Katy’s Weblog
I was not a great fan of Alvin and the Chipmunks, but after the movie, I am now a fan.
The cartoon was not that cute, but the CGIs of Alvin, Simon and Theodore were really cute. We all fell in love with chubby Theodore. I want to take him home and tuck him into bed with me.
Chipmunks probably carry a lot of diseases…but in movies, all animals are adorable.
I put this as one of the sweetest movies I’ve ever seen.
Yesterday, someone engaged me in a discussion about gay marriage.
I searched for the right words to substantiate my views without coming across like a gay basher or intolerant bigot.
Throughout the discussion, I was thinking, “What would Greg Koukl say? How can I be a winsome ambassador for Christ like him?”
I didn’t think I carried the conversation too well when the gentleman first approached me. But later on he sought me out to talk again. I was more “Greg” the second time by asking questions.
This man was not looking for answers. His mind was made up and he was there to accuse Christians as “haters” of homosexuals.
But as Greg often says, we are not here to win arguments. But if we can place a bit of doubt into their position, that is sometimes all we can do.
So my last question to this man was, “Where do you think you will spend eternity?”
I pray that God will work in his life to bring a transformation.
Randy Pausch died yesterday.
In his famous last lecture, he said he had two childhood dreams.
I remarked to my son that I couldn’t think of what my childhood dreams were. Maybe I didn’t any dreams that I passionately pursued.
My son said, “Maybe that’s why you haven’t accomplished anything.”
He didn’t mean it as an insult, and I didn’t take it as such. I agree with him that I have not accomplished anything particularly noteworthy. As I live my “midlife” years, I do look back and wish I was more ambitious.
I grew up with the idea of getting good grades and getting a good job. I was never challenged to accomplish something great, to do something spectacular; I never thought I could change the world.
What did I want to be I grow up? I wanted to be mother and raise good kids.
Perhaps like Randy Pausch, I did accomplish my childhood dreams.
And perhaps I did change the world a little bit.
My mother-in-law makes mochi – yummy!
You too, can make mochi – in 30 minutes or less. Try it.
(you can fast forward if it gets slow…)
A talking animal, a flying human, a house grows out of the ground – these I call miracles. Events that are impossible as defined by our experiences and by what we know of how the world works are definitely miracles.
Are there other types of miracles?
When the probability of something happening is so low that if it happens, wouldn’t they be miracles?
Getting an A on the final if you’ve never attended class or studied all semester, walking away with no injuries after a serious car crash, cured of cancer with no medical treatment – these things hypothetically could happen, but we wouldn’t expect it to happen. And when they do, it’s a miracle.
Do I see these happen? Yes. When business comes my way when I did not solicit it, when unexpected gift money comes in to pay a bill, when I am not totally depressed after a huge personal loss – those are miracles.
What about events that cannot be humanly engineered, and the origin is unknowable, don’t we call those miracles too? The power of the sun, the birth of a baby, the waves upon the sea – we might be able to dissect how they work, but we can never know how they came to be.
Everyday we see miracles of all kinds. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to say you don’t believe in miracles?
Can you believe I am reading Chaucer when I don’t have to?
My daughter and I were at the library looking at the classics section. She remarked, “I heard Chaucer is really good.”
I don’t remember reading The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I didn’t even know he was a poet!
One of the best things about being out of school is being able to read for pleasure, not for a grade.
So I picked up a facing-page translation of The Canterbury Tales and I am really enjoying it.
I admit, I can understand about every 3rd word of the original. Reading a facing-page translation allows me to get the full story, plus get a sense of the original wordings, a better feel of the tone, and appreciate the rhythm and rhyme.
I just finished reading the first story told by the Knight. It’s an ironic love story with a twist at the end. I love how characters of old are so gallant and chivalrous. It reminded me of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I loved that book. It’s hilarious.
I am now reading the second tale in The Canterbury Tales, told by the miller.
If you have not read these old classics, and if you are not a student, now is the time enjoy them.
A commercial said:
Five years from now, anything can happen…you could learn French…
I don’t know what they were advertising, but it made me think…5 years from now…
Five years is not a lot of time, yet, it is enough time to make a difference.
I can learn to speak another language in 5 years..
There are so many possibilities.
What do I want to accomplish in 5 years?
What do you want to accomplish in 5 years?
Roald Dahl is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.
My daughter is a huge fan of Roald Dahl. She has several of his books, not the whole collection.
I actually think some of his themes, especially the short stories for adults, are a little twisted.
If you have not read other Roald Dahl’s books, at least read the short story of The Wonder Story of Henry Sugar.
I don’t know how to explain this story to do it justice.
It illustrates something about the meaning of life, the vanity of riches, the disgust of a selfish wasted life – all that in a simple story of Henry Sugar written so a 2nd grader can read and understand it – truly a great story.
“…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:5
We were at church and I asked, “Can I borrow someone’s car to take my daughter home?”
Without hesitation, 2 people handed me their car keys.
Later, I asked, “Can someone give me a ride home?”
Again, without hesitation, R got up, and drove me home.
That’s how a church body is suppose to function. That’s what the Bible means by “each member belongs to all the others.”
Serving one another is how the church is suppose to work.
OMG, this will make you groan…
Make sure you get down to #9.
It is said that the ability to make and understand PUNS is the highest level of language development.
Here are the top 10 winners in the International Pun Contest:
1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The Stewardess looks at him and says, ‘I’m sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.