Amanda's Adventures and New Product Reviews

The Weight of Glory arrived at the library tonight and I went to go pick it up. I could scarcely wait to read it.   So, I made it a few people pages before I had to run and blog. C.S. Lewis thinks about so much and is so eloquent. He can put things to words I've never been able to express.   "If our religion is something objective, then we must never avert our eyes from those elements in it which seem puzzling or repellent; for it will be precisely the puzzling, or the repellent which concepts what we do not yet know and need to know."   He's talking about those feelings we have, that are at the heart, longing for heaven.   "These things---the beauty---the memory of our own past---are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the things themselves, they are only the scent of the flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we ha

The Weight of Glory arrived at the library tonight and I went to go pick it up. I could scarcely wait to read it.   So, I made it a few people pages before I had to run and blog. C.S. Lewis thinks about so much and is so eloquent. He can put things to words I've never been able to express.   "If our religion is something objective, then we must never avert our eyes from those elements in it which seem puzzling or repellent; for it will be precisely the puzzling, or the repellent which concepts what we do not yet know and need to know."   He's talking about those feelings we have, that are at the heart, longing for heaven.   "These things---the beauty---the memory of our own past---are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the things themselves, they are only the scent of the flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we ha

So, I am one of the few thousand people beta testing Hulu...and really, it is amazing. I think I need to spend a lot of time at this site. There's clips from some old shows and all of the current shows on Fox & NBC. It even has some movies from Universal. I am so watching the Blues Brothers this weekend. Here's the clip that started it all (on YouTube)

So, I am one of the few thousand people beta testing Hulu...and really, it is amazing. I think I need to spend a lot of time at this site. There's clips from some old shows and all of the current shows on Fox & NBC. It even has some movies from Universal. I am so watching the Blues Brothers this weekend. Here's the clip that started it all (on YouTube)

This weekend, I (re) read most of The Confessions from St. Augustine. For centuries, readers, critics, foes, fans, etc. have struggled with its form. It’s not a straight biography, nor is it straight theology. What struck me is how much his writing sounds like a blog (at least the ones my intelligent, godly friends are working on). The introduction called it a prose poem written to God with restless Christians who might overhear. Brilliant! That is exactly the tone that blog posts take.

This weekend, I (re) read most of The Confessions from St. Augustine. For centuries, readers, critics, foes, fans, etc. have struggled with its form. It’s not a straight biography, nor is it straight theology. What struck me is how much his writing sounds like a blog (at least the ones my intelligent, godly friends are working on). The introduction called it a prose poem written to God with restless Christians who might overhear. Brilliant! That is exactly the tone that blog posts take.

“What ever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness and equality Instead of spreading love, we’re spreading animosity Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feeling under That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feeling down It’s no wonder why sometimes I’m feeling under I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found.” The Black Eyed Peas, 2003 “ This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a yea

“What ever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness and equality Instead of spreading love, we’re spreading animosity Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feeling under That’s the reason why sometimes I’m feeling down It’s no wonder why sometimes I’m feeling under I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found.” The Black Eyed Peas, 2003 “ This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a yea

I'm digging these tunes this afternoon. (Yes...I'm well aware that Pete Townsend is part of The Who) SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search

I'm digging these tunes this afternoon. (Yes...I'm well aware that Pete Townsend is part of The Who) SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search

What a fascinating subject...We've been talking about accents at work, and I've been thinking about it every since. I've been reading about the Inland North Accent and it fits me to a T... What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." The Northeast   Philadelphia   The South   The Midland   North Central   The West   Boston   What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

What a fascinating subject...We've been talking about accents at work, and I've been thinking about it every since. I've been reading about the Inland North Accent and it fits me to a T... What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." The Northeast   Philadelphia   The South   The Midland   North Central   The West   Boston   What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

When one has less than 20 channels, it’s amazing what gets watched. Last night, I was entranced by something on book TV (yes on C-Span). It was a fascinating discussion about two books: God’s Harvard by Hannah Rosen and D. Michael Lindsay's "Faith in the halls of Power". Here’s what C-Span has to say about it at http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8772&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No: D. Michael Lindsay interviewed over 100 evangelical Christian men and women in the field of business, politics and entertainment and explores their ascendancy in their respective fields.  Hanna Rosin profiles Patrick Henry College, an evangelical school that considers itself the Christian equal to the Ivy League.  D. Michael Lindsay and Hanna Rosin discuss their books at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in Washington, DC. Wow! I was blown away by this discussion. Frankly, it was really encouraging that such a respectful and open discussion was on TV. It was not diss

When one has less than 20 channels, it’s amazing what gets watched. Last night, I was entranced by something on book TV (yes on C-Span). It was a fascinating discussion about two books: God’s Harvard by Hannah Rosen and D. Michael Lindsay's "Faith in the halls of Power". Here’s what C-Span has to say about it at http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8772&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No: D. Michael Lindsay interviewed over 100 evangelical Christian men and women in the field of business, politics and entertainment and explores their ascendancy in their respective fields.  Hanna Rosin profiles Patrick Henry College, an evangelical school that considers itself the Christian equal to the Ivy League.  D. Michael Lindsay and Hanna Rosin discuss their books at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in Washington, DC. Wow! I was blown away by this discussion. Frankly, it was really encouraging that such a respectful and open discussion was on TV. It was not diss

Underpants. Nothing else comes close.

Underpants. Nothing else comes close.

No captions, just photos

No captions, just photos

It's Friday afternoon... a good time to post those pictures from the reunion. I can't believe it was 90 degrees in October! My mom made this tablerunner: Uncle Max & Aunt Eunice: They were talking away and telling jokes to each other...I'm not sure I've seen two happier people! Well, the uploader isn't working now, so I will do more later.

It's Friday afternoon... a good time to post those pictures from the reunion. I can't believe it was 90 degrees in October! My mom made this tablerunner: Uncle Max & Aunt Eunice: They were talking away and telling jokes to each other...I'm not sure I've seen two happier people! Well, the uploader isn't working now, so I will do more later.

The kitties have been really wonderful lately. Henry has really grown up; he’s well-behaved and is still sweet. Charlie’s finally returning to his old self. Henry really took a shine to my Mom. He sure wanted lots of attention...and that’s what he wanted. Here are a few pictures of the little guys.

The kitties have been really wonderful lately. Henry has really grown up; he’s well-behaved and is still sweet. Charlie’s finally returning to his old self. Henry really took a shine to my Mom. He sure wanted lots of attention...and that’s what he wanted. Here are a few pictures of the little guys.

Each day, Whitney Matheson from USA Today profiles a reader. Today, it was my turn! http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2007/10/pop-forum-tal-5.html I was so excited by all of the nice comments the other readers gave. They're really nice. Here are some images of the exciting post (coming soon. They're slow to upload).

Each day, Whitney Matheson from USA Today profiles a reader. Today, it was my turn! http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2007/10/pop-forum-tal-5.html I was so excited by all of the nice comments the other readers gave. They're really nice. Here are some images of the exciting post (coming soon. They're slow to upload).

Hello! This weekend was something else! I went to Michigan City and saw 39 of my family members. The descendants of my great grandparents, Courtney and Grace Smith, got together at a beach house in Michigan City. There were three generations there...(There are four generations now, but none of the kids were there). There were all of my grandma's siblings and the surviving spouses: Grant and Frances Danny Dave and Jo Marguerite Max and Eunice June Annie Mae and Granny And there were lots of kids there. Grant's son Mike and his wife Dave and Jo's daughter Debbie and her husband Terry Marguerite's son Louie and his wife Cindy Max and Eunice's daughters Ruby and Rosie Annie Mae's daughters Evie, Kristen, Lois, and Delight, and her son Mark. Sharon is someone's partner, but I didn't catch whose. And My mom, Loretta, and Aunt Linda, Granny's daughters (Uncle Jim came too) And from the third generation: Me! Amber and Adam Kari, Kristen's daughter Jake,

Hello! This weekend was something else! I went to Michigan City and saw 39 of my family members. The descendants of my great grandparents, Courtney and Grace Smith, got together at a beach house in Michigan City. There were three generations there...(There are four generations now, but none of the kids were there). There were all of my grandma's siblings and the surviving spouses: Grant and Frances Danny Dave and Jo Marguerite Max and Eunice June Annie Mae and Granny And there were lots of kids there. Grant's son Mike and his wife Dave and Jo's daughter Debbie and her husband Terry Marguerite's son Louie and his wife Cindy Max and Eunice's daughters Ruby and Rosie Annie Mae's daughters Evie, Kristen, Lois, and Delight, and her son Mark. Sharon is someone's partner, but I didn't catch whose. And My mom, Loretta, and Aunt Linda, Granny's daughters (Uncle Jim came too) And from the third generation: Me! Amber and Adam Kari, Kristen's daughter Jake,