So. What.
I think we have a problem here in Utah. Everybody wants to get everything done so quickly. Married at 19. Baby at 20. Another baby at 21. What is with that? Oh, and graduating in 2 years so you can have your degree. What is with the Mormon women and having to get life started so dang soon. I feel like everyone is just making plans and hurrying to get things done so quickly. Why? Because you have to have 10 kids before you hit 35?
I hate that everyone is pressuring me to have a baby. Baby. Baby. Baby. Baby. Could someone please talk to me about something other than a baby? If they are not talking to me about a baby, it's about grad school. I have had my Bachelor's for two months, and it is officially time to go to grad school. Get my butt to grad school. People always seem so condescending when I tell them I am taking a year off. Like, oh, you're going to work for a year? At your minimum wage jobs? Ugh. How pathetic.
What's wrong with taking my time with my life? Why do I have to have a family by the time I'm 23? Just because I'm LDS doesn't mean I want to pop out babies for the rest of my days. Maybe I want to experience life before I settle down completely. Maybe I want to take things slower so I don't have a nervous breakdown in grad school.
I will do it my way, thank you very much. I'll get there when I get there.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Epic end to an even more epic decade . . . (Tribute to Thrice)
About a month ago I went to my final Thrice concert. It was their Farewell tour, they are basically done being full-time touring musicians. I still have hope that they might make more music one day, but there's definitely no guarantee.
Basically, this was the greatest concert I've ever been to, in my short life of concert attendance. Such a good crowd as far as participation goes. I was a little bit out of the heat of it because we went upstairs on the balcony, but it was still a phenomenal experience. Not being in the middle of the crazy moshers gave me a chance to just sit back and listen when I really just wanted to savor the minute, instead of jump around a punch dance like everyone else. Truly, it was musical perfection.
Since the concert, I basically have felt like listening to only Thrice. I will turn on something else, but it will only take a matter of minutes before I start thinking about a Thrice song I would rather be listening to. This is the band that has ruined all other music for me.
You (as in the one reader I get a year with this blog) may be thinking to yourself, "What's so great about this band I've never heard of?" Well sir/ma'am, let me tell you why they are so friggin good and I could not possibly ever have another favorite band.
Mostly, it's Dustin. Don't tell my husband, but I basically love this man. He is truly amazing. If Dustin writes it, it is pure lyrical gold. I will give you some examples:
"The lesson you'd do well not to forget
Your life could be the one it's wisdom saves
At sea, where you're beleaguered and beset
On every side by strife of wind and waves
Despite the best of maps and the bravest men
For all their mighty names and massive forms
There'll never be and has never been
A ship of fleet secure against the storms.
When kings upon the main have clung to pride
And held themselves to masters of the sea
I've held them down beneath the crushing tide
Til they have learned that no one masters me.
But grace can still be found within the gale
And fear and reverence, raise your ragged sail."
-King Upon the Main
Not convinced? Okay, we'll keep going.
"I've never been this cold, the fire's gravity compels
Like planets cling to sol, I feel my orbit start to fail
Like moths to flame I come, too close and all my oaths are burned
As star begin to run, all my accusers take their turn
And calling curses down, from my lips lies like poison spill
And then that awful sound, the sound of prophesy fulfilled
And then I met your eyes, and I remember everything
And something in me dies, the night that I betrayed my King."
-from Like Moths to Flame
And there is so much more where that came from. He is so brilliant, I hope his pursuits now that he is not a frontman take him to the world of literature because I love reading everything he writes. He's capable of saying so much with so little:
"Tell me are you free
While the gallows stand
And bullets lance the bravest lungs
Will I fold my hands or hold my tongue
Or let the flames lick at my feet
Or breathe in fire and know I'm free
Flames will rise and devour me
Oh, to breathe in fire and know I'm free."
-from Firebreather
The second song example is also the second reason why I love this band so much. What other band could scream and make me feel reverent. NONE! I love that Dustin is so religious and his lyrics reflect that. I really do feel closer to God while listening to certain songs. Take this one for example (one of my all-time favorites):
"All you great men of power, you who boast of your feats
Politicians and entrepeneurs
Can you safeguard your breath in the night while you sleep?
Keep your heart beating steady and sure?
As you lie in your bed, does the thought haunt your head that you're really rather small?
If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all.
All you champions of science and rulers of men
Can you summon the sun from its sleep?
Does the earth seek your counsel on how fast to spin?
Can you shut up the gates of the deep?
Don't you know that all things hang as if my a string over the darkness, poised to fall?
If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all.
All you big shots that swagger and stride with conceit
Did you devise how your frame would be formed?
If you'd be raised in a palace or live out on the streets,
Choose the place or the hour you'd be born?
Tell me what can you claim? Not a thing, not your name!
Tell me if you can recall just one thing not a gift in this life
Can you hear what's been said?
Can you see now that everything's grace, after all?
If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all."
-Beggars
Now if that doesn't convince you that they are amazing, I don't know what will, but I will keep going nonetheless. The next reason for loving this band can be summed up in one word: Teppai. This guy is so amazing. Not only does he shred like its nobody's business, but he just oozes style and awesomeness. I love seeing him live, he just grooves around the stage like he's in his room playing by himself.
Another thing I really, really adore about this band is their musical diversity. Album after album, I never get bored. There is something for every mood I am in. Feeling like head banging like a crazy person? Listen to The Illusion of Safety or Artist in the Ambulance. Feeling like getting deeply introspective? Vheissu or The Alchemy Index. Just chilling? Beggars. And if you ever need to get seriously pumped up, one word: Firebreather. I wish so much I had known about these guys when I was playing volleyball. It would have gotten me much more riled than any of that hip-hop nonsense we played during warm-ups.
I thing the last thing I have to say is that it just doesn't get any better. I can't explain it. I've just never listened to anything this good. And in some cases, I've never listened to anything so beautiful. I think this is exemplified best in this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYmxHN4z7k
So there's my long-winded tribute to Thrice. Hopefully, someone will listen to my constant pleadings and give them a try. But if not, I'll just keep my wonderful little secret hidden from at large and know that it doesn't get any better than this.
Basically, this was the greatest concert I've ever been to, in my short life of concert attendance. Such a good crowd as far as participation goes. I was a little bit out of the heat of it because we went upstairs on the balcony, but it was still a phenomenal experience. Not being in the middle of the crazy moshers gave me a chance to just sit back and listen when I really just wanted to savor the minute, instead of jump around a punch dance like everyone else. Truly, it was musical perfection.
Since the concert, I basically have felt like listening to only Thrice. I will turn on something else, but it will only take a matter of minutes before I start thinking about a Thrice song I would rather be listening to. This is the band that has ruined all other music for me.
You (as in the one reader I get a year with this blog) may be thinking to yourself, "What's so great about this band I've never heard of?" Well sir/ma'am, let me tell you why they are so friggin good and I could not possibly ever have another favorite band.
Mostly, it's Dustin. Don't tell my husband, but I basically love this man. He is truly amazing. If Dustin writes it, it is pure lyrical gold. I will give you some examples:
"The lesson you'd do well not to forget
Your life could be the one it's wisdom saves
At sea, where you're beleaguered and beset
On every side by strife of wind and waves
Despite the best of maps and the bravest men
For all their mighty names and massive forms
There'll never be and has never been
A ship of fleet secure against the storms.
When kings upon the main have clung to pride
And held themselves to masters of the sea
I've held them down beneath the crushing tide
Til they have learned that no one masters me.
But grace can still be found within the gale
And fear and reverence, raise your ragged sail."
-King Upon the Main
Not convinced? Okay, we'll keep going.
"I've never been this cold, the fire's gravity compels
Like planets cling to sol, I feel my orbit start to fail
Like moths to flame I come, too close and all my oaths are burned
As star begin to run, all my accusers take their turn
And calling curses down, from my lips lies like poison spill
And then that awful sound, the sound of prophesy fulfilled
And then I met your eyes, and I remember everything
And something in me dies, the night that I betrayed my King."
-from Like Moths to Flame
And there is so much more where that came from. He is so brilliant, I hope his pursuits now that he is not a frontman take him to the world of literature because I love reading everything he writes. He's capable of saying so much with so little:
"Tell me are you free
While the gallows stand
And bullets lance the bravest lungs
Will I fold my hands or hold my tongue
Or let the flames lick at my feet
Or breathe in fire and know I'm free
Flames will rise and devour me
Oh, to breathe in fire and know I'm free."
-from Firebreather
The second song example is also the second reason why I love this band so much. What other band could scream and make me feel reverent. NONE! I love that Dustin is so religious and his lyrics reflect that. I really do feel closer to God while listening to certain songs. Take this one for example (one of my all-time favorites):
"All you great men of power, you who boast of your feats
Politicians and entrepeneurs
Can you safeguard your breath in the night while you sleep?
Keep your heart beating steady and sure?
As you lie in your bed, does the thought haunt your head that you're really rather small?
If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all.
All you champions of science and rulers of men
Can you summon the sun from its sleep?
Does the earth seek your counsel on how fast to spin?
Can you shut up the gates of the deep?
Don't you know that all things hang as if my a string over the darkness, poised to fall?
If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all.
All you big shots that swagger and stride with conceit
Did you devise how your frame would be formed?
If you'd be raised in a palace or live out on the streets,
Choose the place or the hour you'd be born?
Tell me what can you claim? Not a thing, not your name!
Tell me if you can recall just one thing not a gift in this life
Can you hear what's been said?
Can you see now that everything's grace, after all?
If there's one thing I know in this life, we are beggars all."
-Beggars
Now if that doesn't convince you that they are amazing, I don't know what will, but I will keep going nonetheless. The next reason for loving this band can be summed up in one word: Teppai. This guy is so amazing. Not only does he shred like its nobody's business, but he just oozes style and awesomeness. I love seeing him live, he just grooves around the stage like he's in his room playing by himself.
Another thing I really, really adore about this band is their musical diversity. Album after album, I never get bored. There is something for every mood I am in. Feeling like head banging like a crazy person? Listen to The Illusion of Safety or Artist in the Ambulance. Feeling like getting deeply introspective? Vheissu or The Alchemy Index. Just chilling? Beggars. And if you ever need to get seriously pumped up, one word: Firebreather. I wish so much I had known about these guys when I was playing volleyball. It would have gotten me much more riled than any of that hip-hop nonsense we played during warm-ups.
I thing the last thing I have to say is that it just doesn't get any better. I can't explain it. I've just never listened to anything this good. And in some cases, I've never listened to anything so beautiful. I think this is exemplified best in this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYmxHN4z7k
So there's my long-winded tribute to Thrice. Hopefully, someone will listen to my constant pleadings and give them a try. But if not, I'll just keep my wonderful little secret hidden from at large and know that it doesn't get any better than this.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Lyricist . . .
Rhetoric can't raise the dead
I'm sick of always talking when there's no change
Rhetoric can't raise the dead
I'm sick of empty words
Let's lead
Not follow
Late night
Brakes lock
Hear the tires squeal
Red light
Can't stop
So I spin the wheel
My world goes black
Before I feel an angel
Steal me from the greedy jaws of death and chance
And pull me in with steady hands
Giving me a second chance
The artist in the ambulance
I'm sick of always talking when there's no change
Rhetoric can't raise the dead
I'm sick of empty words
Let's lead
Not follow
Late night
Brakes lock
Hear the tires squeal
Red light
Can't stop
So I spin the wheel
My world goes black
Before I feel an angel
Steal me from the greedy jaws of death and chance
And pull me in with steady hands
Giving me a second chance
The artist in the ambulance
Permanence . . .
I am not sure if there is such a thing as permanence. Sure, we have the word, the meaning, and the usage, but I don't believe in it. What in this world is really permanent? Yes, I have always had this body, this brain, this soul, but it has changed so much over these past 22 years that I have serious doubts over whether any of it could really be considered "the same."
You can build anything up and break it all down the next day. What in this world is not perpetually changing? Becoming older never ceases. Even bones grow older, whiter, and more brittle in the sun as the years go on.
Nothing is ever as it was.
You can build anything up and break it all down the next day. What in this world is not perpetually changing? Becoming older never ceases. Even bones grow older, whiter, and more brittle in the sun as the years go on.
Nothing is ever as it was.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Prayer . . .
. . . Is the most amazing resource I have been given on this earth. How in the world could I survive this life without a constant lifeline to the only one who really knows what is best. I feel so bad for people who don't think they can pray. I wish they knew what kind of power lie in prayer. I stop and pray so much throughout the day. Random times, for random reasons. When I don't know what to do. When I am upset. When I am amazed at a new blessing. When I am amazed at an old blessing. When I start worrying about the future. Every little thing. I trace it back to God. He blesses me immensely. He shows me the way. And when I follow his way, it always turns out for the best.
My testimony of the Gospel is so deeply rooted in prayer that whenever I am struggling with any other Gospel topic, that is what I turn to. Give me knowledge of this that I may believe. And it helps so much.
The best time to pray is in the temple. The temple has weeded out so many distractions and it does so much in keeping Satan away that is it the best place for the companion of prayer to come. Revelation. God answers the prayers of His children. Especially in the temple. But He also answers the prayers of His children in his own time and in his own way. Sometimes that way is not the way we would have it. But learning to accept revelation only strengthens your relationship with the one who gave it to you.
I am so grateful that I have this tool. This invaluable resource to help me through this life. It can be an incredibly difficult life, and I am so glad that I have an omniscient Father to guide me and make things easier.
My testimony of the Gospel is so deeply rooted in prayer that whenever I am struggling with any other Gospel topic, that is what I turn to. Give me knowledge of this that I may believe. And it helps so much.
The best time to pray is in the temple. The temple has weeded out so many distractions and it does so much in keeping Satan away that is it the best place for the companion of prayer to come. Revelation. God answers the prayers of His children. Especially in the temple. But He also answers the prayers of His children in his own time and in his own way. Sometimes that way is not the way we would have it. But learning to accept revelation only strengthens your relationship with the one who gave it to you.
I am so grateful that I have this tool. This invaluable resource to help me through this life. It can be an incredibly difficult life, and I am so glad that I have an omniscient Father to guide me and make things easier.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A homemaker . . .
. . . That's me! Not really, but I have been trying a little bit harder than usual lately and have been moderately successful. Go me! Tonight I made ham and potato soup. It is one of my favorite meals from my mother's recipe box, and I have to say that mine was a pretty close match. I am very proud. Unfortunately, my husband wasn't even here to share it with me, but I will still post the pic of my accomplishment.
Yeah, I am pretty pleased with myself, if you can't tell. Next I will try to make homemade oven-baked fries! Wish me luck!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
This semester . . .
My goodness. I am tired today. Oh, wait, I was tired yesterday, too. And the day before. This semester has been outstandingly exhausting. I always, always, always have something that I have to do. Something that needs to be taken care of. One more item off a to-do list that has no end, no end whatsoever! I feel like I am battling my own life. I never thought that working part-time and going to school was a big deal, I have been doing it for 6 out of my 7 semesters here at SUU. There is just something particularly overwhelming about this semester. I think I know a few reasons.
First, printmaking. To all those people who said, "Just finish that art minor, you won't regret it." Oh. Do I ever. This class has been so extensively hard on me that sometimes I just feel like never going and failing it. We are constantly, constantly working on something. I work my butt off for two straight weeks trying to finish a monster of a lino-cut, just to immediately start searching for an image for my duotone. I finished that in two days, then he immediately starts encouraging us to find an idea for a hand cut film. I just found an image a week ago. I don't have any other ideas. As for Photoshop: I hate you. You never do what I want.
Second, work. Yes, I have had this job for almost a year and a half now, you'd think I'd be used to the insanity that goes down here. I'm not. This semester, I get to waste tons of gas driving to different schools to teach children about art. I drove 150 miles in the first two weeks of October just for the education program. Kill me, this thing still has like 3 weeks.
I feel about as exhausted as I usually feel one week before the semester ends. We just barely passed midterms. I can't believe the toll this semester has taken on me. Come on, December 15th, just get here already!!!
First, printmaking. To all those people who said, "Just finish that art minor, you won't regret it." Oh. Do I ever. This class has been so extensively hard on me that sometimes I just feel like never going and failing it. We are constantly, constantly working on something. I work my butt off for two straight weeks trying to finish a monster of a lino-cut, just to immediately start searching for an image for my duotone. I finished that in two days, then he immediately starts encouraging us to find an idea for a hand cut film. I just found an image a week ago. I don't have any other ideas. As for Photoshop: I hate you. You never do what I want.
Second, work. Yes, I have had this job for almost a year and a half now, you'd think I'd be used to the insanity that goes down here. I'm not. This semester, I get to waste tons of gas driving to different schools to teach children about art. I drove 150 miles in the first two weeks of October just for the education program. Kill me, this thing still has like 3 weeks.
I feel about as exhausted as I usually feel one week before the semester ends. We just barely passed midterms. I can't believe the toll this semester has taken on me. Come on, December 15th, just get here already!!!
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