More Hodgepodge - Humor

These made me smile.
Funny Christmas:






Funny Halloween story here.

One of my all-time favorite comedy sketches. This never ceases to literally make me laugh out loud, still after all these years.

I found another funny site for Christian parody, The Sacred Sandwich, see also Lark News and The Holy Observer. Fun, fun, funny.

Journal: A Note about Miami

average mannequin

This is just a weird observation. I went to a Miami mall a few weeks ago. I noticed the mannequins in many of the store windows had unusually large bosoms. It seemed odd to me but then: that's Miami. Plastic surgery is very common and popular there.

He was a good actor

Rest in peace, Paul Newman.

E-mail Frauds, Forwards and Inaccuracies

PreacherPen had a recent post on his blog regarding an e-mail he received about Barack O’Bama. There has been an abundance of incorrect information going about these days via e-mails, blogs, and the web. The political season we’re in here in the USA has seen much buzz all over the internet particularly pertaining to the candidates. Before you pass on any sort of email forward, please check it and verify if it is true. My two favorite forward fact checking sites are snopes.com and truthorfiction.com. PreacherPen also has a good one linked in his post.

We got our first internet hook-up around 2000 or 2001. When people sent me email forwards, as they inevitably did, they were part of this whole new world opening up for me. I was so amazed by it all, I did not think very deeply about the forwards. I just passed them on. Some were funny, inspirational, or sad. Some were little editorials supposedly by well known personalities and pundits like Andy Rooney, George Carlin, and Ben Stein. Some were prayer requests, and some were chain letters. Some were warnings, petitions and newsy. My wake up call came when I forwarded this one particularly horrible and tragic story to a friend. She had the wisdom to gently ask me not to send her and forwards or stories like that anymore. It was too painful and upsetting, she said. And you know what? She was right. Even now, I shudder at remembering such a sad, disturbing, and true story. For an instant I was embarrassed of myself and then had an epiphany: Why in the world was I sending such stuff? I began to do research and discovered snopes. I finally made a decision to not forward anymore. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was another forward for a gut-wrenching prayer request with a photo of a little boy. According to the verification sites, no such person ever existed and it appeared to be a random story with a random picture, a complete fabrication. Then I discovered that the petitions are also a fluke and I said no more forwards! I don’t think this helped my popularity with some, for I don’t get many emails anymore from some of the people who used to forward me things. I would enjoy hearing from them about their life. Give me an update on you, as I’d love to hear about what is really going on with you. Brag about you kids, complain about your boss, tell me about your vacation, whatever! Email me anytime and tell me how you are! On the other hand, some people, like my honest friend were alienated or annoyed by my penchant to forward ghastly and gloomy stories or “witness” to them with the inspirational forwards. For that, and to those people, I do apologize.

Occasionally there are a few good forwards going around. I’m not adverse to the occasional one, so long as it’s true and/or really, really good.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Cold Water

When we lived for a short time in wild, wonderful West Virginia, the little farmhouse we rented in the country had well water. In the middle of the summer when I would mow the yard, I stopped to use the outside spigot and hose to fill a glass of water. The water would be so cold it would make the glass fog. Very refreshing. Down here the water is never cold. Which isn't surprising when you realize it's piped in a hundred miles from the mainland, and the pipes are mostly above ground in the Caribbean heat. When I was a girl doing my “outdoor education” week in a camp in the mountains and forests of California, we had to take cold showers, there was no hot water. It was freezing! Summer before last Big Daddy nearly killed me when he took me on an 8 mile hike at a state park. On our way back we headed straight for the spring which is 72 degrees year round, and we peeled off our shoes and packs and jumped right it! It was delicious. Down here, though, you could bathe using the “cold” water only, and I’ll bet you wouldn’t even muster a goose pimple! Even the beach water is warm because it is so shallow. It’s odd, but I don’t mind.

I have been in my new home for almost two months now and so far, I like it. Some observations. There seems to be an unusually high percentage of dog owners here. Almost everyone has a pet dog, or pet of some kind, with birds and cats in a second place tie (?). I have found the people to be very friendly. I am putting off a job hunt until school resumes in August. I had some wonderful alone time this week, and really enjoyed it. I was able to visit a prayer garden at a local church.


I fixed some of my favorite foods, that only I like to eat. Penne with olive oil and garlic!

Play That Funky Muzak

I work outside my home a few nights a week. Like so many other places, my workplace uses a Muzak satellite radio music system. Lately, I was sure I heard a Sufjan Stevens song on the Muzak program! Yes, indeed it was. I think that is weirdly wonderful to hear a a rather obscure, alternative artist with Christian references in the lyrics. The song is Chicago if you’re curious.
I’m linking an interesting past article about Muzak from the New Yorker. It has become much more than the bland elevator music it was synonymous with in the past.

I have been tuned onto a few interesting music choices through the Muzak radio. A very trippy, groovy song called Shut Your Eyes by Snow Patrol, and a song that I personally think is reminiscent in sound and style to Keith Green, called Stuck In The Middle by Mika. I had never heard of Snow Patrol or Mika, but have listened their songs for quite some time now at work. I would think about looking for them, then get busy or distracted (two words that seem to characterize my life frequently nowadays). Later, I would forget exact lyrics to help in a google search when I got curious again and finally remembered to look. So recently I frantically scratched a line or two of lyrics on a piece of paper while working. I finally nailed down who sings the songs I’ve been curious about! I love music, and I sing out loud.

Why the name?

ec·cle·si·as·tic –noun
a member of the clergy or 'other person' in religious orders. (hahahe- I'm the other person in this clergy family.)

ecclesiastic 1483, from L.L. ecclesiasticus, from Gk. ekklesiastikos "of the (ancient Athenian) assembly," later, "of the church," from ekklesiastes "speaker in an assembly or church, preacher," from ekkalein "to call out."

ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal –adjective
of or pertaining to the church or the clergy; churchly; clerical; not secular.

bo·he·mi·an
n. A person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior. (usually lowercase) a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices. Usually lowercase) pertaining to or characteristic of the unconventional life of a bohemian . Prone to living a wandering or vagabond life, as a Gypsy.

So there you have it. I'm not an avant-garde artist who is totally unconventional and out there, but I am not exactly like any other pastor’s wives around here. I’m a little bit different. I’m churchy for an artist, I’m arty and a little weird for a minister’s wife.

The First One

Well, I finally did it, into the blogosphere. Did I really type that, how corny of me? I don’t know if I will have anything noteworthy to say. Perhaps this will be cathartic, Lord knows I need more catharsis. That is written partially with my tongue in my cheek, because too much self-evaluation is, well, selfish, me-focused. But there is something I should be dealing with, and Lord knows, the blockage has to be cleared. If I’m healthy, I can get the focus off of me and onto what I ought to be doing: Loving God and Neighbor and putting that love in action - serving, creating, caring, living, doing. And once upon a time, before the thing* I was a girl who loved to create, write and journal. So anyway, this song by Sixpence None the Richer is sort of a reflection of where my head and heart is at right now:
I’m Waiting
so I'm waiting by a phone for the blessed ring
like a holy grail for a fisher king
time is ticking down like a metronome
rhythm for my brain and its ceaseless games
I never seem to play them to the beat I hear
though my heart beat is a beat that beats so near
so we had a talk last night about the heavy blow
that you dealt in fright you're back against the wall
it was a puzzle piece important to the whole
that I may not find to place within that hole
I never seem to put them in the gaps I see
like a puzzle where the pieces lost to me
Chorus
so I'm changing who I am 'cause what I am's not good
and I know you love me now
but I don't see why you should
and I don't see why you should
no, I don't see why you should

so I drift into the air like a moth to light
down the boulevard to the coffee shop
in the land of sorrow in the land of wait
I fear is bearing down on this lonely town
I never seem to write them down as good as Him
like I somewhere lost the keys that let me in
Chorus so I'm changing who I am
'cause what I am's not good
and I know You love me now
but I don't see why You should
so I'm changing who I am
'cause what I am's not good
and I know You love me now
but I don't see why You should
and I don't see why You should
no, I don't see why you should
song link