So I missed this story when it was recent, but I feel it's still quite relevant and worth sharing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8221933.stm
I love how it says she fell short of her goal but still considered it a success. I could see the conversation now.
Random observer (RO): You missed it by a couple of inches.
Kung fu lady(KL):I pulled a vehicle with my hair.
RO: Good point.
Also worth noting: she credits the strength of her hair. But I could have sworn it was the braids.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Random Reads
I've been reading a lot lately, and while I can't fully recommend all of them, I enjoyed them and wanted to share some of the highlights. So here goes:
1. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer. Okay, I can fully recommend this one. One of my favorite parts involves people trying to ask Jesus theological questions and Him in response taking them back to obedience. Good stuff.
2. The Dante Club. A murder mystery based on Longfellow's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, it was a mixture of grisly murder, mystery, and tons of literary factoids. For example, Dante's poem was only called a comedy because the ending is in Paradise, so it's therefore not a tragedy. As one who loses sight of the ending, this fact resonated with me.
3. Angry Conversations with God. I can recommend this entire book as well. It's funny, but it also has some great points to it. The author is dissatisfied with her marriage to God (being part of the bride of Christ) so she takes Him to marriage counseling. But whose fault are the problems in question? And is that really God she's representing? And doesn't the word "Abba" remind everyone of Dancing Queen?
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Klay. This novel explores a world in which comic book writers live messed-up lives. It's funny in places, but there's a lot of sadness to a story about people who invent characters to do what they cannot. It's a reminder of the limits of heroism on human terms, and for that honesty I enjoyed it.
5. Welcome to the Monkeyhouse. Kurt Vonnegut may not be known especially for his short stories, but many of the ones in this collection are excellent. I enjoyed all of his sci-fi stories, especially "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", a story about an overcrowded world in which no one dies from old age. In this world, prison becomes a matter of perspective. Another memorable story is "All the King's Horses", in which a prisoner of war must play a real life game of chess and learn to truly sacrifice.
More is on its way I'm sure, but it may slow down as the holidays are over and I'm actually doing stuff. Time will tell.
1. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer. Okay, I can fully recommend this one. One of my favorite parts involves people trying to ask Jesus theological questions and Him in response taking them back to obedience. Good stuff.
2. The Dante Club. A murder mystery based on Longfellow's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, it was a mixture of grisly murder, mystery, and tons of literary factoids. For example, Dante's poem was only called a comedy because the ending is in Paradise, so it's therefore not a tragedy. As one who loses sight of the ending, this fact resonated with me.
3. Angry Conversations with God. I can recommend this entire book as well. It's funny, but it also has some great points to it. The author is dissatisfied with her marriage to God (being part of the bride of Christ) so she takes Him to marriage counseling. But whose fault are the problems in question? And is that really God she's representing? And doesn't the word "Abba" remind everyone of Dancing Queen?
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Klay. This novel explores a world in which comic book writers live messed-up lives. It's funny in places, but there's a lot of sadness to a story about people who invent characters to do what they cannot. It's a reminder of the limits of heroism on human terms, and for that honesty I enjoyed it.
5. Welcome to the Monkeyhouse. Kurt Vonnegut may not be known especially for his short stories, but many of the ones in this collection are excellent. I enjoyed all of his sci-fi stories, especially "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", a story about an overcrowded world in which no one dies from old age. In this world, prison becomes a matter of perspective. Another memorable story is "All the King's Horses", in which a prisoner of war must play a real life game of chess and learn to truly sacrifice.
More is on its way I'm sure, but it may slow down as the holidays are over and I'm actually doing stuff. Time will tell.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Fun with Crappy Equipment
I wonder if the same is true of my old washer (may it, you know).
http://www.theonion.com/content/from_print/old_dryer_abandoned_by_train?utm_source=onion_rss_daily
http://www.theonion.com/content/from_print/old_dryer_abandoned_by_train?utm_source=onion_rss_daily
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Book Review: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
I read a lot of books over the break, but none affected me the way this one did. As I read a story about what makes a story/life interesting, I imagined a book about me sitting around in a heated room during winter reading a Donald Miller book. Thanks very much, Mr. Miller, I'm officially depressed.
As a reader and writer, this book spoke my language. If you never wondered what would happen if you broke your everyday routine one day, or you don't frequently ask "what if" and wonder about how tollbooth operators go to the bathroom, or you don't ask "what if I broke my everyday routine to find out how tollbooth operators go to the bathroom" this might not be the book for you. Or simply put, it compares people to characters in a story and gives this idea merit. If you don't think of life in terms of narrative, something like The Cost of Discipleship might be more up your alley. Also a good book, and similar points overall, but a very different approach.
Steve Taylor (yes, it's spelled correctly and therefore a different guy than the lead singer from Aerosmith with the cavernous mouth)and some former stoner (also not Steve Tyler) approached Mr. Miller about making Blue Like Jazz into a movie. The only issue was, they needed a story. The fact that his life would make a boring story causes the author to re examine his life and attempt to edit it. In short, he wants his life to tell a better story.
This is like Bonhoffer's book in that whether he says it or not, Don Miller is talking about obedience. If you set aside your stuff for a moment and follow Christ, your life will not be boring. So though he doesn't use those words specifically, he's talking about being a disciple of Christ.
A Million Miles also earns bonus points for reminding me of an excellent book I read a few years back entitled Man's Search for Meaning. If you ever read Night and got depressed, read Man's Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl is one of my heroes for even trying to give hope in the direst of situations. And every time I get soup from a pot I randomly hope I'll get soup from the bottom. It has yet to become a problem, but you never know.
In the end, all three books and authors refuse to settle for less. And that's definitely worth a recommend.
As a reader and writer, this book spoke my language. If you never wondered what would happen if you broke your everyday routine one day, or you don't frequently ask "what if" and wonder about how tollbooth operators go to the bathroom, or you don't ask "what if I broke my everyday routine to find out how tollbooth operators go to the bathroom" this might not be the book for you. Or simply put, it compares people to characters in a story and gives this idea merit. If you don't think of life in terms of narrative, something like The Cost of Discipleship might be more up your alley. Also a good book, and similar points overall, but a very different approach.
Steve Taylor (yes, it's spelled correctly and therefore a different guy than the lead singer from Aerosmith with the cavernous mouth)and some former stoner (also not Steve Tyler) approached Mr. Miller about making Blue Like Jazz into a movie. The only issue was, they needed a story. The fact that his life would make a boring story causes the author to re examine his life and attempt to edit it. In short, he wants his life to tell a better story.
This is like Bonhoffer's book in that whether he says it or not, Don Miller is talking about obedience. If you set aside your stuff for a moment and follow Christ, your life will not be boring. So though he doesn't use those words specifically, he's talking about being a disciple of Christ.
A Million Miles also earns bonus points for reminding me of an excellent book I read a few years back entitled Man's Search for Meaning. If you ever read Night and got depressed, read Man's Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl is one of my heroes for even trying to give hope in the direst of situations. And every time I get soup from a pot I randomly hope I'll get soup from the bottom. It has yet to become a problem, but you never know.
In the end, all three books and authors refuse to settle for less. And that's definitely worth a recommend.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
For all the Twits Out There
If you have a twitter account, or are willing to whittle away more seconds of your time online I recently joined the club.
http://twitter.com/reeseseater
If I can't possibly get random-er, this should do the trick.
http://twitter.com/reeseseater
If I can't possibly get random-er, this should do the trick.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy Holidays
I give the gift of laughter. Well, that and old Onion articles. Enjoy.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/real_life_grinch_celebrates?utm_source=onion_rss_daily
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/real_life_grinch_celebrates?utm_source=onion_rss_daily
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Travelblog III
Day 3
We got an early start, ate some breakfast, and prepared to bring food to the gym again. The kids in particular seemed glad to have us return, and proceeded to climb over us. Match and Max were gaining popularity, but Matt was nowhere to be found.
We went back, ate lunch, and prepared for that afternoon and evening. We would share a devotional at the children's home that evening, and a Bible lesson the next morning at a school nearby. We pooled our resources, assigned parts, and prepared lessons. The Bible study and feeding proceeded in the afternoon,and it along with the evening devotional went smoothly. Romans 16:19 served as a popular one, as everywhere we went children were singing it.
After the evening devotional at the children's home we each chose a child to read a story to. The young man who chose me also negotiated three stories. He did most of the reading and agreed to let me explain. After reading the Christmas story, he refused to close it until I read the "Note to Parents" on the last page. After that, he was satisfied and we were able to move on.
The stories were finished, so we went back to our current place of residence and practiced being spies and Cananites, respectively. The part of fruit would graciously be played by actual fruit.
Days 4 and 5
The skit, songs and lesson went well. Myself and another teacher got to be giants, which entailed students from the local school riding on our shoulders. From the reactions, they must have looked scary. Helmets fell, but no kids, and that's always a plus.
That afternoon we brought more than just food. We had learned the lack of Bibles in tagalog, so we arranged to purchase one per family. I can't recall ever seeing Bibles received so well. It being the last day, everyone wanted us to sign in addition to our message in the front. We also had tracts with the Gospel in tagalog in the Bibles to use as bookmarks. We hugged on kids, sang, let them wrestle us and heard our names (or something close) chanted one last time. We left, promising to pray for them.
The devotional that evening went well. Two of our students shared, and story time gave way to movie night. As the movie played, we went to a mall to buy some snacks some of us forgot existed. After that, we went home and rested.
Saturday we ate breakfast, then went to visit the children's home one last time. We played ball games, and I got claimed by two young ladies who tried to teach me marbles. It didn't take, so we took turns between the swings and the monkey bars. At one point Beka and I each had a child and proceeded to race them. Fortunately,I had the sneaky one who learned she could go faster if she let go of the bars. After that, we said our goodbyes, finished packing, and returned to the airport.
We got an early start, ate some breakfast, and prepared to bring food to the gym again. The kids in particular seemed glad to have us return, and proceeded to climb over us. Match and Max were gaining popularity, but Matt was nowhere to be found.
We went back, ate lunch, and prepared for that afternoon and evening. We would share a devotional at the children's home that evening, and a Bible lesson the next morning at a school nearby. We pooled our resources, assigned parts, and prepared lessons. The Bible study and feeding proceeded in the afternoon,and it along with the evening devotional went smoothly. Romans 16:19 served as a popular one, as everywhere we went children were singing it.
After the evening devotional at the children's home we each chose a child to read a story to. The young man who chose me also negotiated three stories. He did most of the reading and agreed to let me explain. After reading the Christmas story, he refused to close it until I read the "Note to Parents" on the last page. After that, he was satisfied and we were able to move on.
The stories were finished, so we went back to our current place of residence and practiced being spies and Cananites, respectively. The part of fruit would graciously be played by actual fruit.
Days 4 and 5
The skit, songs and lesson went well. Myself and another teacher got to be giants, which entailed students from the local school riding on our shoulders. From the reactions, they must have looked scary. Helmets fell, but no kids, and that's always a plus.
That afternoon we brought more than just food. We had learned the lack of Bibles in tagalog, so we arranged to purchase one per family. I can't recall ever seeing Bibles received so well. It being the last day, everyone wanted us to sign in addition to our message in the front. We also had tracts with the Gospel in tagalog in the Bibles to use as bookmarks. We hugged on kids, sang, let them wrestle us and heard our names (or something close) chanted one last time. We left, promising to pray for them.
The devotional that evening went well. Two of our students shared, and story time gave way to movie night. As the movie played, we went to a mall to buy some snacks some of us forgot existed. After that, we went home and rested.
Saturday we ate breakfast, then went to visit the children's home one last time. We played ball games, and I got claimed by two young ladies who tried to teach me marbles. It didn't take, so we took turns between the swings and the monkey bars. At one point Beka and I each had a child and proceeded to race them. Fortunately,I had the sneaky one who learned she could go faster if she let go of the bars. After that, we said our goodbyes, finished packing, and returned to the airport.
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