*the end of the month*

a cool painting undeserving of its own post. #filler

It's been two months since the dawn of 2015, and I'm more than on track with my reading schedule. Call it what you will ("Madness" is an appropriate word), but my aim is to read at least 52 books this year. So far I've read somewhere in the vicinity of 15, giving me a decent head start. The trick is going to be tackling some pretty big books (some weigh in around 800-900 pages, and we're talking miniscule font sizes). I think I may have found a way around the problem: read two books (or, hell, why not three?) at the same time. It keeps things interesting, breaks monotony, and enables me to keep making headway while digesting at a pondering pace the bigger volumes I want to savor. For instance, right now I'm reading N.T. Wright's Jesus & The Victory of God (a voluminous work) in tandem with a memoir of the Western Front and a history on World War One. I really like to savor Wright's work, and I'm wanting to savor and think through all he has to say, so I can't just whiz through it while doing it justice. Justice must be done, and it must be done well.

As for another of my 2015 goals, things are also on pace.

I've done lots of revising and editing on Book 2 of The Procyon Strain.

I'm hoping it'll be around 350 pages (or at least that's the plan).

(I'm at 70 pages currently)

History really is a deep love of mine, in parallel with my love of biblical studies. I've loved immersing myself once again in the history of the Great War, and I've loved talking about it with Ashley. She's so inquisitive and curious, and she keeps me sharp and looking for answers. I'm wrestling with C.C.U. to get my transcripts sent to the school I want to attend. My plan is to get my teaching certification followed by a Master's in American History. Norwhich University has a phenomenal MAH program that focuses on colonial America through the Reconstruction. That shit is my JAM.

I'm devoting time to my narrative history of the American War of Independence.

It's a different breed of writing than fiction, but it's stimulating in its own way.

I've been itching to watch the History Channel's Sons of Liberty.

(I also need to finish Paul Giamatti's John Adams)

February's been bitter cold, and I'm over it. I found a little relief exploring the snow-swept Keehner Park with Chloe. Being lost in the quiet and the falling snow and following deer tracks through the tundra put joy in my heart and life in my veins. At the advent of warmer weather, I plan on basking in nature on a regular basis. I spent a lot of time outside this last fall and summer, and cabin fever's cutting into the marrow of my bones. Ashley and I have decided to try and go running at a lot of the parks around the city, as a way to get our exercise as well as explore the parks and immerse ourselves in nature. In the meantime we're all but confined to the warmth since it's dangerous to Zoey. Here's a few snapshots I took from our time at the Hobbit Hole this last Tuesday:

Since the preaching gig didn't pan out this past January, I've been looking for other jobs. A full-time Monday-Friday job where I could still work overnights with the guys on Saturday would be optimal. They can get annoying for sure, but I'm not looking forward to not seeing them anymore. I mean, I've been with them 40-60 hours a week over the past year and a half. We've developed genuine friendships. I don't see them as Downs Syndrome clients; they're just who they are, with their different (and clashing) personalities. I see them as my friends who need a little help living independently (and it's cool that I get paid to do this!). Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll be working a better-paying job and on my way to becoming a history teacher. 

Since this post began with filler, it'll end with filler.

Behold: a wacky painting that messes with your head!

this is how this winter has felt. tac-tac-toe over it.