Okay, so I got asked to play for a church league here in SD. So my first at bat, I swing forward and hit the ball, but because I was off-balance from my swing, I tripped over my feet trying to get to first and fell flat on my face. I never made it to first. I scraped my knee, which I haven't done since high school, and totally felt like an idiot. However, I did manage to redeem my horrible at-bat with a nice catch in the 2nd inning. I played second base, so I caught an infield pop-fly for an out. I also got on base 3 additional times and scored a run. So ya know. Made up for the horridness of my first at-bat.
All I gotta say is at least expectations won't be that high for my ability as a player, so if I make good plays, people will automatically be impressed, just cause I failed so miserably early on in the game.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
Pray
I was just reading a book that talks about the beauty of Montana. Now, I know it snows there a lot, and it can get very cold, but it made me crave a change in the way I'm living. I would love to move somewhere like Montana, where there's mountains, and wildlife, and open spaces, all at the same time.
I want to go on vacation somewhere like that, but I would need someone to go with me.
I have a billing method I use in my personal finances to keep track of how much money I'm spending on bills. Basically, I write down all my bills on a post-it, and mark off when they go on my bank statement. I put it in my daily planner in the month to month section. This allows me to figure out A) whether I can afford to save anything, and B) how much I'm spending each month on my bills.
Good trends in my spending:
I want to go on vacation somewhere like that, but I would need someone to go with me.
I have a billing method I use in my personal finances to keep track of how much money I'm spending on bills. Basically, I write down all my bills on a post-it, and mark off when they go on my bank statement. I put it in my daily planner in the month to month section. This allows me to figure out A) whether I can afford to save anything, and B) how much I'm spending each month on my bills.
Good trends in my spending:
- I'm able to cover my bills
- I'm investing some of my money, about 5% of what I make, and I just got enrolled in my company's retirement plan, and so I'm actually putting about 10% away for retirement, and about 2.5% in a mutual fund that is more easily accessible
- I'm giving about 5% of my money to my missionary friends in support and I'm trying to give about 5% to my church
Bad trends in my spending:
- I have very little discretionary income
- I use my credit card whenever I have unexpected expenses, like car repairs, therefore, my credit card seems to never be paid off
I just figured out that I'm making $29,640 per year, but after taxes and benefits taken out, I take home $22,080. In a community like San Diego, that's not much. The cost of living is very high here.
So I decided that I need to pray more for direction. I'm still facing some big life decisions. I love my job, but feel like I need to be earning more. At the same time, if I decided to go back to school, this would be the best place for me to stay and finish my education. I really have the desire to experience a new place, so it might be better for me to try and get a job in my field, but I waffle on this decision everyday. If I were truly content, maybe I wouldn't be so restless.
I need to pray that God would guide me in these decisions and bring me to the place where I should be...it still could be here in San Diego.
I'm thankful that I even have some of the options that I do, to experience new places, people, and ideas.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Tow Truck Story -- Conversations 9
“Triple A, this is Candice, how may I assist you this evening?”
“Yeah, hi, I need a tow.”
“What is your membership number?”I read the digits off of my card.
“Are you blocking traffic?”
“No.”
“Are you in a safe place?”
“Yes, I’m at my apartment.”
“Where’s the car?”
“It’s parked on the side of the road.”
“Okay, what city is the car in?
“San Diego.”
“What’s the exact location of the vehicle?”
“It’s at the intersection of Texas and Polk.”
“And where do you need it towed to?”
“4035A Pacific Highway.”
“Okay, the tow truck will be there between now, 7:58pm and 8:27. Is there anything else we can help you out with this evening?”
“No, thank you, that’s it.”
“Okay ma’am, have a nice evening.”
Then I called my friend Cathy.
“Cathy, the tow truck will be here in about 30 minutes. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m just going to get directions to the garage, grab a sweater, and then I’ll come over.”“Actually, I’m going to head over to the intersection to wait for the tow truck.”
“Where is your car?” she asked.
“Its on the corner of Texas and Polk” and I gave her the directions.
“Okay, I’ll see you there.”
Cathy’s car had refused to start the previous day and I bailed her out. Perhaps my car was experiencing empathy pains. I was at a stop sign, and my car just sputtered and died. So I put my hazard lights on and got out of my car to try and figure out what to do. I was blocking traffic, so I began to wave people around me until a guy and a girl in a jeep asked if I needed help. I had noticed that there was a parallel parking spot right behind me on a downhill slope, and I thought I could possibly get the car in that spot while I figured out what to do. So I said, “Yes, actually, I do need some help. Would you mind helping me park the car in that spot?”
They were engaged, and so cute, and really nice. The guy helped me parallel park my car while it was in neutral, and then they offered me a ride home. The guy says, “You know, I just hope that if my girl ever got stranded, there would be someone willing to help.”
I agree.
They turned out to be the kind of neighbors who frequently walk their dog in front of my house and the kind of neighbors you want to be your neighbors.
I made my way over to the intersection where my car was parked and settled in to wait for the tow truck. Cathy arrived about 10 minutes later and was waiting on the side of the road. She couldn’t turn her car off for fear that it wouldn’t start back up.
There was a guy on the opposite street corner waiting for someone as well. Occasionally, he would ask me what time it was.
After about 30 minutes, Triple A called me back to inform me that my tow truck driver was running behind schedule, but that he would be there in five minutes. “Great!” I thought. I ran to where Cathy was waiting and told her, “Five more minutes!” Then I went back to the street corner to wait.
I was getting antsy because I had called a garage, and the guy told me he would wait for me, and that he would be there for another hour. That was 30 minutes ago, so I felt like I was running out of time. Finally, the tow truck arrived, and I was glad. Then the driver started talking.
“Awww, why did you park it there? Okay, try to start it.” I try to start the car, and it turns over but won’t catch.
“Do you have gas in it?” implying that I was just a ditzy girl who had run out of gas.
“Yes!” I said, I have a quarter of a tank.”
“Do you know who owns that van? It is going to be tough to get it out.”
“No, I don’t, do you think you can push it out?”
“I don’t believe this,” he mumbled to himself, but more so that I could hear him. Then he tells me, “I ain’t even supposed to be here!” I can tell he is getting increasingly upset.
“Well, let’s try to move it” I said, ignoring his last statement.
I got in the car, and he got behind me to push. “Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yeah!”
I let my foot off the break and said, “Okay, go!”
I feel him try to push the car, but it didn’t really move anywhere.
“I can’t move this!” he says to me, “You should have just left it at the stop sign! You won’t get no ticket!” and then he heads over to his truck and starts yelling at someone on his radio. He was obviously mad.
I decide to get reinforcements, so I recruit the guy waiting across the street who had watched us block traffic for about 15 minutes. I cross the street and start talking with him.
“Hi,” I said. “Are you busy at the moment? “Would you mind helping the tow truck guy push my car? He’s kind of in a bad mood, and I need some help. Were you waiting for someone?”
“Yeah,” he says, “But I don’t know where my ride is.”
“Well, can you come help?”“Sure, I suppose so.”
We wander back across the street where the driver is getting increasingly frustrated.
“I found some help” I told him.
He didn’t answer me, and just got in his truck and started maneuvering around.
Some people pulled in across the street, and another guy comes over to ask if we need help. “Yeah, the tow truck guy is in a really bad mood” I said, “And I think we need help, but he won’t tell us how to help him,” referring to the other guy I had pulled off of the street to help.
Finally, the tow truck is in place. The three guys position themselves behind my car. I hear the driver say, “I ain’t even supposed to be doin’ this, I ain’t got no workers’ comp!”
I tell them, “Okay, go!”
They push the car about 5 feet out at an angle, and the car is now in great position to be towed. I watch the driver hook my car to his truck. “Where are you towing it?” he asks.
“4035A Pacific Highway” I tell him.
“I’ll follow you over” he says.
“Okay,” I responded. I wasn’t initially upset at the situation, but his attitude made me upset.
I thanked the two random guys for their assistance, and then went to talk to Cathy, who has been waiting for me this entire time.
“This guy is so pissed off right now,” I tell her.
“Why?” she asks, “Is he mad at you?”
“I’m trying really hard not to take it personally,” I tell her. “He wants to follow us to the garage, so which way do we start?”
“We’re going to turn left, and then left on El Cajon,” she tells me.
“Okay, thanks,” I said, “I’ll be back.”
I tell the driver, “Okay, so we’re going to turn left, and then left on El Cajon.”
He barely acknowledges my presence as he finishes hooking my car up to his truck. As soon as he’s done, I tell him where we’re headed, and then get in the car with Cathy.
“He is so pissed off right now,” I told her. Then I told her what had happened. As we were driving, I told her, “If we get lost, he is going to be really mad, so I hope we find the garage okay.”
We get to the right street, and I start watching the street signs for numbers, then we passed the block where the garage was, so Cathy and I make a U-turn, and I said, “ooohhh, he’s going to be so mad!”
Cathy looks at me and says, “Its his job to tow cars, and I don’t care how mad he is!”
We see the garage, and she drops me off, parks and goes to flag down the driver. I tell the two guys, “Okay, this tow truck guy is so pissed off right now.” Then I tell them the whole story. Then I said, “I’m so mad right now I’m shaking!”
They tell me, “Well, you’re here now, its going to be okay, just let it go. We can take it from here.” I thought it would be a good idea.
Meanwhile, Cathy is outside, trying to flag down the driver. Apparently he was very close to driving off with my car, but Cathy got him to bring the car over to the entrance. She gets out to talk to him, but he’s being a belligerent jerk, and Cathy was yelling at him too.
As soon as he got out to unhook my car, he had nothing to say to either me or the guys at the garage. As soon as he was done, he got in his truck and drives off in a huff.
“Triple A, this is Michael, how may I assist you this evening?”
“Yeah, hi, I just called you guys to get my car towed this evening, and it was, and thank you, that was awesome, but the tow truck driver? He wasn’t very nice at all. He was really mean. I didn’t have a problem with you guys at all, just the driver.”
“Oh, let me get your name so I can get my supervisor to look into it.”
“What’s your name?"
I gave him the information.
“Thank you, I will have my supervisor look into this. Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?”
“No, that’s all, thank you.”
And I hung up the phone.
“Yeah, hi, I need a tow.”
“What is your membership number?”I read the digits off of my card.
“Are you blocking traffic?”
“No.”
“Are you in a safe place?”
“Yes, I’m at my apartment.”
“Where’s the car?”
“It’s parked on the side of the road.”
“Okay, what city is the car in?
“San Diego.”
“What’s the exact location of the vehicle?”
“It’s at the intersection of Texas and Polk.”
“And where do you need it towed to?”
“4035A Pacific Highway.”
“Okay, the tow truck will be there between now, 7:58pm and 8:27. Is there anything else we can help you out with this evening?”
“No, thank you, that’s it.”
“Okay ma’am, have a nice evening.”
Then I called my friend Cathy.
“Cathy, the tow truck will be here in about 30 minutes. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m just going to get directions to the garage, grab a sweater, and then I’ll come over.”“Actually, I’m going to head over to the intersection to wait for the tow truck.”
“Where is your car?” she asked.
“Its on the corner of Texas and Polk” and I gave her the directions.
“Okay, I’ll see you there.”
Cathy’s car had refused to start the previous day and I bailed her out. Perhaps my car was experiencing empathy pains. I was at a stop sign, and my car just sputtered and died. So I put my hazard lights on and got out of my car to try and figure out what to do. I was blocking traffic, so I began to wave people around me until a guy and a girl in a jeep asked if I needed help. I had noticed that there was a parallel parking spot right behind me on a downhill slope, and I thought I could possibly get the car in that spot while I figured out what to do. So I said, “Yes, actually, I do need some help. Would you mind helping me park the car in that spot?”
They were engaged, and so cute, and really nice. The guy helped me parallel park my car while it was in neutral, and then they offered me a ride home. The guy says, “You know, I just hope that if my girl ever got stranded, there would be someone willing to help.”
I agree.
They turned out to be the kind of neighbors who frequently walk their dog in front of my house and the kind of neighbors you want to be your neighbors.
I made my way over to the intersection where my car was parked and settled in to wait for the tow truck. Cathy arrived about 10 minutes later and was waiting on the side of the road. She couldn’t turn her car off for fear that it wouldn’t start back up.
There was a guy on the opposite street corner waiting for someone as well. Occasionally, he would ask me what time it was.
After about 30 minutes, Triple A called me back to inform me that my tow truck driver was running behind schedule, but that he would be there in five minutes. “Great!” I thought. I ran to where Cathy was waiting and told her, “Five more minutes!” Then I went back to the street corner to wait.
I was getting antsy because I had called a garage, and the guy told me he would wait for me, and that he would be there for another hour. That was 30 minutes ago, so I felt like I was running out of time. Finally, the tow truck arrived, and I was glad. Then the driver started talking.
“Awww, why did you park it there? Okay, try to start it.” I try to start the car, and it turns over but won’t catch.
“Do you have gas in it?” implying that I was just a ditzy girl who had run out of gas.
“Yes!” I said, I have a quarter of a tank.”
“Do you know who owns that van? It is going to be tough to get it out.”
“No, I don’t, do you think you can push it out?”
“I don’t believe this,” he mumbled to himself, but more so that I could hear him. Then he tells me, “I ain’t even supposed to be here!” I can tell he is getting increasingly upset.
“Well, let’s try to move it” I said, ignoring his last statement.
I got in the car, and he got behind me to push. “Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yeah!”
I let my foot off the break and said, “Okay, go!”
I feel him try to push the car, but it didn’t really move anywhere.
“I can’t move this!” he says to me, “You should have just left it at the stop sign! You won’t get no ticket!” and then he heads over to his truck and starts yelling at someone on his radio. He was obviously mad.
I decide to get reinforcements, so I recruit the guy waiting across the street who had watched us block traffic for about 15 minutes. I cross the street and start talking with him.
“Hi,” I said. “Are you busy at the moment? “Would you mind helping the tow truck guy push my car? He’s kind of in a bad mood, and I need some help. Were you waiting for someone?”
“Yeah,” he says, “But I don’t know where my ride is.”
“Well, can you come help?”“Sure, I suppose so.”
We wander back across the street where the driver is getting increasingly frustrated.
“I found some help” I told him.
He didn’t answer me, and just got in his truck and started maneuvering around.
Some people pulled in across the street, and another guy comes over to ask if we need help. “Yeah, the tow truck guy is in a really bad mood” I said, “And I think we need help, but he won’t tell us how to help him,” referring to the other guy I had pulled off of the street to help.
Finally, the tow truck is in place. The three guys position themselves behind my car. I hear the driver say, “I ain’t even supposed to be doin’ this, I ain’t got no workers’ comp!”
I tell them, “Okay, go!”
They push the car about 5 feet out at an angle, and the car is now in great position to be towed. I watch the driver hook my car to his truck. “Where are you towing it?” he asks.
“4035A Pacific Highway” I tell him.
“I’ll follow you over” he says.
“Okay,” I responded. I wasn’t initially upset at the situation, but his attitude made me upset.
I thanked the two random guys for their assistance, and then went to talk to Cathy, who has been waiting for me this entire time.
“This guy is so pissed off right now,” I tell her.
“Why?” she asks, “Is he mad at you?”
“I’m trying really hard not to take it personally,” I tell her. “He wants to follow us to the garage, so which way do we start?”
“We’re going to turn left, and then left on El Cajon,” she tells me.
“Okay, thanks,” I said, “I’ll be back.”
I tell the driver, “Okay, so we’re going to turn left, and then left on El Cajon.”
He barely acknowledges my presence as he finishes hooking my car up to his truck. As soon as he’s done, I tell him where we’re headed, and then get in the car with Cathy.
“He is so pissed off right now,” I told her. Then I told her what had happened. As we were driving, I told her, “If we get lost, he is going to be really mad, so I hope we find the garage okay.”
We get to the right street, and I start watching the street signs for numbers, then we passed the block where the garage was, so Cathy and I make a U-turn, and I said, “ooohhh, he’s going to be so mad!”
Cathy looks at me and says, “Its his job to tow cars, and I don’t care how mad he is!”
We see the garage, and she drops me off, parks and goes to flag down the driver. I tell the two guys, “Okay, this tow truck guy is so pissed off right now.” Then I tell them the whole story. Then I said, “I’m so mad right now I’m shaking!”
They tell me, “Well, you’re here now, its going to be okay, just let it go. We can take it from here.” I thought it would be a good idea.
Meanwhile, Cathy is outside, trying to flag down the driver. Apparently he was very close to driving off with my car, but Cathy got him to bring the car over to the entrance. She gets out to talk to him, but he’s being a belligerent jerk, and Cathy was yelling at him too.
As soon as he got out to unhook my car, he had nothing to say to either me or the guys at the garage. As soon as he was done, he got in his truck and drives off in a huff.
“Triple A, this is Michael, how may I assist you this evening?”
“Yeah, hi, I just called you guys to get my car towed this evening, and it was, and thank you, that was awesome, but the tow truck driver? He wasn’t very nice at all. He was really mean. I didn’t have a problem with you guys at all, just the driver.”
“Oh, let me get your name so I can get my supervisor to look into it.”
“What’s your name?"
I gave him the information.
“Thank you, I will have my supervisor look into this. Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?”
“No, that’s all, thank you.”
And I hung up the phone.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Mexico
I went to Mexico over Memorial Day weekend with Cornerstone Bible Church as a high-school leader. I was put in charge of VBS and worship. So I had a $300 budget, and spent almost all of it on VBS supplies and recreational sports equipment. Got everything into my car, including my sleeping bag, extra blankets and a pillow, got to Mexico, and quickly realized that I forgot my bag of clothes.
I felt like such an idiot for not remembering. But it was a great lesson in humility and God's provision. I had t-shirts, and wore the same pants all weekend. I realized even more how blessed we are in the states, because for the people we were helping, a daily change of clothing is not always possible. There is not much water, and what water there is must be paid for.
I had a great time in spite of not having brought my clothes, but God is good, and he always provides. I even got clean underwear out of a package and clean socks too. For some reason, I had floss in my car, and so I didn't really need a toothbrush.
However, between giggling high school girls, the roosters crowing from 2am on, and my volunteer shift at breakfast (5:30 wake-up call), I got maybe 12 hours of sleep. I don't think I could constantly live like this, but it was definitely fun.
I felt like such an idiot for not remembering. But it was a great lesson in humility and God's provision. I had t-shirts, and wore the same pants all weekend. I realized even more how blessed we are in the states, because for the people we were helping, a daily change of clothing is not always possible. There is not much water, and what water there is must be paid for.
I had a great time in spite of not having brought my clothes, but God is good, and he always provides. I even got clean underwear out of a package and clean socks too. For some reason, I had floss in my car, and so I didn't really need a toothbrush.
However, between giggling high school girls, the roosters crowing from 2am on, and my volunteer shift at breakfast (5:30 wake-up call), I got maybe 12 hours of sleep. I don't think I could constantly live like this, but it was definitely fun.
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