"2007 into 2008" written by Janelle on estrip.org

Category: life

01/01/08 11:43 - 33ºF - ID#42706

2007 into 2008

2007 ... the year of changes ...

We left Pittsburgh. Traveled to Vietnam. Bought a house in Buffalo. I reconnected with a childhood friend who lives here now. Childhood friend helped us make new friends. We met a ton of new people through estrip. I started blogging for the first time ever. We started at a new church that we really like. I started a new job. My last job I loved, but I came home angry and frustrated. This job, I don't love, but I come home with a happier disposition at the end of the day. I now have time to do the things I enjoy because I'm not utterly exhausted from work. My mom declared she was divorcing my dad, an act that sent our little family into a tailspin. We celebrated the holidays in our home with my family and it turned into a mini family reunion. In 2007, I have been the happiest I've been for several years.

2008

I want more changes for 2008. I'm going to make a plan for work...go back to school, switch jobs, do something...but I need to make a plan for the future. I'm going to consider being a commissioned lay pastor, so I can serve a church in a way that won't conflict with my husband being a pastor. I offered to teach piano lessons to children at Massachusetts's Avenue Project and I am going to try to make it happen. I'm going to travel to Bulgaria in July, hopefully.

I hope a few things stay the same. Share my life with (e:Drew). Live in Buffalo. Stay connected with our friends and church.

Here's to another year!

Permalink: 2007_into_2008.html
Words: 276
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: pictures

12/31/07 08:46 - 29ºF - ID#42690

View from the window

This is our view from the bathroom. Usually when I look at it, I think, they really need to paint their house before the clapboard starts rotting. But in the winter time it has this old rustic farmhouse look to it that I like.

This was the view from our window this morning. I rarely watch the weather, so unless I hear weather murmuring from other people, snow like this is a pleasant surprise.

This is the view of a window from our bedroom door. One day, we plan on having a stained glass window. In the summer I'll have a beautiful stained glass view and in the winter I already have a winter wonderland view, I'm never going to want to leave bed.

Permalink: View_from_the_window.html
Words: 130
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: holidays

12/21/07 10:24 - 25ºF - ID#42606

Christmas is coming

I'm such a little kid...I'm so excited to be off from work soon for the Christmas holiday...I can hardly stand it. It's only 10:15am and it feels like the day is dragging on FOREVER.... It is the never ending work day full of bad Christmas music and minory annoyances. It's standing in between me and family, fun, presents, Christmas celebrations...I have work I COULD, in theory, be doing, but I can only think about 4:30pm...at which point the work ends and the fun begins.

Permalink: Christmas_is_coming.html
Words: 88
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: work

12/20/07 09:05 - 33ºF - ID#42594

Incompetence Abounds

So a person comes to work with the plan to check e-mail and voicemail from the previous work day and shoot off to a morning meeting in Hamburg. Voicemail, e-mail and estrip checked, the person gets up and starts leaving the building to drive to the meeting. The person runs into their supervisor who lives in Hamburg. "Hm", the person says, "Mr. Supervisor, why did you drive here to work only to turn around to go back to the meeting in Hamburg". Mr. Supervisor pulled a face that said, Meeting? What meeting? That face was quickly folllowed by a face of dawning realization. Then Mr. Supervisor finally said, "<ahem, clear throat> The meeting was cancelled....oh, no, I need to call everyone else to make sure they know".

Is it just in social services where these things happen? Would people at the prestigious Roswell schedule meetings then capriciously cancel them without telling anyone? I mean, am I complaining about something that happens everywhere....I guess scheduling and canceling meetings is just a pet peeve of mine I like to rant about it.

Permalink: Incompetence_Abounds.html
Words: 184
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: sims

12/16/07 04:10 - 25ºF - ID#42538

More to life than money and careers

I have everything you could want in a Sims life. My husband makes high-end gnomes for sale. I'm purusing a career in modeling. We have every toy in the Sims toybook...but I just can't help like feeling that there's more to this life...

In these days and times, Sims are so disconnected from one another. They need to get back to their communal roots and rediscover the religious Sim life in commune with one another. So I present to the SIMS world, my Sims religious compound....

The building on the far left is the children's barrack.
In the middle front building on the bottom is the recreation room.
The middle back building is the cafeteria.
The building on the far right is the barrack for my faithful adherents!
Who wants to move in?

On top of the front middle building is my special apartment that I share with the husband. Can't be a cult leader without some swanky digs, right?

Permalink: More_to_life_than_money_and_careers.html
Words: 167
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: life

12/14/07 02:57 - 33ºF - ID#42518

"Just Say No"

...applies to more than just drugs!

Permalink: _quot_Just_Say_No_quot_.html
Words: 19
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: religion

12/07/07 09:01 - 24ºF - ID#42422

Who gets the whooping cough?!

Whooping cough broke out on Bob Jones University forcing them to close classes a week early for the semester. Who the hell gets whooping cough in the US these days? Homeschooling students at BJU whose parents refused to vaccinate them as children do. And then they pass it on to the people who had whooping cough vaccinations as children but never got boosters as adult, because you're not really expecting to be exposed to the whooping cough as an adult in the US. The only reason I got the whooping cough booster was because it was bundled in with diptheria and tetanus (DPT) and I needed the tetanus for going to Vietnam.

Two years ago, measles broke out among youth at church. Again, mostly home schooling kids whose parents rejected vaccines. Homeschooling kid goes to Romania, brings home measles. Who sends their kids overseas without vaccinations?

There is an anti-authority issue; *there is a suspicion of vaccinations (which extends to outside the christian homeschooling community as well) and there is this:

A concern with using vaccinations that come from cell lines that originate in aborted fetuses. The greater Christian community can help with the anti-authority issue and the public health community can help with the suspicion of vaccinations issue. It also seems worthwhile if the medical community explores the use of vaccinations not using a cell line originating from an aborted fetus. It could encourage these homeschoolers to vaccinate their kids and decrease these weird break outs of diseases that shouldn't occur in the US anymore. Doctors and biologists on the board...is it feasible?

For the record, I'm not entirely gung ho on vaccinations. I fall into the group of people who are suspicious of vaccinations at times.

drew writes at 12:05:46 12/08/07 - Comment #29005: Wow, I really took myself to task there, didn't I?

You're right Janelle, I didn't open the links. I based it on the people in my family that didn't vaccinate.

drew writes at 11:13:24 12/08/07 - Comment #29003: (e:Drew), you clearly skimmed my post and didn't open the links. There are people who do not vaccinate because there is a cell line used in vaccinations that originate from an aborted fetus. Read the third link. It's the catholic church's stand on the issue.

drew writes at 10:43:30 12/08/07 - Comment #29002: they don't avoid vaccinations because of stem cells or anything like that. It's because of supposed links to autism and other problems that show up around the same time that vaccinations are given.

jenks writes at 10:22:35 12/08/07 - Comment #29001: ugh. I don't even know where to start. Why are people afraid of vaccines? I mean I know why, but it just seems crazy to me. And I'll have to look it up, but as far as I know, vaccines generally come from killed viruses, not stem cells (aka "aborted fetuses"). But, maybe that will all get better, because someone recently figured out how to get stem cells from SKIN- so maybe we can finally move ahead with (what I consider) valuable and important scientific research, and not be hung up by the whole pro-life thing. It's a no-brainer to me- but that's me being intolerant.

janelle writes at 10:34:10 12/07/07 - Comment #28984: Lol, I stand corrected (e:Ladycroft).

ladycroft writes at 10:12:48 12/07/07 - Comment #28981: actually, i had whooping cough last winter!

janelle writes at 10:03:32 12/07/07 - Comment #28977: The federal government couldn't force the HPV vaccinations on young girls without those same conservatives freaking out that the government was acting outside of its "ordained" role. It really isn't about, is this administration a "godly" one. It's about, is this action within the domain of a "godly" government.

drew writes at 09:55:21 12/07/07 - Comment #28975: 'because they believe (now) that the federal government is "godly," it can do anything it wants. If Clinton were still in power, the govt would be attacked for torturing, wiretapping, and war, but apparently, "godly" leaders can do whatever they want, without being questioned.

But few governors or school boards have been deified the way GWB has been.

I guess we won't go bowling tonight. Homeland security is knocking at the door.

janelle writes at 09:43:50 12/07/07 - Comment #28973: I think not vaccinating your kids is not a scientific authority issue, but a government authority issue. The state can't make us vaccinate our kids.

Conservative christianity is okay with federal government authority to go to war, etc...because it falls under the domain of what a "godly" government is allowed to.

drew writes at 09:14:09 12/07/07 - Comment #28971: It's funny, 'cause recently, conservative Christianity has been cool with authority (to go to war, torture, wiretap, etc.) but this is a different kind of authority. It's not federal government authority (which was the enemy during the heyday of the civil rights movement), but scientific authority, and local school board authority, which are now feared.

Another funny irony. Some in this crowd take as gospel really shaky studies that imply that there are problems with vaccines, but refuse to listen to even the best of studeis that suggest larger, enviornmental problems.

Theologically, its because they are all about personal holiness, without acknowledging systemic evil. If something bad happens to somebody, its because of something that they personall did (which is true of a vaccination, but not neccisarily global warming.) In addition to this way of seeing the world not making very much sense, Jesus also specifically taught against it.

But it makes life easier to get through (until you get sick, at least), so lots of people go for it.

mike writes at 09:07:19 12/07/07 - Comment #28970: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!

Permalink: Who_gets_the_whooping_cough_.html
Words: 312
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: life

12/06/07 08:47 - 20ºF - ID#42413

Birthday Ramblings

I overheard a great conversation last night at the vet, sitting next to an older man talking on a cell phone.

"What did I tell you to do? Huh? He does that to you again, you tell him, I'm gonna smash your face in. Then you do it. Bop him in the nose. Tell the teacher about this. Did you tell the teacher? And then the next time he does it, you bloody his nose good. Don't worry, he's not going to do anything back once you give him a good bloody nose. He's gotta learn his lesson."

It was hard to keep a straight face during that conversation.

On another note, today's my birthday. I'm turning 25. I've been turning 25 for a few years now. I wonder when I'm going to turn 30? So far, it looks like a nice birthday is ahead. My wonderful husband is making me birthday casserole and is going to watch my favorite musical, Oliver, with me. Just got it from my parents for my birthday. Good day, indeed.

ladycroft writes at 04:50:10 12/07/07 - Comment #28963: happy happy birthday!

drew writes at 07:07:51 12/06/07 - Comment #28954: metalpeter, I think the second idea sounds more fun.

jim writes at 06:45:24 12/06/07 - Comment #28952: Happy Birthday!

metalpeter writes at 06:39:14 12/06/07 - Comment #28951: I admit I have never heard of Oliver the musical sorry. But as long as you like it and have a good time that is all that matters.

(e:dre) I'm not sure if you should be classy and get a glass or just grab the entire Bottle and pretend you are Janis Joplin with a Bottle of Jack Daniels. Hope it winds up being a great time for you both.

drew writes at 01:29:01 12/06/07 - Comment #28943: I'll need the wine to get through Oliver :)

jason writes at 12:37:32 12/06/07 - Comment #28941: Well done! Have a glass of wine or three.

museumchick writes at 11:49:45 12/06/07 - Comment #28937: Happy (approximately) 25th birthday! I hope it's a great day for you.

james writes at 11:11:35 12/06/07 - Comment #28932: Pretend you are in prison and have Drew bake you a birthday cake with a file in it!

lauren writes at 10:40:49 12/06/07 - Comment #28930: Aww Happy birthday Janelle! You are only one year older than me! :)

And yay for Oliver..Food Glorious Food!

drew writes at 10:31:08 12/06/07 - Comment #28929: 25 was a long time ago for (e:janelle), too.

We are going to have a talk about lying tonight.

leetee writes at 10:29:06 12/06/07 - Comment #28928: Happy Birthday, Janelle

paul writes at 09:29:03 12/06/07 - Comment #28925: Happy birthday!

mrmike writes at 09:21:26 12/06/07 - Comment #28924: Ah, 25. I remember it, long damn time ago. Enjoy, hope you have the best day.

Permalink: Birthday_Ramblings.html
Words: 173
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: bad cat

12/05/07 09:08 - 22ºF - ID#42401

Bad Cat

People always wonder how the cute, playful black cat Tatanka could be a bad cat......
It might have something to do with the fact that I spent hours making gingerbread cookies; cutting them out in heart shapes; swearing everytime they didn't turn out right; baking them; cooling them; icing them; and then carefully putting them away in the pantry until the night of my party only to discover that the black cat had opened the pantry, climbed inside and took big bites out of each separate cookie. The black cat later got sick from eating said cookies and had a yucky poop two inches from his litter box...because he apparently couldn't make those additional two inches to poop INSIDE the litterbox...

james writes at 03:24:12 12/05/07 - Comment #28891: be careful Drew. Brain is a gateway organ.

First you have a bit of brain and soon as you know it you are mainlining spleens. It gives whole new meaning to Naked Lunch.

drew writes at 03:00:49 12/05/07 - Comment #28889: We curse when we cook or do brain surgery, too.

And we eat the mistakes as well.

Eating a couple bites of brain now and then doesn't make you a zombie, right? I mean, we can quit any time.

james writes at 02:19:13 12/05/07 - Comment #28885: can you imagine if we kept boars as pets. Maimed gingerbread men would be the least of our problems.

This is the second time you or Drew wrote about your cursing while baking. Baking is a whole different science than cooking or brain surgery, and much more difficult. But, unlike brain surgery when you make a mistake you can still eat it!

janelle writes at 10:23:11 12/05/07 - Comment #28878: Yes, you describe that feeling well, (e:Carolinian). He is an amazingly intelligent cat and never ceases to make (e:Drew) and I laugh. My other favorite story...I was sitting in the living room and I heard *crunch, crunch, crunch* from the kitchen. I went in and found that he had knocked a cereal box off the shelf, forcefully pushed his paw into the box and was scooping out pieces of cereal to eat. So we had to move the cereal boxes to the top of the fridge. He also learned to press the button that opens the trash can. I thought it was a fluke so I closed the lid and hid and watched him do it again very purposefully. So then we had to move the trash can!
I'm convinced that some day he will figure out how to open the refrigerator and then we'll really be screwed!

carolinian writes at 10:12:09 12/05/07 - Comment #28876: I imagine you must be feeling the mixture of frustration and pride a parent must feel when their kid breaks something but does it in a precociously intelligent manner.

jason writes at 09:16:12 12/05/07 - Comment #28873: Haha. Pets are awesome.

Permalink: Bad_Cat.html
Words: 122
Location: Buffalo , NY

Category: buffalo

12/03/07 08:36 - 36ºF - ID#42376

Buffalo Symphony Orchestra

Drew and I had the awesome opportunity to see all 6 of the Brandenburg Concertos performed by the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra with some guest artists when an acquaintance couldn't use their subscription tickets.

It was our first visit to the symphony hall . We we were curious because everyone has told us it's a "must see" building, but from the outside it doesn't look particularly interesting. The inside does have a clean fresh look - bright and airy - and designed so that it will stand time. I don't think you can look at the symphony hall and say, oh, yes, this is so reminescent of the cheesy architecture from the such and such decade. We had terrific seats in the center of the bacony with nice leg room. I was pleased.

The music was good. It's not the PSO or CSO, but I'm still happy to live in a city with a quality orchestra that plays in a hall 5 minutes down the road from me. Now, is there a classical ballet troupe in town?

I am disappointed at the ticket prices at the BSO, but it turns out that I was spoiled by the PSO. They had this section called the Family Circle. They were basically nosebleed seats and the seats were big long wooden benches that you crowded into. But you could get a clear view of the symphony, the sound was fine and the tickets cost $15. BSO tickets cost $30 for the cheapest seats. Boo. But I like the symphony enough that I'll scrape up the money a few times a year to go see them.

janelle writes at 10:58:35 12/05/07 - Comment #28880: jbeatty, I think some symphonies have endowments or financial situations that allow them to have a small range of tickets at a subsidized price so to speak. Mrmike pointed out that the BPO had some financial problems, so the ticket prices make sense to me now. But like I said, it won't stop me from going to see the symphony. Like (e:Jason), Pictures at an Exhibition is one of my favorite pieces and I will definitey be paying to see that concert.

jbeatty writes at 10:27:11 12/05/07 - Comment #28879: I would love to go see them. $30 doesn't seem all that steep to me considering most of the musicians are probably living off of that as a major chunk of their income. I'm not sure about BFO but the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra starting salary is only $25,000 a year. I have paid more than $30 to see four guys play for the same amount of time and didn't get a seat for that. I would also guess that quite a few of them make more than $25,000.

metalpeter writes at 05:18:18 12/03/07 - Comment #28803: (e:jason) You want to make that trip even cooler I'll ad someting to it for you. After you cleveland trip take a little drive to Sandusky (not sure how far maybe it is quicker to go on the way) and go to the Football Hall of fame. I went many years ago and had a great time.

In terms of the BPO I don't think I ever seen them, even any of the cool stuff they did like the music of Pink Flyodd or any of that.

ladycroft writes at 04:38:42 12/03/07 - Comment #28794: awww. i had my first dance recital there. also, brandenburg concertos are my favorite to play on violin -specifically 2nd and 3rd. always reminds me of 'die hard' when i hear them too. ha! glad you had fun :)

jason writes at 10:56:52 12/03/07 - Comment #28781: You are also very close to Cleveland, and their orchestra has long been regarded as one of the best in the USA if not the best. Joshua I am sure can elaborate on that.

Actually, that would be a pretty cool trip - go to the Rock and Roll HOF, see a concert.

I agree that the prices are high - You would think it makes sense to have a lower priced area, for students and the like to enjoy. My decision to see a show depends far less on that than the programming, really.

I see that in April they have Wagner (although no link to see what they are playing), and also later on Pictures at an Exhibition. I love that piece.

mrmike writes at 09:48:33 12/03/07 - Comment #28778: The BPO is a good time depending on the programming. They were in danger for a long time and are finally on some solid financial footing.

Permalink: Buffalo_Symphony_Orchestra.html
Words: 266
Location: Buffalo , NY