Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Mmmm, Routine

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January 28th, 2009

You know what I love? Getting into a nice, calming routine. Seriously, I think my life pretty much squanders away when I can't feel comfortable in my daily routine. But I think I am finally settling into one. I love just being able to come home and set my "school life" aside and just chill - watch Dr. Phil, make some dinner, relax for a while. And I think my "after school routine" is really helping me establish my "going to bed routine" - which is probably even more essential. I tell you, if I don't have a good routine for bedtime, I end up staying awake until all hours of the night, doing silly things like browsing the internet, reading, etc. So now I'm getting a bit better at managing my evening time, and it feels wayyyyyy less stressful.

Which is nice :) I was in bed at probably 11:15 last night, and read a chapter of my book (Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene - http://www.amazon.com/Vienna-Prelude-Zion-Covenant-Book/dp/1556610661 - it's SO good!) and then had a nice deep sleep. Ahhhhh!

It's not that I don't like spontaneity or variety - it's just that for my everyday, "usual" life, I need routine to help me function. I wonder if other people have this need. Hmmmm...

Also, another thing that I love A LOT is a new little dessert/snack that I discovered. Probably the entire world knew about this before me, but it's so delish! Basically, I just cut up an apple into little chunks, mix a tablespoon or so of brown sugar and a bit of cinnamon in, and microwave it for 40 seconds. It's so great - it's like a bowl of apple pie filling, but crispier and just YUM. So I make that a lot after dinner. MMmmmmmmm.

Well, that's it for now.

With all the sweetness of apple pie,
Tiffany

p.s. - This is HILARIOUS. Seriously. I laughed out loud.


Saturday, January 24, 2009

... This Cannot Be!

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January 24th 2009

.....
WOW.

I am shocked by an article I just read. Let me paraphrase: basically, a family went to a grocery store to get their son a personalized birthday cake. The store refused, based on the fact that the name the parents requested be inscribed on the cake was innapropriate.

What was the child's name, you ask?

Guess. Seriously. Just guess.

ADOLPH HITLER. That's right. They named their child Adolph Hitler Campbell. The couple also has two other children: Joyce Lynn Aryan Nation Campbell, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell. What. The. Heck.

You can read the whole article here: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Adolf-Hitler-Sisters-Taken-from-Parents-Home.html

Apparently, the children were removed from the home recently, but it's unknown as to why. The parents also deny that they are neo-Nazis or admire Hitler (?!)

This is just so puzzling to me - why would parents that appear (in the videos on the above website) to care for their children, give them such horrible names? Names that are just ASKING for trouble? There is a LOT of inherent stigma in those names. I really feel for these children - and their parents, too. What a misguided choice on behalf of the parents, and what trauma awaits the children if their names are not changed!! I'll be praying for the whole Campbell family - maybe you will be, too? The children deserve a normal childhood, and the parents need a change of heart. Preferably towards Jesus.

Oh man. Now I am searching up terrible baby names. My goodness!

All for having discretion in naming children,
Tiffany

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Many Ellipses! In More Than One Sense!

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January 22nd, 2009 (this new blog format doesn't add the date for me! So I will post it myself.)


Today is a good day. I guess it WAS a good day, by the time I'm done posting this! I had a presentation in the Bible and Literature, about the imagery of the tree in the New Testament, which was very interesting and appealing to me, both as an English student and as Jesus follower. Actually, it sparked my interests - maybe I will start studying the Bible in terms of topics? I think I might enjoy that for a change. My Bible times always seem so random and aimless. I think I could really benefit from some structure like that.

Mark, Mike and I went back to the gym for the first time since......... long, long ago. It was nice though, the new facility is really shiny and clean and smells less dusty. I did 18 minutes on the elliptical, plus some weights (I never know what to call the whole "weights" dealio, since there are machines, and the free weights... I don't even know what the machines are called!!!). It was pretty refreshing. Mark taught me some excercises with the free weights that will (hopefully) tone my upper arm/flabbly wibble-wobble. (HAHA by the way, that made me laugh!)


Tomorrow is my day off/chili making day, which should be fun. I'm in one of my homebody phases, so that is right up my alley. It will be a regular old chili making party, as my Burns associates are coming over to assist with the chopping and other procedures - with the end goal of producing enough chili to satisfy a hungry crowd of LCFers on Saturday after the skating party.


Speaking of skating, there is a COOL looking skating path across Ramsey Lake that we might try out (we meaning Mark/Mike/Kate and I, not the royal "we"!) tomorrow - it's so neat! Just a lazy winding path plowed across the ice, but it looks so enchanting to me. I can't wait to try it out! Hopefully I'll remember to blog about it.

Love and skates,
Tiffany


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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I'll Curl Up With You

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A tin of foxglove seeds becomes an unlikely gift, one that saved and life and gave life, a poem etched in aluminum, a promise in a jar. Hatching, taking flight, the seeds produce the seasons, rising and falling as the dance in happy circles past the pavement and debris. Alighting, slowly they revolve, the seeds mingling with the freshness of the air, the tang of hope, the crisp flavour of drying laundry, sheets and pillow cases. They hit the window panes, bounce and recoup, recoil and bounce again. Sliding downward they burrow in the cracks in the casements, the sweet wisps and tendrils caressing the chipped paint and splintery wood of the frame. The dusky window welcomes them, age reflected in smudgy fingerprints and impacted dust, little eddies of time. Further yet the seeds fly on, saying goodbye to the brothers left behind. Swirling into the landlocked field they go, searching the decaying perimeter of sandy tires and stained cloth, rumpled garbage bags, lying shiny and riddled with suspicious lumps in the waning afternoon sun. they dance across the spine of a forgotten bed frame, rust peeling and shedding like the feathery skin of an ancient snake. Some follow the route of the frame to the motherly earth, embedding themselves into the crumbly soil, taking hold, placing roots - flourishing. They will grow and spread, grow and bloom, eclipse, create, blush fragrance from petals bright and glistening in morning’s dew. They too will hatch seeds, they too will send them forth with the wind produced by the most delicate of purplish sails, bidding them farewell into the world with the most dainty, the most promise-filled of kisses.


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Brrr-rrr-rrrr-rrrrr

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So. Right now the weather network tells me that it's -28 degrees. MINUS TWENTY-EIGHT. As in, if-you-venture-outside-you'll-more-than-likely-freeze-to-death temperature. YIKES! Leaving for my class does not seem like a very alluring idea, but I suppose it must be done. I kind of like bundling up in a way, it makes me feel adventurous!


Today I stayed in bed for an absurdly long time.... I think I justified it by reminding myself how cold it was outside. But I did finish one of my novels for my class tonight, so I guess it was worth it.


LCF won our first soccer game last night!!!! It was so exciting, 0-0 until almost the very end, when my very own knight in shining armour scored the winning goal. It was awesome! Definitely the best game so far. I've been doing well at picking up the cheer leading lingo that makes it sound like you actually know what you're talking about. And, I actually am learning a bit about soccer, which is nice. I was sure to throw in a bunch of "nice hustle!" and "good D!" out there. And of course, the ever popular "stay on 'em, stay on 'em!" I'm a regular sports fan!

Anyway, if you feel like listening to a good song, look up "wedding dress" by derek webb on youtube. It's amazing, and so poignant.....


Hope you don't freeze your extremities off today,

Tiffany

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Bible + I'm Sick = Blog Post

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Hello!

So, a new semester is upon us. Things are looking pretty exciting so far, I'm actually kind of pumped for my new classes. Basically, in two of them (The Bible and Literature, and The Pauline Epistles) I'm studying the Bible. For reals! It's actually sick. I bought my "text book" from the bookstore on Monday, and would you believe that it's actually the Bible? It's the New Revised Standard Version, with which I have no previous experience. Does anyone know about the reliability of this version? Anyway, it's a giant GIANT Bible, and it's annotated... oooh!!! So it's pretty neato. It also includes the Apocrypha, of which I have an irrational fear. I used to have strange dreams all the time that I would be flipping through my Bible, and I would come across these weird books that I had never heard of before, with crazy names and stuff.... and when I was skimming this new Bible and came to the Apocryphal books, I had the same feeling as I do in the dreams. Weird. I don't actually have to read them for the course, but I am still up in the air as to whether I actually have any desire to read them on my own or not. Our church fathers concluded that they're not God's inspired word, so I guess reading them would really serve no purpose except to quench my own curiosity, but I have a feeling that it's not a very good idea, for some reason. They make me feel uneasy!

I'm also in a class called "Religion and Violence", which examines the treatment and views on violence from a couple of different religious viewpoints, and the notion of whether or not religion promotes or decreases the amount of violence in our world. We'll be focussing mostly on Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. It should be pretty interesting. The prof began the class by reading John Lennon's "Imagine" to us, so I am pretty sure of where he stands.

In other news, I am sick. Again. Coughing is no fun, neither is perpetually clearing one's throat. Especially the throat clearing, particularly because it makes you continually swallow air, therefore causing an inordinate amount of burps. Yuck.

Yikes, I am tired! Class tomorrow at 10:00am, not too early! Yay! And a soccer game tomorrow night, with me residing as the unofficial team mascot and cheerleader. Goooooo LCF! Should be fun.

With all my love and affection,
Tiffany