Ab ovo usque ad mala

What is the point of Christmas newsletters? I personally find the ones from people I don't know to be boring as I have no point of reference upon which to relate, and the ones from people I know to be redundant (because I already know what's going on) or inaccurate (because they're embellishing). I know people try to put their best foot forward. Even I admit this when Austin tells me when he reads my blog and doesn't recognize the person writing. I mean, is someone going to try to make themselves look bad? Also many times people cannot write. I remember one Christmas newsletter that was four pages long--all one paragraph. It was like a marathon getting through that one. So here's my try. Short and sweet. Because most of the time I cannot remember anyway. January: Utah for army training. Cold as hell. February thru May: School. Four A's and a B. June: Backpack trip. 2 wisdom teeth out. July: Veg. I think. August: Get engaged. Work at Walmart. September thru Decem...

Small people with little or no education or experience. Individuals whose potentialities are exponentially higher than the rest of the population. Any other interesting ways of looking at this age group?

Sometimes I think... It's a good thing. Ha ha. Sometimes I think that we view children differently than other people in our lives. I'm not around children that much so maybe my vote doesn't count. But I think about people in general a lot. How I interact with them...how I view each person...and it seems young people sometimes are not afforded personhood. Not like, rights as an adult. But more like as individuals who should be afforded the same unique approach as other people we come into contact with. I guess the difference for me would be a patient understanding that they don't have the thick skin and some of the social skills adults are supposed to have. Plus, for me personally, I saw the progress from childhood to adulthood as a gradual weaning away from self. And I know some children are very considerate people, but for me growing more into an adult was about learning to stop living for myself. (By no means is this process done.)

Posting in Spanish Current mood: sheepish Such outcry! I never thought I would cause this much uproar posting in Spanish! The truth is, my lovely friends and family, I wrote these things for Spanish class...I spent so much time on them I didn't want to let them go to waste. I'm really proud of the fact that I can now produce intelligible content in another language. But these articles are pretty inane, by my English standards. I hate to admit it, but if I translated them for you you'd be bored. I think, though, that maybe in the future I'll start posting the translation for blogs I write in Spanish that actually correspond to something I'd write in English. It's still so much work! It takes, on average, about four times as long for me to write in Spanish as it does in English...and even then I always make a lot of mistakes.

La película Beowulf, que ahora aparece en el cine in 3-D en toda la naci­ón, tiene muchos aspectos fascinantes, como la animación digital, el cuento viejo, el humor, el sexo, y la acción por mencionar poco. Pero, es muy confusa en vez de ser ecléctica. Puede ser el cuento clásico. Se usa el inglés antiguo, y es muy correcto hablar este idioma, como pronunciación y acento. En términos de exactitud, los trajes y la arquitectura son bien hechos. Sin embargo, no sigue el cuento original exactamente. Puede ser el viaje visual hermoso. Es en 3-D, y el dispositivo se usa bien. Además, los colores, efectos, y técnicas dramáticas contentan los ojos. Puede ser película de acción. Después de todo, es sobre el guerrero Beowulf y cómo peleaba en su vida. Hay muchas escenas de peleas energéticas, con mucha sangre y ruina. Pero al final uno se siente confundido, porque la película trata de ser todo para todos. Por eso no es casi nada para nadie, sino algo que necesita interpretación. No obstante, ga...

AH my deare angrie Lord, Since thou dost love, yet strike; Cast down, yet help afford; Sure I will do the like. I will complain, yet praise; I will bewail, approve: And all my sowre-sweet dayes I will lament, and love. from The Temple (1633), by George Herbert

Esta elección tiene sus primeros, como Hillary la mujer presidente posible, Barack el hombre afroamericano presidente posible, y también más sutil, Mitt Romney el mormón presidente posible. Pero Mitt no está muy abierto de hablar de su fe. Mucha gente tiene curiosidad de saber más de su fe, porque muchos creen que la religión es muy significativa en hacer decisiones administrativas como presidente o cualquier cargo político. Antes, no ha habido ningún presidente mormón nunca y por eso se piensa que Mitt no tiene ninguna oportunidad de ser presidente. Sin embargo, a causa de su posición de mormón y demócrata, es posible que pueda atraer gente de muchos lados. Muchas veces, es el hombre que no se adapta a ningún grupo que puede unirlos más eficazmente. Pero también el caso podría ser que al esconder y no compartir sus opiniones y creencias, la gente puede preguntarse sobre qué otras cosas está mantiéndose en secreto.

I've been grappling with a lot of deep stuff lately, including the population problem; marriage; communication, conflict, compromise; social responsibility and some other things. The thing I've noticed is that even though I think I'm a pretty smart person, I previously have been in the habit of deferring the practice of thinking about these things and analyzing them, with an eye to reaching a decision or stance, to other people like my dad, pastor Don, Robin, or other people who have told me what to think and that I trust. I'm just coming into my own as someone who is able to give thorough analysis to an issue AND make a decision or take a stance. I had this feeling that in previous moments in my life I had been viewing myself more like how I saw John Kerry, who, I got the impression, thought a lot about things and was very smart & articulate, but had a hard time coming to the crux of a matter in the form of a succinct decision. This is not to say that I think issue...

Austin's sister gave me a hot air popper for popcorn a while ago, and I figured out popcorn is a great snack food slash light dinner if you make it & season it yourself & don't mind flossing. I use smart balance, pepper, and parmesan-romano-asiago cheese blend. Not too many calories or too much sodium; light; fills you up. Back to work.

Here I am.

I've lost the music. There was a time in my life when I made music. I didn't make it up but I was involved in a creative process, interpretation. I was not that bad at it. I really enjoyed it. But now it seems I've lost the music. There are certainly other things in my life to which I apply myself creatively...but I'm not as good at any of them as I was at the music. I think some of this feeling of loss comes partially from the winter season, which right now feels like a time for me to look back and remember stuff. It's...an empty feeling. While other aspects of my life feel full, that particular part feels empty. I know exactly what happened. I was there for every part of it. I made all the decisions that led to where I am now. I know that some important things in my life would have suffered had I not...given up the music. But still I mourn for it.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (attributed to Jesus in Matthew 5:38-41, Revised Standard Version) "Many who have committed their lives to working for change and justice in the world simply dismiss Jesus' teachings about nonviolence as impractical idealism. And with good reason. 'Turn the other cheek' suggests the passive, Christian doormat quality that has made so many Christians cowardly and complicit in the face of injustice. 'Resist not evil' seems to break the back of all opposition to evil and counsel submission. 'Going the second mile' has become a platitude meaning nothing more than 'extend yourself.' Rather than f...

Yesterday was Veterans Day, and today I guess is a bank holiday. Here's the story: I, a veteran, try to deposit my paycheck at the bank. So, on this day honoring me and all those other veterans, I receive a closed door and a wasted trip. Thanks, guys.

Some people call me a space cowboy... Not really. Just popped into my head. I've been listening to Daft Punk, who makes electronic-type music with a lot of space and technology themes. For now, I've decided not to give in to the Rolling Stone convention of using a plural noun with any band name, even if it isn't a plural noun. For example: you can safely say "The Beatles play here often." But it's more sketchy to say "Daft Punk play here often." Sure, there are two people in the band. But would you say something like "The president's cabinet answer his questions" or "My family live here"? I do believe I learned about collective nouns in, oh, it must've been like THE FOURTH GRADE. It's ok, RS magazine, I still like you. Rolling Stone still have a lot of good articles.

I'm scheduled to take the LSAT on Groundhog Day next year, so I've started to study for it. Thanks to dad, I have a pretty good idea of which schools to apply to...even though the data may be old when I get back from deployment. But I can always update. Math is a powerful thing. The prep is fun. It's basically sample tests that test your logical reasoning. Like, there are four people, and they all have four different names, and are eating four different things, and mr smith is to the right of the guy eating pancakes, and the guy in the blue chair is not eating french toast, and the guy in the red chair is sitting across from the guy in the green chair, so who is eating an omelette? Stuff like that. I think it's fun. Um...work was a little better yesterday. I wanted to talk to a manager about the situation...but I didn't. I guess I'll try again today. I...have...little...motivation...to do...things. But the ladies in dept 34 are nice. They are very positive. Ther...

I ran across this photo as I was reading the news. "An elderly Iraqi woman shows two bullets which she says hit her house following an early coalition forces raid in the predominantly Shiite Baghdad suburb of Sadr City." I'm not quite sure how the bullets--still in their casings, unshot--could have hit her house, unless somebody threw them...maybe it's symbolic. The picture seems very staged to me. "Here, hold these and look victimized." It really doesn't lend credibility to anybody.

On Saturday I found out I was being deployed again. On Sunday, Austin proposed to me. On Monday, I got accused of stealing at work. So I'll treat each topic at a time. Saturday was actually an ok day. I went to drill, but not too early, and we basically just took some online courses and I had a pleasant lunch with two other female soldiers whom I like and who are cool. And I found out I'm being deployed again in February. Which I kinda knew was coming. But it still affected me. Sunday was a little crazier. I had to be at drill at 5 am, so that we could go to this ceremony. So that was weird. Then, after we were released early, I get home around 1:30 and Austin & I have an interesting time. Lots of drama. Very atypical for me. Austin asks me to marry him. I say yes. He goes to work. Went to bed late. Was up for a long time altogether on Sunday...like, 4 am til 11 or 12...like 19 or 20 hours... So Monday comes along. I am already experiencing drama at work, mostly with schedu...

Q: What is considered to be the average size woman in America? Debbie, Grand Prairie, Texas A: According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average U.S. woman is 5' 3.7 (162 centimeters) tall and weighs 152 pounds (69 kilograms). This corresponds to a Body Mass Index of 26.3 kilograms/meters², which is slightly less than the average man's. The average American woman is tall enough for an astronaut (minimum height, 4' 10.5) but falls short of the average Miss America winner (5' 6.5) and is about the same height as the shortest president (James Madison, 5' 4).

"Thanks peach for taking time to let us know what's going on...we missed you on Friday! I really liked Pastor Jojo's sermon too, it really spoke to what I'm going through and challenged me, a lot. "Well, somebody already knows what I've been going through this week, but just to clue you all in: "It's boyfriend stuff (What else!). Basically, I was faced with deciding what was God's will for my life, whether He wanted me to get married or not. It came from the stuff Austin & I are starting, mostly saving money to get married and because I had not yet answered this question for myself, I was having a hard time being on the same page as he. Austin has no doubts. But I did. Long story short, God used my parents, the Bible, several helpful web pages, prayer and His special revelation to show me that the things that I want to do in my life, I can't do without help, and that He was giving me Austin to be my helper, my partner. "That was big. ...