Thursday, February 24, 2005
My antenna!!
There are weird things that happen in this world. I was driving along to the grocery store this morning, trying to get one of my preset radio stations when I realized that NONE of my preset radio stations were really coming in. So, I looked out the window to see if there was snow or ice or something on the antenna ... when I realized (drum roll, please) ... there WAS NO ANTENNA!! I mean come on. There is SUPPOSED to be an antenna. I even have (had!) a Jack-in-the-Box antenna toy on it. Now, the real problem is that for the past several weeks, I've been listening to Harry Potter Book 5 on CD and then another CD that a friend gave me. So, I have NO IDEA how long this problem has existed because I haven't tried to listen to the radio in that car for the past few weeks. It could have happened yesterday ... or it could have happened any time in the past several weeks. UGH!!And the real question in my mind is ... did it get lost (like when I had my car serviced or when I was driving or something) ... or did someone steal it? I mean really!
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Dentist's Offices
I'm going to jump on Kate's bandwagon today and steal her blog topic. :-) (Sorry, Kate!) And, I have to contradict her on the whole dentist thing. I have never really DIS-liked going to the dentist. It's not like I look forward to dental visits like I do to a good vacation ... it's just that I haven't ever really had a problem with my teeth (I'm very blessed in that regard ... never even a cavity!!), so I don't mind going. Since I've moved from the Buffalo area to the Northern Virginia area, I've started going to Dr. Grieco in Fairfax. One of my closest friends and my mentor, Nancy, works in his office. I always arrange my dental appointment so that she and I can either have lunch before the appointment or dinner afterward.
One of the things that "gets" me, though is the whole concept of going every 6 months. I mean, come on. My health insurance doesn't cover dental. So I pay for the whole visit (cleaning, fluoride treatment, x-rays, etc.) out of my pocket (and then use my FLEX funds to reimburse). Why would I put myself through paying for that twice a year when there's NEVER anything wrong. So, all my life, they've recommended that I come in every six months, and I always smile and politely make my next appointment for 12 months later. Well, they hired a new hygenist last summer, and in August she told me all this stuff about the "pits" in my teeth being at risk for becoming cavities later. She strongly recommended that I come back in 6 months. So, I listened this time. I had another appointment a couple of weeks ago. Since my appointments have usually been during the summer, I haven't had to deal with trying to get from school (Arlington) to the dentist (Fairfax) in time for a 3:00 (their latest time) appointment. It was quite difficult because I have to arrange for coverage for my last class and get permission to leave, etc., etc. So, when she told me again that she wanted me back in 6 months, she gave me a reason other than the pits in my teeth as her concern. I made another appointment for August, but informed her that I will only be coming in every 12 months again. It is just not worth it. Her last-ditch effort to get me in more frequently went like this: "well, maybe you could do this: whenever there's a snow day, we have LOTS of cancellations. So, the next time school is cancelled for a snow day next winter, just call us in the morning and you can have one of the slots that opens up. I know you know how to drive in the winter weather." Yeah, that's it. I'll take my next snow day off and go in for a dental appointment. Sorry, NanKay ... not even probably to have lunch with you. Snow days are for staying in pajamas all day and drinking hot chocolate in front of the DVD's that I've rented and haven't had time to watch. :-)
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Lena's Blog
Hey, y'all! I wanted to quick blog about my friend Lena. Most of you folks who read my blog don't know Lena. She used to play the flute in our orchestra at Immanuel. Several months ago, she decided to become a full-time missionary in Japan, teaching English in a city called Shimonoseki. She has recently started a blog for folks to keep up with her ministry. I thought it would be fun to point some of the readers of my substance-less blog to Lena's blog, where you can read some good stuff. :-) Please take some time and enjoy reading about Shimonoseki and Lena's ministry there.
Lena's blog: http://journals.aol.com/lenama/JapanJournal/
Monday, February 14, 2005
Rappahannock Pops Orchestra...
Yes, this is a plug for the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra. :-) I play the French horn in that orchestra, and last night we had the first of four rehearsals for our upcoming concert. The concert will be March 5, 2005 (they still have the info on the website from last Fall's concert). If you don't mind the drive to Fredericksburg, VA, it will be an enjoyable concert (in my own totally biased opinion!!)
The concert's theme will be: 50's Music. We are playing the following pieces:
I have always been partial to the movie The Bridge on River Kwai. And I have to say that I am tempted to tell you that the Colonel Bogey march (the whistling song from that movie) is my favorite piece from the repertoire ... but the Shostakowitch and the Overture to Candide are both challenging pieces of music, and they are LOTS of fun to work on. :-)
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Rants ... on the correct usage of "merge lanes" ...
Okay, I don't rant often in my blog (well, except for that Amish woman ... but that really bugged me!) Oh, and the child trafficking in Indonesia thing. Oh, and there certainly was my reaction to The Polar Express movie. But, really - I don't feel like I spend a lot of time ranting here.
ANYWAY ... here's my rant. I commute on I-95 every single day. I drive from the Lorton exit (exit #163) on I-95, almost the entire length of I-395 to the Washington Blvd. exit. Most days, it's not pretty. It's about 20 miles, all interstate driving, yet can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two or more hours. Usually it takes about 45 minutes in the morning and closer to an hour in the evening.
Well, when you get onto I-95 North at Lorton Road, there is an extra-long merge lane. This is probably because, when it's NOT rush-hour, the traffic on 95 mistakes the "Interstate" signs for the "Miles per hour" signs (i.e. "95"!!) It takes a good start to get up to speed.
But, in the morning traffic (usually stand-still), there are those jokers who think that the Lorton Rd. merge lane is a good place to pass 20 or 30 cars on the right to get ahead in the traffic. They actually switch lanes to the right, get into the merge lane, and pass a bunch of cars. Then, those of us who are actually trying to merge have to deal with cars moving into our lane from our left, as well as keeping an eye for an opening in traffic into which to merge, as well as trying to match the speed of the traffic. All that, and I always get the feeling that the cars in the lane that I'm merging into probably think that I'm one of those other cars that just passed 20 or 30 cars via the merge lane, and so I feel guilty when I haven't even done anything wrong. UGH!!
People need to stop using merge lanes as passing lanes!!!! (Rant over...)
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Transition...
Upon my arrival in the Washington, DC Metro area in August of 1996, I began attending different churches to find a new place to worship. One visit to Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield and I was hooked on the teaching. The senior pastor there, Michael Easley, was in the middle of a lengthy sermon series on the book of Acts. I will always remember his chosen theme for Acts: Transition.
Over the years, Michael, his wife Cindy, and their four kids have become personal friends of mine. I have attended classes that he has taught through our church, have listened to Cindy teach Bible studies, and have learned much about life and faith and relationships from private conversations with them.
Often, from the pulpit at Immanuel, Michael has stated that he is NOT looking for a new (i.e. bigger & better) job. He loves the Immanuel congregation, and has been content and fulfilled there. Therefore, it is a shock to many of us to find out that he will be starting as the President of Moody Bible Institute as of March 1, 2005. He did not seek out this position, but the search committee at Moody came to him. After much prayer and consultation with his closest friends, he and Cindy came to the realization that this is God's will for the Easley family.
I am sad and excited all at the same time. It will be difficult to say goodbye to such wonderful friends that the Easleys have been to me. It will be difficult to imagine the Immanuel pulpit without Michael again (his last sermon will be 2/6/05). I will have a large hole in my own personal spiritual leadership. (Did you notice that all of the "difficult" things are about ME?) But my excitement in this situation exists on several levels. First of all, knowing that God has already chosen His man to replace Michael in our pulpit is exciting. New leadership always involves new vision and new direction, which will involve spiritual growth for our congregation. Sure, growth always comes with growing pains. But growth is growth, and when it happens under God's direction, it will be a wonderful thing. Secondly, at Moody Bible Institute (MBI), Michael (henceforth, "Dr. Easley") will be expected to publish (frequently?) and will most likely be preaching on the radio (preaching IS his strength!!) Thus, not only will the Bible College branch of Moody benefit from his leadership, but the Christian community as a whole will be influenced by his writing and preaching. We can't keep him to ourselves at IBC forever. The man who we at Immanuel know to be of great faith, wisdom, intelligence, character and integrity will now have the opportunity for worldwide impact. How can I be so selfish!?
Thus, things come full circle. Transition is the word to use here. There will be transition in my own life as I adjust to changes in spiritual leadership and my circle of friends. There will be major transition at Immanuel as we search for that man of God's choosing to fill our pulpit. There will be major transition at Moody Bible Institute as they adjust to Michael's style of leadership. And there will be transition within the Christian community as Michael's spiritual influence comes to be seated at MBI in Chicago.
Please check out the following websites:
Maybe a trip to the church library is due ... so that I can re-listen to the tapes of Michael's sermons from Acts about Transition.........
