Daily 5 - Day 249

For those who are curious, the background to the daily 5 can be found here.

Today's Daily 5:

1. Watching old episodes of ER on DVD
2. The funny little routines that have come to mark life at Grandma's
3. My dad unexpectedly having time to take my car to the mechanic for me today, instead of tomorrow as we'd planned, and calling me at work to offer to take care of that for me.
4. My "new" car passed the insurance inspection - I just have to fax in the paperwork tomorrow and it's all official.  Now I just need a name for it!
5. A mechanic who is very kind in what he charges me for - because he had done maintenance on the car for the previous owner, he didn't charge me for the inspection, just the oil change he also did today at my request.  I also love that he's really honest - he'll tell me if something is wrong with the car, and then he'll tell me if it needs to be fixed right away, or if it's something that can just be watched for the time-being.  It's so nice as a less than car savvy girl to have a mechanic who I know and trust.  I'd be in so much trouble if I ever move away from Calgary and my mechanic - I'm definitely the biggest target around when it comes to being dumb about car stuff!
6. I made pasta for dinner tonight and froze 4 meals.  It made enough for my supper tonight, lunch tomorrow, and four frozen meals.  Cooking for one is a pain, but if I can store a few favorite meals like this in the freezer, it should help with combating the less than healthy eating habits that have reared their ugly head since my arrival in Grandma's house.  I'm hoping to freeze a few other meals over the coming weeks, sort of cooking a "normal" sized (i.e. not for one person) meal, and then freezing several portions for work lunches or suppers on those nights when cooking is just too time consuming.  I'd specifically like to make some mini lasagna's to take out and pop in the oven.  The freezing thing works well for me, too, since I don't like to eat a ton of leftovers.  If I can pull it out in a couple of weeks, it's so much more likely to not get wasted.
7. I'm still really enjoying the audio book, "Stuff Christians Like" that I've been listening to most recently.  It's brought a lot of smiles as I've been sitting on the train and bus listening.  It's also the free audio book of the month on Christianaudio.com
8. I'm loving the book, "Jesus Freak" by Sara Miles that I've been reading as well.
9. Filtered water for drinking (from a glass bottle)
10. Watching a couple of movies in the background on my laptop in the last day or so, as I've been working on other stuff.

Great Article by Bono

It's no secret that I'm a fan of U2, not just for their music, but for Bono's work to use his fame as currency and raise awareness of the major issues of poverty and social injustice in our time.

He wrote a great Op-Ed piece for the New York times recently.  Definitely worth the few minutes it will take to read it, if only for the fact that it presents hope.

Dream

A friend posted this video tonight, and I found it lovely, and thought I'd share it with you.

On My Radar Today

Donald Miller wrote this great piece on "Asking People to Leave Church"

I loved this piece on new life at Ragamuffin Diva

And, as a dear friend of mine is currently in Malta, and was attending the Papal Mass, I've been following headlines about the pope's weekend visit to Malta.

Pope Cries in Malta Victim Meeting

Pope Reaches Five Year Mark with Church Mired in Scandal

Pope Cries with Church Abuse Victims in Malta

Pope and Church Satisfied with Papal Visit

Abuse Victims Say Meeting with Pope Gave Them Peace

Malta Set to Greet Pope Benedict

Pope Benedict's Historic Malta Visit Ends

Monday morning basics

I have a car now, did I mention that on the weekend?

But I still took the train to work today.  I find driving stressful at the best of times, and even more so since my car accident in late January.  So, I cut off the time I spend on the bus by driving my car to my parent's house, parking it there, and walking to catch the train.  They live about a 3 minute walk from a train station.  My plan is to still take the train 3-4 days a week, using this new method.  I've found I greatly appreciate that quiet time in the mornings and after work, time where I can simply worship, or listen to a sermon or audiobook.  Without the stress of focusing on the road while I listen, or worship or pray.

It was nice to sleep a bit later, and to dress for the day in a slightly less hurried fashion.  The advantage of not having to be at the bus stop by exactly 6:54 am.

If I take the train 3-4 days a week, I can justify the purchase of a bus pass.  I'm fairly certain that I'll save the cost of the bus pass in gas, and the bus pass is a tax deduction at the end of the year.  Not a huge one, but a deduction none-the-less.  And, not only is less driving less stress, but it fits well with my desire to live more simply, and more environmentally friendly.  Especially since my car is quite old, and probably not the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet.

It's Monday and the air conditioner in our office building is broken.  There is a call in to the provider, and hopefully we'll get some movement on this today.  We've hit the first hot weather of the season, and we're on the top floor, and it is HOT in here.  (And if I'm saying it's hot, it really must be, since I'm generally always cold!)  I'm particularly invested in someone coming to fix the air conditioner because I'm the one on our staff that people will complain to and grump at because they're too warm.

I'm thinking, given the heat, that I'll skip my planned bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and eat the mini cinnamon buns that I brought with me instead.  A tasty was to start the day.  I'll probably skip my mug of tea as well, though that I'll miss just a little bit more.

I'm just thankful that I went with the impulse to wear a skirt and short-sleeved top this morning.

So, it's Monday morning, and those are the basics right now.

Heat.  Water.  Finding ways to utilize my car, but still be less stressed.  Breakfast.  And maybe tea.