Hope

I'd just like to take a minute and share with everyone that I have a strong testimony of fasting. It really seems to dramatically increase the power of prayer. It also increases our ability to feel and be guided by the Spirit to an astounding degree. Though not one of my most faith-building fasts, I realized that the one I had yesterday was certainly acknowledged by the Lord. I take a minute on the Saturday night before fast Sunday and think who needs a fast, someone I know or me. I decided that I needed one myself, as lately I have that feeling that I suspect creeps in around a person's entry into her seventh year of college. A bit of hopelessness. Regarding mostly everything. I don't like to ever think of myself as being depressed or lacking optimism. I mean, my favorite author and American hero is Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the most inspiring and optimistic men in history. It boggles my mind that people can honestly feel a way they don't want to feel. Such is reality. Anyway, I fasted for Hope. Unspecific besides, just hope. Today I picked up the new August Ensign that our home teacher had handed me yesterday (I wish I had read the cover then!) and the cover story was, "Single and Steadfast: Lessons in Hope."

Now, of course there are countless people that obviously can benefit from this message, nevertheless, I was overjoyed with thanks for how personal it felt when I read the phrase, "lessons in hope." It was nice to read it and come to grips with the fact that so many people struggle with maintaining hope in one way or another. That is logically obvious, but the real deal is that when you feel that way, you feel alone. One major area of concern for me is the feeling that I am not progressing, and I feel that others around me moving onto careers, marriage, missions, and so on are. I was impressed with a new way to evaluate myself when I read in the article, "Progress is any movement toward peaceful acceptance of whatever the future may hold." I have never heard such a comforting and introspective definition. While suddenly developing a bold and excited view of what is to come (which I thought is what I would need) really seems a bit unrealistic to me at this time, I feel that developing peace inside myself is definitely something I can achieve.

My Interest is Kindled at Least

I was wondering how long it would take until someone would develop a device that actually made reading as convenient and accessible as music has become. I've heard people say that computers had done it, but, how many of us really subscribe to eBooks? Now, the computer is fine and all for a little bit of reading, but the strain on your eyes is so horrible that reading an entire novel is out of the question. With this new Amazon Kindle device, however, such a vision is finally possible. It is pretty expensive, though. So, unless you travel a lot or otherwise have a need for instant and light-weight access to a number of your books...I don't think you ought to shell out the dough. Just yet. As it is, I don't see it as being that marketable.

My second concern besides the comfort of reading the screen was whether or not you could mark passages or write comments about what you read. That's a great reason why I like actual books and magazines versus reading things on the internet. And this is certainly something the makers of the Kindle thought about and made possible. In fact, you are also able to share certain articles, book passages, etc. with other users. Also, being able to search your entire library of books by word or phrase is a wonderful plus. It's like a Topical Guide for all your books!

If only we could magically sync the books we already own into the device. Doesn't quite have that perk like music. Of course, this just means that you must be patient to build up your collection. So, it really is only worth it in the long run. It would be nice if you could get a number of titles free with purchase to compensate. Though, it is likely that the prices on these sorts of devices will be more affordable in a few years. I for one think it would be fabulous to get text books on these things. They would be cheaper, and wouldn't weigh down your backpack. I really hope that this technology becomes more cost effective. Truthfully, I think that computer manufacturers should just make laptop screens like this.

Science or Bad Science Fiction?

I ran into this list of the top 10 most scientifically inaccurate movies on the Yahoo homepage a while ago, and it was both amusing and thought-provoking. Firstly, these were the movies voted for:

1. Armageddon
2. Independence Day
3. Starship Troopers
4. The Day After Tomorrow
5. The Core
6. The Matrix
7. Jurassic Park
8. Total Recall
9. Outbreak
10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

For a look at the inaccuracies of each, you can read it for yourself here.

The most humorous to me was the Starship Troopers inaccuracy.

"Could a band of cave-dwelling, preverbal giant insects really have the sophisticated mathematics and technology to hurl a rock millions of miles through space to crash into Earth? Plus, 70% of the planet's surface is covered in water, so they only had a 3 out of 10 chance at even hitting solid ground, let alone a major city like Buenos Aires."

Slim odds. Still, I find it easier to believe than Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear blast completely unharmed. I'm so glad that there are others who won't let that one slide. Too ridiculous. Moreso than mind-controlling alien skulls made out of crystal?! Yes! I have absolutely no problem with wacky alien plot lines. I figure, we can't prove that aliens do or do not exist at all, let alone what their skulls are capable of. That leads me to the Independence Day argument, which was very thought provoking. They mentioned that if a ship that is truly 1/4 the size of the moon were to hover above Washington D.C., the city would have been destroyed by giant tidal waves or earthquakes due to the gravitational force on it.

Hmmm...earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cities being washed away in the sea? Sound familiar? It's in Revelations, people! And the moon becoming as blood? You know how the moon looks red during a Lunar Eclipse? Let's say that we get a giant spacecraft blocking the sun's rays from reaching the moon instead of the Earth. There you have it, your bloody doomsday moon. Although...that really would require a spaceship that is actually the size of the Earth. It could happen! At least it is more likely than that whole non-lethal nuclear blast nonsense. Of course, my opinion is a little biased. I have actually seen an unidentified flying object before. Right outside my bedroom window, in fact. I'm sure the aliens would have used their superior intellect and technology (a.k.a. magic) to erase this photo from my phone (and the fiery image from my brain!) if they didn't think I'd use it to instill fear in my fellowmen. And so, as not to betray their infallible (a.k.a. vindictive) trust, I say, "Be afraid, be very afraid."

8 x 8

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I guess I'm just in that mode of thinking where I want to, sort of say, put down the camera and just watch the sunset. Sometimes I think it's weird when people have to bring their cameras everywhere, to remember whatever cool thing they are about to do. Especially when they have to recreate the event to get the picture they want. You know what I mean. That face behind the camera says, "Oh, I didn't catch that. Do it again, will ya?" Do it again!? That's a false memory, my friend. Actually, sometimes the moments of recapture are pretty fun and worth capturing themselves...as long as you remember which is which.

My point is, sometimes writing about things I've done feels like I'm recapturing a moment. And that sorta thing is secondhand and lousy. Ah, I know, it's like that Emerson quote I posted, like "going out of the house to see the moon." The real impact and happiness just hits you, unprepared, without camera in hand, without pen in hand. That's not to say it can't happen that way, but usually not.

This is not to suggest that writing about such moments are not worth anything. It's to say that what we write, and the pictures we take, the tangible stuff, can actually replace the memory, instead of reinforcing it. Better than nothing, I guess. Speaking of memories, I just read a tag on Betsy Bradshaw's blog that I responded to...so, I guess I'm supposed to pass it on. I'd like anyone reading to write a little memory about me. Whatever you like. I realize that not too many people read this, or make comments if they do, so, I don't expect a lot of replies.

And what with my disinclination to write about my day-to-day, I'm going to do another tag that I saw on Jennie Payne's blog. Ironically, I'm usually much more in the mood to write about the goings on of the day than to do this sort of thing. Go figure.

8 Things I Am Passionate About
1. Friendship - This is number one because it involves all of our most important relationships with others from God to Family to Spouse, as well as to those we generally consider friends.
2-4. From the Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
5. Prayer
6. Education
7. Music
8. Literature

8 Books I Have Read and Enjoy
1. Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. The Book of Mormon
3. The Pearl of Great Price
4. The Odyssey
5. Lectures on Faith
6. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde
7. Macbeth
8. The Lord of the Rings

8 Words and Phrases I Often Use
1. Yo! (as a greeting)
2. Yoink! (when I snatch something up)
3. I said you suck! (as I response when someone asks me to repeat something)
4. Mmmeehh! (sad The Cheat-like sound)
5. Bah! (frustrated expression)
6. Swish! (something went just right, like when a basketball swishes into the net)
7. Sweet! (when food is sweet, jk)
8. Kaa! (if you haven't heard this one, you should ask)

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
1. Graduate (shouldn't be too hard if I avoid death sports this year)
2. Marry
3. Have a son
4. Publish something
5. Live out of state
6. Be and find continuous inspiration
7. Help someone find the gospel
8. Go on a sailing voyage (really)

8 Things I Learned This Past Year
1. Progress is not exponential.
2. Give people the benefit of the doubt.
3. To be good is not enough, you must be good in the right way.
4. Priorities are as important as dreams...they are your dreams.
5. Every relationship should include Christ.
6. Working as a whole toward an end has significantly more power than individual efforts.
7. Life gets pretty crappy when you put off paying tithing.
8. Don't half-express yourself.

8 Places I Want to See (before I die?)
1. Greece
2. Egypt
3. Venice
4. Hawaii
5. New Zealand
6. England
7. New England
8. China

8 Things I Miss
1. Family
2. Friends that have moved away
3. Working with people
4. When USU and Logan were a new adventure
5. Biology and Classics classes
6. An airconditioner
7. My totally awesome ringtones
8. McDonald's frysauce

8 Things I Currently Want/Need
1. $!!
2. A place to stay this fall
3. School loan
4. Newness
5. Positive dating attitude (I admit)
6. Discipline
7. mp3 player
8. Compliments (love those ;) )

Singin' N' some Rain

This weekend was a lot of fun. I went to Salt Lake on Friday and hung out with Ali and Matt. We didn't do much for the 4th of July except go to the Pie and have what turned out to be a pretty nasty Greek Pizza. Every inch of it was covered with low-quality lamb. I actually didn't even try it, because the smell was a little too nauseating. I was perfectly content with their delicious cheesy bread, though. We were planning on watching fireworks from the stadium since Ali lives right by it, but they didn't have them. We're guessing that it will happen on the 24th. I also missed the fireworks in Logan due to work, so, I really want to go see some for the 24th now. I do love a good firework show.

On Saturday my nephew Noah got baptized. I didn't get to see my other nephews get baptized, so I was pretty excited about it. It was especially cool because they did the confirmation just afterwards. When I first got to the Stake Center, Noah came right over and gave me a hug. When someone pointed out that Matt had also come in, Noah said "I know," and continued his way down the hall to get ready. I don't want to say I was happy that Matt didn't get a hug. But I was happy that I got singled out. That sounds weird, but it meant a lot. I don't get to see them very often.

After having lunch together, Matt and I went out to see Speed Racer with Scott and the kids. I was pretty bored, but I think the boys liked it. I was thinking that it was a stupid movie, but would probably be a fun video game. I blame it on the monkey. Monkeys automatically make movies horrible. My niece Emily didn't seem too entertained by the movie either, so she was hanging out in the lobby. When I went out to get a drink, I bought her a rub-on tattoo, and we went to the bathroom to put it on. She was really excited about it, which was pretty hilarious. I also bought the boys some tattoos after the movie. One cool thing about the movie, I will say, is that it introduced me to the Korean pop sensation, Rain. Of course, what I really mean is that it introduced me to the rivalry between Rain and his nemesis, Stephen Colbert. They both put out killer music videos:



But what the battle finally came down to was a Dance Dance Revolution dance-off, where sadly, Rain outshined Colbert's sweet sweet dancing skills:

Rain!!!

After the movie, we picked up Ali and went out to a birthday party for my friend Dave. It was a lot of fun, complete with Guitar Hero and fireworks. Personally, I've always been more a fan of throwing parties than going to them. You can invite who you want, and do what you want, and see all your plans and preparations come to fruition, with full enjoyment. So, I tend to notice elements of party planning when I go to other peoples' parties now. And I can say that Dave was well prepared, from all the signs, decorations, and food, to a complete transformation of his room to a dance floor, including his very own fog machine. I think I'm allergic to those, I mean, they make me sneeze at least.

On the way home from the party, a Starship song came on the radio and Matt, Ali and I all burst into song. All of a sudden, we were in the mood for karaoke. The only place to really do that late on a Saturday night is a bar, so we decided to pick up Ali's friend Gentry to come with us, who knows where we could sing nearby. I had never sung karaoke before, so, it was a first. That's right, never before. And that's right, I let it loose in a bar, to Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf! Gentry happened to have a Duran Duran shirt on, so she sang it with me. I can't say I enjoyed it that much. I think it was the fact that I was...in a bar. But, that was a new and interesting experience. So, have you ever heard that people really let out some emotions when they are drunk? Like, "I love you, man!" when they don't know you. Well, Matt and I got the, "I respect you!" speech, because we don't drink alcohol. It was kinda funny, really. As it turned out, closing hours didn't even stop our singing, we kept going all the way home with the radio. However, despite the mood that I get in the next time I belt out R-E-S-P-E-C-T...I think I'll avoid a karaoke bar.