the last thing i should be doing

It's Friday!! And the day before my birthday! Happy times! :) Today is a flurry of activity- work stuff, Easter play stuff, JJ radio stuff- all HAS to be done by 5:30 so i can record the shows as efficiently as possible. We're having a birthday dinner tonight at Soph's grandma's, and i need to be there as soon as traffic allows. I'm looking forward to it, mostly because i've missed family dinners lately... due to family members being sick, me working late, or things going on....

Then tomorrow morning I'm hanging out with coworkers Jenny and Pamela for a morning of beauty... hehe.... Meaning, I'm getting a haircut. :) Don't worry, there shall be photos. And after that, i'll be ready to go see Wicked!! I promise a full report Sunday or Monday. I'm excited. :)

But before I go back to answering listener emails, show prep, and costume/prop organizing, here's the latest on Clover Watch 2008!

Day 12 with the fake orchid at my desk. I like the orchid because i can't kill it, and it looks pretty realistic. I'm hoping its tallness encourages the clover to grow.

Day 13 (today)- the young clover with Doris Taylor- who, by the way, doesn't seem to be looking so hot lately. Some of her leaves (do you call them that?) are falling off.... :-l So both plants are in the conference room windowsill, in hopes that the nutrients from the sun perk them up (Also pictured: my cappucino).

got old dvds?

That's Ruth. She's from Georgia. For her fourth birthday, she collected dvd's to send to Kid Flicks- an organization that provides movies to children's hospitals. Wanna help?

Kid Flicks was started by two girls here in Southern California who were cleaning and realized that they had a lot of movies they'd outgrown. Instead of just throwing them away, they remembered a friend who had leukemia and watched movies to help pass time in the hospital. So they gave their outgrown movies to the local children's hospital that treated their friend.

It didn't stop there, and they've been collecting dvd's ever since! Everytime they collect 100 dvd's, they send it to a different children's hospital. And you can be part of it! Check out http://www.kidflicks.org/ for information on making the movies you don't watch brighten the day for a sick kid.

Think about it.... you remember watching your favorite Disney cartoon when you were home sick. It was comforting. Imagine feeling really bad from side effects of a tumor or chemotherapy. You're in a hospital- a far cry from your own comfortable bed with your own sheets and pillow.... It might help if you could just watch, say "The Little Mermaid" or your favorite Spongebob episode.

This is great for you guys with kids as your kids grow up and quit watching the movies they used to love. Or maybe you're moving and need to lighten your load. http://www.kidflicks.org/ Happy stuff. :)

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Clover Watch 2008!


Day nine was on Monday, and look how they've grown! On the far left you can see a little one that's creeping up the side. There's also one hidden from view that is growing kind of sideways. So far, none of my clovers have died- thus an accomplishment so far. :)

I'm going to see Wicked in three days!!!!!

ant lipstick

I got a postcard this morning from a co-worker who's visiting Europe. The postcard is from France and features ants carrying a tube of pink lipstick. After consulting with Margaret, it is determined that the point of the postcard is that the company that makes the lipstick is being more environmental (or something along those lines). Regardless, it made me smile. It's nice to get something addressed to me when i'm sorting mail for everyone else.

Who watched the Oscars last night? Granted, it's just another awards show- Hollywood telling each other how great they are- but it's kind of like candy... empty calories, yet it tastes good so you eat it anyway. I used to watch it faithfully every year, until one point in high school where my parents grounded me from it until i wrote one of their stupid essays on "respect" or something (read: kiss parental butt in 700 words or more). After that, i was a tad bitter. I've caught the show for the past couple of years, though. I plan on attending one of these days. ;)



Clover Watch 2008!!

They are growing! Check out the latest... six and half little clover sprouts!

Day Three

















Day Six (today)


Close-ups with my camera phone aren't too bad... though I'm still considering carrying my camera daily. I'm sort of scared to lose or break it, but honestly, at this point in life, i think i'm responsible enough to take care of it. It's on my closet shelf, so i'm using it as incentive to hurry up and clean my closet already.




If you haven't already, check out http://www.pandora.com/. It's a radio station that you make yourself, sort of. Basically, you plug in an artist, and they make a "station" that plays a mix of your artists and similar musicians. And i've recently discovered that it's free to register for unlimited listening.

Keep praying for our Easter play! We actually had a 99% full cast rehearsal on Saturday, and I'm encouraged by their hard work! We have a lot of work to do in three weeks, but it's quite doable. The way everyone is working together and really doing a great job gives it the potential of a good show. My project this week is the "flannelgraph powerpoint" and editing some voiceover narration we recorded this weekend. And coordinating with the crews on the set, costumes, props, sound.... hehehehe.... Good thing i love production! :)

Yikes, typing this took a lot longer than expected (yay interruptions). Gotta run to lunch (also known as "time in which Mal can be productive while eating"... teehee)!

newsletter style

There are small blurbs of random things i wanted to share, so consider this an edition of the Mal Weekly?

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Tuesday night- House of Blues on Sunset- The Myriad and Third Day

GREAT SHOW! Not only was it festive hanging out with Sophia, Lara, and co-workers Jenny and Reba, but the House of Blues is fun and the artists are fantastic. I always forget how much I like The Myriad, and i dropped a hint to Soph that their cd would make a handy birthday gift. Third Day had some new music, but obliged loyal fans with old stuff, too. Experiencing a little praise and worship in a mainstream venue is always nifty. Oh, and a new band, Revive, opened.... they're in from Australia and this was only their second show ever in the U.S.... but they're pretty good. Keep an ear out for Revive. :)

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Cranky Caller Not So Bad

As the full moon approaches, my offbeat calls increase (I'm so serious. We've documented it. It's weird, but true). A young lady called me yesterday looking for Steve Harvey. She was in such outraged disbelief that i did not know what station or what time she could hear him, that she called back a second time. As she started scolding me, she said, "Don't you listen to anything but your Christian music?? You don't listen to ANY other L.A. stations?!?!" I replied honestly, "Here and there, but I usually listen to cd's." Suddenly her voice got softer as she said, "Oh. You're just like me."
The call ended soon on a friendly note.

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Google for Causes??

My friend, Aaron, introduced me to a phenomenal new website- www.goodsearch.com . Basically, it's a Yahoo-powered search engine, and a portion of the advertising dollars is given to charitable organizations. You can choose which non-profit benefits from your searching, and you can register your church or organization as well. So if everyone in your church uses the site, by the end of the year your church will have a nice check to help with ministry or expenses. Not a bad idea, eh? They also have an option where you can shop online and a percentage of the sale goes to the organization of your choice- without costing you anything extra. It's kind of like UPromise that way. So check it out, tell me what you think! (I'm currently searching for World Vision, by the way.)

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Clover Watch 2008

A couple days after planting, and still no signs of life. I water it with my letter-sealer-sponge-y thing- so it's like gentle raindrops on the soil. I'm contemplating a field trip with Doris Taylor the fuzzy cactus to a window for authentic sunlight (as opposed to fluorescent). However, i'm not sure it matters until there are actual sprouts. Stay tuned for the latest.

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Adventures a mi Iglesia

Last night at church, I did a headcount during snacktime. Our class consisted only of boys, and rowdy ones at that. I felt intimidated. However, God is good, and once the main catalyst (a boy armed with a gameboy and an attitude) was removed from the class, it all went smoothly. We did not, however, rehearse scenes from the play (again). A few of our actors have been most faithful, know their lines, and are right on track. However, due to sickness and circumstances, others are behind. But such is theater, no? This is God's production and I keep reminding Him (ok, reminding myself) that. We'll push through the next three weeks and it will be ok!!

The light and sound seem to be coming along ok.... waiting for my set crew to START building... and I'm about to create a powerpoint slide show featuring... flannelgraph!! Anyone have any old school flannelgraph of the Easter story? Even the old paper cutouts? Let me know, because i don't think they manufacture them anymore...

Meanwhile, another group at church recreated a scene from GodTube set to "Everything" by Lifehouse- and it was phenomenal. No pressure. ;)

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Lunar Eclipse!

Did you catch the eclipse last night? It was pretty clear here and neat to see. Pictures would've been cool, but not only was i cameraless, I was driving. ;) I think I'm going to start carrying my camera around everywhere... too many things have been missed or inadequately captured by my phone!

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Lunch Time!

Off to Sansai for a Cali roll and miso soup with Leah!

newest venture- desktop gardening

I am celebrating my acheivement of productivity by trying something new. Have i told you about my fuzzy cactus, Doris Taylor? Last month we had a quarterly luncheon here at work. The theme was "Southwest" and there were little cacti on the tables. I inherited one soft, fuzzy succulent, and the little info tag said "hybrid: Doris Taylor". And i figured if such a plant could survive the desert, it might stand a chance with me.

Nevermind that i'm as infamously bad with plants as i am at cooking.... even though i'm good with children and animals, plants just escape me. The last plant to cross my desk was a holiday poinsettia.... wilted and dead after two weeks (and yes, i watered it- and my boss even supervised it's upkeep!). Before that, i inherited a leafy desk plant from the previous receptionist. She moved to a position in a back office and, despite my warnings of inability to keep plants, thought it would be nice to leave her beautiful plant, with lush green leaves, with me. A few weeks later, i could barely face her as i marched back to her office holding the pot of dirt with one withered stalk left. She tried to nurse it back to health, but it was too far gone....
However, Doris Taylor has survived a month, so i am encouraged.

My friend-co-worker Danielle brought me a little pot with clover seeds (which reminds me- i owe her a dollar). I planted them today at my desk.

We'll keep an eye on them to see if they will grow... and more importantly, survive.

Coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by my new blog! Coming soon.... fascinating entries, a few pictures, and anything else I dig up. Until then, leave me a message. I love messages! :) God bless!

-Malinda