Four-Day Week

Ahh, my three-day weekend was absolutley fabulous. Friday night Sondra and I (along with some other friends we sorta know) went to "Singin' in the Rain" at the 5th Avenue Theater. We got all dressed up (I wore my new purple formal dress for the first time) and I even straightened my hair for the occasion. Which, by the way, Sondra says straight hair makes my nose ring look even cuter. :) The show was amazing! Wonderful music, incredible dancing and costumes, and even real rain and puddles on the stage during the "Singin in the Rain" number! We all agreed that it would have been rather pathetic if they didn't have real rain, since we are in Seattle and all!

Saturday morning I got up earlier, picked up Hillary and Sondra, and then we all headed up to Vancouver, British Columbia for the long weekend. Sondra and I actually dropped Hill off in Bellingham, not far from the US/Canada border, and we picked her up again Monday afternoon. Sondra, Sara, and I all stayed at Sara's house for the weekend and had a wonderful time. We slept in, hung out with our Canadian friends, had some amazing Indian food one night and went out for dessert at Death By Chocolate another night, went hot tubbing, visited the Granville Island Market, etc. The weather was beautiful the entire time we were there, so we got some great sunset and beach pictures, not to mention great pictures of Mount Baker while we were on our way home.

I just registered for classes for next quarter. I was originally going to be doing the methods quarter for Ed, but I decided to flip-flop two quarters, so I'm taking random classes that I both need and am interested in, and then all next year is going to be my methods and student teaching. So next quarter I am taking UCOR 2000 - The West and the World (required for graduation), Intermediate College Writing (easy writing class I need for my major) , American Ethnic Lit (my final lit class for Language Arts!), Human Sexuality (Women's Studies credit), and Symphonic Wind Ensemble (on scholarship). My friend Emily is in Human Sexuality with me and Dr. Fry is the most hilarious person ever, so that class is going to be a riot! I'm looking forward to next quarter. I'm going to have to take some teacher competancy tests, such as the WEST-B (Washington Educator's Skills Test - Basic) and eventually the WEST-E in order to student teach next year. But I have next quarter and the summer to do so and pass with flying colors, so I'm not worried.

sun·shine

n.
1.
a. The light or the direct rays from the sun.
b. The warmth given by the sun's rays.
c. A location or surface on which the sun's rays fall.
2.
a. Radiant cheerfulness; geniality.
b. A source of cheerfulness.


You never know how much you really appreciate simple things like sunshine until you go approximatley a month without it. There were actually days a few weeks ago when I would think to myself, "You know, I can't remember the last time I saw blue sky or the sun." That's not the case now, however! We have sun, sun, and more sun! It's another clear, crisp 45 degree day, the mountains are out, and there's not a cloud in the sky! I imagine that heaven will be something somewhat similar to spring weather in Seattle. And the best part: they're calling for nothing but sun for the next nine days :)

It's Thursday, praise God. I love Thursday. Normally I watch my little Emily on Thursday afternoon, but they are on vacation this week, so I won't see her until next week. She brings me so much joy! She'll be two and a half in May, in case I forgot to mention that. Her mom was telling me that Emily will repeat other babysitters' names if someone says them first, but that when it comes to me, Emily talks about me all the time! Emily always gets fussy around 5:15ish, since it is getting close to dinner and has been awhile since her nap. Last week when her mom told her to say goodbye to me as I left, Emily threw herself onto the floor and had a full blown temper tantrum. So her mom put her in her room, with the baby gate up. So my sweet little Emily clung onto the bars of the gate and wailed "Vaaaaaalllllll!" over and over again. I must say, it feels good to know that little kids love me :)

Conserving Water...

FACT: In the year 2020, 2/3 of the world's people will not have access to drinking water. I firmly believe that THIS IS A PROBLEM, and that we (especially as Christians) need to re-evaluate our habits and lifestyles and make changes where necessary in order to help preserve the earth's precious and limited water supply.

Here are some good, easy, and pretty inexpensive ways to conserve water:

Run the dishwasher and the washing machine only when they are full.

Don't prerinse dishes before loading the dishwasher. You'll save as much as 20 gallons a load, or 6,500 gallons per year. Our tests show prerinsing doesn't improve cleaning. Or, use the rinse-and-hold dishwasher feature for a less-than-full load before later in the week running the full load. The rinse-and-hold option uses about 2 gallons of water.

When your dish load is small, fill the sink or basin and wash dishes by hand. Place soapy dishes on a rack, and spray rinse.

Wash vegetables and fruits in a bowl or basin using a vegetable brush; don't let the water run.
Use recycled water on plants. Sources: water left from boiled eggs, tea kettles, and washed vegetables; dehumidifier condensate.

Investigate using waste water from the washing machine, bathtub, or sink on outdoor, inedible plants. States vary in their approach to so-called gray-water use. New York, for example, bans it out of concern that the byproducts of cleaning, say, can contaminate soil. Check with your state or municipality's department of environmental protection for details. (We don't recommend using gray water to wash the car; small particles in the water may scratch the paint.)

Steam vegetables instead of boiling. Besides using less water, you'll retain more vitamins in the food.

Chill drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the faucet until the water is cold.

Defrost food in the refrigerator, not in a pan of water on the counter or in the sink. Besides saving water, it's less likely to breed bacteria.

Fix toilet leaks. Plumbing leaks as a whole account for 14 percent of water consumed in the home, according to a study sponsored by the American Water Works Association, an industry trade group. One cause is toilet leaks, which often go unnoticed. To determine whether your older toilet is leaking, add food coloring to the tank water and let it sit 15 minutes. If it appears in the bowl, there's a leak.

Don't use your toilet as a wastebasket.

Turn off the faucet when brushing teeth. Faucets can spout 2 to 3 gallons per minute.

Time your showers to keep them short; this can cut 5 to 7 gallons per minute with an old-style showerhead. Or turn off the water while lathering.

Displace some water in the toilet tank of an older toilet with a capped plastic liter bottle filled with water.

When taking a bath, close the drain before turning on the water. And fill it half as full as you usually do; you could save 10 to 15 gallons.

Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in the trash rather than the toilet.

Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded.

(click here for more info on ways to conserve water)

Another great site to check out is www.responsibleshopper.org
This site had an extensive list of stores, companies, and corporations from across the nation, and has thorough evaluations of each, paying attention to treatment of employees, testing on animals, and how the envirnonment is treated by each company. I especially like how all of the brands and companies each corporation owns is listed on the bottom of each page, so if you decide to boycott a certain company - Nestle, for example - you realize that you will also have to boycott Carnation, not to mention many other brands of products.

It probably sounds like I am becoming a left-wing, tree-hugging, boycotting-happy hippie, out here, but I don't care. (and to a certain extent, I am!) I just hope that we in the US can start to have more of a global mindset and think critically about many things, from the brands of food, clothing, and cars we buy, to how we are using and misusing our earth's natural resources. One thing that I was especially ashamed of while we were discussing the issue of water in class was the fact that I rinsed 3,000 tie-dye one summer. 2-3 gallons of water are used for ONE minute a faucet is running. How many hours did I stand at a sink with the faucet running full blast?! Not only that, I was rinsing toxic, carcogenic dye into the earth! All that in the name of pleasing family campers?! I am forced to ask myself if it is really worth it, while brothers and sisters in Christ in Africa are dying of cholera because they don't have any clean drinking water. Nobody should be dying of cholera in this day and age, nobody. So then, what do we do??

Ash Wednesday

I had class during the special Ash Wednesday chapel, but it turned out to be okay because we had our own service in class. Dr. Scranton is ordained (I forget in what denomination), and he led us through a really powerful exercise. We all pulled out five small objects out of our purses and backpacks and placed them on the studio floor. Then we took five other objects that weren't our own and sat back down. He told us to imagine that our house was burning down to the ground that we could only salvage five things, and only two of them could be animate. He then said to choose the five things and have each different object symbolize one of the five things we would save. He then told us that we would walk around the circle, imagining those five things were all we had left in the world. He would tell us when to stop and then give us each a pat on the arm to tell us to let something go and leave it behind. If we refused to let something go, then we died and had to go sit back down. So we all got up and silently walked in the circle. He signaled us to stop and to drop something, which I did. Then we walked. He stopped us again, and I left something else behind. We walked and did it again, and I left another something behind. By then I was only holding a pen and chapstick, representing two very important things/people in my life, and I was forced to let another one go. We walked on again, holding our last objects. He stopped us and brushed my arm. I stood motionless and clutched my final object so tight my knuckles were turning white. I left the circle and went and sat down. Others left with me, all of us with tears in our eyes. The exercise then ended. "What in your life are you willing to save? What are you willing to eventually let go?", Prof. Scranton asked. Then he looked at us seated and asked, "What are you willing to die for?" All was silent for a very long moment. His voice was quivering as he recited, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (Jn 15:13). "Realizing the true priorities in your life is part of what Lent is all about. Welcome to Lent - go in peace." He ended class by putting ashes on our foreheads as we walked out the door.

For the first time in my life, I think I am truly beginning to understand the meaning of and behind this season of Lent.

Blessing of Solitude

May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul.
May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and
Belonging connects you intimately with the
rhythm of the universe.

May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special
Destiny here, that behind the façade of your life there is something beautiful, good,
And eternal happening.

May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with
Which God sees you in every moment.

-- John O'Donohue In Anam Cara, a Book of Celtic Wisdom

Wonderful, Rainy Weekend

According to Carrie, I need to update my blog :) And she's right, so here goes:

Life's been interesting, I guess. I got really super sick two weeks ago. Emi took me to the ER, where I found out I had a fever and the official flu. I also got doctor's orders of strict bedrest for five days, along with being quarantined. Roomie took care of me and nursed me back to health :) I'm almost finished with all the make up work and such. I had to take two midterms Friday, back to back, which wasn't that fun, but I think I did well for being a week behind in classes!

This past Friday - Feb 4 - was my 5th birthday as a Christian. Sara, Sondra, and I went out to dinner to celebrate. We went to Kells, this amazingly authentic Irish pub down in Post Alley. It's a hole in the wall of a really old building, so it's really cozy. It also has good food, great music, and some good Guinness! The three of us talked for two and a half hours about many interesting and hilarious topics, which we agreed would not be repeated outside of the three of us, so it's our secret :) Afterwards, we came home and had a birthday carrot cake, which Rooms had baked while I was at wind ensemble. She and Sondra also gave me this great birthday card with a large red "5" on it, as well as a beginner's Bible. It was so great! Then we played a few hands of Dutch Blitz and called it a night.

I finally talked with my cousin Brooke this afternoon. She moved out to Seattle from Chicago nearly a month ago. It turns out that she's not even two miles away from me, on the other side of Queen Anne Hill! We were both excited to talk to one another, and can't wait to catch up. We're planning on dinner later this week - Wed or Thurs. We haven't seen one another in years, so it will be so great to catch up and hang out. I must also admit that I am excited to have a relative out here, not to mention someone to hang out with who doesn't go to SPU! :)

Mmm...time for dinner. We're making pancakes, then Sondra and I are studying at Starbucks. It's been a very rainy, chilly day, today, so curling up in a coffee shop to do some homework sounds simply wonderful to me right now.

Peace!