Something's Wrong ...

I remember going to the dentist when I was a kid, and they had the cute magazines with the back cover that had a bunch of strange events depicted ... a bird with a human foot, a kite flying with no string, a chair with two legs, and the caption read "What's wrong with this picture?" ...


All I can say about this photo and caption that appeared in BYU's student newspaper, the Daily Universe, is "oops!" ... I feel so sorry for the poor student editors.

But, doesn't Elder Perry look so happy in that photo?

Holi

Mom, Matt and I drove down to Spanish Fork this Saturday for Holi ... the Festival of Colors!

Oh, wow ... we were stuck in traffic and didn't make it down there it time for throwing colors. People were parking 2.5 miles away from the temple and walking to attend. In the past they've had about 2,000-3,000 attendees. There were 10's of thousands there on Saturday. People were FLOCKING to the temple and there was a huge plume of colored air all around that area. Traffic on I-15 was backed up 7-miles before the exit. We sat in traffic for over an hour.

I did take a few pictures of people and the temple as we drove by. Not as many as I wanted to because I was driving, but I got a few.

Matt was glad to stay safely in the car. My mom is excited for next year, and says she wants to go down really early in the day so we can see/experience everything! It was a lesson learned. Totally different than Diwali, which is LOW KEY, and which I really loved! So, I guess I have them both to look forward to in the next year, and maybe in 2010 I will get painted!

Elephants

In conversation during the last few months, I have brought up the idiom of an "elephant in the room" a couple of times. I am constantly surprised that no one has heard this saying! People look at me with blank eyes searching for some meaning in my comment, and then I try to explain - unsuccessfully I'm sure.

Here's the wikipedia explanation: "The elephant in the room (also elephant in the living room, elephant in the parlor, elephant in the corner, elephant on the dinner table, elephant in the kitchen, elephant on the coffee table, and horse in the corner) is an English idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed. It is based on the idea that an elephant in a room would be impossible to overlook; thus, people in the room who pretend the elephant is not there might be concerning themselves with relatively small and even irrelevant matters, compared to the looming big one."

For example: A relative has received bad news, which has trickled through the grapevine to the entire family. At a gathering, everyone is chatting about all sorts of subjects, specifically avoiding that one topic, although everyone in the room is aware and likely thinking about that information at one point or another during the gathering.

Ta-da!

Now you know ... and you can use it ... just make sure you don't say "white elephant in the room", because that has an entirely different meaning!

I wish ...

Today I wish I were as talented as this guy. Wow! Song and video!

Poke

Question: Why Facebook?
My Answer: It is interesting to have little mini interactions family and friends. Some I haven't spoken to in years! And it's honestly mind-numbing how many people are on there!

Question: Why not MySpace?
My Answer: You may not agree. I never joined MySpace, but I think it's the creepy version of Facebook.

Question: Is Facebook addicting?
My Answer: I've been told it is. Most evidence indicates so, such as people updating their status from their mobile phone. I'm too new to the process to know for myself. I think it may be fleetingly addicting.

Question: Do people like to chat on Facebook?
My Answer: It seems not. I see people are online, but no one takes the bait to chat. It seems the majority of Facebookers like to have a reminder that their friends and family are still out there plugging away; liking to see little glimpses of what they're up to that they can chuckle about. But, no chatting please.

Question: Why poke?
My Answer: I have no answer. I couldn't figure it out. I Googled it.
Online Answer: “A poke is a way to interact with your friends on Facebook. When we created the poke, we thought it would be cool to have a feature without any specific purpose. People interpret the poke in many different ways, and we encourage you to come up with your own meanings.”
My Second Answer: OK, so my own meaning if I poke you in Facebook is that I think you're wearing the coolest socks ever! And if you happen to not be wearing socks, then it means I like your hair today. If you happen to be bald, then it means that you should smile more.

Question: Biggest complaint about Facebook?
My Answer: If Google were involved, ease of use would increase through the roof.

Question: How can a person be slowly driven crazy?
My Answer: By a cat who is howling outside the door, and just won't seem to be quiet today!

Last Thoughts: It amazes me that all these online "find someone" sites like Reunion and Classmates are still running. Facebook does the job more effectively and for free. Their days are numbered.

Seniors with Guns

We went to a funeral yesterday for my uncle in Koosharem, Utah. The weather was nice, it was good to see family, and it was great to hear about all the things my uncle did to affect those around him. He was a good and respected man.

We went to the gravesite, and because he served in the the military during the Korean War, he had military honors at his funeral. It was an interesting thing ...

First, the cute old men were treating their gun more like a cane or walking stick than a weapon.



Second, after a bit of music was played, the group prepared to shoot the guns in the honorary salute. Although most aimed over a 45 degree angle, two of them had a hard time lifting the guns that high. I was assured there were blanks in the gun, but couldn't help duck as they took their shots. The two low-aiming gentlemen probably would have barely cleared the canopy if there had been bullets. Barely.

The first shot startled the shooter on the right, who jumped. And immediately all the babies began to cry.



Third, my brother enjoyed overhearing a conversation among the men who were trying to decide where the safety on the gun was actually located.

And last, as we were preparing to return to the church, we were all saluted again. We turned to see that the men were loading the guns into the back of someone's truck, where they accidentally let off two shots. And then the babies began to cry.

"I guess they're right, old people, though slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose."
--- Lloyd Christmas, Dumb and Dumber

Fluff

Hello! Not much really happening in our household, but thought I'd say hi to everyone. Some things that I'm excited about, that most people probably wouldn't think exciting:

I love to shop clearance, and have certain places I go to frequently to patiently wait for a bargain. This week I got some amphibious footwear on sale for $25!




They're impractical winter shoes, but will be fun for summer. I think the "drain frame" is so interesting how it directs the water away from your feet. So cool.

I added a Shelfari bookshelf to my blog! (Look left.) I was already on Goodreads, and a friend sent me an invite to Shelfari. I wasn't going to do it, but I love how adding books you've read actually put them on your bookshelf! It's fun! (Which makes me sound and feel like a 5th grader.) Speaking of books, I just finished reading this book:



And a bunch of others than you can check out on my bookshelf. (Look left.)

But, back to The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. I really loved it. Not sure if Olivia still checks out my blog, but I would recommend it to her since many of the books she's talked about on her blog I've also enjoyed. I think my mom-in-law would also like it - so check it out.

I have a renewed interest in my favorite band from my younger years. Don't laugh .... Oingo Boingo! Around Christmas I got a couple of my favorite albums of theirs off iTunes ... all of these I only ever had on tape!



I'm not much of a concert-goer, but I've been to two of theirs; one was their farewell tour. :(

Another of my favorite-ever albums is:



Over the holidays we watched Mamma Mia! at least five times! It has now been officially added to my list of favorite movies. To be added to the list means that I can watch it repeatedly and never tire of it. Here is the list, not in order of my favorite -- because I couldn't pick a favorite -- but in order of when they were added to the list.



"Dumb and Dumber" really doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the movies, does it? Can someone please buy me Nancy Drew's blue roadster?

Of the movies above, I have also read Pride & Prejudice, Marnie, and Random Harvest. You can find them on my bookshelf. (Look left.)

Other exciting things in my world ... Odwalla has new Monster Protein drinks that will keep you awake and energized for hours! Yeah! And they're so yum! I couldn't find a picture of the new ones, but here is the Chocolate Super Protein, which is also tops!



We went to the car show with our friends last weekend. My favorite car was the midnight blue Saturn Aura with the brown interior. It was a beautiful combination of colors. I couldn't find one that was similar online, but here is the interior:




That's the scoop on all the unimportant, yet exciting things in my world. The important thing that takes up the majority of the time (i.e. work) is about the same. The hatchet keeps threatening to fall, but so far I still have my neck. ;)

It's good that I have so much exciting fluff to engage my thoughts in troubled times!