Happy Easter!

This morning Dad and I drove forty minutes to attend the church of some family friends (as in, the husband is the pastor). He's so joyful when he preaches! And he preaches the Word of God, not some sappy email forward ;p. It was very encouraging to see them.

My mom and sister went to separate services in Oregon yesterday evening. Mom went to visit a long-time friend of hers, and my sister went to visit one of her college roommates. We were all split up this Easter, but it was okay. Dad gave them chocolate, but I got a Starbucks gift card: mwahaha!

I also went to visit my grandparents this afternoon. My grandma has been recovering from a surgery she had just last week; she had a stent (stents?) put in at the back of her head. We were so worried about her. Grandpa has been an angel waiting on her hand and foot. He left the house for the first time since it this morning. I think they really like seeing me. We just chatted about what I've been up to and watched the Virginia vs. Michigan State game. Two overtimes! I don't follow sports at all, but that call that they made on that 3-pointer...whoa. I think it was correct, but I wouldn't want to have to decide anything like that ;p.

I spent the evening eating tacos and visiting with Mom when she dropped by (when she wasn't criticizing the state of the house...it's not like anybody in the family knows how to clean anything...oi oi oi), followed up by reading the books of Amos and Obadiah. An image that stuck with me is:

"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord,
"when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
Amos 9:13 ESV

I see this little old movie thing playing in my head featuring a plowman moving at appropriately fast old movie speed tripping over this guy trying to harvest grain and them getting in an argument and shoving each other back and forth. And some guy sowing seed that really really quickly sprouts into grape vines that Lucille Ball, rushing around like a madwoman, is trying to stomp.

I got some serious things out of my Bible study! Really! Okay: check these out with the crucifixion in mind:

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
"Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
and be tossed about and sink again,
like the Nile of Egypt?"
"And on that day," declares the Lord God,
"I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
Amos 8:7-9 ESV


Earthquakes, darkness, check. And here are a couple of verses that we tend to forget about (in context, mentioned right after the temple curtain is torn in twain at Christ's death):

The tombs were also opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Matthew 27:52-53 RSV


I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty freaked ;p.

"Guitar!"

Alright, I didn't go see Nobody Knows yesterday. And today...what did I do today? Hmm. Nothing. Unless you count mopping up something very nasty and green and yellow in the kitchen. And doing math puzzles. Wow I'm bored.

Apparently I was forced to use this laptop at some point in the past, as I found a collection of music on it (back in those good old Audiogalaxy days, my my). I really don't remember going through that much of a doo wop phase, but there's plenty here. That and Alan Sherman, Frank Sinatra, Lea Salonga, and--oh yeah--Salt n Pepa. You know I'm tired when I tell you that Shoop is the most brilliant song ever.

Went out and bought a pattern for my bellydancing costume. Bonnie, I need to consult with you about that. Weee! Belly rolls!

Del Vikings, Come Go With Me...Rrrrr...

When I was out in my car endangering the general populace a song came on that made me giddy: The Darkness, I Believe in a Thing Called Love. There's nothing like squealing "Guitar!" like that guy and scaring my cat. Bouncy bouncy bouncy la la la!

Nnnn

Wow! I'm actually posting! I'm on my dad's dial-up, however. I should be celebrating my computer Ellis' homecoming any day now...I miss her so much.

What's new? I'm on spring break and am incredibly bored. I find that I am unable to sleep when it's light out, so I wake up around 5 frequently. I tried staying up really late to see if that would help me sleep in, and it really didn't. Meh.

It's really nice to be able to just lie around doing nothing, but there are some letters that I have to send out at work that require me to go in at least a little every day. I think I'm going to take the supplies home to change that. I looked at my school's schedule, and my classes don't start until April 4. Two reactions: YESSSS!!! and What am I going to do for another week?

I'm going to go see Nobody Knows this afternoon, as it has finally come to town. I hate how so many of the movies I want to see are in so few locations...Grr.

Hot and Hamletted

I am boiling to death in my room and I have to write a paper. An easy paper and a short, but not a comfortable thing. Is there anything good that I can say about Hamlet 2000? Not very much. Laertes was excellent, and everyone else was dreadful (except for maybe Gertrude). Surprisingly, Ethan Hawke pulled off one of the better of the bad performances and Bill Murray the worst. I think the director vaguely thought that the media and technology splashed everywhere in the film would emphasize the play's existentialism, but it really doesn't. I would write about the characterization, but there is so little to point to. Ngaahh.

I spent my commutes to and from school learning Japanese for no particular reason (good old Pimsleur) and the afternoon drilling DDR routines into my legs. I really wish they hadn't included "YMCA" on DDR Extreme. I've got it stuck in my head now. Grr...

Write my paper now and then go to bed? Go DDR some more, sleep, and then write the paper in the morning? That last one but skipping the DDR? Read some more of the latest novel I've started? Can't make up my mind.

Whatever I do, I want my bloody room to cool down.

Dirty Scrabble

On Sunday we had my sister's birthday party. Out of quite a few fun activities that day (including some lies/truth game, the family game, and ddr), we played--oh yes--dirty scrabble. Click on the picture to get a better look at the board if you fancy. Just a note: our rules included that (a) spelling doesn't count as long as everybody gets the idea and (b) the invention of new words is allowed as long as a definition is provided. My favourite new word is "gloxing"--and I think I'm too embarassed to post the definition I came up with for it :).

Very very fun. And I gave her two CDs as a gift: Louis XIV and Flogging Molly. She was ecstatic, as I hoped and knew she would be. But the next time I looked at her face she was weeping. She had gone out for lunch with Mum on her b-day and had been crying during that as well. She's going through a great deal; I mean, both of us are, but she's got added complications with her romantic life and whatnot.

I've been putting off calling my mom. I just hate talking to her sometimes, and it's nothing to do with the divorce. Also, my dad (who is also my boss) still hasn't given me my W2 yet.

*tearing my hair out*

Just kidding. And wootness--I'm getting A's on the hardest difficulty level on the slowest song on DDR Extreme! Yay! Er...it's only a six-footer, but...feeling very puffed up. Should invite somebody better than me over to humble me a bit ;p.

Gentlemen's Legs

The boys. Er, the boys and a girl. Who was a boy. Sort of.

Jimmy, Erick, Ryan, Robin.

Ladies' Legs

Pretty self-explantory.

Courtney, Katie (have no idea if I'm spelling her name right), Bonnie, moi!

Group Shot

And here's the standard group oh-well-we're-mostly-smiling shot. I really wish you could see everyone's costumes better, they were Excellent, but I didn't take so many close-up pictures, nor does the flash on my camera work yet.

Alright, back row first: Erick, Courtney, Bonnie, me, Jimmy, Robin. Front row: Katie and Ryan, playing a married couple and real-life boyfriend and girlfriend. Everyone say "Awwww..."

Around the Rocks the Rugged Rascal Ran

Alright, alright...I know it's been forever since I'm posted. I'm sorry. I took many many pictures this weekend and I've been deciding which ones to post; no excuse at all, I know. This one here is chosen for being the best shot of my 3-hour hairdo that I have. Bonnie here is not in her costume yet, but that will debut in some of my other photos. Lovely 1930s hair, neh? ;p Hard as a rock...a wavy rock...