do you know that saying? i learned it from anne of green gables as a young girl. i think it was prophetic . . .
so . . . last year i was a groomsman (in a black dress) for greg's wedding. i dont think that counts as being a bridesmaid. this past march i was in heather's wedding - my first real experience as a bridesmaid. this summer i am the maid of honor in cathy's wedding. does the adage still apply if it's the maid of honor? this i should check on. and finally, yesterday, i was asked to be a bridesmaid in my (younger, mind you) brother's wedding, which will take place next year.
im ONLY 25 and practically an old maid.
great.
this is the part where i feel trapped by the christian bubble. suffocated, even. this could serve as an interesting conversation, so, if you'd like to discuss it, be my guest.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
the proverbial cool
greetings. my apologies for becoming ridiculously slack and not blogging regularly (for all two of you who usually read this thing).
lots of stuff, so here we go...
the white chocolate ep - im currently recording. the ep goes on sale at windsor's coffee house this coming thursday. just $5 for your own copy. yes, there will be originals, and, yes, there will be freestyling...
spring break - last week i had the best spring break ever. i celebrated by sleeping in that first saturday morning. then i packed for a week of the unknown. i jumped in my car and headed for the tennessee mountains. i arrived just in time to stop by sub7 at milligan college. i caught a few songs from amos and andrew, aka the prof coats, and then i decided to go for a late night drive since that was a common pastime for me in college. it was beautiful.
sunday morning i attended starbucks first christian church of johnson city, tn. and worked on my message for vespers. i loved spending hours pilfering through words of lewis, merton, assisi and a kempis. once i had that done, i headed back over to seeger chapel on milligan's campus. i snuck into my favorite place, the tiny prayer room, and spent a couple of hours playing guitar, which for me, often serves as a form of prayer.
vespers was interesting. i only knew the senior kids, and there werent that many of them there. at this point in the semester, everyones pretty worn out. i had a lot of fun speaking though, and i always enjoy the challenge of winning over an audience that doesnt know me. i think it went pretty well...
after vespers, i had my first quality visit with tori m. we went to the acoustic cafe, which totally belongs in downtown savannah with it's hint of old incense and artsy/scene kids in their early 20s. i loved it. there was a folksy music group playing, and theres always a random dog hanging out in the shop - never the same one - but always chill and enjoying the music, looking as if he should be smoking or something....
tori confessed that she knew that monday was "wonderful wednesday." w. wed. is the best thing ever. you wake up (it can actually be any weekday) and theres a flyer, signed by dr. jeanes (college pres.), saying that classes are cancelled and giving you the schedule of crazy stuff during the day. i was excited. my fifth wonderful wed, and im not even a student. perfect timing. this year, however, they decided to start it at 5pm monday and go through 5pm tues., which i think is even better.
anyhow, it's tradition that after dinner, around 6pm, theres always a gallon challenge. you know, where a bunch of people try to down a gallon of milk in an hour w/o puking everywhere? thats the one. but i'm getting ahead of myself...
monday morning i met richard kenny down at the sub to talk about life, and specifically, some important life decisions he has to make pretty soon. it was amazing to see who he has become in the last three years. he was a freshman when i was a senior, and we had bonded b/c we both hated our freshman year of college. anyhow, it was a good visit.
from there, i went back to becca and nathans, where i was staying, to have lunch with becca. becca and i have known each other since we were 14. we went to church together. she went to atlanta christian for college, but married a guy who decided to go to emmanuel for seminary. so, after i left milligan, they moved up to johnson city and she now works at milligan. we ate some really good strawberries...
now in planning for this trip, monday had actually been reserved for two very special people: chris eger and brad parker. so, after spending some time just enjoying the beautiful weather, i headed back to milligan to meet up with chris. we picked up brad along with beth harkey, and trekked over to keva juice for a few smoothies. my first keva juice experience, btw, and i loved it. we spent about an hour in the sunshine just talking and it was wonderful. these three people are three of my most favorite people ever.
back to milligan - wonderful wednesday festivities had begun, and we decided to watch the gallon challenge. gross. fantastic. not sure how i feel. the best moment: seconds left on the clock and one man, ned, has not thrown up...looks like hes gonna win. oh, wait, no, he's not b/c this guy, casey, who had already thrown up, threw up a good five feet from ned, but aiming at ned. it got all over ned's feet/legs, thus causing ned to throw up from...well...ya know....it was a beautiful thing...
after all the excitement, tori and i headed up to the top of sutton hill, where, while in college, i frequented this hill many a sunset along with my guitar. after a while, tori had to go, but, just like old times, other people stopped by... beth joined me, and a few minutes later brad. brad said he felt like hed just stepped back in time. i agreed, strummed a few chords, and we watched the sun set on buffalo mountain...
around 8:30 i joined my emo friend, travis, for dinner and coffee and a great mix cd. this is his first semester teaching, so we discussed our kids and classroom stuff. for the record, travis, you're right: that cd has melted my face off....very emo....several times....
john hammon was supposed to call, but he didnt, so i snuck into the sga room in the sub back on campus around 10pm and began writing a song. i didnt know thats what i was going to do, but thats what happened. you'll have to buy the white chocolate ep to hear it...
tuesday i said my farewells and got back on the road. this time, to atlanta....well, ok, canton, ga. i went down to chill with greg and jessica, two amazing friends. we did absolutely nothing noteworthy, and i loved it....needed it, even. i got a chance to visit with my friend, ben, whom i have not seen for two years. he recently got engaged, and i hadnt met the girl, so we all met for dinner. it was really good to see him again.
after a couple days of that, i headed over to athens, ga. the only reason for me to really go through there was that back in march i was in my friend, heather's, wedding and i wanted to give her pictures i had taken, so i used that as an excuse to go. heather is a 2nd grade teacher, and not on spring break, so when i got to athens on thursday, i just hung out by myself for a few hours until she was off work. it was amazing. i had never spent time by myself in athens, so i took the opportunity. i parked downtown, grabbed a fruit cup and some water for lunch, and sat in the shady grass on the uga campus along with my guitar and a good book. i sat there for about three hours, and it was perfect. it was the absolute ideal spring weather. everyone was out, walking around. i love watching people....not sure why....i think i like to imagine that i know what theyre like, and make up stories about them and their lives...what they do...where they come from....why theyre there in athens....
at about 4 i headed over to heathers and we had girl talk for a little while. i helped her cook dinner (and by that i mean i sat in the kitchen and kept her company b/c she didnt let me do anything) and when jack came home we all ate. it was great....but soon it was time for me to hit the road again....
before spring break began, one of my students gave me a cd of a guy named corey smith. it just so happens that corey went to uga and had written a few songs pertaining to the area, so i felt it was appropriate to listen to his tunes while in athens, and while driving home through the backroads of ga. it was one of the best drives of my life. now, you have to understand, i love driving. i esp. love driving on back roads to loud music (what kind of music? depends on my mood and the location). this was a beautiful drive.....very country....rustic....wish you could have been there...
back to savannah. reality hit and i had to grade papers...
i didnt intend to write so much about spring break....that's not at all what i was going to focus on in this entry, but there it is, and i have to go, so i guess the proverbial cool will have to wait....
lots of stuff, so here we go...
the white chocolate ep - im currently recording. the ep goes on sale at windsor's coffee house this coming thursday. just $5 for your own copy. yes, there will be originals, and, yes, there will be freestyling...
spring break - last week i had the best spring break ever. i celebrated by sleeping in that first saturday morning. then i packed for a week of the unknown. i jumped in my car and headed for the tennessee mountains. i arrived just in time to stop by sub7 at milligan college. i caught a few songs from amos and andrew, aka the prof coats, and then i decided to go for a late night drive since that was a common pastime for me in college. it was beautiful.
sunday morning i attended starbucks first christian church of johnson city, tn. and worked on my message for vespers. i loved spending hours pilfering through words of lewis, merton, assisi and a kempis. once i had that done, i headed back over to seeger chapel on milligan's campus. i snuck into my favorite place, the tiny prayer room, and spent a couple of hours playing guitar, which for me, often serves as a form of prayer.
vespers was interesting. i only knew the senior kids, and there werent that many of them there. at this point in the semester, everyones pretty worn out. i had a lot of fun speaking though, and i always enjoy the challenge of winning over an audience that doesnt know me. i think it went pretty well...
after vespers, i had my first quality visit with tori m. we went to the acoustic cafe, which totally belongs in downtown savannah with it's hint of old incense and artsy/scene kids in their early 20s. i loved it. there was a folksy music group playing, and theres always a random dog hanging out in the shop - never the same one - but always chill and enjoying the music, looking as if he should be smoking or something....
tori confessed that she knew that monday was "wonderful wednesday." w. wed. is the best thing ever. you wake up (it can actually be any weekday) and theres a flyer, signed by dr. jeanes (college pres.), saying that classes are cancelled and giving you the schedule of crazy stuff during the day. i was excited. my fifth wonderful wed, and im not even a student. perfect timing. this year, however, they decided to start it at 5pm monday and go through 5pm tues., which i think is even better.
anyhow, it's tradition that after dinner, around 6pm, theres always a gallon challenge. you know, where a bunch of people try to down a gallon of milk in an hour w/o puking everywhere? thats the one. but i'm getting ahead of myself...
monday morning i met richard kenny down at the sub to talk about life, and specifically, some important life decisions he has to make pretty soon. it was amazing to see who he has become in the last three years. he was a freshman when i was a senior, and we had bonded b/c we both hated our freshman year of college. anyhow, it was a good visit.
from there, i went back to becca and nathans, where i was staying, to have lunch with becca. becca and i have known each other since we were 14. we went to church together. she went to atlanta christian for college, but married a guy who decided to go to emmanuel for seminary. so, after i left milligan, they moved up to johnson city and she now works at milligan. we ate some really good strawberries...
now in planning for this trip, monday had actually been reserved for two very special people: chris eger and brad parker. so, after spending some time just enjoying the beautiful weather, i headed back to milligan to meet up with chris. we picked up brad along with beth harkey, and trekked over to keva juice for a few smoothies. my first keva juice experience, btw, and i loved it. we spent about an hour in the sunshine just talking and it was wonderful. these three people are three of my most favorite people ever.
back to milligan - wonderful wednesday festivities had begun, and we decided to watch the gallon challenge. gross. fantastic. not sure how i feel. the best moment: seconds left on the clock and one man, ned, has not thrown up...looks like hes gonna win. oh, wait, no, he's not b/c this guy, casey, who had already thrown up, threw up a good five feet from ned, but aiming at ned. it got all over ned's feet/legs, thus causing ned to throw up from...well...ya know....it was a beautiful thing...
after all the excitement, tori and i headed up to the top of sutton hill, where, while in college, i frequented this hill many a sunset along with my guitar. after a while, tori had to go, but, just like old times, other people stopped by... beth joined me, and a few minutes later brad. brad said he felt like hed just stepped back in time. i agreed, strummed a few chords, and we watched the sun set on buffalo mountain...
around 8:30 i joined my emo friend, travis, for dinner and coffee and a great mix cd. this is his first semester teaching, so we discussed our kids and classroom stuff. for the record, travis, you're right: that cd has melted my face off....very emo....several times....
john hammon was supposed to call, but he didnt, so i snuck into the sga room in the sub back on campus around 10pm and began writing a song. i didnt know thats what i was going to do, but thats what happened. you'll have to buy the white chocolate ep to hear it...
tuesday i said my farewells and got back on the road. this time, to atlanta....well, ok, canton, ga. i went down to chill with greg and jessica, two amazing friends. we did absolutely nothing noteworthy, and i loved it....needed it, even. i got a chance to visit with my friend, ben, whom i have not seen for two years. he recently got engaged, and i hadnt met the girl, so we all met for dinner. it was really good to see him again.
after a couple days of that, i headed over to athens, ga. the only reason for me to really go through there was that back in march i was in my friend, heather's, wedding and i wanted to give her pictures i had taken, so i used that as an excuse to go. heather is a 2nd grade teacher, and not on spring break, so when i got to athens on thursday, i just hung out by myself for a few hours until she was off work. it was amazing. i had never spent time by myself in athens, so i took the opportunity. i parked downtown, grabbed a fruit cup and some water for lunch, and sat in the shady grass on the uga campus along with my guitar and a good book. i sat there for about three hours, and it was perfect. it was the absolute ideal spring weather. everyone was out, walking around. i love watching people....not sure why....i think i like to imagine that i know what theyre like, and make up stories about them and their lives...what they do...where they come from....why theyre there in athens....
at about 4 i headed over to heathers and we had girl talk for a little while. i helped her cook dinner (and by that i mean i sat in the kitchen and kept her company b/c she didnt let me do anything) and when jack came home we all ate. it was great....but soon it was time for me to hit the road again....
before spring break began, one of my students gave me a cd of a guy named corey smith. it just so happens that corey went to uga and had written a few songs pertaining to the area, so i felt it was appropriate to listen to his tunes while in athens, and while driving home through the backroads of ga. it was one of the best drives of my life. now, you have to understand, i love driving. i esp. love driving on back roads to loud music (what kind of music? depends on my mood and the location). this was a beautiful drive.....very country....rustic....wish you could have been there...
back to savannah. reality hit and i had to grade papers...
i didnt intend to write so much about spring break....that's not at all what i was going to focus on in this entry, but there it is, and i have to go, so i guess the proverbial cool will have to wait....
Sunday, March 12, 2006
oh athens, why dost thou torment me so?
ok. just returned from a weekend in what is probably one of my favorite places to visit ever: athens, ga. i went because my friend, heather, was getting married and i was a bridesmaid.
i arrived friday afternoon and visited with my friend, leanne, for a while. leanne was gracious enough to let me stay with her since i am too cheap to spend money on a hotel room (i seriously would have slept in my car if needed). ok, so leanne and i hung out for a while, and then it was time for me to go to the rehearsal. leanne assured me that we weren't far from the church and that i'd have plenty of time to get there. just the same, i'd rather be a little early than a little late. so, i headed upstairs to get dressed. i put on my brand-new "happy birthday" dress from ann taylor, and holy crap! the zipper broke. never would i, girl who grew up climbing trees, expect to get upset about a stupid dress zipper malfunctioning, but i was very sad indeed. in a panic, i yelled at leanne to ask if i could borrow some of her clothes. i threw something together and headed to the rehearsal.
the rehearsal went well. the other bridesmaids were cool, so i figured it would turn out to be an enjoyable weekend experience. we headed over to the botanical gardens for dinner and it was absolutely amazing. i want to buy a tent and live in those gardens for the rest of my life. i mostly hung out with one bridesmaid in particular, sherri, b/c we're both from savannah and already kinda knew each other. we got really bored with regurgitating the same, boring, shallow banter over and over "hi. laura reagan. i'm a bridesmaid. savannah. oh, we went to high school together. i'm a teacher.....blah blah blah" so, sherri and i joked about telling people we met heather stripping. keep in mind, we hung out this weekend with some really ritzy people -- athens country club and all -- so the goal was not to just spice up the conversation, but kill it alltogether. anyhow, there was a surprise slide show that heather and jack didnt know about, so that was fun to watch. and of course there were toasts. i was concerned about how much alcohol some of these people had consumed, but they werent too bad.
saturday morning we girls got together for a quiet brunch, while everyone else attending the wedding was invited to brunch with the fellas at the country club (about 200+ guests....remember i said ritzy....). i was thankful for that quiet time. we all shared how we knew heather, and she had actually taken the time to write out what each relationship with us had meant to her and what she's learned from each girl, so that was really special. after eating, we headed over to the salon to get pedicures b/c we were all going to be barefoot for the wedding. i've never had a pedicure, and now i remember why: im ticklish! it bout drove me crazy, but it was fun. next, some of the girls went to get their hair done, but i opted to hang out with leanne some more.
leanne and i ate lunch downtown at trans metropolitan, which is a really cool and laid back place. we went into this store called helix that sold a lot of random things . . . mostly girly things . . . but it was cool and a bit retro and earthy, which i love. we looked in a couple of stores where we could never afford the clothes, and thats always fun.
it was a beautiful day in downtown athens and all i could think about was the past. i can count on one hand all boys ive ever known that i would consider quality. one of them is my friend, ben. ben is the absolute sweetest guy ive met in my life -- hands down. he used to live in athens and i went down and hung out with him a few times. one of those times was spent on a very similarly beautiful day in downtown athens. he and i ate lunch at five star day, bought records at school kids records, and played around in junkmans' daughter. since then, ben and i have tried to become adults, me teaching in savannah, and he working for the gbi up near atlanta. he met an amazing girl about two years ago, and now theyre getting married. i cant help but selfishly think that i wont have any more memories of just "me and ben" . . .
the wedding was fantastic and the reception was tons of fun. heather and jack are serious about having a good time. after enjoying a fancy-schmancy sitdown dinner, the live band kicked off what would turn out to be about 3 hours worth of oldies and 70s music that im pretty sure i never want to hear again for as long as i live. give me the symphony or booty music, but leave the honky tonk at home, please. half the songs made me feel like i was at young life club, which wasnt so bad, and at least they didnt break out YMCA, but still . . . apparently i'm just not white enough . . .
all in all, a good weekend.
in other news, i turned 25 about a week ago, so that was, whatever. the highlight? other than my kids at school completely lavishing me with love and homemade cards, my brother bought me my very first real piece of jewelry. im all about cheap jewelry, but erik, since he is now working in a jewelry store, offered to buy me something. i wasnt sure if id find anything i wanted, but i did. i picked out a ring with my birthstone in it (which shocked me b/c my whole life i've hated my birthstone b/c i thought it was boring) and four tiny diamonds. so, i now own bling with ice in it. exciting stuff.
i arrived friday afternoon and visited with my friend, leanne, for a while. leanne was gracious enough to let me stay with her since i am too cheap to spend money on a hotel room (i seriously would have slept in my car if needed). ok, so leanne and i hung out for a while, and then it was time for me to go to the rehearsal. leanne assured me that we weren't far from the church and that i'd have plenty of time to get there. just the same, i'd rather be a little early than a little late. so, i headed upstairs to get dressed. i put on my brand-new "happy birthday" dress from ann taylor, and holy crap! the zipper broke. never would i, girl who grew up climbing trees, expect to get upset about a stupid dress zipper malfunctioning, but i was very sad indeed. in a panic, i yelled at leanne to ask if i could borrow some of her clothes. i threw something together and headed to the rehearsal.
the rehearsal went well. the other bridesmaids were cool, so i figured it would turn out to be an enjoyable weekend experience. we headed over to the botanical gardens for dinner and it was absolutely amazing. i want to buy a tent and live in those gardens for the rest of my life. i mostly hung out with one bridesmaid in particular, sherri, b/c we're both from savannah and already kinda knew each other. we got really bored with regurgitating the same, boring, shallow banter over and over "hi. laura reagan. i'm a bridesmaid. savannah. oh, we went to high school together. i'm a teacher.....blah blah blah" so, sherri and i joked about telling people we met heather stripping. keep in mind, we hung out this weekend with some really ritzy people -- athens country club and all -- so the goal was not to just spice up the conversation, but kill it alltogether. anyhow, there was a surprise slide show that heather and jack didnt know about, so that was fun to watch. and of course there were toasts. i was concerned about how much alcohol some of these people had consumed, but they werent too bad.
saturday morning we girls got together for a quiet brunch, while everyone else attending the wedding was invited to brunch with the fellas at the country club (about 200+ guests....remember i said ritzy....). i was thankful for that quiet time. we all shared how we knew heather, and she had actually taken the time to write out what each relationship with us had meant to her and what she's learned from each girl, so that was really special. after eating, we headed over to the salon to get pedicures b/c we were all going to be barefoot for the wedding. i've never had a pedicure, and now i remember why: im ticklish! it bout drove me crazy, but it was fun. next, some of the girls went to get their hair done, but i opted to hang out with leanne some more.
leanne and i ate lunch downtown at trans metropolitan, which is a really cool and laid back place. we went into this store called helix that sold a lot of random things . . . mostly girly things . . . but it was cool and a bit retro and earthy, which i love. we looked in a couple of stores where we could never afford the clothes, and thats always fun.
it was a beautiful day in downtown athens and all i could think about was the past. i can count on one hand all boys ive ever known that i would consider quality. one of them is my friend, ben. ben is the absolute sweetest guy ive met in my life -- hands down. he used to live in athens and i went down and hung out with him a few times. one of those times was spent on a very similarly beautiful day in downtown athens. he and i ate lunch at five star day, bought records at school kids records, and played around in junkmans' daughter. since then, ben and i have tried to become adults, me teaching in savannah, and he working for the gbi up near atlanta. he met an amazing girl about two years ago, and now theyre getting married. i cant help but selfishly think that i wont have any more memories of just "me and ben" . . .
the wedding was fantastic and the reception was tons of fun. heather and jack are serious about having a good time. after enjoying a fancy-schmancy sitdown dinner, the live band kicked off what would turn out to be about 3 hours worth of oldies and 70s music that im pretty sure i never want to hear again for as long as i live. give me the symphony or booty music, but leave the honky tonk at home, please. half the songs made me feel like i was at young life club, which wasnt so bad, and at least they didnt break out YMCA, but still . . . apparently i'm just not white enough . . .
all in all, a good weekend.
in other news, i turned 25 about a week ago, so that was, whatever. the highlight? other than my kids at school completely lavishing me with love and homemade cards, my brother bought me my very first real piece of jewelry. im all about cheap jewelry, but erik, since he is now working in a jewelry store, offered to buy me something. i wasnt sure if id find anything i wanted, but i did. i picked out a ring with my birthstone in it (which shocked me b/c my whole life i've hated my birthstone b/c i thought it was boring) and four tiny diamonds. so, i now own bling with ice in it. exciting stuff.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
stories from the classroom
like most weeks, this week has proven to be an interesting one. today i'd like to share a few stories from the classroom that have taken place this week. i'll start with today and work backwards if that' s allright with you.
today . . . well, today a student gave me keyshia cole's new cd, and that made me happy because i really like her song, love (not to be confused with ashlee simpson's new song, l.o.v.e). the same student gave me a really cool card that he made himself that said in really pretty letters on the front, "loser." for those of you who aren't aware, my initials are LoSeR. moving on. a kid i have never taught and don't really know keeps asking me out in the hallway in between 5th and 6th period. it's kinda funny. today his approach was, "hey, ms. reagan, when are we going on that date?" my response is always, "never" with a polite, yet not encouraging smile.
yesterday . . . i've had lunch duty this week, which pretty much always sucks for obvious reasons. the only upside is that i get to hang out with kids who tell funny stories. unfortunately, i missed out on most of the stories yesterday b/c some kid decided he thought he could get away with smoking while on his lunch break (i had duty outside), so i had to take care of that, and that kid probably hates me now, so that kinda makes me sad.
tuesday . . . i did a writing exercise with my kids where they had to describe a river they imagine. then, they had to write a description of that same river, only this time they had to write from the perspective of an old man or woman who had just lost something important without telling the reader that anything has been lost. finally, the kids desrcribed the river from the point of view of someone who is in love. well, when we finished, i had some kids read their writing. when we got to the one about the person in love, this kid started reading his:
"there are beautiful flowers lining the bank of the calm river. it is a sunny day, and beams of light reflect off of the water. through the ripples i can see stones that remind me of her lovely lady lumps."
i am not kidding. the kid stopped reading there and clarified that he totally made the "lumps" part up . . . yeah . . . we were dying laughing . . .
monday . . . i just struggled to function on monday. i spent the weekend at windy gap, a young life camp up in north carolina. i didn't get very much sleep. monday night was young life club, which was a lot of fun. it was an "all-city" club, meaning midtown and country day all got together for the night. the leaders did a skit that was really funny, mainly because this guy, jared, is really good at acting like a spas. i had to be an over-zealous chatelaine (drillteam member). it was a lot of fun.
well, somehow, this makes me want to mention tomorrow, which hasn't happened yet, clearly, but i thought i'd let you know that i am participating in the "teacher no-talent show" to raise money for the american diabetes assoc. i can't tell you what i'm doing b/c some of my kids read my blog, and i don't want to risk one of them reading this before tomorrow morning. let's just say i'm a rockstar . . . ok, i'm a crappy musician who would like to be a rockstar for about 15 minutes. how's that?
roll out
today . . . well, today a student gave me keyshia cole's new cd, and that made me happy because i really like her song, love (not to be confused with ashlee simpson's new song, l.o.v.e). the same student gave me a really cool card that he made himself that said in really pretty letters on the front, "loser." for those of you who aren't aware, my initials are LoSeR. moving on. a kid i have never taught and don't really know keeps asking me out in the hallway in between 5th and 6th period. it's kinda funny. today his approach was, "hey, ms. reagan, when are we going on that date?" my response is always, "never" with a polite, yet not encouraging smile.
yesterday . . . i've had lunch duty this week, which pretty much always sucks for obvious reasons. the only upside is that i get to hang out with kids who tell funny stories. unfortunately, i missed out on most of the stories yesterday b/c some kid decided he thought he could get away with smoking while on his lunch break (i had duty outside), so i had to take care of that, and that kid probably hates me now, so that kinda makes me sad.
tuesday . . . i did a writing exercise with my kids where they had to describe a river they imagine. then, they had to write a description of that same river, only this time they had to write from the perspective of an old man or woman who had just lost something important without telling the reader that anything has been lost. finally, the kids desrcribed the river from the point of view of someone who is in love. well, when we finished, i had some kids read their writing. when we got to the one about the person in love, this kid started reading his:
"there are beautiful flowers lining the bank of the calm river. it is a sunny day, and beams of light reflect off of the water. through the ripples i can see stones that remind me of her lovely lady lumps."
i am not kidding. the kid stopped reading there and clarified that he totally made the "lumps" part up . . . yeah . . . we were dying laughing . . .
monday . . . i just struggled to function on monday. i spent the weekend at windy gap, a young life camp up in north carolina. i didn't get very much sleep. monday night was young life club, which was a lot of fun. it was an "all-city" club, meaning midtown and country day all got together for the night. the leaders did a skit that was really funny, mainly because this guy, jared, is really good at acting like a spas. i had to be an over-zealous chatelaine (drillteam member). it was a lot of fun.
well, somehow, this makes me want to mention tomorrow, which hasn't happened yet, clearly, but i thought i'd let you know that i am participating in the "teacher no-talent show" to raise money for the american diabetes assoc. i can't tell you what i'm doing b/c some of my kids read my blog, and i don't want to risk one of them reading this before tomorrow morning. let's just say i'm a rockstar . . . ok, i'm a crappy musician who would like to be a rockstar for about 15 minutes. how's that?
roll out
Saturday, January 21, 2006
david hasselhoff, why raw rock kills, and weed at last
ladies and gentlemen, to your left you'll find the picture of the incredibly hot guy we all know (and germans love), david hasselhoff. i recently found out that his second marriage is sadly ending in divorce after over a decade of happiness. now, you might be thinking, "where's she going with this?" or perhaps, "who cares?" well, the reason this is of interest to me is because my family has had to man the phonelines at our house to make sure that mr. hasselhoff isn't trying to hook up with his high school hottie. still confused? allow me to enlighten you: hasselhoff dated my mom in high school. i don't make this stuff up, folks. he was 14, she was 16, and they met doing theater in atlanta. he was her romeo, and she was his juliet (literally). growing up in the 80s and 90s, we couldnt avoid the man in our household. my dad was a fan of knight rider (although, we weren't allowed to talk about it), and then of course came the big acting phenomenon of baywatch. add to that the fact that my dad is half german, and there are all kinds of jokes waiting to be made. anyhow, if david calls, i'll let you know.
in other news: last night i died. ok, i lied, obviously. last night i saw my first live showbread show at le morte rouge. i just threw the fact that it was at le morte rouge b/c i think it's a cool name. moving on. the show was a lot of fun. the roundtable and oakstreet thesis also played and they all did an amazing job. there was a weird culmination of several of my worlds last night. i saw a few people i know from church. i saw a few of my students (who thought it was really cool that i was there -- not lame like im trying to be the cool teacher or anything), and then there was matt davis, featured 2nd from the right in this picture of showbread. matt and i met in 2nd grade at hesse elementary school. i remember coming home the first day of school (matt was a "new kid" in our class, which was mostly the same kids every year we were at hesse) and telling my mom that i wanted to marry him. im not sure i have those same feelings today, but nonetheless, it was really cool to see all the guys play the songs that i've actualy been listening to for over a year now. i remember back in the day matt and my friends barry, josh, and another matt were in a band called johnny angel. they were pretty good. they even opened for five iron in atlanta one time. anyhow, the show last night was a lot of fun, so, sorry if you missed it.and finally, weed at last. we've been working on public speaking the past two weeks in class. last week, of course, we did dr. king's speech, "i have a dream." this past week i worked on persuasive speeches with my students. they picked their topics in the beginning of the week and then we worked on drafting and going over the "how-to's" of good speech delivery. well, there was a broad range of topics covered yesterday in all of my classes. the three most popular topics were: abortion, school uniforms, and the legalization of marijuana. my fifth period class is particularily fun, but one kid is just ridiculous, and i love him for it. patrick gave a speech on the issue of marijuana and why it should be legalized, and his closing statement? "weed at last, weed at last. thank god almighty, there's weed at last!" i cried i was laughing so hard, to be honest.
over and out.
Monday, January 09, 2006
there cannot be a close second
i was blessed to once again go to windy gap, a young life camp in north carolina, this past weekend. i went for a leaders weekend. can i just say that i've never witnessed so many extroverts in the same room in my life. young life leaders are usually crazy. unfortunately for my group, i'm only "crazy" when i'm around high schoolers. being around people my own age or older typically bores me, or at least it doesnt inspire me to get overlly excited about things such as playing games (forced fun), etc. it was great to be at windy gap though and get a chance to get to know the other leaders. i havent done young life in a year and a half, so there were a lot of new faces on the midtown crew.
happy one year wedding anniversary to my friends greg and jessica. and a special congratulations to jessica for not punching greg in the face - not even once during that year.
christmas break was good. the only thing about those two weeks is that it's long enough to get comfortable, and then you have to go back. i miss those month-long breaks in college. it was so long that by the last week i was always ready to go back.
i recently watched the rough cut of invisible children. wow. you should see this film. i'm probably going to host a house party, so let me know if you're interesting in coming to see it. i'm contemplating showing it to my kids, but i'm not sure. i might just give extra credit for watching it after school and writing a response. if you dont know what IC is, then go to the website (click the link above).
the semester is going well so far. i love my new kids. unfortunately two of my classes are overcrowded, so i'm bound to lose a few of my kids, and that stinks. the other day i broke them into groups and had them write a letter to a new kid explaining what the new kid needs to know in order to survive at windsor. most of the letters were pretty good. one group (if it's not "that guy" it's "that group") actually started off their letter by informing the new kid not to be a "whore." let it sink in. that's right. now what the heck am i supposed to do with that? i mean, it's good advice i guess, but highly inappropriate, right? i was thinking more along the lines of "don't be late for class" and "wear your i.d. at all times," but i never would have guessed "don't be a whore" would be at the top of these kids' lists. in all honesty, we all just laughed. what else can you do . . .
in other news, my car is falling apart despite my attempts to hold it together with the almighty invention we all know and love: ductape. thats how i roll.
i just found out that brian regan is going to be in florida in march. hmmm. i might get a ticket or two. coldplay will also be in florida in march, but i dont think im buying a ticket for that. remember what happened last time?? well, i do . . .
well, i have seating charts to make (yeah!). peace outside. darn you. (name that reference. hint: who's your favorite chinese rapper?)
happy one year wedding anniversary to my friends greg and jessica. and a special congratulations to jessica for not punching greg in the face - not even once during that year.
christmas break was good. the only thing about those two weeks is that it's long enough to get comfortable, and then you have to go back. i miss those month-long breaks in college. it was so long that by the last week i was always ready to go back.
i recently watched the rough cut of invisible children. wow. you should see this film. i'm probably going to host a house party, so let me know if you're interesting in coming to see it. i'm contemplating showing it to my kids, but i'm not sure. i might just give extra credit for watching it after school and writing a response. if you dont know what IC is, then go to the website (click the link above).
the semester is going well so far. i love my new kids. unfortunately two of my classes are overcrowded, so i'm bound to lose a few of my kids, and that stinks. the other day i broke them into groups and had them write a letter to a new kid explaining what the new kid needs to know in order to survive at windsor. most of the letters were pretty good. one group (if it's not "that guy" it's "that group") actually started off their letter by informing the new kid not to be a "whore." let it sink in. that's right. now what the heck am i supposed to do with that? i mean, it's good advice i guess, but highly inappropriate, right? i was thinking more along the lines of "don't be late for class" and "wear your i.d. at all times," but i never would have guessed "don't be a whore" would be at the top of these kids' lists. in all honesty, we all just laughed. what else can you do . . .
in other news, my car is falling apart despite my attempts to hold it together with the almighty invention we all know and love: ductape. thats how i roll.
i just found out that brian regan is going to be in florida in march. hmmm. i might get a ticket or two. coldplay will also be in florida in march, but i dont think im buying a ticket for that. remember what happened last time?? well, i do . . .
well, i have seating charts to make (yeah!). peace outside. darn you. (name that reference. hint: who's your favorite chinese rapper?)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
stupid angels
ok, i doubt (or hope) that guys dont have this problem, but girls have this disgusting habit of sending stupid emails that say crap like, "here's your lucky angel" or "here are eight angels to bless you for eight days. if you dont send these eight angels to your eight closest friends, the angels and baby jesus will weep for you . . ." or something to that tune. well, i've bout had enough of this crap, and then this morning i was checking my email at work and a co-worker sent me a forward with the subject reading, "GOOD LUCK ANGEL!" and i'm thinking of ways to send viruses to her computer. well, i open it up, and this is what i found:
now, obviously this guy has some bills to pay . . . or he lost a bet or something. but the picture does bring up an interesting point - i believe that angels (besides clearly being hot) are actually really fierce and hardcore beings. angels arent pansies and they definitely arent weak.
well, anyhow, now i am going to send that email to my closest friends so that they know how good a friend i am, because we all know that true friends send forwards.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
on a tuesday in amsterdam long ago
so earlier this fall i had plans to see coldplay. wait, i take that back- i didnt just have "plans" - i had a freakin ticket and the show got cancelled due to "illness." anyhow, i was thinking about it, and while ive seen a few good shows in the last few years, there are still a lot of people id like to see live. i decided to make a list, so here it is, in no particular order:
1. coldplay (they owe me one)
2. counting crows (i think id marry adam duritz)
3. lauryn hill (she brought out the soul within, plus, who doesnt like sister act 2?)
4. indigo girls (they taught me how to harmonize)
5. yellowcard
6. don chaffer (esp. if lori happens to make the show)
7. paul wright
8. shawn mcdonald
9. eminem (i honestly would go)
10. nas (i think he is the best lyricist of his gen. of mcs)
11. james taylor
12. alison krauss
13. pink martini
14. josh groban
15. g. love
i think thats a pretty solid list for now. i'll let you know if i ever get to see any of these people.
so, who would make your list?
1. coldplay (they owe me one)
2. counting crows (i think id marry adam duritz)
3. lauryn hill (she brought out the soul within, plus, who doesnt like sister act 2?)
4. indigo girls (they taught me how to harmonize)
5. yellowcard
6. don chaffer (esp. if lori happens to make the show)
7. paul wright
8. shawn mcdonald
9. eminem (i honestly would go)
10. nas (i think he is the best lyricist of his gen. of mcs)
11. james taylor
12. alison krauss
13. pink martini
14. josh groban
15. g. love
i think thats a pretty solid list for now. i'll let you know if i ever get to see any of these people.
so, who would make your list?
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
retrospect and random things
Ten Years Ago
oh geez. ten years ago i was a freshman at windsor and i have to say, that was probably my favorite year of high school. i was so stupid. it was a lot of fun. young life was a big thing for me, and that's also when i got into the youth group at savannah christian. that year had a rough start b/c i moved from the eastside to the southside, which was basically like transferring from a foreign country.
Five Years Ago
i was in my sophomore year at milligan. i still wasnt sure what i was doing there or how i was affording it, but i started liking it and making great friends. i started playing guitar a lot more, and not just by myself in my room when i was sure no one else was around. this was the year i took my first camping trip. this was the year i was britney spears in a lip-sync contest during twirp week. this was the year i climbed into the seeger bell tower for the first time and saw the most amazing view of the campus at nighttime. this was the year john hammon and i became good friends. it was the year that i decided i loved milligan and didnt want to go home immediately when it was time for a break.
One Year Ago
i was living in a really cool apartment in downtown savannah with my ultra-cool dog, romeo. i was faced with a crazy job offer to work as the creative programmer for the youth ministry at saddleback in lake forest, california. i was glad i didnt get the job (update: the girl they hired had like a meltdown or something six months into it and quit. they're still looking for a replacement). i actually think i a year ago exactly that i found out i didnt get the job (w/i a few days, give or take).
Now
i am living with my parents for 6 months to pay off my debt. i am teaching (again) at windsor (my old high school) and loving it. i am looking to move to atlanta or athens next summer and teach somewhere up there. i am looking forward to being in heather's wedding in march and cathy's wedding in july.
Five yummy things
1. cherry coke
2. chocolate
that about sums it up
Five songs I know by heart
1. ganstas paradise
2. anything by copeland
3. anything by waterdeep
4. fresh prince theme song
5. pretty much any counting crows song
Five things I would do with a lot of money
1. Pay off all my debt.
2. Buy a second home in Italy or Ireland and travel all over Europe
3. pay for erik's college
4. fix my stupid car
5. get plane tickets for my favorite 50 people or so and take them to hawaii for a week
Five places I would escape to
1. ireland
2. Italy
3. Greece
4. NYC
5. Oregon
Five things I would never wear
1. any shade of pink
2. a new kids on the block shirt . . . oh, wait . . . dangit
3. my collar up
4. a shirt advertising a clothing company
5. denim jumper (like the ones elementary school teachers wear)
Five favorite TV shows
1. extreme makeover : home edition
i dont really watch a lot of tv
Five favorite films
1. gone with the wind
2. any 80s movie featuring molly ringwald
3. Braveheart
4. dead poets society
5. man on fire
Five things I enjoy doing
1. Reading
2. Watching movies
3. Traveling
4. singing
5. playing guitar
oh geez. ten years ago i was a freshman at windsor and i have to say, that was probably my favorite year of high school. i was so stupid. it was a lot of fun. young life was a big thing for me, and that's also when i got into the youth group at savannah christian. that year had a rough start b/c i moved from the eastside to the southside, which was basically like transferring from a foreign country.
Five Years Ago
i was in my sophomore year at milligan. i still wasnt sure what i was doing there or how i was affording it, but i started liking it and making great friends. i started playing guitar a lot more, and not just by myself in my room when i was sure no one else was around. this was the year i took my first camping trip. this was the year i was britney spears in a lip-sync contest during twirp week. this was the year i climbed into the seeger bell tower for the first time and saw the most amazing view of the campus at nighttime. this was the year john hammon and i became good friends. it was the year that i decided i loved milligan and didnt want to go home immediately when it was time for a break.
One Year Ago
i was living in a really cool apartment in downtown savannah with my ultra-cool dog, romeo. i was faced with a crazy job offer to work as the creative programmer for the youth ministry at saddleback in lake forest, california. i was glad i didnt get the job (update: the girl they hired had like a meltdown or something six months into it and quit. they're still looking for a replacement). i actually think i a year ago exactly that i found out i didnt get the job (w/i a few days, give or take).
Now
i am living with my parents for 6 months to pay off my debt. i am teaching (again) at windsor (my old high school) and loving it. i am looking to move to atlanta or athens next summer and teach somewhere up there. i am looking forward to being in heather's wedding in march and cathy's wedding in july.
Five yummy things
1. cherry coke
2. chocolate
that about sums it up
Five songs I know by heart
1. ganstas paradise
2. anything by copeland
3. anything by waterdeep
4. fresh prince theme song
5. pretty much any counting crows song
Five things I would do with a lot of money
1. Pay off all my debt.
2. Buy a second home in Italy or Ireland and travel all over Europe
3. pay for erik's college
4. fix my stupid car
5. get plane tickets for my favorite 50 people or so and take them to hawaii for a week
Five places I would escape to
1. ireland
2. Italy
3. Greece
4. NYC
5. Oregon
Five things I would never wear
1. any shade of pink
2. a new kids on the block shirt . . . oh, wait . . . dangit
3. my collar up
4. a shirt advertising a clothing company
5. denim jumper (like the ones elementary school teachers wear)
Five favorite TV shows
1. extreme makeover : home edition
i dont really watch a lot of tv
Five favorite films
1. gone with the wind
2. any 80s movie featuring molly ringwald
3. Braveheart
4. dead poets society
5. man on fire
Five things I enjoy doing
1. Reading
2. Watching movies
3. Traveling
4. singing
5. playing guitar
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
jordan clark at cutter's point tonight
tonight i'm hanging out at cutter's point coffee house to hear jordan clark and to hang out with great people. you should come. cutter's point is basically around the corner from the new wal-mart on montgomery x-roads. just pass wal-mart, take a right onto skidaway, and you'll see cutter's point on the left (in the shopping center with piggly wiggly).
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
$5 and good conversation
what makes a conversation a good conversation?
last night i sat down with my new friend, scott, and we had a good conversation. once we got past the usual "how are yous," etc., we got ended up talking about ministry in savannah, how we see each of ourselves involved in ministry. interestingly we both are passionate about our desires to see racial reconciliation. basically, we wish that the church was like a coca-cola commercial with people of every color holding hands -- only they're singing about jesus, not coke.
i shared my relentless hunger to save the world - a hunger that consumes me despite, the odds and challenges that face me every day. some of my kids have a lot of things going against them, and they arent fighting back. it breaks my heart. ive had small break-throughs with a student recently, but i feel like hes still defeated in the long run. it all comes back to apathy. parents not caring about modeling education in the home. parents letting their kids grow up too soon, or telling their kids that they are grown when they really are far from it. students not caring about their grades. students not caring about graduating.
im really torn between my appreciation for the hip hop culture and the damage that has been done to my students through the culture that they love and are very much a part of. for some of my students, to be educated is to be "white," and thats the last thing they want to be. for others, they just dont think theyre smart enough, so they just quit doing their work . . . quit caring.
anyhow, back to the conversation with scott. we asked some tough questions. how can we bring black and white kids together in savannah on a regular basis for worship and community? what would that look like? how do we even get there? despite her cultural diversity, savannah separates herself in every way possible.
in other news it has become quiet clear that the rest of my crap still in beth's house in midtown is not going to pack itself up and
move to the southside on its own. i find this very unfortunate and annoying. so, i still have a lot of packing, moving, and cleaning to do, and i only have until friday to do it b/c our friend, kylene, needs a place to stay for a couple of weeks, and she's bringing some of her stuff over to beths on saturday.
rize is now part of my dvd collection. i love this film. if i werent moving and grading a million papers a day i would have watched it literally about five times by now since buying it last week.
keep it krump.
last night i sat down with my new friend, scott, and we had a good conversation. once we got past the usual "how are yous," etc., we got ended up talking about ministry in savannah, how we see each of ourselves involved in ministry. interestingly we both are passionate about our desires to see racial reconciliation. basically, we wish that the church was like a coca-cola commercial with people of every color holding hands -- only they're singing about jesus, not coke.
i shared my relentless hunger to save the world - a hunger that consumes me despite, the odds and challenges that face me every day. some of my kids have a lot of things going against them, and they arent fighting back. it breaks my heart. ive had small break-throughs with a student recently, but i feel like hes still defeated in the long run. it all comes back to apathy. parents not caring about modeling education in the home. parents letting their kids grow up too soon, or telling their kids that they are grown when they really are far from it. students not caring about their grades. students not caring about graduating.
im really torn between my appreciation for the hip hop culture and the damage that has been done to my students through the culture that they love and are very much a part of. for some of my students, to be educated is to be "white," and thats the last thing they want to be. for others, they just dont think theyre smart enough, so they just quit doing their work . . . quit caring.
anyhow, back to the conversation with scott. we asked some tough questions. how can we bring black and white kids together in savannah on a regular basis for worship and community? what would that look like? how do we even get there? despite her cultural diversity, savannah separates herself in every way possible.
in other news it has become quiet clear that the rest of my crap still in beth's house in midtown is not going to pack itself up and
move to the southside on its own. i find this very unfortunate and annoying. so, i still have a lot of packing, moving, and cleaning to do, and i only have until friday to do it b/c our friend, kylene, needs a place to stay for a couple of weeks, and she's bringing some of her stuff over to beths on saturday.rize is now part of my dvd collection. i love this film. if i werent moving and grading a million papers a day i would have watched it literally about five times by now since buying it last week.
keep it krump.
Monday, December 05, 2005
searching for friends
have you ever typed your friends' names into a search engine to see what you get? meet a few of my friends . . .
dimitri (i'd buy this album)
dimitri (i'd buy this album) 
cathy
(does anyone else think it looks like she's having problems?)
greg (i'm not sure which is greg)
josh
(when do you go on tour?)
emily (this must have been us at the hip hop show)
erik
(erik is now working on his sixth album. it's called polyester wine. tour kicks off in early january.)
of course i couldnt search w/o doing my name, so this is what i got after going through all the "laura bush" photos and "ronald reagan" photos
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
does this make me weird?
so this is my good buddy hezekiah blue barnes (no joke, that's his name) holding his brand-spankin new baby twin boys, malachi israel and zechariah heman (pronounced "hayman" . . .it's hebrew. . . not like the cartoon). hez and i went to milligan together. he frequently stole my guitar from me as i sat on sutton hill during dinner and watched the sun set, and i was always jealous of his twelve-string acoustic and mad skills on the harmonica. i miss the days of playing and singing with him at sub7. theres this one song he wrote that i love. i wish i could hear him sing it again. hez and i were also hiking/camping buddies along with a few other favorite people. one day we graduated. then he got married. now he's got two kids. crazy. . . exciting, but crazy. congratulations, hez!
um, yeah, so i was cleaning out my closet (insert stupid eminem pun here) at my parent's house last night and found, what i think is, the freakiest thing ever. keep in mind this is the closet used by laura as a teenager, and if you knew me as a teenager, then this wont come as quite a shock, but if you've only met me within the past few years, then this might strike you as, well, i'm not sure, but here we go . . .
ok, so i need to tell a little story as background. shock factor was huge for me in high school. i loved doing things that threw people off. when i was 17 i had really long hair...we're talking almost down to my butt. now there are girls in the world who find it necessary to cry when they get their hair cut, but frankly i could care less. i decided to hack it all off and not tell anyone i was getting it done. i just happened to do this on the day of my 17th birthday party. one by one, people showed up to the party and freaked out. i cut off about 15 inches, so it was pretty drastic.
ok, so back to the closet story: last night i was digging in a box and saw a plastic bag. thinking it was odd, i picked up the bag and looked inside. there, in a ponytail held together by a rubberband, was the hair i had cutt off 7 years ago. i cant decide if thats more gross or weird. some people are grossed out by hair, and i honestly dont get it, however, seeing as how this hair has been sitting in that closet for a few years makes it a little different. i think my original plan was to donate it to locks of love, but i obviously didnt get around to that. if i were famous i could sell it on ebay. that would be cool. but im not famous, so . . .
one of my favorite lines in the movie garden state is, "he's just a fast food knight." i just thought id share that.
so yesterday i bought the latest death cab for cutie cd. amazing. for some reason im never disappointed by their cds, unlike josh kelly, who profoundly disappointed -- i would venture to say disgusted -- me when i bought his last album. his first cd was pretty good with warm melodies, a folksy style, and familiar lyrics. but his latest cd made me wish i could rip my eardrums out. oh yeah. it's that bad. musically. lyrically. it's really sad.
pedro the lion has put together a christmas album on vinyl and there are only 2000 copies. i just found that tidbit interesting.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
how the heck are you doin
sup.
so i've been teaching for a few weeks, and let me just say, it's good to be home. i am back at windsor, and while they've stuck me out in a trailer, i am quite content with my current situation. my students are ridiculous and i love them. oh, the stories!
in other news, im getting ready to move again, so that's going to be . . . annoying. im relocating (for the second time in my life) to the south side. it's cool though b/c i'll be close to the school and it will be easier to attend activites, etc.
life has been interesting lately. what am i saying? life is always interesting, actually, but it has been particularily interesting lately. if you want the details, ask me in person.
last night i saw the new harry potter movie. i just lied. if you believed me, then clearly we are not friends. last night i saw walk the line. incredible. go see it.
today one of my kids gave me a "hood i.q. test: how ghetto are you?" the quiz allows you so many points for things like, "If your neighborhood had an ice cream man. (2 points, 5 extra points if he played R&B)", "If you've ever run from the police on foot (5 points)", "You think 'red' is a flavor of Kool-Aid (4 points)", "You don't have your own place, but your child has a leather coat and a pair of Jordan's (5 points)", and, my personal favorite, "You think Tupac is still alive (20 points)". i scored 152 out of 200. hmmm
so i've been teaching for a few weeks, and let me just say, it's good to be home. i am back at windsor, and while they've stuck me out in a trailer, i am quite content with my current situation. my students are ridiculous and i love them. oh, the stories!
in other news, im getting ready to move again, so that's going to be . . . annoying. im relocating (for the second time in my life) to the south side. it's cool though b/c i'll be close to the school and it will be easier to attend activites, etc.
life has been interesting lately. what am i saying? life is always interesting, actually, but it has been particularily interesting lately. if you want the details, ask me in person.
last night i saw the new harry potter movie. i just lied. if you believed me, then clearly we are not friends. last night i saw walk the line. incredible. go see it.
today one of my kids gave me a "hood i.q. test: how ghetto are you?" the quiz allows you so many points for things like, "If your neighborhood had an ice cream man. (2 points, 5 extra points if he played R&B)", "If you've ever run from the police on foot (5 points)", "You think 'red' is a flavor of Kool-Aid (4 points)", "You don't have your own place, but your child has a leather coat and a pair of Jordan's (5 points)", and, my personal favorite, "You think Tupac is still alive (20 points)". i scored 152 out of 200. hmmm
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
good news
in nothing short of a miracle i have a job. more than that, my dream job -- in two weeks i will be back at windsor forest high school teaching ghetto kids and lovin it. God is amazing and a lot more faithful than i ever knew. just thought id update.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
clearly
i was going to type up a long narration leading up to the next statement, but id rather get right to the point: i am job hunting. clearly, working at -- well, actually -- working anywhere other than in a school is clearly against some law of nature deeply inbedded in me. if i work here much longer, one day some un-suspecting church volunteer will round the corner of my clean-cut cubicle and find me wide-eyed and breathless with a pen gauged in my neck that reads "thank you for visiting savannah christian church". i just cant do it anymore. i need to be with teenagers, and it's that simple.
in other news, i am singing with some people opening for da t.r.u.t.h. and mary mary next friday night at overcoming by faith. you should come check it out. fo sho. (emily)
i attended the catalyst conference "for next generation leaders" last week in a-town (that's atlanta, for all you non-krunk people out there). it was pretty good. i struggle with getting a little tired of all the flashy crap they do. it's like they're thinking, "hey, we have this huge arena, let's use every light possible, make the music as loud as possible, and charge a ridiculous amount of money so that people are reassured that christians can be cool." lame. loose the hype. if the conference were stripped down to just the speakers (who were phenominal: andy stanley, louie giglio, malcolm gladwell, erwin mcmannus, leonard sweet, donald miller, and john maxwell) then it would have been simply amazing. why is it that if you get a large group of christians together the automatic mentality is that they have to sell jesus to non-believers? i think it's b/c too many christians only know other christians. get out of your damn box. satan really likes you there. he says it fits you nicely. being a christian is not about programs. it is about a process, a journey with a very real God who doesnt care if you dress like a hipster a bum or clad in kenneth cole . . . a God who someday will share with you that he thinks it's silly that you spend 15 minutes giving your hair that "slightly disheveled" look. a God who knows a lot more than i do about what he likes and dislikes, so im going to stop there.
one of my former students called me from the hospital this week. he had overdosed, but clearly not enough to die. no, no, just enough to practically kill his liver. now hes on medicine to keep his liver from bleeding. great. the world is so broken and i want to be like my Dad and fix it, but i cant . . .
several of my friends are getting engaged or married soon (5 to be exact). where's that pen . . .
in other news, i am singing with some people opening for da t.r.u.t.h. and mary mary next friday night at overcoming by faith. you should come check it out. fo sho. (emily)
i attended the catalyst conference "for next generation leaders" last week in a-town (that's atlanta, for all you non-krunk people out there). it was pretty good. i struggle with getting a little tired of all the flashy crap they do. it's like they're thinking, "hey, we have this huge arena, let's use every light possible, make the music as loud as possible, and charge a ridiculous amount of money so that people are reassured that christians can be cool." lame. loose the hype. if the conference were stripped down to just the speakers (who were phenominal: andy stanley, louie giglio, malcolm gladwell, erwin mcmannus, leonard sweet, donald miller, and john maxwell) then it would have been simply amazing. why is it that if you get a large group of christians together the automatic mentality is that they have to sell jesus to non-believers? i think it's b/c too many christians only know other christians. get out of your damn box. satan really likes you there. he says it fits you nicely. being a christian is not about programs. it is about a process, a journey with a very real God who doesnt care if you dress like a hipster a bum or clad in kenneth cole . . . a God who someday will share with you that he thinks it's silly that you spend 15 minutes giving your hair that "slightly disheveled" look. a God who knows a lot more than i do about what he likes and dislikes, so im going to stop there.
one of my former students called me from the hospital this week. he had overdosed, but clearly not enough to die. no, no, just enough to practically kill his liver. now hes on medicine to keep his liver from bleeding. great. the world is so broken and i want to be like my Dad and fix it, but i cant . . .
several of my friends are getting engaged or married soon (5 to be exact). where's that pen . . .
Thursday, September 29, 2005
i repent
i am a horrible person. some of you are thinking, "come on, laura, you're not that bad." others of you are saying, "well, they say the first step is admitting it." well, the truth is, i know who i am, and im definitely not great.
on his live album, "the house show", derek webb talks about how great it would be if we, as christians, got real with each other and confessed our sins to each other. he said that the best thing that could ever happen to him is if his sins were exposed on the 6 o'clock news for everyone to see. im thinkin hes smokin something. but the more i think about it, the more i wish we were more open with each other. i think of all the people that i look up to -- people who seem to be so much more spiritually mature than myself -- people who i try to mark my steps after . . . people who just strike me as christlike. the truth is, though, that everyone struggles . . . everyone sins . so, why is it so hard for us to admit it-- especially to one another? pride? shame? . . .
it fascinates me to think that i could admit my deepest, darkest sins and that admittance could actually encourage someone. but im not brave enough. im also still confused on how sin is sin to God -- we tend to label sins, saying one is worse than another, but that's not how God sees it, and even though i've taught younger people about it, i still dont understand it and i guess i have a hard time accepting it . . . grace, that is.
im not about to confess all my sins right here, but i am repenting of not being more honest with the people in my life who i am called to hold accountable and vice versa. i repent for being too prideful . . . and disobedient. i am going to pray that God shows me how i could use my shortcomings to encourage others and show them how full of mercy and grace God is . . . how much he loves us despite our struggles . . .
on his live album, "the house show", derek webb talks about how great it would be if we, as christians, got real with each other and confessed our sins to each other. he said that the best thing that could ever happen to him is if his sins were exposed on the 6 o'clock news for everyone to see. im thinkin hes smokin something. but the more i think about it, the more i wish we were more open with each other. i think of all the people that i look up to -- people who seem to be so much more spiritually mature than myself -- people who i try to mark my steps after . . . people who just strike me as christlike. the truth is, though, that everyone struggles . . . everyone sins . so, why is it so hard for us to admit it-- especially to one another? pride? shame? . . .
it fascinates me to think that i could admit my deepest, darkest sins and that admittance could actually encourage someone. but im not brave enough. im also still confused on how sin is sin to God -- we tend to label sins, saying one is worse than another, but that's not how God sees it, and even though i've taught younger people about it, i still dont understand it and i guess i have a hard time accepting it . . . grace, that is.
im not about to confess all my sins right here, but i am repenting of not being more honest with the people in my life who i am called to hold accountable and vice versa. i repent for being too prideful . . . and disobedient. i am going to pray that God shows me how i could use my shortcomings to encourage others and show them how full of mercy and grace God is . . . how much he loves us despite our struggles . . .
Monday, September 19, 2005
disappointment opening to new horizons
what's with disappointment lately? coldplay got cancelled. now ryan long has cancelled his savannah show that was to be at the end of the month. i just found out that new city cafe is ending it's amazing years of bringing amazing music to knoxville. also, i have to decide between driving up there for either ed cash or ryan long in the end of november. i miss living downtown. i miss hanging out with teenagers all day.
sorry-- i need to insert a disclaimer here-- i am fully aware of the fact that my life is amazing, that has nothing to do with me. i have clean running water that i dont have to walk five miles to fetch and then carry back to my house in a heavy, cumbersome bucket resting on top of my head. i never have to worry about food or soap or dying from a mosquito bite. i am blessed beyond the conditions of most people on this planet, and i try not to take those things for granted. i also enjoy being in situations that force me to appreciate the things that seem so common and expected in our culture. ok, moving on . . .
last night i dreamt that i got shot twice and didnt die. i didnt even go to the emergency room. watch out, 50 . . .
so im thinking about moving from savannah. ridiculous, right? i love savannah. all i talked about in college was how much i loved and missed savannah, and now im talking about leaving again. well, heres the deal: i like knowing that life is moving towards something. right now, i find myself stagnant, and in more ways than one. im thankful that God put me in this job where i want out. if i were still teaching, i dont think i'd feel like i need to leave savannah. lately ive begun to realize that moving might be a really good thing for me. im not running from anything; i actually view myself as running towards something if i leave savannah. i think there are parts of me that stopped maturing when i came back home. if i leave again, i think i will grow up more and that idea is exciting to me. i think we all want some sense of adventure going on in our lives, and right now, im not in it. i would even venture to say that my life is boring, and i dont think jesus wants me to settle for that. my life isnt even that challenging right now and thats just lame. so, with that, the hunt begins for a new home. where should i live? open to suggestions . . .
sorry-- i need to insert a disclaimer here-- i am fully aware of the fact that my life is amazing, that has nothing to do with me. i have clean running water that i dont have to walk five miles to fetch and then carry back to my house in a heavy, cumbersome bucket resting on top of my head. i never have to worry about food or soap or dying from a mosquito bite. i am blessed beyond the conditions of most people on this planet, and i try not to take those things for granted. i also enjoy being in situations that force me to appreciate the things that seem so common and expected in our culture. ok, moving on . . .
last night i dreamt that i got shot twice and didnt die. i didnt even go to the emergency room. watch out, 50 . . .
so im thinking about moving from savannah. ridiculous, right? i love savannah. all i talked about in college was how much i loved and missed savannah, and now im talking about leaving again. well, heres the deal: i like knowing that life is moving towards something. right now, i find myself stagnant, and in more ways than one. im thankful that God put me in this job where i want out. if i were still teaching, i dont think i'd feel like i need to leave savannah. lately ive begun to realize that moving might be a really good thing for me. im not running from anything; i actually view myself as running towards something if i leave savannah. i think there are parts of me that stopped maturing when i came back home. if i leave again, i think i will grow up more and that idea is exciting to me. i think we all want some sense of adventure going on in our lives, and right now, im not in it. i would even venture to say that my life is boring, and i dont think jesus wants me to settle for that. my life isnt even that challenging right now and thats just lame. so, with that, the hunt begins for a new home. where should i live? open to suggestions . . .
Saturday, September 17, 2005
rize, coldplay, the mountains
tomorrow night my friend, emily, and i are going to see rize at the lucas theatre. im dang excited about it. josh, wanna come?--i mean since you love hip hop and all . . .
so last night i saw the most amazing show i've ever seen in my life-- coldplay-- live in birmingham. OH WAIT, NO I DIDNT, B/C IT GOT FREAKIN CANCELLED. chris called me friday afternoon as i was driving through atlanta to let me know that he wasnt feeling to great, so they werent going to do the show. i asked him if there was anything i could do, and he mentioned that he and gwyneth hadnt had a night out in a while, so i offered to babysit apple. it was cool. they just went out to dinner and then we all hung out with the band. they played an acoustic set which was ok. ok, im a liar, but not about the show being cancelled part.
in other news, i do have a ticket to see ben folds in a couple of weeks. hopefully he wont get sick. otherwise ill have to kill him.
beth, my roommate, and i were talking the other day about the beach vs. the mountians. we both grew up here in savannah, just thirty minutes or so from tybee beach, and while it is not the most beautiful beach in the world, it is enjoyable. beth voted for the beach. she loves being the in sun. i voted for the mountians. i fell in love with the mountains as a kid visiting the smokies every summer, and i got to spend a lot of time hiking and camping during college when i lived in tennessee. dont get me wrong, the beach is great, and i like the sun, too, but the mountains just do it for me. there is a sense of mystery and slight danger when youre walking in the woods. i think the ocean is mysterious and dangerous also, but not in the same way. maybe i just like the mountains b/c i like the color green, although i know the answer isnt that simplistic.
so last night i saw the most amazing show i've ever seen in my life-- coldplay-- live in birmingham. OH WAIT, NO I DIDNT, B/C IT GOT FREAKIN CANCELLED. chris called me friday afternoon as i was driving through atlanta to let me know that he wasnt feeling to great, so they werent going to do the show. i asked him if there was anything i could do, and he mentioned that he and gwyneth hadnt had a night out in a while, so i offered to babysit apple. it was cool. they just went out to dinner and then we all hung out with the band. they played an acoustic set which was ok. ok, im a liar, but not about the show being cancelled part.
in other news, i do have a ticket to see ben folds in a couple of weeks. hopefully he wont get sick. otherwise ill have to kill him.
beth, my roommate, and i were talking the other day about the beach vs. the mountians. we both grew up here in savannah, just thirty minutes or so from tybee beach, and while it is not the most beautiful beach in the world, it is enjoyable. beth voted for the beach. she loves being the in sun. i voted for the mountians. i fell in love with the mountains as a kid visiting the smokies every summer, and i got to spend a lot of time hiking and camping during college when i lived in tennessee. dont get me wrong, the beach is great, and i like the sun, too, but the mountains just do it for me. there is a sense of mystery and slight danger when youre walking in the woods. i think the ocean is mysterious and dangerous also, but not in the same way. maybe i just like the mountains b/c i like the color green, although i know the answer isnt that simplistic.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
cadillacs and long roads
this morning i saw a shiny baby pink cadillac driven by a very large man. it made me smile.
yesterday i got to hang out at scad for a few hours. i met like a gazillion scad kids. it was great. i love how scad kids dress either really cool or just completely off....like way off....and either way theyre totally ok with it.
um, yeah, bit of advice for guys:: when you do get married, dont call a girl you dated or a girl that you "sort of" dated and talk for an hour straight about how you proposed and how perfect your future wife is for you. while the girl you are talking to might be genuinely happy for you, all she is hearing is "this is why i didnt choose you" . just so you know . . .
yesterday i got to hang out at scad for a few hours. i met like a gazillion scad kids. it was great. i love how scad kids dress either really cool or just completely off....like way off....and either way theyre totally ok with it.
um, yeah, bit of advice for guys:: when you do get married, dont call a girl you dated or a girl that you "sort of" dated and talk for an hour straight about how you proposed and how perfect your future wife is for you. while the girl you are talking to might be genuinely happy for you, all she is hearing is "this is why i didnt choose you" . just so you know . . .
this morning i was reading some a.w. towzer and i came across this scripture:
then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared
as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain
unto the earth. -- hosea 6:3
i love the rain. the thought of God pouring himself over us like rain is . . . i cant even pick the right word . . . comforting . . . amazing . . . refreshing . . . beautiful . . . i dont know. also, the promise that he goes before us and, like the morning, everything is already planned out ahead of us. even if the path seems unclear or rough, God knows where he's taking us and all we have to do is trust and follow. the following part is where i find it tricky. i think --overanalyze-- way too much, so sometimes i second guess myself when trying to take a step. i find myself always praying for God to put roadblocks in front of me if im going the wrong way due to my own self-centered desires.
desires-- those trip me up a lot. i want my desires to be Gods, and most of the time i think that they are, but it's not always easy to define. i get confused when i question, "ok, God, is this my desire b/c you want it to be . . . b/c you placed it in my heart or is it my desire b/c it's what i want?" like i said, i analyze a lot . . .
tis not enough to save our souls,
to shun the eternal fires;
the thought of God will rouse the heart
to more sublime desires.
how little of that road, my soul!
how little hast thou gone!
take heart, and let the thought of God
allure thee further on.
--frederick w. faber
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