Friday, November 30, 2007
Sans Casa
The loan company sent funds to the title company. At 4 o'clock today, I will officially be homeless.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Attack of the Killer Strawberries
I'm not going to say that I work at the most amazing place on Earth bar none, but it certainly is interesting sometimes. I was walking down the main spine of the building on my way to get cookies or coffee or popcorn or something when I glanced at one of the large trash dumpsters that the cleaning crew rolls around. This one had an old used cardboard box sitting on the top of the heap of trash with some bold Sharpie pen writing on it. "Strawberry DNA Supplies". Now, if i were to joke about the possible items a "Strawberry DNA" supply box might contain, nobody here would understand. Obviously, you just need some cheesecloth, a beaker, a stirrer and some other items. Oh, and some strawberries - idiot.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
In His time and into thin air
If yesterday weren't the 20th of the month, I probably would not have read Proverbs 20. Along with regular devotionals, I started reading one chapter of Proverbs each morning before work.
If you're not accustomed to the KJV, I'll translate in "The Message" which twists the real meaning of even these short verses.
You can see why I'm sticking with the KJV and my Hebrew/Greek translations, but I digress.
I've just gotten a series of frantic phone calls and an email from my realtor. The papers are all ready to send to the title company, and we can sell the condo and move on with life - with one small snag. They (whoever 'they' are) want me to sign an addendum stating that the value of the washer & dryer is $50. Well, they're almost new and worth more like $1000.
I run the very real risk of loosing the deal because of this inability to compromise. Actually, I'm very willing to compromise. Much to his amazement, I've given my realtor a few options.
Value the washer & dryer at $1000 and see if the loan company lets it through.
Gift the washer & dryer to the buyer (a sort of move in bonus)
Credit the buyer some value
Lower the asking price (again)
Then, the realtor called back with another idea. How about if we just say that the washer and dryer are not included in the sale of the house, and then just leave them when I move out? Brilliant! I still don't know if the 'powers that be' will accept this, but there comes a time when you just need to step out in faith. That's pretty easy since I'm stepping off of thin air to begin with.
This whole process has been running on faith. Read Hebrews 11. If the deal falls through finally, I will have learned something. I'm not who I was (see next entry). A few years ago I could justify actions like that by saying that it doesn't affect buyer or seller in a financial way one iota. I'm not getting any more or less money for the condo, and he's not paying any more or less for it. The only thing in the way of this transaction seems to be a tiny piece of paper that will be filed into oblivion that states that the value of the washer and dryer is $50.
The trouble is that it would have my signature on it, and I can't do that. The other trouble is that I really feel God leading me to leave this place. Unfortunately, I don't have direction yet on where He wants me to go, but so far I haven't had to worry about that.
"Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord."
"It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth."
Proverbs 20:10,14
If you're not accustomed to the KJV, I'll translate in "The Message" which twists the real meaning of even these short verses.
"Switching price tages and padding the expense account are two things God hates."
"The shopper says, 'That's junk - I'll take it off your hands,' then goes off boasting of the bargain.
Proverbs 20:10,14 (The Message)
You can see why I'm sticking with the KJV and my Hebrew/Greek translations, but I digress.
I've just gotten a series of frantic phone calls and an email from my realtor. The papers are all ready to send to the title company, and we can sell the condo and move on with life - with one small snag. They (whoever 'they' are) want me to sign an addendum stating that the value of the washer & dryer is $50. Well, they're almost new and worth more like $1000.
I run the very real risk of loosing the deal because of this inability to compromise. Actually, I'm very willing to compromise. Much to his amazement, I've given my realtor a few options.
Then, the realtor called back with another idea. How about if we just say that the washer and dryer are not included in the sale of the house, and then just leave them when I move out? Brilliant! I still don't know if the 'powers that be' will accept this, but there comes a time when you just need to step out in faith. That's pretty easy since I'm stepping off of thin air to begin with.
This whole process has been running on faith. Read Hebrews 11. If the deal falls through finally, I will have learned something. I'm not who I was (see next entry). A few years ago I could justify actions like that by saying that it doesn't affect buyer or seller in a financial way one iota. I'm not getting any more or less money for the condo, and he's not paying any more or less for it. The only thing in the way of this transaction seems to be a tiny piece of paper that will be filed into oblivion that states that the value of the washer and dryer is $50.
The trouble is that it would have my signature on it, and I can't do that. The other trouble is that I really feel God leading me to leave this place. Unfortunately, I don't have direction yet on where He wants me to go, but so far I haven't had to worry about that.
One body, Many parts
"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that body, being many, are one body: so also in Christ. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it."
1 Cor 12:12,26 [reference corrected by Josh Ryan]
J was out sick on Sunday - wow, did we miss him. I tried to cover for him as best I knew how, but I've decided something. Our church is run on the timely execution of a million tiny things that all need to happen in order to function properly. Most of which involve the moving of chairs. Doing the sound on a Wednesday night is pretty straight forward because we don't have special trios or ensembles. I still don't know as much as I would like about the soundboard, but I have the sneaking suspicion that I'm going to learn as we go into the Christmas musical.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
NaNoWriMo - The indiscretion
She sat in silhouette behind the piano with her back to the congregation chairs. You could barely make out her figure gently rocking back and forth as the music of 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' poured out beautifully and brought the inanimate keys to life. The darkened church sanctuary sang with energy and passion as the sounds flooded the empty room. Tonight, as with many other nights afterwards, she was playing for an audience of One. When she lacked the strength, when she lacked the willpower, when she lacked the desire, she would play her regrets in a musical confession.
The repetitive rhythm of the song allowed her thoughts to wander. Her gentle sway was exaggerated, and a closer look would explain why. Her face was shining with tears that rolled from her eyes and splashed in her lap. Her hair, wet with sorrow, had long since fallen into her face, but there was no effort to pull it back. The pain she felt was real, the remorse was apparent, but the reality was all self inflicted. As near to God as the music sounded, her heart was very far away. She had given herself over, and there was no looking back she thought.
The song changed slowly to a pregnant and dramatic rendition of the secular 'Clair de Lune'. The seeming up tone of the rendition gave her cause to wipe her tears and concentrate on the keys a bit more. Long pauses gave short moments in order to think and reflect, but she chose to stay focused on the music. She had successfully convinced herself that what she was doing was the right thing. She had surrounded herself with people who agreed with her, and she was never ever going to look back.
There. That had been building up inside me for the last few days. I'm not sure why I felt the need to let it out here, but I did. It's fiction. It's a scene from my nearly started novel, 'Echelon'. This scene depicts the emotion of the wife of one of the main characters. She has been having an affair and he (through his data gathering work on Echelon) is just now discovering it as she is at church 'afterwards'. Receipts, telephone records, business trip agendas, times and dates all start painting a picture that certainly can't be proven, but can't be disregarded either.
They become the tragic, failed heroes of the tale. Rather than it ever coming to a head and possibly healing, she chooses not to face it. That's why "never look back" is repeated. This becomes the pattern of her life, and he is left with the fallout. He joins the list of people from her life who are left holding the bag of emotion.
Did I mention that this is fiction?
The repetitive rhythm of the song allowed her thoughts to wander. Her gentle sway was exaggerated, and a closer look would explain why. Her face was shining with tears that rolled from her eyes and splashed in her lap. Her hair, wet with sorrow, had long since fallen into her face, but there was no effort to pull it back. The pain she felt was real, the remorse was apparent, but the reality was all self inflicted. As near to God as the music sounded, her heart was very far away. She had given herself over, and there was no looking back she thought.
The song changed slowly to a pregnant and dramatic rendition of the secular 'Clair de Lune'. The seeming up tone of the rendition gave her cause to wipe her tears and concentrate on the keys a bit more. Long pauses gave short moments in order to think and reflect, but she chose to stay focused on the music. She had successfully convinced herself that what she was doing was the right thing. She had surrounded herself with people who agreed with her, and she was never ever going to look back.
There. That had been building up inside me for the last few days. I'm not sure why I felt the need to let it out here, but I did. It's fiction. It's a scene from my nearly started novel, 'Echelon'. This scene depicts the emotion of the wife of one of the main characters. She has been having an affair and he (through his data gathering work on Echelon) is just now discovering it as she is at church 'afterwards'. Receipts, telephone records, business trip agendas, times and dates all start painting a picture that certainly can't be proven, but can't be disregarded either.
They become the tragic, failed heroes of the tale. Rather than it ever coming to a head and possibly healing, she chooses not to face it. That's why "never look back" is repeated. This becomes the pattern of her life, and he is left with the fallout. He joins the list of people from her life who are left holding the bag of emotion.
Did I mention that this is fiction?
Monday, November 12, 2007
NaNoWriMo 2007
Although I'm almost certain that I won't finish (again) this year, I'm feeling the creative juices running through my fingers
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Johnny's back in town
I had seriously considered letting my blog die a quiet death because the last entry of "goodbye" seemed like such a good place to stop. It had a definite sense of closure and finality. But there's so much more going on that I couldn't leave well enough alone.
I don't have anything in the way of a full trip report, but I will report that I would like to go back to Venice some day. The rest of the trip was really nice, but Venice was the most - umm, relaxing. Perhaps because I had so many extra days there with no agenda. Perhaps because I was completely alone to travel the cobblestoned paths and centuries old bridges by myself. It was peaceful and relaxing.
Venice 2007
I begin my day with a light Italian breakfast (or what I imagine an Italian breakfast would be). Some slices of salami, some cheese, a cracker or roll and of course coffee. The coffee was really good - and strong. I pack up my camera and start strolling around the islands before most of the other people were awake, so I had a good hour or two to enjoy some sights alone. By 'sights' I mostly mean just looking at the architecture of the islands. Well, not really islands either.
Before I knew much about Venice, I knew that it was a city built on water. Then, after I learned a bit more about it, I learned that it was a city built on trees. They'd pile drive timber into the water until they hit sand and they built the city on those pilings. You can still see them putting logs into the water today.
Once I arrived in Venice though, I realized that it's more like a series of tunnels. Not real tunnels like you were surrounded on 4 sides, but you can touch the walls on both sides in some spots and the walls are at least 3 stories tall. So, you're essentially in a series of tunnels, attempting to find Rialto or Piazza San Marco (both of which are pretty easy to find with signage) or your hotel (which can be nearly impossible to find if you're not using satellite imagery).
I sat in the Piazza and sipped cappuccino and took pictures of my feet in interesting places and 'people watched'. I did my devotionals in odd places at odd times, but I was in a foreign land and on Pacific Daylight Time. I sat still and thought big thoughts about everything. Then, I'd sit some more and think about nothing at all - I'd just enjoy the noises around me.
I experienced the sun moving across the sky slowly and I saw the people begin to appear at the square. Followed closely by the pigeons. I witnessed the cycle of a day that had probably been reoccurring for centuries with little change.
True, at times I got a little lonely, but I couldn't think of anyone who I would feel comfortable with just sitting at a table doing nothing at all, sipping cappuccino. Sure, I visited the Basilica and the Doge's Palace. I took hundreds of pictures of architecture and (yes) gondolas, but my favorite time was sitting in the piazza or along the Grand Canal just sipping and watching.
I don't have anything in the way of a full trip report, but I will report that I would like to go back to Venice some day. The rest of the trip was really nice, but Venice was the most - umm, relaxing. Perhaps because I had so many extra days there with no agenda. Perhaps because I was completely alone to travel the cobblestoned paths and centuries old bridges by myself. It was peaceful and relaxing.
Venice 2007
I begin my day with a light Italian breakfast (or what I imagine an Italian breakfast would be). Some slices of salami, some cheese, a cracker or roll and of course coffee. The coffee was really good - and strong. I pack up my camera and start strolling around the islands before most of the other people were awake, so I had a good hour or two to enjoy some sights alone. By 'sights' I mostly mean just looking at the architecture of the islands. Well, not really islands either.
Before I knew much about Venice, I knew that it was a city built on water. Then, after I learned a bit more about it, I learned that it was a city built on trees. They'd pile drive timber into the water until they hit sand and they built the city on those pilings. You can still see them putting logs into the water today.
Once I arrived in Venice though, I realized that it's more like a series of tunnels. Not real tunnels like you were surrounded on 4 sides, but you can touch the walls on both sides in some spots and the walls are at least 3 stories tall. So, you're essentially in a series of tunnels, attempting to find Rialto or Piazza San Marco (both of which are pretty easy to find with signage) or your hotel (which can be nearly impossible to find if you're not using satellite imagery).
I sat in the Piazza and sipped cappuccino and took pictures of my feet in interesting places and 'people watched'. I did my devotionals in odd places at odd times, but I was in a foreign land and on Pacific Daylight Time. I sat still and thought big thoughts about everything. Then, I'd sit some more and think about nothing at all - I'd just enjoy the noises around me.
I experienced the sun moving across the sky slowly and I saw the people begin to appear at the square. Followed closely by the pigeons. I witnessed the cycle of a day that had probably been reoccurring for centuries with little change.
True, at times I got a little lonely, but I couldn't think of anyone who I would feel comfortable with just sitting at a table doing nothing at all, sipping cappuccino. Sure, I visited the Basilica and the Doge's Palace. I took hundreds of pictures of architecture and (yes) gondolas, but my favorite time was sitting in the piazza or along the Grand Canal just sipping and watching.
