Thursday, October 14, 2010

Another Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday

Once more, it’s that time of the week, when our intrepid leader Duane Scott officiates at Pleasantly Disturbed Thursdays.

Yesterday, page visits to a blog post I did earlier this month skyrocketed (well, “skyrocketed” may be too strong a term, but my normal number of page visits quadrupled in a day). I couldn’t figure out why – there didn’t appear to be a single source. And then I found out that High Calling Editor Marcus Goodyear had included that post of mine in a Faith in the Workplace newsletter he does for Christianity Today Magazine (online).

Thank you, Marcus. That was an awfully nice thing to do.

In August, something similar (but smaller) happened when someone took a poem I’d posted and linked it in StumbleUpon. Whoosh went the page visits. Thank you, Someone.

I’m familiar with this stuff, and I know this online stuff, but I still get amazed when it happens.

It’s been two weeks since I went to the High Calling editorial team to Laity Lodge near San Antonio (that’s “near” in Texas terms; it was actually about 140 miles away). Since then, the High Calling web site has merged with the High Calling Blogs web site; the combined site is simply The High Calling. I really like the design; and I’ve successfully maneuvered the Drupal platform and actually posted an article this week: Is God More Pleased with My Work than I Am?

Ann Kroeker, one of our number at Laity Lodge, did a blog post this week on the experiences they had at their lodge house (Lodestar) with scorpions. We didn’t have scorpions at our lodge house (Song Bluff). I did have to get rid of a wandering cricket in my bedroom, though. A couple of people closer to the main lodge had experiences with tarantulas. And I was followed by a couple of vultures while hiking one of the trails. (That was a little unnerving; I think I’m on a hike and they think they’re looking at dinner).

I’ve been reading a lot of good stuff lately:


• Billy Coffey’s novel Snow Day was officially published on Monday. It’s storytelling like only Billy Coffey can do it.

• I finished Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, the book we’ve been discussing for The High Calling; my last post on it will be Sunday afternoon.

• I read Three Roads Home, a group of three love story novellas by Travis Thrasher published in 2003.

• I’ve started reading Another Hotel Room: Selected Poems 1988-2008 by Steven Marty Grant.

Thanks to all you who commented on my post yesterday – the one about approaching a tough decision on what to do with our elderly dog. I talked with the vet Wednesday, and we’ve worked out a process for sometime in the next two weeks or so. I was so cool, calm and totally professional with the vet on the phone. I only lost it twice.

Finally, it wouldn't be an official Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday without a new photo of the world’s greatest grandson. My daughter-in-law Stephanie took this picture while trying to fit him for clothes – and she found this hat. So, here’s Cameron in a bear hat.

11 comments:

Michael said...

Congrats Glynn.

Love the pic!

TravisMizzou said...

I think this picture will get us through the next few weeks, if not longer!!

Louise Gallagher said...

Ahhh, that photo is absolutely perfect!

Just like Cameron.

David Rupert said...

I bet your grandson will be disturbed when you show that to his first date a couple of decades from now...maybe pleasantly?

Jerry said...

Gylnn, sometimes I wonder how you manage all that swirls around your life. I want to thank you for your service to this community. I'm pretty green to this stuff and you have helped so much. Thanks. I can hear my wife now when she looks at your grandson's pic....awwwwwww.

Maureen said...

Cameron's a star.

Dan said...

From a marketing standpoint scorpions, tarantulas and vultures a certainly disturbing. Viva la Laity Lodge.:)

L.L. Barkat said...

Yes, yes! What Maureen said. :)

S. Etole said...

your grandson is just the best ...

emmett wheatfall said...

Steven Marty Grant is a very good poet. I follow his work. I invite you give my poetry a look. I'm confident upon careful examination you might come to like it as well. Keep up the good work on this blog.

Sandra Heska King said...

What Maureen and L.L. said. But then you're a star, too, so what more could we expect?

Do you ever sleep?