This post is primarily because Jimmy just left for his night job and it made me sad... So I'm going to write about happy things.
My wedding is basically planned. Yep. I mean, there are details to iron out and contracts to sign and tastings to attend and decorations to buy... But the PLANNING part is pretty much done. Color scheme? Check. Attendants? Check. Budget and timeline? Check. Location and date and time? Check. Caterer and cake baker and photographer and rental place and honeymoon (HATE that word) and musicians and officiant? Check-ish. Nothings official, but there are definite front runners. The dress, tuxes, florist (just for bouquets and boutonnières (I spelled that wrong and spell check gave me "guttersnipe" for some reason. All I did was add an extra "t", it wasn't that off!)) are all still up in the air. But yeah. I'm on top of this.
My mom wants to throw an engagement party to get Jimmy's family and my family and some of the friends to meet and mingle. I'm all about it, I just don't know about logistics. We'll see, though. I'm not all about the shower thing, so this is probably a good substitute.
Don't weddings just seem like an excuse to ask people to get you a lot of stuff? I kind of hate that. I have enough stuff. I have too much stuff. What in the world could I possibly ask for at a bridal shower? That said, if anyone wants to contribute to the "Buy Laura and Jimmy a House" fund, feel free... :)
Ok, well, the DNC is on and Teddy Kennedy is speaking. Must run!
Laura
Monday, August 25, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Hooray for narcotics
I went to the dentist today because I had a toothache yesterday. It was mostly gone this morning but I went ahead and kept the appointment. I need a dentist in Frankfort anyway. So I went in and ended up getting a root canal! Right then and there. So now I have a partial filling and a 1750 dollar bill for the whole experience. Well, including the next two visits. Who knew root canals were so involved?
But I have some pretty nifty pain medicine and I got to spend most of the day in a comfy chair watching TV. (They squeezed me in at the same time as other appointments so there was a lot of waiting). And I really like the dentist lady (I can't pronounce her name; I may call her Crentist), which is crucial for someone like me who has chronic teeth issues. Thanks, mom!
Anyway, after 3 hours at the dentist I left, completely numb. I tried to smile; I looked like half of my face was paralyzed! So everywhere I went after that (starbucks, kroger's pharmacy, the gas station, my office) I couldn't smile at anyone! And, granted, I'm not always little Ms. Sunshine, but we're so programmed to smile at strangers (especially us women) that when I wasn't able to, I felt completely evil. The lady at the gas station across from my work (who I see practically daily) gave me a free cookie and I thanked her, completely stone-faced. It was a bizarre experience and I am glad its over.
Its precisely for that reason I would never try botox.
Tomorrow is our office picnic. We're going to celebrate my one year anniversary with enforcement and my birthday! Well, me and a handful of other people. August is a big month in my office. I'm really looking forward to it.
It may be these pain pills (who ever said narcotics are a bad thing?) or the fact that I just watched Project Runway (with drag queens!) but I'm in a phenomenal mood.
Later Days,
Laura
But I have some pretty nifty pain medicine and I got to spend most of the day in a comfy chair watching TV. (They squeezed me in at the same time as other appointments so there was a lot of waiting). And I really like the dentist lady (I can't pronounce her name; I may call her Crentist), which is crucial for someone like me who has chronic teeth issues. Thanks, mom!
Anyway, after 3 hours at the dentist I left, completely numb. I tried to smile; I looked like half of my face was paralyzed! So everywhere I went after that (starbucks, kroger's pharmacy, the gas station, my office) I couldn't smile at anyone! And, granted, I'm not always little Ms. Sunshine, but we're so programmed to smile at strangers (especially us women) that when I wasn't able to, I felt completely evil. The lady at the gas station across from my work (who I see practically daily) gave me a free cookie and I thanked her, completely stone-faced. It was a bizarre experience and I am glad its over.
Its precisely for that reason I would never try botox.
Tomorrow is our office picnic. We're going to celebrate my one year anniversary with enforcement and my birthday! Well, me and a handful of other people. August is a big month in my office. I'm really looking forward to it.
It may be these pain pills (who ever said narcotics are a bad thing?) or the fact that I just watched Project Runway (with drag queens!) but I'm in a phenomenal mood.
Later Days,
Laura
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The language of ideology
I mentioned last post to look for a wedding post soon. Keep looking. Maybe sometime in September? We'll have the venue officially then.
So I also mentioned last time that I've been thinking a lot about activism. And thats still true. And I've been thinking about how the term "activism" seems to be a positive thing for liberals and a negative thing for conservatives. Like how conservative media pundits complain about "activist judges" when they really just mean "liberal judges". And I get it. Judges shouldn't have a political agenda. They should hear cases from an unbiased place. But conservative judges have an agenda too, its just different. You never hear liberals complain about activist conservative judges though... I don't know why that is, other than just to say that we like to use language to draw lines in the sand between our ideologies.
Liberals tend to hate the term "evangelical". We associate it with unrelenting, pushy, close-minded and judgemental people. And that isn't fair either. What is evangelism but a specific form of activism, anyway? Although I would never want to be in step with the Hagees and Dobsons of the world, I would consider myself an evangelical in the literal sense of the word. I believe in loving your neighbor. I believe that we should "love one another for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." And I try my best to be a loving person.
And this is my problem with the liberal/conservative dichotomy. I live in an extremely conservative area. And I get a LOT of liberal jokes, which is ok because thats how my co-workers show friendship and comfort with other people. By picking on them. But the main point of most of the liberal jokes is that liberals are too soft, too peaceful and too keen to believe that there is good in all people. But isn't that what we're called to be as Christian people? Aren't we called first to love our neighbor, whether they're poor or lazy or don't look, talk, act or believe the way we do? We aren't called to condemn people. I can't find a single verse in the bible asking us to use our government as a tool to marginalize and punish the wicked. Good thing, too. We'd all be screwed.
I don't see Jesus going to Rome to demand that the Sabbath be observed. I can't find any basis for evangelism through government. I cannot understand the belief that we should force obediance to our own belief system simply because we may have the majority.
(Side note: There's a lot in the Bible. There's a lot we don't focus on. Why is it that we pull out the parts that deal with what makes us different from one another and hold them up as though there's a divine hi-lighter on that particular part of that particular verse? Homosexuality is an abomination. So is eating shrimp. They're mere verses apart. Why do we care more about one than another?)
Christianity calls us to love our neighbor. The Constitution exists to protect the minority from the majority. I believe that both those ideas work toward the same goal of unity. And I'm going to continue to try and figure out my place and my desire to use activism and evangelism to stop people from using the language of ideology and selective bible-reading to drive wedges between us.
And I'm going to try to do better about that myself.
Later Days,
Laura
P.S. This was incredibly stream of consciousness. So if something doesn't make sense or seems weird or contradictory, leave me a message! Or, if you just want to debate with me your comment is welcome as well. I think that most of us are faithfully trying to figure out what we believe truth is, even though we may come to vastly different conclusions. I recognize the possiblity that, from time to time, I MAY be wrong. :)
P.P.S. Isn't that the beauty of Christianity? It forces us to accept that we're flawed and imperfect and often wrong. But thats ok.
So I also mentioned last time that I've been thinking a lot about activism. And thats still true. And I've been thinking about how the term "activism" seems to be a positive thing for liberals and a negative thing for conservatives. Like how conservative media pundits complain about "activist judges" when they really just mean "liberal judges". And I get it. Judges shouldn't have a political agenda. They should hear cases from an unbiased place. But conservative judges have an agenda too, its just different. You never hear liberals complain about activist conservative judges though... I don't know why that is, other than just to say that we like to use language to draw lines in the sand between our ideologies.
Liberals tend to hate the term "evangelical". We associate it with unrelenting, pushy, close-minded and judgemental people. And that isn't fair either. What is evangelism but a specific form of activism, anyway? Although I would never want to be in step with the Hagees and Dobsons of the world, I would consider myself an evangelical in the literal sense of the word. I believe in loving your neighbor. I believe that we should "love one another for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." And I try my best to be a loving person.
And this is my problem with the liberal/conservative dichotomy. I live in an extremely conservative area. And I get a LOT of liberal jokes, which is ok because thats how my co-workers show friendship and comfort with other people. By picking on them. But the main point of most of the liberal jokes is that liberals are too soft, too peaceful and too keen to believe that there is good in all people. But isn't that what we're called to be as Christian people? Aren't we called first to love our neighbor, whether they're poor or lazy or don't look, talk, act or believe the way we do? We aren't called to condemn people. I can't find a single verse in the bible asking us to use our government as a tool to marginalize and punish the wicked. Good thing, too. We'd all be screwed.
I don't see Jesus going to Rome to demand that the Sabbath be observed. I can't find any basis for evangelism through government. I cannot understand the belief that we should force obediance to our own belief system simply because we may have the majority.
(Side note: There's a lot in the Bible. There's a lot we don't focus on. Why is it that we pull out the parts that deal with what makes us different from one another and hold them up as though there's a divine hi-lighter on that particular part of that particular verse? Homosexuality is an abomination. So is eating shrimp. They're mere verses apart. Why do we care more about one than another?)
Christianity calls us to love our neighbor. The Constitution exists to protect the minority from the majority. I believe that both those ideas work toward the same goal of unity. And I'm going to continue to try and figure out my place and my desire to use activism and evangelism to stop people from using the language of ideology and selective bible-reading to drive wedges between us.
And I'm going to try to do better about that myself.
Later Days,
Laura
P.S. This was incredibly stream of consciousness. So if something doesn't make sense or seems weird or contradictory, leave me a message! Or, if you just want to debate with me your comment is welcome as well. I think that most of us are faithfully trying to figure out what we believe truth is, even though we may come to vastly different conclusions. I recognize the possiblity that, from time to time, I MAY be wrong. :)
P.P.S. Isn't that the beauty of Christianity? It forces us to accept that we're flawed and imperfect and often wrong. But thats ok.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Not much new in my world. I've been busy, though. I don't feel busy, but I recently tried to find a time to meet up with a friend and it was more complicated than I thought it would be!
Jimmy and I made an impromptu trip to Florence this weekend to help his mom move. As completely tired of moving as I am, I'm glad we were able to come help. I'm a little further away than I was in Georgetown (about an hour and a half now) but we were able to swing by and see my parents for a little bit before we had to get back to Shelbyville. Next weekend I'm going with my mom to Bowling Green (KY) for my cousin and grandmother's birthday celebration. And the NEXT weekend we're doing a joint birthday thing in Florence for me and Adam! Thats also the weekend we can reserve our wedding venue, so we're going to take moneybags (my mother) to see the place and then put down the deposit.
On the work front... I had negotiation training at work this week. As part of it, we had to take the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator. I was an INFJ (the mystic). Less than 1% of the population are INFJs. We're more likely to be psychic and/or geniuses! I'm not surprised.. :) Here's part of the overview:
I'm normally good at perspective. I'm a forest person, not a tree person. I don't need everything to be perfect so I have high hopes for myself to not lose sight of the important thing (marrying Jimmy) in a sea of really silly details (cake, centerpieces, flowers). My mom on the other hand...
Look for a post about wedding things soon!
Later Days,
Laura
Jimmy and I made an impromptu trip to Florence this weekend to help his mom move. As completely tired of moving as I am, I'm glad we were able to come help. I'm a little further away than I was in Georgetown (about an hour and a half now) but we were able to swing by and see my parents for a little bit before we had to get back to Shelbyville. Next weekend I'm going with my mom to Bowling Green (KY) for my cousin and grandmother's birthday celebration. And the NEXT weekend we're doing a joint birthday thing in Florence for me and Adam! Thats also the weekend we can reserve our wedding venue, so we're going to take moneybags (my mother) to see the place and then put down the deposit.
On the work front... I had negotiation training at work this week. As part of it, we had to take the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator. I was an INFJ (the mystic). Less than 1% of the population are INFJs. We're more likely to be psychic and/or geniuses! I'm not surprised.. :) Here's part of the overview:
"Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life. Those who are activists -- INFJs gravitate toward such a role -- are there for the cause, not for personal glory or political power.
INFJs are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. They often are found in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress. INFJs may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless. The concept of 'poetic justice' is appealing to the INFJ.
"There's something rotten in Denmark." Accurately suspicious about others' motives, INFJs are not easily led. These are the people that you can rarely fool any of the time. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words.
INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. In addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ to know and be known by others intimately.
Writing, counseling, public service and even politics are areas where INFJs frequently find their niche."
Crazy, because I've been thinking a lot about activism lately. Pretty soon after the wedding I want to go back to school. I'm not sure what I want to do specifically, but I've always felt a strong tug toward human-rights work. Thats so broad, though. I really need to figure out specifically where I want to be, then do what I need to do to get there. Maybe that means law school, maybe its a masters in a specific field. I have some time, but I want to get some goals laid out before I get too wrapped up in wedding stuff.I'm normally good at perspective. I'm a forest person, not a tree person. I don't need everything to be perfect so I have high hopes for myself to not lose sight of the important thing (marrying Jimmy) in a sea of really silly details (cake, centerpieces, flowers). My mom on the other hand...
Look for a post about wedding things soon!
Later Days,
Laura
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
