Ever have one of those weeks when EVERYONE you want to talk to is busy and "can't talk right now" all at the same time?  I would think they were all conspiring against me (or planning a surprise birthday party for me) except that I really try not to be paranoid and its no where near my birthday... but that would be the best time to surprise me.  Hmm...

Well in lieu of friends....look out facebook - here I come!

My favorite task this week was by far was "Find 20 things that make a circle, and take a photo so that the circle takes up the same amount of space and is framed the same way from picture to picture. Explore your immediate area first, then move onto other areas, even go outside if need be."

This one was awesome because not only is it a little bit like Sesame Street but it also required me to take undercover pictures while at work! Sneaky art is even more fun than normal art.  I also shot in macro which I hardly ever do - what fun! I ended up taking over 25 pictures of circles in my cubicle and then at least 10 more in my office in general - and I keep seeing circles everywhere (which was part of the point.) After I found 20 circles I started looking at more creative ways to frame the shots.  I felt a little limited by choosing the lower left quadrant for the circles (if the circle was on the top of something it was challenging to frame it and still be able to tell what it was.) But all in all this was a really fun one - I think you should all try it!

And now for a close-up-circular-tour of my office.  

     My phone - one of the most used things on my desk

                  My fan has such a happy negative ion!

                    What would I do without my Burt's Bees?

                         Rubberband Ball - hooray!

             My cell phone actually has quite a few circles on it.

    The PO Box keys - complete with a Vatican key chain
(I got it for the person that used to get the mail on my trip to Italy last year-
                        and he left it behind when he quit)

        The top of my Europe Semester Photo Album thingy

Today is brought to you by the Letters "O" and "P" and the number "0"

        My computer is working even when I'm only "working"

    This is a candle that someone else left behind when they quit.

Rufous - my plant from Chris and Megan Phillips' Wedding last year.
                He's still alive - even without a window!
                        (He's a bit greener in real life)

            My headphones - I would go insane without them!

    One of the many pieces of art Michael has gotten for the Office.

                            The CD-ROM Drawer!

           The kitchen sink has lots of circles in it! (I see at least 13)

    Our office would be even worse with out this little fella.

So I flipped the picture to get the main circle on the correct side but still I like this one

                                    Bathroom sink!!

                                    My Boston Ring :)

            Why yes that is a Chick Magnet in the background --
            Order your's today at ChickMagnetINC@gmail.com

[I am very sorry about the amazingly-painful-to-the-eyes color scheme I had going - this should be better]

I went to lunch with my good friend, Brian, today. We decided to get out of our Mexican food rut and ventured into the yummy land of Chinese food.

This seemed like a great idea. Three courses and a waitress all for the super low lunch special price - Yahoo! Chopsticks added a lot of entertainment (well at least for Brian who got to laugh at me attempting to use them.) Sweet and sour chicken, good converstation, an chance to catch up with an old friend that I rarely get to see -- Its all fabulous!

And then came the best part (or so I thought): free desert! A "oh yay! Fortune cookies!" type squeal of joy flew out of my mouth when they were dropped off. I was excited. Was excited, until we opened them.....

I was excited that I had to go to the optometrist and the radiology lab this morning because it meant I would get to be an hour late to work. I was SUPPOSED to drive the complete opposite direction of work on a Monday morning - wonderful! I haven't gotten my eyes checked in 4 years so I was slightly worried about what they might say but the missing work out weighed any anxiety I was feeling and I headed for Ventura bright and early this morning.

I had a lovely visit with the Doctor while he checked my eyes. He told me that if everyone's eyes were like mine he would need a new job, I have better vision than an Air Force Pilot that was recently in his office, and for insurance purposes we had to make up a problem so that the insurance would pay for my visit (we decided on itchy I think). He explained how the glaucoma "air-puff" test works (which was very interesting) and assured me several times that my eyes were perfect. He then told me "I think you're terrific, kid." I think he meant my vision but I'm going to take it both ways. I really enjoyed hearing that my vision is still "better than perfect" but not just because it was an ego boost and saved me money on glasses.

The reason I'm bragging about this is because there was very little genetic chance for me to have good vision. There are some members of my family with good eyesight but both of my parents have needed fairly strong prescriptions since they were young children. The story that I remember is that once my mom was pregnant with me, a group of people decided to lay their hands on her stomach and they prayed for my eyesight.

Not only do I have 20/15 vision (a.k.a. "better than perfect") I get quite a lot of complements about the beauty of my eyes as well as if God went above and beyond their prayers. To be honest there have been moments where I've gotten a little vain about my blue eyes (there have been times when I've felt that they were the only thing going for me). But most of the times when my eyes are a topic of conversation (especially when my vision is the topic of the complement) it reminds me that God was already loving and healing me before I was born. And that was something I really needed to be reminded of today.

The rest of morning was spent going to medical clinics #3 and #4 attempting to get a hard copy of x-rays they took at clinic #2 (and it was the 2nd time I went into clinic #2 because the x-ray machine was broken the first time) after I left the Optometrist at clinic #1. Luckily there were a couple nice people that helped me figure out 1. where I was 2. where I should be 3. where the x-rays were and 4. how to get us all in the same place. Once I got to Santa Barbara I still had to go to the drug store (for my cough) and the grocery store (for my lunch) before I finally made it to work! oy! (I was a full 2 hours late for work by the way.)

But God is still working, He knit us together in our mothers' wombs and He knows what is best for us - especially when we don't.

Topic of my next blog (hopefully): Thomases of the doubting variety.

(inklingsofhope.blogspot.com)