After my negative post yesterday, I thought I had better change my attitude.
Rain, a/c, being with my family, eating tasty food, Dr. Pepper, Mt. Hood, Fall leaves, Micah's comics, pretty flowers, soft bunnies, knowing God loves me, a comfy pair of shoes, my pillow, sweats and t-shirts, someone else cooking, thai iced tea, Steve, watching fish, people falling (but not getting hurt), Micah, friends, dessert at the Big Chill, and quietness.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Vent
Warning! Do not read this post! I am venting. Complaining. You have been warned.
So today is one of those days that just seems to need to end. It started with a lack of sleep because the power kept going off. Now I know that I should be thankful that we have an inverter, and I am, extremely thankful actually, but I am still complaining about the disturbance. I woke up early to do my workout with my dear friend, Jessica. That was a good part of the day. We just finished day 10 of the first part of Jillian's 30 day shred.
I had a good workout and got sweaty, which isn't too hard because just sitting here writing this I am sweating. So I was looking forward to my shower. But it was not to be. There was just a dribble of water coming out of the faucet. So I splashed a bit on myself and called it good.
It has taken me two days to do one load of laundry because of the lack of water. I am still working on filling the second cycle of water right now and it is 5PM. Micah has worn the same pair of socks for three or more days now. I just can't seem to get any washed. And I now realize I didn't put any in this load either. Well we are going to the mall later so I will buy him some socks there.
There were some people suppose to show up to start building bunk-beds for our home for girls, but they didn't show up. I sat around waiting and waiting. Also, the lady who is suppose to clean the home didn't show up. Both of them were suppose to come in the morning. Around 12:30 I got a call letting me know the bunk-bed makers would come on Monday. And I never did get a hold of the cleaner. So I wasted hours of time that I could have been going to the movies with Micah.
Micah and I finally made our way to the mall. We took a rickshaw and another lady got a much cheaper ride with us. I never seem to be the one who gets the cheap ride. She went almost as far as us and just paid 10 rupees. I paid the full fare of 30 when we went two more blocks. Oh well.
We went to the movie theater but the movie was sold out for the afternoon show. So I bought tickets for the 7PM. Then it occurred to me to check out the other theater in the mall next to us. Sure enough, they had tickets for the show starting in an hour. We went back to the first one and asked for a refund, but didn't get it. So now we will wait for our 7PM showing.
The mall was super crowded. I guess everyone is trying to escape the heat. All the people bugged me. I kept bumping into people and trying to direct Micah around all the slow walkers. I really get irritated by groups of slow walkers in the mall. Micah and I went to KFC, which happened to be extremely crowded also. We got our food and found a corner to eat. I felt like people were staring at me. I started to think that maybe my hair was crazy looking from riding in the rickshaw.
Finally we made it back outside and tried to get a ride home. About 10 rickshaws tried to take us for a ride, not literally, but financially. They wanted 2 to 3 times as much as it should be. We kept walking as we looked for one to take us. Then there was a funeral possession right through the entrance driveway of the mall. So we stood aside while the body was walked past us. And then a rickshaw agreed to give us the correct fair.
The rickshaw we got in had super loud music playing. Micah and I just looked at each other in shock when he turned it on. The speakers were next to our ears. But he took us home. When he dropped us off he tried to cheat me of 10 rupees, but I didn't budge. We walked the block to our home, sweating and tired.
Now it is almost time for us to make the trip back to the mall. I imagine it will be even more crowded. Wish me luck! (oh yeah, you aren't suppose to be reading this)
So today is one of those days that just seems to need to end. It started with a lack of sleep because the power kept going off. Now I know that I should be thankful that we have an inverter, and I am, extremely thankful actually, but I am still complaining about the disturbance. I woke up early to do my workout with my dear friend, Jessica. That was a good part of the day. We just finished day 10 of the first part of Jillian's 30 day shred.
I had a good workout and got sweaty, which isn't too hard because just sitting here writing this I am sweating. So I was looking forward to my shower. But it was not to be. There was just a dribble of water coming out of the faucet. So I splashed a bit on myself and called it good.
It has taken me two days to do one load of laundry because of the lack of water. I am still working on filling the second cycle of water right now and it is 5PM. Micah has worn the same pair of socks for three or more days now. I just can't seem to get any washed. And I now realize I didn't put any in this load either. Well we are going to the mall later so I will buy him some socks there.
There were some people suppose to show up to start building bunk-beds for our home for girls, but they didn't show up. I sat around waiting and waiting. Also, the lady who is suppose to clean the home didn't show up. Both of them were suppose to come in the morning. Around 12:30 I got a call letting me know the bunk-bed makers would come on Monday. And I never did get a hold of the cleaner. So I wasted hours of time that I could have been going to the movies with Micah.
Micah and I finally made our way to the mall. We took a rickshaw and another lady got a much cheaper ride with us. I never seem to be the one who gets the cheap ride. She went almost as far as us and just paid 10 rupees. I paid the full fare of 30 when we went two more blocks. Oh well.
We went to the movie theater but the movie was sold out for the afternoon show. So I bought tickets for the 7PM. Then it occurred to me to check out the other theater in the mall next to us. Sure enough, they had tickets for the show starting in an hour. We went back to the first one and asked for a refund, but didn't get it. So now we will wait for our 7PM showing.
The mall was super crowded. I guess everyone is trying to escape the heat. All the people bugged me. I kept bumping into people and trying to direct Micah around all the slow walkers. I really get irritated by groups of slow walkers in the mall. Micah and I went to KFC, which happened to be extremely crowded also. We got our food and found a corner to eat. I felt like people were staring at me. I started to think that maybe my hair was crazy looking from riding in the rickshaw.
Finally we made it back outside and tried to get a ride home. About 10 rickshaws tried to take us for a ride, not literally, but financially. They wanted 2 to 3 times as much as it should be. We kept walking as we looked for one to take us. Then there was a funeral possession right through the entrance driveway of the mall. So we stood aside while the body was walked past us. And then a rickshaw agreed to give us the correct fair.
The rickshaw we got in had super loud music playing. Micah and I just looked at each other in shock when he turned it on. The speakers were next to our ears. But he took us home. When he dropped us off he tried to cheat me of 10 rupees, but I didn't budge. We walked the block to our home, sweating and tired.
Now it is almost time for us to make the trip back to the mall. I imagine it will be even more crowded. Wish me luck! (oh yeah, you aren't suppose to be reading this)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Part of me I would remove
This may gross some people out, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. I have a part of me that I would remove. No, it isn't my fat apron (pannus)(I just love saying that to shock you), but it is my mole on my armpit. This mole has been a part of me for many years. More than I remember. But it seems to have grown. It might not even be a mole. It could be one of those skin tabs or tags. Which reminds me of Tab soda. Remember that one? I think it was the first diet soda. Do they still make that?
Anyway, back to my mole problem. I have a few moles on my body that bother me. Right now this is the one that bothers me the most. I am afraid I will shave it off when I shave my armpits. I thought about tying a thread around it to remove it like farmers remove lambs tails. Or maybe I could just have Steve slice it off with his swiss army knife. That just sounds painful. I've had moles removed before and they do sting. I remember seeing them in the little dish that they send off to the lab. They are gross. For now, I will keep the mole, but if I ever remove it, I will for sure give you the play by play of how it happens.
So what is your problem area?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Lost in the Umpqua River
I just read on the news that a young man is lost on the Umpqua River. That reminded me of a time, back in college, that I almost died on the Umpqua River. I was with my girl friends and we decided to go tubing. I don't know how to swim. I can doggie paddle and float, but I can't have my head go under water, or I drown. Seriously, I have almost drowned in the shower. Anyway, on this fated trip, I decided to not put on my life jacket. Instead, I tied it to the inner-tube. We each sat in our tube with our feet hanging over and went down the fast flowing river. It was a lot of fun. I actually really love rivers. Well I hit a little rapid and my body fell down through the tube. The problem was that my legs didn't make it all the way down. They were stuck in the middle of the tube between my knees and feet. Perfectly wedged in the hole. So I was trapped! It probably all took two seconds in reality, but I felt like I would certainly die. And my parents would be so disappointed in me for not wearing the life jacket. After I panicked, I reached up and pulled my legs free and was able to come up for air. My friends were shocked to see me fall through the tube, but they were too far ahead to help me anyway.
The moral of the story is to wear your life jacket and don't get lost.
The moral of the story is to wear your life jacket and don't get lost.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Several blog postings
Since we don't have internet access yet, I have to write my blogs and wait to post them. So here are three at a time.
Snack
Around 5PM I got hungry. We aren’t eating for a couple more hours. So I needed a snack. Micah also needed something. So we went into the kitchen to see what we could find. There was alfredo sauce left over from last night that I could have on bread, cereal, or left over okra Indian food. I decided I should eat the Indian food. Micah was about to have cereal when I said I was going to eat the left over Indian food. He said, “Ooooh, me too!” I was a bit surprised. He said he really liked it yesterday. So I heated up two bowls of okra and rice for us and we just finished our snack.
No Water
In our new house we have three bathrooms. They are all shiny, new and clean. The first day we had a plumber come and fix something so that the water pressure would be good. It worked great. I did several loads of wash (I have many more to go). Well for the last two days there hasn’t been any water in two of the bathrooms. One of the bathrooms is the one that has the washing machine in it. So we haven’t been able to use those. The plumber is suppose to return, but hasn’t yet.
It isn’t so bad as long as we have one toilet that flushes. But today that hasn’t been possible either. It seems that the water works in the one bathroom, except for the toilet. I HATE toilets that don’t flush.
Where is that plumber?
Electrician
Yesterday we had the electrician come to hook up our inverter. An inverter is a battery back-up for when the electricity goes out. Ours was going out more than we liked, so it became a priority. The guy came and did his thing and then Steve asked him how much it cost. The guy leaned in close to Steve and said, “Ek hazar.” One thousand rupees! About 5 times what it should cost. Steve got upset. It really is frustrating to get taken advantage of over and over again. So Steve argued with the guy and he came down to seven hundred pretty quickly and then down to 5 hundred. Still more than it should be. Steve tried calling our landlord to talk some sense into the electrician, but there was no answer. Finally, Steve paid the five hundred and erased the guys phone number off our phone, never to use him again. The lesson learned is, ask the price before the work is done.
Snack
Around 5PM I got hungry. We aren’t eating for a couple more hours. So I needed a snack. Micah also needed something. So we went into the kitchen to see what we could find. There was alfredo sauce left over from last night that I could have on bread, cereal, or left over okra Indian food. I decided I should eat the Indian food. Micah was about to have cereal when I said I was going to eat the left over Indian food. He said, “Ooooh, me too!” I was a bit surprised. He said he really liked it yesterday. So I heated up two bowls of okra and rice for us and we just finished our snack.
No Water
In our new house we have three bathrooms. They are all shiny, new and clean. The first day we had a plumber come and fix something so that the water pressure would be good. It worked great. I did several loads of wash (I have many more to go). Well for the last two days there hasn’t been any water in two of the bathrooms. One of the bathrooms is the one that has the washing machine in it. So we haven’t been able to use those. The plumber is suppose to return, but hasn’t yet.
It isn’t so bad as long as we have one toilet that flushes. But today that hasn’t been possible either. It seems that the water works in the one bathroom, except for the toilet. I HATE toilets that don’t flush.
Where is that plumber?
Electrician
Yesterday we had the electrician come to hook up our inverter. An inverter is a battery back-up for when the electricity goes out. Ours was going out more than we liked, so it became a priority. The guy came and did his thing and then Steve asked him how much it cost. The guy leaned in close to Steve and said, “Ek hazar.” One thousand rupees! About 5 times what it should cost. Steve got upset. It really is frustrating to get taken advantage of over and over again. So Steve argued with the guy and he came down to seven hundred pretty quickly and then down to 5 hundred. Still more than it should be. Steve tried calling our landlord to talk some sense into the electrician, but there was no answer. Finally, Steve paid the five hundred and erased the guys phone number off our phone, never to use him again. The lesson learned is, ask the price before the work is done.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Token Old People
One evening this week, while at Kids Camp, Steve and I were shocked. We all knelt on the ground to pray and when we go back up, Steve and I were stiff and slow. We were sitting in the back, watching the kids. And then it hit us... we are the token old people at camp!
Water Spark
I am at Kid’s Camp this week, helping out with whatever they need me to do. Today was the day we took them all to the water park. Now I know in most people’s minds that would make you think of some really cool, fun place that has super pools, slides, and other fun water activities, but this is India.
First, we took a bus to the water park. This was about an hour long drive, down many one lane roads that have cows laying in the middle of them. Winding around blind corners. Squeezing by cars that have to pull their side mirror in to get by us. Just bumping along the mountain roads trying to find the way to the park.
When we arrived, the park wasn’t quite open for business yet. The parking lot was empty. It looked like a ghost water park, meaning it had gone out of business 10 years ago. Then the doors opened and we all went in. It was still quite a disappointment to look at. The slides looked rickety, the water was greenish and a bit slimy, and there was no place to sit. But the kids were so excited. I even heard someone say, “This is awesome!”
I have a fear of water. I didn’t want to go to the water park, but I was guilted into it. I tried to have fun, but there wasn’t even a pool just to stand around in. I went over to the kiddie area and rode down a small slide. The floor of the pool was so slimy that it was hard to stand up at the end of the slide. And then we saw a frog swimming in the pool. That was a high-light for some.
I am scared of the water slides too. But I decided to go with Micah down one of them, just to have a good attitude. I forgot to hold my nose at the end and ended up with a brain enema. Now I know to hold my nose. The kids loved the slides! Micah thought it was great.
With the water park there were amusement park rides. Again, if you can imagine a very old, rundown park, you are getting close to imagining what it looked like. There was one of those swing rides which is fun. I road on it with Micah. Several of the older kids thought it was fun to stand under the swings as they went around and then jump and high-five the kid on the swing. There was a safety fence, but it was too close to the swings, so the kids could stand under them when they were going fast. I think the fear of the rides adds to the rush and excitement.
Later some of the kids told us their story of the roller coaster. Apparently the operator couldn’t get it started. It went a little ways forward and then rolled back again. So he had the kids get out, kind of shake the cars back on the track, and PUSH IT! Then they jumped back in once it got going. When it came to the end, the operator couldn’t get it to stop, so they kept going until it slowed down by momentum. The final hill they stopped and rolled back down and came to a rest. All I have to say is ... Why did the kids get back in????
Another long ride home, starting to feel car sick.
All and all, I would rate the day a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. But the kids all thought it was a 10! So the day was a success. I will never go again, but I will gladly send Micah with the kids camp next year. Much cheaper than Disneyland and just as fun for him.
So what did I learn? What was the spark? The spark was learning that I have a bad attitude. I need to kill the attitude like a weed that is growing in my life. Dig it out from the roots. I need to learn to see the positive and not focus on the negative. I have looked too close to find what is wrong around me instead of what is right. Like at the water park, I could have seen it with a positive perspective and noticed that all the rides were working, all the pools were open, the kids were having a great time, and I wasn’t all hot and sweaty. But because of my rotten attitude, the day wasn’t fun for me. So next time I have the opportunity to go to the water park, I won’t go. But if I ever “have to” go, I will work at having a better outlook on the day.
First, we took a bus to the water park. This was about an hour long drive, down many one lane roads that have cows laying in the middle of them. Winding around blind corners. Squeezing by cars that have to pull their side mirror in to get by us. Just bumping along the mountain roads trying to find the way to the park.
When we arrived, the park wasn’t quite open for business yet. The parking lot was empty. It looked like a ghost water park, meaning it had gone out of business 10 years ago. Then the doors opened and we all went in. It was still quite a disappointment to look at. The slides looked rickety, the water was greenish and a bit slimy, and there was no place to sit. But the kids were so excited. I even heard someone say, “This is awesome!”
I have a fear of water. I didn’t want to go to the water park, but I was guilted into it. I tried to have fun, but there wasn’t even a pool just to stand around in. I went over to the kiddie area and rode down a small slide. The floor of the pool was so slimy that it was hard to stand up at the end of the slide. And then we saw a frog swimming in the pool. That was a high-light for some.
I am scared of the water slides too. But I decided to go with Micah down one of them, just to have a good attitude. I forgot to hold my nose at the end and ended up with a brain enema. Now I know to hold my nose. The kids loved the slides! Micah thought it was great.
With the water park there were amusement park rides. Again, if you can imagine a very old, rundown park, you are getting close to imagining what it looked like. There was one of those swing rides which is fun. I road on it with Micah. Several of the older kids thought it was fun to stand under the swings as they went around and then jump and high-five the kid on the swing. There was a safety fence, but it was too close to the swings, so the kids could stand under them when they were going fast. I think the fear of the rides adds to the rush and excitement.
Later some of the kids told us their story of the roller coaster. Apparently the operator couldn’t get it started. It went a little ways forward and then rolled back again. So he had the kids get out, kind of shake the cars back on the track, and PUSH IT! Then they jumped back in once it got going. When it came to the end, the operator couldn’t get it to stop, so they kept going until it slowed down by momentum. The final hill they stopped and rolled back down and came to a rest. All I have to say is ... Why did the kids get back in????
Another long ride home, starting to feel car sick.
All and all, I would rate the day a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. But the kids all thought it was a 10! So the day was a success. I will never go again, but I will gladly send Micah with the kids camp next year. Much cheaper than Disneyland and just as fun for him.
So what did I learn? What was the spark? The spark was learning that I have a bad attitude. I need to kill the attitude like a weed that is growing in my life. Dig it out from the roots. I need to learn to see the positive and not focus on the negative. I have looked too close to find what is wrong around me instead of what is right. Like at the water park, I could have seen it with a positive perspective and noticed that all the rides were working, all the pools were open, the kids were having a great time, and I wasn’t all hot and sweaty. But because of my rotten attitude, the day wasn’t fun for me. So next time I have the opportunity to go to the water park, I won’t go. But if I ever “have to” go, I will work at having a better outlook on the day.
Friday, June 3, 2011
London Bridge is....
falling down. That is what I did today. It has been a while since I last fell. I guess moving day is a good day to fall. I can then use the excuse that I am hurt so I obviously can't help. But I didn't get hurt. I slipped on a step because I was wearing my house flip=flops that are smooth on the bottom, and the stairs are sandy. I only fell to my rear-end and got up right away and dusted off. The sad thing is that Steve, the guard, and the moving guys all saw me. I got the "tsk tsk" and a surprised expression from everyone.
Later, when I saw Steve again, I asked him if he laughed after he saw me fall. I know I would laugh and I do laugh when Steve falls. He said, "Yes." That made me laugh too. So all is well that ends well. Laugh!
Later, when I saw Steve again, I asked him if he laughed after he saw me fall. I know I would laugh and I do laugh when Steve falls. He said, "Yes." That made me laugh too. So all is well that ends well. Laugh!
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