A Radosevich Project

Mondays Are for Fresh Starts

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:32:10 -0600

Tomorrow it is supposed to be 78 degrees. I know many people who moved here to get out of the cold of the northern midwest. We only have two seasons here—summer and non-summer.
Ellie is now big enough-period.
I read once that Disney used to re-release their movies to theatres every 7 years so that each new generation of kids sees it in theatres. I know they had business interests and not just good intentions for the kids, but I would love that if they did it again. Maybe all production companies could re-release their best movies every few years. I would love to take Ellie to see 101 Dalmatians, The Rescuers, or Beauty and the Beast.
Emma is an awesome mom.
I made Ellie laugh last week. I’ve known where she’s ticklish for a while, but couldn’t get her to laugh until now.
I’m hoping to go to an Asian food market this week to pick up a vietnamese drip filter to make Cafe Sua Da (or Vietnamese Iced Coffee).
I finished two books last week. The Deliberate Church by Dever and Alexander was so good. It was theological, practical, interesting, etc. I can’t say enough good things about it.
We finished North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson last night. We’ve been reading it aloud in the evenings. And it was amazing. It’s the second book in The Wingfeather Saga. Already, the characters, places, and events are part of our conversations the way cult movies usually are for most people. Our conversations might be unintelligable to people if they don’t know Harry Potter, The Wingfeather Saga, and Fred Claus.

When Books Could Change Your Life: Baltimore City Paper

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:29:00 -0600

When Books Could Change Your Life: Baltimore City Paper:

I’m not ashamed to say that The Hardy Boys changed my life.

I thought I hated reading until picked up a Hardy Boys book. We lived in Kentucky. And I remember poring over the Hardy Boys collection at the library in town.

I read every one of them, some of them multiple times. I dreamed of being like them one day-They had a car, a motorcyle, a boat, a plane, a laboratory, etc. They could fight, think, investigate, endure. They were Jason Bourne before Bourne.

They changed my life because never quit reading. I cried at the end of Where the Red Fern Grows. I read Redwall. I read Les Miserables. I read The Lord of the Rings. I read about Reagan, Schwarzkopf, Powell, Napolean, Lewis, etc.

What books changed your life when you were 12?

*photo by penreyes

Advice for Fiction Writers

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:27:13 -0600

Advice for Fiction Writers:

Jeffrey Tayler has a helpful essay on advice for those who want to write fiction. He notes that The Atlantic, where he serves as a correspondent, receives every year 60,000 unsolicited…

My morning coffee.

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:41:37 -0600

My morning coffee.

Legal pads, Mathematics, and Tigers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:54:46 -0600

I finished Life of Pi yesterday. And I loved it. The book starts slow, but it’s really engaging, the writing is vivid, and it’s a very philosophical novel. I especially enjoyed the fight between the tiger and the shark.
When I people ask how parenting is going or what my pre-parenting advice is, I’m not complaining when I say that it’s tough or that Ellie is a handful. I don’t mind. I actually like it. But it’s not easy, and I try to tell the truth.
We watched The Taking of Pelham 123 last night. I think they tried to count the number of times they used a certain word, but they lost count after the first 5 minutes, so they stuck with 123.
I’ve been writing on notebook paper for several months so I can organize my papers into notebooks, but I think I’m going to switch back to legal pads. I used yellow in college and seminary because it helps me remember things.

You Don't Know Who You're Dealing with

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:33:52 -0600

It’s easy to write someone off. The guy in line at the store who should take better care of himself. The driver who doesn’t belong on the road. The woman working a mindless job who has no dreams or ambitions.

It’s hard to truly see. That man just finished his 2nd of 3 jobs and needed to pick up a few things for the baby. That driver is just trying to get his overheating car to a safe place. That woman works there for health reasons and takes acting classes on the side.

C.S. Lewis said that if we saw humans as they one day will be, then we would not treat our neighbors so lightly.

Around our house, when we see someone particularly frustrating, hurried, angry, etc., we say “He might be having transmission trouble.” We’re not always at our best either.

*photo by SubZeroConscienceness

The New News

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:36:51 -0600

I follow soccer closely. It’s the only sport I care much about. I check the newspaper or ESPN.com for updates on other sports so I’m in the loop, but that’s all I do for the other sports.

I don’t follow soccer through traditional media (newspapers, tv, websites). I subscribe to two blogs and a twitter feed to tell me everything I want to know. One blog and the twitter feed are written by journalists, but I rarely read their articles in magazines and on websites like FOX Sports and Sports Illustrated. I prefer their candid thoughts and summaries to normal game summaries and ratings. The other blog aggregates and annotates all of the soccer news and commentary in one post. So between the three of them, I get news and commentary in three bursts per day.

The way we consume information and media is changing. Is it changing to batches of news? Will we now listen to commentary from trusted friends and sources rather than editors at the city newspaper?

How do you get your news?

Taxes are Finished

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:00:51 -0600

I did our taxes Tuesday. And yes, I was grumpy for most of it. I also took care of insurance, hospital bills, budget, etc. Now I just want to read. And write.

For the second year in a row, I misread the payment/refund part of the taxes. I told Emma we needed to pay on our taxes before I realized that it said refund.

You’d think I’d care enough to read it right.

Shorts and Snow

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:07:21 -0600

I’m finally getting around to reading The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. And this time, I’m not quitting. I’ll just keep plugging until I finish.
I’ve got a bag of Starbuck’s Casi Cielo in my cabinet that I’m itching to open. Several years ago, it was amazing. For the last couple of seasons, it wasn’t so great. I’ve got high hopes for this year’s batch.
Everyone says Ellie looks like Emma. But we’ve finally figured out what I contributed. Fingernails.
I butcher Spanish around the house all the time. Emma puts up with it. But I picked up The Idiot’s Guide to Spanish this weekend so I can butcher it a little less.
We’re finally settling into a routine. Life has been crazy lately. We’re looking forward to moving (Lord-willing) this year and having a day/night routine.
It’s snowing right now. Big, wet flakes.
I’ve been slowly reading through Romans for a month. I’ve read it twice now and finally feel like I understand it. And I love it.

Food Poisoning

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:20:13 -0600

Food Poisoning:

More sickness.

Taking the Week Off

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:58:34 -0600

I’m taking the week off from posting here. I’m just too busy and writing would take time from some projects that must be finished. I’ve got lots of posts lined up and will be back next week.

Lark News-Rapture Takes Two

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:09:10 -0600

Lark News-Rapture Takes Two:

OTTAWA — The Rapture occurred March 31, 2005, at 9:43 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time and took both people on the planet whose theology was exactly correct.
Dan Wilson of Ottawa, Canada, was snatched away while sleeping.
“He spent years refining his eschatological scheme,” says his wife. “Just last week he told me he had it all right, but I still disagreed with him on a minor point. I regret that now.”
Rejna Thanawalla of New Delhi, India, also experienced the Rapture, say friends.
“She knew exactly what the books of Revelation and Daniel meant,” they say. “Sadly, none of us listened to her.”
In a surprise, Tim LaHaye says he was “slightly wrong on the subject of the Beast,” and was left behind. Other prophecy experts say they, too, botched minor points in their end times charts.
“Looks like we’ll have to stay and wait this out,” said one disappointed pastor.

A Weird Kind of Vindication

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:10:00 -0600

I saw this week that Starbucks may be adding pour-over drip coffee to their menu soon.

I felt an odd kind of vindication. That’s my preferred brew method at home. I still enjoy a french press, but the cone is fast, easy to clean, and tastes great.

In Starbucks’ stores it will mean you can try different coffees.

I don’t drink Starbucks much anymore; I mainly drink coffee at home. But more people should know about pour-over drip coffee.

*photo by rudolf_shuba

Thinking about Films

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:59:28 -0600

Most Underrated

The Village (I don’t know why people don’t like this movie.)
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Perfect for quotes; but it’s so silly a lot of people can’t sit through it.)
Galaxy Quest

Weirdest Disney Films

Pete’s Dragon (I always hated this one.)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (This had a weird vibe. But I can still remember the magical incantation. I don’t say it aloud in case it really does something.)
Fantasia (This is what I imagine a bad acid trip to be like.)

Best Comedies

No Time for Sargents (Andy Griffith)
The Paleface (Bob Hope)

Joseph’s Favorite Movies of All-Time

101 Dalmations (animated)
The Dish (Funny Australians)
The Bourne Trilogy

Monday Shorts

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:46:56 -0600

I haven’t watched a Super Bowl in years. The last one I can remember was in high school. It’s just not high on my list of things to care about. Now soccer is another story.
I found out this weekend that you can listen to podcasts in itunes at a faster speed so you finish quickly. I first thought, “so I can listen to more stuff.” Then I realized that it would mean I would have even more random things clogging my brain. No, thanks.
Strawberry Soup is on the menu this week. Ask Emma what it is. I just know I like it.
I feel like reading a Vince Flynn thriller. I haven’t read one since high school. Know any good ones?
I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends later this week.

"Oh beloved brethren and sisters, how great is your favor and power with God! Use that favor and..."

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:30:01 -0600

“Oh beloved brethren and sisters, how great is your favor and power with God! Use that favor and power.”

- Robert Chapman, on prayer

Robert Chapman: a biography, Robert L. Peterson, 97

Shakespeare and Star Trek: Live Long and Prosper

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:45:48 -0600

On our date last night, we talked about Shakespeare (we’re weird, I know)-what we had read, what we liked, what we hated. And we talked about how knowing some Shakespeare is necessary because his plays and poetry have influenced so much of western culture-even pop culture. Emma told me about the number of words that Shakespeare coined that are now real words. I told her about innuendo that we get from Shakespeare (my mom would say, “that’s Joseph alright”).

I watched the latest Star Trek earlier this week (Emma watched some until Ellie’s bed time), and there was so much that made me say, “So that’s where that comes from.” I’ve never watched a Star Trek movie or tv episode, but I knew the names, quotes, planets, back stories, etc. We also talked about Christ-figures in the movie and how even if they may not have been there on purpose, it’s diffficult to tell a story in the West without them.

I love truth. I love facts. But it seems that people share stories most. It’s our common language.

"Tumblr (posterous) + RSS > Twitter"

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:19:41 -0600

“Tumblr (posterous) + RSS > Twitter”

Reading Less|Doing More

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:10:00 -0600

I’ve been reading a book a week for over a year now, so reading is my go-to topic when I don’t have something else to blog about. But right now, I’m slowing down on my reading.

I realized the other day that reading can get in the way of finishing my projects. I can use books as a way to stay busy, but not necessarily productive.

So now, I’m still reading, but not at the pace I’ve been reading. I’m trying to finish up a teaching project I’m working on, and after that I hope to finish a writing project I’ve had going for a year now.

What can keep you busy but not productive?

Shorts on Feb 1

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:28:00 -0600

Why is February spelled so oddly? We don’t pronounce it FEB-RUE-AIRY.
I finished Believers: A Journey in Evangelical America this week. And started Robert Chapman: A Biography.
Emma and I lay in bed one morning this weekend debating who would be the best actors in a film version of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. She wouldn’t agree that Gary Oldman (think Sirius Black) should play Peet the Sock Man. Or that Emma Thompson should be Nia, the mother. That’s the kind of thing we do and one reason I love life with her.
Ellie thinks I’m a superstar. She loves it when I’m around, and that can make mom jealous. But she loves her mom too.
One day we will get a minivan. Emma has no choice in the matter. Car seats and car doors don’t play well together.