Monthly Archives: May 2007

I checked out Randall’s blog for some deep spiritual inspiration – as usual.

What did I find but a guy making games out of his name.  So I thought, if he can do it so can I!!  I typed in my name and yeah they could spell it backwards to me.  Aenil Eional  A fairly anal sounding name if you ask me.  Which is maybe right if this is the backwards side of me. 

They had no idea what my name meant.  So I am one up on them – of course spelling it like a Swede might change that.  I’ll have to try that spelling and see what it does. 

Another astonishing fact they came up with –  listen to this:  "People with this first name are probably: Male or female… We don’t know yet. We’re working on it!"

Ha ha.  Should I let them in on the secret?

This seems pretty right. "Your ‘Numerology’ number is 7. If it wasn’t bulls**t, it would mean that you are spiritual, eccentric, and a bit of a loner. Introspective and analytical, you think deeply and preferseclusion."  But how did they come up with that when they don’t even know if I am male or female or what my name means?

And I found out that I am pretty unique.  "According to the US Census Bureau°, fewer than 0.001% of US residents have the first name ‘Linea’ and fewer than 0.001% have the surname ‘Lanoie’. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there are 0 ‘Linea Lanoie’s."

Really there is one.  But only one and not in the US.

That was fun.  Thanks Lladnar.

For the past month, I have been living in the middle of a kitchen/main floor renovation of our house.  It has been a pain – having to eat off paper plates, cook on the barbeque or order in, hauling up the dishes that have to be washed to our bedroom bathroom in a big tub to wash them, hunting for things to cook with and not remembering where I packed them away.  But, it is becoming more clear that the trouble will be worth it.  And after more than ten years in the old kitchen without so much as a coat of paint, it was high time.

I have taken pictures of the process to date and they are in aset at Flikr if you want to see some of the process.

Yesterday morning, very bright and early, I got up and drove to Saskatoon to visit the Passport office.

I arrived in good time, found a parking spot, plugged the meter for an hour and a half and trundled off in the rain for the government building. 

When I got to the office my papers were checked by an official looking woman at the desk and I was given a number.  The waiting room was almost full.  I was wondering how long it would be ’cause it looked as if I was in for a long wait.

I didn’t even have time to get out the book I’d brought along.  I was called within minutes of sitting down and was out of the office within 15 minutes. 

It really is true, as Randall said, it pays to apply for passports on line.  And they say it should only take 3 weeks to get them doing it that way as well. 

And then since I had already paid a couple dollars for my parking, I went in to the coffee shop that I parked in front of and had lots of time to sit with my book over a good cup of coffee.

Last night my sister and I were talking after supper, planning what we will do today.  She and her husband have gooten involved in the Sudanese community in Calgary through tutoring and through connections they made with Sudanese refugees while they spent their year in Eygypt. 

Right now they are planning for the trip to Calgary by a friend of theirs, Joseph (and I do not even know his last name); finding a place for all the Sudanese Christian communities in the city to meet and hear him and all the logistics that go with large gatherings of people.  Joseph is an Anglican pastor and is presently involved with the Sudanese governement at some level. 

Today I will get to meet some of her friends both Congolese and Sudanese.  I brought along a couple of dental mirrors to make myself useful, even though I can’t do anything more than just look. 

Last night she gave me a small booklet called 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless: addressing global issues of gender based injustice.  It is a little book bound to make a big impact.  You can’t even look at it without being affected.  She is going to give me a few copies and I will find some way to use them.  The organization Raise Their Voice has a website as well www.raisetheirvoice.wordpress.com   I encourage you to visit it but watch out – God may speak to you rather loudly through it.

Mother’s Day is just past.  I can’t think of a better way to honor women around the globe than to work for justice on behalf of the many voiceless women – women who don’t even know they are entitled to a voice.

I’m packed and ready to go.

My girls always refer to this weekend simply as "May Long"  In the past they have always felt a bit cheated if they didn’t get to do something fun – like go up to the lake with friends.  In actual fact, this is the one weekend of the year that no parent in Saskatchewan really wants their kids to take off to the lake with friends.  It seems each year there is a group of rowdy teens that trash one of the parks.  A pretty stupid thing to do.  Obviously the kids who take part in the vandalism are not in a deeply thinking state of mind.

But tomorrow morning I head off to Strathmore, AB with a car full of junior high kids or a bit older helpers for Jr High Jam, our church junior high retreat.  We will be packed into our vehicles about as tightly as can be but who wants to take more vehicles than needed with the price of gas as high as it is. 

If anyone’s legs cramp up, I’ll stop and let then run around the vehicle a few times and then on we will go. 

I think it will be a tiring but fun weekend.  The kids will have a good time.  And hopefully will learn some important things about God.  They may learn more in the car than at the retreat depending on the conversation and all. 

Sara is going with me.  She will get to see some cousins. I will get to see my sisters. 

My little sister turns the big 5-0 this year so we are going to have a sisterly get together.  We can compare our old husbands and other worn out parts we drag around with us.  We will eat something really good and have a good long talk.  We haven’t all been together since – well, I guess it was Dad’s funeral.  This occaision will be a bit more on the light side.  Should be fun.