The Weekly Wrap-Up: January 15-19, 2024

Ey up!

The week started off strong as I overslept my alarm. Go me. I decided to treat it as an early birthday present because there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it. 

I'm still working on published files. I got another language done with those, but I've had to pause that work so I can do a group of Amharic. That is the language spoken in Ethiopia. It uses a really cool script, and it's one of the few that actually takes up less space than English. That makes my job really easy. 

So, my birthday was on Tuesday. It was a great day, despite the cold. I'm used to being cold on my birthday. But my coworkers took me out to lunch and gave me really fun gifts. It was a great day, continued Thursday evening with dinner at K-town. It's a newer restaurant that does Korean bbq and hot pot. I'd never done hot pot before, so that was a fun experience! 

This has been a quiet week overall. The weather keeps many people home, and while I do get more done when it's quiet, I also do like to see people on occasion. 

Shocking, I know.

That's it for this week. I hope you stay warm and cozy. 

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: January 16-20, 2023

Hello, people!

I trust you are all well. I am, thus far, enjoying the start of my 38th year on this planet (I turned 37 on Monday). It doesn't feel all that different, but it is very windy out, so I guess we could consider those the winds of change or something like that. 

My birthday was pretty low key. I took Sarah to the airport Monday morning. She's going to Thailand without me. What a birthday present, right?! But seriously, I'm very happy for her even if she is going for work. I haven't quite been able to convince myself to go anywhere by plane yet. I did some work on the Portuguese volume, then my parents came and we went to Target and dinner. We talked about lots of things, notably my strategy for getting my insurance to actually pay for the surgery in December. Why is healthcare so gnarly? Anyway, it was a lovely day, and I'm very happy my parents came to see me.

I had a team meeting on Tuesday, which was lovely, since I haven't actually gotten to connect with my peeps except by text for a month and a half. We try to keep up with what is going on in life and also how work projects are progressing. Pray for them. 

I did finish the volume for the VCP teams and started working on Haitian Creole. We are so close to putting that project to bed! We've been working on it for years, and, despite all of the conflict in the country, switching translators, and unavoidable loss of contact, we are now nearly finished.

I had to break from HC, though, because we're putting together a separate volume for Bengali. That's an interesting language, one which I actually haven't worked in before. It's one we finished a few years ago, and it's fascinating now to see how the small changes we've made to the booklets over the years have added up. The Bengali books are still great, but I can see how we have made incremental improvements for users, translators, and production.

The OMS Board will be around next week, so that will be interesting. I generally try to avoid all of that craziness. 

That's all I have for you this week. I hope you have a wind-free weekend.

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: January 13-17, 2020

Welcome to my birthday week! It's been pretty decent, though I've had a headache all day, so if I'm not my usual effervescent self, that's why. I'm not overly surprised. It's still a bunch of meetings this week, plus Sarah left me for Asia for two weeks, so I have to figure out how to cope without my partner in crime.

I switched to Castilian this week. It's a pretty smooth language, based on our Latin America Spanish, so I've mostly just been fixing speech bubbles and lengthening text boxes. For whatever reason, the first group always seems to take just a little bit longer to do, but that's fine. We'll get there.

I've also been putting out fires for people. We have a download site for T&M booklets, and no one knows how to use it, but they don't know they don't know how to use it until they try, and it's always right before they absolutely need booklets. (A little forethought never hurt anyone.) So then I have to walk people through it or figure out why it isn't working, which means a lot of phone calls. I don't mind, not really, but I have zero technical knowledge of websites, so it's usually me saying, "I really don't know why you're getting that message, have you cleared the cache? What's a cache? Okay, let's start over."

I also put together an email that will go out to our licensed organizers - basically, anyone who has taken the training or paid $$ to use T&M. Part of their agreement says that they will send a report to us of their activities. We like to know that it's being used and used well, after all. We typically send about 860 emails, and we'll get maybe 15 responses. But they can't say they didn't know!

Like I mentioned, my birthday was on Thursday. It was a pretty quiet day. I had birthday donuts and Chick-fil-a for lunch, and I received some very lovely cards and gifts. It was a nice day. My parents are coming this weekend to celebrate with me. I'm looking forward to it.

And that's about it. I'm gonna go home and hopefully sleep for a long time tonight. 

Felicitations on this, the thirty-third day of my birth.

I was probably 11 or 12 when I first heard Mark Lowry tell this joke.



And I don't particularly know why, but it has stuck with me all these years. Maybe because it's funny, which it is. Maybe because it seemed like a logical dividing line. Before and After.

The thing is, I don't mind being single at 33 (which I am today). When I was younger, I told my parents that I would probably be single the rest of my life. It was in part a lament, because getting married and having kids was just what you did. But it was also partly a feeling that that path was not one I would walk. And I'm not discounting the possibility (though the older I get, the less likely it is) because far be it from me to refuse something that God has ordained.

But I'm really just Not Interested. I like the single life. I'm responsible for exactly one person. I answer to myself, and I answer to God. (A little to my employer, but that's because as a person, I have decided that a work ethic and respect for my employer is a thing that should happen.) I can't even imagine rearranging my life right now to accommodate another person.

So why are we talking about this? Because now that I've reached the dividing line, I'm not really sure what comes next. What does navigating the rest of my life as a (probably) single adult look like?

I don't know. But I'm excited to find out.

The Day-Long Battle

I feel compelled to offer some profundity on this, the day of my birth.

Uh.

...

Just kidding. I is smart, I is kind, and I is important. I is an entitled Millennial. And I never really lack for an opinion on something. Anything, actually. If I don't know about it, I'm great at making something up. It's one of the first things they taught us as a history major. Why do you think so many of us become politicians?

Wow. These rabbit trails. Moving on.

I was very intrigued by our devotions this morning in the weekly Monday meeting. They focused on 1 Samuel 30:8,17.

8 - "and David inquired of the Lord, 'Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?' 'Pursue them,' he answered. 'You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.'"

17 - "David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled."

Now, you're probably thinking, what the heck? Where could this possibly be leading? Is she proof texting now?

Bear with me.

First, context. David is in exile. He's been fooling the Philistines (who really should have known better) into thinking he's on their side. Finally, someone has some common sense and tells David's patron with the Philistines that it's probably not a good idea for the guy who killed Goliath to be fighting alongside them. So David and his posse are sent back home. In the meantime, the Amalekites have pulled a Colonel Tavington and burned David's home and captured his womenfolk. Needless to say, he's pretty torn up about it, and his gang isn't very happy either because their womenfolk have also been taken. So we come to verse 8, in which David inquires of the Lord about what he should do.

Lesson #1 - Even if it seems like the obvious thing to do, ask God first. 

Of course you're going to go get your women back. At the very least, you're gonna want your stuff. (Hey, I'm being practical. These were different times.) Even the guy in The Revenant (at least in the real story) didn't care about being left behind. He just wanted his stuff back. So naturally, you'd expect them to go after the Amalekites.

But David wanted to be sure. "Is this what I'm supposed to do, Lord? Will it even work?" David knew that, sometimes, the obvious course of action is not the correct one, so he calls on the One who isn't going to lead him astray. He doesn't get stuck in the revenge mindset, either.

Lesson #2 - Sometimes you have to do something even if it might fail.

David asks two questions here. Should I go? Will I succeed?

This is important. If the answer to both is yes, it's a no brainer. If the answer to both is no, it's also a no brainer, albeit harder to explain to everyone else. But let's say God told him to go, but also told him that he wasn't going to prevail against them. You can't not go. But suicide missions really don't generally go over well. Most people want to know they are going to accomplish something with a profound impact on the future. Cassian Andor was willing to follow Jyn Erso to Scarif even though he knew they were all probably going to die because getting the plans for the Death Star meant fewer planets being blown up. (Spoilers. Sorry.)

But could you do the right thing even if it leads to certain death?

Fast forward to verse 17. David has pursued the Amalekites, left some guys with the luggage, found an Egyptian slave, and now conducts a raid of his own.

Lesson #3 - Don't let the size of the enemy discourage you.

David started out with 600 men. He left 200 behind with the supplies because they were exhausted. (More on that later.) So he's attacking a force of unknown size with 400 men. Well, I say unknown because we don't have a total figure, but we do know that there were quite a few more than 400 because that's the number that escaped, and when the Bible says they killed everyone except 400, it generally doesn't mean they killed 1 and 400 got away.

And don't talk to me about them being distracted and caught unprepared. That may be the case for the first few they encountered, but the rest of the Amalekites are going to catch on pretty quickly that there's a problem.

But David was assured a victory, so he didn't bother to worry about how many he was up against. When God is on your side, the enemy doesn't stand a chance!

Lesson #4 - Just because you're assured a victory doesn't mean it will be easy.

This is really what caught my attention. David has done everything right - he inquired of God, he did what God told him, he's certain that he's going to win.

But he still has to fight.

Do you know what phrase I hate more than just about any other?

This too shall pass.

I hate it. It's trite. It's true, but it ignores everything you're experiencing at the moment and reducing it to the distant memory you will someday have. It completely disregards the emotional, physical, mental anguish you are currently enduring.

David knew he was going to win. But it still took him a full day to achieve his victory. The Amalekites didn't just fold up when he arrived and say, "Yeah, you got us. Good one. Here's your stuff and womenfolk back. Our bad."

No. They fought. They fought hard. It's entirely possible that some of those 400 men with David didn't survive.

See, we know what happens in the end. God wins. But there is a real battle being fought. And with every battle, there are casualties. Which leads to

Lesson #5 - Your definition of victory may not be God's version of victory.

If you watch Doctor Who, then you know that the Doctor always wins in the end. He's the hero. That's how it works in TV land. But the way he wins isn't always pretty. Sometimes people die. Sometimes his companions die. Sometimes he dies. Winning doesn't always mean we get everything we want. There have been countless wars that ended simply because one side lost a little less than the other. The winner tends to write the history books, after all.

There is a pitched battle going on for people's souls. Satan counts every soul he snatches away from God as a victory. Sure, we know God ultimately triumphs in the end. But his victory is made all the sweeter with every soul we win.

And some things are going to happen that won't look like victories. People are killed every day because they are Christians. In the world's eye, this looks a lot like defeat. 400 young men escaped from David and lived to fight another day. Douglas MacArthur would have thrown a fit.

We can't just write people off as acceptable losses. "Well, God wins in the end, so it really doesn't matter if I invite my neighbor to church/support missionaries/read my Bible. I said the prayer, I'm good."

Seriously, don't say these things in my vicinity. You will not like what happens next. Seriously. Go read John 8:31.

Lesson #6 - Everyone plays a part. And sometimes you just have to endure.

David recovers his womenfolk and goes back to pick up his 200 men. He's concerned about them, but a few jerk faces in the 400 throw water on everything and magnanimously offer them their kinfolk but no spoils of victory as they didn't actually fight.

Seriously, I empathize with these 200 guys. They had just completed a 50 mile trip back to their city (probably on foot), discovered all their stuff missing, marched another 15 miles to Besor, saw what was ahead of them, and simply couldn't go another step.

The road goes ever on and on...

They offered to stay with the stuff that everyone else left behind so they could travel light. And they may not have even expected anything from the raid (minus their women and children). But these malcontents didn't even let them get a word in edgewise. "This is our victory," they said. "We decide who gets to keep the goods."

But David brings them back to reality. "Y'all better check yourselves before you wreck yourselves," he says. "This wasn't our victory. This was God's victory. We would be nowhere without Him, so stop tooting your own horn. Also, these guys performed a valuable service and allowed us to go into battle without worrying about even more stuff. They had our backs. Also, I'm going to be King. So shut it."

I'm paraphrasing, but I'm pretty sure that's how it went down. 

Look, I get it. In my human self, I'd want a little recognition. I just marched 50 miles, suffered emotional heartbreak, marched another 15 miles, had to make a pit stop, marched even further through a wadi, fought a battle for a day, lost some buddies, and marched back across the wadi to find everyone else fully rested and standing around. I'm owed a little compensation. 

Seriously, though. What's wrong with spreading a little good will? It reminds me of the movie Entrapment (which I never thought I would use as an illustration, but whatever). Sean Connery asks Catherine Zeta-Jones a very important question. "What would you do with eight billion dollars that you couldn't do with four?" Honestly, it's not like you're getting poor hanging out with David. Why do you need to be stingy?

I really hope you're catching the parallel to missions. It's not something I want to have to spell out every time, but I will. Just say the word. 

So I hope that fulfills the profundity clause. That's a lot to learn in 31 years. And that's just from one chapter of the Bible. 

I didn't even have to make anything up. 

Birthday Thoughts

So last Saturday, I celebrated my 30th birthday. I have been on this plant for 30 years. Three decades. 10,950 days. 282,000 hours.

In other words, a long flipping time.

I know there are some who would say that's not very long. And I suppose, relatively speaking, it's really not that long.

But it feels long to me.

I've done a lot so far in my life. I've traveled, I've studied, I've made friends, lost friends, had a few different jobs. There are a lot of things I haven't done. I've never been married, for one. I can't decide if I want that to change.

Obviously, I can't see into the future. I don't know what the next three decades holds, or even if I get three more decades. But I do know that I don't want birthdays to become just another day. They signify an achievement. By the grace of God, I've survived another year on this little round ball, and at times, I've even enjoyed it.

So if you ever hear me say that I won't be celebrating my birthday, remind me of this post.

And at some point, there had better be a surprise birthday party. 

What a difference 6 years makes!

It can be quite intriguing to go back through old Facebook posts and notes to see what, if anything, has changed. I found the below list from January 2009, back when this type of thing was common on FB. I'm going to respond to some of these items now, six years later. The challenge was to write down 25 little-known things about me. My responses are below each item.


1. My list of 100 Things To Do Before I Die only has 76 things on it.
I can't honestly say I've looked at this list since 2009. So I took a quick glance at it. The # is actually 71. I crossed some new things off! But I don't really understand lists like this. I mean, yeah, there are some things I'd like to accomplish, but not much I really feel compelled to do just because everyone else has done it or says it's amazing. And how do I know what things I might want to do in the future? I might hear about something totally awesome, and if I limited myself to 100, there'd be no room for that on the list! (Just kidding, I'd totally change the name. Also, when I wrote the list, I distinctly remember putting things I had already done on it so that I could cross things off immediately and feel accomplished.)


2. My elvish name is Nessa Almateriel.
This is still true. But I also know how to write my own name in Elvish runes now.



3. My hobbit name is Ruby Toadfoot.
Also still true. Though I think the website I used to figure that out is no longer available.


4. Of the twenty-one necklaces I own, I have worn nineteen in public.
Oh, baby, I own so many more than 21 now. And a few still haven't been worn in public. (I did not take the time to count how many I own now. I'd say a rough estimate is about 50. But there's a wide margin of error.)


5. Neither Buck House, nor the White House, are anything to write home about.
Technically still true, though I've not seen them in some time. The White House just seems very dated. Buck House, which is Buckingham Palace, would probably be very charming if I actually got to see inside. As it was, I only saw the facade.


6. I am afraid of the dark.
Still sort of true. I don't like being in total darkness, but it doesn't freak me out like it used to. What bothers me most is the stillness. If I'm with someone, it's fine, but as soon as I'm on my own in the dark, I have issues. I usually build myself a cocoon and burrow down at night.


7. I have never seriously dated anyone for longer than three months.
A lot depends on how you define 'dated.' I had a long-distance relationship that could have become something and didn't (thank God), I had a stalker (well, two stalkers, actually) that I'm glad didn't become something, but the basic facts are that I have yet to be in a relationship that I would consider 'serious.'


8. I once wrote a Star Wars Extended Universe novel. It was never published.
J.J. Abrams, eat your heart out. It was a rough novel, and it wouldn't fit in the extended universe now, but at the time, I was quite proud of it. Still am, really.


9. I trust too easily.
I forget sometimes that people are evil. It's kind of a weird thing to forget, and most of the time, I really don't trust people (which isn't really a good thing either), but sometimes, I'll surprise myself.


10. The wierdest thing I have ever eaten was a worm when I was five.
I think there were some snails, too. (Give me a break! How to Eat Fried Worms was a very persuasive book.)


11. The one country I want to see more than any other is Vietnam.
Still probably true.


12. The one city I want to see more than any other is Istanbul.
Definitely true.


13. I have never finished an anti-malarial medication after leaving a country.
I have been very fortunate, as this is still true.


14. I would be very happy as a hermitess.
For a while.


15. The picture of me in my head is not the one I see when I look in the mirror.
Still very much true. I actually have a more positive image of myself in my head.


16. My hands shake when I sing in public.
I don't sing in public much anymore. I do miss it, but Babs had stage fright for 27 years, so I feel justified.


17. My favorite Power Rangers series was Lost Galaxy.
That Red Ranger!


18. I have a huge crush on Corran Horn.
He's still in my top five fictional characters. (For those of you wondering, Corran Horn is a character in the Star Wars extended universe. I was a bit of a rabid fan at one time.)


19. I hate roller coasters.
That's putting it mildly.


20. Confederate flags should not be flown over public buildings.Still true. Though my views on the Confederacy have mellowed somewhat, I still maintain that the flag (in whatever form) was a symbol of rebellion, and therefore should not be allowed to fly over government-affiliated buildings.


21. I'm afraid of eternity.
The thing most likely to send me into a panic attack. Not because I don't know where I'll be, but because it never ends. I need to stop thinking about this. (Breathe.)


22. There are 4,129 songs in my iTunes.
7,356 by my last count. So I've added 3,227 in six years. More than 500 each year. I don't know if this is impressive or disturbing. I like music, so this makes me happy.


23. I do not believe life will truly start until I am thin.
Aaaand welcome to the place it gets real. Frankly, I'm surprised I admitted this way back when. I don't talk a lot about my weight in a public forum. I'm well aware that I'm overweight. I'm aware I should probably lose weight. It's healthier. But part of the problem is #15 up there. In my head, I'm not fat. I realize it when I look in a mirror or fly on a plane or travel, but I've yet to find the motivation to do anything about it. And part of me doesn't want to, because if it's true, if life starts when I get thin, then how do I know it's real? I'm mostly talking about men, here. If I meet someone when I'm fat, I know he'll stick with me through whatever. But if I get thin and meet someone, then how do I know he'll still be around when I plump out again? But do I even want a man in the first place?

This is how my brain works.


24. I believe I will never be thin.
I don't think I'll ever get below a size 10. I 'ave beeg bonez! But again, the motivation is not there as of yet.


25. I believe life will never start.
Goodness, I was depressed back then. Seriously, I was mostly talking about the whole marriage and kids bit. Which obviously hasn't started yet. But life has started. It started 29 years ago. Obviously. I'm in it. So I need to start acting like it.

Because today, I celebrate my 29th year on this planet.