Going back through old posts, I realized that I never gave closure to what happened to the cockroach that had taken up residence in my room. Though I hadn't seen him since my first post about him, I had heard him on a number of occasions, and was getting used to the fact that I'd never be able to catch him. I was getting used to him, until the day I fell through my window and caught sight of him again. Then, I took full advantage of the opportunity by grabbing the nearest shoe and sending some semi-well aimed swats in the general direction in which I had first spotted him. Needless to say, I once again have my room to myself.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Invader Update
I had just arrived at the house, and, having not taken my keys with me when I left, I went around to my window. I jimmied it open, and had just fallen through it head first when I realized that I was not alone in my room. I knew this first because I sensed something else in the room, then I heard the skittering noises, and then I finally caught sight of him. The cockroach had made the mistake of being surprised while in the middle of the room.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Pick Up Lines
I don't usually specify who I'm writing to in my blogs, as I am usually writing to anyone who wants to be reading, but this post is for a specific audience. This is addressed to all the young men reading this blog who are single and looking.
I don't know about you, but when I was in youth group, and even in college, every once in a while the subject of pick up lines would come up, and the guys would go around trying out pick up lines on the girls: "I would part the Red Sea for you", "Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven?", "I was reading the book of Numbers and realized that yours is missing", and other things like that. Not that I'm a big fan of pick up lines, but having had the experience of being on the receiving end of quite a number of them, I thought I'd share some with you as kind of a 'what-not-to-say' type thing.
A while ago, I was walking my bike along the side of the road heading to a friend's place when I heard a car slowing down behind me. Looking over, the man was rolling down his window. He leaned his head out and remarked "I like the way you ride your bike. Where do you live? We should hang out sometime. Can I have your number?"
'What's wrong with this?' you might ask. He asks questions. He compliments. Those are both good things...except that he's complimenting me on something that I'm not actually doing, and the questions ask for too much information too soon.
The other day I was coming out of the library when I was approached by a young man. "Can I use your phone to call my grandma?" he asked. "I need to check in on her, and then get your number yet too."
He was off to a great start, bringing his grandma into the conversation, because how a man treats the women in his family lets us see how he might treat his future girlfriend/wife someday. But, gentlemen, if you're asking to use someone's phone, make sure your phone doesn't start ringing as you're asking. That really discredits anything else you say.
And then today I was walking home from church. I walked around a car that was waiting to merge from a parking lot into traffic, and as I kept going I heard the man open his door and call after me. Assuming he was offering me a ride (which is usually the case in this situation), I yelled over my shoulder that, no thank-you, I was good. He must have realized that I had no idea what he said, because at the next intersection, there was the same grey sedan waiting at the corner. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but the man hadn't been crass when he addressed me the first time, so I just walked around the car again and was going to keep on going when he called to me again. This time I stopped and turned around to see what he had to say, and it came out something like this: "I ain't tryin' to stalk you o' anything miss, but I think yo kinda cute. If you give me yo number we could hang sometime."
Yes, he was polite. But gentlemen, if you have to frame what you are saying by clarifying that you're not a stalker, you might want to rethink either the timing of what you're saying, or if you should be saying it at all.
All of these men incorporated something good in their pick up intents, but the end result was just not a positive result. So learn well from their mistakes.... And don't hit on random girls you see walking down the street. Please.
I don't know about you, but when I was in youth group, and even in college, every once in a while the subject of pick up lines would come up, and the guys would go around trying out pick up lines on the girls: "I would part the Red Sea for you", "Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven?", "I was reading the book of Numbers and realized that yours is missing", and other things like that. Not that I'm a big fan of pick up lines, but having had the experience of being on the receiving end of quite a number of them, I thought I'd share some with you as kind of a 'what-not-to-say' type thing.
A while ago, I was walking my bike along the side of the road heading to a friend's place when I heard a car slowing down behind me. Looking over, the man was rolling down his window. He leaned his head out and remarked "I like the way you ride your bike. Where do you live? We should hang out sometime. Can I have your number?"
'What's wrong with this?' you might ask. He asks questions. He compliments. Those are both good things...except that he's complimenting me on something that I'm not actually doing, and the questions ask for too much information too soon.
The other day I was coming out of the library when I was approached by a young man. "Can I use your phone to call my grandma?" he asked. "I need to check in on her, and then get your number yet too."
He was off to a great start, bringing his grandma into the conversation, because how a man treats the women in his family lets us see how he might treat his future girlfriend/wife someday. But, gentlemen, if you're asking to use someone's phone, make sure your phone doesn't start ringing as you're asking. That really discredits anything else you say.
And then today I was walking home from church. I walked around a car that was waiting to merge from a parking lot into traffic, and as I kept going I heard the man open his door and call after me. Assuming he was offering me a ride (which is usually the case in this situation), I yelled over my shoulder that, no thank-you, I was good. He must have realized that I had no idea what he said, because at the next intersection, there was the same grey sedan waiting at the corner. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but the man hadn't been crass when he addressed me the first time, so I just walked around the car again and was going to keep on going when he called to me again. This time I stopped and turned around to see what he had to say, and it came out something like this: "I ain't tryin' to stalk you o' anything miss, but I think yo kinda cute. If you give me yo number we could hang sometime."
Yes, he was polite. But gentlemen, if you have to frame what you are saying by clarifying that you're not a stalker, you might want to rethink either the timing of what you're saying, or if you should be saying it at all.
All of these men incorporated something good in their pick up intents, but the end result was just not a positive result. So learn well from their mistakes.... And don't hit on random girls you see walking down the street. Please.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Water for Weary Souls
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in" ~Matthew 25:35
This morning I was in the back yard of the clinic, writing in my journal and enjoying the brisk morning before the start of a new shift. As I was relaxing and thinking, the dogs next door started barking, announcing the arrival of 'intruders' in the back alley; and soon after, two middle aged women came into view, huffing and puffing. As they caught sight of me, one of the women came towards the fence, waving to catch my attention. She called out to me, asking if she could have a bottle of water. As God would have it, I had just gotten a bottle of water from a friend the night before, and was able to pass that on to this young woman. She went on her way with a whoop and a holler, running to catch up with her friend while at the same time yelling out what had happened to her. Though I wasn't too sure about her over-enthusiasm, I was clad that I could be a blessing to her.
But, just a couple of minutes later, I saw this same woman shooting up in the alley behind the clinic. In that moment, I doubted whether I should have shared the water with her, if my gift had meant anything at all to her, if she had just been seeing if she could take advantage of me in some way. So quickly did my attitude change from open and giving to closed and suspicious, all based on the fact that now I knew about her drug addiction (which should have instead alerted me to the fact that here was another person in need of love).
This made me think. My first reaction was that I had done something wrong in giving the water. But then I realized that, in reality, God doesn't say much about the recipient's use of what we give them, He seems to focus more on our attitude of generosity, that we take joy in giving to others what He has shared with us, that we overflow with the love that He has given us. My responsibility is not to control how others use what I can give; my responsibility is to live with open hands, remembering that all I have is a result of God's generosity towards me.
This morning I was in the back yard of the clinic, writing in my journal and enjoying the brisk morning before the start of a new shift. As I was relaxing and thinking, the dogs next door started barking, announcing the arrival of 'intruders' in the back alley; and soon after, two middle aged women came into view, huffing and puffing. As they caught sight of me, one of the women came towards the fence, waving to catch my attention. She called out to me, asking if she could have a bottle of water. As God would have it, I had just gotten a bottle of water from a friend the night before, and was able to pass that on to this young woman. She went on her way with a whoop and a holler, running to catch up with her friend while at the same time yelling out what had happened to her. Though I wasn't too sure about her over-enthusiasm, I was clad that I could be a blessing to her.
But, just a couple of minutes later, I saw this same woman shooting up in the alley behind the clinic. In that moment, I doubted whether I should have shared the water with her, if my gift had meant anything at all to her, if she had just been seeing if she could take advantage of me in some way. So quickly did my attitude change from open and giving to closed and suspicious, all based on the fact that now I knew about her drug addiction (which should have instead alerted me to the fact that here was another person in need of love).
This made me think. My first reaction was that I had done something wrong in giving the water. But then I realized that, in reality, God doesn't say much about the recipient's use of what we give them, He seems to focus more on our attitude of generosity, that we take joy in giving to others what He has shared with us, that we overflow with the love that He has given us. My responsibility is not to control how others use what I can give; my responsibility is to live with open hands, remembering that all I have is a result of God's generosity towards me.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Rest
Nothing like two blogs in one day (not that either of these are actually my own writing). But I stumbled across a post in someone else's blog that I appreciated and thought might be appreciated by some of you as well. http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f63562b3be485ea0ae33acf18&id=ac0bc66b7e
This is a blog on rest. With my studies and my life, I often find myself physically tired, and I'm realizing that sometimes my spiritual tiredness blends in with this physical exhaustion and goes undetected. So for me this was a good reminder to continue to rest in God.
This is a blog on rest. With my studies and my life, I often find myself physically tired, and I'm realizing that sometimes my spiritual tiredness blends in with this physical exhaustion and goes undetected. So for me this was a good reminder to continue to rest in God.
Fun Facts
Life down here is going on as normal: clinic, school, church, and homework. With nothing extraordinary to note, I thought (with the help of my mother's ingenuity) that I'd let someone else do the talking this time, and give y'all some interesting facts about El Paso:
1. The Plaza Hotel
Hilton hotel mogul Conrad Hilton opened his first high-rise hotel in El Paso in 1930. The building, located at 106 Mills Ave., is now the Plaza Hotel and remains a landmark in the city’s skyline.2. The Margarita
The tequila-based drink, the Margarita, was allegedly invented in the El Paso-Juárez region at Tommy's Place Bar on July 4, 1945, by Francisco "Pancho" Morales.3. Mount Cristo Rey
The monumental statue of Christ atop Mount Cristo Rey is not technically a crucifix, as the palms of Christ face downward in a gesture of blessing.4. The International Hotel
Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw all stayed at the once luxurious El Paso International Hotel, now a Doubletree Hotel.5. Gen. John Pershing
Gen. John Pershing used El Paso High School’s Jones Stadium as a staging area during the pursuit of Francisco “Pancho” Villa.6. El Paso Street
El Paso Street, the city’s first and oldest street, has seen the footsteps of Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, President William H. Taft, Pancho Villa, and was the scene of the infamous Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight.7. Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
The Tigua Indian Reservation Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, located in El Paso County, is one of two Indian reservations in Texas.8. Mountain Standard Time
El Paso is the only major Texas city on Mountain Standard Time. When its sister city, Ciudad Juárez, was on Central Standard Time, you could celebrate New Year's twice by making a short trip into Mexico.9. The Borderland's First Thanksgiving
Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate arrived at the Rio Grande near El Paso and ordered his expedition party to rest and conduct a mass of thanksgiving on April 30, 1598.10. Six Shooter Capital
Nicknamed the Sun City, El Paso earned an earlier moniker as the "Six Shooter Capital" during the late 1800s because of its lawlessness.
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