Trendy Tuesday

I confess I love the Apprentice. But there is a little something that annoys me about it. Somehow there's a new catch phrase that is second only to, "You're fired!" The contestants on that show have taken to saying, "At the end of the day..."

That drives me nuts! I don't know how it started but it is what they say. It is the be all and end all to any one statement. Apparently when you say that, anything after that is heard as, "I am stupid because I am still talking and the other guy just said, 'At the end of the day.'"

There seems to be a catch phrase for most of these reality shows.

Survivor - "Flying under the radar"

American Idol - "You did your thing dawg"

So You Think You Can Dance - "I'm dancin' for my life"

The Bachelor - "I love you and know we are supposed to be together" (slurred while drunk and making out with the guy she met three days ago)

The Simple Life - "That's hot"

RockStar Supernova - not so much a quote but definitely bringing Air Drumming back to cool

Who Wants to be a Superhero? - "Shut up, stop, no don't do this, you're not the shot caller here"

I guess my point to all of this is I want a catch phrase for my life. When someone hears ____, I want them to say, "Oh that always reminds me of that Annie Murphy..."

Murphy, out.

Good Luck Miss Orwig!!!!

The Journey

I had a great Friday night.

Men at Work

Hmmmm...

I think I have had a few weeks of feeling like I have not much to say and not much time to say it. I was immersed in a world of coughing, runny noses, and strep throat, notes from the teacher, busyness, meetings, worry, decision making, cuddling 2 year olds, choo choo soul, making igloos, snow days and delays and teacher workdays. Life got a little consuming. All of that to say, things are good in the Murphy house. Its cold outside and I long for the hot sun.

Tonight? Fabio.

Its Friday! Whew Hoo! TGIF! Remember when Friday meant no school for the whole weekend, no homework tonight and basketball games? I had a teacher that let us chew gum only on Fridays. There was such freedom in Friday when the bell rang at 2:37. Friday has lost a little as age and responsibility sets in.

In all honesty, my Fridays don't look much different than any other day. I kind of have the same routine every day. But there is one thing that keeps me thrilled about Friday...

1 vs 100

I love that show. Love it. And it isn't just because Sags is back on TV. I love that there are some one hundred people for the contestant to defeat. Every contestant on that show comes out talking crazy and insulting people and telling them they are dumb and can't win the money. Then the questions get a little harder and the person in shrunken to tears on national TV debating whether to risk $112,000. And when I say a little harder they go from,"Spell RED" to "Who played Uncle Jesse?"

I am incredibly competitive. Which I think is why I love that show. I like to be smart and that show lets me feel like I am. I know I could knock out that last mofo for $1,000,000. And that is the beauty of that show, I can be the quintessential Monday morning quarterback, the consummate back seat driver, I can win and feel infinitely smarter than the yahoos aside Bob Saget, all from my couch.

Kristenic thoughts

I get really bored really easily. I don't feel like I am the only one, I feel like that is part of being a human. It seems like we are out for something more, we want to do something. How often as kids or moms have we said or heard, "Mom, I'm bored." Except it sounds like, "Mooooommmm, I'm borrrrrreddddduuuuhhhhhh."

What is it about us that is so unsettled? Why do we crave something more? What is in us that longs for excitement? In my house there are three of us who get bored easily and two that are thrilled by everything. A jack-in-the-box is unending entertainment. Peek-a-boo becomes War and Peace.

There are things about Gods character that I can't wrap my brain around. There are things that I will continue to try to understand. To say those things fascinate me is a gross understatement. I can not wait to have forever to sit and ask questions.

There is a book I'm reading that sort of addresses those things. There are times when the boredom becomes despair that lives in me, consumes me and starts to physically hurt. Here is the difference that I have found...I know the source of adventure and excitement. I know the One that can thrill me. (I don't always choose to get filled by Him which leads to a whole other set of questions.) My insides really want to know Him and be known by Him, to have Him be what I long for. As I continue to live, that is my heart.

"[God] is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them."
-G.K. Chesterton

Trendy Tuesday

I must say I didn't understand them at first. Mario Batali confirmed his ding-a-lingdom for having over thirty pairs. I assumed my friend Sarah was wasting her money.

But I need you to believe me on this one, Crocs are awe-SOME. I got my first pair today as sort of a late Christmas present from my husband. And I could not be happier. These little gems are like a party on your foot and everyone's invited.

I do love the Crocs but still maintain the fact that they give an equine appearance, nonetheless, my hooves have never been happier.

Yucky mossy green

I heard something crazy on the radio the other day. There is a guy who was fired from his job at IBM for having inappropriate content and images on his computer. He has now decided to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against IBM because as the employer they did not do enough to protect him from searching for, finding, downloading and continuing to look at porn while he was at work. WHAT?!?!?!?!

Where has personal responsibility gone? How in the world is this joker a victim? He must be surrounded by great friends who agree, "Yeah, you were wronged, sue 'em!" What lawyer could possibly think representing this yahoo is something noble to fight for?

One of my bffs is a new lawyer. I have thought about lawyering more since she passed the bar than I ever have. Knowing that and knowing I know very little about law stuff, I say this seems crazy.

There seems to be a trend of shirking responsibility. I have seem that play out in my own house. Griffin, Sean and I were throwing a ball trying to see how long we could go without dropping it. As soon as one person would drop the ball, the teasing would start. We would give the business because we had to start over. No one wants to take responsibility for their actions. No one wants to admit they were wrong. No one wants to accept the consequences for the situation they are in now. It is just way easier to say, "Well sure that little part was me but LOOK AT ____!"

So where does that leave us? I guess in a world that looks with innocent eyes for the next ladder to trip on.

Switzerland

I'm not sure what happened in the last few days...I think that an alien came broke in and took me over and made me get a little crazy. I am sorry for how I may have sounded and definitely for my attitude.
So Steve Fuller will you come and dine with us? I won't punch you but Sean will destroy you at ping pong.

Status quo

Preface this with I know I am self involved.

I think I have aggression/anger problems. I get so worked up and frustrated about things that more often than not don't have anything to do with the price of beans. I don't know why I always feel like I need to be justified, to be right, to get the last word, but I do. I wish I could let things roll off my back but I can't. I wish I'd be more patient and offer love and grace more.

I am finding these things manifest themselves in different ways. I have spurts of road rage, high blood pressure, wanting to punch walls. I just don't know what to do with all of this. I want people to see things my way unless I am wrong in which case I need them to show me how I am wrong. But I get frustrated because I get so frustrated. I get so out of sorts because I want something so much better. I want to live for so much more. I want to be more and do more and make such a difference. And somehow I feel like if I get the emotional cash that I spend on anger and frustration together, I could spend it somewhere else that is so much more valuable.

I am frustrated and annoyed with myself. I wonder what direction God is pointing me toward. I wonder how He is using things and circumstances in my life to grow me up and what I should be learning. I just am not good with saying all of that and staying there. I need change, progress, growth. If I don't have that, I will end up in the same pits I have barely made it out of. I guess those are the million dollar questions and I guess now it is my job to lean in and get toward those answers.

Trendy Tuesday

This is the beginning of my campaign to make Blokus Trigon the official game of the US and A. May we all embrace and love the game the way we, the Murphy's do. It is so much more than a game, it is now a part of our family. We love you BT Murphy.