my good deed for today

Once again, I would like to direct your attention here. I won't say anything further about this, because here is quite self-explanatory.

something i miss about germany

In Germany, you can buy terribly swell stickers imprinted with the words "Bitte keine Reklame oder kostenlose Zeitungen." This means "No advertisements or free newspapers, please."

Guess where you get to place these ingenious stickers?

That's right, Gentle Reader: You get to place them ON YOUR MAILBOX.

In Germany, companies can get into trouble if your mailbox bears one of these stickers and ads and papers end up inside said mailbox anyway.

THIS PRACTICALLY ELIMINATES JUNK MAIL.

I MISS THAT.

THANK YOU.

griping about pop culture again

Today I decided that TV fads are the entertainment equivalent of a date-drug-rapist who keeps feeding you more booze after he sees that you liked the first drink.

This is only partly tongue-in-cheek. :op

i'm 17 today!

Well, the day is almost over, but I thought I'd still write a brief note to say that 17 years ago today, I became a Christian! The older I get, the more I feel like celebrating this day and not putting as much emphasis on my physical birthday.

After all, why should any congratulate me on my physical birthday? I had nothing to do with it. My mom did all the work--if anyone gets goodies on this day, she should be the one! And my dad should receive congratulations as well, since without him, I wouldn't have happened, either. ;o) As a matter of fact, both my parents deserve kudos (not just on my physical b-day, but on every day of the year!) for raising me the way they did, for being better parents than I ever gave them credit for as a kid, and for showing me what it's like to have strength and faith in God through adversity. I deserve no accolades on my physical birthday. Let it all go to my parents!

And what do I want for my spiritual birthday? Just be happy with me! No matter how crazy my life gets or how down I feel sometimes, I am always happy on a spiritual level (which has nothing to do with my emotions) because I have a relationship and intimate connection with God. That's something to celebrate every day of my life! And I am overjoyed for others to be happy with me on this day.

For today, I want to celebrate that I've been with God for 17 amazing, adventurous, and challenging years. I wouldn't trade them for anything!

P.S. As a somewhat peculiar anecdote, I'll also regale you with the tale that 17 years ago today, I threw up Mexican food and passed out. The End. ;o)

mouth boogers, revisited

In my first post regarding this disgusting dilemma, I promised an update on the mouth booger / toothpaste situation. I've been telling myself recently that I really needed to write that update (since I know you're all dying to hear whether or not my mouth lining is still sloughing dead cells with such great abandon), but I hadn't gotten around to it yet.

However, two things have served to motivate me: first of all, the gift of German toothpaste from Sophia (THANK YOU!!!) a few weeks ago, and secondly, the email I received from Doreen today, in which she expressed an interest in how my mouthbooger-problem-solving is proceeding. (Übrigens, falls ihr beide dies liest: Ihr werdet beide bald von mir persönliche Korrespondenz erhalten, denn endlich funktioniert unser Emailprogramm wieder richtig! Hurra ! Und danke, danke, danke, daß ihr an mich gedacht habt!) (Auch ein großes Dankeschön an alle anderen, die mir in letzter Zeit geschrieben haben, die aber noch keine Antwort erhalten haben. Ich werde bald zurückschreiben!)

Okay, so here's the actual update: Since my original posted complaint, I have experienced no mouth boogers! One might think that the mouth boogers read my diatribe and made haste to depart....but no, it was not my well-wielded sword (i.e. the mighty pen) that drove them away, but, instead, two--count them: TWO--American toothpastes! *gasp!*

The Rembrandt Mint toothpaste I mentioned? Works brilliantly! And Val recommended Tom's of Maine Orange Mango, which not only works splendidly but also tastes yummy! Imagine my delighted surprise when I realized that my mouth-booger days are over!

At least, they're over for now. As I've mentioned before, sometimes I've used a toothpaste for quite awhile before my mouth suddenly rebels for unknown reasons. Against that day, I am saving the Elmex/Aronal that Sophia so generously donated to the cause. That way, if my mouth does decide to reject both Rembrandt and Tom's of Maine, I can whip out my trusty German toothscrubbing pistols and blast those mouth boogers back to the oblivion whence they came!

By the way, I took Excedrin earlier, which contains a lot of caffeine, and which bears sole responsibility for what I think is the rather amusing wordiness of this post.

Thank you.

a culture shock tidbit

Below is my comment on something Allison posted in her blog:

Allison wrote: '...in the past couple days there have been a few instances when I have been waiting at a counter to either order food, ask a question, or pay for an item and I have felt totally lost in the non-order of the situation.... I was frustrated by the time someone finally acknowledged me and had the audacity to ask, "Uhh, do you need something?" (no, I just hang out here for kicks.).......A "bitte schön" would have been nice, but instead, nothing.......I just started talking, uncomfortable but not sure what else to do.'

I quoted all of that because those tidbits are *exactly* what I've been experiencing lately but haven't been able to put into words. THANK YOU, Allison!!!!! It's not that I'm demanding service....but it would be nice if the cashiers and whozits paid at least as much attention to me, the customer, as they do to each other!

Gah!

Helloooooo, culture shock, indeed. ;o)

today's migraine, revisited

The Excedrin never did seem to take effect.

However, I remembered that I still had a few essential oils remaining from the time I used them so frequently a few years back. (I stopped using them because the pure quality was so hard to find in Germany, and I couldn't afford to pay $50 in import tax every time I ordered some from the U.S.)

So a few minutes ago, I went to my stash and read the little pamphlet I have on the uses of some essential oils. I found lavender oil and peppermint oil and massaged some of each into my temples.

The relief was almost immediate. Where the pain-tension radiated outward from the center of my forehead, the cool of the peppermint radiates inward from my temples and seems to ease the pressure. As though someone were loosening that too-tight screw I mentioned in my earlier post.

The pain-tension isn't completely gone, but I am experiencing a definite relief. I'll keep using the peppermint throughout the rest of the day; perhaps it will eventually ease the pain-tension into nothingness.

migraine

Well, based on the title above, perhaps you can guess what it is that currently ails me. :o/ It started yesterday evening. I'm not sure what brought it on (I don't get these very frequently, so I'm never sure of exactly what brings them on), but it could've been too much coffee, not enough food, too much cinnamon, or a combination of any or all of those. Or something of which I've not yet become aware.

I thought that nine hours of sleep would take care of this, but it didn't. I woke up with it, and in spite of two Excedrin, I still have it. I'm hoping the Excedrin will still kick in; in the meantime, I am very frustrated and trying to stay as still as possible. My parents brought over three large bookshelves yesterday, and I was looking forward to organizing all our books today. So much for that idea. If the Excedrin does its job, perhaps I'll still be able to pursue that quest. I hope.

Perhaps you're wondering what I'm doing, blopgosting when I have a migraine. Well, I shouldn't be blopgosting, but I wanted to make note of my migrainal impressions while they're current, just for future reference:

--What pain I have is centered in my forehead, radiating out toward my temples.

--My face also hurts a bit, but this is painful pressure related to chronic sinusitis.

--There might be a connection between the sinus pain and the migraine; using nose spray seemed to lessen the pain a little bit yesterday evening.

--I don't actually have a lot of migraine pain. The migraine manifests itself more as a nearly unbearable tension behind my forehead and my eyes, as though everything behind forehead and eyes were slowly solidifying. Or like a screw being over-tightened, millimeter by millimeter.

--When I'm lying flat, I slowly start to feel better. Getting up and moving around causes me to start feeling weak and shaky and elicits an ominous churning in my stomach.

--My eyes are light-sensitive right now. They don't like direct sunlight, and they prefer not being in indirect sunlight, either. However, the indirect light doesn't cause an increase in pain, just a slight increase in that funny tense feeling.

--Speaking of stomach, I was hungry when I got up, but my appetite didn't survive past a few bites of cereal with walnuts and banana (my usual breakfast). I forced myself to eat more, so that I'd have food in my stomach when taking the Excedrin.

--Yesterday evening, I first knew the migraine was coming on when I started seeing these faint, snaky, shimmering lines around the lower edges of my vision. (I have seen these often before, but they're not always connected with pain/weird tension.)

--My sinusitis always flares up when the weather changes (whether it's changing from cold to warm or from warm to cold). I'm wondering if this migraine might also be a reaction to the radical weather changes of the last five days.

That's all for now. I'm gonna close my eyes for awhile.

boundaries

I'm thinking about how unfortunate it is that one person will often promise another person something regarding a third person's behavior. As in, Igor will promise Sam that Detlef will do such-and-such, even though Igor has not previously checked with Detlef about said action. So when ignorant Detlef doesn't do what Igor promised, Sam is disappointed in Detlef and angry with Igor; Igor is on the defensive; and poor Detlef doesn't have a clue what's going on.

Just FYI, I'm not upset about any particular situation; I'm just making some general observations based on some good conversations I had with various people today.

Anyway, the point is:

(A) We each must take responsibility for our own behavior.
(B) We each must allow others to take responsibility for their behavior.
(C) We are disrespecting ourselves and others when we don't follow (A) and (B).

Especially if you have ever been Detlef or Sam, I think you will agree with the validity of these points. You might have a problem with them if you tend more toward being an Igor. ;o)

Not trying to ruffle feathers, just notating some thoughts. ;o)

a linguistic aside

Just a couple of minor points, and then I really am going to bed:

-- Why is it that when I take my desk apart, I dismantle it,
but I do not mantle it by putting it back together again?

-- The phrase "misty-eyed" takes on a whole new meaning when one knows that "Mist" means "dung" in German. ;oD

barbeque-bolstered blatherings

So. Me, I'm up past my bedtime. Yes, shocking as I know it is, I have had a self-imposed bedtime lately. My eventual goal is to be in bed early enough, regularly enough, so as to be able to start my day no later than 7:30 a.m. Some of you, reading this, won't believe that's possible for me to accomplish. But, you naysayers, heed me well: During spring and summer of 2007, I was up nearly every weekday morning at 7:15, and outside running by 7:30. There's no reason I can't work back up to that. I've already been running three times within the last week.

I would've gone this morning, too, but the high Oklahoma wind whistling through my window deterred me. Instead, during the course of my day, I maneuvered furniture around the apartment again and dismantled, moved, and reassembled my 200 lb. desk for the third time.

What started this tangent? Oh yes, my current state of staying-up-late-ness. This evening, Ed and I moseyed across the street to try out this little barbeque joint we've been admiring over the last few weeks. It was yummy (though I'll order Ed's catfish next time instead of the processed turkey meat I so erroneously saw fit to consume), I ate too much, and now I am still digesting. My system is so weird and slow. Other people can eat a big meal and feel fine an hour later; me, I feel full and bloated and gross more than five hours later (i.e. *now*).

Sometimes, if I go to bed on a full stomach after eating too much, I wake up in the middle of the night and have one of my bizarre passing-out spells on the floor of the bathroom. The last one was....when? a few months ago, I think? It was in Dresden, anyway. Ed had to carry me to the bathroom in the middle of the night because I couldn't stand up (there was more involved here than possible loss of consciousness, but believe me, you don't want the gory details) while Randy blazed a trail for us by opening all the doors wide enough for Ed to move through quickly. Thankfully, I didn't pass out at this time

("She doesn't get eaten by the eels at this time...The eel doesn't get her. I'm explaining to you because you look nervous." ;o)

but it was only because Ed was talking to me, and the tile floor I lay on was so cold, giving me something to concentrate on. God watches over me, because I have never had one of these spells when I was alone. I don't know how I would get through one of these without someone with me, helping me stay conscious.

Anyway...I kinda try to avoid having these episodes if at all possible. ;o) At least nowadays, I have a vague inkling of a conceptual hypothesis of what might bring them on: It usually seems to be connected to digestive issues; and sometimes, specifically, to overeating in the evenings. So, a logically thinking person might assume that I would avoid overeating in the evenings. Well, I generally try to avoid overeating at all times. Especially during the evenings.

But sometimes, I am stupid. Sometimes, I forget. Times like tonight.

So here I am at one o'clock in the morning, rambling incoherently into my blog about indigestion and passing out, waiting for my body to let me know it's okay to go to bed. I think it'll need about half an hour more. Don't ask me how I know; it just feels that way.

Have fun storming the castle!

new year's resolution

I will be more connected to Jesus in 2008 than I was in 2007.

Wherever you are, I hope you'll see many blessings during the next year of your life!

i am up to my old tricks...

...of staying up till all hours of the night. Or the wee hours of the morn, if you will. Or even if you won't. Either way, I've gotta get out of this nightowl routine again, or I'm never gonna get adjusted over here.

Speaking of adjusting, here's a funny thing, if you think this kind of thing is funny: While we lived in Chemnitz, I spent September through May of every year feeling almost unbearably cold, especially where the temperature of my poor footsies was concerned. No matter how much I bundled up, I was usually cold. The acquisition of a hot water bottle a few years ago was a great help, but I had to keep it filled with almost boiling water at all times, otherwise it was useless. ("The boy's Eustace, m'lord!" "'Useless'? I dare say he is!") So most of the time, I simply bundled up and froze and made sure as many people as possible were aware of my utter misery. (Sorry, friends.)

Since we've been here in OKC, I haven't been cold. At least, not as bone-deep, ice cold as I usually am this time of year. This is partially due to the fact that the weather here is a bit warmer than in Chemnitz, and partially due to the central heating prevalent in this part of the country. In most places here, including in my own apartment, I have been warm to the point of feeling uncomfortable.

Until this morning.

Yesterday, when I started unpacking boxes, I got too warm. The sun was shining outside, so the apartment got pretty toasty as the day wore on. Finally, I just switched the heating system off, and it has been off ever since. Today, I even had the windows open, so as to create a through-train (draft). Yup. On purpose.

Okay, now here's the funny thing: This morning (or, rather, yesterday morning, since it is already the 20th), while sitting at breakfast, I got cold.

And I liked it.

Because it felt like home.

hooked on blogics

Here we have it, folks. The official diagnosis:

85%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Yes, I am addicted.

And no, I don't want to quit. ;o)

driving in my new apartment (or: books really swing my verge)

Today, Gentle Readers, I am executing three-point turns in my living room. Except that instead of driving a car, I am shoving bookshelves around, and instead of edging around parked cars, I am maneuvering around Leaning Towers of Boxes.

Yup! Our shipment has arrived! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The movers brought everything yesterday, and now I sit in what seems, on the surface, to be utter chaos, but upon further inspection reveals itself instead to be utter chaos. ;o) This morning, I wanted to get a really good start at unpacking and finding places for things....but, to my dismay, I discovered that I hadn't a clue where to start. Ed was looking for something in particular last night, so I thought I'd apply myself to the task of uncovering the something's location...but the 'how' of this endeavor was a mystery and remains so even now.

Finally, I decided that I wasn't going to find anything specific (the rest of our towels and bedding would be nice) until I just started unpacking boxes at random. However, even starting at random proved to be a challenge. Ed came home briefly for lunch, and by then I was nearly in tears. He commiserated, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do at that point besides give me a hug and say that he wished he could stay. I wished that, too.

After he left, I was determined to keep the tears at bay, so I began delving into cardboard depths. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a plethora of books and a tiny reindeer!

Um...minus the reindeer.

But that, in brief, is The Story Of How I Conquered Today's Demons: As I've done so often in the past, I found my refuge in books. A total escape mechanism, but considering the circumstances, I'm okay with that right now. I have unpacked 13 boxes of books so far, and there are about 8 more to go. The rest of the afternoon should go fairly well.

What's comforting to me is that particular characteristic of books that has always comforted me: Books are entire worlds compacted neatly into something you can grasp, deal with, survey, and compartmentalize with ease. These convenient, well-organized universes are particularly appealing to me right now, since my own world is currently so disorganized, intangible, disoriented, and incomprehensible. If I can't quite get grip on my own universe right now, and least I can take these small, compact universes and put them in bookshelves, where I know they belong and will rest secure and unscattered. I look at them, tucked safely away on their shelves, and I feel much more at peace and relaxed than I did this morning. I have made sense of a tiny part of the chaos. Woman has triumphed! ;o)

Like I said, this is very much a psychological escape method (as well as a human construct), but I *know* that this is what it is, I recognize it for what it is, so I feel comfortable with allowing myself to indulge in this kind of retreat. I think that for now, it's what I need.

More later...since our apartment now has Internet access! Yay!

religion is good for kids?!!

According to this article (at livescience.com), religion is actually good for kids. Huh. What an enlightening fact. ;o) Here are a few article excerpts, with my comments:

Study: Religion is Good for Kids
By Melinda Wenner, Special to LiveScience
posted: 24 April 2007 09:39 am ET

'The kids whose parents regularly attended religious services—-especially when both parents did so frequently—-and talked with their kids about religion were rated by both parents and teachers as having better self-control, social skills and approaches to learning than kids with non-religious parents.'

There are those who support taking all religious influences out of the lives of all children. I wonder if secular, scientific studies such as this one have any bearing on the belief systems of these anti-religious individuals. They pay heed to other scientific studies--do they selectively edit which studies they will allow to form their worldview? Their faith? Because, like it or not, a refusal not to believe in a deity is as much a faith position as is the choice to believe in a deity.

'[John Bartkowski, a Mississippi State University sociologist] thinks religion can be good for kids for three reasons. First, religious networks provide social support to parents, he said, and this can improve their parenting skills.

'...Secondly, the types of values and norms that circulate in religious congregations tend to be self-sacrificing and pro-family, Bartkowski told LiveScience. These “could be very, very important in shaping how parents relate to their kids, and then how children develop in response,” he said.'

I'm glad that this researcher has come to this conclusion. I simply don't understand why it takes a scientific study before humans will recognize the things that quite a few religions have been teaching for millennia.

'Finally, religious organizations imbue parenting with sacred meaning and significance, he said.

'University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox, who was not involved in the study, agrees.'

If all parents could come to see that their responsibility and right to parent comes from a higher source, what kind of dramatic and wonderful change might come over societies worldwide? Of course, I am speaking from a completely idealistic standpoint....but just imagine the amazing and beautiful changes that would occur! No more abuse, no more authoritarianism, no more lack of nurture, no more lack of discipline, no more lack of love...

'But as for why religious organizations might provide more of a boost to family life than secular organizations designed to do the same thing, that’s still somewhat of a mystery, said Annette Mahoney, a psychologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, also not involved in the research. Mahoney wondered: “Is there anything about religion and spirituality that sets it apart?”' (emphasis added)

Yes. Exactly.

'It’s also possible that the correlation between religion and child development is the other way around, [Bartkowski] said. In other words, instead of religion [sic] having a positive effect on youth, maybe the parents of only the best behaved children feel comfortable in a religious congregation.'

Umm....I don't think so. (Just speaking from personal observation!) ;o}

Food for thought, dear neighbors!

my secret recalcitrant side

I just read this phrase online somewhere, and I've decided that this is a good description of an aspect of my personality: a secret recalcitrant side. Of course, some might claim that it's not so secret; that they see this side of me quite frequently. And to those most learnéd souls, I must reply: You are absolutely right.

However, I also think that that to which you are referring is my occasionally self-revealing streak of obnoxious obstinacy.

My true, secret recalcitrant side? I don't think you've seen that yet. At least, most of you probably haven't.

There's really no other point to this post other than to say that I like that phrase and that I think it applies to me. I guess I could go into detail on just how my secret recalcitrant side manifests itself, but then it would no longer be secret, now would it? And then there really would be no point to this post.

mouth boogers!

Okay, so I Googled a problem I've been having off and on for years, and the best term I've found that others are using is "mouth boogers." Gross as that is, I'm just gonna call it that because it amuses me.

Over the years, I've noticed that if I use certain toothpastes at night, I wake up the next morning with goo in my mouth, as though the top layer of skin on the insides of my cheeks and lips had sloughed off. (Please note that "slough" is spelled "slough" and not "sluff." Thank you.) Anyway, I figured out from the get-go that it was related to toothpaste and that I wasn't diseased or anything like that.

So, my solution has always been to find a toothpaste that doesn't do this but also gets my teeth clean (not always an available combination), and then stick with it. The best one I'd found was Arm & Hammer Dental Care Baking Soda Toothpaste.

Unfortunately, a few years ago, Arm & Hammer jumped on the teeth-whitening bandwagon and started selling only peroxide-laden, teeth-whitening toothpastes. The good ol', simple, just-get-your-teeth-clean paste is no longer to be found. Bad news for me, because I've discovered that ***every single brand*** of whitening toothpaste causes sloughing on the inside of my mouth ( --> mouth boogers!). So ever since the plain Arm & Hammer disappeared from stores, I've been on the hunt for a toothpaste that works for me.

I mention peroxide as one source of the problem, but the sloughing happens even with toothpastes that don't contain peroxide, so I don't know what ingredient it is that causes it. But whatever the ingredient is, it seems I'm severely allergic to it.

I've tried off-brand, "natural" toothpastes, but although they are not given to causing mouth boogers, they are also not given to getting my teeth clean.

The problem is that sometimes, I'll buy a toothpaste and use it for a week before the sloughing starts again. I finally found a brand in Germany that I could use (the Elmex/Aronal combo), but since I ran out of my German stuff, I've been looking for something here that I can use. I've tried Ed's German Blendi, but that was a no-go. I've tried the plainest Colgate I could find, but that lasted only two days before the mouth boogers were back to party again.

What frustrates me is that nowadays, you can't find just plain, no-frills toothpaste anymore. Everything is "extra-whitening-action" this and "special-tartar-control" that. Any day, I'm expecting to find a toothpaste that will get up and dance a jig for you while you're brushing. I'm thinking of making my own baking soda / salt mixture and just using that for the rest of my life.

Last night, I tried Rembrandt's plain mint toothpaste, and so far so good. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. Right now I'm also trying Crest Whitening Strips, just for the fun of it, and I've discovered that I can only use them once a day instead of the recommended twice, because if I use them twice, my teeth hurt like someone's drilling holes. Can we say 'overly sensitive'?!?

elvis is my friend

So, in Matt's livingroom is a life-size cardboard cut-out of Elvis. The King and I have spent a lot of time together lately, since Ed takes the car to work every day and there's no bus. I've asked him (Elvis, in this case, not Ed; although I occasionally ask Ed, too) to sing for me, but so far, he has not deigned to oblige.

Anyway, that's not why I'm writing this. I'm writing this to announce that, in case you haven't heard, Ed and I have an apartment! We got the keys on Thursday, and my parents helped us move in the few items of furniture we stored at my grandparents' six years ago. We're not actually living there yet, because we first had to get the electricity turned on, and then we went to Ed's family reunion over the weekend, so it hasn't been feasible to move over there yet.

Here's a funny thing, though, in case I haven't mentioned it yet (which I can't remember whether or not I did): Our new apartment is in the same apartment complex that we lived in before we moved to Chemnitz! And not only that, but the new apartment is right next door to the old one! It kinda weirded me out to walk into the new one: It's an exact mirror image of the old one. I'll have to be careful not to try going into the neighbor's apartment thinking it's mine. ;o)

Ed's family reunion on Saturday was lots of fun, if a mite overwhelming. There were 80 people there! In my family, it'd be unusual to have half that number. I'm culture-shocking anyway, but I really had to remind myself that being in a crowd wasn't a bad thing and that I didn't need to get upset about it. So I had a good time instead and was glad to be there. Ed's rough biker uncle dressed up as Santa and handed out candy canes to all the kids, and Ed sat on his lap, and much laughter ensued.

And once again, it was very nice to say bye to Ed's folks, to his sister and her kids, and to say 'see you soon' and have it be true. It won't be another two or three years before we see them again, and I am truly thankful for that.

I think we'll continue the moving-in process tomorrow evening, though I don't know yet when we'll move over for good and let Matt have his house back. ;o) It'll be before the end of the week, anyway.

In the meantime, I think I'll try to woo Elvis by buying him a nice string of beads.

P.S. The first time I heard U2's "Mysterious Ways," I was on a bus on a clas trip to Köln. I just thought I'd mention that.

how to kill a chocolate bunny

Funny.

Morbid.

But funny.

(Don't be fooled by my calm demeanor. I'm sitting in an empty house, totally cracking up.)

Find out how to kill a chocolate bunny.