Quote Wednesday -- Brancusi

"Don't look for obscure formulas or mystery in my work.  It is pure joy that I offer you." -- Constantin Brancusi

I am absolutely loving that I can look back at all the books that I've read since November.  I can see how my reading ebbs and flows.  I can see my wild genre swings.  It's like a personal reading diary, but public.  I love seeing all the comments from people (those I've met in person and those I haven't met, they're all great!).

Taking a look at my reading, I've noticed something: I read some crap!  I haven't picked up anything that could be classified as "High literature."  And that's okay.  Because the books I've read, whatever the genre, bring me joy.  I love reading whether it's children's literature (Hello Percy Jackson! Love you!) or Christian fiction (At the Scent of Water, anyone?) or zombie schlock (A Zombie's History of the United States) or contemporary romance (Under Cover).  I love it all.  There's no deeper meaning to these books.  I don't have to ponder over the intent of the author.  I don't have to read a critical review of the book to understand.  I just read them and love the stories.  I love the characters.  I love the settings.  I love the books for the joy that they bring me.  So up next Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida, just for a light romance.  That's it.  Just for joy!

Quote Wednesday - Chanel

Fashion passes, style remains. -- Coco Chanel

I love shopping.  I love clothes.  I love dressing up.  But what is my style?

I'm 29 years old and sometimes I get really confused when it comes to style. How should I dress?  Where should I shop?  Does this outfit make me look 15 or 40 or my actual age?  I think I've reached the time in my life where clothes become very confusing.  And I don't like it...  Maybe a style journey into my past might help.

As a child of the late 1980s and early 1990s, I wore some truly ugly clothing.  Bicycle shorts, neon shirts, hairsprayed big hair, scrunchies, etc.  If it was fashionable, I wore it.  Except dresses.  I've always hated wearing dresses.  Once I got to high school, my style was all over the place.  I could wear a polo and nice jeans one day and the next show up in goth/punk complete with vinyl pants and concert tee.  College turned me into a tshirt and jeans kind of girl.  I lived in them.  Why dress up if you're going to roll out of bed and stumble to class?  Just not worth it.  Working during college, I had the required Shoe Carnival and Best Buy uniforms of khaki pants and work polo.  And then I had to do student teaching.  What does a 23 year old student teacher wear?  Do I dress like I'm 40 to give the illusion of professionalism?  Do I wear what I want to wear and run the risk of having the same outfit as a student?  I think I did a little of both.  I know I wore some ugly "teacher clothes" some days.  And some days I really did show up in clothes my high schoolers were wearing.  It was a confusing time.

Once I actually obtained a teaching job, I tried create a real, professional wardrobe.  I didn't get just pieces willy nilly.  I treated to coordinate.  I thought I did a pretty good job.  A lot of it was bought from the Goodwill which gave me a lot of clothes for not much money.  Unfortunately, used clothing doesn't last that long and many pieces had to be thrown out within two years.  I thought I dressed fairly well during my teaching.

Now, I am out of a job.  I have been living in tees and jeans.  I try to dress nicely, but many days I fall back on standbys.  I don't have a dress code.  I just wear whatever.  But I don't want to just be a tees and jeans kind of person.  And soon I will need to get a job.  The kind of job determines my wardrobe.  What if I get a job as an executive secretary?  I don't have anything that would work.  What if I get a job in retail?  Stuck in uniform land, gross!  I don't know where to go with my style right now.  I'm in that weird in between age.  Too old to shop at Charlotte Russe, but too young (and broke) to shop at Banana Republic.  I guess I'll continue to buy my clothes from Target (Merona line) and H&M and Old Navy and sometimes Forever 21.  If' I'm dressing too young or too old, please tell me.  Because I can't really figure it out!

Quote Wednesday -- Ruskin

"I find penguins at present the only comfort in life. One feels everything in the world so sympathetically ridiculous, one can't be angry when one looks at a penguin." -- John Ruskin

A bit of silliness for this crazy Wednesday.  Somedays I just need to stop, look at my life, and then find the joy in a penguin.  It's the new form of therapy!

Quote Wednesday -- Dewey

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." -- John Dewey

I have another blog, an education blog, a blog that I haven't been on since February. And I feel really guilty because I love education. I loved teaching. I want to teach in the future. I love taking classes. I love being a student. I love everything about the idea of education. What I don't love is how we interpret education. Why do we (collectively) make it so hard for anyone to love education for education, not for standards or grades or diplomas, but for the love of education, the learning, the knowledge. That's what I love. If I had the money, I would be taking classes at the local college. Not for a diploma or any certification, but because I love learning new things. Maybe I would take an art class or an english class or even a science class if I went crazy. I constantly read books and blogs and magazines to learn more. I have a hungry brain. I want more, more, more. In essence, "education is life itself." I need to to survive. Sure I could sustain my body with just food, water, and rest, but is that living? No, education, learning, striving, discovering... those are life.

Quote Wednesday - Gladstone

Justice delayed is justice denied. -- William Gladstone

I don't usually get political on here, but in reality, I am political.  I love reading about politics.  I am that nerd that pays attention to bills in Congress and the state legislature.  Of course, I did used to teach government, but it is also just one of my interests.  In the future, i would love to go to law school.  Not so much to be a lawyer, but to learn more about the law.  My special interest is Constitutional law.

Which brings me to my thoughts this week.  What the hell is going on with our government?  Have they completely lost their minds?

For full disclosure: I voted for Obama, but don't agree with everything he does.  I tend to lean left on the political spectrum.  I am disgusted by extremists, but especially extreme right wingers like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly.  I listen to NPR.  I read Mother Jones. I love watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I find the (depressing) humor in the ridiculousness of our government and entities like Fox News.

Even with all this, I am wondering if any of lawmakers have bothered to ever read the Constitution.  Bills that are being discussed and past aren't following the letter of the law.  I am definitely not a strict constructionalist (I don't read the Constitution in a strictly literal sense), but I'm also not a flexible reader either.  The Constitution changes withe the times, but the basic structure shouldn't.  So why does our government now think they can do whatever they want without consulting our founding document?

Two big developments come to mind: the issues in Wisconsin and Libya (and by extension, all "non-wars").

While I don't agree with the recent Wisconsin laws denying collective bargaining rights to state employees, such as teachers, I have a bigger issue with how the law was passed.  The Republicans and governor used sneaky underhanded deception to force a vote.  The Democrats are definitely not in the clear as they fled the state to delay the vote.  But the Republicans decided to vote and pass the law without the Dems in the statehouse.  The way they went about passing the law is now under fire from the judge of the county.  They didn't follow the Wisconsin constitution in regard to the procedure.  We have state constitution to protect rights, lay out basic government structures, and annotate procedures to follow.  Wisconsin republicans completely forget that last part.  What's the point of having a constitution if we don't adhere to it?

On to Libya and all the other "non-wars" in our history (every military action since World War II).  Did you know that to declare war the President needs a 2/3 vote of Congress?  Because of this Constitutional imperative, the United States hasn't actually declared war since World War II.  Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq were all "military operations" not wars.  I am not going to get into war vs. pacifism here, but I will say that I tend to err on the side of diplomacy.  The more concerning issue is the loopholes around a declaration of war.  During Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution Act which gives the President power to pursue military action without Congressional approval when the safety and security of the United States is threatened.  It was meant to be a protection in the event of an attack.  If the U.S. is invaded, the President can deploy the military without waiting for Congressional approval.  Yet even under the War Powers Act, the President must get Congressional approval after 30 days to continue military action.  We need to take a hard look at our foreign relations and military action.  Is this authorized?  Are the threats only perceived threats and not realistic?  Do we need to jump to military action?  Is our involvement in Libya truly justified?  I am concerned that people aren't asking this questions.  If that is the way we want to live, why bother with a Constitution and a republic.  Why not just have a dictator?

Related note: Odyssey Dawn, the current operation in Libya, is being classified as a military engagement authorized by a United Nations Security Council Resolution.  Okay, but who's the main funder and supplier of UN operations?  The United States, of course.

Some days I want to be an apathetic citizen.  I want to watch the news and not care.  I want to be ignorant of our government and the Constitution.  But I'm not.  So when I see things on the news, I get angry and depressed.  I see the faults of Congress, state legislatures, and our President.  I want others to see them too.  Hopefully awareness leads to positive change and a strengthening of our country.

Quote Wednesday - Lederer

In what other language could your nose run and your feet smell. -- Richard Lederer

Our daily coffeehouse work session, chat session, caffeine ingestion session, etc. has gotten even crazier.  We are starting to lose our minds.  Some of us are starting a new venture.  Some of us are dealing with spouse issues.  Some of us are dealing with legal issues.  Some of us are dealing with writer's block.  All of us are dealing with kid issues.  And all of us are dealing with sleep deprivation.  As a result of all this stuff, we've sort of lost the ability to speak.  Yesterday morning C was trying to share her thoughts on the new venture's logo, but it came out all timey-wimey.  My reply, "Don't worry, I speak C."

English, and really language in general, is funny.  Taken literally half of the things we say make no sense.  Other things are very specific to the person.  B has B logic and no I guess C has C language.  We all have our own little phrases, constructions, tones.  It makes our language more beautiful, but so much more complex.  I've been noticing the funny little intricacies all week.  Now if only I could write like many of us talk.

Quote Wednesday - Hersey

Journalism allows readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers the opportunity to live it. -- John Hersey

Do you ever get lost in a book?  Do you ever dream about a story?  Do you ever wish you were a character in a book?

I do, all the time.  I love getting into a story and have to invade my dreams.  To me, that's is the highest compliment that I can pay an author.  If your story invades my subconscious, you've made an impact on me.  The same goes for changes in mood.  Sometimes when I read a sad story, I find myself sad for the rest of the day.  When reading At the Scent of Water, I was really depressed.  The ending more than made up for my down mood, but those two days were a bit crazy.

I love nonfiction.  I am constantly reading pop culture books or history books.  However, nothing beats a good fiction story.  Something to take me away to another world.  I love it!

Quote Wednesday - Zinsser

Words are the only tools you will be given. Learn to use them with originality and care. Value them for their strength and diversity. And also remember that somebody out there is listening. -- William Zinsser

Lately I've been thinking about what I want to do, on a day-to-day basis and in the larger sense.  I've been mulling over my options.  A part of me wants to teach again.  A part of me wants to go law school.  A part of me wants to try something completely new.  A part of me wants to get a stupid job just to pay the bills.  And then there's this little part of me that wants to write.  Since jumping into the blogging world, I feel the need to write on a daily basis.  Sometimes it's an interesting story and sometimes just a little blurb about my day.  But the point is that I'm using my voice.

I've been reading a ton lately (notice all those book reviews).  I find that I crave good writing.  There's so much bad writing out there, I try to seek out the good.  When find an author that writes well, I do a little mental happy dance.  The crafting of sentences, paragraphs, chapters, books, whether fiction or non, is the goal.  I think I want to be part of that.  So I'm going to commit myself to writing on a daily basis.  Big or small.  Fiction or nonfiction.  A journal entry or the start of a book.  A blog entry (of course) or a post on someone else's blog.  I feel like I need to use my voice.  So here I go....

Quote Wednesday -- Picasso

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." -- Picasso

There's something very poetic about quote.  it makes me feel all inspired and creative; things I don't think I am.  it is true that looking at a great piece of art, or hearing a beautiful piece of music, or writing a descriptive paragraph uplifts me.  I can escape the "dust' of daily life and enter into a whole different world.  A world where things like doing laundry just don't exist.  A world where I can really stop and appreciate the beauty of everything around me.  A world where worrying has no place.  Where tears are only expectable if they are because the beauty is too much to handle.  I need to visit there every once in a while.  It's like getting a battery charged.  It helps me get through the rest of the crap that I encounter throughout the week.

Quote Wednesday -- Asimov

"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor of our society." -- Asimov

As a history teacher, I've trained myself to see the change in our society.  I love to look back through history and see movements (people, ideas, things).  It makes our everyday lives seem worthwhile somehow.  We are all a part of the constant change happening to us, by us, around us.  It's change that drives the species.  We are the only ones that think about the past, the present, and the future.  We are constantly evaluating our paths.  Sometimes we stay on the current path and sometimes we deviant.  But the point is we move.  We are constantly in motion, changing the who we are are, what we want, what we do.  We are change.

I'd like to think the changes are always positive.  Of course that's not true, but the thought holds so much hope in it.  To always be thinking of a better world, a change for the better.  That's what we strive for...

Quote Wednesday - Peterson

All through the day we inadvertently speak words that enter people's lives and change them in minor or major ways and we never know it. -- Eugene Peterson

I've been thinking a lot lately about words of encouragement.  I've been getting some from various people.  But I've come to realize that what makes the difference is having the person right there with you.  It's one thing for someone to send an email or a card.  Nice written words, but you don't get to hear the emotion.  It's one to hear someone's voice.  The emotion can be heard, the tone of voice important, but you don't get the physical connection.  There's another thing all together to have a person sit by you, offering words of encouragement and maybe a hug.  The undivided attention is what really affects us.  We need to feel that human connection.  In a world of instant communication by email, phone, etc., we often trade the physical for convenience.  I want to hear people and see people and most importantly touch people.  Today, offer someone words of encouragement.  Do it in person and be sincere.  It just might save a life.

Quote Wednesday - Potek

Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things. -- Chaim Potek

There's something about a cup of tea that makes everything okay.  If I'm feeling sick, a cup of peppermint tea lifts my spirits.  If I'm sad, a cup of sleepy time or chamomile hits the spot.  If I'm tired, a great pick-me-up fruit blend gets me up and about.  There's a tea for every occasion...

I guess I am an anglophile because I love tea way more than coffee.  Coffee has its time and place (usually in the mornings throughout the winter), but tea can be enjoyed anytime.

Sometimes I wish I had little girls instead of boys.  That way I could host cute little tea parties (English, Japanese, American, Thai, etc...)  I would make it a monthly event, maybe invite some friends.  They would be theme tea parties with decorations, complimentary food, music, and costumes.  Of course, an Alice in Wonderland themed party would be one of the first.

I just really love tea!  Maybe I should try C's choice: Black tea with cinnamon orange, but alas the coffeehouse is out!  I'll have to find another variety.

Quote Wednesday - Lanier

"Music is love in search of a word." -- Sidney Lanier

Music is what gets me through the day.  It is what consoles my spirit.  It is what expresses my joy.  It is what inspires me.  It is what laughs with me (or even at me).  It is what help me connect with others.

I love music.  I don't know how I would live my life without music (and books, but that's a given).  I was asked a question during a stupid ice breaker in college: if you had to, which sense would you not mind losing eyesight or hearing?  I would lose my eyesight in a second (already losing it, so whatever).  I would die losing my hearing.  I need music.  I need to hear the beautiful melodies, the discordant tones, the lyrics, the rhythm.

Is a life fully lived without music?  I would say no... it's a life wanting, missing an integral part.  Now I must go listen to some music.  The only problem: what to choose?  There's too many choices.  I think I'll just put it on random...

Quote Wednesday - Ruskin

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.  ~John Ruskin

The past few days have been crazy.  They've called it Snowpocalypse 2011, but that's a little extreme.  Yes, it snowed heavily for the past few days.  Last night we had major wind gusts.  And this morning, most of the city is closed down.  In fact, our county was put under a Level 1 Snow Emergency (no travel except for emergency vehicles).  But, it's not the end of the world.  We live in Indiana, and guess what, it snows often.  It's really not as bad as everyone is making it out to be.  Common sense goes a long way.

So, what's all this mean to me?  Pretty snow.  Lazy days inside.  Snuggling under blankets.  I like snowy days.  I like the snow.  I really do like winter.  Well, most of winter anyway.  The below zero temperatures get a bit much, but I like the snow and the need for fires.  The only way it could be better... if J was here.  Alas, I will just have to snuggle with the boys.  I feel a movie night coming on...

Quote Wednesday - Rose

"We're [Facebook] moving away from the 'wisdom of crowds' to the 'wisdom of friends'" -- Dan Rose

Recently Dan Rose, Facebook executive, made this comment in response to the direction of Facebook, marketing, and advertising.  I thought it was an interesting statement.  One I started to think seriously about.  For the past couple of months I have been working as a Marketing Intern for SafeToBe.Me, a Facebook based privacy and security company.  As part of my job, I have been trying to keep up with Facebook and social networking news.  This quote really appealed to me professionally, but also as a social network user.

Marketing side: The age of traditional marketing and advertising is dead.  No longer will companies focus on radio, tv, and magazines to spread the word about their product or service.  Instead we need to focus on the power of the social networks.  Word-of-mouth advertising really is going to be the main medium of propagation.  So why not take advantage of networks such as Facebook?

User side: I hate ads as much as the next person, but I have to admit that I do look at the ones along the side of the page on FB.  Sometimes they are so off the mark it's hilarious (No, I am not in need of baby paraphernalia any time in the near future.  Why do they think I'm pregnant?) and sometimes they are spot on (Yes, I would love to see where Paramore is touring this year).  When it mentions that one of my friends liked this ad or that, I do pay attention.  It also works through friends' posts.  Why did I start listening to Mumford & Sons in the first place?  Because a friend posted a link to their video "Little Lion Man" on FB.  I clicked, listened, loved, and had to run out (actually click over to iTunes) to get the cd.  Now I am seeing Mumford everywhere.  How did they get the word out about the band and the cd?  Through things like FB.  Friends "like" things, I pay attention, and sometimes I "like" too.

The power of social networks... pay attention.  It's the new frontier!

Quote Wednesday -- Allen

"Just don't take any class where you have to read Beowulf." -- Woody Allen

So I've entered 15 reading challenges for the year and may have gotten in over my head.  I am hoping that the challenges will help focus my reading.  I haven't read much contemporary fiction in the past few years.  This year will be quite a change for me.  I have science fiction, young adult, fantasy, historical fiction, zombies, contemporary romance, and others.  It's quite a mix of genres, but a lot of fiction from the last 50 years.

I have read Beowulf three times, and hated it three times.  I am a big fan of the "classics," but this one I completely agree with Woody.  Those that people refer to as the "classics" can be overrated.  You need a little life in your reading.  If not, the joy of reading dies.  I recommend putting a book done if it just doesn't speak to you.  I've done that twice this month already and expect to get at least one more book to add to the DNF list.  But that's okay.  Not all books need to be read... and Beowulf is going on that list.

Quote Wednesday -- Emily

"The mere sense of living is joy enough." -- Emily Dickinson

I've decided to make this my unofficial New Year's Resolution.  I am going to try to remember the joy in living.  I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I am a pessimist by nature.  But for the sake of all those around me, I am going to try hard to be more of an optimist.  Find the joy in living everyday.  Look for something that made me happy, or inspired me, or made me cry (in a good way), or made me laugh.  I want to take all these in and try to remember them on the days I'm feeling down or sick or bored or just plain blah!  Starting today, I am going to try and become a better person and embrace life all around me.

Quote Wednesday - Chesterfield

"Advice is seldom welcome, and those who want it the most always like it the least." -- Lord Chesterfield

Lately, I have been given a lot of advice about my current situation.  I am not going to go into any detail, but there are a lot of things going on that various people in my life want to know the current and my future path.  And I must say, I am sick of the advice.  I know all the people giving it are trying to be helpful.  They all care and hope for the best with me, but it is tiresome.  Over and over telling the same story and the same choices I have to make.  Right now, I am stuck in a holding pattern.  I cannot really do much, but that doesn't stop people from telling me what I should be doing.

So here's my response to everyone... there's a plan, but I have to wait.  When I know anything more, I will make sure you know.  So I would appreciate not having to talk about it until then.  I have a few people that I go to and actually solicit advice from.  You know if you are one of those people.  Otherwise, please let me be.  Thank you.

Quote Wednesday -- Carroll

"And what is the use of a book, thought Alice, without pictures or conversations?" -- Lewis Carroll

Some days I agree with Alice.  I love books with pictures and visuals.  I love graphs and tables.  I love little illustrations here and there.  One of my favorites as of late has been Dawn of the Dreadfuls which had great line drawings of zombies and mid-action shots.  They were a great surprise.  Plus the cover is all kinds of awesome.  I also just checked out Freakanomics, the illustrated edition, from the library.  I loved the book before, but so much more with the inclusion of graphs, charts, and cartoons.  It really added to the experience.  As a bonus, it kept me focused on the page.  I didn't wander away at all, instead really focusing on the text because I was drawn in by the visuals.

So, Alice it's okay.  You can expect pictures and conversations from books.  They make the written word that much more enjoyable.

Quote Wednesday -- Churchill

"If you are going through hell, keep going." -- Winston Churchill

This is at the heart of my last few weeks.  Thank you Mr. Churchill, I needed that.

I am not a very optimistic person.  I tend to be very cynical and pessimistic.  Although my dream would be to turn into the bubbly optimist that sees the good in everything.  I find that every time I try, I get dragged down to the bad.  I see the glass as half empty.  There are no silver linings.  People can be downright mean and nasty most of the time.  We are selfish beings.  I try, really I do, but I'm just not bubbly and perky.  Sure I can be funny and happy, but looking at situations, I see what could go wrong.

But today, I will try to look on the bright side.  I will try to ignore all the "crap" from the last few weeks.  I will focus on being positive and happy.  I will try to embrace and appreciate the good, the beautiful, the wonder.  I will try to encourage and praise others.  I will view all as potential friends.  I promise, I will try.

But if I can't, I'll just remember Mr. Churchill's words.  At some point, I must come out the other side.  Maybe that's what I'll focus on... the other side.  I can almost see it....