Life has been all over the place of late: Between a cough that people say I should see a doctor for (seriously, takes a lot of effort when you don’t have a car and do have a job and don’t have a primary physician in the area, and anyway – it’s getting better, didn’t wake me up last night), work that never ceases to bore, the ever-looming question of “what next”, and any number of other tidbits that like to pop up during the week.

I’ve been reading more prolifically again, now that I finished the Peasant Princess sermon series by Mark Driscoll, I am back to reading during my 2-hour bus commute. This of course means that I am bound to get behind in the reviews that I mean to post at Read All Over Reviews. Oh well.

This afternoon I made brownies instead of watching the Super Bowl. I seem to have developed an inability to follow recipes, but it usually turns out all right. Although the brownies are a little more cake-y than I prefer, they taste pretty good. The marshmallows and peanut butter and chocolate chips nicely augmenting the original recipe that I pilfered off AllRecipes.com.

I have lost the ability (and possibly the interest) to convey in an interesting manner the mundane details of life. And so before I go, here’s one of my recent favorites (and notes-to-self) from notebook doodles

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner
(acquired via local library)

As an amateur writer who has long fancied a career in editing, this book naturally piqued my interest. In chapters that first detail different types of writers and then move to varying perspectives on the process of publishing, Lerner takes the writer by the hand and on a tour through the miry maze of publication.

Lerner begins with the starting point of any piece of writing: its author. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterizations, sometimes perhaps caricatures, of different ways the need to write manifests itself. There are different types of writers, and while we all might not fit tidily into one box, the observations are accurate.

Not only is the book revealing about the writer, Lerner steeps the pages with beautiful prose:

People are motivated to write for a variety of reasons, but it’s the child writer who has figured out, early on, that writing is about saving your soul.

And in another passage…

But I believe there is still enormous value in the piece of writing that goes no farther than the one person for whom it was intended, that no combination of written words is more eloquent than those exchanged between lovers or friends, or along the pale blue lines of private diaries, where people take communion with themselves.

After identifying different types of writers, Lerner explains the differing roles of agent and editor, how a manuscript moves from the cutting room floor to the bookshelf, and the many trials and hurdles that await the unsuspecting author. I must confess that her description of the publishing process took some of the tint from my own rose-colored glasses. But whether I end up pursuing a career in publishing, or just attempting to push a piece of writing through to “mass” dissemination, I will have benefited from the insights Lerner shared from her experiences.

The one criticism I might offer is that at times I felt her literary background was obvious. Although the book is not a novel and is not meant to be read as one, at times I was pulled out of the “trance” by segments of writing I felt would have been better suited to an academic essay.

But English-major-ness aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and plan on recommending it to any friends who have interest in writing and publication.

originally posted at Read All Over Reviews. Please direct all comments to the original post.

I like to make lists.
This is evident by the fact that I keep track of all the books and movies that I consume on Flixster and GoodReads.

Other manifestations of this tendency include the predisposition to make to-do lists, shopping lists, etc. I don’t remember everything that was on my to-do list today, but I think about half of it could get crossed off. All the same, I am choosing to consider that today (as of 3:40 pm) was productive. Here is what I have done so far (this feels quite reminiscent of a journal entry I might have penned when I was 7).

• got up at 10 (rest = good for the cough that has been persisting the last 7 days)
• devotions and journaling accompanied by breakfast (cereal – I like bananas in my oatmeal and I have none – and Tazo’s Awake tea supplemented by a dash of milk and some honey)
• cleaning (yes, the resulting productivity increases when I delineate the specifics)
  • wiped down the kitchen
  • cleaned the toilets
  • swept the kitchen
  • swiffered the bathroom floor
  • took out the trash and recycling
  • selectively dusted
• subsequently felt exhausted and considered that maybe the cough is finally morphing into some kind of illness
• watched The Mighty Ducks
• started watching D2
• blogged

So, as you can see, productive. In and of itself, having blogged makes me feel productive. I do feel slightly less accomplished as I have yet to finish the book review I mean to post on Read All Over Reviews. And a shower is forthcoming, due to the fact that I am going over to a friend’s house for dinner. Potentially not the wisest choice considering the weakened state of the immune system, but onwards and upwards, right? I have no plans beyond church, so vegging and napping will happen demain. And perhaps the finishing of another book, which would bring my total of completed reads for the month of January to seven. That would be a nice start to the year. (It’s not an official goal, but I really want to hit at least 52 books for the year. And if I plan to move overseas sometime toward the latter half of the year, reading will likely decrease then.)

[On a side, but related note, if you were wondering, the subject is derived from the whole "and then I found $20" added to the end of lame stories to make them humorous and all around better. But it is in fact true, that I, walking through a park in Paris in the late afternoon one late September day, found € 50.]

This morning the sermon at church was largely comprised of a presentation from Pastor Mark Driscoll’s recent trip to Haiti.

I don’t feel like I can even approach coherence in describing how it affected me, but I’m going to give it a shot, because maybe it’s something that you need to hear too. And maybe putting words to the emotion will validate it and enable me to act upon it in whatever way the Holy Spirit sees fit.

Between the natural and man-made disasters of earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, wars, government coups, and extreme poverty, sometimes I become desensitized. To a certain extent, I allow the wall to form between my heart and the tragedy as a protective mechanism. I want to do something tangible, and so often that is impossible. I am not trained in anything helpful when it comes to disaster recovery. And there is so much pain in the world that I am overwhelmed by it all and don’t know how I can offer aid to one area, neglecting the rest that so desperately also need help.

I am completely overwhelmed and undone at how much I have. How much I can do, but don’t. How much time I spend thinking about things that I want to do and things that I want.

The poverty level in Haiti is such that some people make it through a month on 1/3 of what I make in a week.

I want to pour myself out for the service of others in the name of Christ. I want to want that. To truly want it and be willing to sacrifice for the sake of Christ.

There is a time to mourn and a time to dance. Perhaps today I need to mourn. For the church that is broken and separated in Haiti. For those who have lost everything. For who I am and am not.

As stated – not coherent. But before I go, I just wanted to share with you an organization that has arisen with the express purpose of reaching out to help the church during times of disaster: Churches Helping Churches. And this is a video from the trip to Haiti last week.

In the absence of anything interesting to report, I bring you fill in the blank Friday, snagged from Lauren.

1.  Today I am feeling         excited for the weekend          . 

2.  If I were you I’d      take a trip, anywhere, really, but preferably out of the country        .

 3.  Love is:        elusive    . 

4.  I always          make sure I have my keys        before leaving the   house.

5.  I feel prettiest when I’m wearing    fresh nail polish, cute shoes and chic accessories    .

6.  If I had a million dollars I’d     help Haiti, move to Guadeloupe for a year, and find a great interest rate (…somewhere)   .

7.  I’m looking forward to        test driving an Acura and then going climbing when I get off work today       .

(indexed)

( via a cup of jo)

(notebook doodles) – which, you should know, is one of the latest blog finds that I LOVE. You should go check it out. I’ll probably remind you in the future.

Do Something You Love
(consumerism commentary)

(via tea and cookies)

(freya)
All of her prints are absolutely wonderful – I have this and another of her cards framed on a bookshelf and my nightstand.

(jen lee)