The $2.5 million fine imposed on disgraced racist Donald Sterling is very troubling. The fact that the dollar amount is a drop in the bucket for a filthy rich coward is of no relevance. … And don’t you DARE accuse me of defending or condoning this man.
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Freedom of speech, anyone??
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“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
“All seems infected that the infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye.”
-Alexander Pope
(English poet; Father of modern satire)
When your vision is cloudy, it’s near impossible to focus on anything else. It’s hard to be see color when your lenses are stained. When something’s wrong, all seems wrong.
YOU DON’T NEED MAKEUP TO BE BEAUTIFUL, LADIES! (but still, I deeply ❤ it)
“I loved you, gray sweatpants, no makeup.”
-J. Mayer (who else?)
PS. After reviewing this post, I realize I have 3 pictures of myself. That’s kind of a lot. Sorry if this seems vain. But whatevz, it is my blog after all.
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to Seattle to see a debate about a proposed $15 minimum wage. On the opposing side was none other than Ben Shapiro, one of the smartest young Americans today, and a rising voice in conservatism. Orthodox Jew, Harvard Law Grad, 30, host of a veeeery entertaining and educational talk show, and just overall brilliant mind. And look, I got to meet him!
Ben Shapiro;
He’s brilliant.
He’s fearless.
And he’s hilarious.
🙂
PS. Don’t judge my bare shoulders!
Gotta get it all in before becoming a VIP temple girl.
“When faith is your foundation, nothing can crumble.”
-Hunter Hayes (musical genius and wildly poetic songwriter)
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“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation.., a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”
“It’s such a waste to grow up lonely.” -John Mayer … “My loneliness is killing me.” -Britney Spears .. “Sometimes when I’m lonely, don’t know why Keep thinking I won’t be lonely, by and by.”
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are studying the Old Testament in Sunday School this year. You know, like how Moses delivered the children of Israel, and then they wandered through the desert for 40 years? Yep, that story. … As you may recall, the Israelites ate manna on their journey. Manna is a grain that fell from the sky. It’s how they sustained themselves in the wilderness. Probably not the tastiest food known to man, but it’s still hecka cool that they got their nourishment in such a fantastical way, dontcha think? …
Cloudy with a chance of Manna.
Now I just wish I could have a MANna fall from the sky for me!
I think it’s only fitting I write a post about Easter:
“Anyone can be sentimental about about the nativity; any fool can feel like a Christian at Christmas. But Easter is the main event; if you don’t believe in the resurrection, you’re not a believer.
“If you don’t believe in Easter, don’t kid yourself—don’t call yourself a Christian.”
-Owen Meany (from John Irving’s “A Prayer for Owen Meany”)
A Sonnet on Sandra Fluke: … Sandra Fluke makes me wanna PUKE! Birth control is not a right
so please give up your silly fight!
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There’s nothing that we’re denying you
Just refuse to ever be buying you
something you can get on your own.
I mean, you ARE an adult, you’re fully grown
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So find a way to pay for sex
Just don’t go using anyone else’s checks
Stop this “war on women” rhetoric
It’s asinine and makes me sick.
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So find a new hobby, get a new goal
‘cuz we AIN’T PAYING FOR YOUR BIRTH CONTROL!
“Don’t you think we oughta know by now? -John Mayer … “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.” -1st Corinthians 8:2 … “You should never argue with a crazy mi, mi, mi, mind. You oughta know by now.” -Billy Joel … .”You, you, you oughta know!” -Alanis Morrisette
By the way, that first lyric of John’s is from his simultaneously gut-wrenching and incredibly sexy “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” Think it’s a coincidence that I chose a picture with fire in the background? Only in your dreams..
It’s important to research out critical issues (duh). But I don’t believe you have to be an expert at something to have an opinion about it. Some may accuse you of being unqualified to make a commentary about something unless you’ve completely immersed yourself in the details, but I don’t think that is always true. … For example, I HATE “50 Shades of Gray.” I’ve never read it, nor will I ever read it. But I say that with no hesitation (read my post if you’re interested in why). … What do ya’ll think? How much do you have to be versed in something to have an opinion about it? …
“Avoid the appearance of evil” (Thessalonians 5:22)
PS. By the way, I do think that MOST of the time, you gotta know your stuff really well to establish your credibility and lend validity to your argument. Don’t accuse me of not being into that. I’ve written enough college essays to know you gotta back up your stuff with evidence.
BUUUUT sometimes something is so awful and such a turn-off that you don’t have to be incredibly familiar with it to know its trash.
I’ve heard “Why Georgia” about a million times (hyperbole!), but last week, this line struck me like never before. I have come a long way, but still I don’t have everything quite right in this new life I’ve chosen for myself. I am making friends, but I’m still alone. I’m still surrounded by strangers. Or maybe I’m the stranger. John Mayer was lonely and felt out of place when he first moved to Georgia. I now know how he feels.
Moving to Salt Lake City was an exciting, brave decision, and I’m so glad I chose it. But it certainly comes at a cost. Crafting a new life with new people can be terribly lonely. And I feel that loneliness a lot. It’s palpable. I hope that it will all be worth this initial feeling of being an outsider. I hope that I will create my circle of support, but there’s no way to know for certain. So for now, I’m taking it day by day and celebrating the progress I’ve made so far. Still, I am a stranger here. And still, I am often painfully lonely.
Mark Twain left an indelible influence on American culture (duh). His legacy is most evident in THE great American novel “Huck Finn,” which was, among other things, a bitter satire against slavery. Twain dedicated his life to exposing the injustices of the institution and working to dissuade the public against practicing/ supporting it. … As admirable as he was, Twain was not without his vices. For one thing, he was far from a kind person. Indeed, he could best be described as a harsh pessimist (though I personally find this trait of his to be endearing). And, to get even more specific, Twain was not a big fan of those dang Mormons. He even went so far as to say that the Book of Mormon “is chloroform in print.” … Yikes. … There are certain individuals, works of literature, and overall influences where we can take what we want and leave the rest. We can filter that which we believe from that which we don’t. .. What are your partial influences?
From what imperfect sources do you draw some measure of inspiration (even if disagree on some things)? …
In this past General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said that “love is to be our watchword.” He most certainly was absolutely correct in this (duh), but I would like to take it a step further to articulate my own personal watchword.
… I cannot pick just one. I can’t. But here goes: My watchwords are: … 1) kindness/ understanding 2) expression/ creativity 3) beauty/ humor … What are YOUR watchwords? What words articulate what you believe?
In this past General Conference, Elder Ballard asked that we make a renewed effort to refer to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by its full name (as I just so obediently did 🙂 ). We’ve heard this before, but, as was the topic of his address, we were admonished to follow through with this counsel.
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Truthfully, I felt a bit daunted. I mean, it’s a long name! But, as you might have noticed from some of my recent posts, I’ve been doing what Elder Ballard asked.
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I recently spoke to a man a bit about my faith. He asked if I attended a church. I responded that I did, and then told him that I am a member of “TCOJCOLDS” (I had to abbreviate cuz I’m tired!). And guess what? He said, “That’s a beautiful name. I love that it has “Jesus Christ” in the title.” SAWEEEET!
There is nothing inherently moral about government (quite the opposite is often true, in my opinion). History is replete with tyrannical governments violating basic human dignities. To try to justify something as ethically acceptable simply because it is legal is dangerously absurd.
There is a higher law. There is a natural law. And, I’m not afraid to say, there is a God.
By the way, I am NOT suggesting that laws of the land aren’t important. Nope. No way. One of the articles of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says “we believe in…honoring, obeying, and sustaining the law” (source). Buuuuuuut, when people try to justify heinous acts (such as abortion) as okay because it’s legal in our country, they fail to recognize (among other things) how many times we’ve gotten it wrong before. Something being written into law is a terrible measurement of if something is morally conscionable or not.
There is nothing inherently moral about government.
In His most painful hour in the garden, Jesus desperately needed His friends. And yet, failing to comprehend the gravity of His despair, they slept through His excruciating undertaking. These otherwise good men had no malice in their hearts, and yet they were thoughtless of their Lord when He needed them most.
(begin at 2:50)
k
Is there someone in agony who needs YOU to be awake
as a source of comfort and strength?
“O, that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep!” (2nd Nephi 1:13)
Don’t fall asleep when someone needs you awake.
dd
PS. I realize I’ve been posting quite a few pictures of myself lately where I’m crying. It’s true that I use tears to express emotion-namely sadness. But don’t worry, I’m happy a lot of the time, too! See, look:
In my BYU freshman college writing class, I wrote an essay analyzing biblical themes in the relatively obscure (but still awesome!) U2 song “Window in the Skies.” Some people thought I was weird and should have just written about a book like most everyone else did. But now I see how that simply presaged what I do now all the time: identify and analyze Christian/ religious imagery in sooooo much popular music. Cool!
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1. What habits did you start early?
2. What have you always had a knack for/ interest in that has carried through the years?
PS. I’ll dig through my mounds of junk and try to find that paper!