Christians Are Lame

I was listening to the local Christian radio station last night and I heard this gem of a song. 

                                 

It's Bebo Norman's apologetic ode to Britney Spears. Seriously? This is lame. Don't get me wrong. I feel for Britney. She's broken just like the rest of us, but her brokenness is broadcast all over the world and people revel in it. What I take issue with is the sad state of Christian music (of which this song just happens to be a perfect example). 

99% of the Christian music that is played on the radio is horrible. I hardly ever listen to Christian radio because every time I do, I am frustrated by what I perceive to be a huge missed opportunity. Music is a powerful force. Worship music (true worship music, not lame Christian elevator music) can have an amazing effect on people. There is great worship music out there - music that will appeal to all types of people, Christians and non-Christians alike. There is even secular music by bands like U2 and Coldplay that could easily be classified as worship music. I just wish the Christian radio stations would play more of the good stuff and less of the elevator music. 

Unfortunately, music isn't the only area that Christians insist on being a wet blanket about. Just imagine all of the stupid bumper stickers/t-shirts/wwjd bracelets etc. that you have seen. Why do we as Christians insist on being lame? Probably because being lame is easier than the alternative. Jesus was not lame. He was innovative. He was radical. He was controversial. Maybe we should take a hint from Him and actually try to be followers of the innovative, radical, controversial Christ instead of lame Christians. 

                                     

New Year's Resolutions - Part 2

I really like making New Year's resolutions. I enjoy the self examination. I like envisioning the newer, better, shinier me. So what if I hardly ever keep them past March. Every little bit of self improvement helps, right? You already know about my plan to read more books. Here are a couple of other things that I would like to accomplish.

1. I resolve to watch less TV. This one is going to be a hard one for me. The TV is my friend. But it does get in the way of more meaningful activities (like reading). So, I am going to put some serious limits on how much TV I watch.

2. I resolve to dress more professionally. My job is such that I can wear jeans and a t-shirt everyday if I want to. And until now, I have taken full advantage of that perk (as do most of my co-workers). However, now that I am beginning to think about the next stage of my career, I think that I need to upgrade my wardrobe a little bit. I have already started to make room in my closet (I have a big bag of clothes ready to be dropped off at Goodwill). Now all I have to do is find the change to buy some new clothes. I don't know. Maybe this is just a phase. But I'm pretty sure that I can find some sort of a middle ground between being comfortable, professional, and resistant to mouse guts. 

3. I resolve to be more physically active. I know. Everybody has this on their list. But it really is something that I would like to do. On a regular basis. In fact, I would actually like to find a way to get some of my girlfriends in on the action. I'm convinced that if we could come up with something fun and heart healthy, we could all really commit to following through. Any suggestions?

Ok, I probably have a few more resolutions on my list. However, in an effort to protect my fragile ego, I just can't bring myself to share the things that I really need to work on. Hopefully, I'll make good on those unspoken resolutions and you'll notice without me having to tell you what they are... 

Happy self-examining. Happy following through. Good night and good luck.

Science Friday - Pickle Edition

Harper has a new favorite food. Pickles! A girl after my own heart. 

In the spirit of Science Friday, here are some things you may or may not have known about pickles.

• Cucumber pickle factories commonly ferment cucumbers in large outdoor vats of salt brine. These vats usually have no cover, and are wide open to falling bird droppings, insects, and other airborne objects. However, according to Jim Cook, a food scientist with the Minnesota-based pickle manufacturer Gedney, tanks are left open for an important reason: The sun’s ultraviolet and infrared rays prevent yeast and mold growth on the brine surface—potentially a much more serious problem than bird droppings. 

• Many people consider pickle brine a useful commodity. It’s been used as a soup stock, a hangover remedy, a drink, and - for many eastern European women - a cosmetic.

• Pickles played an important role in Colombus’s discovery of America in 1492. Around the time of Colombus, many transoceanic voyages were thwarted because crews suffered from scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C. Colombus’s ship stocker, a man named Amerigo Vespucci (who was a pickle merchant turned explorer), stored ample quantities of vitamin C-rich pickles on the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria, helping to prevent scurvy outbreaks on the historic voyage across the Atlantic. 
  

Harper's First Christmas -- Part 2

Harper got lots of good loot, but I think that this thing is her favorite (next to Flo The Flamingo, that is).

Rob and I were pretty conservative with what we got Harper this year. We knew that she was going to be inundated with presents from her fan club. I did however, get her one special gift. I have wanted to get her a pair of these since I found out that I was pregnant. Rob and I both have a pair, so it is only right that she have a pair too. 

Harper's First Christmas

Just when Christmas was starting to lose some of it's magic, Harper came along and made it fun again. She had a fantastic first Christmas. Stories, videos, and more pictures will follow. For now, here are a few of my favorites. 

Christmas Eve for Twelve-Year-Olds

It's nights like tonight that convince me that Rob and I are just pretending to be adults. It started out innocent enough. We, along with my parents and several of their neighbors, attended a candlelight Christmas Eve service at a rather conservative Presbyterian church. Near the end of the service, the congregation sang the carol "What Child Is This?". When we got to the second verse, I started to crack a smile. Then I saw that Rob was also struggling to keep a straight face and I almost lost it. Yes. We are 12 years old.  

1.What child is this who, laid to rest,

on Mary's lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

while shepherds watch are keeping?

Refrain:

This, this is Christ the King,

whom shepherds guard and angels sing;

haste, haste to bring him laud,

the babe, the son of Mary.

2.Why lies he in such mean estate

where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here

the silent Word is pleading.

Refrain

New Friend

Harper made a new friend.

Weekend Update

What a busy weekend. Here's the rundown.

Friday:

1. Learned how to do microsurgery on the carotid artery of a mouse. 

2. Had a board game night with some good friends. I didn't win, but I should have.

Saturday:

1. Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

   

2. Attended a wonderful Christmas party.

Sunday:

1. Packing. Lots and lots of packing. 

2. Saw my neighbor's bare butt. I opened my front door and saw him getting his morning paper without any pants on. Not only was he missing pants, he also didn't have any underware on. In fact, the only thing he did have on was a t-shirt. When I opened my door, it startled him and he dove for his door. Seriously! Who does that? How long does it take to put on a pair of pants? I'm sure he's embarrassed (no pun intended), but I hope he learned his lesson. 

   

3. Road trip to Florida to spend Christmas with my parents. The cat puked again although this time I was able to aim her into the litter box. Some day I will remember to pick her food up the night before we leave.

   

Science Friday - Christmas Edition

The Star of Bethlehem is only mentioned in chapter two of the book of Matthew. However, this idea of a bright star leading the wise men to the birth of Jesus Christ has become an iconic symbol of the Christmas season.

Is it possible to determine what exactly the star was that heralded the arrival of the Savior? Some astronomers have tried to analyze the sky around the time of Jesus's birth to find out if there is a scientific explanation for the Christmas Star.

To track down the real Star of Bethlehem, we first need to know roughly the date of Jesus' birth. As a matter of convention, people generally say that Jesus was born on December 25, 1AD. However, most scholarly evidence suggests this is not accurate. Due to a miscalculation in the calendar made by a sixth-century monk, Dionysius Exiguus, Jesus was probably born sometime between 7 and 1BC, with 4BC being the most often used date. Additionally, the time of year for Jesus's birth also points to a warmer month than December. One reason for this is that the shepherds were out in their fields tending to their flocks when the angels came to them. This would happen in a warm month but probably not a winter month such as December.

Three main astronomical objects could be responsible for the appearance of an unusually bright star. These include a comet, a supernova, or a conjunction of planets. Comets were recorded in both 5 BC and 4 BC. The comet in 4 BC, in particular, is a good match because it fits with the year most commonly believed to be the actual time of Jesus's birth and the comet that appeared that year did not have a tail, making it more "star-like." 

A supernova also occurred within the above time frame. Recorded in March and April of the year 5 BC by Chinese astronomers, a supernova appeared in the constellation Capricornus. This "star" that suddenly appeared glowed for approximately 70 days- long enough to guide the Magi to Bethlehem, before fading again.

In addition, conjunctions of planets occurred throughout the years mentioned above, but the one most often cited as a good possibility for the Christmas Star is the one which occurred on June 17, 2 BC. On this date, Venus and Jupiter appeared so close together in the evening sky that they would have appeared to be one very bright star in the constellation Leo. This would have been a significant sign for ancient astrologers. Leo was considered the ruler constellation, and this impressive conjunction would have certainly been noticed by the wise men of the time.

The bottom line is that no one really knows what the wise men saw. It could have been a comet, supernova, or planetary conjunction. Or perhaps it was a true Christmas miracle. Either way, it doesn't matter to me. I love that God has instilled in us a sense of curiosity and a desire to figure things out. I also love that He has told us that we won't be able to figure everything out and that we don't have to.

Deuteronomy 29:29
“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.

What ever the explanation may be, the real miracle of Christmas is that God loved us enough to change the rules of the game and give us His Son. Love wins. Merry Christmas. 

Random Thoughts

Here are my random thoughts for today...

1. Nina Simone is awesome. Listen to her music. 

2. My mom and I are taking Harper to sit on Santa's lap next week. I wonder if she will freak out. Probably not.

3. If you visit this site, leave a comment. Some of you I know. Others I don't. I would like to hear from you. I know this post is pretty boring and probably doesn't stimulate a lot of thoughts in your head. But occasionally I have something mildly interesting to say and would like your feedback. Come on. Join the conversation. 

Life is Good

New Year's Resolutions - Part 1

So I'm starting to think about my New Year's resolutions. While I don't have a complete list yet, one thing I would like to accomplish is to read more books. I am not a reader. But I will say that I have genuinely liked (loved, even) every single book I have ever read. I'm not quite sure why I don't read more. Maybe it's because I'm a slow reader. I figure that if the author took the time to choose each word carefully, I should take the time to read each word with intention. Nice thought, but it takes forever. Which brings me to my next point... reading makes me sleepy. I'm lucky if I get through one chapter before I need to take a nap. That being said, I do like to read. Fiction, non-fiction - I like it all. My daughter is even named after the author of my all time favorite book. So, this year I resolve to read more (and by more I mean at least 2 books - hey, I'm trying to be realistic). Stay tuned for the rest of my New Year's resolutions. And if anyone has any suggestions for what I should read, let me know. 

Monday Morning Confession

I'm a firm believer that everyone's got their thing. And by thing, I mean, their issue/hang up/bad habit etc. My thing is that I get speeding tickets. Regularly. The latest addition to my collection came yesterday morning. I really don't get upset about getting puled over. I speed. I know that the penalty for speeding is a speeding ticket. I don't try to get out of it - although I used to. 

* Tangent Alert * The first time I got pulled over, I was 16 and had been in possession of  my drivers license for about 30 seconds. I knew that if I got a ticket, my parents would revoke my driving privileges. So... as the officer was explaining my ticket to me, I interrupted him and asked if he could write his home phone number on the ticket (he was young and cute). He started laughing and ripped up the ticket. But he warned me that my tactics probably wouldn't work in his district anymore because he was going to tell all of his buddies on the force about the little 16-year-old girl that just hit on him. * Tangent Over *

Yesterday, when the officer asked me why I was in such a hurry (after referring to me as sir, twice), I just said that I was anxious to get to church (not a lie or an excuse - I really was). He gave me the ticket and explained to me that I could either pay the fine or complete an on-line version of traffic school. Ummm...it's a tough choice, but I think I'll take the traffic school. 

So, there it is. I get speeding tickets. What's your thing? Come on. Confess it. You'll feel better. 

Baby Snores

She gets it from her dad. 

Baby Steps

Who needs one of those fancy baby walkers? My baby's an improvisor! 

Science Friday - White Edition

There will be a Harper's moon in the sky tonight. In fact, it will be the biggest Harper's moon of the entire year. The moon's average distance from Earth is about 238,855 miles, but tonight it will be only 221,560 miles away (due to the elliptical shape of it's orbit). This means that the moon will appear approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter than the other full moons of 2008.

On another note, I think God reads my blog. It snowed in Nashville last night. While it was only a dusting in this Yankee's opinion, I'll take what I can get. 

These pictures were submitted by viewers to the local news station.

Double Trouble

Let me tell you about the dogs we used to have. A couple of weeks after Rob and I got married, we decided that it would be a great idea for us to get a dog. He wanted a big dog and I always thought that Weimaraners were beautiful, so it was a pretty easy decision on what type of dog to get. We found a breeder and went out to his farm to visit the puppies (visit being the operative word). That night, we came home with two adorable little puppies. Why did we come home with any dogs, let alone 2, you may be wondering? Well, when we got there 1. the puppies were adorable (there was no way that we were leaving without one) and 2. I liked the girl puppy and Rob liked the boy puppy, so we got both. Great decision making. Anyway... we brought them home and they were wonderful. They were cute, calm, and well behaved (we didn't know it at the time, but they were calm and well behaved because they were sick - full of worms.) 

As most puppies tend to do, our puppies started to grow. And as they grew in size, their energy reserves grew as well. We did our best to tire them out. We walked them. We took them to the dog park. We encouraged them to wear each other out in the back yard. They were good natured dogs. 

At that time, Rob and I were working a lot. Our dogs spent long hours in their crates. Even though we tried to exercise them, it wasn't an ideal situation. In addition, by this time it was late fall. Our back yard was a mud pit. Every time the dogs went outside, they brought half of the yard back in the house with them. We were fighting a losing battle to keep our house clean. We had dirt and hair everywhere. I think that the air quality in the house was so bad that our house plants stopped growing. In addition, our sweet cat, Sage, was totally traumatized by the whole thing. I'm pretty sure that the only time she ventured down stairs was when the dogs were outside. 

It finally came to a point where I just couldn't take it any more. The dogs weren't living the kind of life that they should have been living and Rob and I were constantly bickering about the state of the house. The solution? We needed to find the dogs a new home. We called the breeder that we got them from. He said that he would be happy to take them back (long story short, he just got a divorce and his ex-wife took all of the family pets). Problem solved. The dogs would be able to live happily on a farm where they belonged. 

While I came to resent the dogs more than I liked them (I still have to be careful not to swear when I talk about them), Rob was really attached to them. It was difficult for him to let them go. Some day we'll probably have to get another dog. Rob is already plotting how he and Harper can gang up on me. Hopefully we will make better choices next time. Until that time comes, Sage and I will stick to our guns. 

Let It Snow

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

This Robert Frost poem is one of my all time favorites. While I am enjoying the mild Nashville winter so far (it was 59°F yesterday, and yes I know it's not officially winter yet), I do miss the lake effect snow of my youth. These pictures were taken (not by me) in Mill Creek Park - one of the best things about the town I grew up in. 

Wait A Second...

Have you ever felt that there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done? Well, good news - the powers that be are adding an extra second! On December 31 at 6:59:59pm (EST), a Leap Second will be added to the atomic clock. 

Historically, the second was defined based on the Earth's rotation. However, with the advent of extremely precise modern atomic clocks, the definition was changed in 1967. A second is currently defined as being the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods/oscillations of radiation from a Cesium-133 atom at the ground state (blah blah science words blah blah).

The speed of Earth's rotation varies, while atomic clocks are unwavering. On an average day, the difference is around 0.002 seconds, which amounts to approximately 1 second per 500 days. In order to synchronize the atomic clocks with the Earth's observed rotation, the atomic clocks are occasionally instructed to add an extra second – the Leap Second.

So, on New Year's Eve, kick back, relax, and enjoy your extra second. I know I will. 

Squished (Almost)

Well, after dissecting all day, I'm not sure that I have succeeded in coming up with something interesting to tell you. I will, however, tell you the story of how I got run over by a truck. 

Setting the scene:

When I lived in Cincinnati, I would use my bicycle to get around at school. At this time, I had to go between the medical school campus and the main campus, and the fastest way to do this was by bike. It was also during this time, that the university was in the midst of some major construction projects. 

The incident:

It was a Friday afternoon and I along with many other people were headed home for the day. I was in the far right lane, stopped at a red light. My plan was to continue straight through the intersection when the light turned green.  In the lane next to me was a cement pump truck. 

At the time, I was operating under the assumption that the truck was also planning on going straight as he did not have his turn signal on and he was not in the right-hand turn lane. When the light turned green, I proceeded to go straight. That is, until I met with the business end of the truck. He, in fact, was not going straight, but turning right - Right Into Me. I saw the whole thing happen in slow motion. I tried to swerve, but it was too late. My bike slid out from under me and I hit the pavement under the truck. Luckily, the driver realized that he hit something and began to break because I actually got (slightly) pinched under the back wheels of the truck. I still have the tire tread mark on my jacket to prove it. If he hadn't have stopped, I would have been squished. But I wasn't. In fact, as soon as the truck stopped and I realized that I wasn't dead, I hopped up and started yelling at the driver trying to explain to the driver that he didn't have his turn signal on and that he should be more vigilant about cyclists especially around the university. Several people (including two trauma nurses and the foreman of the truck driver's construction site) stopped to see if I was alright and call the police. The police came and basically told me that I needed to be more careful (thank you very much Cincinnati Police Department). Long story short, I had some bruises, a gash on my back, and a ripped pair of pants (pants that I still have in my closet because I like them and one day I will mend them). While I believe that the truck driver was at fault, I did learn a good lesson - cars/trucks always trump bikes. It doesn't matter if you have the right of way. They are bigger. 

Well, that was my attempt at an interesting story. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Separated At Birth?

Is it just me, or does Harper look a lot like Cindy Lou Who?

I have a lot of dissecting to do today (I told you my job was cool). While I work on it, I'll try to think of something interesting to tell you. Check back later to see if I was successful. 

Fifty Cent Fudge

I am a Yankee. Since I moved to Nashville, I have experienced lots of new Southern traditions. For instance, last night I attended my first Cookie Swap. Now, they probably have Cookie Swaps up North, but I've never heard of one. The concept is simple. Basically a bunch of people (usually women) bake a bunch of cookies and get together to sample and share the cookies that they have made. Sounds simple, right? Well, my first Cookie Swap experience was not quite that simple. 

First of all, I decided to make fudge. All of the other women participating in the Swap are very experienced and accomplished chefs (even the ones who profess otherwise). There was no way that I was even going to try to compete with their cookies - so instead, I made fudge. Now, I have never made fudge before. But my mom makes killer fudge. In fact, it's so good that everyone calls it Million Dollar Fudge. It's my great-grandma's recipe and it is perfection. When we visited my parents for Thanksgiving, I asked my mom if we could make a batch as a trial run for the Cookie Swap. She agreed, and we made fudge. It was easy. It was delicious. As my mom will tell you, "This is a no-fail recipe!" We ate a few pieces that night and then packed the rest up to send home with me. 

My mom agreed to make fudge with me even after cooking and cleaning up  a whole Thanksgiving dinner. She's a good mom. 

So on Monday night, when I planned to make my batch of fudge, I felt nothing but confidence. I had all of the ingredients and the recipe right in front of me. What could be easier than this? In fact, I got a little fancy and made two batches - one with nuts and one without (or as I like to say, a male batch and a female batch). I prepared the fudge and stuck it in the refrigerator to harden. While I didn't taste test the final product that night, I licked the bowl so I knew it was good. 

Fast forward to last night.... The fudge has been sitting in my refrigerator for 72 hours waiting to be cut into small pieces and put into a festive container. When I got home from work, I took the fudge out of the refrigerator and proceeded to attempted to cut it into pieces. However, after 72 hours of sitting in my refrigerator, the fudge, my mom's NO-FAIL fudge, had not hardened. It was a gooey mess - a delicious gooey mess, but still a mess. 

I started to get hot all over and my armpits started to sweat. There was no way that I could take this fudge to the Swap. Instantly, several potential scenarios came to mind.

1. I could stick the fudge in the freezer and hope that it would harden in time.

2. I could make up an excuse not to go. 

3. I could stop by the bakery on the way there and pick up something that was actually edible. 

What I finally ended up doing was packing up the fudge that my mom and I had made the week before. I had just enough pieces left. 

The cookie swap was a success. Our gracious host's home was spectacularly decorated. The confections were divine. No one knew of the drama that had occurred a mere 90 minutes earlier. While I still have my 50¢ fudge in the freezer, I think my mom's Million Dollar Fudge was a hit. 

Funny Picture of the Day

Now, don't get me wrong. Divorce is not funny and neither is infidelity. However, this picture does go to show that anything (and everything) can be done with Style. 

Reads:

Hi Steven, 

Do I have your attention now?

I know all about her, you dirty, sneaky,

immoral, unfaithful, poorly-endowed slimeball. 

Everything's caught on tape. 

Your (soon to be ex-) Wife, 

Emily

p.s. I paid for this billboard from OUR joint bank account. 

This picture is from grittycitygirl's flicker page. According to her, the billboard was located on 7th Avenue near Times Square. And by the way, although the names are the same, my friends, Emily and Steve, had nothing to do with this!

The Admiral

My husband loves to work on cars. His motto is "Why fix it, when you can upgrade it?" A good illustration of this comes by way of a modification that he made to my old SUV (although in this case, the part that he modified wasn't broken). For our 1 month wedding anniversary, Rob decided that he was going to install boat horns in my car (I know, very romantic). 

Picture two of these babies mounted under the hood! 

And what's even cooler is that he mounted a carbon fiber toggle switch that activated the horns right where the red arrow is pointing in the picture below. 

We affectionately called our new horn The Admiral. It was awesome, and it was loud (much louder than an air horn). I'm pretty sure that I never used The Admiral in an actual driving situation (I'm just not that kind of driver), but it made me happy just knowing that it was there! Unfortunately, The Admiral is no longer with us. I can only imagine what the people at the dealership thought when we traded it in...

I Love Christmas!

In the last few days, I've started indulging in some of my favorite things about the holiday season. 

1. Charlie Brown's Christmas album is currently looping on my ipod. 

2. I have started my Christmas diet which entails consuming of large amounts of Christmas Trees and egg nog. 

These things are perfectly designed. 

You just can't beat the crushed sprinkles and filmy aftertaste. 

Egg nog is the nectar of the gods. If I could rig up an intravenous drip of the stuff, I would. But then again, I probably wouldn't be able to taste it if I did that, so nevermind. 

3. The Christmas TV specials - need I say more? Charlie Brown, Rudolph, The Grinch, etc. Harper and I will watch them all (Yes, I am beginning the indoctrination early). 

What are some of your favorite things about Christmas?

Finger Foods - Take 1

Since Harper arrived on the scene, I have noticed just how many little things I take for granted - like the ability to eat solid foods for instance. We are just staring to introduce Harper to finger foods. Last night, I gave her some Puffs to try. I thought that they were Sweet Potato flavor, but judging by her reaction, I guess they were Rat Poison flavor instead.