This is the End, Beautiful Friend…

Ah, the words penned by one of rock-n-roll’s hottest lead singers- Jim Morrison- are perfect for my life right now.  No, I’m not smoking pot or shooting up or contemplating suicide.  I’m just jobless.  Yep, I’ve been “laid off,” or at least that’s what they’re calling it.  Who knows what is true amidst all the rumors flying around about my leaving my job of the last four years?

I am neither happy, nor especially sad about it.  I am frustrated– that I know for sure.  God must be doing something: of this I’m pretty sure.  He’s strategically placed this unplanned stop in a time in my life where I cannot run from it.  I can’t pack up and move to some other city because I’m right in the middle of a semester in school– not to mention a lease on a house.  I’ve also just now began feeling at home at church again.  Moving isn’t an option (sorry, Michelle).

So, yesterday, I began submitting my resume, and just tried to flesh out my emotions.  Sorry to all of those who caught the brunt of it.  Today, I submitted more resumes, went to an interview, and came to my senses where my emotions are concerned.  Tomorrow, I’ll submit still more resumes, do a week’s worth of homework, and hopefully go to another interview.  Thursday, if I don’t have interviews, I’ll have breakfast with Katie, and then drive to Dallas, where I’ll be meeting with my attorney, and spending some r and r with friends and loved ones.  I’ll be going to see my Ghee over the weekend, and coming home on Sunday or Monday.

Blakely got me thinking about my goals for this job hunt.  I wish I knew.  You see, I have a standing offer to write for the Paisano.. for free.  And I’d love to go on the mission field for the summer… which again would earn no money.  And I’d love to just go to school, and work at Starbucks as a barista… pretty darn close to “for free”.   I want to take pictures.  I want to organize parties.  I want to help a presidential hopeful be elected.  I want to listen to music.  I want to love on the city of San Antonio.  I want to make a difference.  I want to be heard.  I want to love and be loved.  So, if any one knows of any job that will allow me to do any of these things AND ACTUALLY MAKE A LIVING, please let me know.

Until then, I fear I’m doomed to find another insurance job.

No safety or surprise, the end.

PR

One of my agents’ daughter is missing, and is the subject of an Amber Alert.  Please, please pray for her safe return to her family!

Here’s the article.

Vote.

I’m torn.  I simply cannot decide whether to support John McCain or Ron Paul in Texas’ primary next month.  I wish I could somehow combine the two… Paul’s domestic policy and McCain’s foreign policy.

What about you?

Thoughts About My Future

WHEREAS I am coming up on thirty and still have no marriage prospects, and

WHEREAS I am finally serious and working hard toward finishing my BA at UTSA, and

WHEREAS I am working to repair my relationship with my dad and stepmother, and

WHEREAS I have the whole world full of opportunities where my work is concerned open to me, and

WHEREAS I am feeling especially ambitious about those opportunities, and

WHEREAS I am smart enough and determined enough to do BIG things in life, and

WHEREAS I want to feel as though I’ve truly accomplished something before my twenty-year high school reunion,

BE IT RESOLVED that I just might be considering pursuing my J.D. at the University of Houston with a focus in Oil & Gas.

Who knows?  It could happen.

Warmth

The last couple of days have been marvelously beautiful here in South Texas. I made note that yesterday is what Christine calls her favorite sort of day. It was warm and not at all humid, with a light breeze… and only after the sun turned in for the night, did I think that I might need a light sweater. Gorgeous. I am glad that I was able to notice it.

I spent the weekend in Mexico with the Christian Medical & Dental Association, where they set up free medical and dental clinics, as a translator. I don’t know how well I actually translated, but it was quite clear to me for the first time in a long time just how some things transcend language and speech. Music is one of those things, as is the laughing of children and the smile of a new mother when a doctor tells her that her baby is doing well.

As my name amazingly became, “Gringa! Gringa! ¡Más burbujas por favor!” I thought about just how big the Church seemed at that moment. Here we were… a bunch of twenty-somethings in a foreign land, serving the medical and dental needs of people who desperately needed the help, and all I could think of was how immensely I was being served by the smiles and laughs and kidding around of children. My heart swelled with joy that I don’t know I’ve ever felt before. This was different than any other mission trip I’d ever been on, and I’m not sure why.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend. To view them all, you can visit my flickr site.

(He’s checking the doctor’s ear!)

Buy Shoes. Save Lives.

If you haven’t already heard about this incredibly endeavor, please take a second and stop by their website and BUY SOME SHOES!

…and this just may be my Blogathon project this year…

ReSOLUTIONS

How cool is this?!

It is a sad day indeed.

So, the leading man of one of my favorite movies was found dead today.

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead today in a Broome Street apartment, apparently from a drug overdose.

Gun Control as a Social Problem

Well, I had an interesting little assignment for my Social Problems class.  The assignment was given, “Write your thoughts on Gun Control as a Social problem. Refer to Box 1.1 in your textbook for more information on this issue. How is Gun Control a Social Problem? What suggestions do you have for addressing this issue?”  Interestingly, my response was perfectly set up by the way that the question was (inadvertently, I’m sure) written.

My response:
I do not believe that guns themselves are a social problem.  I do believe, however, that the attempts of the government to enforce “gun control”, thus violating the constitutional rights of US citizens, is a social problem.

As Americans, we base a great portion of our social standards on the Constitution, and when those rights, especially those specifically outlined in the Bill of Rights, are violated, a problem exists.  The problem becomes even greater when the violations are brought on by acts of our elected law makers.

The phrase, “guns don’t kill people; people kill people” rings true when discussing such social problems.  The trouble is that Americans as individuals and as people groups increasingly struggle with taking personal responsibility for their actions.  Our society is always on the look out for someone to blame for the demise of our society, when the cause falls squarely on the shoulders of individual Americans who make illegal and horrible decisions to murder and steal and hate their fellow American.

Addressing the issue requires that we stop seeking ways to let one another off the hook, but rather hold one another accountable for their own actions.  Guns do not fire themselves.

W Photography

It finally arrived.  My brand new Nikon D80 SLR camera arrived yesterday in all of its glory.  I am SO thrilled!

With the arrival of my new baby, I’ve launched a new teeny tiny side business venture called W Photography. I don’t pretend to be a seasoned uber-talented photographer, but I enjoy myself a great deal, and I think I do a very good job with portraits.

So, my sweet, dear friends and family: I have a proposition for you!  In order to beef up my portfolio and get some material with which to hone my Photoshop skills, I need subjects!  If you or your family would like some portraits taken, I am willing do so for the cost of printing (pictures that you want, obviously).  My time is scarce this semester, so I may have to say no if I get a lot of responses, but I promise I’ll get to you eventually!