itty bitty buddha

buddha
Originally uploaded by SilverTurtle.

This is what inspired my template change. A sense of peace and tranquility every time you visit.

Charlotte gave me this Itty Bitty Buddha for my recent birthday.

I'm not Buddhist, but I do find a lot of the teachings and practices of Buddhism useful and interesting. I really dig Taoism as a general life philosophy.

I'm surprised I don't blog more about religion. It's something I've always been fascinated by. And how many Christians are you going to meet that think Taoism, Buddhism and being a liberal are all related to Christianity?

Yak Rider is a fun place to explore eastern religions. And it has some really peace-inducing photos if you're having a long day.

pretty, shiny blog

I finally got around to updating my blog template. I've always liked this one; I think it conveys a sense of peace and tranquility. And who doesn't need that?

Very Zen, I know. Later today maybe I'll get around to posting a photo of something that inspired me to change. (It does require a little effort you know - I can never leave a template alone completely. I must tweak at least a couple of things).

someone else actually gets it

Thanks to these girls in my city for the link.

On God's Side by Jim Wallis - someone who doesn't think his religion entitles him to make whacked out political decisions. This is more refreshing than the sub-zero ice watercooler water at work.

james taylor & sexual favors

Not together .... just two random things I wanted to blog about whilst I sit trying to decide what to eat for breakfast. (Oatmeal? The last of the vanilla creme frosted mini wheats? Toast & eggs? Such a quandry.)

james taylor
A couple days ago a friend was over and we were watching American Idol. [I have a love/hate relationship with that show. It represents everything wrong with the music industry. Silver Turtle Boyfriend got me to watch it, and now I find myself picking out favorites. And the early episodes with horrid singers are great because Simon kicks ass.] Anyway, we're sitting there and the other rocker guy comes on. He's the one that didn't leave his band so he hasn't received a whole lot of airtime thus far. Bo [what is this, the Dukes of Hazzard?] He did a surprisingly good job, and we all sat around staring at each other going "he's really good!". Then a our friend says, "You know, he looks like a young James Taylor". And really, he kind of does.

The next day I was driving to the store [to get vanilla creme frosted mini wheats and milk] and I see a window in a building that reads: "All State Insurance - James Taylor". It would almost be worth the effort of changing insurance companies just to say that James Taylor was my insurance agent. Almost.

Incidentally, the real James Taylor puts on a pretty good show.

sexual favors
Wednesday one of my coworkers came back from making a deposit at the bank. While she was there the teller told her that she had just deposited a check for $25 for someone. In the MEMO section was written "for sexual favors". This begs two questions: What could you be doing for only $25? [Silver Turtle Boyfriend says probably a blowjob]. And why would you write it on your check? It's not like it's going to be a tax deduction next year.

Sometimes when I'm hanging out with a group of friends we'll decide to order pizza or wings or something, and no one has cash. So someone will use their debit card and someone else will write a check. Next time I want to be the check writer so I can write "for sexual favors" on the check. Maybe I should do that with my utility and visa bills, too.

breakfast decision
I think I'll finish off the vanilla creme frosted mini wheats now.

the creepy guy

There's that game you play when you're bored and sitting in traffic staring at the pedestrians or other drivers - the game where you make up stories about them, about what they're doing, maybe their life story if it's an exceptionally long traffic light.

The game involves judgements based entirely on nonverbal communication, from their clothing to the specific twinkle in their eyes, or lack of, to hand gestures and how high they hold their head. First impressions are vital, we're told.

When I was in college I took a class called Communication & Culture. One of the first days of the semester we did an activity. We had to pair up with someone in the class we didn't know. I was a senior, and most of the class were freshman and sophomores, so it was easy for me... I knew about 2 other people. We couldn't talk to the other person. We had a list of questions, and we had to sit and look at each other and answer questions. It was somewhat awkward, trying to analyze someone while they were staring at you, doing the same thing.

The questions were things like:
What year in school is this person?
Does s/he drink?
Is s/he religious?
Is s/he a commuter or resident?

Etc.

Things that you couldn't know about someone. I sat and looked at the blonde haired girl across from me. I thought (and wrote on my answer sheet):
-Freshman
-Has had a drink on occassion, and has friends that drink, but is still cautios about it due to her religious background - probably involved in church youth group
-Religious - protestant, but probably not 100% into her religion, willing to explore others, may end up not being religious at all
-She's from a suburb of the city, but lives on campus. Even though her parents were relunctant to let her and she goes home most weekends and sometimes during the week.

Etc.

I elaborated like that on every question. After a few minutes we gave each other our answers. I totally freaked out my partner, because I painted a 100% accurate picture of her and she didn't do or say anything. I saw about 1/2 of it in her eyes. The rest I picked up from clothing, the way she sat, etc. I don't remember what the exact point of the exercise was, either to show us how some things have specific meanings in our culture, or to show us not to judge on first impressions. Either way, I discovered I'm really good at reading people. Something I had expected simply from my experience with people up to that point. When I meet you, I get an instant vibe about you. I don't know if it's Aura, Karma, The Force, or what... but I know instantly if you're good or bad. Just like Santa.

There's a new guy at work. He's been around awhile now. My instant "reading" of him was that I'm going to see his neighbors on the news talking about he was "a nice guy", "quiet", "a good neighbor"...you know, right after he's done something psycho. The thing is, this guy has been nothing but nice to anyone. He's picking up the job quick. He's polite. He's done absolutely nothing suspicious. I have no reason to think poorly of him, other than the weird vibe I get from him. It's not simply the vibe of playing too much D&D and online gaming, although that is part of it, it's a bad karma kind of vibe. If I wasn't such an abnormally good judge of character, I would just shake it off as a bad first impression. But I get the vibe every time I'm around him. Everyone else loves him, why wouldn't they, he's a nice guy who does his job. I really hope my karma-sense is just off with this guy.

slacker

In true slacker fashion, I'm just going to direct you to this link instead of actually writing anything.

travels

Last night I was at a friend's house. She and her husband have traveled a lot - they were missionaries for a brief period of time. (Something I have mixed feelings on in general, but that's not the point of this post at all...)

Each room in their house is decorated to subtely represent a different country or region of the world they've been in. Places include the Amazon, Africa, Mexico, China, and Italy. It's done very tastefully, using color schemes and patterns from various countries. They've got a few photos up from these travels in each respective room. And their office is "world headquarters". It's really very cool.

Have you noticed that once someone has visited another country, they need to keep part of that experience with them? I have been in love with Germany ever since I visited in high school. One of my friends spent a semester of college in Jamaica, and he's got a room in his house that features several mementos of his trip. A friend of my mom's visited Israel several years ago. She was Jewish and had always wanted to go. Once there, she said she wasn't coming back - she felt at home with the land. (Eventually her husband and kids got her back, kicking and screaming, I think). The list just goes on and on.

It doesn't seem to matter where we visit. Europe, Africa, South America, wherever. Something about experiencing that culture becomes a part of our character. If you talk to somoene long enough, you will know if they have visited another country, because somehow it will come up. They will have adopted a small mannerism or saying, they'll tell you about something that is better there. It sort of makes me wonder how humans have managed to fight with each other over land and differences for so many centuries when we so obviously can respect each other and learn to enjoy our differences.

too damn busy

Ever since somewhere in the eighth grade, I've been involved in everything. It started with the music ensembles. Then it grew to include the community service groups with my friends. And I had to have time for my job and keeping my grades up and just hanging out. Luckily being a high school honors student mostly meant doing some homeworking and having a decent memory. And I have always been pretty adept at creative time management.

In college I told myself I wasn't going to be in every club possible. I already had a few music ensembles on top of a full course load and the fun and excitement of the college experience. That lasted until the fall of my sophomore year when I joined my fraternity. [yeah - I know I'm a girl. It's co-ed. Hence the word fraternity.] Add one or two jobs and some freelance and gig work - and right back down the spiral of involvement. (My most academically successful semester I was taking 16 credit hours, working two part time jobs and doing freelance work. I also managed to find loads of time for socializing - even thought it was often 2AM runs to Denny's).

After graduation I spent some time just waiting tables and taking a few road trips with friends. Then I got a semi-real job. Before I knew it, I was swept back up into work parties and fraternity alumni life and a relationship.

One would think that I don't value my free time. That's a wrong assumption. I adore free time. I try very hard to squeeze in as much free time as I can. (I include bass practice in free time, because that's really fun). I don't stay as late at work as I could or probably should most days. I don't take all the overtime that I can. I slack off on some of my volunteer duties more often than I should. I say no to things.

And here I am, still having to use my mad time management skills just to find time to update my blog. I wish I would have beaten Franklin Covey to the monopoly on planners, palm pilots, and other time management devices. Once I get into my time management groove I can do just about anything. And the busier my calendar gets, the more relaxation I manage to get it - because it becomes that much more important. I can't wait to finish some of my current projects and get my butt to Boston for my mini-vacation. April 1st cannot arrive soon enough.

productivity

Things To Do Today:

1. Clean Living Room
2. Clean Bathroom
3. Clean Bedroom
4. Sweep & Mop Floors
5. Finish Valentines
6. Finish Editing Pieces so I can complete the layout on Monday and Tuesday and get them in to the executive director by Wednesday

What I'm Actually Doing:
1. Updating Blog
2. Looking up random bass info online
3. Playing Bass

birthday

I turned 28 earlier this week. I can't believe my twenties are winding down. I've really been enjoying them.

It just seems you can get away with stuff in your twenties that you can't when you're in your thirties. Things like living in a crappy little apartment near a college just because it's dirt cheap, and driving a beat-up car (that you just had to spend another $230 fixing on your birthday), and going to see bands play at little bars on Tuesday night just because you feel like it.

I guess it's sort of like choosing to participate in your university's annual naked run with the reasoning "If I do this now, when I tell the story people will laugh and appreciate it because 'I was in college' and that's when you're supposed to do stupid things". At least my university's naked run was in the spring and not the winter.

I have a list of things I want to do before I die - maybe I should pull out everything I want to accomplish before I turn 30.

the tale of the mysterious disappearing mail

We haven't received a single piece of mail since last Saturday. Not even the junk flyers that are shoved in, around, and under our mailboxes every day.

Silver Turtle Boyfriend decided someone was stealing our mail. I don't know anyone that wants to steal other people's bills, like they don't have enough of their own. So today I took matters into my hands and went to the post office.

The mailbox next to ours is damaged. Damaged as in the entire door is ripped off. So I thought maybe there was a problem with delivering mail to anyone there until it's fixed. At the post office they informed me that they changed carrier routes, and all of the carriers are now based out of a different location. Then they gave me a flyer with the phone number and directions.

I called and sure enough, the mail is being held. For absolutely no reason. I had to go pick it up. There were only three pieces, and none of them were for Silver Turtle Boyfriend. Maybe someone is stealing his mail.

Can I tell you how annoying it is to have your mail held, and not have anyone tell you. Or even leave a simple note in your box?! Stupid post office.

old friends

Last Friday I got an email from my high school senior class president announcing the date of our 10 year class reunion. The following day I got an email from an old high school friend who grabbed my email off that list. She and I had been fairly good friends the first couple of years of high school. But as our class schedules changed and we were involved in different things, we drifted apart as always happens.

Monday night Silver Turtle Boyfriend ran into a friend of ours we haven't seen in about three years. Not only did we agree to get together soon... she called me tonight and we're actually going to do something.

Tonight I also got emails from two of my best friends in high school. One I email with about once a year and know enough to know about his wife, school, and job. The other I haven't had contact with in about four years. I just knew he was in school working on his PhD. (At Yale - he's Mr. Smarty Pants).

Weird how all of these people are reappearing at the same time.