Scattered Thoughts.

This may be my last post for a few whiles (or not), since quite a few of my friends are out of the country. I will not be avoiding my blog in protest, but to devote myself to a more important endeavor on behalf of my friends: praying for them. Half of my traveling friends are on a much-needed and well-deserved vacation, and the other half are on missions trips. I do realize, of course, that (hopefully), I do still have friends here in America who read my blog, and for those amazing and intellectual individuals I will continue to write.
So now that I have decided to continue writing, my question is this: how can I make a little money with this blog? After all, other writers make money. (Not a lot from what I hear, but still . . . ) Do I just ask for tips? I'm not in dire need of fiduciary or pecuniary advancement at this very moment, but the job I really wanted at a wig shop in town (a real job-not a kiosk in the mall) was given to someone else.
Can I just publish my blog and sell it? I am reading a book of other people's love letters (appropriately entitled, Other People's Love Letters), and the book's diversity is what makes it great. Maybe the diversity of my blog (two authors-me and Rufus-and the diversity of topics-silly, serious, spiritual) would make it a great book.

Bizarro Jenn Strikes Again

Tonight I was at the home of two dear friends. Our friends were recently married, and were celebrating the event with a catered dinner in the beautifully landscaped back yard of their palatial home. Some of the best studio musicians in L.A. were there to entertain us, show love to the newly married couple, and give praise to the Lord. How did I get there, I wondered. How does a lady who reads at home and does some gardening in her most humble abode come to be a guest at an exclusive private party? It is because God has chosen her to be one of His children, and He has also chosen this couple to be His children, making the couple a brother and sister in this spiritual family. In God's family, all of His children are equal in every way. We must remember that always, and love each other and pray for each other.

In the news today . . .

Jennifer Monteverde lets out a long, loud sigh (what has been referred to as a Napoleon Dynamite sigh) as she sits down very content in the knowledge that she will see her dear Jennifer Usterson tomorrow evening, along with HER dear (Jennifer's dear) . . . (Jennifer USTERSON’S dear) Pedro. However, sitting down, Jennifer (Jennifer MONTEVERDE) comes to the taxing realization that she will have to shave her legs. As a formal event with pants was originally planned, she (Jennifer Monteverde) thought she was off the hook. Now that the happy event has been casualized, shorts may be more appropriate, necesitating the aforementioned shaving of the legs. Despite the nuisance of regular maintenance and upkeep, both Jennifers are glad to have legs, and will be happy to see each other tomorrow.

No-Grammar Note

Mr. M. and I returned to our car after a lovely dinner. Stuck in the driver's window of the big truck next to us was a note that read, "YOU PARKED CRAPY." Now, that note-writer had some nerve. The first thing I noticed was the misspelling of crappy. If you're going to leave a note like that, you should at least be orthographically correct. To get more technical about it, the note was also grammatically incorrect. "Crap[p]y" here is modifying the parking job, telling the guy HOW he parked; therefore, it should have read "crappily." Two strikes. This bad speller, bad grammar guy has no business leaving notes . . . even if they are true. It was a bad parking job.

Gardening and Giving by Rufus

Mrs. M. and I have been stuck in the house for the past few days while the back yard is being made beautiful by skilled workmen. She's been taking me on long walks in the mornings to poop me out; meaning both to make me tired, and also to allow me to empty my bowels. Having no one else to talk to, my mistress confides in me and tells me stories . . . like the story from 1 Chronicles 21 where King David wants to buy a field to give as an offering to the Lord. He talks with the landowner, Araunah, who offers to give him the land, but David says to him, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." My mistress goes on to tell me how often this verse has influenced her giving and how she feels she hasn't really given anything to someone unless it costs her something. If she's going to give someone money, she feels that she should give up something (expensive coffee drinks or new books), so that she is making a sacrifice.
Mrs. M. is already planning several patio-warming parties to justify the luxury of a nice patio. What's the point of a nice patio if you don't have nice people to share it with?

Paradigm

Thursday was perfect. I walked to the coffeeshop across the street and sat in the sun enjoying my cool decaf soy mocha. There was a gentle breeze, and I was sitting in front of a nice pool of flowing water, watching the townfolks stroll by. I was a picture of leisure and relaxation. Upon closer inspection, though, all was not as leisurely as it looked. Why was there a cottonball taped to the inside of my arm? It was there because before walking to the coffeeshop, I had walked over to the medical building to have some blood drawn for testing. Things and people who seem the most carefree are sometimes very care-full.

The medical tests had to do with this: http://www.ataxia.org/learn/ataxia-diagnosis.aspx