| 8:43p |
Tales of a cranky, aging gypsy (oh well, at least I still have my charm...)
Readers! Hello! I am still here! I don't know what's happened. I tried to be all go-with-the-flow last week, but it didn't really work. Example: usually, I am very strict about getting 8 hours sleep every night. Last week, however, I decided to stop being so boring and stay out a bit longer. And the result? I didn't get a good night's sleep the whole week. By Saturday, I was somewhat hysterical. I called my faithful boyfriend, Geoff, and said, "I haven't slept properly for a week! Something is going to happen to me!" Of course, nothing happened. I just felt really yucky. And I realised this: you can't have fun when you're sleepy all the time.
This week was another tricky week. I spent the early part of the week in a gloom-and-doom kinda mood. I don't know why, but having a job that I don't like really bothers me. I wish that it didn't. I wish that I could have a light and happy heart about the whole thing, but I have been feeling pretty miserable instead. I feel like being this unhappy at work has got to be unhealthy. I'm often really anxious or withdrawn, and being sad is beginning to affect a lot of my life. Geoff has been a total sweetie, though, and always listens to me talk about my career crisis, even though I go on about it pretty much every day.
So, of course, my weekends always feature much more freedom and good times than the weekdays. Last weekend, Geoff and I went away with a whole lot of people from his church. I was helping Geoff to lead the youth. It was really cool. I hung out with this punk-rocker girl called Ellen, who is really interesting and focussed on God. She was the only girl in the youth group. So, of course, I was glad that she was fond of sleepy, early-morning chats and good ol' heart-to-hearts. You can't beat a girl who knows how to wear rock-chick eyeliner. You know, those kids are SO energetic. One moment, they're playing basketball; then they're swimming; then they're rock-climbing; then they're tackling each other. Where do they get all of this energy from? I felt so old around them. It was pretty dreamy to be around Geoff for so long. The place we stayed at with the church was the place where Geoff first asked me out (and, in case you don't know the story, I said no...what a cow!). It was quite overwhelming and strange to be back there again. So much has changed between us since then. It was pretty amazing to revisit that place as Geoff's girlfriend- it was something that I never expected to happen. God is so wonderful to have brought us together! I am SO in love with Geoff!
Okay, so, about that story I keep talking about: singing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" in front of my new church. We were studying the topic of forgiveness at church, and our minister came up with an idea: each of our Bible study groups was to make a short video about forgiveness. My group made a video around the idea that forgiveness makes boring television. I was in a skit about this girl (me!) who auditions for "Australian Idol". After I sing really, really badly in my audition, the judges are really mean to me. But afterwards, while someone is interviewing me, I refuse to slander the judges, because I have forgiven them. We had a lot of other scenarios, like where someone in "Big Brother" refuses to nominate someone for eviction. It was so much fun to make the video. There was lots of applauding, giggly rehearsing and silly costumes (a Marcia Hines wig, anybody?). Anyway, they showed the video at church the other day. I was really scared that it was going to be really embarrassing. It wasn't too bad, thank goodness! But I still squealed when I saw myself on screen, and laughed very loudly. Everyone in my Bible study sat in a row together, and we each had turns cringing when we saw ourselves!
Something that WAS embarrassing, though, was the talk that I gave at church last week! My new church had its 4th birthday celebration last Sunday, and my minister kindly asked me to say a few words. I was really touched, because I've only been at that church for 3 1/2 months. But that was the point, really- I was talking about how the church had welcomed me, and how God had provided for me there. Anyway, this is how my talk started:
Me: "Hi everyone!"
Congregation: "Hi!"
Me: "Oh wow, I didn't know that people answered back! The power! I love being out here! Repeat after me: 'Carla is really cool!'
Congregation: (silence)
Carla: "Okay, well, that was supposed to be funny. OH CRAP!"
Argh! Of all of the things to say in front of a church!
Anyway, must dash. I have to wake up early tomorrow...TO GO TO THE DENTIST'S. Totally NOT my favourite thing to be doing on a Saturday! Then I am seeing Geoff's band record a little CD. Awesome. I might pull a bit of a Yoko while I'm there...you know, convince Geoff that he doesn't need the band, and then get him to record a crummy duet CD with me. Heh heh heh. Of course, readers, you know that I would never do that. Caecilius will always have a special place in my heart, especially as they are the best Christian improv jazz fusion band in Sydney. |