As usual, we cut up, I forget to mute myself when I dissolve into the sillies…and the fine gentlemen on the panel, Jeff, Steve, and Billy, take over like the good guys they are.
7 Quick Takes — The Plug a Website Edition
Check out the collection of other 7 Quick Takes Friday posts, hosted at Jennifer Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary.
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Wow. I haven’t done this in so long that a) I feel incredibly guilty, and b) I kinda forgot what to do. I periodically become a blogging slacker. And then I snap out of it. Or something.
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I’m getting excited about the CNMC this year in Dallas/Fort Worth! Are you going? Sign up! Quick!
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Had two lunch dates with two delightful friends…and a crazy drive-by visit with another one. I’m going to call that a win in the hanging out with girlfriends column. And thank Momma Mary for her hand in all of it.
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Since I’m posting pictures, let me share this one. I’ve been laughing an awful lot lately. Good, deep, loudly joyful laughs, and I like it. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a while, and it feels good. Don’t read anything depressing into it — I think I’ve just been so focused on things and carried around a serious frown of concentration that I’ve forgotten to just let go. As in, let go, and let God. That’s really been the greatest relief of all.
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Brandon Vogt must really have more energy than the Energizer Bunny. Not that I’m comparing him to a bunny or anything, but just in case, he’d probably look cute in a big ole pink bunny costume and pull it off without having to punch anyone in the face.
Also, he’s going to be at the CNMC, and no doubt, a bazillion gazillion other things, too. And blogging. Better and more often than me. Anyway, he’s got a neat thing going on at his blog, encouraging all of us — ALL OF US — to go vote for our favorite Catholic speakers, and then write a blog post about one of them.
It’s a great idea — please go read more about it here and then participate!
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I’m super excited to be running a special series about Learning Support redesign initiatives at my college (and in the technical college system in Georgia) for Pearson Higher Education. The first installment popped up this week — a little early, but that’s OK. So here’s a shameless plug for that!
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Finally, I thought I’d share just one more picture. It’s my stapler. No, it’s not a red one. It’s a very serviceable charcoal gray stapler that lies flat or straight up, depending on what you like — quite useful on those days when I have a lot of stapling to do. You should know, if you ever aspire to be a college professor, that some days have a lot of stapling.
I’ve had this particular stapler for a few years. Or maybe not — who really keeps track of their office supplies, you know? I’ve had it a long time. That’s good enough.
Anyway, I just now read what’s on the stapler. It says it’s antimicrobial.
What?
Who has a need for an antimicrobial stapler? And what does that mean? Is my little bottle of antibacterial lotion not enough?
So. Many. Questions.
Summer Reading…and it’s still summer!
My summer reading pile is getting smaller. Sortof. I keep adding books to the pile, so it rarely gets smaller than the stack you see above.
The problem is that I have a stack at work, and a stack on the floor next to my night table…and two or three books on my desk at home.
A whole bookshelf at work. And still…I read. And read. And read!
You could say I get paid to read (and you wouldn’t be too terribly off), but I haven’t read everything I want to read. And there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I don’t even know exists and is waiting for me to discover. I know, I’m a nerd that way.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say something a little…well…honest. Interesting people, people that I find interesting, are big readers. I don’t know if that necessarily makes me any more interesting, but there you have it. My friends are big readers. It turns out that some other very interesting people, besides my friends (yes, I think you guys are brilliant) are big readers.
In fact, the Harvard Business Review has an interesting article on the importance of reading to good leadership. I’d venture to say it does more than make good leaders. Reading things that edify us, strengthen our characters, give us vicarious adventures, can make us better people.
I’d say, it can make us better Christians. I’m still working on that.
These are some books that have had a huge impact on me:
In no particular order
1. The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
2. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain
I’d love to know what books have impacted you! And of course, I’ll take recommendations to add to my pile.