Last year I posted a list of 25 goals that I wanted to accomplish by the time I'm 40. So, after a year, here's an update:
1. Read Dante’s Divine Comedy - not yet. I hope to start this one during the coming winter. Long winter evenings are good times to read!
2. Start learning Spanish - I tried doing this one by getting some materials out of the library, but ran into the same problem I found when I tried doing Latin II my first year of homeschooling - I need a teacher. I hope to do this one at my local community college in the next few years.
3. Take piano lessons for a year - no time, since I started taking Tae Kwan Do in the spring.
4. Learn how to bake bread from scratch - no, but I've gotten pretty proficient with the breadmaker :)
5. Go to a play - Yes! Sara and I went to see a presentation of "The Christmas Carol" at the local theater. I loved it! I so enjoy plays. Hopefully I'll get to see a presentation of "Pilgrim's Progress" in a month or so - my pastor's daughter is playing one of the characters.
6. Take kids to Disney World - no, but since our good friends the Shaws got back and gave tips on it, we've been thinking this one is actually doable. It may not happen in the next 4 years, though, because Phillip probably won't be old enough.
7. Memorize the seven penitential Psalms - done one (Psalm 6) and have started on another.
8. Witness to a non-Christian - no.
9. Make a deep friend - not a new one, but I've gotten back in touch with a number of people who I hadn't seen since the meltdown/explosion in our denomination a few years ago, and I'm scheduled to have supper with a couple of them who I was very close to, next month.
10. Take a retreat at Holy Cross Monastery - not yet. I need to see how Phillip mixes into the family routine before I try taking off for a day or two.
11. Read through the entire Bible in a year - started on October 1.
12. Read Sienkiewicz’s Polish trilogy - not yet, but I did read his "Teutonic Knights" and thoroughly enjoyed it again.
13. Write a good poem - babies and poetic inspiration don't mix in my world.
14. Teach a class on Church history - not yet, but I am getting to teach a class on Great Battles to the upper elementary class in our homeschool co-op. So far, we've done Ai, Thermopylae and Salamis, and Cannae and Zama. Next week is the Defense of Christendom - Tours and Vienna.
15. Go away for a weekend with Sara - we actually got away for a wonderful, fantastic, fabulous Friday and Saturday around Christmas, when our parents were here. Hurray!
16. Memorize the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles’ Creed in Latin - have started, but not completed yet.
17. Go to a performance of Durufle’s Requiem - no.
18. Get to a weight of 190 pounds - Hah.
19. Drive a PT cruiser - Yes! When Sara and I went out (see #15), we rented a Cruiser. It was okay, but I'm actually quite satisfied with my old Honda Civic.
20. Ride in a limousine - no.
21. Have 6 months worth of pay in savings account - Not. But the bank account is Much Healthier since Sara took over the budgeting in the spring. She's really good at it, and we're making progress in this direction.
22. Buy a nice fedora - no. And actually had to throw away the leather jacket that I'd worn for 9 years, because it was getting too many rips in it.
23. Learn to play guitar - I've started. It's hard work.
24. Get article published in Touchstone - no, and not a whole lot of inspiration for one. At least, not this late at night :)
25. Buy a good big seascape - no, but we have a beautiful painting of Harper's Ferry that we bought from a local artist for our anniversary. We love it!
And that's it. I am really looking forward to what the next 4 years bring!
--DAJ (I'm going to start putting all my initials now, because by the time I hit 40, DMJ is going to be blogging too, judging by her siblings' efforts)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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6 comments:
I performed Durufle’s Requiem in college. Random tidbit . . .
For Dante's comedy, I would highly recommend getting a commentary or a summary with comments to read ahead of time or at the same time.
I read through them ahead of time for a class and didn't think much of it. Then we covered it in class and the teacher really unlocked the book for me by pointing out what many of the meanings and histories behind the imagery. The culture it was written in had mountains of background that make the books come alive, and when I read it with a minimal knowledge of those things, it seemed pretty flat and weird.
I'm sorry, but Harper's Ferry doesn't quite match the ocean in my estimation. Keep working on #25. :-)
Hi, Darren!
The philosopher and I heartily recommend Anthony Esolen's translation of the Divine Comedy. His textual notes are superb, and the translation is beautiful!
A good start on Dante is audiobook. There's a very reasonable version out there that includes notes on the chapters beforehand, so it's much easier to follow the action and the antiquated references. Great start, although I think I'll still read it now that I've listened to it.
Phillip seems to be spoiling quite a few of these. ;-)
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