i'm back. sorry for the confusion.

i got frustrated with blogger and made a rash move to wordpress.

wordpress has some great features and a better variety of themes/templates. unfortunately, wordpress doesn't allow for javascript or editing of html, and to change anything in the css requires a paid account. not allowing javascript kills most of my widgets, and though they have quite a few to choose from, they didn't have ones i wanted available on templates i liked. so even though they have a better selection of templates, the ones they have aren't as flexible as the ones here on blogger, at least not without a paid account (and i don't want to pay for it).

i've spent way too much time over the past few days trying to adjust to wordpress and see if i could make it work for me. so instead of wasting so much time, i'm back to user-friendly blogger and will simply hope they keep making more options available.

i've moved

the other night, after i accidentally changed the look of my blog, i went through and made some adjustments to see if i could like a slightly different look. i wasn't thrilled with the results and didn't want to make it look just how it used to either.

so last night, i wandered over to wordpress to see what they offered. if you pay attention to blogging platforms at all, you probably know that wordpress certainly offers much more than blogger, though at the loss of some of the user-friendly simplicity, i might add.

i went ahead and created an account to see what i could do with it and how it would look and all that, and so far i'm pretty pleased with it.

i know the font is kind of small, and i'm not too into the orange for the titles, but i liked that i could import an image for the header(and that it doesn't have the same issues it did in blogger) and i'm still messing around with the widgets and the overall look.

so, unless wordpress drives me crazy or something, i expect this to be my last post on blogger. so come visit me at my new address: http://jpx2.wordpress.com/.

some changes in blog scheme

i was updating my lists of books and the order that the widgets and lists in the sidebar are in, and i decided to take a look at the other templates that blogger offers. well, it was late, and i was tired, and thus i accidentally clicked on a save changes link when i didn't mean to, thus undoing the entire color scheme and much of the layout of my blog. it was enough to nearly send me running to wordpress or some other blogging program. but as it was late, and as i like the convenience of blogger as another google product, i stayed put and just made a few modifications to a similar template as my old one to personalize it just a little.

i'm not loving it, especially the blue i currently have selected for links. so i'll make a few more changes soon enough. if there's anything you love or hate (or that isn't showing up right in your browser), let me know before i go fiddling around with it again. while i'm at it, is the image at the top stretching the whole way across the box and staying in the frame in your browsers does anyone know how to get the image in the title bar to stretch to the right size for different screens and browsers? i like that blogger now lets you put images up there, but it only seems to upload it as a static image that doesn't conform to the size of the framegetting it to the right size was quite a challenge (or at least a lot of repeated effort).

and just for fun, if you're on blogger as well, let me know if there's another template that you think suits me better than this one.

on my bookshelf

as i was updating the lists of books i'm reading and that i've read recently on my sidebar right now, i glanced through them and realized that i have nearly a dozen books that i am somewhere in the process of reading. three more books i ordered from amazon just arrived today and another is still on its way. not only do i have way too many books on my list of what i'm currently reading, most are staying on that list way too long. many of those books have been there for about six months. in the last month or two, i finally finished about five books, but instead of moving through the rest on my list i simply added more. they are all books i've begun, but haven't quite made my way through the end.

in general school has a detrimental effect on my reading. i always get behind in my reading for classes, and in my guilt, i then avoid reading other books for pleasure. this time through though it took me a bit of time to get past the effects of school and back into reading. last summer i read three or four books a week at times, and this year now that it's august, i've just started to read about that many in a month.

hopefully in the next week or two, before classes start back up again, i can post about the ones i've recently finished and maybe get through at least three or four more.

random things meme

dr. blaze tagged me again. for this one, i'm supposed to list seven random facts about myself. while dr. blaze went ahead and explained each one of her facts (even gave stories!), i'm going to keep mine brief:

1. i have dual-citizenship.

2. i once had a pet squirrel (she was named andy). and i used to have pet chickens.

3. i've driven across the country up and down (a few times) and right to left (once, so far), and have essentially lived within three of the four corners of the country (SE, NE, and NW).

4. i have two phobias, one major and one minor (if they can be categorized as such). the major being cockroaches (even typing that gave me the creeps) and the minor one, which comes and goes, being telephones (my anxiety level rises dramatically when one rings that i might have to answer or when i need to make a call).

5. i like nuts. i love chocolate. just don't mess with my chocolate by putting nuts in it, i find them far too distracting from the pure pleasure that is chocolate (though peanut butter is fine).

6. i've never broken a bone. i cut through one once, and i've had a couple of hairline fractures, but after plenty of injuries that should've resulted in a break, i've never actually broken a bone.

7. i have no rhythm. seriously, none. when people are clapping along to a song, i'm that person you hear who's nowhere near the beat everyone else is on. this lack of rhythm has kept me from ever learning to successfully play any instrument.

ah, now for the tagging of others. yellowinter, since the last one i tagged you with was a bit much to handle with a baby around, how about giving this one a shot (and i still owe you a phone call, when i get past my current phobia)? and rilina, since we've been out of touch for a while and i don't think i've seen you answer this one, wanna give it a shot?

simpsons meme

never been tagged before, and then twice in the same night, i feel honored. . . or something. dr. blaze tagged me again, this time with the mission to make a simpsons avatar. so, here it is:

for this one i won't tag anyone in particular, but instead just say to make your own simpsons avatar and post them with a link back here so i can see them.

too many questions meme

Dr. Blaze tagged me with this meme. personally, i think 55 questions about myself is an absurd amount, but here goes:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? sort of. my mom read the name somewhere, and it's similar to a name in our family.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? i don't know, maybe a couple of weeks ago.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? depends. it's different virtually every time i write.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? since i don't eat ham/pork products or red meat, i'm not left with a lot of options for lunch meats (read: turkey and chicken). i like turkey well enough, but i really prefer cheese.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? nope.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? i've always thought that if two of me were in the same vicinity of each other the world would simply explode or something. so, probably not.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? not intentionally. people think i'm sarcastic more than i intend to be.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? nothing about getting bounced around like that really appeals to me. i'd go sky diving first.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? lucky charms, closely followed by captain crunch with crunchberries (yes, pure junk food).
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? is that what you're supposed to do with the laces? no. i just kick them off.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? physically or emotionally? physically, not anymore, i'm easily in the worst shape i've ever been in. emotionally, too much in certain ways, not enough in others.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? two, both ben & jerry's: phish food (thanks to Dr. Blaze for introducing me to it many years ago) tied with one sweet world.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? i don't know, i don't think i've ever noticed what i noticed, or maybe i don't want to think about how shallow i can be.
15. RED OR PINK? neither.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my tendency towards depression.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? our niece & nephew.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? nah, i'll just hunt them down and read it on their blogs.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? jeans. always wearing jeans. no shoes, just socks (but usually sneakers).
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? sushi (well, that was dinner. since then i've eaten nerds and a cookie, but i was trying to avoid admitting all that junk food).
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? our friend matt's cd (currently in boston, soon to be joining us in seattle), misplaced americans.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? indigo.
23. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SMELLS? cookies baking. forests.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my parents.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yes. she's my oldest (as in amount of time, not age), and one of my dearest friends.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? ugh. i don't watch sports. i'd rather play. but if i watched any, it'd be soccer (futbol).
27. HAIR COLOR? these days, bleached blonde.
28. EYE COLOR? blue.
29. ARE YOU: OVERWEIGHT, UNDERWEIGHT, JUST RIGHT, OR NEVER RIGHT? i'd rather not talk about it. :)
30. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no, glasses all the time.
31. FAVORITE FOOD? silly question. chocolate. (but since this asks about dessert later, i'll say that as far as non-sweets, i like sushi)
32. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? depends on my mood, usually scary though.
33. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? apocalypto.
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? if it's snowing, then winter. but really, i love fall and spring.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? kisses, though i guess it depends who i'm getting the hug or kiss from.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? chocolate.
38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? book? haha. i'm never only reading one book at a time. so the three i'm most actively reading right now are: a deeper shade of blue by Ruta Nonacs; an emergent manifesto of hope by Doug Paggitt and Tony Jones; they like Jesus but not the church by Dan Kimball.
39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? laptop, no mouse pad.
40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? naruto.
41. FAVORITE SOUND? my niece & nephews voices and laughter.
42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? not really into either.
43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME/HERE? well, since i grew up in miami, and then lived in boston, and now live in seattle, i guess being in seattle in some ways is the furthest from both of those homes i've been.
44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? i don't know, but i like making people laugh.
45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? panama.
46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? toss up between costa rica and panama.
47. WHAT'S THE ONE THING THAT YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO DO BUT HAVEN'T DONE YET? have kids.
48. WHAT'S THE ONE SIMPLE THING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? once again, chocolate.
49. HAVE YOU EVER TRULY BEEN IN LOVE? yes. still am.
50. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK/AUTHOR? anne lamott.
51. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? in the mountains.
52. WHAT'S YOUR PERSONAL THEME SONG? can't say that i have one these days. maybe i should go find one. . .
53. ARE YOU REGISTERED AS A REPUBLICAN, A DEMOCRAT, OR AN INDEPENDENT? independent.
54. WHEN YOU WERE A KID, HOW DID YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME? daydreaming or playing with g.i. joes.
55. WHAT IS THE AIR-SPEED VELOCITY OF AN UNLADEN SWALLOW? african or european?

and of course, since i got tagged with this, the only right thing to do is to tag a few others, but i'll keep my list short, so rilina, Becky, and yellowinter, tag, you're it!

i'll write more soon, no really, i will

i feel like the last few posts were mostly filler, without much actual substance to them.

i just decided this week that i'm not taking classes this summer, so hopefully i can catch up on my reading list. i've had the same pile of books sitting around waiting to be read for months now, and i've only read a few pages a week at most. so i'm looking forward to getting some time to get through all (or most of) that stack. so i'll post about those as i get through them.

besides that, i'm hoping to take some time this week to post some thoughts about women in the church, as the video i posted a few days ago seemed to strike up a bit more discussion here than usual (as well as throughout the rest of the blogosphere).

so hopefully, i'll get a chance to write more than just filler in the next few days and weeks, and make this a little more worthwhile.

one day blog silence

displace me 4.28.07 - update

57, 644 people have signed up so far (14 just since i started writing this post).

3 days from now.

and, once again: if you live in (or near) atlanta, austin, chicago, denver, kansas city, l.a., nashville, new orleans, new york, orlando, phoenix, pittsburgh, san francisco, seattle, or washington d.c., i strongly encourage you to sign up and go to this event.

i haven't posted anything else in the last few days because i want the posts about displace me to be what you see when you come here :) oh, that and the fact that i've got a lot of schoolwork to do, stuff to read, papers to write, by 4:30 this Friday afternoon.

but, fear not, after this weekend, i'll make sure to write about something else (though i may blog about the event after the fact as well, as that will probably be more interesting than this post).

font size poll

a few posts ago, i accidentally posted with a different font size. i left it alone, thinking that since it's bigger, it's probably easier to read (and since i tend to write long posts, i thought that'd be nice - though it does make them look even longer). but aesthetically, i much prefer the smaller size. what i can't stand though is that partway down, the size changes. so i'm either going to update my last few posts and shrink the font down like the older posts, or as i've got time, i'll go back to old posts and change the font there.

yes, i'm being picky.

so, if anyone has a font size preference, speak now before it shrinks back down in the next few days.

(btw, this is the larger font, if you scroll down the page, you'll see the smaller one.)

two weeks

my MiL is in town for two weeks

i have about half a dozen essays hanging over me right now that i need to get finished (some a few days ago, some asap, some for mid-april). but i'll be busy playing tour-guide and resting in between.

so i probably won't post much for a while. i might on occasion, but in general, i think i will be quite absent from the blogosphere.

links pt. ii

in a post a little while back, i mentioned that i wondered whether i really wanted to have a list of links to sites that i read simply because they make me angry. while i feel it is only fair game to allow an opponent an open hearing in a debate, since those sites were all relating to subjects that i have yet to post about on this blog, it seemed rather random to have them there. plus, in the last few weeks, i have spent more time finding more sites of the same ilk, more that simply rile me up and make me angry. so either the list was going to expand exponentially, or i'd have to remove it. and i figure that until i'm ready to engage in debates on each of those subjects, it's not worth having them there. (ok, it's not that i'm not ready to engage in debates i'm just trying not to do so as often.) so if, in the future, for whatever reason i decide to argue against some of what is said on those sorts of websites, i will link to them individually in that particular post rather than simply keeping a list of them on the sidebar.

so, not that you would have noticed if i hadn't mentioned it, but that segment of the sidebar is now officially deleted.

links

i was checking over my links tonight to make sure they were all working, and started wondering if i should even include the set of sites that make me angry. i'd really hate to direct more traffic towards those sites. and there are so many more sites i know of that are so much worse, that i can't even bring myself to link to those.

if i really wanted to put a site up that makes me angry, then i'd link to something like fred phelps' site - you know - the crazy preacher who has his church members go around protesting at military funerals to let everyone know that homosexuals are the downfall of our country and that they, and we, are all going to hell. but there's no way i want another link on the web going to that website. he doesn't need anymore traffic, i don't want him thinking people believe his hellish lies.

so if i don't consider that okay to do, then why do i even include the sites i have listed there? i'd like to think that i believe that they are less harmless than phelps. but is that really true? i mean, these are sites that are all about dissension and focusing on the minor issues instead of on Jesus.

i guess for now i'll leave them, as i continue to wonder about the wisdom of this decision. maybe i'll take some time to actually talk about each one and why i have them listed there.

it's been a long time

i know, i know, i haven't posted in over a month. the thing is, with packing up boxes, loading up a truck, driving over 3000 miles across the country, then unloading a tuck, unpacking boxes, and starting classes, it gets kinda tough to find time to do things like this. that's especially true when you don't have internet access for the first couple of weeks, and then when you do, you don't have your computer available. . .

but now, i have access (high speed, no less!) and a nifty new computer thanks to my MiL.

i have managed in the past month to not finish any book that i can think of, even the ones i'd already started before we moved, so i can't post about books. and, actually, i don't have a ton of time for posting right now, so i won't even say anything about school, or tv shows, or movies, or our trip across the country, or any of the other things i thought i could post about.

so if you want to know what's going on, you'll have to wait for future posts, which i promise won't be as long in coming as this one was.

my first post

well, i've wanted to start a blog for a while, but haven't ever quite figured out what i would use this virtual space for. but now i've decided that it doesn't really matter, because after all, it's only virtual space. it's not like i'm getting in anyone's way by writing some words on my own screen that will probably not be viewed by many others.

so i'll probably complain about things that bother me, link to sites that are funny or ridiculously stupid, talk about books i'm reading, and in general, just find ways to waste this space. maybe once in a while, i'll actually find something interesting to say, but essentially, i expect this to be the dumping ground for my mental scraps.