Wednesday 28 October 2009

Laura's Virtual Honesty Tour


I've been considering a move to Va. and have been looking around for a house. My sister lives in a nice area of Chesapeake. I would prefer a private house rather than a townhouse or condo, but of course there's only so much house one can buy on a nurse's meager income. I have been preapproved for a mortgage which back in the day could have put me into the home of my choosing. Not today. Not in Virginia Beach. Maybe in Florida. So I turned my attention to the boonies of Chesapeake and the burbs of Norfolk. I talked to a Realtor friend of Laura's, and she arranged for automatic e-mailings of listings specific to my 'wants'.

A couple of days ago, I received several listings. One caught my eye. An adorable and affordable little house in South Chesapeake, Va. I could see it had a nice yard with a garden area and a play area for kids, not that I have any but you never know. I had checked out the area from the Google's Birds-eye perspective, and was a bit leary of being so close to the tracks and those large oil storage tanks. Wierd. Panning out, you can actually fly around the neighborhood, zoom in on people's backyards. The neighborhood seemed clean enough, albeit a few cars in yards, some junk here and there. Kind of seedy and in some spots, not sure WHAT I was looking at. So on her way home from work today, my sister Laura, who calls just about every day at this time, typed the address into her GPS and headed over for a look-see.

I had her on the cellphone, and also had the area on Google Birds-eye, so I could actually peer into people's backyards, from about 70 yards away. I asked her to give me an idea of the area; what she was seeing and of course I didn't have to ask her to be honest or descriptive.

G: So are you almost there?

L: (still on the highway) There's a black man with a blue face.

G: WHAT? WHERE?

L: Walking down the road.

G: He has a BLUE face?

L: yeah.

G: Like one of those very dark skinned people. It's not really blue. Just very dark.

L: No. It's blue... You know how white people go brown? Well this black dude went blue. Must be for the series. PAINTED IT."

G: OH...he PAINTED it blue.( There was that one guy who took some med or something and actually turned his skin blue)

L: Yeah.

She turns into the neighborhood.

L: OK, there's a lady with no teeth.

G: You can see that close?

L: Yeah.

G: What else?

L: Four white children with floods on, and the one is running around with wax teeth. Wax. Halloween teeth. These people are really into decorating for Halloween. oh this is not really...OK, here's the house. Oh, It's really cute. It's got a nice walkway.

G: Tell me about it.

L: It's a nice house, but the area is sort of depressed. You know, poverty. OK, there's a drainage gully in the front yard. The house next door is cuter. Cleaner looking yard. Nice houses in a bad area.

G: Well, what else do you see?

L: OK, well there's a billboard that reads "Be Sexy".

G: WHAT?

L: It's for a Halloween Store. But it's as big as those Johnny Walker Red one's in NYC. Uh, I don't think you'd like this place at all. There's these men burning things over there.

G: Oh. I see.

L: I know my neighborhood's not the best. I'm not delusional AT ALL, but...Gina, this place is like, it's like (reacting to a statue) the MASONS.

G: WHAT?

L: There's this big statue of a MASON with a big FEZ on his head holding a handicapped child. I guess that's the cause."

G: Ah...the MASONS. Right.

L: There's a black man burning something.

G: Well I like the smell of wood burning in Autumn.

L: I don't know if it's wood or garbage.

G: Oh...so what's your impression?

L: I'd be afraid. I'd be very afraid. For real. You'd definitely have to get a rifle. And sleep with it."

G: So, not good.

L: THe WHOLE area smells like farts. SMELLS LIKE FARTS. Imagine inviting your family over and the place smells like farts? It's located on the cusp of an industrial wasteland, spewing out fart odor 24/7. NASTY. You don't wanna live there GinaM, and to be honest, I'd never want to come visit if you lived there. It's just a very depressed area. Poverty. It's really sad. You don't need to succumb to that. You sure don't, and I am sure your realtor has not seen this one or she would direct you away from it.

G: I guess not. OK. Thanks, Laur. I appreciate your honest opinion. Onto the next!

Saturday 24 October 2009

Thank You for lub dub



How do you explain,
How do you describe,
A love that goes from east to west,
And runs and deep as it is wide?

You know all our hopes
Lord, you know all our fears
And words cannot express the love we feel
But we long for You to hear

Chorus:
So listen to our hearts (oh, Lord, please listen)
Hear our spirits sing (and hear us sing)
A song of praise that flows (a simple song of praise)
From those You have redeemed (from those You have redeemed)
We will use the words we know
To tell You what an awesome God You are
But words are not enough
To tell You of our love
So listen to our hearts


If words could fall like rain
From these lips of mine
And if I had a thousand years
I would still run out of time

So if You listen to my heart
Every beat would say,
“Thank You for the Life, thank You for the Truth, thank You for the Way.”

[Chorus]

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Thursday 8 October 2009

Saturday 3 October 2009

what do I know of holy- addison road

wha

dream on G Clair



Nothing's ever what it seems,
I wait around, and in my dreams,
I'm something more, than what I am
not Spam 'n eggs, green eggs or ham

but what I've dreamed in slumber's car
is not beyond the farthest star
but just above the highest cloud
where frozen skies can't scream out loud

or laugh or cry or live or die
or touch the apple of His eye
or grasp a thought, and catch a smile
or take a nap and rest a while

or lie outside in fresh cut grass
the summer sun, the day to pass
and when I'm rested, let it go
autumn comes and then the snow

life is short, and I am smitten
but hardly had the fruit been bitten
anger cuts the evening short
hopes and dreams meet TV sport

angry tones, a hot debate
and deep-set hurt will always wait
words are spoken, much regret
at least you're free now from the net

darkness comes but evening's fires
thaw the chill, and warm desires
hope for love, a life so sweet
calms the rage and stirs the heat

not so fast, the damage done
the fear rekindled in His son
faith moves mountains, this one still
cannot be moved beyond his will

all I wanted, something good
something blessed, a God who could
give me more than fleeting hope
far beyond my simple scope

and looking at that brightest star
reminded what a fool I ARE
I wish I may and wish I might
not have the thing I had tonight

to leave it to the greatest One
is often hard, and not much fun
but not as bad, and worse to take
is love's enormous bellyache

reminded there's a better plan
a place within His loving hand
and taken there one autumn day
the dream's allure just fell away

what I had thought 'true love' would be
far less than what He has for me
with oneness as it's greatest goal,
forgives the hurts and heals the soul

Thursday 1 October 2009

" I only wanted a salutary goodbye" BT

Adj. 1. salutary - tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health; "beneficial effects of a balanced diet"; "a good night's sleep"; "the salutary influence of pure air"
good
healthful - conducive to good health of body or mind; "a healthful climate"; "a healthful environment"; "healthful nutrition"; "healthful sleep"; "Dickens's relatively healthful exuberance"