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I’ve not really done a lot of work promoting The Journal, but I was blessed with the opportunity to do an interview with one of my long-time Twitter friends. Go over to her blog to check it out!
I’ll get to more details about my first week soon, but for now, let me tell you a little (embarrassing!) tale of my last week unemployed.
One day a week or two ago I may have been frustrated to the point of tears at the local post office.
The details aren’t particularly important. I think we could all tell tales about how illogical and unhelpful post offices can be. That’s not what this post is about.
It’s about me…or more specifically, my sinful heart. For really, when I say I was “frustrated,” I’m just painting my sinful anger in a socially-acceptable light. I wouldn’t say that I’m a person characterized by anger, but this situation brought out what was in the dregs of my heart. If it wasn’t there in the first place, how could it have come out?
What surprised me about this incident was not what came up (I’ve long since realized my own sinfulness) but how easily it came out. I’d like to think that I’m much more holy than that.
Umm, yeah.
I’m thankful for the postal service and the God who used it to remind me that He’s not done refining me yet.
(ignore the smirk on my face…it was early!)
I love quotes. So much so, that I created a blog just to collect my favorite quotes (that I’ve not been updating lately, but still, all my older favorite quotes are there).
Here are my 10 of my favorite quotes from books. If only I could write this well!
1. “He wondered for a moment if it was Mars he was looking at; then, as his eyes took in the markings better, he recognised what they were–Northern Europe and a piece of North America. They were upside down with the North Pole at the bottom of the picture and this somehow shocked him. But it was Earth he was seeing–even, perhaps, England, though the picture shook a little and his eyes were quickly getting tired, and he could not be certain that he was not imagining it. It was all there in that little disk–London, Athens, Jerusalem, Shakespeare. There everyone had lived and everything had happened; and there, presumably, his pack was still lying in the porch of an empty house near Sterk. ‘Yes,’ he said dully to the sorn. ‘That is my world.’ It was the bleakest moment in all his travels.”
- Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, p. 96
2. “Arraigned at my own bar, Memory having given her evidence of the hopes, wishes, sentiments I had been cherishing since last night–of the general state of mind in which I had indulged for nearly a fortnight past; Reason having come forward and told in her own quiet way a plain, unvarnished tale, showing how I had rejected the real, and rabidly devoured the ideal–I pronounced judgment to this effect:–That a greater fool than Jane Eyre had never breathed the breath of life: that a more fantastic idiot had never surfeited herself on sweet lies, and swallowed poison as if it were nectar.”
– Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, p. 169
3. “Whereever you are, you should always be contented, but especially at home, because there you must spend the most of your time.”
– Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, p. 294
4. “As a general rule, people, even the wicked, are much more naive and simple-hearted than we suppose. And we ourselves are, too.”
– The Brother Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, p. 17
5. “As will be the case throughout your life, no matter how long or brief [the urge], the choice is, in the end, yours. Simply bear in mind that most every choice will have consequences, and in this instance those consequences would likely be quite grave.”
– Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr., p. 4
6. “I remembered thinking how hard it was to contemplate death from a comfortable chair.”
- The Host by Stephenie Meyer, p. 127
7. “Large numbers of books always depressed her, as did people who liked to read large numbers of books.”
– Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, p. 159
8. “…you must also own Religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; and stand by him, too, when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh the streets with applause.”
– Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, p. 92
9. “And know this: people who seek only happiness never find it.”
– Blue in Snow by Orhan Pamuk, p. 350
10. “ ‘Ignorance is not a tragedy,’ said Anton, ‘merely an opportunity. But to know and refuse to know what you know, that is foolishness.’ ”
- Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card, p. 91
For more Top Ten lists, visit Broke and Bookish
The apartment is clean, my purse is packed with plenty of Lipsmaker, and my first-day outfit is pressed (just kidding…I don’t even own an iron). What could that mean?
It’s my first day of my new job!
I’ve been looking forward to this day for a while. Sure, there is some anxiety of the unknown, but I’m hopeful and excited to see what new challenges and friendships are in store for me here. I’m excited to be able to grow with a company and learn new skills.
When I get a chance, I hope to give you reflections on my first day/week. After being able to set my own schedule for almost 3 months, I know my first week will be especially exhausting, but in a good way.
Well, after two and a half months off, my unemployment ends Monday. So what I have I learned during this season?
1. God is definitely sovereign. He kindly overrode my own plans for my life, giving me something better.
2. Planning is good and necessary, but don’t be married to your own ideas for your future.
3. I can live on less income than I thought. Going to take advantage of this in the next couple of years to save up for long-term plans.
4. I thrive on a schedule and am rather helpless in forcing myself on a schedule without concrete items on my calendar.
5. Just because you have more time to read doesn’t mean that you will. I can almost guarantee I’ll read more in my first month at work than in the last month of unemployment (four books read).
6. My time is not my own, so I shouldn’t selfishly spend it on myself. Same is true of money.
7. Blessings freely given by God are more precious than anything you can try to grasp for.
I’m incredibly thankful that this season is over, but I wouldn’t want it to be different if I had a do-over. I can honestly say I’m closer to God and to others than I was two and a half months ago.
I’ve heard it before by both adults and youth: “Classics are HARD!” Yes, they require some work. People of yesteryear weren’t accustomed to the instant entertainment we think is normal. They were willing to put in a little work…and benefited from it because of it. We can, too!
I think part of the problem is the common misconception that classics are stuffy and somber. Some are, sure, but many are actually quite light and funny once you get past the dusty cover.
Here are the top 10 classics I’d recommend to a newbie. There are others that are my favorites, but they’re not necessarily the most accessible. For instance, I didn’t put Tom Jones, Atlas Shrugged, or anything by a Russian author on this list, as much as I might like them.
For the sake of this list, I’ll use the word “classic” to mean any book written before 1950. Of course, just because a book is old doesn’t make it good, but if you’ve heard of it, there’s a good chance there’s a reason that it has stood the test of time.
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
There are two 5th grade girls in my life I’m trying to get to read this. I think many adult women have loved and read it, but if you haven’t, you should. It is incredibly easy to get into, and you immediately come to love the characters. I listen to the audio every year or so.
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
I really do enjoy Dickens, but he can be a bit much. I tend to find his ramblingness funny, but many just find it annoying. But if you’re going to try Dickens for the first time, this is a good place to start. And though we’ve come to think of Oliver Twist as a children’s story, the book was definitely not written for children.
3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Though this falls under my definition of “classic,” I hardly think of it in those terms. Still, I really enjoy it, especially in audio form. Actually, I recommend all classics in their audio versions.
I’m not sure why I like this so much considering I can’t stand Scarlett or Rhett. Perhaps it’s such an interesting picture of where we get when we allow our selfish desires to rule us.
4. Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
I only first read this this past fall. I’ve had it on my shelf for years and just knew I would love it, and I did.
5. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
This is one of my favorite classics of all time, and it’s probably for some of the same reasons why I love Gone with the Wind.
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Okay, this is a bit cliché, but there is a reason why Jane Austen is popular today: we relate. If you’ve not seen any of the movies, I’d actually rather recommend Sense and Sensibility, but if you’ve seen Pride and Prejudice, it’d be easier to get into the book.
For a teen, though, I’d recommend Northanger Abbey as their first Jane Austen.
7. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This book is so perfect in its simplicity about a simpler era. It’s easy to see how it was popular during WWII when people wanted an escape.
8. 1984 by George Orwell
Okay, so this is one of my all-time favorite classics, too. Also a frequent re-read. I’ve probably read it a half dozen times, and only this last time was I able to keep myself from tears when listening to the end.
9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I think the fact that the Frankenstein monster is in popular culture would make this a bit more accessible, but the book is probably nothing like what you’d expect. I hesitated putting it on this list, but I still think it’s a fairly comfortable place to start with the classics though it can get a bit bogged down in the details.
10. The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
It’s been a couple years so I can’t exactly remember why I enjoyed it so much, but I know I did. As classics go, it’s not too long and it’s a bit more contemporary which makes it easier. This is high on my “to re-read” list, but I’m having a harder time since my library doesn’t have the audio of it.
For more top ten lists, visit Broke and Bookish
It’s been a couple of months since I’ve updated my status on my 30 Before 30 goals. That’s probably because unemployment hasn’t been much of an impetus to get to work on these goals, though it could have been. Oh well, it’s a new year!
I now have completed finished 8 goals, which isn’t bad at all. At this point, there is only 1 that I think won’t happen as I’ve had to alter my financial goals somewhat. Other than that, I think everything is quite doable!
Here is my goal update as of December 31st:
1. Read the Bible twice through. 630/2378 chapters = 26.5%
3. Lose 50 pounds. /50 pounds = 6/50 = 12%
Yeah, the holidays and general busyness wasn’t good for this.
5. Publish The Journal. Completed 12/26/2011
6. __________. (find a new job) Completed 12/28/2011
9. Read 160 books. 39/160 = 24%
I’m a little behind on this goal, but I have no doubt I’ll get there. Just blame crocheting and general laziness for a poor reading month in December.
10. Read 5 classics. 3/5 = 60%
Yay for audiobooks, otherwise I wouldn’t be this far. Now that I’ll be employed I won’t be listening to audiobooks as much, but surely I can get in two more classics this year.
12. Work a polling place during an election. Completed 10/11/2011
15. Sell 100 copies of The Journal. 2/100 = 2%
I’m grateful for every copy that I sell! And I only had it for sale for 6 days as of this update.
16. Make an author website. Completed 12/20/2011
17. Fast 16 days. 1/16 = 6%
I wish I had taken advantage of my unemployment to fast and didn’t just get caught up in the busyness. Still want to work this into my life regularly.
19. Spend time on Yom Kippur fasting, praying, and thinking. Completed 10/7/2011
20. Decorate my apartment for Christmas. Completed 11/25/2011
I really enjoyed doing this one! Now I just have to undecorate…
21. Meet my niece. Completed 12/27/2011
By far the most satisfying “check” on this list.
22. Write in my journal 100 times. 46/100 = 46%
I’ll soon have this finished as I’ve committed to writing in my journal every day in 2011. So far, I have!
23. Make a baby blanket for Bean. Completed 11/9/2011
24. Have an empty to-read shelf.
It was really almost empty and then Christmas happened. Love that. Will finish what’s left before December!
I’m having a hard time keeping up with this blog not because I don’t have anything to say (will there ever be a day when that’s true!), but because I’m only on the computer 2 hours a week or so. If it wasn’t for the fact that I frequent Twitter and Facebook on my phone multiple times a day, this would be admirable.
So here are some post ideas rattling around my head. Let me know which interest you. Perhaps it’ll motivate me to put the time into pulling them together.
Potential blog posts:
“Our” money
Getting ready for employment
Choosing food over God
Why the downfall of marriage in America might not be such a bad thing
Unemployment and depression
Why we’re losing our children
Feel free to also suggest topics you’d like me to address!
