Once upon a time there was this girl. She had an attitude. And a spirit nobody could tame. She was tough and attacked each new day without fear. She went by my name and spoke with a voice only I could hear. She lived in my mind. But now...she's coming out.
Archives:
27.3.02 ( 11:02 PM ) Val I'm So Proud! I created my own website! I know basically nothing about HTML, so that simple little thing took me almost 5 hours and most of a 2-liter of Diet Coke (I finished off the one I retrieved from your house, PJ). However, it's mine and I did it all by myself with no help from my step-father (the resident programming genius) or anybody else. Although I liberally referred to WebMonkey...maybe I should send them a thank-you note... :o)
All right, I'm all wiped out now. I have to tidy up my room, take my contacts out and go to bed...Good night!
*
25.3.02 ( 9:38 AM ) Val The Bad News? So, my cousin (he's twelve and probably the closest thing I have to a brother) tried to commit suicide last night. He tried to hang himself with an electrical cord...so, he wasn't exactly seriously trying to kill himself (not meaning that you couldn't kill yourself with an electrical cord, but he was standing on the floor and tied the knot loose and a bunch of other things), but still...a twelve year old who even considers that an option is messed up. And I just found out that the mom of three of my favorite people is planning on divorcing her husband...that sucks...And I thought I had to work today so I was all excited about being able to keep myself busy and then I was going to go straight to House of Prayer, so I wasn't actually going to have to think about all this crap for the next twelve hours. I wake up, check my calendar, and do I have to work...No! So, now what?
...And The Good News? Not going to work means that I get to wash my hair and organize my dance bag for tonight and maybe take a nap. Yeah...that's the good news. Oh, and Halle Berry was the first ever African-American women to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards. I'm so proud. *thinking* yeah...that's about it. No...wait...I have one more thing, I changed the cursor on my computer screen so now it looks like Satchel from Get Fuzzy...that made me happy.
*
23.3.02 ( 12:16 AM ) Val Second Post Of The Week. Since it is a quarter past midnight Saturday morning this post counts as my second one this week. I just got home from the latest shower for The Princess Herself (we bought her a vacuum cleaner). We (the bridesmaids) also cruised the apartment that will eventually be theirs...Her Prince Charming moved in tonight. It's a nice place. And my eyes are very sleepy. So, I'm going to bed. My belly button tingles/pinches when I move around a lot or clench the muscles...but it's not too uncomfortable. I'm still excited about it.
*
22.3.02 ( 5:44 PM ) Val I'm Back! So, I haven't posted since last Friday (however, my New Year's resolution to blog twice a week will be intact as long as I post tomorrow or Sunday) and, when I come back to blogging, do I have a profound statement about life to make? No! I post only to share the news that 45 minutes ago, I got my belly button pierced. ;o)
*
1. What's your favorite animal? Jaguars...black, sleek, fast, tree-climbers, I think they even swim occasionally. What's not to like? Or maybe wolves...I like them too.
2. What pets have you had in your lifetime? A variety of gerbils when I was younger, and a dog, Chelsea (passed down from my uncle who was travelling too much to keep her), who was a pit bull/german shepherd mix...we had to put her to sleep last New Year's...that sucked.
3. Is there any specific pet that you've wanted but never had? Why? I wanted a snake but my Mom said no. I also want a pit bull/rottweiler mixed dog, but they're hard to come by.
4. Are you allergic to any animals? Not that I know of...If an animals shedding lots of fur though and I'm close to the ground then I sneeze but that's only natural.
5. Do you have any 'pet' pet peeves (your pets or others)? When people don't pull their dogs when they're barking at strangers and they say "don't worry, he doesn't bite". Obviously, they don't realize that some people are deathly afraid of dogs or maybe that the dog might take a real disliking to someone and for the first time in his life bite them. That irks me.
*
( 9:05 AM ) Val Philip Anschutz. Okay, the blog I just posted mentioned Philip Anschutz who is a billionare (worth over $5 billion and #54 on Forbes' 2002 List of the World's Richest People) and a committed Christian and his company Walden Media. So, I did a Google on him. This guy is no joke.
He made a huge strike in oil (following his father's footsteps), sold a chunk of it to Mobil, got involved in railroads, he owns 84% of Qwest Communications, he owns chunks of the LA Kings(hockey) and the LA Lakers(basketball) plus three major league soccer teams, along with Fox(Rupert Murdoch and Edward Roski Jr) he is the co-owner of the Staples Center in LA (only called that because the company is paying them $5million/year for twenty years to have their name on it). Fortune Magazine says "Philip Anschutz may be the richest American you've never heard of. But, this in many ways ordinary guy is an extraordinary businessman." They also say that he is "mastering and reshaping entire economic landscapes" because he is spread across so many industries...Thank God he is a Christian. His bio posted on the Kansas Business Hall Of Fame says "Philip Anschutz had and has a remarkable ability to see hidden value where others don't and to act quickly on that knowledge while others hesitant and miss out on the opportunity". He now lives in Denver where he attends an Evangelical Presbyterian church. Very cool. This other tidbit from Fortune's article definitely says a lot to me about who this guy is: "He is a quietly religious man who has never been heard to swear"; and one of his railroad workers says "They never tried to sneak anything past us. And a handshake with Anschutz was worth more than a signed contract at some other railroads" I'm liking him more and more and more. This whole article speaks spades about his integrity. I'm very excited about this guy.
*
( 8:10 AM ) Val Interesting. "With the success of large-scale fantasy franchises Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, it was only a matter of time before someone would try to film C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia." Well, the time has come. The classic novels have overt Christian allegory (the Christ figure is a lion named Aslan), which attracted billionaire and committed Christian Philip Anschutz, owner of several of the U.S.' most prominent theater chains. His company, Walden Media, has optioned the series and plans to adapt the books one by one, working in concert with Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham. The first film, ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,'' should hit screens by 2004 ..." (from Relevant Magazine's Slices)
If they manage to adapt the Narnia books as well as Lord Of The Rings was adapted, then I have no objections whatsoever. However, if it's another movie that is going to present Christian movies as a joke of bad acting, bad screenplay, and bad directing than I'll be pissed as all getup. The Narnia books are some amazing stuff...
*
( 1:03 AM ) Val God Is So Good. So, tonight was probably one of the best nights I have had in a very long time. We had a bridal shower for The Princess Herself which was fun...but the real highlight of the night was when Ang and I were in the car talking. I've known Ang for about five years now, and one of the main quirks of our friendship has always been that about once a year we end up someplace alone and we just talk for about an hour about everything that is happening. It's never planned...It just happens. And tonight was our night...and Ang is basically in the same place I am. So, that's what we talked about...not having anything (or anyone) to keep us in Rochester any longer...wanting to leave-not to just go someplace else but to have an opportunity lined up...everyone riding our cases about not going to school, and giving all sorts of "helpful" advice...trying to guard our hearts from getting wrongly attached to a guy in our lives. I asked Ang a question I've been dealing with lately, "Could God ever ask us to lay down a gift that we know is from Him?" And she shared a story with me about a time God asked her to do that and how scared she was about it and everything that went on in her head and how things ended up working...definitely something I needed to hear. I love Ang. I love how God speaks to me through her...I didn't tell her about the Marine Corps, just mentioned it as an option, our talk was a lot more general than specifics about what we wanted to do. So, I'm surfing on the waves of goodness as Tombo used to say. And I'm very aware of how much God loves me. It's been an incredible night, especially this last hour.
*
13.3.02 ( 5:52 PM ) Val Nothing Much. I'm just saying "hi", 'cause I feel guilty about not posting even though it's only been two days. I cleaned my room today...well, kind of...never mind, I don't want to get into it right now. I'm listening to Aretha Franklin right now...gotta love it...I'm done 'cause this is a pretty stupid post...maybe I'll have something for real to post later...
*
11.3.02 ( 8:34 AM ) Val Six Months Later. Today marks the six-month anniversary of the terrorism attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It's been six months...On one hand, it seems like so much stuff has changed in that time that it feels much longer...And on the other hand, I'm shocked that six months have already passed. Sometimes I feel very hard-hearted because when people discuss it, I'm very quick to change the subject...but it's not because I'm bored of it or think the topic's over...It's because I'm still not ready to come to terms with everything it means. I'm still processing it, I guess. I don't know...
*
10.3.02 ( 10:00 PM ) Val Most Wretched Moment Ever. So, it's in between services at church and I have to go to the bathroom. All the stalls are full, so I'm waiting and then in walks one of the woman that tops the list of people I most want to be like, Julia Peace. So, as I walk in to the stall, she says "What are your plans?"...Great, just great, gotta love being invited to have a deep, soul searching discussion about a topic that you've only recently decided to become public with in the bathroom! So, I tell her I'm working at Ruby Tuesdays and that I'm thinking about joining the Marine Corps, that it's become a serious option in the last couple of months, that I'm discussing it with Mom and Albert, that we're praying about it. She says "oh, whose idea was this?". I say "mine". She says "why?". Not even in a judgemental tone, just a simple request for information. I start realizing that I really do not want to discuss this in the bathroom, start screaming at Skip and PJ in my head because they went to Starbucks without me and if I had just come out of Children's Church a couple minutes earlier and caught them none of this would be happening, I hem and haw and walk out the stall. And Colleen is standing there, waiting to talk to Julia about a wedding shower. I immediately seize this opportunity, loudly announce to Julia that Colleen's waiting to see her, quickly wash my hands, and when Julia exits her stall (moving very slowly because her knee is immobilized in a brace) and becomes immersed in a conversation with Colleen, I flee. Really. I bolted out of the bathroom, ran to the other side of the sanctuary from Julia (where she wouldn't easily be able to see me and wouldn't seek me out because of her knee), and start babbling to my Mom about what a coward I am. It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I ran away...such a coward.
And Life Goes On. So, there's This Guy I know who lives an hour and a half away (this would be the "Unsaid Crap Sucks" guy). And he might be moving to Georgia to be a police officer which would be a good fit for him. At least, I think it would be. So, I know that sounded like a really random statement. However, This Guy and the fact that he might be moving to Georgia is a bigger deal than most of you know. Trust me.
*
9.3.02 ( 8:37 AM ) Val Good Morning! I went jogging again this morning. I could get into this--I'm enjoying it so far. Of course, being able to keep up when I finally go to boot camp is a pretty darn big incentive. I have to go to work (11a-8p...yeah) but I need to do all my other am stuff first (like take a shower and eat breakfast). So, adieu.
*
8.3.02 ( 3:51 PM ) Val Yeah, Baby! I am now a...[SFX: drumroll]...runner! Well, on my way to being one. I got home from work today, put on a t-shirt, my new wind pants, my new socks and my new running sneakers and went jogging. Well, it was more of a walk-jog (wog?) sice I don't have enough endurance for a whole half-hour or even a whole ten minutes yet. So, I walked for five minutes as a warm-up, then jogged for two minutes/walked two minutes for the next 20 minutes, then walked for five more minutes as a cool-down. It was challenging but not so hard that I couldn't make it through the whole half-hour. I also wasn't walking when I was supposed to be jogging...It was perfect for my endurance level (endurance for jogging and endurance for dancing are two very different things...). I am extremely pleased with myself. Inspiration also came from belting out the "Girl With A Gun" cadence during the running parts. (It's suppose to be a say-response one but I just used the response part to take a deep breath)
Girl With A Gun: Momma told me "join the Navy"
Friends all told me I was crazy
In the USMC
That's where I wanna be
They all said I'm just a girl
I can't take on the whole world
But you hand me that M-16
And I'll show you I can be mean
Lock 'em down and shoot 'em dead
That's all that's in my head
Saw a man and asked him flat
Where is all the action at
Man told me he didn't know
So I told him just where to go
Signed my papers that same day
Soon you'll see me march away
Cause when you give a girl a gun
She'll shoot as good as anyone!
(Then I just fill in any remaining running time with soundoffs:"1-2-3-4-United States Marine Corps", Ooo-rahs, and other random noise; And I really do belt it out, you should have seen this guy stare at me) Oh, I got this cadence from here.
*
7.3.02 ( 10:16 PM ) Val Bored. That would be me...right now...completely and utterly bored out of my mind. I should use this time to do something constructive, whether it be physical (crunches, push-ups) or mental (studying for the ASVAB)...but...I'm not.
*
( 2:33 PM ) Val Getting Serious. I realized yesterday that I've been happily announcing to strangers and casual onlookers in my life that I am planning on joining the Marine Corps. However, when discussions about my life plans with people whose opinions matter to me begin, I shy away from any mention of it. Pretty much the only people (whose opinions matter, who I love, and with whom I have regular face-to-face interaction) who know about my plans are my Mom, Albert, Skip (aka My Fave Gal), and PJ...and whoever else reads this blog. I figure I'm about ready to lay my cards down on the table and start making my intentions public. I know this is what I should be doing and I'm (finally) ready to deal with any of the crap and questions that people might throw at me. I'm assured of the love of the people who really matter in my life. I've come to the point where I don't really care how anyone else feels about the decision I'm making...I'm still not sure if that's entirely a good thing.
Why The Marines Are So Cool. I've also decided that the Marine Corps has some of the best propaganda out there, just read this excerpt from their brochure for females:
"Where is that girl that lived in your mind quite often? You wanted to be more like her. She was ponytails to your barrettes, an a-minus to your b-plus. When you threw like a girl, she threw harder. She went by your name and followed you everywhere...
"Once upon a time there was this girl. She had an attitude. And a spirit nobody could tame. She was tough and attacked each new day without fear. She went by your name and spoke with a voice only you could hear. She lived in your mind. Find her.
"Maybe one morning she made you throw on jeans and run outside barefoot. Across a field and up the side of a tree. Maybe she took you on a slide headfirst into home. Maybe she made you study geometry while the other girls studied the buttons on their phones. Maybe she gave you reason to shoot a little higher.
"If you lived up to all her demands, great. If you didn't, maybe there's still something to prove. Maybe the girl running around in your brain is now a woman who's ready for one of the toughest challenges on earth. Becoming a Marine.
"And maybe she's wondering if you'll take up the chase."
How cool is that. It definitely strikes a chord with me.
And In Other News. I bought a pair of running sneakers yesterday (Asics), a pair of blue windpants, and running socks. I figure it's time to get my butt in gear.
*
5.3.02 ( 8:43 AM ) Val Check Out This Story.Relevant Magazine (which launched today or yesterday) poses some very interesting questions concerning the overt Christian meaning present in certain mainstream artists music (Lifehouse, Creed, P.O.D.-and the new for me-Lauryn Hill). They wondered how the church could ignore these people's need for spiritual covering and, instead, condemn them as the very epitome of heathen-ness. They also asked how the church could turn a blind eye to the fact that these people are in a point position, bringing the only message of Christ many people will ever hear.
My Take. I don't know how we ended up in a place where you could only be both musician and Christian if your music was only sold under a Christian label. It shouldn't be about where your music is sold, it should be about how your life is. Unfortunately, the Church has degenerated into a petty temper-tantrum, irately screaming "but you're not supposed to be over there with those people!" rather than remembering that being over there with those people was how Jesus got down. I went to a public arts high school and very few of the people I regularly chilled with would set foot in a church or Christian bookstore. However, if I invited them to a concert or drama or dance thing, they were willing to come, even if it was labeled as "Christian". And if it was done well, they were more than willing to check out what else I had to offer. Maybe we should remember that Jesus met people where they were at before we judge Christians who choose to splash their worship around in the secular world.
Another Plug For Relevant. These people are right on...every story I read just hits me. Gotta love it.
"He’s not calling us to divorce our pop culture, as the church often insists, but to view all that we embrace or reject in light of His truth. It’s not elitist or divisive to proclaim Him as the one, because His character, power and love are the very definition of truth and goodness. There’s no shame in adoring Him.
Jesus makes sense. He makes sense of why we love the things we love. He makes sense of why we look at relationships, politics and the world the way we do. The pain inflicted by His lukewarm followers and the rationalizations we sometimes tell ourselves have caused many of us to miss out on the relationship that makes sense of life’s big questions and provides the lasting joy that otherwise slips between the fragments.
Jesus is accessible. He’s timelessly relevant. And in the midst of the marketing machines of the pop culture universe, He is patiently and lovingly speaking to each of us." from this article
4.3.02 ( 10:49 PM ) Val Song Of The Day: "Endure" by Plumb (I have no idea what cd it is on)
Questions drip from my umbrella
Shadows hang over me
Stand here, waiting
I know the sky will break
And bleed its light
And kiss my face with mercy
I'll endure the rain
I will wait an hour more
Not sure if I'll see anything
Can I wait here anymore
I'll endure the rain
I will wait an hour more
Not sure if I'll see anything
Can I wait here any longer
Teardrops vanish in a moment
Rainbows hang over me
Darkness fading
I know the sky will break
And bleed its light
And kiss my face with mercy
( 9:07 AM ) Val Good Morning! I slept really well last night and after today I have three days off from work! :o) That makes me happy. I don't have anything else to say.
*
2.3.02 ( 10:54 PM ) Val Look! It's Halle Berry! No, wait...it's just Val. Someone actually said that I looked like Halle Berry today--I'm not really seeing a resemblance though--I think the person saw that we both had light skin and flipped hair and made a major jump in logic. Oh, well, it's a compliment...in a twisted, not-really, kind of way, but I'll take what I can get.
And In Other News: I bought a pair of jeans from Express for $19.50; I also got my Arabic Alphabet book from Barnes & Noble; I also got great shoes from Marshalls. Those are my ranking accomplishments for the day...really.
*
1.3.02 ( 10:50 PM ) Val I know nothing about html or javascript or any other programming language. All I do is read other people's blogs, right-click somewhere on their page, click "view source", and read really carefully until I think I found what I like. Then, I tinker with my blog until it kind of looks like something I want. So far, it's working all right for me...but eventually, I think I'm going to have to buckle down and learn what I'm doing.
*
( 9:13 AM ) Val Look--I have a comment system now. I saw this comment system on someone else's blog, so I stole it. I think it works pretty well. PJ-if you want a comment system feel free to click on the link, they explain it pretty well. Skip-do we want a comment system on The Bride's Journey?
I just realized that I'm doing the virtual equivalent of shouting a question into space and expecting an answer. Well, if it works, don't knock it.
*
( 8:32 AM ) Val Happy March...! I have a blog in my notebook that I wrote yesterday but I don't feel like pulling it out to post right now. So, you'll have to be gifted with that later on...I really don't have much to say...except, I really want a comment system so I'm going to have to hunt one down--I think I have to use javascript for it--or switch to a blog system with it built in (like live journal or dead journal--dead journal seems a little wierd though, not that wierd's a problem or anything>
*
