It's on, folks. The crazed rush at the end of the year to make sure I make it through the whole Bible. It's like this every year. I don't think I've ever had a sane last week in December. Why? Why do I do this to myself? Why can't I just stay up in my Bible reading?
It's frequently a few killer weeks in the summer that tip me over the edge into perpetual behind-ness. Somewhere around Girls' Week and Convention time... It fluctuates year by year, of course. Sometimes I do pretty well there, but have a crunched couple of weeks at school or something. In any case, somewhere in the mad rush of living I drop the ball, only to pick it up again in December.
So why bother? you make ask. One year I did give up, I admit. I just read a little every day instead of trying to cram in a book a day or something. But most years the frenzy is worth it. Gretchen contends that I'm missing the point - the point isn't to read it in a year, it's to read a little EVERY DAY and thereby finish in a year. Hm. An excellent point. But I guess I figure if I'm that close, and if I've put that much work in, I might as well finish it up! I mean, I've already read 50 books, I might as well do 15 more! Besides, it's all about finishing what you set out to do. Who wants to leave a job half-finished?
And of course, there's always that great relief of starting off on January 1 having only 1 reading to read instead of 10. It's probably all worth it just for that!
Okay, enough babbling. I've got a bunch of Bible to read! (I'm always at my holiest Dec 31...)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Happy Birthday to my Favorite Mom!
I love my Mom. And today is her birthday! I love her because of the many ways she is like me. She understands me. I love her because of the (fewer) ways she is unlike me. I can't actually think of any at the moment. Well, that's not true - she doesn't have a lot of my faults! She has allowed God to work in her life in a remarkable way. And she can give amazing counsel along those lines. She is a very wise woman. I love her because she is fun and adventurous (you should have seen her on the moor on the Isle of Skye!) and funny and as kind a person as you will ever meet. I'm so thankful for such an awesome Mom!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Reading About Me in Books
Sometimes I run across things in books I can totally relate to - personality quirks or trains of thought or something. And then there are descriptions that are more obvious - things that really do describe me. Often they are negative things.
For example, I read a book about a girl who was my height and weight. And (now this, of course, is the not true-to-life part) she was described as "a large girl" or something like that. HEY NOW!!! I was not impressed.
Then there was the time a couple of weeks ago when I was reading "The Hiding Place" for school, and read about Corrie realizing (AT AGE 27) that she would never marry. Haha.
I've really enjoyed 27. I think it's a cool age. Established yet full of future possibility. 28 seemed kind of weird - an in-between age. I wasn't so sure.
But a couple of days ago I was reading a great Helen MacInnes and LO! the heroine (whom I really liked) was "only 28." Hurrah! Suddenly 28 was an acceptable age to be:) That was a nice pre-birthday gift.
Then, when I went downstairs this morning to receive the birthday greetings of my parents, Dad (who likes to find significance in these things) announced that 28 is the perfect square of 2 multiplied by 7. Ooooooooo! Auspicious to be sure!
So here I am: 28 years old. And so far it's been great!
(PS. Several of you have already commented on facebook - no need to leave birthday greetings here. I just wanted to write this!)
For example, I read a book about a girl who was my height and weight. And (now this, of course, is the not true-to-life part) she was described as "a large girl" or something like that. HEY NOW!!! I was not impressed.
Then there was the time a couple of weeks ago when I was reading "The Hiding Place" for school, and read about Corrie realizing (AT AGE 27) that she would never marry. Haha.
I've really enjoyed 27. I think it's a cool age. Established yet full of future possibility. 28 seemed kind of weird - an in-between age. I wasn't so sure.
But a couple of days ago I was reading a great Helen MacInnes and LO! the heroine (whom I really liked) was "only 28." Hurrah! Suddenly 28 was an acceptable age to be:) That was a nice pre-birthday gift.
Then, when I went downstairs this morning to receive the birthday greetings of my parents, Dad (who likes to find significance in these things) announced that 28 is the perfect square of 2 multiplied by 7. Ooooooooo! Auspicious to be sure!
So here I am: 28 years old. And so far it's been great!
(PS. Several of you have already commented on facebook - no need to leave birthday greetings here. I just wanted to write this!)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas: The Time for Traditions...
Back in the days when I was in school, our family was making Christmas traditions left and right. You know, things like a Christmas story Christmas Eve, the girls sleeping under the tree, certain ornaments that had to go up, favorite music, stockings, gift-opening traditions... And then there was one tradition all my own. I used to get sick practically every Christmas. Our theory was that I was pushing, pushing, pushing to get everything accomplished school-wise, and then I would let down for vacation and WHAM! I'd get sick.
This year I decided to take that tradition up again. Yup. My family is downstairs listening to Christmas music and chatting away over dinner, and I'm up here, feeling fever-y. But Mama left the door open so that I can be a part of it all. Much better than isolation, which I've never been a big fan of. I can even make out snatches of conversation. I just heard Kimberly say, "Remember how she always used to get sick on Christmas, though?" Awwww. They're talking about me!
The nice thing is that I got to stay in bed alllll day. Many is the time I've awoken to my alarm and wished that I could get away with this. Of course, I didn't count in the headache and general malaise. But still - I have an excuse to be totally and completely unproductive. So that's jolly.
Now for something a little more Christmas-y. I loved this year’s Christmas service yesterday – so many lovely and inspiring contributions focusing on the love and the wonder of Christmas. I’m thankful to our great God for His great Love given to us and for us on the first Christmas, and for the difference it has made in every single subsequent day.
Merry Christmas everyone! (And Happy Birthday, Clyde!)
This year I decided to take that tradition up again. Yup. My family is downstairs listening to Christmas music and chatting away over dinner, and I'm up here, feeling fever-y. But Mama left the door open so that I can be a part of it all. Much better than isolation, which I've never been a big fan of. I can even make out snatches of conversation. I just heard Kimberly say, "Remember how she always used to get sick on Christmas, though?" Awwww. They're talking about me!
The nice thing is that I got to stay in bed alllll day. Many is the time I've awoken to my alarm and wished that I could get away with this. Of course, I didn't count in the headache and general malaise. But still - I have an excuse to be totally and completely unproductive. So that's jolly.
Now for something a little more Christmas-y. I loved this year’s Christmas service yesterday – so many lovely and inspiring contributions focusing on the love and the wonder of Christmas. I’m thankful to our great God for His great Love given to us and for us on the first Christmas, and for the difference it has made in every single subsequent day.
Merry Christmas everyone! (And Happy Birthday, Clyde!)
Friday, December 21, 2007
Women's Lib Watch Out!
Okay, here are two things that really bug me.
#1 The bumper sticker that says "Well-behaved women don't make history."
#2 The descriptive term "strong woman" used so often in college about women in books who defy "traditional morality" to do whatever it is that they want (like leave their husband and children because they were stifled, or something).
OY VAY PEOPLE!
When I see the bumper sticker I feel like screaming "What about MARY?!" This being such a Catholic-rich state, that might be more effective here than elsewhere. But of course, the bumper sticker owner would probably claim that as an exception. It's true that the history books are full of many more men than women, but there's nothing wrong with that. Men are supposed to be the movers and shakers! And without well-behaved women, those men couldn't have moved or shaken. It's so much more important to be well-behaved and make a quiet difference with far-reaching consequences than to be in the history books for the kind of thing such bumper-sticker toters would applaud.
And what is up with calling someone "strong" who is immoral and selfish? It takes a lot more strength to die to self and do the right thing than it does to follow your own desires. In class I'm sure they were referring to those women braving social stigmas or some such thing, but there has to be some other term they can use to describe this. You know, something like "so bent on getting their own way, and blind to everything else, that they were willing to be looked down on by the rest of society. Including ourselves." But of course, that takes a little longer to say than "strong woman."
So what is a strong woman then? Self-sacrifice springs to mind, among other things...
I think of my Mother, who, while going through deep grief, gave me an example of justifying God without exception. She wasn't faking. She was living out her faith in front of me. Hers isn't some kind of brute strength, charging through life getting her own way, hers is the beautiful strength of choosing God and His ways again and again, even when it isn't easy.
I think of my friend Karen who went straight from being single to being married with four children, and who works from dawn to dusk to take care of them, barely taking a moment for herself, and still makes time for friendship with me.
I think of friends who are forging their way through life, discovering their paths one step at a time, unsure of what the future holds and yet going straight on.
I think of amazing mothers who have raised (and are raising) difference-making children.
Women who put others before themselves, women who say "yes" to God even when it means death to self, women who show the incredible strength of surrender - these are the strong women.
I'm sure there are many other attributes, and I know there are many other examples. I had ideas of developing this into a full-blown essay. But here is a little surface-scratching at least.
#1 The bumper sticker that says "Well-behaved women don't make history."
#2 The descriptive term "strong woman" used so often in college about women in books who defy "traditional morality" to do whatever it is that they want (like leave their husband and children because they were stifled, or something).
OY VAY PEOPLE!
When I see the bumper sticker I feel like screaming "What about MARY?!" This being such a Catholic-rich state, that might be more effective here than elsewhere. But of course, the bumper sticker owner would probably claim that as an exception. It's true that the history books are full of many more men than women, but there's nothing wrong with that. Men are supposed to be the movers and shakers! And without well-behaved women, those men couldn't have moved or shaken. It's so much more important to be well-behaved and make a quiet difference with far-reaching consequences than to be in the history books for the kind of thing such bumper-sticker toters would applaud.
And what is up with calling someone "strong" who is immoral and selfish? It takes a lot more strength to die to self and do the right thing than it does to follow your own desires. In class I'm sure they were referring to those women braving social stigmas or some such thing, but there has to be some other term they can use to describe this. You know, something like "so bent on getting their own way, and blind to everything else, that they were willing to be looked down on by the rest of society. Including ourselves." But of course, that takes a little longer to say than "strong woman."
So what is a strong woman then? Self-sacrifice springs to mind, among other things...
I think of my Mother, who, while going through deep grief, gave me an example of justifying God without exception. She wasn't faking. She was living out her faith in front of me. Hers isn't some kind of brute strength, charging through life getting her own way, hers is the beautiful strength of choosing God and His ways again and again, even when it isn't easy.
I think of my friend Karen who went straight from being single to being married with four children, and who works from dawn to dusk to take care of them, barely taking a moment for herself, and still makes time for friendship with me.
I think of friends who are forging their way through life, discovering their paths one step at a time, unsure of what the future holds and yet going straight on.
I think of amazing mothers who have raised (and are raising) difference-making children.
Women who put others before themselves, women who say "yes" to God even when it means death to self, women who show the incredible strength of surrender - these are the strong women.
I'm sure there are many other attributes, and I know there are many other examples. I had ideas of developing this into a full-blown essay. But here is a little surface-scratching at least.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Oh For the Days of Horses and Carriages
Fiascoes galore! That's what my commutes have held recently. Oy vay.
First was the flat tire. On 95. On the way to work. A state trooper called a CVS help van for me, and I only missed morning devotions. Not too shabby!
Then two weeks ago I was on my way to work, this time on 195, when my car started rattling, I looked down, and saw my temperature gauge at the TOP! I'd never seen the like. I careened over to the (fortunately wide) shoulder, and decided the time had come to join AAA (or would you write Triple A?). Join I did, and the tow truck was to come in 45 minutes. In the mean time a CVS help van pulled up, and the kind man let me wait in his van so I wouldn't freeze to death. I love CVS help vans!
The tow truck pulled up and lo! the hydraulics broke! I was so amused, because when I teach irony to my students, that's one of my favorite examples: I break down, and the tow truck pulls up and gets a flat tire or something. What are the odds?! Anyway, the second tow truck was there just a few moments later, I got a tow, rented a car, and only missed first period! Then Uncle Paul bailed me out with a loaner car to use while mine got fixed.
Then came last Thursday. Snow storm. Remember? Well, we got out of school at noon, in order to beat the storm. The snow was already falling thick and fast, and it took me two hours to get to the outskirts of Providence - a trip that usually takes 40 minutes or so. And then, with startling regularity, one after another of the warning lights on the dashboard came on. I put in a call to Uncle Paul, he picked up... and the car died. Right in the slow lane of 195.
How fortuitous that I had just joined AAA/Triple A.
The call was shortly made, and I was put on high priority since I was actually on the highway, and not the shoulder. Thankfully, the traffic was moving at a deathly slow pace, so I wasn't in any real danger. But I felt awfully forlorn sitting there in a car being steadily covered with snow while cars passed by one after another.
Nearly TWO HOURS later the tow truck arrived. There were so many calls in to our friends of the A variety, that low priority calls were waiting more like 3 or 4 hours. Hurrah for breaking down on the highway!
And yet, the fun was not over... The tow took THREE HOURS. When there isn't heavy traffic, that trip takes about 10 minutes. But this wasn't just heavy traffic, it was unbelievable. We went 3/4 of a mile in about an hour. And then the exit for my apartment was blocked by a semi that couldn't make the hill. Another road was blocked by an accident.
I have never been so relieved to see my apartment! I flipped on the news and discovered that I was far from alone as far as horror stories go... All over Providence people were stuck for hours. Sara, who works 15 minutes from our apartment, took 7 hours to get home! Uncle Paul took 5 hours to get from the shop to my apartment and then home. It was a disaster. Entire roads, areas, highways at a standstill. OY VAY!
Anyway, it all turned out alright in the end. And Uncle Paul got my car fixed for WAY less than it was supposed to take, so now I have my own car back. I was so happy with it that I kissed the steering wheel. We hope the driving fiascoes are at an end now...
There's so much more I could say, but this seems long enough. Amazing how a little time passing makes these things more of a good story than an absolute nightmare. Time heals all wounds, and all that...
First was the flat tire. On 95. On the way to work. A state trooper called a CVS help van for me, and I only missed morning devotions. Not too shabby!
Then two weeks ago I was on my way to work, this time on 195, when my car started rattling, I looked down, and saw my temperature gauge at the TOP! I'd never seen the like. I careened over to the (fortunately wide) shoulder, and decided the time had come to join AAA (or would you write Triple A?). Join I did, and the tow truck was to come in 45 minutes. In the mean time a CVS help van pulled up, and the kind man let me wait in his van so I wouldn't freeze to death. I love CVS help vans!
The tow truck pulled up and lo! the hydraulics broke! I was so amused, because when I teach irony to my students, that's one of my favorite examples: I break down, and the tow truck pulls up and gets a flat tire or something. What are the odds?! Anyway, the second tow truck was there just a few moments later, I got a tow, rented a car, and only missed first period! Then Uncle Paul bailed me out with a loaner car to use while mine got fixed.
Then came last Thursday. Snow storm. Remember? Well, we got out of school at noon, in order to beat the storm. The snow was already falling thick and fast, and it took me two hours to get to the outskirts of Providence - a trip that usually takes 40 minutes or so. And then, with startling regularity, one after another of the warning lights on the dashboard came on. I put in a call to Uncle Paul, he picked up... and the car died. Right in the slow lane of 195.
How fortuitous that I had just joined AAA/Triple A.
The call was shortly made, and I was put on high priority since I was actually on the highway, and not the shoulder. Thankfully, the traffic was moving at a deathly slow pace, so I wasn't in any real danger. But I felt awfully forlorn sitting there in a car being steadily covered with snow while cars passed by one after another.
Nearly TWO HOURS later the tow truck arrived. There were so many calls in to our friends of the A variety, that low priority calls were waiting more like 3 or 4 hours. Hurrah for breaking down on the highway!
And yet, the fun was not over... The tow took THREE HOURS. When there isn't heavy traffic, that trip takes about 10 minutes. But this wasn't just heavy traffic, it was unbelievable. We went 3/4 of a mile in about an hour. And then the exit for my apartment was blocked by a semi that couldn't make the hill. Another road was blocked by an accident.
I have never been so relieved to see my apartment! I flipped on the news and discovered that I was far from alone as far as horror stories go... All over Providence people were stuck for hours. Sara, who works 15 minutes from our apartment, took 7 hours to get home! Uncle Paul took 5 hours to get from the shop to my apartment and then home. It was a disaster. Entire roads, areas, highways at a standstill. OY VAY!
Anyway, it all turned out alright in the end. And Uncle Paul got my car fixed for WAY less than it was supposed to take, so now I have my own car back. I was so happy with it that I kissed the steering wheel. We hope the driving fiascoes are at an end now...
There's so much more I could say, but this seems long enough. Amazing how a little time passing makes these things more of a good story than an absolute nightmare. Time heals all wounds, and all that...
Sunday, December 02, 2007
From Achilles to Christ
The title of this post is the title of a book I just got for my Classical Literature class. It arrived in the mail last week, and I started reading it Friday while I was overseeing a study hall (a one-person study hall, I might add, so I really have no distractions and it's like a free period!). I LOVE IT! Suddenly I was experiencing the handed-to-me-on-a-silver-platter intellectual stimulation which was such a daily occurence in college, but it so hard to come by these days. I kept interrupting my hard-working student in order to exclaim on the latest! (Poor kid.)
Anyway, the premise of the book is that the ancient pagan cultures, created by God with eternity in their hearts, were seeking after truth and, although they did not have God's special revelation, did have aspects of truth. Therefore, we can read the pagan classics looking for those glimmers of truth. The author even suggests that there are elements in the classics that foreshadow the coming of Christ, just as Abraham and Isaac foreshadowed it. Cool, huh?
I had noticed this repeatedly the first year I taught this class - this foreshadowing thing. The prime example is probably the Centaur (who had commited no wrong) giving up his life so that Prometheus (whom Zeus was punishing) could go free. It's all over the Greeks' writing. And this book finally gives me an understanding of why this is. It's SO COOL! This book is really going to help my teaching.
Oh, and then the author discusses the fact that Jesus and Paul both used the Greeks' own writing to point them to the truth. You know the verse about "except a grain (or corn) of wheat fall to the ground...?" Well, the author hypothesizes (though he says there's no definite proof) that Jesus used those specific words to point out to a Greek audience that was caught up in the Demeter cult (she was the goddess of corn and a vague idea of resurrection) that He was the true fulfillment of what they were seeking. Cool, eh?
Here are a few quotes to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about:
"If it is the living Messiah...that is the source of truth, then it is possible for that truth (albeit in a lesser, fragmented form) to appear throughout the imaginative literature of the ancient pre-Christian world."
"Those timeless works of ancient Greece and Rome that record the musings of humanity's greatest seekers and yearners will contain traces, remnants and intimations of that wisdom which made us."
"The Greco-Roman understanding of virtue was, in its purest form, not antithetical to but prophetic of the biblical Christian virtues of faith, hope and love."
"Were we not all created in God's image, and though we are all fallen from our original state, does not a spark of divine fire remain in each of us?"
AHHHHH! This stuff is SO down my alley:) Hurrah for someone who is smart, and can express it better than I can!
Okay, the coolest news of all in this is that Markos has written another book, and that one is about TENNYSON my all time favorite poet! That one's more expensive, and I'm not teaching it this year so I couldn't really justify spending the money. But it sure is on my Christmas list, boy howdy!
Can you believe that this is part of my job?! What a life...
(Katie - you should definitely read this book...)
Anyway, the premise of the book is that the ancient pagan cultures, created by God with eternity in their hearts, were seeking after truth and, although they did not have God's special revelation, did have aspects of truth. Therefore, we can read the pagan classics looking for those glimmers of truth. The author even suggests that there are elements in the classics that foreshadow the coming of Christ, just as Abraham and Isaac foreshadowed it. Cool, huh?
I had noticed this repeatedly the first year I taught this class - this foreshadowing thing. The prime example is probably the Centaur (who had commited no wrong) giving up his life so that Prometheus (whom Zeus was punishing) could go free. It's all over the Greeks' writing. And this book finally gives me an understanding of why this is. It's SO COOL! This book is really going to help my teaching.
Oh, and then the author discusses the fact that Jesus and Paul both used the Greeks' own writing to point them to the truth. You know the verse about "except a grain (or corn) of wheat fall to the ground...?" Well, the author hypothesizes (though he says there's no definite proof) that Jesus used those specific words to point out to a Greek audience that was caught up in the Demeter cult (she was the goddess of corn and a vague idea of resurrection) that He was the true fulfillment of what they were seeking. Cool, eh?
Here are a few quotes to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about:
"If it is the living Messiah...that is the source of truth, then it is possible for that truth (albeit in a lesser, fragmented form) to appear throughout the imaginative literature of the ancient pre-Christian world."
"Those timeless works of ancient Greece and Rome that record the musings of humanity's greatest seekers and yearners will contain traces, remnants and intimations of that wisdom which made us."
"The Greco-Roman understanding of virtue was, in its purest form, not antithetical to but prophetic of the biblical Christian virtues of faith, hope and love."
"Were we not all created in God's image, and though we are all fallen from our original state, does not a spark of divine fire remain in each of us?"
AHHHHH! This stuff is SO down my alley:) Hurrah for someone who is smart, and can express it better than I can!
Okay, the coolest news of all in this is that Markos has written another book, and that one is about TENNYSON my all time favorite poet! That one's more expensive, and I'm not teaching it this year so I couldn't really justify spending the money. But it sure is on my Christmas list, boy howdy!
Can you believe that this is part of my job?! What a life...
(Katie - you should definitely read this book...)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Reeeeading!
GUYS! I read SO MUCH over Thanksgiving break! For a long time I've felt starved for a good book - I just haven't been reading much recently. And so I grabbed my chance with five days off. Mostly my Thanksgiving break went like this:
Read
Sleep
Read
Help Mom (a little)
Read
Go to Thanksgiving service
Read
Sleep
Read
Help Mom (a little more)
Eat Thanksgiving Dinner
Enjoy family
Read
Sleep
Read
Go to town
Read
Go back to town (why couldn't I get that car fixing appointment a little earlier?!)
Sabbath meeting
Enjoy family
Read
Sleep
Reeeeeead
Enjoy family
Read
Sleep
Church
Go home via lunch w/ friend
Pretty good, eh? That's my kind of vacation. It's amazing how much I love reading when I can do it without distraction!
Sooo, what did I read? Ahh, a good question. I started off with an Agatha Christie. Can't go wrong there. VERY much enjoyed the character descriptions - one totally reminded me of me, flaws and all! Weowd.
Then I decided for a little more culture, and picked up "The Mayor of Casterbridge" which I'd started and abandoned. The plot definitely heated up, and I was surprised by the ending. Reading some of the commentary helped me to understand it, and I feel like a more well-rounded human being for having read it.
Then, because too much of a good thing is an awesome thing, I opted for another Agatha Christie. I shortly discovered I'd read it before, but I couldn't remember much, and certainly couldn't remember who'd done it. I was curious. It was a good read all over again, and I was fooled. I always am, with good ol' Dame Christie. Or is it Dame Agatha? Anyway, I was fooled.
It was time for more culture, so I picked up another 19th c British novel called "Barchester Towers" by Anthony Trollope. It was a loooong book, and everything that could be said in 10 words was said in 25. I'd say it's the kind of book that should probably be enjoyed over a long period of time, bit by bit, as opposed to a 24 hour period. But you know what? It was a great story! A great read! And the author had a beautifully Victorian way with words. Not quite as good as Dickens, but reminiscent thereof. I enjoyed the characters there, too.
And, to reward myself for being so cultured I decided on... another Agatha Christie! This story, "The Big Four," was quite different than most of her stories - involving more spy-story tendencies than usual. Quite enjoyable.
Well, I don't know if this book counts, because I only started it on vacation, I won't finish it on vacation (unless I have insomnia tonight or something), but I'm currently reading "Remembered Anger" by Martha Albrand - a story about a man betrayed in WWII who decides to track down his betrayer after the war.
AHHHHHHHH! I love reading! I'm about ready to say goodnight to the Patriots (who are obviously going to win) and pick up my book again... and it's only the first quarter!
Read
Sleep
Read
Help Mom (a little)
Read
Go to Thanksgiving service
Read
Sleep
Read
Help Mom (a little more)
Eat Thanksgiving Dinner
Enjoy family
Read
Sleep
Read
Go to town
Read
Go back to town (why couldn't I get that car fixing appointment a little earlier?!)
Sabbath meeting
Enjoy family
Read
Sleep
Reeeeeead
Enjoy family
Read
Sleep
Church
Go home via lunch w/ friend
Pretty good, eh? That's my kind of vacation. It's amazing how much I love reading when I can do it without distraction!
Sooo, what did I read? Ahh, a good question. I started off with an Agatha Christie. Can't go wrong there. VERY much enjoyed the character descriptions - one totally reminded me of me, flaws and all! Weowd.
Then I decided for a little more culture, and picked up "The Mayor of Casterbridge" which I'd started and abandoned. The plot definitely heated up, and I was surprised by the ending. Reading some of the commentary helped me to understand it, and I feel like a more well-rounded human being for having read it.
Then, because too much of a good thing is an awesome thing, I opted for another Agatha Christie. I shortly discovered I'd read it before, but I couldn't remember much, and certainly couldn't remember who'd done it. I was curious. It was a good read all over again, and I was fooled. I always am, with good ol' Dame Christie. Or is it Dame Agatha? Anyway, I was fooled.
It was time for more culture, so I picked up another 19th c British novel called "Barchester Towers" by Anthony Trollope. It was a loooong book, and everything that could be said in 10 words was said in 25. I'd say it's the kind of book that should probably be enjoyed over a long period of time, bit by bit, as opposed to a 24 hour period. But you know what? It was a great story! A great read! And the author had a beautifully Victorian way with words. Not quite as good as Dickens, but reminiscent thereof. I enjoyed the characters there, too.
And, to reward myself for being so cultured I decided on... another Agatha Christie! This story, "The Big Four," was quite different than most of her stories - involving more spy-story tendencies than usual. Quite enjoyable.
Well, I don't know if this book counts, because I only started it on vacation, I won't finish it on vacation (unless I have insomnia tonight or something), but I'm currently reading "Remembered Anger" by Martha Albrand - a story about a man betrayed in WWII who decides to track down his betrayer after the war.
AHHHHHHHH! I love reading! I'm about ready to say goodnight to the Patriots (who are obviously going to win) and pick up my book again... and it's only the first quarter!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Time for a Post!
Good grief - I've almost stooped to Craig-like proportions here. Quick! Update!
Today my fourth grade teacher came to church. It was a fascinating experience. It's amazing how your perspective can change in 17 years... I don't remember why she was such a good teacher - I just know that she stands out in my memory as one of my absolute favorites. But Mama knew (and expressed) what it was - her control of the classroom, her awareness of each student as an individual, her adeptness at discerning the needs of her students, etc. I can see what Mama's talking about now, but then all I knew was that I loved her. That's one of the things I love about getting older - being able to see things you never could have seen when you were younger. Brain expansion is an exhilarating thing:)
In other news, I'm enjoying my new students so much! I forgot about that period of building rapport with the new kids, and am having lots of fun with it suddenly. The times I have been enthusiastically jumped-out-at-with-loud-BOOs are becoming more numerous. Usually I have to fake fear, but the other day they reallllly got me. Nothing like some good adrenaline filled rapport building.
Last week we took a whole school field trip to Plymouth, which was pretty cool. I got to ride with one of my student's mothers, and discovered such a sweetie! There's also rapport building along those lines... Last week was also parent teacher conferences, and I found them draining but rewarding. I'm not used to dealing with such grown-up people! But parental connections are so beneficial, and they went really well. Hurrah for supportive parents!
Okay, something has been posted. My job here is done. Happy Thanksgiving soon!
Today my fourth grade teacher came to church. It was a fascinating experience. It's amazing how your perspective can change in 17 years... I don't remember why she was such a good teacher - I just know that she stands out in my memory as one of my absolute favorites. But Mama knew (and expressed) what it was - her control of the classroom, her awareness of each student as an individual, her adeptness at discerning the needs of her students, etc. I can see what Mama's talking about now, but then all I knew was that I loved her. That's one of the things I love about getting older - being able to see things you never could have seen when you were younger. Brain expansion is an exhilarating thing:)
In other news, I'm enjoying my new students so much! I forgot about that period of building rapport with the new kids, and am having lots of fun with it suddenly. The times I have been enthusiastically jumped-out-at-with-loud-BOOs are becoming more numerous. Usually I have to fake fear, but the other day they reallllly got me. Nothing like some good adrenaline filled rapport building.
Last week we took a whole school field trip to Plymouth, which was pretty cool. I got to ride with one of my student's mothers, and discovered such a sweetie! There's also rapport building along those lines... Last week was also parent teacher conferences, and I found them draining but rewarding. I'm not used to dealing with such grown-up people! But parental connections are so beneficial, and they went really well. Hurrah for supportive parents!
Okay, something has been posted. My job here is done. Happy Thanksgiving soon!
Friday, November 02, 2007
Visitors and the Incentive Thereof
Okay, so we've got company coming tomorrow - some of the first to ever burst, um, here. (This is not a silent sea!) The FIRST was Elizabeth. Yay for her!
Anyway, this inspired much cleaning, organizing, and decorating. I'd unpacked the majority of my things within the first week or so, but there were many things that slipped to low priority - such as hanging pictures that required nails.
But a few weeks ago I got the picture hangers from Walmart, and last night I tackled the job. They look WICKED good if I do say so myself! However, I couldn't help but be glad there was no one there to see my slip-shod, unprofessional tactics. I had no level, no tape measure, no nothing! I pulled out a necklace of little plastic Christmas lights (from Penny when I was in Bible School - I love it!), and used that to measure. It's 13 and a half Christmas lights from the center picture to the outside picture, if anyone's wondering. But at a slight downward angle. Yaaa, really exact.
Oh, and my nailing skills are SWEET, too. Mostly I was okay, but I think I hit a stud or something and my hammer was just kind of bouncing off the nail. Mmmhm. And then I bent a nail a little bit. In sheet rock?! I ask of myself in disdain. Ah well - I guess I'm not a carpenter for a reason. Though I would love to try my hand at some small-scale stuff now and then.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy because these particular pictures are the cream of my Israel crop... and they've been waiting for these FOUR YEARS for me to get a wall on which to hang them. I didn't want to put all those holes in the Brown's walls because I thought I'd be moving back home after college and that wasn't too far away. And then I didn't move home, but I still didn't put them up. So now, with an apartment, I seized the opportunity! Yay!
Also, besides my cleaning, organizing, and picture hanging, we had a cleaning party for the rest of the apartment, and the place looks SO good! YAY!
Anyway, this inspired much cleaning, organizing, and decorating. I'd unpacked the majority of my things within the first week or so, but there were many things that slipped to low priority - such as hanging pictures that required nails.
But a few weeks ago I got the picture hangers from Walmart, and last night I tackled the job. They look WICKED good if I do say so myself! However, I couldn't help but be glad there was no one there to see my slip-shod, unprofessional tactics. I had no level, no tape measure, no nothing! I pulled out a necklace of little plastic Christmas lights (from Penny when I was in Bible School - I love it!), and used that to measure. It's 13 and a half Christmas lights from the center picture to the outside picture, if anyone's wondering. But at a slight downward angle. Yaaa, really exact.
Oh, and my nailing skills are SWEET, too. Mostly I was okay, but I think I hit a stud or something and my hammer was just kind of bouncing off the nail. Mmmhm. And then I bent a nail a little bit. In sheet rock?! I ask of myself in disdain. Ah well - I guess I'm not a carpenter for a reason. Though I would love to try my hand at some small-scale stuff now and then.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy because these particular pictures are the cream of my Israel crop... and they've been waiting for these FOUR YEARS for me to get a wall on which to hang them. I didn't want to put all those holes in the Brown's walls because I thought I'd be moving back home after college and that wasn't too far away. And then I didn't move home, but I still didn't put them up. So now, with an apartment, I seized the opportunity! Yay!
Also, besides my cleaning, organizing, and picture hanging, we had a cleaning party for the rest of the apartment, and the place looks SO good! YAY!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Latest...
I am currently doing HAND WASHING! This is definitely a sign that I'm growing up. Always in the past I've passed those difficult laundering issues off on Mom. Hand wash only? To Mom it goes.
But now, here I am, living in my apartment, and doing my own handwash. I'm serious! It's in the little pot as we speak!
Pot? you may ask. Well, yeah. I find that an apartment doesn't come stocked with all the things you'll ever need in said apartment. Mama does her hand washing in a plastic basin type thing. I have no plastic basin type thing. So I improvised and am using a cooking pot:)
Where did you get the cooking pot? you may ask. AH! Let me TELL you! I purchased a pots and pans set!!! My friend Karen (mother of two of my current students and fast becoming a dear, dear friend) had a beautiful teflon set of pots which she'd purchased before her marriage, not knowing that her future husband would have an issue with teflon (as well as cell phones, artificial sweeteners and anything else that has any possible link to cancer). So I bought it from her for much less than the original price. Hurrah! I felt SO very grown up to be driving home with my very own pots and pans...
Where did you get the cooking pot? you may ask. AH! Let me TELL you! I purchased a pots and pans set!!! My friend Karen (mother of two of my current students and fast becoming a dear, dear friend) had a beautiful teflon set of pots which she'd purchased before her marriage, not knowing that her future husband would have an issue with teflon (as well as cell phones, artificial sweeteners and anything else that has any possible link to cancer). So I bought it from her for much less than the original price. Hurrah! I felt SO very grown up to be driving home with my very own pots and pans...
Here, in fact, are some of these pots and pans, surrounding Melissa in glory:) (She came in to use my computer right after I'd unpacked them...) Ummm, also I had no bedspread at that point. Don't notice that. I just got one from Mum today.
I tell ya, this apartment business is more fun THAN a!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Just for the Record...
Just for the record, TJ is getting cooler by the second. He stopped by this week, and brought enough Chinese food with him that I was still eating the leftovers this evening for dinner. What a sweetie!
Just for the record, I love that I can hear church bells playing hymns from my apartment!
Just for the record, I'm rooting for the Red Sox to win this evening. I lost so much sleep last week watching late games! Friday I was late for school - the THIRD time in that week. I was chatting with Mr. Bailey about something and then he brought up the Sox and asked me if I'd watched the whole game the night before. "YES!" I wailed, "and that's why I can't get my act together!" He just smiled knowingly and said he'd stayed up too. It was such a great bonding moment:)
Just for the record, I love bonding over the Red Sox!
Just for the record, I think it's a little cruel that baseball ends right at the point where people are most into it. It leaves you with this nostalgic longing that lingers through the winter months. But, as A. Bartlett Giamatti, late commissioner of baseball, put it: "renewal has rhythms as old as decline."
Just for the record, I think A. Bartlett Giamatti is the coolest. With him baseball is poetry.
Just for the record, I carved a great pumpkin today! Melissa and Sara and Elizabeth and some of Sara's friends were all there and some definite masterpieces came out of the experience. We decided we should do a gingerbread house making party in the Christmas season. (I miss you, Penny!)
Just for the record, I love that I can hear church bells playing hymns from my apartment!
Just for the record, I'm rooting for the Red Sox to win this evening. I lost so much sleep last week watching late games! Friday I was late for school - the THIRD time in that week. I was chatting with Mr. Bailey about something and then he brought up the Sox and asked me if I'd watched the whole game the night before. "YES!" I wailed, "and that's why I can't get my act together!" He just smiled knowingly and said he'd stayed up too. It was such a great bonding moment:)
Just for the record, I love bonding over the Red Sox!
Just for the record, I think it's a little cruel that baseball ends right at the point where people are most into it. It leaves you with this nostalgic longing that lingers through the winter months. But, as A. Bartlett Giamatti, late commissioner of baseball, put it: "renewal has rhythms as old as decline."
Just for the record, I think A. Bartlett Giamatti is the coolest. With him baseball is poetry.
Just for the record, I carved a great pumpkin today! Melissa and Sara and Elizabeth and some of Sara's friends were all there and some definite masterpieces came out of the experience. We decided we should do a gingerbread house making party in the Christmas season. (I miss you, Penny!)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Apartment Pictures!
And now, for your visualizing pleasure... pictures of our apartment!
This is the view when you walk in the door: our beautiful kitchen!
Then, if you go just around the corner, you see this little alcove for sink, fridge, and shelf space.
Proceeding from the kitchen inward you come to our living space. The first area is the "work space" with a computer and chairs for people with laptops:)
Then, further in is the living room. I love the pillars! And the hardwood floors. And everything about it!!!
Ahhhhhhhh. Now do you see why I'm so dumbfounded that this is actually real and I'm not just playing house?! What an incredible blessing.
This is the view when you walk in the door: our beautiful kitchen!
Then, if you go just around the corner, you see this little alcove for sink, fridge, and shelf space.
Proceeding from the kitchen inward you come to our living space. The first area is the "work space" with a computer and chairs for people with laptops:)
Then, further in is the living room. I love the pillars! And the hardwood floors. And everything about it!!!
Ahhhhhhhh. Now do you see why I'm so dumbfounded that this is actually real and I'm not just playing house?! What an incredible blessing.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
From the New Homefront!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Suddenly I'm SO inspired about BLOGGING! Why? you may ask. Well let me tell you!
I'm sitting in my apartment, the kitchen to be exact, at the beautiful new table donated by the landlady, after having made myself dinner (Cup-a-Soup - thanks Britain trip, for opening my eyes to the virtue of such fare - and a muffin - Aunt Pat's housewarming gift to the three of us which TOTALLY saved my life since I missed the exit for the grocery store on the way home and wanted something a little more substantial than soup alone... I'm going to be eating SO well), and I'm suddenly really excited again (as I often am) about the fact that I'm living in an apartment!
I just can't believe it. I have been (mmmm, cup-a-soup's really good!) dreaming of this for years, literally. Since Bible School, at least, which makes it 7 -9 years... Many a girl can testify to my penchant for saying "we should get an apartment someday..." And now here I am. And not just any ol' apartment, either. It's a big kid apartment! It's beautiful! And yes, I will try to get pictures up pronto. (Well, pronto-ish...)
Gretchen and Mama were the absolute HEROES. Gretchen was here Sunday and helped me start the process (she stayed until 10pm!), and Mama was here Monday and helped me finish (she worked tirelessly alllll day). I can't imagine having done it without them. OH MY WORD I have so much JUNK! But the nice thing about moving is that I got RID of a lot of junk, too. Hurrah for that! In fact, I believe one small bag got over here without being sorted, but nothing else escaped my scrutiny. I looked through things I haven't seen for years! I found a wicked nice jean skirt, too, which is awesome because I was just thinking about buying one. And I can't be throwing money around anymore... Perfect timing! (Wow, this muffin is so good!)
You know how sometimes people leap into things and it is said of them that they "didn't look back once?" Well, that's not me. I loved it at the Browns so much! It truly was a home. I even felt a little claustrophobic today, thinking about driving home to the city instead of the country. Not that I have gone outside ONCE since school began (except to talk on my phone. Another great plus of this apartment - service inside!), but hey, what if I wanted to now?
However, despite a little backward glancing (good thing this isn't a plow!) the upsides are incredible. Foremost among them, of course, is the fact that I'm living with Melissa and Sara!!! I mean, seriously, you can't get much better than that! I love them, and they're so comfortable to be with. That's a big thing. We're going to have SUCH good times! Also, the shortened commute is sweet - I woke up at 5:30 this morning instead of 5! And then there's the shedding of the stigma associated with not having your own place (a stigma with which I do not agree, and yet still felt hanging over me sometimes). And I'm within walking distance of the mall! And right at this moment the strong accents of a woman's Portuguese upbraiding of her husband is pouring from her open window through mine. Oh no, wait, that's not so good... I'll put on some music:) Really though, it's pretty amazing. I got right down on my knees and thanked God for it last night, when it finally started to sink in.
Okay, enough blathering. I'm just really, really thankful. And now about those pictures...
PS. Sara is SO amazing. I had no idea she was so efficient before this whole sharing an apartment thing came along. She just blew in here after work with freshly bought curtain rods and now she's going to make a pizza (NOT a frozen pizza) before breezing out to get keys copied and then go to school... She has also arranged for us to have heat, electricity, intenet, etc. Who knows when that would have happened had I been doing this on my own. Sara is the ally for the ages!
I'm sitting in my apartment, the kitchen to be exact, at the beautiful new table donated by the landlady, after having made myself dinner (Cup-a-Soup - thanks Britain trip, for opening my eyes to the virtue of such fare - and a muffin - Aunt Pat's housewarming gift to the three of us which TOTALLY saved my life since I missed the exit for the grocery store on the way home and wanted something a little more substantial than soup alone... I'm going to be eating SO well), and I'm suddenly really excited again (as I often am) about the fact that I'm living in an apartment!
I just can't believe it. I have been (mmmm, cup-a-soup's really good!) dreaming of this for years, literally. Since Bible School, at least, which makes it 7 -9 years... Many a girl can testify to my penchant for saying "we should get an apartment someday..." And now here I am. And not just any ol' apartment, either. It's a big kid apartment! It's beautiful! And yes, I will try to get pictures up pronto. (Well, pronto-ish...)
Gretchen and Mama were the absolute HEROES. Gretchen was here Sunday and helped me start the process (she stayed until 10pm!), and Mama was here Monday and helped me finish (she worked tirelessly alllll day). I can't imagine having done it without them. OH MY WORD I have so much JUNK! But the nice thing about moving is that I got RID of a lot of junk, too. Hurrah for that! In fact, I believe one small bag got over here without being sorted, but nothing else escaped my scrutiny. I looked through things I haven't seen for years! I found a wicked nice jean skirt, too, which is awesome because I was just thinking about buying one. And I can't be throwing money around anymore... Perfect timing! (Wow, this muffin is so good!)
You know how sometimes people leap into things and it is said of them that they "didn't look back once?" Well, that's not me. I loved it at the Browns so much! It truly was a home. I even felt a little claustrophobic today, thinking about driving home to the city instead of the country. Not that I have gone outside ONCE since school began (except to talk on my phone. Another great plus of this apartment - service inside!), but hey, what if I wanted to now?
However, despite a little backward glancing (good thing this isn't a plow!) the upsides are incredible. Foremost among them, of course, is the fact that I'm living with Melissa and Sara!!! I mean, seriously, you can't get much better than that! I love them, and they're so comfortable to be with. That's a big thing. We're going to have SUCH good times! Also, the shortened commute is sweet - I woke up at 5:30 this morning instead of 5! And then there's the shedding of the stigma associated with not having your own place (a stigma with which I do not agree, and yet still felt hanging over me sometimes). And I'm within walking distance of the mall! And right at this moment the strong accents of a woman's Portuguese upbraiding of her husband is pouring from her open window through mine. Oh no, wait, that's not so good... I'll put on some music:) Really though, it's pretty amazing. I got right down on my knees and thanked God for it last night, when it finally started to sink in.
Okay, enough blathering. I'm just really, really thankful. And now about those pictures...
PS. Sara is SO amazing. I had no idea she was so efficient before this whole sharing an apartment thing came along. She just blew in here after work with freshly bought curtain rods and now she's going to make a pizza (NOT a frozen pizza) before breezing out to get keys copied and then go to school... She has also arranged for us to have heat, electricity, intenet, etc. Who knows when that would have happened had I been doing this on my own. Sara is the ally for the ages!
Saturday, October 06, 2007
News from the (soon to be old) Homefront
Well people, I am finally becoming a real big kid... with an apartment! Things have opened up, pretty suddenly and semi-miraculously, for me to move into an apartment in Providence with Sara and Melissa. I still can't quite believe it!
Melissa has been renting a room in the upstairs apartment, and when I first went to see it I also looked at the downstairs apartment and fell right in love. Clunk. But of course the rent was through the roof for one person to pay, and no one else I knew was free to rent an apartment with me. So I just prayed a little prayer and told God how I'd love to live in that apartment and left it there.
A couple (?) weeks later, Sara mentioned the possibility of moving out of her apartment into this apartment - if Melissa and I were interested. I jumped in whole-heartedly, and after a few minor bumps it's actually happening now. Tomorrow and Monday (thanks, Columbus!) are my moving days.
OY VAY!!!
As awesome as this is, you know me and change. We don't totally click. I'm kind of sad about leaving the Browns. I mean, I've been here for over six years! It's been such an incredible home away from home. I'll miss being neighbors with TJ and chatting with Aunt Laura and being the recipient of Uncle Paul's regular affirmation and Amy's happy greetings.
Still.... I'm pretty psyched about this apartment business. Wooohooooooooo! Okay, you can make that wicked psyched. So everyone book visits into your calendars!
Melissa has been renting a room in the upstairs apartment, and when I first went to see it I also looked at the downstairs apartment and fell right in love. Clunk. But of course the rent was through the roof for one person to pay, and no one else I knew was free to rent an apartment with me. So I just prayed a little prayer and told God how I'd love to live in that apartment and left it there.
A couple (?) weeks later, Sara mentioned the possibility of moving out of her apartment into this apartment - if Melissa and I were interested. I jumped in whole-heartedly, and after a few minor bumps it's actually happening now. Tomorrow and Monday (thanks, Columbus!) are my moving days.
OY VAY!!!
As awesome as this is, you know me and change. We don't totally click. I'm kind of sad about leaving the Browns. I mean, I've been here for over six years! It's been such an incredible home away from home. I'll miss being neighbors with TJ and chatting with Aunt Laura and being the recipient of Uncle Paul's regular affirmation and Amy's happy greetings.
Still.... I'm pretty psyched about this apartment business. Wooohooooooooo! Okay, you can make that wicked psyched. So everyone book visits into your calendars!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
"However we may miss and mourn the dead, we really give little deference to death. 'Death,' a friend of mine said as he approached it himself, 'is a convention...not binding upon anyone but the keeprs of graveyard records.' The dead remain in thought as much alive as they ever were, and yet increased in stature and grown remarkably near. The older I have got and the better acquainted among the dead, the plainer it has become to me that I live in the company of immortals.
But now I have been here a fair amount of time, and slowly I have learned that my true home is not just this place but is also that company of immortals with whom I have lived here day by day. I live in this love, and I know something of the cost. Sometimes in the darkness of my own shadow I know that I could not see at all were it not for this old injury of love and grief, this little flickering lamp that I have watched beside for all these years."
-Wendell Berry
Wendell's got some good stuff to say, but I'm glad that the picture is even bigger and more solid than this. Andrew is not just alive in thought and love today, but alive in actuality as never before--perhaps more now than a year or two or three ago. Not just home with a vague sense of the company of loved ones, but Home, with glorious Love Himself, our All in All, as well as with all those others we have known and loved. A solid home, a solid joy beyond all measure.
Miss you, man. Coming soon.
But now I have been here a fair amount of time, and slowly I have learned that my true home is not just this place but is also that company of immortals with whom I have lived here day by day. I live in this love, and I know something of the cost. Sometimes in the darkness of my own shadow I know that I could not see at all were it not for this old injury of love and grief, this little flickering lamp that I have watched beside for all these years."
-Wendell Berry
Wendell's got some good stuff to say, but I'm glad that the picture is even bigger and more solid than this. Andrew is not just alive in thought and love today, but alive in actuality as never before--perhaps more now than a year or two or three ago. Not just home with a vague sense of the company of loved ones, but Home, with glorious Love Himself, our All in All, as well as with all those others we have known and loved. A solid home, a solid joy beyond all measure.
Miss you, man. Coming soon.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Anybody out there?
I'm breaking my long blog silence (which I've been meaning to do for several days!) because I just can't NOT tell people this!
I'm grading papers for my brand new little 7th graders, and they're so cute! They had to write a five-paragraph essay on what makes a good book. What made me spring up from my seat and jump onto the computer is this fabulous line:
"Seriousness is the third most important thing a book needs. Wherefore do you ask? Because if the book..."
Isn't that RICH?!?! It couldn't have been much later than the second day of school that I taught them that wherefore means WHY and not WHERE. And he remembered... and used it! Despite the awkwardness of usage, my little heart was thrilled. I'm teaching people things that they will remember forever. And YES it is important to know that:)
In more general news, the year is going SO well. I feel like my older kids have made a break-through and are starting to really think about Literature in the way I've been pushing them to for the past two years. I don't know what could be more rewarding. It's so good to see.
I LOVE TEACHING!
I'm grading papers for my brand new little 7th graders, and they're so cute! They had to write a five-paragraph essay on what makes a good book. What made me spring up from my seat and jump onto the computer is this fabulous line:
"Seriousness is the third most important thing a book needs. Wherefore do you ask? Because if the book..."
Isn't that RICH?!?! It couldn't have been much later than the second day of school that I taught them that wherefore means WHY and not WHERE. And he remembered... and used it! Despite the awkwardness of usage, my little heart was thrilled. I'm teaching people things that they will remember forever. And YES it is important to know that:)
In more general news, the year is going SO well. I feel like my older kids have made a break-through and are starting to really think about Literature in the way I've been pushing them to for the past two years. I don't know what could be more rewarding. It's so good to see.
I LOVE TEACHING!
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Way to Go Buchholtz!
Well, I was going to write a post for all the non-baseball people out there - trying to give you a glimpse of why I'm such a huge fan by using this evening's incredible game (first no-hitter by a rookie in Red Sox history), but I started and quickly stalled. I don't know if I'm up to the task of expressing it in words. If you were only HERE experiencing it with Ben, Dave, Uncle Paul, Melissa, Anna, Josh and TJ, sitting at the edges of our seats, realizing one tiny mistake could blow the whole thing, and watching him, pitch by pitch, avoid those mistakes, THEN you might start to get it. The suspense and silence, the burst of rejoicing and relief, the happy chatter bubbling out afterwards, the reliving of the most tense and most amazing moments... WHAT A GAME! Truly, that's one of the most masterful of accomplishments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)