How did she do that?

I'd like to submit that cats function according to their own type of physics.

The past two days Athena has been doing some crazy stuff. Yesterday morning J.D. was getting ready for work. I was still half asleep. Then I heard a loud BOOM, THUMP. (No, Batman and Robin weren't fighting 60s style in our bathroom). Athena likes to sit on the toilet when anyone takes a shower. She was sitting there, and J.D. went to pet her after getting out. Just at that moment, the neighbors turned on their water, and the noise made Athena leap straight into the air and then twist and spin as she flung herself, sprawled out, into the bathtub. Instantly, upon landing in the bathtub she realized it was wet and flipped (in what J.D. described as contortions and spasms) out of the tub. Upon hitting the floor, she raced out the door.

Then this morning she was playing by the window on my side of the bed. She isn't supposed to be there since there are glasses along the window. I tried coaxing her down and began to threaten her with the water bottle. I didn't even decide to squirt her yet. Evidently, J.D. was sick of it, so he took his pillow and swatted her. Now, words just do not accurately describe the experience of what happened next. Suffice it to say, I was looking at Athena and didn't SEE a thing. It happened so fast I can only describe the aftermath: a paper was torn to shreds; my arm was scratched from a distance of 3 feet away from Athena's starting point; and the bedroom door was slammed shut. Meanwhile, J.D.'s pillow caused the glasses on the window to tip over and sound like they broke. I instantly yelled "J.D.!!!" Meanwhile, other things on the desk and window flew into the air. In the end we had one scared little kitty under the bed. We could only figure that the paper was where she was standing, upon being hit. She then somehow managed to flip 3 feet across to the bed and dig her claw into my arm. I'm really not sure how this happened since this was also the direction from which J.D. hit her with the pillow, but I have the scratch to prove it. Then she somehow flung herself so hard at the door she managed to close it (and that door is difficult to close). Again, we didn't SEE any of this.

The other result was that J.D. got in trouble for being mean to my baby. But she seems to be doing OK. She can be high-strung, and this was the first time a pillow or anything had been directed at her. She's got some interesting cat acrobatics, that's for certain.

Robbery, a thoughtful gesture, looking forward to laughing

"At approximately 12:34pm Wednesday, a graduate student was walking on M--- in University City north of the Danforth campus. The student was approached by four subjects who asked him for money. The student continued to walk on by and was then struck by one of the subjects with a fist. The subjects then took his cell phone and some cash and fled to the north."

(Sheesh. This is why I don't walk around at night with my wedding ring. It seems like every 3 months there's a robbery on the corner, well, actually they seem to be happening more frequently. I'm beginning to get desensitized to it.)

On the happy side today I got a holiday card from a former student. That made me smile. He said we should have a "Writing 1 Reunion." LOL.

We'll be leaving soon to see Craig Ferguson at the Pageant. It should be fun. I really like Mr. Ferguson. I think he's easily the most humorous late night guy. Hopefully it will be fun.

Well, there's nothing else too happy right now, so I'll keep my whining to myself. I'm so scattered right now.

J. Alfred Colbert?

Colbert talking to Elizabeth Alexander about the inaugural poem and J. Alfred Prufrock...

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=216591

"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. / I do not think that they will sing to me."

My experience today was

To see the millions of Americans waving flags, standing in the cold.
To hear in both the invocation and benediction prayers for God's forgiveness.
To understand President Obama's call to service and hope.
To know I helped do my small part and will continue to work.
To applaud when he declared: "We are ready to lead once more."
To weep in a community, huddled together in the National Mall and our living rooms.
To visualize this line of poetry: "Love... casts a widening pool of light."
To feel release, the lifting of shadow, as Bush I, Bush II, and Cheney flew away.
To witness a joyful moment in history; a rare sensation of collective rebirth.
To hope we remember, do, give, and become.

MLK National Day of Service

I got up with J.D. when he went to work. I walked to the metro and waited for the train. I sat on the bench and thought randomly about freezing to death. I've read that after awhile you feel warm or just fall asleep (images of climbing Everest alongside pages from Jack London playing through my head). Finally, the train came, and I enjoyed feeling the warmth soak back into my body. I noticed the air rushing out of the warm train at every stop because it cast a shadow on the seat in front of me.

I got off at UMSL North and walked to the Touhill. Up the stairs, to the Lee Theater. I checked in and was given a t-shirt, but I didn't put it on immediately. Instead, I grabbed a left-over donut and a cup of tepid coffee, swigging it down. Then I hurried to the main theater, only to be turned away at the doors by the usher, who said, "This area is for special people." I told her I was instructed to come this way, and she only pointed to the stairs, down to lower seating. I reflected that it felt unnecessary to behave that way, especially for the occasion. I did find a seat in the back, I suppose with the "unspecial" masses, which was just fine with me. I'll take the seat in the back with my fellows rather than the upper legion of seraphim. The ceremony itself was nice. I enjoyed the singing by the New Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church Chancel Choir -- what a mouthful. Their a capella rendition of "Jericho" was lively and moving, but I was thinking, why do we celebrate a military victory where genocide was the aftermath? I guess it all matters who's the hero and who's telling the story. Earlier, I had felt moved by the invocation by Rev. William Kempf. I wish I could remember exactly what he said. Isn't it sad how the usher's words were burned into my brain, but I lost the reverend's words? Overall, I enjoyed sitting with a group that felt joyful about tomorrow. I enjoyed the feeling of fellowship, harmony, and agreement. As the speeches progressed, singers sang, and dancers danced, as voice-overs and snippets of Dr. King's speeches were played again and again, mantras and leitmotifs, I began to realize that at some point in our lives, we all make a choice. We decide if we want to stand in the choir of fear or the choir of hope. If we stand with those in power or those oppressed. If we stand for aggression or peace. If we stand for self-interest or community. If we stand for the love of ourselves or for others. There aren't many beliefs that I have about life, at least not anymore. But I do believe it's in our power to choose good, and I do believe with all my heart in the sanctity of love. Mom has been telling me recently about the talk radio at home. Some of my family members listen to those types of programs everyday and get a vision of the world where people are untrustworthy; where we are supposed to be scared and afraid; where difference is the source of the problem. People in Burley are good people, really good. But this is the divide that I felt very clearly today. Right now people are either preaching doom and destruction (with a fresh twist of Armageddon on the side) or the radical opposite, visions of utopia. That's not what I'm talking about either. This isn't an unrealistic dream scape, a "no where." This is the call to a reality that will never be perfect, but it can sure be better. Mainly it's like coming back into the warmth, letting that warmth soak into you again, letting your mind drift from fearful images and thoughts of freezing to death, to a warm awareness of the world around you, open to feeling.

After the service we broke into our groups. I was in a group going to a local food bank to stock items. But there was no one in the building. So instead, we were sent to an elementary school. Once there, we painted the library, reorganized the books, put labels into new books, and made signs to hang over the bookshelves. I made a sign, labelled books, and helped clean up, but I also made new friends, and I had a great time. The principal said the teachers, students, and librarian would be thrilled to see their renovated space. Honestly, it still looked like it could use a lot of work, but they were so happy and grateful.

Riding back on the train that night, I didn't think that much about the cold.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is,
what are you doing for others?" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Just a thought for tomorrow. http://www.usaservice.org/

Onion makes area woman weep

With joy and general hilarity. . . . Congressman Cummings (D) Virginia is back! He's my favorite.



Congress Debates Adding Elaborate Dance To Obama's Inauguration Ceremony
I think what cracks me up most is the line about Chief Justice Roberts tap dancing for 20+ minutes. Here's the previous appearance of Congressman Cummings:

Congress Debates Merits Of New Catchphrase

National day of service

Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 there will be events all around the country to do community service.

I'm going to UMSL to work on whatever project they have. It's part of Martin Luther King Day. You can find all sorts of local events by checking out this website:

http://www.usaservice.org/

I hope it won't be too cold Monday! By the way, how is everyone doing, especially my friends in the cold Northern lands? I hope you're staying warm and enjoying lots of hot cocoa.

Expert On Anteaters Wasted Entire Life Studying Anteaters

Self Reflection

I should probably just go to sleep, but I'm up sitting at my computer. Recently I've been wondering what has happened to my efficacy, especially my self-efficacy. I can't seem to meet any of my own goals. I cannot will myself to sit down and write my dissertation, to do consistent research, or even to read. What has happened to me? Did I just get tired? Did I just get lazy? The more I fail to reach even "easy" daily goals, the more I doubt myself.

The thing is too, I have NO excuses. This is all on me. I have the time; I have the space, and I have all the resources I could use at my fingertips. I have no other responsibilities right now. I have a loving and supportive husband, who came to St. Louis for me. He does so much just to make me happy. I have beautiful friends. I have a best friend that always lets me know she understands. I have a loving family, and even if they don't understand what I'm doing, they care. And J.D.'s side of the family also supports me, and I know they send their love and best wishes for both of us.

And yet. . . . All of those loving, wonderful people and this opportunity of time and space only make it all the more difficult and painful to admit the truth. I am the only thing in my way. I am the border I cannot cross.

It's to the point that I am not my own worst enemy; I am my only enemy. Something in me feels broken, and I don't know how to fix it. As time simultaneously creeps and flies by, I feel inches of myself washing away, and there is little or no replenishment of sand. The hour glass is turned and drained. The "I" stands alone and empty, idly condemning itself.

Then I recall my other selves. Tammy of eight years ago was confident and strong. She was sure she could finish this. It seemed like the natural conclusion to her schooling, the last hurdle to whatever shiny goal rested at the end. Then there was the even younger, even more hopeful Tammy of thirteen years ago, who spoke about happiness in the moment, not at the end. Then even further back, existing now only because I remember her, was the Tammy who enjoyed staying in at recess to finish homework from the day she missed school because she was sick. The Tammy that dragged the encyclopedia with her every time her family drove the 20 miles in and out of town each day. She discovered the picture of the Bronte sisters and read all about them. She went out and found things just because she was curious and wanted to know. I remember that little girl, but I can't feel her curiosity or joy in learning much anymore. What a stranger I've become to myself.

Still under all this, perhaps why I'm writing, is a persistent, unyielding hope. If nothing more a stubbornness, that just refuses to say "enough." Too much time; too much effort, too many tears and most of my 20s-- seem to be pushing me to keep running around the track, even though now that shiny goal line seems imaginary.

How do you find the way back to yourself? How do you embrace the death of your old selves and the birth of whatever is arising in you? How do you string together the fragments that compose a life, a goal, or a self? How do you work toward something when you don't really know why you're doing it anymore? How do you overcome yourself, especially a self you don't recognize?

You're Right

I didn't hear from anyone, so I'm guessing that was too complicated and too much work, and you're right. So, if you want, you could just guess how any of these phrases originated (in the comments). It's a fun game, but it should probably be played, by its full rules, only in person.

Eat humble pie
Buy the farm
Clean as a whistle
Fly-by-night
Devil's advocate
Bite off more than you can chew
Hit the sack
Cut to the chase
Gum up the works
Eat crow

Play "Origin"

Since we've concluded Bible Trivia, I thought it would be enjoyable to play this with my online friends. Here's how it will (hopefully) work.

I will provide common phrases and their meanings. For example:

"Get off your high horse" Meaning: Quit behaving arrogantly.

Then you'll try to do either of these two things:

1. If you think you know the origin, try to explain it.
2. Or try to write a convincing origin that would fool others.

* It is important that you e-mail me all your attempts at explaining the origin or making up an etymology for the phrase: vesperstar@hotmail.com. That way I can present all answers as authoritative. Otherwise, it would be impossible to trick others because everyone will obviously see who wrote it.

Here is the answer for the above example:

"Get off your high horse"
"Origin: Based on a 14th century English tradition where royalty led parades on horseback as a sign of their importance."

Try to include specific details and historical background in your responses to make them as convincing as possible. Ok, here are 10 phrases:

Eat humble pie Meaning: To admit being wrong.
Buy the farm Meaning: To die.
Clean as a whistle Meaning: Very clean.
Fly-by-night Meaning: Unreliable.
Devil's advocate Meaning: A person who argues just for the sake of arguing.
Bite off more than you can chew Meaning: To attempt more than one can manage.
Hit the sack Meaning: To go to bed.
Cut to the chase Meaning: Get to the point.
Gum up the works Meaning: Jam something up.
Eat crow Meaning: To be humbled.

E-mail your attempts to answer these or fool others to vesperstar@hotmail.com. I'll post them, and you'll have the opportunity to vote on what you think is the real answer.

Points will be awarded as follows:

2 points to a player for each vote received for his or her answer.
1 point is given to a player for an answer that was close to the origin.
1 point is given to each player correctly guessing the official answer.

So, you can see, tricking people into voting for your answer and then correctly identifying the official answer is the way to get the most points!

Good luck, game on! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. I'll look forward to getting your answers!

Bible Trivia Prizes

Well, thank you to everyone for participating in Bible Trivia 2008-2009! You certainly made it worth buying that game in a thrift store in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Too bad I didn't pick up those nifty pants at the same time. Ah, life is full of regrets). Anyway, you're all winners in Bible Trivia, and here are some (lame) prizes to enjoy: (in no particular order)

Lora: You displayed humor and wisdom, have some post-it notes, but not just any post-its, Jeez Its!

Baby Olivia: You did your childhood-Bible-trivia self proud. For you, this episode (which you have better ways of viewing, but oh well) again comparing Goofus and Gallant, with a bonus about Tennyson.

Lutheranchick: You have proven yourself highly knowledgeable about the Bible, which is a really good thing considering your profession, and you again proved your sense of humor, which is probably even more important considering your profession! Please enjoy looking at these lovely hand towels .

Mrs. B: You requested no prize but glory, so here's some gloria (sorry, not the "in excelsis Deo" or Van Morrison type). Instead, it's invisible ancient Roman-style family cred, which will hopefully aid you in attaining consulship; use it wisely! (expires 200 BCE).

Thanks again my friends. Stay tuned for the next blog game, which will be Origins....

Pick your vegetable and verb

Sadly, I didn't get everything on my list done yesterday. I did go to the library to finish writing down M.'s thesis bibliography, and I did work with the volumes of marginal notes in Remembrance. Also, I wrote in my notes for 30 minutes. But that's it.

So, I deserve to be thrashed with Swiss chard, drubbed by rhubarb, clobbered with cucumbers, beaten with beets, or pummeled by pumpkin. I should at least have cyber vegetables and fruits lobbed at me. A few suggestions, feel free to mix and match:

• Potato
• Beans
• Okra
• Artichoke
• Squash
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Gooseberries
• Gourds
• Corn
• Melons
• Zucchini
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Lettuce

• Punch
• Strike
• Pound
• Knock
• Hurl
• Belt
• Hammer
• Batter
• Thump
• Bombard
• Pelt
• Splatter
• Wallop
• Lambaste
• Shellac

Goals

1. Read 46 pages.

2. Research
A. Bibliography
B. Notes in Volumes

3. Write for two sessions: 45 minutes and 30 minutes.

OK, these are my goals for tomorrow. In order to kick myself in the posterior, I'm putting them on here. If I don't do these things on 1/12/09, I give anyone permission to come hit me with a tomato. I will even supply the tomato. (Or you could choose an English cucumber, raspberries, an orange, or asparagus).

Repost

1. According to Psalms 8:5, what did God make man a little lower than?
2. What answer was given by Samuel when God called him?
3. Complete the following sentence: "Draw nigh unto God and. . . ." (6 words)
4. Who wrote the following verse: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life"? "He that hath a sandwich hath lunch; and he that hath not a sandwich of eating hath not lunch." (Ok, I made the lunch thing up; I'm hungry for a good sandwich).
5. Fill in the blanks: "A good name is rather to be chosen than _____ _____." (2 words)
6. In what book is the following verse found: "For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword"?
7. Complete the instruction of Jesus: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. . . . " (17 words)
8. Who said, "After my skin is destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God"?
9. Finish the following: "In all thy ways acknowledge him, . . . ." (6 words)
10. What statement of Jesus confused and amazed Nicodemus?
11. In the beatitudes, who does Jesus say will receive mercy?
12. Finish the following line: "As for me and my house. . . ." (5 words)
13. Complete this verse: "Seek and ye shall find, . . . . " (6 words)
14. Complete this sentence: "For dust thou art. . . . " (6 words)
15. Complete the statement from Jesus' parable of the rich man and the beggar about heaven and hell: "Between us and you there is a great _____ _____. " (2 words)
16. Proverbs 3:11 tells us not to despise what from the Lord?
17. Which book promises that "God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil"?
18. Which book records Paul's correction of Peter for his shunning of the uncircumcised?
19. Finish the promise: "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and . . . . " (5 words)
20. Which book tells us not to forget to entertain strangers, since some have thus entertained angels?
21. Where is this verse found: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"? (Probably the way my advisor feels).
22. Where can this statement be found: "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness"? (I read "doorstopper" here first; it was more entertaining).
23. What did Jesus tell us not to do, "lest they trample them under their feet"?
24. Complete the following statement by Paul: "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to . . . . " (3 words)
25. Where should we have learned: "Much study wearies the body"? (Ok, that's my question). Then again, you do have to study to know that, ah, the paradox.

Feel free to answer as many as you like. Some were already answered by Baby O and Mrs. B in the comments of a previous post.

grading myself

Well, it's difficult to believe, but it's almost January 20th. I was just reflecting on all I promised to do back in early November. I wanted to do 20 good deeds and 24 hours of service. So, what have I done? Sadly, not much, at least not as much as I promised that's for sure.

Activities and Charities:
Gave blood.
Donated gifts to two elderly ladies in St. Louis.
Asked Pres. Elect Obama to address Human Rights in the first 100 days of his administration.
Bought a net to protect against malaria in Africa.
Cleaned the library bathroom floor when someone spilled liquid soap all over.
Donated to the March of Dimes.
Signed up for small monthly donation to heat St. Louis homes.
Dropped off a box of canned goods at the school for a local food pantry.
Signed petition to stop inhumane treatment of animals.
Gave extra wrapping paper to GTGB program.
Mailed small donation to animal refuge here in St. Louis.

Time:
5.5 hours wrapping presents for sponsored families.

My grades: Deeds 55%; Time 23%. Ouch. It kind of hurts to see your attempt at charity result in an F and F-. But it's the truth, at least grade-wise.

But I did learn some things about myself. I definitely have an easier time giving money than my time, which I hope I can continue to improve. On the positive side, I found I was probably more charitable overall this season. I think looking for opportunities to do good, even when you fall short of your goals, helps one have a more charitable outlook and find ways to give, even a little here and there.

Time isn't up yet, maybe I can do a little more before the 20th. Any suggestions?

The arboretum at night

The moon is the closest it will be to us this year.

I kept looking out my window to see it tonight. Actually, it's the closest it will be to us ever again. Every year the moon moves 1.6 inches further away from the Earth. Eventually, it will take 47 days for a lunar cycle.

I went for a walk alone in the dark tonight. First, I took off my wedding ring and left it in a safe place. I walk more freely knowing there is nothing anyone could steal from me. I didn't have a penny, not my ID, not a single thing. I don't go walking at night often. Usually I follow the advice, wise advice, of staying snugly at home in the evenings. But, I don't like living in a way that fear overcomes freedom. After all, I'm the person who managed to navigate a marketplace in Istanbul on my own, so I figure I can handle a neighborhood street in U-City. Besides, the moon and stars were too gorgeous to see from a window.

During my walk, I realized something. I corrected an earlier misconception. When walking in the city, you are just as alone as in the country, the only difference is that you have less privacy. Still, the night was cold and clear, and the orange street lights made a little parkway of light for my echoing footsteps.

If you want to imagine you were there, this is what happens: You walk for about three blocks and then decide to walk no further. Instead, you just want to sit on a stranger's step and look at the way a certain tree's branches frame the moon. So, you sit down in front of someone else's apartment. Soon, you'll hear someone inside coughing. It's a female voice, and you're surprised how easy it is to unintentionally eavesdrop. We live with slender walls between us. Earlier, you walked by the apartment where the little squirrel with no tail hides. You didn't see him, but you thought about him and hoped he was warm. Then you turn to lunacy and ask the moon what's the point of it all? Why do we build houses and apartments? Why do we line streets with lamps? Why do we pave roads and drive cars? Why do we compete for things that are meaningless: money, status? Why do we begrudge good things to others or have to live in fear of being happy because others will feel jealous? Why do we misunderstand each other so thoroughly? Why do we think we control everything, anything? We plant trees in a row along the street and think we have control in our world. But we only have control over the things we can touch. And even those, we can only manipulate and alter so much. We're very good at the illusion of control. So, with control we establish Meaning. It means something because I can control it. It means This. My life means This because I have two kids and a nice house. My life means This because I have more money or a better job than Them. But looking up, there are things we can't control. Looking at the moon means we can't fashion our arboretum there, at least not yet. We're working on it. Still, the stars and moon, beyond most of our grasp, say you're not in control at all. You exist to just exist. You try to build your world so you won't see, but under all your artifice is the existence you cannot control away. Your best work would be to merely build yourself, but not with mortar or bricks, rather tend yourself: plant a tree in your soul. Even then, you won't find Meaning because ultimately you have to relinquish your hold. It's not a garden but a forest. Then you will see that This or That or Them are not meaning.

You had better just live this moment. Breathe the cold air into your lungs. Walk in the dark. Sit on a cold rock in the middle of a weedy patch of grass, in the middle of an urban terrarium with a million other ants burrowing inside the earth, carrying twigs. Or just stop. Maybe you had better just look at the moon because right now is the closest it's ever going to be.

Bible Trivia 2009

Suppose we on things traditive divide,

And both appeal to Scripture to decide;

By various texts we both uphold our claim,

Nay, often ground our titles on the same:

After long labour-lost and time's expense,

Both grant the words and quarrel for the sense.

Thus all disputes forever must depend,

For no dumb rule can controversies end.

The Hind and the Panther, Dryden (II.196-203)

Well, we didn't finish the final round, so if any of you wanted (or even thought about) closure, here's your chance. Wisdom Category.

1. According to Psalms 8:5, what did God make man a little lower than? (Shakespeare uses this comparison in Hamlet- sort of ). This makes me think of my dear friend Holly because she really liked the first part of Hamlet's speech, when we read it in our AP English class. :)

2. What answer was given by Samuel when God called him? (It wasn't "wrong number").

3. Complete the following sentence: "Draw nigh unto God and. . . ." (6 words)

4. Who wrote the following verse: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life"? "He that hath a sandwich hath lunch; and he that hath not a sandwich of eating hath not lunch." (Ok, I made the lunch thing up; I'm hungry for a good sandwich).

5. Fill in the blanks: "A good name is rather to be chosen than _____ _____." (2 words)

6. In what book is the following verse found: "For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword"? (There's a cheeky possible answer here, along with the more difficult, specific one).

7. Complete the instruction of Jesus: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. . . . " (17 words)

8. Who said, "After my skin is destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God"?

9. Finish the following: "In all thy ways acknowledge him, . . . ." (6 words)

10. What statement of Jesus confused and amazed Nicodemus?

11. In the beatitudes, who does Jesus say will receive mercy?

12. Finish the following line: "As for me and my house. . . ." (5 words)

13. Complete this verse: "Seek and ye shall find, . . . . " (6 words)

14. Complete this sentence: "For dust thou art. . . . " (6 words)

15. Complete the statement from Jesus' parable of the rich man and the beggar about heaven and hell: "Between us and you there is a great _____ _____. " (2 words)

16. Proverbs 3:11 tells us not to despise what from the Lord?

17. Which book promises that "God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil"?

18. Which book records Paul's correction of Peter for his shunning of the uncircumcised?

19. Finish the promise: "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and . . . . " (5 words)

20. Which book tells us not to forget to entertain strangers, since some have thus entertained angels?

21. Where is this verse found: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"? (Probably the way my advisor feels).

22. Where can this statement be found: "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness"? (I read "doorstopper" here first; it was more entertaining).

23. What did Jesus tell us not to do, "lest they trample them under their feet"?

24. Complete the following statement by Paul: "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to . . . . " (3 words)

25. Where should we have learned: "Much study wearies the body"? (Ok, that's my question). Then again, you do have to study to know that, ah, the paradox.


Feel free to answer as many as you want. I'll give points for real and silly, amusing answers this round. Prizes will be awarded after we're done.

Ida-homey*

Here are some pictures from Christmas at home with our families. In this first one Riley and J.D. model their new Raccoon tail hats. We bought one for Riley, and without knowing we were doing that, Connie got one for J.D.! Evidently the Taylor family tradition is alive and well.

The Grinch, in full regalia.

The three siblings.J.D. with his good buddies from h.s., Zack and Dek.

Christmas morning in Burley.J.D. with one of Mom's kitties, my favorite of the bunch.

Us three siblings. Chad kept making us laugh. This is one of the few pictures where we're not too silly.

We certainly had a great time.

I'll post more pictures and videos of everyone later. These were just a few for now. Miss you everyone. Love you.

*Thanks Catherine for the perfect word!

Resolutions

1. Mind my own business.
2. Take care of what I need to do first.
3. Don't worry about people misunderstanding or judging.
4. Follow a schedule.