Some Teachers Are Just Better Than Others

 

This guy was so awesome his students spontaneously called him "General," and on occasion would genuflect. "All hail General H!" Tee hee. Props to Brother Huntington, ancient studies professor at the JC.

I Want Some Challah

 

Today Ben Jehuda Street Bakery must smell so good. I want challah bread. Happy Friday, everybody!

Bruce the Shark

Stephen Spielberg is shown here inside the mouth of the Jaws shark. Jaws' official name was "Bruce," named after Spielberg's lawyer at the time because Steven's joke around the set was that "Bruce is chasing after me!"

Fact: the Finding-Nemo-Bruce was named Bruce specifically as an homage to Jaws. 

Box of Chocolate Surprise

Every day you'll cross something you did not expect. Every day requires a new challenge and some fresh resolve to meet it. By providence, there is also a fresh-daily strength that can be obtained from God on high, and he will always give it. He promised,

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee. (Isaiah 41:10)

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content...
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.(Philippians 4:13)

So if a chocolate from your box seems like more than you can chew, call for help. I know you'll get it.

Adventure Passed

Photo taken at the county courthouse in Carthage, Illinois on tour with the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble. My legs are visible near the left of the picture, since I managed sound levels for the band. 

This year I won't be involved at all with a Folk Dance team, which is strange after devoting so much of my life to it. All my friends were there, along with everything I loved about school. I'm gonna miss these people. 

As a matter of interest, can you spot Dylan?

Iron Man at a ComicConvention

Hey, Iron Man! Can you get these wrinkles out of my cape? Hee hee hee.

Ready for the Chill in the Air?

 

All three of these classic lovelies are this season's jcrew. The cuts are just perfect, and I can't decide which I'd like best. The trench looks so Wait Until Dark Audrey, but then the spiced sunset seems so warm, and the heather color would accentuate my snow-queen skin. Mmmm, can't decide. :)

Salem, Massachusetts' Gallow's Hill Playground

In my first class of the day, Professor York briefly mentioned the Salem Witch Trials and then gleefully informed us of the local playground of that town-- Gallow's Hill Park-- where, as he put it, "You can swing where they once swang!"

Wow. Talk about childhood memories.

If I Had A Pair of Saddle Shoes

I would wear them everyday. Rory Gilmore style, for sure.

School Starts Monday

I started to sing that old song, 

"School days, school days
Dear old Golden Rule days
Readin' an' writin' an' 'rithmetic
Taught to the tune of a hickory stick..."

when I realized that its melody starts out the same as "Toy Land, Toy Land, wonderful girl and boy land..." and the sour irony of school-days compared to a land of toys and merriment made me sick. Too bad. 

Actually, I'm looking forward to school this year. Other than my microbiology class, I think I'll at least understand everything that's going on in my other classes-- since they're all History, so they're sure to get stuck in my brain easily. 

I'm especially excited for a Jewish History class; but I'm scared of it too, since the course requires 15 books. Yeesh! I'm gonna need a Mazel Tov, which directly translated means "luck--good," or good luck, but rather than wishing someone luckiness instead expresses best wishes and/or congratulations. !מזל טוב  
Why thanks, I needed that. :)

Geronimo

Two frogs above my condo door in Nauvoo, Illinois. Photo by Lindsey Watson.

I love little green froggies! The small frog near the left I named Geronimo, because he jumped four feet into the air and then fell for seven feet total off of my porch in Nauvoo, only to land and keep jumping like the distance was no biggie for someone so small. Every night after coming home from a show he'd be sweetly waiting for me on our front door, eating bugs. I already miss him.

School Supplies

"Don't you just love the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you bouquets of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." Tee hee. Last night I went out with my Ma to get new notebooks. So exciting!

Tres Belle

Photo from ShabbyApple

 A beauty is a woman you notice;

a charmer is one who notices you. 

--Adlai Stevenson

Correction: THIS tree.

Actual photo of the evil thorn trees along the handcart trail in Nauvoo, as taken by handcart mate Erin Patterson.

You Can't Handle the Trek

But it's only 2 miles, you say to yourself. Pah!

2 miles over your-shoe-will-be-sucked-off-by-this-quagmire mud, 

2 miles up and down every 85 degree drop/raise hill in the Nauvoo area,

2 miles across 57,989,673 tree roots (while you wonder why you couldn't just steer five feet over off the trail where it's flat), 

2 miles over cow dung (I stepped in three pies), and

2 miles where you must be sure not to lean on an evil thorn tree (people have been punctured, and some thorns are 7" long!)

This isn't your average Wyoming handcart trek, people. Beware! BEWARE!

Bruising Incident

WARNING! Exercise caution on see-saws/teeter-totters. Do not attempt to push a neighboring see-sawing friend down so that you can be higher -- or if you do, make sure your arms' reach is long enough to do so and will not instead push you off balance. 

I attempted to do this, and nearly fell to my death (or rather, maimed injury). Fortunately, I possess remarkable preventative-off-balance capability, and "sloth-grip-rolled" underneath the see-saw (thus saving my life, but giving me massive bruises), which made all four teeter-totterers (including myself) collapse with laughter. At least, I collapsed! I had to: at the time I was I was then dangling underneath the teeter-totter and required forced landing into the briny sand.

Thank you, Scott McDermott for preserving my life. You know I love your guts.