Halfway to the Middle at the Midpoint

I have set a goal for myself, as part of the Reading Challenge on Goodreads, to read 100 books in 2015. Well, today is the midpoint of the year (182 days both have passed, and will come to pass), and I am halfway to the middle of that goal – in other words, I’ve read 25 books so far:

1. The Shack, by William Paul Young
2. All Cats Have Asperger’s Syndrome, by Kathy Hoopmann
3. 1984, by George Orwell
4. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
5. What You Pawn, I Will Redeem, by Sherman Alexie
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6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
7. Skippyjon Jones in the Dog-House, by Judy Schachner
8. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
9. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
10. The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien

11. The Crying of Lot 49, by Thomas Pynchon
12. 11th Hour, by James Patterson
13. 12th of Never, by James Patterson
14. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling
15. Unlucky 13, by James Patterson

16. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling
17. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling
18. The Magician’s Nephew, by C.S. Lewis
19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
20. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

21. The Adventures of Peter Cottontail, by Thornton W. Burgess
22. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
23. Grumbles from the Forest:  Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist, by Jane Yolen
24. Little Pea, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
25. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling

Within this list are books written by 17 different authors; books from four different series (three of which all the books have been written, and two of which I will hopefully finish this year); and 19 of the 25 I read for the first time. Techincally, two books (The Fellowship of the Ring and What You Pawn, I Will Redeem) aren’t books – the former is part one of a three part book called The Lord of the Rings, but the copy I have was broken up into three separate volumes; and the latter is actually a short story, but it counts on Goodreads as a book.

Also, I have decided to read Time Magazine's Top 100 Novels, thought without a time constraint imposed, so of these 25 books, seven are on that list (including The Fellowship of the Ring, as The Lord of the Rings counts as one book out of their 100). I also read a book from this list at the end of last year (To Kill A Mockingbird), and wrote a post about it, so I’m up to 8 out of 100 on that goal. Most of the books I’ve never even heard of, so I’m interested to see how it goes! So who else has a reading goal? I’d love to hear about it!

Today in History: Food

Have you ever considered which fruit is your favorite? Are there any that you just don’t care for? I can honestly say I have enjoyed every fruit I’ve ever tried, but the blueberry is still my favorite. Of course, this post really has nothing to do with blueberries, except that they’re food.

On this day in history, the year 1806 to be exact, Mr. Michael Keens exhibited the first cultivated strawberry. In an attempt to verify this fact and gather some interesting background information, I actually learned quite a bit about the breeding process of the strawberry. For instance, although we commonly think of it as a berry, it is in fact an accessory fruit. At first I thought, “Perhaps we will start seeing a cross-over into the world of fashion accessories?” Until I learned that this means the fleshy part is derived not from the plant’s ovaries, but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. I don’t envision ovaries being a trend-setter anytime soon.

Also, as you may well know, it can be eaten fresh or in a variety of “prepared foods” such as jams, jellies, preserves, pies, and so on. I find fresh to be a delightful summer treat, as well as in a milkshake or smoothie. Its aroma is also widely used for various purposes (a very versatile accessory).

Another food event on this day, 60 years ago in fact, food rationing was ended in Great Britain. That would definitely be a cause for celebration! I say we all take a few hours to craft our own “phone booths” in the English style, jump in, and make a toast to the United Kingdom with fresh, cold, smooth strawberry shakes!

Today in History: Flight

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do this gator and this man have in common? On this day in history, two amazing flights occurred.

The first was in 1843 on a quiet street corner in Charleston, SC during a major thunderstorm. An alligator (not the one pictured) was taken up in a waterspout and dropped onto the corner of Wentworth and Aston streets. According to the Charleston Mercury, “The beast had a look of wonder and bewilderment about him, that showed plainly enough he must have gone through a remarkable experience.” That’s right friends – he survived the trip!

The second was in 1982 (I was a mere 18 months old at the time) when Mr. Larry Walters (seen above right) rose nearly 16,000 feet into the air, sitting in his lawn chair. He was carried upward by 42 helium-filled balloons. (Sadly, Mr. Walters is no longer with us, after taking his own life in October 1993).

I admit I have never attempted to raise myself into the sky with balloons (or anything else for that matter); however, I am quite fond of the story Peter Pan, and if it were possible to be sprinkled with fairy dust and fly off to Neverland, I would be all over it! (I would bring Oliver, too, of course).

Today in History: Innovation

This year, as I return to my “today in history” series for the month of July, I have chosen a word for each day to represent the facts I will share.

I chose the word “innovation” to begin the month after my research brought up four interesting yet very much unrelated inventions/discoveries – sunglasses, the North Pole, a zoo, and Coca-Cola – stretching just over 700 years, and touching three different continents.

Innovation, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a new idea, device, or method; the act or process of introducing a new idea, device, or method.”

The first innovation I uncovered was sunglasses, which in their original form, were invented by the Chinese c. this day in the year1200. These served a special purpose that had nothing to do with blocking the sun; Chinese judges wore smoke-colored quartz lenses to conceal the expression in their eyes while in court. The sunglasses of today (which I am daily grateful for, no matter what the season), weren’t actually conceived until 1929, when Sam Foster found a market for them on the boardwalks of New Jersey, and the trademark wasn’t filed until November 1959. So I guess it’s up to you to decide the real date of invention. I say today.

The next innovation I came across was the discovery of the Magnetic North Pole on this day in 1831, by James C. Ross. He was the second in command on an expedition in search of the elusive “Northwest Passage” (which they weren’t able to find), and while being stuck in the icy waters he discovered that at 70° 5´ N, 96° 47´ W the magnetic field was determined to be quite vertical as far as his compass’ accuracy could show. The location of the magnetic north pole had been determined for the first time. As a result, when they returned home, his uncle (who was also the captain of the expedition) was knighted.

The third innovation also took place in the 19th century, on the eastern shores of the United States:  the first American zoo was opened in Philadelphia on this day in 1874. It seems appropriate that this city was chosen for this occasion, as many of our country’s “firsts” happened there. A little more digging revealed that "The Frank Furness Victorian gates and gatehouses, and the Zoo's location, are the same today as they were on the day it opened. One of its assets, then and now, is John Penn's home, The Solitude, which sat on the land chosen for the Zoo. John Penn was the grandson of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania."

The fourth and final innovation I found took place on July 1, 1916, also in the United States – The Coca-Cola Company introduced to the general public, the formula and taste that we have all come to know (and some to enjoy, although I prefer Pepsi myself). It was briefly changed in 1985 (anyone remember “new coke”?) but was quickly brought back to it’s original. Some refer to it as “Coca Cola Classic”. Apparently, the Supreme Court also ruled that “Coke” is a trademark name.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek at some of history’s innovations from July the first; there will be many more random facts in the coming weeks, so buckle up!

Learn, Live, Hope

How many of you were caught up in the “live, laugh, love” craze? Come on, raise your hands, don’t be shy. As with most popular trends I was a bit behind the curve on this one. It’s good advice for sure, simple and direct, and it has that alliteration thing going on. I just didn't get the memo from Kaptain Obvious on that one.

And then there’s the classic from my days in University:  “Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” That was Mark Twain. You may have heard of him – he wrote about this kid named Tom Sawyer, and his buddy Huckleberry Finn.

Or the classic lines from Lee Ann Womack’s ballad “I Hope You Dance”:  “Living might mean taking chances, but they’re worth taking; lovin’ might be a mistake, but it’s worth making”…. We’ve all heard it; most of us have probably belted it out in the car on more than one occasion.

Well, here’s a new one for you:  “Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow.” My good buddy Albert Einstein coined that one. He went on to say, “The important thing is to not stop questioning.” As today draws to a close, and we finish celebrating “Always Live Better Than Yesterday Day,” it would behoove us to take a moment and really ponder what Al was trying to tell us. (By the way – behoove, fun word to say!)

Learn from yesterday. So you made a mistake; you hurt someone, you broke a promise, you forgot to do something important or did something stupid. Maybe you hit bottom. Learn from it and move on. If you drag that stuff into today, you may end up repeating them tomorrow.

Live for today. It’s all we have. We aren’t even promised we’ll have all of it. Take Brad Paisley’s advice and enjoy those little moments. “Well I’ll never forget the first time that I heard/That pretty mouth say that dirty word/And I can’t even remember now/What she backed my truck into/But she covered her mouth, and her face turned red/And she just looked so darn cute/That I couldn’t even act like I was mad/Yah I live for little moments like that”

Hope for tomorrow. I would add to that, pray for tomorrow. Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. To hope for tomorrow is more than just wanting to have one; it’s about believing it will be better than today.

And finally, never stop questioning. A wise man can learn more from a stupid question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.

“America Again” (1995) Carman

“George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, First Chief Justice John Jay. Names synonymous with the spirit of our country, founding fathers of the U.S.A. Over 200 years ago they shook off the chains of tyranny from Great Britain by divine call. Citing 27 biblical violations, they wrote the Declaration of Independence, with liberty, and justice, for all. But something happened since Jefferson called the Bible the cornerstone for American liberty, then put it in our schools as a light. Or since ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ Patrick Henry said, ‘Our country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.’ We eliminated God from the equation of American life, thus eliminating the reason this Nation first began. From beyond the grave I hear the voices of our founding fathers plead, you need God in America, again. Of the 55 men who formed the Constitution, 52 were active members of their church. Founding fathers like Noah Webster, who wrote the first dictionary, could literally quote the Bible, chapter and verse.

“James Madison said, 'We've staked our future on our ability to follow the ten command- ments with all our heart.' These men believed you couldn't even call yourself an American if you subvert the Word of God. In his farewell address, Washington said, 'You can't have national morality apart from Religious principal,' and it's true. Cause right now we have nearly a hundred and fifty thousand kids carrying guns to these warzones we call public schools. In the 40s and 50s student problems were chewing gum and talking, in the 90s, rape and murder are the trend. The only way this nation can even hope to last this decade, is put God in America, again!” [Then the chorus, more spoken verses]

On this day in 1956, “In God we trust” became the official motto of the United States. A month later three high school students in Mansfield, Texas attempted to enter Mansfield High School and were met by over 300 angry whites, including the mayor and chief of police, refusing to let them pass.

Carman wrote and released this song in 1995, almost thirty years after we declared to the world as a nation “We trust in God.” What does that even mean? And how are we living it out, in our every day lives, at work or in school? Is it really a motto, or just something we stamp on our currency?

I can only speak for myself on this one. And I have to say that I don’t trust God very often. I love Him and want Him to be part of my life, but I’m selfish and sinful, and I end up doing things my own way. I know He’s always there for me when I need Him, but I really need to start trusting Him right now, in the moments that make up my day, before there’s a crisis I can’t handle. I don’t want to meet Him saying, “I guess I was just going through the motions….I’m sorry.”

LOL

I’ll be the first to admit, I was resistant to the whole texting revolution. I got my first cell phone after I moved into an apartment in Clarkston; my first time living on my own, I figured I might need it “just in case”. But no texting on my plan. In fact, it wasn’t until I’d had my second cell phone for almost two years before I broke down and added it. I even made sure I had the kind with a keyboard so it would be easier (I didn’t know about T9 then).

You see, I’ve never really liked talking on the phone, although when a friend calls I end up having a several hour conversation most of the time. I think there are two reasons for this:  I don’t like to make the call (I always feel like I’m interrupting, and I know some of my friends will answer even if they can’t talk); and I find myself unsure of when it’s my turn to talk, or I just don’t think about it and end up literally interrupting (in the middle of them saying something).

It didn’t take long for me to realize that texting is a great compromise. If they can’t talk, they can just ignore the text (for some reason this is easier than ignoring a ringing phone; personally, I have no problem hitting “ignore” when my phone rings!) or they can quickly respond with a text back. Now I make sure I have unlimited text on my plan, no matter how few the minutes may be. And I never come close to going over on talking, because I never really call anyone!

So the next hurdle for me to get over:  text code. That’s what I call it anyway. You know what I mean:  “ttyl” (talk to you later) or “lmao” (laughing my ass off). Or as Weird Al says in his parody song “White and Nerdy”:  “I can make you rotflol” (roll on the floor laughing out loud). It’s become too much to type thank you, so we text “ty,” or “yw” for you’re welcome. At first I flat refused to shorten any of my words – why pay extra for a keyboard if you’re only going to use a third of the letters? Eventually I found myself saying “lol” a lot, but that’s because something was really funny, and I literally “laughed out loud.” But I draw the line there.

Well, today is “Make Someone Laugh Day,” and it got me thinking about the things in life that make me laugh. I’ve been talking to a new friend online a lot this past month, who happens to be very funny, so I’ve been typing “lol” quite often. In fact, I find myself thinking it when I see or hear something funny, and I almost want to say “lol” out loud! (Could this be some kind of weird tropical disease??) This isn’t a bad thing, laughter is great! And when you laugh out loud, it usually gets other people to at least smile, if not laugh themselves (especially when you’re in a public place like Starbucks, which happens to me all the time!).

My list of things that make me laugh isn’t quite as long as my list of happy, and it’s difficult to share some of them here (length is always a concern, and some things you just wouldn’t find as amusing as I do). So I decided to share about my newest obsession (“lol”) and these photographs I found online:

         

They just look like they’re having so much fun! I can almost hear them giggling and it makes me – literally – laugh out loud. I hope you found something to laugh about today, and were able to share it with someone you love. If these photos don’t do it, try watching White and Nerdy and not laughing! Have fun my friends [smile]

“So Yesterday” (2003) Hilary Duff

You can change your life – if you wanna
You can change your clothes – if you wanna
If you change your mind
Well, that’s the way it goes

But I’m gonna keep your jeans
And your old black hat – cause I wanna
They look good on me
You’re never gonna get them back

At least not today, not today, not today
’cause

If it’s over, let it go and
Come tomorrow it will seem
So yesterday, so yesterday
I’m just a bird that’s already flown away

So begins the first single off Hilary Duff’s second album Metamorphosis. It was officially released on July 29, 2003 to mixed reviews. I’ve listened to it a few times, it’s nothing spectacular. The music video, on the other hand, is pretty fun. She’s sitting on a bench at the beach watching her ex thru binoculars. When he takes off his shirt and puts on a wetsuit to go surfing, she steals it (it’s an orange-ish t-shirt that says “Everything is bigger in Texas”), and throughout the video takes pictures of random people wearing it. Then she mails him the pictures (he looks like around thinking he’ll see who sent them – idiot), and returns the shirt at the end.

I wouldn’t recommend adding the song to any playlists; the music isn’t bad, and it has a good message, but it’s not anything special.

It gave me an idea, though. Well, the video did. (Sometimes the best ideas come to you in the shower, and sometimes they show up in the middle of the rabbit trail. You just gotta go with it, my friends.) A friend of mine had mentioned sending me a t-shirt for Oliver with the logo of her company on it. My idea is this:  if you send me something that either I can wear, or will fit Oliver, I will put it on and take a series of photos, and write a blog post about our adventure. Then I’ll send it back (if you want it) with a mini album for you to keep forever. It has to be appropriate for public photos but otherwise no restrictions. Let me know if you’re interested!

One last thought before we go:  it’s one of those fun little ironies in life that the term “so yesterday” is in fact itself, well, so yesterday….

Count Your Blessings!

“If you would know the greatest sum in all addition, count your blessings.” That quote was on a poster that hung on the wall in my Algebra II class sophomore year. It wasn’t anything fancy, didn’t have some inspiring photograph or elaborate design. It was just thirteen words.

As far as I know, it was first spoken by one of the most famous people in the history of, well, history – Author Unknown. I don’t think anyone else has received more credit for some our most profound quotes and enduring works of literature. Except maybe Anonymous.

Its origin, however, is unimportant; its message is what we should focus on. It’s a truth so simple in its complexity that we often overlook the wisdom in taking action. Have you ever taken time to sit down and literally count your blessings? Have you ever considered what the word even means to you, personally? Serious moment now:  what is a “blessing”? How do you know which things in your life would be on that list, and which would be left off?

As a practicing logophile (don’t be concerned, it means “lover of words”), I looked up the definition in Webster’s (my favorite dictionary). Turns out it has several meanings:  “a wish or prayer for happiness or success; any cause of happiness; good wishes or approval; a grace said before or after eating.”

That last one makes me laugh. Brings back so many memories from childhood! Oh, the stories I could share….But another time; no rabbit trails. Except, I have to admit, I also looked up the word “blessing” in a search engine, just to see what I got, and among things, you can find Blessing at Half.com! (Laughing out loud!)

Anyway, given the context of this quote, I want to focus on the second definition provided by Mr. Webster, “any cause of happiness”. At first you may be thanking me for making this task of “count your blessings” a little easier; all you have to do is write down any cause of happiness in your life. Yes, that’s all you have to do. Here my friends, is where the complex simplicity of this truth hits you with full force:  are you letting that happiness in?

Having Asperger’s, I have trouble recognizing emotions when I experience them. I show them physically – I blush when I’m embarrassed, my eyes widen and I talk faster when I’m excited – but the part of my brain that kicks on and says “I feel embarrassment” or “I feel excited” doesn’t work properly. That’s where my friends come in; the more I’m made aware of it when it’s happening, the easier it is for me to say, “Oh, ok, so that’s what that feeling means!”

However, I do know when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. (Along the way I’ve also learned to recognize frustrated, mostly because my reflex reaction is to cry in about 2.5 seconds, and on a few occasions I’ve recognized anger.) So I can sit down and make a list of things that make me happy. In fact, I’ve done that several times, it’s quite relaxing and often helps me change my attitude about the day. But. I don’t always let that happiness take root and start to grow.

While you ponder this idea, and perhaps begin to make your “list of happy” (which I highly recommend everyone doing), I want you to consider something else:  today is National Accountant’s Day. I sent a well wish to my Uncle Rob, he’s a CPA in Seattle. It’s probably too late for you to do the same if you happen to know one. So instead, why not share a laugh with me. I found this joke online:  “An accountant was suffering from insomnia so he went to see his doctor. ‘Doctor,’ he began, ‘I am unable to sleep.’ ‘Well,’ the doctor replied, ‘Have you tried counting sheep?’ ‘That’s precisely the problem,’ the accountant admitted. ‘I make a mistake, and it takes me four hours to find the error!’”

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Does your life seem dull? Has all the shiny gone out of your days? Do you look at yourself in the mirror and think, “I’m so dull I couldn’t cut through water”? Well my friends, today was your day! (That's correct, I sad was. Because today is over for anyone not living in or West of the Pacific Time Zone.) It’s “Blunt Object Day”! I would have mentioned this sooner so you could celebrate with a rousing game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors” – but that would only have added some excitement, and then you’d have no reason to celebrate.

That’s right, I did you a huge favor, no need to thank me. Unless you’re not a follower of my blog yet, and then you can thank me by becoming one. I have an odd number of followers, and I find odd numbers to be very disturbing. And since “Blunt Object Day” is nearly over (which means by the time you read this, it will be a new day, with some other obscure holiday to celebrate), you can start getting the dullness out of your life by reading my daily posts.

Wow. I just helped you out twice. Don’t look now, but I think I’m on a roll! And you know what they say about rolling rocks right? They gather no moss! So if you join me in this, not only will you be sufficiently celebrating “Blunt Object Day” by being one yourself, you’ll change that immediately by subscribing to my future blog posts, AND best of all, you won’t get mossy! This is a very special moment for you my friend! Let’s go celebrate! We can have sparkling cider and dinner rolls!!

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 1865

“‘Be what you would seem to be,’ – or if you’d like it put more simply, ‘Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.’”

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book, spoken by the Duchess, as the moral to Alice saying mustard is a vegetable, even though it doesn’t look like one. It doesn’t really summarize any great point from the story or have any special meaning; it’s just one of many random moments that made me laugh.

With this being a children’s story from the 19^th century, we naturally expect there to be a moral. In fact, the Duchess also said, “Every thing’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” In the middle of the very first chapter, it appears that Carroll presents us with one when Alice finds a bottle with a label around it’s neck saying “DRINK ME”.

“It was all very well to say, ‘Drink me,’ but the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a hurry. ‘No, I’ll look first,’ she said, ‘and see whether it’s marked “poison” or not’; for she had read several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things, all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them, such as, that a red-hot poker will burn you if you hold it too long, and that if you cut your finger very deeply with a knife, it usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten that, if you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’, it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”

As you can see, if you read closely, Carroll is using irony and understatement to mock the stories with lessons for children. Especially that last line (makes me laugh out loud). The irony continues when Alice goes ahead and drinks it after not finding it marked “poison,” and she shrinks!

By the end of the story it’s clear that Alice was in fact the most sane and sensible character in all of Wonderland, and it was the adults who were out of their minds. And then she wakes up, to find that it was all a dream. She shares the dream with her sister, who sends her off for tea, and then takes a moment to imagine Alice as a grown woman, still holding onto her childhood innocence and sharing the stories of Wonderland with her own children and grandchildren.

Perhaps the moral of the story is, that life doesn’t always need a moral, and we should hold onto the magic of childhood as long as possible….

This story was written down after being told to three sisters as a way to pass time on a boat ride. It’s part of the “literary nonsense” genre – that says it all right there. Playing with logic and subverting expectations are fun in small doses, but reading this story, you really do feel as though you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole!

A Brain Twister

Are you ready for this? The fourth and final of today’s special holidays? Yes, it’s a little late to celebrate, but I had a lot of homework to do, and this last one is kind of a strange one, so the odds of you actually celebrating are pretty slim. Today is also “Day Out of Time Day.”

See? Weird. But I can explain. Someone told me recently that I’m good at explaining things. So there’s this thing called the 13 Moon Calendar. It’s not set up the same as the typical Gregorian calendar that we all use. And here’s the cool part:  on their calendar, today isn’t a day. The year ends on July 24^th and the next begins on July 26^th. I can't explain that part. I have no idea why. Something about the mathematics of the original Mayan calendar and dreams.

It’s supposed to be a day to celebrate time as art, and to embrace peace in the world. I’m not sure that’s what I would want to do if I had a whole day every year that didn’t count against me. Although to be honest, I can’t say for sure what I would do. I already have too much free time. What would you do?

Thread the Needle

Another holiday for today is a double entendre:  it’s “Thread the Needle Day.” My first thought was sewing, which is something I enjoy and don’t do often enough. Turns out it also means to walk a delicate line between two things, or more precisely, to find a path thru opposing views.

Now, if I was in more of a literally creative mood (or more honestly if my craft area was set up) I would come up with some awesome project that tied the two ideas together. But alas, it’s not, and I’m already behind on a few other projects. So I’m going to leave you with this image.



Let’s take a walk down this path together, remember a memory of something fine and strong….and if you feel so compelled, share.

Kiss the Cook

Living alone, I cook for myself most of the time, which means if I don’t really feel like eating I probably won’t. But. I love cooking. It’s interesting and relaxing, and no matter how tired or restless or just bleh I feel, eating a meal that I’ve taken time to prepare always makes me feel a little better.

So today, in honor of “Culinarians Day,” (and my younger brother Noah, who is a cook on Navy subs), I’m going to share with you a link I found to the Top Ten Most Difficult Recipes to Make. If you happen to try any of them, I’d love for you to leave a comment and let me know how it turned out!

Also, I would like to share with you a poem about cooking something other than food, “A Recipe for Friendship.”

A Recipe For Friendship

Take a cup of understanding,
Add a smile that’s warm and true;
Then some sunshine, tears of course
(A dab of these will do.)

Mix in some specially happy times
And secrets shared together,
Then strengthen with real loyalty
Thru fair and stormy weather.

Blend in deeds of thoughtfulness,
A way of being nice;
Warm with generosity
And top with good advice.

Serve with cool remembrance
Of joys that know no end,
And you’ll taste the sweetness others find
Who have you for a friend!

Round and Round We Go

Some of my favorite memories from childhood involve the Looff Carousel in Spokane’s Riverfront Park. Each of its 58 pieces were hand-carved by Charles I.D. Looff, including 54 horses, 1giraffe, 1 tiger, and 2 chariots. He gave it to his daughter and son-in-law, Emma and Louis Vogel, who owned Natatorium Park in Spokane. The park closed in 1968, and the carousel was moved to Riverfront Park in 1975. I was born in 1980, and have been enjoying it most of my life.

   

I’m sure I have photos somewhere of me riding the horses around and around; I found these online. The one on the left is a shot of the outside of the building from the other side of the Spokane River. On the right is the inside, probably while it’s moving. While it turns an old circus song is playing. It still has its original 1900 Ruth & Sohn Organ that Looff had sent over from Germany, but the rollers are deteriorated so much that a digitized recording is what we hear now.

Probably one of the best things about the ride is finding a seat on the outside row so you can grab a ring and toss it into the clown’s mouth. For those of you who haven't been there, they have a brass “arm” that extends out with plastic rings in it, and as you go by you’re supposed to grab one, then halfway around toss it into the mouth of a giant clown head. I always kept my rings, for two reasons:  I liked them (we put them through our shoe laces), and clowns are disturbing.

It would be negligent of me not to mention playground merry-go-rounds, since today is Merry-Go-Round Day after all. These are wooden or metal wheels, some with bars to hold onto, others with seats, that children climb on and spin around in playgrounds. I have to be honest – I get motion sick.



Here’s a good example of one. This is one of my favorite shots of the Ministry Team from Camp Pinewood, summer 1996. This is most of us; Matt, Pastor Andrew, and Theresa were elsewhere. Not only is this a great view of a merry-go-round, but I think this would be an awesome album cover, yah?

A Legend Is Born

If people lived forever, Amelia Earhart would be celebrating her 115^th birthday today. As it turns out, she will be forever 39. Her life was filled with adventure and accomplishment, and her death is surrounded by mystery and speculation; this is the stuff legends are made of my friends.

Rabbit trail:  this reminds me of “The Hero’s Journey,” a cycle developed by Joseph Campbell that he says explains a pattern found in heroes of mythology. (He called it monomyth.) The hero starts out in the “ordinary world,” receiving a call to adventure in the supernatural world. Here he continues alone, or is met by a “supernatural aid” of some kind, who assists him with a “severe challenge”. If he survives he receives a special gift, and must choose whether to return to the “ordinary,” where this gift may be used to improve the world. Campbell actually identified 17 steps, though not every myth contains all of them. [End rabbit trail.]

Amelia Earhart was an American aviator and author who pioneered many firsts for women in the world of aviation. She received awards from several countries for solo flights across the Atlantic and the continental United States, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. She is believed to have died, along with co-pilot Fred Noonan, when her plane disappeared about 1,700 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu on July 2, 1937, on the final leg of a circumnavigational trip around the Earth.

The uncertainty surrounding her death always seems to overshadow the  great things she accomplished with her life. She was a daughter, sister, wife, and step-mother of two. She was a nurse in Toronto during World War I and the first President-elect of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of female pilots. She was instrumental in the separation of men’s and women’s aviation records, and flew in several races in the U.S. (She took third place in her first race because she stopped to help a friend.)

Interesting fact:  Amelia Earhart married George P. Putnam after he divorced Dorothy Binney, whose father’s company Binney & Smith invented Crayola crayons. No kidding! (Just for the record, I had no idea this connection existed when I decided to write about crayons OR Amelia Earhart)

One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Rich Mullins, once said that “If my life is motivated by an ambition to leave a legacy, what I would probably leave is a legacy of ambition. But, if my life is motivated by the power of God’s Spirit in me and the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow His presence to guide my motives, that’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.” And he did. Amelia Earhart left a legacy of courage and strength. What will yours be?

Built Ford Tough

So I’m reading a book called “American Road,” by Pete Davies. It’s about a trans-continental road trip taken in 1919. Paved roads were a luxury back then, one of the reasons for the trip. I’ll tell you more about it when I’m done. Today I want to talk about one of the car companies.

Ford. Founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, its first car was sold on this day that same year, for a base price of $750. It was named simply the Ford Model A.



It came as a two seat runabout, or a four seat tonneau (that’s a hard or soft cover) with the option for a few other accessories. They were all painted red at the factory; some were repainted after. It was advertised to be “the most reliable car in the world,” although it had many troubles common to cars of that era, such as overheating and slipping transmission bands. Finally, despite the fact that its direct competitor was only $600, it turned a profit, Mr. Ford’s first successful business.

“To be, or not to be….”

This is one of the most famous (and probably misused) quotes from all of Shakespeare’s plays. Do you know who said it? Hamlet, the protagonist and namesake of the story. Most of you probably got that one. But. Do you know what he meant, or why he said it? You may not use it again once you do.

Here’s why I think it’s oft misquoted:  he was contemplating suicide. He had returned home after the death of his father (the King) to find that his Uncle had married his mother and taken the throne. Then his father’s ghost appears to him and says he was murdered by Uncle Claudius.

The culture of his time dictated that he should avenge his father’s death. However, his Christian beliefs clearly stated that murder was wrong, no matter what the reason. So he considered ending his life. “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” It’s the beginning of a soliloquy, or monologue, as he goes for a walk. He ponders which would be the better choice – to live and avenge his father’s murder by committing one of his own, or take his own life and face whatever lays beyond.

This is just one of the many opposites in the play, something I find interesting. Hamlet and the King are another great example:  Claudius is the Machiavellian villain, he justifies his actions by glorifying the ends they will achieve. Since he knows he’s doomed to Hell, he therefore lives as selfishly as possible to retain all that he has gained in life. Hamlet on the other hand, is paralyzed by fear at just the thought of murder, no matter what the ends may achieve.

It’s been said by many that Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays, in fact has been called “the perfect play.” It was poetic, full of pensive musings about life and death, eternity, relationships, hypocrisy, truth, God, family – it’s all in there. And for the audiences of that time, it had the bloody battles that they craved and cheered.

The duality of Hamlet’s life reminds me of a typical teenager:  he has moments when he’s sensitive, poetic, loving, and yet he’s a criminal who stabs a friend in the back, is cruel to his girlfriend, and shows no regret for deliberately killing her father, an “unseen good old man.”

This play is one of my favorites. The one performance I went to was put on by a Shakespeare Company from Ashland, OR, and included “Hamlet in 10 Minutes,” and a version of the play backwards, among others. I’m writing about it today because it was on this day in 1995 that “Hamlet” closed at the Belasco Theater in New York City after 121 shows, and I wanted to share my thoughts on what makes it interesting. Also, did you know that most of you have seen a version of this play several times without even realizing it? Disney’s “The Lion King” is a modern-day story of Hamlet. Next time you watch it, think about this post, and then come back and share your thoughts.

All Dressed In White

There is a tradition practiced in the Unification Church known as the Blessing Ceremony. On July 22, 1982, it’s founder Sun Myung Moon performed this ceremony in Madison Square Garden, New York City. It’s a rededication ceremony given to married and engaged couples, not a legal marriage.

They believe that “through this ceremony the couple is removed from the lineage of sinful humanity and engrafted into God’s sinless lineage. As a result, the couple’s marital relationship – and any children born after the Blessing – exist free from the consequences of original sin.” I don’t agree with these beliefs. I believe that we are born sinful, and the price to pay for that is death. I also believe that Jesus paid that price for us and by accepting Him as my substitute I am forgiven.

Now. The reason I’m sharing this as my “today in history” event is because I want to share something with all of you. A few weeks ago something happened that I honestly believed never would:  I decided that I might actually want to wear a dress at my wedding – not just a simple sundress, an actual wedding dress.

I know! I was shocked, too! I have no idea what happened to cause this. I was thrift store shopping with my friend Crystal and her cousin Kara, and there were some dresses hanging in the window….and I don’t know. I just all of a sudden wanted to look at them, and touch them, and could almost picture myself wearing one.

I kept this to myself at first, because I have no idea how or why it happened, or if it’s a permanent change of mind. But then last night I got a phone call from someone very special to me, and we were talking about wedding dresses (she said hers looks like the one Taylor Swift wears in the “Love Story” video). So I told her about my new realization. And now that she knows, I felt it was ok to share with the rest of you. So there it is. I might wear a wedding dress at my wedding.

Happy Birthday, Tai!

Instead of researching a world event for my “today in history” post, I’d like to dedicate this one to my friend Tai. Today is her birthday (I won’t say which one, it’s rude to ask that of a lady), and I wrote a birthday poem a while back that I would like to share. (Just a quick note:  It has a very specific form, called sestina [with a slight variation at the end], so it’s a little odd; you may need to read it a few times before you can really appreciate it, and even then may think I’m nuts!)

Today Is Your Birthday
for Tai

Today is a celebration of time,
A collection of moments to reflect on the knowledge
That has rained over your life in love,
In loss, in goals attained, in unreachable plans
To alter your place in eternity,
A day that will leave you wanting to be

That long past girl you never knew you were,
Who could look at her life and fall in love
With the great expanse of unwritten dreams,
Who wasn’t afraid to step out on the sands of eternity,
To leave a legacy of life strung together by days,
Hours, minutes, moments. Today, the unknown

Calls to your sojourner’s heart, covering schedules
And options with a blackness as thick as forever
And as promising as that very first moment
When you learned to celebrate wisdom
As something more precious than wanting to be better,
And more fragile than first love.

Tomorrow brings with it the threat of never ending
And the possibility of never beginning, while today
Is filled with the luxury of being anything we want it to be.
A typical story of sacrifice and devotion,
An ironic tale of perpetual misunderstanding,
Or even a testament to Divine designs,

An intricate web entangling your love
Of childhood games and grown-up desires.
Tomorrow’s the day you will finally grasp
The mysteries of lost time
And the freedoms of changed plans -
But tomorrow is swallowed in always and never,

When everything you think you know
Becomes something that you wanted to do,
And the road to forever
Is blocked off by waiting and wishing
For change to bring you acceptance
And time to grant you one more day.

So forget tomorrow, and it’s longing to be
Your link to all things eternal;
Throw away your carefully laid plans,
Look to right now for love,
And you’ll finally come to understand
This great significance:  today is your birthday.