Oy! Stupid head cold,
go away; do not come back
on another day.
Sick Day Haiku
Won’t Watch the Ball Drop
[This post originally appeared two years ago on Tim Fall’s Blog.]
![By Nikola Tesla [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://ellenmandeville.com/wp-content/uploads/Tesla_Colorado_Springs_lab-magnifying_transmitter_with_metal_ball.jpg)
Longing for Pilgrimage; #Review: A World Transformed, by Lisa Deam
With Jerusalem and Jesus’ crucifixion at its center, the Hereford Map orients East at the top, England in the lower left, and monsters at the edges. Created around the year 1300, it depicts the history, geography, and destiny of the world according to medieval Christianity. A single sheet of vellum measuring 5’ 2” high by 4’ 4” wide displays its artistry. The original viewers were pilgrims to England’s Hereford Cathedral, some of whom made the pilgrimage annually. Hereford Cathedral still displays the map year round.
Lisa Deam holds a Ph.D. in medieval art from Chicago University. Attempting to maintain a scholarly eye while writing her dissertation on the Hereford Map, Deam discovered “that there was really no way to separate medieval art from medieval faith and spirituality — and from my own faith.” (1) The crossroads of Deam’s scholarly work and her Christian faith has resulted in, A World Transformed: Exploring the World of Medieval Spirituality. Continue reading Longing for Pilgrimage; #Review: A World Transformed, by Lisa Deam
Male and Female He Created Them
Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb grew up running for the sheer love of it. Training for the Boston Marathon without running shoes or a coach, Gibb ran up to 30 and 40 miles a day. What Gibb didn’t know: The event was closed to women due to the widely believed myth that women pursuing vigorous athletics would damage their reproductive organs. My mother was pregnant with me in early 1966 when Gibb received a letter stating “women were not physiologically capable of running 26 miles and furthermore, under the rules that governed international sports, they were not allowed to run.” (source) The myth has since been debunked, though it still makes notable appearances. Continue reading Male and Female He Created Them
Let The Sweet Slacker Slide By?
I recently made this comment, which I’ve edited slightly for this post, in a Facebook discussion:
I was due for severe consequences in my 12th grade English Literature class. I should have been given a failing grade, and I probably would have had to retake 12th grade — not completely sure, but it’s likely. However, the teacher showed leniency and allowed me to pass and graduate. Continue reading Let The Sweet Slacker Slide By?
Writer Mom Haiku
Dishwasher running
Washing machine laundering
Cursor blinking, waits
Sex Crimes Affecting Area Schools Shock Valley
The local news last week laid me low.
From my other blog, BlaineParents.org, which has been dormant for some time:
I stand with Ahmed’s Parents, too #IStandWithAhmed
When my daughter was in fourth grade, we went out target shooting. She found a bunch of shotgun shells on the ground and stuffed many in the pockets of her jacket. They were still there when she went to school on Monday… Tuesday… Wednesday…
Silly me, I didn’t think anything about it. Turns out they were dribbling out of her pockets in the hallway. When a teacher figured out where they were coming from, my daughter got a stern talking to about it being “not cool” and I received a concerned email. I responded via email profusely apologizing for my obtuseness.
And that was it.
Photo source.
Where Were You on 9/11/2001?
We woke up aboard our sailboat in the Tauranga Bridge Marina in New Zealand. My husband and I had arrived in NZ the previous December after sailing across the Pacific. We had no TV and rarely listened to the radio.
When the Heart is Laid Bare #Review
Back in July, I edited my review of Skylar Hamilton Burris’ excellent book, When the Heart is Laid Bare, for Christ and Pop Culture. I should have posted it then, but here it is now.
One doesn’t expect to laugh while reading of tragedy, grief, and healing. And yet, that’s exactly what happened when I read Skylar Hamilton Burris’ When the Heart Is Laid Bare, which Double Edge Press has graciously made freely available to Christ and Pop Culture members. While grappling with death and suffering, Burris successfully weaves wit and humor into her story lines.
