Angie's Aim

Well, 8 things about this ineffective blogger! My friend Kristi tagged me.  Fingers crossed,  it will be my catalyst to get back on the blogging bandwagon! Certainly no shortage of things stirring within me, just a shortage of time to organize my thoughts and express them to you in this journal. So, let's get back to the superficial, shall we... Here are 8 things about me that just might make you consider unsubscribing to my RSS feed...

1. I wave at cows.

Being the communicative person I am, it’s no stretch for me to carry on conversations with grocery store clerks or chat it up with total strangers. But it seems to be getting a tad out of hand… I first noticed this at a retreat I attended in which we took a vow of silence for a chunk of time – which did not seem to slow me down one bit. I employed every non-verbal cue known to man, carrying on entire conversations with body language and facial expressions. I possibly missed my calling as a mime. Also, during the New York trip, making eye contact with folks in Chinatown almost bought me hundreds of fake Prada and Gucci bags! But most recently, while driving down the country road that leads to my home, I found myself waving at a cow that happened to look at me as I passed by. I kid you not. And, no, the cow did not wave back.

2. I enjoy folding towels, cutting cakes and slicing breads.

Okay, so it wouldn’t make for an appealing ad in the personals… but I like this more than pina coladas and gettin’ caught in the rain! It’s probably borderline OCD, but until this, too, gets out of hand, I prefer to think of it as something that makes me cute and quirky! I’m not picky about everything being neat and tidy (just drop by my house unannounced and you’ll find this to be way understated!), but I do like to see towels all folded the same way and desserts sliced uniformly.  Is that so wrong? 

3. I wrote my eulogy several years ago & have been trying to live up to it ever since.

I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with death, but I do (oddly) find it a pleasure to consider.  (Just to clarify - death, not necessarily the process of dying)  It will be my soul’s re-birth; the beginning of the never ending... And because I take this slant, I think graveyards are lovely places. And I'm intrigued by the idea of old-timey home funerals, where the family and friends actually prepare the body for burial. I am very vocal about not wanting to go the “fancy casket” route. Skip the cement vault and all those pricey “extras.” The pine box works fine for me.

4. I have mooned someone in broad daylight.

It only takes one good lesson to find out that following the crowd is dumb. I learned mine in the summer of ’87. I was our school’s first mascot and got to join the cheerleaders for summer camp at Ole Miss. There were mascots from everywhere! Most of them were cheerleaders who didn’t make the cut, so they got stuck with being mascot. But I wanted to be a part of the cheerleader ‘in crowd’, so I followed their lead… which meant swooning over our mascot coach.  He had made it to the big time in mascot terms… He had been a Disney character! We were  wowed. He was a hottie for sure, and really great at pulling pranks on us girls. So in a wild-eyed moment, one cheerleader-reject pipes up that we all ought to moon him when he comes into the room… No time to think… here he comes… So, we line up, bottoms pointing toward the door… The door cracks open and so do I... Guess who was the only one to drop her drawers? Yeah. Mortifying! I tried to redeem the whole experience by winning the Master Key To Spirit award at the end of the week, but that couldn't eclipse the full moon.

5. I have been fingerprinted and photographed.

Long story short, my arrest stemmed from a ticket for an expired registration sticker – which I immediately updated, but sorta neglected to take care of the ticket. It was a non-issue until a few years later when I was pulled over for speeding… rushing to work since it was my turn to get the donuts that Friday. Unbelievably (after stating my poor defense) I was hauled off in the back of the police car, leaving the donuts on the front seat of my car sitting on the shoulder of 34^th street. I mention the donuts because that was what my co-workers seemed to be most concerned about when I called them from jail. Yes, jail – where I was approached by a scruffy individual with eyes barely open who wanted to know what I was in for… After smiling for the camera and being teased by the policemen that the fingerprinting ink would wear off in about a week, I was dismissed. Too stunned to even cry! And I have never failed to keep my vehicle registration up to date since.

6. I dig NPR.

I'm pretty sure I don't fit the typical listener profile... Sorry, NPR, but you are stuck with me!!! My favorite podcasts are NPR’s news quiz show Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me and Ira Glass’ compilation of stories called This American Life. And I dig other shows like Speaking of Faith, Fresh Air, All Things Considered, etc. 

7. I like thin lips.

I'm referring to coffee cups, not people! I love me some coffee, and I’m as picky about the cup as I am the bean blend. If the cup’s too large, the coffee gets cold too fast. And it's a must to put any creamer or splenda in the cup first. So when I pour the coffee, no stirring is necessary.  And a thin lip makes for the perfect sip, without leaving a dribble down the side of the cup.  Dribbling down my chin, however, is a different story. 

8. Going to public restrooms is very ‘routine’ for me.

Emphasis on routine! I’m one of “those” people who take forever in the bathroom. The system demands it - an entire routine in which nothing is touched unless it has been sanitized by the gel I carry in my purse. I’ll spare all the details here, except to say I’m definitely a foot flusher.

I stayed up (too) late last night writing this! And Kristi is to blame! But maybe it'll do until I'm able to post something of substance! Thankfully, there are plenty of great blogs out there, old and new, to fill in my gaps. And I’m randomly reading yours… just in lurk mode lately!  Thanks to all of you who keep checking in on my blog - now that's faith! 

Today I’m Nashville-bound. Time again for this year’s ZOE Conference – a great time to take a closer look at how I’m living out God’s calling in my life. And no better place to do it than in the presence of those who are deeply devoted to examining how the overflow of that calling translates in everyday life, in the ways we worship our God and in what we do on Sunday mornings. This year’s guest speaker is Brian McLaren.   

BTW, I’ll have a chance to check blogs and e-mail in N’ville… so let me know if anyone who stumbles across this is planning to attend. It would be great to see you there – and maybe get a thin-lipped cuppa coffee on me! :-)