« July 2009 | Main | September 2009 »
August 28, 2009
"Spellcheck" by B. Gordon
A new story for your reading enjoyment...
"Spellcheck"
by B. Gordon
There's magic in books--and sometimes, magic bites.
Posted by Selena at 07:42 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2009
Quote: "Don't Be Afraid"
Working on my Sunday School lesson for Matthew 10 reminded me of this Firefly clip. (I know, it's crazy the way my mind works.)
Posted by Selena at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2009
"Butterfly Black, Butterfly Red" by Autumn Christian
A new story for you...
"Butterfly Black, Butterfly Red"
by Autumn Christian
(A Student Contributor)
The dolls only live in the sunshine. When darkness locked them away, Ruby waits for the day when the dolls will save her from the wraiths that dwell in caves below the sky.
Posted by Selena at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2009
RRN: "Rapt"
Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am enjoying this book very much. My copy has become a sea of little pink post-its flagging all the quotes I want to refer back to and remember. Here are some of my favorites so far:
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." (quote from William James) (page 6)
"The difference between 'passing the time' and 'time well spent' depends on making smart decisions about what to attend to in matters large and small, then doing so as if your life depends on it." (page 12)
"...to enjoy the kind of experience you want rather than enduring the kind you feel stuck with, you have to take charge of your attention." (page 28)
"In short, it seems that simply going about your business, whether it's driving a taxi or spotting pottery shards, teaches your brain what to attend to and customizes your nervous system to suit your experience and modify who you are." (pages 68-69)
"Davidson speculates that deliberately focusing on feelings such as compassion, joy, and gratitude may strengthen neurons in the left pre-frontal cortex and inhibit disturbing messages form the fear-oriented amygdala." (page 73)
"When they're focused on either a social activity or a task, the moods of even fragile or stressed people, including breast-cancer patients, bulimics, and chronic depressives, are no different from those of average subjects in control groups but drop precipitously when they're alone or have nothing to attend to." (page 85)
Plus the book gets bonus points for referencing this "Pearls Before Breakfast" experiment that put a famous violinist in a busy Metro station to see if anyone took notice of his virtuoso playing.
Posted by Selena at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2009
"Icarus Falling Still" by Rosalind Casey
Here is our second poem for the month. Enjoy!
"Icarus Falling Still"
by Rosalind Casey
(A Student Contributor)
Falling's not so different from flying.
Posted by Selena at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2009
Two Cool Signs
It's not even noon and already I've seen two signs worth sharing.
First, the inspirational one:
"Speak Less,
Act More"
Or maybe it was "Speak Little, Act Much." I can't remember for sure because I was driving at the time and thus couldn't jot it down.
Then there's the funny one, which I saw in a parking lot and was able to jot down:
"Get a taste of religion,
Lick a witch"
LOL. I laughed about that one all the way home.
Posted by Selena at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2009
Interviewed at ResAliens Blog
I've been interviewed at the Residential Aliens Blog as part of their "Two Questions For..." series. Please stop by and check it out. Thanks.
Posted by Selena at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2009
"Daedalus's Daughter" by W.C. Roberts
Here is our first poem for August. Come back next week for another poem related to the Daedalus and Icarus myth.
"Daedalus's Daughter"
by W.C. Roberts
Posted by Selena at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2009
"The Well-Dressed Ape"
I just finished "The Well-Dressed Ape" by Hannah Holmes. Here is my brief review.
The Well-Dressed Ape: A Natural History of Myself by Hannah Holmes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
An interesting and enlightening book. I enjoyed the comparison and contrast of humans to other animals, and the explorations of the causes and history of human behaviors in such categories as territoriality, diet, and interactions with other animals.
Posted by Selena at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)
"Suspended on Silver Wings" by Shanna Taylor
Here is new cover art to kick off our August issue. Enjoy!
"Suspended on Silver Wings"
by Shanna Taylor
Third Place, 2009 Cover Art Contest
Posted by Selena at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)