7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 8) - the eclectic musical edition

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I can't say this week was completely uneventful.  It was, however, fairly quiet and low-key.  Visits to the chiropractor.  Long walks.  Lunch mid-week with one of my favorites.  Great conversations with amazing friends.  And summer.  It is finally summer!  And everyone in Illinois is happier and friendlier and has suddenly remembered why we choose to live here: summers.  They're (mostly) worth it.

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So in lieu of anything truly newsworthy, I offer you a random suggestion and several You-Tube videos.  First, the randomness: There is a virus going around at our church right now which is likely some sort of flu bug, but is so rampant at the moment that people have started calling it the Torch Plague.  Someone mentioned that no-sugar-added red grape juice is a flu-stopper.  The disclaimer is: once you have the flu, good luck with that - but if you run into someone who has the flu, go home and drink grape juice and you'll be fine.  Well - I tried it, even tho I was already feeling queasy, and while my appetite still isn't really back to normal yet, I never did get truly ill.  Praying that remains true.  And highly recommend it as something at least worth trying once.

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There's not a whole lot to do when you're sitting around feeling queasy except sitting still and watching tv.  In addition to almost an entire season of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (hey, don't judge), I've also spent a fair amount of time watching videos on YouTube.   If I needed a reminder that I have extremely eclectic taste in music, my YouTube viewing this week surely demonstrated it...

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A friend from church sent me this song on iTunes yesterday.  I watched the music video today, and all I can say is: if I knew someone who could fingerpaint red light into the air, I'd consider her pretty unforgettable, too:

I think what I love best about this song is that it's like the Backstreet Boys or Savage Garden meets Daughtry - only in Spanish.  Not exactly something you hear every day....

And the background singers in this video?  Totally reminded me of the Partridge Family.

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Speaking of whom...  I found this today, and it made me... ahem, Happy...  ;)

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OH!  Wait - there was a news-worthy item this week.  So, my chiropractor told me to go to a particular store (known for its low prices) and purchase a foam massage roller so I can do a new exercise at home every day.  I went today to pick one up - and was absolutely appalled.  In all honesty, I was initially appalled by the hideous color choices (red or grey, really?  ugh.  if i'm going to buy exercise equipment, it ought at least be pretty....).  But upon further inspection - both options carried a bright yellow warning tag stating that the roller was made with one or more chemicals known in the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects, etc.

Are you kidding me?!  How could I possibly buy something clearly labelled "this might give you cancer"?  And who would responsibly sell it?  I couldn't do it.  Cheap, or not, I can't make myself disregard that tag.  So I'm off to another store tomorrow.  Hoping the one I saw elsewhere that's twice as expensive doesn't come with the same sort of label.

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Back to music.  I am completely hooked on the soundtrack from Pitch Perfect.  The harmonies in some of those songs are intense.  (This one is my favorite.)  I love a capella.  I also love a good parody.  Add them together?  Even better.  I know it's totally the wrong time of year for this, but hey - if some people listen to Christmas music all year long, why not Hanukkah music, too?  :)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 8)

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It's been a somewhat eventful week here in Happy-land.  It began with attempting to get up out of a chair Sunday morning, and failing miserably.  It continued with an ongoing battle between my pride and common sense.  I finally swallowed my pride and went to a chiropractor on Wednesday - and am so very glad I did.  Am on the mend now, and have learned a lot along the way.  Kind of in awe of the complex ways in which God constructed us.  Also very grateful to have a doctor who says, "I'm going to be praying for you."  And am loving the million and one ways in which God has orchestrated my life to make sure things like that happen.

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I sort of love it that the caveat here is: "it's just a list" - but I am nevertheless honored to be on it.  (However that happened...)  And wow.  If you were looking for something to read, there you are!  (I will never again have an excuse for being bored...)

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One of my top reads of the week was this post on whether or not men and women can be 'just' friends.  Written by a married man, it's a really gutsy, honest, and in-your-face kind of post, and it really makes you think.  It's a little on the long side, but it's worth it.  (Tip: stick with it thru the comments!) The post kind of speaks for itself, on so many levels, but I will say this: I am so convicted by this line: "...we...have reduced relationships to what we get out of them."  Ugh.  Yes, all too often, we have.  But it doesn't have to be that way.

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I've been thinking a lot about one of Andy Stanley's more recent podcasts: Trust vs. Suspicion.  (I may have listened to it at least three times at this point...)  I think it is so easy to let suspicion fill the gap when we fail each other - to attribute the perceived failure of another person to their character, and to consider their 'failure' grounds to call foul on 'breach of trust.'   Putting trust in that gap instead - even when the other person doesn't seem to be doing the same - can feel like such a risk.  In spite of that - I would still call trust the better option over suspicion.  Believe that the other person had your best interests at heart and isn't wounding you intentionally and suddenly the (sometimes long) road towards reconciliation can seem so much easier to travel.

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There are only ELEVEN DAYS left until the Gurus of Tech conference at Willow Creek!!!   I am personally looking forward to spending two days surrounded by people who are (mostly) geekier than I am, to time with one of my BESTEST friends, and to possibly running into someone I met once in Germany; he was wearing a "More Cowbell" t-shirt.   As if such a thing needed lobbying...  I mean, duh.  It's a cowbell.  Of course you want more...

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This week, I succeeded in creating my very first interactive wireframe.  And it was fun!  If you actually know what that means, you should check out InVision.  Highly recommend them if you're new to web design.  They pretty much made wireframing a piece of cake.

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And since no 7 Quick Takes is complete without video and/or shameless plug - if you haven't read The Unwanteds yet - you should.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!