Foiled by the Gyro

My previously stated vows were:

1. No fried food. (chicken, okra)
2. No macaroni and cheese.
3. No pizza.
4. No lasagna.

Neither of which I ate, but I did have a gyro from the food court in an effort to help my poor fragile body along to my next class. I did not break any of my vows, but I feel just as guilty.

As I was completely full from the late lunch I had at 3:52pm, I could not have anything from the Caf except a cup of tea, and an addition of 6 more bananas to replace the four that I have half-mushed in the freezer.

We are going to be blending tonight.

I tried to be the hero in the circumstance of all of this unhealthy food we are exposed to; however, it appears that my heroic actions were foiled by the gyro.

[please pronounce "gyro" like "hero," that's the proper pronunciation]

Take it or leave it, but at least think about the awesome smoothies I will be making and wish that you were making them too!

Smooth move

I vowed to myself that I would not eat any cookies, fried chicken, [my favorite chicken fried steak], fried okra [my other favorite] macaroni and cheese, pizza, or lasagna this semester from the Caf. Basically, I'm going to starve. I've eaten the same thing for lunch and dinner for the past week and two days now which is a tortilla wrap with spinach leaves, two pieces of swiss cheese, olives, and kidney beans. Plus a grove of bananas. 

I did have one piece of grilled chicken, but then I got freaked out. The Caf meat just really freaks me out. I can only live on sparsely filled tortillas and cereal for so long. 

So, I thought I was going to be smooth today and make my own banana smoothie. 4 bananas and a cup of milk later, I'm back in the dorm being clever until.... I can't figure out how to make the blender work. A sheepish blunder of the blender, but my plans have been foiled.

I decided to mash the bananas, but then bananas can only be mashed so much with a fork, so I stuck the bowl into the freezer hoping that this concoction will magically smoothie itself.

So, here I am again, facing the same dilemma of "what ever will I have for dinner?" 

I might have to break my vow, or one day I am going to break.

Just a glimpse of my efforts: 

Necessity => Invention

How did we spend our weekend, aside from the studying and other scholarly commitments (Step Sing say what what)?

1. We went to the International Club, like always, because we are international to the international.
2. We went to the local synagogue. Will return next week. Descriptive post to come soon.
3. Step Sung all day. Went to the Caf for dinner. Brought back four bananas each (a total of 16 bananas), and made smoothies. [we had to re-stock our supply. ready for round 2]

4. Put on make-up with false eyelashes and made a fort because we have nothing better to do on a Saturday night. photo credit: lauren

5. Slept through four alarms that we had set for church.
6. More step sing, then dinner, but this time we were able to take away a cup full of strawberries and grapes.
7. Alas, after much home-working, we were in need of a low-key therapy, so instead of stealing things from the recycle bins, (and I mean real low-key all of that studying is countered by this activity =>) because we watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic." "I literally feel my brain turning to goo," Gordo from Lizzie McGuire. And I just verified your response to the first movie. Lizzie McGuire is forever. #paolo&isabella.

We still have several textbooks to buy, or to just sit in a corner of the bookstore for the rest of the year. Although the scanner in the library works quite well as well. But, we are employed, well fed, and have each other. And we bought a carpet!

So, after a long first week back to school, I leave you with this song. It is the theme song of our room right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUE4ZKcy1kU

"Necessity is the mother of invention." And Shabbat Shalom to you.

(mind blown, so much more to say, Braggs Amino Acid and Apple Cider Vinegar post and "the world is flat" and "flatland" on the mind. coming soon apparently I just decided.)

Take it; leave it; think about it; I'm processing.

Expectancy's No Spark ... or is it?

At first, it is exciting; discoveries are made, and as the relationship is being formed, expectations are being developed.

How much time do you let pass to smother that initial spark, that was once, in fact, a spark. 

An aura envelops the beings until one day, the aura fades, and all that is left is just being. 

.... and that being is normal.You say that everything will return to normalcy (alluding to Harding), and you allude to the fact that normal is, in fact, not a good thing or desired. 

Couldn't you just make that spark carry on -- the spark can be what is normal, not the doldrums in which you seem to be adrift. 

Don't resort to normalcy. Transcend time with that spark. [even though expectancy could be by the fact that you two know each other very well; you appreciate every aspect of the relationship, and yet it has become a bore - something that was once cherished so much has unfortunately become a bore. Look at yourself, for instance, that spark is still there underneath your own thick scaly skin that has hardened, but you have given up - you have not fought for it. 

Think about the time period you were in when the spark began, and think about the time period you are in now while fighting the doldrums. You have changed also - you need to make the most of the period you are in. It is not going to be the same experience-filled time, because this is a different time. 

Something really great can be created here, since, you already know so much about each other. But maybe you hate it because playing the game was more fun to you than actually winning it. [and you don't know what to do next]. Ride the wave out, and since you are in the doldrums, perhaps this is a chance for you to reevaluate yourself and see where you went wrong on your part and formulate a plan to fight for what can be what was once great. 

You know everything about each other, and you have become one. This is how it should be. You don't always have to be talking or having some fun adventure. You can find peace in just being, with each other. 

Take it or leave it, but at least think about it. I leave you this quote:

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, and leave only frustration for the life you deserved by have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desire can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours." 

-Atlas Shrugged

How was your [insert number] day?

How was your 1st day of school?
How was your 2nd day of school?
How was your 3rd day of school?
How was your 4th day of school?
How was your 5th day of school?
How was your, wait, it's Saturday - well, how was your 1st Saturday?

WHEN DO THE NUMBERS END PEOPLE??

How about, "What's one thing you can teach me that you learned today?" Or how about anything that doesn't result in an answer of "good, fine, or okay."

If you want an actual conversation, you have to ask it in the right way, unfortunately.

Take it or leave it, but at least think about it, because I am calculating what number day of school we will be on in 5 weeks.

"So tell me, how was your 63rd day of school?"

Presence: Why Moses, and who are we?

It might be the fact that I was extremely tired during this lecture and perhaps missed the key factor, but I would suggest reading the article on the following link: http://enduringword.com/commentaries/0203.htm

I was confused about how the professor said that anybody could have seen the burning bush, but because the shepherds were so engaged with tending to their flocks, the likelihood of any of them actually taking notice of a burning bush would have been slim.  -  By the professor saying this, I immediately thought "So what if another shepherd had seen the bush and wandered over to it? Would the Moses we know be a different person?" - I mean, think about it.

Apparently, randomly combustive bushes in the desert are a common occurrence. - That being said, perhaps other shepherds saw the bush and took no notice of it because it was common.

But why Moses? Why was he so drawn in? - I mean, he even left his flock of sheep to pursue this common marvel. And THEN God calls him with the angel of the Lord.

Was it that the bush was raging with fire but not consumed? Did this uniqueness spark (pun most definitely intended) his curiosity?

Perhaps God revealed himself to Moses only. Maybe, had any other passerby seen Moses, they would have thought that he was just exercising with his shoes off by a burning desert bush.

But why Moses, why Moses?
Because "I AM WHO I AM." - Exodus 3:14

The Lord was going to deliver his people out of slavery - He would be with them as they were led out; He would be with Moses as he presented himself before the Pharaoh; He would be with HIS PEOPLE.

The Lord will be with His people. Then, and now.

Take it or leave it, but at least think about the Presence of the Lord. Feel the Presence. Know that His Presence is present. Be comforted and still.

Ipso Facto: Shy?

My teacher asks, "Are you shy?" of a new student who just rushed into class.

1. Did you seriously just ask that? 

     - aren't you going to judge the level of shyness whatever the response may be anyways

2. Why do you need to know?

     - do you really need assurance and are hoping that that person is, in fact, not shy 

3. If the person is, in fact, more reserved than the person next to them who acts like a squirrel on crack and your demanding inquiry challenges their character, then I must tell you that they will retreat into themselves because you just insulted them. 

     - curiosity killed the cat, just saying. tisk tisk

4. If the person is, in fact, a chipmunks are cuter on crack, then they could either 1. take offense, or 2. laugh it off and exclaim "of course not (interlude: almost as if it is a bad trait and they could never be affiliated with such inadequacies)!"

Take it or leave it, but at least think about how you label people [TO THEIR FACES], because those who are reserved in the slightest could possibly take offense to it.

Post Script: What if the student actually was, in fact, shy?? hashtag awkward...