My Latest Favorite Treat

I love Greek yogurt.  I love it.  It's like ice cream.  Except healthy.  And delicious.
And Chobani yogurt - it's amazing.
I'd recommend it.
 

The Invisible Custodian

When you're walking the hallways and a custodian is cleaning it, you kind of ignore them, right? You don't really mean to, you just know they're doing their job and you don't want to disturb them. You walk around them, hope you don't trip over their chord, and then don't give it a second thought. Not even one thought.  You just keep  on walking, and you probably couldn't even picture that custodian's face 20 minutes later.

Hey, guess what? I'M a custodian now. Yup. I got a job. And guess what time it's at? From 5AM to 8AM. It's a perfect fit for me, since I'm such an early morning person. NOT. You  know, my inability to sleep at night totally helps me get up in the morning as well. 4 1/2 hours of sleep is completely normal and I love being tired all day.
But, in all seriousness, I'm actually quite grateful to be a  custodian.  Because cleaning is money.  Easy money.  The job is monotonous and repetitive, which is kind of comforting.  It's a time for me to think and have breathing space.

It's funny though, how invisible custodians are.  You kind of ignore them, because they're doing their job, right?  One time, someone did help me unplug a chord and plug it  back in.  That was very much appreciated.
How many times in class have you dropped something or ripped off some paper and thrown it on the ground thinking, "oh, the janitor will clean it up."  Well, that's how I used to think.
Not anymore though, have no fear.  Yes, I know I am getting paid to pick up your trash. BUT, there is such a thing as courtesy.
Now, I have to clean the lounge and two classrooms in the Clyde Building, the engineering building.  There are some ups and downs to this.
Downs:
It's on the opposite end of campus.  Therefore, I wake up at 4:30 to ensure I get to work on time. (It takes me a while to focus my brain to get dressed and put on shoes.  My mind is still in dream mode when I'm first waking up.)
It's the engineering building.  Sadly, BYU lacks female engineers.  Therefore, there are a bunch of men walking around the Clyde building.  I vacuum really loudly, and I feel bad because I know they are trying to study.  It's also a bunch of men that I have to see at 5AM, which isn't exactly one's prime time of the day.

Ups:
It's a pretty easy cleaning job.  I take out trash.  Disinfect tables and whiteboards.  I vacuum.  Every day I do this, and I think I've established a routine.
The job is chill and pretty relaxed.  The hardest part is staying awake, really.
It's helping me manage my time more -- I've found that I've been a lot more productive!

I think I want to take a nap soon.

Happy Late Birthday Arizona!

 Happy (late) 100th Birthday Arizona! (Arizona's birthday is February 14th.  There's this other holiday on that day...but this one obviously overshadows it ;))

Last night, I was talking to Karina about the beauty of different states.  Karina's from Colorado, which, from what I can tell from the pictures, is a beautiful state. Green, mountains, lakes, and plains, it's gorgeous. I won't disagree that Colorado is beautiful, but when Karina then said, "Sorry, Emma. But Arizona is just butt ugly." 

I'll be honest, when I first moved to Arizona I didn't think it was the most beautiful place...there's hardly any green.  There's a lot of dirt and sagebrush.  But Arizona is my home. It's where I'm from, and I have learned to appreciate it's unique beauty as I've lived there.  I love green, hilly places and I love the fall. Winter is beautiful in other places. But Arizona has a unique beauty and culture that I have grown to love as I've grown up there.

First of all, watch an Arizona sunset; it is stunning.

Cactus are pretty cool too, not very many states have cacti around. 

The red rock is very pretty; many people come to Sedona for retreats and such to admire the beauty there.

Of course, the Grand Canyon, which you can see from space, it's that amazing. (Confession: I've never actually been there. I better add that to my bucket list.)

Lots of people come to Arizona for winter, because winter in Arizona is heavenly. (For all my Arizona friends that think it's "cold" there...you're mistaken.)

Now don't get me wrong, the sagebrush can get old, but moments like these pictures make me appreciate Arizona's own kind of beauty.  Happy Birthday Arizona. I miss you, and I won't see you for a long while, but you will always be home.

Why Roommates, Tape, and Cell Phones are Creepy

First of all, the reason I am writing about this is because I have decided that I am going to have to laugh at it eventually. So, here's my story. Short version.

Over the break, some random person texted me. He said he knew me, that Hannah had given him my number. We had met at the football game, and talked about the crocodile hunter. (Apparently...) I didn't pay much attention, I figured it was the wrong number or the wrong Emma or something.  Next thing I know, he's adding me on facebook.  He has one friend, which was fishy right away.  I figured this was a joke and I let it go.

A couple weeks later, after yoga with Ellie, I get a text from him.  All it contained was this picture: 

Karina tied up with tape over her mouth.
Scary? I think yes.

Naturally, I was legitimately creeped out.  Karina claimed that he said he knew me, and that he wanted to tie her up as an inside joke.  I had never met him before, and now he's sending pictures to me of my roommate tied up! This had gone too far.  I look on Facebook, he had moved from 1 to 16 friends, 2 of which are myfriends from Chandler Prep.

I figured someone was playing a prank on me, (cough cough, my roommates...) and I tried getting out of them who was pranking me.  They all played dumb, laughing at my spaz attacks. 

Yes, I am gullible.  I realize this. But...still.

I suspected one of my roommates, (who shall not be named out of protection :) ) and I suspected her brother.  I looked up the random number on the BYU directory, and sure enough, they matched.

Yes, laugh all you want. It's such a funny joke, what a genius idea... NOT! Don't pull this prank on your little sister's friends, because they might very well file a police report (which I almost did, by the way...).

Revenge still has to be taken.  Nothing this psychologically mean of course, but something funny and practical.

I know, I should take the high road.

But, seriously...I have to show that although I am gullible and easily confused, I won't stand for this :)

If you have any good prank ideas, please message me on facebook :) Thank you!

A Totes Presh Blogpost on Abreves

That's
totes, 
defs 
presh. 

Adorbs.
Inapropro.
Popo.
Supes

Awks
Obvi 
Perf
Hilar
Maj
Besties.
btw (prounounced b.t. dubs)
Lolz (pronounced lullz)
ROFL (prounouced roffel)
FBO (face-book offical)
DTR (define the relationship)
NBD (no big deal)
Froyo
Legit
Delish

Quite honestly, I was introduced to this world of "abbrev" when I came to BYU, we take a picture, and Karina looks at it and says, "that's totes presh." (I'm not even sure if I'm spelling this "correctly", abbrev or abreves, so I'll just switch between the two... that might just prove my point even more!)
At first it I thought it was a joke, but no one was laughing and everyone just accepted "totes" as "totally" and "presh" as "precious.
And, embarassingly, I didn't know what any of these meant. I remember asking my roommates, what does "nbd" mean? They laughed at me. No big deal. Hey, in high school there was hardly any pop culture, and I use real words, children :) 
A whole new world was opened up to me -- changing normal words to just weird words, in a completely adolescent, strange, odd way.  They're shortened words that sometimes have an s on the end.
I looked up abreves in urban dictionary, and this was the example they gave me. I thought it was totes presh. ;)

There's an "The Abbrevs" Facebook page.  Apparently May 3rd is National Abbrev Day? Wow.
Some more abbrevs I discovered there are: (I provided interpretations for the illiterate, like me.)
Pleas. (for pleasure)
Drams (drama)
Brill (brilliant)
Ridic (ridiculous)
Diff (different)
I still have not succumbed to the abbreviations fad, (I only use them when I'm mocking people) but I find it quite hilar. lolz. Wait, I take that back. There is one word I say, which is "legit." I should work on that.
Now I'm just being mean :)
As funny as it is, it kind of scares me. Where is our vocabulary going these days?  My generation's ability to communicate is seriously declining...we can't even use real words anymore.
It stems from texting, wanting to say so many words in as little characters as possible.  Which makes sense, but when we're having face to face conversations, say "That's totally precious." (which sounds kind of weird) instead of "totes" presh. Actually "laugh out loud" or "roll on the floor laughing" when someone says something funny, don't say lols.
Right now I just jokingly laugh at the abbreviations (hey, it makes for a good blog-post), but let's hope we don't take our addiction to our careers and families.

Comment if there's any abreves I've forgotten :)

A Shepherdess in Don Quixote: Beauty, Virtue, and Independence

I am reading Don Quixote in my Comparative Literature Class, and I came across this wonderful part about a shepherdess named Marcela.  Marcela is the most beautiful woman any man has ever seen, and men leave their careers to pursue her.  One of her suitors dies in his grief, and the people begin blame her for his death. She comes to his funeral to defend herself.  She beautifully preaches that a truly beautiful woman is one who is chaste and pure, not one who flaunts her external beauty.  She asserts her independence as a shepherdess -- this is who she wants to be, and her male suitors will not change her mind.  I love this random incident in Don Quixote, because it contradicts a common societal thought at the time: a woman's value is in her beauty.  Marcela preaches the true virtuous woman; the true value of a virtuous woman. Marcela is virtuous, chaste, beautiful, intelligent, and independent.   (I rejoice when I find this stuff in literature. It's my favorite :))

This is what Marcela says:

You all say that heaven made me beautiful, so much so that this beauty of mine, with a force you can’t resist, makes you love me; and you say and even demand that, in return for the love you show me, I must love you.  By the natural understanding which God has granted me I know that whatever is beautiful is lovable; but I can’t conceive why, for this reason alone, a woman who’s loved for her beauty should be obliged to love whoever loves her.  What’s more, it could happen that the lover of beauty is ugly, and since that which is ugly is loathsome, it isn’t very fitting for him to say: “I love you because you’re beautiful; you must love me even though I’m ugly.”  And even if they are well-matched as far as beauty goes, that doesn’t mean that the attraction’s going to be mutual, because not all beauty inspires love.  Some beauties delight the eye but don’t captivate the heart; just as well, because if all beauty did inspire love and conquer hearts, people’s affections would be forever wandering this way and that without knowing where to come to rest – there’s an infinite number of beautiful people, so the affections would be infinite, too.  And, according to what I’ve heard, true love can’t be divided, and must be voluntary, not forced on you.  If this is so, as I believe it is, why do you think I should be obliged to give in to you, just because you say you love me dearly?  Or else tell me this: of heaven had made me ugly instead of beautiful, would I have been right to complain about you for not loving me?  What’s more, you must remember that I didn’t choose this beauty of mine – heaven gave it to me, exactly as you see it, quite freely, without my asking for it or picking it. And just as the viper doesn’t deserve to be blamed for her poison, even though she kills with it, because nature gave it to her, so I don’t deserve to be blamed for being beautiful; because beauty in a  virtuous woman is like a distant fire or sharp sword, which don’t burn or cut anyone who doesn’t come too close.  Honor and virtue are ornaments of the soul, and without them the body, even if it is beautiful, shouldn’t seem beautiful.  Well then, if chastity is one of the virtues that most embellish the soul and the body, why should the woman who’s loved for her beauty lose her chastity by responding to the advances of the man who, merely for his own pleasure, employs all his strength and cunning to make her lose it?
I was born free, and to live free I chose the solitude of the countryside….I am the distant fire and the far-off sword….If I’d encouraged him, I should have been false; if I’d gratified him, I should have been acting against my own intentions, better than his…Because a woman who doesn’t love any man can’t make any man jealous, and disabuse must not be confused with disdain.  He who calls me fierce and a basilisk can leave me alone, as something evil and dangerous; he who calls me an ingrate can stop courting me; he who calls me distant can keep his distance; he who calls me cruel can stop following me: because this fierce basilisk, this ingrate, this cruel and distant woman is most certainly not going to seek, court, approach or follow any of them.

I love this :) I should have used it in my Senior Thesis.

An Apology for Justin Bieber (Andrew Powley)

So since I have had writers block for about a month now, I decided to feature a guest author on my blog - my cousin Andrew!  Andrew is a very creative writer - his use of simile and metaphor is impressive, to say the least.  This is an assignment we had to do for our Comparative Literature class, enjoy :)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my humble university career is that simple intelligence has nothing to do with one’s success. That is, intelligence alone will not land you a career in that wasteland we call the real world. Undergraduates often get hung up in the common notion that a grade point average certifies the surgeons, legalizes the lawyers, and so forth.  And they’re right to worry about such trifles, but not for the reasons they think. Most people commonly associate the GPA with a measure of intelligence, or how “smart” someone is. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think about the grade you received on your first college report card. Was the grade you received a mark of how talented your brain was at computing information? Or rather, did it reflect how hard you slaved and trained yourself to understand course material? The latter implies that the GPA is not a measure of talent someone possesses, but more a gauge of a student’s willingness to work hard.

 I recently had the opportunity to sit in on a number of lectures with successful medical doctors, all of which had little to say about their relative brain capacities to others. In fact, they bragged about their work hours. They proudly told the horror stories of first-year residencies; relished in the memories of sleeping only eight hours a week.  They hung their third-world humanitarian experiences with pride around their necks.  It was a dedication to hard work that set these men apart—a dedication to harvest their own fruits of success.

I don’t like work—no man does—but I like what is in work, the chance to find yourself. Your own reality—for yourself…

Joseph Conrad (from his short story Heart of Darkness)

                Through personal perseverance one assimilates into adulthood, gaining a heightened awareness of reality. That reality is characterized by the undying principle that hard work determines success. For this reason, I disdain the current state of the popular music industry.  In the past, the musician had to fight and persist through trials and failures in order to secure his fame.

Take for example The Beatles; people generally assume that when the Beatles came to America they became a sort of “instant success” with undeniably natural talent. However, in reality The Beatles were a struggling band eight years before their rise to stardom. For eight years, Paul McCartney and John Lennon had to marinate in the back streets of Hamburg, Germany while pursuing their own music gigs, organize rock band logistics such as equipment, members, pay etc. They had to be businessmen. Only after “a hard day’s night” did the band really explode into this worldwide phenomenon. Their music is timeless because, yes, in part they were brilliant musicians, but more so the amount of work and entrepreneurship that went into creating a rock and roll powerhouse had a correlating pay off.

In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.

Malcolm Gladwell (from his book Outliers)

                And consequently, the modern advent of YouTube has killed the spirit of hard work. I speak naturally of the abominable event of Justin Bieber’s “overnight” night rise to fame.

People don't rise from nothing....It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't.

Malcolm Gladwell (from his book Outliers)  

I’ll center my criticism on one crucial fact. Look at any biography and notice that Bieber never in fact pursued his own musical career by even bothering to post his own videos—his mom did it for him. Bieber never personally sought out record deals: they were handed to him by a desperate contract agent. This very notion has created a false reality amongst hundreds of young aspiring musicians that all they need to do is post their recordings online and then by some miracle the recording offers will pop up on their Facebook accounts. This is false, and I must make this apology for Justin Bieber. The modern conveniences of the digital age cannot substitute for hard work. If you’re young and naïve to the realities of sorrows and trials that accompany the rise to fame, start laboring now.  

To be alive is to have scars.

John Steinbeck (from his novel Winter of Our Discontent)

                Now, I respect the prodigy within Justin Bieber; his musical skills are incredible, and very few people have the ability to swoon millions of adolescent girls. Without a doubt, he must have put a considerable amount of effort into developing his talents by himself. Nonetheless, Bieber lacks the drive for entrepreneurship. He doesn’t write his own music, and doesn’t work to keep his fame. He doesn’t have to, mainly because he is still a teenager. I believe that the apparent lack of inexperience and honest labor will end up being detrimental to Bieber’s character.

This flaw already manifests itself with the prideful air in which Bieber portrays his music. He’ll turn a humble Christmas carol (“The Little Drummer Boy”), bastardize the religious sentiment and boast about his talents:

And I only spit heat cause I'm playin' for the Son.
Playin' for the King, playin for the Title,
I'm surprised you didn't hear this in the Bible.
I'm so tight, I might go psycho.

Justin Bieber

Pride is the enemy of hard work--like a soft whisper from Hell it subtly insists that talent alone achieves fame. This is the greatest obstacle to success, and if not overcome, we halt our own potential growth. Soon, the musician sits idly by waiting for his tribute from the common man until he realizes all his friends have deserted and he is left with nothing—not even the drive to work harder.

You don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone!

Herb Brooks (coach of the 1984 US Gold Medal Olympic Hockey Team)

                 Bieber hasn’t developed the entrepreneur work ethic, and similarly once he turns 18 and enters adulthood, he won’t have the drive to work hard either. Unless he learns that taking initiative is what fuels fame, his music will turn into a short lived fad, and drift away with the sands of time.  

Happy Birthday Grammie! - December 5th

I know it's 1 AM on December 6th, but to me it's still December 5th, which is my wonderful Grammie's birthday!
Some memories I have of Grammie from when I was little until now:

• Having big family reunions in her backyard when I was little.  Playing with a bunch of stuffed animals? That's the youngest memory I have.
• Grammie came to Pittsburgh and helped my mom out when Mary and Harrison were born.  I remember being really excited to see her.
• Coming and visiting her a couple summers in a row.  Creating lots of fun smoothie recipes.  Playing dress-up in her basement. Learning a lot about myself, and learning a lot about my heritage.  I heard stories about her childhood, and she would give me advice about how to get through my elementary school dramas :)
• Grammie is the one who first taught me the value of one my my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon.  I can't remember how old I was, but she taught me the value of Moroni 10:5. Grammie is always willing to share her testimony of the scriptures with me.
• And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
• One word: England.  Some of my best memories of my life history so far have taken place in England.

There are many, many more childhood memories I have of my Grammie.  But I would just like to relate to you some things I have appreciated about Grammie over the past couple of years.

She always shows her love and care for me.  She asks me about what I am learning in school, and discusses ideas with me.  She is always willing to provide new insight for me, and give me new ideas.

Grammie is an example of an empowered woman who follows her inner light.  She, along with my other grandmothers, my mother, and my aunts, is the inspiration for my senior thesis.  Grammie's knowledge about women's studies has kindled my passion for the study and empowerment of women, especially in literature.

She has been here for me while I've been at BYU -- I have enjoyed being able to spend more time with her.  I am realizing that she, my mom, and I are all very alike :) And  for that, I am honored.  

I am so grateful for all the wonderful women who are great examples to me.

I love you Grammie. Happy birthday, and thank you for everything.

Goodbye Facebook (for two weeks)

It's finals week next week. So this week is the stressful week as we study and prepare for finals.
So, my roommate Hannah changed my password for facebook so that I can't get on it for the next two weeks. I thought it was a pretty smart move on my part.  Wish me luck!
Love,
Emma

David's Lamentation

2 Samuel 18: 31-33

And, behold Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings my lord the king: for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

And the king was much moved, and went up to he chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

The story of King David is a tragic, and yet somehow beautiful, story.  

These verses tell of when David fights against his rebelling son, Absalom, in a war.  After a series of events, Absalom conspires and rebels against his father.  David and Absalom end up going to war against each other, and the above verses describe David's reaction when he hears of Absalom's death.

I find it particularly beautiful and touching that David says, "would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" After Absalom rebels and betrays his father, his father's love is so great for him, he still wishes he had died for him.

This is a type of Christ's love for us.  It is a type of the deepest love that Jesus teaches of in the New Testament in John 15:13:

Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Whether you're religious or not, I think this rings true -- that sacrifice is one of the deepest forms of love.  The song sung by Chanticleer really describes this emotion that David is feeling.  When I listen to it, I feel David's mourning and his love for his son.

(Below is the audio clip):
Chanticleer - David's Lamentation

Powered by mp3skull.com

Showing another side of David, his downfall. While not biblical, the song Hallelujah originally written and performed by Leanard Cohen and covered by Jeff Buckley, is very religious in meaning.  Some of the lyrics read:

I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

...

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

...

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

...

Maybe there’s a God above

But all I’ve ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

It’s not a cry you can hear at night

It’s not somebody who has seen the light

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

...

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

In Hebrew, the word "Hallelujah" means "Praise the Lord, Yaweh."  I think these lyrics, while I don't agree with every aspect of them, mean that David, as broken and tragic as he his, continues to praise the Lord.  To  me, the cry "Hallelujah" means love: "Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."  David praises the Lord in the entire Book of Psalms, he sings praises to the Lord.  He sings to the Lord his God, "Hallelujah."

Like in the famous Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

David is an example of one who loves, one who loves with his whole heart.  He loves his son, and he loves the Lord his God.  David was not the perfect king, and I cry at his downfall with Bath-sheba and killing her husband.  But David always sought to be a righteous king after these actions.

May we love God with a strong love.  May we love those around us, even those who betray us and rebel against us.

And let us never forget the love God has for us, stronger than any love David expresses.  Christ laid down his life for us, the greatest love that gives us reason to hope and rejoice.