7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 50)
Yesterday I met up with blogging friend Roxane Salonen, who is here in Texas all the way from North Dakota to attend the National Federation of Press Women where she’ll be receiving some well-earned awards. We talked about writing and family over catfish and onion rings, and she is actually as sweet as she seems on her blog. Some of the expressions she used brought back memories from when I lived in Bismarck, and I was reminded that the year my family and I spent there was what first ignited my lifelong fascination with linguistics. It was so strange for me as a Texan to hear people use “for” in front of adjectives (e.g. “That’s for cool!”), and nobody ever said they were “fixin’ to” do anything.
Anyway, I always love meeting blogging friends in real life, and this time was no exception!
Roxane had her camera with her, and I’m a little concerned about the picture we took together since she said she’ll probably post it on her blog. I was wearing this bright yellow knit shirt that has been responsible for some of the most unfathomably unflattering pictures of me taken in recent memory. I bought it at Target because I thought it was bright and cheery, and seems fine when I see myself in the mirror, but whenever I see it in pictures the look is less “sunny suburban chic” and more “Big Bird in drag.” Luckily Roxane is so pretty that it should distract from the looming yellow blimp effect that the shirt always seems to evoke in pictures.
UPDATE: Roxane posted the picture on her other blog here. Man, that shirt is really very YELLOW. Also, since I’m six feet tall I took my shoes off so I didn’t look like a big ogre, and I briefly considered asking the nice waitress not to take a full-length photo seeing as how I was barefoot. In retrospect, that would have been a good idea.
Back in 1999 I was stunned when I heard that uber-popular rapper Mason Betha, better known as Ma$e, was retiring from the rap world at the height of his fame, supposedly to be a better Christian. I was an atheist at the time, and I was shocked and perplexed; he had it all in terms of worldly status and riches, and I could not imagine what would motivate him to walk away from it. I remember trying to figure out what his real reason must be and speculating that this supposed “devotion to God” wouldn’t last. I made a mental note to check up on him in a couple years and see if he’d sold out and forgotten about all the silly God stuff.
Just last week I finally remembered to follow up and see what he ended up doing, ten years after my original cynical speculation. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he’s a minister and still on fire for God.
The other day I decided to serve dinner in our wedding china (that decision being made more by a lack of clean dishes than by classiness on my part), and I was surprised at what a difference it made:
It added a great feel of formality and importance to our nightly family dinner, and put those plates to use that are normally collecting dust on shelves. I think I’ll do that more often!
That picture reminds me of the awesome two-meal recipe combo I’ve been meaning to share:
- 13-Bean Soup: Get a bag of beans for 13-Bean Soup and cook them according to the directions on the back. Serve the soup topped with cheese or sour cream. Then drain the leftover soup and store the beans in the fridge or freezer.
- Chili with Beans: Get a Wick Fowler chili spice kit (my Texan relatives insist that it MUST be Wick Fowler) and make the super-easy chili according to the directions on the package. Add in the leftover beans from the soup for tons of extra volume and flavor. It’s cheap, easy and delicious!
I, umm, had something else for these two takes but then, just before publishing, realized that today is September 11th, so I decided to save them until next week when it’s not a national day of mourning. They cover a topic that is as perplexing as it is horrific, a phenomenon that you may not be aware of but will leave you seriously considering withdrawing from the world to live in a cave, and will probably be one of those moments where you never see the world the same way again. Since I don’t want to distract from the memory of 9/11 today, I’ll post it next week.
I hope you all have a restful and lovely weekend!
I look forward to reading your posts!
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Jennifer, how fun to finish posting my update for today, then to click over and find that you had mentioned me as well. I adored meeting you, and was LOL at your mention of the "Big Bird" shirt. Yeah, like, for whatever! 🙂 I really think it's YOUR face that will set it all right. The downer is that unless I'm in a routine, I can't pull off quick takes, so my post varies and is part of my "Fargo to San Antonio" series. I hope you'll stop by Peace Garden Mama and see how it all turned out. Wish ND and TX weren't so darn far apart! Let's hope we can do a repeat someday — maybe on book tour. (dreaming…) Really enjoyed it. Thanks so very much for taking time out of your crazy-hectic day with the kids to find me!
You have a life-long fascination with linguistics, too?! 😀 The subject just came up, ever so briefly, on my own blog yesterday (http://scarlett-franklymydear.blogspot.com/2009/09/khede-kasra.html), and between that and this, I started wondering where I can get some more linguistics in my everyday life (a few years ago I had an "Obsolete English Word a Day" calendar, but no longer) and googled linguistics blogs. I came across this post (http://nancyfriedman.typepad.com/away_with_words/2007/12/linguists-blog.html) by a blogger who talks about the names of different linguistics blogs, in the process, of course, naming different linguistics blogs! I'm going to check them all out over the next couple days, and I thought I'd share in case anyone else was interested, since it seems that closet linguists abound!
The first few days I lived in Texas years ago, I was very confused by the "fixin" expression. I kept trying to figure out what was broken! (Then I realized that it meant "planning.")
The other day I decided to serve dinner in our wedding china (that decision being made more by a lack of clean dishes than by classiness on my part), and I was surprised at what a difference it made.
About 6 months ago, I started planning 'Family Dinners', where we would set candles on the table, maybe flowers, use a tablecloth and the fancy napkin rings, and the good china. We normally eat dinner together, but adding the extra bits makes for a lovely _special_ feel:-)
(Then we all try whispering during the meal… I'd _like_ them to be a _little_ more quiet:-) )
LOL…just linked over to your friend's blog…nice bare feet ya got goin' there 🙂 (I'm assuming you took them off so you wouldn't tower over her).
A pleasant week-end to you,
Marie
Hey Jen,
It's great that you and Roxane got to meet!
God bless!
Donna-Marie
I didn't even realize it was September 11th. Thanks for the takes, I look forward to reading your posts on what we missed on 6 and 7.
Oh, Jennifer, you have a way with words–Big Bird in drag?! You crack me up!
6&7 – Live in a cave? What the heck!!!! Have the scorpions orginized to fight back?
I am convinced that very few people in the world can wear bright yellow without fear. Orange is the same…your hair & complexion actually work well with the color…I look like a washed out dish rag. Oh, the Chinese Emporers did pretty well with yellow 😉
Loved the bare feet. Photo could have been taken sitting down at the table. Height disparities are less obvious that way:)
Blessings, EJT
Love the yellow shirt. Yes, it is loud but tastefull and not really that loud. The red shirt in the picture is as bright just of a deeper hue.
AAAAAAAAAAH DARN IT I really want to know what takes 6&7 were gonna be.
Hey! I had no idea you had lived in Bismarck! It is where we have been recently planted…and we enjoy it…I don't care for heat!
I've been contemplating pulling out the china more often, too. After all, we usually save it for something or someone "special," and who's more special than my family?
I often find that I'm cynical about celebrity conversions, yet I cannot think of any who have not kept with it. In fact, those most notorious for their new-found (or newly announced religions) are certainly not loosing steam. I'm thinking of Tom Cruise to Scientology and (I think she's still on it) Madonna to pop-Kabballah (which, as a religious studies minor, I must stress looks nothing like 'real' Kaballah). Yet, nonetheless, I cannot never bring myself to believe a celebrity conversion.
I maybe ought to work on that.
🙂 No worries, your yellow shirt goes very well with Roxane's red one! You both are lovely!
Liturgy of the Hours
Wondering what 6&7 were too – are you going to post them?
I love meeting someone from down south and hearing them say things that I've only ever read in books before. (Like calling everyone sugar or darling).
Your post made me realize that one of the reasons I probably never try recipes with beans in them is that every. single. one. of them involves (1) tomato products, (2) spiciness, or both. Neither of which I can stand. Maybe I'll just try some random experiments with beans sometime.
I love the photo of you and Roxane! how cool that you got a face-to-face to go with your online friendship…God is good. All the time. Perhaps I'll connect with you one of these days in Austin–and if you're ever driving through Oklahoma in I-35, keep in mind that I'm a mile west of the highway in Norman! oh–and I love the yellow shirt! 🙂
That recipe sounds, and looks, good!
Thanks for hosting!
You might want to look into getting a grasshopper mouse as a pet. They eat scorpions, worms, insects, and sometimes other mice. Wait maybe that's scarier than having scorpions around.
I tried that chicken/beans/corn/salsa/cream cheese crockpot recipe you mentioned last week, served it when my father in law was visiting. It got rave reviews from him, my hubby, my 6 year old and my 1 year old! (3 year old is currently unimpressed by anything). Yummy! Thank you! I was so happy to tell my husband, "see? all that blog surfing I do IS useful!"
Ladies can you please help me? A while back I was wandering through the 7 quick takes friday links and came across a lady from my hometown, Bristol CT in her about me blurb she mentioned something about thinking she might be a born again Christian but the jury was still out on that one. Me being the dummy I am didnt do anything at the time. Fast forward to now and I can not forget about that blog. I would love to follow her blog and invite her to my church. Hopefully this will ring a bell with someone
I love speech variations. The first time I ever visited the USA and heard a bunch of different Americans speaking just floored me, Canadians have only three types of accents, east coast, west coast and French 🙂
I love the china picture – and hey, in Catholicism, creation is sacramental, and beauty is important – it helps draw us closer to God!
I submitted a link, because evangelization training classes are beginning here in Denver, including the online class I'm offering. We had a great time in the spring class, the first time I've offered it by distance, and I'm eager to do it again!
Any chance on you writing about how Rita is doing and if you know about her future?
We are on the path to opening our home to a teenager in need for a few years. At the same time our adopted younger children continue to show special needs … This requires lots of praying, trust and discernment …
Maria in Sweden
Special dishes are for special people, not special occasions…in my humble opinion:)
You have to provide here a great Post. 1 to 7 days you have to described, it’s really great. Thanks for sharing with us.
I learned to love football, too, as I learned to sit and point! but my message is really about coffee. u should buy these special machines to make coffee.
I love his quick shot. And I also love velvet tracksuit. I do not like are horribly style. They are wonderful.
I like Pandora too! I love the radio for young children when Gabe is time to awake. I love when they sing and dance with him.