Saturday, November 30, 2002 AD What Infomercials Tempt You? I confess a tendency to linger a while when the Miracle Blade 3 infomercial comes on. Especially this morning when I needed to give my hands a break from chopping two bags of potatoes for soup. I flipped on the tube and there was the Miracle Blade 3 (the New Perfection Series, don'tcha know).
So 'fess up. Which infomercials, past or present, have tempted you? And have you ever given in? Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/30/2002 12:07:00 PM
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Links to This Post The Royal We Yesterday I found myself a couple times praying for things in the first person plural. "We ask your blessing on..." and so forth in extemporaneous prayers. In both cases it was a reactive sort of prayer. You know -- you hear a need and you just pray for it right then rather than waiting for some more formal prayer time when you might have forgotten it. Since I wasn't really consciously thinking about the form of the prayer, I thought this was a good sign that a deeper corporate mindset seems to be developing. Thanks, Lord!
Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/30/2002 09:46:00 AM
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(And of course Ecleo never said this.) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/27/2002 12:54:00 AM
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Tuesday, November 26, 2002 AD Maybe They Could Split a Bottle of Advil Hey Russ, somebody else's brain hurts. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/26/2002 11:51:00 PM
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Links to This Post Competitive Women Since half of our covenant group couldn't be there tonight, those of us who still wanted to get together decided to have a game night. There were three sweet, wonderful wives; the husbands of two of them; and me. I noted that the sweet, wonderful wives were much more likely to want to give extra chances, let the rules slide a little bit, and generally not get very intense about winning. I, on the other hand, tend to get very intense about games. I want to strictly enforce the rules, not let anything slide, and play to win. If it's a game I know I'm not good at (anything involving much strategy or physical strength), I don't want to play it. Don't see the point in playing if it's not to win. Of course, being me, I start comparing myself to the sweet, wonderful wives and thinking, "Wow. Competitiveness must be a really bad female trait, because they're not competitive and they're sweet, wonderful wives and I am competitive and I'm not one." Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/26/2002 11:28:00 PM
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Links to This Post Yet Another QuizPost Deleted Decided it crossed the line into anti-edifying territory. Sorry. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/26/2002 02:10:00 PM
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Links to This Post Things People Have Actually Said in Court (I got this list in an e-mail, so it must be true.)
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
Q: This myasthenia gravis - does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?
Q: All your responses must be oral, okay? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.
Q: How old is your son - the one living with you.
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
Q: Sir, what is your IQ?
A: Well, I can see pretty well, I think.
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in the voodoo occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.
Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
Q: Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?
Q: Did he kill you?
Q: How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?
Q: You were there until the time you left, is that true?
Q: How many times have you committed suicide?
Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?
Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?
Q: You say the stairs went down to the basement?
A: Yes.
Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?
Q: Mr. Slattery, you went on a rather elaborate honeymoon, didn't you?
A: I went to Europe, sir.
Q: And you took your new wife?
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a
deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/26/2002 12:30:00 PM
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Monday, November 25, 2002 AD A Truly Eclectic Musical Instrument The Muppaphone. Perhaps Laurel will rename her blog after it: Lone Muppaphone. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/25/2002 11:23:00 PM
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Links to This Post Exhaustion I've got an appointment for a sleep study next Friday to find out if the exhaustion I've been experiencing is apnea-related. I really hope they find something that's treatable. I've been really dragging lately. And I'm not exactly Little Mary Sunshine when I'm "normal," but being constantly cranky and ready to burst into tears day after day for weeks on end is unusual even for me. I'm having serious trouble concentrating, too, which has made work more difficult. Anyway, there's my whine of the day. I wouldn't object to anyone praying about this for me! :-) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/25/2002 03:05:00 PM
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Sunday, November 24, 2002 AD The Cyber-Creep Mystery Caller Has Been Revealed! It was Daniel, looking for Paulo's phone number. He finally called back last night. I am much relieved to discover 'twas friend, not foe. He is exonerated from all cyber-creep suspicions, though perhaps I should talk to him about proper hours for making phone calls -- a quarter 'til midnight is a wee bit late! ;^) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/24/2002 07:55:00 AM
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Thursday, November 21, 2002 AD He's Baaaaaaack! After nearly a month's absence, Joseph has finally escaped the clutches of hosting problems and is back in the blogging saddle again. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/21/2002 01:42:00 PM
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Links to This Post "The dream is ended: this is the morning."
The final book of Narnia, you're a sometimes disturbing story about the end of the world and the beginning of a new one. Your characters include an evil monkey, a misguided donkey, stubborn dwarves and all the human characters from the previous books. You manage to be heartbreaking and beautiful at once.
Quiz via Jamie. (I usually forget to credit these things -- sorry!) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/21/2002 11:57:00 AM
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Wednesday, November 20, 2002 AD Simul Amused et Freaked Out A few days ago, someone called my home number and left a message for "Elizabeth Byrch." Obviously it's someone who knows me from online. He hasn't called back, and he hasn't 'fessed up. On the one hand, I'm highly amused that someone would tease me like this, but on the other hand, there's part of me thinking that it might be some major cyber-creep who's up to some sort of malicious tricks. So I hope whoever it was comes clean soon so I don't lose any more sleep over it. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/20/2002 10:22:00 PM
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Links to This Post Catch a Falling Star Unfortunately, I only caught the one. Yep -- spent an hour outdoors on a cold night and saw exactly one meteor. But I had a good time of fellowship with some friends from church, so it was a profitable hour none the less! Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/20/2002 10:13:00 PM
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Sunday, November 17, 2002 AD Meteor Shower I've made plans to go out someplace dark enough to see the meteor shower tomorrow night at 11 p.m. I've never actually gone out to see something like this. We're supposed to have mostly clear skies, but it's going to be cold. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/17/2002 11:09:00 PM
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Saturday, November 16, 2002 AD A Sniglet from PentaMom's Daughter sneakret (definition should be obvious!) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/16/2002 09:06:00 PM
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Links to This Post Other Reading I'm not as brave as Emeth to commit to reading a book a week, but I decided to post the title and start date to give myself a little more pressure to actually finish stuff I start reading. I started Cry, the Beloved Country today. Made it as far as the introduction and the word list at the back. I subvocalize when I read, so I always have to stop make sure I can pronounce each word. I'm generally pretty good at pronouncing languages if I can hear them. Unfortunately, I can't hear Afrikaans and Zulu and Xosa, or even the English pronunciations of the various words, so I'm going to find that a bit challenging.
On another note, does anybody have an opinion on which film adaptation of the book is most accurate?
And on yet another note, I've also added my Amazon wish list under Other Links. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/16/2002 09:05:00 PM
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Links to This Post I Always Want to Change This The Collect for PeaceGrace: "O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings, being ordered by thy governance, may be righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
I always want to change it to "and grant that this day we run into no sin, neither fall into any kind of danger." Run and sin seem to go together as volitional things. Fall and danger seem to go together as nonvolitional things. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/16/2002 02:45:00 PM
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Thursday, November 14, 2002 AD A Poem I Wrote Last Year Preposterous pink petunia
pokes up its head
in a flowerbox dead
since July’s drought
and September’s tearing out
by an impatient busybody.
It is November.
This fruit’s beyond reason—
a grace quite ridiculously
borne out of season. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/14/2002 08:24:00 PM
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Tuesday, November 12, 2002 AD Has Juan Valdez Made it to Japan? This poster made me think of Emeth:
Monday, November 11, 2002 AD The Spelling Police We interrupt this blog to bring you an important announcement from the Spelling Police:
There is no such word as woah. The correct spelling is whoa. I must have seen this word misspelled on blogs half a dozen times in the last couple days and I find it almost as maddening as the sound of cracking knuckles. (Ask Paulo for my opinion on cracking knuckles.) Anyway, I would deeply appreciate it if everyone would make an effort to keep this little orthographic tidbit in mind as you post and comment throughout the blogosphere. Thanks ever so!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/11/2002 11:03:00 PM
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Links to This Post "Learn of Jesus Christ to Pray" The hymn "Go to Dark Gethsemane" came to mind last night as I was reading Luke 22 and it struck me that we can learn of Jesus Christ to pray not only by His perfect example of surrender to the Father's will, but also by His instruction to His disciples. They were, as the NIV puts it, "exhausted from sorrow," yet He bids them pray against temptation. Our sorrow or joy or whatever other passion seizes us must not be allowed to dictate our prayer lives. And what exhaustion of ours could match His, who "being in anguish...prayed more earnestly"? I so often think sleep is the thing I need most, when anyone glancing at my life for half a second could clearly see that I need to get my head off the pillow and my knees on the floor.
Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempter’s power;
Your Redeemer’s conflict see, watch with Him one bitter hour,
Turn not from His griefs away; learn of Jesus Christ to pray.
See Him at the judgment hall, beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned;
O the wormwood and the gall! O the pangs His soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss; learn of Christ to bear the cross.
Calvary’s mournful mountain climb; there, adoring at His feet,
Mark that miracle of time, God’s own sacrifice complete.
“It is finished!” hear Him cry; learn of Jesus Christ to die.
Early hasten to the tomb where they laid His breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom. Who has taken Him away?
Christ is risen! He meets our eyes; Savior, teach us so to rise.
BTW, this isn't in the Trinity Hymnal. Anybody have any ideas why it might have been excluded? Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/11/2002 08:33:00 AM
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Sunday, November 10, 2002 AD Tons of New Blogs Added I can't believe I have let my blog roll get to 75. This is getting out of hand! And I absolutely forbid anyone else whose name starts with J to start an interesting blog. J's account for almost one-third of my list -- 23 blogs! Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/10/2002 05:20:00 PM
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Friday, November 08, 2002 AD Waxing and Wayne-ing Wayne L. is back after a few weeks' hiatus and Wayne W. is calling it quits. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/08/2002 12:46:00 PM
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Wednesday, November 06, 2002 AD Just Thought of a New Sniglet (This one was inspired by a sound emerging from under the desk.) (And yes, I know it's not theologically correct.)
purrification: The cleansing of one's soul under the influence of a contented cat. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/06/2002 12:06:00 AM
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Tuesday, November 05, 2002 AD Kristen Moved I redecorated. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/05/2002 11:57:00 PM
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Links to This Post Googlism (From googlism.com)
valerie is a god (Hmmm...someone seems to know my ugly predeliction for self-idolatry) valerie is bored what are you in the mood for?
valerie is a dork (Truer words were never spoken!) valerie is happily married to paul (Paul? Paul who? Why didn't anyone tell me?) valerie is a coaching facilitator who demonstrates excellent teaching and directing skills as she helps participants develop their own insights
valerie is non
valerie is a real estate agent that is known in the community of swift current for their dedicated client service
valerie is vegetarian? (Coulda fooled me...and that cow I ate yesterday!) valerie is famous for her role as doris schwartz in the tv show "fame" (Oh...didn't I mention that before?) valerie is one more reason why so much of the best bluegrass today is female
valerie is in charge of facilitating and monitoring the students' clinical experiences
valerie is an active competitor
valerie is forced to be nursemaid to her uncle Julian's two younger children (Uncle Julian is so cruel!) valerie is sleeping (Well...she wishes she were!) valerie is one vocalist you don't want to miss
valerie is in search of kids who are using their heads and wearing helmets while on wheels (Searching...always searching) valerie is a girl who is stucked in Singapore (I hate being stucked) valerie is located above the ocean and boasts breathtaking views of Los Arcos rock formation (I'm so glad I'm not below the ocean!) valerie is guitarist and a lead vocalist for sista (Hey! I didn't know I had a band!) valerie is a new design for 2002
valerie is independent and very mature for her age
valerie is now a junior at cornell university (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is one of the NCHRA's top-rated speakers
valerie is hosting her fourth syndicated radio project
valerie is about to come full circle on her decade
valerie is currently the executive editor of Essence
valerie is active with Musica Antiqua (I seem to be quite musically versatile!) valerie is also a current member of the lakeland regional mental health advisory committee (They value my expertise.) valerie is recommended by fellow agents for honesty and integrity as an experienced saskatchewan real estate agent professional
valerie is 8 years old and ready for the 3rd grade (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is 3 years old (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is also very aware of the need for the right equipment
valerie is a past member on the board of directors for the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce
valerie is going on with her life
valerie is the 21 year old daughter of bruce and julie wurtz of riley (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is an honor roll senior at good counsel high school (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is there when you need her (And sometimes I'm there when you don't need me and I just won't go away!) valerie is an assembly representative on LFEPA and GLA member for Lambeth and Southwark constituency
valerie is not a large mare (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is an 8th grade student who does very well in school (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is published (Yep...right in this here blog!) valerie is currently on the faculty at the SUNY Fredonia
valerie is a successful veterinarian
valerie is now focusing her creativity on the Internet
valerie is fond of saying (A little too fond. I should stop saying more often.) valerie is a skilled seamstress and has designed and sewn dance wear for the gulls (Man, have you ever tried to put dance wear on a bird? It is challenging!) valerie is one of the most sought after hair stylists and hair colorists in our area (Yes, I'm very sought after. I think it has something to do with dyeing the mayor's hair pink. Please don't tell them where I'm hiding!) valerie is married and has four stepchildren of various ages (But I'm independent and very mature for my age) valerie is the lively (Not just a lively, but the lively!) valerie is utilizing her wide (Hey! Watch what you're calling wide!) valerie is studying psychoanalysis at the university
valerie is an occupational therapist who has specialised in working with children with a variety of difficulties
valerie is sent away to catholic school (That sounds like a very bad dream.) valerie is a professional
valerie is inscribed throughout the film as a character who is time (Yep...they switched from Father Time to Mother Time.) valerie is back online (About every five minutes.) valerie is currently booking shows for 2002
valerie is about to be late for her first day at her new job (Typical!) valerie is the perfect companion for your busy day
valerie is at the hospital
valerie is her own enemy
valerie is a member of the american institute of certified public accountants
valerie is a freelance journalist who writes a weekly column in a local newspaper
valerie is pleased to see the growing interest in the study of decorative arts
valerie is a recent transplant from Arizona who brings with her a generous supply of energy and enthusiasms
valerie is an integral member of CNN’ s weather team (This is actually kind of funny. I knew exactly who they were talking about -- Valerie Voss. Since her last name sounds very similar to mine, the first time I ever hear of her was in an airport where they were broadcasting CNN. I wasn't paying attention to the broadcast, all I heard was what I thought was my name. Thinking I might have heard it over the intercom, I picked up one of the airport phones and asked if I'd been paged. I hadn't, and a little while later, I realized it was the CNN chick.) valerie is (That's me -- self-existent!) valerie is recognised internationally for her work as an educator and has lectured in places as varied as the flying art school in queensland (I think this has something to do with the gulls in dance wear.) valerie is a skillful and effective pastor (I am not any kind of pastor, I assure you!) valerie is a unique individual (Isn't that a euphemism for weirdo?) valerie is aiming to be the best in the world (OK, so I've got a little problem with perfectionism.) valerie is an expert in the areas of legal documents (My mother always said "expert" meant "estranged drip." Get it? Ex-spurt?) valerie is cool (Yeah, could somebody turn up the thermostat?) valerie is best described as one of the calmer (...lunatics in the asylum) valerie is currently musical director of (...the opera in her own mind) valerie is a "matchmaker" par excellence (If only someone would do the same favor for her!) valerie is very smart
valerie is an accomplished vocalist/guitarist/composer (Of all the things on the list, this is the one I most want to be true.) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/05/2002 09:41:00 AM
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Monday, November 04, 2002 AD Church Newsletters My church hasn't had a newsletter in a couple years, since the last editor moved to Arizona. I'm planning on resurrecting the Faith Report. I've edited newsletters before (it's part of my job, in fact), but I've never had an opportunity to plan such a publication from scratch. So I'm looking for ideas. Does your church have a newsletter? What sorts of features are in it? Do you have an online version I could check out? Thanks in advance for any feedback! Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/04/2002 06:33:00 PM
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Links to This Post Drum Roll, Please!
I am delighted to introduce a new kid on the blog: Mrs. Barbara Harvey has joined our ranks. And don't let her alter-ego fool you. The only thing strawlike about her brains is that they're both golden. Oh, and you shouldn't flame either one! Barb's one of those multi-P chicks -- "a predestinarian, paedobaptistic, partial-preterist, paedocommunionist, postmillenarian Presbyterian" -- and she starts off her blogging career by calling John Barach crazy.
Welcome, Barb!
(Now everybody go visit her and add her to your blog rolls.) Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/04/2002 07:59:00 AM
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Sunday, November 03, 2002 AD Psalm 100 1Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/03/2002 03:06:00 PM
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Saturday, November 02, 2002 AD Another Funny Note from Last Night Both Brian and Paulo wondered if Gideon Strauss was his real name or a screen name. Gideon thought this was odd. I did not. There's just something about the name Gideon Strauss that just seems too cool to be real. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/02/2002 08:36:00 AM
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Links to This Post My Ignorance Just Grows By Leaps and Bounds! So in case you're reading this page top to bottom, and haven't yet gotten to the point where I mention seeing Gideon, Brian and Paulo this evening (Paulo has pix), please now be aware of that fact. We met at the 2002 Kuyper Lecture, which was so far over my head that I'm surprised it didn't require air traffic control. Noting like a good political discussion to make me feel like a moron! I did catch bits and pieces, though. Like when someone referred to the United States Catholic Conference, I was able to mutter to Brian that it is no longer called that, but is now called the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. My knowledge of that point afforded me a moment's smug superiority. Another phrase I caught was a disparaging reference to "small-government fetishists." I found that somewhat ironic, since I was supposed to spend this weekend visiting my small-government fetishist friends at the Highlands Study Center in Virginia. Since my cold is lingering, mostly in the form of aching joints from head to toe, I decided not to go, which left me free to attend this lecture.
Of course more important than the lecture was getting to spend some quality time in good conversation with these three fine gents at the Towson Diner, even if they (the folks at the diner, not the three fine gents) didn't know that regular fried chicken wings are not the same thing as Buffalo wings. Topics included a whirlwind lesson on the evolution of the various Reformed denominations in the Netherlands and North America; neo-Calvinism; neon-Calvinism (day-glo TULIPS figure heavily in this theology); certain conversations Brian is planning to conduct on Saturday; the absolutely monstrous slice of lemon meringue pie that was served to Gideon; Paulo's gadget collection; pietism (which, with it's experiential emphasis, we decided might be another form of neon-Calvinism -- "Oooo! Look at all the bright colors! I must be saved now!"); our various family trees; the hodgepodge collection of foreign phrases we've managed to collect (I can ask for orange juice in hebrew, Paulo can ask for tea in Chinese); and (of course!) blogging. A dandy time was had by all! Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/02/2002 01:15:00 AM
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Links to This Post Today's Totally Pointless Blog Activity Since Duane and Sarah are moving today, Duane's not likely to to post a TPBA, therefore I have one to propose: wherever you travel in blogdom today, work the word "dandy" into your posts and comments. When Gideon used it in context tonight, we all agreed that it's a grossly underutilized word. Wouldn't it be dandy if we all strived to reverse that trend? Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/02/2002 12:49:00 AM
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Links to This Post "Someone's Having Car Touble," I Thought I just got in from an evening with Gideon, Brian and Paulo. I was getting ready for bed and thought it was odd that someone in the distance was having trouble getting his car to start. You know, that grinding ignition sound when the thing just won't turn over. Then I realized the sound was coming from my computer in the next room (which I had left on this morning). Why would my hard drive sound like someone in the distance having car trouble? It's probably not a very good thing, is it?
Friday, November 01, 2002 AD Blessed All Saints' Day to All You Saints in Blogland! "As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight." --Psalm 16:3 Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 11/01/2002 09:31:00 AM
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