summer reading

I have to say, this has been one crazy summer! Wedding prep, marriage, honeymoon (yeah, Maui!), and lots of time spent thinking about and prepping for what should be a pretty good school year. Busy times, indeed!

Luckily, I've been able to spend a lot of time relaxing as well. Which means I've spent time playing Little Big Planet (1 and 2...I'm kinda addicted) and reading some very interesting books. Being able to read a bunch has been an extremely fulfilling way to spend large chunks of my summer...even though it's probably not nearly what some of my friends and colleagues get through! But I thought I'd share anyway!

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey) has a great story and some awesome characters. There were a lot of times where I could not stop smiling while reading. The characters, descriptions, and plot are all so vivid and real. I also really love how it's set in the Pacific Northwest. I really need to read Sometimes a Great Notion sometime.
• Child of God (Cormac McCarthy) was very strange and upsetting. Gotta say...I'm really not a fan of reading detailed accounts of necrophilia. Forced myself to finish it since it was so short and quick to read. It was disappointing to be perfectly honest...I was a huge fan of The Road and No Country for Old Men. Too bad, really.
• Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity and the Things We've Made Up (Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle) was an interesting read for me. Anybody who's talked to me in the past few months about Christianity can attest to the fact that I've been pretty intrigued by Rob Bell, an evangelical pastor who's been very controversial in the Christian community. Chan and Sprinkle's book is a very good response to Bell's Love Wins. The best part about it, in my opinion, is how respectful the two authors are to other points of view. In reference to the existence of Hell, Chan and Preston claim that "we can't be wrong on this one." And they're right. An important discussion to be had, for sure.
• The Gunslinger (Stephen King) is the first volume in a very long and excellent series called The Dark Tower. I've read the first three books, but it's been at least eight years since I've picked a Dark Tower book up. Thought I'd give myself a refresher. The writing style takes some getting used to, but this is darn fine storytelling!
• American Gods (Neil Gaiman) is the book I am currently reading. It's very strange and I'm not sure exactly what's happening yet, but it is so freakin cool...I just don't know what else to say!

So...school starts in two weeks. I'm aiming to finish American Gods somewhat soon-ish. And I have a good list going for what should come next. I'm thinking about Maus by Art Spiegelman, Silence by Shusaku Endo, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell & Don Golden. Hopefully I can get through some great reading before things get too crazy at Beach this year!

the little things

For the past year or so I've been really into working out and getting in shape. My favorite way to do this has been by running the treadmill at the gym. I did this fairly frequently. However, as the end of the past school year approached, I became very stressed and tired. Essentially, I quit and never really picked it back up.

After I returned from my honeymoon in Maui, I decided to start back up again. I live in a wonderful part of Seattle, and really enjoy running around my neighborhood. While it isn't something I am incredibly excited for all the time, I find it soothing.

Tonight's run was very special for me. A few random things stood out to me in a profound way.

-I started running uphill...decided to take it too fast...that set the tone for the night's run. I proceeded to run the hardest I have in a while.

-As I ran by the park, there were three kids (middle school?) hanging out nearby. They randomly called out to me..."Hey runner!" and "Keep on running!" So silly, but pretty cool nonetheless.

-I ended up running by a block party where a live band was playing the blues. There were probably about fifteen people gathered around them, surrounded by music and twilight. Strangely beautiful.

The end of the run was somewhat brutal. I wanted to quit...but I was fueled by the idea that I needed to finish what I started. Ended my run in a sprint. In the last few minutes I kept praising God for the little things that make their way into each of our lives. It was a wonderful experience and I am thankful for it.