Thursday, June 25, 2009
A Random Thought about Love
When I was very young, what I wanted was to be thought perfect in every way. But, now, some years later, I realize that I much prefer to be known for who I truly am--all flaws and imperfections--and loved anyway. I think that is a picture of God's love for us.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A Short Rant about Waiting Rooms
I don't usually rant on this blog, so here's a rare glimpse into the strange thoughts that whirl around in my head.
I had a neurosurgeon appointment this week. Never particularly fun. I could complain about the insanely long wait, the assembly line nature of the medical profession, how expensive my 5-minute check up was, and a myriad of other annoyances real and imagined. But, I won't! I'll limit my virtual complaints to one: THE TELEVISION IN THE WAITING ROOM.
When did this happen exactly? When did waiting rooms turn into theaters? All the chairs arranged around a very large and very loud, prominently displayed LCD.
Now, there are lots of angles my rant could take here. I could talk about how profoundly disturbing I find this need to be constantly entertained. But, truthfully, I always bring a book, so I understand the need for some distraction or other. I could complain about how ridiculously loud the volume is--making it very hard to concentrate on said book! I could lament the fact the no one reads anymore. All valid complaints. But, what really took the cake was this: No one enjoyed it.
Guess what was playing on this huge, loud tv that no one could escape? Soap Operas. Yep, there we were, a room full of strangers: men, women, a couple of children even. And there were the soap actors, displaying their passion and underwear right in front us. That's right! There's nothing like watching an "intimate" moment on a big screen under florescent lights in a room full of strange men, while nurses occasionally walk out and make announcements.
And the truth is, that everyone was uncomfortable. Men nervously averted their eyes, trying not to stare at the tv and desperate to avoid any eye contact. Women squirmed in their seats and dug in their purses.
What was intended--I presume--as something to distract and relax patients had quite the opposite effect. Everyone wanted out of that room! Which of course made the interminably long wait seem even longer. Rather counter productive, no?
I had a neurosurgeon appointment this week. Never particularly fun. I could complain about the insanely long wait, the assembly line nature of the medical profession, how expensive my 5-minute check up was, and a myriad of other annoyances real and imagined. But, I won't! I'll limit my virtual complaints to one: THE TELEVISION IN THE WAITING ROOM.
When did this happen exactly? When did waiting rooms turn into theaters? All the chairs arranged around a very large and very loud, prominently displayed LCD.
Now, there are lots of angles my rant could take here. I could talk about how profoundly disturbing I find this need to be constantly entertained. But, truthfully, I always bring a book, so I understand the need for some distraction or other. I could complain about how ridiculously loud the volume is--making it very hard to concentrate on said book! I could lament the fact the no one reads anymore. All valid complaints. But, what really took the cake was this: No one enjoyed it.
Guess what was playing on this huge, loud tv that no one could escape? Soap Operas. Yep, there we were, a room full of strangers: men, women, a couple of children even. And there were the soap actors, displaying their passion and underwear right in front us. That's right! There's nothing like watching an "intimate" moment on a big screen under florescent lights in a room full of strange men, while nurses occasionally walk out and make announcements.
And the truth is, that everyone was uncomfortable. Men nervously averted their eyes, trying not to stare at the tv and desperate to avoid any eye contact. Women squirmed in their seats and dug in their purses.
What was intended--I presume--as something to distract and relax patients had quite the opposite effect. Everyone wanted out of that room! Which of course made the interminably long wait seem even longer. Rather counter productive, no?
Friday, April 3, 2009
What I've Been Up To . . .
Dear Readers,
I have been a busy girl. The Lord has answered my prayer and has provided some great business opportunities for me. Through His Good Providence, I have reentered the world of freelance editing and writing. The jobs just keep coming and coming. I am enjoying myself immensely, and it's been quite nice for my wallet. Sadly, it hasn't been so great for the blog.
I've got ideas brewing . . . must make the time!
I have been a busy girl. The Lord has answered my prayer and has provided some great business opportunities for me. Through His Good Providence, I have reentered the world of freelance editing and writing. The jobs just keep coming and coming. I am enjoying myself immensely, and it's been quite nice for my wallet. Sadly, it hasn't been so great for the blog.
I've got ideas brewing . . . must make the time!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Classical Writing Primer
The ladies at Classical Writing have done it again. Set for a Spring 2009 release is the new Classical Writing Primer.
From the website:
Copywork, gentle grammar and spelling lessons, nature study, picture study, and narration lessons are featured in this series to be used by primary level students.
View a sample week.
From the website:
Copywork, gentle grammar and spelling lessons, nature study, picture study, and narration lessons are featured in this series to be used by primary level students.
View a sample week.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Russell Kirk on Complusory Education
More food for thought from Eliot and His Age:
Russell Kirk, commenting on the decline of a literary public in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, writes: "Nor had the increase of public literacy done anything to sustain the serious journals: it had become clear enough that there exists no sure relationship between compulsory schooling and voluntary reading; indeed, an inverse ratio might be postulated."
Russell Kirk, commenting on the decline of a literary public in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, writes: "Nor had the increase of public literacy done anything to sustain the serious journals: it had become clear enough that there exists no sure relationship between compulsory schooling and voluntary reading; indeed, an inverse ratio might be postulated."
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
More from my boy, Tom Eliot
"Half of the harm that is done in the world
Is due to people who want to feel important.
They don't mean to do harm - but the harm does not interest them.
Or they do not see it, or they justify it
Because they are absorbed in the endless struggle
To think well of themselves." - T.S. Eliot, The Cocktail Party
Is due to people who want to feel important.
They don't mean to do harm - but the harm does not interest them.
Or they do not see it, or they justify it
Because they are absorbed in the endless struggle
To think well of themselves." - T.S. Eliot, The Cocktail Party
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Eliot on Classical Education
T.S. Eliot said that he attended a "good school" since vanished where he was taught "as is now increasingly rare everywhere, what I consider the essentials: Latin and Greek, together with Greek and Roman history, English and American history, elementary mathematics, French and German. Also English! I am happy to remember that in those days English composition was still called Rhetoric."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
