mdog : u n l e a s h e d

unsuccessful

so i have had this very large stack of cards sitting on my coffee table for a week or two. before that, they were sitting on my bedroom floor for months. and before that, they were cramming my file drawer to capacity, until i finally faced the fact that something needed to be done since i could no longer fit a 4" x 4" water bill into the files.

thank you cards, birthday cards, christmas cards, no-special-occasion cards, oh my god: so many cards. not to mention the occasional letters and wedding announcements... and i must make note here of the unclassifiable deliveries and packages via rachel, mailed from her various places of residence in the past several years.

i had every intention of getting the stack down to a manageable size. i mean, really: isn't it a little ridiculous to be taking up all this space with hallmark greeting cards? however, for better or for worse, this is an area in which my practical nature breaks down and gives in to sheer sentimentalism. somewhere between the records of oil changes and notarized title receipts and files of instruction booklets for various fixtures and gadgets, i have an entire hanging folder officially dedicated to my mushiness.

the pile has been whittled down, but not by much. i either have some sort of problem, or i have too many thoughtful friends. maybe both. seriously, i cannot get rid of these things. while this may merely be a symptom of Pack Rat Mania, i'm also finding it to be a testament of the journey and of those who have held me up along the way.

excuse me while i find a box for this stuff.

Posted on Friday, September 29, 2006 at 09:12PM by

mdog |

3 Comments

sent items or inbox?

you'll never really know, will you?

so when you called i was in the middle of changing out of my work clothes, and the entire time i was talking to you i had no pants on.

i thought it was too disturbing to mention. then i decided it was too awesome NOT to mention.

this is why you love me.

Posted on Friday, September 29, 2006 at 10:37AM by

mdog |

3 Comments

cake

when i haven't been listening to my endless loop of nickel creek, i've been digging the album pressure chief by cake. if you don't know cake, go here and listen. [really... go do it. and try "wheels" first]. if you don't like cake, there is something seriously wrong with you and we can no longer speak to each other. i am sorry.

Posted on Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 01:33PM by

mdog |

6 Comments

bluegrass thrash

and thus i have dubbed the unique genre of nickel creek.

in what other concerts can you expect to hear renditions of anything ranging from short people to bach? NONE, i tell you. none.

wow. freaking awesome.

Posted on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 11:43PM by

mdog |

1 Comment

when in rome

or athens...

Showtimes: Sept. 27, 2006: 7:30pm

WOOHOO!

Posted on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 09:06AM by

mdog |

7 Comments

detox 2

reading last night's post this morning, i realized it sounds like one of those It Must Be God's Will commentaries. it has been a running gag between katie and i for a few months now that every happening and coincidence, no matter how large or small, is met with a reverent and breathy "it must be God's will".

lest i be struck down by holy lightning, i want to point out that i've no beef with God's will, or in believing that it does, in fact, exist. the problem i have is when we, in all our mortal wisdom, assume we can predict it, quantify it, put it in a nice tidy box. if my own campus experience is at all a reliable sample, i suspect that a majority of christian students across this great nation spend much of their time trying to "find God's will for their life".

noble, but arrogant.

not that i'm pointing fingers; i've certainly done my share of sacred guesswork. but at this point, unless i've got a shiny angel or a parted sea or a booming voice thundering down from the heavens, i'm going to assume that God and His will are going to find me soon enough. it's not a mathematical formula to solve, nor a future event to predict. it's the unfolding of something so grand, so perfect, that it makes absolutely no sense at all. it seems it's not until you pause and look back upon the path you have walked that you see the madness taking shape into something beautiful, even as you stand in a scattered sea of puzzle pieces. you recognize all the stupid choices you made, and you acknowledge the healthy ones too; and you realize through the pain and the joy of these decisions, that amazing grace abounds.

instead of trying to find God's will, our time would probably be better spent reflecting on it.

Posted on Monday, September 25, 2006 at 09:20PM by

mdog |

4 Comments

detox

a friend of mine visited unleashed the other day and noted that the entire first page was rather grumpy. i hadn't really thought about it, but she was right; the comment threw me for a loop because i was in the midst of a mini-realization that day. sometimes i forget that people can't actually read my mind, and must instead rely on the information given out post by post on a less-than-regular basis.

i had been talking with katie the previous weekend and once again mentioned [read: reminded myself] that the majority of my days, my minutes, my seconds, are spent being very much okay with my household of one. i can go for a hike at a moment's notice; i can eat cookies for an appetizer; i can curl up with a blue moon and some pizza and watch a movie and revel in introversion. [of course, this was after a conversation that went something like this: "we could go to a bar and pick up guys." "oh yeah... dude. we could totally do that." (silence) "so, um... how do you even do that?" "are you kidding me? i have no idea."] at the time, i was speaking only of the daily ins and outs of life... living in the moment. i joked that i would record the exact ratio of happy singledom : unhappy singledom.

several days later and in the midst of my itunes party shuffle at work, i had a thought. it wasn't a new thought by any means; not by a long shot. but for whatever reason, it resonated with me that day. there are so many people i would not know if i was married right now. this seems obvious. dumb, even. and it can be applied to plenty of situations and decisions aside from marriage. but all things being equal, if i was otherwise attached, there are some pretty key people in my life that i might never have had the opportunity, time, or even interest in getting to know in quite the same way that i do now. this blows me away. because these are people i cannot even fathom not knowing. i can barely remember doing life without them. i really can't. my life is far richer than i could ever possibly have imagined before meeting these people, and for that i am grateful... thankful beyond words.

i feel like there are more thoughts tucked away somewhere, but it's far past my bedtime and i don't have the time to find them. perhaps tomorrow.

Posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 11:58PM by

mdog |

4 Comments

just guess, please

for the third time in as many visits, the same barista has asked, "do you always get a small?"

now, i tend to be a literalist as far as grammar goes [though admittedly, i'm prone to hyperbole for dramatic effect]. "always"? well, no. not always. usually? yes.

the first time she asked, i replied, "oh, it depends on my mood." which is true. the second time she asked [which frankly was a little unnerving, since she asked last time], i replied, "well, i seem to these days." also true. when she asked this morning [again, unnerving], i gave up completely and replied, "yes." lies, all lies.

mostly i'm amused. the poor girl just wants to make sure i'm sufficiently caffeinated. but part of me thinks, isn't it poor form to ask? three times? in a row?

mmmmm... d'orleans. yummy.

Posted on Friday, September 22, 2006 at 08:29AM by

mdog |

4 Comments

cutting edge

go here. [meegs, you might particularly enjoy it]. it strikes a chord with me particularly due to past experience, but then, i'm trying to get over that [and myself].

at what point does relevancy become irrelevant?

Posted on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at 10:07AM by

mdog |

3 Comments

rewired

i'm still at work. i've essentially rewired the entire phone system in my office. all for a measly credit card machine. note: phone splitters are the current bane of my existence.

i need a drink.

update: still didn't work as planned. i need a vacation.

Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at 06:01PM by

mdog |

10 Comments

Entries from September 1, 2006 - September 30, 2006