A fellow blogger (Billy Ockham) tagged me. It's something I've assudiously avoided until now, but what the heck. ::grin:: I may not be able to come up with SIX PEOPLE to tag myself (who wouldn't shoot me dead if they saw me later) so I'll have to ponder that very carefully.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. (Done, above.)
2. Post the rules on your blog. (You're reading them!)
3. Write six random things about yourself. (Look below)
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. (Look even farther below.)
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Random bits:
1. I really love to build things with Lego - Notre Dame Cathedral is my crowning achievement to date.
2. The only time my husband and I talk about philosophy is when we go on long walks or hikes.
3. My favorite coffee is Barnies' Cinnamon Butter Cookie.
4. I once climbed a water tower, just because it was there.
5. I saw Pope John Paul II when I was in Rome in 2000.
6. My husband is a college football widower every fall. (Go Seminoles!)
And I will tag....
1. Blondie
2. Frick
3. Librarian
4. the Jones
5. Gratia Domini
6. Jenny
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Prayer Request!
The philosopher in my life just found out he has a job interview for a tenure-track position at a small liberal arts college! Please pray for him as he prepares for the interview, that he may clearly present himself and his abilities. Pray for the interviewers' discernment. Pray for safe travels to Philadelphia, as the interview will take place at the Eastern APA meeting on December 30. Finally, pray that we follow God's plan - not ours - and that if this is meant to be the path forward becomes clear.
I'm trying not to be too excited, because I know that this is just one step among many. But the field of philosophy is very competitive right now, and going from one-in-300 to one-in-ten is a huge step forward.
Blessed Advent!
I'm trying not to be too excited, because I know that this is just one step among many. But the field of philosophy is very competitive right now, and going from one-in-300 to one-in-ten is a huge step forward.
Blessed Advent!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
My name is Alabama, and I am schizophrenic.
It's Alabama. It's December. As the saying goes: if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes!
Well today we're waiting, and watching, and praying. Tonight severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are predicted. (Yes, Alabama actually has TWO severe weather seasons: one in the spring and one in late fall.) Double the pleasure, double the fun! Dewpoints are in the 60s, and so are the temperatures. Other weather-nerd info says that winds aloft are very high, which is another indicator of a possible severe weather outbreak. My favorite weatherman (and his station) go to 24/7 uninterrupted coverage if there is a tornado warning in the tv coverage area. And for a weather junkie like me, that is way cool. I always learn a lot (if I'm not cowering in the laundry room!)
We don't actually have a weather radio, but the news station set up a weather text alert that will go to your cell phone. You pick the county, and you'll get a text message as soon at the National Weather Service announces the alert. Often my cell phone goes off before we hear the sirens! So even though the professor laughs when I tuck my cell phone under my pillow on those potentially nasty nights, I know that if a tornado is coming I can make sure we go to a safe place.
Tomorrow should be blustery and damp, unpleasant, but not alarming. Then on Thursday, temperatures will drop dramatically and SNOW is predicted Thursday night. Snow. Give Me a Break. Well, as long as it holds off until I get home from work I can live with it.
Hello, my name is Alabama, and I am schizophrenic!
Well today we're waiting, and watching, and praying. Tonight severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are predicted. (Yes, Alabama actually has TWO severe weather seasons: one in the spring and one in late fall.) Double the pleasure, double the fun! Dewpoints are in the 60s, and so are the temperatures. Other weather-nerd info says that winds aloft are very high, which is another indicator of a possible severe weather outbreak. My favorite weatherman (and his station) go to 24/7 uninterrupted coverage if there is a tornado warning in the tv coverage area. And for a weather junkie like me, that is way cool. I always learn a lot (if I'm not cowering in the laundry room!)
We don't actually have a weather radio, but the news station set up a weather text alert that will go to your cell phone. You pick the county, and you'll get a text message as soon at the National Weather Service announces the alert. Often my cell phone goes off before we hear the sirens! So even though the professor laughs when I tuck my cell phone under my pillow on those potentially nasty nights, I know that if a tornado is coming I can make sure we go to a safe place.
Tomorrow should be blustery and damp, unpleasant, but not alarming. Then on Thursday, temperatures will drop dramatically and SNOW is predicted Thursday night. Snow. Give Me a Break. Well, as long as it holds off until I get home from work I can live with it.
Hello, my name is Alabama, and I am schizophrenic!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Eucatastrophe
Last night in Wheaton, Illinois, a group of orthodox Anglicans laid the foundation for a provisional Anglican Church in North America. My small little corner of the Anglican alphabet soup is not a part of this (yet?), but it gives me hope. It gives me hope that Biblically-based Anglican Christianity is still alive and well in America, and will continue with the Great Commission. It gives me hope that our fractured world does have the ability to come together and begin to heal - if us raucous Anglicans can agree to disagree on things like women's ordination and which prayer book is appropriate, just think what might happen in other areas where we live and work.
Do you see what I mean? We are so used to getting our own way in today's society. It's "me, me, me, me" everywhere you go. Here's an example of folks willing to set aside the "me" and work for the better of "we." The quote "preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words," is attrbuted to St. Francis, and it applies to us. Regardless of where we are and what venue we are functioning in, our actions are visible to those around us. So now maybe a town council, or a Baptist church, or a board of directors will see how this group of Anglicans set aside their differences to work together for the greater good. Indeed, maybe some of the Anglicans involved in this new province WORK in some of those other groups, and will not only impact the "group dynamics" but bring souls to Christ at the same time.
It's not a solution to all life's problems - of course not. We are fallen human beings and will continue to struggle with sin for the rest of our lives. But at this part of the story, we are experiencing our own eucatastrophe. And I will weep and rejoice as I watch the events unfold.
Do you see what I mean? We are so used to getting our own way in today's society. It's "me, me, me, me" everywhere you go. Here's an example of folks willing to set aside the "me" and work for the better of "we." The quote "preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words," is attrbuted to St. Francis, and it applies to us. Regardless of where we are and what venue we are functioning in, our actions are visible to those around us. So now maybe a town council, or a Baptist church, or a board of directors will see how this group of Anglicans set aside their differences to work together for the greater good. Indeed, maybe some of the Anglicans involved in this new province WORK in some of those other groups, and will not only impact the "group dynamics" but bring souls to Christ at the same time.
It's not a solution to all life's problems - of course not. We are fallen human beings and will continue to struggle with sin for the rest of our lives. But at this part of the story, we are experiencing our own eucatastrophe. And I will weep and rejoice as I watch the events unfold.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
It's a fiesta (without the radioactivity)!
No, actually we're not having a non-nuclear party. ::grin:: (Well, dad and I are having one this Saturday for the SEC Championship game, and that might go nuclear, but that's another thing entirely.)
My mom has had some dinnerware in storage that I've coveted for years. Some of the pieces were my great-grandmother's, even. She'd already passed on her Lenox china (saying she never used it) so I didn't want to ask for anything else. But this Thanksgiving the opportunity arose... I was helping her clear out some cabinets and such, and she asked me if there was anything I wanted. So I mentioned the boxes of Fiestaware stored in the attic. It's a mixed assortment - cinnabar dinner plates, ivory salad plates, shamrock dessert bowls, some random serving pieces, and a gazillion small coffee cups/saucers in two different colors. (OK, that's an exaggeration. There's more like 14, but everything else is in multiples of 8, so that counts as a gazillion in dish-math.) Our "walmart china" was on its last legs, so this gift/early inheritance was a boon to our pocketbook too. Thanks, mom!!
Aesthetically, it will take some getting used to - I'm all about things matching, and now none of our dishes match. But there's a wierd freedom to that too. Our stone cottage in Virginia had a definite "Italian" theme going, with olive colored dishes and such. With the Fiesta, we are no longer tied to keeping up a color theme. The philosopher is going to build a display shelf for some of the pieces - a beautiful evergreen platter, the sugar/creamer set (blue and... er... pink-ish, I think) and the small disk pitcher, which is bright yellow. It also goes well with our new kitchen, which has light, neutral wood/tile tones. So the new dishes add a bit of spark that our Italian-color pieces didn't quite do.
Some of the pieces, like the sugar/creamer and yellow coffee cups, were my great-grandmother's (bought when they first came out in the 30s). Mother added some of the other pieces when the line was re-introduced in the 70s. So not only do I have some excellent dinnerware now, I have a little piece of my family history too. As an only child, that's really important to me (and thanks go here to my hubby for understanding that!) I have some furniture from my father's parents - a walnut dining room table and a bedroom suite - and a rocking chair from my mother's mother. Now I have something from one of my "greats," so how cool is that?
Now, those of you who are familiar with Fiestaware have heard about the radioactive red plates from the mid-20th century. You know, the ones where the red color came from depleted (or natural!) uranium. Fortunately, we don't have any of the "radioactive red," so you are completely safe if you come to have dinner with us!
My mom has had some dinnerware in storage that I've coveted for years. Some of the pieces were my great-grandmother's, even. She'd already passed on her Lenox china (saying she never used it) so I didn't want to ask for anything else. But this Thanksgiving the opportunity arose... I was helping her clear out some cabinets and such, and she asked me if there was anything I wanted. So I mentioned the boxes of Fiestaware stored in the attic. It's a mixed assortment - cinnabar dinner plates, ivory salad plates, shamrock dessert bowls, some random serving pieces, and a gazillion small coffee cups/saucers in two different colors. (OK, that's an exaggeration. There's more like 14, but everything else is in multiples of 8, so that counts as a gazillion in dish-math.) Our "walmart china" was on its last legs, so this gift/early inheritance was a boon to our pocketbook too. Thanks, mom!!
Aesthetically, it will take some getting used to - I'm all about things matching, and now none of our dishes match. But there's a wierd freedom to that too. Our stone cottage in Virginia had a definite "Italian" theme going, with olive colored dishes and such. With the Fiesta, we are no longer tied to keeping up a color theme. The philosopher is going to build a display shelf for some of the pieces - a beautiful evergreen platter, the sugar/creamer set (blue and... er... pink-ish, I think) and the small disk pitcher, which is bright yellow. It also goes well with our new kitchen, which has light, neutral wood/tile tones. So the new dishes add a bit of spark that our Italian-color pieces didn't quite do.
Some of the pieces, like the sugar/creamer and yellow coffee cups, were my great-grandmother's (bought when they first came out in the 30s). Mother added some of the other pieces when the line was re-introduced in the 70s. So not only do I have some excellent dinnerware now, I have a little piece of my family history too. As an only child, that's really important to me (and thanks go here to my hubby for understanding that!) I have some furniture from my father's parents - a walnut dining room table and a bedroom suite - and a rocking chair from my mother's mother. Now I have something from one of my "greats," so how cool is that?
Now, those of you who are familiar with Fiestaware have heard about the radioactive red plates from the mid-20th century. You know, the ones where the red color came from depleted (or natural!) uranium. Fortunately, we don't have any of the "radioactive red," so you are completely safe if you come to have dinner with us!
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