Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Meet Harper

Check out this article. It's likely the only article you'll read containing an interview with Harper Lee. Ms. Lee, with only one published book to her name, is one of the most important authors in American history. She won the Pulitzer Prize for To Kill A Mockingbird. This is my favorite graf from the article.

"Ms. Lee lives with her 94-year-old sister, Alice, a lawyer who still practices, and keeps an apartment in New York. She is not a judge in the essay contest, nor does she make any formal statement at the ceremony. Her one stipulation for the contest was that children who were home-schooled be eligible to compete."

Priceless. The whole article makes me smile.

TeleSermon

This morning my office phone rang and I answered it to hear a recorded greeting. I was about to hang up, but stopped when the recorded voice launched into a sermon over the phone! This guy started talking about how we so often look for God to show up in ways that we want or expect. He said we should not look for Him to come in a particular way, but we should still look for Him. Then he started reading from Galatians! It was so cool! Unfortunately I had to hang up because I was in the midst of editing something...I really wish I was able to hear the rest of what he was going to say and whether he presented the gospel. Maybe the recording will call back...:)

Friday, January 27, 2006

On My Plate

James Blunt again. Seriously, check out his album Back to Bedlam. So good. Today's song is "No Bravery." Before Blunt became a professional musician, he served in the armed forces in Her Majesty's Army. Part of his service included time as a recon officer in Kosovo in 1999. "No Bravery" is the only complete song he wrote while in Kosovo. Blunt kept his guitar strapped to the outside of his tank and wrote the lyrics of the song during his down time.

No Bravery ~ James Blunt

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes any more.
Only sadness.

Houses burnt beyond repair.
The smell of death is in the air.
A woman weeping in despair says,
"He has been here."
Tracer lighting up the sky.
It's another family's turn to die.
A child afraid to even cry out says,
"He has been here."

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes any more.
Only sadness

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why
He has been here.
Old men kneel and accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate.
Yes, he has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes any more.
Only sadness.

Reason # 137 Why I Love My Job

All day long we get press releases via mail, fax and email. One just popped into my inbox and reminded me why my job is so great. The subject line says "BELLYDANCE SUPERSTARS~Houston." It's a promo for an event featuring this "internationally renowned bellydance troupe." This email is not a joke and is not spam...they are serious.

Greatness.

Dreamweaver

Those of you who know me well know that I have some odd dreams. Some of them I take seriously (Travis, where is Travis??!!). Some of them don't really mean anything (Sam, give us that house back!). Today I got an email from a dear friend. The subject line was "worst dream ever." The dream was about me. Here's the transcription of the email.

"I had a dream last night that we were all going on a trip somewhere on Southwest. Our plane got delayed so we all waited around, but you snuck onto an earlier flight. We watched it take off and then all of the cargo dumped out of the bottom of it. It fell several hundred feet and we thought it was going to crash. It regained speed, but then fell straight down and crashed. It was horrible. We had grief meetings all afternoon."

My friend told me the dream was so real that she woke up and started crying. There's no way to answer if this dream "means" anything or not. We've been studying the book of Daniel in Sunday School and we know that no man can know or interpret dreams, only God can do this. But I don't discount the importance of dreams. At the very least, dreams often reveal to us our deepest fears, desires and faults. Does it concern me that my friend dreamed of my death? No. I am secure in my Savior and have no cause to fear death. Death has no sting! But it does remind me that I should never take a day for granted. I don't know what this day will result in and I don't know when the Lord will choose to call me to Himself.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Tell Me Why

I've been meaning to post this link for some time. You simply have to check out the Asian Backstreet Boys. Most of you have probably seen their original hit on Google Video, but this includes their complete collection. Be sure to check out videos 4 & 6. I can't wait until they releasse their album in the U.S.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Coming to Theaters


Bet you didn't know I'm a movie star as well as a famous radio personality. If you'd like an autograph I'll connect you with my agent Scott Sumners, he has the glossies ready for my signature.

Geico for your Mo-nay...

I took my car into the shop today and met up with the Geico insurance adjustor. Ummm, he was really cute. When he walked out to the car and saw the damage he looked at me and said "They hit you really hard, you didn't get hurt did you?!" I suddenly found myself wishing I had been slightly injured. Something minor, a little neck pain or, even better, some bruising. No such luck. Sigh.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Copycat


Apparently I have to do everything my director does. I'm taking my car in to the body shop tomorrow after being involved in a minor accident last week. I'm looking forward to finding out what kind of rental car I'll get. :) For the record, the accident wasn't my fault. I was parked in a parking spot, completely stationary...not even in the car at the time. One week and $1,000 later we should be back to normal.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

The Way I See It

So most everyone knows about the little quotes found on Starbucks cups. I had to be at work at 6am today, so I made sure to swing by International Starbucks on my way in to the office. Of course, I was still half alseep when I got my coffee, but on my drive in I glanced at the quotes on the cup. This quote is PERFECT for me! It exactly sums up what I have tried to convey to many people.

The Way I See It #49
Baking may be regarded as a science, but it's the chemistry between the ingredients and the cook that gives desserts life. Baking is done out of love, to share with family and friends, to see them smile.

For all of you who partake of my baked goods...that is exactly how I feel about baking. :)

Friday, January 20, 2006

News Flash

For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting this news...I will be anchoring live tomorrow morning. You can tune in to 88.7FM any time between 6am and 11am and chances are, if you stick around for 15-20 minutes, you will hear moi! I'll try to throw a shoutout or two...;)

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Confessions

If you read the title of this post and immediately thought of Usher...you are my new best friend.

So I got this piece of mail yesterday. It was from DSW. That's the Discount Shoe Warehouse for those of you who aren't in the know. I opened it up and out came a $25 gift certificate. Sweet! But what's the catch? I proceeded to read the enclosed letter. I'll transcribe it for my 2.7 readers.

"Dear Laurie,
It really does pay to love shoes! We're sending this Reward Your Style certificate because you spent $250 at DSW."

I did what?!? Yes, that's right folks. It appears that over the past year, I spent $250 on shoes. Granted there was a pair of black leather boots that counted for about $60 of that total...but that's still a whole lotta money to spend on shoes. In one year. Oh, and let me not forget to confess that I have purchased shoes at stores other than DSW as well. Which puts me in the $300 range. Maybe more. But let's look at the bright side. That works out to a mere $25 per month. And may I remind you that my shoes are frequently the subject of much conversation, compliments and admiration in various circles.

So really my shoe indulgence is a good thing. It brings joy and happiness to so many. Numerous women have been inspired to expand their shoe horizons because of me. Even guys have benefited. One male friend has commented on my "sassy" shoes in the past. Others have been able to explore the intricacies of the female psyche as prompted by discussions of the delight of cute shoes.

So I spent $250 on shoes last year. Just doing my part for this little corner of the world. You can all thank me later.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Mr. Right

I think I've found him.

Glued to the Screen

There is one thing that will draw people to the tube like no other. One thing that holds everyone spellbound around the tv, regardless of race, creed, color or religion. One thing that has the power to promote world peace through the unifying properties of mesmerizing images. I speak of the car chase.

It is a beautiful thing, the car chase. No one can resist the allure. No one can refuse to take part in the great human tragedy played out before our very eyes. There is no turning away. There is no changing of channels. There is no walking back to one's desk and waiting until later to find out what happened. Oh no. The car chase reigns supreme.

Thank you Mr. Fugitive Man, for making this day the Day of the Car Chase. We salute you.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Deception


I was at Target yesterday and was involved in a fiasco which I won't bore you with here. Suffice it to say I found several items to purchase and left with none of them out of sheer principle. While I was shopping I noticed an Issac Mizrahi skirt on display. The skirt was designed to look like a plank of wood. The spirals of wood grain are printed onto the fabric. This picture doesn't do it justice, but up close and in person it was quite evident. Ladies, do not be deceived! Just because Issac himself designed this thing does not mean it was a good idea! A word of caution, if you wear this you will end up looking less like a willow and more like a coffee table. The general impression will not be one of natural beauty, but one of tongue and groove flooring. Don't do it! Don't fall prey to the numbing power of the designer allure of Target! If you already bought the skirt, take it back! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Google is Your Friend

This is one of the funniest commercials I have ever seen. Make sure to pay attention to the details.

On My Plate

In today's episode of On My Plate we'll be discussing what is on my...umm...plate. Go figure. This morning I had the unavoidable urge to support local businesses by opting for a coffee at the Java Cup around the corner instead of the Starbucks where everyone knows my name. Every once in a while I like to pretend that I am a bleeding-heart, tree-hugging, sustainable crops, locally-grown only type. I may not wear Birkenstocks, but by golly I want to stick it to The Man! Sometimes.

I digress.

As I was saying, this morning I purchased a cup of coffee from Java Cup. As I stood near the register, a lovely little croissant beckoned to me. "I'll take a croissant as well," I casually said to the barista. I paid for my breakfast, walked to my car and took a sip. Hmmm, not great coffee. Not bad, but not great. Oh well. Now for a bite of croissant. That's cwuh-sahn for those of you who have never been to Europe. Ok, back to the bite. As my teeth sunk into the flaky goodness I was startled to realize this could be the best croissant I have ever tasted...ever. It was just the right balance of soft to chewy to flaky. It was just the right shade of golden-brown. It was brushed with a light egg wash with just a touch, nay, an essence of honey. I wasn't expecting that. The honey flavor was so subtle as to be almost undetectable. Almost, but not quite. This was, quite literally, the perfect croissant. Woe to you, oh purveyors of corporate croissants! Woe to you, mindless supporters of The Man! Fie upon your tasteless, greasy croissants!

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Blog Proposals



If Kirk has rings to throw around here is a picture of the one I want...

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Feeding the Beast

Today I am reminded of one of my earliest entries regarding the nature of blogs. My hypothesis was that the people who actively write and maintain blogs must be extremely self-absorbed. I realize I lump myself into this category. Of course, I was being somewhat facetious at the time. But today I realized how true it may be (at least in my case). You see, I was greatly concerned all day long because I couldn't think of anything good to blog about. This led to dismay at the thought that my faithful 2.7 readers would be disappointed by the lack of new material. Which further led to the idea that, horror of horrors, my readership might decline because there is nothing on here to keep people coming back for more. You see how sick I am really am. Then to further compound my illness, I decided to blog about it.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

On My Plate

In this episode of "On My Plate" we''re discussing what I have been listening to. I can only take so much Queen and Eiffel65, so I had to burn a few CDs off of iTunes. I am currently fixated on James Blunt. His album "Back to Bedlam" is fascinating. He has an incredibly distinct voice and is a lyrically complex writer. His album is #2 on iTunes, but I like to pat myself on the back because I loved him before he was popular and well-known. :} My favorite song on the album is Goodbye My Lover.

...
Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right,
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over, but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.

You touched my heart, you touched my soul; you changed my life and all my goals.
Love is blind and that I knew well, my heart is blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your head; shared you dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell, I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend;
You have been the one,
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer and when I wake you can't break my spirit, it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me, remember us and all we used to be.
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile; I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child, I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine, we've had our doubts but now we're fine
And I love you, I swear that's true. I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend;
You have been the one,
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine, in mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bare my soul in time when I'm kneeling at your feet.

Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend;
You have been the one,
You have been the one for me.

I'm so hollow. I'm so hollow. I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

Priceless...?

Did you know that text messages can demonstrate the depths of someone's affection for you? I offer the following two emails as evidence.

From Troy: "You weren't supposed to respond to my text message! You can pay me the $0.10 at Prayer and Praise tonight."

From Tim: "I think we exchanged about 5 text messages last night.
So, I just wanted to point out that means I care about you 40 cents more than Troy does (since his limit is a dime)."

Friday, January 06, 2006

This is for you, Kirkie-pooh


Kirk is my favorite lurker. He reads my blog frequently and keeps up to date on all my posts...but you would never know it. He has NEVER posted a comment. He refuses to bookmark the site on his computer. Sometimes in public he acts like he doesn't know about my blog, or pretends that he isn't an avid QQ reader. But it's enough for me to simply know that he's there. Plus every once in a while he lets slip that he really is up on the blog news. In fact yesterday he called me out because I didn't blog about something that I promised him I would blog about. I'm still not blogging about that topic, mainly because neither one of us can remember what it was. :}

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Life in These United States

Anyone ever pick up the Reader's Digest? I used to LOVE that thing. When I was about 13, my uncle got me a subscription to it for Christmas and I would read it cover to cover. My favorite parts were the joke sections. I especially liked their titles; "Humor in Uniform", "All in a Day's Work" etc. Hence the title of this post, because the anecdote I am about to tell would fit well into that section.

I was riding an elevator the other day, just minding my own business. It stopped and a guy talking on a cell phone got on with me. He was talking rather loudly to a woman (I could hear her voice), just chatting about various things. He glanced at me, paused, then loudly told the woman "Oh my gosh, I just got on the elevator and there's this girl in here who is wearing the same sweater that Richard bought you for Christmas. Your sweater is white and her's is red, but it is the same exact sweater." The doors opened, he walked off and winked at me from the side and the last thing I heard was him saying "She looks cute in it too."

Needless to say, I exited the elevator feeling quite good about myself. :)

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

On my plate

I've been reading a lot lately, thanks to a wondeful two-week break. Just thought I'd share some of what I've consumed in the way of literature.

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
It's the story of a young woman who grows up in Chile and follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush. Great for the historical context and vivid imagery of the untamed West. Not so great for the value of the overall story and the maturation process of the characters. I give it a 5 on a 1-10 scale.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
A complex story about a boy who grows up in Afghanistan prior to the Russian takeover and control of the Taliban. This is a beautifully written book. It delves into the psyche of children, the importance of father/son relationships, the ravages of war, the horrors of sadism, the hope of freedom and the overall reality of suffering as a normal part of life. There are graphic descriptions in this book that are difficult to read, especially for the squeamish. However, I highly recommend this book; it is a must-read. I give it a 9.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Unlike many of Lewis' works, this is very easy to read. It explores the ideas of heaven and hell. Lewis says to participate in Heaven, humans must relinquish every souvenir of Hell. I don't agree with all of his theology, but he offers some interesting perspective and thought-provoking ideas. This is written in fiction form as the dream of a young man. It scores a 6, points being taken off for faulty theology.

I am currently reading The Problem of Pain, also by Lewis. Will let you know what I think.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Who God Is

Last night I spent some time with friends and other believers and prayer and intercession for a friend. Much of the prayer time and scripture reading was focused on the nature and character of God. Essentially, who He is. I was meditating on that last night and this morning and remembered a beautiful song that worships who he is.

He Is

In Genesis, He's the Breath of Life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our High Priest
Numbers, the Fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice
In Joshua, He is salvation's choice

Judges, Law-Giver
In Ruth, the Kinsman-Redeemer
First and Second Samuel, our Trusted Prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He's Sovereign
Ezra, true and faithful Scribe
Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of broken walls and lives

In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless Redeemer
In Psalms, He is our Morning Song
In Proverbs, Wisdom's cry
Ecclesiastes, the Time and Season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream

He Is! He Is! He Is!

In Isaiah, He's the Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekial, He's the call from sin
In Daniel, the Stranger in the fire
In Hosea, He is forever faithful

In Joel, He's the Spirit's power
In Amos, the arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He is the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He's the great Missionary
In Micah, the promise of peace
In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zachariah, our Fountain
In Malachi, He's the Son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

He Is! He Is! He Is!

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven
In Romans, He's the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love
In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure

Philippians, the Servant's heart
In Colossians, He's the Godhead Trinity
Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon, He's our Mediator and our faithful Pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting Covenant
In James, the One who heals the sick

In First and Second Peter, He is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He's the Lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

The Prince of Peace
The Son of Man
The Lamb of God
The Great I AM!
He's the Alpha and Omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord and when time is no more
He Is!

Monday, January 02, 2006

Happy New Year!

It seems that in the span of one short weekend there are so many things to blog about. I can't even organize them in my thoughts right now, they're all running together. But there are three things at the forefront of my mind that I will attempt to flesh out.

1. This is the easy one, my iPod play list. I promised I would fill you in on the details of all my free music. You'll be jealous when you hear that the Apple Genius Dude loaded me up with TWO albums worth of...Queen: The Greatest Hits I & II. Oh yeah. There's also a full album of Eiffel65...their big hit was that one that went "I'm Blue, da-ba-dee, da-ba-die, da-ba-dee, da-ba-die...". You get the idea. There's also quite a bit of Oasis (not bad) and the Franz Ferdinand album (which is quite good). But the kicker goes to Chariots of Fire, the workout version. Now I LOVE the theme music to Chariots of Fire. But this one is set to a fast techno beat, so you can do your step aerobics to the classic runner's theme song. I'm am all about a diverse and eclectic taste in music...but seriously.

2. The fullness of Christ is in us. That was the message preached yesterday by our Pastor Emeritus Dr. John Bisagno. It was a rousing and impassioned sermon taught by a man who has lived a life of exhortation and evangelism and led one of Houston's largest congregations to be a church focused on spreading the glory and name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Bisagno taught from Col. 2:9-10. The message was simple, but so powerful. All of the fullness of the Deity dwells in Christ in bodily form. And the fullness of Christ dwells in the hearts of believers. Therefore, the fullness of God Himself is in me! I, Laurie, have the sufficiency and complete wholeness of Christ within me. I am insuffienct, but God is not. I am incomplete, but God is not. If the very nature of God is within me, then though my flesh is inadequate to the task before me, my spirit has every power and authority. What freedom there is in that message! Think on it. Meditate on the wonders of Christ within you!

3. I love my "family". After a couple of weeks off and only sporadic interaction with my friends, this weekend was filled with fellowship and hanging out with the gang. Last night I was in the midst of some of my favorite people. A group of believers who have become my family. I love them dearly and was reminded of that as I sat among them and listened to the laughter and banter. I was reminded of how important they are to me. This group encourages me. They make fun of me when I need to be brought down from my high horse. They verbalize to me how important I am to them. They encourage me in my ministry and in my personal life. They spur me on to love and good deeds. They bring out the best (and the worst ;) in me. Some of them push my buttons. Some of them pat me like I'm the family pet. Some of them do everything they can to lift me up as a Daughter of God. Each of them loves me. To my family: "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."