Linguistics is a bunch of bologna.

Today in Phonetics & Phonology, I felt like this:

Welcome to

WHOSE MORA IS IT ANYWAY?

The show where everything is made up

and the feet don't matter.

(I know this makes no sense to most of the world,

but I had to express it somewhere. Trust me, it's clever. Hah.)

Balanced Diet.

Breakfast: Chocolate cake.

The frosting was about that thick.

Second Breakfast: "How Do I Love Thee?," Jeffrey R. Holland.

Nothing like some intense Elder Holland oratory in the morning.

Elevenses: Some sweet singing from the BYU auditioned choirs.

"Ain't no grave can hold my body down."

Luncheon: Two white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies.

I mean, why else would you go to Subway?

Afternoon tea: Getting offered a job while on my way to declaring my editing minor.

Editing scares me. And now I'm officially minoring in it.

Dinner: Fruit snacks, a nap in the library, and The Stranger.

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature.

I promise to read the whole thing this time. Third time's a charm.

Supper: Pork pot stickers and rice.

This picture has delusions of grandeur. Mine were from the freezer.

Pippin: He knows about them, doesn't he?

Merry: I wouldn't count on it.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred.

How do you measure a year?

(Side note: I hate when people rhyme life with strife, as they do in the above-paraphrased song. Is there anything triter? How often do you hear the word strife in actual use? It's just that word we save for when we want to rhyme with life and we don't want to be original AT ALL. Perhaps they should try life and trite--a slant rhyme would liven things up.)

I just realized that exactly one year ago today, this happened:

Preparing.

I don't know why I didn't realize that I wouldn't be able to breathe while I was down there.

The initial aftermath.

Maybe vanilla should have been chosen instead? But I'm digging my eyelashes.

A year? What? No. That was like, five months ago, max.

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."

Benjamin Franklin (Rodriguez)

Rise Up, O Men of God.

Today, I went to the BYU Men's Chorus Concert.

It was like I died and went to heaven and a choir of angels was singing to me.

I love their little outfits.

They sang this song, the lyrics of which were so cute:

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too.

Also, I decided that the timpani are the coolest drums.

I went by myself. I thought it'd be nice to sit and have some alone time and listen to beautiful music. I wasn't ashamed. Until it turned out there was no one on either side of me.

And I was in the second row with the light from the stage shining all over my face.

Yeah, awkward.

But anyway, listen to how amazing they are:

Gotta get down on Friday.

TODAY Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of facebook, came to BYU.

The whole time he was talking, I was thinking that they should make him into an Arthur character.

Whatta ya think?

Also, today I watched Flipped. I was in love with Bryce Loski when I read the book in eighth grade.

Now I'm in love with Bryce Loski all over again.

But the actor's only sixteen. It's fine. Don't worry about it.

Lyrical Genius.

Thanks to Michele, I have a new musical love, The Avett Brothers. I just bought their album I and Love and You, my first ever iTunes purchase! And I've basically listened to it nonstop.

I love their music for its bluegrass folksy vibe.

They're like wild and Appalachian looking. It's wonderful.

But what I love most is the lyrics. They're not spiritual per se, but to me, they are.

Here are some of my favorite bits of lyric from I and Love and You:

(The punctuation is my own.)

1. I hope I that don't sound too insane when I say there is darkness all around us.

I don't feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me

and reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin.

And in January we're gettin married.

No longer does it matter what circumstances we were born in.

"January Wedding"

I think this is such a sweet way to talk about marriage. First of all, what songs written nowadays even do that? I hope that when I get married, I can protect him and point out to him the beautiful things in the world. And he can do the same for me.

2. There was light in the room.

Then you left, and it was through.

Then the frost started in - my toes and fingertips.

And it spread into my heart.

Then for I don't know how long I settled in to doing wrong.

And as the wind fills the sails, came the thought to hurt myself.

And it spread into my home.

And it spread into my song,

where there are no lines separating the truth from the lies.

Then you came back from space with a brand new life and a different face.

You took my hand and held it up and shot my arm full of love.

And it spread into the world,

where there are no lines separating the truth from the lies.

"And It Spread"

Okay, sorry. That's the whole song. But it's just such a cute story. It reminds me of the people who bring light into my life just by being near me. And how they inspire me to be better and how it's easier to be good when they're near me. It makes me want to spread that love to the whole world!

3. Something has me,

oh something has me acting like someone I don't wanna be.

Something has me,

oh something has me acting like someone I know isn't me.

Sick with want

and poisoned by this ugly greed.

"Ill With Want"

Isn't this just want sinning feels like? It's beautifully sad.

4. Temporary is my time, ain't nothin in this world that's mine

except the will I found to carry on.

Free is not your right to choose,

it's answering what's asked of you,

to give the love you find until it's gone.

"Ill With Want"

This reminds me of what I have been learning in religion classes. Everything that we have that we think we're giving to God - like money, time, talents - He has already given us. All we have to give Him is our wills. We're made free by keeping the commandments, the greatest of which is to LOVE.

5. If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected.

Decide what to be and go be it.

"Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise"

This has kind of become my new motto. If you're loved by even one person, you don't have to worry about being rejected. So there's nothing to stop you from being what you want to be! Jesus always loves you; He never rejects you. And I have the strength to decided to be righteous and go be it because He is there to be my friend.

It's great. Go look them up.

R.M. and the Sorcerer's Stone

I just went to a wonderful Wells Hall reunion, and now

I WANT TO GO BACK TO FRESHMAN YEAR.

Not that that's anything new. I pretty much always feel that way.

Reasons being a "First Year" was the best:

1. Getting sorted into Hufflepuff.

Just kidding.

2. Heritage was three minutes from campus. And no hill or anything!

The law school was right outside my bedroom window.

3. I lived fifteen seconds from the Creamery on Ninth. Never had to make a shopping list. Never had to worry about running out of milk. I tried to go at least once a day.

This was probably the best aisle.

3. Our amazing, beautiful Wells Hall Relief Society.

I wish we could see each other more often!

4. Our amazing FHE group.

I mean, who else would do these crazy adventures with me?:

The Gallon Challenge! (We all puked.)

Tiaras. These boys are really manly.

Eating a TON at the Cannon Center.

And other stuff that I don't have pictures of, like poetry readings and crazy skits.

5. My AMAZING home teachers.

They baked for me. Enough said.

6. Visiting teaching these amazing girls.

Or, in the words of Lindsey, "If you can even call it visiting teaching. It's more like a party."

7. My amazing roommates.

Well yeah. Long talks in the kitchen and movie nights were the best.

8. Our special bond with Wells 158.

We were the same person.

9. This amazing best friend of mine.

I mean, without him, I woulda never put my face in a cake.

And who else fully understands my love of obscure hymns?

10. Shenanigans with this amazing guy.

We make a good team.

11. My horrible first year diet.

You just can't eat a whole box of Gushers in a row as a sophomore.

12. BYU 185th ward! I have no pictures to represent it, but it was amazing.

Ward prayer with Cassie & Brent

Break-the-Fast - especially Break-the-fast water

Indexing parties

Ward council

Testimony meetings

Being in the rowdy Sunday School class

Even my crazy music calling!

13. I know it's weird, but I really miss the carpet.

Now that just sounds nice, doesn't it? Don't you want to go there with me?

How can R.M. and the Chamber of Secrets compare?

Life should be more like Blue's Clues.

mail time Mail Time MAIL TIME MAIL TIME MA-IL TIME!

Here's the mail. It never fails. It makes me wanna wag my tail. When it comes, I wanna wail,

"MAIL!"

(In a Pee Wee Herman voice)

You know, it's easy for Steve to sing about getting mail. Cause he gets it every day. Every single day.

Does he know what it's like to check the mail every day and never get anything? I don't think so.

ANGST.

In other news, my collection currently includes 25 missionary letters from 12 different missionaries.

St. Patrick's Day

I'm kind of a St. Patrick's Day Grinch.

But ironically enough, even the Grinch has enough holiday spirit to wear green.

Guess who's NOT wearing green today?

I mean, it's weird, because I love holidays. And I also love Ireland.

The Book of Kells.

So why do I hate St. Patrick's Day? It might have something to do with my brother convincing me as a child that I didn't need to celebrate it because we're not Irish.

But I think it's reallllllly because I remember getting made fun of in elementary school for not wearing green. And you know me - sometimes the more people want me to do something, the more adamantly I avoid it!

Sorry, I know this is annoying. Give it time.

Decide what to be and go be it.

Today, I hated all of my clothes.

Today, I knew about double negatives.

Today, I was Squints.

Today, I heard a story about the consumption.

Today, I became fascinated by little baby Justin Bieber with no hair.

Today, I had a lovely dinner with Daniel Kiser. I ate quinoa for the first time.

Today, I jumped in puddles with Katie Pitts.

And it was nice.