Toronto

Posted by mountainmelody On 12/12/2007 09:27:00 PM 0 comments
These pictures aren't all amazing, but at least they'll give you more of an idea of some of what I did in Toronto.

There were lights everywhere--both city lights and Christmas lights.

chalk drawing along the longest street in the world

looking at Christmas windows of a department store

The CN Tower was the tallest building in the world until this past September. As you can tell from this picture, we didn't exactly get an amazing view from the lookout or the revolving restaurant this day.

Standing (in snow boots) on the glass floor in the tower--on a clear day you can see down to the street.

Korean barbecue--Toronto is probably the most multicultural city in the world.

trip part 2

Posted by mountainmelody On 12/11/2007 07:58:00 PM 0 comments
Was it cold in Toronto? See for yourself.



Not the greatest video, but maybe you'll get the idea (ice skating)...

trip part 1

Posted by mountainmelody On 12/10/2007 01:52:00 PM 0 comments
I took the train across the border. On the way there, the Canadian border agents just came around and checked our passports. But on the way back, the US agents made us get off the train with all our bags. We went into the station, and they checked everyone thoroughly. They had even locked the bathrooms so no one could go in. Pretty serious stuff!

The inside of the train was a lot like a plane, except roomier.

Canada!

where I stayed (on the top floor!)
Posted by mountainmelody On 12/08/2007 11:07:00 PM 0 comments
I'm too busy having a great time to post much here now. Today I went to Niagara Falls, among other things. More later!

in Toronto

Posted by mountainmelody On 12/06/2007 09:13:00 PM 1 comments
Two planes, one train, one subway, and a walk--I made it!
Wish you were here...it's cold but I think it will be fun!
Posted by mountainmelody On 12/04/2007 08:35:00 PM 1 comments
Time of departure for Atlanta:
5:45 AM
Weirdest things we found in boxes:
fake "bubba" teeth
used socks
toy snake
toilet paper
Interesting rule:
no tootsie rolls (they may melt)

Cutest things in boxes:
cards made by kids
photos of senders
US map with sender's town marked

Number of boxes examined from 8 AM to 3 PM that day:
22,000

Most interesting item to remove:
snakes, because they are seen as gods in India

(For the sake of full disclosure--I didn't take most of these pictures. )
Posted by mountainmelody On 12/03/2007 09:27:00 PM 0 comments
So I got my camera back. More pictures tomorrow.

all grown up (aka more random info)

Posted by mountainmelody On 12/02/2007 09:48:00 PM 0 comments
Most Americans believe adulthood begins at age 26.

finders, keepers...

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/29/2007 10:09:00 PM 1 comments
Tonight I was planning on posting pictures from my trip to the Operation Christmas Child warehouse.

Instead, I'll be telling you the story of my lost camera. It's kind of long, but I know some of you like details. I'll try not to drag it out too much...

1. The rental car company near my work made a mistake and didn't have a van ready for us to go to Atlanta.

2. We had to rent a van from the company in Hoover instead (not near my work).

3. I had my camera the whole time we were in Atlanta, and took several pictures.

4. Coming back, I put the camera in the floor of the van with all my other stuff.

5. We were late getting back. In my rush to leave for church, and amidst all the stuff I had (coat, lunch, purse, free t-shirt, etc), I left my camera in the van.

6. A few hours later, I realized I didn't have my camera. Too late.

7. I called the car company this morning. They said they would "call me right back." I never heard back from them.

8. The person who rented the van called the car company. They said they would call us back.

9. The car company called us back and said they found my camera (WHEW)--but it was now in Sylacauga.

10. The person who works in their Sylacauga office lives in Birmingham, in the same apartment compex as someone who works in their Hoover office. So they'll trade off my camera.

11. I can pick up my camera in Hoover when they're open. (It's not really "at my convenience," because going to Hoover isn't really convenient. But at least they have it!)

Their hours don't work well for me, but hey--it sounds like I'll get my camera back. That's a good thing.

I'm not usually the absent-minded one, so it annoys me when I lose my stuff like this.

Sigh...you'll just have to imagine what the Operation Christmas Child warehouse looked like until then.

thought of the day

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/26/2007 07:57:00 PM 0 comments
Many Christians obsess over the church's relevance [to the latest fads and trends] . . . But is it more important for the church to be present in pop culture--or in refugee camps and soup kitchens?

star

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/25/2007 12:24:00 PM 1 comments
Have you seen the star on the mountain? You'll notice it throughout the month of December as you drive down the highway.
It looks different from above.

rappelling to change the bulbs
testing

looking down

more useless info

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/24/2007 08:51:00 PM 0 comments
Last year, there were 30 feet of books produced for every person in the world.

finally decided to post these

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/23/2007 11:12:00 PM 0 comments




Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/22/2007 07:29:00 AM 0 comments
About 98% of Americans will eat turkey today.

Enjoy!

add this to your wish list

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/20/2007 07:05:00 PM 1 comments
Someone gave me a book full of words to use in your dissertation. Since I know you'll all want a copy, I'll provide a preview while you wait for the book to ship:

words:
concretize
encapsulate
exacerbate
intimate
promulgate
surmise
vitiate

phrases:
The question arises...
The literature is replete with references to...
The ideas expressed by __ lead to a broader conceptualization of...
...having no intrinsic relation to...
The general theoretical context of ___ is assumed to be fundamental to...
This phenomena derives from...
...token applicability to...

And while we're on the subject of wish lists, I've updated mine at Amazon. Caveat emptor.

sorry, people

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/18/2007 08:55:00 PM 0 comments
I know you check here multiple times every day for scintillating reports of life on the mountain, but I've been busy: driving, working, driving, sleeping, working on my dissertation, thinking about working on my dissertation...

I'll work on some of my pictures later and put them up. In the meantime, I'd recommend that you find some other sites or hobbies to occupy your time. Maybe this will get you started: http://www.fsi-language-courses.net/
Posted by mountainmelody On 11/15/2007 06:50:00 AM 0 comments

not me, but...

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/12/2007 09:21:00 PM 0 comments
Almost half of Americans under age 30 have a tattoo.

birthday

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/11/2007 08:57:00 PM 2 comments








More from Sloss later--

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/08/2007 06:40:00 AM 0 comments
Happy birthday to me!
Posted by mountainmelody On 11/06/2007 09:22:00 PM 0 comments

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/04/2007 05:23:00 PM 0 comments
interesting
Posted by mountainmelody On 11/03/2007 10:24:00 PM 0 comments

life isn't fair

Posted by mountainmelody On 11/02/2007 10:59:00 AM 0 comments
A 75-year-old Swedish grandmother has the world's fastest internet connection. She can download a full-length movie in less than 2 seconds.

She uses her connection to read Web-based newspapers.
Posted by mountainmelody On 11/01/2007 10:40:00 PM 0 comments

GAs

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/24/2007 09:35:00 PM 0 comments
Leader: Do you remember what kind of bad weather they have in Haiti? Remember--it's an island.

GA 1: Tornadoes?

Leader: No, but you're close.

GA 2: Volcanoes!



Me: What does giving someone clean water have to do with what this verse says about doing something unto the 'least of these' like you're doing it for Jesus?

GA 3: Ooh! Ooh! I know! It's like today I gave my brother a whoopee cushion. When I gave it to him it was really like I gave it to lots of people.

too many mornings, way too early

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/23/2007 09:16:00 PM 0 comments



another reason to live overseas

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/22/2007 09:09:00 PM 0 comments
Americans work longer hours than people from any other country.

first fall color

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/21/2007 08:18:00 PM 0 comments

back

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/21/2007 07:42:00 AM 0 comments
In case you're wondering, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

I don't have anything exciting to share from my trip, but I'm back home now. You can look for scintillating posts in the days to come, I'm sure.

not sure if you'll believe this, but...

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/16/2007 07:22:00 PM 2 comments
Traffic on 459 was terribly slow again today.

Turns out there was a grass fire on the side of the road, not a mile or two from where the truck burned yesterday.

At least my house didn't burn down.

fire

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/15/2007 08:50:00 PM 2 comments
This morning the fire alarm went off at work. (Supposedly there was a loud "boom" before that, but I didn't hear it.) The fire trucks came, but I guess everything was okay.

Today on my way home from work, a tractor trailer caught fire on the side of the road. I was just a couple of cars back--I came to it several minutes before any police or fire trucks came. It must have just happened.

I sat on the interstate for an hour watching it burn. Flames and smoke were going everywhere--even leaping out across all three lanes of the interstate. At one point there was a large "boom," and more fire.

Here are some pictures from my phone:



I'm just hoping my house doesn't catch on fire tonight. ;)
Posted by mountainmelody On 10/14/2007 08:27:00 PM 0 comments
Nature is the art of God.
-Dante Alighieri

it would hardly be October without pictures of goldenrod

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/12/2007 11:03:00 PM 2 comments

back but with nothing exciting

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/11/2007 09:06:00 PM 2 comments
Just more random trivia for you:

Did you know that the average time devoted to dusting has fallen significantly in recent decades?

In my cleaning habits, I'm just trying to keep up with the trend. ;)

in Nashville

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/09/2007 09:36:00 PM 0 comments
I'm in Nashville, but you'll have to take my word for it. I've been too busy to get out and take any pictures, and I don't figure that a photo of the inside of my hotel room is that exciting.

But at least I posted so you'll know I'm alive. (Takes a load off your mind, I know.)

why you shouldn't hike in flip-flops

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/07/2007 04:31:00 PM 1 comments

on the mountain

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/05/2007 10:50:00 PM 1 comments



GAs

Posted by mountainmelody On 10/04/2007 09:12:00 PM 0 comments
(during a discussion about world hunger)

GA: If I were starving, I might even eat brussel sprouts!
Posted by mountainmelody On 10/02/2007 07:48:00 PM 4 comments
things I don't like about living here
1. dial-up internet
2. dial-up internet
3. dial-up internet
4. driving a million miles to get anywhere
5. wasting my life in traffic while driving a million miles to get to work

things I like about living here
1. peace, quiet
2. beautiful mountains, trees, lake, etc.
3. open space
4. rootedness, heritage, sense of "place"
5. community

followers