Omnichord or Q-Chord

Becky (my sister) and I were chatting a while tonight. A group who visited with her a year or so ago had an Omnichord (i.e., electronic autoharp) with them, and she was given opportunity to play it. They are enjoyable to play because they are so simple to play. Oh yeh, and they sound really nice too. :)

She mentioned that having an Omnichord would be a great help to their services. I readily agreed. One of the missionaries in Taiwan had an Omnichord when I was there, and when I came back to the States and was participating in house meetings with the Dallas Chinese Fellowship Church, they needed something to help with the music and I purchased one and played it for the meetings. It was great! Also, Ken & I have used it for years as accompaniment when we have sung at church. So, no doubt about it, an Omnichord/Q-Chord would be a blessing to Becky and the others who worship with her! It's simple to play and easy to transport.

Does anyone have one for sale or know of one for sale? Or if the owner would like to donate to the Lord's work, that would be okay too!

I'm taking the initiative to post this because I would love for her to have one and perhaps someone who reads my blog might have one. Please note: I didn't think to ask Becky if it would be okay for me to post this, but even if I had thought of it, I wouldn't have asked because she most likely would have said not to! Also, be assured that Becky did not ask me to breathe a word about her wish for an Omnichord or Q-Chord. (Click to see pictures of them.)

If I had a few more chips, I would...

I have heard that scrapaholics (scrapbookaholics just doesn't have the same ring to it) go so far as to dress their kids for outings according to what they want their page to look like later or to what supplies they have on hand, e.g., "Oh no, honey, you can't wear that outfit for the picnic. I don't have paper to match that!"

So have I become a blogoholic so soon? My response when this incident happened: "Well, I was needing something to post on my blog!" I just wish I'd had my camera to memorialize the look on his face.

Last night Ken and I were finishing up our meal at a local Mexican restaurant. We had depleted our basket of chips and were debating about requesting a refill. Ken figured, "If I had a few more chips, I would eat the rest of the lettuce and sour cream on my plate with a little salsa."

About this time the waiter swooshed by our table, "Are you finished with your plate, sir?"

"Yes," Ken replied. Exit plate. "And could you bring us a few more chips?"

The look on his face: priceless. And then we burst out laughing.

Exactly!

Ok, so I'm blogging to someone who doesn't even "bother" with computers (to what level of blogging does that take me?), but I just read this and said, "This is me!" then laughed and decided, I've gotta post this. My view of cooking and sci-fi all wrapped up in one concise statement.

Not that I actually read sci-fi or, good grief, watch an entire DVD of a sci-fi movie. Oh, did I say sci-fi movie? Heh, I meant almost any genre of movie! And I express the same sentiment every time.

--I read recipes the same way I read/watch science fiction: I get to the end and think, "Well, that's not gonna happen!"--

Tab's blogging! :)

I've been wishing other of my family members would blog, so I am excited to say that my niece, Tabitha Cooley, started blogging TODAY! We've done a lot of things together, so I think it's going to be fun to blog together too!

Tab lives in South Africa and the big "hat" she wears says "missionary," but she wears other little "hats" all at the same time: teacher, dorm mommy, and several others... but I'll let her tell you about that!

True to her initials (also her dad's and brother's initials) she named her blog, "True Lively Communications." She's already posting about bugs, baking, (oh, not together!) and other stuff happening in her life. Enough already. Go check it out!

Let the madness begin...

CAR MADNESS -- Last July we had several major problems with our car, not the least of which was a transmission that was all but rebuilt. We noticed the last couple weeks that it was time to have the transmission serviced again. So last Saturday Ken made a beeline for our local garage only to find a sign posted that read: Closed for building maintenance. Great! We checked several other places to no avail. So we decided that we would have to do something to get it into the garage during the week.

For whatever reason, the next thing we knew it was Wed night and we were packing for SC and realizing that we hadn't gotten the car serviced! Since we needed to leave the car at the garage and needed a car on the road, we decided a rental car would be the best option. We'd pick up the rental, drop off our car, use the rental over the weekend while our car was being worked on, then pick it up from the garage on the way back to turn in the rental. Kill two birds with one stone!

Thrifty has this neat discount called "wild car." You get a mid-sized or larger car for less than mid-sized price based on what cars are available. When we did this while our car was in the garage back in July, we ended up driving a Chrysler 300 for a week--loved that!--so we decided to go with a "wild car" again. Imagine our grins when the agent asked, "Will a Chrysler 300 be ok?" Oooo, it's one sweet ride. :)

Friday afternoon I called the garage to find out the good news/bad news. The mechanic said, "Well, it's all bad news: The ignition key won't work in the locked doors!" Gro-o-o-o-o-oannnn!! When we dropped off the car we actually had started to walk away from it, then remarked, "Hey, the car's unlocked!" and went back and locked it. Thankfully we had reserved the rental car through Monday evening, so we stopped by the garage to unlock the car on our way home Sunday evening. Also thankfully, work on the car had been completed by the time Ken got off work. So we picked up our car and returned the Chrysler 300. We're back in the normal lane!

EMPLOYMENT MADNESS -- During our weekend jaunt to SC, Ken went into the company on Friday to complete the application and work styles "test." He went in sorta nervous but came out flying high. He is very impressed with the facility and operations and is getting rather excited about the prospects of possible employment there. Now we wait for a phone call about scheduling an interview.

BASKETBALL MADNESS -- If you know me and my upbringing, you know that I am not into sports; and if you know Ken and his upbringing you know he is (vicariously) into sports. Over the past 16 years, however, I have acquired some knowledge and developed bouts of interest about sports (not that I'm any expert, understand, but I do know that it was President Richard Nixon who threw the first ball in Memorial Stadium in Baltimore! [inside story]). Each year during the college basketball March Madness, I bypass the brackets trauma because my choices are easy to keep track of in my head: I cheer for PA, MD (or rather, Coach Gary Williams), TN, TX, KS and all the "underdogs" (read Gonzaga, even tho they are no longer underdogs!) and I do NOT cheer for UConn or CA.

Last March, Ken set up an online group for bracket competition. He persuaded me actually to fill out the brackets. I filled them in according to my normal inclinations... and promptly fell to the bottom of the list of participants and stayed there. This year I decided I had better change my method. Ken gave me some advice, but I made my own decisions, sometimes following his advice, sometimes not! Well, here are the standings (I have removed the names of the other participants to protect the innocent):

After Thursday's games:

After Friday's games:
I forgot to save standings after Saturday's games, but here they are after Sunday's games:

Sadly enough, although I am not a Duke fan, I chose them to win the national championship. * sigh * They won their first game only by a buzzer bucket (against a #15 seed, no less! which I always say is a College Junior playing against a 2nd grader) and they played a sorry second game and lost it. So... I told one of the participants that I enjoyed my day in the sun (#1) and got burned (it's all downhill from here!)!

MENU MADNESS -- When the first games had finished on Friday and Ken announced that the games would resume in 50 minutes, Mom said, "Well, let's go eat in those 50 minutes. Where do you want to go to eat, or is that a stupid question?" (They know that at least 9 times out of 10 my vote will be for Chinese food.) She offered, "I wasn't sure if you would rather have CiCi's Pizza or Chinese. Dad had said earlier he would like to eat at CiCi's." "Oh, not now," Pop piped up. "That was before I knew all the options!"

I get such a kick out of him eating Chinese food. For years I tried to persuade him to eat Chinese and he would always respond, "Nah, I don't eat that stuff." I would tell him that some day he will try it and love it and regret all those years he could have been enjoying it. Look what you will have missed! He was unmoved.

Well... since they have moved to SC, he went with his son Paul into a local Chinese restaurant--and he DOES "like green eggs and ham!" Now almost any time you ask for his vote for an eating place, he will say, "You already know where I want to go." Mom is convinced he would eat there every day if she would let him!

So we traveled to the Chinese restaurant, made our buffet selections and sat down to eat.
FAITH: Did you see they have frog legs on the buffet? I collect frogs, not eat them. And what are they doing on a Chinese buffet? (I ate Chinese three times a day most days while I was in Taiwan for two years and never met up with a frog leg [not to say they are not there, but I never saw any].) I think it has more to do with being a redneck.
KEN: Yeh, I saw them up there! Not for me either!
F: Oh, c'mon. This is your chance, your opportunity! Some day you will try them and love 'em and regret all those years you could have been enjoying them!
K: Maybe so, but I don't think tonight's the night.

When I returned to the buffet, I tonged one of some poor little froggie's legs onto my plate, grabbed a spring roll, a couple other items and headed back to our table.
K: Is that a frog leg?
F: Yep. I didn't want you to miss your opportunity. You just might like it!
K: I don't know if I can do this. I will if you will. You take a bite first. How do you eat this? Do you eat all of it? ... Oh, wow, this is good! You oughtta try this! Are there more up there? This would be great with tartar sauce.

Ken actually took a bite before I did, believe it or not. I ate one, part of a second one. He ate like FOUR! If it has anything to do with being a redneck, Ken must be official.

I didn't think they taste "like chicken." A faintly "fishy" taste (which surprised Ken), texture not as flaky as fish, but not as stringy or firm as chicken. I have to say tho, they were indeed tasty!

SHUTTER MADNESS -- Several years ago I purchased an inexpensive digital camera/web cam. I didn't want to spend too much money on it because I'm not really a shutterbug. I thought I just might start taking more pictures... and initially I did. When I plugged the camera into the computer and saw the pictures I had taken however, I quickly lost interest. The quality was so poor that pictures weren't worth the effort to take them.

Fast forward... this week someone I know upgraded their digital camera, and I bought the old one! I have seen photos taken by the former owner--they are beautiful! I snapped several for a trial run--very nice!! So who knows?! I might become a shutterbug after all!

In the very thought of Jesus...

This morning has been an awesome morning. I know I'm risking sounding superspiritual (and that I'm not), but I've been sensing the reassuring presence of God repeatedly throughout this morning, and I can't keep it to myself!

Many moons ago in a college PR group, we sang a song that has come back to me at the most desperate and wonderful times... I found myself singing it this morning. So true!! He's that close.

He's as close as the mention of His name
by Gordon Jensen

In the very thought of Jesus His presence can be found;
He's as close as the mention of His name.
There is never any distance between my Lord and me;
He's as close as the mention of His name.

Chorus:
He's as close as the mention of His name: Jesus, Jesus.
He's as close as the mention of His name: Jesus, Jesus.

In my hour of struggle so many times I've found:
He's as close as the mention of His name.
Just to breathe the name of Jesus can turn everything around;
He's as close as the mention of His name.

Another song running through my mind on that same tenor is an old hymn, a favorite of mine, "Jesus, the very thought of Thee." The two verses I remember are:

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name,
O Savior of mankind!

(Oh my! I decided to google the hymn to be sure I had the words right... there are 15 verses on the cyber hymnal site!)

Gotta get back to work now. :)

One small step...

Wow! Ken & I have been so encouraged by you all praying for us--and by your letting us know. Thank you!!

We got a call Friday from the first place to which he applied (or thought he had applied). He filled out the online application on January 1st and came to a point that asked him to login with user ID and password. He didn't remember having seen anything along the process that indicated he should create this and the message on the webpage said that if he was at a state agency to ask an agent to come enter this information, so we thought we needed to contact the company to acquire user ID and password. We pored over the website looking for a contact number: nothing. Thankfully, we called the friend who had referred Ken, and he gave us the HR lady's phone number! Over the next week we called three times and left messages asking the means by which he is to get this important bit of info. No response. Then we learned from the friend that the company wasn't hiring just then.

Last week Ken saw on the company website that they are again hiring, so he filled out the online app again, getting stopped a second time at the login screen. The next day I called and left another message for the HR lady. Then Friday the phone rang, and I saw the company's name on my caller ID! The HR lady is out of town on vacation and also working at another Distribution Center, but this man on the phone is filling in for her: Mr. Claudio. How can he be of help? Come to find out, applicants have to call the company to make an appointment to come in to complete the app or go to a state unemployment agency to complete it. You have to schedule an appointment because the place is so secure, the gatehouse won't let you in unless you show up on the schedule. Well, it sure would be nice if they would tell you all this stuff on the website! Also if they would provide a phone number! Whatever...

Mr. Claudio was very friendly, asked lots of questions about Ken, and answered lots of questions from me. He seems very excited about Ken applying to work there--hopefully he has some impact later in the process! Ken has to come in to complete the app, which is a skills assessment and work style test. Sometime the following week, he should get a call to let him know if he qualifies for an interview. Then we schedule the interview for sometime in April (after the HR lady returns). Sometime the following week again, he should get a call to let him know if he qualifies to continue in the process. If so, then he attends 4 training sessions, 3 hours/day for 4 days. (It's set up well for people who live in the area: morning or evening training sessions depending on when you can come in around your current employment. Since we are 4.5 hours away, it means taking a week off to go through the training.) After the training, we wait for a call to say there's an open position and they want Ken to fill it. Whew!

Where Ken works now, only one person per department can be off at any given time. He knew someone has the week of Mar 24-28, off, and we would like to get the process going before Mar 31, so he looked at the calendar at work and saw that nobody was scheduled off on Friday, March 21. He requested off, and the supervisor promptly denied it because another employee does have off, he just didn't bother to post it. * sigh * Ken said he really needs to be off, the supervisor pressed him for a reason, Ken backed off deciding Mar 31 would be better than revealing his reason, and the supervisor finally said he would see what he could do because the other employee is actually going into family medical leave for several weeks or possibly longer (which doesn't bode well for the time off Ken is going to need for this process!).

We prayed that our steps are ordered by the Lord and we'll do our best to stay calm and go with His flow. Ken called me this morning to say he has off this Friday! I called Mr. Claudio and scheduled an appointment. So... we are on our way for the first step!

I called Ken's parents to let them know we are coming (I had already called last week to be sure it would be ok), and Ken's mom said when she had talked with the fellow who referred Ken he said he doesn't see any way Ken won't get hired. "You should see some of the people who work there!" (his words, not Mom's!) Ken is, of course, nervous, so your continued prayers are much appreciated! Thanks in advance. :)

We were wishing we could be with family for Resurrection Sunday but had decided we shouldn't make the trip over there only for that reason since we have been and will be making this trip so many other times. Well, wish granted! :) "Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way!" (Did I just show my age?!)

To pack or not to pack, that is the question!

Oh my! Where have I been for a month?! Too busy living to blog, I guess. :)

For the last year or so, we have been considering moving to the Carolinas. All the reasons we moved to TN no longer exist, and we would like to be near family. We've prayed a lot about whether we should stay put or move and feel absolutely no particular leading one way or the other.

Sometimes God leads by dropping a little scroll outta the sky giving explicit instructions, and we tend to like that, but I have learned that the times we get the little scrolls are the times when we need most assuredly to know later that regardless of what we are experiencing, God placed us there. (That being said, I really don't prefer the scroll method!)

Other times God leads by letting us use our noggins to make the wisest decision we can and then let the peace of God be the umpire in our hearts (Col 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts..."), and, while this method is less dramatic, I have learned that the peace times are the times when we don't seem to need something as tangible as a little scroll to let us know God has placed us somewhere.

Well, we haven't seen any little scrolls so apparently this is to be a "peace-be-the-umpire" decision. Where's the fine line between "putting feet to our prayers" and "getting ahead of God"? So, we're moving (or more like shuffling!) in this direction, going slowly enough to change direction or stop altogether if the peace is disturbed.

After living in TN for 11 years--and never having lived in the Carolinas, it would be a big move for us, but we are excited about the possibility of being nearer to family. We know that there are other things to consider as well: church, job, finances. Wow, finding one place that answers all four of those needs is a challenge! Eventually we realized something has to give, but which one? We have literally gone in circles (yes, plural!) on this issue.

We initially thought that Ken should not quit his job, only transfer within the company so he wouldn't lose his accumulated benefits, which meant Greensboro, NC, or Charlotte NC (live over the border in SC, however). After investigating the Greensboro area online and in-person, we decided the cost of housing/living is too high. Can't really "give" on finances. In the Charlotte area, we were unable to find a suitable church solution. Can't "give" on church either. Should we give on job? We started entertaining the idea of quitting his job and starting anew in Anderson/Greenville, SC, because that area does meet family, church and financial needs--and 3 outta 4 isn't bad! (We also discovered that one of the companies offers the same or better wages he has now, and another offers almost the same paid time off benefits he has now.)

For various reasons, we knew we couldn't move until at least January 2008, so we were not overly concerned that nothing worked out before then. From January to the present, however, several medical supply warehouse and hospital receiving positions have been available, and Ken has applied for them. We've also found several houses within our price range near to those jobs, although we can't make an offer until we know where Ken will work!

The first place to which he applied (a friend referred him there) was not hiring even though the friend thought they were. The second place had 6 positions open, and Ken applied, but they have all evidently been filled with someone else because the vacancies are no longer listed on the company website, and we haven't heard a peep! The third one is another friend referral that to our knowledge has no vacancies. Ken still applied because who knows when a position might be opening! (When he applied for his current job, the Human Resources lady wondered how he knew about the position because it hadn't yet been posted! Ken said, "Early Edition!" jk) Just this week the first place announced on their website that they are hiring! So Ken just re-applied.

If you have a second, we would appreciate if you would breathe a prayer for us to have wisdom about this whole situation. At this point I think more than wanting to stay or go, we just want this process to be over! My dad used to say, "You get used to hanging if you hang long enough!" ... Then he'd pause a bit before adding, "Of course, once you're dead, the hanging doesn't bother you so much!"