LISA'S MISH-MASH MI-5

1. The weather has been way too hot for me this week. What is something you currently think is "really hot"? It could be a book, a movie, a song, an athlete, an artist, or anything.

I'm thinking Saabs are really hot right now! Not necessarily are Saabs having a banner year or anything, but I test-drove a 2001 Saab a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what kind of Saab it was, but I know it was loaded. The seats were sooo comfy. It had a moonroof, and I think it was the first time I ever drove a car with a moonroof or a sunroof. Sheltered, ain't I? The dealership had it overpriced by about $2K, but I'm keeping my eyes open for one. For some reason, driving that car made me feel rich and important. Probably not too good for one's ego. Perhaps I should stick with my gas-guzzling mini-van.

2. Eben is going to camp this week. The camp focuses on games, arts, and cooking. Tell us about the last game you played, the last thing you created, or the last meal you cooked. For extra brownie points, tell us all three.

The last game I played was Brain Age on my DS. I currently have the brain of a 26-year-old right now. (20 years old is "perfect".)

The last thing I created is something that needs to remain a secret, at least for right now. Dwane knows. Mrs. Cheeseball knows. Oh, wait a minute...Maybe that wasn't the last thing. I did that yesterday afternoon, and I finished something else creative after that. That also has to remain a secret (at least until tomorrow afternoon). I took a picture of it, so maybe I'll add it to Flickr next week.

The last meal I cooked was just about 15 minutes ago. Chocolate Chip Pancakes for the boys, and Dropped Eggs on Toast (I used whole grain white bread) for me.

3. Caleb thought he wanted a swimming pool. We bought him an inflatable pool with a small slide and a built-in sprinkler. Caleb won't go near it. Have you ever wanted/needed something really badly, and then when you had it, you decided you didn't really want/need it?

I am a sucker for buying all sorts of media: books, computer games, video games, CDs, movies. There are movies I've never watched, many books I've never read, and CDs I've listened to only once. Usually, though, if I buy some sort of game, I usually do get my money's worth from that. Probably too much. See below.

4. I have been doing a Bible Study about idols (No Other Gods by Kelly Minter). Is there something in your life to which you give more time and/or attention than it deserves? Tell us about it. (This doesn't have to be deep and personal if you don't want it to be.)

The computer. The computer. The computer. I feel like I sit here at this computer all day long. If it's not work, it's Poppit, my newest addiction (partially fueled by Amy). I play at www.pogo.com, and I am logged in as ebensmom almost continuously. Anyone want to play? (Since I never got any takers for Cribbage.) There's a chat room there, too. So I can tease you when I beat your pants off.

5. Who or what is "Polycarp"? If you don't know, give us your best guess. Then, you can go ahead and google it if you'd like.

Since I wrote this question, you probably assume that I already know the answer, and I do. If you play the MI-5 and haven't answered your questions yet, stop reading here.

Instead of telling you who or what Polycarp is/was, I'll tell you why Polycarp is even on my mind. In Sunday School this past week, the Pastor took us to the second chapter of Revelation, where the letters to the seven churches begin. The class was looking at the first part of the chapter, but my eyes drifted down to the middle chapter, to the letter to the church in Smyrna. In the margin, I had written "Polycarp". I couldn't for the life of me remember what or who Polycarp was. I asked my brother, the immensely intelligent Billy Rhythm, and of course, he knew who Polycarp was. I should note that he began his answer by saying "I know you think I know it all, but I really don't, but I just happened to read this last week..." I've always said that my brother knows at least a little about everything you can imagine, and this proves it further. He is a master student, and has the brain of a sponge. My brother can be a brilliant conversationalist because he always can intelligently inject himself into any conversation. Ok. By now he's probably ready to kill me for saying all this. Have I told you how much I love my brother?? Ok. I'm crying now.