Watch what you read

So this article is really interesting--and one of the freakier things I've heard lately. A bookstore employee had the FBI turn up and grill him about what he'd been reading earlier that week in a coffee shop. (It was a left-leaning article criticizing the post-9-11 media.) Apparently someone else in the coffee shop thought this guy was a threat to national security. You know, because he was reading.Crazy times we live in. Kind of makes me want to go read Al-Qaeda propaganda in an airport, since this is A FREE COUNTRY AND THAT IS MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.pic from the The Institute for Public Affa...

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Not likely to reassure my married friends

I had a thought a few days ago that is probably going to send me straight to hell.I'd been chatting with a friend about The Dating Scene, which is pretty much bound to come up any time two or more aged spinsters get together--along with cats, shingles, and the fact that our hot young bodies are going completely to waste. She mentioned that there just don't seem to be enough guys to go around. One example of this is my singles ward, where there are loads of attractive, nice women. There are also quite a lot of attractive, nice guys but it seems that only a small percentage of them are doing The Dating. I'm not sure what the rest of them are up to, but my speculations are not kind.So I was thinking about this and about The Dating Pool. Unbidden, this rose from the murky depths of my thoughts:...

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Speaking of vain repetition

So in our Church we don't really memorize set prayers. The idea is that we should think about what we're saying and keep things simple and sincere. (Matthew 6:7)Only here's the thing. We still totally do it the "vain repetition" thing--we just keep it to talks & testimonies most of the time.All you LDS people how there, how many times in your life have you heard (or used) the following phrases?for those of you who don't know me, my name is ________ -- Um, yeah, of course this is for the benefit of those who don't know you. Who else is it for? Your mom? Why not just say "Hello, my name is _____"?the evils of pernography -- I am absolutely up for hearing about this. I just wish they would call it por-nography. "Pernography" makes me think of dirty mags that farmer boys read behind bales...

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Warning: Contains Profanity

I like to think that I have a sophisticated sense of humor. But then I watch something like this and I realize that no, no I don't. Because all it takes is a song where Hugh Laurie sings the word "ass" a whole bunch in a Southern accent to leave me yelping and shrieking on the floor.Although . . . if Hugh Laurie thinks it's funny too then maybe my taste is just fine. After all, he is British. And brilliant.Also? He and I should probably just stop this "will they or won't they" dance we're in and just get married already.Happy Weekend, y'a...

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Let's make the world a better place

The other day I got my hair cut at a new place. Spitfire recommended it. It's one of those cheapish places that used to be a Fantastic Sam's but was then bought out. The kind where a haircut and style costs $10. But Spitfire says she's gone there several times and has always been happy with what they've done.So I went and the girl did a great job. I got a cut, style, and highlights for $35. Woot!BUT, as we were talking, we got around to the subject of managers we've had and frustrating work situations we've been in, and she told me this gem: The owner of the salon does not give them raises. At all. Ever. I asked how that works out with the whole...

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British Man Candy, continued

A couple of weeks ago I watched Under the Greenwood Tree. You remember I'd been worried about this one since it was written by Thomas Hardy. I didn't want to watch some movie where the bodies of disenchanted, disenfranchised villagers get piled up under the greenwood tree. (Side note: during a Study Abroad we went to Thomas Hardy's house in the countryside and I wondered how anyone who lived in such a beautiful place could write such depressing things. But it turns out that he can do light romantic comedy as well, so that's something.)The movie is relatively short at 90 minutes and it's more a sweet story about village life & intrigues than...

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Pain - Shut Your Mouth (live at Metal camp 07)

I am so jealous of Vika! I cannot take it!...

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Bits and pieces

I am in no mood to write paragraphs, so I shall do it very simply.Comrade Secretary Kirov got me a Russian name, it is called Lamzira Shuilandzhe. Lamzira means temple. Hmm, I have no idea, but it looks smashing, that's all I know. Thanks Comrade Kirov!Welcome back to normalcy, Vika! Yes I have missed out on Metalcamp. =(Read the final 2 or 3 chapter of Harry Potter Seven at Borders this afternoon, man, I realised JK Rowling cannot write for nuts, I think I am the only linguistic critic here, I would rather read online fan-generated fictions. All others chooses to focus on the (cheesy) plot. And yes, the plot is absurd. How could a dark wizard of many lives and great accumulated power be defeated by a mere teenage, 7 times! Seven goddamned times. I do not get it. And I refuses to believe...

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It is time to speak of British Man Candy

HOW excited am I about the new Elizabeth: The Golden Age trailer? First off, it's rated PG-13 instead of R. Second and most importantly they've traded in mopey-pants Joseph Fiennes for Clive Owen. That is the kind of upgrade I can live wi...

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Weekend report

Am back from the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. So much fun. It was just this wonderful revolving door of plays and food, food and plays. What could be more glorious?First let's do quick mini-reviews of what we saw:Lend Me a Tenor is a new musical based on an older play. The basic premise is that an opera company in 1930s Cleveland is putting on Othello and have paid the big bucks to get a famous Italian tenor to come sing the title role. First he's late, then he gets sick, and then he kind of seems dead in his hotel room. So the sweet geeky manager Max (played by Jered Tanner who is my new geeky boyfriend) gets roped into impersonating...

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I await...

Exactly 4 months from now, I will be a free person. Free from academic obligations and the shit bureacracies of the college administrations.I have been waiting to walk out of the school gate with a grin, knowing inside I have finally survived the worst yet phase of my life. I can't wait for that day - 22th November 2007 9.15am. Simply, cannot fucking wait.In the meantime, I will have to salvage my maths and chemistry, in order to say proudly, I am done with the fucking insane JC education!Can't wa...

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Aww

Today was a relatively good start to an even greater weekend, I woke up rather early for a saturday - 9 plus am. Had a nice cuppa tea and was still wondering where did my burnt copy of Burzum's Hvis Lyset Tar Oss went. So I went to sift throught my morass of CDs and DVDs, no, I did not find the Burzum CD. Instead, I found all my old CDs that I have bought in my lower secondary school days - mostly rock compilations.Wow!, I went, and I popped them into my player, hoping in vain to recapture the lost memories of my early teenage years. Yes it did recapture quite abit of memories. The CD that accompanied me in my secondary 1 KL School Trip, still so fucking good. All the scenes of me in the tour bus with the greatest class I have ever been in - Felicity, flooded back. The ferryride to see fireflies....

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Don't really know if this is a pro or a con

But there's a man who's becoming a bit of a fixture in town. I first noticed him a few weeks ago while I sat at a red light on Main Street and heard someone shouting. This guy crossed the street in front of me, shouting about we must repent to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ.My first thought: "????"My second thought: "Please please please don't let this guy be Mormon."My third thought: "Aw crap. He so is."I know because I caught a glimpse of his garment bottoms peeking out from the leg of his shorts. My note to all LDS males who wear shorts: Make ye not the same mistake. It's disrespectful and sloppy and not at all an attractive basketball-playing look. And I can't believe that you guys don't get more grief for that when you're trying to lecture us about one-strap backpacks. Anyway.I've...

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Here's the scoop.

So I feel the time as come to dish about L****. I've been here for nearly 7 months and now I'm an expert.But first I need to give you a bit of background so you know the kind of place I'm talking about. From my limited observations, people here are generally here either because they and all their family grew up here and they can't imagine living anywhere else, or because it drew them with its allure and they knew they'd finally found Their Place. They love it here. And power to them.Don't get me wrong, there is a lot here to love so I completely support them in loving it. Trick is, from the moment I arrived it seemed like they all expected me to love it as much as they do. Which is difficult for me to do, because after moving around so much I tend to have a rather short-term view of things....

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Any updates?

This is how Spitfire couches it when she asks us about our life. It has rubbed off on the rest of us.Since no one has made me shoot fire out my eyes lately, that's all you're going to get. I'm sure it's just a matter of time, though . . .UpdatesWent to a pool party on Monday night. The host and most of the invited males stayed upstairs for most of the night while all the young, hot, bathing-suit-wearing girls cavorted in the pool and hot tub alone. This is possibly why the species is going to die out.Jenny & Co came up today and we played. Met up with Amyjane & Patrick and Desmama and her kiddies. I looked around at one point--we were all sitting on the floor chatting while children swarmed around and launched themselves from lap to lap. Patrick discovered that I was willing to flip...

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Been a week.

So what's new for the past week?Well, nothing really exciting has occured, actually, with the exception of the fact that Jaspas decided to be a lizard for a day when I, Val and Stuart paid him a visit last Saturday. That was really whacked. Nonetheless, it was an attempt to distract me from the fact that they all were filming for the Channel U deal at the same time.On the other hand, Vika is off to Tolmin for a week of Hell over Paradise - Metal Camp. She said it's the next best thing since digital watches, I have to agree. Well, I will have to settle with my mp3 player, sigh.Academic matters, only my biology grade is decent, bleh. Need to work more on Chemistry and Maths, those damnable subjects.I have gotten Rebirth of Dissection DVD a few days ago, I must say it's really a pity that Dissection...

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Women of the world

When I was down in Provo last weekend I took Savvy out with me to run some errands. I had my booty-shakin' CD on in the car. The song "Hung Up" by Madonna came on and after a minute or two of listening quietly, Savvy spoke up.Savvy: What is this song?Me: It's called 'Hung Up.' It's by a lady named Madonna.Savvy: Oh.Me: Do you like it?Savvy: Yes, I do.pauseSavvy: [deep, deep sigh] Girls always sing this song . . .As if she'd taken the weight of the collective females who have lived, ever, on her tiny little shoulders.Me: Yes. Yes they do.Savvy: I'm too young to sing this song yet.Me: I very much hope that's true.Because so help me if that James has already broken her heart and made her understand The Cross We Women Bear then he and I are gonna have words. Also I might just break all his Star...

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The post with the nudity

So this morning while I was in the shower, naked, (see? nudity!) I was thinking about that yearly ritual, even the First Full Shave of the Summer. I'm sure there are ladies who will back me up on this, but I just see no point for me to shave above the knee in the winter. First off, I have better things to do in the morning--like blog and eat peanut butter with a spoon. Secondly, I live in a cold place which brings forth the agony that is shaving goosebumps. Oh my word, the goosebumps.The 4th of July was the first time I got all swimsuited out for the year when Spitfire invited me over to her pool. I gave myself a bit of extra time for The Shaving,...

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A. hem.

SUCKAAAAHHS!...

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Indian Oven review

There are about a billion different things I want to blog about, and one of these days I'll get myself organized enough to do it. Today, you're going to get a restaurant review. Yes, now you can even get restaurant reviews here at Voice of Reason. A few people have asked and who am I to deny The People?Shortly after I moved here I got asked out to dinner at the Indian Oven here in Logan. Afterwards we went to the Rock Haus and climbed and I actually did okay until the end when I was stuck about 3 miles up at the way top of the wall and the poor guy belaying down below couldn't hear me yelling that my arms were about to give out and that I wanted...

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Those zany Mormons

Because it seems like a day at church can't go by without some kind of blogging fodder appearing before me as manna from heaven, here's the latest installment. This time I was at Jen's ward which is made up of lots of richie families who live on the benches of the Provo mountains, overlooking the valley. (Some of them live in the little flat-roofed homes they built back in the 60s, and others live in these huge Tudor-style monstrosities that are being erected right now.)Anyway. Church. I will report three things to you.1) This is just a bit of advice for anyone who teaches, public speeches, anything. Please do not admit to the class that you started frantically searching for the lesson manual at 1:00am that morning, having not so much as glanced at it all week. I mean yeah, we all have those...

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An odd thing called school and its generous offerings of pissing you off.

Ever since March this year, I have not been released anytime earlier than 4.30 or 5pm. Today, in the middle of week 3 of term 3, I ended school at a record-breaking time of 2.30pm! What's better is the fact that tuesdays are further reduced to 1.30pm next week onwards. Was quite pleased at that, for a while. The joy was indeed very short-lived as I have to remind myself that I will have to resume my late dismissal times for the rest of the week, ranging from 5pm to 5.45pm. Life just likes to poke fun at us - the miserable homo muggerians-from-srjc. Life, you horrible control freak! Bleh. One amazing thing to ponder, I wonder myself how I managed to survive with my sanity in tact in term 2. I never cease to amaze myself.They, as in the ever-irritable teachers, told us it's only 4 months plus...

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Red Air Day, Shmed Air Day

This weekend was the big Lavender Days festival in Mona. It was fun, but I think $7 is a bit steep. Especially since they make you pay $2 more to have a tea party with the Lavender Fairy. Cheek.Also it was exactly 100 degrees out so we couldn't stay too long as our shoes were melting off our feet and we were all about to die from the combined heat stroke and the fact that the air had gone so bad you couldn't even see the nearby mountains. Yuck.But there was lots to see and do--the kids rode ponies and almost got their hands bitten off in the petting zoo (or perhaps that was just me). We shared a lavender ice cream and I bought a container of...

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-

Ok, so there's a slim chance of me doing flourish for the TV screen this time round. My heart is all heavy, but oddly and amazingly, I do not feel, at all, pissed or depressed. I just feel spaced out. I just dislike the fact that it is me who initiated the whole deal and do not get the deal ultimately.Ah ack it, Loki. At least I can tell myself fair and square I have met Mayhem Themselves.But still. Si...

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Psalms of Extinction

So, the Mid Year examinations are finally over, of which, I do not wish to continue discussing on. Life is dull already, why make it even more by throwing in more dudgery of the events of the everyday life? Sigh.To lighten up everyone's dampened mood, if I were to assume everyone is following the emo trend, I have found a great great overwhelmingly-awesome band - Pain, I bought his newest album - Psalms of Extinction. Sweet Shiva! Immediately the most outstanding album produced in the year 2007, besides the disappointing "Eat me, Drink me" effort dished out by MisterSvperstar Marilyn Manson Himself. I grin at the last song, especially, called Bitch. It is just plain yummy. And, this album has its thought-provoking moments too - Just Think Again has several monologues inserted, probing the...

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4th of July pics

Remember my plans for the 4th? Well I ended up doing all those things.Sunbathed at Meg's pool while wearing copious amounts of sunscreen and reading My Sister's Keeper--still got burned.Listened to the Dec of I--got chills.Went to the BBQ and ate some of the best (and most) food I've had all summer.You shall see.I made red, white & blue cupcakes (the red was strawberry jam inside). I didn't decorate them, on account of I had to run back home and pick up the 15 ears of corn I'd left on the kitchen counter. So I just tossed the carton of blueberries, the bowl of frosting, and my precious toothpick flags at Spitfire and intoned, "You represent...

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Happy July 4!

Logan did their fireworks last night--supposedly so it's not competing with Provo's Stadium of Fire. I was in the stadium at Utah State's campus, which is where they shot them off. A bonus was that we got to hear the accompanying music. The minus was that some of that music was country. But then they moved on to good stuff like the Glory and Saving Private Ryan soundtracks. I tried the "fireworks" setting on my little camera and got mixed results, but here are a few of the pics. It was a beautiful night.Today I'm going to lounge by Spitfire's pool and tonight some friends are throwing a BBQ. I am very relieved about this because all week I've...

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I weep for the future of the world

When you're an LDS teenage young woman you get told lots of good stuff. A few things I learned from my dear Young Women leaders:You need to be getting 3-5 servings of dairy per day to prepare your bodies for childbearing(They should have been telling me to save up for the egg-freezing procedure.)You should go to Ricks (then a 2-yr LDS college, now BYU-Idaho) or the LDS Business College for a semester or two. It'll make you a better mother, and then you can type up your husband's papers for him.(I applied to a real school instead. But I had to keep quiet about it because when people found out that's where I'd applied they got all concerned like they didn't want me to get my hopes up: "Well, you know, Rick's is really good too." I wanted to say, "I'm sure it is. And I'm sure your kids will...

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If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God

This is a Sunday svithe for a Monday because I never got my act together enough to put it up yesterday. I was asked to give a 10-minute talk in church on how my testimony has grown as I've read the Bible. I gave the talk last week and worked out my thoughts on the computer beforehand, so for the first time ever I practically had the whole thing written out. I figured I might as well put it up here just in case it could be of use to anyone. Forgive me if the notes are rough--I was just using them as a guide. Also, I realize that I keep using Elder Oaks and no one else. It's not my fault that he gave 2 great talks about the subjects I was interested in.My TalkThis past year or so my testimony has grown as I’ve come to know the Bible as a source of personal revelation, especially personal...

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