Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Backyard Crush
Michael mowed the lawn (in the backyard) today, and it looks so pretty out there, I wish I could go and sit in the middle of it. Someday perhaps we'll have patio furniture, and the lighting to make it an evening paradise.
Comment
Now that I'm feeling better (see previous post threatening bodily harm), please note that I've posted something new below the photos of Parker, a post I started earlier, but posted late, which is also the post that dispelled my momentary frustration of twenty moments ago.
Even More Pictures of Parker
There were other pictures of Parker that I wanted to post, but I'm having a computer function melt-down. One of those things where you just want to throw the whole thing through the window, breaking window and machine at the same time. I'd really like to see it crash heavily into concrete right now. Only problem is, no problem would be solved by thereby doing.
Seriously, I'm about to gnaw my own thumb right off.
Seriously, I'm about to gnaw my own thumb right off.
Season's of Life That Do Not Last Forever
Last night we had a friend over for dinner. It's the first time we've done that in a while, not because we are unwilling, but mainly because we forget to invite anyone to come and eat with us. It was fun.
Whenever I'm around Ben I'm reminded of the really great hanging-out that was done during my college years. Very good memories.
On a Thursday night my friend Jenny would call me on the phone to see if I wanted to come over. Most Thursday nights I'd get to her apartment and my friends Jeremy and Steven would already be there. We'd spend the evening sitting on the floor, watching tv and conversing with whoever else might happen to come by. Usually several other people would come by. I miss those days of casual socialization.
Other favorite memories.
Sitting outside on the porch of the Chi Alpha Girl's House, either in Chanda's cool leather chair or the swing, reading, listening to music, talking to Ken about deep-seated things until 3:00 in the morning. The Spade's games that used to go on until all hours, those were not my favorite times, but sweeping off the front porch, being outside, feeling cool breezes coming in off the street, and hearing the noises of cars going by, these were some really beautiful times. I loved that kind of atmosphere, when you never knew who might show up at your door. I loved my tiny white room at the Girl's House, and the window unit (both heat and cool) that kept my personal living space snug. I have happy memories that involve Mavis coming to my room to bring me sliced apples while I worked on some huge Interior Design project, bringing them because we'd just had an argument. I miss the sort of communal living that is possible in college as it is at no other time.
Whenever I'm around Ben I'm reminded of those times.
I wish sometimes that I could foster that sort of casual communal spirit in my life as a wife and mother, but I haven't figured out yet how practically to do so. And community isn't a talent I particularly have.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
My Home in Lit
Brief moments of self-deprecating humor often appeal to me in the reading of non-fiction. This seems to be a hallmark of so many British authors, as I think Peter Elbow pointed out in one of his essays on composition.
Since I finished reading Orthodoxy over the weekend, and received my copy of Devotional Classics through the mail from Amazon, I decided to pick up Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis as my next continuous non-fiction read. I will revisit Larry Crabb's The Papa Prayer, and Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ later. (Devotional Classics is not meant as a continuous read; it is made to be read in fits and starts, and the very first selection in the text is from Mere Christianity. Thus my progression to Lewis.)
I was reading through the introduction to Reflection on the Psalms this morning, in which Lewis remarks, "There are some enlightened and progressive old gentlemen...whom no courtesy can propitiate and no modesty disarm. But then I dare say I am a much more annoying person than I know (8)."
Since I finished reading Orthodoxy over the weekend, and received my copy of Devotional Classics through the mail from Amazon, I decided to pick up Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis as my next continuous non-fiction read. I will revisit Larry Crabb's The Papa Prayer, and Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ later. (Devotional Classics is not meant as a continuous read; it is made to be read in fits and starts, and the very first selection in the text is from Mere Christianity. Thus my progression to Lewis.)
I was reading through the introduction to Reflection on the Psalms this morning, in which Lewis remarks, "There are some enlightened and progressive old gentlemen...whom no courtesy can propitiate and no modesty disarm. But then I dare say I am a much more annoying person than I know (8)."
Happenings, Thankings
Several things happened yesterday.
Parker and I spent the morning at my parent's house where we:
Shattered a glass pitcher on the tiled kitchen floor, and
broke the wind chime hanging from a tree in the front yard.
It was a day of destruction for Parker and me.
Yesterday afternoon, however, our next door neighbor came by the house to introduce herself, and bringing with her two dozen bran muffins. Bran muffins are absolutely my favorite kind and I hadn't had them in years. Time was when I would have picked out the raisins, but not these. They are delicious.
What nice thing can one do for an elderly couple next door, not knowing what sort of dietary restrictions they may live under?
Speaking of thanking, Mary and Danny came by the house Friday afternoon, and Danny did a lot to help Michael work out our plumbing problems. Everything is fixed now. So we're wondering, what nice thing can we do for Mary and Danny to thank them for being such good neighbors?
Parker and I spent the morning at my parent's house where we:
Shattered a glass pitcher on the tiled kitchen floor, and
broke the wind chime hanging from a tree in the front yard.
It was a day of destruction for Parker and me.
Yesterday afternoon, however, our next door neighbor came by the house to introduce herself, and bringing with her two dozen bran muffins. Bran muffins are absolutely my favorite kind and I hadn't had them in years. Time was when I would have picked out the raisins, but not these. They are delicious.
What nice thing can one do for an elderly couple next door, not knowing what sort of dietary restrictions they may live under?
Speaking of thanking, Mary and Danny came by the house Friday afternoon, and Danny did a lot to help Michael work out our plumbing problems. Everything is fixed now. So we're wondering, what nice thing can we do for Mary and Danny to thank them for being such good neighbors?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Talented Actors With Actual Lives
Parker keeps pulling out these Farscape DVDs, probably because he likes the colors on the DVD covers. We put them in the player, we watch about five minutes of advance footage, make our way to the opening credits, and then he hits the eject button and we must start all over again. He doesn't want to watch Farscape; he really only wants to play with the DVD player. Or at least that's all I can figure.
I saw a part of an episode tonight in which Ben Browder's wife, Francesca Buller appears. Ben Browder is the star of Farscape, in case you didn't know. His wife appears in several episodes, playing different diminutive characters more often than not, and always in heavy makeup and prosthetics. So I'm dying to know what she looks like in real life.
I appreciate the fact that there aren't any pictures of her on imdb, except for one small one in which she appears with her husband. I appreciate that their two children are unnamed to the press. I think that shows great sense and discretion. I can see that she is lovely and petite, and more importantly, she is a fine actress. Browder is an excellent actor as well, at least in his role as John Crichton. We've seen him once on an incarnation of Stargate, a show which we do not watch. Unfortunately we were unimpressed with what we saw there.
I saw a part of an episode tonight in which Ben Browder's wife, Francesca Buller appears. Ben Browder is the star of Farscape, in case you didn't know. His wife appears in several episodes, playing different diminutive characters more often than not, and always in heavy makeup and prosthetics. So I'm dying to know what she looks like in real life.
I appreciate the fact that there aren't any pictures of her on imdb, except for one small one in which she appears with her husband. I appreciate that their two children are unnamed to the press. I think that shows great sense and discretion. I can see that she is lovely and petite, and more importantly, she is a fine actress. Browder is an excellent actor as well, at least in his role as John Crichton. We've seen him once on an incarnation of Stargate, a show which we do not watch. Unfortunately we were unimpressed with what we saw there.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Daytime Soap Opera, Nighttime Soap Opera; links
I'm still watching Buffy on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I just made the following connection (and believe me, I'm embarrassed that I know this, but why not share it with you anyway):
All My Children on ABC. There is a character named Kendall, who is Erica Kane's daughter, and who had a baby on the show two years ago who she named Spike.
Rewind several years.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Fox, back when Fox was still an antennae receivable network. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy. One of her major enemies on the show is named Spike.
Rewind several more years.
Sarah Michelle Gellar originally played Kendall on All My Children. Maybe this explains why Kendall chose such a bizarre name for her baby.
All My Children on ABC. There is a character named Kendall, who is Erica Kane's daughter, and who had a baby on the show two years ago who she named Spike.
Rewind several years.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Fox, back when Fox was still an antennae receivable network. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy. One of her major enemies on the show is named Spike.
Rewind several more years.
Sarah Michelle Gellar originally played Kendall on All My Children. Maybe this explains why Kendall chose such a bizarre name for her baby.
Joss Whedon and Literature
Some of you know that I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on-line recently. I'm watching Buffy because 1) it suddenly became available to me, 2) I just about adore Joss Whedon, especially his series Firefly, and 3) I've always had a thing for vampire stories. This last reveals a deep seated interest in evil, which is related to an overwhelming sense of gratitude when I consider what dark possibilities I have been rescued from. Anyway, back to the point of the post.
It struck me as I watched the first season's finale how much Buffy's character resembles Mina Harker of Bram Stoker's novel. Here's why. In Bram Stoker's novel, Mina is surrounded by men who love her, who would do anything to rescue her from the evil for which she has become prey. It is a sacrificial love, not merely a romantic one as defined by our contemporary culture (though sacrifice is certainly a romantic ideal). The scene that brought on the comparison?
Angel: Are you in love with her?
Xander: Aren't you?
Okay, to give you a bit of context, these two men who love Buffy are underground, rushing to the scene of potential torment to save her, though we know going in that Buffy herself will do the bulk of the saving. They both certainly have romantic feelings for the girl, but I interpret these two lines rhetorically rather than literally. It is as though Xander were saying, you and I know her, therefore we have no choice but to love her. The same would seem to have been true of Mina Harker.
It struck me as I watched the first season's finale how much Buffy's character resembles Mina Harker of Bram Stoker's novel. Here's why. In Bram Stoker's novel, Mina is surrounded by men who love her, who would do anything to rescue her from the evil for which she has become prey. It is a sacrificial love, not merely a romantic one as defined by our contemporary culture (though sacrifice is certainly a romantic ideal). The scene that brought on the comparison?
Angel: Are you in love with her?
Xander: Aren't you?
Okay, to give you a bit of context, these two men who love Buffy are underground, rushing to the scene of potential torment to save her, though we know going in that Buffy herself will do the bulk of the saving. They both certainly have romantic feelings for the girl, but I interpret these two lines rhetorically rather than literally. It is as though Xander were saying, you and I know her, therefore we have no choice but to love her. The same would seem to have been true of Mina Harker.
Reading Triumphant, or Not So Triumphant Depending On Your Goal
I finally finished reading Chesterton's Orthodoxy this morning. You may remember that I had difficulty getting through the last two chapters. The reason for this had nothing to do with the quality of those two chapters.
I read the greater part of the book over the course of two months, and then I got distracted. I had started too many other things. There was too much fiction that I wanted to read. As a matter of fact I have read a lot of fiction since moving to this house. It's like a compulsion. And so I had left the non-fiction mindset. Now that I've finished the book, I realize that I've forgotten so much that was alive to me while I read. I can say that I've read the book, but that reading is less useful than it ought to be because I cannot reproduce it's content in my own mind. I wrote all over the book while I was reading it, and while that is a form of note taking, it may not be the most effective kind.
Michael says that I need to learn to read all over again; that there are habits of reading that will require effort to dispell. I argue that I never have learned effective note taking, that I need someone to teach me. I've read Adler's How to Read a Book.
You want to know how I finally made it through that last chapter? I took the book outside and read aloud to Parker. Reading it aloud helped me to read every word, paying attention to the emphasis implied by Chesterton's sentence structure.
Now that I "have read" the book, I fear that it is time to start it all over again.
I read the greater part of the book over the course of two months, and then I got distracted. I had started too many other things. There was too much fiction that I wanted to read. As a matter of fact I have read a lot of fiction since moving to this house. It's like a compulsion. And so I had left the non-fiction mindset. Now that I've finished the book, I realize that I've forgotten so much that was alive to me while I read. I can say that I've read the book, but that reading is less useful than it ought to be because I cannot reproduce it's content in my own mind. I wrote all over the book while I was reading it, and while that is a form of note taking, it may not be the most effective kind.
Michael says that I need to learn to read all over again; that there are habits of reading that will require effort to dispell. I argue that I never have learned effective note taking, that I need someone to teach me. I've read Adler's How to Read a Book.
You want to know how I finally made it through that last chapter? I took the book outside and read aloud to Parker. Reading it aloud helped me to read every word, paying attention to the emphasis implied by Chesterton's sentence structure.
Now that I "have read" the book, I fear that it is time to start it all over again.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
from "Justice is Blind"
I've been watching the first season of Arrested Development for the past few days on hulu.com. Don't you just love that scene where Michael and George Michael (his son) are both hiding out behind the Ten Commandments in front of the courthouse? As the statue of the Ten Commandments is hoisted above their heads by the crane that is towing it away and they discuss their separate dilemmas ("It's so hard to know what to do"), Michael says:
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a set of rules, you know? Something handed down from on high that would tell us what to do?
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a set of rules, you know? Something handed down from on high that would tell us what to do?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Pictures of Parker, and A Visit with Miss Alice
Many of you know this lady. We got to visit with her on Thursday. A good time was had by all, even though Parker wasn't up to his usual brilliant, friendly and charming standards because he was unwell.He walked into Alice's living room, wherein he found a candle shaped like a ring of angels. It impressed us that he identified this foreign object as a candle immediately, walking up to it and sniffing away.
I wish that I could visit Alice every day. I am happy to know that I can look forward to seeing her more regularly. She in fact lives within reasonable driving distance from the Fox's soon-to-be-completed new home.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I Always Liked to Watch The New Yankee Workshop With Norm Abrams
My favorite courses in Interior Design at the University of Alabama took place in the engineering department. There we learned basic drafting techniques, how to use an earlier version of AutoCAD (earlier than 2000, that is, which I learned how to use much later), and certain details about construction. I especially liked the stuff about construction.
In the art department I most enjoyed using the power tools in 3-dimensional design, besides the drawing class I took with Mr. Dooley.
I wish I knew more about construction now. Anything I may have gone over at the time I have forgotten. It would be so useful now I as think about the things that should be done to my little house.
When I worked at Lighting Plus, my favorite part was running back to the warehouse to locate items needed by the local electricians. I thought how interesting it would be to be a female electrician.
I like doing things myself, like putting together Parker's various paraphrenalia. I've taken Parker's bed apart and put it back together more than once, although not since we moved into this house. Yet I am intimidated when it comes to cleaning the bathroom.
In the art department I most enjoyed using the power tools in 3-dimensional design, besides the drawing class I took with Mr. Dooley.
I wish I knew more about construction now. Anything I may have gone over at the time I have forgotten. It would be so useful now I as think about the things that should be done to my little house.
When I worked at Lighting Plus, my favorite part was running back to the warehouse to locate items needed by the local electricians. I thought how interesting it would be to be a female electrician.
I like doing things myself, like putting together Parker's various paraphrenalia. I've taken Parker's bed apart and put it back together more than once, although not since we moved into this house. Yet I am intimidated when it comes to cleaning the bathroom.
Our Missing Key or How Good He Is to Give Us Neighbors Who Love Us.
Yesterday morning Parker and I were locked out of our house. It wouldn't have happened had I not been sick the day before. Normally whenever I leave the house, even just to take Parker outside to play, I either double check to make sure I haven't automatically locked the front door knob, or I take my keys and cell phone with me. But not yesterday.
Parker was playing in the back, and I started scoping out my roofline to see what sort of roof I have. Michael's dad and I had had a discussion about this over the weekend, and I had been surprised at how difficult it was for me to remember what the roof looked like, having missed out on that portion of our home inspection. Why, oh why, did I not follow the home inspector onto the roof, or anywhere else for that matter?
I left Parker in our fenced-in back yard for a moment while I wandered around to the front of the house. While I did discover that we have a partial hip-roof, which I had previously vehemently denied, I also discovered that there was no way for us to get back into the house. Both front and back doors were locked, and we still had not gotten around to hiding a spare key anywhere on the premises.
Bad, bad luck, and me sick. Whine, complain.
First things first. We scoped out the surrounding neighborhood. No cars at Teresa's house. One car at Gavin and Amy's. Parker and I both had been ill, so I wasn't about to knock on my elderly neighbor's door. It was 9:15 in the morning, so I suspected the students across the street might not be awake. We tried the house across the street first. No answer.
We keep our stroller on the front porch these days for easy access. Fortunately for me. Unfortunately for me, not only was I wearing the wrong shoes for walking, but I was also wearing yesterday's clothes and had not yet brushed my teeth. Parker had been quite anxious to get out that morning.
I put Parker in the stroller, and we walked to the opposite end of the neighborhood. Thank you Jesus, Danny was home, and he had slept late that morning, and he had items to return to a shop right near Michael's office (plus he and Mary keep extra brand new toothbrushes at their home for when the grandchildren visit). The timing of all this was impeccable. Parker and I played in our neighbor's back yard, while he went across town to pick up our spare key.
And I got an enforced and impromptu walk that morning that did nothing to the detriment of my health. And Parker and I hopefully avoided infecting others.
All things (such very simple things) certainly worked together to our good yesterday morning.
Parker was playing in the back, and I started scoping out my roofline to see what sort of roof I have. Michael's dad and I had had a discussion about this over the weekend, and I had been surprised at how difficult it was for me to remember what the roof looked like, having missed out on that portion of our home inspection. Why, oh why, did I not follow the home inspector onto the roof, or anywhere else for that matter?
I left Parker in our fenced-in back yard for a moment while I wandered around to the front of the house. While I did discover that we have a partial hip-roof, which I had previously vehemently denied, I also discovered that there was no way for us to get back into the house. Both front and back doors were locked, and we still had not gotten around to hiding a spare key anywhere on the premises.
Bad, bad luck, and me sick. Whine, complain.
First things first. We scoped out the surrounding neighborhood. No cars at Teresa's house. One car at Gavin and Amy's. Parker and I both had been ill, so I wasn't about to knock on my elderly neighbor's door. It was 9:15 in the morning, so I suspected the students across the street might not be awake. We tried the house across the street first. No answer.
We keep our stroller on the front porch these days for easy access. Fortunately for me. Unfortunately for me, not only was I wearing the wrong shoes for walking, but I was also wearing yesterday's clothes and had not yet brushed my teeth. Parker had been quite anxious to get out that morning.
I put Parker in the stroller, and we walked to the opposite end of the neighborhood. Thank you Jesus, Danny was home, and he had slept late that morning, and he had items to return to a shop right near Michael's office (plus he and Mary keep extra brand new toothbrushes at their home for when the grandchildren visit). The timing of all this was impeccable. Parker and I played in our neighbor's back yard, while he went across town to pick up our spare key.
And I got an enforced and impromptu walk that morning that did nothing to the detriment of my health. And Parker and I hopefully avoided infecting others.
All things (such very simple things) certainly worked together to our good yesterday morning.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Speculation Please, The More Creative The Better
On the drive home from Huntsville this afternoon, Michael and I saw a truck on which was hung this sign:
Husband and Wife Teams Needed.
Why would a transport company want to hire a husband and wife team particularly? Any ideas?
Husband and Wife Teams Needed.
Why would a transport company want to hire a husband and wife team particularly? Any ideas?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Do Me a Favor Please
I have got to get a new exterior door for my home, I can't spend a whole lot of money, but I can't stand any of the examples I've seen from the big hardware chains. It has to be 36" wide. Where do I look next?
Internet, no good.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were both charming in this movie--3:10 to Yuma--While Alan Tudyk--I Really Missed Him
I finished watching 3:10 to Yuma just this morning. Once Michael had explained some things to me, and I had seen what happens at the end I was thoroughly won over. More on this later.
In the meantime I must offer this single hint of criticism. I did not like Alan Tudyk in this movie, and I will tell you why. This wasn't a good role for him, though I certainly wouldn't have this thought if I didn't already like him so very much. Anyone could probably have played the role he played. I realize that actor's must actively resist being pigeon holed as certain sorts (Tudyk has played comic roles in other places I have seen him--Firefly, A Knight's Tale, Dodgeball), but Michael points out that actors need to pay their bills too.
In the meantime I must offer this single hint of criticism. I did not like Alan Tudyk in this movie, and I will tell you why. This wasn't a good role for him, though I certainly wouldn't have this thought if I didn't already like him so very much. Anyone could probably have played the role he played. I realize that actor's must actively resist being pigeon holed as certain sorts (Tudyk has played comic roles in other places I have seen him--Firefly, A Knight's Tale, Dodgeball), but Michael points out that actors need to pay their bills too.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Nice Trick to Teach Your Kids--It'll Help Them With Their 9 Times Tables
This is really cool; watch this.
Hold your hands up, palms facing you, with your fingers outstretched. We're including the thumb as a finger in this scenario. What's 9 x 1? Hold down the thumb on your left hand, which is the first finger starting from the left, and how many fingers remain? 9. Try it again.
What's 9 x 2? Hold down the index finger on your left hand, which is the second finger from the left. How many fingers do you see? One finger to the left of your index finger and eight fingers to the right. 18. Try it again.
What's 9 x 3? Hold down the middle finger on your left hand, which is the third finger from the left. How many fingers do you see? Two fingers to the left of your middle finger and seven fingers to the right. 27. Try it again, and again, again, one at a time until you reach 9 x 9.
What's 9 x 9? Hold down the index finger on your right hand, which is the ninth finger from the left. How many fingers do you see? Eight fingers to the left of you index finger and one finger to the right. 81. It works for each multiplication of nine for as many fingers as you have to show.
There's nothing mystical about this and it doesn't actually teach your kids what they need to know about how numbers work, but it is a quick and easy shortcut, besides being a fun trick. It only works this way because our number system is based on units of ten--which of course is an arbitrary linguistic designation, but organizes our entire mathematical system.
My brother and sister-in-law at Georgia Tech can straighten me out about the details where I'm wrong.
Hold your hands up, palms facing you, with your fingers outstretched. We're including the thumb as a finger in this scenario. What's 9 x 1? Hold down the thumb on your left hand, which is the first finger starting from the left, and how many fingers remain? 9. Try it again.
What's 9 x 2? Hold down the index finger on your left hand, which is the second finger from the left. How many fingers do you see? One finger to the left of your index finger and eight fingers to the right. 18. Try it again.
What's 9 x 3? Hold down the middle finger on your left hand, which is the third finger from the left. How many fingers do you see? Two fingers to the left of your middle finger and seven fingers to the right. 27. Try it again, and again, again, one at a time until you reach 9 x 9.
What's 9 x 9? Hold down the index finger on your right hand, which is the ninth finger from the left. How many fingers do you see? Eight fingers to the left of you index finger and one finger to the right. 81. It works for each multiplication of nine for as many fingers as you have to show.
There's nothing mystical about this and it doesn't actually teach your kids what they need to know about how numbers work, but it is a quick and easy shortcut, besides being a fun trick. It only works this way because our number system is based on units of ten--which of course is an arbitrary linguistic designation, but organizes our entire mathematical system.
My brother and sister-in-law at Georgia Tech can straighten me out about the details where I'm wrong.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
More Thoughts on the Number 15
Do you realize that the only other two whole numbers that combine to equal fifteen, besides six and nine which I discuss below, are seven and eight? These two are also almost perfect numbers when represented graphically. I'd show you what I mean on a tabletop using forks, but I'm afraid the results would look like another adolescent joke.
I'll show you what I mean in type instead, using exclamation points to represent single units:
!-!-!
!!!!!
-!-!-
!!!!!
Put them both together and, once again, you get fifteen, a perfectly balanced number. It isn't quite as perfect a six and nine, or rather it is perfect in a slightly different way without symbolically appealing to eastern mysticism.
!!!!! !!!!! !!!!!
or
!!!!! !! ! !! !!!!!
I'll show you what I mean in type instead, using exclamation points to represent single units:
!-!-!
!!!!!
-!-!-
!!!!!
Put them both together and, once again, you get fifteen, a perfectly balanced number. It isn't quite as perfect a six and nine, or rather it is perfect in a slightly different way without symbolically appealing to eastern mysticism.
!!!!! !!!!! !!!!!
or
!!!!! !! ! !! !!!!!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Songs, Reminders, Things That Cannot be Communicated in Any Other Way
Here is a word picture (it isn't really a "picture," but what is it?) from one of my favorite songs ("Time Will Be the Tell") by 100 Portraits that gives me pause.
You can play the Cinic/
Oh, the insults that you could hurl/
Be the King of your opinion/
In your tiny, tiny world/
The church could be your victim/
Cross your arms and criticize/
I hope you will remember/
She is another man's wife/
She is another man's wife.
I've listened to this song today as I've thought about the fact that I once cared passionately about the health of the church (the real church, not simply the institution), the unity of the body, the purity that Christ attributes to its members. I don't care so much for those things as I once did, and consider that the root of this uncaring must be the bitterness that sets in as a result of disillusionment and injury. We are such delicate creatures. In recognizing and accepting our wounding, still we must remember that the church is the Bride of Christ--she is another man's wife.
This is not a concept I fully understand. I once lost respect for a man because of the actions of his wife. I have been critical at times when men have attributed spritual superiority to their wives against my own (admittedly external) assessment. How fortunate it is that we are not called upon to make these judgments, especially considerig I am so judgmental a creature.
You can play the Cinic/
Oh, the insults that you could hurl/
Be the King of your opinion/
In your tiny, tiny world/
The church could be your victim/
Cross your arms and criticize/
I hope you will remember/
She is another man's wife/
She is another man's wife.
I've listened to this song today as I've thought about the fact that I once cared passionately about the health of the church (the real church, not simply the institution), the unity of the body, the purity that Christ attributes to its members. I don't care so much for those things as I once did, and consider that the root of this uncaring must be the bitterness that sets in as a result of disillusionment and injury. We are such delicate creatures. In recognizing and accepting our wounding, still we must remember that the church is the Bride of Christ--she is another man's wife.
This is not a concept I fully understand. I once lost respect for a man because of the actions of his wife. I have been critical at times when men have attributed spritual superiority to their wives against my own (admittedly external) assessment. How fortunate it is that we are not called upon to make these judgments, especially considerig I am so judgmental a creature.
Home Show Inspirations
Michael's parents took us to a Home Show on Sunday. It was quite inspirational, almost enough to interest me in interior design briefly and once again. The Home Show at Huntsville Civic Center conviced me once again that I have expensive taste, though expensive by whose standards? (I'm reminded of a joke I saw; I think it was on 30 Rock.
Overheard during a poker game:
Come on. Daddy needs a new suit.
I'd hate to see the suit you could buy for $250.00.)
What the Home Show also succeeded in doing was to remind me of what sorts of books I should look for when the opportunity for a bookstore excursion presents itself: Architecture, Interior Design, and Art. I'm most interested in anything on Frank Lloyd Wright, possibly Greene & Greene. Mission Style, Prairie Style, the Arts & Crafts Movement, Possibly Arts Deco and Neuveaux.
Frank Lloyd Wright's work is exciting in part because of the way he worked in sympathy with a home's natural landscape, and in part because he was so far ahead of his time. I remember noticing when I was in school that things he designed in the 20s and 30s looked as though they had been designed in the 60s and 70s. That might not sound great to you, but it certainly is to me.
I think I remember reading that the old River Road swimming pool was designed by a student of a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's.
Overheard during a poker game:
Come on. Daddy needs a new suit.
I'd hate to see the suit you could buy for $250.00.)
What the Home Show also succeeded in doing was to remind me of what sorts of books I should look for when the opportunity for a bookstore excursion presents itself: Architecture, Interior Design, and Art. I'm most interested in anything on Frank Lloyd Wright, possibly Greene & Greene. Mission Style, Prairie Style, the Arts & Crafts Movement, Possibly Arts Deco and Neuveaux.
Frank Lloyd Wright's work is exciting in part because of the way he worked in sympathy with a home's natural landscape, and in part because he was so far ahead of his time. I remember noticing when I was in school that things he designed in the 20s and 30s looked as though they had been designed in the 60s and 70s. That might not sound great to you, but it certainly is to me.
I think I remember reading that the old River Road swimming pool was designed by a student of a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's.
Still Slogging My Way Through *Orthodoxy*
I've been reading Chesterton's Orthodoxy since October, and while I've really enjoyed the book, it's taken me about four months to attempt reading the last chapter. I seem to be terminally stuck.
For one thing, this is not a book you can read in gigantic gulps. There have been moments when I've been tempted to read a second chapter after finishing a first, and each and every time this has proven to be a mistake. Too much thinking is required. I'll make it through four or five pages of that second chapter, and then realize that I've no idea what I've just read, and this is rarely a good realization when it's a book you are reading voluntarily. I admit, I didn't understand much of what I read in Eagleton's Literary Theory, but that was a different sort of voluntary reading.
Michael recommends, quite sensibly, that I not choose such high intensity reading just before it's time to go to bed. This is why I never could have made it in graduate school. I've just about decided that I'm not the right kind of intellectual.
For one thing, this is not a book you can read in gigantic gulps. There have been moments when I've been tempted to read a second chapter after finishing a first, and each and every time this has proven to be a mistake. Too much thinking is required. I'll make it through four or five pages of that second chapter, and then realize that I've no idea what I've just read, and this is rarely a good realization when it's a book you are reading voluntarily. I admit, I didn't understand much of what I read in Eagleton's Literary Theory, but that was a different sort of voluntary reading.
Michael recommends, quite sensibly, that I not choose such high intensity reading just before it's time to go to bed. This is why I never could have made it in graduate school. I've just about decided that I'm not the right kind of intellectual.
The Most Interesting Thing I Ever Learned from Working Kakuro Puzzles
The number 69 is juvenielly considered a dirty number. What I find interesting, though, is how mathematically (in a very simplistic way) it seems to be an extremely complete number. The sum of 6 and 9 is a graphically symetrical and perfectly balanced 15
11111 11111 11111
in which there is a central mark, on either side of which the same number of digits and spaces appear. The numbers 6 and 9 complete one another. Is there a mathematical term for this type of sum?
Note: The only reason I ever noticed this was because of my extensive low level Kakuro playing, a puzzle with which I am occasionally obsessed to the obliteration of all other responsibilities. The first time I tried it I told Michael there was no way I would ever be able to figure it out. Then it started getting really, really interesting.
Also, consider this: The number 69 can be written so as to resemble the yen and yang, the eastern symbol for perfect balance in the universe. Surely this couldn't possibly be a coincidence. I am certainly no mathematician, but some of these concepts are fascinating.
11111 11111 11111
in which there is a central mark, on either side of which the same number of digits and spaces appear. The numbers 6 and 9 complete one another. Is there a mathematical term for this type of sum?
Note: The only reason I ever noticed this was because of my extensive low level Kakuro playing, a puzzle with which I am occasionally obsessed to the obliteration of all other responsibilities. The first time I tried it I told Michael there was no way I would ever be able to figure it out. Then it started getting really, really interesting.
Also, consider this: The number 69 can be written so as to resemble the yen and yang, the eastern symbol for perfect balance in the universe. Surely this couldn't possibly be a coincidence. I am certainly no mathematician, but some of these concepts are fascinating.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Curious Forms
While I'm not interested enough at this point to do the research myself, I wonder if any of you can enlighten me concerning this:
A friend loaned me a murder mystery by a British author in which the word "orientate" was used several times. I complained about this at the time. This morning I saw an episode of an old British televsion show called Waiting for God, which is about retirees living in a retirement home, and the "orientate" form was used there as well. Is this a distinctly British usage, or, if you're a linguist, is it something even more particular than that?
A friend loaned me a murder mystery by a British author in which the word "orientate" was used several times. I complained about this at the time. This morning I saw an episode of an old British televsion show called Waiting for God, which is about retirees living in a retirement home, and the "orientate" form was used there as well. Is this a distinctly British usage, or, if you're a linguist, is it something even more particular than that?
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