UPDATE - September 19, 2008

September 19, 2008


ANSWERS!!
1. Name a type of food where you would normally find Durum?
Pasta
2. Which of the following is not an onion? Leek Fennel Spring Onion
3. What is the youngest country in the world?
East Timor
4. In which country would you find a smorgasbord?
Sweden
5. Name 11 countries with oil.
Various answers including Sudan, Angola, US, Mexico, Nigeria, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Venezuela, etc.
6. If you could only learn 3 languages, which 3 languages would take you the farthest across the world without needing a translator?
Tough question—depends if “farthest” means to the most countries or to the most people
7. What is the basic ingredient used to make hummus?
Chick Peas
8. Out of turkey, chicken, goose, and gammon which one doesn’t belong in the group?
9. Which one doesn’t belong in the group?
Omelets pancakes soufflé fondue
10. Botulism is a rare form of what?
Disease or Paralytic Disease
11. Champignon is the French word for what?
Mushroom
12. Which one doesn’t belong in the group?
Lasagna risotto fettuccine ravioli

I’ve had a few people think I was a vegetarian and become disappointed that I wasn’t. I tell them I was. And they always say, “But you look like a vegetarian.” “Or you have a vegetarian’s personality,” or “You seemed like a vegetarian.” If, with my personality, I have defamed any of you vegetarians out there by living a lie in this guise, I sincerely apologize and ask forgiveness as I may do it in the future.

UPDATE

Happy Birthday to Jeannie, Credell, Pat, Brian, Kim F., Kent F., my moms, Papi, Tito, Efrat, Van, Michael, Van, Elisa, and everyone else I missed recently or will miss. I pray it was joyous and most days of the year can be a celebration for you as well.

Here are pictures of the work of Hurricane Ike along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html

Other than that, my church had its 4th annual student & 20’s formal which I attended and helped to plan. It was on Tuesday. The 25+ formal was on Friday (yesterday), so I could actually go to both, though I only went to the student & 20’s one which was entitled “A Night at the Oscars.” The 25+ one was called “A Night with the Stars,” so you guessed it: we used the exact same directions for both. I had to order life-sized Oscar statues and find red carpet and order actual Academy award statues to give as awards to people that received the most votes for various categories (people voted when they bought their tickets; we received nominations from all student & 20’s life group leaders). It was a nice event. I wanted to go over the top and have the youth acting as the audience, rope off the red carpet, have video camera men and interviews with photographers and all that. I heard people say that it wasn’t as good as last year. I think that’s because they didn’t like having mc’s and then different people come up to be presenters and things like that. I’m not sure. After all 8 awards and two performances were done (by the time we ate dessert), we did a few thank you’s and then started the DJ music. The black-and-white checkered floor was moldy due to strong rains that entered the building. We didn’t kill the mold. Someone just painted over it for the white squares, though you could still notice something was wrong with the floor. But in the dark, people had fun. On Friday, I decided to help out with Melissa. We went shopping for a barbecue she was hosting for her group during an Alpha course for university students that our church hosted. It was a reunion for her group. We had a great time, and I really enjoyed it. And I’m glad I helped. I really wanted to be at the adult formal especially because they were going to have a live jazz band (not for the whole time) and I was hoping you could dance to it and not only to a dj (they could do the trick where the band only performs during the meal).

At the one I organized on Tuesday we lost some waiters, so I ended up serving the table at which I was seated. Imagine their surprise when I introduced myself as the waiter while the open seat was for me. I met a few American exchange students I hadn’t met before.

At my church we have had two American couples from Ashville, NC arrive. One couple has a child of 1 year or less; the mother is hearing impaired and I thought she didn’t like me because I didn’t understand what her name was the first time she said it.

And we’ve had two youth volunteers arrive. One girl came from Hawaii under the official FYP (Frontiers Year Programme – I don’t know the name) program, and the other came from France on his own so he doesn’t have to attend FYP trainings. He’s cool. His name is Nathaniel and he knows Bronwyn a friend from church under whom I work. Bronwyn, the children’s administrator, is the ex-fiancé of Nathaniel’s sister’s fiancé’s brother. So they have known about each other and finally met.