the continuously fractured life

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. 8th Day Center for Justice. Their words - ” 8th Day is a coalition of Catholic, religious congregations, commits to act as a critical alternative voice to oppressive systems and to work actively to change those systems.” My words - Nuns and their friends changing the world through creative non-violence.

2. Jeff Waters’ music. To be specific, the song “Manhattan Blues”. But, listen to his single, “Barceloneta” here. And then maybe buy it here.

3. White chocolate M&Ms. But to be fair, I’ve never actually met an M&Ms flavor I disliked.

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. Freaks and Geeks. The 1999-2000 too-short series about high schoolers because, I just finished it and realized it’s so much deeper and more hilarious that I realized when I first watched it, in high school. Also, the opening credits are the greatest. 

2. The Iraqi Student Project. This peacekeeping organization helps war-displaced students obtain undergraduate degrees. I went to one of their fundraising events last week, a production of Unveiled written and performed by Rohina Malik. Check her out.

3. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. A book of daily prayers and scripture readings for New Monastics, or for anyone else who’s interested. Read it online here. 

Things I Like This Week: Favorite Blogs of 2011

Because blogs are easily on my Life Top Ten List I wanted to share my top ten (in no particular order) favorite blogs I regularly kept up with in 2011. Check them out!

1. Introverted Church – A blog for introverts in the church (in case you missed that) I especially loved this post on not being able to express the most important things and why that’s ok.

2. The Bloggess – Easily the most hilarious woman on the internet. Easily.

3. Alter Video Magazine – short videos on expansive ideas regarding spirituality. I watch this posted interview by Dale Ryan at least once every two weeks, or when I need a good reminder, or a good cry.

4. Becky Not Becky - This is my friend Cayce’s personal blog on which she details her attempts at walking the thin line between the world of Christian mommies and the world of women who are Christians and also mothers –Always brilliant, always witty.

5. Read: Zebra – My friend Tim’s blog, on which he writes beautiful things that I like to read.

6. The CBE Scroll – All things Egalitarian and Christian, run by Christians for Biblical Equality. 

7. Traveling the Far Country - My friend Megan’s blog, on which she details her thoughts on life and seminary (and also hilarious cats).

8. A Life With Subtitles - Sarah Quezada’s blog about faith and bicultural living.

9. The Good Men Project Blog – A blog for thinking men, by thinking men (and some thinking women). 

10. Today You Are You – Jennifer Carr’s blog focusing on gender diversity and situations surrounding life with a child who is transgender. 

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. Feedly. Ever since Google Reader hurt my feelings by changing formats and insisted I join Google+ in order to continue using the blog reader service, I’ve been seeing other services. Feedly is the best and the iPhone app is really easy to use. If you’re an avid blog reader and sharer like me, I highly recommend it.

2. Downton Abbey. The excellent PBS Masterpiece mini-series, which is in it’s second season. Basically, I’ll watch anything with Maggie Smith and this has sucked me right in. WWII love scandals and medical dramas? Yes please.

3. Chocolate Covered Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers. Thanks Grandma!

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. Breaking Bad, season 4, which just ended this week, with me running around my apartment screaming. If you don’t watch this show, you just need to start. That’s it.

2. The Feminists For Life Campus Resource Guide. Find what resources are available to parenting students at schools around the country, and add your school to the list. Looking for sustainable ways to fight against poverty and sexism, through education? Check it out.

3. The Good Men Project Blog. A diverse group of men writing about race, class, sex, sexism, fatherhood, stereotypes, entertainment, community, family, and… ok everything they file under “21st Century Masculinity.” 

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. The Theatre Seven Project. I’ve seen two productions put on by this Chicago-based theater company and they were both excellent. We Live Here, detailing specific stories from Chicagoans up and down and lake, is still on at the Greenhouse Theater in Lincoln Park for the next few weeks.

2. The Heidelberg Project. The two-ish block art community in Detroit is, this year, celebrating 25 years of using creativity to restore at-risk neighborhoods and educate children. Check out their website and Flickr page. This might actually be the coolest thing, of all time.

3. Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms. Get ‘um.

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. Twin Peaks. You might remember this short-lived, uber-quirky show from 1990, detailing a small-town murder mystery.  My friend Chad recommended it to me and since he turned me on to Breaking Bad, I trust his recommendations. The show is phenomenally addictive and dramatically hilarious. Check it out on Netflix, asap.

2. Polar Fuji Apple Fruit Preserves. Correct. Rarely a day goes by where I do not ingest a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They are delicious. But, as someone who is fairly health conscious and tries to be as chemically-free as possible, I spend a lot of time reading ingredient lists for words I do not understand. Luckily, I understand the only three ingredients in this product -  apples, sugar, and pectin. It’s also super inexpensive.

3. The things my place of employment is doing to curb violence in Chicago and create a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQ teens.

Top Three Things I Like This Week

1. Instagram. Actually, I like this app every week. Follow me (@ashleighfh) and I will absolutely follow you and all your tilt-shifted pictures back.

2. WTF Podcast with Marc Maron because it’s hilarious and insightful. Maron sits down and interviews other comics about their lives and work. I highly recommend checking out his interviews with Amy Poehler, Conan O’Brien, Janeane Garofalo, and Ira Glass.

3. My neighbors. For a lot of reasons but briefly - they own a tiny cafe and make the best coffee ever (so good my friend Pedro reported dreaming about it) and they offered to,  and then installed, my A.C. unit in 95 degree heat while I just sat there pretending to understand the worthless installation manual.