(Hmmm, comments from my Android phone seem to vaporize frequently.)

I finished "The Illustrated Man", Ellen, after savoring some parts and cringing at others. (I'm told that really good art is supposed to have that dual effect. Mostly, though, I was cringing at the thought of your reaction to some of Bradbury's horror stories.) I've started on "Emma", and when I'm done I'll read "The Martian Chronicles" followed by several works of Dickens that are calling to me. Maybe along with "Something Wicked This Way Comes", just because it's on my mind.

Oh, and don't tell Kim ;-) , but I've snuck in several nonfiction works also, with a 50/50 mix of work and non-work titles. I find that "Bonhoeffer" adds excellent perspective to the ideas in "The Art of Lean Software Development". And I too just got a book on physical fitness. I plan to raise it over my head, to full arm extension, ten times every morning. ;-)

Okay, let's get back on topic. :-)

Of course your husband isn't pleased only at your looks. I did not accuse him of shallowness. The only fault I suggested he has is distaste for coffee which is the eighth deadly sin.

I was simply going through the reasons why I could have a desire to be in good shape and couldn't find any. I have no strenuous occupation, I am not a frontiersman, and I have no one to please with my looks. Curiously I have been told that I look rather well, though it is hard to see how it matters.

Honestly, my heart has enough trouble and my mind is plenty exercised.

My husband isn't pleased that I'm running simply for physical aesthetics. He's pleased that I'm seeking to be the healthiest I can be. Another way of stating it is that I'm taking care of God's property.

Jason, what about Jesus' answer about the Greatest Commandment in Mark 12:29-30?:

Jesus answered, "The most important is, ‘Hear O, Israel: the Lord our God the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God
with all of your heart
and with all of your soul
and with all of your mind
and with all of your [*]strength[*].'"

Ellen, I am single and have no prospect of changing that, so there is really no one whose aesthetic judgements of my personal appearance would be relevant to me or to themselves, while I should think the ability to practice the vocation of physical sloth is a reasonable compensation. I am a bourgeois citizen of the richest and most powerful country in the world, so my physical fitness is irrelevant to mine or anyone elses continued survival. And I absolutely hated PE.

Just received my copy in the mail. How far along are you, Lee?

While I was waiting for it, I read _Born To Run_, by Christopher McDougall over the weekend:
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Superathletes-Greatest-Vintage/dp/0307279189/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300140631&sr=8-1
Highly recommended. Much to my husband's delight, I'm now joining my kids at Track and Field practice. I've also recent acquired _Muscular Christianity_ -
http://www.amazon.com/Muscular-Christianity-Evangelical-Protestants-Development/dp/0801058473/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340133519&sr=1-2&keywords=muscular+christianity -
perhaps there will be some parallels between my running and my reading.

...never thought I would say, "my running." The P.E. teachers in elementary school taught me that "running = punishment" when they made the noisy kids "go run a lap" when they were supposed to be quiet. Mr. McDougall has convinced me that I can take up running and - eventually - enjoy it while avoiding injury.

I'll finish "The Illustrated Man" this evening, and pick up "Emma". (And don't tell Kim :-) , but I've also read a book on Masters of Business Administration concepts, one on the Crusades (by Rodney Stark, one of Chuck's recommended authors), and several samples of other non-fiction works. And it occurred to me that while Jane Austen wrote fiction, Lori Smith's book *about* Jane would be *non*-fiction, and therefore would fit my tastes! :-) )

Dunno if you've started reading "The Illustrated Man" yet yourself, dear Ellen, but can we agree right now that neither of us will say anything to Gina about the Dickens reference? ;-)

"this Austen person"? No, indeed!

(read _Emma_ to get the reference ;)

_Sense and Sensibility_ is listed as one of the _10 Books Every Conservative Must Read_. "Must" is an imperative... In this book, _S&S_ is listed in Part IV: The Conservative Story, and Conservative Stories along with _The Tempest_, _The Lord of the Rings_, and _The Jerusalem Bible_.

Miss Jane keeps rather good company; "Austen person" indeed! *shaking head*

Is there a suggestion that perhaps I should explore her novels? ;-)

Kevin,

That's an excellent scene idea. I know for myself that it's my own, usually wrong, interpretation of what my husband has said that causes similar conversations turning tense in our home. The study _Loving God With All of Your Mind_, by Elizabeth George, has helped me understand God's Word better to overcome such wrong mental workings.

Your suggestion reminds me of the scene in Jane Austen's _Sense and Sensibility_ where Fanny Dashwood incrementally convinces her husband, John Dashwood, to not financially help his step-mother and half sisters after their father's death.

I have long thought it would make an interesting scene in a movie (and perhaps it's been done, and I missed it?) to depict one of those easy, casual conversations between a couple which incrementally slides into a tense and then even critical situation. I think it's a by-product of the considerable investment each person has in the marriage, but boy!, it can be tense, can't it?

Well... _The Illustrated Man_ is available through inter-library loan, but I did buy the least costly used copy available. And, _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ is available at my local library, so I'll check it out soon.

Having just finished _Emma_ yet again, I still recommend it highly to all my friends. I've begun sketching an outline to write a sequel to it! But it will be different form the original in that I plan to have married love as one of the primary themes, rather than gossip, guessing at people's hearts and motives and the mischief that can result from less than honest communication.

1st Note to Self: Learn the lesson, once and for all, to re-read a work before recommending it to a good friend. Pray that Ellen sees the parents in "The Veldt" as nothing like her, and hope that she reads through to at least "The Other Foot" instead of giving up on the book in despair. Re-read "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and suggest it, rather than "The Illustrated Man", based on its ending. Remember to suggest inter-library loan for works which people may well not want to own. And slow down while re-reading "The Illustrated Man", still maintaining a pace to complete it before Ellen does, but savoring the sentences.

2nd Note to Self: Jason almost certainly knows that your threat to disfellowship such a wonderful longtime friend over such a trivial matter was entirely tongue-in-cheek, but others may not. Next time, remember the smiley-face emoticon.

3rd Note to Self: Remind myself, daily, that shared experiences with friends are not nearly as important as the friends themselves. And almost anyone can become a friend.

Ellen, it'll be for ages 10-18. Hope that helps!

I don't know if it's in the cards for me to have kids someday or not, but I will begin reading to them at the earliest age of them that I can.

I always seemed to be drawn to Stephen King...I've read many of his books and I can say without a shadow of a doubt my imagination takes off for every page I turn. In 1408, I can see the main character trapped in the evil room he cannot escape...I can see the image (maybe hallucination) of his deceased daughter. Reading can be intense, and can work the mind up so much...your adrenaline rushes, you're on the edge of your seat...the brain is a powerful thing, and books give it the nutrients it needs.

Also, sitting down and reading to your children seems to be advocated more and more these days. I feel this would help them develop their imaginations at an early age.

-The Evidence for Reading

"Reading to your children allows you to bond with them, gives them the tools for academic achievement, and lays a foundation that may help them resist Alzheimer’s disease. Reading is also fun and relaxing. Sit down and read with your child for twenty minutes tonight."

~http://suite101.com/article/prevents-alzheimersread-to-kids-a42031#ixzz1x9RBZaAv

Gina, Will there be a list for elementary students? (hint, hint, hint) Pretty, please?