back from the dead...and then back to the dead...wait, what?

Before you keep reading, watch this video...it's a bit long, but it might put you in good spirits for the sad, disappointing, potentially soul-crushing news to follow. (If you don't have time to watch the entire 8.5 minute video, skip to about 3:06 for the most important part.)



So remember: if you want to get involved with this super sweet project, let me know as soon as possible!

Okay, now that you've seen that, you're ready for something of a bummer. Basically, the Grid Project is dead. As much as I loved doing it for the first several months, I started to get burned out. This isn't to say that I stopped doing exciting/adventurous/good-for-me things...I figured out after the novelty wore off that doing it in such an organized fashion only resulted in doing things out of guilt or obligation instead of the reasons I started the GP in the first place--making myself a better, more well-rounded, adventurous person. I think those are all things that happened, but I have to ask myself:

Is it really worth the guilt/negative feelings? And the answer was a resounding "NO WAY, JOSE! That is quite the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish!"

So...it's done. But I'm okay with it, and I hope you will be too. I'll try to update here more, but the GP updates are no more.

Well, I'm off to do some work stuff...love you, miss you, blah blah blahhhhh!

grid project - week 3

Your weekly GP update:

Sunday, June 6: Saw the Avett Brothers in concert.

I don't really think I need to talk more about this, since I already wrote a whole post on it. But let me say once again that it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. AMAZING!

Monday, June 7: Cleaned my apartment.

It was badly needed. Like...reeeeeally badly needed. So I did it! Anyone who's ever lived with me knows that it's difficult for me to give a flying rat's nose about how tidy my living space is...so it took a heck of a lot of willpower for me to clean everything up. (SIDENOTE: The GDC [that is, GIANT DEMON CENTIPEDE] made another appearance just moments ago. But this time, I didn't scream. AHHHHHH. Well, I dunno...does a digital scream count?)

Tuesday, June 8: Squeezed some lemons.

I know this seems kind of silly, but I'd never squeezed lemons before, and we were having lemon oregano chicken for dinner, so I was charged with this difficult task. And don't worry--I completely prevailed. Who's "we," you ask? Well! Tuesday was an exciting day, because I spent most of it with a fellow youth minister who works down the road (Caroline), her husband (Chris), and their two daughters (one's two and the other is nine months). Caroline and I have similar interests (namely, social justice-y things) and we have very complimentary personalities, so it was nice to spend time together--we accidentally locked ourselves out of her car (thank you, AAA membership! I knew I'd need you someday!), perused the Ten Thousand Villages Store, went to the South Side farmers market, had some delicious dinner, and generally just had some good conversation. It was a wonderful day, and I hope Caroline, Chris, and I can continue to get to know one another and all that. So you see, squeezing lemons was one of many things I could have used...Tuesday was a great day!

Wednesday, June 9: Went for a late-night, post-thunderstorm walk through my neighborhood.

It was so nice...there was hardly any traffic, the stars were finally starting to peek through the clouds after several dreary days of rain, and I was able to sort through some complex thoughts I've had recently.

Thursday, June 10: Went early-morning grocery shopping.

Here's something you might not know about me: I absolutely love grocery shopping. Like, it's one of my very favorite things in the whole world. I especially like going when hardly anyone's there (so, either really early or really late). Even if I do go during a peak time (say, right when people get off work), I like being able to take my time, follow my list, and smile through the chaos. And even though I really could use the self-checkout line, I never do. I love talking with the folks who are working at the register...I remember what it was like to work at Target--having crabby and mean-spirited people snap at me for no reason, or not even acknowledge my existence aside from asking who to make the check out to, or get angry at me because of a store policy that I had nothing to do with creating...and I try to bring a little bit of sunshine to that person's day (or night, depending on when I go). This grocery shopping adventure was especially wonderful because this last month has been a little challenging financially and I was down to soup and sandwiches every day. I admit, I was getting a little stressed out and sick of it, but I kept reminding myself that it's good to want and need things, and it's good to know what it's like to not have something you need. (Sidenote: I should also mention that Pasutti and one of our other friends from CSB/SJU came up for the Ingrid Michaelson concert and it was fantastic...a beautiful night for an outdoor concert enjoyed with good company!)

Friday, June 11: Went to the Farmers Market!

HOORAY! I don't think you understand how much I love the farmers market. It's probably because I was utterly spoiled with the farmers market in St. Joe (the town where my college is located)...either way, I love the farmers market here. I got a bunch of stuff--strawberries (which turned out to be terrible and sour, but oh well...there's always next week!), fresh pasta (the dude who was working gave me an extra whole wheat spaghetti for free!), rhubarb, potatoes, and kettle corn. HOORAY AGAIN!

Saturday, June 12: Had two very nice telephone conversations.

I got to talk on the phone with a couple of my friends from college (separately, of course). I like maintaining those connections back home, whether it's letters or phone calls or Skype chats or whatever...though I've readily admitted before that those aren't ideal means of communication, they still matter to me, and I still get great amounts of joy at getting a letter in my mailbox, or hearing my phone ring and seeing a Minnesota area code, or watching a little conversation box pop up on my computer. So talking to Madeline and Laura was absolutely lovely.

Okay, sorry this is a bit late (not that you really care, I'd imagine)...tonight was a crazy night of youth ministry and I didn't get back to my apartment until 10:30 or so, and I had some other stuff to catch up on too! So please forgive me.

Love you, miss you, blah blah blah!

there's a vial of world peace sitting on my bookshelf

Tonight at about 11:00, I decided that I wanted to make some chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. So...I did. The last batch actually just came out of the oven! I'm going to let them cool overnight and then whip up some peanut butter frosting in the morning...and bring a dozen to the office. Because let's be honest--there's only so much baked goodness that one person can take!

I found two spiders in my apartment today. When I find a creepy-crawly in the place where I live, I always put them outside because I can't handle the sound bugs make when you step on/squish them. Now, you may (or may not) have heard about my little run-in with the GIANT DEMON CENTIPEDE last week...honestly one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, but OH WELL! Something had to be done, so I manned up and took care of the situation...with a good bit of screaming and shuddering and jumping about. Okay, so when I went outside with the GDC last week, there was a guy coming in from his car or something...I had seen him before coming and going with his two small children (creepy like bugs...children, that is). So anyway, this dude that I don't know at all got to see firsthand how a pansy like me deals with the scary GDC situation. Well, tonight when I brought the first spider out, Random Dude was there again! He actually said to me, "Another one, huh?" and then commented on how it wasn't nearly as big as the last one. God bless him! If I knew which apartment he lives in, I would leave a cupcake at his door in the morning. But alas, like so many saints, he goes unnamed. And alas, if the ants are as big a problem throughout the whole building as I they are in my apartment, that might be terribly disastrous. Or at least very sad. Well, happy for the ants (until I crush them)...so you get the idea.

Okay, that's all for now. I'm actually really tired from all this cupcakin'...so I'm going to do my dishes and then go to bed! But before I do any of that, I would like to show you a very random video:

pick a card, any card

More snow? Really? Ugh.

If you know me at all, you know that I'm a big proponent of snow. But right now, I would really like for it to go away. I'm sure things will be fine by Monday...but I'm still really nervous, particularly for the part of the trip which involves Philadelphia. They've gotten positively slammed with snow these last few days (the good folks on the Weather Channel are calling it "February Fury," dun dun dunnnnnnn!), and the Philly airport has had to cancel hundreds of flights. So hopefully things will be back to normal soon...at least soon enough for me to leave the country, suckaz!!

I have uploaded my very first video to YouTube:


I know, I am officially a dork--not that I wasn't before...well, I DON'T CARE! So go ahead! Subscribe to my YouTube channel! See if I care! (Hint: I won't!)

The video above is sort of a test run so I could get an idea of how long it takes to process videos and all that...so keep on checking back for EXCLUSIVE NEW VIDZ from J. Johnz! And maybe I'll keep doing them when I get back...depends on how motivated I am, I guess. I just want to be a real live MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZAAAAAAAA!

I went to a local high school's production of Beauty and the Beast tonight. It was lovely--a handful of my youth group kids were in it, so I thought it would probably be a good idea to go. That and I really love Beauty and the Beast. In fact, I was planning on going last night with Erin and her BF, but the weather was TRECHEROUS and I didn't feel like dying in the snow...and they already had other plans for tonight, so I went by myself and sat in front of some annoying girls who snuck food in via the LOUD PLASTIC BAG OPENED FREQUENTLY DURING THE FIRST ACT method.

Anyhow, tonight was a great performance...except for one unfortunate part. As the second act was beginning--and this is after the little music thing (overture but not?) had already started--there was a little bit of an oopsie. What happened? Well...the curtain wouldn't open. They even tried to be cool and do the first scene in front of the curtain to stall so they could fix it, like it was on purpose or something...but finally they had to stop everything and this dude in a suit came out and was like, "Give us ten minutes." So we did. And a bunch of dudes from backstage got this huge ladder and fixed it and everyone cheered and the show went on! It was all around a great show...it made me want to do theater again.

Okay, that's all. Watch the video (or don't)...and send me your prayer requests before Monday!

Love you, miss you, blah blah blah!

where in the world is carmen sandiego?!

When I was leaving my apartment around noon today, I found a big, flat box perched in my doorway. Turns out my friend Ben is all about giving me art, because there was a beautiful photograph inside. Boy oh boy, do I love surprises! (Ben, if I could find a snowglobe and break it, I would totally send it to you--dangerous shards and all!--as a thank-you gift. Haha!)

I watched the first of the old Star Wars movies a couple of nights ago (for the first time EVER!), and I have to say, the Death Star is FREAKIN' HUGE! It's hard to fathom. Good thing they blew it up. Oops, I mean...spoiler alert for the three other people in the world who haven't seen it yet. My bad.

I went grocery shopping on Monday, and in addition to milk, I also stocked up on some SERIOUS frootz. We're talking a whole thinger of clementine oranges, some blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. The thing about those little clementines is that they're so delicious and small that you can eat like five of them in one sitting. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to keep from doing so. But they're very portable, which means I can stick a couple in my purse for a quick afternoon snack at the office. Hooray!

You know, I was just thinking...the other day, I was in my kitchen and I saw a stink bug on my curtain. At first I was like, "AHHH!" and then I said to myself, "I am going to calm down and come back later to deal with it." And then I forgot about it. AND THEN when I remembered it and went back to deal with it, it was gone...and I haven't seen it since. I'm afraid it's like that statistic that says how many spiders a person eats in a year while they're sleeping. Only stink bugs. UGH I freaking hate stink bugs. I bet that the devil's nightmares are full of stink bugs, that's how terrible they are.

Speaking of not knowing where things are, I have no idea where five of my Harry Potter books are. I thought I packed them, but I've unpacked everything and the only ones I have are Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. For fruitcake's sake! I really want to do an HP reading marathon, and now my dreams have been crushed. Oh well. I'm sure they're somewhere between here and Minnesota. I hope. Otherwise, someone's going DOWN! Not sure who to blame yet, exactly, but once I find them...they're going DOWN!

Did I mention I hate stink bugs?

it's quite pretty even though it smells a little funny

I hope this video works...I tried uploading it earlier and it didn't. Ugh.



And now it looks like a real person actually lives here! TWO THUMBS UP!

So what do you think? I know you can't really see it too well, but WHO CARES?! Just tell me you think it's fabulous and it'll be fine. Haha...

reader's digest

I had a really great day.

Like...really great.

I woke up early, had a very healthy breakfast (homemade granola, yogurt, and some fruit), cantored at 10:30am Mass, bought a couch, ate a late lunch (spinach salad with cottage cheese and raisins), prepared a bit for tonight's Life Night (youth group gathering), actually had the Life Night, and then went to a restaurant called Eat'n Park with three of my St. T's teens for some evenin' vittles.

YEAH, I bought a freakin' couch. It was the only one in the entire furniture store that passed the "plop test." That's basically where I would imagine coming home from work and wanting nothing more than to plop down on the couch and sit for a little while...so I would do that. I did that on every couch in the entire store--minus the leather and the recliners because, helloooo! Not interested! Some of the couches were too mushy and I would basically get sucked into them, and others were so hard that I was like, "Ugh. This is like sitting on a freakin' board!" But I finally found this one, and it even comes with pillows! So they're going to be delivering the thing on Wednesday. I sure hope it fits in my hallway...and doesn't look terrible in my living room. I'll get pictures/video up when I can.

At our well-attended Life Night tonight (25 kids!), a couple of my moms (Mary and Chris) surprised me with an ice cream cake, candles, a ridiculous hat, a little banner...the whole shebang. Of course, I had just had a piece of a different ice cream cake with my Core Team before the teens got there (leftover from when I brought it in to the office on Friday)...so what I'm saying is, I had two pieces of ice cream cake within the span of half an hour. I am happy to report that both were delicious. Good thing I ate healthy the rest of the day. SHOOT!

Since school is off tomorrow for Martin Luther King Day, a few of my teens invited me along when they went to Eat'n Park after the Life Night. It was a nice time--a great chance to just hang out with the teens and do the whole relational ministry thing for a couple of hours. It reminded me of our Perkins runs when I was in high school...good times indeed. I still remember (in high school) the funny look I got from the waitress when I ordered a chicken caesar salad bread bowl, minus the chicken, with breakfast potatoes on top instead. I'm telling you, it was the best salad EVER! But tonight, I had some cheese sticks. Yum. Again, good thing I ate healthy the rest of the day! (Well, other than the ice cream cake...but that doesn't count.)

OH, and it rained cats and dogs today. Most of the snow has melted away. I think I'm going to go write an emo poem about it. JUST KIDDING! Haha...

Cool, well...that's about all for now, I suppose. Love you, miss you, ET CETERA!

how many black skirts can one girl own?

I decided to switch things up a bit as far as the colors and whatnot on this here blog thingy...mostly because I was bored. So THERE!

I took down my Christmas tree today, so now there's a giant gaping hole in the corner of my bedroom. Maybe I'll just stand there several hours a day, just so there's something there. No, actually, I'm waiting for the perfect couch and chair to come along on Craigslist so I can put them in my living room, and then take the chair I have in the living room now and put it in the corner of my bedroom. Does that make sense? And really, it's all just a matter of time (well, six months) before I drive back to Minnesota and get my GREEN CHAIR AND OTTOMAN OF DESTINY. I wish I had a picture of them, just so you could see their epic-ness. Oh wait, I do. I had to copy these two pictures off Facebook (from my FORT photo album), so it might not be the best quality ever, and you might not be able to tell how green they are, but at least you can see a small bit of the epic-ness this way. Or maybe not, in which case you need to get some new eyes, homeslice! Because if you can't see the epic-ness of the GREEN CHAIR AND OTTOMAN OF DESTINY...well, maybe we just shouldn't be friends anymore.

BEHOLD! THE GREEN CHAIR AND OTTOMAN OF DESTINY!

Annnnnyway. I've been trying to solve a mystery that occurred in my apartment over the last few days. So while I was back in Minnesota, I found a little container of holy water that I forgot to bring with me when I moved out here, so (naturally) I brought it back to the Burgh so I could splash it about and bless stuff. WELL, I have a little prayer corner in my bedroom, and I put some of the holy water in a small bowl that I have (like probably a quarter of a cup or something). And...over the last couple of days...the holy water DISAPPEARED. Like, it's completely gone. I get the whole evaporation thing, but there is NO WAY it's supposed to happen that fast. Maybe God needed it for something super important...but you'd think He would have left a note. I guess it must have gotten soaked up into the clay or something. But seriously? That's WEIRD. I thought at first that my mind was playing tricks on me...but then I went over to my corner and gazed into the emptiness of the bowl and was like, "WEIRD. It's GONE."

That's really all that's been interesting in my life recently. This week is going to be CRAZY at work, because I'm getting ready for our spring semester kick-off this Sunday. I don't think I've mentioned this here before (though I've been talking about it on Facebook a lot the last few days), but it bears repeating because it's that hardcore. I've made a bet with some of my youth group kids that if 80 high schoolers come to the kick-off (that's double the number we had in October), I will dye my hair any color of their choosing. I'm so scared...I have a terrible feeling that if they actually succeed, I will end up with electric blue hair or something crazy like that. The priests at St. T's are pushing for fuschia. One random usher told me after Mass yesterday that I should do half black and half gold (go Steelers!)...but I specifically said any color, not any colors! If that were true, I'd probably end up with a rainbow on my head, and I'm going to go ahead and avoid that if possible.

Regardless, part of me is going: I hope they get 80, because it might actually be cool to dye my hair AND because 80 is a TON of people...

And then there's the part that's going: 79, 79, 79...

Peace out, folks. Keep in touch! Leave me a comment! Whatever!

okay, seriously?

Alright. I know I'm from Minnesota. I know I can walk around in 40 degree weather without a coat on. I know I've been in -40 degree weather without turning into an icicle. I get this. I think maybe the reason I can deal with cold temperatures is because I normally have the consolation of knowing that the insides of buildings will not be cold. So the situation I am about to describe is sort of a stab to the heart...with a twist. Really, fate? Why must you turn on me in such a foul way?

I think the heat thing in my apartment is broken. It only blows out cold air. Laaaaaame. Add that to the fact that the windows in this apartment are paper thin and seem to suck out all the warmth anyway. Double laaaaaaaame. So I'm going to call the maintenance guy tomorrow and see if he can take a look at it. Unless you have an idea as to why this is happening, in which case you should call me later today and tell me what I might be doing wrong. Because really, I know that having two down comforters on my bed is really fun and all, but I do have to get out of bed occasionally, and when that is happening, the two comforters don't do me much good.

On the bright side, though, this is really the only major problem I've had with the apartment so far...I really do love my apartment a lot.

And you know what they say:
Cold hands, warm heart!

I wonder if the following statement is also true, then:
Really cold hands (and feet...and nose...and arms...and legs...), reeeeeally warm heart.

Okay, I'm singing at Mass in an hour, so I have to go mentally prepare myself. Just kidding. But getting out of pajamas and into church clothes might be beneficial. And then later tonight, we have our super sweet Advent 101 night at youth group. I'm excited! :D Did I ever mention...I LOVE MY JOB!!!

count dem sheepz!

I can't sleep...so I thought I would do something productive, like make a little video to show you what my apartment looks like! Wahoo! So without further ado, here it is! (Sorry about how long it is...there's just so much to see! Haha...)



Yep. That's really about it. I have a big day tomorrow, so I'm going to head to sleepy-land now. PEACE!

i have a hammer

Ohhh man, I am the happiest kid in the world.

I finally took the time to make back-up copies of all the music I had on my old computer (that freaking paperweight, ugh) and transfer it onto my new computer! So I've been rocking out (uh, by myself) in my apartment ALL NIGHT. Oh T.I., Ellis, Noah and the Whale, Adele, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL...how I have missed you all. Really, this situation is kind of pathetic for two reasons:

1. It took me how long to do this? Like, five months? That's roughly how long it's been since I got my new computer. Laaaaame, self. Ultra lame.
2. The amount of excitement in my heart is massive. Seriously, it's kind of ridiculous how much this made my day. Maybe even my weekend. I think I might even put it on the same level as the wonderful Thanksgiving I had, just in different categories.

Anyway, I have discovered a new obsession in the comedic and musical stylings of two guys called Rhett and Link. Here is a video they did of a song about Sudoku. Fantastic. I would also recommend the Fast Food Folk Song and the Profanity and Unicorns Song. (If I knew how to embed videos in this blog, I totally would...but I don't know how, despite the fact that I just used the term "embed videos" which would indicate even a slightly higher level of familiarity with the bloggin' thing than reality would reveal. Or not.)

I have Christmas lights in my living room. I love them. I just wish I had a tree. Or an Advent wreath. Maybe I could make one...hmm. I was also thinking it might be fun to color some pictures of a nativity set and stick it on my (incredibly bare) walls. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. The only problem is that I severely lack the drawing skillz, so perhaps I shall have to keep it simple: stick figures with clothes on and sheep that look like clouds. At least I know the straw will look sweet.

me and julio down by the school yard

Okay. So I've neglected this thing for quite a while, for a number of reasons (lack of internet in my place of residence being one)...but I'll do my best to give you a bit of an update now, since a couple of people from back home have been bugging me about it. You know who you are...KYM.

So. Here we go.

Back at the end of August, my mom and sister drove with me out to Pittsburgh. It was a wonderful trip, which included stops in the Twin Cities, Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago to see family and friends, almost getting lost and/or in numerous car accidents while driving through Chicago, eating at a place called Willie's, driving in very roundabout ways to avoid the toll road, and winding through eastern Ohio/western Pennsylvania on a very small road (surprising considering how big and important it looked in the atlas). Mom and Guppy hung around for a few days and explored the city with me, which was a super fantastic time all around and included eating at two restaurants that were on TV, visiting the Heinz History Center, doing other touristy things, and having a run-in with a pretty shady pull-out bed.

And then one day, after eating a delicious dinner of burritos at Chipotle, my mom and sister departed. Mom cried (of course) and I was surprised to find that I held it together fairly well. They had a good trip back to Minnesota, or so I've been told. Apparently the Longaberger Basket headquarters somewhere in Ohio is quite the building, and they saw it up close and personal. (Go here to see what I'm talking about.)

When Mom and Guppy left, I moved from an ultra-shady hotel pull-out bed to an ultra-sweetomatic real bed as a houseguest with a family from my parish. I stayed with them for about a month. They were absolutely fantastic, and always made sure I was happy and well-fed! :)

SO THEN. After the fam left, it was down to business. As in, starting my job. Let me preface all this by saying that I LOVE MY JOB and I feel so priveleged to be given this huge responsibility. It's been such a blessing for me in so many ways, and I'm excited to find out what God is up to with this ministry! I started in the very beginning of September and have been going going going ever since! We had our big kick-off event on October 25. In all reality, it was pretty low-key: tacos, a bonfire, a super sweet foursquare tournament, nothing too structured or intimidating. But we had almost 40 high schoolers show up...which was GREAT! We've also done a photo scavenger hunt and a movie night since then, both of which were also really lovely.

So a bit over a month ago, I signed a lease on an apartment which is conveniently located right up the hill and across the street from my church. It's basically a four-minute walk to work most days, unless I'm in a hurry and running late, or I have errands to run during the day, in which case it takes all of 30 seconds to drive. It's been fun trying to furnish the place with a budget of exactly zero dollars allotted to the project. (And YES, eventually I will post pictures, as soon as I get a couch.) So other than a couch, I've got all the essentials: I splurged on a reeeeeally nice bed and bought an ultra-classy antique dresser on Craigslist...and I got a night stand, desk, kitchen table, arm chair, coffee table, numerous lamps, and a bookshelf for free--either by the generosity of parishioners or by the generosity of strangers who had no idea that my "host mom" and I were picking through their trash. (Though there seems to be an unspoken understanding around these parts about trash-picking...like, people will put things like couches and dressers and stuff out on the street the day before the garbage truck comes, and sometimes they'll even put them out super early so that trash-pickers can spot them and still have enough time to recruit a friend with a truck to come and help them pick it up before it gets hauled away--and all this with no direct conversation, as far as I can tell. Fascinating.)

Speaking of which, people in Pittsburgh are weird. But I am tired, so I shall simply end this post here and (maybe/hopefully) continue tomorrow night. So! On the menu for my next post (or maybe my next few posts...sheesh!):
1. Pittsburghese
2. Ways that I am growing (this section will be particularly amazing to those who know me fairly well)
3. My letter-writing campaign
4. Fun with Miss Pasutti, Mason Jennings, Ingrid Michaelson, and apple-potato pancakes
5. My newfound obsession with Starbucks (I KNOW...ugh)
6. How PA is different than MN--politically, religiously, culturally...
7. The fun of getting my car legal in this lovely state, and switching license plates
8. Hills and tunnels...and bridges

Jeepers, that's kind of a lot of stuff. Ah well, best be off! Hope y'all are doing well. Also, if you want to write me a letter (HINT HINT) just e-mail or Facebook me and I'll shoot you my address. I've been much better about writing letters since being here, so you can almost guarantee that I'll respond in a fairly timely manner. (Maybe because at this point I don't really have anything else to do...)

Love you all and miss you so very much...