Bigger than a Breadbox

2008-10-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

One of my truths has been that I don’t like John Steinbeck, but I love Cannery Row. Recently, I’ve been reconsidering that position as I contemplated his books. I absolutely love Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday . I enjoy very much Of Mice and Men . I came to the realization that what I honestly meant was, “I don’t like The Red Pony , and I’m not too keen on The Pearl.

Our Book Club book for October was East of Eden – I’d mentioned previously that I was working on reading it, and now that I have finished I can definitely change my truth. Steinbeck is an amazing writer (and yes, The Red Pony is still bad). I love his descriptions and his characters, even when they are unseemly, they are well written. Another one of the things that I like about his characters is that there are good people in all stations of life, and you can't judge a person by their external situation. This especially comes through in Cannery Row, and in fact, I’d argue is the theme of that novel.

The lovely Kristina asked me if it was long, the copy I had was about 600 pages, but it goes by quickly, there were several football practices that I read about 100 pages. Since I knew that it was based on the story of Cain and Abel, I was concerned that something horrific was coming (remember the Red Pony thing?) but was pleasantly surprised. And, I can still say, his characters and writing are the cornerstone of his greatness. Someday, in addition to re-reading Cannery Row I should read his magnum opus, Grapes of Wrath

It has been a long time since I’ve been to Cannery Row, but I look forward to exploring the tide pools again. And, I am always up for seeing James Dean in a movie, so I should put the movie version on my “to watch” pile.

And, in another bit of book goodness, yesterday I stopped and bought Sharon Kay Penman’s newest book, The Devil’s Brood. I only got to read the first couple of chapters last night and this morning, I am looking forward to getting lost in Eleanor of Aquitaine’s stormy marriage. There is a very small group of authors that I won’t wait for the paperback release, and she is atop the list. I’d only add Barbara Kingsolver and Kh. Frederica Mathewes-Green (truth be told, I don’t have her complete collection, but most). I’d be curious to hear who are those few authors for others.

A friend wished me a cozy weekend curled up on the couch, under a blanket reading. This month isn’t going to offer many days like that, but I will take as many snippets of time as I can.

(photo credit)

2008-10-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Weekend Wrap-up.

Friday night, we went to The Oldest’s Senior Year Homecoming. Ironically, we went with the X-man whose football team is mentored by the high school kids, and The Oldest didn’t come along. It was really wet and rainy, thankfully while the football players and cheerleaders were in the rain, and the Homecoming Court was under umbrellas, the seats are undercover.

Saturday.

Grocery Shopping in the morning. Awesome CTMH party in the early afternoon, X-man’s Football game in the early evening (they remain winless, but there’s always hope as they enter the post-season)

Speaking of Post-Season, Yipee! The Dodgers are in the NCLS sweeping aside the Cubs (the Dh said, “this is proof that God hates the Cubs” Bwahahahahahahaha). Upon further reflection, maybe they were just working to keep the presidential campaign from going on hiatus during a Chicago vs Chicago series.

Sunday.

Drove to Seattle to attend Liturgy and the Russian Bazaar where I got to spend time with the lovely Lizzie Bennett – it was awesome to catch up with her, help put the bookstore out, enjoy Russian food (and brought home Baklava for the men in my life, in a bit of pan-Orthodox pastryness), and enjoyed the new iconography in the dome. Beautiful.

Came home, and bundled The Oldest along to have his Senior Photos taken by the fabulous Angela who I have known through Scrapbooking for years. I can’t wait to see them, even though it was drizzling, she took some amazing shots. We laughed at the difference between my hates to be photographed and to pose oldest and the X-man who I am sure is a photographer’s dream.

Zipped home, had vegetarian pozole for dinner, and went to the Season Opener of the Symphony

Last night was Book Club. Tonight, I’m looking forward to coming home, putting my feet up, folding laundry, and wearing sweats for awhile.

2008-10-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, the X-man asked if I’d drive him and his project to school. Of course, on the way it was discovered that the glue wasn’t sticking, so we had to come back home, get the hot glue gun going, get the project re-glued and head off to the school (late).

But, I digress. What was interesting about the project is the kids had to create their river of life. Using river vocabulary words, they had to do a representation of their river, complete with what in their life fit the definition (sample from X’s project – source: I was born).

It really got me to thinking about how my river would look. Firstly, it would have a lot more bends and winds than his. And, while he had a small dam (lack of imagination was his blockage there) I don’t think the piece of plywood would hold my dams (not letting go of things, letting my relationship with God slide, those pesky negative thoughts, judgmentalism ).

Interestingly, while I was contemplating these thoughts, I happened across this Psalm on The Bluecanopy:

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Psalm 63

It’s a good reminder of who is the source, how my river should flow, and how to breach the dam.

(photo of the Dnieper River found here)

2008-09-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

I love baseball, as many of you know. I have written before that while I follow the Seattle Mariners (who have the dubious honor of being the first team to lose 100 games in a season with a payroll of over 100 million), my first love is the Dodgers (and, no Herman, I don't know what they call the hotdogs in Dodger Stadium - Dodger Dogs?). Since my husband’s first love is the Giants, we keep the peace in the household by following a different league, and a different team.

However, I must gush as the Dodgers are in the playoffs, baby! So, here is a picture thought I’m sharing today, and my hope is for a good post-season run (how about winning some postseason games for me, ok?)

And, a side note, best wishes to Father John as his Twins are in the hunt for the postseason as well, I think they may pull it off.

(photo from mlb.com)

2008-09-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

I didn’t mean to fall off the face of the earth – I’ve been struggling with a nasty cold – weepy, and drippy, and generally not very happy. It keeps coming and going, I’ll feel better and then not better the next day. Bizarre. Hopefully, this isn’t setting the stage for the entire winter.

Thank you for your kind congratulations, I am very blessed indeed.

I yanked this Fall Meme from Michelle Melania - since the first day of fall was Monday, it seems appropriate.

When does fall begin for you? When I begin to notice the chill in the air, the smell of fall, and the changing colors.
What is your favorite aspect of fall? The crispness of the air.
What is your favorite fall memory? Pumpkin patches.
What do you like to drink in the fall? Coffee, but I like to drink that all seasons.
What’s your favorite fall food? Honeycrisp apples, butternut squash.
What is fall weather like where you live? We often have (and did this year) a brilliant Indian Summer (ooh, I like the name St. Martin’s Summer)(or Second Summer, as Presbytera Elizabeth and I like to call it) and then it starts to get greyer.
What color is fall? Red, Yellow, and Grey.
What does fall smell like? I don’t know how to describe it, but there is a crisp, fall smell
Holiday shopping in fall: yes or no? Now and then.
If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go? It is a cliché, but I’d love to see a New England Autumn.
What is your favorite fall sport? The World Series.
Do you have a favorite fall chore? Switching out the clothes.
What is your least favorite thing about fall? Rotting leaves on sidewalks and streets.
What is your favorite fall holiday?Another cliché answer – does anyone NOT say Thanksgiving?
What’s your favorite kind of pie?. All time? Blueberry. Fall pie? Pumpkin. It’s the X-man’s favorite
Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair? While I know the fair is actually a fall thing around here , I actually associate it with the spring. (and, gah, there’s a typo on the front page of the website. Such a great way to put your best foot forward, don’t you think?) Having said that, they both are fun in different ways.
Do you have a favorite fall book? Other than the pop-off answer of A Turkey for Thanksgiving I don’t tend to associate books with seasons. Right now, I’m reading East of Eden for book club.
How about a favorite fall poem or quote? I used this on an ATC that I made last year: autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

2008-09-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the 12th anniversary of my entry into the Orthodox Church (and a shout out to Philippa and to a lovely couple in my parish who share the same Chrismation Anniversary, Many Years).

I was honored and humbled that the way that I got to celebrate this anniversary was by being the Godmother to a lovely woman in my parish, Sarah. I had enjoyed first meeting her during her catechumenate , and after she asked me to be her sponsor, we had a fabulous lunch together where we discovered we have a lot in common. I look forward to getting to know her better and to worshipping together for many years. I also enjoyed getting to meet and worship with her family, and the X-man was kind enough to take photos of the ceremony (although he was out of the church by the time a dear friend took this great one of the two of us)

Afterwards, the parish Babushka was congratulating her and reminded her that I am her mother in the church. It was a moment of clarity for me it made me really think about it – how it is a big responsibility (and I pray that I am up to the task for both Sarah and Mary ). Pray for me, and for my lovely goddaughters.

Many Years, Sarah! Thank you.

2008-09-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Monica and Rebeca!

I made a spreadsheet with the entrant's name (the first comment was number one, etc) and using a random number generator and came up with Monica and Rebeca.

Email me and let me know if you want Birthday or Thank You cards or an assortment! I wish I could make a set for everyone who entered.

Congratulations.

2008-09-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

A blog giveaway! - I was surprised and delighted to be chosen as a winner on Xenia's blog the other day (I had such a lovely time at the Baptism of her youngest last month, it was good to see everyone) - thank you!

As I was finishing up the ATC cards for my swap that is due this weekend, it occured to me that I'd like to host my own blog drawing using the paper left over from my creations (Basic Grey Blush and an old Scenic Route, if you were wondering). So, comment on this post by Sunday night, and I'll enter you to win a package of five homemade cards. I'll choose two winners on Sunday night.

Mwah!

2008-09-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

A Simple Woman’s Daybook

For Today...

Outside my Window...it is a lovely, warm day. Often September is better weather than August.

I am thinking...that I am too old to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl. I found this out to my chagrin on Sunday at the local Fair.

From the learning rooms...the Oldest read his first Chekhov short story yesterday, the X-man wrote a math essay and got to use my Bind-it-All

I am thankful for...a good Book Club discussion last night, and time out on the patio with friends, good food, and a glass of wine.

From the kitchen...probably tomato pie.

I am wearing...a pair of jeans my boss loaned me, and a t-shirt from one of my co-workers after dumping an entire cup of coffee on my lap this morning.

I am reading...Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep. I just finished Orson Scott Card’s Enchantment. Like Deb, I disagree with his portrayal of Orthodoxy, but other than that, the book was a fabulous read and had great Russian folklore woven throughout. If his writing is often like that, I’ll read more of it (recommendations?)

I am hoping...for my sister.

I am creating...my wedding album – we’ve only been married 17.5 years, maybe it is time.

I am hearing...the radio

Around the house...getting ready for exterior painting.

One of my favorite things...is coffee, when it isn’t in my lap.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...walk tonight, lunch with a friend on Thursday, hopefully a book signing on Friday, and a women’s auxiliary meeting and Vespers on Saturday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...I overslept the Matins of Yesterday’s Feast , but here is the icon:

2008-09-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

“I ate all my peas.” When my dear husband was a boy, his mother told his sister to clean her plate, to which he added, “I ate all my peas” It has become an in joke for us – a code to say “neener, neener, I’m being good”.

Our book club book this month is Brideshead Revisited and some of the women at our office meeting the other day (the book club is made up of mostly women from my office) were talking about what a difficult read it is, mostly centering around Waugh’s word choices. I had spent a good time reading it the previous night (at football practice, of course) and said, “It isn’t that difficult of a read”. In my head, I heard a refrain of “I ate all my peas….”

I am not the most amazing reader by any means, and sometimes I find books to be difficult going (the fabulous Screwtape Letters comes to mind), but for the most part, I do tend to read quickly. In addition, not only do I have a fair vocabulary (not that I’m good at using it in Scrabble or anything, as Molly who wipes the board with me every time can attest) but I am also coming off of reading Tess.

It’s a lovely book about interwar England, about gentrifying families, about how religion (specifically Catholicism) interacts with our life, and with our decisions. I have heard very good things about the PBS version, and am planning on looking it up. And, hopefully it will be a respectful Book Club discussion, even by those who aren’t religious, and maybe there will be peas.

(art credit)

2008-08-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

I get to do another number post, this time for me (although, I should admit, I kept thinking I'd turned 37, but no, it is 36)

In mathematics
36 is the sum of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

It is the square of 6 as well as a triangular number, making it a square triangular number, and also the only triangular number whose square root is also a triangular number. It is also a 13-gonal number.

36 is the smallest number n with exactly 8 solutions to the equation φ(x) = n. Being the smallest number with exactly 9 divisors, 36 is a highly composite number. Adding up some subsets of its divisors (e.g., 6, 12 and 18) gives 36, hence 36 is a semiperfect number.

This number is the sum of a twin prime (17 + 19), and the sum of the cubes of the first three integers.

36 is the number of degrees in the angle of all 5 tips in a perfect star.

The thirty-six officers problem is a mathematical puzzle.

The number of possible outcomes (not summed) in the roll of two distinct dice.

36 is the largest numeric base that some computer systems support because it exhausts the numerals, 0–9, and the letters, A–Z.

The truncated cube and the truncated octahedron are Archimedean solids with 36 edges.

In base 10, it is a Harshad number.

The number of domino tilings of a 4×4 checkerboard is 36.

Since it is possible to find sequences of 36 consecutive integers such that each inner member member shares a factor with either the first or the last member, 36 is an Erdős–Woods number.

Because 362 + 1 = 1297, a prime, which is obviously more than 36 twice, 36 is a Størmer number.

Measurements
The number of inches in a yard.[1]
In the UK, a standard beer barrel is 36 UK gallons, about 163.7 litres. [1]
The number of barleycorns in an English foot.[1]
The sum of 1+2+3+...+36 is [1]666.

In science
The atomic number of krypton [2]
Many early computers featured a 36-bit word length [3]
ASCII code for the symbol '$' [4]

Astronomy
Messier object M36, a magnitude 6.5 open cluster in the constellation Auriga [5]
The New General Catalogue object NGC 36, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces [6]

In religion
According to Jewish tradition, in every generation there are 36 righteous people (the "Lamed Vav Tzadikim") in whose merit the world continues to exist.[7]
According to the Midrash, the light created by God on the first day of creation shone for exactly 36 hours; it was replaced by the light of the Sun that was created on the Fourth Day.[7]
Altogether, 36 candles are kindled in the Hanukkah menorah over the 8 days of that holiday (not including the shamash candle).[7]
The Torah commands 36 times to love, respect and protect the stranger.[7]
In one Māori legend, concerning the creation of mankind by the god Tāne, 36 gods took active part in assembling the various parts of the first human before Tāne breathed life into her.[8]

In the arts, culture, and philosophy
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations are considered a useful conceptual aid in theater.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems are a collection of Chinese proverbs illustrating useful approaches to conflict situations.
Perfect score on the ACT.

In sports
Australian Basketball team The Adelaide 36ers.[9]
Retired number of former baseball players Robin Roberts[10] of the Phillies and Gaylord Perry[11] of the Giants.
Retired number of former basketball player Lloyd Neal of the Portland Trail Blazers[12]

From Wikipedia.

Thank you for the sweet birthday wishes today, it is lovely to be going through my inbox and see notes. It is a special blessing to have it fall on a Sunday, so to get the blessing of a Birthday Liturgy. Tonight, we'll have dinner out - Italian, I think.

2008-08-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

In the Orthodox Church, we commemorate St. Bartholomew on June 11. However, his story didn’t end at his death, and so today is the commoration of his relics, which had quite a journey, as we are told in the Prologue:

Today commemorates the translation of the relics of St. Bartholomew,
although his main feast is celebrated on June 11. When this great apostle was crucified in Albanopolis [Derbend] in Armenia, Christians removed his body and honorably buried it in a lead sarcophagus. When numerous miracles occurred over the grave of the apostle, especially healings of the sick, because of which the number of Christians increased, the pagans then took the sarcophagus containing the relics of Bartholomew and tossed it into the sea. At the same time they also threw four more sarcophagi into the sea containing the relics of four martyrs: Papian, Lucian, Gregory and Acacius. However, by God's providence, the sarcophagi did not sink but were carried by the current and floated: Acacius to the town of Askalon, Gregory to
Calabria, Lucian to Messina, Papian to the other side of Sicily and Bartholomew to the island of Lipara. By some mysterious revelation Agathon, the Bishop of Lipara, learned of the approaching relics of the holy Apostle Bartholomew to Lipara. Agathon, with the clergy and people, came to the shore to receive the sarcophagus with great joy. On that occasion, many healings of the sick occurred from the relics of the holy apostle. The relics were placed in the church of St. Bartholomew and there they reposed until the time of Theophilus the Iconoclast about the year 839 A.D. and since the Muslims threatened Lipara, the relics of the apostle were
translated to Benevento. Thus, the Lord glorified His apostle by miracles
both during his life and after his death. (thank you as always to Father Thomas)

As the X-man calls upon as his Heavenly Patron the Apostle Bartholomew , today is a second Patron Saint Day for him. And, as his mother sometimes drops the ball, today is the day he got his Patron Saint Day gift , as somehow June 11th came and went…maybe we'll go out for ice cream after football practice.

Speaking of, thank you for your prayers and good thoughts about his football career. He had a Jamboree and scrimmage yesterday, on a wet and muddy day. I sat there for about fifteen minutes, looked down at my feet for some reason, and heard The Husband say, “Hey, did you see our son do that tackle?” I feel like the worst mother in the world, ack!

2008-08-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Against my better judgment, the Xman is playing football. While I still think it isn’t the sport for him, and that he’s just a pound or two over the halfway point of the “can’t be more than this” weight, he’s enjoying playing the game and he is always fast enough that I pray he isn’t squished like a bug.

One of the plusses for me though is that now I have two plus hours to sit in my car. So, of course, I have been doing what comes naturally to me – reading for a luxuriously long amount of time. The second thing I’ve taken to doing is, instead of walking the treadmill, walking around the track for 10 laps, which takes me about 40 minutes, and I think is about 2.5 miles.

On the book end – I’ve read Tess of the d’Urbervilles, The Kalahari Typing School for Men, Innocent Traitor, and Circle of Quilters. All good. All very good. I’m very excited to be picking up the fabulous Bev’s newest book Royal Monastic tonight.

On the walking side of things – I have been learning a bit about myself. One of my motivators for walking on the treadmill is that I can read while I do so. I have not yet quite figured out how to read while I walk on a track without falling off the track, so I’ve been just alone with my thoughts. I know that there is a goal to “pray without ceasing”, and I have tried to put that into practice. However, I am not very good at it, finding it much easier to contemplate things that I’ve been needing to think about, watch the footballers and cheerleaders practice, pay attention to the birds and wonder what kind they are, think more about those things I need to be thinking about, and oh yeah, pray for those who cross my mind and throw in a Jesus Prayer now and then.

The only down side is after two plus hours out of my night spent thusly, my time at home is just about nil and I feel like I’m really running behind on my “to do” list. And, I must admit, yesterday I declined to walk around the track in the rain and just read more.

(photo credit)

2008-08-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

"If music be the food of love, play on"; We had the pleasure of seeing a double feature of Shakespeare in the Park with the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Mousethief, a double date that we enjoy annually. The two plays were Hamlet and Twelfth Night, neither of which I’d seen performed live. They had lovely performances, the setting was fabulous, we ate very well, and of course the conversation and company perfect. Instead of the rain that threatened, it was even sunny and warm. Sadly, there were no bunnies, just ants.

Our dishwasher broke, again, last week “Mom, the dishes aren’t clean.” So, Eddie and I decided it was time to replace the twice-broken machine, who knew that there was so much angst in choosing a new one – stainless steel or not? Stainless steel tub or not? What decibel level? What color? What features. We finally settled on a nice Maytag, and drove to a second store to pick out the black that matched our kitchen. My lovely husband stayed up until the late hours of Friday night to install it, and my dishes are now clean.

The other day, I got a sweet note from the lovely Rebeca that I’d won her apron drawing, and by the by, a sweet pink handmade apron with butterflies arrived (modeled by her lovely mom in the photo.) It is perfect, thank you!

Speaking of Rebeccas, I just finished Daphne duMaurier’s masterpiece, adding another on my “what books have you read” list. It was fabulously gothic, and a great read. And, I got a new quote for my blog from it, isn’t it lovely?

Oh, and last call for the ATC swap - I'll close signups on Friday, and send an email to you if you are participating.

Enjoy your Monday, and the Olympics. I look forward to watching the events this evening.

(Photo credit)

2008-08-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I sat in my car in the garage and cried. It wasn’t any particularly bad news that got me; it was hearing a lovely NPR piece on Charlotte.

I didn’t feel too badly, as apparently it took EB White 17 tries to record the death scene without crying, and he wrote it.

While listening to the words, I was immediately transported to those passages in the book, and to the lessons that we all learned from Charlotte and Wilbur, about love, loss, growth and change. And who we take with us from our past.

Ironically, Eddie and I were just discussing EB White’s other
books – he read all three while growing up, I just read Charlotte’s Web. I’ve since read the other two, and they are very sweet, and lovely. But, somehow, the magic of EB White’s storytelling is always going to be strongest for me in this book. (Although, both boys have read all three, and we have Eddie’s mom’s copy of Trumpet of the Swan from her childhood, which is a neat treasure.)

There are other scenes that I cry just as easily at – Johnny’s death in The Outsiders comes immediately to mind – but I’m not sure that there are any other scenes that I’d sit in my driveway and sob.

The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unwinds a thread of his devising;
A thin, premeditated rig
To use in rising.

And all the journey down through space,
In cool descent, and loyal-hearted,
He builds a ladder to the place
From which he started.

Thus I, gone forth, as spiders do,
In spider's web a truth discerning,
Attach one silken strand to you
For my returning.

Poem written by EB White just after his marriage. Isn’t that last line amazing?

(photo from the NPR article)

2008-08-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

It is the most wonderful time of the year! . I have just finished putting up several cups of blueberries in the freezer (perpetuating the myth that there will still be some left in the winter), made a pie for tomorrow's potluck after church, and have eaten more than my fair share today. As have both of the boys.

Yum

2008-07-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

"“Remember the Battle of Thermopylae,” he thundered.
Scarlett thought and thought, and couldn’t remember that battle."
(paraphrased, I swapped the book out)

As I promised, I took Gone With the Wind with me on the airplane trip to New York and back, and finished it up earlier this week. I’d never read it before, nor have I seen the movie.

Scarlett O’Hara is one of the most unsympathetic main characters I’ve ever run across. She’s spoiled, willful, hard-hearted and intentionally not too bright. The back of my edition called the story one of the greatest love stories of all time, and I vehemently disagree. And, as I mentioned to Stacy, the attitudes and biases in the book where shocking, but I suspect historically accurate. I’ve not read a lot about the Civil War, and Reconstruction, especially not from the Southern point of view so did find that interesting. It was an absorbing epic book, I enjoyed reading it, but it certainly isn’t one of those I will savor again and again.

I am looking forward to seeing the movie, though.

(photo credit)

2008-07-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? New York, baby. We just got back from a lovely week in New York City. Neither of us had ever been, so it was a fabulous treat. We stayed with a lovely friend and her family near the airport on the first night, and then came into the City on Tuesday.
That night, we saw a Yankees game, they beat the Twins . We saw our erstwhile Richie Sexon play first base late in the game (although he dropped the ball, literally, when they announced him during warm-ups). Despite their reputation, we thoroughly enjoyed the fans around us and had great conversations, and upon request, bought the X-man a Jeter t-shirt.

On Wednesday, we headed to the Cloisters a most lovely museum. I was absolutely verklempt upon seeing the Unicorn tapestries, and did very well at not spending hundreds of dollars at the gift shop, but could have easily done so. We then had real New York Pizza , and then headed to Shea Stadium to see the Mets beat the Phillies (it was payback for their dropping a five run lead in the top of the 9th the night before).

Thursday, we got up late, got bagels and coffee and ate with Alice in Central Park, and then hoofed through the park looking for Strawberry Fields. After finally finding it (note to New York – better signage might be a help in the park), we headed down to the waterfront to take the tour of the Statue of Liberty. It was absolutely incredible in person – I would have never thought. We wanted to see Ellis Island (especially since I have the immigration information on my Basque great-grandfather) but it was after four by the time we got there, so we just took photos from the deck of the ferry – it is top of my list for the next time.

We traveled back to our friends’ house, where they took amazing care of us yet again (we are forever indebted) and had Ethiopian food for the first (but I assure you not last) time, and traveled home on Friday.

I was a bit worried about the weather prior to going (I’ve never spent much time in humidity) and had a long conversation with the fabulous Michele who even checked the forecast for us. While it was warm and humid (my hair was pretty much damp the entire time, and check out my glistening face in the pics), it was not unbearable, and we got quite a storm Wednesday night on the way home from Shea. The entire city glistened with puddles on Thursday, and it was much cooler that morning.

2008-07-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

The other day, when my parents were visiting, the cat was acting up. She kept biting everyone, and we realized that she was breathing funny and seemed to be in pain. So, I took her into the vet, and discovered that Bridget has allergies. A steroid shot seems to have helped alleviate the symptoms, and cleared up the bronchitis that she also apparently had. However, we've been amusing ourselves trying to decide what she is allergic to - our favorites so far are either people or pet dander.

And, I realize I've been remiss. We have another cat too, but she's a lot less mischevious, so a lot less photographed. Cedric picked Orca out from the pound for his sixth birthday (so we've had her 11 years). She's a wonderful, fuzzy, soft tabby who considers it her job to be a second mother to my boys. She is also quite shy, but likes to be petted RIGHT NOW when she is in the mood.

2008-07-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Recently, Marfa, Kristina, Sevvi and I did a mini-book swap – we each made four books about our favorite things, and mailed them to each other. Here’s my prototype* (which like all haphazard charming prototypes of mine) ended up being tweaked a bit before mailing out. Firstly, I reformatted my quotes so they didn’t stick out so much. Then, I actually cut the coil binding correctly on the ones I mailed out so I didn’t have one hole without binding.
I chose five favorites: Books, Coffee, Baseball, Orthodoxy, and Blueberries. For each favorite, I found a quote from a book that fit the theme – I had quotes from Cannery Row by John Steinbeck , The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (that is the quote I used), The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bettie Bao Lord, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, and fittingly for today’s Feast of St. Vladimir , the famous quote by his emissaries when he sent them to explore the religions of his neighbors and which one he should choose: “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for on earth there is no such splendor or beauty, and we are at a loss to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among humans, and their worship is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations.”

I’ll let the other participants post their work, but each one was a true treat (Marfa’s is still traveling on the way to me, but I know that it will be as well) – and I learned that I am the only coffee drinker in the bunch. I am thinking of running an ATC swap in August – let me know if you are interested.

And, on another mail note, when I got the mail over the weekend, I was surprised to have a package from the lovely Deb. When I picked it up to open it, the fragrance of homemade soap wafted up, it was an unexpected surprise and is quite lovely! I can’t wait to use them! Thank you again, my sweet friend.

*Supplies - Daisy D paper, Stampin Up notebook punch and stamps, Bind-It-All, and Prima Flowers, CTMH "bling"

2008-07-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

I stole this meme from Amy , but Molly and Janelle have also done it.

What books have you read? Bold the ones you have read, italicize the ones you are planning on reading (stuck in Mt. To Be Read) and underline the ones you loved:

1.Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - I’ve talked a bit about my priest’s recommendation that one should read the classics during Lent. This was one of my choice a few years ago. Very lovely.
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien – I have never been able to get into the LOTR.
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte – also a Lenten read.
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling - they get absorbing and are always a lovely read.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - it doesn’t get much better than the story of Scout Finch.
6. The Bible – I read a couple of pages each night.
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - I read this in high school and wrote a paper on the fact that I felt Heathcliff was an expendable character. I wonder if I’d like it better now? Interestingly, I read a book this weekend in which Heathcliff and Catherine figured.
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott – I read and re-read this book growing up, and have it in my “to be re-read” pile. I must admit, though that I always think of Friends now when I think about it – “Beth’s really sick, and I don’t think she’s going to make it”
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy – I have this in my “to be swapped” pile, but I keep hearing good things, so I should rescue it from there and put it in line.
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare - many but not all. My favorite Sonnet is 130, and favorite play is MacBeth. But, so many are really good, it’s hard to choose.
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier – upon several recommendations, I have it in my TBR.
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien – odd since I never got into LOTR, but fabulous.
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks – I’ve never even heard of this book.
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - the oldest's aunt and uncle gave it to him for Christmas this past year, I should go dig it out and read it.
19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger – one of my all time favorites
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot – another oft recommended book in my TBR
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell – the next plane ride I am on, this is going with me for a read.
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - not since High School, though.
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy I just read this earlier this year – for the heft, it’s a quick read. Really.
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams – it’s been a long time.
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh - I've heard very good things.
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - part of my journey to Orthodoxy was through this book.
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck - I don't usually like Steinbeck, but love Cannery Row.
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll – Another one I’ve read again and again.
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis Not until adulthood
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
37. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres – oh, so so good. Sigh.
38. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
39. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
40. Animal Farm - George Orwell
41. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
42. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
43. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
44. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins - this is another I've not heard of.
45. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery - another not until adulthood - sorry mom.
46. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
47. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
48. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
49. Atonement - Ian McEwan – I thought it was good, but I know a lot of people who disagree.
50. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
51. Dune - Frank Herbert
52. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
53. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
54. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
55. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
56. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
57. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
58. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
59. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
60. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
61. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
62. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
63. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold - blech, blech, blech. I need the opposite of underlining for this one.
64. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
65. On The Road - Jack Kerouac - I attempted but never succeeded.
66. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
67. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
68. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
69. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
70. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
71. Dracula - Bram Stoker
72. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - I re-read recently
73. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
74. Ulysses - James Joyce
75. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
76. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
77. Germinal - Emile Zola
78. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
79. Possession - AS Byatt - Another I've heard very good things about.
80. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
81. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
82. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
83. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
85. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
86. Charlotte's Web - EB White - sniff, sniff. Sob.
87. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom - dreck.
88. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
89. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
90. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
91. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery - I am half bolding it, because I think I have only made it halfway through.
92. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
93. Watership Down - Richard Adams
94. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
95. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
96. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
97. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
98. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo - another recent (I'm discovering that I read a lot recently, and blogged about a lot of books, grin)
Janelle contributed two to her list, I'm retaining her first
99. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
and adding a personal favorite:
100. The Outsiders by SE Hinton

I get 44 out of 100. There's still so many to read! Can't wait!

Let me know what your results were.

2008-07-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you for you prayers and best wishes for the X-man’s All Star team. They didn’t win the last game as they got behind early and just couldn’t make it up. While there was a lot of disappointment and crankiness exhibited on the way home, I didn’t feel that second place was bad at all.
______________________________________

Yesterday brought this wonderful quote from Father Thomas’ email list:

St Nil prescribes silence of the mind, and not only does not allow one to think of anything vain or sinful, but what is apparently profitable, or even what is spiritual, is also banned. Instead of all thought he orders one to gaze unceasingly into the depth of one's heart and say, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
--Ignatius Brianchaninov

As those who know me can attest, sometimes I have a habit of being “in my head” too much, and need to learn to get out of it and to focus on more important things. Keeping the quote in mind, I was struck by this morning’s reading:

5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[d] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[e] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
Romans 8:5-13

It’s a good reminder of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and the fact that each day after Pentecost should be a day of working towards the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. Have mercy on me indeed.

2008-06-27T16:01:00.001-07:00

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead

Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb

So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow

[Chorus:]
Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold

It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now but wait 'til you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture

The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The waters getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire how about yours
That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored

[Repeat Chorus 2x]

Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change
Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow

[Repeat Chorus]

(lyrics here)

It's been a whirlwind, but the Xman is on the All Star team, and they began the tourney this past weekend, and play for the championship tonight! My best wishes and prayers are to him tonight, and I am very much looking forward to enjoying the game (although, I must admit, on Wednesday, it was quite chilly once the sun went down, I'm hopeful it will be warmer tonight)

2008-06-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Another number post, this one for my lovely sister, Meg! Happy, Happy Birthday and Many Years! Love you! Your gift, is of course, still sitting here – I’ll get it mailed out soon! And, a shout out to Miss Molly,apparently it’s a good day for birthdays.

30 (thirty) is the natural number following 29 and preceding 31.

In mathematics:
It is a primorial as well as the sum of the squares of the integers 1, 2, 3 and 4. It is the smallest Giuga number.
30 is the smallest sphenic number, and the smallest of the form where r is a prime greater than 3. 30 has an aliquot sum of 42 and all sphenic numbers of this form have an aliquot sum 12 greater than themselves. The aliquot sequence of 30 is 16 members long, it comprises (30,42,54,66,90,144,259,45,33,15,9,4,3,1,0)
It is the sum of the first four squares, which makes it a square pyramidal number. Adding up some subsets of its divisors (e.g., 5, 10 and 15) gives 30, hence 30 is a semiperfect number.
30 is the largest number such that coprimes smaller than itself are also prime.[1]
A polygon with thirty sides is called a tricontagon. Both an icosahedron and a dodecahedron have 30 edges.
E8 has Coxeter number 30.
30 is a Harshad number.

In science:

The atomic number of zinc is 30

Astronomy:
Messier object M30, a magnitude 8.5 globular cluster in the constellation Pegasus
The New General Catalogue object NGC 30, a double star in the constellation Pegasus
The Saros number of the solar eclipse series which began on October 2, 2069 BC and ended on March 18, 572 BC. The duration of Saros series 30 was 1496.5 years, and it contained 84 solar eclipses. Further, the Saros number of the lunar eclipse series which began on June 19, 1803 BC and ended on August 18, 487 BC. The duration of Saros series 30 was 1316.2 years, and it contained 74 lunar eclipses.

In other fields:

Thirty is:

Used (as –30–) to indicate the end of a wire story.
The number of days in the months April, June, September and November (and in unusual circumstances February - see February 30)
The total number of major and minor keys in Western tonal music, including enharmonic equivalents
In years of marriage, the pearl wedding anniversary
The duration in years of the Thirty Years' War - 1618 to 1648.
The code for international direct dial phone calls to Greece
The house number of 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)
The designation of Interstate 30, a freeway that runs from Texas to Arkansas
The designation of U.S. Route 30, a highway that runs from Oregon to New Jersey
Various other routes have been numbered "30"; for example, New York State Route 30 which runs from the Pennsylvania border to the Canadian border
The designation of E30, the European route from Cork to Samara
The number of tracks on The Beatles' eponymous album, usually known as The White Album
A stage in young adulthood

Part of the name of:
Thirty odd foot of grunts, the band fronted by actor Russell Crowe
The movie title 13 Going on 30, starring Jennifer Garner
The title of the Food Network show 30 Minute Meals
The uniform number of Maury Wills when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew 26:15.

Historical years:
30 A.D., 30 B.C., 1930, 2030, etc.

History and Literature:
At age 30 (according to most biblical scholars) Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist, at the beginning of his public ministry of teaching and healing.
One of the rallying-cries of the 1960s student/youth protest movement was the slogan, 'Don't trust anyone over thirty'.
In 'The Myth of Sisyphus' the French existentialist Albert Camus comments that the age of thirty is a crucial period in the life of a man, for at that age he gains a new awareness of the meaning of time.
In Franz Kafka's novel 'The Trial' Joseph wakes up on the morning of his thirtieth birthday to find himself under arrest for an unspecified crime. After making many futile attempts to find the nature of the crime or the name of his accuser, Joseph dies on the eve of his thirty-first birthday.

Sports:
In tennis, the number 30 represents the second point gained in a game.
In hockey, All-Star goaltenders Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings, and Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils wear the number 30 In football, Ko Simpson of the Buffalo Bills and Ahman Green of the Houston Texans wear the number 30

Music:
30, album from 2001 by Harry Connick, Jr.
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Minutes, a song by t.A.T.u

Movies:
30 Days of Night

2008-06-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

When I was in High School, I read a wonderful book, In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason. I don’t remember how I happened across it; I’m thinking it was a review in a magazine that I adored. It was later made into a movie, but I never saw the movie. It is one of those books that the impressions of it stayed with me much more than plot lines (but I did remember that they were driving in an old VW bug with a transmission that kept slipping and they had to hold it into gear). Recently, my friend Philippa (who I may get to meet this summer, yay!) mentioned that she is taking a Summer Literature Class, and that one of the books was this one. I immediately ordered it from Paperback Swap, and had the pleasure of re-reading it.

I was struck by a lot of things on the re-read – while the part with the VW transmission was there, the road trip was a lot less of the story than I remembered. What was truly striking was the basic storyline – a girl whose father died in VietNam deals with her loss by trying to understand the sensations of the war, and what it did to a generation of men. There were parts that I identified strongly with from her perspective – her teenage years being in the same decade as mine. There were parts I identified with strongly as an adult – the veterans and her mother are my age now.

I find it to be a particularly poignant and relevant book now as we have a generation growing up dealing with another war, and how it resonates and reverberates across domestic issues and politics as well as how we as a society deal with returning veterans (not well, as I see often in the newspaper, this recent story being a case in point). I’ll be interested in hearing what Philippa’s class thinks of it, and I’m thinking I should put the movie in the queue. And, Philippa, I’m planning on reading Beloved too.

On that 80s note, and with an awareness of passing the torch from my generation to the next, the other morning I awoke to a 17year old sitting there asking, “Mom, how did you roll your jeans in high school? I need to know for History Class?” Urg.

And, in one last 80s note, today’s word of the day

brummagem (BRUM-uh-juhm) adjective

Cheap and showy.

noun

Something that is counterfeit or of inferior quality.

[After Brummagem, a dialectal form of Birmingham, UK, where counterfeit
coins were produced in the 17th century. Brummie is a nickname for someone
from Birmingham.]

(photo credit )