I'm leaving today!
I want to beeee a part of it, New York, New York
If I can maaaake it there, I'll make it annnnny-
Oh, hi. I was just doing a little celebrating. I am 30 years old today and I'm going to New York for the first time in ten years! Two major milestones.
We just woke up to snow, and a phone call informing us that our meeting has been canceled. But since it is now raining steadily, I'm pretty positive that the snow will be gone long before tonight, when I leave for the airport.
I still have a little packing to do. And I'm going to clean up the house before I go. I don't know why, since it will undoubtedly be just as bad as it is now, if not worse, when I get back. But I just can't bear to leave it like this!
I am going to miss Zack so much. Leaving him behind is the fly in the ointment. Nevertheless, I am very excited. We have someone lined up to give us lunch in Brooklyn, a tour of the art department in Patterson, and morning worship at Walkill. So it should be pretty awesome. We fly out at midnight, arrive in Connecticut around 11:00 Monday morning, drive to our hotel in NJ, then do sightseeing in the city. Tuesday morning we tour, have lunch, then do more sightseeing, and after that I can't remember what the schedule is.
But anyway, I am so excited! I have my camera and two lenses packed and I'm using my camera bag as a purse, so i will have only one carry-on. I'm bringing my yearbook to read, and I loaded up the April magazines on my iPod, along with a audio version of Bleak House that i downloaded free from Librivox. Not only that, but Zack has been taking my favorite dvd's and nano-sizing them for me! So I've got Pride and Prejudice, Napoleon Dynamite, etc. to watch on the plane, if I want. Pretty cool.
I decided not to bring my laptop with me, so this will be my last post till I get back. I'm so excited!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
:*(
Don't know what's wrong with me today. I feel totally good for nothing and on the verge of tears. I don't know why. Can't stand the thought of being around anybody. I feel overwhelmed, anxious, sad, depressed.
Ishi called about the trip. We leave Sunday night for New York. The airline charges $15 for your first checked bag. Wanted to know if we all wanted to store our good clothes in her giant suitcase/garment bag, and then just take a carry-on each. Honestly, I think that sounds like a headache. I'd rather just pay the stupid $15 and take my own suitcase. I didn't feel like discussing it though, so I may have told her or seeemed to tell her yes to the sharing thing. I can't remember what I said. I was trying not to cry.
I am in the dumps.
Ishi called about the trip. We leave Sunday night for New York. The airline charges $15 for your first checked bag. Wanted to know if we all wanted to store our good clothes in her giant suitcase/garment bag, and then just take a carry-on each. Honestly, I think that sounds like a headache. I'd rather just pay the stupid $15 and take my own suitcase. I didn't feel like discussing it though, so I may have told her or seeemed to tell her yes to the sharing thing. I can't remember what I said. I was trying not to cry.
I am in the dumps.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Wrap Up
In other news, we had a pretty good meeting tonight. Luke had a couple of parts. One of them was a demonstration during the service meeting. He played a brother being confronted unexpectedly at lunch and having to explain to his workmates why he didn't attend the office holiday parties. so they start the demo, and Luke is saying a prayer before he eats. They obviously hadn't rehearsed much, because the other two brothers kept chatting away, while Luke kept his head bowed, waiting and waiting for his cue. He prayed, and he prayed. And he prayed. After a while his shoulders started shaking, and it looked like he was laughing. Then at last, it appeared that he'd heard the line he was waiting for and he finally opened his eyes. "Hey, Luke, you're back with us!" said Bro. Rigell. Everyone in the audience cracked up. It was great.
Zack is auxiliary pioneering, and his schedule is limited, so he's getting the guys together to do some more late nights. Not only that, but tonight after meeting Chase Correa invited us bowling. Zack has broken the friend barrier! I am so proud of him!
And now it is time for a very late dinner. Let the record show that tonight, March 10, 2009 Zachary Stevens Sjoden fixed us a veggie stir fry and brown rice. And it was HIS idea.
I totally love my life.
Zack is auxiliary pioneering, and his schedule is limited, so he's getting the guys together to do some more late nights. Not only that, but tonight after meeting Chase Correa invited us bowling. Zack has broken the friend barrier! I am so proud of him!
And now it is time for a very late dinner. Let the record show that tonight, March 10, 2009 Zachary Stevens Sjoden fixed us a veggie stir fry and brown rice. And it was HIS idea.
I totally love my life.
The Fitness Test
At the gym, Elizabeth (the owner, a really really sweet person who happens to look like Barbie), asked with a big smile as soon as I walked in the door if I wanted to take the Harvard Cardiovascular Fitness Test. They were offering it free as part of the grand opening of the gym! I instantly flashed back to junior highschool P.E., when we had to do those awful standardized tests, and i would hang from the pull-up bar, kicking my feet and swaying vainly back and forth until my minute was up, unable to chin myself even once.
I blinked out of the horrible flashback and saw Elizabeth/Barbie smiling at me in her friendly way, and although I really, really wanted to say no to the test, I heard myself answering, "Sure!" like it was no big deal. With enthusiasm, even. As if I'd come into the gym for no other purpose. "OK!" she said, picking up a stopwatch and clipboard. "Follow me!"
I wished I had stayed home sick.
The test wasn't bad, though. I had to step on and off an aerobic step, elevated pretty high, for three minutes, at a quick tempo set by Elizabeth/Barbie's stopwatch thing. At the end of the three minutes, I took my pulse. And discovered that, apparently, I have been taking my pulse WRONG all these years, because both my diastolic and systolic beats are so strong that it's hard to tell between them. So for all these years I've just thought I had a really, really fast heart. When I told Elizabeth my pulse rate, she thought I might be having a cardiac event. She had me walk around the gym slowly for a while, and went to consult with her associate. She came back and had me do the treadmill, frequently testing my heartrate on the little monitor thing. Eventually, she actually took my pulse herself, and discovered my mistake. I felt kind of dumb, but was very relieved to know there's nothing wrong with me. And, once she recalculated my pulse rate on the test, I actually scored in the "Excellent" range! So I was pretty happy about that.
I blinked out of the horrible flashback and saw Elizabeth/Barbie smiling at me in her friendly way, and although I really, really wanted to say no to the test, I heard myself answering, "Sure!" like it was no big deal. With enthusiasm, even. As if I'd come into the gym for no other purpose. "OK!" she said, picking up a stopwatch and clipboard. "Follow me!"
I wished I had stayed home sick.
The test wasn't bad, though. I had to step on and off an aerobic step, elevated pretty high, for three minutes, at a quick tempo set by Elizabeth/Barbie's stopwatch thing. At the end of the three minutes, I took my pulse. And discovered that, apparently, I have been taking my pulse WRONG all these years, because both my diastolic and systolic beats are so strong that it's hard to tell between them. So for all these years I've just thought I had a really, really fast heart. When I told Elizabeth my pulse rate, she thought I might be having a cardiac event. She had me walk around the gym slowly for a while, and went to consult with her associate. She came back and had me do the treadmill, frequently testing my heartrate on the little monitor thing. Eventually, she actually took my pulse herself, and discovered my mistake. I felt kind of dumb, but was very relieved to know there's nothing wrong with me. And, once she recalculated my pulse rate on the test, I actually scored in the "Excellent" range! So I was pretty happy about that.
A Pretty Great Day
Today was surprisingly fun, considering how much I was NOT looking forward to getting out of bed and going out in service. I think it was an aftereffect of the unexpected snow day: I had spent all of Monday in sweats, eating leftover anniversary Hershey's kisses straight from the bag, watching a probably unhealthy amount of television (including this creepily intriguing new reality show called Toddlers in Tiaras. A peek at the psychotic underbelly of the kiddie pageant universe).
So this morning I didn't feel particularly tired. I was incredibly relaxed, in fact, and not at all inclined to do anything responsible. But I forced myself to go out in service anyway (because the snow had melted and I really couldn't afford to take another day off). Let me say, I am SO glad I went. It was a bitterly cold, frosty morning, and the only other people from Fircrest who showed up for service were Leslie (my neighbor), and her mom Shirley (the inner blonde). We ended up having a great time doing calls and bus stops, and visiting an elderly sister in an adult care home. Also, I met a nice old black man at a bus stop and was able to read a scripture and place a tract. I didn't even realize until halfway through the conversation that he had someone on hold on his blue tooth, but he kindly told the woman on the other end to "hold on a minute, baby," so he could follow along as I read Revelation 21:4. I hope I run into him again :).
I spent half the afternoon working with Darci, one of our hardest-working pioneers. We talked about our dream jobs (me: novelist ; Darci: playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera). Darci is cool because she's very enthusiastic and kind of kooky. She always has a million things going on in her head and is not at all embarrassed to think out loud. At one point she said, half to herself, "I tell all my Bible students not to use euphemisms, and just now I said 'darn.' I shouldn't do that." I said I'd never really thought about darn being a euphemism before, and she then listed every alternative she could think of for curse words, i.e. dang, shoot, etc.
"So what do you say, Darci?" I asked. After a second's pause, she shouted, "CRAP!"
I thought that was pretty funny.
So this morning I didn't feel particularly tired. I was incredibly relaxed, in fact, and not at all inclined to do anything responsible. But I forced myself to go out in service anyway (because the snow had melted and I really couldn't afford to take another day off). Let me say, I am SO glad I went. It was a bitterly cold, frosty morning, and the only other people from Fircrest who showed up for service were Leslie (my neighbor), and her mom Shirley (the inner blonde). We ended up having a great time doing calls and bus stops, and visiting an elderly sister in an adult care home. Also, I met a nice old black man at a bus stop and was able to read a scripture and place a tract. I didn't even realize until halfway through the conversation that he had someone on hold on his blue tooth, but he kindly told the woman on the other end to "hold on a minute, baby," so he could follow along as I read Revelation 21:4. I hope I run into him again :).
I spent half the afternoon working with Darci, one of our hardest-working pioneers. We talked about our dream jobs (me: novelist ; Darci: playing Christine in Phantom of the Opera). Darci is cool because she's very enthusiastic and kind of kooky. She always has a million things going on in her head and is not at all embarrassed to think out loud. At one point she said, half to herself, "I tell all my Bible students not to use euphemisms, and just now I said 'darn.' I shouldn't do that." I said I'd never really thought about darn being a euphemism before, and she then listed every alternative she could think of for curse words, i.e. dang, shoot, etc.
"So what do you say, Darci?" I asked. After a second's pause, she shouted, "CRAP!"
I thought that was pretty funny.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Snow!
It's snowing! It actually started yesterday morning, during meeting. We came out to a steady downpour of very wet snow. Around one o'clock, Zack and I went for a walk with our cameras. The weather kept alternating between snow and rain, so we got a lot wetter than we had expected to. We took a route we don't usually take, down 36th street to a pedestrian overpass that gives a view of a big industrial complex. It was not that compelling. Maybe in the evening, with lots of lights, we'd get some cool shots. It was a fun walk, though, and kind of cool to explore our neighborhood a little bit.
this morning it snowed a LOT, and so i am having a snow day :). i will stay home, catch up on things, do laundry, etc. i am pretty happy about that.
this morning it snowed a LOT, and so i am having a snow day :). i will stay home, catch up on things, do laundry, etc. i am pretty happy about that.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Update!
So, it's been a really busy week. Zack is auxiliary pioneering this month, so we're both on hectic schedules. Zack is doing most of his hours on the weekend, but adding early morning hours before work as well. I must say, it's pretty nice starting our day together in service. I think it puts us both in better moods.
Last night we had a new friend over, a girl named Neisha who is pretty cool and fun. She and Zack were born on the same day. We played poker (Egyptian, 5-Card Draw, Texas Hold 'Em), and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Pongo took to Neisha immediately, and entertained us throughout the evening by begging to be a part of whatever we were doing. We eventually gave in and let him have his own poker chip to chew on. He selected blue (smart little guy), gave it a few experimental bites, and then dropped it into a pile of his own poo and ignored it for the rest of the night.
Today was a stay-home-all-day day, which I look forward to like an oasis of calm. I did laundry, cleaned the fridge, etc.
Also, I have my New York trip just around the corner. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to me since my honeymoon. I can't wait! I have not been to New York in ten years, and I know a lot has changed since then.
Anyway, just wanted to write a quick post to show I've not dropped off the face of the earth. I was feeling really guilty for days, every time I stopped by my blog. It was like I was hoping that a new post might have magically materialized all on its own. At any rate, I have now experienced the soothing power of Create a Post. Thank you, Create a Post. You are almost as good as Make a Success of Life. No, better!
Last night we had a new friend over, a girl named Neisha who is pretty cool and fun. She and Zack were born on the same day. We played poker (Egyptian, 5-Card Draw, Texas Hold 'Em), and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Pongo took to Neisha immediately, and entertained us throughout the evening by begging to be a part of whatever we were doing. We eventually gave in and let him have his own poker chip to chew on. He selected blue (smart little guy), gave it a few experimental bites, and then dropped it into a pile of his own poo and ignored it for the rest of the night.
Today was a stay-home-all-day day, which I look forward to like an oasis of calm. I did laundry, cleaned the fridge, etc.
Also, I have my New York trip just around the corner. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to me since my honeymoon. I can't wait! I have not been to New York in ten years, and I know a lot has changed since then.
Anyway, just wanted to write a quick post to show I've not dropped off the face of the earth. I was feeling really guilty for days, every time I stopped by my blog. It was like I was hoping that a new post might have magically materialized all on its own. At any rate, I have now experienced the soothing power of Create a Post. Thank you, Create a Post. You are almost as good as Make a Success of Life. No, better!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)