turning three cubed...

Ok....so my 27th birthday is quickly approaching...and I'm not really in a celebratory mood this year. In order to get out of my birthday blues, I decided to research the number 27...which led me to dig through info regarding my birth year (1981) and day (September 2). Here's what I found:

notable facts about the number 27:

• Twenty-seven is the smallest positive integer requiring four syllables to name in English, though it can be unambiguously defined in just two: "three cubed." Twenty-seven is a perfect cube, being 3 to the third = 3 x 3 x 3. 27 is therefore the second smallest cube of a prime number. ( I plan to think of myself as a 3 year-old cubed...)
  
• There are a total of 27 books in the New Testament. (which, of course, makes the number holy.)
  
• Uranus has 27 moons. (no comment.)
  
• The number of completed, numbered piano concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and his birthday (27 January 1756).
• The age in years at which many famous and supremely talented rock/blues musicians died, often referred to as the 27 Club. These include:
  

-Brian Jones

-Janis Joplin

-Jim Morrison

-Jimi Hendrix

-Kurt Cobain

(No need to worry about me joining this club...I'm not a famous, talented musician...and I definitely don't have a drug problem.)

tidbits about the year 1981:

• MTV was launched on Aug. 1
• Simon & Garfunkel reunited for a free concert in Central Park
• Researchers found the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic
• Post It Notes were launched by 3M Corp
• 1981 in Music
• Crimes of the Heart won a Pulitzer Prize... (I played 'Babe' in this play when I was in high school....if you read the synopsis, you'll get an idea of how sketchy my role was.) 
  
• Popular Films of 1981:

-Raiders of the Lost Ark

         -Superman II

         -9 to 5

         -Chariots of Fire

and September 2nd:

• On September 2, 1935, George Gershwin signed his name to the completed orchestral score of the opera Porgy and Bess. The composer called the 700-page score his masterpiece and never ceased to marvel that he had created it. Many critics consider Porgy and Bess to be the first and finest American opera.
• On this day...September 2

To top things off, I made a special birthday mix....since music always gets me excited. Check out "twenty-seven is heaven" over on the right...it's a mix of 28 (27 + 1 to grow on) songs and artists that I love! :)

olympic mania

These past few days, I've basically been caught up in my tunnel-vision fascination with the Olympics. I LOVE these games...from watching Greg Louganis' dive and the controversy that followed, to wishing that I could skate like Oksana Baiul, to my crush on gymnast Blaine Wilson...I've just been mesmerized by these games and the athletes. My excitement has been building since March, which is when Meagan and I decided to see how much it would cost to go to an event in Beijing (since we each have the lifetime goal of seeing an Olympic event in person).  This sparked numerous investigations into the Winter Olympics which will take place in Vancouver of 2010 (much more feasible, right?). To offset the costs, we contemplated getting jobs with the Vancouver Organizing Committee....but the only job that we might be qualified to apply for is that of a Zamboni driver, plus we would have to start this fall. However, with the recent revelation that I might be able to afford tickets to the events (thanks to info at this site), our hair-brained work strategy is no longer necessary. I'm thrilled of the prospect of actually going to see an event in person, and I don't even care what event it is.

Holly and I pondered what it must be like to be the best in the world at something. I mean, really....what must that feel like? Especially for the young athletes...I mean, now much less at 16,I can't comprehend the mental and emotional magnitude of these events. Plus, if you win a gold medal when you're 16, where do you go from that point? Do you keep chasing your own records? Do you lose any motivation because you've already achieved the highest honor? Do you move onto something new....even after all the time, money, etc that you've invested into this one goal?

I literally cannot imagine being the absolute best in the WORLD at one particular thing. Holly and I kept trying to come up with a sport (made up or real) that we could train to be the best at. One of my favorite suggestions was when Holly said that she could be the best curler...hair curler that is (she held up her curling iron to emphasis the point). We also came up with most quotable, best sarcastic commentary, along with actual sports such as table tennis (which we think might be our best shot), or equestrian (which Meagan thinks could be my claim to fame). In our quest to find our "in"  through one of the random sports of the Olympics, we learned that tug-of-war used to be in the Olympic games...I think we should petition to get it back in the picture!

PS - new playlist entitled "Pick up the Receiver" over on the right side of my page...you should be able to check out one of my favorite tracks here (click on the box on the top right of the page).

every little bit...

"When I am afraid, I will trust in You."

Psalm 56:3 (NIV)

Over the past few weeks, this verse has definitely become my anthem. Praise God for laying to rest several of my fears...I fortunately got the good news that I don't have endometrial cancer, and I'm not going to have any kind of surgery for now. My excitement over my biopsy results led to a celebratory shopping spree that seemed to flow throughout the week (oops for getting a little carried away). However, there still remains the looming question as to what is causing my medical problems...which means my trips to doctor will continue.

I am hopeful though...I feel like possibilities are starting to be crossed off the list, so it's only a matter of time before I start getting some concrete answers (right?). And I am encouraged:

"But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right - everything.

Those who wait around for Him are the lucky ones."

Isaiah 30:18 (The Message)