Friday, September 30, 2005

honeybrush

I drove to work Wednesday morning in cloud- couldn't see more than 50 feet ahead of me. Today it's raining, and I wish I were vineyard-hopping or at home drinking honeybrush tea, enjoying the sweet, unhurried exchanges of a grey autumn afternoon.

I woke up at 7 this morning and sat queitly for an hour before beginning the daily rituals- coffee, bagel, make-up, email, toothbrushing. When I arrived at work I spent about an hour with a girl who used to be a meth addict but is now pregnant, and she is just a darling. She comes in every week to talk and go through parenting workbooks or bible studies, and we always have a good time. The work that we do here is a ministry done by women for women and their children. So I guess that Women's Ministry class I had was actually useful ;o) I remember sitting in a classroom full of girls (and one guy named Levi who was kind of a smartass) reciting aloud in unison, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me." (one version says, "who fulfills His purpose for me" ..ps.57:2) A bit archaic and sing-songy in away, but entirely unforgettable. Dr. Watney's wife came in specially just to teach that class, and she is a real lady, if I've ever known one. She had it going on... and in her own way, she knew how to instill the essence of what it means to be a lady- to trust, to be patient, gentle, to be led, to know that the best thing you possess is your ability to cry out to God Most High, who performs all things for His little girls. Intercession is the lifeblood of any ministry, and the best way you can help women is to teach them to call out to their greatest Advocate. So yeah, thanks Karen Watney. You're the finest. :o)

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

republican boys are hot

stolen from laura's boyfriend's blog:

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

- John Stuart Mill

Sunday, September 25, 2005

baby girl

I'm supposed to make dinner tonight with boneless/skinless chicken breasts. I'm supposed to find a recipe on the internet that sounds good to me and make it. I live with my mom, kind of. In her other house. But I come over for dinner. :o) I'm thinking of trying an experiment, involving bacon, cheese, chicken, olive oil (i love, i love you), and minced garlic.

So lately I've been concerned about female infanticide in China. This is a crime committed by women against women and is dizzying in its scope. Do you know about it? We need to read up. In the last census in 2000, there were nearly 19 million boys more than girls in the 0-15 age group. The ramifications of gender-selective abortions are now becoming evident, and as a by-product we're getting an increase in international crime, particularly kidnapping, prostitution, and human trafficking. The most dangerous, violence-vulnerable position to be in today is to be Chinese, female, and in the womb of your mother. India has similar things going on...But what complicates matters is that it has become very politically incorrect to be an advocate for the voiceless these days. You're labeled intolerant, uneducated, uninformed, and fanatical. A commitment to truth is going to be offensive, and you will experience a lot of rejection and derision. My culture tells me that I'm backward and unenlightened. My heart tells me that to possess a voice and the knowledge of such global atrocities is to be responsible for action. C.S. Lewis writes, "Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations -- these are all mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit -- immortal horrors or everlasting splendours."

It's not necessary to cover your ears and shout, "I can't hear you!" in issues like these, because you're not going to hear anything from the victims anyways. The little girls dying do not yet have voices to call for your help, and the women perpetrating these crimes are oftentimes silent, ashamed, and grieving. Both are in need of our prayers and our action. This kind of problem doesn't just go away. Blame doesn't accomplish anything. It goes far deeper than social action, programs, and legislation. There is a spiritual war going on for the elimination of the destiny of the next generation of warriors. These are symptoms of the end, and to fill the sound of your atmosphere with the TV or music all day is to bury your head in the sand. We need to fill the air with the sound of our voices calling out for those who cannot. None of this bowing your head and silently well-wishing. Allow yourself to be moved, to literally cry out, to roar, to fight, to be victorious in your requests. You will be answered. You may even be part of the answer.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Do you like apples?

I'm over at my mom's house, and she just gave Ella a bath. Ella is my one year old niece and she has completely mastered the words, "Bye-bye!" This will come in handy someday when she starts going out on dates. I'm trying to get her to say things like, "Bye bye, baby" and "Bye bye, bonita!" but it's not working. She does, however, know how to wave while saying it, opening and closing her hand like a little birdie face.

I came over here in search of an apple. All I want is an apple. Okay, that's not true. I want some plain yogurt mixed with cinnamon in which to dip the apple, but it's not absolutely necessary. There are no apples here. I guess I'll have to settle for watermelon and a piece of chicken. Incidentally, I do not recommend KFC's chicken wings. The sauces are all wrong. I do recommend Safeway's olive bagels. Popped one of them in the oven this morning. (I dont have a toaster) This should be a food blog.


Summer is over. (This sounds like a 4th grader's diary, doesnt it? I'm too tired to try harder. You're gonna wish I were still unemployed.) Bust out the warm socks.

Friday, September 16, 2005

baby baby

My first day at work in the Pregnancy Center was delightful, though I would like to do a bit of redecorating. :o) All in good time. Basically my job is to give free pregnancy tests, counsel with the girls about the results and their situations, give away baby clothes/maternity clothes/baby supplies, and refer the women to agencies for food, healthcare, support, adoption, etc. Given the availability of pregnancy tests in stores, even dollar stores, many of the women who come in for a free test are poor or need someone to talk to. I work with a team of huge-hearted, experienced volunteers and am very blessed to be with them.

After working at the center, I had a two hour break before some additional training in the evening. In need of an espresso recharge, I sat down at a little cafe called the French Bear where they make German chocolate mochas. I ordered one and a bagel lightly toasted and sat at one of the high tables that looks out the window. Next to me was a wall of Northwestern goods for sale: coffee, herbs, tea, etc, and a couple snuggled into a corner table. They emptied their tall wine glasses and kissed as if the whole world beyond their table has disappeared. So sweet. I bless that wherever I see it and smiled out the window, as the rain started to pour down. I forgot my umbrella and had to make my way back to my car in the rain, but I couldn't have been more content. Tomorrow morning/afternoon is more training, then begins my weekend. Who wants to have beers and hotwings? :o)

Monday, September 12, 2005

decidedly delicious

Some of you may know that I am a huge fan of Icelandic music. Sigur Ros has a new album out, and it is so lovely. You can listen here: http://www.myspace.com/sigurros
Last night I dreamed that Bjork was in my freshman spanish class in high school before she was famous. Truly Bizarre.
Tonight: Ancient Christmas Carols, candles, and Mr. Bubble Bubble-Bath

Saturday, September 10, 2005

precipitating patience

"Disappointments are to the soul what the thunder-storm is to the air." This is a quote from Friedrich von Schiller. I appreciate axiomatic imagery, because it opens our understanding in the way that we knew first- pictures. Before any of us could read we looked at the pictures. This quote says to me that diappointment releases the storm and everything that's been held at odds in the electricity of the air. Experientially, I know this to be true, though I'm trying my hardest not to be so stormy when the disappointments come. And they will come.

Robert Burns said that "Suspense is worse than disappointment." If you are determined to be given to hope, then this cannot be true, for in the hoping there is always a spark of possible fulfillment. In disappointment there is only the task of rebuilding or walking away. Maybe Robert Burns was wired differently.


Richard Nixon, one of my personal heros, said, "The greatness comes not when things go always good for you. But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes." Man, don't you wish the path to greatness was paved by people saying nice things about you and easy successes all around? But what is greatness, if it is not tested? Untested potential. Just a seed waiting to winter hardship until it's proven. I'm so sleepy now. It's been a quiet, rainy day here in Oregon, and I've spent it very much like a cat. Minus the sleeping part. Goodnight, comrades.

Friday, September 09, 2005

oregonista

Hey kiddos, guess what, I got a job! I accepted a position today as the director of the Pregnancy Counseling and Information Center in Newberg, Oregon. It's a part-time thing, so I'm looking for something else on the side. I think I'm going to buy a dresser and stop living out of my suitcase now. :o) I'll be in McMinnville for awhile, so y'all will have to come visit me. I have this huge house mostly to myself and it has two fireplaces. hehe. If you come visit, I will take you out wine-tasting at the vineyards one afternoon. And I'll take you to the ocean. And mexican food with margaritas. Oh, and especially you ladies who will be down in Eugene... if you have no place to go for Thanksgiving, you should come up here and stay with me. ;o)

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

if you wanna subscribe...


Enter your email address below to subscribe to Petite Syrah




powered by Bloglet

weaving victory on His war-loom

"Then down the brave men lay with his bolster
under his head and his whole company
of sea-rovers at rest beside him.
None of them expected he would ever see
his homeland again or get back
to his native place and the people who reared him.
They knew too well the way it was before,
how often the Danes had fallen prey
to death in the mead-hall. But the Lord was weaving
a victory on His war-loom for the Weather-Geats.
Through the strength of one they all prevailed;
they would crush their enemy and come through
in triumph and gladness. The truth is clear:
Almighty God rules over mankind
and always has."

-from Beowulf

Sunday, September 04, 2005

vindex beef-steakicus

If you want to see my pulse go wild, just hook me up to a polygraph machine and read me Twas the Night Before Christmas. I tell you, there's something magical about the cadence of that story.

That or a heavily marbled New York Strip steak. Oh yes. Yesterday I was at Safeway, and they had their rib eyes on sale. One of my favorite things in the world is to see red, bloody, uncooked beef. There's nothing better than cooking up some steaks with a side of asparagus cooked in olive oil, a baked potato, a new world syrah, a movie from the blockbuster, and a biting autumn wind outside. Welcome, September.


For my birthday I want either a six-toed meow meow or a miniature meow, preferably white or grey or a mixture. :o)