and the silence is deafening...

I have been quiet this week. Not just on the blog front, in my real life as well.

There is so much noise in our lives, that it's easy to mistake sounds for quality and noise for engaging conversation.

But it's just noise.

And all it leaves are a bunch of people who talk while no one is listening.

For once in my life, I'm very deliberately choosing to stop being a part of the background noise, the chaos that encompasses most if not all of us, and just be quiet.

and it is the one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I'm being quiet at work, because I've had to learn that people don't listen to the talk, they listen to the action. I'm mostly talk and little action.

I'm being quiet around friends, because I've said a lot of good things that have fallen on deaf or unopened ears. And for some of them, I've been quiet for a while.

But the silence is deafening. Even the silence isn't silent. it's a roar of a noise that i can't hear when I'm running my mouth, or tuning into nonsense, I can only hear it when I stop and make the time.

My to do list this week (still haven't taken a picture of that, sorry y'all!) has included the following items:

1) stop cussing. I'm human. A potty mouthed sailor, I am not, but I've just "ell" a few times too many lately.

2) Be nice, but don't share too much. Because nobody takes you seriously when they know about you. And frankly, i've got a huge need to be taken seriously.

but tonight, I got a small reminder of God's promise for me, for all of us, in a simple rainbow. A rainbow with two ends, a rarity in a world where we've all but chipped away the ozone and atmosphere with a pick axe.

I'm sure my entire community saw it, but I choose to believe it was for me. and I needed that wordless, noiseless reminder that, it is in the silence and the smallness that God is able to speak to me in a way that I understand Loud and Clear.

In the year _____

I'm collecting pennies from 1964 as a part of a project. I started this about a year ago and while I don't have a huge collection (Read: 8), it has led to a strange new habit on my part.

Whenever I get change, from a vending machine, or from your average transaction, I look at the year and remember something that happened. (The exception is any change from the year 2000 to date. I ignore it because it's still too fresh.)

This morning, I had a dime left over from my Dr. Pepper run. Year: 1986, also known as the year the Challenger exploded (which coincides with my first real crush's birthday).

Do you ever do this??

Unrelated to Michael Jackson...

Can I tell you how ready I am for Fall TV? I'm sure you were expecting some deeply concept, but really I'm just ready for NCIS & Criminal Minds to come back to me, and not in reruns.

:)

I love it when the Gothamist kids make funnies...

(Just had to share! Don't forget to read all the way to the end ... You can go HERE to see the original article plus photo)

Wallet Returned To Woman 27 Years After It Was Stolen

A woman whose wallet was stolen from her purse in Central Park in 1982 finally had it returned to her last week after a worker found it stuffed inside the hollow of a dying cherry tree near Rumsey Playfield at East 72nd Street. The cash was gone (except for a single penny) but the discovery was essentially a time capsule for Upper East Side resident Ruth Bendik, a 69-year-old health care professional. She vividly recalls realizing her Reagan-era wallet was lifted one day while in she stood in a crowd watching the New York City Marathon. Fast-forward to last Tuesday, when a tree-care supervisor for the Central Park Conservancy found it after he took down the tree, cut it into large pieces, and began to root around inside a hollow to finish the job. The blue leather wallet was encrusted in dirt but still contained retro credit cards from Bell Telephone and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank, as well as Bendik's employee ID from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (right). Bendik's $20, however, was nowhere to be found. The wallet was turned over to the police, who returned it to Bendik the next day, according to the Post. The thief remains at large, but the trees are obviously mixed up in this somehow.

...

... sand really is good for the soul...

I am back from my beach trip.

I'm both happy and sad about that. Happy that I'm not longer in a car traveling with the world's quietest riders (Dear Lord I took the book club), and sad that I'm not near the gorgeous beach and wonderful weather.

Seriously, we were in the car for 18 hours, and at least 9 of those were in complete silence.

(!!!)

The weather could NOT have been any better. Some friends and I stayed at a small Inn my Mom and step-Dad frequent, so I know the owners. They're small condos/rooms, but they have a functioning kitchen, and air conditioners that would put the entire Hilton chain to shame. Seriously, we could have frozen if we'd not turned them off a few times. I like to call that: PERFECTION.

My companions all took books, DVD Players, and at least two seasons of Alias. I'm confident that at least 7 books were finished this weekend. At an average of 260 pages a piece. That's a lot of literary goodness for a 75 hour trip.

I did not get to play Putt-Putt and I am deeply sad about that. :(

I did manage to get sunburned INCLUDING the fact that I look like a raccoon today since I failed to put sunblock on my face on Saturday.

On the upside, we played 3 games of Nerts that I completed dominated. It was marvelous.

I honestly did not take many pictures... although I'm not sure why. Okay, I am sure why, but I'm learning that everything doesn't belong on the internet so that's all I have to say about that.

But regardless, I'm back. And busy at work. Later Peeps!

3's a charm.

Hello from Boringsville.

Other than some unnecessary drama this week, my life has been quiet. And I would like to take the time to Thank The Lord for quiet. I have seen many friends, spent some quality time where I could, but am overall waiting only for the Beach.

Dear Lord, I'm so thankful that when you parted the land from the seas, you ingeniously thought to throw soft beige sand down. Thank you, Amen.

Tonight (sadly), I have to buckle down on packing. But before I do, I needed to share something with you.

Five years ago (this past Mother's Day), I acquired a second phone. Oh the joys of having TWICE the opportunity to ignore a phone call.

Just kidding!

maybe.

But next week, I'll be, albeit temporarily, acquiring a THIRD cellular device. I may also lose my sanity. Stay tuned.

Love,
Jenn

finding a treasure in your own house

(I'm a bit on posting overload...)

Three or four months ago, My mother called me frantic about ordering some machine she'd seen on television. She said the machine was the consummate scrapbooker's tool and did everything! It cut paper! It etched class! It cut fabric! It was wonderful! Clearly she was giving Billy Mays (RIP) a run for his money with her saleswoman skills. I reluctantly ordered the ridiculously overpriced machine and received it a few weeks later. I opened the box, realized that it probably needed to be plugged up to a computer, boxed it back up, and set it under the table in my room.

And for the last three months, it's been quietly collecting dust under there.

But this past week, I discovered that I've been sitting on a gem the entire stinkin' time and didn't know it.

I housesat/dogsat for friends who live in the same town I work in, who just happen to have DirectTv. Long ago, I had a cable tier that included the DIY channel, and used to often watch the scrapbooking shows. (I can't help that I'm fascinated with what "ordinary" people can make.) In a sheer fit of boredom after letting their dog out for the umpteenth time one night, I discovered that they TOO had the DIY channel.

And Lo and Behold, a program called "Scrapbooking made easy" was on. I turned the channel and I'm pretty sure Angels started singing at that point.

It was an advertisement for the dust collector under my table.

And as it turned out? That machine really DOES do everything but convert money and translate conversations. I was ridiculously excited to get home and play with my new toy. Most importantly, I wanted to figure out how to cut out designs and etch/emboss glass. And I discovered that my contraption did NOT need to be plugged into a computer. The reason it was so expensive?... it is its OWN computer.

So Saturday afternoon, after running a few errands (and picking up two $1 goblets from Dollar General), I discovered that I! Too! Could! Turn! Ordinary! Products! Into! Treasures! And it only took 10 minutes.

The picture below are my first two trial runs (you can see some of my errors), but as it turns out, the Cricut really is the macDaddy project of them all. Truthfully, there should be at least two in every Elementary School simply for how much easier it makes putting bulletin boards together. OH MY WORD the options!

The closest glass says "love" in script, and the second are my roommates initials. The etching is permanent and dishwasher safe! It's crazy. Honestly it was the easiest project I've ever done.

And next week, I'm going to find some glass dishes and make a personalized set for my friend getting married in August.

Also, I'm going to put this up on my Etsy. You would pay about $65 to do the same thing through Things Remembered. So... whatcha' think???

Forgot to mention...

Actually was able to go see the Proposal and Up.

Don't go see UP. There's as much sad as there is happy and frankly, I like my 3D cartoon movies to be Happy without being half sad.

But The Proposal? FABULOUS!!!!

iPod - Michael Jackson Style

I'll link to the other lists soon, but for now, I wanted to post some of my favorite Michael Jackson hits!!

• The Way You Make Me Feel -- Alltime Favorite! Also, from my very first date.
• Billie Jean -- Michael said this song had more to do with his brothers' lives than anything. More than my fair share of car karioke with this one!
• Remember the Time -- This makes me remember middle school. And my first school dance.
• P.Y.T. -- Okay, this song is creepy if you think about it too hard. So, don't. Think the rhthym.
• Smooth Criminal -- I absolutely love this song.
• Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough -- Motto for life. LOL!
• Butterflies -- My favorite slow MJ song.
• It's the Falling In Love -- just a good song!
• Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' -- You do? Parking lot. 5 minutes.
• Thriller -- I pity the Fool who cannot replicate some part of this routine.
• Rock with You -- One of the cheesiest videos, but a true 80's classic!
• Bad -- I was home the day this video premiered on MTV. Everytime I see a well-lit parking deck, I wanna break out my moves.
• Black or White -- My BFF Laura and I used to make up dances to this, or try to recreate the cultural dances in my living room. Hilarious.
• Dirty Diana -- Great for long car trips!
• Man in the Mirror -- This song makes me cry EVERY. TIME. Oi!

What's your favorite MJ song?