|
 |
|
||
|
Friday, February 28, 2003
I have noticed an interesting side-effect of the Blogger-Google merger (or is it the Google-Blogger merger?). Has anyone else noticed that the Blog*Spot ads at the top of blogs now are indexed to coordinate with the content of the blog under it? It's kinda cool, in a way, and a very good strategic marketing decision on someone's part. It's good to know that, if there has to be advertising on your blog, that it is unlikely to be for some sleazy, get-rich-quick scheme (unless, of course, Google scans for the phrase "get-rich-quick", in which case I'm likely to be advertising work from home opportunities for a while. :^P ). On a related topic, I'm having so much fun with my new counter. First of all, it actually works. My previous counter, Sitemeter, has told me every week since I changed my template that I was getting only one visit per week, sometimes two. I got more comments than that, so I knew that wasn't right. In the two days since I installed the new counter, it has registered 34 hits. More to the point of the segue, the stats part of the site is much easier for me to use, and there is a section that tells you where your site referrals are coming from. Yesterday I got a hit off of a Google search: "Joe Millionaire fonts". It's just so amusing what people will search for on the net. Reading some other folks' sites, I hear of much stranger things being searched for. Andrew will be proud of me: I actually did some housework today, but not so much as I maybe should have. Tomorrow will be a much busier day. I plan to get up early and do laundry before going to the "Thing" tomorrow afternoon. I'm really looking forward to the "Thing", first because I just like getting together with people, and secondly because this will be a step of faith for us as a community. I would say something like "going to the next level", but I'm trying to rid myself of the language of modernism. In post-modernism, there are no levels. Anyway, it will be a good time. posted by #Debi at 6:05 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Thursday, February 27, 2003 Well, I've been putting my time off on my 4-day weekend to good use so far. Laundry, you say? Housecleaning, maybe? NO! I've been working (playing) on the site, here. I finally broke down and bought Fetch, a program for putting pictures on the web, so I put up one of my favorite photos from the trip to Natural Bridge back in the summer. I'm not sure why the font for the caption is different from the rest of the site--I'll have to contact my web designer to help me figure it out. I guess if that's the worst thing I do to this site, I'm doing OK. I also added a new gadget, my guest map. I expect everyone to put their little pin in so that the whole world can see how many cool people I know from all over! :^) We had a great time last night at "church". I put that in quotes because a good deal of time was spent in deciding what we call what we do. Apparently the once-a-month large group meetings are to be called gatherings, which is what I'd been calling our once-weekly meetings. So now I don't know what to call the weekly things. I must have boundaries and definitions!! Also, I finally got to meet the Kyle and the Jesse, two of Matt's friends. Jesse, if you have a site and you deign to read this, let me know about it so I can link you. We also had Pete and Trudi Matthews and their kids there, so it was a very big blast. Pete and Matt (and Alan) played instruments and we sang some worship songs for a little practice for Saturday night's "Thing", then we had a little time of "Name That Tune", mostly '80's songs and Beatles tunes. Oh, yeah, and lots of food! We're the eatin'est bunch of folks! I was maybe a little slap-happy because it was my last day at work until Monday. But, hey, it was fun, and that's the important thing, right? posted by #Debi at 12:57 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Sunday, February 23, 2003 I just finished watching "The Matrix" on DVD. It's only the second time I've seen it, and I enjoyed it thoroughly each time. I rented it because I know the new one(s) are coming out in a couple of months or so, and I wanted to refresh my memory of the first one. One of these days I'm gonna buy this for my collection. It's kinda funny that the first time I watched this, I had to be talked into it by a friend who really thought I would enjoy it. I thought that it would totally be something I would hate, because I usually don't get into "Terminator"-type movies, which is what I thought "Matrix" was. It's a very deep movie, with lots of layers to explore, and in case you haven't figured it out yet, I recommend it very highly. Speaking of layers, the movie reminded me of the CQOD for today: "Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded by them, and even to be understood by them. We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig, we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides." There is supposed to be more of this quote in tomorrow's email.
posted by #Debi at 11:52 AM | permalink |
0 comments | Saturday, February 22, 2003 Just when you thought I was done with quizzes for a while:
Take the test, by Emily. you are the french peas. you have a fabulous accent. you are sarcastic. you are the best.Thanks to Bene Diction.posted by #Debi at 10:14 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Thursday, February 20, 2003 (Cue the "Twilight Zone" theme) Wow. That was pretty weird--I just visited my site to check my comments (no one ever comments anymore!) and my blog was gone! I was freakin' out just a little bit and called Alan for advice, and he noticed that Jason Evans and Andrew Careaga were gone as well. I thought, at least if I'm disappeared, I'm in good company. :^) But then I got the idea to try and log in and post, and that seemed to do it. So, I'm back. I just checked and Andrew and Jason are back, too. How bizarre! posted by #Debi at 10:24 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Monday, February 17, 2003 Aaaaaahhhh...... I'm back to gettin' my "fix." My land line phone has been in and out for the last two days, due to an ice storm that hit Kentucky Saturday night. My power was out from about 3:15 AM to 7:30AM Sunday morning, so I wasn't affected too much by the power outage. Thank God that I am warm and dry and have adequate power to cook, etc. However, the phone line being out meant I couldn't blog or surf on Sunday! I found out just how spoiled I am. Matt and his housemate, Joseph, ended up spending the night at the Creeches', due to the fact that they have no power and their basement is flooded. It appears that they will end up there again tonight, as well. The authorities are saying that it could be several days before everyone gets electricity and phone service back. Most of the shelters in town are full to capacity, and so are most of the hotels. I have begun to hear tales of price-gouging of fuel and heaters by a couple of local merchants. Anyone inclined to do so, please pray for Lexington and its residents. I wish I had a digital camera so that I could take pictures of all the downed trees all covered in ice. There's a kind of wild, savage beauty to them. Even as you look at all the damage and realize what a mess it is, there's just an awesomeness as well. A light dusting of snow fell last night, so all the frozen trees look frosty white and twisted. It's pretty cool if you're not a homeowner with a smashed car underneath. My parents, up in Eastern KY, are dealing with a different scenario. There are lots of flooded areas where they live, and people displaced because of high water. Thank God my folks' house is in an elevated area and they have no basement, but my aunt's house just a few miles down the road is flooded. So it's not so pretty anywhere you go around here right now. I wanted especially to blog yesterday because I wanted to share with you a post from Laurie Chalmers' blog, where she shares a forwarded email she received the other day. You know the type, where someone sends it to all their friends and then they send it to all their friends, etc. Usually the ones like this that I get are kinda cheesy, and you may think this one is, too, but I was struck by it. So I'm sharing it. Here's an excerpt: "...the three kids and I were in the very front row, and had an extraordinary experience with President Bush. Bush came along and shook Chris's hand first, noticing that he was all dressed up, and said, "You're looking sharp today, boy!" Chris was SO PROUD and SO PLEASED at the recognition (if only GW had known what a struggle I'd had to get him to wear a jacket and a tie)! Then he shook my hand and I told him how much we value his strong leadership at this time, that we are 100% behind him. He went on and took the girls' hands and talked to them. Then I leaned over and mentioned that we pray for him every day. He stopped dead in his tracks (a definite security NO-NO... the SS men got REAL Yantsy). He searched my eyes as if to see how much I really meant what I was saying. Then he gave me the most amazing and unexpected personal response, Paul said for a good 20-30 seconds. He told me what the effect has been on him, waking up every day of the crisis and knowing within himself that he is being faithfully prayed for. He almost pleaded with me not to give up, but to persist with it, for this is only the beginning. Then he looked me even more squarely in my eyes, and gave me a very personal and specific series of instructions about the very things he most needs prayer for, on behalf of himself and of the nation." I know there are probably people out there who think that I'm just a GWB groupie at this point, and maybe I am. Maybe I just so desperately want for us to finally be led by a man that takes God into account even the tiniest bit before acting, that I am making GWB into something that he isn't. Reading things like this, though, I really don't think so. posted by #Debi at 6:43 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Saturday, February 15, 2003 In my quest to do anything today to avoid going to the gym, I have finally taken the Hale Online version of the Myers Briggs personality test. Turns out I'm an ESTP. Here's what that means: "You're action-oriented...pragmatic (look it up!)...outgoing and realistic. In situations that require resourcefulness, you use your quickness and flexibility to find the most efficient route to accomplishing whatever needs to be done. You are lively....entertaining...fun...like to be where the action is.... like to participate fully in what's going on.... you are direct with your comments and don't mince words.... you are at your best in situations that require an orientation to the present and a direct, no-nonsense practical approach. You're active, easygoing, and spontaneous...extremely realistic...curious and keen observers...charming and popular...you're outgoing, versatile and have an endless supply of jokes and stories for whatever situation you find yourself in...ok, you're funny too! You can be good at easing a tense situation... You like(d) school because it gives/gave you a place to meet friends and to be involved in activities. Oh, yeah. Education and academics were there too, but you don't care so much about THAT. You're action-oriented...likely to be on a sports team or other after school activities. You'd rather DO something rather than read about others doing activities. You like hands-on experience...you like it when expectations are realistic and when the explanations for a task are clear. You like teachers that are entertaining and make learning fun and active. You like crises 'cause you can dive right in and fix things. You like to make things happen quickly.... you're willing to take risks, aintcha? You can take charge readily, ESPECIALLY in crises...you can react and make it work...you love leisure and kicking back...you're probably involved in sports, as a fan if not a player... You're a daredevil at times...as a fan, you're pretty animated and excitable. you like collecting things related to a hobby...you like people who "live on the edge." A perfect partner for romance would be one you can do fun things with...sharing life's up and downs...you like to use your persuasive-ness and fun-loving nature to win over the opposite sex... You don't like dull routine, even in your relationships....it makes you feel confined...you're pretty straightforward with the relationship, including recognizing when it's over.... Watch out for these things, though...don't over-rely on improvisation.. while you might like putting out those fires, that's no reason to create an emergency...you'll just overload from stress...don't sacrifice follow-through in your work to meet the problems of the moment...don't get too focussed on material things and ignore the things that count, like other people...stop being so blunt and direct! Think about others' feelings... ESTP: 'Everyone Seems Too Proper'" Yeah, that's fairly accurate. I was kinda concerned about the accuracy of a "scientific" personality test consisting of only 4 questions, but they pack a bunch of stuff into those 4 questions. I've seen on other blogs what category some other folks fall into, but I'd be interested in hearing from some of you as to how we may be different or similar. It may help me in my "online etiquette" to know where y'all are comin' from, if you know what I mean.
posted by #Debi at 2:57 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Sometimes you are reminded that there truly is nothing new under the sun. Today's Christian Quote of the Day offering: "Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world; that in all things that shall happen I may have an evenness and tranquility of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to thy divine will and pleasure, never murmuring at thy gentle chastisements and fatherly correction; never waxing proud and insolent, though I feel a torrent of comforts and prosperous successes." ~Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667), Holy Living Amen.
posted by #Debi at 9:17 AM | permalink |
0 comments | Tuesday, February 11, 2003 Something's got to give, and soon. It's only Tuesday, and already I've had 2 verbal confrontations with co-workers. Over stupid, tiny stuff. I am just not my usual perky self--I'm exhausted! We are on overtime again this week, and into the forseeable future. This is the point where the balance has to come in between the "good money" and the "too tired to spend it." I cancelled my plans for the gym tonight because I'm just too mentally fried to concentrate on the machines and the thought of all that noise and all those people just overwhelms me. I haven't been to the grocery store for over a week, except just to grab what I can think of at that particular moment, so I get food for lunches, but forget toothpaste or something like that. (OK, I'm on the verge of descending into whine mode, so I'll change the subject quickly.) Anyway, if anybody out there happens to think of me, pray for me, will ya? Oh, yeah, you might want to pray for my co-workers, too. :^) I got home tonight and found in the mail a Valentine's card from my Mom and Dad (ok, from my mom, but she signed both names to it). The choice of card will tell you where my sense of humor comes from. It says: (outside)"Happy Valentine's Day, Daughter--You have superior brains, superior charm, and superior looks...(inside)...and of course, superior parents." All true, of course. :^) I still haven't sat down and watched President Bush's state of the union speech. I taped it that night, but wanted to watch it when I had time to really absorb all he had to say. That time has not yet come. I need to do it soon, because I know there's some really good stuff in there. BTW, in case anyone is not certain of my stand, I am a huge fan of GWB. I think that he has the most integrity and genuine faith of any president in recent history. He is certainly a big breath of fresh air compared to Clinton. I'm still working out the whole war issue, but am leaning on the side of getting it over with. I think that I won't say any more on that subject until I have more information. I think that war with Iraq is inevitable, and delay only gives Hussein a chance to do as he did before, putting innocent people at risk by placing them, against their will, in strategic positions. Anyway, I did say that I wouldn't talk so much about that right now. In my current mood, I might say something I don't really mean. posted by #Debi at 7:46 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Saturday, February 08, 2003 Wow. I just found this post on a blog called Calvin, Hobbes, and Jesus, by way of Josh Sargent. It speaks to me of where life (or God) seems to be leading me. Here's a sample: "...Jesus is asking, follow.. leave those you love. mother and father. brothers and sisters. good friends. so near your heart. leave your education. career. aspirations. leave your expectations and your pride. leave your hopes. your dreams. leave your passions and loves behind. leave the life. the one you have worked so hard to preserve. the one that is comfortable. the one that is safe. the one that shelters from poverty. the one that secures the years to come. leave. and come.. follow." This is something that I will have to peel back the layers on.... posted by #Debi at 11:36 PM | permalink |
0 comments | I just finished creating a new folder in my bookmarks files, entitled "blog purgatory". No, seriously. In it I put all the bookmarks of blogs I initially thought were interesting but then have only visited once or twice since I bookmarked them. Also included are blogs that I originally visited several times, but haven't visited in a long while, either because the thread has gone in a different direction and it no longer interests me, or the blogger hasn't updated in forever, or I've just lost interest due to the sheer number of blogs in my bookmark list. I will also put new finds in here, until I've had a chance to figure out if I'm going to become a regular visitor. I hope this doesn't sound incredibly arrogant or anything--to give you an idea of what I'm up against, there are now 32 blogs in "blog purgatory". There are also 28 blogs in my regular blog bookmark folder that I can't seem to part with. This is merely a means to manage my "addiction." With 60 blogs total bookmarked, it's overwhelming to try to visit them all every day or even every week. Over the next couple of months, I plan to visit at least one of the "purgatory blogs" each week and evaluate it. Just like the concept of "regular" purgatory, the blogs there won't stay there forever--some may come back to the regular file, but hopefully I will eventually part with a good number of them for the sake of my sanity. God help me get a handle on this thing! :^) posted by #Debi at 6:12 PM | permalink |
0 comments | It's been a very long week. I got home from work a couple of hours ago, then went back out to go to the gym. I had an appointment with one of the guys who was going to show me how to use the machines and give me a workout plan. He did show me how to use the machines, but didn't have the workout plan ready because he said he wanted to consult with the dietitian, Adriana, and give me a whole "packet" to go by for diet and exercise. So, all I really did at the gym today was use the treadmill for a while. I told Mike I'd be back Tuesday night for the workout plan. I wish I'd been able to get it today--I'm kind of an "impulse" person, and when I decide to do something but then can't do it right away, I get frustrated and discouraged. I am determined to follow through with this fitness thing, though, so I refuse to let the frustration wear at me. All in all, I worked 13 hours of OT this week, with more promised for next week. The money's good, but I've been pretty tired all week. I told Mike at the gym that I hope working out will help with the fatigue, and he agreed with me that it would. I know that the more I do it, the more I will want to do it. I found out today that my friend Lorraine had her baby today. A girl this time--Jada Nicole, I think they named her (I'm sure about Jada, not positive about Nicole). I plan to go visit her tonight or in the morning. I didn't realize she was so close to her time--funny how time flies! I have finally started reading "More Ready Than You Realize", by Brian McLaren. It's a borrowed copy, from Alan, so I will probably be posting impressions in here, since I don't think he'd appreciate me marking up his book. I just finished the introduction, and already am getting so much good stuff out of it. I can't wait to see what the rest of the book has in store! Here's a quote or two from the intro: "What if there really is a great and good and kind God, and we humans really are God's creatures, though we lose our way sometimes? And what if our deepest dream is really true, that the God who really exists really loves us? And what if one of the best ways for God to get through to those of us who have lost our way is via the kindness and influence of others who have been brought back to a good path?"(pg. 13) "Good evangelists...are people who engage others in good conversation about important and profound topics such as faith, values, hope, meaning, purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life after death, life before death, and God. they live with a sense of mission that their God-given calling in life is not just to live selfishly, or even just to live well, but to in fact live unselfishly and well and to help others live unselfishly and well too."(pg.14) I especially like the subtitle, "Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix". This concept of sharing the journey to God as being a dance is very attractive to me. An outflowing, natural, artistic, beautiful, expressive, and interactive dance--not a mosh pit where we bang up against people enthusiastically but violently, but more of a ballroom dance--complicated, maybe, but relax and let your Partner lead, and it's exhilarating! posted by #Debi at 5:37 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Thursday, February 06, 2003 Here you go, Darren; I found the Enneagram Test on Laura Ogle's blog. Here are my results:  free enneagram test Type 2 (The Helper) came in a close 2nd. posted by #Debi at 8:01 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Wednesday, February 05, 2003 Found another quiz--woo-hoo!
posted by #Debi at 11:28 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Monday, February 03, 2003 Wow...two relatively warm days in a row! It has felt like spring here for the last couple of days. It's not supposed to last, though. Back to winter after this brief commercial break... It's supposed to be back down into the 30's (F) again by tomorrow. That kinda sucks, but since we're having overtime again this week, I don't suppose it'll make much difference. Brian and I went yesterday to see "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," the so-called story of Chuck Barris, the "Gong Show" guy. Or, as he would have us believe it, "Gong Show" guy by day, CIA hit-man by night. The movie was decent, once you suspend belief a little bit. We both noticed (couldn't help it!) that there was quite a few sexual scenes in the movie, so don't take the kiddies along. I got tickled at Brian, who said, "At least there wasn't any nudity, though." I'm thinking, "Yeah, you would say that!" There was no female nudity, but for a good quarter of the movie we were "treated" to shots of Sam Rockwell's backside. So, I guess for Brian that translated into "no nudity" ;^). Before the movie, we went and ate at Friday's and had, among other things, that Chocolate Rush thing OK, looking at that photo is making me hungry, so it's time to go eat now! :^) posted by #Debi at 7:15 PM | permalink |
0 comments | I found an online quiz I hadn't taken yet, so of course I had to take it and share the results:
He he!! Thanks to Mere Madness for the link.
posted by #Debi at 6:50 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Sunday, February 02, 2003 Darren Rowse has a wonderful story about having faith and living life "as a little child", and the joys thereof. It so typifies how I want to go about life! (You'll love it, Matt--it involves chocolate cake!) posted by #Debi at 1:09 PM | permalink |
0 comments | Our "beloved" Kentucky governor, Paul Patton, seems to think that blackmail is a good way to increase taxes. Gov. Patton recently released several prisoners early, not due to good behavior, but "to help balance state spending and income for the fiscal year that ends June 30."* Within 3 days of his early release, one of the prisoners, "Richard McGregor, 40, of Hopkinsville, was charged Monday with raping a 25-year-old woman."* "The Corrections Department knows of four who have been charged with crimes after their release, spokeswoman Lisa Carnahan said. Two of the four have been charged with robbery, which the legislature recently classified as a violent crime. One of those was charged with three bank robberies in the Owensboro area. The other, in a Louisville arrest last week, also was charged with kidnapping."* When asked for comment, Rusty Cheuvront, Gov. Paul Patton's press secretary, said,"This incident is horrible, and it's terrible, and we regret that it happened...It turns my stomach." After speaking with Patton, Cheuvront quoted the governor as saying, "The other tragedy is that this could be a horrible hint of what could come if the state is forced to live with current revenues."* On Friday, "Gov. Paul Patton suspended the early release of felons and challenged state lawmakers to find more money for the state's prison system this year. If legislators fail to shore up the corrections budget, Patton said, he will face no other choice but to resume the early inmate release. 'Would that be pain enough to cause the legislature to act? I hope so, because those are the choices we face,' the Democratic governor said."** Very nice, Governor Patton. Rather than find ways to cut non-essential programs or inflated salaries for government officials, and use the funds already available in more efficient ways, we are subjected to Mafioso tactics--pay up or I set my boys loose on the general population. I've said before that I'm not an extremely political person, but things like this transcend politics and move over to the realm of justice. *Read source story here. posted by #Debi at 12:18 PM | permalink |
0 comments | |
100 things about me
my design website
 Create Your Badge my photos
www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from debiwarford. Make your own badge here.
deep thoughts links ale-8-one blogs a cup of Rich blog template designed by
|
that we had at my birthday dinner. Oh, so yummy! I had to think of Darren Rowse and his chocolate cake story (see below) while I was eating it. I still used a spoon, though.
Hi, I'm Debi. Once in a while I have a thought and I like to write it down before it goes away. This is where I write it.
