I love school right now! I have to admit that I became an English major because I didn't really know what else to do that was useful. (And yes, I think English is very useful. :P) One part of the English major is to take 9 credits in an emphasis of your choice. The only choice that was really interesting to me was editing. I liked the classes I took so much that I decided to become an editing minor, and I love it! I've never enjoyed school as much as I have this last week. I'm actually enjoying going to class. It's so stinkin' interesting to me. I'm in a copyediting class (editing grammar, punctuation, syntax, style continuity, etc.) and a substantive editing class. Substantive editing is what is interests me the most right now especially because I'm in a section focusing on fiction. We're talking about what defines a "classic" book and the defining points of certain genres. Love it.
Isaac, on the other hand, is trying to remember why he wanted to be a business major. He says it's hard or something :) It's going to be a very busy semester for the both of us.
Monday, September 10, 2007
My History with Books and Words: Written for ELang 410R
I’ve loved writing and reading for my entire existence. My first memory involves me holding a pencil. I’m a three-year-old sitting at the kitchen table asking my mom to draw out my name in dotted lines “just one more time—one more time…!” I loved to trace my name and any other words I could get my mom to print for me.
I learned to read before I was in kindergarten. I don’t remember anyone even reading to me at home or taking time to teach me how. It seems like it was just something I picked up. I remember one particular day standing in line inside the bank. It was before school, (kindergarten didn’t start until noon) and I was running errands with my mom. “Please wait behind the line for the next available teller,” I read off the nearby sign. I remember whipping around to see my mom’s face, waiting for her approval. My mom smiled at me. A lady waiting behind us asked me why I wasn’t in school that day. My mom told her I was only in kindergarten, and school wouldn’t start for a couple of hours. I was more than content with myself.
My mom bought all sorts of books for me when I was younger, and I would spend hours in front of my “book cabinet” reading every book slowly, entirely, and repeatedly. My mom would tell me to take a stack out and bring them over to the couch to sit and read. No way. I liked to sit in the corner, sandwiched between the cabinet and the end table. I preferred to sit as close to the cabinet as possible with books stacked on all sides of me. I would have preferred even more to sit inside the cabinet if I could have fit comfortably.
In tenth grade my friend and I decided to write our own “dictionary.” Whenever we heard cool words we could write them down in this little notebook and try to incorporate them into our everyday language. I’ve never told anyone that before… It sounds even dorkier on paper than it does in my head.
So I’ve always loved reading books and learning new vocabulary. Looking back on the day Barnes and Noble opened in my smallish town, it was probably the second happiest day of my life. I still remember the first time I entered through the big wooden doors. I’m still speechless just thinking about it. I can’t even begin to describe the experience. I still have a hard time heeding my mom’s advice. I never want to take a few books and go sit down. My instinctual desire in a book store is to sit on the ground in front of an appealing bookshelf in the back corner, reading jacket covers and first chapters, and to begin stacking my favorites all around me, boxing myself in. I still haven’t found a way to fit into the shelves.
I have to admit that this is the first time I will be delving into modern fiction though. I’m a sucker for the classics. My favorite fiction novels of all time are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I think I was convinced for a while that the classics were the good literature. All good literature had already been written. I know this isn’t true, and I’m sure that this course will help me to know for a surety. I mostly blame Harry Potter for this though. A good book should not only encompass a good story, but it should also be well written. I stand confidently with this statement after reading book one in the series. I think my favorite genre, if you can even call it a genre, is literary fiction. I love the beauty of language, but hopefully I will branch out during the course of this semester and learn to appreciate other genres as well.
I learned to read before I was in kindergarten. I don’t remember anyone even reading to me at home or taking time to teach me how. It seems like it was just something I picked up. I remember one particular day standing in line inside the bank. It was before school, (kindergarten didn’t start until noon) and I was running errands with my mom. “Please wait behind the line for the next available teller,” I read off the nearby sign. I remember whipping around to see my mom’s face, waiting for her approval. My mom smiled at me. A lady waiting behind us asked me why I wasn’t in school that day. My mom told her I was only in kindergarten, and school wouldn’t start for a couple of hours. I was more than content with myself.
My mom bought all sorts of books for me when I was younger, and I would spend hours in front of my “book cabinet” reading every book slowly, entirely, and repeatedly. My mom would tell me to take a stack out and bring them over to the couch to sit and read. No way. I liked to sit in the corner, sandwiched between the cabinet and the end table. I preferred to sit as close to the cabinet as possible with books stacked on all sides of me. I would have preferred even more to sit inside the cabinet if I could have fit comfortably.
In tenth grade my friend and I decided to write our own “dictionary.” Whenever we heard cool words we could write them down in this little notebook and try to incorporate them into our everyday language. I’ve never told anyone that before… It sounds even dorkier on paper than it does in my head.
So I’ve always loved reading books and learning new vocabulary. Looking back on the day Barnes and Noble opened in my smallish town, it was probably the second happiest day of my life. I still remember the first time I entered through the big wooden doors. I’m still speechless just thinking about it. I can’t even begin to describe the experience. I still have a hard time heeding my mom’s advice. I never want to take a few books and go sit down. My instinctual desire in a book store is to sit on the ground in front of an appealing bookshelf in the back corner, reading jacket covers and first chapters, and to begin stacking my favorites all around me, boxing myself in. I still haven’t found a way to fit into the shelves.
I have to admit that this is the first time I will be delving into modern fiction though. I’m a sucker for the classics. My favorite fiction novels of all time are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I think I was convinced for a while that the classics were the good literature. All good literature had already been written. I know this isn’t true, and I’m sure that this course will help me to know for a surety. I mostly blame Harry Potter for this though. A good book should not only encompass a good story, but it should also be well written. I stand confidently with this statement after reading book one in the series. I think my favorite genre, if you can even call it a genre, is literary fiction. I love the beauty of language, but hopefully I will branch out during the course of this semester and learn to appreciate other genres as well.
As a side note, I now prefer Borders to Barnes and Noble.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Katelyn and Sarah
My little nieces make for some of the cutest fairies I've ever seen. It makes me think that every little girl deserves a fairy costume for a stay of time. My siblings are avid users of Snapfish, and I absolutely love when they share these darling moments.
Lavender Lime 01
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.
-Agatha Christie
Monday, August 27, 2007
Miss South Carolina 2007
I think I'm most embarrassed for her friends and family.
One YouTube user commented that they half expected this to turn out as a Snickers commercial showing,"Want out fast?", as the tag line in the end.
My favorite segment? "And I believe our education like such as South Africa and uh, the Iraq, everywhere such as, and I believe they should help our education over here." This isn't even a coherent thought. She just compared our poor education to South Africa (what?) and "the" Iraq and yet these countries should help the "U.S. Americans."
May God have mercy on her soul.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Cards!
I've become addicted to a new hobby lately--card making. I find immense joy in finding deals on cute paper, embellishments, and ink. It's so fun. My kitchen table is strewn with a rainbow of card stock and a plethera of scissors, ribbons, eyelets, cut-outs, buttons, etc. etc. But one of the most fun things about it is the card club that I'm in. A girl in my married ward put together a little club where we meet together twice a month to make/exchange cards of a certain theme. This last month the theme was baby cards. One night we get together and make 8 identical cards, and another night we get together and trade cards with the other 7 girls. So you get to take home one of every card. I need to get Isaac to help me with our scanner so I can show off some of my creations, but for now, I'll just leave you with the link to my favorite supplies store--Pebbles in my Pocket and one of their cute samples.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Isaac Taylor, you're my hero...
Isaac found out today that he is on the first string for kickoff this season! Go Isaac! Woo Wooooo!!
In my excitement, I tried to google his name, and found this link. Apparently a Cougar fan that has given him--and Chris Bolden--his own day. Interesting--since it has nothing to do with his birthday or a significance to his jersey number. (Jersey number = 31. This post was on 8/1. Hmm...)
Anyway, in celebration of my hunky husband's success, I decided to do a little stalking of my own. Here's a compilation (courtesy of Google) of what people have to say about him:
A three-year letterwinner at El Dorado High School ... earned first-team all-league honors as a running back ... named team offensive MVP ... named second-team all-league as a sophomore ... a three-year letterwinner in track ... transferred to BYU from Modesto Junior College.
{player bio on byucougars.com}
Others who will play during the spring include Isaac Taylor. “ The running back position will be one of our key strengths on offense," Mendenhall said. "We'll have depth, experience and talent at running back."
{"2006 Season Preview" by Kyle Chilton and Jeff Reynolds, BYU Athletic Communications}
I couldn't help but laugh (and agree) with this comment:
One thing that has struck me about the football players is when you meet many of them, you think, "Sure this guy has muscles, but he's pretty small for a football player, how can his body stand the punishment?" Guys that probably come to your mind are Brandon Howard and Isaac Taylor, etc. But that thought has also crossed my mind with Max Hall, McKay Jacobson, Corby Hodgkiss, Kellen Fowler, etc.
{posted on Cougarblue.com's "BYU Strongman and eco challenge forum" by user McGregor}
Quarterback Max Hall, who transferred from Arizona State, led a seven-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. Hall was a perfect 7-for-7 for all 65 yards on the drive. Isaac Taylor scored when he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass. {KSL article on fall camp 2006}
So, we probably have one player running in the 4.3s. That’s great, but how many can run in the 4.4s? At best, two: Brandon Howard, and Dustin Gabriel. How many can run in the 4.5s? Again, just a few—perhaps David Tafuna, Kayle Buchanan, and Isaac Taylor. Out of this group, only one is an offensive player. {blog entitled Cougar Legion}
And last, but not least, one of the best articles ever written: Who is that Guy?
In my excitement, I tried to google his name, and found this link. Apparently a Cougar fan that has given him--and Chris Bolden--his own day. Interesting--since it has nothing to do with his birthday or a significance to his jersey number. (Jersey number = 31. This post was on 8/1. Hmm...)
Anyway, in celebration of my hunky husband's success, I decided to do a little stalking of my own. Here's a compilation (courtesy of Google) of what people have to say about him:
A three-year letterwinner at El Dorado High School ... earned first-team all-league honors as a running back ... named team offensive MVP ... named second-team all-league as a sophomore ... a three-year letterwinner in track ... transferred to BYU from Modesto Junior College.
{player bio on byucougars.com}
Others who will play during the spring include Isaac Taylor. “ The running back position will be one of our key strengths on offense," Mendenhall said. "We'll have depth, experience and talent at running back."
{"2006 Season Preview" by Kyle Chilton and Jeff Reynolds, BYU Athletic Communications}
I couldn't help but laugh (and agree) with this comment:
One thing that has struck me about the football players is when you meet many of them, you think, "Sure this guy has muscles, but he's pretty small for a football player, how can his body stand the punishment?" Guys that probably come to your mind are Brandon Howard and Isaac Taylor, etc. But that thought has also crossed my mind with Max Hall, McKay Jacobson, Corby Hodgkiss, Kellen Fowler, etc.
{posted on Cougarblue.com's "BYU Strongman and eco challenge forum" by user McGregor}
Quarterback Max Hall, who transferred from Arizona State, led a seven-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. Hall was a perfect 7-for-7 for all 65 yards on the drive. Isaac Taylor scored when he hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass. {KSL article on fall camp 2006}
So, we probably have one player running in the 4.3s. That’s great, but how many can run in the 4.4s? At best, two: Brandon Howard, and Dustin Gabriel. How many can run in the 4.5s? Again, just a few—perhaps David Tafuna, Kayle Buchanan, and Isaac Taylor. Out of this group, only one is an offensive player. {blog entitled Cougar Legion}
And last, but not least, one of the best articles ever written: Who is that Guy?
Monday, August 13, 2007
Pure Bull
This last Saturday night while Isaac was at football, I visited my parents up in Alpine. We just hung out for a while and had dinner, and then we went to the Alpine Days' Pure Bull Rodeo. It was so fun! I hadn't been to a "rodeo" since I was little so it was kind of exciting. None of the riders were very good, and I've never seen my dad laugh so hard as when one guy was launched from the bull and landed straight on his rear. It was funny. Out of 30 riders, they wanted to get the top-8 riders in the finals. The problem is that only 2 out of 30 were able to hold on for the 8-second minimum qualification. It was still fun though.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Austen Heroine
You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a little to vocal in your honesty. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Harry Who?
So ever since the first Harry Potter book came out like 8 years ago, I have been so against reading the books. I didn't want to give in to a book that was consuming the lusts of millions of Americans. I think I've been a little mad at JK Rowlings and the readers for being in engaged so fully in a book that doesn't seem to have any merit. If JK Rowlings ever met me I wouldn't want her to have the satisfaction of knowing that I read her meaningless series. All it is is a good story. It's like "The DaVinci Code"--not well written, but an engaging story. That bothers me. If you are going to be a famous author you should be a good writer, not just a good story teller. Ugh. Irks me. And it was easy for her to write the story because she could make everything up--it's a fantasy book so you don't have to have plausible solutions, just magic. Anyway, I envy your billion dollars, JK. Round of applause. I must be weird though because it's only now after the whole thing is over that I have an inkling to read the series. Now that there isn't so much hype. I'm number 6 on the waiting list at the Provo public library for book one. Ugh.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Real Pound Puppies
When I was in elementary school, my mom bought me pretty much the coolest stuffed animal ever--a Pound Puppy. It had a strip of Velcro that held it's belly together and when you opened the belly there were several puppies to surprise you every time. Now, instead of a Pound Puppy, I really want a teacup chichuahua like this one. Except this one is mixed with a weiner dog. I love the ears!!
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