The Weekly Blabbermouth: 2010 Week One

(eventually a picture of Kirstie Alley with her mouth hanging open will grace these posts, but I am having a problem with the technical side of things at the moment and have not worked out the kinks quite yet)

Looking Backward, Moving Forward:

I know you all come here for breaking news, so I announce this here first: 2009 is officially over.

I personally announced this moment in my own life by closing out my existing journal (one that lasted for several years of hit or miss writing) and opening a new one. I found myself quickly listing off many dreams for 2010, ones that deviate from the traditional "Make, then Break" resolutions that most of us fret over for a few weeks each year. These are dreams which are big and small, easy to achieve and extremely far out of reach, but Sharon has taught me that even the biggest dreams are worth pursuing.

A few choice snippets from the list (those that I am willing to share in this forum):

• Simplify in every sense of the term
• Buy Local
• Pull someone back from the edge
• Have a story to share every day
• Live Hope, Give Hope, Every day, Any way.

Books of the Completed and Started Varieties:

I closed 2009 by shelving anything that I sat semi-finished, a physical way to close out the old year. My target this year is to read 52 books (a book a week) and I did not want any lingering struggles in the way.

Barbara Rossing's The Rapture Exposed was first up this year. Thanks to a thoughtful gift from Patrick and Margaret, I was able to read Rossing's critique of prevailing dispensationalist readings (or misreadings?) of Revelation and the ethic of John that pervades it. It was a great read, one made a little bit more unique by the fact that Margaret was able to get the author to personalize it with a note for me. How cool!

Now up is Annie Dillard's The Maytrees, a recent Swaptree acquisition and a long-time resident of the to-read shelf. Dillard has been a big literary influence on my own writing and I also had the opportunity to take a seminar class on her works at Hillsdale: having new material from her is always a joy for me.

Those of the Tune-age Variety:

I picked up Lady Gaga on vinyl this week. Both albums. Enough said.

Rattling of the Proverbial Cage:

The man who asked for the hot dog at Starbucks the other night, then f-bombed me when I told him we didn't carry hot dogs. Next time?

Geocentric Reflections:

One week to get back into the routine, then we'll pick up with some Corktown opportunities the following week. Bible Study & Coffee Night, anyone?