Bird on Tree Pop-up Card - galinblack
Origami Star Ornaments - Rigmarole
Dutch Themed Birthday Calendar - The Beautiful Project
Just a Note Matchbook Notepads - brendaswhite
It All Begins with One Seed - Lisa Loo
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train. - Oscar Wilde
All my life, I have never had much success at keeping a diary. I have tried several times, usually with only a few months success, at most, followed by years of silence. I'm not sure what the problem was - probably a combination of laziness and the fact that I found my life and thoughts to be mostly embarassing and insipid.
This was until I discovered blogging. I started a blog in 2003 and wrote in it on an almost daily basis for over 3 years. For some reason the online format appealed to me; I am guessing it was the opportunity for anonymous feedback from total strangers. Whatever the reason or reasons, I was faithful to that online diary while it served its purpose. For various reasons that are not germane to my present point, I abandoned that site and took a break from blogging until I began this here blog at the beginning of 2008. But I would not call this blog a diary - it is more a journal collection of my thoughts on contemporary ideas and events, and interesting or silly stuff I find on the internet. Sort of an online scrapbook.
There is part of me that still thinks that some kind of written account of my life would be a good idea. Something for me and my (still theoretical) children and grandchildren to look at and reminisce. I haven't any hope for a full-fledged diary.
I was given a travel journal as an engagement gift by a good friend - which I thought was such a great idea that I ripped it off and have given the same gift to others. However, despite my genuine enthusiasm for the journal and best intentions, I have thus far only managed to record our honeymoon in that journal. So, it is my solemn promise to myself that I am going to fill in of all our past trips before every last detail is forever lost to my crummy memory, and then from here on keep up with it.
Another idea I recently had for a journal is a "Books I Have Read" journal. I tried to think of all the books I have read this year alone, and off the top of my head I could not remember them all, let alone any ideas or reactions I may have had to those books. If for no other reason than to make me a more thoughtful reader, I think I am going to start this journal. I just signed up for a summer reading club at my local library, so this seems like a good time to start.
Have any of you succeeded or failed at keeping a diary? Are there any other kinds of journals you keep or would like to keep? Any thoughts or reflections on keeping records of your life in some written form?
Is this dancer spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise?
Apparently, if you see the dancer spinning clockwise, then you are primarily right-brained. And if you see her spinning counter-clockwise, you are primarily left-brained. Most people are left-brained, so most people should see her spinning counter-clockwise. Also, you can apparently get her to change directions by concentrating.
Well, no matter how hard I try, she spins clockwise, so I guess that makes me right-brained. (Or else gullible for thinking that an optical illusion like this can tell me such a thing.)
Left-brain function is logical, analytic, practical, verbal, numerical, literal.
Right-brained function is holistic, intuitive, contextual, generalizing, relational, emotional.
If anyone sees her going counter-clockwise, let me know! I want to know if I really am in the minority.
(HT: Herald Sun via kottke.org)
I wrote a much longer post over the weekend about my conversion from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism, and all that has come with that decision. But I find today that I do not have the heart to publish it. For now, I will let the cartoon speak for itself, and hopefully I can return to this topic another time with more eloquence and insight.
(Cartoon by Angel Lopez)
So, Twilight.
Until last week, I had managed to go without reading or watching anything Twilight-related, apart from facebook statuses and tweets exclaiming how EDWARD IS SO DREAMY! MOAR EDWARD PLEEZ!1!!
Not that I consider my Twilight avoidance to be a point of pride - I am not one of those reverse snobs who rejects anything simply because it is popular. I just really haven't been interested yet. I am often late to the game (I didn't jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon until book 4 was out, but jump on it I most certainly did) and that is fine with me because life is not a coolness competition, as much as we all act like it is. I like what I like whenever I get around to liking it, whether it makes me behind the times, cutting edge hip, or a totally clueless nerd-berger.
Well, last week I had an evening at home without my husband, and I felt like watching a mindless, chick-flick type movie - nothing witty, cerebral, depressing or blow-upy. Twilight seemed to fit the bill, so off to the nearest Redbox I went.
Oh hey, at this point I should probably say there might be SPOILERS and stuff, so only read on if you have already read or seen Twilight, or if you don't care. Though if you don't care, I would be surprised if you have read this far.
Anyway, one thing I can say about the movie is that Edward is indeed dreamy.
Other than that, I didn't really get the appeal. The film was actually worse than I expected, and I had pretty low expectations. Not having read the book, I cannot say if the fault lies with the film-makers, or with the original story. A friend whose judgment I trust read the book and saw the film, and she said the movie pretty much reflects the book very well. Feel free to dispute that if you think differently.
The main thing that made the story fall flat for me was the character of Bella. I can't imagine a more UNINTERESTING character. She was bland, without any discernible qualities to make her unique or compelling. Edward's fascination with her was utterly inexplicible to me, apart from the not being able to read her mind thing - which was neither explained nor made plausible by other fascinating aspects of her personality. Basically, she was a blank that only served the purpose of being the object of Edward's obsessive love.
Which, by the way, was CREEPY. Watching her while she sleeps? Oh yeah, that is super romantic, in a frightening, stalkerish way. And at what point did the two of them actually fall in love? When they were busy glaring at each other accross the high school cafeteria? Or when Bella was being snotty about cell division in Biology class? Nothing about their relationship bore any resemblance to true love - obsession and possessiveness more like
Anyway, Edward and the other vampires had the potential to be interesting (along with Jacob), so I was also disappointed at how little exposition there was about them. Where did they come from, why did they become vampires, etc. Maybe you get more of this in the books, or perhaps more will be revealed in later stories. I hope so, because if not then that proves that this is a rather surface-level story, not deserving of the pretentious "Saga" designation. There was way more depth to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that was a TV show. And I am not being ironic, I LURVED Buffy.
One other minor quibble, the dialogue was often hard to hear and usually lame. Bella should have been named Miss Mumbly M. Mumbleson. The middle initial M. stands for Melodramatic.
In summary:
1. Edward is dreamy.
2. Bella is boring.
3. MOAR EDWARD.
4. Mumble mumble.
5. Buffy was way cooler.
So, did I like Twilight? Not really. Will I see New Moon when it comes out? Absolutely.
"The first thing that struck me when I came to live in a house with mentally handicapped people was that their liking or disliking me had absolutely nothing to do with any of the many useful things I had done until then. Since nobody could read my books, the books could not impress anyone, and since most of them never went to school, my twenty years at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard did not provide a significant introduction. . . Not being able to use any of the skills that had proved so practical in the past was a real source of anxiety. I was suddenly faced with my naked self, open for affirmations and rejections, hugs and punches, smiles and tears, all dependent simply on how I was perceived at the moment. . . These broken, wounded, and completely unpretentious people forced me to let go of my relevant self - the self that can do things, show things, prove things, build things - and forced me to reclaim my unadorned self in which I am completely vulnerable, open to receive and give love regardless of any accomplishments.
I am telling you all this because I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. This is the way Jesus came to reveal God's love. . . When [Jesus] was asked to prove his power as the Son of God by the relevant behavior of chancing stones into bread, he clung to his mission to proclaim the Word and said 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4)."
- Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
Whoopsie daisies, it has been three Tuesdays in a row that I have missed doing an Etsy Love post. Seems as though Tuesdays have become my crazy-busy day at work for some reason. So, in honor of apparently not having enough time:
Vintage Pocket Watch - Steampunk Supply
Time to Log In. . . - Woodstock Clocks
Coral Standing Tea Bag Clock - Gifted Paper
I'm Late for a Very Important Date Earrings - Timeless Trinkets
Dream, Laugh, Dance Farm Animal Clock - Bearly Art
I just had a super awesome half-way decent blog post written about The Uniform Project and the concept of uniforms in personal fashion, when I accidentally closed the browser window and lost it forevers. Totally reflective of the kind of afternoon I am having. So I just don't have it in me to rewrite the whole thing in all its awesomeness mediocrity.
Thus, in summation:
The Uniform Project is a neat idea. I happen to really like uniforms of all sorts: private schools, Girl Scouts, military, monks and nuns, baseball players, etc. Go to the website if you want to know more about it. Here are some of my favorite of her outfits.
(Hoo boy, am I glad this is Friday.)
Little Euri - Knitting Dream
Saint Francis - Saintly Silver
The Inspiration Apple - La Pomme
Cactus Pincushion Crochet Pattern - Joy Ang
Romeo the Owl - Plants & Animal
People often equate truth, goodness and beauty; it used to be a cornerstone of my faith. But now I see that it is mistaken to think they are always perfect equivalents. We can so easily be led astray. Many times I have wondered to myself: "it's so beautiful, how can it be wrong?"
I am sure that the golden calf made by Aaron was also quite beautiful.
"Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 John 5:21
I keep busy
chasing after the wind.
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God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved. {John 3:17}
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