No beatin’ around the bush on that title (figuratively OR literally)! I had my NEW friend Kemp and my OLD friend Carlos help me out. Check it stat (and please excuse my being a little dance happy. I’m not as smooth/subtle as my friends):
And if you think that was entertaining (probably mainly because Katherine was making a fool of herself), it actually wasn’t anything compared to what these guys can do for real. Here’s just a taste of their INSANE TALENT. And yes Mom, the following is improvised.
I have a friend named Sonrisa. Not her real name of course (my name in 8th grade Spanish class was Sonrisa that means SMILE, so that’s why I chose it.) ANYWAYS, Sonny came home and read this blog, then gained some clarity about a D-bag who had been in and out of her life for quite some time after she read the comment on this post (thanks Christine!). She realized Mr. D hadn’t weathered enough storms, and that she needed a man by her side, not a boy who’d run and hide! And NOW, she is that much closer to finding her dream man. Love you Sonrisa! Thanks for telling me, and onward you go 🙂
And as for me? Just call me “Katherine clean Carrie Bradshaw Wilkinson.”
The whole thing is AMAZING, but if I had to pick one or two lines to highlight, it would be this:
So when you start feeling like the world’s coming down on you, and that somebody feels like you’re not good enough or smart enough or thin enough, and that’s getting sent to you, like a psychic getting sent to ya, like a pyschic getting sent to ya, just ask for names. And guess what? There are no names. It’s all just fog, it’s all just a made up fog in a hall of mirrors, it’s all garbage, it doesn’t exist, so just do away with all that negative energy; it doesn’t even exist, it’s not even real….when people see other people having a good time and not questioning it, they just like to bring it all down, ya know. “I WANT NAMES!” from now on. And let me tell you something. I’ve been through my life, and I got bumped, and I got bruised, and I got kicked to the ground., but I never actually got a name the whole time. And therefore, I disregard all of it, and assume that I am loved the world round.
Whoops, guess that was a few more than 2 lines. If it’s all meat, you can’t cut any out!
When it comes to our world and its issues, there is a lot to say!
… And a lot to criticize
There are absolutely times when it’s important to speak plainly and even harshly. To reprove with sharpness (Doctrine and Covenants 121:43) , and to not beat around the bush (From what I understand, my grandfather Ernest Wilkinson often preferred this approach.).
So I occasionally will speak harshly (but still intelligently!) about subjects, but my passion does not overrule my logic (and vice versa).
And there are certain topics that Katherine simply will not explore in a comedic way (humor is great, but out of bounds can be dangerous, obscene, and grossly offensive).
You will never see any joke on my blog about racism, abuse, pornography, or violence.
And it is NOT that I am afraid of alienating readers (although I do seek to maintain them!). It is that those jokes are not a part of my life AT ALL, and therefore most certainly will not be part of my blog.
However, when it comes to less serious (but still important!) issues like modesty, time spent on Facebook, and dating, things that are relevant to many people but are especially present in my psyche as a Mormon living in Provo, I like to (try to) be funny! I often think deeply about the issue (let it cook in the crock-pot of my mind for a while), but usually say very little. It’s that whole “economy of words” things again.
Sure I know how to write 15 page papers, but in this case, I think that often the less said, the better. Brevity IS the soul of wit, ya’ll!As long as what you are saying is funny, uplifting, entertaining, honest, but still speaks an important truth and sparks discussion and thought, I believe that often the point gets across most clearly and perfectly. The idea of “truth in jest” shows up in almost all of my posts, and it is the core of my approach to satire.
(2 Shakespeare references in 1 paragraph-not bad!)
Two of my greatest influences in this respect are Ellen DeGeneres and Brad Paisley. Both are brilliant comedians and satirists (Brad is also extremely good looking and could shred a guitar to pieces), but are NOT preachy or unkind. They respect the intelligence of their audience. And I believe this is what makes them so good. Check out these two examples:
Well done, you two. Well done. Thanks so much for your inspiration.
And now back to the woman of the hour…
My satire may not be perfect, but it is funny, witty, occasionally sexy, intelligent, clean, refreshing, and overall pretty darn awesome, if Ido say so myself.
than a blog. Especially when you’re not married, don’t have kids, and are not fully employed (but I got a job yesterday! will write about it soon). And this blog is actually helping me make connections and also is allowing me to encourage others to awaken their dormant talents as well! So any haters out there in cyber-space who think I’m a little TOO blog happy, here’s what I have to say:
There comes a time in every person of faith’s life that he/she must decide how important it is to him/her. How much time, energy, and devotion will they give to their faith. Do they care? Do they even believe it? This is particularly true of BYU students/ Mormons/ YSA today in 2013 in a largely secularized America. Terms like “crisis of faith” and “faith transition” are common in this discussion.. Part of my own faith journey has caused me to let go of my Mormon zealotry and no longer espouse the “wheat and tares” or “us vs. them” philosophy. And while I do desire, pray, and encourage my friends to embrace and continue in the gospel of Jesus Christ as found in and best provided (I believe!) by the correlated LDS church and also think it’s important to keep temple promises (or covenants) we once made, I claim, respect, and love you, no matter where your spiritual path (or lack of) takes you. #StillLDS#stillconservativeBIOTCH#feelingphilosophical
This idea of core beliefs that I have been running with doesn’t necessarily have to replace a religion or faith. I still am LDS (and we ARE Christians!) and consider myself part of the Mormon tradition. But in years past being Mormon was such a part of my identity that it was my ONLY identity. Faith crisis, identity crisis, quarter-life crisis, move, friends getting married (but not me), boy problems, sad epiphanies, embarrassment, emotional struggling, collapse of my social circle AND of my worldview, and seemingly resolved old insecurities resurfacing and drowning any and all confidence I had ever so hard worked to gain. No wonder life was pretty bad. “Bad” is an understatement but I prefer not to swear, at least not today.
But seriously even though it sounds a little hokey, identifying these core beliefs (humor, beauty, expression, creativity, understanding, and Christ) and then explicating and claiming these had done amazing things. I am no longer just a Mormon. I am human first and Mormon second. In the past I was so Mormon I wasn’t even human. When it came to missionary work, particularly in high school, I felt the need to share my faith with non-Mormons because “the church is true.” Now I desire to share my faith because “the gospel is good.” Both are legitimate, but I am happier with the 2nd reason.
