Poetry Month: April

April was National Poetry month. Who knew? So here are some poetry related things to help send off the season.

David Brooks writes about metaphors.

Sparks sings about them.



The New York Times sometimes posts poetrywritingstory things. These poems are short enough to fit in a twitter post:



Twitter Poem
The poem creates a space.
It hides in a tent in a forest.
Making its own bed it falls asleep in the dark,
wakes up under a lamp or the sun.
Billy Collins, whose new book of poems is “Horoscopes for the Dead.”

earth donates
break in a wave train
fallout active plume cloud spills
red reactors give
cross characters translated
in kanji could say much more
Claudia Rankine, whose latest book of poems is “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.”

Teeny tiny poem
Teeny tiny poem/just enuf 2hold/1 xllent big word/Impluvium/open-eyed courtyrd/collectng rain/as all poems do/ skylife, open/birds do:/ tweet
Elizabeth Alexander, whose latest book of poems is “Crave Radiance,” and who wrote and delivered a poem for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

The times also did 6 word love poems. I think that the concept comes from this. They also have a book. My favorite?

"Waiting for us to be brave."


Pretty much sums up all of my dating experience at BYU. bahaha.

When I was on my mission, meeting odd people was a daily occurrence. I miss that. sometimes it feels like Provo lacks those eccentricities. I remember running into this man, we tried to talk to him, but, I don't know, he was full of this nervous energy that screamed "topo". Anyway, I think he new that he made us nervous so he bought us some candy or something and than told us to go to his website; "fiebre poesia". Now, looking back, I think he was really trying to be kind. Finally, over two years later. I checked that website out.
Here it is.

Also, I just re-listened to this song that came out ELEVEN years ago. Wow. Still know all the words :)



Remember when Nelly Furtado was kind of folksy? Wha'happend?

Keep Calm and Marry On

I loved everything about the royal wedding!

Yes. I am one of those people. Though I wanted to stay up and watch at 4 in the morning, sleep got the better of me. So mumsy and I went over to Hevia's for bread and maté. We had recorded the CNN coverage so as to relive every moment. 

FIRST OFF. 

Did anyone else watch it on CNN? I loved Anderson Cooper's attitude about the whole thing. It is summed up in the picture:

ambivalent

haha. It seemed like every five minutes he was saying "Let's listen to the crowds", and trying to get them to be quiet. But he got into it a bit later on. And I love Piers Morgan and I love Cat Deeley and I don't remember who else was there...but Vera Wang? I felt that was unnecessary. Whatever.

The dress was beautiful.

and the hats

 fun.

And I also loved that Harry got to ride in the "Kids Karraige".

Awwww look at how cute they are!

I hear that Ellie Goulding will be playing at their reception "after party". So here's a tune for the happy couple. Wish them the best.

Standby

About twice a month, for the past 8 months, I have worked "standby" at Aspen Grove. Last night was my last lock-up EVER. I am done!
Here is a first-person account of what standby looks like:

The main duty when you work standby is to lock up all the buildings. I often dressed for this undertaking as though I were preparing for an expedition. You also need to carry a radio and the lodge cell phone in case you are needed. 

 Ready to go!

I never got used to this view

Over the bridge to Beckham lodge

The camp is usually deserted and quiet when it comes time to lock up. You will be by yourself, wandering around camp and through buildings in the dark. This is also a perfect opportunity for your co-workers to hide and pop out when you least expect it. They will take advantage of this opportunity whenever possible. This will put you on edge every time you need to lock up. Sometimes you will catch glimpses of yourself in windows and mirrors and you will freak yourself out. 

Creepy, lonely hall 

Creepy, lonely lobby 

View of the pond from Beckham lodge 

 

The paths will often be covered in ice and you will slip and fall. But it doesn't matter, because no one is there to see you. It is treacherous.

 

Bridge heading over to the Huish 

Staff photos from winter. We are such a good-looking family. Ha.  

The swimming pool 

If you give a moose a muffin...he will become a nuisance, and extreme measures must be taken.

Most of the windows around Huish are buried in snow. 

I often wonder if this his would be a defensive benefit or 

a detriment in the event of a zombie apocalypse. 

The Huish is a good place to do homework uninterrupted. 

But you will probably end up playing the piano instead.

These are photos of a mini-avalanche that fell from the roof of our house.

Sometimes, I am sad to see the snow go.

horror-scope

From this website.

Also

my hair is now brown.

booyah

Easter

Monday was a wonderful day.

I took two finals and turned in an essay; officially finishing my second-to-last semester at BYU.

That evening, I went over to Silvia and Dave's for Passover. 

My experience with Passover is limited. When I was a freshman, a girl from my floor did a little passover thing in the basement because here father is Jewish. We did a sort of shortened version. This time, Dave led as the patriarch, and it was all in Spanish. The booklet we used included scriptures and thoughts from the New Testament that helped highlight the connection between Jewish ideas of sacrifice to the fulfillment of the covenants with the atonement of Christ. It was lovely. The ceremony really illustrated the concepts of trial, sacrifice, and patience, bringing them new meaning.

Today is Easter, and I think these examples show what this day is really about. Songs usually speak more eloquently than I can anyway.

John Wayne Gacy Jr. - Sufjan Stevens

"In my best behavior

I am really just like him

Look underneath the floorboards

See the secrets I have hid"

"I’m not so much empathizing with his behavoiur as I’m empathizing with his nature. I guess I believe we all have the capacity for terrible criminal acts, and though I don’t understand how he did what he did and can’t imagine myself doing anything like that, I do feel that we often use criminals and these kind of horrifying anomalies in human naure as moral leverage to make ourselves feel better about ourselves. There’s a real division between what is bad and what is good. I’m saying that I think we all have the capacity to do this..."
- Sufjan Stevens, June 2005

I think I've shared before, that it is easy to get caught up in the sad things in the world. Despite our good intentions, we slip up and make mistakes. Hopefully not to the extent of John Wayne Gacy Jr. but painful nonetheless. Our nature (the natural man), is so prone to be selfish and choose wrong. But we can have hope, and that hope comes through Christ.

The Salt Lake library never fails me. By chance, I picked up The Welcome Wagon's first album. I had been wanting to give it a listen ever since I heard this song* on Pandora before my mission. You can hear the Sufjan influence, no? That is because he produced this album. I love the Asthmatic Kitty family. I was worried they weren't sincere. I worry about sincerity a lot (see post on the Sufjan Stevens concert). Supposedly they are a husband wife duo and he is a reverend/minister.
I think they are earnest. This is the first track:

In the end, Christ knows our weaknesses and our faults, but he also knows our potential. He won't leave us alone. He makes up for what our "best behavior" lacks.

"For us our Heavenly Father gave His Son. For us our Elder Brother gave His life.

At the last moment the Master could have turned back. But He did not. He passed beneath all things that He might save all things: the human race, the earth, and all the life that ever inhabited it.

No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6)."

     

     - President Thomas S. Monson, First Presidency Message, Apr. 2011

Here's to a happy and hopeful Easter!

Love, 

Gretchen

*this song was inspired by this song by Brother Danielson. Yep. He usually dresses as a tree when he sings.

A little something beautiful to officially end the semester

With the successful execution of my last two finals, my summer has officially started. Even though the hills around me are covered with snow, I could hear the birds chirping when I walked into the Snowshoe dorms.

The smell outside was distinctly different. The start of spring

Today, we celebrated Passover with Silvia and Dave, in spanish nonetheless. 

But I will talk about that tomorrow. 

I just want to show you this right now.

The guys in blue? That's Blooming from SANTA CRUZ BOLIVIA puej. (I am actually a fan of their rivals, Oriente Petrolero, but whatever.) The striker is from URUGUAY. So basically, this is what happens when you combine cultures from the two most underappreciated (and most dear to my heart) South American countries:

That was sweet. Am I right, or am I right?

Freak you out, in a good way.

I know, two posts in ten minutes.
INSANITY

I'm kind of behind on this, but I couldn't resist.
This song has been one of my favorites.
Until I saw the music video.
Now my mind has been plagued.

It is so subtly twisted.
Sick.
ILOVEIT.

Watch at your own risk:



You can read more about the video here.

The Songs of Spring

Around this time last year, I was listening to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Home" nearly everyday.

I think this song is well on its way to becoming that sort of song this year.

It's a duet.
Instead of a catchy whistle, it has a catchy audience-participation-worthy "Hey!"
Its lyrics are similarly incomprehensible.

So give it a listen.
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks:


I'm actually not that in love with it. At least not has much as Home.

But you know what song I am in love with? Maybe even more than Home?
This one:


I want to be Lissie when I grow up.

Neither here, nor there: Arcade Fire

As you may have noticed that I am not at the Arcade Fire concert.
I'm actually not that torn up about it as I am sure that I will see them sometime in the future.

Here are some reasons why they are a clever band:
Reason 1. 

Note 1: of the 2 million plus view of this video, probably a million of them are from me. 

Reason 2. They performed with LCD Sound System at their final show a week ago:

They mostly just screamed. It was funny and they were good at it.

Note 2: James Murphy does not look as cool as his voice sounds, 

but I think that is a good thing.

Reason 3. They are so clever, everybody steals from them.
 
EXHIBIT A:

Listen to this track: Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #2 (Laika). Listen to the chord progression of 5ths kind of like duh..duhduh...duh..duhduh. Man, I wish I could describe this to you in a more coherent manner. I knew I should have got more schooling in the musical arts. Now pay attention to the bpm (beats per minute) and also the key. Listen to the drum beat.

Listen to this track: Surfer Blood - Harmonix. Eh? EH!!?! It is only slightly slower

Ok, I know they are not like, exact copies, but they are QUITE similar.

EXHIBIT B:

Listen to this track: Arcade Fire - Rococo.

Now this one: The Dears - Blood.

Same key, almost the same tempo, the guitar is so similar.

So I know you are all asking...

I don't know, just thought it was kind of cool. Everyone should already know most songs are just smart re-workings of age-old chord progression, many of which can be layered and layered on top of one another. I think that's part of what makes musical memorable and likable. Whatevs.

Bottom line: Arcade Fire is pretty great.

Story of my life.

So a couple weeks ago, I was cruising through Hype Machine and everyone was posting and reposting tracks from Childish Gambino. The names of his tunes at least sounded promising ("Freaks and Geeks") and I had heard that he was part of a cool Jamie XX remix of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".

Oh friends.
I was so disappointed.
He was just another rude dude that used crude fronts as part of his bravado.
And his voice sounded whiny...
but also...
sort of familiar...

So who is this guy really?

None other than Troy from Community!

Not Little Troy Soldier!!!!!!! I know that Donald Glover isn't REALLY Troy, so he probably isn't actually all that sweet and innocent and lovable, but does he really have to compensate with a gross-y rap persona? For shame.

I had fallen in love with Troy, and then I fell out of love with Donald Glover.

He actually is going to have a show in Salt Lake on April 19th.

Hm.
...


Will you think less of me if I am tempted to go?

Skillz

My dad has been helping me put together a resume and listed my "skills" as follows:

Fluent in Spanish

Proficient in Microsoft Word, other software applications

Music: Voice and Piano

Other: Carpentry, Plumbing, Landscaping

Photography, Pottery, Other Arts & Crafts

Wishful thinking Pops. I have none carpentry, plumbing, or landscaping skills. I can write about pottery, and sell it to you, but I don't actually make it myself (I did make a swan, a teapot, and a golden snitch from Harry Potter in my highschool ceramics class though...maybe that's what he was referring to.) As to "Other Arts and Crafts", I'm pretty good at collages, but I don't know how interested any future employers would be in that.

Can I be one of these people without actually doing what they do?

What is it that they do anyway?

 

Musings to the theme of General Conference

This is Mark Wahlberg

This is Mack Wilberg

It is easy to get the two confused because their names are so similar 

and they both are musically talented...

...but they are not one and the same. 

P.S. It is difficult to find pictures of Mark Wahlberg with all of his clothes on. Mack Wilberg, on the other hand, understands that "modest is hottest".

Now that that's out of the way.

I love conference weekend. It is one of my favorite times of the year.

It was only slightly marred because I had a group project due today that I should have been working on all weekend but I was in salt lake and the only place I can get anything done ever is in the BYU library because I can hide in the basement where my cell phone doesn't get service and there are no windows so I can't see nature and be drawn to it and because there is no service/windows my friends don't study there so they can't distract me and I can't listen to music cause I only listen to it out loud cause I hate my headphones and someone should buy me some cool new ones like these (the plywood ones) so anyway youtube/hulu/hypem is out of the question but I didn't do my work before so I was worried the whole time but now it is done and I've made yet another resolution to never procrastinate...

ever,

ever,

ever again.

former motto

Let's hope that lasts.

I wasn't as prepared for conference as I would like to be, but I've renewed my vigor in keeping my goals.

It was comforting to know that the brethren think I'm pretty great (Quentin L. Cook's talk), but I want to be better and to do good. I will strive to be recognized as a follower of Christ, like Elder Gonzales said, and I also be more attentive and kind to those around me who are trying to do the same.

Elder Kent F. Richards talk reminded me that feeling pain, as awful as it may be, is a sign that I'm alive. It's a sign that I haven't lost my sensitivity and become cynical about the world. In a round about way, it is a sign of hope, because pain won't last forever. I listened to "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis over the summer. The following from that book matches nicely with Elder Richard's talk: Tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless.

I know that I would rather be refined than rejected.

In my homeboy's talk (do you remember when these shirts were the coolest? Or these shirts, for that matter? Man...I've been at BYU for too long.), he said that "we should not have higher standards for others than we have for ourselves". That is important advice to follow. I'm pretty strict about my standards, and maybe not as forgiving on my judgements. It's important to remember that most people are trying to be good, most of the time.

But I think my very favorite talk was Elder Oaks'. In fact, I think I'll just put it up here for all y'all to watch for yourselves, just in case you missed it:


ALMA 32:26-27
26Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

27But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

I also like Russell M. Ballards talk. "The patient accumulation of little flecks of gold has brought me great wealth." Sometimes I get discouraged when I compare my life to other peoples. It makes it seem mundane and small. But during this talk, I wrote, "Maybe it seems like my life doesn't have many nuggets, or that I'm not finding them, but I know that I am gradually collecting golden moments in my life". My brother's interpretation of the talk was that we need to appreciate all the small things, just like Blink 182 said.

Oh boy.
At least he was listening.

On Sunday, it was more difficult for me to concentrate. What I gathered from the talks was the importance of keeping ourselves receptive to revelation and spiritual promptings. And also (most of the girls I've talked to agree with me on this), I want to have a marriage just like Elder Scott's when I grow up. Every time he talks about his wife it is a tender moment.

So I hope you all enjoyed conference as well! If you missed it, they are all up on youtube if you subscribe to Mormon Messages. Awesome, I love living in the future.

April 1st

Happy April Fools Day!

My alarm clock went of at 3 AM this morning...

 in Bree's room...

 on top of her closet...

 it took me 5 minutes to find it.

Awesome.

At least I didn't find rice in my boots.