Lent… and I don’t mean that dryer stuff

Although not all Christians participate in Lent (I believe it’s more of a traditional thing), our church and family do. I think growing up in Louisiana where everyone celebrates Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, I had to learn the significance of the celebration and the meaning. Way, way back in the day, the Catholic Church established a fast that would last 40 days leading up to Easter. The 40 days would start on Ash Wednesday, so the day before was supposed to be one super huge feast and celebration to get you through the next 40 days. I can’t imagine fasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter, so clearly Fat Tuesday was serious business. It’s like a bear eating tons of food to add up a hefty fat storage right before it goes into hibernation for a season.

Nowadays, the tradition lives on, but it doesn’t demand total starvation for 40 days. It’s customary to give up certain things for the duration of Lent season. In the past, I have given up things like eating after 7:30 PM, cokes (soft drinks/sodas, not the drug), fried foods (so difficult!), and sucking my finger (that was a long time ago like 1st or 2nd grade).

This Lent season, I have decided to give up cookies. Oh, cookies! They are my downfall. No more chocolate chip, oatmeal, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, shortbread, Girl Scout, sugar-frosted, Oreo… I should stop. No Cookies! Not even on Sunday (which Sundays are not counted in the 40 days). I also decided to do something different this year. Not only have I committed to subtracting cookies from my life, but I’ve also committed to adding exercise to my life. Everyday, I must actively exercise. I count taking Beta for a walk as exercise (if you tried to walk him on leash, you’d agree it’s a workout), doing self-led yoga, and Wii. Oh, how I love the Wii. It keeps track of minutes and progress and is ridiculously fun.

Lent also makes me more aware of my faith, and lately, I’ve been more contemplative of God, Christianity, the human condition, other religions, freedom, philosophy, politics, and how in the world are we supposed to make sense out of all of this. Just for today, I have constructed a concept may while sitting at my desk, waiting for those work-related emails to trickle in. It’s quite basic, but I figure a concept map is supposed to be pretty basic, showing correlations and main ideas.
 
 
 

 
Hmmm... I took a picture of my computer screen.  I'm not sure if it'll get larger when clicked on...(?).
 
After Easter, I will be eating a Mrs. Field's cookie cake.  The entire thing!!!

Scatter-brained

I can't seem to focus my mind right now. I probably should have waited for my mind to clear some before writing this entry, but I figured it needed to be now or then who-knows-when… So, my sincere apologies for jumping topics, non-cohesive paragraphs, and scattered remarks.

And it's happened, folks!!! I got a car! I love my new car. J It's a Nissan Versa SL hatchback that's very bright red. I've named her Harriet…my chariot. So far, it's been two weeks with Harriet and she already has about 420 miles on her. She started out with a mere 11. She has already taken her first road trip, too. Just a few days after her purchase, she transported my friend Chelsey and me to Waco. It was delightful. Absolutely delightful.

I've started working solo now, no more training. I really like my job. They gave me the title of Instructional Support Associate, but my self-proclaimed title is Webmaster, B.A. (and the "B.A." doesn't just refer to my degree) *wink*. My job is assisting in the management of all the online courses… and I'm nothing short of amazing at it. Well, I think so anyway. I hope the professor and students feel the same way. Ha-ha. I get my very own little "studio" (another one of their fun titles for cubical) complete with textbooks, computer, all the office supplies I could ever need, mini file cabinet, and a coveted window view. I think the best part about my job, is that the professor takes the time to get to know me. He asks about my interests and goals, and he's always giving me different organizations to look at or suggesting different grad schools. I really appreciate that. I like that he's encouraging and sees my potential even when I at times cannot.

Oh my goodness! The snow! I almost forgot to mention the snow! Dallas/Fort Worth had record-breaking snowfall today. It has snowed ALL day long. I tried to make a snowman earlier, but Beta kept eating and attacking my piles of snow. But honestly, I could make an entire snowman family or a snowman army. I've never seen the snow get so deep. It was gorgeous but at the same time… annoying. I wonder, is that an indicator that I'm getting older? Yes, the snow is very pretty and I wanted to play in it, but at the same time, it's an impediment to just about everything. I have my teacher certification test tomorrow, and I had to call around all afternoon to figure out how the snow and icy roads would affect my test. I wanted to take Harriet to the library today and then to the grocery store for key lime truffles ingredients, but no. The snow foiled that plan. So, does that make me half a grown-up? Enjoy the snow, but sick of the snow simultaneously?

 I'm currently obsessed with two songs that I recently downloaded. Song 1: Bloodline by Matt Morris. The music is gorgeous, I'm in love with verse two, the harmony is sweet, and his voice is wonderful. Youtube it… fo realz! Song 2: Undertow (feat. The Fray and Estero) by Timbaland. Listen here! I love the beat, the rhythm, and the voices. Hooray iTunes.

I baked snickerdoodle cookies and worn knee-high music note socks today. J

The End.

PS. I'm sad I won't be going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but I'm sure it'll be crazy with the Saints win at the SuperBowl. I'm going to brush up on my baseball knowledge. Target has awesome spring/summer sandals already on the shelves (bought two pair already). Valentine's Day: chick flick or an Indian Jones movie???