This is going to be rather a generic post covering a broad range of stuff, since the day is drawing to a close and I don’t have a lot of time to post. I’m trying to be more consistent in keeping this blog updated, so even when I don’t have anything major to say, I still want to put something up.
The first thing, for friends and family who have been wanting to know the status of my wife’s pregnancy, is that she has created a blog specifically for the purpose of giving all the information regarding where we are at and what is happening in our situation. Most of you by now are aware that about a month ago, when we went in for the ultra-sound that would determine the sex of the baby, we discovered a broad range of issues which place this pregnancy at high risk. I won’t discuss them all, since some of you already know them, and for those that don’t, they can be found in detail on my wife’s blog. It’s a very difficult time for us, and we desire your prayers. Currently, we are waiting for another ultra-sound on June 16th which will hopefully give us more information regarding the baby’s status, and direct us as to what we can do to help our child. Please pray that God can work a miracle between now and then. And if you would like to know further information about what’s going on, feel free to check out the blog.
Heather also is beginning the process of looking for a position in a human resources department come January. We are hoping that Bryan Cave, the law firm where she is currently serving a temporary apprenticeship of sorts, will be able to hire her full time after she graduates, but with the slow economy, it’s possible they won’t be able to. If not, she will need to find a position somewhere, so please be in prayer that some doors open for her between now and then. If you know of a company looking to fill a position in H.R. with a fully qualified employee with a graduate degree in Human Resources from a highly respected university, let me know. With everything else that’s been going on, having this issue settled before the end of the year would be a big relief, so pray that we can get an answer soon.
On another note, I finally finished reading Public Enemies, which I guess is quite obvious since I posted a review of it yesterday. Now that I’m done with that, I’ve moved on to a few other books. I usually try to read one non-fiction and one fiction book at the same time, although I usually breeze through fiction books much quicker. Right now, the non-fiction book I’m reading is one that is at the top of the New York Times Bestseller List and has been for quite some time. It’s Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark Levin, an attorney who worked in the Reagan administration, and now hosts his own radio talk show as well as serving as president for Landmark Legal Foundation. I had previously read Levin’s book Men In Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America, and found it to be a great book and an expose on judicial activism. Liberty and Tyranny is somewhat in the same vein, although it’s a much broader and more scholarly work than Men In Black. I’m about three chapters in, and so far it’s been addressing the fundamental beliefs of conservatism in general, although Levin acknowledges the broadness of conservatism, everything from neo-conservatives to libertarians. He quotes liberally from our founding documents, and from thinkers like Edmund Burke and Alexis de Tocqueville, in order to support conservative beliefs. It’s a great read so far…much more scholarly than past such “manifesto’s” from other conservatives.
The fiction book I’m reading is Sahara, by Clive Cussler. This is my first time reading a Clive Cussler novel, and so far I’ve really enjoyed it. Cussler, in my opinion, is a much better writer than some other notable authors, and my only real complaint is that sometimes his characters are a little too smart for their own good. Overall, though, he’s done a great job of keeping me entertained, and the book has a lot more depth and intrigue than the movie adaptation that was released a few years ago. He reminds me a lot of another author I like (or liked, now that he’s deceased), Michael Crichton. Crichton always had such a grasp of the subjects of his books, and he was always able to explain them in such a manner that even if you had no prior knowledge of, say, quantum physics, you could understand what he was talking about. Cussler seems to be much the same way…he’s a pretty brainy guy with a lot of life experience, and it shows up in his writing. I really, really enjoy and envy authors who have those kinds of experiences under their belt and are able to use that knowledge to bring a story to life. Provided Sahara continues to impress, I’m looking forward to reading more Cussler novels. There’s a small, used bookshop about 10 minutes from my house that carries a lot of cheap paperback novels, and the last few months I’ve been venturing over there and expanding my library, so next time I’m that way, I’m going to see if they’ve got some Dirk Pitt adventures I can add.
I’m constantly on the lookout for new stuff to read. I’ve been comprising a list of books I’m interested in, and that doesn’t count a whole stack of books I’ve got sitting at home that I’ve never read, so I’ve got a lot of work to do. But you can take a look at my list and see if there’s anything in there that interests you, or perhaps you’ve got some books that you think were good that I might want to add to the list. Here’s a few I’ve written down:
Socialism by Ludwig von Mises, The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Overdosed America by John Abramson, America’s Great Depression by Murray Rothbard, How Capitalism Saved America by Thomas DiLorenzo, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, And The Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers, The Creature from Jekyll Island by Edward Griffin.
Some people might note that there are quite a few books on there by proponents of the Austrian school of economics….I admit, I’ve become pretty interested in this. I’ve been trying to educate myself more, especially since the economic meltdown last September, but I’ve got a long way to go. And I’ve got scant few fiction books on there, I know. I’ve heard quite a few people say that of Cormac McCarthy’s books, Blood Meridian is one of the best but also a very grim portrayal of a dark time in American history. The Francine Rivers book I saw recommended by multiple ministers, and I was intrigued…I read her book A Voice in the Wind a long time ago, and thought it was good but not particularly outstanding. However, a while back I heard several ministers recommend her book And the Shofar Blew as being particularly relevant when it comes to the modern day church, and ministers who would be tempted to sell out the Gospel in order to attract a crowd, so I’m anxious to pick it up and read it.
Well, that’s all for now.
