleeps in tomorrow.
I am looking forward to… seeing how far my minion and I can walk tomorrow morning on our death march.
Crocheting… same old same old — amigurumi stuffie and Daniel’s big boy blankie.
Around the house… quiet as almost everyone is asleep.
A favorite quote for today… “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” — Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
One of my favorite things… Coca-Cola. I missed it this last week.
A few plans for the rest of the week: dealing with Social Security, errands, and whatever comes up.
1. What’s currently on your To Do list? Speaking firmly with Social Security, calling to get a radiology referral for x-rays before we see the peds orthopedist, finding ways to help Daniel keep up his skills, and cleaning off my desk/sorting my mail from being gone for 9 days.
2. Better type of superhero: magic/radioactive powers? Or trauma/gadgets/hard work? Hard work and gadgets. I’m the daughter of an engineer and I love figuring out how things work.
3. Finding out if baby is a boy or a girl before birth: Good idea? Bad idea? We chose to with Daniel and I don’t regret it — I don’t think I could have waited to find out. Given that I was in no shape to give them the potential names at Daniel’s birth, I’m glad that I knew ahead of time so that I could give them the name before I was too far gone.
4. Have you ever appeared on a stadium jumbotron? Nope. Never been to a professional sporting event. This will change in September when Jon and I go to the Episcopal Dodgers Night. I have been informed by my priest that I may wear my Giants socks (note to self: acquire some!) but that I am not allowed to boo Clayton Kershaw or Yasiel Puig. Whatever!
5. Are you more book smart or more street smart? I’m actually both, depending on the topic. If there’s something I want to do, I’ll read on it or do some trial and error to figure it out.
The bakers fined $135K for refusing to bake the wedding cake. I actually had some sympathy for the couple who refused to bake the cake. They should be allowed to politely refuse to do so and face some bad publicity for their decision. My sympathy vanished, however, when I found out that they not only declined rudely to make the cake but they also doxxed the lesbian couple by giving out their names, address, email address, and phone number. Granted, this information *IS* public record because of the lawsuit, but the husband of the baker specifically shared it in anger and people used the information to send death threats to the lesbian couple.
The Planned Parenthood debacle. So here’s the thing: it wouldn’t surprise me if Planned Parenthood has had some unscrupulous people selling fetal tissue and I’m good with Congressional panels looking into this. HOWEVER… the Center for Medical Progress acted pretty dishonestly inasmuch as they had actors portraying people from a tissue company and in the fact that the video was pretty edited. All of the sites like LifeSiteNews that have broken the story are acting really smug about it and in a really distasteful way. LifeSiteNews in particular is so liberal with the inaccuracies in the news that they report that I honestly wouldn’t believe them as far as I could throw them and this is making me really leery to believe what they’re saying. On the other hand, I don’t trust Planned Parenthood either.
A situation completely foreign to me as a West Coaster.Libby Anne’s blog post referred me to this one about a teacher in Mississippi who lost his job when a student outted him as an atheist. This horrifies me because I’m the daughter of a secular humanist and an agnostic/Buddhist and it scares me that one of my parents could be the person behind Godless in Dixie.
Why California does better under Jerry Brown. My mother-in-law gets a happy expression on her face every time someone mentions Governor Jerry Brown because, according to her, the state just does *sooooo* much better under his leadership. I’m having to admit that I agree, especially as he just signed into law a bill ending religious and personal exemptions for vaccines. Only kiddos who have specific medical conditions and a note from their doctor are exempt from the requirements. The only two other states who have passed a similar law are West Virginia and Mississippi, which kind of surprises me because you’d think that those two states would allow religious exemptions given the religious nature of their populations.
Owning one’s atheism. Neil Carter of Godless in Dixie appeared in a report on CBS This Morning on atheism. I’m watching it right now and it’s interesting. It saddens me however that his girlfriend’s father shunned him and his girlfriend because of it. The father just passed away and specifically asked that Neil not be allowed to be around the family while they mourned. That’s pretty serious hatred of someone right there.
Still, I’m glad for Neil and the others in the video that they are owning what they believe. Do I agree with them on their stances? No. Do I respect their dignity as people and would I have a drink with them? No question that I would!
The book I just finished. I just finished The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows and while it wasn’t as good as her first book, it was pretty fabulous.
You know your book is old when…Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson has been interesting to listen to, partially because the book is pretty dated. They’re talking about things like payphones which I haven’t personally seen in probably 5 years!
Outside my window… dark. When I opened this window to start writing, it was probably in the 70’s. I’m up in San Jose with my family so it’s about 10 degrees cooler than it is in southern California.
I am thinking… about the Social Security mess that is waiting for me when I get home.
I am thankful… for church and coffee with Rebecca yesterday and a Kohl’s trip with my mom today to get more shorts for me.
In the kitchen… Dad made spaghetti and sauce from scratch tonight.
I am wearing… a black v-neck and capri sweats right now. Earlier, I was wearing a navy blue “perfect tee” from Old Navy and khaki capris from Kohl’s.
I am praying for… a call for Jon and a bunch of special intentions.
I am going… to get a lot of walking done this week because a lot of places we go are within walking distance here.
I am wondering… about a lot of things in my life these days.
I am reading…The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows and listening to Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson on my long drives.
I am hoping… to have as relaxing a week as possible.
I am looking forward to… the Bay Area Promise Walk on Saturday. I did the virtual one for my birthday in May because I didn’t think I’d be up here for this one. It will be the 5th straight year that Daniel, Mom, and I have done this particular one.
I am hearing… crickets chirping outside.
Crocheting… Daniel’s big boy blankie — it’s the only project I brought up with me this trip.
Around the house… quiet. Mom and Dad are in bed or headed to bed shortly, their cats are curled up with Mom, and Daniel is asleep beside me.
A favorite quote for today… “Reading mysteries: the recreation of intelligent minds.” — Donna Andrews
A few plans for the rest of the week: playground time with Mom and Daniel, assorted errands, and the Bay Area Promise Walk on Saturday.
Post Script…
Go see Kendra and the others when you’re done seeing my answers to these questions.
1. At what temperature do you keep the thermostat set? Summer, winter, day, night?
Good question. I can’t remember what the settings have been in our parsonages. I know that my in-laws have their A/C set to 75 in the summer and I can’t remember what it is in the winter because I never touch it and I haven’t paid much attention.
2. What is your favorite frozen beverage?
Probably a smoothie. I can’t drink so anything alcoholic is out. I haven’t had an Icee or Slurpie in years so those are out as well.
3. Where do you keep your keys?
In my pocket or on my desk. I have to be able to physically feel them so most of the time, they’re on me along with hand sanitizer and my cell phone.
4. Have you ever really been lost?
The only time I’ve been really super lost was when I was in London 17 years ago and I was with my twin brother and our friend Eric. We were trying to get from the Underground to our hotel and we got super turned around. This was, of course, before cell phones were common and we were almost too late to meet our parents to catch a taxi to the airport to make our flight to Dublin.
5. What is the last movie you saw in the theaters?
A live taping of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me which was broadcast live to movie theaters around the country. The last actual *MOVIE* I saw in a theater was The Expendables and that was 5 years ago. (I’m really not a movie person.)
Outside my window… dark. It was a warm day today but I was in jeans because it was gray in the morning when I was having to go to the vet with my mother-in-law to get her Birman’s abcess drained.
I am thinking… about the various articles I’ve read on St. Maria Goretti today (her feast day) and how divergent Simcha Fisher’s article is from the others which totally stress how she died to protect her purity and OMG-teens-today-need-serious-help-keeping-their-virginity. Simcha’s point is that she was concerned about *HER ATTACKER* and his eternal salvation more than she was concerned about staying pure. I tend to agree as one hallmark of a saint is their selflessness
I am thankful… for my naps the last few days. VBS was awesome but it drained me as did the festivities of Saturday. Add in not sleeping well for whatever reason and I ended up with a pretty bad headache on Sunday morning that meant me skipping church because I was feeling so wretched.
In the kitchen… my mother-in-law just made a batch of peach jam.
I am wearing… black v-neck shirt and blue/white striped pajama bottoms.
I am praying for… a call for Jon, good MRI results for a friend’s baby, and a number of special intentions.
I am going… to try and get a walk in tomorrow, hopefully a long one.
I am wondering… why I watch Viperkeeper videos before going to sleep as I’m so incredibly terrified of snakes.
I am reading…The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows. It was on a site of 25 recommended reads for the summer. I also finished Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs today.
I am hoping… they finish the body repairs on my car this week. As much as I like my rental (which is now a Ford Fusion as the Jetta had an oil leak), I really need my car bad as I’m heading up to San Jose this weekend and don’t want to have to pay extra to extend the rental when my insurance is footing the bill.
I am looking forward to… my physical therapist massaging out my neck tomorrow.
I am hearing… silence. It is lovely.
Crocheting… same old, same old — Daniel blankie and amigurumi stuffie.
Around the house… silence.
A favorite quote for today… “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” — Douglas Adams
One of my favorite things… being able to get the #1 spot on a waiting list for a book at a library.
A few plans for the rest of the week: PT tomorrow morning, various errands and things throughbout the week, meeting with the Social Security Administration on Friday afternoon (please pray for my ability to control my temper and not use words that will make baby Jesus cry because I am seriously aggravated with them for losing paperwork and being generally incomptetent), and heading to San Jose on Saturday.
