My Finer Moments

A little over a semester ago, Colin and I were enrolled in the same Environmental Science course.
(I have a sort of underground interest in environmental science, quasi-intentional pun.)

For a day or so, we'd been discussing levees, which are basically artificially heightened riverbanks to prevent flooding. (But don't quote me on that-- like I said, it was a more than a semester ago!)

Naturally, I had a question about the real-life applications of the concept. I raised my hand. Colin knew what was coming and shook his head.

"What does it mean," I inquired, "if a levee is dry?"

"I'm not quite sure what you're asking," our professor responded. "Does the book mention that somewhere or--?"

"No, just hypothetically speaking, what would it mean if you took your Chevy to a levee, but the levee was dry?"

VALID QUESTION. Am I right?

Our professor was just surprised we were familiar with such an old song. But she didn't know the answer, so opened it up to the amused class.

One guy, who had spent some time working at an auto shop or something of the sort, said that there's a car part that's sometimes called a "levee" and if it's dry then you're out of oil. We accepted that as a plausible answer.

But I have been unable to find any support of his hypothesis online, and consequently reject it.

Maybe the river itself was just dried up?

Caroling!

Tonight a family in our ward invited my family over to sing Christmas songs.

I thought this was a bad idea.

"Don't they know," I asked my mom, "that our family doesn't sing?" (at  least not well)

But it ended up being a lot of fun. "What we don't have in skill," my mom told them, "we make up for in volume."

Ben brought along his viola, Rebekah brought her cello, and Lindsay, her violin.
Each played along for at least one song, and Nick played a few songs on the cello as well.

And then we ate cookies!

And we wanted to pawn off the extra cookies (leftover from Friday's reception), so we went off to sing a song for some friends!
We opened it up with "O Hanukkah!" and closed with "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

It was a good time.

Michigan Reception

Katie had some more wedding festivities shortly after I got home!

This was the only wedding event that my family really planned, and I just loved it so much more! There wasn't a fear of treading on anyone else's toes. We could make contributions and suggestions and got to help decorate and get everything ready without it being a chore.

I MADE THAT ARCH. It is so pretty.

And during the reception I kept busy talking! I felt like I was holding down the reception line at the back of the room! I found out afterwards that many of the guests were awkwardly curious about my relationship status with Colin, since it was my older sister's reception and Colin and I have been dating for awhile. Just wondering if the next reception is around the corner but afraid to inquire directly, I guess!

I DJ'd the music off of my iTunes and felt like a playlist pro. Plus hanging out and dancing with the sibs was a party. Bekah got a little camera happy, the little narcissist (with good reason, I suppose-- she's a looker!), so we do have a photographic record of quite a bit. I swear I'm eating in every photo, though!

Just embarrassing ourselves, pretty much.

All to amuse our mother.

Like I said, eating in all the photos.

Ryan wants to be a bridesmaid. He's on top of it.

We needed our hands free to help put chairs up. Easy solution.

Yup, Ryan's a bridesmaid. Initiation.

Thoughtful

Colin gave me the best Christmas present and I am so excited about it.
He came up with a theme.
And then found three presents with three different purposes.
The first, just for fun.
The second, to be useful.
The third, to show charity.

The first was the board game SCRABBLE. But this version lets you lock in the letters so that they won't slide around. And he promised to play with me. SCORE.

Have you guessed the theme?

The second present I am still geeking out over. It is "The Dictionary of Word Origins" and I am absolutely thrilled. I mentioned last year that I wanted an etymological dictionary, but had totally forgotten about it until sending my mom a Christmas list three days ago. BUT HE REMEMBERED! And I can't wait to read that reference book cover to cover.

NOW have you figured out the theme?

The last gift is a $20 donation (from his bank account, in my name) to an organization that teaches Afghan girls how to read.

Enough Said.

Secret Santa Shopping

So I picked a little sheet of paper out of a basket.
Female.
Age 3.
Size 4/5.
Likes Dora.
Loves green.

And I was so very excited to play Santa.

Colin felt some sort of affinity with a fifteen year-old male in need of a good razor. Unsure as to why that would be....

So Colin took care of his gift pretty quickly. 

And then we went to the little girls' clothing area. And found all sorts of bundles of adorable. And I just put them all in the cart because "We could decide later."

But we weren't having much luck with green... or with Dora. And I figured we had better at least check out the toys.

And there were baby dolls. And baby doll stroller. And what three year old doesn't love a baby doll? But... What if she already has one? Not that you can have too many, but still. I spent probably an hour trying to figure out what assortment to give. I was exceedingly disappointed that WalMart didn't have any good tutus.
So I got her a 12-piece Dora puzzle, a Dora PJ set, and a pair of green stretchy pants.

And now I really want a three-year old to shop for all the time. So my sister should have a baby, pretty much. Three years ago. 

To Do List

1. Short research paper due tomorrow for Info Lit. Haven't started.

2. Fix layouts for Yearbook ASAP.

3. Write copy for Yearbook by Wednesday.

4. Research for paper presentation on the Vatican in WWII due Friday. And then write the paper. Final draft due Monday. Spies and Conspiracies.

5. Clean up memorization/rehearse for final scene due Friday, Acting I. Find monologue.

6. Is Petrarch's Secret humanist or Christian? Paper due Thursday.

7. Another draft of profile for Expository Writing due tomorrow.

8. Clean the upstairs bathroom. Cleaning checks Tuesday evening.

OH DEAR.

Just a Dream

Last night I had a dream that I was really good at singing. Everyone was so surprised and it was just lovely. I wish I had a pleasant singing voice.

It's for the Environment

Eating food straight out of their containers leaves more water for the fish.
And it saves time.
And time is money.

It's so justifiable.

P.S. I dyed my hair black. For fun. Ta daaa!

Election 2012 Status

The melodramatic, the amusing.... the Crazies. Because the backlash is absurd. 

"well... at least he can't get re-elected again." 
That's a glass half-full. It made me chuckle.

"Mitt Romney looks like the manager at McDonalds that tells you that you can only have 1 BBQ sauce with your 20 piece nuggets. Plus Romney never had to tape the back of the remote to keep the batteries in HE DON'T KNO THE STRUGGLE"
Someone's keepin' it real. 


Well there goes my plan to start living in a binder.
It's a joke. Lolz.

"Well....it felt really good to vote for the first time. It does not feel good to have a piece of crap evil America hater still in office...another four years. I can't even begin to describe how worried I am for everyone's future, especially my family's future. On the "bright" side, it's my birthday...weee. I will try hard not to be a Debbie Downer so the people working hard to make this a great birthday (which I know it will be because of them) are happy."
"A piece of crap evil America hater"??? REALLY?? Debbie Downer, indeed! That's just rude. Talk about ad hominem-- that's a literary fallacy right there. Honestly, that's just low. And embarrassing. If you're going to complain, do it in an educated, well thought out manner. Address the issues. And be respectful.

"Loooooook, if you wanna move to Canada FEEL FREE. Look forward to their UNIVERSAL HEALTH, and their LEGAL SAME SEX MARRIAGE. #Ignorance"
#ConservativesFleeToCanada #CultureShock #Oops #Patriotism

"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause."
Death of Liberty=Melodramatic. Star Wars reference=Acceptable.

I'd rather be on my period in a shark tank than have Obama as president.. I'd have better odds for survival.
I don't believe you.

Today Eli ran in screaming and crying. When we asked him why, he said it was because, "Obama is getting reelected and my future is ruined." .... Sadly, he was right.  #GodBlessUs

It's like she thinks we don't have agency. Or futures. Let's just give up now, that's a good idea. We should all stop trying. And only care about ourselves. That will help us out. 

Congratulations America...Welp I guess the world has to end somehow...

The world is ending, now? Missed the memo. Is it because Obama is President? Shouldn't this have happened 4 years ago? How are we still alive?

Hey guys so I think its time to ensure you have food storage and 72 hour kits...we may be needing it.

I know I have used mine periodically throughout the past four years. On account of infrastructure and societal crumbling.

I have never been ashamed of America until November 6, 2012. You stupid because you're IGNORant, selfish people who voted for NObama today, what are you going to do when he declares Sharia law and his Muslim terrorist start killing Christians and Jews and the people who are Gay and have declared they are by coming out in the miliatary and have made so much of a point about being Gay that know exactly who you are because you are no longer in the closet?

I, too, am worried about Obama's Muslim terrorists. It makes sense that he was waiting until his second term to release them. If he'd done it during the first term he might not have been reelected. Because obviously the political process would survive the onslaught. And Obama is definitely to blame for hate crimes, because he makes people feel like it's okay to come out of the closet and tell others about your feelings and struggles.

Reality Check: If you think Obama is a socialist and has given the central government too much power, CANADA IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU.
You survived the last four years. Stop being so melodramatic.
Also. Economy? Unemployment? Maybe Obama can create jobs.... oh wait. That would be kind of socialist of him, huh? Government interfering with capitalism and whatnot.
The world didn't end four years ago.

Also, all is not lost.

‎"We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States."
"We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors."

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/statement-on-election-result

The Boss

I went to hear Springsteen live! It was free, and also happened to be an Obama rally, but that's a minor technicality. I wrote about the experience here, but they tweaked my writing a bit and I'm just not a fan. I had intended to get another draft in, but they just posted it and so I never did more edits. It's okay, I'm not bitter. But here's what I sent them. YOU should read about it HERE:

I heard a rumor through the grapevine that Obama was going to be in Charlottesville, AND Bruce Springsteen would be with him AND I could go. For FREE. It sounded like the sort of life experience that could justify missing a few college courses. So I did.

                I joined a carpool of three political enthusiasts and we began the 90-minute trek to Charlottesville. Or at least we thought it would be 90 minutes. As soon as we left Buena Vista, we found traffic at a standstill. We figured that everyone, their mother and their dog were headed to see the President, but traffic eventually resumed its normal flow.

                Nonetheless, we were running late. Parking was tricky to find and, unfamiliar with the area, I searched my ticket for any useful information. I noted that Obama’s name wasn’t anywhere on the ticket—only Springsteen’s—and commented on the irony.

                We reached the pavilion after the rally had started, catching the end of a campaign video explaining the origins of one of Obama’s campaign slogans, “Fired Up! Ready to Go!” The video featured an enthusiastic, hat-wearing church-goer, and kept all in attendance chuckling because of her infectious zeal.

                The video was followed by former-governor Tim Kaine, a candidate for a seat in the Senate. We realized that President Obama wasn’t in Charlottesville (confirmed by our smart phones), and wouldn’t be coming. But then the Obama-supporting Springsteen was welcomed to the stage.

                I am not a connoisseur of music. I’ve listened to fewer Bruce Springsteen songs than I can count on one hand, and the only lyrics I can recite are “Born in the USA” (not the song; just those four words), but I can’t tell you the tune. The baby-boomers up front were holding down that fort. My appreciation for his music comes through the lyrics.

For one of my classes I read a profile on Springsteen, taking me back to his roots and forward to his dreams. It gave me a greater perspective for the truth and conviction behind his lyrics. To me, Bruce Springsteen is reminiscent of Woody Guthrie. He sounds like an advocate of a better America, and a believer in it. Springsteen explained, “I’m here today because for thirty years I’ve been writing about the distance between the American Dream and American Reality. Gauging that distance has driven me through much of my life. I’ve seen it from both sides.”

Although “Thunder Road” seems to have been the audience favorite, I found myself enraptured by the heart swells of “We Take Care of our Own:” “I’ve been stumblin’ on good hearts turned to stone/ The road of good intentions has gone dry as bone/ We take care of our own/ We take care of our own/ Wherever this flag’s flown/ We take care of our own./ From Chicago to New Orleans/ From the muscle to the bone/ From the shotgun shack to the Superdome/ We yelled ‘Help’ but the cavalry stayed home/ There ain’t no one hearing the bugle blown/ We take care of our own.”

Springsteen also played “Promised Land,” “No Surrender,” “The River,” and a short witty campaign ditty written specially for Obama that was carried by its humor with phrases like, “Let's vote for the man who got Osama... First debate really freaked me out, then Romney got schooled twice by Obama / Smilin’ Joe Biden brought the drama.”

On a more serious note (quasi-intentional pun), Springsteen attempted to motivate the crowd of 6,000 to get out and vote. He said:

“Voting matters, elections matter. Through our vote we get an individual hand in shaping the kind of America we want for our kids. At sixty-three I’ve lived through some galvanizing moments in American history. I’ve seen the Civil Rights struggle, the peace movement, times when you can feel the world shifting underneath your feet. And that always reminds me of President Obama’s election night. That was an evening when you could feel the locked doors of the past being blown open and I remember sitting on my couch and going yeah, this is the place I’ve been imagining in my songs and I’ve been trying to sing. Then comes the daily struggles to make those possibilities a reality in a world that is often brutally resistant to change.”

 Springsteen sings about the American Dream—hope for those who lack in money or spirit. He speaks and sings of America as though it were or could be a land of brotherhood, a land where everyone cares for and looks out for one another. And maybe that’s idealistic, but maybe that’s okay. His songs tell us that there is a better life, a better purpose, and a better way. And his songs tell us that this betterment is attainable. And that draws me in.

I may not have heard the President, but I listened to the Boss. And now that I know what I’ve been missing out on, I may just go ahead and add it to my bucket list, simply so I can cross it off and let people know, “Yeah. I did that.” And they will all think that I know something about music, and something about America.  

The man himself. And Obama paraphernalia.

Yaaaaaay!

Colin doesn't like this picture of him. But I look good, so I'm putting it up anyway. He's the one that insisted on getting one taking in front of Obama's name with me in it, anyway.

But, whoops, HAD to include the scrawling across the top of the board!

Why, yes, this is a giant chalkboard in the middle of an outdoor mall , equipped with giant pieces of chalk for passerby-ers. 

I wrote on it, too.

Beautiful. Although, being in Charlottesville did cause me to yearn after a small college town. I've got the small town and the college. Just not a small college town.

Civic Duty

It's a pretty disgusting picture of me, but hey. I voted. And thought that the Michigan ballot was absolutely absurd. I didn't  know what to do when it came to the school boards, so I voted for the Green Party candidates. I figured they could use some support.

P.S. - I am in favor of eradicating the electoral college system. I don't think it's working the way the revered Founder's intended, and it's a bit ridiculous in practice. Just sayin'.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am starting my Christmas List. It's practically November, so this is acceptable. If anyone else reading this wants to chip in, too, I won't tell you no.

I want this. A raincoat. From Target.

But hey, if you're looking for a classier option, there's always The Brand. Here and here.

And while I may have a lot of boots, this one has a heel! For reasons of looking classy. Also, tall. Taller.

A long, multi-strand fake pearl necklace. Because my roommate last year had one from her grandma that I loved to borrow, but that roommate is now in Utah. And it looks classy.

From here and here.

Bulky knit eternity scarf. For being both warm and fashionable.

 Forever21, Target, Forever 21, Target

Also, I have been just itching for these for quite some time. This one is also a double-whammy-- shoes for Lauren, and shoes for the shoeless. For awhile I really wanted the gray, but then I realized that I would probably actually wear the red with more things... Weird, right? Size 7.

COWBOY BOOTS. So that I can listen to my country music and feel legit. And look legit.

Madden Girl

Madden Girl

MIA

MIA

Laredo

Laredo

Dingo

And I won't say no to gift cards. Target, WalMart, iTunes....

Or a car. I also will not say no to a car.

or this pretty little blue lady.

(Source)

Faces and Feet

Welcome to Virginia in the Fall.

Last Friday night Colin and I went out with some friends of ours. We had to go all the way to Staunton just to bowl-- It's over an hour away!

Meet our co-couple for the night! Introducing K-Bouche and P-Nasty.

Colin does that foot thing.

K-Bouche Candid.

P-Nasty's also got the fancy foot.

I'm not very good at this game. I was losing.

I really like my bowling shoes. They're trendy.

I don't know what's happening here and my face is weird, but check out my cute shirt!

Winning bowling stance right there.