Productivity

Today, I wrote 37 thank-you notes. That's right, THIRTY-SEVEN!

As I as writing, stuffing, licking, addressing, and stamping, Hub put stickers on 2/3 of the buckets.

We did good work today. I am proud of us.

One to Go

Exactly one month from today, Hub and I will be married. We'll go back to visit the beautiful chapel, but I'll be in a gorgeous white dress instead of a pretty white coat and he'll be in a handsome tuxedo instead of a cute button up. Then, before we even know it, it'll all be over and just beginning all at the same time.

The Nerve of It

When you and your fiance were born and raised in the same southern town boasting a population of 7,811 and the nuptials are fast approaching, a favorite question of those you love (and some you don't) is, "Well, are you getting nervous yet?"

And you don't know how to answer; I don't anyway. My automatic response is almost an involuntarily choked out, "Nope; not yet. I'm sure it'll come soon" (referring to the nervousness of course).

But, what I really want to say is, "Nervous about what? Do you mean am I nervous about moving to a city I've seen only once? Perhaps you want to know if I'm nervous about starting graduate school for a program I've only been interested in for a short period of time? Would you like to know if I'm nervous about how oil might or might not be on the beach and how I am definitely not self-centered enough to downplay the serious tragedy just to complain about how the beach might be dirty the day of my wedding? Or, oh, were you just talking about getting married?"

It's not that I don't recognize how serious of a commitment Hub and I are making; I just believe in us. I know we're young, and maybe we are too young. But, is there really the perfect age? I mean, when a person hits 24 (or some other possibly magic age) is he or she automatically ready to commit to a happy and successful and loving marriage? I don't think so, my friends.

I understand, although certainly not fully, that marriage is difficult and something to work at, but I do not and I will not fear it. I have a peace about marrying Hub. I know it's what is right.

For a while, I was asked so frequently about my level of nervousness that I actually became nervous about not being nervous. Maybe something was wrong with me; maybe I was supposed to be nervous? (You know I do have a complex about things I am supposed to do). I soon tired of worrying over my lack of nervousness about getting married, which led me to dream up this precious gem of a post. I decided that if I am the first and last bride on this earth to be totally convinced that she is doing the right thing by getting married, then so be it.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

What I'm Reading Now

Fascinating true story of Eustace Conway, who left his comfortable suburban home at the age of 17 to move into the Appalachian Mountains, where for the last 20 years he has lived off the land.

I haven't quite gotten started yet, so we'll see if this story is as "fascinating" as Gilbert's website claims. I thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling hit Eat, Pray, Love, so I thought I'd give another one of her works a try. I'll let you know how it goes (I think I say that too much :).

Wow.

Md. Teacher Marks 75 Years In Classroom

Miller, 93, Has Taught For An Estimated 27,000 School Days

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and a loaf of bread cost about 8 cents, Paul Miller began teaching.

That was 1934, and the 93-year-old Miller has been teaching math ever since.

Miller currently teaches calculus at Baltimore's Ner Israel High School and has been instructing students in private and public schools, from elementary to college, for 75 consecutive years, WBAL-TV's Deborah Weiner reported.

That covers a span of an estimated 27,000 school days.

"I think if I stop, I'd rust apart," Miller said.

He has taught for 51 years at Ner Israel and has taught thousands of Maryland students with his trademark stress-free, mellow style.

"He just keeps going and going, learning more new tricks and new things to teach his kids," said the school's principal, Jacob Schuchman.

Students at the school have fathers and grandfathers who were taught by Miller.

"Mr. Miller has remained steady through the years," said student Gavi Guttman, 16. "Not one generation, not two generations, but three."

Miller is the son of Lithuanian immigrants, Weiner reported. His mother was illiterate, and his father was an indentured servant and self-taught math expert.

When Miller first started teaching, he made copies with a jellygraph, which involved the transfer of an original to a pan of gelatin or a gelatin pad. He recalled the Reynolds ballpoint pen as an invention that helped him.

Family members said Miller has never been officially recognized for his decades of work.

"It's not going to affect our lives one way or another, but it would be really nice for his grandchildren to appreciate a grandfather who had this remarkable achievement," said his daughter, Lisa Miller.

Weiner reported that Paul Miller's children have made a case with Guinness World Records that he has the longest career as an accredited teacher.

Guinness currently recognizes a Brazilian woman who started teaching at age 12 and taught 96 years, Weiner reported.

Miller said he's OK with that.

"I'm already in a book of records," he said. "I'm in the telephone book. Who needs it?"

His son, Jeffrey Miller, said, "He feels like he is the wealthiest man in the world. He's always taught us, 'A wealthy man is happy with his lot in life.'"

Paul Miller said he believes deeply that a man who loves his job will never work a day in his life.

He has taught at Southern High School, the former City High School, Hopkins, Loyola, Essex, Catonsville Community College and others, Weiner reported.

"I'd like to go on for a long time," he said. "Who knows?

WBALTV.com

Reading Regimen

That's it; I am hooked.

Not too long ago, I decided that my hunger for reading needed to be satisfied, and I broke my usual pattern of reading one book at a time. I loved it. I love it.

So, I now have a new reading regimen. I read one novel; you know, just a regular old novel for pleasure. Something I'm interested in for no other purpose than I find it interesting. I also read a motivational, inspirational, academic, or otherwise worthy book in conjunction with the simple pleasure. Along with the simple pleasure and the knowledge read, I tackle a poetic or sacred text. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, daily Bible reading (which I desperately need to improve on).

I know it's fairly elementary, but, for me, this new way of reading is a big step. I have been committed to reading only one thing at a time, whether it be for pleasure or other purposes, so that I wouldn't confuse plot lines, neglect important tasks, etc., etc. My excuses were endless. I know; it's pathetic for such an avid reader to stick herself in such a simplistic mindset, but I was ignorant of the bliss that comes from a reading regimen like this one.

I hope that this new regimen continues to evolve so that I can stick to it even when I'm in school.

It Breaks My Heart

What have we done to our earth?

What I'm Reading Now

A synopsis from Picoult's website:

Shay Bourne - New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years – has only one last request: to donate his heart post-execution to the sister of his victim, who is looking for a transplant. Bourne says it’s the only way he can redeem himself…but with lethal injection as his form of execution, this is medically impossible. Enter Father Michael Wright, a young local priest. Called in as Shay’s spiritual advisor, he knows redemption has nothing to do with organ donation – and plans to convince Bourne. But then Bourne begins to perform miracles at the prison that are witnessed by officers, fellow inmates, and even Father Michael – and the media begins to call him a messiah. Could an unkempt, bipolar, convicted murderer be a savior? It seems highly unlikely, to the priest. Until he realizes that the things Shay says may not come from the Bible…but are, verbatim, from a gospel that the early Christian church rejected two thousand years ago…and that is still considered heresy.

Change Of Heart looks at the nature of organized religion and belief, and takes the reader behind the closely drawn curtains of America’s death penalty. Featuring the return of Ian Fletcher from Keeping Faith, it also asks whether religion and politics truly are separate in this country, or inextricably tangled. Does religion make us more tolerant, or less? Do we believe what we do because it’s right? Or because it’s too frightening to admit that we may not have the answers?

The Big Move

Finally, after much debate, prayer, and discussion, Hub and I have decided that after our wedding, we will be moving to Louisville, Kentucky.

I think neither one of us is sure how to feel about moving away from the Arkansas, but when we put the uncertainty aside, we are super-duper excited.

It'll be an adventure; that's for sure.

What I Just Finished...Oh, That Georgia

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging is the diary of 14 year old Georgia. She is nervous, insecure, over zealous, sometimes too confident, and always hilarious. Mostly, she made me laugh out loud and be super glad I wasn't 14 anymore.

No Ordinary Pothole

A sinkhole created by tropical storm Agatha is seen in the Ciudad Nueva neighborhood in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on May 29. Agatha caused landslides and floods that left tens of thousands homeless in Central America.

Doesn't this photo absolutely blow your mind? It does mine.

How does the earth just swallow its surface into a giant hole? It seems impossible, doesn't it?

To me, the picture almost looks fabricated, like it's just some horrible joke the media is playing on the world. I'm afraid, however, that it isn't, and that is what is so scary.

Pictures like this one, pictures of things I can hardly wrap my mind around, remind me of how small I am. Sure, I can do great things in my life and be kind to people and try to make a difference, but I have no control. None of us do, not really.

Humbling, isn't it?

I stole this image from msnbc.com's Week in Pictures. If you don't know, this site posts pictures weekly of things that have happened around the world. The pictures are fantastic. You should check it out.

What I'm Reading Now. . .Satisfying a Hunger

You may have noticed (but you probably didn't) that my "What I'm Reading Now" list is growing beyond its normal size. Here's what's happened to my normal reading habits:

Usually, I stick to reading one book at a time; I don't like to confuse plot lines and characters. Lately, though, it's like I've been hungry to read. Yes, I said it; I have a hunger for reading. This hunger has led me to revise my regular rules of reading.

The dictionary will stay on my reading list for the duration of 2010. (I'm really going to need to get on that dictionary reading to reach my goal, huh?)

I started reading Cleaving before school was out, but in the move home from the dorm, it has gotten jumbled in all of my things and is currently missing in action. So, it's just on my current reading list because I haven't finished it. Lame, I know.

I decided that I needed to read poetry on a more regular basis. If you don't know, I am a HUGE fan of poetry. It's difficult; it's interesting; it's beautiful. Poetry is my thing. Don't be mistaken, though. Poetry being my "thing" doesn't mean I claim to be a scholar; I just enjoy working through poetry. So, I decided to read Colossus again. I read it for an American Lit class while I was at Harding, and I really enjoyed it. I want to read through it again just for pleasure; I definitely won't be as rushed.

I've been reading and enjoying Women Food and God, but it's not exactly a novel that I would confuse with another, so I decided to add Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging to my list. I'm planning on starting that one right after I finish this post; I borrowed the book from a friend who promised it wouldn't disappoint, so I'm pretty excited to get going.

I've never had a current reading list be so long, but I'm really very excited about it. In school, I always enjoyed reading multiple works at the same time and juggling my reading schedules, so it makes sense that I would enjoy that in my personal reading schedule, right? Yes. Okay, so it definitely makes sense in theory, but I'll let you know how it goes in practice. I'll either fall in love with this whole idea, or I'll drive myself insane. Either way, I gave it shot.

What I'm Reading Now

Roth's thesis, that the way we eat reflects our core beliefs about life, is thought provoking. I'm not sure she's wrong, but I'm not sure she's right either. So far, Roth's writing has led me to consider and reconsider the way our society views food and eating and women and how all of those things connect to various beliefs about life and God and spirituality.

Eating is one of the most significant pieces of American culture, and Roth has tapped into that in a powerful way to explain the severity and danger of compulsive eating as an attempt to solve bigger problems in our lives.

I'm enjoying grappling with her assertions.