Yesterday I came home at night to find my bike gone.

Cool.

Today I came home at night to find a scorpion in my apartment. (I live on a second floor.)

Really cool.

Listen to this song. It's called Earth by Imogen Heap.

This song is the coolest! The meter is so catchy. It's 6/8, but every other bar is a hemiola, similar to the opening of Bryn by Vampire Weekend, or the classic America from West Side Story.  Or, maybe it's written in 3/4 and every other bar emphasizes syncopation. Either way, it's the best.

The harmonic progression, the timbre of her voice, the counterpoint used in the opening--all are so unique. I've never heard anything like it, especially not in a mainstream artist.

The coolest part, though, is what the song conveys through the lyrics. At first it sounds like a woman talking to a new boyfriend, scolding him. But if you look closer... the title of the song is Earth. This is actually supposed to be the Earth talking to us (and I'm sure that if Mother Earth had a voice, it would sound like Imogen Heap):

Baby behave, we'll make it work
Baby behave, we'll make it work
 
You're not golden and I'm getting tired 
Act like you own the place when really you've only just arrived  
I caught first glimmers in hides and skins  
Look who's all grown up, black swanning about the solar winds
 
You're gonna lose it all and find yourself on your knees  
So get a grip and you might flow, reverse the great slow bleed  
I've tried patience but you always want a war  
This house won't tolerate anymore
 
Stop this right away  
Put that down and clean this mess up  
End of conversation 
Put your back in it and make it up to me now
 
The cold shoulder folded arms and looking up  
You've never listened, carry on careless regardless  
This is not a fire drill and if we hold any hope  
It's harmonic connection and stereo symbiosis
 
These Legoland empires choking out my now  
You're everywhere, everywhere multiplying around me 
Child, a strain on my heart  
This rock can't tolerate anymore
 
Stop this right away  
Put that down and clean this mess up 
End of conversation  
Put your back in it and make it up to me now
 
Baby behave, we'll make it work  
Baby behave, we'll make it work

I have to wonder why hear what we do on the radio when there is such artistry out there.

Haven't posted in a while. Life is busy; life is good.

Boris the Spider.

Just because.

I miss my mommy and daddy :(

Oh Debussy, I needed you tonight.

Work is great, but... (there's one and only one but)...

I need to be more loving.
I need to to do others as I would have done to me.
I need to remember that not everyone has a perfect life like me. That things exist is other people's lives and other people's pasts that I know nothing about.
I need to pray for patience and the ability to love my neighbor.

I need the Lord's help with this one.




(I have met a difficult person).

I love the Olympics!!! And I am now a huge fan of this little chicadee:

She's pretty sweet.

Still the event finals to watch... go team USA!!!

Mamacita, Frank, Cali Roll, Sad Paul, Alley, T-Pain, Sweet Gray, Madelyn, Rufus.

Paul and I like naming wild animals.

Mojo in the bathtub!

I am exhausted. I was right, 11-hour days (or 13 hour with frisbee practice) can't last long-term.

But! My allergy medication came today.
::cue parting clouds accompanied by the Hallelujah chorus::

I hope that in a few weeks I will be able to breathe like a normal person.

End post.

Another marathon week of work. This time it is store in the morning, teaching at Gilbert HS band camp in the afternoon, and teaching lessons in the evening. 11 hours of work a day (13 if you count the 2 hours of frisbee practice tacked on the end). I thank God for giving me the ability to work, and in my field. I wouldn't be able to keep this kind of schedule up long-term, but for now, I'm exhausted and satisfied.

This is the first Independence Day I've spent away from my friends and family in Florida. I like Phoenix, but it is not home, not yet. However, God gave me a treat today: Florida weather! It's 83 degrees, overcast, sprinkling, and even a little bit humid. Some people might think I'm crazy for saying this, and some may understand, but thank you, God, for making me feel a little bit more at home.

End of day 2: tired and sore, but good. Got a wonderful guy, a new (ish) car, a couple of jobs I really like, good friends near and far, family who loves and supports me, and all the responsibilities and FREEDOMS of adulthood. AND. The knowledge that I am a daughter of the Lord. No, it hasn't gotten old yet. Life is good.

Update: End of day 1... I don't feel like I'm winning anymore.

Gig--->work--->teaching--->frisbee
every day this week! I feel like I'm winning.

Mojo the cat is amazing. I don't speak his language, and he doesn't speak mine, yet we are still able to communicate love to each other.

I made it onto the co-ed ultimate club team I tried out for! It's called Del Sol and is (obviously) in Phoenix, Arizona. I have been working pretty hard to be the best I can be on the field. Health! I have been trying to work out (work out? what? yes!) and eat a little better. I have realized that there are a lot of small easy changes I can make, like low-fat yogurt instead of full fat, frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, wheat bread instead of white bread, more fruit, and cutting down on sweets (especially at night!). My new favorite thing is Carnation Instant Breakfast, which takes about a minute to consume and is as filling as a normal snack. And! Despite how much sugar it has, I feel good after drinking it (physically good, as opposed to mentally good.)

Anyway, I'm pretty excited to be playing on an actual team for the first time ever. I've seen both sides of club teams: on Spitfire (Phx women's team), we were all practice and no competition; on Mooseknuckle (Orlando mixed team), we were all competition and no practice. Neither team ever had a tryout or made cuts or had anything resembling a set roster, or had any type of a goal (well, Moosknuckle did have a goal at one point, but that story is for another day). Del Sol, in that way, will be the first "real" team. Each person has his role, and I'll work hard to play my part well--not for myself, but for the good of the team. We'll be a group of people, working together for a common goal. And that's pretty cool.

A: What should I have for dinner tonight?
P: I don't know... cookies?

Wellp, it's the time of year when I fear to look up the weather forecast because it will just tell me that I am going to sweat, burn my skin off, and probably die of heat exhaustion. Hey! It's midnight and 95 degrees. Phoenix, yeehaw!

::tumbleweed rolls by::