Terrapin Station

In the still of the night...

while trying not to obsess over the news coverage of Hurricane Gustav...

a meme from Kathryn at Good in Parts, who says:  "Steve, over at Mustard Seed Shavings, invited me to play along with this - and as I'm as busy procrastinating as ever, it seemed like a really good plan. 

Five events and a chance to record the impact they had on you:

(I'm going to replace "Mrs. Thatcher's Resignation on 22 November 1990" with Hurricane Katrina...as I do not recall having paid much attention to Mrs. Thatcher in 1990.  Sorry, but there it is...)

Princess Diana's death - 31 August 1997
I was in Connecticut visiting my friend Terri, with another friend, Christie.  We had known each other in College Station and had all moved on to our next lives that year...Christie was in Washington, DC.  We got together for a long weekend of catching up.  Terri's boyfriend called to say that something terrible had happened to Princess Diana.  For some reason, Terri and I were glued to the TV, deeply saddened, as if it affected us personally, and Christie thought we were nuts (which we were.)

Attack on the twin towers - 11 September 2001
I arrived at work that morning and then-student assistant Amy told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center!  "They think it's terrorism!" she said. 

I remember clearly that nothing made any sense to me about it.  I couldn't think of any World Trade Center besides the one in Dallas...

why would anyone want to attack that? 

I went down the hall to David's office where there was a TV.  The news was on.  My visitors from London were there.  I just sat and stared.  The appointment I'd arranged for the visitors came, and they met with him.  I remember thinking, 'how can you go on with things like that?' I was in total shock.

England's World Cup Semi Final v Germany - 4 July 1990
I have no idea, I recall my roommate passionately watching those games but I'm not a sports fan. 

President Kennedy's Assassination - 22 November 1963
I have no memory of it.  "I weren't here yet."

Hurricane Katrina, August 30, 2005

The impact this had on me?  In one way, none.  No water came into my house.  I was not in danger.  In another way, profound.  It shook my faith in my country and its ability to do the right things and care for its people.  It made the blogging community real in a way it hadn't been before, because I knew people who were there (or who had evacuated from there).  It reminded me to always be grateful for the beauty that comes after pain. 

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch,
or weep this night, and give your angels charge over
those who sleep. 

Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give
rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the
suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and
all for your love’s sake.  Amen.

-BCP

Today

Wash a window

Clean out a drawer

Clear out a space in my head

Empty the recycling

Trim that bush

Clear out a space in my heart

Pick up bowdarks

Arrange at foundation

Listen to the sounds in my ears

Make the bed fresh!

sweep the wood floors

Knit outside with the birds

Edgar Winter

What an incredible show!!!  Here's a little preview article.  No reviews published yet.  Edgar Winter is an amazing musician, clearly with perfect pitch.  His vocal blues runs (scats?) were phenomenal.  He did duets and duels with every instrument on stage. 

Opening act was Rick Derringer.  Who?  He and his first band, The McCoys, recorded "Hang On Sloopy" in 1965.  Yeah, '65.  And he was there, playing it last night. 

I called Brandon's phone during "Frankenstein" so he could hear what he was missing (we invited him to go, but he declined.)  Later I heard his return voice message, "Hey, I think you just pocket dialed me or something...cause there's all this crazy music going on and I can't hear anything else!"  No, that's right, son...you couldn't.  :) 

House of Blues is an excellent venue...just opened in Dallas in 2007.  We'll definitely be going back. 

In the meantime...my ears are still ringing a bit.  I hope to spend a lot of quiet time today letting them recover. 

Tonight...

Ken and I are going with Fabulous Bookkeeper and his Lady to see Edgar Winter at the House of Blues, Dallas. 

Looking forward to a night out! 

Friday Five: Laboring

At Revgals, Singing Owl says:                                                  "Here in the USA we are celebrating the last fling of the good ol' summertime. It is Labor Day weekend, and families are camping, playing in the park, swimming, grilling hotdogs in the backyard, visiting amusement parks and zoos and historical sites and outdoor concerts and whatever else they can find to help them extend summer's sun and play just a little bit longer.

It is supposed to also be a celebration of the working man and woman, the backbone of the American economy, the "salt-of-the-earth neices and nephews of Uncle Sam. With apologies to those in other countries, this is a Friday Five about LABOR. All can play. Put down that hammer, that spoon, that rolling pin, that rake, that pen, that commentary, that lexicon, and let's have some fun.

1. Tell us about the worst job you ever had.   For three years in high school I worked in a silk flower shop every Saturday.  My job was to dust all the glass etageres that held arrangements and containers....every Saturday!  I pushed a shopping cart around the shop and, shelf by shelf, removed every single item, Windexed the glass, replaced the things.  Egads.  And, like everything else I did in HS, I did it in heels.  I must have been insane! 

They were  a sweet and lovely group of ladies, but it was a little bit mind-numbing.  (I certainly do realize that if that's the worst job I ever have, I am darn spoiled.)

2. Tell us about the best job you ever had.  What I do now...helping college students have international education experiences that transform their lives. 

3. Tell us what you would do if you could do absolutely anything (employment related) with no financial or other restrictions.   Do my current work PART TIME because I love it, and be retired the other part of the time...doing yard work, knitting, helping my husband, and volunteering for my church, CASA, etc. 

4. Did you get a break from labor this summer? If so, what was it and if not, what are you gonna do about it?    I took a few short breaks:  mission trip to Cedar Rapids, visited my parents, and a glorious trip to Songbird's cool and misty Maine coast. 

5. What will change regarding your work as summer morphs into fall? Are you anticipating or dreading?  It's changing now: I have my third new boss in 4 years, and we are going full speed ahead! 

Bonus question: For the gals who are mothers, do you have an interesting story about labor and delivery (LOL)? If you are a guy pal, not a mom, or you choose not to answer the above, is there a song, a book, a play, that says "workplace" to you?  This year, the book that says "Workplace" to me is Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees.  It is the center of our "One Book, One Community" initiative.   I had already read it many years ago and love it. 

Whatcha Eatin'? A Meme....

Found at I'm Mad and I Eat:

This is fun, and everybody's doing it. Andrew put together a list of 100 foods he thinks any good omnivore should have tried at least once. Andrew is British, so his list doesn't include some things this Yank might believe to be must-tries.

How the Omnivore's 100 works:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) Optional: Post a comment at Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

My theory is:  I'll try anything once. 

MY OMNIVORE'S 100

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (no cigars, thanks)
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear (does PP jelly count?)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (gin tastes like suicide to me)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (huh?)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab I would never eat it again, yuck!  Crabs are supposed to be out of the shells!
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Little updates everywhere

My parents are getting better...mom had an eye problem last week following her cataract surgery, which turned out to have been caused by eye dryness from her Sjögren's syndrome.   Now woudn't you think the cataract doctor would have checked that out in advance?  Sigh.  In the meantime, my dad took her to the urgent care doctor to get the eye checked out, and on the way out he fainted, fell over, and broke his proximal fibula (aka "the leg bone.")  Man.  So now they are the blind leading the lame, or vice versa.  Fortunately they have lots of friends to support them, and my sister and her family are there. 

It's been a stoppy, starty week.  A random affirmation might help, no?  So I go here and all I can think is, "My lord!  That woman needs to pull her pants up!"  My grandmother lives on....

Next week has a holiday in it, and that's got to be good, right?  Woohoo! 

I am meeting with my two new mentees (new freshmen) and that is very fun. 

And I've been nominated to the board of Canterbury Denton, which is the Episcopal Student Association here for the two local universities.  My time at Canterbury Texas A&M was very formative, and I look forward to helping this important ministry to grow. 

Knitting on the sock is good for the breathing.  I have knit a lot of scarves, but the sock looks like A REAL THING coming out of my hands.  WOW!  That's cool. 

Sock Blogging #3

Hmm.  It really does look better than this.  Also, here's a bobble in here I was hoping to get a close up of, to get opinions on whether I should frog back to it or whether it could just be a "design element."  But the picture is too blurry. 

So, a design element it is!

I love this: just knitting round and round, watching the patterns show up. 

From Oremus daily prayer for today...

in case I forget that God is in the workplace...

 

 

http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/b/b085.html

 

Behold us, Lord, a little space

from daily tasks set free,

and met within thy holy place

to rest awhile with thee.

 

Around us rolls the ceaseless tide

of business, toil, and care;

and scarcely can we turn aside

for one brief hour of prayer.

 

Yet these are not the only walls

wherein thou may'st be sought:

on homeliest work thy blessing falls,

in truth and patience wrought.

 

Thine is the loom, the forge, the mart,

the wealth of land and sea;

the worlds of science and of art,

revealed and ruled by thee.

 

Then let us prove our heavenly birth

in all we do and know;

and claim the kingdom of the earth

for thee, and not thy foe.

 

Work shall be prayer, if all be wrought

as thou wouldst have it done;

and prayer, by thee inspired and taught,

itself with work be one.

 

Words: John Ellerton (1826-1893), 1870

Tune: St. Peter, St. Stephen, St. Flavian

Per the previous post

It's not Good Friday any more

It's more like Holy Saturday now

things are looking up 

thanks for the prayer and encouragement!