here didder

this is the hobbit (aka fosco, for those of you who have been wondering where the 'nfosco' came from)

compliment of the day

'you have such a nice arm'

i also apologize to anyone who happens to be near me here at the library for the fact that i smell like sauerkraut

my apologies to photoqueen (and whomever else this may concern)

i really don't mean to baseball all the time

for sale at dickssportinggoods.com: twins pitcher set

sadly it means this:

not this:

i just ate a cool ranch dorito with too much flavor on it. not scrumptous.

quote on my tea bag

'GOD has two dwelling places: one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.' - Izaak Walton

may 24th, 2008 chapel

(I'm just gonna post the whole thing again.)

Where Were You?
“But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man.” Job 33:12

You know that God is the creator of the world. You know that He loves you with an everlasting love. You know that His plans for you are good. You know that the Word of God is true. You know that Jesus sacrificed His life in your place on the cross. You know all of that – and still... putting that knowledge into practice every day can be tough...Have you ever found yourself...
arguing with God about something?
upset that He didn’t do things the way you had planned?
accusing Him of not caring?
telling Him that He made a mistake?
explaining to Him why you had to do what you did, and why it wasn’t really sin?
praying that He would see things your way and do YOUR will?
bargaining with the Maker of the universe?

If so, you’re not alone. Even Job, a man described as “blameless and upright” began to question God during the lowest moments of his life. Why? Because his focus had become too narrow and too self-absorbed, he forgot some vital truths. So, in chapters 38-41 God asked him some rhetorical questions to help put things back into their true perspective:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Who marked off its dimension? Who stretched a measuring line across it? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from its womb? Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place? Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high? Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?”

Wow! Right! My God is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful and altogether wonderful. He’s GOD – and I’m not. He gets to make the decisions, and He’s always right. He also loves me enough to do what’s best for me despite my complaints and pleas to the contrary, and will always be there to help me every step of the way. Amazing love – amazing grace.

Prayer: Thanks, Lord. Please keep my focus on you and not on my circumstances.
Suggested Reading: Job chapters 38-41

-- Bev Sparling

imbue and imbibe

these words were stuck in my head the other day. no idea where they came from. but they were both there. imbue, meaning 'to drink in, to absorb into the mind, to saturate,' and imbibe, meaning 'to receive into the mind and to retain.'
my mother says that this clearly means that i am supposed to imbue and imbibe something. she didn't tell me what, though.

lout

for some reason this word just popped into my head. it's a fun word. i should call people that. or i could just quote the definition, which is "clumsy, ill-mannered boor," which is also fun to say. :)

i'm so tired i'm gonna fall over and die

my world was turned upside down today

plaid was not wearing plaid!!!!!

3 good things about today's game

1. we won :)

2. kubel (didder's 3rd hero) got another grand slam :) (on his birthday, no less!)

3. the bad guy pitcher was woo-woo ;)

i get nervous every time i look for images cuz that's when my windows are most likely to close

apparently the cook is right

apparently i go to a polygamist church. this evening one of the men was at the park with 5 moms and about 15 children. one of the moms said that we're in a cult, and the men all cheered for him. i guess this increases my odds of snagging a husband, though, so woo-hoo?

dwts

it's a good thing i have dial-up. i could sit here all night and watch old dwts dances. between jason taylor, joey fatone, laila ali, mario lopez, emmitt smith, kristi yamaguchi, and all them, there have been some really good dances. but...i'm at home, so i no can watch. :(

jason's final dance

freestyle is not my favorite dance on dwts. i like the latin and ballroom dances more than the hip-hop. however, to quote carrie ann inaba: 'i have to say i like the ending!'

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uh0fJLpodkw

From 'The significance of diversity in language endangerment and preservation,' by Marianne Mithun

"Language represents the most creative, pervasive aspect of culture, the most intimate side of the mind. The loss of language diversity will mean that we will never even have the opportunity to appreciate the full creative capacities of the human mind."

props for bobby korecky (which is one of the cutest names ever)

on monday night, bobby was called from the bullpen in that insane game in which we used almost every player we have. he pitched well, eventually getting the win. the moment that got the most cheering of the night, though, was when that little guy got up to bat in the bottom of the 11th. seeing as twins pitchers don't bat (unless we're playing an away game against a national league team), he hadn't batted since 2003. but then...bobby korecky became the first twins pitcher to get a hit in an american league game! go him!

""When I got the hit and started running, I thought, 'This is great,'" Korecky said. "Then I realized the right fielder could possibly throw me out if I don't hurry up here. I would have never heard the end of that, so I just tried to hustle to first base and go from there."" - mlb.com

yay, bobby!

Song Review: 'Say What You Need to Say,' by John Mayer

If he would shut up already, she could.

i got it!!!

it has been said adam everett looks like a hobbit

i must concur

my twins

great game last night - 12 innings! i went with my father who is infamous for his tendency to leave games early to beat the crowds, but he stayed for the whole thing. :) and we had the good seats so it was even better. i'd say more, but i spose hobbitsister and mf7 are the only ones who care about details, so i'll leave it at that, i guess. :( (plus also, if i say more i have to explain the entire game of baseball to you non-nuts, so it's just easier to leave it at 'yay, my boys!' :) )

still don't know it. i give up.

nope, don't have it

oh! i feel like it was lyrics to a song.

i was going to post something else but i forgot

imagine that

quote on a door at work

"no oxygen use in the beauty parlor"

happy moment of yesterday

some song (that i don't know) was on the radio and it said something about somebody making somebody or something. anyway, as the cook frequently quotes whatever song happens to be on the radio, he asked me, 'so who made you?' my first response was, 'um...i know who, but i prefer not to think about it.' but then a few seconds later i said, 'GOD made me. the Bible says so.'
'that's a nursery song or something, isn't it?' he asked.
'what is?'
''the Bible says so,' or 'the Bible tells me so,' or something like that.'
'yes! 'JESUS Loves Me!''
'i don't remember how it goes, though. sing it to me and see if i remember.'
so i sang it to him.
'yeah, that's it!' he said with a huge grin. 'i knew it was a song i had heard before. just one of those things that you don't even remember you know until someone says something to make you think of it.' :D

Bible study finale

tonight's the last night of my Bible study. it doesn't make me sad. it's been a nice way to get to know some people, but like i said, i don't particularly care for the format (i don't feel like it lends itself to as much free discussion as i would like). i'm hoping now that there will be a study with less structure and more depth. and that if there isn't, that i'll be brave enough to suggest one and have people to whom i can suggest it.

philosophy

ernestine: melilot, what day is it?
me: sunday.
ernestine: oh, sunday. are you going to church?
me: no, i can't cuz i'm here.
ernestine: oh, are you?

from "Following Gandalf," by Matthew Dickerson

"[When the Ring falls to the floor] Gandalf...is unwilling even to touch it long enough to set it on the mantel or return it to the envelope. He leaves it lying where it is on the floor, for he knows how great the temptation would be to keep it and use it, if once he touched it."

this blog needs something tolkieny. i don't know what, though.

a spring haiku

it is beautiful
too bad i have allergies
i can't go outside

karol's a hussy

good-looking maintenance guy was fixing the air conditioner right outside the door of the kitchen. karol was on the side of the counter that faces out, while i was on the side that faces in. she was supposedly in on a conversation between our boss and another employee, but suddenly her eyes weren't paying attention to them anymore. she then snapped out of it and went back to work.
'did i just see what i think i saw?' i asked with a smile.
'what did you see?' karol replied.
'you were looking!'
'i was looking? what was i looking at?'
'you were looking!'
'at what?'
'okay, maybe you weren't. nevermind.'
'what?'
'i just thought you were looking.'
'oh! yeah, i was.' and she gave a sheepish grin. 'couldn't help it.'

yesterday was better

yesterday we had the ministers' brunch at work. it's a day when the home honors pastors by giving them a nice brunch. which means an extra meal for us kitchen people to have to prepare, serve, and clean up after. normally a horribly chaotic thing.

this year, however, it wasn't so bad. why, you ask? because, i answer. good-looking maintenance guy was in charge of setting up tables and chairs, getting the air conditioners to work (which doesn't always happen), helping us clean up, etc. so we got him all day. and he was smiley. and he has a great smile. :) we should have to do an extra meal every day. (although if he keeps saying things like 'is there anything else i can do for you?', i might accidentally slip and say something i shouldn't. ;) )

something must be going around

good-looking maintenance guy was short with me today. it hurt my feelings.

i need a vacation

desperately. i'm getting annoyed for the most ridiculous reasons at work. and i'm so tired i'm going to die. and i never get to spend time with JESUS cuz i'm too tired from work. i just need to get away.

but where to? first i thought sweden, but my host family was in the middle of moving when i thought that. then i thought sweden again when i found out my parents were going, but they're not going where i want to go. then i thought about going to visit goatherd uncle & family in austria, but turns out they won't be there cuz they're coming home this summer. then i thought i'd go to england and wales with autoemlinda, but she backed out. then i thought about going to colorado for the bfg's wedding, but chick magnet isn't able to go with me. then i thought about going to washington to visit goose cousin's parents (and also goose cousin), but they'll be in israel for 3 months. and then i ran out of ideas. so i'm never going to get to go anywhere.
and once again i must remind myself to never try to make plans based on anyone else (except hobbitsister), because they'll just let you down. (though i know most of these were not the fault of these people, it just worked out this way. it still sucks.)

sorry for being mopey, but i am. wasn't it nice of me to break it up with a nice compliment post?

i wish i had someone to go to the game with me tomorrow night

i have an extra ticket, but no one to go with me :(

one of my favorite compliments ever

i was standing with my back to violet the other day, when i heard her say something. so i turned around, and she smiled at me and said, 'you have nice legs.'
'thank you,' i said (though i'm sure i looked confused - not exactly like i'm showing them off in my work uniform).
'they're nice, but i don't just mean that they're nice. i mean - they're right where they're supposed to be.' and she smiled.

i got to play games this weekend

i wish i had people to play games with more often

i still miss my tolkien class :(

i'm a switch-hitter!

we went to the batting cage on thursday, and i got 8 hits left-handed!

happy 1st anniversary of twinsyness, hobbitsister, erma, and scout!

i was going to post things today

but it sounds like too much work

i'm with hobbitsister

i like sawyer :)

i'm in a good mood today

granted my toilet overflowed, and i have nothing to wear for my cousin's wedding tomorrow, and it's raining, and i'm super tired, but i really am in a good mood. it's nice. i should have more days like this.

we have a program at work called 'making a difference.' it's geared toward any business, not just nursing homes, so it uses the word 'customers,' but we're to understand that in this case, 'customer' means 'resident.' not only do we have to go to these oh-so-informative training meetings (which we never go to), there is a weekly oh-so-inspirational quote from it by the timeclock. awhile ago the quote was, 'if we don't take care of our customers, someone else will.' really?! promise?! sweet daddy, i'm outta here! :D

my toilet overflowed :(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCOUT!

Book Review: "First Light," by Bodie and Brock Thoene

Bodie and Brock Thoene are and excellent team. I am a fan of their books (which I call Bodie books). For the most part, Bodie writes the story, and Brock does historical research, which makes the stories believable and makes them come alive. My favorite are the Zion Covenant books, which take place during WWII.

It had been awhile since I had read a Bodie book, but I was at the library and "First Light" was displayed at the end of a shelf, so I grabbed it. It takes place at the time of CHRIST, and tells the stories of different people whose lives are touched by JESUS. There are a few different plot lines going on, most of which are very good. The one romantic one, however, was extremely annoying. (Rich girl Susanna is in love with wonderful Manaen, but is being forced to marry his evil brother Demos, who wants her for her money. Talk about a simpery helpless woman. The whole thing horribly overdramatic.) Other than that one story line, though, it was good. Obviously it had things worth quoting. Not my favorite Bodie book, but worth reading.

more from "First Light"

"Everything, y' say? I could lose everything? But what's it mean if I gain everything and lose my soul. And if, because I fear to speak out now, some other soul perishes because I did not want to be out of favor? Isn't that lost soul my responsibility? How do I weigh possessions compared to the value of eternal life? Fear? Humiliation? One day I'll stand before my Lord and King, and he will ask me what I did with the light of his love and mercy. Now that moment, sirs, makes me tremble to think of it!"

how, when i have no life and never do anything, can it feel like i don't have enough hours in the day?

my chiropractor noticed that i got my hair cut and dyed

'did you get a hairdo?'