Well, I'm trying to finish up a section of my thesis to send off to my thesis director. I'm so distracted by so many things. I have dirty dishes in the sink, loud neighbors, loud neighbors' loud dogs, and trying to figure out how to have Christmas with two families. I have an ill family member, teacher evaluations (for me), and filing to do. I have meals to plan, groceries to buy, and dinners to cook. What is funny about all of this is that the one person that keeps me from going insane is also usually the one person that stresses me the most. I honestly believe that it's part of loving someone. No one is perfect so you have to deal with the small annoyances to get to the great person. There are so many cliches that are popping into my head: If you can't beat them, join them; something about lumps in mashed potatoes; I'm only human. Yeah, my mind isn't working very well if you can't tell. That's why I'm writing here for a moment instead of on my thesis. I would hate for writing this cruddy to end up on my thesis.
I had a brilliant moment the other day with my thesis. My dad was able to help me out and find a book that I really needed but could only seem to find in far away cities. Tomorrow I'll have a photocopy of the section I need. I'm really excited to sit down and read it.
I don't have much else to report. I'm excited for Christmas but not excited for having to drive a few hundred miles in a matter of a week. My birthday is also coming up and I have completely forgotten to plan anything. This is fairly common since my birthday is so close to Christmas and New Year.
I should get back to the important writing. It may be cruddy but that's better than blank pages. I might delete this post later. The writing is just horrid.
18 December, 2011
11 October, 2011
On Car Maintanence
Ever since my sister JM got her car, I have enjoyed working on cars. She let me help change oil, change tires, and other little repairs. I say "work on cars" in a very loose way. The most complicated thing I've done was to change the cabin air filter. On my car, this would normally be a five minute job. Oh, but the town I live in doesn't seem to appreciate my Korean-born car. I was smart enough to look-up the part number that I needed and go to the closest car part store. I was a little upset that they didn't have it but I thought, "I'll just go to their other location a couple of miles away." Luckily, I was smart enough to ask an employee if he could check the availability before I left. That particular store doesn't carry the part . . . in any of their stores nation-wide. Yes, it was on the web site but that was only for those who wanted it special ordered. Ha! I wasn't going to fall for that money hole so I set off to go to their competitor.
After checking their telephone book-like guide on proper parts for every car known to man, I began my search on the shelves. Lo and behold, they had none. I did not even bother to ask if another branch had it. I moved to my last resort, my personal hell: the ever-overcrowded Wal-Mart (God help my soul). After looking through their manuals and finding blank spaces for "cabin air filter", I simply asked an employee. No Wal-Mart in the United Freaking States of America has my filter in stock. They do not even do special orders. At this point you must think I own an Opal or a 1969 Mustang *drool*. Nope. I drive a Kia Spectra. It may not be as popular as Honda but it was not specially shipped here just for me.
I ended my search and just went home. I thanked God for online shopping until I actually started shopping. Amazon.com sells two brands of filters that fit my car. One costs twelve dollars but would take a month to arrive. The other costs eighteen but I could get it in a matter of days. I chose the more expensive in hopes that I might get it before the weekend. All in all, I suppose all of the insanity was worth it just to avoid a $55 bill to have a professional do it.
After checking their telephone book-like guide on proper parts for every car known to man, I began my search on the shelves. Lo and behold, they had none. I did not even bother to ask if another branch had it. I moved to my last resort, my personal hell: the ever-overcrowded Wal-Mart (God help my soul). After looking through their manuals and finding blank spaces for "cabin air filter", I simply asked an employee. No Wal-Mart in the United Freaking States of America has my filter in stock. They do not even do special orders. At this point you must think I own an Opal or a 1969 Mustang *drool*. Nope. I drive a Kia Spectra. It may not be as popular as Honda but it was not specially shipped here just for me.
I ended my search and just went home. I thanked God for online shopping until I actually started shopping. Amazon.com sells two brands of filters that fit my car. One costs twelve dollars but would take a month to arrive. The other costs eighteen but I could get it in a matter of days. I chose the more expensive in hopes that I might get it before the weekend. All in all, I suppose all of the insanity was worth it just to avoid a $55 bill to have a professional do it.
 |
| Stop looking so smug. I hate your perfectly white fibers. |
10 October, 2011
A new church
I'm not known to be someone who purposefully goes past her comfort level. This is true with religion and, more specifically, where I attend church services. I have been going to the same type of church my entire life. I was born and raised in one sect of Christianity and have only been to a handful of services for different types of Christianity. As I meet more Christians, my ideas about Christianity have changed slightly. I have realized that all of these different sects of Christianity are not, for the most part, very different from each other. Yes, services can be incredibly varied from church to church but the underlying command never changes: love.
Yesterday was my first time to go to a Sunday service at a church that falls into the same traditions with which my boyfriend grew up knowing. The only things that I found different were the music and the congregation. Some of the music was not what I prefer for Sunday service. However, I did enjoy the challenge to sight sing music with complex melodies. It has been a long time since I have seen a 6/8 time signature. The music wasn't what caught my attention though.
I have never met a group of such outgoing people in a church. It seemed that almost everyone wanted to introduce themselves to us and welcome us personally to their church. No one tried to push us into joining, donating money, or taking part in their ministries. They simply expressed their happiness to meet us and their hope that they would see us again. What actually shocked me was that not a soul found it odd that I was not the same type of Christian as them and that I have no plans of changing that. I learned that this church had Baptists, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Methodists, etc and it didn't matter. My boyfriend and I agreed that these Christians seem to look at our religion in the same light. We may give ourselves different names for what we believe but that's not what matters. In the end, we all were there to praise God, learn how to love, and to support each other. This is a church that seems to have the message right: love God, follow his laws, and love each other. The rest will come along naturally.
Yesterday was my first time to go to a Sunday service at a church that falls into the same traditions with which my boyfriend grew up knowing. The only things that I found different were the music and the congregation. Some of the music was not what I prefer for Sunday service. However, I did enjoy the challenge to sight sing music with complex melodies. It has been a long time since I have seen a 6/8 time signature. The music wasn't what caught my attention though.
I have never met a group of such outgoing people in a church. It seemed that almost everyone wanted to introduce themselves to us and welcome us personally to their church. No one tried to push us into joining, donating money, or taking part in their ministries. They simply expressed their happiness to meet us and their hope that they would see us again. What actually shocked me was that not a soul found it odd that I was not the same type of Christian as them and that I have no plans of changing that. I learned that this church had Baptists, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Methodists, etc and it didn't matter. My boyfriend and I agreed that these Christians seem to look at our religion in the same light. We may give ourselves different names for what we believe but that's not what matters. In the end, we all were there to praise God, learn how to love, and to support each other. This is a church that seems to have the message right: love God, follow his laws, and love each other. The rest will come along naturally.
26 September, 2011
On the Death of Pets
Pets have always been like part of the family for me. It's hard to describe their place but it is definitely there. I cannot explain to people who don't have pets what it feels like when one passes. This animal that you have raised and cared for is suddenly gone. Although they are just furry little creatures they always seem able to burrow their way into my heart. I can have an animal in my life for months or for years but it always hurts when I have to say good-bye. Maybe my problem is that I get too attached too quickly. Then again, I think that it might be my best attribute. I have always seen animals as a beautiful part of our world and it's hard to see part of that beauty leave.
10 September, 2011
Human Drama
I live on a fairly busy one-way street. Every now and then I see car accidents outside of my window. Today was one of those days. My boyfriend shouted at me from across the house that there had been a car accident and one car had flipped and was pinned between the light pole and the car below it. He grabbed his shoes and was leaving when I told him I would call 911. Since he has some medical training, he went straight to the scene. Since I don't have as much control of my emotions when emergencies happen, I went down the street. I stood in the middle of the road and directed traffic away from the accident. About 15 minutes later, a police car drove up and parked across the two lanes of the road. He quickly thanked me and I went back to the house (toward the accident). From my front yard, I searched for my boyfriend in the crowd and saw that he was still assisting people. I then noticed the crowd.
You see, while directing traffic, I noticed a few people on foot walking toward the accident. This is nothing extraordinary because there is a grocery store near there. It wasn't until I was entering my house that I noticed that the same people whom I had assumed were going to the grocery store were standing on the corner staring at the emergency team and the wreck. They had not witnessed the accident. They were not calming down the victims or helping in any way. They were just watching. It makes me feel sick. When I was 10 years old, I was in a car accident with my mom. We were on a busy road early in the evening. I watched as cars in the other lane slowed down to look at me, the totaled minivan, the other car, and, worst of all, my mom being put on a stretcher. I was doing my best to stay composed until my dad arrived. The medics and police were wonderful. The medic who drove the ambulance let me sit in the front seat and chatted with me. However, I couldn't help but see out of the corner of my eye those cars. They weren't trying to pass, they intended to stop and see what had happened.
Why do people think that this is an acceptable response to an accident? Those people they are watching aren't actors. This is a real tragedy in the victims' lives and they want to treat it like a TV show. I hate it.
However, there is a silver lining. My boyfriend just informed me that there were also multiple people who immediately jumped out of their cars to help. A worker from the grocery store jumped into the flipped car without a second's hesitation. Even though the gas tank was leaking and had created a pool under one car, they were under and on the car trying to wrestle out the passengers before the weight of the car injured them further. In the end, there were no fatalities but more than one person will be staying in the hospital today. I just thank God that for all of those people who stop to stare, there are still many that will do everything they can to help.
You see, while directing traffic, I noticed a few people on foot walking toward the accident. This is nothing extraordinary because there is a grocery store near there. It wasn't until I was entering my house that I noticed that the same people whom I had assumed were going to the grocery store were standing on the corner staring at the emergency team and the wreck. They had not witnessed the accident. They were not calming down the victims or helping in any way. They were just watching. It makes me feel sick. When I was 10 years old, I was in a car accident with my mom. We were on a busy road early in the evening. I watched as cars in the other lane slowed down to look at me, the totaled minivan, the other car, and, worst of all, my mom being put on a stretcher. I was doing my best to stay composed until my dad arrived. The medics and police were wonderful. The medic who drove the ambulance let me sit in the front seat and chatted with me. However, I couldn't help but see out of the corner of my eye those cars. They weren't trying to pass, they intended to stop and see what had happened.
Why do people think that this is an acceptable response to an accident? Those people they are watching aren't actors. This is a real tragedy in the victims' lives and they want to treat it like a TV show. I hate it.
However, there is a silver lining. My boyfriend just informed me that there were also multiple people who immediately jumped out of their cars to help. A worker from the grocery store jumped into the flipped car without a second's hesitation. Even though the gas tank was leaking and had created a pool under one car, they were under and on the car trying to wrestle out the passengers before the weight of the car injured them further. In the end, there were no fatalities but more than one person will be staying in the hospital today. I just thank God that for all of those people who stop to stare, there are still many that will do everything they can to help.
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