In which Erin Joy becomes a "techie"

Last summer, when I came back to the country, I had no idea what I'd be doing. I ended up working at the newspaper where I worked in high school, and waiting tables. This summer, the newspaper was able to give me full-time work, so that's my only job. It has definitely had its interesting moments.

Upon arriving, it soon became apparent that, while my job requires a computer, the computer available to me was broken. Since I was the only one with disposable time, I was asked to diagnose the problem.

You have to understand, dear readers, that I do not fix computers as a general rule. No. The most I ever do is call my brother, and he tells me over the phone exactly what to do. While I do run Ubuntu as my personal operating system, that is more do to the tech savvy of my computer engineering brothers than my own knowledge of it. The idea of me being appointed techie seemed somewhat laughable.

I used Google. And help menus. And the Apple software assistance page. And somehow, I managed to fix that computer. I was relatively terrified going into the situation, but I guess some of the tech savvy wore off... maybe by listening to it for so long from my brothers, it managed to work its way into my stuffing. I still feel completely incapable of doing anything beyond installing an operating system, though... there is a definite limit to how much computer savvy can be learned by osmosis (or diffusion... or whatever it is... I'm not a scientist, either!).

We still have to wait and see if the problem was actually the operating system, but that question is for someone with more tech savvy than a little doll like me to answer. There's a reason I'm not another computer engineer in the family.

Well, I'm afraid my other adventures at the newspaper will have to be put off for another day... so until then, dear readers!

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy

a doggy and a dolly

I took my Bible and coffee out to the back porch this morning, intending to have a quiet time in God's Word while enjoying the beautiful summer day. I didn't expect to enjoy Pepper, the old farm dog whose presence has often annoyed me.

When I was in high school, reading on the back porch meant dealing with a jumpy dog who wouldn't sit still, got my fabric wet with her drool, and got her doggy breath all over my face. (Yes, I can smell without a nose. Don't ask me how that works...)

I would go out to the porch with great intentions, but before too long usually headed back inside. I was willing to pet the dog, but only in moderation. In the words of one of my mentors, "Dogs just gross me out."

Please don't hate me, dog lovers. I love dogs in theory. I love the idea that a pet can become your best friend. I think it's sweet when people love their dogs and dote on them. I have just never mourned the fact that I'm allergic and have an impending asthma attack as a legitimate reason never to have them in my house. :) (Yes... I have asthma without a nose, too... and we wouldn't want my stuffing to tighten up so I couldn't breathe, now would we?)

This morning this reaction was different. I was sitting on the swing, contentedly reading my Bible, and the dog came up. This time, she just looked at me a little mournfully. She quietly sat down. I reached out and petted her, then returned to my Bible. Pepper stood up slowly and opened her mouth, drooling on the concrete as she panted for more.

The dog isn't jumpy anymore. She's entering her old age, and the end doesn't seem to be too far away. She moves slowly and sadly, and when I petted her again before I went inside, she seemed grateful that anyone would pay attention to her at all. She doesn't want to play like she used to. She just wants a friend.

I started to realize that the dog has been faithfully there. She's barked to let me know when strangers drive on the farm. She's played with me when I wanted her to, and whined when I didn't. She's put up with being loved by some of us and ignored by others, but she still loves us all the same.

Now, as she's getting older, I'm realizing that the farm won't quite be the same without her. It's already tangibly different. She doesn't run up to meet me anymore when I get home from work. She just comes and finds me and looks mournfully at me on the porch swing. She drools on the concrete instead of my fabric, and lies down behind the swing as I read instead of jumping on me.

And, yes, dog lovers, I think I'm going to miss her.

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy

Thoughts on "Mr. Holland's Opus"

I watched Mr. Holland's Opus for the first time last night. I'd seen clips from it before, but never the whole movie.

For those of you readers who have not seen this movie, put it next on your movie-watching queue. I was blown away by this realistic portrait of a teacher, musician, husband, and father. Mr. Holland, full of his weaknesses, proved to be a hero in the end, and made all of us watching the movie get a bit teary-eyed.

I think it was Mr. Holland's weaknesses that made him such a believable character. I, for one, identified with his passion for music, and also how that came with its own set of temptations.

As a musician, it is easy to let a love for music take precedence over everything else, even the people to whom you are teaching it. Watching Mr. Holland deal with the pressures of teaching people who didn't seem destined for success was inspiring for me. It wasn't easy, but he learned how to offer both criticism and encouragement, and how to teach in a way that inspired enjoyment in the kids.

He also had to learn that his personal musical goals could sometimes play second fiddle (Pardon the pun; I know it's terrible!) to his family life. This was another hard lesson for Mr. Holland, and it is something with which I easily identify. When is the time to focus and prioritize time as a musician, and when is the time to set aside the metronome and listen to a friend? It is difficult to recognize that there may be seasons in my life when classical music will have to be lower on the priority list.

Still, the movie also captured the rewards of prioritizing correctly. Things fell into place when Mr. Holland learned to place family and students first. Will this always happen? Not perfectly like it did for Mr. Holland, perhaps, but we are promised that "all these things will be added to you" when we seek the Kingdom first.

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy

a concussion, finals week, and finally a blogpost...

Life advice: Do NOT get a concussion during finals week of spring semester.

I did not follow this life advice.

The Sunday night before finals, my roommate was opening the door for me. It was one of those big, heavy metal fire doors, which probably weighs about three times as much as a little doll like me. As she opened it and I started to walk through, it caught on my foot, ricocheted back, and slammed my head between the door and the doorframe.

Two days later, I went to health service, was diagnosed with a concussion, and decided to complete my final exams. My stuffing was a bit rattled and squished, so the doctor wrote me a note to give to my professors. I spread my finals over the rest of the week, and I still have to finish one paper. I spend most of my week napping, taking Tylenol, and trying to pack (with the help of another friend who ought to be nominated for sainthood!).

I learned a few things through this concussion (besides the life advice already mentioned). First, always start projects early. If I hadn't started some of my assignments ahead of time, I never would have survived finals week in one piece, because the workload I would have tried to accomplish would have been double or triple.

I also learned to be very grateful for good friends! There were lots of wonderful people who helped, whether it were packing my suitcases, cleaning the apartment, taking my shifts at work, or telling me to go to bed. (Hey... I'm tough! I don't want to admit that a concussion can get me down...)

And, finally, I learned that, in general, slamming your head in a door is something to be avoided.

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy

and the semester winds down...

Wow!! It's hard to believe that there are just a few more weeks left in the semester! Just thinking about everything I have to get done is a bit overwhelming... in the next three weeks I have to put together a notebook of conducting resources, finish writing a piano arrangement, write a ten page paper on music of a specific ethnic group, practice ten plus hours a week, and do a few other little "odds and ends."

I'm also taking a trip out the suburbs for a bridal shower, hosting my mom for a weekend, and then going out to the country for a graduation party... all before finals week. It's going to be busy, but a good kind of busy. A doll like me can't sit around and twiddle her thumbs, you know. (Of course, since I don't have thumbs, that makes it all the more difficult.)

And then... what does the summer hold, you ask? Well, after all of these projects are finshed and I've packed and stored my belongings, I'm going back home to the country! :) I'm going to work at the newspaper where I've worked since high school. I'll format articles, write articles, do the layout, and all the other odds and ends they need. I'm really looking forward to it. I like that job, and it'll be nice to spend the summer with my family.

I hope to do a lot of practicing this summer, take a correspondence course, and hopefully catch up on my scrapbooking. I also plan to blog... :)

Also, this summer, both my roommates are getting married. One of their weddings is before I head home, but the other wedding will bring me back to the city for a weekend.

Well... that's pretty much it for now. I'll post again soon, but in the meantime, I should get out of my backpack and get some sleep. :)

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy

Thoughts on the Twilight Saga

At this point, I have chosen not to read the Twilight saga. Honestly, I have struggled with making this post about it, because it's uncomfortable to make a controversial statement. It wasn't until I had a conversation with a good friend the other day that I realized that perhaps a post like this could be useful.

It frustrates me when Christians make uninformed arguments against popular literature and movies. I'll be the first person to say that people should carefully think through their arguments for and against Harry Potter, and should look at the facts before throwing away the Lord of the Rings movies. (As a matter of fact, I've read one of the Harry Potter books, and am an avid LOTR fan.)

But it also disturbs me when we Christians refuse to think about the literature we devour. Literature, and all other forms of art, have the power to impact the way we think, the way we view our world, and the way we view sin.

Uninformed arguments for or against something, as I mentioned before, are frustrating to all parties concerned. Therefore, I would like to be perfectly upfront. Since I have not read the Twilight saga, I cannot speak to every good or bad theme it may have. However, there are a couple central issues I would like to address.

Vampires are real people. In fact, after the Twilight books and movies came out, both ABC and the Washington Post published articles on these real-life vampires. If this were a fictional lifestyle that no one lived, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it. But honestly, this is a real practice of the occult that is happening in our country today. These people are, according to the Washington Post article, using the Twilight books to get a good reputation. That alone makes me nervous about thoughtlessly reading the books just for the good story.

Also, when looking on the official website for the Twilight series, I read that the books were inspired by a dream. If you look at the whole counsel of Scripture, it is very apparent that dreams may have spiritual significance. This is addressed specifically in Deuteronomy 13:1-3: "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams..."

Do we intend to take Scripture literally? Or is being up on the latest fad more important?

I can't claim to have made the perfect decisions. As I said earlier, I have chosen to read some literature which others find problematic. I have endeavored to read with a critical mind, but maybe there are some areas where even a critical mind is not enough.

Ephesians 5:11 commands us to "take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." Are our choices of literature and movies reflecting a Christ-like attitude in this area? Are the ways we are discussing them with our friends, saved and unsaved, exposing the works of darkness, or blindly taking part in them? There is no middle ground.

I'm not telling you you cannot read Twilight. I'm just asking you to think about it.

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy

Spending the weekend with cows :)

Hello!! I am writing to you from a little farm a few hours away from my city. It's Easter weekend, and since my own farm is too far away, one of my dear friends invited me home with her! Being out in the country for the weekend has been incredibly refreshing so far.

I've enjoyed spending time in a small town, and having lunch at a cute little cafe, where my friend knows the owner. We studied at the library today, too... it's a gorgeous stone building with lace curtains. It felt so homey and friendly. I got a lot of homework done, but still have more to do tomorrow. A doll is never quite finished, now, is she?

I met the pastor of my friend's church today. As soon as he met me, he asked me to play for church on Sunday. I love that about small churches! He's never met me, and I'm playing for Easter Sunday... :)

My friend also gave me a tour of her farm. I got to see the greenhouses, the horses, the cows, the dogs. She raised dairy cows growing up, so I got to see her pet cows. While loving cows like pets is something I never did, it reminded me a lot of home. (And, just for the record, I did raise a bucket calf one summer. ONE summer...)

Just wandering around outside was so beautiful and peaceful. While I do still love the city, I think it's good to get away sometimes and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. Being away from the city has brought out the small-town heart in me.

With love from an absolute doll,

Erin Joy