I have a plan!

I have been doing a lot of thinking the last 6 months or so about what I'll do once I graduate. Oh sure, there's still the full-time career I have (and really like, by the way), but I'm talking about that which will occupy my heart and soul. As I was driving to or from work (it's often all a blur), it hit me. I want to write. I want to write about the eight year experience of seminary. I want to write what it did to me, how it changed me, where I started, where I ended. I want to write about it all. As I start my (hopefully) last year, it's as if I'm coming out of a cave into the light. I am afraid to count the number of hours I spent in class, or the library, yet I am mindful of the lifelong relationships I have formed during those many hours. While it's still relatively fresh in my mind, and while I have the time, I want to commit it to paper because I believe it is important.

Errr.....

So, ok, like it's been forever since I even so much as looked at this blog. Since my last post, we've been to Little Cayman, bought an iPhone, redone the whole kitchen and dining room, had a 10th anniversary celebration for 100 of our friends and family, been to Bimini, bought a new vehicle, welcomed a new 1st cousin once removed to the family, and I've started back at school. All in that span of something like 10 weeks. So there.

WTF were we thinking???

So, we've lived in this small townhouse 8 1/2 years so far. We've come to the realization that we'll probably live here 8 1/2 more. And if we're going to live here 8 1/2 more years, then we'd better damn well do something about the fact that we can't open our refrigerator without smacking its door against the stove, which is, like, 6 inches away. So we're remodeling. Actually, it's more like major construction. Like the kind that disrupts your life. A lot. Did I mention that we discovered yesterday that there are no shutoff valves under our kitchen sink? And once they removed the sink and tried to cap the pipes, they split because they're so corroded? Did we mention that the water is STILL shut off? Did we mention that the plumber is coming to fix this problem TOMORROW? Did we mention that we leave for a dive trip in 2 weeks? And then come home to throw a party for 100 of our closest friends? All while the house has exploded? Did we mention we're probably not the best planners?

iLust

Happy iPhone Day!

Nancy's Labyrinth

So, Robin and I went to the Met last weekend to see a temporary exhibit of artifacts and photographs from Papua New Guinea Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf. It was of particular interest since we spent a little time there last summer (Papua New Guinea, not the Met...). The exhibit was interesting and informative, if a bit small. But that's not why I'm writing this. You see, there is a gallery inside the Met that strikes fear in my heart. The European Paintings. Yes, those venerated canvases hanging elegantly in their galleries, bringing back memories of private school art musuem excursions, and long-winded lectures by past teachers. Actually, it's not the art that strikes fear, but rather the galleries themselves. For someone who is proud of the fact that she does not need to ask for directions, or has no desire for a thief-magnet GPS unit in her car, this exhibit has become my own private hell. There has not been a single visit to this gallery that has not resulted in my geting absolutely lost within its confines. Robin has dubbed it "Nancy's Labyrinth." There are no tiny signs within the exhibit to helpfully point a lost visitor toward, say, the Chinese Art or the Sumerian stone tablets. Each time I visit, in my head I outline a short story in which the protagonist finds herself trapped past the museums closing, only to escape years later into a post-Bush apocalypse in which the museum has been shuttered for good, art and culture being regarded as evil, corrupting societies, encouraging them to think and explore other cultures....oh wait, that's now.

Ummm....

What happened to May??? After a horrifically busy last half of the semester, I fell of the face of the earth. Or at least the internet. But I'm back now and should be popping in with a bit more regularity. You've been warned.

Bombs Away!

Weird NJ is one of my favorite magazines, and I just discovered they're also on YouTube - yay!

Time keeps on tickin'......

"Procrastination is a complex psychological behavior that affects everyone to some degree or another. With some it can be a minor problem; with others it is a source of considerable stress and anxiety. Procrastination is only remotely related to time management, (procrastinators often know exactly what they should be doing, even if they cannot do it), which is why very detailed schedules usually are no help." - courtesy CalPoly Student Academic Services

I have a 20-page paper due tomorrow night by 6:00. Between now and then, I also must travel to my sister's house and celebrate her birthday, oh, and finish writing a sermon. So what better time is there than now to blog?

Pure Class

Living as I do a few miles away from Rutgers, and being an alumnus, I am impressed beyond words with the young women of the Rutgers University basketball team as they have handled the Don Imus controversy these past days. Totally classy. I wish each of them, as well as all the coaches and support staff, the best.

Whips

We've decided that perhaps now might be a good time to start looking for a new car. Mine, at the ripe old age of 6, already has over 142,000 miles on it, and Robin's, while relatively low mileage, is OLD (14) and is randomly beginning to drop pieces in the middle of the road. So as I contemplate the next new car purchase, I was thinking back over what I've driven through the years. In order:

Red 1967 Ford F150 pickup truck, 3-speed manual shift on the column; I learned to drive in this baby....

Rust (the color, not the state of the car...) AMC Spirit, don't recall the year. Ugly, crappy car, but it was MINE and it got me from college to work and back, so that was cool.

Navy blue 1985 5-speed manual Nissan extended cab pickup. My first new car.

Light blue metallic 1990 5-speed manual Toyota 4WD extended cab pickup; I loved this truck.

Red 1993 Mazda MX-6 5-speed manual sports car with black leather interior. It was fun to drive, except when it snowed; this thing was terrible in rain and snow, so I got rid of it.

Black 1994 Mazda 4WD automatic extended cab pickup with matching cap; loved it until it developed an intermittent, undiagnosable electrical problem that would cause the truck to just STOP for no reason. Not a *feature* you want when you drive on the highways of NJ......

Current car is a blue 2001 Subaru Forester 5-speed.

For the next vehicle, it will definitely NOT be a manual transmission. I am over that. I drive a 25+ mile stretch of road each way to work, with enough traffic lights that on days my knees are bothering me, I come home with a swollen kneecap from all the shifting. My top three picks right now are another Forester, a Toyota RAV4 or a Honda CRV, all Consumers Report top picks. Hmmm, now if I could only decide on a color.....