I just went and saw The Muppets and absolutely loved it. I thought as I watched it that it had some great quotes, so I thought that I would share them with ya'll ;)
Fat Kid from Modern Family: Are you one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Kermit the Frog: Yes I am!
Lew: We all agreed, celebrities aren't people.
Miss Piggy: Kermit, we found a celebrity! Jack Black has graciously agreed to host the show for us.
Kermit the Frog: That's great! Where is he?
Miss Piggy: In the trunk.
Jack Black: [Inside car trunk] Get me out of here!
Fozzie Bear: Look, Fart-Shoes!
Mary: This is going to be the shortest movie ever!
Walter: Your fans never left you! The world hasn't forgotten!
Animal: Save Muppets! Save Muppets!
Kermit: Maybe you don't need the whole world to love you, you know? Maybe you just need one person.
Miss Piggy: Oh Kermie......
Gary: Growing up is becoming who you want to be.
Kermit: Let's travel by map!
Walter: As long as there are Muppets. There is hope.
Fozzie Bear: Wow, that was an expensive explosion. I can't believe we had that in the budget.
Gary: Sooner or later you're going to have to believe in yourself..
Kermit: Let's just start at the bottom and work our way back up to the top!
I would definitely recommend anyone and everyone to see this movie, especially if you already love the Muppets, this movie will make you laugh and fall in love with the Muppets all over again.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tracks
Walking on the tracks
the whistle of the train echoes
from a mile away.
I progress
one step at a time.
The rail vibrates under my feet
as the train advances closer.
I can see the engine now
only yards away.
I stop and stare,
watching as it heads towards me.
One hundred yards.
Fifty yards.
The whistle sounds
and I am face to face
with the magnificent machine.
A monstrous beast
traversing towards me
threatens my destruction.
Urgency and fear
force me to step aside.
I watch the engine
and cars pass.
The wind blows past me
sending chills through my body.
Ten,
Twenty,
Thirty cars rumble across the rail.
Eventually a hundred or more
speed across the line.
Finally the caboose zooms past.
I watch the train fade away.
Back on the tracks,
I continue on.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Journeys by Jessica Williams
This semester I took Advanced Poetry Writing, and one of the things that we got to do this semester was get together with the Graphics Department and make a book out of some of our poems. My book is finished and it is available to purchase online at Blurb.
Now some of the poems have been revised so they are not the completed poems, but they are close enough. I will be posting several if not all of the poems here, so keep an eye out. Also feel free to go and purchase my book, it's $19.95 plus shipping. Can I get away with saying that I've been published again? I think so!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Kolob at Dawn
I look above and see the four fingers of Kolob
stretching out to me as the sun sneaks up behind them,
transforming the sky from pink to blue,
encircling their rust colored skin.
Sitting in this multihued country,
reds, blues, and greens surround me.
The aroma of pine fills the open air.
Sagebrush bushes scattered all around.
I am a single person in this vast world,
but I am not deserted.
To the north two ebony birds
perched in a tree, chirping to each other,
sit in the shadow of the majestic canyons
amid the open fingers.
Extensive canyons leading to unknown regions,
echoing the voices of the natural world.
Increasing walls extend to the sky
consuming whomever enters.
These rocks are constant as life continues:
animals scurrying from bush to bush,
birds soaring from tree to tree.
Pine cones falling, disrupting the silence.
Kolob is an enchanting forest,
a Heavenly Place.
Here I sit detached,
but this elegance around me
envelopes me in my isolation.
I am welcomed into this sanctuary.
Thanks Libby for the beautiful picture.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Man With One Hand: A Biography of Jesse Franklin Williams
The leaves on the tree were now several shades of red and orange. With frost covering the ground and the chill in the air, young Jess was prepared to go hunting on this bitter October morning.
“No you ain't goin' huntin'” said his father George.
“Fine!” said Jess storming out of the house.
Jess took his father's over-and-under shotgun and went hunting by himself. Heading up Kanarra Mountain, he admired the trees around him. Because he was easily distracted by everything around him Jess didn't notice the puddle of mud just in front of him. He slipped and dropped the shotgun. The barrels of the gun were filled with mud, but Jess didn't seem to notice, he just continued on.
With his heavy coat and the shotgun wedged under his arm he began to climb the fence. As he wrapped his legs around the top of the wooden fence the gun accidentally went off, and because of the clogged barrel the gun exploded. With the piercing crack of the gun Jess soon realized that his hand had been mangled. He made his way home, with his hand dangling at his side.
When his parents saw his mangled and bleeding hand they immediately sent someone on horse to Cedar City for a doctor. When the doctor arrived he was drunk, so twelve-years-old Jess had to sit for several hours in pain until the doctor was sober enough to perform the operation. Because there were no painkillers Jess had to suffer through the pain of the operation with only alcohol for relief. When the doctor was finally able to perform the operation he used a meat saw to cut off Jess' arm, and then poured turpentine on the stump. Luckily it healed without any trouble. From that day on Jess lived without his left hand.
Grandpa Jess: A Background
Jesse Franklin Williams was born September 4, 1876 in Kanarraville, Utah. He was the ninth child out of thirteen children. His parents were William George and Orilla McFate Williams. Out of the thirteen children only seven lived to adulthood, and all five of his sisters and one brother died in infancy. Jess was born in the home of his parents, which still stands, in Kanarraville, Utah. It was a large, two-story, brick house.
Orilla loved reading about the notorious outlaws Jesse and Frank James in Dime Novels. These outlaws were often seen as a modern day Robin Hood. Orilla and George decided to name their son Jesse Franklin Williams after these infamous bandits.
Jess was a handsome man with blue eyes, brown hair, and a medium build and stood about five feet and seven inches.
Jess went to school in “Kanarra” until he was sixteen. When he turned eighteen his father told him that he could have land or continue on with his education. Since he only had one hand he felt that an education would serve him better. He had the chance to attend Brigham Young Academy to study accounting. He studied there for a year, and in the family stories about my great-grandfather, it is unknown whether he actually graduated or not.
In 1896, at the age of twenty that blue eyed boy moved back home to Kanarraville, and began working in his father's store.
George Williams’ Kanarra Co-op Store in Kanarraville, Utah.
George Williams far left, with friends, and Jesse Williams far right.
Five years later Jess married Frances Rebecca Pollock on November 20, 1901. Together they had seven children. (Before he had passed away he had twenty-three grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.) After they were married they moved into the house that Jess was born in. A few years after they were married they added onto the house, and were one of the first families to have a bathroom.
Jess and Frances' wedding picture taken on November 20, 1901
A Slight Temper Tantrum: Age 77Sitting in his old rocking chair Jess struggled to pull on his old brown shoe. Once he had it on he took both laces in his right hand and began maneuvering the strings into a knot. After several attempts he ripped off his shoe and threw it across the room. After a few seconds of fuming and cursing under his breath he stood up, walked across the room, and picked up his shoe. Again he began pulling his shoe onto his foot, and after a few more struggled attempts at tying his shoes he was finally able to tie a knot.
According to my Aunt this happened continually. There were many times when he would become frustrated with his affliction and he would lose his temper. He didn't really lose his temper with people, but his disability had a tendency to get the better of him.
The Monkey Sock
He could do two different tasks with his stump. First, he would put it over his right arm to get it to stop shaking, which occurred later in his life. The second way he used his left arm was to tease his children and grand-children. He would often wear a brown-speckled sock with a white toe and heel over his stump. His children and grand-children called this a “monkey-sock” because it looked similar to a sock monkey. With his sock-covered stump he would poke it into kids' stomachs to tease them. This along with the fact that he wouldn't wear his dentures had the children laughing, and they couldn't help but love him.
Frances and Jess with grandsons Chesley (in Jess’ arms) and Michael. One of the only pictures of Jess that actually shows his stump.
Having Some FunMy grandpa loved to have a good time. He loved playing marbles, singing, and he loved dancing, especially square dancing. Jess never learned to drive, but he loved travelling. Usually he would only get as far as Boulder City, Nevada, but he always enjoyed the drive.
Jess and Frances would often have parties at their house in Kanarraville. They belonged to a club called the “Elite Society.” The “Elite Society” consisted of married couple who would meet together about once a month. One meeting in particular Jess and Frances had a spook alley set up in the basement of their house. When the people were going through it they would step on a hidden board and they would get pulled up quickly, similar to an elevator. They would then find themselves standing in a cupboard in the bathroom on the main level.
A Final Act: Age 35
The sound of the gun rang as he fell to the ground. The sight of him lying on the ground frightened his children and they began to cry. His daughter Ethna started to scream when she saw her father fall to the ground. The actors stopped the play and Jess stood up so that his children could see that he was alive. They were using a real gun, but it was filled with blanks so that nobody would get hurt. His children didn't understand this and had indeed thought that their father had been killed.
The townspeople of Kanarraville enjoyed performing plays for the rest of the townspeople. Jess and Frances enjoyed participating in the plays, and took many lead roles. Some of the plays that they participated in were “Josh Winchester,” “Dot the Miner‟s Daughter,” “Old Glory,” “Our Jim,” “Star Bright,” and “Dust of the Earth.”
Play “By Force of Impulse” Performed March 20, 1911
Back Row Left to Right: Jesse Williams, Lem Willis, J.J. Roundy, Reese J. Williams.
Middle Row: Will Stapley, Leo Balser, Jode Williams.
Bottom Row: Sade Reeves Williams, Hettie Davie, Adlie Wood, Frances Williams
Continual Job SearchingJess took many different types of jobs so that he could support his family. Having an education he could have moved to the city and become an accountant but he couldn't leave his hometown of Kanarraville. Sometimes Jess had difficulty finding work that he could do because of his disability, but somehow he was able to find work.
He worked for Bishop Berry, pitching and pulling hay. For several years they had the post office in their house. For several years he worked at his father's store “The Kanarra Co-op.” His wife Frances would often take in washings, and Jess and his son Chester would take turns moving the lever back and forth on the old conventional washer.
Jess and Frances’s house in Kanarraville, Utah, taken in the 1930s when they had the Post Office
Jess and Frances would also take in boarders as another way to make some extra money. Sometimes the people who would ride on the mail truck would stay overnight. Once, later in Jess' life, President Lorenzo Snow, Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, stayed at Jess' house on his way to St. George.During Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration as the U.S. President, he started a program called the Works Progress Administration. Jess was made a foreman for Iron County. They would build dams, irrigation ditches, and outhouses for the government.
Jess also worked for several years as the janitor in the church house. One day while he was cleaning the church he felt someone choking him, but there was no one around. He could feel the hands at his neck, but he couldn't see or touch anything. He fell to the ground and began praying fervently, and felt that hands release him.
Overcoming
Overcoming a disability is difficult but Jess was able to overcome this accidental handicap. He was a hard worker full of determination and great strength. With only his right hand he could hold an ax and chop wood. He could ride a horse or drive a team, (but didn't like to because if they got out of control he couldn't pull the horses to a stop without two hands). With great determination he was able to take care of his property without anyone‟s help.
Because Jess only had his right hand it was muscular and strong. He was able to do one handed pull-ups. Because of how much he used his arm as he got older he became so shaky that he could hardly eat. Grandpa Jess also had beautiful penmanship. He was the Kanarraville ward clerk for nine years
God Bless You
One morning Jess had been chopping wood and later was visiting with some friends. After they left, he stood up and went into his room to get some papers. He then sat back down in his old rocking chair. Frances was in the kitchen cooking, and talking to him. She heard him sneeze, and a few minutes later she went into the sitting room and found that Jess had died in his chair. No one knows for sure how he died. The day was March 27, 1959 and he was 89. He is buried in the Kanarraville Cemetery next to his wife Frances.
Jesse Franklin Williams was a man who worked hard, loved everyone, and overcame many obstacles in his life. Even though I never met Jess I am grateful that I have gotten to know about him now, because he was a remarkable person who has passed on many great, and not so great, qualities to his children and grand-children.
Jesse Franklin Williams
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Bouquet
The golden orb descends behind the rocky peaks,
and the periwinkle sky transforms to roses and lilies,
making the puffy clouds look like fallen petals.
A flower closes to sleep.
Soon violets and blues overpower the once bright sky,
announcing it is time for bed.
Blackness surrounding you is now lit
by bright, glittering constellations millions of light-years away.
Unconsciousness invades the world
leading you to places unknown.
Hours pass by, uncertainty overpowers your
unknowing mind as you lie asleep
in your bed of comfort and security.
Darkness is saturated by carnations, irises, and zinnias.
A giant sunflower enters the fields of blue
waking the unconscious people.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Dearest Papa
I was eight when you died.
The loss of you is one that still exists.
Papa why did you leave us when you did?
There is still so much I crave to know
about you and the life you lived.
A short time you lived
during my lifetime.
I know you loved and devoted
on all of your progeny,
and to this day I remember you.
Children rummaging through the garden,
and feeding milk to the little lambs.
The times that you rocked me to sleep,
or held me while you would swing.
No matter what, your memory will long survive.
I remember horseback rides,
and drives around the loop.
A trip to the well for a cool drink.
You never said much,
but what was said,
will stick forever
in each life you touched.
The loss of you is one that still exists.
Papa why did you leave us when you did?
There is still so much I crave to know
about you and the life you lived.
A short time you lived
during my lifetime.
I know you loved and devoted
on all of your progeny,
and to this day I remember you.
Children rummaging through the garden,
and feeding milk to the little lambs.
The times that you rocked me to sleep,
or held me while you would swing.
No matter what, your memory will long survive.
I remember horseback rides,
and drives around the loop.
A trip to the well for a cool drink.
You never said much,
but what was said,
will stick forever
in each life you touched.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Quote of the Day: Febrary 3, 2011
So yesterday my roommate and I watched the movie Stranger than Fiction which is a great movie! I really enjoyed it, and I think anyone who is a writer might. Anyway I thought that it had some great quotes and I thought that I would share some of my favorites. Enjoy!
P.S. sorry that there are so many but I thought they were all great quotes.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Have you met anyone recently who might loathe the very core of you?
Harold Crick: I just started auditing a woman who told me to get bent.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Well, that sounds like a comedy. Try to develop that.
Kay Eiffel: As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch saved Harold Crick.
Dr. Mittag-Leffler: I'm afraid what you're describing is schizophrenia.
Harold Crick: No, no. It's not schizophrenia. It's just a voice in my head. I mean, the voice isn't telling me to do anything. It's telling me what I've already done... accurately, and with a better vocabulary.
Dr. Mittag-Leffler: Mr. Crick, you have a voice speaking to you.
Harold Crick: No, not TO me. ABOUT me. I'm somehow involved in some sort of story. Like I'm a character in my own life. But the problem is that the voice comes and goes...
Dr. Mittag-Leffler: Mr. Crick, I hate to sound like a broken record, but that's schizophrenia.
Harold Crick: Am I OK?
Doctor Mercator: [with facial indifference] Well, you're not dead. On the other hand, it looks like you cracked your head, you broke three bones in your leg and foot, you suffered four broken ribs, fractured your left arm, and severed an artery in your right arm, which should've killed you in a matter of minutes, but amazingly, a shard of metal from your watch obstructed the artery, keeping the blood loss low enough to keep you alive... which is pretty cool.
Harold Crick: Wow.
Kay Eiffel: [narrating Harold's thoughts on the guitars in the shop] Unfortunately, THIS guitar said, 'When I get back to Georgia, that woman gonna feel my pain.' THIS one said something along the lines of, 'Why yes, these pants ARE lycra.' THESE said, 'I'm very sensitive, very caring, and I have absolutely no idea how to play the guitar.'
Harold Crick: [Ana has just brought out a huge box totally stuffed with a mess of papers] What's this?
Ana Pascal: [Very pleased with herself] My tax files and receipts for the last three years.
Harold Crick: [Horrified] You keep your files like this?
Ana Pascal: No. Actually I'm quite fastidious. I put them in this box just to screw with you.
Harold Crick: This may sound like gibberish to you, but I think I'm in a tragedy.
Penny Escher: [They are in a hospital ward surround by lots of sick and injured people] What are we doing here? I don't even think we're supposed to *be* in here.
Kay Eiffel: You told me I needed visual stimulation.
Penny Escher: Yeah, I meant a museum or something.
Kay Eiffel: I don't *need* a museum. I need the infirm.
Penny Escher: [slightly under her breath] You *are* the infirm.
Ana Pascal: [Ana bursts into the hospital room that is housing Harold who is pretty much in a full body cast] My God! Harold!
Harold Crick: [as she's kissing him] I'm OK, it's alright.
Ana Pascal: Harold you're not fine! Look at you, you're severely injured!
Ana Pascal: [to cast-covered Harold] So what happened?
Harold Crick: I stepped in front of a bus.
Ana Pascal: What? Why?
Harold Crick: There was a boy I had to pull out of the way?
Ana Pascal: What?
Harold Crick: There was this boy, I had to...
Ana Pascal: You stepped in front of a bus to save a boy?
Harold Crick: I had to. I didn't have a choice.
Kay Eiffel: Because it's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die. And then dies. But if a man does know he's about to die and dies anyway. Dies- dies willingly, knowing that he could stop it, then- I mean, isn't that the type of man who you want to keep alive?
Harold Crick: Miss Pascal, what you're describing is anarchy. Are you an anarchist?
Ana Pascal: You mean, am I a member of...
Harold Crick: An anarchist group, yes.
Ana Pascal: Anarchists have a group?
Harold Crick: I believe so, sure.
Ana Pascal: They assemble?
Harold Crick: I don't know.
Ana Pascal: Wouldn't that completely defeat the purpose?
Kay Eiffel: I read this, in this fantastically depressing book, that when you jump from a building, it's rarely the impact that actually kills you.
Penny Escher: Well, I'm sure it doesn't help.
Penny Escher: I'm Penny, I'm Kay's assistant.
Harold Crick: Oh, I'm Harold. Her main character.
Penny Escher: I will gladly and quietly help you kill Harold Crick.
Kay Eiffel: And this coming from someone who's never thought about leaping off a building.
Ana Pascal: It was a really awful day. I know, I made sure of it. So pick up the cookie, dip it in the milk, and eat it.
Harold Crick: I may already be dead, just not typed.
Ana Pascal: Did you like the cookies?
Harold Crick: Yes. Thank you for forcing me to eat them.
Penny Escher: And I suppose you smoked all these cigarettes?
Kay Eiffel: No, they came pre-smoked.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Hell Harold, you could just eat nothing but pancakes if you wanted.
Harold Crick: What is wrong with you? Hey, I don't want to eat nothing but pancakes, I want to live! I mean, who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes?
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that that answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led... and, of course, the quality of the pancakes.
Kay Eiffel: I went out... to buy cigarettes and I figured out how to kill Harold Crick.
Penny Escher: Buying cigarettes?
Kay Eiffel: As I was... when I came out of the store I... it came to me.
Penny Escher: How?
Kay Eiffel: Well, Penny, like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method.
Harold Crick: SHUT UP!
Kay Eiffel: [voice only] Cursing the heavens in futility.
Harold Crick: [extremely annoyed] No I'm not! I'm cursing you, you stupid voice so SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!
Kay Eiffel: I don't need a nicotine patch, Penny, I smoke cigarettes.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Meeting an insurance agent the day your policy runs out is coincidence. Getting a letter from the Emperor saying he's visiting is plot. A wrecking ball... is something else entirely.
P.S. sorry that there are so many but I thought they were all great quotes.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Have you met anyone recently who might loathe the very core of you?
Harold Crick: I just started auditing a woman who told me to get bent.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Well, that sounds like a comedy. Try to develop that.
Kay Eiffel: As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch saved Harold Crick.
Dr. Mittag-Leffler: I'm afraid what you're describing is schizophrenia.
Harold Crick: No, no. It's not schizophrenia. It's just a voice in my head. I mean, the voice isn't telling me to do anything. It's telling me what I've already done... accurately, and with a better vocabulary.
Dr. Mittag-Leffler: Mr. Crick, you have a voice speaking to you.
Harold Crick: No, not TO me. ABOUT me. I'm somehow involved in some sort of story. Like I'm a character in my own life. But the problem is that the voice comes and goes...
Dr. Mittag-Leffler: Mr. Crick, I hate to sound like a broken record, but that's schizophrenia.
Harold Crick: Am I OK?
Doctor Mercator: [with facial indifference] Well, you're not dead. On the other hand, it looks like you cracked your head, you broke three bones in your leg and foot, you suffered four broken ribs, fractured your left arm, and severed an artery in your right arm, which should've killed you in a matter of minutes, but amazingly, a shard of metal from your watch obstructed the artery, keeping the blood loss low enough to keep you alive... which is pretty cool.
Harold Crick: Wow.
Kay Eiffel: [narrating Harold's thoughts on the guitars in the shop] Unfortunately, THIS guitar said, 'When I get back to Georgia, that woman gonna feel my pain.' THIS one said something along the lines of, 'Why yes, these pants ARE lycra.' THESE said, 'I'm very sensitive, very caring, and I have absolutely no idea how to play the guitar.'
Harold Crick: [Ana has just brought out a huge box totally stuffed with a mess of papers] What's this?
Ana Pascal: [Very pleased with herself] My tax files and receipts for the last three years.
Harold Crick: [Horrified] You keep your files like this?
Ana Pascal: No. Actually I'm quite fastidious. I put them in this box just to screw with you.
Harold Crick: This may sound like gibberish to you, but I think I'm in a tragedy.
Penny Escher: [They are in a hospital ward surround by lots of sick and injured people] What are we doing here? I don't even think we're supposed to *be* in here.
Kay Eiffel: You told me I needed visual stimulation.
Penny Escher: Yeah, I meant a museum or something.
Kay Eiffel: I don't *need* a museum. I need the infirm.
Penny Escher: [slightly under her breath] You *are* the infirm.
Ana Pascal: [Ana bursts into the hospital room that is housing Harold who is pretty much in a full body cast] My God! Harold!
Harold Crick: [as she's kissing him] I'm OK, it's alright.
Ana Pascal: Harold you're not fine! Look at you, you're severely injured!
Ana Pascal: [to cast-covered Harold] So what happened?
Harold Crick: I stepped in front of a bus.
Ana Pascal: What? Why?
Harold Crick: There was a boy I had to pull out of the way?
Ana Pascal: What?
Harold Crick: There was this boy, I had to...
Ana Pascal: You stepped in front of a bus to save a boy?
Harold Crick: I had to. I didn't have a choice.
Kay Eiffel: Because it's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die. And then dies. But if a man does know he's about to die and dies anyway. Dies- dies willingly, knowing that he could stop it, then- I mean, isn't that the type of man who you want to keep alive?
Harold Crick: Miss Pascal, what you're describing is anarchy. Are you an anarchist?
Ana Pascal: You mean, am I a member of...
Harold Crick: An anarchist group, yes.
Ana Pascal: Anarchists have a group?
Harold Crick: I believe so, sure.
Ana Pascal: They assemble?
Harold Crick: I don't know.
Ana Pascal: Wouldn't that completely defeat the purpose?
Kay Eiffel: I read this, in this fantastically depressing book, that when you jump from a building, it's rarely the impact that actually kills you.
Penny Escher: Well, I'm sure it doesn't help.
Penny Escher: I'm Penny, I'm Kay's assistant.
Harold Crick: Oh, I'm Harold. Her main character.
Penny Escher: I will gladly and quietly help you kill Harold Crick.
Kay Eiffel: And this coming from someone who's never thought about leaping off a building.
Ana Pascal: It was a really awful day. I know, I made sure of it. So pick up the cookie, dip it in the milk, and eat it.
Harold Crick: I may already be dead, just not typed.
Ana Pascal: Did you like the cookies?
Harold Crick: Yes. Thank you for forcing me to eat them.
Penny Escher: And I suppose you smoked all these cigarettes?
Kay Eiffel: No, they came pre-smoked.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Hell Harold, you could just eat nothing but pancakes if you wanted.
Harold Crick: What is wrong with you? Hey, I don't want to eat nothing but pancakes, I want to live! I mean, who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes?
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that that answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led... and, of course, the quality of the pancakes.
Kay Eiffel: I went out... to buy cigarettes and I figured out how to kill Harold Crick.
Penny Escher: Buying cigarettes?
Kay Eiffel: As I was... when I came out of the store I... it came to me.
Penny Escher: How?
Kay Eiffel: Well, Penny, like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method.
Harold Crick: SHUT UP!
Kay Eiffel: [voice only] Cursing the heavens in futility.
Harold Crick: [extremely annoyed] No I'm not! I'm cursing you, you stupid voice so SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!
Kay Eiffel: I don't need a nicotine patch, Penny, I smoke cigarettes.
Dr. Jules Hilbert: Meeting an insurance agent the day your policy runs out is coincidence. Getting a letter from the Emperor saying he's visiting is plot. A wrecking ball... is something else entirely.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
North to Alaska
Day One
The Last Frontier, or the LF, is what three young women named the white, 2001, Honda Civic Sedan that became a home and shelter for five days as we drove the 3200 miles to reach Anchorage, Alaska. This car became our safe haven as we engaged in what became an adventure. My sister Libby, our friend Audra, and I decided to drive to Alaska. Libby and Audra had both accepted jobs in Alaska for the summer of 2008. Libby wanted to have her car with her while she worked there, so we drove up.
This trip began on Wednesday April 30, 2008 in Kanarraville, Utah, a small town about fifteen miles south of Cedar City, Utah. This was where we packed our luggage into the trunk of the LF. Three girls, two of which were staying five months, had the automobile packed to the LF’s limit. We got into the car, Libby in the driver’s seat, Audra in the passenger seat, and I was in the back next to a large blue cooler, a couple of pillows and a few blankets.
Libby pulled the car out onto the street and we made our way to I-15. Our first destination was Idaho Falls, Idaho. The stretch of highway from Cedar City to Salt Lake was familiar, Idaho was a new domain. Just before we hit the Idaho boarder Libby and I traded places. I was now driving.
I hit snow the moment I arrived in Idaho. It was dark and I was keeping my eye out for deer, but was surprised by the sudden rush of snow coming toward us. I could only see white swirling around me hitting the windshield like pieces of cotton soaring toward me. I had never driven in snow, and now I was getting sudden experience by driving in a blizzard.
The world was colorless around us, as I continued to steer the car north toward Idaho Falls. My hands clutched the steering wheel, as Libby slept in the back and Audra listened to her iPod. After an hour of driving in the snowstorm the twinkling lights of Idaho Falls became visible in the dark, snow covered world surrounding us.
When we three arrived in Idaho Falls it was late and I was tired. I stopped at the first hotel I could find that was reasonably priced and unloaded the car. The outside of the hotel looked well kept, but it was dark and cold outside, and sleep was the only thing on our minds. I saw the old brown wallpaper, the peeling paint, and the torn bedspreads and realized that I could have picked a better hotel, but I didn’t care. Sleep was all that I wanted.
Day Two
The first stop of the day was the Idaho Falls. The snow covered ground was like a blank canvas, and it was like I was the first stroke of color in the whiteness that surrounded me. Libby, Audra, and I walked out onto the wooden walkway. The world around us was quiet; it was like we were the only people left in the cold, desolate world. Shuffling around the snow covered pathway toward the Idaho Falls. The calming sound of the gray water flowed past us as we admired the view of the Idaho Falls Temple on the other side of the Snake River.
The Idaho Falls Temple was the first LDS temple built in Idaho, and is the eighth operating temple. It was dedicated in September of 1945.
--from LDSChurchTemples.com
When I drove up to the entrance of the Idaho Falls Temple grounds the white of the temple and the white of the snow were difficult to distinguish. The snow sparkled as it covered the flowerbeds and walkways on the temple grounds. The tall white steeple of the temple stood high above me as I walked around admiring the leafless trees and bushes that surrounded the square structure. Getting back into the LF and enjoying the warmth and shelter of the casing around us, we took one more drive around the granite building and then headed toward I-15.
Butte, Montana
Helena, Montana
Great Falls, Montana
Glacier National Park, North Entrance
United States and Canada border
Cardston, Alberta is a town that was settled by Mormon settlers in 1887. The Cardston temple was the first LDS temple built outside of the United States, just fifteen miles north of the U.S.-Canada border. The Cardston temple was dedicated in August 1923, and is the sixth operating LDS temple. The Cardston temple was named a Canadian Historic Site in September 1995.
-- from LDSChurchTemples.com
Since my sister and I try to visit every temple that we can we couldn’t help but stop and see the Cardston temple. The square architecture is different from many of the other LDS temple. The white granite of the temple stood out among the green grass and trees surrounding it. The temple stands like a castle amongst the town of Cardston. After admiring the temple we drove down Main Street and stopped at a Dairy Queen for lunch.
After spending time in Cardston we continued on to Calgary.
Libby drove on toward Calgary as the sun was diminishing behind the Rocky Mountains, transforming the azure sky and gray clouds to a rainbow of orange, pink, and purple. The unending cornfields soon disappeared into the darkness. With the night my eyes began to get heavy, I had been in the car all day, but we still had a couple of hours before we were to arrive in Calgary. Libby continued to drive the long stretch of road struggling to keep her eyes open. Eventually the lights of Calgary appeared in the darkness. The car continued on until we spotted a Holiday Inn Express and pulled into the parking lot.
The four story hotel was the light at the end of our tunnel.
Day Three
As I left Calgary, Alberta I noticed that our next stop was Banff National Park. I pulled onto the highway and headed north. Not being able to explore and admire Calgary, we were forced to enjoy it from the car. We drove past the Olympic slopes where the Winter Olympics were hosted by Calgary in 1988. Libby continued to drive her white Honda Civic through the streets of lush, green Calgary.
It didn’t take long for the buildings to thin out and eventually fade away.
About two hours north of Calgary, is a small tourist town called Banff. Like any tourist trap Banff had several stores from candy to books as well as clothing and jewelry. We drove through the small town up a long road past the Rimrock Resort Hotel, a grand hotel built with gray bricks and standing like a palace surrounded by snow covered mountains.
We bought our tickets and got into line for the Banff Gondola, and then waited in line to step into the four person sky tram. While we waited in line I began to grow nervous. I don’t care for heights, especially when we are getting into a box carried by a few cables. Libby started to make fun of me and calling me a “chicken” or a “wimp” as the onset of a panic attack made my breathing get shallow. Finally we stepped into the small box. Libby and Audra sat so they could see the view on their way up, and I sat where I could see the mountain.
About two minutes into the ride I was beginning to calm down and feel okay. It was at this time that Libby began to panic.
“It’s so high. I didn’t realize how high it was going to be,” she said as her breathing began to get shallow.
Audra started to laugh, while I just sat and stared.
“See Libby, you shouldn’t have made fun of me,” I said.
“Shut up, Jessie! I’m going to have a heart attack!”
We arrived at the top of Sulphur Mountain where we had a view of the town of Banff and the Rimrock Resort Hotel, looking like a castle amongst the green trees. The snow capped mountains, clear blue rivers and majestic white glaciers stand under the azure blue sky, creating a splendid view for admiring. I took a short hike along the dirt pathway and then explored the gift shop before hitching a ride down on the Gondola.
Lake Louise
Jasper National Park
As we left Jasper, Libby and I decided that Audra needed a turn to drive. Libby’s Civic has a manual transmission, and since Libby and I learned with manual transmissions, driving stick is second nature to us. Audra didn’t know how to drive stick, so we waited until we were in a rural area, and Libby gave Audra a quick lesson on driving a manual automobile. Libby pulled into a hotel parking lot and her and Audra switched places. Audra buckled up and shifted into gear. Her first attempt ended with the Civic stalling and rolling backwards.
Day Four
I don’t know why, but I often travel on my birthday, and this day was mine. That morning, as we were getting ready, Libby called home from the hotel phone so that my mom could wish me a “Happy Birthday.”
I continued Northwest toward Alaska, Libby and Audra celebrated my twentieth birthday. Libby had a couple of small presents for me to open, one was a yellow, Vera Bradley backpack, and the other a box of travel games from my mom. When we stopped at a rest stop Libby pulled out a box of Zebra cakes and put a candle on one for me to blow out.
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Alaska Highway Mile ‘0’
The Alcan Highway, also known as the Alaska/Canada Highway, is a bumpy road. The cause for the bumpiness was explained by a sign at the Canada/Alaska Border:
Every time a road is constructed the ground surface is disturbed. Disturbance of the insulating layer of vegetation allows additional heat to penetrate below the surface, thawing permafrost and creating a zone called a thaw bulb. Thaw bulbs, so called because of their shape, are responsible for the big, rolling dips and bumps that make you feel as though your car has become an out of control porpoise as you travel down the highway. Capable of growing deeper every year, thaw bulbs continue to bedevil road engineers, builders and motorist alike.
I noticed as I drove along the Alcan Highway that there were many times when the LF would drive over a bump, and scrape the bottom of the vehicle or she would gain air. If the bumps were extremely bad, there would be orange flags next to the bumps to alert the drivers to slow down.
Libby was driving, Audra was sitting in the passenger seat reading Wicked, and I was in the back listening to Sarah Brightman on my iPod as I began to fall asleep. I was almost asleep when the LF going about seventy-five miles per hour, took a sudden lurch as it zoomed over a considerable bump, gaining air, and landing with a screech.
When we reached the Alaska/Canada border the sign that described the Alcan Highway as “Roller Coaster Roads”
Watson Lake, British Columbia
It was my last night driving and Audra and I both stayed up to take turns driving while Libby was unconscious in the backseat. It was late into the night and both Audra and I were beginning to get tired. We turned on Twilight to help keep us awake. Since we were both exhausted we were jumpy and giggly. Listening to the book Twilight was hilarious to us, so we spent a lot of time laughing. At one point we were so focused on the book that when an unknown animal dashed across the highway we were both terrified. Audra had to pull over so that she could regain her bearings. At about two in the morning we finally arrived in Haines Junction, Yukon at the Kluane Park Inn, a small rundown hotel and bar. This hotel was the first that we could find, so Libby and I went in and got a room. The three of us unloaded our suitcases and walked into our room with two double beds, and a bathroom that was about the size of a closet. Within minutes of entering the room the three of us were unconscious.
Day Five
Canada/Alaska Border
Tok, Alaska
“North Pole, Alaska: Where the Spirit of Christmas Lives All Year Round” is the phrase hanging above the visitor center. Driving through the town there are Christmas lights decorating each house. A sign welcomes the visitors to the North Pole as they drive down St. Nicholas Dr past a giant statue of Santa Claus, and the red and white striped “north” pole. There also sits the “Santa Claus House” where Santa is all year long for children to sit on his lap and tell Santa Claus what they want for Christmas. In the Santa Claus House there is a wall covered in letter to Santa from people all over the world. Prancer is also there to greet visitors.
-- from The Milepost
Fairbanks, Alaska
The final stop before Anchorage was Denali National Park. Audra was working in the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, so we dropped her off just north of Denali in Healy where she would be living for the summer. We said our goodbyes and Libby, the LF, and I continued south to Anchorage.
After five days I finally made it to Anchorage, Alaska. The last three hours felt more like six. I noticed a haze across the Alaska Mountain range. The lights of Anchorage were only miles away. I drove through the streets of Anchorage and reached the home of the Wilson’s, some old family friends that moved to Alaska in 1996.
Two years ago the three of us took this road trip so that my sister could have her car, but the simple vacation turned into an adventure that helped us to get to know each other more. It allowed us to see more of the world. I was able to enjoy the natural beauty that was unknown to me. The memories of this vacation allow me to remember the awesome experiences that I have been able to partake of. If I could do this trip again I wouldn’t change anything except taking more time to stop and enjoy the places that I wasn’t able to on this trip. This trip wasn’t about just having the car, it was about the experiences I had and the new places that I was able to see and experience for myself.
The Last Frontier, or the LF, is what three young women named the white, 2001, Honda Civic Sedan that became a home and shelter for five days as we drove the 3200 miles to reach Anchorage, Alaska. This car became our safe haven as we engaged in what became an adventure. My sister Libby, our friend Audra, and I decided to drive to Alaska. Libby and Audra had both accepted jobs in Alaska for the summer of 2008. Libby wanted to have her car with her while she worked there, so we drove up.
This trip began on Wednesday April 30, 2008 in Kanarraville, Utah, a small town about fifteen miles south of Cedar City, Utah. This was where we packed our luggage into the trunk of the LF. Three girls, two of which were staying five months, had the automobile packed to the LF’s limit. We got into the car, Libby in the driver’s seat, Audra in the passenger seat, and I was in the back next to a large blue cooler, a couple of pillows and a few blankets.
Libby pulled the car out onto the street and we made our way to I-15. Our first destination was Idaho Falls, Idaho. The stretch of highway from Cedar City to Salt Lake was familiar, Idaho was a new domain. Just before we hit the Idaho boarder Libby and I traded places. I was now driving.
I hit snow the moment I arrived in Idaho. It was dark and I was keeping my eye out for deer, but was surprised by the sudden rush of snow coming toward us. I could only see white swirling around me hitting the windshield like pieces of cotton soaring toward me. I had never driven in snow, and now I was getting sudden experience by driving in a blizzard.
The world was colorless around us, as I continued to steer the car north toward Idaho Falls. My hands clutched the steering wheel, as Libby slept in the back and Audra listened to her iPod. After an hour of driving in the snowstorm the twinkling lights of Idaho Falls became visible in the dark, snow covered world surrounding us.
When we three arrived in Idaho Falls it was late and I was tired. I stopped at the first hotel I could find that was reasonably priced and unloaded the car. The outside of the hotel looked well kept, but it was dark and cold outside, and sleep was the only thing on our minds. I saw the old brown wallpaper, the peeling paint, and the torn bedspreads and realized that I could have picked a better hotel, but I didn’t care. Sleep was all that I wanted.
Day Two
The first stop of the day was the Idaho Falls. The snow covered ground was like a blank canvas, and it was like I was the first stroke of color in the whiteness that surrounded me. Libby, Audra, and I walked out onto the wooden walkway. The world around us was quiet; it was like we were the only people left in the cold, desolate world. Shuffling around the snow covered pathway toward the Idaho Falls. The calming sound of the gray water flowed past us as we admired the view of the Idaho Falls Temple on the other side of the Snake River.
The Idaho Falls Temple was the first LDS temple built in Idaho, and is the eighth operating temple. It was dedicated in September of 1945.
--from LDSChurchTemples.com
When I drove up to the entrance of the Idaho Falls Temple grounds the white of the temple and the white of the snow were difficult to distinguish. The snow sparkled as it covered the flowerbeds and walkways on the temple grounds. The tall white steeple of the temple stood high above me as I walked around admiring the leafless trees and bushes that surrounded the square structure. Getting back into the LF and enjoying the warmth and shelter of the casing around us, we took one more drive around the granite building and then headed toward I-15.
Butte, Montana
Helena, Montana
Great Falls, Montana
Glacier National Park, North Entrance
United States and Canada border
Cardston, Alberta is a town that was settled by Mormon settlers in 1887. The Cardston temple was the first LDS temple built outside of the United States, just fifteen miles north of the U.S.-Canada border. The Cardston temple was dedicated in August 1923, and is the sixth operating LDS temple. The Cardston temple was named a Canadian Historic Site in September 1995.
-- from LDSChurchTemples.com
Since my sister and I try to visit every temple that we can we couldn’t help but stop and see the Cardston temple. The square architecture is different from many of the other LDS temple. The white granite of the temple stood out among the green grass and trees surrounding it. The temple stands like a castle amongst the town of Cardston. After admiring the temple we drove down Main Street and stopped at a Dairy Queen for lunch.
After spending time in Cardston we continued on to Calgary.
Libby drove on toward Calgary as the sun was diminishing behind the Rocky Mountains, transforming the azure sky and gray clouds to a rainbow of orange, pink, and purple. The unending cornfields soon disappeared into the darkness. With the night my eyes began to get heavy, I had been in the car all day, but we still had a couple of hours before we were to arrive in Calgary. Libby continued to drive the long stretch of road struggling to keep her eyes open. Eventually the lights of Calgary appeared in the darkness. The car continued on until we spotted a Holiday Inn Express and pulled into the parking lot.
The four story hotel was the light at the end of our tunnel.
Day Three
As I left Calgary, Alberta I noticed that our next stop was Banff National Park. I pulled onto the highway and headed north. Not being able to explore and admire Calgary, we were forced to enjoy it from the car. We drove past the Olympic slopes where the Winter Olympics were hosted by Calgary in 1988. Libby continued to drive her white Honda Civic through the streets of lush, green Calgary.
It didn’t take long for the buildings to thin out and eventually fade away.
About two hours north of Calgary, is a small tourist town called Banff. Like any tourist trap Banff had several stores from candy to books as well as clothing and jewelry. We drove through the small town up a long road past the Rimrock Resort Hotel, a grand hotel built with gray bricks and standing like a palace surrounded by snow covered mountains.
We bought our tickets and got into line for the Banff Gondola, and then waited in line to step into the four person sky tram. While we waited in line I began to grow nervous. I don’t care for heights, especially when we are getting into a box carried by a few cables. Libby started to make fun of me and calling me a “chicken” or a “wimp” as the onset of a panic attack made my breathing get shallow. Finally we stepped into the small box. Libby and Audra sat so they could see the view on their way up, and I sat where I could see the mountain.
About two minutes into the ride I was beginning to calm down and feel okay. It was at this time that Libby began to panic.
“It’s so high. I didn’t realize how high it was going to be,” she said as her breathing began to get shallow.
Audra started to laugh, while I just sat and stared.
“See Libby, you shouldn’t have made fun of me,” I said.
“Shut up, Jessie! I’m going to have a heart attack!”
We arrived at the top of Sulphur Mountain where we had a view of the town of Banff and the Rimrock Resort Hotel, looking like a castle amongst the green trees. The snow capped mountains, clear blue rivers and majestic white glaciers stand under the azure blue sky, creating a splendid view for admiring. I took a short hike along the dirt pathway and then explored the gift shop before hitching a ride down on the Gondola.
Lake Louise
Jasper National Park
As we left Jasper, Libby and I decided that Audra needed a turn to drive. Libby’s Civic has a manual transmission, and since Libby and I learned with manual transmissions, driving stick is second nature to us. Audra didn’t know how to drive stick, so we waited until we were in a rural area, and Libby gave Audra a quick lesson on driving a manual automobile. Libby pulled into a hotel parking lot and her and Audra switched places. Audra buckled up and shifted into gear. Her first attempt ended with the Civic stalling and rolling backwards.
Day Four
I don’t know why, but I often travel on my birthday, and this day was mine. That morning, as we were getting ready, Libby called home from the hotel phone so that my mom could wish me a “Happy Birthday.”
I continued Northwest toward Alaska, Libby and Audra celebrated my twentieth birthday. Libby had a couple of small presents for me to open, one was a yellow, Vera Bradley backpack, and the other a box of travel games from my mom. When we stopped at a rest stop Libby pulled out a box of Zebra cakes and put a candle on one for me to blow out.
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Alaska Highway Mile ‘0’
The Alcan Highway, also known as the Alaska/Canada Highway, is a bumpy road. The cause for the bumpiness was explained by a sign at the Canada/Alaska Border:
Every time a road is constructed the ground surface is disturbed. Disturbance of the insulating layer of vegetation allows additional heat to penetrate below the surface, thawing permafrost and creating a zone called a thaw bulb. Thaw bulbs, so called because of their shape, are responsible for the big, rolling dips and bumps that make you feel as though your car has become an out of control porpoise as you travel down the highway. Capable of growing deeper every year, thaw bulbs continue to bedevil road engineers, builders and motorist alike.
I noticed as I drove along the Alcan Highway that there were many times when the LF would drive over a bump, and scrape the bottom of the vehicle or she would gain air. If the bumps were extremely bad, there would be orange flags next to the bumps to alert the drivers to slow down.
Libby was driving, Audra was sitting in the passenger seat reading Wicked, and I was in the back listening to Sarah Brightman on my iPod as I began to fall asleep. I was almost asleep when the LF going about seventy-five miles per hour, took a sudden lurch as it zoomed over a considerable bump, gaining air, and landing with a screech.
When we reached the Alaska/Canada border the sign that described the Alcan Highway as “Roller Coaster Roads”
Watson Lake, British Columbia
It was my last night driving and Audra and I both stayed up to take turns driving while Libby was unconscious in the backseat. It was late into the night and both Audra and I were beginning to get tired. We turned on Twilight to help keep us awake. Since we were both exhausted we were jumpy and giggly. Listening to the book Twilight was hilarious to us, so we spent a lot of time laughing. At one point we were so focused on the book that when an unknown animal dashed across the highway we were both terrified. Audra had to pull over so that she could regain her bearings. At about two in the morning we finally arrived in Haines Junction, Yukon at the Kluane Park Inn, a small rundown hotel and bar. This hotel was the first that we could find, so Libby and I went in and got a room. The three of us unloaded our suitcases and walked into our room with two double beds, and a bathroom that was about the size of a closet. Within minutes of entering the room the three of us were unconscious.
Day Five
Canada/Alaska Border
Tok, Alaska
“North Pole, Alaska: Where the Spirit of Christmas Lives All Year Round” is the phrase hanging above the visitor center. Driving through the town there are Christmas lights decorating each house. A sign welcomes the visitors to the North Pole as they drive down St. Nicholas Dr past a giant statue of Santa Claus, and the red and white striped “north” pole. There also sits the “Santa Claus House” where Santa is all year long for children to sit on his lap and tell Santa Claus what they want for Christmas. In the Santa Claus House there is a wall covered in letter to Santa from people all over the world. Prancer is also there to greet visitors.
-- from The Milepost
Fairbanks, Alaska
The final stop before Anchorage was Denali National Park. Audra was working in the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, so we dropped her off just north of Denali in Healy where she would be living for the summer. We said our goodbyes and Libby, the LF, and I continued south to Anchorage.
After five days I finally made it to Anchorage, Alaska. The last three hours felt more like six. I noticed a haze across the Alaska Mountain range. The lights of Anchorage were only miles away. I drove through the streets of Anchorage and reached the home of the Wilson’s, some old family friends that moved to Alaska in 1996.
Two years ago the three of us took this road trip so that my sister could have her car, but the simple vacation turned into an adventure that helped us to get to know each other more. It allowed us to see more of the world. I was able to enjoy the natural beauty that was unknown to me. The memories of this vacation allow me to remember the awesome experiences that I have been able to partake of. If I could do this trip again I wouldn’t change anything except taking more time to stop and enjoy the places that I wasn’t able to on this trip. This trip wasn’t about just having the car, it was about the experiences I had and the new places that I was able to see and experience for myself.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Enjoying
I run through the sand
barefoot
letting it seep
between my toes.
The warmth of the red dirt
warms
my cold feet.
I trip and fall,
tumbling
down dunes.
I reach the bottom
and enjoy the
affection
of the coarse ground
embracing me.
My eyes gently close,
I’m lost
in the friendliness
of the toasty clay beneath
my chilling body.
I’ve gone astray into a utopia
of my imagination.
I hear the sound of laughter
and something hits
my motionless body.
It is cold
and has a familiar taste.
My eyes open to find
a familiar face
looking down and
Laughing. Confusion overpowers
then comprehension
takes place.
I see a mound
concealing
what was once my body.
Pleasant warmth shelters me with
hot
dirty sand.
barefoot
letting it seep
between my toes.
The warmth of the red dirt
warms
my cold feet.
I trip and fall,
tumbling
down dunes.
I reach the bottom
and enjoy the
affection
of the coarse ground
embracing me.
My eyes gently close,
I’m lost
in the friendliness
of the toasty clay beneath
my chilling body.
I’ve gone astray into a utopia
of my imagination.
I hear the sound of laughter
and something hits
my motionless body.
It is cold
and has a familiar taste.
My eyes open to find
a familiar face
looking down and
Laughing. Confusion overpowers
then comprehension
takes place.
I see a mound
concealing
what was once my body.
Pleasant warmth shelters me with
hot
dirty sand.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Lost Dream
So I've realized that it has been a while since I posted anything on this blog, so here is a poem I wrote from my poetry class this semester. This is my sonnet:
My thoughts began to wander through the room
But then my eyes were opened by the sight
The vision before me came in the night
I was awakened by the glowing moon.
My mem’ry was swept away by a gloom.
This dream I dreamt had vanished with the light.
I continued on but could not excite
The hope to remember would not come soon.
I continued on for a great extent
The image had left and gone far away
My hopefulness seemed to vanish as well.
Lonely I waited only to lament.
The darkness left and slowly changed to day.
My thoughts left me in this cold, empty hell.
My thoughts began to wander through the room
But then my eyes were opened by the sight
The vision before me came in the night
I was awakened by the glowing moon.
My mem’ry was swept away by a gloom.
This dream I dreamt had vanished with the light.
I continued on but could not excite
The hope to remember would not come soon.
I continued on for a great extent
The image had left and gone far away
My hopefulness seemed to vanish as well.
Lonely I waited only to lament.
The darkness left and slowly changed to day.
My thoughts left me in this cold, empty hell.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Quotes of the Day: June 11, 2010
Today my quotes are from the amazing movie Princess Bride enjoy.
Buttercup: You can die too for all I care.
[she pushes him down a high hill]
Man in Black: AS... YOU... WISH.
Buttercup: Oh my sweet Westley what have I done?
Vizzini: Jump in after her!
Inigo Montoya: I don't swim
Fezzik: I only dog paddle.
Vizzini: AGGHH!
Inigo Montoya: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Westley: Hear this now: I will always come for you.
Buttercup: But how can you be sure?
Westley: This is true love - you think this happens every day?
Westley: I told you I would always come for you. Why didn't you wait for me?
Buttercup: Well... you were dead.
Westley: Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.
Buttercup: I will never doubt again.
Westley: There will never be a need.
Miracle Max: You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.
Inigo Montoya: That Vizzini, he can *fuss*.
Fezzik: Fuss, fuss... I think he like to scream at *us*.
Inigo Montoya: Probably he means no *harm*.
Fezzik: He's really very short on *charm*.
Inigo Montoya: You have a great gift for rhyme.
Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time.
Vizzini: Enough of that.
Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?
Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead.
Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it.
Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut?
Vizzini: DYEEAAHHHHHH.
Inigo Montoya: He's right on top of us. I wonder if he is using the same wind we are using.
Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Inigo Montoya: I donna suppose you could speed things up?
Man in Black: If you're in such a hurry, you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do.
Inigo Montoya: I could do that. I have some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you.
Man in Black: That does put a damper on our relationship.
Inigo Montoya: I do not mean to pry, but you don't by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?
Man in Black: Do you always begin conversations this way?
Westley: Why won't my arms move?
Fezzik: You've been mostly-dead all day.
Fezzik: We face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.
Man in Black: You mean, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword, and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?
Fezzik: [brandishing rock] I could kill you now.
Man in Black: Frankly, I think the odds are slightly in your favor at hand fighting.
Fezzik: It's not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Vizzini: I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.
Man in Black: You're that smart?
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Buttercup: You mock my pain.
Man in Black: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
Prince Humperdinck: Surrender.
Westley: You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept.
Inigo Montoya: Are you the Miracle Max who worked for the king all those years?
Miracle Max: The King's stinking son fired me, and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? We're closed.
Miracle Max: Get back, witch.
Valerie: I'm not a witch, I'm your wife. But after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that any more.
Westley: There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.
Miracle Max: Sonny, true love is the greatest thing, in the world-except for a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe
[smacks his lips]
Miracle Max: they're so perky, I love that.
The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...
[cut to Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik]
The Impressive Clergyman: And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...
[cut to the trio again]
The Impressive Clergyman: So tweasure your wuv.
Prince Humperdinck: Skip to the end.
The Impressive Clergyman: Have you the wing?
[cut to the trio once more]
The Impressive Clergyman: ...and do you,Pwincess Buwwercup...
Prince Humperdinck: Man and wife. Say man and wife.
The Impressive Clergyman: Man an' wife.
Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him.
Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.
Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.
Buttercup: You can die too for all I care.
[she pushes him down a high hill]
Man in Black: AS... YOU... WISH.
Buttercup: Oh my sweet Westley what have I done?
Vizzini: Jump in after her!
Inigo Montoya: I don't swim
Fezzik: I only dog paddle.
Vizzini: AGGHH!
Inigo Montoya: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Westley: Hear this now: I will always come for you.
Buttercup: But how can you be sure?
Westley: This is true love - you think this happens every day?
Westley: I told you I would always come for you. Why didn't you wait for me?
Buttercup: Well... you were dead.
Westley: Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.
Buttercup: I will never doubt again.
Westley: There will never be a need.
Miracle Max: You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.
Inigo Montoya: That Vizzini, he can *fuss*.
Fezzik: Fuss, fuss... I think he like to scream at *us*.
Inigo Montoya: Probably he means no *harm*.
Fezzik: He's really very short on *charm*.
Inigo Montoya: You have a great gift for rhyme.
Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time.
Vizzini: Enough of that.
Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?
Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead.
Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it.
Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut?
Vizzini: DYEEAAHHHHHH.
Inigo Montoya: He's right on top of us. I wonder if he is using the same wind we are using.
Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Inigo Montoya: I donna suppose you could speed things up?
Man in Black: If you're in such a hurry, you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do.
Inigo Montoya: I could do that. I have some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you.
Man in Black: That does put a damper on our relationship.
Inigo Montoya: I do not mean to pry, but you don't by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?
Man in Black: Do you always begin conversations this way?
Westley: Why won't my arms move?
Fezzik: You've been mostly-dead all day.
Fezzik: We face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.
Man in Black: You mean, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword, and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?
Fezzik: [brandishing rock] I could kill you now.
Man in Black: Frankly, I think the odds are slightly in your favor at hand fighting.
Fezzik: It's not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
Vizzini: I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.
Man in Black: You're that smart?
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Buttercup: You mock my pain.
Man in Black: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
Prince Humperdinck: Surrender.
Westley: You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept.
Inigo Montoya: Are you the Miracle Max who worked for the king all those years?
Miracle Max: The King's stinking son fired me, and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? We're closed.
Miracle Max: Get back, witch.
Valerie: I'm not a witch, I'm your wife. But after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that any more.
Westley: There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.
Miracle Max: Sonny, true love is the greatest thing, in the world-except for a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe
[smacks his lips]
Miracle Max: they're so perky, I love that.
The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...
[cut to Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik]
The Impressive Clergyman: And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...
[cut to the trio again]
The Impressive Clergyman: So tweasure your wuv.
Prince Humperdinck: Skip to the end.
The Impressive Clergyman: Have you the wing?
[cut to the trio once more]
The Impressive Clergyman: ...and do you,Pwincess Buwwercup...
Prince Humperdinck: Man and wife. Say man and wife.
The Impressive Clergyman: Man an' wife.
Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him.
Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.
Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Ode to Sleep
Here is a random poem that I wrote one day when I was struggling to pay attention in my French Class. I also want to point out that I was running on about 4 hours of sleep for about 3 days. Also don't read the poem by stanza, I only did that because I was playing with the rhyme scheme. So I hope that you all enjoy.
Oh sleep how I've missed thee
I lay waiting for you to take me away
From this world that is cruel.
Please come kidnap me
For I prefer the night to day
There seems to be some rule
Which allows me only three
Short hours of sway.
Then I wake to the droll
World that sucks the life from me.
As a vampire drinks the blood of prey.
I am an idiot and a fool
To believe that this dream might be
The hope of going this way
And hiding myself in a solitary hole.
Oh sleep how I've missed thee
I lay waiting for you to take me away
From this world that is cruel.
Please come kidnap me
For I prefer the night to day
There seems to be some rule
Which allows me only three
Short hours of sway.
Then I wake to the droll
World that sucks the life from me.
As a vampire drinks the blood of prey.
I am an idiot and a fool
To believe that this dream might be
The hope of going this way
And hiding myself in a solitary hole.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Quotes of the Day: April 12, 2010
Today's quotes are from the amazing book Anne of Green Gables series. Enjoy!
"I'm not a bit changed--not really. I'm only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME--back here--is just the same."
"Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"
"It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?"
"And people laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?"
"It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not so nice when you really come to have them, is it?"
"You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair," said Anne reproachfully. "People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is."
"Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing."
"In this world you've just got to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take whatever God sends."
"That is one good thing about this world. . .there are always sure to be more springs."
"There are so many unpleasant things in the world already that there is no use in imagining any more."
"We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us."
Human nature is not obliged to be consistent.
"I love to smell flowers in the dark," she said. "You get hold of their soul then."
"A little opposition gives spice to life."
"I'm not a bit changed--not really. I'm only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME--back here--is just the same."
"Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"
"It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?"
"And people laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?"
"It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not so nice when you really come to have them, is it?"
"You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair," said Anne reproachfully. "People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is."
"Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing."
"In this world you've just got to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take whatever God sends."
"That is one good thing about this world. . .there are always sure to be more springs."
"There are so many unpleasant things in the world already that there is no use in imagining any more."
"We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us."
Human nature is not obliged to be consistent.
"I love to smell flowers in the dark," she said. "You get hold of their soul then."
"A little opposition gives spice to life."
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Quotes of the Day: March 3, 2010
Some more funny movie quotes. Enjoy!
*Warning there is some naughty words, just so you know*
"What we’ve got here is "failure to communicate". Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week. Which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men."
"My Lord, whatever I done, don't strike me blind for another couple of minutes."
"That's my darling Luke. He grins like a baby but bites like a gator."
"Well that oughta be easy for a genuine son of a bitch."
"Any man playing grabass or fightin' in the building spends a night in the box."
"Ya know, sometimes I wished people was like dogs, Luke."
~From the movie Cool Hand Luke~
"I understand that you were handicapped by a natural immaturity, and I forgive you."
~From the movie Armageddon~
*Warning there is some naughty words, just so you know*
"What we’ve got here is "failure to communicate". Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week. Which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men."
"My Lord, whatever I done, don't strike me blind for another couple of minutes."
"That's my darling Luke. He grins like a baby but bites like a gator."
"Well that oughta be easy for a genuine son of a bitch."
"Any man playing grabass or fightin' in the building spends a night in the box."
"Ya know, sometimes I wished people was like dogs, Luke."
~From the movie Cool Hand Luke~
"I understand that you were handicapped by a natural immaturity, and I forgive you."
~From the movie Armageddon~
Monday, March 1, 2010
Quotes of the Day: March 1, 2010
Today I have a few quotes from the great movie Steal Magnolias, for those of you who have never seen it you need to it is an amazing movie that will make you laugh so hard you can't breath, and it will make you cry your eyes out, but it is such a good movie! It has a great cast, and some hilarious quotes. I hope you all enjoy!
*There are some profanities, don't say I didn't warn you*
"I do not see plays, because I can nap at home for free. And I don't see movies 'cause they're trash, and they got nothin' but naked people in 'em! And I don't read books, 'cause if they're any good, they're gonna make 'em into a miniseries."
"The only reason people are nice to me is because I have more money than God."
"You are a pig from hell."
"You are too twisted for color TV!"
"I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood 40 years!"
"Annelle, take your Bible and shove it where the sun doesn't shine."
"A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste."
"He is a boil on the butt of humanity!"
"Don't try to get on my good side, Truvy. I no longer have one!"
"What's the matter with you these days, M'Lynn? You got a reindeer up your butt?"
~Ouiser~
"Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!"
"That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."Ouiser could never stay mad at me; she worships the quicksand I walk on."
"Ouiser, you sound almost chipper. What happened today - you run over a small child or something?"
~Clairee~
"Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face."
"Oh, Sammy's so confused he don't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt."
"Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."
"Smile! It increases your face value."
"There is no such thing as natural beauty."
"Louie brought his new girlfriend over, and the nicest thing I can say about her is all her tattoos are spelled correctly."
~Truvy~
Ouiser: Yes, Annelle, I pray! Well, I do! There, I said it, I hope you're satisfied.
Annelle: I suspected this all along!
Ouiser: Oh! Well don't you expect me to come to one of your churches or one of those tent-revivals with all those Bible-beaters doin' God-only-knows-what! They'd probably make me eat a live chicken!
Annelle: Not on your first visit!
Clairee: Very good, Annelle! Spoken like a true smart-ass!
Clairee: You know, you would be a much more contented, pleasant person if you would find ways to occupy your time.
Ouiser: I'm pleasant. Damn it! I saw Drum Eatenton this morning at the Piggly Wiggly, and I smiled at the son of a bitch 'fore I couldn't help myself.
Annelle: We are in the house of the Lord!
Clairee: Oh like she cares. Ousier's never done a religious thing in her life.
Ouiser: Now that is not true. When I was in school, a bunch of my friends and I would dress up as nuns and go bar-hoppin'.
Clairee: [trying to do "color commentary" by discussing the color of the football uniforms] ... But I love the top - such a vibrant purple. Bob, would you call this color "grape" or "aubergine'?
Ouiser: SHUT UP!
Clairee: What?
Ouiser: You're makin' a fool outta yourself, Clairee.
Clairee: I am not.
Ouiser: This is football. All the people wanna hear about are touchdowns and injuries. They don't give a damn 'bout that grape shit.
*There are some profanities, don't say I didn't warn you*
"I do not see plays, because I can nap at home for free. And I don't see movies 'cause they're trash, and they got nothin' but naked people in 'em! And I don't read books, 'cause if they're any good, they're gonna make 'em into a miniseries."
"The only reason people are nice to me is because I have more money than God."
"You are a pig from hell."
"You are too twisted for color TV!"
"I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood 40 years!"
"Annelle, take your Bible and shove it where the sun doesn't shine."
"A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste."
"He is a boil on the butt of humanity!"
"Don't try to get on my good side, Truvy. I no longer have one!"
"What's the matter with you these days, M'Lynn? You got a reindeer up your butt?"
~Ouiser~
"Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!"
"That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."Ouiser could never stay mad at me; she worships the quicksand I walk on."
"Ouiser, you sound almost chipper. What happened today - you run over a small child or something?"
~Clairee~
"Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face."
"Oh, Sammy's so confused he don't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt."
"Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."
"Smile! It increases your face value."
"There is no such thing as natural beauty."
"Louie brought his new girlfriend over, and the nicest thing I can say about her is all her tattoos are spelled correctly."
~Truvy~
Ouiser: Yes, Annelle, I pray! Well, I do! There, I said it, I hope you're satisfied.
Annelle: I suspected this all along!
Ouiser: Oh! Well don't you expect me to come to one of your churches or one of those tent-revivals with all those Bible-beaters doin' God-only-knows-what! They'd probably make me eat a live chicken!
Annelle: Not on your first visit!
Clairee: Very good, Annelle! Spoken like a true smart-ass!
Clairee: You know, you would be a much more contented, pleasant person if you would find ways to occupy your time.
Ouiser: I'm pleasant. Damn it! I saw Drum Eatenton this morning at the Piggly Wiggly, and I smiled at the son of a bitch 'fore I couldn't help myself.
Annelle: We are in the house of the Lord!
Clairee: Oh like she cares. Ousier's never done a religious thing in her life.
Ouiser: Now that is not true. When I was in school, a bunch of my friends and I would dress up as nuns and go bar-hoppin'.
Clairee: [trying to do "color commentary" by discussing the color of the football uniforms] ... But I love the top - such a vibrant purple. Bob, would you call this color "grape" or "aubergine'?
Ouiser: SHUT UP!
Clairee: What?
Ouiser: You're makin' a fool outta yourself, Clairee.
Clairee: I am not.
Ouiser: This is football. All the people wanna hear about are touchdowns and injuries. They don't give a damn 'bout that grape shit.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
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Sunday, February 7, 2010
Quote of the Day: February 7, 2010
"Let me reiterate what Brigham Young said: if you're 25 years old and unmarried, you're a menace to society. Just something for everybody to ponder."
~Brother Niner from The Singles Ward~
"You're not just an RM, you're an LDS RM, who's trained at the MTC who became a DL a ZL, and an AP, who was promised long ago by his bishop through a PPI after BYC that someday he'd be the EQP. I smell GA!"
~From The RM~
"Tartan spelled backwards is SATAN!"
~From Baptists at our Barbecue~
~Brother Niner from The Singles Ward~
"You're not just an RM, you're an LDS RM, who's trained at the MTC who became a DL a ZL, and an AP, who was promised long ago by his bishop through a PPI after BYC that someday he'd be the EQP. I smell GA!"
~From The RM~
"Tartan spelled backwards is SATAN!"
~From Baptists at our Barbecue~
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