praying mantis

Thursday, December 21, 2006

THE SCRAPBOOK (Analysis of the Human Condition and Regret)

Written by: Emily Robinson

Memories… Isn’t that what scrap booking is about? I cannot be dishonest with the pages anymore. So many beautiful, memorable times caught in those photographs; then cropped to fit into my gold leafed photo album.

My marriage to Bill… My child’s first steps… The church picnic I went to with so many wonderful friends three summers ago…pictures from when my daughter when to her high school prom, and then a few pages later her college graduation, and then her wedding…
Yes it was a memorable wedding. And so was mine.

If only the moths hadn’t destroyed my wedding dress while it was in storage. I would have still had it to cherish. I would admire its intricate beadwork and lace. I would sniff it and probably still smell the perfume that I wore. And maybe, if I managed to lose the weight, I would be able to wear if for our wedding anniversary. Yes… that would have been something. I look back and regrets fill my mind. If only I had thought to put mothballs in with the dress; when I first stored it. I wish so badly that I could have saved it. It hardly seems logical, but for some reason, I keep thinking that if I had been able to save the dress, I could have saved my marriage.

My Marriage: Twenty eight years and then everything’s gone. The love, the hope, and the future Bill and I had together have dissipated. The divorce went fairly smoothly. There were loads of paper to sign; little talking. But without my husband’s income, and then having to live on my own, it has been hard to make ends meet. It was not long before I had to sell my wedding ring at a pawn shop…then I had the means to pay the bills for April and May… But since then… it has been more difficult than ever.

I look at my scrapbook sitting on the shelf and I start to cry. This is supposed to be a hobby that middle aged women do. An opportunity to show off your handiwork to all of your lady friends while having them over for coffee… But for me, the scrapbook has become a curse. Its pages will never fade with the acid free paper, the acid free glue, and the premium glossy finish acid free photographs. I feel like getting rid of the object, but burning it doesn’t seem right. Those are my memories in that book, and it is my life. If I dispose of the book it would be like I am disposing all of what my life is made up of. The important events…the cherished ones…

If I did not cherish those times so much I would not be in so much pain now. I guess the real pain is wanting to have what I used to have returned to me. But wait... how could I possibly want that? It was all phony anyway.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Oh my goodness...

There's no revolution in Belgium. Really
By RAF CASERT, Associated Press Writer Thu Dec 14, 6:55 PM ET

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Suddenly and shockingly, Belgium came to an end. State television broke into regular programming late Wednesday with an urgent bulletin: The Dutch-speaking half of the country had declared independence and the king and queen had fled. Grainy pictures from the military airport showed dark silhouettes of a royal entourage boarding a plane.

Only after a half hour did the station flash the message: "This is fiction."

It was too late. Many Belgians had already fallen for the hoax.

Frantic viewers flooded the call center of the RTBF broadcaster that aired the stunt. Embassies called Belgian authorities to find out what was going on, while foreign journalists scrambled to get confirmation.

"Ambassadors who were worried asked what they had to tell their capitals," said Senate Chair Anne-Marie Lizin. "This fiction was seen as a reality and it created a catastrophic image of the country."

RTBF defended the program, saying it showed the importance of debate on the future of Belgium. But the network won few friends.

Even the Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister from neighboring Luxembourg, was angry and let it be know at the opening of the European Union summit. "This is not the kind of issue you play around with," he said.

The RTBF's phony newscast reported that the "Flemish parliament has unilaterally declared the independence of Flanders" and that King Albert and Queen Paola had left on the first air force plane available.

The broadcast showed jubilant demonstrators waving the yellow-and-black flag with the Flemish Lion outside the legislature. A small crowd of monarchists rallied outside the royal palace waving the Belgian flag.

Reporting that the royal family fled did not go down well at the palace, which said in a statement the hoax was in "bad taste."

"It is totally unacceptable," said Vice Premier Didier Reynders.

The linguistic demons pitting Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north against French-speaking Wallonia in the south have been mostly quiet for the past two decades, ever since far-reaching autonomy was granted in the 1980s.

Yet the economic disparity between wealthy Flanders and struggling Wallonia has recently intensified the political debate. The North is demanding more autonomy while the South clings to a unity that better spreads the economic spoils. The royal family is often portrayed as the glue that holds the nation together.

Independence is not an aim of any of the major parties in power, whatever their linguistic preference. It explains why the program was so widely condemned on Thursday.
"It is abhorrent. It defies belief. It is a caricature of Flanders," said Yves Leterme, the Minister-President of the Flemish region.

His counterpart from Wallonia, Elio di Rupo, was just as negative. "Never in my long political life have I seen such worry. Anguish came from around the world," he said.

About the only people who enjoyed the program were the separatist far-right Flemish Interest party. It wants to get rid of the king and thought it could see a flash of its future in an independent Flanders.

"I want to congratulate the RTBF for this daring show," said Flemish Interest leader Filip Dewinter.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Talk about...dumb?

Man calls 911 to report stolen drugs

Associated Press
Tue Dec 12, 4:21 PM ET

WICHITA, Kan. - A Wichita man called 911 to report he was the victim of an armed robbery. The theft? A pound of marijuana worth about $1,100 that he had been trying to sell at his home.
The victim told police Thursday that a buyer had pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and stole the drugs.

Police brought in a drug-sniffing dog to the house and located more marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The victim was booked into Sedgwick County jail on several charges, including possession with the intent to sell drug.

The thief has not been found.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Ichthus Christmas Party 2006

Last Friday night Ichthus had it's annual Christmas party. Here are some of the enjoyable moments that we had:

Ben, Marriane, Katie, Santiago...

There's me opening my present. I was dressed up from a concert earlier in the evening.

Here is me with my present, an adorable poster from Amanda.

Sean Allen and Matt Gibson, two awesome Gentleman friends...

There's Kerri and Hanna, but sadly I don't know the girl in the middle!

A Christian Rap Band showed up called; " Broken Brotherhood". And they were pretty good! Here, I will advertise for them. You can check out their music at www.myspace.com/brokenbrotherhood
(They have free music downloads!)

I love this picture of everyone dancing. I think I was the only person not dancing. I had high heeled shoes on. My feet were killing me!

Here is a great picture of Sean Allen.

There's dainty elegant Me in the midst of a loud rap concert! (I can tell you... it was NOTHING like the concert I gave earlier in the evening!)

There is Grant crowd surfing! Grant is one of my best guy friends. Due to his unique nature, I did not expect Grant to be crowd surfing! It came as a complete shock to me. I mean, come on. Can anyone picture me being a big WWF ( World Wide Wrestling Federation) fan???

There's Jana and Kate... I love them!

Here is Molly and her brother. Aren't they adorable together?

The girls from Jayhawker Towers performed a special dance for us It was sweet.

Friday, December 01, 2006

What the Guys at work did to my Wish List

This year, I am participating in the Secret Santa Gift Exchange at work. I know who I am buying for, but I have no idea who is buying for me. Two nights ago I was at work on break, and there was such horrible weather outside that many of the local hangouts I usually go to were closing. In my boredom, I decided to write a silly wish list and tape it on the glass wall at work. That way my Secret Santa would know what I really want.

Here is what I made:

This morning, I come back to work, and this is what I find:

Yes, look at what the guys at work did to wish list! They are hilarious and I love them for it. What is so funny about all of this is that most of the items they wrote down I wanted in the past.