DISQUS

Your thought about dancing in the leaves with a general thanks-for-it-all reminds me of Ann's Thanksgiving reflection today. Great minds... : )

And just generally (hah!) I loved this post. The images, the language, the honesty... yeah, call this part of the comment my dance in the cyberleaves at GoodWord.

Boy, that Jesus guy was more unorthodox than I thought! But then, I've been thinking recently that he's more unorthodox than most people have probably thought...

Great title, btw.

Jandy, I really liked the third observation... about blogging being a place where one could experiment with and shape identity. Maybe it's a little like improv... taking roles and seeing which ones ultimately fit.

That stuff about the Roman ships and their relationship to the word "government" is simply fascinating. (What can I say... I love words, history, and the history of words.)

And in our government, there are really multiple pilots. Which, in a way, is both comforting and scary. Comforting because it differs from a dictatorship or even a kingship where one person really does exert excessive control and vision. Scary because it means that when we get ourselves onto the rocks, it means that a whole lot of prominent people pitched in to steer us that way.

Still, the "common people" have a lot of power when it comes to how we're ultimately steered. Yes, I even consider the economic crisis when I say this. In other words, maybe when we embrace the thought that we can live on the edge of our finances and buy more than we could ever pay for on credit, maybe we too have created part of the problem.

!!!!!!!!!!

: )

[I'm sure I speak for others here too.]

In other words, does this mean you're back?

Lijit's free reign concerning use of content?! What's that? Sounds scarier than a man in lederhosen.

Okay, I found a way around it, though it's not transparent....

... if one clicks very determinedly on the link and ignores the pop-up box, one can pass GO, collect $200, or at least get to the desired site in a single, very firm click.

I like experimenting. I'm assuming that you're accepting this, or that your lederhosen have cut off the circulation enough that perhaps you're not really noticing what's going on.

[from one who has possibly lost her mind]

Um, yeah, MG, I know. But it's too much work. Too many choices. I don't want a life history (a life stream?) when I mouseover the cute faces or the icky grey faces. I just want a hot-link right where I want to go. You know?

Sometimes simple is just right.

Egads. Not only did I have to put on a grey smiley with DISQUS, but I lost the link to my own site. The DISQUS gods appear to take over and direct traffic to themselves if a person goes so far as to "register" and "login" and all that jazz.

[I am going to assume that if a guy wears lederhosen then he might be the kind of guy who won't mind that I'm experimenting here in the comments.]

I like smiles. I don't like the way there's this little grey, straight face next to my comments.

[this is me talking to myself again, because I'm kind of on a roll here.]

Sure L.L, do what you like.

[this is me talking to myself, partly because I like talking to myself and partly because I'm trying all the little DiSQUS buttons to see what they do]

Lederhosen. Whether you should keep wearing them. Hmmm....

Can I take The Fifth?

Okay, I was very obedient. Well maybe not VERY. But I did a few of the suggested things. Oh, and I watched the video (which I liked... nice spirit).

Enjoy. I'd love to be there, but I think I've used up my conference quota for the year. : )

RLP, that was funny too.

Wow. I clicked over to the preview. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Especially from a visual art perspective.

I'm not a horror fan, but I occasionally like a good suspense tale. Oh, and I love everything M Night Shyamalan does. He can make even the empty corner of a room so scary!

Why do we like to be scared? It's a good question. Or perhaps it is better put like this... why do YOU like to be scared?

RLP, that was funny.

And, btw, your book was not a failure in my house. I love it. I tend to read it when I'm feeling down. Or when I want to hear a real voice.

L.L. Barkats last blog post..Arguing with Lauren Winner

Seems to me that people on both sides of the God question often suffer from this kind of thing-- thinking that someone else is ridiculous for their honest struggles to come to real conclusions. It bothers me.

I've been sneaking some night-time sleigh rides, after I visit my Secret Place in my little woods. It makes me laugh. And I see the snow with a child's eyes.

How very, very sweet. (The pie looks good too.)

Is that you... with... a ... beard?

Yes, btw, your family is great.

God is not great? Who can look at the face of a child, or even a violet, and say this?

(But thanks for telling us about the debate, for those who feel like participating.)

Craver. Thank you. That is a wonderful compliment (and now I know I can never meet you in person, because I am more exemplary in print than I am in sandals.)

Okay, I distinctly remember Riess, Crouch, Winner and Crosby answering this question (can you live as a writer?) at the Calvin Festival...

You can get their answer here (it is both less hopeful and more hopeful than one might expect)...

http://llbarkat.com/justsayno.html