tasteandsee

Binging

2011-03-18T23:13:00.001-04:00

I went on a bookbinding binge in the last few days and it resulted in another nine books. I'll be posting all but two to Etsy within the next few days.

The book pictured above reveals my continued love of rainbows. Anything arranged in color order leaves me with a sense of satisfaction. Once, during seminary, I even arranged my whole bookshelf according to the order of the visible spectrum. Every time I looked at the shelf, I was pleased all over again.

If you like what you see, hop over to my Etsy page and buy everything you see!

This Is What I've Been Doing Lately

2011-01-15T21:45:00.002-05:00

To see more, hop over here: Kate E. Did on Etsy

A Room With a Couch

2010-12-06T12:04:00.000-05:00

Drawing is not my forte, so ignore the messed up perspective.

Yesterday, after church, I spent some time wandering around Lancaster in a (somewhat) desperate search for a place... I stopped in some of my regular haunts, but none of them had what I was looking for. After one-and-a-half hours of futile searching, I returned home, still antsy and restless to find the room that existed in my imagination. Because I couldn't find my room in the real world, I decided to draw it. I got out my crayons (yes, crayons), and started sketching out my cozy nest. Afterward, I wrote this description in my journal:

"In my mind, there is a perfect, cozy room. It has a giant, cozy fireplace: big enough that you could cook a pot of stew in it. A stone fireplace would be best, but wood or brick would be fine as long as it's huge. On the mantle, there is a lovely painting or framed photograph, preferably something with bright, happy colors. Around the room, there are round wooden tables that hold lamps and photos and books. The hardwood floors are scarred by years of boot heels and are covered by hand woven rag rugs. Several bookshelves, full of everything from Shakespeare to C.S. Lewis to Ina Garten, line one dark purple wall. Yes, dark purple. Maybe with hardwood wainscoting.

"The most important part, though, the detail that would make or break this room, is the couch. The chairs could be straight-backed wooden affairs for all I care, but the couch (or, even better, couches!) are hugely overstuffed... so large that a person could disappear completely if she curled up in the corner with a good book.

"My room has a feeling of peace and comfort. Whenever someone enters the house it's in, he or she is immediately drawn to the comfort of this room. Music, conversation, and crackling fires are the only sounds that break the silence. One day, this room will be mine."

One day...

Twenty-Two

2010-12-05T21:21:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't get why my last two posts have had random number titles: it's advent - the beginning of the church calendar, the time during each year when we await the birth of Christ. Obviously, I'm already behind on posts, but I don't care and I don't think you do either.

Over the years, I've often wondered why we bother "waiting" for Christ's birth. It's already happened. What's the point in pretending? But this year, as I wait with some expectancy for a job offer, I am beginning to see the reason for this time of preparation. Sometimes we need to consciously slow down so that we don't miss the great thing that's coming. This measured approach to the Christmas celebration makes the day itself more meaningful and, in some ways, more joyous because we are reminded what it's all about. If we are mindful, our eyes should be wide open by the time Christmas Day arrives and no amount of consumerism or family angst or stress will be able to distract us from the joy of this season.

May all five of you be blessed with times of slowness and rest during this advent season.

The wolf will romp with the lamb,
the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough,
and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,
their calves and cubs grow up together,
and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens,
the toddler stick his hand down the hole of the serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill
on my holy mountain.
The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive,
a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.

-Isaiah 11:6-9

Twenty-Five

2010-12-01T23:28:00.002-05:00

"Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up," says the Lord; "I will place them in the safety for which they long." Psalm 12:5

Go Ahead. Ask me!

2010-11-18T00:06:00.005-05:00

Over the past few months, I've had interviews with several different churches for positions in youth ministry and/or Christian education. This post isn't really about that, but I wanted to let you know I'm jobless and that you should pity me, unless, of course, you are also jobless. In that case, we should commiserate. Or, if you're a church that's hiring, you should check me out. I'm thoughtful and articulate. Anyway, on with it.

Most of the questions interviewers ask are pretty standard fare (as is to be expected).

"Describe your call into Christian ministry."

"What is your vision of youth ministry?"

"How would you recruit and train volunteers?"

There are other questions that could only be adequately answered after weeks or months of thought and would be most effectively expressed in writing (maybe 5-10 typed pages), but that I am expected to answer on the spot in five minutes or less. Then there are the clever questions: the ones that seem deep, but really offer little to no insight into me as a person, employee, or minister. Some questions, though, make me think not only during the interview, but for a long time afterward. For the most part, it's the questions that seem most innocuous that have this effect on me.

During one of my recent interviews, a fellow asked a question of the latter variety: "What kind of music do you like?" I think it was meant to be a throwaway, something to lighten the mood.

It wasn't until after I'd insulted country music, divulged my love of bluegrass, and listed a few of my favorite Indie groups, singer-songwriters, and artists popular in the 1960s and 1970s that I realized it was a trick. Okay, he wasn't really trying to trick me, but he was definitely looking for a specific answer.

After a moment's silence, he looked at me (or my image on the computer screen) and asked, "What about contemporary Christian music?"

*Gulp*

I think the next words out of my mouth may have put at least one nail in the coffin of any hopes I'd had of working with these good folks. Perhaps I shouldn't have been such an elitist prig...

"I prefer not to listen to music that's marketed to a captive audience. Too many Christian groups are successful because parents won't let their kids listen to or good church folk feel guilty listening to or buying anything not labeled 'Christian.' And, unfortunately, much music labeled Christian is a sub-par imitation of other music."

*Silence*

I know this is not a new rant. Every audiophile Christian and her brother has told us that music bearing the label Christian is (far too often) bland, uncreative pap (just like so-called Christian art - but that's a whole other issue). So, anyway, I won't get into that. What I'd like to do is offer some beautiful, honest, creative music written and/or sung by Christians who didn't take advantage of a religious label to boost sales. And I'd like to thank that fellow, who may or may not have intended to make me think for weeks after hearing his question. This one's for you!

Enjoy!

Please offer some of your own suggestions. I love to find new music or be reminded of great old stuff!

Try It, You'll Like It

2010-11-08T15:18:00.001-05:00

Having grown up on the typical American diet of meat and potatoes (with an occasional foray into the world or rice), I wasn't introduced to tofu until high school. Not that I tried tofu in high school, but I heard about it and was convinced that it couldn't possibly be delicious. In college, I tried the "blackened tofu" that our cafeteria offered. It was detestable: firm tofu sprinkled with cajun seasoning and grilled. It even sounds disgusting.

Finally, in seminary, I was served pan-fried, extra-firm tofu and fell in love. Marinated in a small amount of soy sauce and sesame oil, I could have eaten it like popcorn. In fact, after using it to top our salads or stir fries, the extra bits would disappear quickly. These perfectly crisp, delectably seasoned bits of flash-fried goodness constituted the perfect re-introduction to a food I once considered unfit for human consumption.

Since my re-introduction, I've enjoyed tofu in many forms, but it wasn't until very recently that I prepared a recipe that included tofu for myself. Inspired by my vegetarian friend, Matthew, who promised to post any number of hippie tofu recipes on Recipe Awesomeness, I decided to post one of my own. I would love to claim this as my own creation, but it comes from The Commonsense Kitchen, by Tom Hudgens, my favorite cookbook of the past few months. This Curry Tofu Salad is terrific as a sandwich filling or served atop a delicious lettuce.

Ingredients:

1 pound firm tofu

3/4 teaspoon of salt, plus more as needed

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons canola oil of other vegetable oil

6 large white mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, halved, and sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons mild or hot curry powder

1 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 medium stalk celery, finely diced

1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed

freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, parsley, or cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

Crumble the tofu finely in a medium bowl, sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and mix well.

Finely mince together the ginger and garlic. In a wide skillet over a medium-high flame, heat the oil. Throw in the garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt and saute, stirring, for 20 to 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt, then add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the tofu, continuing to stir as the tofu heats through and excess water evaporates, 4 to 5 mintues. When there is no more excess water, remove from the heat and let the tofu cool completely in the pan, about 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients: carrot, green onion, celery, mayonnaise, mustard, soy sauce, lemon, black pepper to taste, and optional herbs. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or mayonnaise to balance. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Ten Times Better than Kraft Dinner

2010-11-03T15:44:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I let you all in on my newest passion: good food. Well, the two best ways for me to share that passion seem to be sharing food and sharing recipes. Since I can't pass a plate through the computer screen, I'll do the next best thing - share a recipe.

Since mac 'n' cheese was the dish that finally convinced me of the superiority of fresh ingredients and deliciousness of cooking from scratch, it seems appropriate that it be the first recipe I share here. So, here goes!

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (any kind you like, but fun shapes are always better)

2 cups shredded cheese (2-3 kinds with complementary flavors, not pre-shredded - cheddar and monterey jack are good ones to start with)

3 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp flour

1-2 cups milk or cream

salt (anything but table salt...blech)

freshly ground pepper (white if you don't like black flecks in your cheese sauce)

nutmeg

mustard

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add the pasta. Stir to avoid clumping. Pay attention to how much time your pasta needs to cook. Overcooked pasta is one of the worst parts of boxed mac 'n' cheese. When it is finished cooking, drain the pasta, but do not rinse it.

As the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it's completely melted and bubbly, add the flour, some salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg (This is called roux, pronounced "roo." All the best cooking words are French). Stir continuously to ensure that the flour doesn't burn.

After about a minute, slowly add the first cup of milk. Using a whisk will help you avoid lumps in the sauce. When the milk is fully incorporated and bubbly, slowly add the cheese, a handful at a time. Stir in a figure eight pattern to avoid slopping the sauce over the edges. If the sauce gets too thick, add more milk. If it's too thin, let the heat work its magic of evaporation.

Taste the cheese sauce to determine whether it needs more seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed. Some folks like to add mustard for a little tang. Hot sauce and garlic are more my style. When the sauce is finished to your taste, toss it with the pasta and enjoy. This amount will probably serve 4-6 people (more as a side dish).

Once you master this basic recipe (a matter of making it once or twice), experiment. One of my favorite variations includes onions, carrots and celery that have been sauteed in butter (a.k.a. - mirapoix, another fancy French cooking word). Another involves the addition of chopped ham or bacon. When I was working as a nanny, I would add a bag of mixed vegetables to the boiling water three or four minutes before the pasta was ready and brown some hamburger. Mix it all together and you've got the most "incredible hamburger helper" ever. I've never tried it, but I imagine various nuts and fruit could be delicious depending on the cheeses you use and your level of culinary adventurousness.

The point is, once you've got a recipe under your belt, you own it and can change it however you like. Go crazy, people!

Good Food

2010-11-02T21:15:00.006-04:00

Over the course of the past couple years (particularly the past few months), I have become a bit of a food snob. No, I don't eat much in the way of exotic foods. Caviar and foie gras hold little appeal for me. My snobbery takes a different form; I can't abide mediocre food.

Why dump canned, boxed or frozen food into a pot and call it supper when only a little more work would produce an infinitely more delicious meal? Though I once hearkened to the siren song of time-saving convenience foods, the experience of scrumptious, yet uncomplicated dishes has convinced me that a little more effort is worth the abundance of flavor gained.

The dish that finally convinced me was macaroni-and-cheese. One night, I decided that Kraft dinner just wasn't cutting it anymore and purchased the ingredients to make some mac 'n' cheese from scratch. As the pasta cooked, I made the sauce, flavored with three cheeses, nutmeg and mustard. By the time the pasta was done, the sauce was also ready to go. In the same amount of time it would have taken to prepare a boxed mix (in which the pasta is inevitably overcooked and the sauce made from neon orange powder), I had a delectable, creamy, tangy, utterly satisfying meal. To make it even more satisfying, sometimes I add a little ham or some veggies or both! Of course, not all from scratch food takes the same amount of time as the boxed version, but the difference in satisfaction level between the two is light years apart, though. At least, for me.

So, anyway, I just don't get the point of food that's merely good enough. If we have to engage in a particular activity multiple times each day for our survival, isn't it worth our while to make said activity as enjoyable as possible instead of just getting it done?

Stop feeding yourself the slop the TV tells you is delicious. Buy ingredients instead of prepared foods. Make a fresh version of a boxed meal and marvel at the difference. Don't waste your time or calories on good enough. Life is too short for mediocre food. Join me in my food snobbery that demands robust flavor, wonderful texture and complete satisfaction.

Waking Up

2010-10-16T17:48:00.010-04:00

Sometimes I hesitate to write my thoughts where everyone can see them. Words are so important to me - posting them for mass consumption can feel too vulnerable, like giving something away that I can never get back. But, today, I was overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings that flood my mind around this time every year. Fall is a restless time for me, a time when change seems not only good but necessary for survival.

This morning, I was thinking about the feast I'll be making for Sunday dinner and remembered that I needed to get some more apples for the bacon-apple crisp that I'm making for dessert (as if anyone will have room after the roast chicken, spaghetti squash with spicy eggplant and tomato sauce, home-baked bread, and cabbage salad). So, I set the alarm on my cell phone as a reminder and headed out to work. After hammering home some grammar rules with an exceptionally bright student, I headed home. Getting apples from the local orchard required a detour from my usual hypnotic route, however, and I soon found myself cruising down a small highway lined with flaming trees, empty cornfields, and signs for ham suppers (take-away only!).

The surroundings coupled with the perfect autumn afternoon light (that is never harsh because it's always sloping in rather than shining down), reminded me of fall days in my childhood when we would head to Burrville Cider Mill to watch them make the yummy brown liquid we were dying to sip. As we drove up the impossibly steep hill the mill sat on (which may only exist in my childhood memory), my brother and I would begin to salivate at the smell. While we were there we would enjoy as many free samples as we could sneak before being herded back to the car loaded down with apples and donuts and at least one gallon of cider.

That memory inevitably triggered another: this one from my junior year at Houghton. I don't remember who came up with the idea, probably Barry, since he was from the area, but a bunch of us took advantage of one perfect fall day by tromping around Letchworth State Park and visiting a local cider mill to get apples and pumpkins. I remember laying in the leaves and singing "How Great Thou Art" at the top of our lungs. I remember enjoying cups of hot apple cider once we got back to campus. I remember loving the people I was with and the sweaters and jackets we were wearing and the colors of the world around us.

My friends in seminary and I went apple-picking each year, too, at Terhune Orchard, where every weekend was apple festival. Every year, there was a new educational display to wander through, some bunnies to pet, incredible caramel apples covered in Reese's Pieces, and a necessarily lame corn maze, ruined by the impatient folk who walked through the stalks rather than finding their way out. I think I went three times my senior year.

Most of my best memories are from these months of chill and crunch and slanted sunshine. For many people, this time of year signals an ending. The awakening of springtime is long past, when skin is first experimentally bared after the long months of freezing. The heat and playfulness of summer have been extinguished. Winter lies just beyond the piles of dried leaves.

But, for me, fall is the time I wake up and want to move. I love winter. Maybe that's why I don't mind the first signs that she's on her way. Spring is lovely, but its usefulness to me is in that it starts the process that will provide abundant harvests as the summer dwindles. And summer, oh summer, how I loathe her heat and humidity. While most people dance for joy in the sunshine, I hide my delicate skin and sensitive eyes from the sun's burning rays, just waiting for the time I can once again don my well-worn hoodie and enjoy some time outdoors.

It's as if each leaf that falls is another message begging me to get out, to drive, to visit, to look, to walk and to listen. I revel in the perfectly crisp and juicy apples waiting to be plucked and eaten, the orange pumpkins and warty gourds and multi-colored mums that fill carts to overflowing at the local orchard, and the hay rides and corn mazes and hot cider by a fire while it's still just warm enough to be outside at night. Some produce comes in as early as May and June, but autumn is the real harvest season, when a sense of urgency pervades waking life, insisting that we put away all we can before it's time to hibernate. Fall is a time when we all get to nest like expectant mothers, anticipating the slower months of winter by stocking our pantries and getting out while it's still convenient and doesn't involve all the extra preparation of traveling with the threat of nasty weather.

Say what you like about this being the season of death and decay. Everywhere I look, I see life, life and more life.

Etsy Schmetsy: Wrapped up in Books

2009-09-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

So, I never blog anymore. Whatever...I'm too busy making books and taking care of kids. But, just to share, one of my books was featured on this blog. Woot!

Etsy Schmetsy: Wrapped up in Books

Shared via AddThis

Great Point Lighthouse

2009-08-09T15:38:00.001-04:00

Great Point Lighthouse, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

So Them

2009-05-14T09:11:00.003-04:00

So Them, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Two of my favorite people in the world asked me to take photos of them, so we had a quick shoot last night. This is one of my favorite photos from our time because it paints a brilliant picture of their relationship and personalities.

Also, it had been almost nine months since I took photography seriously and this shoot with Daniel and Megan reminded me of how much I love it.

Chapel Sermon

2009-03-07T16:26:00.004-05:00

Hey, it's been an insanely long time since I've updated, it's true. But, just when you thought I was gone forever, here I am with a new distraction.

I preached in Miller Chapel on my birthday and if you click here, you can download the file to take a listen. It's only about ten minutes long and included my friend, Matt, reading the Scripture text. Unfortunately, the wonderful singing was not miked and is, therefore, not included.

Enjoy!

Things Are Looking Up

2008-09-01T01:24:00.001-04:00

Things Are Looking Up, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I took this photo the weekend before I left Oregon at the wedding of two folks I know from seminary. It was a lovely event. Too bad my social awkwardness and introversion led me to leave before they cut the cake.

How Do I Love Thee, Chevy Malibu?

2008-08-26T07:47:00.002-04:00

Let me count the ways...

I'm so glad to have my car back. While it was gone, I made do and thought I didn't miss it that much. But now that it's in the parking lot ready for my use, there's a huge weight off my shoulders. When I need to go places, I won't need to beg and borrow and I won't need to wait around for someone else's schedule to clear up. It was okay for a couple years, but it's nice to feel more independent. I'm beginning to think that a small part of what made Princeton so unbearable for the past year or so was the inability to escape. Now I have that.

Now I can go home for Christmas without bumming a ride or taking the bus. Now I can visit friends in various places thinking only of the cost of gas. Now I can go to the grocery store or Target or the bank when I have a free afternoon. Now I can offer other people rides.

I forgot how much I liked my car and now it's sort of like getting it for the first time all over again. It runs so quietly and smoothly. It's roomy enough that my head doesn't hit the ceiling and that most of my junk will fit into it when I leave Princeton at the end of this year. It's an ugly color, but goldish cars don't get pulled over as often as some.

If gas didn't cost so dang much right now, I'd be going on joy rides all over town! Yay Malibu!

The 29th Olympiad

2008-08-18T15:06:00.003-04:00

There must be something else going on that's making me a little emotional, but every time I've watched the Olympics in the past few days, I've begun tearing up. Sometimes it's during a particularly spectacular win, sometimes after a crushing mistake, and sometimes when folks are just going about their business of being incredible athletes.

It's amazing how inspiring it all is. I'm in awe of Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson and Michael Phelps. In fact, I'm in awe of anyone who can make it to the Olympics. Sometimes I dream of becoming a champion curler and going to the Olympics but, fortunately, I have better things to do.

Maybe what makes me most emotional is the possibility of unexpected things. Every event has a favorite competitor, but sometimes, the impossible happens and some unknown from Burkina Faso or East Timor sets a world record or bumps a favorite out of contention. These small triumphs of the human spirit give me hope.

I'm not a huge fan of sports, but when the Olympics are on, I'll watch almost anything, including synchronized swimming and stopping just short of ice dancing. I love the stories. I love the interviews. I love the looks on the faces of parents and coaches and competitors.

There's been lots of discussion about the location of the Olympics this summer. I can certainly understand the impulse to denounce China, given its record of human rights violations, etc., but I can't bring myself to boycott these games as some have urged. Watching doesn't indicate my support of China's political structure, but rather my support of the athletes and enjoyment of the competition.

As it is, I'm going to keep watching, keep cheering, and probably keep crying.

To quote one of my favorite movies ever: "PARLE VOUS OLYMPICS!!"

Here I Am

2008-08-14T16:16:00.002-04:00

Back in the "dirty Jerz," as I've heard some of my classmates refer to it. They aren't kidding either. After spending my summer in the Pacific Northwest, with the mountains and the ocean and the mild weather, this place feels dirty and crowded. It doesn't help that it's hot and humid and the thought of walking outside makes me a little nauseous...

Anyway, done complaining. My last few days at FPC Salem were busy, but great. It seemed like everyone suddenly realized I was leaving and that they would have liked to get to know me better, so I got about eight invitations to lunch or dinner. No complaints from me. Eating alone was getting old, anyway. Given a couple more weeks, I would have been attached to the point of tears. As it was, I didn't cry, but I sure wanted to.

Jarrod, the youth pastor, is getting married in September to Megan. Megan and I became fast friends and in the past few weeks especially formed this unit in which we laughed constantly about things a sixth grader might talk about. It was wonderful and fun and I already miss her. It reminded me of the way my friendships with Laura and Rebecca formed when we first started at Houghton. There was nothing to force, we just enjoyed each other's company.

This past Sunday was a little overwhelming as dozens of people stopped me to wish me well and ask what my future plans were. Everyone was kind and gracious and made me feel like my time there had actually meant something to them. If any of you need to do an internship at a church and think you might like Oregon, get in contact with First Presbyterian Church of Salem...stellar group of people.

Leaving wasn't fun, but it wasn't awful either. My flight didn't leave until 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, so I spent several hours waiting at the airport after Audrey, the CE director, dropped me off. Other than a small boy watching Charlotte's Web at top volume in the waiting area, it was a pleasant time.

The flights themselves were not very restful. I understand why the cram airplanes full now, but that doesn't mean I like it. Usually I can fall asleep on any flight, but I don't think I got more than half an hour while I was in the air. I almost missed my connection because fog was delaying arrivals but not departures.

I rode the train into Philadelphia, where Geila picked me up after she was done with her CPE meeting. Then I was finally introduced to the hostel in Wissahickon Valley Park, where Geila has often found retreat. It was lovely to transition back to the east coast there rather than in a lonely, half-unpacked dorm room. After not having slept for nearly fifty hours, I finally nodded off while watching Aladdin. (tee hee)

Now I'm back. My room is bare... Better get started.

Especially for Becca and Rebecca

2008-08-11T12:41:00.002-04:00

Earlier in the summer, I made apple crisp to feed to the youngsters who attended the weekly Wednesday events here at the church. It wasn't the best apple crisp I've ever produced, but with a little ice cream it was still yummy. Many of the children turned up their noses at it. However, there was plenty leftover for the church staff to enjoy a bit.

Anyway, as the church financial whiz and I were enjoying our after lunch snack, I mentioned how spoiled I'd become by the amazing Pampered Chef apple peeler corer slicer gadget, without which I hadn't made apple crisp in several years. Well, it turns out that Virginia owned just such a gadget, but had rarely used it. Unbeknownst to me, she went on a hunt through the storage areas of her house and, finally, uncovered it and brought it to me in a lovely gift bag yesterday. It's still in the box! Some of the pieces are still in their original wrapping.

All I can say is, "WOOT!"

2008-08-08T13:12:00.002-04:00

What do you title a sappy post about how sad you are to leave a place? Whatever the answer is, place it above.

Given that my previous top choice for field ed placements was in central Pennsylvania, coming to Oregon was quite an adventure. In the process of working at the church and traveling about the state, I've fallen in love. If I can find an adequate job in the Pacific Northwest, I plan to move here in the not too distant future. I never really put much stock in the differences between the east and west coasts, but everything they say is true. And, fortunately for me, I fit really well out here.

I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do immediately after I leave seminary, but I'm pretty sure that I'll take at least one or two years off from any further schooling. Geila is trying to convince me to teach English in some foreign land. It's a tempting option. Taking part in a Christian Ministry in the National Parks is another interesting transitional option. Don't worry, though, I'll keep you, my five regular readers, up to date.

Slideshow

2008-08-01T12:36:00.003-04:00

I know I already put up a bunch of pictures from my weekend, but if you're interested in seeing all 76 I posted on flickr, click on the picture of the funny, Dr. Suess-looking flower above and you'll be taken directly to a slideshow. Enjoy!

Crater Lake - The End

2008-07-31T17:31:00.002-04:00

I didn't wake up for sunrise on Saturday. Or, more accurately, I woke early enough for the sunrise, but decided I didn't want to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag. During the night, a strong breeze had blown over the park, making it an especially chilly morning and moving some of the forest fire smoke out of the caldera, which made it easier to capture crisp photos of the water and mountainsides.

Along the Rim Drive, the rock faces hide a slough of small cascades, one of which is marked. It is called Vidae Falls. The pool at the bottom is a mosquito pit, but the falls are still worth stopping for.

On my last drive around the rim before taking off, I stopped at the Rim Village and enjoyed a hearty (and overpriced) breakfast at Crater Lake Lodge. I spent a few more minutes enjoying the rocking chairs on the patio and got this shot showing snow and flowers together, a common sight throughout the park.

My last stop before leaving Crater Lake behind was at Watchman Overlook, where I got a less smoky shot of Llao Rock...

...and this one, of the mountains to which I will someday return. This will not be my last view of Crater Lake.

Crater Lake - Day 2

2008-07-30T15:59:00.002-04:00

My plan all along had been to hike up to the top of Mt. Scott, the highest peak around Crater Lake, and down the Cleetwood Cove Trail, to put my feet in the lake during the same day. After hiking up the Watchman Peak Trail, I realized that the altitude and my incredibly low level of fitness required a change of plans. So, instead of doing both, I only hiked down to the water. There is a warning sign just before one heads down the Cleetwood Cove Trail to let everyone know that you should not hike down if you're not in shape because the hike back up is like climbing to the 75th floor of a building. Despite that, I began the trek down. It was definitely worth the trip. The water was beautifully clear. In fact, it's the clearest lake in the world; you can see up to 143 feet down. All the pine pollen made it a little less attractive, but nothing's perfect.

I wasn't brave enough to immerse my entire body in the 50-ish degree water, but it felt good on my hot, trail-weary feet.

They offer boat tours and I was going to try to take one but, unfortunately, one of the boats was broken, so they cancelled all of the tours. So I didn't get to stop off at Wizard Island. I did get some pretty good pictures of it later on in the day, though.

After spending about an hour by the lake getting sunburned on only one side of my face and huffing and puffing back up the trail in less time than I expected it to take, I headed to the Rim Village, where I had a lovely lunch at the Crater Lake Lodge. If you ever decide to visit this place, just be aware that everything you buy will probably cost about 50% more than you think it's worth. Of course, people on vacation are usually willing to spend a lot more money.

Worn out from my climb and full of yummy fish and chips, I spent a little while sitting outside in a rocking chair. Feeling rather accomplished, I jumped into conversation with a group of folks up from California who'd made a side trip to Crater Lake from Ashland, where there is a famous Shakespeare festival. They were contemplating the trek down to the bottom of the lake, but decided not to do it when I told them it took at least an hour and a half. They were nice folks. It's fun to chat with people on vacation. They are usually so much more friendly and willing to talk to strangers.

Since the point of my weekend in Crater Lake was relaxation, I found a place along the side of the road and took a nap in my car. Then I took a hike through a lovely little meadow full of wildflowers, through which this little butterfly and its friends followed me.

Since I'd missed pictures of the sunset on my first day, I spent the last few hours of my second day, I stationed myself at Watchman Overlook to observe the smoke-enhanced scene, then headed back to camp for another good night's sleep. The big question of the night was whether I would wake up early enough the next day for sunrise...

Crater Lake - Day 1

2008-07-29T17:33:00.003-04:00

I've decided to make this a three part series instead of writing one long post about my trip to Crater Lake, which was incredible, by the way.

I woke at 4:40 a.m. on Thursday, July 24. My intention was to wake at 5:30 and leave by 6, but I was so excited that I was out the door by 5:15. The drive took almost four hours and provided its fair share of beauty as the roads wound up the sides of the Cascade range. Before I'd even gotten a glimpse of the lake, I had already pulled the car over at least four times to marvel at the sight of the mountains.

Here is a picture of my first view of the rim, just minutes before the lake spread itself out before me.

Before doing anything else, I drove immediately to Lost Creek Campground, where I set up my tent and stored my food in the animal proof locker. I couldn't help but ponder what a bear frustrated by the smell of food and the inability to get at it might do, but there was much to do and see, so that thought soon left my mind.

Once I'd established my place, I took a drive around the rim of the lake. Despite the haze created by all the forest fires, every view I had of the lake was simply stunning. I won't bore you with all of my pictures, but this one shows the brilliant blue of the water.

Eating lunch at the Rim Village Cafe, I had my first ever celebrity sighting. Who would have thought I'd see a celebrity at a National Park? Anyway, I got a sly picture of Jin from Lost as he was snapping photos of his family. Daniel, I wanted to call and tell you, but there was no cell phone reception. It's him. Don't doubt me. I almost ran into him when we were both trying to get spoons from the dispenser.

I spent most of the afternoon relaxing at my campsite. Around 4 p.m., I drove out to Watchman Overlook and hiked to the top of Watchman Peak, where I intended to stay until sunset. When I checked the day before I left, the trail was still closed, but the trail crew managed to dig through the 8 foot bank that remained on one side of the peak so that my plan to hike to the top would not be foiled. After about 3 hours and 100 pages in my novel, I was getting too cold and headed back down the trail.

It wasn't until I arrived at the car that I realized I'd either lost my keys or locked them inside. Fortunately for me, a lovely crew of folks from Illinois had a wire hanger and the skill to break into a car. It took a while, but at least I didn't have to get someone to take me to the ranger station. It doesn't seem like AAA would come out to the national parks. Unfortunately for me, my plan to take killer pictures of the sunset were bumped to the next night.

Driving back to the campsite was a harrowing experience. Windy roads, along the sides of cliffs, in the deep dark of night, are not fun driving for a weenie like me. I made it back safely, though, and settled in for a restful sleep before another full day.

To be continued...

It's Been Ten Days...

2008-07-28T14:37:00.002-04:00

I guess that makes it about time for another post.

The most exciting things that have happened in the past ten days were my trip to Crater Lake and my second preaching engagement of the summer.

I'll be posting some pictures of Crater Lake in the next couple days. First, they need to be edited and uploaded to flickr, but that should happen tomorrow morning. My trip down to the lake was amazing. It made me even more sure that I want to move to the West Coast in the very near future, more specifically, the Pacific Northwest. We'll see how that dream develops in the coming year.

For now, I'm going to delay the report on Crater Lake and give you a little sumthin' sumthin' on the preaching. I'm glad I decided to preach a second time, though with all the talk about summer church work moving at a slower pace, I can't even imagine what the year must be like. Everything seems to come so quickly. There's always something else to do. It's like school: never a moment when you're actually done with everything.

Like the last time, I got a lot of positive feedback. At least three separate people told me I have a gift for preaching and most everyone just assumes I'm planning to become a full-time pastor. I'm not bragging. In fact, I would love it if someone would tell me that I'm terrible at preaching, that I don't have any gifts for pastoral ministry, that ordination should not even be a consideration for me. Instead, I'm beginning to get feeling that Presbyterian membership and ordination might be a path I'm supposed to go down.

It's not that I dread the thought of doing full-time church work, it's just something I've never really considered. There are millions of reasons I can think of that I'm not qualified for ministry, but I suppose no one is ever really qualified. Should I take these people seriously who make unsolicited comments about my future path in the church? or should I ignore all of their wisdom, including that of my supervisor, several retired ministers, and many long-time church members?

Backyard Beauties

2008-07-18T13:53:00.001-04:00

Study Prevention Bibles

2008-07-17T13:02:00.003-04:00

I have to be honest, I love bibles. They are the only Christian consumer products that suck me in. Give me study notes and concordances, outlines and charts, mini-articles and extra-wide margins, and color maps (I love those color maps), and I'm a happy girl. I'm not sure why it is, but I love to hold a real bible, especially one with a leather cover and lots of pages.

More often than I would like to admit, I am tempted to buy a new one because of its pretty cover or extensive study notes. At such times, I have to remind myself that one Bible is enough for any person (and I already own at least five or six), that any version I might like to read is available online for free, and that the study notes are usually a disappointment.

Yesterday, as I was wandering around the internet, I stumbled upon the soon-to-be-released NLT Study Bible. Despite my scholarly pretensions, I actually like the New Living Translation and a blogger I read and enjoy, Scot McKnight, was a contributor, so I was interested in what this new Bible might be like. Fortunately for me, the Tyndale House website had a free preview of Genesis. Unfortunately for me, it was a complete disaster.

As I read, I became ever more convinced that this so-called study bible should be relabeled a study prevention bible. It's not just this particular study bible I'm down on; I think that most of them are bunk. The study notes don't present interesting research or thought-provoking questions. Instead, they spoon feed readers whatever theological agenda the editors happen to approve. Naturally, I don't expect study notes to be free of perspective, but it would be nice if they could, at least, inspire further reflection and, dare I hope, study, rather than handing out authoritative sounding interpretations.

Here is a paragraph from the introductory materials of Genesis:

Most scholars, however, do not accept that Moses wrote Genesis. The prevailing critical view, called the Documentary Hypothesis, is that Genesis was compiled from various sources by different groups of people. In such approaches, there is seldom a word about divine revelation or inspiration. For those who understand the Bible as God’s inspired word, such theories often seem unnecessarily complicated and conjectural. Genesis can be understood much more straightforwardly as the product of Moses’ genius under God’s inspiration with later editorial adjustments.

Later in his article, the author goes on to explain myth, giving an over-simplified and disturbingly narrow definition, and again dismisses all scholars that would even consider classifying part or all of Genesis as myth. Brief study notes are going to be over-generalized as a matter of course, but the author doesn't even attempt to treat scholars who have spent years developing alternate theories of authorship with respect. The opinion of "most scholars" is dismissed simply because it's too complicated. Not to mention the fact that people who agree with such theories are summarily lumped together as those who don't believe in divine revelation or inspiration. This paragraph might as well say "Don't listen to scholars; none of them believe the Bible, anyway." The anti-intellectual bent of the article makes me wonder why the authors and editors of this bible are even involved in the task of compiling what they call a study bible.

I don't think one needs a Ph.D. to interpret Scripture, but I do think any person who intends to interpret Scripture should be willing to consider the opinions of scholars who have spent the better part of their lives studying the text and context of the bible. We need to beware of accepting any explanation merely because it is the one that takes the least amount of thought. The Bible doesn't need to be defended against thought. A book labeled a "study bible" should inspire learning and inquiry. I've sat through too many bible studies where study helps were treated as gospel truth. The scholars who write these things should be held to a higher intellectual standard.

It's definitely good for my wallet that the NLT Study Bible was so infuriatingly unbalanced, but maybe not so good for the church.

2008-07-11T14:19:00.000-04:00

It's July 11!

2008-07-11T13:57:00.003-04:00

As I get older, I find that sometimes it's difficult to keep track of the date. Days slip by so quietly that I don't notice an entire week has gone by until I look up at the calendar and promptly fall out of my chair. How is it that an hour can seem like an eternity, but then you check and another week has disappeared, never to be seen again? Existential crisis much? Blah.

Emily was here yesterday. We went to the coast. Not knowing Salem very well, it's difficult for me to think of anything else to do. Our first stop was at some tourist shops. It was chilly and since our trip was rather spontaneous, neither of us had warm clothing, so Emily bought a fleece and I bought a hoodie. Big surprise: new hoodie! The best part is that this one screams "TOURIST!!!" and I plan on wearing it everywhere around Salem, even if the temperature is over 100 degrees. It's a personal mission.

After walking down the beach for a while, we headed to Kyllo's Grill for lunch, where we were seated by a window overlooking the ocean and ate a delightful meal. I had Dungeness crab alfredo. It was delicious! Emily laughed at how much I was enjoying my food, but after the disgusting meal I had at Maxwell's only two weeks prior, Kyllo's was wonderful. For only three more dollars than my meal at Maxwell's, I got food that actually tasted great and didn't make my stomach all wonky.

When we got back to Salem, we went to the mall to see "Get Smart." There were only about twenty people in the entire gigantic theater, so we got prime seats to enjoy the film and our smuggled in candy. The movie wasn't a constant laugh riot, but it was definitely entertaining. If you like the awkward humor of Steve Carrell, I would definitely recommend a matinee. Don't pay $10 for an evening show.

Other than my visit with Emily, the rest of the week was busy with church stuff. I've been planning events for kids and this past Wednesday we all learned more about patience and kindness by baking brownies. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and I was glad when it was over. It's not that I don't enjoy them, but I get more worked up than I should be sometimes. Fortunately, I had some great helpers who cleaned up after us so that I could keep my head in the game instead of worrying about the messy trail we were leaving behind.

I also had a brief encounter with a concerned mother who was worried that I might be teaching her children it's okay to be gay. I was able to assure her that whatever my personal opinions, I wasn't going to be doing any sex education with kids whose parents I barely know and who barely know me. It wasn't a conversation I expected to have this summer, but I'm glad she came to me rather than pulling her kids out of the program and not telling me why. Perhaps I was naive to think that I wouldn't have to deal with sexuality issues this summer considering how much they are being talked about in the Presbyterian Church USA these days.

Now I should get to writing my children's sermon about the different kinds of soil. Did I ever tell you I hate children's sermons? Well, it's true.

The Kingdom Is Like...

2008-07-07T19:52:00.003-04:00

In another few weeks, I'll be preaching for the second time this summer. The first time went over well, so they're giving me another shot. I haven't decided on my passage quite yet, but I think I'll work with the New Testament this time around. So, what does that have to do with the title of my post?

Well, I was reading through the lectionary texts for July 27 and was struck by the Gospel reading, Matthew 13:31-33 and 44-52. These verses contain four parables that describe what the kingdom of heaven is like.

It's like a mustard seed...
and yeast...
and a pearl...
and a net...

I couldn't help but laugh about the variety and the seeming contradictions contained in these descriptions. Obviously, the kingdom of God cannot be described in one way or in comparison to one object, but I can just imagine the disciples looking confused and scratching their heads at Jesus' words.

Despite the humor I see in this passage, I don't think I'm going to preach on Matthew because the Romans text for that week is just too tempting. Maybe I should jump out of the lectionary box, though. There probably wouldn't be that many people who'd notice.

Are there any passages that strike you as funny, laugh-out-loud funny?

To See Your Face

2008-07-03T13:43:00.003-04:00

I just discovered the wonders of Skype. It's so much better than the phone! So much of what I hate about the phone is the inability to see gestures and facial expressions. Even though the webcam is a little grainy, I can still see the other person's face while we're talking.

My first conversation was with my lovely roommate Rebecca and her beautiful baby girl. Jenna didn't talk so much as lay there, but if we had just been on the phone, I wouldn't have seen her at all.

If anyone else has Skype and would like to have a chat, let me know and we'll get it together...unless I don't want to talk to you at all. ;)

2008-07-01T16:17:00.002-04:00

Taken near the first house I stayed in here in Oregon. Lovely colors.
I will soon move into my final resting place in Salem. I'll be house-sitting. I'll be glad to have a place to myself.

A Weekend in Review

2008-06-30T16:18:00.002-04:00

Since my last post was full of whining about my preaching engagement, I'll get that part of the update out of the way immediately. It went well. To be perfectly honest, I was more nervous about the benediction (something I've never done) than about the preaching (which I've done four times). The service felt so short. It felt a lot like a musical performance or a fancy meal: lots of time to prepare and then it's all over in a moment. Most people gave me positive feedback. Apparently, my clear, slow speech makes me an excellent preacher for the hard of hearing. There weren't a lot of comments about the content, but I'm sure I'll get more of that when I meet with my supervisor tomorrow.

My weekend was pretty full even without the preaching assignment. DJ, a friend from college who's now studying in Spokane, came out for a visit and one of his friends from Corvallis got a ride to Salem to join us. They both arrived on Friday evening. Getting everyone together was sort of a comedy of errors involving lots of people unfamiliar with Salem. It only took us about an hour of calling back and forth and driving hither and yon to gather everyone in the same place. I cooked for the first time in months and had a great time doing it.

Since neither DJ nor Keun Ha had been to the Pacific Coast before, we drove west to see the ocean. We went toward Lincoln City and turned north once we reached the coast and headed up Route 101. Our journey took us to various places, but the one stop where we spent the most time was at Cape Lookout, where we hiked the Cape Trail. It was an easy to moderate hike, which zig-zagged across a peninsula for two and a half miles. The weather was nice and cool and the sun was shining. My feet were killing me because the Chacos I recently acquired either weren't adjusted properly or simply are not made for hiking, but it was still a fun time. Having lunch high above the ocean, looking back at the Oregon Coast, enjoying the cool breeze coming off the water was spectacular.

After our hike, DJ wanted to stick his feet in the ocean, so we continued north. Along the way, we stopped at Tillamook Cheese Factory and got some ice cream. Even further north, we stopped at Rockaway Beach, where DJ and I stuck our feet in the water. On our way back to the car, we stopped at the shower to rinse our feet. There was one button that operated the shower and another that operated a lower faucet to clean feet. Without thinking, I pressed the wrong button and gave myself an unexpected shower. A little surprised and disoriented, I tried to press the correct button and gave myself another shower. Third time was the charm. Fortunately, there were plenty of people around to enjoy the show.

Before we returned to Salem for the night, we went to dinner in Lincoln City. We were hoping for some delectable seafood, but ended up getting overpriced, sort of bland seafood instead. If you're ever in Lincoln City, I do not recommend Maxwell's. It's not bad, but it's definitely not good either.

Yesterday, I preached, but I already told you about that, so we won't go there again. After the service was over and I'd met with a few people for some extra feedback, DJ, Keun Ha and I went to Pita Pit, my favorite lunch place in Salem, to eat. There was a festival by the river, so the place was packed, unusual for a Sunday. After finishing lunch, DJ and I went to see Wall-E. The movie was super-cute. It's definitely worth the price of a matinee and the big screen adds to the viewing experience. It would actually make a really terrific date movie.

After the busy weekend, I was glad to get back to the place I've been staying and just veg on the couch. I might do some more of that this evening. Sitting in the back yard reading a book sounds like just the thing to do.

Btw, Daniel, several people here have recently schooled me on the proper nomenclature for the land abutting the Pacific Ocean. They assure me it is "the coast" or "the beach" and never "the shore." I demur to your greater experience of the West Coast. The people talking to me about it before must have been mimicking my own incorrect usage. ;)

I Chose This

2008-06-26T16:26:00.003-04:00

This Sunday will be my first time ever preaching a sermon outside of an academic environment. I've been in Oregon for about a month, have met more children than adults, and yet will be trying to bring a message from God to this congregation I barely know.

All of that is not so daunting, until I remember that I chose the Old Testament passage for the week. What's the problem with that? you ask this woman who claims to love the OT? Well, the problem is that the passage I'll be preaching on is Genesis 22:1-14, known as the sacrifice of Isaac to some and the binding of Isaac to others.

We all know the Sunday school answers for this passage about how God knew beforehand that Isaac would not be killed, that provision was made in advance. Unfortunately, such easy statements just don't cut it for me anymore.

If it were you asked to sacrifice your son how much solace would you find, after three days of torment, in the fact that God provided a ram at the last moment?

If it were you bound, laid on a pile of wood, prepared for sacrifice, would you ever be able to trust your father again?

What do I say to this congregation expecting a word when I don't even know what I think of the words I'm interpreting? Is it possible to challenge, encourage and assure without confusing and killing faith?

Weekend

2008-06-23T14:13:00.004-04:00

It was a rather uneventful weekend, but after a week herding nearly fifty children, it was a welcome lack of events. I had some plans, but I decided that the rest of the summer would have more than enough plans to suit my taste, so maybe it would be a good idea to rest up. Of course, I was also making an effort to conserve gasoline, since it's so expensive and I am a poor grad student who would like to take a major trip down to Crater Lake National Park later.

In other news, over the past few days, I've developed a pain in my shoulder. Hopefully, it's just a muscle thing that will get better in the next few days because I don't want to have to use my entirely-too-expensive insurance policy out-of-network. Does anyone have any experience going out-of-network with the PTS student policy? How'd it work out for you?

Enrobed

2008-06-21T11:23:00.002-04:00

In the few months immediately after graduating from Houghton, I had several "odd" jobs, including sample lady at Sam's Club (where I was the youngest by nearly 40 years) and pretzel sorter at a chocolate factory (I'm not exaggerating folks...). Even working at M&T as a customer service rep seemed like one long odd job because I disliked it so intensely.

This pastor thing is different. It's odd, but not because I haven't got enough gray hair to qualify or because I have a college degree or because it's so terrible customers make me cry at least once a week.

It's odd because there's a level of authority that goes with the job/calling/vocation/whatever that I'm not comfortable owning.

It's odd because people expect me to know things about life and God, things I'm not sure I'll ever be able to speak about with any confidence.

It's odd because most people seem to be under the impression that we (the staff) sit around in our offices all week and then do the real work on Sunday.

It's odd because a premium is placed on everything remaining the same from day-to-day, week-to-week, year-to-year. Of course, this particular oddity isn't the exclusive territory of the religious. Most of us don't want things to change. Routine is easy, comfortable, reassuring... addictive.

This Sunday, I'll be standing in front of the congregation offering the prayers of the people and giving the children's sermon. The novelty of my presence will be interesting to some, but it won't even matter to others. What will matter is that I'm standing in the right place, following the right format, and wearing the right clothes.

No judgment, my life is full of routine and lacking in spontaneity. I'm just wondering what it would take for all of us to break this addiction or if it's even necessary to do so. Is religion the one area of life in which we should be the most conservative, the most routine? Or is it odd that we try to keep it as similar as possible from generation to generation?

Anonymous Calls

2008-06-19T12:04:00.002-04:00

So, someone at a church in Minnesota called me twice this morning before 8:30 a.m. They didn't leave a message or anything, I had to look it up on Switchboard.com. Weird...

PAWs

2008-06-17T20:38:00.003-04:00

The current project at church is a musical in four days.

A musical about Joseph.

In four days.

No, I'm not kidding. We started yesterday and will finish up with a performance on Thursday. We have kids entering kindergarten and a couple going into their senior year of high school. There are some (boys) who were tricked into participating and others who are all-star performers. It's quite a crew, let me tell you.

The show's not going to be perfect, by any means, but I think it will be good. Even the kids who didn't really want to be here at first are finding it difficult to resist the catchy tunes (that all sound almost like another song you know, like Celebrate Good Times or The Flintstones Theme Song) and the peppy dance routines.

There is an incredible lack of boys, so we have girls cast in the roles of Joseph and Jacob and most of the 12 brothers.

We'll see how it comes together, but I'm beginning to think that the process is the most important part. The performance will go by in a flash, but the kids will keep cracking the same jokes and talking about the time they spent participating in this at least for a while. And many of them will come back next year, ready to start all over again.

Friday Fun

2008-06-14T11:57:00.004-04:00

I spent a good part of yesterday in Portland, specifically at Powell's City of Books. Kat, the associate pastor's daughter, who just graduated from high school, came along with me. It was a fun trip, though I wish I'd taken the time to explore Portland a bit more. There are more weekends and there shall be more trips.

The cost of gas is a little depressing, though. Not that I have an intense need to travel all over the countryside, but I'm here and I'd like to do so without completely breaking the bank. My internship pay is generous, so I have no complaints there; I'm just wondering how people who commute an hour each way for a job that doesn't pay all that well are dealing with shelling out $4.20/gallon at the pump. It's unfortunate that such prices seem to be the only real motivation many people have to hope for the development of new fuel sources. A hit in the wallet always seems to work.

Despite the cost of fuel, I've decided to make a trip down to Crater Lake National Park in late July. If I bring all of my own food and camp at the cheapest place, I should be able to do a three day/two night trip for under $200, most of the expense being gas for the four hour trip there and back and driving while there. Hopefully, I'll be able to rack up enough hours at church to take that Thursday off. If anyone is interested in joining me, let me know. Most of you would have to pay for a plane ticket, too, but that's a small price to pay to enjoy a weekend in nature with me. ;)

From the Left Coast

2008-06-11T14:28:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pictures from my long past trip to Cape Meares Lighthouse.
The first is the lighthouse itself (duh...) and the second is of a rock about a mile and a half off the coast called "the old man." What appears to be stubbly hair on top of his head is actually a large flock of common murres.

Enjoy!

What Are You Taking?!!

2008-06-10T14:25:00.003-04:00

Every year since I was in eighth grade, the end of school brought the excitement of signing up for new classes. In college and grad school, that excitement doubled, as we had all new classes at the beginning of each semester. Inevitably, for the last few weeks before final exams, if cafeteria conversation wasn't about papers or exams, it was about which classes everyone would be taking in the coming semester or school year.

Because of some of the recent curriculum changes at PTS, my classmates and I didn't really get a change to have that kind of conversation. After all, what's the point of getting your hopes up about a class only to find out later you have a scheduling conflict? Anyway, we didn't begin registration until today...over a month after finals were finished. So, we didn't get to discuss the merits of various classes and compare schedules.

To stave off the sadness that engenders in my little heart, I am going to tell all of you what classes I'm taking.

First, I'm signed up for Christian Ethics and Modern Times with John Bowlin. In this course, we'll be dealing with exciting and difficult questions like: How shall we love our neighbors, show hospitality to strangers, bear the burdens of sinners and enemies, and speak truth to power in these modern times? Are the ideals of neighbor love and prophetic justice compatible with the norms of liberal democracy, with individual freedoms and equal rights, or not? I've heard great things about Bowlin.

Next, there's Religion and Time with Fenn. This course focuses on the contribution of Judaism and Christianity to the experience of time in Western societies, with special reference to the Sabbath, the fate of the soul, purgatory, millennium, and apocalypse. I can't even imagine what we're going to discuss, but it sounded like the most interesting course to fulfill a requirement.

Third, I'm taking Healing Relationships with Norbert Wetzel. NORBERT!!! This class focuses on family and couples therapy, a field which I'm considering as a career, so an appropriate class. Unfortunately, Dykstra isn't teaching anything first semester, but I do plan to take one of his offerings in the spring.

Finally, I might sneak into Historical Hebrew Grammar with Dr. Seow. I'm the only person enrolled at the moment and I don't know if I'll be able to do it with my three other classes plus field ed plus TAing Hebrew...so, we'll see.

Anyway, all you students out there, whether high school, college or grad school, what are you taking next semester?

Churches Are Funny

2008-06-09T17:15:00.003-04:00

My summer internship seems to have begun in earnest today. The first big event I'm involved in for the summer begins next Monday, so we're gearing up for that. I have a mailing that needs to go out by tomorrow, for which I still need to make another flyer and a permission slip. My learning-serving covenant is due to PTS by Wednesday, so it must be completed by tomorrow's supervisory meeting. Anyway, it all seems to be coming at once. Ten weeks is not a very long time and, as of tomorrow, I will have completed my second week.

I'm a little stressed and definitely hungry, so here's a photo to tide you over until I'm more reflective. Poppies line the roads around here. My wildflower book arrived on Thursday, so now I know they are of the Mexican Gold and California varieties. This photo contains only California poppies that I can see.

Another Day, Another Trip...Cancelled

2008-06-06T11:13:00.002-04:00

So, I was going to take my little self up to Mt. St. Helens today, but looking at the weather forecast has given me a change of heart. It's snowing up there. I do love the snow, but it wouldn't make for great conditions for taking photos. So, I guess I'll try to find something closer to Salem to occupy my day off so that I'm not wasting my days in Oregon. Mt. St. Helens is still on the docket for the summer, but I think it's something I'll do in July, when it's warmer.

This Is the Pacific Ocean

2008-06-04T17:32:00.003-04:00

And those are my toes in it.

You Want to Live Here...

2008-06-03T12:22:00.003-04:00

This picture was taken on May 30, near Oceanside, OR, the place where I first dipped my toes in the Pacific Ocean. You know you want to move here.

First Photo from Oregon

2008-06-02T17:30:00.002-04:00

This isn't a picture of Oregon, but it is a picture I took from the plane on my way here.

Things are going swimmingly. It's always a little bit weird to get used to a new job and a new place, but everyone here has been very welcoming and helpful. For all intents and purposes, today was my first work day at church. The entire morning and part of the afternoon was spent in staff and worship meetings.

I'll be preaching on June 29th. Today I discovered that the lectionary text for that day is the story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. This will be my first sermon in any venue other than preaching class...should be interesting. The congregation isn't huge, but it's definitely a lot bigger than preaching class.

My big project for the summer is planning a weekly activity for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade for each of six weeks between June 25 and July 30. My thoughts so far include a rainbow theme, with a color for each week, somehow tied into the fruits of the spirit, with a few fruits sharing weeks. Feel free to offer any suggestions as this is my first time being in charge of something like this.

Well, I should get this letter written so that it can go out relatively soon. More pictures tomorrow...promise!

I Lied to You and You and You...

2008-05-30T20:47:00.002-04:00

I was going to post some pictures today, but that would mean getting them off my camera, editing, finding some way to transfer them to my host family's computer, and so much more. So, instead, I'm just going to tell you what's going on here in Oregon.

My days off are Friday and Saturday. Woot! So, taking advantage of my supervisor's offer to borrow her daughter's car, I traipsed around northwestern Oregon today.

The first stop on my journey was Tillamook National Forest. I love driving along winding mountain roads, so the drive there was a blast, nerve-wracking at times, but still tons of fun. The forest was absolutely beautiful. I hiked around for nearly two hours, enjoying the sounds of the river and taking pictures of all the wildflowers I could find. (RGR - I bought the little one a gift there. I shall send it Monday!)

My next stop was Tillamook Cheese Factory. Not that exciting, but I got plenty of free samples and a tasty lunch for less than three dollars.

To finish out my journey, I headed down Three Capes Scenic Route, first to Cape Meares, where I climbed into the lighthouse and watched the common murres through one of those quarter-fed binocular stands. My last stop was at Oceanside, where I dipped my toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life.

It was a wonderful day. I'll start posting some of the pictures I took on Monday. I filled an entire memory card, so there are bound to be some good ones.

Oregon is pretty cool...

2008-05-29T12:34:00.001-04:00

I'll write more later
and post some pictures tomorrow.

It's just so green.

I'm Not Going to Apologize

2008-05-24T18:52:00.003-04:00

I'm a delinquent blogger, and I don't care.
Really, what would I be writing, anyway?

I've been packing.
My room's almost totally stored
in cardboard boxes
and plastic totes
in the basement and above my closet.
The walls and shelves are bare
and the floor is a mess.

My flight to Oregon leaves at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
It will be a very early morning, indeed.
A friend is driving me;
she's a saint.

I've been working a bit.
Nothing too fancy,
just some catering and waitering.
Easy money, free food, and human contact...
not bad for a campus job.

The dorm is empty.
Only two of us remain on my floor
and the other one is house-sitting right now,
so only here during the day, sometimes.

A cookout is in the forecast for Monday.
It will be nice to not be alone.
Split infinitive, amen.

In One, Out the Other

2008-04-25T23:31:00.002-04:00

The first time I watched the film Schindler's List,
I was in ninth grade.
It was rated "R."
My mom signed a permission slip.
The librarian made a copy of the tape for me.
Even at 15, I knew my mother wouldn't want to see it.
I was careful to watch before she came home.

The first time I saw the movie,
I was a junior in college.
It was assigned for Sociology of Film.
I was taking a history class on twentieth century Europe.
There was nothing better to do
and it seemed to fir,
so I watched with the girls next door.

There's an old saying,
"In one ear and out the other."
Is it possible for something to go in one eye and out the other?

At fifteen, watching along,
the images flashed before my eyes.
I shed no tears.
I felt no horror.
Presented with the jagged pieces of a bygone era,
I could barely bring myself to shrug.

Six years later,
seated comfortably between two friends,
I saw
and wanted nothing more than to un-see.

I saw the cattle cars full of human cargo.
I saw the stripping:
of their candleholders, toothbrushes, eyeglasses, and spoons
of their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters
of their hats, coats, shirts, pants, socks, and shoes

of their dignity...

of their lives.

I saw the people who stood on the train platforms
and those who operated the gas chambers,
the ones who made "selections"
and those who tossed live babies into pits,
too many of whom attended church,
sang hymns,
and offered prayers in the name of Jesus.

And I saw the broken man, Oskar,
who knew he hadn't done enough...
that he could never do enough.

I saw and wept and wondered
the questions we all have.

Who made the heart capable of such evil?
What more could one mad expect of himself?
Where was God keeping Moses and Elijah?
When would justice flow down like water?
Why was there silence from heaven?

How how how could God let us be
when it's so obvious we don't know how to get it right?

And I wondered
would I have been capable of the same.
Am I capable of the same?
Could I have made the selections that sent people to death of life?
Would there have been Jews hiding in my basement?

Unanswerable questions
that could not be quenched with tears.
At least for that night, my hope died
because I finally saw.

-I wrote this poem for a class on Spiritual Autobiography. We had a public reading tonight that was sparsely attended, but powerful all the same. If you're wondering where Jesus is in all of this, I have to say that the night I really saw this aw(e)ful movie, Rebecca was Jesus to me. There was no comfort in knowing that nothing had stopped the bureaucracy that slaughtered over 6 million people, but Rebecca lay with me and let me cry and didn't try to pretend it was all okay. I think this particular poem ends appropriately, but there's probably another one in my somewhere about what happened to my hope after that night.

Strange Things Are Happenin'

2008-04-08T08:58:00.002-04:00

Past its Peak, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Well, in the past few weeks, lots of interesting and fun things have been happening in my life.

First, I was approached by the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine with a request to use one of the blueberry photos I shot last summer. They don't pay a lot, but the point is that a magazine bought one of my photos!

Next, I got an internship in Oregon. I will be in Salem from the end of May until the middle of August. My housing situation will be better sorted out in the next few weeks, but if I end up with a house all to myself, people will need to visit me.

Then, last Monday, one of my favorite professors here asked me to apply to be a Hebrew TA. We still haven't gotten word yet, but I'm hoping that since a professor asked me to apply, I might have a little extra in.

The very next day, I received a letter in my mailbox notifying me that I'd been chosen to receive the Benjamin Stanton Award, which is given to a Middler who excels in Old Testament studies. It was completely unexpected and wonderful. I sort of bounced all the way to the cafeteria after reading it.

And then, the book sale I was running with a fellow student, brought in just a little over $26,000. Minus expenses, that means we can send nearly $21,000 to fund projects at seminaries overseas.

Most recently, today in fact, I learned that the photo above has been selected as an entry for the Schmap map.

Sorry for tooting my own horn, but I figured some of the people who read this might like to have a newsy post and since I don't feel right posting about the one huge crappy thing going on, I thought I would post the million little things that are going well.

Navigate

2008-03-23T14:00:00.003-04:00

I'm finding it difficult to navigate the path between honestly sharing my feelings and laying on a guilt trip. It's not easy to decide when I've moved from letting someone know how they've hurt me to giving unnecessary details so that they'll be hurt. Any hints?

Paddleboats

2008-03-21T09:45:00.001-04:00

Paddleboats, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I took this photo last Fourth of July weekend at a lake near Iowa City.

Signature #1

2008-03-20T09:48:00.001-04:00

Signature #1, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

My Summer Vacation

2008-03-19T16:04:00.004-04:00

The title of this post may be making some of you question whether you've stepped through a time warp, but let me assure you, it is, in fact, the middle of March. The weather is very rainy and indecisive. School is still in session. And flowers have just barely started to bloom.

But! I have news that pertains to my summer vacation and it is very exciting news. Around 2 p.m. today, it was decided that I will be spending my summer working at First Presbyterian Church of Salem in Oregon! Getting my internships lined up has been weighing on my mind this semester, so it's great to finally know that both of them are set. I'm so excited to spend some time living in the Northwest because it's someplace I've always thought I'd enjoy.

Anyway, it will be great to have some time away from the hurry and pressure of Princeton and to be paid to visit a place I've always wanted to go. Woot! I will be required to work on the weekends, but I'm hoping that I might find a few friends with "alternative" work schedules who might like to make random, midweek trips to the mountains or the coast. Mostly, I'm just glad that I won't have to spend another miserable summer living in Central New Jersey where the concept of humidity was perfected.

Coming to Get You!

2008-03-19T16:03:00.001-04:00

Coming to Get You!, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I love how these flowers appear to be moving toward the camera, ready to leap off the screen and into your face!

Perfect Blue

2008-03-18T09:42:00.001-04:00

perfect blue, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Another from the archives. Maybe I'll write about my life sometime soon, too.

Dianthus Red and White

2008-03-17T10:16:00.001-04:00

Dianthus Red and White, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I don't want my readership of 10 people to get bored with all the photos of my books, so I thought I would pull something from the archives. Here's to Spring, friends.

I've Never Said This Myself...

2008-03-16T14:50:00.004-04:00

...but I can understand why someone might feel it.

Don't worry, friends, I'm not despairing of love.

Signature Covers

2008-03-14T10:37:00.001-04:00

Old-Timey Apron - Signature Covers, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

My new favorite thing to do when making books is to wrap each signature in a piece of decorative paper. With the visible binding, it looks particularly nice. It also helps provide strength for the stitching.

Want to Buy Me Things?

2008-03-13T18:54:00.005-04:00

If any of you ever felt like buying me a belated birthday present or a we're-so-sad-your-heart-is-broken present, this would be perfect. It's from one of my favorite Etsy shops, takae, and it's beautiful! If you click on the picture, it will take you directly to the listing even... pretty please :)

Twins

2008-03-12T23:34:00.001-04:00

Stripes and Dots - Binding 2, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Plum Fields

2008-03-11T17:17:00.002-04:00

Plum Fields - Covers 2, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Yeah, it's a lame title, but I'm not that creative... This is one of the books I made this week. It already sold, but I have five more for sale in my Etsy shop.

Now I Know My ABCs

2008-03-10T23:45:00.001-04:00

Now I Know My ABCs - Binding, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

New Bag

2008-03-07T11:23:00.001-05:00

New Bag, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

If you click on the photo to get to the flickr pages, you can scroll over the picture and see where I got my things!

LittleMary's Stars

2008-03-06T09:02:00.002-05:00

LittleMary's Stars - Stitching, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

This is the other set of books I made for LittleMary. It was a lot of fun to work with her. Anyone else in my life may feel free to patronize me, too.

LittleMary's Rainbows

2008-03-05T09:21:00.001-05:00

LittleMary's Rainbows - Bindings, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

My new patroness, LittleMary, recently purchased seven books from me all! at! once! Pictured here are the four with rainbow pages.

Each book is 5" wide x 7" tall. One cover is black, the other is white and the paper in between makes a lovely rainbow. With 168 pages, these notebooks should serve the average person for a year or two. To ensure that they would be unique, I used a different color thread to bind each one. I happened to have some rainbow ribbon lying around, so I included a ribbon bookmark with each book. I was very pleased with the outcome and definitely plan on making more of these in the very near future.

2008-03-03T10:29:00.001-05:00

Fingernail, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Took this one while I was in DC with Emily back in January. The Awakening has since been moved to Prince George's County...blah.

2008-02-28T13:33:00.001-05:00

Crackle Finish, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Not to be overly dramatic, but this is sort of what my heart feels like at the moment.

Short and Phat - Pages

2008-02-27T09:14:00.001-05:00

Short and Phat - Pages, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Comin' at Ya!

2008-02-26T16:40:00.001-05:00

P1090650a, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Delicious

2008-02-25T21:26:00.001-05:00

Delicious, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

This was lunch on my birthday at The Blue Tortilla in New Hope, PA.

2008-02-19T16:36:00.001-05:00

P1090624a, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

This book sold within a few hours of being posted on Etsy. I love it. I want one for myself. I think I'm going to get the supplies to make some more.

All in a Line

2008-02-14T19:16:00.001-05:00

All in a Line, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

One of my favorite parts of going to Jordan's house is seeing him interact with his brother. It's not that they don't have normal sibling conflict, but you can definitely tell that they respect and enjoy each other. It's a wonderful thing to behold.

Oh, the Insanity!

2008-02-13T23:09:00.004-05:00

I don't know how and I don't know why, but after almost two months of being an Etsy seller, in the past two weeks I've sold nine books, seven on Etsy, one to Jordan's mom, and one to a classmate. I'm beginning to wonder if someone with a good readership blogged about me or if the new search engine on Etsy is really working in my favor. This morning, I listed a new book before I went to class and it was sold by the time I got back. Crazy!

If I could guarantee that such high interest would keep up, I would be tempted to leave this seminary thing behind and become a small business owner. Unfortunately, I would have to raise my prices pretty dramatically in order to make a living from this hobby. For now, I'm happy to make a little bit of money from each sale. It gives me more money to make books and a little ego boost every time I get to tell my friends that I just sold another book.

It is really tempting to just spend my days making books, but I am not going to screw up this semester.

Over the Border Line

2008-02-13T07:43:00.001-05:00

Over the Border Line, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Ice - Real Close

2008-02-11T08:54:00.001-05:00

Ice - Real Close, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Hikes in Pennsylvania always reward me with many photo opportunities.

Multiverse - Signatures

2008-02-10T14:15:00.001-05:00

Multiverse - Signatures, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I really don't take pictures of anything but books anymore...it's true.

Brown is Beautiful Binding

2008-02-09T22:56:00.001-05:00

Brown is Beautiful Binding, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

This one just sold. That's two books in like five days. Also, there is a woman on Etsy who wants a custom scrapbook, who will be giving me the details soon, and Sarah's sister wants one of my journals.

This Is My Book

2008-02-08T13:57:00.001-05:00

My Book - Bound Edge, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

My ramblings have already begun to fill this book. It contains about 480 pages. That should last about a year.

Made By Me

2008-02-08T13:51:00.000-05:00

I didn't taken this picture, but I did make this book. Sarah commissioned me to make it as a wedding gift for her sister. In my opinion, it is the prettiest book I've ever made. The orange opalescent paper coordinates extraordinarily well with the blue polka-dotted paper. It's just beautiful to look at and beautiful to hold. I hope Marci likes it.

Hidden

2008-02-07T20:16:00.001-05:00

Hidden, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Thus begins my quest to post a picture a day. We'll see if I can keep it up for a while.

Two Weeks In

2008-02-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

Another semester is well under way, so it seems like a good time to give my first impressions of each class I'm taking. I'm only taking four classes, plus preaching.

Preaching - This class is going to be a little different from last semester because they switched professors on us. Before I had the professor who preached a sermon every class whether he meant to or not. Now I have the professor who begins weeping on a regular basis.

Theology of Paul Tillich - I am intriqued with this man's thought, but reading it makes me feel incredibly stupid. Much of it is really dense, philosophical stuff. Fortunately, I am taking it pass/fail, so I feel a little more freedom to get creative and be dumb.

Theology, Cosmology, and Creation - Interestingly enough, most of what we've read so far has been from a book called Cosmic Jackpot, which gives a really good layman's overview of physics. I am gaining a greater respect for my friends in college who were ballsy enough to study physics and I kind of wish I hadn't asked them to stop talking about physics at dinner. It will be interesting to see if any of my theology is fundamentally changed based on what I learn in this class. Jordan is in this one with me and listening to him talk I am in awe of his ability to understand and integrate seemingly unrelated concepts.

The Biblical Canon - This might be my "easiest" class. Not that we're not going to deal with some tough concepts and work through some tough questions, but it is a large class with a visiting professor, who is possibly the cutest old man ever. His wife is taking the class with us. Anyway, it's not a lot of reading and there's a whole lot of repetition from other courses I've taken on the Bible.

Spiritual Autobiography - This is going to be my best class. We are reading about 10 different autobiographies and working with them both as literary and theological works. The professor is Yolanda Pierce, who just started her career at PTS last semester and is already in high demand. She's this fabulous, earthy, real African-American woman who is not afraid to get into the real stuff of life. Several of the books we are reading are repeats for me, but I never tire of re-reading and discussing good literature.

I think this is going to be a good semester. There are already a lot of connections coming out between my various classes, especially Paul Tillich and Theology, Cosmology and Creation. Last semester was a little boring at times, so it's nice to have a semester in which I am genuinely interested in every one of my classes.

I Sold a Book...

2008-02-03T22:53:00.001-05:00

to someone other than Jordan's mom.

Woot!

Good bye, Blue Monday.

Check out my Etsy shop. These would make fabulous Valentine's Day gifts!!!

My Most Recent Books...

2008-01-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

Another post in less than two weeks. Imagine that! So, here are some pictures of the books I made most recently. Enjoy!

This flowered one is teeny, but still big enough to write in, only 3 x 4 inches. I used the scraps from the other books I made while at Jordan's house. My favorite detail is the way I placed the holes for stitching. It's a bit difficult to see in this picture, but I made reverse Vs, in opposite directions on each side.

This one is 4 x 6 inches. As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect size to carry everywhere you go to be used as a journal, a sketchbook, a dayplanner of your own design. And, like the flowered book above, it's reversible, you can choose which side is the front and which side is the back.

Here we have one that's a little less traditional. It's 4 x 7 inches, which isn't unmanageable or weird looking, but it is a little thinner than a book would normally be. The thread I used is a vibrant blue. If you look closely, you can see that I pasted an extra dot on the front. That's because I made a mistake. Glue is sometimes not my friend.

You might not think about it much, but square books are a lot of fun. I love the proportions of them. The pattern on the front is beautiful and I used a complementary red metallic paper for the back. It wrinkled a little from the glue but, as far as mistakes go, it was a fortuitous one.

Now we have a smallish one, 4 x 5 1/2 inches, covered in blue, white and purple flowers on one side and blue, brown, purple, and green stripes on the other. I originally picked the paper for myself, but now realize it would probably be more appropriate as a gift for a little girl.

I've used the paper covering the book to the right before. I love how there is just one heart in the middle of all those dots. This one is the same size as the red dotted one above, just a few pages thicker. I love the back cover, too, but I didn't want to include to pictures.

And, finally, there's this lovely 5 x 7 job that is covered on the front with an abstract floral print and on the back in creamy paper with darker flecks throughout. The grass green thread may not seem to coordinate in this picture, but it looks great in real life.

I've listed a few of these over at Etsy and should have the rest up in the next few days. I've been getting a lot of hits, but no purchases on books so far. Maybe when Valentine's Day gets a little closer some folks will be poking around for a great gift and will decide one of my books would be perfect. Here's hoping.

If you would like to see some more shots of these books, you can hop over to my flickr page and check out my set called Bound and Determined.

A New Semester Is Underway

2008-01-28T17:22:00.001-05:00

It's been a long time since I actually wrote a post on here that wasn't short and completely lacking in news, so I thought I'd take the time for a real update.

Last semester was hard, not academically, but emotionally. It's over now and I'm glad of that. My classes weren't so bad, but they weren't spectacular either. Of course, that probably had to do with my inability to concentrate on much of anything, so I won't blame my instructors.

Just a quick rundown:
Preaching - I like preaching, surprisingly enough, probably because I love spending the time in preparation and feeling inspired with something to say.
Hebrews - The class was structured in such a way that we barely used our Greek, which was a tad frustrating considering that's why I took the class in the first place.
Systematic Theology - Dr. McCormack is my new theology hero and Barth's doctrine of election has made the Reformed tradition a bit easier for me to swallow.
Women in OT Narrative - Hebrew is the bomb and we used it a lot in this class, so I was pleased with it from start to finish. Some people complained about having a paper and a final exam, but I liked having the grade spread out a bit more.
American Church History - Dr. Moorhead is a fun little man who knows more stuff than any one person should know. I loved trying to scribble down every important thing he said and thought the tests were completely fair.

My grades haven't come in yet, so maybe I'll feel differently in a few days...

I'm still having some difficulty finding a field education placement, but at least I've gotten the process underway by contacting a few sites. There's a church in the West End of New York City that I'll be visiting this Sunday. Commuting to NYC every Sunday is not my idea of a good time, but being in an urban, ethnically diverse setting would probably be a good stretch for me. We'll see how that goes.

Break last week was fun and relaxing. Emily's generosity allowed me to spend a long weekend in DC and Northern Virginia, an area I haven't visited since I moved to school in 2006. We did a lot of laying around her lovely apartment watching Melrose Place and football and some haunting of familiar places, like Chipotle and Bangkok 54 and the Falls Church. Mostly, it was wonderful to see Emily and Mary Katharine and enjoy time with friends knowing that there was no schoolwork to be done.

The rest of my week was spent at Jordan's house in Pennsburg making books. Over Christmas I used a gift card from his mom to purchase enough supplies to make a bunch. So, while I was there, with no schoolwork, I managed to make nine, of which I will be posting photos in the next few days. My goal is to get them listed on Etsy by Wednesday afternoon. My other goal is to actually sell one. The problem is, now that Christmas is over, Etsy sales are moving rather slowly. Worst case scenario, I have a huge stock for next Christmas season. One of the books I made was a photo album Sarah, Jordan's mom, commissioned as a gift for her younger sister's wedding gift. It's one of the best and prettiest books I've ever made, but I forgot to take pictures. DOH! This semester, I plan to make one book a week for fun and, hopefully, for just a little profit since I can't keep them all and not everyone I know wants a book for his or her birthday.

If there's something I left out and you'd like to know, just leave a comment and maybe I'll answer with a blog post dedicated to you!

Maryland Lighthouses

2008-01-10T08:18:00.001-05:00

Someone at UNC used one of my early digital pictures in a project. If you go here and scroll about three quarters of the way down, to Western Shore Lighthouses...there it is. It's like the one to the left, only bigger.

They listed it as an anonymous Creative Commons photo, even though they were able to link back to the source. I think I'm going to email whoever wrote that.

EDIT: I emailed Russ Rowlett, the creator of the website and a professor of Math at UNC-Chapel Hill, and he kindly credited my photo. Awesome!

Finals

2008-01-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

This place has a way of making me anxious like no other place in my life ever has before. Two days ago, Jordan and I were in Pennsburg, enjoying some down time, doing at a little studying at the same time, then we came back here. We came back here and, immediately, I felt overwhelmed by everything. It was almost as if there was a basket full of stuff that I was able to leave here at school, but as soon as I got back it was sitting here waiting for me.

It's nothing I can't handle, but it's a bunch of stuff that I don't want to handle. Stuff like field ed and finals and papers and all that jazz... The problem is that the stuff I don't want to handle is the stuff that should be done immediately. Whenever this time in the semester comes along, I have to continually remind myself that the work always gets done and I'm not going to fail.

Need an Opinion...

2008-01-05T13:24:00.001-05:00

What do y'all think...

Is this one better...

...or this one?

It's the new year and I just don't have the energy or desire to write a long post about it. Give me a few weeks; then finals will be over and I might feel like writing for fun again.

Sparkle & Glow

2007-12-26T08:29:00.001-05:00

Sparkle & Glow, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Yes, it's a day late, but better late than never. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Merry Merry Merry

2007-12-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

Not only is this a Christmas post, it is my first post in a week, it is my 700th post and it is a post about how awesome I am. I recently completed a tutorial about how to make a book because bookbinding is something I'm getting into these days. Well, on the 23rd of December, the Craft Magazine blog linked to my tutorial as part of their post full of ideas for last-minute gifts for boys. Mine was the first one mentioned!!! And, they posted a picture of the journal I recently made for the boy. Yay for Christmas! Yay for 700 posts! Yay for making books! Yay for being linked on a cool blog! Woot!!

My First Book (for Sale)

2007-12-18T20:57:00.001-05:00

book for sale, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I listed my first book for sale over at Etsy. If you want to check out my shop, which mostly contains photos, click here.

I'll never be able to list a lot at a time, but I'll be putting up a few more books up after Christmas break and there are always photos to be purchased. I'm also willing to work with people on custom orders if you have something you'd really like.

Changing Seasons

2007-12-13T20:36:00.001-05:00

Changing Seasons, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Sorry I'm so good at giving up on things. I'm working on it.

Start to Finish

2007-12-02T19:46:00.001-05:00

Supplies, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

Hey friends! I just made a tutorial for making a simple book. If you're up for a little challenge, please try to follow my instructions and let me know if they are sufficient. If you don't want a challenge, just read through the instructions and let me know if you think certain things are unclear.

To see the tutorial, click here. A slideshow will begin. To read the captions which give the instructions, just click on the picture. If it's too fast, you can slow it down using the buttons in the bottom left corner. For a few days, you can also just click here to go to my flickr page and view the photos in non-slideshow format.

My So-Called Life!!!

2007-12-01T14:01:00.000-05:00

If you go to abc.com and click on the link for full episodes and launch the player, you can actually watch the first episode of My So-Called Life. Blast from the past, no doubt!

Another...and Another

2007-11-29T17:37:00.000-05:00

The bookbinding bug lives! I can't stop myself. I see beautiful paper and I want...NO, I need, to make it into a book. Since last Friday, I've made two more pretty things and thought y'all might like to see a few pictures.

This one I made especially for me. The paper on the front cover called to me from the shelf as I was in Michael's one day. It probably would have made me happy to use it on the back, as well, but some part of me likes to have variety, so I chose a coordinating sheet, which is not visible in this shot, but it provided the green dot visible in the top right corner. Another bit of the J.Crew shoebox was used for the cover board and some green embroidery floss sacrificed itself for the binding. I made the book over 500 pages. Yes, that is a lot, but I like big fat books. Believe me, it's perfect!

This book is my first commissioned job. Jordan's mom wanted to give one of her students a sketchbook/journal for Christmas, so she bought the supplies and I made the book. Basically, she bought a regular sketchbook and I used the thick board on the back and the pages to make a pretty sketchbook. My habit of binding too tightly came into play, so I built in an elastic strip to keep it closed.

These pictures are my favorites, but don't show much detail, so if you want to see more check out my picture set of homemade books.

Laid Bare...Almost

2007-11-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

Written two weeks ago...

Most of you, my faithful readers, will not be surprised when I tell you that this has been a tough semester for me. The infrequent, somewhat cryptic posts could have clued you in. Or, if you know me outside the blogosphere, the constant look of confusion may have done it for you. Anyway, it's the hardness of life that's kept me from posting because some things really are too personal. Today, though, I've felt prompted to share a little bit, at least.

Some of you may read the word "semester" and think that I'm struggling academically. But, other than having difficulty finding the motivation to complete the work, school hasn't been much of a problem. I've been learning some things and enjoying my classmates. Preaching has been especially good, which is a huge surprise to me.

My current struggles have been more internal; emotional and spiritual. For the past fifteen years or so, I've believed myself to be a basically stoic person. I've begun learning, though, that I am not so much a stoic as a stuffer. Ever since I can remember I have distanced myself from my emotions and now, suddenly, all of the emotions that I'd stuffed down inside myself have decided it's time to come out. The best illustration I can think of is how the Titans were released from their bonds to wreak havoc on the earth in Hercules. (Yes, I just referenced the Disney version of a Greek myth.)

Of course, in the midst of unexpected and unprecendented mood swings, I haven't been able to explain it quite so succinctly before. It's taken me several months of thinking about and talking about these things to understand what's going on with me. And, I'm sure there's still a lot more to understand...

This new understanding hit me in a fresh way as I was listening to a classmate's sermon on Matthew 11:16-19, which goes like this:

"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

The constant refrain in Jason's sermon was that the people just didn't get it. But, one thing he said was especially striking to me. I can't quote him directly, but the gist was that weddings and funerals should be two life events to which we are intensely connected emotionally. Yet, the unresponsive children in this passage were able to contemplate both with dispassion. And, then I remembered all the times my friends had shared news with me, news of engagements and illnesses, of exciting opportunities and huge disappointments, to which I responded with a meager "congratulations" or a wan smile, when I should have been crying or rejoicing with them. The joy and pain that I should have shared with my friends was absent because I had learned not to feel.

Sometimes, I wish I could go back to not feeling because pain hurts. (Obvious, huh?) But, at the same time, I now realize that not feeling pain and sorrow also deadened my ability to feel joy and happiness and I know that I don't want to go back to that. I want to cry when I need to cry and jump up and down when it's time to do that. If you've ever been disappointed in my reactions to your news in the past, know that I am feeling them now, intensely. And, while I can't promise that I will have the right reaction when you bring me your joys and sorrows in the future, I can promise that I will try to experience them both with you.

I am Elliott and I feel.

Both Sides Now

2007-11-26T23:59:00.001-05:00

both sides now, originally uploaded by kate e. did.

I made another book. This one has a pretty obvious mistake, but I think it's beautiful nonetheless. Originally, I was going to keep this one, but I suddenly realized that if I never gave any of these away I would eventually have to stop making them.

Another One

2007-11-18T19:21:00.001-05:00

I made another book today. It took me about three hours from start to finish; not too shabby for an amateur. Here are some photos:

It's just a tad bit larger than a quarter sheet of printer paper (4.25"x5.5") and contains 120 leaves or 240 pages. For the covers, I used pieces of cardboard from a J.Crew shoe box that I found in the recycling bin downstairs and paper that I bought from a designer on Etsy.com.

For the binding, I used blue DMC embroidery floss that I waxed with my nifty waxing contraption purchased in from Talas in NYC. My first book's binding was a little floppy, so I overcompensated a little, making this one too tight. But, honestly, I'd rather have to use some outside means to keep it closed than have it all sloppy.

The same paper that I used for the covers, I used for the signature wrappers. Signature wrappers seemed like such a silly idea until I put them to use, now I realize that they just make the book that much prettier! This picture shows why I love coptic binding. Journals that lie flat on their own are awesome.

If I weren't such a perfectionist, I would try to sell this one. But, I don't think I could charge someone for the rough corners and raggedy edges and too-tight binding... Anyway, I really love doing this. I think my next binding project will be upcycling on my favorite children's books, Katie the Kitten.

My First Sale!

2007-11-17T13:38:00.000-05:00

Friends, I have some exciting news. I made my very first sale on Etsy. Someone bought an 8x10 of the photo to the right. Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was such an awesome feeling for someone to actually be willing to spend money on some of my artwork.

Anyway, if you're looking for Christmas presents and think some of your friends and family might like some of my work, please stop by my Etsy shop and place an order. Any special requests are welcome! Almost all of the non-people pictures on my flickr page are fair game!