Watch Chuck

If you watch Chuck or would like too but feel really behind without starting at the beginning, go here and you can watch the first season!

I'm grateful that the power came back on. I'm grateful for the cd of the Mormon Tabernacle Chior and Sissle. I'm grateful for all the Christmas books we have, especially the ones that I've loved since I was just little. I'm grateful to get to see old friends this Saturday. I'm grateful for the amazing cooking of Polynesian women; in my experience you can't starve with Polynesians around, they tend to be so warm and loving and generous. I'm grateful for the Nutcracker ballet. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to hear a Nobel Prize recipiant speak tonight. I'm grateful that I've thought about what things I'm thankful for this month, it has really helped to put things in perspective and realize how blessed I am.

I'm grateful that I get to go to church today. I'm grateful that I was raised in this church. I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and for Joseph Smith. I'm grateful for the Christmas season and for the reason we celebrate: Jesus Christ.

I've decided that for the month of December I'm going to focus on service, I'm also going to try and learn more about why we connect certian things with Christmas like trees, candy canes, etc. I'll try and share those here.

I'm grateful that football is not really a part of my life. I'm grateful that I'm not living less than a block away from the big rivalry game. I'm grateful that I get to do something I love for the rest of my life. I'm grateful not to have a "usual" sort of job, with an office and all of that.

I'm grateful for free bagels. I'm grateful for arches 88 being 40% off. I'm grateful for leftover pie. I'm grateful to sleep in my own bed. I'm grateful for wonderful people who love me. I'm grateful for wonderful people that I love.

I'm grateful that we travled safely. I'm glad to be back home again. I'm grateful for family and food. I'm grateful for pie. I'm grateful to sleep in my own bed with my comfortor and blankie. I'm grateful that I could watch movies in the car. I'm grateful that I could see Orian last night. I'm grateful that I got to play with a cute little boy. I'm grateful that I'm going to go to bed soon. I'm grateful that my house is quiteter than my aunt and uncle's house.

I'm grateful that my house is not generally underconstruction. I'm glad that it should be warmer when they put in the new windows. I'm grateful that Thanksgiving is tomorrow and that we can see family and eat delicious food. I'm grateful that I got some work done this morning. I'm grateful for warm clothes and blankets. I'm grateful to whomever invented pie.

I'm grateful for not having to go to the dentist to get a root canal. I'm grateful for how beautiful roses are. I'm grateful for well crafted movies. I'm grateful for amusing children's books. I'm grateful not to have been born in centuries past. I'm grateful for the conference ensign so that I can read the talks again. I'm grateful for the temple and the work that can be done for people there. I'm grateful for the plan of salvation. I'm grateful for beautiful sunsets. I'm grateful for brownies. I'm grateful that Chuck will be back on in January. I'm grateful for sewing machines and seam rippers.

I'm grateful that I could go to church yesterday, I'm grateful for the delicious ward Thanksgiving dinner that we ate after church, it was sooo good! I'm grateful that I went to BYU, not only for the things that I learned but for the person my time there helped me become. I'm grateful that we drove safely in the snow last night and that it's so beautiful this morning. I'm grateful that I no longer wake up at 5:30 am to get to work. I'm grateful that I could see the sun coming up this morning and shining through the snowy landscape. I'm glad not to have a job that involves diciphering people's handwriting.

I'm grateful for the way peanut butter gets all melty on hot toast. I'm grateful for brownies. I'm grateful that it's Sunday.

I'm grateful for a warm fleece blankets and pillows to lie on the couch with while watching pleasnt movies. I'm grateful that I didn't get injured playing volleyball this morning, I'm also grateful that I'm not yet as sore as I expect to be tomorrow. I'm grateful for a beanie to combat cold and wet hair, I'm grateful that my hair is no longer long enough to freeze when wet and outside...it's not a plesant experience. I'm grateful for the stuffed (pasta) shell that I'll get to eat. I'm grateful that the posters are done and delivered and no longer my worry.

I'm grateful that I'm almost done with the posters I said I'd make, I'm grateful that I live so close to a temple, I'm grateful that I have a loving Heavenly Father, I'm glad that in less than a week I will be eating pie! I'm grateful that I'm not a graphic designer. I'm grateful that I was in bed last night and not with thousands of crazed Twilight fans at a movie theater. I'm grateful that I don't have any sort of teaching degree.

I'm grateful that lettering is not something I have to do with any regularity. I'm grateful that I didn't even consider becoming an elementary school teacher. I'm grateful that I studied art, and that I had a miserable English class in 12th grade which helped me decide to switch from majoring in English and minoring in art, to majoring in art and minoring in English...which ended up not happening. I'm also so grateful that I had a wonderful teacher who opened my eyes to so many cool things and what I could do that I'd never dreamed of.

I'm grateful for tracing paper, for So You Think You Can Dance, and for prayer.

I'm grateful for delicious turkey sandwhiches, super long licorice and sitting in front of the heat vent.

I'm grateful for the candy Dots. I'm grateful for good music. I'm grateful that one is not prohibited from reading a book even if they are not in the targeted age range.

Albrecht Durer Correction

Okay, so this is the second time I've heard this story in sacrament meeting and I'd like to put a stop to it because however sentimental a story, it's not true. There is a story that's apparently going around about Albrecht Durer and a work of his. The first time I heard this story was in a talk in sacrament meeting about a year ago, I perked up because Albrecht Durer is one of my favorite artists, but as the speaker went on I realized that the story couldn't be true because it contradicted most of what I've read about him.
The story goes that Albrect Durer the Senior and his wife had 18 children and Albrecht Durer (the artist) and his brother Albert both wanted to be artists but their father couldn't or wouldn't pay for them to go to art school so they flipped a coin or something to that effect to determine who would go to school first and who would work to support the brother in school, they would switch later. Albrecht won the coin toss and went to school and became the talented famous artist. When the time came for him to support his brother in school, his brother's hands were too messed up from working in a coal mine or similarly unpleasant occupation. To honor his brother Durer drew his brother's hands in the piece called "Praying Hands"
That is the story. Now to get to the many reasons why this story isn't true. First and foremost, "Praying Hands" was a sketch for another piece, it was not a tribute to a brother but a study of hands, also those hands do not look like the hands of someone who has supposedly had every bone in the hands broken to me, please remember that someone working in a coal mine (etc.) in the 1500s would not be going to the emergency room and getting modern treatment. Next, I haven't ever heard of anything like this in any of my studies of Durer and frankly it's something that I think art historians would have picked up on. Yet another problem was that I don't know if there even was an art academy in Durer's time, Durer learned by being an apprentice in the workshop of another artist, traveling to Italy etc. Another problem, I don't know that most people even worry about Durer's siblings, they're not as important as him histoicly, he might not have even had a brother Albert. I hope at this point I have sufficiently convinced anyone reading that while this story is very nice and touching, it's not true. If you've just got to have this story you could change it to some fictional artist and then you'd be fine. If you hear it, perhaps you could pass it on to the teller that it's not true. Thank you.
Incidently you really should look into Durer because he was an absolutly amazing artist.

I'm grateful for the absolutely beautiful snow!I'm grateful that I was able to drive safely and without accident when it was snowing yesterday. I'm grateful that I was able to tour the Masonic Temple yesterday, I've been really interested in Masons lately and for years their temple's been a mystery to me, when I was little I thought it was a library because of the sphinxes...I guess I saw a lot of libraries with lions outside of them? If you ever get the chance to tour a Masonic Temple, I highly suggest you take it, it's fascinating, I only wish that I'd brought my camera so that I could show you just how cool it is.
Oh yes, I'm also grateful that it's Sunday and I can go to church, and for the beautiful song O Divine Redeemer.

I'm grateful for how wonderful it is to be warm in bed under the blankets when it's cold outside. I'm grateful that we got our leaves raked before the snow came today.

I am grateful for the cookies that my visiting teacher brought me yesterday. I'm also grateful that the dress I'm making is all cut out now, I do not enjoy cuttting patterns out. I'm grateful that the sun is shining and that I get to go to the temple today.

I'm grateful for electricity and indoor plumbing.

It's Vetren's day and I am grateful that the allies won World War II, I'm grateful that the cold war and the Vietnam war are over. I am grateful for those who've fought for freedom.

I am grateful that I don't have any terrible and/or disturbing injury stories.

Berlin Wall Day

I'm grateful that 20 years ago today, the Berlin wall came down. It was a big deal after decades, a city and a country that had been divided were reunited. The Berlin wall coming down was part of the end of the iron curtin. The movie Goodbye Lennin is a good one to watch to get a better understanding of what things were like in East Berlin right around the time that the wall came down. I remember watching a movie in German class about a family that made a hot air balloon to escape East Germany, it was not a great place, cars were practically made out of cardboard; "Checkpoint Charlie" where people could travel between the east and west, was a place of fear people didn't know if they'd actually make it through. It's so wonderful that German is one united country again, no divisions between the east and the west anymore. The cold war is over.

I'm grateful for all the amazing books that are out there and filled will super cool things to learn. I'm even more grateful for libraries because I have neither the money nor the space for all these cool books. I'm also glad that the new conference Ensign is out.

I'm grateful for friends and laughing.

I'm grateful that it's another beautiful day and that I got to go to the temple and do baptizims for the dead.

a few things

First off, happy Guy Fawkes day, it's a British holiday when Guy Fawks tried to blow up the parliament. To learn more about it you can go here.
Second off, I've been learning about camera obscura which is really cool, you can make a pin hole in something, say a box, and if you cut off the other side and aim the pin hole at something you will see it projected upside down from the open side of the box. I know, you're probably skeptical, I was myself until I actually saw one in action and it really does work, it's so cool. I'm going to try and make one, pictures will follow.
Thirdly I'm grateful that it's a lovely fall day outside and that there's such cool things to learn about, like the camera obscura.

I'm grateful for the founding fathers of America, and for how hard they fought to create a free nation.

I love President Uchtdorf!

I'm grateful for good music and dancing.

gratitude

I've decided, after an inspiring lesson yesterday and with the holidays ahead in mind, that I'm going to write something that I'm grateful for each day. I might also write other things, but that's what I'm going to do.

I'm grateful that the sun is shining today and that it looks to be a beautiful day. I'm also grateful that I have a place to live and food to eat.

November

I don't know about anyone else out there but I am looking foreword to the next big holiday. I would like to remind everyone that there are actually two holidays this month and that it's still almost two months before Christmas. Veteran's day and Thanksgiving are both ahead before black Friday. Christmas is wonderful but there's other things to think about before the commercialism completely takes over.