On The Road - Oh My!
2 months ago
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Accessories for the (Steampunk) Lady: for the Neck Pt 2.--the Delicate
The post you are looking for has been moved here.
Accessories for the (Steampunk) Lady: for the Neck Pt 1.--the Warm
The post you are looking for has been moved here.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Saving produce without plastic
A few weeks back, on the Fake Plastic Fish blog, Beth Terry was featuring a new facebook group she started called The Plastic Crap Wall of Shame. It's pretty eye-opening:
Basically it is to raise awareness of the worst plastics for our environment--single use plastics, things which are made just to be immediately thrown away as soon as they are bought. But the group also features plastic items that have limited usefulness, to raise our awareness of how we spend money on plastic things that we could easily do without. Specifically the other day she mentioned little plastic containers for storing left-over fruits:
But if people are buying these kinds of food savers, then it must be because don't readily think of other ways to keep these things fresh. So, just in case it is helpful to any of you out there, here are some of the ways I save produce without plastic baggies or special containers:
Banana
For anyone wanting to save half a banana, here is the trick: don't slice it in half before peeling. Peel it down to expose as much of the banana as you plan on eating, but then break off the amount of banana you want. Ideally you break it off as close to the untorn peel as possible. Then just lay the banana in the fridge with the peel naturally lying mostly closed. The next day, not only is the banana still good, but the end should only be the teeniest bit darkened--not at all unappetizing. If you wait more than one day, you may have to cut off the smallest sliver of darkened banana at the end, if the slight discoloration bothers you.
Avocado
Nowadays I never cover my half of an avodado--I just keep the half with the pit and stick the whole thing in the fridge bare on the shelf (flesh side up, obviously) and the air causes just the very top of the exposed flesh to cure, like the skin on pudding. The next day or day after when I want to use it, I just take a sharp knife and cut away the "skin", and underneath it is perfectly fresh. I don't consider this wasteful, since even when I used to put it in a storage container or--long ago--wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap, the outer edge would still get discolored and I would still end up trimming it.
Tomato
If you have half of a tomato left-over, just place it sliced side down on a ceramic saucer--the juices will basically seal the cut to the saucer surface, stick it in the fridge on a shelf, and it will be still fresh the next day (this is for a tomato that has not been peeled, obviously). If you feel better about containing it, do the same thing in a small Pyrex or other brand of glass storage container that has a lid. I just don't recommend doing this in a plastic storage container, since the acid in the tomato juices will make the plastic leach chemicals.
But I actually don't end up with that many bits left over--I learned long ago the number one way to reduce food waste in my kitchen was to cook with whole produce as much as possible. So that means if the recipe calls for half of a vegetable, I always throw in the whole thing. Never once has this ruined the dish. ; ) I try to do the same thing with canned goods, within reason--so if the recipe calls for 1 T tomato paste, clearly I'll be saving the rest for future use, but if it calls for 1/2 a can of tomato sauce, I'll usually throw the whole can in.
AND here is the perfect, mess free way to butter corn on the cob: use a stick of butter, and just tear off an inch of paper from one end. Hold the papered end while you slide the exposed end against your corn. You now have the perfect tool for buttering that is much easier than a knife (and probably does not waste as much) and keeps your fingers neat to boot! If it is a hot day, use a frozen stick of butter, and it will go easily on the hot corn but will not soften in your hands as quickly.
Ok, so those are some of my ideas. Anyone else have any easy and waste-free food storage ideas?
And the whole article on single-use plastics was fascinating--I recommend it.
individually pacaged ice cubes. yes. really.
Basically it is to raise awareness of the worst plastics for our environment--single use plastics, things which are made just to be immediately thrown away as soon as they are bought. But the group also features plastic items that have limited usefulness, to raise our awareness of how we spend money on plastic things that we could easily do without. Specifically the other day she mentioned little plastic containers for storing left-over fruits:
The jokes for this partiular item just tell themselves.
But if people are buying these kinds of food savers, then it must be because don't readily think of other ways to keep these things fresh. So, just in case it is helpful to any of you out there, here are some of the ways I save produce without plastic baggies or special containers:
Banana
For anyone wanting to save half a banana, here is the trick: don't slice it in half before peeling. Peel it down to expose as much of the banana as you plan on eating, but then break off the amount of banana you want. Ideally you break it off as close to the untorn peel as possible. Then just lay the banana in the fridge with the peel naturally lying mostly closed. The next day, not only is the banana still good, but the end should only be the teeniest bit darkened--not at all unappetizing. If you wait more than one day, you may have to cut off the smallest sliver of darkened banana at the end, if the slight discoloration bothers you.
Avocado
Nowadays I never cover my half of an avodado--I just keep the half with the pit and stick the whole thing in the fridge bare on the shelf (flesh side up, obviously) and the air causes just the very top of the exposed flesh to cure, like the skin on pudding. The next day or day after when I want to use it, I just take a sharp knife and cut away the "skin", and underneath it is perfectly fresh. I don't consider this wasteful, since even when I used to put it in a storage container or--long ago--wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap, the outer edge would still get discolored and I would still end up trimming it.
Tomato
If you have half of a tomato left-over, just place it sliced side down on a ceramic saucer--the juices will basically seal the cut to the saucer surface, stick it in the fridge on a shelf, and it will be still fresh the next day (this is for a tomato that has not been peeled, obviously). If you feel better about containing it, do the same thing in a small Pyrex or other brand of glass storage container that has a lid. I just don't recommend doing this in a plastic storage container, since the acid in the tomato juices will make the plastic leach chemicals.
But I actually don't end up with that many bits left over--I learned long ago the number one way to reduce food waste in my kitchen was to cook with whole produce as much as possible. So that means if the recipe calls for half of a vegetable, I always throw in the whole thing. Never once has this ruined the dish. ; ) I try to do the same thing with canned goods, within reason--so if the recipe calls for 1 T tomato paste, clearly I'll be saving the rest for future use, but if it calls for 1/2 a can of tomato sauce, I'll usually throw the whole can in.
AND here is the perfect, mess free way to butter corn on the cob: use a stick of butter, and just tear off an inch of paper from one end. Hold the papered end while you slide the exposed end against your corn. You now have the perfect tool for buttering that is much easier than a knife (and probably does not waste as much) and keeps your fingers neat to boot! If it is a hot day, use a frozen stick of butter, and it will go easily on the hot corn but will not soften in your hands as quickly.
Ok, so those are some of my ideas. Anyone else have any easy and waste-free food storage ideas?
And the whole article on single-use plastics was fascinating--I recommend it.
Friday, September 24, 2010
This is It?
We started Netflix back up this week, after a 3 month break, and boy, have I been enjoying it!
We resumed service on Wednesday so we could all watch the movie musical "Annie," since Merry and Sunny are in a production of it this fall. For the past couple of years we have participated in an amazing local class that puts on musicals, one in the Fall and one in the Spring. Twice a year is too much for me, but the Fall has been just perfect for this weekly activity, and so the girls have been in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Tom Sawyer," both excellent stories, with great music. And the way the director Candy stages these is just so, so cool: she breaks up the script as necessary so that any kid who wants a speaking part can have one, she stages the scenes so that all the kids are on the stage all the time (sitting to the side if they are not "on"), and all the kids sing all the songs, so there are no "stars"--ALL the kids are the stars of the show! And she is so patient and yet expecting a lot of the kids--esp. behavior-wise--which I really respect. The cost of the semester is so reasonable--I think it is about $160, which breaks down to less than babysitting would cost. And they provide small slices of pizza and lemonade for the kids before rehersal every single time. Best of all, Musical Mondays is an approved vendor, so our homeschool charter pays for it!
Anyway, while I was SO excited for my girls to be in "Annie," I hesitated to show them the original movie we all know and love from childhood. I saw it as an adult a few years back, and was astounded at its adult content. That and I had horrifying mental pictures of my sweet darlings emulating the hard-knock, smart-mouthed orphans. I checked out youTube songs from the newer (I think 2009?) Disney version, but it looks like it just cannot compare in quality of set, choreography, acting, etc. It has been nicely sanitzed, though, for those like me who are uncomfortable with Carol Burnett's brilliant but drunk and slutty turn as Miss Hannigan.
But yet, I would rather my girls see the gritty, well-done story than the watered-down, trite version. So I just talked with the girls ahead of time about what happens when you have a houseful of orphans who don't feel loved, and a lonely woman who feels trapped, and how they are stuck in a negative cycle of unlove fueled by their own self-serving and self-pity. . . and my girls know about the dangers of alcohol and how some people use it to try to escape their hurt, and how Miss Hannigan is desperate to be rescued from her life by a man, any man. . . ANYWAY, after I set the stage, so to speak, I was no longer worried about the "adult" aspects of the original Annie movie.
Then last night I indulged my tired brain in a whole movie all to myself. (DH was supposed to be working on the laptop, even if I kept turning around to find him watching over my shoulder, even if he could not hear without his headphones.) I watched "My Left Foot"--so good, and the visuals are riveting in their realism (1930's Dublin). I am pretty sure at one point the main character mentions that his mother bore 22 children, and 13 survived. (The scene with all the kids of varying ages and genders sleeping peacefully while crowded into two beds in the same room made me so happy.)
Tonight I did not want to get involved in a long movie, but just wanted to watch something for half an hour while I ate dinner (everyone else had been taken care of tonight). So I did a quick browse through the Netflix "Watch Instantly" new selections, and saw "Th is Is It," the post-humous documentary on what would have been Mi chael Ja ckson's comeback tour. I had heard it was well made, and I have always been curious about the hype, so I thought, "Why not?"
I had to turn it off after less than 10 minutes (including the opening montage). Just from those first minutes I was put off/saddened by:
--the cult of personality reflected in the clips of interviews with the stage dancers, many of whom traveled from other parts of the world to audition, and who were ALL crying and effusing about how dancing with Mi chael was the pinnacle of their life, and even the purpose of their life.
--One dancer disturbingly said he had always tried to live his life to be like Mi chael in every way. . . let's hope he did not mean in Mi chael's self-mutilating and pedophylic ways. . .
--One sobbing dancer could have been crying out to Jesus (and should have been) in how he went on about how he had been looking for something to give his life meaning, and This Was It. . . I hope someone has been following that young man since the making of this documentary--a suicide risk if I ever saw one.
--Speaking of Jesus, the white lights beaming down from heaven with awe-inspiring chords when the movie title was announced was clear deification of Mi chael.
--I did not expect perfection, esp. for a 50 year old man who had not performed in 10 years, but the *first* number they started the documentary with--which one would assume would be terrific, to immediately grab the viewers' attention and showcase the deity who just had that big buildup--showed Mi chael was out of shape and breathless, quavering in vocal quality (and I'm being fair--this was when he was standing still), and fairly limited in his dance range. Yes, he has a lovely tone in his voice, and can still move like he is made of well-oiled ball bearings--but that's it. They even had to cut between two different tapings of the same song to get that good of a performance. And yes, I realize a rehersal is never the same energy as a life performance--but if this is the number they are using to start off the movie. . . I assumed that was about as good as it would get.
--The shots of the crowds lining up to scream his name and yell "We love you, Mi chael!!!" when he last performed in London (where this was filmed) were so sad. All the people in the shot were white, middle-class people of my generation or a little older. What is behind such unhealthy adoration? I get why black Americans love him--Mi chael Ja ckson was not only an excellent songwriter and singer in his early career (I can't speak much of his later career, but the album "Thril ler" really was brilliant in many ways--speaking as an unbiased adult, since I did not listen to it as a teenager) but he was the first black performer to break into the pop charts--and, for a season, to dominate them. He really was groundbreaking, and his music influenced so much of the bands and sounds that came after. But I don't get why the black community still loved him, after he "de-blacked" his appearance. Why defend so loyally one who does not seem proud to be one of you? Or after he got into so much trouble with young boys.
--And that's the final thing that just made me sick to my stomach. His appearance. Mi chael Ja ckson was a really good-looking young man. Black and handsome. So to see any remotely close shot is truly revolting to me--his face must be an extension of his soul, and what a corpse of a soul, so defined by self-loathing and masquerade. I want to like Mi chael Ja ckson. I like so many things about him, and truly believe he was a gentle man at heart--but one whose beauty and gentleness and creativity were perverted by something inside. . .
So I guess it was ultimately sadness that made me turn it off. I can appreciate musical genius, even if I don't like its expression (watch out for my La dy Ga ga rant!), and I have much patience for performers past their prime. But all the wasted emotion, energy and purpose going into worship of a tired, troubled singer. . .
That's it.
(I am learning about web searches, and am clearly terrified some Mi chael Ja ckson fan is going to stumble upon this post and leave me (I accidentally typed "heave me," which would also be accurate) some hate in the comments. : O)
We resumed service on Wednesday so we could all watch the movie musical "Annie," since Merry and Sunny are in a production of it this fall. For the past couple of years we have participated in an amazing local class that puts on musicals, one in the Fall and one in the Spring. Twice a year is too much for me, but the Fall has been just perfect for this weekly activity, and so the girls have been in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Tom Sawyer," both excellent stories, with great music. And the way the director Candy stages these is just so, so cool: she breaks up the script as necessary so that any kid who wants a speaking part can have one, she stages the scenes so that all the kids are on the stage all the time (sitting to the side if they are not "on"), and all the kids sing all the songs, so there are no "stars"--ALL the kids are the stars of the show! And she is so patient and yet expecting a lot of the kids--esp. behavior-wise--which I really respect. The cost of the semester is so reasonable--I think it is about $160, which breaks down to less than babysitting would cost. And they provide small slices of pizza and lemonade for the kids before rehersal every single time. Best of all, Musical Mondays is an approved vendor, so our homeschool charter pays for it!
Anyway, while I was SO excited for my girls to be in "Annie," I hesitated to show them the original movie we all know and love from childhood. I saw it as an adult a few years back, and was astounded at its adult content. That and I had horrifying mental pictures of my sweet darlings emulating the hard-knock, smart-mouthed orphans. I checked out youTube songs from the newer (I think 2009?) Disney version, but it looks like it just cannot compare in quality of set, choreography, acting, etc. It has been nicely sanitzed, though, for those like me who are uncomfortable with Carol Burnett's brilliant but drunk and slutty turn as Miss Hannigan.
But yet, I would rather my girls see the gritty, well-done story than the watered-down, trite version. So I just talked with the girls ahead of time about what happens when you have a houseful of orphans who don't feel loved, and a lonely woman who feels trapped, and how they are stuck in a negative cycle of unlove fueled by their own self-serving and self-pity. . . and my girls know about the dangers of alcohol and how some people use it to try to escape their hurt, and how Miss Hannigan is desperate to be rescued from her life by a man, any man. . . ANYWAY, after I set the stage, so to speak, I was no longer worried about the "adult" aspects of the original Annie movie.
Then last night I indulged my tired brain in a whole movie all to myself. (DH was supposed to be working on the laptop, even if I kept turning around to find him watching over my shoulder, even if he could not hear without his headphones.) I watched "My Left Foot"--so good, and the visuals are riveting in their realism (1930's Dublin). I am pretty sure at one point the main character mentions that his mother bore 22 children, and 13 survived. (The scene with all the kids of varying ages and genders sleeping peacefully while crowded into two beds in the same room made me so happy.)
Tonight I did not want to get involved in a long movie, but just wanted to watch something for half an hour while I ate dinner (everyone else had been taken care of tonight). So I did a quick browse through the Netflix "Watch Instantly" new selections, and saw "Th is Is It," the post-humous documentary on what would have been Mi chael Ja ckson's comeback tour. I had heard it was well made, and I have always been curious about the hype, so I thought, "Why not?"
I had to turn it off after less than 10 minutes (including the opening montage). Just from those first minutes I was put off/saddened by:
--the cult of personality reflected in the clips of interviews with the stage dancers, many of whom traveled from other parts of the world to audition, and who were ALL crying and effusing about how dancing with Mi chael was the pinnacle of their life, and even the purpose of their life.
--One dancer disturbingly said he had always tried to live his life to be like Mi chael in every way. . . let's hope he did not mean in Mi chael's self-mutilating and pedophylic ways. . .
--One sobbing dancer could have been crying out to Jesus (and should have been) in how he went on about how he had been looking for something to give his life meaning, and This Was It. . . I hope someone has been following that young man since the making of this documentary--a suicide risk if I ever saw one.
--Speaking of Jesus, the white lights beaming down from heaven with awe-inspiring chords when the movie title was announced was clear deification of Mi chael.
--I did not expect perfection, esp. for a 50 year old man who had not performed in 10 years, but the *first* number they started the documentary with--which one would assume would be terrific, to immediately grab the viewers' attention and showcase the deity who just had that big buildup--showed Mi chael was out of shape and breathless, quavering in vocal quality (and I'm being fair--this was when he was standing still), and fairly limited in his dance range. Yes, he has a lovely tone in his voice, and can still move like he is made of well-oiled ball bearings--but that's it. They even had to cut between two different tapings of the same song to get that good of a performance. And yes, I realize a rehersal is never the same energy as a life performance--but if this is the number they are using to start off the movie. . . I assumed that was about as good as it would get.
--The shots of the crowds lining up to scream his name and yell "We love you, Mi chael!!!" when he last performed in London (where this was filmed) were so sad. All the people in the shot were white, middle-class people of my generation or a little older. What is behind such unhealthy adoration? I get why black Americans love him--Mi chael Ja ckson was not only an excellent songwriter and singer in his early career (I can't speak much of his later career, but the album "Thril ler" really was brilliant in many ways--speaking as an unbiased adult, since I did not listen to it as a teenager) but he was the first black performer to break into the pop charts--and, for a season, to dominate them. He really was groundbreaking, and his music influenced so much of the bands and sounds that came after. But I don't get why the black community still loved him, after he "de-blacked" his appearance. Why defend so loyally one who does not seem proud to be one of you? Or after he got into so much trouble with young boys.
--And that's the final thing that just made me sick to my stomach. His appearance. Mi chael Ja ckson was a really good-looking young man. Black and handsome. So to see any remotely close shot is truly revolting to me--his face must be an extension of his soul, and what a corpse of a soul, so defined by self-loathing and masquerade. I want to like Mi chael Ja ckson. I like so many things about him, and truly believe he was a gentle man at heart--but one whose beauty and gentleness and creativity were perverted by something inside. . .
So I guess it was ultimately sadness that made me turn it off. I can appreciate musical genius, even if I don't like its expression (watch out for my La dy Ga ga rant!), and I have much patience for performers past their prime. But all the wasted emotion, energy and purpose going into worship of a tired, troubled singer. . .
That's it.
(I am learning about web searches, and am clearly terrified some Mi chael Ja ckson fan is going to stumble upon this post and leave me (I accidentally typed "heave me," which would also be accurate) some hate in the comments. : O)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Vintage Ads
Ok, this is a pretty abrupt swing of mood from my last post, but such is life. At least in my head.
(My heart is still working on lots of stuff. That story is not over, not by far. . . )
But here is a link to a scary and funny collection of old advertisements I came across today, if you need a chuckle, or a reminder of how far women's lib has come.
Forget the vitamins, I want his wife.
Then again, a few of those vintage ads seemed to demonstrate nothing but good old-fashioned sense:
Does it still work when they aren't babies any more?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Life on the Web, Story #3: WTH, God
A few nights after the events in my last post, I was following the blog trail and came upon this story.
Go ahead--please read it. But I would advise you to wait until you have a quiet room and a few minutes to focus on the story. It is appallingly tragic, and it is vitally important.
----------
The writer's prayer at the end pretty much sums things up--Why Lord?! Although I confess my mental language was a bit stronger than that, as the title of this post alludes. After crying and praying for a few minutes after reading it--my own maternal experiences are still close enough that as I read I had very strong, realistic physical and spiritual reactions, I imagine just an inkling of what these women might have been feeling and thinking and fearing--I realized that the truth is God is there. Ok, then, why doesn't he DO something?! And then my mind suddenly went back to the quotation that I have kept at the top of this blog for a while now. God is at work throughout the world, every day. He sometimes intervenes in miraculous ways, but I believe most of the time He uses those who love Him, who want to love the world through Him, and who just show up, ready to be used.
At first I cried partly too because I felt so helpless, wishing desperately I could be there to help, and then since I could not go, wishing there was more international help, esp. from those with hearts to do the Lord's business. But then I started thinking about how I believe, like in my last story, that God does not call us all to go to different countries to do His work--He asks us to be available to Him where we are, in our everyday lives. To serve Him wherever He puts us, loving whomever He puts in our path in any given day. I am supposed to love my neighbor. And while the modern world feels so much smaller than ever, so that we can reach out to all nations in God's name, I am not so sure we are supposed to feel like we should. In fact, the world seeming so small and yet its problems so big all at the same time I think leads us Western Christians to feel overwhelmed and just want to stick our heads in the sand. There are too many people groups suffering, too many countries at war, too many human rights being violated, too many children forgotten. We do want to help, but are too easily immobilized by the pain of it all.
And what about the people of Haiti helping one another? I could not help but think of how the article indicated it was a common experience those poor women were going through out on the street. And yet in this story there is no mention of any Haitian women--just average moms like me--out there trying to offer comfort, even if they could not actually help. Where were the women who had been in that place before, who knew what these women were feeling, who remembered the terror and could offer solace? Haiti is supposedly mostly Christian; according to wikipedia, "About 85% of the population claim Christian beliefs, and the most professed denomination by far is Roman Catholicism." Yet the article goes on to say that roughly half of the population of Haiti also practices Vodou ("voodoo"). Is this a sign that maybe the hearts of Haitian Christians are being distracted from God's truth, and His call to ease the suffering of their neighbors?
Before any of you get all up in arms about how audacious it is for me to sit in my pampered American life and say those Haitians should be helping themselves. . . well, they should. I am not excusing myself or anyone else--too, too many of us are calling ourselves followers of Christ when we can't be bothered to lift a finger to help anyone in His name, let alone sacrifice a lot for it, certainly not lay down our lives (i.e. our empty selfish strivings) for it. Remember the story in the Bible about Jesus pointing out to his disciples the poor widow who gave only two small coins to the collection at the temple? He praised her not for how much she gave, but how much her gift cost her. There is love in such a gift, and sacrifice, and trust in God's provision. And God asks the same of His struggling Haitian children as he does of His pampered Western Christians--and after reading the article I was ashamed at how much we are all denying Christ daily in how we all daily turn blind eyes to all the suffering around us.
I care very much about Haiti--that's why I wanted you to read the article, so you would care too. If we can't help in physical ways, we can pray. We should pray, asking God to make right what we cannot--which is, after all, what He is so great at.
-----------------
These are not completed thoughts, just bits I am still working out. I am worried this sounds like a sermon. I don't mean it to be. But when I sat down to write tonight, and was working on the previous post, I realized the two stories were connected. Here's how: Keri has been recently living and writing about sacrifice and trusting in God. I learned long ago that there is very little coincidence in the world, and my coming upon her blog and her story at this stage in my life and in my spiritual journey does not feel like coincidence. Certainly reading her blog post today does not feel like a coincidence, when it so perfectly takes all these ideas that have been in my head and heart and lays them out so I can't ignore them any more.
Well, I have a feeling I will still be ignoring them a little longer--or "processing them" as I often say. But God has been moving so clearly, so forcefully in my spirit in the past few weeks, I don't know how long I can ignore Him. I don't know what He is going to ask me to do, but I know I am supposed to say, "Yes."
So I'll end with another quotation that, too, breaks my heart, because it is true:
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
--Ghandi
Go ahead--please read it. But I would advise you to wait until you have a quiet room and a few minutes to focus on the story. It is appallingly tragic, and it is vitally important.
----------
The writer's prayer at the end pretty much sums things up--Why Lord?! Although I confess my mental language was a bit stronger than that, as the title of this post alludes. After crying and praying for a few minutes after reading it--my own maternal experiences are still close enough that as I read I had very strong, realistic physical and spiritual reactions, I imagine just an inkling of what these women might have been feeling and thinking and fearing--I realized that the truth is God is there. Ok, then, why doesn't he DO something?! And then my mind suddenly went back to the quotation that I have kept at the top of this blog for a while now. God is at work throughout the world, every day. He sometimes intervenes in miraculous ways, but I believe most of the time He uses those who love Him, who want to love the world through Him, and who just show up, ready to be used.
At first I cried partly too because I felt so helpless, wishing desperately I could be there to help, and then since I could not go, wishing there was more international help, esp. from those with hearts to do the Lord's business. But then I started thinking about how I believe, like in my last story, that God does not call us all to go to different countries to do His work--He asks us to be available to Him where we are, in our everyday lives. To serve Him wherever He puts us, loving whomever He puts in our path in any given day. I am supposed to love my neighbor. And while the modern world feels so much smaller than ever, so that we can reach out to all nations in God's name, I am not so sure we are supposed to feel like we should. In fact, the world seeming so small and yet its problems so big all at the same time I think leads us Western Christians to feel overwhelmed and just want to stick our heads in the sand. There are too many people groups suffering, too many countries at war, too many human rights being violated, too many children forgotten. We do want to help, but are too easily immobilized by the pain of it all.
And what about the people of Haiti helping one another? I could not help but think of how the article indicated it was a common experience those poor women were going through out on the street. And yet in this story there is no mention of any Haitian women--just average moms like me--out there trying to offer comfort, even if they could not actually help. Where were the women who had been in that place before, who knew what these women were feeling, who remembered the terror and could offer solace? Haiti is supposedly mostly Christian; according to wikipedia, "About 85% of the population claim Christian beliefs, and the most professed denomination by far is Roman Catholicism." Yet the article goes on to say that roughly half of the population of Haiti also practices Vodou ("voodoo"). Is this a sign that maybe the hearts of Haitian Christians are being distracted from God's truth, and His call to ease the suffering of their neighbors?
Before any of you get all up in arms about how audacious it is for me to sit in my pampered American life and say those Haitians should be helping themselves. . . well, they should. I am not excusing myself or anyone else--too, too many of us are calling ourselves followers of Christ when we can't be bothered to lift a finger to help anyone in His name, let alone sacrifice a lot for it, certainly not lay down our lives (i.e. our empty selfish strivings) for it. Remember the story in the Bible about Jesus pointing out to his disciples the poor widow who gave only two small coins to the collection at the temple? He praised her not for how much she gave, but how much her gift cost her. There is love in such a gift, and sacrifice, and trust in God's provision. And God asks the same of His struggling Haitian children as he does of His pampered Western Christians--and after reading the article I was ashamed at how much we are all denying Christ daily in how we all daily turn blind eyes to all the suffering around us.
I care very much about Haiti--that's why I wanted you to read the article, so you would care too. If we can't help in physical ways, we can pray. We should pray, asking God to make right what we cannot--which is, after all, what He is so great at.
-----------------
These are not completed thoughts, just bits I am still working out. I am worried this sounds like a sermon. I don't mean it to be. But when I sat down to write tonight, and was working on the previous post, I realized the two stories were connected. Here's how: Keri has been recently living and writing about sacrifice and trusting in God. I learned long ago that there is very little coincidence in the world, and my coming upon her blog and her story at this stage in my life and in my spiritual journey does not feel like coincidence. Certainly reading her blog post today does not feel like a coincidence, when it so perfectly takes all these ideas that have been in my head and heart and lays them out so I can't ignore them any more.
Well, I have a feeling I will still be ignoring them a little longer--or "processing them" as I often say. But God has been moving so clearly, so forcefully in my spirit in the past few weeks, I don't know how long I can ignore Him. I don't know what He is going to ask me to do, but I know I am supposed to say, "Yes."
So I'll end with another quotation that, too, breaks my heart, because it is true:
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
--Ghandi
Life on the Web, Story #2: Used
So I shared with you a couple of days ago my first story in this mini-series, about being heckled on facebook. It was silly, yes, but gave me chuckles and that's why I thought it was worth sharing. The next two stories are serious--one beautiful and one dreadful. I'm going to tell them back to back, because while they did not seem at all connected at the time, now, on this day, I see how clearly they are.
(And I still want to write about the things God showed me this past weekend--but as you will see, there is so much God in these stories too. He is just not letting me forget Him these days!
The steampunk I was so enjoying sharing with you all. . . while I have several posts started, I don't have the heart at the moment to finish them. You'll understand when you get through the next couple of posts.)
So here's story #2:
A few weeks back I introduced you all to one of the newest blogs on my sidebar, Creating My Own Little Nirvana. I don't remember how I found it, but was immediately drawn into the story. The story on Keri's blog to which I directed you was the one about God answering her prayers in such a specific, undeniable, flesh-and-blood way (Senator John Kerry standing on the steps of a church, no less!) that it was perfectly clear to her and to her readers of faith that the Lord of the universe heard her, was moved with compassion for her, and *hours, even days before the prayer was on her lips set in motion the events that would then, at just the moment of her crying out, show her his unfailing love.* (Clearly, if you have not read it, you should.)
Anyway, a short time has passed since that post, and Keri's trust in God and His loving provision for her has led her to suddenly leave the United States and move to Siberia, where she and her Russian-adopted daughter Nastia could finally be reunited with Nastia's sister Anya, whom Keri has been trying to adopt for the past 5 years. This was not a decision Keri made lightly, but out of fear for the health and safety of her daughters.
She must have received a lot of grief from business partners, parents of students she teaches, friends, etc. about this sudden decision, because a few days later she posted a very frustrated, very hurt "open letter" on her blog. Part of it said this:
And for some reason, even though I was new to her blog and don't normally post comments on the very personal postings of complete strangers, I made a comment. I wanted to encourage her, even if annonymously, the way you might approach a stranger who appeared to be distraught to see if you could lend some help or offer a kind word. But when I started to type, words popped into my head: you are released, you are absolved. That was what I really wanted to say to her, what seemed right--and yet, it also seemed way too pretentious. Like, who am I to say such a thing to this stranger, when I don't know her and barely know her story?
So I couched the words, and padded them, but finally did say them.
And later that day, unexpectedly, I saw a comment from Keri on my blog. She had figured out how to find me in blogger and came over to say she really appreciated my comment. Well, that was sweet! So of course I jumped back over to her post, so I could see what other people had said too and follow the whole conversation. And was immediately taken aback when I saw what she had posted in response to everyone's words of encouragement:
These, your comments, have been very healing for me tonight. Thank you. Blessed, your words " you are released, you are absolved" were divinely inspired. I NEEDED to hear that, and wept a lomg while when I read your words. VERY healing.
Reading that, a chill went through me, which I recognized--like seeing the footprints in the sand and knowing someone has walked there before me. I did not come up with those words--they popped into my head and I hesitated to write them, because they sounded so. . . well, pretentious is really the only word. I did not know why I was writing them, but Keri knew why she was reading them--because God wanted her to hear them. And I was His instrument.
That realization made me so giddy, so elated--I literally jumped up and down clapping my hands like a little girl at the unveiling of her birthday cake.
God used me.
And He used me to encourage a woman who I don't know, but whom I sense is a sister in spirit.
There are times when it feels like the virtual communities we can build on the web are real, tangible, important. This was one of those times. I love how God can and does move in all realms of our world, even the virtual one. I love how He affirmed, once again, that He will use us where we are, as we go about our everyday lives, if we remain open to His prompting.
Stay tuned for Story #3. . .
(And I still want to write about the things God showed me this past weekend--but as you will see, there is so much God in these stories too. He is just not letting me forget Him these days!
The steampunk I was so enjoying sharing with you all. . . while I have several posts started, I don't have the heart at the moment to finish them. You'll understand when you get through the next couple of posts.)
So here's story #2:
A few weeks back I introduced you all to one of the newest blogs on my sidebar, Creating My Own Little Nirvana. I don't remember how I found it, but was immediately drawn into the story. The story on Keri's blog to which I directed you was the one about God answering her prayers in such a specific, undeniable, flesh-and-blood way (Senator John Kerry standing on the steps of a church, no less!) that it was perfectly clear to her and to her readers of faith that the Lord of the universe heard her, was moved with compassion for her, and *hours, even days before the prayer was on her lips set in motion the events that would then, at just the moment of her crying out, show her his unfailing love.* (Clearly, if you have not read it, you should.)
Anyway, a short time has passed since that post, and Keri's trust in God and His loving provision for her has led her to suddenly leave the United States and move to Siberia, where she and her Russian-adopted daughter Nastia could finally be reunited with Nastia's sister Anya, whom Keri has been trying to adopt for the past 5 years. This was not a decision Keri made lightly, but out of fear for the health and safety of her daughters.
She must have received a lot of grief from business partners, parents of students she teaches, friends, etc. about this sudden decision, because a few days later she posted a very frustrated, very hurt "open letter" on her blog. Part of it said this:
. . . But can some of you PLEASE put yourselves in my shoes for one minute? Please! THINK, for a moment:
Would I give up thousands of dollars in salary if it were not imperative I go? Would I risk losing several long-term school jobs that I rely on, if it were not imperative I go? Would I risk my precarious health if it were not the last resort? Or Nastia's schooling? Would I spend thousands of dollars to fly to one of the most remote spots in the world, where I know all of two people, where the weather will worsen my health, where I have no means of making money, where I must struggle on a daily basis to be understood? Would I do this if I did not HAVE to?
NO!!!!!
I do this because I must.
I do this because no one else is going to do it for me!
I do this because I'm trying to save a life.
No offense, but if you are one of those people upset about my going, and upset about my current inability to meet with you and discuss whatever is on your agenda...'concerned' that I can't fulfill my work obligations right now...all I can tell you is, TOO BAD.
And for some reason, even though I was new to her blog and don't normally post comments on the very personal postings of complete strangers, I made a comment. I wanted to encourage her, even if annonymously, the way you might approach a stranger who appeared to be distraught to see if you could lend some help or offer a kind word. But when I started to type, words popped into my head: you are released, you are absolved. That was what I really wanted to say to her, what seemed right--and yet, it also seemed way too pretentious. Like, who am I to say such a thing to this stranger, when I don't know her and barely know her story?
So I couched the words, and padded them, but finally did say them.
And later that day, unexpectedly, I saw a comment from Keri on my blog. She had figured out how to find me in blogger and came over to say she really appreciated my comment. Well, that was sweet! So of course I jumped back over to her post, so I could see what other people had said too and follow the whole conversation. And was immediately taken aback when I saw what she had posted in response to everyone's words of encouragement:
These, your comments, have been very healing for me tonight. Thank you. Blessed, your words " you are released, you are absolved" were divinely inspired. I NEEDED to hear that, and wept a lomg while when I read your words. VERY healing.
Reading that, a chill went through me, which I recognized--like seeing the footprints in the sand and knowing someone has walked there before me. I did not come up with those words--they popped into my head and I hesitated to write them, because they sounded so. . . well, pretentious is really the only word. I did not know why I was writing them, but Keri knew why she was reading them--because God wanted her to hear them. And I was His instrument.
That realization made me so giddy, so elated--I literally jumped up and down clapping my hands like a little girl at the unveiling of her birthday cake.
God used me.
And He used me to encourage a woman who I don't know, but whom I sense is a sister in spirit.
There are times when it feels like the virtual communities we can build on the web are real, tangible, important. This was one of those times. I love how God can and does move in all realms of our world, even the virtual one. I love how He affirmed, once again, that He will use us where we are, as we go about our everyday lives, if we remain open to His prompting.
Stay tuned for Story #3. . .
Thursday, September 16, 2010
to you, Desiree, if you ever visit
Desiree, I'm talkin' to you.
Your blog is gone, the email I sent to you permanently failed.
If you have walked away forever from the virtual realm and your fellow bloggers, that is completely fine. As long as you do so without any blue feelings, wondering if anyone has even noticed you are gone. Feeling like nobody cares.
Well, just in case you ever see this, let me tell you: I read your blog not because you were witty or original or cute (although you were all those things). I read your blog because I was interested in you. You for who you are, on your life journey. I read because I cared--and will still care, even if I never hear from you again.
And just because you are an atheist does not mean you don't have a spirit to nourish. I am going to pray for you, that you are surrounded by Love. And it does not matter if you don't believe in what I believe--God does not need you to believe in Him, for Him to believe in you. You are an awesome, wonderful creation, and I am glad to have known you for a while.
And if you want me to stop praying for you, well, then I guess you'll just have to ask. You know where to find me. ; )
Your blog is gone, the email I sent to you permanently failed.
If you have walked away forever from the virtual realm and your fellow bloggers, that is completely fine. As long as you do so without any blue feelings, wondering if anyone has even noticed you are gone. Feeling like nobody cares.
Well, just in case you ever see this, let me tell you: I read your blog not because you were witty or original or cute (although you were all those things). I read your blog because I was interested in you. You for who you are, on your life journey. I read because I cared--and will still care, even if I never hear from you again.
And just because you are an atheist does not mean you don't have a spirit to nourish. I am going to pray for you, that you are surrounded by Love. And it does not matter if you don't believe in what I believe--God does not need you to believe in Him, for Him to believe in you. You are an awesome, wonderful creation, and I am glad to have known you for a while.
And if you want me to stop praying for you, well, then I guess you'll just have to ask. You know where to find me. ; )
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Life on the Web, Story #1: Heckled
Am back from my weekend "away"--the women's retreat was at a Christian camp/conference center in the Santa Cruz mountains, so I just went for the activities and came back home to sleep. Although I did not get much sleep--getting there by 8:00 every morning and not getting home until 11:30 every evening. But it was a very good weekend, and there is SO MUCH I would love to share with you all--hopefully I will get a chance this week to get some blogging time in, while the ideas are still fresh in my mind. (I did take notes, so that will help.)
But before I do, I just wanted to wrap up something I started to write about last week. It is a three-part series about some of the things that were a part of my life on the web last week, and they run the gambit from silly to heartbreaking.
I'll start with the silly.
Up until about two weeks ago this was my facebook profile picture:
I was very happy with this profile pic and never had reason to change it, esp. since I am rarely on facebook. But a couple of months ago I started feeling guilty. Honestly, I loved the pic because it was one of the best I had ever taken. But I was starting to get the nagging feeling that the pic was no longer an accurate representation of me. As in, not at all. That photo was taken, um, I am now embarassed to admit it, seven years ago. But I swear I was not trying to be (just) vain by chosing it for my facebook account--I think the best profile pics for fb are the ones where you can see clearly the face of the person. It is so annoying when someone wants to be friends with you, you can't remember who they are, you jump to their page to refresh your memory, and the person's profile pic is Scooby-Doo or something. And since I am the photographer of the family, I am not in very many of our photos, let alone good ones. So when I first signed up for fb it seemed like no-brainer to use this one--you can see me well, and I look good!
And actually, that last is one of the reasons I always liked the photo--would you believe I was between 8 and 9 months pregnant with Merry in this pic? But I was going to be presenting a paper at a conference and they asked for a headshot for the program, so one evening I just said, "Oh, heck with it," and just asked DH to take my pic. I didn't do my hair (which was up in a plastic clip) or put on makeup (except maybe a little lipstick--hard to tell), and was wearing one of DH's old sweatshirts, being hugely pregnant and all. I sat on the back of the sofa so we would have a nice uniform backdrop of the living room curtains, and he took the shot. So I was flabbergasted that the photo turned out so well, which has always made me enjoy it even more. I think that must have been when I still got the pregnant glow--instead of the haggard bags I enjoy these days.
Merry got her pic in the program too, since she was 6 weeks old when the conference came around, and I took her with!:
ANYWAY, two weeks ago the guilt was getting too much for me, so I posted the following status on fb:
And my dear Susan, who was on the computer at the same time there in Colorado, shot back with:
Which response of course just goes to show how much we love each other.
Well, the gauntlet had been thrown, and so publically too! Of course I HAD to change it now! So, grumbling all the while to DH, I immediately went over to Google images to look for something to use, since I knew I didn't have ANY recent pic that would suffice. My grumbling to DH went something like this:
Me: Alright then, I'll get a photo that's less vanity. Less posed. I'll show you! Hey, DH, what celebrity do I look a little bit like?
DH: (bless him) Angelina Jolie?
Me: (Snorting, but typing "Angelina Jolie brunette") Ahhhhhhhhhh-haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!
And a moment later, on facebook:
Susan approved. ; )
And I have gotten many chuckles since I posted it. Funniest of all are the distant relatives and old aquaintances who don't remember exactly what I look like (and clearly don't follow contemporary culture) who think this is me! As I said to one old friend who asked if it was me:
One of the most humorous part of it, for me, is that really the only resemblance between me and Angelina Jolie in this pic is the hair and that is some ugly hair.
But the best moment came from an email, from DH's grandma, who is one of my fb friends:
I was just surfing through Face book awhile ago---what's with this strange. cold looking picture that you say is you??? It sure doesn't look like the sweet one that I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (looks like some "hard" Honkey tonk person!!) sorry--that can't be you!!!!!!!
and are those pictures on your photo page of this years reunion or 20 years ago---they look 50 lbs heavier than I have ever seen you!
Um, thanks, Grandma?
Clearly it does not matter if it is an old picture, or a very recent picture--I can't win.
Except Merry came up to the computer right when I posted the first photo, and said, "You look pretty in that picture. And you look pretty now."
Aw, thanks, girl!
But before I do, I just wanted to wrap up something I started to write about last week. It is a three-part series about some of the things that were a part of my life on the web last week, and they run the gambit from silly to heartbreaking.
I'll start with the silly.
Up until about two weeks ago this was my facebook profile picture:
I was very happy with this profile pic and never had reason to change it, esp. since I am rarely on facebook. But a couple of months ago I started feeling guilty. Honestly, I loved the pic because it was one of the best I had ever taken. But I was starting to get the nagging feeling that the pic was no longer an accurate representation of me. As in, not at all. That photo was taken, um, I am now embarassed to admit it, seven years ago. But I swear I was not trying to be (just) vain by chosing it for my facebook account--I think the best profile pics for fb are the ones where you can see clearly the face of the person. It is so annoying when someone wants to be friends with you, you can't remember who they are, you jump to their page to refresh your memory, and the person's profile pic is Scooby-Doo or something. And since I am the photographer of the family, I am not in very many of our photos, let alone good ones. So when I first signed up for fb it seemed like no-brainer to use this one--you can see me well, and I look good!
And actually, that last is one of the reasons I always liked the photo--would you believe I was between 8 and 9 months pregnant with Merry in this pic? But I was going to be presenting a paper at a conference and they asked for a headshot for the program, so one evening I just said, "Oh, heck with it," and just asked DH to take my pic. I didn't do my hair (which was up in a plastic clip) or put on makeup (except maybe a little lipstick--hard to tell), and was wearing one of DH's old sweatshirts, being hugely pregnant and all. I sat on the back of the sofa so we would have a nice uniform backdrop of the living room curtains, and he took the shot. So I was flabbergasted that the photo turned out so well, which has always made me enjoy it even more. I think that must have been when I still got the pregnant glow--instead of the haggard bags I enjoy these days.
Merry got her pic in the program too, since she was 6 weeks old when the conference came around, and I took her with!:
ANYWAY, two weeks ago the guilt was getting too much for me, so I posted the following status on fb:
. . . is wondering how many years i can keep the same fb profile pic without crossing the line into fraud.
And my dear Susan, who was on the computer at the same time there in Colorado, shot back with:
ha ha - I have to admit that I think of your profile photo as a "vanity" shot. I dare you to post a new one that is less posed!
Which response of course just goes to show how much we love each other.
Well, the gauntlet had been thrown, and so publically too! Of course I HAD to change it now! So, grumbling all the while to DH, I immediately went over to Google images to look for something to use, since I knew I didn't have ANY recent pic that would suffice. My grumbling to DH went something like this:
Me: Alright then, I'll get a photo that's less vanity. Less posed. I'll show you! Hey, DH, what celebrity do I look a little bit like?
DH: (bless him) Angelina Jolie?
Me: (Snorting, but typing "Angelina Jolie brunette") Ahhhhhhhhhh-haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!
And a moment later, on facebook:
How's this one? Not bad for being in the late 30's and having pushed out a couple of puppies, eh? ; )
Susan approved. ; )
And I have gotten many chuckles since I posted it. Funniest of all are the distant relatives and old aquaintances who don't remember exactly what I look like (and clearly don't follow contemporary culture) who think this is me! As I said to one old friend who asked if it was me:
it's either me or a not-so-great pic of one of the most beautiful women in the world. if you can't tell, i'm certainly not going to. ; )
One of the most humorous part of it, for me, is that really the only resemblance between me and Angelina Jolie in this pic is the hair and that is some ugly hair.
But the best moment came from an email, from DH's grandma, who is one of my fb friends:
I was just surfing through Face book awhile ago---what's with this strange. cold looking picture that you say is you??? It sure doesn't look like the sweet one that I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (looks like some "hard" Honkey tonk person!!) sorry--that can't be you!!!!!!!
and are those pictures on your photo page of this years reunion or 20 years ago---they look 50 lbs heavier than I have ever seen you!
Um, thanks, Grandma?
Clearly it does not matter if it is an old picture, or a very recent picture--I can't win.
Except Merry came up to the computer right when I posted the first photo, and said, "You look pretty in that picture. And you look pretty now."
Aw, thanks, girl!
Friday, September 10, 2010
giddy
This is really quick. I am leaving tonight for a women's spiritual retreat--the first since Sunny was a baby! And my in-laws are coming to stay the weekend--MIL offered to come and watch the kids while I was gone, so DH and FIL could work on one of the projects. So sweet of her, and them.
And best. of. all. With all the dedicated purging and deep cleaning I have been doing. . .
THE HOUSE LOOKS GREAT!
and most best of all. . .
NO MORE PILES!!!!!!!
I cannot tell you how happy I am. Except I am exhausted, so maybe will be fully happy when I have time to sit and enjoy it. And when my in-laws take the TV and VCR and videos with them (yes, they want them).
And the past 2 days I have been working like a dog, but it felt so, so good, because for every thing I had to do, there were other things that I had already done in the past couple of weeks that I could rest my weary eyes on and feel such satisfaction about. Go me! And seriously--my list was HUGE, everything from trimming the kids' fingernails and toenails to vacuming and mopping the whole house to straightening the closets and storage bins to cleaning out the woodbox to washing windows. . . and it is almost all done.
When was the last time I had a cleaning list so huge that actually got done?
WHOO-HOO!
now it is time for a quick cup of tea and well-earned "lacey" cookie and cheese and nuts--then shower and do last minute things and be ready to drive off to the retreat at 5! (I'd better hurry!)
Have a GREAT weekend, however you spend it!
And best. of. all. With all the dedicated purging and deep cleaning I have been doing. . .
THE HOUSE LOOKS GREAT!
and most best of all. . .
NO MORE PILES!!!!!!!
I cannot tell you how happy I am. Except I am exhausted, so maybe will be fully happy when I have time to sit and enjoy it. And when my in-laws take the TV and VCR and videos with them (yes, they want them).
And the past 2 days I have been working like a dog, but it felt so, so good, because for every thing I had to do, there were other things that I had already done in the past couple of weeks that I could rest my weary eyes on and feel such satisfaction about. Go me! And seriously--my list was HUGE, everything from trimming the kids' fingernails and toenails to vacuming and mopping the whole house to straightening the closets and storage bins to cleaning out the woodbox to washing windows. . . and it is almost all done.
When was the last time I had a cleaning list so huge that actually got done?
WHOO-HOO!
now it is time for a quick cup of tea and well-earned "lacey" cookie and cheese and nuts--then shower and do last minute things and be ready to drive off to the retreat at 5! (I'd better hurry!)
Have a GREAT weekend, however you spend it!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sharing more goodies with YOU! (i.e. purging again)
I have not been posting about it, but the Great Summer Purge has turned into the Great Fall Purge--and I am really getting into some good stuff. By that I mean I am starting to look at some really, really cool stuff with new eyes and realizing it might be really cool, but is not used and loved. So it is OUTTA HERE. And I must say, this most recent round of purging has left me more uplifted than any thus far; while it is always freeing to release unneeded and unloved things into the world, it is a little bit harder to let go of things that you actually like, even if you never use them and they don't fit your family's lifestyle--and probably never will. So while the emotional/psychological effort to decide to let it go is a little harder, the freedom you feel when you have so chosen is greater. Ahhhhhhhh.
Yesterday was a breakthrough for us, and I owe it all to DH, who is NOT the purging type. At all. (Yes, there are quite a few things around here that are not being used/loved and are prime purge fodder, and remain only because they are his. I'm pretty sure letting one's husband hold onto his never used but perceived priceless, um, stuff must be one of those love languages. ; )
So about, oh, two months ago, I decided I would pull all the furniture away from the long window at the back of our main room, to give it a thorough (and very necessary!) cleaning. And while I was at it, I would wash the windows and paint the caulk on the windows my dad replaced about two years ago. I got halfway done, and then, well, life and procrastination got the best of me. I put back some of the pieces that usually reside along that wall under the window, but not all of them; in particular, I had moved the ancient TV and not so ancient VCR away, unplugging all their cables and cords in the process, which did not seem like a big deal at the time. Later, when I had to concede that I was not going to be finishing the project anytime soon, but was sick and tired of the VCR and TV sitting on the floor in the middle of the house with the pile of cables mocking me from the corner, I realized my folly and despaired.
Ok, actually I think part of that decision to unplug everything and clear it away from the wall was also a wee bit subconscious wishful thinking: we had been meaning to get rid of the TV for a long time, and had just saved it for watching videos. The TV is so old and small by today's standards (16 inch screen, plastic "wood" panelled "cabinet,' and convenient built-in carrying handle on top--niiiice) that we once threw a movie night party--and our friends offered to bring their TV. But it has been absolutely fine for our limited use, and we have no intentions of ever being big screen TV people anyway--well, at least in this house. (We can't be big ANYTHING in this house.) So we have kept it and used it at least monthly, which seemed to justify it in our home as a permanent fixture.
The VCR DH bought way back B.C. when our old one died is, in his opinion, "Possibly the best VCR ever made!" It can do all kinds of fancy-schmancy editing stuff, even if we have never used any buttons other than play and rewind. But he bought the best available at the time, figuring even 10 years ago that VHS was a dying format, so VCR machines would be hard to come by in the future, so we had better get a machine made to last. (And his reasoning was sound--we researched its possible value tonight, and used models of our machine are being offered on eBay for $250! Not bad for outdated technology.)
Anyway, the VCR was a good one, and useful, so my idea had been to keep the VCR, but get cables so we could hook it up to the computer, and nix the ancient TV. That all changed when yesterday DH did some online searching and realized that the required cables might run $300. Um, never mind. Then DH did something completely unexpected and shocking--he suggested we just phase out our whole video collection, and get rid of the TV and VCR too. I confess that even I, a hardened purger, gasped and said, "No!" But two seconds later realized, What was I thinking?! OF COURSE!!!! We have absolutely no need for all those things. I checked--every single one of the titles we are going to get rid of on VHS are available through Netflix. Even the ones I would have been loath to part with, like my family's favorite growing up The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! (A comedy classic--go rent it.) Or the films I kept because I used to teach them in my film classes, or which I wrote academic papers on, such as Dead Man Walking, The Crying Game, and The Color Purple. All great movies, but why do I need to keep them on my shelf if I can watch them anytime through Netflix?
Ok, The Russians Are Coming I might need to ask for on Blu-ray in my Christmas stocking--which DH wants to switch to, and explains why he, a natural hoarder, was so eager to part with our video collection and player. ; )
And I must say, the feeling of knowing we were getting rid of all those things was exhilarating. Well, that and knowing I would not have to figure out how to replug all those cables and cords.
So of course I wanted to share my joy and one of my treasures with YOU!
Enchanted April is one of my all-time favorite movies. If you enjoy slow, quietly meaningful period films, then you will love this. I won't give a plot summary here, since you can get that and rave reviews here. I will just say that the film has spoken profoundly to me over the past years, esp. into the beauty of female relationships, the strange and scary joy of choosing to love and trust your spouse, and the ways in which God uses us all in one another's lives to grow us and shape us into bold Lovers. You have to approach this film with patience and eyes and mind ready to find meaning in small conversations, and the juxtaposition of pain and beauty, hurt and strength. And the cinematography is stunning, esp. as the women are arranged in God's nature.
All of you readers who think we share a common bond of such things of the spirit, I want to share this movie with you! So if you have Netflix, add it to the top of your queue. But if you do not have access to this movie and still use videos, then I want to send it to you! So please leave a comment below, and I will happily send it to you this next week.
And don't worry, my feelings will not be hurt if no one is interested. I am putting the rest of the grown-up movies on freecycle, and will just add this one to the bag if there are no takers here. : )
But please do see it in some fashion! And when you do, let me know, and I'll be thrilled.
Yesterday was a breakthrough for us, and I owe it all to DH, who is NOT the purging type. At all. (Yes, there are quite a few things around here that are not being used/loved and are prime purge fodder, and remain only because they are his. I'm pretty sure letting one's husband hold onto his never used but perceived priceless, um, stuff must be one of those love languages. ; )
So about, oh, two months ago, I decided I would pull all the furniture away from the long window at the back of our main room, to give it a thorough (and very necessary!) cleaning. And while I was at it, I would wash the windows and paint the caulk on the windows my dad replaced about two years ago. I got halfway done, and then, well, life and procrastination got the best of me. I put back some of the pieces that usually reside along that wall under the window, but not all of them; in particular, I had moved the ancient TV and not so ancient VCR away, unplugging all their cables and cords in the process, which did not seem like a big deal at the time. Later, when I had to concede that I was not going to be finishing the project anytime soon, but was sick and tired of the VCR and TV sitting on the floor in the middle of the house with the pile of cables mocking me from the corner, I realized my folly and despaired.
Ok, actually I think part of that decision to unplug everything and clear it away from the wall was also a wee bit subconscious wishful thinking: we had been meaning to get rid of the TV for a long time, and had just saved it for watching videos. The TV is so old and small by today's standards (16 inch screen, plastic "wood" panelled "cabinet,' and convenient built-in carrying handle on top--niiiice) that we once threw a movie night party--and our friends offered to bring their TV. But it has been absolutely fine for our limited use, and we have no intentions of ever being big screen TV people anyway--well, at least in this house. (We can't be big ANYTHING in this house.) So we have kept it and used it at least monthly, which seemed to justify it in our home as a permanent fixture.
The VCR DH bought way back B.C. when our old one died is, in his opinion, "Possibly the best VCR ever made!" It can do all kinds of fancy-schmancy editing stuff, even if we have never used any buttons other than play and rewind. But he bought the best available at the time, figuring even 10 years ago that VHS was a dying format, so VCR machines would be hard to come by in the future, so we had better get a machine made to last. (And his reasoning was sound--we researched its possible value tonight, and used models of our machine are being offered on eBay for $250! Not bad for outdated technology.)
Anyway, the VCR was a good one, and useful, so my idea had been to keep the VCR, but get cables so we could hook it up to the computer, and nix the ancient TV. That all changed when yesterday DH did some online searching and realized that the required cables might run $300. Um, never mind. Then DH did something completely unexpected and shocking--he suggested we just phase out our whole video collection, and get rid of the TV and VCR too. I confess that even I, a hardened purger, gasped and said, "No!" But two seconds later realized, What was I thinking?! OF COURSE!!!! We have absolutely no need for all those things. I checked--every single one of the titles we are going to get rid of on VHS are available through Netflix. Even the ones I would have been loath to part with, like my family's favorite growing up The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! (A comedy classic--go rent it.) Or the films I kept because I used to teach them in my film classes, or which I wrote academic papers on, such as Dead Man Walking, The Crying Game, and The Color Purple. All great movies, but why do I need to keep them on my shelf if I can watch them anytime through Netflix?
Ok, The Russians Are Coming I might need to ask for on Blu-ray in my Christmas stocking--which DH wants to switch to, and explains why he, a natural hoarder, was so eager to part with our video collection and player. ; )
And I must say, the feeling of knowing we were getting rid of all those things was exhilarating. Well, that and knowing I would not have to figure out how to replug all those cables and cords.
So of course I wanted to share my joy and one of my treasures with YOU!
Enchanted April is one of my all-time favorite movies. If you enjoy slow, quietly meaningful period films, then you will love this. I won't give a plot summary here, since you can get that and rave reviews here. I will just say that the film has spoken profoundly to me over the past years, esp. into the beauty of female relationships, the strange and scary joy of choosing to love and trust your spouse, and the ways in which God uses us all in one another's lives to grow us and shape us into bold Lovers. You have to approach this film with patience and eyes and mind ready to find meaning in small conversations, and the juxtaposition of pain and beauty, hurt and strength. And the cinematography is stunning, esp. as the women are arranged in God's nature.
All of you readers who think we share a common bond of such things of the spirit, I want to share this movie with you! So if you have Netflix, add it to the top of your queue. But if you do not have access to this movie and still use videos, then I want to send it to you! So please leave a comment below, and I will happily send it to you this next week.
And don't worry, my feelings will not be hurt if no one is interested. I am putting the rest of the grown-up movies on freecycle, and will just add this one to the bag if there are no takers here. : )
But please do see it in some fashion! And when you do, let me know, and I'll be thrilled.
Friday, September 3, 2010
swagbucks follow-up
Just today I scored 49 SB for one search ("chromosomes"), and then 10 for another ("What Your Kindergartner Should Know")! Whoo-hoo!
I have never won so many in one day--but forgot to mention in my SB post that Fridays are the MUST SEARCH days, because Swagbucks advertizes that they give away bigger prizes on those days.
And I just started participating in the "daily poll" which you access from the Swagbucks search page--takes literally 20 seconds max and gets you 1 SB. Well, if I remember to do that when I am on the computer already, it will be an easy 200 SB a year, I figure. Remember, the goal is to get SB without effort. This fits.
There are also NOSO: "No Obligation Special Offers" you can view daily to earn 1 SB. Takes about 1 minute to click through about 5-6 offers and click the "no" button for all of them--so don't know that I will do this routinely, but maybe. If I did it whenever I also did the poll, then I can easily see 400 SB a year.
Now, it takes 450 SB to get one $5.00 Amazon gift card, which is my goal. So that could seem like a lot of work for very little return. Except I am already getting about 14 SB a DAY (not week, as I first mistakenly wrote) for my usual searches, which I would expect would get me a minimum of 3500 SB a year. . . so add the 400 to that, and you have an EASY 4000 SB a year--which translates to $40 bucks in cold, hard, virtual cash. ; ) I can use that.
AND I did some research into the Swagbucks partner stores, and found out that some of them are ones I plan on using this next year, and you get 2 SB for every 1 dollar you spend. Some of the stores I plan on visiting--so I would be giving them my $ anyway and now get SB as icing on the cake--are The Children's Place, Snapfish, Shoes.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Target, Kohls. . . and since I only order from these places when there are specials on shipping I should be able to score big!
Mom. . . just so you know, Fannie May Candies and Hanna Andersson are two of the partner stores. Ahem.
So for me, Swagbucks is a clear no-brainer. It won't be for everyone so don't consider this a sales pitch but just an FYI.
I have never won so many in one day--but forgot to mention in my SB post that Fridays are the MUST SEARCH days, because Swagbucks advertizes that they give away bigger prizes on those days.
And I just started participating in the "daily poll" which you access from the Swagbucks search page--takes literally 20 seconds max and gets you 1 SB. Well, if I remember to do that when I am on the computer already, it will be an easy 200 SB a year, I figure. Remember, the goal is to get SB without effort. This fits.
There are also NOSO: "No Obligation Special Offers" you can view daily to earn 1 SB. Takes about 1 minute to click through about 5-6 offers and click the "no" button for all of them--so don't know that I will do this routinely, but maybe. If I did it whenever I also did the poll, then I can easily see 400 SB a year.
Now, it takes 450 SB to get one $5.00 Amazon gift card, which is my goal. So that could seem like a lot of work for very little return. Except I am already getting about 14 SB a DAY (not week, as I first mistakenly wrote) for my usual searches, which I would expect would get me a minimum of 3500 SB a year. . . so add the 400 to that, and you have an EASY 4000 SB a year--which translates to $40 bucks in cold, hard, virtual cash. ; ) I can use that.
AND I did some research into the Swagbucks partner stores, and found out that some of them are ones I plan on using this next year, and you get 2 SB for every 1 dollar you spend. Some of the stores I plan on visiting--so I would be giving them my $ anyway and now get SB as icing on the cake--are The Children's Place, Snapfish, Shoes.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Target, Kohls. . . and since I only order from these places when there are specials on shipping I should be able to score big!
Mom. . . just so you know, Fannie May Candies and Hanna Andersson are two of the partner stores. Ahem.
So for me, Swagbucks is a clear no-brainer. It won't be for everyone so don't consider this a sales pitch but just an FYI.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
swagbucks, celebrated
This is another one of those posts that I have been meaning to write for a looooong time.
You have probably wondered at some point what that little thing over on my right-hand sidebar that says "Swagbucks" is all about. Swagbucks is essentially a marketing tool--but I don't see how they are making any money off of me, the way I use it, and I am getting free money in return.
Seriously. I recently decided to finally cash in my accummulated swagbucks (SB) for gift cards to amazon.com, and just yesterday I used them to get books for our home library. I got thirty bucks worth of books, for free. And the gift cards are good for any amazon purchase--food, clothes, music, toys, whatever is being sold through amazon!
Now, there are lots of other ways you can cash in your swagbucks--the most bang for your buck is actually music downloads, but we don't download music yet (I know, we are SO nineteen nineties) and I get a lot of stuff on amazon, so that is the way I'll be using my SB.
Now, it also takes a loooooooong time to rack up $30 worth of SB. There are ways you can get them faster--and Moderate Means posted here and here about her SB experiences and methods so you can compare with mine--but I am all about 1) laziness and 2) not signing up for anything I don't want, and 3) privacy. So, I basically have Swagbucks set as my homepage and use it instead of Google anytime I do a search, if I am not being particular about the results. If I don't find the results I want, I hop over to Google and try again. (And don't bother using the SB search engine for images--it's not make for it, and has a clear dearth of images.)
(And it works! Just this minute I put "Moderate Means" into the SB search engine, because I was being too lazy to open a separate page with my blog so I could see her link from my sidebar--and won 10 SB for my "effort"!)
I also use the Swagbucks search engine as a dictionary! I just type the word as I think it might be spelled and hit "search" and it will come back with "did you mean _____?" and there is my answer, with sometimes SB awarded for my "effort"! I also sometimes use it to get places like amazon.com, zappos, etc.--places that I could type an actual address for, but for which I sometimes get SB when I get to them via the Swagbucks search engine.
I am on the computer looking things up a lot. So just by doing what I would normally be doing anyway, I get about 6-14 SB a day. It takes a long time for them to add up this way, but I'm ok with that. Because I don't want to get sucked into thinking I need more swagbucks--because that is when I would become prey to the marketing, and might end up tempted to spend money on some special offer just to get a bunch of swagbucks. And unless the special offer involves something I want to do anyway, it is just not worth it.
The only offer I routinely see that I would do--except I am already doing it--is Netflix. If you ever want to sign up for the Netflix trial subscription and have not yet done so, this would be the way to do it--free trial period AND free swagbucks. (And that's another thing I want to write about soon--how we stretch our family's Netflix subscription to get the most for our money, so stay tuned for that! ; )
Anyway, Swagbucks is a no-brainer way to get a little bit of something for free, for almost no effort.
If you do decide to sign up for Swagbucks, just please do it by clicking on the link on my sidebar--I think if you sign up that way I get a few extra SB as kickback!
Oh, and before I forget--I think SB has a partnership with some online stores so that if you visit them through the SB home page you get one SB for every dollar you spend in the store! I always forget to try this, though. And of course it would only be wise if you were already planning on spending that money in the store. (But I do a lot of my shopping online, so this is something I need to remember!)
Free stuff? I am all over it.
(If you currently use SB, and have an easy sure-fire way of getting them, please let me know in the comments! Stacy, I just saw the SB widget on your blog--will be checking that out!)
You have probably wondered at some point what that little thing over on my right-hand sidebar that says "Swagbucks" is all about. Swagbucks is essentially a marketing tool--but I don't see how they are making any money off of me, the way I use it, and I am getting free money in return.
Seriously. I recently decided to finally cash in my accummulated swagbucks (SB) for gift cards to amazon.com, and just yesterday I used them to get books for our home library. I got thirty bucks worth of books, for free. And the gift cards are good for any amazon purchase--food, clothes, music, toys, whatever is being sold through amazon!
Now, there are lots of other ways you can cash in your swagbucks--the most bang for your buck is actually music downloads, but we don't download music yet (I know, we are SO nineteen nineties) and I get a lot of stuff on amazon, so that is the way I'll be using my SB.
Now, it also takes a loooooooong time to rack up $30 worth of SB. There are ways you can get them faster--and Moderate Means posted here and here about her SB experiences and methods so you can compare with mine--but I am all about 1) laziness and 2) not signing up for anything I don't want, and 3) privacy. So, I basically have Swagbucks set as my homepage and use it instead of Google anytime I do a search, if I am not being particular about the results. If I don't find the results I want, I hop over to Google and try again. (And don't bother using the SB search engine for images--it's not make for it, and has a clear dearth of images.)
(And it works! Just this minute I put "Moderate Means" into the SB search engine, because I was being too lazy to open a separate page with my blog so I could see her link from my sidebar--and won 10 SB for my "effort"!)
I also use the Swagbucks search engine as a dictionary! I just type the word as I think it might be spelled and hit "search" and it will come back with "did you mean _____?" and there is my answer, with sometimes SB awarded for my "effort"! I also sometimes use it to get places like amazon.com, zappos, etc.--places that I could type an actual address for, but for which I sometimes get SB when I get to them via the Swagbucks search engine.
I am on the computer looking things up a lot. So just by doing what I would normally be doing anyway, I get about 6-14 SB a day. It takes a long time for them to add up this way, but I'm ok with that. Because I don't want to get sucked into thinking I need more swagbucks--because that is when I would become prey to the marketing, and might end up tempted to spend money on some special offer just to get a bunch of swagbucks. And unless the special offer involves something I want to do anyway, it is just not worth it.
The only offer I routinely see that I would do--except I am already doing it--is Netflix. If you ever want to sign up for the Netflix trial subscription and have not yet done so, this would be the way to do it--free trial period AND free swagbucks. (And that's another thing I want to write about soon--how we stretch our family's Netflix subscription to get the most for our money, so stay tuned for that! ; )
Anyway, Swagbucks is a no-brainer way to get a little bit of something for free, for almost no effort.
If you do decide to sign up for Swagbucks, just please do it by clicking on the link on my sidebar--I think if you sign up that way I get a few extra SB as kickback!
Oh, and before I forget--I think SB has a partnership with some online stores so that if you visit them through the SB home page you get one SB for every dollar you spend in the store! I always forget to try this, though. And of course it would only be wise if you were already planning on spending that money in the store. (But I do a lot of my shopping online, so this is something I need to remember!)
Free stuff? I am all over it.
(If you currently use SB, and have an easy sure-fire way of getting them, please let me know in the comments! Stacy, I just saw the SB widget on your blog--will be checking that out!)
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