My 400th Post

One of those days?

Here are the things I’m thinking about this morning.

First, do you ever have the “pleasure” of sitting next to someone on public transportation who has no sense of etiquette for said transportation? I did this morning. He would talk to himself, random half sentences, said with trailing endings, looking for a response. He kept sort of turning to stare at me (and well, I do look hot in my toque, parka, gloves, and seventeen other layers, but still…), and then, he’d whip around, to look out the window, and crane his head and shoulders, so that he was almost in my lap. Gotta love public transit!

Secondly, I’m greatly enjoying the perfume I’m wearing this morning. As I was walking, every so often the wind was just right, and I caught a whiff of it. I kept thinking to myself, “Dang, I smell good today!”

Third, I forgot my shoes. No, I didn’t come all the way to work in my stocking feet. I wore running shoes, much more suited for the snow we currently have in abundance than the dress shoes I normally wear. However, in my getting ready this morning, I forgot to chuck the dress shoes in my bag. Good thing I wore dress socks today instead of the wooly socks I normally wear and take off to go barefoot in my dress shoes!

And finally, I got to work to find out that I left a phone message yesterday for a dead person. Someone whose funeral program has been sitting in our staff room all week, but I didn’t catch on. Thankfully his widow was quite gracious in an email returning my phone message, but I feel badly none the less.

And with that, I’m on to start the real “meat” of my day. The chocolate covered granola bar is kicking in, my legs are starting to thaw out from the trek to the c-train, and, in stocking feet, I can sit half-way cross legged much more comfortably. See you later!

Just Because I Could Use It

Things that are making me smile
(one of those happiness lists that are equivalent to low doses of anti-depressants!)

1. An email from my best friend, now in Ireland, telling me about being invited to a "formal" this weekend, and worrying about possibly having to dance.
2. The prospect of a trip to see Marty and Kari this weekend (assuming the weather doesn't get totally horrendous)
3. A poem by Leonard Cohen (see my last post.)
4. The movie "Secondhand Lions"
5. Chocolate covered almonds
6. Subway lunch today with a great coworker
7. A relatively clean bedroom
8. A whole stack of books on my desk, just waiting to be read.
9. A stable financial situation for the moment
10. Blogger working properly and a successful migration to the new blogger
11. A decent week so far at work.
12. A new friend
13. A fairly okay first ever youth girls Bible study last weekend
    
14. Knowing that loving on the youth girls is something God is enabling me to do right now
15. Passion Tea
16. Hot pink crocs (have I mentioned that I've become a crocs evangelist?)
17. My best friend coming back to Canada in just over a week.
18. Pictures of a friend's new baby
19. magic bag - can you say fantastic for those cold winter nights?
20. The beauty of the snow covering everything right now (if not the temperatures necessary for all the snow to be falling)

That's all for now folks! I have reading to do, and then sleeping!

I am one of the fakes...

Thousands
Out of the thousands
who are known
or who want to be known
as poets,
maybe one or two
are genuine
and the rest are fakes,
hanging around the sacred precincts
trying to look like the real thing.
Needless to say
I am one of the fakes,
and this is my story.

I fell in love with this poem, by Leonard Cohen (in Book of Longing) when I first read it. I think I may put it as the facing page/introduction to the first book I ever write.

How beautiful a concept, that even the fakes, the failures, the ones with pretense and the ones without, all of us have a right, and hopefully an inbred desire and ability to tell our story.

I read something on Donald Miller's website just after Christmas, where he was talking about working to tell a better story with his life this year. About living fully and intentionally.

I like that.

I am not (usually) a poet.

I am one of the fakes.
And this is my story.

Reading Material

I'm working my way through a number of books just presently, and have spent the evening reading bits and pieces of all of them, with plans to continue reading, comfortably curled up in bed as soon as I'm done posting.

1. The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Loving this one in much the same way I love the movie, though it is decidedly slower and less strikingly profound than the movie.
2. The Alphabet of Grace by Frederick Buechner. Haven't made it very far in, but am liking what I've read so far. I've liked what I've read by Buechner in the past, and some of my favorite authors quote him quite regularly, so I thought I'd check him out myself.
3. The Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen. I confess to mostly skim reading this one. Poetry is always more difficult for me to read, and this is full of rather strongly erotic poetry that I'm skipping quite liberally. However, there are a few gems in there too!

There are others waiting in the wings, partially read, some skimmed, and ready for in depth persusal. Can I just say that I love books, and that I'm grateful for close proximity to a good library. All three of the above are library books. Which is decidedly easier on my pocketbook than purchasing!

Some Changes

Since I've finally managed the switch, I also took the time to make some changes. Most significantly, I've updated my list of people and things I like. If you're still not on the list, it doesn't mean I don't like you, it just means I don't know where to find you!