humorous incident at the indian grocery store

So yesterday I went with Roshini to the Indian grocery store. It was really quite fun and I got a few things to make authentic chai, lentils, samosas, and a few different chicken dishes. Roshini got the works, but also decided she would get a pan and rolling pin to make roti (flatbread) at home. When we got to the checkout counter, she decided that she didn't want the rolling pin because it was too expensive. The lady dropped the price for her, but she still thought she would just go with a smaller, less expensive device which was really just a stick that was a bit thicker in the middle. The lady started yelling at her in Hindi, and though I couldn't understand the words, I got the gist of it: "How can you buy that when you can't even make roti with it? This rolling pin is a very good price! You need to buy this if you want to make roti! What's the use in buying this pan if you won't even be able to roll the dough? You will take the rolling pin." Roshini looked really embarrassed because the whole store could hear the lady yelling and she explained to me afterwards that Indians don't usually talk about money like that. So she took the rolling pin, even though it was smaller and more expensive than the ones we had just seen at Ikea.

the blogging revolution

Isn't it funny how we communicate more and more through modern technology? I remember how some people felt about email when it first came out...that it was "too impersonal" for a medium of real relational correspondence. Some still feel this way. As a communications major (O/I Com), I just have to ask, are these the same people who would have complained about the telephone being impersonal when it first hit the mainstream? With my lack of discipline to sit down and write letters, and without a telephone or email, I would have virtually no friends and my family would think I had fallen off the face of the earth. And when you're half way around the world in the popularly rated "worst city on the face of the earth," yet you have access to a handful of competing internet parlours within walking distance, all of a sudden you don't feel so unconnected from everyone at home...when you can hop on a computer and chat with friends as if there were no change in distance at all.

Yet, I'm still getting used to the whole blogger's experience. At first, I had one of those stat counters, to see if I was really getting any traffic on my site when no one would leave any comments. Big mistake. That got really addicting, trying to see where people would access my site from, and how many per day...and what combination of search words would turn up my site. So, I had to get rid of that thing because I didn't want to be consumed with writing for the sake of popularity. But it seems that people are naturally drawn to read blogs...perhaps it satisfies a certain curiosity we have about others when we don't have the time or the proximity to socialize...? In any case, it seems amusing to me that now people can read about the randomness of my mind, and when certain blog-related comments are slipped into actual conversations, sometimes it throws me off, such as:

"Ophelia, eh?"
"So other than watching 30 movies, what else have you been up to this summer?"
"Wait, you watched Lawrence of Arabia and you liked it?"
"That guy from The Motorcycle Diaries is sooooooooo hot!"
During a conversation, if the subject of "the moon" comes up, noticeable pause and momentary glance in my direction.
Nobody disputes my slothfulness anymore, instead only understanding nods.

I'm not saying this is bad or even awkward...it's just kind of revolutionary in the way we communicate with those around us...and for someone like me, who prefers to write rather than verbalize my mind, it means that my random thoughts are actually getting out there in a way that people can comprehend, if they choose to. And being a regular blog reader myself, let me just recommend that if you find yourself reading more and more blogs, may I suggest that you "subscribe" to them via Bloglines or the like, so that you only have to check one website to see who has published a new post.

Quality time can never be overrated, but in my humble opinion, that does not make blogging the enemy.

meet spivey jones (no relation to bridget)

I have a new roommate! He's about 3 inches tall and blue and white, but nope, he's not a Smurf! He's Mr. Spivey Jones. When he's not chattering away to his friend in the mirror or stuffing himself INSIDE of his food tray, he's either flying recklessly around my room or singing along with his special birdie songs that I play for him. You can't really see this in the picture, but he has an enormous black cat watching over him around the clock. Thanks to Sam for the excellent photography work.


Of course, Spivey has some big (little) bird steps to follow in. This picture is of me and my Grandma and my first birdie (sitting on my right shoulder), taken about 15 years ago! He was such a great bird, funny and clever...much smarter than my poor dumb bunny.


That being said, he was a bit confused over the nature of his relationship to cats. Jasmine, who was our very patient 19 year old cat at the time, was Birdie's adopted mom. He would swoop down and land on her head, or else he would follow along side of her on the floor, forgetting that he could fly. What a silly, silly bird.

long time no blog

I can't believe I've been such a blogger slacker lately. I think I've just been busier than usual these days, and many of my recent ponderings have not been very public blog appropriate. But let me just say that when it rains, it doesn't just pour...it's a frickin' monsoon. Yet I am amazed by God's sustenance in the midst of the storm. It's funny how we all have different tolerances for different kinds of difficulties. For me, give me the hard core adventures, but I am just too sensitive emotionally to deal with hardships involving people. These sort of difficulties are always my ultimate challenge...which is why the Lord chooses to work in me through such trials, I suppose. Yet again, I must stress how overwhelmed I am by his amazing grace, strength and wisdom in the moment of such challenges.

Anyway, some highlights of the quickly closing summer days include: taking a couple art classes (photography and pottery), watching over THIRTY movies -I'm not even kidding...I joined the Blockbuster Online thing, but told myself it was only for the summer, and of course I had to get my money's worth...so I've rented just about every movie I never saw but had always wanted to see. Most recently I watched Lawrence of Arabia. That guy was messed up...I'm beginning to realize that all great men have really psychotic tendencies. Peter O'Toole was really great in the role of Lawrence, and ohmigoodness SO funny...I never would have thought. The funniest part of the movie (I watched this scene over and over again):

General Murray: (Lawrence has just given a rather awful, nearly effeminate salute) "If you're insubordinate of me, Lawrence, I shall put you under arrest!"

Lawrence: "It's my manner, sir."

Murray: "Your what?"

Lawrence: "My manner, sir. It looks insubordinate, but it isn't really."

Murray: "I can't make out whether you are bloody bad-mannered or just half-witted!"

Lawrence: "I have the same problem, sir."

Murray: "Shut up Lawrence."

Lawrence: "Yes, sir." (with a pasty smile)

HAHA!

Working back at the 'Bucks is always an adventure. For the first few weeks I kept asking myself, why, why did I do this? But now I think I'm going to enjoy it. It's always refreshing to get outside the WTS/church bubble. That's all for now. I'll try to post something more meaningful next time.