200 Books » Husbands are Very Important http://www.200books.com The Nerdy, Wordy, Reading Life Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Typee http://www.200books.com/2009/05/14/typee/ http://www.200books.com/2009/05/14/typee/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 15:09:58 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/?p=681 I read Moby Dick all the way through for the first time last year and was glad to have finally set myself to enjoy Melville’s work. It takes a little more discipline than most novels or adventure stories but is well worth it!

A few weeks ago, I decided to pick up Typee which I own in a nice slipcase edition. It is a fictionalized account of Melville’s own experiences among the Typee people and I find it fascinating that his own life contained such interesting, risky, and exciting adventures. The book was thoroughly enjoyable, easy to read and full of interesting anthropological sidelights. Highly recommended!

The following picture illustrates what happens when the mom is a bookish sort who likes to get away of an evening for a little quiet reading and writing and dad makes and serves dinner…

nakeddinner

Yep. Naked babies. Eating spaghetti. From the pot. On the patio. Sigh…

]]> http://www.200books.com/2009/05/14/typee/feed/ 5 The Mind of the Maker http://www.200books.com/2009/02/17/the-mind-of-the-maker/ http://www.200books.com/2009/02/17/the-mind-of-the-maker/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:50:42 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/?p=624 Dorothy Sayers’ The Mind of the Maker is brilliant and, as far as I know, unprecedented. To look at and try to concieve of the character of God by examining the nature of the artist provides not only startling insight but great motivation to work harder and better. Sayers deftly handles such essentially complex ideas as the relationship between the Father, Son and Spirit and the creative components of Idea, Energy and Power. Her analysis is terrifying as it is challenging. Must I really do and deal with all of that to create well? This book will be quite useful to believbers and artists and especially Christians who happen to be artists. It is beyond inspiring.

I’ve been busy with many things this last week. Jared is ready to launch his new furniture line (Check it out HERE) and I’ve been doing all the writing for him, taking pictures for him, and helping him finalize ideas and decisions. We’ll be having a launch party a week from Friday to celebrate and at the party all the prototypes he built will be available at silent auction. They are the pieces he photographed for the website so what you see there is what you get if you win. And speaking of photographs, our friend Ted took some amazing pictures for the website and the brochure (coming soon) and they will be replacing the mediocre snaps up now.

I also sent in Chapter One of my book on Saturday night. Here’s hoping the editor at WWNorton likes it.

On Sunday night Quinn and I started on her dress. The fabric is LOVELY and very red and I’m nervous every time I cut into it. I might even share pictures if she lets me…

My sweet and lovely children have been lots of work lately but that’s been worth it because last night at the dinner table Alex made us say Grace over the meal six times. He holds out his hands to Jared and I and bows his head and closes his eyes and waits for you to pray. SO CUTE.

I’m going to make scones for the first time ever this morning. My lovely, sweet and pregnant friend is coming over and she was craving them. If they work, I’ll post the recipe here and over at The Complete Woman.

]]> http://www.200books.com/2009/02/17/the-mind-of-the-maker/feed/ 0 Day Three Hundred and Thirty Seven http://www.200books.com/2008/12/04/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-seven/ http://www.200books.com/2008/12/04/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-seven/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:43:19 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/12/04/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-seven/ Yesterday was a tiring and stressful day. Alex had to go to the doctor’s office to get his eyes checked out. He’s been having one cross in a bit and we got worried and made an appointment. Turns out we were right to do so. He has Estropic Strabismus with resultant Amblyopia. His particular case indicates glasses and if they are ineffective, surgery. Now that is not a fun word to hear in reference to your child! Both he and Luc were little angels in the doctor’s office. Two and a half hours and only in the last five minutes did Luc get a little fussy. They played together, were nice to the other kids and were generally adorable. It was still exhausting though, because adorable or not, they are so energetic! Luc ran down the hall about 500 times and I chased him 500 times. He giggled uncontrollably and I managed to be patient even on time number 500. I’m proud of myself for that, but I did break down when we got home. Crying for my poor baby, my tired self and our hungry bellies. Jared ordered in pizza right away and a hot bath helped make it all better…also a bit of old scotch around 10.

So that was my day. Tomorrow, look for my list of books for 2009. Exciting stuff.

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/12/04/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-seven/feed/ 8 Day Three Hundred and Thirty Two http://www.200books.com/2008/11/30/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-two/ http://www.200books.com/2008/11/30/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-two/#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:31:53 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/11/30/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-two/ Friday was a busy and strange day. We spent the morning and early afternoon out at Jared’s shop. We have talked about doing this a couple of times but the circumstances are never just right. Of course most of the time the shop is full of busy men working on building shutters and I’m leary of having to keep track of two toddlers in among running saws and machines and busy dusty guys. I’m also rather fanatical about the boys’s nap time. Any hint of interruption sends me into mama bear mode. Without naps they are cranky and hard to manage, not to mention me. I love that hour or two of peace and quiet; a perfect chance to read. So, spending the day out at the shop means makeshift naps on the floor (uncontained) and around lots of unpredictable and uncontrollable noises.

Despite all of that I threw caution to the wind to get the chance to help Jared a bit and just be with him after the busy holiday. Things worked out pretty well. Both boys loved running around the shop and since all of the crew was taking the day off, they weren’t under any feet but our own. Alex had fun playing with the drill, a hammar, some pliers and the measuring tape. Luc mostly just sat down in big piles of sawdust and tried to eat blocks of wood. We also spent time hanging out in the office where I didn’t get much work done for Jared. Luc slept pretty well in the the overstuffed chair and Alex didn’t sleep at all on the office floor. He did stay fairly quiet and, with frequent admonishments, stayed in his corner. It was a fun day and I think we might try it again in the future. Nap time isn’t a sacred cow…so I think I’ll learn a bit more flexibility.

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/11/30/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-two/feed/ 0 Day Three Hundred and Thirty One http://www.200books.com/2008/11/28/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-one/ http://www.200books.com/2008/11/28/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-one/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:26:48 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/11/28/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-one/ We joined Jared out at his shop today. Thanksgiving was a long tiring day because Luc was really fussy out at my in-laws. For some reason he wouldn’t settle down and it made it hard to relax and enjoy the holiday. So we decided to try spending the day at the shop and see if we could have a little family time while getting work done. I’m supposed to write a newsletter and blogpost for Jared while chasing the boys and he is supposed to get a table built. So far so good, but I’m worried about naptime with no cribs…

I blew through two R.K. Narayan books yesterday and am feeling pretty good about only having 20 more to go.  I should be able to finish two more today (fingers crossed!) and that has me sitting pretty for the month of December.

And speaking of December, I’m starting to get wound up for the Advent season. We were pretty light on tradition in my family and so was Jared’s so we kind of have to start from scratch. I’d rather tap into old traditions than make new ones up so here is our tentative plan.

Buy or make an advent calendar.

Write down 24 things to do and put one in each slot/drawer/pocket.

Do that thing on that day.

BE FLEXIBLE.

Some of our ideas are as follows:

Drive out and look at Christmas lights.

On the first weekend go get and decorate our tree.

Make hot apple cider.

Go visit Great-Grandparents in the evening and take them goodies.

Set up our creche (after getting/making one).

Write Christmas letters.

Since the boys are so small we will not try too hard this year but we were super busy and tired the last few years so it seems nice to get started. I also want to try an Advent wreath but am nervous about keeping the boys out of everything. We’ll see how it goes. I also think it would be fun to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas…

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/11/28/day-three-hundred-and-thirty-one/feed/ 1 Day Three Hundred and Twenty Nine http://www.200books.com/2008/11/26/day-three-hundred-and-twenty-nine/ http://www.200books.com/2008/11/26/day-three-hundred-and-twenty-nine/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:29:59 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/11/26/day-three-hundred-and-twenty-nine/ Yesterday was a tough day for reading. The boys took a decent nap but Jared had to work late so the afternoon was long and turned into a long evening. I don’t think that Alex and Luc knew that Jared was late but there moods sure took a turn for the worse around 5 or 5:30. By the time Jared did get home I had a raging headache and couldn’t make myself read much. I’m hoping Thanksgiving will equal thanks for lots of time to read but with three pies to bake…I’m not so sure.

Well, I have lots of work to do already so I better keep it short today…

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/11/26/day-three-hundred-and-twenty-nine/feed/ 1 Day Three Hundred and Seventeen http://www.200books.com/2008/11/14/day-three-hundred-and-seventeen/ http://www.200books.com/2008/11/14/day-three-hundred-and-seventeen/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:23:38 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/11/14/day-three-hundred-and-seventeen/ Finished To the Lighthouse. Started The Dain Curse, The Glass Key and Selected Stories by Dashiell Hammet and finished the stories. I feel as though I’m making progress and that is good. Still not a Virginia Woolf fan. The woman had style but really, what did she say that was important? Meaningful? Not to dismiss the woman’s life or anything, but I often think that she had a tortured existence and death for the sake of a few lightweight style pieces. Yes, I know, a Women’s Studies center is coming to assassinate me. I shall invoke the aid of St. Augustine.

If you’ve never had the chance, make brownies with a half cup of peanut butter chips in them. My husband raves.

Any thoughts on unionizing for the 30 hour work week? No? We have an economic crisis? What are you saying!?

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/11/14/day-three-hundred-and-seventeen/feed/ 2 Day Three Hundred and Six http://www.200books.com/2008/11/03/day-three-hundred-and-six/ http://www.200books.com/2008/11/03/day-three-hundred-and-six/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:54:45 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/11/03/day-three-hundred-and-six/ Of course Sunday was a busy day as it usually is. This week I did all my weekly baking Sunday afternoon. This meant zucchini bread, amish friendship bread and a pot of minestrone soup, not to mention dinner, all going at once. That means that Monday will be fairly laid back but because of the time change I’ll be up at six instead of seven (children don’t adjust so easily) so I guess that’s more hours to fill instead of more hours to relax. I’m already tired out.

Unusually enough Jared asked for some time to himself this weekend. I ask for time almost every day but somehow he is almost always doing fine. He is definitley not one of those guys that needs a “man cave” or any other cheesy metaphor for personal space and I deeply appreciate this. It is probably partly because he has a job that he enjoys so much and that is so fulfilling and also because it means long stretches of time when he is working by himself, but I know that it is mostly because he is so giving and so kind and so generous with his energy. I really appreciate this about him since it makes him really easy to live with and makes my life so much less draining than it could be. So, I guess what I’m saying is I’m grateful for the dynamic of our marriage.

Hallmark moment over…

I didn’t read very much yesterday. I guess knowing that I am caught up is bad for my motivation. When you run a race it is always good to have a little extra energy at the end so you can “kick” and pass anyone you find in front of you. So I’ve got to find some kick soon so I can pass Thomas Mann (I so don’t want to pick up The Magic Mountain again!) and Toni Morrison (I’m sick, sick, sick, of Beloved) and the any other dragging books still waiting for me. Thanks to Richard, I’m now really looking forward to the Rabbit books instead of being scared of it. Didion isn’t done yet but now I’m getting to my living memory. It is arranged chronologically and now she is writing about nineties politics so even though I’m not interested per se, I’m at least familiar with the subject matter.

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/11/03/day-three-hundred-and-six/feed/ 4 Day Two Hundred and Eighty Two http://www.200books.com/2008/10/09/day-two-hundred-and-eighty-two/ http://www.200books.com/2008/10/09/day-two-hundred-and-eighty-two/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:32:01 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/10/09/day-two-hundred-and-eighty-two/ I finished Midnight’s Children and started Aesop’s Fables. Jared went out last night to visit with an old friend so I should have been super productive all evening (after the boys went to bed of course). Instead I read a little, surfed the internet, and then fell asleep. For some reason I have a really hard time falling asleep at bedtime. In the middle of the day I could be out like the proverbial light and at 9:45 I just dropped right off. But Jared came home and woke me up and then after that I couldn’t get to sleep for the longest time. Very frustrating. It is also now too cold to walk and read. My hand feels like it’s going to simply drop off after about five minutes. Sad.

Midnight’s Children was a wonderful, rich and very sad book. It seems to speak with the very voice of India (not that I’m an expert) and that voice is complex, strange and, yes, very sad. Every time some international crisis appears on the news and politicians start pontificating about how we should step in and deal with it I think about how that country has a deep history that it is highly unlikely we even know much less understand. The ambiguities of a disordered, quickly changing history are so much more difficult than a briefing on “the situation in Georgia” or Israel, or Iraq…

]]> http://www.200books.com/2008/10/09/day-two-hundred-and-eighty-two/feed/ 0 Day Two Hundred and Seventy Six http://www.200books.com/2008/10/03/day-two-hundred-and-seventy-six/ http://www.200books.com/2008/10/03/day-two-hundred-and-seventy-six/#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:34:48 +0000 Amanda http://www.200books.com/2008/10/03/day-two-hundred-and-seventy-six/ I’m still working my way through The House of Spirits and find the book to be quite enjoyable. The narrative voice keeps playing games with me and I’m pretty easy to play games on. I tend to trust my narrator implicitly and when I was in early lit classes I found the concept of the “unreliable narrator” hard to handle. I’m not naturally skeptical of books. I’m not entirely credulous but I generally assume the narrator must know what their talking about…after all they wrote the book right? Anyway Isabel Allende switches up the voice in Spirits from a third person to first person and it’s kind of hard to tell if the third person is the same as the first person…It seems like the third person is omniscient but there is an element in the book that would make it conceivable that the first person narrator could know things that they wouldn’t naturally know. Anyway it’s been great whether I’m picking up on all the subtleties or not.

I went and played volleyball last night at some old friends house. I really enjoyed getting out of the house but revisiting one of my old “when I was single” activities was a great reminder of how much I love being married. It never matters how much I enjoyed an activity the whole experience is colored by much I enjoy being around the people I’m doing it with. And it doesn’t seem to matter who I’m hanging out with or how much fun the thing I’m doing is, I’d really rather be with Jared. Even just sitting on the couch with him is more enjoyable to me than just about anything else with anyone else. I really like that.

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