Genius

I recently had the pleasure of reading the book "My Family and Other Animals" by the world famous naturalist Gerald Durrell. This book covers his childhood on the Greek island of Corfu and all the pets he collected and studied. My personal favorites were the talking Magenpies, Ulysses the owl,and Achilles the tortoise who was obsessed with strawberries. I watched the movie version of this book several years ago and loved it, but had no idea it was a true story. It wasn't until I read the book that I found out just how famous Durrell was, and how much of a pioneer he was in the area of endangered species conservation.

If you want to learn the fine art of adjectives there are only a few books that I would recommend, and "My Family and Other Animals" is at the top of the list. His writing is truly an art form; not to mention quite humorous and reminiscent of my childhood... It made me wish that I could have been born in the time when conservation was such a new and controversial subject, and its pioneers were still alive.

This quote made me laugh: "If naturalists go to heaven [about which there is considerable ecclesiastical doubt], I hope that I will be furnished with a troop of kakapo to amuse me in the evening instead of television."

What if life were an allegory?
If our old self were truly a man, to refuse or embrace?
If Satan were a beast to be fought with, or a beautiful creature to deny?
If despair were a looming giant?
If hope were our friend who sometimes felt close, and sometimes far away?
If we could walk through the Valley of Death?
If doubt was a place to escape from with the key of promise?
If the demons of temptation that plague us when we are at our weakest or most distracted were something to be wrestled with, or swatted away?
Would this life be easier or harder?
Would we have the courage to fight Satan in hand to hand combat?
Would we run from it all, and hide in the world that is sentenced to be destroyed?
Would we hold hope close, or ignore them?
Would we have the courage and persistence to fight the good fight, and finish the race?

I don't know. But I wish with all my heart that I had the chance to find out.

News Bites: some more important than others

1. I have prayed about it, talked about it, thought about it, and have decided that I will not be attending graduate school in New Zealand in February. I still really want to, but I don't believe that it is worth my peace of mind. Going $50,000 into debt at age 21 is not a good idea, at least not for yours truly.

2. That said, I'm looking into jobs in New Zealand. Lord willing, I will work there or go to school there, just not this year.

3. I have finished knitting my Gryffindor scarf, and it reaches my knees :)

4. I do believe that by the time I get back to Washington I will not have a tan.

5. It's looking like I will be going to Maui, but for longer than I thought (possibly until March)

6. As of yesterday, I have seen the 7 wonders of the Big Island of Hawai'i. Me and two other interns went up to the top of Mauna Kea ('white mountain') and saw the world's largest astronomical observatory. There are 13 observatories up there, run by 11 different countries. Some of the most famous photos of space have been taken by those telescopes. I was pretty much floored (the lack of oxygen at 13,796 ft. may have played a small roll in this)

My favorite space picture, the horse head nebula in Orion, was taken by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope

Bethany and Amanda in front of the Gemini and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescopes!


7. Also yesterday we went mamane picking for KBCC's palila. It took awhile, but we got 5 bags full, and got to see a Hawaiian 'Amakihi and a wild sheep with two lambs :)

8. Written on my arm is 1 Corinthians 6:20, and I think it will stay there for a long time (although I think it's rubbing off on my keyboard)

9. I miss my friends in Pullman so much that it hurts sometimes

10. After discovering Dropkick Murphys, I have also discovered that I really like Flogging Molly. I wish I had known that last year when they came to Pullman :P

11. I'm once again working on a story that I began at age 15. The plot is exploding (in a good way), but the characters need development. Not sure how to do that...

12. is a good number to end on. I need to go get some milk at the military camp.

Creative implosion

Do you ever have those moments when you've got so much to think about and say that you just... can't. You open your mouth to speak volumes, and nothing comes out but a squeak. So many things to do that you do none of them. Yeah, me too...

*Is it possible to live big by living small?
*Does it honor our Father God when I keep my head down at work, and just work my hardest?
*What do I do with a roadblock that seems to be hindering my entire walk with God?
(especially when I've tried to destroy it, over and over again)
*How do I know for sure where God wants me to be?
*How do I become a fruits of the Spirit basket, when I just feel like a bruised banana?
*I wish I could eloquently express the greatness of my Father.
*I want to know what to do with my life, but every time I say that, a small voice says it's not your life, you gave it away a long time ago.
*I feel like a mealworm beetle, who stubbornly clings to the wilted and gnawed on old apple, when I just want to give it a fresh, new piece.

If we find this picture funny, how much more amusing do you suppose God finds us?