I kinda miss having time to do girly things.
I just want to bake pumpkin cookies, and clean, and go shopping, and do crafts, and wear heels (!), and dress up, and bake croissants, and arrange flowers, and wear pretty flowered scarves, and go stroll around the DIA and bask in the strains of an orchestra and section off an entire afternoon to spend in the corner of a library with a stack of hardcover books and a very tall mug of tea!
Not that those are all things that only girls can do, but...
ah well.
There are pretty things about physics too, right?
:)
Tuesday, September 27
Sunday, April 3
why are you so happy? part one.
Two or three Sundays ago I'm at Starbucks tutoring a friend in her bio class--which, I should add, is being taught in a way that's ridiculously, unnecessarily exasperating--and I notice a short-ish elderly fellow go settle down in one of the comfy armchairs in the corner. (Short-ish elderly fellows are generally awesome, if you haven't already noticed.) The gentleman looks like Albert Einstein: white mussed-up hair; mustache (of course!); some kind of good slacks & shoes I don't remember; and a sweater vest, the pattern of which reminded me of microchips and pixels (at least from where I was sitting--it might've been geraniums or some kind of sailboats for all I know or could see). He's got a green smoothie, which amuses me to no end because I associate smoothies with summertime and bike rides and nutrition-hipsters and just generally more casual things...not really sure where that idea came from, but it's there...so suddenly he seems a bit quirky and unstuffy and I'm absolutely delighted.
By the way, I can't figure out what on earth was in that smoothie since none of the smoothies listed on Starbucks' menu are green. Chocolate? Brown. Strawberry? Mauve. Orange-mango? Close, but not really green...I'm thinking more of a yellow? Maybe he had them throw some green tea macha in there somewhere. Sounds like he has good taste.
Anyway, he's sitting over there reading the Detroit Free Press, sipping on his green smoothie, and he's smiling with this amused/chuckling expression at the paper. And I'm dying to go over and ask him what he's reading about and why it's so great. To thank him for still taking the time to read the paper. To find out who he's been all his life.
Professor?
Physicist?
Plumber?
Pastry-maker?!
Are you a veteran? Do you enjoy G.K. Chesterton or H.G. Wells? Have you been to China? Do you have grandkids that you share whipped cream off your smoothies with? How did you win your wife's heart? Do you always grin like this? Do you maybe speak Hebrew, or Greek? Do you love Jesus or do you question Him in the uncomfortable galleries of your mind or have you sworn Him off altogether?
Why are you so happy?!
By the way, I can't figure out what on earth was in that smoothie since none of the smoothies listed on Starbucks' menu are green. Chocolate? Brown. Strawberry? Mauve. Orange-mango? Close, but not really green...I'm thinking more of a yellow? Maybe he had them throw some green tea macha in there somewhere. Sounds like he has good taste.
Anyway, he's sitting over there reading the Detroit Free Press, sipping on his green smoothie, and he's smiling with this amused/chuckling expression at the paper. And I'm dying to go over and ask him what he's reading about and why it's so great. To thank him for still taking the time to read the paper. To find out who he's been all his life.
Professor?
Physicist?
Plumber?
Pastry-maker?!
Are you a veteran? Do you enjoy G.K. Chesterton or H.G. Wells? Have you been to China? Do you have grandkids that you share whipped cream off your smoothies with? How did you win your wife's heart? Do you always grin like this? Do you maybe speak Hebrew, or Greek? Do you love Jesus or do you question Him in the uncomfortable galleries of your mind or have you sworn Him off altogether?
Why are you so happy?!
Friday, March 25
thai silk & burrito parties.
So approximately three (or more) months ago, while out with my parents, I discovered these on Macy's clearance rack...
...tried them on, and promptly fell in love with them. Now understand...I generally don't fall in love with shoes. Blame the size of my wallet if you don't believe me. But...when you find exactly the right color, the most comfortable fit, the most luxurious fabric, and the most flattering style--all in one pair of shoes--and that for only $20...well, what else is a girl to do?
Well, love at first sight or not, since I live in Michigan and it just happens to still be less than thirty degrees outside in January, the prevailing opinion was that $20 would better be spent on boots to keep my "naked feet" warm. So...I said goodbye. My mom brought home a pair of grey suede boots from Target a couple weeks later and, well, I moved on.
(Side note: I've fought the whole idea that wearing flats = naked feet, but a couple days spent slushing all the way across a freezing university campus kind of convinced me otherwise. Boots are actually a pretty happy idea sometimes.)
Anyway.
I stood in line alone at Chipotle a few weeks ago, hungry and ready for my family's preferred carnitas burrito bowl. I don't remember why I was alone, actually. Probably on my way from work to tutoring to school to home or something. Anyway, I was intrigued by a sign talking about the new ABC "America's Next Great Restaurant" show started by Chipotle's founder to give someone with a dream the chance to actually start their own long-hoped-for restaurant--did you know about this brilliant concept?--and I was also intrigued by the opportunity to win a trip to that restaurant and/or a free burrito party by texting a code in to the specified number. I think it was the last day to text in, too.
I'm glad I went to Chipotle that day.
So yesterday I was beginning my day and received a text that said this:
Funny how something so small can brighten up an entire day, isn't it?
Today I got home from a rather splendid day at school and my dear mother gave me a Macy's bag...in which were the lovely pair of purple silk flats I'd liked so much three months ago. I'm so delighted, I'm wearing them right now even though I have no decent reason to be wearing shoes while curled up in my bedroom. And she got them for $10!
In the Bible, James says that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." And while it might not be wonderfully spiritual or absolutely eternal, sometimes I wonder if God's little gifts--like delighting in the color of a pair of shoes or feeling a little brighter because of a burrito surprise--sometimes, I wonder if those gifts don't reveal who He is just as much as the greater gifts like forgiveness and justice do.
Maybe sometimes we just need a little reminder to point us to Him.
P.S. I found these while searching for the photos of my new flats...Macy's can put them on sale & clearance any time they want! ;)
 |
| mattie thai silk flats by rocketdog |
...tried them on, and promptly fell in love with them. Now understand...I generally don't fall in love with shoes. Blame the size of my wallet if you don't believe me. But...when you find exactly the right color, the most comfortable fit, the most luxurious fabric, and the most flattering style--all in one pair of shoes--and that for only $20...well, what else is a girl to do?
 |
| <3 |
Well, love at first sight or not, since I live in Michigan and it just happens to still be less than thirty degrees outside in January, the prevailing opinion was that $20 would better be spent on boots to keep my "naked feet" warm. So...I said goodbye. My mom brought home a pair of grey suede boots from Target a couple weeks later and, well, I moved on.
(Side note: I've fought the whole idea that wearing flats = naked feet, but a couple days spent slushing all the way across a freezing university campus kind of convinced me otherwise. Boots are actually a pretty happy idea sometimes.)
Anyway.
I stood in line alone at Chipotle a few weeks ago, hungry and ready for my family's preferred carnitas burrito bowl. I don't remember why I was alone, actually. Probably on my way from work to tutoring to school to home or something. Anyway, I was intrigued by a sign talking about the new ABC "America's Next Great Restaurant" show started by Chipotle's founder to give someone with a dream the chance to actually start their own long-hoped-for restaurant--did you know about this brilliant concept?--and I was also intrigued by the opportunity to win a trip to that restaurant and/or a free burrito party by texting a code in to the specified number. I think it was the last day to text in, too.
I'm glad I went to Chipotle that day.
So yesterday I was beginning my day and received a text that said this:
"Congratulations from Chipotle and America's Next Great Restaurant! You texted ANGR to ----- and have won a Chipotle burrito party. Please respond to this text with your name and mailing address so we can send your prize voucher. Thank you!"I WON?!
Funny how something so small can brighten up an entire day, isn't it?
Today I got home from a rather splendid day at school and my dear mother gave me a Macy's bag...in which were the lovely pair of purple silk flats I'd liked so much three months ago. I'm so delighted, I'm wearing them right now even though I have no decent reason to be wearing shoes while curled up in my bedroom. And she got them for $10!
In the Bible, James says that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." And while it might not be wonderfully spiritual or absolutely eternal, sometimes I wonder if God's little gifts--like delighting in the color of a pair of shoes or feeling a little brighter because of a burrito surprise--sometimes, I wonder if those gifts don't reveal who He is just as much as the greater gifts like forgiveness and justice do.
Maybe sometimes we just need a little reminder to point us to Him.
P.S. I found these while searching for the photos of my new flats...Macy's can put them on sale & clearance any time they want! ;)
Saturday, March 19
a song.
My God leads me;
there is no good that I must leave Him to find, for He never fails to satisfy me.
He makes me rest in comfort and prosperity and life;
He surrounds me with peace.
He brings my spirit back from dying.
He makes a way for me to live as one who is good, because His reputation and identity demand it.
And yes, I walk with the reminder of death looming over me; but there is nothing I need fear--or do fear--because I know my God never leaves me.
Learning from Him and being perfected by Him is warmth to me.
You bless me--and you make it obvious to those who hate me! You bring me dignity; I can't contain how good you are to me.
Surely, I'll never be separated from your undeserved and matchless love till the end of my days; and then I will be at home with you forever.
Psalm 23, paraphrased.
there is no good that I must leave Him to find, for He never fails to satisfy me.
He makes me rest in comfort and prosperity and life;
He surrounds me with peace.
He brings my spirit back from dying.
He makes a way for me to live as one who is good, because His reputation and identity demand it.
And yes, I walk with the reminder of death looming over me; but there is nothing I need fear--or do fear--because I know my God never leaves me.
Learning from Him and being perfected by Him is warmth to me.
You bless me--and you make it obvious to those who hate me! You bring me dignity; I can't contain how good you are to me.
Surely, I'll never be separated from your undeserved and matchless love till the end of my days; and then I will be at home with you forever.
Psalm 23, paraphrased.
Monday, February 21
strawberries.
From My Sergei by Ekaterina Gordeeva:
The weather was beautiful, and Sergei and I walked around town holding hands. It was a weekday, yet all the people were walking outside, enjoying the sunshine. It looked like a Sunday. We talked about how great that was, how these people didn't live to work. How they hadn't forgotten they had just one life to live. You go to Europe, and your eyes just relax from the beauty around you, and you see the people having wine with their lunch in the sun, and you wonder, Is every day here a holiday? In America, people go to the gym instead of having lunch.
Saturday, February 19
mhm.
 |
| "FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY." |
Monday, February 14
crowned with love.
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's....For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.Psalm 103:1-5, 11-12
Friday, February 11
accidental acetone.
 |
| Next time I guess I'll be wearing gloves. |
--till yesterday, when I accidentally rubbed half the polish off with the acetone we use to wash all our glassware in organic chem lab.
It's okay though; I was getting impatient to change colors anyway!
she calls me wheelchair.
 |
| In front of the DIA, Detroit, MI. |
Remember September 11, 2001? Well, that's the day I met this lovely woman. We were homeschooled together, had pet beagles together, took riding lessons together, fell in love with books by Jane Austen and Ted Dekker and C.S. Lewis together, and graduated high school together. She loves Beauty & the Beast. She's been studying at Cornerstone University for the past three years to get her degree in photojournalism; and I can't believe it, but she's going to be graduating this spring. And I'm almost jealous because I have at least two years left (if not three) before I'm done with undergrad, and then--who knows how long if I stay with premed! But we all have different stories...and I can't wait to see the different directions ours go, and the different discoveries we'll make through each other.
I don't have to wait for long, though, because she already has an amazing photography blog called the perfect rhyme. I get a little giddy inside every time I see she's posted something new, because it's always full of color and sparkle and vintage-ness and smiles.
Like her.
 |
| Us being awkward. As good friends should be. |
secret wishes & real-life dreams.
So I have a little dream. One day I'd love to manage a little cafe, top floor of some old-ish downtown building in some small-ish city, with a patio open to the skyline and the night, maybe a live jazz band or cellist coming in every Saturday night or so, with a vine-covered trellis roof to cover the patio section and white curtains to separate it from the indoors. There would be a wood floor, and an almost-narrow staircase you'd have to climb to get from the hostess to the dining area; and I'd hire some new chef who needed room to make mistakes and take risks and just have fun creating, and we'd serve the freshest ingredients and the most fragrant teas and the most expertly-crafted coffees. And it would be so much hard work every day and every night--but it would be amazing.
I'm not majoring in Culinary Arts or Business Management though, so somehow I doubt this is the dream I'll end up realizing. But I'm pretty okay with that, because I've already found an amazing spot to study & make dreams & laugh with people I love.
Hepburn's is absolutely the best restaurant/cafe I have come across in the Macomb/Oakland counties area. They've fallen in love with the brilliant idea that is European crepes--true crepes--and made it available to the variety-starved appetites of us Michiganders...and for that, I can't thank them enough. But as if the food weren't fresh and wildly good and beautiful enough to keep me going back to try every item on the menu, they made their cafe the cutest little place you could imagine--especially if you adore classic movies. There's art of Audrey Hepburn everywhere--plaques and cookies and a dressing room screen and portraits and quotations showing off her little black dress and long gloves and unmistakable silhouette. Screenshots of classic movies cover the walls; the bathrooms say "Actress" and "Actor"; and the manager/former ballerina, Deanna Birg (who is lovely in her own right), is always ready to greet you with a smile and ask about your life.
Can you tell I'm completely hooked?
Go discover something brilliant and beautiful at Hepburn's Cafe. I think you might just love it.
I'm not majoring in Culinary Arts or Business Management though, so somehow I doubt this is the dream I'll end up realizing. But I'm pretty okay with that, because I've already found an amazing spot to study & make dreams & laugh with people I love.
Hepburn's is absolutely the best restaurant/cafe I have come across in the Macomb/Oakland counties area. They've fallen in love with the brilliant idea that is European crepes--true crepes--and made it available to the variety-starved appetites of us Michiganders...and for that, I can't thank them enough. But as if the food weren't fresh and wildly good and beautiful enough to keep me going back to try every item on the menu, they made their cafe the cutest little place you could imagine--especially if you adore classic movies. There's art of Audrey Hepburn everywhere--plaques and cookies and a dressing room screen and portraits and quotations showing off her little black dress and long gloves and unmistakable silhouette. Screenshots of classic movies cover the walls; the bathrooms say "Actress" and "Actor"; and the manager/former ballerina, Deanna Birg (who is lovely in her own right), is always ready to greet you with a smile and ask about your life.
Can you tell I'm completely hooked?
Go discover something brilliant and beautiful at Hepburn's Cafe. I think you might just love it.
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