The Beauty and the Mess

Happy birthday to Danielle, who is good to know. :D Today is also Kathy's birthday.

Also, happy late birthday to kristy_9577!

I was just gearing up to write a big post, but then I got slapped with a huge project. So stay tuned later. Though I do want to say to joyfulmelody, I read the first two books of your Peter Gethers cat trilogy this weekend, and I loved them. Thanks for the recommendation! :) I can't wait to get the third one.

The weather today is very Novemberish - chilly, dark and dreary. Definitely a Rain Day. (For those new to the friends list, I believe that schools and businesses should have rain days in addition to snow days. Some days are so perfect for staying in bed and reading, it's a shame to waste them in a cubicle.)

Has anyone seen the video or pictures from the Oklahoma tornadoes yesterday? They teased me with a clip of the footage on the morning news, and I've tried to find it online, to no avail. Basically several tornadoes formed in the space of a few minutes, and video was taken from a helicopter as it happened. They actually caught the funnel dropping and the tornado forming. It thrilled my little meteorologist heart. Maybe the Weather Channel will re-run it?

At Kroger I saw Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper and had to try it, so without thinking, I bought a 12-pack. Evan pointed out that a two-liter would have been better, but it was too late. I just drank my first one, and I'm not so impressed. Ironically, it doesn't have much discernible flavor. Too many competing flavors, maybe? If anyone local wants to try it, I'll be happy to give you one. But I also got some Welch's White Grape Cherry juice, and it is goooood. Win some, lose some.

Tonight we're having dinner at Kathy and Daniel's! I have only been to their apartment one other time, so it'll be fun to see it now that it's all arranged. We're having spaghetti and Kathy has promised me a surprise low-fat dessert. It should be a nice relaxing time. I'm looking forward to it. I need to relax. Last night we were at my parents' and I had a minor nervous breakdown. My mom was so nice about it and has already gone out and done some of the stuff I was worried about. Evan asked me for a list of the things I need him to do, so I don't have to worry about remembering to remind him. He was glad that I kind of blew up, because he could tell I felt better afterwards. How great is that? I have a guy who encourages me to blow up once in a while. :) I do feel better today.

Hey, another L.M. Montgomery survey topic, now that the other fans have spoken - which of her main characters do you think you're most like? I'm about equal parts Valancy and Anne, and a little bit of Jane. I don't relate much to Emily...she's too intense and driven for me to really understand her. She's very interesting, though.

At this point in wedding planning, it comes down to the annoying little things you keep forgetting about...like renting a column to uphold a flower arrangement, getting travelers checks, finding someone to handle the cleanup in the sanctuary. Then there are the annoying big things, like your fiance not packing up his home even though he'll be vacating it in seventeen days, and getting your marriage license, which we still can't do because we have to get our proof-of-counseling form notarized. The government makes it as hard as possible to get proof of counseling, because it means sixty less dollars for them. Every day my moments of panic get more frequent as I realize another thing I haven't done, and cannot get done when I'm at work all day. I have a floating holiday and I normally save it for Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, but I'm thinking about taking it on Friday. There's too much to do, and it's really hard to concentrate on work when I have all this hanging over my head. I've already screwed something up today. It didn't affect anyone but me, but making mistakes after three years is not the way to impress your boss.

I'm re-reading L.M. Montgomery's Anne books, in order, which I don't think I've ever done. This means having to read Anne of Windy Poplars, which is almost universally acknowledged as the least entertaining book LMM ever wrote. I started it today, and it's pretty tolerable since it's been at least five years since I read it. If you're an Anne fan, which is your favorite and least favorite of the series? I can never decide what my favorite is. Evan makes fun of them. He took one from me the other day, opened it at random, and mocked, "She said 'prosy'!" Oh well. I think Tom Clancy is boring, and Evan's read his entire body of work. We can't agree on everything. :)

It's become hard to get through the day without indulging in a Diet Coke, which is kind of scary.

Hey, you can vote online for the People's Choice Awards. There are lots of good nominees. Do it. Do it now.

Tonight I'm anticipating a fun time at my parents' house. I'm helping Debra cook for the shower, and Ryan's coming to keep us company and eat most of our efforts. We will also watch the debate and play Presidential Debate Bingo. Speaking of politics, I wanted to share an article that Kimma sent me. It's long, but well worth the read: Deterrence.

Last night I finished The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. It was unusual and a little unbelievable, but good. That's the last of the books I borrowed from Evan's mom. Now I need to get back to Pride & Prejudice, which I dropped as soon as I got those other books. Kathy told me I wasn't allowed to read anything else until I had finished P & P, so she can't find out about this. :) There are a couple of other "Christian living" books I started but can't finish. With a few exceptions, I get bored or frustrated easily with contemporary Christian non-fiction. If it's not C.S. Lewis or R.C. Sproul or someone similar, it doesn't really hold my interest. I'm sure that makes me unspiritual. :P I tried to read an Elizabeth George book, one of Evan's mom's, and I wanted to throw it across the room because her tone was so relentlessly perky. Also, several of her illustrations drove me nuts. One was about a girl who visited her house and turned down some cherries offered to her because she'd already eaten. The writer said she was so convicted by this because if she had eaten at the Right Time, she wouldn't be eating cherries either. It was about self-control, but if I'm supposed to be so self-controlled that CHERRIES become evil and indulgent, forget it. It's not like it was a triple chocolate cake.

And now, because it's Friday....( LJ Stats survey )

A while back, someone in weddingplans recommended The Conscious Bride. It was about $1 used on Amazon, so I bought it. I've read several chapters and have mixed feelings about it. It's mostly liberal psychology, but there are a few nuggets of truth. One of the main points is that people fail to realize the loss inherent in marriage - loss of your own family, independence, the identity you've had all your life, etc. Many people don't want to acknowledge these issues, so they use the wedding planning to absorb their sad feelings. Then they wonder why they burst into tears for no reason. Sounds familiar. :P This doesn't mean that you aren't happy about getting married, just that you're dealing with the natural flip side of things. Another point was that it's important to spend time with friends before the wedding, so they can sort of "say goodbye" to you as a single person, since things will be different once you're married. That makes sense. At the same time, though, I want to continue being me. Yes, I'll be a wife and Evan will be my priority (yay! :) ), but I don't plan to stop talking to my friends and family. Wow, this soapbox is old...I hope it doesn't collapse under me.

In a similar vein, Debra called last night to ask me to come to Nashville this weekend. I was planning to go to the Homecoming game and to the fair (since it'll be my only chance to go), so I told her I couldn't. She was upset. I've since e-mailed and offered to come in a few weeks instead. When I mentioned her call to my mom, she indicated disappointment that I was "too busy" to see my sister. Now I feel terrible and selfish. It would be fun to see her and go shopping and stuff...it's just such short notice, I already had plans, and I'm so tired lately. Seriously. I've been in bed by 10 pm for the last three nights, and I still feel lethargic all the time. I am eating okay and taking vitamins, but I now need a Coke to make it through the workday, which is scary. Maybe I have mono or something. :P (ETA: She decided she didn't want anyone to come this weekend after all. Oy.)

Yesterday I finished reading Isaiah. At my speedy quiet-time rate, it took me three months to finish the 66 chapters. Now I'm in James, which I've realized is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It's encouraging and practical. Yay James!

I had other topics to discuss, but it's time to get back to the data checking. I'm hoping to not have to work late, since it's McAlister's night with the guys. My brother goes with us now, which is great. I like hanging out with him.

Guess what? I don't know what happened (though Helen probably had a lot to do with it! :)), but LJ is working again at work! :D Apparently the issue was with the filter my work uses, and was not a decision on the part of my company. So I'm back. Yay! Sorry for being so sad and goodbye-forever yesterday. It doesn't take much to set me off these days.

I'm reading Pretense by Lori Wick, and it seems like the longest book in the entire world. I like it, but it's one of those full chronicles of a family in which many years pass. Do those seem cheesy to anyone else? Janette Oke is one author who's really bad about that. "Winter passed, and summer came, and then they could scarcely believe that it was winter again." That is how life goes, but didn't anything happen in all that time? :P I'm also reading The Picture of Dorian Gray online, mostly because my pastor made a reference to it on Sunday. It's creepy and kind of annoying, but I'm sticking with it. Lord Henry reminds me overwhelmingly of Draco in the Draco Trilogy fanfic. I think maybe two of you will know what I'm talking about, but I had to share.

On my lunch hour I searched the mall for cheap summery clothes to wear on our honeymoon. None of the sale stuff caught my eye, though the new fall full-price stuff certainly did. I-N-C needs to stop making such cute clothes. It's like torture. I will never be rich enough to afford even one complete outfit of theirs. I still sometimes think about the $50 shirts I passed up last winter. Anyway, it was a lot of walking and I'm tired now. Naptime, anyone?

The weather is wonderful today- partly cloudy, cool and breezy. Leaves are starting to appear on the ground. It's like fall is shouting, "Here I am!" I've never been so glad to see it. :)

I forgot to mention that our Sunday school class is starting an abbreviated version of the Crown Financial Series. Evan and I wanted to take it when it was offered to the church in general, but ironically, it cost $55. :P This time it's free. I'm really looking forward to it, since this is the area in which he and I probably need the most work. Last Sunday, as an intro, we talked a little about 401(k)s. I don't have a 401k for several reasons, the main one being that I'm quitting work in several years anyway (God willing). However, I do have a good savings account and save part of every paycheck. I'd always wondered how the heck most people could afford to save and contribute to retirement. Evan pointed out that two-thirds of Americans don't have a savings account. I couldn't believe that was true, but I started asking friends about it, and he seems to be right. I can't imagine not having savings to fall back on in an emergency. Then again, when we're all 75, my friends will be living large on their retirement millions and Evan and I will probably be forced to move back to a little apartment. Oh well. :)

My latest book recommendation is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I read the whole thing in two days. It's that good. I was so into it last night that I got way behind in my cleaning.

Monday is typically my cleaning and organizing night, and lately it's become stressful. I'm trying to figure out how my stuff and Evan's stuff will all fit together, but more than that, I want it to all be organized perfectly from the beginning. (Yes, I am Monica Geller.) Of course, this is a ridiculous goal and usually has me in tears by the time Evan comes over from work (around 8:30 pm). Last week he arrived to find me crying because I couldn't find a perfect place for a cassette tape case. He couldn't help but laugh, which was the best thing he could have done because then I laughed too. I think living with him will do me a lot of good. :) At the risk of being wasteful, I think we're going to get rid of a lot of old things once we get new things (like towels and kitchen stuff). There's just no room for all of it, and most of it is pretty decrepit anyway.

Speaking of old stuff, many of my dress shoes have decided to fall apart at the same time. My beautiful black Rampage heels, for which I get compliments every time I wear them, have broken straps. They're only a year old! :( I'll figure out some way to fix them, but in the meantime I can't wear them. Also, my Steve Madden wedge heels are starting to look run-down. What good does it do to buy more expensive shoes? I think a trip to Payless will be in order soon.

I have a good life. :)

I've been a slacker on the LJ greetings lately, so: Happy belated birthday to Ruthie, happy birthday today to Philip and Fraser, and congratulations to Tash and Geoff on the birth of their son, Jonathan! Yaaaaay! I am glad to know all of you.

Attention natural-disaster aficionados: this is something we should be watching out for. Thanks to the awesome Helen for the link. I must say, though, I don't get how a big rock falling from such a low height (i.e., not space) could cause a tidal wave. Heather, any physicist insight into this?

I'm reading a book called Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams (the guy who wrote the Hitchhiker's Guide books, which I have surprisingly never read). It's a non-fiction account of many trips he took to see endangered animals all over the world. His perspective is Darwinist and Greenpeacey, but it's fascinating to hear about all the animals. I love animals and think we should definitely do more to preserve wildlife, and for goodness' sake, stop tearing down rainforests (I believe the cure for cancer is probably in a rainforest somewhere). At the same time, I don't like the attitude that animals are smarter than or should take precedence over people. It's not Biblical. So that's my opinion. Wow, I didn't mean to get political. :)

My hair is too long. I noticed this suddenly on Sunday. I know some of you are having fun growing your hair out, and that's great, but curly hair doesn't react so well to longness. The longer it is, the more time and hair products it requires, and the worse it looks. So I think I'll get another trim before we go to New Hampshire (only three weeks from now!). I wish I could go now because it's driving me nuts, but I can't afford to go more than every two months or so. I have to get highlights, too, and it's so expensive...but it looks so much better than my natural color. Sigh. The eternal, internal battle over the highlights wages on.

I'm currently reading The Lovely Bones, which I've been hearing about for years, and it's fascinating. It's about a girl who is killed, and then watches from heaven as her family grieves and solves her murder. It might sound awful (and obviously, it's very theologically incorrect), but I can't put it down. This week I've been more in the mood to read than usual. I just finished This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, and I was so into it the other day that I was almost late for work. Any other Sarah Dessen fans here besides crystallia?

It's too bad I'm in such a reading mood, because I'm never home to do it. Gandalf has been lonely - he's allowing me to pet him for record amounts of time. Evan and I are the only people he ever sees, and us not very often. Every night this week we've been out, mostly taking care of wedding stuff. So I have a neglected apartment (the vacuuming situation is getting extreme) and a neglected cat. I worry about him. He's a social cat who needs company. It'll be nice when the wedding is over and we can settle into a more relaxed life, one in which I'm home for more than an hour at a time.

I use a lot of parentheses.

We met with the photographer I like last night. He seems very good and I like his work, but he's a little more expensive than we had planned. We're going to see about a guy my dad knows, just for comparison. Evan and my dad both liked the first guy, though, so we might choose him anyway. He had a really cool album option with an aluminum cover and a black and white photo screened onto it. We'll see.

Happy Friday, everybody!

Everclear's "Santa Monica" is one of my favorite songs. I'm not sure why.

So I think I've had it with marriage books. Evan and I have read Reforming Marriage and Each For The Other (we both preferred the latter). Now I'm reading The Excellent Wife. It's stressing me out a little, and Evan suggested maybe I should stop reading it. :P Each For the Other left me feeling optimistic and encouraged about becoming a wife. This book is causing frustration and despair, since I am a sinner and can't possibly attain the perfection that the book models. Also, it seems to be geared more toward women whose husbands are not believers. The main message I'm getting from it is, "Your husband will mistreat you constantly. You must respond in perfect joy and love. The end." It's depressing, especially since Evan is so good to me and so easy to love. Am I supposed to tell myself he's going to turn into a cruel, selfish ogre after the wedding?

I'm also reading a book called Super Foods that I borrowed from Kathy's mom. It's about the fourteen most beneficial foods. I don't usually read diet-y books, but this one is interesting. I already eat most of the Super Foods- blueberries, spinach, salmon, broccoli, and tea are included. Yum! I'm eating so healthily now that I'm on my own. It's great. However, I'll have to start cooking more meat for Evan's sake. I made chicken last night, which I've done maybe three other times in my life. It actually wasn't that hard! Next time I might try Jessica's Sesame Chicken recipe.

My city's government has lost all pretense of sanity. Last week they cut millions of dollars from the county school system, laying off 100 people and cutting out music programs (which always makes me very angry). Yesterday our mayor pulled all funding from the city school system. You read that right- ALL. As in, hundreds of schools now have no money. My boss says he's trying to force a consolidation of the city and county systems, which will mean the official end of Memphis public education. I predict that within two years we'll be like New Orleans, where the schools are so bad that kids have to go to private school to even have a chance. I was sort of planning to put my future kids in private school- now I think I better start saving today. :P It's so discouraging.

Enough hot button issues for one day. :)