My Life - AKA books.

What was the last book you bought?
A book of poems by Robert and Elizabeth Browning

Name a book you have read MORE than once.
Pretty much every book that was in my library before 2006 was read 3 times or more --- In "A Severe Mercy" Van says something along the lines of, "The Mark of a true book lover is someone who reads their books more than once." A good book will keep gettting better with each read, and say something new to you each time.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life?
This is where every Christian person says, "The Bible", which is true -- along with a few other theologically bent books like The Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.

If you're talking about non-theological books -- probably "Jane Eyre", which showed me what it means for passion and reason to struggle in a heart. Or the above mentioned "A Severe Mercy" which made me think about what it means to really live well.

How do you choose a book? e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews?
I try to get recommendations from someone I trust whenever possible. Sometimes a cover will catch me.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
I mix it up.

What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
The plot. A lot of bad writing can be overlooked for a great story.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book).
Oy Vey -- so hard to even begin to choose.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand/coffee table at the moment?
Problogger - D. Rowse
Poems of Robert and Elizabeth Browning
Most Memorable Quotes
Assasin - Ted Bell
The Bible

What was the last book you read, and when was it?
Currently reading Assasin by Ted Bell -- it's ok -- brain candy.

Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
Some.

Can you recommend a good book to me? If so, what is it?
That's like trying to fit every person into the same pair of jeans. Tell me what kind of book you're looking for, or what the last really good book you read was, and I'll be able to tell you something you'd like.

A few that I've read (or re-read) recently and liked are:

Ender's Game (audio book) - Orson Scott Card - sci fi
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson - literature/fiction
In Defense of Food (audio book) - Michael Pollan - sociology
Four Queens - Nancy Goldstone - medieval studies/ biography
I Feel Bad about my Neck - Norah Ephron - humor
Garlic and Sapphires (audio book)- Ruth Reichl - food writing

Is there a book you haven't read, and should have?
Johnathan Edwards "Freedom of the Will" -- haven't ever gotten past the first chapter

_originally posted 2/20/09_

Love in February

I know a lot of single people who get quite morose about their State of Disunion around this time of year. Everywhere you turn there are boxes of chocolates, adverts for diamonds, and happy couples making romantic plans. However, I'd like think of it as an opportunity instead of a bummer -- its a chance to look back on the past year and see what kind of progress (or lack thereof) I show in the romance department.

This was a bang up year for me. Talking to my Mom a couple weeks ago, I told her that I was so happy, that I could only think of one thing that could make life better –- and that would be to fall in love. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but not by much. I am full to bursting with the joy of being healthy, young, virtuous, and independent. Life is a buffet of possibilities, and I have just been handed a plate to pile high.

But as is the case usually, shadows seem the darkest with the full light of noon behind them, and the happier I become, the more I long for someone to share my joy with. I’m not looking for someone to rescue me from my unhappiness anymore. I’m not looking for a perfect man who will solve all of life’s problems for me and suddenly make life happy and fulfilling. I have a happy and full life already. I’m looking for someone to dream with, someone to have fun with, to share and expand my horizons.

When you’re miserable and alone it’s easy to fantasize that all you need to do is find the right person, and then life will be a bed of roses. Find that one someone, and your life will have joy and meaning, loneliness will be a thing of the past, passion an every day state of being. You’ll be able to escape from that job you hate, move out of the household you’re sick of. If you find that better half, the person who has all of the qualities to match your deficiencies, and who will find the worth in what you have to offer, then life will be what it’s meant to be.

When you’re happy and alone it’s as though each day is a gift, beautifully wrapped, festively festooned, and then thrown in the trash. You are frustrated by the waste of a lovely life not shared. The talents, and energy, strength, and passion that come from a contented spirit seem to be squandered. It’s like an electric charge that builds up in your body, leaving you crackling with tension because the sparks have no where to fly.

There is an art to being alone – it is inspiring to me to see when it's done well. In some ways it reminds me of stories told of soldiers and martyrs who die well, -- who by their courage, honor, steadfastness, faith, and humility were able to take an inevitable evil and turn it into something that glorifies God and encourages others to do the same. To be alone is hard, but it’s also an opportunity to learn to live well. To live alone shapes and molds your character at every turn, pushing you towards courage, temperance, chastity, patience, hope, and faith. At times it runs you devastatingly ragged with the emotional and physical strains, forcing you to rely on strength that isn’t your own. When you’re made to keep company with just yourself, you learn to cultivate your soul – to strive to better yourself in every way possible, if for no other reason than to make it more pleasant to live with yourself.

In the end, I’m not any closer to falling in love than I was a year ago – but that's okay with me now – and that is real progress in my book.

_originally posted on fb 2/5/09_

25 Things

RULES: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs (+) on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

______________________

1) I just filled this survey thing out half way, and then got distracted and clicked on a link, loosing everything. Stoopid ADD.

2) I am really bad about answering any kind of correspondence. This has gotten me into hot water a couple of times when people thought that I was mad at them when really I was just a bum who doesn't answer her emails. (or texts, or voicemails....)

3) There is a home video of me somewhere, from when I was about 3 years old, where I act out the entire "Vitameatavegamin" sketch from I Love Lucy, including the drunk parts.

4) I Love Lucy.

5) I have lived in Texas for 363 days as of today. It's been a very good year.

6) One of my great ambitions in life is to be able to play the Bach Suites for Solo Cello.

7) I love being on, in, or near the water. It's one of my dreams to live on a body of water someday.

8) I would like to build a Straw Bale House, or some other eco-friendly house.

9) I don't own a TV. Mostly because I'm too cheap, and I don't need any more incentive to waste time.

10) I just recently discovered "The Weepies" through Pandora radio. They're GREAT.

11) I make REALLY good s'mores. I like to make them more than eat them.

12) When I was little, I really wanted to either have red hair, or an afro.

13) I'm really happy. Life is good -- even with the sucky parts.

14) I collect fairy tales and sea shells.

15) I haven't found my niche.

16) When I have a good dream that I remember, I will think about it for a long time, and it always peps me up. Like last night I dreamt that I got a puppy. It was happy, and we cuddled, and I woke up snuggling my pillow.

17) I have a tiny mole above my upper lip that only shows when I've been in the sun. Then it looks like I've drawn a Marilyn Monroe-esque beauty mark on.

18) I dream that one day I'll go to the Taj Mahal.

19) I am addicted to ApartmentTherapy.com

20) I love to listen to audio books. The closest I've ever come to a celebrity crush is becoming enamored with Scott Brick's velvet voice -- even though in real life he's a bit greasy, wears big gold jewelry, and has a paunch -- I think of him as my golden voiced friend who murmurs exciting tales in my ear all evening.

21) I'm sleepy.

22) I miss the blog that I used to write. Maybe I'll start writing again soon.

23) I'm curious and interested in a lot of different things. Travel, languages, literature, history, theology, architecture, science, art, poetry, music, writing, cooking, photography. I hope I live a long time so that I can look into as many of them as possible.

24) I have very bad vision, and am afraid that I might go blind someday.

25) I hate pickles.

_originally posted on fb 2/2/09_

A Thought

A good piece of writing is usually like a good piece of dancing -- hard hard work, made possible by lots of training and practice, which in the end seems completely spontaneous and effortless.

Too bad I can't pull that off.

_originally posted 1/13/09_

Funny Ha-Ha or Funny Weird?

I've gotten hit on by attractive men all week long.

I was driving home tonight (after commenting on this phenomena to a friend) and a very cute guy pulled his little black coupe along side my tiny Mazda, and stayed with me on the freeway until he caught my eye. When I finally turned my head, he was full on facing me, not even making a pretense of watching the road. His face split in half with a huge grin while he gave me that little "how you doin'?" nod/cocked eyebrow.

Last night it was a nearly 7ft tall West African guy, who asked for my number, and if he could take me to dinner or hang out.

Before that it was a guy at Starbucks who offered me his place in line, said I was pretty and asked for my number.

The list goes on.

I haven't done anything different. I've still been the same me, no makeovers or anything but I've suddenly developed into an electro stud magnet.]

Kind of funny I think.

_origninally posted 1/10/09_

Squeeky Green

In the last couple of years it's gotten cool to be eco-friendly. Sometimes this is annoying -- especially when companies greenwash their products in order to milk profits out of well meaning folks, or when people tell you you're evil for wearing leather or taking a road trip.

But it also means that it's getting easier to be good stewards of our resources as more people and companies come on board.

Example: I was setting up my utilities yesterday afternoon, and was able to choose a company called Green Mountain Energy. 100% of my electricity will be coming from renewable zero emission sources like solar, wind, and water. And the great thing is that this company was 2 cents cheaper per kilowatt than the big company that gets it's energy from coal and natural gas. And Green Mountain has the highest customer satisfaction of all the companies in my area.

I know a lot of people around the country only have one choice when it comes to their utilities, but if you can choose where you are, do a little looking and see if there is a company like this in your area. Good for the earth and for your wallet.

_originally posted on fb 10/28/08_

I Dare You to Love Me

Who knew that such a small thing could make such a bold statement?

I have always loved wild flowers. The perfectly symmetrical opulence of long stemmed roses and hot house orchids are amazing and gorgeous, but they don't have the same effect on me as a windblown patch of queen anne's lace on a spring day.

All of my favorite flowers have been wild flowers. As a girl daisies charmed me. I watched "You've Got Mail" and agreed completely when Meg Ryan called daisies the friendliest flowers. They would just tilt their face up to meet yours and smile their little sunny hearts at you. They stand for innocence.

A little later it was forget me nots. The clusters of blue creep crawling over everything, insinuating themselves over our fence, and through the flower bed whether we asked them to or not, they were sweet and shy but determined creatures. They speak of faithful love.

I now have an ardent love of poppies. They are wild and graceful and achingly lovely. I used to go out in the spring in Seattle and pick hundreds of them for my room. I would watch as they did this great little dance where they swirled their petals around themselves as the sun went down. They are as beautiful when they are closed as when they are in full bloom. Poppies are the flower of pleasure.

Innocence, pleasure, and faithful love. These are the qualities that my favorite flowers extoll. Not bad, and it makes me wonder if we are drawn to the flowers that speak about who we are, what we value, how we think, or what we want to say to others.

When I was looking up the meanings of my favorite flowers, I found that many blossoms don't just stand for something, but actually say things with their presence. Apparently some flowers can be quite eloquent.

Carnations say: "My heart aches for you"

Lavender "I like you only as a friend."

Gardenias whisper, "I love you in secret."

Holly asks, "Am I forgotten?"

Petunias say, "I am furious!"

Cedar "I live but for thee."

But for pure brashness none beat the Tiger lily which throws down a gauntlet saying "I dare you to love me!"

What's your favorite flower?

_originally posted on fb 10-24-08_