What I'm Doing...
...rewriting chapters one through three of this dissertation. Scrapped the old stuff (using it as a resource) but simply starting fresh. On a roll. Trying to get a draft shipped out this week or next.
Writing is like pulling teeth. But. It is important work. (Right? Right?) Writing also means that I do all sorts of other tasks while writing - laundry, puttering around the house, etc. Ah, the things we do to distract ourselves from painful tasks.
Reading...
iTunes turns 12: An image gallery via arstechnica (this is looking more than reading - images more than text. But still pretty neat.) Amazing that all of my music fits onto my computer. Who knew?
Here's a good post about the implications of the female body as public space:
"...(T)he slow violence of "body-checking" - the everyday pinching, tugging, and monitoring of body fat - that so many women and girls casually perform on themselves and others every day. For nonwhite women and girls, gender violence is often bound up with racial violence."
The quote comes from a post about body shaming and cultural violence. Worth reading.
Making decisions. "As with any other skill, / it takes time and practice / to learn how to make good, solid decisions." Be a person who makes decisions.
Laughing about....
GrumpyCat.
Listening to...
Tessellate by alt-j
God Moving Over the Face of the Waters by Moby
Body Work by Morgan Page
Thinking about...
...the tension between wanting a model for doing a certain job/living out a ministerial call while realizing that you may be called to do something new...so stepping out on faith and driving one's drive is key in living out a call. I hear this a lot from our students and ministry candidates across the connection. I trust that the tension helps us move forward in what we need to do in the world.
Reading...
Here is an interesting piece that reveals some truth about challenges clergy (pastors/persons leading in a local church, primarily) face. This article is true...but it also seems like it is a reflection of burnout. These truths are important for clergy and laity alike to know and understand...but I was amazingly thankful for Peacebang's response to his post.
She talks about how important it is to break down false personas of piety that clergy can put on, and how these personas are just simply not helpful or healthy. She discusses how all people (clergy and laity) can and should work together for the greater good - great stuff! I think that authenticity is key when people are following a call, and those who are not willing to be authentic in response to the gifts and graces the Divine has placed in them...well. It's not healthy for them or for the communities they serve.
She then redirects the conversation to have an honest discussion about burnout and healthy workplaces...which is very important. So. There's that. And here's another helpful article about helpful policies and resources for clergy burnout.
To watch...
There are a couple of shows I'd like to start watching:
Battlestar Gallactica (everyone says so!)
Downton Abbey
Big Bang Theory
Laughing about...
Riker ipsum - this is lorem ipsum dummy text from Commander Riker's dialogue on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Love it.
Listening to...
Hanging On (Draper Remix) - Ellie Goulding
Easy - Mat Zo and Porter Robinson
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons (does listening to Imagine Dragons make me cool?)
The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix) by Morgan Page
This blog might better be titled "microfacts" rather than "microfiction," because it deals with real stuff, not fictional universes. But the topics are all snippets of larger things, so...drabbles it is!
I'm in Washington, D.C. for the Spark12 orientation and I'm pretty excited about seeing what comes forth from this week. We've got mentors, influencers, neat ideas and the opportunity to throw a bunch of talented, motivated people in the same room and watch them flourish. Good times.
Whenever I am in DC, I feel like I'm on an episode of The X-Files. Yes, yes - I know that most people associate DC with other things (other television shows, even!), but I started rewatching a couple of episodes of The X-Files and now I'm like, where's Mulder and Scully? I'm here...where are they?
We are just a few days away from the spring admissions deadline at MTSO, and we're also quickly approaching the scholarship competition deadlines for fall students. The office is busy, which is good. Lots of hopeful stories, lots of phone calls from people who are getting serious about their next academic/vocational step. It's rewarding to work with prospects...even better when they enroll and we get to watch them thrive.
If I blogged about the nitty-gritty of my day job at the school, I'd be breaking confidences. But woo doggies - my Facebook/Twitter would be so much more interesting if I did so. Instead, whenever something interesting happens, I tend to post something about Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. Awesome? Or hopelessly nerdy?
Really good article about sugar and how we as Americans are kind of unable to do what we know is the best for our bodies. A bit fearmonger-y (if that's a word) but worth thinking about.
I have discovered Pinterest. It's a nice way to collect ideas! But I'm not very crafty, so there's that, and it seems like the newsfeed/front page is all about people doing crafty things. But I like other things! Including fashion! But my fashion pins are very...utilitarian. However, other people have pins that I learn from! Like this - twelve ways to wear a black pencil skirt. Epic win.
A short little post about writer's block. Basically, when you're stuck...write something else. I downloaded Evernote just to see what all the fuss was about and to see if I could treat writing as a game. Usually, when I write something (email, paper, whatever) I prefer to be very linear in my writing. The concept of jotting ideas down on a bunch of post-its, moving them around and calling it a written composition makes my head spin. But. Trying new things is GOOD. So I tried Evernote and am using it to collect drabbles of ideas...and son of a gun, it's working. Evernote fans...I'm sorry I doubted you. I UNDERSTAND NOW.
The moral of the story/this blog post? I'm going to try to blog more often and to treat this blog as a public Evernote. It's a way to collect ideas, to make myself think, to share neat stuff. So...off we go.
Listening to an assortment of songs on repeat this January, including:
Let Us Move On by Dido (she's back!)
The Devil's Beauties by Dompierre (excellent, jaunty classical piece)
Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughn Williams (just lovely)
Sun (Fred Falke Mix) by Two Door Cinema Club
Cover Me (the original and the remixes) by Bruce Springsteen (1984 called and they want their music back, I know, I know...but. It's good stuff.)
