Because I have the coolest friends. 🙂 Thanks, Joel!
Some days I’m gung-ho about getting some hardcore writing in. And then I bump into someone at my coffeeshop *office*….and we talk. For two hours. And I remember that, despite my initial plan of being alone in my creative world, there is a far greater beauty in taking the time to be present with someone. A real person. And to enjoy every moment of that conversation. To be intentional. To be authentic….These are the values I live by. They never fail to make me a better person, a better friend. And I never regret following them.
So. This is what happens when I procrastinate. I draw Alot of Scribbles. (Original artwork, TOP, is by the brilliant Allie Brosh and her blog, Hyperbole and a Half.)
To all the men out there, I apologize.
On behalf of my sex, I will admit we are not perfect. I, personally, have made so many terrible errors in the dating scene. I’ve hurt many people, just as they have hurt me. But that doesn’t mean my actions were justified. I realized recently that I haven’t been able to forget or “let go” of some past relationships because I’ve been so fixated on the fact that they hurt me. It dawned on me this morning: I hurt them, too, because that’s just how relationships are. (Duh, but you’d be surprised how long it took me to reach this obvious conclusion.)
And I finally brought myself to finally say the words, “I’m sorry.”
I’ve been working on my inability to take compliments well.
I shy away from being the center of attention; I don’t like having all eyes on me. (Irony that I’m a blogger on the worldwide net? Naaah. I have my computer to hide behind, mwuahaha!)
By the suggestion of many friends, and with some firm nudging from my closest amigos, I am learning the phrase, “Thank you.” Just like that. Simply “thank you.” Not the phrase, “Oh-well-no-not-really-excusesexcusesexcuses-blahblah-annoying-runaround-to-get-myself-out-of-the-compliment-no-just-shut-up-Jess—(gasp!)—BUT THANK YOU!” *smile* (ding!)
Yeah. I do that. A lot.
Friday was a long, intense, and crazy day for me. I didn’t get any writing done, and I wasn’t able to post anything (even my daily haiku!), and I couldn’t be happier.
I spent ten glorious hours working on helping to build an interactive, modern version of the Stations of the Cross that my church creates every year for Easter. Called “The Way of the Cross,” the theme and the stations are vastly different every year, but the principle never changes: you get to physically walk through the final week in Jesus’ life in a guided, maze-like setting, and discover a deepening of your spiritual understanding. Whether you simply walk away having learned something factual you never knew before, or you walk away wishing to give your life to Christ, everyone has a different experience, everyone has a different take-away, and that’s what makes it so beautiful and amazing. Whether you feel something or nothing, no one will judge you because we are all walking different paths in life–everyone experiences this differently–and that’s okay.
I recently (and finally) became acquainted with Tetris—the Classic version from the video game granddaddy, Nintendo.
I never played as a child. Shocker as that may seem for an ’80s baby, my parents simply did not invest in any video games for us kids. Not that they couldn’t afford it, but we had a bit of a traditionalist upbringing; we were perfectly content to play in the mud with our Tonka trucks and pop wheelies on our dirt bikes and build forts in trees. Thus, my parents were satisfied with giving us more of an outdoor childhood and stealthily managed to avoid the “all-my-kids-want-are-video-games” 18-year financial fiasco. That being said, I somehow managed to stay up-to-par with most of the popular video games and technological trends, often playing games at friends’ houses, or checking out my peers’ new gadgets they brought with them to school.
But the mighty Tetris evaded me. It was like the Rubik’s Cube of the video game world; everyone is impressed by it, enraptured by it, and jealous of the warriors who’ve conquered it. Maybe I sold myself short, simply assuming I could never master it (or get past Level 1 for that matter) due to my over-reactive thumbs. Or maybe I was just too lazy to try the darn thing. Either way, I never touched the Godfather of video game puzzles.
What kind of ginger would I be if I didn’t include some of the most fascinating facts about my species? I’ve compiled a list of random facts about redheads, found on none other than the 100% trustworthy interwebness. Enjoy! Natural red hair is harder to dye than other shades. Headstrong as it is, ginger hair holds its pigment much firmer than any other hair color. If redheads desired to dye their hair to any other color (why would you?), it would only have a noticeable difference after bleaching the hair beforehand. Otherwise, the color won’t take. Bleaching, of course, is…
Another St. Patrick’s Day came and went this past Monday, and in true, own-your-ginger-heritage style, I chose to don green, tame my redhead mane, and go out to partake of all the Irish fare possible. Irish food and spirits run aplenty in the rainy, emerald isles of our Willamette Valley. I was thrilled to hear that there would be a new Irish Restaurant opening in downtown Salem just in time for the festive holiday.
Sisters Irish Bistro is co-owned and operated by a mother-daughter team, Judith Moss and Tena Khonizy, respectively. The Bistro is located in the Reed Opera House and offers small plate appetizers, salad, soup, lunch and dinner entrees, and dessert. The bistro also boasts a full-service coffee bar.
Upon entering the restaurant in its quaint location on the bottom floor of the Reed, I can instantly see the potential. Lit by bright yet tasteful lamplight, I take in the old stone-and-mortar walls, vintage-style stained glass windows, rustic mahogany beams and tables, and fancy faux fireplace; they have carved out the perfect location for an authentic Irish Bistro in the heart of our capital.
Moss and Khonizy share their heritage with pride in providing genuine Irish cuisine from recipes that have been in their family for generations. The simple menu includes the traditional Irish meals: Corned Beef & Cabbage, Bangers & Mash, and Irish Beef Stew, all averaging around $10 per entrée. Appetizers include salad and soup of the day, while the dessert bar flaunts four different Irish-style cakes (Irish Oatmeal, Apple Rum, Carrot, and Irish Fantasy).
