Saturday Update

Okay, now I share 'foreignheart' with my sister, Christina, I still needed a place to put my ramblings that wouldn't fit in a weekly line-up. So, I'm going to just write on here. It'll be interesting extras about my life - funny stories, embarrassing moments, and art worth sharing.

Since it's been so long, I feel the need to make a list... of the things I've been thinking, listening to, watching, and doing.

DOING
1. Ultimate Frisbee could very possibly be the greatest game ever invented. For the past two weeks, I've been playing with a rowdy crew down at Zilker Park and I just can't get enough of it. I biked from St. Edward's campus last week, played 2 1/2 hours and biked back. I was keeled over for awhile - apparently an all uphill return trip is not the best idea after scrapping some great frisbee. I'm pretty proud of my skinned knees.

2. I frighten easily - it hasn't been a secret for awhile. But, on Thursday at work I was at the height of embarrassment. I was sitting at my desk in my office, quietly working away on the computer. When, I sensed a presence and before I could say "whippersnapper" I hurled myself onto the ground with a brilliant, loud scream and writhed on the floor for a good few minutes before I started to say, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. How embarrassing." The Director of Student Life just stood there, shaking his head asking, "Are you alright?" My supervisor thinks I experienced some sort of childhood trauma, which I vehemently deny. The funny thing, apart from watching my slip into hysterics, is that I am surprised every single time I jump. You would think I would anticipate being startled. But, no.

THINKING
3. I'm trying to make some progress with my Spanish skills. Don't ask me to carry a conversation, but I sure do like some of the music! I have been reading children's fables and listening to children's music. I figure - I should start at the very beginning (it's a very good place to start, thanks Maria). My favorite children's Spanish tune is Los Pollitos by Elizabeth Mitchell.

4. I love to send packages and I love to get packages. Lately, I've been trying to send a lot and I've realized two things 1. postage is expensive! someone is making some major bucks off my crafts and baking mixes and 2. sometimes I get so excited to send something, I don't think enough about what I'm sending. I have a constant list running through my mind of crafts I should make, gifts I should buy, and things I should do for people. The list sometimes turns evil on me, because there is no way I can do everything on it. And, the longer my list gets the more guilt I feel for not following through. Ugh! But, at the same time, when I do get something on it done, it usually has great effect.

COOKING
5. This is kind of old news, but I thought it would be worth a little snippet. So, I wanted to make dinner for a couple friends. They were about to move, and so their lives were full of all things relocation. The only trouble is - I have negative resources and a dwindling pantry. So, I pulled the ingredients I could find: frozen chicken, dressing, full carrots, cornbread mix, and apples. I decided to marinate the chicken in dressing... and then I called my mom. Something about just having her on the phone at least makes the situation laugh-worthy. My mom suggested making an apple salad with mayo, lemon juice and sugar. Of course, I didn't have lemon juice or sugar, so I tried lemonade and honey - no go. Thankfully, I didn't add the apples yet. I decided to cut the carrots long-ways because there were quite a few roots growing jagged out of the orange. I showed up at their apartment with cooked carrots, marinated chicken, cornbread muffins, and apples (which we baked and sweetened). It was delicious. Oh! And I forgot to add that halfway through making all of this, I decided to try a cheesecake. I had probably 3/5 ingredients I needed so I substituted and decreased and increased... and, well I'm not all sure what I did. I just know that when I took it out of the oven, I remembered it had to FREEZE overnight! So, needless to say, I brought it to work the next day and it was edible! Success!

6. I love - absolutely love - Indian food. My sister and I always try to find new authentic (not that we would really know) spicy restaurants. Well, I have a friend from Sri Lanka, so I asked if I could cook with her (or rather, watch her cook). So last week, I made chicken curry with lentils and rice. It was absolutely amazing. There were so many colors! We spent about an hour preparing the vegetables, chicken, lentils, and rice. The end result was so good that she set me up with the spices so I could try it at home...we'll see how that goes.

WATCHING AND LISTENING
7. If you have not seen the film, Dancer in the Dark, you should. I have never weeped to deeply in my life, I think. At least for a film, I am very positive. The story is about a mother's love - her perilous love for her only child. As the tragedy unfolds, my heart sank to see the dreadfulness of humanity. We really are so dreadful.

8. My moods have been strange lately. Sometimes I can talk of nothing but Honduras, and other times my heart seems strangely distant - longing for the corn, "knee high by the fourth of July." I stumbled upon Jon Foreman quite unexpectedly. But, his song "Your Love is Strong" breathes a prayer my hearts can sing.

9. Another kindred spirit of song is Waterdeep, an independent band from Kansas City, Missouri. I want to dance. Sometimes I do dance, especially to the song "Good, Good End." I forget the beauty of God's sovereignty nearly every day... and I guess hearing that the long, hard road has a good, good end reminds me of our pilgrimmage through this life. How can I end in anything but an amen?

I'm going to end the list there. Why do we always have to do things in tens?

I will put some laundry in, tidy the kitchen, think for a moment about a run, and then go read Scarlet Letter and make some decaf coffee.