In the English, the translation is usually given as Jesus is expected to come quickly. In English, that could mean soon, or fast. But we've let them tell us that every age since the apostles expected Him right away. And that's just not true. There is a balance between being on guard and never knowing. Of course the disciples didn't expect two thousand years. But there is no reason tho think they were shocked to find a decade had gone by without Jesus returning.
When Jesus is spoken of in a serious way, no one denies that He was real. They just leave out the resurrection. Well, the whole thing hinges on that, so of course Easter has been relegated and Christmas emphasized and both perverted. But they just say things like "It's been two thousand years since the death of Jesus" as if everything after the crucifixion didn't happen. There were forty days in there. And as important as they are to the Christian faith, it's no more difficult to believe than walking on water or turning bread and fishes from one boy's lunch to feed a crowd.
There are certain miracles that can be explained away and of course every miracle can be ignored. But the tactic is different for discounting the resurrection. It's just ignored, while the imminent return of Christ is assumed as a rrecurring two thousand year cyclic mistake.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Three Christian Lies
I'm typing this without my glasses. And I can't really read it. But I can kind of read it. This is important to me because a month a go I would not have been able to read it at all.
I received a book from a co-worker about a mucuspless diet. And I wonder how many words I'm spelling incorrectly. But, something has happened since I read that book. And it is something good. I have replaced my currrent expensive preseciption with my old one. I only kept the old frames because since they were so expensive and I've heard of a place that collects them and gives them to the poor, I thought I would do that some time. I never expected to need my old glasses once my eyes progressed beyond them. But they did. They progressed back. My old presctiption is too strong. And so is my current one.
Right now, if I put on my dollar store plus one magnifiers, I think I'll see fine.
Let me check.
Well, I can't check, without going down to the car and getting them. I have my current glasses somewhere, I have my old ones here and I have my dollar store ones in the car. My sun glasses are here and they don't have any magnifier or prescription at all.
The book I read, by Arnold Ehret, convinced me that the way I've been thinking about health might be corrected in a straightforward way. I already knew that doctors don't know much about health. After all, that's not their business. Their business is diesease. I already knew that dieticians are on to something better but don't really know all that much.
Many years ago, my cousin asked me what I thought snot was for. I thought it was a great question. Why would the body make snot when you're sick? Well, maybe it doesn't. Maybe it's trying to get rid of the snot that is already there, when you're sick. That had not occured to me as a possible answer to that question until I read it in that book. Thank you dear co-worker. You handed me a book by the London founder of International Studies, which changed the way I thought about history, and you handed this one to me which changed the way I thought about diet.
It had already occured to me that maybe it was not the percentages of carbs, fats, sugars and protein that is the thing. It had already occured to me that vitamins A, B, C, D, E and so forth might not be the variables we need to think upon. I thought perhaps that cutting up fiber and making it very small made it no longer fiber. Maybe something in oranges when they're fresh isn't in them when they're old- it might not matter so much what we're getting as much as how we're getting it.
When I was young my Mom made glue from water and flour. Well, isn't that what bread is? Isn't my gut filled with glue or something like that?
We know that in some bodies there are pounds of undigested things. So how could we possibly shove more and more combinations of countless variables in our mouths and think for one second that the process of eating more and more could ever fix us?
The first lie I'd like to talk about, which isn't Christian at all, but accepted by all the Christians I've ever heard of- is agriculture. Cain was the farmer, wasn't he? Abel, the good son, ate and raised the animals. But neither was what God told us to eat. He gave us fruit. He said it was okay to eat the other things, but we were commanded to eat fruit and green herbs. It's very clear. We have just put six thousand years of assumptions between us and that clear statement.
Gorillas don't eat protein, yet there are many men, myself included, who would like to look a tiny bit more gorilla like. Hmmm... they eat fruit and green herbs, do they not? Animals in zoos and animals under veterinary care and animals in the wild eat about four things. And when they are sick, they eat something else and it either kills them or makes them better. They don't stay dieseased for the last third of their life giving all their money to pharmeceutical companies. They just don't. And now that our pets go to vets that do prescribe, our pets live longer but live diseased as well. Animals are healthy until they die- unless people are involved in their care.
So that's the first lie. My Christian or post Christian civilazaiton has convinced me that I should eat everything, or eat many things or eat often or eat three times a day or eat this or eat that or eat this other thing in comvination with hundred of other things,,, but maybe the truth is, I should have been eating fruits and green herbs. I can't do that now or it would kill me, but I can move in that direction and I have.
For a few years I have been eating more veggetables. But not more ffruyt. Recently I have started eating less. I am still reeling from the time I drank so much water and ate so little salt that I almost died. I was watching a television program about a boy poisoned with salt. So I did what I often did. I drank more water and peed some more. And I kept doing it. Suddenly, I really really needed to eat some chips. Could that be why the only thing I wanted to eat was fried chicken and potato chips? Well, of couse Iknew the human body needs salt. But wasn't water good and salt bad? Could I really need salt or was I just wanting it? Could my body actually be wanteing what I needed, you know, as a trusted ally rather than a carnal enemy, tempting me to fall off the wagon?
No matter how you think we started, people don't need much more than fruit and green herbs. But we eat so much more, so of course our nutrition isn't right. We know it's not right. But could this be the way it's not?
I decided that my stuffy ears for the last twenty years was something I had gotten used to somewhat and not my imagination or an exageration. I breathed in Vick's thorough my nose and breathed out through my mouth for about four hours one day. My ears, deep inside, way way deep inside, started draining. ...just a little. But I knew I was on the right track. I went to an acupuncturist and during the first session, they drained more.... deep deep inside there. I've been three or four times. And they've drained a little every day/// almost. I went home for Easter and they stopped draining as I resumed the SAD diet. Standard American Diet, and didn't start draining again until I was back home two days, eating more squash., and drinking more kale and fruit smoothies. I haven't given up junk food for more than five days in a row, but I just eat less of it at one time. Something has changed for the better.
I was watching The Ten Commandments on a big screen on Palm Sunday. I realized that the level of detail I could see was absolutely amazing. Well, it was IMAX. I had just seen it a few months ago on my own television but I could see the characters Charlton Heston was writing on the papyrus. I could see the pretty Hebrew girl's toes. And I could see more detail with my glasses off than with them on. Now as I write this, I still can't quite read what I'm tryping, but I can see all the red marks when I misspell a word and I can kind of read most of it. In between that first day when I took my glasses off, which was Palm Sunday, and today, I could see better with my old prescription and then with my dollar glasses and now my eyes are a little better than that.
Two years of positive thinking has helped, I'm sure. But I haven't changed my diet that much, only been to acupuncture a few times and I see real results. It didn't occur to me that the stuffiness in my sinuses would affect my eyes, but of course, it does.
The second lie I'll call Christian, is how can I be happy in Heaven if there are people- anybody, suffering forever? Well, apparently, hopefully, probably, it's not the torture that is forever, it's the fire. Everlasting fire will consume sin away... but it won't ttake long to be consumed. Yes, hell is the only reason many people become Christian, but it's also the main reason why Christianity doesn't make any sense. This little change, or is it the biggest change possible, changes everything. I just heard it spoken of on the radio tonight. Obviously if it's on the radio it's true, right?
I've known forever that I could pick the parts of my faith I like and leave the rest. I'm just not comfortable doing that. Not liking something doesn't make it true. We all know that, but we all do that. We're the kind of Democrats we want to be. We're the kind of Americans we think are best, etc. BUt so much of the Bible is obviously true that I didn't want to throw parts of it away. Now I guess I don't have to, I can just agree with a n interpretation I've heard once.
Reading Julian of Norwich I found the idea of Universalism in a passage older than I had known. And of course I want that to be true. But, does the Bible really support that? Can I believe most of it? I suppose I only do bellieve most of it since I'm just a person... but I'm not comfortable with that. Why am I uncomfortable? Well, I suppose it's because I'm a person.
Now I have become so distracted that I don't even remember the third lie I wanted to write on. Oh well, I've had enough transformation for one month. I'm going to go rest my eyes.
Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see...
On second thought, please don't. I think there is only os much a person can handle. Seeing God's shadow burnt Moses' face. Yesterday I told a colleague at church that I believed if any of us were filled with the Holy Spirit too long we would die. I do think that's true but I don't think I've ever heard anybody say that. But wouldn't it be like an orgasm but stonger and we just couldn't do that for a year, surely not.
We;re just people. And people start out writing about three important things and then forget one of them before they finish.
I received a book from a co-worker about a mucuspless diet. And I wonder how many words I'm spelling incorrectly. But, something has happened since I read that book. And it is something good. I have replaced my currrent expensive preseciption with my old one. I only kept the old frames because since they were so expensive and I've heard of a place that collects them and gives them to the poor, I thought I would do that some time. I never expected to need my old glasses once my eyes progressed beyond them. But they did. They progressed back. My old presctiption is too strong. And so is my current one.
Right now, if I put on my dollar store plus one magnifiers, I think I'll see fine.
Let me check.
Well, I can't check, without going down to the car and getting them. I have my current glasses somewhere, I have my old ones here and I have my dollar store ones in the car. My sun glasses are here and they don't have any magnifier or prescription at all.
The book I read, by Arnold Ehret, convinced me that the way I've been thinking about health might be corrected in a straightforward way. I already knew that doctors don't know much about health. After all, that's not their business. Their business is diesease. I already knew that dieticians are on to something better but don't really know all that much.
Many years ago, my cousin asked me what I thought snot was for. I thought it was a great question. Why would the body make snot when you're sick? Well, maybe it doesn't. Maybe it's trying to get rid of the snot that is already there, when you're sick. That had not occured to me as a possible answer to that question until I read it in that book. Thank you dear co-worker. You handed me a book by the London founder of International Studies, which changed the way I thought about history, and you handed this one to me which changed the way I thought about diet.
It had already occured to me that maybe it was not the percentages of carbs, fats, sugars and protein that is the thing. It had already occured to me that vitamins A, B, C, D, E and so forth might not be the variables we need to think upon. I thought perhaps that cutting up fiber and making it very small made it no longer fiber. Maybe something in oranges when they're fresh isn't in them when they're old- it might not matter so much what we're getting as much as how we're getting it.
When I was young my Mom made glue from water and flour. Well, isn't that what bread is? Isn't my gut filled with glue or something like that?
We know that in some bodies there are pounds of undigested things. So how could we possibly shove more and more combinations of countless variables in our mouths and think for one second that the process of eating more and more could ever fix us?
The first lie I'd like to talk about, which isn't Christian at all, but accepted by all the Christians I've ever heard of- is agriculture. Cain was the farmer, wasn't he? Abel, the good son, ate and raised the animals. But neither was what God told us to eat. He gave us fruit. He said it was okay to eat the other things, but we were commanded to eat fruit and green herbs. It's very clear. We have just put six thousand years of assumptions between us and that clear statement.
Gorillas don't eat protein, yet there are many men, myself included, who would like to look a tiny bit more gorilla like. Hmmm... they eat fruit and green herbs, do they not? Animals in zoos and animals under veterinary care and animals in the wild eat about four things. And when they are sick, they eat something else and it either kills them or makes them better. They don't stay dieseased for the last third of their life giving all their money to pharmeceutical companies. They just don't. And now that our pets go to vets that do prescribe, our pets live longer but live diseased as well. Animals are healthy until they die- unless people are involved in their care.
So that's the first lie. My Christian or post Christian civilazaiton has convinced me that I should eat everything, or eat many things or eat often or eat three times a day or eat this or eat that or eat this other thing in comvination with hundred of other things,,, but maybe the truth is, I should have been eating fruits and green herbs. I can't do that now or it would kill me, but I can move in that direction and I have.
For a few years I have been eating more veggetables. But not more ffruyt. Recently I have started eating less. I am still reeling from the time I drank so much water and ate so little salt that I almost died. I was watching a television program about a boy poisoned with salt. So I did what I often did. I drank more water and peed some more. And I kept doing it. Suddenly, I really really needed to eat some chips. Could that be why the only thing I wanted to eat was fried chicken and potato chips? Well, of couse Iknew the human body needs salt. But wasn't water good and salt bad? Could I really need salt or was I just wanting it? Could my body actually be wanteing what I needed, you know, as a trusted ally rather than a carnal enemy, tempting me to fall off the wagon?
No matter how you think we started, people don't need much more than fruit and green herbs. But we eat so much more, so of course our nutrition isn't right. We know it's not right. But could this be the way it's not?
I decided that my stuffy ears for the last twenty years was something I had gotten used to somewhat and not my imagination or an exageration. I breathed in Vick's thorough my nose and breathed out through my mouth for about four hours one day. My ears, deep inside, way way deep inside, started draining. ...just a little. But I knew I was on the right track. I went to an acupuncturist and during the first session, they drained more.... deep deep inside there. I've been three or four times. And they've drained a little every day/// almost. I went home for Easter and they stopped draining as I resumed the SAD diet. Standard American Diet, and didn't start draining again until I was back home two days, eating more squash., and drinking more kale and fruit smoothies. I haven't given up junk food for more than five days in a row, but I just eat less of it at one time. Something has changed for the better.
I was watching The Ten Commandments on a big screen on Palm Sunday. I realized that the level of detail I could see was absolutely amazing. Well, it was IMAX. I had just seen it a few months ago on my own television but I could see the characters Charlton Heston was writing on the papyrus. I could see the pretty Hebrew girl's toes. And I could see more detail with my glasses off than with them on. Now as I write this, I still can't quite read what I'm tryping, but I can see all the red marks when I misspell a word and I can kind of read most of it. In between that first day when I took my glasses off, which was Palm Sunday, and today, I could see better with my old prescription and then with my dollar glasses and now my eyes are a little better than that.
Two years of positive thinking has helped, I'm sure. But I haven't changed my diet that much, only been to acupuncture a few times and I see real results. It didn't occur to me that the stuffiness in my sinuses would affect my eyes, but of course, it does.
The second lie I'll call Christian, is how can I be happy in Heaven if there are people- anybody, suffering forever? Well, apparently, hopefully, probably, it's not the torture that is forever, it's the fire. Everlasting fire will consume sin away... but it won't ttake long to be consumed. Yes, hell is the only reason many people become Christian, but it's also the main reason why Christianity doesn't make any sense. This little change, or is it the biggest change possible, changes everything. I just heard it spoken of on the radio tonight. Obviously if it's on the radio it's true, right?
I've known forever that I could pick the parts of my faith I like and leave the rest. I'm just not comfortable doing that. Not liking something doesn't make it true. We all know that, but we all do that. We're the kind of Democrats we want to be. We're the kind of Americans we think are best, etc. BUt so much of the Bible is obviously true that I didn't want to throw parts of it away. Now I guess I don't have to, I can just agree with a n interpretation I've heard once.
Reading Julian of Norwich I found the idea of Universalism in a passage older than I had known. And of course I want that to be true. But, does the Bible really support that? Can I believe most of it? I suppose I only do bellieve most of it since I'm just a person... but I'm not comfortable with that. Why am I uncomfortable? Well, I suppose it's because I'm a person.
Now I have become so distracted that I don't even remember the third lie I wanted to write on. Oh well, I've had enough transformation for one month. I'm going to go rest my eyes.
Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see...
On second thought, please don't. I think there is only os much a person can handle. Seeing God's shadow burnt Moses' face. Yesterday I told a colleague at church that I believed if any of us were filled with the Holy Spirit too long we would die. I do think that's true but I don't think I've ever heard anybody say that. But wouldn't it be like an orgasm but stonger and we just couldn't do that for a year, surely not.
We;re just people. And people start out writing about three important things and then forget one of them before they finish.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Happy Patrick's Day
There are two holy days which are named after saints that have become holidays. As far as I know, all the other saints' days- except for All Saints Day, haven't made that transition.
Valentine's Day can be called Saint Valentine's Day.
Patrick's Day is almost always called Saint Patrick's Day.
I can't understand the difference in terminology.
Today is the 17th so I looked at Proverbs 17.
2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts.
5 He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the glory of sons is their fathers.
9 He who conceals a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 He who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
Valentine's Day can be called Saint Valentine's Day.
Patrick's Day is almost always called Saint Patrick's Day.
I can't understand the difference in terminology.
Today is the 17th so I looked at Proverbs 17.
Proverbs 17
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
17:1
This is so true. It makes me think of Downton Abbey which I'm watching right now, and my job. It may be untrue but it feels like I'm the only staff member that actually goes out of the way to say hi to everyone. Isn't it so much better to work with people you talk to?
2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
As a part-timer in a company created for and only valuing full-timers, I know I've had great influence when I've been wise; and if I'd actually shut my mouth more I would like it better instead of pointing out flaws.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts.
Today J. Vernon McGee at TTB.org spoke about gold, silver and precious jewels lasting through the fire. I contrast the bridal linen of the Bride of Christ (the Church) with the scarlet and purple attire of the Great Harlot; Mystery Babylon the great with her golden chalice of fornication. I wonder if that's where the encrusted gold chalices of some "singers" came from; although I know that they aren't worse than anyone else. We're all attracted to the wrong things.
I've actually stopped gossip in its tracks a few times by stating "I don't want to talk about anyone who isn't here." But it's so ingrained and accepted and habitual that the gossip started again almost immediately. I'm so sick of being one of the people who wallow in those unfun sins.
5 He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.
Amen.
6 Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the glory of sons is their fathers.
It's time to get started. I wonder if I'm "fertile." I bet this is something women think about all the time but I just assume it will be ready when I am.
I think of all princes as liars. This is sad. I know I hear very helpful things from fools too.
This reminds me that a boss thinks his company is great to work for.
9 He who conceals a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
Love is kind.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
I've been reading that depressed people are nice. Also, maybe we're smart. We notice the bad that many don't see but it would be just as easy to notice the good when we try. I'm trying. Thank you to David Burns for Feeling Good and When Panic Attacks.
11 A rebellious man seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Okay.
12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
I feel surrounded by fools. And of course I hate it when I realize that I'm one. I'm surrounded by mother rabid bears so I stay home..... aw, so sad. Not quite true. Not for awhile now.
13 He who returns evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
Evil K'neival. Reap what you sow I suppose. Reep what you sew probably means as much to people younger than me who don't know English. Not that there was something so great about it compared to other languages, but we're being cut off from our literary heritage.
Done for now. See ya!
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When [e]he has no sense?
17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking in [f]sense [g]pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife;
He who raises his door seeks destruction.
20 He who has a crooked [h]mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.
21 He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart [i]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom
To pervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father
And bitterness to her who bore him.
26 It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 He who restrains his words [j]has knowledge,
And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
When [e]he has no sense?
17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man lacking in [f]sense [g]pledges
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife;
He who raises his door seeks destruction.
20 He who has a crooked [h]mind finds no good,
And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.
21 He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A joyful heart [i]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom
To pervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is a grief to his father
And bitterness to her who bore him.
26 It is also not good to fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 He who restrains his words [j]has knowledge,
And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
I've heard several times that it's a great idea to read a proverb a day (or is it Proverb) because they're so useful and there's a month's worth in the book. I haven't done that but it sounds like a great idea. I have been listening to J. Vernon McGee most every day- and listen to the ones I miss before I catch up- so I've listened completely in order through today from Amos to today- Revelation. It's a five-year journey which I think I'll complete but who knows.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Notes on The Man Without A Shadow
Well, we did it again Joyce. You wrote a novel and I loved it.
I love the list of novels before this novel begins. In the time it takes me to type it, you will probably have published another.
With Suddering Fall (1964)
A Garden of Earthly Delights (1967)
Expensive People (1968)
them (1969)
Wonderland (1971)
Do with Me What You Will (1973)
The Assassins (1975)
Childwold (1976)
Son of the Morning (1978)
Unholy Loves (1979)
Bellefleur (1980)
Angel of Light (1981)
A Bloodsmoor Romance (1982)
Mysteries of Winterthurn (1984)
Solstice (1985)
Marya: A Life (1986)
You Must Remember This (1987)
American Appetites (1989)
Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart (1990)
Black Water (1992)
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang (1993)
What I Lived For (1994)
Zombie (1995)
We Were the Mulvaneys (1996)
Man Crazy (1997)
My Heart Laid Bare (1998)
Broke Heart Blues (1999)
Blonde (2000)
Middle Age: A Romance (2001)
I'll Take You There (2002)
The Tattooed Girl (2003)
The Falls (2004)
Missing Mom (2005)
Black Girl / White Girl (2006)
The Gravedigger's Daughter (2007)
My Sister, My Love (2008)
Little Bird of Heaven (2009)
Mudwoman (2012)
The Accursed (2013)
Carthage (2014)
The Sacrifice (2015)
I'm glad I didn't find a list with everything she's written because I don't want to do that much typing. There are novels under other names and there are other books that aren't novels. There are littler books, and books of poetry and articles including literary criticism and books of short stories.
I like the picture of the author and the shiny cover paper it's printed on.
How does she do it?
I can't say I love every book. I don't even know for sure which ones I have read. But I can say that there is a really good chance I'll like the book, and if I don't like it- like The Accursed; I still find things to recommend it.
For one thing, I don't like italics. The use of them in The Accursed was just too much for me. I wonder if this is something that bothers many people or if it's rare. But it's true. If I see a page of italics, I cringe. Here there weren't as many. And there weren't pages of all caps either. But this is such a minor point- or should be, I think.
The book has so much to say that resonates with me and isn't that what defines a masterpiece? It's something that resonates?
There is the couple, no longer young yet looking for love- it seems. There is the academic success story, outstanding in her field who has won everything except a Pulitzer... oops, I mean a Nobel Prize. There is a phrase new to me that I love "undergraduate speech" to describe the steps one takes to stay in the line around authority and not overstep. There's a new word to me, pros·o·pag·no·sia- which is the fascinating failure to recognize faces.
And then there is humor. I don't know if many people find humor in her writing but I think anything well told has humor in it. It makes me say "No!" as if I'm watching something actually happening, not sitting in Chipotle reading in the corner. The only outright joke I caught was the mention that the amnesiac has memorized all the dialogue to a silent film- but of course it does have dialogue, it's just not spoken.
I noticed references to a dragonfly, MLK being a Republican, and dream imagery being inaccurate but indisputable in dream logic. (You know, when it's your friend and you know it but upon awakening you realize that person in the dream looks nothing like your friend.)
Here's a great quote:
p. 41
It isn't enough to be brilliant, if you're a woman. You must be demonstrably more brilliant than your male rivals- your "brilliance" is your masculine attribute. And so, to balance this, you must be suitably feminine- which isn't to say emotionally unstable, volatile, "soft" in any way, only just quiet, watchful, quick to absorb information, nonoppositional, self-effacing.
Elihu sounded familiar and I see from a quick search that Prince Elihu is one of the characters in my favorite JCO novel, My Heart Laid Bare.
Trying to live in the present, I was confronted with a character that does that. There are distinct limitations. Yet, he isn't the unhappiest of the people in the book. It's not a book about happiness, I don't think. But it certainly brings up issues of balance and authority and self-determination. I know how Elihu feels, not knowing when he's hungry and when he's not. We're all products of suggestion. If we think we haven't eaten enough, of course we'll want more. But what is 'enough'? Does it have quotes or italics and isn't it a judgement call?
Hosea 4
So I will punish them for their ways And repay them for their deeds. 10They will eat, but not have enough; They will play the harlot, but not increase, Because they have stopped giving heed to the LORD. 11Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.…
Still contemplating Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet I think we're all stuffing in whatever we can and wondering why we're still hungry. "Hungry" is a judgement call. Let's make that judgement. We do have enough. We do eat enough. We are enough.
The book was great. I thank the best living author in the world for her contribution to my reading schedule and I look forward to what she has to offer in the future. Would it seem obscene for me to mention that underneath her bed or stuffed behind a loose brick in her office one might find 420 additional manuscripts? The output is amazing, but don't be misled. The content is what is amazing.
I actually saw in print where JCO denied not going through her work and editing it, like most writers do. She told the haters that of course she does that. She doesn't just write first drafts. I don't care. It's good. Whoever writes like this, and how they get there, and who they are and what they look like isn't nearly as important as the prose: It stands on its own.
I love the list of novels before this novel begins. In the time it takes me to type it, you will probably have published another.
With Suddering Fall (1964)
A Garden of Earthly Delights (1967)
Expensive People (1968)
them (1969)
Wonderland (1971)
Do with Me What You Will (1973)
The Assassins (1975)
Childwold (1976)
Son of the Morning (1978)
Unholy Loves (1979)
Bellefleur (1980)
Angel of Light (1981)
A Bloodsmoor Romance (1982)
Mysteries of Winterthurn (1984)
Solstice (1985)
Marya: A Life (1986)
You Must Remember This (1987)
American Appetites (1989)
Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart (1990)
Black Water (1992)
Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang (1993)
What I Lived For (1994)
Zombie (1995)
We Were the Mulvaneys (1996)
Man Crazy (1997)
My Heart Laid Bare (1998)
Broke Heart Blues (1999)
Blonde (2000)
Middle Age: A Romance (2001)
I'll Take You There (2002)
The Tattooed Girl (2003)
The Falls (2004)
Missing Mom (2005)
Black Girl / White Girl (2006)
The Gravedigger's Daughter (2007)
My Sister, My Love (2008)
Little Bird of Heaven (2009)
Mudwoman (2012)
The Accursed (2013)
Carthage (2014)
The Sacrifice (2015)
I'm glad I didn't find a list with everything she's written because I don't want to do that much typing. There are novels under other names and there are other books that aren't novels. There are littler books, and books of poetry and articles including literary criticism and books of short stories.
I like the picture of the author and the shiny cover paper it's printed on.
How does she do it?
I can't say I love every book. I don't even know for sure which ones I have read. But I can say that there is a really good chance I'll like the book, and if I don't like it- like The Accursed; I still find things to recommend it.
For one thing, I don't like italics. The use of them in The Accursed was just too much for me. I wonder if this is something that bothers many people or if it's rare. But it's true. If I see a page of italics, I cringe. Here there weren't as many. And there weren't pages of all caps either. But this is such a minor point- or should be, I think.
The book has so much to say that resonates with me and isn't that what defines a masterpiece? It's something that resonates?
There is the couple, no longer young yet looking for love- it seems. There is the academic success story, outstanding in her field who has won everything except a Pulitzer... oops, I mean a Nobel Prize. There is a phrase new to me that I love "undergraduate speech" to describe the steps one takes to stay in the line around authority and not overstep. There's a new word to me, pros·o·pag·no·sia- which is the fascinating failure to recognize faces.
And then there is humor. I don't know if many people find humor in her writing but I think anything well told has humor in it. It makes me say "No!" as if I'm watching something actually happening, not sitting in Chipotle reading in the corner. The only outright joke I caught was the mention that the amnesiac has memorized all the dialogue to a silent film- but of course it does have dialogue, it's just not spoken.
I noticed references to a dragonfly, MLK being a Republican, and dream imagery being inaccurate but indisputable in dream logic. (You know, when it's your friend and you know it but upon awakening you realize that person in the dream looks nothing like your friend.)
Here's a great quote:
p. 41
It isn't enough to be brilliant, if you're a woman. You must be demonstrably more brilliant than your male rivals- your "brilliance" is your masculine attribute. And so, to balance this, you must be suitably feminine- which isn't to say emotionally unstable, volatile, "soft" in any way, only just quiet, watchful, quick to absorb information, nonoppositional, self-effacing.
Elihu sounded familiar and I see from a quick search that Prince Elihu is one of the characters in my favorite JCO novel, My Heart Laid Bare.
Trying to live in the present, I was confronted with a character that does that. There are distinct limitations. Yet, he isn't the unhappiest of the people in the book. It's not a book about happiness, I don't think. But it certainly brings up issues of balance and authority and self-determination. I know how Elihu feels, not knowing when he's hungry and when he's not. We're all products of suggestion. If we think we haven't eaten enough, of course we'll want more. But what is 'enough'? Does it have quotes or italics and isn't it a judgement call?
Hosea 4
So I will punish them for their ways And repay them for their deeds. 10They will eat, but not have enough; They will play the harlot, but not increase, Because they have stopped giving heed to the LORD. 11Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.…
Still contemplating Arnold Ehret's Mucusless Diet I think we're all stuffing in whatever we can and wondering why we're still hungry. "Hungry" is a judgement call. Let's make that judgement. We do have enough. We do eat enough. We are enough.
The book was great. I thank the best living author in the world for her contribution to my reading schedule and I look forward to what she has to offer in the future. Would it seem obscene for me to mention that underneath her bed or stuffed behind a loose brick in her office one might find 420 additional manuscripts? The output is amazing, but don't be misled. The content is what is amazing.
I actually saw in print where JCO denied not going through her work and editing it, like most writers do. She told the haters that of course she does that. She doesn't just write first drafts. I don't care. It's good. Whoever writes like this, and how they get there, and who they are and what they look like isn't nearly as important as the prose: It stands on its own.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Excerpt from
Six Ways to Live a Joyful Life from St. John Bosco
from CatholicGentleman.net
So how did St. John Bosco find real happiness? Here’s his six recommendations for living a joyful life:
- Live for God alone – “Give God the greatest possible glory and honor Him with your whole soul. If you have a sin on your conscience, remove it as soon as possible by means of a good Confession.”
- Be a servant – “Never offend anyone. Above all, be willing to serve others. Be more demanding of yourself than of others.”
- Be careful in your associations – “Do not trust those who have no faith in God and who do not obey His precepts. Those who have no scruples in offending God and who do not give Him what they should will have many fewer scruples in offending you and even betraying you when it is convenient for them.”
- Spend carefully – “If you do not wish to be ruined, never spend more than you earn. You should bear this in mind and always measure your true possibilities accurately.”
- Be humble – “Be humble. Speak little of yourself and never praise yourself before anyone. He who praises himself, even if he has real merit, risks losing the good opinion of others. He who seeks only praise and honors is sure to have an empty head fed only by wind… will have no peace of soul and will be unreliable in his undertakings.”
- Carry your cross – “Carry your cross on your back and take is as it comes, small or large, whether from friends or enemies and of whatever wood it be made. The most intelligent and happiest of men is he who, knowing that he is doomed to carry the cross throughout life, willingly and resignedly accepts the one God sends him.”
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
The Politics of Genre
Gospel tells people that they are not enough but they're not so bad that they should do anything to change their position. Translation: Black people, you'll be okay someday, but for now don't do your best and don't try too hard. Skate. You'll get your reward in the end. Power resides in a detached future.
Country tells people that they're just as good as the people who live in cities. It protests so much that the message is actually- it's okay to be stupid because you know education isn't worthwhile. Cities are powerful but don't go join one. Stay rural and get drunk because you don't want power.
Rock tells people to dislike their parents and that they're generation is the only one that's ever dealt with growing up. Power is in serving oneself.
Hip Hip tells some people they are victims and can't work through the system to make anything better. Power resides in men.
Romantic Comedies tell people their love isn't enough. Real love is a selection of touching emotions.
Movies tell people that good stories end in marriage and bad ones end in death. (All stories end in death so the implication is that life isn't as good as a movie.)
Facebook tells us that what we think is important, but only to us.
Country tells people that they're just as good as the people who live in cities. It protests so much that the message is actually- it's okay to be stupid because you know education isn't worthwhile. Cities are powerful but don't go join one. Stay rural and get drunk because you don't want power.
Rock tells people to dislike their parents and that they're generation is the only one that's ever dealt with growing up. Power is in serving oneself.
Hip Hip tells some people they are victims and can't work through the system to make anything better. Power resides in men.
Romantic Comedies tell people their love isn't enough. Real love is a selection of touching emotions.
Movies tell people that good stories end in marriage and bad ones end in death. (All stories end in death so the implication is that life isn't as good as a movie.)
Facebook tells us that what we think is important, but only to us.
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