Showing posts with label memes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memes. Show all posts

10.28.2010

15 Books

A Facebook friend (who is also a friend in real life but one I sadly don't get to see very often) tagged me on a note where she listed 15 books that have had an impact on her. She challenged me to do the same so here goes. The rules are to think of 15 books (in less than 15 minutes) that will always stick with you. So here goes, in no particular order.

1. Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Leguin
2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick
4. Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
5. Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
6. Inner Voice of Love by Henri Nouwen
7. The Stream and the Sapphire by Denise Levertov
8. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
9. Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Attwood
10. Psalms for Praying by Nan C. Merrill
11. Peace Pays a Price by Dorothy Vidulich, CSJP
12. Living Peace by John Dear
13. In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
14. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
15. The Raft is Not the Shore by Daniel Berrigan and Thich Nhat Hanh

What are your 15?

12.31.2008

2008 in Review

2008 has just 14 hours left in its lifespan. The old adage is certainly true ... time does speed up as you get older. I thought it might be a useful exercise to list my "Personal Top Ten" of 2008. Feel free to play along in the comments or on your own blog. If you play on your blog, please leave a comment so we know you played.

Top Ten Happenings in the life of Susan Rose, CSJP - 2008
in no particular order

  1. Professing my first vows as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace
    (ok, maybe this is in its proper order at number one)
  2. Having my entire immediate family together and good friends present for my vows celebration
  3. Reconnecting with good friends in Portland now that I'm only 4 hours away
  4. Finding a ministry that is life-giving, energizing, difference-making, and a good fit
  5. Living at St. Mary-on-the-Lake amongst the trees and wise elders
  6. Spending a week at the United Nations Sustainability Conference
  7. My 3 month stay in Jersey City with some wonderfullly fun Sisters
  8. Participating in our General Congregation Chapter
  9. Finishing the Novitiate
  10. Hope that our nation may become the more perfect union long promised and often wished for

12.22.2008

Have and haven't

I found this on one of my regular blogstops and thought I'd play!

Have Done
Haven’t done

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland/Disney World
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing/repelling
Seen Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted/sketched
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Read an entire book in one day.
Fallen in Love
Lived next to a National monument
Met the founder of a non profit organization
Written a children’s book
Attended a Vatican recognized school
Know who Rosie the Riveter is
Seen the Atlantic & Pacific oceans
Crossed the Canadian boarder just to play in the snow
Gotten caught in a downpour and had fun doing it
Spent a holiday away from family
Seen a Broadway play
Believe Romeo & Juliet is not a story of true love

12.08.2008

Odd Shots: Gingerbread Edition

I stumbled upon a very creative Gingerbread House contest in Bellingham, WA on Friday. This was one of the prize winners, and deservedly so.


As the sign says, it is a Wookie House on the planet Kashyyyk.


And here is a Wookie!

In candy and gingerbread!

Amazing.

(For more info on Odd Shots Monday visit here)

9.08.2008

Odd Shots Monday: To Climb or Not to Climb

I've never been one for tree climbing, so when I saw this sign at Topsmead State Forest in Connecticut last month, I wasn't fazed. It's enough for me to simply enjoy the company of my arboreal friends.

That's not the odd shot. The odd shot is this conversation on the comments and suggestion board at the park.


It's a little hard to read the handwriting in the photo, so I'll transcribe it below:

Comment: Yah-Hoo! Let us climb trees!! bye

Response: The trees are old and tired. Many have rotted limbs. For your safety - please stay out of trees!

Click here to learn more about odd shots.

8.29.2008

Labor Day Friday Five

I CANNOT believe it's already Labor Day Weekend! So, to help me get my head around that reality, I thought I'd play the Revgalblogpal Labor Day Themed Friday Five. Here goes ...

1. Tell us about the worst job you ever had.
Hmmm.... this is a hard one. I think the winner would be my periodic late night (or all night) stints doing inventory control. This was a random summer job a friend of mine talked me into the first summer I stayed in Portland back in my college days. Basically you go into a store late at night, after it's closed and count stuff. All night long. .... Oh, wait! I have an even worse job! It was another temp job I had during the summer in college. Again, a night job which involved lots of coffee to stay awake. The job? Stuffing pencils into junk mail envelopes. Honestly!

2. Tell us about the best job you ever had. Hmmm..... again, a hard one, but I'd probably have to say my 11 year stint as a bureaucrat at the City. As much as I complained about it, and as much as I was ready to leave by the end, working in City Hall was how I grew up. I learned how to do cool things on computers. I learned how to create and manage programs. I learned how to give presentations and talk to the media and general public. And I worked with a great group of people who knew how to have fun.

3. Tell us what you would do if you could do absolutely anything (employment related) with no financial or other restrictions. Well, this would be why I went the whole religious life route, wouldn't it?? :) ... In all honesty, if there were no restrictions at all, I'd want to spend some time doing justice and peace advocacy work. Oh yeah, that's what I get to start doing on September 8th!

4. Did you get a break from labor this summer? If so, what was it and if not, what are you gonna do about it? Yes. Summer was busy with our Congregation Chapter and the old sort/purge/packing project in preparation for my move on Tuesday back to Seattle. But I did manage to end the summer with one week of retreat and one week of vacation. Did I mention the weather was GLORIOUS for both?

5. What will change regarding your work as summer morphs into fall? Are you anticipating or dreading? Anticipating! To be honest I don't know much about the ministry situation that awaits me a week from Monday. I do know that the organization and staff have a terrific reputation and I've always been impressed by their work. Hence, I am honored and excited to be a part of it! I will feel better though once I've actually seen the place, spent some time with the people, and have more of a feel for what lies ahead.

8.25.2008

Return of Odd Shots: The Pensive Tomato


While I was on retreat, I followed the progress of some garden tomatoes that had been picked and were ripening in the sun. I took quite a few pictures of them, including this odd shot, as I checked in on them each day. This particular tomato had a lot of personality … I like to think that in this picture he is pondering what it would be like to live in the big white farmhouse.

By the end of the week, I’d gotten quite attached to my friends, the tomatoes. So, imagine my mixed emotions when at the end of the salad bar on Friday night I saw a huge platter of sliced tomatoes with a note … “Grown in our garden.” (By the way … they were quite delicious!)

Click here to learn about Odd Shots.

7.25.2008

Friday Five: What You Absolutely, Positively Can't Leave Home Without

After an early birthday breakfast with my house (our Chapter starts on my birthday Sunday so we're celebrating today), I have a busy day planned with packing - both for the two weeks I'll be at Chapter and of course for the move. With this in mind I checked to see what the RevGalBlogPal Friday Five was this week, only to find:
We will be at a chaplain's convention when you all are answering the Friday Five Questions. I'll look forward to reading your answers next week when I get home. At the moment we are trying to get the car loaded so we can hit the road, so this will be a simple F.F. This running around madly in order to leave has me wondering: what are the five things you simply must have when you are away from home? And why? Any history or goofy things, or stories?
Perfect, so here goes ....

1. We're driving rather than flying this time, but when flying I now must have essentials such as underwear, meds, toiletries, clothes, etc... in my carryon. This was reinforced after my trip to El Salvador last summer when I arrived on Saturday and my suitcase arrived 5 days later!

2. My computer - even if there's no wifi connection, I'm now in the habit of writing on the laptop. I used to journal in actual journals with something called a pen. I now journal on my computer. I'm quite honestly not sure how I feel about that development, but there you have it.

3. Books -I always pack too many, but I'm getting better about that. Something light/fun, something serious, and something spiritual at a bare minimum.

4. Shoes - I always pack too many, but I'm getting better about that too! My feet are rather large, and so are my shoes, so it can be problematic.

5. Alarm Clock - I know, how predictable and unexciting. But even if I'm staying somewhere that has an alarm clock, I don't trust them. Or more accurately, I don't trust myself to set it correctly. I'm notoriously bad at that even with my own clock!

6.06.2008

RevGalBlogPal Friday Five with a View

It's been a while since I've played the RevGalBlogPal Friday Five, so here goes ...

1. How important is the "big picture" to you, do you need a glimpse of the possibilities or are you a details person?

This is such an interesting Friday Five, because this morning during morning mass I found myself contemplating the idea of vision, and especially the vision needed to be a leader. I was thinking that the "great leaders" were able to think big, to glimpse the possibilities. But they also had room for how to get there and invited other people to participate in both the vision and the details. Most important, I think, is that instinctively they knew not to get so lost in the vision that they missed out on the human bits. At the same time, they realized that the vision is bigger than us. God's the master dreamer.

2. If the big picture is important to you how do you hold onto it in the nitty gritty details of life?

I'd say I'm a big picture person, but my brain is also always thinking of the details of how you get there. I get lost in the details sometimes, or rather I get "married" to "my" details or "my vision" of the big picture. So for me, the key is to hold the two in balance as well as to remind myself to remain open to other possibilities and broader participation. This is something I'm working on, and most likely will be working on my entire life!

3. Name a book, poem, psalm, piece of music that transports to to another dimension ( one....what am I thinking....)

A scripture quote isn't one of the options, but this one comes to mind: "For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late." (Habakuk 2:3)

It reminds me that whatever vision I, or the community I'm a part of, might have, really it's God's vision and God's time that matters. We're just part of how that all unfolds.

Which reminds me of this quote I came across the other day from Dom Helder Camera: "When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is a beginning of reality."

(So I cheated and had two!)

4.Thinking of physical views, is there somewhere that inspires you, somewhere that you breathe more easily?

Forests. Me alone, on a trail, surrounded by tall trees up above and lush green mossy things on the ground. Birds chirping, little (non-scary) creatures going about their daily tasks. A little bit of blue sky peaking through the tree canopy. Breathe deeply, take in the smell, breathe out slowly. Aaahhh....

5. A picture opportunity... post one if you can ( or a link to one!)


(Taken on the grounds of west coast groovy sister hq)

4.21.2008

Odd Shots Monday - Jubilee Edition

At our Jubilee celebration this weekend, the auditorium was decorated with wonderful little wall hangings reflecting the life and ministry of each Sister. Sr. Anne was a nurse her entire career. In fact, she was once selected nurse of the year! When I took this picture of her wall hanging, the light was coming in through the window. It's almost like she has a halo! :)



(Rules for Odd Shots Monday can be found at Katney's place.)

3.24.2008

Odd Shots Monday hula edition

Continuing my Odd Shots street sign series .... I took this photo on the road just across from west coast groovy sister hq last week.

(To read the rules for Odd Shots Monday visit my bloggy friend Katney)

3.10.2008

Monday Odd Shots

It's Monday morning. I should be at work - in fact I was at work. But the building where I have my ministry on Monday's was evacuated for a bit. Since I live right around the corner, I came home for a coffee break. Which means I have time to post my contribution to Odd Shots Monday! (rules are here.)

I took this picture just around another corner from my humble jersey city abode. The two signs are actually placed one in front of the other, but from this angle it looks like they're almost next to each other. Read that way, it seems like a political message from the anti development crowd!

2.25.2008

odd shots: angels table

It's Monday, which means it's time for Odd Shots (rules are here) ...
This one was taken a few years ago on retreat in Mt. Angel, Oregon. (This is a picture from the town of Mt. Angel - NOT the retreat house!)

2.18.2008

odd shots


It's Monday, which means it's time for Odd Shots (rules are here) ...

The picture is from when I was staying at the Buckden Towers retreat house in Cambridgeshire last fall ... I was trying to take a picture of a sunrise. Don't know what happened, but it's kind of cool!

Today is my last day of "freedom" before I start work at my ministry tomorrow. I'm planning to take the day pretty easy (and baking brownies in honor of President's Day!).

2.10.2008

Odd Shots

Bloggy friend Katney is starting a new meme ... "Odd Shots Monday".
An odd shot could be something very ordinary taken at an odd angle that makes it a really cool picture. It could be an odd combination of things that make you laugh. It could be an unusual occurrence or sight. It could be any photo that defies categories or themes for other memes. There may be other definitions, so this rule is open ended.
Read all of the rules here.

Here's my contribution ....


(And for the record, I have a very busy monday so I posted this early on Sunday evening!)

2.08.2008

Lenten Revgalblogpal Friday Five

As you might expect, this week's Friday Five has a Lenten Theme:

1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?
We were invited to a Mardi Gras party (which was actually on Super Bowl Sunday). On Mardi Gras proper I said at breakfast that I'd love pancakes for "Fat Tuesday," and by the power of suggestion one of my housemates made some quite delicious pancakes for us! Ash Wednesday I went to liturgy in the morning (where I received my ashes) and spent the rest of the day in our integration/prayer experience.

2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?
My most "memorable" Lent was probably the one after my mom died. Somehow walking the journey of suffering with her made the whole season more real and powerful to me.

3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it?
We always gave things up ... we're Catholic. No meat on Ash Wednesday or Fridays as well. I don't know that I ever really considered it a time for prayer until I returned to the church in my late 20's. A friend of mine told me that she always took Ash Wednesday and Good Friday off from work and spent the day in contemplation. I started doing that and it opened up a whole new perspective on Lent (and the spiritual life) for me.

4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?
Somewhere in between. One year I gave up swearing for Lent. Things weren't going so well, so I started fining myself for each bad word and bought food for our food pantry. Let's just say the poor in our parish were well fed that Lent! ;) ... Of course now I look back and realize I'm glad I went through that experience. In my current line of work my former potty mouth would be a liability! That's a funny (if true) story, but really I think it's important to prayerfully consider how you might be transformed during the season of Lent. It gives us an opportunity to be intentional about our relationship with God. Sometimes through outward ways, sometimes through inner, sometimes through both. It's the intention that's important I think.

5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?
I'm focusing on de-cluttering my life - both spiritual and physical. In one of the reflection books I'm using for Lent (that was actually a door prize at the Mardi Gras party) I read these words today: "there is something about experiencing our imperfections that can make room for the divine in our lives." Making room ... that's what I'm about this Lent. This probably sounds strange coming from a member of a religious community, but I think I need to let go of some of my reasons for "why" I can't be close to God.

1.26.2008

tagged

I've been tagged by the Ironic Catholic.

Rules: Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

The Book: Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity by the International Congress on Consecrated Life.

Page 123 is well into the footnotes for an article entitled "Seekers of Wells and Roads: Two Icons for a Samartian Consecrated Life" by Dolores Aleixandre, RSCJ. It's telling a story told by Thomas Merton.
"The monk who accompanied him wanted to bring a caravan of about twenty-five yaks loaded with all kinds of provisions. The Dalai Lama said to him, "We won't be able to take all those yaks with us; we'll have to wade and swim across rivers and we need to travel light." The monk replied, "We have to take them; we have to eat."
That was actually quite fun (if random) and makes me want to read that particular article!

I don't usually tag, but if you happen to be reading this and are so inclined, please play on your blog and let me know in the comments! Or, if you don't have a blog or feel like putting it on your blog, feel free to play IN the comments!

1.11.2008

First pop tarts, then me

I've got some more meaningful posts in the works (i.e. rolling around in my head), but in the meantime I give you my answers to this week's Birthday themed Revgalblogpal Friday Five.

1. When is your birthday? Does anyone else (famous and/or in your own life) share it?
July 27. My grandmother (father's mother) was born on that day. Likewise the mother of two good friends of mine (they're sisters). I apparently share the birthday with Juliana Hatfield (of Blake Babies fame), Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (of Velvet Goldmine fame) and Pete Yorn (of Pete Yorn fame - he's a singer song writer). Also, according to Wikipedia the Pop Tart is one year older than me.

2. Do you prefer a big party or an intimate celebration for the chosen few?
I prefer to spend the day with a few friends. I've also been known to enjoy a day (or at least part of the day) on my own. Call me an introvert! For example, last year I took myself out to see the Simpsons movie which was released on my birthday ... after an enjoyable breakfast out with my novitiate housemates.

3. Describe your most memorable birthday(s)--good, bad, or both.
Growing up my birthdays were always a disappointment. End of July + Washington DC = Muggy Weather and Everyone on Vacation. Sometimes we were even on vacation. As a result, I never really had a birthday party. In my late 20's I decided to relive the childhood birthdays I never experienced. The best was my 29th Birthday when I made my friends go with me to Chuck E Cheese for a rousing round of Skee Ball, pizza and beer. (The beer must be there for the parents.)

4. What is your favorite cake and ice cream? (Bonus points if you share the cake recipe). Or would you rather have a different treat altogether?
With a summer birthday, an ice cream cake is always a favorite.

5. Surprise parties: love 'em or hate 'em?
In theory I love them, but in reality I'd rather know that the party was being thrown. We always had "surprise" parties at work. But after 11 years, you always knew that when you were called to the conference room for a "meeting" on your birthday, it meant coffee cake, a balloon and an out of tune Happy Birthday.

Bonus: Describe your ideal birthday--the sky's the limit.
Going out to a movie with friends - my choice combined with Sushi at Todai in Portland (it's free on your birthday). Although Skee Ball at Chuck E Cheese was pretty fun!

12.21.2007

eight things

Sr. Nicole has tagged me for the Eight Random things about me meme. This time around, it was apparently started by someone on December 8th as the "Immaculate Conception" meme. I've answered similar meme's before, but figured I'd give those interested another peek into my randomness, or at least 8 random facts worth! ;)
  1. I like grocery shopping. I really like grocery shopping. It's been great having a large house to go shopping for, because that way you get a list and don't feel extravagant for walking through each and every aisle in the store. It's a necessity - otherwise you can't find what you're looking for!
  2. My brother & sister made me pretend that I believed in you know who at Christmas time for a few years after I learned the truth. They were worried that our present quotient would decrease if Mom & Dad knew that I knew that you know who wasn't real.
  3. I love to play card games, but I can never remember the rules to any game!
  4. I have very poor motor skills and hand eye coordination. As a result, from 1st to 4th grade I had to join the special ed class in elementary school for an hour of exercises. I was in advanced reading and special ed at the same time! I also missed religion class once a week to attend the special ed classes .... hmmm....
  5. I spent my early childhood stuffing envelopes with campaign literature and going door to door asking people to vote for my Dad (he was a local elected official).
  6. I always wanted to be a bureaucrat (government worker) when I grew up. Until of course I was a bureaucrat for 11 years or so, when I realized I wanted to be a nun instead!
  7. I used to strike out at tee ball (see #4 above).
  8. I own my own bowling shoes, and yet I never get to go bowling! Although I am a horrible bowler truth be told (see #4), and my shoes are in storage in Portland.
If you feel so inclined as to play this little meme, consider yourself tagged to do so on your blog or in the comments!

Also, please do visit Nicole's blog. She's another 2nd year Novice - with the Marianist Sisters.