I was four when I realized I wanted to be a conqueror. I had a whole tin of green army soldiers and the whole kitchen was in my sights. The chair arms became mountains, the crevices under the cabinets became caves, and the hardwood floors became fields and plains ripe for plucking. I wanted to conqueror it all. To rule it all.

I grew older loving stories of all the great conquerors. I liked hearing of Charlemaine and King Richard the Lion Hearted. I loved reading about the battles of Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander the Great. But my favorite conqueror of all was, Genghis Khan. He seemed the quintessential conqueror, brave and strong, shrewd and fortunate all together. I wanted to be all of that and for people to admire all of that in me.

These days, being a conqueror is not considered to be a good thing. And I partially agree with that. To be a conqueror there are certain lines you would inevitably have to cross to get there.

Yet, the Bible says in Romans that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” So there are characteristics of a conqueror that we are supposed to have. Let’s study that verse for a moment. What does it mean to be conqueror? It means to defeat or subdue by force, or to overcome or surmount by physical, mental, or moral force. It means to be victorious, to win.

Don’t we want to surmount obstacles? Don’t we want to overcome by mental or moral force? Don’t we want to win and be victorious in our every day lives? Of course we do, and to do that we have to be conquerors.

What are we trying to conquer though? What are the spoils? Quite simply, the spoils are your goals in life. The purpose God has planned for you. The reason you are alive. That is what you are trying to obtain. That is what you are trying to “subdue by force.”

The key is the force part. We can’t overcome or subdue without force. We have to exert energy. We have to fight. We have to go into battle and be like Genghis Khan. We have to be brave and strong, shrewd and fortunately all together.

It can sound simple to do, but it rarely is. What keeps us from being conquerors? I believe it is three elements. Fear. Doubt. Deception.

Fear. Being a conqueror can be dangerous. To conqueror you have to go into battle. You have to fight. And a lot of people are afraid to fight. It is so much easier to sit back and react rather than subdue. A lot of people are afraid of failing. They would rather not try, than risk failure and the feeling of failure. A lot of people are afraid of being aggressive and making things happen. When we do this, we sometimes have to fight through people who will try to stop us from achieving our goals.

Doubt. Maybe God isn’t real. Maybe there isn’t a purpose for me. Maybe I am not a conqueror. Maybe I will never find the man or woman I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with. Maybe I am with the wrong person. Maybe I chose the wrong profession. Maybe I am going to make the wrong choices in life. Doubt can paralyze us.

Deception. This is the most subtle of all. It is so subtle that we almost miss it. And even worse, deception is about twisting the truth. Which makes it seem all the more real. Perhaps it is thinking that I am not good enough to get where I want to go. Even our media tries to convince us of this through their advertising. There is always something I am missing. I am missing the perfect car. I am missing the right figure or the right clothes to show off that figure. Old Spice is trying to convince me right now that I could be more if I use their new body wash. Coca-Cola tries to convince me that drinking their soda will change my life, heighten it, and make everything alright. Yes, these little bits of deception try to make me think I need something more than I have now, that I haven’t quite conquered yet.

That’s why I love the Word of God. It tells me the truth of things. It tells me I am already more than a conqueror. It tells me I don’t need to fear, or doubt, or be deceived. The victory is already mine. Sure, there will be battles. There will be fights. But I have already been guaranteed a victory. It is just for me to remember it and forcefully take that victory. And to realize that I will have divine protection as I pursue that victory.

Ah, yes. Divine Protection. For more on that, come back next week.

© Seth Crossman

by Sudhakar Ram

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” ~ M K Gandhi

Money has been the world’s primary measure of success over the last 200 years. Nations want bigger GDPs. Corporations want higher market capitalization. And we individuals all want fatter bank accounts. The assumption is that if we have the money, everything else can be acquired. Money can buy us better health, more leisure time – and even increased happiness.

Our experience, however, has shown that wealth does not necessarily bring us health, time or happiness. Research shows higher levels of unhappiness – stress, divorce, etc. — in wealthy nations like the US. Health care — or rather, disease care — remains a major concern, costing the country around $2 trillion to treat the 300 million citizens.

Let’s indulge in a bit of fantasy. What if health replaced wealth as the primary measure of success? Would we be better off as individuals, as companies, as countries and as a world?

If health were the ultimate measure of success, we would eat the right food – fresh and nutritious. We would take our time over our meals, enjoying conversation with friends and family. We would follow a more balanced lifestyle, allocating time for exercise, for reading and learning, and for rewarding relationships. We would follow our creative passions and pursue our true calling, rather than chasing stressful careers that leave us exhausted and burnt out. Isn’t it likely that we would be happier than we are today?

For companies, health would translate to longevity. Companies that survive the longest, making a meaningful contribution to the world, would be considered the healthiest. This would lead to more organic approaches to growth, rather than the intense focus on quick fixes and rapid expansion. Companies would discover and live up to their long-term potential rather than the short-term bottom line each quarter. Rather than settling for minimum standards and acceptable performance, companies that intend to be around for centuries would invest the time and energy to excel.

As countries, success would mean that every constituent part – the citizens, the cities and villages, the institutions and the systems – are healthy and vibrant. Governments at every level would be focused on eliminating poverty, squalor, pollution, crime, corruption and disease. Citizens would demand leadership to ensure that every part of their country gets the necessary infrastructure and basic amenities like education, health care, water, electricity, and law & order. Countries would vie for the cleanest, healthiest and liveliest environments to potential citizens and corporations.

A healthy world would be a clean and sustainable world where bio-diversity is maintained and all beings co-exist in their natural environment. In such a world, non-renewable natural resources would be consumed in moderation while renewable resources would be used and replenished diligently. Countries would agree to share common resources. Global institutions would bring peace and good health to humanity as a whole.

The purpose of this piece of fantasy is to show that a slight shift in our goals can bring about dramatic changes in the way people live, work, consume and enjoy their lives on this planet. Why don’t we, as humanity, choose a better way? Why don’t we choose health and happiness over wealth as our primary measure of success? Do stay engaged and contribute to this dialog.

Sudhakar Ram is Chairman and Co-Founder of IT solutions provider, Mastek. He believes that creating a sustainable world would require a shift in the “constructs” that drive our attitudes and actions. The New Constructs is an initiative to examine our beliefs and assumptions – about life and living – that we need to reinvent in order to create a more inclusive and sustainable world. It is an opportunity for each one of us to connect, collaborate and co-create the world that we will rebuild for posterity. Do post your own examples on the Wall.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sudhakar_Ram

by Sasa Sunakku

If ever I asked "Where shall we go for dinner?" when we lived in Tokyo, F was sure to answer "Gyoza Party." Actually, he often suggested it even when I hadn't asked. Like, daily. In fact though, Gyoza Party (yes, I did intend for that to be capitalised) is less a place, than a state of mind. Gyoza Party is a happy place, a place where an endless parade of gyoza magically appear within chopstick range, dip themselves delicately in the shouyu, vinegar and chilli oil and insinuate themselves gently between your lips, only to explode in an orgy of garlicky porkiness.

There was such a place near where we lived in Shimokitazawa; a noisy place full of steam, smoke and Japanese workmen with their soft split-toed shoes, but the good news for F is, Gyoza Party can be recreated at home.

I know dumplings seem like one of those things that are too much of a hassle to bother with but when you see them lined up on your plate, all steamy without and juicy within and you're transported to Gyoza Party, it will all be worth it. Besides which, it actually only takes about 3 minutes to make the filling and if you go production line style, you can pump out as many gyoza as your little hearts desire in a jiffy.

Gyoza

I think like every other Japanese kid, I've eaten gyoza for as long as I can recall but when we went to stay with my lovely friend Yuko, she made them for us at home, which was a first. It made me realise that's it's actually a cinch. You can use garlic, but if you can find nira, a.k.a. garlic chives, all the better. They are long and flat and you should be able to find them in Asian markets - you'll probably have to buy the gyoza skins at one anyway. You'll want the round white skins, not the square yellow wonton skins, and they're usually in the frozen section.

All you need to remember is that a gyoza has 3 sides - the front with the pinched folds, the back which looks blank and the bottom which is fat and flat enough for it to sit on without rolling (that will be the crunchy bit) and you need to make sure it's watertight or the juices will run out when it's cooking.

For the dipping sauce

Shouyu, rice vinegar and chilli oil in a ratio of about 3:1:1

For the filling

200 grams pork mince
A knob of ginger, very finely chopped or grated - save the juice! (I used a microplane here so there would be no stringy bits)
Two spring onions, finely sliced
Either 2 cloves of crushed garlic OR a bunch of nira, finely chopped
2 tablespoons shouyu (Japanese soy sauce)
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
A sprinkle of white pepper if you have it
Plus about 30 gyoza skins

Mix it all up (except the skins, obviously) and leave for an hour. Set up the production line: get a couple of big plates, a small ramekin of cold water and a teaspoon per person, the skins and the filling. Take a surprisingly small amount of filling with a teaspoon, place it in the middle of a skin, dip your finger in the water and run a damp half-circle around the skin.

Fold the skin in half, pinching the top middle firmly. Make 2 folds on either side of the middle pinch which face toward it. Repeat on the other side. Sit the gyoza on the plate, pressing it a bit so the bottom gets flattened. Repeat until all the filling or all the skins are gone.

Heat a non-stick or very well-seasoned frypan (believe me, this helps later because these bad boys are *desperate* to stick and it will end in tears) over medium heat and prepare a glass with 150ml water in it. Keep a lid handy. Pour in *just*enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Quickly place all the gyoza in the pan and leave until the bottoms are browned, shaking gently to avoid sticking.

Carefully (it might spit) throw in the water and put the lid on. Steam for about 3 minutes, shaking a few times, and then remove the lid and allow the rest of the water, if any, to evaporate. Scrape the bottoms from the pan with the thinnest metal spatula you have to loosen and invert the gyoza onto a plate so the brown side is up. For best results serve with rice, the dipping sauce and a cold Sapporo beer.

Click to see Gyoza photo. Harro! I’m Sasa. I like to cook, write, eat and dance, though not necessarily in that order. I’m 29 and somehow I’ve managed to move more times than the number of years I’ve lived so I always miss someone, somewhere. Sometimes I need to stop myself from crumpling up and floating away so I make food. Some of the places I’ve lived are: New Zealand (home, and the place I miss the most); Japan, where I was born and also the place I most recently lived; Thailand, the place I’d love to stay forever if all the people I loved were there; the U.K and briefly, France. Read more on sasasunakku.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sasa_Sunakku

by Marge Simon

In high school, like Stephen King and others, I started out on the school paper. I loved working on it. I thrived on deadlines, the crazy fun coming up with headers, getting to do my own features, guest editing the April Fool's edition, all that. And I really got a high from writing my own quirky columns. I won an award for my editorial about astronaut Scott Carpenter, who was from our home town (Boulder, Colorado.) Seeing a newspaper I helped produce, tossed into the school hallways and trod upon was a stiletto heel through my vanity. With ink in my blood, I dreamed I'd be the next Ben Franklin, Sam Clemmons, or Erma Bombeck.

My ambition was to become a journalist. I did very well on scores for college, and planned my career. The day came, and I sat with about five others outside the office of the head of the CU Journalism department. After keeping us about an hour, we were told that the head of the department had gone off on a sabbatical to Australia. (I imagine this put the administration into quite a quandary since apparently nobody at the University of Colorado had known about his departure until that moment.) There were no other advisors available in journalism. We had about ten minutes to decide which department fit our secondary choices.

I chose English Lit. Okay? Okay. Went on with my life and got a teaching degree, which appears to be just as well. Come 2010, here is what's what: Newspapers are in trouble. I don't need to tell you why, do I?

Here are two reports from folks in other states about the newspaper delivery service:

Cassie A.(Missouri) : "We have a new paper delivery person who missed two days this week and one day last week, but hopefully is on track now, although he just threw the paper in the middle of the driveway instead of putting it in the plastic container. I'll call again if he doesn't start putting it there. The paper is so right-wing, I want to cancel it every time the editor writes her vituperative editorial, anyway. But I need it for kindling to start the stove with."

Justin R.: (North Carolina): "I finally stopped newspaper delivery because the guy who delivered it continually threw it in the ditch even though there was a newspaper box at the end of the drive. I called and complained three times, but it did no good, so I stopped it. Saw no reason to pay for it to be delivered and then have to crawl through the blackberry cane in the ditch to retrieve it. Sometimes, it was soaked and couldn't even be gotten to. Wasps now live happily every summer in the newspaper box, and I get newspapers for the wood stove from the library. They always have stacks of the old ones to give away to anyone who wants them."

Now I'm not saying that newspapers are in trouble because they aren't getting properly delivered to subscribers. I ask that you look deeper into the problem. Most folks use the Internet for news, features and games. But the net can't start your wood burning stove or fireplace, can it? Still, I'm afraid "The Fourth Estate" is en route to becoming obsolete. You'll have to find something else to wrap fish in, pack your dishes in when moving, and of course, ignite your fires.

It’s not easy to come up with romantic ideas for Valentine’s Day every year. Sometimes a good idea just costs too much. Or sometimes the only idea you come up with is just too ordinary, and though it took you a long time think of and will cost money, you know that she will think you took the easy route. And you know that if she thinks that, then she will think you don’t care that much about her.

That’s the thing about women that I have begun to realize more and more as I grow older. They like nice gifts. But they want our time more. If we sacrifice our time and just be with them, focusing our attention on them, then it means we value them. As a man, my money is terribly important to me and when I spend it on the woman I love, I think I am showing her how much I love her. She can understand that, but to her, my time is even more important.

Here are five unique ideas that are fun and thoughtful and will satisfy her desire for your time.

Overcoming a Fear Plan an event that you know your mate wants to do, but is just afraid to do. Maybe it is learning how to swim. Or maybe it is going to karaoke and singing. But set the event up in such a fashion that when they do attempt it, there is no room for failure. So swim in only the shallow end. Or rent the entire karaoke bar and fill it with your friends so that they clap and give her good reviews. Or have congratulations cards already made up that you can hand her that tell her she was great. The idea here is that people feel a great sense of accomplishment if they overcome a fear. More important is the unique bond they form with the person that helped them overcome that fear.

Ice Sculpting Buy a block of ice (doesn’t have to be big or expensive – you can even make one yourself) and make an ice sculpture together. It doesn’t have to look beautiful. Maybe you just chip out a heart and then carve your names in it. Ice is a beautiful thing. It is starkly beautiful and unconsciously gives the idea of quality, richness, beauty, royalty, lavishness, and awe. These are fantastic elements to bring to any date activity, let alone your romance. It will take time to do, but will provide a lot of fun as you talk and laugh and eventually accomplish something together. Make sure you take pictures.

Hidden Treats Buy ten or twelve little dollar boxes of candy (It is great if you can buy candy you know they like, but a box of chocolates will do.) and hide them around the house, or around the living room. Attach compliment cards to them. A hunt is adventuresome, and almost everyone loves an adventure. As they find the items, they find the card that details something you absolutely love about them. It could even be a special memory that you had together. An added bonus here, is that as you bring these positive attributes to mind, you will be stirring your own feelings of love for that person. As your mate finds these candy treasures, the little cards will make them feel good, make them feel loved.

Memory Movie Gather about ten pictures of you and your mate. These pictures should be from positive events like parties, trips, or special events. Put them into a nice little book, or create a slideshow on your computer of them. The idea here is that you are bringing back good memories you had together. Discuss what you remember about the event and what was so fun about it. As you do, the two of you might begin to think about some new trips or events you want to do. Make sure you leave a few blank pages at the end of the book or at the end of the slideshow and when your mates asks what those are, tell them for new memories you want to make. Tell them that your life together is a beautiful story and that you are still committed to making incredible memories and scenes with them.

Twenty Dollar Shopping Spree Go to a large variety store like Walmart. Each of you gets twenty dollars. Take that twenty dollars and try find as many items (1 dollar or two dollar items are best) as you can that are fun or symbolic. For example. It could be a dollar package of glitter lipstick that would be a hoot to try on later. Or it could be a three pack of car freshner trees that your husband really needs for his car and just hasn’t taken the time to buy. You can even do the shopping spree together, which could turn out to be some quality time and some good laughter as you see what they buy and why.

© Seth Crossman

Romance is in the air.

It’s always in the air around Valentine’s Day. For many of us, we walk with a lighter step as we think back over the years we have spent with our wife or husband and how far we have come and all the wonderful experiences we have had. We think forward to the night with a little bit of excitement. We have already planned something special. We hope the delivery man comes on time and that the best cook is on duty at the new hip restaurant down the street, where we have reservations for 7PM sharp. Then our minds flash forward to what her face is going to look like when she sees our gift and we can’t help but smile a little more.

If the evening goes well, and most Valentine’s Day evenings go well if we do a little planning, its not hard to fall in love all over again, or at least rekindle some of the passion.

As the months pass, though it can be hard to maintain that passion, that feeling of love. Why?

To be honest, it is because most of our “investing” is done on Valentine’s day. It is when we spend our money on the sole purpose of wooing our wife or pleasing our husband. It is the one day that we set aside to focus on really treating our wife to the best dinner we can find and the best chocolates we can buy. It is when we think of sweet things to say that make her feel valued and treasured. It is when we reflect on all the good qualities and good memories. It is when we go overboard and trail rose petals all over the bed and down the hallway.

The coming of Valentine’s Day is like stoking a fire. The embers are there, we just need to stir them up and get things cooking again. And if we put any effort out, we do stir up those embers.

I know, it makes sense. If we invest the same kind of energy and thought throughout the year, we can have Valentine’s Day every month. But how many of us do?

Andy Andrews, New York Times Best-selling author and speaker, realized this about his own relationship with his wife. As he and his wife came home one day, he watched her smother their dog with hugs and kisses. It perturbed him. Why was she treating that dog better than she was treating him? As he thought about it, he realized that when she came home from work and he was on the phone, he would often wave at her to be quiet or would move to another room. Sometimes he never even said hello. But their dog would jump up and wag its tail and lick her face and rub up against her leg. Their dog did that anytime she came into the room. Their dog loved her and showed her and she responded. He realized that maybe if he started treating his wife as nice as his dog did, then maybe she would treat him better.

It’s a simple concept, but one that many of us forget. Or perhaps we are so busy that we don’t take the time to invest in our husbands and wives. Barack Obama said, “What I realize as I get older is that Michelle is less concerned about me giving her flowers than she is that “me doing things that are hard for me — carving out time. That to her is proof, evidence that I’m thinking about her. She appreciates the flowers, but to her romance is that I’m actually paying attention to things that she cares about, and time is always an important factor.”

When we devote time to the people we love, they realize they are loved. The feel loved. With that in mind, I encourage you to have date night at least once a month. Make the time every week to really sit down with your mate and just listen to what is going on in their lives. Do something nice for them that you wouldn’t normally.

If you do, I am sure you will find out that Valentine’s Day can come almost any time of year.

© Seth Crossman

by Suzi Elton

When you do your business writing, consider incorporating the principle of Excite, Delight and Entice. What this means is that you emotionalize your writing in such way that your readers cannot only picture themselves living a more satisfactory life, but can feel the excitement and satisfaction they would have. This produces a strong pull to explore working with you. In effect, they say to themselves, "If s/he knows enough about what I want to write like this - like they know me and my problems - I REALLY want to talk to them about what they do."

Most business people have had an experience when someone you are speaking to becomes very excited about your business. This is usually the result of your impassioned description of your work having the good luck of being delivered to someone who is seriously seeking that solution. Of course, part of the result is the coincidence of delivering to the right target market at the right time, but overwhelmingly the result comes from our passion and obvious competence shown in the way we speak. Here are a few ideas about how to excite, delight and entice when you write.

1. Excite. Write from your passion. Tap into your own excitement when you put the words down on paper. If you aren't excited about what you do, how can you expect to excite anyone else to be excited about it? Often, there's a disconnect between the passion we have when we talk about our business and what we are able to convey in written words. In fact, this is very common.

If you experience this, you might get help to record yourself when you are talking about your business and transcribe that (or have it transcribed) as your starting point. You may need someone to interview you to get you into that spoken "groove" that brings out your passion. Do what it takes to translate this to paper.

2. Delight. Delight your readers with word "pictures" that have them "living in" the fantasy of the solution you provide. Don't exaggerate or go "over the top." What works best in "painting" your word pictures is to draw on your considerable experience of all those you have helped.

Describe the profound changes you've observed your clients experience. Talk about their relief, freedom and newfound ease living with the solution you provide. Go into the details of the contrast between their life with the problem and their life after the solution. The objective is to have them "feel" themselves living the life they could have free of the problem.

3. Entice. Once you've excited and delighted them, you want to entice them to move one step closer to working with you. That might be getting them to ask for more written information about your business or to pick up the phone and call you. What can you do to entice them closer?

A good idea is to offer some sort of "sample" of working with you. This might be a complimentary session where you explore the solution they are looking for. It might be a free in-depth report that helps them get an even better idea about the results they might expect while subtly showcasing your expertise. Perhaps you have an assessment that can cleverly illustrate to them where they "hurt" and suggests what the solution could look like. Perhaps you can sell an assortment of paid "mini sessions" focused on single issues and designed to whet their appetite for more.

The next time you do business writing, consider exciting, delighting and enticing your readers. It will pay off for you - and your clients.

Suzi Elton works with highly creative types to create income that matches their talent. Through strategic coaching amd marketing writing, she has helped hundreds of clients make dramatic changes to live their creative desires. Her current emphasis is working with those clients who are ready for dramatic increases in income (double, triple, quadruple) within a matter of months.
Coaching: http://mylifepurposecoaching.com
Writing: http://WOWFactorWriting.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzi_Elton

If you look back over the course of history, what started as a trickle of inventions has turned into a waterfall. Imagine it: first came fire, then five thousand years later the wheel, then a thousand years later the plow, then five hundred years later the printing press, then a hundred years later the telescope. Now, every day brings new inventions and advancements in previous inventions.

The internet is one of the more recent developments when you look at the timeline and it has been fascinating to watch it morph from a data transfer technology into a realm of unspeakable possibilities. Some even call it “the next great frontier,” a statement I won’t argue with. Why, just the other day, I finally explored what I imagine will become one of the world’s greatest addictions in the coming years: the virtual world.

Back in 1996, Tad Williams wrote a book called “Otherland, City of Golden Shadow.” In it, he wrote of a future where people plug into the internet and enter into an online fantasy world where there are rules and structure, but endless possibilities. His was a dark reflection of the real world, where reality could be stretched because it was not bound by the laws of physics.

We read books these days and watch movies and part of the excitement is being able to live and experience another life, another reality. Imagine taking books and movies a step further by allowing people to actually go there and live these experiences. That was what Otherland presented. Not could boys and girls plug into the internet and travel to their friend’s house, one that was virtually constructed and furnished and have a real conversation with them, they could then explore a world dark and seedy and wonderful and enigmatic all at once.

This is becoming reality.

A few years ago at the height of Myspace’s popularity, there was a slightly similar Korean site called Cyworld that allowed users to furnish a “world” rather than just a page. Then, when you visited your friends, you actually entered their virtual world as an avatar, rather than visiting just a static page with images and words. You could decorate your world by purchasing 2d furniture or you could decorate your avatar with the latest fashions. When I first heard about it, I thought it was a great idea, so I am not surprised by its rising popularity here in the US.

On Facebook, there are many applications that are similar to Cyworld. Last night I entered CafeWorld for the first time, and while it has a cartoon effect and feel, the options and potential of this world are hardly child-like. You can also choose to play Farmville, MafiaWars, Castle Age and many more. These fantasy worlds are a mix between a video game and a virtual world, with the same potential for addiction.

That’s the secret. As more and more people join these social worlds, the more companies and designers will develop them. And as our technology expands, so will our ability to create more life-like user experiences that will suck in more people. The Virtual World will become the next frontier.

It is just a matter of time before Tad Williams’ Otherland style world is a reality, only a lot safer. In the meantime, I am going to hop back on Castle Age with my friends and battle the orcs at the Falls of Jaraya.

© Seth Crossman

image courtesy of CafeWorld

The most gifted item this past year? The Amazon Kindle.

Years ago, I bought a Palm Tungsten C, which at the time was on the forefront of the technology frontier. It was a fantastic little device that could connect to the internet, manage a calendar, play videos, listen to music, play video games, and had more than 10,000 other little applications that programmers made for it. It could also do one other thing: read ebooks. This was long before the PDA smartphone really got going, when netbooks were just a dream.

I loved that little device and one of the best things about it was the ability to use it as a book. In seconds I could download George R.R. Martin's entire "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. Then I could pop out my Tungsten on the road, on the train (which at the time I took every day), at home, in the office, in bed at night and get completely lost in another world. I could flip between books with a single stroke, pop it on and immediately be at the same page I had finished reading the night before. I loved it until the screen broke.

This is why I am not surprised at Amazon's success with the Kindle. Ebooks are very convenient. But I am a little surprised that the Kindle doesn't do very much besides deliver and store nearly any book that you want. The Tungsten C did that and more and was smaller to hold.

Still, it is not the Kindle I am interested in. It is in the fact that ebooks are so popular right now. I love them. But I still love holding a physical book in my hands. I like the rough feel of the page between my hands and hearing the pages scratch against each other as I turn the page. I love looking at the covers and stacking then on top of each other. I like knowing that at any time I can walk into my den and pull my favorite book off the shelf and not have to worry that some electrical catastrophe or accidental misplacement will lose my beloved books.

It does make me wonder what the future holds for the physical book in twenty years, in a fifty years. Will book companies still print physical copies or will they do away it to cut costs and boost profits and make their selections even more diverse and more available? I thought they would always have free TV and radio. But those things are beginning to disappear. Will physical books disappear too?

It is kind of ironic that as an editor I get so many submissions that take place years in the future where physical books are museum pieces worth more than a car's weight in gold. I used to think those submissions were dire futures where something terrible had gone wrong. But now, I see that they may just be a sign of changing times where technology renders much obsolete. Who would have thought that landline telephones would disappear? But they are.

I am glad I live in this time though. It is an exciting time where every day brings something absolutely fascinating. It is a time when I can walk into the airport or into the mall and pick up a book. And it is a time when I can pick up a piece of plastic and get almost any book in seconds. I have both realities at my fingertips and that choice is great.

With all this said, here is my reading list for 2010 (partial of course - I plan on reading much more than 10). These are the books I am choosing to invest my time in.

1) The Bible: Nothing comes close to this classic. It has truth for every conceivable area of life.
2) The Law of Nines-Terry Goodkind. A departure from The Sword of Truth, but still great writing.
3) The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. It will be bittersweet reading this.
4) Night Angel - Brent Weeks. The first couple pages are so promising that I hope the rest of the series is as good.
5) The Principle of the Path - Andy Stanley. Excited to read this, because I fall into this trap so often with my best ideas.
6) Napolean's Pyramids - William Dietrich. From the bargain bin, but looks like an Indiana Jones or Davinci Code type.
7) Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan. She is just great. Great character development.
8) The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch. Another book with a great beginning.
9) Easy Recipes for Wild Game and Fish - Ferne Holmes. If you know me, you know this is like gold.
10) Tuck - Stephen R. Lawhead. My favorite author and his latest. Have to read it.

© Seth Crossman