office etiquette

So you're at work and you pass a coworker in the hallway and you do the "Smile and say Hi" thing. Then you see them again less than an hour later (sometimes several times throughout the day). What do you do?

a.) Smile and say Hi ... again
b.) Say something witty about bumping into each other again (though these "witty" comments often provoke fake laughter followed by an awkward silence)
c.) Put your head down and smile, letting them know you see them but are not interested in further small talk
d.) Pretend you don't see them.

This seems to happen to me a lot. I usually just slightly smile upon repeated hallway appearances. It's when you see them from halfway down the hall that it's really awkward because you have an entire stretch of hallway to build up the appropriate response!

Hey, think I analyze things too much? :)

idol gripes

Ok, so I'm a nerd and I watch American Idol (though I've never voted), and I would like to take a moment to voice my general complaints about the show. My list is light-hearted and brief, although you must forgive my cynicism - it comes a bit too naturally at times:

1.) Why can't people, especially judges, have a negative opinion about a song without being boo'ed? I know Simon can be a bit overly critical at times, but he's entitled to his opinion and half the time he's right, so let the guy finish his speech and move the show along already.

2.) Taylor, I think you're a great performer, I really do ... but if you chant "Soul Patrol" like you're an A-D-D third grader ONE more time, I swear ........

3.) Paula, you're a sweet lady, but I think you have the same syndrome I have at times ... you can't think two words ahead of what you're saying, so it all comes out in a jumble. But I have to say, you look better at 40-something (?) than I do at 26! :(

4.) To the producers: PLEASE ban "I Believe I Can Fly" from the playlist. FOREVER.

Thank you, that is all.

Incoherent

Today was one of those days where I felt like everything I said was completely incoherent. Does anyone ever have days like that? I participated in a conference call where I felt my words added nothing of value. Every time I tried to tell a story to someone today, I would get halfway through and realize it was not going in the direction I had intended ... but I was halfway through after all, so I had to finish the rest and only hope my gracious coworkers' faces wouldn't show their confusion and boredom, thereby creating an even more uncomfortable situation for me. As I spoke, I would think, "How can I end this story to salvage what little purpose I had in speaking in the first place?"

I wish I would think more before I speak. Sometimes I do, but then there are times ... out comes the jibberish and there is no turning back. And the more you try to clarify what you've said or explain why it was confusing, the more confused the listening party becomes. It's a vicious cycle. Know what I mean?

Yeah, I didn't think so :)

living my beliefs

I'm not a big fan of random quotes, yet I can't help but share a few excerpts from the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. They're so simple in theory, yet so hard in practice. They make me remember that life is more than the daily grind and really good dessert, although both have their place :)

"What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do."

"Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe."

"If I live what I believe, then I don't believe very many noble things. My life testifies that the first thing I believe is that I am the most important person in the world. My life testifies to this because I care more about my food and shelter and happiness than about anybody else. I am learning to believe better things ... I am learning not to be passionate about empty things, but to cultivate passion for justice, grace, truth, and communicate the idea that Jesus likes people and even loves them."

If you want to read these quotes in their context, I highly recommend picking up the book. I'm only halfway through, but it's a genuinely interesting and enjoyable read.