Six Word Stories

A famous legend says Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story using only six words. He wrote "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Some people call it his best story. Others say it's just a folk tale.

Some of my favorite six words stories follow:

With bloody hands, I say goodbye.

-Frank Miller

It cost too much, staying human.

-Bruce Sterling

Found true love. Married someone else.

-Dave Eggers

Kirby had never eaten toes before.

-Kevin Smith

Easy. Just touch the match to

-Ursula K. Le Guin

Please, this is everything, I swear

-Orson Scott Card

I saw, darling, but do lie.

-Orson Scott Card

Finally, he had no more words

-Gregory Maguire

He read his obituary with confusion

-Steven Meretzky

"Kitty will be fine," he lied.

-Dan Bergstein

"Forgive me!" "What for?" "Never mind."

-John Updike

My nemesis is dead. Now what?

-Michael Cunningham

As she fell, her mind wandered.

-Rebecca Miller

A book, called Not Quite What I Was Planning is an anthology of six word stories and memoirs. They are pretty fun! I haven't written any of my own yet, but I'm working on it :)

A Short, Simple Thought

The following quote really stuck with me when I read it, and I wanted to share it with you. :)

"If monotony tries me, and I cannot stand drudgery: if people fret me and the little things of life set me on edge; if I make much of the trifles of life, then I know nothing of Calvary's love." ~ Amy Carmichael

Fantastic Duos!

This blog is dedicated to just what the title says, awesome pairs, famous collaborations... :D

First off: Itzhak Perlman, violinist, and Daniel Barenboim, pianist, play Brahms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L5nSwAND3Y

Next, one of my favorite movie-musical scenes: Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby in "White Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YhTKiFEMAg
(Note: If you haven't seen the movie, you might want to watch this FIRST for context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYZbgG4D2oA)

Our next wonderful combination is: Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTy-4YRRwdY

(BONUS (!) for those who love the old classics: Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in "High Society"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liSrzc_OdDw)

Now to a literary combination: Frank Peretti (the definitive Christian suspense writer) and Ted Dekker (the other big writer in that genre) combined to write House, which is one of the scariest books I have ever read - even rereading, when I already know what is going to happen, is scary!
It is really good! Don't go see the movie though. They take the Christian redemptive message out of the story and just make it a lame scary movie (or so I've heard. I haven't actually seen it.)
http://www.amazon.com/House-Frank-Peretti/dp/1595541551

Another combination is Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson - although well known in popular culture, not many people read stories beyond "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." I recently bought The Complete Sherlock Holmes and I am absolutely loving it. Here is a link that has the complete text of some of the short stories: http://www.mysterynet.com/holmes/more.shtml

Finally, two famous comic book duos: Calvin and Hobbes

(url if you cannot view the image: http://woodside.blogs.com/cosmologycuriosity/images/2007/06/05/calvin_hobbes_pascals_wager_pascal_.jpg)

And: Betty and Veronica from the Archie comics, which Sophia and I used to read

(http://archie-blogs.archiecomics.com/archie_news/bvd181_0.jpg)

I will leave you with "Anything you can do" a hilarious duet. It is originally from the musical "Annie Get Your Gun," but it is taken out of context in a wonderful way :) Performed by the wonderful Ruthie Henshall with John Barrowman
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJvPjelxxj0

Scary Noises at Night! dun dun duuuuun...

My sister and I see road kill at least one or two times on the way to school every single day. It's become a little ridiculous, but I suppose that's what comes with living in the woods! When you are winding through the trees on Freedom Boulevard, you are bound to see animal casualties I suppose.

Speaking of living in the woods, last night I was sitting in the exact same spot I am now, typing away at my government outline when i felt something tickle my foot. I looked down and shook my foot vigorously as I saw a cricket crawling across it. I shuddered briefly, but it did not really bother me. However, this same cricket I later realized could fly. While I was deeply engrossed in defining liberalism, the cricket swooped by my ear with an evil, menacing buzzing sound and startled me, diving at my face. I again shuddered, but did not realize it had landed on my shirt. I continued typing, and when the infernal insect finally jumped upwards less than an inch from my face and landed on my keyboard, I freaked out and ran away, wringing my hands in disgust.

This was not the end of the day's adventures. After dusk darkened into night, I heard a noise right outside on the front deck. It was shuffling and scratching, like a bear (except we don't have bears, so I assumed it was a raccoon). Of course, me being the mystery-novel-lover that I am, my mind immediately jumped to "What if it is a serial killer?" even though I knew very well that an experienced criminal would not make that much noise. I crept to the front door and listened (checking that it was locked). The scratching was very close, probably only a foot or two from where I was standing safe inside my house. I started to peer out the window, but when I realized I might see either a tall menacing stranger with a weapon and a psychological disorder or a pair of beady red eyes meeting mine, I stopped myself. Finishing my outline as quickly as I could, I turned out the lights and went to bed, figuring that a robber who came into our house while I was asleep (or feigning sleep) would be far less likely to confront me and cause me harm.

Needless to say, it was a while (and several more rustling noises, this time from another side of our house) before my adrenaline receded and I was able to fall asleep.

Why English is Weird

My mom teaches ESL (English as a Second Language) and it is often difficult for her students to learn tricky English grammar and pronunciation rules when they have spoken Spanish most of their lives. Native speakers often don't realize it, but English is a really hard language. Studying orderly, precisely organized Latin in seventh grade made me realize just how bizarre English can be.

Plural of knife is knives
Plural of life is lives
Plural of strife is strifes. or just strife.

Read this sentence: "I had a tough day; though I tried and tried, I could not get through the required reading for Moby Dick." How do you pronounce these words: "tough," "though," and "through"? (I start to feel like I have spelled them wrong after typing them all in a row.)

How do you pronounce "pay" and "say"?
Then how do you pronounce "paid" and "said"?

What is the plural of tooth? What is the plural of booth?

Saying "slim chance" or saying "fat chance" means the same thing, but a "wise man" is different from a "wise guy"

Teachers teach, and preachers preach. The teacher taught. The preacher... praught?

"overlook" means something completely different from "oversee"

A house that "burns up" is the same as a house that "burns down."

To "fill in" a form is to "fill out" a form.

"Quite a few" = "quite a lot"

We turn an alarm on so that it will "go off" the next morning.

I say: Why don't we all just learn Esperanto?

Good Summer Reads

Although for some of us who are headed back to school there is very little summer left, I decided to give my recommended summer reads. None of these are extremely long, nor do they have sequels. After a battle with myself, I removed the "classics," figuring most people would rather read casually this summer... I've included a warning about any objectionable content, so you can be well informed :)

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. This is an intriguing book about stopping the outbreak of an exotic "hot" virus in America, a virus that kills 9/10 of it's victims. What makes it scarier: It's all true! I just bought this non-fiction book yesterday, and have already read more than half of it. It is one of the most exciting books I've ever read, and definitely the most exciting work of nonfiction I've read. I highly recommend it to those who are not overly squeamish.
Caveat: There are some four letter words found in the dialogue. Also, the victims of this virus do die gruesomely because of the way the virus destroys their organs. I have been fine with it so far, but some who are more squeamish than me might not want to read this.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. One of my all time favorite works of historical fiction. This poignant book is set during WWII, and is narrated by death, although the book focuses on Liesel, a young orphan girl whose foster parents hide a Jew. I've read this novel twice, and after each time reading it, I've felt that I could start over again that instant and read it again. I don't want to give any more away, so I will just say this is an absolutely beautiful book, and you won't regret reading it!
Caveat: There are sad things that happen in this book. It is not a tragedy altogether though. There is a bit of swearing, but most is in German.

Thr3e by Ted Dekker. This is a fast paced suspense novel, but it isn't very scary (if you want scary, read Adam by Dekker. Really good!) A man receives a mysterious phone call saying he must confess his sin or his car will blow up in 3 minutes. This plot deals with good and evil, and anyone who is interested in theology or psychology should find it fascinating.
Caveat: There is the normal violence that comes with mystery novels, but nothing excessive or gory.

The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson. One of my all time favorite books. The autobiography of the man who felt called to go to New York City as an evangelist and start a street ministry. One of the few books I can read over and over. This book is short, but packs in so much; it's anything but dull!
Caveat: None, other than the fact that it deals with gangs and so must mention drugs, violence, etc.

Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein. (This is the obligatory fantasy/sci-fi book. I don't read much of the genre, but I figured I needed to include at least one) This is my Dad's favorite work of sci-fi, which I read a long time ago. It's an interesting story about an actor who is hired to impersonate an important leader in the galaxy.
Caveat: None that I remember.

Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. This is a fresh look at Christianity presented in the form of humorous essays. It is an easy, fun, thought-provoking read :)
Caveat: As with any book about theology, this might be more liberal or more conservative than what you believe. I'm not presenting it as the gospel truth, but it raises some excellent points, especially the chapter about Jesus and the "Lifeboat" chapter.

"The Medium is the Message"

First, read this article:
http://www.pluggedinonline.com/read/read/a0004706.cfm
Like it or not, technology has profoundly influenced our culture. I just finished reading Jane Austen's Persuasion today and was thinking about how our culture has changed so much in terms of friendships and relationships. Myspace and Twitter have taken the place of letter writing and parlor visits; texting has replaced many phone calls. Our world has gotten more connected, but our connections are shallower. I'm not bashing technology, but it needs to be put in it's place, and certainly not glorified.
I have often wondered how technology has affected our faith. The article mentions "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," a sermon by John Edwards from which we read excerpts in English class. One does not hear many sermons like it today:
"There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of, there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.
You probably are not sensible of this; you find you are kept out of hell, but do not see the hand of God in it; but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it."
Wow. Compare that to a typical sermon today, and you will definitely notice the difference. (I am not saying one is better than the other, but I think it's interesting to note the differences in both style and content). Another effect of our culture is our shortened attention spans. Sermons today are at most an hour, Edwards' sermons were often several hours long. And there wasn't kid's church, where one could play games and do crafts. Children sat quietly through the long sermons with their parents. Today, in our internet browsing culture, we have trouble reading through the Bible in a year (I'll admit I've never done it) and instead rely on reading a couple verses somewhat-daily in a 1-minute devotional. In the sermon I heard on Sunday, the pastor said that many Christians are turning to a "Jaccuzi Jesus." They go to church to relax and feel warm and bubbly, but not to be challenged or made uncomfortable.
I'm not trying to be legalistic, but I think it is fascinating to consider the implications of technology on Christianity. At risk of repeating the article, I will stop here and just ask, what do you think of the article? Do you think the changes our culture has undergone are for the better or worse? Do you think the changes Christianity has undergone have been for the better or worse?

Hello!

Hello everyone! I have decided to start a blog of all the random things that fill my mind.
I don't have time to say much today, other than this:
Yo, banana babe! O' mama, I am amoeba banana boy!