The Comfort of Thunderstorms

So, it's raining right now in Conroe. One of those nice-sounding thunderstorms that you get quite often in Oklahoma or Arkansas. I haven't heard a nice thunderstorm in a long time, so I'm feeling more at home now than I have so far. I really like thunderstorms. There's something about being inside a nice, safe, cosy building while the weather is black outside. It's perfect weather for snuggling up in a favorite sweater and doing nothing. It also reminds me of Octobers in Oklahoma when I was in elementary school. The classrooms in my schools were old, with real hardwood floors and chalkboards (complete with dusty erasers and chalkdust!), and they were always smelling of school smells and felt warm and dry and safe. That's how I feel during dark thunderstorms. Safe and young. I feel the hot heat coming from the old-fashioned (and probably original) steam radiator against the wall under the brand-new windows; I see myself reading SRA folders and getting ahead in the literal reading rainbow; I smell the papery smell of math workbooks and phonics workbooks, and spelling tests being handed back with great red numbers at the top of each page. I see my wonderful smiling teacher sitting at her desk, looking as glad as I am that it's a rainy day, and therefore quiet and dull and sleepy. The classes will stay inside for recess today, and watch movies in the auditorium, which also has a hardwood stage, but carpet on the main floor. There are also old wooden folding chairs that stand against the wall during the school day, but come down and make two seating sections whenever there is a program being performed. After the movie recess, we will go back to our warm, safe, dry classroom and continue doing quiet work while the rain splatters against the new windows and the thunder rolls by, and the lightning taking our picture.

Doughnuts for Breakfast!

Yum! And a "mocha". We finally got more hot chocolate mix here at work, so I've made my usual concoction of hot chocolate with a splash of coffee and called it a mocha. My "boss" thinks it's crazy, but I think it's yummy.

Anyway, I know I forgot to post earlier like I said I would, so I'm neglecting my work for just a moment to say good morning and hello to you all. :o) I bought a dozen doughnuts from Kroger just before I got to work, and I have two at my desk waiting to be devoured. Work has been okay this week - Monday was kinda slow, but yesterday I got some more spreadsheet stuff to work on, and most of the filing has been "successful". And of course this morning I'm chipper as a chipmunk and ready to go! It's not often that I'm this happy to start off the workday. Maybe it's because I got to sleep until 7:00... Until next time.

At work - more to come later.

Just a note to myself so I'll remember to post something later on this evening... Work, school, dreams, career, whatever.

Controversy or Not?

Okay, I don't know how many people actually read my blog, and I don't how many of those people have actually been to and enjoyed a good church service, but that's how I feel right now. Yes, that's right; after watching a new episode of "Law & Order" (which they said was going to be controversial), I have a happy, nice, pleasant, warm, living feeling right in the middle of my chest, where my ribcage makes its seam.

Funny thing about the Law & Order episode: I didn't find anything to be controversial about! It was about a researcher trying to find markers for the "gay gene", and a comatose pregnant woman whose family was about to abort her baby after finding out the baby had the marker (supposedly inherited from the gay uncle, who seemed to be a really nice guy)... Anyway, I just thought it was cool how science always brings us a little bit closer to seeing how God really works.

*Note* I guess I should say that in the beginning of the episode, the detectives interviewed a Christian guy who had made a death threat against the researcher in the past. But the Christian guy said that people may be born with a "gay gene", but there are other people who are born with tendencies to addiction, etc., and that to him it was still a matter of choosing to do what's right - not to just give up because you do have a struggle.

I've been saying that for years! I firmly believe that people are born gay (and that others may choose to be gay), and I firmly believe that people are born liars (like myself), thieves, addicts, alcoholics (how many of you have heard someone say that runs in their family?), etc... I think God makes us perfectly (notice I didn't say "perfect") and that He intends for us all to have some kind of struggle or another, and through those struggles we learn to seek Him and cling to Him and overcome our trials, and that's how we give Him the glory for giving us the strength to beat Satan's temptations.

Whew!! What a mouthful! Anyway, I was feeling the Spirit (I don't know what else that warm living feeling could be) and had to be joyful. May God bless you as you go through your life, and may you find His strength in every little thing, whether the struggle was born in you or not.

A short trip down memory lane

Well, tonight we had school lunch for supper. No, really. It tasted just like school lunch! We had chili (a new recipe I got out of a box) and cornbread. And 2% milk. The chili had just enough kick to make you need three pieces of cornbread - with butter - and two little cartons of milk. But we didn't have cartons; we had glasses. And mine was iced. mmmm....

Anyway, I was inspired to sign in tonight because of my good friend Jana and all her funny little posts. She's just the right amount of saneness and neurosis. And she brings out the imagination in me. Or rather, she makes me feel that it's okay to still have my imagination when I am such a "great girl of twenty-six". So here's to you, Jana. And to that angel-covered notebook you gave me for Christmas long ago. I had tried so hard to write something creative and "meaningful" on your card, but your simple "Write your heart out" put my many words to shame. And then I knew that it was best to just be me, and not to try to be you anymore. :o) So thank you, friend, for... everything.

Okay, enough sappiness. I always wax poetic when I'm feeling homesick or nostalgic, which happens often when I see pictures or posts online of old friends. Then I always feel that I have to jump back to being silly again before too many people see the mushy side. I don't mind that people see my mushy side; I'm just always afraid that they will mind seeing it.

I cried today. I was stressing out about this thing at work, and I had no idea how I was going to do it (think Excel 2003 and multiple cell references and writing your own formulas), and I was very unhappy. But I brought some of it home with me, and Jon fixed everything. At first I was so happy about it that I got butterflies in my throat! I got all wiggly and giggly inside, and I didn't know what to do! So I laughed, and then I said "Thank you", and then I cried. And then we made cornbread.

The End.