No TV = LOTS of Reading

I love not having TV.  Sure, I miss some of those addictive shows that convince you that by watching their fictionalized reality you can actually learn something (House, Law & Order, etc.).   But, ultimately, I have enjoyed reading far more.  I have rediscovered my inner nerd that wanted so much to re-emerge.  Previously inhibited by required reading (which always brings out my inner rebel that shouts “REQUIRED?!?!?  FORGET THAT!”) and the alluring presence of other media forms, this deep-seated desire to consume printed words has released itself on my year of simplicity.  At this point, (and mind you, the year is not finished) I have read 30 novels and skimmed or partially read 10 others.  This may not sound like a whole lot, but for someone who hadn’t read more than 3 “for fun” novels a year for over 4 years, this is an achievement of which I am quite proud.  So below, I offer my suggestions on reading.  Please feel free to respond with more suggestions or other comments

My Top Eight (because 8 is my favorite number ) :

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

When I hit my most homesick moment, I picked up this book and was transported back to the Blue Ridge that I consider home.  Frazier does an amazing job of painting the scenery of the Appalachians and the storyline featuring a Civil War journey and love story is a classic time period for the area.  The movie doesn’t do it justice, I can assure you, but the soundtrack helps

The We Came to the End by Jonathan Ferris

If you like The Office, you’ll love this book.  Set frighteningly well to the times of the current economic downturn, this novel tells the tale of cubicle dwellers at an advertising firm that is facing serious cutbacks.  Ferris tells the entire tale, with the exception of two chapters, from the “we” standpoint, so you begin to feel a part of the collective group of individuals that make up the office.  I loved the characters and the odd situations that arise featuring totem poles, stolen office furniture, clowns, and attempted shootings.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

The follow-up to Tipping Point (which I haven’t actually read yet), this book discusses the decisions and actions that occur in the matter of a few second, or in a Blink.  Gladwell is brilliant.  Check out his talk for the TED conference at ted.com.  (This site is quite possibly my favorite find of the year — free downloadable talks by world’s leading experts, and they’re limited to 20minutes!).  This book covers topics from recognizing an artistic fake to the instant judgments made based on appearance.  The key to Gladwell’s writing is the simple ways in which he presents dozens of studies, followed by situations that demonstrate the results and topics of those studies, then he keeps coming back to the ones he has already covered.
This is crucial for someone like me, who when I read, I feel an emotion, rather than absorbing any notable facts.  I highly
recommend any of his work, even though I’ve only read this one, because I am sure it is a great read!

All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki (technically a read from before my LVC year but it’s still a fave!)

This book offers a fictional story of the overlapping lives of a traditional farmer and seed archivist, a group of environmental rights radicals, a teenage boy on the outs of society, and a woman trying to cope with her life.  All of the character portrayals are steeped in non-fiction reality from the effects of pesticides and engineered foods to the impact of teen pregnancy.  It’s an engaging tale that leads to all kinds of interesting situations!

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

A classic story that deconstructs any sense of rational reality.  The story of a zookeeper’s son lost at sea aboard a lifeboat with a monkey, a zebra, and a tiger, this novel takes you on a journey of survival and ultimately demonstrates the impact of a good storyteller.  A MUST read for everyone.

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

After finishing this book, I had to resist the urge to start over again (a testimony which I later noticed was reflected in a review on the back of the book!).  Roy’s use of imagery is astounding and you truly feel transported to  India.  She reveals just enough information about the storyline to keep you searching for more.  The captivating beauty of this book truly kept me coming back for more.

Anything by Shane Claibourne (Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, Becoming the Answer to our Prayers)

Shane Claibourne has single-handedly restored my hope in the world.  His interpretation of the Christian gospel demonstrates the hope that can be found in this faith.  He truly tries to live the life of Jesus, and through his writing, he convinces that it is possible for anyone to do so.  Though he currently lives in a radical community in Philadelphia that focuses on living in an intentional community among the impoverished neighborhood of Kensington (www.thesimpleway.org), Claibourne discusses in his books examples of this simple way of life from a
mega-church where he served for a while to international work he has pursued.  Anyone who affiliates with the
Christian church or feels compelled by the story of Jesus will truly benefit from his works.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

This is a lovely tale of a correspondance between a woman searching for the truth behind the sunny-side coverage of war and an island caught up in German occupation.  Ultimately a story about finding home and discovering the beauty of community, this tale is just a great read to become assured of the potential of humanity.

Other notables:

Lamb by Christopher Moore – a humorous take on the possible childhood of Buff, formally known as Jesus of Nazareth.

Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert – a biographical look at Eustace Conway, a man devoted to living from the earth in the Appalachians

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien – a set of short stories that connect together to give a haunting glimpse into the experience of Vietnam soldiers

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

I hope to keep up my passion for reading as the years come on, especially once I get back to school.  I hope to update about the coming transitions soon.

Best, K

Busy Busy Busy

I apologize for my absence…again.  I’ve been swept up in life here in Tacoma, and arranging for a life back East come August.  Most of my days off are now spent exploring the area or fulfilling other obligations, leaving me with little time to escape to my coffee shop solace.  For now, I will leave you with a file link to my newest project:   Every month, LVC houses across the nation receive a newsletter meant to connect us to the other houses.  Two houses are in charge of contributions each month, and June was our turn.  I think we did a fine job!  It offers a glimpse into our current lives…so please please please check it out and let me know what you think!

The Mandela Times

~K

Week 3 Blessing, a little late

Okay, so I meant to post this last Tuesday, because that’s when it struck me that I wanted to include it.  I’ve already mentioned the Victory Music Open Mic at the Antique Sandwich Co in previous post, but since about February, it has become a part of my routine.  Our band, Nelson’s Plum Jam, has now opened a fundraiser concert and has a gig for another event here in town.  We have a full of rep of about 10 songs and we’re constantly working on more.  Of course, none are originals yet, but we’re working on that too.  We actually just recorded two songs last night to submit to play at one of the Tacoma Farmer’s Markets.  So I’ve posted links to those recordings (they’re very raw, so don’t judge.  We recorded on my computer microphone in the bathroom!  Classy, I know!).   Below, are photos from Antique as part of my photo project.

Enjoy!

The First Cello I Borrowed

Random Statue at Antique

Martha Before We Went On

Great High Mountain
Heaven When We’re Home

2nd week of blessings

It is now the second week of Easter, and I am hoping that Tacoma finally took the hint (knock on wood)…it’s finally feeling like springtime here!  So as part of my attempt at 52 blessings, at least one photo a week of something I am grateful for, below you will find evidence of spring in Tacoma.  Our tulips have arrived!  And for that I am thankful.

Tulips by our front step

Reaching for the Sun

These Tulips are Gorgeous!

Good for photo, bad for garden

The Best Vacation Yet

Last weekend, two of my best friends came into town from NC to see where I live and what I’m doing.   I took off work to show them Tacoma and explore Seattle together.   Luckily, they brought the Carolina weather with them and it was warm and sunny the WHOLE time (which, with a prediction of snow on this 11th day of April, you can guess is quite rare).   They arrived late Friday night and like the troopers they are, ignoring their bodies’ complaints about the time change, rose early the next day to explore Tacoma.  Saturday we watched the Daffodil Parade and hit the T-Town sights:  Proctor Farmer’s Market, Infinite Soups & Wright Park, Pt. Defiance, and Parkway Tavern for the Carolina-Villanova Final Four Game.  Sunday, after church at Peace, we went sailing on Puget Sound with a friend of LVC.  After dinner with the house, we headed up to Seattle.  Monday we took the rental car all over town to see all the districts:  Fremont – the Troll and Gasworks park; Capitol Hill – Volunteer Park (best free view of the city) & Quickie’s Vegan Cafe; Downtown – Pike Place Market; and Pioneer Square.  We watched Carolina WIN the National Championship (good memories of our Freshman year win!).  Then on Tuesday, we got up to go on the Underground Tour and view the last few sights, including the Seattle Downtown Library and a cute yarn store in the Queen Anne District.   Beautiful weather the whole time and no real struggles.  A perfect vacation.  Thanks to my wonderful housemate, I was equipped with a stellar camera, which allowed me to satisfy my photographic urges.  I’ve included a few pictures below for your entertainment!  This is also the first of what I hope to become a series: 52 blessings.  I want to photograph something every week for which I am grateful.  So here it is:  I am grateful this week for my beautiful friends, beautiful weather, and beautiful cities.

Daffodils at the Farmer’s Market

Bouquets at the Market

Calla Lily at L’Arche Stand

Flowers at the Market

Puppies meet at the market

Discarded Daffodils

Inside Sanford & Sons Antiques

The book section

Glass from the World’s Fair

K & J on the boat

This is one of my favorite pictures from sailing

Beautiful waters of Puget Sound

A REAL RAINBOW – Not a camera trick!

Trying to Catch the Wind

The Fremont Troll Under the Bridge

K’s car is CRUSHED!

Out at Gasworks Park

Gasworks Park

A Friendly Pipe at Gasworks

Seattle Asian Art Museum Camels — climbing encouraged

I loved the camels

Quickie’s Vegan Cafe — DELICIOUS

Tea Shop Samples

Pike Market decked with daffodils

Hanging Peppers at Pike Market

Northwest Glasswork

Inside the Yarn Store in Queen Anne

K & J outside the Yarn Store with their tiny daffodil plant

Silence

I want to post an explanation for my silence.  The month of March is an incredibly intense time for the volunteer services department, and so I have been trying to stay away from technology and other sometimes-stressful items on my few valuable days off.  I hope to post in early April.  All is going well, and I am looking forward to spring’s arrival!

A Prayer for Peace

Peace Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy;

Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

St. Francis was an incredible man, and I hope to talk more about him in the future.

Day 1: Practice Resurrection

I want to share my favorite poem with you.  It seems long, but it’s worth it.  Please read (and comment if you’d like!)

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay.  Want more
of everything ready-made.  Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more.  Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you.  When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute.  Love the Lord.
Love the world.  Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag.  Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand.  Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium.  Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit.  Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.

Listen to carrion — put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world.  Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable.  Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself:  Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade.  Rest your head
in her lap.  Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it.  Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go.

Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

 

 

 

So here’s my challenge to you, this Lenten season:  Do something that doesn’t compute.  Practice Resurrection.

Feast on gratitude, Feast on commitment

Fast from discontent

Feast on gratitude

Fast from anger

Feast on patience

Fast from worry

Feast on faith

Fast from complaining

Feast on appreciation

Fast from bitterness

Feast on forgiveness

Fast from self-centeredness

Feast on compassion for others

Fast from lethargy

Feast on enthusiasm

Fast from emphasis on difference

Feast on recognizing unity

Fast from unsettling anxiety

Feast on inner peace

Fast from half-heartedness

Feast on commitment

 

Lent.  A time of reflection prior to the celebration of Easter in the Christian church.  Derived from the Germanic root denoting a lengthening of days, Lent falls at a time during the year when the first hope of spring is beginning to show.  The days here in Tacoma are gradually getting warmer (and wetter), and as we emerge out of the winter slump, my housemates and I are making a concerted effort to pick ourselves up, dust off, and remind ourselves of why we came out to the Destiny City.

My commitment this Lenten season will be to reinvest in the tenets of LVC.  I am taking my simplicity one step farther by adopting a vegan diet and giving up as many high-fructose corn syrup sweets as possible (you’d be surprised by how many foods have this addictive substance in them!).  The general reaction about my decision has been shock, but it really should not be that difficult, and I am committed to decreasing my intake of dairy and eggs because of the negative environmental impacts that the agricultural industry creates every day.  They say that money is power, and I am trying my best to keep mine from being invested into these conglomerations.  I’m not a radical, I just like a challenge and love that I can eat better and feel better about it at the same time. 

So that’s my challenge for Lent, but as my father always encouraged, I am taking up a few things during this season of reflection.  In addition to the added awareness of my food, I plan to explore more works on social justice themes and share on this blog every day (or at least as close to it as I can manage).   These daily posts will mostly be materials from other sources, and I hope to provide my usual rambling commentary on Sundays.

During Advent, the mother of one of my housemates sent us a beautiful Advent calendar that came with a multi-generational devotion book.  This Lent, she has sent us the Lenten version from the same creation.  The theme is Noah’s Ark (one of many uses of the number 40 in biblical tradition), and each day we will “open a window to let in the fresh air.”  At the front of the devotional, they provide “Shipboard Rules for the Next Forty Days,”  and I will leave you with them as I feel they adequately summarize what I’ll be trying during this season:

1.  No Matter how hungry you get, don’t eat each other.  Lent is a time of fasting.
      For turtles, fasting will be easy, but for lions, it will be difficult.  Help each other fast.  If you get grouchy, make an effort to be cheerful.  Keep meals plain and simple.  Try to eat together.  Enjoy your meals and help others enjoy them. 
     Put only good things into your body: what you eat, watch and listen to.  Give your attention to what’s really interesting: people, the things they do and make, nature.  Be content with less.  Stay busy, but keep the noise down.

2.  Share what you have.  Lent is a time of charity.

3.  Keep in touch with God.  Lent is a time of prayer.

 

I encourage you all to take this time to become more aware of your life and your behaviors, and how they fit with you overall picture of the world (your faith or world view).  Challenge yourself to take care of yourself and those around you.

Voluntary Simplicity

“Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.”

Charles Dudley Warner

For some reason, I cannot quite seem to find the atmosphere appropriate to sit down and write from my own thoughts.  So once again, I am going to share some insight by more intelligent and inspirational individuals.   One of the most common questions about the grand experiment in which I am partaking this year is regarding the reality of applying my current lifestyle in the future.  Will I be able to keep up the extreme simplicity and sustainability techniques that I have developed.  Are they really even sustainable?  To this, I usually respond along the lines of ‘to each his/her own.’  It is up to the individual to decide which techniques will fit best within the greater whole of her/his life.  Next year, another former volunteer may only carry with her the mentality of eating as local as possible.  Another volunteer may just continue to take shorter showers.  I have my own expectations for what I will carry out of this year.   As I was reading Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, a beautiful, easy read about choosing a simple life, I discovered a passage that I feel addresses at least part of this concern:

It makes an enormous difference whether greater simplicity is voluntarily chosen or involuntarily imposed.  For example, consider two persons, both of whom ride a bicycle to work in order to save gasoline.  The first person voluntarily chooses to ride a bicycle and derives great satisfaction from the physical exercise, the contact with the outdoors, and the knowledge that he or she is conserving energy.  The second person bikes to work because of the force of circumstances — this may be financial necessity or stringent gasoline rationing.  Instead of delighting in the ride, the second individual is filled with resentment with each push of the pedals.  This person yearns for the comfort and speed of an automobile and is indifferent to the social benefit derived from the energy savings.

In outward appearances both persons are engaged in identical activities.  Yet the attitudes and experiences of each are quite different…Voluntary simplicity, then, involves not only what we do (the outer world) but also the intention with which we do it (the inner world).  pp.143-144

Another interesting aspect of Elgin’s book is that he addresses the techniques of voluntary simplicity to a very specific audience — those who are moderately affluent.  He points out the differences between chosen simplicity and imposed simplicity, also known as poverty.  A common critique of the growing “eat local, eat less, eat lower” movement is the high cost of this type of eating.  Unfortunately, because of a variety of systems of our current global state, eating along guidelines that are more just and sustainable is in fact inaccessible to the majority of individuals.  This situation is why I tnd to overemphasize the fact that my lifestyle choices do not imply a judgment upon those who do not share my choices.  I will still encourage those who are able to make these changes, but I would never judge a person purchasing meat or overly processed foods who has to make such choices in order to provide for oneself or one’s family in other aspects of life.   The reality for me, however, is that I can make these decisions.  I have that liberty, and I am going to exercise it.  I cannot say that I will never purchase a car or have a television, but I will continue to recognize the impact these commodities have on my life, and the sacrifices I make to keep them.  My one hope with sharing this part of my life is that you will at least consider alternatives to your current lifestyle.  As BBC’s Ethical Man discovered, even living to the strictest guideline of “ecological justice” does not change the world.  However, if we can all recognize that a shift in the social mentality is necessary to arise out of the fall of the industrial era, then maybe we will make it out of the rubble of this changing time.