I'm happy to report that I'm breathing and sleeping better these days.  I finally got in to see my allergist late last week; got my prescription changed; got a prescription for an air purifier; and started my allergy shots back up (luckily, the needles for allergy shots are no where as vicious as the needles I had to jab myself with for my lymes treatment; these are a piece of cake).  I'm already feeling relief, which is good for lil' Winchester.  I'm one of those people who are allergic to cats, but still have one as a pet -- in my defense, I didn't know I was allergic to cats until well after I had adopted him.  (You tell me, how could I live without my precious little Winchester Drawers?)  It never fails, he always seems to want the most love when I'm having the worst flare-ups. 

It's 5 o'clock in the morning and I've been up since a little before 3 o'clock.  I've been trying to find an over-the-counter allergy relief to use until I can get in to see the allergy doctor, and so far, I'm 0-2.  I have, however, figured out I can't handle the decongestant Phenylephrine HCI, which shall forever now be known to me as the "Devil's Drug."

Luckily, there's a little bit of good early morning television.  Who knew?  I've been enjoying the wonderful PBS show Globe Trekker.  Hey, if you can't sleep, you might as well travel.  This morning I've been all over The United Kingdom.  The sights were beautiful.  The food was horrible. 

So, I didn't watch one lick of The Super Bowl -- not one commercial.  I didn't even have the desire, and figured I can watch best part, the commericals, on-line.  My sister Robin did try to explain some of the ones she thought were funny to me over the telephone, but sorry to say they were lost in telephone translation.  Thanks for trying, Robin. 

I guess today will be a day filled with massive amounts of coffee; I should probably go and get a pot started.  Have a great day -- I hope you enjoyed your sleep. 

Yes, I'm jealous!

Once again, I fall completely short in my attempts to communicate with others, but by now we should all be used to my shortcomings. It’s almost the end of January, but I hope everyone’s year has started off nicely. 

I’ve been suffering here in Texas from bipolar weather, which leaves the emotions in a manic-depressive state as well.  The only true weather here in Texas is ALLERGIES, which I’ve been weathering all my life.  Last week my allergies started developing into a/an cold/infection; it got so bad that I finally had enough and tried to overdose on Sudafed PE.  It sounds more dramatic than it really is; I took one pill had an allergic reaction and felt like I was going to die.  My constitution was

I find myself in the New Year completely overwhelmed and stressed.  Work is always an adventure – never really know what you are going to get from day to day.  The “powers that be” decided to extend our hours of operation, and of course, they were gracious enough to inform us just at the last minute.  It’s a week into the new hours and I still don’t have everything in place: solid schedule, new hirees (I did get the blessing of adding three additional part-time workers to my staff and one new supervisor), and the regular demands of a new semester.  Since every department received an increase in their budget everyone is scrambling to hire new employees, so for once the pickings have been some what slim.  Yes, I know I’ll survive but probably grayer or with a little less hair.

It’s been wedding mania around where I work.  I went to my final wedding of the season this past Saturday where I got the dreaded question, usually reserved for family gatherings, “So when are you getting married?  Are you dating anyone?”  And regardless of how self-assured and independently thinking  you normally are, whenever a stranger or simple acquaintance asks something along these lines you still hang your head a little and sheepishly reply with dialogue reminiscent of a Jane Austen novel, “Forgive me, my lord, for I am almost thirty and have no prospects of marriage.  I will forever be a burden to my family, and if my father were to die, there is no one to take care of my mother and me if I cannot find a husband with an income of at least 100,000£ a year.”  OH, PLEASE!

This is the year I turn 30!  Monumental.  I know!  With two older sisters, I didn’t think I’d make it out of my teens, so thirty amazes me.  The last few months have been filled with reflection and personal review; I'm sure the coming months will bring even more -- the daily two hour commute is a dangerous time for my mind.  I’m probably being more dramatic than necessary, but I guess every “Age Cornerstone” gets one in the reflective mode.  Where do I want to be spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically . . . ?  Am I even on the right track to get there? 

It’s sure to be an interesting year.

Once again, I've fallen behind in regular posting; however, I think I've got a good excuse this time.  Of course, things have been busy at work.  It's that time of the semester when the library is actually a popular place -- students finally realize they've put off their papers and projects long enough.  So they come scrambling to find resources because instead of spending Thanksgiving with the family, they'll have a bite to eat with them but spend the rest of the time, after watching some three or four football games and the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, working on plagairizing while trying not to look like they plagairized some paper on about the fulfillment of the prophesy of Noah as seen by Jabez in the Gospels and the second acts of the apostles.

Works not my excuse -- not solely, anyway.  I've mentioned before in my sporadic postings that I've been planning on getting my Masters in Library Science Degree from The University of North Texas.  Everything has kept coming up or at the very least I'd get cold feet.  So finally, realizing that this might be my only ticket out of current situations, I began to put actual action to the whole process. Boy, I didn't remember the undergrad or even seminary application process to be so long and draw out.  I embarked on the application journey several months ago, hoping to get everything done to begin this coming 2007 Spring semester. 

The 2007 Spring semester isn't going to happen because transcripts are taking longer and so is the funding.  I'm now shooting for the 2007 Summer semester because my financial situation will change a little after the new year, so I should have more funding available.  The good news is that I'm 95% done with the application process and I'll have more time to study for the MAT (Miller's Analogies Test).

Black Thursday: The Day After A Day of Thanks and Turkey

Now fast forward to 3:20am on Friday morning.  I'm at my sister's apartment in Ardmore, Oklahoma.  The folks are a sleeping; Robin's getting ready.  "Ready for what?" you asking.  SHOPPING. 

When we decided to go last night (or this morning) after staying up so long chatting and swapping war stories, we just decided to stay up.  Besides, Robin had to take a shower, dry her hair, and I'm sure she's putting in her contacts and making up her face even as I type.  She is a local school teacher with an image to uphold.  My theory is that's why they make baseball caps.  What's it really good for if not to mask your identity every now and then. 

Understand this . . . I'm not in Dallas -- not even in Waxahachie.  I'm in Ardmore, Oklahoma -- the biggest little town between Dallas/Fort Worth and Oklahoma City.  There is no Best Buy here.  No Circuit City.  The one-story building where they old people walk every morning can barely count as a mall.  Still, there is Wal-Mart and a few other spots; all of which, have sales beginning at 5am.  Robin's got her heart set on a Brothers Sewing Machine for $55 despite the fact that she doesn't know how to sew (I know she'll be reading this soon, so I must be careful -- we'll be here until Sunday). 

My goal is to get A LOT of Christmas shopping out of the way -- everyone's getting CD's and DVD's.  (NOT REALLY)  My parents are snuggled all warm in there bed, opting not to go, but giving me a list instead.  Hey, you can't beat a 1GB flash drive for $7.78.

Okay, I must go find my baseball cap.  I'll be sure to let you know how it all panned out; after, of course, a few hours nap.

On September 12, 1969, Ronald and Patsy Spriggs were blessed with their first of three daughters, Robin Michelle. 

Things have really been hoping around here.  And, I was afraid I'd get bored.  Here's what's been happening:

• Attended an all day library staff meeting followed by lunch at Red, Hot, & Blue (For the many of you who no longer live in Fort Worth and are jealous right now, "IT WAS DELICIOUS!"). The good thing about staff meeting was I didn't have to pay for lunch.
• Hired three new employees.
• Bought a new set of tires.
• Attended a mandatory all-campus employee meeting.  I don't have much to say about this -- it's far too painful.  I left 15 minutes early to get on the road to Oklahoma.  I left at the point were the Institutional Advancement guy was campaigning to get my money after I’m dead.  What he doesn't know is that my money is already earmarked for The 2044 Bubbles "The Monkey" Jackson is Innocent Campaign (It's just an premonition).

• Went to Oklahoma for my aunt’s and uncle’s 50^th anniversary reception, which meant I had to battle crickets for a little while at my sister’s apartment.
• My dad had hip replacement surgery on the 21^st of August.  He’s doing well and has been recovering with physical therapy in rehab.
• Survived another new student orientation.  Luckily, it gets easier and easier each semester because the numbers keep dwindling.  Who knows?  Next semester we might not even have to have orientation.
• Started re-reading The Prince by Machiavelli.  I found a copy for 98¢ at Half Price Books, so I thought, "Why not?"
• Took in a “stray” person, which my family is so prone to do.  This actually occurred over th Labor Day Weekend, so my initial plays of sleeping late, reading, and watching movies went awry.
• Had another staff meeting this past Tuesday.  I'm sorry to say no paid lunch followed.

My good friend and avid reader, Gwen, sent me the following link to a funny little organic parody of Star Wars.  Gwen's family has a successful green house farm business and regularly go to market.  Gwen, does your family grow organically?

www.storewars.org

ENJOY!

The Fray: Isaac Slade (vocals, keyboards), Dave Welsh (guitar),

Joe King (guitar, vocals), and Ben Wysocki (drums)

After reading my recent post, a reader sent me this link to a CCM article/interview with The Fray.  In case you don't want to read the entire article, here's the part I like the most:

Slade says he used to "write all Christian lyrics" until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: "None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary," he says. "So I went home and threw away all those songs."

He adds, "If I handed somebody a double grande mocha latte and told them, 'Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,' they might throw it back on me.

"If we grow up in the church, it's easy to think it's our Christian duty to preach to every single person because God is the most important thing. And he is, but I'm a musician first. This is my job. We're not pastors. We're not preachers. We're not even missionaries."

Slade likens his job to any other. "If you're a painter, paint, but you don't have to have Jesus in every picture. Paint well, and if you paint well enough, they might ask you why you do that."

Wow!  I guess I finally found some more Christian music I actually like, and if you really know me, you know that’s few and far between. 

I grew up listening to Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patti, Paul Overstreet, etc. because I was only allowed to listen to Christian music and Blue Grass.  That only worked when the parentals were within earshot and then it was a matter of a quick radio station change.  Hey, I was the one who put the parental control on the cable in order to keep us from watching MTV, which meant I could still watch it whenever they weren't around – one of the beauty of having older less technologically advanced parents.  I started experimenting with secular music in high school, and my life has never been the same -- 90’s grunge still holds a place a near and dear place in my heart.

Thankfully, there are more and more bands immerging like Andrew Osenga, The Normals (R.I.P.) The Fray and Switchfoot, who are really being what Jars of Clay should have been in the 1990’s with their testimony of faith and being a band of Christians instead of a Christian band.  I think we are finally seeing real Christianity through music.  Not shallow flowery music that gives you allergy attacks, but deep lyrics which aren’t afraid to speak of the struggles of living the Christian life because let's face it, that's reality.  Let’s just hope they keep it coming because it’s a true example of “living in the world and not of it.”