Museum Gala on Friday Night...
Friday night, I got to go with my Dad to a museum gala because his Aunt Florence and Uncle Ted were receiving recognition. I love Aunt Sis. She's one of my favorite Aunts. She was one who taught me about canvas and tapestry and the importance of legacy and how to make pickles although mine aren't near as crispy as hers.
Part of the gala was an unveiling of the new works of art that the museum acquired during the year. One of the pieces, Exchange #8, hit me so hard. It's a symbolic piece on the Atonement and the scripture in Isaiah that says, “Though your sins be as scarlet they will be white as snow.”
I just stood in front of it until my father pulled me away.
On a purely personal side, I made a connection that is fascinated in my husband’s ability to do tintype and glass plate photography.
Another thought on Marriage
Total unselfishness is sure to accomplish another factor in successful marriage. If one is forever seeking the interests, comforts, and happiness of the other, the love found in courtship and cemented in marriage will grow into mighty proportions. Many couples permit their marriages to become stale and their love to grow cold like old bread or worn-out jokes or cold gravy. Certainly the foods most vital for love are consideration, kindness, thoughtfulness, concern, expressions of affection, embraces of appreciation, admiration, pride, companionship, confidence, faith, partnership, equality, and interdependence."
Spencer W. Kimball
It reminded me of one of my favorite J.D. Salinger quotes:
Marriage Partners are to serve each other, love, honor but above all serve.
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenter.
Lifted from the Book Lust Archive (and modified)
Do you or your loved one have a Literary Abuse Problem? Take this test and find out! How many of these apply to you?
01. I have read fiction when I was depressed, or to cheer myself up.
02. I have gone on reading binges of an entire book or more in a day.
03. I read rapidly, often 'gulping' chapters.
04. I have sometimes read early in the morning or before work.
05. I have hidden books in different places to sneak a chapter without being seen.
06. Sometimes I avoid friends or family obligations in order to read novels.
07. Sometimes I re-write film or television dialog as the characters speak.
08. I am unable to enjoy myself with others unless there is a book nearby.
09. At a party, I will often slip off unnoticed to read.
10. Reading has made me seek haunts and companions which I would otherwise avoid.
11. I have neglected personal hygiene or household chores until I have finished a novel.
12. I have spent money meant for necessities on books instead.
13. I have attempted to check out more library books than permitted.
14. Most of my friends are heavy fiction readers.
15. I have sometimes passed out from a night of heavy reading.
16. I have suffered 'blackouts' or memory loss from a bout of reading.
17. I have wept, become angry or irrational because of something I read.
18. I have sometimes wished I did not read so much.
19. Sometimes I think my reading is out of control.
If you answered 'yes' to four or more of these questions, you may be a literature abuser. Affirmative responses to seven or more indicates a serious problem.
Once a relatively rare disorder, Literature Abuse, or LA, has risen to new levels due to the accessibility of higher education and increased college enrollment since the end of the Second World War. The number of literature abusers is currently at record levels. The numbers, however, are declining with the public education changing its focal point from the basics of learning to social engineering.
SOCIAL COSTS OF LITERARY ABUSE
Abusers become withdrawn, uninterested in society or normal relationships. They fantasize, creating alternative worlds to occupy, to the neglect of friends and family. In severe cases they develop bad posture from reading in awkward positions or carrying heavy book bags. In the worst instances, they become cranky reference librarians in small towns. Excessive reading during pregnancy is perhaps the number one cause of moral deformity among the children of English professors, teachers of English and creative writing. Known as Fetal Fiction Syndrome, this disease also leaves its victims prone to a lifetime of nearsightedness, daydreaming, and emotional instability.
HEREDITY
Recent Harvard studies established that heredity plays a considerable role in determining whether a person will become an abuser of literature. Most abusers have at least one parent who abused literature, often beginning at an early age and progressing into adulthood. Many spouses of an abuser become abusers themselves.
OTHER PREDISPOSING FACTORS
Fathers or mothers who are English teachers, professors, or heavy fiction readers; parents who do not encourage children to play games, participate in healthy sports, or watch television in the evening.
PREVENTION
Pre-marital screening and counseling, referral to adoption agencies in order to break the chain of abuse. English teachers in particular should seek partners active in other fields. Children should be encouraged to seek physical activity and to avoid isolation and morbid introspection.
"DECLINE AND FALL: THE ENGLISH MAJOR
Within the sordid world of literature abuse, the lowest circle belongs to those sufferers who have thrown their lives and hopes away to study literature in our colleges. Parents should look for signs that their children are taking the wrong path--don't expect your teenager to approach you and say, "I can't stop reading Spenser."
By the time you visit her dorm room and find the secret stash of the Paris Review, it may already be too late. What to do if you suspect your child is becoming an English major:
1. Talk to your child in a loving way. Show your concern. Let her know you won't abandon her--but that you aren't spending a hundred grand to put her through Stanford so she can clerk at Borders, either. But remember that she may not be able to make a decision without help; perhaps she has just finished Madame Bovary and is dying of arsenic poisoning.
2. Face the issue: Tell her what you know, and how: "I found this book in your purse. How long has this been going on?" Ask the hard questionWho is this Count Vronsky?
3. Show her another way. Move the television set into her room. Introduce her to frat boys or sorority girls.
4. Do what you have to do. Tear up her library card. Make her stop signing her letters as 'Emma.' Force her to take a math class, or minor in Spanish. Transfer her to a Florida college.
You may be dealing with a life-altering problem if one or more of the following applies:
* She can tell you how and when Thomas Chatterton died.
* She names one or more of her cats after a Romantic poet.
* Next to her bed is a picture of: Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Faulkner or any scene from the Lake District.
Most important, remember, you are not alone. To seek help for yourself or someone you love, contact the nearest chapter of the American Literature Abuse Society, or look under ALAS in your telephone directory.
A dangerous report (of a most unfortunate event)
I just found out about the book signing on Friday and bought our ticket for the line at that time. We ended up being 256 and 257 in the line. They had over 700 people. But, you see, Lemony Snicket was unable to make it because he was at a picnic and when he raised his hand and a poisonous crocodile attacked him in the armpit. He was paralyzed from the armpit down. Daniel demonstrated the dance that Mr. Snicket did in an attempt to reach the theatre. This of course illustrates the 1st most important lesson you should learn - - NEVER RAISE YOUR HAND.
If your teacher asks for volunteers to answer a question, protect yourself, and don’t worry about your grade.
Now since we all know that the poisonous crocodile was sent by Count Olaf – the 2nd lesson you should all learn is IF YOU SEE COUNT OLAF, COUNT TO ZERO, SCREAM, AND RUN. This should be a self evident – which in this case means needing no explanation.
Now if anyone read Lemony Snicket’s unauthorized Autobiography, they would know that he lost his 3rd best accordion in a house fire following a masked ball. He did, however, loan Daniel his 2nd best accordion which is red. The one which was destroyed was blue. Please note the difference. However, with the help of 2 volunteers from the audience (and what kind of parent would let their 2 precious girls follow a man whom they know nothing about) we are able to prove the 3rd most important lesson. IF YOU SQUEEZE ANYTHING HARD ENOUGH, IT WILL EVENTUALLY MAKE A NOISE. An accordion is proof of this law of nature.
Mind you since Lemony Snicket only sent his legal representative - Daniel Handler, an author of books that are NOT for children - the signed copies are actually an imprint that reads - from the Library of Lemony Snicket.
All in all a great evening, we were at the auditorium from 4 pm to 9:30 pm. I feel sorry for those who were the later numbers (they were still selling tickets at the door in the 700's at 9:30.
A series of unfortunate events....
So this morning my 12 year old gets on the wrong bus, and ends up lost on his way to school. (I had to drive in to pick him up leaving the 9 year old to get his own breakfast).
The dog ate the croissants (on the 9 year old is just blaming it on the dog).
I didn't have time to make my own lunch.
I filled the truck last night and today the station is down almost 10 cents a gallon.
As I dropped him off at school, the 9 year old confesses that he has a test on the states rivers and lakes today and we didn't study last night.
As I approached work, they are doing roadwork and they weren't going to let me in the office.
Once I did get to work, I tripped up the stairs.
My office door was locked and there is no key (thank goodness for co-workers with a juvenile record).
Why does this seem to be the appropriate beginning of the day since the boys and I have tickets to see
Lemony Snicket speak tonight.
Rosa Parks
What an incredible woman. Many of you think that she was just a working black woman who was too tired to move. But did you know that she was working as an organizer in a civil rights organization and got lucky enough to have the perfect opportunity to practice what she preached thrust upon her.
But enough of her early life… Let’s talk about the work she did on improving education for minority children. This really came to the forefront when two young black men broke into her apartment, beat her up and robbed her at gun point. When the community turned on them because they beat up Rosa Parks, they responded with “Who? She’s just an old lady.” These young men had no clue about the sacrifices that were made to give them more rights (I can’t really say equal because the economically depressed of any race are not accorded the rights of the wealthy, mainly through their own ignorance of them).
What’s even sadder is that Rosa and her Husband had founded an
educational foundation to help people bring themselves up. A fitting tribute for her would be to donate to her foundation….
Why is it
That it's so hard to wake up the first day after a vacation?
That when you can sleep in the kids wake up early but when they have to get up for school they can't drag themselves out of bed?
That all the urgent life shattering crises at work occur the moment you decide to take a day off?
Why is it...
That waking up the day after a vacation is so hard?
That the kids always get up early on the day that you have to sleep in but won't wake up when they have to be someplace like school?
That all the urgent life shattering crisis issues at the office occur the day that you finally take a day off?
Thoughts on the nature of evil...
I believe in evil. I believe that all things have an opposite. If God is real then so is the devil. I was thinking on the nature of the universe the other day, as I do occasionally, and came to a conclusion. Selfishness, not money, is the root of all evil. The more Satan can convince people to put their own wants and needs before the needs of others or before the will of the Divine, the more he wins. The more we focus on what we want, rather than what we can do to further the will of God, the farther we draw from God. Thank goodness for the grace the Atonement of God’s Son provided for us. Works alone will never get us to God but it is by our works that we demonstrate to others that we have accepted God and Christ into our lives.
Just to follow the flock
Which flock do you follow?
this quiz was made by alanna
A change of mind...
I've been reading a lot about Setpoints - that wonderful thing your mind does to determine your weight.
Just thinking about the concept of Setpoints brought about a change in my thinking.
Rather than looking at the scale and saying, "Great I'm down x pounds from where I started." I've started saying, "Shoot, I'm x pounds over my goal weight." It's amazing how that has changed my perspective.
Rather than saying, "It's okay to have that treat, after all, I'm down from where I started." I find myself saying, "Nope, I'll pass that one up since I'm up 3 pounds from where I want to be."
Now it doesn't work to use the full goal. Choose a point that is no more than 5 or 6 pounds from where you are today. Use that goal point until you've been plateaued there for about a week. Then it's time to choose a new setpoint. Also, when asked your weight, you should automatically answer with your setpoint, after all, that's what you really weigh when you don't have this little spike in your weight.
I don't know for sure if this will work long term since most of my reading says that the setpoint is determined at puberty but right now it seems to be working.
Obesity and cooking....
"Foods that are “energy-dense,” providing many calories per pound because of their high sugar or high fat content, are much cheaper than non-energy-dense foods such as fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and whole grains – the very foods recommended as the basis of an optimally healthy diet. In addition, low-income neighborhoods often lack access to supermarkets, farmers markets and other sources of fresh, unprocessed foods, and children in such neighborhoods may not have safe places to go to burn off extra calories through physical activity."
Susan Okie M.D.
Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood ObesityIt’s hard to think that the signs of poverty and poor financial management in the future will be the weight of the children. In the distant past, obesity was a sign of wealth; it showed that you had the ability to buy more than subsistence level food. It’s one of the reasons Rubens painted heavier women. However, in today’s society, fitness and being lean (but not anorexicly thin) is a sign of wealth since those people have the time and the money for gyms and personal trainers, not to mention access to fresh, unprocessed food and the time and the resources to have nutritious food prepared for them.
The fast food climate contributes to the obesity problem and for the first time, the life expectancy rate is falling in industrialized nations. We’re reaching the point where our lifestyle is becoming toxic and killing us instead of helping us to live longer.
Let’s face it, how many working mothers have the time and energy to make the meals that their parents did? How many of today’s parents were raised in a home where the microwave was king and real cooking didn’t occur. It’s amazing how the meal that my grandmother fixed on the stove were so much tastier than the ones my mom made in the microwave.
In addition, how many of today’s parents really didn’t learn how to cook. How many of them grew up in the post Home Economics at school world and didn’t learn to cook from either home or school. How many are like me where we were told by society that it was a good thing that a woman didn’t cook like her poor downtrodden, unenlightened, unfeminist mother? It took my husband to teach me how to cook. After all, there shouldn’t be much that he can do better than me, right? Well to this day, he still cooks better than I do, mainly because his father taught him. My kids will be able to cook. Both the boys and the girl have learned from their father because let’s face it; their mother does the credit card at the fast food place better than the kitchen and the range.
Where I've been all week...
A
Meandering friend hooked me up with this website
http://www.binaryworlds.com/sudoku/ Enough said....
Another thing to think about...
Honest Life will get re-organized and I'll have time to write for real again...
Persistence by Les Brown
I believe there are three kinds of people. There are winners, who know
what they want and understand their potential and the possibilities.
They take life on. Next are losers, who don't have a clue as to who they
are. They allow circumstances to shape their lives and their
self-image.
I believe there is a third group as well. This consists of potential
winners whose lives are just slightly out of alignment. I call them
wayward winners. It may be that they just need to learn how to be real
winners. Perhaps they've hit a bump or two that has knocked them off course
and they are temporarily befuddled. A failed relationship, a lost job,
financial problems, unformed goals, a lack of parental support,
illness... many things can send us off course temporarily.
Wayward winners are not lost souls; they just need some tweaking and
coaching and nudging to get them back on course. A map might be nice.
Many of these wayward winners are easily identifiable because they are
always searching.
Right now, there are many wayward winners out there braving rain, sleet
and snow because they, too, still believe that they have untapped
talents. They attend motivational seminars and listen to inspirational tapes
and they plunge onward, believing that sooner or later they will find
their way again.
Other wayward winners have temporarily given up. They are damaged and
disoriented, their confidence badly eroded. They tend to drift through
life numbly. The friends and relatives and loved ones of wayward winners
see that they are out of sync and wonder why they can't be satisfied,
why they don't settle down. They wonder how people who have such obvious
abilities and great potential can be so disoriented and unsure.
It is difficult for others to understand the rawness of a broken heart
or the aching emptiness of an unguided spirit. You and I know. We have
been there. Wayward winners know that there are possibilities out
there, but too often they feel locked out from them. Some are afraid to risk
any more because of what they have risked and lost already.
I know now that as difficult as it may be for you wayward winners to
do, it is necessary to continue to test yourselves. Even though you have
been hurt before, it is the only way to grow. We all have the capacity
to change, to lead meaningful and productive lives by awakening our
consciousness.
You know there are going to be tough times as you go about changing
your life, so brace yourself and you will be able to handle them. When you
get into your seat on an airplane, what is the first thing they tell
you to do? Fasten your seat belt. Brace yourself for the turbulence.
When you decide to move your life to the next level of accomplishment,
you must fasten your mental and spiritual seat belts because it is
going to be a while before you reach that comfortable level again. You will
reach it, but you must endure the turbulence of change in order to
grow.
Try this technique to help you through the difficult times of change
and growth. Find four reasons why you cannot succumb to your fears and
your troubles. Find those deep sources of motivation that can lift you
out of the turbulence and above the clouds. You must change your life
because, for example:
You have not yet tapped the talents given you.
You want to leave something more for your children.
You want to live life rather than letting life live you.
You want to do what makes YOU happy.
It is in these rocky early moments of bringing change to your life that
you discover who you are. In the prosperous times, you build what is in
your pocket. In the tough times, you strengthen what is in your heart.
And that is when you gain insight into yourself, insight that leads to
self-mastery and an expansion of your consciousness as a life-force in
both your personal and professional lives.
A quote to think over....
True Happiness in Marriage Comes from Selflessness
"Many of the TV screen shows and stories of fiction end with marriage:
'They lived happily ever after.' We have come to realize that the mere performance of a ceremony does not bring happiness and a successful marriage. Happiness does not come by pressing a button, as does the electric light; happiness is a state of mind and comes from within. It must be earned. It cannot be purchased with money; it cannot be taken for nothing.
"Some think of happiness as a glamorous life of ease, luxury, and constant thrills; but true marriage is based on a happiness which is more than that, one which comes from giving, serving, sharing, sacrificing, and selflessness."
Spencer W. Kimball
A day for silly surveys.
| Your Personality Is |
Rational (NT)
You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas.
You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy!
Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people.
In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally.
You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought.
Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals.
In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent.
At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia.
With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well.
As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly.
On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things. |
| Your Hair Should Be Purple |
Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional.
You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights. |
Actually, I did do purple back in the day...
| B- |
Your senses are pretty sharp (okay, most of the time)
And it takes something big to distract you! |
| Your Blogging Type is Confident and Insightful |
You've got a ton of brain power, and you leverage it into brilliant blog.
Both creative and logical, you come up with amazing ideas and insights.
A total perfectionist, you find yourself revising and rewriting posts a lot of the time.
You blog for yourself - and you don't care how popular (or unpopular) your blog is! |
| You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy) |
You're a great thinker and a true philosopher.
You'd make a talented professor or writer. |
| Your Power Color Is Magenta |
At Your Highest:
You energize yourself and push others to suceed.
At Your Lowest:
You feel frustrated and totally overwhelmed.
In Love:
You are suprised by who you attract. You're a love magnet.
How You're Attractive:
Open and free spirited, people want to explore the world with you.
Your Eternal Question:
"What is my next source of inspiration?" |
| You Should Learn French |
C'est super! You appreciate the finer things in life... wine, art, cheese, love affairs.
You are definitely a Parisian at heart. You just need your tongue to catch up... |
I used to speak, read and write French. But then I also understood Korean, Portugese and Finnish too at one time.
| In a Past Life... |
You Were: A Redhead Fortune Teller.
Where You Lived: Peru.
How You Died: Natural causes. |
Another dumb survey
| Your Fortune Is |
Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement. |
Now for something a little more serious....
Just a thought from an interview with the director of children’s services at the South Valley Sanctuary for Victims of Domestic Violence:
1/3 of the victims of Domestic violence are men (yes, I know a lot of women hate that statistic).
The average victim of domestic violence makes 7 or 8 attempts to leave before succeeding.
Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to become victims or abusers themselves.
Children’s perceptions of normal are based on the home life that they grow up in. Thus a child in an abusive home assumes that the behavior he or she witnesses is normal and expects to treat or be treated the same way that their parents act.
Very few programs are designed to help the witness. I’m lucky to work with one program that is designed specifically to help children learn that the behavior they grew up with is not correct. It’s designed to teach children what is acceptable behavior for a man or a women and how they should expect a mentally healthy partner to behave.
For more information on the Witnesses of Domestic Violence program, please contact the Sandy Counseling Center at 801-944-1666.
Notes for self...
Marilyn is looking for Black, white and purple.
General Honore' - - Don't get stuck on Stupid. (find the T-shirt)
Alphasmart - - Find it, will the school allow him to use it in class?
Still looking for Suzanne Wittke Hoggan's contact info.
Post about Fibers to Dye For...
Ginger - - West Kearns?
Just my luck
The morning after I filled my truck gasoline prices have gone down 6 cents a gallon.
Recap of the election yesterday.
Yesterday I was an election judge for the primary elections. My boss had me take the laptop computer with me so that I could still log in to the office and help him. During a 13 hour day we saw 33 people come in to vote so the interruptions from the office were no big deal. No just some statistics to bore you with.
9.4% of the district voted.
26% of those voting are either delegates or election judges or their spouses.
7 hours of my day was spent doing work related things
1 hour was spent doing election related things.
Based on my election pay per hour – I made $50 per hour.
Based on hourly work, the election cost the taxpayers - $175 per hour
Based on voter turnout, the election cost the taxpayers $5.30 per voter.
If we had to pay the rental on the electronic machines instead of just the punch card machines which the county owns, the election would have cost $25.30 per voter.
90.6% of the people in the district are paying the money for the other people to vote for them.
What's wrong with this picture?
My ex-SIL just got a job. This woman hasn't worked in over 6 years. She doesn't have a college degree, but she does know how to look and dress with class. I don't mind her working but how in the world does she get a job making $22 an hour when I'm only making $21. I have a degree, 16 years of experience in the insurance industry, and have worked continually. There is something wrong with the picture. Dang but I need a different job.
