In which all hands are needed

Sometimes I think about what cool thing I can contribute to the world before I die.

Like what would I say at the end of my own "I'm a Mormon" video? 

"My name is Alyssa. I'm a pianist, I'm a math teacher, I'm a mother, and I'm a Mormon."

That's basically where my life is taking me.

Which isn't bad. 

But it also isn't a fashion designer with 154 children who has worked with Mother Teresa.

When we start comparing our weaknesses with others' strengths, we can take all the wind out of our own sails.

Comparison is, I believe, one of Satan's all-time favorite tools. It's subtle and extremely effective.

So what I liked about this video was that line: "Come, all hands are needed."

Not "all hands with expertise" or "all hands with lots of extra time" or, in fact, all hands with any qualifying factor. 

All hands are needed, everywhere, to do whatever they can where they are. 

And if one person's hands stop working simply because they aren't as good as someone else's hands, 

we lose one good worker.

So you know what? I'm going to be one whose hands come to help.

I had a few things stick out to me during church and during my own studies today, 

and I think this is my next step to focus on.

Come, all hands are needed.

Even mine. Even yours.

Even though many others are already working. 

Do what you can where you are. It'll help more than you know.

Happy Sunday!

happy happy happy

Today, I slept in on purpose. I'm wearing my excellent J.Crew jeans and my hair is in the most perfect first-time fishtail braid that ever existed. I passed my 2 technology skills tests for my major application (which means I can blog and use Microsoft Word, woot), and now I have an unexpected extra hour. My neck just popped, which I've been waiting for since last night. And as if all that wasn't enough, it's my favorite day of the week!

Today is just a great day.


I survived my crazy weekend, and now I feel like I have lots to blog about, but I can't think of specific things that have happened. But I can think of this story:
Yesterday, I left my car lights on for the whole day. My battery died. This was bad news because it was the one and only day of the week that I have to hurry home to teach piano lessons. But Jenna's friend/roommate, Kate, happens to park in the same lot as I do. And at this weird time, when we have never crossed paths until yesterday, she happened to be at her car. And she happened to have three boys and a set of jumper cables with her. And we were parked close enough that those cables reached without a problem. And my car was ready to go abnormally quickly. And I made it on time to piano lessons, which was a miracle.


You could say I'm pretty lucky, but I think it's more than that: I think I'm pretty blessed.
And I'm really grateful for my life right now because it rocks.
And I think I just wanted to stop in and mention that gratitude.
And now I need to keep doing homework.
But y'all go out and have lovely days now, y'hear? And if today isn't as lovely as it maybe could be, then I hope tomorrow makes up for it entirely.

Picture: this was in my "inspire." folder (so goodness only knows where I got it), and I love it:

"Si se puede" is what I'm telling myself this week

I miss this boy a lot today:

Also I miss talking to Bri all the time and BYU football isn't the same without Will around...
Essentially, if December would hurry it up already, I'd greatly appreciate it.


On a different note, tonight is our first concert of the year for Women's Chorus, and tomorrow I'll be at a family reunion, both of which will be a blast. However, I'm trying really really hard to not freak out about the amount of homework I have to fit into all the times I'm not busy (AKA: no times whatsoever). If anyone out there loves doing multi-variable calculus, abstract algebra proofs, or reading and writing about math education in America, you are so welcome to come sit at my house and do my homework while I go play :) 

...[crickets]...

Ok, I jest, I jest. That's against the Honor Code, of course. But seriously guys: starting in one hour, my life is going to be insane for...a long time. Don't expect to hear from me until, like, Wednesday. (I know, you're terribly disappointed, you don't have to say it.) Except if you really don't hear from me beyond then, I probably died, so please do look into that.

And now I sign off. Have yourself a merry little weekend.

What the heck?

2 days. 

2 benches.

2 buildings. 

2 boys. 

2 conversations. 

1 flattered girl.

Ok I just wanted to be dramatic there for a second. I have two other quickies to say now before I go be productive:

1 :: A huge THANK YOU to everyone for your input on my racism post. I don't think I've ever posted such a controversial opinion or topic or anything, and I was kinda freaked out by it. But I was ever so happy to hear others' thoughts and gain more insight, and it just really made my entire week! (Because it's a week later and I'm still happy about it and I still think about it.) (The post itself, that is. Not racism. Racism doesn't make me happy.)

2 :: That girl from Women's Chorus is totes engaged. 

Creep status

Tonight, up in the canyon, I saw a girl from Women's Chorus with a boy who was pulling a huge bouquet of flowers out of the trunk of his car and she looked all surprised and I felt creepy for stalking, but let it be known that I WITNESSED IT IF SHE GOT ENGAGED TONIGHT. And lest anyone think I'm making this up, her name's Brittney or Brittany or Britney or...well you get the idea.

And yes, I'll be watching her left hand like a hawk tomorrow in rehearsal. 

The end.

For Tae

My little sister said I should put up a "fun" post today...
I don't think she likes talking about racism and college. 
Weird, huh?

But anyways, here I go, being "fun"!
[Edit: I just asked her to specify and she said: "something that's not a lot of words about school" and then "something with lots of pictures." Hmm.]



First, let us start with a YouTube video I remembered my love for today. It's only 0:22 long, so just watch it:

Hahaha, man, that gets me every time. 
Ok ok ok, hang on while I watch it again.
Hahahahaha. 
Every. Time.
Haha.
Ha.



Ok now let's move on to pictures: one pretty and the rest entirely ridiculous/hilarious, depending on your current mood.

Oh, digital scrapbooking...

And finally, two websites for you to go waste time on, should you feel so inclined:
:: For fun (Please send me one of these. I've always wanted one. If you all send me one, my life's dreams will all be fulfilled. JUST SAYIN.)
:: For education (Of course, I consider this one as much fun as the last one, but I understand that only few people agree with that sentiment.)

And what the heck, 
:: For relaxing

OH and that last link just reminded me of a funny story from today! I was sitting on the couch next to my dear mother after school and she felt a little drowsy, so she decided to take a quick nap. Then, literally 2 minutes later, she sat up and was done sleeping. I kid you not: it was only 2 minutes after she had even put her head on the arm of the couch. TWO MINUTES. I asked her if she'd even fallen asleep or if she'd changed her mind or what, and she explained it, "Well, I just fell asleep like *that* and then I woke up just like *that* again." And I clarified, "So you really did take a whole nap in there?" And she said, "Yes, but I guess I'm done napping now." And then I just had to laugh because last I checked, that only happens to narcoleptics. 
I love my mom. 
Ok back to my blog post now...


[Please read the following in your best Barbie voice.] 
Okes dokes, I hope you feel like you had fun!! That's all I've got for you today. Now go do your homework, or housework, or other work, or whatever else you may have been ignoring to read this post. But come back soon! :) :) :)


This post brought to you by: my bookmarks folder.

On racism

WARNING: this post is super long and includes YouTube vids. Sorry in advance because I, too, hate watching those in the middle of my blog-stalking.

Today I watched a video posted by two of my Facebook friends with requests for comments. The topic is one that I've thought a lot about and never really come to any conclusions over, so I'm just going to post what I've gathered, and y'all can feel free to comment your own ideas as well.

First, the video that prompted this post. Please, take a looksie:

"Look around and you will find

No one's really colorblind!"

So is it true? Are we all a little bit racist? 

This video reminds me of three people: Morgan Freeman, Benjamin Carson, and Louis C.K. 

Let's start with #1, Morgan Freeman.
There's been a quote spread all over my social media lately by good ol' Morgan. You've probably seen/read it, but if not:

"How are we going to get rid of racism?" 

"Stop talking about it! I'm gonna stop calling you a white man, and I'm gonna ask you to stop calling me a black man."

Woo, go Morgan! says everyone on Pinterest and Facebook. Now, I love me some Morgan Freeman, but is it really as simple as that? Does NOT talking about racism suddenly make racism go away? I think not, but I also don't think that's what he means. I think what he means is something similar to what I learned from...


#2, Benjamin Carson.
In winter semester I decided last minute to go see this Benjamin guy at a forum in the Marriott even though it was inconvenient and I really didn't have time and it was a long walk and so on. It was the best decision I made all year. One of my favorite things he said was this: 

"What I have discovered in recent years is that it is virtually impossible these days to talk to a large group of people without offending someone... I really do not believe in politically correct messages and in fact I actually think it’s extremely dangerous. It seems to me like a lot of people who founded this nation came here trying to escape from people who tried to tell you what you could say and what you could think. And here we come reintroducing it through the back door. Really the emphasis should not be on indemnity of speech and indemnity of thought. The emphasis should be on learning to be respectful of people with whom they disagree."

So essentially, to heck with "politically correct"; rather, let's just promote respect for everyone's differences. Brilliant! Except it seems to contradict what Morgan said. He claims that we should stop talking about racism, but Ben claims we should say whatever we want about it. .... Wait, what? The key is that they both call for the same result: less emphasis on the issue in general. Hmm, that brings me to...


#3, Louis C.K, who joked about racism on Jay Leno one time and I just happened to catch it and remember it and write an essay for American Heritage with it. I tried to post the clip, but it's "expired" on Jay's site, whatever that means, so there went my comic relief. Sorry. Just read the essay:

            The United States of America stand as a supposed beacon of freedom and equality. Our founding documents stress the importance of individual liberty and the government’s role in protecting that liberty. Our nationwide ideology that “all men are created equal” has given scores of people hope in the American dream. However, these founding ideals have often been weighed, measured, and unfortunately, found wanting. Both throughout our history and in today’s current situation, the government has struggled to come completely clean with the claims it’s made in regards to equality for every person. No matter how much government may try to eliminate discrimination, vestiges of racism will remain a part of society due to the extra attention from the government as well as the traditions of generations past.

            It’s no secret that the government has tried for years to compensate for the effects slavery and discrimination have had on people of races other than white, but these attempts now approach overcompensation. Comedian Louis C.K. bluntly described the discrepancies between government’s attention to different races when he said, “I'm not trying to say that if you're white you can't complain. I'm just saying that if you're black you get to complain more.” The belief that any minority has the right to protest for reform rightfully has a strong hold in our society because it is listed in the Bill of Rights. Protests and petitions by minority races have changed the course of freedoms in America for the better in the past, but some races have now reached the mindset of excess entitlement, requesting and receiving benefits they simply have not earned. Affirmative action is an especially controversial example of unearned payments given to generations that never actually suffered from the original discrimination. As minority races cry out for benefits from the government, they simultaneously draw attention to and increase the public’s dislike of their differences. Ironically, their demand for equality and the efforts of the government to meet that demand widen the gap between races even further rather than solving the problem.

            In addition to the growing inconsistencies regarding government action for certain races, the underlying sentiment among the people is essentially one of forcedly positive racism. Peter Brimelow, an author interviewed by CNN, stated, “Americans are trained to think that any explicit defense of white interests is ‘racist.’” Since white people have been the population’s majority and highest on the social ladder seemingly forever, people of all races feel that defending white interests contributes to social inequalities and negative racism. Non-white races tend to complain as discussed above, and white people often end up feeling guilty for having sought their own best interests. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with white people living a life without want, people will tend to view any attempt, even on a small scale, to assist the white population in obtaining such a life as prejudiced and unfair.

            It is true that younger generations have more tolerance for diversity, demonstrating the success of generations past in increasing acceptance. In past generations, interracial couples have been scorned and even outlawed; today, though, if a teenager sees an interracial couple holding hands, it will not strike them as improper or even as strange. On the other hand, if that same teenager sits next to a Middle Easterner for the duration of a long flight, they likely will have the word “terrorist” cross their mind, even for just a moment. If they see a woman of Latino descent working at a fast food chain, they will probably not feel surprised in the least. These uncontrolled impressions form the hints of racism that carry across generations, and the government has only a very slim chance of ever forcing them out of our culture.

            In summary, although government may try, they will likely never succeed in eliminating racism simply because inequality in society will always exist. We can aim to even out the unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity by offering benefits to the less fortunate, but only if these benefits do not outweigh the living standard of the more fortunate. And then even then, government action will encourage the fortunate to complain that they must work while the less fortunate free-ride. Essentially, whether inequality exists between races matters less than the fact that inequality exists; since government cannot perfectly solve the general problem of inequality, they also cannot solve the problem of racism. Thus, it is a permanent fixture in our supposedly equal society, and fretting over it will not change that reality. 

So it's not my best essay ever, and I'm not sure I still agree with it all, but I do still think the racism issue is presently incurable. And if that's the case, why not let it be? If we ARE all a little bit racist, what's going to change that? If some have risen above it, can they pull us up with them? Is it worth it? Will it solve anything? Why don't we take Ben's idea and Morgan's idea and Louis's sarcasm and make an effort to better this level we're at, right here and now? I'll stop making a big deal out of it, you stop making a big deal out of it, and suddenly two people don't have a problem with racism. Keep it up, and soon lots more people also don't have a problem with racism. Maybe by eliminating everyone's problems with racism, we can begin to cure racism itself? Because if there are no problems stemming from it, then racism's not the problem at all, right? 

I don't want to make excuses for racism to be okay, but I think the sooner we stop the ever-presently pouncing cry of "RACIST!" the sooner we'll see a lack of racism, and vice versa. It goes both ways, of course.    Hmph.    Just... everyone cool down, ok?

I know, I know, it's easy for a white girl in America to say. 
This is not a real solution, but I'm not sure there is one. 
What do you think?

Filler post, 10 September 2012

I am labeling this a filler post because that's exactly what it is. I've been thinking of stuff to post all day, and here is a collection of everything because I couldn't decide on just one, nor would any one make the post I wanted. Anyways.

Tonight my FHE included giving and receiving foot massages, crafting for a humanitarian project, and red velvet cheesecake brownies. Not an average Monday night, but lovely just the same. 

I have 451 blog posts currently sitting in my Google reader, and it's stressing me out. STOP BLOGGING, PEEPS. (But not really.)

Colored jeans are quite possibly the best trend ever. I didn't think I'd convert, but here I am, utterly smitten. I want all the colors in the whole world.

It's been a good mail season lately: really excellent letters from that one missionary arrived on Friday, and a year supply of my favorite chapstick showed up today. Now all I need is a check for a million bucks and I should be set...

One time my brother-in-law told us that he has a spot on his head that makes him sneeze if scratched. I thought that was ridiculous until I found my own spot the other day. Do you get a tickly nose when you scratch your temple just right? Is that the strangest question I've ever asked?

Ok. Thunderstorm tonight. So much love. Last summer rocked all my socks off with super cool thunderstorms. This summer has been the summer of fires and smokiness, which makes for great sunsets but awful air. I think I'll take the rain, thank you very much.

I really need to blog about this one time when I went to St. George, and that one thing I'm making called a quilt, and how I live in a really beautiful place, and some new friends that I've made, and chivalry and perfect lives and stuff. Maybe if Abstract Algebra could be less abstract, I'd have time to! (Yeah, there's angst there.) Better blogging coming up, just as soon as the semester ends I get my head above water.

And now for two [very relevant] pictures of food from Instagram:

Blueberry banana cream pie, from the stadium farmers' market.

Tonight's brownies, which really will just change your life.

I promise that sometimes I eat things that are not dessert. 

I also promise that the next time I blog will be worth your time to read.

But for now, goodnighty spriteys!

Fall 2012 semester run-down

When I started college, I told myself I'd take one class each semester that was not required for my major. 

And then Fall 2012 came along. 

Poop.

But the good news is that I still do like my classes even though they are nothing out of the ordinary. I still can't let go of my original idea, so I'm claiming that one of my easy Spring term classes will count for the credits I would have used here. Does that even make sense? No, no it doesn't. Oh well.


Anyways. Here are all my pre-judgments for my classes (so that I can read this after the semester ends and realize how wrong I was):

Abstract Algebra :: This class scares the living daylights right outta me. First-year professor? Lovely. Another semester of proofs? Bring it on. Rings and groups? I have no clue what those are, but apparently I'll be able to tell you sometime next week. This will definitely be my most difficult class; I'm sure of it. YIKES.

Multi-Variable Calculus :: So far, not too bad! But also so far we haven't learned anything I didn't already know from 313 (Linear Algebra), so...we'll see. I do know that I love love love the professor already (but probably not as much as Emma), and homework for this class has yet to take me longer than 30 minutes each time. Please let this continue for the whole semester.

Stats for Ed :: Ok, didn't I take this course in high school? Based on the first two class sessions, I did indeed. Seriously, NOTHING IS NEW. Welcome back to AP stats, Lys. Feel free to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Thank you, I think I'll do just that.

New Testament :: Stanley is hilarious, or so I've heard, and I like the way he runs class time. I honestly wouldn't mind more papers to write and deeper levels of analysis, but I probably should watch what I wish for, so pretend I never said that. I've no doubt that I'll leave the class knowing more about the NT than I currently do, but maybe I shouldn't have given up on that really tough teacher in the first week...

Exploration of Math Teaching :: AKA "going to schools and observing teachers and reading some stuff sometimes" AKA "probably really easy across the board." This is my only class with any threat of having to write papers, and they're easy papers, so that's nice for someone who never loved English. Also, this class gives me a handy break in my schedule wherein I can visit with Shaundra, which I am looking forward to.


I've been scared for this semester ever since I set up my classes because it just sounded like all math, all the time. It is a lot of math, but I love math! If I can survive that scary algebra, I think the rest will be just fine. I finish my homework before I come home almost every day, which means evenings are all mine. Today I started learning a new Beethoven piece and tomorrow I'm going to stop at the farmers' market at the stadium. So much free time, so little to do! (For now at least.) OH! And I forgot to mention that I'm in Women's Chorus again, and I love my new folder partner, so that's excellent news. 

Life is oh so good. Here's to a great new semester.

I like this picture more for its visual appeal than anything, but the quote fits so there you have it.

[picture via]

If these take a second to load, WAIT.

Cuz I think they're worth it.

Sometimes, this is how we spend our free time:

And then we laugh really hard and make another one:

And then we all have nightmares. 

The end.

Photo credit to Mariah, gif-creating credit to Mariah, modeling credit to Alyssa and Mattea, creepiness credit to Mattea. 

In which I reflect on summer and awesomeness.

Well now that school has started, I suppose we are really approaching the end of summer. I'd call it the end already, but I'm all about technicalities and that gives us until later this month, so...yeah.

At the beginning of summer, I wrote this blog post in which I set goals to think and create and be inspired, and to record it all as I went, in an effort to avoid the mundane. I set a few specifics on the recording of things (since I knew requiring that much of myself would make me step out of my normal routine) and then I just went for it. And I feel pretty good about the way my summer turned out!

First, I successfully avoided recording day-to-day boringness. This does not mean that I completely ignored the way my life revolves around routine, but rather that I chose to highlight parts of my routine that I particularly like or dislike--the highs and the lows, if you will. Also, I of course made an effort to emphasize the extra fun things I did this summer that I haven't done in past summers (a couple visits from friends/family, a trip to St. George, NSO, etc.). My journaling from this summer is much more about relationships, life lessons, and unique events than what I ate for lunch and how much time I sat at the piano. 

Second, I successfully thought more (via learning new stuff) and created more! I finished more pages in my SMASH book, which always makes me feel crafty. I sent some cutesy extras to that one missionary. I mastered a new Rachmaninoff piece, and I added a few new staple meals to my repertoire (this is a big deal because I usually eat toast and burritos) (not at the same time though, don't worry). I taught myself a few new braids for my hair. I started making a quilt; you'll hear more about it when it's finished, of course. I wrote haikus and an essay in my journal, just for fun. I read some new books. Basically, I felt good about this one because I spent a lot of the summer jotting down things I wanted to learn about or do, and then I simply Googled them or did them. It sounds overly simple, but it kept me thinking and progressing all summer long, rather than feeling bored. Sweet.

Finally, I think I successfully opened myself up to inspiration from all different sources and for all different aspects of my life. For a really really long time, I've had this idea that other people are mostly obnoxious when they try to be inspiring and I need to just find inspiration from inner me or nature or something. I know it doesn't make sense, but I didn't want anything to do with "inspiring" people. However, I've had some serious changes in philosophy as of late, and now I've realized that I just need to stop assuming people's intentions and appreciate whatever they have to offer. (It's deep, I know.) I feel like I've mentioned this on here before, but the way it affected my summer is this: I now write down things other people say in church or school or anywhere so that I can remember and apply them, and I listen to advice from others more willingly. I also now have a folder in My Pictures called "inspire." and it's full of, well, pictures that are inspiring, haha. Mostly it houses quotes that I want to remember, color schemes I'm in love with, shapes I can use in my SMASH journal, or anything else that just strikes me for whatever reason. In short, I no longer refuse to think other people have cool ideas because HELLO, people are awesome and they do much cooler things with their time than I ever seem to come up with.

Ok that's the end of my summer success story. I am seriously so happy with the way this summer turned out! 


And now as a Sunday edition addition (see what I did there??) to the inspiration topic: I have thought a lot lately about how people are so amazing and why they are so and what makes them like that and such. Ultimately, we each are who we are because we each have a spark of divinity in the deepest of our souls. That spark is the reason we create and hope and love and serve and participate in all manner of other godly activities. When I thought being inspired by others was inferior to direct inspiration from God, I was missing the point; the truth is that our loving Heavenly Father manifests His goodness to us individually through other people. Refusing to appreciate that goodness in others was a quick way to demonstrate that I wasn't open to inspiration, period, and it was damaging to all parts of me. I hope I can now continue to humbly learn from those around me in all aspects of life. Because HELLO, people are truly awe-some.

From my "inspire." folder, of course. I promise I didn't plan that in advance.

Now fall is almost here. I'll be setting some new goals in the near future, but I'll definitely need some inspiration from y'all, so go be awesome folks! And thanks for reading this long thing. And I love you all. And I mean that. And happy Labor Day!


(Stay tuned for something kind of disturbing awesome to be posted tomorrow morning.)