God's Talking to Me

 "New Fire" by Sent by Ravens

Our families are a weird machine
there’s too many parts to tape back together
before you turn 18
you shake cause you’re not ready
but fear comes back for more
be a light in their darkness
be a glow on the shore
He’ll turn it around
New fire lit in you
a new fire circles this room
may you never be afraid of your faith in
New fire lit in you
a new fire circles this room
may you never be afraid of your Father
Families are a precious thing
there’s too many hearts to break all at once
before you turn 23
you scream cause you weren’t honest
and you left cause you were wrong
I pray for grace in your decisions
and hope you won’t be gone too long
New fire lit in you
a new fire circles this room
may you never be afraid of your faith in
New fire lit in you
a new fire circles this room
may you never be afraid of your Father…
take take that knife from your neck…

This is That Recap Episode We All Skip on the DVDs

Favorite song of the week-  "Doctor My Eyes" by Jackson Browne.  Best served with green tea and a chocolate donut.

Greek texts muddled through- four.  Finally finished "learning" everything our text book and work book have to offer.  Also read from The Didache and what I believe was a demon possession from Matthew.  Time is needed to confirm.

Favorite activity- skyping Soul Mate.  I really do love Skype.  Aside from the medium video quality and the lack of actual human warmth, it brings me a whole heck of a lot closer to Soul Mate than I've been this past year.

Movies I've watched this week-  Sherlock Holmes, Rock N Rolla, half of Ju-On, Interview With the Vampire, Sixteen Candles, and The Big Lebowski.  Best movie moments- The end scene of Interview and Sam Elliot narrating Lebowski.

Number of people who have texted me in the last three days- six. This makes me feel like a popular gal.  Favorite zany topics-  A "Big Yellow Taxi" and a flight attendant who has my eyes.

(Memo to me- Try to like Joni Mitchell)

Sad moment-  Seeing the dead squirrel all alone in the middle of the road.  Not a whole lot makes me sadder than roadkill, as awful as it sounds.

New try- Arizona tea products.  Too sweet for this Oregon girl.

News flash-  PURPLE COYOTE COMING SOON-- check it out at thepurplecoyote.blogspot.com

Week recap done in approximately 36 minutes.  Writer's block- neutralized.  For now.

Two Words: "Soramimi Kekii"

A little "がんばれ!" to help us finish off our week!  "Do your best!"

"End" Rhymes With "Friend"... and "Trend". Whatever That Means.

To stave off the attacks of 30 Day List lethargy I've been experiencing, I'm combining the last two days in one post.

Day #29-

"Something you could never get tired of doing."

Day #30-

"A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days."

I could positively never get tired of hanging with Twin Kelsea.  It's borderline illegal how much fun we have together.  And the things she says to me- she's a riot.  There was something about cornquistadors today.  It doesn't matter what we're doing- harmonizing on a song, battling at Scrabble, or muddling through a Greek translation- we have FUN.

So, here I am, plenty more than 30 days later.

Three good things that occurred during this blog cycle?

1)  BIBLICAL GREEK happened, and I'm a better, more thoughtful person because of it.  Expect some Greek posts soon!

2)  TRUE GRIT happened.  I think this speaks for itself.

3)  SOUL FOOD happened, and it gets and exclamation mark!  Soul Food is a sweet bible lunch get together thing I do with a bunch of cool girls from around campus.  I can't wait for the next one!

For now, I'm off for my lunch break.  Tune in next time to see our heroine lasso the rare grey whale making its way down the Oregon Coast!

By Way of a Post Script

Kevin Kline.

Jared Leto.

And Much Ado About Nothing.

Brad Pitt Wins the Day

Day # 28:

"Your favorite movie."

I love movies.  Period.  It's hard to have a favorite.  So, I'm going with favorites from certain categories on this one.  It makes me feel dirty (like the Golden Globes) to do it, but it's the only way to get all my faves in...

Movies Based on Novels-

There Will Be Blood

Pride and Prejudice

Crazy Heart

Teen Movies-

Dead Poet's Society

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Mel Brooks Films-

The Producers (Gene Wilder version)

Young Frankenstein

Disney Movies-

Hercules

Tarzan

Beauty and the Beast

Musicals-

White Christmas

Sweeney Todd

Superhero Movies-

Iron Man

Batman in general

Epics-

The Return of the King

Legends of the Fall

Gone with the Wind

Rom-Coms-

You've Got Mail

Sleepless in Seattle

Bridget Jones' Diary

Movies With Adrien Brody-

The Brothers Bloom

The Darjeeling Limited

Classics-

Bringing Up Baby

Rebel Without a Cause

A Streetcar Named Desire

Mind Benders-

Fight Club

Zodiac

Horror Movies-

Psycho

Interview With a Vampire

Jaws

Movies that Should Have Won Academy Awards -

A Single Man

Do you know that this isn't even all the movies I love?  This deserves a part two some time.

That's a Sign for the La Quinta, You Know

Listening to: Crazy Heart play over and over in my head

Day #27:

"A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?"

Spring Break 2010

I know, spring is officially a few months off yet, but this was a very good time for me.  I had just finished a production at my old college, made a truck load of fun new friends, and, as seen in this picture, was traveling to Salt Lake City to check out prospective schools at which to finish my bachelor's.  This might be the best spring break ever- a nice long road trip with my mom and sister culminating in seeing a sweet school and even sweeter people (this happens to be the last time I have hugged Soul Mate).

 Christmas break at Jolt and Juice Company World Headquarters

Here are a few things that have changed:

My hair is longer and browner.  Jolts is bigger and better.  It says C of I on my uniform.

Yep, I didn't end up going to SLC after all, though then I could have sworn that's where I was going to be.  I think I made the right decision.  

I guess the one thing I really miss about a year ago is feeling like a part of a community.  I've said it before- I get lonely here.  But, I've also grown up.  Charlotte Bronte writes in Jane Eyre. "The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself."  Frankly, I don't have to care what people think of me anymore, and that's a huge change from a simple year ago.

"The Head is Not More Native to the Heart"

Day #26:

"A photo of somewhere you've been to."

Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  This is a view of the outdoor amphitheater from Ashland's park.  Last year y college theater group went to Ashland for a weekend to catch a pride of preposterously grand plays.  Two words: Dan.  Donahue.

I love pretty much everything about Ashland.  The weather is akin to that of Portland.  There's a slow moving, almost hippie type air about the place.  The downtown Starbucks carries morning buns.  Louie's, right down the block from the OSF theater, has the best burgers in town.  And, of course, OSF is pretty much the finest Shakespeare festival in the country.

My Dorm Room is Cleaner Than This

Listening to: "Ai Ai Chiki Chiki" (Tackey and Tsubasa)

Still Reading: Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 

Day #25:

"What's in your purse?"

I just dumped my purse out onto my bed in order to answer this question... not a pretty sight.

Here's what I would keep in my purse if I lived a perfect, organized life:

1 cell phone

1 wallet

1 set of keys

1 lip gloss

2 pens- 1 blue, 1 black

1 planner

Here's what's actually in it:

2 sets of keys

3 bobby pins

1 pack of Benadryl

1 note pad

1 planner

2 lip glossses

1 Red Robin comment card

1 copy of Jane Eyre

6 writing utensils- 1 pencil, 2 red pens, 2 black pens, 1 blue pen

2 broken bits of candy cane

$1.31 in spare change

Cabin 2: Represent!

Listening to: Brothers (The Black Keys)

Reading: Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 

Day #24:

"A photo of something that means a lot to you."

Ivydale!

Camp Ivydale is a wonderful church camp outside of Idaho City.  I've mentioned it before-  I've been going there every summer since I was eight, and now I'm a counselor.  I love this place, I love the people, and I love what God does for and through that place and people. 

This Feels Like a Script for a Blind Date...

Day #23:
"15 facts about you."

1)  I am a born again Christian.

Yes, I suck at living life righteously, but there's a God for that.  He's helped me through a load of bad times, and given me plenty of good ones too.  I owe my everything to Him.

2)  I love a little place called Ivydale.

I've spent every summer since I was eight going to this church camp.  Last summer was my first year counseling, the summer before that I met my best friend there, and the summer before that one I was baptized in the pool.  I have met most of the important people in my life up at camp.   God does amazing things there, and I hope to remain a part of it as long as I can.

3)  I tend to crush on guys with curly hair.

For serious.  Last two boyfriends- curly whirly hair.  I must think it adds whimsy or something on a subconscious level.

4)  I want to go to Japan like nobody's business.

I took four years of Japanese in high school and have spent almost half of my life pretty much addicted to all things Japanese- music, literature, movies, manga, anime, maneki nekos, etc.  It's only right that I go to the country that birthed my obsession.

5)  My Scrabble score is much higher than my bowling score will ever be.

My Scrabble score has been known to break 200.  Bowling?  About 47.

6)  There is certain jewelery that I never remove:  

A braided rope bracelet and purity ring on the left, and a WWJD bracelet and never-ending-loop ring on the right.  In summer I most always wear an anklet as well.

7)  I don't drive.

So stop telling me to start, OK??

8)  I'm a donor.

I donate blood when ever I can.  I love knowing that I can help save three lives with just one pint.  Also, I'm an organ donor.  Says so right there on my learner's permit.

9)  I'm a grammar Nazi.

You've seen what happens when one ends a sentence with a preposition and I catch them doing it, right?  I'm like that with billboards and newspapers too.

10)  I love books.

Favorite authors?  The Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Natsume Soseki, Vladmir Nabokov,. and JK Rowling.

11)  Speaking of, this is how nerdy I am.

If I was in a fictional book series, I'd be in Harry Potter.  I own a Harry Potter shirt for just about every day of the week.  There is a HP calendar on my wall.  I've been known to listen to "wiz rock."  I nearly cried while watching Oprah's interview with JK Rowling.  I definitely cried about 100 times while reading The Deathly Hallows.  But, my nerdiness is justified-- I literally grew up with Harry (The Sorceror's Stone came out when I was in third grade).

12)  Sometimes I get lonely.

Oh no... this one's kind of a downer.  But it's true.  

13)  My fragrance of choice is "Twilight Woods."

Shut up, it has nothing to do with vampires, werewolves, or whiny girls.  Go to Bath and Body Works and check it out- it's delicious.  No pun intended.

14)  Relaxation exercises.

Through my acting classes, I've learned some very useful breathing/relaxation/pronunciation exercises that keep me limber of limb and tongue.

15)  I know what time it is in Dubai.

That's because a dear friend/sister of mine lives there!  Aydan was an exchange student at my high school.  She's amazingly smart, cute, and funny.  You should have seen us in physics class.  Even though she lives thousands of miles away, she's one of the most important people in my life.

The Boom-Boom Bathroom Break Up

Listening to:  coffee brewing

Reading:  chapters 27-28 of Basics of Biblical Greek (William D Mounce)

Day #22:

"A letter to someone who has hurt you recently."

Dear 3rd Floor Simplot's Uncanny Exploding Toilet,

I'll admit it-- you were my favorite stall.  You had the most amusing "Bathroom Chats" as well as the Goldilocks effect of not being too big or too small, but in fact, just right.  I longed to use you my first day back from winter break, but for some reason- intuition, let's say?- I passed you by for the more cramped and frosty corner stall.

Good thing I did.

Not two minutes after I dried my hands those foul smelling brown paper towels and walked back to my room, I heard the sounds of an angry water typhoon.  You, yes, you sir, had EXPLODED all over some nice girl's Uggs!  Really, I was astounded when I heard.

Though this instance left none but the Ugg boots worse for wear, I have to say that you have broken the sacred covenant of trust between a girl and her toilet.  I fear that we can no longer do business together.

Adieu, good sir.

Sincerely, etc,

Kylie

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Beach Bum's Life For Me

Listening to: the heater humming

Reading: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard)

Day #21:

"A photo of something that makes you happy."

No, not seagulls... THE COAST!

The Oregon coast to be specific.  I just love it there!  I took this picture at Lincoln City, one of my favorite destinations.  All that sand, all that water... the coast is on my top three best spots on earth.  I've been thinking about the coast for a while, and today I had a briny feeling in my stomach, the same feeling I get when I can smell the ocean but just can't see it yet through all of the trees...  sweet and salty anticipation!

Not only does Lincoln City have beautiful, though somewhat chilly, beaches, it's only a stone throw away from Newport, which houses the aquarium, the wax museum, and an epic walrus hang out.  Then, there's the glass blowing studios!  Once a year the glass blowers and the town send glass bulbs out into the ocean for people to find when they wash up on the beaches. 

So there you have it!  I'm going to live on the coast one day.  I have a feeling it would be hard to feel angry or anxious about anything... except maybe the odd typhoon or two.

Moon Soaked Singularities

Listening to: assorted Asian music <3

Reading: whatever comes my way.  I have soo many books started.

Day #20:

"The meaning behind your blog name."

"Sun Dried Sundries"

A clever play on words describing my wonderful world, that is not only "sun" dried, but "Son" dried as well.  Well, maybe "Son soaked" describes it better... but yes.  A variety of subjects which have been baked by that big ball of hydrogen in the sky.  And doesn't that just make you feel all warm inside?

This is OREGON, Not CANADA...

Day #19:

"Another picture of yourself."

Here I am with my sweet niece waiting for Soul Mate to skype me!

Jesus Drinks at Jolts and Juice

 Listening to: Infinite Arms (Band of Horses)

Still reading: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay)

Day #18:

"Something you crave a lot."

Hershey's Chocolate with Almonds and white chocolate mochas, preferably from Jolts and Juice.  These are my FAVORITE treat choices.  White chocolate mochas are like liquid love.  I could be a happy spinster if I was allowed to have a daily WCM.  And seriously, what better to pair with designer coffee than chocolate??  Yum.

More seriously, I crave to be a better person.  Frankly, I screw up a lot.  I lose my temper.  I overreact.  I misunderstand things quite often.  Doing these things make me unhappy with myself.  But that's what humans do- they create situations that inevitably make them feel terrible about the way they are.  Otherwise, why would we need a loving God to forgive us and help us to find a better way to live?  I just wish I was a better listener. 

Call Us Rosemary and Vera

Listening to: Kelsea chomping chips

Reading: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay) 

Day #17:

"A photo of you and your family."

This is my sister Kelsea and me!  You're not seeing double... we're twins.