J.K. Rowling Fairy Tales

This might be of interest.

This Is Real!

what if

What if your name were Maya, and it was pronounced Mah-YA! (like sushi-YA!) ?

beret

After weeks of searching for my blasted beret - in real life, at Forever21 and similar stores - today I made a breakthrough. I found it online!

why?

Why is it that the moment you start crying in a deserted-for-the-holidays university department, a second-language student suddenly appears and needs to use a stapler?

Abby Puts On Sunglasses

By the time I get home there will be another niece the same age as her.

3 Weeks!

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
--the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

-e. e. cummings

losing hair

What Your Hair Is Telling You About Your Health

Serious shedding

"Seeing a swarm of strands in the shower drain every morning isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm—or a signal that anything is wrong with you. It’s totally normal to lose about 100 strands of hair every day. And even if you think you’re losing more than that, remember that your head carries at least 100,000 hair follicles, so it’s possible to collect a handful or two out of the bath or hairbrush without it visibly changing the appearance of your mane. And since those 100,000 or so follicles have different growth phases, even as several strands fall out, dozens of new ones are just on their way in to replace them. So unless you’re starting to notice visible thinning of your hair or bald spots on your scalp, chances are the loss is nothing more than natural, everyday shedding."

Hallelujah!

Faust Arp

Radiohead - Faust Arp

One, two, three, four.

Wakey, wakey, rise and shine
It's on again, off again, on again
Watch me fall like
Dominoes in pretty patterns
Fingers in the blackbird pie
I'm tingling, tingling, tingling
It's what you feel now
What you ought to, what you ought to
Reasonable and sensible
Dead from the neck up
Because I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But not, but not, but not
For no real reason.

Squeeze the tubes and empty bottles out
Take a bow, take a bow, take a bow
It's what you feel now
What you ought to, what you ought to
An elephant that's in the room is
Tumbling, tumbling, tumbling
In duplicate, and duplicate,
And plastic bags, and duplicate and triplicate
Dead from the neck up
I guess I'm stuffed, stuffed, stuffed.
We thought you had it in you
But not, but not, but not.

Exactly where do you get off?
Is enough, is enough.
I love you but enough is enough, enough
And now stop - there's no real reason.

You've got a head full of feathers.
You got melted to butter.

who

who did this?
Between the hours of 5pm, Tuesday and 2:00pm, Friday.

delightful

My thoughts were occupied with checklists and checklists of things I had yet to do. I walked past several people on campus, but I was stuck on my dramatic song. A towering gentleman in a black coat, slowed as I passed by him on my way to some campus errand, "Hey, I like your scarf." My wandering mind trying to conquer all of the blasted things I had to do this morning stopped. I looked up. "Oh... thanks!"

Thank goodness for people who can stop you in your worrisome thoughts.

----------

Late for class because I procrastinated a paper, I hurried up the hill that would later turn to ice by the time I got to leave campus. I heard some shouting, but cast it aside. When I reached the top, I noticed a certain gentleman in an orange coat and a face that indicated down syndrome, shouting to the world about the fantastic song he listened to on his ipod or cd player. And I smiled. Oh to live life without inhibition!

----------

I explained my paper to my little nook in my class, "Yeah... mine is on Dadaism and Radiohead's Kid A." No one said anything. I don't think they know who Radiohead is.

ice skating

As I walked down the hill by the Smith Field House and the RB I thought, "What would happen if this soaking wet pavement turned into pure ice?" I pulled out a sticky note from my folder, and jotted down "ice skating on hill," and suddenly my feet slipped.

Could you imagine, an entire slippery slope on the way home? I watched where I was stepping from then on.

easier

Grizzly Bear - Easier

I know
I know
the doors won't close
the pipes all froze
just let it go

Argue with me
I've got plenty of dishes and time
cords in a bind
knots that we make
fatal mistakes
let's recreate an easier time

Because I still can't find you

i ran away

From the retiring of the flag on campus yesterday. I was walking down the stairs to the basement of the JFSB when the familiar sounds of the National Anthem were broadcast across the campus sound systems (those hidden speakers above buildings like the ASB and the library). I scurried down to the entrance of the basement. I didn't want to be stuck there.

Oh man. Sometimes I'm rotten.

hazardous gas

I swear somebody's leaking hazardous, maybe deadly, gas into the vents in my office.

Too bad I can hear it!

breakthrough

I've made a breakthrough. My body woke up naturally at 7:43AM. I hadn't set an alarm clock (which might have been tragic), but there I was, eyes opening naturally and my feet being forced to exit my little cocoon of satin sheets and onto my forest green carpet. After 2 1/2 years of 8AM work time, you'd think my body would figure out when it's supposed to be awake.

Turns out that going to bed at 11:20pm really does help (and maybe the heat being turned on).

Spare-Ohs

Step 1: Read lyrics

Andrew Bird - Spare-Ohs

The finches and sparrows build nests in my chimney
what remains of the small flightless birds that you failed to protect

but their yolk isn't easy in fact it's a drag
as they're blowing through cornfields and mountains of rags

all over the suburbs
across the great lawns
crop-dusting gardens all over this town

but nobody cares when it gets in their hair
it gets in their lungs as it floats through the air
it gets in the food that they buy and prepare
but nobody cares when it gets in their hair

across the great chasms and schisms
and the sudden aneurysms
where the black ink will drip
across the crespice of your
eyes and your teeth
are worth more than you can spare-
-oh don't tell me that it just isn't fair
don't speak about the cycles of life
'cause your thoughts are so soft
I could cut 'em with a spork or a bride's knife

and the wine made our mouths too loose
such a reckless choice of words
when you tell me that I'm too obstruce
I just thought it was a kind of bird
I just stood there not saying a word

Step 2: Watch
Take Away Show: Andrew Bird - Spare-Ohs

Step 3: What are these lyrics about?

'I had 26 chickens and now I have zero chickens. I wasn’t able to keep the raccoons away from the chickens. And then for a year after that happened the chicken feathers are still around from the massacre. There’s just hundreds and hundreds of sparrows around my barn and they were taking the chicken feathers and stuffing my chimney with them to make nests. And then I would have a fire and I would see the smoke coming out and I would see little feathers reminding me of how I let down the chickens. And the whole line, “Don't speak about the cycles of life 'cause your thoughts are so soft I could cut 'em with a spork or a bride's knife.” The whole cycle of life thing was so apparent I was like, "Oh come on, this is just too obvious." Yeah, but then it also kind of talks about the implications of the cremations and the remains of animals and people floating and landing in our hair without us knowing it.'

listen to

some Blonde Redhead. Go ahead, just do it.

Maybe a song like Misery is a Butterfly, 23, The Dress, Harmony, or Spring and By Summer Fall. Just a few suggestions.

Don't Worry

Take the Quiz here!

I took this quiz bright and early, so it must be true.

sleep

I got 8 hours last night. How am I still tired!

Ahhhh

Webcams in Paris

funny

Is this funny to anyone else?

art de nourriture

Who even thinks of this stuff? It's great!

library bookshelf

cardigan? Yes!

I'm still freaking out!

France Paris

Wherever You Go, There You Are

I'm reading a book for Clinical Psychology called Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. And not only is it chocked full of interesting tips, but it really hits home in every chapter, dealing with the human condition. While most sections are very valuable, this one is particularly relevant.

Generosity

Try: Noticing the resistance to the impulse to give, the worries about the future, the feeling that you may be giving too much, or the thought that it won't be appreciated "enough" or that you will be exhausted from the effort, or that you won't get anything out of it, or that you don't have enough yourself. Consider the possibility that none of these are actually true, but that they are just forms of inertia, constriction, and fear-based self-protection. These thoughts and feelings are the rough edges of self-cherishing, which rub up against the world and frequently cause us and others pain and a sense of distance, isolation, and diminishment. Giving sands down such rough edges and helps us become more mindful of our inner wealth. By practicing mindfulness of generosity, by giving, and by observing its effects on ourselves and others, we are transforming ourselves, purifying ourselves, discovering expanded versions of ourselves (p.62-63). "

boys and girls

From the boys of last week:

• Radiohead - Weird Fish/Arpeggi, Reckoner, Videotape, Faust Arp, 15 Step, House of Cards, Knives Out
  
• Band of Horses - Detlef Schrempf, No One's Gonna Love You
• José González - Heartbeats, How Low
  
• Phosphorescent - A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise

To the girls of this week:

• Lily Allen - Friday Night
• Sia - Sunday
• The Fiery Furnaces - My Egyptian Grammar
• The Bird and the Bee - Again & Again
• Little Dragon - Twice
• St. Vincent - Landmines
• Tori Amos - A Sorta Fairytale

chicken noodle soup

Most mornings on my way to campus, there's a patch that smells like chicken noodle soup.

ACL revisted

Just some faces we saw... ACL Press

fluke

Youtube is gone again. Sorry, Rory, no Klaus Nomi. But check it out when you're off-campus! Klaus Nomi - Simple Man.

but youtube has not

hypem has failed me

It looks like project playlist now. :( So much for that great unveiling.

down

Down comforter in the mail.


Check!

Now I will be warm the whole night.

accomplishment

You know that lingering sense of accomplishment when you've completed some great task? Well, I just sat at my desk for about 3 minutes thinking I'd accomplished something amazing. Then I remembered that I wrote 2 lines from an Elliott Smith song for a blog.

Next:
Write a paper
Study for a test
Read 100 pages in my book

I'm glad my 2 liner blog is fulfilling some aspect of my life.

Passing Feeling

took a long time to stand
took an hour to fall.

kanye again

Even though I think it's ridiculous he pulled the race card at the Grammy's and also represented himself as Christ in his performance at the Grammy, complete with his death and resurrection? uhhhh... he can still make some pretty groovy songs.

Flashing Lights

songs

running, running through my head:

• You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
• I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You - John Mayer (yes, he's a ridiculously guilty pleasure)
• Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley

ahh.

cockroach brooch?

Ummm... I don't even want to put the picture on my blog. Ick.

fallen

falling, falling, falling

goodbyes and scattered showers of thoughts

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Sommer said to me as she had finalized her de-hiring in the department.

I'm saying goodbye to two things with the same name, phonetically speaking.

- a low of 37 degrees tonight. Freakity freak!

But, don't you love the rain?

band crushes

from this weekend.

(Kele Okereke from Bloc Party - he seriously has the most gorgeous skin color imaginable and that accent!)


(Andrew Bird - champion whistler, violin and guitar player, and hottie in his V neck t-shirt)

(Matthew Bellamy - mad skills and amazing show. Seriously. See Muse live).

freakity freak

This weekend is going to be awesome!

clever

What a clever album cover for a dance tune.
Motor - Punkture

and this too... Audion - Suckfish

the arcade fire

My (hopefully) Clinical Psychology professor told our class that 14 of his 35 clients are going to the Arcade Fire show at Thanksgiving Point. See you there!

today's weather

Thunder in the vicinity. Yeah!!

it's the last day of summer

Seriously guys, what an amazing summer. Favorite memor(y)(ies)?

Squaw Peak and the Tiggity-T's

You know you've been to some good parties when the cops keep breaking them up.

these are real

Seen in real life. And I snuck some photos at Zupas.

magnet + stars

Um, touring. At the Gothic in Denver, CO November 6th. Anyone, anyone?

highlights from last night

"You look familiar. Were you in a band or something?" guy 1 to guy 2.
"Still am," guy 2.
"What band?" guy 1.
"We're an acappella group," guy 2.
"Moosebutter!!" Hillery says joking.
"Yeah, you're totally in Moosebutter..." I say.
"Yeah," guy 2.
"You played at my high school," me.
"That dates me," guy 2.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Guy 2 is at the top. His name is Weston, and he's probably 5'0.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You look like someone. It will come to me," Weston to Hillery. He turns to me, "You look like a Catherine."
"Oh? I once wanted to be named Catherine in elementary school," me.
"You're a little on the regal, diplomatic side. But then there's this lunatic side to you," Weston.
"Lunatic?" I say.
"Yeah," Weston.
"Oh, thanks!"

Later in conversation...
"Yeah, that's the Catherine side of you," Weston.
"The lunatic?"
"No, I mean... I really meant crazy. Like the crazy side of you."
"But you said lunatic? Like crazy person, in an asylum?"
"See, as I've gotten to talk to you I believe you're a grounded person."
"Ohhh... hmmmm."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I have 31 nieces and nephews. I'm the 8th of 9 children. All my older siblings are married and have 3 or more kids. My oldest niece is 21," Weston.
"I'm 21," me.
"See, I like to date girls your age so I can relate to her," W.

ummm...

John Mayer - Heart of Life
and
Jens Lekman - Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo.

(Hypem them)

the guns of brixton

This has tons of covers of one of the Clash's best songs. So cool.

learning

I have learned that I am neither organizational nor effective. Thanks, Organizational Behavior 320!

ACL

Yes, I purchased tickets to this. Ahhhhhhhhhh!

recycling

We're getting it, and I'm thrilled! Interested? Call Provo Utilities (852-6000). It's just $5 more a month on your utilities bill.

The Daimonic of Love

In discussing theories on Personality, one of the most engaging concepts is that of Rollo May, a theorist and proponent of existential psychology/psychoanalysis. He identified the goal that all human beings have, that of integration. This integration allows us to unify the self and to confront the potential for the daimonic, which is any natural function that can take over the whole person. One daimonic that May discussed was that of Love and Sex. This excerpt is taken from my text book: Personality Theories, 7th ed. Barbara Engler, p. 388-9.

Love used to be seen as the answer to human problems. Now love itself has become the problem. The real problem is being able to love. Our world is schizoid, out of touch, unable to feel or to enter into a close relationship. Affectlessness and apathy are predominant attitudes toward life, forms of protection against the tremendous overstimulation of modern society.

May believed that our highly vaunted sexual freedom has turned out to be a new form of puritanism in which emotion is separated from reason and the body is used as a machine. Pornography and commercialization have also turned sex into a vehicle for power. We have set sex against eros, the drive to relate to another person and create new forms of life. It is now socially sanctioned to repress eros, and we rush to the sensation of sex in order to avoid the passion and responsibility that eros commands. The sexual freedom established during the 1960s and 1970 has not led to the increase in happiness that many thought would follow a freeing of sexual mores. The premature awakening of sex so prevalent in our time can lead us to dodge awakening at other levels. In the midst of wide availability of information and birth control, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases continue. Why? The real issue is not on the level of conscious rational intentions but in the deeper realm of intentionality, where a deep defiance mocks our withdrawal of feeling.

May suggested that only the experience and rediscovery of care, the opposite of apathy, will enable us to stand against the cynicism that characterizes our day. The mythos of care points to the need to develop a new morality of authenticity in human relations.

i feel like

a snob as a lemon slice floats in my nalgene.

what an encore

Up Against the Wall - Peter, Bjorn and John (I can't find a current link for this song but listen to it on hypem if you don't know it, or even if you do; it's always a great listen)

Let me just say, that this is the cutest nerd-rock band ever.

• They dedicated Amsterdam to Kayte for her birthday
• Hillery sent a note to the guitarist (I'm not sure if he's Peter, Bjorn, or John) on our left side inviting him to the Pie.
• The band members walked up to the front of the stage multiple times and allowed us to touch them. I got the lead singers hand, and it felt like something straight out of the Beatles era - the adoring fans dancing, screaming, and hands out for touching.
• The crowd was getting crazy... pushing up to the stage, moshing, kids getting on stage and dancing (one girl - twice) and then getting shoved off the stage by security.
• Drunk old men, and I mean old, dancing with young girls in the likeness of a boy band member
  
• New friends - Emily was delightful.
  
• Realizing that Shane is in the spitting image of Jeremy (Hillery told the truth). And the guitarist in PB&J (isn't that an adorable acroynm?) a less attractive version of Chris Leppert.
  
• Dancing our little hearts away, yet again.
  
• And this is not to leave out Apostle of Hustle which was also a great band (t-shirt a little offensive, with an image of Christ getting punched in the face. Symbolic - maybe? Or just insulting?). I just love Broken Social Scene, and Andrew Whiteman, lead guitarist for both Apostle of Hustle and BSS, is really amazingly talented. You could definitely hear bits of BSS in AoH's music.
  
• Oh and the Pie. Like usual: delicious, good company, fun times of shouting, dancing, and chatting
• But still... I can't get over how fun PB&J were. So good!
  

deliberating

After much deliberation and it finally going on sale, I purchased this...

because Josh says I look good in red, and I'm in love with this coat.

Magnet.

I fear I will love very few things as much as I love Magnet.

no more

skirting around the issue. Seriously! I was empowered by the roommate confrontation about the living room, the non-putting hours in the books comment, and now... dealing with people in general. I might as well get it all out.

In our house we've been having a little trouble with something we call passive aggressiveness, what we as roommates and, dare I say, women consider the best way to channel frustration with other people into socially appropriate ways. Instead we backbite, talk about each other behind backs, say things just loud enough so others can hear our frustrations without "offending." We never really confront the issues or the little annoyances we have, hoping they'll just pass us by. Well, they don't. It would be better to mention things and make people aware (even though it takes nerve and some degree of humility) than let things build up, fester, and then explode. There are better ways. I'm sad that it's taken me 21 years to figure this out. But, here goes!

summer!

Scattered thoughts about this summer:

• There's nothing quite like a nectarine, if not for the taste then for the smell.
• My long-time addiction for egg salad sandwiches is back. It's been years!
• I'm eating sunchips that taste like churros.
  
• We're having a Christmas in July party.
  
• I've been doing so much dancing! It feels so good.
• I love love love my family of friends.
• Summer playlists. So much inspiration.
• Pleasant surprises
• Playing all day when I should be doing homework (and my guilt isn't terribly high, uh oh).
• Lots of trips to Salt Lake
• Vegetarian/vegan cuisine that is delicious: Sage's (pizza night Tuesdays and Philly Cheese Steak) and Addicted (pitas and hummus, mmmm who knew tofu everything was so good?)
• Swimming - normal hours and climbing over fences afterhours
• Parties galore
• Meeting new people
• Watching films
• Dreams of traveling
• Blackberries in the backyard
  
• Free concerts

What have you enjoyed about this summer?

introvert vs. extrovert

Am I an introvert or extrovert? What's your vote? And what are you?

shhhhhh

I can't help but giggle when I hear, "Under my umbrella, -ella, -ella, -ella, eh eh eh," from a professor's door and then "SHHHH, SHHHH, SHHHH" from the same woman who chose the ring tone.

boy drawn badly

I forgot how much I absolutely adore Badly Drawn Boy after I heard their lingering sound outside of a salon on 300 S in Salt Lake yesterday. I told Morganne I adored BDB, and she asked me about them. I realized, I haven't listened to them in ages. So I've found, there's nothing quite like rediscovering long-lost loves.

Albums:

• Born in the U.K. - I haven't given it a great listen yet, but Gap was playing Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind and I realized that I adore few musicians as much as I adore Damon Gough. Such simple melodies, simple concepts, but utterly gorgeous.
  
• Songs to hear:
  
• Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind
• Without a Kiss
  
• One Plus One Is One - The one Badly Drawn Boy concert I have seen, the band played this entire album all the way through from track 1-15 and then select songs from other albums. This album goes through a range of emotions, but every song is somehow wonderful and delicate with a little bit of an edge.
  
• Listen to:
• One Plus One Is One
• Easy Love
• This Is That New Song
• Another Devil Dies
• Four Leaf Clover
• Dang, just listen to the whole cd... it's all good!
• About A Boy Soundtrack - my introduction to this brilliant band. I love every song on the album, mostly for sentimental reasons. The instrumental music is beautiful, and the film is embodied in every song for me. It's for this very reason that I adore soundtracks from my favorite movies so much. There's more attached to the music than just the song, there's the whole meaning, nostalgia, and loveliness of the film as well.
  
• Songs to note:
  
• Something To Talk About
• Silent Sigh
• I Love NYE
• River Sea Ocean
• File Me Away
• A Minor Incident
• Again, all the rest of the songs as well!
• The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast - I fell in love with this album in the autumn of my freshman year of college. It feels like ages ago, yet so recent. The songs are so reminiscent of my favorite season, they're floating and transcendent (as Morganne would say).
  
• Listen up:
• The Shining
• Stone on the Water
• Once Around the Block
• Magic in the Air
• Pissing in the Wind
• Blistered Heart
• Have You Fed the Fish - I regret to say that I don't know much of this album. All Possibilities is one really great song. I intend to take this cd from an ex-friend. Or buy it myself. Or, if you have it... I'd like to give it a listen!

Anyway, case in point - listen to some BDB. You won't regret it.

just look at this

Owl Tea set

Also at the anthropologie store.

touch the sky

I secretly, or not so secretly, wish I could blast this song everywhere today.

In fact, I'm listening to it at my receptionist job on campus!

Kanye West (ft. Lupe Fiasco) - Touch the Sky

good company

Yesterday's events go as follows:

• Car rides with a Sonic stop, too-sugary (is it possible? yes.) drinks and tater tots, politics from Newsweek with Morganne and Adam
  
• Sneaking in restrooms, asking directions from hotel attendants (yes, in Salt Lake)
  
• Setting up blanket 5 1/2 hours before show and promptly leaving
• Catching the light-rail, which is FREE downtown
• Remembering London, the Tube, minding-the-gap
• Photographing shoes
  
• Sweating profusely because it's hotter on the windowless train than outside
• Sitting on the train for 5 mins or so because Adam thought there was another stop. Nope, we'd hit the last.
• My age forever - and the neverending search for something I love, failed.
• My department with an ie - beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Makes me want to sell a limb. AND they have This Is... books by Miroslav Sasek. Kill me now!
• Addicted - the Clash and warm pita dipped in lemon pepper and hummus, tofu cream cheese bagels, turkey sandwiches vegan-style. They really have done well with the tofu. Yum!
• Conveniently being in a location Ryan can pick us up
• Realizing the crowd has covered all locations BUT our blanket, nice...
• Allyson is back from Ohio alive and unimpregnated!
  
• Not enjoying the Fiery Furnaces except for when I'm upfront, dancing my heart away with Hillery, Morganne, Adam, Ryan
• Spotting the stoned boy that talked to us outside of Salt Lake Coffee House (or that coffee house we went to after 4th of July) about obscure musicians; he is now humping his girlfriend to the Fiery Furnaces (ack!)
  
• Heading back to the blanket, which is now covered by people
• Amy and me laying down, surrounded by heads and awkwardly dancing bodies, feeling we could get trampled any minute or have cigarette ashes flicked at our heads
  
• Megan inviting us to the gay bar, gay bar, gay bar (Electric 6 - thanks for never allowing me to say those words without that song in my head!) for her birthday
• The Pie (this deserves a post complete with pictures, all on its own) - few experiences in my lifetime have been this fun
• Singing our heads off as loud as possible to EVERY song, shouting Rage Against the Machine, Phil Collins, etc., banging on the tables, yelling every time someone in our group got their pizza, dessert, or breadsticks, knee stroking, flirting behind backs, singing across the table, competing with other tables, having our party take up half the restaurant, dancing, dancing, dancing, climbing poles, singing Gold Digger
  
• No gay bar, exhausted from the Pie
  
• Skipping back to the car, almost taking down a bicyclist
• Wonderful conversations on the way home
• Medusa hair, late night chats, demanding back rubs, and finally crashing.
  

And all the people in between: Morganne, Adam, Ryan, Hillery, Josh, Allyson, Amy, Kristi, Eleanor, Tony, Coby, Megan, Nate, Rory, Dave, Patrick, Lucia, Claire, new friends, adventure club, and all those I forgot (you're still important, blame it on the lack of sleep!)

man!

I like dance parties.

triskaidekaphobia

triskaidekaphobia \tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:

A morbid fear of the number 13 or the date Friday the 13th.

this

is coming in the mail
and this

this

and finally, this

Movie watching, anyone?

Oscar de la Renta

Is a brilliant man.

I think

Boy Kill Boy
Maximo Park
The Cinematics

all sound quite similar.

fortune

After stuffing our faces at PF Changs, the tray of fortune cookies came out. Everyone's said something to the effect of, "you'll be really productive", "you'll give birth to a baby," "this will be a good month for you," etc.

Mine said:
"An admirer is concealing his affection for you."

No- "he'll reveal it to you in the near future." "He'll leave you flowers on your porch." "He'll call you." "He'll ask you out." No nothing!

If you have any leads... let me know.

PS If it helps, my lucky numbers are 1 3 15 35 . 23

dang

I wouldn't mind it being fall.

pride

I used to pride myself on being the bravest, the boldest, the least likely to scream in a horror film. Well, I have since learned that the case is not so anymore. I recall laughing and smiling while the others around me had chattering teeth and were grabbing each other for comfort. That was me last night, grabbing Sara's hand, screaming at the slightest event. What happened to my wisdom, my cool, my calm?

I watched Silence of the Lambs without flinching. Now I can't watch that or Red Dragon without peeing my pants!

check it

out
Twilight Concert Series

Either Way

Wilco - Either Way

Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will blow away
Maybe I won’t feel so afraid
I will try to understand
Either way

Maybe you still love me
Maybe you don’t
Either you will or you won’t
Maybe you just need some time alone
I will try to understand
Everything has its plan
Either way
I’m gonna stay
Right for you

Maybe the sun will shine today
The clouds will roll away
Maybe I won’t be so afraid
I will understand everything has its plan
Either way


(Just lovely!)

concertos

I feel good about this being a summer of concerts.

I miss good shows. They seem to happen so infrequently as of late, but I did see the Cinematics and they were fantastic. We were the only four girls dancing our little hearts out, and we also got to meet the band (adorable Scottish boys- one of them actually named Scott).

Concert Possibilities:

• Tortoise (June 19th)
• Feist (as previously mentioned)
• Maximo Park (July 20th)
• Cary Brothers (July 19th)
• Bears (August 12)
  

Suggestions?

Feist

Boulder, CO June 22nd

Who's in?

immediate gratification

Our culture has evolved into one with an expectancy for immediate gratification. It seems like there was once a slow paced, patient attitude that has since disappeared. We live in an age of fast food, get a degree in a few months online, microwaves, instant hand sanitizer, internet access everywhere, CliffNotes, overnight shipping, credit cards, drive-through car washes. While these are modern conveniences that I know I appreciate, we've lost some simple beauty that one only experiences in taking time to do things, thinking, observing - not always consuming but creating. Take a minute to enjoy a slower pace or quiet reflection. It feels wonderful.

pool games are fun

"Are we having duck?"
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"

Spoon

GaGaGaGaGa
Listen to the new tracks (Don't You Evah, in particular).

also, sometimes all a girl needs is a phone call from a cute boy

Northern Sky

Northern Sky

I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.

I've been a long time that I'm waiting
Been a long that I'm blown
I've been a long time that I've wandered
Through the people I have known
Oh, if you would and you could
Straighten my new mind's eye.

Would you love me for my money
Would you love me for my head
Would you love me through the winter
Would you love me 'til I'm dead
Oh, if you would and you could
Come blow your horn on high.

I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.

- Nick Drake

sometimes all a girl needs is a good pep talk

The Wise

I started looking for quotes from Gandhi after watching the amazing film Water. Gandhi's wisdom and influence are felt throughout the film in the beliefs and actions of a particular character, but it is not till the final scene where we finally see Gandhi in person for a brief moment and hear the sheer brilliance from his lips (well, and read it in English subtitles). Inspired by this film, I started searching for quotes by Gandhi, then President Hinckley, and finally, and especially poignant, a quote I've been paraphrasing for a good week now.

Please contribute your favorite(s). Here's what I found and liked:

Mahatma Gandhi

• "My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from god as my successes and my talents, and I lay them both at his feet."
• "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
• "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is is very important that you do it."
• "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

President Gordon B. Hinckley

• “This is my prayer for all of us—'Lord, increase our faith.' Increase our faith to bridge the chasms of uncertainty and doubt. . . . Grant us faith to look beyond the problems of the moment to the miracles of the future. . . . Give us faith to do what is right and let the consequence follow.” ( “Lord, Increase Our Faith,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 52–53.)
• "God is weaving his tapestry according to his own grand design. All flesh is in his hands. It is not our prerogative to counsel him. It is our responsibility and our opportunity to be at peace in our minds and in our hearts, and to know that he is God, that this is his work, and that he will not permit it to fail." (“He Slumbers Not, nor Sleeps,” Ensign, May 1983, 5)
• "No man's faith, no man's religion, no religion in all the world can ever rise above the truth." ("Continuing Pursuit of Truth," BYU-Hawaii Commencement, 6/18/83)
• “There is no substitute for virtue. Keep your thoughts virtuous. Rise above the filth that’s all around you in this world and stand tall in strength and virtue. You can do this, and you will be happier for it for as long as you live. God bless you in cherishing, developing, and holding on to this great gift, the quality of personal virtue." (Mission meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah, 18 December 1995)
• "Be grateful. Be smart. Be clean. Be true. Be humble. Be prayerful."
• “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” New Era, Jan. 2001
• "Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, be a little better. Make the extra effort. You will be happier."(“The Quest for Excellence,” Ensign, Sept. 1999)

President Thomas S. Monson

• “Men, take care not to make women weep, for God counts their tears.” (“That We May Touch Heaven,” Ensign, Nov. 1990, 47)

Nice Notes and Promises

I was looking through some things I've collected over the past few months, and I found this. What a pal! Maybe I'll take him up on the offer.

At Hillery's birthday party, after a good few wackings of the pinata and a few opened promises this was unwrapped. Oh dear me.

Said by J.E.C.

"Any mail?" J.E.C.
"Not much," me.
"No mail; no boyfriend," J.E.C.

it's cool, it's cool to love your family

It's funny how often it is and has been necessary for me to listen to this song. Brainwashing me a little bit anytime I'm feeling the complete opposite.

diving

more Gershwin, please.

post-finals

The post-finals nightmares have begun again.

i'm thinking

my life needs a few more photos. That's a summer goal: more photo taking.

troubled to troublesome

In light of recent events at Virginia-Tech, the media has been covering a huge range of topics dealing directly or indirectly with Cho Seung-Hui. Roommates have come forth, bringing stories of a 23-year old who was difficult to relate to, who received tutoring in English and his writing displayed hate-induced threats to an abusive father; the police received complaints about his harassing girls via instant messaging, the telephone, and in person; he was admitted to a mental hospital in 2005 because he seemed at risk for suicide. All of these behaviors meet the criteria, the checklist, if you will, for a criminal, for a depressed person who becomes a killer, taking his own life and at least 31 others students' lives. To explain just how a 23 year-old man from South Korea could commit such a heinous crime, criminologist Jack Levin from Northwestern University explained how he met the criteria, but that many adolescents and young adults meet the criteria. He concluded by saying something that should be heard by all,

There is one thing that I think is very important to emphasize. We should be caring about people who are troubled long before they become troublesome. We should reach out to people not to punish them, but to give them our concern, our caring, and then we might even prevent a murderer too in the process.
-Jack Levin (April 17, 2007)
How Disturbed People Become Killers (CNN)

Let us not be consumed by the media, by speculation, by unimportant sidenotes; let us move forward and reach out to others, as Jack Levin suggests.

I'm sorry, so sorry, so terribly, terribly sorry

But Doctor Dictionary has been really good, when I check it.

Today's word:

spoonerism \SPOO-nuh-riz-uhm\: the transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words. (I became dyslexic just trying to write that)

Ex: The Lord is a shoving leopard ("loving shepherd").

Guilty!

Doctor Dictionary

provided such a great word for the word of today!

abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-uhn\ noun
1. A person who is learning the letters of the alphabet
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet
3. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet
4. Arranged alphabetically
5. Rudimentary; elementary

creep!

I don't care if you're wearing sunglasses. I can still see that you're staring at me.

see it in color

(Thanks Dre - stolen!)

so excited

throat

"Uh oh, my throat is starting to hurt," me.
"Have you been kissing boys?" Evie.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

titles

My most brilliant thoughts come at night, when I rotate positions in my little bed every five seconds, when the sounds on the road once muted are now sounds in my ears, when thoughts are swimming in my head and I'm turning them over and over in completely illogical succession. The house is silent; no one is about in the house, moving chairs, laughing loudly at nextdoor neighbors, or playing video games at ridiculous volumes, because daylight savings didn't affect others the way it did me (and we don't have an extra guitar anymore for Guitar Hero - thank you, Coby). I jolt. These are my thoughts.

Why oh why do we pronounce:

• Mr. = miss-ter
  
• Mrs. = mizzes, so why the 'r'?
• Ms. (my favorite, it clouds the singularity), mizz
• Miss = this one is easy

Think about that one for a minute.

Or

This is what my research tells me (thanks wikipedia)

• Mr. = abbreviation for 'mister,' though the original form is seldom used. Mr. is a term for an older man under the rank of knight who can no longer be called master. The plural form is Messrs - shortened for messieurs (the French form).
  
• Mrs., Ms., Miss = all variants of mistress (French word, again).
  
• Mrs. is now used exclusively for married women. But it once was a title for women who did not qualify for 'dame' or 'lady.'
• Ms. is an ambiguous term, well in terms of marriage. It's pretty clear that she's a woman if she's using Ms. (at least we hope).
  
• Miss indicates that a woman is not married; she is not entitled to a higher title (ha!

So if this interests you at all, there's a plethora of information on wikipedia (and I'm sure a number of other sources).

elephant

This makes me giggle.

spring fever!

jokes are

so much funnier when you get them. Even if it is 7 months later.

Think: tennis balls, John McEnroe, Park City, Sundance, Brokeback Mountain