tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140110092012-04-25T17:39:30.076-07:00"Unknown Island North" is culled from Annie Dillard's 1977 "Holy the Firm". A metaphor for a new thought on the horizon, it is "a new island, a new wrinkle, the deepening of wonder." Dillard finds various names for it as she sketches this new thing onto her drawing of the Puget Sound islands visible from her window. I suppose here, in my own way, I am seeking to name the things that most capture my attention as I look out at the world from my perspective. What follows is a record of what I see.Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-863891977576489512010-06-28T09:53:00.000-07:002010-06-28T09:58:07.135-07:00

The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau ***The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis ****The Wayfarer Redemption, Sara Douglass ***Enchanter, Sara Douglas ****Down the Rabbit Hole, Peter Abrahams ***Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris ***Hungry Moon, Ramsey Campbell ***The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008, Paul Krugman ***Black House, Stephen King and Peter Straub ***Julia, Peter Straub *

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-36522119996030411692010-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:002010-05-17T12:12:09.224-07:00

Our first CSA delivery is scheduled for June 10th and we are eager for the produce. One distinct disadvantage of our location has really come to the foreground over the past few months as I've paid closer attention to our food. There are no good sources of fresh goods. Thankfully, it is California; even our local market stocks several organic options. But not fresh produce. And sorry, but I'm

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-15310270561448281022010-04-12T16:40:00.000-07:002010-04-12T16:50:06.720-07:00

Not too much to report, except that I've maintained my new weight, I can now do the first level workout in my exercise program without trouble, and getting fresh produce worth eating in our town is really difficult. So: time to work on actively losing again, time to move on to workout two, and boy are we looking forward to the goods we intend to receive from a local CSA this season. I'm also

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-51400509237743402912010-03-30T14:14:00.000-07:002010-03-30T14:17:44.405-07:00

How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency, Piers Warren ***Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces: A Layering System for Big Results in Small Gardens and Containers, Patricia Lanza ***Blaze, Stephen King as Richard Bachman **Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp & Camille Kingsolver *****The End of Food, Paul Roberts ****Evolution:

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-51910236201128476742010-03-11T20:02:00.000-08:002010-03-11T20:02:40.194-08:00

I've always been the kind of person who reads cookbooks cover to cover. I look at my shelf of cooking books (yes, I am determined to limit this collection to a single shelf; this requires painful cullings from time to time) and I see the two books that have accompanied from my childhood. There's the very worn Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls, and there's Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-27541594633399589772010-02-26T12:08:00.000-08:002010-02-26T12:08:00.089-08:00

Looking at what I have accomplished and what I would like to work on, I've returned to my food plan and examined it with a critical eye. As with any plan based upon goals and strategies for achieving those goals, the food plan I explained in my earlier post has its share of appendices and addendums. These mostly concern habits I am amending and good choices I am trying to turn into habits. I have

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-22439881795780911022010-02-25T10:47:00.000-08:002010-02-25T10:51:44.623-08:00

We've been doing remarkably well. We killed all credit card spending. We're eating much better. Exercise, that's a little tougher. I've been pretty regular with my routine, but my husband's schedule (eek, jury duty!) and my trip to Idaho has prevented us from exercising together. Fun and creative projects happen when we don't play too many computer games. Life isn't exactly balanced yet, but our

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-55914680863133103412010-02-17T13:17:00.000-08:002010-02-17T13:17:32.146-08:00

I came across an interesting post over at SparkPeople, which compares the caloric values of common American meals: best options versus not-so-good options. The best options, take note, are those that are heavy on the vegetables, fruits, and whole grains rather than white flours, cheese! and other fats, added sugars, and high salt content.Looking at plated meals of equal caloric value is a good

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-66882707925315075822010-01-24T18:20:00.000-08:002010-01-24T18:31:29.131-08:00

I've learned a few basics of designing a wholesome diet. First, don't listen to the media about nutrition: seriously, they focus on fads and skew research results to maximize sensationalism. In other words, articles from popular sources confuse the issue. Second, remember: the one component of healthy diets that remains consistent across the board is appropriate calorie consumption. We need to

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-81523275708459904182010-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:002010-01-06T11:37:21.482-08:00

Today is Day 3 of our holistic health improvement project. This is the first day we've incorporated an adaptation into our schedule to accommodate Ecaep's special circumstances in the office today. We didn't exercise this morning so Ecaep could go into the office early. So we bumped our exercise routine over a day. We will make up the session on Saturday morning instead. So far, so good! Here's

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-19180312711973733962010-01-03T20:28:00.000-08:002010-01-03T20:33:16.752-08:00

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling **Vampire Hunter D: Mysterious Journey to the North Sea, Part One, Hideyuki Kikuchi ***Bag of Bones, Stephen King ****Archangel, Paul Watkins ****It, Stephen King *****Maximum Ride: School's Out--Forever, James Patterson ****Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling ****The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough: Get in the Best Shape

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-82477213046757297892009-12-31T13:05:00.000-08:002009-12-31T13:08:57.966-08:00

The RationaleMy husband and I have turned/are turning 30 this year. We've enjoyed being young newlyweds and we've enjoyed progressively leaving the student lifestyle behind in order to pursue professional and/or adult activities. Now we want to sink our teeth into the next decade and live the happiest, healthiest life we can conjure up out of our respective talents and predilections. To that

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-11850649787462323162009-12-30T10:08:00.000-08:002009-12-31T14:14:51.190-08:00

These are the books that have been most influential in my quest for the good life. They are listed in roughly the chronological order that I originally read them. I hope to review them and their influence on my journey in closer detail during the upcoming year.Ishamel, Daniel QuinnPrinciples and Labs For Fitness and Wellness, 7th ed., Werner W.K. Hoeger & Sharon A. HoegerFast Food Nation: The

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-11167282349715731402009-12-29T08:37:00.000-08:002009-12-31T11:51:38.963-08:00

If you had told me in December of 2002, or even 2005, just how far I'd come in a few years with regards to my understanding of diet and health, I might not have believed you. I definitely wouldn't have believed you if you told me I'd be trying to live without cheese. Even in 2005, when I was contemplating the possibilities of a vegetarian life, I never expected to learn how to make my own

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-21265019970833655912009-12-18T18:25:00.000-08:002009-12-18T18:28:42.241-08:00

After giving soooo many explanations about my food-life over the past three years, I completely get this comic strip.SinFest: Satan Clause 5

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-52350868914112484022009-11-16T22:14:00.000-08:002009-11-16T22:17:51.308-08:00

To stay on schedule, I must write 5,000 words tomorrow and 3,000 words the day after that. Shall I abuse caffeine, chocolate, or doom metal to get me through the gauntlet?Choices, choices.

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-89578453844000610652009-11-10T21:28:00.000-08:002009-11-10T21:34:31.156-08:00

Amazingly so, actually. I've worked on the NaNo writing 9 days out of 10 so far. I've put in a total of 24 hours and 45 minutes of actual writing time, at an average rate of 13 words per minute.Yeah, I've always been a slow writer, but I think I'm getting better. Also, this year, while I do get tired, I'm not running out of story steam. If I follow the butt-in-chair principle, the words flow down

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-59834681928516219802009-11-01T22:00:00.001-08:002009-11-01T22:07:14.762-08:00

Yuppers. It's NaNoWriMo time. I. Am. Going. To. Finish. This. Story. This. Year.Thus far, I average 15 words a minute, and 900 words an hour. This is quite an improvement for me. In college, I wrote 250-300 words per hour. Last year, I was up to about 500 words per hour, 600 on a good day. Guess all my writing practice over the past few months has paid off.We're doing a lot of traveling this

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-28209881556667265432009-10-02T09:23:00.000-07:002009-10-02T09:36:59.583-07:00

The Switching Hour: Kids of Divorce Say Good-Bye Again, Evon O. Flesberg **god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens ***Confessor, Terry Goodkind ***The Inferno of Dante, Dante Aligheri, Robert Pinsky, trans. ***Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, James Patterson ***Carrie, Stephen King ***Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl ***Charlie and the Great Glass

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-42689247383223923522009-09-07T15:38:00.000-07:002009-09-07T15:42:12.282-07:00

This final post based upon the things discussed at the February conference is more of a collection of general insights and questions gleaned from the conference overall, than anything else. Love is such a large concept. I think most of the attendees took home some ideas about Christian love to try out, or to inspire their current works. We uncovered no definitive Philosophy of Love, but rather a

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-39958711715970420952009-08-11T20:54:00.000-07:002009-08-11T21:16:00.584-07:00

I moved into my own apartment when I was 19. I was a new Christian, an AmeriCorps volunteer on a stipend, and terrified of life in general (including and especially people in general). One of the things I did to encourage myself during this time was to keep a "List o' Lessons Learned" during each month tacked up on my front door.I'm kind of moving into a new place in my life, and it's all scary

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-24981964491269967462009-07-09T19:21:00.000-07:002009-08-11T21:23:24.802-07:00

We see holiness in love operational in Christ.Holiness is God's ungraspability (1 Tim. 6:11-16). In us, holiness is our ungraspability - the wisdom of the world versus the foolishness of God (and God's people). We live according to a different ethic and are both appealing and inscrutable to those who see the love we live but do not join in the fun themselves.This holiness/ungraspability is

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-65810265958971437122009-07-03T18:25:00.000-07:002009-07-03T18:26:13.766-07:00

Churches should be full of neighbors. Sometimes, however, they aren't even full of Christians. This is why it is vital that we don't turn ecclesiology into corporation. The church is the community of God, the body of Christ, bound together through love for and from Christ and empowered for lives of love together by the Holy Spirit. The human experience of God is about love for the other; this is

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-53398560271039378872009-07-01T09:25:00.000-07:002009-07-01T09:37:19.367-07:00

Waaaay back in February, I returned to my alma mater to attend a Wesley Center conference on the topic of "Christian Love: Theory and Practice". Much of what the group considered can be loosely gathered into four categories. The first subtopic of the Christian Love discussion is Christlikeness. For love (or anything else!) to have a distinctly Christian flavor, it must be derived somehow from the

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14011009.post-56077420934552580922009-06-29T12:39:00.000-07:002009-06-29T12:43:32.513-07:00

Naked Empire, Terry Goodkind ***Writing Brave and Free: Encouraging Words for People Who Want to Start Writing, Ted Kooser & Steve Cox ****The Chalk Box Kid, Clyde Robert Bulla *****Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots, Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones **Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, Deborah and James Howe ***Magic Terror, Peter Straub ****The Fairy Rebel, Lynne Reid Banks ****The Mermaid

Lirahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756960271981306828noreply@blogger.com0