It's too late to run

True to form, I hit my snooze button for about an hour this morning. Somehow, my tired brain equated each alarm as some sort of Tweet and I was practically sleep-mini-blogging. I don't even USE Twitter! (Yet, anyway.)

Anywho.

I was laying in bed at 8 AM, proud of myself for actually being awake by this time (I've been really pushing it lately) and just about to actually get up when I heard a knock on my front door. With the moving and the selling or freecycling my possessions, I've had a lot of random visitors lately, but none so early. Also, I don't sleep in the altogether, but I really shouldn't be greeting anyone in what I do wear to bed. So, without even grabbing my glasses, I rushed to find my robe and pull back my extremely frizzy hair (it was braided yesterday) and answer the door.

It was my landlord's father and some painting guy who was going to give him a bid on the house.

Super.

They let me get dressed before I let them in and their little visit gave me a chance to put my lunch together for the day. Still, I was little annoyed, but they left with plenty of time remaining for me to shower and actually get dressed.

That's just a taste of randomness that has been the last couple of months. A "typical day" would be atypical at this point.

You should know by now that I don't just enjoy music, I make it a part of my life. I constantly, and usually accidentally, find songs that are just perfect for whatever is going on in my head or heart at the time. It's like my own personal soundtrack. I love it.

Lately, I realized that the songs I've been performing are the perfect song for me at that time. In March, my ward had a musical fireside, and I was asked to be part of a women's septet, singing Where Can I Turn For Peace? This was at the peak of my most recent unsettled period, where I had no idea what was going on and who I could turn to. But then, whenever I sang this song, I was reminded that Heavenly Father was on my side, as were most of my friends.

Once that was finished, I was able to focus on preparing for my role in the Institute play (which I WILL blog about, I promise). My character's quintessential song is Hold On from The Secret Garden. Once again, the lyrics were perfect. As we neared our opening, I found a place to live, I knew what I needed to be doing professionally, scholastically, and personally, and I just needed to get through it, just as the lyrics of the song suggest. I have used my own need for those lyrics as I sang them to my character's daughter-in-law to fuel some of my character's motivation.

So, these are my Songs of the Week. I apologize for the quality of the second. If you want to hear a better version, if I do say so myself, we have one more performance this coming Tuesday. Just contact me for where and when.

I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do. Maybe someone else needs them as much as I have.

When I try in here, to tell you, dear

Almost forgot to give a shout out for National Library Week! (Here's last year's shout out.)

And, as is my tradition, now, because I said so, links to things more clever than I (at least for now).

How long have you held onto an overdue book? 110 years late? 145!? Thank goodness for forgiving librarians.

A list of 10 Surprising Former Librarians. In some cases, I'm in excellent company. In others, I am not.

And a collection of popular library film clips!

Now, go hug your librarian!

Le belle et le bad boy

I certainly didn't plan on my SOTWs being so international, but once again, this SOTW comes to us from Europe. This time from France.

One random day, probably three years ago now, I was watching TV. Towards the end of the episode, as many popular shows are wont to do, they played a piece of pop music. I loved it immediately. I loved the rhythm and the melody. I wanted it, to listen to it always. The problem was that it was in French, a language I do not speak well, and I couldn't Google the lyrics to give this song a title or an artist. Nor was it in the closing credits or on anything I could ever Google about the episode itself. But French hip-hop? I wanted it! I'd only ever heard maybe 20 seconds of this song, but I knew I'd like the whole thing.

Once in awhile, I'd Google it again. Try anything I could to discover just what this piece of music was.

Then, one just as random day, I had a breakthrough. I don't even remember how I figured it out, but I did it. And now, it is mine, and I shall share it with you.



Okay, so technically it's been my player for a while now, but now you know why!

And then the earthquake hits

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm taking a bit of a blogging break. I haven't posted anything that requires much thought since March, and probably won't for just a little longer.

Why, do you ask?

My agenda as of late:

- Graduate portfolito - Put this whole thing together in 5 days, thanks to finding out that the deadline was approximately three months sooner than I thought. Submitted this morning. It's actually pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

- Rehearsing for a play - The NOVA Institute is performing "Witnesses" for local YW/YM groups. We have our first performance tonight. I'm the lead. Had many lines to memorize. Will blog about this sooner or later.

- Moving - Haven't even really started, and I move in 10 days. Good times.

- Papers, papers, and more papers - I can't justify writing for fun when I should be writing for school, and most of the time I don't even want to do either. Lots of posts in my head though.

- Work - So glad it's mostly quiet right now. The 3rd Annual Nastygram Day is coming up though. Okay, not really, but when you have to send out 50 "Where is the music you should have returned on Friday?" notices, you don't feel so nice after awhile.

Things NOT on my agenda:

- Cooking - I have had more Oreos, frozen dinners, reheated soup, and Coke Zero in the last week than any one person should consume. At least I'm still eating relatively healthy salads for lunch. Can't negate the personal training work completely.

- Blogging - There will be a SOTW tomorrow and I have some Hero of the Day awards to give out, but at this rate, they'll come two weeks after the fact. Doesn't make me any less grateful, I assure you.

- Cleaning - When I say that my house will never be clean again, it's the truth, because by the time I clean it, it won't be my house anymore.

- Reading - Still on book B of this year's reading challenge. And by still on book B, I mean page 4 of book B. The only reason I even know where book B is, is because I keep all my to-read books by my bed.

- Panicking - I, simply, do not have time.

So, I'll be back. Soon, I hope. Don't miss me too much.

Or do, and leave me all sorts of comments about it.

Or make me dinner.

I would appreciate either.

All your sanity and wits they will all vanish, I promise

This week's Song of the Week is brought to you by Eastern Europe. Perhaps it's my impending move that brings out the nomadic gypsy in me. All I want to do is dance and sing and perhaps listen to a little tambourine.

So, it only makes sense that this one song is gypsy punk. Please enjoy Start Wearing Purple by Gogol Bordello.



And now, from Romania, the cutest little professional then-4-yr-old singer you ever did see. Apparently she's huge in her country. I started listening, expecting to hate it. Joke's on me, I guess, because I can't stop listening to it. She. Is. Darling. Ghita by Cleopatra Stratan


Oh. And the move? It's settled. I found an apartment, just for me. I have two and a half weeks to purge, pack, and move a two-story townhouse into a one-bedroom efficiency. Wish me luck.

Put a ring on it

And the winner is . . . Cali! (and Brett, but it was Cali who wrote the comment) Congratulations! Send me an email, and we'll work out the details!

Cali and I met in 9th grade, in women's chorus, but then we went to different high schools. I met her future husband, Brett, at a college visit weekend at SUU during senior year, and we ended up sort of dating for a short while. We wrote a little bit on his mission, but eventually we lost touch.

Until we all ended up in the same singles ward! They were engaged, and got married shortly after I arrived in the ward, but it's amazing how small a world it can be.

I really enjoyed everyone's comments. It brought back some wonderful memories, like the time I kissed Andrew's cheek and freaked him right out. Thanks, Karen!

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog, even if you don't comment. It's nice to know I'm not just writing into a void.

You Oughta Know

Just about every week, it seems I discover a song that I just can't stop listening to. It could be the lyrics are so very apropos for whatever I'm feeling that week, its original musicality, or the video is just so well done. Or I just like it.

And now I'm going to share that with you. Weekly (or maybe weakly, we'll see), I'll post whatever song it is that I'm totally in love with. Maybe I'll add them to my music player, which I keep forgetting to update, but have now set not to play automatically. (You're welcome.)

To start, I'm going to share songs that I remember off the top of my head being referred to once as my song of the week.

Not the Doctor - Alanis Morissette - It was the lyrics that found me this time.



Storm - Lifehouse - Same here



Little Toy Gun - Honeyhoney - This song was the whole package. Fun music video, clever lyrics, and a catchy tune.


Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie - You've probably seen this by now. Not only was it everything a song should be, but the music video is incredible.



Out of my League - Stephen Speaks - It's just so charming. Apparently these guys have been around awhile, but I'm loving their music.



Enjoy!

And don't forget to enter my giveaway! Winner will be announced Monday morning!

It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls

Remember how I said some things will be changing this year?

Well, I was right. And, as expected, there are things changing that I didn't even consider. At least not yet.

The things I knew about were pretty much the fact that I'm finishing my Masters this year and wrapping up a HUGE work project, all about the same time. But, that's not until August. The wheels are in motion and all signs are go, and all the other cliches. There's a lot to do for both of those things, but I have time.

Of course, there are lots of post-graduation things to think about, mostly related to what in the world am I going to do after? The possibilities are endless and exciting. We've been over that already.

Now, if grad school and work weren't enough to think about, other random things are popping up out of the blue. For example - I have to move. Have to. All my roommates are moving for one reason or another and the landlord wants to hand over the house to a property management group and either I find people to move in or I move out.

Fantastic.

As of right now, I have no idea where I'll be living four weeks from now, and not for lack of trying.

Not to mention some surprising developments in my social life. This is not an announcement of any sort. All relationships are ever changing, some more than others lately.

The problem with all of this that everything is unsettled. I don't deal well with unsettled. As I've probably mentioned before, the year after I graduated from BYU was not good for me, and a lot of it was how unsettled everything was. Things changing now feel awfully similar to this same time four years ago, and I'm afraid that history is going to repeat itself.

Except that I know it won't. I survived that year. I'll survive this one and probably with more style and less heartache.

It's just a lot to think about, and sometimes I'm not good at not thinking about things I have no control over.

What I am really glad for is people I can talk things out with. The good, the bad, the ugly about ourselves, each other, us, life, the universe, and everything.

In fact, it was one of the things that kept me from going too crazy about something today. I really wanted to talk to a friend about something about our relationship, and I knew that, up to this point, we've had a very open dialogue about everything and why would this issue be any different? I knew that we'd talk about it sooner or later and all would be well. I was glad to discover that was right, because they called halfway through me composing this blog. And all is, in fact, well.

And everything is going to be well. About everything.

P.S. Have you announced yourself and entered my giveaway yet? You should . . .

Tell me, what do you want from me

I've recently discovered that there a lot more people who read this blog than I realize. I already know that I don't personally know everyone who comments, let alone reads.

But I'd like to know more about you.

Per the example of a blog of a friend of a friend, I'm declaring today De-Lurk Day!

Do you regularly read this blog? How did you find me? Do we know each other other or do you know someone I know or did you just blogsurf your way over and decide to stay awhile?

Post a comment and let me know! If you're a regular commenter, or even my sister, post here anyway and say hi so that we can all get to know each other a little better. If you'd rather not, that's okay too. Or, if you'd rather let me know without letting the whole world know, shoot me an email at thebookguardian@gmail.com.

While we're at it, I'd love to know what you guys think. Is there something I should be posting more or less of? Anything you want to know about me? What about the design? Do you love/hate the colors? Would you rather my music player didn't start automatically? Do you have requests for my music player? What about a weekly music feature where I highlight my favorite song o' the week?

This blog is mostly for me, but since I have an audience, I'd like to consider you as well. Be kind, but let me know if there's something different you'd like to see or something you'd like to see more of. I'll certainly take any feedback under consideration!

And, just to make things interesting, I'll pick a random commenter who will win something (exact piece to be decided) from one of my new favorite jewelry websites - peora.com! (If you're a guy, or my grandma who can't wear jewelry, we'll work something out.) Comment by Sunday, April 5, to be considered.




Ready . . . set . . . comment!

To kneel in the temple

There's been a lot of talk about LDS temples lately. With the recent dedication of the Draper Utah temple and the showing of certain temple ceremonies on HBO, there is lots of interweb chatter, both flattering and not.

Some beautiful words have already been written here, here, here, here, and here. The Church's YouTube channel, Mormon Messages, has some beautiful videos with better explanations that I could ever give.

So, I'm not going to address the purpose of temples, as that is covered. I will, however, address some responses I've seen from those explanations.

When my co-workers asked me about the uproar about the HBO show, I explained the Church's statement, and then likened it to other sacred religious ceremonies. I then said, "It's as if someone took what was most sacred to you and put it on national television for all to see."

The response was unanimous - "I wonder what that would be." Not knowing for them, I shrugged, and the conversation moved onto something else. Eventually I felt sad for them, not because they aren't members of my church or something, but because they didn't have something they could readily think of as being sacred.

If you look up the word "sacred", it is usually used to describe something of a religious nature, but it can also be used to describe something "worthy of respect or dedication" and can be ascribed to anything - people, objects, times, or places.

So, what can be sacred to you? Your relationships? Your home? Your wedding day? A talent you have? Whatever it is, there's bound to be something, and having something, anything, that is sacred to you is actually very important. From one of the articles I referenced above:

When nothing is sacred, everything is fair game in conflicts of ideas, attitudes, or behaviors. If something is sacred, then some ground rules of harmonious interaction are possible.

I believe that. In other words, stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

Secondly, in some comments I read on other blogs, some people voiced concern that no one is taught, in missionary discussions or even growing up in the Church, exactly what takes place in the temple. They argued that because it might seem somewhat strange to most, people would benefit from more instruction before they go for the first time.

While I didn't know entirely what to expect during my first temple visit and it's definitely different from the things that take place in most other Church meetings, the principles there are the same - eternal progression. We're told that we will learn the gospel, and everything else we learn, "line upon line, precept upon precept". There's no way that we could learn everything about anything right way. Even learning how to walk and talk as children takes more than one try and a lot of time and effort. Mastering something, from cooking a meal to learning a new language, takes time, and lots of it.

So, what we learn and do in the temple is just another ordinance and precept necessary for our progression. We can't even begin to understand it, or anything else, before we're ready and willing. We wouldn't start running before we learn to walk, and we won't understand a new language unless we really want to. That's also why we attend Church every week and read our scriptures daily, and otherwise practice our religion constantly, so that we may continue to grow and improve. I've been a member all my life and there are still things I need to learn and perfect. Unlike other denominations, just saying "I believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ" will not secure me a place in heaven, I have to act on that belief, and attending the temple is just another part of that.

I love the temple. I love the opportunity to learn and grow and serve, but I also enjoy the respite, peace, and protection from the world and feeling closer to Heavenly Father. I don't expect everyone to understand or believe the same way, but as long as they respect my beliefs, I'll respect theirs.