That one time my roommate drugged me

Remember that time my roommate Britney drugged me? Oh wait, it was today.

 Me: Man Britney, those sleeping pills you gave me really wiped me out. I couldn't get up this morning and didn't get to work until like 10:00. And then I felt groggy all day, and I finally had to leave work early so I could go to sleep. I think I only worked like five hours. I still feel funny.

Britney: Yeah, you should probably only take half of one.

 Me: Wait -- Half?! You handed me TWO pills! So I took two!!!

 Britney: Jenny!! I only gave you two because they were stuck together!

 Me: Britney!! I'd never had sleeping pills before -- I had NO IDEA how much to take!!
Roomie, I think you just solidly undermined my unquestioning trust in you as a nurse.

We're still laughing.

But don't worry guys -- THE DRUGS WERE NATURAL.

Um yes, I think my little foray into the wonderful world of sleeping pills has come to an abrupt end.
:)

Saturday: Commencement Better Late Than Never

I recently read this article. Really liked it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304811304577366332400453796.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read

I know most of us have already graduated... but HEY, better late than never. :)

Friday: Latin Motion Day

Friday I learned... to DANCE LATIN!

I have been taking some latin dancing lessons with my roommate and two of our guy friends, for the past month or so. (thanks again, groupon-derivative :))

Friday we decided to take ourselves out to an italian restaurant that turns (quite magically) into a latin club at night. To take their lessons, then put our new sassy latin learning into practice.

It was so fun! I guess I learned (or my friends learned, as I'd already taken other dance lesson and knew this) what a difference a GOOD teacher can make. I think we all learned MUCH more with the teachers that night, than we learned the entire time we've been having the other lessons.

Ha! I guess life is a lot about quality rather than quantity.

But... mainly I learned that... dancing is AWESOME!
This is an important life lesson on its own. Ole!

Thursday: Don't Quit Day

This last Thursday, I learned not to quit. Or more like, not to run away scared.

Thanks to our good friend Groupon, I have been taking an... ACTING CLASS (!) for the last month (at this great school -- Dearing Acting Studio).

Specifically, it was a film auditioning class. Despite the fact that (or partially because of the fact that) cameras tend to make me feel like a bug about to be squished by an oncoming headlight.

This Thursday was our last class, and it was meant to be a cumulative mock audition -- complete with awkwardly silent waiting, judges, and a camera rolling away.

I hadn't had time to practice my memorized audition commerical all week.

As a result. I almost didn't go. I was thinking up all sorts of excuses not to -- I didn't want to embarrass myself, it was going to be disastrous, it's not as if I was getting a grade and really neeeeeded to be there... hmm, maybe i could just have to work late...

You know what I mean. If it wasn't going to be perfect, I didn't want to go. You've probably been tempted to make these excuses  yourself for various things.

BUT -- I somehow found myself driving there about 4:30 just as I normally did, anyway. I decided not to run away.

Proof! Me right after the audition :)

And just like most things in life -- in the end,  I was really glad I did it. Yeah, it wasn't perfect... but I also had some successes, and I was so glad I saw it through.

I think there's a lot of merit in simply following through with something -- even if it's not "required", and even if it's scary or inconvenient or imperfectly executed.

The Disappointment of Bees

Tonight I went on a walk, where I met lots of little flowers on trees.

It set me thinking about how disappointing it might be to be a bee drawn in to a flower.

The flower pulls the bee in, quite strongly. It gets excited and thinks the source of the smell must be a delightful permanant home just waiting for it, if it's going to have such a strong pull.

But after poking around the flower a bit, it discovers what the flower really is -- flimsy petals, no permanant source of food -- and it realizes the flower maybe not quite the permanant place of belonging and comfort that it thought. It buzzes off disappointed on its way.

So often I think that happen with things in our own lives -- people, places, hobbies and activities, jobs, careers, etc. Something about it draws us, we feel led to it. But in the end once we get there, it fades, and we are sent again searching on our way. That might lead to feelings of confusion and disappointment.

But like the bee, maybe we need to remember that sometimes the purpose of the draw we felt from the flower wasn't to give us a permanant home, but to give us something to take away with us.

In the bee's case pollen. In my case... allergies. :)

Okay.... and a few other things ;0)

A New Start... And A Gym!

Halloo!

I know I'm never going to be good at actually using this blog to do something like writing updates about my life or saying witty things. I wish I could... but I just get bored. :) 

BUT I've been thinking lately that I would like to try to use this to do little reflections on life in this crazy, awesome world of ours -- things that I've learned, or am trying to learn.

Or/and just post  things  I've come across that make me better, generally.

Partially for me, as a chance to think and be grateful.

But also because I feel so far away from so many of the people who I care about and would like to be close to me (i.e. you all), sometimes. And if I must be distant physically (or even if I'm not), I want to at least make sure that we can still connect on some of the things that are truly important. I know that's where the true depth in a relationship comes anyway. Our lives are so short. And if nothing else, I want to touch yours for the better. I encounter so much of wit and silly and entertaining and shallow and setting up these nice images of ourselves on the internet. And in our lives in generally, really. I want to say something real. For once.

Anyway!

My thought for the day (:)):


So, against my deep internal prejudice, I just got a membership to a gym once again (I blame the ankle injury. And... lack of discipline in the alternatives :)).

It's really a fascinating place, because it's like a giant warehouse  but filled with chiseled, model-like young people. I've never seen a gym quite to this extent before. And I get the feeling that almost every person there is looking around, trying to see and be seen.

I was thinking about this while trying to avoid death on the elliptical machine. Why do we/people do that? Work SO hard to build popeye-muscles, model-thin/toned bodies, wear skimpy little workout wear? Our (their) eyes dart around looking for approval. Comparing ourselves to others. I see it.  

I think it's because we all want to BE somebody. To be noticed as someone special. To be told that WE  exist. And are important.

And so many of us (all of us to some extent, probably, if we're honest) find that missing confidence in being noticed as "attractive" and "beautiful".

It made me remember probably the best complement I ever had.
I, too, was told I was beautiful.

I was waiting at the doctor's office a few years ago, when this old man in a wheelchair (who had been smiling at me for a while) rolls by and says "You are realllly beautiful."

Hmm. A few minutes later I am still trying to decide exactly to what extent I should be creeped out or not. It is then that the old man looks back at me intently, and tells me  "You have the light of Jesus with you. I can see it. It makes you beautiful. Don't lose it."

I was taken aback. And touched and grateful. And changed. It wasn't what I expected from the random old man at all.

I was grateful for two things tonight: 1) Not (quite) falling off of the elliptical machine, and 2) the reminder regarding my true, proudest source of beauty.

I think that will serve as a protection for me as I continue my outings to the gym.

I think we all go the "gym".

I think it's called Life.