500 years of women in art

This is amazing. yes m'am.

My friends are in my computer

So about how I absolutely don't feel like studying for my next final. My disasterous oral exam (well, I'm pretty sure it was) that I took yesterday, doesn't really help me.
and of course:

I'M NOT GETTING ANY BL***Y CREDIT FOR IT!!!!

I know, I know. It's good practice. These exams that don't count for anything will help me learn how to prepare for exams in the future that do count.
but uuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhhh. i just wanna go and sneak into some kind of industrial property and take pictures. and download free music.

My next final is dutch linguistics. i've already studied a few chapters, but probably forgot most of it. maybe i'll receive some kind of divine insight into 'De Syntaxis van het Nederlands.'

Third Culture Kid

I found this on facebook, and since I'm incredibly bored, so I'm going to mark all of the things that apply to me.
The 'textbook' definition of a TCK before:"A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents' culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the third culture kid's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background, other TCKs."
[x]"Where are you from?" has more than one reasonable answer.
[] You've said that you're from foreign country X, and your audience has asked you which US state X is in.
[] You flew before you could walk.
[xx] You speak two languages, but can’t spell in either.
[] You feel odd being in the ethnic majority.
[] You have three passports.
[x] You have a passport but no driver's license.
[x] You go into culture shock upon returning to your "home" country.
[x] Your life story uses the phrase "Then we moved to..." three (or four, or five...) times.
[x] You wince when people mispronounce foreign words.
[x] You don't know whether to write the date as day/month/year, month/day/year, or some variation thereof.
[x] The best word for something is the word you learned first, regardless of the language. :-D
[x] You get confused because US money isn't colour-coded.
[x] You think VISA is a document that's stamped in your passport, not a plastic card you carry in your wallet.
[x] You own personal appliances with 3 types of plugs, know the difference between 110 and 220 volts, 50 and 60 cycle current, and realize that a transformer isn't always enough to make your appliances work.
[x] You fried a number of appliances during the learning process.-Only my best friends' hairdryer :-)
[] You think the Pledge of Allegiance might possibly begin with "Four-score and seven years ago...."
[x] Half of your phone calls are unintelligible to those around you.
[x] You believe vehemently that football is played with a round, spotted ball.
[x]You consider a city 500 miles away "very close."
[] You get homesick reading National Geographic.
[x] You cruise the Internet looking for fonts that can support foreign alphabets.
[x] You think in the metric system and Celsius.
[x] You may have learned to think in feet and miles as well, after a few years of living (and driving) in the US. (But not Fahrenheit. You will *never* learn to think in Fahrenheit).
[] You haggle with the checkout clerk for a lower price.
[x] Your minor is a foreign language you already speak.
[x] When asked a question in a certain language, you've absentmindedly respond in a different one.
[x] You miss the subtitles when you see the latest movie.
[x] You've gotten out of school because of monsoons, bomb threats, and/or popular demonstrations.
[x] You speak with authority on the subject of airline travel.
[x] You have frequent flyer accounts on multiple airlines.
[x] You constantly want to use said frequent flyer accounts to travel to new places.
[xxxx] You know how to pack.
[x] You have the urge to move to a new country every couple of years.
[x] The thought of sending your (hypothetical) kids to public school scares you, while the thought of letting them fly alone doesn't at all.
[x] You think that high school reunions are all but impossible.
[x] You have friends from 29 different countries.-eh, do wallonia and flanders count as different countries?
[x] You sort your friends by continent.
[x] You have a time zone map next to your telephone.
[x] You realize what a small world it is, after all.

WHY...

...is it a crime in fashion to be a woman with muscle?

I can't fit in things like these:

or do I know any healthy and thriving woman who can.

Seriously, why don't people keep women in mind who don't have a car, and have to carry 6 KG's of potatoes to their place of residence, that is on the 3rd floor of a 300 year old home?? And chase trains down the platform?

Is it really that awful now to have a muscle in your body to get a twitch in?

I'm dead

"Ellen, you just committed suicide!"

Me: checks for pulse.

"Man, Ellen, you're in for it now. You just committed suicide!"


Not something you'd hear being said in the chapel.
The reason for my sudden death: My Relief Society lesson.


My habit of sitting in the back corner and quietly observing the sisters, and agreeing and disagreeing with them in my head is over.


It all happened on Saturday at midnight. My mom, who has been sick for over 2 weeks, finally decided that she wasn't up to teach her lesson. She had the whole thing written out, and she wasn't just going to let all that work go to waste (ok, you can always recycle a lesson into a talk or another lesson).

So, I offered to take her lesson over.


It was strange to let my voice echo across the chapel. Let's just say that the whole building was filled with the D's (*insert family name here.* no, I'm not going to make it easy for some sicko to find me) voices, because my dad was teaching Priesthood in the Cultural Hall.


But apparently it was fine. I mean, it was my first time ever teaching, and it wasn't my lesson, so the sisters were really mild for me. So I guess committed a positive kind of suicide :-).

Let's just hope they aren't going to receive divine inspiration (ok, if so I should take that as a compliment) and have me teach, oh let's say...primary??

Vespa Man

Being the responsible college students that we are, some friends, Mi, AS, Ma and I, decided to buy an ice cream, and eat it on the steps of the St. Loup Cathedral. All was peaceful, when this rather odd looking man approaches us, and starts speaking to us in broken dutch, even though he is Walloon. He apparently has a weak for the Cathedral, and decides to explain his Stone Love to us, all in Flemish.My friend Ma (In french, this is):Ma: We are french speaking, you know (I'm glad she decided to keep my true identity on the down-low).Man: Well, i figured so much, but i like to practice my Flemish! The St. Loup cathedral, my young friends, is one of the most amazing cathedrals around. Seriously! You guys should go to Mass just to enjoy this wonderful cathedral! It really is a shame you don't go to Mass. You should do that more often. Cuz let me guess: You are all baptised in the Catholic Church?US: start looking at each other, wondering if we should text someone to see if they have a ninja they can send us.Man: See! I'm so right! Man, I have such great knowledge of humans!At this point, a woman in a green dress, in her 40's or 50's approaches us, and starts talking to Man. I didn't really quite catch what was being said, since a lot of Belgian French was being thrown in. Mainly, she told him to quit bothering the young people (that would be us) with his crazy talk. She asks Man what his name is and he replies with Arthur.While Green Dress Woman talks to us, and Arthur yells something in French/Italian down the street to the boss of this small Italian restaurant. Truth be told, he was just speaking french, but adding an Italian accent. The only thing i got was that AC Milan made it to the finals of the champion's league.Arthur turns himself back to Green Dress Woman and much to our entertainment they yell at each other, none of which i can repeat, or would want to repeat even if i understood them. Meanwhile, Mi, AS, Ma and I turn to each other, and wonder if this is Candid Camera. Discretely we start to peek around the cathedral, just to see if there is a huge black object that shouldn't be there.Well, Green Dress Woman leaves, and Arthur starts telling us his life story, including his Life Wisdom. He starts telling us about how both of his sons are convicted felons, their crimes ranging from downloading illegal music to stealing cars.His years as a young man follow, including a detailed description about his hair, and how he would let it fly in the wind on his vespa.Arthur: You guys know what a vespa is, right?Arthur: Well, you know what guys, my name isn't really Arthur. It's Frank.Us: Really now?Arthur: Yeah, let me show you my ID card. (and indeed, it is Frank)Arthur/Frank/Vespa Man: Yes, it's very important to have your ID card with you. You need it if you want to buy a Vespa.You know what a vespa is??some more talkVespa Man: Man, I love young people like you guys! you're so friendly, willing to talk to strangers.Us: eeeigh...Vespa Man: What are your ages anyway? What do you do??Us: We're studying Germanic Languages, and he (pointing to Mi) is studying to be a vet.Vespa Man: Oh! that's great! I love young people like you guys! You guys should buy a vespa!You know what a vespa is?After confirming for a 3rd time that we know what a vespa is, he continues with his ramblings, of which i can only pick up on a few things, and one of them was this:Vespa Man:....and those *%$#%* ^&*-^$!##!^** FLEMISH!!!!Good thing I had no problem keeping my mouth shut.Luckily his cellphone rang (all of us a bit surprised that he has social contact), and after rambling a bit more, he sets off to go do whatever.I want thank Mi, AS and Ma that they kept my somewhat controversial identity secret to Vespa Man.

100 DAYS!!!

In 100 days I shall be on a plane back to Utah! Actually, I'll probably still be on a plane to Atlanta....
When back in Provo, I shall be greated with culinary highlights such as these:

Also, Allison and I will entertain ourselves for many hours at the new Ikea, with activities such as these:

AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

100 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come Thou Fount and the Hymnbook

I posted it on the forum of 'Bring "Come Thou Fount' back to the hymnbook'on facebook, but I figured I might as well post it here too. The hymn 'Come Thou Fount' used to be in the LDS Hymnbook, but is not anymore, which really is a shame because it's a beautiful song. At the last General Conference Mo-Tab (the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) sang it.



Notice how they skip the part in verse 2 that says:
'Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
This seems to be contradicting the 2nd
Article of Faith :

'We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.'

Maybe we need an LDS re-write...