a tear is only water, a sigh is only air
It's been a really great day.
Okay, so to start: I am officially stepping down as a volunteer at the Turning Point, as much as I loved it there, and joining the team at the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center (DARCC). I'm really excited about this. It's a startup (they've only been staffed since January), so there's a lot of flexibility and potential that I'm really digging. I met with a woman there once to turn in my application (although it was almost a formality), and then again today to go over the agency-specific protocols. They do a lot of things differently from TTP--mostly good changes, I think. I'll go into that more later, maybe. Anyway, the woman told me that Sarah (volunteer coordinator at TTP) couldn't say enough good things about me, which made me feel good and was a nice send-off. I may never have a "real" job, but at least I know I'm good at non-profit, right?
Yoga--even the staggering amount that I already write about it doesn't do it justice. I feel completely transformed. I'm getting physically stronger, and more flexible, all the time. The actual time at the studio does wonders for me mentally; it's so good to just set aside a time to relax and listen to my body. It loves being pushed to the limit. (The instructor told me today that I'm "super flexy," which made me happy. ALSO, I got my flippin' foot in flippin' LORD OF THE DANCE the other day. If you do yoga you'll know how difficult this is.)
That was today. School started yesterday. I'm taking Theater and Government II; both of my professors are really annoying, but in their own special ways. One of them is at least entertaining in her annoyingness; the other is skull-numbingly boring. Oh well.
This past weekend, we had Alan's parents (both sets) over, along with Jake, Kylie, James, and Addi. It was so much fun. We had some really delicious food--we made chicken tortilla soup, Alan's mom brought cheesy potatoes, and Laura brought cheesecake--and they gave us housewarming gifts (a gorgeous plant and a bottle of white wine from Jesi & Paul, a Target gift card from Ronnie & Laura). Yay for our first real dinner guests!
As you may have seen, we had to have Trixie put down. She had the best life any mouse could ever have, and I'm so glad we got to have her as long as we did.
GTL:
- Got a free fridge!
- Had a fun roleplaying session here at the house with Daniel, Andrew, and Nikki.
- Alan has bought me flowers twice in the past week or so, just because.
- We cleaned and organized the entire house; we are now completely unpacked and everything looks great
- Chelsea
- Alan put up shelves for me
- My birthday's coming up
- ...and Alan has some kind of surprise planned for me ^-^
- Blake will be home from Korea tomorrow! My seester is pretty pumped.
- I found a Turkish guy living in the DFW area who's willing to meet up with me (with Alan present, of course) to do a language exchange
- A friend of mine who's pregnant is making her daughter's middle name Virginia after me
- Lauren is coming over next Wednesday and we're going to make a day of it to celebrate my birthday
- CR, and all my wonderful friends there
- Being a greeter at CR
- Kylie said to Mom (referring to the chicken tortilla soup), "Nana, I LOVE this soup!"
- Alan was put in charge of a project at work
- There are so many different kinds of cheese! It's wonderful.
- Saralynn is back from Hungary.
- Addi is expected to be walking by Christmas
- The Casa Linda Bakery is amazing. So far I've had some lemon thumbprint cookies and petit fours--so good, so convenient, so cheap. I'm going to have to be careful not to go too often.
- Alan is wonderful! I'm so infatuated with him.
- "If we don't deal with the past, it's not the past."
Poll Questions:
1. Asking people (specifically, people you don't know very well) about their tattoos (meaning, background, etc.): kosher or no? It can be a great conversation starter, but for some people, it's too personal.
2. Christians: Have you ever considered the possibility that beauty could be absolute? (My argument in a nutshell: God is always right; if God says that something is beautiful, and someone else says it is not, God is right and they are wrong; therefore beauty is absolute and not relative.) This has been on my mind a lot lately, although my still-forming opinion is open to being changed.
3. Do you have any good recipes to share? Bonus points if it involves strawberries and/or cheese in some way.
Category: None
neko
Posted on August 25, 2010 at 09:38 PM
1. I think it's fine to ask, as long as it's phrased in a non-aggressive way. No one should be offended by, "Is that a star on your shoulder?", for instance. I kind of think that if someone tattoos a part of his/her body that is visible, that person tacitly agrees to accept casual comments or questions on it. I do think, of course, that if someone says "yeah, but it's personal and I'd rather not talk about it" in response to a question about his/her tattoo, that answer must be respected.
2. I understand your reasoning, but I'm curious as to the context. Does God say anything in particular is beautiful? What sense are we using 'beauty' in, anyway? I don't think, for instance, that God has guidelines on beautiful poetry, so does that mean that beauty is not absolute in terms of poetry but is absolute in terms of (for instance) a pure heart? It's the same word, so it must be a different meaning or usage. (I feel suddenly like I have created like five more questions instead of answering yours. And the direct address tells me this question wasn't even mine to answer anyway. I'm sorry x.x)
3. My mom makes two desserts that I absolutely adore: no-bake cookies and Louisiana fruit salad (which involves strawberries). I'll try and find the recipes and send them to you on facebook, because they are somewhat long.
Cameron
Posted on August 26, 2010 at 07:30 AM
1: It's a good thing. Started many a good conversation this way. And Neko's right - if it's visible, then they don't really have the right to be overly personal about it.
2. Beauty is based upon perception, which is relative. But a person's perception is limited, while God's is not. Therefore beauty is absolute, but it makes very little difference to us since we have a limited perspective. You're talking about physical beauty, right?
jodely1
Posted on August 26, 2010 at 06:36 PM
1.Depends on the location of the tattoo. A tramp stamp that you happen to catch sight of because the person's pants are riding down, you might not want to ask about. A tattoo on someone's arm or other easily visible area, I wouldn't think any questions would be too personal. Since if the tattoo were that personal, they would have put it somewhere less visible.
2. Define "beauty".
chelsea
Posted on August 26, 2010 at 10:32 PM
1. Definitely kosher (bonus points for using the word kosher). I get really excited when people ask about my tattoo. Especially when I can tell they're really interested. Most people just want to know what it says & I know that's all they care about. I've had a few though, who once they found out what it said, were really intrigued and questioned why I got it and what it meant to me and that always makes me feel special :)
3. I'll send you a few & you can pick and choose what you like.
Jobe
Posted on August 27, 2010 at 01:20 PM
Warning: My comment is going to be lame. Probably.
I'm so glad that you have a good recommendation backing you up as you start at DARCC. You will surely grow and prosper there, and the Lord will guide you as you continue that work.
You are seriously making me want to do yoga. With your constant chatter about it. So...thank you? You and Kevin being active people makes me want to change. :)
I'm sorry your teachers suck. :( Prayin you can make it through the semester decently without wanting to pull your hair out in frustration. You have lovely hair.
1. I totally think that makes sense. It's not something I personally would do though, unless in select circumstances (namely, having chatted already with the person briefly to ascertain how they might respond to such a question). As others have said, they should be open to questions but be allowed to gently decline such questions.
2. I'm with your friends. How exactly are we defining beauty here, and can you give us an example? Like, God said that His creation was "good" (therefore...beautiful?). Which would mean that cockroaches, as His creation, should be considered such? haha. That's what came to mind.
3. I still want to show you how to make baked chicken. But that's not cheese or strawberries, so it might have to wait. :P
Freakin' long comment. Sorrrry.
dorkamus
Posted on August 31, 2010 at 12:26 AM
Aww i love that you are so infatuated with Alan! it's beautiful.
you put me in your GTL! i'm honored.
i hope things go smoothly at this new place (DARRC *and* your new home) for you!
Colleen
Posted on September 05, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Hey gin. I know this post is old-ish and all, but I kind of just realized that you have a blog. =P
1. It's totally kosher, but I hate when people do it to me. I have one tattoo that doesn't mean anything that I'm planning on covering up, one that has significant meaning to me but I have an inability to express that meaning besides "hurr, my friend and I done drew that and I liked it," and one that has a plethora of meanings (it's a 3 part celtic knot) to different people and they seem to want to argue me about it. So knowing what a pain it is to me, I don't really ask people about their tattoos. I do like hearing back stories about tattoos and I'll sometimes ask what a symbol or design is if I don't recognize it, but I never really ask for the deep meanings behind tattoos. For me, that's too personal to ask a stranger.
2. Are we talking about physical beauty here? God in omniscient and sees and understands every facet of our being. If there's anyone could look past mistakes and see the beauty in anyone, I'd say it's probably got to be God. And I would say that it's absolute.
3. I make this jello pie that everyone loves. I can't go to a family dinner or a potluck without being forced to make a couple. Mix one small jello package (85g I think, they come in either big or small, just get the small. =P) with 1.5 cups of boiling water until dissolved. Then whisk in half a tub of Cool Whip until all the lumps are gone. Then pour it into a cookie pie crust, and let it chill in the freezer (or outside in the winter, oh wait you don't have those =P) for about 2 hours, or until it's solid without freezing too much. The layers separate, it's really cool. I usually make two at a time. Lime is Nathanael's favourite and strawberry is mine. =)