i'm still here...

"if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days." ~annie dillard (pilgrim at tinker creek)

this book is so...full! i think after i've read it through, i'll have to read it again. and again. and again, before even half of what she's saying sinks in! i feel like each paragraph is something that needs to be savored, rolled around on your tongue, and chewed on slowly so that every sweet drop can be enjoyed.

so what's new with me...? not much. last week was pretty rough, i stayed home from work three days because i was sick. and according to my jewish fantasy-novel-writing doctor, i don't have strep throat. so no antibiotics. my boss said, "when you have a cold and take medication, it takes around 7 days before you feel better. if you don't take medicine, it takes about a week." wise man. so yesterday was my first day back at the gym cuz last week i would've been hacking all over the place... and it was rough... so sore...

mom and jj came up this weekend to celebrate his birthday and mother's day (belated). we went to the spaghetti factory in toronto and played mini-golf. it was fun. even tho they both slept in the car, and slept for two hours in the livingroom sunday afternoon...

plodding pilgrim

so awhile back amanda gave me a copy of annie dillard's pilgrim at tinker creek and i've been trying to read it. not faithfully, i'll admit. i've found it somewhat overwhelming for my brain to take in. it's like a bombardment of imagery, poetry, and wisdom that's beautiful but too much too fast. needless to say, i've been less than encouraged to do any serious reading with it.

so i was reading donald miller's to own a dragon, and he mentions a girl he knew named posie who was reading pilgrim at tinker creek: she "had to read it slowly, she kept it in the top drawer of her desk and pulled it out like secret chocolate, reading a paragraph at a time, then slipping the book back into the desk to meditate...the book was indeed rich and i suspect posie read a mouthful at a time because the mind was not meant to digest so much so fast."

thus, i don't feel like such an a.d.d. case now that i know there are at least some other people who can't just read it right through and i'm encouraged! reading it little by little works out so much better!

for all the guys out there...

..."women are really attracted to guys who have their crap together. i doubt there are many women enamored by the idea of living under a bridge sucking on a bouillon cube while her man reads Emerson. this is probably not what the old ovaries are pining for... one day you wake up under a pizza box, the television blaring...laundry piled up over what might be a bedside table, and you ask yourself, how did my life get like this? why don't people like me? didn't i have a cat and what is that smell?
~from don miller's to own a dragon (author of blue like jazz)

this book was written for guys, but it makes A LOT of sense re: God as a father... i have it if you want to borrow it.

for melissa...

1. Take the nearest book and look up page 18, line 4. What does it say? "through andrew smith in particular, the members were kept-(fyi it was a copy of Century One: A History of the Ontario Veterinary Association 1874-1974(

2. Reach out your arm as far as you can. What do you touch? my computer monitor

3. What is the latest thing you watched on TV? so you think you can dance (melissa, stop copying my life!)

4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 12:28 Actual time? 12:33

5. Apart from the computer, what else do you hear? my boss eating lunch.

6. When were you last outside, and what did you do?this morning, walked into work.

7. What did you look at before you started answering these questions. melissa's blog

8. What are you wearing? my long khaki shorts and a blue shirt and slippers! (yeah, i'm at work!)

9. Did you dream last night, if you did, then what was the dream about? not that i remember, but norm woke me up in the middle of the night so happy talking about how he had "three kings." i said, are you sleeping? he said, sorta. :D

10. When was the last time you laughed? a few minutes ago when my boss dropped a bunch of files off his desk (i'm so mean)

11. What is on the wall in the room you sit in right now? a canadian poultry calendar, another calendar, the CRWRC calendar(yeah, we like to know what day it is- i actually have another calendar on my desk too)

12. Have you seen anything strange lately? no nothing, everything is normal.

13. What do you think of this challenge? i'll take any diversion from work

14. What movie have you watched most recently? the beginning of pirates of the caribbean

15. If you became a multi-millionaire, what would you buy?melissa...all i want is my melissa! :D

16. Tell something about yourself that others don't know. i wish i was an oscar meyer weiner

17. If you could change ONE thing in the world, without consideration to politics and feelings of guilt, what would it be? i'd get rid of sin, go back to the good ol' nude-y garden of eden days.

18. Do you like dancing? love it, wish i could, wish i did more often

19. George Bush? why can't we just leave the poor boy alone?

20-21.What would you name your children, boy and girl respectively? i don't know, too early to think 'bout those things!

22. Could you consider living abroad? definitely would do it in a heartbeat

23. What would you like God to say to you when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? something like, hey there funny girl, i've been waiting for you!

24. Four people you would like to answer these questions? cheryl, caroline, amanda, and YOU!

a comment on melissa's blog...

first, read her blog here: http://melissaincanada.blogspot.com/2006/06/dancing-folk.html

second, read my comment here:
melissa, this picture was actually taken in stanley park just last year so i'm pretty sure you shouldn't be feeding ice cream to raccoons...

but then again, you're not one much for following rules on signs, are you?

weekend warriors...

so we headed to my dad's this weekend avec monsieur darcy for some pre-father's day and birthday(my stepmom's) festivities. it was freezing but we had fun anyways. this is the halo that dad has had on since early april (from a motorcycle accident, for those who don't know/remember.) recap: he broke the second vertabrae in his neck so has to wear this thing. the four rods are actually screwed into his head and are attached to that vest to keep his head from turning. he goes in on wednesday and they'll take it off, do x-rays, and if it's all good, he can keep it off. then he'll just have to wear a neck brace for a bit they think. so if you think of it, pray that all goes well. he's really really anxious to get it off (he has to sleep sitting up on the couch, can't shower, can't turn his head, etc). hope he doesn't mind his picture on here...hopefully he won't look!

darcy certainly enjoyed his moments of free time and didn't even run away! (thank God for the power of doggie treats!)

psalm 27:14

"wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

i've always sorta felt like this was the"theme" verse of my life... always waiting. but yesterday i had a mini moment of clarity if you will. i've been reading this verse all wrong! i've been reading it as if it said, "wait, be strong and take heart and wait." and i've waited, and waited, and waited... but for what? certainly not for the LORD! i've been waiting for things, circumstances, diplomas, jobs, houses, husbands (just one!)... and on and on and on. how many times have i whined about this!? it's embarassing! i need to wait for the Lord. so anybody know how to do that?

there once was a cute little froggy...

his leg was the first to go

we thought he needed four legs

but sweet mr. darcy said "no"

second went a rubber eyeball

for who needs two to see?

one removed by mr. darcy

last torn out was his heart

his squeaker of a soul

then did his dear life depart

and he's in the trash can now buried in fluff from another unlucky toy

check out who's on the cover...

of this month's banner...

it's the bro in law...

flash forward...

1) so i saw my life flash forward right before my eyes last night. well 17 years or so at least. nette(the lil' sis-in-law) wanted to go to the movies with two of her friends but some of the parents didn't want them to go unaccompanied. so we were given an all expense paid trip to the movies to act as "chaperones." so there were were driving to the movies with three 14 year olds in the back seat, them chattering away. i swear we were the oldest people in the theater (aka over the age of 16 because the teeny boppers were out in full force). we got the tickets and got them snacks and sat by them in the theater. then after, we drove them all home. i swear, in 17 or so year, i'm sure i'll be doing that very thing... it was weird.

two. i've been thinking that leaving our dog in his crate all day is sorta mean, especially on these hot days. so for the last few days, i've left him loose in the kitchen (blocked from the rest of the house with a baby gate). day one worked decently- he did chew on the coat rack some so on day 2 i took it out of the kitchen. day two was beautiful- nothing out of place. day three...well... this is what i came home to:

he had chewed the lining of my shoe and slipper to bits! it was everywhere! he's almost a year old, shouldn't he be done chewing? i left all his toys for him but no.....needless to say, he'll be in his crate from now on. shoe shopping here i come!