Just tidying up, folks!

school's been alright. i almost wish we had evening band tonight. i don't usually mind thursdays.

later is open house at school i guess.
then i have to go babysit ada and claire and tomorrow i have to babysit bryce and kale which kind of sucks since its a friday night and who likes to spend their friday night babysitting, looks like even parents don't but tyler can't go to santacaligon until saturday anyway so i guess i don't really care. ever heard of a run-on sentence? but by saturday i should be at least 60 dollars richer which is never bad.

speaking of someone coughcough i think i've been really awful to him but its kind of not my fault. i'm trying to learn how to let someone in again and its hard but i think he understands. maybe sometime i'll hold his hand at school lol.

in case anyone who might be reading this is wondering what the eff the title is about, i guess i should explain. we did an experiment in biology and apparently moses felt he wasn't getting enough attention and so proceeded to scoop up corn starch and water with his hands into his mouth. also known as he ate the experiment. he sure got some attention after that. oh "deep throat daniel."

anyway now i'm home doing just about nothing other than playing solitaire and listening to shakira. ha ha.

Most people that talk at each other, never let one spouse have their say to begin with. You might need to start with communications 101 - you say whatever you want and I will listen, then when it is my turn you listen. The moment they interrupt remind them of rule 101. Now the key is you have to listen, you just can't - HEAR them. Some people hear everything but never pay any attention because they have already made up their minds that they are right. That's immaturity. A mature person will listen and weigh the entire matter.

How do you avoid pride? Operate in humility (see post Love Jesus Hate My Marriage). Humility will make you honor your spouse. If you honor your spouse you will listen to them and see if what they are saying is true and then you can work together to resolve the matter. Humility will make you obey God where he has told us not to let the sun go down on our anger. Humility will make you shut up even when you know you are right for the sake of peace. Then on a calmer day revisit the issue and see if you can't get it resolved. Hope this helps. See my about page for resources.

The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.

The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.

As I looked around I saw the 'prosecutor.'

He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.

I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.

The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes.

He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.

As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, 'Let us begin.'

The prosecutor rose and said,

'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this woman belongs in hell.'

He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.

I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.

As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not Offering any form of defense at all.

I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done?

Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This woman belongs in hell, she is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.'

When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.

As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty.

I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus
representing me, my Lord and my Savior..
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Hi, Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.

'Satan was correct in saying that this woman had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this woman deserves to be punished.'

Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and she has accepted Me as her
Savior, so she is Mine.'

My Lord continued with, 'Her name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch her from Me.

Satan still does not understand yet. This woman is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'

As Jesus sat down,

He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said,
'There is nothing else that needs to be done.'

'I've done it all.'

The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips..

'This woman is free.'

The penalty for her has already been paid in full.

'Case dismissed.'

As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one.' I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'

Christ lovingly smiled and said,

'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,

~Paid In Full~

Sie haben wirklich ein praktisches und äußerst chiques Kleidungsstück entworfen. Ich für meinen Teil werde dafür sorgen, dass ich für den Herbst/Winter mit "Wärmeren" eingedeckt bin. So habe ich mein Autumn-Outfit ganz für mich neu entdeckt. Mit meinen schönen neuen Stippies dazu. Herrlich. Viel bequemer als manche coole Hose von mir.

Auf, auf. Der Herbst/Winter 2008 gehört mir!

______

1. India has clearly declined in sports in which it was a strong contender before. By that I mean sports which are a part of Olympics. Hockey is the first example that comes to mind. Tennis and athletics are now entering those dangerous waters (granted, Lee and Hesh put aside their differences and reached quarters while Anju Bobby George hit bad form at the worst possible moment, but apart from them, do we have anyone to compete strongly on the world stage?). It is a tragedy of epic proportions that instead of making sincere efforts to recover the momentum lost in these sports, we are debating over including cricket in Olympics. Isn’t that disturbing, if not insulting to the other sportsmen (think archery, wrestling and shooting) who have only Olympics to get a proper competitive exposure and thus, a sense of participation and achievement which will be solely theirs?

2. Yes, politics and sports do not mix. But good administration and sports do mix. In fact, that is the key relationship that needs to be nurtured if India has to compete with the likes of France and Italy. The matter assumes even more urgent proportions because India is going to host 2010 Commonwealth games at Delhi. Not only do we need strong performances from the adminstrators (as hosts) and sportsmen (as being well-versed with the conditions), we also need a healthy symbiotic partnership between them to ensure that we, as a sport-loving country, do well in these games. Will it happen? Your guess is as good as mine.

3. If one were to look at the sporting powerhouses closely, we can observe that that spell-binding performance is not totally inspirational or charged because of the stage. Rather it has come from hours and hours of gruelling training, practice, body conditioning, scientic preparation…you get the picture. The facilities contribute as much as the skill and focus itself. So, if we want to be on the same level, we need the same kind of facilities, which unfortunately, we don’t seem to have. So, we need to think differently for now. Interestingly, we seem to have no qualms about sending shiploads of brainy geeks (yeah, I know I am one too) abroad to help the technologically-challenged “customers and clients” but, absolutely have no plan in place to send promising athletes for conditioning, training, preparation and the like abroad to perform creditably for the Motherland. Yes, the private companies do that, but what is stopping the government from taking the initiative in this regard and doing something about it? After all, aren’t sportsmen ambassadors of the country?

4. It is time we stopped comparing stupidly like how the hell did a tiny nation like Jamaica win so many golds? It did so because of the path set by legends like Merlene Ottey and recently, Asafa Powell. Didn’t Newton say “”If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”? It takes a great deal of groundwork for success to arrive. And that groundwork for India has to come now.

I would have said more, but I am very interested to know what official measures are taken to further this apart from articial ones like the BCCI awarding the Beijing heroes. How patronizing can one get?

And yes, I am talking about India's performance in Beijing '08.

Well, here's what we should be certain about. India would not be a global sporting powerhouse in our lifetime. You and I will never see India win 10 golds in one Olympics.

The reason? The reason is this. (click here).

This article was written on the 3rd of September 2004, nearly 4 years from today, after the end of another Olympic games. And it is equally true today.

To win a few medals (and India will win more meals, India will win more golds in our lifetime, I can assure you that), private endeavour and private funding is good enough. A serendipitous development and set-up which churns out winners is good enough. The Bhiwani little-Cuba ecosystem being a prime example of that. India will win more boxing medals.

But to be a genuine sporting powerhouse, the system has to change. even more so, the mindset has to change. Really, the country has to change. And that is not going to happen in one lifetime. Read the old article again.

I will agree to BVHK's post (click here) about Suresh Kalmadi, and the misplacement of government funds. Even without a whole lot of cricket-esque patronage, ensuring a regular input of funds and a concerted effort to help the progress of top under-21 talents (as opposed to development of grass-root sports infrastructure, a more wholesome change) can do wonders to our medal prospects at the Olympics. A Lalit Modi can generate a great lot of money to other games as well, and at least a part of it will go to the players. And this will lead to a lot more medals. I do see India winning 10 medals in one Olympic games in my lifetime.

But 10 medals do not make a genuine sporting powerhouse. Hungary gets 10 medals. Canada gets 10 medals. And they are not sporting powerhouses.

Forget China. Forget the US. Forget Germany, forget Russia. They are sporting superpowers (notwithstanding the super performance of Great Britain to come within the top 4 this time). I am talking Australia, I am talking UK and Korea, Japan and France and Italy here. And yes, Italy and France under-achiever this time... but you get the story, right? These are sporting powerhouses. They get 10 golds in each Olympic games, or are expected to.

These are sporting powerhouses, and India cannot get there in my lifetime.

Seriously, I will be happy with us competing with Hungary and Canada in the overall standing in the Olympic games 2040.

If they've been rejected a lot, become their cheerleader to heal that wound and then draw love out of them. If they were raised without a lot of affection, then be affectionate towards them. This will probably take a lot of work, but eventually you will wear them down and they will reciprocate. Just stay encouraged, pray and keep going. See my about page for resources.

He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:

'Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife
merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please
allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen.'

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. -

He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate,

awakened the kids,

set out their school clothes,

fed them breakfast,

packed their lunches,

drove them to school,

came home and

picked up the dry cleaning,

took it to the cleaners and

stopped at the bank to make a deposit,

went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries,

paid the bills and balanced the check book.

He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog.

Then it was already 1 P. M. and he hurried to make the beds,

do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and

Mop the kitchen floor..

Ran to the school to pick up the kids and

got into an argument with them on the way home.

Set out milk and cookies and

got the kids organized to do their homework,

then set up the ironing board and

watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and

washing vegetables for salad,

breaded the pork chops and

snapped fresh beans for supper.

After supper, he cleaned the kitchen,

ran the dishwasher,

folded laundry,

bathed the kids, and put them to bed.

At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't
finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love,

which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and
said:

-'Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my
wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh! oh! please, let
us trade back.'

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied:

'My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to
change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine
months though. You got pregnant last night.'

2. Don't be jealous

3. Give them a chance to be a man

4. Don't ask anything you really couldn't handle the truth about

5. Support them

6. Be sexy

7. Realize that they really can get to the point in just a few words

8. Don't tell them nothing is the matter when it really is

9.  Understand that I need sex more than you do

10. Don't nag

I have such a hard time pricing my artwork. I know that it takes me much longer to do pieces than people might think. I'm not a quick churner when it comes to artwork. I like stuff to be just-so and I have to keep at it until I feel like it's right or else I fixate on what I think is missing. This winds up with me slapping gesso over a previously painted piece more often than not. (I just gessoed a good 5 or 6 canvases last night because of this.) Charging for time spent doesn't seem cost effective from a consumer's point of view because I'm so obsessed with perfect lines and such. But I also don't feel it's necessarily fair to charge a discounted price simply to move the pieces. I'm not a very good business person in this aspect. When people tell me they like a particular piece, I have a tendency to give the painting to them free of charge. I'm trying to be better about this, but it still happens. Sometimes it's just the right thing to do and I'm okay with it in those circumstances. Luckily, those instances are generally very easy to spot.

At this point, I'm trying to price within a balance of what I think is relatively fair to both a potential buyer and me. Since I'm not super uber-famous and all just yet (just yet!!), I don't feel right charging eleventy billion dollars for a 5x5 inch painting. I've seen 5x5 pieces on etsy for $100 with detail that I felt deserved that price but which might not actually move on etsy's site. I find etsy is more of a start-up artist or bargain hunter type place. Heck, I use it as such so I can't very well justify charging prices of a well established artist at this point. Plus, everything adds up and I can always use the extra room in my storage spaces. If the art makes someone else happy, in the end it's worth it.

Vart en riktigt seg&softdag idag, skönt o slöa sig lite :)
På tisdag kommer lillan hem igen, man kan ju inte annat än sakna ungen, det är så tyst här så man börjar ju undra om man har barn ens längre =o)
Lugnet före stormen kallas det :P

Aja natt på er alla nötter där ute i världen..

The first thing to consider is, have you let your spouse know that you need them to listen and then told them specifically what it is that they do that makes you think they are not listening? Often a person has no clue that you are offended. If you have to bring up the manner do it in a calm and non condeming manner. Don't point the finger at them and say, you never listen. Change it to a more calming approach, I have a need that I want you to help me with. It is important for me that you hear me out. I would really appreciate if I can get your undivided attention for a minute. The way we approach things is highly significant.

It's like a steak dinner. If someone brings it to you on a fancy plate with all the trimmings you have no problem eating it and enjoying. Now, take that same steak dinner and put it on a garbage can lid and see what happens. It's the exact same dinner, so why is there a problem? It's the delivery.

Another thing to consider it, what is you motive in what you are requesting communications on. Make sure it is pure and non munipulative. Always as God to get involved before you have any discussion with them, it really helps to keep thing going the right direction. Let it be a real simple prayer, God I need to talk with Mary about X. I know she is probably going to get upset, can you please prepare her heart to hear what I have to say and respond in an appropriate manner. I learned this very early in my marriage and it really works. My husband and I are opposites so this strategy has been very effective. If you want to know how opposite read my post Mama's Going To Kill The Swimming Instructor.

Finally at the end of your discussion as them to sum up what you said. That way you will know that you have communicated properly and if there is a misunderstanding fix it right at that moment. Then praise them for listening to you. Let them know how that met your need and that you appreciate the fact that they cared enough to be concerned about what you had to say. You can win this battle, just don't give up.

See my About page for more resources.

tell our spouses what we think by writing it down for them or communicating it in some way. I would highly recommend writing it down and not stop until you have filled up the page front and back. Pull out those old marriage vows and review them. Dust those wedding photos off and look at them. Put the video on. If you do it together as a project, you just might get some sparks. Have some fun. Be creative. A walk down memory lane as to how they impacted you when you first met and how your relationship became matrimony will probably do more than any counselor could. It's free, highly effective - just do it.