Ridiculously Awesome Thing #4: The Book of Awesome

I started a little list on here (a long, long time ago) highlighting Ridiculously Awesome Things.

Turns out someone wrote a book on many awesome things called, appropriately, The Book of Awesome, which appreciates both grandly awesome things like #964 - The day when you first realize you can drive and the simple things in life, like #837 - Pushing those little buttons on the soft drink cup lid.


The author's blog is what started it all, and now the awesomeness has spread to the bestseller list. I'm challenged to continue adding to my own list!

What awesome thing have you uncovered recently?

Things I've Learned From My Husband

Well, a few things. I am supposed to be packing up our house right now.

(1) Simplicity. Sometimes as I'm cleaning, I'll notice an item that I've had for years and think, "Do I really need to keep this?? Why do I have it?" And the voice in my head is John, trying to make our lives easier. (Not to mention, saving us headaches in the future when we're packing said items. Ahem.)

(2) The art of self-evaluation. If John wasn't so cynical, he would make a great psychologist. He has a gift for reading people. (But no one would visit a psychologist who would say, "The solution is simple: Stop being an idiot and don't do that anymore.") In our four years of marriage (anniversary on Thursday!), he has come to know me better than I know myself. Seriously. He'll point out things that I never realized about myself (both good and bad). It's shocking. I'm either frightfully oblivious to some things or in serious denial. I'm working on getting to know him just as well, though I know I'll never be on the same par.

(3) Frugality. (Stop snorting, John.) It's true. I AM more frugal than I was when I was single (which amounted to about 5% frugal). The percentage still isn't as high as I - or John - would like it to be, but more often, I do find myself thinking "Why do I need to buy this?" when I'm still IN the store, which is even better than thinking it the next day and then returning something.

(4) Relaxation. Anyone who knows me fairly well knows that I like to be efficient. Not necessarily in a multi-tasking sense, but in spending every minute completing tasks and crossing things off my infinite to-do list. In my mind, there's ALWAYS "something" I could be doing. If I need a break from computer work, I can go do laundry or pull weeds. I'll read a book for pleasure as a break, too, but in terms of "just sitting there," "relaxing," and not doing anything else - that just goes against the way my DNA is put together. John has taught me that IT IS OK, even GOOD to sit and (by my definition) "do nothing," and just take a deep breath and enjoy life and the moment. Granted, right now I do that maybe once a week for 2 minutes, but he's working on it.

(5) "Good enough" is an acceptable standard. Not ALL of the time of course, but for a perfectionist to relent and complete something to a "good enough" level, it's safe to say that progress is being made. Instead of killing myself to reach the unattainable level of Perfection, sometimes it's ok to stop at "good enough." My definition of "good enough" is probably still closer to "perfection" than to "average," but I do have more time to enjoy things in life now instead of stressing out about reaching a ridiculous personal standard. I regress, OFTEN, but you'll hear me say "that's good enough" where I didn't say it in the past.

(6) Discernment. For example, just because a book catches my eye and creates a passing interest in my mind, doesn't mean I have to buy it. If it's an author I've never read before, I check the library first, or add it to my Christmas list. This sure has saved us a lot of money! John periodically (and I mean, OFTEN) culls from his books the ones that he didn't really enjoy or won't read again. I've followed his example, critically examining my shelves for books that I wouldn't recommend to someone else. What remains are books that I truly enjoy and love to lend.

Dear Diary

I started writing in a new journal this week. This is volume 21, and the cover is embroidered brown fabric. Not a journal I would have picked a few years ago, and it got me thinking about all the journals I've had.* (As an adult; I'm not counting my Ramona Quimby diary when I was 7.)

1. My first journal, begun on Monday, June 26, 1995. "I have decided to keep a journal of sorts, tracking my spiritual walk." I don't even think you can buy steno notebooks anymore?

3. Journal given to me for my birthday in high school, from my friend E.B.

4. The small, bright strawberries on this journal caught my eye in the store.

6. A journal whose cover consists of books on shelves. A must-have for a bibliophile.

7. Classic Winnie-the-Pooh and books. Nuff said.

8. This cover has (reproduced) signatures of famous authors on it.

9. This is the journal from my time in Papua New Guinea. I was there about 2 months, and I filled up the entire book with descriptions and experiences.

10. Leather journal that one of my college friends bought for me in Italy during his semester abroad.

14. This book had a pocket on the front. It was cool, though I didn't really use the pocket for anything.

16. While we were dating, John went on a trip to Rome and bought me this journal. He wrote a lovely sentiment on the inside cover. =)

20. I bought this journal at an Italian store called Fabriano, when we went to Rome in 2007. Fabriano is an AWESOME stationery store, founded in 1264. The paper in the journal and the cover are hand-fashioned using the same techniques the company used hundreds of years ago. And, of course, it's blue.

21. The newest journal.

The Joy Journal (by Barbara Johnson): Where I write about things that made me happy or made me smile (events big or small).

My next journal (also from Fabriano):


*I realized that I forgot to include one journal! It's been on my desk by the computer, to type up my "O History" posts. So the new journal is actually volume 22.

I'm in a book!

I stumbled upon the opportunity to be interviewed by Sarah Hamaker, who was writing a book about mothers who work from home. While I'm not a mother (yet), I do work from home, and she interviewed me for her book, Hired@Home: A Christian Mother's Guide to Working From Home. I'm on pages 11 and 14!

If you want to buy the book, it's available at Amazon.com, but I'm not sure about bookstores. Go check it out!

Cookbook Wars

When I taught high school English, I waged three major campaigns:

(1) Try to get at least 5 hours of sleep each night.

(2) Catch students smoking in the female student bathroom next door to my classroom by using my youthful good looks to trick them into thinking I was a student also, though my conservative, decidedly UN-teenaged trendy clothes should have given it away, so that when I walked into the bathroom, they didn't immediately flush the evidence down the toilet. You'd think they'd learn to stop smoking in THAT bathroom, at least.

(3) Impress upon star-struck adolescents that cheating (which includes plagiarism) does NOT get you far in life, despite numerous multi-millionaire athletes' doping actions to the contrary.

It turns out that there's a controversy surrounding the new cookbook written by Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica. I bought Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food [published October 2007] because I liked the premise, the book's format is easy-to-use, and including comments from the Seinfeld kids (and Jerry) about the recipes is a clever addition. I was pleasantly surprised (or not surprised?) to find great humor throughout the book as Seinfeld tackles the monumental job of trying to get kids to eat healthy food.

But Missy Chase Lapine, the author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals, claims that Jessica Seinfeld plagiarized her book [published April 2007].

You can read about the lawsuit Lapine has brought against Seinfeld here. I hope that the allegation isn't true, but we'll see how it plays out.

In the mean time, student plagiarizers beware. Teachers know that you really DON'T write that well, and that if you were smarter, you wouldn't pick the very first article that appears in your Google search to plagiarize.

Medieval Times

Last week’s thwarted terrorist plot in the UK didn’t scare me as much as it probably should have. My thoughts were quite selfish. We’re going to Europe again in March, and I wondered, is it wrong to pray that the current stringent travel restrictions will be lifted by the time we go? How can one not use contact solution on a 9-hour overnight flight?? Do they have my brands of various vital hair products in Europe, and where on earth does one go to find them? Imagine how much time will be spent in a store trying to find the right shade of foundation/liquid makeup instead of seeing great historical monuments!

To my shame, I was still thinking these thoughts (to a smaller degree) even after reading a column by Leonard Pitts that, sadly, paints an accurate picture of Americans and their (my) concern for comfort over security. Here is an article that shows the British feel the same way. In one news story about the foiled plot, a female traveler complained that now she will be bored on international flights, since iPods were apparently banned under the new measures. Upon reading her comment, I self-righteously thought, “Well, I don’t have that problem, since I don’t have an iPod.” My second preferred method for alleviating boredom on planes is to read a book.

Books haven’t completely become obsolete, but with so much electronic entertainment out there (don’t even get me started on e-books), unfortunately books just aren’t as “exciting” to a good percentage of the population. Due to the new safety regulations, perhaps books will make a comeback, as it were. I received the following piece from a forwarded email a long time ago; maybe now is an appropriate time to dust it off and remind people that they still have options.

Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device,

trade-named: BOOK

BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it.

Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere – even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works:

BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence.

Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKs with more information simply use more pages.

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it.

Unlike other display devices, BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, and it can even be dropped on the floor or stepped on without damage. However, it can become unusable if immersed in water for a significant period of time. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of selected information for instant retrieval.

An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).

Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave. Also, BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking. Look for a flood of new titles soon.