Island Day

Mom and I spent the day out at Sauvie's Island picking yummy and beautiful things. There are still some delicious things to be found if you look hard enough. This is also Dahlia season, so after scrounging the last of the blackberries, we wandered though the flower fields. $12.50 a bucket is not a bad price! Back in the barn we bought some farm fresh veggies and fruit to add to our dinner menus.
Then we went out for Thai food!

Almost Fall

I'm feeling a little strange this time of year- it's my first non-back to school year of all time. It's kind of relaxing, yet kind of boring at the same time. I should make up a big book list and buy some paper. I did buy some pens yesterday.

Cooking Chemistry

It's kind of amazing how this:

turns into this:


And how this:

ends up like this:

Korean BBQ

Last week I tasted my introduction to Korean bbq. It was amazing. The flavors and presentation were very different, and I mostly just sputtered "This is weird" after every bite. But it's good. And weird. I think I like it.
And I want one of those awesome in table fire pits.





On closer inspection, there are more Korean restaurants in Portland that I've stopped to notice. I suppose I never really thought about Korean food before. But now that I've tried it, I've noticed a few of them around town. I spotted one the very next day, as I drove home from my favorite boulangerie, that I think I'd like to try.
If you've never tried Korean bbq, don't be shy - pick one of these and go! (Then tell me what you think- I have a hard time leaving restaurants I enjoy for the prospect of something that may or may not be delicious.)

Traumatic!

Phobias unite-
this morning, as I was about to step onto the elevator, a moth flew in.
Needless to say, I took the neighboring lift.

Work

We got free gelato at work today! A pleasant surprise, improving my current situation: an awkward keyboard and a neighbor who can't tolerate music (I was hoping to listen to Mahler's 2nd and 5th).

Thoughts on Joy

"Have you been in really good physical shape at some point in your life? If you aren't at that same level of fitness today, you probably know that it didn't "just happen"' you didn't loose your six-pack or your ability to run eight miles overnight. You sopped running regularly, or you quit lifting weights three times a week, or you started adding a couple of extra scoops of ice cream to your bowl. There are reasons that we are where we are and who were are, and they aren't random.

It is the same way with joy in our lives. We tend to think of joy as something that ebbs and flows depending on life's circumstances. but we don't just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it's gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to chose and then work for. Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation.

When life gets painful or doesn't go as we hoped, it's okay if a little of our joy seeps away. The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.

A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort.
Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4)"

[Francis Chan-Crazy Love p.146]

Music to My Ears

Muse has a new album!

My ipod is almost dead today, so I opted for streaming knrk.com and heard "Uprising". It pretty much made my day (along with my really comfortable chair, and James and the Giant Peach.)

Woohoo!

I like Wednesdays and Thursdays - they are my Thursdays and Fridays. (Aka the end of the week.)

Yesterday was a particularly fabulous Wednesday:
-I did a stretching rutine before work, which meant less sore muscles, and more abiblity to sit straight and not get a headache (I also broke down and used the bolster pillow belonging to the guy who's cubicle I'm crashing in this week.)
-the system crashed at 7pm, so we got off early enough to be fun and not taking too big a pay cut
-Our friend Jesse from Capernwray unexpectedly showed up in Portland! So we spend the evening eating ridiculously spicy Thai food and wandering Powells
-I made two great buys at Powells! Found "The Fourth Bear" in a like new hardback for under $10, and a quirky, 60's looking edition of "Mrs. Dalloway's Party" for $3.50.

And now today is my Friday, and I'm looking forward to a weekend relaxing in nature and enjoying my anniversary.

Down the Rabbit Hole

On my half hour break I like to head down and outside for my little sun fix. I would call it a nature fix, but the only nature in sight is a few trees. I suppose the sky and my fellow human beings are nature, but you get my point.
My long break is now my snack break. I eat lunch on my short early break so that I'm not too hungry on the long break. This means I can actually sort of eat dinner when I get home! Yay! This week's fruit (I always buy too much fruit at a time so I only allow myself to buy one kind at a time) is the peach. I love peaches. I love bringing them to work, though the sharp knife I bring to peel them (their little fuzzy skin hurts my lips) makes me feel kind of dangerous and scandalous (no weapons allowed at Kaiser). Anyway, I peeled my peach and headed to the entry with all the elevators, excited for my 20 min outside. The far elevator dinged, and I stepped on, unable to resist a bite of my peach before I got outside.
As I bit the extraordinarily juicy peach, the elevator decended. And I had the oddest sensation of being Alice, taking a bite of the mushroom and shrinking.

Reading Again

Recently I read "The Reason for God" by Tim Keller. It reminded me how, among many other things, I have not read many good, serious books recently. And that was somewhat on purpose: I took a break from brainy reading after I graduated. It was good fun, let me tell you. But then I started realizing things I haven't read in a really long time... things I have forgotten to even think about.
So, I grabbed "The Great Divorce" off the shelf and threw it into my work purse to read on breaks. And for my birthday, I received "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan (part of the Passion movement).

Here's a couple of quotes I wanted to share from reading in "Crazy Love" this morning:
God doesn't just want us to have good theology; He wants us to know and love Him.

Some people claim that we can be Christians without necessarily becoming disciples. I wonder, then, why the last thing Jesus told us was to go into the world, making disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that He commanded? You'll notice that He didn't add, "But hey, if that's too much to ask, tell them to just become Christians - you know, the people who get to go to heaven without having to commit to anything."

Dear Kaiser members,


I have limited Hippa clearance, which I just told you, so I don't need to hear about your alergies, children's emergencies, or BACK FUNGUS. Nor can I help you with any of these issues.
And I'm sorry you answered the phone while you were at work, with the kids at the pool, or eating lunch with your Grandma, and still talked to me for 10 minutes.

I know I sound sweet on the phone, thanks.
Allison

PS. Downtown Gresham is not far from Rockwood. Or even Mt Scott. I'm sorry that's not good enough for you.

Made to Worship

I went down to the little 1st floor cafe on my much needed break to receive not only a pleasant iced almond soy late, but also a reminder of God's power and grace.

Made To Worship
(Chris Tomlin)

Before the day
Before the light
Before the world revolved around the sun
God on high
Stepped down into time
And wrote the story of His love for everyone

He has filled our hearts with wonder
So that we always remember

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free
When you and I embrace surrender
When you and I choose to believe
Then you and I will see who we were meant to be

All we are
And all we have
Is all a gift from God that we receive
Brought to life
We open up our eyes
To see the majesty and glory of the King

He has filled our hearts with wonder
So that we always remember

Even the rocks cry out
Even the heavens shout
At the sound of His Holy name
So let every voice sing out
Let every knee bow down
He is worthy of all our praise

Finds

Check this out: Pictorial Webster's
I Love it.

Oh, Mathemeticians

I was pretty excited to see the PAM was doing an exhibition of M.C. Escher, especially while I still have my student pass (that I have not used nearly enough).

Good thing my birthday falls during the show so I have a good excuse to drag my not-unwilling husband along!

The lecture series looks so cool - I wonder if I should try to get off early for the next one. It might really be worth it. We could call it continuing education?

From the Inside Out

A great song that we sang last night at church. Definitely a challenge and prayer.

Good Times

I love:

being on vacation in the South

complaining about the bugs (one is crawling along the living room floor next to me as I type) - and the heat

seeing friends and family (old and new)

introducing people to one of the best games ever,
and some of the best authors ever.

Thoughts for the Day

In "The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller, in chapter eight The Clues of God, he quotes art critic Arthur C. Danto, as he "once described a work of art that gave him a sense of 'obscure yet inescapable meaning'. In other words, while great art does not 'hit you over the head' with a simple message, it always gives you a sense that life is not a 'tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.' It fills you with hope and gives you the strength to carry on, though you cannot define what it is that moves you."
I love this chapter and how it forces me to stop every few paragraphs and praise God for who He is.
I now want to find an instalation by Shirin Neshat. I'm sure I could find her work on youtube, but that seems somehow a little wrong. I think I saw her work at SFMoMA, but I can't see it satasfactorily clearly enough in my mind. I love that feeling of 'obscure yet inescapable meaning' because of the reasuring sense of existence, but also because reminds me that I am created in God's image and He created the whole world in such a way that we can see Him and create art. For in Him we live and move and have our being.

Also Digging

This artist. I want the flash cards.

http://blackeiffel.blogspot.com/2009/06/julie-morstad.html

Can't Resist

Wall paper.

Who can, really. If you think you can, check out this delicious blog post I found while wandering on the web, looking at design related sites:
http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com/2009/06/paper-walls.html

Or this fragmented mirror wall gallery, which I am loving.