Quotation for Wednesday, January 12, 2005:

"Sometimes, Lord, one is tempted to say that if You wanted us to behave like lilies of the field You might have given us an organization more like theirs. But that, I suppose, is just Your grand experiment. Or no; not an experiment, for You have no need to find things out. Rather Your grand enterprise. To make an organism which is also a spirit; to make that terrible oxymoron, a 'spiritual animal.' To take a poor primate, a beast with nerve-endings all over it, a creature with a stomach that wants to be filled, a breeding animal that wants to mate, and say, 'Now get on with it. Become a god.'"

A Grief Observed

Erica

It occurs to me that I've mentioned both Jared and Laura here, but not the baby!

Ella Minnow Pea

Loved this book! It's like nothing I've ever read before. It's clever, funny and full of great vocabulary. Just lots of fun with letters and words.

From a review on Amazon: "Not onlee es thes book a romp, but et es a soseeal kommentaree on the abuse oph power."
(you'll have to read the book to get that)

Pop Culture

Time for a new season of American Idol! Laugh if you like(you know you'll at least be curious about who makes it)...it's a lot of fun. Actually, I feel a little guilty laughing at some of the early auditions. After all, some of these people don't seem to be in possession of all of their faculties...much less any talent. Of course the editors purposely show only the most odd or sensationalist moments. But that's why it's so entertaining. I can't resist.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

Today my beautiful baby girl is 13. She's gorgeous...and about three inches taller than me. She's also sweet, understanding, fun, easy-going...and she sings beautifully.

Scary looking ahead to the teen years...but exciting, too. I just hope I get the parenting thing right. I love you, Laura!

Quotation for Saturday, January 22, 2005:

"To think that the spectre you see is an illusion does not rob him of his terrors: it simply adds the further terror of madness itself - and then on top of that the horrible surmise that those whom the rest have called mad have, all along, been the only people who see the world as it really is."

Perelandra

Jump, Jive and Wail!

I'm having fun with my latest CD, a Louis Prima collection. I love "Banana Split for My Baby," "There'll Be No Next Time" and, of course, "Jump, Jive and Wail!" Dig that swing, baby.

JARED RETURNS!

Jared came home from Bangladesh tonight. There will no doubt be many stories and lots of cool pictures to share, so will try to include them here as soon as possible.

Quotation for Saturday, January 15, 2005:

"We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the Future every real gift which is offered them in the Present."

Screwtape Letters

Bangladesh

Jared is now in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He's now been there about 24 hours. He had called from the hotel in Bangkok, but he probably won't get to call home from the orphanage. He returns next Monday, the 17th. Please keep him in your prayers this week!

Lyrics to love

I've always enjoyed these Dashboard Confessional lyrics:

My heart is yours to fill or burst
To break or bury
Or wear as jewelry
Whichever you prefer

Quotation for Tuesday, January 11, 2005:

"Very likely, what with enemies, and mountains, and rivers to cross, and losing our way, and next to nothing to eat, and sore feet, we'll hardly notice the weather."

The Silver Chair

Colon cancer screening underused

All sorts of evidence is out there that early detection of cancer through screening measures means a longer, fuller life. No one finds the idea of a colonoscopy appealing, but it really can save lives. Having lost a friend to colon cancer that wasn't detected until it was too late, I feel strongly about this issue. But my biggest beefs are:

- our health care system discourages responsibility by patients in the area of colon CA screening because only about half of the insurance companies pay for screening colonscopies (which can run $2000-$3000), and

- people just don't pay attention to eating in a way that keeps their system running right.

I don't have the answer for reforming the insurance industry, but I can say...eat your broccoli! Time for a healthy colon...yeah colons!

Jared's in Bangkok

My son has now safely arrived in Bangkok, Thailand. He'll be there for two days of seeing the sights before heading to Bangladesh to work.

NBC's 'Fear Factor' Sued for Rat-Eating Episode

"Watching contestants eat dead rats on NBC's gross-out stunt show "Fear Factor" so disgusted a Cleveland man that he has sued NBC for $2.5 million, saying he could not stomach what he saw."

When it first started, I liked the idea of "Fear Factor" because I thought it was a great way to challenge the contestants to conquer real fears people face: heights, tight spaces, darkness and my favorite - plunging into water strapped into a car with a baby to get out of a carseat in the back (a recurrent nightmare I used to have). Watching it caused me to examine whether I could face the challenge, and watching others face those fears made me feel that I just might be able to as well. Now, the show seems to be trying to entice viewers with only contestants who look like models (complete with wet tank tops) while grossing them out with the worst possible things to put in their mouths. To me, the only thing worth watching now is the cute host.

(While the idea of this post is to speak against the show, I realize that some of the above just may have the opposite effect!)

Quotation for Sunday, January 09, 2005:

"An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons -- marriage, or meat, or beer, or cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who do use them, he has taken the wrong turning."

Mere Christianity

News Is Free

Just signed up for a NewsIsFree account and it is indeed cool. But I can see that I'm going to have a test of patience in using it. The site is fraught with typos, misspellings and grammatical errors. Aaaah! There, I got that out of my system...for now.

Heading to Bangladesh

It's official...Jared is going to Bangladesh on Friday to work in an orphanage for a week. Lots to do to get ready before then, and some nerves to conquer (mine and his)...but it sure is exciting!

Smart girl!

A bit of good news about a bright girl who proved that paying attention in school can save your life.