No More Matts

I think I'm cursed. Or have a serious dating condition. It's always a Matt. The first boy I ever asked out for a preference dance- Matt. My first love ( and first heartbreak)- Matt. Two guys who have told me " I just want to be friends"- Matt. The worst player I've ever known- Matt. Now, I'm fairly sure (ok, only 87%) that there are great Matts out there. Just for someone else. Like my roommate- her boyfriend is named Matt and he's the best thing for her since macaroni. But last night's blind date Matt takes the cake. Ever heard the term 'Marvin ManyHands"? Yeah. This boy had more hands than a giant squid. Without too much detail, I'll just say that afterwards I went out to vent to a friend ( who laughed hysterically), came home and scrubbed almost all my top layer of skin off, and used half a bottle of Scope. And I have a cut and several bruises from escaping him. So, should I swear off all men named Matt altogether? Or be extra careful? Whatever the meaning behind all this, I can never name one of my children Matt. Darn. Not an actual picture of this creep, but an accurate representation.

TT: Azolla Fern and Lipstick

It's Tidbit Thursday again, so here you go:

• The Azolla fern is the plant that floats on top if the rice patties in Japan and Korea. Underneath the leaves of this beautiful fern, the cyanobacteria called Anabaena flourishes. Because of the amazing ability of this bacteria to fix nitrogen (that means covert pure nitrogen to ammonia), the rice farmers are now able to harvest 3 crops a year! Way to go bacteria!!
• The average woman today uses 6 pounds of lipstick in a year. And you thought the no one still wore lipstick.
• Mark Knopfler, the lead guitarist of Dire Straits, is the guitarist for the music of Princess Bride. Bet you didn't see that one coming.
• One year, 1969, during the draft for the Vietnam war the "mixing pot" for the draft wasn't well mixed and therefore the majority of November and December birthdays were drafted.
• The city of Jericho is the lowest point on Earth not covered by water. Does that add some significance to the story of Jericho?
• In "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge, which can be construed as a Christ allegory, the lines about him seeing the water snakes and blessing them is reminiscent of Moses and the staff. One has only to look at the snake, believe, and be healed. Interesting.
• 1/3 of the four gospels focuses exclusively on the last week of Christ's mortal life.
• The words "fear not" appear 75x in the New Testament. What do you think they're trying to tell us?
• Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs - Alexander the Great, Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
• And speaking of Caesar... After Julius Caesar, "Caesar" became the official title of the emperor of Rome similar to the "Pharaoh" of Egypt. Caesar translates into other languages including "Kaiser" in German and "Czar" in Russian. Thanks Julius!

Have a great week! Knowledge is out there!

That Annoying Little Voice

You know what I'm talking about.

There is always that one person (okay, sometimes two people) in a class that make you cringe every time they start to talk. Whether it's answering a questions, voicing an opinion, or just talking to their neighbor- their voice makes you irritated and makes you want to have Teretts just so you can interrupt. I normally figure out that person fairly quickly and sit as far away as possible. That way I can't hear them quite clearly or see them, at least partially. The reason for my seemingly horrible reaction varies from class to class, person to person. Sometimes they ask questions about something the professor just explained while they were not paying attention. Others assume they know more than others, even the professor. Still others comment five or six times in a high piercing (brown-nosing) tone. And even more (yes, there are this many) that throw in their comments about random ideas at the most inappropriate times.

But what do you do when that little voice is in your head?

It's sitting in the front row and talking before you even call on it. It's shouting out the most ridiculous ideas and confusing all the others. That pesky little voice gives me a headache. It is saying garbage like "You don't belong here or with these people.", " You are never going to make a difference", and " You aren' t all that great anyway." Stupid little voice.

Sure we all have doubts, but we are giving in if we always let them have the floor. Take away their talking stick and put them in the corner. Let someone else have the floor- a voice that believes in you and where you want to go. Maybe a little bit of faith and hope. When the world says "Give up", Hope whispers "Try one more time." And at the point where hope would otherwise become hopelessness, it becomes faith.

Look out world, Faith is taking the floor.

Tidbit Thursday

I need a Tidbit Thursday- I'm just learning so many various things, that individually may not do a post justice, but that I want to share. So here's my first round of Tidbit Thursday!

• In the Romantic Era, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Blake were pretty much unknown to the literary community and considered themselves junior collegues to poets such as Mary Robinson and Charlotte Smith.
• There are four kinds of fossils: casts, compression, impression, and permineralizations (petrified).
  
• The word "religion" in Latin means a strict binding or connection to something.
• Christ was already a God in the pre-mortal realm. (Found in Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage)
• The great battle of Lepanto in 1571- the great victory celebrated all over Europe as a triumph over the Ottomans- barely caused a ripple in the Ottoman Empire. Despite the losses they had more of a naval fleet than any European nation and they quickly replaced their losses. They were so wealthy in fact that they could have replaced their losses with "silver anchors, silken rigging, and satin sails" as the Grand Vizier at the time (Lewis's What Went Wrong, pg 11)
• Florence Nightengale once said: "The . . . foundation of theology is to ascertain the character of God. It is by the aid of statistics that law in the social sphere can be ascertained and codified, and . . . aspects of the character of God thereby revealed. The study of statistics is therefore a religious experience." Interesting.

More to come next week : )

2011 Resolutions

I've learned a lot this past year but I can do better. So here are my 2011 New Year's Resolutions, in no particular order:

• No more apologies for my choices and my life!!! I'm done trying to justify my hair color or explain why I have the goals I do. I will not apologize for who I am- not to family, friends, or strangers.
• I need to let down my guard more often and allow people to really get to know me. I tend to put up walls to stop myself from getting hurt, but more often than not I hurt myself by doing that. I'm grown-up and strong enough to handle the occasional bruises and cannot afford to continue to miss out on opportunities and relationships.
• Count my blessings daily.
• Call my family more often...all of them.
• Say what I mean instead of sugarcoating or holding back.
• Increase my fluency in both Spanish and Arabic.
• Do a good deed everyday.
• Deepen my personal scripture study and prayer.
• Let loose more often and not feel guilty for it. I need to allow myself to have adventures and create a few of my own.
• Be healthier. It's not about losing weight or not having chocolate- It's about finding a better balance for myself.
• Replace my intense study of chick flicks with more dating!
• And...spread the non-profit to more states and areas.
  

2010 Reflections

It's New Years Eve. The last day of 2010- a year of tremendous growth, a year full of challenges, heartache, tears, but also filled with laughter, surprises, joy and moments of peace. I'm sitting in my little house alone eating popcorn and drinking Sparkling Cider, listening to some of my favorite music and I'm going to watch some of my signature chick flicks shortly and write a love letter. This day has traditionally been one reserved for reflection and new resolutions, celebrating the good of the year and toasting the resolve to change the mistakes of the past year. It was this night my senior year that graduating finally became real (and scary). I've spent this night with my family and with friends, but this is my first one all by myself. And I'm okay with it. With all that's happened to me this year, everything I've done and learned- some reflection time is appropriate.
So here are some of my reflections:

• I've learned that I handle physical pain better than emotional pain.
• I've learned that I can push through the pain to be stronger than I ever thought possible.
• I learned that it is okay to do things just for me- just because I like it or I need some "me" time.
• I've been blessed my two of the best jobs ever this year- being an RA and a nanny to Jackson. Both have blessed my life immeasurably.
• I'm comfortable on first dates because I know who I am and I love that!
• I've learned how to deal with solitude and to treasure silence.
• I've learned that communication is vital to any relationship.
• I admit it- I'm addicted to chocolate and sushi (not together though). But admitting the problem is the first step, right?
• I've learned how to blog! But, more importantly, I've learned how to effectively use technology instead of tip-toeing around it.
• I am no longer bitter about so many of my friends getting engaged and married- I'm happy for them. I know that when it's right it will happen for me.
  
• My heart has slowly healed this year and looking back I'm grateful for the entire journey and the many lessons I've learned from it.
• And.... I never want to stop learning!

Tune in tomorrow for my 2011 Resolutions!

Books Books Books!

Call me an oddity among students, but I LOVE buying my new (and used) books for each semester. Except for the price, but this is not a rant about the budget of a college student.

I moseyed through each aisle reverently taking in all the textbooks, novels, and packets, gradually filling my basket with treasures. For my British Literature class: Emma by Jane Austen, Adam Bede by George Eliot, and The Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. 2. Three beautiful books full of exquisite writing, some tears and heartache, some laughs and even more smiles. Stories of small farm towns and bustling cities, carpenters and scientists. Women and men, poems, short stories, and novels. I'm already excited for this class.

For my Statistics 121 class: The Basic Principles of Statistics, the Stats Portal CD, and the Lecture Notes all bound for me already. I'm a little nervous about this class since I haven't had math in several years. I'm okay at math- I mean, I went all the way through Calculus. But I enjoy a challenge and I'm going to work my tail off in the class.

For my New Testament class: A working blank copy of the Bible, a student packet and this beautiful book called The Four Gospels: Verse by Verse. I already know that I don't want to sell back that last book. Throughout my BYU career I've tried to have a religion class every semester and I'm finally getting to the New Testament. Plus I have Dr. Ogden!!! I have a love for the New Testament already and can't wait to gain new insights.

For my Biology of Plants: a solitary textbook titled "Biology of Plants" with a Van Gogh painting called "Peach Blossoms in the Crau" gracing the covers. I fell in love with this book right away with its slightly worn pages and scientific diagrams as well as it's obvious deference to nature and the beauty of plants. If this person were a book, he would be a gardener with acres of land filled w ith orchards and gardens with dozens of varieties of plants and even with some plants of his own creation. We are going to be friends- I can tell.

For my Insight Magazine staff class there are no books besides the magazine issues we critique and edit. I'm continuing on the staff from last semester and just adore this class. Sister Earl is one of my all tim favorite professors (I had her for Greats Works of Literature of WWI my freshmen year)! Plus the staff is amazing, the writing is varied and fascinating, and the creative design new and challenging. This semester we will be working hard to get the magazine to print and putting it on the web for the first time ever!

For my Islam in Contemporary Society class: No textbooks have been listed yet, but I already have my Qur'an from last year. While I'm no longer minoring in Middle Eastern Studies, I am fascinated by the Islamic religion, the Muslim culture, and their role in the world today. As a child of the 9/11 generation, 9/11 being what Kennedy's assasination was to my grandparents, I learned that the world is so much more than my American and Mormon beliefs. Rather the world is fun of distinct viewpoints and diverse cultures and I cannot call myself educated, not to mention considerate, if I do not learn about the 6 billion others I share this planet with.

That seems enough, right? Well, I was browsing the discontinued textbook shelves in hopes of finding more fascinating treasures. And I selected three books/packets that I will study independently this semester/rest of my life. They are: Human Physiology Powerpoints ( a class packet that will help to prepare me when I take that class shortly.), The Student Atlas of World Politics which I got for $2 ( a must have reference book with maps of everything from GDP to literacy rates and dependence on trade!), and finally, drum roll please, Art History in two volumes covering art from the 14th century to the 21st century. My good friend Kelly is an expert at Art and Art History and has interested me enough that I want to broaden my horizons and learn to appreciate and objectively look at art work.

Plus this semester, since learning more about OpenCourseWare and all the schools that offer classes online I am going to look up other university's versions of the classes I'm taking. Does MIT offer a Stats class that could help me? Does John Hopkins have their Biology of Plants class online? Will I find a podcast about Islam in contemporary society from Berkley? I will keep exploring how I can supplement my education...

While I read my glorious new pile of books!