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I figured it out! Yipeeee!!!!!!!!!

Psalms and Songs

So to start out with, I am terribly frustrated right now because I have twice spent more that 30 minutes trying to post a picture, any picture, on my profile page, but have been unable to do so because every single picture that I can get my hands on "exceeds the 68 character maximum limit" that has arbitrarily been placed upon it by blogger.com! Now that this is off my chest, on to more important things. I have been reading in Psalms for the last two months or so and have just recently come across some verses that really struck me. The first is Psalm 84:5 and it says:Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." (NIV) Now I know some of you are not so happy with NIV, but after reading several translations of this verse, I think this one states it most clearly. Some others simply say "whose heart is the highway" and others add to this "to Zion", with a footnote that says these words are not in the original Hebrew. None the less, I really like the thought that my heart should be set on pilgrimage, on the fact that I am just temporarily going through this earth. I really love to travel and I like the thought of being a traveling pilgrim. In fact, if any of you know of a job in which I can do this regularly, please let me know. I have noticed that when I stay in one place for too long, I let my thoughts get bogged down with what is going on right here around me in my life and don't focus nearly enough on the big picture, the picture of Pilgrimage. And I want my strength to be in God! OK, on to the next Psalm: 33. This one helps me to remember that God has put the dream of being a literal pilgrim, a traveler, in my heart, and I can trust Him to fulfill his purpose for me, whatever it is. Verse 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (ESV) This one was pretty much the same in both versions, so I chose the one that is usually more reliable. I love that thought of hope in the last line. I can trust God, and hope for the desires He has put in my heart, trusting that He will either fulfill them in His time, give me the strenght to live without them, or replace them with new desires. I can't wait to see what He has for me next! Now, on to other things. While I have been trying to untangle this picture mess and also catching up on some e-mailing, I have had the time to listen to two of my favorite musical artists today, via the web. I have conveniently placed links to both of thier sites for you, faithful readers, on the LEFT of this post. Over the Rhine is having some phenominal sales right now, for example, 3 CDs for $25. Wow! And I discovered that Jake Armerding has a myspace music page where you can hear 3 of his best old songs, as well as a new cover, full length and free. I don't have a myspace page and was able to access it, so I guess anyone can. You can link to it from the News section of his website. I heartily recomend listening to "Little Boy Blue" if you only have time for one selection. I love you all! Lates

Politics Politics

Check out the Adagio Co. Independent today for a very insightful note on the hypocritical political climate in our country right now. There is a link to the right, I mean left, if you care to use it. Mexico Mentionable: Mexicans with weak stomachs or who get sick easily are said to have "American Stomachs".

World Class, I mean Cup, hair

I have been voraciously watching the World Cup matches over the last few weeks. Yes, I said voraciously. I think it's good to dust off a few long words now and then. I found some very interesting things at espn.com, the following being a prime example. A link to the full page is here, if you care to check it out further. Diego Maradona, ArgentinaStyle: Thick 'n' curly. Sorta like armpit hair. Status: Actively expanding, same as Maradona's waistline. Inspired by: "CHiPs"-era Erik Estrada. Fellow World Cup travelers: Too many to count. But Team Argentina is a good place to start. Resembles: A department store wig; a semidry Jheri curl. Fashion statement: Ha -- let's see Pele grow a pelt like this! Practical value: Pushy autograph seekers are easy to avoid. Just put on a muumuu and pretend to be a middle-aged woman. For best results: Combine with cocaine and food addictions. That way, you have an excuse for not finding a better stylist. Possible complications: If not properly conditioned every 48 hours, hair might spontaneously combust.

Jodi's Chicken Rice and Bean Chowder deluxe

Well, that's the name Daniel gave it anyway. Last night we had chicken and Daniel asked his mother if we could have chicken noodle soup with the leftovers. PB&J sandwiches were on the menu, but Diana said that if I wanted to try something, go right ahead. Well, I haven't made soup for a very long time, and really have never cooked without a recipe, but since Daniel wanted it so badly and we did have a backup plan if all failed, I decided to accept the adventure. So, around 11:15, out came the leftovers. We didn't have noodles so I decided to use the salsa rice from last night that we had with the chicken. There was a lot of it and I knew we would never eat it this weekend. Also, my mom had put rice in soup before, so why not try it. Then, I put in the last of the refried beans, about half a cup, and the last two pieces of chicken from last night, de-boned of course. Well, I added some water and some garlic and onion, a few spices and let it heat up and simmer. Meanwhile, I got out the few corn tortillas left from last night and fried them on the griddle to make chips. I found out that this is not the best way to fry them in that it does not achieve maximum crunchiness, but they were still good. I'll have to do some more experimenting with that one. Maybe more oil and less surface area will do the trick. Well, around noon the soup was ready and everyone came over to have a look. Hmmm. Looks a little bit scary, kind of like chickeny water and soggy rice. But, Daniel and I decide to give it a try anyway while the girls start on the PB&J. We just added a little cheese, a little sour cream, and some fried tortilla bits on top, and you have Jodi's Chicken, Rice and Bean Chowder Deluxe. I must say that despite the looks and humble beginnings, it was very good. Daniel even declared that it was one of the best soup lunches he had ever had and had a second bowl! Of course, he is a growing teenage boy and probably would eat his shoe if he has hungry enough, but my was it tasty. So, that's my adventure for the day. Mexico Mentionable: The grass smells different here when it is cut. It is less sweet, more strong and bitter. It looks the same though except that it is greener.

Flog

So, I played flog the other day with some friends. I know, it sounds violent, but it is actually something that most of you in my readership have enjoyed playing in the past, at least on a small scale. Read the word again: flog. Now read it backward: flog. Now you know what I played, only the put-put version. I can't quite get it strait if this is what put-put is called everywhere, or just at this particular place. Anyway though, it was fun.

Info about Nalgene

Hey, I know this has nothing to do with Mexico, but Daniel was curious about the origins of my Nalgene bottle and so we did a bit of research on the net and found THIS!!!!! It's really scary. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but let me know what you think. Mexico Mentionable: It rained here four days last week, wich is highly uncharacteristic. We have heard that there are usually only about six rainy days a year here. (During rainy season it mostly rains at night)

Mexico Mentionables

Due to overwhelming requests for "fun facts" about Mexico (ok, so it was just one person. But he happens to be the world renown and critically acclaimed editor of the AGI, not to mention one of my mentors in blogosphere.), I have decided to include, as often as seems necessary, a "Mexico Mentionable" in my posts. So to start of with: Mexico Mentionable: I will never be lonely while doing the laundry in Mexico. There are tiny whitish green, sometimes grey, "laundry spiders" who keep me company. There are usually about one per clothes pin, but sometimes I will be lucky and pick up an empty one. They are very small, not bigger than a centimeter or smaller, and they are very shy. The make every attempt to get back to their clothspin of origin, even if they are still hanging from my arm. They seem to be worse on cloudy days. That is the extent of my knowledge of these spiders. So, how was my first "fun fact"? Maybe you can tell by the domestic nature of my mentionable that I have not been out much this week. Ken and Diana started language school on Monday and so the kidos and I were on our own. We got all of their school done, minus a science experiment, and a good time was had by all. I saw my nephew on the web cam last night and miss him terribly. I like new inventions such as the above mentioned web cam, however they tend to make me homesick. He is growing wonderfully and has the best expressions, especially when he is working on cleaning out his system. I wish I could hold him and kiss his soft little head. So, that's all for now. Perhaps we'll go out this afternoon and I'll have something else to say. Later