Having seen the imminent (eminent?) demise of personal blogging, I have decided to post my random musings for the day, adding to them as the day drags on. Feel free to join me by adding your own musings. Perhaps we will amuse ourselves a bit. Ha, ha! I crack myself up.
I like French Onion soup. A while back I had a great bowl of it at Big River Grill, which used one of their microbrews in the recipe. Yummy, heart-warming, reminding me of all the French matrons in my life who have urged me to have another helping of Marengo Veal Sauté or Tomates confites. I also had a bowl of Campbell’s Caramelized Onion Soup on Monday, and it could not compare. There’s something different with Campbell’s Select soups lately. They don’t taste as good as they used to.
I didn’t remember that Richard Montalban was Khan. I guess that means I am not a trekkie, even if I wanted to be. How could a fan forget something like that?
Dr. Goodword is talking about those words people make up within very specific context, not really for broad application by all English speakers–like the word cyberchondriac, intended to mean “a person who believes he is sick because his symptoms appear on a web page.”
“Now the real meaning of cyberchondriac should be ‘stomach governor,'” the doctor says, “for kybernan means ‘to govern’ in Greek while chondria is a Latin word meaning ‘stomach'” Apparently, a hypochondriac is so called because of the greek hupokhondria, which is the stomach or abdomen region and believed to be the “seat of melancholy.”
It’s cold outside, but I’m in luck, being hot under the collar.
I have a problem with a Christian publisher.
Not in the sense of an author having a problem with his own publisher, but in the sense that a bookstore manager has trouble with a supplier.
I deal with a lot of Christian publishers, and a few secular ones, and most of the time I find them professional, helpful and prompt. If there’s a problem, they let me know about it.
Tonight, for reasons I won’t bore you with, I used a snowblower for the first time in my life. (We got about three inches of snow today. I’m aware some of you got more than that. No need to tell me about it. I feel your pain, as you will no doubt feel mine when it’s our turn.) The experience was pretty much what I expected. It’s less work than my dad’s way, but it’s still work.
Here’s something from my new publisher’s website that impressed me. I’m doubtless motivated to apple-polish a bit, but I’m pretty sure I honestly think it’s exceptionally good. It’s an article arguing that one major reason for the decline in Christian influence in American has been the widespread acceptance of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture interpretation of Revelation. The author argues that holding to this idea (that the whole world is about to slide into war, famine, devastation and tyranny, but that Christians are going to be evacuated before things get bad) has prevented us from engaging the culture. Continue reading Rapture delayed→
It was easy, for me at least, to lose perspective on the real world—the world of non-writers, with their various struggles, joys, and fears—and this distance made it difficult to write about that world. Part of it was the fact that I started my program when I was twenty-two. My real life experience was limited, and it wasn’t getting wider in graduate school, and for a time this made me both self-conscious and defensive. The best writers in my program, I felt, were the ones with ample real-life experience on which to draw, and their stories seemed rich in character and emotional depth, their styles matched perfectly with their subjects. The weaker writers, by contrast, hid behind surface level stereotypes and artistic hijinks, cloaking simple thoughts in pretty words. And as much as I tried to be in the former category, I’m afraid I spent (and, regrettably, still spend) too much of my time in the latter.
A non-profit organization dedicated to working with children, ages 6-18, on their writing skills presents a dramatic storefront to the public. Of course, readers of this blog will spot this instantly as a ruse for Norwegian propaganda, but let’s admit it is a creative ruse. From their website:
What is the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.?
The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. sells capes, grappling hooks, antimatter, and more. All the proceeds from the store go directly to 826NYC. The store also gives passersby a reason to walk in and see what’s going on in the writing center.
What happened at 826NYC today?
This morning, we had a field trip. We hosted 20 sixth-graders from the Secondary School for Research in Park Slope, who entered the writing center with science and math on their minds. In class, they’ve been watching mold grow on bread and working in fractions. At 826, these scientists transformed into budding journalists capable of turning anything “even mold and fungus” into riveting news. Thanks to these students, today’s issue of The Daily Mildew features some incredible articles, including “Mold Lives!” and “Mold Attacks Manhattan.”
For we always seem to ourselves righteous and upright and wise and holy — this pride is innate in all of us — unless by clear proofs we stand convinced of our own unrighteousness, foulness, folly, and impurity (The Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 37)
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