Right now i have senioritis..............i don't want to do anything especially in physics class. i'm just ready to get out of school.

Go  confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you've imagined.
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler;
solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be povery, nor weakness weakness.

--Thank you, Henry David Thoredeau

I am sick :(
And tonight i am supposed to work with kids at the church!! :( :) So PLEASE pray i get better SOON!!
Thank You

Save the date! Save the date! Make no plans on January 5th, cause I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!

It's been a week and a day since we buried my grandfather.

We were really close; I was his oldest grandchild and he always told me how proud he was of me.

I miss him so bad. When my mind wanders, I find myself thinking of him during his last days. I know I did everything I could possibly do for him at the time but sometimes I wish I'd said "I love you" more or held his hand more often, or not been terrified to hold him.

And then I cry. I don't know if I cry because I'm sad that I'll never see him again, if I cry because I'm relieved he's not in pain anymore, or if I cry because I regret that I might not have told him enough how much he impacted my life.

I guess I cry a lot now. It's just so hard. I am not a strong enough person for this.

yeah. so life is crazy.
i've been under a lot of stress.
my dad totaled his car..
my grades are falling..
and to top it all off.....
my aunt was re-diagnosed with cancer..
it's even worse this time around.
she's all i think about now.

but i'm really trying to stay positive.
i really am.

i just thank god every day she's still here with us (even though she
lives in st. louis) and for all my friends who keep me sane while al of
this is going on. i love you guys.


yeah, so other than that..nothing's really happening in my life.
still single.
but still smiling.

yeah.
so, that's my update for a little while.

AND rachel davis came back to school today!
i was excited and happy for her..
but i know it's gonna suck getting caught back up.

The last few days have really busy but really fun. I've spent a lot of time with Lynsey and Vanessa and Gracie. There are still moments where it's odd to be hanging out with just girls so often, but I'm really enjoying it. I'm finding close girlfriends to be an amazing thing. We spent the weekend watching movies and going to Petco to look at the animals and shopping and going out to eat at midnight and plenty of other things. Saturday I had a friend that goes to UTK come visit and it was really nice to spend some time with her. Tonight was open dorm, and it was by far the worst one ever. No one came b/c everyone was at Cross Hall's open dorm which oddly got scheduled for the same night. But yea, things around here are busy. I work at Easter Seals camp this weekend for my first time on staff officially. Next week is convocation and V-day and then the following Monday is Dorm Wars. So lots going on in a short amount of time. Thankfully I'm looking foward to all of it.

Wow... I haven't been on here for ages.

But then again, it's ok. Cause, I'm not spending my life on the computer >_<

Life is like a compilation of songs,
lifesongs,
written by our decisions and performed by our actions.
Each song reflects a different era in our life.
Each song is different in an attempt to describe the
story of a progression through life.
There are those that have a beat where it bounds off the
speakers, they are vibrant, reckless, and full of energy.
Some are sad, full of pain, and waft through the
air with a longing for better times.
Others are full of rage with a tempo that is barely guided by
rational thought.
Still others are mellow, full of thought and intellect, and drift within
hearing as if it were a cool, refreshing breeze blowing on ones face.

The tracks are built upon the experience of the artist
at the time of its creation.
The beginning of this formation is not made with any
thought in mind, more of a banging on the limited instruments
available, not having any meaning but literally a random orientation
made upon the notes of each day.
These beginning tracks also have accompanists,
 people who influence the songs, some of these are talented and make the artist sound much better than the actual skill level,
others clash so strongly that a horrendous squeal is produced.
As the big headed view of the artist increases, the accompaniment slowly
decreases, until it is no longer found within the songs.
This solo work lasts only for a short while before it is made a duet of two budding artists striving together towards a completion.
As the cd progresses more talent is shown, talent learned from life's lessons and applied carefully to each instrument in order to better represent the feelings that are represented within oneself.



Just somthing that I wrote... any thoughts?

When I Think About The Lord

When I think about the Lord,
How he saved me, how he raised me,
How he filled me with the Holy Ghost,
How he healed me to the uttermost;

When I think about the Lord,
How he picked me up and turned me around,
How he placed my feet on solid ground,

It makes me wanna shout,
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!”
Lord, you’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.

It makes me wanna shout,
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!”
Lord, you’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.

When I think about the Lord,
How he saved me, how he raised me,
How he filled me with the Holy Ghost,
How he healed me to the uttermost;

When I think about the Lord,
How he picked me up and turned me around,
How he placed my feet on solid ground,

It makes me wanna shout,
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!”
Lord, you’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.

It makes me wanna shout,
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!”
Lord, you’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.

It makes me wanna shout,
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!”
Lord, you’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.

It makes me wanna shout,
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!”
Lord, you’re worthy of all the glory,
And all the honor, and all the praise.

It makes me wanna shout!

Some times life is awsome, some times life is ok, and some times life sucks. Right now my life is not the best, more stress then any thing. Like things that wont get off my mind even when i try my hardest to make it go away. But you know life is just that way.

~Ariana~  

I am so done with my family.  Since Dad is out on the road, there is no one to police my Mom and my brother, Matt.  Matt is Mom's "little golden boy," and that's all he'll ever amount to in life unless he starts to use his own brain instead of acting as a carbon copy of Mom.  And apparently Mom has failed to realize that I'm different from Matt.  For starters, I don't like to talk all day long.  I need time to myself after a full day of intereacting with others.  Second, I don't agree with everything that she thinks.  Third, I won't just sit there and take her crap, I'll fight back.  I'm so tired of it all.  It's continuous, and looks as if there's no end in sight.

Well, I guess I can't really think of anything too exciting to
say...
Um, yesteray I went back to the boro for the first time
this semester, and it was a blast.  It was so good to take a
weekend I didn't spend entirely in Cleveland, and I guess, just being
able to see all of my friends back home again.  If you didn't see me... sorry? I guess? 
Hooper, Paul, Chris, Kate, Rebecca, and I, along with Mr.Hooper, watched the super bowl at his house, and THE COLTS WON.  Bonus.
YES! PEYTON'S GOT A RING!  Yep, I'm happy.
I guess it's pretty cool that this is my last week of GST, so after
this friday, I'll have one class on Monday's, a cafe and another on
wednesdays, and non on Fridays.  Yeah, it's pretty sweet.
O,and something REALLY cool...
SKIING IN A WEEK AND A HALF!!!
Yep,
I'm going on KCC's ski trip as a youth leader, and after being able
to go down a super tough black diamond last year, I'm pretty psyched
about pretty much skiing as hardcore as I want.  FEB 15-17. 
We leave the 15th at about four PM, five hour drive, get there, rent
our skis, and then ski from like 9AM-10PM on Friday.  Drive back
on Saturday.
SAWWWEEEEETTT!
Okay... there's your update on my
life.
O, and Jentzen Franklin's speaking this coming SUnday night:
I'm pretty pumped, he's probably my favorite speaker I've heard so
far.  he's the only chapel speaker from who I got the CD of his
sermon.

Los comment....os.... right..
Comments?

finally narrowed down prom dress choices. ugh, now i just have to buy one

Lots of street flooding ... went through a foot of water at one point and could see that water had receded about a foot already.  No doubts low lying areas are hurting right now .... office is open ... but that was after I was SMS'g management with progress reports along the way ... I was the guinea pig.

Monday turned out to be a good day weather-wise ... after the rain stopped at approx 430am ... there was nothing in the main part of the city (just south in the mountains).  But then all hell broke loose at mid-night.  We have had non-stop downpouring ever since.

The swimming pool in the back yard has been close to overflowing several times over the last 4 days (then it pumps itself down).  Tonight (er, this morning ... its 415am) ... it can't keep up.  Looks like it will overflow any minute.  I'm not too worried about it as it is about 1.5 feet below the house level.

*** I will be posting this in pieces ... so watch this blog ... it will grow over the next 30 minutes.

Decy went to the store yesterday to stock up on supplies.  She said it was a zoo there.  Lots of people hoarding water, dried noodles, and other supplies.  Of course, Decy was there to do the same ... she couldn't find any more 2 liter bottles of water so bought 20 cases of the smaller stuff. Plus, she bought a bunch of other things.  It took about 4 hours to go to "Walmart".  Then, she sent the driver on a "search and destroy mission" ... he stalked a bottled water truck for miles.  When it stopped he went and negotiated for some big water dispenser bottles.  Decy says we now have enough water in the big bottles for 1 week ... plus the 20 cases ... just in case (no pun intended).

At the store there were problems with the computers and many debit and credit cards weren't working (checks are a rarity here due to the ease of forgery).  Thankfully, Decy was thinking ahead and brought cash (that she had taken out of the bank last Friday).

Speaking of cash, our Indonesian internet banking has been up and down for days due to the flooding .... this morning it appears completely down.  A local branch of the bank is only about 10 minutes away and more or less on high ground.  I'll probably send Decy to go pay some bills and get some more cash out.

Not sure where we are on gas for cooking ... I think we are fine. But need to check on that today (we buy bottled gas).  I've also reminded Decy to keep the cars full of gas.

As for school, late yesterday JIS advised they would be open today.  Of course, that was before tonight's downpour.  One of the JIS campuses is having all kinds of problems - water has been cut off and they are TRYING to truck in water.  They are asking kids to bring bottled water to school.   The girls' campus hasn't asked that ... but Decy is going to give the girls some water just in case.

A number of people at work (expat and Indonesians) are having problems.  One Indonesian family had to be rescued from the 2nd floor of their house.  Had another co-worker call me from home ... their home was ok, but flooding is so bad they can't get out.  Even had some expat co-workers not doing so well .... with sewage starting come out backwards from the toilets and drains.

We are very blessed in this house.  Although the process of finding and leasing it was difficult ... and we lost several before we got to this point ... God was clearly watching over us.  We are in a good sub-division, it has stable water and electricity.  Its elevation relative to the rest of the area is good.  We are not near any drainage ditches, culvert, rivers, etc.  And, the house is about 4 feet above grade .... just in case.

It would not surprise me if we closed the office today.  If we do ... then we will activate the warden system ... and I have to call 55 people on my list ... that will take 2-3 hours (again).  So, if they wait much longer ... I won't be able to reach everybody before work time.  On the other hand .... yesterday we told people to "use their best judgement" RE coming to work or not ... and we just might leave it at that.  I am certain that a lot of people won't make it to the office today.

As per the press, there are now (yesterday) ~350,000 out of their homes ... with 25 dead.  Tonight's rain will raise the numbers.  Lots of finger pointing right now RE who's fault is this.  Obviously, weather has a lot to do with it.  Sadly, the local culture has brought a lot of this on themselves.  I recall in December when I went to south of town to Jatiluhur (where much of the rain is coming from).  I saw one of the reservoirs - and I saw some places were "deforestation" had taken place.  I specifically remember looking at it and thinking that it would be very flood prone as there is nothing to catch the rain ... and no grass has been planted .... and now here we are.

Some people are blaming the flooding on the rich (building big houses in the water catchment areas). Some people are blaming it on "too many malls" ... meaning large buildings that take up precious soil that could have absorbed rain water.

The city has talked and tried to build canals to divert the water.  There is a major one they have talked about for years ... but they say that the land is "too expensive" to buy ... so they can't build the canal.  Guess what they are saying is it cheaper to let people get flooded out every year ... and some to die - - there is much that I could blog on RE thoughts about life and death for Indonesians ... but that will have to be another day.

Pool is definitely overflowing ...

Well, I better close for now ... have some things to take care of.

ciao ciao

I never write much in here. However, my domain expires in a month and I dislike xanga, so phusebox it is!

so yea I just realized that my last blog didn't show up but it basically was talking about how I had gotten my computer to finally do what I had wanted it to do.....well it got tempermental once more and now it won't get on anything......so yea I am about to just throw it out a window but I know as soon as I do I will realize what was wrong with it and be able to fix it.......but until then I am just doing school work and the such on campus.....but yea catch you later peace out

Every man wishes to be wise, and they who cannot be wise are almost always cunning.
--Samuel Jackson
photo from MTSUbrent

In answer to Grandma Suzy - we did not leave the house at all on Saturday and Sunday.  Monday - I am working.  Monday - school is closed again.

Future flooding will be largely dependent on the strength and duration of the showers/downpours - a 2-4 hour downpour will paralyze the city.  We are in the deepest part of the rainy season where anything can happen or nothing can happen.  A lot depends on how much water they release from the dams upstream of the Jakarta.

Decy is at the store as we speak picking up more supplies, including emergency bottled water - we always keep bottled water in the base case ... but this is EMERGENCY water.

I'll blog regularly, internet access permitting.

ciao ciao

I thought of a conspectus
To describe your behavior,
Your character, but still,
It's too easy!  You one-dimensional fiend!
You always seek to remind
Me of my mistakes, my altogether
Consistent, pessimistic mistakes;
And you ram the flesh
Down my own throat.
Is it not I who gives creedence
To my own arch-nemesis
Or the Creator, who sheds mercy,
Even on you, with His blood?
Can I not have the Spirit in peace?
Must I always attempt to abate you,
By catering the diabolical feast on my flesh?

So yesterday was the Vanderbilt Scrimmage that our teams go to every year just for practice. Two rounds of mocking intended to help us be ready for regionals next weekend. The only problem is that I'm almost positive it didn't help us at all, in all reality I think it was almost a waste of a weekend. But before I get into all of that, lets begin at the beginning shall we?

My blazer has a cracked head, which I discovered last Wednesday, and it really didn't need to be driven long distances. It was overheating pretty badly, not safe. So I spent Friday night panicking trying to find out how I was even going to make it in the first place. Note, it is really bad when you are captain and have no idea how you will make it to the competition. My mom, yeah 19 year old college sophomore catching a ride with her mom= loserness, wound up taking me all the way to Nashvegas that yesterday morning and I caught a ride back to the Boro with Jason.
We did two rounds, one on each side, and our score was  2-1-1, which means we won two, tied one, and lost one. Not bad at all. 660, our other team, had a score of 3-1, so they did great too. From what I saw I think we have a good chance of getting out of regionals and Chinnery seems to think so too. Vandy was supposed to be really good this year, one of the best, but they just weren't. So let's talk about how it actually went shall we.

Round one, defense, went really well; Natalie's opening was great, far better than the Vandy opening, which the guy read, and my closing, while sub par, was still good.Our witnesses were great. Matt's Tony Smith had opposing council giggling and Logan's Martinez was fantastic. I was so proud of both of them, especially Logan. Sarah's Polson was great as always, and she managed to come out looking better than normal. Vandy's witnesses were interesting. I got Sach's to say anything I wanted him to, Natalie freaked out Johnson, and Ryan had few issues with Haskins, though I'm still upset about his suicide line of questioning. It just doesn't work. Our judges were ok, just a bit stupid.


Round two, plaintiff, went well too; Vandy's A team was a bit better than B team. My opening was a bit rough, the new theme needs a little work this week before we go to KY, but Ryan's closing went much better. Our witnesses were good; Logan needs emotion but his character is clean, and Matt's Cross was fabulous, especially for having only worked on it for two days. He won top witness with a score of 10 out of 10. Sarah's Haskins was perfect as usual; no problems on direct or cross. The only issue I had was a really nasty cross of Polson, who lied six times to the same question after I impeached her and made her read the line in her affidavit and threatened to do it again. Rya's camera trick worked with Martinez, though I fear that we will get a smart Martinez who will say it isn't a camera. Natalie had to deal with a moronic Smith who replied to this simple question "You didn't see the gun in the alley, did you?", with "Man, stop confusing me and using big words." Major eye roll there.

Like I said, I rode home at the end of the night with Jason, and several of us went O'Charley's for dinner, still in our suits. I was the only person from 661 at the table, and the only girl. It was still fun, even with Jason picking on me. Daniel ordered a Raspberry Iced Tea, and Chinnery and J.R. said that it would be served in his purse. Many humorous conversations ensued involving religion, politics, and drinking. It was an absolute blast. I'm still ticked I couldn't go to the party at Jason's, but my blazer wouldn't run after I got home and changed. But needless to say, Vandy was fun and had it's ups and downs.

COLTS WON THE
BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

In case you were wondering, I did indeed get out of school for snow on Thursday and Friday.  On Friday, Matt got off work at 7 AM and then we went to Shoney's.....


Yea for the breakfast buffet!
Then we went to Edwin Warner Park to play in the snow.....

We had a snowball fight....

And lots of fun!

Snow days are the best :)

WE SOLD THE HOUSE AND WE HAVE 30 DAYS TO MOVE OUT AND A TON OF STUFF TO MOVE!  SO I NEED PPL TO HELP WITH PACKING THINGS AND TO HELP TRANSPORT THINGS!  BRING BOXES, CARS, TRUCKS, TRAILERS, TARPS, BUNGEE CORDS, STRAPS, AND OR WILLING HANDS!  YOUR HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.  GIMME A CALL ON MY CELL PHONE FOR MORE INFO!
(615)995-4565

THANKS,
  Trena

oh yeah i forgot to mention I broke up with Tim yesterday.

myspace stinks.

but i friggin PR-ed today [thats personal record]

: ]

and oh boy does it feel good : ]

yeah. smiles all around, and bed time soon.

school tomoro! ICK!

yesterday it snowed and it was kinda kool  well we live next to a Llama farm and last yea when it snowed we went and played with them and they were cool. This year we saw them and one came chrarging at us. So i ran and screamed, it kept chasing me. Im possitive it tried to eat me. He was the Alpha male

I've never been much of a rut-breaker.  I just let things go and pile up until they're almost impossible to deal with.

I've fallen into a routine lately that's pretty much the same every day.  I've got a bunch of bad habits I need to drop and bunch of good ones I need to pick up.

So how does somone who lives about 90% of their life in a rut get out of it?  I'm not sure, but I'm hoping I'll find out.

First step:  laundry.

Steps hopefully soon to follow:

Vigorous housecleaning.
Sorting clothes.
Donating old clothes.
Replacing the ruined or donated clothes.
Returning to SportsCom.  (blech)
Slowly cutting soda from my diet.  (sob)
Start cleaning on a basis more regular than two or three times a year.
Do homework, study, etc.
Find a better or second job towards spring/summer.
Drink more tea. 
Be zenner.  Panic attacks = the enemy.

Well, there's the list... Let's see how much of it actually gets done in the next month or so, if it ever gets done at all.

Hey,
Life is OK for me.....
Nothing big has happened and i am not sure if thats a good or bad thing!!
Have you ever heard the song Wild Horses by Natasha Bedingfield... well if not its a FANTASTIC song..... but if you have heard it i feel pretty much like that! I want all my fears and worries to be gone, i want to be free and live life, i want to have fun, love with out being afriad of being left or hurt!!!! I don't know i think i might just be craZy.........

Allison has bunnies that irritate her by nibbling on her shoelaces and  by occasionally deciding that toe-flesh is more appetizing than nylon.  Lucky Allison.  I have ginzu knives--well, a ginzu knife--stabbing me in the ribs repeatedly.  What is this ginzu knife, you ask?  It is soon told....

My grandfather came by yesterday.  After the usual cringing on my part, I valiantly talked to him, and the conversation wasn't that bad.  My mother and I were getting ready to go to lunch, so time with him was mercifully limited.  Just as I thought I was going to escape relatively unscathed...

Grandfather: "I'll see you later, hon."

James: "Alright.  Bye."

Grandfather: "Oh, someone was asking me the other day--being something of a busybody, which of course, I'm not, hon.  Whenever you and I talk, it's just Grandfather and Grandson talking."

James (thinking): "What?!  Have you seriously deluded yourself into thinking that?  Asking me ~30 questions duirng a 10-minute conversation qualifies as being a busybody."

Grandfather (blithely continuing): "Anyway, hon, just go along with what I told them, and tell other people the same thing.  They asked me if you had been admitted to medical school yet, and I told them you had already been admitted to UT-Memphis and are planning to start there in Fall of 2008.  Like I said, just go ahead and tell anyone that whenever they ask you if you know where you're going."

James: "Exactly who was this you were talking to?"

Grandfather: "Oh, I don't even remember now.  But just go along with it, OK.  Just tell people that."

-----

What is the problem, you may be asking yourself?  It is soon told.... I HAVEN'T DECIDED WHERE I'M GOING YET!  AND HE KNOWS THAT!!  The reason for my exasperation lies largely in the fact that my grandfather's chief hobby for the last 15 years has been to hound me about school.  He literally starting asking me what I wanted to major in when I was in fifth grade.  Freshman year of high school brought a demand to know where I was going to college, and one year later, he prodded to know my destination for medical school. 

He would like for me to go to UT.  Or ETSU.  Actually, he wants me to teach elementary school like he does, and is convinced that I will one day soon depart from my ill-planned medical career and enter the glories of teaching snot-nosed second-graders the multiplication table.  Not that I demean elementary school teachers, but it just isn't for me.  I hardly have the patience for it.

Anyway, I'm not certain what his plan is, but I know it's there.  There's no logical reason for him to just tell someone I've made up my mind to go to his chosen medical school.  My thoughts are as follows:
1. If I start telling people I'm going there (even if it's at his behest), word will eventually get back to him that I've said I'm Memphis-bound, and he can merrily believe and delight in the fact.
2. If I tell people I'm going to UT-Memphis, then I'll be obligated to do so when the time comes.  My actual needs and desires will pale in comparison with my obligation to third-party acquaintances to attend the school that I had previously specified (at my grandfather's coersion).
3. God only knows.
4. Not even God knows.

Personally, I'm split between #2 and #4.  Obviously, I have no intention of telling people that I'm going to UT-Memphis unless I decide that I would like to do so ( not very likely).  So my only real question is this--did he actually tell someone this, or is he just pretending to have done so?

According to the press, there are now >300,000 people flooded out of their homes here in Jakarta.  The death toll climbed from 6 on Saturday to 20 Sunday.  According to the press (and it seems right) most of the rain on Sunday was south of the city, in the mountains .... however, there are about 12 rivers that run from there into the city .... so the rain there just moves into Jakarta.  As for here in the city .... it began raining heavily again last night (Sunday night) at about 1am.  It is now 435am ... the rain has just now lightened up ..... more flooding on its way ... no doubt.

According to the press/weather forecasters .... we have 2 more weeks of this.  Don't know if that means .... on / off rain ... or pretty much "on".

Disease will soon become an issue as people run into sanitary and drinking water issues.  I need to have Decy double check our bottled water supplies and bottled gas supplies.

Because of the unstable internet access, I will post this blog and then "edit" it from time to time.  That will ensure that at least some of what I write will be saved, even if I lose the connection.

Yesterday (Sunday) was an incredibly frustrating and emotionally draining day.  The 3 hours I spent implementing the emergency warden system did me in.   The basic approach works good .... we have wardens in various sub-divisions that then call the 4-6 company people that live in their area.  The wardens act as a "messenger" for any emergency.  Having 4-6 people to call is one thing ... but I am the HOTEL warden ... and currently we have 55 visitors in 3 different hotels.  So, not only do I have a gazillion calls to make ... but I have to go through an operator ... and the list, which is always changing as people arrive/depart Jakarta has too many errors.

Everybody has been instructed about the warden system and that they need to keep the organization informed of any travel changes .... but they don't .. then when you add in a bit of human error ... it becomes a mess.

I wasted a bunch of time trying to call one visitor that was supposed to be here until 8-Feb ... but seems they checked out on 31-Jan.  Then, I accidentally called somebody that was supposed to have checked out at 31-Jan ... and they were still here.  Then, there is the family that have moved from a hotel to a house ... but the records haven't been updated (for whatever reason).  This family is on my list to call ... but the only number I have is the hotel.

Add to the above, that I was on the phone for 3 hours ... if I hadn't had my charger nearby, my phone would have been dead.  Then - because of the rain - many of the phone circuits are down ... which means I often had to call 3-4 times just to get through to the hotel once ... so you do the math regarding phone usage ....

Also had some technical issues at home. First, I couldn't find my call out list ... and call record log.  So I tried printing it ... had printer problems ... got one printer to print ... but it was out of color ink (nobody replaced the cartridge, which we had).  The list was in black, red, yellow (while that printer did not do gray scale) ... so, half the list was missing (red colors).  I kept flipping back and forth between the PC ..... the new (black only) print out and the old color print out ... I got confused which list I was on ... which is how I happen to accidently call somebody who SHOULD have left the city .... but didn't.

As you can tell, this was a very frustrating event.  I will write a report today and spell out all the ugly details.  Some people will be offended .... but if I don't highlight the weaknesses in our processes then we can't improve them ... and in the event of a major emergency (riots, earthquake, evacuation) .... accuracy and efficiency will become critical.

Enough ... I am already tired and it is only 455am.

ciao ciao

Ack.

:)

Alright, enough of all this talk, I'm going to buy a new camera. After a lot of thought, I've decided to just go with a point and shoot, because at this point in my life, I don't do enough photography for a DSLR. If I ever feel the urge to use such a camera, I could use my mom's SLR Nikon that she has. But anyhow, since video is becoming a bigger part of my life now, I feel the need to invest in that more and other hobbies less. But I want a nice camera that takes good pictures, so I'm definitely going with a Canon.

And now, this is where you come in. Should I go for the SD630 or the SD700? The advantage of the SD700 is the image stablization and 4X optical zoom. The downside of the 700 is also the image stablization, which can mess up the picture quality. The advantage of the 630 is a 3-inch LCD screen (which is pretty awesome) and it's cheaper. The downside is no image stablization and the optical zoom is not as high. The purpose of this camera is mostly to take great quality pictures of my friends and me and our adventures, like my trip to New York in March, but something that can also take a nice artsy pic if the occasion arises.

So photography connoisseurs, please share your thoughts!

P.S. I enjoyed the snow, and my semester is going quite well!

<3them to death =)

he's mine.
she's no longer in the picture.
anywhere in the picture.
and he's my boy.
i love him. god. i love him.
the fight was well worth it.

jeremy&cortney.
february ninth two thousand seven.

going back blonde on march 3rd. =).
i can never stay one hair color for a long
period of time.
ha.

[that's the way it's supposed to be]

solos are scary.
[[a lottt.]]
>_<

snoooowwww!!!
yayness! =]

i dont think it was a right thing to go back out with tyler again... i didnt love him like i did when we first went out... i just feel like i didnt want him and he didnt care... i dont know how to explain it but it's true. i dont feel like i didnt love him and i didnt want to be in a relationship... i dont feel like being lied to again and everything... so now i am going to be single....just for now. and then start to look for someone that i love more.. and someone i can see. and doesnt avoid me. i real do want someone that care for me. and doesnt get on my family and friends bad side. i hated the relationship i was in with tyler cuz i dont know what he could had done to me or anything. this will help me and try to talk to the guy before i go out with them. i cant just go into a relationship and not know the person that i am dating. it's true cuz you need to talk to the person before going out with them and that's what i learned from tyler. i dont need him anyways. i feel happy now i dont feel like someone is lying to me. i feel like i did the right thing for me.. i feel like me again.... so the next time i got to the mall with friends i am going to be looking i feel like i need someone better then tyler and feel like i need someone that cares about me and doesnt plain the future too early. i reither have a guy that wants to work on getting the relationship right  first and then think about other thing after that...not think about having a future at the very begain of a relationship. it's sooo hard to have a relationship like that.... yeah i reither believe my friend and family then the guy that lied to me and havent meet. so yeah. i think i did the right thing and moved on. i was think about it for the past two day and i finally made the decion that i dont need him i need someone that is better. someone who is like me and who would want to meet my family and gets along with  them and my friends. i reither keep my friend and loose the guy that nearly made me question my friends and family. so i am happy that my friends and family are there for me. i couldnt have went through this with out them. so i am happy that got out of it and now i can see other guys and find someone that is right for me. my friends, i know i'll find the right guy, and i know i might not meet him now. i might meet him later in life. and i can be happy when i meet him.... so i want to find some other guy that i can love... and stay with.

So why did my last blog include a message to many folks, but not Chris?  Its because I was replying to THEIR emails via the blog because I couldn't get Yahoo to accept my emails.

Soooo .... Chris ... if you had sent me an email then you would have received a personalized message inside my blog.  BUT, having said that ... nobody has made any comments about my recent flooding blogs .... but because you did comment on the last one ....

THIS BLOGS FOR YOU !!!!

BTW, we are still ok. The rest of the city is challenged.  And, we have activated our company's emergency system, of which I am a part ... and I have just spent 3 hours on the phone ... but God watches over us.

It is pouring rain again ... we are ok ... but I hurt so much for the less fortunate .... every drop of rain we get just adds to their situation.

Please pray for the less fortunate in Jakarta ....

i want to go home.
to curl up in my daddy's lap and cry 'til the world is okay again.

It was a relatively quiet night last night ... some very heavy rains around 2am, but it did not last long.  Don't know what the weather will be like today - obviously - but the paper says we should expect more of the same.

We told the drivers not to come in today (just like yesterday).  There is no where we have to go ... so that allows the drivers to take care of their families.

Access into Yahoo is virtually non-existant, and replying is usually impossible.  So if anybody is trying to email, I am probably not seeing it.

Norma - thanks for tax information.

Paul - go ahead on the medical stuff you mentioned.  Ok on the car - keep me posted. Good luck.

Josh - thanks for tax info confirmation.

Mom - yeah, heard about tornado ... and checked to see which counties.

As for us ... we're ok.  We can easily manage in this house for a week or so ... 40 pounds of rice goes a long aways ... if necessary - but we have plenty of other items too.  We were able to contact the extended family in the Ciputat area (Decy's mom, bro's, sis's).  Lots of flooding in and around Ciptuat ... and some some of the subdivision where the houses are (Villa Mutiara) have water, even on the street where Decy's mom lives.  However, both houses there are ok and above street grade - and the property where others live (boys you remember) is ok because its on a small slope and the water is running past the houses and not collecting inside.

Didn't go hashing yesterday, it would have been a dumb move. However, I did use the treadmill. Not as much fun .. but it suffices. 

... Better close before I lose the connection. ciao ciao

...Who Shall Separate Us From The Love Of Christ? Shall Trouble Or Hardship Or Persecution Or Famine Or Danger Or Sword?

*Romans 8:35

*Romans 8:35

dont you hate it when you do something, and then you like, man, i wish that hadnt happened, and then you realize how much you could of done to change that.

oh well. stuff happens. it's alright

piece

well. yesterday was interesting.

went to lunch with Kaitlin and we swang in the freezing cold.

saw Dennis. =] we went to Cool Springs and he got me a cute shirt i really wanted... but didn't tell me he was going to. hehe. so happy.

and last night was the Winter White Party at Play. [see pictures] it was AWESOME. not too much different from a normal night at the club, just a little busier and lots of people wore white.
Dennis' bar was slammed... i think there were about 10 cumulative mintues when he wasn't making drinks.
i decided to go all-out with my outfit. dug out those white pants, frosted my hair, and even colored my eyelashed white. i looked very frosty. i kinda like the all-white thing. it's cute.
i hung out with Dani Rae and Mark most of the night. AMAZING kids. =] we had LOTS of fun.
of course saw my good friend Kyle at his bar... he makes the best cherry cokes. i tried not to hang around Dennis' bar too much cause he was way busy. but i got my kisses in. ;) haha. and i did a real good job of not getting jealous.

aanndd... now i'm just sittin around having a lazy saturday. i'm havin a lot of mixed thoughts about boyfriend stuff... but i'm trying to not let it bother me and just let it take its course. cause i'm happy - just a little unsure in some areas.

so.
i cannot WAIT to go to Play again. i hope i can resist going a 5th consecutive weekend... heh. i kinda need a break.

I'm in Johnstown (other side of knoxville) with the band that I run sound for, we are recording their first cd. We were up till three am recording last night and started again this morning at nine. Lots of fun, learning alot. might have some pics later

So I'm on my way to the great MTSU for another 4-H competition, Horse Bowl.  I hope we do pretty well.  But yeah I thought I should post and other than that nothing new is going on except my CAT grade is going up (not a kitty cat...College Algebra and Trig).  This increase in my grade really makes me happy...we'll see how long it lasts.  But other than that not much. 

Oh yeah...over winter break in 2 weeks I'm going to Florida on a canoe trip.  It should be fun. I'm really excited.  Hopefully we'll get some great weather.  But yeah its going to be really interesting with the group thats going.

But I have to go finish getting ready so I'll post more later.

geee... i am sick... i hate being sick......grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... fuck being sick...  it just sucks ass.... soo tried of being sick... i felt ok yesterday. today i feel like shit.....fuck.....i hate being sick.... well i am tried..... and ache...... and crappy.... lol

and last night i had ice cream... cimmion with gummy bears....lol me, justin, amber, janey, tara, and karen went to matble slap...good stuff lol

well i am out

megan

Don't know how long the connection will last.   We are all ok ... high and dry for now ... still with electricty and water. sometimes internet. not much on phone.

We have extra food, water, gasoline, and backup power generation.

Others aren't so lucky.

According to the National Collegiate Board of Music, the horn section
is how their own family. The family of musical instruments now consist
of strings, percussion, woodwinds, brass, and horns. The reason for
this is due to the fact that the horn mouthpiece is much more different
than the other brass members.

Whoorah for us.

Random nights make my life extremely happy.

Due to all the rain and flooding, internet access has been dead for about a day ... it is very slow right now. Don't know when we will lose it again.

We are fine. House is high and dry. Just a little bit of roof leakage in the maids area.  Many parts of the city are under water - lots 2-3 feet deep. Some 10 feet deep.  Chris and Paul will recall the Sabang area where we ate porridge at night on the street - its 3-4 foot deep in water.  Canals are overflowing.

More rain is coming.

As for Decy (Stacy, thanks for asking) - she's doing better.  I think it was the fact that they gave her 4 or 5 medicines to take at the same time.  After she finished 2 of them ... she started feeling better.   Don't yet know how her chlosterol is doing ... but she it taking the medicine, eating differently, exercising, and losing some weight (not that she had much to lose).  Presume in a couple of weeks she will go back and have things rechecked.

Need to hit "enter" before I lose the connection again.

ciao ciao

hey i just got this prayer request over my email! take a look at it please!!

Urgent prayer need:

The College Pastor at Christ Church in Nashville and a young adult leader
from that church were both killed early this morning in an accident while on
their way to a missions conference in Texas.  He leaves behind a young wife
named Amanda who needs our prayers very much.

Okay, so we've been out of school for the past two days. Well when we found out we were out of school, after church some of the guys & girls went out to eat to celebrate. :]

Welllll, we got into a mini food fight. then i declared that thursday-sunday.. it's war. So we've been pulling these amazing pranks. and last nights was the best.

Okay, so we have 50 acres of land. And all the girls who were at dinner on wednesday night came over, and the boys were coming too. but they were acting funny so we knew they were up to something. so we filled huge super soakers with vinegar & pickle juice, got shaving cream, all that fun stuff & prepared ourselves for them. Well, sure enough.. i saw them trying to drive up my 1/2 driveway in a truck with no lights on. And then i saw them get out of the car, and run into my fields. so all the girls went outside. started crawling through the fields. finally like.. 20 minutes later. everyone just starts screaming & running towards each other. pickle juice, vinegar, shaving cream, silly string flying all over the place. they had NO idea it was coming. they thought they had us good. they ended up getting so mad because they knew they lost. [pretend mad of course] but they know we son.  it was the most fun i've had in a while. i absolutely love my family. [church family that is]

anyways.
moral of the story..
Girls Dominate. All the time. No questions asked.

oh yeah.
and that should explain the face paint in the new pictures.
haha we went all out for this. it was like Braveheart. no joke.

IT SNOWED!!!Ha,we finly got some snow!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!

TWO DAYS IN A ROW

AND TODAY THERES ACTUALLY SNOW

now im going to go...

oh man i love snow.

I'll take it. Any day, is a good day for snow.

we are out again.... lol two days in a row... i still have to do my latin. and i also need to study for my latin vob. that means i have all weekend to do that

but in other news

there is sooooo much drama going on right now... it sucks ass. i just want to get out of high school cuz the drama seem to find me. and i always get to the point were i cant choose one side. i dont want to be apart of it but it is causing me to be apart of it. man it suck.... to much of it. i just want to be happy with tyler. but no i cant cuz the drama started wenesday during 5th... then  it just continuse.........fuck the drama.... i cant stand it. and the funny thing is that we are reading julis(sp) caeser in english... and it has drama in it. man i wish i could see all the things that are going to happen and pervent them from happening.... but that wont happen...... it's soooo stupid... i hate it..... life can suck at times..... lol

megan 

Is it delision or perseverance to pursue what one thought one was good at even though one is rejected often? American Idol comes to mind... Heh...

What is love?

1. i have brown curly hair

2. i have the best friends ever(Elizabeth Allen,Shana Brady, Erin C.)

3. i have 1 brother & 1 sister

4. i am good at sports

5.i am a christian

6. i have a dog named Queenie

7. i have 3 four-wheelers& love to ride them in the snow&summer

8. i collect cookie monster& m&m things

9. i'm the girl president of FCA

10. i have brown eyes

11. i have a great mom!!!

12.i love my cell phone..lol

13. i am friendly

14.i love rice crispy treats

15.my fvorite food is Mexican

16.i'm in the 8th grade

17.my middle name is Fay

18.my favorite colors are pink,lime green,yellow,& orange

19.my favorite body spray is warm vanilla sugar

20.my birthday is Oct.10

i was going through some pictures on here and found a bunch of baby pictures...hahahaha. i got a kick out of them =] so i uploaded them on here..go look and laugh. it's funny.

I am identity. Who am I?

(Random interjection, my picture is on Lee's homepage!)
The only thing is, it's from behind, and it kind of looks like I'm Hitler, though I'm praising God.
ha, how ironic. Anyway...

Just for anyone who is interested in speaking spanish, and of those who
read this, I think that makes this practical, if you have i-tunes
there's this new pod cast called "spanish coffee break" that started in
October, and it's pretty awesome. There have been 24 episodes so far,
and a new one comes out every week.  And of course, the coolest thing
is that all of it is free, it automatically subscribes you to the pod
cast so that you get the new episode every week.  Yes, it is fairly
basic, but the thing is, it teaches you conversational spanish, and the
teaching method establishes your vocabulary in things you use in
conversation, and I guess the biggest thing is that it hammers into
your memory the conversational words you might have problems
remembering.

Erin's belly doesn't feel good...awwww...grrrr, can someone make it feel better?

Anyone care to explain why Webb didn't get out of school today when everyone else in the area did???

hmmmm.....

:-(

So I'm starting to see that I need a different vehicle.  I am under the
impression that my vehicle will cost too much to repair for it's worth,
and that if I could just buy a used one it would end up being a better
situation.  This will probably take a while seeing as how saving enough
for a car is difficult when you are going to school and working at the
same time.  If anyone knows of a good deal let me know.


That's just a little heads up.  As for life....


Work:  I'm trying to work a lot more hours because of the above
mentioned dilemna.  This however hurts my other activities not in the
area of delving into their time slots, but just reducing the amount of
sleep that I get for them.  I am trying to work on those sleeping
habits though.


School:  School is just really...boring.  I'm not taking any classes
that really interest me right now, because I really need to start
getting rid of all my core classes.  I do enjoy learning about theory
though.  Learning fixed solfege is crazy though. 


Church:  I can honestly say that this is one aspect of my life that is
exciting at the moment.  We have been working on the new youth room and
things are really coming together.  Our first service in there was last
Sunday night and it went really well.  We're really trying to make it
our own and watching it take shape is exciting.  I'm believing we're
gonna start packing it out on Sunday nights...


Steph:  Steph and I are doing really good.  In a little more than a
month (March 8) we will be celebrating our 2nd year of dating.  I'm
still just as crazy about her as I was at the beginning. 


God:  I've been really trying to improve our relationship lately.  It's
actually been quite difficult with all of the things I've just
mentioned being in full swing, but that's what my earlier post was
talking about.  God has to have the #1 priority and everything else
should come second.  I'm working on it, and slowly but surely, I think
I'm improving. 


I'm definately learning that sleep doesn't really exist in the world of a working college student.  ;) 


Comments would be cool.

I'm ready to graduate. I'm ready for UT. I'm ready to leave murfreesboro, I can't wait till college and I'm gonna miss everyone. Seems this is a major part of my day everyday. I love how God is helping me realize these are my last days in the boro not forever but once I leave it will be for a while. But with that being said I am ready for college! have a great week!

Two weeks ago the media were complaining that the low amount of rain associated with this year's "rainy season" would cause drought conditions.  They were bemoaning the dropping level of a key reservoir/lake south of town.  Fast forward 2 weeks ... after weeks of severe and heavy rains we now have tens of thousands of folks flooded out of their houses.  Some are under 10 feet of water.  Thankfully our house is not in a flood prone area ... and ... it sits about 3-4 feet above street level.  Now people are complaining about folks on the south side of town developing in areas that affect the water shed and water absorption rates ... which then reportedly pushes the water towards the city.

Of course, hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into water handling projects over the last 10 years ... most projects are incomplete, behind schedule, and over budget.  Some reasons are just due to inadequate planning ... some due to cultural issues. No matter the reason ... many folks are suffering.

Well ... today is Friday.  YEAH.  I know Decy has a number of social plans for today and tonight .... weather permitting.  As for tomorrow, we are considering going hashing - could be interesting in the rain.  And, unfortunately, on Sunday ... I have to work on TAXES !!!! yuk.

ciao ciao.

We actually got out of all classes until noon, and chapel was canceled too. It certainly wasn't a "snowstorm" as many of my teachers were saying it would be. It was the typical TN snow, about an inch that quickly turned to slush. But since I got woken up at 8:30 anyway to find out I didn't have to go to class Jackie and I decided to go play in it for about an hour. It was pretty, but it melted too fast.

The link to receive the Diversion Youth podcast is:


http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=213419171

Truth About Girls...

~ Never ever tell a girl she looks tired.

~ We will never be too old for sleepovers.

~ We arent ashamed to cry.

~ We must go to the bathroom in groups. Get over it.

~We have this thing called feelings.Dont hurt them

~ We dont wake up looking pretty. It takes time and effort.

~ Sometimes...... is just never quite enough.

~ We need girls nights OFTEN.

~ When we cry we don't want you to just stand there and act like a idiot. We want you to be there for us and care.

~ We never forget the things you say to us that hurt.

~ It doesnt matter who dumped who or why. Whenever we see an ex with another girl, it
always bothers us. Not because we aren't over you, but because we know we used to be that girl.

~ Makeup can hide so many things

~ Never ever ask a girl what she weighs; or imply anything about her weight being too much or too little. Just don`t do it.

~ Never ask a girl if shes being  snotty...cause other things annoy us...duhhhhh

~ As much as we say we didnt like u that much...we did.

~ Girls notice every little thing so be careful what you say (or don't say) and do (or don't do).

~ Our eyes are located in our heads. Not our chest or backside. When you're not looking in our eyes, WE KN0W

~ We get a feeling in our gut when things are wrong *We seriously do*

~ Sometimes we trust you because we want to, even when we know you are lying, and it hurts.

~ Hugs are like Medicine....So give them to us

~ Never tell a girl she's hot. Tell her she's beautiful. It will make her feel more important.

I know of alot of people out there that seem to ne having a rough time lately. So this is for them, it's Stand My Ground by Within Temptation

I Can See
When You Stay Low
Nothing Happens
Does It Feel Right?
Late At Night
Things I Thought I'd Put Behind Me
Haunt My Mind

I Just Know There's No Escape Now
Once It Sets It's Eyes On You
But I Wont Run
Have To Stare It In The Eyes

Stand My Ground
I Won't Give In
No More Denying
I've Gotta Face It
Won't Close My Eyes And Hide The Truth Inside
If I Don't Make It, Someone Else Will
Stand My Ground

It's All Around
Getting Stronger, Coming Closer Into My World
I Can Feel That It's Time For Me To Face It
Can I Take It?

Though This Might Just Be The Ending
Of The Life I Held So Dear
But I Won't Run
There's No Turning Back From Here

Stand My Ground
I Won't Give In
No More Denying
I've Gotta Face It
Won't Close My Eyes And Hide The Truth Inside
If I Don't Make It, Someone Else Will
Stand My Ground

All I Know For Sure Is That I'm Trying
I Will Always Stand My Ground

Stand My Ground
I Won't Give In, (I Won't Give In)
I Won't Give Up, (I Won't Give Up)
No More Denying (Ahh-hhhh)
I've Gotta Face It
Won't Close My Eyes And Hide The Truth Inside
If I Don't Make It, Someone Else Will

Stand My Ground
I Won't Give In
No More Denying
I've Gotta Face It
Won't Close My Eyes And Hide The Truth Inside
If I Don't Make It, Someone Else Will

look at all the snow!!        

stop using cuss words where they arent neccessary [or at all even]

thatd be great.

thanks.

every single school in the area had been closed. We're talkin elementary, high school, private schools. Even the other colleges in the area had canceled classes. BiLo was in a complete frenzy when Vanessa and I went by there. Tons of people are freaking out about how supposedly awful this snow storm is supposed to be. But has Lee called anything off? Of course not. Apparently we only cancel classes for the rapture.

My situational Irony was of the charts tonight.
My dad was doing major bitching at the house and i had to get out ASAP. So Josef was going to hang out with me and help me get my mind off stuff and or just talk about it. So leave the house, casting my fetters away as i squeal out of the drive way. I drop Arabella off at her church stuff and head out to Starbucks to meet dearest Josef. Going in i see dearest Sarah leaving the place, we exchange pleasantries. We see will and Sean too. Josef and i proceed into the Starbucks and there are Taylor and Kate. We are about to sit down with them and i happen to glance outside. And as luck would have it, and no one else would ever have to haddle this much shit in one day besides myself of course, i see the SPRINTER. "julie's cooking service" That's right, you guessed it. My father, the person one of the persons i was escaping from. therefor we had to leave, naturally because we both know my dad is coming into where we are.
We make a dash for our cars, and the irony increases with our panting. My dad parks right beside us. We end up having to talk to him . He is taking eli to meet his tutor at SB. Josef and i head for CAfe Coco to play our long over due game of upwords. We ran into no more people , but we did see Rachard Hawk's girl friend.

Will Peyton and the #1 Offense in the NFl be able to surpass Brian Urlacher and the #1 Defense ???

Im saying Peyton gets monkey off back and wins the superbowl !!!!

GO COLTS !!!

Come on...SNOW!  I feel like a 3rd grader, but I want to get out of work tomorrow :)  For those of you that don't know, I am the STARS counselor at Fairview High School, so when they get out of school, I get out of work.  Nice, huh?  I hear if you sleep with yout pjs inside out that it makes it snow...I might have to try that.  

 "Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car."

The music video for 16 military wifes has a model UN theme.

that made my day.

It's only week 3 and I've already felt stressed about school (but it is fading, thank goodness).

It's only Tuesday but I feel the need for the weekend.

But I will survive.

Doing a video project in two weeks is not so much fun, but I think it's going to be ok. For anyone who was considering helping and just haven't gotten back to me don't worry about it, because I've got it figured out now. So now I don't have to worry so much about that now. Phew!

This week is incredibly long. I can't believe it's only Tuesday.

This semester I have discovered TV. Sounding a little silly coming from a TV production major, but it's pretty true. This evening after a long day of school, work, and j-group, I watched American Idol and House. House was really good up until the very last few minutes, which completely killed it! Ugh! It made me upset!

And I'm not going to lie, I like American Idol. I know Simon and them are completely obnoxious at times and I probably shouldn't enjoy it so much... but I haven't really watched it before and from what I've heard Simon has always been rude, so I really have nothing to compare it to either than such statements.

So if you will, pray that God will give me guidance about something. I feel like he's calling me to do something kinda big... which is scary but also very exciting!

Other than all of the above, not to much has been happening to me in my life. Looking back over the past few days, I think I have been warring some settle spiritual warfare (if that's possible... I suppose it is) and I think I'm a lot more focused on Christ this semester than I was last... let's hope it stays that way.

so i've been battling this spiritual...  thing for quite a while.  i have been doing very well,  but i seem to have hit a brick wall.  after about 4 weeks of almost completely forgetting about it (yes, i keep count...  it's that important) i seem to have hit a wall.  i can't get my mind off it.  i struggle constantly.  every moment is a choice.

i would normally post this on my blog but i figured it'd get more reads here.  i'd really appreciate prayer support on this.

thank you,
me

now life doesnt real suck. me and tyler are going back out. his birthday is tomorrow. i got him something. lol life is going real great... i am happier.. i dont think a lot of people will be happy on that part. but who cares.. lol i am happy and i dont care what people say. so ha.... lol. well i am bored....  i am out

megan

But it beats boredom by a long shot.

I'm feeling a little bit of both, not so fun when they're in each others company.

I'm watching "The Devil Wears Prada", it's a good movie. I like it, and the dress Anne Hathaway is wearing right now... I want it. Yep, definately boredom, it's still a pretty dress.

I changed my profile picture, whatcha think?

Tomorrow night I will be doing a message about a guy that, unfortunately, a lot of people don't know much about.  His name was William Wilberforce.  He was a member of parliament in England who lived from 1759-1833.

I think he is important because I know so many Christians who don't want their faith to just be a private thing that makes them feel good.  They want to make their faith count for making a difference in the world around them.

Wilberforce was just that kind of Christian.  Converted at the age of 25, he basically spent the first 25 years of his life as a spoiled rich kid who enjoyed partying and living a life of popularity and ease.  However, when he gave his life to Christ it radically transformed him and ending up transforming England as well.  About a year after his conversion, the Lord inspired him to work for the rest of his life on two great causes:  The abolition of slavery and the reforming of morals in England.

How did God use him?  The slave trade was outlawed in England in 1807 (57 years before it happened here in America).  Slavery itself was outlawed in England in 1833 (30 years before it happened here!!).  Also, dozens and dozens of laws were enacted through his influence that banned child abuse, cruelty to animals, inhumane child labor, dishonest business practices, and many other horrible practices that had turned England into a moral cesspool.

Lastly, through his book, Real Christianity, thousands of people would be converted to Christianity and many other believers would radically change the way they lived out their faith.  Revival sparked all over England in the 1800's.

Despite Wilberforce's success, it was not easy.  He was hated by Christians and non-Christians for challenging the status quo.  His bills to abolish the slave trade was voted down 11 times over a 20 year period.

I think we can learn a lot from Wilberforce in an age where so many Christians have opted to compromise on true biblical theology in order to engage the world.  His life also speaks to Christians who have dis-engaged from the world because of a judgmental attitude towards an unbelieving culture or out of the belief that one will have to compromise true biblical theology to engage the world.

I have heard a number of Christians over the years say something like- "We need to stop being so concerned about theology and start reaching the world for Jesus!"  Wilberforce would agree with the second part of that statement, but he would have strongly disagreed with the first part.  He believed that most Christians had no impact on the world because of their neglect of the Bible and concern for who God truly is as He is revealed in scripture.  

I hope that all of you in the world of Diversion youth will come out and learn about the great man of God tomorrow night.  If you can't be there, you can listen to the message on I-tunes.  Just go to I-tunes and do a search for "Diversion Youth."  The message will be available this Sunday.  God bless . . .

Chris    

If at
first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Decy and I have been slowly working into a modest exercise routine.  This is a bit challenging because with typical Jakarta traffic ... NOTHING is close by ...  unless we were to have a membership at the Kristal hotel.  Even if we did, with the hours I work, it just wouldn't work out for me.

So, over the weekend Decy did some shopping for a treadmill.  She found a pretty good one (treadmill) and an "Elliptical Bike".  The EB is like a stand-up biking machine that also works your arms in an arobic way.  The pedals travel in an elliptical fashion and are shaped more like a cross-country machine vs a bike pedal.

As for the treadmill, its a typical programmable one. Has approx 12 pre-set "courses" ... motorized inclination adjustors ... calorie burner estimates .... etc etc etc.  Anyway, she negotiated a pretty good price, which was about US$1,600 for both.  Stuff was delivered last night.

If I use the treadmill like I did back in 2001, that was when I lost 40 pounds - clearly I won't do that again.  However, when i did that my stamina and running ability increased dramatically and clearly improved my performance on the hash - which I could have used last Saturday.

Received an email from PricewatershouseCoopers, regarding 2006 taxes - which they do on my behalf (paid for by the company) because of my expat assignment. I know there will be extra work to do this year because Indonesia has a "property tax" that will likely impact me. I dread the added paperwork ... but have to begin the process this week.

Ciao Ciao.

Hello I'm Jak, and I am a dog.  How about let's make me a golden retriever, those are fun.  I dont really have too much of a free life, no kid to play fetch with, no adult to do some silly trick with for a doggie biscuit, no nothing.  I live in a laboratory.  All I have is a cage and the occassional meal.  It seems rather sad but Ive been here for as long as I can remember, so its just life to me.  One day Robert, one of the reasearchers, threw a round object into my cage.  I've never seen one of these things before, but he called it a ball.  Seeing it bounce up and down inside my cage just sent an impulse through me to just go after it, so I did.  I jumped to the ball and quickly caught it in my mouth, and soon did I realize that it tasted DELICIOUS!  I don't know what it is about a rubberized ball.  Not only did it taste so good, but it was so much fun just how it bounced.  Days upon days went by, and this ball was providing so much fun, so much joy for me, if I wasn't playing with the ball, I was thinking about the ball.  Suddenly after a couple of weeks something terrible happen.  While the ball was in my mouth, it exploded!  Not only that, it also disenegrated.  Now I was left with nothing, nothing except the pain of the explosion, oh how it hurt. 

I didn't want to do anything for quite sometime.  I might eat, I might not.  A few weeks went by, and I was starting to get used to everyday life again.  One morning, I woke up, and a brand new ball was in my cage.  I was a little hesitant at first, but eventually I was back to playing with a new ball!  This was even better than the first one, it tasted better, it bounced higher.  Oh how I loved the ball.  And once again, my life's focus was the ball, if I wasnt bouncing the ball, tasting the ball, holding the ball, I sure was thinking about the ball.  A few months later it unfortunately happened again.  As I was holding the ball in my mouth, BOOM, and again I am left with nothing but the pain from the explosion. 

This continues to happen for as long as I am here.  The few days after the explosion the pain causes me to only want to eat.  And as a start to get readjusted to everyday life, a brand new ball comes in.  I play with it, and it explodes.  I never know when it's going to explode, but I do know that the pain is extreme when it does.  Until finally I get to a point. 

They'll put a ball in my cage.  I don't do anything with it.  I want to, I want to play with it, taste it, enjoy it, bounce it up and down and all around my cage, I want to do all of that more than anything in the world.  But I don't, I know it will explode and be very painful.  So here I sit.

Okay, so I was looking at American Idol information tonight to see what the basic schedule is like; I was completely wrong about how the auditions take place.  What they make look like a 2-day affair for the auditions is actually a week-long process.  I can't take a week off of school for this, so my only option would be to take a semester off in anticipation of the tryouts.  I can't do that, either.  So I'm either going to have to do one of two things I can't do or figure something else out.  Time for some more of one of my favorite things: re-evaluation.

I wish... sleep deprivation and me just don't mix very well. I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired. Is there any way I can just conk out right here and now?

Life is good.

Why is poop such a funny word?

Poopity poopity poop poo poo pa choo.
Poo poop poopty poopity poopooty poo.

Yep.

Really not much to write about ... just a bummer day all around.

Got up at 2am to call Aetna insurance.  Seems they are trying to deposit money into my closed Amsouth account.  The lady on the phone made a comment about not being sure if they would be able to "resend the money" to my Bank of America account.  I quickly responded that they could and would ... as they have sent over $1,000 to Amsouth which has been rejected. I will need to work this via email

This AM, I sent an email to Money Magazine in response to an article about whether or not parents should be able to take cash gifts given to children (from others) and use it for the "common good".  The magazine said "No, it was wrong".  I agreed and told them that.  Then, I went on to tell about the boys' accounts and how it has grown over the years - there's a lesson to be learned by long term savings ... even if small at the outset.

ciao ciao.

I don't post on this thing very often. I just want to make sure all of my friends know that I'm leaving, so no one can say I didn't tell them. I'll be moving to California in about a month. I hope it all goes well. I'm already not a college student anymore, so it's officially been set in motion. It was fast and out of nowhere, but I'm really excited. I'll miss you all! Wish me luck!

Our gratest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we Fall.

-Thank you,Confucius

after repeated badgering from various individuals, i have posted.  check it out here, at thechrismorgan.com.  Also, i have started a new site.  the purpose of this site is explained in my post, so you may want to read it.  the new site is sitesbygeeks.com.

One thing I have noticed about life is that it is all about change: new opportunities and additional chances. Every day is new, even if the majority of the happenings are the same crap. But the fact is that we get opportunities to change, and if we fail it isn't that we don't have another chance per se, but rather we don't have the exact same circumstance.

For example, I may try to prove myself trustworthy to someone. Yet if I fail it doesn't mean I cannot prove it further, if anything it would mean that the circumstances have changed somewhat. There is always a chance to do anything, including proving myself trustworthy.

However, death is the opposite. There is nothing that changes, it is simply unmoving and dreary. There are no additonal opportunities or chances, therefore the circumstance will always be the same. One is stuck in that spot forevermore, without hope and without change. That is depressing.

So, if you are alive, you have a chance to do something. To change something. To feel new is all in your head; change is every passing second. If you are alive, you have hope and a possibility to make things right. If you are dead, then why are you reading this?

[edit]
Upon this reflection, I recognize that all those emo kids are committing the fallacy of affirming the consequent. "I suck! I don't have hope, therefore I am dead!!!" ...Losers.

So I just heard this quote in a movie and had to share it with everyone...

"If you keep walking long enough you might find a valley where no one has ever had a broken heart...but if you ask me that would be a pretty loveless place."
             - "Valley of Light"

But yeah so life is going pretty good right now and I hope it stays that way for a long time.

"Who the hell wants a $2000 Easy Bake?" ~My father after looking at an oven that cooked with a halogen bulb.