Quotable Friday, Vol. 21 (Wednesday Edition) April 30, 2008

Alternately titled: Why I’m Not Cut Out to Be a Writer

“Here’s the bottom line: Someone who is more interested in themselves than they are the world at large probably won’t make it as a writer. You have to be insanely empathetic to be a writer. To be a writer you have to think everything is more interesting than you.

Would-be writers are forever wanting to share themselves with the world. Fair enough; that’s a big part of writing, for sure. But if, in being totally honest with yourself, you find that you are more interested in sharing yourself with the world than you are with, in essence, sharing the world with the world, then save yourself the trouble, and stop imagining you’re a writer. You’re not.”

–John Shore (from his blog Suddenly Christian)

I never heard of this guy or the books he’s written, but when I stumbled across his blog the other day I really ate up his series on “How to Make a Living Writing” because, what do you know, that’s what I want to do! 

One of Those Days April 24, 2008

Today is one of those days when I feel so filled to the brim with a bazillion things I want to be doing that it all buzzes around inside me, making my breathing short, my heart like a mouse pitter-patter a thousand beats a minute, and then coming together in a crazy hummmm through my core and my limbs until the energy collects in my feet and my ankles and heels and toes are buzzing and I just want to run five laps around the world, then wrestle a tiger and eat a bowlful of stars for dessert.  Where does this come from?  Is it just pure, unadulterated youth singing in my veins?  Some would say I’m not so young.  Is it God-given passion?  Where shall I direct it then: Europe, loved ones, Israel, writing…  Or maybe it’s just caffeine?  I guess I’ll follow the plan: get off work, get my eyebrows done, hit the gym.  What an unfascinating turn of events, such a waste of zeal.

Presenting Jackson Wilshire April 23, 2008

Guys, let me tell you about my friend, Jackson.

We became friends my sophomore year at LIFE and had great times fighting in the cafeteria, annoying the hell out of people while talking during movies in the Cove, coming up with crazy band names, laughing our butts off at Disneyland, and one time having a very special “faux date” on Valentine’s Day at Home Brew Coffee, where we sat on stools and sipped extra thick milkshakes and watched “Say Anything” on my laptop.

Jackson is an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and musician; he’s the kind of guy who has phases of hyperinterest (like the time when all he wanted to do was watch anime, learn Japanese, and do martial arts), and has a brilliant, philosophical mind. 

He is the one who (along with TJ a.k.a. Peach) got me into fitness and nutrition in the first place.  They are also the boys who gave me the glorious nickname, Joy X (that “x” is Greek “chi” symbol, for those of you who are not Bible college nerds).

Jackson just revived his blog, Truth A Paradox, and I immediately added it to my blogroll.  Feel free to engage in intellectual and theological dialogues with my dear friend, Jackson Wilshire.  (How great is that name for a musician?)

Ever Been Pummeled By a Palm Frond? April 21, 2008

One of the best parts of being back to work (besides an income) is having the time and high-speed Internet access to again keep up with Middle Eastern news.  Last July, my trip to Israel ignited a desire in me to embrace and “own” my Jewish-Israeli background.  My ignorance of the situation in Israel was embarrassing, so I decided to start small by daily catching up on the articles in the Middle East section of Yahoo!News.

Quotable Friday, Vol. 20 April 18, 2008

“There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history.  How much do you love me?  And Who’s in charge?“

 

I hate using quotes from the same book two weeks in a row, but deal with it.  In her book Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert credits this bit of wisdom to a hundred year old lady she met once.

It really made me stop and think.  Massive generalizations about the human species tend to have me critically pondering for a while.  Can one really say that all of mankind is hung up on these two questions?

Graphomania April 16, 2008

Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English – Cite This Source – Share This

Main Entry:	graphomania
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	a passion or urge to write; also called scribomania
Etymology:	Greek grapho ‘to write’

That’s me, the past few days.  All I want to do is write.  But I really haven’t.  Partly because I’m not sure how to start…I always want things to be perfect, to be huge and meaningful.  But mostly I haven’t started because I fear that once I start, I won’t be able to stop.

 

Legolas April 16, 2008

So you know how I kind of look like Orlando Bloom? 

 

I’m Such a Liar April 15, 2008

I was about to title this, “Fib” or “I’m such a fibber” but then I realized that “fib” is totally one of my least favorite words.  I pause here to add it to my ever-growing words-I-hate list in the memo section of my cell phone.

All right, I’m back.  I totally thought I would have oodles of time to blog now that I’m working again.  But instead of being a warm body at a desk (aka substitute teaching), they have me auditing files.  I will spare you the details, but it’s pretty much going through a student file with a check list and making sure every jot and tittle (insert adolescent snicker) is correct.  Yawn, right?  Well, for what they’re paying me, it’s totally worth it.  I have zero complaints.

…ex-cept that I can’t really blog.  Because come on, like I’m really going to use my precious free time to do this?  (Ahem, besides tonight…)

And in case you were wondering…yeah, oodles leans toward the words-I-love side of the spectrum; with spectrum being a loose term to describe the crazy, over-opinionated, over-stimulated, over-articulated place that is my brain.

Quotable Friday, Vol. 19 April 11, 2008

“I have always responded with breathless excitement to anyone who has ever said that God does not live in a dogmatic scripture or in a distant throne in the sky, but instead abides very close to us indeed–much closer than we can imagine, breathing right through our own hearts.  I respond with gratitude to anyone who has ever voyaged to the center of that heart, and who has then returned to the world with a report for the rest of us that God is an experience of supreme love.”

Elizabeth Gilbert,

Eat, Pray, Love

Yes, I’m finally reading this book,

Blah Blah Blog. April 10, 2008

Seriously, I hate blogs.  I’m sorry.  I know that’s incredibly hypocritcal of me.  But I read other people’s blogs and they are all SO alike.  The humor, the writing style, the content.  Sure, there are blogs with a theological “C.S. Lewis, Rob Bell, and Shane Claiborne are my heroes” twist; or the “I live a funky single life in New York” twist, or whatever.  But they’re all the same.  And like I said way back when I started my blog (okay, it was only a year ago), blogs are like potato chips.  They’re not satisfying; to me they’re not even tasty, and yet you find yourself eating and eating and then suddenly you’ve got an empty bag in your hands and your lap is covered in greasy salt crumbs.  Nice.

And you know what’s so great about all this?  I still like to blog.  I’m such a blog snob.  And it’s not like mine is refreshingly unique or anything.  But you know, maybe blogs are like bumper stickers or something.  People really like putting them on their cars, but no one really cares what your bumper sticker says.  Although, I think bumper stickers are tacky.  Hmm.

Let’s end this on a positive note, people: check out my blogroll for some satisfying bloggy snacks.