Something Cheerful to Brighten Your Day

Now, I'm no licensed professional (re: people who majored in music and drama in college and who have been in cat food commercials since they were in diapers and Who Know Everything There Is To Know About Performing Arts And Their Expertise Must Not Be Questioned By The Unwashed Rabble), but since I found Tiffany Alvord on YouTube, I've made it a point to seek out the rest of her stuff.  One reason is that when I was in high school, I dabbled in music a bit and took voice lessons.  Now, I wasn't as good as those people who were musically inclined from the womb, but I did all right.  But I remember one thing my voice teacher told me - I could not practice a song that was originally sung by a male singer because of octaves and pitch and something else that I don't remember.

My problem with that - most female singers sing songs about romantic mush-crap or about breaking up and killing the guy that broke their heart.  That may be fine for a while, but it gets old. Fast. Plus, the songs I like tend to be things like OneRepublic and Coldplay and The Killers - alternative music that has some pretty unique lyrics and are just fun to sing.  Take "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay - it's about the monarchies of the past (mainly European) becoming obsolete because historical events have made them so.  "Human" by The Killers is about taking off from what you've known all your life and deciding what kind of person you're going to be.  The the second verse is actually quite profound (and the music video has so much pretty in it - pretty kitties, pretty Monument Valley, pretty Brandon Flowers...) Those are just a few examples of songs that I like to sing and it'd be cool to see a female singer or group do something like that.  Tiffany Alvord's starting to do that with her covers of various artists and I like it and I hope she keeps doing it.  Maybe she'll get her own record deal and do original songs. You never know.

Tribute to Andrew Breitbart - Relentless and Brave

The big news today is that Andrew Breitbart has passed away.  To say this was unexpected is an understatement - it took me all day to finally process the news enough to post about it.

In true Andrew Breitbart fashion, here's his CPAC speech from last month.  I know it's going to tweak off the leftists out there and that's why I'm posting it.  And in a way, his experiences are very similar to mine. Enjoy.



Breitbart showed us conservatives that we don't have to put up with the crap some on the left throw at us (and it gets thrown a lot - believe me).  We don't have to stand back and be ~*~nice~*~ while the other side can call us names and attack our beliefs.  We can go on the offensive and call them out on their BS (about time, too).  He was a pitbull when it came to uncovering corruption and double-standards and it was an honor to have him on our side.  My prayers go out to his family, friends and associates.

That's Nice of You to Say - But How Does it Put Gas in my Tank?

I'm such a horrible blogger and I apologize for anyone still hanging around here.  In my defense, I have been tackling other projects that have been patiently waiting for attention for years in some cases (catching up to all thirteen published volumes of The Wheel of Time before book 14, A Memory of Light, comes out next January is no mean feat).  But I come bearing updates, so do enjoy.

As I've mentioned before, I'm working for Salt Lake County Library as a substitute clerk, which is vastly different from working as an actual librarian, though I have the qualifications. You have to get in the door somehow, right?  Since I became a sub last summer, I've been trying to become a merit employee for the county.  See if you can follow me on this for a second - Salt Lake County (herein after known as SLCo) employs two kinds of employees - merit and exempt.  Merit employees are the ones with the set hours, salary and benefits.  Exempt employees are more or less considered temporary and just get the hourly wage.  This is countywide policy - not just for the library.  As a sub, I am counted as an exempt employee.  The library hires a lot of people internally - meaning people already working for the library can apply for these positions.  Sadly, only merit employees are eligible to apply for internal positions.  Which means that, even though I have a master's degree and have all this experience under my belt, it means bupkus because I'm just a sub and can't apply for these positions until they get posted on the external job listings.  But I am okay with that because something has to open up and I can keep working and getting experience.

Last fall, the SLCo announced that they were in a hiring freeze (and I counted my lucky stars I was hired mere months before the freeze was implemented) - however, the library has its own budget and several new positions had already been approved and they're opening two new libraries by summer 2012, so the freeze wasn't likely to adversely affect the library too much.  Even so, I wanted to scream to the heavens because I wanted to work as a librarian and most of the librarian positions I'd seen were only posted on the internal listing that I saw at work (the internal listing board for me is like a parent telling a child that they can look at the cookies, but they can't touch.  It's quite frustrating, but there you go).  There was one librarian position posted externally that I did apply for, but I was told that I didn't have enough experience (even with a degree and an internship behind me - I couldn't even get a blasted interview.  I'm well-aware that there are people with more experience, but couldn't I just get an interview, at least?).

So, my mission lately has been to become a merit employee and just keep working and it seemed my chance had come at the beginning of January when they posted a chance to apply for a general clerk position.  This pool of applicants would be used to fill clerk vacancies throughout the library system over the next six months.  And since I've worked at all the libraries in the system at least once (some considerably more than that), I had a pretty good shot at this, so I applied.  Long story short - I made it through the first round of cuts and actually got a couple of interviews!  It's not for librarian (yet), but it's a step forward.

My first interview was at one of the larger branches in the system and one that I've worked at quite a bit.  I know the staff and supervisors and they know me and I get along with them very well and I would be thrilled beyond reason to work there.  The position they had open was for a 20-hour position, which is about as low as you can start, but - benefits!  People I like!  Place I enjoy!  Yay!  The interview went well and all I had to do was wait to hear back.

About a week or so later, I got a phone call from the head supervisor and I immediately knew I didn't get the job (sadness).  However, the supervisor went on (for about ten minutes) to say that she wanted me to work for them so much and she thought she'd have a 40-hour position to offer me, but that wasn't the case and she was really disappointed she couldn't hire me.  Honestly - I've never had a rejection phone call go on like this.  On one level, I was sad that I didn't get the job (I was certainly prepared to wait the out the initial six-month probation as a merit employee to actually be a card-carrying merit employee and be eligible to apply for internal positions - trust me, it's in The Plan).  On the other hand, I was buoyed up by the fact that this is one supervisor saying this to me and taking the time to say it - how many other supervisors in the system would say the same of me? (hopefully, most of them).

The story doesn't end.  Because the very next day, I was scheduled to work a shift at that branch and I got the chance to speak to the supervisor face-to-face.  And she told me who I lost out to.  And... well, how would any of you take this news?

I lost out to the assistant circulation supervisor from another Library branch. In truth, if that guy hadn't applied for the job, it would have been mine.



It should bolster my confidence, I suppose, that I lost out to someone who's been in the system before and held positions of authority (the reason he's taking a cut in hours, etc. had something to do with school or family reasons, which I can hardly blame him).  Still - it doesn't exactly make it easier to deal with the fact that I came thisclose to another step in my goal and now I'm back to square one.  I still haven't heard back from the other interview (and my hopes for that one grow fainter by the day).  The only other thing I can compare it to is my freshman year of high school when I tried out for the basketball team and made the first cut, then was one of only two girls who were eliminated in the second cut (and I was passed over when several of the other girls had to quit the team because of bad grades and injuries - nope, not bitter. Not at all).

One of the people I've worked with at the library put it this way - Out of all the losers, you were first place.  Which is a nice thought, I guess. But how does that put gas in my tank?

ETA: Just heard from the second interview I had. Apparently, The Powers the Be decided that branch won't be allowed to hire anyone at all!  Which means the supervisors went to all the trouble of interviewing x-amount of people - for nothing!

I'll insert a facepalm .gif here when I get home.

And Now - Some General Silliness

Yes, yes, I haven't been writing.  Haven't had much to blog about (though I have been writing - top secret stuff, very "hush hush").  But since today (this whole week, really) has been sort of "bleah," I went searching for something to cheer me up.  And, what do you know, the incomparable Babelcolour has delivered.  For those not in the know, Babelcolour is a guy on YouTube who does Doctor Who videos and he's quite good at it (to say the least - holy cow, Tribute to Every Doctor Who Story!)  I had not seen "Doolally Who," though, until today.  And it's very funny and silly and just what I needed. And thusly, I share it with you all.



(You know what gave me the most joy? Peter Davison's little cheeky grin about a minute into the video. Definitely from the blooper reel, but frankly I don't care where it came from.)

Smells Like Teen Spirit

It's a new month, which means that updates are in order.  And a bit of an observation I've made ('cause, you know, I don't have anything else productive to do).

I've long thought that January is the Armpit of the Year.  After about four months full of holidays and things to look forward to, the best January can offer is one measly three-day weekend that, traditionally for me, involved some kind of yard/housework.  And it's still stinkingly freezing outside, so everyone is cooped up inside and getting on each other's last nerve (unless you ski, I suppose).  Generally speaking, I hate January.

That being said, January wasn't too bad for me this year.  I think graduation had a lot to do with this and the fact that I have a job that I enjoy and I was pretty much left to my own devices, which is how I best flourish.  So, as far as I can tell, this is one Armpit of the Year that bothered to use deodorant (there was one minor incident, but even that managed to turn out to be a positive thing. Eventually).

But now we're into February, which is just January only with pink (unaffectionately termed by me a the Other Armpit of the Year).  Granted, there is that fabulous day halfway through where chocolate gets marked down to half-price.  And it might be okay if the Super Bowl turns out how I want it to (the Giants pummeling the Patriots' little drama-queen behinds into pulp).  But by and large, I hate February for many of the same reasons I dislike January.

Which serves to make another point - if you must endure something distasteful, get it over with as quickly as possible.  Then you can go on to happier things (like birthdays and months with more substantial holidays).  But while it's still Armpit Time, find a deodorant you like and make the best of things.

EDIT - In the midst of my general "nonproductivity," I forgot to make special mention of the latest installment of "Suburban Utah, Y U A Drama 'Hoor'?" - Evidently a new high school in Draper cannot have the Cougar as its mascot because it's offensive to middle-aged women.



You know, I love my state and all, but I'm glad I'm not from the Wasatch Front.  Those people are crazy.

Review of "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"

There are people who follow certain actors and actresses and are fans of a select few and absolutely must see every movie that their favorite person is in, never mind the quality.  That's all fine and good - everyone has things they like.  I am not one of those people.  For instance, I make no secret that I love David Tennant in Doctor Who and I really liked him in Hamlet and one reason for me wanting to see How to Train Your Dragon was so I could play "Blink and You Miss It" for his two measly-yet-credited lines (I have no shame).  However, I did NOT go out of my way to see him in Fright Night because I'm just not a fan of gory horror movies in general.  Honestly, I seek out movies that I know I would like regardless of who's in them.  It's the story that sells me, not necessarily the headlining cast (it is for this reason that I will indeed check out the rebooted Spider-Man with or without Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst).

All that being said, I love Robert Downey, Jr.  He's fantastic in Iron Man and he's rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors, even though I haven't seen him in very much (call me a bandwagon jumper in this if you must.  Like I said, I don't follow a lot of actors).  Though I was a little wary of seeing him as Sherlock Holmes at first - would he be able to pull off the famous literary British detective that we all know and love (and what in the world is with the shirtless boxing? Not that I mind, but it's not something I associate with Holmes).  I didn't need to worry because that first Sherlock Holmes movie was really good - part of that has to do with Downey, Jr.'s chemistry with Jude Law, who plays Dr. John Watson (the straight man to Holmes' lovable eccentricities).  And sequels - Dear Sweet Gallifrey, I do love me a good sequel.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows capitalizes on what I loves about the first movie.  If you're going to read any Sherlock Holmes story, you have to pay attention.  Even though Holmes explains the ins-and-outs of the conflict resolution by the end of the story, it still takes an alert audience to fully appreciate the intricacies of such things (and by "alert," I mean don't fall asleep before the ending).  The first movie did this very well and the second only intensified the intrigue.  Case in point - I usually have a notebook and take notes during the movie (don't laugh - I'm sure some of you have things I could point at and snort derisively).  But this time, I was too enthralled by the story and characters.  I don't know about Downey, Jr.'s other roles, but he has some spectacular dialogue, not to mention his delivery is a joy to listen to (as is his cadence as Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies - must be a thing he does).  The pacing of the story is really good too.  Not once did I feel like it was going too fast or too slow.  I love the choreography in the fight scenes and, yeah, I can buy Sherlock Holmes going at it mano-a-mano with the bad guys in the streets (and the pre-fight narration and step-by-step "Here's How I'm Going to Kick this Dude's Ass" is a nice touch too).

I've got to mention Professor James Moriarty here - because the first movie didn't have Holmes' arch-nemesis (being more or less an introduction to Sherlock), this movie was a great way to bring the best ever smarty-pants baddie into the franchise (seriously - Lex Luthor wears Professor Moriarty pajamas).  I'd never heard of Jared Harris, who plays Moriarty, but he was excellent and his back-and-forth with Downey, Jr. (I can't really say enough good things about the ending scene.  All they do is talk, but it's as good as any Big Time Explodey Ending you could find elsewhere).

What else?  The music is great, the costuming is fantastic (I love it when Holmes is in disguise and his makeup is just off enough that the audience can tell it's him - like the makeup artists planned that or something. Right?) Oh, and special shout-out to Mary Watson (played by Kelly Reilly) who has a great little badass moment of her own as she and her new husband are off on their honeymoon and it gets interrupted by a bunch of Moriarty's thugs.  Didn't expect it from her, but I guess if you're going to be married to Sherlock Holmes' best buddy, you'd better pick up something along the way.  Oh, and Stephen Fry is in this as Holmes' brother, Mycroft.  Did I forget to mention that?  He calls Sherlock "Sherly," by the way.

I can't say anything bad about this movie.  It's definitely worth seeing in theaters, if only because you really want to pay attention to what's going on (don't wait for the DVD because then the phone will ring or the kids'll want something and you'll have to pause it and you'll get lost).  And there's going to be a third movie which thrills me to no end.

Graduation, Commencement and Paradise

I graduated today! HOORAY! This calls for a blog post and some super-cool Piano Guys tunes!



So, usually you think of graduation ceremonies as being these really pompous and boring ordeals, right? Well, if you just have a small close-knit cohort of Library Science students and you put together your own program instead of relying on alumni donors and crap like that, you can actually have something fun and celebratory to share with your friends.

And that's what my little group of cohorts did.  Heck, my dad enjoyed it (and he's not really into the whole pomp and circumstance sort of thing).  I guess it helps that the people I was graduating are people I actually know and like instead of this huge conglomerate of complete strangers that just happen to attend the same university as I do.

We ended up having five speakers, though two were student speakers that did a tag-team Story Time-style for their speech (not gonna lie - that was pretty hardcore for librarians ^_^)  The faculty speaker actually spoke about how he had to work at in fast food and other crappy jobs even after he got his PhD until he could land a teaching job at a university.  I've been to three graduations before this and I have never heard anyone talk about how most of us are going to have a hard time finding a job even with a degree but stick with it and good things will happen eventually.  Honestly, now that I've been on the job hunt for so long, it's refreshing to hear a heavy dose of reality sprinkled in with the "Hey, Yeah - You Made It You Special, Special Person, You!" stuff.  Not too much that it's depressing and discouraging, but enough that I can look at this professor and think "Yeah, I may have some rough patches, but I can get through them."  So, I appreciated that.

Pictures will be coming (as soon as I can find my camera in all my stuff - I'm sure it's somewhere close by).

For now - I'm a Master of Library Science! Go me!! :)

Deeper Magic From Before the Dawn of Time

Guess what everyone? It's Christmas!  Which means it's time for the Doctor Who Christmas Special!  You know the drill - Spoilers below the video for "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"


(Not one of my better efforts, but okay in it's own right)

It is well-known that my Geek Cred was initially born from a deep and abiding love of fantasy, not science fiction.  Something I've noticed in the past (and maybe the divide is shrinking to an extent) is that sci-fi geeks and fantasy geeks don't often mix well because one group gravitates towards things that are just outside the realm of possibility for the current time period and the other group gravitates towards things that are so far out there that serious science just laughs at it (I suppose that's the Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate, though I could be tarred and feathered for suggesting Star Wars is light and fluffy fantasy.  Then again, I know comparatively little about Star Trek).

I will be brutally honest - I like to think of places where anything and everything can happen, not just things that are within the realms of real-world science and technology.  Plus, I'm not a big fan of long and involved explanations of how some thingamashootit teleport/light speed/shrink ray device works.  If the story tells me something works, I can accept that it works within the realms of the story and I don't get terribly nit-picky about it.  Besides, the beauty of fantasy stories like Harry Potter is that magic is considered a science - there are rules of what can and cannot be done.  And often in those stories, new things are discovered that make impossible things possible - which is what science (by and large) is really about.

I've come to accept science-fiction, of course.  I'm watching Doctor-freaking-Who, for cripes' sake!  But this Christmas Special embodies something that I've long thought about and accepted for myself - science and fantasy can co-exist in peaceful, lovely, storytelling harmony.  Sometimes, there are talking trees in a fantastical wintertime forest that can only be accessed by a dimensional gateway into Fairyland Androzani Major disguised as a Christmas package.  And sometimes, the fish just like the singing (now shut up!)

I've got to get this out of the way first - Some people got their panties in a wad over Steven Moffat using themes from CS Lewis' Narnia series for this year's special because "OMG - it's a Christian allegory even though Lewis said it wasn't but who cares it's religious and we can't have religion in a SCIENCE fiction show - RAWR! *frothing mouths*" To those ninnies, I raise a dubious eyebrow and snort a derisive "Seriously?"  I wouldn't have brought this up and it actually would take much longer for me to address this to my own satisfaction, but I'll give you the short version - In my own personal beliefs, religion and science mesh quite well together.  There are some things that many mainstream Christians hold to that I don't (the whole deal about the Earth being 6,000 years old is but one of many), but it would take too long for me to delve into it here.  Suffice it to say that science is the way God created the universe and we little humans are learning to figure out even a slice of what He does in His creations. Everything science "discovers" is something God did first.  And that's all that I have to say about that.

Back to Doctor Who -  combining Doctor Who with Narnia is actually quite a genius idea and I'm not just saying that because I am a fan of CS Lewis and the "Narnia" series.  Come on - the TARDIS is basically a sci-fi'd up version of the "Bigger on the Inside" wardrobe in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."  It doesn't take it a genius to figure that one out (though this does NOT take away Moffat's "genius" card).  Add in a mystical snowy forest (which doesn't stay mystical for very long) and the souls of trees with some Halo-esque military people to point the way and you've got a pretty solid Doctor Who story.

There has also been talk of how "alien" Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor is.  I will agree with that from sunup to sunup - but he isn't completely alien.  He understands human emotion, if almost accidentally and by scientific means.  In "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" (I'm just going to abbreviate it as DWW for this post - that's a stinkingly long title), he gets Madge to pilot the pseudo-Epcot globe through the Time Vortex by helping her remember her home and her family.  Much the same as he tried to do with Amy in "Cold Blood" when Rory was being erased from time.  Well, that one didn't quite work the way he hoped, but he eventually got it when he rebooted the universe in "The Big Bang."  Another part of that is understanding kids - one thing Eleven gets is kids - from Amelia Pond to young Kazran Sardick to Cyril and Lily.  He connects with kids'  emotions, even if he hasn't cottoned on to why he's done that.  It often takes him a few minutes to figure out that something is wrong with The Big Picture, but it's usually after he's rambled about fish fingers and custard and girls and crisps and remodeling the house with revolving Christmas trees.

Another thing I liked (and it's likely the "Moffat is a Misogynist Pig" crowd is going to be be ape-nuts over this, but they can all go stick their noses in the air about it) is how the "Strong Mother" trope came into play in this story.  Especially a mother who has only recently found out her husband was killed in war and she hasn't told the kids yet because she doesn't want to ruin Christmas, so she is keeping everything together by the skin of her fingernails.  I don't care who you are or what feminist gospel you subscribe to, THAT is true strength and it makes sense that the trees of Androzani Major would choose Madge to pilot their tree souls to wherever they ended up in the end (and I could even overlook the Green Aesop crap in the end).  Beyond biology and the whole "Mama Bear" thing and what-have-you - that is a pretty solid way to resolve the story line.

Of course, this would not be a review from me without a grand List of Things I Liked -

- The Return to Androzani - Even though this is Androzani Major rather than Androzani Minor where the Fifth Doctor bit the dust *sniffle*
- The Doctor: "There's never anything dangerous here." *beat* "There are sentences I should just stay away from"
- Halo Dude - "There's no crying in baseball military engagements!"
- The fact that the sonic screwdriver doesn't work on wood actually became a major plot development!
- Cyril's giant Christmas present was wrapped in TARDIS Blue wrapping paper.  I'm seriously doing that next year!
- Call back to "The End of Time" with the Forest of Cheem ("One of them fancied me.")

And, of course, The Return of the Ponds! Who both know the Doctor isn't dead! Which means the Doctor was staying away from them for no real reason (though that almost became moot in the first five minutes during the Doctor's swan dive to Earth and recreating - rather badly - his own version of an Impossible Astronaut).  And as if to put the exclamation point on the fact that Eleven is indeed conscious of his own humanity, he gets a little misty-eyed as he walks into La Casa de Pond for Christmas dinner.

Bottom Line: Solid Christmas Special for Doctor Who.  Doesn't beat out "A Christmas Carol" for TEH BEST EVAR, but still pretty good.  I liked the fantasy elements in it and didn't mind that science got thrown in there for good measure.  Hopefully it's good enough to tide us over until next fall (holy shiz - that's a long time!)

Year in Review and Christmas Wishes

I'm off to the ranch this week for Family Christmas Fun Time, but I would be sincerely remiss if I didn't put something fun on the blog and just reflect on the Year That Was 2011 and honor my time there, if only to acknowledge it was heads-and-shoulders better than 2010.  Plus, I'm not much of a sender of Christmas cards (why spend so much money sending something nice that's just going to get thrown away - seriously, what do people do with all those nice cards they get in the mail?)  In the spirit of the occasion, I present -

The Top Ten Great Things That Happened to Me In 2011

Well, the ten things I feel are noteworthy at least - 

10. Taking the West Desert Drama Team to Region and Qualifying for State

    I spent the first part of the 2011 calendar year working for West Desert High School and one of the most fun things I did with those kids was coaching them for Drama Competition.  Even though I have no real qualifications to be a Drama coach other than I was the only person in West Desert that had the time and was willing to do it (sometimes, that's all you really can ask for).  Three of my students performed a scene from the dramatized "Pride and Prejudice" - and for three young kids from the sticks going up against kids from small private schools (who, under no circumstances whatsoever, never, ever, ever recruit.  Nope, never), they actually made a damn good showing.  Enough that they qualified for the State competition.  Actually, my entire time at West Desert was so much fun and I actually find myself missing it from time to time.

9. Studying Abroad in Serbia

In conjunction with my Master's Degree (which I will expound upon in a moment), I had the opportunity to travel to Serbia and do some library programming with kids and teens.  It was seriously an eye-opening experience for me, who has never traveled out of the United States and never really had any plans to.  Even with some of the logistical issues we had, I just cannot forget the enthusiasm and love the librarians in Serbia had for the people they served and how much they wanted to help them.  It inspired me to be a better librarian and to really put my heart into the work I want to do now that I have my degree.

8. The Great "Wheel of Time" Re-Read (To Be Epic-ly Concluded in 2012)

I've mentioned on Twitter and Facebook that I've been reading "The Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan.  I have to give a bit of background on this - my senior year of high school, I moved to a new town and a new school where I didn't know anyone.  I kept mostly to myself for a while, but I slowly got to know people and make friends.  Part of that "making friends" thing was exchanging books and things that we were all interested in and at some point, a few of my classmates unearthed "The Wheel of Time" from our tiny school library and they were all reading them like crazy.  Since this was the era of the "Lord of the Rings" movies and I was all nuttied-out for Harry Potter, I was ready and eager for any new fantasy series to catch my attention.  Well, those classmates handed me "The Eye of the World" (book 1 in WoT) and I ate that up like nobody's business.  I proceeded through the series (as much as the school library had) and basically decided that it was Amazing (by extension, my new friends were Amazing for handing it to me).  Sadly, I graduated about the time I was finishing up "The Fires of Heaven" (book 5) and I had to turn my attention to going to college and all the fun that comes with that.  I did manage to finish up to "A Crown of Swords" (book 7) during the summer, but then I had to quit because school life was not conducive to reading a Doorstopper Fantasy series (sad day).  Even after finishing college, I had moved on to other pursuits and never got around to picking it up again.

Fast forward to working for Salt Lake County Library in 2011 - one day, someone checked in the audiobook of "The Eye of the World" and my little fangirl brain got to thinking "Hey, I have a long commute and an iPod - this could work!" I snapped up that audiobook and discovered (to my utter delight) that the library had the rest of the series on CD as well (seeing as how local author Brandon Sanderson is finishing the series since Robert Jordan passed away in 2007, of course Salt Lake County would have tons of copies available).  I started up in October and haven't looked back.  And yes, it is just as fun and Amazing as I remember it.  The only reason it isn't higher up on the list is because I'm still in the middle of where I left off before - next year when "A Memory of Light" (book 14 - Holy Shiz!) comes out and I get to finish, this might be #4 or so.  We'll see.

Honestly, though - this is more than revisiting a book series that I loved Back in the Day.  Starting "The Wheel of Time" again also reminds me of all those wonderful kids I knew in high school who befriended the New Girl at a time of life that everyone is gearing up to take off into the lone and dreary world.  And that is something I'll always appreciate (yes, I am a sentimental fool from time to time. Why is no one surprised by this?)

7. The Advent of "Traveling the Vortex" and Friday Night Who

Continuing in the fandom vein for a moment (I'll get to the Personal Story stuff soon) - 2011 marked the year of the Myrka jokes, feedback and Number 1 Fans.  Yes, folks - this year, I was introduced to Glenn and Shaun and their marvelous adventures introducing their friend Keith to "Doctor Who."  I originally reviewed their podcast back in February when it was first starting up and I enjoyed it so much (not to mention the fact it's a great way for me to be introduced to much of Classic Who without having to go through all from "An Unearthly Child" to the end. People, that 26 seasons of stuff - not to mention how many missing episodes had to be reconstructed? Oy...).  Not to mention Friday Night Who has become the highlight of my week.  It's the closest I can get right now to watching Doctor Who with a bunch of like-minded fans from all over (instead of those fair-weather "Oh, this is something you like - sure I'll watch it with you, I have nothing better to do" types - not that I don't appreciate you all!) and just have a grand old time.

For being one of the highlights of my week and my year, Traveling the Vortex gets a well-deserved spot on my Year in Review list.

6. Watching "Doctor Who" Series 6 as it Broadcasts



Yeah, I guess there's something to be said for "mainlining" a series (meaning you wait until you have all the episodes and watching them all in one go) - but there was nothing that I appreciated more than my first year of delving into "Doctor Who" on a week-by-week basis and getting to digest each episode over the course of a week (and sometimes longer than that).  It intensified the conversation, make me think harder about this stuff and increased my enjoyment of the show.  Not to mention, I got to savor the experience a lot more than when I was barreling through the David Tennant era in the course of a month.  The whole of Series 6 was a fantastic experience and, with a few minor exceptions, I loved every minute of it.

Of course, since I'm getting the boxed set for Christmas, I will also look forward to watching the entire season in the course of a week or so :)

5. Getting a Job at the Library

I don't know where other people would put this one, but since I actually got a job in a library and that's the field I want to work in - I'm pretty stoked about this.  Especially since it's in the library system I REALLY wanted to work for.  I'm still "just a substitute" - but everyone's got to pay their dues somehow.  Salt Lake County Library is a great place to work and the people are friendly and they do an amazing job with everything.  I'm still hoping to get on as a permanent hire (preferable as a children or young adult librarian - but I'll take what I can get) - but I do love my job and I am darn lucky to have it :)

4. SEAL Team Six Taking Out Osama bin Laden

No matter your politics or opinions or whatever - that was an awesome day.  God bless our troops.

3. Finishing my Master of Library Science degree

Awww, yeaaaah! Look how cool that is?

What - did you want an overly-sentimental treatise on how happy I about finishing my MLS and being done with school?  Okay - I might post a video of people singing and dancing happily.  Like this one -



Yeah, I'm just a little bit happy about this :)

2. Mark Coming Home



I took a LOT of video the day my brother came home from serving his mission in Argentina for two years.  None of it has been posted until today (I had grand schemes of editing together a video of that happy occasion, then I lost the SD cards - then I found them again, so that may still be a possibility).  Personally, I hadn't seen Mark in three years since he left while I was serving my own mission in Florida, so I was just as thrilled as anyone to have him back home.

(And if my brother has a problem with this video being posted - just remember that I'm the one sounding like a brainless moron about to burst into tears).

1. I'm an Aunt!

For the top of the list - what honestly could compete with this - the birth of my niece, Jaylee Elizabeth, beats everything else out.  Enough said.

That's only a smattering of pics of the lovable little peanut - and there will be more in the future, trust me.  Being an aunt is awesome!

There you have it - 2011 rocked in so many ways.  I have so much to be grateful for and happy about.  And I truly, truly hope 2012 capitalizes on the good things that happened here and continues to just be awesome and - now I'm rambling...

Everyone, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It's a Trailer, Precioussssss

How long have we waited for this movie to materialize? And now - WE HAVE A TRAILER FOR "THE HOBBIT!" YAAAAAAAAAY!!!



LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me - Review of "The Muppets"

When I was little - this is before I even went to kindergarten - my family was dirt poor. To be fair, I was born a little over a year after my parents got married so they were still in that "poor, young, dumb, newlywed" stage of life.  As a result, we didn't have the shiniest, bestest toys.  But one thing we did have was an old dial TV (a hand-me-down from my grandparents) with a VCR my parents got from their wedding.  We didn't buy a lot of movies and this was way before we even thought about cable.  But we did have blank VHS tapes.  So, Mom and Dad taped movies from TV for my sister and I to watch after "Sesame Street" and "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" was over and all there was to watch was crappy soap operas and Mom wanted to clean the house.

We had many things recorded on those tapes - anything shown on Magical World of Disney counted, as well as innumerable Mickey Mouse and Goofy short cartoons (I have a picture of my three-year-old self zonked out on my dad's easy chair because I insisted on watching Goofy cartoons before bedtime and I didn't make it through the whole tape).  There was "The Chipmunk Adventure" and "Pete's Dragon" - and there was "The Muppet Movie."

I certainly didn't understand anything about time periods or how things got "dated" over time.  For all I knew, "The Muppet Movie" was brand spanking new in 1988.  I didn't really recognize the celebrity cameos and I truly didn't care.  I just wanted to watch Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and Miss Piggy (okay, I admit that I did care about the Big Bird cameo).

So here I am in 2011 - legally I'm a grown-up (though I will deny that I have any kind of boring, grown-up qualities in my personality).  I understand that "The Muppet Show" was sort of a big deal back in the day, but I didn't experience it (weep silently for me).  But I did get to experience "Muppets Tonight" on TGIF in the late 90s.  And I maintain that the very best version of A Christmas Carol is "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

The point of all this sentimentality? I love it when something from my childhood gets to come back and be made new and relevant again.  I went into "The Muppets" expecting a Muppet movie like "Muppets Take Manhattan" or "Muppets in Space" where the Muppets are just part of the scenery along with their human actors.  But "The Muppets" is actually about revisiting old times and realizing that they are still good and important and deserve to be passed down in our culture.  It's like finding that one book or that one toy that you loved as a kid, but you haven't used it in years.  Not because you were deliberately neglectful, but just because life gets in the way (see also - "Toy Story 3").  Thank goodness for the creators of "The Muppets" for reminding the rest of us who loved the Muppets as kids that we still love the Muppets, even though we're older now.

And kudos for staying faithful to the spirit of the material!  There's a scene in "The Muppets" where Kermit and the gang go to ask Mr. Richman if they can just have the old studio back.  Richman has this little song-and-dance number that basically plays to idea that the world is cynical and the goofy Muppets stuff just doesn't cut it anymore.  Then he unveils the Moopets, which is basically the Muppets if Jim Henson was from the south side of LA.  This reminded me of the "edgy-fication" of certain well-beloved characters.  It works with some (like Batman) but for others (like the Looney Tunes) eh... not so much.  There are just some things that you don't do that with.  The original formula works fora  reason - because it resonates.  People want to have the good and silly stuff that's just - fun.  Everything isn't all doom and gloom and gritty realism.  There's still a place for absolute silliness.


"The Muppets" stuck with the old formula and it works like a charm.  Even lampshading that they're gathering up the old gang in a montage and driving to Paris by way of a map in the glove box - that's what the Muppets do and that's who they are.  I did get a little nervous when Fozzie pulled out the fart shoes (because the Muppets do NOT have to resort to bathroom humor) but Kermit and everyone told him to give it a rest and everyone kept it classy.  The addition of Walter was cute - I especially loved the song with him and his (human) brother Gary singing about being men and Muppets (and what about Jim Parsons as the human Walter? I nearly busted a gut when I saw that!)

And no, I did not get all weepy and crap when they all came out to sing "The Rainbow Connection" there at the end.  Nope, not at all *sniff* (aw hell... anyone got a tissue?)

Bottom Line: "The Muppets" is a fun and heartstring-tugging way to bring my childhood back into my adult life.  It has me hoping and wishing for a a rebirth of "The Muppet Show" because that was one thing I sort of missed out on, but I would love to have it back.

Seriously - who doesn't love the Muppets?

I'd Like to Thank The Academy...

Today, I presented my Capstone portfolio for Master of Library Science program.  After two years of blood, sweat and tears (oh, heaven help me, there were tears), I am a professional librarian (as soon as the final grades get put in, of course).

It's a really weird feeling.  I don't have homework anymore, I don't have to go to classes and I don't have to do group projects or stress out about presentations.  But something about this final weekend with my classmates has made me a little sentimental (read: weepy).  Ten minutes of a Capstone presentation wasn't enough time to really thank everyone and reflect properly on what this entire program has meant to me and I'm not that good of a public speaker to really say it.  And I feel more sincere when I'm in an informal setting.  Since blogging is what I do best, I am putting my thanks and appreciation here for everyone to read and refer to often.  I'll just use first names and initials, since I know I'm picky about my own privacy and I figure others are too.

First of all, I have to give a HUGE thank you to Adriane, our wonderful and indispensable advisor.  Even when I thought there was some giant catastrophe with financial aid or registration, she was always calm and collected and ready to reassure me that it wasn't that big of a deal (even though my brain kept telling my otherwise).  I often wonder if she even sleeps at all because she does so much and is so wonderful at it.  One of the first things I tell people asking about the Emporia State program in Salt Lake City is that Adriane is a total and complete sweetheart and is the one of the best things about the program.  Even when I first met her for my application interview, she was so warm and welcoming to me.  Even before I met her and we were just communicating via email - her demeanor made me want to be in this program.

While we're talking mentors and such - another HUGE thank you to Susan, LuCinda, Donnae, Mindy, Bret and Eddie at the West Jordan Library where I did my practicum.  I don't know how the managers and librarians are at other libraries in the Salt Lake County system (with me only being a substitute clerk and not a librarian), but these guys and gals were the best group of mentors a girl could ask for.  Susan especially, being my official practicum supervisor, welcomed all my questions about children's and teen services, collection development, reference questions and even cheering my quest to find that "perfect job."  When I'm in the neighborhood, I try to stop by West Jordan Library and say hi to this amazing group of people that I wouldn't mind actually working with for realsies (hint,hint, HR).  All of them helped me in ways that I can't really express here, but I am grateful beyond words.

I had some stellar professors, but the one that really stood out in my mind was Cheryl from two summers ago.  Cheryl taught our reference services class during our second semester, which was a time that I was still getting my feet under me.  She is also the associate director of the Utah State Library, which means she's a pretty important person in the Grand Scheme of Things.  We had a group presentation assignment in that class and my group did a PowerPoint about technology in libraries.  I was in charge of putting the presentation together and I also made a video for it.  After our presentation, Cheryl asked me if she could use the video I made for the trainings she did for librarians all over the state!  Also, when I saw Cheryl at the ULA conference in May, she remembered who I was and even bragged to some of the other people there that I did a rather clever presentation in for her class.  For a hayseed farm girl from the sticks, that's a pretty big deal.

On to my cohorts.  All of them have contributed something to my education and influenced my experiences, but some stand out from the group.

Next, I have to thank Heather N.  For one thing, putting me up for the week of the ULA Conference.  For another, being my "other mom" during the Serbia study abroad trip (more on that in a minute).  And for all her confidence and expertise (which she'll deny to the end of time, but she is one of the most capable people I've known at any level of academics I've been in) never, not once, did she make me or anyone else feel inferior.  On the contrary, she always had a desire for all of us to be our best and succeed.  As far as she was concerned, one person's victory was a victory for everyone.

Speaking of Serbia, I could not have survived that trip without Ginger and Brienne as well.  I've mentioned how I had never traveled outside the country before, but Ginger and Brienne had and were more than willing to take this "international greenie" under their wings (Ginger was my other "other mom" on this trip).  I loved being with the entire group, including the ladies from the other Emporia cohorts - Kristy, Amy, Ericka and Mary - but my classmates hold a special place in my heart.  The entire Serbia trip was a wonderful thing for me to do, even though a part of me wished the entire time I could go home.  It was in Serbia that I realized that I had enough knowledge and confidence to stand my ground even with the most experienced librarians - that I have just as much to contribute to the conversation as someone who's been at it for twenty years.

Angie.  Angie, without whom I would not have had the guts to even apply for Serbia.  For the implications of that, see the previous paragraph.  Angie - thanks.

Back in Utah, I have to acknowledge Brenda, who was my seatmate for most of our classes together.  Somehow, we managed to sit next to each other for nearly every class and we had a blast when the lectures got a little dry (sorry folks, it happens sometimes).  We found things to talk about, both in and out of library-related topics, and I consider her a good friend.

I also have to mention Lisa G. - one of the most dynamic and excited-to-be-here children's librarians I've ever met.  I can only hope to reflect a fraction of her enthusiasm for the profession.  I keep thinking I ought to go watch her do a story time at her library because it would be one of the most gratifying things I could see.  She is someone I also look up to and I have to thank her for her example.  Along those lines, Jessica gets a special mention for her equal excitement about teen librarianship.

Other people that I found joy working with - Katie, Jon, Dale, Josh, Kellie, Emily (who was also one of the best lunch buddies I've had), Amy C. and the other Amy C., Trisha, Heather B. (who helped me find a place for the books I weeded out of West Desert High School's library) and Catherine - all of you made the entire Emporia experience for me.

I would remiss if I didn't mention the people outside of the Emporia program who supported me.  Mom and Dad - for the money, verbal support and a place to live while I did my work.  Kathryn for letting me stay with her during class weekends (and who continues to give me friendship and emotional support).  Ed for giving me a job at West Desert, letting me have time off for class and the ULA conference, allowing me run of the West Desert Library.  Also, my students last year who were willing to be my guinea pigs for some of my class projects (I showed off some of your excellent work in Serbia, you guys!)  Not to mention the West Desert Community for letting me show them off for my Strategic Plan Project in LI 805 (another video - you all have no idea how much fun I have putting videos together).

This has been something I will always treasure.  It sounds trite and a little cliche, but this was one of the best things I've ever done for myself.  I have learned and grown so much from it and I wouldn't exchange it for anything else I could have done with these last two years (in spite of all the times I got on here and pissed and moaned about this professor doing that or that classmate doing this.  Don't worry guys, I never used names).  I'm not quite sure what to do with myself until I get a job (please Job Fairy, find me something good!), but I am glad to have known everybody and I hope I have done something good for the rest of you as well.

There's not much else to say - except *hug*



I love you all.

The End Is Near!

My MLS Capstone is tomorrow.  Two years of the hard slog in grad school comes down to this - putting together a 10 minute presentation showcasing what I learned in those two years and praying that I learned the right things (as far as my professors are concerned, at least).  So, in honor of the occasion, I have a couple of theme tunes floating around in my head.  The joy of having a blog is that I get to annoy share them with you all.

1. Theme from "Rocky"

2. "My Way" by Frank Sinatra



Dear Sweet Gallifrey, this whole thing is making me loopy.

Winner! Winner!

So, I just won NaNoWriMo!  Go me!  I successfully wrote a 50,000 word novel in less than 30 days!  Hooray!

The catch?  I'm still not done with my story.  I may have - oh, let's see... carry the one... another 25% of plot to complete.  Then I will go on a massive editing spree and make everything mesh and sound coherent (which may take the rest of my life or something) and then - I might be open to having people read it and critique, which will result in more edits and meshing and blood, sweat and tears.

But dudes - I WROTE A NOVEL!! And it is an awesome feeling!

For now, WE DANCE!



(I'd like to give a special thanks to my supervisors at work for turning the other way when I was writing in my little blue notebook during down times so I could meet the 50K mark by November 30.  And with this thanks, I ask that you continue to look the other way when I start in on the climax of the story - 'cause it's gonna get GOOOOD!!  I hope...)

Happy Doctor Who Day!

There's been plenty of chatter about the impending 50th Anniversary (and rightly so), but we all would be remiss not to observe the anniversaries between now and then.  Because today, everyone's favorite Time Lord celebrates his 48 anniversary!

I Don't Want to Live On This Planet Anymore

Since I graduated from college, I've noticed that I haven't been calling out instances of general annoyance in my day-to-day doings as much as I used to.  But something happened this week that I just have to point out.  Besides, the world has gotten away with its stupid shenanigans for way too long.

A bit of background before I launch - last Sunday, I was visiting with my family over football games and cooing over the baby niece.  Somebody (or several somebodies) brought up the "Why Are You Not Dating or Married Yet?" tirade.  I let this go on because people need their hobbies and I can't get them to shut up about it anyway.

Fast forward to Thursday - I am at work (you know, that thing where big kids go and do certain tasks and get paid money for doing them?) and the guys who bring in deliveries from other libraries came in.  They were engrossed in conversation and they were quite loud about it so it was hard to ignore.  They were more or less my age (maybe a little older - no older than early 30s).  I didn't care that they were talking.  But their conversation was a stunning example of why I just don't date.  They were discussing such wonders - like how the new Beavis and Butthead made fun of Jersey Shore (Pot, meet Kettle).  Oh - and the different nuances in how Letterman and Leno deliver their opening monologues.  Not to mention what the heck happened to Conan's show?

If that is the best my generation can offer in terms of datable material, then I will gladly take self-imposed vows of celibacy.

Now, I know what some of you will say (in the most nasally voice you can manage) - "Well, we sit through all your Doctor Who crap so why shouldn't you sit through our Beavis and Butthead stuff?"  Because, Dear Readers, this is my blog and I will write whatever I choose.  Including commentary on how stupid and inane my generation is.  When silly nonsense like 30 Rock and Glee is considered high quality entertainment, there is something wrong with the world (besides, I like Doctor Who).

Honestly, I almost want to apologize to the world for the abject stupidity of my generation.  When the braindead fools on MTV and Comedy Central can tell you what to think and how to believe, it's no wonder that marriage rates are dropping and people are actually worried about it.  There are other factors involved, but a big part of it is that both guys and girls hang out with each other, they put on this stupid brainless act that they see acted out on TV in front of each other and everyone says "I don't want to marry him/her - he/she is an idiot."

Like I said, intelligence is only one factor involved but for me, it's a biggie.  A guy had better have something more substantial to say to me than whatever asinine drivel Letterman flapped about in his monologue last night.  Until then, I'm taking my ball and going home.

I Hope No One Curses Me With Immortal Sexiness! (no, really. I hope not)

Well, folks - the end is near.  Or, at least nearer than it was 24 hours ago.  Sparklepirepalooza* Part IV has hit theaters and everyone - Twihards and Twi-haters alike - felt it.

I make no secret that I fall into the Twi-hate camp (though with less ferocity than most).  I have no desire to see "Breaking Dawn."  I did watch the trailer mostly because of my own sick curiosity and also that I am glutton for punishment (the above video is not that trailer. This video is so much better). The whole trailer revolves around Bella and Edward's wedding and honeymoon. Honestly, both Bella and Edward look about as excited about their impending marriage as I would be about seeing this movie (as in "Please don't make me do this! Please! Please! Pleeeeease!!)

But something has bothered me excessively about the Twilight franchise. Not just Edward's stalkery, controlling and abusive tendencies toward Bella. Not Jacob's character derailment just for the sake of having a cheap love triangle. Not even the *shudder* imprinting of Renesmee (and don't even get me started on that creature OR her weirdo name.  Holy crap - WHY?) All of these things have been documented extensively by Cleolinda, Mark Reads Twilight and Reasoning With Vampires and a whole host of other blogs. While these are brimming with snark, none of them have really hit on the thing that truly, truly bothers me about this series. And now is a good a time as any to explain exactly why I hate it.  My hope is that, after today, I won't have to mention it on this blog again.

It is well known that Stephenie Meyer is LDS (or Mormon, if you prefer). In the interest of full disclosure, I am LDS too. At first, I was excited about a fellow member of the LDS Church writing a popular fantasy series and be in the public mind because that would somehow work towards showing the world that, hey, we aren't as weird as you think we are. Then I read the books. And, not for the first time, I realized just why people think we're so weird (Dear World, I implore you - Please don't judge us all by Stephenie Meyer! If you want a good fantasy author that happens to be LDS, I suggest Shannon Hale, Brandon Sanderson, Jessica Day George and Ally Condie. Just for starters).

I will admit - I got caught up in the Twilight craze a bit. I read the first three books shortly before I left to serve an LDS mission in Florida and I really didn't have time to critique them with a discerning eye. I just wrote it off as a silly vampire romance for squealy teenage girls and there wasn't much harm in it. Then I left for my mission and didn't think much about it for 18 months.

For those not familiar with the life of an LDS missionary, here's some basic facts - as a missionary, you don't watch TV, listen to the radio, read books or participate in any kind of entertainment not put out by the Church. You are there to teach people about the Church and you're 100% focused on that. You write home once a week and get to call home twice a year. It's intense and grueling and extremely hard, but you also experience so much growth and spiritual maturity, so that makes it worth it for a devout member of the Church.  But you just don't know what's going on in popular culture unless someone tells you about it.  And even then, you just don't care.

I tell you this to illustrate how I perceived Twilight. While I was a missionary, "Breaking Dawn" was released and the first movie came out and Twilight-a-palooza was at a fever pitch. People were also interested to know that Stephenie Meyer was LDS. Well, of course we missionaries are going to be excited about this! Any publicity that brings the Church into the public eye is a good thing - whether it's positive or negative - because that gets people asking questions and they often come to the missionaries to ask. And missionaries LOVE being asked honest questions rather than just being yelled at to "F-off" as we go down the road. Except until we came to the part where some girl squee-ing over Twilight asked me whether I was "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" - and I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. And no, she didn't want us to come teach her family about the gospel (sigh… onto the next house, I guess).

I returned home from my mission and could finally sit down and find out what the hoopla over Twilight was about. I watched the movie (it was crap, but most movies-from-books are), re-read the first three books (umm… okay, not the greatest) and finally read "Breaking Dawn."

And that, Dear Reader, is where I reached my breaking point (no pun intended). I still don't think I've recovered the brain cells that I lost.

It went further than crappy writing and a "What-the-Ever-Living-Hell-Was-That?" reaction. I realized how horrible Edward and Bella's relationship was and also how terrible Bella treated Jacob and how Jacob's character completely went off the rails. But worst of all - I realized that people (members of the Church included) found ways that Stephenie Meyer had supposedly incorporated Church doctrine into the narrative, mainly the doctrine of eternal marriage.

I can (almost) forgive all that other BS in these books. But when you sell a story that can be interpreted as a commentary for something I hold sacred and turn it into a pile of muck, I take issue with that.  It's even worse when it's a member of the Church doing it because that just adds fuel to the argument that Mormons are these strange psycho freaks.  Especially because there are legions of asswipes with an internet connection who don't need any excuse to take potshots at people's religious views (for the love of all that is good and decent, why are you giving them more ammunition? They don't need it!)

And it got worse - as I roamed around the internet and found reviews of Twilight (both professional and amateur), I felt even more sick as people took Bella and Edward's relationship and marriage as an excuse to malign the Church and its teachings. This is the reason I could not read through all the "Mark Reads Twilight" reviews - many of those posts were the most insulting and offensive things to me on a personal level. And the worst part is that Bella and Edward's marriage is NOT an eternal marriage. It's a gross mockery of the institution and I'm not happy that Stephenie Meyer wrote the books that way in the first place so that the movie producers could basically characterize it as True Blood for fourteen-year-olds (What else do you expect? It's vampires and teenagers - of course Hollywood's going to do that?)

I realize that not everyone believes the way I do and I don't expect them to. But I do expect people to get their facts straight - or at least make an effort to find out the truth from a reputable source (it's amazing how many people who hate the Church go anywhere except the official Church website - or even Church members - to get their facts and figures). Since there hasn't been a suitable response to the people who bring the Church into their Twilight bash-fests, this is my effort to set the record straight.

Topic #1 - Marriage and Family

The Church teaches that the family is the most important thing for anybody - whether you're a parent or a child (which, everyone is one or both of these). We are to work together as families to get through this life. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained and instituted by God.  When a marriage is performed in the temple by proper priesthood authority, a man and a woman can be sealed to each other for time and all eternity. Also, any children born to them will be sealed and they can be a family after this life. There's also provisions made for adoption and remarriage and things like that that I won't go into here. But that's the basic idea. The reason for all of this is that God is our Heavenly Father and He wants us to return to Him and we can only do that as we are sealed together as families.

The caveat to all this is that the promised blessings in the marriage ceremony - promises made in all the ordinances performed in the Church, actually - are dependant on how we as individuals live our lives. If we adhere to the commandments of God and keep our side of the promises, then God will bless us with what he's promised (most likely these blessings will come in the next life). Of course, you have people who don't live up to their end of the bargain and God will judge them accordingly.

Topic #2 - Free Agency (also - Right to Receive Personal Revelation)

Another a key component to God's plan for His children is the concept of free agency or free will. Everybody has the right to choose. In fact, that's what our purpose in life is - to make choices and to learn from those choices. Without freedom of choice, God's plan would be pretty pointless. We are here to learn what is right and what is wrong and the only way we learn from that is by experiencing consequences - which we do NOT get to choose. Also, we can counsel with God in our personal lives and have His input on how we make decisions, if we choose to include Him in the process.  This is known as receiving personal revelation.  Example - A few years ago when I was asked to serve as the president of the women's organization in my congregation, I was asked to pray about it before I said yes or no to the position.  I was entitled to revelation from God about the matter (Spoilers - I did accept the position and served for about a year).  Marriage especially is something we are counseled to pray about - if Person A says they had a dream or a vision or saw something in their morning toast that means they are supposed to marry Person B, Person B has the right to receive that same revelation. And if Person B doesn't get that revelation, they are well within their rights to tell Person A to shove off.

I bring these things up as they relate to Bella and Edward (and some of the other Twilight characters). Edward essentially strips Bella of her free will by using his "AMAZING SPARKLEPIRE* POWERS OF PERSUASION" to tell her that he is her One And Only True Love (sadly these things do happen in reality - in and out of the Church). And Bella is just dumb enough to fall for it (let's be somewhat fair here - Bella's not the poster child for fully-realized characterization, here). But Edward is a controlling stalker and certainly NOT the kind of boyfriend I would aspire to having - and certainly not the kind of man I want my younger sisters or my niece or any of my former students to meet and fall in love with. Edward (and to a lesser extent Jacob, but he's still guilty) is an abusive and emotionally controlling person and it sickens me that these are paraded out as examples of healthy relationships. While I've never really had a serious romantic relationship of my own, I'm pretty sure a breakup isn't supposed to send you into a waking-comatose state for four months and a desire to risk your life in order to hear your beloved's voice tell you how stupid you truly are.

So there's that aspect of the relationship. But going back to Church doctrine - Bella and Edward's marriage is NOT an example of an eternal marriage. Not as the Church teaches it. Again, these are my own closely-held beliefs. Nobody has to believe them just because I do. My purpose in this is to clear up some very gross misconceptions and bring in some things that don't get discussed with the respect they deserve.

Please, please, please follow me on this closely - when people say Stephenie Meyer injected eternal marriage into the "Twilight" series, that is not true at all.   Eternal marriage only comes in the next life.  Everyone living right now in in their mortal life, sent here to learn right from wrong and to choose for themselves who they are going to follow. If a couple qualifies for and chooses to be married in the temple, they make certain promises between themselves and God. The Church teaches that, once they get to the next life, God will judge them as individuals and as a couple if they have kept those promises. If they have kept their promises, God will reward them with being married for all eternity and they will have their children with them (as long as their children have kept their own promises. This goes on and one forever - I told you, this is eternity you're dealing with).  But living forever in this life is not - I repeat, NOT - how this is supposed to work.

Let me tell you, eternity is going to be a wonderful thing. True, I haven't actually seen it for myself, but I do know that as good as this life can be, heaven is going to be a zillion times better. The best part for me is that God is going to make everything fair for everyone - and He can do that because He is God. No one is going to have to fight over material things or hurt feelings because none of that is going to matter anymore. I can't really explain it very well - it's something you come to know on your own.  But it is not living forever in this world with someone who brow-beat you into marrying them.

Bottom Line - Bella and Edward aren't married for eternity. Not by a long shot. Oh, they may live forever, having forever handsome immortality sex and chomping on dead deer carcasses, but that's about all they've got. Eternal marriage is so much more than that, no matter what the romance novels say. Twilight has nothing to do with the Church beyond Stephenie Meyer's interpretation of her beliefs (which, I would like to have a long talk with her Sunday School teachers because that's not the doctrine of eternal marriage that I was taught). And the next person that says Twilight has anything to do with Church doctrine (whether they mean it as a compliment or an insult), I am going to punch them in the face.

*Credit where credit is due - "Sparklepire" was originally coined by the lovely and witty Cleolinda Jones (though I tacked on "-palooza" just for fun). She is one that has kept religious criticism out of the Twilight discussion and I give her a lot of praise for that.

Hunger Games Trailer - AWESOME!

HOLY CRAP THIS LOOKS AMAZING!



Ahem - as you were.

Things in the Past 24 Hours That Have Made Me Happy

I've just found a bunch of random things that have brought a smile to my face and I wish to share them with you. There's nothing really specific and no set theme.  Just something to enjoy on this chilly Saturday -

1. "What About Everything?" by Carbon Leaf



The first video I found with this song was actually one by Babelcolour and was posted by Traveling the Vortex. But I discovered that BC was inspired by the one above, which was done a few years back, and it is no less impressive.  And the song itself is quite inspiring - I got 10,000 (or so) words written on my NaNoWriMo yesterday just from listening to it over and over again.  I believe I have a new theme song for myself and a new favorite group.

2. Pandora Radio

I've since quit listening to the regular radio for music because (A) They never seem to be playing songs I like and (B) They always go right to some idiotic commercial just as I'm tuning in.  And I can't stand commercials anymore (I am becoming my dad in this regard).  However, I keep missing out of fantastic new music (like Adele) because I just listen to what I have on my iPod.  For whatever reason, I'd never used Pandora before last night (even though everyone's grandmother's canary has), so I decided to give it a shot and it was brilliant (well, so far).

3. "Help Me, Doctor! You're My Only Hope!"


Untitled by ~nrrrdy on deviantART

Okay, so I unofficially gave it that title (it was one that was suggested on the Doctor Who LJ forum), but that it really funny.  I really can't say anything more than that.

4. My Niece Doing Something Amazing

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all saying - everything these things do at four months is amazing to their relatives.  But guys, Jay-Boo is reading! (Well, really, just looking at the pictures. Or deciding which page to drool on next).  You all can be as skeptical as you want, but this is my niece and I am a librarian and I couldn't be prouder of the kid (and her parents).  And this is my new cell phone wallpaper.

5. I Hit 20K In NaNoWriMo!


I meant to mention this earlier, but I'm taking on National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) in which I'm writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, starting with November 1 and (hopefully) finishing on or before November 30.  I was on a pretty good track until I had a couple of days where I worked eight hour shifts and I didn't get anything written.  And if you don't write at least 1,667 words a day (on average), you get behind.  Well, yesterday I had the day off because of the holiday and I sat down and wrote my little fingers off.  I found a really good plot thread to go along with and I made it past the 20,000 word mark!  I was quite pleased with myself over that one.

Happy Saturday, y'all!

Thank You, Veterans!

This is one of my favorite songs and it honors some of my favorite people.

All this week at work, I've noticed that the Salt Lake County Library website has one announcement in their rotating announcement thingie about November holidays. It's to let people know that we'll be closed on Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. It didn't hit me until yesterday that those two holidays are quite appropriate to put together like that.

When I was in 8th grade, I had the opportunity to visit Washington DC for a week with my school. One of the things we got to do was visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Four of the students from our group got to lay a wreath on the tomb during the Changing of the Guard ceremony. There are few places in this world so peaceful and reverent and the Tomb of the Unknowns is one of them. You just see it in the guard that's posted there and there's a great spirit that fills the place.

I will always be grateful for the men and women who have risked their lives and sacrificed for this country. That is not a trite statement or just something appropriate to commemorate the day. I have an uncle who served in Korea and an uncle who served in Vietnam and I've had many friends serve in the military. Everyone that I've met who has served has done so gladly and with a sense of honor that you just don't get anywhere else. I admire all those who can do what is asked of them and who will sacrifice for people they might not even know. It is because of of those brave souls that I can get up every morning, work in a job that I love, get an education and enjoy my life the way so many people in this world just don't get to do.

One thing my trip to Serbia taught me is how grateful I am to live in the United States. There were things about Europe that were fun and enjoyable (the tomatoes are fantastic!) But there are so many other problems they have that we just don't.  Just one example - People complain about the racism in America. Maybe some of that is true - I've never seen it firsthand. But while I was in Serbia, I did see a restaurant owner hit a young Gypsy girl just for coming into the restaurant. I've never seen anything like that happen in the States and it really bothered me. When I landed in the US, I was so happy to be home. We live in a very unique and blessed country and that is due in no small part to the soldiers who have fought and died throughout the years to keep it that way.

To all the veterans out there - it seems like a small tribute compared to what you have done, but thank you, from the bottom of my heart.