diy: sewn book page tree

there is something about a page of text looks beautiful to me. the formatting, the font, the paragraphs. just the rhythm of words & how they flow embedded on a book page. i like books. i like fonts. i like book pages.

i love them so much that i'll even rip them apart.
and make a tree.



i simply ripped out book pages and tossed them under the sewing machine as i was stitching them together. some thumb tacks later, and you've got a tree. i twisted and contorted some of the book pages to add some depth and dimension.

i took book pages made from trees,  that were bound in a book, and repurposed them into a tree. if that's not postmodern, i don't know what is. or just irony.

a beer, a bite, and a book.

when i venture on over to the boardwalk, it's usually for 3 things. a beer, a bite, and a book. all 3 if i'm feeling lucky and my wallet is feeling heavy. the latter hasn't been the case lately either.
while we're at it, let's be honest and say that those 3 things fall under the category of: "if i don't have these things included in my week, my week is incomplete" list. and the "if i don't have these things in my city, i'm not moving there" list.
and really, there are only 3 places worth visiting on the boardwalk in kansas city. chipotle, borders, and houlihans. those beautiful establishments being so near and close to me have further chalked another line on reasons for why i love the midwest and why i'm spoiled (to be living in a great city).

however, not every city has these features. columbia does. & where i live now does too. however, some do not.

thus, i've come up with a small list of reasons why i'm not living *there*.

1. if there isn't a chipotle in my city, i'm not living there.


2. if there isn't a place where i can get cheap books or a place where i can get a 30% off coupon every week to buy a book, i don't want to live there either. (excluding the library).


3. if there isn't a place where i can get a cheap drink that doesn't just feature crappy domestics and actually has a locally brewed craft beer on tap even though it's a craft beer, then i don't want to move there.

i was spoiled in my time in columbia with their businesses in the district. i had literally all three of those locations in the same 5 block radius and the majority of them on the same street. given, it was a college town. ragtag (hipster dive bar + cafe + bistro + indie flicks) & addisons (great food, great drinks, and great people). a chipotle just off of campus was great too. & this cute little used book shop on 9th street called get lost! books. maybe i'm just being nostalgic or just getting really excited to visit there on monday. probably both.

in my former days (aka 2 months ago) i was dwelling in middlebush hall for hours hearing lectures about theories and themes then waltzing over to the district to grab a beer, a bite, or a book. now, after laying out at the pool & brainstorming ideas for my resume, i, the middle-class suburban white college grad living back at home have to drive 5 minutes west to the boardwalk to satisfy my beer, bite, and book itch.

"grace has a grand laughter in it." - gilead

Last Wednesday, I went to see Marilynne Robinson speak at the library with some dear friends (not pictured). She discussed her first book, Housekeeping, which she wrote in the 80's and just chit-chatted about life. Marilynne is traveling to France this summer and her favorite verse in the Bible is Psalm 8.



After the reading, I met some cute girls while waiting in line to get my book signed.

religious family recipes

Although religion is not a particulary divisive topic of conversation, it is not something most emerging adults talk about with their friends or romantic partners. Whatever subjects friends do talk about, religious beliefs and interest are simply not among them--beyond perhaps finding out that someone is Catholic or Jewish. For most emerging adults, that is because religion is simply not important or relevant enough to everyday life to warrant any real discussion. In that, religion is like favorite family recipes: people often have them and may even love them, but they don't necessarily want to discuss them.

page 153. Souls in Transition: The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults by Christian Smith w/ Patricia Snell.

broken windows theory

The broken windows theory was first put forth in a 1982 Atlantic article by James Q. Wilson, a political scientist then at Harvard, and George L. Kelling, a criminologist. The theory suggests that a disorderly environment sends a message that no one is in charge, thus increasing fear, weakening community controls, and inviting criminal behavior. It further maintains that stopping minor offenses and restoring greater order can prevent serious crime.

i found the "broken windows theory" while reading the tipping point by malcolm gladwell.

i buy it.