Back After These Messages...

Well friends, I've just had a rather sudden surgery on my back (nothing too major, thankfully), which makes typing painful, so I'm going to take a break for a bit from writing here. After a few days and a round of medicine and some rest, I should be feeling better. I'll try to keep up with reading everything that you write, though!

Read More

Thoughtful Thursday (or Late Friday): A Quite Simple Initial

"To come back to the history of art, it is enough to leaf through any [medieval] manuscript whatever, even a simple charter of the time, to note the same capacity for creation: the perfection of the writing, the placement on the page, the seal that authenticates it, make us see firsthand what a perfect work can be. Perfect because it has truly been a creation. The one who made it is identified with his work; so much so that in his hand it became a masterpiece... A quite simple initial, in its essential, readable, recognizable form, is found taken up anew by every copyist, every illuminator, who made it his own and developed its inner possibilities, so to speak. It can be almost intoxicating; one becomes a veritable maze of foliage and interlacing, another gives birth to an animal that ends in a man's face, or a man becomes a monster or angel or demon; nevertheless, the letter has not been betrayed; it remains, but ceaselessly recreated."

~ Excerpt from Those Terrible Middle Ages, by Regine Pernoud

A thoughtful quote can be the bridge that leads us farther
along the path of understanding ourselves and the world.

Read More

This Moment: Choosing Her Own Clothes Now

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. ~ Amanda

If you're inspired to do the same, come share your moment with me in the comment section!

Picture taken by her loving grandma!

Read More

Wednesday Wanderings

Here is a varied selection of articles that I've found on my excursions around the web! I hope you enjoy them, or at least find them thought-provoking. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comment section, whether you agree or disagree.

Below are questions I've honestly asked over the years, and recently found online articles that answer or respond to them.

"I wonder what Saudi Arabian women wear in the comfort of their own home? Surely they don't have to wear those covering clothes ALL the time."  Sort of.

"WHY DO PEOPLE TALK TO KIDS LIKE THEY ARE A LESSER FORM OF HUMAN BEING!?" (I ask this question a lot, mostly in my own head, because it happens so often.)   So ridiculous.  *strong language warning*

"Ugh, I'm not a big fan of Disney princess movies. What are some better options?"  This.

"Can't I use my loudness in favor of Love?"  Yes, I can!

"Which trees would be the best to memorize for usefulness in case I'm stranded in the wilderness?"   These ones.

"I wonder if I'll regret anything when I'm old?"  Maybe...

"It seems like our ancestors had better lives than we did in many ways. What were their secrets?"  Ah.

"Maybe I should think twice about posting this onto Facebook..."   Yeah, I should.

"Can I enjoy art from morally questionable artists?"   Looks like someone else has the same convictions.

How about some amazingly beautiful photographs and a few mildly funny yet bad real estate pictures and then some absolutely hilarious photographs (I dare you to get to the end of this particular picture series without laughing).

(source)

Read More

Wednesday Wanderings

Here is a varied selection of articles that I've found on my excursions around the web! I hope you enjoy them, or at least find them thought-provoking. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comment section, whether you agree or disagree.

Today's links brought to you by the number 5! Ah-ah-ah! (Channeling my inner Count von Count.)

Crickets Sound Like Humans Singing.

Non-Christians Want Christians to Hear

Want to Live This Life?

Handwriting Helps Us Discover Thoughts

Robotech: Greatest Love Story (Maybe)*

Asimov's 1964 Predictions About 2014

First Cyborg Recognized By Government

Man or Rabbit? C.S. Lewis

Finns with Things on Heads

(source)

*Robotech is one of the only anime series that I've really enjoyed. I've watched every episode of all the series AND read all the books! You may now call me nerdy.

Read More

This Moment: Fio Is Waking Up

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo few photos - no words a few words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. ~ Amanda

If you're inspired to do the same, come share your moment with me in the comment section!

Here begins the part of this Story's journey that I am most terrified to do: editing. Seventy-seven pages of raw material that needs to be re-arranged, erased, re-thought, expanded, subtly changed, substituted, and more. I'm bringing Fio Re out of her hibernation of the past several months since the intense one month writing session in November with NaNoWriMo. Fio needs to air out for a little while while I (for the VERY first time) read her entire Story all the way through and get out my red pen. This will only hurt a little, dear. We just have to grit our teeth. Time to get down to what her Story really needs to say.

Side note: The editing process will be quite slow! I'm taking baby steps, and making more room right now for writing a postcard every day, finishing up knitting projects, and writing letters. Also, for those who are waiting for a postcard, my post office and myself have run out of postcard stamps this week, so please forgive me for having to wait until next week to continue sending your postcards out!

Read More

Thoughtful Thursday: The Forgetfulness of Jason

"And then Medea thought of the king's house she had left for Jason, and of the brother whom she had let be slain, and of the plot she had carried out to bring Jason back to Iolcus , and a great fury came over her. In her hand she took foam from the jaws of the dragons, and she cast the foam upon Glauce, and the princess fell back into the arms of Jason with the dragon foam burning into her.

Then, seeing in his eyes that he had forgotten all that he owed to her- the winning of the Golden Fleece, and the safety of the Argo, and the destruction of the power of King Pelias- seeing in his eyes that Jason had forgotten all this, Medea went into her dragon-borne car and spoke the words that made the scaly dragons bear her aloft. She flew from Corinth, leaving Jason in King Creon's garden with Glauce dying in his arms."

~ Excerpt from The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles, by Padriac Colum

~ A weekly post sharing a selection from a book I am currently reading ~

 ~ Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comment section ~

A thoughtful quote can be the bridge that leads us farther
along the path of understanding ourselves and the world.

Read More

Wednesday Wanderings

Here is a varied selection of articles that I've found on my excursions around the web! I hope you enjoy them, or at least find them thought-provoking. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comment section, whether you agree or disagree.

If you live in the United States, which of the eleven nations do you call home?

Did you know that you can locate lost cities from space?

What are you daring today?

Why do creative people seem to have contradictory attributes?

What eighteen things should everyone start doing again?

How exactly does soda affect your health?

What are the ten coolest dead languages?

Wanna see thirteen world mysteries that don't have an explanation?

Take this survey! "This is a survey of those between the ages of 18-38 years old that grew up in religious homes. Our goal is to come up with data points of key influences that either encouraged or deterred the participants from practicing the same faith as their parents. Dr. Brian Ray, a decades-long experienced researcher, is the principal investigator and will confidentially analyze the data."

Okay, and just because I'm feeling random, here's an epic rap battle between a geek and a nerd.

(source)

Read More