Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Just because...
I hardly ever blog for myself anymore. Now that I'm hired to blog for others, some of the appeal is taken away from me. And the energy. The energy to think of creative things to say. My life isn't very creative or interesting right now. Besides some travel this summer I have pretty much done ordinary things. I've gone to work. I've seen lots of movies. Not that I'm complaining about movies... that is my favorite thing to do besides travel. The things I enjoy seem to involve some kind of escape. I have always been a dreamer. And despite being told at regular intervals throughout my life that the dreaming would eventually dissipate and then disappear altogether - it continues as strong as ever without any encouragement from me. So you see, it's hard to live a normal life when you don't have a normal brain. Even when things from the outside appear to be, by all accounts, well... boring. It's not. Not when I think about it. And trust me, I DO think quite a lot.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Hi.
Well, this is something I haven't done in a while. The last time I blogged here, spring was just starting in Nashville and now we are in the thick of the hot, sticky summertime. Much has happened, including my first trip out of the country on a mission trip to Jamaica. That was two weeks ago... and I kinda haven't been the same since. You always hear that a mission trip change a person but you don't really know until it happens to you. And I'm sure every experience is different. For me, it was being up on my feet in the blazing sun working with my hands during the day and fellowshiping with new and fun people at night without any TV, cell phone or computer. It was being closer to God and nature and feeling like I was making a difference in a very small and insignificant way. It was refreshing to say the least. And it was serving... I don't really feel like I serve at work. Or rather, I feel like people expect me to serve them at work instead of really appreciating what I do. I guess we all get that way in the day to day. Ha, that rhymed. But to come back and feel tugged in a million different directions from people who have no idea what happened down there or how it affected me... well, it was kind of like deflating a bright and shiny balloon slowly with a sharp needle.
More about the trip later, but I just wanted to share those initial thoughts.
More about the trip later, but I just wanted to share those initial thoughts.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Sleep Interrupted
One of the most awkwardly uncomfortable feelings is...
When the bottom of my big toe itches. I can't scratch because it tickles.
And...
It only happens when I can't sleep. And the only thing on TV is infomercials.
When the bottom of my big toe itches. I can't scratch because it tickles.
And...
It only happens when I can't sleep. And the only thing on TV is infomercials.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
*Correction*
A good friend pointed out to me that "The Office" (mentioned below) is actually a hit NBC show, not FOX. I feel sheepish, yet obligated to make public my correction for readers who had already noticed the blunder. Oops! More proof that my head is often located somewhere in the upper-stratosphere as opposed to the solid ground on which facts tend to matter.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Adventures by the Water Cooler
“Looks like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays.”
Ah, that great film, Office Space - made famous by its hilarious but relatable depiction of the daily grind - seems to have kicked off a new generation of comedies centered around us poor souls who get up everyday and do the 9 to 5 thing. Watching Jim Halpert and Dwight Schrute duking it out on FOX’s hit show, “The Office," certainly entertains the masses but is office life realllllly that complex and entertaining? I am here to answer that question… and my answer is a definitive “yes!”
A few weeks ago, an email popped up in my inbox from our company’s property manager - a spry little firecracker by the name of Carol. Carol indicated in her email that we must now (and this is very important) remember to always leave the overhead light on in the break room as one of our regular temps was burned by some hot water dispensed by the water cooler. The hot and cold buttons, said she, were not clearly seen as there was only a dim lamp light in the kitchen. Upon pouring what she believed to be a cup of cool water, the temp proceeded to, not sip, but gulp down the boiling hot water. A witness said that she was speechless as she watched the temp gasping and clutching her throat.
I do not wish to be insensitive to the matter… I’m sure swallowing a mouthful of hot water really hurt. Who hasn’t accidentally taken too big of a sip of hot coffee only to find themselves gasping with tears in their eyes? I know I have. But I couldn’t help but find this incident… well, I’ll just say it – ridiculous. And I wanted to know more. So a handful of us (sheerly out of concern for the poor temp, of course) decided to perform a few tests. Using only the dim light of a floor lamp and my own two eyes, I glanced at the water cooler and examined the buttons. From what I could tell, the button with the picture of the coffee cup and three squiggly lines going up out of the cup probably indicated hot water; whereas, the button with the picture of a glass with ice cubes in it probably indicated cold water. But since they are pictures and not words, they are clearly left up to one's own interpretation. Add to this, the fact that there is one BIG button in the center of it all, which if you don’t push either of the smaller buttons, releases cool water by default. Now, let’s give this temp the benefit of the doubt and say that she probably has poor eyesight. So further testing was, of course, needed.
I found in my next test, that when one pushes the button for hot water, a red light comes on. In my experience, red is typically used to indicate heat. But it is possible the temp did not notice or think about this. The next step is to place a cup underneath the dispenser and push the center button to release the water. Not only does an insulated Styrofoam cup quickly begin to feel warmer in one’s hand, but a very distinct rising of steam also proceeds from the cup into one’s face as they lean over the dispenser. As a sidenote, on a couple of test runs, I even had a few drops of hot water misfire onto my hand, missing the cup altogether. Needless to say, I could feel that it was hot.
At this point, I feel I have given the water cooler every opportunity to deceive me... and yet it did not. And so I can only conclude that, leaving the overhead light on in the break room is a serious misuse of energy. That and we should probably start screening our temps a little more carefully.
Now, see? You didn’t think office life was really all that entertaining, did you? And while it gives me no pleasure to prove anyone wrong, I’m just glad that the truth is now out there.
Ah, that great film, Office Space - made famous by its hilarious but relatable depiction of the daily grind - seems to have kicked off a new generation of comedies centered around us poor souls who get up everyday and do the 9 to 5 thing. Watching Jim Halpert and Dwight Schrute duking it out on FOX’s hit show, “The Office," certainly entertains the masses but is office life realllllly that complex and entertaining? I am here to answer that question… and my answer is a definitive “yes!”
A few weeks ago, an email popped up in my inbox from our company’s property manager - a spry little firecracker by the name of Carol. Carol indicated in her email that we must now (and this is very important) remember to always leave the overhead light on in the break room as one of our regular temps was burned by some hot water dispensed by the water cooler. The hot and cold buttons, said she, were not clearly seen as there was only a dim lamp light in the kitchen. Upon pouring what she believed to be a cup of cool water, the temp proceeded to, not sip, but gulp down the boiling hot water. A witness said that she was speechless as she watched the temp gasping and clutching her throat.
I do not wish to be insensitive to the matter… I’m sure swallowing a mouthful of hot water really hurt. Who hasn’t accidentally taken too big of a sip of hot coffee only to find themselves gasping with tears in their eyes? I know I have. But I couldn’t help but find this incident… well, I’ll just say it – ridiculous. And I wanted to know more. So a handful of us (sheerly out of concern for the poor temp, of course) decided to perform a few tests. Using only the dim light of a floor lamp and my own two eyes, I glanced at the water cooler and examined the buttons. From what I could tell, the button with the picture of the coffee cup and three squiggly lines going up out of the cup probably indicated hot water; whereas, the button with the picture of a glass with ice cubes in it probably indicated cold water. But since they are pictures and not words, they are clearly left up to one's own interpretation. Add to this, the fact that there is one BIG button in the center of it all, which if you don’t push either of the smaller buttons, releases cool water by default. Now, let’s give this temp the benefit of the doubt and say that she probably has poor eyesight. So further testing was, of course, needed.
I found in my next test, that when one pushes the button for hot water, a red light comes on. In my experience, red is typically used to indicate heat. But it is possible the temp did not notice or think about this. The next step is to place a cup underneath the dispenser and push the center button to release the water. Not only does an insulated Styrofoam cup quickly begin to feel warmer in one’s hand, but a very distinct rising of steam also proceeds from the cup into one’s face as they lean over the dispenser. As a sidenote, on a couple of test runs, I even had a few drops of hot water misfire onto my hand, missing the cup altogether. Needless to say, I could feel that it was hot.
At this point, I feel I have given the water cooler every opportunity to deceive me... and yet it did not. And so I can only conclude that, leaving the overhead light on in the break room is a serious misuse of energy. That and we should probably start screening our temps a little more carefully.
Now, see? You didn’t think office life was really all that entertaining, did you? And while it gives me no pleasure to prove anyone wrong, I’m just glad that the truth is now out there.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
If Kriss Kross can rap about it, I can blog about it
I saw Cloverfield last night… and don’t worry, there are no spoilers in this blog. I am highly against spoilers. But I will say enough, the movie left me feeling kind of weird and I did actually have nightmares last night. I don’t know if it was related to the movie or just pure coincidence and the full moon… but regardless… it lasted more or less all night.
So when my dreams went from one villainous danger to another, it was no surprise in the early morning hours to hear a youthful voice shrieking “HEY! HEY! HEYYYYY!” blending into all of the other terrifying images of the night. Not until, I realized it was really happening… right outside my window. At first, I lay in bed wondering what to do… do I dare look out the window? And finally, the repeated shouts turned into one long, wailing scream. It was definitely a small child.
I jumped out of bed and to the window, phone in hand to call 911 if necessary. It did, definitely sound like a small child was either being severely beaten out in my parking lot or worse. But when I looked outside, I saw nothing though I could still hear the screaming. Was it coming from inside another house? Unlikely - it was too clear. It had to be outdoors.
At last, I saw a small child running from behind one of our buildings… the buildling closest to the street. He was all bundled up with a gigantic backpack flopping around on his back as he ran.
He missed the bus...
…and he was devastated about it… like really, really devastated. He ran back to the front of his house and stood out on the sidewalk continuing to cry uncontrollably… if it was that loud from my bedroom window, I can only imagine what it sounded like right next to the poor kid.
My next concern was that he was standing in front of his house and there were no cars around. I wondered if his parents were even home or if he had a key to get back in. I started to get myself ready to go out there and let him use my phone… but before I got the chance, the crying stopped and he was gone. My hope is that he just went back inside his house… and I’m sure that’s the case. I live in a safe neighborhood. There are only like 5 of us who live there now and we all know each other, but wow – to be that heartbroken over missing the bus.
The thing is, I would have reacted the same way as a child. I was a little melodramatic about that stuff. So all is well that ended well… but it still was kind of a bizarre thing to wake up to this morning. And it makes for what I consider to be a blog-worthy moment… brought to you by me.
Pray for snow. Talk soon.
So when my dreams went from one villainous danger to another, it was no surprise in the early morning hours to hear a youthful voice shrieking “HEY! HEY! HEYYYYY!” blending into all of the other terrifying images of the night. Not until, I realized it was really happening… right outside my window. At first, I lay in bed wondering what to do… do I dare look out the window? And finally, the repeated shouts turned into one long, wailing scream. It was definitely a small child.
I jumped out of bed and to the window, phone in hand to call 911 if necessary. It did, definitely sound like a small child was either being severely beaten out in my parking lot or worse. But when I looked outside, I saw nothing though I could still hear the screaming. Was it coming from inside another house? Unlikely - it was too clear. It had to be outdoors.
At last, I saw a small child running from behind one of our buildings… the buildling closest to the street. He was all bundled up with a gigantic backpack flopping around on his back as he ran.
He missed the bus...
…and he was devastated about it… like really, really devastated. He ran back to the front of his house and stood out on the sidewalk continuing to cry uncontrollably… if it was that loud from my bedroom window, I can only imagine what it sounded like right next to the poor kid.
My next concern was that he was standing in front of his house and there were no cars around. I wondered if his parents were even home or if he had a key to get back in. I started to get myself ready to go out there and let him use my phone… but before I got the chance, the crying stopped and he was gone. My hope is that he just went back inside his house… and I’m sure that’s the case. I live in a safe neighborhood. There are only like 5 of us who live there now and we all know each other, but wow – to be that heartbroken over missing the bus.
The thing is, I would have reacted the same way as a child. I was a little melodramatic about that stuff. So all is well that ended well… but it still was kind of a bizarre thing to wake up to this morning. And it makes for what I consider to be a blog-worthy moment… brought to you by me.
Pray for snow. Talk soon.
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Key To Happiness
Leave a half-eaten cinnamon crunch bagel from Panera sitting on your desk all day. The lasting aroma is sure to send happy shivers down your spine with every breath.
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