Tag: journal

A Day Which Shall Live in Infamy

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A few random notes that I didn’t have time to write this morning (because I took all my time writing about my book!!)

Firstly – and I’m mostly sharing this so I can link it to Laura later, since she’s the only one who will appreciate! (Hi Laura!!) – last night had a dream about being at a Nightwish concert with Laura. It was a very weird concert apparently since…we were sitting somewhere up high and all the aisles sloped down to the stage at the bottom of the concert hall. Felt more like a concert hall for a symphony and not a metal show! And we were sitting, not rocking out in front. Terrible! As in the way of dreams, it started in the middle…at the point where we realized another singer was walking out for the next song and it turned out to be Tarja! We all started going crazy and chanting her name (or maybe I was the only one?) She sang one song with the band (and it apparently was a song that had been written after her departure, which I remember being slightly disappointed about…since she wasn’t singing a song that I knew with her voice!) and as soon as the song kicked into gear, I remember being simply thrilled. Just her voice made the song even more awesome than it already was. Hearing her sing a Nightwish song (even though I can’t remember which one?! I seem to remember it was one of their harder more recent songs…maybe Shudder Before the Beautiful?) was amazing and it was stunningly beautiful and I’m sad this can’t happen for real. After the song was over, the concert apparently had an intermission, which I didn’t know was a thing for metal shows. But again – dream! I decided I should walk down and say hi to Tarja, because. Laura and me walked down the sloping aisle to where she was chilling next to the stage, sitting on a monitor / speaker / box thing. Somehow no one else had the same idea to see her. It was just Tarja, Laura and I! I sheepishly said hello and she replied, “Hey you! Come here!” in that Tarja voice we all know and love. Gave me a hug and I asked her if I could get a picture with her. She of course said yes and I handed Laura my camera and we got a picture together…and then we went back to our seats to enjoy the rest of the show. Yes, that was literally my dream. It was a really fun dream. Pardon me sharing my dream here…but hey, couldn’t resist.

Secondly…I started reading Isaiah today. So excited!!! Simply love this book. It shall be truly wonderful these next weeks. Here are a few words that encouraged my soul this day:

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.
If you consent and obey,
you will eat the best of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

God speaks. Shall we listen? My heart is bound up in the love of my God.

Now it is lunch time…I shall write no more. Time to chomp down on some chicken and spinach wraps with my favorite Nando’s hot sauce. A wonderful lunch, yes? Yes.

Starry Eyes

James HoganLeave a comment

A candle on the table. A blanket on my lap. A cup of coffee at hand. A few words. It is oh so nice to rest. It’s been a good weekend all in all…but a bit hectic and busy. Now at last, all that is past. I could go to a party tonight, but I have decided a night of rest is needed. And this afternoon has been lovely, indeed it has. After coming home from church and having a quick lunch, got my workout in and laundry done…then because the day is beautiful(but warmer! t-shirt weather has returned to houston!) walked down to EQ. As I walked, got to talk to Maryanne for first time in a while! Yay! We had a nice long chat…oh it was beautiful to be able to sit at the porch at EQ and talk with Maryanne about various things. Can’t wait to see her in less than a week! After that, read a bit of my book(Hungarian third book in trilogy – “They Were Divided”. Tragically sad. But beautiful. I’ll log it shortly, as I should finish it within the next few days). Finally, time to walk back to the flat. And here I sit, enjoying some decaf coffee and the flickering candle on the table and my warm blanket and randomly typing these words. The Steelers-Patriots game is on TV and I’m mildly paying attention…now though, think these are sufficient words for the now. Back to my book. (Now “Knowing God” by Packer. Deeply encouraging) Very grateful for this afternoon and evening of rest which I have been granted. A good book, a cup of coffee and a night of rest. Does it get any better? So happy. Peace and love.

Six or Seven, Pick a Number, Any Number!

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I’m about to head out from Starbucks here but figured I better write a couple words. Must confess…my primary reason for doing so is that I’ve noticed that I’ve actually posted every single day this week thus far. So I just could not pass up the chance to finish out the week right!! (…er…by posting on livejournal? Yeah. Sure) This has been a most busy day so far…but it’s been lovely nevertheless. My last weekend in Houston for a bit, so doing all my final Christmas preparatory activities! Had a most fantastic breakfast at Joshua and Sarah’s house…of course it was nice to eat breakfast and drink coffee with them…but the true joy was just talking with them and catching up on oh so many things! They are pretty awesome, I have to say. Then it’s been a mad dash through various Houston locations…and I’m still not done. Time to go to HEB now, then to pick up my dry-cleaning. Then…home?! Going to attempt to get a walk in…as this wintry weather is still just wonderful. Alright, I have been in Starbucks long enough…but I decided I am way far behind in posting my music playlists, so going to record one here this afternoon. (I’ll still be a few behind, but alas – one is enough for now!) I really enjoyed making this mix – it’s such a beautiful…chill indie mix, I guess?? Honestly, I got in an Owl City mood a few months back and felt sad I didn’t really have a good mix with Owl City songs. So attempted to remedy that with this mix. I know Laura’s not a huge fan of it, since she needs to be in a particular mood to enjoy Owl City! What can I say, my heart is weird enough…that something about Owl City / Postal Service / Snow Patrol just resonates with my emotions so beautifully. That middle stretch – bliss. This is a bit of an old-school mix as well. Besides Owl City, I got an Anberlin and a Panic! song squeezed in. Early college nostalgia right there. Right, enough talk. Mixed back in summer of this year…Clarissa:

1. Plimsoll Punks – Alvvays
2. Light of Loving – Faith Healer
3. My Only – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
4. Paperthin Hymn – Anberlin
5. Laid Low – The Naked and Famous
6. Derniere danse – Indila
7. I Constantly Thank God for Esteban – Panic at the Disco
8. I Summon You – Spoon
9. Air Traffic – Owl City
10. Recycled Air – The Postal Service
11. Sky Diver – Owl City
12. The Finish Line – Snow Patrol
13. I’ll Meet You There – Owl City
14. Take Care – Beach House
15. Blue Velvet – Lana Del Rey
16. Exit Night / Juliet’s Theme – Emmy the Great
17. My Least Favorite Life – Lera Lynn
18. Writer in the Dark – Lorde
19. Fuzzy Blue Lights – Owl City

Have a gorgeous day, dear friends.

Sounds of the Harpischord

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Friday, friends!! A bare minute of writing will I allow myself before I’m off once again. A nice chill morning today and so I felt more than justified in wearing a warm sweater(blue & green striped one that Julie helped me pick out a few months back! Yes, Julie is awesome). And as I drove in to work, was much fortified by my music…for this year I’m once again not going to make it to a performance of Handel’s Messiah but no matter…because I can have a mini concert in my car!! So today got to listen to most of the second half of the Messiah – such gloriously beautiful music. Now – time to work a little as I enjoy my peppermint mocha. Peace and love, dear friends.

Dawn Beckons

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A wonderfully cold morning. Oh how much I relish this winter season! I walked outside my door this morning into the chill air, delightedly seeing my breath steam strong through the dark of early morning. As I drove down the interstate, listened to one of my more recent mixes, one I heartily enjoy – Clarissa. Have I posted that tracklist yet? Probably not – I fear I am dreadfully behind! I’ll share at some point. Now at my office, soon to start work. But first, enjoying a cup of hot honey-sweetened coffee as my thoughts wander and roam.

The Chorus of the Heavens and the Sea

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I hesitate to write too many words now, as much as I would like to. But this is the kind of afternoon where I crave to end it by reading my book on this couch, cosy and warm inside as the cold wind dances down the pavement outside. And see, already I start at the end rather than at the beginning as is proper. Clearly I am in more of a hazy dream-lit mood than in the correct frame of mind for writing coherent thoughts. But pardon me if I spill but a few words out upon the page nevertheless.

I really should be logging a few of my latest reads (as I am now three books behind! knocked out the rest of Narnia this past week), but I can do that later, I suppose. Right now, I am just at peace in the Lord, and I am ever so grateful. It’s been a very busy last few weeks and I have been tired and frazzled, my energy seeping away ever more noticeably as I’ve progressed through these last weeks. But now – even though I’m congested and have a cold! – I finally am at a point where I can rest. And I am ever so grateful to my God for that. This day I was able to worship at church – which of course was a refreshment to my soul. And then following…a little bit of shopping at the store and a little bit of lunch (a great leftover lunch! 2 slices of pizza, a piece of cornbread and a bowl of salad!).

Now this past hour, I decided I couldn’t sit inside any longer. The chill air called my name. So out for a walk I went. Glorious mid-40s temperature. Weather in which it is appropriate for me to wear both my turtleneck and wool coat! And so my feet trod the streets around my neighborhood – up to 11th, over to Studemont, stopped for a quick coffee at Red, then back down to White Oak and over to home. But I fear I bore you. Because obviously the route of my walk signifies nothing to no one but myself!

(interlude for the laundry – I had to step away for a moment to get my clothes in the one operational dryer we have…as all afternoon, I keep missing my chance. Not again!!)

Now where was I? Ah, describing the afternoon and my walk. Well, there is not much to say. I have been finding moments of pure joy lately as I’ve walked around my neighborhood. Why is that? Well, to put it in words is something I fear I can’t do, as I attempt to write random snippets of poetry and they are all turning out to be uniformly terrible. I have an odd soul, I’m afraid. So what brings joy to me is something that I can’t describe to you without the strong possibility of eye rolls and other such reactions. I adore the grey sky on a cold winter day. The kind of grey sky that sits as a blanket over (or underneath!?) the heavens and promises so much more than it reveals. The sky is not uniformly grey, no of course not. That would be quite boring and indeed depressing. But this is the kind of sky that admits no blue whatsoever. It is a well-cloaked sky indeed. But in various spots, there are hints of that radiance of light. The sky pulses with vibrant gradations of colour and hums with glories unimaginable. They are not all seen. But the light is hinted at. Strongly. And so I walk underneath the beautiful blanket of cloud that holds the heavens at bay. The bare-branched trees wave slightly in the breezes. They are bare now, but not always. More glories not seen. But coming soon. Leaves flutter down the street in strong alignment with the wind that courses along in such reckless fashion. And the pavement continues to move backwards underneath my feet. The sky of curious grey, bare branches of wistful trees, and the winds of winter that dance just so. My heart throbs in fierce affection for these things. See now? I told you I was strange. But it is rather nice to be walking underneath the heavens and look to the skies and look to the earth and see such beauty. It is quite pleasing to feel the cool touch of winter upon my cheeks and pull my coat a little closer. It is in moments like these that my mind is agape that I should feel in concert with the heavens and with the earth and with the seas and with the stars – in worship of the One who made us all. A leaf slowly flutters to the grass, for a moment hanging weightlessly in the wind. The sky darkens with the coming of the night. The star song approaches. It is moments like these that my soul sings.

Waves Crashing Upon the Seaside

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, one and all! It is a Wednesday which is also kinda a Monday…as this is my first day back at work following a nice long Thanksgiving holiday. So I sit here at my desk, peppermint mocha to warm me this fine cold morning. And although I could write all about my holiday in Florida with the fam, I fear I do not have the time at the moment. So…let’s catch up on book logging, shall we?

41. Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford. A classic sci-fi novel. Apparently I am still very much in a science fiction mood…and my appetite for old sci-fi has been most thoroughly whetted by the last few books I’ve read. This book, published in 1972, actually reads almost more like a 50s’/60s’ sci-fi novel, which for me is not a bad thing! I apparently liked this book enough that I’ve now ordered the second book in the series. I shan’t describe the plot of the book, but like a lot of older sci-fi books, the characters aren’t necessarily well-formed but…I shall say that the cypher-like nature of the main character actually enhances both the stunning wonder and pulse-racing danger of the cosmos. The descriptions of space-flight in this novel were both highly original and utterly gorgeous. The main spacecraft in this one…so lovingly described that I could almost imagine the author was a space-pilot himself. And this book moved right along…I read it in just a few days? Not a masterpiece this, but a very serviceable enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

42. Triplanetary by E.E. Smith. Speaking of classic sci-fi…this novel was originally published in serialized form in…wait for it…1934! So back we go! My paperback version I picked up was a 1949 version. Still four years before Dad was born!! This is another book that isn’t a masterpiece, but still highly enjoyable, partly just for getting a window into the 1930s mindset! This book has a lot of great action pieces that are a bit ridiculous but…hey, it’s still good old fashioned fun. You can tell when it was written because one of the most deadly weapons in the book (used twice) is a type of nerve gas (still very much on the minds of people back in the post Great War days). The dialogue in this book is fantastic…mostly because it’s really not how people talk today, but it tickled my imagination to have all these futuristic characters using 1930s American slang! Love it. I haven’t yet decided if I will get any more books in this series, but I definitely enjoyed reading it. A good book to read on the airplane as I flew to Tampa a few weeks ago…

43. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Finally a modern book. Published in 2014, this is definitely not a classic science fiction novel. Actually, it’s not really a science fiction novel at all. A few weeks ago, I told Meagan I needed to find more sci-fi novels and she was gracious enough to lend me this. (Thanks Meagan!) But I discovered soon upon reading this that it is much more of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic future genre than sci-fi. But no matter that, it was a gorgeous read. I read this in…I think a day? My first few days in Tampa, wasn’t feeling great, so spent a lot of time on the couch reading. And this book made it all ok. The highly literary style of this book tended to sometimes overwhelm the actual plot of the story…but honestly I was alright with that. It was incredibly fascinating to read about the fall of a civilization through the eyes of several characters that were all connected to each other in some way. The character tying all the other characters isn’t even alive for the main plot, but his shadow looms large over the rest. The flashback scenes were some of my favourites and the character of Miranda, the author and artist of the titular “Station Eleven” comics, was most definitely my favourite character. The dinner scene with her and Arthur and others…so vivid I can even now see it in my mind. Honestly, the main plot wasn’t even as fascinating to me as just finding out more about the history of the characters and seeing how everything tied together. The main villain? I figured out who he was fairly early on, and while tragic, he didn’t amount to as much of a menace as I was anticipating. Again though, loved the characterization of Miranda…loved reading about her great work – “Station Eleven”. The short bits of the novel describing those starlit seascapes were some of my favorites. Final verdict? Can’t unreservedly recommend, as it definitely is a bit of a depressing read (post-apocalyptic fun!). But I sometimes enjoy those works tinged with melancholy and regret, so I was perfectly alright with it. I can still picture the glittering snow falling down upon the fallen King Lear, that fallen Arthur Leander.

That Arrogant, Ignorant Cadre of Youth

James HoganLeave a comment

Hello friends!! Thought I’d write for a minute this calm Saturday evening…been a lovely day (hanging out with my friend Marina in downtown Tampa…lovely time of good conversations in the riverside breezes…) and then this evening has been a splendid time with the family…dinner of Best New York pizza and then watching the rest of Captain America with the family (been introducing Mom & Dad to Marvel movies…Dad rather liked Iron Man and I think Mom is a fan of Cap!). Now Maryanne and Laura and Mom are watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie…and I may be sneaking a peek every now and again myself as I write this. So classic. Dad is prepping for message tomorrow…and I suppose I will sit down myself and watch the rest of this episode.

Very thankful for the goodness of the Lord in all things.

A Moment of Thanks, nay – a Festival of Thanksgiving

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So it is about half two this Thanksgiving afternoon. And I sit here in the family room at the computer, tapping away on this keyboard for a bare few minutes that I have free. Maryanne is strumming away on the ukulele and Laura is on the couch attempting to not feel sick(sad day!), Caisson is finishing up the mashed potatoes while Dad decides that the stuffing is most definitely at the right level of done-ness…and Mom is resting for a moment after she’s done most of the work prepping the simply lovely-looking dining room. For the moment of the Thanksgiving feast is almost at hand…Steve and Vickie and Ted and Norraine should be walking through our door at any moment and then an afternoon of far too much delicious food and even more abundant conversations of love and laughter awaits…and the pervading mercies of the Lord thrill our souls.

Have a most lovely day of Thanksgiving, my dear friends. My heart is full of gratitude for you all. My heart is full of that peace which surpasses all comprehension. Bless the Lord, O my soul.