Author / Bethe

by Bethe

Surreptitiously

I titled my blog Surreptitiously because until today I didn’t know what that word meant. But thanks to my good friends at dictionary.com, I now know that it means secretive. It was one of my many discoveries today as I read 16 academic journal articles about blogging ethics for a research paper. 

Whew. I never knew blogging could be so complex. Honestly, all I do is crank up the old computer and start writing. I have several blogging friends who mull over their entries for days. I don’t bother with that– I just spit the words out onto the page, give it a few fast proof-reads, and then off it launches into the blogging universe, for better or worse. Occasionally I catch a mistake (as I’m sure you do too, although you’re much too kind to tell me) and I’ll sneak back and correct it. And apparently that’s a highly unethical blogging move. I apologize to you, my 15 daily readers. I will try to be better. Although when weighing my ethical responsibilities against my hatred of type-o’s, I may just have to choose to be unethical for once in my life. A girl only lives once, right?
I’m going to try to do better at linking you to cool things I read online. I’m a hard-core news junky who follows three daily newspapers, 100 blogs, all of the major television news Web sites, plus a bunch of other random stuff that comes across my desk. It’s all part of the job, and one that I’m surreptitiously grateful for. I finally found a job that pays me to monitor the media. Eureka!
As I scour the news for work-related stuff, I come across all sorts of weird news stories. I’ll try to let you know what those are, so you can impress your friends and win at Trivial Pursuit.
Here’s my latest discoveries:
Here’s a gal’s ethnographic account of the 9/11 attacks in New York. She tells a good story, and I like her writing style.  
Ever wondered what a trillion dollars looks like?
If I could be a super hero, I think I would choose to be Grammar Girl. I would wear a leotard, a cape, and carry my A.P. Stylebook and a red pen. 
I love celebrity news. It makes me feel so much better about myself. Our local paper has a pretty fun entertainment blog, be it a tad snarky. But sometimes I like snarky.
I would write more, but I just discovered a renegade mosquito buzzing around my bedroom. I’m highly allergic to mosquitos–not enough to make me sick, but enough to grow giant red welps all over my skin if one pays me a visit. I’m determined to kill this sucker before it has a chance to leave me love notes all over my face while I sleep. I’m scheduled to attend a wedding tomorrow, and I would prefer not to come looking like a pepperoni pizza!
Please leave me a comment with some of your favorite sites too! I’d love to add to my collection.
by Bethe

Be Brave

I’m teaching the book of Esther in Sunday School. We’re following the Beth Moore series, and like everything she writes, I absolutely love it. Things that previously hid on the page suddenly awaken, and I feel like I’m living through the book. When I finish one of her series, I feel like I have known this book. Devoured it. Lived it. Cherished it. Digested it. Understood it. Known it intimately.

And it blesses me.

It’s tough to teach every week on the things I’m weakest at. It’s quite convenient that I’m so flawed, because it provides many good examples to my class of what NOT to do. Last week I taught on being brave. Esther, in chapter 4, does some soul searching and decides that she will risk her life to face the king and ask him to save her people. The pivotal moment, and something I have meditated on ever since… “And if I perish, I perish.”

I’m nothing like Esther. I’m a huge weenie. An old-fashioned scaredy cat. It’s quite embarrassing. I’m not much of a risk taker, and I waste tons of valuable time and energy fretting over the future, fretting over the present, fretting over the past… wondering if I will do the right thing, if I missed doing the right thing, if I even know what the right thing is. I’m my own worst enemy.

So I love this quote: “She (Esther) had to overcome herself in order to do what God had created her and positioned her to do.” – Dr. Karen Jobes, The NIV Application Commentary.

I love that, because I tend to get in my own way. I let that yucky, nagging fear slow me down. My fear that manifests itself as a stomachache. A pounding in my chest. An inability to sleep. And it’s nothing I can change on my own. Which is why I have quoted these verses over the past few weeks over and over… and over.

1 Corinthians 2:9—“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Psalm 138:8 – “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me…”

1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

John 10:10—“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Did you know that the most common command in the whole Bible is this?: Do not be afraid.

The Proverbs 31 woman… the same one that every Christian woman has tried to become (and that I can never seem to measure up to), was described as a wife of “noble character” (v. 10). That same Hebrew word for “noble” is also translated “valor.”  An army term that means “brave.” Heroic courage. Bold in the face of danger. So really, this verse could say, “A brave, courageous wife, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”

I want to be brave.

Beth Moore said this: “You may be one brave decision away from the most important turn in your entire path.”

My heart may still pound. My stomach may still hurt. But I can claim these verses as truth until they start to feel that way.

by Bethe

Be Brave

I’m teaching the book of Esther in Sunday School. We’re following the Beth Moore series, and like everything she writes, I absolutely love it. Things that previously hid on the page suddenly awaken, and I feel like I’m living through the book. When I finish one of her series, I feel like I have known this book. Devoured it. Lived it. Cherished it. Digested it. Understood it. Known it intimately.

And it blesses me.

It’s tough to teach every week on the things I’m weakest at. It’s quite convenient that I’m so flawed, because it provides many good examples to my class of what NOT to do. Last week I taught on being brave. Esther, in chapter 4, does some soul searching and decides that she will risk her life to face the king and ask him to save her people. The pivotal moment, and something I have meditated on ever since… “And if I perish, I perish.”

I’m nothing like Esther. I’m a huge weenie. An old-fashioned scaredy cat. It’s quite embarrassing. I’m not much of a risk taker, and I waste tons of valuable time and energy fretting over the future, fretting over the present, fretting over the past… wondering if I will do the right thing, if I missed doing the right thing, if I even know what the right thing is. I’m my own worst enemy.

So I love this quote: “She (Esther) had to overcome herself in order to do what God had created her and positioned her to do.” – Dr. Karen Jobes, The NIV Application Commentary.

I love that, because I tend to get in my own way. I let that yucky, nagging fear slow me down. My fear that manifests itself as a stomachache. A pounding in my chest. An inability to sleep. And it’s nothing I can change on my own. Which is why I have quoted these verses over the past few weeks over and over… and over.

1 Corinthians 2:9—“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Psalm 138:8 – “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me…”

1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

John 10:10—“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Did you know that the most common command in the whole Bible is this?: Do not be afraid.

The Proverbs 31 woman… the same one that every Christian woman has tried to become (and that I can never seem to measure up to), was described as a wife of “noble character” (v. 10). That same Hebrew word for “noble” is also translated “valor.”  An army term that means “brave.” Heroic courage. Bold in the face of danger. So really, this verse could say, “A brave, courageous wife, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”

I want to be brave.

Beth Moore said this: “You may be one brave decision away from the most important turn in your entire path.”

My heart may still pound. My stomach may still hurt. But I can claim these verses as truth until they start to feel that way.

by Bethe

Breathe

The price we pay for beauty… 

I wore an adorable new green dress to work today, and didn’t realize until I sat down at my desk that the fabric around my ribcage was so tight I couldn’t breathe! I also couldn’t lift my arms for fear that the thin silk fabric would rip. I spent my day holding my breath, in a constant state of asthma attack. If only men could appreciate the great lengths we go to look presentable.
When I finally stumbled into my house at 9 p.m., my stiletto heels had been replaced by flip flops, my panty-hose was in my purse, my disheveled hair was in a lop-sided pony-tail and my dress was only half-zipped. Classy.
by Bethe

Edward Love

I discovered the official Twilight Web site while I was getting my hair done… and once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down! You can imagine me sitting under the hair dryer while my hair was being, um, “cut” (aka… “blonded”–but I will never admit to it!), hovering over my iPhone, squinting to read the tiny text. 

I love this site because not only is there some juicy inside information about my favorite book, but Stephenie Meyer talks about her writing process and how she got published. I have a burning desire to write novels, and am constantly churning ideas for characters in my head. But alas, I have never jumped into the deep end and given it a whirl. Although if you look closely in my house, you’ll see notes for books stashed in various drawers, hidden from view. Then again, if you look closely, you may find some other unsightly things in those drawers as well. No snooping, okay?
by Bethe

Fake Smile

I got a shout-out on a national PR blog today! A leading author on PR Measurement said in her blog that our paper was “one of the best of the academic + practitioner papers” at the conference! She also posted photos from our opening night mixer. And in true Bethe form, my eyes are closed! Yep, I love flattering photos posted for hundreds of people to see.


You can probably tell that I’m feigning enthusiasm. That’s my fake smile. 

Here’s what I was probably feeling on the inside…
(This photo was taken in Venice… right after I got caught in a rain storm with no umbrella.)
by Bethe

Bitter??

I’ve known some girls who were bitter after a break-up before, but this may be the winner…

Police: Woman Fatally Stabs Ex in Groin

By  FRANK HEI

A woman is behind bars after police said she fatally stabbed her ex-husband in the groin, Dallas police said.

At about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, police and medical personnel arrived at a residence on the 10800 block of Rockingham Street where they found the injured man, 46-year-old Ruben Valladarez.

Valladarez was transported to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas where he was pronounced dead.

Police arrested 40-year-old Maria DeLaRosa, Valladarez’s ex-wife, in connection with his death.

Investigators said an argument between the two led to the stabbin

by Bethe

Over the Hill at Just 28

According to this, I’m already in trouble…

Old Age Begins at 27: Study suggests we decline right after college

By  R. STICKNEY

Celebrate now kids. Once you finish college, your brains start losin’ 

it, according to a new study.

When you hear the world “elderly” what age comes to mind? If your answer was 90, you definitely don’t want to hear about this new study.

“Old age begins at 27” the headline reads. And no, that isn’t a typo.

Those senior moments we’ve heard about actually start happening shortly after the brain’s abilities peak at 22, according to researchers at theUniversity of Virginia.

The study was recently published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. (We’d love to link to the full research, but the journal charges for its articles.)

Two thousand men and women between the ages of 18 and 60 were studied over seven years, and researchers found top performance in the puzzles and other problems the participants were asked to solve occurred in those at 22 years old.

The first age at which scores for things like reasoning, speed of thought and spatial visualization started to drop, was 27 according to the Daily Mail.

by Bethe

Free time = silly survey

I got this from another blog I read. Just copy/paste and put in bold all the things you have done. Have fun!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyworld

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo (actually did a trio, it was horrible!)

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (quilting)

15. Adopted a child (maybe a dog?)

16. Had food poisoning (several times… bleh!)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (no, but I’ve seen it many times)

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train (no, but I rode one across France)

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (ages ago…)

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon (I did half of one)

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

 

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted or sketched

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person

50. Been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie (no, but on tv many times)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China (I want to run the Great Wall Half Marathon!)

57. Started a company

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check — Ooops!

68. Flown in a helicopter (I’ve been promised a ride this year)

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (saw the guards, but in between changes)

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book (no, but I was mentioned on the acknowledgement page of a book I helped with)

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem (this is very high on my list!)

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the Bible

86. Visited the White House (twice!)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish?)

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (no, but been there!)

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day