A Little Light Mania

This is what I did the night before I left for Greece:

1. cleaned the bathroom
2. took out garbage
3. did my laundry
4. did George’s laundry
5. packed
6. did dishes
7. started a blog
8. did 500 crossword puzzles

As far as #7 goes, there wasn’t a lot of *follow-up* (even light mania doesn’t concern itself with follow-up). BUT, though the beginning of the blog was somewhat unplanned/frenetic, the idea behind it is not: that is, as I told Glen Landry as he lurched my car to the airport (just adjusting to the clutch/gears, I’m sure)–much to my husband’s embarrassment at my arrogance–I have a lot of interesting thoughts. What I’m sure I really meant, is that I just have a lot of thoughts that I tend to share with the world.

Anyway, I have been very lazy about this so far, and kind of let it fall by the wayside. However, I’m back, to declare my intent to “blog” on a few specific subjects:

1. Attending weddings
2. Interesting China articles
3. Interesting GK Chesterton article in the New Yorker
4. Obama disappointment
5. the state of Christian non-profit organizations
6. the whole “new evangelical” phenomenon–what is true about the label, and what isn’t, and what it means for the election

So, now I’ll have to return and actually write about these things.

Why “Not a Dinner Party”? (and why a blog at all?)

Well, to answer the first question: because not many things are, are they? Dinner parties, I mean.

In China, I had a blog called, “A Revolution is not a Dinner Party”, partly because it was a quote from Mao (Zedong, obv), and partly because it–the quote–was/is the epitome of absurdity, which is a great interest of mine. As I finally got around to creating a new “blog”, I racked my brain for a catchy “domain”, and, after trying a few (www.striveseekfind.wordpress.com, for example), decided that I CONTINUE to enjoy the name “A Revolution is Not a Dinner Party”–notadinnerparty.com, for short–whether living in China or not.

Though I am no longer in China, I still want to change the world, which is, essentially, a revolution. and revolution ≠ dinner party.

Also, life ≠ dinner party, for me or for most people in the world. So, wherever one lives, one can assume that it’s not much of a dinner party. Sometimes a feast, sometimes a famine, sometimes an average meal, but not usually a dinner party.

Why a blog? Well, I have many thoughts to share on many topics; whether or not anyone is interested in them is another question. So far, I find that facebook, Twitter, myspace, etc. don’t really allow for the perpetual sharing of long-winded thoughts that I am prone to.

Also, George and I are moving to Vancouver, so I want to be able to share thoughts, anecdotes, etc., re: our new life, with our many old and new friends and family. Welcome!

P.S. Will be in Greece for 10 days, so may or may not be posting on this for some time.