charissa816's Xanga

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:41:41 GMT

So I have decided to give up xanga.....because our server at CCC blocks it and I can't post while at work. I know, it's kind of a bummer.

BUT.....drum roll please.....I am going to continue my musings on-line. Please visit me at www.charissaholland.blogspot.com .... I knew you would all miss me too much if I just disappeared completely.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:40:10 GMT

So I came back to the real world and I stopped posting. My apologies.

Chicago is, well, wintery. It was wintery when I got off the plane last Friday, much to my chagrin. But I suppose as there's nothing I can actually do about it, I should not complain. In fact, as of this moment, I resolve to complain about the weather less. I would say I won't complain at all, but I know that won't happen, because winter and I....we don't get along so well.

One night recently I came home to see a possum in our driveway. It got scared by my headlights (which are so ominous and menacing), so it started running for shelter.....unfortunately the only shelter it could find was behind our garbage cans. He looked so terrified and anxious to find a hiding spot....I almost felt sorry for the little guy. This is a huge shift from my last encounter with a possum, in which it was on the front porch and I had to call my roommates to chase it away so that I could get in the house. Note, I did say I almost felt sorry for it. Not quite.

So I am becoming increasingly alarmed that I have not even begun my Christmas shopping. Apparently I was supposed to have started a few weeks ago....according to every store in the greater Naperville area and the city of Yorkville, which already has Christmas decorations adorning their street lamps. It looks quite festive but is beginning to freak me out. JoniKay already has her shopping done. While I find this a bit absurd (she has already begun the wrapping process--who wraps Christmas presents before Thanksgiving?), I must admit that I am a bit jealous. At this stage I don't even have any idea what is on the Christmas lists of those for whom I am buying. (That was kind of an awkward sentence...but you get the idea.) Who decided that we needed to start focusing on Christmas the day after Halloween? Poor Thanksgiving....it gets lost in all the hustle and bustle....

Here's to Thanksgiving--a glorious day involving the consumption of entirely too much food, none of which you get to eat on a typical basis. I love turkey. One week from today, I expect to be enjoying turkey in the company of my family. Here's to the absence of chaos....for once. (I have the greatest Thanksgiving story of all time.....it involves my aunt, a pumpkin pie, and a fiasco....I'll save it for later.)

I have a new cell phone number..... in case I missed you on my email list, my new number is 630.340.1891. Guess I'm officially a "local" now.

And if you think of, please feel bad for Shelley. She has been sick for almost a week now, and she keeps asking us to feel bad for her. Her grace period with me has ended, but if you think of it, let her know that you feel bad for her.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 13:17:55 GMT

do you believe in magic?.....

So this is what cracks me up about Disney World. It has to be the only place in the world where not only can you look like a complete idiot, you will not be alone in looking like a complete idiot. I mean, OK, it's one thing to see all the little girls walking around in their princess dresses, it's even kind of cute, but then you start getting into the various designs of Mickey Mouse ears, the Mickey wizard's hat, Goofy ears, and any other Disney character you can imagine.....they even sell big white padded gloves now. So it's funny that it's a perfectly normal thing to wear when one is at Disney World. But honestly, are you ever going to wear them again once you have left? Seriously. You're probably not even going to wear them if you come back to Disney World....does anyone really think while they're packing, oh, I have to remember to pack the ridiculous hat I bought last time I was at Disney World? So you of course get to Disney World and think, well, I should probably have some Mickey Mouse ears while I'm here.... and now you're stuck with more than one ridiculous piece of apparel to wear on your head, which you're never going to wear again. And I guarantee that these hats cost anywhere between $20-30. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate anywhere that allows adults to release their inner silliness......but paying $30 to do it once is kind of silly.

So in addition to being at Disney World, billed as the most magical place on earth, I have also been reading Harry Potter--which, in fact, I just finished last night--so it's gotten me thinking about this thing known as magic. I think that even as a 24-year-old, I still have a very strong desire to believe in things like magic......that there are such things as fairies and flying dragons and knights in shining armor and Peter Pan and wizards and flying broomsticks and such.....isn't there something appealing about it all? Which may explain why I have always so easily been able to believe in God. He is the closest thing to magic that I can think of and that my heart and soul can begin to imagine. While I may question the ways in which He chooses to work, I have never doubted His actual existence. Because my heart wants to believe in all of the miraculous, magical things He has done and continues to do.

Anyway, I think that's all the philosophical-ness I can handle for right now.

Tomorrow morning we are having a princess breakfast. I can't wait. :o)

Friday, November 03, 2006

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 02:28:23 GMT

So I am loving all this free time.

We are in Florida. In a house. I have my own room. We went over house rules a few minutes ago and one house rule is that you don't go in Miss Charissa's room without knocking. I think that's a pretty good rule. I'm not so much accustomed to having 7 other people around all the time, three of whom are small children. It's so very weird. Again, let me say that people who take their children to Florida have to be very special people. May you have a special place in heaven for all your efforts.

So hey, Chicagoland area, my computer tells me that it is 23 degrees up there where you are. That sucks. It's about 68 here. And it was definitely over 80 earlier this afternoon. So I'm not complaining. And I'm not trying to be mean, really, I'm not. I'm just super-happy that I'm not there right now. :o) Please feel free to live vicariously through me. I don't mind, really.

Have I ever mentioned that I have this ridiculous abhorration of alligators? I loathe them. They totally freak me out. And all day today Heather kept trying to tell me that if I go for my morning jog I should watch out for alligators. Which kind of gives me the willies. Because alligators are so gross.

I highly recommend The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. If you're looking for reading material. I started it yesterday and finished it this morning. And it was excellent.

That's all I've got for today. Tomorrow we are hitting Epcot. Look out. We could do some serious damage. I think the next day will have to be spent lying by the pool.....

Oh, and congratulations, Paul Robinson. You just became my 200th friend on myspace. I've been waiting for days and days with only 199 friends, and now I have 200, and it just about makes my life complete. Thank you, Paul.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 02:06:00 GMT

I am still convinced that kids ruin everything.

OK, maybe ruin is too harsh.

But they definitely change a lot of things.

And I am convinced that you have to be somewhat insane in order to take your 3 kids on a road trip from Springfield to Orlando. We got in the van at 4:00 this morning, and I basically wanted to punch myself in the face for the next 13 hours. I could be slightly exaggerating, but at this stage in the day, it doesn't feel like it. I have to keep reminding myself how wonderful this will be when we actually get to Florida. Friday will feel like vacation. Today, not so much.

But nothing beats Rose telling me at every meal that I had to sit by her. :o)

So we are in McDonough, Georgia tonight. Thank you Holiday Inn for having free internet. You rock.

Shelley made fun of me for saying that trains are the bomb yesterday. My apologies to anyone else who now thinks that I am no longer hip or cool by my usage of that expression, which, I am informed, was so ten years ago. But you were bound to discover that I am not hip or cool sooner or later....

That's what's happening around the country....what's going on in your neck of the woods?
(I am slightly appalled that I just basically quoted Al Roker. Even for me, that's weird. Obviously I am sleep deprived.)

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:27:44 GMT

Why I now love trains.

You know how you can never stretch your legs on a plane? And the seats are so close together you feel claustrophobic, especially if there happens to be a large person sitting next to you? (OK, maybe the claustrophobic part is just me....) Anyway, trains are the bomb because you can actually stretch your legs without putting them underneath someone else's seat. It's pretty crazy. And the seats are much wider. There are only 2 per side. So you're not as crowded. And you don't go into a claustrophobic panic. Actually, I'm not THAT claustrophobic. I just have problems with things like booths in restaurants, especially the 6-person booths at Chili's. If I get stuck on the inside of one of those, it makes me crazy. I also don't like to be in the middle of round booths. Because it's impossible to get out, unless you pull an under-the-table stunt. But yeah, that started out as my plug for trains. I rode the Amtrak to Springfield today, and it was my first train experience besides the Metra. And the last time I rode the Metra, my train hit a pedestrian and we had a major delay which resulted in the eventual switching of trains. Long story. Oh yeah, and it only cost me $13 to take the train. Which is much less than the gas money I would have spent.

So take the train. Do it.

The drive to Florida begins in t-minus 6 hours......tomorrow will be a LONG day....

Monday, October 30, 2006

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:23:20 GMT

So I'm going on vacation this week. I leave for Florida on Wednesday morning. And I am not coming back until a week from Friday!! I am so excited. I haven't been on vacation since I went to England with my mom.....in May of 2005. That's a long time without a real vacation.

It is a beautiful day today. The sun is shining, it's warm, there is a breeze, the windows are open, and I'm sitting here in front of my computer. Sometimes I hate computers. But if I wasn't sitting here I would be packing and folding my laundry. So it's not like I'm in a hurry to do either of those.

I get most excited about vacations because I have time to read. I do my fair share of reading as it is....I'm something of a book junkie....but to have days and days without having to go to work, I am very excited about all the reading I will get to do. Oh, and going to Disney World will be fun too. Especially since I am traveling with some very good friends from Springfield...and their 3 kids. It's going to be so much fun!!

So adios......I hope to be enjoying much more sunshine in a few days. And not enjoying my computer. :o)

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 14:42:34 GMT

it's been awhile since i've written.....in the other-than-the-internet sort of way.....

these are the age-old stories
of whispering glories
long lost to the eyes--
rumors survive,
reviving the legends
and feeding off scraps from the Muse.

did Arthur slay the dragon,
save the kingdom,
win the war?
has every door we've opened since
been opened once before?

did Lancelot love selfishly?
serve loyally?
curse royalty?
is passion merely prelude to
the action of defeat?
was Guenivere a harlot,
circumstances out of reach?

Now begins the treachery:
apologies set out to feed
on courage and bravado.

Sacrifices made for love
always threatened by the smug and aimless soldier--
still, the maiden sees the frog
and pouts her longing lips.
slowly, slowly, from the treetops
drips her dream of happiness,
and waiting with her ankles in the sand
she holds the golden apple
in her fair and silver hand.

Children forever throw crumbs to the birds.
And from countless tongues come the words
that will shape every girl to a princess, an angel, a whore--
and she chooses the door
that is life, love, or death
as her breath disappears in a cold winter air.

All the words that we bleed
to the shattering ground
lost in the prevalent / decadent sound
of a laughter that echoes through canyons of time
and dies in the presence of fear.

And love,
love will vanquish tyranny--
will give the breathless time to breathe--
will conquer all the errant sins
and stand to witness life begin:

the harlot stands forgiven
and the princess claims the throne.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:25:04 GMT

So the marquis at the church down the road says:

Free bread and wine every weekend.

Must we stoop so low?

ps. I recommend the Wicker Park soundtrack. And the movie. But the soundtrack is also excellent. Even though the cover of the album looks a little scandalous....

Friday, October 20, 2006

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:04:38 GMT

pet peeves.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when two lanes merge into one lane, and some idiot insists on being in the wrong lane and then tries to wedge you out of the way to try to get in. Because they're the moron.

This happened to me on Tuesday night while driving home from small group. So I decided to be a jerk and totally beat the car off the line, but they kept trying to pass me before the lane ended, so I was getting madder by the second. When they finally got behind me, they had the nerve to flash the brights.

Then I stopped at Jewel to get gas. Turns out the car behind me went there too. I didn't realize this at first. Not until I got out of my car to put the gas pump back, and the woman at the pump across from me started talking to me. Then I realized she was the idiot driver who had just flashed her brights at me, and was now trying to make me feel bad and accuse me of being a bad driver. I couldn't even speak to her, I was so mad. I made a relatively inoffensive remark and then just got in my car and left. JoniKay had my back through the whole thing too--she was in the car with me, and was ready to get out and give the lady a piece of her mind.

Oddly enough, this encounter happened on our way home from small group, where we had just discussed the difference between being a Christian and being a Christ-follower. I often wonder how Jesus would have handled such situations. Surely with more grace than I do. This was similar to a Walgreen's incident I had a few months ago--one of those situations that just leaves you outraged....for days. But honestly, what is the proper response for a Christ-follower in such instances??