Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with readings

Short readings on integrity for a wedding?

expialidocious — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:59:37 -0800

Can anyone suggest some passages on the theme of integrity and/or justice, to be read aloud at a friend's wedding? They should be no longer than 2 minutes. The ceremony has Jewish and nonreligious aspects. Readings of any persuasion are welcome, but being an atheist myself, it wouldn't feel right to be expounding too much about God. I prefer modern prose and poetry - 1900s onward - but older is OK too.

Diabetes, glucose, and food -- Oh my!

DrGail — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:39:18 -0800

Type II Diabetes filter: How do measured glucose levels vary depending on how long it has been since eating? My husband was just recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, based on an A1C reading of 7.3. He has made numerous lifestyle changes: careful food choices, no binging, regular exercise, eating three meals a day instead of one. (I nag very effectively, as you can see!) This has brought his second A1C reading down to 6.1, without any medication, so we feel like we're definitely on the right track.

But I keep wondering what the "curve" looks like if blood sugar readings are plotted against the hours since eating. A search of the internets hasn't turned up any generic curves we can use as a reference.

For example: His after-dinner blood sugar readings are usually done about 1 - 1-1/2 hours after having a Dannon Light Yogurt for dessert, instead of the 2 hour delay the doctor recommends. If he were to wait until the 2-hour mark before testing his blood, would the reading be higher or lower than the one he gets at the 1-1/2 hour mark?

If he were to take his blood sugar readings hourly, over several days, we could discover the curve empirically. This is not an option, though -- he would never go for it.

So I'm hoping one of you wonderful MeFi folks either knows the answer to my specific question or perhaps can point me to a generic curve that exists somewhere on the 'net.

Any interesting, meaningful readings for a liberal Passover Seder on the theme of hope?

aquafortis — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:52:55 -0800

Any interesting, meaningful readings for a liberal Passover Seder on the theme of hope? My friend is hosting a Passover Seder, and asked me to help him find readings on the theme of hope. It's a very liberal group, and not everyone at the dinner will be Jewish. (Personally, I'm not religious at all.) Last year, he gave a little free-form nondenominational speech/lecture and passed out a xeroxed packet of readings like a college professor. He seemed to think Reinhold Niebuhr might have something interesting; poetry, philosophy, thoughts on the election...anything you think might be appropriate would be most welcome!

Culture me for cheap!

zoomorphic — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:21:03 -0800

Help me pick out the best play, opera, lecture and art exhibit to see this winter in NYC. I'm a lowly wage slave who can't shell out $300 to see every Broadway sensation that comes to town, so I'd like to attend one incredible event in each category with a high return-on-awesome factor so I can walk away cultured but not impoverished. My criteria for lectures is open-ended: I'll easily enjoy most anything aside from hard science data, so if you've got a lecture marked on your calendars that is truly, earth-shatteringly rad, share. No Nerd Nite stuff--it's a great concept that devolved into a meat market. I enjoy lots of concept art about social issues, as long as it's smart: more like Kara Walker at the Whitney, less like the frothy superhero costume exhibit at the Met. I've never seen an opera in the US, but I'm a sucker for decadent costumes and pageantry more than the quality of voices (which my philistine ears can't really distinguish from the understudies' performance, I'd imagine), and I have no idea how to judge the merits of the Met calendar based on subject and talent. Should I spring for a Mozart/Wagner staple or a more modern piece? As for plays, I lean towards lovely dialogue over experimental acting or camp, but I'm such a theater rookie that I'd rather not take my own advice on such matters. I hate hate hate most musicals, so advise with caution.

So what would you sleek New York MeFites attend if you rarely spend more than $80 on anything beyond a metro card? I'm going alone, so I've got only myself to worry about. Let's assume I can spare $25ish on the art exhibit, $100 on a play, $100 on an opera, and $50 on a lecture.

Readings for a class on adjusting to college life?

biscuitsticks — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:49:29 -0800

In the fall I'll be leading a short course for freshmen on adjusting to college, community service, and issues that are relevant to college students. Does anyone have any interesting and fun readings--particularly on diversity, but really on any subject--that they would recommend for this sort of context? I've led the same course for the past two years, so I already have a number of pieces that are required by the program and some that I have collected from newspapers, magazines, and more scholarly sources, but: (1) a lot of the required readings are fairly dry, and as an undergraduate myself, I know how difficult it can be to get students to actually do readings and (2) I'm looking at my syllabus and feeling bored with a lot of the pieces that I've used and found over the past two years, but I'm not having much luck at thinking of replacements.

Anyway, I'm sure that some of you have used--or read--some really interesting pieces that I just haven't stumbled across, and I'd love to hear about them.

If it helps: the course is required for all incoming freshmen and most of the students were fairly high achievers in high school.

The books you would take to a deserted island

spec80 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:54:05 -0800

I'm looking for books and graphic novels that are meant to be read multiple times. I remember reading in an interview with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that Watchmen was written to be fully understood after multiple readings. I've read the same in an interview with Haruki Murakami (I think the book in question was Kafka on the Shore.) What other books and graphic novels were written in this style?

Love is not boring, love does not use cliches.

santojulieta — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:05:25 -0800

Help me find non-traditional bible readings for my Catholic wedding. We're having a Catholic ceremony, and I've been tasked with picking out the readings. However, the suggested options suck, and it doesn't seem like I can pick any secular readings (like poetry or non-religious prose). All the listed options are either very cliched (Love is kind... blah blah blah) or don't say anything terribly interesting. Can you help me choose a new testament reading and a gospel reading that are interesting, moving, and have beautiful imagery?

Let me give you an example of what I'm looking for.

I chose the following reading for our old testament choice:

Hark! my lover - here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
"Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come!"

"O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.

My lover belongs to me and I to him.
He says to me:

"Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm;
for stern as death is love,
relentless as the nether-world is devotion;
its flames are a blazing fire.
Deep waters cannot quench love,
nor floods sweep it away."

I love the imagery here, and that's what I'm looking for in a new testament reading as well as a gospel passage. The only requirement is that these readings must be available in the Catholic bible, and that the gospel reading must come from one of the four gospels.

Rememberance Service Readings

Raybun — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:59:23 -0800

We have lost a 3 day old child in our family to Edwards Syndrome. Please help me choose what to read at her rememberance service.

Readings for a naming ceremony

ericbop — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:42:24 -0800

We're naming our new daughter this weekend, in front of family, friends, and coworkers. Any suggestions of lyrics/poetry/prose that would be appropriately inspirational and awesome? Something with the message: "Welcome to the world, now go kick some ass!" (in a compassionate, empowering sense, not an Ultimate Fighter sense, unless that's what she wants to be when she grows up...) The naming is on the obscure Jewish holiday of Lag B'omer, so bonus points for any of the following symbolic resonances:

-bonfires
-bows and arrows (or other bows, such as rainbows, or arching/bending in general)
-haircuts

Non-standard wedding readings

gaby — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:53:24 -0800

Wedding Readings: As the wedding draws closer, we need to find some interesting readings to have at the (register office) ceremony. The internet seems chock full of bog standard sentimental nonsense, but we want something light hearted, amusing, witty, fun. Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Monty Python, all of that sort of thing is good. Or just generally amusing, laugh out loud stuff that we could use for a short reading.

Any good suggestions?

Any good wedding readings or vows?

piers — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 02:36:57 -0800

I am getting married in the fall and I'd like to find some smart, unusual readings to include in the ceremony. I found an earlier thread with some good options, but they had slightly different parameters. For us, both secular and religious/spiritual are welcome (other posters were atheists) - but please nothing too cliche/sappy!

Looking for memorial service reading ideas

garbo — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 16:10:12 -0800

A friend is looking for reading ideas for a memorial service. The person was a non-religious, nature-loving guy. Any ideas? Thanks!

Name this short story

luriete — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:20:44 -0800

I am vaguely rembering a short story, maybe even Updike (not sure though as it doesn't seem Updikey) about these creatures that live in the woods outside of this guy's house, they are virii or machines or something and reproduce rapidly. What am I thinking of, or what am I smoking?

Anyone know of a Christmas story that can be performed by three female co-workers for an office Christmas party?

KathyK — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 11:24:04 -0800

Anyone know of a Christmas story that can be performed by three female co-workers for an office Christmas party? Nothing too long or foolish, just a nice story that can be spoken (not acted out). It could also be a poem. Other suggestions are welcome also. It has to be short, about 1 - 2 minutes max. Nothing embarassing.