Random Acts of Randomness

Things that Annoy the Crap Out of Me: Holiday Edition

2005-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

1.) One employee working the cash register, eight employees "working the floor." You know who you are, Penn Square/Quail Springs Mall businesses.

2.) People beating the crap out of each other trying to get the new X-Box/Playstation/high tech new toy. Enough already. It's a TOY for crying out loud. It will be available next year. Or March or sometime.

3.) People who stand in front of businesses, then ACCOST you for a signature to some petition. No, I don't want the freedom to let your dog poop in my front yard. Leave me alone.

4.) Advertisements on TV implying that your kids will be ridiculed for life if they don't have every new toy they advertise. Or that your wife won't love you anymore if you don't buy her that $3500 necklace. Last I checked, Christmas was about the BIRTH of CHRIST, not the celebration of Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

5.) People who accuse bloggers/xangans of not having a life. Especially those who have blogs of their own, take the time to READ other people's blogs enough to have a working knowledge of their life, and comment crap on blogs. This has happened not to me but to a couple of my friends. I am annoyed vicariously on behalf of my friends.

6.) When people bring inappropriate gifts to clean White Elephant parties. I can't count how many times someone has brought a set of handcuffs to a party as a White Elephant gift. Or a mothball sweater that smells of eau de 1963. Or a pile of plastic crap. It's not amusing.

7.) Obvious one-upmanship on gift-giving. "You just gave your boyfriend a sweater? Well, I gave mine a Pentium, a diamond ring, and a yearlong subscription to NetFlix!" How nice for you. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford that.

Dating Advice

2005-12-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

Wow...so I was so tired this weekend. Saturday night I went to bed at 6 p.m....woke up at 8 the next morning and was late for Sunday School! Sigh. At least I am relatively well-rested. I did most of my Christmas shopping yesterday afternoon. I still have to buy gifts for my nephews and nieces, as well as my mom and my grandparents.

I have a job interview with the land surveying company this afternoon. Wish me the best, friends!

A lot of people have posed the question: Should a guy persue a girl, or should a girl be more aggressive? Well, I am a bit old-fashioned: I think a guy should DEFINITELY persue the girl if he likes her. However, a girl can give some cues to indicate that she wouldn't say no to a date. I have liked many guys over the years, and I waited for them to persue me. They ended up persuing other women.

The moral? 1.) Pray for your future mate. Not just, "God, bring me my future mate!," but pray that they will have joy and peace and that they will grow closer to the Lord. 2.) Persue a closer relationship with God through reading the Word, praying, helping others, etc. 3.) And if you happen to meet a guy/gal you are interested in, persue a friendship. Say hi to them. Smile, smile, smile. Even if a dating relationship doesn't work out, you'll at least have a friend. 4.) If they aren't interested in you, it's not because they are evil or bad people. It's because they have different interests.

Okay, now I will get off my dating soapbox.

I'm Exhausted

2005-12-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Last night I was so tired when I got home I pretty much went straight to bed. Oh, I left a few comments, stuff like that. But I was way too tired to leave a post. I don't even think I had any dreams last night. That's fairly unusual.

Last night I went with friends to see "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." It was really cute. It's about this church play that is infiltrated (I love that word) with some "troubled" kids. Turns out both the kids and the people in the church learn a lot from the experience.

After that, I went with Brian, Misti, Cindy, and Brian's friend Amy to On the Border. I had some yummy guacamole. I had a bunch left over, and I will probably eat it for lunch today. After that, we all went to Nichols Hills to look at Christmas lights. Some of the displays were...amazing. At one house, we saw two scary-looking plastic Dalmations guarding the driveway. Hee! Now I am plotting ways to deposit them in front of Booker's apartment. :-)

That's about it. I am at work right now. Oh, yeah! I have two job interviews next week. One with the Metropolitan Library and one with the land surveying company. Wish me all the best, y'all! :-)

Jorb

2005-12-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Since so many of you are curious about my job situation (Hi, Melanie, Hilary, and Scott!) I thought I would give this brief update.

I have a job interview in the city tomorrow morning, weather permitting. I will be testing on my 10-key skills, typing speed and customer service. I also recieved a telephone call this afternoon requesting an interview.

Yesterday in the mail I recieved an application for the research job I mentioned. I will fill it out and return it to my uncle.

That's about it!

Do They Know It's Christmas

2005-12-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Do They Know It's Christmas

--Band Aid

It's Christmastime; there's no need to be afraid
At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade
And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime

But say a prayer to pray for the other ones
At Christmastime it's hard, but when you're having fun
There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring there
Are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life
Oh, where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmastime at all?

Here's to you, raise a glass for ev'ryone
Here's to them, underneath that burning sun
Do they know it's Christmastime at all?

Feed the world
Feed the world

Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmastime again
Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmastime again
-B. Geldof

Freezing Cold and Unable to Type

2005-12-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

It is snowing now...and freezing! Wow...break out the long johns. It is 19 degrees here...brrrrr. It's not supposed to get this cold in Oklahoma!

I have popped in some of my Christmas CD's. (Do you get the idea that I enjoy listening to music?)

What else....Not much else to type about today. Anyway, my fingers are stiff. I think it's too cold anyway. Maybe I am getting Carpal Tunnel. Or rheumatism. Or both.

Snow

2005-12-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

It's supposed to snow tomorrow. They are forecasting about 6 inches in OKC. Nice...now I will have to drive in solid snow. How fun. (sarcasm)

My tooth is feeling a bit better. Last night I took some pain meds and went to bed at 8 p.m. That helped a great deal. I am trying not to mess with the tooth too much.

This morning I went to the city for a job test...only to find out that I would have to take it on Friday instead! Sigh. Here's hoping that the ground isn't covered in snow then. Maybe by morning the temp will be up to 32 degrees. (HA!)

What else...I am going to rewrite my resume to emphasize my research activities, both in college and here at the library. Why, do you ask? Well, I am applying for a job at the health department. It deals with the Murrah Building bombing. So I will need a resume with my research activities on it.

A Crash Course on the BCS and Other Stuff

2005-12-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

There are 28 bowl games played in late December and early January: 4 BCS bowls (Sugar, Rose, Fiesta and Orange) and 24 other bowls. Basically, a team is bowl-eligible if it finishes at least .500 for the regular season, or gets 6 wins.

The BCS is designed to see which teams play for the National Championship. It was made because a play-off system makes too much sense. The team's ranking in the BCS is determined by a great many important factors, such as the USA Today polls, popular opinion, and number of bribes offered the commissioners. The top two teams play for the national championship. The other six spots are determined by 1.) Conference champions of the six major conferences (Big 10, Big 12, SEC, Pac-10, ACC, and Big East) 2.) Placement in the BCS rankings. Also, no more than two teams from each conference can play in BCS bowls. Notre Dame plays in a BCS bowl if it finishes in the top 6 in the BCS.

Now, after the BCS bowl makes its picks, then the other bowls pick out their teams. Most of the bowls have conference "tie in's." For instance, the Cotton Bowl has first pick among the remaining Big 12 teams after the BCS, and second pick among the SEC teams. Each conference has a certain number of tie-ins, including the BCS bowl. They also could concieveably gain another tie-in, if they have an at-large BCS selection. The Big 12 has 8 tie-ins.

If there are more tie-ins than bowl-eligible teams in a conference, then some of the bowls can become at-large bowls.

Confused? Yeah, me too. Wikipedia.org probably has a better explanation.

All I Want for Christmas is You

2005-12-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
Written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true...
All I want for Christmas
Is you...

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you...
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeer click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
You...

All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need -
won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want him for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is
You...

All I want for Christmas is you baby... (repeat)

A Few Things

2005-12-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Wow. Life is...well, decent anyway. I am going through my usual mood swings and stuff. Happy one minute, sad the next, pissed the next. But...I need to stop blaming other people or situations for what's going on in my life. To quote the Eagles, "We are all just prisoners here of our own device." In other words, sure...I have had some crappy stuff happen to me. But I am where I am because of decisions I have made. (And yes, friends...not making a decision is a decision.) It is up to me to turn the tide.

To that end, I have applied for numerous jobs. I have had a couple of interviews, and I am taking a test tomorrow for Metropolitan. So maybe I will have full-time employment lined up by the end of the week. But even if I don't, I know that I have tried, and I have developed my skills. People have told me, "I have never been turned down for a job before! Every job I have applied for I have gotten!" Well, in most cases they are exaggerating. But I learned, for instance, that I am a lot more skilled in Excel than I thought. I took a test for it, and I passed with a really high score. Surprising considering that I haven't really used Excel that much.

Sooooo...in other news, my tooth is sore again. I really need to have that sucker pulled. Probably it will go away in the next few days. I will just eat soup and stuff until then, so that I don't have to chew that much.

Saturday night I went over to Melissa, Misti and Cindy's house for a Christmas party. A whole bunch of people showed up, including Eilene and Johna from Council. I had to leave early (around 11:30) because I had to drive back, but the girls didn't go to bed until 2 a.m.! I skipped Sunday School the next day.

Sunday evening I went to the Council Road musical. It was really, REALLY good. After that, we all went to Chili's. We made Nachos a la Rich. It consisted of putting any condiments we could find on top of tortilla chips. Including Sweet and Low, catsup, salt, and some of my artichoke dip. Oh, and salsa too.

Still haven't heard anything new on Dad. Like...when the Hades is he going to have surgery. I will let y'all know.

OU is going to the Holiday Bowl. They will be playing Oregon, who finished 10-1 this season and probably should have been in a BCS bowl. But because Notre Dame finished in the top 6, they get a BCS bid. On the one hand, I am thrilled that Notre Dame is back in the BCS. On the other hand, it doesn't seem quite fair to Oregon. Oh, well.

Oh, and I am boycotting the Rose Bowl. That is all

An American Tragedy

2005-12-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

I was watching The Today Show this morning. They talked about this opera that is going to open soon at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It is called "An American Tragedy."

This opera is about the young man, Clyde Gillette, who worked in a factory and was climbing the ladder of the American Dream. He meets this girl and starts courting her. She eventually becomes pregnant and is sent away by her parents. (Back then, single parenthood was unheard of.) She wrote Clyde letters, but he was beginning to think that he would be better off without her and his unborn child. He was also courting a wealthy young lady. So he drowns his pregnant girlfriend in a lake. (Scott Peterson, anyone?) He hides for several days, then is finally caught by the police, convicted, and executed.

Sigh. I want to go back to New York. Maybe Council Road will have a mission trip there sometime. I would be the first one on. :-)

The Blog Entry that was Banned in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma

2005-12-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess you may have heard the football snafu that is going on here in my town. In case you haven't, a young man (the quarterback who is also the coach's son) was suspended for kicking a fellow on the other team. Apparently, two members of the other team were picking on folks from the Shawnee team. He and his father appealed the ruling, and he was reinstated. So now the OSSAA is appealing it to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Well...I think it has gotten out of hand. The kid kicked the person. Let him serve his suspension and move on from there. It doesn't need to go to court. And it sure as Hades doesn't need to delay the football playoffs for two teams that weren't even involved.

This reminds me of a snafu that took place my senior year of high school. We had a rule at our homecoming that the escort could not kiss the homecoming queen. The rule was made ten years prior when a basketball homecoming queen candidate was escorted by a young man who was African-American. Her father didn't want him kissing her, so the school made the rule that no escort could kiss a homecoming queen. (The joys of living in a small town south of the Mason-Dixon line...)

Anyway, fast forward to 1996. My "best friend" at the time (and I use that term very loosely...didn't have a whole heck of a lot of true friends at the time) won Homecoming Queen. Her escort (a close friend of hers who probably privately liked her) kissed her. As a result, he was given three days in-house suspension.

He and his parents both supported the actions of the athletic director. Neither of them appealed the decision. However, the student body was in an uproar. Of course, most of them wanted to befriend him and the Homecoming Queen, so they supported them. Myself included.

Oh, well. News of the Weird, I guess.

Better Days

2005-12-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Better Days
~ Goo Goo Dolls

And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words
And sing out loud
'Cause everyone is forgiven now
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's ten million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words
And sing out loud
'Cause everyone is forgiven now
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words
And sing out loud
'Cause everyone is forgiven now
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

December

2005-12-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Wow...so it's the second day of December, and I already have every weekend until Christmas full. Not to mention some weekday evenings.

Oh, well. I still need to do my Christmas shopping.

Tomorrow I will be going over to Melissa, Misti and Cindy's house for a Christmas party. Should be fun...I miss those guys.

Well, at least this year I don't have to worry about any Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey variety shows. Errgh.

Speaking of TV, the Charlie Brown Christmas special is Tuesday night...and I have to work! Sigh and alas. I don't have a VCR, and I don't have TiVo. Double sigh. Rudolph has already been on, but I'm not much interested in that. It always makes me sad when little Rudolph was trying to play with the other reindeer, and the teacher (!) said, "We don't want you playing with us. Right boys?" or something to that effect.

Oh Dear...Not Another One.

2005-11-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

How stupid do these spam-bots think I am?!!?

(from my fabulous email account)

Good Day

I am moving to stay in the USA for 12 weeks
may be we can meet each other and have some fun time
or may be more. I am looking forward to getting your message
to my personal email cuttie@realmeet.info.
I will reply with a p.ic.
I am cute girl

How nice. (sarcasm)

Job Interview

2005-11-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well, today was my jorb interview. :-) I think it went really well. Olsten is going to give my resume to Feed the Children for a position there. If I don't get it, I will just continue to check back to see if there are any openings.

On my way up, I heard "Walking on Sunshine." It reminded me of Leigh Ann.

I ate lunch at the Bourbon Street Cafe in Bricktown. Yummmm. I had their Lobster Bisque. Good stuff. I need to learn how to make that.

I went to Marble Slab after that. I had Cheesecake ice cream with Kit-Kat. Mmmmm. While I was there I heard the B.C. Clark Christmas jingle. I squee'd.

That's about it. My dad is having an arteriogram today. You might pray for him.

I'm Back

2005-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't written for like, a week. I have had a lot going on. Plus, I don't have Internet access at my house, and probably won't for a few days. I am still able to check my email from my cell phone, though. Plus I can check it at the library. So I am good to go.

I am STILL sick. Still. I spent half the night in my parents' new house hacking up both lungs. Plus it was cold. Sigh. But we got my furniture moved in today. Tonight I will move in the rest of my clothes. It feels good to be wearing something other than a hoodie and jeans.

I gave away something like 22 boxes of clothes, old toys and other stuff...and it's still gonna be a tight squeeze. Sigh. At least, I won't be living there long.

I have a job interview tomorrow. Wish me the best!

Eh

2005-11-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Still not feeling great. I think I am still gonna go to Ingathering tonight, though.

Let's see...Thursday is Thanksgiving, and I will be spending it with my dad and stepmom, as well as that side of the family. It should be a lot of fun.

Speaking of Dad, they are going to start scheduling tests for his surgery. One test isn't scheduled until Dec. 9, though. That's way too long. So they are going to try to reschedule.

That's about it.

Ick

2005-11-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

I don't feel great right now. My nose is stopped up and I am tired. Sigh. I just got back from Asher delivering books, and now I just want to sleep for 23 hours. Ergh.

Misti and Brian told me about a movie they saw, Walk the Line. It's that movie about Johnny Cash. They said it was REALLY good. Now I'ma have to see it! I also want to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Too many movies.

Well, I am in the process of trying to move. Yesterday I got rid of a bunch of clothes I don't wear/don't fit/etc. I fully expect to get rid of a bunch more stuff. If anyone is fond of anything, let me know!

Mel G. is leaving for Isreal tomorrow. I would love to go. That would be uber-cool. (Sorry.) I'll miss you, G!

I acquired a couple of CD's a couple of days ago. They are by Steve Winwood. I always have loved old songs like that. I also got a couple of Christmas CDs. Now I can listen to Christmas music in July. (KIDDING!)

Question

2005-11-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick question....

Who the heck is paying off the Texas Tech officials?

Grrrr.... ::pissed::

Feeling the Love

2005-11-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

Wow...so Scott is coming into town after Christmas! I can hardly wait to see him again. Hi, Scott! Thanks for praying for me, buddy. :-) I also got the sweetest card from Jenn in the mail today. Thanks Jenn!

My dad is doing better today. The doctors gave him Lasix, and that helped with the water retention. He's still in the hospital, last I checked. They are going to transfer him to the Heart Hospital for his surgery.

As for me...I'm hanging in there. I read an article on how to cope with Holiday Stress. Believe me, after the last couple of weeks, I will take Holiday Stress any day. Between moving, job-hunting, and my dad's illness...well, it's been hard. But the Lord is good and He will help me through this.

Tonight I work a short shift at Sonic, then I am gonna hang with some girls in my Community Group. They are having a Girl's Night. Hopefully my car won't have Vaseline under the handles. (Hi, Booker!)

Hell

2005-11-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I still haven't heard anything about Dad. My older sister said she will call if she hears anything.

The last two weeks have been hell beyond anything I could imagine. Not knowing if my dad is going to survive the night, the week...it's been scary.

He had been doing OK the last couple of days...then he starts having breathing problems.

The worst part is not knowing. It's hard...and I am afraid.

Dad

2005-11-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

My dad is back in the hospital. He is having breathing problems. I don't know how serious it is yet.

Please pray for him.

Thanks.

Interview

2005-11-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well, my interview went pretty well. I mean to say, there were some good points and some not-so-good points. Here are some of the questions they asked:

What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What are your long-term goals?
Describe a time you had to work with a difficult person.
Describe a time you had to work with a team. (This was a toughie. I rarely work with teams on anything. Ho hum.)
What kind of rewards are you seeking from your job?

I am typing this for my own benefit, so that I will have better answers to these next time (if I don't get the job).

Tonight I am going with my mom, stepdad, brother, both sisters, and four nieces to eat dinner at the Delta Cafe. Mmmmmmmm....Cajun chicken sandwich....(drool)

Interview

2005-11-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I have a job interview. I will be interviewing with AllState in Newcastle. Wish me the best of luck!

I will also be coming up to the city...I will be looking at the State Department and other places. Pray that my poor car holds up.

Speaking of, I put some antifreeze in my car today (since the weather will dip below 25 tonight). Ended up spilling half of the antifreeze all over my engine, it was so windy out. Grrrr.