Friends,
I heard this song, which is available on iTunes, on the radio the other day. It's amazingly sung by India.Arie, and the message is one that we cannot hear too often. It's the first song on several of my Ipod playlists already, and I just bought it this week.
Here are the lyrics:
Back when I had a little
I thought that I needed a lot
A little was over rated,
but a lot was a little too complicated
You see, Zero didn't satisfy me
A million didn't make me happy
That's when I learned a lesson
That it's all about your perception
Hey - are you a papa or a superstar
So you act, so you feel, so you are
It ain't about the size of your car
It's about the size of the faith in your heart
(Chorus)
There's hope
It doesn't cost a thing to smile
You don't have to pay to laugh
You better thank God for that
There's hope
(Verse 2):
Off in the back country of Brazil
A met a young brotha that made me feel
That I could accomplish anything.
You see just like me he wanted to sing
He had no windows and no doors
He lived a simple life and was extremely poor
On top of all of that he had no eye sight,
but that didn't keep him from seein' the light
He said, what's it like in the USA,
and all I did was complain
He said-living here is Paradise
He taught me paradise in in your mind
You know that
(Chorus)
(Bridge):
Every time I turn on the T.V. (There's Hope)
Somebody's acting crazy (There's Hope)
If you let it, it will drive you crazy (There's Hope)
but I'm takin' back my power today (There's Hope)
Gas prices they just keep on rising (There's Hope)
The government they keep on lying
but we gotta keep on surviving
Keep living our truth and do the best we can do
(Chorus)
Stand up for your rights
Keep shining your light
And show the world your smile
It's I wanted to share this song with as many people as I can, and this is my best outlet. I hope it has made you smile. :o) I would highly recommend the purchase.
October 27, 2006
October 24, 2006
The Poor, Pitiful Puppy Update
Over the course of the week, Maggie managed to literally break the splint that the vet put on her broken toe last week. Yesterday was our follow-up appointment. We saw a different vet in the practice, which was okay with me.
He cut the splint off and examined it. His quote was "I never would have splinted it anyway. She won't walk on it if it hurts, and it will heal on it's own." He left the decision up to us, and we opted to NOT put another splint on.
Maggie was back to her normal self upon leaving the vet. We're supposed to limit her jump-start running and how rough she is on steps, but we're clear aside from that. She was VERY happy to be out of that thing and spent the evening cleaning up where it was.
That was Monday during a week of evening events for us. We're looking forward to next week, when things will be calm and quiet again.
He cut the splint off and examined it. His quote was "I never would have splinted it anyway. She won't walk on it if it hurts, and it will heal on it's own." He left the decision up to us, and we opted to NOT put another splint on.
Maggie was back to her normal self upon leaving the vet. We're supposed to limit her jump-start running and how rough she is on steps, but we're clear aside from that. She was VERY happy to be out of that thing and spent the evening cleaning up where it was.
That was Monday during a week of evening events for us. We're looking forward to next week, when things will be calm and quiet again.
October 21, 2006
I Saw a Sign
And it opened up my eyes..... no wait! Today at a church we had a Cultural Proficiency Workshop I saw a sign. I don't believe that I have ever see this poem, so I thought I would share. (It was in the kitchen)
I think I will print it and put it up in the kitchen in our office!
GOLDEN RULES
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it.
If you break it, repair it.
If you can't fix it, call someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you use it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it.
If you break it, repair it.
If you can't fix it, call someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you use it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
I think I will print it and put it up in the kitchen in our office!
October 18, 2006
"Hey Mom. Guess who broke her toe?"
I had a great long weekend with my sister, who turned 18 on Saturday. We ate dinner out a LOT more than we usually do, but that's okay to do once in a while. She rode the train up with only a short delay. I think we'll work it that way again in the future.
On Saturday we met up with Jason and Nadia and made the trip up to Grandma's house. Her three sisters have gathered at her house for a week or two. I had not even met two of them! Grandma had the whole spread set out: baked beans, mini-weenies, THREE types of salads, two bowls of chips... you get the picture. And that was LUNCH!
Michelle got a microwave for her birthday, which means that I'm driving her home today instead of dropping her on the Metro to the Amtrak. :o) (why yes, I am the best brother in the world, thank you for asking)
We skipped church on Sunday because Michelle does not get up that early! We did some shopping in the afternoon, and went to J&N's house for dinner. I ended up helping with some plumbing, and annoying Anny by staying later than she wanted to. Oh well. :o)
Monday Michelle and I met Nadia at work and had lunch at the World Bank! Very neat experience. We got to see her fancy office and meet some of her coworkers. It was a nice day!
Then came the reason for the subject of my post "Hey Mom. Guess who broke her toe?" On the other end of the phone my mom is simply saying "Michelle, what did you do?" :o)
But alas, Maggie the dog is the one with a broken toe! She was playing in the backyard on her own Sunday morning and began limping. The earliest appointment I could get was Monday evening. X-ray's confirmed that she has a broken toe in her hind foot. She is not a fan of the cone, and I am only putting it on her as necessary. Here is a picture of her bandaged foot though:
On Saturday we met up with Jason and Nadia and made the trip up to Grandma's house. Her three sisters have gathered at her house for a week or two. I had not even met two of them! Grandma had the whole spread set out: baked beans, mini-weenies, THREE types of salads, two bowls of chips... you get the picture. And that was LUNCH!
Michelle got a microwave for her birthday, which means that I'm driving her home today instead of dropping her on the Metro to the Amtrak. :o) (why yes, I am the best brother in the world, thank you for asking)
We skipped church on Sunday because Michelle does not get up that early! We did some shopping in the afternoon, and went to J&N's house for dinner. I ended up helping with some plumbing, and annoying Anny by staying later than she wanted to. Oh well. :o)
Monday Michelle and I met Nadia at work and had lunch at the World Bank! Very neat experience. We got to see her fancy office and meet some of her coworkers. It was a nice day!
Then came the reason for the subject of my post "Hey Mom. Guess who broke her toe?" On the other end of the phone my mom is simply saying "Michelle, what did you do?" :o)
But alas, Maggie the dog is the one with a broken toe! She was playing in the backyard on her own Sunday morning and began limping. The earliest appointment I could get was Monday evening. X-ray's confirmed that she has a broken toe in her hind foot. She is not a fan of the cone, and I am only putting it on her as necessary. Here is a picture of her bandaged foot though:
Isn't she cute?! She'll get over the annoyance. She does not seem to be in pain, so that's good. I now have to take her back weekly to have it looked at and rewrapped. What fun!
Yesterday I took Michelle back to school. It was a nasty rainy drive, but we got there with no problems. Her dorm room is TINY, which I will now continue to make fun of her for!
Overall we had a great weekend. She'll be up again soon, I hope. I guess we could make the effort and make a trip down there, but don't tell her that!
October 13, 2006
Updating Some Old Posts
So, I feel like I should update on two of the things I posted about back in the spring and summer, and of course include pictures!
Update One: The Pumpkin Patch.
About a year ago we went to a pumpkin carving party, and I brought seeds home to grow pumpkins of my own. Well, we ended up getting four good plants from the seeds. They grew to at least 30 feet long, each, and took over one side of our house. It was great! The whole summer we had lots of flowers that should have become pumpkins, but we only got one. (I found out later that we need bees to do the pollination, and we didn't have any bees until late August)
Here's what I invested my year into making:
Update One: The Pumpkin Patch.
About a year ago we went to a pumpkin carving party, and I brought seeds home to grow pumpkins of my own. Well, we ended up getting four good plants from the seeds. They grew to at least 30 feet long, each, and took over one side of our house. It was great! The whole summer we had lots of flowers that should have become pumpkins, but we only got one. (I found out later that we need bees to do the pollination, and we didn't have any bees until late August)
Here's what I invested my year into making:
Yes, those are coffee mugs, and yes it's on top of our piano. The pumpkin is only about 6 inches wide. It's really cute, but kind of sad. Next year we are going to do more pumpkins, and will make sure that if we don't have bees, we will pollinate with a Q-Tip.
No, we're not going to carve it, but thanks for asking. :o)
Update Two: The Puppy!
We got Maggie in August from my sister, who is visiting me this weekend! It was believed that she is a beagle, but with her growing like she is, we think she is actually an American Foxhound. She's very pretty, and insanely smart. Here are some pictures of her:
And for those who ask about Rusty, here's one last picture. It's of both Rusty and Maggie. This is one of the few times during the day that they are both quiet at the same time, just before bedtime.
And those, my friends, are my updates. This weekend is my 'baby' sisters 18th birthday! She is coming up here from Richmond for a long weekend (Fall Break) I'm sure that I will have some good stories by the end!
October 10, 2006
Three Beautiful Things
Inspired by Three Beautiful Things, which I found on Blogs of Note yesterday, I am going to share Three Beautiful Things from yesterday.
1 - An extremely quiet day in the office. Five of the ten people in our office are on vacation this week! With yesterday being a holiday for most of our churches, my phone rang only three times.
2 - A freshly cut front lawn. Yes, I am the one that had to cut it, but since seven weeks ago we did not have ANY grass in the front yard, literally, having to cut the grass is a great thing!
3 - Puppies Playing. We have had Rusty for four plus years, and have had Maggie for only nine weeks and have been trying to get them to play together nicely. (Maggie does enjoy chomping on Rusty's leg, but Rusty is not a fan of that game) Last night while Anny was on the phone, they were both tugging on the same toy. It's a breakthrough!
And those are the Three Beautiful Things that happened yesterday that I can post about.
1 - An extremely quiet day in the office. Five of the ten people in our office are on vacation this week! With yesterday being a holiday for most of our churches, my phone rang only three times.
2 - A freshly cut front lawn. Yes, I am the one that had to cut it, but since seven weeks ago we did not have ANY grass in the front yard, literally, having to cut the grass is a great thing!
3 - Puppies Playing. We have had Rusty for four plus years, and have had Maggie for only nine weeks and have been trying to get them to play together nicely. (Maggie does enjoy chomping on Rusty's leg, but Rusty is not a fan of that game) Last night while Anny was on the phone, they were both tugging on the same toy. It's a breakthrough!
And those are the Three Beautiful Things that happened yesterday that I can post about.
October 03, 2006
Mr Pringles Apologizes
Okay, I'll have something more substantive to post by the end of the week, trust me.
But for now, if you have 2 1/2 minutes, enjoy the following. It's a spoof of the recent Mel Gibson arrest, though I don't believe he has had such a press conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL4HjBsSLc
(I don't want to continue to embed videos, takes too long to load when you open my blog)
But for now, if you have 2 1/2 minutes, enjoy the following. It's a spoof of the recent Mel Gibson arrest, though I don't believe he has had such a press conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZL4HjBsSLc
(I don't want to continue to embed videos, takes too long to load when you open my blog)
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