Happenings of the Month: January 2018

It’s been a pretty full month for me, and I didn’t quite get to all the blog activity I had planned. But I was determined to write my Happenings post. So, here it is.

Entertainment of the Month:

• Movies/TV

The Last Jedi, people. I actually had a full blog post planned to talk about this, but I wasn’t able to get to it. But I did finally get to see the newest Star Wars film this month. And, overall, I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t perfect. I felt it was a little too long and rather rambling in places, but I’m fascinated by the themes that are being explored in this movie. I’d say it’s darker than The Force Awakens but not to the point of Rogue One (which was just too much depressing for me). It also seemed to be charting some more original territory, even while utilizing some of the forms of Empire Strikes Back. Again, not perfect, but I enjoyed it.

• Books

I decided to take part in this 2018 reading challenge that my friend Liv mentioned in one of her posts. Though you don’t necessarily have to go in order, I was already fulfilling the first one, a biography, when I started. So, that’s my first entry for the challenge. Enduring Courage by John F. Ross is the story of Eddie Rickenbacker, a race car driver and WWI ace who was one of America’s first real celebrities.

 I own the hardcover version of this, but I had to link to the paperback cover, because, I mean, look at it. It’s gorgeous!

It’s really a much bigger story than just that, though. It’s about America’s love of speed and the experience of aeroplane warfare in its first arena. It’s about the importance of hard work and the reality of death. Ross tells the story of a child of immigrants who pushed his whole life to come out on top but who never seemed to approach life from any sense of arrogance, who wasn’t necessarily the most likeable man but never asked anything of others that he wouldn’t do himself. I found this biography to be engaging and well-written, giving me a picture of both a man and the world he lived in. I learned a lot about World War I that I had never known before. Definitely recommend.

• Music

I’m loving a lot of songs right now, many of them current singles on Air1.

“Higher” – Unspoken – Last month I shared the song “Miracle” off their latest album, and I almost did it again this month before realizing that I already posted it… I’m kind of in love with that song. This one is equally as amazing, though. It’s all about shouting our praise from the rooftops, regardless of our circumstances, and the beat is so catchy.

Live on Forever – The Afters – This album is so good. Every song gets my feet dancing, but they also affirm some really important truths. I am buying this album shortly, and I am ecstatic about it!

“Get Down” – Finding Favour – Another insanely catchy song, this one is very pointed about one thing – when things get bad, we get on our knees and pray. It’s an encouragement every time I hear this song.

My Life This Month:

I’m solidly back to school now, and I’m already sick of it. I mean, I’m doing a little better now that I’m on top of my assignments. But it’s like a major case of senioritis, except that I’m not a senior yet! So I don’t even have the satisfaction of graduating this semester. I’m trying to keep my eyes on the big picture, but it’s all too easy to get bogged down in the feeling of slogging through school (bog, slog, what’s happening to me???) I’m reminding myself that God has a point in all of this and that I want to be open to the lessons He’s teaching me along the way.

Speaking of lessons, I had a confrontation of sorts with a friend of mine the other day that has really got me thinking. He was criticizing some things about how I seem to approach life, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that I’m far more closed off to people than I realized. I’m still trying to work through it all, but I know that I don’t want to live like this. I want people to see God in me, and that doesn’t work very well when I don’t let them in.

In addition, there are a lot of other emotional currents going on, and I’m starting to feel like I’m drowning. I have got to separate myself from things that are not my problem, something I’ve always struggled with. But it’s not healthy. Empathy is a good thing, but taking on burdens that I shouldn’t be is not. It’s an ongoing lesson that God is teaching me.

On top of everything else, I’m suffering a major case of the January blahs and want winter to be over. That’s a hard one for a lot of people, I know, I haven’t quite figured out how to conquer it, unfortunately.

Other Web Happenings:

How to Create Space and Time for Writing – Go Teen Writers – Go Teen Writers is doing a really great series this year that they’re calling Grow an Author, and it’s all about sharing each of their writing processes in hopes of helping each of us. Which I think is awesome. This particular post is about making time for writing, which is something I definitely struggle with.

Spirituality: A Forgotten Key to Character Development – One Year Adventure Novel

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So, there you have it. How has January been for you? Watch/read anything interesting? Want me to post more about The Last Jedi? Let me know in the comments!

Sunday Psalms: Chapters 85, 86, & 88

I had gotten out of the habit of daily Bible reading over the last several months, and I think that has definitely hurt me. So, I’m working to make the time for it again. Part of that is getting back to my Psalms project, and I figured it was time to start posting them here again.

Psalm 85:8 “I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to His people, HIs saints – but let them not return to folly.”

As Christians, we are made holy, set apart. What was once our nature is such no longer. We are freed from bondage to sin. We are made new.

We don’t have to return to our folly.

On Failure and Flash Fiction (Updated)

So, this post was supposed to be my entry for my Flash Fiction Challenge #5. I received a fantastic prompt from Blue:

A man buys time – literally. What is the cost?

I mean, what a great prompt! And I actually had a story going whose concept I’m quite intrigued by. But then I realized that I was going way over my thousand-word limit and that the story is just too big to condense. So, I switched to a different story. The problem is, this was yesterday. And I had other things I had to do in getting ready to go back to school. So, now I have two unfinished stories in response to this prompt but nothing completed.

And after I gave everyone three weeks instead of two…

I feel really bad about this. I’ve posted my story late before (for my first challenge, I think), but I’ve never not completed it. I just couldn’t fit it in this time, unfortunately. Not the best start to what I am determined will be a better writing year than 2017. However, I’m not giving up. I do want to apologize to my readers and the other participants of this challenge. I will be giving both of you feedback. For the time being, though, I’ve decided to post the beginning of my story, so you can at least see what I was working on. I do intend to finish it, and, if you like it, I’ll post it here when I do.

The other two participants in this challenge, however, did finish their stories. You can find them at the following links:

Blue - The Silversmith
Athelas - Flash Fiction

I am very proud of them both, and you should go check out their stories!

As for my attempt, without further ado:

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They were busy today. They always were.

Dylan Forsythe’s lips tightened as he watched the revolving door across the street, always in motion, the last rays of sunlight glinting off its glass. People going in, a look of hope or fear on their faces. People coming back out, those looks generally smoothed into a long line of despair. The lump in Dylan’s stomach grew with each new face.

Of course, there were exceptions. There was the pretty young red-head, her chin held high, a smile on her lips. She had clearly gotten the news she’d come for. Few did.

Dylan studied the soaring stone building, windows staring out like gateways to the depths of hell. There was no sign, but it didn’t need one. This building was the country’s only place to purchase the most precious commodity in the world: time.

Heart beating faster, he leaned against the cool brick beside him and pulled up his sleeve. The counter fit snugly against his wrist, a sleek blue with silver digits: 3 days, 8 hours, 17 minutes, 24 seconds.

23.

22.

21.

His breath caught, and he slid to the ground. Only three days left.

Just over three days and he’d be dead.

He glanced across the street again to the building. The Department for the Regulation and Dispensation of Time. A mirthless smile twitched at his lips. A pretentious name to fit a building full of pretentious bureaucrats.

The harshness of a metal stamp against marble echoed through his head. The doom of the words now etched across his request form. Extension denied.

He pulled the folded paper from his jacket pocket, gaze searching for the official reason he already knew by heart: Essential capacity, easily replaced.

Easily replaced. That was the final judgment on Dylan’s life. After nearly twenty-five years, the government had deemed him worthless.

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I actually wrote quite a bit more to this story, but now you’ve got a feel for it. What do you think?