Some things that have happened recently. In no particular order.

My dog caught flees.
My dad caught flees from my dog.
I walked my sheets, blanket, pillow cases, bathroom rugs, towels and anything else my dog may have touched, looked at, or walked by in the last two weeks down to the community laundromat this evening.
I walked all of these items in one oversize pile between my hands and gripping my fingertips in loyalty to the 'one trip up and down the stairs' rule.
My hamper is at my mom's house.
I passed my neighbor (whom I've only seen and from whom I've never heard) and he asked the obvious question, "Did you just murder someone in there?"
To which I responded, "No, my dog has flees on everything...so you better stay back."
I immediately regretted not just pretending I didn't see or hear him.

There's no better way to make friends with your neighbor than threatening the chance that they might have to invent creative ways to scratch at their crotch in public for the next two weeks.

Human Nature

Skin color, language, culture, and geography. These are what distinguish and divide humanity.

I've had an idea rattling in my head like a pin ball for a few days....I'd like to challenge myself and try and type it out.

My argument is pretty simple: Humans are inherently the same by nature, it is situations and experiences that make us think and act differently from one another.

Let's look at two individuals:

First, a low socioeconomic, urban born 16 year old boy. Let's assume the stereotype: Father left at a young age; Single mother raising him and his siblings; Large community support system; Adverse conditions for accessibility to quality education and availability of basic human rights, i.e. health care, physical safety in one's community, etc. For the sake of the stereotype, let's say this young boy turns to violence to release his feelings.

Second, Bernard Madoff.

What if both of these individuals situation's had been completely flopped? Is it possible that given the right set of circumstances, and I mean exactly the same set of circumstances, the young boy from Chicago would have been running a ponzi scheme and Bernard Madoff would have lived the bleak existence of cyclical poverty?

Is it possible that you or I could do the same kinds of actions if we too were born into a certain situational experience that we and the media love to condemn and abhor?

I don't know that we can ever really answer that question. However, if we can even fathom it to be possible, I believe we can change our natural feelings of judgement and lack of connection to those whom we assume are so unlike ourselves.

And if we can get past the idea of inherent differences, that attitude of "that's just how they are," then perhaps real strides could be made toward social and economic accessibility for the disadvantaged. We could honestly asses the challenges facing the poor and disenfranchised, if we first accept the idea that it could just as easily be "me and my family" in the same situation. Not for the sake of fear, but for the churning of compassion into action for an equal society.

Equal access to available resources is not a current reality. There are clear gaps in standards of education, health care, and safety between the highest and the lowest socioeconomic status.

What might be possible if we jumped and cleared the hurdle of inherent differences?

Just thoughts.

I dare you...

I have a dare for you.

Take a small mirror. Place it reflective side up under your nose. Look down into the mirror and walk around your house.

blah blah blah

here's what's going on:

it was 100 degrees today in Houston. 100 degrees and 61% humidity. i think that's called 'hot tubbing.' this is important information because it tells you something about the vast number of indoor activities held in Houston...i'm unsure of most of them due to my unwillingness to go outside for any reason other than necessity.

i have an orchid. it's beautiful and it was really cheap and i am truly in awe of having not yet murdered it. i'm conflicted, however. when i purchased this orchid, i intended on eventually unintentionally killing and then disposing of it. it has lived and thrived now for over three weeks. i really like it and it makes my bedroom look more put together however, my problem is the fruit flies it has somehow generated out of its soil. these flies have taken over my 600 sq. ft. apartment and it's not big enough for all 7,000,000 of us. it's just not. not only are they irritating because of their number, but when i see one in the corner of my eye and don't immediately realize what it is, i almost always think i'm about to pass out and it's just a flicker of light warning me to brace myself.

i'm contemplating throwing away the flower but am for the most part against the intentional murdering of plant life. (unless it's not pretty, then round-up to your heart's desire!)

i live in a perpetual state of preparedness concerning the complete destruction of my very nice living room couch. it's my first piece of real life adult furniture, and daily i am concerned that India, my puppy, will in a state of blind anger and neglect eat my couch from the inside out. i unlock my door every afternoon with the vision of what remains of my couch spread across the floor. a bit of cotton stuffing will remain trailing from India's mouth as a reminder of just who's in charge of this apartment and all of its contents. i hope it never happens but i like to be prepared.

three months later...

Well it's been a long time since I've updated this blog.

Here's where I'm at:

Living in Houston, TX in an adorable apartment with my puppy India.
Working for Save the Children US Programs doing disaster preparedness workshops with children and psychosocial groups with kids in the Fall.
Love having a new city to explore and as usual the Lord has provided new fabulous friends.
I've recently become addicted to venti black iced tea with 2 sweet n' low packets from Starbucks. It's just regular iced tea, but the allure comes from the to go cup and someone else making it for me. Debating the $2.27 price tag, however.
Learning some things about Houstonians: They can bear a heat that is similar to being inside of a freshly microwaved hot pocket; their cars do not come equipped with blinkers (or they have not yet discovered them); they have nail salons like some cities have Starbucks.

Two weekends ago I went back to OKC to see my Canadian friends who've deserted the United States for, as much as I can tell, frostbite and grizzly bears. It was so good to be back in Bethany for the weekend and to be with old friends. After small reunions like this one I always wish there were some way to have a giant party with everyone I know all in one place. I would serve hot dogs and slurpees.

Ordering a new passport...

I'm officially declaring myself the world's worst, "I'm going to place this important thing in this exact spot, so that later, when I'm looking for it I'll find it immediately."

I'm going through the process of unpacking boxes in our new house in Houston. We were blessed enough to have had all of our belongings packed for us in Tulsa, however this has led me to reliance on my memory for the finding of important things. Example: Would my wardrobe be in the box labeled, "Girl's Room" or "Office?" That one is pretty easy, which is why I used it as an example. I'd hate to confuse my readers and lose their interest within paragraph 2.

For smaller, or more random things like, say, my PASSPORT, I'm having a harder time locating. This is due to my habitual need to place things in tricky places, convincing myself that this chosen spot is not only more convenient but also clever and more efficient for my future use. Thanks to certain organized family members of mine, I have started placing smaller things into larger organizing mechanisms such as accordion folders. I then place the organizing units in tricky and mysterious places completely negating its function.

You're probably thinking, "Well, I do that too," however I am convinced that your placement choices cannot be as ridiculous as mine.

When I am searching for a missing item, the quickest way to end my search is by looking in the most random places first: Car keys? Check the blender. Cell phone? Probably in the fruit bowl on the kitchen table. Lap top? You're thinking, "Check the office." Nope, under the couch next to the remote...and other electronics. Where did I put the bag of puppy food? The attic. Gosh, where is my spare tire? That's obvious, when I break down on the highway, it will be conveniently placed next to the tools in my garage.

So, knowing this about myself, I'm sure that I have placed my passport in the most secure spot I could think of prior to the move to Houston. Of course, I can't remember where that spot is. So far, I've torn open every office, extra bedroom, craft room, bathroom, and garage box left unopened. Following that I started checking the kitchen drawers, the pantry, and the stereo cabinets. I've rummaged through every old purse and backpack in the house. I've checked my car several times. I honestly just went and looked amidst the pile of cookbooks...twice thinking I may have missed the brown zip-closed organizing unit in which I previously stored said passport.

From now on, I think I'm just going to make two large piles in my room: Stuff I will need later, and, Stuff I will never need until I've lost it.

Lent without my 'friends'

Turns out there's 24 hours in each day. I discovered this recently by way of my Lenten sacrifice.

I'm typically not a proponent of sharing this type of thing with tons of people, however, the impact it has already made on my basic existence has been so dramatic, that I had to share.

I've given up watching television.

Within the first 15 minutes of 'day one' I went to turn on the television out of sheer habit. Day two ended at 9:30 pm because I ran out of things to do and was bored. It's taken some adjusting and I'm not being a legalist about it: if the TV happens to be on in the waiting room while I'm getting my oil changed I don't plug my ears and recite Psalms.

I've taken up reading like a mad person, and now that my mom and I are officially moved to Houston, I've made more progress in two days on unpacking my room than what I would have in three months had I been watching television.

I've always been a little TV obsessed, but it had gotten out of hand recently as I was in job-limbo land and pretending to be a stay at home mom. My days consisted of my dog and me hanging out with our friends on The View, Ellen, and Oprah.

It hasn't been as difficult to give up TV as what I expected, either. I imagined that from the boredom I would be drawn to the big talking box on regular intervals (particularly when my "friends" were on), but I've found that I can be extremely productive without access to the television. It's truly been incredible how great I feel after a day of complete productivity.

It's the healthiest thing I've done in a while. I can catch the news on the internet, I can take time to do devotionals and read my enriching book, and I have acknowledged the length of the day for the first time in a long time...woot.