So, I've been wanting to blog, but I have very little inspiration. My problem, you see, is that this has been one of those weeks which has made today into one of those days. . . I'm well aware that "one of those days" may have a different connotation for you than it does for me. I once had a middle school (student) teacher proclaim in a dumb-blonde, valley girl-esque fashion, (with head bobbing from side to side) "I think I lost my brain today!" I'm not sure she ever knew how often my friends and I mocked her and laughed for years to come. But today, more often than not, I was oh so tempted to send out a search party for my own coherent thoughts lost in the dark abyss. My world is racing ahead of me, leaving my head spinning. I'm tagging along for the ride, and thankfully my planner is there to remind me that my birthday is two, not one week away. (Yes I really did have to check). The keys on my keyboard are in a seemingly different order every two or three words, but all is well. My brain will return just as Little Bo Peep's sheep did. (I never knew the end of this nursery rhyme until reading it to my daughter!)
Up until this point, my title shouldn't quite fit in. That's because. . . as I started writing the title, I was certain that I had used it for a previous post. Two or three times I began to etch in a title, and "uh-oh, no, I think I've used that one." Which, is apparently a fear of mine?
I did see a great movie tonight: The Brave One. I was really impressed! It is well made, and I found it's producing, acting and plot to be quite thought provoking. Perhaps tomorrow I will have assembled a few of those thoughts and place them here for you.
Here's hoping your day is filled with a few naturally flowing thoughts!
9/14/2007
9/07/2007
My fascination with "Ellipsis dots"
So... I've been reading a grammar book. Yes that's right, a book called Keys for Writers. Despite the fact that I seem to understand how to write, I still have a lot of questions and general insecurities about English grammar. Some people seem to think that I should have to take classes on grammar, punctuation, and editing, but I don't. It's scary to realize that the more I learn, the less I can clearly recall the basics.
A sentence must have a subject and a predicate. Check. (So, "check" isn't a sentence). I often know when something isn't right, but the agony of trying to explain it! Sentence fragments are often a pretty big problem, but then I'm informed that "advertisers and writers occasionally use fragments deliberately for a crisp, immediate effect." Hmmm. I read on, "you will also find fragments used intentionally in question form." Well, what do we have here? "By all means, use fragments to achieve a specific effect." Unfortunately, what this author forgot to say is: if you're writing for a grade, make sure the person grading your paper will know that you wrote a sentence fragment. On purpose.
Now on to today's title. I've overused ellipses for over ten years. If you've ever read a letter or an email I've written... you know how true (and understated) this confession is. Well, now... I know why. "Note: Use three dots to indicate a pause in speech or an interruption." Hooray! All these years, instead of using a comma... I've only been trying to show that I'm pausing... those are my "hold on a minute my brain is searching, sorting or interrupting" dots. That's the only argument I have for overusing those tiny little dots. . . yup. . . that's all I've got for today.
The end. (For effect).
A sentence must have a subject and a predicate. Check. (So, "check" isn't a sentence). I often know when something isn't right, but the agony of trying to explain it! Sentence fragments are often a pretty big problem, but then I'm informed that "advertisers and writers occasionally use fragments deliberately for a crisp, immediate effect." Hmmm. I read on, "you will also find fragments used intentionally in question form." Well, what do we have here? "By all means, use fragments to achieve a specific effect." Unfortunately, what this author forgot to say is: if you're writing for a grade, make sure the person grading your paper will know that you wrote a sentence fragment. On purpose.
Now on to today's title. I've overused ellipses for over ten years. If you've ever read a letter or an email I've written... you know how true (and understated) this confession is. Well, now... I know why. "Note: Use three dots to indicate a pause in speech or an interruption." Hooray! All these years, instead of using a comma... I've only been trying to show that I'm pausing... those are my "hold on a minute my brain is searching, sorting or interrupting" dots. That's the only argument I have for overusing those tiny little dots. . . yup. . . that's all I've got for today.
The end. (For effect).
9/03/2007
fat lip or black eye?
So, in case you forget that children hear far more than you may realize...
After eating with some friends I was asking which of the two bags of chips they would like to keep. One was turned away from me so his response was "eh?" Thinking that I'm being pretty clever I say "fat lip or black eye?" Clever perhaps, but soon my two-year-old says in the saddest whimper "I want black eye"... and then she keeps whining to her daddy "fat-wip fat-wip." So I give her some chips and pray she doesn't say these words to anyone that might report me!
Be ever so careful, small ears may pick up the most!
After eating with some friends I was asking which of the two bags of chips they would like to keep. One was turned away from me so his response was "eh?" Thinking that I'm being pretty clever I say "fat lip or black eye?" Clever perhaps, but soon my two-year-old says in the saddest whimper "I want black eye"... and then she keeps whining to her daddy "fat-wip fat-wip." So I give her some chips and pray she doesn't say these words to anyone that might report me!
Be ever so careful, small ears may pick up the most!
7/21/2007
Ring! Ring!
I did finally get a new ring tone. I'm not so thrilled with my choice. I picked one of my favorite songs called "story" or "the story" by Brandi Carlile. Great song- BUT- when the climax of the song is the start of the ring... the part where she's belting out the words and it's very scratchy... well, I feel like I'm being scolded to answer the phone!
I should have chosen the Veggie Tales Cheeseburger song. I would have smiled instead of jumping when it rang while taking Elseigh to the Doctor on Tuesday. Some days I wouldn't mind having the Wizard of Oz tones--- "If I only had a brain"--- but then my fear would be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy with every phone call!
I should have chosen the Veggie Tales Cheeseburger song. I would have smiled instead of jumping when it rang while taking Elseigh to the Doctor on Tuesday. Some days I wouldn't mind having the Wizard of Oz tones--- "If I only had a brain"--- but then my fear would be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy with every phone call!
Oh Really!?
I ran across an interesting article today. I love it when I just happen to glance at something that turns out to be intriguing. Tomorrow, we will have our vice-president stand in as president. Don't worry, it will only be for a few short hours. But in case you haven't heard the reason why... Mr. Bush is going to have a colonoscopy. WoW! It's pretty amazing to think of how powerful a man he is that we are entitled to know when and why this man is going to be sedated.
Honestly, this is not what I found interesting. The historical aspect of this article was much more interesting than the fact that Mr. "Prez W." had polyps in his colon before becoming our leader. Ha! A lot has changed since 1983, when president Grover Cleveland had surgery on his yacht! The article reports that the vice president was not even aware of it!
Well folks, I promise to let you know the next time I undergo anesthesia. And I must confess, it surprised me to realize that the thought of Cheney stepping in as President for more than just a few hours was terrifying.
Here's the link if you're interested. I'd like to note that my spellcheck indicates that colonoscopy is misspelled. Apparently either the NY Times is at fault, or it's not in this database, imagine that!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/21/washington/21bush.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Where has the summer gone? I'm thrilled to announce that I have only 5 more days of summer school! Essentially that means I must wait one week before I will enjoy nearly 3 weeks of summer. I'm struggling to determine if I should be happy or sad. Fortunately I enjoy school enough that if I can afford to buy some new school supplies, I'll be all set when August 16th rolls around. Ugh. I think.
I've enjoyed my statistics class, at least to the extent that I find math enjoyable. However, my intro to teaching course has been far less purposeful. I only hope that my fall courses are somewhat more relevant to my prospective career. Thankfully, we had to read one book, which is probably the most valuable thing I will take away from the class. I read The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer--- there are certainly some "hokey" parts, as I call them, but overall, Palmer brings up some worthwhile points. I'm unsure as to whether it was truly appropriate for a power point presentation, but never mind that.
Today I really wanted to lay in the sun, sip a pina colada, and read some books. Ha! The harder I try to get skin cancer/a tan, the more it rains, Elseigh sleeps for less than 30 minutes, or I have a truck load of homework!!! I suppose later on I will be grateful for a few less sun spots or wrinkles or skin that needs to be removed.
When my husband leaves for Mexico with the youth group, I have BIG plans! No, really! I'm going to visit a friend in big KC! My to-do list includes shopping, going to parks/museums, the zoo, reading, watching movies, and trying to be social!
I finally saw V for Vendetta. It was interesting. In general I liked it and I understood why my Brit-Lit prof continually referred to it. However, there were some very cheesy and dramatically silly/gory and just plain strange parts. The basis of the film was really good. It reminded me that there is a fine line between the freedom to find the truth for yourself and saying that truth is relative. Whenever we as humans try to impose our own truths and beliefs on others in a forceful manner, we are overstepping our bounds. Rarely does anyone benefit from this. Look at the problems that have sprung from attempts at religious conversion throughout history. Trying to make anyone conform to you precisely will not help them, or you. God has always given man freedom. He gave it to us wholly, otherwise He would have stopped Adam and Eve in the garden. God does not require us to love Him, and it is not my job to require others to share my convictions. However, this does not mean that truth is relative, what's right for you is right for you.
God is not offended by our questions. He is bigger than our fears, our doubts, He can stick up for Himself. He is not insecure, which is at least part of the reason He does not withhold from us the freedom of choice, freedom of will. I think everyone in this world is looking for something and I believe with my whole being that Jesus is that something. However, I can only hope, or even pray, that someday others would reach the same conclusion. If God is real, then He will let you know it. And maybe, just maybe, the life I live (not my instructions, not even the words I speak) might help to show how real He is.
Thanks for listening-
Ashley
Honestly, this is not what I found interesting. The historical aspect of this article was much more interesting than the fact that Mr. "Prez W." had polyps in his colon before becoming our leader. Ha! A lot has changed since 1983, when president Grover Cleveland had surgery on his yacht! The article reports that the vice president was not even aware of it!
Well folks, I promise to let you know the next time I undergo anesthesia. And I must confess, it surprised me to realize that the thought of Cheney stepping in as President for more than just a few hours was terrifying.
Here's the link if you're interested. I'd like to note that my spellcheck indicates that colonoscopy is misspelled. Apparently either the NY Times is at fault, or it's not in this database, imagine that!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/21/washington/21bush.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Where has the summer gone? I'm thrilled to announce that I have only 5 more days of summer school! Essentially that means I must wait one week before I will enjoy nearly 3 weeks of summer. I'm struggling to determine if I should be happy or sad. Fortunately I enjoy school enough that if I can afford to buy some new school supplies, I'll be all set when August 16th rolls around. Ugh. I think.
I've enjoyed my statistics class, at least to the extent that I find math enjoyable. However, my intro to teaching course has been far less purposeful. I only hope that my fall courses are somewhat more relevant to my prospective career. Thankfully, we had to read one book, which is probably the most valuable thing I will take away from the class. I read The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer--- there are certainly some "hokey" parts, as I call them, but overall, Palmer brings up some worthwhile points. I'm unsure as to whether it was truly appropriate for a power point presentation, but never mind that.
Today I really wanted to lay in the sun, sip a pina colada, and read some books. Ha! The harder I try to get skin cancer/a tan, the more it rains, Elseigh sleeps for less than 30 minutes, or I have a truck load of homework!!! I suppose later on I will be grateful for a few less sun spots or wrinkles or skin that needs to be removed.
When my husband leaves for Mexico with the youth group, I have BIG plans! No, really! I'm going to visit a friend in big KC! My to-do list includes shopping, going to parks/museums, the zoo, reading, watching movies, and trying to be social!
I finally saw V for Vendetta. It was interesting. In general I liked it and I understood why my Brit-Lit prof continually referred to it. However, there were some very cheesy and dramatically silly/gory and just plain strange parts. The basis of the film was really good. It reminded me that there is a fine line between the freedom to find the truth for yourself and saying that truth is relative. Whenever we as humans try to impose our own truths and beliefs on others in a forceful manner, we are overstepping our bounds. Rarely does anyone benefit from this. Look at the problems that have sprung from attempts at religious conversion throughout history. Trying to make anyone conform to you precisely will not help them, or you. God has always given man freedom. He gave it to us wholly, otherwise He would have stopped Adam and Eve in the garden. God does not require us to love Him, and it is not my job to require others to share my convictions. However, this does not mean that truth is relative, what's right for you is right for you.
God is not offended by our questions. He is bigger than our fears, our doubts, He can stick up for Himself. He is not insecure, which is at least part of the reason He does not withhold from us the freedom of choice, freedom of will. I think everyone in this world is looking for something and I believe with my whole being that Jesus is that something. However, I can only hope, or even pray, that someday others would reach the same conclusion. If God is real, then He will let you know it. And maybe, just maybe, the life I live (not my instructions, not even the words I speak) might help to show how real He is.
Thanks for listening-
Ashley
6/17/2007
excuse me
I don't exactly have any central theme for today. It's Father's day, but here at my house, it's been a rather strange one. I'm becoming obsessed with finding a new ring tone. I want something fun, but also something positive--- one that people wouldn't mind hearing at the doctor's office or in line at the grocery store, or one that won't embarrass me at school (should I forget to turn off my ringer) or at church. What's the best ring tone you've ever heard? Sometimes the really funny ones are the spoken ones. There's one called "annoying ring" (I think) and it's hilarious!
I read an article in the newspaper today about a young woman who died from anti-inflammatory cream. This isn't exactly new news, but I was saddened by this tragedy. I'm not exactly a distance runner, but I'm working up my mileage little by little, so I was quite surprised by it. Runner's World doesn't talk about it much in their magazine, if at all, so I'm uncertain of the popularity of these drugs. My husband often complains about his legs aching, so my soon to be doctor of physical therapy friend said he needs to drink OJ after he works out! No Bengay for him, phew! OJ smells much better!
Moving right along. Today at church I was feeling pretty emotional, and not the good kind. But, I was desperately trying to let go and give it all to God, which consisted of me praying pretty much throughout the entire service. At the end of the sermon, our pastor said something that really hit home. I know it was said for me, you know those times when God just says something and it hits a chord in your inmost being--- he said that "God doesn't expect us to be perfect, no one's perfect, you're not and I'm not. God only wants us to live a life worthy of Him. " He also said that, as our pastor, his only focus is not how many of us show up on Sundays or if we follow certain regimens, but only if we are living our lives in a manner worthy of God.
It's funny how hearing the truth from other people is so much more remarkable than telling yourself! I'm also constantly overcome by the fact that God is totally about giving us everything we need, not just physically, but even when it comes to women's (characteristically 'petty') emotions. He alone will continue to speak to us the words we need to hear, and I'm so grateful He never tires in the repetition. And I'm thankful that there was a definite purpose in my hearing this "Father's Day" sermon!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding to you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of our house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9
I read an article in the newspaper today about a young woman who died from anti-inflammatory cream. This isn't exactly new news, but I was saddened by this tragedy. I'm not exactly a distance runner, but I'm working up my mileage little by little, so I was quite surprised by it. Runner's World doesn't talk about it much in their magazine, if at all, so I'm uncertain of the popularity of these drugs. My husband often complains about his legs aching, so my soon to be doctor of physical therapy friend said he needs to drink OJ after he works out! No Bengay for him, phew! OJ smells much better!
Moving right along. Today at church I was feeling pretty emotional, and not the good kind. But, I was desperately trying to let go and give it all to God, which consisted of me praying pretty much throughout the entire service. At the end of the sermon, our pastor said something that really hit home. I know it was said for me, you know those times when God just says something and it hits a chord in your inmost being--- he said that "God doesn't expect us to be perfect, no one's perfect, you're not and I'm not. God only wants us to live a life worthy of Him. " He also said that, as our pastor, his only focus is not how many of us show up on Sundays or if we follow certain regimens, but only if we are living our lives in a manner worthy of God.
It's funny how hearing the truth from other people is so much more remarkable than telling yourself! I'm also constantly overcome by the fact that God is totally about giving us everything we need, not just physically, but even when it comes to women's (characteristically 'petty') emotions. He alone will continue to speak to us the words we need to hear, and I'm so grateful He never tires in the repetition. And I'm thankful that there was a definite purpose in my hearing this "Father's Day" sermon!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding to you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of our house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9
6/16/2007
Music to my ears?
Just the other day I decided it had been WAY too long since I had put any new tunes on my ipod. After finding a number of awesome songs, I decided to look through the various genres and the most popular songs within them. To my surprise I found a very catchy song! But will you ever believe me that the entire hip-hop tune is about lip gloss? The beat is great and the lyrics are, well, not going to leave a lasting impression, at least not once you have managed to get the song out of your head again! So, if you haven't heard any of "Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama. Go check it out for a laugh, just make sure you're alone. :)
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