Reign of Love

Makes Me Happy

2012-02-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

Makes Me Happy: Chicken Parade??? A wonderful book in the bargain section at Barnes & Noble.

Bonus "Makes me happy": Sam the Godfather and a Bloomin' Onion after a temple sesh...

Self Portrait

2012-02-10T14:57:00.001-08:00

Self Portrait: After a shift at the Tabernacle Excavation. One of these days I'll take pictures of the actual site and some of the cool finds if I remember.

Happy Friday!

Front Door

2012-02-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Front Door: This is the entry to the building where I spend most of my life-- the Museum of Peoples and Cultures at BYU. Woohoo! My second home.

PS I promise I took this yesterday, even though I'm posting it today.

Sun

2012-02-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Sun: Today's photo was a little tough to come up with, especially since it was raining and snowing all day. So I took a picture of the weekend forecast. It's going to be a little warmer! Woohoo!

Button

2012-02-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

Button: I know it's creepy, but I see this button every day, so I figured it'd be nice to include in this "from my life" project. It looks like a cyclops because of the surgery I had to remove my gallbladder a few years ago.

Dinner

2012-02-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Dinner: I made lemon pepper tilapia with herbed rice and fresh brocolli (and I'm making strawberry shortcake for dessert...thank you Bountiful Baskets!), but the picture I took didn't look appetizing. Then Brozhy went into shoulder-cat mode, so I got a picture of that. Apparently the cat thinks he's a parrot.

Woman in Black

2012-02-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have been asking my opinion on The Woman in Black that Adrien and I went to see on Saturday. I figured I'd save myself some time and just spill my thoughts in a blog post.

If someone were to ask if I recommended seeing the movie, I'd say to them "Yes, but wait until it's on DVD." The primary reason for this? In a movie theatre you can't hide under a blanket and cling very easily to your neighbor. Such as it was, Adrien and I were hiding behind our jackets and pressed as closely together as our seats would allow.

However, I'd also say that if you have children, or are a very sensitive person (particularly when it comes to children), don't see the film. Here's a little test to see if you'll be able to handle it:

-Have you seen The Others?

-Have you seen The Orphanage?

-Have you seen The Innocents?

-Did you enjoy them or find them too creepy to bear?

Obviously you have to consider if you can handle not only the scares of the film, but the potentially disturbing images of dead or dying or ghosty children.

Now we move on.

Aviso! Potentially spoiling spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen it, enjoy the trailer below and stop reading (unless you don't mind being spoiled).

There were a few things about the film that I didn't like.

1. How old is Arthur's son? I could swear they said he was 4 years old multiple times in the film, but everyone else (on movie blogs and such) says he's 3. I think he acts more like a 4 year old anyway. Yes, I realize this is a quibbling point.

2. Why didn't the townspeople just TELL Arthur about the curse? Seriously, the lives of several children could have been saved.

3. If you are up against losing your job if you don't complete a task, and a seriously demented ghost starts haunting you at your jobsite, and children are dying because of it, weigh your options and GET A NEW JOB!!!

4. He never even sorted out the legal paperwork anyway. Pff.

5. Why, after being reunited with her son, did the Woman in Black still exact her revenge on the village? I understand that she was crazy, and that she said she'd never forgive her sister, but why didn't she just hunt down her sister's ghost so the two could have it out, and stop killing other peoples' kids? Eh?

And there were things that I liked (obviously; if I'm pulling things like an incongruity in age for my "dislikes" list):

1. The sets, costumes, and lighting made it all very believable. I've decided that Victorian times are the perfect setting for hauntings, because all the furniture, toys, lights, etc are terribly conducive to creepiness. It's true that Gothic horror seems to really be the best horror sub-genre.

2. The cinematography was excellent. Often used was the camera in the point of view of the ghost. It wasn't overplayed either, it was used subtly; you never saw the camera zoom in on a frightened Arthur's face.

3. Arthur acted rationally. If you're locked on an island with the tide in, with ghosts inside and outside the house, you're going to have to do something about it either way. And we learned pretty quickly that ignoring it isn't going to help the situation.

4. The deaths were realistic, and the haunting seemingly also real. There were no seances or any of that drivel. The only issue I had with it was the wife of Sam who for some reason was able to channel the ghosts of the children. Why her?

5. There was just the right amount of occasional humor. Arthur's son's drawing of his father with a perpetually frowny face, the presence of "the twins" at dinner time, etc.

6. The "frights" were not stupid. Aside from the occasional ghost screaming down the hallway and the boy's ghost emerging from the bed, there was nothing that made you stop, raise an eyebrow, and say "Really?" Even the little parts that made you jump felt necessary and not contrived.

I do, however, have some questions that I'd like input on. First of all, how did Arthur know how to reunite the ghost with his mother? I can understand the birthday cards, but why was it necessary to wind up all the creepy toys in the nursery? Similarly, why did the boy come out of the bed in another room? I understand that Arthur probably let in the boy's ghost by opening the door when he came a-knocking, but why didn't that allow the two ghosts to find each other?

Another question I have is what was the deal with Arthur and his son being killed? Part of me wants to say that it was the WIB's sick form of saying 'thanks' to Arthur for reuniting her with her son (you know, he reunited her so she figured she'd reunite his little family). But that part of me just really wants this film to be one of the best scary movies I've seen, and if the WIB had just decided to keep killing kids for no reason besides "NEVER FORGIVE!" seems silly. I mean really, that's why I hated The Ring. But if she was just saying thank you, what relevance did Sam seeing all the ghosts of the dead children have? Was it all their little spirits finally being released from the clutches of the WIB? Did they appear to Sam because he was the father of one of the dead?

Oh, and for the record, having seen My Boy Jack and plenty of interviews with Daniel Radcliffe (plus the hilarious SNL episode a few weeks ago), I had no problem whatsoever removing the idea of Harry Potter from my mind. And I also have to say that Daniel Radcliffe has done an excellent job in being able to perform roles very different from the boy wizard. I don't know why people have issues with him having facial hair, or being married, or being the father of a young boy. The man's almost 23, he's not 15 anymore.

I'm very curious to hear what you thought, if you've seen the film.

10 AM

2012-02-05T14:43:00.001-08:00

10 AM: I guess we slept through the alarm again...

A Stranger

2012-02-04T21:57:00.000-08:00

A Stranger: Someone getting their frozen yogurt, behind the A. Nony Mouse I drew on the glass at Spoon it Up when I was there with Adrien tonight after seeing "Woman in Black."

This was my original "stranger" picture, which is clearly of three odd people with a mattress in a shopping cart, one of whom is lying on the underneath part of the shopping cart in a seal pose. We drove by in order to take a picture of them. As you can see, it turned out really well.

Hands

2012-02-03T17:03:00.001-08:00

Hands: So, not technically hands, but these are the paws of the animal that lives in our house and likes to knead my hair.

The Buzz

2012-02-03T15:29:00.003-08:00

My whole life I've been rather a proponent for mild feminism. I blame it on my mom, who despite raising 4 crazy children, also got her Master's degree, served a mission, didn't get married until she was 29, speaks a million languages, is way smarter than most people I've met, and somehow managed to work on top of everything else while we were growing up.

Being a young woman at BYU has exposed me to a lot of the ridiculous pressures and stigmas held around here. For example: as soon as you get to university, start looking for a potential spouse, because Man, you're already an old maid. If you're not married by age 21 (ugh, who are you?) serve a mission, otherwise people might start to question what you really want in life. Once you finally do get married, you'd better get on the baby boat right away, because we all know you're committing some kind of sin by putting it off in favor of a degree or anything else.

Okay, so those are harsh generalizations, but really, those are the kinds of things this community makes you feel sometimes. Now, I've never really been one to want to follow the crowd (surprised? Hopefully not). Both my older sisters shuffled off to Utah right out of High School and got married at age 19. I have nothing against either of them (far from it, I admire their ability to do what they did), or their choices (which I know were very personal and well-considered), but when your younger brother starts telling you to get a move on in the whole marriage thing, and you are the only single granddaughter older than 12 at family reunions, you start to feel the pressure. I almost got married at 19. And oh, oh, oh I am so glad that didn't work out. I was a young thing at Cal State Long Beach, he didn't know what he wanted in life, and 3 years of being together was enough (a bad sign, guys). So I moved to Utah when I was almost 20, and didn't really think about marriage for a good long while after that.

I remember my 21st birthday party, which was a small party with only me and my roommates (and thankfully not the non-boyfriend-boyfriend of the time). Two of them had just gotten back from missions, and they were like "Woohoo! You're 21 now, what can you do now?" And I said, half jokingly (because I want to learn to cook with it, Helloooo) "I can buy alcohol?"

"And...?"

"And...buy alcohol?"

"And go on a mission!" Duh.

But I didn't. And honestly, while a part of me was intrigued by the concept of giving up a year and a half of my life in service to others in a totally random location on the planet, I didn't really want to. And there was some guilt driven into me because I'd made that decision.

Eventually, I got married. Yes, I realize I'm still incredibly young, but I'm almost 23, which to me beats the record of young people getting married around here. And now that I am, there's this question people ask, with their eyebrows wiggling like they have some kind of clever idea. That question is "when are you going to have kids? Eh? Eh?" And really, I just got married a month ago, give us a chance to adjust at least!

We got a cat instead. People don't think that's as funny as I do for some reason.

I've always told myself that I'd think about having kids when I was good and ready, which honestly, I've never thought would be soon. Aside from the baby fever everyone got in high school when we had about 15 pregnant girls in our year (oh don't worry, some of them were on their second or third kid), I've never really been super eager about raising kids right away. I've done plenty of babysitting and nannying and interacting with kids, and I have seen the good and the ugly.

A few weeks ago in my religion class (yes, I know I'm about to graduate, shush) it got a little ridiculous. My professor drove home the point very solidly to everyone in the class (who are mostly all Freshman) that you must have children right away or you are literally committing a sin. He threw quotes around from various church leaders, told stories about people regretting waiting because they found out they were infertile, etc. Essentially, the theme of the day was have kids now or you'll be punished. As you might imagine, I left class more than a little aggravated.

And then (ah yes, the more personal aspects I've been trying to include in my blogging) I thought I was pregnant. Like a month after being married. No fair! And yet, those four days of imagining it, I felt so internally happy and excited. After I saw the negative pregnancy test, the first thing I said was "Phew!" but inside I felt a little melancholy. I've always been interested in genetics and inheritance, topics that (don't judge me) get me pretty excited about having kids. When a random video popped up on Youtube about the "miracle of life" so to speak, I watched it. And I honestly got a little choked up when the sperm's genetic material blended with that of the egg's. Yes yes, I realize I'm a sap and more than a little weird. Bear with me.

The point of all this is that now I'm conflicted. I want to go to Graduate School, I want to work and travel and do amazing things (oh that's right, I got married-- that sort of put the kabosh on most of those plans...). But now that I'm healthier because my pancreas problems are nearly sorted out, I'm feeling a little yearning in my heart, and a vague feeling of currently being a little unfulfilled. Creating life really is a miracle. I didn't give birth to the cat (thank goodness), so his role as a child isn't really filled. When it happens, even if it's a lot sooner than I ever thought I'd get around to it, I'll be excited to be a mother, especially with Sam as a father (oh give me a break, I love him).

Words

2012-02-03T15:25:00.001-08:00

Day Two:
Words: I took Sam to Chili's for his birthday. The food wasn't amazing, but the company was fantastic (mais oui). I liked this sign.

Photo a Day

2012-02-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this on one of the blogs I follow (of a random girl in Australia whose life I love reading about...no it's not creepy at all, she commented on here once ages ago, so that justifies me!) a few days ago. I've been doing it, but true to form, I've forgotten to post. Here is the list, and my first photo:
Day one:
My View Today: my desk at work, complete with bags of bones from Petra that I'm inventorying, lots of museum books, and a few dozen groundstones from the Kanab excavations in the background.

PS: I don't have an iPhone, and therefore no Instagram, so these pictures aren't going to be really artsy or whatever unless I figure something else out that still jives with my laziness.

I've Got an Outlaw for an Inlaw!

2012-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

December 17th was a big day for me. Honestly, I thought I knew how big at the time, but it didn't really sink in until later.

On that freezing (actually far below freezing) Saturday after another tricky semester, I married Sam. We got up early in the morning and I climbed into the car with my mom in my colorful wooly socks and hair in curlers. After a long drive we arrived in Manti, where we met Sam and his family and started all the paperwork needed before we could go through with the act (don't worry, my socks and curlers stayed in the car). A little after 10 o'clock Sam and I were sitting in a quiet room being told the ceremony routine by a smiling elderly gentleman we'd never met, who was going to be marrying us shortly. Our family and close friends quietly filed in and Sam and I sat near the altar squeezing our hands together for dear life. I leaned over and whispered in his ear "I legitimately feel like I'm going to pass out at the altar. I hope it's not awkward." He whispered back, "I'm pretty sure I'm going to pass out too." I laughed hysterically inside, though I wasn't sure why it was so funny. My nerves were wired. Pretty soon we went through the ceremony and leaned across to kiss each other. I'll come back to that kiss later. It was an important one, though again, I didn't realize how important it was at the time.

We stood by the door and talked to everyone briefly as they left. There were lots of sincere hugs, people whispering how beautiful I was, how happy we looked, and many welcomes to the family. My new father-in-law sobbed on my shoulder and thanked me for loving his son, making me feel like I owed him more than I could ever repay (thanks, Dad). We had a quiet moment together after everyone moved out of the room, in which Sam and I both shed light tears and just stood and hugged each other. It was a little unbelievable.

Pretty soon we were ushered to our changing rooms, and my sisters rushed in to fix my hair and makeup before going out to meet everyone (I'd merely tousled the curls in the car before heading inside, and I only wore a little mascara). After a few minutes, I walked shakily to the lobby to meet Sam. His grandma stood there smiling at us while I freaked out over his boutonniere and wondered why she didn't go outside and wait so I could talk to Sam alone. Finally she did, I told Sam I was so stressed I could explode, he told me to calm down, and I finally did enough to give him a gift I'd made for him-- I handkerchief with a quote embroidered into it with our wedding date. It seemed ridiculous and silly, especially since I was shaking so much and felt like screaming for some reason, but he loved it, and I tried to smile as I folded it into his coat pocket. We then turned and headed out the door to our crowd of friends and family. Unfortunately, it was a revolving door, and Sam ran into me when the glass came up short behind him, and I tripped on his shoe. Fortunately, I ended up laughing instead of yelling, which made for great pictures of me smiling instead of turning into Bridezilla and roaring like a lion.

We then proceeded to take pictures with family in the 14-degree chill, the bright sun glaring at us, the photographer trying to give instructions, my 6-month-old niece crying her head off, and my dad disappeared right before we were going to take a parent picture and no one could find him (he was sitting in the warm car with my grandparents eating a donut). Finally, we gave up after a few shots, told everyone we'd see them at the reception, and I raced back inside to change out of my dress. My hands were so cold I was sucking on my fingers in an attempt to bring some life back into them.

The drive back to the apartment with Sam was a little surreal. He kept looking at me and saying "Guess what? We're married!" and I was incredibly happy but weirded out and the quiet voice that'd been in my mind since Sam and I had started talking about marriage resurfaced-- what if what if what if??? I pushed it away. Stupid voice. I made the right choice.

After a nice long nap, we made our way to the reception hall for the family dinner. It was delicious, and though I felt vaguely ridiculous when I was forced to tuck a table cloth into my collar to keep pasta sauce off my dress, I had a good time. Family gave us advice and reminisces. I remember particularly three things that were said: Sam's dad said I was good at finances (if you know me at all, you know I can barely add), my aunt said she noticed Sam and I really talked to each other and laughed together, and my grandma cried as she told everyone how Sam had cared for me with no complaint during my hospitalizations and illness the past semester (I told you it'd been tricky). I was inspired to be better at finances (a few days later I worked out a budget for us-- go me!), to make sure Sam and I never stopped talking or laughing, and to always let Sam care for me (I have the bad habit of hiding it when things go wrong and not letting people help).

The reception was wonderful. I relaxed after the first dance was over (Sam taught me to waltz in the reception kitchen moments before it happened). I didn't get to eat any of the food except for a few bites of cake when we cut it (with only the photographer watching). The endless homemade cookies and Italian soda bar passed me by and I didn't care. I spent the evening dancing with sisters, friends, nieces, everyone. We had an instant photo booth run by two of my old friends (the one thing I refused to compromise on in the budget, something I am incredibly grateful for because everyone loved using it), which was hilarious fun, and I barely saw Sam through the whole thing. I talked to dozens of people and lived on the high of energy. Finally it was time to go, and Sam and I were able to escape to our (secretly decorated) car and drive up to Salt Lake City to the hotel that would be our home for the next couple of days.

I won't give you details of course, but all the people that told me everything would be awkward was wrong. Sam later told me the kiss I gave him right after we got into the room and stood looking at each other, before we'd even taken our shoes off, was his favorite kiss of our relationship. It was just a peaceful time. There was nothing awkward about any of it, it was just happiness.

Anyway, the honeymoon sharply ended two days later while we were still at the hotel and my stomach began to implode (remember the aforementioned illness?). It was a bitter shock back to reality. We had a few nice days before Christmas, then we headed down to California, where my parents live, for another reception. Three days before we left, Sam told me he decided we were getting a kitten, and we raced up to the Utah Humane Society right before it closed to pick one out. We decided on an adorable polydactyl tabby. That night we almost went to the ER because I was sick again, but the cat (oddly enough) helped me get through it. Sam told me the next day that was a big reason why he felt we needed to get a cat right away-- he didn't want me to be alone in the night while I was sick and in pain and he was too tired to stay awake with me. It meant a lot to me. A great lot.

After returning to California, school started up again, and life started to settle down. I still hadn't really gotten the concrete answer to my question (is this the right choice for me?) like Sam had (a few weeks after we started dating-- yes, it was that fast). We had met suddenly and become the closest of friends in a whirlwind. Before I knew what was happening, we were dating, and pretty soon after that we started talking about marriage. I knew he was a good choice-- he cared for me no matter what time of day (or, realistically, night), he didn't question my slightly shady previous boyfriends, and he was a straight arrow, perfect husband material and an excellent prospective father-- but I was still worried. Many of my friends were confused by my choice. But he continued to prove himself to me (though he didn't know he was doing it). I figured I was just being stubborn and since I knew he was so right for me, and he loved me so much (don't worry, I was crazy in love with him too), I still thought about that tiny nagging voice-- what if what if what if?

After we'd been married a few weeks and I was lying in his arms one quiet evening while the cat purred at the foot of our bed, we were playing a cheesey romantic truth or dare card game we'd recieved as a wedding present. Sam picked truth for one and he got this question: "Where was our most romantic kiss? Tell me all about it." It was then that he told me about the kiss in the hotel. He then asked me what I thought mine was. I immediately thought of the kiss that had happened right after we'd conceded to marry each other in the ceremony. I told him that was it.

"Why?"

"Well...this is cheesey, but it's because, right when we kissed, I could feel all the energy of your love in it, and I could feel all of my love for you pouring into it. It was almost electrifying."

Tears started to come. Why now?

"Why are you crying?" Poor boys. They must wonder of this of their girls frequently.

"Because I just realized I have my answer." More crying. I'm such a sap sometimes.

But it was just that-- when I thought of that kiss, I realized that that is what mattered. I knew without a doubt that Sam loved me, and I knew that I had a love for him that filled me with electricity when I really though about it. And when there is love, sometimes everything else follows. The laughter, the respect, the patience, everything.

Sam realized it too at that moment. "Will you remember what you just told me for when you get impatient with me?"

I plan to.

_____________________________

In case any of you are eager to know the details of the wedding and reception, here they are. The planning of the wedding in no way went off without a hitch, especially finding a cake maker who would do what I wanted, but I'm so happy with the way everything turned out. And it was fun to use local people who were pretty cheap, and who did exactly what I wanted and exceeded my expectations. Thanks guys! My family's contribution was $3,500, which covered pretty much everything except for certain things (like the dinner), and I'm not sure about the contribution of Sam's family.

Decorations: bunting handmade from old books, maps, and music, by me and my friend Mel, and two of my other good friends (Autumn and Madison), plus Sam. Jars borrowed from parents and grandparents. Books were rescued from the trash bin of the friends-of-the-library bookstore my mom volunteers with. Dried lavender was purchased at Tai-Pan trading.

Family dinner: catered by Gloria's Little Italy

Boutonnieres and bridesmaids' bouquets: Dried lavender from Tai-Pan, ribbon from craft stores. Put together by me.

Bridal bouquet: Flower Basket Boutique

Photobooth: Prints Charming

Photographer: Nue Light Photography

Dress: custom made by Design Your Wedding Dress Online.

Italian soda bar: Griffin Catering

Reception venue: Southworth Hall

Sam's suit: Tailor for Less

Music: I made the playlist and entrusted the playing of it to my new sister Caity

Hair and makeup: group effort by my sisters Adrien, Caity, and Abby

Cake: Amber's Birthday Creations

Cookies: half were brought in from Sam's parents' old bakery in New Jersey, Cait & Abby's, and the rest were made by family and friends.

Invitations: Color Quick Printing, though I wanted to do them myself, I was just forced to reduce my personal workload.

The Gift of Brussels Sprouts

2012-01-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Sam and I went to Costco and bought $200 worth of groceries. I felt so awesome working out the budget and making sure we got things we needed instead of things we wanted. It was really fun. I decided we would get our produce and dairy at the regular store since it didn't really make sense to me to buy it in bulk when we're both only just starting to try to eat more fruits and vegetables (you'd never believe we were in our 20s, would you?).

And then it dawned on me: the long-ago mention of some produce basket co-op where you can get lots of fruits and vegetables for a fraction of the cost (as in $15 instead of $50). So I did some googling and discovered Bountiful Baskets. I then spent the next couple of hours doing research, reading reviews, and looking at pictures of what people typically get. I then ran it by Sam and we talked it over, finally deciding hey-ho, let's give it a go.

So this morning at 7:50, I arose, bleary-eyed, and asked Sam if he was coming (to which he replied "Would it kill you if I didn't?" of course), hopped in the truck, sent myself on a wild goose chase (who knows west from east, really? Pff.), and finally found the elementary school where the pickup was held. I went inside and some guy asked me for directions. I gave my standard "I just don't know," with raised eyebrows (which I'm starting to think some people might interpret as being rude, but sometimes...you just don't know). We then wandered around together until we found the auditorium, waited in line, showed proof of "contribution," the ladies made fun of my IKEA bag (have they seen how big those things are?), and kindly gave me a box to take my produce home in. I then made my way speedily home (there are surprisingly few people out and about at 8am on Saturday), singing to myself "It's eight o'clock in the morning; my husband's home and he's snoring..." (sung to the tune of that weird song on the radio right now).

Anyway, this is what we got:

I'm pretty excited to use this stuff in the near future. Some of it, like the corn, I will be cooking and freezing for later. We plan to get the baskets every other week (I think eating all that in one week would be a little over-ambitious, don't you?). Obviously some of it I can't eat because of my health issues, but Sam can.

What am I supposed to do with the Brussels sprouts though? We've both had them before and agree they are not delicious. Does anyone want them? Or something? Help?

PS I promise you I've written a nice long exposé on our wedding, but I'm waiting to post it until the photographer gets the pictures to me (which was supposed to be yesterday. I'm trying to be patient). So try holding your breath just a bit longer.

2012 Goals

2012-01-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

I know this is a few weeks late for New Year goals, but I promise you I've been trying to write it since the 1st of January. Tomorrow Sam and I will have been married for a month. And quite a good month it has been! It's given me cause for reflection, and I've come up with some personal goals for this year.

Toilet train the cat

This one is already in progress. I'm pleased to inform you all that my cat is en route to being one of the awesomest cats around...by the beginning of March, he will be able to use the toilet instead of the litter box, and we will never have to deal with litter, smells, or excess germs ever again!

Complete every room in the apartment to the vision of what I want it to be

This goal is already in progress too; it's nearly complete as a matter of fact. The living room is well on its way to being exactly how I want it (we have 6 huge bookcases in here...don't judge). The bedroom is finished. The second bedroom is nearly finished (it's only missing a few bits of furniture). The bathroom is pretty much done. The kitchen is also well on its way. I'll have to do a post of a house tour once it's all done the way I like.

Read 25 books

I'm already 1.5 books down for this goal. I'm keeping track on the sidebar on this blog. I think it will be a lot easier to read more come summertime.

Do something out of my comfort zone (something big...for me)

So far the thing I have planned for this goal is to run the waterfront at a cub scout camp, rife with little boys. If you know me at all, you know this is kind of a big deal thing for me to do. Boss little boys around? Ha! We'll see how it goes.

Graduate from college

Hopefully this semester will be my last. However, I'll still be finishing up my two Independent Study classes in Spring term (and possible taking one last GE class), but my goal is to graduate in the middle of June. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Go to the temple twice a month, every month

So far we've failed at this one, but I guess January is still a couple of weeks away from being over, so we could still do it. Hooray!

Stick to a budget, and never be overdrawn

This means that we will have to be frugal with our food purchases and work as many hours as we can in order to be able to make rent and bills at the beginning of every month. I also have a goal that we will be able to pay for summer rent by the beginning of the summer so that we can go to Connecticut for July and part of August without having to worry about the apartment. This goal is probably the biggest for me, since I don't have the best history of saving money, but hopefully with food now stocked in our cupboards and pretty much everything we need already set up in the apartment (THANK YOU wedding gifts!!), we won't have to spend money on much and we'll be able to save up some.

Show Sam every day that I love him

People say the first year of marriage is the most difficult. I'm determined not to let that be true for us. I love him, so it's easy for me to be good to him, especially since now we're married and we're always together. But there's going to be a lot of patience, understanding, and patience (did I mention patience?) required, so it will definitely require some work.

SCUBA dive somewhere outside of Utah

Hopefully I'll be able to check this one off when we take our honeymoon (finally) at the end of April. We're probably going to be in Hawai'i, so it'll be fun to dive there.

Blog more often and be more open

I feel like I barely blog anymore, and when I do, it's usually something lame like a video I like or a song or something. I'm trying to resolve to be a little more personal on here, and write more often. This blog often takes the place of my journal writing, so I'm trying to make sure that I do it often enough, and still get the emotional needs from it that I would with a journal. I'm not that worried about people reading it because I need to be honest anyway, and not that many people really read it. I think it'll be a good year for the blog.

Here's a picture of a path that I took in Hampstead Heath in England a couple of years ago (wow, I can't believe it's been that long). Think of the path as a metaphor for my goals or something. Mostly I don't want you to feel like you've been visually gypped.

Hooray!

2012-01-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

We got a cat! Also, we got married, but more about that later. More importantly, check this out:

His name is Brozhy (the "zh" is pronounced like a French "j"-- as in "je ne sais quoi"). I think he thinks his name is What though, because every time I see him I say "What?" and he squeaks at me. Anyway, this cat is cool. Besides not responding to his name, other things he can do are run crazily along the couch, attack his feather toy, do spinning jumps, fetch (occasionally), eat a ton, kick litter everywhere, and purr louder than any cat I've ever heard. And he's really easy to get to purr, too. I just look at him or say "What?" and he purrs.

Check out his new trick:

He's too small to jump onto the chairs, and he wants to be with us when we eat (heck, he wants to be with us all the time) so he's trying to figure out another way up there.

Also he has 26 toes. Yeah, I told you he was cool.

Hoot

2011-12-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

I'm getting married on Saturday. Hoo boy. I also have finals this week (meaning outlandishly long papers...thank you archaeology major). But I'm bored of writing right now, so I thought I'd take a break and show you my awesome craftiness.

I made an advent calendar of sorts for Sam. Just for him, nobody else.

Each envelope (Day 1-25) has either a fun thing to do (ie driving to look at Christmas lights, decorating a tree, drinking hot cocoa, going to a movie, etc) or a special message from me to him letting him know what I like about him, or what I appreciate that he does, or whatever.

I saw it on a website of a lady that has kids, but this advent calendar is just for the husband, not for the kids, so it makes him feel special and appreciated. I know that (even though we won't be married or living together for another 5 days) Sam has really enjoyed opening an envelope every morning and reading what's inside.

Some people (like the aforementioned lady I stole the idea from) make it all scrapbooky and crafty and complicated, but I just wrote on 3x5s and put them in envelopes that I drew on. And really, the hardest part about this project was coming up with a different picture for each envelope. The messages came really easily.

So yeah, happy holidays and all that. Have a good week! I probably won't write again until after the wedding. And I will be a married woman! Wahoo!

Progress for the Sake of Progress

2011-11-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

I have a framework for my 15-minute presentation (I only lack numerous colorful photographs to accompany my super intelligent speech on Anasazi red ware sherd distribution in Fremont sites).

I have 9 out of the required 15-20 pages of my paper on the symbolism of the Greek goddess Nike (and I'm not perturbed that I stole it from a paper I wrote for another class at another university).

Progress! This deserves a little break to watch this video (but mostly to listen to the song) for the five-billionth time (and maybe work a little on wedding stuff?), and perhaps get the lyrics out of my head (no, nope, I don't think it's possible, they're too much fun):

Blargh School!

2011-11-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Did you know that if you take the letters in the word "school" and remove the "schoo" part, and replace it with "evi" that it spells EVIL??? IT'S TRUE!!!

Sometimes professors apparently forget what it was like to be a student. I think they also forget that all their students are taking more than one class (usually). I'm only taking two classes (that matter-- two others that don't really) this semester, and I'm still getting overwhelmed. I have two major essays and a major presentation due soon. And a massive test to study for (read: relearn everything I was supposed to learn this semester).
The days of this phenomenon are upon us:

Oh PS Happy Veterans' Day. Hug/email/text/call your various veterans and thank them for what they do/have done.
PPS It's also 11/11/11. The world still isn't ending.

It's Happened.

2011-11-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

Winter. It is here. I have to wake up earlier to scrape ice off my car. I get to wear the same shirt I sleep in because I wear 209,367 sweaters all day and no one will see it anyway.

Lose/Win?

Lobster

2011-11-02T14:30:00.001-07:00

I think there's no avoiding it-- I'm going to need to live near the ocean. The last video I posted, plus this one... Man.

The Perennial Plate Episode 77: Lobster Pie from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Oh, and if you're wondering where I find all these day-in-the-life food-related videos, they are from The Perennial Plate.

Des Momies!

2011-10-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

After a year of research and work and trials and tribs, the mummy case in the Learning Lounge in the MPC (where I work) is finally completed. I invite you all to come and see it and be proud of me. This project isn't over yet, it will eventually become my senior thesis, and I'm submitting to a couple of research symposiums. Wahoo!

Tumult

2011-10-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

I really like this video, even if I feel like some of what he says is just strings of philosophical hubbub. It made me happy. I miss the ocean.
A Day in the Life of a Seaweed Harvester:

The Perennial Plate Episode 76: Seaweed Man from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Fixer-Upper

2011-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

We're too poor to get nice furniture for the apartment. Instead, I've been perusing KSL and Ikea and Craigslist for dills and sells (that's Utah speak for deals and sales for those uninformed) and buying things little by little.

A couple of weeks ago we bought this table for $20. The chairs were $25 each, and we got 4 so we can entertain guests or something.

I call the color something in the neighborhood of puke green.

Then last week we bought this a-mazing dresser for $40 (it was originally $50, but there's no way I'd pay that much for this beast). Those are glow-in-the-dark red stars. Just fyi.

Anyway, clearly these needed fixing. So we went to Lowe's where we had a coupon for 10% off everything and bought paint and hardware for the drawers.

And then the great project began. We sanded everything (I took stalker-y pictures of Sam working)...

Here are post-sanding pictures:

Then painted the table a "lovely green"

Then painted a gray base coat on the dresser

Then painted it turquoise and sanded some more to make it look sort of antiqued

Et voila! The finished product!

This was my first experience attempting antiquing of something. It turns out it would have been loads easier had we rubbed a candle on parts of the base so that the top coat would have come off a lot easier. But you live, you learn, right? And I think it looks pretty dang good for a first attempt.

P.S. These are crappy pictures taken at night with my phone and/or Costco camera. It looks a lot cooler in person, promise.

Win It Nao

2011-10-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Since I was one of the first three commenters on my cousins' cousin's blog the other day, I am obligated to post this too as part of the winnings. But I'm actually really excited about this. So here it goes:

Here are the instructions: The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! However, there are some rules, which are:

1. I get to decide what it is.
2. But I will keep you in mind and it will be personalized. I'm not going to make you a teapot if you don't drink tea. I wouldn't make a teapot anyway, I have no clue how.
3. You'll probably have to wait until after the wedding. I'm too insanely busy to get it done beforehand. That ok?
4. It can be anything. Maybe I'll paint you a picture (on canvas), maybe I'll embroider something for you, maybe I'll bake you something...It all depends!

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to leave a comment telling me they will win it forward get a fabulous homemade gift by me! Oh, and if you have a blog, be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it.

Muse

2011-10-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't talked about my real life in a while, aside from the post I wrote in the hospital.

This has been an interesting semester so far. Between the numerous doctors' appointments and blood tests and diet changes and the veritable pharmacy I carry around with me everywhere I go, my health has sort of taken center stage. I don't like it that way. Not at all.

Another thing is the whole being engaged thing. People tell you planning a wedding (and carrying out those plans) is a menace, but they often forget to mention all the learning and growing you and your partner do. That, my friends, is a process. It's rather time-consuming. It makes me forget that I have a life outside of Sam, that my friends are still my friends. But if I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Sam, we need to work out the kinks and learn to be together, and not act as though we are two people, or single people living together. I'm not sure I got that point across, it's complicated.

And of course, as far as school and work goes, I have (typically) bitten off almost more than I can chew. Well, it's more like one of those enormous bites you take where you have to cover your mouth for a while to prevent things from flying out until you can get a handle on everything you've shoved in your mouth. Yeah, nice image. I have four research projects this semester, two of which I volunteered for. And the display case I've been working on putting together at the museum is finally almost up. And yet, the inevitable things are going wrong.

That's something I've learned to deal with better (at least I hope so) lately. Sometimes things don't go the way you plan, and as hard as you try and push to make it work, the universe (or people...) push back. Nothing will ever be perfect, not in this life. It's part of my growing experience to learn to be truly flexible and learn that not everyone, no matter how kind they can be or how well-meaning they are, will act according to plan.

But I have a lot to be grateful for. I'm actually grateful for all these experiences, even if it means I can't have my wedding precisely the way I want (note to the world: if it's not your wedding, it is NOT your wedding), or that I have to redo the labels in the display three times over and over, and get cut by a razor in the process, or that I live from meal to meal, wondering how everything I put in my mouth will affect me. And I'm grateful that I have friends who have offered support and anything they can do to help me. And I'm grateful for family, who constantly make me laugh and provide an outlet to really be myself. And I'm grateful for Sam, who will one day be my family, and who already understands me better than anyone else, and will do anything for me. We will work through the years ahead together, and I feel more confident knowing that he'll be by my side.

Fall Has Fallen

2011-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday after church, Sam and I hopped in the truck and drove up to Sundance to look at the Fall colors in the leaves on the trees, since I've never driven through a canyon or anything to do so (I've only even had two other real Falls before, and I missed it both times).
Needless to say, it was a beautiful drive. I wanted to do more, but we ran out of gas. Such is life.
On another, completely irrelevant note, I bought new mascara the other day and used it this morning for the first time. I've read about Maybelline's Great Lash for years-- all magazines everywhere rave about it. I've never tried it, but this time I was attracted by the neon-colored bottle. When I pulled out the brush from the bottle this morning, I noticed how small the bristles were, and frowned a little. Surely it would be ineffective.
But wow. It worked like a dream. Absolutely zero clumping of eyelashes or anything! I literally said "Wow" to myself when I saw the results. So here's my plug: go try it. Seriously. I got it in waterproof in blackish brown.

Coming Soon: Our apartment is starting to take shape! I'm starting to actually like spending time there because it doesn't seem trashy any more. Ha!

Lying in Wait

2011-09-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Everything for the wedding is planned. This sort of happened by accident because of the whole anticipated-trip-to-Italy thing. Alas, we all know that that didn't happen because of the illness.
Anyway, it has been nice not having to make serious decisions every day about wedding things, and all that's left is putting the plans into action, which is infinitely more fun and less stressful! And I really am looking forward to some of the stuff that I can't do until later, like decorations and baking and getting a marriage license and taking bridals and... yeah. And getting married.

I'm excited :)

P.S. I read this morning that they are building an Avatar theme park at Disney World in Florida. If you've read my rant, you know exactly how I feel about this.

Engagements!

2011-09-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Sam and I got our engagement pictures taken. I was really nervous that I wouldn't be able to be myself, but Sam kept me laughing, as he always does, so it was actually easy.

Anyway, I'm super excited to get proofs of all the photos, but in the meantime, our wonderful photographer has posted a blog post with a few of her favorites. I hope she forgives me for borrowing the one I'm reposting here...

Anyway, go here to see it (and the rest of her amazing work).

Le Weekend!

2011-09-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I have officially made it through the first (for me) week back at school! Hoorah! I can tell I'm going to enjoy attending only part-time this semester, even if it does funny things to my tuition since I can't have my scholarship anymore (boo).
I'm living at my grandparents' house for the semester and loving it so far.
Aaaand...I'm trying to adjust to the new doctor-prescribed diet that will hopefully keep me out of the hospital for months to come.
Anyway, since it's Friday, and I'm lazy at work, here are some things I've found across the intranetz that piqued my interest:

Things to do with paint chips (the tufty one looks really cool)

Cool fingerprint rings (although reading the backstory is way more interesting)

Swallowable perfume? What the...

Ghetto hack for sous-vide cooking? I'm intrigued...

P.S. The photo is from a sunrise trip to the west side of the lake two years ago. I'm hankerin' to go back.

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

2011-09-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Surprise (not)! I got engaged this week.

To be honest, I'd known it was coming for weeks, but the fact that Sam was in Connecticut for the summer made it a little hard to make it "official" any sooner. And then there was the whole hospital debacle, which made it harder because I refused to be drugged up with a tube up my nose when he asked me. Anyway, can you imagine? The nurse comes in to check my vitals: "Hold out your finger for the ox meter...Woops! Here's your engagement ring! Surprise!"

Nope.

Anyway, I was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday after 10 days, spent the day in lethargy and nausea, and was eternally grateful that Sam was still waiting (but was it ever going to come?). The next day I felt better, but I still had the tube in. We went up past Sundance in the truck and looked at the stars-- tres romantique, except for the feeding tube and the electronic pump I had with me. Still no ring, phew.

Thursday I pulled the tube out in frustration (only slightly against doctor's orders, don't worry) around 5pm and felt an exponential increase in my happiness. Woohoo! I knew it could come at any moment, but I was hoping he would wait until Friday so we could have some neat-o date first.

We went to Ikea to look at furniture (I told you we'd known it was coming for ages), and then stopped at Ihop for some dinner (where I was forced to eat fat-free...this whole pancreatitis thing sort of sucks). Sam proposed we make another drive up the canyon, but I shot him down, saying I was too tired (it's hard walking around when you've been lying in bed for two weeks, let me tell you). So we drove back to my grandparents' house, where we're both staying at the moment. We parked in the parking lot near the club house and got out of the car. I stared at a cat sitting in the sprinklers on the lawn near the lot while Sam gathered his belongings from the truck. Then he came up to me and gave me a hug.

"There's a cat in the sprinklers over there," I said.

"Oh really?" said Sam.

"Yeah, that's kind of weird."

"Shannon, are you serious?"

"About what, the cat?"

"About this. About us."

I looked him in the eye. "Of course I am."

"Then you need this." He put the ring on my finger as I said something to the affect of "Le gasp!" (not really)

Lots of hugging and laughing (that sounded like crying-- um, what?) ensued.

"I take it that means 'Yes'?"

"Well you still haven't even asked me!"

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will, of course!"

(More sappiness)

Then we walked back to the house hand in hand and showed my grandparents and my mom, none of whom noticed the ring really before noticing the absentee feeding tube.

It wasn't incredibly romantic, but it was simple and nice. I don't care that it was Thursday, or that I was tired and sick, or that it was in a parking lot by a strange water-loving cat, or that we ate at Ihop. Because that's life, and I love it.

On December 17th I get to marry him. And that makes me happy.

Allow Me to Be Sappy For Once

2011-08-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the narcotics they're giving me, or the fact that I'm going to be alone for the next couple of hours of the day, or maybe I'm just having one of those days, but I feel the need to say this:

Since I've been in the hospital for the past week, I've come to learn a lot. I've learned a lot about patience (and I always thought I had enough of it-- I'm learning that still isn't true), about hope, and also about love.

I'm grateful that my mother is in town, by my bedside nearly all day, entertaining me, talking to me, rocking me when I get so frustrated or can't deal with the pain. I'm grateful that I have a man in my life who always tries to make me laugh when I feel depressed as I lie in bed, who massages my feet so they don't atrophy, who thinks that I'm beautiful despite the voluminous hospital gown, messy hair, and feeding tube up my nose; who is patient with me when I take my frustration and cabin fever out on him, who walks me through the hallways at a too-slow pace like a 95-year-old woman, and who cries a little from frustration when there's nothing he can do to help me (don't tell him I said that last part).

I'm grateful to my siblings who come to visit me almost every day, for the good friends that I have that come to visit and talk about food so I don't forget that all there is in the world is gross broth and a chemical mixture they shove through your nose; and who come and talk and laugh with me about normal things so I don't feel like an invalid in a hospital.

I'm grateful to the countless nurses I've met over the past week who get to know me, who seem concerned for my welfare, who see me still here a few days later and are sad that I haven't been able to go home yet, who are vying for me to be able to go home so I can do all the exciting things in my life I have coming up.

I'm grateful that this is only a case of acute chronic pancreatitis, and not anything more like the other poor souls in this ward who have cancer and deal with much greater pain than I do now.

Thank you to all of you who are praying for me, who come see me-- to all of you, I love you, and I'm so glad to have you in my life at this time.

Have a good Saturday :)

Un Mistero

2011-08-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

This is not what I normally write about. Forgive me.

Ok, here's something a little random. This is a picture of me in May of 2006, right before my 17th birthday. The part that I want you to notice-- not my strange pose or the glowing eyes of my cat-- is my belt. Yes, I know it's very difficult to see...but just know that it was an awesome belt. I stole it from my Dad's closet (now you know where I get my skinniness from), as he hadn't worn it in decades. It was one of those ones with the leather buckle-y part, and the rest was cloth-- it had blue, green, and yellow stripes. It was a sweet belt. I literally wore it until it fell apart.

Anyway, as much as I love the belt I use regularly now (which has awesome dogs and birds):

I'm ready to diversify. And I have found myself thinking back to that old belt I wore religiously in high school (with terribly light pants...). I want one like that again-- something subtly colorful, but still normal enough to be able to wear every day if I want to. Something like this maybe:

Minus the weird flag shirt. And the light pants again. And the phone necklace.

Keep your eyes peeled for me?

Rah

2011-08-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Allow me one brief post to complain.

1. Yesterday I rear-ended some dude stopped in the middle of the road. He didn't have his brakelights on. It was wet. I couldn't stop in time. There was no damage to either of our cars. He is telling my insurance company anyway so he can get a new paint job. My insurance is going up, even if it ends up costing $5 to "repair" that little smudge that was already on his bumper. Awesome.

2. If you are a company that sells expensive items, and you originally charge me double and make it so I can't buy food for a week and have $2 total in my bank account for that long while you poke along attempting to void the transaction, and THEN have the guts to tell me I can't have a refund on my $500 thing when I say I don't feel good about buying it anymore (after the first thing got straightened out), without telling me in the first place it was final sale, then you are an idiot. End of story.

3. My pizza burned. And stuck to the pan. Lame lame lame.

Then I saw this, and I'm trying to make it make me feel better, but I don't if it's working. It is funny though...

Face the Music and Dance

2011-08-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was doing some exploring this evening on songs, and dancing, and dancing to songs, and I inevitably wound up looking at dozens of clips of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I have my mom to thank for a great appreciation of old movies.

Here's Fred Astaire doing "We Saw the Sea" from Follow the Fleet. I sing this all the time, but people just give me looks askance. Pshaw. It's funny.

And Fred and Ginger doing "Never Gonna Dance" from Top Hat.

Embedding disabled, but still, watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXT0e6HWndQ

Fred Astaire singing "Let's Face the Music and Dance." I love this song. And to think they originally said of FA "Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little." It's just the song, no video to speak of:

...And Ginger Rogers singing "Let Yourself Go," another one I often sing. It starts about 54 seconds in (the beginning is instrumental). Video is a slideshow of pictures from the dance of the same title, but really you're better off just watching them dance. Unfortunately there's no singing though in that version.

Some days I wish I had tv solely so I could watch Turner Classic Movies. I miss that.

Roundup

2011-08-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you find nice things on the intranetz.

For example, this is cool. I may have exclaimed out loud.

This is funny and cute.

And this may be my new favorite website. Too bad there are only four pages of goodness as of yet.

It All Ends

2011-07-13T18:44:00.001-07:00

I may not have known it at the time, but I have honestly been waiting for this moment (or I guess tomorrow night's moment) since I was in fifth grade.

It is the premiere of the last movie of Harry Potter, and it is the end of the series that has carried me into adulthood (is that sad? Yep. But I don't care.)

It feels bittersweet...

American Talk!

2011-07-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

I posted about the first video, but here, in anticipation of Harry Potter coming out on THURSDAY NIGHT WOOHOO!!!! is "American Talk 2: Red, White, and Yee-Haw!" with (some of) the cast of Harry Potter!

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Calliope

2011-07-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

I was in Connecticut this past week, and while we were walking on the beach of the Sound towards a lighthouse, we came across this adorable wedding reception. It was in an old building with a carousel inside. I am in love with it, and totally jealous of whosever reception it was.

Here is my favorite song today:

Maya Elizabeth

2011-06-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

My sister gave birth to her third child last week-- a beautiful baby girl. She had me come out and take pictures. You can see more on my facebook, or if you are family and are interested in seeing all the pictures in all their states, let me know and I will send you some!

If It Keeps on Raining...

2011-06-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like I don't really post about my own life very often. But now I feel a personal post is necessary, as so much has happened lately!

I am going to make a list, because I am lazy, and I like lists (and a random picture):

1. I have a new niece! She is adorable. Her name is Maya, and I love her already. I hope that she keeps her dark hair, since both her parents have dark brown hair, and neither of her siblings do. I took some photos of her with my film camera for my sister, but they haven't been developed yet, or I would share some of my favorites with you. Look for those in a post to come...

2. Field School finished yesterday, and boy am I glad. I learned so much over the past two months, and I am incredibly grateful for the experience, but as I have learned, my feeble body cannot handle that kind of physical pressure for that long. That and I think when you throw that many similar personalities together for that long, people come out loving (but mostly hating) each other. Which is sad.

3. I have exciting vacations ahead, and I am stoked. First off are four days back home in Fallbrook to see two of my bestest old friends, then (after a two-day hiatus in UT where I will work super hard at the museum to earn back monies lost during Field School) four days in Washington DC/ New York City with my dear sister Adrien, then a few more days in Connecticut relaxing and doing fun eastcoast-y things with my friend Sam.

4. Ok, wait, he's not just my friend. I guess he's my boyfriend.

5. I'm going to Italy in September? Yeah, I am. Well, as soon as I pay I am. I'm super stoked though :D I need to learn Italian liek nao. I will be taking a language class, a couple of humanities classes, and doing a cooking "internship." I cannot believe I have this opportunity! I'm very excited.

Song Reference

Conflicted

2011-06-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

My Dad sent this video through the family email:

Which is, of course, hilarious. But I need to know: why didn't they just fly away???

Maybe geese enjoy getting sucked into riptides...

Seals

2011-05-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this this morning and it made me happy. Look at him go!

Inspiration

2011-05-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things come at just the right time for me. This blog post that talks about patience in looking for marriage, and watching Under the Tuscan Sun for the bajillionth time with my sister.

Even if marriage isn't something I or you or anyone is worried about, the principle can be applied to anything. Happiness, mainly, I think. Just be happy, because it's going to be okay eventually. Don't worry about it, just let it be!

Under the Tuscan Sun is one of my favorite movies because it really lifts your spirits, even if it is a little cheesy at times (not to mention the fact that she basically is living my dream in the movie). This is the message I'm talking about that it gives:

Acceptable

2011-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've head a really productive past few days. Saturday I took two finals and submitted two final essays, then I came home and cleaned out the laundry room (which now looks spic and span, too bad the washer is broken so we can't hang out in there and enjoy the cleanliness). Sunday was Sunday. Yesterday I exercised with my roommate, then I embroidered adorable designs (if I do say so myself) on two onesies for Unborn Niece Swinford and went for a run (the first time in over a year--and I did 10 blocks straight before walking! Go me!). Oh look, here are the onesies:

Then I graded all the remaining assignments for the class I am a TA for-- now there are only finals to grade.

This morning I found out I got a scholarship for Fall semester! It makes me happy because it will be kind of the same cost as if I were to graduate in December, which I can't do anymore due to one stinkin' class in Winter term. But it's excellent, I love getting free money! Then I went to work for about four hours and moved approx. 30 metates from all over the museum into one room, and built the shelves for them to go on (metal, evil). This is a metate for those unaware (the big groundstone, not the smaller "mano" used to grind):

Yeah. 30 of them. My boss helped, but still. Then I was told to destroy a giant plywood workbench to make room for new shelving. Eep! It took about 45 minutes, and I acquired a few scrapes and pokes, not to mention a bruised knuckle when the tabletop fell on my hand at one point, but I did it.

Needless to say, I'm very worn out. That is why this post is not very exciting. But! I only have two finals to go this week. I get to move upstairs on Saturday. I'm happy and feel accomplished. And very hungry! What to eat, what to eat...

And now, I order you to get up and dance for the duration of this song. It will make you happy, guaranteed:

Thinkin' That the World Looks Fine

2011-04-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Essays, grading, studying for final exams, working, trying to keep up with everything... Finals, once again, are trying to get the better of me. The stress makes me do strange things, like crank out actually really good stories on the spot about dancing circus elephants, put up a hearts saying "S+J" next to the James Dean poster that appeared in our bathroom yesterday, and eat ridiculous amounts of cookies to keep me awake when I'm up at all ours doing the first two things.

And yet, I must be a glutton for punishment, because I'm already planning which Grad schools I want to apply to next year. Like this one, for example. Courses include "Research and Reconstruction of Old Ships," "Deep-Submergence Archaeology," "Classical Seafaring," and "Outfitting and Sailing the Wooden Ship." How can I pass that up?

Anyway, if you're in the same wooden ship of Finals as me, maybe take a break and listen to some good songs (I'll make the format small so you're not intimidated, there's no videos anyway):

A little 80s:

A little 60s:

When Life Gets You Down...

2011-04-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

...watch this video:

Thank goodness for stop-motion animation and Spanish-y guitar.

Courtesy of Coldplay.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

2011-04-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. Did you ever read the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (or If You Give a Moose a Muffin)? If not, I'm sorry you had such a sheltered childhood, and you should probably make a trip to the local library. My problem is that I am basically the mouse (or moose) in that story. Sometimes I'll be doing something, and find a few minutes later that I've accomplished something else entirely, and have gone through a chain of other things. I tell myself "You're such a mouse-a-cookie." And it's so sadly true.

For example, when I walked in the door a little while ago, I picked up the gas bill that was lying on the kitchen table and walked downstairs, intending to write a check for it immediately so I wouldn't forget to do it later. I realized that my checkbook was sitting by the computer, so I walked over there, decided I needed music to write a check to (I need music to do almost everything. But that's another problem entirely), and sat down at the computer to turn the music on, but realized I hadn't checked my email in a while. The second message was a notice about an end-of-the-year pizza party for my TA job, so I grabbed my backpack to get out my planner to check the date and write it down, but my backpack was very heavy, and it reminded me that I had had to balance it and the groceries I'd bought on my way home from work while I was coming in the door earlier that day. Then I realized the groceries were still sitting on the counter waiting to be put away, so I walked into the kitchen, opened the first bag of groceries wherein lay the receipt, which I proceeded to throw away. As I looked up from the trash can, I saw the extra Brita filters on top of the fridge, and realized that I was about a month overdue in changing out the old filter (don't tell my roommates, they've been bragging to people who come over and drink our water that it's clean and superior to everyone else's), so I rinsed out the filter and set it to soak in preparation for replacement. Finally, I got somewhat back on track and turned back to the groceries. There in the bag was a box of cookies I'd bought as a treat for being such a diligent student lately. My mouth watered and I went to open the box, when I realized what was happening and thought to myself, smiling, "Mouse-a-cookie," especially since I was about to eat a cookie, and knew that I would then want a glass of milk (which is how the story goes, for those uninformed).

In any case, the filter is ready to be replaced, the groceries are put away, two cookies are eaten, I'm writing this blog post, and...oh wait, I'm supposed to be writing a check for the utilities.

Be right back.

Envy

2011-04-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posted on her blog the other day this other blogpost right hurr.

I thought it was really...good, just because I can't think of a better word. Anyway, it was really good to read, so you should check it out. Just sayin'.

UPDATE:

Another good blog post was found on this blog, which I often enjoy reading. Here it be. Or just read this talk, since that's why I liked the post so much. That talk/post, plus hearing this talk in conference yesterday have really kind of made me hope that someday I'll be married to someone terrific. I just hope that the guys (or just A guy, since I only need to marry one at a time) I know feel the same way...

I'm currently in the process of completing a 13-page essay on the relationship between men and food-eating contests. It's ridiculous. I promise I'll get back to "real" blogging (aka well thought-out posts) when things calm down at school (ie when Finals stop breathing down my neck).

Deathly Hallows

2011-03-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new teaser poster for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2?

The comment was made here that the series has matured incredibly since the first film:

I feel like I am one of the lucky ones to be someone who grew up in a way with Harry Potter (as cheesy as that might sound). I feel like I've been about the same age as the characters almost the whole time, and the Harry Potter books make up a huge part of my childhood post-elementary school. Anyway! That's only a part of the reason why I love it so much. Sidetrack.

I also recently became aware (from here) of a deleted scene from DH part 1 that was released pre-DVD (which comes out April 6th-- woohoo!). Take a gander:

Also, just because, here are a couple of neat videos to check out:

Nick Vujicic giving an inspirational speech

Dolphins making bubble rings

Trevor Hall: Or, How I Learned to Stop Criticizing and Love the Hippies

2011-03-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Monday night marked the occasion of my very second concert (not including the strange Christian Rock concert I went to for reasons I still don't understand). I wasn't terribly excited because I knew there was no way it could outshine my very first concert experience. In any case, it didn't start off with a (good) bang.

The time on our tickets said the doors opened at 6pm and the show began at 7pm. Two of my roommates went early, and my other roommate and I arrived at 7pm. Unfortunately, the folks at Velour must have slept in, because the doors didn't open until 8pm. We spent the hour in the shadow of the building, forlornly watching the thermometer at the bank across the street as the temperature slowly dropped from 32 degrees, to 31, to 30...and finally the doors opened. There was then a good 45 minutes of sitting on the hard wooden benches under the vigorously blowing fans before at last the first opening act ascended the stage: Cubworld, a large bearded Hawai'ian man and his accompianists. I'd heard a few of Cubworld's songs a couple of years ago, and they seemed mellow and nice, but this time around, it was quite different, way more rock-y. After Cubworld came Cas Haley, another large bearded man who was very fun and funny as he sang. He gained a lot of respect from me until he sang a song about legalizing marijuana, which was just ridiculous. But I'm still going to brag about how he pushed past me in the crowd afterward at least three times.

Finally, FINALLY, Trevor Hall's band came on stage to set up, and one of my roommates and I weasled our way up through the harangue to the front where the rest of our party was standing excitedly waiting. As we were waiting, listening to the incomprehensible music coming over the speakers and chatting casually, I felt a sharp pain in my back, as though someone had rammed their cranium into my shoulder blade, which is actually what happened, as some random hipster dude in tight pants had passed out onto me. This definitely happens to me a lot-- a girl passed out on my feet during a boring tour of the Denver Public Library on our King Tut trip last semester. Actually, people passing out kind of freaks me out a little, because I feel obligated to use my first aid skills. Not that I don't want to, I just don't want to find out at the wrong time that I'm incompetent.

Anyway, after that episode, fog filled the room, a sitar hummed, and Trevor Hall descended from the ceiling. Just kidding. He walked on stage nonchalantly, feet bare, jeans cuffed, prayer beads and dreadlocks swinging. Most of the songs the band played at first, I hadn't heard (apparently the 18-song CD my roommates made for me in preparation wasn't half of what he has put out), and I was beginning to feel a bit ridiculous, and the French Composition I had yet to write began to nag at the back of my mind. The two boys at my left pushed past me to show a message to the two girls at my right (which read something to the effect of "Let's hook up after the show"), and I felt even more ridiculous. The drummer suddenly was the only one on stage, playing a crazy solo that could've been at any metal show (but what do I know). But then, the noise stopped and the drummer disappeared, Trevor Hall walked back up on stage, the crowd obnoxiously began yelling requests, Trevor Hall felt embarrassed and criticized and shyly began to play his solo song, and I had a revelation.

He played a song called "Te Amo," and it was beautiful. I can't get it out of my mind, and as we all stood silently taking in the simple melody and poetic lyrics, I surprisingly felt like crying. The whole night, the crowd had been loud and crazy, and suddenly we all felt the same quiet peace. At risk of getting far too overly cheesey, I'll leave it at that, but really, there was something there.

Trevor Hall playing "Te Amo" (that's actually a lie, but it's the best picture of T-Hall by himself)

Listen (ignore the chit-chat and just focus on the song):

After "Te Amo," the band came back and they all played a number of other songs, one of which was "Om Shakti Om" (yeah). During the chorus, we all clapped in time and sang "Om Shakti Om" (those exact words) together, and my French essay faded away, and the criticism I knew would come when I recounted these events to certain people subsided (but now that I'm thinking about it again, I fully expect the criticism to come!), and we jumped and clapped and chanted/sang together and it was wonderful.

There were a few more songs, including a two-song encore, a slightly random poetry recitation (of the song "My Baba"), and then came the last song, the only one played that night (besides some Bob Marley remixes from Cas Haley & Trevor Hall) that I knew all the words to-- "Lime Tree," one of my favorite songs that appeared on the CD from my roommates.

The band playing some song

When the concert finally ended, and the crowd rushed to greet Mr. Hall, my roommate and I pressed our way through the throng and finally escaped into the cold air, away from the smells of patchouli and energy drink. We ran quickly to our car, still on a high, ears ringing in the way they do after over-exposure, much like how everything appears green when you come inside from a bright day. As soon as we were home we went directly to bed, and I let the memories of the sounds sink in, smiling a little as I realized it was okay that hippies were silly, because sometimes it's nice just to let go.
-----
Check out these good songs by Trevor Hall if you're interested:
Te Amo (see above)
Lime Tree
Other Ways
To Zion
31 Flavors
Unity
...and a few others. If you're interested, let me know and I'll send you some more.

P.S. If you get the movie reference from the title, kudos to you!

Flowers!

2011-03-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I noticed that there were flowers growing on the side of the house! This is totally normal, we have tons of flowering plants around the yard, but it's only the beginning of March! These are the first flowers I've seen growing in a long, long time. I'm totally stoked to see these purples beauties, and I hope the rest of the yard (and state!) quickly follows.

There's even a BEE! Hooray for pollination!

The End is (not) Nigh

2011-03-10T14:38:00.001-08:00

I meant to write this on Tuesday, so I'm going to pretend like it still is, because it's more relevant that way.

Today is Tuesday, March 8, 2011! According to the Maya calendar (as I was informed today by my Mayan Archaeology professor), the date is:

12.19.18.3.6, 13 Cimi, 19 Kayab

Those numbers refer to the different position on the Maya calendar that today is. Bear with me, this may get complicated. There are two calenders that the Maya used-- a 260-day one and a 360-day one. The two calenders combined created a calender that you rotated through in which there were periods of days with one name (pretty much like our months), and a certain number of days that made up units that were numbered (like March 11, for example). With the two calenders combined you get two names for each day. The system kind of looks like a series of gears rotating and lining up periodically.

You cycle through these and no day will be repeated until the end of a cycle. A cycle typically lasts about 52 years (although there is a longer cycle that I don't really get...), and then the calender realigns at "1." These 52-year cycles are rather like our centuries, and the Maya celebrated them like we do. Part of the celebration was carried out in fear, however, because the Maya believed, like many of us do, that one day the world would end. The end of the world would occur, they believed, at the end of one of these cycles, though the Maya didn't know which one it would be.

Now, Maya recorded their dates by the number of days since the beginning of the last cycle. That's another reason the number that is today's date is so long-- it takes a lot longer to say what day it is if you're counting DAYS from 0 AD up to March 11, 2011. This system is called the Long Count. Long Count dates were used primarily during the Maya Classic period (and before, but not as extensively). However, in the Postclassic Period, the Maya got lazy and started using what we call the Short Count. Instead of starting at the very beginning, they started at the beginning of a 7,200-day cycle, called a Katun (read like "cartoon" without the R...and I swear every time my prof says "katun," I think of Daffy Duck, really). When the Spanish arrived in the Yucatan in the 16th century, the Maya were still using the Short Count.

Since the Maya switched the way they recorded dates, we have a hard time lining up their calendar with the Gregorian one that we use. Also, there is apparently some disagreement over whether one part of the Long Count calendar ends after 13 units or 19 units.

Now, as you all know, people are freaking out about December 21, 2012. I'm pretty sure you've been told that "the Maya predicted the end of the world," or "the Maya calendar ends, at that means the end of the world," or some other such nonsense. Here's the deal:

-IF the cycle is only 13 units instead of 19, then the date on Dec 21, 2012 will be the date that marks the end of that particular CYCLE.

-IF the cycle is 19 units, we have a good 4,000 years to go before the end of the cycle.

Aside from the fact that Maya scholars (who know WAY more about reading the Maya calendar than you and I, I promise) cannot figure out for sure whether the end of the cycle is next year or four millenia from now, and aside from the fact that I'm pretty sure YOU are not Maya, or even subscribe to the Maya religious beliefs, and aside from the fact that Y2K came and went without a hitch, I really think that you (meaning the world, not you in particular) really need to calm down.

Although maybe it would be better if the world ended before I had to translate this huge load of number and date glyphs...

That's all. Phew!

P.S. I just read through this and it's sort of confusing/possibly contradictory. Sorry, it's because I'm still trying to understand it myself. But you get the point.

An Explanation

2011-03-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite people in the world is Adam Savage from Myth Busters.

This is why:

Sorry for all the video posts lately. But this is worth it.

Très Excitant!

2011-03-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty excited for some things coming up (relatively) soon. Time to share:

1. Trevor Hall at Velour. Yeah, he's kind of a hippy, but I don't care. His music is sort of Jack Johnson-y, but his voice is a mix between Bon Iver and Matisyahu, which is sort of awesome. I can't stop listening to his music since my roommate introduced me to it a few weeks ago. And the show is in Provo, and only costs $8, so I'll be there.

2. Going home! As soon as I finish my last final on April 20th, I'm OUT of town and driving home for four or five days to see my beautiful home in Fallbrook, CA for what may be the last time. I hope not, but such is life.

3. Field School I know last year sometime I said I was really nervous about Field School or something, but since the start of the semester when I started taking the Field School Prep class, I've been totally stoked for the 6 weeks of hard labor that I pay to do. This week in class we practiced survey-mapping by going out and mapping/measuring the sidewalks, trees, planters, etc and drawing the stares of passers-by. Whatever, they were just jealous of my giant meter tape. Starting April 26th, I'll be here:

4. SUMMER. Need I say more? I'm so sick of this weather. And the lack of greenery. And the limitation on activities. Etc.

5. Visiting D.C. This summer Adrien has an internship at the Smithsonian, and she wants me to come see her for a couple of days. I'm totally down for that! Especially since there's talk of maybe going up to New York for a day to see a Broadway show that may or may not feature Daniel Radcliffe...woohoo! Of course, this is all dependent on me making enough bones to pay for the trip, but I'm confident.

6. Graduation? I put a question mark after this because I'm banking on quite a lot in order to be able to graduate this December. But hey, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

By the way, if anyone knows of any dive shops in Utah/Salt Lake counties that certify through SSI (not PADI), let me know. I really want to do Dive Instructor Training so I can teach and hopefully have options for jobs after I graduate. Eep! I'm so excited :)

Kittens in Bowls

2011-03-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Kittens + bowls + Beatles soundtrack sung by Japanese child + wacky sound effects + a gameshow(??) = the randomest thing I've seen in a long time.

Posted on JapanProbe.com
Uploaded by probeeden. - More video blogs and vloggers.

Via Cute Overload.

I want In N Out.

Plastic Beach

2011-02-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

The Gorillaz had a new album come out this year I think. In any case, it's new.

There are a couple of songs on the Plastic Beach album that I'm sort of obsessed with.

Rhinestone Eyes (this video is awesome, it's the one they play when they "perform" the song):

Empire Ants:

Cool

2011-02-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to throw this out there. I know you already hear enough about Keane from me as it is :)

A bit ago, Tom Chaplin performed the song "It's a Hard Life" with Queen. I think it's great when people collaborate. But that's not what I like about this (because, to me, the song is just o.k.). It was Tom's dream (one of them, I'm sure) to sing this song on stage with Queen, and he finally got to! I think it's great when people work to the point where they can fulfill even their craziest dreams. You can probably get away with just watching the first two minutes.

Side note: apparently a lot of people commented on this about how loud his voice was. When Tom Chaplin originally joined Keane, his friend/the drummer Richard Hughes objected, later saying "The idea of giving someone who's already the loudest person you know a microphone was not something that I was particularly keen on." I think that's funny.

At BYU

2011-01-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

BYU: The World is Our Campus-- or The Campus is Our World?

So I actually wrote this about a year ago, but I was hesitant in posting it because I wanted to wait until I had all my bases covered, and I thought about getting photos for each of the categories, but for some (read: all) of them it would be hard to get pictures without creeping around stalker-like to get photographs of these people.

When I transferred to BYU last winter, I noticed there were several stereotypes of people on campus, so I put them into these categories I created. I realize they're not perfect, but read and enjoy-- and if you're offended, it's probably because you are one of these people.

The White Rabbit

He's late! He's late! This is the guy who looks like his world may actually end if he doesn't run as fast as he can to wherever he's going.

The Good Parent

Easily spotted as he or she is always found with a baby-- look for a stroller or carseat/carrier. Unfortunate if you have one as a classmate. You may find a toddler under your desk, or hear crying/nursing/giggling throughout the lecture.

The Clown Studies Major

He thinks that a unicycle is the most practical mode of transportation. In the winter when it's too icy, you can find him juggling with his fellow clowns in the Wilk atrium.

The Premie

Frequently seen toting his scriptures, this guy most likely hasn't been on a mission yet (or has returned within the month). White basketball shoes, too-short Target jeans, solid polo or button-up plaid shirt. Common on campus.

The Grinner

For some reason there is always a smile on this guy's face. And it's not a good thing-- he's far too happy and he stares off somewhere to the side.

The Serious Student

Watch out, because this guy sure isn't. His nose is buried in his homework, a study guide, a textbook as he walks. He WILL run into you if possible.

The Skier

Wears a big, puffy jacket too impractical for school, really. All fifteen lift tags are still attached to the zipper.

The American Idol Winner

If you didn't know the lyrics to Kansas' "Carry on Wayward Son," you do now. With earbuds firmly in place, this guy can be found singing his heart out (or dancing) to whatever he hears as he walks along.

The RM

Has been on a mission-- and PROUD OF IT! Often found wearing the jersey of the favorite futbol/hockey/etc team of the area they served in and/or chatting in Mandarin/Portuguese/Czech to other RMs or international students.

The Die-Hard Fan

If the bookstore sells it in the school spirit section, he owns it. "Y" pants, sweatshirt, beanie, backpack, etc. Probably camps out in preparation for Home Games. If you still can't pick him out-- cut him, he bleeds blue.

The Future CEO

Seats him (or her) self down comfortable at a table in the Cougareat with his laptop and his copy of the Wall Street Journal. Always wears a suit.

The Surveyor (applicable to Cougareat)

Stands silently in the middle of all the crowded tables during the lunch rush with his tray full of food, turning slowly and looking for an empty table-- not likely to appear at this time of day. Eventually he turns from Surveyor to Hoverer-- hovering next to a table set for six where the current occupants are putting on coats and gathering trash.

The Speedster

You only see him for a split second as he nearly runs you down on his bike at fifty miles an hour in the middle of a heavily-pedestrianed area.

The Doting Couple

Feel the need to hold hands while they eat, lock lips while standing in line, etc, as though their partner will float away if constant contact is not maintained. Will probably be engaged within six weeks if they aren't already.

The Invalid

They broke their foot/ankle/leg and now they have no choice but to happily roll themselves along on one of those nifty scooter things that are so trendy they're probably faking the injury.

The Entrepreneur

Stops you as you walk to/from class to ask how much you might pay for a bag of nuts. He may alternately try to sign you up for a subscription to the New York Times-- a terrific investment!

The Gold Potato (the first sighted GP was carrying a gold-foiled baked potato)

"Heeeeeeey!!! I haven't seen you in forever!!!" Runs and hugs people. Leans interestedly on the ice cream counter. Wears colorful/distasteful/strange shoes or other items of clothing, especially "interesting" backpacks. Probably knows half the people at BYU. Most people at BYU are, or are capable of being at times, GPs.

Always On My Mind

2011-01-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend of mine mentioned that "Always on My Mind" was originally sung by Elvis, which surprised me a little only because I'd only ever heard it by the Pet Shop Boys. But I'm glad to be educated. Apparently Willie Nelson also did a version. I like to compare versions.

The Elvis version:

The Willie Nelson version:

The Pet Shop Boys version:

And just for kicks, Tom Chaplin's (from Keane) impression of the Pet Shop Boys' version (fast forward to 6:03, but start at 5:15 to get the context...or maybe watch the whole thing for even more context)

All in all, I think I like the Pet Shop Boys version best, but Elvis' has a quality that I love and that isn't really captured in the PSB version. Willie Nelson, meh. And Tom Chaplin is just silly.

Another Day

2011-01-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Last week actually went by pretty quickly, but when I think that we still have 4 months of winter to go, this is how I feel about it:

Cheating

2010-12-26T14:25:00.001-08:00

Lately, with the half-melted snow lingering in the mountains and movies like True Grit and Ondine on my list of recently-watched, I've been dreaming about getting out of the "city" and into quieter places. I drove out to the lake a couple of days ago and spent a while feeding, petting, and nuzzling the horses down there, and it was quiet and cold and wonderful. It goes along with the post I made over on blog #3 today. In fact, I think I'll repost it here, just 'cos. And because I don't have the wherewithal to write a new post for you. Sorry!

About a month ago I purchased these boots from Walmart for about $20:

I love them. I wear them all the time (literally). The only thing wrong with them is that I had to buy them a size down because they were all out of 7s. Since rubber boots usually run a little big (because they don’t stretch), I thought it’d be okay, but they’ve been pretty tight at times lately, making my poor toes uncomfortable :(

In any case, the reason I bought them is not because they’re practical, nope, that had almost nothing to do with it. My excuse was that I could wear them with my Harry Potter premiere outfit in November (surprise! I love Harry Potter), but that’s not the real reason. For me, these boots embody a world of dream and childlike attitude. That sounds totally ridiculous, but it’s true.

One of my favorite memories from my childhood is of walking alone through the rain and mud on our then-unpaved road to meet my sisters at their piano lessons in my yellow plastic raincoat and black galoshes. I think I was about five years old. I remember stomping in the mud puddles and thoroughly enjoying the rain, since we hardly got any in Southern California.

I also always had a dream of being a veterinarian when I grew up. When I was in junior high, I first read the books by James Herriot.

James in his Wellington boots...and with a lamb

I loved reading about how he would pull on his Wellies and go to work with the animals. I love James Herriot, I even made it a point to make sure we went to Thirsk (aka Darrowby) on our trip to England this year.

Later, in High School, I was in Ag, or FFA, or whatever you want to call it. Though my animal projects never worked out (just fyi, rabbits need air conditioning or they will die– not my fault though), I had friends who raised steer, goats, and pigs, and they all had rubber boots. I spent plenty of time in the barn and stables–but without the boots– though the whole time I was in there cleaning and caring for the animals I sure wished I had a pair.

In any case, galoshes mean more to me than just keeping my feet dry, they contain all the memories I love and dreams I haven’t fulfilled. Call me crazy, but there it is. So now I’m wondering, is there anything you’ve purchased for reasons you might’ve been a little embarrassed by (like me…don’t tell!) or for reasons with “deeper meaning” if you will? I hope I’m making sense… Anyway, share in the comments!

MacFarlane

2010-12-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

This morning for some reason I decided to look up my family's tartan/plaid/whatever they call it. I'm only a little bit Scottish, on my mom's dad's side, but it's in there. Anyway, so the Scottish last name I come from is "Sproul" (spelling?), which came from "Spruel," which is a subset or whatever of the MacFarlane Clan. So I looked up the MacFarlanes, and this is what I learned about them:

"The progenitor of the Macfarlanes is generally considered to be Alwyn, one of the Celtic Earls of Lennox. The fortunes of the family became established when his son, Gilchrist, was awarded with the lands at Arrochar towards the end of the 12th century. Gilchrist's grandson, Malduin, is remembered for aiding Robert the Bruce when his power was failing and his enemies were strong. The Macfarlanes remained loyal to Robert the Bruce and fought for him at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. When the last Celtic Earl of Lennox, Duncan, was executed by James I, the succession was left open. Although the Macfarlanes could have claimed the earldom they were prevented from doing so and the earldom was passed to John Stewart, Lord Darnley. This move was not taken kindly to by the Macfarlanes and they chose to oppose the Stewarts. This was, however, not the most strategic of moves as the Macfarlanes quickly realised the force of the Stewarts was too great for them. To rectify the rift between them the 10th chief married the daughter of Lord Darnley to create a new friendship. The Macfarlanes were amongst those who dealt with the loses at Flodden as well as the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 where the 13th chief and his son died. Upon the death of Mary, Queen of Scots' husband, Lord Darnley, the Macfarlanes immediately chose to fight against Mary and were noted for their valour at the Battle of Langside where she finally surrendered. The Macfarlanes stood with the Stewarts until the reign of James VII when they switched their loyalty to Queen Mary and William of Orange. They chose not to come out for the Jacobite risings. In 1767 the direct line failed and the lands were sold to pay debts; consequently the Macfarlanes are not on the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs."

The tartan was a little harder to find, but here it is (there are a few of them, but this one is my favorite):

There's also apparently a clan tattoo, but I feel like it's more of a modern thing, and anyway, it's more of a crest anyway (the one on the right is the "tattoo"):

Anyway, if you're related to me, that might've been interesting to you. If you're not, and you're Scottish too, tell me what your clan is. If you're not Scottish...that's okay too.

Crazy

2010-12-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

School is making me crazy right now, which is why I haven't posted in a while. There's so much to do and so little time, and it's only looking at things like these two that keep me sane throughout it all:

Now it seems like only laugh at animals' expense. Maybe that's true...

Mozzareller

2010-11-20T11:18:00.000-08:00

I am obsessed with this:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

In similar news, the Harry Potter premiere was a-mazing. Adrien and I were in line for 8 hours, and the rest of the group trickled in later. We dressed as wizards trying to be discreet and dressing as muggles, and only one person got it! But it was great fun, and the movie was wonderful. Also, we played catch phrase to pass the time, and it must have known where we were...

Drawing the Line

2010-11-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've talked before a couple of times about censorship in art, and what could be considered art (I'm too lazy to go and find the links for those posts, but they're around somewhere). Today I was looking at the blog of one of my favorite photographers, Jonathan Canlas, and he posted a series of photographs (which you can find here) that he took of a family in the hospital for the birth of their child. Jonathan has posted several shoots of hospital births, etc, but I noticed this one was different, and when I got to the text at the bottom of the post I realized why. The baby was born with a number of severe complications, and is not expected to live much longer. Jonathan wrote that the mother called him in to take some photographs when they realized their baby was ailing, and he did come, and took some beautiful photos. None of them really show the baby, more the people present, and from angles that communicate emotion of the various subjects. But what was shocking to me was first of all that the pictures were so sad, and that a professional photographer had been called in to record the moment.

I know that art is a very delicate subject at times, but I wonder where on the line between "personal" and "public art" this situation falls. I know that photographs (and art in general) is often created to provoke uncomfortable emotion, and that we may not always be comfortable with it. For example, a friend of mine is opening a display of her photography in the HFAC on campus in a couple of weeks, and the topic of her collection is the unrealistic image of women that has been created by our culture, and how it affects women in real life. She told me about an image of a girl draped over a toilet wearing almost nothing, her bones jutting out from her skin; and how she's certain this image will be censored the moment she hangs it in the gallery. People are simply not comfortable viewing things that provoke unhappy feelings in themselves. And yet, they miss the point. If we push these things away, we lose sight of what life is really like.

Maybe that was the point of Jonathan Canlas' posting of the photos I think perhaps should have been kept private. At the end of the post he said "Now all of you, close this browser and go spend some time with your family/loved ones. Life is so delicate." These images-- or other works of art in various forms, such as the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen-- are meant to cause emotions in us that stimulate a change in our lives, or help us to see the reality of life. They hold a power that other things do not.

What do you guys think?

Magdalen

2010-10-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I was looking at careers in art crime, and I was checking out this website to look at their brief art crime masters program (in Italy!), and I saw this statue:

It's totally freaky. And sculpted in the 15th century. I'm intrigued.

Cut You Down

2010-10-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

I know I've rather neglected the blog lately when it comes to "real" posts, but I promise I have a couple up my sleeve and coming soon.

This song has been haunting me since I first heard it in the Jeep commercial, and I every time I heard it it made me want to buy a Jeep, which is not a terrible prospect. But after hearing it used in the preview for True Grit, it just makes me want to ride horses in the winter desert of northeast Arizona.

Anyway, it being Johnny Cash just makes it a hundred times better:

Good Books for Halloween

2010-10-14T18:53:00.001-07:00

I thought it was only fair that I also list my favorite scary books or stories for the Halloween season, so here they are (only five, I promise):

The Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs. Probably my favorite of the Johnny Dixon books by John Bellairs, though I really love pretty much all of them. Admittedly I haven't read them since I was younger, but they're still awesome. I want to be Johnny Dixon.

The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt by John Bellairs. I remember reading this late at night and being afraid to stick out my arm to turn off the light when I was done because I was so freaked out. So good.

The Doubtful Guest by Edward Gorey. Not only did Edward Gorey illustrate (like he did the John Bellairs books), but he also wrote some stuff. When I read this in fifth grade, it frightened me to tears. It's not really that scary, but it's eerie, and makes you think.

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie. One of the creepier mystery novels I've ever read, with lines that give me chills just thinking about them, like "Cover her face, mine eyes dazzle, she is dead," and something about monkey hands. My mom says she read it as a teenager when she was babysitting alone and was totally freaked out. I agree, it's pretty suspenseful at times. And of course, there's an old house involved.

Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart. I love Mary Stewart, she's an amazing mystery writer. This is probably one of her creepier ones. It's set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where a murderer is loose and secrets abound.

I'm also inclined to mention The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, but I think the movie is a little scarier. I've also heard that Dracula by Bram Stoker is one of the scariest books ever written, but I've never read it, so I can't recommend it. Also, The Yellow Wallpaper is a creepy short story, but mostly it's weird, so that's sort of a half-recommendation. In addition to those, I feel like I should mention Sherlock Holmes, but those stories aren't particularly scary, just mysterious and captivating. But if I were to pick a couple that were close to scary, I'd say "The Speckled Band," "The Hound of the Baskervilles," and maybe "The Five Orange Pips." And I forgot about Edgar Allen Poe. I'd say of his, probably "The Tell-tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are good ones.

What are your favorite scary/suspenseful books or stories good for getting freaked out?

Good Movies for Halloween

2010-10-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

So obviously Halloween is approaching, and I've decided to give you my pick for the top 5 Halloween-y movies that I think you should watch this Halloween. (PS these are all PG-13 or under, so you know they don't have dumb gore)

In chronological order:

Hocus Pocus, 1993. You've all seen it. It's the perfect Halloween movie, and you know it. It's also the only one on my list that actually takes place on Halloween. That is all.

Practical Magic, 1998. Starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, who are sisters who also happen to be witches, and who run into a bit of trouble when one of the sisters returns home after being gone for a while. It's partly funny and partly scary, and definitely worth watching.

The Sixth Sense, 1999. Pretty sure you've seen this one too, since it's probably in the top ten most famous scary movies ever. Also it's by M Knight Shyamalan-- who's pretty amazing--before he decided he didn't want to make good movies anymore. I love the story line for this film.

What Lies Beneath, 2000. Starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeifer, who play a married couple living in a house they discover is a little bit haunted. This is probably the scariest movie I've ever seen, and one of the few that continues to scare me no matter how many times I've seen it. I read somewhere that "this movie will do for bathtubs what Psycho did for showers"-- totally true. The music is also really cool.

The Others, 2001. Nicole Kidman lives in a huge house on a foggy island with her two kids. They live shrouded in darkness due to the children's extreme sensitivity to light (a real disease, by the way), and things start to get weird after they take on a set of new servants. Watch it and be sufficiently creeped out, I promise.

Five Honorable Mentions:

White Noise, 2005: Pretty good, but had an ending that left me confused.

The Village, 2004: Really very good, but maybe not "scary" enough to make the list. Or maybe it is. Consider this one #6 on the list.

Signs, 2002: Freaked me out when I saw it in theatres, and it still gives me chills. Awesome story, score, acting-- I just love it. Maybe this should be #7...

The Ring, 2002: A little too scary. Also, seven days after I first saw this movie a little tv I had at the time turned on by itself while I was folding laundry and it seriously freaked me out.

The Skeleton Key, 2005: Also pretty good, although the ending was kind of dumb. And they compared it to Sixth Sense. Bah.

So there's my list. I just realized that three of them (Practical Magic, What Lies Beneath, The Others) have houses that I sort of love, and that all of them (in a way) are from the 90s. I guess that was a good decade. Also, I'm sorry this list of 5 turned into a list of 10. What are your recommendations?

UPDATE: I totally forgot about all the movies pre-1990, so here's a short list of those too! (Wow, this is getting really long, sorry)

Poltergeist, 1982. Such a good scary movie, and definitely a classic. It gets a little weird/tacky at parts, but hey it was the 80s.

The Haunting, 1963. Make sure you actually do get the 1963 version, and not the weird, more modern one. It's a really creepy movie about (you guessed it), a haunted house. There are many lines and scenes from this movie that have stuck with me through my childhood. Eerie.

Midnight Lace, 1960. A classic and really creepy suspense movie, and one of my favorites.

The Uninvited, 1944. One of my favorite ghost movies ever. We used to watch it every Halloween when I was a kid.

The Innocents, 1961. Based on Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw." This movie really creeps me out. About ghosts...or is it?

Now the end.

Mt Desolation

2010-10-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

First of all, I realize this is going to be the third post with a video in a row. I'm sorry. Secondly, I feel like the "mood" of this post and the last one will make me seem a little emo, or maybe a hipster. I'm not. Onward!

So you all remember Keane, I hope. Don't worry, this post is not about them (again). But it is sort of, because the keyboardist/pianist/lyricist Tim Rice-Oxley has teamed up with Jesse Quinn, the bassist for the Perfect Symmetry tour, and a few other people (from mostly bands I've never heard of, except the Killers and Noah and the Whale) to create a music project called Mt Desolation. I'm kind of excited, because Tim is trusting himself to sing more, and his voice really isn't bad. And I'm glad to see and hear more of Jesse, because he was sort of closeted when he was helping Keane-- you know, he was just that guy on stage who played bass and nobody knew where he came from.

Tim playing guitar on the porch in the Scottish Highlands during a Mt Desolation tour

Anyway, you can read a little about the band and about their style-- which is supposed to be like alternative folk or something random like that-- on their website. Their album doesn't come out until October 18th, but I've heard a few of their songs, and they're pretty good.

Here's my favorite (someone commented on Youtube that Jesse looks like he's making out with the microphone, and I have to agree):

How To Be Alone

2010-10-07T18:48:00.001-07:00

Good advice.

Fleetwood Mac

2010-10-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Lindsey Buckingham's 61st birthday. He's the guitarist and occasional vocalist for the band Fleetwood Mac, if you didn't know. It was the discovery my senior year of high school (and watching and re-watching) of an old VHS of my mom's with recorded music videos from the 80s that led me to develop a love and appreciation for "old" music. A number of the videos were of Fleetwood Mac songs, and I became intrigued by Stevie Nicks' interesting voice, and Lindsey Buckingham's amazing guitar playing. In fact, it was the guitar solo at the end of "Gypsy" that first captured me. It also may have helped that I thought Lindsey Buckingham was pretty cute (although not during the time he had all that hair).

Anyway, I'm not going to say anything else, so just enjoy these songs and videos instead.

This is Lindsey Buckingham talking about one of the songs on his new(ish?) album, I think from last year maybe. He mentions John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (where the name of the band came from...Mick Fleetwood and John McVie) too, who I guess collaborated on the project with him.

>>SOOOO LAME they won't let me embed this video. But watch it anyway! Clickenzy-here haw.

This is some awesome behind-the-scenes footage of the music video for "Tusk" that they did with the USC marching band (which is a fun video-- and song-- but I couldn't find a good version of it, so this footage will have to do, and anyway it's pretty fun too. It makes me feel nerdy.) Notice the cardboard cutout replacing John McVie, who was in Tahiti while they were filming. And the short man-shorts! I love it.

A cool song I actually never heard before today that showcases pretty well the guitar-playing of Lindsey Buckingham. But if you've never heard "Never Going Back Again" or "Big Love" you need to hunt them down. Seriously. (This from Stevie & Lindsey's first album, right before they joined Fleetwood Mac.)

And last but not least, one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, just in case someone reading this isn't that familiar with the band (but now you are!).

Now What?

2010-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm conflicted. I just heard that the Star Wars movies will be released in 3D, one per year, starting in 2012. I've always wanted to see the original 3 films in theatres, and now I have the chance!

(Read Here)

...Except that I just threw a fit about how much I hate 3D. But this is one of my favorite film series like...ever (eps 4-6 anyway).

What do I do???

A Question

2010-09-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

I asked a question on my other blog, and I thought I'd ask it here too, in case there are people who read this blog but not the other one. In short, would anyone be interested in going to the Gluten Free Expo next weekend?

Also, my friend Lindsay posted this on her blog, and I thought it was worth posting myself. I love the song, even if the safari animals are a tad incongruous.

How Avatar Ruined My Life

2010-09-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I hate Avatar. And by saying that, I just lost 1,000,000 fans, I'm sure (or maybe more like 1). This is why:

It's an improvement.

1. I had to write 2 (TWO!) essays on the movie for one of my archaeology classes. One was about their kinship groups (how are we supposed to really determine that from a two-hour movie?) and the other was about their trash and their...other...waste, and what we can learn from it. Yeah. We also spent two class periods talking about how the Na'vi or whatever should have died out long ago based on their methods of food-getting in comparison to their religious beliefs. And it's true, they should have. I wish they had, then there wouldn't be the movie, and then I wouldn't have had to write essays about them. Wait, what? It's not real????????!!!?

2. James Cameron cheated, and does not deserve the prize for Movie That Made The Most Money Ever (yes, there is a prize for that). Not only did he release it in IMAX, which charges twice the normal rate, and not only is he re-releasing it (is anyone really going to see it a second time? wait....), but he also employed the use of one of my least favorite things on this good earth: 3D.

3. Why do I hate 3D so much? I once spent nearly two hours explaining it to a roommate before she finally understood where I was coming from. I'm not going to spend that kind of time on here because I'm not. In a nutshell:

-It looks fake to me. I can't get in to the movie, because the magic is lost.

-I hate wearing those big chunky glasses. They hurt. And...

-They are distracting. I can't focus on the film, and since the magic has been lost anyway, I can't concentrate. So I start fidgeting and looking around next to and behind me, and I see...

-Everyone looks like a bunch of blank robots. Mostly because of the glasses. They hide peoples' faces, so they look emotionless, and that, to me, is sad.

-A lot of the 3D effects are really just cheap tricks. You know, swooping through canyons, having the arrow/spear/whatever come OUT OF THE SCREEN OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW REEEEEAL IT LOOKS!!!

Honestly, I regard movies as works of art (I'm not being pretentious, at least not on purpose), and in my opinion, a good cinematographer will make the film feel real without having to rely on cheap tricks and overpriced technology. Also, the success that Avatar had financially/with 3D/with the masses means that there will never be a highly anticipated film that does not come out in 3D. I don't mind seeing it in IMAX, but I do not want it to be in 3D. That's actually what sparked this post. Harry Potter comes out in a couple of months, and I would absolutely love to see it in IMAX, but I can't without seeing it in 3D, because the two go hand in hand now. And because my darling sisters don't mind 3D, I'm going to lose something in the event (either their company as I watch it in 2D on a humble regular screen, or the reality and magic by seeing it with them in 3D). It's just not fair. Boo.

4. Avatar has become a cult. Seriously. Just think about it, I'm not going to explain it. One example is the people who wanted to kill themselves because Pandora wasn't real. Or because the world wasn't in 3D (???!??!?). Second example: they renamed the mountains in China that look sort of like the floating mountains in the movie to match those mountains, even though they were fashioned after the Chinese mountains to begin with!!!! Does that sentence make grammatical sense? Meh.

5. It's a ripoff of Pocahontas. Or Fern Gully. Or whatever. And Pocahontas is a million times cooler than Avatar. I quote Pocahontas all the time (sort of...), but does anyone ever quote Avatar? That's right.

6. Don't even get me started on the whole "But it makes me want to love the eeeeeearth...." thing. You should've been loving it anyway.

Don't shoot me.

Videos from Le Weekend

2010-09-20T07:13:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went to the Hogle Zoo with my sister's Biological Anthropology class for their primate observation. Afterwards we looked at the big cats, because we love cats.

I also went to my other sister's house, and we hung out for a while. While I was there, my niece was singing to me, and it was cute.

Also, we had cake. It was very good cake. Is it weird that I promote myself?

Sticky Note

2010-09-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

How do you like the new theme/layout/whatever? I like it, it's not as dark, and it's less simple or whatever.

Anyway, today I was in a building on campus and I stepped into the bathroom for a minute. While I was washing my hands, I looked up and on the mirror was a sticky note giving me a positive message. I'd read about something like this before, and I think it's kind of a cool idea.

There's a movement/organization/something called Operation Beautiful that puts positive messages like these in random places (public mirrors, stop signs, etc) in order to lift the self-esteem and body image of random people. The website has some good stuff to look at also, so you should check it out, or join the movement, or pass the message on, or whatever.

On a similar note, Glamour Magazine's latest issue had an article that talked about having a positive body image, and cited several stories of people's success stories, from men and women's points of view, about being heavy or overly thin. I found it very uplifting.

Happy Monday!

Asleep My Love?

2010-09-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry the blog has been dormant lately (although a couple of weeks is not nearly as bad as on the other blog). I won't have internet at home until probably Saturday, so this post will not include pictures from my trip home. Next time!

This week the new semester began, and although it has been sort of a crazy week, there are things I'm really looking forward to in the next few months.

I'm getting a new project at work (FINALLY), and it will technically be Collections (as opposed to Archives, which I've been working, and have never really wanted to work...), so my duties as a "Collections Aide" will finally be real. Or the closest thing to real it's going to get without having any actual collections to process...but that's another story. Also, a couple of days a week I will be supervising an intern (hooray for being the only employee with a regular work schedule), which I think will be a good opportunity to practice...supervising...haha. Anyway, I'm sort of excited for it.

Also, there's TONS of work to do in all my classes, which is fine, but for my Museum Culture class the professor is encouraging us to write exhibit reviews for the Museum Anthropology Review. I'm not going to lie, I have visions of me getting published in a peer-review periodical this semester. But if it doesn't happen, oh well, I'm still going to try!

On Sunday I got a new calling at church. I'll be the secretary for the Relief Society for the next little bit. I know the secretary's job is rather easy and perhaps even menial compared to the rest of the presidency, but I'm still excited to do it. I've watched all the past presidencies I've been through in my SA wards, and I've really learned to admire the way they know and love every one of the women at church. Seriously, I'm excited to take attendance, because it means I will know everyone's name and face. And I'm excited to support the other girls in the presidency with me, because they're great, and it's going to be awesome being around them all the time.

Hooray!

End of the Year

2010-08-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

First things first: I just typed in the url for this blog but forgot the "blogspot" part, and found this. Funny. Maybe I'll buy some Jig Shoes.

That's a picture for you. It's very nice. I didn't take it, obv.

Anyway, down to business. For some reason I like to count the end of the year as the end of August. It's warmer that way, and the new year then also begins with a more realistic new beginning (Fall Semester). So I was reflecting back on what I've done in the past year, and I came up with a list.

In the Past Year, I have:

-moved 3 times (into one house, back to the old house, down to the basment)

-gone camping 3 times (twice in tents, once without)

-taken 2 roadtrips (to Boise and Fallbrook)

-cut my hair 1 time

-gone on 6 hikes (that's all?)

-done 9 scuba dives (that doesn't seem like that many...)

-made several new friends, reconnected with a few old ones, and lost only one

-got pulled over 2 times, ticketed 1 time, towed for parking 1 time, and got 1 flat tire

-broke up with a boy 1 time, then "ended it" ambiguously like 4 other times with the same guy (lesson learned this time I think)

-dealt with 5 transient animals (2 cats, 2 fish, 1 fawn)

-spent countless hours nannying and babysitting

-spent 10 days total in California (6 more coming soon!)

-been on a plane 5 times (SanDiego>SLC, SLC>Detroit, Det>London, London>Det, Det>SLC...and one more tomorrow SLC>LongBeach)

-been to 2 foreign countries (England & France)

-applied for approx. 50 jobs, had 4 interviews, and got 1 job

It seems like a productive year to me! Here's to another :)

Just Watch It

2010-08-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Music: "Departure" by Michael Nayman, from Gattaca

And if you get into timelapse like me, check out this and this.

Zion

2010-07-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

I got back a few hours ago from the annual 3-day trip to Zion National Park with my ward.

We hiked the nine-mile Observation Point trail (round-trip):

And swam in a water hole:

I had an amazing time. I love being with these people, they are so much fun.

But it's good to be home :)

Reasons Why

2010-07-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

So I guess I can be sort of passive-aggressive sometimes. Or maybe drawing a cartoon about how I'm mad at someone makes me feel better than actually telling the person that I'm mad.

Anyway, my roommates saw this left on the kitchen table yesterday and thought it was funny and that it should be on the internet, so here you go:

I hope the person this is directed at never sees this. And they probably never will, knowing their habits.

REASONS WHY YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND.

Piano

2010-07-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to get back into playing the piano. I took lessons for ten years, but when I moved away from home I stopped playing, since the old baby grand in our living room at home was really the only piano I felt comfortable playing on. Today I printed off sheet music for two songs I really like.

One is Chopin's Nocturne in C sharp minor, as featured in The Pianist, and the other is Satie's Gnossienne #1, as featured in The Painted Veil. You can listen to them here and here if you're interested.

Now I just need to find a piano to play them on...

Crush

2010-06-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

If there's something I've noticed blogging over the years is that there are two types of posts that no one ever comments on (not that comments make the post, but that's sort of how I gauge their popularity): my political opinions and songs.
Well, anyway, this a post about a song. I used to hate Dave Matthews, or at least think he was merely tolerable. And while I still think some of his music is nothing special, and as a person he's a little weird (but aren't we all?), he's come out with some incredible stuff that has really impressed me recently. This is one of them.

"Crush" Live at Radio City with Tim Reynolds

Meow

2010-06-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

This morning, amid the calls of various birds and neighborhood gardening noises, I heard what sounded like the meowing of a small cat in distress. So I went outside to where it sounded like it was coming from, and a black cat was crouching by the bush in this picture.

As I approached, the cat ran off, and it looked healthy and unhurt, so I just figured it was being weird, and I went back inside. A few minutes later, the meowing began again. I went back outside, and the cat was crouching by the same bush again. Again, it ran as I got nearer, but this time I followed it into the backyard and called to it as it watched me and disappeared into the berry brambles. I went back into the house again.

Not a few minutes later, I heard the same meowing from the bush. I looked out my bedroom window, but there was no black cat. Thinking perhaps there was a kitten in the bush (and yes, secretly crossing my fingers for one), I went back outside and looked through the bush, as well as the surrounding area. Nothing.

I thought that perhaps if I lay in wait around the corner of the house, when the meowing started again I could spring out and surprise whatever cat was there, or at least peek around and see what was going on. So in my pajamas, I waited silently, crouching at the corner of the house. I stood for a while staring at the grass. A door slammed across the street, and a man walking away from his truck stared at me with raised eyebrows. I then realized I was tapping a beat out on the side of the house out of boredom. So much for that plan. I went back inside, and went about my morning business.

When I returned from taking a final at school (yes, I passed, thank goodness), I heard the meowing still emanating from the bush on the side of the house. Suddenly I remembered the story of a woman who'd heard desperate meowing coming from her walls one morning and, thinking a kitten was stuck in the space in her walls (à la Tom Kitten), called the fire department. After hours of searching and causing general destruction to her property, it was discovered that there was in fact a meowing frog known as a Cuban Tree Frog sitting pleasantly in her walls. No cat.

Thinking of how foolish I was to have been duped by the tricksy frog, I went back outside and checked the bushes again, this time for a tiny frog. Of course, there was nothing. I called to my roommate through her open window and began to tell her my frustrated tale as she peered down at me from her window. "I'm coming outside," she said, and we searched the bushes together for cats, kittens, or frogs. We found nothing. For all we know there could have been a convocation of kittens and frogs hiding in some secret bush, laughing at our ridiculous attempts to search. I thought perhaps the black cat earlier had also been checking the bushes for the source of the meowing.

As of right now, I have no idea what's going on out there. It turns out Cuban Tree Frogs live in (you guessed it) Cuba, though that one in the lady's house did make it to Florida. The chances that there's one in a bush outside my house in the mountain desert of Utah is very slim, however.

UPDATE! I went out one last time just now and searched once more through the bushes. Then, kneeling on the ground and looking in the thorny depths of the rose bush adjacent to the bush in the picture, I saw two tiny blue eyes staring up at me. It was a kitten after all! It appeared to be lodged under a branch, so I reached toward it with the intention of freeing it. All of a sudden, it took off like a shot, and by the time I looked around, it was running into someone's yard across the street and half a block away. So much for being desperate. It was probably hanging out under the bush in our yard all day just to torment me. And I'm not at all worried it's lost its mother or something, there are plenty of cats in this neighborhood, and I'm sure they'll meet up again. Plus, it wasn't that little of a kitten after all.

NYC Mosque

2010-06-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Something I heard about a few days ago has really been bothering me. Apparently, they're building a mosque about two blocks away from Ground Zero in New York City (google it). And people are protesting it. Wow. Okay, it's time for a list:

1. It's two blocks away, not on the actual spot. Calm down.

2. Just because you're Muslim, doesn't mean you're a terrorist. Really.

3. Akin to that, mosques are places of worship, NOT terrorist training centers.

I can't really say more than that, except that I'm ashamed that so many Americans are enraged over this situation. Way to be intolerant, fellow citizens, you're sure not helping people's opinions of us.

Music From the Netherlands

2010-06-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today I got a postcard from the Netherlands (via Postcrossing). The girl that wrote it was very friendly and told me the weather (sunny and 18 degrees celsius). She also gave me two song suggestions from the Netherlands, so I looked them up, and they're actually pretty good. I like the Lucky Fonz III one best I think. What do you guys think?

A Silent Express "I'll Be Around"

Lucky Fonz III "Ik Heb Een Meisje" (It means "I Have a Girl")

Grampa, I'm Tired of Digging Holes!

2010-06-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Even though it's still ten months away, I've been thinking a lot lately about Field School next year. Regardless of where it ends up being, it's going to be really hot, and I imagine a lot like "Holes." Someone remind me why I want to be an archaeologist!

Movies in 2011

2010-06-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

According to IMDb, there are 3,546 movies scheduled for release in 2011. I had heard of a few and wondered what else would be coming out that I'd be interested in, and intended to scroll through the whole list, but after only getting through 200 films in about 10 minutes, decided that it would probably take the term of my natural life (kudos if you guess the movie reference) to complete, so I'm just going to outline a few for you.

2011 - Movies I'm Excited For

1. Superhero Stuff (I'm clumping these because there are a million)

I mentioned once that I'm a sucker for movies based on comic books. Next year there a tons of comic-based movies coming out, including Thor (there was a teaser after the credits of Iron Man 2 that got me intrigued), Captain America (also a mild reference in Iron Man 2), Green Lantern (I don't really know much about Green Lantern in general, but it's a comic, so hey), X-Men: First Class (looks at the life of an "early" Xavier), Deadpool (which actually I'm not sure about because I feel like people were only into Deadpool in the last X-Men movie because it was Ryan Reynolds), X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 (again, I'm not sure, especially since he goes to Japan to train with a samurai. What?), etc.

So, three X-Men based movies, two Avenger-related ones (by the way, Avengers comes out 2012 some time) and then Green Lantern. Yep.

2. Bond 23. I love the new James Bond. Daniel Craig is great. I don't know the plot since I haven't read the books, but Rachel Weisz is rumored to be the "Bond Girl" for this one, and if she is, that's awesome, because I love Rachel Weisz.

3. Water For Elephants. Bummer they picked Robert Pattinson for the role of Jacob, especially since it's rather important that Jacob have bright red hair, and R-Patz does not, nor did they dye it for filming. However, I'm pretty excited to see a movie version, since I thought the book was pretty good (though I hope they take out the pointless sex so it's not rated R. It ruined the book in a way, and I hope they have the foresight to take it out of the movie, or else dumb it down/alter it).

4. Super 8. I wasn't sure I wanted to add this to my list, because it looked like a continuation of Cloverfield, which, I'm sorry, was a terrible movie. However, JJ Abrams usually doesn't fail to intrigue me, and it's produced by Stephen Speilberg (which I know doesn't really mean much, but I don't think SS would put his name on something he didn't think was pretty great). Also, there's already a Cloverfield sequel being made (also due for 2011 release), so Super 8 can't be it. Plus the preview I saw kind of gave me chills.

5. The Brazilian Job. I loved The Italian Job, so I'm kind of excited for the sequel (if it really is the sequel, so far that's just a well-based rumor). Plus I love me a good heist film.

6. Untitled Sherlock Holmes Sequel. Sherlock Holmes!!! I'm so excited. I don't even have anything to say about it. If you know me, you know how excited I am about all things Sherlock Holmes. I might even go to the midnight showing, so you'll know where to find me at midnight on December 16th!

7. The Adventures of Tintin: the Secret of the Unicorn. What? You don't know who Tintin is? Actually, most of you who read my blog probably do, but if you don't, look at this and/or this really quick. I grew up reading Tintin. Plus, it's directed by Stephen Speilberg, so that's cool. I'm a little bummed that it's being filmed in the same style as Beowulf and Christmas Carol, but I'm open to it, because it's Tintin.

8. (Last but not least) Deathly Hallows part 2. The FINAL chapter in the Harry Potter film story. It's going to be a bittersweet end. I hope they don't include the cheesy last chapter from the book though. That sort of ruined it. But I'm still excited for the movie.

Night Train

2010-06-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

This morning my copy of Keane's new EP "Night Train" came in the mail. I was super excited, even though I'd already heard three of the eight tracks. I feel like I need to talk about it, because it wasn't entirely what I was expecting.

1. "House Lights"

Kinda different, but the last bit sampled a bit of "Playing Along" from the Perfect Symmetry album, the album Night Train is an EP for. I liked it, but that was really the only thing on the album connecting it to Perfect Symmetry in any way, which was a bit of a disappointment. It doesn't feel like an EP.

2. "Back in Time"

A little like Keane's style, but still a little different (it definitely has the electronic presence, but there's more guitar and...cow bell?) I like it quite a bit, but the effects added to the vocals kind of make it sound like Tom is singing in the bathroom.

3. "Stop for a Minute"

Really different. Keane collaborated with Somalian/Canadian rapper K'Naan, and it's a nice, catchy tune, but definitely diverges from the "normal" Keane style. I like it though, except when K'Naan rhymes "beautiful" with "cuticles." Also, in the music video, Tom Chaplin has a creepy peach-fuzz mustache that makes me want to go back in time, hunt him down, and force him to shave it.

4. "Clear Skies"

Once again, a little different (acoustic guitar, clapping, etc) but overall it sounds pretty good, and I like the lyrics.

5. "Ishin Denshin (You've Got to Help Yourself)"

Oh gag me. I'm sorry Keane, but you totally lost me here. I don't know if I would venture to say that this song is awful, but it's really...not good. It's repetitive and therefore boring, and the weird sampling of the apparently very popular Japanese song makes me feel like they just wanted it in there because it was popular. It makes me feel like they're letting their fame (yes, they really are famous, even though no one in the US has heard of them) go to their head or something. Sad day.

6. "Your Love"

At first I wondered if Tom Chaplin had had a sore throat when they recorded the song, but then I realized it was Tim Rice-Oxley (the pianist/principal songwriter/organizer of the band) singing! It's very cool to hear Tim singing. He's not as good as Tom, but he thinks he sounds bad when he sings, so the fact that he tried makes me happy. And he really isn't a bad singer at all, just different. The song has an 80s-ish feel to it, and since I love 80s music...

7. "Looking Back"

Also features K'Naan. This song is silly. They sample the Rocky theme, and K'Naan even mentions Rocky at some point in his rapping. I don't like it. It's not as clever as "Stop for a Minute," so it bothers me that Keane has rap in this song. Hm.

8. "My Shadow"

Here it is, the typical Keane style! And I love it. I love that they're branching out and trying new things, but this song reminds me of why I liked Keane in the first place. It has this really great part towards the end that really communicates emotion...haha wow listen to me. Whatever. This one I will post, since I love it so much (the video is the official music video, but was made by a fan. They had a contest and this one won):

Overall, I'd say it was worth the $2 I spent on it (thank you, Amazon). I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it though.

If you've never heard or heard of Keane, give them a try.

Summer

2010-06-02T17:54:00.001-07:00

There are some goals I have for the summer, and I figured I'd better write them down somewhere so I don't forget:

1. Be reading a book consistently (so far so good, I've read like four books since we got back from England)

2. Exercise each day, whether it be walking to work or riding Autumn's bike around the neighborhood or running in the mornings (done this nearly every day so far. It sure feels good to bike, I'm going to need to get my own!)

3. Eat "healthy" (I'm going to need to stop having corn chips and fruit snacks for lunch)

4. Finish all my Independent Study courses by the August deadline, but still keep up with the class/es I'm taking in Summer term.

I think that's it. In other news, for Memorial Day weekend I drove home to Fallbrook. I didn't take a single picture, but I assure you I had a very good time. I loved being home. We went to Magic Mountain, I went to the beach with my brother and got sunburned, I ate lots of *good* Mexican food, we had a grill (not so much a bbq, as it was salmon and vegetables, but we made it on the grill and ate it outside). Oh, and I got pulled over for the very first time on the way down. I also got my very first speeding ticket. I've been licensed for five years, so I suppose my lucky streak had to run out sometime.

Notes to all of you (and to self):

1. Don't speed. According to Officer Frabbiele, people WILL die if you speed.

2. Wear shoes when you drive in Nevada. Apparently it's illegal not to.

3. Make sure your insurance isn't expired. It's the same as no insurance, and that costs $1,132.

4. Be a good driver, so that when you DO speed, you get off with a warning on #s 2 and 3, and a reduced ticket for #1. Phew.

Oh, and wear sunscreen.

Today

2010-05-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

Despite a rather depressing day yesterday because of circumstances (hopefully) out of my control (vague, I know, but oh well), and stewing a bit today and being rather sad in general, I decided just now that I should just wait until I know how it will turn out and not jump to conclusions. I think that's good advice in general.

I felt a lot better after hearing this song on the radio and my new roommates decided to celebrate Victoria Day with berry trifle and a good movie.

England!

2010-05-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday very late at night, we returned from England (just in time too, since the volcano started spewing over Southern England again just after). It was such a great trip! There were so many things that I loved about it, and only a couple of things I can think of that would've made it better (warmer and less windy weather, living closer to a Tube station, having more time and a bigger living space) and everything else was a wonderful experience. I learned so much about English history, about architecture, and other stuff. And I learned Christopher Wren was like...I don't know...the Frank Lloyd Wright of his day. He seriously built everything. But it's cool. There were so many highlights, I can't pick just one, so maybe you'll have to ask me about it in person when I can go on and on...

Oh, and we went to Paris for a day...

Sloths

2010-05-17T06:36:00.001-07:00

This will totally make your day. It made mine, and it's only 7:30am.

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

Invictus

2010-05-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

On the plane ride home from England, I watched a bunch of movies, one of which was "Invictus." It reminded me of how much I love the namesake poem. It gives me hope.

Invictus

by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Flying

2010-04-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning my sisters and mom and I leave for England for two weeks. It's going to be a reeeeeeally long flight, and that's the part I'm not looking forward to. But it made me think of this hilarious skit of Brian Regan's, so I thought I'd share it with you for a little laugh:

We'll have internet access at the flat in London (!) so I might have the chance to write periodically while we're there. Wish us luck!

Blame It On the Pop

2010-04-24T10:32:00.001-07:00

Do you like the new layout? I'm pretty sure it's actually looked this way before (at least I know I've used that picture). I was going to make the colors brighter/lighter to make it seem more summery, but mostly I'm too lazy to redo all the fonts and everything. Anyway.

Last night I was at Adrien's and we were watching videos on Youtube. She showed me these mashup videos (I love mashups...and montages...seriously love them) of the top 25 pop songs from 2007, 2008, and 2009. I can't decide which one is my favorite. Last night it was 2009, this morning it's 2007. But you should just watch them, they're loads of fun and seriously cool, even if you don't like/listen to all these songs.

2007:

2008 (Viva la Pop):

2009 (Blame it on the Pop):

In Memory

2010-04-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

My grandmother passed away on Sunday morning. That afternoon I wrote this based on what I felt. They are merely my thoughts at the moment, and an inspiration of how I want to live my life, based on the example of my grandmother and others:

Today my grandmother died. She was 95 years old. She had been a widow for something like 60 years, and raised four children on her own (the oldest, my dad, was only six when his father died). Though I am not terribly sad at my grandmother’s passing because of her age and her readiness to go, it got me thinking about my relationships with my family and friends, and I find that this does make me sad. Whenever someone dies I think of when my 22-year-old cousin Carly died about five years ago. Carly made such an impression on the world, and her untimely passing was difficult for everyone that knew her. Today I reread her eulogy and felt that the things everyone said about her—a kind heart, caring for everyone no matter who they were, etc—were not things that could be said of me if I were to die tomorrow, perhaps not because they aren’t true of me, but because I hide them from everyone. I thought again of my grandmother, and of the impact that she had on her children and grandchildren, and wonder why I never really got to know her. She wrote me letters when I was little, but I don’t know how often I wrote her back. By the time I was old enough to enjoy letter-writing, she could no longer comfortably write for long periods of time, and my opportunity was lost. I wish that I had known my grandmother better, for she seems to have been a remarkable woman, and one whose strength I’ve always admired. I never told her that, and I wish that I had.

Sometimes I forget what life is about, and feel like I need to experience everything I can so that I can better myself before my time is up, but it is times like these when I am reminded that this is wrong. While it is important to improve ourselves, it is more important to be an example and a friend to others in our lives. So many times I have encountered people in my life that I have become close to, and had the opportunity to help them with their trials, perhaps just by being there for them, and sometimes have let these people slip away. I know that I cannot single-handedly bring peace to the world, but I know that I can do my part, and that sometimes I have been neglectful.

When I die, I want people to remember me as someone who they appreciated having in their life, and not just because they were obligated to for one reason or another. I want to affect people and forget about myself. I know that I have an enormous amount of compassion and empathy and understanding for nearly everyone (if it is not so bold to say so), but I don’t always act on it.

I hope that I can become a person like my grandmother and my cousin, and do my part to make the world a better place. I want to be rid of my selfishness and spend my life making other peoples’ lives easier. I am afraid. But I will try.