Currently Reading White Teeth: A Novel By Zadie Smith see related

Well, I'll go ahead and start this xanga update with a bang...I was discharged, oh forget the pretense, I was fired from my job at Books A Million on Monday. Lots of fun, interesting details that I'll get into later...anyhow, I don't say that to receive pity, on the contrary, God has taught me so much about loving Him and trusting Him because of it. Don't get caught up in the petty stuff of life, look for all avenues (no matter how frustrating or narrow) in which to praise the Creator of all things. He is worth all of our time and attention, and strangely enough, I feel closer to Him now that I don't have a job and have to rely on His providence for rent and grocery money, which at the current time, is seeming to work out beautifully. Matthew 6 is an excellent chapter for nurturing such insanity and seeking humility through it all.

On the upsides, I am reading some poetry in Asheville tommorow night, so if anyone is interested, holla. Bon Jovi rocked the Nashville house last week, and I am still a little deaf, but hopefully that will clear away soon, my family at The Rock is a godsend that makes my day brighter just by thinking about them, and I want to give some of that back to them. Received a hard-earned B on my essay in Teaching Writing and Theory, Risa's making my dress for Holly's wedding, the girls at the house and I are headed towards Ole' Miss for spring break, and I graduate in less than 3 months!!!!!! Well, a French exam beckons and I'll update a bit more about the week later...luv ya all

Nina

Currently Reading The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing By Michael Harvey see related

410 on the GRE analytical and verbal scores...not hideous, but a little lackluster. Hopefully, the writing scores will boost the juice up a bit. The drive down to Knoxville was a wonder of time with God, nothing but His spirit and the oldies and pop hit radio stations (I bet He smiles every time I miss that note on Whitney's bridge for "I Will Always Love You"). I seriously, seriously reccommend (did I even spell that right? my brain is on lexicon shutdown after Monday) a voyage with Him. Make time for it. It's really hard to approach the Father when we're not used to leaving behind our religious jargon, but once we do it there's endless hunger to do it again. He's the best road trip companion, even though there are some who follow a close second (Leslie and I rocking our rendition of "Right Here Waiting" by the Marx coming from Asheville).

O.K, frustrating that I'm on the LifeWay bandwagon again, but "Captivating" strikes me as a brilliant, insightful glimpse into the inner workings of a woman's heart. It's easy to see the three things that all (or maybe most, but in my opinion all) women desire: to be romanced (by Christ, not another man), to have an irreplaceable role in a grand adventure, and to unveill beauty (inner, not merely outer). I'm learning to dive into moments of completion and beautification from the Son of God, not from anyone else (which is such a counter message in today's culture) and each day becomes an adventure in this mindset. The endless search for validation is in Him, no one else. Ahhhh...makes you breathe easier, doesn't it?

In randomness, I had another epic of a dream: I bought a Pomeranian, entered him into a dog show, and pranced him around for all the world to see. I don't remember what I named him, but he had a bandana tied around his head and was chewing spitting tobacco. The judges looked at him and burst into applause, then told us to leave the premesis. When we did, I took the nameless dog to a cafe and met an Irishman who told me that my destiny was to go to Mars and form a colony of renegade writers  Although the Irishman looked very much like Kanye West, I was very weirded out by this reverie. Is it time for some meds? Oh well,

Love, Hugs, No Drugs,

Nina

Currently Watching Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) see related

Quotes of The Week:

"My boyfriend takes caffeine pills...but he loves Jesus."

"God is great, but you can't have sex with God."

"There's just something not right about your face."

"You can have France. Nobody wants France."

Currently Listening candycoatedwaterdrops By Plumb see related

I found this in "Captivating" last night:

"You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free."- Tom Petty

Females in today's society become loaded down with so much crap (guys do, as well, I'm not shaming them by any means), that it's extremely difficult to realize what our value and occupation in life should really be. That woman that Tom Petty is praising lives. Her love is the one who created her, the one that knows her best. She is taking any risk she can get her hand on. She knows how to love and to die. I ask that if you're a female, you recognize your worth to the Father by remembering how He construted and is constructing your life. Our ultimate goal is Him, and that's mind-blowing! Guys, tell a mom or a sister or a girlfriend that you care today. That's my box for this afternoon.

Feedback on this poem (which I consider a work in progress) would be appreciated:

"Dipsomania"

Something bordering art slips from the flask:

pure, immutable water

with dizzying spectrums of light,

with plans to purify everything,

with quenching abilities,

with prehistorical tales of healing,

with cleansing of rose and birch

and wing and cheek.

The grand liquid, the water,

whose very name speaks of the

crashing "water" fall, decimating

the puddle of "liquid" is a convoluted

religious temple.

It knows the steady washing

of small, muddied embankments,

whose clay and filth have escaped

its wringing of crystal purity,

by pristine deconstruction of the beautiful,

by sullied waters untamed,

by dirty rain and saline deposit,

magic of earth and sea.

Something else drips magic from this

stone-fired flask:

concentrated, burning wine

with fevered beauty,

with spectral madness to deepen

the light and make it stronger,

with dances of violent love,

with memoir in shapes of brokenness,

with veins in fragmented gardens

and creatures.

The splattered wine, the poor man's

desire, reeks of death and euphoria,

mystery and sadness, insanity

and the unknown lover.

Sharp and dripping dangerous,

unkempt light, it carves

a vicious path, kneading

and killing the drinker

with confectioned liberty and a taste

of power and of blood-red liquid that destroys

and awakens a life.

Don't be afraid to say how much it sucks or how little you think of it.  The audience is there for a reason....

Love, Hugs, No Drugs,

Nina