Little Boo Boo, Big Problem

I am a writer, and writers write.  Primarily, I type.  But last Tuesday I was cutting some pork chops for supper, and I was going too fast with the knife my husband had recently sharpened at my request.  No one noticed when I was suddenly standing in front of the sink, water from the faucet diluting the blood that was running down the drain.  My husband noticed when I was kneeling in front of the sink, my hand still dangling over the basin, choosing to sit before I fell.  My kids noticed when I ordered them to pause their TV (they've never watched anything that wasn't either on DVD or DVR) and get off the couch, because Mama needed to lie down.  Tom brought me the blue bucket that is better known for catching throw-up than mopping floors, just in case.

Fortunately the bucket wasn't put into service, Tom finished cutting the pork chops, and the cut on my finger, though deep, didn't require stitches (or even a trip to the emergency room).

But it did make it very difficult to type.

OK, so the picture makes it look like just a little boo boo, but believe me, it bled and it hurt!

My boo boo wound was located on the tip of my left index finger, exactly where I press down on my old, somewhat heavy IBM keyboard.  If I twisted my finger enough to avoid hitting that part of it, all the other fingers on my left hand missed their keys.  So I had to take a short break from most of my writing.  The fact that I couldn't type well enough to write a new blog post wasn't a big deal, since I only blog sporadically anyway, and a two-week or more gap between posts is not unusual even under normal circumstances.  But I'm frantically trying to get a large cushion of devotions for my May 19 relaunch of Quiet Devotions on www.QuietPublications.com.  The goal I've set for myself is to write at least seven each week, preferably ten.  Last week I wrote two.  I've fallen behind again this week, but hope to catch up.

On the other hand (or perhaps I should say 'with' the other hand, if I'm going to be literal about it) I've been getting a little more done on my novel.  While most of it is typed in a Word doc on my desktop, I also keep a copy of it on my phone for reference.  And I keep a little notebook and pen in my purse, for when I have some extra time and don't happen to be near my computer.  Or, in this case, for when my computer keyboard closely resembles a medieval torture device.

I'm able to type better now, but it does still hurt after a few minutes.  So I'm writing this post and I'll try to catch up on this week's devotions, but I'm going to wait a bit before I type up the new handwritten pages for my novel.

And I've been a lot more respectful of that knife!

Banking on Our Ignorance

The FDA is currently soliciting opinions regarding a petition they've received from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).  In brief, the petition is requesting that the definition of 'milk' and seventeen other dairy products be changed to include the addition of "non-nutritive" sweeteners (such as aspartame) as an optional ingredient.  This would mean that while aspartame would be included on the list of ingredients, it wouldn't be called out anywhere else on the label.

There are so many posts I could write about why this is a bad idea.  I've already mentioned in another post about the challenges involved in not letting my family be a chemistry experiment at mealtime, but dozens of other bloggers have already covered that territory.  Google 'aspartame in milk' and you'll find plenty of them.

What bothers me about this is the reasoning behind the petition.  Putting non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame in milk and milk products is already allowed, but the label has to advertise the addition by calling it "reduced calorie" or the like.  According to the IDFA and NMPF, however, "nutrient content claims such as 'reduced calorie' are not attractive to children."  They also state that "consumers do not recognize milk—including flavored milk—as necessarily containing sugar..[and] milk flavored with non-nutritive sweeteners should be labeled as milk without further claims so that consumers can 'more easily identify its overall nutritional value.'"

In other words, milk sales are down and people are too stupid to understand what they're drinking, so let's not confuse them with too much information so they'll just buy our product.

Where do I begin?

I appreciate the fact that they at least stated the real cause behind this petition: they're trying to combat slumping sales.  Of course, this statement was buried towards the end of the petition after several paragraphs detailing how this action would enable the milk industry to promote healthful eating practices and combat childhood obesity.  Particularly amusing, however, is their assertion that redefining milk to disguise the fact that it contains artificial sweeteners would somehow "promote honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace."

Explain to me how allowing the exact same label be displayed on milk-as-we-know-it and on milk containing aspartame promotes honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace.  The argument they're making is that the difference is called out on the ingredients list, but the truth is that they're counting on the fact that most people don't read the ingredients list.  People glance at the label, process the data that is readily available, and make a quick value judgment.  That's why products that claim to be "all natural" sell so well, even if there's nothing healthful about the 'all natural' ingredients.  (Did you know that cyanide is all natural?)  Many people buy wheat bread thinking it's healthier than white bread, but several brands of wheat bread have no more dietary fiber than their white counterparts.  People would know that if they read the nutritional value information, but they don't.  They just take a quick look at the label, see the word 'wheat,' and assume it's healthier.  The requirement that added sweeteners currently require the label to say "reduced calorie" turns off some buyers (and attracts others, but apparently not the ones the milk industry is targeting: children).

At present, the IDFA and NMPF claim they just want to be able to add these artificial sweeteners to milk products that are already being sweetened by regular sugar (i.e. chocolate milk).  However, the wording of the petition makes no distinction or limitation.  If this is approved as written, plain, regular milk may suddenly sprout aspartame with no indication other than a tiny notation in the ingredients list.  Given that there is evidence that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are addictive, I can see how this could certainly help solve the problem of slumping sales.

The IDFA and NMPF know that consumers are largely ignorant of what's actually in what they consume, and they're banking on that ignorance.  When's the last time you looked at both the nutritional information and the ingredients list of a product you buy regularly?  Or even of one that you only buy every once in a while?  Would you notice if your milk suddenly included an artificial sweetener in the ingredients list if the label stayed the same?

Pay attention to what you're eating and drinking.  Regularly check the nutritional information and the ingredients list.  You'll probably be surprised by what you see; I know I was.  And I've drastically changed my shopping and eating habits as a result.  You may, or your may not.  But whatever you do, you should do it will full knowledge and awareness.

The IDFA and NMPF think we're stupid.  Let's not prove them right.

Literary Pursuits - March 2013

I have a tendency to start projects and then, well, not finish them.  It happens with crafts, books I'm reading, and writing projects.  Since crafting is not a priority right now, my quilt, the kids' bedroom curtains, Naomi's dress, my sweater, and my latest afghan shall continue to languish in silent anonymity.

But I want to have better accountability with my reading and writing projects, and public humiliation seems as good a way as any to achieve that.

So as a (more or less) monthly feature of this blog, I'm going to post an update about my various literary pursuits.

First off, reading.  It's been quite a while since I've only had one book going at a time.  Currently I'm reading four-ish books (you'll understand the -ish when you get to it on the list).  Most of this information is also on Goodreads, but I've decided to post it here, too.

1.  How the Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis:  First published in 1890 (yes, that's eighteen-ninety--I didn't transpose my numbers there) Riis chronicles his experiences in the tenement neighborhoods of New York.  I love sociology and picked up this book eagerly, but while it's been informative (disturbingly so) it's also been a bit of a slog.  I started reading it last summer, and I'm still working on it.  Almost done, though.  Currently on page 232.  Hopefully this book will not appear on next month's installment of Literary Pursuits.

2.  Ingathering: The Complete People Stories by Zenna Henderson:  Recommended by my husband, this science fiction book has an interesting premise and is very well-written.  However the chapters were originally independently published serials, and reading them one after the other is a bit tedious.  It's a long book (571 pages) so I may be here for a while.  I'm currently on page 217.

3.  Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:  I might have been a little premature picking up this one.  I'm reading it partly because I've always wanted to, and partly because I'm planning to edit and publish a bible study I wrote several years ago based on themes in Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship.  I believe there's no such thing as too much Bonhoeffer, so I'm reading Ethics before I re-read Cost of Discipleship in an effort to better get into Bonhoeffer's thinking.  It's very dense, but brilliant.  I'm currently on page 41, though I haven't picked it up in over a month.

4.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:  A favorite I've read several times.  I keep a library of classics on my Android so I'm never caught someplace without something to read, but my reading of a book this way is sporadic at best.  Hard to say what page I'm on since phone versions are so variable, but I can say with confidence that I'm in chapter 12.

-ish.  The Gospel According to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles:  I'm trying to put a bible study I wrote last year into a format I can publish through Quiet Publications, and that's requiring me to go back and rework some of the lessons.  Originally I had Luke-Acts as a single lesson, which was way too long.  However separating them into two separate lessons has enabled me to expand my treatment of each slightly, so I'm rereading these two books to figure out how best to do that.  (It's an -ish because they're part of the bible, which I'm not currently reading in its entirety.  Or you could consider them two separate books in a single bound anthology.  Or you could consider them one book in two volumes.  Numbering it -ish was just easier!)

Now for what I'm writing.

1.  Quiet Devotions:  Last time I started Quiet Devotions, I only had six in the vault.  With a daily publication schedule, I soon began to struggle to keep up.  I fought stubbornly and kept it going for nearly ten months before I had to admit defeat.  I plan to relaunch Quiet Devotions on Pentecost Sunday (May 19) and have been trying to write a few each week (minimum seven, preferably ten--I usually fall short).  Currently I have 58 in the vault (up through July 15).  Each month I'll indicate the number written since I last reported.

2.  Gospel Agendas Bible Study:  This is my reason for rereading Luke and Acts.  I've completed the introduction, Session One, and Session Two.  I'm currently expanding Sessions Three and Four.

3.  Novel:  I'm going to be vague on the details of this one until it's closer to being finished.  My official word count is at 6,051, plus some handwritten pages in my travel notebook.

4.  Memoir:  This will chronicle my faith journey and ministry.  Working title: Failed Pastor.  You get the picture.  Anyway, current word count is 6,461.

5.  Quiet Publications Misc:  I'm not working on anything this moment (other than the bible study), but I've recently published an article and two book reviews on Quiet Publications.  I hope to continue doing that sort of thing on a somewhat regular basis.

6.  Blog:  Looking at my posts since the beginning of the year I see that I've been cheating by doing mostly memes or promotions for Quiet Publications.  I'm in the process of revamping this blog (hence the new look), and it will soon have another new look, and a new address.  But more on that later.  In any case, it's time to start getting back here again a little more often, and letting all my adoring fans (go ahead and roll your eyes--I just did) know what's going on with me.  This post you're reading now is a good start.

So those are my literary pursuits as they stand now.  What are you reading or writing?

Book Review: The Marriage Manifesto

I'm now writing book reviews over at Quiet Publications.  I was just getting ready to cross-post my second review when I realized that I neglected to cross-post my first one.  Oops!

So without further ado, here is a link to my review of The Marriage Manifesto by Kelly M. Flanagan, PhD.  I'll provide a link to my second review in a week or so (though it's there now, if you want to read it).

In his first e-book, Dr. Kelly Flanagan addresses how the consumerism that shapes modern life infects and damages marriages as well.  Using examples from his personal life and popular culture, Flanagan clearly outlines what the reader can expect in the preface and introduction.  His first two chapters frame his argument nicely and provide realistic expectations for people who are looking for help with their marriages.  He also provides advice for those who feel they are in abusive relationships, and recommends a course of individual—opposed to marital—therapy.  Flanagan is careful to affirm the inherent worth of the individual regardless of whether the marriage ultimately thrives or fails.

That affirmation of the individual’s inherent worth, along with a call for acceptance of one’s imperfections (both one’s own and one’s spouse’s) is the strongest message of the remaining chapters, even stronger than the threat from consumerism in marriage.  (Continue reading.)

Top 100 Movies

So another meme is making its way around the blogosphere, and in the absence of anything compelling of my own to publish, I thought I'd jump on this bandwagon too.

As the title of this post suggests, this is a list of my favorite 100 movies.

Only I couldn't quite come up with 100 movies I can call my favorite.  Sure, there are more than 100 movies that I've enjoyed, but for a movie to make my list, it needs to be  a) something that I still want to watch today,  b) something that I'm badgering my husband to watch with me, or  c) something that will be built into my kids' homeschooling curriculum.  So to all those childhood and adolescent favorites--if I haven't spent the money to include you in my personal collection and I haven't put you in my Netflix queue, then thanks for the memories, but I've moved on, and I hope you will too.

Since my eyes tend to glaze over when confronted by a long list, I've broken it up by genre.  Other than that, they're in alphabetical order (not because I'm really that anal, but because I accidentally sorted by the wrong column on the Excel spreadsheet where I prepared this.  Because, yes, I am that anal).  Trilogies are listed as a single entry, even when I'm omitting one of the installments.

I've begun with the movies that tend to show up on a lot of people's top 100 lists.

EMBRACE THE CLICHE
1. Back to the Future Trilogy
2. Casablanca
3. Contact
4. Gone With the Wind
5. Indiana Jones (Original Trilogy - NOT the latest travesty from 2008)
6. It's a Wonderful Life
7. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
9. Star Wars (Original Trilogy)
10. The Princess Bride
11. The Sixth Sense
12. Wizard of Oz

MUSICALS
13. A Chorus Line
14. Annie (1982)
15. Fiddler on the Roof
16. Labyrinth
17. Little Shop of Horrors
18. Mary Poppins
19. Oliver!
20. Sound of Music
21. Sweeney Todd (1982)
22. West Side Story
23. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

CHICK FLICKS (I can't believe I have so many in this category!)
24. A Room With a View
25. Bridget Jones' Diary
26. Far and Away
27. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
28. Romancing the Stone (first one only)
29. Shakespeare in Love
30. Terms of Endearment
31. Titanic
32. Under the Tuscan Sun
33. While You Were Sleeping

DRAMA
34. 28 Days
35. A Beautiful Mind
36. Forrest Gump
37. Out of Africa
38. Sleeping with the Enemy
39. The Color Purple
40. The Shawshank Redemption
41. White Nights

COMEDY
42. Clue
43. Foul Play (1978)
44. Much Ado about Nothing
45. My Cousin Vinny
46. The Court Jester
47. Victor / Victoria

KIDS (only half of these have been added since I had kids of my own; the rest have stood the test of time!)
48. A Christmas Story
49. Freaky Friday (1976)
50. The Incredibles
51. The Parent Trap (1961)
52. Toy Story 3
53. Wall-E

DIFFICULT (these aren't movies to be 'enjoyed' per se, but are important and should be watched at least once; some of them I've seen only once, and hope to never see again)
54. A Time to Kill
55. American History X
56. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight
57. Platoon
58. Saving Private Ryan
59. Schindler's List

CLASSICS (not already listed under another category)
60. Auntie Mame
61. Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

ACTION
62. Hunt for Red October
63. Matrix (just the first one)
64. Terminator (1 and 2 only)
65. True Lies

HUBBY'S LIST (movies my husband thinks should be on this list even though I haven't actually seen them yet)
66. 1984
67. A Clockwork Orange
68. Blade Runner
69. Citizen Kane
70. Dr. Strangelove
71. Enemy Mine
72. Farenheit 451
73. Rollerball
74. Soylent Green
75. Westworld

MOVIES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN MADE YET BUT HOPEFULLY WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH TO ADD TO THIS LIST SOMEDAY
76 - 100.


You can tell a lot about a person by the movies they watch.  I’m not sure I want to know what this list says about me.

I'm really more of a book person than a movie person anyway, so I'll be putting together a list of my top 100 books soon.  I won't have any trouble coming up with 100 of those, though I promise to keep it down to 100 for your sake!

Indies Forward: The Cell War Notebooks Blog-a-Thon

January 31^st is IndiesForward day – a special blogging event dedicated to spreading the legacy of Julie Forward DeMay and her touching memoir, The Cell War Notebooks.

What would you do when faced with a battle for your life? Author, photographer and creative spirit Julie Forward DeMay took on her fight with cervical cancer like she was playing for the new high score in her favorite video game, Asteroids. Inspiring, witty, beautiful and brutally honest, The Cell War Notebooks is a compilation of the blog Julie kept during the last seven months of her life. It’s a powerful read for anyone, whether your life has been touched by cancer or not. Check out the paperback on Amazon and keep up with the latest news on Facebook. All proceeds from book sales go to Julie’s nine year-old daughter Luka.

 

The Cell War Notebooks on Amazon: http://amzn.to/W17WN4 (This is NOT an affiliate link)

The Cell War Notebooks on Facebook: http://facebook.com/cellwarnotebooks

Julie’s Original Blog: http://cellwarnotebooks.blogspot.com

Duolit’s IndiesForward Page: http://selfpublishingteam.com/indiesforward

I haven't read The Cell War Notebooks yet, but I have ordered it from Amazon, and will post a review of it over at Quiet Publications soon.

Those of us participating in Indies Forward have been asked to write about an obstacle we've overcome, how cancer has touched our lives, or something that gives us inspiration to push forward every day.

Cancer is a nightmare that hasn't touched me directly, and I can only imagine what it must be like to find the strength to battle it day in and day out.  A battle I am familiar with, however, is depression.  I know what it feels like to not be able to get out of bed in the morning.  Or afternoon.  Or evening.  I know what it's like to think about everything that is waiting for me out in the world--both the good and the bad--and realize that I have no desire to do any of it.

This isn't my life every day; I have periods of days or weeks (though usually not months) when I'm doing pretty well.  And then I have periods of days or weeks (and on a few horrible occasions, months) when every day is a struggle.  But I no longer allow myself to just lie in bed all day when I'm gripped with a deep depression.

I'd like to tell you my secret is something amazing, courageous, triumphant, etc.  But it really boils down to duty.

Duty and obligation.

Duty and obligation that are born out of love.

I am married to a wonderful man, and we have two wonderful children.  I'm also a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom, and my husband and I have divvied up our responsibilities along fairly (though not rigidly) traditional lines.  As the sole breadwinner my husband simply has to work every day.  Which means I have to get out of bed and take care of our three-year-old daughter and four-year-old son.  Whether I want to or not.

What gets me out of bed is knowing that I am the Mom.  This is my job.  And the kids will suffer if I don't do my job.  And this consequence to them resonates with me, because I was raised by a Mom who often didn't do her job because of depression.  I'm still living with those consequences decades later, and I do not want to burden my kids in the same way.

When I'm in a deep depression, I can't feel love.  I can't feel joy at their antics.  I don't even feel frustration when they get into trouble.  I'm just empty.  So trying to remember how much I love them is ineffective as a motivator, because depression prevents me from feeling that love.  But duty and obligation don't require me to feel anything.  I just have to do it.  And if things need to get done, then I can make myself do them.

I'm not up to my usual standards at those times, but as an incurable perfectionist I rarely am anyway.  I see what needs to get done and I do it, no feelings required, no feelings present.

Or are they?

In 2006 I had a six month period when I could barely get off the couch.  (Did you know that it takes less than twenty-four hours to watch an entire season of 24?  It's true!)  Getting to the grocery store was a major accomplishment.  There were a lot of things I needed to get done then, but frequently didn't.  I wasn't married, and I didn't have kids.

The periods of depression I have now are no less severe (2010 was a particularly rough year), but I manage to do the things that need doing.  Why?  Because my husband and my kids need me to.  And even though I may not be able to access my feelings of love for them, that love is what compels me to get up and get busy.  That love is what inspires my sense of duty and obligation.  If I didn't love them, then I wouldn't care about their suffering for my inaction any more than I'd care about my own (which is very little).  But depression can only block me from feeling love; it doesn't stop me from having it.

I hope I never have to face a diagnosis of cancer and fight the battle that Julie Forward DeMay had to fight.  But if I ever do, I trust that the love I have for my family would inspire the sense of duty and obligation necessary to fight it with everything I have, and that would be a gift to them, regardless of the outcome.