Sunday, February 13, 2011

Mind Reading

Remember the frustrations I brought up in this post?

Someone at the SLTrib must have read my mind.

I would love to hear any and all comments with regards to that article.

Oh, and Happy Valentines Day.


Sunday, February 6, 2011

Pedestaling

Such an odd little culture we have isn't it?

I've always been the kind of girl who can do and LIKES to do for herself. I appreciate the offer, home teachers, but I can change a light bulb and take out the garbage myself. You know what else I'm pretty capable of doing? Putting up chairs and tables and opening doors. Now before you roll your eyes and think that I'm setting this post up to be some feminist rant...hang on and hear me out.

I think we as a culture are guilty of some unfair pedestaling. Which is not a word. But it will be once you understand what I'm saying.

How often have you heard it said, over the pulpit or otherwise, that women are more spiritual or in general, better creatures than men? At times I have been very guilty of this kind of thinking and I think that it is wrong. Its wrong because it sets women up on a pedestal. And makes base, lowly creatures out of men who need the priesthood to save them from their natural state of irresponsibility and inactivity. Wrong.

Remember that oft quoted talk that GBH gave where he said that it wasn't until woman was created that the work could be called good? (I couldn't find it with 30 seconds of searching or I would have linked it here). I don't think that the work couldn't be called good without women because we are so angelic and special. It couldn't be called good (or finished) because women are essential to the plan. Adam couldn't be without Eve and vice versa. Just like I can't declare myself dressed without both shoes on my feet, or my sandwich made without peanut butter AND jelly. We're necessary, not special.

Men in the church are taught to respect, protect, and provide for women which is all well and good but they shouldn't be revered.

Women the world over get put in second place so I'm grateful that the church does its best to given women their due but the problem I have with putting women on a pedestal is that it simplifies their good works and service as merely being part of their nature, and conversely that any good work by a man should be a congratulated surprise.

I'm so guilty of all of this its not even funny. So to make reparations I offer the following (write it down people as I have a history of rarely being complimentary to the Mormon man. Its an unattractive quality, I know.)

Men have it tough. They have heavy priesthood responsibilities that frankly I'm glad I don't have to deal with. They deal with pressure to be providers that I have never known. I know plenty of men that didn't go into fields they wanted to because they didn't feel they would make enough to provide for a family. Which seems unfair. It would be especially hard to feel like a useful provider in a world where women are increasingly able to provide for themselves. I truly believe that people become what you expect them to be and because of this "pedestaling" (women=angels, men=dogs) you are not given the credit that a Son of Adam deserves.

Now get it in gear and find someone to marry already. We're all waiting around for you and your childhood is over I'm sorry to tell you.

And as for not letting me put up chairs etc? I was put on this earth to work and to build the kingdom just like you. I'd rather work beside you than watch you do the work for me.

I think I have a total of two male readers. If you agree or disagree or have something to add from your POV I'd love you to comment privately or publicly.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Magic Dress

What happens when your mom asks you to clear out some really old clothes out of your sister's closet that have been hanging there since you moved out?

You might re-encounter The Magic Dress that has infinite stretching capabilities. That encounter might look something like this...

Starts out simple enough...

Then there's the double wide shot...


Then little sister number two might want to join in...


There was some near strangulation involved due to height differences.

After some hard work the "hydra in a bad floral print" look is achieved.


Now getting out is another story...

Have a good week everyone!




Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Perpetual Adolescence

As I've mentioned before here at WHC being a single adult in the church can be tough. The most obvious reason for that is of course, the loneliness. I don't mean a "I have nothing to do this Friday night" lonely...its not a day to day lonely...Its like your life feels like coming home to an empty house. Which sounds REALLY depressing. I've got plenty of friends and family. And they are great at keeping me company but I lack that teammate we all crave. A witness to my life...

I'm going to stop all that before we all turn on our favorite Dashboard song and sit in the dark crying into a pillow. Loneliness is not what I wanted to write about today. Loneliness and being single is obvious. Thus boring.

The thing that has been burning through my brain today and for quite sometime now is how being a single adult in the church forces upon you a perpetual, and (in my case) unwanted adolescence.

The church is all about progression. Its one of its fundamental teachings and the reason why we are here on this Earth in the first place. We should always be moving forward, learning, growing. But I (as far as my point is concerned) am stalled. In the eternal progression of things...I am a teenager. And have you ever met a teenager? Or been one? It kinda sucks.

My point is most easily illustrated by comparing myself to my married peers. Lets start with the most petty things and work our way into the more serious ones.

FHE is a perfect example. Hey married readers, when was the last time you felt obligated on a Monday night to go and play human foosball in a church gym with similarly situated adults? Never? Maybe in college? I did a few weeks ago. And I really feel too old for it. Is it ok that I'm over activities like this? I don't want to get in a water balloon fight with a group of grown men and women. My married peers don't have to. Why do I?

Then there's the stuff. When you get married people give you a lot of nice stuff. Its like they're saying "You're getting married, which means you're growing up, which means you need grown up stuff." And you get nice things. You go to Bed, Bath and Beyond and register for exactly the stuff you want and people buy it for you. I can't afford that stuff by myself and I can't think of an excuse that would make people buy it for me...so here I am at 25 living like a college student still. I'm the same age as some of my married friends but yet not grown up enough to have nice stuff. To be fair, I have more money now than I did in college but because of my living situation (I share a condo with 4 single girls) I don't have the room to buy the nice things that my adult self wants to have. Told you I was going to get petty.

But the most glaring way I'm stuck in this adolescence is that most adult of adult activities is off limits to me. I won't get explicit for the sake of the sensitive souls out there (and because I recently learned that my youngest sister follows me. Hey Mary!) but literally in this way I'm asked to live the same exact way that was laid out for me as a 14 year old in the For Strength of Youth Pamphlet. I remember a seminary teacher pointing out the oddity of the practice of being a nun or a monk in the Catholic church. How God created us so that we could be together and have families. And what a perversion of His plan celibacy was. But here I sit as abstinate as Fraulein Maria (wow I didn't even realize it but that metaphor really works for me...I spend my day trying to reign in kids who don't respect me and I'm in close contact with attractive men with status and weath who are chasing an un-catchable woman).

Anyway, my point is I would give the whole contents of a Bed Bath and Beyond to not be excluded from that part of God's plan for me. (This of course includes the chance to be a mother naturally). I don't think God wants us to miss out on these important human experiences. So what's going on?

Maybe this is my (generation's) "pioneer trial". I don't have to walk across frozen Middle America and bury children in shallow, frozen, unmarked graves along the way but my faith is being tested by how well I can endure the feeling that I will never get to grow up, move forward, or progress.

Really though, at the end of the day, being single is a pretty cushy trial. Who wants to ski Park City with me on Saturday?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

HH's Best of 2010

If you spend any time on the internet you know that the end of the year means endless "best of 2010" lists. Best movies, tv shows, books, music, celebrity bods etc...

Inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Linda Holmes I just wanted to share my "Best of 2010" list. In no particular order these are just pop culture type things that made me really happy this year.

So without further ado:

1. This song. Yes the original is unnecessarily profanity laden. But its such a great song. The edited version is just as catchy and satisfying. I love it.

2. This TV show. There is nothing funnier on TV right now. And this is coming from a person who has unabashedly loved 30 Rock since its inception (foreshadow!). The writing is so fresh and never quits. Originally my favorite person to watch was Joel McHale's Jeff Winger (especially if he had his shirt off!) But in the second season my favorite person on that show is Donald Glover who plays Troy Barnes. He's gone from being a one-note dumb jock to really having some depth. Especially in the past couple of episodes. I think I'm in love with him. AND he used to be a writer for 30 Rock which makes him even more awesome and makes me feel less unfaithful to good ol' Liz Lemon.

3. This blog. The satire is golden. My favorite part about it is the way she spells things. I want to be this woman's friend. She gets it. I feel like some people think she's mean...I guess if you look at it that way. My favorite thing is some people think its real and not satire. Unbelievable. I just see it as someone holding a mirror up to a certain demographic in our culture and having a sense of humor about it. We're all like TAMN in someway...that's why its funny.

4. I didn't see too many movies this year but my favorites were: This one, this one and this one. This year I've really recognized and owned my general dislike of most movies. Mostly because of recycled story lines/characters that get SO boring. These movies were not boring.

5. My favorite album of the year was not Kanye West's like the rest of the worlds (although I am liking it. The clean version of course) but this album. I think I listened to it on repeat for the entire month of April. I know most of you will think its really weird but I don't care. Its a much lighter and happier sound than Demon Days but its just as complex. I loved it. I'd recommend Stylo, Rhinestone Eyes and On Melancholy Hill.

6. I love the Food Network and my two favorite chefs are Alton Brown and Ina Garten. I literally want to be Ina when I grow up. And although Alton is super nerdy his recipes are my favorite. Try his meatloaf or granola.

7. I saw a few concerts this year, Regina Spektor, DMB, John Mayer, Ben Folds...But the concert I had the most fun at was Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. That sixty-something woman wore me out! I've never seen someone have that much fun performing. AND the Dap Kings played the horns on Marc Ronson's Version. Another of my favorite albums.

8. I don't recommend Mad Men to any of my friends really. Its a depressing show with sometimes inappropriate content but its one of the best shows on television. I don't watch dramas but I watch Mad Men. This season they had an episode that featured almost exclusively, my two favorite characters; Don Draper and Peggy Olsen. It was more like a short play than a episode in a series. It might have been the best hour of television this year.

9. I didn't do a ton of reading this year. Well reading of books I should say. I read plenty of stuff online (stupid Wifi and laptop...ruining my love of reading books...) But the best book I read this year was The Help. I was a little disappointed by the ending but it had great narrative voice.

10. This clip. (Advisory: if you don't want to see Tracy Morgan in a white spandex body suit don't click on that link) I don't watch of Jimmy Fallon often but one thing I like about him is he has fun on his show. Genuine. Unabashed fun. Without putting anyone down or being gross like Leno and Letterman. He plays charades and Operation and stuff. Its fun to watch. AND he's got The Roots as his in house band. Pretty cool.

There you have it. Did all those links drive you crazy? I'd be cursing me if I were you.

Happy New Year!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Snapshots

What?! I haven't written since Halloween. Shame on me. Honestly, and I'm not just saying this...I've been really busy. Like maybe busier than I ever have been. Ever.

Now that the hyperbole is over with I just wanted to share a few...snapshots...if you will. And I know, reader, that you will...

1. I'm going to take a break from ordering things online. Last week I ordered a new 'work' swimsuit (an athletic swim suit not a cute hot-tub-with-your-boyfriend swimsuit, you get me?) from Nike.com. A box came from Nike today and I opened it with the anticipation that all packages are opened with to find a...pair of board shorts. Wah-wah. So I call Nike's customer service where I learn that the swimsuit I ordered doesn't exist. It was a figment of the Interweb's imagination that had the same style number as a pair of board shorts. Darn.

I also ordered a totally cool map from a German website in early November. I have yet to receive it. I know that Europe is far away but I'm pretty sure they aren't sending things by boat anymore. So I emailed a nice German man (typing those two words together feels redundant) named Dirk who told me that
"It was shipped via DHL as a "Päckchen", which has unfortunately not tracking code". He offered to send me another one...I told him I'd give the original another week. No wonder DHL went out of business in the US (shouts to Molly!)

2. On my way home from work today I was stopped at a light. I glanced at the car to my left which happened to be a shiny red truck of some kind and in the passenger window staring right at me was Santa. Not making this up. The hair, beard, hat, suit. He smiled and waved his sausage fingers, each one bedecked with a gold ring. Needless to say that brought a smile to my face. How great is Christmas?

3. Speaking of Christmas...the start of a relationship feels a lot like Christmas morning. That mix of excitement and anxiety...you're not sure yet if you're getting a Kindle or a paper back John Grisham from a thrift store...

4. The more time I spend with Jr. High School students the more that I'm sure that their brains are broken. In elementary they're still cute and innocent. In high school they're starting to put the pieces together but in Jr. High there's a huge disconnect. And I'm the b-word that has to hold them accountable and try to treat them like functioning human beings. Which they are not. (this is pretty pessimistic...but the two classes I have right now are pretty tough. I'm hopeful that things will get better)

I feel really good right now. Hope you all feel the same.

Loves and Peaces.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Need a laugh?

Here's two for you:

This past Halloweekend I went to a dance party with two friends. I don't love dressing up and was secretly hoping to fly under the party radar this year so I wouldn't have to come up with a costume.

Thankfully at the 11th hour my friend Brit insisted I go to her friends party and orchestrated this costume:


Alvin and the Chipmunks in case you live under a rock. It was lazy and low maintenance which was perfect for me. The problem was was that if Jill and I weren't in immediate proximity to Brit aka Alvin it just looked like we were wearing ugly sweaters.

At one point we were separated from Alvin. During a brief pause in the awesome dancing a tall guy dressed as a gangster snowboarder (?) asked us what we were dressed as. I explained the costume and assured him he'd get it if Alvin were around (AAAALLLLVVVIIINNNN!!!). Jill then asked him what he thought we were before we told him. He replied looking at me "a nerd because of the funny glasses" then turned to Jill and said "I thought you were just badly dressed." HA!

On another note. I sang the Chipmunk Christmas song aaaallllll night.

Laugh 2:

I just started teaching one period of Geography at a new school. Its been three days. The kids don't really know me and I don't really know them. Today I mentioned one of the other teachers in the building by name and they were surprised that I already knew some of the other teachers. One of the students came to my defense and said:

"Of course she knows the other teachers. Ms. Handy gets around!"

Um.

Moving on class...

Then later I drew something on the board that accidentally looked exactly like a boob. There was much snickering. So there's that.

Hope everyone is having a great week!