Spring and Fall

Full week, empty apartment

2007-02-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to move to China is a pretty time-consuming task. Throw into the mix some important visits with friends, and you get one hectic week.

One of the highlights was a going away party (thrown by a wonderful friend of ours. It was really special, and lots of our friends showed up to say goodbye, eat some really good appetizers, and chat. We finally left (close to midnight) when it was obvious that we were all getting really tired.

Our last week in the states included our final Ecclesiastes Bible study (a culimination of a year's study), my last day at work, and our apartment sale. You never know how much you own until you try to get rid of it all (or pack it up for storage). I used to think that I needed a few more things for my kitchen, a few more pieces of furniture, a few more nice clothes. But I learned last week how much stuff I really had. For a while I was really sad about having to sell a bunch of our stuff. But then I remembered something that a lady from my church said: you have a lifetime to accumulate possessions.

We sold and got rid of about half and stored about half. It was completely exhausting, but with the help of friends and my gracious parents who came down from Illinois, we were able to get it all done in time to fly off to Asia. If you want to hear more about the ongoing adventures of the Talberts in China, please visit our new blog. I'm thinking this one might be out of commission for a while.

The enemy of thought

2007-01-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today, I received an e-mail (not sure how they got my address) from Barnes and Noble announcing the new B&N free online book club. It's a place "where readers and writers meet!"

The bait worked. And with one little push of a button, I was there. The writer-included discussion that I was interested in wasn't up and running yet (unless you count 37 "introductory" messages), so I decided to visit a month-old discussion of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.

A short scan through the first thread convinced me that this book club was not for me. People weren't listening to each other. For the most part, they were just writing gobbledy-gook. At one point, someone replied to the discussion of chapters 1-6 with a message that can be summed up in his first three words: "I hate weddings."

I'm sure there's good stuff in there too. (The moderator seemed to be doing a decent job of responding with helpful information.) But I'm not willing to wade through 44 posts to see it. I'll stick with my neighborhood book club, thank you very much. (I promise to come next month, Kat!)

All of this leads me to a question: are online forums of real value? If so, when? And how? I recently read an article that stated that blogs were the enemy of thought, that no useful discussion can be had on them because of their format and limitations. In a way, I'm testing that idea by even asking these questions here. So what do you think?

Greenville, unite!

2007-01-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

After a long day of work, I've found something that motivates me to stop my lazy lounging on a Friday night and actually write something on my blog. And it's this: the possibility that
O-CHA, the tea bar I consider to be the coolest spot in Greenville, is closing its doors.

I recently read in GSA Business that several shops in downtown Greenville had closed just after Christmas. But it hadn't crossed my mind that one of my favorite places would close its doors. Today, however, I got my enewsletter from O-CHA, and the message was a call for customers. Here's part of it:

No business owner wants to put out a plea like this. But, it saddens me further to think that there are many people who will start looking around downtown Greenville and realize that there is nothing unique left open here within a few months! If you believe in local, independent, unique business...then come in and buy just one item from us....it really does make a difference...the difference between us staying open and bringing you even more interesting food/drink items and us closing right along with 8 other businesses downtown.

So this weekend, or sometime soon, go have some bubble tea on Main Street. Don't know where it's located? Never fear.

I'm going right now....

To Banff we go

2007-01-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Every time we visit my husband's family in Canada, we make the trek to Banff, a beautiful resort town on the Canadian Rockies. Here are a few of the things that make this a place we like to visit often.

The view during the hour-and-forty-five-minute drive from Calgary

Earls, a favorite restaurant that offers a variety of food (Between the six of us, we had Thai, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, and French cuisines.)

Fudge and candy shops where you can get things like sponge toffee and oreo fudge (Yum)

Walking around Banff Springs Hotel (Think Biltmore meets Hilton.)

The view from Banff Springs Hotel

Throw some skiing into the mix, and you have a place that people all over the world come to visit. Maybe someday we'll actually stay there for a weekend.

O, Canada!

2006-12-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

It’s been almost two months since my last post. What have I been up to since then? Wow, what a good question.

My husband and I...

• Took a trip to visit a very pregnant friend and her husband in Georgia

• Hosted an English murder mystery dinner for eight (and had a five-course meal that included individual beef Wellingtons—a delectable dish prepared by my husband)

• Flew up to Chicago to visit my family for Thanksgiving

• Directed a Christmas play at my church

• Planned a trip to Canada to visit my husband’s family, watched travel arrangements go totally awry, and ended up traveling to Calgary, Alberta, on Christmas day (which, I must say, is not a bad day to travel—everyone is surprisingly jolly and patient)

And now we’re experiencing some major rest and relaxation in Calgary, enjoying the snow, and spending time with family. I really enjoy our visits to Canada. In spite of the cold (which I’ve come to dislike after living in South Carolina for four years), it's a beautiful place, full of some really nice people. Even the customs people at the airport are friendly here. And they eat interesting things that I've never heard of before—like perogies.

My husband’s parents and his four sisters are all here, even though most of us had to travel (from South Carolina, Wisconsin, and South Korea). Dave and I are moving to China in February, so it might be the last Christmas we all spend together for a while.

After Canada comes New York, where we’ll be attending a friend’s wedding. It’s Dave’s first time to visit NYC, so we’re really excited. Hope to be able to share some new pictures with all of you once we get back after the first week of January. Until then, Happy New Year!

Priceless

2006-11-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

Friday morning, while driving to work, I decided to have a yard sale. My husband was out of town, and I didn't have any thing better to do, so when I got home that evening, I finished tagging everything (I've been trying to have one for months now), made signs announcing my sale, and set my alarm clock for 5:55 a.m.

The next morning I hopped out of bed, surprisingly energetic and filled with the hope of making lots and lots of dollars getting rid of the things I no longer wanted. I imagined sitting there from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., casually reading and taking money from the many passersby who were eager to get their hands on the treasures I had been storing for so many years.

Talk about naive!

After posting my signs, I spent about two hours (three times as long as I had estimated) setting out all of my belongings on our rather slanted yard. I did get a few visitors (the true die-hard garage salers out there who don't think twice about searching for sales at 7:30 a.m., even in mid-October).

By 9:30 a.m. I was starting to get depressed. I had finally organized everything to my taste (I worked retail for more than six years, so I'm a little picky when it comes to organization), and my best customer at that point was my landlord's daughter at a wopping $1.75. So much for making a ton o' cash.

Things picked up a little after that (by which I mean that a family of five came along and bought a few things, including my old sewing machine). And then it happened. The lunch-time lull. I was starting to get antsy--only three more hours to go. My ears became specifically tuned to hear cars coming from three or four blocks away. I learned how painful it can be to have cars slow down, as if they are just about to park in front of your yard--and then quickly drive off after they've scanned all of your lousy junk. I wanted to scream after them, Wait! Come back! Just give me a chance! I have a cappuccino maker! A beautiful dress from the 50s! Half-used yankee candles!

At one point I talked to a friend of mine and swore that I would never subject myself to the dreadful experience again. At least this experience ensures one thing, I told her. I will never be tempted to have another yard sale!

A little later, though, things began to pick up, and the last hour and a half was pretty good. Some lady came by and spent a whole $17 on my clothes. (You know you're desperate when you're excited about someone buying your clothes to make halloween costumes.)

But then it was over. I packed up my doubly unwanted items and drove them very far away (to a friend's house and to a second-hand store for one final attempt to be sold). And then, when it was really over, I counted my earnings.

$104--not so good for 12 hours of work, but at least some of my stuff found a good home and my storage space will be a little less tight. I soon found myself thinking that maybe it wasn't so bad afterall. Maybe I would try this whole yard sale thing again sometime....

Alive and well

2006-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

I have definitely been out of it for a while. The blogosphere, I mean. I finally got to read up on some of the blogs I’ve been missing during my forced blog hiatus, and it has me a bit overwhelmed. Too much great information out there. But I am alive and well. And a year older (at least numerically) since I last posted. Yes, I’m a stalwart 26 now. Seems a lot like 25 so far.

Well, in the tradition of what one of my friends has been posting on his blog, here are three things that I’d like to write about in the future.

1. My fabulous birthday dinner at Devereaux’s with my wonderful, sweet, amazing, nearly-perfect husband. (Anytime you want to take me there again, dear, you know where to reach me. : )

2. The story behind my wedding ring.

3. This great sermon I heard this summer about living stones, and my theory about metaphors in the Bible.

For now, though, I must simply say goodnight.

Places I've been

2006-10-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well, Kat has tagged me, and I’m happy to tell you all what states and countries I’ve visited. Here they are, all but Alaska.

I thank my parents for their avid vacationing. Now I just need to get to Alaska and Hawaii.

And countries.

My husband feels that I should not include China, but I did spend about 6 hours in a Hong Kong airport on my way to Thailand. It was actually the day after the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. It is by far my most interesting story about travelling to another country. I watched the ceremony in New York, and about 24 hours later I was in Hong Kong.

Making lemonade

2006-10-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

You’ve all heard the saying—what to do with lemons. Well, today, Life gave me a few juicy ones.

The company I work for has decided to crack down on personal internet usage. That’s understandable. Apparently, a number of people were IMing for hours at a time. What I found a little hard to swallow was an email I received this morning telling me that we’re not allowed to use the internet during lunch either. My beloved blogging hour! The only time (due to no internet at home) that I can spend reading all of your blogs and posting on my own.

I felt pretty discouraged. I thought, What can I do during lunch? I don’t go out to eat (what nearly everyone else does). What do I do for this hour that I’m stuck at work?

And then I remembered what I did about six months ago before the summer heat kicked in. I grabbed my iPod and went for a walk. I got to enjoy the sunshine, the butterflies, the birds chirping—things I’ve seen less of lately since I’ve been spent stuck to a computer screen during lunch. And I listened to a sermon about the life of Adoniram Judson, which made me realize the insignificance of my small difficulties.

So, dear readers, though I hope it will not be the case, I may be blogging a little less. But know that I am enjoying some sweet lemonade.

Darkness and light

2006-10-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

My carpool buddy and I pulled away from the house at an agonizing 6:23 this morning. Because daylight hours are shrinking, this means that almost our entire drive was in the pitch black of night.

I had encountered anecdotal evidence for there being more depression during these dark months, but I never understood it until last year. Last year when I started driving to work in the dark and driving back home . . . in the dark. It’s completely psychological but powerful nevertheless.

Daylight savings doesn’t help either. Not sure why it’s even called that—it doesn’t actually save any daylight. It just pushes it back. And for those of us driving to work in pitch blackness, it just makes matters worse.

Shorter days aside, last week was a rough one for me. Deadlines piling up so high I thought they were going to kill me.

But then I heard this. And it made a huge difference in my attitude.

It’s a section of Martin Lloyd-Jones book Spiritual Depression. He discusses what we can learn from the psalmist’s example in Psalm 42.

Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you.

Now [the psalmist’s] treatment was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: “Self, listen for moment, I will speak to you.”

This self of ours… has got to be handled. Do not listen to him; turn on him; speak to him; condemn him; upbraid him; exhort him; encourage him; remind him of what you know, instead of listening placidly to him and allowing him to drag you down and depress you. For that is what he will always do if you allow him to be in control . . . We must stand up as this man did and say, “Why art thou cast down? Why are thou disquieted within me? Stop being so! Hope though in God, for I shall yet praise Him.”

I think this is especially important in light of our modern tendencies to “believe in ourselves,” which can easily slip into “believing ourselves” when we think things that are simply not true in light of God’s truth.

So this morning, stumbling around in the dark getting ready for work, I started talking to myself. And things got a little brighter.

Odes to commuting

2006-10-02T04:18:00.000-07:00

What William Carlos Williams might have written if he had driven an hour to work every morning.

The Red Pontiac
so much depends
upon
a red
pontiac

glazed with rain
water

along the black
asphalt.

This is just to say
I have driven
the car
that was in
your garage

and which
you were probably
saving
for yourself

Forgive me
it was fantastic
so fast
and so smooth

And a big thank you to Will for submitting the second poem.

Cervically...

2006-09-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

I’m an editor who used to teach grammar to college freshman. At least three years of my life have been dedicated to helping people speak and write more accurately and with greater clarity.

But every time I see this Dilbert cartoon (and that’s pretty often since it hangs right next to the monitor in my cubicle), I feel a little grin spread across my lips.

Oh, who would I choose . . .the IT guy in the cube next to me? . . . heh, heh, heh . . .

Now that’s job security.

Carnival of the insects

2006-09-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

I just got some pictures from our Michigan trip thanks to my photography-oriented friend Liz. In light of the last item on my Gratitude List, I’ve decided to post this picture of my husband at the Detroit Zoo Butterfly House.

When he saw the picture, he said, “Whoa. That’s a pretty intense look that butterfly is getting . . . I'm surprised it doesn’t start crying.”

He thought he looked angry, but I know better. I can see the beginning of a smile on the corner of his mouth. It’s the look he gets when he’s fascinated by something.

And I love that he’s fascinated by a little blue butterfly.

I’m also a bit of a would-be entomologist. Here’s another picture that Liz took. It’s this amazing little white spider. You can’t tell from the picture, but his legs are extremely short on one side. Not sure if it’s an aberration or one of his special features, but it’s what made him picture worthy. Yes, that’s my thumb in the background. I made sure not to get too close. Looking is one thing. Touching is an entirely different matter!

A good way to start the week

2006-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Mondays are usually rough—and this morning was no exception. After dragging myself out of bed, getting ready for work, and riding in a car through the dark 6:30 morning, I got to work and headed straight for the coffee maker.

The sermon my pastor preached yesterday was playing in the back of my mind. I could hear him say, “The frustration we experience now in this life is there to make us look expectantly toward heaven. God doesn’t intend for us to be fully satisfied here.” And then he gave some great advice for overcoming those depressing Monday-morning-type moments: be thankful for what God has given you and hope—not the wishful kind of hope that we often talk about but a confident expectation of the future God has promised us.

Well, here (in no particular order) are the things that I’m thankful for on a Monday afternoon.

1. Friends: We had company over two diffent evenings this weekend and enjoyed talking, eating, and playing games (including what my husband now refers to as “the Risk game to end all Risk games”). Other friends, some very far away, were also an encouragement to me this week through e-mails, phone conversations, and blogs.

2. Food: I’m not a great cook, but I’m starting to enjoy cooking as I gain more experience. Yesterday we made Thai curry chicken. I love the variety of tastes and smells available. And I’m thankful for a modern world where I can easily try food from cultures all over the globe.

3. Coffee: Specifically, coffee with coconut creamer, like the kind I had this morning. Yum.

4. Prayer: This past week I was reminded again (through friends) of the power and privilege of prayer. I thank the Lord that He has made a way for us to communicate to Him, that He listens to us, and that He wants to give us good things.

5. Work: Yes, I’m thankful for work, especially the job that God has given me. Even on a day like today where most of my work involves e-mailing and writing news releases, I enjoy what I do and I’m thankful for how God has chosen to provide for us.

6. My husband: Any list like this has to include the man who has decided to spend the rest of his days with me. I love his inquisitive mind, his sense of humor, and his ability to encourage and lead.

Zazzelicious

2006-09-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

I spend one hour every day surfing the net and reading blogs. Because this one hour also happens to be my lunch hour, sometimes things come up, forcing me to go internetless for an entire day. (Ouch!)

This week has been full of days like that, and I’ve really missed blogging. Once again I have some things that need to be taken care of during lunch, but I wanted to at least post this cool new find.

Zazzle is an online store where you can create clothing, mugs, and cards (among other things) with unique designs. I found it through The Litabug Phlog. Litabug has her own designs that you can use, and you can customize them for your own items—like I did for this shirt. How cool is that?

Wanted: women to blog

2006-09-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I’ve been wanting post, really I have. But the last few days I’ve spent my lunch breaks (the only time I normally have to post due to a sever lack of internetage at home) making a few improvements to a group blog that I’m part of. We created it to help women connect to each other and ask questions about life—ranging from issues about laundry to whether or not mothers should work outside the home.

It’s still in its infancy, but I’m adding it to my sidebar links. (Liz, aren't you happy? :) Check it out.

My new favorite word

2006-09-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, I always thought we were singing When the roll is called a pyonder (instead of When the roll is called up yonder) at church. By the end of the service, I would always forget to ask my mom what a “pyonder” was and why rolls would gain a new title when we got to heaven. I finally figured it out when I learned to read the line for myself.

I didn’t know there was a word for that experience. It’s called a mondegreen. How cool!

mon‧de‧green [mon’-di-green] noun
A series of words that result from the mishearing or misinterpretation of a statement or song lyric.

Origin: 1954; coined by American author S. Wright from the line laid him on the green, interpreted as Lady Mondegreen, in a Scottish ballad.

Another example is I led the pigeons to the flag for I pledge allegiance to the flag. For more, go to Wikipedia.

I’d love to hear of examples from your experience. Please share!

Multiple-personality mood swings

2006-09-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Who needs to be a famous leader when she can be a fictional character instead?

So Chris might be really cool.
And John might be perfect.
And Will might be just all-around wonderful.

But I’m an elfin queen.

Need I say more? I didn’t think so. But just in case you’re wondering, here’s their description of me:

You are most like Galadriel. There’s just something about you that people like. A sort of aura. You’re very kind to people, and you like to help others succeed. You’re not as candid as most people would like. You’re more mature than most people your age, so don't worry!

Ok, I feel better about myself now. Less Hitleresque.

What LoTR Character Are You?

Know thyself

2006-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

It’s so true! Those were the words that came out of my and my husband’s mouths when we read our MBTI personality profiles. Like a good friend of ours, I enjoy taking the occasional personality test, but I’ve never felt like any of them actually pegged me accurately.

For example, the most recent one I took told me that the famous leader I’m most like is Hitler. Um, not cool. I’ll try again later when I’m in a better mood.

I first learned of the Meyer’s-Briggs Type Indicator through my company, which tests all of its employees to help them understand how they communicate and work with others. I’ll admit, I was skeptical. But the results of the test really did help me understand my strengths and weaknesses and gave me a greater appreciation for how other people are different. (And when you learn a little about my personality, you’ll see that I definitely needed that.)

First, here’s a rundown of the preferences MBTI evaluates.

• Introvert and Extrovert: How do I prefer to receive and direct my energy? Extroverts prefer outward energy flow, focused on other people and things. Introverts, on the other hand, prefer inward energy flow, focused on one’s own thoughts and ideas. For example, while introverts often make good writers, extroverts are more likely to enjoy debate and are able to think more quickly on their feet

• Sensing and Intuition: How do I best receive data? Sensing people prefer to receive data primarily from the five senses, and intuitive people prefer receiving data from the subconscious, or seeing relationships via insights. This also accounts for a person’s eye for detail. Intuitive people see the big picture, and sensing people are more likely to remember specific facts or details.

• Thinking and Feeling: What do I take into account when making decisions? Both strive to make rational judgments and decisions using the data received, but thinking uses logical “true or false, if-then” connections while feeling uses “more or less, better-worse” evaluations. Feeling judgments also rely more on how specific people might be affected by a decision.

• Judging and Perceiving: How do I organize my life and make decisions? Judging types tend to prefer a step-by-step approach to life and prefer quick closure. Perceiving types often rely on more subjective judgments and desire to leave all options open. (Don’t misunderstand—Judging does not imply judgmental, and Perceiving does not imply perceptive.)

I’m an ENTJ: Extroverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging.

Here’s one brief description:
ENTJs are natural born leaders. They live in a world of possibilities where they see all sorts of challenges to be surmounted, and they want to be the ones responsible for surmounting them. They have a drive for leadership, which is well-served by their quickness to grasp complexities, their ability to absorb a large amount of impersonal information, and their quick and decisive judgments. They are “take charge” people.

That’s great, right? Well, there is a downside:
ENTJs are very forceful, decisive individuals. They make decisions quickly, and are quick to verbalize their opinions and decisions to the rest of the world. When challenged, the ENTJ may by reflex become argumentative. Alternatively she may unleash an icy gaze that serves notice: the ENTJ is not one to be trifled with.

After taking this test, I started to notice major flaws in my character. For example, when I’m part of a group trying to solve a problem (or debating an argument), I tend to come across the solution (my solution) very quickly. I announce it to others in the group, often aghast when they do not also quickly come to the same conclusion. I promptly tell others when I perceive flaws in their logic. And when I make a decision, I might not take into account how it might affect “the little guy.”

The funny thing? According to some estimates, ENTJs make up about 5% of the population. But somehow, I managed to marry one.

So I’m working on this. I’m trying to better take into account others’ perspectives and not be so rigidly demanding. And I’m relying on the grace of God to help me through it. I love that he promises to do that.

That’s amore

2006-09-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

From Thursday until this past Sunday, I wore orange toe nail polish. Now, this isn’t something I usually do. In fact, I don’t even own the dreadful color. But you do odd things when you’re in a play.

This summer, my husband and I acted in a small production of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost.

The plot is simple. Four guys swear to study and not speak to women (among other prohibitions) for three years. Only moments later, four beautiful and witty ladies show up, and the men all fall desperately (and inconveniently) in love.

The men try crazy tricks like dressing up like “Muscovites” to woo the women and still keep their integrity. Don’t they just embody integrity here?

But the women are too smart for that and end up playing even better tricks on the men—like disguising themselves in scarves and sunglasses to make the guys woo the wrong girls. Ooh, aren’t we so clever.

Ok, so Shakespeare’s expecting a healthy dosage of willing suspension of disbelief. But when you add a crazy Spaniard and a group of goofballs into the mix, the play’s a lot of fun.

We played Katherine and Dumain, one of the four couples who fall in love (Fortunately, these were both minor roles that gave us plenty of stage time but not very many lines to memorize).

My favorite part about being involved in any play is meeting new people and spending time with friends. An added bonus of being in a Shakespeare production is that you have lots of the Bard’s lines constantly running through your head. All summer my husband and I have been bantering lines back and forth. Things like I will, Madam, if suddenly I may. / You will the sooner that I were away for you’ll prove perjured if you make me stay! end up popping into our normal conversations. It’s great fun.

Some of my favorite lines from the play:

We shall have, if this fadge not, a firework!
(This line we misunderstood through more than half of the performances—we all wondered why we didn’t get to see any fireworks....)

Pardon, error! (Spoken with a heavy Spanish accent)

But in this changing, what is your intent? (Spoken with a valley girl accent when offstage)

For he hath wit to make an ill shape good,
And shape to win grace though he had no wit. (Katherine would say of Dumain)

O most divine Kate! As fair as day. (Dumain would say of Katherine :) Unfortunately, Berowne would follow with Ay, as some days; but then no sun must shine.)

The thickest and the tallest! it is so; truth is truth.
Are not you the chief woman? you are the thickest here.
(The reaction of the audience toward this line of Costard’s—directed at the princess—got more violent as the performances went on. I thought about selling tomatoes at the door so they could really let him have it.)

Maybe you’d have to have been there to find these funny, but a lot of you were. Glad you could come see us! Oh, and if you know my husband, ask him about the “rip, roaring good time” he had on stage when his pants decided to...well, I won’t ruin the surprise.

Beautiful and bubbly

2006-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

California has a chain of stores dedicated to it.
Chicago’s addicted.
And some are wondering if it will topple the Starbucks monopoly on cool beverages.

It’s Bubble Tea.

This may not be the best thing for Discovery Tuesday since everyone’s already talking about it. But maybe you haven’t tried it yet.

Like a cappuccino, you can order it a variety of ways: hot, over ice, with milk, without milk, with pearls (the yummy tapioca balls), or without (shame on you for not at least trying it). My favorite is the milkshake variety.

But don’t be deceived by the name. Most flavors taste powerfully fruity and not like tea at all. I love mango and honeydew, but I’m trying to branch out a little and try more flavors. (If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment!)

You can even buy it online (or at your local Asian market) and make it at home. It begins as a powder that you can mix with milk or water. You can also add ice and mix it up in a blender. Don’t forget the pearls! They need to be boiled in water over the stove for about five minutes. Absolutely scrumptious!

Life is amazing

2006-09-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

I post this picture* as a tribute to two of my friends (a one and a two) who are expecting, both due in February.

Congratulations, ladies.

*If you're wondering if this photo is real, you're not the first. But even Snopes is still undetermined, so I'm posting it!

Where were you?

2006-09-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard people talk about remembering the moment they heard that JFK was assassinated or that John Lennon died. Before September 11, 2001, I had never had that kind of experience.

Because of the confusion and gradual unfolding of the story, learning about 9/11 wasn’t a moment—it was an entire day. For me, it began with whispers in the hallway between college classes. When I heard that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, I imagined a small prop plane and thought, How stupid. After I learned that a second plane had done the same, I was completely confused. Later, the entire student body learned the truth at a university-wide meeting. That afternoon, I listened to the radio during work and then left early to watch the news the rest of the afternoon. My memories are vague, clouded in the confusion and jumbled with information that I know came later but seems to mix with what I learned that day.

Never forget

2006-09-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Bloggers throughout the United States are posting tributes to the victims of 9/11. One of them has also posted portions of the 9/11 Commission report. I watched one documentary about Flight 93 several months ago, and I ended up crying through most of it. Although I might watch another film about 9/11 in the future, I don’t think I will this year. But it was good to read through some of the report. It is good to remember.

So you wanna be a writer?

2006-09-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

I’m not a freelancer, and I don’t really consider myself a writer. (Although I spend about a third of the time at my job writing articles, I prefer the title hack.)

Maybe someday. Until then, I try to learn about the writing world, and there are blogs out there designed just for that purpose. Here are a few. (For the original, longer list, head on over to Inkthinker.)

The Artful Writer
I know some of you out there are really interested in film. Have you considered writing for it? This blog can help. It’s goal is to provide “information, theory and debate for the professional television and film writer.” Check it out.

Angela Booth
Want your writing to be more productive, more creative, and more lucrative? Go to Angela Booth to find helpful tips and tools for all kinds of writing.

Editors Weblog
Want to freelance for a newspaper? Curious about what’s happening in the newsroom? The Editors Weblog has information about the latest trends in journalism.

Pro Blogger
Maybe most of your writing exists on a blog. You want to make money with it, right? If so, this blog about lucrative blogging can help.

Written Road
So you like to travel. And you like to write. Maybe you should take a trip on over to the Written Road and learn about the travel publishing world. It offers information about available jobs, training, and resources for travel writers.

Again, I thank Inkthinker her guest author for this helpful information. Hope it can help some of you too.

A few of my favorite things

2006-09-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

I think I will make Tuesdays favorite discovery day. At least this Tuesday. On Discovery Tuesday, I will share with you something that I love—something that makes my life easier or that is just plain cool.

Today’s discovery is Library Thing. I learned about it from a copyediting Listserve I’m on—and let me tell you, it’s worth all of the crazy “Who vs. Whom” rants I have to wade through every day. Wow. I can’t say enough good things about this program.

I was determined to spend part of my Labor Day (the time between checking google analytics to see if I’ve had any new visitors to my blog, that is) cataloging my husband’s books. He has a couple hundred theology and Bible study books that he inherited from one of his father’s friends. I’ve been meaning to catalogue them for some time, but I dreaded spending hours on end staring at an Excel file.

In steps Library Thing. [Cue music.] With Library Thing, all your cataloging cares drift away. With one little ISBN number or title and a simple push of a button, it completes the rest of the book information for you—title, publisher, date—you name it. It’s all of the information in Amazon.com and the Library of Congress right at your finger tips. [Music fades.]

Seriously, it’s great. And, no, I’m not being paid to promote their product.

Is that for here or to go?

2006-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

So we all know that Americans are fat. Our kids are fat. We’re fat. Our animals are even fat. We can discuss the causes of obesity all day, but what we really need to do is get to the gym.

I’m talking to myself on this one. In college, I experienced the freshman fifteen. And after losing the freshman fifteen to look beautiful on my wedding day, I ran into the marriage twenty. (And not the kind that comes with a cute little bundle of joy, either.)

Well, I’ve recently found a little inspiration: Big Jon, the American Everyman. His struggle is our struggle. And he has an entire blog dedicated to tracking his quest to lose 100 pounds in 365 days. Best of luck, Jon. If you can lose 100, surely I can lose that pesky 20.

One in a...er...fifty million

2006-09-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband reminded me the other day that I am a microscopic splat on the great windshield of blogdom. Here’s a snippet of our conversation.

WH: You can’t just expect people to stumble onto your blog. Do you know how many new blogs are created every day?

ME: No. How many?

WH: 1,000.

ME: Every day?

WH: Every hour.

ME: Oh.

I wanted to check his math, and I found an article that disagrees with him. Well, sort of. It says that there are 175,000 blogs created every day. That’s 7,200 per hour (more then 2 per second).

And so I thank you, visitors, for choosing my blog. I’m glad you could stop by.

And I also thank Google Analytics for helping me to know when and where people are stopping by. So far I've had visitors from Florida; South Carolina; North Carolina; Illinois; Michigan; Colorado; Vermont; Seoul, South Korea; and Bogotá, Columbia.

Baby steps into blogdom

2006-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, a big thank you goes out to a friend who told me that I hadn't enabled people outside blogger.com to comment. I think that I have now fixed the problem. Sorry guys! Don't give up on me yet!

Words, words, words

2006-09-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

When you make a living as an editor, you sort of become a word nerd.

I love words.

I love that words can sound beautiful (vermillion) or terrible (holocaust) or downright strange (widdershins). I love finding just the right word. (As one of my English teachers told me in grad school: "There are no true synonyms.")

Now I have a question. Do you distinguish between words like lucky, fortunate, and blessed? I have a pretty strong view of Providence, and I've heard some people disdain the use of lucky and fortunate. I know those words imply the rule of chance (or worse). But I'm still partial to fortunate. And I can't imagine using blessed all of the time. (For some reason it pops out of my mouth with a bit of a Southern twang.)

What words do you use? And why?

Ah, Michigan!

2006-08-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, my husband and I finally got to go on vacation this summer. My brother decided to get married, and that gave us a chance to see family and friends and visit the great state of Michigan.

Here are a few highlights from the trip.

Mackinac Island
Mackinac (pronounced Mak-i-naw) Island is one of my favorite places. This was my third visit, and I would go back every year if I had enough time and money. It offers beautiful sights, delicious fudge, and the wonderful experience of limited transportation (no cars or trucks are allowed on the island).

You can rent a horse and carriage or bicycles. My husband and I were brave enough to try the bicycle built for two—an experience that we will probably not choose again but was enjoyable nonetheless.

You can also visit the Grand Hotel (which appears in the movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymore—yes, I've seen it, and all I have to say is that it's better when you watch it on the island where it was filmed). But when speaking of the Grand Hotel, I use the word visit very loosely. This is about as close as you can get before some smarmy guard tells you that you have to pay to walk on the premises.

Cherry Republic
Another highlight of the trip was Cherry Republic, a fantastic stop in Glen Arbor. It's a combination bakery/café, cherry store, and winery. We had cherry chicken salad sandwhiches and cherry icecream for lunch before heading to the store to sample some of their products: cherry salsa, cherry barbeque sauce, chocolate covered cherries, and 8 different kinds of cherry jam—just to name a few!

Another thing we liked was the owner's sense of humor. One gift tin said it all: "Canada is a Country. The United States is a Nation. The Cherry Republic is an Empire."

Why blog?

2006-08-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Why join the blogosphere? What do I want to do with this blog? I’ve been asking myself these questions for months. I love reading other blogs, and I’ve been craving my own space. But why go through all the trouble?

Those of you reading this (if there are any of you) probably don’t need rationale. But a friend of mine recently called blogging “emotional exhibitionism,” so I feel the need to justify my actions.

First, what I am not trying to do.

I am not trying to prove myself the expert on anything. Some of my favorite blogs to read focus on one subject. And I thought of doing that. But there are already great blogs about writing and film and even self publishing. (Not that I would consider myself the expert on any of those subjects—but I do enjoy reading about them.)

I will not attempt to answer all of life’s questions. But I would like to ask questions and talk about my own experience and beliefs.

I won’t try to solve the world’s problems or play the blame game. Read: I’d rather not discuss politics—too much.

What I would like to do.

Create an online journal. We’ll see if this actually happens since I only have one hour each day to write and read blogs. We’ll see if I can restrain myself from spending most of that time editing posts that I’ve already written rather than adding new material.

Discuss life. Comments are welcome! Please don’t make me have a conversation with myself. (Though I will if I have to. A one-way correspondence would at least get my thoughts out of my head.)

Namesake

2006-08-02T04:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the birth of my blog, Spring and Fall. The name comes from my favorite poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins. I love to hear his poetry, love to feel the words run across my tongue. Spring and Fall isn't his most beautiful poem. I don't think it's his most profound. But it resonates with me like no other poem I’ve read.

Spring and Fall:
to a Young Child

MÁRGARÉT, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves, líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Áh! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.