Posted in Music on November 10, 2004| Leave a Comment »
Keith Urban won the Country Music Award for best male vocalist!!! I love him so much! Honestly, he has been my favorite for about three years now, and I am so happy for him that he won! He was so dumbfounded – I love it when people are shocked when they win awards – nothing is better. Okay, sorry, had to gush.
ps. Libby met Keith Urban a couple of weeks ago!! OMG! I might have passed out. (I don’t normally feel like this about famous people, but for him I can make an exception).
Posted in CKP on November 9, 2004| Leave a Comment »
Isn’t amazing how God can tell you things through the books you read? If you don’t think this is true, then maybe you should read more (just kidding). Sometimes I get restless and start to despair that the things I really want out of life aren’t going to happen. Then I come across passages that really calm me and give me a peace about life. I have been reading A Circle of Quiet by Madeline L’Engle – and I put it down for a couple of weeks, and when I picked it up this week, I was comforted.
Madeline L’Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time, which is one of my favorite books of all time. But it took Madeline years to find a publisher for A Wrinkle in Time. A publisher who had rejected the book made her realize that timing was everything with the book, if it had been published immediately, it might not have been as well received. When reflecting on how long it took for someone to believe in her book – this is what Madeline has to say –
“Thank you, God, for not giving in to my importunate demands.”
This is my new motto. I need to remember that things happen on God’s time, and not my time, so I just need to chill out.
Posted in CKP on November 9, 2004| Leave a Comment »
Keith Urban won the Country Music Award for best male vocalist!!! I love him so much! Honestly, he has been my favorite for about three years now, and I am so happy for him that he won! He was so dumbfounded – I love it when people are shocked when they win awards – nothing is better. Okay, sorry, had to gush.
ps. Libby met Keith Urban a couple of weeks ago!! OMG! I might have passed out. (I don’t normally feel like this about famous people, but for him I can make an exception).
Posted in CKP on November 9, 2004| Leave a Comment »
I went to movie last night with roommate and friends. We saw Alfie. I can’t stop thinking about it. I found it quite depressing. I guess I should have assumed that a story of careless living would carry with it dark moments, but I wasn’t prepared for the whole movie to be dark. This is me being naive – I wouldn’t expect a movie about hard drugs to have a very happy tone – and although Alfie is not about hard drugs – he has a disregard about others that mirrors that of someone on drugs. Well, that might not be fair, because on some level he is unaware of how much he is damage he is doing to others – and how much he is becoming damaged. The movie made marriage seem depressing, and it also made being single seem depressing. I definitely think a lot of people could get a good message out of the story, but overall it was not an uplifting flick. The photography was unbelievable – and all the people in the movie were gorgeous. It was visually stimulating. Maybe it was just too realistic a look at the human condition. Not being a realist myself, sometimes I am jarred by it.
I have two new words that I like a lot. Actually, they aren’t new words, but they are words that most people use incorrectly – or don’t actually know what they mean. Temperance and Prudence. Temperance is not abstaining from things, it is knowing when enough is enough – for you. So everyone should have a different level of temperance, and everyone has to find it for themselves. For some people, temperance is abstaining. It is all about being able to stay in control. Prudence is taking into account the repercussion of your actions – thinking about how your actions are going to affect those around you and yourself in the future. Now, I’m not advocating being Prudent all the time, but I think part of being Prudent is simply being aware of the repercussion, even if you decide to disregard the consequences at the moment of action. Because simply being aware of the consequences adds new meaning to the action and allows you to anticipate and be responsible for the end result. Alfie lacked Prudence. Because it never occurred to him to think about what might happen, when bad things did happen, he didn’t feel the responsibility that would have allowed him to learn a lesson. So he made the same mistake again and again. But Alfie did have Temperance about some things, enough to keep him from ending up on the street without a job or a place to live. He had just enough temperance for self preservation, but not enough to save those around him from destruction.
Okay, sorry, deep thoughts for a Tuesday. I feel better now.
Posted in Movies, Thoughts on November 9, 2004| Leave a Comment »
I went to movie last night with roommate and friends. We saw Alfie. I can’t stop thinking about it. I found it quite depressing. I guess I should have assumed that a story of careless living would carry with it dark moments, but I wasn’t prepared for the whole movie to be dark. This is me being naive – I wouldn’t expect a movie about hard drugs to have a very happy tone – and although Alfie is not about hard drugs – he has a disregard about others that mirrors that of someone on drugs. Well, that might not be fair, because on some level he is unaware of how much he is damage he is doing to others – and how much he is becoming damaged. The movie made marriage seem depressing, and it also made being single seem depressing. I definitely think a lot of people could get a good message out of the story, but overall it was not an uplifting flick. The photography was unbelievable – and all the people in the movie were gorgeous. It was visually stimulating. Maybe it was just too realistic a look at the human condition. Not being a realist myself, sometimes I am jarred by it.
I have two new words that I like a lot. Actually, they aren’t new words, but they are words that most people use incorrectly – or don’t actually know what they mean. Temperance and Prudence. Temperance is not abstaining from things, it is knowing when enough is enough – for you. So everyone should have a different level of temperance, and everyone has to find it for themselves. For some people, temperance is abstaining. It is all about being able to stay in control. Prudence is taking into account the repercussion of your actions – thinking about how your actions are going to affect those around you and yourself in the future. Now, I’m not advocating being Prudent all the time, but I think part of being Prudent is simply being aware of the repercussion, even if you decide to disregard the consequences at the moment of action. Because simply being aware of the consequences adds new meaning to the action and allows you to anticipate and be responsible for the end result. Alfie lacked Prudence. Because it never occurred to him to think about what might happen, when bad things did happen, he didn’t feel the responsibility that would have allowed him to learn a lesson. So he made the same mistake again and again. But Alfie did have Temperance about some things, enough to keep him from ending up on the street without a job or a place to live. He had just enough temperance for self preservation, but not enough to save those around him from destruction.
Okay, sorry, deep thoughts for a Tuesday. I feel better now.
Posted in Favorite People, Travel on November 8, 2004| Leave a Comment »
I had the most unbelievable weekend – and the best thing about it was that nothing overly spectacular happened. I mean, I was in New York, which was awesome, but the reason it was so awesome is because some of my favorite people were there – and it all fell into place. I will give a cast of characters: (I have a lot of best friends – I see this as a class of people, not a ranking)
Libby – best friend from home, went to the university of maryland to swim, moved to new york this summer.
Maggie – another best friend from home, carpool friend from kindergarten, 5th grade best friend, pledge sister in college, and roommate last year. Maggie moved to New York last week with Emily.
Emily – best friend from kindergarten, went to Notre Dame and worked in Milwalkee until moving to New York last week.
Jennifer – best friend from college, also from Augusta, also roommate from last year, a year younger than the rest of us, very important person in college, also in sorority with maggie and me. Just moved to D.C. but is not settled yet.
Originally, Jennifer was not coming to the city, but Thursday decided to take the train. This was very exciting, because Jennifer and Libby and Maggie are three people that I miss a great deal. I am used to missing Libby, because we haven’t lived in the same town since high school, but I haven’t lived away from Jennifer and Maggie ever – and I am used to seeing them on an everyday basis. I was on the verge of tears just thinking about seeing Libby and Maggie in the same place, but throw Jennifer into it and I was a wreck. Actually, I was just ecstatic.
It was pouring down rain on Thursday when I arrived in New York, and this was a huge hassle, but after the rain stopped that night, the weather was perfect and mild and beautiful and windy and wonderful.
Things I learned this weekend:
1. Not all Karaoke bars are the same. Some are scary and dark and creepy.
2. Hunan Chinese food is very, very, very spicy – to a degree that I can’t handle.
3. Chinese food tastes good with Miller Lite tall boys – especially if you drink the beer out of the little tea cups on the table.
4. Some people in New York are still so upset about the election that simply being from a red state is enough to merit abuse.
5. Bars that don’t have names on them and look like a random warehouse in the front can be really great if you have the best group of people with you.
6. Doing handstands on the sidewalk is fun, doing headstands is less fun.
7. Marathon runners are really accomplished and impress me greatly (they make jennifer and nick feel bad about themselves – like, what did you do today? oh, I ran a marathon. Really? I slept in and ate a huge brunch and drank a bloody mary).
8. Central Park is so pretty, if I lived in New York I would have to spend a great deal of time there just to make up for the craziness outside the park.
9. If the Chinese food at dinner is too spicy, just go down the street and get a Gyro – I promise that it will make you feel better.
10. Football is always fun to watch on Saturday in the fall.
11. Pizza is ALWAYS good in new york.
12. Frozen hot chocolate is yummy, but if you eat the whole thing, you could feel sick (kinda like how jaeger is fun, but doen’t drink the whole bottle!).
13. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are great fun and taste like liquid fall (leaves, deep blue skies, warm kitchens, brisk winds, cool grass, warm sunshine, warm cookies, big hugs, sandwich from ham straight out of oven, apples, pecan pie, sweet potatoes, sweaters and fresh bread).
14. EVERYONE has an iPod on the subway.
15. I am so lucky to have such awesome friends and I have no right to complain about anything because I have such wonderful people in my life. In addition to having such great friends, I am in a position to visit them and have spectacular experiences. This has been the greatest year of my life when it comes to opportunities and experiences, I feel so blessed and happy.
p.s. If you haven’t caught on by now, I am a bit of a gusher. All weekend they made of fun of me, being like, so Charlsie, how are you feeling right now? which was enough to launch me into a monologue of how happy I was and how much I loved everyone. I think enthusiasm is important.
Posted in CKP on November 8, 2004| 3 Comments »
I had the most unbelievable weekend – and the best thing about it was that nothing overly spectacular happened. I mean, I was in New York, which was awesome, but the reason it was so awesome is because some of my favorite people were there – and it all fell into place. I will give a cast of characters: (I have a lot of best friends – I see this as a class of people, not a ranking)
Libby – best friend from home, went to the university of maryland to swim, moved to new york this summer.
Maggie – another best friend from home, carpool friend from kindergarten, 5th grade best friend, pledge sister in college, and roommate last year. Maggie moved to New York last week with Emily.
Emily – best friend from kindergarten, went to Notre Dame and worked in Milwalkee until moving to New York last week.
Jennifer – best friend from college, also from Augusta, also roommate from last year, a year younger than the rest of us, very important person in college, also in sorority with maggie and me. Just moved to D.C. but is not settled yet.
Originally, Jennifer was not coming to the city, but Thursday decided to take the train. This was very exciting, because Jennifer and Libby and Maggie are three people that I miss a great deal. I am used to missing Libby, because we haven’t lived in the same town since high school, but I haven’t lived away from Jennifer and Maggie ever – and I am used to seeing them on an everyday basis. I was on the verge of tears just thinking about seeing Libby and Maggie in the same place, but throw Jennifer into it and I was a wreck. Actually, I was just ecstatic.
It was pouring down rain on Thursday when I arrived in New York, and this was a huge hassle, but after the rain stopped that night, the weather was perfect and mild and beautiful and windy and wonderful.
Things I learned this weekend:
1. Not all Karaoke bars are the same. Some are scary and dark and creepy.
2. Hunan Chinese food is very, very, very spicy – to a degree that I can’t handle.
3. Chinese food tastes good with Miller Lite tall boys – especially if you drink the beer out of the little tea cups on the table.
4. Some people in New York are still so upset about the election that simply being from a red state is enough to merit abuse.
5. Bars that don’t have names on them and look like a random warehouse in the front can be really great if you have the best group of people with you.
6. Doing handstands on the sidewalk is fun, doing headstands is less fun.
7. Marathon runners are really accomplished and impress me greatly (they make jennifer and nick feel bad about themselves – like, what did you do today? oh, I ran a marathon. Really? I slept in and ate a huge brunch and drank a bloody mary).
8. Central Park is so pretty, if I lived in New York I would have to spend a great deal of time there just to make up for the craziness outside the park.
9. If the Chinese food at dinner is too spicy, just go down the street and get a Gyro – I promise that it will make you feel better.
10. Football is always fun to watch on Saturday in the fall.
11. Pizza is ALWAYS good in new york.
12. Frozen hot chocolate is yummy, but if you eat the whole thing, you could feel sick (kinda like how jaeger is fun, but doen’t drink the whole bottle!).
13. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are great fun and taste like liquid fall (leaves, deep blue skies, warm kitchens, brisk winds, cool grass, warm sunshine, warm cookies, big hugs, sandwich from ham straight out of oven, apples, pecan pie, sweet potatoes, sweaters and fresh bread).
14. EVERYONE has an iPod on the subway.
15. I am so lucky to have such awesome friends and I have no right to complain about anything because I have such wonderful people in my life. In addition to having such great friends, I am in a position to visit them and have spectacular experiences. This has been the greatest year of my life when it comes to opportunities and experiences, I feel so blessed and happy.
p.s. If you haven’t caught on by now, I am a bit of a gusher. All weekend they made of fun of me, being like, so Charlsie, how are you feeling right now? which was enough to launch me into a monologue of how happy I was and how much I loved everyone. I think enthusiasm is important.
Posted in Favorite People on November 4, 2004| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I don’t think about. I really have wonder friends in Athens. But every once in a while, I get a voicemail (when did we stop calling them messages?), or I think about a certain problem in my life…..or I hear a song……and a wave washes over me, my chest tightens, my heart aches, and I can’t help but sighing……..(this is where I would shed a tear if I was a crier).
There are certain friends that I will never be able to reconcile my life far away from. I used to think that I couldn’t live far away from Georgia because of these friends. But oh the irony. They have almost all moved away and left me here. Thankfully, some are in Atlanta – which is a lifesaver. I talked on my cell phone 3000 minutes last month. Yep, that is about an hour and a half a day.
But the good news is that I am going to see two of these special people tomorrow when I go to New York. I am excited about seeing the city and everything, it has been a couple of years – but more importantly, I am looking forward to recharging with Libby and Maggie. I miss them so much. How come you miss people the most right before you see them?
Posted in Television on November 4, 2004| Leave a Comment »
I said I wasn’t going to watch this show, but some-how-or-nother I got sucked into it. I spent the last hour watching Wife Swap. On one hand, I think it is a sort of sick idea, but on the other hand (if this episode is any indication), it seems to really make people appreciate what they have. It makes me realize how crazy people are in general and what extremes can be found in this nation. It also makes me realize how lucky I am to have grown up in such a great family. I think that ABC must try really hard to find the most polar opposite families for the swap. Lets look at tonight’s two families:
Family A – California:
1. Three boys
2. Mom wakes up at 5:30 every morning and works out for three hours every day – she is a former body builder. She eats raisins when she is hungry.
3. Boys will be woken up at 6 in the morning if they don’t finish all of their chores – which include laundry, dishes, and trash.
4. Father is OCD and cleans compulsively.
Family B – Florida
1. Two boys
2. Mom doesn’t cook – if it can’t be microwaved or picked up – it isn’t eaten in this house.
3. Boys are never woken up, Mom thinks they should be able to sleep as late as they want to.
4 . Father has never cleaned anything in his life. Neither have boys. Mom does everything.
So they swap for two weeks, and the first week the mom follows the other mom’s routine, and the second week the family follows the new mom’s routine.
If you can’t tell, this is a disaster waiting to happen. OCD father can’t follow the rules, Mom B can’t work out for three hours a day…….I guess it is kind of interesting to watch, but also a bit painful. Not something I would set the TiVo for, if I had a TiVo. But I don’t even like to think about what else would happen if I had a TiVo…..I have a bit of an obsessive personality.
Posted in CKP on November 4, 2004| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I don’t think about. I really have wonder friends in Athens. But every once in a while, I get a voicemail (when did we stop calling them messages?), or I think about a certain problem in my life…..or I hear a song……and a wave washes over me, my chest tightens, my heart aches, and I can’t help but sighing……..(this is where I would shed a tear if I was a crier).
There are certain friends that I will never be able to reconcile my life far away from. I used to think that I couldn’t live far away from Georgia because of these friends. But oh the irony. They have almost all moved away and left me here. Thankfully, some are in Atlanta – which is a lifesaver. I talked on my cell phone 3000 minutes last month. Yep, that is about an hour and a half a day.
But the good news is that I am going to see two of these special people tomorrow when I go to New York. I am excited about seeing the city and everything, it has been a couple of years – but more importantly, I am looking forward to recharging with Libby and Maggie. I miss them so much. How come you miss people the most right before you see them?
the thin line between optimism and delusion... 