Randomness

I don't know why I got to thinking about this incident. I was working at the legislature in 1999. I spent alot of time hanging out with the staff in Sen. Ben Atchley's office, who was the minority leader at the time. For Sundquist's inauguration, we got together and had coffee that morning and sat in a little group at the Plaza for his speech. I think my rear was frozen to my chair by the end of it.

Either later that day or the next day, Elena and I got all spiffied up to go to the open house at the Governor's Residence. We parked at Judson Baptist and rode the shuttle over. We stood in line to shake hands with the Governor (who knew that 5 months later, I would be standing in the plaza calling him a liar among other colorful words during the horn-honking income tax protests.)

So, I told you all that to tell you this. I will never forget the woman that stood in front of us in line: an older Asian woman with tatooed eyebrows that had faded from black to blue (which is what black tatoo ink does over time.)

I hate plucking and waxing my brows as much as the next girl but I will not go so far as to a line permanently stenciled on my forehead, unless I lost the hair to chemo or something. That's just freaky.

More being peeved...

Kat is peeved (or is it that Brittney is peeved and Kat is a hypocrite... ah, it doesn't matter) about the use of the English language, specifically by Americans inserting British-isms into their every day speech.

Adding to this, I would like to say that the word is "library" not "liberry." That was cute when you were 2. Please say it correctly now that you are an adult.

Thank you.

PK

Why and Ways I love my MacBook Pro

A couple months ago, I bought a refurb MacBookPro - shortly after they were released. For a while, it has been really nothing more than a way to get on the internet and use my iPod. Until Monday that is.

I had a choreography session with Todd and David for the upcoming winter showcase. Since I don't own a camcorder, I thought I would record it with my digital camera and burn it onto DVD using iMovie and iDVD software. I've recorded video before but never pulled it off the memory card. This was the theory... I was praying that it would actually work.

The reaction from people at the studio was funny when I pulled out my tiny camera.

"THAT'S going to record the video? It's so small!"
"What? I have a 2 gig memory card in there. It will hold up to 17 minutes of video. How long do you plan to talk?"
"OK. If you say so. Start the camera on me so you can see everything from the beginning."

I'm home. Now it's time to go to work. There it is, asking me if I want to make iPhoto the default software for my Canon camera. It recognized my camera... neat! Why yes, of course. iPhoto loaded the stuff from my camera without the need for loading the special Canon software. Boom. All ready for me to view and edit. Now I can't wait to get the rest of my pictures loaded onto there! Not now - must edit video.

Without looking at the help menu, I pieced together my 2 snippets of video in iMovie. iDVD was a little more complicated. It took me about 30 minutes to figure that out and get the DVD ready to burn. I'm not sure why it took so long to index the file but 30 minutes later, I had my first DVD. It isn't super spiffy. It doesn't need to be - it's just for Todd and myself as a reference. The whole time I was thinking "this never would have been this easy on a PC - even the new one at work. WOW. I love you MacBook Pro!!!"

And Wednesday night - I was able to rip the audio from the choreography video and put it onto my iPod so that I have the music at the right tempo to practice with. Talk about one happy dancer!!! Can I even do that with a commonly available Windows program like Real or WMP? I have no idea. I don't care. I love my Mac.

Hotlanta

Ugh. So I spent most of last week in my not-so-favorite-place on the planet - Atlanta. I went for the Hotlanta Dance Challenge. Some of the best pro-am couples in the country were there as well as some of the top professionals. And of course, it wouldn't be a Pink Kitty event without being snarky about the icky outfits ballroom dancers have a tendancy to wear.


I would have given her the Ugly Dress Award....

And lots more at flickr.

God Listens

Yesterday I found a picture of Ben and Shalene Ermis from the US National Championships (at which they won their 2nd Smooth title and won the 9-dance competition!). I love to see pictures of the pair, as well as to watch them teach and dance. You can see their love and passion for dance, and for each other, in pretty much every move. Just from brief observations I learn quite a bit. I don't watch their lessons for very long because, in my mind, that would be stealing. (I'm not paying for that time, and I shouldn't try to pick up on what they are teaching at that given moment.) But every now and then, I hear or see something that catches my attention, and I watch for a moment.

I looked at that photo for a while and thought, Wow... I've been at the studio almost a year now, and I've never spoke to Shalene more than just a brief greeting in passing or an apology when there is a collision on the dance floor. I wonder if she even notices me.

Anyway, Todd starts off my recent lesson by telling me how many people have been coming up to him and telling him how great they think my hair looks. They love the color and think it is really becoming. I say thanks and we get to work.

About 15 minutes in, Shalene comes and says, "May I interrupt, Todd?"
Todd: "Sure."
I'm thinking it is something business related, what with the competition coming up and all.

She looks me straight in the eye and says, "I wanted to tell you that I see how great you are doing. You are looking SO GOOD. I can see how your waist is slimming up and how your dancing has improved so much over the last few weeks. You look amazing. Truly amazing. You must feel so much better. I am so happy for you." This was said with typical Shalene enthusiasm and passion.

I thought I was going to cry and in my head I said, Thank You, God, for hearing me! and to her I said, "Thanks" and gave her a big hug. Shalene's been watching me... and my dancing is actually watchable! *jumps up and down*

Todd said that the unsolicited compliments are such a boost: encouragement to me as the student and to him as the teacher (his peers are recognizing that he's doing something right). He said, "You work and work, and you wonder if anyone is noticing and then something like that happens... it really helps people see the benefits. It feels good for me. I can't imagine how you must feel."

PK: "High."

There are times when I pray, I feel as though it is into a void. I don't see any fruit (that is one of the challenges to those called to prayer ministry: we pray and pray and may never see the result of that prayer on this side of heaven). God seems so distant and silent. I begin to wonder if He's listening at all. And then... *boom* something I desperately needed to hear from someone I respect and admire, is His answer to me.

God isn't only listening - He's answering. It may not seem like much of anything to you, but it means the world to me.

Finding Ways to get Shot

Apparently, one of my neighbors is attempting to get shot. By me.

Last night. It's sometime after 11:30. I finished up my laundry. Watched a little TV and headed upstairs to go to bed. I clicked all the lights out downstairs and as I get to the top of the stairs I see a shadow approach the door and move from side to side as though he was trying to see inside.

Of course he couldn't because of the new ArtGlass films I put over the windows in the door.

I went into my spare bedroom, loaded my Sig and walked back down to where I could see out the window. I could see a bevy of my neighbors gathered across the street. They waved. Twice. Then I finally waved back.

Stupid.

You don't just walk up to someone's door at 11:30 at night without a reason. Scaring me like that is a real good way to get shot. My light had been on all evening. If you had wanted to ask me something, ring the doorbell.

Incidentally, there is a new crime wave happening related to Halloween - pumpkins being smashed through car windows. My co-worker daughter's car was hit last night by a pumpkin and it went through one of the windows of her car. It wasn't on the street; it was in her parents' driveway.

The police said they had several reports of that occuring throughout the county. She wanted the police to come out and take fingerprints off the pumpkin. They wouldn't. They only look for fingerprints in the cases of murder, home invasion, and rape.

If Chief Serpas is all about preventing crime by pulling motorists over in droves (since someone with a busted tail light could also be a drug dealer), wouldn't it seem reasonable that we could prevent other crimes by fingerprinting smashed pumpkins? Doesn't that kind of mischief show a tendancy for the disregard of private property? What is to stop them from graduating to car theft? They already know how to get inside a car.

UT Man (my brother) Marries Bama Girl

Doesn't he look great in his dress blue uniform?

I was given the honor of standing in for the mother of the groom (since our parents are both deceased). I cried through the rehearsal. I cried through all the songs played before Bama Girl came down the aisle. Elena made me cry when the couple was leaving, asking if I felt UT Man was all grown up. But for a change, they were all happy tears. It was nice to go to a happy event for our family.

A couple of people told me they couldn't look at me because I was crying---that it would have gotten them to crying.

Our aunt and uncle (our mom's brother) came. They asked me, "So when are we going to have one of these for you?"
PK: *sigh* "Well, I have to be dating someone first.... that is usually the first step."
Relatives: "Yeah... I guess you have been busy."

I SWEAR---questions like that make my head hurt.

DC (who is blogging again now, by the way - go see his new layout and stuff. He's supposed to put up some pictures soon from Cowboy Camp Meeting - don't make me into a liar, Mark) said that I should have said, "When God starts making real men again."

You can see more pictures from the rehearsal and the wedding on flickr.

The perfect Aryan Couple...

I don't know why but I was a little bothered by this ad that appeared in my mailbox this morning.



They are just a little too perfect... a little too white... a little too blue-eyed. They scare me.