Writer's Diary #7
Stress and summer, books and a movie
Man, oh man. It’s been well over two months since the last time you heard any noise coming from this corner of the world wide web, and let me tell ya: That definitely was not the plan. Stressful times at work are to blame— too much to be done in too little time, and (if I’m being honest) a less than ideal environment to be completing said work. Anyway, I digress.
My school is finally on summer break. While many schools just finished last week or are just now finishing, we finished over two weeks now (lucky us!). I took these two week to just about forget everything about my job and spend time with my family while trying to seriously recover from months of sleep deprivation and malnutrition — the two things that stress does to me! I’m finally sensing a semblance of sanity and energy returning to me, and so here I am picking up where I left off with my writing.
Besides writing (and spending time with family), I’ll be spending much of the summer planning for next school year. There’s things to rework from each class’s respective curriculum, assignments to fidget with and modify, and logistical things to correct or improve. In addition to planning ahead I’m also hoping to put on a little writing workshop for a couple of the students at my high school. That and meet with a few students 1-on-1 to help them craft their college app essays.
As I look to the future, tutoring (much more than teaching) seems like a worthwhile consideration to be made for my career; it can offer a greater pay-off in the long term than teaching in a school, and it involves many things that I enjoy most about teaching anyway. If tutoring a few students this summer to assist with college apps is my way into that world of possibility, then I’m willing to take a shot at it. We’ll see how (if) it goes!
From the Church Calendar
Monday after the V Sunday after Easter St. Margaret of Scotland, Queen and Widow 2024 A.D.
From My Reading
From Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, or Life in the Woods:
Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them. Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and, more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind. When the illiterate and perhaps scornful trader has earned by enterprise and industry his coveted leisure and independence, and is admitted to the circles of wealth and fashion, he turns inevitably at last to those still higher but yet inaccessible circles of intellect and genius, and is sensible only of the imperfection of his culture and the vanity and in- sufficiency of all his riches, and further proves his good sense by the pains which he takes to secure for his children that intellectual culture whose want he so keenly feels ; and thus it is that he becomes the founder of a family.1
If you haven’t already watched it, I recommend to you the legendary film Dead Poets Society featuring the great Robin Williams. Besides being an incredible movie, it also happens to be my favorite movie. The movie quite literally changed my life, and Robin Williams’ character, Mr. Keating, is probably my favorite teacher ever (if I’m allowed to include fictional teachers in the vote). You can find it on Prime Video to rent or purchase, and if I were you, I’d go check it out now because the price to purchase as of today is suuuuuper cheap: five bucks! Total steal.
My interest in Thoreau’s Walden came largely from this movie which actually quotes the work. I watched the movie a month ago with my AP Language and Composition students, and upon hearing the quote again, I was determined to find the book and read it. The quote just hit different this time — as if I finally understood what Thoreau was saying, not just cognitively, but personally. I feel his words like they’re my own.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise [sic] resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…2
One day. One day, Lord-willing, I too will make it out to the woods.
Some Thoughts & Stories
A handful of months ago I elected to open myself up to collecting books — again(?). It’s a long-ish story, but the point is that after avoiding almost all book purchases for years, I decided to start building up a high-quality, intentionally crafted personal library. My North Star in this endeavor is the list of Great Books set out in this super cool 54-volume work, The Great Books of the Western World, originally published in 1952 by Encyclopedia Britannica in partnership with University of Chicago.3 I came across this work last year when rummaging through a random collection of books at my school that were going to be thrown out or donated. The first volume of the 54-volume set, “The Great Conversation,” was sitting there nice and pretty, and I snatched it simply because I had been interested in learning about the so-called “Great Books.” Along with the complete list of works included in each volume of the publication, there are also a series of essays on the tradition of “Great Books” which are very fascinating.
I have this list of authors and books in the back of my head, particularly any that are up the alley of any current interests or labors of mine. I keep them in mind because I don’t intend on purchasing these books new. I look for them at every thrift store I show up to or any place where used books may be laying around to grab at a low price (or better yet, for free!). I have a go-to store to find used books a couple of minutes from my place here in Chicago. It never fails — when I tell you it never fails trust me, it never fails. I’ve acquired a plethora of incredible books from this place at incredibly low prices…sometimes even just a buck! I’ve found the shelves lined with works by Thoreau (including Walden, just a couple weeks ago!), Marx, Kiergegaard, Locke, MLK Jr., Plato, Socrates, Hemingway, Huxley, and so much more! The best (worst?) part about this store is that they have a permanent deal on books: Buy four, get a fifth free. It’s too good a deal to pass up, so I always end up purchasing several books with my wife. Definitely not the place to go when I’ve run out of my personal monthly money to spend.
But in addition to this store there’s another place where I acquired two or three dozen quality books recently: my high school! We have a book room filled with novels and other books that have been used in years past, some of them going back at least a decade. Many of the books are one-off works that were left behind or somehow found there way into a rubble of books stacked up in random boxes or various shelves, and with the permission of our Academic Dead, I was given the go-ahead to take some. I spent hours down there moving boxes and looking through each one for ay hidden gems. And I found a number of good ones like copies of The Count of Monte Cristo, The Age of Innocence, Pride & Prejudice, The Metamorphosis, The Iliad, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and even an semi-old edition of The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, and more!
One man’s scraps are indeed this man’s treasure. I struck gold!
Writing Updates
Two pieces will be coming your way in the next week or two, and the summer will provide me with the space to get more writing to you on a regular basis. I’ll be working on writing for weeks or months, Lord-willing, ahead of time so I can avoid any more long hiatuses.
You can be on the lookout for voiceovers provided with at least some of my reflective pieces like I did with last year’s piece, I’m Strolling Home (see below). I would like to provide an anticipatory caveat, though. I do not have any high-tech equipment, I don’t have many if any completely quiet spaces in which to record, and I don’t often have much time to record and re-record. So, if I manage to record something, it’ll often be plagued with mistakes, some unidentifiable and muffled background noise, and even sometimes include noticeably shoddy editing of various recordings which I may have pieced together. I don’t mind, and I hope you won’t either. I decided to start this up before I could ensure the highest quality of recording because I wanted to get into this habit as soon as possible. I’m also just really passionate about it. I love reading to others in general, but more specifically, I love reading my own writing. It’s not an ego thing; it’s simply that I compose my writing with the spoken word in mind. The words I write are intended to sound as beautifully to as their ideas are to the mind.
I'm Strolling Home
After seven years of living in Chicago, I’ve realized slow walkers are quite uncommon around here. Not that it takes that long to notice, but it takes time to become conscious of it, to slow down enough and realize that the people around you (and you yourself) are speeding on through …
Closing Out
Eastertide is coming to a close for us Orthodox, but with that comes the great joy of our Lord’s Ascension and the Holy Spirit’s descent on Pentecost. Alleluia!
I’m looking forward to Pentecost which I will be joyously celebrating at the Western-Rite Orthodox parish, St. Patrick Orthodox Church in Virginia. This parish is directly connected to my conversion to Orthodoxy, and I’m glad to finally go visit. I’ll be visiting with one of my dearest friends: my compadre, Christopher Whittington (who just so happens to be writing at On Love and Longing, a Substack you could totally go check out).
I’m grateful for the ways in which the Lord provides for my every need, always watchful over and vigilant of my family. From time to time he finds ways to remind me of this steadfast guardianship, and woe am I who actually needs these reminders because my fickle, faithless heart wavers in my trust of the Lord. Alas, I worry, I am anxious, and all for nothing — for I cannot add even a day to my life by these things. And yet God forgives, and he gives bountifully to me (and you!) to meet every need.
(As a last side-note: If you consider yourself a prayerful person, do me a solid and offer up a prayer for my grandma and her sister who love me and care for me with sincerity and grace. Thanks!)
Until next time.
From Chapter III: Reading. See page 107 on this online edition.
From Chapter II: Where I Live, and What I Lived For. See page 93 on this online edition.
Since I know you’re already thinking it: Yes, you should totally go and buy me the entire set for my personal library. Thanks in advance ;)