After reading yesterday's post, alert reader Marci at Overcoming Busy pointed me to The Creative Mama, who had a post about learning and keeping track of the little details reflecting our friends' likes and dislikes.She e-mailed her friends a form (available for download HERE) and asked them to fill it in and send it back in order to have a record on hand. She pointed out … [Read more...]
New Book, Old Book
"It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between." (C.S. Lewis, On the Reading of Old Books)I found that quote in a magazine, but was curious to see it in context. Online, I found that it came from the introduction to a translation of St. Athanasius' "The Incarnation of the Word of God." I … [Read more...]
Book Report
Found a few books at Half Price Books while looking for a copy of my own book, The Contemplative Mom. My search took me to the "Religion" section:The Contemplative MomThey had one copy, so I snatched it up. Since my book is out-of-print, it's fairly scarce. People often ask to buy it from me, so it's good to have a few on hand.Each New Day This is a daily devotional book … [Read more...]
Long-Awaited Logophile Lists
(CC) Gaetan Lee, www.flickr.com/photos/gaetanlee/In Write to Discover Yourself, Ruth Vaughn tells about a character named Julia Redfern in a children's book called A Room Made of Windows. Julia keeps a "Book of Strangenesses" in which she makes lists. Her lists include Beautiful Words (Mediterranean, quiver, undulating, lapis lazuli, Empyrean) and Most Detestable … [Read more...]
MMM Celebration Countdown
Just days from now--you could almost say hours from now--this Saturday, January 31st, marks the end of Mega Memory Month.After a month of hard work, prayer, and diligent repetition of the passage you've selected...I'd say it's a day to celebrate! At our house, nothing says celebration like balloons:Well, to top off a celebration, isn't it nice to have a gift or two?The … [Read more...]
January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #4
This is it: The last Progress Report before the Final Celebration on this coming Saturday, January 31st!Before I get too far, here's Mr. Linky for this week's reports. Type in your name and link to your post so people can visit and see your progress.Progress Report #4 Participants Laura at Laura's Imperfect Blog Amy at Lavender *Sparkles* Jennifer at PeaceLedge Pauline at … [Read more...]
January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #3
I realized this week that I simply must start making smaller buttons. To that end, I have taken a moment to shrink the brain (coral) and offer you an alternative. Here it is:Use whichever size best suits your blog.Now, what kind of memory progress have we made (or not made) this past week? (Post a link in the comments, and I'll copy them in as soon as … [Read more...]
January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #2
Part of the appeal of Mega Memory Month (MMM) to me is that it offers some very public accountability to my attempts at memorizing.By signing up at the main MMM page, we've announced our overall intentions.Now you can also check in each Monday with Progress Reports. I'll post the Progress Report pages on Mondays, but you can link up any time. Put your links in the comments … [Read more...]
Hospitality to Oneself
Kathleen Norris and her new book, Acedia & me, must not have a strong Web presence. I presume this because a rambling post I published after hearing Norris speak at the Festival of Faith & Writing last year seemed to gain a lot of hits for people searching "acedia" or "Kathleen Norris acedia." I can't imagine the post was all that informative. Fortunately for … [Read more...]
January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #1
To provide a little accountability and encouragement throughout Mega Memory Month, I'm providing weekly checkpoints--Progress Reports--where you can drop in, link in, and check in with others who have taken the same memory challenge. Progress Reports will be on Mondays.This is the first one.It's not even been a full week, so I can't imagine we've made a lot of progress. I … [Read more...]
My Own MMM
Back in October 2008, for the first-ever Mega Memory Month, I attempted to memorize the NIV version of John 14.But I didn't quite make it to the end. And what I did memorize was a little shaky.By gum, I'd like to finish what I started. Thus, my January MMM is to ice the cake...stick the landing...and cross the John 14 finish line!That is to say, my goal is to be able to … [Read more...]
January 2009 is Mega Memory Month
It's back! Just in time to support your New Year's Resolutions!Mega Memory Month (MMM): January EditionHere’s how to participate: Pick something you’d like to memorize. Something long. Something formidable. Something mega. (Mega to you may not be mega to me–simply challenge yourself relative to what you’ve tackled in the past.) Could be poetry, a famous speech, or a … [Read more...]
It's Almost Here: The Return of MMM!
In a very short time, we'll ring in 2009.To help launch the New Year and its accompanying resolutions, I'll be hosting:Mega Memory Month: January EditionThis is not the announcement. This is just a teaser--January 1st is MMM Opening Day!If you're new to Mega Memory Month, you can familiarize yourself by visiting the initial post for the first-ever MMM in October 2008.Each … [Read more...]
Coming Soon to a Blog Near You: The Return of MMM
In October, I hosted the first-ever Mega Memory Month, which was warmly received by many who jumped in to participate -- they shared the intent of committing to memory something longer than they ever before undertook.Each person determined what "mega" meant personally. Some, with more nimble minds offering greater capacity, tackled vast swaths of Scripture; while a few of … [Read more...]
Just Fifteen Minutes a Day: Ready…Set…Read!
Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets posted about Lifelong Learning at her blog, citing a 2006 article by Harvey Mackay packed with statistics to make an autodidact sprint to her bookcase and grab anything within reach: Only 14 percent of adults with a grade-school education read literature in 2002. 51 percent of the American population never reads a book more than 400 … [Read more...]
