free time...

With school coming to a close (well, that may not be entirely true... but for now, we'll say coming to a close), I've had an opening of free time. Mind you, this is no expanse of free time, just enough free time to make the odd day off from work an actual day off - not simply another study time.

I've used my time pretty well I'd say, actually better than when I was in school. I've just recently finished a book which I started on Monday, and it was so good I'm going to read the next two in the trilogy, possibly the final two that he's just put out for print! I've gotten the Rosetta stone software so I can learn how to understand and speak German, plus I'm planning on listening to a book on tape, "Bob Dylan" as read by Sean Penn; and reading a book about the environment and weather over time, which I wasn't able to finish over the summer due to an increasingly busy schedule.

Whether or not any of these lofty aspirations become accomplished is of no great big deal to me. The point is I'm doing something productive and enjoyable all at the same time. Sure I'm about 10 paintings behind for those whom I've promised a painting, but whatever... I'll get them done soon enough.

I'm not actually saying this to brag or be exude some sense of intellectual superiority. The point for saying all this is 2 fold:
1. I never realized how fun reading and learning was until I didn't have to do it.
2. The first book, Black, in the Black, White, Red series is astounding, and I think everyone should it. And, being of those who ardently support the reading of such material I'm going to provide anyone with a curious mind and the time to kill, a reasoned criticism of my own thoughts concerning Ted Dekker's Black.

First of all it should be noted, that you should read this book on the fact that it has the coolest dust cover available to the reading public parousing the christian book aisle (possibly any aisle).

Second it does something unique in it's weaving of the biblical yarn, both in how it's written and the way it speaks. Uniquely, the book achieves a portrayel of the fall from an emotive perspective (I'd give more but I don't want to spoil the ending, though it will be guessed.) It has been astoundingly, powerful in its force of delivery, conveying a story the bible presents in two pages, over the span of 400. Bringing you into the emotion of the story - a rollercoaster of deeply abiding in love, to deception, to grace, into despair. Floating from Adam to exillic Israel the emotions of the ancient Jews are touched and embraced, as a simple understanding of the bible has never afforded me before.

Am I going to stop reading the bible? No. But it sure has made the bible come alive for me especially the parts that I always wondered about like - "How was it to be deceived by satan?" I found myself talking with Misti saying, "Satan is so freakin' evil! I feel awful that Eve was ever in that situation. She never had a chance!"

Did this book answer any questions definitively about the bible? NO way! It's just fiction, it's just one man's fantastical idea of what that abstractly could've looked like. But if nothing else, it was outrageously interesting! I highly recommend it.

OH... I almost forgot.

Another great factor is it's unpretntious naming. For once, a Christian fic. novel dispensing of your typical christian-fiction cheese ball narrative with goofball names that you recognize right away and say, "Are you kidding me?" Some of the names used are close and suggestive, but not enough to make you become aggrivated at their dismissal of your intelligence.

Here's to Newlywedom!!!

so appearently somewhere down the line, my wife turned into June Cleaver. I'm not quite sure what happened, all I know is that one day I was experiencing the turmoil and joys of marraige then the next she came home all excited from the grocery store because she bought lemon grass for the first time to use in a dish.

I realize buying a little lemon grass doesn't necessarily qualify a person as being June Cleaver, but being really excited about grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning the house does! This should not come as a shock to anyone who knows Misti well, nor should it come as a shock that I'm living in my own personal heaven right now. What will come as a shock is the eventual decline of my idyllic existence. Hopefully, I get a good many years before that day, but in the event that it happens sooner than later...

Here's to Newlywedom!