Done or not done

Friday night I felt exhilirated as I finished editing the last section of my thesis for the second time. I knew it wasn't done even at that moment, but it was a nice feeling. The next day I looked through my notebook from school last summer wherein I had jotted down some notes from my peers' comments and remembered some things that needed attention. Later that day I went to a party and was complaining about something I didn't like in a book and remembered something else I needed to do. It was a little discouraging, I have to admit.

I mean, of course I knew there would be more work than just fixing up weak language. But I was actually just looking in the notebook for a list of words to be avoided or minimized--like smile and happy and nod--two nods per novel! That's the rule!--and sigh. Sigh! Isn't it a shame that such good words need to be avoided? But of course, it's only so they can be replaced with better words--like, well, I can't think of any right now. But I know they're out there anyway--okay like exhuberant. like mouth spreading as wide as the whole orange. like bent his head down then looked up sexily through crooked bangs. like exhilirated!

So I guess that's the attitude I need to adopt. Imagine how energized and elated I'll be when all of those other plot and character situations are touched up! It's good to change good things for better, right?

Cherry Blossoms

As part of the Kite Festival Trip, we also scooted over to see the Cherry Blossoms. Although I've been in DC for almost six years now, interestingly enough, before yesterday, the only time that I'd been on the mall in the daylight hours to get good photos was during my visit before I actually moved here. So I was quite glad for this opportunity. Of course, Saturday was a busy day to be going so getting good pictures was a bit of a trick. But I do have to say that I've always kind of liked those candid shots anyway. Sometimes people in their normal living make good shots, too, right?

DC Kite Festival 08

This Saturday I had a fun escapade with other singles in the area, a trip to see the Kite Festival on the mall. I think it was more fun to see them there than the pictures will indicate. But I hope you can enjoy them all the same. Here are just a couple.

Easter Eggs

Can you guess what I did this weekend? Sorry it's taken a few days to post, but I'm a slow thinker sometimes. Anyway, though these aren't blossoms, it was fun to experiment a little with the angles and stuff, too. It was also fun to experiment with the colors and designs when painting them. Can you see the frog? I discovered that it's hard to draw with white on white (wax on egg shell). Can you see the chick? That one's s a little better, though really light coloring. I did another chick that turned out darker, but some pink dye on my fingers made it look like someone had shot him in the eye. Not really pretty Easter-like. Oh--yea, I didn't paint all of these, either. My roommate Carrie helped. The flower is actually hers--so I guess I am taking a picture of some blossoms anyway, eh?

Spring and Photoshop

Not only do I enjoy taking photos in the spring, but having new pictures also provides opportunities to mess around a little so I don't feel like a terrible bum when I sit around watching tv and movies on Friday nights (or other nights). Here's a little of my messing around from last night. One of these pictures is the same as one I posted the other day. Can you tell which one?

Miracles on Maple Hill

The fictophile is back in business! I found a book I liked again! Were you worried about me? You should have been. I was worried about me. I think I've mentioned this one--it was one I pondered about buying. Well, the truth is that it is not LDS fiction, unfortunately, so the story still goes that we need a good one of those. But it was good! So nice to know there are LDS people out there who can write well! And she didn't just write well, she wrote beautifully. Her use of language was exquisite and pacing was tremendous. It's not surprising it won the Newbery, regardless the year.

I was glad, though, to have taken the Family Story class at Hollins a couple summers ago because it helped me to appreciate it on a different level where I might not have as much otherwise. It seems during that time frame, and maybe earlier, the family story was a little more predominant, though not always called as such. Basically, the family story is what it says it is--a story about a family. But there are a few more things to know about it. For example, not all, but those of that era are more episodic than plot-driven, and my professor's experience from teaching this style to undergraduates is that it needs to be understood to be appreciated, particularly among the younger generations who are used to quicker-paced plot-driven stories. Episodic stories do have a cohesive plot-line, but it's not as strong as the plot-driven. Usually every chapter has a stronger smaller plot, conflict-resolution scenario.

Additionally, although in Miracles the narrator did focus on one character more than the others, often in family stories, there isn't necessarily one individual character with more attention, rather the main character is the family. Although I don't think Enright is the professor's favorite all-time author, I do believe she's his favorite family-story author. Perhaps this is why I have the impression that her work in the Melendy quartet seems to embody best this genre, but it almost might be that this is simply why she's his favorite--because it does so. Some other authors we read were Edward Eager, Kenneth Grahame, and E. Nesbit. I'm sure there are many others as well. We also read some more contemporary stories that didn't follow the style as closely, but we looked at how the similarities weaved through.

In any case, in Miracles, though Marley gets the focus, the story is still about her family, particularly about her father's growth and about her adjustment to an admired older brother who is outgrowing the desire to explore with a kid sister. But it's also about the broader human family, understanding a more holistic meaning of loving your neighbor and taking care of each other during hard times and during beautiful times as well.

In sum, a must read! Whether you'll like it or not, I think it will be as good for you as the aromatic maple syrup it makes you hunger for throughout the text.

Spring Blossoms

Seriously, although that last post was from last year, these are from this year--this week, actually. This is one of the things I love about spring--a good reason to get my camera out again and try new angles on the blossoms. These are some of my favorites from a batch I took during a lunch-time walk yesterday. Enjoy!

Happy St. Patty's

Okay so this is actually from last year, but it was taken in March. I just felt the need for a pretty picture and this is a nice green one. Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Spring! I pulled out my spring/summer wardrobe over the weekend, though I still found I needed a sweater yesterday and wore my winter coat to work today, but it's coming. Spring is in the air! Can't you feel it? I guess it depends on where you are. It's a nice feeling anyway.

Readability

I'm not sure what they use as a basis. But anyway, thought this was kind of interesting. Found the link from one of my friend's blogs.

TV Reviews

Cohesion, or incohesion, or Cohesiveness or Incohesiveness. ???

A few follow-ups that may or may not cohere, except inasmuch as I will in some way talk about cohesion. Maybe. Maybe not. You know one of the qualities of a hero? Consistency. I learned this in high school. The teacher also pointed out that a hero can be consistently inconsistent. So I still have some hope of being a hero, right? No, a heroine. Even if I don't have a romance? No, that was the other way around, romances can only be for heroines, but not all heroines have to have romances. Though I still think I might like one.

Anyway, so the first, follow-up. I'll call this one Defying Murphy's Law.
Yesterday, the day after my splurge at Dress Barn (okay, so I didn't admit it then, but I'll admit it now--I bought more than just the one pair of pants. I also bought a couple shirts and another pair of pants), I received a coupon in the mail for Dress Barn. Can you believe it? It was for sales from the 12th to the something--anyway, I made my purchase on the 11th. Stink! Well, I figured I could just return them. It was interesting because when I got up yesterday morning, I had kind of wanted to wear one of those outfits, but I felt I shouldn't. Good thing, eh? So, today, I wrapped them back up and took my lunch hour to return my purchases and buy them back. I did think I might give them an opportunity to just give me the $s off amount. But they couldn't do that (I kind of figured they wouldn't). They almost didn't even want to let me return the items and buy them back. She kept reading the coupon for the stipulations saying it couldn't apply to previous purchases and even if I returned them it would still be a previous purchse. Oh brother. Technicalities!

So I just said I'd return them straight out. Why should I be the one with the loss? I couldn't help which day my pants ripped. So that's what I did. Then after I'd returned them, she said she'd ask her manager if she could override the coupon. Of course. See, the solution to Murphy's Law: Attitude. Stick to your guns. I could probably use some help on the right kind of attitude. I mean when I hear work on your attitude in Church, I think of bowing humility and submissiveness, but maybe that's not always the right way to see it. Sometimes stick-to-your-guns attitude is good, right?

The manager said of course they could seel them back and use the coupons. They didn't really need to lose out, here. So they got there sale and I got myself a nice $20 back--and a tote, to boot. Not that I needed the tote. If my totes had some cohesion to them, I could probably sell them all and make more than $20.

Second follow-up. I'll call this one Bookaphobe. No, that's not really it. Abook. Anti-book. Well, maybe a little Bookaphobe. I am getting a little afraid to try new books because I've started so many bombs lately. As for that history book for the fictophile (this is the follow-up part), I couldn't finish it. I did read at least 100 pages. I think that's doing pretty well. But it got to be so much about war tactics that I lost interest. I kept hoping they'd get out of the war. It's not like the Revelotionary War constituted the whole of General Washington's life. I mean, we don't usually even refer to him as General so much as, okay usually we just call him George, but really we remember him as President. I didn't get that far.

So you don't think it's just history book that's putting the snooze on, I'll go on. I've started reading Uncle Tom's Cabin here at work, because it's free online and that's pretty cool. I can look like I'm busy working or something even though I have nothing to do, and it's free. And it's got a lot of history to it, too, so I can feel like I'm doing some duty in that regard. However, it's downright depressing and I think I might be done. I have no idea how many pages I read because that's now how things work online, but I did get into Chapter 16, I believe, out of 40 something. Heh.

And, now so you don't think it's just history I don't like, whether fictionalized or opinionized (is there a difference?), I'll say the next book that I'm struggling with right now is this incohesive fiction book that isn't historical. I mean at least not yet. It's still contemporary. :)

I'm trying to read these LDS fictions so I have at least a little background when I write my critical part about it, and I thought this one series looked pretty a propos, a girl through her high school and college years, and it looked like some romance involved. I didn't buy the first one though, because it didn't look too interesting, and was earlier in high school than concerned me. I did buy the second one, however. In some ways it's actually pretty in-line with what I need--it includes her last year of high school and first year of college. But I'm kind of missing what ties those two years together. I'm much further in this one--like maybe 150-200ish pages? I don't know, and I'm just not seeing the cohesion--what's the threading plot? Conflict? I mean there is conflict, but I thought it was one thing, but now the book is half way over and it's resolved so it's not that. Hmm.

Generally speaking, the cohesiveness in the plot isn't the only thing amiss, though. From the three authors of LDS lit I've read over the past few weeks, I will say that if the LDS fiction market needs anything it's an author who actually knows how to write. I'm not saying that's me, but one is needed. There are LDS people who know how to write, but it doesn't seem to me that they are writing LDS fiction. What a pity.

And then the other thing isn't really a follow-up, but it's about the LDS market and incohesiveness. Just saw the Singles' 2nd Ward movie, and it lacked cohesiveness. Just thought I'd throw that out there, as my incohesive conclusion to this talk about cohesivness.

Or was there something else? I seem to feel the need to keep writing. Is it because I'm cohesed to the computer? No silly, that's adhesive. You're not stuck to the computer. You can leave now.

Oh yea, the other follow-up. See. I'm cohesed! or adhesed or adhered? I don't know. Anyway, so I'll call this one: ReFicto
I'm actually back to writing the creative part, letting the critical part rest for just a little bit, because I thought of a few plot things I needed to add and embellish and stuff, and now I've got to make them cohesive throughout the story. Hee hee hee.

Writers' Tools

I'm not a big advertiser of things, generally. I don't think. Maybe.
Anyway, so I get this e-newletter Write for Kids, and they occasionally have these fun links to other things. Today one of their links was this cool baby name thing--a graph that allows you to see the trends of names over the past hundred and twenty or so years. Pretty interesting.
http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/

They also had a nice article about being humble in your writing, which was pretty good. It was speaking mostly to people who say "this kind of book was published, why can't I do that?" when the people who type x type of out of the ordinary book generally have acquired a name for themselves. But until then, just sit tight and follow the rules.

My Typing Speed

Thanks to Anne Marie for this suggested site!
93 words

Speedtest

Benefits of Bouncing

I didn't hear a rip. I have no idea when it happened, which is actually kind of scary. But when I went to cross my legs as I worked on something at my desk--which I do occasionally--I noticed a nice hole along the inner seam of my pants, yes right along the top of my thigh. So lovely.

I've had the pants for a few years now; they were the first pair I bought when I got my first respectable job that might require I have some professional attire. It actually makes me laugh a little to think about how I first perceived the job. A year or more into it, I didn't feel quite the need to have such formality. Nonetheless, I did participate in some meetings where I felt grateful to have some professional clothes.

But as all good things must come to an end, here almost a year after losing that job, I've lost the pants as well.

Fortunately, I don't have a lot of personal interactions in my job now or it could have been worse. I was able to wait until lunch to get out, but my priority was, of course, to get some pants I could finish the day in.

If it had happened when I was at AIA the last time--back in November and December--I wouldn't have known what to do with myself. I might even have felt obligated to spend the rest of the day in the open. But since I'd had another temp assignment not too far from here that happened to be just above a Dress Barn, I knew exactly where to go. I spent my lunch hour shopping for some pants. An hour or so afterward, I was particularly glad because, yes, I actually did get some work to do, which involved some personal interaction, and it could have been kind of embarrassing!

So though I don't have any other "benefits" with this job, at least there are benefits to bouncing.

English in America

For awhile, the past few years, I've been troubled by having to work with people whose abilities with the English language really suffered. I'm not talking just about the work-place, though I did have it there for awhile too since my former place of employment was the Foreign Service Institute in the School of Language Studies, working with teachers who had to be native speakers of the language they were teaching. Understandably, that was sometimes challenging, but I haven't been doing that for about a year now and haven't really had so much of an English problem in the work-place since. No, the greater problem has been working with poor English speakers in the "community"--on my personal business.

A few of those experiences include--
*the standard, trying to get tech support for my computer. I don't think my helper was living in the U.S. because his language was not standard U.S. English. That was extremely frustrating.

*trying to understand a pharmacy worker and have her understand me before signing any forms that involved my privacy rights.

*having a bus driver wiggle his head at me rather than speak to me because a person in a wheelchair was boarding the bus and he needed me to move. I hadn't seen the wheelchair and didn't understand what he was doing, so I looked at him quizzically, asked what the problem was, and he just continued to manually indicate to me that I needed to move. Finally another passenger let me know about the wheelchair.

The pharmacist was handled relatively easily--I never returned to that pharmacy. Though I'd already had the computer for a year and wasn't going to return it, I could at least take it to a local repair person. Thank goodness for competition. That's one thing of those great things about America.

But the bus incident was actually the scariest--to think the man driving the bus I was on didn't speak very good English. Could he understand his radio? Reports being given to him?

In some cases, it seems the English question is just a matter of a business's poor decisions about whom to hire for which positions. But the employment question actually takes another turn as well. I've applied for and studied job positions that I considered applying for and felt discriminated against because I didn't speak Spanish. This, for public service positions (in libraries) in the United States. Of course, the job descriptions couldn't say Spanish was required, just preferred. But as the number of people who don't speak English very well continues to increase, you can imagine how much that preference will influence the final hiring decision.

Recently, I learned of something that actually even minimized my hope of things even improving. That is, even if the borders are secured through hopeful legislation, there seems to be no promise that English-language capabilities will improve because, as I learned, the English-language tests for citizen applicants must be very weak.

A friend of mine reported after a day when she was in the jury pool that people had not only been allowed to be excluded but the judge forthrightly asked if their English language was good enough to understand the court proceedings. Why should the judge have any leeway to ask this question? If a person is born into US citizenship and grew up here, they would have gone through the education system and acquired sufficient English. If they became citizens by application, their English should have been tested to assure they could contribute to society including their natural duties as citizens--including jury duty. So apparently there's something wrong in one of these two areas.

Okay, so there is the other possibility that they be citizens born abroad and for whatever reason their citizen parent(s) didn't speak English with them, they didn't acquire it in school or whatever society, and then for whatever reason they just decided to move back to America without speaking a lick of English. Yes, I can see that there are some strong possibilities there.

Of course we know our education system has its problems, but it would seem that since a juror must be at least 18 years old, that at least by the very fact of living and growing up among English speakers the person would acquire sufficient English even if their teachers really stank. Children do tend to want to learn the language of the people around them. Are there really not enough English-speakers around to encourage these youth?

Without belaboring the point, it simply seems more likely the problem lies in the English testing of citizen applicants. So the question is why are the tests so lenient that a person doesn't need to communicate well enough to participate in his/her citizen's duties, such as performing jury duty? Is it because there are so many English speakers out there that we don't really need everyone to speak the only national language? Is it because this duty and honor is really only for natural born citizens? Or maybe jury duty isn't really that important. Our judicial system doesn't need any more lay citizens involved than it has to have already? It just seems to me that there is no good excuse at all for this.

We have enough trouble understanding each other even when we speak the same language that U.S. citizens shouldn't have to deal with additional language barriers when they're conducting personal business in their own country, trying to ensure their safety and rights. But most importantly, since the United States of America's only official language is English, her citizens need to speak this language with sufficient capability to perform all of their duties, which are in fact HONORS, as citizens.

Finishing the Book of Mormon

I recently finished reading the BoM again, and had some interesting thoughts about it this morning. I think reading the BoM is like life--like a life of trying to be good, I guess. Not just life in general.

Okay so I mostly was thinking about the middle and the end, but let's see what I can wing for the beginning. So, Nephi starts off by talking about being born into a family with good parents, and we were all born and had families, like at least a mother. And then most of us have siblings and sometimes we get along with them and sometimes we don't, but we sure learn a lot from that process. Also, the beginning is pretty interesting, just like life is pretty interesting when you're a baby.

But then, you get into the middle and there are lots of wars and yucky stuff and sometimes you just really don't want to go on. And in fact a lot of people do drop out, some people pretty early--when they get to those complicated Isaiah chapters. And then more drop out when the wars get really really wretched like in late Alma and through Helaman. And even if they stay in, it's pretty rough.

But if you make it through the rough parts, then you get some blessings, like the 3 Nephi chapters were the Lord comes, you've received a little witness after the trial of your faith.

That's just a help though. The worst is yet to come. I mean, sure, everything is hunky dorey for awhile, but then gradually--well in their real life it was gradual, though we get it all of a sudden, 4 Nephi, everyone becomes abominably wicked.

Then you get a nice little breath of fresh air with Jared and his brother and their families--a beautiful story of faith, but then, they too become really, really wicked, so now it's like as bad as it can possibly get--two nations of people so terribly wicked that they're wiped out. And you're going, why did I keep reading this?

But if you keep going, into Moroni, you see that you're really almost done, and you have mixed feelings about reading those short chapters quickly or savoring them. And you get to Moroni 10 where he asks you to consider the goodness of God for the history of the world, and you look back over your own life and consider the goodness of God throughout your life, like at the end of your life when you reminisce about everything. And then before you even realize it, you're done. It's over. And because you've endured you feel amazingly wonderful. It's the best feeling you've ever had.

And then, just like life, well, there's resurrection. It's not really over. You can start again, and since you've endured, it's better in the next life--in the next time you read. Right?