A Prayer

I'm going on another brief hiatus for a week, then back for "the duration". There's been so much going on, and v. little time to blog.

I've seen articles and blog posts I've wanted to post about, but where's the time!?!

For starters:
"We Don't Have an Energy Crisis"
"Shape the Future of Starlight"
"Shrinking Cities Carbon Footprint"
"China Romance Danger and Public Transportation"
"Grace Cathedral Goes Solar"
"The Worst Things You Can Say to a Woman Whose Husband is Deployed"
"Prunings XLVI"


Father Richard Smith uses the following as his closing prayer after a church service, and I absolutely love it. Enjoy!

Go forth in the world in peace.

Be of good courage.

Hold fast that which is good.

Render to no person evil for evil.

Strengthen the faint hearted.

Support the weak.

Comfort the afflicted.

Feed the hungry.

Honor all people.

Love and serve the lord rejoicing in the power of the spirit

and may the blessing of god almighty; the one who creates us, the one who liberates us, the one who dwells with us in community, be amongst you and remain with you always.

Romans 12:9-18 paraphrased

By Father Richard Smith

Thanks to Chartreuse for the beautiful image. Wish I coulda been there w/you.

Batman

I hear it's awesome. A friends of mine went three times in two days, including a 5:00 a.m. showing. That's a little wahnsinn, but hey, it's Batman!

I will be going on hiatus again soon.

image from "Cupcakes Take the Cake" blog.

Keats' Bright Star

Thanks to Bob and GardenPunks' link for the idea. Click on the small image above to see it "writ large."

Here's the whole text, normally:

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art—
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—
No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

—“Bright Star” by John Keats

thoughts

Recently I've been feeling like I need to re-learn the art of conversation (in English). Perhaps it was the short (intensive) beginning Chinese course. Or the fact that I've been working in a SILENT office where everyone emails each other, instead of gets up to actually speak to each other, a la Emily Gould as described in her New York Times Magazine article (at her Gawker job). But when I go to speak now, I feel the urge to preface, and re-construct, and re-phrase, and conjunction-ize what I'm saying all the time. It's like I'm out of practice. All I have around me for 8 hours a week day is silence, and I get home and feel rusty.

Something's gotta give.

Quick Blog Round-Up

Just catching up w/my blog reading and I have to share this awesome Frida Kahlo post from Bob. He posted this Moses image, which I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Thanks, as always, Bob.

In other cupcake-related news: lavender cupcakes and Canada Day cupcakes. The latter I may try for my dad's upcoming birthday.

Back into the Tour

I'm back from vacation. We went camping and hiking and swimming and cherry-picking. Just fantastic.

We left on the day of the Euro Cup final (still don't know who won!) [OK! now I do!] and came back to the beginning of the Tour de France. Last night Versus showed the end of Stage 3 pulling into Nantes, which was exciting. I stayed up to watch the end! P.S. Bob Roll is awesome.

This photo (from the BBC) reminds me of the scene in Amelie when she finds the boy's secret box of stuff and there's a flash back to him playing with a little set of riders just like this one. It must be v. popular in France. I wish I could be there. The images from Brittany were amazing - rain and all!

Nice to be back blogging.