Complaints & Thanks

Let me just say that colds are the absolute worst.

I blame this primarily on the fact that I am still expected to carry on with my ever-so-painful-but-required-to-live responsibilities; For it is only a cold and I am completely capable of functioning.

"But it's the absolute worst," I exclaim in my most dedicated whine.

My ears are neither here nor there. I don't know what I'm listening to...Can you hear pain? I just had a thought(a rare occurence for today): I really shouldn't be ending my sentences with prepositions. But alas, proper grammar can bite me.

I have eaten nothing but soft foods this weekend in order to spare my throat. Hello oatmeal, Slimfast, and filling drinks, I am utterly sick of you.

I'm not even going to venture into the subject of breathing. Respiration and I are through. Finished. Over. Done.








Okay, okay. No more complaining.

~~~

Even as I sniffle, heavy-headed and confined at work, I know all I have...I am grateful. (really)

I am especially grateful for the small amount of schooling I have left; A year less than I originally thought. And a special thanks goes out to the 3 papers and 5 tests that await me before freedom for Christmas. So close.

But mostly, I am thankful for a beautiful God who despite all of my consistent falls and failures has never once failed to provide... whether He does it through friends, finance, or through that comfort only He can bestow.

*Or through the invention of TheraFlu

Steady and constant, He is my refuge, my provider, and my only source of strength. And I truly am grateful.

elations of my heart

It is cold. Hunched-shoulders and fires cold.

I am done for the night. Printed, stapled papers await to be handed in and judged.

I ,however, await to be lulled to sleep by chocolate milk and Houston Levee drivers.

An anxious game of petal picking ended on a happy note. He loves me. He loves me not... He loves me.

This once too-tiny apartment feels a lot like comfort and home.

Lunch coming soon with a dearly missed friend.

Thanksgiving festivities filled with turkey, cranberries, and awkward parents.

Christmas in Gatlinburg...Almost here.Almost here. Almost here!

Sleep. :)

Theme of the Week

Okay, get excited. I'm about to post a puzzle for you. I am going to give you a list of clues which will ultimately lead you to this weeks theme(for me-- not the entire population). Ready?
GO:

1. You sell a pair of jeans on Ebay. A woman buys them. She pays through paypal, but somehow ends up using an Echeck rather than an instant transfer. This means it takes 5 days to clear before you actually receive the funds. A week and a half later, she rudely accuses you of lying about the funds not posting immediately and that you're just late on shipping them.
   
2. Demons masquerading as a pre-adolescent soccer team rampage your store the entire 5 minutes before you close. Where are their parents? Eating at the restaurant next door. You're officially a babysitter and closing late (until you crack and find yourself chunking dog toys while mumbling threats of forced-cat-treat-consumption).
   
3. Not one, not two, but three people cut you off and then reduce their speed dramatically.
   
4. Your bank of 6 years just gave you a $140 overdraft charge for the grand total of about $50 bucks that you "borrowed" from them.
   
   

Well? Did you figure it out? I could give you more clues, but I'm running a little low on time. Here, I'll tell you, this week's theme is:

*insert drum roll and game show voice here*


PEOPLE. CrazyRudeSelfishImpatientGreedyExcusesforHumanBeings...(I say this like I haven't ever been attributed by one of these...ehem.)

And my objective is:


to love them.




...I'll let you know how that's going after my boxing session.

Jumbled

I can no longer attempt to organize. Please note that period. Organize. Period.
There will be no more shuffling of notes, blueprints to fix friendships, laundry, picking up after Madie, or lists on upcoming projects/papers to be done.


I quit.


That felt good, let me say that again. I QUIT.


...okay, so maybe I can't quit everything for good, but as far as tonight goes, I'm shutting off. All systems are down.


Except...I can't stop thinking and I'm almost certain that to get ANY rest at all tonight, I'm going to have to write. Write it all down. Because what goes on paper (or a computer screen) leaves my mind.
So for fair warning, you should probably skip this entry and move onto another blog. one of substance and point.

~~~

• I will make an A on tomorrow's exam if I wake up early enough to review. Alarm clock--Set.Check.
  
• After class: Finish Cleaning,post office, return movies, clean Madie's ears/clip nails, get cans for donation, Spanish, work on TV project, catch up on reading, work on changing address, and all other never-ending, productive hassles.
  
• Disagreements happen. I can't fix a friendship by myself, and if you don't bother to respond, we will remain stuck.. That said, it doesn't really seem like you care too much anyway.
• Do you think you're spiritually mature? If you answer yes to this-- chances are you're missing a bigger picture and aren't. Never stop searching. Matureness in Christ can ALWAYS grow.
• Work- Take off Dec. 27th-30th.
  
• Research term paper. Due November 30th.

Finally, with stilled thoughts and silence (aside from the ticking of a clock and chirping of the crickets) I shall bid you a goodnight.

Welcome to November; The Thankful Month

I am to memorize the following, which is to be laid out word for word in an exam essay depending on the topic given:

Determinism--In the case of everything that exists,there are antecedent conditions, known or unknown, given which that thing could not be other than it is. More simply, all events are rendered unavoidable by their causes. More dramatically, for any thing that exists, it has, at any instant, exactly one possible future.

Indeterminism--Human acts are not caused, or if they are caused by certain inner states (desires, impulses, choices, volitions,etc.) then these inner states are not caused by anything.

Hard Determinism- Since determinism is a true theory, no one has ever been morally responsible for what he or she has ever done.

Soft Determinism (Compatibilism)--Although determinism is true and all human action is rendered unavoidable by antecedent causes, voluntary action is free to the extent that it is not externally constrained or impeded. In the absence of such obstacles and constraints, the causes of voluntary behavior are certain states, events, or conditions within the agent herself, namely her own acts of will. So even if we are determined, a person can be said to act freely under some conditions.

Theory of Agency--Sometimes a human being originates events without anything else(some mental event, brain states, etc.) causing him to do so. Some chains of causation begin with human beings themselves.


---

Why did I think this class would be neat?

Damaged Hearts & Forget-Me-Nots

After David died (some serious time after), I realized I can pretty much handle anything. Maybe not by myself--but through God and chocolate,totally without a doubt, I can take it.
Maybe this makes me a little more brave then I would be otherwise. And impatient.

With that said--I am scared.


~~~

It's Halloween night and here I sit-- alone in my darkness, left only in the company of tears,prayers and questions.

Love me.Save me.Carry me.Love me.
It is a song, a request, a prayer...a plea.

Emblem

I've decided to dedicate this day to a number, to the eminent digit of 66.
Currently, it's the number of things I should be doing and desperately need to have done, finished,and put(perhaps shoved) behind me. Sixty-six is also quite possibly the amount of hours it would take me to accomplish a small portion of my to-do list--KitKat breaks not accounted. But above all(or rather below all), it's the grade I received on my grammar test.

I have an excuse for this. Actually, I have many. One: I had to move this weekend. Zero time to study. Two: For one reason or another, I packed my book. Ergo, I couldn't study when I actually found the time early Monday morning. Three: I can't think, I can't relax, I can't do anything other then robotic-ly put away my things and stare at the TV.

I don't know why I'm so upset about it, we get to drop our lowest grade, and that without a doubt, was mine. Actually, I'm pretty certain thats the lowest grade I've EVER received in an English-based class...So here's to you,66, you have absolutely made my day.

~~

No really, it hasn't been a horrible day-- despite my dedication to a number I've now decided to ban from my mind.
For instance, today I had an epiphany: My stress is completely, utterly, absolutely uncalled for. Why am I hastily making lists of things I "need" for the apartment, to do, to change, to finish. Bath mats, really and truly are in no way important to my existence here. You're saying "Duh" right now, but think about it. What's causing you stress? What are you spending your time thinking about instead of spending time with the only One who can give you peace in the first place?

~~

I am exhausted.
Note to self: Moving sucks.

Skip, Leap and a Jump

One of these days I'm going to book a vacation that is so long, I can't WAIT to get back.
I'll be antsy to work, to make my bed,to return to a life of responsibility and to-do lists.

Don't shake your head, it happens..

People become grateful for their everyday hassles. They miss their burnt dinners and busy schedules.

They do.

And me..well, I'll be no doubt living through imaginary characters spaced out on my pages and screens, impatient for a chance to return to my own reality--complete with purchase orders, a kangaroo planner, and laundry to wash, iron and fold.

It will be a vacation where from sunrise to sunset I'll be doing everything people dream about when they currently reside at a desk behind bored eyes and a dirty window.

One of these days..

Can I please skip this part and move onto the next phase? I ache for a family to call my own..a home to nourish..and a husband to cherish...

Then maybe I won't need to book a vacation that inspires a desire to be here..and not everywhere and anywhere else.

One of these days..
Hey, it could happen.

Grooves

Okay, I'm stuck. Again.

I'm not stuck in everything. My relationships are growing, intimately and in friendship. My schooling is going well (I write this now because after Friday's Philosophy exam it may change).My future and dreams are becoming clearer and more attainable. My health is improving (at least my exercise routines are being followed). And yet somehow, I'm staying still in the most important relationship of all.
It's days like this, that I need so badly to just turn everything off and lie in His presence. I just need to be His and for Him to be my only focus..Then maybe I can stop running in place and truly understand all that it means to be alive for Him.

~~~
Distractions of the Moment:

• On Saturday, Brett and I are going to Nashville to visit the grandparents and do all types of artsy Nashville things.
• Our house sold, so Laura and I will soon(less then 3 weeks soon) be moving into the Camden Grove apartments...This means a fresh easel for decorating..
  
• Which means, I really need(..want) to get a new bookcase (I'm wishing floor to ceiling) and add the following items to craigslist: Refrigerator, Washer & Dryer, Treadmill,and probably more. Anybody interested?
  
• Phil. Exam on Friday that requires two essay questions answered from John Mills/Kants point of view.
  
• Somehow get Kim Iverson to accept an interview..
• Bills.Bills.Christmas Presents.Savings.
  

12.21.12.21

I can't study. Can't do it.
Multiple choice tests slaughter any index-card-serious-study capability I could possibly possess.

So I've decided to be twelve again. And what do twelve-year-olds do on rainy Sundays? They play Nintendo, eat junk food, call their crushes, take cheesy-posed pictures, and generally participate in unproductive-procrastination type activities. So here's to a pointless post and an admission: Because I have in fact, done all of those things.Wishing you love & pizza rolls,
Mandy