Author Archives: Jen

About Jen

Jen isn't quite sure when she lost her mind, but it is probably documented here on Meditatio. She blogs because the world needs her snark at all hours of the night... and she probably can't sleep anyway.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 13, 2012

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 13, 2012

Outside my window… dark. It was triple digits for like the fifth day in a row and it’s apparently not going to get better. I am not amused.

I am thinking… that Alaska sounds good right now. One of my college friends is up there for a month while her husband is on sabbatical. I am jealous.

I am thankful… for Jon letting me go grab a bite to eat and some reading time.

In the kitchen… not wanting to think about the kitchen right now…

I am wearing… grey maternity shirt and running shorts.

I am creating… things with yarn.

I am going… to hopefully get some stuff done tomorrow.

I am wondering… what that beeping sound is. (It turned out to be my cell phone which was dying.)

I am reading… The Wurst Is Yet to Come by Mary Daheim.

I am hoping… things are cooler in southern California this weekend when we’re there.

I am looking forward to… seeing Jon’s family again.

Around the house… trying not to think about this.

One of my favorite things… cold liquids to drink on a bloody hot day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: cleaning, packing, errands, travel.

A peek into my day… Daniel investigating the sprinkler and wading pool my parents got him. What isn’t shown is him climbing in fully clothed to play in it any time he could sneak outside. 🙂

Investigating his wading pool.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: More Olympics, Some Cookies, and Thoughts on the Sikh Temple Shooting

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

My sleep schedule is completely knocked off from staying up and watching Olympic events. I’m totally jazzed that Gabby Douglas took All-Around honors, McKayla Moroney got a silver on vault, and that Aly Raisman cleaned up on beam (bronze) and floor (gold). I’d love it if the commentators would shut up about Jordyn Wieber not taking home anything but the team gold — she’s being totally graceful about it and I wish others would learn from her example. I’d also like people to shut up with all the criticism about Gabby Douglas’ hair and that she didn’t take home any medals in the apparatus finals. Unless said commentators can do the gymnastics these women (and men) are doing, they need to shut the duck up.

— 2 —

Speaking of Olympics, did you see the story about the 4×400 relay member for the USA who broke his leg and still finished his part of the relay? Dude… Manteo Mitchell, you are freaking awesome. Way to go regarding finishing!!! We still qualified in the 4×400 relay despite all this though I’m not sure who we’re going to get who can sub for him. Oh well… we’ll figure something out.

— 3 —

I saw my FNP on Monday and she figured out the source of my lingering ear pain. The raging ear infection was healed with some Augmentin last week but I was having lingering pain. Her examination showed that my ears were normal but that my sinuses were still inflamed and thus putting pressure on my ears. Some Sudafed and Flonase have taken care of it.

— 4 —

I haven’t shared my thoughts on the shooting at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin. I find this picture that was going around Facebook sums them up quite nicely.

Don't shoot people.

The blogging Tasoni of Coptic Dad and Mom also has some worthwhile thoughts.

— 5 —

I still have no regrets for not eating at Chick-Fil-A last week. I don’t feel that eating a certain restaurant’s food should demonstrate how well I treat my fellow human being. Regardless of how I feel about same-sex marriage, I also don’t believe companies should take political stances like that. Besides, I was sick and not feeling like putting myself out to drive 20 minutes to Chick-Fil-A even if I wanted to eat there.

— 6 —

It’s supposed to be 107 this weekend. I hate heat. I have to go out tomorrow for lots of errands but I think I’ll stay in on Saturday and enjoy my A/C. Did I mention that I hate heat?

— 7 —

My church has a booth at the Tuesday night farmer’s market in town for the next few weeks. This means that I’ll be baking a few batches of cookies this weekend. I’ll probably make the dough on Saturday and bake on Sunday while Daniel is down for his nap or something. I also have to package them with the pertinent labels that have our church’s contact info and service times. Oy vey…

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 6, 2012

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 6, 2012

Outside my window… dark. It’s supposed to get to 106F this week.

I am thinking… that I wish I had time to be part of the Sacramento Choral Society. In case I wasn’t clear in my Quick Takes, I could pass the audition to join without a problem and I’ve sung a chunk of the repertoire for their first concert but… it isn’t meant to be this season. I just have too much on my plate.

I am thankful… for my weekend with my parents.

In the kitchen… nothing to speak of.

I am wearing… black ratty Arabic shirt and black running shorts.

I am creating… this entry and some crocheting.

I am going… to hope I can get some decent crocheting done on the way down to LA in a week or so.

I am wondering… how long it’s going to take to smog the car and replace the tires that need to be replaced on Friday.

I am reading… Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart which I finished during my doctor’s appointment today.

I am hoping… the pain in my ears goes down. My FNP says the infection in my ears is gone and that the residual pain is my sinuses being inflammed and putting pressure on my ears.

I am looking forward to… a fairly quiet week. Daniel was supposed to have a playdate tomorrow at Fairy Tale Town but I’m not up to taking him.

I am learning that I have to rest myself and not push myself too much when I’m sick with a sinus infection or anything else that is sapping my strength.

Around the house… dishes and vacuuming to do.

I am pondering… how to deal with someone who is seriously irritating me.

A favorite quote for today… “It is better to forget about yourself altogether.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… Crystal Light peach tea.

A few plans for the rest of the week: car-related errands on Friday and making cookie dough at some point.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Olympic Musings and Purging My Brain

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

I was blogathonning last week so I didn’t get to purge my brain at all. For that reason, these quick takes might not be especially quick.

— 1 —

OMG… the Opening Ceremonies!!!!! The Opening Ceremonies were awesome even if NBC messed up its coverage of them. I would have preferred if Cwm Rhondda was sung in Welsh but the children’s choirs were breathtaking. I loved the transition from the pastoral scene to the smoke stacks to the firing of the Olympic Rings. The queen was a wonderful Bond girl and Rowan Atkinson was delightful. I had a great time critiquing the uniforms chosen by each country for the Parade of Nations and I loved the way they lit the torch. It was so much better than Beijing.

— 2 —

One thing that blew me away was how beautiful the Muslim women athletes were. I’m not going to lie — I was live-tweeting my thoughts on the uniforms. Canada didn’t seem to get the memo on dressing up for the occasion and Germany’s uniforms were… different. The Muslim women, though, were just stunning. The Jordanian flag bearer wasn’t wearing her hijab but her dress was beautiful. Other Muslim women were wearing the most beautiful scarves and dresses or pants suits that just looked so elegant. Given that there’s all the hullabaloo over laws in Europe banning the burqa, it was awesome to see the athletes proving that they could be faithful to their beliefs and still just blow everyone else out of the water in terms of dress. I also loved the bermuda shorts of the delegation from Bermuda, the saris on the Indian women (again, very elegant), and the dashikis worn by the African women.

— 3 —

I am thankful to have seen the events that I’ve been able to watch. I was home sick from church on Sunday so I got to watch the women’s road race. It was making me jealous because I would have loved to be in the British countryside. All of the gymnastics has been worth watching, especially seeing the British men get bronze on Monday and the US women mopping the floor with the competition to win the gold on Tuesday. Swimming has yet to disappoint (I’m also happy to see new blood on the podium though I’m still a fan of Michael Phelps) and I’ve loved soccer and the diving competitions.

— 4 —

There’s a new priest’s wife in town! Coptic Dad & Mom is the blog of a tasoni, the wife of a Coptic Orthodox priest’s wife. For those not in the know, Copts are the native Christians in Egypt who had been there for centuries when the Muslims arrived. Their spiritual head used to be Pope Shenouda (I just discovered that he passed away a few months ago), their Holy See is Alexandria, and their worship language is Coptic. There’s a Wikipedia article on them here though I don’t know how accurate it is in total. Go visit her blog and show her some love.

— 5 —

For kicks, I looked into what I’d have to do to become part of the Sacramento Choral Society. I’ve been missing being part of a choir like that and in the event that I could get all my ducks in a row, I wanted to see if it would be even possible to pass the audition. Their fall concert is Fauré’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria. Yeah… been there, sung those — or at least I’ve sung the Requiem and the first movement of the Vivaldi. It made it bearable to listen to someone blather on about their (non-existent) musical skills last night because I knew that I could actually be part of an elite choir in Sacramento if I so chose.

— 6 —

I actually hit the point where I don’t really care about watching Big Brother tonight. I’ll probably go online and check out the ending to see who goes home and if the coaches get to play, but the thought of watching Mike Boogie, Joe, and Frank has kind of turned me off of this season. There are also other things I could be watching this week besides a show in which people try to lie/cheat/screw each other out of $500K.

— 7 —

Tomorrow is looking like a long day. Daniel has an audiology appointment tomorrow morning and then I have to come home and pack really quickly for San Jose. I’ve basically got to be at my parents’ house by 3 which means I want to leave my house by 12:30. Hopefully Jon can get some laundry done while I’m gone tomorrow morning…

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: July 30, 2012

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY July 30, 2012

Outside my window… hot. It’s in the high 90’s and supposed to be triple digits by the end of the week.

I am thinking… that I violated the laws of the universe in some way to be so afflicted with this ear infection in addition to my sinus being infected. [/whining]

I am thankful… for sleep this morning and for Daniel playing so nicely while I curled up in my fetal position.

In the kitchen… nothing from scratch.

I am wearing… preeclampsia survior shirt and black soccer sweats.

I am creating… some crocheting.

I am going… to Daniel’s audiology appointment on Thursday and then San Jose on Friday.

I am wondering… how the women’s gymnastic team do tomorrow night. I know the men’s team did not to as well as hoped. (I’m being vague because I don’t want to blog any spoilers after viewing results online before they are broadcast in the States.)

I am reading… Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart.

I am hoping… they show more of other countries’ gymnasts tonight and tomorrow. The USA is great but I’d like to see what others are doing as well.

I am looking forward to… watching some of the lesser watched sports this week.

Around the house… a parishioner thankfully has come and helped with cleaning a few times. This is good because I’ve been fighting a fever and sleep deprivation from my weekend isn’t helping.

I am pondering… too much to mention.

A favorite quote for today… ??You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.?? — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… Daniel’s laugh.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Daniel’s audiology appointment on Thursday and a trip to San Jose for the weekend on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Reasons You Should Come Hang Out Online With Me Tomorrow

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

So tomorrow (or today if you see this on Friday) is Brett’s Blogathon 2012 and I’ll be blogging for 24 hours straight on things starting with the letter B. Here are 7 reasons to come join me and make a donation.

— 1 —

The funds go toward helping Brett’s adoptive mommy and daddy bring him home. Is this not a cute kid?

Brett

Let’s talk about getting him to the States so he can have some physical therapy and stop having to crawl everywhere.

— 2 —

I might actually post a webcam video of me doing something embarrassing hilarious. C’mon… YOU KNOW you want to see me dancing the Timewarp at 3:00 a.m. or singing camp songs at 5 a.m. to keep myself awake. No promises that I’m going to do any of that — it’s a small house and I’d like both Jon and Daniel to get adequate sleep — but something cool might get posted and you don’t want to miss that, especially if it might be useful for future blackmail. 🙂

— 3 —

My evil twin is guest-posting and talking about beer-making. You think *I’m* delightfully snarky? I don’t hold a candle to him! And yes, he is seriously talking about beer-making, which is one of his hobbies. My task tonight is shrinking the pics he sent me of the process.

— 4 —

I’m giving away an Amazon.Com gift card to a lucky donor. It’s not a Keurig or a Kindle Fire but it will enable you to buy books, music, household appliances, or anything else that Amazon.Com sells. It’s not based on your donation amount so you could actually end up coming out ahead on this.

— 5 —

Brett’s mommy and daddy are out there somewhere and they need to see him. Seriously, I fully believe that Brett’s adoptive parents are out there somewhere and that they could possibly find him via my Blogathon for him. If you visit, make a donation and let people know what’s going on over there.

— 6 —

What else are you going to do on a Friday night? It’s not like the Olympic opening ceremonies are on or anything. Oh wait, they are. Darn! Still, you should totally come on over and see what I’m posting. It might be something interesting to do during the Parade of Nations when some unpronounceable country is parading through.

— 7 —

Again, someone needs to get to the States for care. Dude… this kid needs a mommy and a daddy. He also needs physical therapy for his CP. Let’s look at Brett again.

Brett!

Can you really say “no” to this kid?

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

Tips For Surviving Your First Year (Or Ten) Of Marriage

Posted on by

Katie, the awesome chica behind NFP and Me is hosting a link-up as a way of celebrating her 2nd wedding anniversary. As I’ve now been married for 10 years, I figured that I’d toss in my $0.02 on the subject.

[+] Respect your spouse’s limitations. I’m a serious introvert (which may/may not surprise people) and I’m married to someone who is the exact opposite — an off-the-charts extrovert. Jon *likes* being around people and gets recharged that way. I, on the other hand, need to have time in a dark and quiet room after sharing the Peace at church. As it would look really wrong if people found me in the coat room reading a book during coffee hour in Montana, we used to take two cars to church. This way, I could leave when I felt “peopled-out” and Jon could stay and have all the conversations he needed. It also means that I need much more “alone” time than he does and I have to be really intentional about communicating this in a way that does not come across as “I don’t want to be around you”.

[+] It is occasionally OK to go to bed angry. There’s a point at which things have been discussed to death and no good is going to come out of talking/fighting about it any more for that night. There are also times when one person needs to decompress before they can really deal with the situation. In those occasions, it is actually better to just get some sleep and deal with things in the morning when everyone is not cranky and tired. I know that there is the verse in Ephesians 4 about not letting the sun go down on your anger but the point that Paul is making to them is not to let things fester. As long as you do plan to deal with it in the morning or at some point the next day, just go to bed. It will work out better.

[+] If you really can’t live without something being done a certain way, just do it yourself. You’re each going to come into the marriage with a specific way of doing things from folding laundry to loading the dishwasher. If something has to be done a specific way or at a specific time and asking your spouse to do it your way is going to start a fight, just do it yourself. It’s easier in the long run and spares the two of you a fight over why not matching socks while folding laundry is a crime that should be punishable by death.

[+] You need to be on the same page when it comes to starting a family. This was one of the reasons why Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert divorced her husband. The idea was that she would give up her career at age 30 to start a family and she wasn’t ready to do it. There were other things that contributed to her divorce (like her adultery) but that was the main one she listed. Is the wife going to stay home with the kids? Is there a compelling reason to avoid a pregnancy? (I’m assuming that anyone clicking over here from Katie’s blog is probably going to be Catholic and an NFP advocate.) Is a home birth an option? The only piece of advice I can give (other than to be on the same page) is to give yourselves some time to enjoy each other before you start having kids. It’s not to say that there isn’t life after kids — it just becomes a bit harder to get that weekend away once kids are in the picture.

Those are my thoughts on the subject. Happy “not-killing-Steven” anniversary, Katie!