End of the semester

Well, I just finished my last paper for class, and e-mailed it off to my professor. The Fall '07 semester is finally over. Feminist Theories has been a very interesting class, and I've learned a lot. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned is that despite what anyone says, and despite any feminist backlash, the need for feminism is still very real. Case in point: check out this little article from the February 2006 edition of Esquire:

I came across this blurb while I was working on a final project for class about portrayals of women. What angered me so much was the title: Shut Up and Show Us Your Tits." Who do these men think they are that they can get away with something like that?! Something so sexist and racist! Gwenyth Paltrow's altruistic and philanthropic efforts have been completely undermined in some crude attempt at humor. They've sexualized and demeaned her, as well as millions of African women--and women everywhere. And as my professor pointed out, you would never see something like this about a man. When have you ever heard anyone say to Bono, "Shut up and show us your dick"?

This is why we still need feminism--right now.

An Evening With the Symphony

Jessica and I got a phone call this evening from Mom and Kate asking if we wanted to go to the symphony. I was pretty tired, and didn't really want to leave the house, but Kate had the tickets and I didn't want to let them go to waste. So I changed out of my jeans into nicer clothes, and we drove down to the house. The Utah Symphony was playing at the Browning Center at the WSU campus, but we had to pick Katie up.

Once we had grabbed Kate we went out to dinner at Denny's. Hot chocolate sounded good, and it was right on the way. Katie updated us about her life at school and all her friends, and we just enjoyed being sisters and chatting. It was nice.

The concert was wonderful. I haven't been to the symphony in ages, and my soul needed it. The first number was Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 3 in A minor, op. 56 (I got all that from the program). I can't say I'm the biggest Mendelssohn fan, but there were some beautiful moments in the piece, and I was quite entertained by the maestro's silk shirt bouncing around. He wasn't wearing the traditional tux, just slacks and a silk shirt, and every time he waved his arms around his shirt put on a little dance.

The second number was Lois Spohr's Violin Concerto No. 8 in A minor, with the solo part by guest violinist Ralph Matson. I haven't really heard much from Spohr before, so it was interesting to get acquainted with his music. The violinist was pretty good--no Itzhak Perlman, but good in his own way. I enjoyed the piece.

But the real highlight of the evening for me, was the final number: Ottorino Respighi's Pini de Roma (Pines of Rome). I love, love, love this piece, but this was the first I've heard it played live, and man oh man did it send chills up and down my spine. The opening movement made me smile with its delightful chaos, and the second movement (Pines near a Catacomb) had such brilliant brass parts it almost made me cry. The third movement almost had a touch of Debussy in it, and the solo clarinet line ... I can still hear it in my mind and each note was so graceful and perfect. The final movement is spectacular with its military fanfares, and again brilliant performances from the brass section. This final movement lifts you up on wave after wave of sound and you want to just float away in it. This was truly one of those concert moments that you know you will remember forever and ever.

What this all comes down to is that I miss making music--making music with an ensemble. I was never a very good musician, but I loved being in rehearsal or on stage or even on the football field with my bands and making music with all of them. There is something so transcendent about a moment like that: when a several dozen people (or a couple hundred in the case of my marching band) become one musical ensemble. I miss that. And I miss having music in my life on a daily basis. There's not much I can do about it at this point. I just miss it is all.

Speechless Campaign

A number of A-list actors have joined with members of the WGA to produce a series of short videos as part of a new campaign called Speechless. This is my favorite so far.



Check out SpeechlessWithoutWriters.com to watch the rest of them.

Picture didn't work

For some reason Jessica's picture isn't working. I'll try to fix it later.

Sister's Photography

Here's one of Jessica's photographs. I think it's my favorite so far. Just thought I'd share.

Yet another reason why you should support the WGA

OK, this one really got to me. Check out this woman's blog posting about her husband's experience getting residuals for a show he wrote, and the way it affected their family.

WGA Father

This is what residuals are used for--to take care of families. This is what studios want to do away with to fund their own bloated lifestyles.

Insane Studio Executives

More WGA strike stuff. Check out this video. It's funny, and gets the point across that these executives are raving lunatics. I mean, you'd have to be to so blatantly and hypocrytically screw people over. Either that or insanely greedy. Take your pick.

Writers Guild of America Strike

OK friends and family, here's the deal. I don't know how much you all have been following the writers' strike which started early this week, but I'm asking you stand by and support all of the writers.

Why, you ask? First of all, because it's the right thing to do. Despite what you may have heard or read, this isn't a money grab, it isn't quibbling over a bonus, or anything like that. Yes, I believe the entertainment industry is generally bloated beyond all reason, but what the writers are asking for is that they be compensated fairly when their creative materials are rebroadcast--no matter what the media form of that broadcast is--because they live off of those residual checks. Here's a short video that explains it better than I ever could--and it's entertaining to boot!





The second reason why this is so important is because it sets the precedent for other industry guilds whose contracts will be up for negotiation soon. (The Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild will all be facing similar issues in the near future.) You might be wondering, "Don't they all make enough money already?" Well, sure maybe some do, but all of these guilds include middle-class nothings who depend on residuals to pay the bills. And besides, the issue isn't about money. It's the principle that if you work to create something you have a stake in it, and should get compensated fairly. (Yes, I know I keep saying that over and over again, but it's the best way to describe what the writers want: fair compensation.)

My final reason for supporting the writers is out of solidarity. Even though I don't plan on writing for the big screen or for television, I do plan on being a writer in some form or another. And who knows? Maybe one day I will end up writing a hit movie ;) The point is, the thought that a writer could create something and then not be compensated fairly for it, while corporate yahoos make billions, is particularly repugnant to me. I would hate to see anything like that ever happen to any of my writing.

So here's what you can do.

First, sign this online petition: www.petitiononline.com/WGA/petition.html It might not exactly force the AMPTP to give in to the writers' demands, but it is a place where you can voice your support for the writers--and they need it.

Second, write to studio execs and tell them that you appreciate and support scripted television. With the writers going on strike, most networks are going to increase the number of reality shows they produce and broadcast. While there are plenty of awful scripted shows out there, reality television is particularly thoughtless and ... well, skanky. Tell the network execs that you're not a mindless viewer, and you support the writers. Tell them to stop all their corporate spin and stop trying to give writers the shaft. Here are a few addresses to get you started:

Jeff Zucker
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

Universal Studios
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal Studios, CA 91608

NBC Studios
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91523

OK, that's it from me for now, but expect to hear more on this in the not-too-distant future!

Sunday Lullaby

Today was a pretty good day. Kate spent the night last night and went to stake conference with Jess and me. Elder Oaks and President Eyring were the speakers at the conference, and it was great to hear them speak. Barbara Thompson, 2nd counselor in the General R.S. Presidency also spoke, and I enjoyed her talk too.

After the conference we went to my parents' house and spent the rest of the evening there. We watched Miss Potter the movie about Beatrix Potter, the author of the Peter Rabbit stories. It was very good. I had a nice time chit-chatting with my dad while he browsed iTunes for some more Christmas music. He wanted Christmas songs in German because it takes him back to his mission in Austria. I cooked dinner for everyone and we just had a nice evening at home.

I'm staying home tomorrow to try to catch up on some things. I feel like I've been trying to play catch-up on life since this summer. I make some progress, then something comes up (like big homework assignments, or the symposium) and everything falls to pieces again. Well, I had better go. Even though I'm not going to work tomorrow, I'm not sleeping in, so I had better get to bed.

p.s. The title of this blog is referencing a song my mom used to sing when I was little. It describes a quiet Sunday afternoon and seemed to fit the mood of today.

Bride sues florist for wrong colored flowers - At a glance

Bride sues florist for wrong colored flowers - At a glance

Check this article out. Quite ridiculous. I was bored at work when I found this, and since I was still bored, I decided to blog about the article.

College Progress Report

Just got out of class, and am covering the service desk at work. Since there's nothing much to do while covering the desk, I'm writing another blog.

Today in class we started our section on Freud; that is some crazy, crazy stuff. As my dad put it the other day, Freud creates his theories of psycho-sexuality from a case-study of himself. What a way to develop a universal theory. The class discussion was pretty good--I got to make a connection to Jane Austen, which always makes me happy ;) -- although one girl in class, who obviously has read up on feminist issues around Freud, did most of the talking.

I'm processing a collection right now that's full of personal letters from this guy to his mother. Talk about Freudian issues--this guy was loaded with them! It makes for interesting reading.

I started looking at the Spring 2008 class schedule, and I've been debating an issue. I realized that I could finish up all my general ed. requirements next semester, and get my Associates degree. I'm tempted, but it also presents some problems--mostly money problems. I want to take another class next semester that probably won't be taught again for a LONG time, but it's not one of my generals, and if I try to finish off my generals, I don't know that I'd be able to afford another class. Plus, I wonder if the Associates is really going to do anything for me. I guess I'm going to have to talk to an adviser and see if the gen. ed. requirements are going to change anytime soon.

In trying to figure out next semester's classes, I also realized that I'm almost done with my major requirements too. That means it's about dang time for me to pick a minor, and get some work done on that! I'm just going to make it easy on myself and go for history. Oh, and I'm changing from a B.S. to a B.A., so that means I need to start taking foreign language classes; I'm thinking German. All in all, I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It will still take some time, but I think I just might survive college.

At least my bachelors.

New Phone!

So I got my new, awesome, totally free phone today! (Picture on the left.) I've been playing around with it today, and really love it! It has a camera, so maybe I can finally get pictures up of my apartment.

As for other things in my life: school is going well, and at work I survived the Utah Construction Company symposium. I decided to drop my magazine writing class, because it just wasn't working out. Like I mentioned in my last post, I just wasn't learning much, and the class was only adding stress to my life. I'm doing very well in my Feminist Theories class and loving it! We have some very interesting discussions, and the professor is one of my favorites.

Work was nuts last week because of the UCC symposium. It's our biggest event of the year, and we schmooze the donors, and listen to speakers, and pretend that it's all very interesting. We also put on a photo exhibit every year, but this year we let some photography students go out and take the pictures, and mount their own exhibit. BIG mistake. I spent the week before the symposium cutting matboard--which is physically exhausting--late into the evening. In the middle of conferences and other work responsibilities, I had to cut and assemble the mats for two of the artists who didn't get their photos printed in time. I think there were three days in a row that I didn't leave before 10:30 p.m.

The week of the symposium was even more chaotic because of all the last-minute details that always have to be taken care of, but we survived, and we probably won't be doing another symposium for two years--happy dance!!! I went to the fancy donor dinner with my boss. Her husband had to work, but she got her brother and his boyfriend to babysit (which the kids loved), and we went ahead and rewarded ourselves with a nice dinner and good conversation with people we like. Oh, and I got a really cute new dress and shoes, which I may or may not post pictures of .... someday. ;)

Time to go!

Row D, You're Fired!

I'm just about to leave work, but I had to post a quick message because I realized that I get off of work in time to watch House! That makes me so very happy. Tonight House begins firing off his interns, and I can't wait!

I need to go close down the department, but Jessica is taking some pictures of me in the office for her photo project. I'm just babbling now so I look busy in the pictures. Blah, blah, blah.

What else can I write about?

...

...

I've decided I don't really like my magazine writing class. My professor is nice enough, but his lectures really aren't planned out very well, so we cover the same stuff over and over again. I just don't feel like I've learned very much in the class.

Yeah, Jess finished the pictures so we can go home now and watch House and Wilson piss each other off, but know that deep down they love each other. ;)

I've got a lull at work, so I'm here posting a blog. There's not a whole lot that's new going on in my life at the moment. I've started school, and it's going like any other semester. I'm taking Feminist Theories and Magazine Article Writing, so I'm doing a lot of reading and a lot of writing. I'm excited for my magazine writing class, because I'm actually going to try to get published. We're going to spend the semester working on two manuscripts and trying to get them sold. If we sell to a large publication (a circulation of 1 million or more) then we get an automatic "A" -- and a nice paycheck too! So keep your fingers crossed for me. The first article I'm writing is about photographs of World War II German and Italian POWs that were camped here in Ogden. I'm going to try selling it to the Smithsonian.

Anywho. I'm going to get back to work now.

The Villian I Must Be On The Lookout For!

You scored as Elliot, Be warned that you could fall prey to an Elliot! While he may appear to be extremely agreeable, you will find he is political in order to achieve a position. If you do not help him in his ambition, he will find someone else to use. Question his motives! Elliot 65% Wickham 55% Churchill 45% Thorpe 40% Willoughby 35% Crawford 20% created with QuizFarm.com

I'm feeling a bit crap right now. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it's just a combination of many things.

I'm working on the stupid Roberts Collection, and I am so sick and tired of it. I'm so tired of finding random pieces of crap tucked into odd places. I'm tired of Roberts's crap that will never be used. I'm tired of the feeling I get when I look at all the boxes--the feeling that this will never end. It needs to end--and not just for my sanity, but there are other collections that I need to be working on.

I found out today I have to go--excuse me, I get to go to the CIMA conference in October down at BYU. I hate BYU. And the prospect of sitting through a conference of archivists at BYU is really quite ghastly.

Plus, I'm worried about some things, and angry about others, but I won't go into them. I haven't slept well this week, so I'm tired and worn out. I'm getting a headache too, and my eye won't stop twitching. This is a very complain-ey blog!

On the positive side, I'm going to the Davis County rodeo tonight with my family. I actually had fun the last time we went, even though I wasn't expecting to. It's kind of exciting watching the cowgirls doing the barrel races, and the cowboys on those bucking broncos and bulls. Plus, I like being with the family--it settles and regrounds me.

OK, I think I've got to go take some Tylenol for this headache.

My Show is Back, People!!!!

OK, so it's not back back yet, as in back on the air, but the cast and crew of The Office are back on set (and location) filming new episodes for season 4. Spoilers are beginning to abound, and the blogs and message boards are coming back to life. I love this time of year!! ;)

The first episode is called "Fun Run" and from the little bit I'm reading about it, the episode sounds very funny. And we've got the first filming pictures of the season!! Here's a great JAM picture that fills my heart with all kinds of joy and happiness:




According to the guy that took the picture, when "action" was called there was lots of hand-holding and laughing between Jim and Pam, so I am so super-duper excited for this season premier that I can't even begin to describe it! I keep telling myself that I'll stay away from all the spoilers, but I have no will-power. Oh well, what can I say? I'm a sucker for spoilers.

Only 43 more days until the premier!!

Fighting the Boredom

I'm in the middle of processing a collection, but I needed a quick break, so I thought I'd post some random thoughts and experiences. Just because.

**Jessica and I went to a laundromat about a month ago. It was quite the experience. The only things on TV were Spanish soap operas and soccer games broadcast in Spanish. Then a man brought in his dog while he did his laundry. The dog was very sweet, and mostly well behaved (he liked to bark), but I've never seen a dog in a laundromat before. As I said, an experience.

**Jessica and I actually went to our ward on Sunday and attended all our meetings! Sad thing: they didn't bring the sacrament out to the foyer where we were sitting. Funny thing: our Sunday School teacher shared his experience getting "Dear-John-ed" while on his mission. It involved The Lion King (from which he shared clips) and was truly hilarious. Interesting thing: we met a guy who lives in our apartment building, and he was very nice. He helped direct us to the people we needed to talk to about transferring our records to the ward.

**Today is August 1st!; that means CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! Yes, friends and family, as per Johnson family tradition, Christmas music is now free game until the end of December, and the Christmas countdown officially begins--only five more months!!! I've been listening to Bing Crosby's White Christmas album, and when I get home I'll be sure to put on Manheim Steamroller--yes!!

I know I had other random thoughts and so forth to share, but I've forgotten them in the excitement over Christmas ;) hehehe. I better get back to work anyway, so I'll post again later.

p.s. my apologies to you Kira, if you're still reading my blog. Shall I listen to some Hanukkah songs in honor of you? ;) Love and miss ya!

Quick Update

I haven't posted a blog for a while, and I really shouldn't be doing it right now--I should be working, but oh well. I just wanted to post a quick update about some things that have been going on.

The last couple of weeks were kind of crazy crazy because Jessica and I were watching my cousin's daughter, and then my cousin spent a couple of days with us when she got back. Plus Katie spent the night one night and stayed the next day. John came up that day too, so it was pretty crowded in the apartment. House guests always complicate life, but it was nice to spend some time with all of them. All the same, Jess and I were glad to have the apartment back to semi-normal. It's still a mess: the floors need to be cleaned, dishes done, laundry put away, but that will get take care of slowly but surely. Last night I cleaned the bathroom so progress.

My parents went to Oregon last weekend. Actually, my dad went up the week before for work, but my mom flew up to join him over the weekend. I think they had a laid back weekend driving along the coast, and it was nice for them. I think they needed a quick break like that. They stopped at a great little ice cream parlor/candy store that we found last summer and picked up some fudge for all of us. It's a wonderful place on the side of the coastal highway, in a town called Seal Rock. I think the name of the store is "S.R. Fudge" or something like that. If ever you're driving the coast of Oregon you must stop there. The woman gives out HUGE scoops of ice cream: one of her scoops equals like three from any other place, and it's fresh Tillamook ice cream--sooooo good. I love Oregon ...

Anyway. I also went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I will never, ever go again to a midnight showing. Too many snotty teenagers, and I'm just too old to stay up that late and then process a movie. So sad. The movie was pretty good; I like it. There were some problems, but on the whole I think this one was adapted really well. Favorite moment: Harry's flashback in the occlumency lessons to the Mirror of Erised and his parents, then Snape walking into the memory. AWESOMENESS! And Snape will be a good guy, he will be a good guy, he will be a good guy, he will, I know it.

I hope.

Book 7 this weekend and I am getting more and more excited. I haven't pre-ordered the book, because last time I walked into a store that morning and could purchase book 6, so I'm not dealing with that crap. But hopefully I'll have the book done by this weekend. If I get my homework done on time.

Speaking of homework, my class is going ok. There are a bunch of stupid people in my class, but since it's online I don't have to actually talk to any of them face-to-face. That's nice. But I do have to debate them, if you can call it debating. This is how it usually goes:

Stupid student: I believe something stupid for no good reason other than I don't know how to think for myself. I don't know how to research or look anything up for myself, so I have no supporting evidence for my opinion, but I feel very strongly about this.

Me: Ummm, ok, well let me give you some facts. [Insert numerous facts.] So you see, what you believe is stupid (except I'm sometimes nicer about it, unless they're really, really stupid).

Stupid student: But you see what we're really talking about is this feeling (or random experience, or assumption, etc.) that has no basis in logic or fact, so we don't want your facts that make us actually think. We just want to go on in ignorance unchallenged. And while we'll try to be nice to you, we really think you're a liberal who wants to destroy America.

Or another favorite of mine:

Stupid student: Well, this is a very debatable issue, and there are so many opinions on this subject. I can see why so many people feel so strongly about it. And even though this is a debate and I'm just stating the obvious, I'll keep on stating the obvious so I don't really have to think or express my opinions, but can still feel like I'm participating in the conversation.

Wow. Glad I got that all out. I better get back to work now.

We have a piper down. I repeat, a piper down.

We have a bag pipe playing neighbor. I love it! He/She lives in the apartments behind us, and we're separated by a little wood, so it was a funny experience opening my bedroom window and hearing bag pipes that I couldn't see. I sat down by my window and listened to the music and the birds calling to each other, and smiled. I was sitting at my loom (I love that my loom is now by a window with a great view), and I started thinking about old, dying-out art forms. Something about the setting and the music made me very contemplative and relaxed. It was nice.

Jessica and I are all moved into our apartment now. We're getting settled--last night we finally found enough shelf space for all our books (at least, I hope it was all of them!), and slowly the apartment is becoming home. I hope our bag piper friend plays again tonight.

Adventures in Snorkeling

My aunt and uncle have been living in Costa Rica with two of their daughters for the last little while, but since they only have two months before they return to the States, they decided to go adventuring in the surrounding countries -- because apparently, Costa Rica wasn't enough of an adventure. ;) Below is an excerpt from an update my uncle posted on our family website; it was just too hilarious not to share it, so I hope he doesn't mind. They have been spending the last few days in Belize, and one of their adventures was a snorkeling trip that included this run in with some manatees.

"We swam around for another half hour. People started getting tired and climbing into the boat. I came up to the boat trying to decide if I was done or not. Just then, the guide pointed out and said he thought he saw four more manatees surfacing in the distance. I was the only one close by, so I swam out by myself to see. Sure enough, there were four of them playing together. After a bit, one of them pealed off and swam up to me. She was about 5 feet down and 10 feet away. She just sat there staring at me. I wondered if she was waiting for me to give the secret password. I tried to mimic her behavior, but obviously I did it wrong because she spun around and went back to frolic with the others. I was not included. Soon, I noticed a very large male looking piece starting to appear near the rear quarters of one. So manatees are just like horses, donkees and fifteen year old boys. I thought. They have no control over when the self test runs. How embarassing. Then I thought, I sure hope this isn't mating season. As if to confirm my suspicion, just then another one came swimming up from behind and stopped right under neath stud man. Oh gees, I didn't want to watch this. But the female took off as if to say "just kidding". Good for you girl, I thought. Then in a completely unexpected turn of events, this guy's huge male thing suddenly detached and started floating away. "Dude, you might want to get that checked. I don't think that is supposed to happen" I thought.

But suddenly it dawned on me: 1) it was not a huge male thing, it was a huge manatee turd and 2) it was heading right for me. I don't know if you have ever tried to swim away from something in water. It creates a back suction and pulls the thing right at you. At this point, the jaws theme started playing in my head. I was swimming frantically backwards and this huge green thing kept coming closer and closer, filling up the entire view screen of my snorkel mask. "Scotty I need more power!". At the last second, I did a kind of rolling vertical move and threw off the heat seaking sensor on this thing and it floated by harmlessly. About then 3 other snorklers showed up and the manatees headed out. That was fine with me. I had had all the up close and personal I needed with these fellows."

Hilarious!! He had me laughing so hard -- well, on the inside at least, because I was at work when I read his post.

On other matters, I know I promised pictures from our Les Mis night, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I spent the weekend at my cousin's graduation and moving into the apartment, but I will post them! As for the apartment, it's going, but slowly. We still have to figure out how to move all our furniture, but we have been taking car-loads of boxes, and I have high hopes for getting everything done this week. Then, I will also post pictures of the apartment.

Until then,

MAD

p.s. I apologize to any of my family members who already read the manatee post on the family website -- on second, thought I don't apologize. It was funny enough for a second read! Hehehe!

Quick Update

Well, Jessica and I signed our lease today--so it's official! We'll probably start moving in tomorrow afternoon, so yeah!

Tonight we go with the whole family to see Les Mis, and I'm really excited about it. I didn't find a dress, but I did find some stuff to spruce up an old dress I have, so I'll look awesome! ;) hehehe. I'll post pictures here tonight or tomorrow. You're gonna want to see the shoes I got!

And on that little cliff hanger, I'll leave you now and get back to work!

Approved!

JESSICA AND I GOT APPROVED FOR OUR APARTMENT!!!!! I have to call tomorrow to set up a time to sign the lease and pick up the keys, but then we're moving out of the house and into our own place! Happy dance!!!!!! Eek, now I actually have to deal with all my junk! Oh well, I'm moving into my own apartment!!

MAD

p.s. This blog has a lot of exclamation points--guess I'm just happy!!

Clothes Shopping and Makeup

Tonight Jessica and I went shopping for outfits for Friday night when we're going to go see Les Mis. She got a cute black-and-white polka dot dress with red sash, and a pair of red ballet flats--it's REALLY cute. I didn't find anything yet, but I'll look some more tomorrow.

Katie has her 9th grade dance tomorrow, and she got a cute dress, but needed a pair of shoes. While we were at the mall, Jess and I went into a shoe store and found a cute pair of brown satin ballet flats that I think will be very cute. This shoe store was awesome, though; I think I could blow my whole pay check there!

I also ordered a free sample of the mineral powder makeup. I had heard some good things about it, so I though I'd try some, but I wasn't very impressed. It felt like a heavy powder and didn't blend very well--it just kind of stuck to my skin when I first touched the brush to it. I don't think I'll be buying any of their stuff. Well, none of their foundations. They had a concealer powder that I kind of liked, and wouldn't mind experimenting with some more.

Anyway, I'll post some pictures of everyone dressed up for Les Mis so you can see the cute new outfits. Oh, and Jessica and I turned in our applications for an apartment and we should know in a day or two if we meet their rental requirements--so fingers crossed and knock on wood, we could be in our own place very soon!

Furnishings

I finally went to Ikea today, and I mostly had fun. There was a lot of cool stuff there that I'd eventually like to get, but today was more about exploring rather than purchasing. Plus, Jessica and I aren't exactly sure what apartment we'll be moving into, so we'd better figure that out before buying a lot of furniture--oh, and there's the money issue too, as in not having a whole lot.

So we wandered around loving almost everything we saw, jotted down a couple of items for our wish-list, and then did make a few minor purchases (I didn't want to leave completely empty-handed!). I bought some magazine boxes that are really cute; a shower curtain that we loved and want no matter where we're moving into; and finally, we bought some Swedish candies and cookies from their imported goods section. All in all not a bad spending day. I think that I will wait a while before I go back, though. I'll let the novely wear off so there aren't so many people. I mean, highway patrol and city police were everywhere directing traffic, and the crowds were quite suffocating! It was fine for an afternoon of exploring, but I don't feel like repeating that shopping experience any time soon.

After we got home, Jess and I went to a sister's house in our ward. Her daughter just moved back in with her and so they had a lot of extra stuff--extra t.v., extra pots and pans, etc. etc. They offered to let us go through it and pick out what we wanted for our apartment, and we got some pretty decent stuff. Adding this stuff to all the things my parents say they're going to give us, Jessica and I probably have most of the apartment furnished--now if we could just find one and move into it!

MAD

p.s. My body hurts.
p.p.s. I should say that my Dad went to Ikea with us too, and we had fun with him. He explored with us a bit, then went out to the car to get some work done on his laptop. Afterwards, we went and got Chinese, and it was nice just spending a little time with him.

Saturday is a Special Day

I spent the vast majority of my day pouring concrete. It was so much fun.

We're working on a cement path on the side of our house and today we poured two slabs. Usually we just do one because it's so exhausting, but that's taking too long. I don't know if my hands will ever work properly again. They feel stiff and twitchy.

The neighborhood kids decided to stop by while we were pouring the concrete. One of the kids actually wanted to help--and did--but the others just got in the way. It's not a lot of fun trying to mix cement while worrying about wacking a three year old in the head with your garden hoe. Then they got into a water fight with our garden hose and their squirt guns. Again, more fun.

John Perry and I were watching Rosemary and Thyme just a little bit ago. It's a show about two British women who solve murders while creating beautiful gardens. Sometimes it's a little bit cheesy and far-fetched, but I forgive that because the two women are so funny. Case in point. In tonight's episode the bad guy shoots through a window at one of the women to "scare them off the case." She runs to the front door, throws it open, then yells into the night: "What the hell were you thinking?! You've broken the bloody window!" The other woman grabs her and throws her back into the house, then promptly fills her with liquor since she's obviously in shock. John and I had a good laugh anyway!

And speaking of TV shows, I'm going to go watch Dr. Who. It's the new series with Christopher Eccleston as The Dr. and I really like it. It's quirky and weird and cheesy, but so funny. Eccleston is a hoot, and I'm sad he didn't stay for more than one series. Oh, and I just found out that he's playing The Rider in a new movie called The Dark is Rising. It's based on one of my favorite books of the same title, and he's the bad guy. I'm nervous about this movie because I love love love the book--but anyway, I'm going now.

Just Ramblin'

--Katie went to see Pirates of the Caribbean last night with her friends at 11:50 p.m. She didn't get home until almost 3:30 a.m. Then she got up at 7:30 a.m. to go to school, and fell asleep when she got home. It's almost 11:00 p.m., and she just got up an hour ago. Reminds me of my younger days when I went to see Star Wars: Phantom Menace at the midnight showing. She said Pirates was very confusing, and from everything she said, I think the movie sounds like crap and I refuse to spend my hard earned money to see it. I think I'll just stick to the first one, thanks very much. That's when Pirates was exciting, and funny, and unique.

--I spent the evening doing a little yard work with my parents. I mowed and watered the lawn, dead-headed and trimmed my snapdragons, then attacked some of the aspen shoots that have popped up all over the yard. I am worn out, but in a good way, and feel quite satisfied with my work. ;) I also smell like sage because the aspen shoots were in the middle of our Russian sage bush.

--Cupcake went to the new Ikea today and I am jealous. In revenge, I plan to go down there myself sometime this weekend. Don't ask me why that's revenge, it just is.

--This last Thursday was weird because it was the first Thursday after The Office finale, and the beginning of the summer break. I felt a little lost.

--A small crack in the sprinkler pipe caused the flood in my basement. We have now turned off the water to the sprinklers.

--My random thoughts are getting shorter and shorter.

--Goodnight.

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up!

Another chapter in the ongoing saga of my basement flooding! With the rain we've had the last couple of days the window well in my old bedroom filled up again. This is the same bedroom that is now a storage room because the carpet and drywall got soaked a couple of floods ago.

Well, to make matters worse our sump pump for that window has decided to stop working. In fact, when it tries to turn on, something happens and it shorts out the electricity! So there I was at 11 o'clock at night, in the window well, standing in water (and who knows what other muck) above my ankles, bailing that water out with a bucket. When the water level got down low enough I had to squat and reach down into the sump hole with a plastic cup, and fill the bucket that way.

John Perry was helping me with everything, but of course he had to throw in some teasing. He told me there was probably some horrible creature, like a giant water spider, living in the sump pump, and was going to eat me. I suddenly had visions of the head of some alien creature rising to the surface of the water, hissing and snarling, and trying to bite my hand off. What are brothers for, right?

With the back problems I've been having all this bailing was not a good move. I could feel my back protesting each time I lifted a bucket-ful and threw it out into the backyard. My back is already stiff and starting to spasm, and my body is shaking with weakness. I'm afraid to go lie down because trying to stretch my back out seems to make it tense up even more. I've taken an Alieve, eaten some pickles, and will hope for the best. (The pickles have nothing to do with my back, I just like to eat them.)

OK, I think that's enough of a pity party. I think I'm going to go scrub my feet and hope I don't get any rashes from that yucky, yucky water! Oh, and there were no evil water creatures, so happy day.

MAD

Office Finale

So the finale is finally over. I'm still taking it in, so I'll be watching it over and over and over again. I'm going to go home and buy it on iTunes. This will have to last me all summer until the Season 3 DVDs come out. Then I will wear those out, and then I will have to wait until Season 4 starts. I don't know if I can do it. I felt this way at the end of Season 2, and survived, but I might not this time. OK, time to go home!

Office Season 3 Finale

OK, so the season finale starts in two hours and seven minutes ... six minutes ... ok, I'll stop. Anyway, I'm ridiculously nervous and excited right now. A tv show shouldn't do this much damage to your psyche!

There are so many rumors and so much speculation going on right now, and it's driving me crazy! I should stop reading all that stuff, but I just can't help myself. It needs to be 7 pm right now. Actually, 8 pm would be better, because then my anxiety would be over, and I would now what's going on!

OK, I'm going to go and try to hold on to my sanity while I wait for two more hours and three minutes ... two minutes ...

California Dreamin'

I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago, but thought I was starting to get better. Well, not so: the last couple of days it's been getting worse, and now today I'm home from work popping ibuprofin and putting hot packs on it. Stupid back muscles.

I need a vacation. We've talked about a family vacation for this summer, but nobody seems to be able to decide where they want to go. Well, that's not entirely true. We just can't decide between California and Oregon. The last two days I've been looking up info on hotels and airfare and such for both places, just to get the ball rolling. We'll see where we end up--just as long as we go somewhere!!

I hear the dogs in the kitchen getting into to stuff, so I better go and take care of them.

So I haven't blogged for a while, and I don't really have anything interesting to add right now--but cupcake has been harassing me to update this blog; and I'm nothing if not accommodating.

I have finished class work for the Spring, and only have to take the final exam to be finished entirely with the semester. Only 50+ credits remaining until graduation (i.e. FOREVER!). It's been an interesting class--at least, the ones I attended. Class attendance isn't really a strength for me--hehehe. Our final will not be comprehensive (thank goodness) so it will only cover our last few sections: World War II, the Cold War, and the Middle East crisis. I don't think the final will be too difficult. Plus, I calculated that I only need to get 60% on the final to keep an A in the class.

For the first time since I started college, I have signed up for a summer class. I abhor them, and think them cruel and unusual punishment (punishment for what, I'm sure I don't know, but anyway); I've avoided them like the plague. But I have come to the conclusion that if I'm ever going to graduate in this century, I need to take some drastic course of action--hence, the summer class.

I will be taking English 2010--I know, I should have taken this a LONG time ago, but I never could make myself do it. It's a class focused on the writing of research papers, but (not to toot my own horn too much) I'm already quite good at that, and I've dreaded the monotony of taking a class covering material I already know. But I must take it to graduate--and to take any of the writing classes I really want. It's an online class, so this might make it a little easier. Plus, it's a summer course, so it will be a little bit shorter. I will conquer this! (Hehehe, funny little Pride and Prejudice movie quote.)

I've also just recently made my first foray into the world of Charlotte Bronte. I am almost finished with my first ever reading of Jane Eyre, and it's been quite interesting. I find myself truly loving the story of Jane and Rochester, but I also find myself quite annoyed with Bronte's style of writing--VERY annoyed. For instance, I can only recall once where she used the word "open." Throughout the rest of the novel she says "unclosed." Jane unclosed her eyes; Jane heard a door unclose; etc., etc., etc. It's ridiculous! But I'll probably blog more about Jane Eyre on my book blog when I've finished the whole thing. Suffice it to say, I prefer Jane Austen much, much, more.

But let me share with you the latest adaptation of Jane Eyre which led me to finally pick up the book after much cajoling from my mother. I LOVED this adaptation, and just purchased it on DVD. Soooo good! Enjoy!

Started Dull Ended HOT!

So the first half of my day was really, really, really boring. I went to the new employee orientation since I just "started" my new job, and this orientation was about what you'd expect from an orientation. Here's the thing, I've been working and going to school on this campus for 6 1/2 years. I know more things about the campus, the services, and the people that work for the University than I ever wanted to know! So why I need to go to a new eomployee orientation, I'll never know.

We learned not to share passwords and to shred documents because personal information is private--duh. We toured the campus and visited various departments. Then we went and learned that illegal software sharing and copying is not allowed--duh again--and that our computers need to be protected--double duh. Then two people from the Purchasing department came in to explain the various ways that the University obtains good and services. This was, again, a major snooze for me because a very large portion of my previous job was spent dealing with purchasing issues. Finally we learned that a particular woman in the department of performing arts likes to talk a lot. Actually, I knew that already from working with her on events in special collections, so see, the whole day was a waste for me!! At least I got breakfast and lunch out of it.

When I got home from my dull morning (by the way, orientation started at 8am, I got there at 8:30am; my usual Tuesday work-day begins at 2:00pm. I was very tired!) I went shopping for new shoes for me, and a new dress for Kate. We had tickets to the annual storytelling festival the university puts on, and I wanted it to be a kind of special evening for all of us. The shopping took about two hours (quick for us!), then we rushed home to get ready. We got there a half hour late, but still in time for dinner, and in time to have some enjoyable conversation with my boss, some co-workers and their spouses, and some othe nice ladies who all sat at our table.

After dinner--which was fair--the storytellers came up, and they were awesome! The first was Syd Lieberman, who I have heard before, and absolutely loved! He told a great short story to kind of introduce himself, and we got to hear his impressions of Brando, Bogart, and especially Sean Connery. I love this man's stories!

The second storyteller was a woman names Olga Loya; she told a Venezuelan folk tale about a rabbit who discovers he has more strength in himself than he thought. She was a lot of fun because she gave her characters such great voices, and really got into the story. The third storyteller was Diane Ferlatte, and her story was about John Bosco (?) outsinging the devil. She was accompanied by a man named Erik Pearson playing steel guitar; both of them were AWESOME.

The final storyteller was Patrick Ball, and he shared some stories from Ireland and played some folksongs on his celtic harp. His stories were sweet and funny, but the music was breathtaking! Jessica particularly loved it. She turned to me afterwards and said she wanted to play the celtic harp now!

All in all it was a great evening. I was glad to spend it with my sisters--especially two sisters who look as great as these two do! For your viewing pleasure, here's a picture of three HOT ladies who had a wonderful, wonderful evening together!

MAD



p.s. I love my new shoes!!!

Boredom

I'm bored tonight, so I'm blogging to pass the time. I filled out all the paper work for my new job in the Library--so it's official: I am now the Special Collections Processor. I'm excited about this, and feel really blessed. I love my job and the people I work with.

We finally had a little family time tonight with my sister. The weekend was just constant visiting and even a little drama, so it was nice to just sit down and chat this evening; to finally sit down and be all together again.

And now I'm bored blogging, so I think I'm going to go downstairs and hang out with my brother and sister, and then get ready for bed.

MAD

She's Home!

We picked Jessica up today, and it was awesome! She just left for the Stake Presiden'ts office to get released. I think we might watch some movies when she gets back ;)

I can't believe she's really here! I was sitting with her when I noticed a hair on her sweater. I reached over to pick it off, and it hit me: She's really here! It's not just a dream! Kind of silly, I know, but true story.

Well, that's all for now. I'm just so excited!

MAD

First, Second, and Third

So, first things first: my sister comes home the day after tomorrow. I am so excited! and a little nervouse too. I mean, she's been away a year and a half, and a lot happens in a year and a half. I just don't want her to be overwhelmed, and I don't want to pressure her into things--adjusting to non-missionary life can be really hard. We'll see how it goes.

Next, I'm working on my research paper for my history class. My topic is gender roles as portrayed in Punch magazine in 1895--the year of Oscar Wilde's trial. I'll be arguing that Victorian gender roles and ideals were being heavily challenged at this time, that Oscar Wilde was made an example of, and that this is evidenced in Punch. Kind of confusing, but I think I can pull it all together. I've done some research on Oscar Wilde and Victorian gender roles before, so mostly I'm working on looking through Punch and making notes on the engravings, poetry, and essays. I know it's kind of geeky, but I love doing research like this. My only problem is that I do too much research, and then have to scramble to write the stupid paper--and struggle to not write a whole book with all the research I did.

What else? I have a "first" and a "next" now I need a "finally" . . . oh!

And finally, Valentine's Day was not that bad this year. I spent the evening with my family: we had dinner together and watched an old Bob Hope movie. If Valentine's Day is about love, then I think I celebrated in fine style.

MAD

Single Awareness Day

So, yeah, it's Valentine's Day. I call this holiday Single Awareness Day not because I'm particularly bitter about my single status (mostly), but because it's the one day of the year when my single status is shoved in my face no matter where I go, or what I do. I defy even the happiest and most comfortable single not to feel some level of discomfort on this day of days.

I've been reading an interesting blog the last couple of days. A woman in the UK started a blog about her New Year's resolution to have a date for Valentine's Day. She decided she would give herself 31 days, and each day she would do at least one thing that could potentialy help her meet Mr. Right. I've only read a couple of entries, but they're cute. Yesterday's post was about her eBay auction date. She auctioned a date with herself on eBay, and the highest bidder paid 210 British Pounds (sorry, couldn't figure out how to do the little pound symbol) for her. After paying for dinner, the rest of the money would go to charity. Anyway, she went on her date with the guys last night, (after taking proper precautions for meeting someone over the internet) and she said it wasn't bad. The guys was nice, normal, and rather sweet. You can read her blog at www.thirtyonedays.com

I don't know why I felt compelled to go into that whole story, but it was just interesting and appropriate for Valentine's Day.

So, what are you all doing for Valentine's Day? And if you're in a relationship, and you're planning something mushy and romantic tonight, I don't want to hear about it. So, I guess I should ask, how are my single friends surviving tonight? Any tips for me?

MAD

So, I don't know what to write about tonight, but I feel like I should blog something. Is that sad? Is that the right word? I don't know.

My sister comes home from her mission in two weeks. I am so super-excited I can't even begin to describe it! We've got to get the house cleaned up, and my room (our room, actually) especially needs to be cleaned. I've been trying to be a good little girl: organizing financial papers, throwing away junk, doing laundry, etc--but I can never keep everything up at once. So I'll make a lot of headway with organizing my papers, but that means everything else goes to pot. And if I try to clean all the dirty clothes on my floor, I end up with a box of papers in the middle of the floor waiting to be organized. And don't even get me started on how badly that floor needs to be vacuumed! (Darn dogs. Mutter, mutter, mutter.)

On a happier note, the weather has been fantastic! I am so sick and tired of winter, and the record breaking cold temps we've had lately have really thrown me over the edge. The last couple of days have been a nice reminder that I'm not always a popsicle (oh, speaking of popsicles, that sounds really good right now. A nice banana or rootbeer popsicle, yum!). I know the warmer weather won't last for too long (it is only early Feb. after all) but it's a light at the end of the tunnel; a glimmer of hope after a long, dark, frigid winter.

OK, it's one minute after midnight, so I'm going to go to bed.

MAD

For Cupcake's Benefit

This post is to let you know that at 1:49 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, 2007, I completed and submitted my application to the HR department for the Processor position. I have completed my application with 34 hours and 10 minutes to spare, thereby proving you wrong. So nah, nah, nah.

Oh, and I haven't watched The Office yet either. So nah, nah, nah again.

Because I Was Bored . . . Thanks Cupcake

001. real name ? If you're reading this, you probably know it.
002. nickname ? Maloo, Mellie, Lissa, etc. etc.
003. single or taken ? singe
004. zodiac sign ? sometimes cancer, sometimes gemini--I'm a cuspy.
005. male or female ? That would be . . . female.
006. elementary ? Grant Elementary in Springville
008. highschool? Tempe High--Go Buffaloes!!
010. hair color ? brown. nothing special
011. long or short-- medium
015. are you health freak ? I don't think anyone would call me a health freak.
016. height ?Actually I don't know exactly. 5'4" ish?
017. do you have a crush on someone ? Yes.
018. do you like yourself ? Mostly.
019. piercings ? Ears--one in each.
020. tattoos ? Yeah right. Because I want the pleasure of ink being injected under my skin with a needle.
021. righty or lefty ? righty, but in Kindergarten my teacher asked me if I was left handed because I held my scissors backwards.

FIRSTS :

022. first surgery ? I had caps put on my teeth when I was four--but is it surgery if internal organs aren't exposed?
023. first piercing ? ears
024. first best friend ? dustin was the friend I first played with all the time, but Kristine is the one I'd call my first best friend.
025. first award ? I think I won a coloring contest in third grade.
026. first sport you joined ? basketball . . . or was it swimming?
027. first pet ? That I remember? Miss Kitty--but there were other cats before her that I don't remember.
028. first vacation ? Probably to St. George or maybe it was when we went to Fresno.
029. first concert ? what kind of concert? I was in school musicals in elementary school, but my first concert was in 6th grade: recorder band. Oh yea, that was pretty (insert heavy sarcasm).
030. first crush ? Well, maybe you could say Dustin was my first crush because we were friends of opposite gender (in kindergarten, and then he moved), but it was probably Brandon that I first considered as a crush. We told each other we loved each other in first grade, but then in third grade he swore at recess and I stopped liking him. That was also the year that Dustin moved back from New Mexico, so I think I was just looking for an excuse to dump Brandon.

CURRENTLY :

049. eating ? nada
050. drinking ? zilch
052. i'm about to ? get ready for bed.
053. listening to ? the ceiling fan in the bathroom and the sound of me typing.
055. waiting for ? Godot. Oops, no. Waiting for . . . so much.
057. wearing ? jeans, hoodie, slippers.

YOUR FUTURE :

058. want kids? Never, ever. And if you believe that, then you don't know me.
059. want to get married?? and how!
060. careers in mind? College professor, literature critic, foremost Jane Austen authority, world dominator--wait, did I say that out loud?

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX? :

068. lips or eyes? ? I think I like looking at eyes more than lips, but you can do funner things with lips.
069. hugs or kisses ? get back to me when I've actually had a kiss--wait, did I say that outloud?
070. shorter or taller ? taller than me, but not too much
072. romantic or spontaneous? spontaneously romantic
073. nice stomach or nice arms ? arms--the better to hold you with my dear
074. sensitive or loud ? who would actually want someone who's loud?
075. hook-up or relationship ? what kind of question is this?
077. trouble maker or hesitant? I like a little bit of a trouble maker

HAVE YOU EVER :

078. kissed a stranger ? no
079. drank bubbles ? bubble liquid is disgusting, why would you drink that? ;)
080. lost glasses/contacts ? don't wear them so, no. Do I need them--probably.
081. ran away from home ? I've packed up to run away, but never actually went anywhere.
082. broken any bones ? I guess I broke my thumb when I was 4 when I got it stuck in a folding chair, but I don't remember that.
084. broken someone's heart ? not to my knowledge
085. been arrested ? no, but oddly there's a part of me that wishes I could answer this question differently.
086. turned someone down ? not directly. I just gave him excuses until he got the hint. I'm a chicken.
087. cried when someone died ? umm, who wouldn't?
088. liked a friend ? Yes, I typically do like my friends. j/k Yes, I have been romantically interested in friends who are of the opposite sex.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

089. yourself? sometimes
090. miracles ? yes
091. love at first sight ? sort of . . .
092. heaven ? yeah
093. santa claus ? That a big, fat man in a red suit comes down my chimney to give me presents? No. That there was once a man who gave gifts to children and has come to represent the spirit of giving and kindness at Christmas-time? Yes.
094. sex on the first date ? who would say yes to this?!
095. kissing on the first date ? only of the hershey variety . . . ok maybe a quick one on the cheek
096. angels ? yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :

097. is there one or more people you want to be with right now? I'm not exactly sure what this question means . . . but if it means are there people that you care about and miss, but they aren't around right now, then yes.

Wheres 98? <-------right there . . . no, over here -----> 98

099. had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? Please, as if.

100. do you believe in god? See #92 (That means yes.)

Singin' and Dancin'

So my little sister is freakin' awesome! Tonight we went to the opening night of her school's dinner theater program, and she performed in seven songs. She's just too good for words. She moved my mom and aunt to tears, and I think I saw a couple of other audience members wiping away tears too.

The program was a musical review, so they performed selections from a number of musicals. Their first number was an ensemble number: "Footloose" from Footloose. This was the musical they performed at the end of last year, so I think this was a little nod to some of the alumni who had returned to perform tonight. The kid who sang the song was one of those alumni, and he also played Ren last year. It was nice to see him reprise the role--he's got some power in his voice.

The girls then performed "Wash That Man" from South Pacific, and the guys followed with "Nothing Like a Dame." Both numbers were very cute. "You're the One That I want" from Grease came next, and the kids who played Sandy and Danny were good--I really liked them.

Kate's first main song came next: "Step Too Far" from Aida. It's a trio between Radames, Amneris, and Aida; Kate played Aida and totally rocked the house! Aida is such a powerful part, and in this song she's so torn between her love for Radames and her love for her people. Kate really caught the conflict, and her voice was so strong.

The next number was a really cute one: "Agony" from Into the Woods, and it was performed by the two light/sound guys. I guess someone dropped out at the last minute, so the drama teacher taught these two the song in a couple of days. They were total hams, and really had the audience laughing; it was fun!

The next number was a montage of songs from Les Mis, and oh boy, did these kids really knock the socks off all of us! Kate played Eponine, and it was her songs "On My Own" and "A Little Fall of Rain" that brought my mom and aunt to tears. She was so, so good! The kid who played Jean Valjean was awesome too. He's got the purest voice--perfect for Valjean. "Bring Him Home" gave me chills up and down and all over.

"Seasons of Love" from Rent came next, and Kate had worked so hard on this song. She had a solo part in the song with some scatting and then a really, really high note. She was so scared that she'd bomb on that note, but she hit it! It was great, and I was so excited for her! "Grease Lightning" from Grease was a fun number too. The guys are all actually pretty good singers and got into their parts--unusual, I think, for young teenage boys.

"What's the Matter with the Man?" from Cinderella was a real hoot. This is my favorite song from this musical, and the two girls who sang it were so very obnixious--perfect for the ugly stepsisters! The guys had one last number: "Carrying the Banner" from Newsies. This was probably the best I've heard them perform this one--and I sat in on quite a few rehearsals. And that reminds me: funny story about this number. During the last rehearsal two of the boys are supposed to get into a "fight" and chase each other around the stage. They throw a couple fake punches at each other, and it's funny. Well, last night one of those fake punches turned into a real one. I guess, they just got too close, and one kid punched the other right in the eye. The Punchee then flipped the Puncher the bird before finishing the rehearsal. Good stuff.

The final number was "We're All in this Together" from High School Musical, which will be their play at the end of this year. This is actually a pretty fun song, I think, and their dancing was cute. Kate was Gabriella in this song--she's hoping to get the part again when they do the full play. The kids had a lot of fun with this final number, and the audience went wild for them.

Before we knew it, they were coming out for cutain calls and final bows. Then it was over. :(

But we've still got two more performances tomorrow! :)

Just Had to Share . . .

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

One more reason for me to go to London--even on-line quizzes say it's my city!

Ivan the Terrible & Elizabeth I

So this semester I'm taking History of the World since 1500. It's been an interesting class so far. We're covering absolutist monarchs of the 16th century: Ivan the Terrible, Louis XIV, and Elizabeth I. Actually I didn't go to class the day we covered Louis, so I don't know what was so absolutist about him--except that he killed people who left the Catholic church.

We spent most of our time covering Ivan the Terrible--about a week!--because our professor is a Russian historian, and can really go on and on about it. Let me tell you, Ivan was pretty terrible! I'll spare you the grisley details, but suffice it to say, I thought I was going to throw up a couple of times. He makes Hitler look like a nice guy. Blech!

Today we covered Elizabeth I, and I was slightly disappointed in the lecture. I think that Elizabeth's reign is one of the most fascinating in history, and it bummed me out that we glossed over it one day--especially after a week of Ivan. Blech! I mean, the woman was one of the most powerful women in the history of the world; ruled England for 45 years; built the world's most powerful navy from nothing, and destroyed the Spanish Armada; expanded England's military, political, and economic power; formalized the Anglican faith, and brought religious peace to England; was a patron of the arts (Shakespeare anyone??); and had a most fascinating personal life. Wouldn't you agree that she deserves more than a quick, 40 minute summary?

The Rennaisance is one of the greatest cultural revolutions--ever!--and this is the time that England really rises into power and becomes one of the greatest forces in the Western world!! And we skip over all that for sick-o Ivan the Terrible?!? Blech!

OK, I've got that off my chest now. Maybe now my wounds can start to heal.

MAD

John and Abigail Adams

I watched the last half of American Experience last night. This episode was about John Adams, and actually, I learned quite a bit about him that I never knew before. I've long been interested in his wife, Abigail, and their correspondence with each other, but this program also touched on Adams's feelings about his place in history, his up-and-down relationship with Jefferson, and a little bit about his relationship with his children (at this was what was covered in the parts I watched). I would really like to watch the whole program sometime.

There was a great historian that was interviewed for the program. She had more personality than most PBS documentary historians have, and I was always a little glad when they cut to her. I've got to find out her name--maybe she'll have some interesting books or something.

David McCullough was, of course, also interviewd. It was weird seeing him interviewed and putting a face to that distinctive voice. A couple of times, if I glanced down or something, I would get confused as whether he was being interviewed, or narrating the program! And this reminds me: *Note to self* Read 1776!!

MAD