It's like that one episode of FRIENDS where...

It's funny how many life instances remind people of Friends, some of the top ones in my life?

1. The one when Phoebe gives Monica a massage...normally happens when I'm with Blair, cause she is so darn good at giving massages!

2.The one with the apothecary table...anytime I see a Pottery Barn or a PB magazine, or a flea market. or the word "yore."

3. This one is a first timer: the time Phoebe is mad at Ross, but she can't remember why.

How did this last one happen to me? Well, somehow, in my head, I invented that I had said something on my friend Holle's Facebook wall, and the next day I checked FB and she had deleted my post! I figured that I had said something insensitive on Holle's wall and she was therefore a little irked with me.  So, I call her to apologize for posting something on her wall, I couldn't remember what I had said, but I figured I had been super-insensitive because I hadn't even given it enough thought to remember it.  I call her and say as much and she says, "Umm, you didn't write on my wall this week, did you create this whole story in your head? ARE YOU OKAY? ARE YOU STRESSED?"  Needless to say, I felt silly.  Like Pheobe must have felt :)  Thankfully, Holle is hilarious and shared awkward stories about her life with me.  I felt better about my silliness instantly.

 

(Bluffs Camp, July '08)

Holle, it was TOO easy to find a picture of you that captured why you are so cool :)

Considering the ups and downs of bottomless cups of coffee,
MJ

iWHAT? OKAY! URSHER, URSHER.

iPAD? Apple, not be crude, really, I'm not trying to be crude here, but when I hear the word "pad," I don't think "Technological WONDER!"  I mean, I can be trained to think that, and I'm sure Steve Jobs will teach the world to love the iPad and love saying "iPad", but still... It sounds kind of gross, Steve.

BUT, it does look cool: http://www.apple.com/

And, it probably IS very cool! But it is a pad.  Weirdeee.

I'm attending an undergraduate-themed party this weekend, what should I wear?

Wearing tights as pants,
MJ

Just be patient 'til spring!

Just in case you've forgotten what spring is like. But, of course, mon bloggees live in Texas or the tropics.  So, you've practically got spring all year round.  In any case, something to remind us of what awaits...just a little over a month!

Also, inspired by Moollay's list, I am making list of my own.

Some AWKWARD instances in my life:

1. People check my left hand now and tell me about it.  This isn't awkward in it of itself (I do it to people with serious boyfriends), I'm just awkward, so it makes me nervous...visibly.

2. Impostor syndrome.  It's real, but the awkward thing about it is that you have to say stuff in class and submit questions and junk, but I feel like a phony (thanks Holden) so I always get REALLY hot and red when I talk in class.  My heart races a little bit (read: a lot bit), and then I get nervous and sometimes say too much (about nothing) in class.  Sometimes class is no fun.  But, perhaps if I spent more time reading and less time blogging, I'd be better off? Nooooo....

3. I sometimes touch people too much when I talk to them.  This can be particularly awkward for people that DON'T touch people when they talk.

4.Today some solicitor or whatever came and took pictures of me and my students while I was meeting with them.  It was awkward.

5. I decided I'm not the HUGEST fan of winter.  This isn't awkward, it's just something I wanted to share.  It's mini-blizzarding again today in Bloomie.

 This is what shows up on my dashboard when it's blizzarrrddddingggg outside.

Wondering why cocoa is pronounced coh-coh and not co-co-AH,

MJ

Internet=Brain Boot Camp??

Lawry says, YES!

 

 (Lawry at 5 Brothers in DC...right?)

Here is where I, girlfriend with the self-involved blog, lead you to the critical thinking exercise blog of my vair vair mature boyfriend.  Actually, all rational people the internet over should visit his blog and engage in philosophical/analytical/logical & reasoned debate with him.  I am advertising for him 'cause like I said, he is the mature one and isn't seeking to be world-renowned blogger, like moi.  He is humble-type. Anyway, like I said, Lawry wants to practice his logic and critical thinking skills.  In order for that to happen: people must break down his arguments.  So, be a dear and go, you know, tear his argument apart, but nicely, because he is a nice person (FAR nicer than me).  And I like him, and there's no need to be mean anyway!

Enjoying my tenth cupcake this week,
MJ

I don't believe you.

Well, you SHOULD! So this seems lame and unlike moi, but I promise, it's legit.  I tested it out before advertising to the world... there's this website... Swaggiebucks.  It's a search engine that rewards you for doing searches.  Seriously.  You do searches and it randomly awards you a swagbuck.  You accumulate SBs and then redeem them for some of the various prizes on the website.  Most of the stuff is sort of ehhhh, EXCEPT for the giftcard section.  You can get Amazon giftcards, B&N, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines giftcards, Target and some other stuff, too.

So you are doubting me. It's okay.  I was a skeptic as well.  Lawry laughed and said it wasn't real and if it was, I wouldn't get anything good.

Then, THIS happened:

Yes, that's me with a $10 giftcard to Starbucks and the little note the Swag people send you.

The next question... did that card have money on it?  IT DID!! I have enjoyed two beverages already and I have enough on there for my third! Whoa.  That's when I became a believer. Little b.

So, okay.  Check it out! And it doesn't cost anything, nor do you have sign away your soul or anything funky like that.  I'll let you know if weirdee things happen.

Getting "free" caffeeine,

MJ

I'm committed to...

Dear bloggees,

This semester, I have decided to make some super commitments, and I'm publishing them to the world to keep me accountable to them.  Hokay:

1. I am committed to my friendships at home.  I will call and keep those connections and make it clear I care about those people.

2. I am committed to calling my parents at least every other day to let them know everything is going well.

(Right, this picture isn't one of the Bible, but I didn't want to risk being too cheesy, so and I like this picture. Okay)

3. I am committed to daily Bible and prayer time in the mornings for 30 minutes.  This is always something I've been "committed" to, but no excuses this time, not for sleep, not for work, not for food.  For man lives on the Word that comes from God. (Matt. 4:4)

4. I am committed to investing in my life here.  I want to be a more active member of my church, of this Bloomie community, and of graduate school.  I will take the focus off of myself and think about others.

5. I am committed to fun! I will take time off from work.  I will sleep.  I will pursue relationships with friends and people in my cohort.  I will do the things I have always loved to do.

Also, I think I'm going to try a bit more things from the realm of cooking.  I am hopeful enjoying my life will help me thrive a bit more in graduate school.

Lastly, poached my first egg today.  I think I liked it, but I was so nervous the entire time I was making it, so perhaps I'll like it more next time.

Committing,
MJ

You've said the magic word.

What, "please?" No, CHOCOLATE.  Bloomie-town is having a CHOCOLATE festival at the end of the month.  Activities include chocolate pancakes, chocolate olympics, chocolate with wine, chocolate prom, chocolate mystery theater! Chocolaty, chocolatier, chocolatiest! I may start saving up some money to attend some of these events.  I love chocolate.

I've completed my first week of the semester and I intend to reward myself soon.  But I may hold off and celebrate with a friend.  Plus it will allow more time for me to work-out and preemptively burn off the calories I will ingest in choco-fest.

Not saying much, just very excited about chocolate,
MJ

Haiti.

Please pray.  This is terribly heartbreaking.

Haiti,
MJ

NT Wright, again. Oh man, he's good. And British.

This quote actually follows the quote I posted a few months ago.

"That goes, by the way, with the irony that often those who are most stridently anti-Darwinian in their account of how things began, are most strongly implicitly social Darwinian in terms in the way they look at money and power."

-NT Wright at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY

Something to chew on.  I don't think NT clearly expresses enough that this isn't a blanket statement... but I don't disagree with him.

Okay, great first day! Very busy, I have implemented a new schedule and it is rocking! Well, one day worth of rocking, but I like it a lot so far!  Also, I see some Indianans wearing the same amount of clothes I would wear for a 50 degree day in College Station, but it's 20 degrees here.  So when I go outside with my earmuffs, gloves, hat, snow boots and two of: socks, pants (one pair of tights, which are apparently pants, and a pair of pants), sweaters, and coats, I sometimes feel a bit silly, but that feeling goes away when I am warm and not freezing.

Hoping the rest of the semester looks as good as today,
MJ

Catching up on my correspondance...

So my first full day back in Bloomington and a two day snow storm blew through.  I think we got about 3-4" of snow.  Snow isn't so bad, but you know it should stop.  Or come all at once, or like in half a day or something.  When it goes on for 48 hours, it's a bit much.  There's just SOOO much! I wonder, when will the snow go away? How long does it take for it to go away? March? :)  I'm adjusting to the wintery spell, no crazy driving stories or anything!  In any case the promised pictures!

My car after about 5 minutes of getting snow off with a swiffer broom. I hadn't quite yet bought my industrial brush deal.

Out in front of my apartment waiting for my car to warm up!

The seasons of IU!

  I would take more pictures for you, but it's cold! You'll have to be happy with a few, I did make a special trip to take this last picture.  I did it for you! Because you are my bloggies and I lurve you.

Almost done with all 10 seasons of friends.  Is that bad?

Doo doo doo doooooo,

MJ

Back in Bloomie!

Boujour mes amies!

Oui oui! I have returned to the blogosphere! I doubt you missed me too terribly much since I got to see most of my readers whilst I was out, but I missed you! Well, I don't know how that logic works, but whatever, I missed connecting with you via (I'm pronouncing this vy-AH, for increased fun) internet!

Speaking of increased fun, Molly (my Ft. Worth counterpart) and I have vowed to have more fun this semester.  These vows are serious! Not as serious as Molly's upcoming nuptials, but nonetheless, very real!

So, I'm back here working on schedules, organizing, and junk, but the winter wonderland is making it quite difficult!  I bought an industrial(y) snow thing and brush deal for my car today.  It's actually no big deal up here, but down in the Promised Land, people would think it was overkill.  Which is why I miss the Promised Land, because you don't need to spend 5 ish minutes getting snow off your car.  I prefer rain.

Well, the people asked, and I am a deliverer, but not with a capital D.  I have pictures of the blankets of snow, but because of the lack of internet connection, I can't put them up quite yet.  Most likely you will get high(ish) quality winter shots of my winter adventures starting tomorrow!

Using a swiffer broom to get snow off my car,
MJ