I learned the other day that not only do I love the look of horses with long manes and furry feet, they are also very fun to draw.
I decided that the riverdweller people I write about raise large, piebald draft horses, so that would be the horse form of my shape-shifter character, who lives with the riverdweller people.
...Just in case you were wondering what the caption was about.
I'm happy to announce that we're coming close to finishing the summer issue of Stowaway. We've finished our initial designs and figured out how everything will fit together. Now we're just going over it all and making sure it looks awesome before we put in the final text and publish the thing.
Here's the Humanities Publications Lab (HumPub, for short), where all the magic happens.
Look how dedicated everyone is. You can practically feel the creativity flowing.
I can't wait to have a final printed version in my hands. It will be amazing to know that I've been a part of actually publishing a magazine, start-to-finish.
Unrelated to that, I'm still hunting for editing jobs. Earlier this week it seemed like nothing good was coming my way (as if you couldn't guess that from my angsty posts), but now things are looking much better.
Last night I wasn't planning on going to Institute because I had a lot of homework to do. But my friends convinced me to go, and I'm so glad I did! After the lesson, we were all chilling in the cultural hall, and an old friend from high school passed by and said hello. I'd seen him around on campus, but last night I felt compelled to really catch up with him, so I invited him to sit down and chat with us.
We got to talking, and we got on the topic of our career paths. I mentioned that I was trying to find editing work, and his eyes kind of lit up when he realized I was an editor. He'd already told me about a nonprofit organization he's started that's kind of a life coaching program, but then he said that he's written self-help books and he's been looking for an editor because he'd rather self-publish than go through a big-time publisher.
So now he's got an editor (a slightly-desperate, eager-for-work editor), and I've got a potentially big freelance editing job on the horizon! I'm so happy!
The blessings you get from Institute... Seriously, you never know just how deeply it can impact your life. :)
Also, this whole week in Persuasive Writing we've been learning about resumes, cover letters, and interviews. On Wednesday, class was awesome. We did a blitz reading of everyone's resumes and cover letters, and it really showed me what catches an employer's eye. So, as soon as class was over, I revised my resume, whipped up an enthusiastic cover letter, and submitted a job application to LDS Living magazine.
I'd been talking back and forth with the representative there all week, and when she got my application she basically said, "Well we're not hiring for jobs or internships just now, but we'll keep your info on file." That was a little discouraging, but I knew my resume was awesome so I didn't let it faze me.
Then, earlier today, I got an e-mail from the representative. She said that the internship mentor at LDS Living magazine was impressed with my application and wants to meet with me on Tuesday! EEEE!!
Despite this week's earlier disappointments, it's hard not to get super excited about this. I never knew before Stowaway how much fun it would be to work on a magazine. Now I would love nothing more than to keep doing that same kind of work, with an LDS publication, right across the street from Temple Square.
Last night was the English Language/Linguistics Department banquet for graduating seniors. I'm a graduating senior (hooray!) so I got to go, along with my buddies the Butlers, and some other random classmates I've gotten to know over the years.
The banquet was held in the Hinckley Alumni and Visitor's Center (which we students think should totally have the nickname "Havoc" by now). It's hard not to notice the center when you're on the north side of campus, but until last night it was always the building for the "grown-ups" or the "elite"--those who, because of their achievements in academics, are accustomed to fancy dinners and expensive furniture.
So we were very excited to get to go inside it for the first time. It was like a rite of passage. We're graduating! We get to go in the fancy building now because we're going to be alumni!
And fancy it was. It felt a lot like my grandpa's house. Even Starla said so, and she's only been to my grandpa's house once. Almost four years ago. The feeling was uncanny.
I felt really tacky taking pictures, but it was just a beautiful building, and the dining hall was gorgeous.
The food was amazing. I contained myself enough to not take photos of every course, but here's what the settings looked like when we first showed up.
We had spinach-apple-bacon salad, dinner rolls, grilled honey-lemon chicken, asparagus spears, some gourmet cheesy potato side, and high-quality white grape juice (the Mormon version of wine, I guess). I can't even remember the name of the chocolate dessert because it was so fancy, but mine (pictured above) was a cherry souffle with white chocolate cream on top and whole cherries at the bottom.
It was all amazingly delicious, and I was grateful to my parents for teaching me how to eat such a formal meal. I made sure to butter my roll one bite at a time, rather than slather the whole roll with the whole butter ball as I normally would. :)
When the meal was mostly finished, the program started. Mostly it was an awards ceremony, for those crazy studious people who are graduating with a 3.9 or higher. I was not one of those people.
There were three very memorable parts of the program. First, there was a eulogy for a student who passed away unexpectedly last year, one day after his first child was born. I never knew him, but he was in our department, and many of the professors knew him very well, so it was a very solemn moment.
Then towards the end there was a series of toasts (minus the alcohol) for a professor who's retiring after almost forty years. I never knew him, either, but the stories people told about him made me wish I'd known him (he's in Linguistics, not ELang, though, so there was really no occasion for us to meet).
The highlight of the event was a performance by a gamelan group. For those of you who (like me before last night) have no idea what gamelan is, here's the Wikipedia summary:
The term refers more to the set of instruments than to the players of those instruments. A gamelan is a set of instruments as a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay together – instruments from different gamelan are generally not interchangeable.
The pictures can't give you even close to a good idea of what this kind of music sounded like, so here's a video of the same group when they performed at the DeJong Concert Hall.
Also, search for "BYU Gamelan Bintang Wahyu" on YouTube, and you'll find a video of them playing at the Tabernacle last year. For some reason, that one wouldn't load onto my blog.
It was beautiful, in a surreal kind of way. The first song sounded like raindrops on a tin roof--discordant and haunting. But there was one player in the middle of the group who kind of led the others, and at multiple points throughout the song he'd suddenly bang his mallet harder than the others, and in unison the others would chime in. It was like lightning cracking and rain intensifying. It was mesmerizing.
The second song used those bamboo rattles pictured above, and the instrumentalists played them like a bell choir. Each rattle had a slightly different sound. All together, they sounded like skeleton bones rattling together. If you closed your eyes and listened, you could imagine a bunch of skeletons dancing together. Appropriately, they said that song is often played at funerals.
The final song was super fast compared to the others. All the xylophone-like instruments played in major chords (unlike the other songs), but then there were flautists playing along, and their tunes were very minor key. It seemed almost grating at first, but then the more I listened the more I realized that the musicians were extremely skilled, the musical sound is just so different from what I usually hear.
I love learning about different cultures, and I feel like you can learn a lot about a people from the music they produce.
Maybe you can tell from the video a bit, but what I found most impressive about playing the gamelan was that those playing the xylophone-type instruments had to not only hit the right chimes at the right time, but then they had to use their other hand to still the chimes a second later. It was like a bizarre game of Simon or Bop-It, with the mallet leading the way, and the free hand following close behind. I can't imagine the kind of concentration you'd need to play so fast and so accurately.
In conclusion, it was a very memorable night. It was a nice way to remind me that I have accomplished something big in my life. Graduating from college is no easy feat. I'll be so proud to call myself a BYU alumna.
* a kite that keeps getting stuck in tree branches
* a river that just wants to keep flowing but runs into a beaver dam and gets turned into a lake
* a girl who's spent four years of her life studying to be an editor, only to fail in her initial attempts to get even a simple freelance proofreading job.
I know it's way too early to give up or anything, but from my current perspective, all I can think is, "Wait. I'm NOT getting this job? Then...what have these last few years been about? Am I even going to be an editor, or am I going to just work retail for the rest of my life?"
I know I shouldn't panic yet. I've barely even started looking for jobs. It's just terrifying to know that I'm moving to Salt Lake, to a nicer apartment, away from all my current friends, and I might not have any way to pay for myself.
But I know that God has something else in store for me. Maybe it's an editing job I just haven't thought of yet, or maybe it's something completely unrelated to editing. I know it will all work out, and in the end I'll look back and say, "Thank GOODNESS I didn't get that Church editing job."
So for now I'm just fighting back panic and converting my fear into productivity. I'm spending all my free time searching for jobs and refining my skills.
Except when I'm in class. Today in class I was really bored and there's no internet in the basement of the JFSB, so I tend to doodle instead. My doodle for today is a rough sketch of my History of English professor. It doesn't really look a lot like him, but I'm just pleased with my ability to draw a person at all. I can draw animals no problem, but people are really hard for me. After today's relative success, though, I might just try drawing people more often. Practice makes perfect.
One of my favorite songs to listen to when I'm feeling overwhelmed or sad is "You Are a Child of Mine" by Mark Schultz. If you're not familiar with it, here are the lyrics:
I've been hearing voices Telling me that I could Never be what I wanna be. They're binding me with lies, Haunting me at night, And saying there's nothing to believe. Somewhere in the quietness, When I'm overcome with loneliness, I hear You call my name. Like a father you are near, And as I listen I can hear You say [Chorus] You are a child of Mine Born of My own design And you bear the heart of life. No matter where you go, Oh, you will always know You have been made free in Christ. You are a child of mine. And so I listen as You tell me who I am And who it is I'm gonna be. And I hang on every word, Knowing I have heard I am Yours and I am free. But when I am alone at night, That is when I hear the lie, 'You'll never be enough.' And though I'm giving into fear, If I listen I can hear You say [Chorus] You are a child of Mine Born of My own design And you bear the heart of life. No matter where you go, Oh, you will always know You have been made free in Christ. You are a child of mine.
You can listen to the whole song here.
This song has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's gotten me through a lot of tough times over the last two years, and helped me remember that God is always here for me.
Well, I had somewhat of another tough time yesterday when the day passed and I didn't get a call from the Church internship people. Despite my backup plans and confidence in God's plan, I found myself getting kind of depressed last night. I sank into a dark mood and returned to some bad habits, and I woke up this morning feeling so weak-willed and ungrateful for everything that I do have.
So I started today off right by reading the scriptures, listening to a Conference talk, and then listening to "You Are a Child of Mine." Once again it demonstrated its ability to cheer me up. But more than that, it had a deeper impact on me than usual.
You know when you re-watch or re-read something (especially the scriptures), certain things jump out at you like never before, even though you know the words by heart? The same thing happened this morning.
I was fixated on two lines:
I am Yours and I am free.
and You have been made free in Christ.
I know I just talked about how obedience brings freedom in one of my past blog posts, but it's funny because yesterday two people separately assured me of the same thing. I was texting both my grandma and my dad, expressing worry about the internship.
Nana said, "You have done all of the right things that will open up options for yourself. Many people your age have made decisions that have closed or limited their options. In the grand, eternal scheme of things, you are way ahead of the game! Think of yourself as being ahead and not behind."
Then, a few hours later, completely unaware of my conversation with Nana, Dad said, "Disappointment is fine. Fear is not necessary. You have freedom that comes from hard work and obedience."
At the time, when he said that, I thought, "Huh. That's funny. Nana said something similar." And then I listened to that song this morning and I was like, "Wow. I'm hearing this everywhere. I guess I should pay attention."
Honestly, I don't feel like I've been doing "all the right things", and I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get the internship simply because there were others more worthy of it. But I'm not going to delve into my problems.
I just want to say that it is a true principle we all have in our lives--Christ's Atonement paid the ultimate price for our freedom. As long as we sin and disobey, we are chained down by guilt and the consequences of our actions. But when we keep the commandments of God and do our best to improve and make good choices, we are free. We can go as far as we want in life if we listen to Him.
Some people tease and ridicule those who stick to certain principles, but look at how free they can make us (obviously these aren't guarantees, and I'm not condemning those who don't follow these principles, I'm just saying.):
* By not giving into vices like alcohol or drugs, we preserve our health, save money, and don't have addictions manipulating our actions.
* By staying chaste, we avoid unwanted pregnancy, heartbreak, and shame.
* By dressing modestly and abstaining from crude language, we earn peoples' respect and are seen in a different light.
* By being honest and law-abiding, we avoid legal limitations and people give us more freedom because they trust us.
So when you're like me and you're having a low moment in your life, just remember that God's principles make you free. Even when things don't go as planned, you can know that at least God is happy with you, and He will guide and preserve you. He loves to bless His children when we just make the choices that make us worthy of said blessings.
Well, even though this didn't have an actual deadline (aside from Graduation Day itself), I'm glad that I got this out of the way.
I'm graduating. I can't even believe it. All my life, this is as far as I've ever gotten when it came to goal-making. It was always, "Get good grades so you can go to BYU." Then it was "Work hard at BYU so you can get a degree." Well... now I'm getting a degree and... what do I do after this?
Not gonna lie, I kind of planned on being married at this point. I wanted a smooth transition from Student to Mother. Instead I'm going from Student to... Single Adult? Employee? Hermit?
Actually, it's kind of exciting, knowing that I can be whatever I want until Awesome Future Husband comes along. I feel like a balloon that's just going to be left to drift through an open sky. It's scary, but at the same time I'm pretty darn free. I can keep living with my own, independent expenses, while having no other obligation except to work hard and earn more money. I can live with that. For now.
It just seems kind of lonely. College life is awesome--it'll be hard to leave. Especially if I don't really have anything worthwhile to leave for.
I've been hoping and praying and working to get a Church internship, but so far I haven't heard anything. My friend has, though. They called her yesterday and offered her one of the internships I was hoping to get. And here I am just checking my phone every two seconds waiting for my own call. They're hiring through Monday, but I still would like to get called sooner rather than later. I don't know what I'll do if I don't get this job.
There are other possibilities, of course, and I trust that God has a plan that will send me in the direction that will help me most in life. It may be confusing and stressful at first, but I'm confident that things will work out. If I don't get this internship I wanted, I'll find the internship or job that I need.
If nothing else seems certain right now, I am certain about that. God is watching out for me. He's helped me through so much already, and He'll help me again. I may be a balloon drifting aimlessly through the sky, but He's the wind that carries me in the right direction.
This is a comic created by a super smart scientist who finds humor in everything. Sometimes his jokes go right over my head.
Like this one. WHAT is this?? Obviously it's aimed at computer programers, which I am not.
But then sometimes the joke is aimed at MY specific field...
...and I find it HILARIOUS.
And most of the time his jokes are basic real-world enough to be funny to readers of any scholarly field.
Assuming that you keep up with current real-world issues.
On top of his almost-daily comics, this guy also has a "What If?" page where he uses his vast physics and science skills (and funny drawings) to answer ridiculous theoretical questions posed by fans.
This one on Radar Enforcement is my favorite so far, though I just barely discovered this page a few days ago.
So the jokes might go over your head sometimes, but give it a try. It's definitely enriched my life.
This comic is very similar to xkcd in style of drawings (stick figures are popular, apparently) and style of humor, but I can't ever remember not understanding one of their jokes. So if you're looking for something simpler and consistently funny, this is the comic for you.
This is actually a blog, not a comic, so I can't copy and paste any examples. Written by a wife-and-husband tag team, this blog receives photos from fans of absolutely terrible professional cakes, and puts them all together in some kind of hilarious narrative or parody. Seriously, check it out. It updates every day, and it never fails to be funny.
And just when you think your faith in bakers is lost, on Sundays, they post "Sunday Sweets"--photos of absolutely amazing GORGEOUS cakes.
Finally, there's "Nimona". This is actually more of a graphic novel. It has a beginning, middle, and eventual end (though it's not finished yet and I can't wait to see how it all turns out). The art gets progressively better as time goes on (so don't judge the whole thing by the first few pages), and the characters are great. The eponymous Nimona is a snarky teenage shape-shifter and I love her.
It only updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you will get super hooked into the story so if you binge-read the whole thing and catch up to the current pages, you will have many agonizing weekends ahead of you. Trust me. The waits are unbearable. Every single page seems to end with a hook or cliffhanger that makes you desperate for more.
Conclusion: I appreciate good, clean, smart humor, and these are my four main sources of it. I hope you come to enjoy them as much as I do!
