Week-End

Friday I must have taken a nap when I got home, but I did volunteer at the library for a bit. That evening, though, there was the last play of my subscription at the Old Globe: "A Room With a View". Got there rather early, so I did a big bunch of reading in Maisie Dobbs, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. Had a cup of hot chocolate too. Mmm. I thought the play was a bit overdone... a pair of ushers who took the empty seats next to me talked about how it was a little shocking to see this serious play in musical format... and I agree. I really liked the supporting actors, but I really couldn't stand one of the main characters very much at all. He looked and acted like he was a 1960's revolutionary, while in fact, it was Italy and England in 1908. But, enough about that.

Had leftover hash for breakfast on Saturday, along with scrambled eggs and juice. Went to the library again, and when I walked in the back room, the Director of the San Diego Public Libraries was with Christine... and I was introduced, got to shake her hand, and was thanked by her. :) Wow! I merely re-shelved the audiobooks, VHS and over-sized DVD like normal, until closing at 2:30.

After a long while of goofing around in my room, I again had an evening out: a ticket to see "The Mark of Zorro" (1920, Fairbanks) at Symphony Hall, accompanied by the same Russ Peck on the pipe organ that played at "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" last year. I got two little $1 bags of popcorn for the epic masterpiece... I loved the film so much! It was fantastic, especially the stunts! There were lots of things in it that reminded me directly of the Disney version I'm so used to. The audience was encouraged to make noise in response to who was on screen, and boy did people get into it. It was a packed house, as this was the only performance. There was lots of laughter too... especially loved it when the woman Don Diego was supposed to woo left from a first meeting with him and told her mother "That man is a fish!" LOL! Fairbanks really played up the difference in his dual roles.

I was so elated at the end I figured I didn't want to just go home. So I took the opportunity to drive out to the beach on Coronado to see if I could find any of the spawning grunions, as was brought to my attention by a reader of my blogs. And I did see a couple! Which was amazing, given it was the first hour of the first weekend. I think I'll do it again (planned like) during the observation-only months.

Sunday I was slightly late to church again. The sermon was good (about Paul and Ananias in Acts 9), and although I was horribly tired (I stayed up way too late, falling asleep with Maisie Dobbs until I was practically finished). There were hot dogs and mac n' cheese afterwords, and then I went right home for a long nap. Watched "The Benny Goodman Story" when I woke up, and when it was over it was time to go to small group already! It threw me for a loop because it was still light out... and I've never gone to small group when it was light out! Goodness! I could see the street signs! We had a lovely meeting... just the five of us (and 3 yr old Titus) like normal. Finished up the second to last section in "The Naked Gospel" and I enjoyed it very much... especially that talk about how we don't need to "put God first" in our lives. As if we could rank Him on a list... He is the list; He makes up a Christian's entire life. This thought was very freeing to me... very good to hear.

So, all in all I would call it an outstanding weekend. Thank the Lord!

Jw

Suddenly Active

Coming home from school today I was just a bit frazzled. I was very tired... mostly physically tired, but also tired of the power-points and the people. We've just started our sixth week, and we've got ten more to go after that. Yay.

So after snacking on some lunch, I watched the first DVD of astronomy (creation/evolution debate) about the planets that my parents sent me. Lots of interesting facts about the planets and their moons... and how all evolutionary theories about origins (requiring billions of years) come up hallow when looking at the conditions of the solar system. Biggest problems lie in planet's magnetism, young appearance, presence of certain substances and physical attributes. It went over facts about each planet and all the main moons... and wow, what pictures. One of the things I love most about the solar system is the total solar eclipse. How our moon would be positioned perfectly to block out the sun, just so we could see and study the sun's corona. Think for a moment about the chances of that happening without planning. Talk about a witness in the sky! It felt wonderful to think about something other than myself and my own situation for a while.

Then I took a three-hour nap. Boy, do I feel better... and I hope I can sleep again tonight. When I got up, my brand new German lessons from Rosetta Stone had arrived. So I set it up and did the first lesson. While loading, I read more in Starship Troopers, finishing a chapter (it's right when he makes it "over the hump" in boot camp - a meaningful moment). And I listened to the entire book of Romans while blogging about the weekend (that I'd been too tired to worry about before).

So, gosh... I'm feeling much better. And I opened that sweet Jacquie Lawson valentine from my Darling... Friday can't come fast enough.

Jw

Ready for a Weekend Nap

Everything is quiet now. I'm sitting comfortably in one of the soft armchairs in the kitchen/dining room. Spiffy is laid out at the top of the stairs and all I can hear is the clock ticking away seconds. At lunch this noon I took in "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and was pleasantly surprised with the differences between it and the movie I saw just last year.

Work was crazy for most of this week. The first few days I went over to building 30 at least twice and once, three times, because there were so many MO's that were finished and ready to be reviewed. On Wednesday I reviewed 28 in 6 hours. Today was a different story though, I had almost no work, so I went downstairs and logged in samples the entire time.

In other happenings we watched a movie on Monday that's not worth remembering and on Tuesday I spent a lovely evening with Mom reading Titus and praying for our family and friends. On Wednesday evening I went to a free safety class put on by the Redmond Police Department. Besides talking about how to prevent becoming a victim, they showed us a rather frightening surveillance video from a mall parking lot in Renton. I did walk unusually carefully to my car afterwords (it was even dark), but I successfully avoided having bad dreams.

Wednesday's chat with Mike was particularly fun, each of us having seen the forgettable movie I watched. We went on and on, and I wish we both didn't need sleep. :) Unfortunately, I was tired on Thursday, but nothing was really needing my attention. After work and a quick dinner I read "The Gnats of Knotty Pine" (Bill Peet) and some more in "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower" before I went to bed. Ah, sweet rest.

Jp

Dreadful Dreams

Monday morning (and Sunday night) I felt as though I was ready for taking on the week. (Must they always be "taken on"?) The feeling didn't last very long. I released documents pretty much all day! But after Monday night's terrible dreams I felt stretched thin and ready for bed right away when I got home. Got to bed by 10 or so, and woke up at midnight, right before my dreams were turning bad again. Feeling rattled, I listened to a few Psalms and fell asleep again to them. I woke up this morning earlier than normal, but stayed in bed sort of half-asleep until it was really time to get going.

We haven't had time for movies this week (yet!) because people have been busy. Dad's away on a business trip for the next couple days, and my sister is pretty sick so Mom's been helping her out. (I'm praying for you Andie!)

I'm ready for some incredibly dull dreams. The kind that make you rest completely.

Jp

One More Day

It wasn't as hard to get out of bed this morning as I thought it was going to be. I was tired, of course, but I've been going at it rather well all day. I haven't been drearily tired until just about now... :)

It was my coworker Nicole's birthday today... we went out to Coho's again, and I had the same as Tavia... a halibut sandwich with grilled onions and tomatoes and yummy sauce! and I had a salad instead of fries and a cup of my very favorite seafood bisque. Sigh. So good.

On the way back to work we were talking about our experiences with road rage... Nicole's boyfriend has had trouble getting to anxious about bad drivers in the past (once when I rode with him and Nicole over to Seattle after work for band in 2007) and she recalled that after he had yelled rather colorful language at someone who had cut him off, I commented that the other driver was indeed something of "a diddle-head". We all had a grand laugh... I had forgotten that had happened... lol.

Gosh, after work and a bite to eat, Mom had to go pick up Meg from her teaching job in Auburn (45 minutes away) because she can't drive with the new meds she has to take for her ear infection, so I volunteered to go along with her. This allowed us to bypass tons of traffic in Bellevue and Renton, so I'm glad I did. It ended up taking us two whole hours to pick everyone up and get home again. What an evening! And I did enjoy talking with Mom all alone on the way down... very nice indeed.

I think it's time for bed pretty soon!
Jp

So I'm Tired, Am I?

Gosh, on Friday I slept in as long as I could before going to work. And then I worked for four hours... had a great sandwich with that tomato I bought at Fred's this week... and between bites, and opening a Christmas package... I talked to Grandma Leeds (who has a foot of snow in NC), Dad (who was getting on a plane to come home), and Zac (who I just talked to again, who is in Phoenix right now on his way home). I then had to fly out the door to go meet the Navy for my 2nd meeting this month (two are required). Apparently I was the only one in the DEP who took my recruiter seriously in writing out what I think Honor, Courage and Commitment means to me. My recruiter wants me to take a leadership role in the DEP.

By the time I got home it was already 3:30-4 and I played Phase 10 with the FC. They beat me pretty badly, and I got in an ungracious mood. While this happened, Dad returned, then Mom, and we were going to start baking some cookies for my brother, but then we had dinner. Gosh, I was so tired; and I had a headache. I decided to go to sleep right away (and it was only 7:30PM).

I woke up a couple times... an hour later, midnight or so, and again at 4:45. I thought at first it would only be a nap, but I really needed to rest. The second time I wondered if this was such a good idea... and the third time I stayed up for about an hour and laid down for what I thought was going to be an hour or so. It turned out being around four hours. Didn't wake up until 10, and didn't get up for another 20 minutes. I slept very deeply and dreamed long, complicated dreams; at least 3 or 4 of them. I think it's around thirteen hours of sleep... and I'm enjoying sitting down to write this. :)

So I've had my Saturday morning breakfast, and Dad and I played Backgammon (and he killed me with a double 5). I think I might tear myself out of my chair and bake cookies now... after I take a brief nap.

Jp

There's Nothing Like a Bad Dream...

:)
... to get you up in the morning. I don't want to remember the particulars whenever I read this next, so lets just say it was pretty uncomfortable... I had a deep sleep though, and that was good!

Work has been steady all day, and I was able to do a good bit of filing, and some long-neglected scanning, as well as releasing all the documents that came in, although my coworker is now back.

Gosh, I feel much better than yesterday and the day before that. I admit, it did help to have an evening with my sister (we played a couple games of Phase 10). And as well as that, Mom and I had a bit of a refreshing time, reading a book of the Bible (1 John) and having a family prayer for general things - like my brother, all alone in Missouri. And we even sang a couple hymns. This was all quite nice, as both Mom and I missed out on church this last Sunday. I sort of prefer this kind of fellowship to church anyway. It's more personal and meaningful.

And to you, alone in a small room and working late again at the office (lol), thanks for the card with the little crab and the movies that came today. I think we're all going to watch Oz!

Jp

Ooh... three-hour nap! Exactly what I needed! :)

Woke up and found the house as quiet as the night before Christmas.

I think I remember where everyone went off to.

Jp

Ending Thoughts Again

My last class for Winter Quarter... and my thoughts turn back to the final critique from last quarter. I remember being extremely jealous of other people's work then... and being very nervous when talking in front of the group. All this has seriously changed! I've gotten to know most of them through working together, so nervous is out. I'm not totally out of the jealous feeling, but it's different this time. I'm more confident in myself, so I am able to enjoy others work more genuinely, without worrying about how I measure up. Some of the work presented tonight was just marvelous! Very enjoyable!

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for next quarter... maybe wildlife... maybe military memorials... maybe abstract forest... we'll see!

I stayed up way late again last night/this morning. I'm very worn out and tired. I think I'll hit the hay pretty soon! Hey, why not?!

Jp

And Again...

Here it is, 1:36 am... when will I learn?

I'm gonna be wiped out before long if I keep this up... (well, there's class, and chilling out for a moment when I get home, and eating dinner, and walking the dog, and doing the dishes and taking out the garbage... and Facebook)... and it's time to sleep.

Not much to report these last two days, other than work is frustrating... (work is very much appreciated, to be sure, but not very fulfilling... it's not the type of environment I want to work at for a long-term career.)

Kind of feeling frustrated in all areas though. I'm in my "I need to move out of the house" phase, and coupled with that, I think my photography is second to many in class... my project is on a specific object, rather than an 'idea'... and I think I've restricted myself to making generic photographs. So I'm pretty sure I will switch topics for next quarter. I hope I can push myself to do something out of the ordinary - and do something that is challenging... in a good way. Starting on photographing wildlife, and making it non-generic... is very hard.

Jp

Day Off

Today I was able to spend some much-needed time with my sister Meggan before I leave for a couple weeks. I really should have spent the day practicing, but instead we went up to see our horses in Carnation. They are taken care of by friends of ours out there. After giving a couple of their kids some impromptu riding lessons, Meggan and I went out on a trail ride. There are lots of old logging trails in the back of their property, so we went on a couple mile trail, out to an overlook of the Cascade Mountains. The sun had finally broken through the clouds by the time we started, so it was a perfect day for it. The forest floor, mostly dominated by ferns and low bushes, was flooded with the light that shone through the tall fir trees. Covering the lower half of almost every tree was a thick moss, illuminated by the sun. There was absolute silence, except for the heavy breathing of my out-of-shape horse, the noise of his feet, and the occasional song from the passing robin or nuthatch. We saw a hawk circling overhead, but that was the extent of the wildlife.

My horse, as I have mentioned, hasn't been used very much, so he was horribly slow for the last part of the trek out to the lookout. He tried to turn back around three times, being very stubbuorn about obeying. He was also holding his back feet up at different times, as if they were hurt. After close examinaton revealed nothing, we concluded that he must have been sore from the fresh hoof-trim he had received only a few days ago. Also, he just didn't want to exercise. Once we turned back home, he left no doubt in our minds as to his health, since he charged ahead at a quick pace to be able to return to the pasture as soon as possible. My horse... (Becky, we have to do something up there when I get back)

I have just finished my packing a few moments ago, because the family and I just finished watching John Adams. I really liked the last episode with all the letters that were read... it's as if we're hearing them from the authors afreash. My goodness, what an ending. And I am glad that they didn't show anything from that, um, proceedure they had to do on his daughter... In all, it was an excellent series! Wow! And the music is inspiring too! :)

As Hilary says in 'In the WENN Small Hours', well at this point, I don't see any point in going home - or to bed. I've got to be up in 2 or 3 hours... So, I'm going to take a shower and work on my music unless I fall asleep first. I've got a long bus ride to Vancouver, BC, and then a long wait, and then a 12 hour flight to China. I think I'll be able to rest some time in there. I hope. :)

So, hopefully, next time I post it will be from my hotel in Beijing!

Until then,
Jp

Whew.

I'm tired. It's mostly my fault, because I stay up to late doing stupid things every night of the week and then I have to be at work by 7am. Stupid. I think it's because I try to do every last thing I think of before I go to bed. And that's not a good idea when you have lots and lots of things you want to do. By the time the weekend comes around and I actually have some time, I just goof around. Wow, I'm silly.

I did have somewhat of an excuse last night, because I had that really long music rehearsal. (Which was just music and really long, but good. I think I have the 4 page Classical Medley pretty much together - which includes a selection from "The Toreador Song" by Bizet. He loved Russian music - and I'm doing really well on the easy "Strike Up the Band" and "76 Trombones". The 8 page Olympic Medley remains to be seen. Ug.

Until Next Time,
Jp