Catching up with myself

I realize it's been ages and ages since my last post though I doubt anyone truly missed my pointless ramblings. Lots has happened over the past few weeks. Our new pastor started at the church. Someone told my boss that I'm worst employee ever. I decided not to go to graduate school in the fall. And, I threw up for three days straight.

So that's everything in my world....how is yours?

Things I learned in Detroit

I got home this morning from a quick trip to Detroit. This was my last Young Democrats of America business meeting before our national convention in San Francisco. For the past two years I have served as Vice President of Programs for YDA and in August my term will be up. It's been a good time but I'm ready to pass the torch.
These meetings are always crazy and fun. We spend all day being professional and political then at night we stay up late and laugh a lot. And yes, there is usually alcohol involved. Ok, that's a mis-statement, there is ALWAYS alcohol involved. I don't normally drink but this weekend I decided what the hey. Now that I'm home and trying to recover from the weekend I've devised a short list of what I learned in the last 72 hours.
1. Don't talk loudly about owning a Honda when in Detroit. Those darn UAW members don't seem like to import cars.
2. If you despise someone named Giovanni, make sure to shoot daggers out of your eyes whenever he comes near you or tries to suck up for your vote.
3. When intoxicated (not that I've ever been) it's probably not a good thing to wander around a strange city in search of your hotel.
4. When intoxicated, it's not helpful to text message friends and tell them you are drunk and lost and can't find your hotel.
5. When intoxicated, it's also not helpful to wake up friends in Florida to tell them you can't find your hotel.
6. What happens in Detroit stays in Detroit.

What a weekend. I'm getting too old for this.

Sorry Gaila!

While I know it's hard to fathom that I am anything less than perfect, I must admit that I was a bit grumpy today at work. I have not had much sleep over the past several nights and it's catching up with me. There were moments today when I noticed my co-worker, Happy Gaila, shooting me these "die bitch die" looks, mostly when I was being grumpy and frumpy (which was pretty much every time I opened my mouth). I do apologize for my behavior today Happy Gaila. Lucky for me though--she likes me better than she does our other co-worker so it will take me longer to alienate her. *grin*

Community of faith

Tonight was the annual Ordination & Commissioning service for the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. This service is my favorite worship service of the year. We crazy Methodists only ordain clergy members once a year so there's usually 25 or more people going through this process. The service begins with a processional of all the ordinands and the assisting clergy, while the entire sanctuary sings "Lift High the Cross." ...Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaimed, till all the world adore His sacred name. Powerful words--coming to life by the empowering of clergy-to-be to go witness & work in the world. I basically grew up in the Oklahoma Annual Conference and I love going back each year to see friends from college, old pastors, and pastor friends I have worked with over the years. It's also a little sad for me too because had I stayed in seminary and on the clergy track then I would have been ordained a few years ago. I can't help but feel a twinge of regret and longing. Several college friends of mine were ordained this year and I was so proud to stand in solidarity for them as they were being blessed by our Bishop. Congrats to Trina, Patrick, Kyle, Robyn, Charles, and Jack.
I had a sort of flashback/ah-ha moment during the service tonight. I realized that I am at my happiest when I am in church. It is where I am most comfortable, am myself, am connected to everyone & everything, and when I feel most empowered. I like the person I am when I am communing with God. Now, I just have to figure out how to make my day to day life more like that. I'm not like some split personality or anything, but I know that I am a better person when I am in "church" mode and being that better person is something I need to do for myself as well as those around me.

Today was a good day. :-)

Happy Birthday Aspasia

Today, Memorial Day, is the one year birthday of Aspasia coming to live with me. A year ago I decided to go to a local animal sanctuary, www.petsandpeople.com and check out the cats. It had been years since I had a pet but I had been cat-sitting for a couple of weeks for some friends and it made me long for one of my own. When I went out to the shelter I was looking for an older cat (didn't want a kitten) and who was already declawed. When I met Aspasia she was very friendly, licked my hand, and seemed right for me. The shelter worker pulled her file and told me that she was labeled as "unadoptable." Of course, that piqued my interest. The records showed her as having FIV, the feline immunodeficiency virus. FIV is not dangerous to humans but very much shortens the life span and health of a kitty. Most places euthanize cats with FIV but thankfully Pets and People is a no-kill shelter. Well, I went home to think about the cats I had seen and two days later came back to get Aspasia. She didn't freak out on the ride home--in fact, she never made a sound. I kept looking back to see if she was still alive. I pondered a name for a few days (she came with the name Annie) and after much research came up with Aspasia--which means "welcome" in Greek. I'm not into human names on pets.
As it turns out, she does NOT have FIV but she does have feline leukemia. Her expected life span is shorter than most cats but she lives a very happy & stress free life with me. I love her very much. So, happy birthday dear Aspasia. Thanks for being my baby.

A delicate palate!

My darling kitty, Aspasia, is quite the gourmet! I discovered tonight that she has a fondness for Brie cheese. It's wonderful to have another princess around the house!

Therapy will cost you a dollar

When I was in college friends used to call me "Ann Landers" because it seemed people were always coming to me for advice. Actually, they may not have been coming for advice but I'm a good listener so they got the advice part thrown in. Regardless, I am still one of those people that others talk to and what not. That's not arrogance, just stating a fact. I guess that's part of what makes me a good social worker--I listen to try and really hear what the person is saying. I'd like to think that I'm not judgmental though I know I sometimes get ruffled. But, I think I am going to start charging a dollar for the use of my listening ears or wise words. What the heck--I'm getting old & the money can go towards hearing aids so I can keep listening to you people.
Ok, so I'm really not complaining about being there for my friends. I think I'm just drained from a long day at work. Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time talking with a dear friend who is very depressed and feels like the world is against her. Then, I spent 2 hours on the phone with a client tonight who just needed to talk and burn off energy to keep him from going and seeking out some crystal meth. Ah, the things I do for love.............

The monies collected will go to pay for school, hair-ball medicine for the cat, and maybe a box of Kleenex. You don't have to send a dollar every time we talk---I can start a tab. Aaron--you already owe me $4,589.00 . Ha!

peace & grace people.................

dead man walking

An Oklahoma jury has once again handed down a sentence of "death" for a convicted murderer. Ricky Malone, of Duncan, will eventually be executed for the death of State Trooper Nikky Green. I don't know how to add a story link to this blog so if you want to read the news article go to www.newsok.com (oh wait, maybe the link is there now) and you'll see the whole deal.
Now, I didn't know Nik Green but I knew of him. He was killed on Dec 26, 2004, near my hometown of Walters. There's no doubt that Ricky Malone did it & the whole murder was caught on the dash-cam of the troopers vehicle. Many people in Walters knew Nik and he was well respected. Trooper Green was young, had a family, and [obviously] didn't deserve to die. But, I don't believe Ricky Malone deserves to die either. I have always been against the death penalty and it distresses me how often this verdict is handed down. Oklahoma and Texas seem to be battling for the title of "most killed" in executions and frankly it disgusts me how each state brags about who's done it more. I'm NOT saying that the murderer should be set free and I'm not denying his guilt. However, execution is such a hypocritical solution. Don't give me that "eye for an eye" bull. I don't see my state changing it's stance anytime soon but you can bet I'll be out there protesting at the next execution. And we call ourselves a civilized nation...............

too lame to even give it a title

Hello boys and girls, this post will be lame (you can thank me later for the warning). If i don't post every few days Dynanner's gets onto me so I figure I better drum something up. I have a new reader---everybody welcome Shane----HI SHANE. He reads when he's bored at work and hey, he works at a seminary so why wouldn't he be bored?? Ok, so I can't even think of anything else to post so I'm going to go watch South Park and go to bed.

I'm paying you for this??

Here's the latest on my application to social work school. After not hearing anything when they said letters went out two weeks ago, I gave up on calling and sent an e-mail. The admissions secretary responded today with "...we show that you withdrew your application so therefore you would not receive a letter [from our office]." Uhhhh....what? Yeah. I called and it appears that my file was marked as "withdrawn" even though I never called, wrote, or e-mailed that as my intention. They have NO IDEA how this happened but apparently my application was NEVER reviewed by the admissions committee. The secretary said she would have to speak to the program chair and find out if there is anything they can do but more than likely I'll be put on the waiting list.
This doesn't give me much confidence in the program I am applying for. I'm supposed to shell out several thousands of dollars to these people and they can't even get the basic paperwork right?

I'm in limbo. Looks like school will be delayed for a while.
Stay tuned.

Happy Mother's Day

I received a Mother's Day card from my cat the other day. It's a cartoon with the Mom sleeping in bed and the cat standing on her chest, peering into her face. The caption reads, "funny--I don't see any family resemblance." My sweet kitty---I'm so proud of her for sending me a card.

Though my Mom isn't around anymore she is still on my heart and mind so I wish her a Happy Mother's Day.
I have several surrogate mom's in my world and I'm truly thankful for all of them. Thank you Diana, Pat, Monica, and Cindi. You are incredible friends and role models.

Wow, I'm gushy today aren't I? Blah.

Prom 2005

You may not believe it, but I went to a prom this year! Yes, I'm a little old to be going but actually I was a chaperone. My church, Epworth United Methodist, was the host site for the Young Gay Lesbian Alliance 2005 Prom. This was the first such all-inclusive prom for the teens and it was a huge success. There were approximately 100 kids there and they danced, laughed, and hung out for the night. Many remarked how they couldn't believe a church would let them have a gay prom, but that's just the kind of place Epworth is. A local newstation got wind of the event and set up some interviews and filmed quite a bit of footage. I am very proud that I got to be a part of making this night a success. There were several Epworth volunteers who helped out and we were all pleased.

Now, there was some grumbling (and that's putting it nicely) conveyed to myself and to another volunteer, Cindi. Some church members were fearful of the press, afraid that there might be some backlash from small minded bigots, and concern over the church's safety and the safety of the youth. The whole gritching got way out of control and at one point on Saturday it was suggested that I resign my leadership position(s) at church b/c of the harm I had inflicted (by helping host this prom). Of course, the people gritching wanted to remain anonymous---cowards. If a person is going to try and destroy my reptutation and my status at church at least have the chutzpah to say your name.

Anyhoo--Cindi and I dealt with it, made a statement at church this morning explaining the prom, the media, and the wonderful positive impact this event had on the youth. Many, many church members have been supportive and I'm over the whole thing. If someone has something to say then they can approach me and we'll talk it out. There's no pleasing some people.

I am so proud of the Young Gay Lesbian Alliance and honored that they asked me to be a part of their event.

It helps to know the bartender

Warning: the following entry is rated PG-13 for language and alcohol content.

Tonight we had a Cimarron Alliance Foundation board meeting. I swear I spend my life going to meetings. We are hard at work at this Holocaust Rememberance Exhibit thing (and if I haven't hit you up yet for donations don't worry, I will). The meeting was held at a new member's house, Ryan, and we all oooh'd and ahhh'd over his newly redecorated cute house. I mentioned to Ryan that I was going out later tonight to The Boom (local bar) with a friend and Ryan said he would probably meet me there.
So, Mark*names have been changed to protect the innocent* and I got there about 10:30 and met up with Ryan, who was already extremely intoxicated. Apparently after the meeting was over he and several board members stuck around the house for a while and finished off some wine. Anyhoo---Mark and I haven't really spent time together one on one and while it's hard to talk in a crowded smoky bar, we managed to talk some about upcoming political junk in Oklahoma. I know the owner of The Boom and Mark knows him as well, so we managed to get a couple of free drinks. Yay for free drinks. Love me some cranberry juice and vodka. Yum. Then, Ryan bought a couple shots of tequila (oy vey) and I managed one shot. Knowing that i have to be at work EARLY tomorrow I decided to be a good girl and come home, but man it was great to go out with friends and just have fun. Lots of OCU students were there and I was feeling a little nostalgic at all the fun college memories (or maybe the alcohol was taking effect). So i'm home now, safe and sound and sleepy. There's no place like my bed....there's no place like my bed....there's no place like my bed.
Oh wait, that sounds really dirty. It's not supposed to be. I'm going to sleep now.

It's a conspiracy

Dear University of Oklahoma,
If I promise not to make tacky comments about your football program or about how I would rather be a Poke than a Sooner will you please let me know if I got into graduate school?

yes--OU is taking their damn sweet time in mailing out the rejection/acceptance letters. I was first told that the letters went out last Monday (that was a week ago). Then, I was told they went out on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. Here it is Monday and I STILL don't have my letter. Frustration!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, how long does it take for a piece of mail to go from Norman to Oklahoma City??!!
It's all a conspiracy against me..........

Going to the Sarah McLachlan concert tonight with my friend Trina. Should be some great music and lots of people I know are going. I need the stress reliever. Too bad I'm out of Valium.

The wait goes on.

No news yet

Well, nothing to report yet. My water has broken and the contractions aren't too bad....
Oh wait, wrong post.

No word from OU yet on the status of my application to Masters of Social Work school. It is reported that the envelopes were mailed Monday so maybe by tomorrow I'll know something.

Anticipation is not my friend.

One of those days

I would give anything to have five minutes with my mom right now.

For love of a sofa

My friend 'Nette was paranoid about showing up on my blog so hey, let's feed the paranoia.
No my friend, the sofa will live. It's just fabric. We have a lifetime of friendship and memories that are so much more important to me than any material item.

So there.
*smile*

It's not polite to laugh

I know it's not nice to laugh at another's misfortune but I do have to relay one of my giggles from yesterday, April 19th. Of course, the 19th is the anniversary of the OKC bombing and the day, in fact the week, has been marked with all sorts of memorials, services, tributes, etc. I was watching the televised service from downtown OKC that included Bill Clinton and several political dignitaries. At the end of this somber service, the congregation was led outside by a lone bagpiper (note-bagpipes don't sound very good via tv transmission). The news channel was panning the progression of the piper and as he came down the church steps he fell. Immediately the camera was switched to something else, but I burst out laughing. They went right back to the piper and it was evident he was ok, just jostled a bit. I felt bad for laughing but I realized that this very sorrowful occasion needed a good diversion and for me it was a reminder that it's ok to laugh and go on with life.

Whenever I hear bagpipes I think of the movie "So I Married an Axe Murderer" where Mike Meyers' dad plays the bagpipes and sings Rod Stewart's "If you want my body (and you think I'm sexy)." Always makes for a good chuckle.

Never trust a Texan

On the day we were coming home from Tennessee was also the South Central Region of Young Dems mtg, being held in Austin, Texas. I had planned my trip way before this regional mtg and decided it was not cost effective to fly to Austin for only a few hours. I was running for the position of Regional Director, meaning I would be helping out and assisting the states in our block. This includes Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. I had asked a gentleman from Texas, David, to run as my Deputy Director (as it's tradition to have a representative from each state as the officers). La and Mo are not really active states right now but it would be easy enough to plug them in later.
So, I sent my annoucement/speech with my state president, Kathy, who was attending the mtg with some other OK folks. Kathy is running for national YDA office (like I hold right now as Vice Pres of Programs) and she needed to campaign at this meeting.
Now it gets sticky....
One of the Texas leaders is a guy named Giovanni. Up until now he has been a friend and someone I respected and have enjoyed working with him. He knew of my intent to be Regional Director and all this time I have been the only one running. Giovanni is also running for national office, but with a different group than my state prez is. This basically makes the two of them competition. Giovanni apparently felt threatened by me and by Kathy and he lied to me, brought in someone last minute to run against me, and fanagled a deal so that the last minute person would win. It's shady....very very shady. So, I lost. I mean, it's certainly not the end of the world but what I'm angry about is how underhanded and deceitful Gio was to me.
So, I don't mind sharing my opinion of Gio with other YDA folks because if he can screw me over a tiny little regional director what will he do as our representative to the Democratic National Committee? Politics.

I'm just amazed that this guy, Gio, would do this to me because I've not known him to be of ill character like this. It's sad, sad for him, sad for his team and sad for YDA.
It will be interesting to see what happens.

Cha-ching!

The first part of the redneck vacation was an overnight stop in Memphis. We had the most fantastic bbq at a place called Corky's. I highly recommend the dry-rub ribs. The next day we traveled to Tunica, Mississippi for a day & night of gambling at the casinos. I'm not much of a gambler but I like to play slots. I took only a small amount of money, just what I was willing to lose and not feel bad about it. Of course--I lost. :-) Oh well. Our friend Dennis stayed up almost all night playing slots and table games but we managed to rouse him in the morning and get on the road at a decent hour. Casinos are a fun place to people watch because believe me you get ALL types there. Hmmm...I bet the people were saying the same about me.