Tuesday, September 24, 2013

odds and ends

Too bad it's not Friday because I could really use a quick take right about now.

Shockingly, I'm at the end of my first school quarter and about to do up my reports and send them in. You know that daily oscillation between 'I think we're doing fine! Look how on track we are and how much progress everyone has made!' and 'Oh sweet Mother of Jesus we are all going to die! Aghhh!'--that oscillation becomes even more pronounced in the actual writing of the quarterly reports for El Governemento. One word you feel great. Next word you panic like the nut in Word Girl who runs around with flailing arms, screaming.

I jest, a little. But not too much.

I'm also facing down a large amount of pairs.
By now they are rolling their way around the floor of the garage and soon, if I don't cook them, they will be composted for me onto the very floor. Maybe I could cut a hole in the roof of the garage to allow for light and then I could have a winter greenhouse....hmmmm.

And of course, yesterday was the moment to blog about Kevin DeYoung's new book Crazy Busy
What better way to blog about a book of this title than to forget and miss the deadline! Well, obviously there are better ways. It's a really good book and can be read in an hour that you don't have, beating children and spam phone calls back while you eat, absentmindedly, from a bucket of butter pecan ice-cream. 'I'm not crazy busy,' I said to Matt upon putting the book and spoon down, 'I m busy, but the crazy isn't from the busy, it's from me just being wacko.' Strangely, I find this a helpful distinction in my own mind. Between the book and Matt's excellent sermon from Sunday,

I discovered that my working All The Time has been a helpful way for me to keep God at bay without actually sinning. It's not like I'm doing anything Bad, all the work needs to be done, even the constant work of praying, but I've been smacking at God with my primordial pestle while telling other people to 'just be', and 'it's not what you do, it's who you are,' etc. Oh the Hypocrisy.

Anyway, it turns out I really do have to get up right now and make breakfast and turn my thoughts towards the fact that my parents will be with us a week from today! (So exciting!) They are safely in Croatia for a bit which has prompted me to dig up Black Lamb Gray Falcon again and read all about Diocletian's ancient palace. Gosh I'm jealous, both of the writing in Black Lamb and of not being in Croatia myself at this moment. If I have time, I'll put up some of West's marvelous descriptions. But don't wait around for them, I'm very very busy and I've got a lot to do and I might be a little crazy.

Pip pip

2 comments:

Josh Harper said...

Speaking of your lovely parents, I met them at AIU/NEGST when I went to interview there a week ago, and did not realise for some time that they were your parents... Small world? (I have mostly been stalking your blog, in a friendly fashion--but now I have a bona fide personal connection with you beyond general ADNE roots.)

Joyce Carlson said...

Yes, we'll be there in a short while. It's been lovely in Croatia. The sea, sun, lovely people, interesting cuisine. The only thing that has me anxious and grieving is the terrible attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi. As the details come out, it becomes ever more dreadful. So it's been hard to be happy even in a beautiful city like Split.
ME