Look out, World's Fair!

New Irish Golfer Friend:  "Lindsey, is it?"

Lindsey:  "Yes."

NIGF:  "Ah, lovely.  Where in the states are you from?"

Lindsey: "St. Louis, Missouri"

HIGF:  "Oh, like the 'Sex and the City', right?"

Lilndsey:  "No. Um.. I think that is New York"

NIGF:  "No no... you know the girl...from St. Louie?"

Lindsey:  Lightbulb turning on.  "OH yeah!... her Assistant LOUISE, who is from St. Louis, yes, yes, that is right."

 

Who knew that the Sex in the City movie has put St. Louis on the international map again?

 

 

10 Things I learned in Ireland.

Story of the picture below. I took a picture of this window because first time Jack and I passed by this particular box window, which is about four stories above a busy intersection, there was a little boy about 9 or 10 standing in this window buck naked. He was drumming his chest and just staring out ...presenting himself to the world. Jack said all the kid needed was a bow and arrow to be a cherub or something. It was so very strange. Cool little video about barrel making on the Guiness tour. Hazing for barrel makers included being shoved into one of these barrels filled with poo and getting rolled down the street. That is how they knew they were worthy to be 'one' of the gang.

I like to track things that are quirky about cultures because they interest me. I do this often. See here, here, and here. Here we go.

1. Crosswalks are deadly. In Switzerland, the pedestrian, and even moreso, the cyclist were king. In Ireland, you better look the other other way. You can't see the drivers menacing "i'm gonna nail you" glare because you aren't looking for it in that side of the car window.

2. Pudding, I think, means sausage. Hmm.

3. In the grocery stores, the ones in shopping malls, they charge you for plastic bags and discourage the use of plastic bags entirely. This may be a good idea. Jack had a better idea, he stole the produce bags in the back of the store and stuff them in his pockets. That's why they pay him the big bucks.

4. The weather man in Ireland has the easiest gig ever. "Cloudy with a chance of rain...everyday. It will be either 64 or 65 degrees today... we are all on pins and needles."

5. At an Indian restaurant I got a Diet Coke with a mint sprig in it. Lovely.

6. Even the toilet water in Ireland is Green.

7. No offense to the Irish at all, they have been very warm and kind people, but I think people in places take on the identity of the weather where they live... that kinda makes sense. The Swiss were Cold, the Irish are kinda dreary yet mild (see note 4), the people from St. Louis are one extreme after another.

8. Ireland is pretty far north. Read: in July, sun streams in at 5 am, and until 10:20pm (i timed it).

9. Guiness apparently tastes better in Ireland because the Irish are the only ones who know how to serve it. They CIP the pipes regularly, so that the stout doesn't sour. I think Guiness is still horrid, but it is now bearable with the tip that a shot of black currant can sweeten it right up.

10 This has nothing to do with Ireland. I just learned a useful tip...drink bitter beers with the bitter part of your toungue. Sweet Sippin' Sally over here coulda used that information years ago. It makes all the difference in the world to throw it to the back of the throat, avoiding the sweet area of the tongue. It does help choke down a guiness. Wish I had that information when 17 natives were watching me drink my first pint.

A Very Short Story, by Lindsey Merrill.

This morning as i got into work, I realized i needed to use the loo. I went into the bathroom and noticed the frothy green toilet water left over from the morning cleaning.

I then noticed a rather large ker-plunking sound.

I looked down at the green frothy water (yes everything here in Ireland is green) and saw no ripple in the bowl, nor could i see anything beneath the froth.

However I had a horrifying thought about what could have just happened. So on a whim, you could say, by faith, with no proof of what was down there, only the knowledge that if what i thought was down there, was indeed down there, there wouldn't be a second to lose, I jammed my hand down into the frothy green water and grabbed.

It was there. My heart sank into the sea-foamy depths of Eire despair.

I dropped my iPhone in the toilet.

It's ruined. Well maybe not all is lost, i did get it turned off quickly. Maybe there is hope...but no hope for phone calls anytime soon.

You would think I'd be heartbroken, but you know.. i think I'm secretly impressed with myself. I mean I have had that phone AWHILE. And I'm JUST now dropping it in toilet water? I gave myself three weeks tops before doing something asinine like this. It's kinda like when I didn't kill my fish for a few years. Snuggles lived a good long life.

As it is with this phone.

Yeowsah.

Sneak Peek

Garth is Killin' Me Softly

Hi.

I haven't brain dumped here in a while. I have a lot flying around up inside my head these days, mainly, the lyrics to one of my favorite Garth Brooks** tunes (sing it with me now):

Ireland, I am coming home
I can see your rolling fields of green
And fences made of stone.
I am reaching out, won't you take my hand?
I'm coming home, Ireland.

The Rest of the Lyrics:

I am on a project overseas again. I'm feeling a little anxioius. It feels a little bit like standing once again at the top of the same ski slope where you previouisly broke your leg and had to be dragged down the hill in a papoose by a slobbery St. Bernard.

Mostly all healed up and doing fine, but still pretty...anxious. On the other hand, it's Ireland and I've never been and I'm excited to go there and have some adventure. Not to mention rack up some frequent flyer miles.

I am blogging and I shouldn't be. I should be doing one of three things. Cleaning my house and organizing for my soon to be suitcase life, getting a jump on work for next week, or being outside in my hammock because it's flippin goreous outside.

But nonetheless, I am loving this Sunday. As I reflect on the week, I got to sit with the lovely Liz for bit this afternoon, and last night I got have dinner and toast this life with four amazing, beautiful, courageous, Godly, hysterical, authentic, gifted women. Yesterday, I got to have lunch with a long time friend and co-worker back in town for a bit. The night before I flopped on a couch at George and Jaels and just shared some good delicious life. The night before that, Maddie, Annie and Banjo came for dinner, a walk and some Monsters, Inc. We caught lightning bugs and made plans to pull weeds in my yard.

How did I get so blessed with such good friends? Such vast and deep community? I certainly did my best not to cultivate it, and in spite of me, I have it now, in this time.

For that I am thankful. Over the top, gushy, intensely thankful. Just in time to leave again. I take a deep breath, and exit the ski-lift.

Now the fog is deep and heavy
As we forge the dark and fear
We can hear their horses breathing
As in silence we draw near
There are no words to be spoken
Just a look to say good-bye
I draw a breath and night is broken
As I scream our battle cry

** I just happen to believe Garth Brooks is the greatest American songwriter of our time.

Oh yeah...

And I'm going to Ireland.  For work again.  Only six weeks this time.  Broken up in to three separate trips.  Living out of a suitcase... here we come again!

 

I will get a new camera for this.  Any pointers?  I'm looking for good clear pics out of an ultracompact camera.

 

 

Happy Father's Day Everyone.

A story for this day.

My Grandpa eats, sleeps and breathes sports accomplishments from his nursing home bed where he hasn't been able to walk for the past 12 years. We struggle to figure out what to get him for occasions because of his situation, and his failing mind, so we opt for silly little things... peanuts for the squirrels outside his window...sweatpants...westerns. Things for his life confined to his bed.

My Aunt's boyfriend, one of the most thoughtful men I have ever met, trumped us all forever in the gift giving department this Father's Day. He went to the high school where my parents and my grandparents attended and found a picture of my grandpa's basketball team from 1948. Read: it was black and white and not because it was trendy. He took a picture of this old photo and had it blown up and re-framed. The photo was from when my Grandpa's team went to the state tournament and got 4th that year. Maybe not a big deal, but my parents hometown is like 400 people that came and went with the mines. My Grandpa's team's story made it into a small book written about the history of this area and it's something that has always been near and dear to his heart.

We try to make him forget who he was so he isn't so sad, so he doesn't ask us things for things that we can't give him. This guy, while not even officially a part of our family, loved this difficult man very well by giving him back his dignity.

For a brief teary-eyed moment. That man gave my grandpa back his legs.

In other news, also for Fathers Day, somehow I ended up with a brand new rake in my back seat. Dad is always finding ways to stick stuff like this in my car. He apparently got this one for free because he bought so much stuff at the Home Depot? I have had such various and sundry items in the Murl Mobile from Papa, including a broken axe handle to be used..."Just in case you break down and have to walk somewhere..."

To Be Filed Under

Things you don't miss until they are gone:

1. Driver side car window.

It's currently completely lost inside my door. Clanking around mockingly as the rain pelts inside.

With no driver side window, you forget that you should move your computer out of plain sight. When you come to your senses, and put it in your trunk, you are halfway through the checkout at Target before you realize...that doesn't help. Your trunk is still accessible. Idiot.

In fact, I think my car has had a stroke. The whole left side seems waga. I have an engine light on. And maybe just because my window is down, I am forced to listen to the sounds my car makes more carefully. Now there is a whine that seems to come from the left side, brakes are squeaky and and I think maybe the tires on the left side are low.

Yes I blog about this rather than fix it.

Monkeys, Toes, Pies, Garbage and... oh just read it.

Prolly should be in bullets, these thoughts:

Three weeks, i think, that is the longest we, the residents of 209 Newport Ave, can go without putting the garbage on the curb.

Two bunny rabbits have been wishing me well on my way out the door this past week. I feel like Snow White.

I cant tell you when i have been more at peace. I am not even waiting for the dropping of the other shoe. This doesn't mean I have any more knowledge of the future, I just have more trust in the goodness of the Designer.

I wonder if there are people who actually make their beds everyday. I wonder what their problem is anyway.

Exactly half of me is sick of the interior of my home. I want to have someone come in and make it "cool" and inviting and artsy and stuff. I want to make people feel welcome, but maybe not as cool as me and my space. The other half of me wants to tell people that my hand me down stuff is "cool' as it is, because I have purchased none of it, and it kinda goes together, even if it's old and every bit of it has a story. Very few things have I purchased. The art work of my friends and family are the stories hanging on the walls. The dining room table I have was my parent's and I have eaten around it since I was a baby. Sara from college left me the awesome retro chairs. I wonder, though, which half is better, the half that cares about the stuff being polished and new, or about the stuff being meaningful and important...maybe it's just stuff still and I shouldn't really care what people think of it and my stories. Maybe I'll just paint. That may help.

The same halves of me are warring on whether or not to care about the digital TV revolution. I admit I have looked at sexy flat screen TV's. But I also admit since I stopped paying for cable, I like me more, I compare me and my life less, I have more time and I watch shows that I like intentionally with people, or I watch them online if I want to, and I haven't missed a thing. I rent DVD's more and I read more books now. If I lived alone, this is the way it would stay, as the money, to me, is not justifiable. Dusty likes watching sports though...and he may win.

So it's no secret to those who know me that I have been creeping around like an old lady these days because of this drug i am taking that is shredding my joints. I am almost done with the drug and the entire left side of my face is completely zit-free for the first time since I was probably ten years old. I have felt my skin for the first time.

John came to visit and we made pies.

My book, I think will be a women bashing book. The sole purpose of Christianity and the Church is not so that women and children feel safe and secure all the time. That is a promise that we were never made. I'm baking this idea more...

Blue toenail polish has been my signature color for awhile now. Dusty says it looks like I kicked a smurf. But apparently its the "in" color right now. I think I should be getting some royalties for this trendsetting. Don't you?

My new fave quote. From Wild at Heart: "Let people feel the weight of who you are, and let them deal with it." I tend toward sparing people the madness that is me. I should give them more credit and the privilege of knowing the weight of me. I'm still baking this too...

And just because I'm sure there is SOMEONE out there that I haven't shown these to yet, this is my army of Monkey cupcakes that I made for a friends baby shower. She went and messed up the shower by having the baby three weeks early on that day...but i guess we will forgive her.

(My favorite are the bottom three See No Evil...Hear No Evil....Speak No Evil.) And she said I wasn't domestic...

By far the best idea to rattle in my melon lately is one that is coming at me from a few different sources, but one recently this morning. The mental ascent to Christianity is not enough. Knowledge about Jesus is no more a relationship with him than, say, stalking some love interest...even the most diligent stalkers are still on the other side of the glass. Coming in thru the door, requires courage and less of a brain that you would think. Good news for the masses of un-intellectuals. Good news indeed.

Stolen Posts

The hamburger bell story: http://web.me.com/stacying/StacyIngram/Blog/Entries/2009/5/3_Hamburger_Bell.html

The randomly seeing Kara at BW3's story: http://blacksheeped.com/2009/05/19/visit-2/

Two 'hook blades' and a bummer.

Today I pity those who wont be born until tomorrow and those who died yesterday.

It was the most Beautiful of days. I let Fred and Marsha serenade me with "O' Happy Day' on my car CD player. I started running around doing errands and then decided against wasting this blue crispy sunny day inside my car.

I put my my legs in cutoff jeans, my hands in some dirt, and pulled weeds. Then I put my back in a hammock, and my nose in a book. I hosed some windows off, and borrowed the neighbors weed whacker instead of fixing my own (it's what neighbors do, right?) I broke theirs more and returned it. That IS what neighbors do. It was a good day.

Friday night was much different weather-wise, yet it still left me with such an impression. Maybe it was the great dinner company and my family's laughter. Maybe it was the sigh at the end of a long week, but I suspect it was something more.

I drove home from dinner through a field, just past nighfall, where the roads have no lines and no shoulders. The lighting flashed silently in the distance on either side of me. Thunder rolled in many seconds later. The fields were waving and dancing in renowned anticipation. But I don't believe a drop of rain fell. The whole air was filled with electricity as I slipped the window down and breathed deeply. The sweet smell of rain and the assault on my other senses made me giddy. Something about the dark burgundy brown color of the sky and the sweetness made me think of Dr. Pepper. The "random" cd I just burned from my music library clicked to my favorite classical music song (Sursum Corda by Elgar) I turned it up. I was at the symphony and before I knew it, my eyes filled up with girly tears and I'm singing to a song with no words on streets with no names. Funny how the song had no words, yet I knew how to sing it, and the strees had no names and I knew exactly where to go. Sometimes it's like this.

Sometimes people set off fireworks outside my bedroom window at 1:00am on a Tuesday. Sometimes it's like that.

Round One

Last Friday something they are classifying as a 'derecho' ripped through my hometown. My parents are fine and infact my dad's insurance office with the State Farm catastrophe team is shown below. Everyone is a little nervous about what is about to come through tonight.

Sub-Waaaaaaah.

FW: Lost Costume

Lindsey,

I need your help.

I have a LOST finale part to go to on Friday night back in Champaign, but… I need a good creative costume idea. Last year I went as Juliette (see attached)…..but this year has to top that.

Any ideas??

--Stacy :)

From: Lindsey Merrill
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 10:26 PM
To: Stacy Ingram
Subject: RE: Lost Costume

When I saw this subject line, I thought it was a search for a missing costume.

You could go as any of the below (stream of conscious brainstorms by yours truly)

The Hot Pocket.

Someone with a lei.

If you had a cool white wig you could be Eloise, you could carry a metronome and a rifle.

Has anyone tried being the smoke monster?

Miles (you have to carry a baby that is also named Miles).

Young Ben, wearing John Lennon glasses and carrying sandwiches.

(Hmm I'm noticing a lack of good funny female characters).

Charlotte with a fake bloody nose. Red wig, awful accent. (ooh I like this).

You could go as a half-Kate, half-Juliette like those half-man half-woman people in Vegas… on your Juliette side of your face you would have to wear half a set of wax lips that don't move when you talk. In fact, I think the whole Juliette side of your face would have to be a mask. The kate side, of course, has freckles.

A hydrogen bomb.

You could also go as the two Sayids, the half a straight-haired version, half-geri-curl version. Ew. Don't do that. Unless you happen to have a habitat for humanity yellow shirt lying around.

Faraday's bedridden girlfriend.

And of course I'm going to blog this exchange.

Linz

Convo with Mom.

My parents just went thru a tornado down in Fredericktown.  Before I call out the humor, I must say that they are totally fine.

 

Some really high winds knocked over a ton of trees in my parent's densely wooded sub-division.  Trees are crisscrossing the roads so that people (my dad included cannot get to their homes).  Dad parks his truck as far in as he can get and proceeds to hike to the house.  It took him 30 minutes to hike this distance.  The combo of wind and trees falling made it a little dicey. 

 

I called my mom and got the scoop.  I would be a little bit excited to see how i would fare without certain creature comforts.  She was not as excited about two weeks without electricity and hunting rabbit. 

 

"Lindsey, we can't hunt rabbits... we have no OVEN and no FREEZER!"

 

Oh.  Ok.

 

"Well, I knew the electricity was supposed to go out so I filled the bathtub up with water so we would have water to flush the toilets, but I forgot to fill yours and Dusty's up too..

"Gosh Mom, there is no room for mistakes like that.  There is probably NO where to go to the bathroom outside, what with all the trees gone and stuff!"

"I also took a shower this morning since I knew I may not get to take one in a long time, but I am ALREADY sweaty!"

"Hmmm"

"All we have is two bottles of water and some green tea, and no food.  We just have the water in the bathtubs and the gas in the car to charge the phones by!"

"Mom I will bring you some food."

"I don't think you can get in, I think the cars on the highway (into the subdivision) are backed up.. heck all the way to Farmington..(18 miles)."

"How do you know that?"

"I don't.  Well the girls in the office in town have been telling us things.  They are calling in the National Guard."

"Do you want to come stay with me?"

"I don't know yet, give us a day to figure things out.  Some Mothers day for ME!"

"Hah, oh by the way.. the present I bought you on Amazon didn't come in on time.  I gave the wrong credit card number."

"Oh."

"Sorry to add insult to injury.  I even had it express shipped and it just never came".

"Don't worry about it, I haven't gotten my mom anything either.  It's yet to be determined."

"I don't know what that means."

"I don't want to waste anymore battery"

"Ok Mom, let me know if you need anything."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my Brother!!

http://www.adamsgolf.com/tour/lda.php#

(Go to the left and click Dustin Merrill... he's not Rock Hicks. However, Rock Hicks, in person...totally looks like Taylor Hicks, the american idol lounge singer guy from a few seasons ago. Fun fact for ya.)

test.

Love

She had a horrible car accident and broke both of her arms.  He took care of her. He combed her hair.  He flossed her teeth.  

 

His wife was sentenced to life in prison after killing a young boy due to her personality disorder.  He drove two hours two ways everyday until she died to see her.

 

She had her whole enitre arm and side eaten by flesh eating bacteria.  He stayed.

 

She is getting the lawn seats for him.  She hasn't heard of the band.

 

He made her patio furniture, by hand.

 

He has cancer.  He still praises God, in every way, shape and form.  They love intentionally, and more unselfishly that I have ever seen.

 

He married a prostitute because he loved her.  She left him again and again.  He still loves her, still chased her to the Valley of Trouble and there it becomes the Door of Hope.

 

He took away the idols.  He pulled back the curtain to show that there are only illusions.  He graciously smashed idols that rob us.   He woos us back from desolate places.

 

I am just beginning to understand.  I have known.  But now I see.

 

He did the dishes last night.  They were all mine.

The Starlings

This past weekend the volleyball team I have been helping out with had their first actual game!  I think it was actually the first game-like situation, as well.  (See pics below).

 

Which meant the goals that Brielle and I had for them were as follows:

1. Have at least six girls show up.

2. Do not get Bageled.

3. Do not require police involvement for diciplinary issues.

 

The Starlings are nation wide club team for girls of all socioeconomic backgrounds.  In our case that means that we practice at the middle school that the girls attend right after their school gets out because they have no way to get to practice otherwise.  Some of our girls parents are pretty unreliable and a few others have parents in prison.  We spend much more time at practice herding cats than teaching volleyball.

 

But I am absolutely crazy about them. 

 

Did they meet our goals?

1. We had seven girls the first day, six on the second. CHECK! 

2. We did NOT get Bageled.  In face one game the second day we scored 16 points!!  UNREAL.

3. We did not have to call the police.

 

So anything after that was total bonus.  Some of the highlights:

1. Watching them light up when we handed out the uniforms and jackets.

2. Watching them change from watching the other teams with fear to intently trying to learn from them.

3. Other parents offering to buy one of our players a pair of tennis shoes.  (I told them not to worry, she had shoes, she just FORGOT them )

4. Other people in the gym, other teams started cheering for us, encouraging us.

5. Every coach we played with asked us about our team and their story.

6. The second day EVERY girl showed up on time, ready to go.  Wearing actual tennis shoes.

7. Did I mention SIXTEEN points?

8. The girls wanted to practice after the game was over.  So we did.

9. In our pre-game warm up they all started spiking the balls... like really well!

10. The gracious officials who helped our girls learn how to referee and line judge.

11. The girls getting together to make up the COOLEST Starlings cheer.  Of course it was the coolest. "S-T-A-R-L-I-N-G-S We are the Starlings and we are the Best" Complete with cool little dance moves.

12. The put three hits on the ball once!  Amazing feat.

13. All the HILARIOUS stuff they said. "Oh my Goodness!  The Mac Donalds play place is my favorite place on earth.. Y'all don't even understand!"

14. Marshay, who for the first four practices wouldn't take off her hoodie, kept it zipped up to the top, got three serves in a row in bounds and was the captain first.

15.  And perhaps the most treasured bonus... The feeling that I felt for these girls, who are so clearly, outwardly, wordly, behind all the other teams in so many ways.  The feeling that reminded me of how God must see people.  He must see the whole story all the time, not just what shows up at gametime.  He sees the back story, the heart, the character of people when the world just sees screw-ups and faults. He sees the situation they came from, the tools they were given and the courage that it takes to just show up.  Brielle said she had more fun coaching this team than any other first ranked team she has ever coached.  They are difficult, frustrating, defiant, mouthy, infuriating, and currently can't play volleyball to save their lives, and I am crazy about them.

 

JOY

Oh Tina, How I Heart Thee.

A couple of stand-alone gems from 30 Rock, which, is just my fave:

"That hurts more than my foot botox." Jenna.

Liz: "Tracy did you even go home last night? And where is your shirt?"
Tracy: "1. No 2. At Large"

"Liz you are the closest thing to a man in this building."

Liz: "Jack, what are you doing here? I was sleeping!"
Jack: "I just heard you singing 'night cheese' "

"I am sorry to have to tell you such a grim story wearing such a silly T-shirt" Salma Hayak. (The shirt said "What the Frak?")

"Liz Lemon, isn't there a slanket somewhere you should be hiding your farts under?" Salma Hayak.