Saturday, December 29, 2007

Step Away from the Tub of Happiness!!

I've been reading lately. Well, if you want to call it reading... It certainly isn't Ayn Rand or JRR Tolkien, but it is entertaining and it was nice to sink myself into an alternate reality for a while.

One of my Christmas presents from Leif (my "surprise" gift) was a signed copy of the latest Schlock Mercenary book. As it's name suggests, it is a Tub of Happiness. And less than a week after I received it, I have finished it - cover to beautifully illustrated cover. Did I say illustrated? Um, yes. I have been reading a comic book. About space mercenaries. And I enjoyed all 240 pages of it. *sigh*


I have yet to figure out what it is that I like about Schlock Mercenary. It's punny. Howard Tayler says it sort of writes itself. Maybe that's why it feels like it takes on a life of its own. Dunno. I could spend hours trying to figure out why this particular comic strip makes it into my top 5 sci-fi favorites* OR I could go straight to the top of my list and spend those hours rewatching Farscape.


Ah... Farscape. It's been a while. In fact, I don't think I've watched it since Ellie was born. We took it to the hospital with us to watch while I was in labor, but I think that was the last time. Wow... Has it really been 17 months since I last saw Farscape? (mocking laughter at my utter obsession with this show...) So I pulled out series 1 and watched the first 5 episodes last night while I put away Christmas decorations.

Best. Show. Ever.

So there you have it. My confession. My dirty little secret.
I am a sci-fi nerd.

* top 5 sci-fi favorites:
  1. Farscape
  2. Firefly
  3. Schlock Mercenary
  4. Battlestar Galactica
  5. The Matrix

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Cold Turkey...

Why do they call it quitting "cold turkey?"

After further investigation I have found that most (not necessarily the most reliable) internet sources agree that the expression originates from the goose bumps and palor which accompany withdrawal from narcotics or tobacco. One's skin resembles that of a plucked, cold turkey....

Hmmm. That's something I didn't know before.

Friday, December 21, 2007

I think, therefore I blog

So what does it mean if I haven't blogged for months?

Oh, sure I've blogged. I blog plenty. One might even say that I'm a blogaholic. I blog about crafting here, the family here, for hire here, housekeeping here, weight loss here, and a few Latin exercises for my tutoree here. So yeah, I blog.

This blog, however, has been neglected. It seems that I'm at a place in my life where I'm not doing as much reading, thinking, and pondering as I did while I was teaching. In fact, I can't tell you the last book I read. About the most thought provoking literature I pick up these days is a Sudoku puzzle before I go to bed at night. Somehow I thought once I quit working I would have all the time in the world to read. And I guess I would, if it weren' t for laundry, groceries, dishes, diapers, playdates, and all the other everyday Mommy things that seem to keep me busy. And even if I chiseled out some time in my day for deep reading, I'm not sure I could really switch my brain over to do the kind of thinking it would require. It reminds me of the Tyranny of the Urgent, which I ought to read through again.

So what am I to do? I can't simply quit thinking and pondering and studying just because I can't find a convenient time to get my reading in. At the same time, though, I can't neglect the job God has given me to do right now (being a full time SAHM to a busy toddler) just because I want to feel intelligent. I want to feel sharp and on top of my game, but I don't. So mostly I just don't think about it. Mostly I just don't think.

Most years I do not have a new years resolution. I sort of think they're silly. But this year I do. The more I see Eliana imitating my words and actions, the more I want to be purposeful in what I say and do. So this year I want to strive to live deliberately. I want to have reasons for why I do what I do. I want to live a life that I feel is worthy of my daughter's imitation. God has placed me as steward over her and I want to be a good steward of the precious gift He has entrusted to me. It is not enough to keep her alive and clothed - she must be nurtured spiritually as well as physically. She must not merely live, but thrive on the rich food that is fed her through example, teaching, and discipline. For her to grow to the fullest, I must be deliberate in my words and actions, in my training and discipline, in my praise and correction.

I cannot be offended when she is disobedient or throws tantrums, for it is not against me that she rebels. She is a sinner and, like any sinner, she rebels against God. As her parent, I need to use those moments of rebellion to teach her foundational truths that will shape the person she becomes. I need to teach her that there is right and wrong. And I need to demonstrate that when she chooses to do wrong, there are consequences that she must face. And that though the consequences may be painful, with obedience and repentance comes forgiveness.

I may not spend my days reading Ovid and Livy, or even Lewis and Tolkien. I spend my days reading Boynton and Seuss instead. I have the very real day in and day out task of being malleable enough in God's hands that He can use me as His hands to mold the heart of my daughter so that it will be receptive to Him when she is old enough to enter into a relationship with Him. It cannot be about me. It's can't be about whether I think reading Dr. Seuss is as "valuable" or "intelligent" as reading Augustine. He has placed me right here, right now to raise this girl. So, even though I'm not thinking the "deep" thoughts I was a couple years ago, the thoughts I have today are no less important. They're just completely different.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Back again with thoughts on bikes....

So previously this blog was for my thoughts on Latin. But now that I'm not teaching Latin anymore, I don't really have too many thoughts on Latin that need to be recorded. Hmmm. So today we move to my thoughts on human-powered transportation and carbon footprint reduction!

I've been reading No Impact Man, a blog on reducing our impact on the environment. It's been interesting reading and has given me a few things to think about as I consider new ways to minimize my own carbon footprint. I certainly won't go to the extremes this guy goes to, but then I'm not trying to make a big point either. His is a year long project and mine is... well, mine is just the way I live my life on a daily basis. I try to make good decisions to limit my impact when I can, but I am not an extremist. We recycle, compost, drive a Prius, buy certain things (like potatoes) that are grown locally, cloth diaper, carpool when possible, and a few other things. Like bicycle for transportation. Okay, so I don't really do that. But Leif does. A few days a week he rides his bike to work (15 miles each way) instead of driving. Bozeman is generally a bike friendly town. But it certainly could be more so. A recent post on NIM explained how some larger European cities are adopting bike share programs. What a great idea!! I would definitely ride a bike more often if I had access to one like this. Right now we have Leif's bike and a tandem bike that we ride together. But I don't have my own bike, and I don't see myself purchasing one in the near future. So right now I can't just put Ellie in the trailer and hop on the bike to ride to Albertson's for groceries. But I'd like to be able to. Or ride down to get the mail on those days that it's TOO HOT to walk. Bike sharing? That would be uber cool.

Speaking of heat... I know that there are those out there who poo-pooh global warming. But out of the last 6 days, 5 have been over 100 degrees here - and this is Montana. At the same time, it's been raining and flooding like crazy in Texas, where I'm from. So to all you nay-sayers out there: Don't tell me there's no such thing as global warming, because you're going to have a VERY hard time convincing me that all of the heat and flooding is coincidental.