Sunday, July 31, 2005

The weekend was fun and I’ll post about it tomorrow. For now, a great old hymn that we sang at church this morning, Beneath the Cross of Jesus.

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
words by Eliz­a­beth C. Cle­phane
music by Fred­er­ick C. Maker, “St. Christ­o­pher”

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet,
O trysting place where Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet!
As to the holy patriarch that wondrous dream was given,
So seems my Savior’s cross to me, a ladder up to heaven.

There lies beneath its shadow but on the further side
The darkness of an awful grave that gapes both deep and wide
And there between us stands the cross two arms outstretched to save
A watchman set to guard the way from that eternal grave.

Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess;
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

I am hitting the road for Harrisonburg this morning. There’s the wedding of a couple at Beau’s church this afternoon. I’m heading down early enough for us to go shopping for a sport coat for Beau. After the wedding we’ll be heading to Wild, Wonderful West-by-God-Virginia to spent the night at his good friends’ farm. I’m looking forward to getting to know them better since they are such good friends of his.

In the meantime, I’m praying that I return home to find that the curtains and carpets of plastic are completely gone. For one thing they’re obstructing air flow and it’s stuffy in the basement despite the AC being on. It’s also getting really humid down here, which it always has been, so I think the dehumidifier unit will need to be set up again.

I spent the last night trying to reorganize some of my stuff. I also caught up on this weeks Big Brother eps. Interesting twists and turns. The people who continue to lie that they didn’t come in with someone they knew were caught in those lies when Julie “revealed” the secret about the partners. So I’ll be interested to see how the group handles that with those two couples. I was cracking up after the eviction, when Julie said we’d go back to the BB house to listen in on their conversation - she had just revealed two secrets - and they were sitting there on those sofas just looking at each other. No talking. Just staring. And those who are not aligned with the new HOH looked concerned. Those who had continued to lie about their partner status looked guilty. Those aligned with the HOH looked smug. And the HOH looked especially smug and I can think of two people who have to know that they’re headed for nomination for eviction.

Hey ya’ll! Blogathon 2005 is coming soon and I plan to participate. Here’s what you need to know ...

The Date: August 6, beginning at 9am ET

How It Works: Bloggers commit to blog for 24 hours (at least one time every 30 minutes for the full 24 hours) to raise money for their charity of choice.

My Charity: International Justice Mission - International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, and oppression.

IJM’s Four-Fold Purpose

How to Sponsor Me: Go here! - you will see my blog listed. If you decide to sponsor my campaign for the charity I have chosen, then please click the link or the graphic above to get to my campaign page. You will need to register to some degree (use an alias if you feel more comfortable with that) in order to make a pledge. Once the ‘thon is over, you will receive an email to remind you to pay the charity directly. I get no money, the Blogathon people get no money - all donations are paid directly to the charities. And don’t forget the tax benefit of your generous gift.

I will give you further details and information as I learn more and as the date gets closer. Also, you can check the sidebar to the right where I have general information posted as well. Thanks to all who plan to help out!

Friday, July 29, 2005

I have been meaning to post about this since it happened and I kept forgetting. Then Laura Ingraham just mentioned a similar incident and I got that reminder I needed.

I arrived at work and as usual needed to use the facilities. So I headed back to the ladies’ room that’s in the training room. I had just opened the door to the training room when a woman came out.

I briefly considered turning around and trying again later because this person has issues. But I bravely continued on into the bathroom…

...and immediately was assaulted by noxious stench that singed my nose hair. And this leads to Rule #1 of Bathroom Etiquette: If you purge solids, always use the provided air freshener. I grabbed the can and spritzed the room liberally.

Then I moved to take care of business and I had a thought pop into my head, so I inspected the sink for signs of use and found none. It was bone dry - no signs of any water, no soap bubbles lingering at the drain, so water drops splashed on the ledge - no sign of wetness at all. Ew.

Rule #2 of Bathroom Etiquette: Always, always, always wash your hands after relieving yourself. Always use hot water. Always use soap.

I have long suspected that this person was lacking in Rule #2 use. Having my suspicions confirmed means that I will never, ever open the doors to leave that area or turn of the lights without use of a towel to protect my newly washed hands. And I have also been using anti-bacterial wipes once I’ve gotten back to my office just to make sure my hands are clean.

Gross, people. Just gross.

I must clarify something.

While there have been times when the replumbing of the house has been disastrous, my posts have been a little bit hyperbolic. It’s to be expected that the house would be in some disarray with a major job like that. Case in point, the basement kitchen was not in fact “destroyed” - on the contrary, when I got home last night it was in very good shape except for the gaping hole in the ceiling. I was able to cook dinner with no problem (black beans and rice with chicken thrown in and foccacia sticks from Best Buns Bread Co. ).

They ended up having to replumb my bathroom entirely (when they originally thought they would not need to) because it wasn’t up to code. That bathroom was put in by the previous owner; we think he did the work himself.

The drywall guy got a lot of the patches done yesterday and will finish that up today.

Mom has a cleaning lady coming in today to clean all of the bathrooms. I think she’ll have someone come in next week to help with the general clean up after the drywall/painting is done. The carpets in someareas are really filthy.

That said, I’m happy it’s almost all done and I look forward to life getting back to normal after this weekend.

Stone Trek - a combination of Star Trek and Flinstones. Tres amusement. Via Alan K. Henderson.

Steve the Llama Butcher isn’t invited to the wedding. Especially after this post. His take on the Hidden Talent quiz is witty.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Your Hidden Talent

You’re super sensitive and easily able to understand situations. You tend to solve complex problems in a flash, without needing a lot of facts. Decision making is easy for you. You have killer intuition. The right path is always clear, and you’re a bit of a visionary.

I suppose. I could have gone with the following today as well:

Your Hidden Talent

You are a great communicator. You have a real way with words. You’re never at a loss to explain what you mean or how you feel. People find it easy to empathize with you, no matter what your situation. When you’re up, you make everyone happy. But when you’re down, everyone suffers.

Via Mark Lee (of Third Day fame)

I talked to my mother a little while ago and she sounded grim when she explained that the entire ceiling in the basement kitchen was removed for the work they needed to do on the pipes into the bathroom down there.

So no cooking for the third night in a row despite the fact that we do have water in the destroyed kitchen.

I have no words, really. I mean, really.

I’m tempted to link to the lawsuit folks and the plumbing company in a long complaining post, because this whole thing is a fiasco and unacceptable, imho.

There are a few updates:

1. I got a call yesterday from the stationary lady - our invitations had arrived and looked beautiful. So Mom picked them up, as well as the announcements, and they do look gorgeous. I’m very pleased with both sets. Now we just need to figure out if we’re going to hire a calligrapher or print the addresses ourselves, but we have time on that one.

2. My mother called the coordinator last night and kind of got the brush off. She was frustrated by that and it doesn’t bode well for a smooth coordination of my wedding when we’re encountering roadblocks this early. They’re minor roadblocks, but still a concern. However, her call got results because I had an email with the answers in my inbox this morning. Way to go, Mom! We got mostly yes answers although the one no is a disappointment. We had wanted to have the guests light sparklers when we leave the reception. I think that because we have had so many visits and issues with the local fire marshal since we moved into the building, they didn’t want to risk his wrath by asking if that was OK. Who knows? So on to Plan B for our departure, which isn’t bad just ordinary; it isn’t fun like the sparklers would have been.

3. All but a handful of the Save the Date packets are in the mail. Nice to have that done. We’re just trying to confirm a few addresses at this point.

4. The restaurant for the rehearsal dinner is booked. I think it’s a good choice (partly because I chose it, of course) because it’s very Virginia, the food and service are excellent, and the location is convenient to the hotel and the church for the out of towners.

5. I still haven’t talked to any florists. I have swapped emails with one florist about setting up an appointment to meet, but no appointment is set yet. I need to call a couple of others to set up appointments. This is the one are where I’m started to feel pressure to get moving.

6. Beau has sort of selected the tuxedoes for the men, but we need to start finalizing those arrangements - getting measurements from the men, reserving the stuff they’ll need, etc.

7. Beau has sort of started looking into honeymoon stuff. He needs to start reserving our flights and the timeshare since that’s a holiday weekend and things will book up quickly. Yes, that’s a hint, my love.

8. We need to reserve the tables and other accessories we’ll need for the reception. Now that we have answers from the church. I think we need some clarification from the caterer on what she’ll be providing, too.

9. Mom ordered (or is in the process of ordering) some of the accessories for the reception. We’re going to have some really pretty things and the cool thing is that since she is buying them, she’ll be able to use them for her business afterward. I think Mom and Dad are considering donating some items to the church as well, which is a nice thing to do.

I’m trying to think of a tenth item and there’s nothing at the moment. Still it’s a long list…

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

I had dinner with ECD after work. I then stopped at the library to pay overdue fees and check out some books. I got home at about 7:30 to find three white vans parked in our driveway with my mother’s car in the neighbors driveway and my father’s car on the street. I parked on the street and came in to find a different level of chaos and still no water. We’re going on 13+ hours with no water at all in the house today.

So I made my way to the basement where I found all of the plumbers working in the utility area and my parents on the sofa watching TV. Bizarre. They told me that they have been assured that all of the plumbing will be finished tonight. Uh huh. Color me skeptical.

“Where will I sleep?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that there is no way I’m sleeping down here if they are down here working. And I am going to bed at my normal time,” I said.

I just got semi-blank looks.

Good grief.

LATER (9:40pm): My father took exception to my “good grief” above. That wasn’t for their non-comment - that was for the general situation.

The plumbers left at about 8:30pm, I think. They did not finish today. Left to do is my bathroom and the main kitchen. All else is done and works properly.

The house is a wreck and smells of copper.

I have had to remove this post because of privacy issues.

For those who saw it - you’re the privileged few.

For those who didn’t - I’m sorry you missed it.

So Beau and I had a great meeting with the folks who will be the church coordinators for the wedding. They took a list of questions and I was told by the wife of the couple going on two weeks ago that she had the answers. She asked how I wanted them - in a phone call or by email - I asked her to email them to me and then I waited a week with no word. So on Monday night I sent a reminder email asking for the information. Still no answer.

There are some questions that we really need answers to because we’re making arrangements on the assumption that we can do all that we want. It’s going to suck if they tell us we can’t do something and we’ve bought something or whatever.

So far there have been three weddings (that I’m aware of) in the new building, but for some reason I think we’re the first one to really push the envelope in terms of our reception in the Great Room. Mom suggested that they’re taking so long to respond on some things because they’re realizing that how they respond to our requests will set precedent for future weddings. I can understand a certain amount of caution, but it’s not like we’re asking for the moon on anything. And we have assured them that we will take care of any extra needs that something may require.

Anyway, I’m mostly frustrated to know that there are answers available that are not being sent to me in a timely manner. How much longer do I wait before I send another nagging email? Because I’m tempted to send another one tonight if I get nothing today.

My parents’ house is being replumbed from stem to stern. It’s all part of a large class action lawsuit under which they qualify for the replacement of PVC with copper piping. It means that they don’t have to pay a dime, but they’re continued sanity is now in question. What was supposed to be a two day repiping of the house is now into Day 6. Oy! Add my move into the house and the chaos is causing a bit of stress with all of us - there’s stuff all over the basement that had to be moved for the plumbers and also the addition of several boxes of my own stuff last weekend.

Anyway, last night’s frustration was that there was only available water on the upper floor, which was fine because we really only need the toilets, sinks, and showers. However, Dad noticed that a couple of toilets were flushing hot water and taps were running backwards as well. But it wasn’t all taps because one toilet and tap ran correctly. So he called the foreman/owner last night at 10pm and complained firmly resulting in a personal visit from the owner this morning for an inspection of the work.

My poor mother is trapped at the house, with no AC because they keep the doors open all day long and a barking dog.

We don’t know when they’ll be done and then the drywall/painting has to be done still. There’s plastic taped up all over the main floor with large holes cut into walls and the ceiling. It’s an utter mess.

I think a long letter to the lawsuit trustees is in order.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Via Robert

To my way of thinking, parents who leave their kids in ovens

cars while they shop should be prosecuted for attempted murder (or in the case where the kids do die, then murder, of course). Unfortunately, I don’t think the threat of prosecution will stop these idiots from continuing to do this, but at least those kids will have some justice.