lenting

i'm writing on a deliciously portland evening - finally, it's rainy and gray and it feels very northwest. my roommates are out of the house - and i'm resisting the urge to turn on anything with noise. so it's me, the ticking clocks and the rain.

i say delicious because i have been consumed with food lately. or maybe i've been consuming a lot of food? either way, all of my reading lately has inspired a compost bin, a csa (community supported agriculture) membership with my roommate, and some tasty treats like tomato jam with goat cheese, lynnie's roasted red pepper dip and valentine's day eggs in a nest :)

i have a few books in the hopper - exposed, about chemicals, our health and politics (scary!), the omnivore's dilemma (the prequel to "in defense of food" which was fantastic) and orthodoxy by g.k. chesterton. the last is one that i've been struggling to read (confession: i read it when i need to fall asleep). but i have faith that it will eventually get rolling and i will be as impressed as everyone else.

what else? i just watched "king corn" this weekend, an interesting documentary about how much corn we grow and eat and process here in the states. i am grimacing right now, partly because of how ubiquitous corn is and we don't even know it, and partly because i had greasy, butter popcorn this afternoon and loved it. anyway, it's a good film - rent it.

so, tomorrow is ash wednesday... and i'm debating whether or not to give up anything. two years ago i gave up coffee, then ended up visiting seattle for the first time (coffee capital!) in the middle of lent. i was there with a pastor, so i asked his professional opinion on whether or not i could break the fast. i mean, come on - i was in seattle. he kind of rolled his eyes, sighed, and asked me why i was fasting in the first place. and i really had no other answer than that i was doing what you're supposed to do at lent. two hours later, i was drinking coffee, strolling down the street towards pike place market - and then spilled all over my shirt. it was like getting the stink-eye from god. moral of the story? don't give up something unless you really mean it...

happy lent!

it's spring and it's february

This is my second non-Michigan winter, and I have to say, it is fantastic. I can't boast temps in the 70s like my friends in California, but there is no snow, no biting cold winds and I don't have to wear boots every day to work. I hear the rainy season may be starting up soon, so I'm mentally preparing for that, but otherwise, this is great.

I'm reading a fascinating book right now called Whatever it Takes by Paul Tough. I first heard this story on This American Life (listen to this show, please) and immediately put a hold on this book - back in October. I finally got it last week and have been devouring it for the last few days. Oddly enough, the author interviews a teacher whose name I recognize from Grand Rapids - it is a small, small world.

Anyway, the book has been inspiring to say the least, and is one of the many things over the last several months (years, maybe?) that is making me think about what I'm going to do with my life. And I want to send a little shout-out here to all the people who don't have their career path figured out - I am one of you. I am forever changing my mind, searching for the thing that I'm passionate about, the thing that makes me angry so I'll want to do something to make it better, however you want to put it. It's out there, somewhere. Some of us just take the scenic route.