Today I am... Listening to: Mumford & Sons: because it fires me up, and I have a lot of dishes to do. Steven Courtney: because we got his latest album for the kids and it's great. Ben Rector: because all that melody and piano and awesome voice lifts my spirits.

Reading: Room, by Emma Donoghue - The point of view is fascinating. I remain in awe of people who write good fiction. The ability to create characters, but not control them; to write them while getting to know them. The author's ability to create story lines, (small and large), and tell them fluently in a voice that's not their own. Whoa. (I just finished the last Harry Potter [intense!], so this awe of fiction is recently renewed.)

When I Was a Child I Read Books, by Marilynne Robinson - Okay, I haven't actually started it. But I'm carrying it around the house, looking at it, and reading the back jacket. I read this review and it pumped me up. I'm excited to dive into essays like "Open Thy Hand Wide" by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose "mission is to recover the grandeur of the desiccated tradition known as liberal Protestantism." YES. PLEASE.

Snacking on: Pears & coffee.

Thinking about: Growing out my hair. I'm definitely going to do it. Maybe... In the meantime little braid is helping me out with the "in between" phase.

Sam: Is crawling everywhere, ingesting paper, dust bunnies and whatever else he can get his hands on, and setting Guinness World Records for drool - then breaking them.

Madeline: Is at the zoo with her class. God have mercy on that teacher's soul; Ms. Weaver, may the force be with you.

Writing (Upcoming Posts): "The Dirty Christian Word" and "Observations on Going Viral"

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