Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Cool Change
The way this works is you put your iPod on shuffle and see what comes up. I did edit a bit because there were some that I thought, in the context, were somewhat inappropriate. The answers that came up are pretty funny if you don't take them too seriously!
1.IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Why Walk When You Can Fly -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
(Hee hee; never satisfied.)
2.WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Try to Make It True -- Quarterflash
(Honest! :) )
3.WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Introit for Sexagesima Sunday -- Choir of the Vienna Hofburgkapelle
(...)
4.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
The Mysterious "J" -- Laurie Anderson
(Ooo, mystery.)
5.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Example #22 -- Laurie Anderson
(...)
6.WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Flashback -- Imagination
(Yeah, I am older than a lot of my friends.)
7.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Child Grew from Oratorio on the Life of Christ -- Brian Crosby
(...)
8.WHAT IS 2+2?
Kammersymphonie No. 1, Movt. 4 -- Schoenberg
(Movement 4, okay...)
9.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Quia ergo femina mortem instruxit -- Hildegard von Bingen
(Woah.)
10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Fall on Me -- R.E.M.
(Hee hee... that would be one way to get to know each other.)
11.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The End of my Pirate Days -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
(Oh yeah, I used to be quite the pirate.)
12.WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Sechs Stuecke F. Orch. Op. 6 -- Anton Webern
(Six Pieces for Orchestra?)
13.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Straight Lines -- Suzanne Vega
(...)
14.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Lute Concerto in D. R. 93 Movt. 2: Largo -- Vivaldi
(Largo -- They think I'm slow?)
15.WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
The Memory of Trees -- Enya
(I've always thought Enya songs made good soundtracks, but I don't know about my wedding.)
16.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Season of Hollow Soul -- k.d. lang
(Freaky.)
17.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Coming Up Close -- 'Til Tuesday
(Ha!)
18.WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) -- Scott McKenzie
(Yeah, I used to be a hippie as well as a pirate.)
19.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Think of Laura -- Christopher Cross
(Funny, I don't really have a friend named Laura, but if I did this would be perfect!)
20.WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Glasspiece #2 (Facades) -- Philip Glass
(I hate facades, apparently.)
21.HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Die schoene Musi! from Der Rosenkavalier -- R. Strauss
(Does this mean the Muses are gonna get me?)
22.WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Not Sorry -- The Cranberries
(No regrets either, apparently.)
23.WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
All I Can Do -- The Carpenters
(Oh yeah, I laugh at everything...)
24.WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Ill Ciel! mio padre! from Aida -- Verdi
(My father... ouch.)
25.WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
She Loves Me -- Stephen Duffy
(Sounds like a yes!)
26.WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
I Dreamed I Had to Take a Test... -- Laurie Anderson
(Ha ha! It's even funnier considering that the full line is "I dreamed I had to take a test in a Dairy Queen on another planet.")
27.DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
The Pirate of Penance -- Joni Mitchell
(Whoever that is.)
28.IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Funny Way of Laughing -- Burl Ives
(Again, ouch.)
29.WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Piano Concerto #2 in F Minor Op. 21 - Maestoso -- Chopin
(Piano hurts? Well, practicing it is kind of tedious sometimes.)
30.WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Cool Change -- Little River Band
1.IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Why Walk When You Can Fly -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
(Hee hee; never satisfied.)
2.WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Try to Make It True -- Quarterflash
(Honest! :) )
3.WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Introit for Sexagesima Sunday -- Choir of the Vienna Hofburgkapelle
(...)
4.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
The Mysterious "J" -- Laurie Anderson
(Ooo, mystery.)
5.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Example #22 -- Laurie Anderson
(...)
6.WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Flashback -- Imagination
(Yeah, I am older than a lot of my friends.)
7.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Child Grew from Oratorio on the Life of Christ -- Brian Crosby
(...)
8.WHAT IS 2+2?
Kammersymphonie No. 1, Movt. 4 -- Schoenberg
(Movement 4, okay...)
9.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Quia ergo femina mortem instruxit -- Hildegard von Bingen
(Woah.)
10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Fall on Me -- R.E.M.
(Hee hee... that would be one way to get to know each other.)
11.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The End of my Pirate Days -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
(Oh yeah, I used to be quite the pirate.)
12.WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Sechs Stuecke F. Orch. Op. 6 -- Anton Webern
(Six Pieces for Orchestra?)
13.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Straight Lines -- Suzanne Vega
(...)
14.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Lute Concerto in D. R. 93 Movt. 2: Largo -- Vivaldi
(Largo -- They think I'm slow?)
15.WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
The Memory of Trees -- Enya
(I've always thought Enya songs made good soundtracks, but I don't know about my wedding.)
16.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Season of Hollow Soul -- k.d. lang
(Freaky.)
17.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Coming Up Close -- 'Til Tuesday
(Ha!)
18.WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) -- Scott McKenzie
(Yeah, I used to be a hippie as well as a pirate.)
19.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Think of Laura -- Christopher Cross
(Funny, I don't really have a friend named Laura, but if I did this would be perfect!)
20.WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Glasspiece #2 (Facades) -- Philip Glass
(I hate facades, apparently.)
21.HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Die schoene Musi! from Der Rosenkavalier -- R. Strauss
(Does this mean the Muses are gonna get me?)
22.WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Not Sorry -- The Cranberries
(No regrets either, apparently.)
23.WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
All I Can Do -- The Carpenters
(Oh yeah, I laugh at everything...)
24.WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Ill Ciel! mio padre! from Aida -- Verdi
(My father... ouch.)
25.WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
She Loves Me -- Stephen Duffy
(Sounds like a yes!)
26.WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
I Dreamed I Had to Take a Test... -- Laurie Anderson
(Ha ha! It's even funnier considering that the full line is "I dreamed I had to take a test in a Dairy Queen on another planet.")
27.DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
The Pirate of Penance -- Joni Mitchell
(Whoever that is.)
28.IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Funny Way of Laughing -- Burl Ives
(Again, ouch.)
29.WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Piano Concerto #2 in F Minor Op. 21 - Maestoso -- Chopin
(Piano hurts? Well, practicing it is kind of tedious sometimes.)
30.WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Cool Change -- Little River Band
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas irony
I was asked to prepare some brief remarks for a church service in which members of my choir spoke and performed today. Hopefully it won't seem too self-indulgent if I post a somewhat expanded version of my talk here.
At this Christmas season, as I've reflected on the story of the birth of Jesus, I've noticed that there are many ironies in the story. For example, although Jesus is very important, He was born in Bethlehem, a relatively small, inconsequential town:
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;... (Micah 5:2)
Another irony is that, apparently, this same prophecy of Christ's birth was used by Herod to discover the location of Jesus' birth. He subsequently issued an order for all children two years old and under to be killed in an attempt to eliminate the perceived threat to his power (Matthew 2:16). Apparently, the words of the prophet were good enough for Herod to use to get information, but Herod didn't have enough respect for the words of the prophet to welcome the Messiah of which Micah prophesied.
Another ironic thing surrounding the birth of Christ is that, while He is the most important King that has ever been born in the world, the first people to learn of his birth were humble shepherds (Luke 2:8-11). The great Jehovah condescended to be born in humble circumstances (1 Nephi 11:16).
Indeed, He came unto his own, and His own received Him not (3 Nephi 9:16).
The sense of irony that I feel when I reflect on things like these is, I guess, caused by an inconsistency with my sense of justice. The injustice is that there is a mismatch between what Jesus deserved and what He got.
It is perhaps the greatest irony or injustice that Jesus, One who truly did not deserve to suffer for sin, suffered to pay the price for all our sins and took upon Himself all our suffering:
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
But justice is done. While Jesus was mistreated, disrespected, and eventually crucified by many who did not see Him for the Messiah that He is, He now reigns in heaven, and will return again in His glory.
There is another application of justice, one that is more troubling to me. It is the reality that I have sinned, and that I deserve to suffer for my sins. It is not possible for us to be redeemed on our own merits:
And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins... (Alma 22:14)
Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer. (1 Nephi 10:6)
Without the intercession of Christ, justice would mean condemnation for me and all sinners. So as much as my sense of justice is offended by ironies like the ones I've mentioned above, when pondering my own sins, I hope that there is some way that mercy can be done also.
And it is possible. Both justice and mercy are satisfied through the sacrifice of our Great Redeemer. He paid the price required by justice and extends to us His mercy.
...and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their words, according to the law and justice. For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own... (Alma 42:23-24)
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, justice is done, and mercy also. I know that Jesus is the Savior. I hope that you also find enjoyment in pondering the ironies of Christmas as I have at this time of year. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
At this Christmas season, as I've reflected on the story of the birth of Jesus, I've noticed that there are many ironies in the story. For example, although Jesus is very important, He was born in Bethlehem, a relatively small, inconsequential town:
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;... (Micah 5:2)
Another irony is that, apparently, this same prophecy of Christ's birth was used by Herod to discover the location of Jesus' birth. He subsequently issued an order for all children two years old and under to be killed in an attempt to eliminate the perceived threat to his power (Matthew 2:16). Apparently, the words of the prophet were good enough for Herod to use to get information, but Herod didn't have enough respect for the words of the prophet to welcome the Messiah of which Micah prophesied.
Another ironic thing surrounding the birth of Christ is that, while He is the most important King that has ever been born in the world, the first people to learn of his birth were humble shepherds (Luke 2:8-11). The great Jehovah condescended to be born in humble circumstances (1 Nephi 11:16).
Indeed, He came unto his own, and His own received Him not (3 Nephi 9:16).
The sense of irony that I feel when I reflect on things like these is, I guess, caused by an inconsistency with my sense of justice. The injustice is that there is a mismatch between what Jesus deserved and what He got.
It is perhaps the greatest irony or injustice that Jesus, One who truly did not deserve to suffer for sin, suffered to pay the price for all our sins and took upon Himself all our suffering:
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
But justice is done. While Jesus was mistreated, disrespected, and eventually crucified by many who did not see Him for the Messiah that He is, He now reigns in heaven, and will return again in His glory.
There is another application of justice, one that is more troubling to me. It is the reality that I have sinned, and that I deserve to suffer for my sins. It is not possible for us to be redeemed on our own merits:
And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins... (Alma 22:14)
Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer. (1 Nephi 10:6)
Without the intercession of Christ, justice would mean condemnation for me and all sinners. So as much as my sense of justice is offended by ironies like the ones I've mentioned above, when pondering my own sins, I hope that there is some way that mercy can be done also.
And it is possible. Both justice and mercy are satisfied through the sacrifice of our Great Redeemer. He paid the price required by justice and extends to us His mercy.
...and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their words, according to the law and justice. For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own... (Alma 42:23-24)
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, justice is done, and mercy also. I know that Jesus is the Savior. I hope that you also find enjoyment in pondering the ironies of Christmas as I have at this time of year. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
And now...
...the blog post you've all been waiting for: pictures of the mantis!
If you happened to read this blog post of a couple of weeks ago, you learned that we currently have a pet praying mantis. My dad found her (more like she found him) while he was working and now she lives in a terrarium at our house. As far as mantises go, I think she's pretty good-looking. :) I got out the camera today and took a few photos so you can all see how cool she is.
Some things you might be wondering:
Q: What does she eat?
A: Things that move, usually house flies and crickets that we bought at the pet store. We just put the other insects in her cage along with her and she eats them at the appropriate time. It's a pretty good way to use those flies that buzz around the house sometimes, and she seems to like them.
Q: Why is the picture so bad?
A: This is actually the best photo of her that I got. The tank she is living in has a lot of water spots on it, and the macro setting on my camera leaves something to be desired. Please click on the picture to see it in a bigger format.
Q: Why is she brown?
A: Apparently some mantises just come that way. She changes between a creamy brown and a dark brown during the day.
Q: How does she eat flies?
A: First, she grabs them with her forelegs. Then she bites off the head and eats that first, while holding on to the rest of her body with her foreleg. Then she eats the rest.
Q: Does she always catch them on the first try?
A: No. It seems to maybe have something to do with how hungry she is. These days she's pretty well fed, so if something happens to walk by, she'll reach for it, but doesn't seem to be really into it.
Q: How do you know she's a female?
A: According to informational websites on mantises, males have eight abdominal segments and females have six. I did count six, but the dead giveaway was when she laid eggs one night at about 1:00 in the morning. My brother came and got me after I had just gotten into bed and said something like, "You might not be interested, depending on how asleep you are, but the mantis is laying eggs right now." I got out of bed and watched the process for the next hour or so. I was really tired the next day but it was worth it.
This is a photo of the first egg sac she made. It's about the size of a small walnut, and it's stuck to the wire mesh on the top of the screen over her house. She has laid two more smaller egg sacs since then.
Q: Are you gonna have baby mantises?
A: Unknown. It's possible that she may have mated before she came to us, but she also might have just expelled the eggs because it was time. At any rate, the baby mantises would be most beneficial out in our yard, where they could take care of insect pests, so we will probably put the egg sacs outside and let them hatch (if they will) in the springtime. Which means we may likely never know whether the eggs are viable or not.
Q: Is this the most spoiled praying mantis ever?
A: We are definitely not the first people to keep a mantis as a pet, but she does have a pretty sweet life. Check out this photo of her digs:
We had this tank as a home for previous pet lizards we had. You can see that she has rocks and branches to climb on, a light for light and heat, an electric hot rock, a little water dish and a blue netting thing that she likes to climb on and hide under. The other things you see in there are pieces of potato and banana that the crickets eat.
Q: Is having a mantis as a pet really as cool as you say?
A: I am not normally a person who has feelings of affection for animals that are not soft and furry. Even things like hamsters and gerbils don't appeal to me that much; I prefer more intelligent animals. But as invertebrates go, this mantis is pretty awesome. She is fun to watch as she climbs around the cage and looks around at what is going on. By observation and by research I have also learned quite a bit about insect anatomy and behavior.
Q: What's her name?
A: My dad never officially named her because we don't expect her to live that long (in the wild she would likely have already frozen by now). But my mom suggested the name "Millie".
Have any more questions about the mantis? Feel free to leave a comment!
If you happened to read this blog post of a couple of weeks ago, you learned that we currently have a pet praying mantis. My dad found her (more like she found him) while he was working and now she lives in a terrarium at our house. As far as mantises go, I think she's pretty good-looking. :) I got out the camera today and took a few photos so you can all see how cool she is.
Some things you might be wondering:Q: What does she eat?
A: Things that move, usually house flies and crickets that we bought at the pet store. We just put the other insects in her cage along with her and she eats them at the appropriate time. It's a pretty good way to use those flies that buzz around the house sometimes, and she seems to like them.
Q: Why is the picture so bad?
A: This is actually the best photo of her that I got. The tank she is living in has a lot of water spots on it, and the macro setting on my camera leaves something to be desired. Please click on the picture to see it in a bigger format.
Q: Why is she brown?
A: Apparently some mantises just come that way. She changes between a creamy brown and a dark brown during the day.
Q: How does she eat flies?
A: First, she grabs them with her forelegs. Then she bites off the head and eats that first, while holding on to the rest of her body with her foreleg. Then she eats the rest.
Q: Does she always catch them on the first try?
A: No. It seems to maybe have something to do with how hungry she is. These days she's pretty well fed, so if something happens to walk by, she'll reach for it, but doesn't seem to be really into it.
Q: How do you know she's a female?
A: According to informational websites on mantises, males have eight abdominal segments and females have six. I did count six, but the dead giveaway was when she laid eggs one night at about 1:00 in the morning. My brother came and got me after I had just gotten into bed and said something like, "You might not be interested, depending on how asleep you are, but the mantis is laying eggs right now." I got out of bed and watched the process for the next hour or so. I was really tired the next day but it was worth it.
This is a photo of the first egg sac she made. It's about the size of a small walnut, and it's stuck to the wire mesh on the top of the screen over her house. She has laid two more smaller egg sacs since then.
Q: Are you gonna have baby mantises?
A: Unknown. It's possible that she may have mated before she came to us, but she also might have just expelled the eggs because it was time. At any rate, the baby mantises would be most beneficial out in our yard, where they could take care of insect pests, so we will probably put the egg sacs outside and let them hatch (if they will) in the springtime. Which means we may likely never know whether the eggs are viable or not.
Q: Is this the most spoiled praying mantis ever?
A: We are definitely not the first people to keep a mantis as a pet, but she does have a pretty sweet life. Check out this photo of her digs:
We had this tank as a home for previous pet lizards we had. You can see that she has rocks and branches to climb on, a light for light and heat, an electric hot rock, a little water dish and a blue netting thing that she likes to climb on and hide under. The other things you see in there are pieces of potato and banana that the crickets eat.Q: Is having a mantis as a pet really as cool as you say?
A: I am not normally a person who has feelings of affection for animals that are not soft and furry. Even things like hamsters and gerbils don't appeal to me that much; I prefer more intelligent animals. But as invertebrates go, this mantis is pretty awesome. She is fun to watch as she climbs around the cage and looks around at what is going on. By observation and by research I have also learned quite a bit about insect anatomy and behavior.
Q: What's her name?
A: My dad never officially named her because we don't expect her to live that long (in the wild she would likely have already frozen by now). But my mom suggested the name "Millie".
Have any more questions about the mantis? Feel free to leave a comment!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
So I'm a copycat...
But this looked like so much fun.
What were you doing 20 years ago?
Wow... November of 1988. Let's see... I was 11 years old, and I would have been in the *gasp* fifth grade, I guess. My teacher was Mr. P. One thing I remember about Mr. P is that he taught us a recipe for chocolate peanut-butter squares that I still use successfully today. It's easy to remember because it's one of everything:
1 package graham crackers (not the box, the plastic-wrapped thing in the box)
1 stick butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
Crush graham crackers. Melt butter and peanut butter and mix together with sugar and graham crackers. Press into 8X8 pan. Melt chocolate chips and spread on the top.
The texture of the bars depends on how finely you crush the graham crackers. These have never failed me. Give it a try.
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ok... 1998... well I was 21, so that was just before I went on the mish. November of 1998... wow, now that I think about it that was a pretty interesting time for me. I had just received my patriarchal blessing some months before, and I was in the middle of making a lot of life changes. For the better. I was also finishing up my last year of my undergraduate. That summer it was off to the MTC and Canada for one of the biggest, scariest, hardest, funnest adventures of my life. I can say that was the period of my life where I learned the power of fasting. It enabled me to have strength I wouldn't have otherwise had on my own.
What were you doing on 9/11/2001?
I was in school again. I was enrolled in a technical writing class, and we were scheduled to have class that day. I didn't even hear about the attacks until I was on the way to school in the car and heard about it on the radio. When I got to class, the instructor came, but he then said that he didn't think it was right for us to have class on a day like this. So I went home and watched some of the coverage on TV. Crazy day.
What were you doing 5 years ago?
2003. In the final year of my master's degree (wow, this series of questions coincides with some important points in my academic career!). I would have just taken the comprehensive exam for the M.A. program and happy I was done with that. Let's see now... that might have been the semester that we had the girl in my class who was REALLY pregnant and she actually thought she was going into labor during class. It turned out she wasn't. But it was a class of all girls and the professor was so nice. The professor gave her her phone so she could call her husband and everything.
What were you doing 1 year ago?
November 2007. Hm... nothing in particular comes to mind. I suppose it was getting close to the end of the semester. I was in Bro. D's choir, so we were getting ready for the big Christmas program at Kingsbury Hall. I remember one of our friends was really, really sick that day and he came to the rehearsal all wrapped up in his blanket, which to me looked like one of the paper collages made by Matisse. I like Matisse, especially during his paper period.
What did you do yesterday?
Yesterday I went to a sacrament meeting at the branch where my parents serve to hear a friend sing a beautiful musical number, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". I don't usually like people who have a pop style of singing so much but there is something about her when she sings; during the last verse I found myself anticipating every line, wanting to join in myself. It was inexplicably thrilling. After that I went to ward choir practice and then we had our regular church meetings. After church I was invited to go to a scone party at the house of some people in the ward. It was fun to visit and get to know people better. By the time it was over it was dark outside and I didn't have a jacket because I had walked to church when the sun was out and it was warmer. The host kindly offered to drive me home and I wanted to take his offer but I was too proud so I pretended like it wasn't a big deal and said I would be fine. And you know what? As soon as I stepped outside, I realized it wasn't as cold as I thought it was. I had a few goosebumps when I got home, but it was really ok, not to mention that I only had to walk like two blocks. And on the way home I called the girl that I visit teach and ended up going to her house and having a visit with her.
What am I doing today?
Well I'm writing this at almost 1:30 in the morning so today is pretty much over. Last night I realized I was getting a cold so I tried to go to bed somewhat early and today I got up at about 9:00. I ate some granola and decided that I felt like working on schoolwork so I did that for a couple of hours. I wrote an e-mail to my professor that basically said, "I know we have an appointment to talk about my work but I'm not sure if you want me to come to your office coughing today." She wrote back that I could e-mail what I was working on and she would give me some feedback. After that I took a long, long nap in the afternoon and had some bad dreams, although I can't remember them now. Then I watched TV programs for a while and did a little more schoolwork, then watched more TV programs while trying to download a couple of mp3s from Napster. Things really weren't working well on their end and it was taking forever for stuff to load. They almost lost my business today... except they have the biggest availability of Aaliyah mp3s on the web and I am really into Aaliyah right now.
(I hope I'm not the only person who thinks of days as sleep to sleep rather than stopping and starting at midnight. I mean, it's 1:30, but it's still today because I haven't been to sleep yet. And in a few hours, it'll be the same day on the calendar, but it'll be tomorrow. Know what I mean?)
What will I do tomorrow?
Assuming that I will be feeling somewhat better (which I think is true) I will get up in the morning and have some breakfast and hopefully get some more work done for school. I am really getting close to being ready with this big project, and the closer I get the sooner I want to get it done, so I work on it a lot lately. Also I should practice the piano but we'll see if I talk myself out of it. In the evening one of my friends is playing a piano recital (yay! that is so awesome!) and after that there is a get-together at a restaurant to celebrate the birthday of one of our choir friends. Oh, and at some point I want to swing by and pick up a birthday gift; I'm thinking a couple of gourmet chocolate bars.
So that's what's up in my life. The more things change, the more they stay the same... kind of. I think that a few years from now my answers will be very different.
What were you doing 20 years ago?
Wow... November of 1988. Let's see... I was 11 years old, and I would have been in the *gasp* fifth grade, I guess. My teacher was Mr. P. One thing I remember about Mr. P is that he taught us a recipe for chocolate peanut-butter squares that I still use successfully today. It's easy to remember because it's one of everything:
1 package graham crackers (not the box, the plastic-wrapped thing in the box)
1 stick butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
Crush graham crackers. Melt butter and peanut butter and mix together with sugar and graham crackers. Press into 8X8 pan. Melt chocolate chips and spread on the top.
The texture of the bars depends on how finely you crush the graham crackers. These have never failed me. Give it a try.
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ok... 1998... well I was 21, so that was just before I went on the mish. November of 1998... wow, now that I think about it that was a pretty interesting time for me. I had just received my patriarchal blessing some months before, and I was in the middle of making a lot of life changes. For the better. I was also finishing up my last year of my undergraduate. That summer it was off to the MTC and Canada for one of the biggest, scariest, hardest, funnest adventures of my life. I can say that was the period of my life where I learned the power of fasting. It enabled me to have strength I wouldn't have otherwise had on my own.
What were you doing on 9/11/2001?
I was in school again. I was enrolled in a technical writing class, and we were scheduled to have class that day. I didn't even hear about the attacks until I was on the way to school in the car and heard about it on the radio. When I got to class, the instructor came, but he then said that he didn't think it was right for us to have class on a day like this. So I went home and watched some of the coverage on TV. Crazy day.
What were you doing 5 years ago?
2003. In the final year of my master's degree (wow, this series of questions coincides with some important points in my academic career!). I would have just taken the comprehensive exam for the M.A. program and happy I was done with that. Let's see now... that might have been the semester that we had the girl in my class who was REALLY pregnant and she actually thought she was going into labor during class. It turned out she wasn't. But it was a class of all girls and the professor was so nice. The professor gave her her phone so she could call her husband and everything.
What were you doing 1 year ago?
November 2007. Hm... nothing in particular comes to mind. I suppose it was getting close to the end of the semester. I was in Bro. D's choir, so we were getting ready for the big Christmas program at Kingsbury Hall. I remember one of our friends was really, really sick that day and he came to the rehearsal all wrapped up in his blanket, which to me looked like one of the paper collages made by Matisse. I like Matisse, especially during his paper period.
What did you do yesterday?
Yesterday I went to a sacrament meeting at the branch where my parents serve to hear a friend sing a beautiful musical number, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". I don't usually like people who have a pop style of singing so much but there is something about her when she sings; during the last verse I found myself anticipating every line, wanting to join in myself. It was inexplicably thrilling. After that I went to ward choir practice and then we had our regular church meetings. After church I was invited to go to a scone party at the house of some people in the ward. It was fun to visit and get to know people better. By the time it was over it was dark outside and I didn't have a jacket because I had walked to church when the sun was out and it was warmer. The host kindly offered to drive me home and I wanted to take his offer but I was too proud so I pretended like it wasn't a big deal and said I would be fine. And you know what? As soon as I stepped outside, I realized it wasn't as cold as I thought it was. I had a few goosebumps when I got home, but it was really ok, not to mention that I only had to walk like two blocks. And on the way home I called the girl that I visit teach and ended up going to her house and having a visit with her.
What am I doing today?
Well I'm writing this at almost 1:30 in the morning so today is pretty much over. Last night I realized I was getting a cold so I tried to go to bed somewhat early and today I got up at about 9:00. I ate some granola and decided that I felt like working on schoolwork so I did that for a couple of hours. I wrote an e-mail to my professor that basically said, "I know we have an appointment to talk about my work but I'm not sure if you want me to come to your office coughing today." She wrote back that I could e-mail what I was working on and she would give me some feedback. After that I took a long, long nap in the afternoon and had some bad dreams, although I can't remember them now. Then I watched TV programs for a while and did a little more schoolwork, then watched more TV programs while trying to download a couple of mp3s from Napster. Things really weren't working well on their end and it was taking forever for stuff to load. They almost lost my business today... except they have the biggest availability of Aaliyah mp3s on the web and I am really into Aaliyah right now.
(I hope I'm not the only person who thinks of days as sleep to sleep rather than stopping and starting at midnight. I mean, it's 1:30, but it's still today because I haven't been to sleep yet. And in a few hours, it'll be the same day on the calendar, but it'll be tomorrow. Know what I mean?)
What will I do tomorrow?
Assuming that I will be feeling somewhat better (which I think is true) I will get up in the morning and have some breakfast and hopefully get some more work done for school. I am really getting close to being ready with this big project, and the closer I get the sooner I want to get it done, so I work on it a lot lately. Also I should practice the piano but we'll see if I talk myself out of it. In the evening one of my friends is playing a piano recital (yay! that is so awesome!) and after that there is a get-together at a restaurant to celebrate the birthday of one of our choir friends. Oh, and at some point I want to swing by and pick up a birthday gift; I'm thinking a couple of gourmet chocolate bars.
So that's what's up in my life. The more things change, the more they stay the same... kind of. I think that a few years from now my answers will be very different.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Telephone interpreting
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97356045&ft=1&f=1003
This is an NPR item I just heard on the radio. I thought it captured some of the difficulties when languages and cultures come in contact in a very sensitive way. I hope you enjoy it.
This is an NPR item I just heard on the radio. I thought it captured some of the difficulties when languages and cultures come in contact in a very sensitive way. I hope you enjoy it.
Friday, November 21, 2008
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