the performance

You have to tilt your head to the left to see this properly ;).

uber blogging

Okay friends, I know there's a lot on here recently, but I can't help it. I'm joining an ESL program at Duke this summer :). The meeting last night really revealed that this is a great way to get into Budapest whether the schools accept me as a teacher or not. I am really excited about it and am going to take the plunge.

I'm also going to take Hip Hop Dance this summer and who knows what else. The world's just not ready.

Reading FIVE poems tonight. . . and Tiffany Okafor is coming in all of her spoken-word glory! Don't miss it!

s.c. wedding part 2: the south of the border pics

The cactus climbers.











The gorilla. Poor thing.

Okay, not at south of the border, but I love palm trees! This was just outside the reception (and it was windy).

s.c. wedding

Probably one of the best parts about the whole trip had to have been a leisurely walk on the beach after the wedding. Although not much really beats having shrimp and grits at a wedding. From left to right: Emily, Lee (her husband), Andrea and Brooke look like they're in a rock band. I'll call them "Rhymes with Noodle."
Andrea wanted the pink pool noodle to be part of the band. Brooke considers it.
Eventually, however, the band members move towards the beach, and Andrea is left to make a decision. I'm glad she got back in the car with us later because we never would have made it to South of the Border for lunch the next day. I was able to comfort a distraught gorilla, Brooke and Andrea fearlessly climbed a cactus, and we got the heck out of there when we realized that they were going to charge 25 cents to go to the bathroom.

In other news, this Wednesday, open mic night at Broad St. Cafe in Durham at 8 p.m. I've never really decided to publically read my poetry before! No sneak peeks ;).

netflix

Anyone want to be my friend on Netflix? I have 29 movies in my queue right now! Certainly a record :).

I've had so much fun being good to friends recently, and I have some AMAZING ones!

Test tomorrow! Look at this cool poem I found today while studying:

Resume

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

- Dorothy Parker

Humor is definitely an effective tool to get a major message across. And no, I've never even remotely considered suicide. I'm a wimp who can't even stand too much sun in my eyes.

studying

Rest = divine activity. I spent at least some of the weekend resting. Got some revelations, went to an African-American church, communed with nature and the durham community (quilted on the community quilt friday), and got a precious book My Utmost for His Highest. Makes me want to write a devotional.

This helps so much:
"God always ignores the present perfection for the ultimate perfection." He ultimately knows what will make us most fulfilled and holds out in the present struggle to ultimately satisfy.

Everyone PLEASE come to storytelling for adults the last Sunday in May at 7 p.m. Broad Street Cafe. It's the last one before they break for the summer! I'll send an email as it gets closer. The ladies who told stories last night were so awesome.

Please pray for the National Boards test on Friday: it's a behemoth! Can you imagine answering 6 essays prompts in 3 hours? At least after, I'm going to a concert to see Arcade Fire and potentially Barack Obama.

shout outs

It's been a little over a week since my last post. . .

I wanted you all to meet Hera, my new orchid. I had been scoping for months and finally alighted on this one at Trader Joe's for a really good price!

Enjoyed so much hosting Lindsay's international party this past Sunday night. Everyone really came through with some awesome food and costumes! I especially enjoyed the fact that we broke a pinata outside of my house, and I've still been allowed to live in the neighborhood.

So, I have a GREAT movie recommendation (going to finish it tonight). It's called The Inn of Sixth Happiness. It's about a woman who ups and goes to China, feeling called by God. She doesn't even consider what she might lose in this venture. She was even denied by the mission board before she went. Whoa.

Reading The Sacred Romance (John Elderedge coauthors). I've read Captivating, Wild at Heart, The Journey of Desire (actually comes after Sacred Romance), and I'm still trying to figure out what living from the heart really means. Maybe the orchid knows. . . .

Okay, too mystical here. I'm about to post something really flakey (I'll make you go to the link):

http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season7/jason_castro/

My coworker thinks she's found my soulmate. . . .