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11 Feb 2010 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

Wedding #2 is April 24th in Portland. This time I am wearing a size 8 instead of a size 11, and the dress is black, and I'm going to wear it again unless I destroy it the first time which is unlikely since there is no dancing.

Wedding #3 is in Chicago in July.

These are both the weddings of friends older and as interesting as I am (read: difficult to find matches for because we have unusual requirements, backgrounds, and goals). I find my perspective very changed. I believe someone exists for me. I am undaunted by his non-appearance in all the places where I can think to look. And since I finished school, I rarely feel lonely anymore.

1 Feb 2010 smax   » (Fixture)

Blvd- The amazing thing is that I might very well be in Chicago-land for another wedding just a day before your shindig. I will be riding a motorcycle back from NH about that time visiting and attending weddings along the way. Might even make it back to CPBC this summer after about a 5-6 year absence.

Headed to NH-VT Thursday, back in Utah on Tuesday. Planning on visiting the Toast family.

30 Jan 2010 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

Ha ha. You are very right Max, about the certain age thing. But, I think that I might be part of the last wave. The first big wave was post-university...

30 Jan 2010 nuniabiz   » (Tourist)

had a dream the other night. I was peering into secret file concerning Matthew H. very odd.

11 Jan 2010 nuniabiz   » (Tourist)

Philemon

1. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:

3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and hyour love for all the saints. 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will havea full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

8. Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul - an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus - 10. I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

12 I am sending him - who is my very heart - back to you. 13. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good -16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you anty wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back - not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

22 And one more thing: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And do so Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Source: NIV Translation ( oringial is in Greek)

-------------------------------------------------

Circumstances ca 56 AD, FROM EPHESUS (TO PHILEMON AND OTHERS IN THE HOME CHURCH (IN COLLOSSAE?)

Runaway slave Onesimus("useful"), recently converted to Christianity; letter is a request to 'forgive him and receive [him] back into the household...; refuse financial reparation when it is offered, mindful of what one owes to Christ;..free the servant; ..and recognize in Onesimus a beloved brother and acknowledge his Christian transformation."

Paul in prison, supported by friends ( especially Epathras)

Philemon head of a house-church.

75% of people in Rome Empire were slaves.

Highly rhetorical Captatio benevolentiae Offer to repayment Promise to visit

Persuasion, as opposed to invoking authority

Paul's approach to slavery: Galatians 3:28: In Christ Jesus 'There is neither slave nor free"; 1 Corinthians 7:21-22: "In whatever state each was called, there let person remain with God."

"Truth not freedom is the foundation of human dignity."

-----------

6 Jan 2010 smax   » (Fixture)

Congratulations Amy!!! But this is to blvdgirl, not repeating her. It's a sign that you're a certain age when it's January and already have conflicting weddings in July.

24 Dec 2009 nuniabiz   » (Tourist)

December 07, 2009, 10:45PM

A bill to allow gay marriage in New Jersey cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, 7-6, tonight. Below is a breakdown of how the committee members voted:

Yes:
Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer)
Sen. Nia H. Gill (D-Essex)
Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union)
Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D-Union)
Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex)
Sen. Brian P. Stack (D-Hudson)
Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen)
No:
Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), chairman
Sen. John A. Girgenti (D-Passaic) vice chair
Sen. Christopher Bateman (R-Somerset)
Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth)
Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen)
Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) 
 

16 Dec 2009 baggins   » (Fixture)

thanks!

if you didn't figure it out, Jules is referring to the fact that we're having another baby! due sometime around the end of August. We haven't been to the doctor yet, but we're pretty sure.

I took Aria to the bookstore today to get her some books about being a big sister, and having a new baby come to our house. she seems to think she's getting a brother. obviously, we do not know that yet.

15 Dec 2009 Jules   » (Fixture)

Holy cow, Baggins! Congratulations!

21 Nov 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

Congratulations Amy!!!

11 Nov 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

Visited the Toast family yesterday. It was nice.

New England is pleasant. Maine is interesting. You might see some of my "I'd kill you for a beer." stickers on a snowboard on the worldcup tour this winter... hopefully the Olympics too.

Headed to NJ next. I get to see a lot, a whole lot of my family including Jules his weekend. Should be frightening. I can't wait.

8 Nov 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

I passed the bar! Results came out yesterday online by seat number. Not surprised, but still a big relief to know the last hurdle is over.

Where is everyone? It has sure been dead in here.

26 Oct 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

Another friend will probably get married in March. I will probably be a bridesmaid again. She will not make us wear anything in particular!

Blvdgirl, I know you're hardly here if you are only looking in occasionally from an internet cafe, but I just want to tell you this friend is an INFP, which I am not, but the whole thing makes me quite hopeful.

12 Oct 2009 baggins   » (Fixture)

coming to pasadena to visit my sister and her husband and my mom will also be visiting. we won't be there for a loooong time, but i'd love to have you california cats meet aria!

11 Oct 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

Hello Diner!

I have been without home internet for two & a half months now, and I'm starting to lose it... The internet company that has been promising 5 - 15 days FOREVER stood me up on Saturday. They really are a good deal, but maybe it's time to consider another company. But, they won't necessarily be faster. Times sometimes moves slower down here.

Glad the wedding went well, insectaturk. :)

7 Oct 2009 andronicus   » (Fixture)

I'm running between meetings right now, but I was thinking about the fine folks of the Diner this morning. Thought I'd say 'hello'. When the weather turns in Chicago, I think about a cozy vinyl booth in a diner, next to a frosty window...and the good people who would sit there with me.
I hope everyone is well.

4 Oct 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

The wedding was a very good one and I am no longer whining about my dress, etc.

There were some very very good dancers there, including the bride, who invited the dance company she is a part of and performed with them, and made her husband perform with her, although he is no dancer, and got him to do a pretty good job too!

Most of the guests were Iranian but the other guests also participated well. My feet hurt. I never danced in heels before, and I danced for hours. Also my face aches--from smiling so much!

2 Oct 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

Very quiet in here. Anyone out there know a little .net and want a pretty easy and well paying side job?

14 Sep 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

My dress arrived and it is okay. It needs to be hemmed. I bought shoes for about $20. I am told I will need a matching handbag. Then there is getting my hair done...

All in all, I feel that at 32 years old I should be grateful to have escaped this until now. I'll probably never have to do it again. My friends who were married before this, and any of my close friends who are not yet married, were/are not the type to have a row of matching bridesmaids. I was specifically told in one wedding to wear whatever dress I really liked that expressed my personality.

11 Sep 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

Ironically I was at a wedding last weekend that was not about the bride at all. I should retract my past statement. Weddings should be about the bride first and the groom second and families a distant 3rd. However, now we're talking about ideals and we all know about those. I still stand by the opinion that they suck. There are exceptions, but overall I find them silly at best.

8 Sep 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

smax: I would disagree with you about your wedding observation. Our wedding was very definitely for/about both of us, and it was also for our families (by that I mean that some decisions were made purely for the families' sakes).

blvd: thanks for reminding me about retroactive prayer -- I love that... and I had totally forgotten it. That's such an Ake thing.

Love and miss you all...

8 Sep 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

Space found, thanks anonymous Diner denizen.

4 Sep 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

Does anyone in Chicago have a spare bit of floor or couch, a shower, and an extra key they would be willing to share with me around Thanksgiving? I think I am looking for something just for Thursday and Friday nights.

I have family to visit but I don't want to stay with them because they have things in their homes to which I am allergic (not animals--I'm fine with animals), and they are in the suburbs. My friends I usually stay with in the city are all in transition.

17 Aug 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

I bought the $120 dress. It is $138 with tax and shipping. This wedding is CLEARLY about the bride, the groom isn't even pretending interest as they have already had a courthouse marriage and were living together before that. Well, it is a little about the groom's family too, whom he did not tell until after the trip to the courthouse. The bride is doing her best to make them involved now.

I'll probably ask the bride about the other dress too, but at least I have one in the mail now--the color is difficult to find.

In other news, I can't believe no one ever told me about maple spread! Good thing I wander all grocery stores looking for new things to taste! I wish I could just go around naked and spend all my money on food. But it is time to diet, as well as time to buy a bridesmaid's dress.

16 Aug 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

Weddings suck. IMO at least. Ask the bride. The biggest thing I've learned about weddings is that it's only about the bride. Even the groom needs to be reminded of that one occasionally.

Tired and sore again today. It's good to be back to normal.

16 Aug 2009 baggins   » (Fixture)

go for the $120 dress. It's only for one night, but do it in style.

15 Aug 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

Thanks blvd! Since God exists above time, I think it works!

I came here to say: I never knew being a bridesmaid was such a difficult job. I wish I were the caterer instead. How in the world am I going to find a sage green dress that I want to wear? Should I pay $30 and look ugly for a night (and in lots and lots of pictures)? Or pay $120 and look okay? Or get something that I look really good in that costs $45 and is not really a bridesmaid dress? It's not a church wedding, I don't know what we will do other than stand around for some vows. The part where I don't exactly match won't last long (except in photos, *sigh*).

Also, none of the size charts describe me, except for the $120 dress and the $45 dress. I am thinking of buying the $45 dress and returning it if the bride objects. It is not super shiny but it has lots of shiny Celtic patterns embroidered on it and could be worn to the Maryland RenFest.

Advice anyone?

14 Aug 2009 ulyssess00   » (Fixture)

hi everyone.

i love you.

13 Aug 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

I'm thankful that I once read an article by ake in the North Park newspaper about retroactive prayer (about how, as a child, he used to pray for characters in the Bible when they were facing tough situations even though he already knew the outcome because God would know in the past that he was praying in the future--I've probably confused that all up). Anyway, ever since then I've retroactively prayed for any number of things including, just now, for insectaturk's bar exam. (I know I prayed for it a long time ago to, but I forgot about it in the interim).

30 Jul 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

I think it's awesome you still have all those plants. I suppose one individual plant can live through cuttings until too much of its genetic material is mutated by radiation though there must be other factors too.

I think I did okay on the bar exam. I won't know until November. I went fishing last night and caught a carp. Maybe not the best tasting fish, but it was the biggest fish I've caught in Maryland, and it means that my fishing partner (that is, the person with the car) will continue to be motivated to drive us to that lake.

28 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

I suspect this is probably true for any easily cutting-propagated plants such as pothos, aloe vera, spider plant, jade, or philodendron. Pretty interesting.

28 Jul 2009 inkblot   » (Fixture)

to my knowledge (limited to tara's inability to kill one) pothos does indeed live forever.

27 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

You'll do great. Just do whatever you need to not snap -- the pressure on a test like this is enormous... keeping your cool at this point is probably your best bet! Steel compression and tension sounds interesting!

Hey turk, I was also realizing that I still have to this day "Devil's Backbone" (a.k.a Mother of Thousands) that are descendants of plants I originally got from you at NPU. The Captain still has some others that got left behind in Chicago. (Including an incredibly weird plant that I have no idea what it is.)

Most of my other plants are either descendants or the same plants that I had in my dorm room 10 years ago. They might just outlive me. Does a pothos vine have a live expectancy? If you keep making cuttings from the same organism, it could live forever I think.

Anyway... you're going to do great. Don't sweat it. Keep breathing.

27 Jul 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

Ha, as blvdgrl and probably many of you know, I am wound up pretty tight. Consequently forgetting work for me requires something else really absorbing. Until recently that was LOTR in Turkish, or Harry Potter in German, but this had not been working.

I got a half hour lesson in steel compression and tension, the effects of additives in steel on steel's deformation curves, and learned how to know where in a concrete structure the steel reinforcement rods ought to be bent to run. This finally worked as a distraction.

I have only one day left to study (tomorrow). I will take the afternoon off to rest my weary head. Please pray that the things on the exam will mostly be things I leaned/remember/can accurately guess at! It is not humanly possible to remember all the stuff I am trying to remember, and that is just a part of the universe of things that can be tested.

Thank you!

24 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

I wish people on facebook would put their maiden names in their "info". I guess maybe some people don't want to, but sometimes when people friend me from 20 years ago I honestly can't figure out who they are. Sometimes high school yearbooks don't even help.

24 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

Yeah, insecta, don't psych yourself out. Get a good night's sleep, do whatever you need to do to let your anxiety go, and then work on whatever you feel like needs the most attention. You'll do fine!

23 Jul 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

Is sitting in airport waiting to board a plane to Atlanta and then another from there to Rio. My life is so weird.

Amy, go and have some fun. That is an order from your former RA.

23 Jul 2009 insectaturk   » (Fixture)

I did okay up until today. Bar exam coming Tuesday and Wednesday. Feel kind of paralyzed.

20 Jul 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

Mother nature can be a little mean. We collected a baby bird that fell from it's nest yesterday. Fed it, kept it warm and went exploring for a place to take it, including the original nest or parents. We found the nest this morning but couldn't get "Squishy" back in. We left him outside to see if his parents would feed him. A magpie found and killed him within minutes.

In better news, I'm officially doing some consulting for Jackson Hole. The Canyons will also have a new website that I'm partially to blame for soon. I think Crotched mtn and maybe a couple others on on the new site list. You'd think working in the ski industry would be slow in the summer...

13 Jul 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

My trip through Chicago was a whirlwind--a bridal shower, a pre-baby shower visit, catching up with a church, visiting with some friends of my folks, etc. I didn't even try to see any family (I saw them all in February anyway). Now I'm in Minnesota until Friday morning which is good. I need a couple of days off from driving.

9 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

Sounds like fun, baggs. Say hi to Chicago for me.

Things are good here. Seems like my project is FINALLY starting to wrap up. Changes around the apartment are nice, like I said, a little less dorm-ey and a little more like a real home.

Now that we're real workin' stiffs, we're only going home this summer for 10 days, which kind of stinks, but what are you going to do? I miss you guys.

7 Jul 2009 baggins   » (Fixture)

I fly to Chicago on Thursday and will be in town for 2 weeks. I'd love to see as many of you as I can. Time will be tight, though. 2 weddings, and lots of family to see.

7 Jul 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

I'm in Virginia 'til Thursday with my sister and her family; then I travel to the Chicago-land area for a couple of days. My summer travels have been good so far.

My mom was interred at Arlington National Cemetery this morning (ashes). It was quite beautiful. I hope to have some pictures up on facebook and/or flickr in the next few days.

6 Jul 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

Summary: Back in country, a long time ago. Since then I've been to Telluride for the bluegrass festival (pouring beer for New Belgium). The weekend after that was Idaho for a friend's engagement party. I got bit by a spider there and have been on really strong antibiotics ever since. Last weekend I drove the Recycle Utah truck in the 4th parade. There was much mayhem. And yesterday I was in Maple canyon climbing. In a couple hours I'm headed to Jackson Hole to see about some work. Been a busy month. Pictures can be found here: http://flickr.com/photos/smax/

How ya'll doing?

5 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

Had a nice 4th weekend. Went to a party with some of alhp's friends-in-law (her lawyer friends, hah) and then last night we had plans for a game night with our Canadian neighbors. We got a new neighbor upstairs, and the work on our apt. is finally finished and looks really nice. New tub and bathroom sink, new stone tile floors in the bathroom and kitchen. Renters may actually have a little leverage in this economy!

Hope you all are doing well.

3 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

You're welcome -- I am really sorry it was gone for so long. I couldn't access it from home before (network issues), and then it went down and I didn't notice for a little while. We should be solid now for the long term.

3 Jul 2009 blvdgirl   » (Fixture)

Oh, Diner, I'm so glad you're back. Thanks Pedro.

2 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

I think we're back... obviously there will be some things to fix over the next days/weeks, but the basic stuff should work.

2 Jul 2009 pedro   » (Tourist)

Here's a test post with the new software... here goes nothing...

9 May 2009 smax   » (Fixture)

What I've been doing for the past 10 days or so: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136769?ticker

Back in Edinburgh now. It's nice to not be moving. I head home Monday morning. It will be good to be home.

Get well Baggs.