Clean Monday on Philopappou Hill

Yesterday Greeks celebrated Kathari Deftera or Clean Monday, their first day of lent. Traditionally on this holiday, people trek to the nearest hills with their families, fly kites and picnic on special foods. (You can see & read all about the unusual dishes here in my post from last year). Everyone relaxes, enjoys the fresh air and has a good time.

No matter how bad the weather has been previously, Clean Mondays always seem to dawn miraculously clear and mild. Peter and I took advantage of the spring-like day to climb Philopappou Hill--the hill next to the Acropolis. The following photos capture a bit of the festivities we found there.

The Athens "magic" tour bus. Psychedelic, man.


The guests of honor.

Getchyer hot popcorn and "old lady's hair" (cotton candy)!

Opa!

Philopappou's summit. It was dangerous up there with all those kites! Poor Peter got hit in the head by one on its way down.

Free as a butterfly on a string.

All photos property of Lydia Trecroce. Do not use without permission.

Wisdom & Chuckles

Here are some oldies but goodies (in no particular order):

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.

Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

Don't worry about what people think; they do it very often.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.

A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.

Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.

Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.

No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.

Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.

Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

The most destructive force in the universe is hatred.

Your friends love you anyway.

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

Photo: "Tortoise in Camden Aquarium," by L. Trecroce

Author Interview & Book Giveaway

Wouldn't it be thrilling to visit Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' resurrection? Friend and author Amy Deardon takes the old idea of time travel and gives it a new twist in her stunning debut novel, A Lever Long Enough.

Not usually a fan of action adventure stories, I was blown away by Amy's masterful plot and meticulous attention to detail. She dovetails the awe-inspiring history of the first century with the chilling technology of latter times for a fast-paced, action-packed suspense. As a friend of mine remarked, after swiping the novel from me and devouring it in one night, "A Lever Long Enough would make a terrific movie!"

Okay, here's Amy now. Be sure to stick around to find out how you can win an autographed copy of this book.

Amy, tell us a little about yourself.

I’m married and fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with our two children, now 15 and 12. In my life B.C. (before children) I did bench science research and taught anatomy and physiology at an undergraduate level.

I undertook a personal quest to investigate the claims of Jesus’ resurrection with the goal of destroying them. To do this I studied biblical and extra-biblical accounts of Jesus and numerous commentaries by believers and skeptics alike, listed the facts agreed upon, and began to explore scenarios that could explain what was known. To my surprise and considerable dismay, the evidence kept pointing away from naturalistic explanations and eventually formed a virtually certain case for the resurrection of Jesus. Finally I admitted defeat and became a Christian.



What is your book about?

In the near future, the Israeli military has developed a prototypic time machine. When believers in Yeshua (Jesus) create a politically explosive situation that threatens the balance of peace between Israel and nearby countries, the Israelis must send a team of four elite soldiers back to film the theft of Jesus’ body from the tomb and thus disprove Christianity. The team, consisting of a Special Forces soldier as leader (Benjamin), an ex-American astronaut as engineering specialist (Sara), an archaeologist, and a linguist, has exactly seventy-two hours to collect the video evidence. Drawn into a web of first century deception and death, the only way to escape is for the team to change the past. In the present, a traitor, Gideon, attempts to sabotage the mission and seize control of the military complex. Benjamin is the only one who can reveal him, but he is trapped two thousand years away. Even with a time machine, time is running out…

Which character in your novel most interested you while you wrote?

I love all of my characters, but if I had to choose a favorite, I’d pick Sara. She is very much like me—focused, quiet, but beneath her calm exterior a seething mass of turmoil. Her faith journey also parallels my own—she didn’t want to become a believer, but was pulled in by the strength of the evidence. She was pursued by what C.S. Lewis termed the *Hounds of Heaven.* An uncomfortable process, I might add!

What are you working on now?

I have two half-finished projects that I’m eager to complete in 2009 – an ambitious yet hopefully do-able goal, if I’m very organized. The first project is my prequel, entitled Nest Among the Stars from Obadiah 1:4, that follows Sara’s space station disaster. This one is really shock and awe, with a deep theme of forgiveness.

The second project is nonfiction, entitled The Story Template, that is a practical guide for a writer to develop a resonant, complete, compelling story from vague ideas. It’s based on an algorithm I’ve developed during my story studies, and with students I’ve coached it really works. It’s not a formula, more like a description of proportions and guidelines that work with any genre, since I’m a great believer in the uniqueness of each artist’s vision. You can see a sample tutorial I’ve put on my website under “resources.”

I've used your Story Template to map out my second novel. What I like about it is, compared to other "systems", it's easy to follow and it works! So, thank you for sharing that on your website.

Tell me, Amy, have you always wanted to be an author?

Oh yes, although it’s a daunting thing when you actually sit in front of the computer and think, “Now what shall I write?”

Which author has inspired you the most?

C.S. Lewis. He has an amazing mind, and he draws such wonderful metaphors.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Yes. Don’t expect to produce perfect prose off the bat – just as you wouldn’t expect to play a Beethoven Sonata for your first piano lesson. Just believe in yourself, and persist.

Amy, thanks so much for spending time with us today, and blessings on A Lever Long Enough. I look forward to your future books.

Reader, if you're interested in entering the drawing for an autographed copy of A Lever Long Enough, please submit a comment to this post. The winner will be chosen & announced on March 15th.

***
For more on this author, go to: http://www.amydeardon.com or http://amydeardon.blogspot.com

The Burning Heart

Inspired by what I read in Luke 24 of the Bible this morning, I decided to do a special Valentine's Day study of the heart. I wanted to examine the heart beyond its function as a bodily organ, so I began by taking a look at these definitions from Dictionary.com:

Heart

3.	the center of the total personality, esp. with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion: In your heart you know I'm an honest man.

4.	the center of emotion, esp. as contrasted to the head as the center of the intellect: His head told him not to fall in love, but his heart had the final say.

5.	capacity for sympathy; feeling; affection: His heart moved him to help the needy.

6.	spirit, courage, or enthusiasm: His heart sank when he walked into the room and saw their gloomy faces.

7.	the innermost or central part of anything: Notre Dame stands in the very heart of Paris.

8.	the vital or essential part; core: the heart of the matter.

9.	the breast or bosom: to clasp a person to one's heart.

10.	a person (used esp. in expressions of praise or affection): dear heart.

In the passage of scripture I read today, two of Jesus' disciples are walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. It's the third day since Jesus has died and been buried, and the disciples are sad. They're walking along, talking about the events of the past few days, when who should join their little road trip, but Jesus! He disguises Himself and asks them why they're sad. What He's really doing is testing their faith.

The disciples, thinking Jesus is a newcomer to Jerusalem, tell Him all about "the mighty prophet" (already, they've begun to doubt Jesus is God). "He was condemned to death and crucified," they say. Knowing scripture and the prophecy of His resurrection, they add with disappointment, "Beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done."

They go on to tell Jesus some of His disciples found His tomb empty and saw angels, who testified that He is alive. Yet, the travelers still doubt, saying, "but him they (the other disciples) saw not."

Like most humans, they "have to see it to believe it."

IMHO, eyesight is highly overrated when it comes to seeing. There are other ways to "see". As Jesus demonstrates in the story, the eyes of faith are in the heart.

Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, Jesus explains to the travelers all the things concerning Himself in the scriptures. He reveals Himself through scripture, just as He does today. The disciples realize this later, because they say to each other, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"

In addition to being a life-giving organ for our carnal bodies, the heart has great spiritual purpose. The muscle in our chests can only keep us alive for so long. The burning intuitive heart, when submitted to God, leads to righteousness and life everlasting.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9,10

(Comments are most welcomed. However, any comments containing derogatory statements made toward the author and her readers will be deleted. Please be courteous.)

Life Outside the Goldfish Bowl

Some random musings.

First of all,
Sorry for the dearth of posts these days. I attribute that to 2 things:

1. Something is wrong with my camera or its cable. Until I locate and fix the problem, I can't upload any fresh pics. Bummer!

2. I was busy finishing up novel #2, which I did a few days ago (Feb 2nd). Hooray! Now I'm working on the rewrites. This is the fun part for me. I love fleshing out my story skeleton. One aspect of the filling-in process is visiting the locations where different scenes take place. Peter and I will motorcycle to the farther reaches of Chios and Evvia Islands in early summer. Tomorrow, in the name of research :) we plan to have coffee at a Starbucks in the center of the city, and then ride up to the summit of Mt. Hymettus. Sounds like a fun thing to do on a Saturday, right?

For a shy gal like me, asserting myself for the sake of my stories has been a good experience. Yesterday, I walked into the Athens Hilton and asked an executive there to show me around their meeting rooms. I explained that I was a novelist, researching a setting, but for some reason he expected I would actually book a convention there in the future! Well, you never know. Maybe my novel will hit it big and I'll need a place to hold a press conference. A girl can dream, can't she? Anyway, Mr. K. the Hilton exec was very patient, answering my questions and waiting for me to scribble down descriptions of the rooms. I ended my tour in the hotel's famed Byzantine Restaurant, where my two characters eat lunch. Here's the difference between fact and fiction: My characters eat a meal; I could only afford iced tea.

About the photo above: No, I didn't paint it, although I wish I had. Goldfish was painted by one of my favorite artists, Henri Matisse. His cut paper work especially inspired me. You can see his influence in one of my silkscreens, Taverna Chairs with Cat. A reproduction of Goldfish hangs in my living room. I chose the print because the colors match my decor, but mainly because it's fun to look at.

Beholding Beauty

The street musician, dressed in a long-sleeved T-shirt and baseball cap, begins to play his nearly-300-year-old Stradivari in the arcade of a Washington DC metro station.

The music irritates the shoe shine lady, who works in the arcade, because it’s too loud and she can’t hear her customers. She usually calls the metro or mall cops to come chase the street performers away. Since this violinist is “pretty good”, for once, she makes an exception.

The violinist plays for three minutes. Sixty-three people scurry by before a middle-aged man pauses to listen. Then he hurries away. Although the violinist is, in his own words, “makin’ a lot of noise”, people in line for lottery tickets, a hundred feet away, do not even turn to look at him. He passionately performs one of the most intricate pieces of music ever written, yet no crowd forms. There is no applause.

A couple of minutes into his next song, a woman and her preschooler emerge from a nearby escalator. The woman walks briskly, tugging the child along. The little boy wants to stop and listen to the musician. He keeps turning back to look at him. But the mother is in a hurry, so she discourages her son by blocking his view with her body.

During the violinist’s forty-three minute performance, 1,070 people, many as close as three feet away, pass him by as if oblivious to his presence. One guy, sporting an iPod, denies the musician being there at all, although he has just passed within four feet of him. A total of only six people stop to listen to the violinist for at least a minute.

The violinist is concluding his solo, when a woman stops and listens in awe. She recognizes the performer and she's appalled that people toss him quarters, even pennies! She adds a twenty-dollar bill to his earnings of $32.17. Hard to know what to give an international virtuoso whose formal concerts sell out, seats averaging $100.

The violinist is the world-renowned Joshua Bell, and his incognito appearance in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities. The premise was: In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?” (For more details, read the Washington Post article and view the video clips at: Pearls Before Breakfast).

A writer for the Post watched the speeded up videotape of the experiment and called it “a grim danse macabre to indifference, inertia and the dingy, gray rush of modernity.”

The story is indeed a sad commentary on humanity today. It's pitiful when we allow the momentum of our routines to render us immune to the unexpected beauty in life. Sadder still is when, in the rush to our deaths, we ignore God's presence, tune out His voice, and pass up all the wonderful things He freely gives, including eternal life.

"Be still, and know that I am God:" Psalm 46:10

Cheese Sandwiches

Here's a cute, true story:

There was an immigrant family on a ship from Europe to American. They were so poor they spent almost all of their money on the ticket. What they had left over for food was only enough to buy bread and cheese.

The young boy, Hans, said to his father, "Dad, please give me some money for an ice cream cone. I hate these cheese sandwiches!"

His father said, "Son, we are poor. Cheese sandwiches will keep you alive until we reach New York, where the streets are made of gold and we will eat whatever we want."

Not satisfied, Hans continued to beg for money. Finally, his father gave him change for an ice cream cone. The boy disappeared and didn't come back for two hours. When he returned he sported a big fat tummy and a huge smile on his face.

"Hans, did you get your ice cream cone?"

"You bet, Dad. And then another one, then a steak, and then apple pie."

"What? You bought all that with the money I gave you?"

"Oh no Dad, it's free! It comes with the ticket!"

***

Spiritually, we're on a journey like these immigrants--except, we seek a place where the streets are truly paved with gold. Some of us, like Hans's parents, keep to ourselves and what we know, ignorant or misinformed as we might be. We exist on cheese sandwiches, when there's a full feast waiting for us between the pages of the Bible.

In John 6:35 Jesus Christ says, "I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."