July 8, 2013

One Bachelor with Fries, Please

Well, friends, today is Monday. I gather most people do not enjoy Mondays, but I rather look forward to them. And not only because I like my job and my coworkers—though I do, immensely. I look forward to Mondays because of what happens at 8:00 p.m. Yes, dear readers, almost every Monday night for the last year and a half, I have joined 6 millionish others to watch ABC’s The Bachelor/Bachelorette. (Shout out to fellow-warrior Kelcie for sucking me in.)

Now, had I written that statement a year ago, this is the part where I’d be anticipating all sorts of shocked, outraged comments. But my secret has been out for a while, and I’ve found out that most of you don’t care. Still, I do feel an overly-defensive need to explain myself in some way, lest you think the shelves full of classic novels and the old-timey blog design are a sham.

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February 5, 2013

Anti-hipster Angst

Today I’ve been thinking about hipsterness. I mean, it may or may not be something I ponder on a regular basis, but today it was mostly because I watched this video (which my flippin’ awesome Cincinnati church created for their Super Bowl service last weekend) and spit tap water all over my keyboard at work. And I thought, I can laugh at that, because I’m not that girl.

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January 10, 2013

On Exclamation Points

“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Can I ask an honest question? What did the Period do to deserve such a bad reputation? When did everyone start thinking our old, faithful punctuation mark was so angry and sad? I’ve always found him to be a nice sort of fellow: simple, content, straightforward in the best sense. I mean, it’s not that he’s unhappy; he’s just not yelling about it, you know? I for one like the Period, but he seems to have gone out of fashion, replaced with his boisterous younger brother by people whose lives, I can only conclude, are just too exciting for him. Which leaves me, dear readers, sounding either bored or grumpy any time my proverbial pen hits the page.

Yes, anyone who has received a text message or email from me might have noticed a shocking lack of exclamation points. I say shocking because I assume most people are in a state of shock most of the time, either that or they are compulsive yellers. At least, that’s what their punctuation tells me.

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December 31, 2012

The Best of 2012

I’ve been glancing through all sorts of “Best of 2012” lists this week. And it got me thinking about what I’ve read, watched, and listened to this year. Some favorites quickly rose to the top of my head. But then I thought, why stop there? Why not just compile a list of all of my favorite things from 2012? So here it is, my friends: the almost-all-inclusive-but-subject-to-change-if-I-feel-like-it Best of 2012.

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October 29, 2012

Words, Words, Words

I want the words I say to matter. I want them to be true, to be beautiful, to be weighty even in their frivolity. I want them to carry the wonder of their ability to point to the Real. I don’t want to use words haphazardly, introducing chaos instead of ordering it.

God knows we hear enough words each day. But how many of them really mean something? I’m often frustrated by the deception that passes as “marketing,” by the hollowness of pop lyrics, by the opportunism of political rhetoric. Voices fairly shouting at us from all angles, vying for our attention and blending into whir of white noise. Words, words, words. It’s enough to make you crazy.

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August 17, 2012

An Aside

Growing up is awesome. I love where I am in life, even though my looming 26th birthday puts me closer to 30 than feels possible. I guess I’m a bit of a late bloomer, because I feel like I’m still blooming. I really didn’t start coming into my own until college, and now, in my mid-twenties, I’m starting to feel more settled and relaxed in who I am.

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August 13, 2012

An Aside: On Writing

The other day my wonderful sister-in-law asked for my top ten writing tips. Well, as my fellow blog-warrior has pointed out, I love knowing things. Me? Share advice? You betcha. But really, while I can’t speak for my own work, lots of reading and a great education have given me a feel for what makes good writing. I am, of course, happy to join in a long tradition of writing about writing. These are the standards I remind myself of and some of the most common issues I find when I’m editing. Obviously this list isn’t exhaustive, and I’m thinking primarily of creative, rather than academic or journalistic writing. Starting with the most important, in case I lose people along the way:

1. Know that your words are shadows of the Word. Yes, I’m going to get a bit abstract. I really believe great work flows from a sound theology, or at least a philosophy, of art. John’s Gospel tell us Jesus is the Word, the Reality to which all words ultimately point. The Word was the agent of creation (John 1:3), and when we write, when we create, we are reflecting Him and participating in redemption. Think about it — to write is, in a small way, to bring order from chaos. On my best days, I sit down to write knowing I’m taking up a sacred task. The words matter, deeply. Understanding this, I can tell you, changes everything.

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August 3, 2012

An Aside

Each night, I go to bed with a 1’4” stuffed bear called Howard. He may appear to be a little stiff, but he fits perfectly in the crook of my arm and is actually rather snuggly. One of his ears is a little smaller than the other, which makes him look just a trifle mischievous, I think. He’s settled into a quiet, dignified look as he’s grown older, his only real sign of age being a small discolored spot on his left ankle. Over the last twenty-some-odd years, a tight bond has formed between Howard and me. Truth be told, I can’t sleep without him.

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June 7, 2012

An Aside

It has come to my attention that my introductory post may have led readers to expect more about cereal than I have so far delivered. This is easily remedied, since I am more than happy to blog about the source of so much happiness. I love cereal.

I love it a lot, actually. Probably more than any person should. I eat a bowl almost every night before bed, and it’s obviously standard breakfast fare … which means it’s not uncommon for me to have cereal twice in one day. This has been going on since I was little, which I guess adds up to about a jillion bowls of cereal over the course of 25 years.

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May 30, 2012

An Aside

Over the last year and a half or so, I’ve become quite hip. It all started with an impulsive decision to buy skinny jeans. Then it was Toms and an iPhone. And now, here I am, blogging.

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