Cold Weather Stuff

Hey guys. Hope you're all doing well. My schoolwork's been going well. So well that I was voted President of the United States today! I mean, it was technically just a simulation, but...I'm President now :)

GUYS. THANKSGIVING IS NEXT. WEEK. WHAT.

Where the heck has this year gone? I feel like I just started school two weeks ago. This is crazy. Have you guys gotten any Christmas presents finished or bought? I haven't started on any of mine yet, but I'm kind of waiting for Black Friday, since I can't afford anything otherwise. I'm so excited for holidays, guys! As much as I despise the cold, I kind of love this time of year. I have an excuse for staying inside all day, I can drink hot cocoa without being judged, I can wear layers of clothes, I can wear socks and slippers all around the house, etc. It's quite wonderful.

Anyway, just thought I'd check in with you guys.

Sagerific

Self-Worth

Sometimes it's hard to remember your self-worth. It's something that's always there, but it can get hidden by various things: the opinions of others, being alone, and sometimes it's clouded by your own personal thoughts. And the problem with it being hidden is that you can't really improve it until you can see it for what it truly is. I have this problem a lot. I forget that I really am worth the love of my Heavenly Father. I might be doing what I'm supposed to, being obedient, etc., but the 'why' escapes me, and I lose purpose. When that happens, I'm glad I have people around me to remind me of how my Heavenly Father sees me. Because I really am worth something.

In all my silliness, I am a beautiful daughter of Heavenly Father. I read children's books and I collect frogs (not the real ones). I have an intense love for hot cocoa and mint chocolate chip ice cream. I freaking love Captain America and Iron Man. One of the happiest days of my life was when I got a bookshelf for my room, and I sat and stared at it for...a long time (I have a lot of books). I procrastinate and I'm forgetful and scatterbrained. I can have really pretty handwriting when I want to. I have three or four sketchbooks that are only less than half-filled. My piano is one of my best friends. My family members are some of my best friends in the entire world. I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I love it.

This is who I am. What makes me beautiful? To others? I don't know. But all of that paragraph above, in all its imperfection, is what makes me beautiful to myself.

After all that, I want whoever reads this to remember that, even though you shouldn't necessarily have so much influence over how a person sees them self, you do. What you say matters. So why not say something nice and make someone's day? There's enough hate in the world as it is. Since I'm writing this at sometime after ten at night, I challenge anyone who reads this to go out and say something nice tomorrow. :) You'll feel better, and so will they. Go forth and make smiles!

Sagerific

EFY

So yesterday I got back from EFY. And guess what? I had good reason to be excited, like I so obviously was in my last post. EFY was an incredibly amazing experience. This year was not like last year, though. Last year was fun, I met cool people, made a few friends, I strengthened my testimony, I went home, end of story. This year, while it was really fun, it wasn't about fun. For me, anyway. I didn't just strengthen my testimony, I rebuilt it. I made friends with people who loved me for who I am, after only a week together. I cried (those darn allergies). A lot. But only with the girls:) I had amazing counselors, an awesome company (No guts, no glory!!), and a fantastic experience all around. I would recommend EFY to absolutely everyone. It's awesome.

Sagerific

Update On Life - EFY

Hello you wonderful people. Guess what I'm doing next week. EFY!!!! I'm so excited. I get to spend a week at a campus that looks like a castle (UPS). :) Seriously fun stuff. EFY is the best. I could not say enough good things about it. On another note.....Actually I don't have another note. EFY!!! That's pretty much all I can think about right now. YAY!!!

Sagerific

Comedy of Errors Wordle!

Wordles are awesome. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with them, but they're so cool! Here's one made from the text of Shakespeare's 'A Comedy of Errors':

Coolness, right?! Haha I love it.

Sagerific

P.S.

If you want to make your own wordle, go to wordle.net and check it out.

General Update :)

Hey guys! Been a little while since I posted. Let's see, what's happened since then?

I turned 16. - Yay! I'm 16! I don't feel any older. Maybe slightly more responsible. But not really. I had a good birthday, and an even better birthday party. Yay for friends! :)

Our ward boundaries were redesigned. - They switched a bunch of things up in a few wards. Three, to be precise. They took a bunch of people from our ward, put them with Centralia ward, took some people from Rochester ward, put them with our ward, and then moved our ward out of the Centralia building and into the Rochester building. Change is weird. And different. And I don't know how I like this yet, but I think it will be alright.

Other than that, not much else has happened. Oh yeah, Spencer turned 5! He's such a cute little stinker. Unfortunately, he knows it. And uses it to his best advantage. But he's awesome, and makes me laugh daily.

So....yeah. That's what's up!

Sagerific.

My personal tribute to Beethoven

So this last week has been a little rough, so far. My research project was due on Wednesday, and I was stressing out. STRESSING OUT. I don't honestly know if I did my best. I certainly gave it a good shot, though. The subject of my research project was Musical Composers of the Romantic Period. My choice. I picked it. I wanted to learn about and show how things in the lives of the composers influenced and/or affected their music. I learned a TON about several composers, but the one I really connected with was Beethoven. 

Whenever I used to think about Beethoven, it was always like, "Yeah, that guy who was deaf and a little crazy and wrote Ode to Joy. Cool beans." But as I read about him more and more, I began to understand him. Here's a passage from a book, Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times, and What the Neighbors Thought:

The saddest thing about Beethoven's life was his gradual deafness, beginning in his late twenties. But he was used to writing music he couldn't hear. As a child he had been too young to play the compositions he wrote. As his hearing grew worse and worse, he lived inside his head more than ever and kept on writing music with no loss of energy. He broke strings on his piano trying to pound loud enough so that he could hear the notes. Frustration made him more moody, even at times suicidal.

I'd read that passage several times during the course of researching for my paper, but as I was actually writing the paper, it hit me a lot harder than normal. 

Music is my life. It's my passion. It calms me. When I'm stressed out or I can't think straight, I go play Bach's Inventions, and the repetitive notes and complex fingering gives me something to focus on so I can think. When I'm sad or emotional I might play Chopin's Nocturnes. Sometimes when I feel happy or kind of silly, I play Princess and the Frog music and Sydney and I sing 'Almost There' at the top of our lungs. I am connected to music. Imagine how much more connected Beethoven was. 

Beethoven did not have an easy life. His dad was an alcoholic who humiliated himself at court and was very abusive to Beethoven. When Beethoven was older, he fell out with many of his friends, including the prince himself, whom he felt treated him like nothing but an accessory to his wealth and societal stature. He also was rejected by every woman he loved. The only thing that never failed him was his music. But of course he lost his hearing in his twenties, and then even his music was gone. He said, "Music is like a dream I cannot hear." So when I read that part about him playing the piano, and pounding so hard that the strings broke, I guess I finally understood. Beethoven wasn't just a great musical talent. He was broken, but he was amazing. And he managed to endure the devastation of losing his hearing, his connection, his ability to experience music fully. In my opinion, that's what makes him so great.

Sagerific

Time for a new post...

I decided I need a new post. But I have writer's block. FOR MY BLOG. How did that happen? Do you guys know how many times I have started a post and not finished it, or closed it to come back later, but of course had lost my previous train of thought, or just opened my blog to feel guilty and irritated that I couldn't think of anything to write about? It is really frustrating. Besides, this blog is supposed to be comforting and make me happy and stuff. 'TIS NO SUCH THING. Well, sometimes it is. But not right now.

Look at that, I wrote enough to publish a short post!

Haha

Sagerific

Stuff I have planned/Check-in

Hello people. How are you? I am fantastic, and super excited and worried about the week ahead. This weekend I'm going over to my grandma's house to watch General Conference. For you non-Mormon people who read my blog (if any), if you want to know what General Conference is, look here. Also possibly included in this weekend is a trip to the theater to watch Captain America: Winter Soldier (crossing my fingers). But only possibly, and maybe/probably not. The coming week will be filled with biology, Spanish, book-reading, and essay-writing. Also project-researching, but mostly biology and Spanish. Then (hopefully) I'm free from my online classes!! Well, at least from biology. Man, that course sucks. Next weekend will be super busy. I have a youth temple trip, a play (working on, not going to), and who knows what else. Guys, it's APRIL. Where did the time go?! I have so much to get done!! 

Anyway, hope you didn't get bored with my check-in. Bye!!

Sagerific

The Wisdom of Florence Nightingale (aka Sage is using her blog to write an essay again)

I’ve told several people about Florence Nightingale recently, and not very many seem to know who she was, or what she did. I, personally, have always looked up to Florence Nightingale. When I was younger, I read about her and decided I wanted to dress up as the famous nurse for Halloween (That’s right, people, I’ve been a nerd my whole life). So, in an attempt to educate you people who don’t know the awesomeness of Florence Nightingale, I have written a blog post. Yeah, I’m really into biographies, lately. Oh, and this is also an essay/assignment for class. Again. Here you go:

Florence Nightingale lived in England during the 1800s. During her lifetime, she improved military hospitals, started nursing schools, advocated women’s roles in society, and revolutionized the public health system. She was born into a family of high social standing. Because of her family’s social standing, she had to attend endless parties, gatherings, afternoon tea, or gossip sessions with other women of high class society. Florence was tired of the tedious social life she was expected to carry on, and yearned for independence. (Florence Nightingale.)

When Florence was 16, she received a call from God to devote her life to service. She wondered how she could do this, and decided that nursing would fulfill her calling. She fought her family on the subject for many years. Finally, her parents consented, on the condition that she seek an education in nursing privately, so as not to embarrass her family.

Florence enrolled at the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses in Kaiserswerth, Germany, receiving training for two weeks in 1850, and then again in 1851, for three months. She learned basic skills in nursing, patient observation, and hospital organization. In 1853, she wanted to break from her family’s social environment. Because of her and her family’s social connections, Florence was able to become the superintendent of the Institution for Sick Gentlewomen in Distressed Circumstances, in London. She displayed her great skill as an administrator by improving the nursing care, hospital efficiency, and working conditions. After one year, Florence decided that training nurses would be more beneficial to the public health systems. However, she did much more than just that.

In 1853, the Crimean War broke out between Turkey and Russia, with France and Britain joining in on Turkey’s side. Sidney Herbert, the Secretary of State at the time, wrote to Florence and asked her to bring a group of nurses to Scutari. In October 1854, Florence led 38 nurses to Scutari, only to be rejected by the medical officers there. The conditions at the military hospital in Scutari were absolutely repulsing. There were not enough supplies, the rooms and beds were rank and filthy, and the soldiers were dropping like flies. Five days after the arrival of Florence and her nurses however, the injured soldiers from the Battle of Balaklava and the Battle of Inkerman came and overwhelmed the hospital and the medical officers. Florence and her nurses were enlisted to help.

The hospital obviously needed improving. Florence saw to it that the beds were cleaned, supplies bought, patients washed and clothed and given adequate food. She worked in Scutari for long periods of time, and eventually collapsed from the work she pushed herself to accomplish. Later, she also contracted the “Crimean Fever” and had to take to her bed for much of her later years. (Selanders, Louise.)

Even after all she did in Scutari, she didn’t stop working for the improvement of the public health systems. She gained an audience with the Queen of England, asking to start a commision for sanitary military hospitals. She helped found the East London Nursing Society, the Workhouse Nursing Association, and the Queen’s Jubilee Nursing Institute. She also wrote, openly expressing her opinion on women’s rights. (Anderson, Amy.)

She devoted her entire life to learning and improving, and teaching others to do the same.  She transformed nursing.  She was a great example and source of wisdom in her time.  And I think she can inspire us all to go forth, learn, and accomplish great things.  She certainly inspires me.

See? Told you she was awesome.

Sagerific

Brain motivation

I like using my blog as a way to get my brain going. I have a hard time with motivation when it comes to writing, so a lot of times I use my blog to just write something. Anything. When I write on here, I can do whatever I want; no rules or limitations (within reason). That being said, I have no idea what I'll write about now. So I'll just keep typing until I think of something. This will either be a very long and scatterbrained chain of thoughts, or it will be an entire post about how I can't think of a topic. So yeah. Now I don't know what to say. I could quote someone. I don't really have anything memorized right now though. Nothing relevant or worth saying, anyway. Gosh, I wonder who reads my blog. It's always weird to think about people I don't know reading my blog. I doubt that it happens very often, if at all, but it's still a weird and kind of cool thought. What if someone actually liked my blog? I don't really post anything on here that's worth reading. Except when I need a change of audience for a paper. That was a cool paper (if I do say so myself).

Ok, I got nothing. At least now, maybe I can go back to Florence Nightingale and fill out my outline.

Sagerific

Shirley Temple Black

BEFORE YOU READ THE REST OF THE POST - I wrote this as an assignment for class. It's in the format of an essay (hence the bibliography and the footnote), but I thought writing it as a blog post would be an interesting change of audience. Anyway, you may proceed.

About two and a half weeks ago, on February 10, Shirley Temple Black passed away. She was 85 years old. Shirley Temple has been one of my favorite icons since I was a little girl. 'A Little Princess' and ‘Curly Top’ are still a couple of my favorite movies. When I was five years old, I took a dance class where we learned how to tap to 'On the Good Ship Lollipop' and we dressed up in polka dot dresses and curled our hair in ringlets for the recital. Everyone said I looked just like Shirley Temple. What I did not know about Shirley Temple, however, was that she wasn't just a sweet little girl, who sang and danced in the movies. She went on to be highly involved in politics, and also became a great diplomat.

Shirley Temple Black made movies throughout her adolescent years. As she grew older, the movies grew less and less popular; I'm guessing it wasn't quite as popular to watch a 12-year-old dance and sing, as a sweet little 4-year-old. Towards the end of her acting career she was married, at just 17 years old, to Joe Agar.  She had a baby at 18, but divorced Agar shortly afterward. When she was 22, she left acting and married Charles Black. Charles Black had a job at the Pentagon, and Shirley soon got involved in politics. She ran unsuccessfully in a special election for the House of Representatives in 1967.

In 1969, Shirley Temple was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations by President Nixon, which began her career in diplomacy. [1] In 1974, Vice President Gerald R. Ford assigned Shirley Temple as an ambassador to Ghana. She surprised the Embassy's officials when she arrived at her office in a Ghanaian outfit, a printed headscarf and gown (Way to win them over!). She spoke in depth about the economy, spoke in the local language, and befriended the women as sisters. (Levy, Claudia)

In 1989, Shirley Temple was assigned to Prague. Given the instability of the Czechoslovakian government at the time, it was surprising to many. An article printed at the time in the New York Times read: “If Prague were Rome or Paris, it would be easy to see George Bush's decision to ask her to be Ambassador to Czechoslovakia as simply a political reward for long, loyal service to the conservative Republican cause. But Prague is a difficult post that has usually been held by career diplomats with a background in Eastern European affairs.” Shirley surprised everyone when she handled her new post so well. She was optimistic and friendly, with a natural touch for combining and navigating politics and society. Because of her skill in these situations, she was able to go further than most diplomats would go. When Vaclav Havel, the Czechoslovakian President, went to the United States for the first time, Shirley Temple insisted on flying on the same plane. This way they could arrive together and she would be able to make the introductions between countries herself. (Rothman, Lily)

I never knew so much about Shirley Temple Black. Not only was she an adorable actress as a little girl, but she grew up to be even more awesome. She was clearly a great diplomat. She had the skill and the personality for the tough job. One can only admire her optimism and determination. She didn’t lose herself in the rough transition from childhood to adulthood; she blossomed and became a great role model to men and women alike. I can definitely learn from the great example she set.

1. Shirley Temple got her first ambassador appointment after Secretary of State Henry Kissinger heard her discussing Namibia at a party and, in her words, was "surprised that I even knew the word." (Shirley Temple Black, Beloved Child Actress, Won Praise in Diplomatic Career)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Levy, Claudia. "Shirley Temple Black, actress and diplomat, dies at 85." Washington

Post. The Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.

Rothman, Lily. "Ambassador Shirley Temple: Stories From the Crucial Role the Actress

Played in Global Politics." Entertainment.time.com. N.p., 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 3

Mar. 2014.

Whitney, Craig R. "Prague Journal; Shirley Temple Black Unpacks a Bag of Memories."

The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Sept. 1989. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

"Shirley Temple Black, Beloved Child Actress, Won Praise in Diplomatic Career." NY

Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.

Sagerific

My Favorite Things

I haven't posted in a while. So how about I tell you some of my favorite things? This is in no particular order. I'm just going to write whatever comes to mind. Here goes:

1. Red. That's my favorite color. I actually love all colors, in their varying shades, but red is my favorite. 

2. Converse. I do so love my Chuck Taylors. They're also red:)

3. Umbrellas. I don't know why, but umbrellas are cool. Especially when they have polka dots. Just saying.

4. Musicals and romantic comedies. The clean ones, people. They make me happy. I don't even care if that's a cliche chick thing. Whatever. Here's a list of some of my favorite movies. A lot of them are not musicals or romantic comedies. So I'm cheating, but whatever.

• Singin' In the Rain
• Kate and Leopold
• Pride and Prejudice
• Avengers and all the other Marvel superhero movies. Especially Captain America;)
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Star Wars
• The Rocketeer
• Megamind (One of the best cartoons ever. Seriously hilarious.)
• The Incredibles (and a whole lot of other Disney movies)
• Monsters Inc.
• Hallmark movies. Almost all of them. Occasionally there's a really cheesy one, or it's just kind of crappy in general, but for the most part, these are my faves.
• A bunch of other movies that shall remain nameless because I can't count or remember them all right now.

5. Pianos. This is really obvious, but whatever. It's true. I love pianos. I especially love my piano. I could probably write a whole blog post about my emotional attachment to pianos, so I'll stop now and write that some other time.

6. Mint ice cream. The chocolate chips are great, don't get me wrong, but mint is my true love. There's a special seasonal peppermint ice cream that comes out around Christmas, usually, but it costs an arm and a leg, because I think it's  Breyers or something, and it's also not usually featured in the grocery stores when I'm actually looking for it.

7. Hippy/gypsy skirts. Some people like to be all technical and fashion-forward and call them maxi skirts, which is great, and yeah, that's what they're called, but the ones I like specifically are gypsy skirts. The ones that you can plop down on the floor in, and not worry about modesty or anything, and still look pretty:)

8. Fancy boxes.

9. Embellished purses that carry everything. EVERYTHING. Like, I could put a couple of books, my makeup bag (which is about as big as a glasses case, with all the makeup I own in it), my sketchbook, markers and pencils, some crochet project I might want to work on, etc. These purses are rare, fabulous, and essential, and I love them.

10. Thesauruses. Thesauris? Whatever. They're awesome. #nerd

11. Speaking of nerd/geek, Star Wars.

12. Doctor Who

13. Merlin

14. Reading. Lol that one's obvious and pretty generalized, so some (not all, not in any particular order, and maybe not even my most favorite)favorite books are:

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
• Heroes of Olympus series (continuation of PJO)
• The Giver
• The Goose Girl (and the following Books of Bayern)
• Princess Academy (and its sequel)
• A Single Shard
• Hattie Big Sky
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Secret Life of Bees
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Freedom Factor
• Divergent [Insurgent, Allegiant]
• Homeless Bird
• etc. No, that's not a book, that just means that there are more books than I could possibly remember, list here, or otherwise tell you about.

15. Knit hats. I love them. Not the ugly shapeless ones that look like someone named Sage Claridge might have attempted to make, but the nice ones that you flaunt on a grey winter day. 

16. Guitars. I love guitars. I want to learn how to play, because it's really a fantastic instrument. Plus, there is almost nothing more attractive than a guy with a deep voice and an acoustic guitar.

17. Libraries. Duh.

18. Lava lamps. These things are cool, and this is an opinion that not even the fire of the Phlegethon will melt out of me.

19. Pinterest. I waste so much time on Pinterest. It's an addiction, I swear. 

20. Volkswagen bugs. The vintage ones. I saw one the other day that was shiny black and had whitewall tires. It was awesome.

21. Glass milk jugs.

22. Diva Dances at girls camp

23. Glow sticks

24. Tree houses

25. Andersen's fairy tales

26. Fluffy slippers

27. Window seats

28. Swing sets

29. Starburst

30. Sweet tarts

31. Shakespeare

32. Long cardigans

33. Ranunculus

34. Canopied beds

35. Fireplaces

36. Typewriters

37. Europe

38. England (more specific than Europe)

39. Yarn

40. Combat boots

41. Tutus

42. Purple tights

43. My favorite t-shirt (If you know me, you'll probably know which one this is. I wear it about twice a week, or until it gets dirty.)

44. Hot chocolate

45. Journals. Even though I never write in mine, or I use it for doodling until it's full and not a journal anymore, I love journals. Especially the scrappy kind. When you glue in pictures or ticket stubs, and write in fancy handwriting, and occasionally sketch or paint in it. With inspirational quotes on every few pages. With beautiful covers and sturdy paper. That is a journal. That's the kind I'd like to have, anyway.

46. Giant blankets

47. Studio C quote wars. I totally beat you guys, and you know it. I am the master of Studio C quotes. Oh and by "you guys" I mean Marley and Aaron.

48. Westport

49. The cello

50. My cell phone. Even if it does take crappy pictures.


Ok I think that's enough. There's tons more of course, but 50 is a good place to stop.


Sagerific

Flavored Concrete = Love? Um, no.

Valentine's day is in three days. THE ABOMINATION APPROACHETH. Blech. Ok, valentine's day isn't that bad. But those sweetheart candy things are nasty. I don't know if I can stand getting another box, eating one partly to be polite, partly to see if they've gotten any less disgusting since last year, then throwing the rest away because OH MY GOSH THE NASTYNESS. It's really annoying. Who associates love with a box of candies that taste like flavored concrete? Really?! Ok, rant over. 

Sagerific

P.S.

I apologize to anyone who likes those things. But I can't stand them.

Learning? I love learning! Learning's my favorite!

School has officially begun! I'm so happy to be back in the swing of things. Because I'm the scatterbrain that I am, I tend to forget and procrastinate during a break, especially when I might have been assigned something to do over said break. So it was stressful getting everything done in time, but I'm happy now. Plus, seminary! I really love seminary. I get to see some of my friends every day, and talk about stuff that matters to all of us. The getting up at 5:20 part isn't so great. I could really use like, ten more hours of sleep. But I digress. My first week of Shakespeare club was awesome. I'm really excited to get into it more and experience this awesome opportunity with the other kids in the club/class. I'm also possibly going to be an assistant director or stage manager for another play, Alice in Wonderland. I don't really know that much about it yet, or if I'll be doing it, or who I'll be working with, but it sounds fun, and I'd like to try it out. I'm also back in TJYC. Which is great. It's my favorite class. It makes me think, and challenge ideas, and determine where I stand with my own opinions. Aside from all that fun stuff, I have biology. And Spanish. And math. Bleh. That's all I have to say on those topics. So that's my school year so far! Hope yours is great too! Unless you're not in school. In that case, go learn something so that my sentiments can still apply to you.

Sagerific


P.S. I JUST REALLY LIKE LEARNING OK

P.P.S. Happy new year!!!! Even though it's been like, a week and a half. But whatever.