Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Leave A Message

Hello! You have not reached grackyfrogg, but you have reached her blog. She is away from it right now, but she'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave your name and/or a brief message at the sound of the BEEEEP.

Oh and happy New Year!

BEEEEP.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Meditation

Ah, see the baby, how beautiful he is!

He will walk among us, as one of us, and yet not so, for he has come forth from the God of heaven and earth. The praise of angels precede him, the prophecies of men are fulfilled in him, and the Spirit of the Lord is upon him.

And look! Here are the star-watchers, who have journeyed long, bearing gifts, that they may kneel before the Morning Star. Here are the shepherds too, who, hearing the song of angels as they kept their dark-night vigil among their flocks, have shaken off sleep to gaze on the one who will shepherd many peoples.

Come and see, the baby sleeps. But hush, for the cares and evils of the world and all men will lie heavy on his shoulders when he wakes, and he will bear that weary burden all the days of his life. He will feed the hungry, heal the sick, comfort the sorrowful, rebuke the proud, and restore life to the dead and dying. Then he himself will die for those who revile him and turn away. He will be torn, bruised, and broken for all, whether they have loved or hated him. He will forgive the ones who destroy his life.

Those who love him will falter and stray, but he will be faithful, because he loves them and they are his.

Oh! if only I could make you see how beautiful he is! This baby, this little child, this man named Jesus, this Son of God.

For the light has come, and the darkness does not know how to bear it.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

No Work For Me=Blog For You!

Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Holiday stresses got you down? Well never fear--the frogg is here! Today I have heroically used my downtime at work to entertain you with this blog. At least, I hope you are entertained. (If you aren't, and would like to complain, please see the second-to-last paragraph of this post. Thank you.)

First of all, I would just like to inform you that today is a cause for celebration. Many celebrations, actually. Because NOT ONLY is it the Winter Solstice, it is also a Palindrome Day! Look--12/21. Now write the numbers from right to left, and it is the same! Watch, I'll do it: 12/21. Whoa! How cool is that!

(Yes, I have too much free time.)

But wait, there's more! Today is also: National Flashlight Day, National Hamburger Day, and Look on the Bright Side Day. So do yourself a favor and look on the bright side by shining your flashlight on a burger from your favorite burger joint (In-N-Out, baby!). And don't forget that "hamburger" written backward is "regrubmah." Uh, that's not a palindrome, is it. Oops. (But it's kind of funny, because it sounds like "Re-grub, ma." Haha!)

Ok, moving on. The next thing I want to share with you is a site called innocentenglish, featuring lots of funny signs gleaned from foreign countries. Here are a few of my favorites, which had me nearly choking in my efforts to not laugh so loudly that the attention of my co-workers would be drawn to the fact that I am doing a lot less work than they are today:

1) A yellow caution sign by a river in Japan:
CAREFULLY FALL INTO THE RIVER!

2) On a multipurpose knife sold in Japan:
CAUTION: BLADE EXTREMELY SHARP! KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN.

3) Sign at park:
KEEP JAPAN GREEN
DON'T BURN
THE FIRE CHIEF

(oh I do love that one!)

4) A flush button in subway toilet:
You lady will push this button before leaving.

5) Bathroom sign:
Caution: when you take a bath, please close the
door and switch on the fun without fail.


6) On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.


Yes, it's hard to choose a favorite, but this one gets the Frogg's Croak Award today:

7) A sign in an Osaka hotel elevator above the emergency call button:
Push this button in case anything happens.

Finally, if you are tempted to complain about how crazy things are at this time of year, or anything else really, save it for December 26, which is National Whiners Day. I tell you I can't wait! I am a prodigiously accomplished whiner. Just ask my family...my Christmas-Day trademark, "Come on, guys--When are we going to open the presents?" is legendary (and still performed).

Until next time, here's wishing you a blessed/good/joyous/merry/seasonal/holiday day. Kisses from the frogg princess...

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

No Happy Holidays For You!

As a followup to my previous post, here is a link to a CNN article that I happened to find a few minutes ago:

Tiptoeing Around "Merry Christmas," Er, "Happy Holidays"

I would laugh if it weren't so depressing...the fact that people are busily fighting, at Christmas time, over what is the best way to greet someone, or what to call a tree that has pretty lights on it.

Not to mention the fact that this is primetime news.

Personally, I think we should all just...not talk. No pleasant greetings! No cheerful salutations! And all these angry people get a lump of coal in their stockings for being ridiculous.

(Unless, of course, they don't believe that Christ approves of stockings, in which case I just don't want to hear it.)

Thinking Aloud

This morning I logged onto bible.com because I can't remember very well the last time I read much of the Bible, and I felt like maybe it would be nice to read some, today. I found the following survey on the front page of the site:

What concerns you the most about how the world is attacking Christmas, a Christian holiday?


a) Using an "X" to replace Christ's name in Christmas - i.e. Xmas
b) Banning manger scenes from public places
c) Substituting "Happy Holidays" for "Merry Christmas"
d) Emphasizng Santa Claus over Baby Jesus


I have to say, I am not particularly bothered by any of the above, and it depresses me a little that this seems to be the big concern for Christians at this time of year. Why should we be surprised if a world that doesn't care much for God as a general rule, doesn't want to honor him at all?

It strikes me (wearisomely, these days) that we who love the Lord have to pick our battles, and we seem to be picking all the wrong ones.

I remember meeting a woman a few years ago, in a Borders bookstore, and somehow engaging her in a conversation about God and religion. I began to talk to her about the concept of "grace" and she looked blank. I asked if she knew what the word meant--just the dictionary definition, really--and she shook her head.

That bothers me a whole lot more than whether or not a manger scene is set up on a street corner.

Monday, December 19, 2005

I Just Want To Tell You...

...that I love Christmas lights.

I'm Back...

...and I'm sick. Stupid cold and flu season. I hate it.

Feel free to tell me how sorry you are for me. I'm sure that will help me feel better soon. Pity parties are oh-so-fun!

In the meantime, this is the frogg, signing off and thinking longingly of her bed at home, where she would much prefer to be right now, instead of at work. Sigh.