Third Clip (skipped 2nd)

Rachel and Jeffra at lookout point.

A Clip (testing)

Rachel and Jeffra at Natural Bridge Park, KY.

My Visit with Rachel the Ruthless (my cousin)

Well, I just returned from visiting my cousin in Kentucky. I plan to post some video clips of our adventures but I don't know how to do this, so it will have to wait. But here are some spiffy photos to hold us all over.

Friday morning treat: Eating waffles at the Waffle House (one of my favorite parts of the Eastern/Southern US, we went here when we were in Missippippi).

The staircase the Shaker village we visited on Saturday.

After the uphill hike at the Natural Bridge park. Good times.

Video Clips to come...

Precious Time with the Babies

This is a photo of me with Elodie Ann and Sara Amanda-Kate (daughters of my best friend's sisters, who are all pretty much family to me). Aren't they beautiful? Although I was not able to see Amanda's daughter (see photos at her blog), spending time with these ladies was well worth the trip.

New Car?

So it looks like my van (1995 Chrysler Grand Voyager) is at the end of the line (lose bearing in the differential of the transmission-does that make sense?). Jonathan said I should "run it to the ground." He might be right.

Anyway, it seems like I will have to go car shopping. Here's what I think would be best but feel free to post your opinions (you guys are so verbose, it is hard to keep you down): I want the car to last for the next 10 years with only a few repairs; decent gas mileage; at most 2 years old; and somewhere in the cost of $10,000 - $20,000.

So what car should I buy? *help* *help*

Walk the Grand Prix

If you live in South Bay, please consider registering for and donating your time to walk around the Grand Prix track, bringing awareness to the Prevention of Cancer.

Here is what is said about it:

This is the first year public access will be granted on the track before Champ Cars! Be the first to walk one lap around the Redback Raceway as soon as it is closed to vehicular and through traffic on Wednesday, July 25. Tell your friends you were on the same racetrack the Champ Drivers will whirl down at speeds over 180 mph on Race Day!

This twilight memorial walking lap will symbolically “Light The Way” as we recognize the strides being made in the early detection of cancer.

Learn how the Canary Foundation is affiliated with the San Jose Grand Prix, and the urgency of supporting this important work.

Preliminary Event Flow (subject to change)

7:00 – 7:45 pm Check-in, Registration

7:45 – 8:00 pm Canary Foundation Introduction

8:00 pm Enter track at Chavez Park gate (Market Street & Park Avenues)

8:00 – 8:45 pm One Memorial Lap walked on the Redback Raceway

8:45 pm Event officially ends

Sign up here! I'll be there and I hope see some friends.

Adventuring through iTunes ... again

So last April 2006, my hard drive on my PowerBook died totally. I had a three year warranty that allowed me to get it replaced with a new one for free (yippee!) but I lost everything that I had collected during the three years that I had it, including over 4,000 songs on my iTunes. Now I am trying to bring my iTunes back up to speed. Today I broke 2,000 and I still have over 200 CDs in the basement to bring up and copy. I think this will take the rest of summer. I also might copy some of my dad's CDs.

*Happy 4th of July!*

"It is interesting, as someone has pointed out, that every single religion known to man is a religion of works -- except the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Hinduism tells us that if we renounce the world and relate ourselves to the 'spirit of the universe,' we will at last find our way to peace. Buddhism sets before us eight principles by which man is to walk and thus find himself on the way to salvation. Judaism says we must keep the Law absolutely and inflexibly and then we will be saved. Islam says that a man must pray five times a day and give alms and fast on the month of Ramadan and obey the commands of Allah. All are ways of works. Unitarianism says that man is saved by having good character. Modern humanism says salvation is by service to mankind. But in every case salvation is said to be achieved by something we have to do. But the good news of the Gospel is that Christ has done it! He alone has done what no man can do for himself and thus has set us free.... True freedom is to be expressed in loving service for one another. This is truly life."

Ray Stedman, Galatians: Don't Submit Again to the Slave's Yoke (DP #249)

I love my life of freedom in Christ. I love being free and empowered by the Holy Spirit to love people even when my own nature challenges this blessing. It is a worthy cause and I am most honored to pursue it.

New Baby in the House

My friend, Elizabeth and her husband, Dave, had their first child on Monday night. Elizabeth had similar problems to to her sister, Katie, and so also ended up having a C-section. But the best part is, both mom and baby girl are doing well!!! After several days of deliberation, a name was finally chosen: Elodie Ann House. In case you are wondering, the first name is pronounced like melody but without the m. Lovely, lovely. I can't wait to meet her, which should happen in early August. Yippee!

Democrats and "Faith"

I read an transcript from a Presidential Forum on Faith that included the upcoming 3 Democratic candidates (Edwards, Obama and Clinton). It was enlightenling and darkening at the same time. I had no idea what their relationships with God were like. Now I at least have an inkling. However, it wasn't really possible to compare the candidates because they were each given different questions. I would have been curious to see how they answered some of the same questions (I think poverty might have been addressed by all three candidates in some way - I favored Osama's answer because he tied the issue to education, which I think is key. Educated people tend to be more thoughtful and careful in their actions because they have a broader understanding of the world around them. Nonetheless -You know, I am going to say a little more in this parathetical moment because I can- when people talk about poverty and homeless, I don't know if they realize that there are some people -many of those I meet regularly in the homeless shelter- that are not mentally capable of getting themselves out of being homeless or keeping a job. For whatever reason -perhaps through their own fault but I don't think that should matter- they are regular residents of the homeless shelter and seem to be incapable of keeping a job. How do we help these people? I'm not even sure). Anyway, I am glad to have read the transcript since I am not a Republican or Democrat but I would like to have an understanding of both sides' perspectives. I agree with each in some ways and vehemently disgree in others. Thus, it can feel like when I vote that it is a lose-lose situation because I am never truly represented by my vote.

November 2008 is still some time away. Good to be up on the news but not necessary to have a decision made yet. (Okay, since this isn't the most elegant or thought-out posting, I suppose my opinions could change tomorrow but so it goes...)

Jello Arms

After my fifth visit to the chiropractor, I have jello arms. This is because I had to lift 10 pounds of weight and sometimes less than that (3lbs). This only confirms what I already know: I have NO arm strength.

I guess the theory is that at some point I will be able to lift more than that. We will see. I think the only time I have ever strengthed my arms was when I was swimming.

I don't really have anything more to say than that. Hmmmm, Heroes was very sad last night. Poor pitiful Gabriel.

Forced to Gmail

Well, I avoided it for as long as I could but Blogger forced me to do, so now I have a gmail account. Whoopee!

Wish I could have had jeffra@gmail.com. Nice and simple. Oh, well, I guess settling for second best isn't too bad. At least this way it should be clear that I am female and my name is not Jeff.

Anyway... not a very exciting blog.

You know what I realized? (I stole your phrase, Kevin.) I have NOT seen a movie in the theaters since Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Oye! Maybe I will see Spiderman 3 but that hasn't gotten the best reviews. Perhaps I should wait for Pirates 3 but that doesn't look much better.

Movies I want to see in the theaters (not in any order):
Spiderman 3
Oceans 3 (just because)
Pirates 3 (just because, probably go with CP friends)
Bourne 3 (liked first director better & books are better)
Penelope
Ratatouille
Enchanted (maybe?)
Nancy Drew
Hairspray
Stardust (maybe?)
maybe a few more that I can't think of at the moment

confession: I watch the trailers as they are released on iTunes...

It's Happening in Soledad.

Can you believe it?

So where is Soledad? Why, it is between Gonzales and Greenfield. Not sure where those lovely towns are, then let's try between Salinas and King City. Still mystified, umm, between San Jose and San Luis Obispo? How about between San Francisco and Los Angeles? Fiiiiiiiine, let's go with somewhere in the middle of California, on Highway 101, okay?

Anyway, back to Soledad. So there has been, for the last 5 years or so, a large billboard on 101 going South that says, "It's happening in Soledad." I'm still not sure about this but I can now say at least that something is happening in Soledad. How do you know when something is happening in a small town? Perhaps it is the new Longs Drugstore? Close, but not quite there. I'll give you a hint: it involves green and a star. ... Yep, it is a Starbucks. Not just a regular Starbucks but a drive-thru Starbucks. Oo la la.

Thus ends my exciting report from my trip to visit Katy and Brian in Atascadero. What? You don't know where Atascadero is either. *sigh* Fortunately, there is Google Maps, and the world is right again.

Cricket

Apparently today was a big cricket match, or so my Indian Student Assistants informed me. Something like the Superbowl for us... Right now outside my work window, a group of Indians are playing cricket. They seemed to be having lots of fun... and now I have to go back to work.

Did baseball come from cricket? They are similar and yet different...

Crime of the Month

A Crime, a horrible, most horrible crime has been committed… FoxTrot has been removed from the San Jose Mercury News!!! One of my favorite strips, gone! I just cannot believe it, how can they justify that?
I normally read FoxTrot in Spanish online, then read it in English but they haven’t been posting the English version lately, which has taken the challenge to a whole other level.
I wish I knew what I could do to remedy this situation. Who do I write to? Is there someone to call? Anyone know?

On another more delightful note, I saw two great musical performances this last Friday: JJ Heller and Cele De. Check out their myspace music to hear their amazing sounds. I’m not good at describing it, just enjoying it and being awestruck by their talent.

No Black Coat

It's true! I have not worn my big black coat all week!!! We have had 80 degree weather so I suppose it would have been weird but I wasn't expecting to put it aside so early.

Last night I was driving home from a Bible Study and I had a really bad headache. I turned off the radio, which I usually always have on. Driving home in the silence, it was surprisingly peaceful. As I exited the freeway and neared home, all the sounds reminded me of late nights returning home with my family. Since I drive the same minivan that my parents used when I was younger, every sound was the same. As I braked, as I accelerated, as I waited for a light to change, as I made all the same turns to get home...

Praise for a Bed

Okay, so I just love having a cozy warm bed to sleep in. There are many nights where I get into bed, and I just couldn't be happier. Thank you, God, for blessing me with this immense comfort. I don't deserve it and I don't even always appreciate it but I am so grateful when I do. I wish everyone in the world could experience this comfort but I know that they don't. Maybe I should start a campaign: Beds for All.

P.S. My two best friends' (Karen and Amanda) sisters had babies. Liza had a baby boy, Tyler Wataru Kao, on December 7 (I think). He was one month early. Katie had little girl, Sara Amanda-Kate Glascoe, on January 11 after being 8 days overdue, long painful labor, and final C-section. Congratulations to the new families!!

Down with Macy*s

Let the Chrsitmas shopping insanity begin...

My mom and I went out for early shopping yesterday morning. We hit up Mervyn's first and then made our way over to Valley Fair. After some successful shoe and jewerly shopping at one Macy's, we trekked across the mall to the other Macy's. We were delayed with some pastry shopping first (we can never pass those up).

Since the bag we had was heavy (mom had put everything we bought in one macy's plastic bag, including the pastries she bought for Dad), Mom carried the left handle and I carried the right. As we entered the Macy's, we were discussing which direction to head to get chair pads. Then it happened: mom was falling, the bag was tearing, and I went to the ground after her. We were both in so much shock. It looked like someone had spilled their iced coffee on the floor and left it. Several people stopped to see if we were alright. One man came over and said that he had just reported the spill to one of the clerks. So we waited for someone to show up. And waited. And waited. And waited... for about 5 more minutes, which is a ridiculously long time. We were all appalled that nobody had shown up yet. The guy (Raymond) went back to the clerk to remind them about the spill and the poor lady who had fallen in it. Raymond had commented that with all the cameras around you think someone would have been there right there. You know they would if it were someone shoplifting. Raymond came back with a clerk who said her manager was on the way. One minute later, a manger showed up. Cleaning people too. Then another person to take the accident report. My mom had coffee all over her and I had it on my shoulder and in my hair. The woman who took the report was polite but not very sympathetic or empathetic. Raymond stayed as the witness. When my mom pointed out that our expensive pastries were ruined, she said she would mail us a $25 gift certificate. My mom was really upset and shaken up after all this.

I have to say that what makes me the most angry is the lack of concern and no sign of urgency. There was spilled coffee on the walkway, which they knew about and did nothing to take care of it. They had two of their customers fall in it and did nothing for at least five minutes!!!! What in the world are they thinking!!??!! I just don't get it. I always imagined that if someone fell in a store like Macys due in some way to their inadequacy, there would be a rushing of help and concern. We did not get any. Of course, my mom and I are not scene people. In other words, we just took it. We did not yell, we did not scream, or even saying anything at all with anger. We were just polite. I can't help but wonder if that caused them to be unconcerned? It kinds of ticks me off that you would have to make a big scene in order to get proper care.

Okay enough rambling. I bet Nordstroms and even Mervyns would have treated us better...

I LOve myspace music!!!

It's super fabulous! I can look up musicians, listen to their music and decide if I want to spring the 7-12 dollars for their CD. Or I can just play favorite songs over and over again for free (confession: love Christina's Hurt song, can't get enough of it). Also I can learn that I have actually heard that singer/band before (ex., James Blunt). Now I know the name of the song by Nickelback that I like so much (Far away). Sarah McLachlan's Christmas songs lean me towards buying her Christmas CD.

The only minor problem is that it can play jumpy or choppy, so it doesn't really work for the long term. In other words, if I am listening to a song that much, I should just buy the song from iTunes or the album from BMG.

So that's my peace on that.

Just a little picture I like

Jeffra and Jenn

Babies on the Way

Just wanted to say that my two best friends' sisters are having babies and both have a due date in January. However, Karen's sister, Liza, just went into labor this morning around 1am. Karen called me at 7am to tell me. She is so excited. The baby (little Tyler) is one month early but I am sure all will go well. Karen cannot wait to be an aunt. If I remember correctly (which of course, I always do), the first thing Karen told me after telling me that her sister was getting married was, "I can't wait til Liza gets pregnant and I get to be an aunt!!!" Well, she may start being Aunty Karen today. I am very very happy for her and her family.

My other best friend, Amanda, has a twin sister, Katie who is also due in January. I was blessed to be down in Orange County to go to Katie's baby shower. She has quite the baby belly but she is so beautifully happy. Amanda's other sister, Elizabeth is also expecting to be a mommy but not until June. And of course, Amanda herself is hoping to have their adopted Ethiopian baby by February. Just babies all around.