Books – Page 11 – all said and done

Published January 26, 2008 by Rebecca Matheson

Fictional aspirations

I saw Juno the other day, I don’t really know what kind of girl I am (Blair’s post), reminded me of it. I’m not exactly sure how I managed to forget blogging it, because the movie was fantastic. Beautiful with enough sass and raw quirk – Jennifer Garner tried her best to envelope her part into some kind of alternate chick flick . Michael Cera and Ellen Page were amazing.

Back to Blair, because she quotes Juno, “I don’t really know what kind of girl I am” and goes on to share some of her personal fictional heroes. I am fairly aware of who I am, but like Blair I have a few of my own aspiration/relations.

Jo March – from Little Women
I like her independence, yet Jo’s independence is paired with an enormous amount of kindness. Although persistently relating to her through the years, that is the one small, small element that is a mismatch to my own life. I’m sure I have bouts of being ‘nice’ but there is an extent where Jo’s self sacrifice out matches my own.

Jane Eyre
It’s been a while since I’ve read Jane Eyre, yet I admire her innate strength. I left the story with my mouth open.

Elizabeth Bennett – Pride and Prejudice
Her individuality speaks volumes. I like that she is flawed, somewhat flippant and even proud at times. I relate to her stubbornness and I like her eventual bend to alter her opinions where they have been mis-announced.

They’re the three from the top of my head. I’m sure there are others – less cliched perhaps but that might just have to do.

Books General Life

Published December 8, 2007 by Rebecca Matheson

Not there yet

A couple of things.

I looks like Facebook has grown a brain and actually started including the text of a ‘wall post’ into it’s reminder emails. That or it fluked one. Regardless this is cause for celebration, but I can’t be stuffed, because….

I’m stuffed.

Last night was our youth group sleepover (ie. Friday Night finale for the year). I’d have to say it was a step up from the previous one in terms of maturity on the kids’ behalf. We were fairly ‘short staffed’ but Paul nicely came as a fill in for various parts of it.

As for sleep, I probably copped the worst of it having to stay up for the understandable position of a friend sightly panicking about her friend’s asthma and the absence of a puffer. This resulted in an amusing phone call from the girls to parents, not waking them – despite it being 2am as their two mum’s were up enjoying a night out. Which led to a further wait for drop it off and the peace of mind. While this was happening one of the other girls fell off a sofa bed and continued to sleep, we put a pillow under her but she didn’t want to move, so she stayed there the whole night.

Tip for youth leaders running sleepovers, “No breakfast until everything is packed up and clean”. Works a treat.

Now I am tired and Geoff is feeling sick and has gone home and I’m reading a really interesting book about South Africa, but I really should go to bed. Right now.

Books Church Life Ministry

Published November 30, 2007 by Rebecca Matheson

A blind man can see how much I love you

My home internet is down for a few days… the joys of someone running over the limit. I don’t think it was me.

Just quenched the hardly reading/finishing of any fiction for months with a ripper I scored from the oppshop.

Really weird but absolutely brilliantly written. Writing to make your mouth fall open and your jealous heart run overtime.

A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You

Books

Published October 15, 2007 by Rebecca Matheson

Chairs the environment and Dostoyevsky

It hardly took a whole lecture on chairs to convince me,

I want one of these:

A Barcelona Chair.

I really like them.

It’s a chair with a long history in design, iconic – very modernist but also with the magic of agelessness.

Not perhaps your ultimate comfort item but if I ever say owned a design company or had a nice little office somewhere, I’d be tempted. A black one. The authentic ones are worth $2k so I guess $400 on Ebay is a steal… maybe some day.

Meanwhile, on Amateur Theology, Geoff’s been talking about consumerism and the lecturer today did point out that post modernism eats consumerism like pie – that might not be word for word.

Oh, and I’m supposedly meant to be posting about the environment for Blog Action Day.

So here it is:

I like the environment.
I think God cares about us helping take care of the environment.
I think God is right.

And there was that interesting quote from The Brothers Karamazov (Which yes I am attempting to read at the moment and yes is by Dostoevsky and no I am not reading it in Russian, someone has kindly translated it – I’m not that clever – infact I’m having enough trouble understanding it in English and the fact that the characters have about eight variations on their names each):

“Yes. But could I endure such a life for long?” the lady went on fervently, almost frantically. “That’s the chief question – that’s my most agonizing question. I shut my eyes and ask myself, ‘Would you persevere long on that path? And if the patient whose wounds you are washing did not meet you with gratitude, but worried you with his whims, without valuing or remarking your charitable services, began abusing you and rudely commanding you, and complaining to the superior authorities of you (which often happens when people are in great suffering) – what then? Would you persevere in your love, or not?’ And do you know, I came with horror to the conclusion that, if anything could dissipate my love to humanity, it would be ingratitude. In short, I am a hired servant, I expect my payment at once – that is, praise, and the repayment of love with love. Otherwise I am incapable of loving any one.”

Love well. Love real.

Books Design Life Uni

Published October 6, 2007 by Rebecca Matheson

Growing out of it

My home internet is dead again.

The other day I grabbed a copy of Little House on the Prairie to read on the train. Laura Ingalls Wilder books used to be facinating. I persisted with its ‘aimed at younger children’ style until I hit something along the lines of, “And Ma picked out an orange looking carrot”.

It was too much. I had to stop.

Carrots are orange and as far as I know they don’t come in any other colour.

Fare ye well, Little House on the Prairie, you served me well back in the day but from now on no more!