kathrynzj over at RevGalBlogPals writes:
We're in the midst of 'it' and I'm hoping that it is not just me who is starting to get a bit overwhelmed. So for today I am asking for five quick picks of things that are good in your life. And as a bonus, 1 pick for a thing you could do without. If you want to describe them? Great. If not? That's fine too.
well, this is my second Easter, and I think it's been more frantic than the first because I was so prepared for last year to be overwhelming!
Things that are good in my life:
Kitties. 3 pound kitties who come and sit in my lap and climb on the keyboard or just sleep in the chairs in my study while I'm working.
Chocolate brownies -- made them for the lenten study last night and am enjoying the leftovers today!
Spring birds at the feeder outside my study window (in the snow, but we'll ignore that bit!)
Sermons that come together on Friday!!!
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
and things I could do without: feeling puny with way too much to do.
Music is a part of the human experience, and part of religious traditions the world over. It is evocative and stirring, and many forms of worship are incomplete without it.
Our title comes from a quote popularly attributed to St. Augustine: "He who sings prays twice." A little Googling, however, indicates that Augustine didn't say exactly that. In fact, what he said just doesn't fit well onto a t-shirt. So we'll stick with what we have.
"Singing reduces stress and increases healthy breathing and emotional expression. Singing taps into a deep, age-old power available to all of us. When we find our voice, we find ourselves. Today, sing like you mean it." And let's talk about the role music plays in your life and worship.
1) Do you like to sing/listen to others sing? In worship, or on your own (or not at all?)
Absolutely! even when my vocal chords aren't involved, there is almost always a song in my head.
2) Did you grow up with music in worship, or come to it later in life? Tell us about it, and how that has changed in your experience.
Always had it. I know the words to many of the great old hymns and can have great difficulty with some of newly rewordings, especially when they change the meaning. I also love the ones that I know the harmony line for, I love the soaring joy of adding harmony!
3) Some people find worship incomplete without music; others would just as soon not have it. Where do you fall?
Worship is not complete without music. Unfortunately, I currently serve a church with no choir, and not a great deal of love for singing. but I sing enthusiastically, anyway!
4) Do you prefer traditional music in worship, or contemporary? That can mean many different things!
yes. I love the "sung theology" of the old hymns, and I detest the new 7/11 choruses. But some folks play the old songs too slowly; and many new praise songs have great depth and meaning (just try explaining why this song works/won't work to a musician who only cares about the tune!) Frankly, I think we need both.
5) What's your go-to music ... when you need solace or want to express joy? A video/recording will garner bonus points!
It depends on the day. Since we sing mostly hymns, I tend to listen to KLove. When I'm getting contemporary music in church I listen to hymns in the car!
SongBird at RevGalBlogPals posits the following Friday Five: Since I've been in the midst of a discernment process, I've done a lot of reflecting on how we make decisions. But don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to reveal a dark story about a poor decision, or a self-flagellating story about an embarrassing one. Let's keep it simple and go with five word pairs. Tell us which word in the pair appeals to you most, and after you've done all five, give us the reason why for one of them.
Here they are:
1) Cake or Pie(Fruity! although neither is gluten-free :( ) 2) Train or Airplane -- as much as I flew for business for 15 years, I still don't like to fly. the crowds, the insanity, and the queasy part. 3) Mac or PC -- well, betamax wins again :) I might have to look into a mac once Logos finishes their Mac version, though. I did use a Lisa for a while back in 84... 4) Univocal or Equivocal -- oooh. Equivocal can be more fun, layers of meaning and such, but lately, especially in the church, we're talking past one another when we have different definitions and can no longer understand one another. I use analogies a LOT. 5) Peter or Paul -- or Mary! Sorry, smart aleck got the better of me.
Try not to pull on the big cat's tail when you answer. :-) Mreow!
Today's Friday Five over at RevGalBlogPals invites us to share five things we love--or don't--about summer.
1. Love: Blackberries -- the edible kind, not the cell phone kind! I used to love to go to the hill behind my great-grandmother's house and pick them! I'd come home with as much on my face as in the bucket (more in my belly!) and Mom would make cobbler. YUM! I also remember one day at the end of school, when I was 6 (?) I was walking home, which included a short stretch of dirt road which had, you guessed it, BLACKBERRIES! I got home around 4:30, Mom was frantic, I was confused. I hadn't gone anywhere but straight home. The fact that it took me an extra hour because I was picking blackberries didn't register on a little mind.
2. Don't Love: heat and humidity. I am a native Floridian, but hey, we Floridians know what AC is. These northerners don't realize that at 85 degrees and 75%+ humidity, one should have AC. Especially in churches and manses (that last bit could be personal prejudice).
3. Love: Vacation in the mountains. I'm headed to Presbyterian Mecca next week over the fourth of July weekend and a few extra days in the NC mountains. I spent several summers of my youth at a summer camp right down the road from PM, so it's kind of a homecoming.
4. Don't Love: Did I mention heat and humidity? We've moved services to 10 instead of 11, but it doesn't really help. I'm not wearing the Geneva gown, but I still wear a blazer, but maybe not this week. 88 predicted for Sunday. But I get more comments about my outfit than the sermon when I'm not wearing the gown... Do men deal with this? don't answer that!
5. Love: Veggies from my garden. OK. I was late planting because of the move, so I'm not yet harvesting, but the zucchini has blossomed and it looks like I have a couple of tiny okra pods, so, soon.
Jan over at RevGalBlogPals says: I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!
As I opened up my computer this morning, I directly went to my blog and RevGals to see what the newest Friday Five would be! Nothing was here, which seemed odd. Then I went to look at the calendar and counted the Fridays, and it is the THIRD Friday! How did that happen so quickly? It's my turn, so here's a quickie:
1. Do you tend to be a late person or one who is timely, arriving on time or earlier? I tend to be a bit early, prevents the late thing.
2. Have you forgotten anything of importance lately? yes. I'm still getting into the rhythm of a new position and getting settled into the house. Some things are dropping through cracks. Working on getting that solved. not there yet. Luckily I was forgiven by the Ladies whose meeting I missed.
3. Is procrastination your inclination? Why or why not? For things I don't like to do, yes. sometimes on other things -- the sermon is not yet done, and here I am, playing the Friday five!
4. Do you like schedules or spontaneity? Which works best for you? mostly spontaneity, but with a structure -- so schedules, but not rigidly so.
5. How do you stay on track with the various things you need to, people you must meet, etc., etc.? See #2 above. :)
BONUS: Whatever comes to mind about forgetfulness or lateness. I forgot what I was going to write and now I've gotta run before I'm late.... :)
For this Friday Five let's ponder the various ways we work out (or not), physically, spiritually, and/or psychologically.
1. Do you work out physically, spiritually, or psychologically? (I'll let you define what that might mean to you) I do not work out physically -- I'm an Immagunna who never does. Spiritually/psychologically? Daily devotions and weekly sermons put me in contact with the Word which I probe and which probes me in return. I'm in my first call as a pastor, so all the things I have to deal with in the congregation system require me to examine my reactions and motivations and turn them over to God (usually multiple times because I keep taking them back) so, yeah, i think I'm getting a work out here.
2. Are you more inclined to join a gym, or a book club? Book Club. Definitely. Now that I'm out of seminary I can read for my own pleasure!
3. Are you more inclined to read self-help books like Gail Sheehy's "Passages" or spiritual books like Richard Rohr or Theresa of Avila? And if so, what is your favorite? Spiritual books. I just re-read Yearning by Craig Barnes (which helps keep all this "not quite good enough" in perspective) and read the Relational WORD.
4. Are you a loyal fan of a sports team? Or do you join the bandwagon when the local team is winning? And, if so, which one? Gators.'nuff said. Been a fan since I was in a onesie, back when they could scarcely get a win in a game, much less a season!
5. Or do you lean more toward having a favorite theologian/Spiritual writer or self help author and if so, who? And, why. I have not settled on a favorite, still reading many.
Bonus: What was the last play-off series you watched and did your team win? NCAA football and, uh, that would be a no.
Songbird at RevGalBlogPals gives us the following Friday Five: By the time you're reading this, I'll be en route to a Great Big City to see my son in a play. I'll go by car and bus and train and no doubt cab and maybe even subway. Thus, our Friday Five.
1) What was the mode of transit for your last trip? RV. We've had the RV for about 12 years now, and we took it on a long trip this past summer, with the cats, to visit my presbytery of care and get examined and blessed to look for a call, to Atlanta to shmooze at a national event in search of a call, to visit my family and preach in the church where I was baptized and confirmed, and then back up through Presbyterian Mecca in NC and back to current abode. 5 weeks total, although 2 weeks were a little more spread out in the family's house on the river.
2) Have you ever traveled by train? Yes, When I was a young lass, my Girl Scout troop took the train to Savannah to visit the Daisy Gordon Low home. As a business person, I took the train several times from DC to NY for business trips. Much more pleasant and efficient that flying for my locations.
3) Do you live in a place with public transit, and if so, do you use it? yes and no. It doesn't tend to go where I want to without lots of transfers.
4) What's the most unusual vehicle in which you've ever traveled? hmmmm. Here, I am boring. I don't even have any unusual cars to reference.
5) What's the next trip you're planning to take? A week from today, over to my church of care (5 hours each way) to be ordained.
Jan at RevGalBlogPals offers up the following Friday Five:
In EFM this week, our question was, "If you were a color, what would you be?" So that's where this Friday Five comes from, at least its jumping off place. 1. If you were a color, what would you be? Deep, amethyst PURPLE
2. If you were a flower (or plant), what would you be? A mesquite tree. they can grow with little water or nutrients, they're really bent and twisted by their environment, but they are also doggedly strong, long lasting and tenacious. And they make good BBQ!
3. If you were an animal, what kind would you be? a cat. but what kind? a Florida cougar, smaller cousin to the mountain lions of the west, critically endangered, yet living free in the wilds of Florida (and yes, there are wilds in Florida!)
4. If you were a shoe, what type would you be? shoes? well, either practical (naot) or better yet, NONE!
5. If you were a typeface, which font would you be? Well seminary leads me to answer Hebraic, but I think I’ll go with Dauphin. Just enough individuality, but you can still read it! (successfully copying in with the fonts is beyond my blogger know-how)
01 January 2010
Sally from Eternal Echoes, hosts the RevGalblogPals Friday five today, and she says:
As I prepare this post I am aware that it will be posted on New Years Day. We stand at the beginning of 2010 looking not only at a New Year, but at a new decade full of promise and possibilities. For some of us this will be exciting, but others will approach it with trepidation and probably most of us stand on this threshold with a mix of emotions and reactions.
It is at this time of year that many (British) Methodist Churches celebrate their Annual Covenant Service, a service that will include this prayer:
I am no longer my own but yours, Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing: I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now glorious and blessed God, Father , Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. May it be so forever. Let this covenant now made on earth be fulfilled in heaven. AMEN
This prayer is said every year, and offers every member an opportunity to renew their covenant with God. This is no soft or easy prayer, it states in the company of others our willingness to worship God come what may, not that we should become doormats, but that we place God above all else. (And every year if we are honest we have to acknowledge that we fail).
With this prayer in mind I bring you this Friday Five:
1. What will you gladly leave behind in 2009? unemployment :) OK, I graduated from seminary in May, but I have been unemployed for the first time since high school, in 1978. 7 months with no real daily purpose and activities has been mentally draining.
2. What is the biggest challenge of 2010 for you? Beginning my first call as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. Writing a sermon every week, getting to know the new folks, trying not to step into too many unseen piles of fertilizer. My first wedding, funeral, baptism, etc. I'm coming off a successful career and starting back at the beginning, totally new to the job and expectations so I have to find my voice as a pastor.
3. Is there anything that you simply need to hand to God and say "all will be well, for you are with me"? see above :) Without God, #2 would be impossible!
4. If you could only achieve one thing in 2010 what would it be? becoming their pastor in truth, not just in title and paycheck.
5. Post a picture, poem or song that sums up your prayer for the year ahead....
Sally at RevGalBlogPals writes: I am reading a wonderful little book for Advent it's title: "Do nothing Christmas is Coming!"
So this week's Friday Five is simple.
List Five things you won't be doing to prepare for Christmas.
And while you are doing nothing play the bonus, put your feet up and listen to your favorite Advent Carol, and post it or a link to it...
so, what am I NOT doing...
I am not preaching, because, although the PNC and I decided back on 12 October, this is a slow process and the fat lady has not yet sung.
I am not buying a lot of presents because, well, I just finished 3 years of seminary and am not yet employed (and DH is on short term disability). (Although buying an old goat in Dad's name is an attractive option even if he doesn't get the joke)
I am not decorating, because both DH and I are temporarily partially incapable and we're probably going to skip town anyway--to go see the families for Christmas on this last Christmas I'll be free to travel (God willing!).
I am not singing in the choir, reading or otherwise involved in the Christmas service, for the first time in lo, these many years.
I'm not cooking or baking or whatever. I'll go to Mom's house for Dinner! (I'll go to Dad's, too, but Step-Mom doesn't get the gluten thing and can't be bothered, so I won't eat there.)
Christmas carol? I'd like to say "My Christmas" by Brett Williams, but I can't find it on YouTube. it's a hoot, if you can find it!
I like so many carols, and I'm a choir geek, so I sing the tenor line as we walk through stores (and not just to embarrass my husband!). But today, I'll choose a modern carol: "Strange Way to Save the World" by 4Him
Mary Beth over at RevGalBlogPals says: Let's think about VACATIONS! I certainly am!
1) What did your family do for vacations when you were a child? Or did you have stay-cations at home? I went to summer camp some years and we did family vacations alternate years.
The biggest was Dad deciding we would fly to Vegas, rent a car, and see the west. I think my brother was 13 and I was 11. Yeah. That was fun. not. Although we do have pictures of Dad giving a burro water from a "for radiators only" tank in death valley (which we drove through with AC blazing despite the warning signs).
Then there were the trips to Dad's conferences which he turned into family vacations. It worked for me. I got to go to the Bahamas, to Disney World (the year it opened!), Sanibel Island...
2) Tell us about your favorite vacation ever: Probably the 10 day trip to Ireland where DH and I just rented a car and drove where we wanted, staying in B&Bs using the coupons that were part of the package. Each evening we would decide what to do for the next day. It was great.
3) What do you do for a one-day or afternoon getaway...is there a place nearby that you escape to on a Saturday afternoon/other day off? I do not. I need this, I just never found it here.
4) What's your best recommendation for a full-on vacation near you...what would you suggest to someone coming to your area? (Near - may be defined any way you wish!) I have no idea. I moved here three years ago for seminary, and have seen little. Need to figure out the touristy things for next week with the folks are in town for graduation! (although the amusement park is probably out of the picture with them)
5) What's your DREAM VACATION? Mountains, River, Kayak, hammock, good books.
Bonus: Any particularly awful (edited to add: or hilarious) vacation stories that you just have to tell? ("We'll laugh about this later..." maybe that time is now!) Well, on the aforementioned trip out west, my family had our first taste of fresh cherries from a roadside stand in CA. We'd never had fresh cherries because they didn't truck them to our part of the states back then. Well, the whole family enjoyed quite a number of those cherries. We didn't make much mileage the next day, but we found lots of interesting rest areas!
Songbird, over at RevGalBlogPals offers us the following Friday Five:
Where we live, it's February School Vacation Week!
Yes, that's an odd thing, a vacation extending President's Day. But it's part of our lives here. Some people go South or go skiing, but we always stay home and find more humble amusements.
In that spirit, I offer this Taking a Break Friday Five. Tell us how you would spend:
1. a 15 minute break -- tea, earl grey, hot. 2. an afternoon off -- wandering the mall. Window shopping, just getting out and moving. No money to spend, but at least away from the desk and the papers!
3. an unexpected free day -- Heard a sermon in class on the unexpected blessing of a snow day; but snow days don't allow for much more than maybe -- shocking -- non-class reading! I seem to remember something called "novels." At this point that would be quite novel.
4. a week's vacation -- down to best place on earth! We are going to get to the river in the early summer. Hopefully I'll also be interviewing in the area.
5. a sabbatical -- I think I am just sort of completing a 3-year sabbatical. Some of my seminary friends point out that in another 3 months we'll be done! I, however, point out that in 3 months, we'll be unemployed (at least most of us will be for at least a few months).
Sophia at RevGalBlogPalssays: My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly, the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love.
So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known.
1) Creslin -- my love kitty. He would cuddle and purr and climb on your head to do it, especially if you had a towel on your head out of the shower. Problem was he was a 13lb lanky cat. That's a lot of cat to wear as a turban. We lost him at only 6 to congestive heart failure. (named for a character in an LE Modesitt novel)
2) Niniane -- So frightened when I first got her from a "free to good home" ad. Solid grey with a small white clerical tab. I named her after the "not quite" priestess in Mists of Avalon (which I had just read). In the 16 or so years I had her she became really lovey -- on her terms, of course. She was nearly blind and deaf when we had to let her go.
3) Pavarotti -- Mom's cat. You can guess what he did the entire first night they had him home. This was a BIG cat (orange tabby). We called him mountain lion. One day he went out the cat door and came back in and Mom heard a strange noise in the family room. She went in there and Pav had brought in, through the kitty door, .... the neighbor's teacup poodle. I guess Pav thought that thing was too small to be out alone. Mom had to take the little doggie (perfectly safe, Pav had grabbed it by the scruff) back to the neighbor.
4) Mister -- Big white kitty: 1/4 persian; 1/4 manx; and his father was from a nice neighborhood. He had the persian fur and tail, the manx hind legs; He was 36 inches from tip of nose to tip of tail (I measured). He could put his nose on the counter while you were fixing his dinner. I once saw him treed by the neighbor's (dumb) german shepherd who then proceeded to bark treed at him for an hour or so. Until Mister just jumped out of the tree onto him. Dumb dog never chased my cat again. Mister was also known to bring home baby opossums and drop them on your pillow as presents.
5) Dawg -- A big yellow dog that just took up at our house, Mom wouldn't let us name her, because we weren't keeping her. We didn't have pets. (The Vet spelled it this way because they wouldn't just write "dog") Well she stayed, at least until she had her pups and weaned them, and then she left as she had come.
Last week Sally gave us a beautiful, spiritually reflective Friday Five, so it's time for something light and fluffy (literally). It's inspired by the fact that as I write this my dear spouse TechnoGuy, with the assistance of daughter Ladybug, is making a batch of chocolate chip pancakes with two Christmas presents. One is the Knott's Berry Farm mix which came along with jam, boysenberry syrup, and biscuit mix from my aunt (we ended up with two sets, since my parents passed theirs on to avoid sweet and carb-y temptation). The other is the large size Black and Decker electric skillet he was thrilled that I got him online -- our trusty wedding present normal size one still works at going on 20 years, but the Teflon is getting worn, and he wanted more cooking space. So pull up a chair to the kitchen table and tell us all about your pancake preferences.
1. Scratch or mix? Buttermilk or plain? Well, this has all become so complicated in the past 4 years since I found out I have celiac. So, now I generally use a gluten free mix, but they all kinda stink. (Trader Joes frozen GF pancakes are an OK substitute) I used to use the krusteaz. it had the best flavor/texture for a mix that I had found. My mom, on the other hand is always from scratch.
2. Pure and simple, or with additions cooked in? pecans (pe CAHNS not PEE cans) or blueberries when I make them (plain for the boring DH).
3. For breakfast or for dinner? breakfast, although I remember going out with my grandfather for pancakes for dinner at a local diner out near the interstate.
4. Preferred syrup or other topping? How about the best side dish? Well, either a little peanut butter and syrup (that's sir-rup not sea-rup) or some frozen strawberries that I nuke for a few minutes to go mushy and warm. The best side dish is thick-sliced, applewood smoked bacon.
5. Favorite pancake restaurant? IHOP, the ones that had nuts and such in them (back in the day before I knew better. Now, no can do.)
As we look back we may come to understand how God has worked in and through us in joy and sadness. how we have grown against what may seem impossible odds. As we look forward we may do so with expectation, and we may do so with fear and trembling. As we look back and forward in New Year's liminality I offer you this simple yet I hope profound Friday Five in two parts:
First list five things that you remember/ treasure from 2008
Recovery from my hysterectomy. It was a longer, slower road than I expected, but I didn't realize how sick and just "not me" I had become until I started to get well after the surgery.
Passing 2 of my ordination exams
CPE. memorable in good and difficult ways.
A year of great classes (mostly, there is one notable exception, but that blight is being addressed by leadership). I am really enjoying seminary. I was afraid to go back to school at my age, but it has been a blast!
Seeing several friends ordained, and, as an elder, participating in the ordination.
Then list five things that you are looking forward to in 2009
Passing the remaining 2 ordination exams. (Not, mind you, taking them. I do NOT look forward to taking them again, just getting them over with)
Graduation. Although the thought of the Father & Step Mother and the Mother & Step Father in one place is a bit scary.
Finding a first call. Hopefully in the part of the country I consider home, as opposed to the part of the country I currently live in.
Getting ordained and beginning life as a Minister of Word and Sacrament.
Mother Laura at RevGalBlogPals writes: I spent a good bit of time today registering and making travel arrangements for the American Academy of Religion meeting in Chicago at the beginning of November. (Anyone up for a meetup? Shout out, okay?) I'm not presenting this year, so I'm busy sending out resumes and cover letters, but at least I'm not stressing about getting a paper written.
I'll see friends and teachers from grad school, try to resist temptation in the book hall, attend some presentations if time permits, and, God willing, have some preliminary interviews in the everlasting college-teaching-job-search process--prayers welcome, as always. And, thanks to my dear Mom who agreed to babysit and donated some frequent flyer miles, it will also be a busy-but-happy getaway with my sweetheart.
So for today's Friday Five, you're invited to share your experiences with the exciting, challenging world of business travel....
1. Does your job ever call for travel? Is this a joy or a burden? My former life was on the road a lot. At least 75 nights a year. Although it can start out fun, it gets old very quickly. I think I'm more homebody than I like to admit.
2. How about that of your spouse or partner? Nah, he hasn't traveled regularly since we've been married. And he said he didn't like me on the road all the time.
3. What was the best business trip you ever took? One of the ones where I had to stay over a weekend and DH was able to use some of my Frequent Flyer points to come join me -- once to Disney Land and once to Disney World. He never came if Disney wasn't involved. Hmmmm.
Oh, and the hotel chain did bump me to a suite once. a BIG suite. With a baby grand, a fireplace and a living room the size of 4 or 5 rooms (dining room table to seat 10). Kinda weird to have to myself. The piano had cranberry juice on the keys but was reasonably in tune.
4. ...and the worst, of course? 4 extra days (on a 3 day trip) to Texas in September 2001. Finally got out, transferred in Houston, wouldn't let me take the early flight because my bags wouldn't make the plane so had to sit there for three hours, got into home airport after midnight, waited for bags that never came, went to the office: yep, they had come on the earlier flight. Drove the hour and a half home.
We used to have a contest for the worst trip of the quarter. I rejoice that I never won that one!
of course there were innumerable non-smoking rooms that reeked of old smoke, lost luggage, kids kicking the seat for an entire 5 hour flight. Mustn't forget the early Nov trip where the parents were bribing the 3 kids with sugar (Halloween candy) as we boarded the plane for a 5 hour trip -- "Could I upgrade, please?"
Oh, and one mustn't forget sharing the (very nice) hotel with the dairy goat convention (including goats and odoriferous byproducts of said goats).
Or the one with the traffic accident and bump on the noggin at 6:30 am before starting a 3 day speaking engagement.
5. What would make your next business trip perfect? No plans anytime soon. Only travel now is back to governing body of care to be evaluated ... Don't know that you can make that one perfect, I believe it's intended to be a nightmare, errr "growing experience".
Songbird at RevGalBlogPals writes: It's that time of year, at least north of the equator. The windows are still open, but the darned furnace comes on early in the morning. My husband went out for a walk after an early supper and came home in full darkness.
And yes, where we live, leaves are beginning to turn.
As this vivid season begins, tell us five favorite things about fall:
1) A fragrance: Pumpkin pie (least favorite was the place I lived that still allowed leaf burning!)
2) A color: I love the fall colors (my wardrobe attests to this), I like the dark orange that moves toward mustard yellow. And my favorite outside is the clear red of the maple.
3) An item of clothing: my suede skirt, midcalf and full. Only drawback: no pockets. But I really like the skirt anyway. And my turtle necks. I have many in different paisleys.
4) An activity: walks in the woods.
5) A special day: My B-Day! It's still a ways off, but it's in fall.
Singing Owl at RevGalBlogPals writes: Here in the USA we are celebrating the last fling of the good ol' summertime. It is Labor Day weekend, and families are camping, playing in the park, swimming, grilling hotdogs in the backyard, visiting amusement parks and zoos and historical sites and outdoor concerts and whatever else they can find to help them extend summer's sun and play just a little bit longer.
It is supposed to also be a celebration of the working man and woman, the backbone of the American economy, the "salt-of-the-earth nieces and nephews of Uncle Sam. With apologies to those in other countries, this is a Friday Five about LABOR. All can play. Put down that hammer, that spoon, that rolling pin, that rake, that pen, that commentary, that lexicon, and let's have some fun.
1. Tell us about the worst job you ever had. I was hired as a manager in the consulting branch of a big accounting firm. The two branches (accounting and consulting) divorced over irreconcilable differences a year or so after I left. The culture was so arrogant, they didn't realize there were ways to do things other than the way they did. "We're Absolutely Consummate". And they tried to copyright a process that's been in textbooks for decades becasue they thought they had created it. AARRGGH. They promoted a backstabbing environment in the competition to get promoted to the next level. Everyone was out to get you and if you weren't paranoid, they got you good. I swam with those sharks for a little over a year, and that only because I had a mortgage approved and the house wasn't built yet (bad time to change jobs). I hated every minute.
2. Tell us about the best job you ever had. working on a military base with the military personnel as a consultant. The guys were great, the work was challenging and rewarding (yeah, there were difficult people, but we had the support of the commander, so it was overcomeable).
3. Tell us what you would do if you could do absolutely anything (employment related) with no financial or other restrictions. Well, I quit my job, sold my house, and moved to another state to go to seminary. I trust God's providence that being a pastor is the answer to this one.
4. Did you get a break from labor this summer? If so, what was it and if not, what are you gonna do about it? What is this "break" of which you speak? I did get to go to my favorite spot on earth for a few days, got to see the parents and have a change of scenery to study for my ordination exams.
5. What will change regarding your work as summer morphs into fall? Are you anticipating or dreading? From CPE to ordination exams to Back to School. This is my last year of classes (God willing), only two classes are required, so I get to pick lots of electives!
Bonus question: For the gals who are mothers, do you have an interesting story about labor and delivery (LOL)? If you are a guy pal, not a mom, or you choose not to answer the above, is there a song, a book, a play, that says "workplace" to you? Well any Dilbert book pretty much summed up my first career!
After a little "blogger" trouble over at RevGalBlogPals yesterday, Songbird writes: This turned out to be a very small barricade in our blogging community life, but it seemed appropriate to explore locks and blocks and other barriers this week. Also, I liked the picture of the security team above! Could they be Blogger's Spam Prevention Robots, working overtime?
In honor of their efforts, I bring you the "Lock Me Out, Lock Me In" Friday Five.
1) How do you amuse yourself when road construction blocks your travel? Well, generally I just turn on the radio and sing along. Although, I do tend to check my routes and avoid where I know they're doing work, but they don't always tell you. If I'm in a hurry, I am somewhat less patient. But generally I figure I can't do anything about it, might as well just sing along.
2) Have you ever locked yourself out of your house? (And do you keep an extra key somewhere, just in case?) on occasion, but not in recent years. I used to keep a key outside when I was worse. now I have a garage door with a code punch thingy.
3) Have you ever cleared a hurdle? (And if you haven't flown over a material hurdle, feel free to take this one metaphorically.) no material hurtles bigger than mud puddles, but metaphorical? oh yea. I can do those ... eventually.
4) What's your approach to a mental block? Well, scrabulous is gone. there's always pop and drop ! Something that uses a different sort of mental activity can frequently help me refocus and get back to the paper/sermon/whatever where I had the block. Walking will also frequently help, even if it's just around the room.
5) Suggest a caption for the picture above; there will be a prize for the funniest answer! "No, we said I get to wear the hard hat. You were supposed to be the Indian and the policeman!" (OK, I'm old)
Mother Laura at RevGalBlogPals writes: We're settling into our new new apartment, and after a lifetime at Montessori Katie is having a fantastic summer at YMCA day camp. Meanwhile, Nicholas is packing up for a week at Camp Julian, shared by the Episcopal dioceses of Los Angeles and San Diego. His lists of supplies and rules--except for the ropes course available to the teenagers and the ban on IPODs and cell phones--bring back memories of my own happy times weeks at Y camp Ta Ta Pochon, funded by selling countless cases of butter toffee peanuts. So, in celebration of summer, please share your own memories and preferences about camp.
1. Did you go to sleep away camp, or day camp, as a child? Wish you could? Or sometimes wish you hadn't? Starting at age 9, I went away to camp in the Blue Ridge Mtns, just down the road from Presby Mecca, at a place called Merri-Mac. It was for a whole month, and I didn't even write to my mom once the entire time I was there. One summer I did Girl Scout camp (Kateri) instead, but I liked Merri-Mac better. At that point Merri-Mac was all girl with the boys at a brother camp across town. According to the website, it's now a boys' and a girls' camp on the same site.
2. How about camping out? Dream vacation, nightmare, or somewhere in between? nice for a few days, as long as either a) it doesn't rain or b) the tent is actually still waterproof.
3. Have you ever worked as a camp counselor, or been to a camp for your denomination for either work or pleasure? I went to a Presby camp when I was 6 -- as a Jr counselor. OK. Mom was a counselor and I was a tag-along. I did do canoe camp as a camper and a counselor. It was based out of the local church.
4. Most dramatic memory of camp, or camping out? Creation Fest 1989. I went as a counselor with a youth group. I'm not sure whether Ground level or the water table won the race. I gave up on shoes, because the knee-deep mud kept sucking them off. We put 9 bales of straw on our campsite and the water oozed up through, but at least it kept you out of the mud. Many of the girls slept on the bus, tent pegs wouldn't stick in the ground. When we got back to the church the sexton looked at the bus and then just hosed it out. (this was before they added the back area, the front loop was the only camping area). I believe it was Steven Curtis Chapman that made the crack about creation -- or primordial ooze? Most dramatic, however, was, during yet another afternoon downpour, watching a small dome tent go floating down the road.
5. What is your favorite camp song or songs? Bonus points if you link to a recording or video. In chapel at MerriMac I learned a version of Psalm 121 that I still sing. We did a lot of singing. as a matter of fact, I think I still have a song book from the camp (that I purchased, thank you very much).
