Random Facts/Habits - Tag

I was tagged by mab for this one. I think I've been tagged before, but haven't participated as of yet. I'll answer, but I don't think I'll tag anyone, this seems to have made it around my blogging circle already.

Here are (drum roll please....) my 8 random facts/habits/quirks, whatever you want to call it.

1. I really like to open packages, cd's, dvd's, anything that's new and with a wrapper. Even if I already know what's in the package. My husband knows this and lets me open his packages. Though the other day CDK inadvertently opened a package I had received in the mail. I wasn't very happy. I guess this stems from the fact that one of my love languages is gifts, so a package always seems like a gift.
2. I like to eat certain foods with certain sized utensils. For example, I eat my ice cream with a small spoon, so I can savor it. I also eat my yogurt with a small spoon, but that's because too big of a bite of yogurt will make me gag (that's not just because of pregnancy, maybe this should be it's own quirk). I like to eat soups with large spoons. As for cakes and pies it depends. If it's a layer cake I like a big fork so I can get a little bit of each layer in each bite. But if it's that really good Cheesecake Factory Godiva chocolate cheesecake that CDK and I usually split, it's a small fork. Unless I'm threatened by his much faster eating pace than mine and I want to get my fair share. Enough on this one!
3. I like to keep my food in the same place on the plate during the entire meal. What?, you may be asking. If I get up and go get seconds and sit back down and my meat isn't in the same place as it was before, I don't like that. I will often turn my plate around till it feels right again.
4. Before I put the car in gear, I get everything in order. I adjust the mirrors, buckle-up, turn on the music and air, and put my cell phone in an easy to reach place. CDK says this is a quirk, I just think it's what I was taught in driver's ed and it's safer this way. If I'm trying to put in a cd, adjust my mirrors, and find my cell phone in my purse while driving, it's not good for the rest of you out there.
5. OCD Grocery Shopping. You can read the post for a full explanation. Though I must admit, I got tired of my menu plan sooner than I had expected and am due for another. I've been out of this habit, and have missed it. It's on my to do list before baby arrives.
6. I prefer reading non-fiction or story books over what I call "smart" books. I love books that are a story and I can't wait to pick up again. I would like to read more non-fiction and learn more, but it takes me forever. I think it took me a year to get through From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman, even though I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I do highly recommend it. My compromise has been biographies and historical fiction. This way I get a story and I'm getting a little smarter.
7. I'm not extremely good at any one thing. Most people have one thing they're known for being really good at, but I don't. And I'm ok with that. I can do a lot of things average and a lot of things a above average, but I have no speciality. I was an average to above average player in most sports I attempted, I was an above average student, an average singer. I guess that makes me sort of a Renaissance woman, since I can do a lot of things pretty well. I wonder if I just don't have the attention span or diligence to get really good at one thing.
8. When I return to my hometown or get feisty I fall into the accent from my hometown. I realized this as soon as I went off to college, that I did have an accent different than most others in my state, and especially other states. Since then I have been told multiple times that I don't have any accent and people can't even tell what state I'm from. I like that, not because I'm not proud of my state, but simply because I hope that makes me more adaptable to wherever I am and more approachable.

So there you have, KLK's random habits/facts/quirks. If you can identify, I'll be glad to hear it.

A Reality Check

I don't want to be a downer today, but this article I found on CNN is disturbing. Take a few mintues to read about Iraqi women turning to prostitution to provide for their families. It's an extremely sad thought and turns me in two directions.

The first is to prayer, prayer for this country and its people that are literally dying and wasting away, and most without the eternal hope of Christ. It also turns me to praise, praise for all the blessings (though I don't always count them as that) I have been given. Praise for the small home, for the one car, for the job that provides. I live in a world where my biggest problem right now is that my house is too small. At least I have one. I've been convicted of my discontentment lately, and this article reminds me to give thanks, in all things.

Take time to pray for the situation in Iraq and for its people, and take time to thank the Lord for whatever He's given you.

The First Ever "hayk" Blog Awards

4andcounting gave me a blog award the other day. I was plesantly surprised, so to continue in the tradition, I will bestow the Blogger Reflection award on some blogs that make me think.

1. mab - she always has something to say and it's always funny or insightful.

2. cnn.com - in the field - I feel like a nerd putting this one on here but, oh well! Though I obviously don't know these reporters personally, it's interesting to see where they are and what they are blogging about.

3. Saxon Update - This family has just lost one of their three sons to cancer. Their raw honesty and reflections on faith always challenge me in my faith with Christ. Kudos to them for being so open and honest to so many strangers. They know that their son's too-short life was not in vain and they are making sure others know too.

4. The FancyPants Factory - Tough I've only been reading her blog for a short time she makes me laugh and think about a lot of deep subjects at the same time. Plus she posts frequently, which is always a plus.

Two New Books (and a Soap Box)

My husband gave me two books I'd been wanting for my birthday. They were both excellent, so I read them pretty fast. Here's a little review.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - After reading Khaled Hosseini's first book, The Kite Runner, I knew I would read this one. This story of two girls in Afghanistan spans the war-torn years of their country and their lives as they grow into women. It was a great story and he's an excellent writer. Though I didn't enjoy this as much as Kite Runner. It seemed that there was not a redemptive quality in this book till the very end and I felt the story of the Kite Runner was laced with redemption and remember making some very specific biblical parallels. I love stories of redemption, because that is what we're all seeking.

My other concern is bigger, perhaps because I lived in a similar culture. I read a book in the Middle East as part of a book club. The book was called Pillars of Salt and chronicled the lives of two women growing-up in a Middle Eastern country (obvious parallels to A Thousand Splendid Suns) and the hardships that existed for them. A comment from one of the Muslim-Arab women in the book club, who was born and raised in America, was that she thought the author simply wrote all the horrible things about her culture because that's what Western readers wanted to hear and that Western readers couldn't discern between that and everyday life in the Middle East. I didn't agree with her at that time, but I kept that comment in the back of my head.

But that is just what I saw in A Thousand Splendid Suns that disturbed me. If you made a list before you read the book about all the bad things you think happen to women in predominantly Muslim cultures, you would find those things in this book. I could predict, very accurately, what was about to happen to each woman in this book and how the men were going to act towards them. I feel like it's sad that Hosseini portrayed his own culture in such a negative way by highlighting all the things that are wrong with it. I felt like the Kite Runner told a story that could happen in any culture and any country. The culture simply enhanced the story.

Yes, horrible things do happen to women, in many cultures, and they are not acceptable, and I don't think they should be belittled or ignored, but when do we start trying to see the good in other cultures? When do we try to find common ground and learn about how we are similar? When do we try to understand the beautiful cultural differences that might drive us crazy? What are we teaching our children by constantly pointing out the bad things in a culture and never highlighting the good? Because there is good, and plenty of it. It is good that a total stranger would invite us into his home for coffee and insist that we stay to share in his meager poor man's dinner. It is good that a poor couple invited us into their one room apartment (and I don't mean one bedroom, plus a bath, kitchen and living room, I mean one room) where they lived with their three children and honored us by serving us coffee and weren't embarrassed by their surroundings but simply shared everything. It is good that the cashier at the grocery store would never put my change directly in my hand. Why? Because he knew I had a father, husband, and/or a brother, and didn't want to dishonor my family name by touching me.

Ok, if you've made it this far, here's one more review with less of a soap box.

Perpetua - As you may recall I actually recommended this book before I read it. After reading it I can still say I recommend it. The author puts a great human side to the story of this young martyr and I could see myself in her life in so many ways (not the martyr part, but learning about my relationship with Christ, being newly married, etc.). This book also spoke to me about my spiritual life, which surprised me, I don't expect that out of a book that's basically historical fiction (the story is based on the true diaries Perpetua kept). I do have a few critical thoughts about it. I felt like the author had an underlying agenda about what she thought church should be. I can't say I completely disagreed with what seems to be her idea of church, but I thought the agenda was a little too obvious at times. Another criticism is that I felt like she had the Christians in the book use Christian terminology that we use today, and I highly doubt some of those terms existed in the third century. One character even uses the word "saved" to describe someone. My understanding is that that is a more modern Christian term. But, all-in-all a thumbs-up on this book. And if you really want to enjoy the book, go visit the site of her martyrdom. It makes the whole story come alive.

What are your thoughts on any of these books or subjects?