Resolution Reborn

It's been seven full days with no chocolate (and a severely reduced other-sugar intake) and no one has died.


At least, not because of me.

Every Year

That's right, it's here again - Ernest Shackleton's birthday!  (I don't know who that is, but Google thinks it's important, so... Oh, and it's ES's big day HERE, but it might not be back in the States yet. Just FYI.)

In honor of the big day, I decided to combine work and relaxation - I watched Valentine's Day (no reason) and charted the storylines in order to analyze them and break down the structure.  You sure catch a lot more of the details on a second viewing! Gary Marshall must have had all kinds of spreadsheets (possibly Gant Charts) in order to keep track of all those characters. I can only imagine what got left on the cutting room floor! (Well, if anything.  There is a LOT going on in this movie.)

Also, just for fun, I'm including here a piece I wrote in a workshop this morning. Any resemblance of person (or date) is purely coincidental. (The title was random, came from someone else. It's really not anywhere near finished. Like I said, it's just here for fun. Coincidentally.)

Doorbell Doesn’t Work, Enter Around the Back

 Doris had always hated Valentine’s Day. Ever since she could remember, pink-and-red had given her a migraine, and pictures of chubby cupids made her instinctively reach for her taser. Last year’s work party, with the 4 Aortas Barbershop Quartet, didn’t go so well – and February was a lousy time to be looking for a job. Doris would know.

She had seasonal allergies – they always flared up around floral shops the weeks before and after February 14. Chocolate gave her hives – but only once a year. Coming within 20 yards of a Hallmark store brought on a rash, and commercialization being what it was she had to avoid them for nearly two-thirds of the year.

Doris was not anti-love or anti-sex or anti-romance or anti-anything, really – she’d tried every known cure. Dating sites, a singles’ cruise, immersion therapy… that last had driven the dog crazy (poor thing could handle only so much Michael Buble, Barry White, and Andrea Boccelli – it was more of a Nirvana kind of terrier). She even went to work as a holiday temp at Niagara Falls one year.  It was no use, though – the doctor’s bills and restraining orders just kept piling up.  And, Doris admitted to herself, she really SHOULD have taken her husband along on that cruise. That had been a bad Valentine’s Day for everybody.

Doris had had enough.

This year, she had a plan – she would sneak up on her own neurosis and clobber it into submission (with two dozen roses – long-stemmed, naturally).

TBC (someday, maybe...)

* * * * *

Enjoy Ernest Shackleton's birthday!  (Research time! Woo!)

Too Good Not to Share

A good friend of mine was holding her 6-month-old son on her lap, and he was wiggling so much he was sliding towards the floor. She asked him where he was going, and from across the room her 6-year-old daughter yelled, "Don't tell Mom! She will curse your plans!"






I have been laughing (to the point of tears) ALL. DAY. LONG.



(I think my friend's blog is invitation-only, but if you want more of the same from some hilarious kids, let me know and I'll pass your info on to her.)

Guilt Update

I feel badly that I haven't been posting - in all honesty, it hasn't been all that exciting, though. Here's what I've got:

- Someone told a friend of mine that UK Masters' degrees were cake. Someone (meaning: my friend's source) was smoking crack.  These last two weeks have been NUTS. Stress, crazy, exhausted, hard!  The fact that one of my two research groups is nine girls and one (gay) guy is probably not helping.

- I don't think I'm ready for a PhD. I think I'll be looking into another MA degree (as I'm also not ready to move back to the States anytime soon) to help me get headed in the right direction, then maybe work for a couple of years to prep and pay down student loans, and THEN get a PhD.

- I bought the air mattress, and a friend came and stayed for two nights.  She's vouching for its comfort level.  Now taking visitors!

- While she was here, we saw an excellently-acted show (that was structurally a little vague and with language I could have done without - seriously, why are playwrights so uncreative when it comes to language?  Grrr), and an amazing show that will be opening soon in New York - if you are in NY in the next year or so and have the chance to see War Horse, DO IT.

- I lost an earring.  This is only notable because it was an earring that I have lost at least twice before that has always turned up.  I even took the earrings out during an exercise in the afternoon and was surprised they were both still there - then when I got home late that night one was gone.  It has apparently made a successful break for freedom and still hasn't shown up.  If it reappears a few weeks/months from now I will frame the set or make them into refrigerator magnets or something, and write an entire post of philosophical/metaphysical commentary.  Third time's the charm!

- I also bought a pair of earrings that turned out to be too heavy - I broke them down, rebuilt them, and they are now perfect.  I miss jewelry design.

- I was planning to travel more this term - it doesn't look like that's going to happen. (See first item on list.) Third term! I will be back in the States for the holiday break in April - Conference (International resident, baby!), changeover at Hale, sister-in-law's new baby... good times. (Also, Cheetos. It is CRAZY how much I miss Cheetos!)

- Happy Chinese/Lunar New Year!  I stayed up late Wednesday night, as this was supposed to mean my parents would live longer (you're welcome!), and I managed to buy a new outfit that included a bright red shirt. (New clothes, and/or red.)

- The ward has a group of students attending who are studying in London until April - naturally, at least one of the girls is an excellent pianist. I have been practicing, but I thought this meant I was off the hook until April... not so much.  They've been leaving before Relief Society (attending the singles' ward is my guess) and I got drafted to play today.  It wasn't pretty.

- Other than that, the meetings and classes continue to be excellent, and the people continue to be quirkily adorable!

- I have a faux-mink (cheap, but it feels niiiiice) throw on my bed, and it makes the Sunday afternoon nap a real treat.

- Now I'm just babbling, because I'm tired.  Time to go - another wacky week ahead, starting with a Monday morning Movement class that will be mostly yoga, which likely means that the next message for the chiropractor I'm trying to get an appointment with will be a little more... urgent.  Snooty. Possibly begging.

Ah, Monday.

Fair Warning

Sunday Snippet

This will actually be a few Sunday's worth of snippets - I've been collecting. (Also, don't forget to check out this post! Surely someone wants something awesome sent them from the UK!)

I love my new ward. From the first time I walked in (a little late - it's WAAAY out-of-the-way) the members have been friendly and welcoming, and incredibly positive and upbeat.  This is a seriously happy ward.  Teeny - I doubt that we get even a hundred people out to Sacrament meeting, and a family that moved in around the same time I did doubled the Primary with their four kids - but really cheerful, and supportive, and considerate of each other.  Someone is always walking up and introducing themselves, or just saying hello and how was your week, or hugging.  Good times.

Jan. 9, 2011 (I'm trying to get in the habit) - "Faith is always pointed towards the future." (Sacrament meeting talk.)

Sunday School - We were talking about Elisabeth and Zacharias, and what happened to Zacharias in the temple, and one of the things I realized is that Z gets a bit of a bad rap, but not quite for the right reason. After all, his response to the message ("How can my wife have a child? We're too old for that!") is really perfectly rational and logical. The thing is not his response to the Lord's message, it's his response to the situation - temple, Holy of Holies, ANGEL.  This is not typical.  I think Zacharias was responding to what he thought he knew ("too old for children") instead of really listening to and feeling what he was being told.  When the Lord speaks we have to get out of our own heads and pay attention to what He says and the Spirit confirms, and not our own experience.

Jan. 16 - "The Scriptures:  Celestial Google."

"Pride is what leads us into temptation when we know better."

Remember - we are not interested in a "fair fight" with Satan. We are interested in stacking the deck, stockpiling supplies and armaments, and prevailing from the high ground. We must not allow Satan any footholds or advantages. (You also don't have to mix your metaphors - that's just me.)

"We do not discover humility by thinking less of ourselves, we discover it by thinking less about ourselves."

- It was Ward Conference, and the pianist was home sick. I volunteered to play prelude music, and immediately realized just how rusty I was on the piano. I was then drafted to play for Relief Society, and asked if we could do "Called to Serve" because it at least sort-of applied to the topic, and I was fairly sure I could play it (due to a long-ago traumatic Seminary experience that I won't go into here).  Turns out I was almost right.  Inaccuracies aside, I did play with gusto, and this got the 65+ chorister so fired up that she started dancing along while she led.  It was HILARIOUS. (She's the sweetest, peppiest, most adorable little old lady I have ever met.  Love her.)  ((I have been practicing the piano at school all week, and even got myself a hymn book and Children's Songbook to work on - just in case.  I'm betting I'll be drafted again at some point.))

Jan. 23 - One of the speakers told a story about being in a cab, and the traffic got snarled up (as it does).  The cabbie asked if he could change the music, and (surprise!) popped in a Christian music CD.  After just a few minutes, the traffic cleared and they were able to continue.  The cabbie matter-of-factly commented on the driving situation by saying, "I changed the music and the Lord blessed me."  This led to a conversation about their respective faiths, with the cabbie giving the member the Christian CD, and the member getting his address to send him a MoTab CD.  Be an example of faith!  And take openings to share and communicate truths when they are given!

- The Relief Society President has a fantastic Scottish accent.  I can't wait until she teaches the whole lesson.

- A 90+ sister (the longest-running member of the ward - 61 years) told me to watch out for Jean (the chorister) as she was the head of the ward's "Looney Club".  I nearly busted up right there in the chapel. I love these people.

This is my current computer wallpaper - it's the Parliament Building and Big Ben from across the Thames, taken around sunset on Jan. 6.  Enjoy!

Official Tourist

Here it is, folks!  The One With Pictures of a Too-Touristy To Live London Location!

THE TOWER OF LONDON.

I was here a few years ago, with a family group of 11. We didn't have the chance for the guided tour, so I made sure to sign up this time around. This was our Beefeater - a.k.a., Yeoman Warder, a.k.a., Ceremonial (though real) Guardian of the Tower. He'd been in the military long enough to qualify for this job, and apparently also thought he was a stand-up comedian.  We'll call him a "character" and leave it at that.  This is Traitor's Gate, the water-gate where supplies were brought in and prisoners transported through before trial/execution.  As we were neither supplies nor prisoners, we didn't actually get to go through.

 This is the building where the Crown Jewels are kept - I didn't know those people, but they didn't move out of the shot and I figured they looked British and/or touristy enough to keep.

A Tower raven - six are kept on the grounds at all times, since a prediction back in the 1600's said that if the ravens ever left the Tower, the Monarchy would fall.  One of the kings made it law to keep ravens around - not that he was superstitious or anything, JUST IN CASE.

Actors (not wax figures) in the re-creation of the Medieval Palace.  Middle Ages hair probably didn't look much better.

I seem to be a little obsessed with taking pictures of Tower (of London) Bridge.  It IS just on the other side of the wall, so I thought it made a cool shot.  Sue me.

The White Tower - the original and actual "Tower" of the Tower of London.  Built by William the Conquerer, it was designed to control the river, re-define the city skyline, and provide a place for massive parties.  Basically your kingly version of a midlife crisis symbol.

One of the thirteen towers built into the first wall around the complex. (There's a second, which also had a moat, though that was filled in in relatively recently when the then-Queen realized that the overflow from the Thames turned one of her royal residences into an open sewer. Oops.)

Outside the Tower complex - the walls used to sit flush up against the waters of the Thames. (See what I did there?)

Here's a night picture of the Tower Bridge. I think it turned out pretty well.

Just to prove I was actually there, and didn't get the pictures from Google! (No Photoshopping, just a good angle and lots of practice taking blind pictures with my left hand.)

To round off the day, I had my first experience with fish 'n chips. And let me tell you, not only was it pretty (isn't it PRETTY?!?) it was also delicious. I'm guessing this is not actually typical of the genre. I'll definitely look for a street cart next time!

It was a great day - I had a tour guide, an audio guide, a drizzle, a downpour, gawked at the Crown Jewels (no photos allowed), and picked up a postcard of the Queen. Doesn't get much more touristy than that!

And...  it's crossed off the list.  Check!