Have I mentioned lately how much I love Doctor Who? No?

Well, then, let me tell you that The Planet of the Ood was a fantastic episode.

Why does American TV have to suck so much?

God has a weird sense of humor...

...and he's exercising it at my expense, I think.


So I said my bit about fundraising and youth ministry this morning. Apparently, I didn't suck. In fact several people complemented me, and several others asked if I've ever considered ministry. Including the pastor.


I was a little dumbfounded. I know I'm a good speaker when I put my mind to it. And I am a theology geek - especially when it comes to Scripture and church history.


But I come from a tradition where that was never a possibility that was open from me. In fact, until I got to college, I didn't realize that a woman in the Catholic church could do something in professional ministry other than teaching, nursing, or social work (Thank you R - my campus minister - for showing me otherwise). And while I appreciate women in pastoral ministry - especially those serving as pastors - it isn't a role I ever saw myself in.


I stumbled through my answer to my pastor. I think she saw that I was uncomfortable a little, and she suggested I should consider the Associates in Ministry program. For those of you who are Catholic...well, I can't think of an analogy. You can read about it here. Apparently, we have someone in our congregation who is currently doing this.


The problem is that I work more than full time, in a job I really, really like (usually). I don't have the time or luxury to travel (she's taking most of her classes in Texas), so that method wouldn't work for me.

Plus, I have the issues left over from my miserable time at the CCC. I don't know if I really want to do anything like that ever again.

I'm really torn, but I guess it gives me a lot to think about.

So I have to talk about fundraising for the 2009 National Youth Gathering tomorrow at church.

I hate asking people for money. I hope I don't completely suck.

I'll be glad when November is finally over.

Cooked the chicken. It was good.

Now, I try to be very tolerant of the fact that the majority of the people in my building are younger and don't really work for a living. But I have issue with the girl in the apartment next door setting up a karaoke machine - with a microphone - outside. At night. (It's quite warm tonight - The Weather Channel says it's currently 72).

It's still early, but if it goes on after 10, I think I might be brave and tell her to stop. I have to be at work at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Since I'm the only person in my department not out of town this weekend. The joys of being single and utterly without family.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

I got a flu shot at my doctor's appointment today. My arm started to really ache about 8 hours later. Never had that happen before.

Tomorrow I'm cooking a chicken, assuming the flu shot doesn't give me the flu.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Oh, and this is kind of exciting: when you type "groovy title" into Google, this blog is the first thing to come up.

I'm sorta kinda famous, except not really at all!

blerg

I'm so tired. I think Thanksgiving dinner this year might consist of rice and broccoli, and I'll just sleep the rest of the day.

Sigh.

I have a huge and evil project I'm working on at work. If Iwere you, I'd expect most of the rest of my entries this month to be very short.

Sunday Funnies

So today I was talking about fundraising for the ELCA National Gathering with my high school students. I was trying to get them to give me some suggestions so that they had some ownerships in the process (didn't work so well, if you are interested).

One of my kids pops up and says, "We could sell indulgences after services!"

After we recovered from the minor earthquake caused by Martin Luther rolling over in his grave, I was actually kind of pleased that they remembered that from our discussion on Reformation Sunday. And they all remembered, because they all immediately started laughing.

I have a good group of kids.

Slow Saturday

So, I'm sitting here in CC's, a local coffee house chain that is popular enough that Starbucks was forced to close the majority if it's stores in South Louisiana. I'm working on a project for work and watching Season 2 of Torchwood. I couldn't do laundry today because the laundromat was closed due to the LSU game.

Only in Baton Rouge.

So I bought a winter(ish) coat...

...and it pained me to do so.

See, it really only gets cold enough here that I need more than my sweatshirt with a couple of layers underneath to be warm for about three weeks out of the whole year, and those days are spread between late November, December, and January (with maybe an outlier or two in February).

But I'm not sure about this year. We're expecting a freeze tonight, and it's awfullly early for our first hard freeze of the year (that usually comes sometime in December). So I gave in and ordered something a little bit heavier. Really, it's just a heavyweight sweatshirt. But combined with my regular sweatshirt, it should be enough to get me through the winter.

Oh, and I've decided not to go to Pittsburgh in January. I'm going to buy a sewing machine and a card table instead.

Critical Decision

And no, it's not whether or not I should go to Pittsburgh in January, for those of you who are also my Facebook friends (for the record, the jury is still out on that one). No, I have to decide what to wear to the company Christmas party in December. It is the one day out of the year when I get all girly and stuff.

I am wearing a black skirt (I have 14,000 of them - roughly speaking), and I'm trying to decide between these tops:

I like this one a lot, but it is very different than what I typically go for. Also, it is red, which scares me. I look good in it, but it seems to me that it is too attention grabbing.

I like this one, too. It is different, and it is sparkly, which is always good for Christmas. I just don't think I have an appropriate bra to pull it off, and I don't want to buy a bra that I am going to wear exactly once.

>

This is kind of casual for a semi-formal event, I think, but I really like the color.

I like the neckline and the cut of this, but it might be too casual a fabric.

I would totally pick this one if I were a little bit braver. But again, I have a fear of red, and I still have the bra issue.

I love blue velvet. That's why this one is here.

.

I thought the cut of this one was interesting, and it's in a plesantly Christmasy color

.

Same shirt, different color. I'm partial to neutrals

Any preferences among the fashionistas of the blogosphere?

I had pizza for dinner tonight...

...just thought you should know.

 

So sleepy...

Enjoy...

...this cat riding a Roomba while I read a 350+ page RFP.

I had something to say....but I forgot what it was.

So this morning I decided I was going to make beef stew. Actually, I decided it yesterday, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have had anything to make it with.

So I cut up the potatoes, counted the baby carrots (which I don't actually eat, but they give good flavor), put in the rest of the ingreditents, turned the Crockpot on, and went to church. The stew was supposed to cook for 10 hours on low.

So I got home from church about 5 hours later (Sunday school, service, and shopping), and was surprised I couldn't smell the stew cooking when I came in the house. I went into the kitchen, looked at the stew, and it hadn't cooked at all.

I forgot to plug in the Crockpot.

Fortunately, it was a cold day here in BR, and I turned the heat off before I left for church. The stew got off to a late start, but it was worth it.

Loveys

M. Giant, one of my favorite recappers at Television Without Pity, wrote an entry in his personal blog about his son's loveys. It made me all nostalgic.


I had three loveys when I was a kid. One was a stuffed Snoopy with a music box in his tummy that played Brahm's Lullaby. I loved that thing literally to death. He got to the point where they music box wouldn't play anymore, his fur had been rubbed off from petting, and his ears were all frayed. It took a lot for me to finally give him up, but I really couldn't justify holding onto what had become a moldering pile of foam and furless fabric covering a music box that didn't work.


Then there was Jon-Jon. Jon-Jon was a fabric bear that was about 2.5 feet tall that my aunt bought at a flea market for a quarter. I think he might have originally have been vaguely patchworky, but I honestly can't remember. Once the fabric started fraying (which didn't take long, considering the bear was alreay used and I dragged him everywhere when I was three), my mom made him new pants and a new "shirt" out of polyester double knit. It took a lot to destroy that fabric, which is why our landfills are filled with fashion mistakes from the 70's. Anyway, Jon-Jon lasted with his polyester duds (brown pants and a weirdly patterened top - that actually covered the back of his head as well) for a good long time until I decided in college that he needed to be restuffed and needed a makeover. I opened up his seams and restuffed him (and honestly, his original stuffing was really gross), and made him new clothes with fabric from my mom's stash, which...was polyester double knit. She sewed a lot of our clothes in the 70's, you see. Jon-Jon got lost in my move south, sadly. I had him when I moved (he was looking outside the back window of the van that didn't go over 35 on the interstate all through Kentucky and Tennessee), but somehow or another he never made it inside my apartment.


Then there was Teddy Roosevelt. I have no idea how I came up with that name. Teddy Roosevelt was a little brown bear who was very soft and fuzzy. I slept with him all the way into adulthood (blushes). He was my big source of comfort, and made me feel safe. He was also the very first gift my dad bought me, the day I was born. When I was little, I used to stage weddings between him and a pink teddy bear I had that was not very soft and cuddly. Her name was Eleanor Roosevelt. I have no idea how I came up with that name, either. Granted, I was a precocious little kid, but I wasn't that bright. Unfortunately, Teddy Roosevelt was lost in the move south, too. I think that hit me even harder than losing Jon-Jon.

I had other stuffed animals I loved, and I still like to buy little stuffed animals every now and then when I need a pick-me-up. But none of them have ever compared to these three.

Church and State

This article and the actions of this priest make me mad.

No letters like this were sent during the Clinton presidency, and by all accounts, he was as pro-choice as they come. If we had elected a white, pro-choice Democrat, would this letter still have been sent?

But the thing that makes me most mad is that this priest has no idea what the disposition of these people's hearts is. He doesn't know why they voted for Obama. For that matter, he doesn't know why people voted for McCain. It's entirely possible that some of the people who voted for McCain did so out of sense of hatred for Obama's skin color, and that those same people are pro-choice. Isn't that worse than someone who voted for Obama because because of his stance on the war or healthcare, and is against abortion?

There is a reason why we separate church and state in this country. And I know that it is more so the government doesn't interfere with churches, but the churches need to stay out of government, too. I have no problem with individuals using their faith as part of the criteria of how they vote. It is - or should be - impossible to set aside that part of your personality. But I don't think clergy should have the ability to judge the disposition of a person's heart based on how they voted.

Quick Post...

I was feeling under the weather today, so no real post. Instead, enjoy this interview with David Tennant from a British morning show the day after he announced he is leaving Doctor Who. My little geeky heart broke when he announced that, even though I knew it was coming.

Post 1001

And I wish it were just frivolous.

It is the 21st century. We have just elected the first ever non-white man as President of the United States. And yet, this kind of crap still exists in Louisiana (and a whole bunch of other places). And look at the ages - all under 3o, except for the leader.

This is just so depressing.

Under construction...

...I had a weird blue line on my old template that I can't figure out where it came from, and I can't find anything in the code that would make it appear - not that I've been monkeying with the code or anything - I haven't.

I downloaded to take a closer look, or to get someone who knows more code than I do to take a closer look. Enjoy this temporary view in the mean time.

I'm so excited!

Season 4 of Doctor Who is finally coming out on iTunes, and they finally have the Christmas specials from the other 3 seasons up! And, best of all, I'm off tomorrow! I can have a Doctor Who marathon!

Yes, I'm aware that I'm both a major geek and very mood swingy today. But it's Doctor Who! David Tennant! Cap'n Jack! Who wouldn't geek out a little bit?

OK. A lot.

If you think this is bad, you should have seen me back in high school when Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered. Oh, and back then I had all the Star Trek novels, too - original series and TNG.

And I wonder why I don't have a man in my life.

in other depressing news...

I'm totally bummed by how fast Mama Cat abandoned me when she realized that I can't feed her anymore. She scratched at my door all night last night into this morning, but when I came home tonight, she didn't even put in an appearance.

I hope she didn't die that fast.

I know - I'm pathetically attached to a cat that doesn't belong to me, and to whom I was just an easy source of food. I just want to be loved, even if it is as a glorified vending machine.

School thoughts

So, after reading an article and doing a little digging, it appears that all of the schools the Obamas are looking at for their children appear to have tuition in the $30,000 range. That's per child, per year.

During my college years, that was about 3 years of undergrad at Gannon - including room and board.

As much as I liked Obama (though he wasn't my first choice among the Democrats - I liked Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd), I have an issue with this. I know the DC schools suck, as do most of the public schools in all the big cities, but think what a statement it would make to send your kids to one of them. If you claim you support public education, then your actions should reflect that - even if you are the President.

Here in Louisiana, most white, middle class parents send their kids to private schools. And, as a result, our public schools are among the worst in the country. When you don't have to care about issues facing public schools because they don't impact your kids - you don't.

That drove me crazy when I worked at the CCC. The kids who went to non-Catholic schools (about 10% of the total in the parish) got the short end of the stick all the time. Everything we did reflected a bias toward the kids in Catholic school. And every time I'd try to change it I heard, "Oh, they are such a small minority. We just can't accomodate them." It drove me up a wall.

So, Mr. President-elect (and Mrs. First Lady to Be), you have a choice. You can put actions to your words about supporting public education, or you can spend $60,000 a year to educate your children and show that it's all just lip service for you, too.

Brr...

I think I must have adjusted to Louisiana weather. How else to explain why I thought it was cold this afternoon when it was 65 degrees? I had the heat on last night, and it didn't get below 45. There was a time when I wouldn't even think about putting the heat on until it hit 40.

Have I become a weather wimp? Possibly. It may be 59 degrees outside right now, but I'm freezing.

When I first moved down here, it amused me that the kids I worked with would beg not to do anything outside when it was in the mid-60's in November or December, when the kids in PA would be begging to wear shorts in that weather.

It's taken 6 years, but I get it now.

I don't think I will ever adjust to the heat, though.

Oh...

...and I'm watching Torchwood at the laundromat, one of my very favorite episodes, and realizing that an image of two men kissing romantically probably won't play well at the laundromat on a Sunday afternoon in South Louisiana.

Sunday Observations

• I've said it before and I'll say it again - middle class white folks of northern European descent with Midwestern roots should not sing gospel or spirituals in church. We try, but we do not succeed.
• If you would like to see a really good documentary, I would suggest Sister Helen. I found this movie entirely by accident when I was looking for a movie to show to my Sunday school class. It was a very long week, and the suggested Bible study for this week was all about the election. We accidentally covered that last week, even though we were supposed to be talking about saints, talk vs. actions, faith (and lost faith), etc. Anyway, I clicked on it in iTunes because I initially thought it was about Sr. Helen Prejean. When I saw what it was about, though, I was intrigued. I watched it last night (staying up until 3), and was really moved and fascinateds. We watched the first half today, and the kids were ethralled. There is some rough language, though, so think high school age or older.
• I thought I was ready to take on ministry again. I thought I had recovered enough from the St. Al's CCC ordeal. I was wrong, I think. At least as far as youth ministry is concerned. I think the CCC damaged me permanently in that regard. I like teaching, and I'm willing to consult in developing a comprehensive youth ministry at my congregation, but I think someone else needs to do the heavy lifting after this year. I'm ready to be a grownup.
• I was going to cook soup today, but it's already 4:19 p.m., and I'm still at the laundromat.
• I got bitten by something, and I don't know what.
• Now the hard news, news I was waiting for, but it makes me sad nonetheless. The building maintenance person asked me to stop feeding the cats that don't belong to me. He wants to keep them around for rodent control, and he thinks they won't hunt if they get a handful of food a day. I'll listen, but it breaks my heart, especially when the mama cat scratches at my door. I bought some citronella candles to try a little aversion therapy because I read that cats don't like citrus scent. It kills me, though, because I love petting the mom cat (though I don't like forgetting I petted her, touching my eyes, and having the itch and swell). I've been a little depressed since Thursday as a result. I know it's stupid.
• Oh, and last night I had the realization that I tend toward insomnia because I am terrified I will die in my sleep and no one will notice until the notice the stench. That was a cherry thought at 3 a.m.

I don't feel the least bit guilty about backdating this entry and cheating on NaBlo. I haven't slept yet, so it's still Saturday.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Here is my obiligatory post for today. I'm still at work.

I'm still at work and don't have time for a real post. So go look at the post Sweet Juniper made today instead. I found it funny (mostly because I have a book just like that for teenagers from that era).

Now that the Country is Sorted...

...I can concentrate on what's really important - figuring out what to wear to the company Christmas party this year.

I'd kinda like to wear some color this year I think. I was thinking I would just buy a new top to wear with one of the 70 jillion black skirts I have. The only problem is that all those black skirts are too big, and they have hurry-up tucks in them that I made to make the skirt fit. I guess I could take one of them to the tailor to get the alteration done right, but I don't want to.

Sigh. I was never cut out to be a girly girl. Though I do enjoy the handbags....

If anyone feels the need to send me flowers anytime soon, I really like this arrangement.

I'm just sayin'.

Just in case...

...I don't get back here today, enjoy this bit from the Muppet Show.

You know, I never in a million years thought that we would see an African-American (or female, or Hispanic or Asian or fill-in-anything-other-than-a-white-man-here) President in this country. Even though this country has become increasingly less white, I never thought we would overcome that last hurdle.

Now I truly believe that anyone - ANYONE - can grow up to be President. It isn't just lip service anymore.

Amazing.

I Voted

And unlike 2004, I can say I am happy (or at least satisfied) with my choice.

I've just spent the past 15 minutes watching the live webcam feed of the pile of Shiba Inu puppies. The one with the yellow collar it is a troublemaker. Both yesterday and today all he/she wants to do is play, and keeps waking up the others to do it. The one with the green collar is almost as bad.

One of our incumbent Senators, Democrat Mary Landrieu is running for re-election. The Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee has been running ads against her for months now, and most of the ads accused her of corruption. Despite that, she opened up a commanding lead over her Republican opponent, John Kennedy (who has not played on his name at all during the campaign - I sure would have).

This week, the RSCC has started running ads that literally say, "Not only is Mary Landrieu corrupt, she's LIBERAL!"

I guess someone finally clued the RSCC in to the fact that here in Louisiana, we can deal with corrupt if the politician is doing good work for the state (which she mostly has). But liberal - that's an unforgivable sin.

Sigh.

I'm on a soup kick lately, so I made some corn chowder tonight.

I don't know what it is, but it is missing something. Again.

The only thing from the original recipe I didn't add was the Worcestershire sauce, and that's because I refuse to buy it when I will only ever use it in corn chowder.

The only other thing I did differently is that I didn't fry the potatoes and onions in bacon fat, because the last time I made it it was too greasy. Maybe it isn't greasy enough now? Who knows?

Next weekend I'm making cream of mushroom. Wish me luck.

I think I need to mention to my endo when I see her this month that my hormones seem really out of whack. Today I cried in church because an old man whose wife died earlier this year (I didn't know them, as they don't typically come to church because they are really old - his son brought him today), looked really sad when he came back to the pew after lighting a memorial candle. Then when I got home, I cried when I clicked on to the Project Linus website to see if they had a chapter in Baton Rouge yet (they don't for what it's worth, and I have no intention of starting one - I think. No, I really don't have time. Sigh), just because the idea of sick or scared children makes me sad. And just a few minutes ago, an ad for Alzheimers medication brought tears to my eyes.

That can't be normal, can it?

Someone, somewhere in my building, is playing some kind of horn (maybe a trumpet, but I can never identify brass instruments by sound, except for saxaphone). They aren't playing very well, which is how I know it isn't a record.

Weird.

In other news, I should have known better than to discuss anything remotely controversial with my high school students so close to the election. One of them doesn't want Obama to be elected, even though he thinks Obama is the better candidate because, "some right-wing, crazy whacko is going to kill Obama and then there will be riots."

Ah, the reasoning of high school students.

I've felt really miserable this week. The combination of cramps, migraine, hormones, coming down with a cold, and an awful proposal have me just on the edge. For example, I went to Whole Foods tonight to get a sandwich because I couldn't face cooking anything. The kids were there, trick or treating, and they had games and crap for them all through the store. When I walked in the store, in the fruit section, was a woman dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz playing the guitar and singing "Polly Wolly Doodle" while little kids dressed up as bunnies or Iron Man or ballerinas walked around with their trick or treat bags. I almost started crying, and I have no idea why. I wasn't having a biological clock moment, and I wasn't ticked off with them. I just felt like crying.

I'll be better if I can get some sleep this weekend, I guess.

Sigh.

Happy NaBloPoMo!