This is what I feel like today:

I'm so glad it's Friday. =]

Enjoying classes?!

That's right! It's true. I am actually enjoying my classes already. The workload is substantially lessened as compared to my last set, and I am so thankful. I have time to enjoy my reading instead of rushing through it at breakneck speed simply to get it all done. Of course, it's also true that the content of the reading is considerably easier than the last two classes. It all works together.

I was a bit apprehensive about the Intro to Theology class, but it actually has been much better than I expected, at least so far. This week we're actually reading two articles called "Election and Salvation" and "The Weaknesses of Arminianism." Shocking! I didn't expect to be pleasantly surprised by good old-fashioned Calvinism in this class, but I certainly won't complain.

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A quite humorous story:

I'm not quite sure what "the deal" is with my theology/Bible classes thus far. Last year, first semester, I had an Old Testament history/survey course, and the professor's name was Josh Dear. (Not kidding. It was awesome.) Last year, second semester, I had New Testament history/survey with Paul Husband. (Again, not kidding. He was hilarious.) This year, I have Intro to Theology. Professor's name? Jennifer Love.

Dear, Husband, and Love.

It cracks me up!!!

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Currently Watching: What's Up, Doc?

On a completely unrelated note, I had forgotten how absolutely hysterical this movie is. I definitely have to watch it all the way through again.

"You're upside down, sir." "I know."

That's how I feel sometimes lately!

Thankful that God is never upside down, even when I am. . .

Rejoice in Him today. :)

I seriously love my sister =D

I don't even know what it is about us and IM, but when we start getting hyper while IMing, watch out, world. For some reason, she just got completely wound up while we were talking a few minutes ago, and I was laughing so ridiculously hard that now I'm wheezing and coughing. But oh, it's so worth it. These are the moments I treasure.

I love you, sissy!!!

It's one of those days!

Wearing a new necklace from my kindred spirit friend. Finishing a major project at work. Discovering fantastic new music. Visiting with a friend who left a smile on my face, as always. Finishing my week's worth of homework two days early for one of my classes (what bliss!). Dinner by candlelight, and laughing around the table. Listening to my sister play the piano and singing along despite my squeaking.

Oh yes, life is good. =)

The year is floating by...

(Cross-posted from my Xanga.)

Or perhaps I should say rushing by!

Maybe it was realizing just how many pages I've torn off my page-a-day calendar that sits on my desk at work...

Maybe it was the sound of a flock of geese flying South for the winter this morning, that distinctive sound that always makes me smile and that whispers, "FALL!" ...

Or maybe it was the breeze and coolness in the air today, and the sound of dry leaves blowing in the gutter...

Or maybe it was seeing the new issue of Victoria and realizing with a shock that it's the Christmas issue...

Or maybe it was my sister being unable to resist the temptation any longer and pulling out our Christmas piano music books...

For one reason or another, I realized today how quickly time is going by. 2008 will be over before I know it. With so many things going on, so much busy-ness in my life right now, it can be hard to remember to sit back and enjoy the little moments. But I had so many of those little moments today that I am inspired and encouraged to do just that--enjoy them. Enjoy life. Revel in God's mercies and faithfulness. Smile every morning. Hug my family. Praise the Lord for His kindness to me.

Be a blessing to at least one person every day. It's something I am trying to learn.

So, I completely forgot about this blog.

It's true. Sad to say, but it's true. I hadn't updated in so long, and then I quite forgot about it. Good heavens. And now I find out that I have comments that I didn't even know about, months old, that I never even saw! Silly Blogger needs to use a better method of notifying me of comments.

In any case, I will attempt to at least cross-post what I post to my Xanga here as well. Perhaps even a few extras here. I do like Blogger. I've just neglected my Blogger accounts for quite some time. This trouble shall be remedied!

Cafes in Provence

And this is why this book is so absolutely, delightfully entertaining, and why I am eagerly devouring every single page. I cannot believe I'm almost halfway done. I simply don't want it to end.

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“I have liked almost every café that I have ever been to in France, even the ratty little ones in tiny villages where the flies are more plentiful than customers, but I have a soft spot for the sprawling cafés of the Cours Mirabeau, and the softest spot of all for the Deux Garçons. Successive generations of proprietors have put their profits under the mattress and resisted all thoughts of redecoration, which in France usually ends in a welter of plastic and awkward lighting, and the interior looks much the same as it must have looked fifty years ago.

“The ceiling is high, and toasted to a caramel color by the smoke from a million cigarettes. The bar is burnished copper, the tables and chairs gleam with the patina bestowed by countless bottoms and elbows, and the waiters have aprons and flat feet, as all proper waiters should. It is dim and cool, a place for reflection and a quiet drink. And then there is the terrace, where the show takes place.

“Aix is a university town, and there is clearly something in the curriculum that attracts pretty students. The terrace of the Deux Garçons is always full of them, and it is my theory that they are there for education rather than refreshment. They are taking a degree course in café deportment, with a syllabus divided into four parts.

One: The Arrival

One must always arrive as conspicuously as possible, preferably on the back of a crimson Kawasaki 750 motorcycle driven by a young man in head-to-toe black leather and three-day stubble. It is not done to stand on the pavement and wave him good-bye as he booms off down the Cours to visit his hairdresser. That is for gauche little girls from the Auvergne. The sophisticated student is too busy for sentiment. She is concentrating on the next stage.

Two: The Entrance

Sunglasses must be kept on until an acquaintance is identified at one of the tables, but one must not appear to be looking for company. Instead, the impression should be that one is heading into the café to make a phone call to one’s titled Italian admirer, when—quelle surprise!—one sees a friend. The sunglasses can then be removed and the hair tossed while one is persuaded to sit down.

Three: Ritual Kissing

Everyone at the table must be kissed at least twice, often three times, and in special cases four times. Those being kissed should remain seated, allowing the new arrival to bend and swoop around the table, tossing her hair, getting in the way of the waiters, and generally making her presence felt.

Four: Table Manners

Once seated, sunglasses should be put back on to permit the discreet study of one’s own reflection in the café windows—not for reasons of narcissism, but to check important details of technique: the way one lights a cigarette, or sucks the straw in a Perrier menth, or nibbles daintily on a sugar lump. If these are satisfactory, the glasses can be adjusted downward so that they rest charmingly on the end of the nose, and attention can be given to the other occupants of the table.

“This performance continues from mid-morning until early evening, and never fails to entertain me. I imagine there must be the occasional break for academic work in between these hectic periods of social study, but I have never seen a textbook darken the café tables, nor heard any discussion of higher calculus or political science. The students are totally absorbed in showing form, and the Cours Mirabeau is all the more decorative as a result.”

Looking for the perfect book for light, delicious summer reading? Pick up A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. I cannot recommend it enough.