All Consuming : boomga

A story about "Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:53:18 GMT

Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia

by Chris Stewart

We finished this the other night. We are looking forward to the next book, Parrot in the pepper tree. If we can get a copy.

A story about "Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters From Daughters and Sons"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:51:37 GMT

Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters From Daughters and Sons

by Tim Russert

Costco whim purchase. It is a compilation of letters received by Tim Russert after he wrote a book about his dad. He wrote chapter headings, but most of the text is stories from readers about their fathers.
I really enjoyed the book.

A story about "The New Spanish Table"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:33:45 GMT

The New Spanish Table

by Anya von Bremzen

Strawberry gazpacho.
Unbelievably good.

Why I recommend "The Infinite Atonement"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:31:42 GMT

The Infinite Atonement

by Tad R. Callister

When I picked up this book, I thought I knew the doctrine of the Atonement. And indeed, there were many things written that I already knew. Some things I had not considered. As I read I found that I understood some points better, but more importantly, I felt more gratitude and reverence. And a better understanding, or feeling, of God’s love for me.
I look forward to reading this more deeply, and coming to a better knowledge and understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

A story about "The Infinite Atonement"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:42:57 GMT

The Infinite Atonement

by Tad R. Callister

“The Atonement is, in fact, the most powerful motivational force in the world to be good from day to day and, when necessary, to repent when we have fallen short.”
“He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him.”
Paul taught that “the blood of Christ” purges or turns our “conscience from dead works to serve the living God” As we expand our knowledge of the Atonement and increase ourlove for the Savior and the cause for which he suffered, our hearts begin to soften and more readily yield to the motivational powers of his sacrifice. We find new reservoirs of commitment to serve the living God. Eventually there emerges a personal burning resolve that his suffering shall not have been in vain.

A story about "The Infinite Atonement"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:41:53 GMT

The Infinite Atonement

by Tad R. Callister

The Fall of Adam brought a few things along with it. It introduced physical death into the world. Adam was cast out of God’s presence and that became a spiritual death. The Atonement rectifies these two deaths by providing a resurrection to overcome death and also brings each person into God’s presence again at the end of this life, overcoming that spiritual death.
Being born into this world we are surrounded by choices and there is the chance that we choose to break God’s commandments. In fact, it is said in the scriptures that all (except Jesus) have sinned and come short of the glory of God. These are sins, not of Adam’s choice, but of our own. Adam is not responsible for my sins. The Atonement also gives us hope to overcome our own personal sins, if we repent.
Because of the Fall Adam lost immortality, God’s immediate presence, innocence.
The Atonement rectifies death by resurrection, restoring immortality and restores us to God’s presence. We lost innocence, but gained knowledge and ability to choose and the ability to have family, to have children. If we repent we can regain being clean.

A story about "The Infinite Atonement"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:27:55 GMT

The Infinite Atonement

by Tad R. Callister

What is the Atonement? The suffering, power and love manifested by the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, the cross and the tomb.
Three principal purposes of the Atonement include 1. restoring that which was lost by the Fall of Adam. Namely, the resurrection to overcome death and restoring all men to the presence of God, overcoming the separation caused by the Fall. 2. Provide the possibility of repentance. With the cleansing power of the Atonement, we can be cleansed from our sins. 3. Exaltation. The Atonement provides us with the power to not only be cleansed from sin, but to become better and better, to lift us above our situations. To become one with the Savior as he prayed for those who believed him that “they all might be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee. “

A story about "The Infinite Atonement"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:20:26 GMT

The Infinite Atonement

by Tad R. Callister

It has been said about the atonement that “nothing in the entire plan of salvation compares in any way in importance with that most transcendent of all events, the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. It is the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things… The Savior’s life can be divided up into three categories, his message, his ministry and his mission.
His message did not only come from his lips. He had inspired prophets before and after his life to teach and preach his gospel. His ministry included miracles and power over nature and elements, things that he had also had given others to do, including Moses and Peter. But his mission, the atonement, was unique and could not be delegated. Only he could perform it. Understanding the atonement is important, so we know how to be saved.
Why study this atonement? The more we know of the atonement, what it covers and how it covers it, the more we know how to apply it’s balm to our lives and the lives of those around us. Further, as we study it, it can be a source of inspiration to us in our lives.

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:42:04 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

Finally p 362 “Here’s my point: usually, all we get is a glimmer. A story we read or someone we briefly met. A curiosity. A meek voice inside, whispering. It’s up to us to hammer out the rest. The rewards of pursuing it are only for those who are willing to listen attentively, only for those people who really care….Finding what we should do is one of life’s great dramas. It can be an endless process of discovery, one to be appreciated and respected for its difficulty.”

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:22:17 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

More quotes: p327 “A culinary academy is where a cook is turned into a chef. I’d talked to other people who, like Kurt, had turned to cooking after a midlife crisis. There’s something about nourishment, and nourishing others, that helps people to heal. Half the student body of most culinary schools are people in emotional transition.”
“You have to give yourself permission to enjoy the life that you have been given.

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:48:53 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

ch 46. Fears are inherited too.
This chapter tells a story of a guy who went running away from home to avoid the chronic illness of his father. Sometimes home haunts and drives us in ways we need to deal with.
“Becoming a parent can trigger a return of meaning, a sort of meaning audit. The relationship with your child is so meaningful it can reveal just how meaningless other things in your life are. And people deal with this information in opposite ways. Many people suddenly are relieved of the burden of finding meaningful work. They’re perfectly content to punch the clock; family provides meaning now. if they can afford to, they’d rather stay home with the kids. But just as commonly, this meaning audit compels people to hold a higher standard to their life; they can no longer waste half their waking hours on some job that doesn’t do it for them. They don’t want their child to watch them lead a dispassionate life. Almost half the people in this book are parents.”

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:09:59 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

p 293 “Everybody needs fuel for their engine. Making seven figures on Wall Street is cheap wood, it burns up too fast. I need something that burns well. That’s substantive. That’s real.”
“One of the things I’ve learned from this book is, don’t pretend what you do doesn’t shape you.”
“And when you’ve had to fight to know yourself, you don’t give that ground back, not to anything.”

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:10:28 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

More quotes: p 286 “That summer popped his belief in what he calls the Academic Bubble World Myth—the notion that a student can ‘know’ a subject merely by reading books about it and writing papers, without ever having experienced it firsthand.”
“Call me romantic, but deep down I want to be great. I want to believe in a cause or an idea bigger than my individual financial or career progress. Deep down, that’s why I can’t get myself to look seriously at law or business school applications. Tell me, is there really anything-~~anything at all~~-‘great’ about working for a firm or corporation? and so here I am, chasing greatness.”
“At Yale, we were taught that people in the cities are poor because of factors outside their control. I used to think that inner-city kids only needed to connect. They needed love and understanding. And so if they were disorderly in class, I would let it go as a way of making them my friend, currying their favor. And they kicked my ass. They abused me. if I gave an inch, they would take a mile. I couldn’t connect with them.They did not respond to kindness, they took advantage of it. My class would be continuously disrupted. I learned the hard way. What they need is someone to teach them habits that lead to success later in life. They need someone to tell them when they’ve done something wrong. Kids face a thousand choices, and they need someone to teach them to make the right choices. How to handle social situations, how to take responsibility and not make excuses. I’ve become much more conservative by working here. It’s the last think I expected. It’s much more like how my father raised me, with tough love.”
p 289 ”’We teach character, I didn’t know what character was when I came here. I was chronically late, and my body language was distant. I had to learn character in order to teach it, and I’m a much better person now. I handle situations better.’”
“The situation that got them in trouble is replayed in conversation, moment by moment and the students are repeatedly asked how they could have handled the moment differently. It’s drilled into them that they make choices. They become aware, and they stop acting without thinking.”
“They are never asked to memorize ~~- they’re only asked to demonstrate exemplary character: perseverance, integrity, respect, responsibility, courage. The highest honor in the school is not a 4.0 GPA -~~ it’s to receive the Gambatte Award for exhibiting character. This can be for an act of generosity, or for resisting peer pressure, or for avoiding a fight.”
“The truth is, I don’t really think about what I should do with my life, I love my school, and I stopped thinking about it.”
Sounds great, yet the chapter ends talking about the imbalance of the guy’s life. Hmm. He has no girlfriend, works terrible hours that can’t be sustained for a lifetime. Not complete. But a good description for what satisfaction tastes like.

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:28:39 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

Chapter 43. Where fears hide This is your own responsibility.
Here he talks about himself. He fantasized about working with his wife. “Sharing made everything more interesting.” His wife was a writer and editor and he shared everything he wrote with her first. She was a tremendous influence, but he says that she was also a crutch. He left her (for other reasons) and found that he couldn’t write without her help. He recognized his weaknesses and faced them. He wrote his next book by facing those weaknesses and strengthening them. He developed greater strength as a writer. He also says that he became a better listener. And he discovered a strength in himself where he didn’t need the crutch of his spouse’s approval. His writing stands alone. “I’m careful not to let my work be an obsession that gets between us. I know that if writing is my dream, then it’s my responsibility alone. I never again want to use another person that way.”

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:03:36 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

Favorite quotes:
Page 229 “in New York, it was culture consupmtion. You listened to the music so you could be an expert on it. Everything had a purpose that related back to status.” In New York, people engage in a sociology experiment on what life is. In New Orleans, people live their lives.”

Page 231 “Being competetive was a default subsitute for following her dream. Being better than others was a default substitute for being true to herself.”
”. . . but she still couldn’t summon the courage to have a go at writing. What would it mean to fail at the thing you really want to do? What would be left to dream about?”
Page 232 “She started writing and editing for free and it always evolved into paying work.”

Page 233 “The benefit of being around like minded people” I can’t emphasize enough the sway of being in a community of like minded people.”
p 236 “Did we believe in each oterh? Here and there, but not across the board. You would assume that’s necessary, but it’s not. The talent doesn’t have to shine from the outset. Most people will perform if given a chance and a few role models.”
p 237 “I’ve learned that without structure, I become unstable and self-destructive fairly quickly.”
“But the structure and routine it provides keep me sane. I’m absent-minded, forget to pay my bills, can’t return phone calls, forget birthdays—... But now I think there is no excuse for not taking care of myself or treating others with decency.”
“Inevitably, getting into an environment of like-minded people, . . . inevitably, it means you have to ditch your old support system, family or friends. ...the seat you’ve saved for them at your Inner Circle has to be given to someone new.”
p 240 Traveling, ”...exposing yourself to how other people live loosens the mind. ‘look how happy they are with so little money’ for instance.”
p 266 “Do not wait for the kind of clarity that comes with epiphanies. In the nine hundred plus stories I heard in my research, almost nobody was struck with an epiphany. It was one of my biggest surprises. Most people had a slim notion or a slight urge that they slowly nurtured until it grew into a faint hope which barely stayed alive for years until it could mature into a vision. Most people feel guilty about wanting what they want, and they feel foolish for wanting something impossible, and those censoring voices will bark like a pack of junkyard dogs, night after night. Don’t doubt your desire because it comes to you as a whisper; don’t think, “If it were really important to me, I’d feel clearer about this, less conflicted.” My research didn’t show that to be true. The things we really want to do are usually the ones that scare us the most. The things you’ll not feel conflicted about are the choices that leave no one hurt.

A story about "What Should I Do with My Life?"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:46:49 GMT

What Should I Do with My Life?

by PO BRONSON

I picked this book up at a thrift store because the title is intriguing, and I am looking for a job. The stories are interesting and have helped identify some of the questions that I want to ask.
The title itself however has been quite helpful. What should I do with my life? I should be nice to people, enjoy myself, do something for someone else; what I shouldn’t do what I am doing, which seems to be wasting it worrying about what I should do.

A story about "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:31:27 GMT

Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide

by Hal Higdon

I actually bought this in the summer of 2001 right before we moved away from Chicago. I was thinking of the Chicago Marathon. We moved to Macdoel, California. Marathons were the last thing on my mind.
This week I broke open the book, however, looking for training tips for climbing Mt. Shasta. If I can’t make it to the top of the mountain, at least I will be in shape to run a marathon.

A story about "May Sarton: Selected Letters, 1916-1954 (May Sarton)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:34:52 GMT

May Sarton: Selected Letters, 1916-1954 (May Sarton)

Having to stand in line at the theater for a chance at good seats to Iron Man, I ran next door to the $1 book store and randomly grabbed a book that would entertain me for a few hours while I waited for Charlene. This was the book.
It is a fun read, so far.

Why I recommend "A Disciple's Life: The Biography of Neal A. Maxwell"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:55:48 GMT

A Disciple's Life: The Biography of Neal A. Maxwell

by Bruce C. Hafen

This is a great book about a great man. Several things that I liked about this book. It was a great story about Neal Maxwell, about his discipleship, and the evolution of the church. 20 years ago when I was learning Spanish, someone told me that I would long understand Spanish before I could speak it. “You understand Neal Maxwell speak, but you don’t speak like him.” Point taken. I have long admired him and the book filled in much I didn’t know about his life. But I also felt inspired in my own desires to be a disciple. I could hardly put the book down. The author also puts in quite a bit of the history of the administration of the church along side of the biography, and explaining how Neal Maxwell was there at a time of growth in church administration and how he influenced it. I really enjoyed the book.

A story about "The Liver-Cleansing Diet"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:07:31 GMT

The Liver-Cleansing Diet

by Sandra Cabot

My wife and I have used this diet several times, sometimes to great effect. Weight loss, but also healthier feelings.

But the book is poorly organized and not easy to follow.

Why it's taking me forever to finish consuming "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling"

nobody@allconsuming.net (boomga) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:01:03 GMT

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

by Richard Lyman Bushman

I read slowly.