tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61743128711194577332024-03-04T23:08:21.524-08:00InklingsA blog about writing, college, and living a Christian lifeK. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-3583568807244434382014-09-12T22:02:00.000-07:002014-09-12T22:03:41.581-07:00Don't fear the g-word<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I have approximately nine months left of my college education.<br />
<br />
This revelation, far from bringing excitement to my fellow seniors, seems to
be paralysis-inducing. For many seniors I know, the g-word generates almost as
much consternation as an f-bomb at afternoon tea.<br />
<br />
I'll admit, looking into a future full of nebulous possibilities is a little
weird. However, I'm very much looking forward to graduating.<br />
<br />
Consider this: another meaning of the word “graduate” is to change slowly,
or even to mark by steps. Change happens. People take classes and then work and
get married (or not) and will change, even if they don’t want to, even if they
try their best not to.<br />
<br />
Some people, looking at those changes, are afraid that all that’s come
before will simply be the accumulation of failure. After four years of college,
they’ll be stuck with debt and a job search, wondering if it was worth it.<br />
<br />
I believe it is.<br />
<br />
I don't think that four years of thinking, writing, trying and failing,
managing my own money and time, and working harder than I ever have could be
wasteful. Graduating will be one step in my graduation. Since I’m always
changing, what’s one more change?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/blogs/dnews-files-2013-04-footsteps-660-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/blogs/dnews-files-2013-04-footsteps-660-jpg.jpg" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's almost like a divine metaphor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And remember, new territory isn’t anything to be afraid of.<br />
<br />
<span class="text"><sup> “</sup>Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the </span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"> your God is with you wherever you go.”</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text">—Joshua 1:9</span><br />
<br />
Nine months more.<br />
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<![endif]-->K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-29285801136042195842014-07-16T20:29:00.000-07:002014-07-16T20:30:48.824-07:00Book review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea<i>Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea </i>by Jules Verne was on my reading list for last summer, and I never got to it. I have some friends who've been telling me I need to read Jules Verne for a while now, so I went looking for it again and have just finished it. In a nutshell: his prose is gorgeous, but I think I need to read more of his books to appreciate his stories.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It honestly took me a while to get into this one. The book is basically a travelogue, and, since the main character is a marine biologist, there were exhaustive descriptions of all the fish and molluscs that live in the various seas (since 20,000 leagues is distance, not depth). The thing that kept bringing me back was the writing. Most books I've read that were originally written in French are somehow extra-beautiful. It makes me want to learn more than the dozen or so phrases I remember from less than a year of high school French.<br />
<br />
There's more to it than I just described, though. The plot thickens the closer you get to the end. As we go on, more is revealed (or more questions are raised) about the mysterious Captain Nemo. I personally became more attached as I went along to the narrator, Dr. Aronnax, and his two companions, Ned Land and Conseil. And sometimes, the wonder and beauty of the ocean that Verne describes is really astonishing. <br />
<br />
So, it's not thick on plot, but still thick on motivations. The writing is lovely, the characters are deftly portrayed, moments of humor and moments of drama are played thoroughly and well. If you've got time to take a bite out of something really worth chewing over, you might want to pick up Verne.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-15028429633057466722014-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:002014-07-09T19:11:24.495-07:00Book review(s): The Sebastian St. Cyr MysteriesThat's right, Wednesday summer book reviews are back. To re-kick off this tradition, I'm reviewing not one but <i>nine </i>books in a single blog post: the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries by C.S. Harris.<br />
<br />
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I've got kind of a thing for the Regency period. I've also got kind of a thing for murder mysteries, though I haven't much indulged the taste. Obviously I'm not the only one, or they probably wouldn't have put the two genres together.<br />
<br />
In book 1 of the series, <i>What Angels Fear</i>, Sebastian, Viscount Devlin, is accused of murder. Things get tangled up quickly enough that he finds himself on the run, trying to find the real culprit to prove his innocence. By book 9, <i>Why Kings Confess</i>, Sebastian is regularly being turned to for help by others who know they won't get justice from the government of George, the Prince Regent.<br />
<br />
These aren't Regency romances like Jane Austen or any of the imitators that are popular nowadays. They're not about, as Carol Howard puts it in the introduction to my copy of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, "the formal civility, the carefully prescribed manners... an English landscape devoid of industrial turmoil and the brisk pace of modern technology."<br />
<br />
Basically, they're like an episode of NCIS in Regency England. As Harris puts it on <a href="http://www.csharris.net/index.php" target="_blank">her website</a>, "Think Mr. Darcy with a James Bond edge."<br />
<br />
And I love it.<br />
<br />
Harris is an actual Regency scholar, so it's not just thrill dropped in a historical setting. Social customs are attended to (and occasionally disregarded by the maverick main character), real historical figures make well-researched appearances, and the intrigue which drives the mysteries are pulled from the war with France, the wide gap between London's elite and London's poor, and the corrupt leaders of the period.<br />
<br />
I've compared the books to a cop show (and they do have all the chases, violence, and sex those entail), but Sebastian grows from book to book, slowly developing the beliefs that have been sleeping within him for years. For me, this process is shown more effectively than in many TV shows.<br />
<br />
The tenth book, <i>Who Buries the Dead</i>, is due out next March. I hope to get ahold of it then. K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-5887115713354198932014-07-01T07:15:00.000-07:002014-07-01T07:15:41.041-07:00RevivingSpring semester kind of knocked me out.<br />
<br />
This was probably apparent to those of you who noticed that I haven't blogged in two and a half months. Slowly, though, my energy has been regenerating.<br />
<br />
I'm back home. I'm regularly spending time with family, fiance, and friends. I have a shiny new computer. I have a cat snuggled in my lap. And today, after weeks of rainstorms, I have sunshine.<br />
<br />
I've always loved thunderstorms. Occasionally, I'll take a walk when it's raining just to get soaked. Particularly loud thunder makes me laugh with delight. However, even in farm country, too much rain can be too much of a good thing. Currently, two of my coworkers have flooded basements, flooding in northern Iowa has ruined fields, and power at my house was knocked out for 24 hours last week when a tree came down on our power lines.<br />
<br />
Today, and possibly for a few days more, though, the weather is supposed to be calm and clear. <br />
<br />
I'm glad for the calm after a storm. It gives space for recovery and growth. Despite difficulties, everything looks so green and alive. Even though I love rain, I am learning to relish the sunshine.<br />
<br />
After a semester like I had, I'm glad I am.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-46524622911177978672014-04-15T21:01:00.000-07:002014-04-20T15:55:53.800-07:00Tradition!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><i>Disclaimer: this is a pretty much unadulterated copy of what I'm turning in for a homework assignment on cultural limits on expression tomorrow. Sneaky, you say? Certainly! But I only have so much time, so I better do double duty where I can. </i>This <i>is homework, you say? Forgive me, I shouldn't do homework when writing a present-tense semi-stream of consciousness reflection on browsing Pinterest sounds like a good idea.</i><br />
<br />
I can’t sleep, so
I get on Pinterest and look at wedding stuff. There’s lots of planning to do in
the next year, and the best place to start is by looking at what everybody else
has done, right? There is precedent for that method, after all.<br />
<br />
Our expressions
are just a filtered and regurgitated imitation of another person’s expressions.
Classic artists recreated scenes from mythology and history—both things others did
or created. Painters learn to paint based on the styles of people who came
before them.<br />
<br />
Now, thanks to the
Internet, we can learn about what everyone else is doing ever more quickly. We see
cool ideas, and since everyone can see them at the same time, it becomes a
movement before most people know what the source was.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So whose idea was it to decorate for
weddings with burlap and Mason jars?</i> I wonder as I scroll down. Is this
going to be a tradition that will last? It’s certainly popular—there’s even a
word for it now: the DIY wedding. Maybe it’ll eventually be a cultural movement
that people will say reflects resourcefulness. Or maybe it’ll just be a weird
thing that people will eventually get over, like wallpapering houses with arsenic
in the Victorian age.<br />
<br />
An anthropologist might
look at all the frills of a wedding and identify the inherent ritual, from the
truly ritualistic ceremony to the near-universal (at least in the West) extras
that people have added over time (white dress, sending out save-the dates,
color themes). He (or she) might also begin to notice how much the modern
wedding has to do with expression—and the limits impressed upon them by social
norms.<br />
<br />
Maybe that’s what
tradition is.<br />
<br />
The white wedding
dress was popularized by Queen Victoria. That was less than 200 years ago, but
now it’s considered shocking to wear anything other than white. Though she
chose the fabric in support of British manufacturing, we’ve attached the value
of purity to it. As this theme has been played on a hundred different ways,
people even begin to lose this falsely-impressed symbolism, since purity has
nothing to do with most weddings. Again, the social norms of expression are key
in maintaining the tradition. <br />
<br />
The wedding blogs
tell me it’s all about me and what I want on my day. It’s funny how lots of
people tend to want the same things. I don’t want to be like everyone else by
default, but the tradition still matters to me.<br />
<br />
And because of it,
I want to have a white dress.<br />
<br />
And maybe a few
mason jars.
K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-51512745900958795262014-03-28T11:02:00.000-07:002014-03-28T11:02:41.715-07:00Nature is brokenThe world God made is so beautiful, sometimes it's easy to forget that it's as broken as the people who live in it.<br />
<br />
If nature wasn't broken, loved ones wouldn't be born with illnesses that can't be cured. Mudslides wouldn't indiscriminately kill and leave families waiting for answers. <br />
<br />
Stupid mother cats wouldn't ignore their kittens and let them die in the cold, even though they're <em>right in front of her.</em> And then people wouldn't have to wait, helpless, wondering which kitten will next go stiff and lifeless. And then try to rub life back into its tiny body, hear its tiny cry, and wonder if it even has the strength to suck its mother's milk. And realize they probably don't, and become resigned to waiting until they're all gone.<br />
<br />
It wouldn't have to be that way. That mother cat could just as easily have licked them, warmed them, nursed life into them. But she didn't. No amount of hovering by people will fix it. Even if you could keep them warm, they won't live, because their mother won't take care of them. <br />
<br />
I wonder if God sometimes feels this way. What does he think when we act selfishly, when we remain cold and heartless even though people who need us are <em>right in front of us?</em> Has he resigned himself to our free will, and waits, knowing that if we choose not to, no amount of hovering can change us?<br />
<br />
<em>They're just kittens. That's something you could fix without messing up free will, right?</em> I ask.<br />
<br />
Sometimes it all seems unfair. Sometimes my favorite hymn, <em>This Is My Father's World, </em>seems to be mocking.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>All nature sings and 'round me rings</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>The music of the spheres.</em></div>
<br />
But how much worse is it for God? He is omniscient. He can't put these sorrows out of his mind like we can. He knows when a sparrow falls. He knows when a kitten dies. He knows each person lost on the Malaysian flight more intimately than their own families do.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>This is my Father's world; oh, let me never forget</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>That though the wrong seems oft so strong,</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>God is the ruler yet.</em></div>
<br />
Some of the tragedies come from human selfishness. Others seem to be accidents—nature's rebellion manifesting in pain. Like us, nature is not immune to the effects of sin. It struggles, fights, and sometimes, by the grace of God, overcomes.<br />
<br />
But still we wait, resigned, trying to remember what we know.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>This is my Father's world. The battle is not done</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Jesus who died will be satisfied</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>And earth and heaven be one.</em></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszgynFegX3OCEu_p7DwkzfkV8YyeG1HpqW5kaqzvJAdEADaIQAIAXDODesXWF_LCI1w3vxHL5KS4DaxmqCM5_xuKtF2xEmJHIpGDgWqI4UAWRjctfeQMleBWRxCcf5ClQXF14UW_yo9mw/s1600/20140328_091456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszgynFegX3OCEu_p7DwkzfkV8YyeG1HpqW5kaqzvJAdEADaIQAIAXDODesXWF_LCI1w3vxHL5KS4DaxmqCM5_xuKtF2xEmJHIpGDgWqI4UAWRjctfeQMleBWRxCcf5ClQXF14UW_yo9mw/s1600/20140328_091456.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willing them to live.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-74050418987149058302014-03-17T18:24:00.000-07:002014-07-09T19:22:09.967-07:00Shades of Milk and Honey review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.publishingcrawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/shades-of-milk-and-honey-by-mary-robinette-kowal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.publishingcrawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/shades-of-milk-and-honey-by-mary-robinette-kowal.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
After a couple months full of theater and schoolwork, I decided to treat myself to some reading: <i>Shades of Milk and Honey</i>, the first book of the Galmourist Histories, by Mary Robinette Kowal. I had the pleasure of meeting Mary at GenCon 2012, but only last week did I manage to pick up one of her books. I'm glad I did. I wasn't sold on the idea of Regency fantasy when I started, but as I read, I came to enjoy how well Mary's magic system works itself into the Regency world.<br />
<br />
I've been increasingly interested in the Regency period in the last few years. I've read <i>Pride and Prejudice </i>upwards of a dozen times. (I may or may not have dressed as Elizabeth Bennet for Halloween last year.) It's an era that really lends itself to the aesthetic, and Mary works it. <br />
<br />
The magic system is called glamour. Glamourists use breath (ether) in different arrangements to create illusions, even sounds and scents. The process isn't described in much technical detail, but that's not the point. The subtlety of glamour blends very well into the social setting of the Regency and thus the relationships that populate the story.<br />
<br />
Our main character is Jane, a woman who is so nice and polite I at first couldn't believe her, but she soon develops into a remarkably subtle character. She's learned to repress her emotions and put stock in herself based on her propriety. By the end, she learns how to open herself up to her passions (and eventually takes less crap from her spoiled sister, whom I just wanted to slap. Even the sister, though, is developed enough to be believable). Love and family, in traditional novel of manners fashion, take the forefront. <br />
<br />
Mary's elevator pitch for the series is "Jane Austen with magic." There are a few sprinklings of humor of a type you wouldn't get in an Austen book, but the idea is true to the setting. I've read that the other books depart from the typical Austen-esque plotline, but I think these characters (and glamour itself) have the potential to make other story types not only memorable, but also fun.<br />
<br />
You may need a love of Regency or romance to get you in the door, but the characters and the magic will keep you there. I enjoyed this story and the world of glamour very much.<br />
<br />
Find Mary's blog <a href="http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/category/journal/" target="_blank">here</a>.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-38360610449291849412014-02-23T20:03:00.000-08:002014-02-23T20:03:36.916-08:00A Full LifeOne day last week after coming in at 3 a.m. from the theater, my roommate said to me, "You try to do too much." I told her that if I quit some of the things I'm involved in, I'd just find others. I've been thinking about that, and I wonder if it's true. There are a lot of activities around campus I'd like to be involved in, very worthy things, but I doubt they'd all suit me. I can also easily find ways to fill my time which aren't productive. What I want to do, though, isn't fill my time -- I want to fill my life. <br />
<br />
What does a full life look like? This is something I've tried to work through in <a href="http://inklings-writing.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-modest-defense-of-english-major.html" target="_blank">different </a><a href="http://inklings-writing.blogspot.com/2013/01/specializing-in-generalities.html" target="_blank">blog </a><a href="http://inklings-writing.blogspot.com/2014/01/fill-er-up.html" target="_blank">posts</a> before, and I keep coming back to it. As someone who is planning on graduating, getting married, writing books, and having a family, the future looks full. As someone who has the choice between working on some important writing or getting on Pinterest, I need to consider how what I do now affects my dreams.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhVyz_w3ywr0orUBt12CvyEARawZj4MrtNlhEaFtIXlFpZtwLmdwxVbeiuR6Opq8ConeRQYwVbGP3lx8O_9HR_23C7utRcb2-xELNSakjTyiW4Wd07YA2qdJHVy0SzoQNr5NKVrLv1evp/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhVyz_w3ywr0orUBt12CvyEARawZj4MrtNlhEaFtIXlFpZtwLmdwxVbeiuR6Opq8ConeRQYwVbGP3lx8O_9HR_23C7utRcb2-xELNSakjTyiW4Wd07YA2qdJHVy0SzoQNr5NKVrLv1evp/s1600/Capture.PNG" height="254" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll totally use all these in the future!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Sure, I can waste an hour on the Internet. I can also fill an hour in the theater or getting homework done ahead of time or working on a craft project. Those last three are all productive. But are they getting me where I want to go? Are they helping me make my life what I want it to be? On a definite critical level, probably not. But if I skip those sorts of things, am I skipping over the stuff that really does make my life full?<br />
<br />
Maybe I have too many other things to do right now to try and find answers. I need to search for an internship. I need to work on two writing projects which aren't my novel. In a couple of months I need to start planning my wedding. <br />
<br />
Course of action: try to live in a way that I won't regret.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-37794072530681704632014-02-02T20:02:00.001-08:002014-02-02T20:02:25.349-08:00A modest defense of the English majorAs a student at a private Christian liberal arts college, I have worries about my future. Not because I don't think I'm getting a quality education or that my experiences haven't been good for me, but because debt is scary. On top of that, I want to make a living writing stuff. What kind of plan is that?<br />
<br />
This is one reason I'm a professional writing major. The idea is to learn the skills and business techniques necessary to work in a variety of writing careers. I haven't regretted this decision, but before I knew pro writing existed as a major, I considered other options.<br />
<br />
I looked down the path of getting an English major as far as I could and took another road. I doubted if I should ever look back. I couldn't how imagine doing something I admittedly enjoyed -- reading cool stuff for four years -- would prepare me to get a job.<br />
<br />
Now I think that may not be the point.<br />
<br />
College nowadays has basically turned into career training, or even pre-training. There's some merit to this, but that has more to do with our society today than with education. I firmly believe that learning literature, philosophy, mathematics and science make you better because of what they do to your mind. This should help you in your career the same way it helps you in your life (says the 20-year-old undergrad). English majors, who study all kinds of writing from all periods of history and genres, are immersed in this on a level unequaled since when <i>that was what education was</i>. It's whole-person education to the core, since looking at what writers have been writing about through the ages is about as close to <a href="http://xkcd.com/863/" target="_blank">majoring in the universe</a> as you can get, in my opinion.<br />
<br />
Getting a job is a whole 'nother story. I admit, nowadays a paying job is kind of essential, at least for the kinds of people who go to college because we've been told it's what we need to do to get a job. In my ideal college situation, this whole education (which is basically what <i>university </i>means, by the way) would occur mixed in with all the important career training. Getting a degree, however, doesn't necessarily mean that's happened. (Read <a href="http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/01/14/testing-out-how-to-moneyball-your-way-to-a-debt-free-college-degree/" target="_blank">this interesting blog post</a> from Art of Manliness and its accompanying comments for more on that head.) I also think there are a lot of people who aren't as good at teaching
themselves how to do things as teachers are (definitely true for me),
which is one reason the experience is important.<br />
<br />
Of course, you should still consider whether the experience is worth it for the price. Consider the first two minutes of this video.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SLhMPQTaXOE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
So, if college isn't the be-all, end-all solution for finding a job, why would someone even consider an English major, which (after <a href="http://xkcd.com/1052/" target="_blank">underwater basketweaving</a>) is becoming the poster major for pointlessness? In the words of the immortal Lizzie Bennet, "There are lots of business majors who can't get jobs right now.
There are no guaranteed careers for our generation, and since
everything's a risk, might as well take a risk on something you love."<br />
<br />
So go study physics or microbiology or social work or writing or English -- not because it will get you a job, but because education is important.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-36036224063990167122014-01-26T21:45:00.000-08:002014-01-26T21:45:56.450-08:00What J-term is likeFor the last two years, I've spent the month of January at home, <a href="http://inklings-writing.blogspot.com/2012/01/being-home.html" target="_blank">not doing much</a> <a href="http://inklings-writing.blogspot.com/2013/01/fighting-myself.html" target="_blank">of consequence</a>. Interterm at Taylor, or J-term, as it is commonly called, was purported to be strange, some mythological hybrid of class and vacation, homework and movie-watching. Being home seemed like a better option than squishing around my financial aid to figure out how to pay a month's room and board, so J-term remained a mystery to me. <br />
<br />
But no more. This year, stars and scholarships aligned, and I got to take a speculative fiction writing course taught by <a href="http://www.jeffersonscott.com/" target="_blank">Jeff Gerke</a>. The class itself was excellent. It and a couple of Writing Excuses episodes have gotten me really thinking about applying myself to writing as a craft with a work mindset. But college isn't just about the classes -- it's about the experience! So, what was my first J-term like?<br />
<br />
One thing I'd been told was that J-term was supposed to be much more relaxed. You typically only take one class, so schedules aren't crazy, a lot of time the homework's not too bad, and the rest of the time you get to hole up and watch movies.<br />
<br />
I'm taking two classes and I have two and a half on-campus jobs. Also, things got off to a bumpy start because <i>snowstorm</i>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroxkA0xqLsqVVIoRBsZQi126sDf-qSaVfvOtwS4PvF8B9ldPLcJXyp3FnB2ZB23Vi2q8cBFufHcvLyuErypMDMa1pCkjF931cPHqrXAtIJRiwE3gc4TJo_Kygmt9aGoP6km0xiuEE0ibu/s1600/20140124_222456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroxkA0xqLsqVVIoRBsZQi126sDf-qSaVfvOtwS4PvF8B9ldPLcJXyp3FnB2ZB23Vi2q8cBFufHcvLyuErypMDMa1pCkjF931cPHqrXAtIJRiwE3gc4TJo_Kygmt9aGoP6km0xiuEE0ibu/s1600/20140124_222456.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this a few days ago after a lot of the snow melted, it snowed more, and then everything got plowed nicely again. But there is no escaping the wind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Things were weird for a while because a significant number of students couldn't make it to campus on time, classes couldn't start, but they had a bunch of students living in dorms that needed to be fed. So what did Taylor do? It organized a fleet of campus policemen and other employees to drive students to the dining commons. It was very interesting, and I'm glad my school cares so much.<br />
<br />
Eventually, things settled into what must be semi-normal operations. I woke up for 8 a.m. classes. I adjusted to homework. I reverted to being social with people to whom I'm not related. (It's amazing how quickly I relapse when given the opportunity.) Classes and life moved on.<br />
<br />
Things were different because some people were home and some new people moved in. At times, I had a ton of work to do and other times I could relax. I had two game nights with friends. I built a snowman. I've watched several movies with my roommate. I wrote 35 pages of fiction and attended a great theater workshop.<br />
<br />
I'm glad J-term has room for things like board games, snowmen, and movies. At the same time, the work has been a good mental preparation for the coming semester. Now I have a week left to convalesce, write, and work on theater stuff.<br />
<br />
Overall experience, positive. Even including the snowstorm. (The cold never bothered me, anyway.)<br />
<br />
And I'm already excited for a new semester. <br />
<br />K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-12577330225835312402014-01-19T16:19:00.000-08:002014-01-19T16:19:06.481-08:00Fill 'er upOut of pity for my roommate, I cleaned my corner of the room yesterday. My other roommate is gone for the month, though, so she doesn't get my pity. I am currently using her bed as an extension of my desk. The items on it include a book I got for Christmas, a Bible study, some index cards, a letter I received last week, two skeins of yarn with two partially-crocheted stuffed animals, a hat, a sketchbook, Bananagrams, and my mittens. <br />
<br />
I have been feeling like a slothful slug lately. A slogth, if you will. It is the kind of slogthfulness that wants to pretend it's being useful, but not really. "Let's work on that one drawing project. Oh, stuck? Well, let's crochet instead. Or, hey roommate, want to play Bananagrams?" I've been meaning to fix a button on my coat for ages, but I can't even get myself to procrastinate by sewing (which is <i>weird</i>) because it sounds vaguely productive.<br />
<br />
We recently had quite a good chapel speaker, and one of the first supporting points he brought up in his message was that procrastination does not give rest. True rest can only be found in Jesus. If I know this, why am I having a hard time with it?<br />
<br />
I've started to realize something as I try to catch up on Bible readings and square up my school life. Jesus isn't a gas tank, or an energy drink, or even an oasis. Doing life right doesn't look like a daily dose of Jesus. He doesn't simply work like fuel.<br />
<br />
This isn't a criticism of "filling up on Jesus" via communal worship, Bible reading, or prayer. On the contrary, I think a better attitude about some of those things could help me. But reading the Bible every day won't automatically make my relationship with God better.<br />
<br />
What does this have to do with me being lazy?<br />
<br />
The more I type this, the more I feel like pretty much everything. I had no idea Jesus was going to make an appearance in this post until the following Bible verse popped into my head after I wrote the first two paragraphs: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="text John-10-10" id="en-NKJV-26492"><span class="woj">I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.</span></span> -- John 10:10, NKJV</blockquote>
My life doesn't look like that often. Abundant looks like a life overflowing with fruit, not a bed overflowing with discarded distractions. Jesus isn't supposed to occupy my time. He's supposed to occupy my life. I don't think Jesus is the fuel so much as the combustion chamber, or maybe the combustion itself. <br />
<br />
Combustion doesn't necessarily sound restful, but it does sound like a good way to dislodge slogths. I think I'll try it.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-817591765112908982014-01-12T10:31:00.000-08:002014-01-12T10:35:04.519-08:00The Swing of ThingsI've noticed before that transitioning between school and home and back is weird, not because it feels unnatural or off, but because it doesn't. Rather, when I get to the other place, the things that happened before feel oddly distant. The new reality is prevalent. In theory, this should smooth the transition, but it doesn't mean I snap back into good school habits the minute I set foot in my dorm.<br />
<br />
Here, for your education and enjoyment, is a comparative study of instincts while at home and habits necessary for school.<br />
<br />
<b>Home instinct:</b> Wake up in time for Good Eats at 10 a.m. (Too bad Cupcake Wars is on half the time.)<br />
<b>School habit:</b> Be awake at 7:15 to be ready for class and start functioning immediately.<br />
<br />
<b>Home instinct:</b> Talk gibberish to pets in high-pitched voices.<br />
<b>School habit:</b> Have actual conversations with roommates, who prefer a normal tone of voice. <br />
<br />
<b>Home instinct:</b> Crochet. All. The. THINGS!<br />
<b>School habit:</b> Homework first. All craft projects second, or even third.<br />
<br />
<b>Home instinct: </b>Eat when hungry -- which results in not eating till 2 in the afternoon, thus not being hungry for dinner, thus requiring extensive snacking before bed to not end up ravenous in the morning.<br />
<b>School habit: </b>Eat meals at regular times, because the dining commons will close and then you'll have to <i>buy</i> food from somewhere.<br />
<br />
<b>Home instinct: </b>Take life at a slow pace. Prioritize naturally, based on what opportunities come up.<br />
<b>School habit: </b>Work according to deadline, or be woefully underprepared. <br />
<br />
<b>Home instinct:</b> Get around to projects long abandoned and things left untried, because there is finally time and space for them.<br />
<b>School habit: </b>Do what is necessary, and in down time, rest. Exploration into new territory is too much work.<br />
<br />
I miss the openness of being home at a time when I don't have many responsibilities. I like the focus of being at school at a time when I do. The hard part is reconciling my mind from one to the other. It doesn't feel like a big mental adjustment, but the things required of me do change enough that I have to be intentional.<br />
<br />
Time to get back into the swing of things.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-78658376780106198912013-12-08T13:54:00.000-08:002013-12-08T13:54:24.573-08:00End-of-semester bluesUsually, the effects of wintry weather and school drag hit me worst around February, but they've come a bit early this year. I'm tired, I'm grumpy at myself for being so lazy, and I'm ready to go home.<br />
<br />
I've never had finals that are really bad, and this year's aren't bad, either, but I have to put in some work on projects. Like, yesterday. (And you know how "yesterday" is sometimes a poetic expression for times long past?)<br />
<br />
There are lots of factors that have led to the end-of-semester blues:<br />
<ul>
<li>I failed NaNoWriMo for the first time in 5 years. I could write a post
about how I had to re-prioritize, but considering my last post was a confident
assertion of my ability to win...</li>
<li>My healthy eating has been mediocre eating for quite a while and the last few weeks have had far more sugar in them than I would like. This makes me tired. Also, I have a new theory that coffee makes me depressed.</li>
<li>I'm about a month behind on my daily Bible readings. </li>
<li>Wise use of time has been something I've aspired to for a long time. But self-discipline is sometimes destroyed by necessity, and then it doesn't know how to pick itself back up once it has room to breathe again. Or at least mine doesn't.</li>
<li>Currently, playing Bananagrams is more appealing than doing research on the Ottoman Empire. Much more appealing. </li>
</ul>
I'm ready for the semester to be done. I'm ready for Christmas. I'm ready to crochet presents, make pie, and watch Food Network with my cat.<br />
<br />
But as an expression of the blues and as a way to defeat them, music prevails.<br />
<br />
Last night I went to Taylor's annual Christmas concert, Sing Noel. And we did sing. I listed to marvelous music and words in languages I don't know, but the meaning is clear. This is a beautiful time of year for some reasons, at least. Music is a good place to start.<br />
<br />
Also: Christmas.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-76864153658666295352013-11-18T15:54:00.000-08:002013-11-18T15:54:53.996-08:00NaNoHalfMoLast month, I decided what I needed was a break from my novel, but not a break from writing. Thus, I planned to do what I started calling NaNoHalfMo -- write a story of 25,000 words. That seemed like a good idea to keep myself from being overwhelmed while still being creative and allowing a story that had been swimming around in my head to be told.<br />
<br />
I'd like to think I have a talent for naming things, like characters and pet rocks. NaNoHalfMo, however, was too perfect. Half my month was eaten away with work in the theater, and I couldn't have written 834 words a day if I had tried.<br />
<br />
Now, I have half a month left. Less, actually. Instead of 1,667 words a day to get to my goal, I have to write 1,923.<br />
<br />
I just spent the last hour or so reading over all the NaNoWriMo pep talks and updates I've been ignoring for the last 18 days. And now I'm feel excited like I haven't been since last August when I started working on my second draft of Void. I'm starting to get infected with the frenzy that comes with NaNoWriMo. I'm starting to get hopeful, and stubborn, and determined.<br />
<br />
Because now I have a chance to put other parts of my life on hold for writing instead of the other way around. Now I have room for a writing creative project and not just a theater one.<br />
<br />
Now is the time for NaNo.<br />
<br />
If you're writing a novel this month, I'll see you at the finish line.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-11471686848198858932013-11-03T20:38:00.003-08:002013-11-03T20:47:12.157-08:00InsidiousI made a rule for myself earlier this year that I would not do homework on Sundays. So far, I've been able to stick to it (except for when I do my American lit readings on Sundays, because that's reading and it's enjoyable, right?). Tonight, though, I'm going to bend my rule a little further, because it's not homework if it's a blog post!<br />
<br />
This semester I'm enrolled in a lit seminar focused on C.S. Lewis. We've been going over <i>The Great Divorce</i>, which I read my freshman year when an actor named Anthony Lawton performed an excellent adaptation of it. Describing Lewis's words can't come near to the way he puts things himself, so if you haven't read <i>The Great Divorce </i>(or <i>The Screwtape Letters)</i>, I urge you to drop all the things you're holding and pick up a book at once. And then maybe this will sound more like a musing on a book than an adapted essay.<br />
<br />
Something made abundantly clear when reading about the ghosts in <i>The Great Divorce </i>is that selfishness goes along with the bending of good and truth. In making something more important than God, you set yourself up along with it. Almost any sin tries to make us God. All sins fail in that they take us farther away rather than bringing us closer to Him.<br />
<br />
There are sins I am prone to. I look down on others for being less competent than myself. I'm jealous of those more capable than me. I let myself be carried away by more extreme emotions because I want to think I deserve to feel the way I do, which lets me wallow when it's too hard to do something about my circumstances.<br />
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The thing is, even when I'm aware of these things, I can trick myself into thinking I'm doing the opposite. Instead of being irritated at someone for doing poorly, I can pity them instead. That feels like compassion, right? Jealousy is just a desire to learn to do better. And when I know I'm letting myself get carried away, I can just try to get over it, and aren't I so strong and noble to be overcoming myself so?<br />
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Sin is insidious. It sneaks into the things we try to convince ourselves are right. It hides in the dark without knowing how big the light is.<br />
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<i>The Great Divorce</i> highlights how ludicrous sin and evil really are. In the face of God, in the knowledge of how deep and beautiful and enduring Truth and Goodness are, our shifting thoughts, self-justification, writhings and whimperings make for a pathetic show.<br />
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In Lewis's encounter with the Tragedian and the Lady, the Lady tries to make her husband understand. "Did you think joy was created to live always under that threat? Always defenseless against those who would rather be miserable than have their will self-crossed?"<br />
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No matter how we try to justify ourselves, Hell cannot veto Heaven. The things we would claim for ourselves cannot be right or great or truthful if they are not in God, even if born out of a desire to struggle for truth. <br />
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The real answer to all our desires can only come with eternity. With his usual deftness, Lewis puts it in words assigned to the character of George MacDonald:<br />
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"All answers deceive. If ye put the question from within Time and are asking about possibilities, the answer is certain.... But if ye are trying to leap on into eternity, if ye are trying to see the final state of all things as it <i>will</i> be (for so ye must speak) when there are no more possibilities left but only the Real, then ye ask what cannot be answered to mortal ears. Time is the very lens through which ye see -- small and clear, as men see through the wrong end of a telescope -- something that would otherwise be too big for ye to see at all."<br />
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In time -- or maybe, as Lewis puts it, once we're outside time -- we will see how small we currently are. We will grow bigger than the insidiousness that tries to claim us. Heaven will be an answer better than all our theories and strivings, better even than all Mr. Lewis's words can make us hope for.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-89006005168321341332013-10-27T19:51:00.000-07:002013-10-27T19:52:06.432-07:00CraftingEvery once in a while, I get in a really crafty mood. Sometimes it's the result of a project that's been mulling in my head and finally spills out, demanding attention (must! buy! yarn!). Other times it's from a need to do something with my hands and be away from people. Often, it's the drive to try something new.<br />
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For the last week or two, I've been working on my Halloween costume, a Regency-style dress so I can be Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. (Yes... book nerd...) I've never done such an involved sewing project before. I had to carefully read the instructions, troubleshoot problems, and worst of all, hand sew buttonholes. I even opted for period accuracy and hand stitched the visible seams. I usually wouldn't put in so much time for a Halloween costume, but my hope is that I can possibly use it in the future for reenactments and cosplay. (And now I can be Lizzie Bennet whenever I want.)<br />
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Making the dress started me thinking about the patience it must have taken to live in a time where people had to make their own clothes, grow their own food, and repair their own tools. Things we take for granted, even get irritated about if they take too long, were simply considered work to be done. People had to be productive in order to get to what was more important.<br />
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Except I realized that didn't have anything to do with me making the dress.<br />
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For me, doing something like sewing a dress simply because I can is a way to instantly feel accomplished. Since I'm good at doing crafty things, trying a different crafty thing <i>feels</i> like something new, but really it's just another exercise in things I know I can do. It doesn't take too much effort, but I still end up with a tangible manifestation of how skillful I am.<br />
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Even when I try something completely new to me, the beginning stages are often easier to grasp, so it feels like I'm making progress. I do believe it's important for a person to be able to do a <a href="http://inklings-writing.blogspot.com/2013/01/specializing-in-generalities.html" target="_blank">wide variety of things</a>, but in RPG terms, my weakness is a tendency to multiclass. And giving in to the excitement of trying new things can take away from working on more important things -- skills where I now need to put in a lot of effort to improve and really accomplish something.<br />
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Namely, writing.<br />
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Because I love learning, it's easy to feel satisfied when trying something new. It is much harder to get past the beginning stages and dedicate myself to becoming an expert. Writing my novel is proving difficult. It's no longer new and interesting, but if I want to excel at it, I'm only going to improve if I keep working, rather than distracting myself with easier projects.<br />
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It's funny how doing something by hand can show you how short your attention span really is.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-8769870134441379962013-10-13T20:59:00.000-07:002013-10-13T20:59:12.802-07:00Upcoming NaNoWriMoI came up with a list of posts this week so I'll never be stuck without an idea on a Sunday evening. Unfortunately, I don't have enough brain at the moment to write any of those. Instead, I've got a quick update on one of my favorite things -- National Novel Writing Month.<br />
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Last year I did an August NaNoWriMo instead of the November version. This ran over into the beginning of school, but the summer version helped me avoid most of the stress of balancing school, theater, and writing for an entire month. This year, I've got another approach -- halving my word count.<br />
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My third year of NaNoWriMo, I wrote a book (based on Jack and the Beanstalk) that I realized wanted to be a graphic novel. It was painful trying to pack it with enough padding to make word count. The thing that really captured my imagination was the aesthetic of the world I imagined, one it took me a while to understand would work best in a visual medium. Since I want to illustrate it, that project is shelved until I get more experience in scripting and illustration.<br />
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This year I have an idea I'm also anticipating will be a shorter work. I'm going to shoot for 25,000 words, which will only be 833 words a day. (Or less than a page and a half. I can do that, right?) It is again a rewritten fairy tale -- maybe next year I'll try to shift out of that. I'm excited because I've never written a novella before, and I'm hoping I'll be able to play to the tightened medium. I'm also excited because the magic system is based on origami. This means I have to do research, but it also means I get to learn a new craft.<br />
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Unfortunately, my novel is still at a standstill, but I think it might be good to start a new and fun project for a change of pace.<br />
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Are you going to write a novel next month? If not -- what's keeping you?<br />
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Happy writing.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-21563111074522067752013-10-02T20:11:00.000-07:002013-10-02T20:13:00.053-07:00Steelheart reviewI should have learned long ago when my older brother handed me <i>The Hobbit</i> to trust his taste in books. Still, it's taken a couple years. There have been many cases when he would recommend a book, I'd tell him I'd get to it eventually, and then go about my daily life thinking I could find books perfectly well myself, thanks.<br />
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Then, since I'd delayed reading <i>Mistborn</i> by Brandon Sanderson much longer than necessary, he bought a copy and gave it to me. Since then I've been a bit more willing to trust. Also, he no longer has to remind me to read Brandon Sanderson's books.<br />
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I read <i>Steelheart </i>last week with high hopes. In short, it met expectations I might have had for any other book with its premise, but didn't quite reach typical Sandersonian levels of awesome.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. I liked it quite a lot. We've got an evil superpowered ruler and a team of resisters. We've got cool technology and character development. We've got edge-of-the-seat moments sprinkled with the ethics of rebellion.<br />
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What we're missing is the Brandon Avalanche -- the part of the book where stuff starts happening and then <i>holy cow I didn't think of that </i>and then things <i>keep</i> happening and, by the end, you're left in awe of the sheer brilliance of all the plot details and action you couldn't have imagined coming together in so short a time. Instead, we get a somewhat tamer climax.<br />
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But there are more books coming, and there are still questions unanswered. Nicely done, Sanderson.<br />
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As per usual, things were most exciting when we got to see the worldbuilding work. Supervillains -- called Epics -- exercise their powers and succumb to weaknesses. A city turned entirely to steel changes the lives of the people of Newcago. And we see how these things changed how one young man grew up -- David, the main character.<br />
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David is kind of awkward. I had to accept the awkwardness as part of the character and not the writing itself, but once I did, I was willing to go along with some of the running jokes (David's inability to make a good metaphor, being distracted in his thoughts as he talks to the reader, etc.). It works to show a kid who didn't get a normal childhood because he was too busy plotting revenge on his father's killer and still has some growing up to do. (Seeing this quirky 18-year-old guy launched into a group of hardened fighters is pretty endearing.)<br />
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The book isn't long, but it's packed full. Details are dropped at a headlong run as the story progresses, which was great, but description isn't Sanderson's strongest point. Again, I got used to it as we went along, but I might have wished some of the information to be more smoothly integrated into the plot. Usually I cared too much about what was happening for it to pull me out.<br />
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Team and leadership dynamics are some of Sanderson's favorite things, and we revisit those here. I love that in a tough, dystopian world, Sanderson makes his characters laugh. The thing is, he seems to like to do that by inserting at least one character who acts the clown. I love zany, humorous characters, but it's just not as fun when an author uses the same zany, humorous character every time (okay, so just once before in <i>Alloy of Law,</i> but still).<br />
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I've been nitpicking, but that doesn't negate the fact that I read this book within a day even though I kept telling myself I had homework to do. Do yourself a favor. Read this one, and then wait breathlessly for <i>Firefight </i>to come out next year.<br />
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And Mr. Sanderson? Bring back the avalanche. I know you want to. K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-69146131256310238402013-09-29T20:07:00.000-07:002013-09-29T20:07:13.148-07:00Wisdom theologyLast Sunday, I finished reading <i>Perelandra</i> by C.S. Lewis for the first time. I loved it, and it's been interesting how bits of it have come floating up into my mind, intersecting with my days. One sentence in particular keeps occurring to me:<br />
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"You make me grow older more quickly than I can bear."<br />
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In the book, being made older is a phrase for being made wiser. Incidentally, I'm also taking a Biblical wisdom literature class this semester. I can only suppose reading Proverbs, the textbook on being wise, is supposed to make you older.<br />
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I've been reading other things, too. In addition to <i>Perelandra</i>, this week I might give you a review for Brandon Sanderson's <i>Steelheart</i>. I've also read some more Redwall, which has been lovely. I'm trying to memorize Rudyard Kipling's <i>If.</i> (Interestingly enough, the day after I started working on that, my wisdom lit professor brought it up as an example.)<br />
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I'm in a modern Middle East class which is making me look at the ramifications of religious beliefs and political systems. I largely try to ignore politics, but I'm starting to be convinced that it is important. How people live their lives every day, pulled together into nations -- it's a fascinating process of theology, that is if you define it how my wisdom lit professor does.<br />
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Real theology, our beliefs about God, shapes our every way of living. (When you take a look at what most people believe, is that scary or what?)<br />
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Everything I've been learning lately, even when reading fantasy, has been growing my mind in ways I don't really know what to do with. But it's significant. I feel it. I'm growing older every hour, but in the end, it seems to be filling me with thoughts I don't know how to express in my life.<br />
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How do I help the person I know is struggling?<br />
When do I follow my emotions when dealing with problems, and where do I use my head? <br />
How should I spend my time? Should I concentrate on every moment being more effective?<br />
What, in my leisure, is worth pursuing?<br />
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I wish theology was something that would be more easily ingrained in my habits and in my heart. Until then, it stays in my head, until I can figure where to put it.<br />
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In any case, I've got more reading to do.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-68127027148947974192013-09-15T20:56:00.000-07:002013-09-15T20:56:21.575-07:00Books and a heart like a childI have a plan for not getting too stressed out this year. It involves letting Sunday be a sabbath (even if that means lots of homework on Saturdays), taking walks, eating healthy (the part of the plan that is dropped the quickest), and, most importantly, reading books.<br />
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I did a lot of reading this summer, but I didn't really need it like I've found I do right now. This summer I had lots of introvert time. When I'm constantly surrounded by people, though, there's no retreat so convenient as escaping into a book. This is something I've been keenly aware of since about first grade.<br />
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I'm hardly the only person who, as a child, discovered books as a means of traveling to other worlds. There are books about children who love books -- even movies about children who love books. Sometimes, to emphasize the point, children literally travel to other worlds through books. Something else I've found, though, is how books can change the world I live in. I suppose they do that by changing me.<br />
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Whenever I read a book, I see its ideas finding echo in my daily life. I start hearing words that I might otherwise have forgotten. I start to interact with physical objects with the knowledge that they are really part of the universe. The smells and tastes of life start rooting me ever more firmly in reality even as they open my imagination. And because of this, all the books I've ever read have changed my life.<br />
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I spent most of today rereading <i>The Legend of Luke</i>, one of the books in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques I adored when I was younger. Today I realized that in literally every chapter the band of adventurers encounters an enemy, makes new friends, or both. Looking back, I'm pretty sure all of the ones I read were exactly like that. (I think there are three I haven't read.) There are many other things that are consistent between the books: silly dialects, an excess of songs and poetry, enormous amounts of attention given to food, and the knowledge that you will meet the counterparts of all the groups of creatures in the past books. This makes every story pretty much the same. However, my nostalgia meter is floating high, and I couldn't have loved it more.<br />
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Sometimes you need to be re-inspired. Sometimes you need to be reminded that good people go on adventures and fight evil. Sometimes you need to rejoice in a story filled with childlike innocence, and by that become a little more childlike yourself.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fairy tales are more than true — not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten. -- G.K. Chesterton</blockquote>
Man cannot live on bread alone. He needs stories to feed his heart as much as he needs the Word to feed his soul.<br />
<br />K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-35696464069897224492013-09-01T20:29:00.000-07:002013-09-03T19:06:09.355-07:00It's a God thing<i>Edit: after a couple days of letting this sit, I've started to worry that this post might be taken seriously. I promise that I don't usually write stuff this saccharine. I wrote this to point out the contemporary Christian's consistent usage of certain phrases, almost to the point of being ludicrous. I don't necessarily condemn any one of these -- I just wanted to point them out. So, without further ado:</i><br />
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Hello there, beloved. I've been praying for you. You see, God's laid it on my heart to speak the truth in love, just speak truth into your life. I believe we come together in intentional community here at Taylor to build one another up in our daily walks. I've been so blessed to have fellowship with you, and though I want to be a good steward of your time, I thought I'd take a minute to pour into you.<br />
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In this season of life, it's easy to feel like God's testing you. It might seem that there are stumbling blocks placed before you, and you might find yourself slipping from the straight and narrow, even straying from the path. When you're struggling, you don't want to become lukewarm. I want to hold you accountable. If you need to open your heart to God, I encourage you to really dig into the Word. Maybe find a life verse to be a lamp unto your feet. No matter the trials and snares, remember, God never gives you anything you can't handle. If he leads you to it, he'll lead you through it. I'm sure God will use it for your good.<br />
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Remember, it's a relationship, not a religion. You just have to trust God to move in your life. In short, you need to let go and let God. Don't listen to those lies from the pit the world's trying to tell you -- remember, you are not of this world. You have to give up your burden. I and your brothers and sisters in Christ will pray for you to bear fruit.<br />
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If you find you need to keep your sabbath holy, I'd recommend a media fast. Maybe try a prayer walk. You've just got to guard your heart in all this brokenness. I have some great devo books I can loan you. You never know when something might inspire you to rededicate your life to Christ.<br />
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If you ever need anything, you're always welcome at my small group. We'd love to lay hands on you or, if you prefer, we can just popcorn it. If you have any unspokens, that's okay too. I know some great prayer warriors with servant's hearts. Me? Oh, I'm just trying to be a Proverbs 31 woman.<br />
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Remember, when God closes a door, he opens a window.<br />
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I've got to go - I need some QT with Jesus in the old prayer chapel (It's like my prayer closet). Wish me traveling mercies, okay?K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-34135595292447462652013-08-25T21:00:00.000-07:002013-08-25T21:00:55.420-07:00PeopleThis week, I have<br />
<ul>
<li>assigned mailboxes for 54 people.</li>
<li>had heart-to-heart conversations with at least 5 people.</li>
<li>met probably 70 people I didn't know before.</li>
<li>consciously made time to talk to people. </li>
<li>hugged at least 30 people. </li>
<li>hunted down many people so I could give them keys and information.</li>
<li>made my room presentable so I won't be embarrassed when people come in it. </li>
<li>thought about the people from last year I miss.</li>
<li>worried that people don't like me.</li>
<li>been surprised when unexpected people have liked me.</li>
<li>reminded myself multiple times to write letters to two people, which I still have not done.</li>
<li>prayed with groups of people probably an average of three times a day.</li>
<li>realized I need to call people back home.</li>
<li>remembered what it was like being a freshmen two years ago and being in these other peoples' shoes.</li>
<li>taken time away from people.</li>
<li>had two emotional breakdowns from being around people too much.</li>
<li>been shocked and amazed at how God provides ways for people to survive in places where they would normally be fish out of water.</li>
</ul>
I joked earlier today that I had managed to fool everybody into thinking I was a naturally loving person. But I don't feel like I was faking it. This week of returning to school, training with other dorm staff members, and greeting freshmen and returners has stretched me in ways I don't think I would have been capable of handling two years ago. I would have been even more of a crying wreck -- this week was not without its struggles.<br />
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I couldn't have done this on my own. Under my own power, I would not have been able to deal with so many people. I would not be able to function without God.<br />
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My dependence on Him isn't perfect, but I'm ever marveling at the ways God can take regular, flawed people and enable them to do things far removed from anything they thought they would ever do. Really, I think that's one of the things He does best. <br />
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What did God do for you this week?K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-49812531744430966762013-08-18T19:58:00.000-07:002013-08-18T19:58:55.588-07:00The new normalI'm back at Taylor, and it feels quite normal.<br />
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I went to my Indiana church this morning. I am in a different room this year, but on the same floor, and the walls are the same and the type of doors are the same and the mess from moving in is the same. My freshman year, I came early for orientation and these last two years I've come early for theater and discipleship activities, so that feels normal too, even though campus isn't full. <br />
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Summer patterns are gone. (This means no more Wednesday book reviews, but I will post reviews whenever I do have time to finish a book.) Already, I'm anticipating trying to do too much at once and being tired and going to friends' game nights. I can imagine the angle of the sun when I slip out the side door after chapel. I can ignore the voices that come from the street below my window at 11 at night, because those are typical.<br />
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But there's something that's not going to be the same as last year: the people. I have seven brand new people I'm supposed to take care of, as well as a few I know but not well. I have to make room for them in my life. <br />
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I've made it possible for me to ignore people a lot. I'm used to working alone, I excuse myself for not remembering names and faces, and I like to take for granted that others are better suited to helping people than I am. For me, these things are normal.<br />
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I don't want to slip into patterns this year. I want a discernment that shows me what steps I need to take each day, and for that discernment to result in intentionality in forwarding relationships. (Sounds like a God thing, huh?) I'm not good at these things. They're not embedded in my normal. I hope to put them there.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-88094343823050534392013-08-14T20:35:00.001-07:002013-08-14T20:35:21.861-07:00The Missionary reviewMy mom read this book before I did, and her reaction was, "I was kind of expecting more of a Christian message at the end."<br />
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I think I hemmed and hawed for a few moments before trying to tell her that dropping a churchy-stamped anvil on a reader's head is not what most writers are going for. Then I actually read the book. You know what? She was right.<br />
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<i>The Missionary</i>, by William Carmichael and David Lambert, was kind of a mixed bag for me, but my reaction was positive overall. And truth be told, there are a lot of good messages you can draw from it. How the decisions we make affect the people around us. Reliance on God. Trust in marriage. These themes are tucked into a plot that was a lot more like a spy-thriller than the Amish fiction-esque story I was expecting (I guess I didn't read the back, or look too closely at the cover).<br />
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The story is about David Eller, a missionary in modern-day Venezuela who leads a mission that shelters orphans. David is bitter at the system that puts so many children on the streets, and when he gets a chance to attack the disease instead of the symptoms, he takes it. Things get complicated quickly.<br />
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There's a lot of descriptive detail in here - technical details of plans and operations, down to the weapons. Also, a rather strange tendency to give the height and weight of most of the characters you meet. Perhaps that fits the way the military characters think. I thought it was weird. Some of the details build to vivid moments, which is good, and sometimes the models of the machine guns or whatever went over my head. Tastes will vary.<br />
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One thing I didn't like was that some characters only existed for plot advancement. It fits with the movement and variety, which feels intentional, but there are a few characters I wanted more well-rounded -- David's father and brother, for instance. There were a lot of elements in this, characters among them, that were used and then concluded without the mind-boggling connections and purpose I like in a plot-heavy book. Not everything gets explained, which I liked okay, and there were a few good surprises, but sometimes I wanted more explanations and connections that could have given thematic unity -- the "message" I felt was missing at the end.<br />
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It never gets back to David's mission; after a while, helping the poor impoverished children fades away. Sure, his life and loved ones were in danger, but the story didn't follow up on the consequences of his actions on his ministry. I guess there were other things to talk about, but I bet it could have been skillfully woven in, again, leading to a more solid ending.<br />
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Still, the things the authors did led to an action-packed and exciting book. You empathize with important characters, even some rough mercenary types, and the Christianity isn't forced. (Actually, I thought it could have taken a more central role toward the end.) I liked the complexity and beauty in the Ellers' relationship, and there are a few moments where the prose itself sparkles (and a few where it tries, but falls flat). If anything I've said here intrigues, you might want to give it a look.K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6174312871119457733.post-48756183673910744022013-08-11T19:39:00.000-07:002013-08-11T19:39:18.927-07:00Family vacationI'm trying to come up with a blog post that will expend the lowest amount of energy possible. I thought uploading a photo would be a good summary of the weekend, since those seem to be half of what family vacations are all about, but it would be too much effort to try to figure out how to get the photo onto the blog when I'm using a netbook and a phone and I'm too tired to know how to put them together. (Don't tell me. Maybe I'll figure it out later.)<div>
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This will not approach close to 1000 words, but I can try to put together a picture.</div>
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I have bruises all over my legs from active climbing while playing woodchips.</div>
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I have sore feet from being barefoot on surfaces like gravel and forest trails on which people were not meant to be barefoot.</div>
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I have sunburn on my face from long amounts of time in the pool, even though I applied sunscreen. (Skin cancer is serious.)</div>
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I will be delighted to sleep on a bed instead of on a sleeping bag separated from the ground by only a thin layer of tent.</div>
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I will not want to wake up for work tomorrow because my body will be recovering from long days divided by nights spent on a sleeping bag separated from the ground by only a thin layer of tent.</div>
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I should stretch, because if I don't, my legs will be angry at me in the morning.</div>
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I have a sore neck from trying to find creative positions to sleep while in the car.</div>
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I have a wonderful family.</div>
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I love vacation.</div>
K. L. Heinleinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11280308834485329956noreply@blogger.com0