It's not Halloween...it's Reformation Day

Celebrate Reformation Day and thank God for using believers to preserve His holy Word.

Ahhhhh

Tapioca Milk Tea...I love you.

Day One

We have started our fall-fundraising campaign, which means that every week day between now and next Friday I will be getting up at 4am to be on the air with the morning crew. Yippee. Can you sense my boundless enthusiasm? Of course the first day is always the worst, especially when you stayed up late the night before to watch your beloved baseball team lose the World Series in a four-game sweep. Doesn't make for happy mornings. But we managed to pull ourselves together and do a rousing four hours of fund-raising and set the pace for the rest of the crews throughout the day. Here's a couple of pictures taken this morning inside the studio.

Baseball Fatigue

I am tired. Sleepy. Grumpy. Generally unpleasant to be around. I suffer from baseball fatigue. Too many late nights filled with hours of excitement followed by severe depression and despair. Don't talk to me, the response won't be pretty.

Astros Fever

I haven't posted regarding the Astros playing in the World Series up to now. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Astros, I LOVE watching baseball and I LOVE the fact that our little hometown team is finally getting some respect. It's just that I felt I didn't really have anything to add or offer in the way comments or observations...until now. I just wanted to preserve this moment for history...today I was in the presence of a World Series ticket. Ahhhhh.

Home Again

For all 12 of you who have been wondering what the heck happened to me and why I haven't been posting, I was out of town on vacation and have just returned to the blogosphere. I went to the exotic Oklahoma City for a whirlwind tour of all the Sooner State has to offer. You're probably thinking any state with a lame nickname like the Sooner State doesn't have much to offer. Au contraire, mon amies. I provide you with a run-down of Le Grande Tour as provided by Katy Dwyer (formerly Ross).

1. The Overholser Mansion ~ an early 20th century mansion preserved with the furniture and belongings of the Overholsers. Only four people ever lived in this home and it has been beautifully preserved and maintained.

2. The OK City Museum of Art ~ featuring a lovely exhibit of late 19th to early 20th century narrative art.

3. Bricktown ~ similar to San Antonio's Riverwalk in concept. Everything is red brick and old or built to look old. Lots of restaurants, shops and fun atmosphere.

4. The Myriad Botanical Gardens ~ lovely grounds and walking trails in the heart of the city.

5. Stillwater, OK ~ home of the charming little campus of Oklahoma State University. Great town square with cute little shops and boutiques. And don't forget Eskimo Joe's! Yes, I got a t-shirt.

6. Tres Suenos Winery ~ this was probably the most fun part of the trip. The winery and vineyard was out in the middle of nowhere down this seemingly endless red dirt road. Once we finally found it, we spent a delightful afternoon learning how the wine is made and then tasting all the different varieties the winery offers. Plus the little old guy running the tasting bar was adorable.

7. Dinner at Nikz ~ a very classy restaurant in OK City. It sits atop an office building and slowly revolves giving a wonderful view of the lights. Perfect dim lighting, clubby feel, jazz music and dance floor, cocktails and outstanding food.

8. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum ~ this place was huge and had artifacts and art from every aspect of the Westward expansion. Lots of native american art and clothing, western art, mythology of the west and portrayals of the west in cinema. Plus a mock-up Old West town, outdoor gardens and sculptures and a large collection of Frederic Remington's art.

Plus we did plenty of shopping in downtown Edmond as well as multiple stops at Starbucks and other coffee shops and strolls and drives through pleasant little neighborhoods and shopping districts. Altogether a relaxing and stimulating trip with a wonderful friend.

My Big Fat Cajun Family

The fact that my family is crazy probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. I am pretty wacky myself, so it's not much of a stretch that my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all have some quirks. But I was reminded of this again over the weekend. During the course of a family birthday celebration many topics of conversation come up. At one point we began discussing the space program. That's when it got crazy. My uncle (the fisherman type) piped up with his conspiracy theory that we've never actually landed on the Moon. Now I know this idea has been circulated before, but he really believes it. He told us his whole theory on why Russia and the U.S. would want to lie about going to the Moon.

Then my grandmother chimed in. She thinks all the hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes have been caused by disruptions in the Earth's atmosphere when the rockets and shuttles go into orbit. So basically, the space program is the root cause of natural disasters. I'm not sure what her response is to the fact that there have always been hurricanes and earthquakes. Maybe she's just concerned that the shuttle is increasing the frequency of such events.

It's conversations like these that make me worry about continuing the genetic line of my family. Maybe God is keeping me single for a reason...a sort of divinely appointed natural selection.

The Results Are In

The wildly successful Dinah blog survey is complete and the results are overwhelming! In the interests of open records and full disclosure I am posting the complete survey questions and responses here.

1. Do you think Dinah should start her own blog?

Absolutely! I can't think of anything I'd rather read than the musings of Dinah!
~ 56.25 percent

Maybe. It depends on how much of the blog will center on Calvinism vs. other tantalizing topics. ~ 37.5 percent

Not so much. I secretly want to be Dinah and plan to assume her identity.
~ 6.25 percent

Other responses:
"It depends on how much of her life will be publicized."
"Unless it's all about Calvinism, I'm not reading it."
"I am for it! What better way to disseminate the truth?"

2. If Dinah starts her own blog what do you think the best title for it would be?

A Day in the Life of a Diva
~ 27.27 percent

Sovereignty. The answer to all your questions.
~ 45.45 percent

Admit it. Dinah spoons your chili.
~ 27.27 percent

Other responses:
"A Warm Cup of Dinah"
"Just for the record..."
"Acid Bath"
"Start your day with a warm cup of Dinah...or with something else that is warm and brown and shouldn't be mentioned. Ask Murray."
"My life is an acid bath"
"I mean really people?"

3. What should Dinah's first blog topic be?

How much she loves her beautiful, talented smart roommate Laurie
~ 18.18 percent (Come on people!!!)

Thoughts on Covenant Theology vs. Dispensationalism
~ 0 percent (crickets chirping)

Columbians and the stereotype of cocaine
~ 81.82 percent (Draw your own conclusions)

Other responses:
"Spelling Colombia"
"The Pros/Cons of Self Haircuts"
"How to make tacos"
"How she came to peace with the fact that she was predestined to have a blog"
"How much she loves her ORIGINAL "sweet" roommate Kristen"

4. What would you be willing to do to get Dinah to start her own blog?

Anything. My life is in her hands.
~ 10 percent

I'll become a Calvinist.
~ 30 percent

I would do the Cabbage Patch dance in the choir loft during Sunday morning service.
~ 60 percent

Other responses:
"Take her sailing in Kemah"
"I would fill out a five question survey"
"What in the hee-haw is the cabbage patch dance?"
"Spend time taking and creating answers on a survey"
"Tell her she's incredibly sweet. Often. Like every day."

5. How satisfied are you with this survey?

Very satisfied
~ 30 percent

Extremely satisfied
~ 20 percent

A couch potato with premium cable and a full refrigerator couldn't be any more satisifed
~ 50 percent

Other responses:
"I'll only be satisified if its purposes are realized"
"Horrible interface"
"A couch potato with premium cable, a full refrigerator and Dinah couldn't be any more satisfied"
"Does this mean that there are no more questions? :("
"More satisfied than a washed-up supermodel after a round of Botox injections"

There's Nothing Like A Good Compliment

Today I am wearing a black and white ensemble. Black dress slacks, black tank top, black heels, white sweater shrug over the tank top and white pearl earrings. So I walk into the newsroom this morning and take about five steps when one of my co-workers turns around, takes one look at me and says "Good morning. You're looking remarkably like a penguin today." Ahhh, nothing makes a girl feel better than a comment like that.

Another journalism coup

Folks one day you will be able to say "I knew Laurie when...". That's right, I have hit the big-time. I have landed another huge interview and come out standing taller (at least a quarter inch) and stronger. Let me break it down for you. Yesterday I went to the Texas Medical Center where one of the educational institutions is making room for faculty and students from Tulane Medical School. Tulane has been displaced because of Hurricane Katrina, so they have relocated to Houston and are starting their classes here. I interviewed the dean of the school along with one of the students, and then I was escorted right in to the motherlode of medical interviews...a half-hour, one-on-one, sit-down interview with Dr. Michael DeBakey!

This man is truly a living legend. He pioneered open heart surgery, heart transplants, bypass surgery and vein replacement. He is responsible for the formation of Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (M.A.S.H.). He invented the roller pump which led to the development of the heart-lung pump which makes open heart surgery possible. He has served as medical advisor to every U.S. president since Harry Truman. He personally supervised Boris Yeltsin's quadruple bypass. His career has spanned more than 70 years, he is 97 years old and still actively involved in cardiovascular research.

And to top it all off, it is almost impossible to get an interview with him! Several years ago my boss tried to interview Dr. DeBakey for a series he was producing about Legends of the Texas Medical Center. It took more than a year for my boss to get access to the interview. But your little teapot reporter here managed it in under 24 hours. Not that I'm bragging or anything...;)