26 March 2005

nytol please

I need some zzz's
for the past few days... really all this week... I've had the worst time trying to fall asleep. It seems to take forever... last night I know it took me over two hours... though I did get my sermon for the 10th done while tossing!... and once I finally fall asleep, I feel like I sleep in short bursts, wake up, look at the clock, and go back to sleep because it's entirely too early to get up (cause it's like 3:00am and I don't work the morning shift at Starbucks ;))
tonight is another one of those nights and since I now have a wireless connection in my apartment, I thought, what the hey, let's go grab the computer and blog and play around until I finally fall asleep (or the computer dies... whichever comes first!) Of course I'm violating one of the primary laws in restless nights- doing something in my bed other than sleeping and sex, but oh well. I'm not getting much of one or any of the other done, so why not get something accomplished in bed! A few things are new this week- pillows, started drinking tea (sleepytime, though) before bed again, reading right before bed- but it seems like none of them are the real culprit. Although these aren't the best pillows (I have the worst time with pillows because I'm a back and side sleeper which really requires two separate qualities in a pillow, but oh well... I need a tempur pedic, really- mattress and pillow- and then I'd sleep!) and the tea makes me have to pee a lot... and I'm reading the Story of B which I really enjoy but at the same time is a whacked out book with lots of far reaching ideas that keep my brain racing until the wee hours of the morning. Last night I didn't have any tea and we see where that got me. I guess I could try a different pillow. Already read tonight. Any suggestions? Wish I could get the comments to work so that if you had suggestions I could actually get them!
on to new things...
last night was our Maundy Thursday service. It was in the form of a Tennebrae service, but it was a little different. I thought it was ok. I would probably give it a B+. We had the communion first, sang a lot of hymns appropriate for the service, seven readings (one of which was mine) which could have been better espeically the part where we were supposed to put out a candle after we read (half of us almost forgot) and the lights were supposed to dim (which Dan completely forgot until the end), and a solo by a man who really shouldn't be singing solo but apparently thinks that since it is something that occurs in his church up north "weekly" it should be something that occurs down here more often. And as a musician, it really hurts my ears to have to listen to bad singing or bad bell ringing, or bad accompanying, or bad organ playing or any sort of bad music that I have had to put up with in my life! (Though I must say that today's bells were fabulous!) Apparently "NO" is not a word spoken at VPC- ever. It seems very strange to me. Like today, for what has to be close to the millionth time, the organist's phone went off in the service. How hard is it to just take the damn thing out of your pocket and leave it in your desk drawer?!?! In staff meeting- he answers it! Some people really think that because you have a cell phone, it must be with you at all times and you must answer it whenever it rings. Other people wasted money on the thing because it sits at home all the time! PEOPLE- learn the happy medium! Anyway... back to the service... I did appreciate that the service ended in darkness and everyone did a good job with the "please leave in silence" thing. (which is more that I can say for the prompts I put in the bulletin for the youth service on sunday about being silent!) So, yeah, B+.
Today we had a Good Friday service with two other local churches. it was hosted at VPC (would've been nice to see some other churches) with three of our preachers offering pieces of the seven last words of Christ. RPC has been doing this for their mid-week Lenten meditiation series. We crammed it all into an hour and a half, which really isn't that bad. The sermons were outstanding... each one had a great insight to share (at least with me). The combined choirs were phenomenal. As I mentioned, the bells (VPC) were fabulous- the best I've heard them sound all year. I just thought it was a great service. The only thing I had an issue with was that we sang Lift High the Cross at the end and had a benediction and postlude. I guess I feel like Good Friday should also end on a solemn note, because even though we know what happens on Sunday, we need to take the time to meditate on the power of Friday and Saturday before we get there. It was like the music sunday a couple weeks ago when they sang "allelulia"- there are supposed to be no allelulias during lent. But it was like- it's music sunday and this is a great piece, so screw the rules. Today it seemed like- we need to make a good impression to the local community after all the bad press we've been getting for the last five months, so let's end this on a high note. I dunno. Only because of that does it receive an A-. But I am planning on picking up a tape of the service next week (I'll just edit out the end ;))
Tomorrow is the Easter Egg Hunt. Some people are projecting close to 300 people for the pancake breakfast before the hunt. If that happens, so be it, but good luck finding an open chair! This church really outgrew it's facilities like 10 years ago! We set up the fellowship hall this afternoon for the breakfast and the crafts. Tomorrow morning we'll rope off the age-appropriate sections and hide the eggs. Hopefully the weather cooperates- at about 4 today some nasty fog rolled in. It was kinda eerie...
Luckily on Sunday I am only participating in the 11:15 service. It should be a good service- the choir is singing the Hallelujah Chorus- they better not maim it! If they do, at least I have the Atlanta symphony and choir on cd!
Monday the office is closed. I'm tempted to take Tuesday off since I'm working tomorrow. We'll see. I'm definately taking Friday off next week to have my moving sale. I just have to figure out what time to put on my posters. And if it's going to be Friday and Saturday or just Friday (I don't have that much to sell). Get a little packing done here and there. Turn off the cable (which means no internet at home for a little bit, but there's panera). Check with the leasing office about whether or not someone's leased my apartment yet. Talk to Chris about giving me $2000 to cover breaking the lease and moving expenses. Talk to Chris about the worship service on the 10th (which by the way is going to kick some ass). Get Jack to dig up my headphones (or $20 to replace them... I don't remember saying they weren't mine- he never even showed them to me... he has really let me down over the last few months) and other missing items. Hmmm... what else? Oh yeah... have my last Saturday at Nativity (sad).
I'm sure there's a lot more that will hit me in the next two weeks. I also have to figure out what I'm going to pack for Greece- it's a lot cooler there than I was expecting it to be, which totally throws off my original packing scheme. Oh well- if anyone feels like lending a hand, you know where to find me!
Peace out

21 March 2005

Spring Cleaning

So, today my intention was to clean the apartment, but what ended up happening was a complete re-arrangement of 67% of my apartment as I prepare to move. I moved all the office furniture out into the living room and dining room, and all the living room/dining room furniture into the office. The main reason I did all of this was to prepare for the "garage" sale I decided to have. I posted a sign about "furniture for sale" but then realized I had so much more stuff that I wanted to get rid of. So, I decided it would be easier to have everything I want to get rid of out there in that open room instead of trying to gather it all in the office. I also have everything marked at this point with prices. So, now all I have to do is make posters for it. But I can't really have the sale this week because it would be too crazy with all the Holy Week stuff going on. So, I guess I'll have it later.
Oh yeah, I also finally went wireless in this here apartment. It's nice to be able to sit here in my chair and type on the computer and not be attached to anything! Whoa... I just automatically hit ctrl-s and it tried to publish my post! It is just so automatic for me to hit that when I have a pause in my thoughts. It's a good thing that the stop button worked!
So, I guess that's all for now. Tomorrow I have staff at 11am :( which means I should probably go to bed pretty soon. Oh well... oh yeah, last night I did a worship service for the youth and it rocked... I kicked a**! If you are interested in learning more about my wonderful worship service, let me know!
Alrighty... I'm outta here. Peace :)

18 March 2005

St. Patty isn't Irish?!!?!?!

In preparing for Children's Chapel for today (which I actually didn't make it to...) I found out that St. Patrick wasn't Irish. There were some other things in there, like the fact that he was enslaved, but I didn't have enough patience after a 17+ hour day to read the rest.
Sunday morning my grandfather had a mini-stroke, and so after flying back through Tampa in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, I was heading to Ft. Myers to get back on a plane to Atlanta to see him. I was home for about 56 hours before getting back on a plane in the wee hours of the morning yesterday to come back. It has been quite a long week!! The good news is that he is doing fine and will be released from the hospital tomorrow. The bad news is that I am exhausted and will probably get an earful tomorrow about missing Children's Chapel this morning. I really wish that wasn't part of my "responsibilities" but at this point it doesn't really matter because I only have to do it one more time before I leave.
Which, by the way, is in a little over three weeks. I am excited, especially after being home and spending time with the posse and the peeps and the gang, but I am also totally stressed because there is still a lot to do before then.
Sunday night I am leading a worship service for the youth that walks us through the last week of Jesus' life. I finally broke through the writers block and got a lot of the liturgy written tonight before our three hour session meeting, but still have to put all the rambling thoughts for my sermon into something cohesive. And round out the rest of the service, put together the bulletin and meet with the person who is "allowed" to preside over the communion and convince him to do things my way!
Next week is Holy Week, which, when you work at a church, is really the most hectic week in your life. Sunday morning I have to organize the children for the palm processional (Palm Sunday, people... Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem...) and make sure that I have some palms left over for my evening worship service. Thursday we are having a Maundy Thursday service, Friday we are having a Good Friday service (which I still don't know if I'm expected to prepare a sermon for, based on the seven last words of Christ- don't ask me what they are, look them up yourself), the Easter Egg Hunt is Saturday which is mainly on my shoulders- I have to make sure we order enough supplies for the pancake breakfast, get the youth to show up to serve the breakfast, plan an Easter story presentation for the many "unchurched" people that usually attend the Easter Egg Hunt, worry about stuffing the eggs with candy (don't have to worry about hiding them because I have an excellent, reliable person in charge of that part), and pull together all the crafts. And then there's Easter morning, where we're having three services (who knows how many of them I will be expected to participate in) and then I AM CRASHING!!! It may not seem like a lot but amid the rest of the staff scurrying about preparing for everything, I will feel like I've just finished a decathlon!
I think once I make it through this week I might be able to make it. That is, of course, if Jack really is willing to put in a lot of time to pull off the "youth emphasis" Sunday that will be my last Sunday at VPC. Oh yeah, I have to prepare a sermon for that Sunday as well. And if we pull this youth thing off that Sunday, I have a lot more work to do for that besides just write a sermon.
And on top of all that, I have to pack up my apartment! Will someone PLEASE commit to coming down here and helping me?!?!?! I just need someone with strong arms...
Well, that is all the pleading, whining and complaining for now (oh yeah, there was some hoorah-ing in there too). I should go to bed to try to stop the vicious cycle of late nights, early mornings and days of crashing due to lack of sleep and over-exertion. Hope you have a wonderful Friday!

13 March 2005

ah.... home :)

I just got back from Atlanta. It was so nice to be home and see the peeps. Had dinner with my bro and sis, hung out with my pal CJ and the posse, and got to see some of the Columbia crew. It was a wonderful escape. Too bad I had to come back. Oh well... four more weeks!! I will blog more about my fun times in A-T-L but now I have to get to bed because I have to work tomorrow :(
**night**

08 March 2005

Packing... plh

why is packing always so dreadful! I decided to start packing today. I got almost everything in the office packed. It's just so complicated to make everything fit well. I feel like the boxes should be tightly packed instead of having all the extra space that they have because my stuff doesn't fit into them better. But at least I've gotten started. And as I've gotten started it becomes an overwhelming thought as to how many boxes I will have to pack to get all my crap into them. I have starting cleaning out some stuff and getting rid of junk that I've been holding on to for awhile. Just lots of useless stuff that as a pack rat I felt it was necessary to hold on to. But I don't want to be that person anymore. So, I threw it away. Well... most of it anyway ;)
I put up an add by the mailboxes about some furniture I'm selling and today a lady came by to look at some of it. After she left I realized how much more stuff should be on that list or at least will end up at Goodwill. Lamps, rugs, luggage, vacuum cleaner, golf clubs.... I feel like I should have a "garage" sale! And I didn't even realize I had this stuff cause it was hiding in closets I rarely go into!
Well, I think that's all for now. Catch ya later :)