A Little Crocus

Look what I found this morning when I moved the snow shovels out of the flower bed by the back door:

I planted these a few months ago because yellow was the first color I wanted to see of spring. Sunny, springy yellow. I think I chose wisely.

Free drinks while they work out the kinks

This morning I went to Coffee Noir, a new coffee shop on 1035 E and 200 S. They're giving out everything free this weekend while they're starting out and training their employees.

This shop is in our old stamping grounds, and I'm happy to see a cute little coffee shop there instead of the old cigarette store.

The owner Ben is the nicest person and will be happy to see you stop by. If you don't like coffee, grab an Italian soda or a muffin--it's all on the house.

Women, Know Your Limits!

This video has embedding disabled, but it's worth a view on a very important issue.

Can I tell you how much I love little furry kittens?

I Heart Ponies

As Hobbes (no, not that Hobbes, but the one from Calvin and Hobbes) famously said, "I just think animals are so cute." There's a real genuine quality about them that's simple and uncomplicated.

Hooray for happy ponies.

Half-sick of shadows

My senior seminar was on the PRB, and this painting is in one of my top 10 from that group. I love her stance. I can relate to that tired, achy, stretchy feeling.

She knows not what the curse may be
And so she weaveth steadily

Happy Distraction

For about two months I've been breaking a favorite habit of mine: public radio. I can't stand to listen to the obsessive reporting on the financial crisis. Although I've been listening regularly for eight years now, I find that the last thing I want to wake up to is news of more helpless people everywhere, everyday. Seriously. I've had enough.

This leaves a big gap in my life. What do I use in the mornings to wake me up and accompany my morning routine? What about my 20-30 minute commute each way to work?

I've taken refuge in my iPod, especially since my commuting car has an iPod hookup. Thanks to several generous iTunes gifts we received for Christmas, I've found great refuge in music and audiobooks, and I've discovered they leave me in a much better mood than our current news.

Here are some of the artists or bands I've newly found in my search for distraction from depressing news:

• Fleet Foxes
• Regina Spektor
• The Killers
• Ingrid Michaelson
• The Shins
• Vashti Bunyan
• Faded Paper Figures
• Swell Season/The Frames

OK, so nothing too shocking on the list, but I'm going for escape and not the deepest, weirdest cuts. Anything else I should add for a happy distraction?

Little Button Eyes

This weekend I saw an opening film, Coraline. Because this is another stop-motion animation film by the same director of the Nightmare Before Christmas, I expected a sort of dark comedy. But this movie was creepy. Very creepy.

There's this principle that more something is similar or familiar, yet a fake, or not actually the thing it resembles, the more repulsive it is. This movie capitalizes on this principle, creating an alternate world to Coraline's own. Except everyone has button eyes. And they're weird. It's all very odd, but well done.

Smells like rain

February rain, and a sunshiny morning jog afterward, is an awakening experience.

Obviously, there's one creature at home who's not doing much jogging.

New Look

I want to thank Christina, Dave, and Baby Theo for being such good sports on the 3+ hour tour of the Draper Temple. I now have a dream that one day they will give priority to people who actually have open house tickets, or people with nursing babies, or people who are visiting from a different denomination so that they don't have to wait 2 hours at a stake center to board a bus. It is a gorgeous temple though, isn't it?

And I want to thank Gatsby for pointing out Moroni's rad new look.

Pros and Cons

I know my upper-division university writing students are in a vulnerable place as they attempt to learn how to properly research and present a thesis of their own unique understanding as colleagues to professionals and professors alike.

But I just can't help but share one topic: "Email or Snail Mail: Which Should You Choose?"

One might ask, How will this topic add unique insight and contribute to the academic conversation? Another question might be, Who is the real or intended audience for this paper, 10 years after everyone has had the Internet pumped into their homes?

Well I'll tell you, this paper presents unique arguments. The main pro of email is that you can get a free account from lots of places. And the biggest con of snail mail? Anthrax.