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.
Tag: peppermint mocha
Waves Crashing Upon the Seaside
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.
So Many Blinking Lights – is it Time to pull the lever?
Happy Friday, friends!! Not much time to write but thought I’d poke my head in. Had a delightful last night chatting with David Tombs…who is in town this weekend visiting me! So excited, so utterly fantastic to catch up and have amazing talks about so many things. Thankful to Dream that she allowed her husband to come and hang out with me!! This weekend shall be delightful, I so declare. Now I’m at work, but it is a Friday and I’m trusting it won’t be too hectic. Famous last words. But my peppermint mocha is hot and the day is young and all is rosy and bright at the moment. Saw Penelope and Katie at Starbucks and nice chats were had (as always!!) and now I suppose I should settle down to the business that is at hand. I did want to write about my luscious time reading through Psalm 37 (+38 + Proverbs 31) but…the minutes have fled too rapidly and I dare not attempt to write more. I can say that it is oh so truly beautiful to rest in my Lord and to wait patiently for Him. At the thought of being close to my God…joy fills my heart and my soul sings.
Always Summer and Never Christmas
Happy Friday, friends!! It has been a most busy and (at times) stressful week…but it is finally rolling to an end, thanks be to God. This day may yet be relaxing(but it is early yet, so no promises). I’m wearing my Aberdeen football top today in honour of first full day of World Cup games!! Alas for the States being inept and not even qualifying…so I’m not even sure who I’m pulling for? Maybe Iceland. I’m not sure if I can stomach going for England, but we’ll see. Any other news? Not really – my life is honestly not that exciting lately! Tonight Erica and Meagan coming over for a chill dinner/movie night with me and John. Tomorrow going to see Scotland v. USA rugby match, which will be phenomenal!! Been quite a few years since I saw a rugby match…would have been back in Aberdeen!
Now, I shall continue enjoying my peppermint mocha(courtesy of Katie, with whom I had a great catch-up chat earlier this morning!) and rejoice in the beauty of the day. Peace and love, dear friends.
Simply Capital
I’m not much in a writing mood this morning…as really – I am quite sleepy!! But thankfully peppermint mocha is in hand and I’m about to dig into my favourite breakfast taco(from Las Locas Fajitas, with the best green sauce EVAH)…and so I can’t help but be thankful for these small happinesses. Speaking of happiness…had a nice little chat with Penelope at Starbucks today – despite my sleepiness! – and I do so appreciate the fact that I’ve made so many friends there…yes, it’s slightly out of the way, but it’s all worth it for the friends I’ve gained. And so now as I really want to eat my taco and don’t really want to continue writing…I shall cease. With one last adddendum. You may ask why I am so sleepy? Well…stayed up late watching the Stanley Cup Finals….in which finally, finally – the Washington Capitals have won the Cup. !!! Their very first Cup and it is glorious!!! They conquered the Lightning in seven games(tragically) and then speedily dispatched the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in five games…watching the last seconds tick down last night as the players began to celebrate. Oh so fun!!! I’ve rooted for the Caps for many years…ever since I lived in Maryland I guess? And although Tampa is my primary team now(next year must be the Lightning’s year!)…my heart still beats with joy to see my Caps finally hoist the Cup. Well done, Washington. Well done indeed. Light up that capitol dome. (My primary task for this weekend – not really – is to procur a Caps championship shirt!!)
Now no more sports. Taco time. Peace and love.
Wanderlust
It’s a lovely day – well it’s Friday so of course it is – and I’m enjoying my peppermint mocha – what else!? – and thought I’d share a few words…
Read some wonderful words in Psalms 5 and 6 and then in Leviticus(which was a bit more dry but still good because it is the Word) but the one verse I want to share was from Proverbs 25:27 – “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.” This was convicting and I love it for multiple reasons. Firstly, I do enjoy my honey. I put it in coffee, I put it in my smoothies, I put it in tea…it is pretty much my go-to sweetener. Honey is fantastic!! But…I do need to be careful not to overdo it, do I not? Firstly, if I put half a cup of honey in my smoothie, besides being slightly unhealthy, it would also taste sickly sweet and disgusting. So yes, too much of a good thing like honey…can sour very quickly. But enough focus on the honey – what is the author saying here? It is not “glory to search out one’s own glory”. Glory is something that can be pretty sweet, right? We like being praised, we like being thought well of. We like to be liked. Some don’t care to be liked…but they still want to be recognized and acclaimed. We all want to be known. So just as it can be oh so tempting to add a few more dollops of honey to our morning coffee, so can we be quickly allured by the promise of our own glory, acclaim and honor. Live in such a way to bring honor and glory to the Father. But to do things to bring about your own glory? Thus is vanity. Thus is foolishness. Because self-sought glory may be sweet on the tongue, but it will sour in the stomach. Do not seek to heap honors on yourself. They will vanish quickly, like ashes in the wind.
To close – if we should not search out our own glory, what should we do? Well – there are many things we should do and I don’t have time to explicate them all. But I will simply leave you with this for now – be faithful in obedience to God and seek to know God more. Long after the deep, wonderful things of God.
Peace and love.
Hard Love
Good morning, friends!! And…happy Friday!!! For indeed, it is finally Friday here, and although I am quite tired(it’s been a long week!), I’m psyched for a glorious day ahead. Sipping on my (still slightly warm) peppermint mocha now and enjoying that – was fun seeing and chatting briefly with Tony & Chi at Starbucks today! I still miss Katie, but I suppose I may(at some point possibly?) see her again – she is now finishing up her first semester of nursing school yay! Anyways – enough Starbucks people updates! Today shall be a good day, that I declare. I’ve been thinking lately about how easily I get distracted and fret over either things I don’t control or things that don’t really matter. And really how…at the end of the day, I need to rest in the sovereignty and love of Christ Jesus my Lord and rejoice and enjoy the beauty all around me, courtesy of my God. True? May I remember that much more than I usually do. Peace, my friends. Peace and love.
Never Again Sighs the Dawn
Monday morning here…hello friends!! A quick few words.
Firstly…this is my 900th post here on livejournal. I suppose that’s not too momentous and really only matters to me, but I wanted to make it known. When will I get to 1000 I wonder…
Secondly…another book I need to log – even though I feel it’s cheating a bit since I really read most of it last year and then stopped reading it for about…9 months!? Finally picked it up the other night and finished the last few chapters.
7. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Maryanne gave me this for Christmas of 2016 I believe, so quite a ways back now! I do so love biographies even though I typically focus on Christian ones. This was still quite good – got such a good glimpse into the historical details of the Revolutionary War period – and finding out more about Hamilton was indeed so fascinating!! Of course this book has now become super popularized because of the musical(which YES is amazing if you haven’t heard it yet!!), but the book deserves praise on its own merit. An extremely fun and easy read – I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes history and reading about interesting individuals. (And no excuses for me taking over a year to actually read this)
Thirdly…last night I went to bed far later than I should have. Two reasons for this. I for some reason felt in the mood to throw together a playlist of a lot of my most recent songs I’ve acquired(via John or my random youtube listening)…and then I realized I actually had enough for another CD and so I put them on a playlist and had to listen through to see what stuck. While I was doing that…I started my next book – a re-read of a series that will probably take a while but it is one of my very very favourites. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I forgot how good this book is. I got sucked into the world of Rand al’Thor and the village of Emond’s Field…and before I knew it, I had enjoyed listening to a fantastic playlist(CD of which now sits in my car! It might be terrible though because it’s been vetted much less thoroughly than I usually do…) and read far too many chapters of EotW. Ah well. It was a pleasant Sunday night…I could have done far worse than had a night reading a good book while listening to lovely music…
Fourthly…I am consequently very sleepy today. All hail peppermint mocha and much espresso therein!
Peace and love.
Las Locas
…it is a lovely(grey) morning here in H-town. And as my day begins(the best way possible – with peppermint mocha and yummy breakfast tacos), I just wanted to wish you all a happy Friday! It is true that not all seems bright and cheery in this world, but nevertheless, we shall – I shall! – rejoice and be glad in the knowledge that I am a child of the living God. The world is surely dark and filled with terrors yet above the stretching clouds of doom the stars glimmer with promises of glory. And inward sings the testimony of the most sacred Witness. Be still, my soul.
Contradictory Wildcats
Happy Thursday friends!! It’s very sadly not cold outside anymore(not close to cold, even. It’s approximately 75. Ugh)…but I still can’t complain. I have my peppermint mocha here, which is…not traditional for Thursdays, but that’s just because tomorrow I won’t be going to work – no, tomorrow at this time I’ll be in airport awaiting my flight to Charlotte to see Maryanne. Hurrah!! Can’t wait for that. We shall have a glorious weekend of being together and doing adventerous things…mostly I just am looking forward to good chats. Anything else going on here in Texas…? Not terribly much…last night was a relaxing evening hanging out with John. Had sushi and watched Rogue One, which is a very good Star Wars movie indeed. Even if everyone does die(oh – spoilers much? My apologies. Not really, it came out over a year ago – no excuses!) It was more emotional than I remember it being…and it has one of the best combined space/land battles in all of Star Wars. Much explosive, laser-filled fun! This morning had a nice breakfast at home while I continued my read through Acts. Sadly I’m over closer to the end than the beginning of the book….am much enjoying reading about Paul and his missionary journies presently. Today read about his trials and travails in Corinth, Ephesus and a few other places. Was encouraged by seeing the works of the Lord in saving so many…also convicted by how the people of Ephesus responded. They burned over 50,000 pieces of silver’s worth of “magic books”, etc. If only we all were so serious about our sin and what distracts us from loving and honouring God with all our might. Truly – as I read last night in Edwards biography, “…the love and the pursuit of true holiness is the enduring mark of the true Christian.” Lovely. I definitely am most enjoying reading this biography lately – I now remember why it is one of my all-time favorites. Oh that I might live with even a tenth of Edward’s passion and desire to know Christ more. And…as I continue to ramble, I think ’tis too late to start a new paragraph now, so shall just leave this all messy and of one piece. Honestly, it is probably time I end this and sip my peppermint mocha in peace as I meditate on the goodness of God and look forward to what He shall do this day. Oh! And speaking of mochas, while at Starbucks today, got a surprise Katie sighting…she is only working one day a week lately due to nursing school, etc – and apparently got switched to Thursdays. So we enjoyed chatting for a couple minutes – this past Sunday she was at Bethel on a panel talking to middle-schoolers about dating and all that…they definitely need it!!! (I probably could have used something similar back in the day, honestly…) Anyways, we had solid people on all these panels(at least on the girls’ side – know it was Megan, Emily, Erica & Katie…can’t go wrong!). Now I continue to type and yet there is no point. So I shall rest my fingers and think and ponder for real. Peace, my friends.
