where is the love...

An interesting quote from a podcast I was listening to last week: "It just can't be a good thing when anytime you hear about Christians in the news they're boycotting or promoting some sort of negative activity. You know, Jesus said, 'They should know us by our love.'"

That phrase really struck me. I was pondering it...how often do you hear about Christians doing good? Now, I know that there's media bias (yadda yadda yadda)and I know that Christians do DO good... But so many live their Christian lives by the bumper sticker on their car or their cd in the cd player...but how often do they live their Christian lives so that people would know they were Christians by their love? Some talk so much about abstaining from things...parties, circles of people, companies that don't support "Merry Christmas"...because they're called to be "in the world but not of the world." But...I really think that we're called to be in the world and not of the world by our love that we show others. THAT'S the difference. It's a whole lot easier to show we're Christians by putting a fish on the back of our car than to get dirty in dealing with people's lives. Too bad Jesus didn't say, "They should know us by our bumper stickers or the parties we don't go to or the people we DON'T hang around."

Just an interesting thing to think about. Not that I'm saying we should just love and disregard all other Biblical teaching...and not that I didn't already know that we were supposed to be different by our love. It's just interesting to think from a "world" perspective...how do they "tell" Christians from non-Christians. Is it BY our love? Or is it solely by what we boycott/support?

Thoughts?

i am an arteeeest!

As many of you know...my job isn't really what I would call challenging or time consuming. I get my work done and then surf the internet. When I finish the internet, what most of you all don't know is that I dabble in painting. MS paint, that is. I've been meaning to post some of my work on here for quite some time, but I just keep forgetting. Here are some of my more recent works.



The title of this piece is:

Chances my parents will get back together: The story of a snowball in hell.



The inspiration behind this one comes from the season finale of Rock of Love. I missed it coming on at it's normal time and I ended up watching it at 12. I got to bed by 2am and had to get up at 5:30am for work. (I credit The [other] Bec[k] for that. Thank you. But at least he didn't pick Daisy...right!?]

I call that one: Brett's redeemed.



This is another self portrait I drew of me walking into work every morning. Clearly, the sun isn't out at 6:45 am...as no one else should be either. I pray every morning for strength to continue to put one foot in front of the other. ::sigh::

This one is titled: Dear God, It's me...Katie.

Lastly, this is the one I finished yesterday. The story behind this is that yesterday, I rid my life of a freaking HUGE pink elephant that had been annoying the crap out of me for months now. I was finally given permission to deal with it (another story for another time) and so I did. The comment I made in the email with the person giving me the permission said this:
What am I going to do now that the PINK ELEPHANT isn't taking up all my floor space?! I might by an ottoman to kick my heels up on. Or I might just rekindle my love for the game "Twister." I love the options this crusade for self purification gives me.

I title this one: The Finale.



(Left to right: Aunt Mabes, Auntie Em, Me, Pink Elephant.)

So yes...enjoy these pictures. Feel free to reproduce them as you wish. (Mother's Day IS just around the corner.)

...expect to see more soon!

epiphany.

I had a personal epiphany today. It's taken a load off my mind because I have trouble when I can't identify the root of my issue to figure out feelings within myself. Oh sweet [partial] relief.



[...I seriously love this band.]

we dream of ways to break these iron bars
we dream of black nights without moon or stars
we dream of tunnels and of sleeping guards
we dream of blackouts in the prison yard

heartbroken, we found
(a gleam of hope)
harken to the sound,
(a whistle blows)
heaven sent reply,
(however small)
evidence of life
(beyond these walls)
born and bred
(in this machine)
wardens dread
(to see us dream)
we hold tight
(to legends of)
real life,
(the way it was before)

we dream of jailers throwing down their arms
we dream of open gates and no alarms

we dream of ways to break these iron bars
we dream of black nights without moon or stars

heartbroken, we found
(a gleam of hope)
harken to the sound,
(a whistle blows)
heaven sent reply,
(however small)
evidence of life
(beyond these walls)
born and bred
(in this machine)
wardens dread
(to see us dream)
we hold tight
(to legends of)
real life,
(the way it was before)

look to the day the earth will shake
these weathered walls will fall away.

to continue the video theme...

a new favorite group.



Punch Brothers.

kobe, you daredevil you...

Kobe Bryant Jumps over Aston Martin! from Hypebeast on Vimeo.

i thought my sister worked at belk?

"i've had better days bon qui qui."


ahahahahhaha.

Increasingly glad I hitched my wagon to HIS train…

The Husband is plugging along on his coursework for a Master in Fine Arts in Graphic Design. He will finish in March of 2009 and right now he’s looking for an internship that will fulfill the school’s internship requirement. In the beginning, he was concerned that he was not going to be able to find one. He applied to like 12 different places last Tuesday. Since then, he’s been offered 3. It’s so funny to me…he gets so worked up and worried over things like this…worried that he won’t even be able to get ONE internship.

This past weekend he had an interview at the NC Zoo for a Graphic Design internship there. They don’t normally do internships, but after the interview, they were able to offer him a huge project that they would let him be in charge of because they are opening a huge new exhibit this year and are in need of the help. It’s quite a huge task…I think he was a tad overwhelmed by their offer. He said, “I mean…just let me do a brochure to start off with or..SOMEthing!” But I think the challenge is something that’s exciting to him.

The other main contender for this summer is an internship that he was offered yesterday with Fossil. Now, apparently, Fossil is in the business of making quality accessories and getting design awards. The way The Husband talks about it, I feel like angels should sing whenever the name Fossil is mentioned. ☺ He was on cloud 9 last night…really honored that they’d offer him a position.

So now here’s the dilemma. Which one does he pick? I think there’s a decent chance that whichever one he picks will offer him a full time job when it’s over…so that has to be considered. Either place would be great place to work. But one is in Richardson, TX and one is in Asheboro, NC. My entire family lives in Asheboro…which is both good and bad. hahaha. Of course, taking a job with Fossil this early in his game would be highly beneficial when looking for other work in the future. But then considering what my family is getting ready to go through with the possible divorce trial coming up in October…it would be difficult for me not to be able to go home if I needed to. Difficult, but not impossible. Overall, I have told him that knowing how much it SUCKS to be in a job that you hate going to every day, I really want him to go where he will be happy. And as cliché as it is, I’ll be happy if he is happy. I really cannot wait for the day that we’re both out of school. I can’t even imagine.

So anyway…such is life. Decisions decisions. I had to spill my thoughts here because Billy, so true to his nature, doesn’t want to discuss it until after his 45 hour review on Friday. Saturday I’m heading back to Rose Hill to HOPEFULLY finish whatever needs to be finished there. More on that Monday. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers on Sunday. But that means we won’t be able to have a conversation about it until Monday and anyone who knows me knows you might as well ask me to hold my breath until Monday. Nevertheless, I guess I’ll have to try.

So there’s your update, all who have been asking for one. ☺

Here's my earworm for the week:

[and they came BACK ta tha mic.]

the best geico commercial i've seen yet...

job security.

What flies 700 mph and costs $58M? New private jet

By Marilyn Adams, USA TODAY

Gulfstream Aerospace on Thursday unveiled plans to build the largest, fastest and most expensive private jet for delivery starting in 2012.
Gulfstream said its new G650 will be capable of flying nearly 700 mph, faster than a Boeing 747. It will seat 18, have a full kitchen and bar, and offer individualized entertainment, satellite phone service and wireless Internet access during the flight.

Passengers will be able to sip a cocktail at 51,000 feet, its maximum altitude, the company says.

"The G650 is in a brand new market by itself," said Gulfstream President Joe Lombardo.

At a base price of $58 million, it will cost about $10 million more than its predecessor, Gulfstream's G550. With a flying range of more than 8,000 miles, it will be capable of whisking heads of state, CEOs and other VIPs from New York to Tokyo or Buenos Aires non-stop.

"Gulfstream is staking out the top end," said aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. "There's always a part of the market that is willing to pay for the best and the biggest."

The new jet's cabin will be the largest ever — 8½ feet wide and 6-feet-5 high — but of relatively traditional metal construction, not man-made composite. The cabin will accommodate 18 passengers seated or eight sleeping in lie-flat beds.

The G650 will be powered by two new Rolls-Royce engines that will take the jet from Dubai to Chicago almost 90 minutes faster than existing long-range jets, Gulfstream says.

Yet because the jet will weigh less than 100,000 pounds, it will be able to land at small airports such as Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, near New York City, and avoid delay-plagued major airports such as New York John F. Kennedy and Chicago O'Hare.

The G650 will be built at Gulfstream's plant in Savannah, Ga. It is expected to make its first flight in 2009.

Gulfstream spokesman Robert Baugniet said 80% of Gulfstream's clients are companies, 12% are governments and 7% are high-worth individuals.

"These jets are no longer the purview of the CEO," he said.

Gulfstream, owned by General Dynamics (GD), commands about a quarter of the $24 billion business jet market, but it accounts for more than half of the market for large-cabin, long-range corporate jets.

______________________________________________________
we never steal cars, but we deal hard
whip it real hard, whip it [whip it] real hard

...everyday we hustlin.

crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive-o...

Today is St. Patrick's Day [sort of]. The official day of St. Patrick is Monday, but the official part-ay for St. Patrick is today.



St. Patrick's Day in Savannah can only be described as insanity. Yesterday driving in to work, they already had squares along the parade route blocked off and I counted 36 port-a-potties (not to mention I was behind a truck that was carrying 9 more...) They used to dye the entire river green. (They didn't last year, maybe they will this year?) I think for many, this might be considered a spiritual mecca.

Yesterday I was feeling pretty bitter toward St. Patrick and his day. I have to work today while 300,000 drunk people make it impossible for me to take my normal route, adding a good 30 minutes on my commute home. But what I didn't know about this day was that Corona, in order to commerate Patrick, made specialty light up rings in the shape of shamrocks. [Thank you waiter at Sticky Fingers for giving me one!] So today, as I sit here while everyone's out having a good time, I will hit my ring and make it light up to spread some Patrick cheer in my own way. I saw another one laying on the bar as we were paying and I used MY sticky fingers to get it for The Yankee. The power is ours. :)

Today, on this fake St. Patrick's Day, I leave you with this Irish wish...

May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

dancing prisoners...

...it never gets old.



Thanks Yankee. :)

well, you can cancel the Amber alert...

I arrived at work today to find quite the chaotic scene. Police, firefighters and some parts of the National Guard were all around my desk with snarling, drooling dogs. They had fax machines and copiers set up around the swath of laptops with maps on the screen of Georgia, the United States, and the world. One uniformed man had just hit send on the fax machine...faxing my security badge picture to all the local hotspots, newspapers and news stations. They were holding up papers that I had touched and the pens I have written with to the noses of bloodhounds, trying to get them to pick up my scent. Right before the police chief "ok'd" the picture for the back of the milk cartons, I walked around the corner. They all proceeded to shout huzzah before they returned to their daily duties and fed the bloodhounds their breakfast.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I was 10 minutes late to work this morning.

I didn't sleep well last night (couldn't go to sleep until 2, had to get up at [what my body felt like] was 4:15.) So I felt like crap this morning. My work cell phone died yesterday, so I didn't have it on for people to call. I had 5 missed phone calls on my desk phone, one being my supervisor, and they were all trying to find me.

I hate this god forsaken place.

peach fuzz buzz but beard on the verge...

a new favorite...Lupe Fiasco.



excellent cd.

riot.

i've watched this city burn twice
in my lifetime
and the most notable thing
was the arrival of the
politicians in the
aftermath
proclaiming the wrongs of
the system
and demanding new
policies toward and for the
poor.

nothing was corrected last
time.
nothing will be corrected this
time.

the poor will remain poor.
the unemployed will remain
so.
the homeless will remain
homeless

and the politicians,
fat upon the land, will live
very well.

~ charles bukowski
_______________________

thanks boyce.

the student becomes the master...

Let me just begin by saying, today has been a terrible day. I mean, horrible...rough...and every synonym in between. Bad day at work, bad day with my family, just...bad.

But tonight, things took a turn for the best. And when I say best, I mean, tonight I experienced something that I never thought I would live to see. It happened, and like a comet, it may be another 75 years before I experience this again...IF it ever happens again in my lifetime.

Drumroll please.

Tonight, I told The Husband something about the Boston Red Sox that he didn't know. It was a news related article, not some obscure fact about the team.

Red Sox Unveil 'Coca-Cola Corner'

I have never been prouder in my life.

As in true Red Sox Nation fashion, I turned up Dropkick Murphys and did this victory dance around my apartment:

another day, another struggle..

Survey: One-third of workers catching zzz's on jobStory Highlights
Survey suggest workers not getting enough sleep
NEW YORK (AP) -- A survey released Monday by the National Sleep

Foundation says more people on the job should wake up, go home and get more sleep.

The survey of 1,000 people found participants average six hours and 40 minutes of sleep a night on weeknights, even though they estimated they'd need roughly another 40 minutes of sleep to be at their best.

Roughly one-third of those surveyed said they had fallen asleep or become very sleepy at work in the past month.

Just how big a deal that is depends, of course, on your job. Last week, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission acknowledged it should have done more to investigate a tip that security guards routinely took naps while on the job at a Pennsylvania nuclear plant.

It wasn't until a videotape of guards sleeping in a "ready room" at the Peach Bottom plant in south-central Pennsylvania surfaced several months after it got the tip that the NRC announced in September a special investigation.

While sleepy workers know they're not performing as well as they could during the day, work is what's keeping them up nights, according to the survey, which found workdays are getting longer and time spent working from home averages close to four-and-a-half hours each week.

It seems people are also trying to squeeze in more time for themselves and their families, even if it means less sleep. According to the survey, the average time to wake up is at 5:35 a.m. and it's followed by about two hours and 15 minutes at home before heading out to work.
___________________________________________
I find it interesting that this number isn't higher than it is. Not to mention, why would people wake up at 5:30 if they don't have to leave for another 2 hours?! I have to wake up at 5:30 because I have to leave before 6:30. C'mon now...

[throwback]thursday...

.:The Sugarhill Gang:.


.:De La Soul:.


.:Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five:.



...feel free to get up and dance.

killer wit the beat, i know killers in the street...

I meant to tell this story earlier, but I forgot.

To give you some background, this is a story about the Yankee. She's a quiet person, especially in groups of people. She's reserved and pretty straight laced.

This weekend, we all got together and watched American Gangster (really interesting movie.) We were discussing it over a game of Apples to Apples. If you've never played that game, you really should. It's entertaining.

Basically, I had to choose between two cards: Denzel Washington and South Africa. I don't even remember what the green card was...it rarely matters with me. I pick the funniest card or card comparison...(like, when the green card said friendly, I laid down Jack the Ripper and proceeded to snicker at the cruel joke.) So, I had Denzel and South Africa. Naturally, I picked the more gangster of the two and went with Denzel, the American Gangster. Well, the Yankee's card was South Africa, so she lost and proceeded to say, "You picked Denzel over South Africa?! Which is more important!?"

I said, "Yes, the AMERICAN GANGSTER? Of course I picked that one." (you all should know, I will always choose gangsta.)

She said, "He wasn't even gangster."

I said, "Um...he covered a man in gas and lit him on fire with the FIRST 10 SECONDS."

She said, "Okay, so is that all you have to do to be gangster?!"

I said, "uh...yeah. Not to mention the other guy he shot in broad daylight at that cafe..."

She said in her sore loser voice, "Oh, right...All you have to do is kill 2 men and you're gangsta?! Geez, then I'm half way there."





I busted out into fits of laughter. This is so not someone who would ever say or do anything like that. She said it with the straightest face ever. I was like, "So, one down one to go?! or...what?!?!?!"

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Don't be fooled when you meet her for the first time. Just remember, she's already killed once. She's on the hunt for number two.

we dream of ways to break these iron bars...

I had a really rough week last week dealing with things related to my job. In summation: I'm miserable. But who isn't...right? Well, I was super miserable...to the point that I seriously think I'm allergic to the place I work.

I have been looking for other jobs, but last week, I realized that I'm approaching [at double light speed] a time when it would be pointless for me to change jobs. The Husband graduates in May 2009, so, it really would be pointless for me to change jobs just for a year. Not to mention, the fact that it would be hard to get around [in a job interview]the fact that we're going to leave in a year. No one's going to hire someone who's husband is graduating in a year...and the reason they're where they are is because he is in school. SO. Realizing that I am most likely going to be at the job I'm at for another year is something that makes me want to pull my eyeballs out with an olive fork and fill the sockets with glass shards and lemon juice. It's very depressing to me.

At this point, I being my usual introspection..."Why am I so depressed about this situation? What is it about my job that I really don't like." Because...I normally reserve the glass near my eyes metaphor for really bad situations. And yes, my manager is an idiot...but that shouldn't make me feel like I want to claw all my skin off from 7-3:30 every day.

So I began thinking about all these things. What really is at the root of my depression about this job...why am I so unhappy? These are the conclusions that I came up with...and if you're one of the friends who listened to me rant about this situation last week, I really appreciate it. It's good to have people you can just talk things through with.

These are my conclusions:

• I do not want to live with regret. This is a very important thing to me, I've come to realize. It's why I hate making decisions. I CAN make decisions, I'm just afraid I'm going to wish I had chosen another option and regret the decision I made. One way that I evaluate regret in my life is by comparing myself to my peers. If I feel like everything's going alright, comparably, then I feel pretty good about whatever the situation is...relationships, jobs, life, etc. Right now, in my job, I feel like I'm way behind my peers/friends by what I'm doing. I didn't walk off the stage at graduation into a job that I like. (Which I know, most of you are probably rolling your eyes, but a LOT of the friends I had in the program I was in in college walked into really good jobs. BUT, they didn't have stipulations on their physical location. So comparably...you get the picture.) I feel like for the degree program I was in, I'm way behind the average...and I hate that.
  
  
• I value achievement very highly. I can't just be in the club, I have to be the president. I'm very much driven by the achievements of my life and feel that I need to be constantly working toward a new goal/new achievement in order to be "successful" in what I'm doing. I've lived my life very purposefully until now, and I think that's pretty evident if you know me. Now, I just feel like I'm floating around...not working toward anything...not getting experience in a field I want to be in (finance). This may be harsh on myself and I'm not being dramatic, but I basically feel that I'm a failure in the area of life titled "career." There's nothing about my work situation that I am proud of. Looking back, I know now that this is because my father instilled a very strong, "If you're not first, you're last..." mentality into my brain. Right now, this job is making me feel last. That is depressing.
  

In a conversation with A Cooke, I really began to understand what my problem is. She's really good at helping me realize these things. :) I realized and told her that when I look back on my life, I want to be at the top of the pyramid, whether that's career wise or family wise. (Whether I stay in the career world or I quit and be a Mom...) I want to know that I've worked as hard as I could and was successful. (Not just IN the PTA...but president of it.) I would then have no regret. She told me that when she views the end of her life, she just wants to have been a good mom and a good wife. I told her that to me, that is so ambiguous! How do you define success in that desire? She told me that I sound just like my dad. The thing is, she's right. I have this tiny voice in my head constantly reinforcing the fact that if you're not first...you are last. No one remembers number two. And if anyone says something along the lines of, "Well, achievement isn't all that matters..." like, college isn't just about grades, then it's just because they couldn't achieve. So for me to agree that there are things in life that are more important than achievement, I feel like I'm just copping out.

The funny thing is, if you look at where my dad is right now, since the separation, he's definitely not first. He's up to nothing goal-oriented.

I just have to realize that in life, there are things that are more important than achievement. Achievement doesn't equal success. It's just REALLY hard for me to believe that in my heart.

The other thing that I've realized is that since I've always hung out with people who are older than I am (by at least 3-5 years) I feel like I have the pressure on me that a 25 or 27 year old would have. The thing is, I'm just 22. The things that I've achieved in my life by now are good. And even if I'm just working in a job to stay busy and bring in money until The Husband graduates, I'm somewhat in my field...I mean, I'm working within the Business field, at least.

I just need to not be so intense, critical and analytical of my life. The hard thing is, that's like telling a fish to survive and live on land.

i saw the sign [and it opened up my eyes...]

At first I was surprised. But now, I think I, along with the rest of America simply ignored the warning signs. Here's your wake up call, America.



So that's when I had this bright idea
Throw the party of the month
Nah, the party of the year

All the fine girls couldn't turn it down
Now all I gotta do is get my parents out
Should I send them to a movie
Nah, send'em to a show
Let me think, hmmmmmm
It's gotta be long though...

Aaron, we hear you. We see the signs and we're here to help.