Resolved,

While catching up on my reading lately, I followed a citation to an interesting document written by Jonathan Edwards over the course of his life. While he was a teenager, he composed a list of resolutions, the preamble of which was to review them weekly. He continued to add items to the list over the course of his life. The first one in the list struck me:

Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

Edwards, appropriately, begins with a reminder to live to God's glory first, not (merely) to his own. This first personal imperative inspires the next: do his duty and act for the good of mankind in general.

I am one who really hates confrontation. I became thoroughly disgusted with my options in the presidential race a LONG time ago and have brandished my "undecided" flag proudly. But Edwards' comment drove me into my Bible and onto the Internet doing my own research and fact checking. Being undecided is nothing to be proud of. America is my country, this is my duty, and I have adopted Edwards' first resolution.

link of the day ...

So I read tech news religiously - several times a day. I'm far more interested in the new Google phone than the latest bank collapse or which celebrity gained 20 pounds.
By the way, I don't live in a digital box. The less interesting questions above were brought to my attention by NPR and supermarket tabloids, respectively. WAMU and Demi Moore.
Anyway, this blurb about music showed up on Wired 's feed this afternoon. Honestly, I think this post should be filed under stuff white people like in my Google Reader.

pastime

This is so much more civilized than just yelling "shotgun!"

clarification

Last week I believe I made the mistake of blogging before I sorted out all my emotions. Sorry to confuse anybody, I am NOT leaving Oklahoma City. However, one of my very dear friends is following in the footsteps of Heather and Mary and heading toward a US coast.
There's a little bit of jealousy behind that post. I don't get to travel as much as I would like. There's disappointment of course, at lunches and "girls nights" lost. There's excitement for their opportunity. And, as I said before, there's hope in meeting again.
It's just a big change, that's all.

era passing

Starting in 1997 (when I left WV for college), I was relocating all my worldly belongings at least twice a year. After graduation, the frequency increased to a whopping four times between June & August of 2002. Finally in late summer of 2003 I finally settled in my own apartment. I loved living alone. I enjoyed my job, the nature of which actually encouraged me to keep reasonable hours so I could develop a social life. Oklahoma City was growing & changing, for the better! Yet I had a strange feeling in my stomach as I walked down to the office to renew my lease on the apartment. Restless? Extraordinarily so. Was it time to find a new apartment?
Rationality prevailed over romanticism ... month to month rent would have increased my living expenses 5%.
As I pride myself in my self-attributed ability (or perhaps propensity) for adaptation it does not protect me from the emotions pouring out of me today. The ordinary movement of life requires a cycle of "hello, nice to meet you" through "goodbye my friend, I will miss you." It is what it is - the time between is what varies. The tragedy is in lost company but there is joy in the prospect of reunion in another state.
So, goodbye my friends. I will miss you.

the black tie affair

Today I experienced a slightly different side to NW 23rd Street of Oklahoma City. The street is one of the major arteries between the state capitol and the suburb of middle-class Bethany. Along those five miles are 1 or 2 locations of every major fast food chain, a cluster of Vietnamese culture, several tattoo & piercing shops, and the subject of this blog.

Chris & I picked up Caleb and headed north to waste the Saturday afternoon on the thrift store scene. We managed to root through all shades of green blazers and flower skirts and find some inexpensive gems. Inside a pile of a tie rack I found a skinny black tie. Instead of handing it over to Caleb, I kept it to myself. The subtle red sheen of stripes in the fabric will accent a pencil skirt extraordinarily well.
Now to find the pencil skirt ... I think there's a thrift store a little north on May?

Scribbled in a black notebook at 7:30am at the Hilltop Hostel in Takoma Park

As Chris keeps pointing out - East Coast America resembles European architecture & culture far closer than the Midwest. Here in D.C. that feels most unfamiliar & most true. Having not been to Europe I just take his word for it. I am basking in the tall, thin row-houses and tall green foliage. The flashbacks to urban Philadelphia every minute in the residential neighborhoods.
Chris is in his element here: he's been navigating strange cities on foot for 3 years now. We hit all the outdoor sites yesterday, starting with the zoo. Everything but Elephants, as the entire zoo was breathing sounds of the construction of the new Asian Elephant habitat. We saw my favorites: otters (also from Asia) seals, sea lions, & big cats.
The cats, which were all sleeping this time of day when I visited the OKC Zoo, were comparatively active. Even the cheetah paced in the shade of his pen. Chris & I left discussing dropping a giant white ribbon into the habitat.
Next up: walking. And walking some more. All afternoon we were shadowed by Asian tourists flocking to a tall man holding a yellow triangular flag. Reminded me of the "Anne" tours in Prince Edward Island - L.M. Montgomery apparently sells quite well in Japan.
Exhausted from walking (and posing for about 200 pictures between the two of us), we headed back to the hostel to retrieve our car and some directions toward Chris' planned crab meat feast. All you can eat baby.
Lets just say the Internet failed us. We ended up confuddled in downtown D.C. and then plain lost in residential Alexandria before we got to my Windows Mobile "live search" to successfully navigate to Ernie's Crabs. We were 15 minutes late for the all you can eat deal. We ordered 12 jumbo instead - same price, bigger crabs.
After dinner, back here at our $22.50 per night hostel, Chris & I stayed up late to discuss local tragedy and joys with Washa (sp?) an Iraqi-Lebanese ex-UN worker.

research

The fabled "intuition" of women completely skipped my DNA. When I take on a new activity, responsibility, or have a major life decision in front of me extensive research always becomes a part of my days. Pairing B&N with coffee or the Internet with Orvieto makes the research nearly as enjoyable as the activity itself.
My last blog introduced you to Chris - a major life decision in waiting. Friends with the intent of dating with the intent of ... well, dating has only one intent in my life. So here's some notes from my research so far:

Has his priorities straight ... Chris has a definite sense of calling (in the biblical sense) about what he should do with his life. He wants to make sure that the decisions he makes are in support of God's plan for him, not merely what he may want to do in this moment.

Prefers liturgical worship. For me, who was raised in a church with obvious puritan influences this is a difficult thing for me to wrap my head around. But I've been to his church a couple times and I'm beginning to grasp the weight & beauty of the traditions of the liturgy. I can see how, if the soul is in the right place, liturgy can be a great help in worship.

Wants to share everything with me, including his love of cheese. He's determined to find a cheese I like. Or maybe hypnosis? He asked the other day.

Always goes for the joke. This has been a hilarious couple of months. Even when the joke fails (rarely) I have to admire him for trying.

Has a dog, named Homer, a 60 lb mutt. He also has useful opinions on how to raise dogs. I got to meet Homer and he's really mellow - doesn't have a lot of tricks, but he LOVES Chris and is very obedient. I want that for Cady.

Likes to travel. Well, you may say, who doesn't? I guess what I like is how he really goes way off the path. Currently he's gallivanting around Eastern Europe. (Not Paris or Rome or London ... he's in Budapest) That passport I've been jabbering about is back in the budget. Not just international though ... we're eager to explore our native country too.

Socially, he's a total extrovert. He enjoys dinner parties, pizza with a few friends, & long nights with any number of people! He fits easily with my friends here in Oklahoma - honestly he's known some of them a lot longer than I have!

Super intelligent. One more proof that home-schooled kids turn out better than okay.

start

New house, new year, new dog, new man ...

WHAT!?!

I've been getting that question a lot lately - facebook proves once again to be the great disseminator of information.  I haven't gotten this many comments since my birthday!  It leaves out the details though.

A couple weeks ago I got a text message from my friend who was leaving for Europe within 72 hours.  Nancy's at 8 for my going away! Come!  I do enjoying partying with Rebekah but had tentatively committed to going out with a couple buddies from work.  Somehow I ended up in a smokey karaoke lounge meeting more of Bek's friends.

The man was one of those friends.

However, it took Bek and J and Craig from work to bang it over my head that the blond guy in the gotee with glasses was very interested.  In me.  Was going to ask me for my number.  Was going to ask me out.  Wednesday was set for dinner.

And Wednesday was my absolute WORST day I've had since I was promoted last summer.  I dragged myself away from my computer reluctantly recalling I'd committed to a date that night.  I yawned as I called my date, where should I meet you?

Rococo, he says, 7pm.

Good start, I'm thinking.  He didn't know this, but one of my favorite restaurants in the city.  It's the crab cakes.

The conversation which started over dinner hasn't stopped over a week later.  We just can't learn each other fast enough ... I think I've spent more time talking than sleeping since that Wednesday.  On those few topics we don't speak each other's language (example: I'm visual art, he's all music) the one relaxes, basking in the excitement of the other to share.

I could get to like this.  It's an excellent start.

on 2007

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Besides start a blog? Play golf, race a go-cart, host a jewelry part, witness a motorcycle accident, buy a house, and spend the holidays with my brother & sister-in-law.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember ... the beginning of 2007 didn't exactly go to plan.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, 2007 was the year all my friends' babies became toddlers.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, had a scare though.
5. What countries did you visit? None but the one I live in.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? A dog.
7. What date(s) from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Oi ... well, saying goodbye to so many people really stunk, but there were a bunch of good times (see question 1)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I bought a house!
9. What was your biggest failure? Not writing enough notes (real ones, in the MAIL) to my Granny.
10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? A couple infections but nothing serious.
11. What was the best thing you bought? The house is getting mentioned a lot in this survey. A close second is my MacBook Pro.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jessica and I managed to make perfect guacamole for Sunday dinner one day last summer. Oh, and Matti (one of the aforementioned toddlers) walked for the first time.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Not the sort of question I'm comfortable putting out in the blogosphere. No FSJ-like hidden talents here.
14. Where did most of your money go? Probably taxes.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Releasing my first application at work, my promotion, moving into my house, and picking out my dog.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Elevator Love Letter by Stars Go Pandora!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder happier!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? talking with old friends
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? swearing - I developed quite a repertoire of vulgarity this year
20. How will you be spending Christmas? I took time off and visited family and friends in and around where I grew up.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? bourbon sour (thanks Kara) may really be all I need ...
22. How many one-night stands? if you don't know the answer to this you don't know me at all ...
23. What was your favorite TV program? Bones
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? no ...
25. What was the best book you read? Night by Eli Wiesel
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Leigh Nash went SOLO - that or Thrivemix ...
27. What did you want and get? besides the house and the macbook, I bought a Casio Exilim
28. What did you want and not get? Personal copy of Adobe Creative Suite 3
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Of the movies I saw released in 2007 - I'll have to say Transformers (I have a lot to catch up on, wow.)
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? It was a Sunday, so I went to church. Also had several dinners with friends. I'm creeping up on 30!
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? getting to go skiing or kiteboarding
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? sharp & preppy
33. What kept you sane? friends & work
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Padma Laksmi
35. What political issue stirred you the most? genocide in Africa & national sales tax
36. Who did you miss? Who do I NOT miss? I can't be everywhere at once!
37. Who was the best new person you met? Mary or Arielle or Jacky or Ashley
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: College football needs a playoff!
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
It's hard to change and it's hard to lose It takes years for rough to be made smooth You can use up our love, yeah, precious energy To be tossed like a shell, from the hungry seas
And I wished for guidance And I wished for peace I could see the lightning Somewhere in the east And I wished for affection And I wished for calm As I lay there Nervous in the light of dawn.
~Leigh Nash

I miss this place.

I think the subtle sore throat I've been carrying around for the last 3 weeks has turned into something worse.   One of my ears feels stuffed ... like the car trunks of the Black Friday shoppers.  Too much pressure.

But the kitchen is packed.  My dining room is filling up of a sturdily constructed tower of boxes.  I'm starting to get the itch to move all the stuff to the new place.  December 10 (the day I must be out of my apartment) can't come soon enough.

rearward thanksgiving

Giving thanks obviously makes one think about more than the immediate comforts. In light of the office move, I will have a long Thanksgiving weekend for the first time in five years.  Lacking the motivation to continue packing up my apartment, I'm listening to Leigh Nash and remembering what I was doing this time last year. My oldest friend's husband had just been tragically killed in a car accident, I had received my motorcycle operator's license, and I visited the OKC memorial for the first time with my parents.

I am so thankful for everything that has happened around me and the opportunities I've had since then. Even though I buried a huge chunk of my spirit when Matt and I broke off our 5 year relationship, out of that experience grew renewed dedication to my God and discovering what He calls me to do. I know a lot of you were praying for me and I am STILL thankful for that!

Mary, Kevin, Noah & Matthew were the first to bring my heart back into the light, and they continue to give me joy even after they moved back east. Heather who loved me constantly through the last 7 years brightens my days with wisdom when I don't even realize I need it. J & Rachel have made weekly dinners a priority for the last 18 months despite our fluctuating schedules. And both their families have extended to include me for all those holiday functions. My girls from church: Amy, Heather, "Mimi", Melissa, and Rebecca. Katy and Sarah and I continued our triad of troubles and building each other up ... that strand of three cords is nowhere near broken. Liliana, Rebekah, Morgan, & Cynthia for some great nights at the Pot, Deli, and Rok.  There have been other distracting late-night parties ... can't forget the crew at work!  Mike and Matt for encouraging my talent in the organization ... but also Kristin, Jennifer, Tom & Cari who constantly remind me to STOP working once in a while.

All my friends on myspace & facebook - you know who you are and it's been great to connect with you over web 2.0.

American Thanksgiving is one of those "family" holidays.  My immediate family is small but so precious to me ... they'll be on the cell phone tomorrow for sure.  Karl keeps me laughing and Kara fits into our family so perfectly. My Dad and Mom who sold their house only to become "homeless" even as I started buying my first place. I hope I can retire as well (and early) as they have ... traveling all over the country: enjoying the sights and serving where they can. Those two snowbirds spend their winters in Bay St. Louis, MS. Their dedication to the families who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina is a huge inspiration to me. That was over 2 years ago and people are still living in trailers next to the rudimentary foundations where their homes used to be.

That comparison just brings me back around: I have a lot to be thankful for ...

well, it was a good week until...

Wired posted this about Macs ...
I still love my laptop. I just have to be just as careful with it as I had to be with my last computer.

house buying

mac gloat for the day - all text spellcheck!!!

Anyway, I did have a point to write about tonight: Research, whether via google or B&N, supports most major decisions I make.  I'm not going to make a significant commitment without investigating multiple sources for advice.  I found my home inspector online.  I'm uploading realtor pictures to the web cloud for dissemination.  I almost spilled my cinnamon mocha on the stack of books (about mortgages) and magazines (about modern interior design).  Almost.

Anyway, none of it really stuck in my head until my realtor and loan officer dropped a stack of papers in front of me.  Papers with horizontal hairlines at the bottom of every page.  That line requires my total signature.  This isn't C. Leslie signing for that cinnamon mocha.  This is Christina E. Leslie committing to yes, she gives this realtor the right to negotiate on her behalf in this transaction.  That she'll pay a specified dollar amount (totaled in the "truth in lending statement" - Rachel wasn't kidding when she said to brace for that) over the next 30 years.

I haven't even experienced 30 years yet ... do the first 3 even count because I barely remember them anyway?

Short of my membership vows, this is the most significant commitment I have ever made ... it's public record!

macbook features

I'm mystified by why people go ape for Firefox.  The find tool doesn't seem to work properly, so I'm back in Safari to post this.  It's got the tabs I grew to love in Internet Explorer, and the find tool works.  But I love that blogger recognized me when I surfed here to post something.  IE never did that, I don't know why.

iPhoto is going to make me not miss Photoshop until I have a serious project on my hands.  I haven't taken the time to sit down with iMovie.  Hopefully Blogger supports video blogs :)

new mac

The proud owner of a Mac just can't keep quiet about it. Unfortunately I'll have to stop exploring in order to write an entry.  Let's just say that I hope tomorrow's Sunday school lesson on the tenth commandment puts my worldly obsession back into proper focus.

State Fair diversion

My upper respiratory infection didn't stop me from enjoying the variety of Heather's birthday week. We started with an Alice Peacock concert at Lit last weekend and ended with the Oklahoma State Fair yesterday. In between I missed two days of work...that fever just wouldn't stay down.
Amy brought Caleb--who enjoyed steppin' out of his stroller for the first time. Firmly corralled between Heather, Rebecca, or me, he actually strut all around the buildings. The first stop was for me and Heather: cooking demonstrations. When you saute beef stir-fry, you know you're supposed to cook the veggies first and then remove them while you cook the beef? I didn't...and the samples were perfectly al dente (can you say that about vegetables?) unlike the sloppy mess my stir-fry usually turn out. Caleb was bored with that building, so we headed out for the next event.
Which only proves that if something can be motivated, people will race it. And if there's racing, more people will watch. Yes, we attended Swifty Swine Productions' pig races. I didn't peer behind the bleachers, but no money changed hands! Just the aforementioned motivation: oreos.
Caleb got a much bigger thrill out of the petting zoo and the baby chicks in the FFA exhibit. Just like I got a bigger thrill out of the car building. No Hondas...I guess Toyota (who took up a sizable chunk of the showroom) can't take the foreign competition. Out of the car makers there, Jeep's 2008 line most impressed me - except the concept car looked like Hummer merged with Playskool. Hopefully my Honda will last long enough for Tesla to come up with a suitable 4-wheeler.
As for fair food: I'll have to go back next year and try something else. Indian Tacos, of which I have experience several exhalations, are smothered in cheese. Deep fried stuff hasn't enticed me for years: I always regret it later, like soda. The kabobs were forgettable, but the roast corn was worth more than the $3 I paid. Next time I'll try the turkey leg.
Oh yes, there will be a next time. Blood will tell, apparently: hopefully my farm boy Dad and country girl Mom can join me.

Reality Football

Growing up in an east coast college town did not prepare me for Oklahoma fanaticism about their college football teams. Around the office this time of year, the bets, dares, & pranks get out of control. My favorite was when the OU fans decorated the outspoken Texas Longhorns fan's desk with Sooner party fixings - poor guy was picking crimson & cream confetti out of his files for weeks.

However, I have never gotten to go to a football game, so I try to keep my laughter down to a murmer...I've observed serious fans with little sense of humor. Friday I went out for drinks with some guys from work and Tom told us a vendor had given him two tickets to the OU-Miami game. He wasn't sure he wanted to go, and offered them up to the table.

I had a flashback to my childhood. At the time the rivalry was a bigger deal to WVU than to Miami - until the year Miami came to town and received a pounding. The crowd mobbed the field after WVU won and I'm sure their are pieces of the goal posts floating around fan collections all over the state of West Virginia.

Yeah, I wanted to see OU scatter Miami like those goalposts. I called my friend Rachel and claimed the tickets.

I am sitting here now, hours after the game, exhausted from walking, climbing to the top of the stadium seating, cheering, and the sun. I'm sunburnt. And I love football. OU delivered Miami the biggest loss they've taken in the history of their program. They gave me my wish.

busy day

You wish for summer days like today. Sunny, not scorching. Breezy, not too windy. Skies blue for miles. The biker brothers were out and I was so excited about house hunting I didn't even care I wasn't on one. I picked up Melissa, grabbed some Starbucks, and met my realtor. She had a stack of MLS sheets so we hopped into her SUV and drove toward historic Oklahoma City. Since I'm the prospective buyer, I took the navigators' seat.
We exited the highway and stopped at the red light on the top of the ramp. When the light turned green we pulled out to make the left turn. I didn't even feel it...just heard the THUMP and saw dark debris scatter over the road to the right. That's when I saw the unmistakable shape of a motorcycle spinning, sliding across the pavement down the cross street. The pile of metal, leather, and the helmetless head came to a stop 150 feet away long after our SUV mountain ceased moving.
I noted that the poor biker was able to move and there was a remarkable lack of blood when I heard Melissa say how is 911 busy? All I could think was Where did that bike come from? Our light was green so they must have run the red light? Why was that idiot not wearing a helmet?
I felt so bad for my realtor. At least the rider was moving. The accident could have been so much worse. The cops had few questions and Melissa and I were the only witnesses who hadn't left the scene. Everybody else was honking angrily at their long weekend commute stalled by emergency vehicles blocking the intersection.There was no question of fault: our light was green and the bike hit us. But the nice guys leave the scene last, I guess.
SUVs may be gas guzzlers, but the oversized "cage" certainly keeps its passengers safe.
The house hunting is rather anticlimactic after that, I suppose...and maybe I won't put a bike into that detached garage just yet...

Omaha, NE

I finished up the day at work today writing my report about what business I had in Omaha (of all places). This space is what gets to see what pleasure I had there. To answer that question, the pleasure was all in the martinis and the beef. Between Flemings and the Art Museum I was extraordinarily well fed and wined. Of course, it wasn't purely culinary. I am a workaholic, after all. I met some great colleagues too.

Honestly, I never thought I'd be at THE party anywhere...but Monday night on the Omaha bar scene is scary by comparison to what our crowd turned the bar where we ended up.

Coming from me that's saying something.

Can't forget this tidbit either: Having never flown through Denver before, I naturally picked my plane seats for the best view of the Rockies. Shall I get into my love affair with mountains? Just look here and watch me gawp. Unfortunately, DEN is squarely planted on the Colorado eastern plains. The sun was barely up at landing. I pined for snow caps during takeoff through the misty dawn. I'm thankful for what glimpse I did get, considering.

The trip home wasn't better. It was raining over the mountains so I chatted with the nice Army Reserves gent going to Iraq via Ft. Sill, OK. In his civilian life he's a private pilot and told me horror stories about landing little jets at Boulder, CO's mountainside strip. OK, it was a little tactless after we'd been grounded for a hour because our plane was leaking hydraulic fluid...