10.24.07
Posted in Education, Personal, Work at 4:50 pm by admin
God is growing Bryan and I. Just when we thought it was time to hunker down and wallow beneath a pile of “to-dos” a mile long, God seems to be building us up and preparing us for future responsibilities. Amazingly enough, I don’t feel overwhelmed. I have come to fully believe that God really does only give us as much as we can handle.
My job has been particularly stressful lately and we had started discussing alternatives that would free up some of my time. Just when I though I couldn’t handle it any more, I have been given a few weeks reprieve and will be telecommuting for the most part. On the same note, I haven’t been getting exercise lately and it has affected my sleep and thus my health but now that pockets of time have opened up I can actually make it to the gym.
Another big breakthrough this week may seem insignificant to most of you but was a major hurdle for me. I wrote a paper on Monday that wasn’t due until Thursday. I am the world’s greatest procrastinator. My mind catalogs everything constantly so I don’t take many notes and I have trouble spitting out all those thoughts until hours before the paper is due. However, I am trying to break that habit, or at least not rely on it so much, and my reward is more time with my husband and the chance to get ahead in my readings. Hooray!
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10.17.07
Posted in Personal at 4:27 pm by admin
This feels like one of the first times I have been able to sit down and do something other than work in the past ten days. I seem to eat, sleep, and live work these days. Not that I don’t enjoy what I do because I thrive in this environment and welcome new challenges but occasionally one realizes one’s humanity and the limitations of that reality.
This past Friday my company had a team meeting that lasted all day and into the evening. I had been preparing for this “off-site” as we call it, for nearly a week and even with over 8 hours together we still didn’t cover everything on the agenda. We certainly came close but so much was left uncommunicated that I felt frustrated by the end.
Then this week has been running from one meeting/event to another and trying to cram projects in-between. I had an article presentation this afternoon worth a considerable portion of my grade that I prepared for last night at about 10pm. After class I dashed back to work and wrote up a paper analysis for a meeting at 5pm and then I get to dive back into homework tonight as I have another presentation tomorrow afternoon that I have not done the work for yet.
If I can just make it to Friday I think I will have survived. It’s Bryan birthday, we’re going out for sushi and seafood with his parents, and I can sleep in (a little). Plus, I get to give him his iPhone that he’s been pinning for over the past three weeks. (You ask why this isn’t a secret? Let me tell you, that’s a whole other story…)
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10.09.07
Posted in Beliefs, Literary Pursuits, Personal at 11:19 am by admin
“…if riches cannot eliminate need, but on the contrary create new demands, what makes you suppose that they can provide satisfaction?” Boethius, 524 A.D.
I have been reading the Consolation of Philosophy for a Medieval literature class and have been thinking about Boethius’ premise that the ultimate good and happiness is found in God. His arguments are fascinating in a world where postmodernism has eroded any absolutes and almost everything is arrived at subjectively. I am also fascinated by the mix of early Christian theology with Greek mythology and the Roman system of worship which involves a great number of gods. Boethius seems to fluidly move from one of these standpoints to another as though they are not in direct opposition to each other. Even though some of his points are extremely off-base in my opinion, such as the fact that by obtaining the ultimate good we become gods, there are some very basic premises (like the little blurb above) that are excellent reminders for the 21st century reader whose life is so wrapped up in fame, power, wealth, prestige, and the “rat race”, as we call it. Boethius is reminding his readers that to strive for material goods and human glory is an incredibly vain pursuit because in reality it gets you nowhere.
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10.02.07
Posted in Literary Pursuits at 11:12 am by admin
I was reminded of this book, The Red Tent during HC last night. John was talking about an Old Testament incident where Dinah was raped and her brothers insisted that her agressor and his entire tribe be circumsized and then they massacred all of them while they were still healing. Anita Diamant tells the story from Dinah’s perspective, bringing in many rich details concerning the lives of women in Jacob’s family. She writes a powerful, moving story about the beauty of female community, the loss of tradition that takes place when stories aren’t passed down, and she gives voice to a woman whose appearance in the Bible is decidedly brief. While, of course, you must keep in mind that this is fiction I appreciated Diamants respect for her subject matter and the thorough research she performed before writing the book. It also made me want to go back and reinvestigate the Old Testament. A worthy read for any one, man or woman.
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