This is a lovely little animated short film, nominated for an Oscar, for anyone with a sympathy towards books and the telling of a story. (Interestingly, I have seen some of Don Miller's 'Storyline' ideas around the interwebs lately - see here and here. I don't blanket endorse all of his material (though I do very much like his writing style), but perhaps there is something in this understanding of your life as a story. The gospel itself is a story, and the bible as salvation history most definitely is.)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
One of five nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards’ Best Animated Short category, this film inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, “Morris Lessmore” is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) award winning author/ illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a new narrative experience that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals. “Morris Lessmore” is old fashioned and cutting edge at the same time. (From Bookshelf Porn (excuse the title!).)
Sometimes in life you reach a point at which you realise it is time to open your hands and let go. You’ve tried long and hard, yet no matter how hard you try, or what you do or say, it’s not enough, it’s not working, and you’re exhausted in the effort. And maybe, just maybe, that’s because it’s not what God has for you.
I have posted this quote before several years ago, by Paul Tripp (I will look up the original reference later and put it in), but it can come around again.
The objects of most of our desires are not evil. The problem is the way they tend to grow and the control they come to exercise over our hearts. Desires are part of human existence, but they must be held with an open hand ... The problem with desire is that in sinners it very quickly morphs into demands (‘I must’). Demand is the closing of my fists over a desire. Even though I may be unaware that I have done it, I have left my proper position of submission to God. I have decided that I must have what I have set my heart on and nothing can stand in my way. I am no longer comforted by God’s desire for me; I am threatened by it, because God’s will potentially stands in the way of my demand ...
I was actually reminded of that quote in listening to the song Open my Hands, from Sara Groves. I know it is yet another music video, but I have been waiting and waiting for this song to go up on youtube, and last night I went looking and was very pleased to discover an official live video for it. The lyrics are easily discernable, but I shall paste them in below (you can watch the story behind the song here – that is an interesting list of God’s good things from Charles Spurgeon, don’t you think? - I am still thinking on those).
Open My Hands
- by Sara Groves
I believe in a blessing I don't understand
I’ve seen rain fall on the wicked and the just
Rain is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us
No good thing from us
No good thing from us
I believe in a peace that flows deeper than pain
That broken find healing in love
Pain is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us
No good thing from us
No good thing from us
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I am nodding my head an emphatic yes
To all that You have for me
I believe in a fountain that will never dry
Though I've thirsted and didn't have enough
Thirst is no measure of his faithfulness
He withholds no good thing from us
No good thing from us
No good thing from us
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I am nodding my head an emphatic yes
To all that You have for me
No good thing from us
No good thing from us
He withholds no good thing from us
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I will open my hands, will open my heart
I am nodding my head an emphatic yes
To all that You have for me
I really like this, what I think is that latest single from The Tallest Man on Earth. I keep hitting replay. He is such a good guitarist, I like the melodies he writes, his lyrics are interesting (I am not sure I have always got the meaning or the sense of them, but he at least is poetic and metaphorical) and he sings with verve. I even like this youtube poster’s simple home video.
In other music news, I also came across some songs from Mumford and Sons, this one Lover of the Light (gets a bit noisy but don’t think I’ve seen anyone be lead singer and play drums at the same time before) and this one Lovers Eyes (do like this, but it ends up noisy also).
I had never tried to poach an egg before today. I'd occasionally heard conversations about how hard it is to poach an egg nicely, and just sort of shrugged my shoulders, because I’d never tried and so never experienced the difficulty. (I rather like a fried egg myself, but figured this could be slightly healthier.)
But, you can learn all sorts of things from reading craft blogs, and I subscribe to this one called Attic 24, because she crochets things and enjoys life's simple pleasures, somewhere beautiful up in the North of England. A while back she wrote a post on how to poach an egg, so today I decided to have a go. They turned out perfectly and I am a complete egg-poaching novice! It didn’t involve any tricksy water-swirling or fancy silicon equipment or half-a-dozen attempts. So, if you want to poach an egg easy-peasy, try this.
I keep telling myself, with regards to blogging, that if you don't have anything much to say, don't say anything; be one of those awesome blogs that every now and then surprises you with a post that was worth waiting for and worth reading. And yet ... Here’s a post you’ve all been waiting for: ways to store yarn. One the yarn-craft readers, home-organisation freaks or interior-design type folks might find mildly interesting.
I have previously mentioned that I have a bit of a yarn stash happening at the moment, mostly as a result of a spell of ebay madness. But I plan on working my way through it before I buy anymore. The problem is of course, when you rent a share flat and most of your personal earthly belongings are in your bedroom, what to do with it. So I did some thinking about this (and other things that need storing), and last year bought a wooden cube bookshelf, with eight cubes (a real wooden one – IKEA lets me down with their particleboard furniture). I had been eyeing it off in a shop near my place, then that shop had a closing down sale, which was good for me in that moment. However, I do think it looks a bit messy just having wool piled in there, unless of course it’s all full balls in beautiful colours, nicely stacked.
Apartment Therapy recently featured a post on yarn storage options, to my delight, but see in this picture, the wool in cube shelving? - messy, that’s what I think. Some of those shelves look like they'd be always dropping things, and in my experience, they do drop things.
I was inspired, however, by the idea of using some magazine holders in some of the cubes to keep some of the smaller messier stuff sorted, and also to store patterns, guitar music etc. Like this idea below. I do have some of these baskets from IKEA on some shelves (they are made in crochet, which I thought was apt, and I didn't want regular baskets to scratch the wood) and I quite like these magazine holders. The Apartment Therapy post has some other cool options too, but they are perhaps not as great for rental properties or smaller spaces.
Last night I went along to the Centre for Christian Living to hear Andrew Cameron, together with Steve Kryger, speak on social media. This was fascinating as always, and I might write up something if I get to it. One thing Andrew said that made me laugh was “each of us is a funny mix of mask and leakage” on social media. True.
For now, how about some nice music to listen to? Someone at work mentioned Brooklyn recently, and I thought ‘ah, Brooklyn – that reminds me, I need to listen to that music again’ (I have never seen the movie, and believe it’s “gritty”, but the music is wonderful). If you know The Princess Bride soundtrack you will hear moments of similarity, and I find it a little reminiscent, in the emotional space it takes and leaves me, of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana – Intermezzo.
Last week I split a pair of jeans. I mean, I knew I was feeling like a blob having not been running for a while on back mishap, but I didn’t think I’d quite reached the splitting-my-pants point yet. They were actually jeans I’d bought at Vinnies, and were perhaps more worn than I realised, so last week when I went to sit down with one leg bent under me (and you’d think I would have learnt by now not to sit like this), the jeans sort of got stuck on my knee, there was that ominous tearing sound and they split somewhere up near the backside. Shame. I loved those jeans. They were some American brand, they fit nicely and they were ridiculously long, which is why I bought them. Even I had to roll the cuffs up.
Anyway, since I am walking home from work now I walk right by a Vinnies store, so I popped in on Friday afternoon, just to have a quick squizz for something my sister was after actually, and once in there I did a scan of the jeans rack. How I look for jeans in op shops is just scan along the bottom and see if any are hanging longer than the rest. There are usually so many pairs jammed along a rack that I don’t even begin looking unless I have lots of time I feel like killing, and the owners of pre-loved jeans do wicked things and take the hems up. But I did spy a pair, dangling down below all the others. I pulled them out and they were GAP jeans, 34 inch leg, looking like they’d never been worn. So I tried them on, and thought they actually looked alright, as far as jeans go. Except, here’s the thing: they were called “skinny flare”. I am in the dressing room looking at myself in the mirror thinking ‘what is skinny flare? isn’t that some kind of oxymoron? is that a real jeans category? are these remotely fashionable or will I look like I got lost on the way to the 1970’s?’.
In the end I couldn’t resist the fact that they were long, and they looked new, so I bought them. (I think they might be a size up on my usual, which would explain why they fit, because what I don’t have is “skinny” legs - usually skinny jeans don't get up past my calves, but the flare is working for me here.) Then I had to come home and google “skinny flare”. It turns out I might be right up there on the cusp of fashion people! Apparently, last Spring, in the Northern Hemisphere, where all style comes from, the skinny flares made an appearance. Look at this line up of who is wearing skinny flares! I don’t know who half those people are, but I am pretty sure they are style Queens. It would seem I have Kate Moss (I've heard of her) to thank for the emergence of this style of jean.
So I am feeling alright about these jeans now. When I went to wash them and give them a bit of a scrub in certain places (my Mum, who's one of those hygiene people, thinks it’s a bit disgusting to wear things that have been elsewhere on other people, so I assure her they get the necessary sterilising) I could tell by the way the water was glancing off the fabric that they have never been washed before. Bonus. Hopefully I won’t split them any time soon.
So everybody, now is the time you could help me look trendy, not to mention be uber trendy yourself, and get yourself a pair of skinny flare jeans. (Then if you decide they are really not for you - though why you'd want to when skinny jeans are so last year and flares are the thing - you could make them skinny all over following these instructions. And if you are going to hem jeans, for the sake of tall people in op shops, do it that way please. H/T The Pipers)
Once a zoologist/ecologist with a particular interest in the kangaroo family and endangered mammals. Currently an editor for a publishing company. Always a Christian.
