Flights of Fancy

Bus adventure part 3

2008-04-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sliding into a seat on the bus yesterday, Leah pointed to a hole in the floorboard beneath our feet and warned me not to fall through. The hole came in handy when I discovered an old dried up flower in my purse that needed to be discarded. I have a habit of picking bright flowers and carrying them with me for the day, but this one had had been with me for about 2 weeks. I simply let the shriveled flower fall from my hand, and it slipped through the hole beneath my feet, and onto the street. Those buses are so helpful.

A call to live big

2008-04-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a sermon today from a friend's church in Seattle. The pastor ended his sermon with a quote by Sophie Scholl. She was a college student who produced and distributed anti-Nazi literature during WWII, for which she was killed. This exerpt from her diary is a profound challenge to me,

"The real damage in this world is done by those millions who want to just survive. Those honest men who just want to be left alone in peace, who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. They’ve got no side, they’ve taken no cause, those who won’t take measure of their own strength for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. These are the real problem. Those who don’t like to make waves or enemies, those for whom freedom and honor and truth and principles are only literature. Those who live small, mate small, die small. It’s this reductionist approach to life. If you keep it small you will keep it under control. If you don’t make any noise, the bad guys won’t find you. But it’s all an illusion because they die too. Those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe. Safe? Safe from what? Life is always on the edge of death. Narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues. A little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch. I choose my own way to burn, fidelity to Christ."

I don't want to live a small life. But there are many moments when I find myself pulling inward to try and stay safe. I am like the people Scholl describes who, "roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe." When I do this, my spirit becomes stifled and constricted and I don't know what is wrong. Thankfully I serve a Lord who came to set the captives free. Through Scholl's words, He has reminded me once again not to live a life suffocated by the pursuit of safety and dulled by an absence of risk.

Omnipresent

2008-03-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

The Bible says to mourn with those who mourn. Today I have wept over difficult news encountered by a friend.

The Bible says to rejoice with those who rejoice. Today I rejoiced with another friend who had great news.

It is incredible to encounter both extremes in one day. And yet God is intimately acquainted with both stories. He is present. He is involved. For Him, the tears of one do not cast a shadow on the celebration of the other. And the one rejoicing does not trivialize the one in pain. How beautiful it is that He can be with both of my friends at the same time...offering comfort or joy.

lessons learned in Spanish class

2008-03-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago in Spanish class my professor handed me a slip of paper with this scenario. "You are in a restaurant and when it is time to pay for your meal, you realize you forgot your wallet at home. Tell your waiter what you will do to solve the problem." In class, my prof was the waiter and I had to resolve the issue with him. What to do? In my broken Spanish I asked if I could go home to get money and return to pay my bill. No. Could I wash dishes to work off the bill? No. It was hard to come up with a solution. Finally I said I would call my dad and have him bring me money.

I had no idea I would eventually need that solution in real life. Tonight I went to dinner with a friend, and my credit card didn't go through. Always an uncomfortable situation, but I was prepared. I immediately called my teammate Jared, and he and another friend brought money down to the restaurant and then walked Leah and I home. Thanks Jared!

And that is why I am in a Spanish class.

An Unexpected Sermon Application

2008-03-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was hanging out in my little office/studio/quiet room listening to a sermon that I downloaded from Imago Dei church entitled “Why did Jesus have to die?” As I listened, I was challenged by the many and beautiful meanings of Jesus’ death. Over time the pastor’s voice was being drowned out by the voice of my upstairs neighbor who was yelling and swearing at someone...in English. As the yelling continued for 30 minutes getting louder and more animated, I just wanted him to shut up so I could enjoy the sermon. How could he be so rude and self-centered to not realize his voice carries through the central air shaft and right into my apartment? Why doesn’t he just give me what I want…some quiet? Angrily turning up the volume on my computer, I was struck by my own self-righteousness. I understood in an instant why Jesus had to die.

Bus Adventures part 2

2008-03-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last week was Holy Week and for the first few days we visited some friends in a town 3 hours south of San Jose. We returned home on Thursday morning, taking the last bus back to the city before transportation services ended for the Easter holiday.

I have a love/hate relationship with public transportation here. I love that it is cheap…$3.50 for a 3 hour trip. I love that I get to be with all sorts of different people…old people, children, etc. But I don’t like that I have to travel by someone else’s schedule. When the last bus leaves that means I have to leave, even though it is 6 hours before I wanted to. And I don’t like that it’s not always pleasant to be around people who are different from me.

It became clear right away that the person sitting in front of me on this journey was different. The person looked like a woman with long black hair, thick makeup, a yellow halter top, and platform heels. I realized quickly it wasn’t a woman… “she” was too tall and too muscular. It took the first hour of the trip for him to get settled in his seat. The settling in process included re-applying makeup every 5 minutes, and leaning over to fling his long hair into the aisle. It invariably landed on my knee. With my huge backpack under my feet my leg had no escape from the cascade of hair that fell on it.

I was free from the hairfall during the second half of the journey. He turned around in his seat so that he was facing backwards on the bus. The situation was incredibly awkward as I couldn’t look up without meeting his gaze. To make matters worse, he played music out loud and sang along for everyone’s entertainment. I wasn’t amused.

According to one of my Costa Rican friends, I am a magnet for unusual people and circumstances on buses. In all his years of riding the bus, he hasn’t had any experiences that compare to mine. Stay tuned for the next bus adventure…I’m sure it’s about to occur.

Bus Adventures part 1

2008-03-27T21:47:00.001-07:00

I boarded the bus on a Friday morning at 6am and prepared for the trip to Monteverde, a forest and small town 5 hours away. My backpack was cumbersome and wouldn’t fit on my lap so I did what you are never supposed to do…put my pack in the overhead compartment across the aisle from me. Every time someone got on or off the bus I kept an eye on my pack…even waking out of sleep to do so.

About two hours into the trip I noticed the guy who was sitting across from me…right below my pack, looked back to someone and made specific hand signals. He had been on the bus since San Jose and for 2 hours he acted like he was traveling alone, so I thought it was odd that he suddenly communicated with someone…using code. I thought, “Something is going to go down the next time the bus stops.” As the bus slowed, the guy stood up and grabbed my bag. He quickly handed it back to another guy a few rows behind him who was headed for the back door while he walked to the front door. I jumped out of my seat and chased the guy with my bag. Just as he turned to get off the bus I grabbed his shoulder with one hand, and my bag with the other. Thankfully he just handed it over without a fight or I would have had to pull out my Tae Kwon Do moves.

Upon returning to my seat, I discovered that my bag fit nicely under my feet and I slept peacefully the rest of the trip.

another day...another embarrassing moment

2008-02-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

It's bad enough when I try saying "I had a nice trip" and I actually say "I had a nice old woman" (viaje/vieja). But then I have all sorts of other embarrassing things happen.

Last Friday my team and I visited downtown San Jose. As we walked through the pedestrian shopping area admiring the buildings, shops, and Tico's, I was approached by a very large "person". They walked straight towards me with their arms outstretched and suddenly I was enveloped in blue foam. My team turned around just in time to see me being released from the arms of a person dressed up in a foam costume that looked like a credit card. You know...the kind of costume that is usually found at little kid's birthday parties. Although I don't know why anyone would advertise credit cards to little kids. I tried to play it cool, but my team started pointing and laughing and describing how red my face was. They were joined by about a thousand Tico's who were within a 10 foot radius of the scene.

On Saturday Carlos and Tati hosted a welcome party for us. The guest list included the local CCC board of directors. Towards the end of the night I noticed that my friend Juan and his wife were saying goodbye to everyone. I approached Juan to give him a kiss on the cheek and say goodbye but he blocked the kiss with his hand and said, "No." I was shocked because Juan is usually so friendly.

Carlos yelled from across the room, "Juan is giving you, Leah, and Jared a ride home." I didn't need to say goodbye because I was actually leaving too! Again I heard the laughter and derision of my team.

car alarms and wrong numbers

2008-02-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

This morning my roomie and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. We passed by a teal green car with it's alarm going off. Not so unusual because car alarms are as common as birds chirping. But what was unusual was a parking attendant who nonchalantly and thoroughly washed the car as it was beeping and blaring and trying to get someone's attention that it was being violated. At least I think it was a parking attendant. Maybe he was a car thief who was trying to throw me off with his "good samaritan" spirit.

In other news...I have found that every time my house phone rings I get nervous. Will I answer right? Will I be able to understand the person? Will men keep calling and asking for a someone named Alexis? Every day a different man calls and asks for Alexis...it's starting to make me wonder about the woman who was the previous resident. I've finally figured out four simple words to communicate she doesn't live here. "Ella no vive aqui".

I end up talking to random men on my cell phone too...
Today I answered my cell phone and after a volley of "hello" between me and the caller, I finally heard him say ...."mi amor". That was my cue to hang up. I don't know who this guy is but I'm certainly not his love. It's at moments like these that I am glad I don't understand much Spanish....

My apartment is quite secure

2008-02-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

I think I found the most secure apartment in all of San Jose. Today the security was so tight that I couldn't even get in.

I went out this morning to run a quick errand. I headed to the mall where there is a bank that I can exchange money at. On the way, a friend called and we chatted for 30 minutes. Then I got to the bank and it was closed...it doesn't open until 1pm. Well I thought I could at least grab a quick coffee at a great Italian coffee stand in the mall. Only it took me 5 minutes of butchering Spanish before I could understand how much it cost. The guy next to me shouted out the cost in English...so I paid exactly what he said...and received money back.

Anyway, I digress from my secure apartment. After returning from the mall I walked through the iron gate and then up to the door. I don't have a key to this door because the guard who is on duty 24/7 is the one who opens the door to get into the building. After I am inside, I use 2 keys to get into my apartment. Typically the outside door buzzes open automatically because the guard is outside in a little box and he sees me approaching. But if I need to get his attention, there is a doorbell to ring. So I rang the doorbell and waited....and waited...and waited. I rang again and waited. This scene repeated about 10 times. A mixture of frustration and hilarity overcame me. And I walked across the street to the Crusade house to get some work done.

Three hours later I returned, hoping to penetrate the iron clad security. The same thing happened. I determined to wait a full 5 minutes before I despaired. Finally, the guard, Eddy, poked his head out the front door and there I was. It was at this moment that he decided to enlighten me about ANOTHER doorbell to ring if he doesn't hear the first one. Thanks Eddy.

STINT...where less happens in a day than I thought humanly possible.

2008-02-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

So I've been in Costa Rica for a week and I have been reduced to having the capacity of a 10 year old. Actually, when I was 10 I think I was able to accomplish more in a day than I am able to right now in Costa Rica. Yesterday I took the bus with a friend, and he had to show me the exact coins to use to pay because I didn't understand when he told me how much it was. I find myself following my friends around like a lost puppy because I don't know how to even take care of basic things in life. Well, that is what this blog is for...to help me tell all of you the crazy things that happen on STINT. And maybe in a few months you can celebrate with me when I understand how much things cost.

The "Best" chain letter I have seen

2008-01-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

"My name is Billy Evans. I am a very sick little boy. My mother is typing this for me, because I can't. She is crying. The reason she is so sad is because I am so sick. I was born without a body. It doesn't hurt, except when I try to breathe. The doctors gave me an artificial body. It is a burlap bag filled with leaves. The doctors said that was the best they could do on account of us having no money or insurance. I would like to have a body transplant, but we need more money. Mommy doesn't work because she said nobody hires crying people. I said, "Don't cry Mommy," and she hugged my burlap bag. Mommy always gives me hugs, even though she's allergic to burlap and it makes her sneeze and chafes her real bad.

I hope you will help me. You can help me if you forward this email to everyone you know. Forward it to people you don't know too. Dr. Johansen said that for every person you forward this email to, Bill Gates will team up with AOL and send a nickel to NASA. With that funding, NASA will collect prayers from school children all over America and have the astronauts take them up into space so that the angels can hear them better. Then they will come back to earth and go to the Pope, and he will take up a collection in church and send all the money to the doctors. The doctors could help me get better then. Maybe one day I will be able to play baseball. Right now I can only be third base.

Every time you forward this letter, the astronauts can take more prayers to the angels and my dream will be closer to coming true. Please help me. Mommy is so sad, and I want a body. I don't want my leaves to rot before I turn 10. If you don't forward this email, that's okay.

Please help me. I try to be happy, but it's hard. I wish I had a kitty. I wish I could hold a kitty. I wish I could hold a kitty that wouldn't chew on me and try to bury its turds in the leaves of my burlap body. I wish that very much.

Thank you,
Billy "Smiles" Evans

p.s. You can send money to the person who sent you this because that person is very trustworthy. Make it tens and twenties, please."

immunization shots and moving don't mix

2007-12-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

I am leaving the country in a couple of months and decided it was about time to get updated immunization shots. I had my doctor's appointment today. I also decided this was a great week to move out of my apartment and put everything into storage. I've discovered these two activities do not mix very well. Remind me to never get 3 immunizations on the same day that I pack all my earthly possessions into boxes and haul them around town. Just in case I try to do this again.

Ugly Christmas sweater party

2007-12-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of my job is our annual Ugly Christmas sweater party. With 100 people attending and only a small Goodwill store to buy a sweater from, I always think I should buy my outfit early. Invariably I don't look for a sweater until the day of the party. This year was no exception. When I showed up at Goodwill on Wednesday afternoon I ran into 3 guys from our ministry who bought the last of the "good" stuff. The only things left were several Christmas vests in kids sizes.

My dreams of an ugly Christmas sweater were thwarted so I figured the next best thing would be to buy any ugly sweater. I found a grotesque baggy red sweater with a built in fur scarf. The creators of this ugly sweater were geniuses and attached the scarf to the neck of the sweater at the back so it would never fall off. There was even a slot for the fur to pass through the other side giving it a "scarf" look. I was awed by the creativity of the desiger in making something so hideous.

As it turns out, my sweater wasn't ugly enough. At the party many people greeted me hesitantly with,"You look cute." After hearing variations of this greeting all night I concluded that people couldn't figure out if my sweater fit into the ugly theme or not. Either I don't know current fashion and the "ugly sweater" I bought is actually in style, or my friends thought this was my new favorite sweater and they didn't want to offend me. Either option leaves me feeling insecure as to my ability to dress myself.

Moral of the story...I'm going "ugly Christmas sweater" shopping January 1st this year.

Night rafting

2007-09-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last night my plan was to have a low-key night of playing games. But then Brent had the idea of floating down the Willamette river in his new raft. Kristen set to work convincing reluctant particpants (me) to go. I finally agreed to night rafting on the condition that I didn't have to carry the raft or do any rowing. With the promise of my terms being met, six of us headed to the Willamette river.

It's a good thing I didn't have to do any rowing because I did in fact have to pick up that raft...4 or 5 times. What I thought would be a leisurely float down the river turned into a mini-adventure that lasted 5 hours. We ended up putting the raft in the water at an "unofficial boat launch" which consisted of a steep narrow path in between blackberry bushes at a local park. By this time it was pitch black...I don't know where the moon was last night...and only Brent had the foresight to bring a headlamp. Stumbling over rocks and becoming tangled in blackberry branches, we carried the gear one more time and finally got on the river at about 9:30.

Brent rowed us down the river to a flat spot where we made a camp fire. The s'mores were great with the added flavor of smoke from a duraflame log. The stars were awesome and the company was fun and refreshing.

I must admit Kristen was right, I didn't want a low key night after all.

cm2007 conference

2007-07-23T18:13:00.001-07:00

I was in Korea a couple of weeks ago for a conference with Crusade. My 8 days there provided me with countless things to blog about, and I will just write about one for today.

The Koreans were incredible hosts, looking out for all of our needs. In the conference handbook we were told what food we would be eating each day, and there was even a picture of what to expect at meal time. They also gave us a tip about the food. "If your food smells spoiled, don't eat it and let one of the conference workers know." I remember thinking, "All the food smells spoiled, how am I supposed to know if it really is?" So I ate my meals gratefully and in ignorance.

Until one day at the staff women's time. I was sitting in my chair, chatting with friends and enjoying my lunch consisting of unidentifiable dishes. One of the conference workers got on the microphone to inform us that one of the side dishes in the meal had "slightly spoiled" and she told us not to eat it. My stomach turned and I broke out into a sweat as I swallowed my last bite of the dish she just talked about. I now know what spoiled Korean food is like.

Cheyenne Frontier Days

2007-07-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I participated in a cultural experience. It was the 111th celebration of frontier days, held in Cheyenne Wyoming. As I thought of what to wear for the day, my fake cowgirl hat was at the top of my list. Then I imagined myself being so clearly seen as a poser that I would get beat up by real cowgirls wearing wranglers, sparkly shirts, and real hats. Oh, and don't forget those boots. Cowgirls are nice, but don't get on their bad side. I know. I'm from Montana.

It's a good thing that anyone is accepted at frontier days cause I had such a blast. The Rodeo was fantastic. One of the bulls earned his living when he gave us a good show by digging his horns into the cowboy who dared to ride him. The guy walked away though, and I was amazed once again by how tough cowboys are.

One of my favorite moments was the Native American dance show. They even invited me to dance with them for the last song. I was proving my motto in life to be true once again, and I danced.

more crazy animals in Tahoe

2007-06-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Kelly and I were taking care of last minute details for summer project. In the Staples parking lot we pulled in next to an old convertible car with chipped paint. There was a dog in the passenger seat, which is not weird. But when the dog turned its head towards us, we saw that it was wearing sunglasses!

I tried taking a picture of it so you could enjoy the sight. But the dog started snarling and barking at me when I pulled out my camera and I got scared and ran away. I'm hoping to see it again and I will be brave and get a picture the next time.

Animal sightings in Tahoe

2007-06-11T00:09:00.000-07:00

Lake Tahoe is full of incredible wildlife like....

The peach colored parrot that was sitting on the tailgate of a Dodge truck in a parking lot. I wouldn't have noticed this bird had it not started talking to two cute girls walking by. As I was trying to decipher what the bird was saying, the owner came out to feed the bird an apple. This guy was tough..a miner in fact. His truck had a logo that said a company name and then "exploration and mining inc." The owner was wearing carhartts, sporting a fumanchu mustache, and wearing a tight tank top. Just the type of guy I would imagine owning a peach parrot.

In other animal sightings....
I was walking down to Camp Richardson with some friends today. A guy on a bicycle passed us with a child carrier in the back, naturally we expected to see a child sitting there.
Instead we saw a cat.

Tahoe is a crazy place #2

2007-06-09T17:14:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting in an amazing coffee shop in Tahoe. When I ordered my french press coffee I even got to choose from among 15 beans from different parts of the world. I chose an Italian roast, next time I'm going for a Costa Rica bean. Anyway, this isn't a post about my coffee obsession...what was I talking about?

Oh yeah. Another crazy Tahoe sighting.

These 3 biker guys just walked in all dressed in their black leather and chains. They said to the barista, "What's a mocha shake?" After the explanation, I heard, "I'll have one of them. Give me one with white chocolate."

Luckily the Bing Crosby music playing in the background was too loud for them to hear me chuckling at them. I bet they would have gently set down their white chocolate mocha shakes and beat me up.

Tahoe is a crazy place #1

2007-06-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in Lake Tahoe, CA for summer project. This has been such a great opportunity for new observations. This place is crazy, let me tell you.

Today we had a staff meeting outside and I saw these two crazy events within a few minutes of each other:

A tow truck hauling another tow truck. I think there's a problem with this picture.

Off in the distance I heard a faint "tinkle", "tinkle" of a bike bell. That's a common sound since the project property is surrounded by bike paths. When I looked in the direction of the bike bell I saw a man in a billowy shirt, a wide brim purple hat with a 2 foot bright purple feather sticking out of it. He was followed by a woman on another bike in a red medieval shirt and jeans.

I apologize to my fellow summer project directors for laughing out loud during staff meeting. But the pirate made me do it!

Always camp with an Italian

2007-05-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

My wanderlust caught up with me last week and I had to get out into the wilderness. Disregarding the promise of rain, I called up a friend and we made a plan to go camping and hiking. Our destination was Opal Creek, just east of Salem.

I learned some great lessons on this excursion:

My friend Ari can make anything burn
Secret camping spots make even a rainy weekend worth it
Always camp with an Italian

My friend invited her Italian friend along for the weekend. A great call I would say because he generously provided all the food. I've never eaten so good while camping. Caprese, pasta with red sauce, olive bread, Italian espresso in the mornings, and sipping on port as we sat around the campfire at night.

That's me in the yellow.

dancing fool

2007-05-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

"We are fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well just dance."

I am a reluctant dancer. This weekend my friend Kristen invited me to a west coast swing dance on campus. I was super intimidated to go because I stink at it, and I feel bad for the unsuspecting guys who ask me to dance. But the above proverb is my new motto in life, so I went dancing.

Somehow when I heard "west coast swing," I pictured country swing. Country swing is easy, the whole point is to get the girl dizzy by spinning her as fast and as frequently as possible. At least that's the way we danced when I was in college in Montana. All I had to do was hang on as I got flung around the dance floor.

West coast swing is not that. I quickly realized my error in judgement and began to hyperventilate. The friend I went with loves to dance, and I was not about to ask her if we could leave just because I was ready to throw myself out of the second story window.

My dance salvation came when several guys that I know from CRU walked through the door. Changing into their dancing shoes and blatantly ignoring my "deer caught in the headlights" look, they made me dance. After a couple of songs I was having a great time. I still couldn't dance, but I was having fun and being foolhardy. Thanks guys!

a knock at the door

2007-05-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today I was at home, listening to Chris Tomlin and working on email, when there was a loud and abrupt knock at my door. I figured it was my friend who said he would stop by to return a book he had borrowed. "That knocking is uncharacteristically aggressive of him," I thought.

When I opened the door I was met not by my friend, but by a guy in a wide brim hat just like the old time detectives wear on t.v. Turns out he was a detective. A real live detective for the FBI at my door! So they really do wear those hats.

I admit I was scared, racking my brain trying to figure out what I had done wrong. Turns out the detective wanted to ask me some questions about one of my friends who is applying for a job with the U.S. government.

I felt all the blood in my body rush to my face, even though I had nothing to hide. It made me wonder, "How do all those people on t.v. stay so calm and collected when an agent knocks on their door?" I need to go back and watch the first few seasons of Alias to see how Sydney Bristow handles situations like this.

Almost famous

2007-04-13T00:53:00.000-07:00

I just "googled" myself to see what amazing things I can learn about me via the internet. Turns out, I don't exist in cyberspace. Not even this blog comes up. I guess this means I will never have an experience like in that movie where Hitch looks up the girl on the internet and plans a whole date around what he found out about her. Just as well I guess.

I should do something to at least get on the public records. I'm sure if I went bankrupt, got married, or sued someone, then my name would appear. Can anyone help me figure out how to sue someone?

Spouse-ology

2007-03-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

I just received information about a new and exciting game...I think this speaks for itself.

"Spouse-ology, the new relationship game from FamilyLife, tests you on your favorite subject: your spouse! It's great as a small-group ice-breaker or a fun way to meet your neighbors."

Babies R' Us

2007-02-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

I went to a friend’s baby shower a while ago. Naturally, she was registered at Babies R’ Us. I’ve never stepped foot in the store, and as soon as I heard the swoosh of the doors closing behind me I knew I was in trouble. I was overwhelmed and suddenly felt like a baby myself as I lost all sense of time and decision making ability. This warehouse…um…I mean…store is full of all the things you need for a baby. Like “baby’s first Valentine’s Day” outfits, and Baby Einstein videos.
I was rescued from my infantile state when the helpful woman at the registry desk gave me a map of the store and a sympathetic ear. She even told me the first time she walked into the store, she walked one lap around the store and walked right back out. And now she works there. I hope that’s not foreshadowing for my next career.

Don’t misunderstand me, I LOVE babies. I just don’t understand the baby world. How could you need a whole warehouse of stuff for one baby? And I don’t even want to know what that pump is for.

No self-respecting Montanan would...

2007-02-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

...use an umbrella while it was snowing.
But that’s just what I did this winter during one of those rare Oregon snow storms. You know the ones where everyone freaks out and suddenly doesn’t know how to drive, and all the schools get closed. “What…is….that….white….stuff…falling from the sky?”

Anyway, this isn’t about the crazy Oregon natives, it’s about this self-incriminating Montanan. The use of the umbrella did have some high points. When I showed up for my meeting, the papers I was carrying were dry, and my hair maintained it’s cute-ness. Despite the positives, I couldn’t help laughing and being ashamed of myself during the long walk from my car to the student union building.

At least I wasn’t wearing purple stiletto heels and carrying an umbrella in the snow like one girl I saw.

I'm blogging

2007-02-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

For weeks I've been trying to convince myself that I could join the ranks of bloggers. I am one of the least tech-savvy people I know, how could I possibly handle the pressure of setting up a blog? After some encouragement from a prolific blogger, and help in deciding the all important question of what to name my blog, I'm off and running.

Here you will not find lengthy discourses about philosophical truths, or insights into the depths of my soul. No, this is a place for me to share with you the stupid things I do every day, and also the bizarre things I notice in the world around me. Happy reading!