Why I love my job

Back after a ridiculously long hiatus….

Here is what I did today, and why I love my job…

• wrote a press release for a great new program EMU is doing in Philadelphia
• edited a webpage (unfortunately not to my own satisfaction)
• edited a bunch of stuff on a brand new blog/zine that me and another EMS alum are creating (more about that coming soon)
• decided to scrap (for now) a video project on the new dean because I need to think more about it (audience, message, etc.)
• returned an unneeded HDMI cord to Best Buy and exchanged it for two tripods for the seminary’s brand new video cameras
• ordered new mics for the new video cameras
• talked to a prospective student on the phone about online courses
• had lunch with the office staff
• and there are still many things on my list…

I love being busy, having a variety of projects and thinking about 10 things at once.

And one challenge, that mostly feels doable…

• I am learning two new bosses, their styles, their habits and their expectations. It makes life interesting.

Lent- More Reflections

This is mostly for accountability for myself. Even though R8chel has told me repeatedly that “no one cares what you eat for lunch.” Here are some food reflections anyway.

• I am finding it surprisingly easy to avoid corn syrup. Maybe it has something to do with how I eat normally, or maybe it’s do with the fact that more people are avoiding it and so manufacturers are using less of it. In fact, the only food item I miss that contains corn syrup is granola bars, and technically I could make my own and be fine. Now there are a number of “food-like substances” I miss that contain corn syrup. They are generally of the gummy variety, such as bears, worms and fruit snacks. I can live without these I think.
• Sugar is harder. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thought “What I wouldn’t give for a cookie” and there are really some areas where it’s impossible to avoid sugar. Here are some of them:
• Bread in restaurants- since I’m not giving up eating out I will inevitably eat bread with sugar in it (and probably corn syrup too) I’ve made my own for at home that contains neither of these, but in restaurants I’m just eating it.
• Salad dressing in restaurants- (see above comments)
• Other occasional prepared foods- I just bought my favorite Asian convenience food and discovered the sauce has sugar in it. I will probably eat it anyway.
• And perhaps a failure today when I bought “Back to Nature” Oatmeal cookies. It says “Evaporated Cane Juice” that’s probably sugar. Technically not refined sugar, which is what I was giving up, but still is probably against the spirit of Lent.

All in all, I’m glad I’m not Jesus. I wouldn’t have lasted forty days in the desert and I have been a total disaster if the devil had said to me “Turn these stones into cookies.”

Lenten Fast

This year I have chosen to fast from refined sugar and corn syrup for Lent. Here are a few things I’ve learned so far.

• The first thing I discovered is that these ingredients show up in foods that they have no business showing up in. For example, I found these items in beef broth, pretzels, Worcestershire sauce, and just about every condiment in my fridge.
• I am making my own bread, since I know lots of store-bought breads include corn syrup.
• I have also inadvertently given up my favorite kind of potato chips (Sour Cream and Cheddar Baked Lays) because they also include sugar.
• I’ve discovered that generic brands are more likely to have sugar or corn syrup than the name brands.
• I am not giving up honey or maple syrup or fruit sugar and this may save me.
• The first few days I would have given my left arm for a cookie. That’s subsiding slightly.
• I am not going to be a sugar nazi- which means that I will give up sugar if its inconvenient for me, but not if its inconvenient for others. So, I will not refuse to go out to dinner, or enjoy a friend’s hospitality because there is sugar involved. However, if there is dessert at a function, I will forgo it. Also I try to avoid things that I know have sugar or corn syrup in them at restaurants.  So last night I had veggie burgers without barbecue sauce. I have not removed all the sugar from my house, since there are others who eat at my house, but I also won’t buy it for myself. I’m hoping this will be a good compromise. It will be tempting to cheat a bit, but I think I’ll know if I’m cheating too.
• Finally, I’m testing a theory that my insomnia is linked to sugar. Part of me hopes it is, because this means I don’t have to deal with more prescription drugs, and part of me hopes its not, because it will end sugar consumption in my life. 😦

Abandoning the Birthday Month project

Since I haven’t posted in several days anyone who might be reading this has probably discovered that I am abandoning my birthday month project. I have found it informative for myself, so even if no one else is reading I’ve enjoyed it. There are probably still some things I would do well to journal on, such as disappointments and things that I need to let go of (they may be one in the same, who knows). Perhaps I will leave that for another time, or perhaps I will write them in my personal journal, which is probably a better place for them anyway.

Places I Want to Go

Right now? Home, to bed. Although, that’s not really what this post is supposed to be about.

• Newfoundland- I was there once as an angry/angsty teenager with my parents. I want to go back as a slightly less emotionally charged adult.
• Prince Edward Island- Also been there before but totally worth going back.
• Ireland- I’d like to do a Celtic Pilgrimage like the one my co-worker is going on. It includes Iona and various other religious sites in the country.
• Italy- Museums and all the touristy stuff like Venice and Rome.
• Paris- Same as above with museums and touristy stuff

As you can see adventure travel is not really my thing, but that’s okay.

Things I Want to Do

My bucket list is pretty short at this point. I don’t have an adventurous soul and so things like skydiving and base jumping are not generally on my to do list. In fact I started this list and abandoned it because I could not think of very many things I wanted to do that I hadn’t put on the my 101 in 1001 list, or that weren’t places I wanted to go. The only really good ones were “have a child” and “live in the country.” This either means I’m not a very good dreamer, or I don’t have high aspirations, or maybe it means I’m mostly content with the directions life takes me.

This is something my husband and I differ on significantly. Just about everyday he names something new he wants to do or have.  I’m just not like that. And I sometimes worry that that means I don’t have any dreams about the future. I hope that’s not the case, but I don’t know.

birthday

I tried to post this yesterday, but apparently I can’t post on my blog via my phone.

It was a good day anyway.

Favorite Books

I’m surely not going to get them all

• All the Harry Potter books but especially 3 and 7
• Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
• The Mix-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler- so that now whenever I go into a museum I imagine living in it
• All Terry Pratchett- especially the Discworld series
• Lamb by Christopher Moore
• the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (although I’m not a big fan of book 5)
• Oryx and Crake and After the Flood by Margaret Atwood also (although I don’t know if “like” is the term for how I feel about these books)

Things that Inspire Me

• The comedy and biblical drama of Ted Swartz
• Mountain Vistas
• Running Water- like rivers and streams not like drippy faucets
• Biblical poetry
• Really good fiction
• Quiet walks

Favorite Places

This should be more fun…

1. Common Grounds in Bluffton Ohio and George House in Findlay Ohio. The best coffeehouses in the world.
2. Sherando Lake- beautiful park
3. Skyline Drive, but especially Bearfence Mountain hike.
4. Carousel Dinner Theater- I don’t even know if it still exists but I have some good memories there
5. Bluffton University- as much for the people as the place
6. Willow Run Road- my new favorite place to walk
7. Home- I’m one of those crazy people who loves being at home
8. Finders Keepers- crazy el-cheapo store close to my house.
9. Mill Street Grill in Staunton- favorite Valley restaurant by far
10. Black Friars Theater in Staunton