Currently reading...

Selected Stories by Alice Munro. Wonderfully descriptive, addictive, evocative short stories.

In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George. An escapist, fun mystery.

Houses

[I]f I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house, I would say: the house shelters daydreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace....[T]he house is one of the greatest powers of integration for the thoughts, memories and dreams of mankind....Without it, man would be a dispersed being. It maintains him through the storms of the heavens and through those of life.

From The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard, pp. 6-7.

Brain stimulation

I've often wished the web and personal websites were available when I was an undergraduate because posting to a personal website can be a great way to keep track of and to process all the new ideas one is exposed to in college. However, the web can also be a great distraction and time suck.

I just got back from a stimulating morning at a religion and media conference. John Hart, a former religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times who now works for The Christian Century, was the main speaker. The panelists included Jon Beaupré, a broadcast reporter, Philip Amerson, the president of Claremont School of Theology, and Zayn Kassam, a professor at Pomona College.

Topics of discussion included how balanced and insightful media coverage of religion is and how scholars of religion can contribute to a broader understanding of religious issues.

Waiting, again

I'm out at school, again. I'll be attending a workshop and a lecture later this afternoon and evening, as well as a conference on religion and the media tomorrow. Because of the heavy traffic late in the afternoon, I have to leave home by 3:00 at the latest to avoid rush hour traffic. Of course, I could be in the library studying while I wait, but it is much more fun to come to the computer lab and post to my weblog!

On my way here, I detoured to the San Gabriel Nursery to get flame lily bulbs. I also bought a Boston fern to put in my bathroom. What a fun nursery to explore! They have red wagons (like the Radio Flyer brand) for customers to load their plants. Because the nursery is located in a part of LA with a large Asian population, they have a lot of bonsai plants, pots, etc., and other Asian plants and gardening accoutrements.

High Tech

My task the last few days at work has been to finish a time consuming, multi-step project, involving uploading, matching files and records, running queries, downloading, editing, mail merging, creating labels, typing individual letters and envelopes, double-checking different lists and systems, adding records, deleting records, mailing letters, and, finally, e-mailing reports. It was very "tasky" work but a nice break from academic work.

Most of this was accomplished on my svelte new computer with the most recent versions of MS Office applications. My company is doing its part to pull the country out of recession....

Over the past few weeks I've been watching the PBS special The Secret Life of the Brain. It's fascinating how much scientists are learning about the brain and its effect on human development, behavior, and emotions. Last night's episode was about the relationship between thinking and emotion.

Waiting

I'm at school again waiting for the Genesis reading group to start. A number of us get together each week, led by one of our professors, to read through the book of Genesis, verse by verse, in Hebrew. It helps keep my Hebrew vocal cords limber now that I'm not in the crunch of course work and have passed the Hebrew exam. We're about to begin chapter 23; this group has been meeting since at least 1998, if not earlier.

I met with a retired professor earlier today and will begin helping him get a commentary ready for publishing. I was prepared to be extremely intimidated by him, but he was very friendly and very open about needing my help with the computer. So I'm looking forward to my new adventure.

Studying Islam

Yesterday's post was written in a mad rush at school just before going to a lecture, "Moses and the Torah of Muhammad," the first lecture in a series of lectures and workshops about integrating the study of Islam into other religion courses. (See the description of the NEH grant, Engaging Islam, for further details.) Although the series is a faculty development project, students are allowed to listen in.