Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying

I've had this thought...

People are not lists of interests, favorites, hobbies, activities, etc. There's only so much you can figure out about a person on facebook who claims to love Smallville, art museums, and the Fray. If that really was what they liked and were passionate about, then okay. You could piece some things together about them. But I think more often then not, people put what they wish was their favorites and interests. I know I've definitely been guilty of that. I mean, I like Maria Mena and the Postal Service, but when was the last time I actually listened to them? How many of their songs do I even have on my ipod? (Maria-2, Postal Service- 6) I read Death of a Salesman, and it was an interesting play that really made me think, but is it really one of my FAVORITE books? Probably not. And even if I did go through and make sure that all the things on my facebook page were my FAVORITE!!!!! things, all you'd have is an empty list.
It wouldn't tell you (prepare yourselves, bad grammar excessively long sentence approaching) that I'm constantly taking on more than I can really chew, and that I'm deathly afraid of grasshoppers, and that I fall asleep in the classes I like most, and that I like listening to sad music sometimes just to be sad, and that I have always wanted to be an astronaut because the stars and space just amaze me but I've never done anything to persue that, and that I am skittish, and if I was an animal I'd be a hummingbird because I flit around never making up my mind because I am quite indecisive, and that I rarely talk about my personal life to anyone but a select handful of friends, and that I'm kind (which sounds so conceited...-that's another topic for another post) and I believe the best of just about everyone and I trust everyone but not enough to confide in them and when someone doesn't treat me kindly it throws me for a loop and that, and that, and that...

My interests, hobbies, talents, major, job, skills are just an outline of me. And so I'm always wary of people who've only heard of me or read my facebook page or whatever. You don't really know what you're dealing with until you've actually met the person. And even then...for me anyway, depending on who you were and if I totally had a crush on you (ha), it'd take you forever to really get to know me.

What do you guys think? I suppose it could all go back to what makes you you...?
*I need to overhaul my facebook page.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Katie posted, as Katies are wont to do

I stole this from someone off facebook. Some of these are pretty darn good...like maybe I'll translate them into French and use them in my advanced writing class...hahahaha

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners…

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty Bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12.. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23.. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

Monday, February 23, 2009

The thoroughbred of sin? I meant Gandhi.

Tonight I was introduced to the magic known as Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog (thanks Kurt).

Experience the drama for yourself:

Click here

Friday, February 20, 2009

Bread, fish, and a question

My religion professor gave an awesome lecture this week on Christ's feeding of the 5,000. I had never really realized the significance of that event. The real message isn't just another miracle that Jesus did, it's teaching us about consecration.

All of us have felt at one time or another (maybe all the time, ha) that our resources have been depleted, that we don't have enough time, energy, skill, money, etc. to do what needs to be done. Instead of hoarding the little that we do have, however, if we will give all of our resources to the Lord, as the boy with his barley loaves and fishes, He will make what we have enough, and some to spare. Isn't that incredible? Isn't that relieving? Yeah, life is hard. Yeah, there will be times when it is impossible to do everything that has to be done, and that's exactly the point where you have to say, "Here are my five loaves, Heavenly Father. Could you help me feed 5,000?"

So this is all recorded in Matthew 14. In Matthew 15, Christ feeds another 4,000 people, but before He does so, the disciples ask, "Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?" My question is....why...did they ask that? How could they forget how Christ fed so many earlier? What do you guys think?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Hide and Seek

I am busy about everything, and that is exactly my problem.

Monday, February 9, 2009

It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?

I feel like I should post something peppy because most of my posts for like the past two-ish weeks have been either whiney or depressing, so...let me leave you with this thought:

I was sitting in ward council meeting this Sunday, and we were discussing various concerns in the ward and what we can do better and everything and you know what, there are a lot of things that I personally can do better. I'm always trying to get an A in classes and win ballroom competitions and everything, but I'm feeling a little pricking in my heart to become something better. After all, how will I measure myself when there are no more grades to earn and no more trophies to win? I've been thinking about school and how I absolutely do not want to do this this way for another 3+ years, and I decided I need to change my attitude. I need to stop doing homework and reading textbooks and going to study sessions and lectures and whatnot just to get by. I can do more than that. I can learn the material for better reasons than to ace classes and get into a good grad school.
I want to learn so that I am more qualified and better prepared to serve in whatever capacity God places me in my life. There is so much knowledge to be gained out there! I have so many opportunities to learn and grow here, and I always say how "grateful" I am for that, but it's been a little hollow lately. So starting now (I'm going to go do homework as soon as I hit publish) I, [would insert full name here, but let's not forget our internet safety! hehe :)] pledge to be a student who cares enough to actively participate in the learning process. I pledge to learn not only for my own good, but in order to be the most useful I can in the kingdom of God.

How's that for lofty?
Now go read your textbooks or something. :P

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Nothing's fine, I'm torn.

I wrote up a very long, angry, and bitter post just barely, but it was ridiculous, so let me just say this:

I AM VERY ANGRY AND BITTER RIGHT NOW!!!!!

Thank you for your time.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Mmmmhmmm

So usually I love it when it rains, but today I do not because a) I wore cute yellow flats that will quickly soak through and b) it is freezing on the 3rd floor where my office is, even more so than usual (and it's always pretty brisk up here). I wish I was here instead:

Venice Beach, eating a beyond delicious BLT.
Good times...

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

It's pomegranate

You know what I love?
Really awkward/funny things that make me laugh and cry at the same time.

Thanks.
I mean it.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

You take the sine of one, add 36 and subtract the atomic mass of carbon.

It's so funny how random things spread like wildfire on facebook. I was tagged by five different people, so I figured I might as well give in and write 25 things about myself...the hard thing is though, I talk so much about myself anyway on this blog, so it's hard to come up with something I haven't already posted for the entire world to read.

25 ThInGs AbOuT MOI in the format of an iTunes essentials playlist:

The Basics:
1. I can't leave my house in the morning until I've had at least something to eat for breakfast. I prefer yogurt with granola and cereal (Honey Nut Chex, Multigrain Cheerios, and Honey Bunches of Oats are my favorites), but even if it's 6:50 and if I don't leave immediately I'll be late for team I grab a granola bar or stick cereal in a ziplock bag. Breakfast is mandatory.

2. If I had to do something sporty (which I never, ever do of my own free will), I'd be a tennis person or a track person.

3. Slow internet makes me psychotic.

4. It makes me smile when I wear unmatching socks (and I do it frequently because I get dressed in the dark every morning...thank you 7 AM rehearsal).

5. Once upon a time in my pre-college life I won three national ballroom titles. It was awesome, but not as fulfilling as you'd expect.

6. I'm such a nerd. I think it'd be really funny to name my future daughter Naome and then we could call her sodium methoxide or sod or oxide for short (or not for short seeing as sodium methoxide is longer than Naome...we'd call her that for nerdiness' sake.)

7. Superlatives: I'm the oldest in my family, the tallest girl on the latin team, and the most likely to take chemistry flashcards to a Relient K concert (true story).

8. I have around 6 best friends.

9. I devour books. I can't slow down enough to read every word, I have to skim and speed through them so I can know what happens. Often this leads to missing key pieces of plots, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Next Steps:
10. I really, really like doing better than boys in my science/math classes, and better than returned missionaries in my French classes.

11. BUT, I am not a feminist because they are crazies who basically want to be men.

12. (ok, so this is something I think I've typed up on here before, sorry) My favorite smells are things most people find pretty disgusting: fake tan, rhinestone glue, and aura hairspray= the essence of my ballroom experience

13. I don't have a strong opinion on a lot of things, but the things on which I have strong opinions, I have STRONG opinions.

14. I'm not argumentative at all. I'm not easily offended. I rarely get mad at people themselves, it's usually just situations or things that get me angry. And even then, it has been a long time since I have really been ticked off.

15. It would be so great if I could go to an IKEA in Sweden.

16. It would be even better if I went there after having spent half a year in France.

17. I had a root canal done on one of my front teeth without any anesthesia. It makes for a really good dentist horror story.

18. It totally makes my day when I find out someone I know has a blog they update regularly. I love reading about people's lives...I've definitely been guilty of blog stalking...

Deep Cuts:
19. I try to do it all. I can't remember if I've already written this on here either, but sometimes my life feels like an ever-expanding game of twister. My right foot's on chemistry, my left hand's on ballroom, my left foot's on French, my right foot's on church and family, and they're all pulling me in different directions and I'm stretching to stay on top of everything, and eventually the game will be over and I will fall.

20. I like being dramatic while blogging.

21. I don't really think I'll fall, because I really do believe in myself. Time after time, if I've put in the work and have done everything I can and have left the rest to God, it works out for me. Somehow, with God's help, things always work out.

22. I've never had to pay tuition. And I don't ever plan on doing so.

23. I like to toy with ideas and then never do anything about them.

24. When I was a senior in high school I was so frustrated with my AP chemistry class that I threw my text book at my wall. The wall got a nice dent in it, and both covers fell off the book.

25. Hmm...not sure how to phrase this, but I like being the only girl hanging out with a bunch of guys. It doesn't happen very often, but I like it. Like the time we floated down the river in freezing cold weather and I was the only girl who was brave/crazy/whatever enough to do it. I like that.

Greatness, that took forever to write. Hope you feel more enlightened about me. :)