Busy Busy Busy شغل شغل شغل

A quick thought on business. How many times a day do you complain about being tired or busy? I know it's easy for me to do a lot. Someone asks how you are, you sigh and say something about being insanely busy or incredibly tired. But if you weren't busy, what would you be doing? Enjoy the active, business of your life, and find pleasure in the occasional times of rest.

So here's the question: do you work to rest, or do you rest to work?

Remember, God created us to work, so we won't be happy doing anything else.

(sorry for the lame post)

A letter

Dear Music History,

I don't understand you. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you greatly. I mean, where would I be without you? (That's a whole other blog post. Scary) But you are just the most boring class. It makes no sense at all. We learned about Bach today, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXCITING. We read about how he was so amazing at all he did and could predict a fugue or improvise a fugue or tell exactly how the acoustics worked in a hall that he had just walked in to. But yet again, I walked into class and the joy was sucked out of life (possibly an exaggeration?). It doesn't help that your classroom is like a meat locker. The theory room across the hall is full of bright flowers and colors (in my mind) and is warm. Sometimes when I sit in your class writing letters or planning out my day, I forget that it is still summer in Texas.

But enough about the room in which you hold us captive. I ask again. Why are you so boring? Maybe it's the fact that I only get a part of you this semester. We're only working with 200 years, so we have to move slowly I guess. Or maybe it's because there are people other than Bach and Beethoven who you have decided are important. Or even that we have to talk about vocal music. ugh. I might be just kidding about that last part.

Suffice it to say, I am disappointed in you. You act like you are dead. (Is history dead?) Maybe one day a Strange professor will come along and make you as interesting as you should be. Until then, I will only be a partial fan of yours.

J

Music

Recently, my life has begun to revolve around music. Crazy, huh? Who would've thunk :) Anyways, I've been noticing how much everyone else's life revolves around music also. What would life be without music? Think of all the awkward silences in movies, that's scary. How would you explain a the rhythm of a golf swing without the analogy of a metronome? There would be no dancing. Or there would be silent dancing. Awkward. I find it quite interesting to think about. My science friend laughs at me, but I still maintain that life would be pretty desolate without music.

You know, music people from hundreds of years ago were onto something when they believed that music actually affects the soul and changes moods and emotions. The next time you listen to music, words or no-words, think about the life that it is reflecting and the emotion it is expressing. All art is a reflection of life whether it's a good part of life or a bad part of life. It helps us deal with things, and sort stuff out. That's why I love it so much. Just imagine life without music. All I can picture is a stark white, bright room that's empty. So, moral of this post? Be happy, listen to music.

I believe that life is testing my resolve to be a good blogger. I'm not doing a very good job of fighting it. So, while I have a full post that is forming in my mind, I want to leave you with a couple questions. These were sparked by a conversation I recently had with a friend.

What do you really want to do with your life/what do you see yourself doing that you would enjoy and love? (I believe that we will enjoy what God has called us to do)

Would you give up comfort and security to go after that dream? Why not?

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much we give up on because of fear. What is the point of this life if not to do crazy things for a God who is so much bigger than we could ever fathom?

Don't get stuck in a rut. Don't let yourself feel blue because your dream seems out of reach. Don't waste life on mediocrity, safety, comfort, or reputation. Try something new this week. Step out on a limb and don't be afraid to try something that you may not like.

Think: Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Esther, Ruth. (I'm reading through Joshua, and wow! God is awesome)

Tidbits

My Dear Readers,

Yes. You all are now my dears. I am sure that you have had a crazy week, because I sure have. In lieu of writing a creative, coherent post, I am going to share with you the most random thoughts and occurrences from my life this past week. One of my favorite things about life is that it's truly the small things that make it interesting and fun. I also strongly believe that God is abundantly evident in the small things. Therefore, enjoy this peek into my mind :)

"Beethoven."

"To skip or not to skip?"

"Dear pedestrian, I'm sorry I swerved. You must have really wanted to be hit by my bike when you walked in front of me and then stopped"

"Wow, I moved my mouth to say hello but nothing came out" - Have you ever noticed this "silent hey" phenomenon? You're walking past an awkward acquaintance and either you or her decide to say hello, but it's more of an open mouth, close mouth action with no sound. Throw a little smile or half-wave in with the silent hey and you're good to go.

"Beethoven."

"Hmmm. Those people really are having a dance party in the middle of campus. More power to them?"

EXAM

Step in a mud puddle "it hasn't rained in months"

Practice. Gaze out the window. Practice. Check email. Practice. Go home for an ice pop.

pshaw. homework?

MUSIC!!!!!!!!

Exercise? yes. exercise.

My. bike. is. stuck. help?

(a day later) MY BIKE IS UNSTUCK!!!!!!!

I'm sleepy....

LOVE

Here’s a negative view on love from the baroque poet Giulio Strozzi

The insidious enemy, Love, circles

The fortress of my heart.

Hurry up, for he is not far away.

Arm yourselves!

We must not let him approach, so he can scale

Our weak walls,

But let us make a brave sally out to meet him.

Throw on the saddles!

His weapons are no fakes, he draws nearer

With his whole army.

Hurry up, for he is not far from here.

Everyone to his post!

He intends to attack the stronghold of my eyes

With a vigorous assault.

Hurry up, for he is here without any doubt.

Everyone to his horse!

There’s no more time, alas, for all of a sudden he

Has made himself the master of my heart.

Take to your heels, save yourselves if you can.

Run!

My heart, you flee in vain, you are dead.

And I hear the arrogant tyrant,

The victor, who is already inside the fortress,

Crying “Fire, slaughter!”

One of my friends had the privilege of flying delta airlines recently and snagged one of those skymall magazines. You know the ones with the weird products that seem peculiarly essential to life. Well, I would like to share with you a few products that I think receive undue invective (look it up).

First off is a particularly functional item. Have you ever had one of those days where you have to dress up for a long day and can’t go home and change, but you just want to take a quick snooze? Then you need this. It’s the very unique inflatable tie. Yes, inflatable. It inflates like a pool float and provides that extra cushion between your forehead and the desk. Side effects: facial red marks, being the butt of a joke.

I think there’s a major problem in the world. Have you ever noticed the feet of those beautifully tanned people in your life? Yep, they might not be as brown as the rest of their legs. But now, thanks to this foot tanner, all of us can have the perfectly tanned foot.

Sometimes, you just need a pick-me-up. In your attention-starved world, sometimes you just need a little black box to get you feeling good about yourself. But not any little black box, THIS little black box. Choose your style: laughter or applause. Open up the box and you’ll be greeted with a roar of laughter or a standing (standing?) ovation.

Hair is such an important thing, especially that between a man’s nose and lips. Ever wondered what you or your loved one would look like with a mustache? Well step right up to this mirror and align your reflection with one of these three mustache style options. Voila! Save the pain and heartache of growing in that hair just to find out that a mustache makes your head look square.

This last product is my personal favorite. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always dreamed of being a world-renowned rhino hunter. However, I just haven’t been able to quite reach my goal. So instead of devoting my life to this, I’ve decided to just pretend. This real-life-looking rhino head adorns my wall and all my friends are so impressed with my hunting abilities. Want to impress your date? Grab one of these, they’re selling quick.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did!

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

Look at the cute little cloud! It was the only one in the sky as I was walking home and it just caught my eye. I so love the sky - stars, clouds, moon. Definitely one of my favorite parts of creation!

MUUUUUUSSSSSICCCCC

Yes, I love music :) Here's a funny article that I thoroughly enjoyed and I hope you do too.

http://theclassicalsuite.com/2011/06/top-10-badass-composers-via-deceptive-cadence/

Labor Day Delicacies

Mini chocolate chip scones. A recipe from my dear eldest sister.
Fresh strawberries. Best I've had in a while.
Fresh squeezed orange juice compliments of Jen's juicer. So amazingly delish.

Thrive in College

I think like it is so easy to feel lost in college. The world tells us that college is all about me. What do I want to do with my life. What do I want to be involved in. What kind of job do I want. Am I having as much fun as people expect me to. But even having a good answer to all these questions isn’t fulfilling. I’ve often wondered how I’m supposed to live with purpose in college when I’m confined in this bubble of luxury and entitlement. This article that my college pastor posted answers this question spot-on. Read it, let it change your attitude, then by God’s grace start working diligently.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/learning-to-thrive-at-college?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DGBlog+%28DG+Blog%29

What Getting Our Car Towed Means To Me

- We got to ride the subway! Believe it or not, when they tow your car, they take it somewhere else. Somewhere you probably can’t walk to. So you ride the public transit – CHA CHING – more money to the government. Anyways, we got to ride the big city subway. It was much more sketch than I expected – I remember DC’s being much nicer. Anyways, I now have a subway ticket for my scrapbook

- While I absolutely love driving, I never want to own a car. towing isn’t enough in itself to push me over the edge, but the fact that I got a flat tire the week before is. Hopefully when I grow up I will live somewhere I won’t need to own wheels. Whether that’s a big city with public transit or some African plain where I walk everywhere, doesn’t matter to me.

- Glass. There’s lots of it in alleyways and not-oft-walked streets in big cities. Walk carefully and you won’t get it stuck in your foot.

- Apparently cute people work in the traffic appeals division at city hall (so says my mom).

- One towing can set off a bad chain of events for the rest of the day. BEWARE!

- You will laugh about it one day, but not 2 hours later. Don’t try to joke about it when your sister’s feet are still hurting from the walk to the impound lot :)