Noise

Yesterday I was so frustrated, but couldn't really put my finger on what. After I got to Jack's after Bible study, I realized what it was. I am surrounded my NOISE. Superfluous noise. Everywhere. And part of it is my own fault, because as an American I am not comfortable with silence or quiet. There is always something on in the background, whether it's a radio or TV or the sound of the interstate. Yesterday I had just had enough. I was craving silence and because I am not familiar with that desire, I was just frustrated. Working at a TV station certainly doesn't help.

Silence is healthy and it's something I am learning. Last night and today I've tried to be aware of the superfluous noise around me. I didn't turn the radio on just to have it on, I muted the TV at work, which I usually do any way, and I don't have music on now. I'm just tired of noise that is not edifying in any way. Sure, sometimes background noise is ok, but not for me right now. I need a break!

Something else that goes along with noise is the constant busyness and movement from the city. I think I surprised Jack last night when I said, "I'm so tired of Knoxville!" I don't mean it, but I do... If you live in Knoxville or visit occasionally, then you know how terrible traffic is here. There is never a good time for traffic, especially on the interstate. And in keeping with my theme, it's so LOUD. I just want everyone to go home to their families or to their jobs and stay there and not drive constantly. On the flip side, it makes me appreciate the mountains so much more. Of course they are busy now b/c of the leaves, but even so, you can find QUIET. And it makes me appreciate the smallness of Alcoa and Maryville in ways I never thought possible. When I was growing up, I never said, "I want to go to Alcoa." My how things change.

Anyway, in my quest for silence and quiet, it drives me to the Lord. I looked in my trusty ESV Bible and there are tons of verses with the word "quiet." But my favorite one, one of my favorite verses anyway, is Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst,a mighty one who will save;he will rejoice over you with gladness;he will quiet you by his love;he will exult over you with loud singing. So now when I am overwhelmed with noise and rushing, I am going to try to remember the Lord quieting me with his love. And in 1 Thessalonians, Paul says a few times to "live quietly". Which is hard to do in this culture. Whenever someone does live quietly, we think they are weird. I think the challenge is to not be a recluse and still reach out, but find the balance between that and the silence we need. How do you do that? How do you find silence?

Well I think that is plenty of thought for today. Earlier, someone dropped off a press release for a "Jim Smith Society." He said, "I am Jim Smith for the Jim Smith Society." I thought cool, we could all have our own society. But evidently it is an organization for people with the name Jim Smith. There are 1800 people in it!

Today is very gloomy. I have some "homework" to do and I think I will start a new book "Running With Scissors." I want to see the movie, but if it was a book first, I like to read it before I see it. Have a lovely, quiet day.

Of a Tuesday

I am drinking a giant cup of green tea, I have on a warm fuzzy turtleneck, and it's 45 degrees outside. PLUS, I have less than 2 months at work. I am SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!! So the official countdown is one month and 29 days. Let me just clarify that that includes weekends and Thanksgiving. Without weekends and Thanksgiving, it is 42 days! And today was a good day in the 8th grade English class- I got to help some kids one on one and Ms. Amburgey gave a good lesson. So of course that makes me more excited to be in the classroom. God keeps giving me nuggets of encouragment and hope that teaching is for me- Praise the Lord! Doubt is no fun.

So I've been slacking in blogging, much like, ahem, some other people, and one pastor I know, but the past two weekends have been so great! Two weekends ago was when Jack and I went to NC for the weekend with his mom and dad. I wanted to post pictures, but blogger was mean. Like it is being right now. I want to post pictures of our fun afternoon picking apples in an orchard, but I don't know if that's going to happen. But the afternoon was BEAUTIFUL, and it was the whole weekend. It has been the perfect fall weather lately. And the next day Linda and I had fun going through all the shops in Blowing Rock. I love Blowing Rock because it is so quaint and friendly.

Yay! Blogger agreed with me! Here is the Good Reverend picking apples.






This past Friday Cousin Jill (who doesn't blog anymore either...) and her hubby Josh came and stayed for the weekend after they visited Cousin Osh (who blogs sometimes). Pastor Jack and I met them in Pigeon Forge and then went to Gatlinburg, drove through Townsend and went up to the top of the Foothills Parkway.

Well, apparently two pictures was enough for this website. But we had a great time with them. I liked seeing the mountains through their eyes because so many times we take it for granted.

Tonight I am hanging out with my long lost friend Caroline! Yay! We haven't seen each other in so long! Tomorrow is my aerobics class, I'm getting a haircut (I don't know how yet), and I'm going to the doctor since I can't sleep anymore. Maybe she will tell me that I am like some kind of robot who doesn't need sleep. I hope not because I would really like to get 8 hours once again. If you think of it, pray for me in that area!

Lately I have been pretty interested in politics, even locally. Interesting, seeing as how I never have been before. My class is going well, but rather boring. I am reading a really good Francine Rivers book. An easy read, but good. I think that's most of my tidbits for now.

Office Space

I am assuming, and hoping, that everyone has seen the brilliant and realistic movie Office Space. Well, today I am living in that world. Today I am both Milton and Peter.

First, I am Milton because of the birthday cake AND the stapler. Today was somebody's birthday. As they were passing out cake, I was thinking, "don't forget me in the lobby, don't forget me in the lobby." And then, after having a bad few hours this morning (before the cake), I thought, I am Milton, but Milton threatened to set the building on FIRE. Milton was in a movie and I am NOT, so I can't set the building on fire... And then, someone asked to borrow my Swingline stapler. I was alarmed at how protective I felt of my stapler. As soon as I realized that I was Milton, I gladly handed over the stapler and repeated to myself, "this is not my real life forever. I am NOT a secretary forever." So of course I checked my calender again for the 12th time today and saw that I have 2 months and 6 days. I digress.

And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don, too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...

Secondly, I am Peter Gibbons because I see what everyone else does not in the fact that this place of business is ridiculous. BUT I won't go on about it... 2 months. 6 days. Praise. The. Lord.

Anyway. I am going to class now but I will post about the weekend and how wonderful it was tomorrow.

Books Schmooks

This is my story about the Blount County Public Library and why I don't like it.

Last Thursday I thought, "I am going to be smart and save my money and to the Public Library and check out the Francine Rivers book I had seen at Barnes and Noble." So I went, knowing that I didn't have my library card, but thinking that I could just give a phone number or something easy like that. Well, no. I had to sign up for a new library card and pay $3. THEN the nice library lady said, "Well, it looks like you have a late fee from 2005." I said, "Oh, really? Well, ok. How much?" Thinking it would be a dollar or two. OH NO. It was $9. I went ahead and paid because it was pretty much inevitable that I would have to. I filled out my form, wrote the $12 check and then expected to go get my Francine Rivers book. OH NO. I couldn't check out any books because I didn't have the postcard that allowed me to get my library card. So, I went back to the library today since I had my postcard, I had time, and I wanted my book. I waited in line, got the official Blount County Public Library card, went to the RIV section and my book was NOT THERE. So, I spend $12, a lot of patience, and I could have already been halfway through the book if I had just bought it in the first place. That is why I do not like the Public Library. I will always be a huge fan of amazon.com. They are cheap and books arrive within a few days. And you don't have to pay $12 for... nothing.