!!

I love the description in “My Tea with Madame Descartes”, especially when the author is talking about Madame Descartes herself. David St. John, the author, really uses great analogies to describe how beautiful she is in his eyes. Excerpts such as “I’d never seen a beauty like hers, riveting as the Unicorn’s soft eye…..her beauty was singular, Volcanic, viscous…as inevitable as lava moving slowly toward you... Her beauty was so close to a vengeance-one exacted by the world upon those of us so ordinary, so weak, we can barely admit its existence” really jump out at me and I find myself reading them over again. The main reason is that I don’t understand how people think like that, or think of analogies as unique as the ones David St. John uses.  I mean, I know everybody has different talents and skills, but being able to write that creatively is one that I really respect because I am so NOT good at it. 

                  I also think its is interesting how we don’t realize that the person giving the interview is so self conscious until the very end of the story because of how he reacts to having his picture taken. Once I realized this, I went ahead and re-read the story, and I could really see how his character is self-conscious throughout the whole story, it just isn’t obvious until after you’ve read the end. That was a very new experience for me, I have never gone back and re-read something unless forced to, but after reading the ending, I had a better idea of what the characters were like when reading it the second and third times. Anyways I’m sure most of you are much more into literature so you’ve experienced this many, many times before, but I just though I would share my new found accomplishment haha…goodnight, sweet dreams

To be perfectly honest, I was dreading Thursday’s class. It took everything in me to buy the supplies and force myself to go to class. I felt a little bit better when I found out that we would pick a verse to paint on, because its hard to come up with something with nothing to go off of when you’re not enthusiastic about it, ya know? Once I chose my verse I was very pleasantly surprised at how easily ideas came to me. Now, I am in no way saying that what I came up with was well done by anyone else’s standards, but to me it made sense haha. As much as I didn’t look forward to the painting project, I cannot tell a lie, I actually found it enjoyable and useful. Trying to think of what to paint caused me to have to really think about the text and what I was trying to portray through the picture. Doing that seemed to bring the text to life more in my mind. The part of the passage I chose was in chapter two and it said “A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, As the dawn is spread over the mountains”. So having to try and paint something that would convey that, I had to picture that kind of darkness and gloom and what it would look like, and that really helped me to get involved in the text, if that makes sense..? Anyways, I feel like I am starting to ramble, so I am going to stop. The main thing I was trying to say was that I actually enjoyed our painting project and it definitely helped to dig deeper into the text. Once again, this class is really taking me out of my box!

I do not think that I am alone in the view that the field trip/experiment we had in class the other day was at least slightly awkward for most people. I personally thought that it was a very awkward experience , but then again maybe that is because I am not a big fan of really picking apart literature, which is why this class is good for me. I would also like to say however that the main thing I got out of this expedition has to do with the authors of the bible. The fact that none of these men had a master’s degree in journalism or any specific training just goes to show again how amazing our God is. He took ordinary men and had them come together, through him, to write the most beautiful book ever written. There are all different styles of writing throughout the bible, with each book being a different size and having slightly different information, yet that has not stopped it from being a bestseller for hundreds of years. I had never really stopped to think about that until yesterday. Most of the time I had always just read the Bible as an instruction book, or a way for God to communicate to me. Now that I think about it though, there is some really amazing literature, especially in the poetry department. So from here on out I am going to make an effort to try and see the Bible in a different way and think about who wrote the book, what people they are talking to, with what attitude the book was written, etc. I would encourage you to do the same, because I think it will help us from getting in a rut and not really digest what we are reading from God’s word. 

Joel

Until a couple hours ago I don’t think I had ever read the book of Joel in the Bible. I don’t really know that I expected anything in particular, but I was still sort of surprised by the book. I feel like it is a beautifully written but slightly depressing book.

In chapter 1 it says, “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten;

And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.“ I don’t know about you, but that verse makes it sound like the situation is pretty much a hopeless one. Of course, the Lord doesn’t let the chapter end negatively, at the end of chapter 3 he describes how Judah will be blessed: “And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; and a spring will go out from the house of the LORD to water the valley of Shittim.” This part of the passage just reminds me how great and merciful our God is. Not that I don’t get reminded daily, it’s just always refreshing though to be reminded through the Lord’s word of how gracious he really is. Even in a chapter where it talks about the nations being judged, the Lord makes a point of mentioning that he will reward the faithful in the end. Now, I realize that this might not have anything to do with literature necessarily, but sometimes I just feel like we need to remember what a great God we serve and how good he is to us. So maybe next blog I will concentrate more on the literature side of the book of Joel, but this was more important tonight. Make a point tonight to thank the Lord for being so great. God bless and goodnight.

....

I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this class. So, the first day of this class I was sitting there freaking out inside. Mainly because I am not a big reader or writer, unless it is something I am passionate about. So the first few classes I dreaded going, and was just in pure agony. I didn’t know how I was going to keep up with 2 blogs a week AND commenting (to make things worse, I missed the first blog of the semester haha). Now that I have started to get into the flow of the semester though and am really making an attempt, it is becoming not so bad. I have started to somewhat enjoy some of our discussions and I really enjoyed the C.S. Lewis book “A Grief Observed”. Hearing some of the experiences of others in the class caused me to look at things in different ways. I also really enjoyed the lunch day we had, I found it very enjoyable to be able to discuss things that we appreciated and not things we were forced to discuss. That does not mean in any way that I understand why we do some of the things we do in this class or that believe everything we do in this class is necessary. All I am saying is that I feel like I am getting better at being able to contribute to the conversations. For example, the painting thing kind of scares me. I have very very little artistic ability to begin with, and I find it very frustrating because of that! So hopefully I will be able to get through that without looking like a total idiot (there really is no chance of that though), and continue to learn to appreciate this class for the rest of the semester.

Tiger Flowers Cemetery

As I left to head to Tiger Flowers Cemetery, I found myself thinking that it was going to be hard for me to get anything out of it, seeing as I have never lost anyone close to me. I mean, sure, I’ve lost an uncle and a couple great-grandparents, but no one close enough to me that I had a hard time getting through it or visiting a cemetery. So, as I walked around the cemetery, just thinking to myself, I began to think about my family. It’s amazing how even though i was in a place that signified death all I could think about was being alive, how great my life is, and the people in it. I know that some of the people that rest in that cemetery probably did not have everything that I’ve been blessed with in this life, and also that some might have been just as blessed as me but didn’t realize. I guess what I’m trying to say is, being around death really inspired me to be grateful for what I have, and to let the people around me know how much I love them. The LAST thing I ever want to happen is to have someone close to me pass away and them not know how much I loved them or how much they meant to me. Thinking about that made me see how C.S. Lewis could write a whole book on his grief, I mean the things he describes feeling I could see myself going through the same emotions if something were to happen to someone I love. So even though I’m sure I could keep writing about things I thought about, I’m done with this blog now, because I have more important things to do; for instance, I want to go call my family on skype. "I went to the Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers cemetery complex for this fieldtrip, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes."

Anyways...

When I was trying to think of what to blog about tonight, I started trying to think of what my favorite book of all time was. I had a couple different books that came to mind, but one just blows the others out of the water in terms of being the most moving and emotional book ive ever read.  The name of that book is “Lone Survivor: The eyewitness account of operation redwing and the lost heroes of seal team 10”, by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson.

            Granted, the majority of it is written by a United States Navy Seal, so it might not be the most well written book you’ve ever read, but the story itself it makes up for it big time. It starts off kinda slow and talks about what Luttrell went through during his training. Before reading this book I had no idea the things that the seals are put through, it was mind-blowing. Anyways, the majority of the book goes on to talk about Luttrell and 3 other Navy Seals team members who were performing a routine mission, when they came under attack by over 200 taliban fighters. During the firefight that ensued all three of Luttrell’s teammates end up being killed, right in front of him. I don’t want to give too much away but Luttrell was the “Lone Survivor” of his group and the story of his survival is absolutely insane.

            I mean, I am not a big reader, I don’t read books for enjoyment, but this book was soooo good, that I found myself taking it to work with me because I could not put it down. The things that this man went through and the way he describes it made this book an unbelievable read, and I even found myself tearing up at times. So I highly, highly encourage anyone I know to give this book a chance, it truly is a testament to what some human beings go through for this country. 

Theme and Moral

Wow, the chapter on "Theme and Moral" felt like the most repetitive piece of homework I have ever read. I felt like I was reading a chapter of the bible over and over in different translations and versions….well, anyways…

I really liked the part where it talked about music having such a big effect in movies. Coming from a musical background and playing multiple instruments, it always fascinates me how people use music to complete a movie/scene. I often find myself listening for what kind of music is going on in the background throughout movies, skits, plays, etc. One specific movie that comes to mind is “The Dark Night”. In that movie the villain is “the Joker”, played by the late Heath Ledger, and although he does a very good job at being disturbing and menacing, that wouldn’t be enough without the music. For me, the eerie music that plays in the background during his scenes pretty much “makes” his character. The cool part is, most people probably don’t even notice the music and how it complements the movie. So next time you watch a movie, I encourage you to make sure you listen to the music and try to figure out what effect it is adding to the scene and if you think it complements the movie as a whole or not. I have yet to find a movie where music takes away from what the movie is trying to portray.           

            On a little side note, I find it very amusing that in “The Girl and the Wolf” the author states that the girls these days have gotten smarter and harder to fool because she shoots the wolf, but it still killed her Grandmother. So the girl apparently wasn’t smart enough to keep from telling the wolf where she was headed and that her grandmother would be there.

What We Talk about When We Talk about Love

            What We Talk about When We Talk about Love….

            Mel Mcginnis seemed to do the majority of the talking in this story, as well as most of the drinking. When he first started out he seemed really calm, almost like he knew what he was talking about, but the more he drank the more aggressive he became and the less understandable he became. Towards the end he became very scattered, and you could tell he was extremely drunk.

            I thought Terri Mcginnis was pretty laid back for the most part, even when her husband got loud or angry towards her. She didn’t speak too often, but when she did, she got her point across swiftly.

            Raymond and Laura Carver were both very quiet, positive, and politically correct when they spoke. They both seemed to make sure they didn’t offend either Terri or Mel. And when they did rarely speak it was usually about how they were “so in love”.

            According to Mel, real love is nothing less than spiritual love. Where as Terri believed that if you say you love someone and act upon your feelings and desires that can be considered love also, even if that person is harming you in any way. The Carvers seemed content not giving their complete opinion, while also making it obvious that they are as in love as it gets.

            Based on their unspoken signals I think it’s pretty obvious that Raymond and Laura are still in the “honeymoon” type stage of their relationship, seeing as they can’t keep their hands off of each other. While Mel and Terri seem more focused on being right and having their opinion shared with the group, because they are often doing things that give the impression they are not paying full attention to each other.

            This story as a whole seemed very choppy to me and lacked direction, although maybe that was what the author was going for. Maybe he was trying to symbolize that love is complicated and no one will ever have all the answers?