can you guess what ian was doing in this picture?

just going through old photos...

i need a dog

masking tape won't work this time

i dropped my camera on christmas eve...on my parents' hardwood floor. the lens is completely broken. :(

i need a new camera.
nothing fancy.
nothing toooooo pricey,
because knowing me...

i'll drop the son-of-a-gun.

good intentions gone awry and christmas cookies

i had every intention of posting my favorite snl clips until christmas day, but alas, the ones that bring me the most joy are either nowhere to be found or of extraordinarily poor quality. bummer.

i am posting, however, a slide show of the smith grandchildren baking homemade christmas cookies this afternoon at my house. here are: taylor, kate, chloe, ian, and ben...with a little bit of aunt jill thrown in.

the sixth day of christmas

here's one of juj's favorites, which i'm afraid could have been filmed in pike county...

the fifth day of christmas (or: oh man! copyright law is bumming me out!)

i had all of these christmas videos (from snl) that i wanted to share with you...but man, nbc is protecting their stuff. unfortunately, the nbc site does not have a plethora of snl christmas videos, so i am going to have to change my plans.

from here on out, i will pick snl videos that i think are pretty darn funny, and will hopefully make you smile during this holiday season.

my first "non-christmas" pick is the following sketch of bill murray and gilda radner...it's priceless (although the humor doesn't really kick in until gilda arrives). so here they are: todd and lisa

the fourth day of christmas

this is an oldie, but a goodie. i posted it last year, too.

the third day of christmas

probably the funniest SNL sketch ever...

the second day of christmas

give it on up to homelessville.

the 12 days of christmas...

...SNL style.

in the hopes of spreading some electronic christmas cheer, i'm going to post my favorite "saturday night live" christmas sketches here until december 25.

so, on the first day of christmas, we have john malkovich reading "the night before christmas". i'm not a huge malkovich fan, but i still found him charming and humorous in this sketch.

some men ARE dogs

our church showed this extremely funny video during a transition today. if you haven't watched it, check it out. it's completely brilliant:



okay, so i was reading some of the comments on youtube that were posted below the video. these were unbelievable...

1. mustardman wrote:
Women are quite simple minded once you learn to ignore all the bullsh*t. You never listen to what they say because it's all bullsh*t even if many of them actually believe it. It is how they actually respond. Case in point, they all say they want a nice guy that kisses their a** and puts them on a pedestal when in fact nice guys often do finish last.......except in movies.

2. later, mustardman comes up with this beauty:
Just do what I do. Don't put up with their sh*t. Everywhere I go, in everything I do. I am the boss. I almost never do it verbally but a look is often good enough. The nice benefit to this is that ALL women secretly WANT men to be this way. As soon as you act spineless they no longer have any respect for you even though they say otherwise.

hmmm...he simply intimidates with a look? what a turd.

3. realitycheck offered this pearl:
I want to see a commercial about how women today only want. (Jodi: I'm not sure what realitycheck means here. maybe he needs a grammar-check.) Most have no skills like laundry or cooking anymore but they still want a man to carry them. Nothing to offer but sex. Let's see a panel of men speaking in a condescending manner to a woman about how she has no depth and spends all of her time trying to look pretty. She needs to get her own job and buy her own things. Any woman that wants to be appreciated needs to give a man a reason to be appreciative.

do these guys really live in the 21st century? oh, and laundry is a "skill"?

4. aunty virus adds:
is it any wonder men become gay?

well, there you have it. now we know what "causes" homosexuality. :)

5. allisonhappyallison does not have a strong hold on spelling, capitalization or the English language as a whole yet:
Its the women who are thought less and sefl centerd. Guys are gadget orientated, we love Practical stuff, stuff you can use. Have you ever given you Husband a new saw or screwdriver? you do it because you want him to be useful around the house and he appreciates that . So why get up set when he thinks the same way? vacuums are useful. dont you want to be a use full wife?

i'm wondering if this dude's wife is "allison". allison, honey, are you happy out there???

and last, but certainly not least...

6. llGardDZll won't be getting married anytime soon:
If I ever end up with a fat ungrateful wife I'll know where I'll be shopping.

football 2008

Ian's Football Highlights: Fall 2008 from Jodi Gillen on Vimeo.

happy thanksgiving, memories of grandma, and other ramblings

i haven't blogged anything of substance in a long time, mainly because i've really been wondering about the potentially narcissistic bent of my posts. but hey, it's the holiday season, and i've received emails from some of you wondering what the heck is going on in my world...so here you go.

monday night, kate and i went to the ohio theater to see my cousin jonathan and the OU marching 110 perform. talk about amazing ~ wow! first of all, i am so incredibly proud of jonathan for the fabulous young man he has become. he is so loving and affectionate and grounded. and the music...honestly, i don't know how the people around us remained in their seats. (julie and i had to get up and dance at one point). the 110 are cool in a way that the OSU band is not. they are unpretentious and look like they're having the time of their lives. if you ever have the opportunity to see them perform, do it. (for a clip of jonathan and the drumline on youtube, see the post below.)

i won't say how, lest my mother reads this post, but i recently "stumbled" upon a box of photos that belonged to my beloved grandmother. i'm not quiet sure, but this just may be the view from heaven:

this picture was taken from my grandmother's back porch. the shade of the apple tree unseen to the left) is casting a shadow across the back yard. my grandfather usually planted his garden on the left side of the walk only; the other side of the yard was reserved for serious badminton playing.

at work this week, we were talking about thanksgiving traditions. a tradition that julie and i had for many years was setting grandma's thanksgiving table. even during our college years, we would go to her house the night before thanksgiving, get out the china and flatware and beautiful pink goblets, and set the table. then, we would hang out in the kitchen, drink coffee, and listen to her talk about the menu for the following day, which never changed, and was always scribbled down on the back of an envelope (or so it seemed). i'm not sure when the photo below was taken, but this table was definitely set for thanksgiving, and it was done with love by two devoted granddaughters.

i've been thinking alot about everything i have to be thankful for this holiday, and perhaps it all sounds so trite: i have a beautiful family with two healthy and happy children, and i am blessed with a job i truly adore. but maybe, what i'm most thankful for this year is that i have a memory that is sharp and clear and filled with cherished remembrances of a relationship that provided for me the most well-defined meaning of unconditional love that i have ever known. i mean seriously, who couldn't love this...


i was definitely a girl built for relationship. but i must admit, i have done a very sloppy job of cultivating and making time for my friends this year. i am blessed to know beautiful, warm, loving, and funny women who i adore spending time with, but it seems that i allow work, and the overall "busy-ness" of life to get in my way. i need to improve on this. and for those of you still hanging in there and counting me as "friend", thanks. i owe you.

as i just stated, work has been rather overwhelming for me this year. i am team-teaching another class and not taking any planning periods throughout the week. if i take a planning period, i'm letting someone down. i can't be everywhere at once, and most of my co-workers understand this. my principal has been wonderful about me insisting that i take a break when i need one, but it almost seems easier during the day to not stop, to not lose momentum. i must admit, i'm feeling a little more "fried" than usual. but i love my kids. yes, they are a challenge, and i could tell you stories about the most horrific child abuse and neglect and parents in prison and lice infestation and drug use that would bring you to tears. but man, i love those kids.

kate is growing. a lot. the girl is a TREE. she's grown almost two full inches in the past five and a half months. she's also becoming more beautiful. that red hair of hers, though, is no lie. what spunk. i wonder where she gets that from? (see picture above). ian is, quite simply, a stud (yes, he's only 8). kind-hearted, a total cutie, and a fantastic athlete, he is the apple of my eye. i hope to post some up-to-date photos of them soon.

i'm going to close this post with a little silly and a little serious. first of all, as a final thanksgiving wish, i am going to leave you with this clip from the funniest thanksgiving sitcom episode ever: wkrp in cincinnati's "turkeys away", in which the station inadvertantly killed turkeys by dropping them from a helicopter. to quote mr. carlson: "as god as my witness, i thought turkeys could fly."

WKRP in Cincinnati: Thanksgiving Turkey Bomb! @ Yahoo! Video

and lastly, julie used this quote from her message last sunday at church, and it has really hit home with me. i'm seriously thinking about mounting it above my computer at work as a daily reminder of my own need for more humility:

"Is life so wretched? Isn't it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddled? You are the one who must grow up." - Dag Hammarskjold

my thanksgiving prayer is that God will increase the size of my heart and hands, and give me the vision to see others for who they really are. i do, indeed, need to grow up.

now this really is the best DARN band in the land

the OU marching 110.

my wonderfully handsome, tremendously sweet, and incredibly talented cousin jonathan is in the second row of the drumline (last one on the right)!!! this was filmed at the palace theater last year. the concert is coming up again in a few weeks. hopefully, i'll be there in person this time. :)

happy halloween!

my ever-present nostalgia led me on a recent web quest for information on this album, which julie, jill, and i had when we were little:

i couldn't remember the exact title, but i knew it was released by walt disney, and side one told the story of two kids who enter a haunted house. much to my delight, i actually found the album cover and title: "the story and song from the haunted mansion". it was recorded in 1969, and ron howard is the voice of the young man on the record.

listening to this brought back so many memories! julie and jill, please be sure to click on the link and let me know if you remember playing this album upstairs on our old stereo...

"mike and karen come in out of the rain" (side 1)

answer to monday's quiz

julie knew the answer, and sarah was definitely on the right track! here it is, the funniest bugs bunny, evah! (if you don't want to watch the entire thing, fast forward to 3:45 and enjoy.)

it's nothing serious

an individual recently commented (to me, in person) that she enjoyed reading my blog but noticed i hadn't really written about anything deep or serious lately.

hmmm...not sure what she was implying, but she seemed disappointed.

as i've stated in previous posts, when i started this blog i genuinely thought that it was a place where i could be completely open and honest about stuff going on in my life.

what on EARTH was i thinking???

while i relish the opportunity to share my struggles with depression and possibly be a source of hope, information, and comfort to others on the same journey, i have learned the hard way NOT to talk about certain things...'CAUSE THIS BLOGOSPHERE IS JUST TOO SMALL. (plus, i live in a community where your business quickly becomes everyone else's business anyways.)

honesty in my blog, i believe, has lead to me being accused of things i haven't done, and potentially hurting people i don't mean to hurt. would i love to tell you about situations and people at work that disappoint me? you bet. but i can't. the same goes for hurful feelings about family and friends and fellow church members. i don't dare breathe a word about those things on here (anymore). it's just not worth it.

don't read my blog if your looking for the bad stuff...because it's not coming. i will continue to be honest about things and people and experiences that i love or make me smile. i will continue to be honest about my depression, just in case it helps someone else.

but in terms of gut-wrenching "let me tell you about my crappy day and all the crappy people in it", forget it.

i'd rather talk to god about my "stuff".

i just don't trust the world out there.

monday quiz

happy monday!

can you identify the (partial) lyrics below and where they came from? i'm curious to hear your responses...

Promenade across the floor,
Sashay right on out the door.
Out the door and in to the glade,
Everybody promenade.

Step right up, you're doin' fine,
I'll pull your beard, you pull mine.
Yank it again, like you did before,
Break it up with a tug o' war.

Now into the brook and fish for the trout,
Dive right in and splash about.
Trout, trout, pretty little trout,
One more splash and come right out

Shake like a hound dog, shake again,
Wallow 'round in the ol' pig pen.
Wallow some more, you all know how,
Roll around like an old fat sow.

Grab a fence post, hold it tight,
Womp your partner with all your might.
Hit him in the shin, hit him in the head,
Hit him again, the critter ain't dead.

Wop him low and wop him high,
Stick your finger in his eye.
Pretty little rhythm, pretty little sound,
Bang your heads against the ground.

(there are more stanzas, but i'll stop here...)

day off

celebrating columbus day with jujy and taylor in scioto trails...

new stuff

i've added some new resources and articles for depression and mental illness on the side bar. several of the interviews with terry bradshaw and philip burguieres are fantastic. in fact, i think that philip burguieres (as well as his friend, john sage) are my new personal heroes.

below is the trailer for the upcoming film, "hope's messengers", by joe pantoliano of "no kidding, me too!". i sincerely hope it plays somewhere close...

my new favorite blog

...is FAIL Blog. for lots of giggles, check it out.

a couple of sample entries...the windshield wiper sponge cracked me up. :)


see more pwn and owned pictures


see more pwn and owned pictures

friday night laugh

my final entry for the week...mr. bean. (can you believe this clip has had over 9 million hits on you tube?!)

have a great weekend everyone!

laughter challenge: day 4

is anyone out there at least chuckling...even a little bit???

the best carol burnett scenes were the ones when they were trying NOT to laugh, wouldn't you agree?

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~e.e. cummings

laughter challenge: day 3

with apologies to my republican friends... (although you have to admit that tina fey is a genius)

Laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. ~Hugh Sidey

no comments on "the office" video from yesterday. hmmm....that's okay. not everyone likes british humor.

so, for day two, i offer up a classic. reverend jim.

“Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell." - William Saroyan

okay, all the financial gloom and doom is starting to get to me. so, i am issuing a challenge. every day this week, i am going to post a video clip that makes me giggle...or chortle...or belly-laugh. my goal is to make you do the same as you're watching ~ in an effort to spread a little joy in the blogosphere.

i challenge you to do the same on your blogs. comment me to let me know that you're posting too, or if i was successful in making you at least smile.

so...here's my first choice. it's a clip of bloopers from the UK version of "the office". even if you have never watched the show, or don't have a clue about ricky gervais ~ you can't deny HOW CONTAGIOUS THIS MAN'S LAUGH IS.

a couple of quick notes first...

• this is not a G-rated clip.
• gervais' introduction is kinda dorky, but don't let that stop you from watching.
• if you can't (or don't want to) watch the whole thing, just check it out from 3:00 min. to about 4:30 and then from 6:05 to the end.

for erica

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." - John 13:34-35

we are very blessed to have matt and erica as neighbors. erica and i were talking last week about feelings of intimidation and guilt that well-meaning believers have imposed on us in the past. i was telling erica about the scripture above, and how i remembered steve speaking on it one sunday.

at river valley, we believe in small things done with great love, and their ability to change the world. over the past two days, i've had to borrow a can of soup and some band-aids (not at the same time) from matt and erica. and they've given those things with love. as a matter of fact, when i offered to pay matt for the soup, he simply replied, "hey, small things..."

so, erica, (and matt too, what the heck),

this is how i know that you belong to jesus...by your love.

emerson was correct

Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

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random harvest

we are sad to announce that, due to the lack of rain, we will only have one baby pumpkin this year. several others died on the vine. it seemed the more i watered them, the more they simply withered away.

we've had several volunteer gourds pop up, courtesy of the kittaka family, who gave us a dozen or so last halloween. we didn't plant the gourd seeds; they just seemed to make their way into the ground and then sprouted on their own.


a small crop this year. unfortunately, we can't all be like pete proper...can we phyllis? (hi pete!)

a twin thing

earlier this summer, i took a photo of my foot alongside jujy's. can you tell which one is which?

we both have a large gap between our big toe and the other four. when we were younger, we used to tell people that we were born with six toes on each foot, and that space (which makes wearing flip flops such a breeze) was where the sixth toe used to live. people always fell for that.

besides that big space, we were both in need of pedicures when this picture was taken (we've both had pedi's since), and we were coincidentally wearing a very similar shade of polish.

do you ever wonder

what a deleted comment might have said?

hmmm.....

"there's all different kinds of hot"

sweet phyllis called me a little while ago and absolutely had me laughing out loud. (thanks, phylbee). we were talking about our sweet, handsome neighbor and his wonderful wife who are having a baby soon, and our conversation went something like this...

(jodi) "you know that brandon (our neighbor) is just adorable."

(phyllis)"yes, he definitely is...in a jeans and workboots sort of way. he's definitely a hottie"

(jodi) "yeah, he is."

(phyllis) "you know, there's all different kinds of hot. there's preacher good hot. there's construction worker hot. there's white shirt and tie hot. "

(i'm cracking up here.)

(cut back to phyllis) "you know what i always thought was hot? men who wore those special work clothes with their names embroidered in an oval patch on their shirt. bill wore one of those. now that's hot."

(i'm still cracking up.)

(back to phyllis) "lisa says there's nothin' sexier than a man workin' hard for his money. mmmm, mmmm."

:) i love you phyllis.

p.s. steve, i won't tell the world what she said about your pecs. but if you're interested in finding out, just let me know... (grin)

elephant stampede at 3:00 am

(disclaimer: if you are offended by the use of profanity, or think that a Christian girl like me is doomed to hell by swearing, you may not want to read this blog entry. it contains raw emotion, as i am in the middle of dealing with the dog.)

earlier today i had to swallow my pride, yet again, and admit to myself that i was in trouble. the dog was back. shit.

for the past few days i've felt "off". i admitted this to phyllis saturday evening when i knocked on her door at 9:00 pm. as i've previously stated, when this disease comes calling for no apparent reason, it not only pisses me off, but it literally scares the hell out of me. so after talking to leo this morning, and with his encouragement, i called my doc.

i love my doc.

dr. k. agreed to see me at the end of the day, after all of his patients were gone. his nurse escorted me into an exam room, then sweetly asked, "so jodi, how's your anxiety?" and i started to cry. uncontrollably. my face completely awash in tears. she was speechless, and so was i.

my doc gets me. when i swear and rant and rage against this disease, he lets me. he validates every feeling i have and reminds me that i am not crazy. he also gently reminds me that although cognitively and intellectually i understand the chemical process affecting me, that does not mean i am immune to feeling what i am feeling.

last night, around 2:30, i awoke to such intense panic, i thought seriously about putting on my shoes and walking out the door. i had to get away...away from house...away from my mind...away from this body. the maddening thing about clinical depression is that you are literally stuck. there is no escape. there is no where to run to...no where to hide...you want to claw your way out of your own skin. but you can't.

my doc talked to me about my insistence on trying to control this thing...this thing that can be tamed but never fully controlled. we talked about my reticence in acknowledging this beast of a dog when he chooses to reappear.

"jodi, it's better to acknowledge the presence of the elephant in the room, than to continue to pretend it's not there. the pretending won't make it go away any faster". amen, doc k. last night wasn't just the appearance of an elephant...it was a fucking elephant stampede.

there is nothing lonelier or more desolate or move devastatingly hopeless than facing this disease in the middle of the night. why didn't i call anyone? i know that many of you reading this will ask me that question. bottom line: i don't want to bother you. you all have to get up and go to work. i also told dr. k. that i didn't want to call anyone at 3:00 am because that would be like admitting defeat...admitting that the dog had kicked my ass and won. he said it would mean just the opposite, that it would mean i was being proactive in getting better. i conceded him that point.

so hear i am, nervously facing the night. dr. k. gave me two homework assingments: first, i am not to fight with the dog; just realize that for right now, it's here and that it will eventually go away. secondly, i have to share my struggle with a friend. i spent the evening with my sister who knows, and now i've told all of you. so that part of my assignment is finished.

as far as not fighting with the dog goes ~ hmmm. i'm going to have to work really hard on that one...

summer lovin'

one of the joys of summer is staying up late. as a result, i have been watching the late,late show on cbs and am now CRUSHING particularly hard on craig ferguson. he's got that uber-sexy scottish accent and self-effacing sense of humor. yow-za.

the other thing i love about craig is his honesty about his past issues. i'm sure most of you heard about the monologue below when craig delivered it about a year ago. but if not, check it out...and if you have time, watch it all the way through.

man, i'd hate to be an egg

comment made by ian while scrambling his egg this morning. the kid's on a roll, lately.

mommy, would you rather eat a tarantula or a helicopter?

actual question posed by ian while hiking over the weekend in scioto trails.

naughty

this clip is so very, very ornery, but oh so very funny!

i wish i had one that wasn't held together by masking tape

referring again to my camera. because these flowers are just so darn gorgeous. (clicking on the photo and viewing large is pretty cool, however.)



oh, and while i'm posting, i want to show you this photo:



this is a planter that contained petunias last summer. i didn't bother to pull them out of the pots in november, and now they have reseeded themselves and are growing! i've never had that happen with annuals before. have any of you?

livin' with deepak chopra

i don't consider myself a pessimist...but lately, by comparison to my husband, i certainly sound like one.

the 17-year locusts, or periodical cicadas, are in town...or rather, i should say, in the woods. and they are annoying as H - E - DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS. i know what you city folk are thinking: they can't be that bad. oh yeah...they be that bad.

do you remember when the grinch (you know, the one who stole christmas) griped: One thing I can't stand is the noise, noise, noise, noise! good grief. dude hit that one on the head. seriously guys. i am not exaggerating...it sounds like a spaceship is landing behind our house. a LOUD spaceship. we sometimes have the radio on by the pool while swimming ~ we can't hear it over the cicadas (yeah, we have the volume turned all the way up). supposedly, the cicada chorus is known as the "song of summer". not.

while mowing the grass today, three separate locusts flew into my hair. these suckers are big. and UGLY. and after doing some research, i've yet to discover what purpose they serve in life.

i'm not going to bore you with details on the life cycle of the cicada ~ you can click on one of my links and do that yourself. but i will tell you that they are aptly named; their eggs have been burrowing and maturing underground for 17 years. a fact, my husband thinks is absolutely magical. leo's become uber-spiritual over the past year or so, which don't get me wrong, is a magnificent thing. but he's so darn optimistic all the time. while i was bemoaning the cicadas, leo described how fantastically miraculous the entire experience is, and how god is in the details, and isn't it amazing, "we'll be 58 years old the next time they come back."

nope. i ain't buying it.

ick.

love letters

i found these on my board friday morning...

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how to annoy me

sign up to bring "ketchup and mustard", or "plates and napkins", or "drinks", to a carry-in luncheon, then expect to eat as much as everyone else.

we pay for not caring about those who are not properly nourished

pbs aired an amazing documentary on depression last night. (my post title is a quote by terrie williams, who is interviewed in the special. for more information, click on the documentary link; pbs has provided video clips and transcripts of the show on its site.)

those of you who know me, truly know me, understand that my personal experiences with and on-going treatment for clinical depression define my "calling". i am not extraordinary. i just tell my story, as i believe god wants me to, and pray that it connects with any other soul that may be suffering. because, none of us should ever have to suffer alone.

to me it's ironic, for a couple of reasons, that the pbs special aired this week. my first episode of depression happened in may 1989, a week before my college graduation. i didn't know what it was. i vividly remember driving home for the weekend, going up to my bedroom, kneeling on the right side of the bed, and literally knocking on the side of my head the way you do when you have water in your ears. my brain felt full. something was wrong. my mind was racing. i couldn't tell a soul, mainly because i had no idea what was happening. and if i couldn't adequately define it, i certainly couldn't get help for it. a few days later, it dissipated and was gone. i chalked it up to the stress of graduation, the uncertainty of my future, and being madly in love for the first time in my life.

after 8 more years of on-again and off-again silent suffering, i got help.

some of you know the story...after weeks of not sleeping or eating, yet not missing work or telling my husband, i paced my house. from one end to the other, stopping every now and then to peer at myself in the mirror, horrified. finally, i looked at my husband and said, "you need to take me to the hospital". he was clueless. i called adena, and told the e.r., "i'm losing it, i'm on my way, and you need to have somebody ready for me." thus began my recovery.

this week, a friend (whom i can't name for fear that the ever-present "depression-stigma" may affect her professionally) confided in me that she was suffering terribly. jane (not her real name) said that she remembered me explaining how i initially got help, and so, after suffering in silence for the past several months, she left work and drove herself straight to a hospital. also like me, she described how she didn't want to intentionally kill herself, but if she had been in a car accident on the way to the e.r, that would've been okay.

her family's responses to her diagnosis have been somewhat typical: "you need to lean more on god," "you're apparently not a good christian," and the good old-fashioned, "what have you got to be said about? shake it off. "

(*sigh*)

andrew solomon, author of the noonday demon, provides some of the most amazing dialogue on depression in the pbs special:

It's a poverty of the English language that we only have that one word, depression, that's used to describe how a little kid feels when it rains on the day of his baseball game, and it's also used to describe why people spend their lives in mental hospitals and end up killing themselves. But clinical depression really has to do with the feeling that you can't do anything, that everything is unbelievably difficult, that life is completely terrifying, and a feeling of this free-floating despair, which is overpowering and horrifying.

interestingly, i learned from the documentary that scientists have identified the positive biological effect that talk therapy produces in the brain. i mean, we all know that there is power in verbalizing our hurts and insecurities and fears with someone we feel safe with it. but there are also real, physiological benefits:

"New evidence shows that the act of talking, like medication, also produces changes in the brain, impacting a group of regions including the frontal area and the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and memory."

so talking is good. don't stay in the dark. no one has to suffer alone.

philip burguries, chairman and ceo of a fortune 100 company and vice-chairman of the houston texans, recounted his initial diagnosis and subsequent stay in a mental hospital by tearfully sharing the story of a woman he met while in treatment:

Safe in a hospital, he met another patient who encouraged him to speak out. She looked me right in the eye. And she said, "Philip, I'm not gonna make it. But you are." And then she said, "I want you to promise me something. When you make it, I want you to promise me that you'll tell your story, because you can help other people." Philip took his story public in Houston before a group of business leaders. This action inspired executives the world over to seek his advice about their own battles with depression.

we have the ability to nourish each other...to sustain one another with love and patience and understanding and education and grace and honesty and vulnerability...and perhaps most importantly, with availability.

jesus said, "go tell your story."

because no one should ever have to suffer alone.

his hand

this hand belongs to a young man whose father is currently serving a life sentence for manslaughter.

this hand belongs to a young man who overdosed on darvocet a few weeks ago before coming into my class.

this hand belongs to a young man who "tattoos" himself with an ink pen daily, writing "thug" or "bad ass" or "motherfucker" on his arms.

this hand belongs to a young man who, when told that i was going to our school's art show to take pictures of his work, responded, "would you really do that?"

yes, i would do that.

while walking him down the hall the other day, i reminded him of how much i love him, and how i would miss him this summer. as i patted him on the back, shooed him into his next class, and turned to make my way back to my room, i breathed out loud:

"i don't know how to save him."

someone, i won't say who, responded to me in very serious tones,

"that's not your job."

this hand belongs to a young man who i am almost certain will wind up in prison, or worse yet, die, within the next five years.

and here i helplessly stand, watching him self-destruct, and there's not a damn thing i can do to stop it.

but then again, that's not my job...

anne lamott on the colbert report

i'm not a HUGE fan of stephen colbert, but i DO love this interview with anne lamott. colbert asks the right questions, and is the perfect mix of sassy and smart. anne, of course, is perfect.

*represent

(*click here for the definition of represent, 'cause you needs to know what that shizzle means)

teaching is a give-and-take occupation. hopefully, i give more than i take. and more importantly, i hope that what i give holds some life-long value for my students.

sometimes, however, what i take from my kids is just plain silliness. for example, i've learned that i need to keep my "pimp hand strong", which according to the urban dictionary means that i "keep control of my ho's" or "maintain control of my pimpin' business." uh....yeah.

last year, as you may remember, i learned how to pimpify my name. click here for a refresher.

four years ago, my students philip and aaron shared "schfifty five" with me. pure stupidity. but my goodness, it's wonderful for a ridiculous, brainless laugh every now and then.

so anyways, last week during dismissal, my kids asked if i had seen any of the "scary movie" or "saw" franchises:

"uhm, no. absolutely not. are you kidding?"

"oh my gosh, mrs. gillen, you don't know what you're missing!"

then they promptly showed me this clip on youtube, and i proceeded to laugh my head off. it's a parody of tom cruise flipping out on oprah a few years ago, and of course it's utterly absurd, but that's the point.

watch it all the way through, and let me know if you at least chuckle a little bit. and if it makes you giggle, i'll pass on your thanks to my kids...cause if you're like me, you appreciate a good laugh whenever you can get one.

speaking of a's and z's

here is the beautiful azalea that grows beside our garage. we've had it for over 5 years, and it has never grown taller (it stands approximately 18 inches high). it does, however, produce the most brilliant magenta flowers.

from a to z

a- is for the apple pie i was craving last night at 8:30, which prompted a 16 mile round trip to buy one (an apple pie, that is) and a gallon of bryer's extra smooth vanilla ice cream. yum.

b- is for blogging, which i'm finding difficult to do lately. it's a time thing...there's simply not enough of it...

c- is for the columbus dispatch crossword puzzle which i will be doing when i finish this blog.

d- is for the darvocet (4 darvocet, to be exact) that one of my students ingested before coming to school last monday. i didn't ask him IF he took anything, i asked him bluntly WHAT he took, and he told me the truth. he wound up in a hospital later heaving up charcoal (used to induce vomiting) and the darvocet.

e- is the for the eighth grade promotion dance that i will be chaperoning this friday. "e" is also for the electric slide which i WILL do at said dance, much to the chagrin of my 8th grade niece, taylor. :) heehee...

f- is for fast-pitch softball, which kate is playing. she's learning how to pitch...and we're gonna need ALOT Of practice. :)

g- is for "grey's anatomy". it's back. 'nuf said.

h- is for happy bunny. while some of his stuff is too edgy and sassy, his other sayings crack me up.

i- is for ian, who knows he's a charming looker, and uses that to his advantage.

j- is for "juno", which i watched over the weekend. great, quirky script.

k- is for kate, my bonny red-head, and also my date for the 8th grade dance.

l- is for "lars and the real girl", which is next on my dvd rental wish list.

m- is for mowing the lawn, one of my favorite things to do in the whole world...but man, with the price of gas, it's going to be an expensive pleasure! (phyllis, i haven't forgotten about you, by the way ~ i will mow this week, i promise!)

n- is for new balance tennis shoes. when leo saw my comfy orange and white "dogs" a few weeks ago, and noticed the "N" on the side, he asked me: "since when do you wear ZIPS? i didn't even know they still made those!" uh, turn the "Z"over there babe...it's an "N".

o- is for the ohio achievement tests, which my students are taking (two weeks late) starting tomorrow. it's a long story, so here's the short version: the ODE screwed up. royally. click here to read the long version.

p- is for my favorite perfume which i just ran out of...dolly girl by anna sui. julie got me hooked on it. (i gots to get me to a victoria's secret, asap!)

q- is for the quintessential stupidity of NCLB (no child left behind), which is ridiculously obvious during OAT week. my students are mandated by law to have an IEP, an INDIVIDUALIZED education plan. the law says, you have to provide special services for these kids who have learning disabilities...these kids who are DIFFERENT. but THEN the government says you have to test them all the same way ~"one size fits all". can you spell C-O-N-T-R-A-D-I-C-T-I-O-N? governor strickland, if you're reading this, i officially invite you to have a cup of coffee with me sometime...we need to talk.

r- is for the reds (cincinnati, you know, baseball) who are in a terrible skid right now. :( time to go buy some talent, boys.

s- is for snoopy, who is all over my classroom...comic strips of snoopy, greeting cards with snoopy, my snoopy mouse pad, snoopy computer wallpaper, snoopy posters, snoopy name plate outside my door. snoopy is sly, smart, and sarcastically lovable.

t- is for teacher appreciation week, which is may 5 - 9. my favorite teachers in school were mr. robert "gene" lewis (7th and 8th grade science), mrs. zoa craumer (algebra I, II, and trig), and mr. richard craumer (chemistry and physics). maybe i'll be on someone's list of favorites someday...

u- is for underwear. i need new underwear. i'll buy it when i pick up more perfume at victoria's secret. (see "p" above)

v- is for my new vera bradley purse. :) yay! raspberry fizz pattern. libby style. right on!

w- is for the whippoorwill ian correctly identified calling in our woods last week

x- is for xm radio. how did i ever drive a car without it? my kids are now able to identify some great 80s songs. their current favorite: "should i stay or should i go?", by the clash.

y- is for yerramilli. smita yerramilli, a former student who sent me a graduation announcement this past friday. i have several sweeties graduating in a few weeks whom i will miss terribly. you can see the lovely smita by clicking here.

z- is for the unexpected zzzzz's i took this weekend. i napped. what's up with that?

it's held together by masking tape

my camera, that is. i have a little canon powershot digital camera that i earned with my credit card points. less than a week after receiving it, i dropped it on the sidewalk and cracked the battery cover. of course, the battery cover wouldn't close tightly enough to maintain enough pressure for the batteries to power the camera...but with just enough masking tape and a little pressure from my hand, it will take pictures...(and if you click on the photos below to view them "large", they're not too bad).



bleeding heart. can you honestly think of another living thing on the planet that is more accurately named?



i have my most emotional and spiritual encounters when lilacs bloom. yes, that sounds crazy, but...i don't know. there's just something about them. tonight, when i smelled these lilacs, i literally raised my fists in the air victoriously and called out, "yes!!! thank you god!!!" then i cried like a baby and praised him for the yearly miracle.



the butterfly above and i played hide-and-seek for at least ten minutes. he was not intimidated by my presence, and happily gathered pollen while i talked to him incessantly.



i wish i could eloquently and poetically express the pure and abundant joy god's lilacs and bleeding hearts and pink dogwoods brought me this evening. but alas, i am no poet. so instead, i'll lift these lines of worship from jennifer knapp...

sing alleluia, sing alleluia
praise the father above
sing alleluia
sing alleluia, sing alleluia
for his infinite love
sing alleluia

praise to the giver of good things
merciful father, holy king
join with the angels, sing out loud
praise him who reigns above the clouds

o praise him (when the morning comes)
alleluia (for the rising sun)
o praise him (when the day is done)
alleluia (praise the Lord of love)
o praise him (alleluia)
alleluia (alleluia)

all creatures of our god and king
lift up your voice and with us sing!

beautiful kate

my red-headed, free spirited baby girl...happy birthday! i love you!

so i had this dream last night...

that jen ford bleached my hair white-blonde, then proceeded to give me an afro. she then parted my afro hair down the middle and gave me two large poofy "pony-tails" on either side. only they weren't traditional pony tails...they were more like giant blonde mickey mouse ears. afro mickey mouse ears.

(no kidding. i promise i had this dream.)

then, she became incredibly angry at me because i didn't like the way she had done my hair. and we were on three locks road near chillicothe and she called the police to have me arrested because i was being mean about my ugly hair. leo picked me up in a get-away car, but we were pulled over by the patrol within seconds. they captured me and placed a red and blue wire up one of my nostrils and pulled it out the other one. this wire, they said, was like a gps system, and if i tried to get away they would be able to track me down by sending a signal to the wire that was in my nose.

so the wire was put in, and it embarassed me, so i pulled it out and went to a steakhouse where my dental hygienist was eating dinner. i told her husband that jen ford was mad at me because i was a jerk about my blonde afro. the police then discovered i had removed my wire, found me in the steakhouse, and inserted another one into my nose. my dental hygienist's husband told me not to worry about it...i looked okay, even with the red and blue wire hanging off my face.

then i woke up.

and i've been worried all day that jen is still angry at me over that afro.

dream interpretation, anyone?

suzanne's card

“When we cast our bread upon the waters, we can presume that someone downstream whose face we will never know will benefit from our action..." - maya angelou

party time ~ excellent

my wonderfully loving niece, taylor, organized a birthday party for me today at school and invited some of my favorite 8th grade chicks! we had a great time! these girls exemplify just a few of the reasons why i love my job so much. yes, junior high kids are wired and hormonal...but we also have some amazing parents out there raising equally amazing, grounded, and responsible children with terrific senses of humor and compassion for the world around them.

here they are, in all their glory...

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simple

for me, the essence of faith is summed up in the exchange that took place between jesus and one of the criminals dying beside him...

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (luke 23:39-43)

when everything else is stripped away...all the man-made laws that we impose to make our faith more complicated than it really is...the debates on baptism and dress codes and alcohol and what version of the bible to read and who's worthy, or not worthy, to receive communion...

for me, all of those distractions fall away when i read this excerpt from luke. a man, a criminal, acknowledges as he is dying, that jesus is the son of god.

jesus' response? simple and unquestioning. the essence of grace. the criminal has done nothing to deserve christ's love. he simply believes.

i am the criminal. i am filthy. i deserve death.

i could not exist without christ's mercy. i could not live without his grace.

and i ask him every day to remember me in his kingdom.

happy st. patrick's day

i'm a day late, but what the heck ~ erin go bragh! or in this case, mobile go bragh!

my father's daughter

my dad is 63 years old today! below is a picture of him and his sister vickie...note the strong resemblance to ian (can you see it?):


my father and i are so much alike. i have inherited his need for order and organization and perfection. (i'm not sure if this is a blessing or a curse.) dad is and always has been a worrier (oh, that's me). he is passionate about the reds (yeah baby!) and loves, loves, loves old movies. he can remember the most minute details about family gatherings, is often incredibly stubborn, pouts when he doesn't get his way, and loves my mom more than anything in the world.

when we girls were growing up, we spent most of our time with our dad. mom was a tupperware lady, and a very successful one at that. she was gone practically every evening from the time we were ten years old until we went away to college. this meant that dad was the one at home enforcing chores (we did all the laundry and dishes, among other things) and bedtimes. but dad was also the one that did incredibly fun stuff with us...

our father was the only dad on the street who played ball with his kids. he taught us how to throw curveballs and knuckleballs at a very early age; dad was a wonderful ballplayer himself, inheriting that same talent from his own father (my grandfather played semi-professional baseball prior to world war two). i also remember we had a tradition during the winter months of watching ohio state basketball on tv while munching popcorn sprinkled with powdered cheese and drinking orange juice (ick?).

when we were really little, dad would teach us to say all kinds of things. for example, by the age of six i could recite the pythagorean theorem: the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square of the other two sides. that came from dad. or ~ we would be waiting in the car while mom was grocery shopping and he would make up some ridiculous math problem, like, "what is 764 x 397?", and one of us would yell someting like, "54!" and he would marvel "OH MY GOSH THAT'S AMAZING! YOU ARE SO SMART!!!" and on and on he would go, with the three of us girls just beaming. he was really full of sh*t in the best possible way.

when i started my period for the first time, my dad was home with me, not my mom. (we sent that poor guy to kroger's so many times to get "feminine supplies" ~ i don't think it bothered him in the least.) i would (and still do) get incredibly emotional and weepy before starting my period; dad could look at me the wrong way and i would burst into tears. i remember doing this one time, then hearing him say in the other room, "connie, jodi's getting ready to start her period...she's crying again." as i recently stated, dad is incredibly organized and pretty anal; he would plan our family vacations six to seven months in advance. i remember several januarys when he would sit all of us down with the calendar and say, "i'm getting ready to book our vacation in july. i want every one of you to count ahead and see when you're going to be on your period that month." he always tried to plan around it, but my gosh, with four women in the house, it was practically impossible!

our dad was at every basketball game, softball tournament, quiz bowl, honor society function, etc. if we were in it, he and mom were there. they never missed an event. i think many of our friends, whose parents weren't as supportive, came to depend on my mom and dad as surrogate family members. everybody knew connie and "big rog".

i love my dad's sense of humor. i said earlier that he can pout when he doesn't get his way, but my gosh the man can be hilarious. earlier today, i called him at work and told him that i bought his birthday present on ebay, but it had not been delivered yet. his response, "that's okay, jodi. i'll just sit up tonight and wait for it to get here." which, okay, doesn't sound that funny...you just had to hear it come from his mouth.

speaking of his birthday present (he doesn't read my blog, so i'm not worried about ruining the surprise), i found a mint condition sports illustrated featuring my dad's favorite baseball line-up of all time ~ the 1956 reds. the cover of the magazine features gus bell, wally post, and ted kluszewski. dad has told me, on more than one occasion, that the '56 reds were, in his mind, more amazing and enjoyable than the big red machine of the '70s. he can quote the '56 roster by name, position, and number. i love to hear him talk about them...his nostalgia is so heartfelt and endearing...

i love my dad for a million and one reasons. and if sat here long enough, i could probably think of a million and one more stories to tell about him. he can be a pain in the butt (simply because he's a guy), but he's also pretty spectacular.

i sure am thankful he's mine.

this made me laugh out loud

my sister, jill, turned me on to this jimmy kimmel video. guillermo, uncle frank & veatrice work on kimmel's show, and he uses them frequently in skits. if you ever have time to kill, go to youtube and type in "guillermo". he's always hilarious.

not a good sign

there's a blizzard warning out right now. my son, who went to the doctor today for bronchialitis, just walked up to me and said, "i'm bored. what is there to do?".

uhm. we in trouble. (bad grammar intended)

yum

i saw a link on the imdb to the "100 sexiest movie stars of all time". here's my #1...gary cooper. he ranked #40 on this list ~ ahead of mel gibson, tom cruise, and johnny depp. scrumptious.

not in the job description

junior high is tough. bodies are changing, hormones are raging. peer groups are solidifying.

today, one of my kids smelled so badly...it was shocking. but here's the rub...he has water, and toiletries, and deodorant. his twin sister is also in my class. she's always clean. but jake (not his real name) is literally too lazy to take a bath. his sister lisa (not her real name) has also told me that he is too lazy to go to the bathroom at home ~ no kidding, jake will urinate in the corner of his room, in a pop bottle, whatever, to keep from walking down the hall to relieve himself. lisa is pretty sure that the urine gets on his clothes, which are lying on the floor. the clothes, by the way, rarely get washed because he is too lazy to take care of that. and don't ask me why mom isn't all over this. i can't answer that question.

tuesday, jake's body odor was horrible. i had to open my classroom windows at the end of the day and spray febreze air neutralizer to combat the smell.

yesterday, jake and lisa were absent.

today, jake shows up in the same clothes he wore on tuesday...only now they are twice as pungent as they were two days ago. first thing this morning, he asked to speak to me about some trouble he was in, and i literally had to back away from him.

i spoke with my principal...and long story short, one of my male co-workers rounded up some clothes from the home ec. room, and explained to jake that he had to take a shower (we have facilities). i took his clothes and ran them through the school washing machine twice, before drying them with two downy sheets.

the hardest part of the day was talking with him about staying clean. i grabbed a male co-worker from across the hall and asked him to listen as i talked to jake about the effects of not being clean...people don't like to sit close to others who smell (i put it nicely), people who don't take care of themselves open themselves up to ridicule, people who have body odor have difficulty making and keeping friends, etc.

i put my arm around him and told him that i loved him, and that's why i knew i should be honest with him....that i wanted him to be the best he could be...that i would never want people to miss out on getting to know the real jake...that good habits will benefit him for the rest of his life. it was such a "girlie" talk, now that i look back on it. my co-worker jon simply said, "it (not bathing) is just not healthy". that's true. duh! i hadn't even thought of that!

so now i'm wondering if jake will stay clean. i'm wondering if his mother is going to come in and rip my hind end for trying to help her son.

teaching is not about teaching anymore. it's about taking care of kids who need it. it's about feeding them and clothing them...counseling them through emotional problems and fits of criminal behavior...listening to their struggles...and proving to them that there is at least one person in this world who cares about what happens to them.

it's exhausting. it's worth it. but man, i'm so tired...

and that's a magic number

9.

yes, nine. nine automated political messages left on my answering machine tuesday between 5:00 and 8:30. and unfortunately, we have one of those machines where you have to listen to the message before you can delete it.

i hit the "play" button and walked away...

and yes, i voted for barack obama. shockingly, i was reminded at school on wednesday, that prejudice is alive and well here in rural southern ohio. one of my students said that his father voted for hilllary because "he'd rather die than vote for a nigger". oh. my. gosh.

unbelievable.

heirloom

when my beloved grandmother passed away, she left behind a jewelry box containing diamonds and rubies, as well as a mink coat that hung in her front hall closet. i wanted none of those things...instead i asked for, and gratefully received, her cookbook. the front cover was gone, and most of the pages are loosed from their binder, but it is absolutely priceless.

my grandma was an amazing cook, as are most grandmothers, i think! i'm not sure how long she used this cookbook ~ if i had to guess, i would say she had it for at least 40 years. i know that it was written by betty crocker, and that it was published by mc-graw hill. but because of the missing cover, i can't find a copyright date.

the best thing about this gift is that it contains page after page of grandma's handwriting. she would scribble down recipes on the backs of envelopes, scrap pieces of paper, or whatever was lying around, then staple it, or tape it, or tuck it away somewhere within the book's pages.

she also made comments on recipes. (as you can see from above, the cocktail sauce is "really good".) her recipe below, for "nan naw's traditional brown pudding" or figgy pudding as we always called it, contains the reminder that it was the "traditional thanksgiving pudding at the woods'".


several years after her death, i found personal notes as well as dirty jokes (haha!!!) tucked away in the pages of the cookbook. the note below was scribbled by my mom's older brother, dale. i'm not sure when it was written...perhaps shortly after his marriage, but that's just a guess.


and i have to include this ornery "business card" i found in the "side dishes" section of the cookbook...sorry for the yellow tone of the picture. the card was terribly discolored.


the really cool thing about the cookbook is that i STILL use it. (just tonight, i used grandma's recipe for the BEST COOKIE on the planet...see the recipe below!) i feel wonderfully connected to grandma when i look at its pages...see her handwriting...and feel her personality emanating from the pages. it's been the most marvelous gift, actually. i don't think i could love anything, or anyone, more.

pineapple cookies (may not sound great, but i guarantee you'll love them)

1 cup soft shortening (i use stick margarine)
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
10 ounces of crushed pineapple WITH juice
3 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

chill in refrigerator for 1 hour
drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheet
bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350

steve good's body double

i swear steve looks like mark cuban. don't ya think? (i wonder if steve has as much money?)

the light at the end of the winter tunnel

7 days 23 hr 33 min 22 sec until...

the cincinnati reds first spring training game.

yeah, baby.

v-day

the picture above accompanied a very "right-on" editorial piece in time magazine, written by nancy gibbs. if you have time, read the article in its entirety! until you do that, here's my take on nancy's insights into valentine's day.

when i was in high school, v-day was second only to new year's eve as being the "worst" holiday. i was every guy's best friend ~ not the chick whose bra they wanted to unhook and passionately kiss in a parked car. those girls got valentine flowers and candy and what-not. i think i got orange carnations from my dad once.

when i was in grade school, valentine's day seemed more like the event that was most likely to piss off my mom. lord have mercy, that woman was perturbed at us when we (julie and i) would ask her to help us make valentine's boxes for our classroom parties. no kidding...

"i don't even know if we have any boxes." (mom is exasperated)
"when do you need them?" (uh, by february 14)
"you BOTH need one?" (uh, yeah, if it's not too much trouble)
"we're out of glue." (it's too much trouble)
"i'll have to go BUY glue." (guilt trip)
"can't we just cover a box in aluminum foil?" (*sigh* okay)

(when i became a teacher, i promised myself that no student of mine would ever go through this drama. instead, every year i asked a local pizza shop for large white bags, and my kids would decorate them for valentine's day.)

nancy mentions in her article how "Children are expected to bring a valentine for every classmate, unlike the days of our youth, when the teachers would collect the cards in a big red box and then call out names one by one, in a public accounting of exactly how many friends each child actually had."

i think i remember this!!! for some reason, very early on, i don't think i gave valentines to everybody. later, i remember thinking (compassionately ~ wink, wink) , "i'll give a valentine to everyone, but THESE kids will get the UGLY ones because i really don't like them anyways." does this ring a bell with any of you? on the flip side, i also think i remember counting my valentines to see if i had gotten one from all of my classmates...comparing the number of valentines in my box with the amount my friends had. that's a pretty vicious popularity contest to engage in at such a young age. unfortunately, it was a sad pre-cursor to the societal norms of junior high and high school.

"True romance comes unscheduled, unruly, "a madness most discreet," quoth Romeo. Overtime, as it ripens into devotion, still it improvises, a favor rendered, a sudden kiss, a private joke, flowers for no reason."

i agree with gibbs here. the element of surprise, when it comes to love, is most convincing. in reality, any joe-schmo can buy valentine's junk for his sweetie every february 14. it's what happens the other 364 days of the year that really counts. the minute it feels like a duty, it has lost its purpose.

i'll end this post as gibbs ended her piece with the following quote by shakespeare...oh, and here's hoping all of you have a valentine's day filled with genuine smiles and affection...

"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."

31 days of oscar

turner classic movies is currently running its "31 days of oscar", as they do every year before the academy awards. (this means that every movie playing on tcm for the month of february has either won or been nominated for an oscar.) if you dig old movies, like i do, well then ~ this is just a thin slice of heaven.

the clip below is a 9 minute montage/film honoring the first 100 years in film. (it ran on tcm several years ago, and i'm sure it's shown on there from time to time even now.) film buffs will dig it. the first 90 seconds are a little slow (covering early silent film), but then it picks up. the music is awesome too.

how would you title this photo?

ben's expression is priceless.

obama...yikes!

*disclaimer: yes, i am a christian and attend rvcc. the views represented here are not the views of all christians or people who attend rvcc. don't use my personal political beliefs as fodder for criticizing rvcc or anyone else that you don't personally know.

man, i'm really livin' on the edge with these past couple of posts...

okay, so yesterday, i asked my sister and parents who they were planning to vote for in the presidential primary. i'm leaning very strongly toward barack obama. i've watched all the debates (although i must admit, john edwards was my fav) and hillary just scares the ba-jeebers out of me. and then i heard it ~ for the first time ~ from my sister: barack might be the antichrist.

ka-boom!!!! the anti-christ. holy cow.

seriously, i had never, never, ever, ever thought of that.

this is worth investigating. i mean, for crying out loud, I AM NOT GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HUMAN DEVASTATION OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS ~at least not if i can help it.

google: obama is the antichrist. links found: hundred upon hundreds

well i'll be danged.

donald miller, of "blue like jazz" fame, had an interesting take on the "obama as antichrist"thing:

He himself claims that he was baptized at Trinity United Church of Christ. That said, he talks about his faith in a non-“Jesus told me to kill these people” sort of way. This makes him suspect. The true anti-Christ will no doubt champion peace. It’s not the “Jesus told me to kill people” crowd we are worried about, it’s the leaders who can’t hear this obvious voice of God. And it bears repeating that he is handsome. He is very handsome.

miller's next pick as the antichrist???? yep, it's bono. miller's reasoning:

Be afraid: He owns a castle in Ireland. A castle, for pete’s sake! Bono is very adept at controlling large crowds, as he does it for a living.

another site with great info (on obama) is one of my new favorite blogs, mackle. (for cred, ya gotta know that iain - aka "mackle" - is a christian worship leader who is boggled daily by grace, loves david crowder, and is obssessed with Macs ~ uh, eli and marty, were you separated from this guy at birth?).

so anyways, mackle wrote a tongue-in-cheek piece about obama being the antichrist, with resulting comments that blew his mind. these are priceless:

“isn’t it said that the antichrist will die and then come back? well, isn’t his middle name hussein???” (jodi's comment: do we christians believe in reincarnation now?)

"I never saw his face but only HEARD his words, and his voice and his tone and REALIZED that WTF this man is the antichrist. I never even knew Obama or who he was prior to that." (jodi's comment: do we christians regularly use the acronym, WTF? if so,then WTF, steve good ~ i dare you to throw one of those out next sundary morning!)

“barack obama is a wierdo!! he resembles the anti christ! is there any way we can determine if he is or not?” (jodi's comment: what does the antichrist look like? is there an artist sketch of him down at the WPD?)

okay, so here's my final deal...and i'm gonna quote from mackle here 'cause he does such a great job:

As a Christian, can I plead with the Christians on here to get on with loving God, living as salt and light, spreading the gospel and loving each other instead of getting hung up in eschatological craziness. Nobody knows who the Antichrist is - it hasn’t been revealed yet. In fact, who said it was a single person at all?? It could be a whole system, just as Babylon is a personified system. The point is that we have the victory in Christ, these things MUST happen (whoever they will involve and whenever they will occur) and calling dates, times, names and such just makes you look like idiots if you’re wrong, just as everyone who claimed to know who it was over the last 2000 years look like idiots now that it is apparent that they were talking nonsense. Enough with the wild claims, people, and concentrate on living the life God called you to.