and you held my hand on my journey from funk to jazz

the title sounds like a chapter heading in a book regarding developments in modern american music...but its more just likely a description of my friday evening.

an evening which began with me in a rather poor mood...(becca as a glum and grumpy person..is not the one you want to spend much time with)..then placed me in a most obscure restaurant situation..(imagine this: small chinese restaurant. empty buffet. no staff or customers in sight. colored mini lights strung all around..and chinese techno music playing overhead. now...que the young waitress with a bad attitude! the whole thing started me on an upswing from my funk right away)...and ended with a concert of the preservation hall jazz band followed by yummy cheesecake and darjeeling tea.

there you have it. the progression begins with funk..then asian techno...then jazz.

leaves are falling..and something's calling me here

...and those of you who know the line from which the title comes need not worry, i sense no "state of depression" to follow that lyric with

but leaves are falling..and the southern fall weather has me never knowing in advance if im to need a jacket or sandals when i leave my home every day.

my home is a fun thing to piece together, though sometimes i think i obssess over it a little bit much. last night my newly painted black and burgundy table was brought back inside to be used and was promptly topped with new placemats, black diner plates, and cloth napkins in cute little napkin rings (rings from the ever-dangerous $1 bins at Target...)

work is becoming a much more relaxed thing...since my bosses figured out that their store is too young and new to be run out of their grasp and removed much of the responsibilities from me....which cuts down much of the communication issues we were having previously. im still doing much the same thing as before..in that im forever reminding the bosses what to do..while trying to remain tactful in doing so because there is a fine line between being helpful..and insulting your leadership's intellegence. im happy..and i think my fellow assistant mangers are happy. we're all doing the job together now and we dont have to answer to the man as often..just the man's wife. the man's wife gets to answer to the man..and she know better how to handle the man.

speaking of the mans wife...im forever thankful to her for working out the thanksgiving week schedule at the last minute to allow me to be able to take a little vacation with the boyfriend to his family's house for thanksgiving. yes..i get to leave work for three..possibly even FOUR days in a row..and i get to meet more of the people who have put up with the boyfriend (though not with him as "the boyfriend" to them) longer than i have! ;)

and what is this with the christmas music which started blaring weeks before thanksgiving??? premature holiday festivities make this girl into the grinch. i do not want to be in the midst of still accepting that it is november and already have christmas songs stuck in my head without my consent!
i love christmas in december...i despise it in october and november.

dont it always seem to go that you dont know what you've got till its gone...

the city of my heart is burried in filthy water
dear friends will find themselves homeless
im sitting here a thousand miles away
where all the locals care about seems to be the rising cost of gasoline
and my face burns with hidden tears
for frustration
and feeling so detached
and unhelpful
i cant give money
i cant get in
and watching the footage just hurts

even though ive never been fond of singing in french

im quite fond of being the newest chorus member of the augusta opera :)

i'm going to be quite a busy young lady these next two months

tales of hoffman

bring it on
bring
it

things becca wants for her new house:

table and chairs for dining area
area rug for dining room
queen sized bed (or double, if its free or realy cheap)
paint to redecorate the second bedroom
rice cooker
bunn coffee maker
vacuum cleaner
dvd player and possibly a larger tv
nick is letting me use some of his packed up cookware..so i have no idea on that

im not dead..........i feeeeel happy!

after a couple of weeks of internetlessness (how's that for a word?) ill post a little update

i am almost completely certain that i have found a house! i'd post pictures..but
1.my digital camera went for a swim in the atlantic ocean
and 2. the house is FSBO so there's no online listing to show you

my dad, myself, my realtor who is my friend, and the owner of the house meet tomorrow around lunch to discuss stuff and make up a CONTRACT!

*giddy becca*
:)

oh dear..i haven't said much!

we're a little out of date here..it seems

1. i have had my car back for a week and a half...still havent moved my things back into it...because im afraid to become too attached

2. speaking of getting attached....i have become wrapped into the arms of this boy
(does it sound strange to anyone else to be...over 19 and saying "boyfriend" (or "girlfriend" of you're on the other end)? it sounds very strange to me...we should come up with a newer and better name for this attachment of sorts)

3. i witnessed the marriage of my friend/exroommate carrie and my friend jason yesterday afternoon. ten weeks of crazy planning and now its begun. i always knew i was a fan of short engagements..but that was maybe the least amount of time she could have possibly pulled such an event out of..no room for any changes or whatever. but you know what? she was completely happy with it..and even after only 10 weeks...ready for the planning and all to be over and now she's married and doesnt have to anticipate it or worry about the catering and dresses and anything anymore. congrats to carrie and jason miller!!!

8-thirty am: awakened by the sound of my roommate talking to someone. try to figure out who it is. remember that today is the 2nd of july and therefore today is carrie's wedding shower. in a state or almost panic...look for shower invitation. "saturday july 5th at 5:00pm" *whew* safe. i have a few hours to make it look like i hadnt forgotten.
peeks out of window to see what's going on. furniture being moved. open bedroom door and ask carrie about her past housing mix-up. "oh, that was all just a misunderstanding" well..that's good.
"hey, if you feel like packing, we could use some help" okay...im dressed and helping within five minutes.

now its about 5 and a half hours later...and im in desperate need of two things:
1.a shower to make msyelf unstinky
2.a shower gift to make myself look unforgetful


jen is out of the country for two weeks
carrie is almost completely moved out
the house is mine alone for two weeks
and i hope i have a house for me in that time
so i can be moving out in the following two weeks
idealy

it seems i always am the one helping people move
i wish i could call on someone just like me when i need the extra hands

dont have my car back yet...am supposed to pick it up today after work...hopefully this time it is all better..its far too disapointing to go pick up your car and find its not completely fixed yet..like last time

michael springstead has temporarily moved into my parents house in hopes of finding work in the augusta area..so that he can have money and pay bills and things like that which seem to be important

i dont like sunburns

im REALY sleepy this morning..but off to work i go

things

spent the entire overcast afternoon at the lake..most of that time spent on the Thackston's boat...which means i unknowingly got sunburned a little bit..but its pink, rather than red..and its not a large portion ot the becca having been burnt...and it will go back to a nice whiteness sooner than you would think possible.

tonight i will sleep very well..because days of water have that effect

tomorrow i'll see the new door to the new room in the store..i hope its not messy in the morning..and i hope it wont be long till we finish the floors in there

tomorrow i get to go swing dancing again (as previously mentioned...im excited enough to post it twice)

and tomorrow i get to have an old friend move into town...i think this is the most fun news in this entry

1. my car had worse problems than just a hose broken..but not nearly as bad as an entire transmission...so far, anyhow.
it was a broken transmission *fluid hose*...caused by a short somewhere which was also fixed...and a stuck accelerator cable--which could have been a much worse issue... my brother had the exact same problem on his '76 oldsmobile when we lived in new orleans..but it made his car want to go faster and faster..where mine made the car barely want to go at all.
--at any rate...it will now the THURSDAY before i see my car again,...bwahh! i miss driving my own car!
1.b. im in the market to sell her and get something new(er)...pobably another honda, though :)

2. speaking of thursdays....its swing dance night with first pres :)

3. tomorrow we're closing the store early and having a work party at the lake! horray! i cant believe its almost july and i havent YET gone to the lake this year. its the saddest circumstance in which to find myself.

4. i WILL get to tybee island to see jason and jennifer in july. i WILL. somehow it will fit into the schedule, and i will get there. oooo..and its the beach, too!

5. im not feeling real comfortable with going to the eisley concert this weekend. im thinking its because of the craziness at work..with people swapping and switching and leaving and comming and walls comming down and computers being strange..yeah..i just dont feel like i should go to this one. it doesnt matter how much i love the band...im seeing the unimportance far outweigh its importance this go-round.

6. my roommate is getting married next saturday. she's packing up all of her things now and will probably move out of the house this weekend...move her stuff into their new apatment and move herself into her parents house for a week.

7. my other roommate is going to the dominican republic for two weeks..leaving this friday.

8. i think i'll start packing things up, for myself..too. even though i haven't yet selected a house for which to purchase...

it *may* just have been a fluid hose
which would be awesome

it will take a couple of days and a little over a hundered dollars for my uncle's shop to get the part and put it on...and then we'll see if that's the only problem.

i'll probably still keep my eyes open for a replacement...to prevent me from being completely carless and looking. its hard to find a car when you cant drive anywhere to look at them.

so..now its just getting rides to work for a couple of days

my dear friend...our time to part has come

that picture of me in the previous post..likely the last picture of me driving that car
:(

she took a turn for the worse this afternoon

we're still awaiting the diagnosis

its not looking good

hello

i've got a new fun haircut

i've got a friend named lemuel who'm i only see about once a year

and we did not spill any ice cream

rewind

i was a baby here

because i was hounded to update

i cant remember anymore what i've said where...so in case i havent said it yet here...im considering buying a place in which to live!

ive looked at probably a dozen or so places in person..and every time we look, i find things i hate or things i love..and it helps narrow down what i'm willing to invest in. its realy quite funny how much my scope has narrowed since the first trip out to view houses. at first i was so excited that everything looked amazing to my newly glazed over with wishes eyes...i'm becomming much more objective now, as the novelty wears off and reality becomes me.

i sat down yesterday afternoon with my mom and she helped me figure out how much money i can comfortably spare in this. she mentioned things to figure into my budget that hadnt realy crossed my mind...like figuring in the medical insurance that i do not have yet...and counting concerts and trips in as part of my alloted usable money (because i shouldnt have a nice place to live in and never the money to enjoy doing things i like outside of the house)

so now im having fun playing with numbers in my corel spreadsheet...im sure the novelty of that will wear off, too..before long.

it was a greatly needed reality check, for certain.
it brought down my price cap a good deal...but i was already aware that the cap the mortgage lady had given me when i first met with her to discus my options was a bit higher than what i in reality could do.

i havent given up hope, though...because i know of a girl living in a 2 bedroom 2 bath townhouse in the area i realy want to move into...and i know for a fact that she got her's within my budget. its just a mater of finding those as soon as they are available.
pray if you do...donate money, if you dont!

(there ya go, tom..happy now? i updated)

eisley eisley eisley eisley eisley

dear fans of the Eisley...we HAVE to go!

Eisley
shows

choose one or maybe we'll just become groupies and follow for a week :)

June 29...Carborro, NC
july 1...Atlanta, GA
July 2...Birmingham, AL

...and for you readers in that area...
july 4...New Orleans, LA

it always feels so good to be away..but somehow good to be back as well

my brother and i spent an extended weekend in hattiesburg visiting with some of our college friends. the main event was to be there for our friend michael roderick as he exited singleness. but its always a good idea to try and cram many more hours of catching up with people...so we took a five day trip to go to a saturday morning wedding.

people whom i saw while there (the list is um...mostly boys. isnt that nice?): chris lovely, his friends named michelle and hunter and lynn, andrew, david, cahtted with shar via the telephone, saw dr winters, daniel, michael springstead, skot, a short chat with ladonna not-ferguson in mcallisters, of course saw roderick and the new mrs jen roderick, dr keever, and jabbo! i TRIED to get in touch with one samantha breland..but she hasn't set up her voicemail so i was unable to ever leave her a message. please yell at her for me.

my dear friends...i miss you

i havent said anything in a little while...in entry or in comment...but im still around and still reading yours

i almost had forgotten that i love st louis..but i was reminded again tonight as a friend of mine was telling me about the visit she and her husband took there last week to visit covenant for seminary. we were talking about the different areas and how she loves the city and i was pulled into my own memories of it. i just wish i had more than a week to have based my experience on. i am certain that i left a piece of my heart there and i wont be over it till i at least visit again. of course, if chris, maggie, and maya move there in the fall, as they are considering...i'll have another good reason to visit that city and find the missing piece of my heart left behind previously.

...or maybe these pieces are meant to be left scattered about so as to keep me connected to the experience

someone wrote of leaving their heart in san francisco...i guess its easy to have your heart forget parts of itself in some cities.



in other news....i started trying to shop for a wedding gift today for a friend of mine.....i'm completely stuck and i realy DO want to help the couple out as they start their home...but i dont want to give something which will become useless (considering the receivers' proneness to simplicity) or seem completely impersonal...or obscure comming from me.

updation in the nation

first of all..blogger wont let me comment on some of your own blogger entries..so please dont think my lack of words to you is a lack of love for you. i do love you! i do!


i do not update as often as i feel i should.

the fish is named "joe" for short
Captain Joe Strangebrew, in full.
he's a very happy betta fish. he seems to like me. doesnt flare up all angry-like at me..only at his own reflection (i've heard some betta stories of the fish getting angry at their owners frequently) he gets all excited and swims around in funny ways when im in the room with him. sometimes he keeps doing this even when i've just fed him and forgets to look for the food at the top of the waterline. i hope he lives a long and happy fishy-life.

i know that the entire country got hit with some of that obscure "spring" coldness...it was strange ehre..but no ice or snow in our midst. just..couldnt wear my tank tops and flip flops for a couple of days there. the warmth of sunshine has returned, even if it has hidden behind some wind and clouds.

im about to go to my second guitar lesson with my new teacher. im realy excited to be taking lessons again (of any sort, realy...get that brain thinking musically again!) its realy fun that each of my past guitar instructors have taught from different angles and styles. i feel as though, even though i havent had a LOT of lessons to progress in the guitar, im able to take the things i have learned from each experience and combine them to make for a better-rounded education. also, that owen teaches different things than loncar did helps me not to feel as though im re-learning things i already have been taught. its going to help me not feel like im wasting my time and money just to have someone tell me to practice a every week. im not only motivated to practice...but im LEARNING, too. novel idea...i know.

um...lessee...what else is going on? well..
-i spent too much money on two-for $x.00 deals at old navy this afternoon....
-augusta choral society is getting our butts kicked to be performance-ready by the 5th of may
-im starting to get a lot of hindsight on a number of my past dreams and how they fit into where God has me now....though im still out in the dark on that Germany thing.
-my hair is in tiny braids again...like i used to do in the summers...its a lot of fun..i'd forgotten how nice and cool it feels on warm days. i think i'd love to get it where it wouldnt frizz at the roots and have the whole thing braided for an extended period of time. im not black..but i think those folks may be on to something with that.

today...

today.....the layers of coffee scent are overpowering even me...and i am certain that i officialy s-t-i-n-k. its time for another shower

today...its 6:41 on a saturday night and i foresee no plans transpireing

today....doesnt even feel remotely like a saturday...if i were not already aware of it, i would have declared it completely tuesday...or perhaps thursday.

today...i nearly bought a rose bush...nearly..but chickened out

today....i want to go back to the age i was in highschool and braid my hair into 50 tiny braids

today....i think i'll try to call you on the phone. would you talk to me?

to do today: my day off edition

oh how blessed i am to have a sunny beautiful day and nothing but lazy things to fill it with!

.eat breakfast
.work out a bit
.
.lay in the sun for an hour or two
.
.buy some groceries
.play my guitar till my fingers scream
.feed my fishy

fishy fishy!

this afternoon i bought a betta fish..and i put him in an old 10 cup coffee carafe with black rocks in the bottom to simulate coffee!!

im so clever:)

so...he needs a name...a realy good coffee-related yet, still proper-sounding name.

here's some photos to get you better acquainted:

a story for the evening: coffee girl sings four songs

once upon a time there was a little girl named rebecca. she loved to sing along with the radio and with her mom's tapes. rebecca often stayed up past bedtime making pretend concerts in the shadows of her bedroom. she used to say that she'd love to be a recording musician if it meant she wouldnt have to ever sing in front of PEOPLE. as rebecca grew up (and became known simply as "becca") she continued to grow in her love of singing..and to collect quite a lot of albums from female musicians whom she could sing along well with. when it rolled around to college selection time, becca was still scared to sing in front of PEOPLE...ALONE. so she became a flute major and continued to sing outside of her flute time..just..not alone..not in front of PEOPLE.
after a few months of this, becca realised that her desire to sing could not be quenched by being a flute player...and she decided to take the step across the line into the shoes of a voice major. that spring, she sang for the first time in front of PEOPLE...ALONE...to fulfill recital class requirements. from that day, forward...becca found that the stage gave her a surge of excitment. a rush that cannot be explained or felt any other way. becca was a singer..and even though nervous...she loved it.
now we'll fast forward through some boring parts to...today..the same becca..but post-college and a few more lit-up stages later...though realy only a few stages...not a large collection of them.
becca is now happy and managing a coffee shop in a small city (large town) in the south. and today..she debuted as the girl on the other side of the counter...the coffee shop singer. not for a full concert..just 4 songs in the middle of a two hour set...but still...she was very excited. even more exciting..that 1. she recieved lots of good queries and comments about the first cover (she looks to the sky, by sherri youngward) 2. her family was able to come out and support her 3. her wonderful friend michael springstead was in town for the weekend and participated in performing two songs becca and he had written together over the last couple of years. and 4. it will probably all happen again at some other time in the future.

more coffee
more stages
more boys with guitars and various drums


set list for the coffee girl:
1. she looks to the sky-sherri youngward
2. the lines of my earth-sixpence none the richer
3. i'll see you in december-michael and becca
4. storybook life-michael and becca

i want a piano

it just struck me this afternoon..that i miss having a piano to come home to. i miss practicing music..i miss playing around on one..and i am always going to want a piano...so i should start keeping my eyes open for one.

i need a good old church piano sale.

my coffee stage debut!

so..this saturday night i'm debuting as a coffee house singer. ive sung many places..but never in a coffee shop..though i've been in charge of the music lineup at this place for over a year and a half!
some friends of mine signed up to play and i asked if i could sing some numbers in their two hour set. we're practicing on friday and these are the things i'm bringing with me to choose from...maybe jonathan and owen will have more ideas or help weed these down...

sherri youngward-she looks to the sky
switchfoot-let that be enough
sixpence none the richer
-angeltread
-circle of error
-melody of you
norah jones-painter song
caedmon's call-piece of glass
u2-love is blindness

anyone else got suggestions which might fit vocally along these same lines?

i dont think any of you are within distance of augusta to come hear me..besides my brother father mother sisters :)

its a beautiful day


what should we do?



lets go for a walk


and we're walking!




yay:)

the rakes progress

i dunno if anyone who's just reading this and hasnt seen my house would remember our jungle of weeds which developed last summer and were killed last fall? well...yeah..i killed them with weed killer..but then i didnt get out there to pull them up right away..i was kind of afraid of the massiveness of the job.

what happened last year was...we'd had a new drain added to our septic system..and with that, they had to bulldoze the entire back yard. it made the place a very rocky..and very fertile..mess. weeds and stuff grew easily in the knewly organicaly fertilized yard...but even if we'd had a mower, we couldnt have used it back there for how uneven and rocky the yard had become...so the weeds grew...and then i broke down and began watering the back yard with weed killer every couple of days till they were at least dead weeds, instead of flourishing ones.

anyhow...i finally got tired of them..and knew that if i didnt get out there and take care of the dead ones, new ones would grow up in them and we'd have even worse of a mess on our hands!
so...today i grabbed a rake, put on some gloves...and tackled the yard.

okay..these weeds were probably around 3-4 feet high..and average about a quarter inch thick..but since they all were killed last year..they mostly popped right out of the ground..and those with roots too deep broke off right at the surface. it wasnt nearly as hard of a job as it could have been. realy, the hardest part is getting everything into piles...which i now have 4 or 5 of in the back yard. oh if there were three of me!

all in all, about two and a half hours work..on an augusta spring day (about 70 degrees) i'm sweaty but not miserably so..i feel good.

there are some new non-dead weeds out there..and i pulled up a bunch of them...but by the time i was done clearing out the twigy dead ones...my hands were blistered and my motivation to pull up live weeds was gone. so..another day, i'll get my weed killer and spray those guys:)

and another day, i'll ellect people to help me move those piles...with shovels and more rakes, maybe. or i'll clone myself a few times..and we'll all do it together.

i cant help but think that there has got to be an afordable way to make that backyard into a normal nice usable piece of land again....

it is spring

i can't believe its already the end of march! (and i HAVE to put the rent check in the mail!)
its amazing-beautiful-sunny today and im off work..but im kind of holed up in my room for a little bit till i get it into some sort of order...because i 1.had about two weeks worth of laundry to put away and 2.decided today was the day to move the winter clothes to less convenient places and pull out the summer clothes.

so ive got almost all of the closet clothes put away and now i need to pull everything from my dresser drawers and resort that...and THEN i'll make myself to outside and enjoy the sun...whilst getting other errands run. (gosh..i probably need to go grocery shopping...i dont know what i live off of these days...instant oatmeal?)

im listening to Dvorak's Stabat Mater. we're perfmorning this next month in Augusta Choral Society. its an amazing work...very operatic feeling...very dramaticly set...and dark. i cant believe what a short practice span we have for this! may 5th, for anyone who's interested.


Quando corpus morietur,
Fac, ut animae donetur
Paradisi gloria. Amen.

When my body shall die,
Grant that my soul be given
The glory of Paradise. Amen.

what was it about february 25th?

i was just reading over some of my friends journals...and a peculiar point was noted: i have at least three friends who've not updated since exactly february 25th. does that not seem sort of queer?

he is risen..indeed

my voice was completely gone for three days..it returned on wednesday. i was home alone and thought to try talking...which feels realy strange, i assure you...to be testing your talking skills while home alone. when i attempted and actually thought i was speaking, i was sure i must have been mistaken..after those three days of silence..so i called my mom and said "can you hear me?!" and she assured me i was actaully speaking quite clearly, to my own surprise.

so..with voice in check, i was able to work on my singing at our wednesday evening choir rehearsal with the easter orchestra. i found that i had not yet gained all of my voice..but the lower parts of my range..and in soft portions. so i sang about half of the time and praticed animated lipsync in case i would need it at my upcomming performances.

by friday, though..i was back in full swing and was able to sing the whole of our easter portion of handels messsiah without issue. the concert did go notably well, dispite a few hicups in the execution.

saturday morning we had another church choir rehearsal in which i was all of my voice to use in practicing..and tonight is our evensong performance.

i havent appreciated my voice so much in years...and for that i AM thankful. i have come to love singing even the pieces from these concerts that i was very un-fond of previously.
it is very humbling as a singer to have your song taken from you..and what have i done to deserve that it is returned to me? is it mine to have? is it mine to use? no. and so i hope to never forget that it is his to have and to use and to take when he pleases...i am simply the instrument through with the song is played.

added:
today it is raining. it began last night just before midnight and has continued since. i cannot ever remember a past easter which was filled with rain...yet...it seems perfect. this isnt about your cute new white shoes and bright clothes..this is about death of one man with power remove all trace of stain from your record. thats more powerful than any amount of rainfall...this rain is the cleansing..and this rain is tears.

day three of voicelessness

..and now im a mutant! (warning..this might be gross once described..because it sure looked gross to me) so...not only was a completely voiceless this morning at work...but my eyes were all runny and gross....only...this was thicker than what id consider normal for eyegoo. this was definitely where the term "eye booger" came from. i didnt eraly realise the reality of it till i was in my car about to make a coffee shop grocery store trip and i looked in my mirror to clear the corners of my eyes..when i saw a largish GREEN glop in my eye! yes..GREEN. i pulled my lower lid away from my eye and nesteled in that little pocket was a larger mass of green booger. YUCK! i got a kleenex and removed the eyegunk so i could go in the store without scaring everyone.
of course, rubbings eyes turn red and start to hurt....and blur up with more boogers! ack!

glad to now be home, i've discovered that washing boogery eyes with warm water and a very soft washcloth makes them less irritated and the goo is thinner..and not green.

gosh..that was the grossest!

and ive just remembered that we're scheduled to take a family picture tomorrow afternoon...hah! wouldnt that be awesome? i'll either have red irritated eyes...or normal eyes with GREEN BOOGERS in them!

i have lost my voice

i think this is the first time ive REALY lost my voice. there have been times when ive been sick and then ive kept talking when i shouldnt have and worn my voice out....but this is different.

what i have going on now is: i was sick...i thought i was nearly better..i got a realy sore throat...and then i rested my voice because i didnt WANT to ruin it (i sat through a two hour choir rehearsal without making a sound!)...yet it disapeared anyhow. and my throat still hurts much.

hi, im becca the mute.

well, i can still make a little bit of sound..but its like...its like at the level of a nice, non-raspy whisper.

and of course, i have not one..but TWO easter choral concerts this week. hoorah!

oh..and the zoo? that didnt get to happen. jabbo was right.

lets go talk to the animals

i have free passes to the riverbanks zoo which need to be used before the month ends..and realy, my only good day before months end is tomorrow...so...if you're interested, give me a buzz fast! i want to GO!

warning: disjunct and not thought out!

yes..so..as i said, i am feeling surprisingly, a lot better than i expected to this soon.
i can take no credit for this mystery....for the Lord of all mysteries surely had a hand in this...and for this, i am thankful and undeserving.

so..wednesday i was dead..thursday i rested well and got half my work shift covered by someone else...i worked 6 to 10pm and then came home for a friday off work again. friday i didnt need as much rest...but i cleaned up the house from my previous two days of uselessness..and then went to my parents hosue for diner and a movie..and some coughing. yes, on friday i hed begun a nice deep cough. saturday morning i arrived at the coffee shop ...shortly after, i hear word that a wall was to be knocked down during the course of the day...hooray! of course, this chaos fit well with my health..as i was actually feeling much energized from my fully rested past days. we bought out 12 feet more width to our store along the same depth as the store already has..this space is to serve foremost as bulk storage space so that we can stop running out of things all of the time for lack of space to keep enough...and about 6-8 square feet will accomidate as a small office space for a computer and files and such as we have not got room for currently. (one of our main computers sits atop a kitchen refridgerator at this time!) we will also be making part of the new space into a party/conference room which people will be able to rent-out or whatever and can be opened up for overflow space during exam study sessions. i think it will be very good for the store...yes.
hah.i love how i started this to be talking about ME and i ended up talking about WORK! yeah..thats how my mind travels here lately.

so..the short of it is...i was sick..now im feeling a lot better except for coughs...and things at work are getting very interesting...and i just got a "promotion" which means i can continue doing everything ive been doing without feeling like im doing too much for my job title....and that i can justify creating a schedule for myself that i like that wont be constantly in flux.

aside: i washed my sheets and blankets and comforter today...i cant WAIT to get into a clean fluffy bed! :)

aside 2: i wish i had put my thoughts and words about the free laptop deal in as sucsinct a fashion as nick did in his journals...

oh..and i suppose im sick now, too.

shortly after that last entry i realised the only thing i wanted to do was lay in my bed..and i was freezing..so i put on a sweater and got into my bed...under a TON of blankets..and was still cold. i fell asleep. i woke up and took my temperature and its been slowly crawling up all day since. i'm at 100.5 at the moment..my usual is 97.6 - 97.8
i've been taking Airborne and drinking water and sleeping...a LOT.
i should ahve started taking the vitamins a week ago...my roomate was out on the couch coughing and sniffing and popping medicines the whole week. i put it off...so here i am.

but, this is my day off, afterall..so its gonna be alright. right?

i feel as though i've barely existed for the past four days...when i havent been busy doing things..ive been asleep. so here i am, halfway through a week and i feel as though its just begun. saturday i got a job promotion which pretty much keeps me doing the same stuff ive already been doing...and gradually working into more things and learning to delegate a bit more than i do...and i get a little bit more money. i struggled for WEEKS about if i wanted to or to not accept this promotion...i have no idea why i was so afraid...but here we go.
sunday i helped my friend anna feed all of caedmons call and their roadies. who KNEW it could be such a huge job? anna made from scratch their breakfast, lunch, and diner...for around 30 people. i helped transport food from the church kitchen to the college auditorium..i was a lot less help in the kitchen. anna amazed me with her kitchen organization skills on her two hours of sleep.
monday and tuesday i was exauhsted after long work days...so i slept through from the late afternoons to the early evenings.
today is my day off...i'm paying bills..and watching dawsons creek...and NOT being at work.

hey....i have a chance to get a free laptop..and maybe you could get one too...if you help me out.

i have new mirror pictures.....at this exact moment one of them is available on the front page of the mirror project...which is fun...but they all may be found here

its the little things....

thank you, jesus, for tylenol pm...tonight...specifically

1. my car is back and feeling fine

2. my weekend plus yesterday was realy fun....here are a few shots from the events!
the captions tell the story in short. i wish there was a shot of how awesome my hair looked last night after carrie did it all up in pinned curls...but we were having too much at the valentines party to bother with taking good pictures :)

oh..and here's a link to a bunch of pictures from last night taken by one of the guys...there are hundreds there..so here are some specific ones to see, if you'd rather not browse them all:
my roommates and their table attendants
jen's lovely curled locks
my table mates and myself
my entrance on dexter's arm
carrie (my roommate) with adam
carrie and mikefox dancing it up
adam and jen making some moves of their own
we were brought to the party by limos!

my car isnt in my driveway

so..im aparently out one starter. that makes things dificult..ya know..when trying to start the car.

good thing is...i was in my church parking lot when i discovered this problem..so i wasnt alone...i had my friend luke to stand around with while i waited on my dad to come give me his verdict. luke figured out that he didnt know how to fix it because he's not familiar with hondas...more good news is that my parents live here now so that dad was ABLE to come give me the verdict...dad called my uncle who works in a garrage his dad started....where it will be towed tomorrow morning...and dad was able to drive me home...and my roommate has tomorrow off so i can use her car to get to work....so at least i have lots of good things rolling for me in spite of it all...right?

im pretty sure i can swing the work schedule around to give myself tuesday off....should i not find a vehical to drive while mines out of comission. dad said my uncle might have a big gas-eating truck i can drive for a few days...i'd get a kick out of that :)

if i dont get a car to use, i can enjoy getting closer to my friends and neighbors while asking for rides places...i could use some bonding time with them, yes!

here's to hoping it doesnt cost an arm and a leg to get it fixed...or that if it does, maybe i could just....spend my money wiser and buy something else with some of my savings account.

i love my car..but dangit..he doesnt always love back...ya know?

(the optimisim displayed in this entry is kind of sickening, aint it? i realy AM smiling! oh, for the grace of God, i am smiling!)

you non-dancers are REALY missing out....dont you know you dont have to be GOOD at it?

this is turning out to be a realy quite fabulous weekend!

last night,
in celebration of a friend of mine's brithday, a group of ten or so friends went to the lounge at the partridge inn for a little bit of jazz and dancing. its so very rare that we all get to sit around and talk to each other...share funny/amusing stories...act silly..and dance. the woman singing was a lot of fun, too...she had some strong lungs and a fabulous aditude.

tonight,
is yet another birthday celebration...my roommate's birthday is on valentines day...so we're celebrating her tonight. first is italian food and then a group of us are going to the Augusta Ballroom Dance Center for their "second saturday dance"...a small group went last year for my birthdaya nd it was awesome...the instructors move around the room helping teach steps during the open dance session. i think we've actually got enough guys going to match with the girls...which is always a hard thing to come up with...thus the reason its been a year since i went.

and finally,
on monday night the guys of my church singles group are taking all of the girls from the group out on the town...they've kept the plans a secret..all i know is that its formal...there are no dates involved...and the girls are all getting ready at certain specified houses...and we'll be picked up by the guys..to go wherever it is we're going.

i'm loving how much fun it is to hang out with mixed groups of people without any specified couples...girls and guys enjoying each other with no preasure relationships and third wheel syndrome...and these guys actually treat the girls as the fabulous ladies that they have grown to be.

** and..finally **
** to a select few **
** cupid might pay you **
** a visit soon **
** keep an eye on your mailboxes **
** ;) **

the faithfulness of god

it almost seems redundant to think about god and then point out his faithfulness...but thats where my thoughts are at this moment.

God's faithfulness to me today became more aparent when i was going to pay my student loan payment for the month...and discovered that my previous payment never went through...so i was to pay TWO payments plus a little late fee...i could have SWORN i'd set that payment up to automaticaly withdraw..but aparently a computer glich on my end made that never go through. however, God is faithful..the late fee was small..and i have now paid both months payments.

this prompted me to examine my checking account quite closely and thus, i discovered that i've been off in my calculations for the last TWO months by a fairly significant amount. (under, not OVER as one would think from THINKING i'd paid a bill) its not that i havent been writting things down..its that i miss-calculated one transaction two months ago and had myself thinking i had about two hundred more dollars in the bank than i do in reality have. i found my error...checked my figures with the online ones..and found that, contrary to what should normally happen...I haven't overdrafted at all during this whole mindless time. even with buying myself a new camera and making a nice music order last night before discovering my financial struggles...God is faithful.

so, now my bank account is significantly smaller than i would like it to be...but..again..god's faithfulness...my power bill is due on wednesday and i get a paycheck TODAY!

stars are violins....

its a good ways past midnight and i have to open the coffee shop in a few hours..but i tried to sleep and had no luck..so im awake at the moment..and have put together a nice little shared photo album to display some new pictures from my favorite new toy...


yes, its kind of vain...but isnt an online journal sort of vain to start with?

dear you, please be my valentine.

i have a limitied number of valentine treats to share with a limited number of people...but you need not be excluded from that number simply by my not having your addresses and a request to be included!

some of my dear friends have moved recently...and have not given me their new address of residence..and perhaps there are others who frequent my writtings and conversings of whom i have never had an address from in the past.

if, perhaps, you fit either of these categories...all you need to do is send me an email including your address within, and i shall see what can be done about sending you a little packet of love all for yourself. also...if you strongly desire NOT to recieve any heart-addorned wishes from me this season, and fear you may...let me know.

the address is rjgosey at hotmail dot com.

love love love!
becca

greetings from your friendly neighborhood ice queen

last night two young ladies and myself ventured off to the Pedro show in Atlanta. its about a 2 and a half hour drive and the show kicked off and 9...before leaving, i checked out the opening band online (earlimart....i strongly suggest that you go there and click on "e-card" to hear their new album...many of you will love it) and they seemed like something to look forward to from their online samples..and photos..and the drawings on their website remind me of stuff that one of the girls from work draws...very cool, i tell you.

there was projected light sleet begining in atlanta at 9pm, also..progressing to more sleet throughout the night..and sleet starting in augusta around 3am....which is when i projected we'd get home in NORMAL weather..so we assumed we may be a bit slowed down on the return...if worse came to worse, mary and amy know some people in atlanta we could possibly stay with for the night if we couldnt make it back..and neither of us have work on saturday morning...i did have need to be back by 3pm, for work, of course.

i enjoyed the show very much
we arrived just as little bits of ice were starting to fall from the sky...parked at 9pm about three blocks away...walked to the venue..then mary couldnt find her money, so we walked back to her car...three blocks..all the while amy is not wearing a proper coat for the chilly evening and left her gloves and scarf in the car..so shes freezing and stuff..we get to the car...and mary finds that her money was in her inside jacket pocket the whole time..we get a scarf for amy and walk back the 3 blocks..get into the venue and find some people amy and mary know.

the music began just about ten minutes or so after we arrived..which is fabulous...i love not having to wait for the delays

this show was slightly different than any expected..even anyone familiar with Earlimart...because most of Earlimart wasnt actually there.
turns out they had van trouble back in orlando and the lead guy hopped on a plane to make it to this show. so the opening act consisted of three members of pedro the lion...plus aaron espinoza, of earlimart..playing earlimart songs...and they proceeded to name themselves "EarliLion"

i think my favorite part was frank lenz playing the tambourine with all he had while taking drags from his cigarette during off times..there was even one number with claps, which lenz performed with great skill.....bazen was on drums during lenz's stints as the tambourine man...then bazen and lenz traded and bazen was playing his shaker with utmost concentration. it was the coolest..i would love to have had a camera with me to capture that moment...it reminded to me will farell in the SNL cowbell sketch.

after a brief intermission, ptl took on full stage with everyone where they belong and all much enjoyed it. this was the largest venue and crowd i've ever seen for a pedro the lion performance...it is a good thing, indeed. the whole lineup of songs was perfect..but i dont have a list of it or anything...just..yeah..all good things came to an end

this was mary's first pedro show and shes been a fan of theirs for years so she was sad to have it end

driving home wasn't too bad, either...it was slightly icey..and the interstate in atlanta was really creepy looking with so few cars traveling it...we were able to driving between 30 and 40 mph through the iciest parts..and then about 100 miles from home we were up to 50-70mph...we got back just an hour later than projected..all unscathed.

it was a lovely trip and i had a lot of fun sharing musical interests with some girls i dont know very well. mary and i share a lot of similar likes...and i havent found very many people whom i share those with since coming to augusta.

i have a crush on someone for his speaking voice

i am an NPR listener. not the type of person who just listens from time to time to feel more cultural...im one of those who knows the shows names and the names of the hosts and is absolutely THRILLED that she can pick up not just one but TWO national public radio stations from anywhere in town due to being so near the georgia/carolina state line. i'm a fan. i'm not as avid in the know of things as some people, i'm sure...(like carole, for example..i am certain she ahs more NPR prowes than i...but she has her goals, you know)

this entry...however..will not be about all of my NPR interests....it will only be about one show...one person..even. its not even a program i would normally be drawn to listen to...but because of its host...i am filled with delight when i am in the car while he is speaking...therefore it becomes my favorite subject..whatever it is that he's talking about (and honestly...i usually am not even paying attention to what that topic IS because i get so lost in the inflections of his voice and the tone of it and the warmth...etc)
i'm talking about David Brown..host of Marketplace. (and now that i've said that, someone searching for information about the show will stumble upon my blog and i might be found out...oh dear!)

It started out just as a "he has a nice voice" sort of thing...and since my car is always tuned to one of the NPR stations, i hear a lot of it...and unlike when you watch the same TV show a while and feel as though you know how a character will react to various things...this is different..because he's not realy working from a script...he's playing himself..mostly.

one afternoon i chanced upon an segment he was doing with someone else else from marketplace..i forget what they were talking about..but it was something that the other guy was more the expert in...and the other guy was also named David, oddly enough...anyhow..in this segment you could tell these guys knew each other...hung out from time to time...laughed together at things in the office..etc. david brown sounded a little different than his familiar everyday sound..and maybe i didnt even enjoy him as much for his voice at that moment..because he was less the cold marketplace NPR host and more a talk show host who makes jokes when its alright and that such thing.

i guess this could sound sort of creepy....but i dont mean it to be...i just like the way he sounds....and it helps me smile and laugh at myself as i'm driving to choir rehearsals in the evenings.

and just to prove i have no stalking intentions...the reason i have not posted even a link to his bio photo as a reference in this entry is that i an not at all attracted to his looks. (no offense please, david....your hair is pretty!)

heres a game of sorts

its time for some audience participation:
ask me anything....i will be honest in my answers

lookie..a blog thingy

Bands // Song Titles
Created by BourdiezFreak and taken 20213 times on bzoink!
Choose a band/or artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band:	joni mitchell
Are you female or male:	Woman of Heart and Mind
Describe yourself:	Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
How do some people feel about you:	Sometimes I'm Happy
How do you feel about yourself:	I Don't Know Where I Stand
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend:	Michael from Mountains
Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend:	Nothing Can Be Done
Describe where you want to be:	In France They Kiss on Main Street
Describe what you want to be:	I Wish I Were in Love Again
Describe how you live:	I Won't Cry
Describe how you love:	Real Good for Free
Share a few words of wisdom:	Don't Interrupt The Sorrow
Create a Survey | Search Surveys | Go to bzoink!

now if only i could get my hands on all of these and make a mix album of it :)

does A plus B plus C equal D?

A. becca works in a coffee shop
B. becca has a strange attraction to the german language and has thought from time to time of going there for some length of time to submerse herself in it
C. becca doesnt want to do worthless things with her life.

so...what is D...and how do these combine to get to that?
my roommate, jen, has for the last year and a half frequently mentioned a friend of hers whom i remind her of...we seem to have many common interests..from musical tastes to our occupations and dreams. i've always thought it would be neat to meet this girl...but jen hasn't even spoken to her in about a year because of various issues with people not knowing other peoples numbers and one of those people living in germany at the moment. so, recently jens friend has been trying to get in touch with jen but keeps leaving voice messages without a phone number...much to the frustration of jen. (this part of the story is rather irrelevant to you folk...but listen attentively)
anyhow...jen did speak with the parental units of this friend on the phone (who gave too many digits in the phone number they had...crazy) and found that her friend is soon comming home from her mission position in germany where what she does is work in a coffee shop (please tell me HOW can one find that sort of opportunity!?) and returning to spain, where jen met her in the first place. jen has mentioned to me this coffee shop ministry in germany thing before but since she hasnt spoken to ehr friend, she doesnt realy know the details or what organization its with or anything...but now she knows that it might soon have an opening..and wouldnt that be something?

yeah..anyhow...this is where i sit here with all of these puzzle pieces and try to shove a few of them together in what looks like the correct way...and then i wait to see if they realy fit or not. here's to hoping jen gets to talk to her friend soon..mainly because its driving jen crazy not to track her down..but also because wouldnt it be cool if i could go there? yes...i'd do it without hessitation.

on the verge of spontaneous naping

yesterday morning and afternoon seemed fairly normal..then around 6:30 i decided to read for a little while..and by 7pm i was asleep. i slept from 7pm til nearly 5am...went to work..was very very sleepy all through the day at work...decided to look at a few antique stores before comming home, to prevent a nap for a while..and now im home about the die of sleepiness.
WHY!??

i have no idea.

"...and now you're even older...and now you're even older..."

ah...what a marvelously enjoyable extended weekend i've just spent!

i wish i could fold the boring empty parts of the south out of the way and make travel distance much shortened between the people i love, adore, and miss so very much. ya know...make new orleans border hattieburg, and laurel border atlanta..and take out an hour and a half or so from atlanta to augusta...right? who needs those long stretches of interstate and dirty gas stations?

mad props..or credits..or whatever...
-jason and jennifer brunet....marvelous hosts with much sweetness to enjoy. i felt so at home with you guys...i miss my place on your couch very very much now. come to augusta anytime you want.
- skot..it was good seeing you. you're always you...and thats good to know.
-anya...you're MARRIED and i'm very happy for you...and now youre in IRELAND and i'm very jealous of you! i hope to see a bit more of you in the enarer than distant future. mayhaps i should venture to boston, taking you up on that offer i heard you extend. yes..we NEEd to spend some time..after you resettle a little bit.
-fishies that i ate...yummm
-julie...i squeezed you once..and it was much needed....your dog is still insane..and i miss you so very much.
-haley...you are such a true friend..i dont deserve you! thank you for spending the whole entire day with me...and for playing with me..and being so you and so sweet. bug GOSH youre so DANG intimidating! ;) hee heee heeee! augusta is calling you.
-christopher lovely....thank you for being one of my best friends...and for opening your floor and couch and whatever else is needed for us. be careful as you cross the room...there are dangerous obstacles. always beyond your vision ;) i'm glad you are enjoying your new job..and are being able to play with WCC peoples, too. i miss that a lot
-drew..david..steph..Dr. Roberts...and everyone else who i saw and who is likely not to read this...it was great crossing your paths again...i do miss the musical surroundings i wrapped myself in during my time in the 'burg years ago. i wih it weren't so far away from where im now calling "home"
-samantha...you didnt answer your phone! i'm sad now. :( set up your voicemail please.
-michael roderick....im glad we were able to see you on our way back in..and eric DOES exist...wow! who knew? i'm happy for the way things are going for you..i am ecstatic, even! (who didnt know he's getting MARRIED in may? yeah..he is!) realy though..let me know if there's some way that i/we/anyone can help with plans or whatever else. prayers are offered without the asking.

i do not know why i bother to keep everyone updated on such mundane details of a life...my life? its rather dull...honestly. however...there is an intriguing (i miss the dropped e in that word soooo dearly) proposal posed across the livejournal community..and i dont see why we cant take it online-journal-wide...right? bloggers..xanga friends...diaryland...all..lets spend a day in unreality.

06:26 pm - Mark your calendars: January 27th is Rabbit Hole Day
"A few months ago, I had a dream in which LiveJournal and everyone on it went completely nuts for a day. The entire world had turned upside-down and inside-out and nobody was their normal self anymore. And it was such a good read, that I think it should happen for real.

January 27th is the birthday of Lewis Carrol, author of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. Alice fell down a rabbit hole into a place where everything had changed and none of the rules could be counted on to apply anymore. I say, let's do the same: January 27th, 2005 should be the First Annual LiveJournal Rabbit Hole Day. When you post on that Thursday, instead of the normal daily life and work and news and politics, write about the strange new world you have found yourself in for the day, with its strange new life and work and news and politics. Are your pets talking back at you now? Has your child suddenly grown to full adulthood? Does everyone at work think you're someone else now? Did Bush step down from the White House to become a pro-circuit tap-dancer? Did Zoroastrian missionaries show up on your doorstep with literature in 3-D? Have you been placed under house arrest by bizarre insectoid women wielding clubs made of lunchmeat?

Let's have a day where nobody's life makes sense anymore, where any random LJ you click on will bring you some strange new tale. Let's all fall down the Rabbit Hole for 24 hours and see what's there. It will be beautiful."

so, there you have it.

in other news...that mundane sort i bring you so often...today was my day off and i spent it just as such..doing almost absolutely nothing of importance to anybody else. i do believe it was my first honest day of nothing in at least three weeks, if not longer.

i slept past eleven...climbed out of bed and sat in front of the computer for a little while...then i transported myself to the kitchen to gather some sort of a meal...had my brunch on the floor in front of the television while i watched malcom in the middle. ...then i decided to get dressed and watch a movie while i painted my nails (yes, this became a planned event with a decision beforehand to do just as such..do not forget that i am indeed a girl.) i watched My Fair Lady (yes, all three hours of it) and upon its ending, i realised that i had plenty of time to waste in the bathtub shaving my legs (because today..it was 70 degrees out..and i was at the time wearing a skirt..and would be in public later in the evening) and then that i should go ahead and wash my hair so i wouldnt have to do it tomorrow morning before sunup.

after the lovely clean time and making myself smell like patchouli and almond and lavender...i went to the first Augusta Choral Society rehearsal since our christmas concert. we began the work of parts two and three of Handels Messiah..quite a bit more challenging than the ever-frequently heard and performed christmas portion. i dont know if it was where i sat in the room or what..but i just couldnt get into a good rehearsal flow...and i cant not sit by the lady whom i want to blame for my bad night..because she ALWAYS saves me a seat by her so she can hear me. who's going to help ME when i dont know whats goin on, though? i guess i'll have to listen to the cd a *lot* to help myself...so i dont get thrown off by her as she listens to me. im not a snob..i swear...but it was REALY difficult tonight to find where we were supposed to be singing because this lady tends to sing ANYTHING even if she has no idea where she is or what the pitch SHOULD be.

yeah..thats all i did today...pamper myself and then feel sorry for myself while trying to sing.
now im to bed for work comes in the morning.

oh...by the way..i cant remember if i mentioned it already, but...
1. nick and i are to be in new orleans this weekend and stopping by hattiesburg on monday as well...so if youre in the area, dont be surprised if i turn up.
and 2. sunday is my birthday. it kind of sneaks up on me with all the christmas and new years stuff...im just comming down from that. i wont be home for my birthday..so i dont know when my family will get together for it. feels kind of strange..and still definitely mundane.

dirty pinko hippie update

my letter was well-recieved by all inhabitants!

today began day one of our house being a home that recycles.
we have a three-tiered metal storage cart in our kitchen that wasnt being used for ANYthing ..had just been put there to be out of any of our smaller rooms..so i designated it the "recycling center" where all CLEAN recycleables will be placed 'till they take up too much space..at which point they will be delivered to one of the drop-off sites.

(tom, you'll be happy to know that the sign i hung over the cart is on the back of a previously used scrap of paper)

on a tangent...
it has just occured to me that i use this journal very visually...attempting to let each reader actually see what it is like to live around me...perhaps more than the people i know in person. its probably because you are my captive audience..and you may as well know all i can shove into your heads about me if you're to be reading anything at all of the subject.
while i'm less "this is only what im thinking" and more "this is what i think about what im doing."
mayhaps i'm attempting to be interesting. (yes...i use words as "mayhaps"..i havent figured out if rebekah and i made it up at work one day, or if it was already a word before we began accidently using it...)