Well, I know I haven't updated in ages, so that being said...

I'm sitting at my parent's computer, "Men in Black" playing in the background as I count contractions, hoping that possibly I'll go into labor TONIGHT. Baby is 3 days overdue now and I believe that he's dropped since everything in my hip region is screaming in protest. That's still no indication that he'll make an appearance tonight or tomorrow.

I'm also wondering why the inside skin of my belly button is so dark...yes, it's half-way popped and has been for a few weeks.

With my new palm centro I'm attempting to enter a lj entry. So: take one.

---

Stolen from jedilora.  Figured it's been a while since I've done one of these.
 

( The Movie Meme )

...but please God...amen!!!

---

This past weekend was Emily's production of "Our Town," which went incredibly well! I saw it Thursday and then went home and did homework on friday. Jay came down Saturday to see it and to go over to Boucher's. There I got presents for Mum and Jay got himself a bible and catechism.

Mom's birthday was on Sunday, her 60th! She decided that she didn't want to go out for dinner, so gave us all our own secret list of food to buy from various places. When we got back it was to a surprise dinner and watching "The Miracle Worker" all together.

Yesterday was my 11-hour work day and again, a visit with Jay which was lovely and relaxing since work was very stressful.

Tonight or tomorrow I'm hoping to get my hair cut and the opposite day I'll buckle down and do tons of homework. Thursday night is choir and Friday is going to be a huge homework night...I hope...if I'm not thoroughly exhausted from 11 hours at work again.

Saturday night is Peter's Eagle Court of Honor, Sunday is something...I forget what...OH yeah...studying for my 3rd exam on Tuesday. Only 3 more weeks of classes. *rocks back and forth* nearly done...nearly done...

---

As you can all assume, no I'm not happy, not I'm not thrilled, yes I think he's going to be just like every other politician. Sorry, don't agree with the "overwhelming" opinions.

And that's all I want to say. The end.

---

...but thankfully I just got this from Mom:

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

---

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing...

---

At home today we're having Verizon Fios installed. This means unlimited calling in the US and Canada. Canheads beware.

---

---

Yesterday's activities consisted of:

* getting up at 5:15 am to shower and get to work for 7 am
* enjoying having an alarm clock that is Jay at work on the overnight and not the angry alarm buzzer
* working till 4 pm, the day being busy until 3 (which is unusual for a Friday)
* coming home and puttering for a few hours
* chipping in for Chinese takeout with the family and Jay
* watching "Arsenic and Old Lace" with Jay
* going to bed at an obscene hour...1 am?  what has my life come to that that's obscene?  lol

Today's activities shall consist of:
* attending the first class of this year of Bible Study
* napping at the world
* driving to Fabric Place to add a little to my stash and/or just visit with Not-Julie and Nanette
* talking to my Jay or flooding his inbox with messages for when he wakes up
* outlining the chapters to be read by the next class

---

Since the fall of 2002 I've been attending college classes in one form or another. Today marks the start of the FINAL FINAL semester and the FINAL required class and the FINAL class for Bioconcepts.

One of the reasons I was having such difficulty with the first two is that the lecture part is in a lecture hall and I simply cannot focus without interaction. Being the age of technology, however, and since third time's the charm, I actually have confindence that I'll pass this class with at least a C (which is better than what I had hoped for which was a D). They now have a PRS, personal response system, which allows us to interact with the teacher, so I'm rather more hopeful.

Future Julie, good luck.

And Jay, feel better, sweetie!

---

I feel like I'm 14 again.

LOVE this new icon of the bird on the girl's hand, it reminds me of the cards for the Ravensburger.

Today shall consist of going to the massive Labor Day parade and seeing Peter, coming home and having a cookout with the family, Terry, and Jay, and probably copious amounts of Nintendo playing.

I want to go forest exploring as well...so I may convince Pete and Jay to come tromping with me while the day is still lucious.

---

Well...it's not "Scotch and Cookie Time," however, it IS Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Time with Jay!

Fun day, fun times, fun food. :D

---

In a few hours I'll be heading up to the North Shore to spend a day with Jay, going to a rose garden, going to the sea. So will most of Eastern New England, I'm sure, since it's Labor Day Weekend, but that is why I'm going to leave early in the morning.

( Porcelain Fists Lyrics )

---

Please keep my Grandma Snyder in prayer, she suffered a heart-attack yesterday, is at the hospital and alert today with a breathing tube. She's my last living grandparent.

---

So all of my worries about a job for this semester are allayed. BJ's is willing to work around my class schedule and keep me on there full time! I had seriously thought that they'd drop me if I couldn't change this bio class to a night class. I'll be at more like 38-39 hours a week, but that's really fine. It's such a relief to know that I won't be out of a job by next week and, also, that they like me as an employee as much as I'm impressed with them as employers. My supervisor was reiterating to me that she wanted to hire me (I'm currently a temp), so this is very exciting. :D

---

Yesterday Em and I drove all around. We went to the mall and had lunch together, went to Fabric Place where I got to visit with my Nanette (I also picked up buttons for the baby sweater Mum made, some cloisenet beads, and the shawl I had on display) and did not get to see Emma down in yarns. We...well, I...stayed and chatted with Nanette, catching up and hearing all the concerns and news. She is hands-down my most favorite manager I've ever had.

Then Em and I went driving and talked and drove and talked some more. *huggles sister*

---

Tomorrow Jay, Tarra, and I are going up to Maine for Jay's cousin's wedding. I have to do some small shopping, so I think that I'll go forth and pick up things this morning and probably nap and pack and maybe even clean this afternoon. I'm rather excited to meet his extended family and to relax outside of the house. We were thinking of going to Mass here in Marlborough initially, but trying to make it for a 5 pm Mass is a li'l crazy. So we're going to find a church in the area and go to a morning Mass.

Friday night will be the rehearsal dinner, which Tarra and I are invited to as well. That'll be at John's mum's house. The wedding itself is Saturday afternoon at 5 and Sunday we'll all have lunch over at the Kersting's camp. Fun times!

Nothing else pertinent or interesting left to write. So I suppose I'll go run my errands and then come back and leisurely take my time getting ready to go tomorrow afternoon.

---

So here's an actual self-update for a change.

---

Last Wednesday, the thirteenth, I called out from work after talking to Jay early in the morning (the sweetie gives me wakeup calls when he's doing the overnight). My uvula was sticking to my overswollen right tonsil. I had already seen the doctor on Monday the eleventh, who said that I probably had strep...possibly mono. All she did was test for strep, though, and no mono test.

So, with disgusting tonsils and a thoroughly tired body, I went to the doctor again--this time my primary care physician--and he tested again for more types of strep and also for mono. As we all know now, I have mono.

Okay, haha, yes, I have a boyfriend and I now have "the kissing disease". Thank you, everybody who's mentioned it. It's uproarious. :P And appears as though Jay is totally fine, so we're still speculating as to how I caught it. Possibly theatre? Sharing drinks with people...who knows.

Wednesday day Tarra came by and gave me a box of Edy's strawberry fruit bars, for which my soar throat is eternally grateful. That night Jay drove all the way down and visited, bringing Cup o' Soup, which also turned out to be a saving grace!

All weekend I kept track of the size of my tonsils. Saturday and Sunday were especially difficult, since at night they would swell up and strangle my uvula, making swallowing even saliva difficult and breathing even harder. Yet again, thanks to Jay (and the summer Olympics!) for keeping me company as I choked down food to choke down pills at 4 in the morning.

Monday was much much better. I watched a terrible version of "Northanger Abbey" with Emily while I continued to crochet a completely mindless afghan (made out of *gasp* Pound of Love! acrylic oh noes! but at least it's cheap and there's lots of it). Then Jay came down around 3:30 and we watched 3/4's of "Clone Wars" the tv series. I begged Em to show off what she has written Sable Valentine. Even a real dinner was able to be eaten!

Today I've walked around with the constant feeling like it's between 3 and 5 PM. Took a nap, as I'm still exhausted, but at least my throat isn't acting like a death trap for everything. The goal is to feel well enough to go up to Jay's cousin's wedding this weekend.

---

On the work front, I was happily working at BJ's corporate office--the people are lovely, the job one that was holding my interest (even if it isn't in my field)--but sadly, with this sickness and then with school coming up, I can't stay there. I was hoping to work something out, either where I'd be able to take my last 2 classes as night classes or at least to let them keep me on part time. But my supervisor basically said that the latter wouldn't work for them and school is such that I can't do the night classes, especially not with a full time job and the main class I need to pass being bio.

So it looks like I'm out of a job for another two weeks until I find something part-time through the winter. We'll see what happens with the spring. But my hopes are up, especially because of the positive responses I got while doing my huge interviewing time in July.

---

On the previous places of employment front, I was quite saddened and surprised when I found out that Fabric Place will indeed be closing sometime this year. It makes sense and we'd all been talking about it, but it's really very sad.

Places where I work for more than a year should watch out. When I left Noah's they closed and then I left Fabric Place and just look what happened! lol I sure do know how to choose them. Oh well. I need to grab a few 1940's patterns and material from there before they close, as well as stash up some yarn for when it goes on sale.

---

This may be rather a redundant statement, but mono really sucks.

---

I've been in a researchy mood.
That being said, I have been refinding numerous things: my book of names, book of birthdays, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, and the Firefly bookmark Em gave me saying, "I'd follow Captain Tightpants to the Edge of the 'verse and back."

I also refound this Emily Dickinson snippet.

---

THAT I did always love,
I bring thee proof:
That till I loved
I did not love enough.

That I shall love always,
I offer thee
That love is life,
And life hath immortality.

This, dost thou doubt, sweet?
Then have I
Nothing to show
But Calvary.

---

Can I just reiterate how much I LOVE Aquinas?!?! 

He essentially prooves that, although God will always be a mystery since man has not attained full and perfect knowledge, that man CAN know God and His truths.  There is nothing hidden from us concerning God, it's just that we do not fully comprehend what we see.  

As Chesterton says:
St. Thomas stands founded on the universal common conviction that eggs are eggs. The Hegelian may say that an egg is really a hen, because it is a part of an endless process of Becoming; the Berkelian may hold that poached eggs only exist as a dream exists, since it is quite as easy to call the dream the cause of the eggs as the eggs the cause of the dream; the Pragmatist may believe that we get the best out of scrambled eggs by forgetting that they ever were eggs, and only remembering the scramble. But no pupil of St. Thomas needs to addle his brains in order adequately to addle his eggs; to put his head at any peculiar angle in looking at eggs, or squinting at eggs, or winking the other eye in order to see a new simplification of eggs. The Thomist stands in the broad daylight of the brotherhood of men, in their common consciousness that eggs are not hens or dreams or mere practical assumptions; but things attested by the Authority of the Senses, which is from God." (Chesterton, St. Thomas Aquinas, p. 136).

---

16. This rational soul is united to the body in such a manner that it is the only substantial form of the body. By virtue of his soul a man is a man, an animal, a living thing, a body, a substance and a being. Therefore the soul gives man every essential degree of perfection; moreover, it gives the body a share in the act of being whereby it itself exists.

( 17. From the human soul there naturally issue forth powers... )

Yes, taken from Wikipedia

---

About two days ago I think it was hit or stepped on or something. But it really hurts. 

---

 
The show is over and went really well.  However, last night our Romeo and Paris decided to throw in a bit of new fight choreography and Romeo ended up with a broken nose.  Poor fellow.  Thankfully Jay was there in the front row and managed to help him out in time.  Yay for EMT boyfriends.  lol

---

Recently I've been thinking of The Whispers of the Sea and my thoughts on God and the nature of creation.  Since I had the time this morning, I looked up as a refresher some Thomistic logic.  He essentially sums up my own conclusions on God.


 What has really struck home with me this morning/afternoon is that there really IS a black and white truth, that if there is a pentultimate God, that God is good, and if God IS the End-All-Be-All, then whatever He dictates is right and good.

And it pulls me up short, and it's made me realize alot about myself and how--since man is reflective of God's creative nature and His nature is to create beyond that which is necessary to survive, but He creates so as to have His creation with him for eternity, which is what man does as well--that every time I turn a blind eye to the few things He asks me to do or be as His creation, that I am NOT reflecting him truly...that I am not LOVING Him truly...He who first made me.

But He is all good and He desires my joy and the ultimate joy is to be with Him.  But sometimes it's so hard to keep that seemingly far away goal in mind.  

Patience really IS a Fruit of the Holy Spirit.  It's something which I need more of, even if I sometimes can't remember to look for that eternal goal, patience and hope that it is there if I reflect the Ultimate Creator must keep me stalwart.

God give me strength.  God give me patience.  Let me be as an unblemished mirror.