sometimes i feel like i get sucked into the whole listener-friend role too far. i know it's something i have patience for and that i enjoy, but every once in a while it feels like that's all i do. i listen to people at work. i give them space, i give them time, i give them the best advice i can. then some days it feels like i come home and do the same with friends. it gets hard for me and becomes very frustrating when i try to switch roles when i get home. every now and then a girl just needs somebody to listen with enthusiasm to the things she has to say - silly or significant.
thursday night i went to my first social justice committee meeting. it was a pretty ineresting mix of people, each with their own very personal reasons for the being there. we discussed the beatitudes (blessed are the poor in spirit, etc.) and i saw it all in a new light. there was a lot of emphasis on coming into the ministry humbly with the intent of working with the poor as equals and not as their saviors. i really like the idea of what i'll be doing through the committee - i.e. helping people get their citizenship, assisting people with affordable housing and just generally working for justice in the community. until now i've basically just talked and thought about those issues, so it's time to step up and do my part. we'll see how well i do at this one....
other exciting events in my life include orly's visit this weekend. last night we went to her little sister's birthday party. walking up to the house we already felt old and had labeled ourselves the babysitters for the night. once we got inside, we situated ourselves on the couch to watch the drama that is a college party unfold. about 10 minutes into it, orly's sister came up and told us that one of her friends had said, "what's with the couch crew? it's like they're just staring at everybody." she has some very perceptive friends. we left shortly after.
in the realm of work, i've found that it could be a doorway to my next relationship. a mentally ill woman, who sounded like she's off her medication, asked me out on a date after calling me names throughout her call. she just wanted to get a drink. a coke. not a coca cola, but a soda. i told her i had to get off the phone so i could help her. she told me i hope i'd starve. it was so sweet and fairly accurately reflects my current romantic prospects. it's pretty sweet.
soccer (with the lamest team name in the history of man) starts in a couple of weeks, i'll be sure and relay the play by play action for you all on a weekly basis!
since we've had such crap weather lately, i've had plenty of time to spend worrying about important things. for instance, i've come to notice all of my little quirks recently, like following a very strict morning routine. i'm such an absent-minded moron that if i don't do everything in a certain order, i'll end up getting out of the shower with conditioner still in my hair or leaving the house without deodorant. a couple of my closest friends were actually pretty surprised to learn that about me. it's funny even to me that i need such specific patterns of behavior to keep my life organized, but at the same time i need change in my life every few months or i go crazy.
i've also come to realize just how much my life is reflected in the films i watch. two examples: legends of the fall and stomp the yard. much like brad pitt's character tristan, i too am my parents' middle and favorite child who is destined to be a legend. and then who could forget the time i fought a bear and when i travelled around the world on a sailboat. still, i could closely relate to the main character in stomp the yard, dj. i also tragically lost a sibling during a fight immediately following a dance off. fortunately, i had the luck of being courted by two of my university's most respected greek organizations because of my dancing skills. battling in step competitions is challenging because they don't really give me the freedom to incorporate all of my street style, but a the same time, it's more rewarding than i would've ever imagined. i hope you too have the blessing of seeing your life mirrored on the big screen.
those of you that know me personally are well aware of innumberable examples of that fact. however, i'd like to share some of the most recent evidence that has come to light. perhaps in chronological order?
1. i went rock climbing. i know what you're thinking. "that's not dorky, that's adventurous and brave and awesome." you would be right in any case other than mine. i wore my rosie the riveter shirt, the irony of which my companion was more than happy to point out to me as i almost cried about COMING BACK DOWN. going up i wasn't so much scared, but the whole leaning all the way back and trusting the guy on the ground (who had been playing with his cell phone and asking me how his arms looked) thing just wasn't working for me at first. i got over it, but looked like a complete moron for about 10 minutes of it. anyway, it was fun and i'd love to find someone new (since the man that introduced me to it has moved far away) that can take me again and provide me gear and make sure i don't die. any takers?
2. i talked my family into making brussell sprouts with christmas dinner. i actually requested and then pestered for them to be added to the delicious menu of prime rib. de-lish and l-ame.
3. tess and i went shooting at an indoor range today. being the cool girl that i am, i had to go for the 9 millimeter. sounds powerful and assertive, yes? no. not when the casings fly back and hit you in the face and leave little black circles of soot all over your face. and most definitely not when one flies back and hits you in the chest and leaves a burn so bad that you get a blister. honestly though, i kinda hope it scars. how kick ass would it be to say i got the scar from shooting my 9? no? ok, maybe not.
4. pretty much none of my jokes are funny. they're just dumb. which begs the question, why do people laugh at me? (no answer needed, think i just figured that one out.)
that's all for now. there are some big things in the works for me right now. possibly getting on an inter-faith committee focused on social justice (workers' rights, immigration, etc.) and then something else that may be the biggest decision i've ever made. don't want to jinx myself though by throwing it all out there. just keep your fingers crossed for me.
i promise to update more often than i have been. just trying not get on here and right about work and all of that depression.
