Happy Halloween

Well, it's Halloween. Mish.

I am randomly very pleased that I don't have to read the entire (very boring) text that I am not particularly interested in. Yes, I love school, but it's hard to stay awake when I am bored.

Does anyone want to tell me why we have temperatures in the 70's in late October? Yeah. Skirt and flipflops were definitely out again today. Which is just odd.

The flowers that my friends gave me for my birthday are still blooming. In fact, there are still buds that haven't opened. They're gorgeous and brighten my house.

Woohoo for the STL Cardinals

Yay! The Cardinals finally won the World Series. :-)

I admit, I don't really like baseball. But I do like the Cardinals. And they won! Yay!

Brrrrr

Oh, it has gotten colder. The bright autumnal sunlight decieves me as I sit here at my computer sniffling and wondering where my gloves are to wear inside the house... I don't want to turn the heat on until November, but I might have to earlier than I had planned. Harumph.

I still love autumn, though. And my sweaters and my closed-toe shoes. And being older, too.

This week makes me feel as if I were an undergraduate again - in the fact that I have all sorts of things due all the time and I never feel like I have enough time to get it all done, which is ridiculous since I am always doing work and I am efficient and well organized. After tomorrow, though, I will be in better shape, or so I hope.

Until then...

Thinking

I'm still older. :-)

results of a BBC quiz about the ways we think. It's somewhat entertaining, I admit. Evidentally I'm a "Renaissance thinker" - which I take to mean that I want to know everything about everything.

On the subject of random things (yes, the picture is also random) - does anyone else find certain numbers to be aesthetically pleasing? It's very odd to me but I think part of it has to do with how I think of numbers - I have always associated them with colors. And for some reason I find certain numbers to be more aesthetically pleasing than others - not in the way it is written necessarily but rather in the way I visualize it in my mind. For example, I find the number 14 to be quite attractive.

Another year passes

Yay! Today I am... older. And let me tell you, older doesn't feel any different than it did yesterday.

Yesterday was a good day. It was sunny, I got up early, and I got a lot of work done, which is always a plus. Then, since I am cool enough to have the same birthday as a friend of mine, we had a nice celebration at a local wine bar. I enjoyed it, I think the people who came had a nice time, and I am happy. Even though S "forgot" that today was my birthday. No, he didn't forget, it is just a joke.

So I am older. Go me!

Colbert Breaks Down Santorums Lord of the Rings Analogy

Save Middle Earth from Sauron = Midterm elections?

Friday! Crisp! Fall!

So there were weird people in the church again today. I mean, whatever people can be wherever in the church, it's a House of God but I found it odd considering the only thing on the *calendar* is a different meeting in the evening... I do wonder who they are. And why they feel the need to speak loudly and close/slam doors?

Besides that - I managed not to kill my feet (always a plus), have my travel mug go flying the in hallway (way to watch where I am going), and eat peanut butter MnMs before 11 AM. All in all, not a bad day. If only I could snap my fingers and have everything else I have to do this weekend just be done, so I can do all that other stuff I want to do, too.

I know, I ask too much.

aaaaaaaayyyy

So - next week is not a happy week for me at least in terms of having time to like, breathe. But then it'll all be fine... because all the bureaucratic crap has gotten straightened out... among other things. but yeah. ugh.

Locos por el baile has eliminations starting today - and I'm not a huge fan of eliminations. The only reality I watched was the Granja VIP, and there were just some people on there that I didn't want to see on the screen anymore. But I like watching everyone dance, even though I think some of the judges are... um... too sensitive in their personal pride.

However, as nothing is coming to mind as I am typing, I suppose it is time to go back to the program, and to reading.

Realms of clearer light

I really do enjoy playing the organ. I am shy about playing it in front of people, which would seem to go against the nature of the instrument - oddly, I am fine as long as I can't see or hear other people while I'm playing. I'm sort of like that with piano, too, though. It tends to be when it is unexpected, though - when Grandma was sitting on the couch by the piano when I was younger, it was fine, but when she suddenly appeared it threw me off.

Anyways - there were random people running around the church making noise while I was practicing, which unfortunately did affect my concentration a bit. However, I realized I haven't put any poetry up recently, mostly because I already put up my favoritest poem, and there haven't really been any others that caught my eye - except for hymn texts.

This is an Easter hymn (I know, random that I have it here in Pentecost, but whatever) that I just love, if you know the hymnal it's something like 209(?), the tune is St. Botolph. The first line comes from 2 Cornithians 5:7 - well here it is, adapted from Henry Alford (1810-1871).

We walk by faith, and not by sight;
no gracious words we hear from him
who spoke as none e'er spoke;
but we believe him near.

We may not touch his hands and side,
nor follow where he trod;
but in his promise we rejoice;
and cry, "My Lord and God!"

Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;
and may our faith abound,
to call on you when you are near,
and seek where you are found:

that, when our life of faith is done,
in realms of clearer light
we may behold you as you are,
with full and endless sight.

Why is it that I really like this hymn text? I admit, I love hymns, but I tend to love them for the tunes rather than the words, though usually it is a combination of the two. This is the one hymn that I can really identify with, I'm not sure if it is because of the whole help our unbelief part, but I really do just feel connected to this text. Perhaps at a later point I'll be able to articulate that more clearly, but for now, I'll just read it again.

Fun article

Hey people, enjoy a fun article about one of my favorite hacks, Stephen Colbert.

Dreams of sweet beverages

My life has been study-centric lately. However, I have another entertaining anecdote to share with the Internets.

S really, really loves Cherry Coke. They don't sell it in Chile, and unlike Dr. Pepper (hmmm DDP, I love it!) which he hates with a passion, he really likes Cherry Coke. For whatever reason, they don't appear to be selling it in any of the supermarkets in my area anymore, which is weird, but OK to the anecdote.

S was telling me about a dream he had a few days ago. While he'll have to correct me with details, it involved his sister (who also, I believe, enjoys Cherry Coke) and his quest for a Cherry Coke. I admit, I found it quite amusing. I laughed a bit.

Also in S-world - he got to go see Robbie Williams last night, which sounded like fun. Much more fun than my working on schoolwork. Though I did watch Locos por el baile, the Chilean version of Dancing with the stars. Let me tell you, Locos por el baile is a gazillion times more entertaining.

el orgullo de tener una banda roja que nos cruce el alma...

Hmmm so if you read closesly my On Notice board (thank you, Stephen Colbert), you might have noticed that Boca Juniors is on there. Well... they still are! And why, you might ask, besides the fact that they are the archrivals of my favorite soccer team? Since you asked...

RIVER PLATE won this year's derby, that is Superclasico. 3-1. I haven't seen the game yet (boo) but I have high hopes of seeing a tape/DVD of it in the near future. And I hear from quite reputable sources (Dad) that they played well. I'm relieved. I love my team, but they make me sad when they don't do well, as was the case at the beginning of the season. But they are doing much better now - in fact, they might actually do OK this tournament. So there I am pleased. (Hm despite Ortega's issues with alchocol abuse...) Besides which, I am almost always pleased when Boca loses to River, because, c'mon, River is just better.

Farmer's golf

I heard a very interesting/amusing piece on Marketplace yesterday. I especially enjoy the fact that if you make a hole in one, you would theoretically win a tractor. And that no one has ever made one.

Oh how fun!

How marvelous! You can even make your own here. And yes, Boca Juniors always suck. No matter what. They're On Notice. :-D

K the entertainer

Oh, I love entertaining. And I love my friends.

I don't feel as lonely as I used too. I made a delicious recipe of my father's (go Dad!) to celebrate (a bit late) a birthday and it was a great hit, great company, and I am pleased. Yummy! And I have the leftovers to eat now for the next few days, which is excellent.

My weeks can be so busy... at least, Monday to Wednesday. I always feel somewhat relieved when I get to Wednesday nights - besides showing "Locos por el baile," which after my teleserie is one of my favorite programs, I feel like I finally have time to worry about everything I am working on. From Monday to Wednesday, I feel like I have barely enough time to teach and go to my own classes, and eat. Though there are "holes" in my schedule these days, they are not work time at all. But now I have great swathes of work time! And it's awesome!

Secret message to the world: Bureaucracy sucks, and funcionarios chilenos can kiss my... well we shall see how things resolve themselves tomorrow. But I am not happy with them, not one bit.