I think I should go watch my own video...

I made this with some friends for a class this semester. Watch and enjoy =)

http://vimeo.com/2300159

I tried to embed, but blogspot wouldn't let me. Meanies! =)

**UPDATE** Try copying/pasting the link into your web browser, sorry!!

"well, at least..."

So, I took a temporary pause in blogging there for awhile. I didn't plan it, but life got in the way. I was just so busy. I'm still busy, but I'm about to be less so. Within the next week or so I finish up my Master of Arts degree...finally. Yay... but today I got some news that kind of makes that 'end' bittersweet. 

I got laid off today.

Yep, you read that right. Laid off. I'm just another one of the thousands of Americans going through this...one of the crowd...nothing special. I keep telling myself things like, well, at least you finished your degree in time to keep tuition remission. Or, well, at least you get a few weeks to get used to it (it's effective 12/31)...at least you'll get three months severance. A lot of people don't get that much.

And you know what, I know all of that is true. But right now..in this moment. It. SUCKS. I may feel differently about it in a few minutes, or tomorrow, or next year...and be thankful for the timing and how it just worked out so perfectly. But right now. IT. SUCKS.

That's all I'm going to say for now. I think I'm still in shock. I just found out 4 hours and 23 minutes ago.

Not that I'm keeping track.

I stood in line 2 hours and all I got was a muddy shoe....

I'd love to see that t-shirt! I had to walk through some mud puddles to reach the end of my GINORMOUS line at the polls yesterday, effectively stepping in one puddle that nearly stole my shoe. But I did not let it deter me! I was there to vote!  We all were! The section there is where I nearly lost my shoe..yikes!

So, it has been quite the time in America lately. Everyone and their brother, and the sister, and their cousin, and their neighbor's cousin's sister's aunt has had something to say about the election. I am both enamored and annoyed with America. Enamored that we actually got off our duffs and voted--but annoyed, because...well...I voted for the other guy. I have heard passionate discourses from both sides on why their candidate is the VERY BEST CHOICE AND IF YOU DON'T CHOOSE THEM THEN THE SKY MIGHT FALL AND KILLER TOMATOES FROM MARS WILL APPEAR....AND THEN WHERE WILL WE BE? Ha. I think we'll be in the place God wants us. I'm glad that most of my friends who supported the 'other guy'  with me and the ones that supported the winner are both broadcasting their trust in God and that He has this all under control. I look forward to the next four years and seeing what happens in America. No doubt that these are historic times, and I'm excited.  I pray that the sanctity of life will be upheld and that big brother stays out of my paycheck! 

So, thank you, America, and uh...fasten your seatbelts...I think it's going to be a bumpy ride!

And the winner of 'and guest'...

My best friend, Shelah! She knows the bride and groom from her many trips here to Virginia Beach so it was the logical choice! One might say the bride even told me that was how it was intended. Lol..what happened was that they really really really wanted to invite Shelah, but they had to keep their numbers down and other people were to be invited-people like family and friends they'd known for years! So, the solution-invite me (their wedding singer) and allow for a guest. Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Shelah and I had a great time, so it was a win-win (win) situation!

Oh, and the wedding was beautiful!

I am the WORST!

I get so many ideas about what to blog about and I'm like..yeah, I'll get to that real soon. But before you know it, life gets in the way and it takes me another month to get on here and write something. So, what is it exactly that's been getting in my way? Let's list them. I like lists. They make me feel organized.

1) School-I am taking two classes right now (one online, the other in person) that are doing their best to make sure that I'm never quite restful. They both include an insane amount of reading that I'm hopelessly behind on.  I also have a comp exam coming up, but everyone assures me to not worry about that-there's nothing I can really do to prepare for that other than just getting all my old textbooks out and brushing up on my MLA format. Even so, my stomach just got sick at the thought of it. This too shall pass, right?  So, school is definitely something that is taking more of my time than it's fair share. 

2) Church-not as much now as it has in the past, but I'm still at church 2 nights a week at my 2nd job. I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job lately because I've been so distracted, but hopefully I can change that about myself soon.

3) Work-Work is SO busy. I feel that as soon as I finish one project, I have five more that bloomed and need attention immediately!  Some things have shifted in the office and I've been doing some new things so, there's no rest for the weary or time to slack off there-I've got to come in bright eyed and bushy tailed. Not to mention that we were all out yesterday for a retreat in Charlottesville and then my boss and I are leaving tomorrow evening to go to a conference in Fredericksburg, VA. We'll be back Monday night, but that's another thing that's keeping me busy.

4) Friends-now this is the item on the list that I wish was taking the MOST time. I love all of my buddies and I miss them when I'm not always able to do things with them because of items 1-3 on this list.  They all know that I love them (because I tell them frequently) and they understand. I'm pretty sure they'll still be around on 12/23 when my graduate school career has finally (finally) come to a close!

So, that's my list. That's what's kept me busy this last month. Now, shortly here are a few things I wanted to blog about, but never got a chance to (in no particular order, other than how they came up in my brain)

1) meeting Tony Hale (of Arrested Development and other works). He was SUCH a nice guy and I was able to take alot of what he said to us in a session to heart. I hope I get to meet him again some day

2) Political bumper stickers-why? Why do people put these permanent things on their cars?  To me it seems like it's just asking for your car to get keyed or something? Political pen? yes. Bumper sticker? No thanks

3) Building a resume-I have had NO time to work on mine and there's a deadline coming up for me that I really need to get ON it so I can stop having that nag at the back of my mind.

That's about it---but hey-that would have been about a post a week, right?  Now you get one giant blog and hopefully, I'll post more in the future..but at this point, no promises. Til then--take luck with your care!

September Already

Memories....

As I went to bed this past Labor Day, after a day of being struck by a rampant stomach bug at my (bless their hearts) friends' family's timeshare in the Outer Banks, I had a little time to contemplate life and existence. Don't you often do that after staring point blank at the toilet bowl for a few hours? I thought about high school and junior high days and how I used to dread Labor Day because it meant the next day I'd be back in another school year, where I'd be forced to wear shoes everyday, put on something other than my bathing suit on a regular basis and be forced to read books I didn't want to. And do (horrified gasp) math! I can be such a contrary soul--tell me I "HAVE" to read something and my hackles rise! I'd rather read works of great literature because I want to enjoy them, not to be forced to find themes and analyze story structure (although now I do see the pros in doing so).  Tell me I have to solve a math problem a certain way and I will try and figure out how to do it my OWN way. Nevermind if it works out or not....thank God for calculators is all I have to say. 

Where it All Led Me

I often wonder, at 31 years old, what my life would have been like if I'd just been a little bit more disciplined with myself back in high school. If I'd just applied myself a little bit more. Sure, I took Honors courses, and even AP History (just the thought of that class makes my stomach clench in anxiety) and AP Music Theory (a joke of a class, if ever there was one). And I did well in these classes-even made it into the National Honor's Society (much to my own shock, senior year-lol) and graduated 'with honors'.  I don't feel that I became a critical thinker. I was too content with people telling me how things were and accepting them rather than stepping back and questioning what was being thrown at me.  

My undergrad degree turned out to be much of the same.  Although minoring in English in my Senior year was a step in the right direction. Honesty time though-I only arrived at that minor after realizing I needed something to fill up some upper course hours in electives.  Plus, I realized it would be cool to say that I have a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a Minor in English.  Most people's response to hearing my degree: So, what do you DO with that? Me: Umm...go to grad school? 

You Mean I Have to Work at It? Huh?

Speaking of music--I have the same problem-no discipline! Not to sound overconfident or anything-but I can sight read pretty well and so I was able to fake my way through a lot of years of piano lessons. I'm able to play, and am getting better every day now with regular playing at church, but I can't help but wonder what my skill would have been if I'd only applied myself back in the day. Singing also comes naturally to me. I love it, but even when I was majoring in it-I had a hard time making myself practice.  I sound like a guidance counselor or your Mom, don't I? Be disciplined! Apply yourself! Question Authority! (well, maybe not that last one).

Now I am in the last semester of a long trek towards slowly earning a graduate degree, basically one class at a time. I'll be awarded a Master of Arts in Communication in the Critical Studies track (ironically). Most people's response to hearing what my degree will be: So, what will you do with that? Me: Umm...write? 

Finding Your Passion

I was talking with a friend today about people who have passion. She was bemoaning the fact that she 'likes' doing a lot of things, but that she doesn't have a real passion for anything. Not that she's found so far. I think she's amazing at many things and that her passion will be revealed in due time, just maybe not in the timing she prefers. 

As for me and my passion, I think my core passion is music. I love everything about music; listening to it, preparing it, composing it (although that's another victim of my lack of discipline), performing it, sharing it with others. There's nothing like finding that next new band and wanting to share it with everyone! It makes me feel alive!  Not just the new stuff, but treasuring the music of the past as well. I feel the same way about film and television, although I feel less equipped to talk about them due to my lack of experience in it, although I'm working on it.  

I will graduate this December with my future wide open. If you follow me on Facebook at all you might have noticed that status updates lately have been ones of hopes and contemplations for the future. I'm relishing the thought of the endless possibilities. I hope you'll be there with me. 

So--Mom thinks she's funny...

No, my Mom thinks she is just hi-larious.

SHE IS NOT. DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!

She is a sick, evil woman! 

I came home from choir practice tonight, after having stopped at Wendy's to pick up a frosty for her and Dad. I'm innocently changing into my pjs, and think to myself, hey self-why don't you go ahead and turn on millie mac so it'll be ready when you're ready to sit down (or something to that effect). I look down at where it's resting on my footstool and promptly scream like a little girl.  Actually, more like a yelp than a scream. Like..hearing a dog get kicked. I just know it came from a place deep inside of me.  What caused such a violent reaction to my Mac, you might ask? Hmmm? Well, I'll tell you.  Mom apparently found a dead 'staghorn beetle' earlier today and decided it would just be SO fun to put it on my mac to wait for me.....and cause a HEART ATTACK! She's lucky I didn't keel over right then and there! I have gotten better about bugs and creepy crawlies in general, but that was just shocking.  Between that and the spider that's camping outside our front door, I'll be lucky to get any sleep tonight.

I have to hand it to her-it was well played. But vengeance is MINE!

*the bug that was actually on my computer was much darker and much uglier, but this was the best comparable image I could find in google images!

"And Guest" Please Apply Here

Got another wedding invitation in the mail on Saturday. I knew it was coming eventually because I'm singing in this particular wedding, but it was still like-UGH! ANOTHER ONE!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for my friends, but there's not much to look forward to as a singleton going to a wedding. The wedding is October 11th at noon and the invite was for "Shawna Lawhorn and Guest"*. Hrmph. Who will be my 'and guest'? Any takers? I have til Sept 27th to find one. A little over a month. It's hard being a single, old fashioned girl invited to a wedding. I want someone to go with, but I don't want to be the one doing the asking--so I'm going this route. Please apply here to be my 'and guest'.










* this post was written mostly with tongue in cheek, I am perfectly capable of attending a wedding by myself. In fact I've done it dozens of times...still...I can't help but hope....

Okay, I'm not dying!

Not today at least! lol..thank you, everyone that has been concerned about my allergies. It's not like a hay fever thing--thank goodness, but really more of a drug allergy. So luckily I can avoid taking/eating the things that cause me to have an allergic reaction.  The thing I'm not sure about is my brain, though---I obviously was not allergic to whatever I ate yesterday because I finished the sandwich and I was fine. So, take that for what it's worth. I'm still alive and kicking...and avoiding ibuprofen! =)

i have 'issues'

Sitting in Starbucks today with my good friend and coworker, Heather...munching on a sandwich picked from their cooler while sipping on an iced grande vanilla latte (that I paid for with a gift card, score!)...everything was going great. It was nice to get out of the ol' office building for a bit, and it is simply gorgeous outside today. Then I felt it. A chill went down my arms....and I thought--NO, not again! I willed myself to CALM DOWN. DO NOT FREAK (speaking to myself in all caps is not very comforting, not surprisingly)....I stopped eating my sandwich and offered the rest to Heather. She was like..umm.no thanks? I took a few more calming breaths and began to explain why I had a bit of a wild look in my eye and seemed a bit twitchy...allergies. Specifically--food allergies. That I probably don't have. But that I possibly 'could' have,but haven't gotten tested for.

It all started back in college--I was taking some prescribed pain medication, only taking it when necessary...and not noticing until much later that a pattern was developing. Each time I took these pills I broke out in hives...combined with nausea, vomiting, blacking out and every time it happened, it got worse. But because I took these pills so rarely it took me a while to realize what was causing it. Once I figured it out--bingo--I stopped taking them and problem solved, right? Well, it turns out that they are part of the ibuprofen family--meaning I can't take anything like advil, alleve, midol...etc. Nothing with naproxen/naprofen in it. I've ended up in the emergency room twice after accidentally taking some products that contain what I'm allergic to, so--it's really not pleasant and now I know what the opening symptoms feel like. So any time that I now get even a whiff of that feeling-I start freaking out. And even if I'm not really having an allergic reaction, I still feel as if I'm having one because my brain is telling me--yes, you're having one!!!

So that's where we were today at Starbucks..Heather found it all very interesting and said I should blog about it..so I am. So, what do you think? Am I crazy? Developing some weird food allergies now? Was it the sesame seeds in the bread maybe? Don't they develop drugs from seeds? Maybe I should research the origin of the drugs I'm allergic to? Maybe I should see a psychologist/psychiatrist/counselor/etc..?

I stopped eating the sandwich while at Starbucks but brought it back to the office with me and just a few minutes ago I finished eating it. So far so good. Maybe I can stop the psychosomatic allergies and just concentrate on the real ones!

Horrified

http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article750838.ece

A blog I read on a regular basis brought my attention to this story. It's horrifying, but ultimately redemptive.

Please check it out.

Wow...so..yeah, I've been back..for a month!

TIME FLIES.

That is the theme of my post today.  And of the post of my life really. Blink you and suddenly you are 31, eh? Time flies, but it also does not at the same time. It has taken me FOREVER to get to the point where I am in my Master's degree. I just finished a class (awaiting the C.S. Lewis class grade) and will soon be embarking upon my last semester. I can hardly even believe it. The time has gone slowly, and downright almost stopped at times (pauses in Master's aren't bad, are they?)....and now it is here. My last semester. Doubling up and taking 6 credit hours (while working both full and part time jobs) the past few semesters was really a good idea.  But also, wow, am I scared. I have no idea what in the world I will be doing after I finish my degree. People ask me and I quickly change the subject! I want to write..I enjoy writing--but I also hate writing--lol..I am a quandry wrapped up in an enigma. Topped off with a riddle. I think what I mean about 'hating' writing (and I'm talking like..non creatively. I am not a creative writer. at all)...is that I hate the discipline of it. Because I have no discipline! You have to actually make deadlines and turn things in and like...write things on a timetable. I should have been pushing myself to do this more throughout the degree, don't you think? Ugh..no one to blame but myself. But, and wow am I rambling...I think for now I'm just going to focus on getting through this semester..maybe brushing up the ol' resume and sending it out and see if I get any bites. 

Before I know it, it'll be December!

This is what happens when you leave your office for two weeks

This is me, in the courtyard of Hertford College (pronounced Hartford) in Oxford just before high tea on Saturday afternoon.   Notice my fun scarf--I bought it at Marks and Spencer just a few hours before this picture was taken. I'm not really one to follow the fashion of the day..but I did notice that like..EVERYone was wearing these...and it was cheap(ish) so..what the hey? It has been an exciting time since entering this little country.  There haven't been any hiccups in travels (thank you Lord) except for a missed bus because of a long queue (line) at the coach (bus) station...but it was no big deal because the next bus was leaving just a few minutes later.  The Lord has been so faithful to hear my prayers and the prayers of my loved ones to keep me safe while I travel abroad (how my soul thrills at that description) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip.  So, a bit of an overview of my journey thus far: Thursday was spent flying across the Atlantic..I had vowed to get some reading done but I ended up mostly just watching some of the in-flight movies: Fool's Gold (cute), Jumper (eh), and Penelope (loved it).  My friend, Kerry, picked Mirachelle and myself up right at the gate at Heathrow and we went to bed around 1am (8pm EST, but we were dog tired-helped get through the jet lag).  Friday we spent the day exploring the area around where Kerry lives, just outside London in Surrey (Sutton) and spent a quiet night at her flat as Mirachelle and I tried to read more (SO MUCH READING) and Kerry had a previous engagement. Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to begin our journey to Oxford..I think our bodies have mostly adjusted to the time difference--or at least mine has, yay!  We did a bit of exploring Oxford yesterday and met the others in the class and just this afternoon had our first lecture; an overview of C.S. Lewis's life. It was mostly things I already knew about him, but picked up some new tidbits along the way. Later this evening we're going to go to church for an evensong service, then we have the night on our own. This morning most of us chose to attend the service at the Magdelene (pronounced maudlin) College Church. They are famous for their boys choirs and I was able to record a bit during the service. Although I found out later that was strictly forbidden-whoops! lol Oh well, no one came and confiscated my camera!  Anyways, this trip is only 4 days old and it's already a great one. I'll try and find time to write more later, as more happens, but I've got to concentrate on the reading again for now.

Oh My Word I leave on THURSDAY...

And I'm bugging out! So much to do! So much to read! So much laundry..SO LITTLE TIME! AAAHhhhh

That's all folks. If you need me, I'll be freaking out =)

Been almost a week...whoops

I am really trying to be better about keeping up the ol' blog! I have been having alot of fun figuring out my Mac--I've had two One to One sessions so far and I think I'm picking it up pretty quickly. Now I just have to make sure I'm retaining it all! Eek! So, really that's about it. Nothing earth shattering in this blog--just an ol' fashioned--how ya doin'?

List of random things on my mind this afternoon/evening

1) The Mint Chocolate Chip Frap at Starby's is really good.
2) It's also really fattening. I can feel it forming fat cells on my thighs.
3) I was actually able to help translate something from French to English today. Madame Comstock would be so proud.
4) I have my first one to one training session at the Apple Store today.
5) I'm so nervous! I hate doing new things sometimes! Especially things not in my comfort zone.
6) I'm sure it'll be fine.
7) It is really hot out there today.
8) My backpack currently contains my macbook (i named it millie), my dell laptop, my external hard drive, and all of the various cords that go with these things. It's realllly heavy.
9) I am meeting Leigh for dinner after my Mac session. yay!
10) I'm going to read more C.S. Lewis tonight when I get home, and listen to it wherever I drive. You may laugh, but I'm getting it done AND comprehended (important detail).

That's all! I'll report back about my one to one session!

i'll gladly trade my Peas and Carrots for your APPLE

I have joined the ranks of the mighty mac user. This weekend, with the help of my best friend, Pepe-better known to the world as Shelah, I bought a Macbook (specs: 13 inch, white, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory, 160GB hard drive, Double-layer SuperDrive). It is VERY nice. I don't know how to use it yet, but um...it's very nice! Shelah made me (well, encouraged me) to sign up for the one on one sessions at the mac store to help me get the most output from this new creature. I'm pretty good at trouble shooting on my PC, but I am a newbie at this whole mac thing. I'm looking forward to getting to know it though-yay! I may not be a 'genius' overnight, but I sure will have fun!

(photo courtesy: macnn.com)

Love, and other stuff

Someone To Watch Over Me
by George and Ira Gershwin
There's a saying old, says that love is blind.
Still we're often told, see, and ye shall find.
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had...in mind.
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet.
He's the big affair I cannot forget.
Only man I ever think of with regret.
I'd like to add his initials to my monogram.
Tell me where is the shepherd for this, lost lamb?
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be, someone to watch over me.
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood, I know I could always be good...
to one who'll watch over me.
Although he may not be the man some girls think of as handsome
to my heart he carries the key.
Won’t you tell him please to put on some speed follow my lead,
oh, how I need someone to watch over me.

Sometimes things just can't be expressed better than how someone has put it in a song. The Gershwins especially speak to me on personal level. So, I don't know if it's just the springtime air or what but I seem to be surrounded lately by people in love, or just starting to date...or good friends finding out that they're finally pregnant (yay for them!). I've learned to be mostly okay with this whole 'have not ever dated' thing, but sometimes...I just want someone to watch over me. That's all.

Umm..wait, didn't I do that already?

This is the question on my mind these days: "Wait, didn't I already do that?" I was talking on IM with a friend last night about various british tv shows that we both enjoy and I was having the hardest time remembering the names of actors and of the actual shows. I think grad school is warping my brain and wiping out my long AND short term memory! So, with that said, I can't remember if I announced on this blog or not that I got my grades for the Spring term--and I received A's in both classes! (yaaaayyyy!!!) So, that's about it. Now I'm preparing for my trip to NYC this weekend, and for the trip I'll be taking in about a month to England (woohoo!). I never really thought I'd be a 'planner', but I find the older I get-the more I like to have a plan. It's bothering me that the profs in my new course haven't posted any-hey-this is where you're going to go things on our blackboard site, but I'm hoping by the end of the week they'll have something up there. I need to know where I'm going!

Sunshine and Happiness

Ahh...peace and tranquility....all of my spring assignments have been turned in...I don't 'officially' start my next class til May 12th....I can actually read a 'fun' book, or go see a 'fun' movie without guilt..these are the best days! Of course, it would be even more relaxing if work had slown down too-but no-it's Commencement this Saturday at Regent and the good times are a rollin'! So, I'm reminding myself, in the midst of all the craziness and saying goodbye to dear friends that are moving on--make sure I take time to stop and smell the roses! Or the daisies!

Exam Day

Well, it has finally arrived...the last day of class..and I couldn't be more relieved. Well, actually I could-I'd be more relieved if we didn't have to take an exam today. But, that's neither here nor there--my friends and I have been studying and I feel like I am as prepared as I can possibly be. At this point, I just want to take the durn thing! But, one more hour..I can make it =) I think it's the same kind of mentality with which I approach giving a presentation in class-I just want to get it over with and go first!

This has been a really tough semester. I've been taking 2 grad classes simultaneously and both of them have been a lot of work, but the one I'm taking in person has been a little more attention demanding so it's captured alot of my time. Hopefully after finishing this exam today I can just bang out what I need to for the other class and the professor will have mercy on me. He's been cool in the past, but pray!

On top of school stuff both of my jobs have kicked into high gear lately. I've been given a title change at Regent. I'll still be doing the same old stuff but also doing some other records processing that have trickled down to me. In my time at regent I have gone from temp to records assistant to records processor to scheduling coordinator to the most recent-Senior Records Processor. That makes me feel old. The powers that be want to give me (and others who also had job/title changes) a raise, but it all depends on the ol' budget. I want to be like Tim Gunn and say-Make it work, people! Make it work! A pay raise would be much welcome when I'm going to England this summer. My other job, the one playing piano at church, has also blossomed into something else--and I will definitely get a pay raise there (yay) but I don't know how much at this point. Anything would be welcome.

Is anyone else stalking their mailbox for the economic stimulus checks?!?! Or, are you too cool for school and got it direct deposited...? I went old-school this year. Hopefully it will arrive soon. As I mentioned before..trip to England is looming!


Okay, that's about it for now. I might update later and let everyone (whoever is reading this) know how the exam went.

And whether or not I gouged myself in the eye w/a spoon during it.


Kidding (sorta).

To Everything There is a Season

I attended a home-going service today of a dear friend of our family's. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that took him really quickly and at the young age of 52. It was sobering to think that he was so full of life not even a year ago when we were just hanging out watching our church's co-ed softball team play (his wife is on the team, I used to play but have switched to observing). His brother is in my dad's southern gospel quartet and his mother is in choir with my mom, dad and I-so, our families are really intertwined. I, in general, have a weird thing about funerals. I really do not care for them. My idea is that the person is no longer in that body, you know? They have gone into eternity--so why linger over it? I know it's about paying respects and gathering and remembering what impact that person had on our life, but it all seems macabre to me. I mean, I still go-obviously, but I guess it just seems weird to me. Today's service was a bit different than those I've been to before--by the time the preacher got up to preach the message there wasn't a dry eye in the place after hearing a touching eulogy. But the preacher was so clear in his presentation of the gospel and relating it to how our friend had accepted the Lord that I couldn't help but be glad that the Lord knew exactly what we needed to hear in this setting. I know that there were probably unsaved people in the crowd (and it was a big crowd!) so I pray that what he said today would cause a stirring in their hearts. I want them to realize that the hole in their hearts can only be filled by One-our Lord. As we walked out to the graveside, I looked around at the crowd of people and wondered. Do they know? Will they know? The sun was shining and the air was crisp with that warm spring feeling that still has a bite of cold to it. On our way to the graveyard we walked by a playground full of 2 and 3 year olds playing and shouting and laughing without abandon, and I thought-this is right. This is exactly as it should be. To everything there is a seaon, is there not?

Nothing but Vincente..all the time...

If you ask me how I'm doing lately, I might just yell "Vincente Minelli!!!" at you and run away. This is because I am working on a project about the beloved director and lately I feel as if I am eating, breathing, singing, sleeping--nothing but Vincente Minelli. He was a fascinating man--check out some of his movies if you get a chance-never was a better visionary than Minelli...

This picture is a perfect portrayal of how I feel as this current term wraps up. I'm behind in BOTH of my classes and by Jove, I'm a goin' nuts! So, if you don't see me around for a while...please check in my bedroom-I may have fallen and become trapped under an enormous pile of books and my laptop.

Sigh....off to take another quiz ....

Musings on C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

Well, not my musings on the well loved books. No, my musings would be short and elementary as in, wow, they are great. That Aslan ,eh? He's super. No, that just would not do. I have just returned from a lecture by the author of the book you see pictured on this blog. Michael Ward has come up with a theory so incredible, that even C.S. Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham is skeptical about its validity. Ward believes that C.S. Lewis, in a very secretive way (that he was known for) has hidden a deeper linking of the Chronicles of Narnia books together. He believes that yes , they are, as Lewis claimed-a story of Christ but they are also something so much more and significant. Basically, that Lewis intertwined the concept of the mediaeval cosmos in the books. He explained that there were thought to be 7 levels of the heavens and in order they are: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Anything beyond that was thought to be where God existed. Each level has its place in astrology (it's a scary word for the Christian but here we mean it without harm) and in mythology. When using these levels as analysis Ward has found it easy to label each book as one of the levels of heaven. Namely:

Moon-The Silver Chair

Mercury-The Horse and His Boy

Venus- The Magician's Nephew

Sun-The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Mars-Prince Caspian

Jupiter- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Saturn-The Last Battle

Obviously, these are not in chronlogical order, but you get the idea-there are elements in each book that Ward would argue that contain the associations with the levels of the heavens. I don't know if I completely agree with him yet, it's been some time since I read the Chronicles, but as I prepare for my Study Abroad course in Oxford that is on C.S. Lewis I find it intriguing to be able to read the books with a 'new light' as it were. I was a child the last time I read them. I look forward to reading Ward's book to get his full argument as he didn't have near enough time to cover it all in a 45 minute time period. He signed my copy which was neat- not that I'm 'that' big on getting autographs ,but I have a feeling this book is going to be causing a great stir in the literary and academic circles.

What a year it has been (so far)

Well, I canNOT even believe it is APRIL already. April 6th! What the? Where has 2008 gone? It has been SUCH a whirlwind. I should have known it would be by starting it with a trip to NYC for the last few days of December 07 and first day of January. The semester at school is not going as well as it should and most of that is due to my laziness, but also because I took a bit of a tumble three weeks ago. It has slowed me down significantly in the typing area. It is taking me forever to even post this thing! But, just to give you an idea of my year, thus far, let's do a little quarter year check up in no particular order, other than how i'm remembering things:

-Celebrated New Year's in NYC
-had lots of fun times with friends visiting me in town
-done lots of dog-sitting (shocker)
-bought a planner
-am actually using it to 'plan things'
-Taking two classes at the same time (not just a moduar or something, one online, one on campus)
-had a fun visit with Bridget and the boys w/my Mom
-Made some new friends at school
-got an awful case of the flu
-car repairs needed, warranty covered it (yay)
-lots of baby showers
-had a cavity filled
-went to see Michael Buble in concert
-got to hang out with his DRUMMER! We're totally BFF's now.Seriously, he wrote Jenn and is like..are you guys going to come see us on the last leg of our tour? (EEK. I AM BROKE)
-Went to see a touring show of Rent
-it was 'eh'. looking forward to the movie
-And, oh--yeah, totally ate it by slamming into a wall after my ankle rolled. In front of 15 people. Of course.
-facebook addiction grew
-discovered the lure of twittering (twitter.com)

AND...the big news..I'm going to ENGLAND in JUNE!!! Last week of June and first of July I will be in jolly ol' England on a Study Abroad course my school is offering. I might have to sell a few organs or my firstborn child to pay for it (ha ha, kidding) but I'm determined to do it without taking out a loan! Someone has already generously blessed me with a gift towards the trip--I'm in awe of how God takes care of me, time after time. I don't deserve it, at ALL! Anyways--got any odd jobs you need doing? For um, pay? I'll do it! No more turning dogsitting jobs down, that's for sure!

So, that's about it friends. Now that I've posted this link on my facebook page maybe more of you will actually read this stuff! Feel free to comment!

Love,
Shawna

Movin' on Over

So, I had a blog at blogspot.com called http://www.mezzogrl.blogspot.com (feel free to check it out, it's been 3 years since I posted anything) and it would not let me sign in/post on it? So, I created a new one. Maybe it's because since I wrote last Google/Gmail has bought blogspot. I don't know. But anyways, this will be my new forum, so enjoy. I'm not sure what I will be writing here, but I'm sure it'll be fabulous.