Monday, May 22, 2006
Do you notice anything strange?
Can you notice anything strange about the photo? I figured it out pretty quick, but I also spend a good amount of time on Sunday looking at strange pictures and trying to figure them out.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
I’m so ooold…and FREAKING OUT!
Ok, so I found out today that one of the girl's from my church in Lubbock is engaged. Great news!
Yes, but this girl happens to be one that I used to BABYSIT. Now, although she's not the first that I've babysat to get married - she's the second. And Emily, the first, is having a baby.
I'm feeling old.
I mean, I'm totally excited about Jessica (and Emily), it's just so totally crazy (cause I didn't know anything about her new relationship prior to today)! She looks SO happy in her pics.
When I mentioned to Steph how shocked I was - she sent me to their xanga site. While reading all the comments congratulating the happy couple, I noticed all the site from the kids at church…ok, the people who used to be the kids at church. Crazy.
Then, Steph says…"oh, check this out…" and sends me the link to one of my oldest (as in length of time vs. age) friends' blog…and HE'S ENGAGED. It's a crazy story, and because the story played out in a matter of MONTHS (like 3 - start to finish!!!), I don't feel totally out of the loop.
I do however feel a bit of shock at all this news in like 10 minutes. Christi (who is helping me out for the month in the office) was laughing at my exclamations and "I'm freaking out here!" comments.
Congrats to all of you - i'm excited for you…just a bit bowled over by all the news.
Lesson learned: spend more time on xanga and myspace, otherwise you'll be caught unawares. 
For those of you who know those who I'm in shock over, here's some links.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Coming to a close???
As of 30 minutes ago, the Texas House voted to concur on Senate amendments to HB 1. Sounds complicated huh? Basically, it means that we (the House) just agreed to the changes that the Senate made to HB 1. It includes provisions that cut property taxes, give teachers a payraise, provides incentive pay for recognized teachers, and requires increased accountibility for the state money that districts recieve.
While I don't agree with EVERYTHING in the bill, it is definitely one of the best provisions that we passed this session, and one I can be excited about. There are a couple of reasons for this:
1. It's good public policy (for the most part).
- Government (on all levels) needs to be held accountable for how it spends the taxpayers money.
- It cuts high property taxes and requires the school districts to go to the people of their community for a vote if they want to raise it more than $.04 (i'll explain more if you really want me too…careful though, it can put you to sleep).
- It rewards the hard work and effort of our best and brightest teachers - giving reward for those who do the best work. Makes sense, huh?!
2. This will conclude the stream of special sessions that have been part of this capitol life for the past 3 years - something that not only I will celebrate but every other staffer and legislator as well!
Three more days to go to finish up tying up loose ends. I can't wait.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
“It just makes me wanna dance!”
My roomie sent me this link and it's HILARIOUS. Enjoy!
-----Saturday, May 06, 2006
Saturday Highlights
Highlights from today:
- Kyoto
- Monkeys
Rock GardenWe didn't make it here today, but maybe tomorrow we will- Dinner at regular restrant
Dinner in Osaka
Well today we decided to splurge and go and eat at a regular restaurant. We had to wait about 20 minutes, but it was worth the wait. The majority of the food here is soft and squishy. We had fried shrimp, chicken, and something else (I'm not quite sure what it was). We also had japanese versions of cole slaw and potato salad. Basically it was like a japanese Long John Silver or maybe a Red Lobster. It was very good and a good break from the squishy stuff.
-----Friday, May 05, 2006
Monkeys in Kyoto
We went to Kyoto today and the first place we went (on Michael's Request) was Monkey Mountain. It is a place in the north west section of kyoto that has about 150 monkeys that live on this mountain. After about a 20 minute hike up the side of the mountain we reached the top where there where monkeys everywhere. They had a small building that had chain link fence all around it. In there you could buy nuts, bananas, and apples to feed the monkeys. I think Michael bought one of each to feed them and had a blast doing it. I think his favorite things was to just torment and tease the monkeys. He really wanted them to get mad at him.
He found out that they are very curious animals and gave one of them his plastic bottle. It was a little monkey and the bottle was almost the same size he was. The little guy played with it for a while until one of the bigger ones decided that he wanted the bottle and just took it from him.
After messing with the bottle for a while we decided to start walking down. Michael wanted a picture with one of the little guys, but he wanted to be really close to him. Well this little guy wasn't going to have any of that and every time Michael would come close the monkey would charge him and start showing his teeth. We had lots of fun with that and got some pretty good pictures and a lot of video. Hopefully I will get a copy of the video from him.
-----Blessings and Balances
Today has been one of those days that I have come to dislike. I feel like a BIG GIRL. Ok, well, technically I am, but just so you know, I don't normally feel like that.
David has posted more about his trip, and after reading it this morning, I miss him more (sorry stephen, this is a bit too mushy, i know). Thankfully, he will be back in 4 days and also thankfully, today is Friday. Although, I'm not as excited about this weekend as I normally am about weekends - during the week I've been busy at work and it's easier to be less of a girl when you have other stuff to think about.
I've been so blessed this week by my family and friends - people calling to check up on me, praying for me, and I even got a card the other day (thanks steph!). I am extremely blessed - and yet am extremely forgetful and tend to get whiny about the stupid little stuff. Thanks to all of you who have reached out in prayers, words and actions this past week. You are a blessing to me.
I'm praying that God will continue to use this time in my life to glorify Him. I have come to understand what Paul says about being single and how you can be more focused…and in some ways is better. Please don't get me wrong, I don't like David being gone, but I have been able to be more focused on work and on the Lord.
I've found (again) that I'm an extreme personality. My friend Mark usually asks me when he sees me how I am doing with balance - because he knows that I tend to focus on one thing or another. When we were talking about David being gone and work being busy, he was like - "Oh no, Noell. Boyfriend gone and work busy - your balance is about to be out the window." He was right in a way - I've worked long hours and had much less "personal time." However, I've made a point to spend regular time in the word and with the Lord…and so in a way, my balance has been better this week than the past month.
My prayer is that I can continue that part of this week's balance past Tuesday.
Thanks again for being part of my life.
(ps. David, this has been a good trip for me - hard but good. I'm looking forward to you being home on Tuesday!)
-----In honor of swimsuits and the difference between the sexes
I was sent the below image from a friend who was trying to make me smile…and smile I did. It also reminded me of an email trail from a couple of friends about this time last week - Dr. Peter (not my brother) - this is for you.
The same friend (who shall remain unnamed 
) sent me the article below about the differences between men and women. Funny and true enough to be posted. It's long, so I've put on a new page.
The Difference Between Men and Women
by Dave Barry
Let's say a guy named Fred is attracted to a woman named Martha. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Martha, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"
And then, there is silence in the car.
To Martha, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.
And Fred is thinking: Gosh. Six months.
And Martha is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily towards, I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?
And Fred is thinking: …so that means it was…let's see…February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means…lemme check the odometer…Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.
And Martha is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed - even before I sensed it - that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.
And Fred is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.
And Martha is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.
And Fred is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty…scumballs.
And Martha is thinking: Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.
And Fred is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their…
"Fred," Martha says aloud.
"What?" says Fred, startled.
"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have…oh dear, I feel so…"(She breaks down, sobbing.)
"What?" says Fred.
"I'm such a fool," Martha sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."
"There's no horse?" says Fred.
"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Martha says.
"No!" says Fred, glad to finally know the correct answer.
"It's just that…it's that I…I need some time," Martha says.
(There is a 15-second pause while Fred, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)
"Yes," he says. (Martha, deeply moved, touches his hand.)
"Oh, Fred, do you really feel that way?" she says.
"What way?" says Fred.
"That way about time," says Martha.
"Oh," says Fred. "Yes." (Martha turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)
"Thank you, Fred," she says.
"Thank you," says Fred.
Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Fred gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a college basketball game between two South Dakota junior colleges that he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he
doesn't think about it.
The next day Martha will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification.
They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either.
Meanwhile, Fred, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Martha's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say: "Norm, did Martha ever own a horse?"
And that's the difference between men and women.
Shibuya Ku
Today we visited Shibuya and it was a gorgeous place.
Friday Highlights (Travel to Osaka)
Highlights from today:
- 3 hour train ride
- Osaka Castle
- Internet Cafe
- The Floating Garden Observatory (Shin-Umeda City)
[Hopefully more to come]
-----Thursday, May 04, 2006
Nikko
When we first got off the train we spoke to an english speaking lady who told us where to go and what to see. Her recomendation was to go to the shrines first and then up the mountain to the lake and the falls. After stepping out of the train, we got to see what Nikko really looked like. The best way to describe it is that it is like a little Colorado town. There were mountains on all sides and and fresh clean air.
Traffic was light and there were not to many people in town. We hopped on the first bus we saw and headed for the shrines. After about an hour and a half, we came out of the shrines and ate a little lunch about 11:30. When we finished, traffic in town was crazy. I guess a bunch of people drove in to Nikko for the day.
We found the closest bus station and had to wait about a half hour for a bus that was headed up the mountain. When they opened the doors, we noticed the bus was entirely full. All available space (including standing space) had someone occupying it. The bus driver motioned for us to come on board. There was some shouting to the people on the bus and they started pushing everyone back to make a little more room. We made 3 more stops and about 15 more people got on board and maybe one or two people got off. We spent the next 2 hours standing on the bus while it drove up switchbacks to the top of the mountain. Traffic was horrible. Apparently everyone decided to drive up the mountain at the same time.
Toward the top of the mountain, they announced a stop that would include a cable car ride over the lake and a viewing of the falls. We decided that if everyone else got off here we would as well, and if not we would wait till the next stop. About this point we got to see a monkey out the window. This area is well known for the monkeys that live here. I think this was the highlight of Nikko for Michael. Everywhere we went, he was on the lookout for more monkeys.
Once we got to the top of the mountain there was a nice little town there and we went straight across the street to sit and enjoy some coffee. Once we had finished our coffee we made the short 5 minute walk over to the lake. It was absolutely beautiful and a lot bigger than we had imagined. It was about half the size of Lake Travis - maybe even a little bigger. It was totally surrounded by mountains on three sides.
Once we took a few pictures we head back the other direction to view the falls. These too were much bigger than we had imagined. It looked like they fell hundreds of feet to the bottom.
[We just arrived, so its time to get off the train.]
-----Garden Place
For dinner tonight we decided to eat at a place I had read about. It was supposed to have a great view of Tokyo from the 39th floor. Their prices ranged from moderate (1500 yen) to very expensive (25,000 yen).
When we got there, we made our rounds to the different windows to get the excellent view of Tokyo. It was a clear night so the city was very pretty. Once we had seen enough, we tried to decide on a place to eat. The first place we decided on had relatively good prices and was a chinese place. This was, of course, closed by the time we tried to eat there. The next two places we decided on had between 1 and 2 hour waiting lists. We finally decided on a Japanese pub. We got a window seat and had some traditional Japanese food. Michael ordered the fried rice with meat and lettuce and I ordered the roasted chicken variety dish.
Most of mine was good. I had dark meat, white meat, skin (that was kinda wierd), wing (again also very wierd), and then I had either cartilage or gizzard (I really couldn't tell). After I ate that, I decided to have some of the fried rice as well. It was very good.
-----Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Thursday Highlights (Nikko)
Highlights from today:
- Missing Ticket
- Missed Our Train
- Bullet Train
- Nikko
- Dinner at the Garden Place
Awesome Japan Pics
David's been taking some awesome pics in Toyko, the Imperial Palace, and a couple of other places. You can link to the google map with picture location here and the pics themselves here. I have posted a couple of my favorites below.
Skyline pic taken from Toyko tower
Picture of subway on the first day of Golden week - crazy amounts of people
One more - this is beautiful
