Simple Woman's Daybook 17

For Today: July 19, 2011 For more day books

Outside my window... I hate being up before the sun, it makes the world seem Dark Dank and Dreary.  

I am thinking..how people view language, why some words are offensive, why others okay, the purpose of expletives, and why people get offended. 

I am thankful...a husband who takes care of me when I'm sick.

In the kitchen... Well we are just about out of food, so not much it has been slim pickings recently.

I am wearing...Pajamas, and my brown house coat.

I am creating... Knitting: Cinderella socks are almost done, blanket is still on the needles, a bag. Drawing; Icon, and some fantasy sketches, writing: a new novel has been outlined and is ready to be started after midnight tonight. 

I am going...To Work, then I have to do some running around before going to help at Spooky time on main with the ministerial community. 

I am wondering... again about language. Like when people say "god told me..." or when people use "it's okay," or "It's not a big deal." instead of "I forgive you." and why there is a difference. 

I am reading...The Fools Errand By Robin Hobbs, The Silmarillian By Tolkien, The Allpro By Scott Sigler, Shape Shifters by, 

I am hoping... To get thank yous in the mail, today. and you know get the house clean before people come over on Friday. and that I get feeling better. 

I am looking forward to...A week filled with friends and Fun. 

I am hearing... The Daily Audio bible, Cars driving by.

One of my favorite things... Cuddling under blankets 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Today: Spooky time on Main, Tomorrow: Mass of All Saints, Wednesday: Bible study, Thursday: Jones' house for games, Friday: our house for games, Sunday: Harrold's house warming! Gunna be a buissy week. 

Nano Planning up date

Well to day has been a crazy day for Novel Planning. But I have finished my planning for Nanowrimo. well the most important stuff. I don't have my map made up yet which is sad, I'm writing fantasy which means unless I am Terry Pratchett I need a map. but geography will have to wait. I am really impressed with how much I got done today. I put up three new posts on my nano blog, describing the mysterious races that are in my world. well mostly some of it I am not completely sure of still. But that was fun. I made some fun little cards with character information and my plot points written out on them. then preceded to map out the three acts. and there are a grand total of 47 scenes. that is scenes not chapters, but still that seems like a lot.

any way I hope everyone else's planing is going good. I am just happy that now I get to sit back and relax till tuesday comes. I am all set and ready to go. I have never been this prepared for nano before. I hope this plan works. I am excited about the novel the world and the characters. It promises to be a good year. And the best of luck to everyone else who is going for this crazy endear.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Tuesday nights I go to ballet class. my ballet classes meet in a church. Our dressing room is in the Sunday school area, and the focus lesson of their children's Sunday school classes is the fruit of the spirit.

when i was little one VBS (vacation bible school) that i was a part of was based on the fruit of the spirit, and the thing about VBS songs is that they are forever carved inthe deep recesses of my brain.

So after class I look at the funny little cartoonish representations of the fruit of the spirit and start singing..."the fruit of the spirit shows God's love in your. a seed of love is planted and grows and the spirit shines through.... but you gotta have love, joy peace patients kindness for this is the fruit of the spirit it, you gotta have goodness, gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-control for this is the fruit of the spirit."

this song soon gives way to this one... "Love is part of the fruit of God's spirit, Love is proof that God lives in me, Love is one of the ways I am like him, Love is part of God's plan for me. God's love in me grows like a tree, I want everyone to see God's love in me. Joy is part of the fruit of God's spirit, Peace is proof that God lives in me, patients is one of the ways i am like him, Kindness is part of God's plan for me. God's love in me Grows like a tree, I want everyone to see God's love in me. Goodness is part of the fruit  of God's spirit, Gentleness is Proof that God lives in me, Faithfulness is one of the ways I am like him, Self -control is part of God's plan for me. God's love in me Grows like a tree  I want ever one to see God's love in me."

Last night as I was waiting for Lisa (because she is my ride, but she is in the ballet performance for Christmas) I was thinking about these songs. And why I liked them then and why I like them now.  thought about VBS and how much I learned about God during those weeks of never ending fun. I mean I went straight from being a participant to being a leader. (seriously the it has only been sense coming to Kentucky that i have not been involved with a  VBS.)

But any way particularly the second song is saying some interesting things. Now there could have been 9 verses long and done what the writer did for Love for each of the fruit of the Spirit. I particularly like the lines, X is proof that God lives in me, and X is one of the ways I am like him. because I tend to focus on all the ways I fail. all the ways I miss the mark. I remind myself for ever little thing that i do wrong, a miss spoken word, a hateful look, when i am mean, or impatient.

however while my failings are important, and are signs that i have not yet reached Sanctification, it is also important to remember that when I am Faithful I am like God, when I show love I am proving that God lives in me. Sometimes we should focus on the times when we are manifesting the fruit of the spirit rather then the times when we don't.

Canterbury Tales 5: The Man of Laws Tale

The next couple of weeks (at least) will be focused on the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I have listened to it in its entirety once and then when I was thinking about how to talk about them I decided to break it down into the individual tales and give a post of each one.  I am going to limit my self to one post per story because some of them are so full of interesting things that I could post for a month and still have more to explore. 

"Sir Man of Law," quoth he, "so have ye bliss,
Tell us a tale anon, as forword is. the bargain
Ye be submitted through your free assent
To stand in this case at my judgement.
Acquit you now, and holde your behest; keep your promise
Then have ye done your devoir* at the least." 


well after the cook's half baked tale, the Reeve's twisted tale of revenge and rape, and the Miller's tale of adultery it is nice to see the Man of Law come along and give us a tale of honor, fidelity, and constancy.

100 word Summary:The Beautiful daughter of the Emperor of Rome Caught the eye of a pagan king. He could not live without her so he agreed to convert. His mother didn't like this and sent an army to kill the girl and those who traveled with her. The army put the girl adrift in the sea. Somehow she made it to England where she met and fell in love with another king with a mean mother. Once again she found herself drifting in a ship on the sea. But this time she drifted back to Italy. Where her husband found her and they lived happily ever after.

 

You know what is nice about this tale? it is a nice tale about good people. after the Miller's tale, and the Reeve's tale, and the disappointment that was the Cook's tale, it is just nice to hear a story about a damsel in distress who in the end gets to live happily ever after. 

This tale is very much like a fairy tale.  we have a pure heroine, evil 'stepmothers', miraculous salvations, and a good king (or prince). 

So we have a young girl Constance who is the pure virgin girl of faith. She was raised in a good family and was beautiful. so Beautiful that the king of Syria was willing to convert to Christianity for her. This is interesting to me at least because many times we see the female saints were often martyred because they refused to marry a pagan.  So I think it is very telling about this king that he would order his whole house hold to convert to Christianity So he cold have this women.  however she doesn't marry the king of Syria. and the troubles of her life come falling around her. In fact every time her life gets good something bad happens. She floats to England in boat, she makes a friend, the friend and husband convert to Christianity, the friend is murdered and Constance is blamed. she gets married, but her mother in law can't stand her. so forged letters are created and the girl finds herself a drift at sea again, but this time with her infant son. and yet in the end the bad guys get theirs, and Constance and her husband reconnect and live happily ever after. I just love that this one has a happy ending. you know it is kinda like the knights tale...

But this one has a good old fashioned moral to it, just like any good fairy tale. Good may suffer but it will  not be concord. Something interesting about Constance's story when compared to Snow white, or Cinderella. Constance may be long suffering, and she is quiet about her suffering, but her knight in shining armor doesn't just walk on the scene to give her a kiss and break the spell so they can live happily ever after. The king Alla comes home to find that his mother, who hated Constance, had tricked him and all those in his service. this is of course treason, and his mother was put to death. but the interesting this is that Alla felt he had to do penance for the killing of his mother. he had acted justly in putting her to death but for him that did not change the fact that he had commuted matricide. what rule or judge does penance for fulfilling the requirement of the law? and the thing is, if he hadn't gone to Rome to do penance he would have never found his wife. And that has it's own beauty. Particularly because it comes from a man who practices law. what would our courts be like today if lawyers were required to do penance for their actions?

any way join me on Saturday for the Wife of Bath's tale. 

Plot VII: Character vs Nature

Ah now this is a good one. when it's not just that someone or something is out to kill you, but when the world itself rises up to destroy you. that is scary, I mean why else would there be so many disaster movies? Armageddon, Twister, the Day after Tomorrow, Titanic. This is the plot to every disaster story. It is a kinda cool plot from where i stand as a christian, not only have people been corrupted, bent and broken, but sin has even corrupted bent and broken creation. after all Creation groans and suffers the pain of childbirth. in it's waiting for the true king to come back its pains are expressed in the form of national disasters.

Jack London Nailed this plot. if you want to know how cold Alaska is just read his books. with descriptions like "the Yukon, where to lose a glove was to lose a hand." or "the man spat, it crackled into ice before it hit the ground" The very world the character lives in is out to get him or her.

This is what is cool about a fantasy that takes place in a desert or in the north, its not just the monsters, it is the world itself that is out to get the characters. George RR Martin has Winterfell and the reminder that Winter is Coming. an ominous saying where we learn that winter can last for years and there are dangers north of the wall that will come down south when the weather changes. Then there is the Dark sun world where Magic has disrupted the normal world and outside of the 'civilized' world is a desert waist land filled with monsters with no reprieve if the characters wander to far from the city with to few supplies, there is no if we die, there is only when we die.

That is scary, the world is a scary place. sometimes in real life it seems that the world is out to get us.

Okay how about an example of this plot that is not so frightening. Robinson Crusoe. here is a guy who just wants to get to his new property, but there is a wreck and he is the only one who lives. So he gets all whining  on the beach, but see he is a man, and as a man he can think and reason. so he finds a way to have fire, he finds food, he makes a shelter, and so he survives. take that movie put it into a modern time and put Tom hanks in a s the leading actor and what do you have? Castaway. Pretty cool huh?

Thankful Thursday 10-20

today I am thankful:
1. To be a part of a community that prays for each other and loves each other.

2. To have a husband who loves to cook and is pretty dang good at it.

3. For the friends and family members that I can stay connected to through blogger.

4. For my church family in general.

When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever." 

2 Chronicles 7:2-4

Freedom!!!

Today I want to talk about something that took me forever to understand: Freedom. and I still don't fully understand it, but I believe I understand it better now then I ever did in the past.

See when I was younger and even when I was in college, and even when I was at my first Job as a pastor I struggled with the burden of perfection. I knew I wasn't perfect but I wanted to be. I was raised in a good evangelical church, I knew about entire Sanctification. But I didn't get the paradox of Freedom in Christ but also Being Perfect.

It is a paradox.Paul says, "it is by faith and not by works so no man can boast." Yet James Says, "faith without Works is dead" and Jesus said, "If you love me you will follow my commandments." It doesn't make sense, we are free but there are still laws. now growing up I heard all the explanations of how this paradox works itself out, I went to bible school, I have had multiple hours of theology classes. I participated in holy week, and went to camp meetings. Sanctification is a big deal to Wesleyans.

But it all came back to the actual living out of this idea which seemed to preach free but not free. and I was not perfect, In fact I didn't understand some thing that people pointed to as what a perfect person did and believed. In some ways I gave up the idea that could be perfect. Sometimes it felt that everyone else was perfect and had arrived be me.

when I came to Seminary I was so tired from trying to be a good example for the youth, seeing church as a job, and feeling that I could do little right that I decided that while at seminary I was going to not live under the rules and regulations I had given myself. For example I was going to take one week off from church every month. this was a big deal I was not allowed to miss church in college, and never did unless i was sick or the weather was really really really! bad. and even in high school I had rarely missed. but that one week a month helped me to breath, it wasn't something I had to do anymore.

The thing I didn't do was 'forsake' the gathering of believers. I was with other Christians all the time. and I met some Christians who had completely different views on things then me. where I had always thought that every Christians was a republican (for example) I met people who had real issues with that party. I found people who cared about things that were more important and less self centered then the way people dressed and talked. I had always known in my mind that perfection wasn't my job, and that freedom wasn't the ablity to do whatever I wanted. but somehow at Seminary when I desided not to care about the rules society had placed on my I really began to know that perfection wasn't my job, and that I could really be free.

Sure I still make mistakes but that is why i love being at a church that has an older liturgy. every week we say: Almighty God, Creator of all, you marvelously made us in your image; but we have corrupted ourselves and damaged your likeness by rejecting your love and hurting our neighbors. we have done wrong and neglected to do right. we are sincerely sorry and heartily  repent of our sins. cleanse us and forgive us by the sacrifice of your son; remake us and lead us by your spirit, the Comforter. we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And then the priest reminds us all that we (himself included) have been forgiven by saying:

Almighty God have mercy on you forgive you all your sins though our lord Jesus Christ, Strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life Amen

Some times it is just good to say aloud, "I missed the mark again, either by something I did or something I left undone, in thought word or deed. and then to be reminded that God still forgives. it is why I need confession every Sunday, and to go to the Lord's table every week. that is how i am reminded that despite all my failings I am forgiven, I am free in Christ.

Out of the Notebook 3

This month my writing world is a good place to be. actually this month has been good for all my artistic endeavors. but of course this is supposed to be about my writing. Because it is October that means it is NaNoPlaMo, or National Novel Planning Month. See November is Nation Novel Writing Month. A month when People all over the country and world think I have always had this idea for a novel, and they go ahead and try their hand at writing. Now Some of these people just want to try it for the sake of trying it, Some people think that by participating in NaNoWriMo they are actually authors and flood editor's slush pile, and then there are people who are like me who use NaNoWriMo to focus their writing and know that the product they have at the end of the month is Draft Zero, not even worthy of First Draft.

Any way more on that project in a minuet, I have many other projects.

1.Ashes and Snowflakes I finished outlining the second act of this book, but I haven't started typing it out yet. this is because of where I have been on other projects, before October 1st I Started working on Act 3. it is very exciting to have this one so close to being done. It wont be done it time to do what i wanted to do with it but maybe next year.

2. The Rescue: This was my Nano project last year. I have been fleshing out act 1 and ran into some problems. So I had to add a couple more scenes for the purpose of character development. I have one more to write, then I can continue with the rest of the scenes already written editing because of the changes that showed up in the new scenes.

3. The King of Sisilia:  this project is my shrug project. what I mean by that is this project is the one that is just purely for fun. It is not about anything more then practice. the notebook this project is in has its home by my bed and when I crawl into be but am not quite ready for sleep I pull it out and play. I find that telling myself stories helps me to get to sleep, which is important when I have trouble falling asleep. I don't know if last time I did an Out of the the Notebook post I talked about how I had written myself into a corner with this book, maybe I did and talked about how I though maybe if I introduced more characters that might help. well I really didn't like the idea of adding more characters because I want this story to be from one point of view. well I found a new way to fix it without putting in new characters. I simply back tracked a little and started again from that point. But it is now going smoothly.

4. NaNo: Well Nano has begun. well at least for me. Let me explain. I am trying something a little different this year. I found a blog post about Nano and he included two things, that if you wanted to succeed at Nano then you should participate in NanoPlaMo (October is National Novel Planing Month) and NaEdYoShiMo (December is Nation Edit Your S** Month) and I am going to do that because I want to be a writer and Use Nanowrimo to help me become a better writer. this year I have started a Nano Blog called Plan Write Edit, I do want it to be a privet blog but I am more then happy to send out invitations to people so they can read it. I will be talking about my planning and my editing as well as my writing, I will probably post excerpts of the novel there. This year I am being back to life a little story that I wrote years ago that I would like to change into a Novel. It is called the Alchemist's Daughter and a bit of an over view is:


it has been 10 years sense the range war, which ended with a single deceive battle, in which a strange explosion occurred that killed most of both armies, left many others devoid of human life (now called twisted) and others forever marked by strange lightning bolt type scares.

Wren is alone in the Range, the home that she new was destroyed and now she wonders alone with a power she can't control.

Brook is never alone, but as an alchemist she is an out cast and must keep her abilities secret.

but when the twisted continue to hunt Wren down, and a village decides to burn brook at the stake their lives come together and they learn that there is a greater threat to the peace of their country, one that only wren can sop, but only if she learns how to control the power of the Philosopher stone Shards embedded in her body.

Simple Women's Daybook 16

For Today: July 19, 2011 For more day books

Outside my window... No Sun rise yet, we are entering the sad part of the year. 

I am thinking..That this is a new week and it is going to be full of Surprises.

I am thankful...For a relaxing weekend

In the kitchen... A mess because i didn't want to do dishes yesterday, or Saturday.

I am wearing...Blue Eeyore pj pants, a gray tank top, my tan knit house coat, all cuddled under the jewel tone blanket given to us by the wonderful ladies at the church of my childhood.

I am creating... Knitting: Blanket, Cinderella socks, I think I need to cast on some more stuff. Drawing; Icon, and some fantasy sketches, I'll talk about what I am writing tomorrow.

I am going...To Work, then a list of Errands to do.  

I am wondering...Still trying to figure out what book to listen to at work. 

I am reading...The Fools Errand By Robin Hobbs, The Silmarillian By Tolkien, The Starter By Scott Sigler, 

I am hoping... To Get thank-yous done this week, 

I am looking forward to...High Mass on Friday, (feast of St. Luke)

I am hearing... The Daily Audio bible, Night bugs, Cars driving by, it is very busy this morning. 

One of my favorite things... being able to take the time to do things that are not important but edifying. 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Cleaning the house, High mass, Ballet, and maybe some other stuff. 

Canterbury tales 4: The Cook's Tale

The next couple of weeks (at least) will be focused on the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I have listened to it in its entirety once and then when I was thinking about how to talk about them I decided to break it down into the individual tales and give a post of each one.  I am going to limit my self to one post per story because some of them are so full of interesting things that I could post for a month and still have more to explore. 

 THE Cook of London, while the Reeve thus spake,
For joy he laugh'd and clapp'd him on the back:
"Aha!" quoth he, "for Christes passion,
This Miller had a sharp conclusion,


The Cook liked the miller's tale, that should tell you enough about his character. if you still doubt that he was a churlish sort then take heed that the host of this glad company said that his cooking was not always good or 'fresh' and that more then once the cook may have given his patron's food poisoning.

100 Word Summary: There was an apprentice who like to play dice, and woo women. when ever he could get out of the shop he did. One day his master cast him out and this apprentice when to live with companion who had a prostitute for a wife....

Well it seems that the cook's tale was unfinished. It feels like a joke where some one forgot the punch line. I have nothing else to say about this. Join me next week for the Man of Laws Tale.

Nano up date

Hey all, I just wanted to have a way to let people know, I have started a privet blog for Nano, I will still be posting here but I am going to only post word count updates here. on my Nano Blog depending on how this experience works out will have different information on my planning for Nano, and about my editing of the nano novel. I am hoping that this blog will give me extra incentive to get the novel done rather then giving up half way through. If you would like to follow you will need to leave me a comment here, on Google plus, or on Facebook. If you have Google plus I will be adding a circle specifically for people following my Nano Blog.

Any way that is all for this announcement. hope everyone's nano planing is going well for those who are planning on entering the madness that is nano, everyone who is not, well I hope you are looking forward to mocking those of us who are silly enough to do it.

Plot VI: Character vs Self

This plot is somewhat fascinating when done well. When done, not well it is well for lack of a better word, meh.   the conflict in this story is caused by inner rather then outer forces. Basically something goes wrong and the character has to fight against something within him or herself to resolve the conflict. it is Sicological and delves into the heart and soul of what the Angst is.

Now Angst is a bit of a dirty word because it brings up ideas of teenage angst. And there is a place for stories about teenage angst have there place but of course these are generally the examples of how inner conflict is done poorly and more often then not done horribly.

The Night Gallery and the Twilight Zone use this plot a lot. generally whoever the protagonists is placed into a place where they find out that they might or might not be crazy.

But a great example is a western called High Noon which is based on a short story called the Tin Star. this story is about a sheriff who is retiring. Now he has cleaned up the town that he has been sheriff, they can have a church, women and children don't have to be afraid to walk down the streets. He is marrying a Quaker and on their wedding day a telegraph comes in to say that Frank Miller is out of jail. Frank Miller is the quintessential western villain. But the Sheriff's Wife is a Quaker who will have nothing to do with violence.  So when Will (the Sheriff) makes the decision that he is going to do his duty and protect the town that he has protected for years. She tells him she is going to leave. the rest of the movie or book is Will trying to get together a group of people to help him and no one will, and Her being resolved to leave if he decides to turn to violence. something that is cool in the movie is that in the back ground is a song that says "do not forsake me oh my Darlene..." any way he faces the Bandits all by himself because everyone in the town has forsaken him and he is out of bullets Frank Miller is about to kill him and suddenly there is a gun shot and there is the wife. it wasn't just high noon for Will, but also for her.

Just one final thought: Grey cooper is amazing in this movie you should all see it.

Pre-Nano 2011-1

Today we have 18 days left before Nanowrimo starts. It is crazy that it is so close, I was still thinking that October had just started, and then I saw a post on facebook from my cousin and realized that holy chap i was going to do massive amounts of pre-work and well opps I haven't hardly started. So that has to get fixed this week.

I have just gone on to the site and it looks like a lot of things are changing at the website, so if you were one of my writing buddies from the past or would like to be my writing buddy this year I am Gloria.Cole. what can I say the first time I logged in I was tired of trying to come up with funny cool online names.

I am very excited about this year. this will be the first year when I am not at school. So no nasty little papers getting in the way of my real writing, no wedding planing to gum up the works. (seriously what was i thinking last year?) No slow internet, and a very limited social calender.

This year I am once again reanimating an idea that I had in the past and did some work on. it is curently called The Alchemist's Daughter. I have two protagonists Wren and Brook. It takes place in a western style fantasy world about 10 years after a massive civil war between the Civilized East, and the Wild Range. Brook despite her young age was a general (of sorts) in the Range army, because she is an Alchemist. It also includes Strange Zombee like creatures, a Ciborg/golem, the power and devistation of a Nucular bomb, and a Philosopher's Stone.

Hope that sounds interesting, and I hope to see you all on those brief moments that I come behind the massive piles of coffee cups, and glaring computer screen.

Are you going to join the fun? if so what are you ideas so far for your novel?

Suriname

I haven't actually found a connection from this trip to how I ended up in an 'ancient faith' community, but this experience did shape the rest of my life. the people I met, the things I experienced forever changed me.

I learned that I was not cut out to be a missionary. It just didn't fit. Don't get me wrong I loved this experience, I loved the people, I did not freak out with culture shock. I just didn't fit, I didn't belong there.


Part of this I didn't realize as much when I was there as when I got back. But really by the time I left i knew I would probably never be a full time missionary. Specifics are hard to say because really this is more a feeling then anything else but there are some specifics.

First, I don't think that any of the people thought there was anything wrong with me but my personality and the way I saw the world did not jive well. This actually did not become obvious to me till I got back and I got an email for one of my friend which told me that I needed to grow up if Iexpected to be taken seriously. it was an email that stuck me as strange, part of what I value is to always try to see the world new, to keep an innocents about myself, and not forget the wonder of the world. Like when I say that I can't find something in my purse because there are brownies living in it, or when I see mushrooms suddenly pop up that the fairies must have visited last night. Some how this was viewed as immature, and that hurt. and so I realized that maybe it was best for me to find a ministry in the states.

Second I like living in the states. I love the seasons, and that if find places to fit, where I am able to be myself.

Third this was one of the times that I knew that I wanted to be a writer more then anything else. I came up with some really neat ideas for stories, some of them are still in the idea stage but one day they may see the light of the world. this was something else that was hard for the people I worked with to understand. that I loved to write stories of things that weren't real. I should mention that this is a country that doesn't really read anyway so that probably had something to do with it.

So this experience I why reolized I was not cut out to be a missionary. that was too high and lofty a position for me it seems. It was surprising how not sad I was at this I had wanted to be a missionary for many years.

From the art desk 3

Frustration and Hard work continue at my art desk! It is kind of sad, I decided to create these series of post to help me have some kind of accountability to get more drawing done, well and knitting and writing, but drawing is the one that I put off the most. Some of it is because I am busy, some of it is because i am tired and some of it is just because I am just plain lazy.

any way this month of drawing was concentrated on one small section of the Icon. It is the space above the head of Christ where a group of 10 Angels fly. The book Francis and the San Damiano Cross  Says about this section:

"in the heaven'ts above Christ's head on the San Damiano cross is an assembly of ten gesturing angels who seem to be monitoring, observing, and perhaps attending the happenings on earth below. they seem vigilant, poised, content and encouraging." (Sing 51, 2006)

The Section is difficult. I actually had to separate the figures and work on them in smaller groups before putting them together. And yet I still haven't gotten it all together on the sketch of the whole cross. 

However I was able to get a new sketch going. I got into my fantasy drawing going again. I really hope i am able to work on this more but for now this sketch will have to do. eventually she will be a water and acid soul Genasi swordmage. I'm very happy with how this sketch looks I have great hopes for it and for the others that will hopefully follow.

Simple women's Daybook 15

For Today: July 19, 2011 For more day books

Outside my window... Darkness... the one thing I hate about this time of year, how short the days get.

I am thinking...I wantta go back to bed!

I am thankful...being married

In the kitchen... interestingly enough Greg cooked all last week,

I am wearing... one of greg's shirts, grey sweats, and my house coat cause it is chilly this morning.

I am creating... well I got some new things cast on, the blanket mom gave me yarn for years ago, a bag, still working on the Cinderella Socks. I'll talk about drawing tomorrow, and as for writing I need to keep working on the rescue (which i have had to add a few scenes to), and Snowflakes and Ashes, and lastly I have been working on the king of Silisa again which is fun and exciting.

I am going..To work, this is one of my short days, then I have to do our bills... blah! stupid beginning of the month!

I am wondering...what this week holds, it is going to to be a laid back week, no ballet, and no plans on Friday yet. 

I am reading...Reading The Fools Errand and the Simmarillion, listening to the Starter and Jane Erye. it is taking a while to get through these, not that I mind the Fools Errand is just fun and the simmarillion is the most beautiful thing i have ever read. Jane Erye is nice but i am reading it to look for how much of a theme the fact that Jane is plain is. 

I am hoping... To finish thank-yous, Yeah these aren't going so well.

I am looking forward to...Having a nice quiet week

I am hearing... The Daily Audio bible.

One of my favorite things... hot chocolate. 

A few plans for the rest of the week:  going to the Jones' on Thursday, bible study on Wednesday, like I  said, a quiet week. 

Canterbury Tales 3: the Reeve's tale

The next couple of weeks (at least) will be focused on the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I have listened to it in its entirety once and then when I was thinking about how to talk about them I decided to break it down into the individual tales and give a post of each one.  I am going to limit my self to one post per story because some of them are so full of interesting things that I could post for a month and still have more to explore. 

WHEN folk had laughed all at this nice case
Of Absolon and Hendy Nicholas,
Diverse folk diversely they said,
But for the more part they laugh'd and play'd; were diverted
And at this tale I saw no man him grieve,
But it were only Osewold the Reeve.
Because he was of carpenteres craft,

The Reeve is an old man, but don't let his age fool you, he can and will play the miller's game with no hesitations.

100 Word Summary: There once was a miller who had a beautiful wife and daughter. This miller was a beguiling sort who stole flour from the grains he milled. Two clerks came and vowed they'd keep the miller from stealing their grain. but the crafty miller stole over half, and the clerks were forced to stay the night. In the room while the miller slept in a drunken stupor the clerks swived both the wife and daughter. then made their get away. Thus A guiler shall himself beguiled be.

First can I say that one of my favorite things about reading Chaucer is the new words I am learning? this week it is Swived which means had sex. Oh words are so much fun! And old words are the best!

Any way the two things that I want to talk about with the reeve's tale are death and revenge. so...lets talk about death, that is a cheery topic right?

Like I already said the Reeve is old. but he describes life and death in a very interesting way, this is in his prologue by the way. he says that his tap has run for a long time. he is describing life as a big beer barrel which a tap is put in and as we live life the beer streams out of the tap. eventually the barrel runs dry and that is when we die. I like this picture, it is very practical and I like beer. the thing is that there is no way to add more beer to the barrel. the barrels are sealed to keep the beer good. if you open the barrel there is a chance that something could get in that will destroy the beer. So from that we only get one life, and only so much of it. but here is the other thing, if life is a beer barrel then the tap is running and it is running so other people can share in the goodness that is beer. (okay I understand if you don't like beer but please stay with me) So our tap of life is meant to be shared. it is never good to drink alone. So you only get so much life and that life is meant to be shared with the people around you. I could develop this more and maybe some day I will but there is something else I want to discuss.


The Story told by the reeve is mostly about revenge. But a very strange sort of revenge. it is a Bawdy story, belonging to a medieval genre called fabliau. which is a story that has adultery in it and many times a motif of a cradle switch to get someone into the wrong bed. The Revenge starts with simply why the story is told. the miller just told a story about how a carpenter was make a complete fool by his wife and his wife's lover. the reeve takes offence at this because he is a carpenter. I find this amusing, the Reeve tells a story about how a miller is made a fool of.

Generally as a culture we like stories of revenge, we like to see the bad guy get whats coming to him. this story, had hugely disproportional revenge. The miller was a bad man, make no mistake. He was a thief and he prided himself in his abilities to steal even from those who were going out of their way to make sure he didn't steal. So the miller ruins the day of the two clerks, not only does he steal their flour and bake it into a cake, but to get them out of his mill he lets their horse lose so they have to spend the day running after the horse through the mud and the muck. Now the miller tells them they can stay in his house and he sets them up a bed in the same room as himself and his children. (his daughter is 20). One clerk says to the other:  there is a law that sayeth thus,

That if a man in one point be aggriev'd,

That in another he shall be relievd.

Our corn is stol'n, soothly it is no nay,

And we have had an evil fit to-day.

And since I shall have none amendement

Against my loss, I will have easement:

Okay so he decides that sense the miller has ruined his day, he has the right to have sex with the miller's daughter. Well then his friend thinks, "well that isn't fair, my day was just as ruined as yours, why don't I get easement?" So he plays a trick on the miller's wife. she falls for the Cradle-switch and crawls into the wrong bed. she does't know that it isn't her husband that up leap and laid on full sore. 

Of course they didn't think about what to do in the morning. Silly cocksure clerks. Well violence is always a good answer right? So they beat the miller to a bloody pulp and run away with their bread. 

So let me end with this question: Is this what the thieving, beguiling miller deserved? sure he was a bad man, but was he really as bad as all that?

I could go on- I really like this tale but I will end it here, next week: the Cook's tale. 

Plot V: Character Vs. God (or in the old Greek the gods)

Personally I don't like this plot very much. because at first glance I think oh come on, what kind of plot is that? but you know what this plot has been around forever and is quite possible the plot that all of us deal with in reality. in some ways this is the plot of our lives.

This plot is the central theme to one of the great theological and philosophical questions: "If there is a God why good people suffer? or babies die horribly, or Concentration camps, or Genocides?" it is this idea that that an all knowing, all powerful and all loving God would not let bad things happen. It is a challenge called the problem of evil. of course for the most part they are challenging Christians with the wrong question. they forget hat God is holy righteous and good, therefore can suffer nothing sinful to exist: so if there is a God why are we not all burning in hell? because there is none righteous, not one. answer would be grace, and that God would love that which has rejected him enough to pay the ransom with his own blood.  But enough theology. we are here today to talk about Plot.


the basics of this plot (at least the 'christian' basic we will talk about the older sense in a minuet) is that we get a chance to actually ask the question why God? for example: Job.

Job, was a righteous and upright man, the most righteous man of his time. And his reward for being the Lord's favored? I am so glad you  asked: he gets ea horrible disease, his kids all die, and all his livestock die.  his wife tells him to curse god and die, his friends tell him to repent of his sins. of course he says "but i haven't sinned!" So finely he asks God, "I want an audience! I want to know why you let this happen." and what does god do? he gives Job an answer. he asks Job his own questions like, "remember when I made the great things of the sea? how much input did you give me on that?" Job has to answer "um I wasn't there." "that is right." says God, "now when I made the air you breath? remind me what was you help in that?" again Job can only say "I didn't help." and this goes on until God basically has shown that he is the creator of the universe and Job has no right to ask him why he does anything.

Now we don't like that answer much but latter in the bible we are told that "my ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts."  but again that is enough theology we are talking about plot.

the older form of this plot is Character vs. the gods. and this is more satisfying because the gods are usually flawed and can over come. The first example that comes to mind is the 5th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Glory is not the smartest god but she is a god. there is a great scene in which the council has come to Sunnydale because Buffy has realized that she is in over her head and she needs to know what the council knows about Glory. after several hi jinks the representative sits down and sighs saying, "She's not a demon, she's a god." the weight of that sentience ends the episode, and the viewer is left with one thought; how the heck is the slayer going to defeat a god?

this is actually a great fantasy plot. (last example I promise) in the pod cast critical Hit (one of my personal favorites) the Characters must find a way to destroy a group of Gods who are encroaching on the world. they are the gods of the void who are mostly crazy. the Gods of the world in list these characters because they (the gods) are unable to defeat the void gods. So the questions are: how are they going to do this? what  are the items that they have to find to make a devise to defeat the void? is Randus going to be able to make this thing? Will Torq and Ket find a way to get the dark council on their side?

All in all despite what I said at the beginning of this not being my favorite plot, it is very viable and very interesting. and Hey who doesn't want to ask why bad things happen to good people or defeat and evil god?

Thankful Thursday 10-6

This Thursday I am thankful that Greg has a 'new' job. really he has just changed from working with the students to the faculty. and he is so much happier, which makes me happier.

I am thankful that today is Thursday we have some very fun plans for tonight, and in a fun way our weekend starts today. not that we don't go to work today and tomorrow, but we have some fun plans with friends tonight and some fun plans with friends tomorrow, and some more fun plans on Saturday with some more friends. Needless to say I have been looking forward to today and the next couple of days all week.

lastly I am thankful that i have had a schedule change at work. work is getting more bearable. my job is still mindless and purposeless but I have found that i have more time to work on the things I want to work on.

Value Judgments

I have been having a lot of thoughts on value lately. what makes someone valuable, how do we show that we value other people, what gives one person value and takes value away from some one else. I think I might have to write an essay or paper on this some how, I'm just not sure how. what direction to take, how to approach it. 

my thoughts came from a couple of pod casts, one about women and their roles in the original Star Trek, another about writing the other, and a third about Gender roles in fantastic and science fiction. what each of them said was provoking, and started my pondering and musing on this topic. 

it started what makes a person valuable, which lead to what makes them a person? how is a person valued differently by their equation and is that right or Good. how do we show value to people that we disagree with, how do we show value on those who are the other? this then led me to the question of How do we as Christians show value for those who are not Christians? then even farther how do we as as Christians  who are living in this time where the kingdom is breaking into our world yet has not yet come show value for those who are not yet part of the kingdom? How should what is popularly called 'Kingdom Living' effect who we value, and how we show that we value that person?

These are the questions I have, and perhaps i will find a way to unpack them and organize them into a coherent thought process. 

On the Needles 3

This month, I have gotten a little more knitting done. and I am happy to report that I have more to talk about this month then last month. I don't know how much more but it is more. couple of things, from here on out i will only be posting pictures of the projects when they are done, and I will also talk some about the pattern when the project is finished.

Finished projects: 

I finished My brother's Christmas present! that means that of the 10 Christmas presents I wanted to make this year I have gotten 3 done! okay I know that doesn't sound like much but considering that last year I had planned to make 5 and only got one done, So I have already done better then my 10% success rate of last year. I am now 30% done!  any way one to what you all really want to see: 

This is the watch hat from the Book Knits Men Want by Bruce Weinstein. it can be found under Rule 10 about knitting for men: when in doubt make him something basic. I love this book and I can't wait to knit more out of it. This book is a fun book about Weinstein's experiences working in a knitting shop and watching his many female friends make mistake after Mistake when they knit for them significant others. he also shares in here a very interesting explanation for the sweater rule (if you knit a sweater for a man who is not yet your husband he will break up with you.)  But any way I really recommend this book for anyone who is knitting for the men in their lives. the patterns are simple and set up for any size and can be made with any gauge, type of yarn, or needles. which is one of the things I love of about it. seriously I find cute patterns all the time but because I can't stand knitting with anything smaller then a size 3 needle I can't do it. 

It is a little strange that i am talking about and posting pictures of Christmas presents on line, but I really don't think that any of my immediate family members actually read my blog so I really don't think it is a big deal. 

Oh I also finished a baby hat on Sunday for a baby shower on Sunday. I don't have a picture of that one because well I finished it about 40 minuets before I needed to be out the door and I needed to get the other half of the gift. 

Current projects

well right now I have two projects on the needles. The first is the dish cloth, (I have about 6 of these to make thanks to all the weddings I am connected with) and my very own pair of Cinderella socks. I haven't been to the yarn shop in a wail so I don't have a lot to talk about, I hope to cast something new on today, Maybe a blanket... you know sense mom bought me yarn to make that and i just need to find the right blinket pattern to start working on it. the last one was kind of a drag. 

Future projects

Lets see there are the 5 more Dish cloths i need to get done, most of them require me to go and get more yarn. there are the 7 more Christmas presents (socks for dad, something for Mom, Nikki and Megan, a stuffed animal for Hannah, a doll for Dottie, and bear for Rocken.) two more baby hats, two more cousins have gotten pregnant. I want to make my self some Cleaves, a blanket (mostly to say that I have done one and to get my stash back down) and a sweater. Oh and I want to try and knit a reusable bag.  I think that is all for the month, we will see what all gets done and what doesn't. 

Well that is all this month so as Miss Kalandar would say, "the next time someone makes fun of you for knitting in public just laugh and remember that after the zombie apocalypse you will have a useful tool and they will just be food."

Simple woman's Daybook 14

For Today: July 19, 2011 For more day books

Outside my window... a Purple Dawn

I am thinking...I wantta go back to bed!

I am thankful...For new Life

In the kitchen... Mess

I am wearing... My Favorite Pink sweats, Purple tank and my house coat.

I am creating... Knitting: Dish cloth, Cinderella socks. I hope to get some other projects cast on. Drawing: the icon I hope to add some other projects here.  writing Ashes and Snowflakes and The Rescue.

I am going...to work, and then to get groceries. my week has changed up a little. no my Monday nights are empty.  

I am wondering...how I will use my afternoon now that I have changed my work schedule around so I only work till 2 today. 

I am reading...Reading The Fools Errand and the Simmarillion , listening to the Starter and Jane Erye. 

I am hoping... To finish thank-yous, we got enough done to have five guys on Saturday, but not quite all of them . this weeks reward: a fresh growler for Greg and a Lambic for me 

I am looking forward to...going to the Jones' on Thursday, having friends over on Friday, and game night at the church on Saturday! it is going to be quite the week!

I am hearing... The Daily Audio bible. and the school buses going through the neighborhood. 

One of my favorite things... Warm blankets.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Ballet, lots of games, Lots of Pizza, and lots of time with friends. 

Canterbury Tales 2: The Miller's Tale

The next couple of weeks (at least) will be focused on the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I have listened to it in its entirety once and then when I was thinking about how to talk about them I decided to break it down into the individual tales and give a post of each one.  I am going to limit my self to one post per story because some of them are so full of interesting things that I could post for a month and still have more to explore. 

The Miller is a churl, ye know well this,

So was the Reeve, with many other mo'

And harlotry they tolde bothe two. ribald tales

Avise you now, and put me out of blame; be warned

And eke men should not make earnest of game. jest, fun

The miller is a very dirty old man. His tale is quite the opposite of The worthy knight. who told a grand story of high chivalry and of a beautiful girl who was chaste, honorable and became a worthy wife. his tale is about a much different sort of wife. (I apologies, just as Chaucer, there will probably be some mild swearing in this)

100 word summary: A carpenter, who was wealthy and old, took a wife who was beautiful and young. Nicholas and Absolon, fell in love with her. She loved Nicholas and they hatched a scheme. Absolon discovered them and said he would not go till he had a kiss. So she let him kiss her, on her ass. He vowed revenge. Latter he asked for another kiss. This time Nicholas put his ass out the window. Absolon was ready and smote him with a hot poker. His screams woke the carpenter, but the plan worked so that the neighborhood thought the carpenter was a silly man.

What first strikes me as amusing about this tale is that it follows the knights tale. the miller is drunk and refuses to let anyone else tell a tale, his must be next. And in his prologue he talks about how husbands should not trespass on God's or their wives privacy. while the knight exhorts a women of beauty, the miller explains why a beautiful women might not make a very good wife. 

The story is really about the foolishness of the carpenter. his first mistake was to take this young girl as his wife when he was so much her elder. because of his decision to wed her he, he chose to play the cuckold husband. For she was bound to catch the eyes of younger men who would have no respect for the old Carpenter. which she did, one played the part of the out right lover singing at the married couples window (who was Alison was not interested in) and the other played the part of the sly lover who schemed his way into the bed. this was Handy, Worthy Nicholas. 

their plan was simple, fool the old carpenter into believing that Noah's Flood was coming a second time and they must find a way to survive it. the funny thing is that he believed it. It is easy to say that this was because he lived in a time when people were superstitious and foolish. of course if a Soothsayer (which Nicholas was) said the flood was coming he would believe him.  it was a silly and believing time. But then I ask you: how many people bought the story earlier this spring that the world was going to end in May? how many People are afraid that the Mayan calenter really products that the world will end next year? how many people thought Y2K was going to be the end of the world? How many people think Nostradamus really saw the future? You see there are still very silly people in the world who are that "sucker born ever minuet." people are generally still afraid of the end of the world. why else would that be a popular plot of movies and books? 

of course because the towns people are told about how the Carpenter was so sure that Noah's flood was going to happen that he bought three big Kneading Tubs and begged them for company, they all thought him very silly and despite the fact that he had been duped and made a cuckold (I love learning new words) the people of the village gave him no sympathy, all the harm done to him was turned into a jape.

the moral of the story? if you are old don't marry a young women there is no way to make sure you don't end up her fool. 

Now to say something about the joke played on Absolon, the poor man. he tried so hard to woo the married women and all he got out of it was kissing Alison's butt and Nicholas farting in his face. It is just plan  funny. and all I can say about this one is that it pretty much should let us know that there were just as many fowl writers in the olden times as there are now.