Category Archives: Music

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: February 18, 2018

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For Today… February 18, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was snowing here this morning and then was nice and sunny (though still quite chilly in the afternoon).

I am thinking… about an email I just wrote to my attorney.

I am thankful… for the witness of the survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and their commitment to making the shooting at their high school the last one.

One of my favorite things… the Great Litany. We sang it this morning as it is the First Sunday in Lent.

I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were my new black cardigan, black skirt, my blue-green fitted tee, black tights, and black flats. After church, I tossed on my charcoal long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

I am creating… electronic deposit slips for Payroll.

I am listening to… the Great Litany on YouTube.

I am hoping… to get both Access and Payroll completed tomorrow.

I am learning… relationship structure in databases.

In my kitchen… my dad made steak tonight.

In the school room… I caught the school district’s mistake in putting in a wrong date which would have made next year’s IEP the triennial one instead of this year’s. My “reward” is a meeting with the school psych on Tuesday to get the papers signed for testing. Oh freaking joy!

Post Script… March for Our Lives, a march on Washington to get Congress to take gun control legislation seriously.

Shared Quote… “Every single person up here today, all these people should be home grieving. But instead we are up here standing together because if all our government and President can do is send thoughts and prayers, then it’s time for victims to be the change that we need to see.” — Emma Gonzalez, student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Full remarks are here.)

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Insane School Stuff Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Parkland, Florida school shooting. The school shooting yesterday was #18 this year.

18.

That’s roughly one every other day.

So tell me how we don’t need appropriate gun control. (Not banning firearms. GUN CONTROL..) I effing dare you.

— 2 —

Lent. My Lenten discipline was going to be Morning Prayer every day, but it will end up being one of the Daily Offices daily because it’s been that kind of week. I think I cumulatively spent 20 hours on my Payroll Project #1 between last Saturday night and Monday when I figured out how things had gotten so screwed up. (My instructor calculated everything one way and then gave us instructions to do the opposite. Then on Monday, she was sick so she didn’t have office hours… and we had to take a quiz on the bloody thing that night. Let’s just say that my spreadsheet and email telling her that she was wrong got forwarded around almost the entire class and I had to talk a couple people off the figurative ledge.) The Payroll issue meant that my Excel final got put on the back burner because it wasn’t due until Tuesday night, and I had one thing on it that kept stymying me so much that I had to just forfeit that point and submit it. (It turns out that I was doing it right, but misinterpreted something. My instructor laughed at me when I told her about it because it was 1 flipping point out of a possible 110.) Excel being turned in on Tuesday meant that Access didn’t get started until yesterday and submitted tonight 3 hours ahead of the deadline. (I try to be at least 24 hours ahead in case something happens.)

So yeah… one of the Daily Offices every day. Yesterday, it was Compline and it will probably be Compline again tonight because I have some legal paperwork to do as well. Ay-yi-yi!

At least my Payroll Project #2 balanced last night!

— 3 —

Ash Wednesday. Because we share facilities and our priest with the Spanish-speaking congregation, the two congregations worship together on occasions like Ash Wednesday. We had bilingual Ash Wednesday worship last night and it was heavenly. The bulletin was English on the left and Spanish on the right, with Helen (our priest) switching off languages between paragraphs or readings or parts of the liturgy. My ashes got imposed with Spanish words while others had English spoken over them, and Helen preached in both languages. (I understood surprisingly much of the Spanish.)

— 4 —

Pretty choir music take #1. We’re doing this in a few weeks and the alto part is awesome.

— 5 —

Pretty choir music take #2 We get to sing this again for Palm Sunday, and it is stuck in everyone’s head.

— 6 —

Pretty choir music take #3

— 7 —

My current ear worm. Because you need it in your ear too!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: February 12, 2018

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For Today… February 12, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. Temps were in the mid 40’s today and sunny.

I am thinking… about the Excel final I’m trying to finish by tomorrow night.

I am thankful… to FINALLY be done with the Payroll project that’s due in 2 hours. We got a bad check figure this week, leading the majority of us to be swearing and ripping our hair out this weekend.

One of my favorite things… my payroll balancing. 🙂

I am wearing… jammies. Clothes today were a blue-green long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

I am creating… Excel formulas. Woo.

I am listening to… Donovan’s music. I was watching the Olympics earlier and saw Chloe Kim decimate the competition in the Women’s Halfpipe. USA! USA!

I am hoping… I can get a lot of work done tomorrow in between classes. I have one Excel assessment left on the final and then I need to go through my work with the rubric and make sure I have everything correct.

I am learning… building table structures in Access.

In my kitchen… I’ve been surviving on Subway. It’s not great but it works for right now.

In the school room… Daniel is apparently being cuter than usual and his people are smitten with him. We also have a triennial IEP this year so I’m sure I’ll be given reports to send back to school in a few weeks.

Post Script… some printables for Valentine’s Day treats.

Shared Quote…

Take a walk today!

A moment from my day… My current earworm. (You’re welcome!)

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 28, 2018

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For Today… January 28, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… cold and windy but not bad overall. We’re supposed to get some rain tonight.

I am thinking… about my trip to San Jose for court. I have everything set up for Daniel care and I have to trust that he’ll be OK with my mom and sleep OK tomorrow night. It’s unnerving to say the least!

I am thankful… for everything falling into place for this trip.

One of my favorite things… a good Reddit thread.

I am wearing… jammies. Church clothes were a berry-colored long-sleeved shirt with black slacks and black flats. I switched the slacks out for black jeans when I got home.

I am creating… this blog post. 🙂 Also random stuff on my hooks.

I am listening to… Shawn Colvin singing “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon”.

I am hoping… court is decided in my favor on Tuesday.

I am learning… FICA tax calculations.

In my kitchen… I’ve been eating a lot of tuna subs from Subway.

In the school room… Daniel is becoming a little parrot so I’m having to start watching my language around him.

Post Script… sharing this infographic on how your cat is plotting to kill you. You’re welcome.

Shared Quote… “How, then, to imagine, the expansive heart of this God—greater than God—who takes seven buses, just to arrive at us. We settle sometimes for less than intimacy with God when all God longs for is this solidarity with us. In Spanish, when you speak of your great friend, you describe the union and kinship as being de uña y mugre—our friendship is like the fingernail and the dirt under it. Our image of who God is and what’s on God’s mind is more tiny than it is troubled. It trips more on our puny sense of God than over conflicting creedal statements or theological considerations. The desire of God’s heart is immeasurably larger than our imaginations can conjure. This longing of God’s to give us peace and assurance and a sense of well-being only awaits our willingness to cooperate with God’s limitless magnanimity.”
–Greg Boyle, S.J.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Random YouTube Videos Edition

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7 Quick Takes

I finally got to see a competent medical professional (a.k.a. my regular doctor) on Wednesday and she had kittens over the mess that was my respiratory system. Apparently, the twit I saw in the ER should have done at least one more breathing treatment, checked my sinuses (which were inflamed and infected), checked my ears (also inflamed/infected), done a rapid strep test on me (my throat was a mess from coughing), and tested me for the flu.

Because the infection is primarily my sinuses and my lungs are just a casualty of that and a virus that my adorable little petri dish brought home from school, it’s not officially bronchitis and handing me a Z-pack would be wrong. Her first choice would be a boatload of Prednisone, but she can’t give me that without also making a reservation for me on a locked psych ward as well as giving me enough benzodiazepines to stun someone twice my size. (I have an abnormally severe anxiety reaction to oral steroids, so they are black-boxed on my chart.) So… I have hospital-level stuff for my nebulizer (a homemade Duo-Neb combo), some Clindamycin for my infections, Sudafed to knock out the congestion, and orders to stay in bed and rest until further notice. The Duo-Neb combo is working and I got sleep last night for the first time in probably 72 hours.

Because I’m spending large amounts of time on my computer in the middle of the night, I’ve left my YouTube on random. I’ve discovered some new music in my recommendations and I think I’ll share them instead of subjecting you to more of my pity party.

— 1 —

“Thy Strong Word” by the Concordia University Chicago Wind Symphony. This is one of my favorite hymns and this is an awesome arrangement of it.

— 2 —

“The Voyage of the Moon” by Donovan. Very lullaby-like.

— 3 —

“Jennifer Juniper” by Donovan. A favorite for obvious reasons and potentially the reason for my first name. According to various family members, they would play this for me when I was very young (ages 2-4) and I would dance to it.

— 4 —

“Jesus, I Am Resting” by The Wissmann Family. I love bluegrass and gospel music so this one is calming. It’s also my idea of beautiful church music.

— 5 —

“Jabberwocky” by Donovan. If you read the poem with your kiddo, you need to listen to the song. It’s a fabulous adaptation.

— 6 —

“The Summons” by John Bell. This is a huge favorite of mine so it pops up in YouTube recommendations a lot.

— 7 —

Mo Ghille Mear” by the UCD Choral Scholars. Breathtaking and beautiful. Probably one of my favorite versions of the song. (I also love the versions done by Sting and Mary Black.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 9, 2018

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For Today… January 9, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. We had rain on and off and lots of clouds with temps in the 40’s F. I have a headache from the weather change, but the rain is worth it.

I am thinking… about classes. It’s nothing profound as today was my first “long” day and I’m pretty sure I was asleep by 9:30. (I got woken up by something.)

I am thankful… that I was able to help people in my OFTEC 135 class today and that I was able to talk geek with a parishioner on my “coffee” break today. (Why yes, it involved working on homework at Starbucks in between classes. How did you know?!?!?!?)

One of my favorite things… the blissful feeling you get before you fall asleep.

I am wearing… jammies. Clothes were a black shirt and jeans today with a hoodie.

I am creating… Excel formulas. I’m in heaven.

I am reading… Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans. It’s a re-read and I’m loving it.

I am hoping… to do well on my test in 10-Key class tomorrow. (It’s just basic math on the calculator.) We also have a practice touch addition test tomorrow so I will probably be doing touch addition drills before class to warm up my fingers.

I am learning… how to effectively help my classmates in OFTEC 135. We were doing advanced formulas today and I was having to explain some of them to a classmate who got lost.

In my kitchen… leftover lasagna. (I made a batch of “lazy” lasagna this weekend and froze some of it for days when cooking required too much coherent thought… like today!)

In the school room… Daniel is ecstatic to be back at school.

Post Script… something I should try again.

Shared Quote… “It’s strange that Christians so rarely talk about failure when we claim to follow a guy whose three-year ministry was cut short by his crucifixion.” — Rachel Held Evans

A moment from my day… Our choir anthem from Sunday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Antiquated Office Machine Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

10-key calculators. I had my first 10-Key class on Wednesday and my instructor started by saying that she knows we’re probably wondering why we’re learning such “antiquated” pieces of office machinery. Apparently, the employers and business owners on the advisory board for the OFTEC department keep saying “yes” when asked if they still want us to learn how to use them because “touch addition” on the 10-key pad of a keyboard is still something they want us to know how to do. So… all of us got to check an electronic calculator out of the library before class on Wednesday and rolls of papers were distributed at the beginning of class.

— 2 —

#squadgoals This might be a happy thing to show to your engineer and nerd friends.

— 3 —

Yep. This article talks about the tragedy of dumbing down Christianity. The things that the author describes are why I am positively ecstatic that Rachel Held Evans has a book on the Bible coming out this year.

— 4 —

Balancing school and training for the Olympics. NPR did a lovely piece on balancing college and the training needed for the Olympics. I’m looking forward to seeing how two of the athletes do in the Games!

— 5 —

Escape games. My mom got me addicted to escape games on my e-reader and it has been fabulous for keeping my mind sharp while sitting and waiting at doctor’s offices or other places. The two makers I’ve found to be the best are MobiGrow and Mobest Media.

— 6 —

Fernando Ortega. He released a new album with music and readings related to the Crucifixion this past year. (The album itself is called “The Crucifixion of Jesus”.) I recommend it highly.

— 7 —

Lenten devotional update. I sent a survey to the people who told me of their interest in helping put together a Lenten devotional for church a few days ago. On the question about possible themes, there were a bunch of checkboxes and I put two somewhat snarky statements in there:

“I like checking boxes!”

“I’m checking this box to troll Jen!”

I thought my priest would tell me to take them out… but she was one of the people who checked both of them and she had me include some more silly answers in the version of the survey sent to the wider parish!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.