In My Absence....

Have some Lampstand quotes. :-)

The new motto of our company, as written by Grace: “Smile and go to Starbucks.”

“David, not to jeopardize your good feelings…” – Laura

“One time I drank a lava lamp. It didn’t taste like lava.” – Grace

“I love it when people just give me their ID! It’s like ‘poof!’ A little magic number!” – Marjorie

“Twenty-seven year plans! Nathan, did you tell them they got free little magical lawn gnomes or something?!?!” – Grace

“Grace, beautiful music accompanies your voice every time you speak.” – David, talking to Grace on the intercom.
“Abbi, will you sing and make beautiful music to accompany my voice?” – David, preparing to use the intercom.
“You people are crazy.” – Grace

"There's only so far a toothbrush can go..." – Casey, with a sigh, scrubbing a dirty coffeepot with Nate’s old toothbrush.

“At three o’clock we are going to have the First Annual Fry-the-Egg-on-the-Sidewalk ceremony. You are all invited.” – Casey. The funniest thing is, she’s dead serious. There is an egg in the fridge. It will be fried at 3 PM.

“I don’t understand people.” – Christy
“Let me explain them to you. The first thing you need to know is that there are boys and girls. They may seem the same, but they are really quite different. You okay with that so far?” – Davy
“Uh-huh…” - Christy
“Okay. There’s a lot of secondary stuff, but basically guys want food and girls want…um… flowers…..” – Davy

“We need to steal our microwave…” – Christy, thinking out loud
“Do you frequently steal things that already belong to you?”- Laura

“As the voice of Tapestry, I can say that animals do not talk or have kingdoms, whatever my personal reservations on the subject.” – Laura

“Oh, that’s horrible! Snip off my badge! I am not worthy to be a Lit major! I cannot believe that I just said ‘crystallinely’!” – Christy

I'm Not Dead Yet!

However, I am and have been and will be working nights and weekends (not Sunday) as well as my usual 40-hours because we are under some killer deadlines right now. So, if you ever want me to come back and blog again, and not die, please pray. :-)

PS If I had time I'd tell you all over again about how cool the Odyssey is. I love my job!

The Office -- Episode 4

“Was someone claiming that I want to set up the new office like a Roman forum?”- Christy
“Um…” – Casey
“Like, Casey for example?” – Christy
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” – Casey
“Uh-huh.” – Christy

“Mom! David thinks you’re harboring idols!” – Marjorie
“More like a household god, actually…” – David

“Do you want me to answer it?” – Christy, to Marj, about the ringing phone
“I don’t want you to answer it.” – Mom, referring to a common theme. Christy doesn’t get to answer phones because she is a writing bottleneck and isn’t supposed to have time for anything else.
“Executive burnout, Mom! That’s what will happen to me if I never get to do anything fun!” – Christy, on answering phones.
“Honey, I love you so much…..” – Mom
“That’s always a bad sign.” – Laura

"Why must I deal with this ugly font? I want something else." - Christy, formatting the Government disc.
"Tahoma is a nice font." - Mom
"No, no... I want Minion." - Christy
"Just so it can be pdfed..." - Mom
"Did you guys choose that font just for its name?" - Tim
"Yes! I want a minion!" - Mom
"Ah! So much better." - Christy, admiring the minioned prose.

"I need a sweater. Did Nathan take all his clothes home?" - Mom

"There is a look on your face of guilt being resisted." - Laura
"Yes!" - Christy
"It is the kind of guilt that only a Hillsdale or PHC student would feel, because you had a word that you COULD have translated into Greek, and you didn't." - Laura

“My life is denuded of pillows! I feel like a great oak in the forest, ravaged and pillaged by autumn winds!” – Nathan

“Why, Nate? Why?” – Christy, musing on life, the universe, and her dentist appointment.
“You see, Christy, it all has to do with the confluence of the planets. Mars and Saturn are conspiring to beat up on Jupiter, who is secretly allied with Mercury. Pluto and Venus are taking the ‘wait and see’ approach…” – Nate

“It’s sort of exclusive. Either you think, or you put away the mayonnaise.” – Davy

Wheeeeeee!!!!

Attention, Big World.

I am deliriously happy!

Just wanted you to know. :-)

Ooooops!

I guess I forgot to mention, given the number of party invitations, pleas, friendly greetings, and phone messages to which I have returned, that I was going to go on vacation from June 30th through... um... today. I've been in Westport MA for the last five days, with almost zero cell phone reception and only dialup internet (which I didn't even try to access).

I'm so sorry. I feel terrible. :-/ To those of you wanted rides to the Garboczi party, please accept my humblest apologies for not getting back to you in time. I didn't know that there WAS a Garboczi party (though apparently I did get the invitation) until I checked my mail a few minutes ago. To those who called or wrote on my wall (meaning Andrew and Nate), please excuse the lagging response time. I will get back to you, honest. To all the other messages that I know nothing of as yet (nor do I want to know what my work email will look like tomorrow), profuse and sincere regrets.

Golly. Shall I tell you what I was doing? I'm not sure it will help... inciting people to wild jealousy seldom does. But I figure I owe you an explanation, so--here goes.

We arrived at Westport around 7 PM on Friday evening, after a little jaunt of about 12 hours which was rendered infinitely more pleasant by the fact that Daddy read aloud throughout. In direct contradiction to Maryland, which seems to be experiencing a rainforest trend in weather patterns, Westport was perfect. The temperature hovered squarely in the 70's, and while there was a good deal of moisture (my grandfather's house is literally 200 yards from the sea), it was all cool briney moisture that left one gasping with pleasure.

For five glorious days I have eaten splendid food (my grandmother is the last word in gourmet, and Grandpa grills a perfect chicken breast), acquired a beautiful pale toast tan, discovered that there really are natural blond highlights in my hair, and been to walk on the beach at least twice a day. You have no idea what a long lovely stretch of empty beach can do for the soul, until you have been to Westport. This is especially true if the beach is one you have been visiting since age 7.

My grandparents' house, besides being right by the sea (there is such a difference between going to the beach and living on the beach), is the sort of house that always has its windows and doors wide open. I never noticed it before this trip, but one of the things that I always associate with Westport is a cool breeze, inside or out. Since I am passionately devoted to breezes, sunshine, and moving water, you can understand why this particular stretch of green New England countryside is like paradise to me.

Then, of course, there is the Seaglass. I went sailing with Grandpa on her twice, and she is a lovely craft, a one-masted sloop about twenty feet long, capable of making the run to Maine. I finished the Iliad sitting in her cockpit, smiling at the world and the sunlight, which ran glimmering down her sails. We tacked and luffed and snugged down into the wind all over the bay area, tipping almost on our side when it was really up. I love the roll and pitch of a ship, and I am ridiculously proud of never being seasick (a fault, I know). Since I come of seafarers on both sides of the family, I should be terribly ashamed to have a weak stomach or a poor sense of balance. However, I'd better get humble if I don't want to be humbled!

It was, in sum, a perfect vacation. Also badly needed. I slept more in the last few days than I really believed I could, and still managed to get in a good bit of writing. This is important, since deadlines are looming. I also had several really wonderful quiet times, which were still more badly needed. Details aside, let's just say that Only Hope, by Switchfoot, is coming to have a whole new meaning for me.

And now. We are just home, just unpacked, and just about to go see a movie together. I love my family. :-)

Thank God, thank God, thank God! For, really, what else is there to say?