Conversations with Siri
Around our house we talk to Siri just because she says such funny things. Gennie wished her a ‘Happy New Year’ on the first day of 2013. I tried to do the same only on the 2nd. Her response? “I don’t understand. New Year’s Day was yesterday, the 1st of January.” So, I said, ‘Okay, so I’m a little late’. Siri predictable said, ‘would you like me to search the web for Okay, so I’m a little late?’
Gennie has been trying to get Siri to tell her a bedtime story. We all like to say thank you to Siri, just to see how she will respond.
Siri is a very useful friend and personal assistant [most of the time] – though like all of us, she has her moods!
Word of God Speak
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
and the funny thing is it’s okay
the last thing i need is to be heard
but to hear what you would say
MercyMe
From Where I Stand
The Tea House
This photo was, I believe taken in early spring [judging by the shade of green in the picture] and we have yet to see it in spring. We are having fun imagining all the use we will get out of it come warmer weather.
Meanwhile, it makes for excellent storage for the patio furniture. And for a few laughs whenever one of us suggests that we could use the tea house … much too cold to even think of going out there now – high of 23 today!
Applied Research
My current grad school class is called Applied Research and Evaluation. I am really enjoying this term! I am a bit quirky in that I love spreadsheets and data – not sure why it took me almost 50 years to discover this about myself, but there you have it. I like data analysis – trying to see what story the data has to tell.
I’m currently working with our admissions department to survey about 50 colleges and universities about their events for prospective students. Having done the college visits with my two daughters in the last few years, the experience is fairly fresh in my mind. Some things stood out from those experiences.
In this culture of experience and adventure, what is that makes a great college visit and how can a school attract more students – what does it take to wow this generation? How can a college help prospective students determine the best fit?
These are the types of questions we are wrestling with – we seek to improve and I have chosen a Google survey as the instrument of my research.
A Blizzard, the Flu, and a Flat Tire
Ahh, the holidays. Wonderful times, wonderful memories. The joy of family and presents. And then the trials and tribulations. A road trip the day after Christmas this year began late and without a check of the weather. Alas we were heading directly into a blizzard with 12-16″ of snow expected. What should have been a 7.5 hour drive turned into an overnight odyssey with over 16 hours of road time. Then we had a marvelous visit with my sister and her family … A great time was had playing in the snow and enjoying snow sports: snowshoeing, sledding, cross country skiing, and for some snowboarding. Unfortunately her husband was sick and unfortunately he passed it on to my daughter.
Time to travel home – complete with one sick person. A roundabout way and a stop to pick up mom – now we are traveling in 2 cars. And then a missed turn … at dinner time on the road on New Year’s Eve and we ended up with a flat tire. Murphy’s Law I guess. Fortunately my wonderful husband quickly put on the spare and we were on the road again. Finally got home about 11:15 pm. An 11 hour odyssey this time. Vermont seems very far away. I think next time we will opt for a summer visit! A very tired foursome celebrated at midnight with some sparkling grape juice and retired for the night. Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013.
My Daughter, the Nomad
My oldest spent this summer between her junior and senior year of college doing a 5 week long internship and then leading 4 mission trips. She ended up traveling over 5,000 miles this summer all over the Eastern half of the U.S.
This does not include a flight from Atlanta to Providence, the drive back to Chicago or the flight home for Labor Day Weekend.
This is what comes of being raised in a mission organization and spending childhood traveling!
One summer we drove from Georgia to Maine [Acadia] and then to Orlando. This time she was behind the wheel and did most of the driving solo.
Life in the Fast Lane
I have a torn rotator cuff which is keeping me in constant pain and causing difficulty sleeping. I spend all day on the computer at work and the injury is probably due to overuse – so typing and working on a paper is hard. I am going back to the Dr tomorrow for a follow up visit.
I have to work 3 hours this Saturday [and make two airport runs]
One of my daughters is home for 6 days before heading back to college and has been sick these 4 days. Meanwhile I am coordinating the repair of the car she totaled earlier this summer (minor accident/old car) so she can drive it back to Chicago.
We are invited to two parties this weekend [only the 3rd and 4th invitations we have received since moving here 1.5 years ago, so we don’t want to turn them down].
Then we have 3 house guests coming this weekend through Labor Day [my nephew is getting married on the 2nd] and 7-14 more the following weekend since my sister-in-law’s house is overflowing with guests.
Both my daughters will be home for labor day for the wedding [having both been gone all summer].
My husband just returned from a week on Martha’s Vineyard and will head to Chicago this weekend and Rhode Island late next week.
A paper was completed for grad school this past weekend, and another longer paper is due soon.
This is normal life!
Book Review: Take This Bread
This was quite a challenging read, mostly because I did not always agree with the author or her logic. But the book stretched me in good ways; it made me less judgmental and gave me insights into new points of view.
The descriptions of her church in San Francisco are fascinating – made me want to visit!
This author takes us through her personal spiritual journey of discovery, helping us understand her background and the experiences that shaped her.
I’ve had many great conversations about the concepts in the book, including the notion of “open communion.” Miles’ description of feeling accepted and welcome at the communion table were very powerful. She associates food with family and love and considers the communion a somewhat mystical experience.
One of the best things about this book, is that Miles takes action – she opens a food pantry in her church and goes on to feed many throughout her neighborhood and city. She puts her faith into action, caring for the needs of others.
Book Review
Fascinating historical account of the Chicago World’s Fair in the 1890s. This author did thorough research and follows 2 characters through the building and running of the fair, one an architect and the other a serial killer. The descriptions of the buildings, landscape, and exhibits of the fair are fascinating. The drama of the murders set against the determination of others to showcase the best of this great city provides an interesting contrast.
The book provides a great deal of background knowledge of the development of cities, structural aspects of building, and landscape architecture. At the same time, it provides a glimpse of life in another era.
Larson was meticulous in his research and manages to provide a good read at the same time.