by Alison

Stream (or river or creek) of Consciousness

Off and on all week I thought about what the next post should include. I tried to come up with something deep and chin-rubbing-worthy. As the week went on, though, it was just too entertaining watching the brouhaha in the comments of the last post. I sat back, crossed my arms, and grinned with bloggish glee. (whatever that is)

And here we are at the weekend. This morning I had the treat of a mocha, so most of the day I floated around in caffeine-induced giddiness. The day was actually quite productive. Perhaps I should make more visits to the coffee house (but perhaps not)…it was a great day, and I’m in no mood to be somber.

So instead, I’m going to channel that caffeinaline (Can that be a word? Let’s say it is for now.) and let my mind wander. Christi’s blog today addressed a succession of various topics. Very nice read. I’m not going to be so organized. You’re invited to join me now on a float down the stream of consciousness…you may have seen this before, too. In school when teaching us creative writing, this was a technique used for sparking thought in which you wrote down whatever came into your head, no organization or editing necessary. Enough jabbering; let’s go.

-(Crickets chirping; brain silent, awaiting thoughts to pass by.)
-It’s funny to mute the TV and imagine what else actors could be saying.
-Their slogan is, “ABC Family…A ‘New’ Kind of Family.” Why don’t they just be honest and say, “The morals of what we show now are anything but ‘family,’ but we’re too cheap to change the station’s name because we’d have to change all of our stationery.”
-There’s actually a car dealership named “Sexy Super Cars” (El Paso)
-It’s funny and uncomfortable at the came time to be writing this post when I’m so tired…there’s no telling what might come out.
-“Jabbering.” Sounds like “jabberwocky.” That sounds like “Jabba the Hut” and wookie.
-That lady co-host on the infomercial is the same one we saw a year or so ago when Esteban the guitar guy was on then, too. Wow. It’s so sad that I know and remember that. I need to get out more often.
-What to do around here, though? Hmmm, small city…there’s ring-twirling contests, Balderdash, and eating wasabi macadamia nuts. I can’t believe I didn’t just bite into that first one. Talk about (Three Stooges sound) woohoo! Oh, no…I just referenced one of my sworn enemies– in a very strange way at that.
-We were just talking about how giving our dog physical boundaries within the house calms her down and she’s more content. Isn’t it comforting knowing that God gives us boundaries, too, so that we can rest and enjoy life within them?
-Mmmm. Pumpkin pancakes sound good right now.

Aaaaand on that note, I’ll wrap up the river cruise. Thanks for joining me in that experiment. =) By the way, my hands are twitching to edit what I wrote above. (sigh) Guess that’s the fare you pay to take that ride. Okay. That’s really over now.

On a different note, for some great recommendations for chilly fall evenings see what David wrote here.

I’ve had a request for a picture of our dog, Daisy. Here’s one of my favorite photos of her, taken a few months ago by my sister-in-law, Kara–a very talented photographer. Daisy has grown quite a bit since this time.

Liza's Tears


Poor Liza Minelli. No one wanted to see her trot out her rapping skillz. Instead, you pollsters chose the Gaithers doing Bon Jovi. Very intriguing choice! Well, I’m sure Liza will recover soon. By the way, some of you may know that she had a very funny cameo role in a few episodes of “Arrested Development.”

That’s about it for now, unless you can suggest other singer/song pairings. ….Hmmm?

Dishwashers and dark chocolate

Do you find that when God wants to teach you something, you’re reminded of it almost everywhere you go? No, that never happens to me, either. Actually, this week I’ve been nudged, encouraged, (hammered!) to look for simple reasons to be joyful and thankful. Things seem so much brighter when we look past temporary circumstances, don’t they?

In light of that, here is a short-ish list of some things for which I’m thankful (how do ya like that proper grammar? Impressive, huh?). As I write, in the back of my mind I’m hearing strains of “…these are a few of my favorite things…” You can thank me later for having that stuck in your head, too. Here we go:

  • Fall mornings at Blue House, our local coffee house
  • Friends
  • Friends’ laughter
  • Friends’ laughter with (at) me =)
  • Curiosity
  • Dishwashers
  • New magazines
  • Snuggling up with a fleece throw to watch a movie
  • Office supply stores
  • Forgiveness from God and others
  • Velvety dog ears
  • Dark chocolate
  • David’s patience and sense of humor
  • David’s patience with my sense of humor
  • A child’s perspective
  • Funny-sounding words

So, what makes you thankful?

For your new week…

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5-8

Isn’t it amazing to know that whatever we are going through, He is our “mighty rock,” “salvation”…”refuge”? Not could be or might be–He is those things. Whatever troubles we are shouldering, we must surrender them to Him as you “pour out your hearts to Him.” May you find rest in Him alone today.

One more of my favorite passages from Psalms, the greatest book of poetry…


Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Psalm 143:8-10

Short (and Sweet?)

…And now back to our regularly-scheduled blog posts. This week I had a hiatus from the internet courtesy of our DSL provider–much of our area was off line for a couple of days. Very disruptive. Although I had internet withdrawals and started getting a nervous tick that made others hide their frightened children, I think it was healthy to be low-tech for a couple of days.

Apparently I didn’t list your favorite superheroes. Besides the mighty Tick, who did I leave out?

Anyway, I’m so proud of how many of you rose to the Balderdash challenge! And for all of your trouble, here are the top-secret true definitions of the words:

Piebald:

adjective
having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly; “a jester dressed in motley”; “the painted desert”; “a particolored dress”; “a piebald horse”; “pied daisies” [syn: motley]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

Farrago:
a confused mixture; hodgepodge; medley: a farrago of doubts, fears, hopes, and wishes.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.